crazy/beautiful friday

Thank you for making this day truly fun and memorable.


I am blessed to have found crazy/beautiful friends in all of you. I will miss you all!

that thursday

Wasn't expecting to be woken up early (read: 9-ish AM) by my Aunt Mely, my ever-reliable European Travel Consultant, for some two cents regarding my luggage and shipment. Thanks a bunch!!!

Still sleepy and groggy, since I went to bed at around 4 AM already, I dialled my former company's Human Resources number to make a follow-up on my check. Not yet ready. Was asked to make another call tomorrow, to see if I can finally get and encash it.

Went back to bed, woke up a couple of hours later for lunch.

Watched Game K N B, shuttling between the dining table and the TV room. I sooo love this show, with its advancing and retreating movable platforms, which the contestants are standing on. It's a trivia game and the first two to reach the top of the step wins the competition and gets to challenge the reigning champion. Each contestant has two powers to command anyone to retreat one step back, so they must know when it's most advantageous to use it. I also love its host, the ever-controversial and tactless, yet highly endearing Ms. Kris Aquino.

Went to a different local bank to open a joint peso savings account with my mom, should my check from Rustan's won't be available by tomorrow. That way, she can deposit and withdraw the cash-worth anytime.

Got some afternoon snack of burgers, salad and ice cream from Wendy's.

We then went to ABS-CBN to send off my shipment. I had to carry 22 kilos worth of boxed stuff for several meters, looking for the DHL service point at the building's lobby, only to find out that it's 10 steps away from the entrance - to my left.

Signed, sealed, delivered. It should arrive in Oslo on Monday morning, about the same time my plane's touching down Gardermoen Airport.

Attended a prayer meeting with my mom and dad, and asked for divine intercession for a safe travel. I also asked God to take care of my family while I'm away. God I love them.

Got home just in time for Supernatural, one of the shows I will miss. Who wouldn't miss seeing these two?

The indefatigable and super Sam and Dean.

the last three days

Random thoughts, happenings, and what-nots over the last three days. This will bore you. Read no further. I just need to chronicle this for my departure.

Monday
- Was supposed to get a tooth extracted, but darn that wisdom tooth, surgery needed to be done, and that's the last thing I need right now.
- Shopped for underwear - classic Jockey boxer briefs and funky printed ones from Bench. Got a free ticket for the Bench Fever Show this Friday, which I am giving away to Hench.
- Shit, I'm really leaving come week's end.
- Watched America's Next Top Model Cycle 4 - the one where they portrayed the Seven Deadly Sins and Tatiana was taken down.
- Started pulling out, albeit difficult to part with, pieces of clothes from my luggage. I could only afford 10-kilos worth of excess baggage.

Tuesday
- Opened a joint dollar savings account between mom and me at BPI. Pending approval.
- Went to Rustan's Makati to pick up my Montblanc fountain pen.
- Had a haircut at Bench Fix Salon in Glorietta.
- Got picked up by Liz, went for coffee at Starbucks Bluewave. (No Starbucks in Oslo!!!)
- Slept past 4 am the following day, doing last item entered in Monday's activities. So freaking frustrating.
- "Stunted bursts of melancholy." <-- I like that.

Wednesday
- No approval yet from BPI. Darn, time's running out.
- Called SAS to check excess baggage fee, only to find out that USD33 is not for 10 kilos, but for every kilo in excess of the allowed weight. So USD33 x 10 = USD330 = NO WAY!
- Should have taken Business.
- Decided to ship via DHL, had to recalculate and reassign my stuff between checked-in luggage and shipped box. Would only cost me around USD200.
- And I could now bring my books! No space for my Conde Nast Travelers though. Darn.
- Went to see my optometrist. Needed to check my vision grade since I haven't been using prescribed eyeglasses. True enough, it went from 125 to 175. I think I need to practice wearing contact lens 'cause I swear they are a pain in the ass. I look so, uhm, dead serious in reading specs.
- Went to see Nick at Robinson's Place Manila.
- Long phone call with Liz.
- My new external hard drive is bursting with the good stuff.

