team building and a fuckin hangover

I came home the other night with a bad case of one of the best and worst hangovers I've had so far. Wait, that sounds confusing? Anywho, drinking was never my thing although I admit, I drank a lot of beer when I was in college but I never really enjoyed it. Basically I did it out of peer pressure and to look COOL. Well not to look cool really. I did it because I didn't want to seem like a killjoy everytime we went out. Hiyep, it was a stereotype thing to be and do at the time.

But every once in a while, there are always those occasions that tend to draw me into gulping down a bottle of beer and savoring the malty goodness of the alcoholic beverage running through my system. Ai dunno, sometimes I crave for beer or a nice shot of tequila especially if the timing and mood is right. And the team building we had over the weekend was the perfect time to get wasted. It was an overwhelming experience at first but the repercussions were terrible! haha

So last Sunday, team Baldado had the opportunity to have one last fling before the summer officially ended. We decided to have another team building, in which I was lucky enough to go to this time although I wasn't allowed to stay overnight. But hey, I was grateful already just to have been permitted to go.

It was a great thing that we had this team building again. I know we see each other everyday and some are just probably sick of it but it still is a different feeling when you're out together doing something out of the ordinary, meaning WORK. It was nice too that one of our newest members was able to catch up even though he came around 9pm already soaking wet in the rain because he rode the bike with TL and Donald when they met up with him. It was raining from 4 til night but that didn't stop us from having a blast and grilling the Max's chicken and the fish.

We cranked up the videoke and sang like we were Mariah Carey or Chaka Kan. Benji, who isn't actually part of the team but was a friend of everyone, came along and he was so good with performing with the mike and singing like a pro had everybody laughing in amazement when he sang Ice Ice Baby and Through the Fire with a lady's voice! It was fuckin HILARIOUS man! I and everyone else couldn't contain our laughter and it got so bad that we all had sore cheeks and jaws!

It was finally time for me to swim and the water was the best. It was not cold like other pools in some resorts. The water was very warm and it was so relaxing, I just wish I could've stayed longer. I think it has been almost 2 years since I last stepped into a pool, I can't wait to hit the beach as well (kung mangyayare pa yun this year). For some reason, even if I'm terrified of swimming in the ocean, being near it gives me great comfort.

Oh and by the way, I taught TL how to float, apparently he knows how to already. He is such a... haha

It was really exhausting but all in all, I had a blast hanging out with my teammates. Pictures you can view over at my MULTIPLY sight. :)

a bruised elbow party

Last night was a blast. After all the hard work I've been doing at work, I finally had the chance to go out again and for the first time in a long time, I went clubbing. And may I say that it was one of the funnest times ever.

But before the club partying began, I went out to meet up with some friends to check out the event at HAU. It was the last day of the university days so I figured, might as well check it out. My friend Pat was also performing that night so the gang and I got to catch him strut his stuff on the stage and hear him sing reggae style. Yah man!

After that beat pumping performance, we headed back to the stairs of Index to hangout. Took loads of pictures that night and it was fun. I just didn't like what happened when I fell to ground because someone from the group was too drunk with beer and something else that led my precious body falling. I acquired a bruise on my elbow and a hit on the head from this out of control incident. I'm just glad that no scrapes or scratches got to my legs or I would be really pissed off. Himala nga cuz I was wearing a skirt. I just wished that there weren't people around to see the fall. So humiliating. Oh, and that person too dropped my freakin camera. FUCK IT.

Anyway, I was glad to leave the place after having Bulan take care of my scrapes. He was sweet enough to clean and band-aid my elbow when he realized I got hurt. He's such a caring friend and one of the true ones. It was a bit of a shame that I had these bandages on that night and I even haven't even started partying yet. Nevertheless, the show still went on and I still pushed through to go clubbing.

As I reached Ministop with Joana, Marijo and Twitch, Princess was already waiting near one of the salons along the sidewalk. AJ arrived moments later and then we all proceeded to BALK LINE. We all looked pretty worn out because we haven't had much sleep that day but with a little touch of make-up at the lavatory, we eventually looked like humans again. We didn't go straight up to the venue because it was still crowded at that moment so we decided to sit down on one of the couches downstairs. Arence arrived momentarily and after chilling out for a while, we finally headed upstairs to check the crowd out.