Now on to the next three-and-a-half days to departure.

and the good times will never end

And everytime, I think of you
I'll remember all the good times that we've had
And everytime, I sing this tune
I will laugh, I will cry, I will close my eyes
'Cause I know that it won't be long

Till we sing, We will rise
We will laugh away the night
And the good times will never end
When we meet again

And I'm gonna be somewhat lonely
'Cause you know no one could ever fill your shoes
And as I am sharp as I am
You have taught me how to be a stronger man
And I look forward to the day I learn again

We will sing, We will rise
We will laugh away the night
And I know that it won't be long
Until we meet again

Though I wish that I were with you now
I know there's a reason for space
I can dream of memories you're writing down
And I look forward to the day
And the smile on your face

We will sing
We will rise
We might cry and we might fight
And the good times will never end

We will laugh
We'll relax
We'll reflect on the years we've passed
And I know that it won't be long
Until we meet again

And everytime I think of you.

Thank you to my family and friends for giving me tonight. A night I will always fondly look back on as that fleeting moment that will never lose its color nor sound. A night that was filled with so much love and well-wishes. A night with memories that will keep me company in my lonely nights, give me strength in my doubtful hours, keep my spirits up that seeing your faces again is never too distant nor impossible.

I may be gone for a while, but the good times will never end. We will always have this night to remember.

Until we meet again.


The Goodbye Song, Stephen Speaks

oxygen you wear

I went today to a nearby mall to have some photos developed for my folks, which was about 400 photos all in all. Since there's a two-hour printing time, I roamed around and much to my delight, got some new stuff from one of my favored clothing stores here in Manila - Oxygen. It's another great source of casual and edgy ready-to-wear at an affordable price. Oh how I will miss Oxygen!


These will be yet another addition to the stuff I'm bringing to Oslo with me. Don't think there's enough breathing space in my luggage. Lookee lookee...


Ten days to go. 1-0 freaking days to go!

bench fever

Looks familiar, eh?

Here's parts of a campaign series for Bench Fever, the Underwear and Denim Show by local clothing label giant, Bench, slated on 30th June at the Araneta Coliseum.


Uhm, I'm not sure if I'm digging it since these are rather lame renditions of Madonna's Confessions on a Dance Floor promotionals. Thank goodness there's some of my fellas in it, like R&B Prince Jay-R, the one with the bling-blings, and Zanjoe, the one who's a-swinging.

Related: Big Brother Goes Showbiz

jawbreaker

I was never a fan of going to the dentist and I must admit that I deliberately missed some imperative annual check-ups in the past. But this time, I have to move my ass to the dentist chair since I heard that dental treatments are worth gazillions in Oslo.

Geez, I thought I was prepared enough for some oral action, but boy it's a totally different story when you are glued to the chair for three hours! It was like giving head to eleven Chad Hunts, ten Michael Lucases, and another ten of Michael Brandons, non-stop, one after the other.

I wish I have a bigger mouth. I can only manhandle so much, y'know.

oh la la dreams

Angels do come visit you in your dreams.

He was the most beautiful and impossible being to walk across mine.

It was lucid, it was vivid, it was oh la la.

stamped, soundtrack, snapshots

STAMPED for the future
I picked up my passport stamped with the Schengen Visa from the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Manila this morning. I need to present the passport to the Police within seven days from my arrival in Oslo so they could issue the necessary residence permit. I'm technically just a flight away from my new home, which comes in only two weeks from now. Geez, I'm both stoked and stressed. Wish me luck guys, that I could pull off my last-minute packing and psyche my mind and body of the changes just 'round the bend.

SOUNDTRACK of the moment
Been listening massively to INXS and a sprinkling of Paris Hilton lately. I love INXS' "Afterglow," with its haunting melody and JD Fortune's sexier-than-sexy vocals. I am also digging their "Hot Girls" which features spoken Japanese - super kawaii! Paris' "Stars Are Blind" is also on auto-repeat in my iPod. She sounds like Gwen Stefani and the video somehow reminds me of Gwen's "Cool" just because every time I hear that song, I always remember my lazy days along the beaches of Penang. Paris is hot in the video, by the way, but the guy - Lucas Babin - is hotter.

SNAPSHOTS from the past
I must admit that I barely remember my childhood. It all seemed like a fleeting memory of days gone by. I am impressed by friends who could remember what they were doing or where they were when they were three, seven, or eleven. I need to do a quick mental calculation which year I was on a given age and to logically deduce what I could possibly be doing by then or where I could have possibly been. To help refresh my memory, my brother suggested that I look at our old photo albums. I found these...


Okay, I don't exactly remember the moments pictured above, but I do remember one thing...

God, I was cute!

Updated: Some photos have been removed. agc_dlsu was referring, in his comment, to the middle photo in the second row. Thanks for the comment, agc_dlsu!

piolo in oslo

This was a total surprise.