It was packed alright. The dance floor was overflowing with dancing people and we were a the other end of the room from where the DJ was. I haven't been to Balk Line since 3rd year high school and at that time, you could still dance around without worrying about skin-on-skin contact. My friends from school were there which was really great cuz I miss them so much. I just found it weird to see them at Balk Line because they usually party at SAX but what the heck, I'm glad they decided a change of pace tonight. I introduced Arence to everyone and surprisingly, they got along with each other which made me real happy. After chatting with Gemma and the rest of the HRM gang, Arence, Aj, Princess and I boldly headed to the middle of the dance floor.

Arence and I never reached the DJ's spot but AJ and Princess did. It was fun to dance with him considering he isn't much of a dancer. He was practically following my moves most of the time but he did groove to the music quite well. I can't believe after almost 3years of being together,it was our first time to go out clubbing. Is that lame? haha I haven't had dinner yet so after sweating our asses off on the dancefloor, I invited Arence to have a little snack at a dimsum and noodle place outside. We had some beef siomai, siopao and wanton noodles and two glasses of their refreshing iced tea. YUM!

After the meal, we went back to meet up with AJ and Princess at Pozzo where Jayjay and new found friend Aaron were. Had a couple of beers to ease our bloated tummies. Found out that Aaron was Arence's classmate in gradeschool. It really is a small world we're in. Boys talked with each other and the three of us girls did the same. It was almost 4am when we decided to leave. I was able to buy a couple of bundles of suman from a vendor passing by for breakfast. Yes, I love suman and all those other kakanin. AJ and Princess left with Aaron and Jayjay whilst Arence and I rode the jeep instead.

I had so much fun last night. I wish every weekend were like last night. I was always a night person but not the night-party one. It was refreshing to have a change of pace now and then. The thrill of doing something new gives me this adrenaline rush that makes me feel alive. I never thought that I would have this much fun with new friends and I'm glad I didn't back out on the offer. Even though we were only together for a short period of time, we enjoyed every second of it. Hopefully this kind of thing would happen more often in the future. :)

Photos of the event are at my MULTIPLY site. GO check 'em out. Or you can click this link and this one too to lead you straight to the album. Duh. lolz

welcome 2008

So, it's 2:08 am on a Tuesday and the start of the new year. Another year has passed and a new one just ushered in. It's been one hell of a ride, 2007.. But now, I shall bid it farewell and all memories be kept in my mental and emotional diary and be treasured forever.

2007 was great - I made new friends, loved and got hurt, experienced being rejected and accepted at the same time, attended a friend's wedding, went to a carnival, learned a lot of new things and got to know more about myself better above all.

In preparation for the coming of 2008, my mom and I decided to really prepare for the meja noche. Sort of like making up for what happend on Christmas eve wherein we didn't cook a thing thinking that we would be able to have dinner at Chowking after the mass but didn't and ended up eating bread and hotdogs at my grandma's. So right after the mass at 8, we went straight home and had dinner. The dining table was overflowing with food! There was tacos (with all the ingredients like the lettuce, tomatoes, beef and cheef on separate platters), the spaghetti with the tuna sauce and a very big bowl of yummy fruit salad that had an extra kick of fresh juicy strawberries thrown in. It was a fun dinner, everyone was enjoying themselves and the food. Then right after, we took some photos. At last we have a new family portrait, yay!

After lola left, we all did our individual things while waiting for midnight to strike. Mike came back right after he took my lola home. We all watched CARS on the Disney channel which was fun. At exactly 11:30PM (Dec. 31), we lit these candles that my aunt gave us at the reunion. There were seven candles all different in color. Each candle symbolized various aspects of life like peace, wealth, health and etc. We were instructed to put out the flames at 12 midnight and arrange them from smallest to biggest. Then, the candle that melted the quickest will symbolize the good fortune that the New Year would bring us, followed by the rest. I forgot the arrangement but the orange candle died out first which was the gift of BRIGHTNESS. Just what I need this new year.

As the clock struck 12, our next door neighbors began firing out their firecrackers and fireworks to usher in the new year. It was fun to see them all excited and together as one happy family and enjoy the coming of the new year. Like they were, we too were excited and together as one happy family. We were all in my parent's room, fully airconditioned with all the windows and door closed because our living room and dining room smelled of fumes from the firecrackers and smoke coming from the outside. Dad popped out the wine cap and we toasted to a new year ahead of us. The family was never a fan of alcoholic drinks so my brothers really didn't appreciate the wine. I don't like wine but I drank mine anyways and I'm still drinking the leftover right now which I poured in a little bit of Coke as to lessen that bitter taste haha. We had hotdogs, ham and queso de bola then for dessert, there was the blueberry cheesecake my mom made and the mango float I made. We continued to watch CARS and when it finished, we watched Talladega Nights. We then realized that there was a theme to the shows that we were watching this evening. Race cars was it? My mom fell right of to sleep and after a while, Mike went home and Daryl and I tidied up the place so mom wouldn't have to worry about dishes in the sink when she wakes up.

I know it's tradition to have new year's resolution/s after every 365 days and I would like to share some of mine to all of you. I warn you that I may not accomplish everything but I hope for the best and at least do half of the list. I am ready for change especially if it's a change for the better so here goes my 2008 resolutions and goals (not in any particular order). A clean slate ready to be filled..

1. Do Project 365 (take a picture each day for a year)
2. Be less lazy, maybe start learning some new things
3. Spend less time on the internet (haha)
4. Play my guitar!!
5. Clean my room at least once a week
6. Help my family in any way possible
7. Be more efficient in accomplishing any tasks give
8. Live life. (socializing, clubbing, and finding more new friends so that I have more chain to hold on to whenever I'm blue).
9. Practice drawing
10. Don't stay up so late.
11. To become more articulate and adept at expressing myself.
12. To make no excuses, but do what has to be done.
13. Find my inner peace
14. Be more optimistic.
15. PRAY MORE OFTEN and attend mass regularly.
16. Donate blood (?!?)
17. Be organized in any aspect of my life
18. Be happy - genuinely happy.
19. Read more - because so far, I have only read 2 novels in my 20 years of existence but I'm currently reading Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. Big thanks to Glenda.
20. Never give up (on anything. no matter what. try, try, try.)
21. Be open to new experiences.
22. Take more time for myself. Do what I WANT to do, not what anyone else wants.
23. Take a risk. A big one. (Something major. That will change my life.)
24. Stop procrastinating
    Wear my back brace more often
25. See my dentist regularly
26. Feed the dogs regularly on time
27. Be home on time
28. Be more selfish, because yes, people take advantage of me too much.
29. Drink beer more. (YES, DRINK BEER)
30. Get aother tattoo (this isn't a resolution I know but I want to add it here)
31. Practice more on my Nihonggo. Hai!
32. Keep in touch with friends whether through text or small get togethers
33. COOK.
34. Be more trusting of others
35. Be less cynical and sarcastic. haha yeah right.

Well, there you have it. MY LIST. It's a pretty long one I know but it's better than nothing. I have more resolutions but I simply can't remember them at the moment. I'm exhausted and I think I'm hitting the sack nah because this red wine is kicking in *hik!

I hope everyone had great start for the year. GOD bless and happy 2008 once more. :)

a Merry Christmas indeed

Christmas day is finally over and it was exceptionally and surprisingly FUN. :)

I didn't think that I'd enjoy this Christmas but I did. Being able to feel the spirit of Christmas on the day itself was the most overwhelming thing. I almost thought that I was going to end up as a Scrooge this year with all that humbag and doubts of Christmas being a total bummer - but I was totally wrong.

Christmas day was full of fun and games. Every Christmas is a reunion for the Quiazon clan and we never fail to amuse ourselves with party tricks and entertainment. This year's celebration felt more exciting and more joyous than the previous Christmases. The family would always come up with certain gimics to jazz up the reunion and to make every Christmas more unique and more festive. This year's theme was "Naughty or Nice?" and everyone wore something that would represent whether they were one of both. Almost everyone came with costumes which was really cool because it just shows how much of a sport we all are.

The food was delicious as always; we had one whole lechon on the table, paella, salad and the softest ox-tongue in red sauce! There wasn't much food but it was enough to satisfy everybody's tummy that day. The dessert was pretty abundant with fruitcake, food for the god, my mom's blueberry cheesecake (which was a hit), a chocolate cake and my Pepper and Chocolate Chip cookies. I was happy from the positive responses from the Pepper Cookies that I made because it was the first time I ever tried baking them and they turned out good. Yay!

After everyone had finished eating and have rested, the program began to take place with my aunt, Tita Zeneth, as this year's MC. First order of business was the family introduction with our respective costumes. Then followed the games and a performance by us. My brothers, mom and I did a band presentation and played "Ewan". It was my second debut as a guitarist at a family gathering. It felt pretty good playing again even if it was just infront of my relatives. The games that my aunt prepared were the most creative games I've seen and participated in. Everybody loved them and had such a blast with each one. And after all the games and commercial breaks, it was time for the giving of the gifts which I think is what everyone awaits for during Christmas.

I've noticed that as the years pass and as I and the rest of my cousins get older, we get money instead of gifts now. I like the money as presents but I miss how I would recieve bags and boxed presents filled with goodies that I would curiously open as soon as I get them; I miss the excitement and thrill of guessing what present I would be getting as I unwrap the Christmas paper from the gifts; I miss bringing home gifts that I can actually use and not spend. It's true that when we grow up, things that we were used to will eventually change and this includes how people would give presents on Christmas. Nonetheless, I am pretty much content with the gifts I got this year which include:

• Neverwhere book by Neil Geiman from my bestfriend GLENDA
• baking tools, a halloween tray, and the coolest stuffed toy cat in the universe from ARENCE
• a Domokun display toy from my kuya MIKE
• a penguin designed tshirt and some socks from MOM & DAD
• pink slacks from my AUNT ALMA
• lipgloss from TITA ROWH
• a silicon cone-shaped cupcake mold, Betty Crocker food coloring and icing from TITA SHY'
• and the rest were aguinaldos from other aunts and my lolo's and lola's. I got a total of P_____.*hihi

I would've never expected this Christmas too be this happy. I should've given myself the benefit of the doubt. I was wrong about my feelings about the yuletide season. I was being nonchalant but I eventually gave the feeling up on Christmas eve and it felt great. This Christmas couldn't have been more perfect. Everyone was genuinely happy and I wasn't in any place to complain about the feeling either.

What did I learn about this Christmas season?

I learned that gifts and money will always be present during this season of giving, but the best thing that you could give anyone is the gift of LOVE. Sounds a little cliche but at the most it's also so true. Christmas is made up of the people around you who care and love you even if you do the stupidest or the greatest of things.

I hope everyone had a good Christmas and may you still enjoy the rest of the holiday season and the resto of 2007. :)

♥♥♥

If you want a visual story of my Christmas, you can check out my Multiply and look for the Christmas albums. Enjoy!

breakfast at tiffany's

Actually it's breakfast at "Northern Brew", I just thought Breakfast at Tiffany's was a neat title for the entry. *teehee

Having breakfast with Arence is always an amazing experience. I never did eat my morning meals but whenever the both of us get to share this one little part of the day together, I just know that the rest of my day will be great. Breakfast is also a tad bit better when we have it at Northern Brew because they serve an eat-all-you can buffet every Sunday which only cost P99! I always loved having breakfast in cafe's (and McDonald's too) because they are such cozy places.

It was a real treat for the both of us to have had breakfast together this week. Breakfast was good and the day was even better with the sun shining brightly in the morning sky. We haven't really been out on a "date" eversince gahd knows when and this past Sunday was our lucky break. It's nice to know that we are still able to go out once in a while, especially when I'm not going to school anymore (meaning no MOOLAH for me). Anywyas, date or no dates, I still love this guy to pieces. ♥

After that wonderful brekfast, I hurriedly went to Bartmall to meet up with my friends and classmates for our so-called closing party-slash-reunion. Since everyone from the class are mostly 4th year students and will be taking their practicum anytime soon (meaning we might not get to have these kinds of get togethers in a long time), they decided to have a closing party which we had at Villa Antonina, a resort in Baliti.

It was my first time at the resort and may I say that it is darn beautiful. It was even better than that resort we went to on our last class trip to Batangas and it cost us thousands! We swam in all 5 (i think) pools that day and took pictures along the way. I'm so funny to bring my cam everywhere including to pool areas but what the heck, it's still alive and I've got loads of photos to remember the day by.

Having this closing party with my classmtes has been fun and I am already looking forward to our next get together. Maybe the next one is a trip to Bagiuo or somewhere far from home! *fingers crossed ^_^