I got an MMS message from a very close college friend three days ago showing the ultimate Filipino actor-slash-heartthrob, Piolo Pascual, a peck away from her cheeks. Lucky bitch! She's working for Piolo's soap opera, by the way. I've asked her several times in the past if I could go to one of their shooting venues so I could see the actor in person, who, once, literally stopped me on my tracks. That's how beautiful the boy is.

So I asked her again if I could go to a shoot, moreso now that I'm not doing anything. She informed me that Piolo has gone to Europe. Darn I thought. My chance of getting this close to him has gone slimmer. Okay, next, I thought.

I checked the INXS's website, after learning of their beautiful song, Afterglow. I learned that the group would be playing in Oslo on October 17th and clicked on the linked ticketmaster website for the details. Another click led me to the concert venue website, Rockefeller. I was totally surprised to see who was headlining the list of concerts there.


Yup, Piolo Pascual.

He's having a concert at the Rockefeller in Oslo today. So if you're in Oslo, or if you'd catch him in other European cities over the next weeks, do drop by his show and let him swoon you to your knees.

Then you'll see for yourself how beautiful the boy is.

Related: Beautiful Dream, Eating Out Again

window shopping

When in need of a quick fashion fix, these stores offer affordable and stylish solutions served in crisp shopping carrier bags.

People Are People, a one-stop shop for casual apparel and footwear.This is where I got my new sports jacket.

Topman, one of UK's leading men's fashion retailer.

Philosophy has landed in Manila!!!This is one of my favored stores in Malaysia (along with Room for its funky ID items and home goodies), which carries graphic and statement shirts, couture in quirky and interesting fabrics of choice, and I think, a mission statement of "to serve gay men in all his degrees of style and dressing". That red shirt by the window is so Scissor Sisters!

All Flip Flops = Havaianas Heaven!

Shot on location at SM Mall of Asia, touted as the largest shopping mall in the Philippines and the third largest shopping mall in the world in terms of gross floor size (next to the Golden Resources Mall in China and West Edmonton Mall in Canada).

it's a wrap

I attended a fashion show last night at Rustan's Makati, celebrating the 5th anniversary of U, my former-company-slash-retailer's "young adult fashion" division. It's weird to attend such an event as a guest, when a few lookbacks ago, I was one of them - toiling night and day, working behind the scenes, balancing priorities like a juggler on a unicycle. It's good to see my colleagues again and to be in their company amidst the familiar lights, blaring sounds, catwalks, and cocktail tables.

Just in time for the event, I found the perfect sports jacket, and I knew just the right place where I could snatch it off the rack - People Are People at Glorietta Makati. It's this very dark gray, almost black, three-button cotton blazer and you could see the thread striations, giving that rugged feel to it. It has an embroidery work (paisley and curliques) on the shoulders and on the upper back portion just under the collar. Also, it comes with a detachable hood, which is so utilitarian! Love love love it. I would be wearing this on the flight to Oslo, paired with a graphic tee, dark jeans and sneakers.

Today, I parted with my two-year-old black Bossini zip-up jacket, which I have used only on a few occasions. I am leaving it with one of my best guy buds, Nickko, who kept harping on it since he apprenticed for Rustan's. He gave me a blue Nautica winter jacket with ash-colored body and sleeve lining and a "down-like insulation", which he never used, not with our tropical climate.

Along with these two new acquisitions, I would be bringing to Oslo another winter jacket in gray/silver, a 4You motorbike nylon jacket in chocolate with red-and-yellow stripes, a windbreaker in red/black, and a ribbed black turtleneck zip-up sweater. These would surely come handy during those upcoming cold days. The only problem - luggage space.

Oh heaven, help me!

this is the start of something good

I finally bought my one-way to Norway today. I am leaving on the 2nd of July and arriving in Oslo morning of the following day. I will have stopovers in Bangkok and Copenhagen, for legs via Thai and Scandinavian, respectively. I will be dropping off my ticket, along with my passport and a fresh photo, at the embassy tomorrow for my visa. 25 days to go...

To my surprise, my very good friend Liz, who resigned the day I had my last at the office, has decided to leave for the US in a little over a week. I think it's a good move for her, what with all the pain she has endured over the last few days. I am deeply saddened that we've only gotten closer to each other over the last month. I will miss her terribly. The long drives, the shawarmas and lunches shared, the jokes thrown about, and the late night confessions and phone calls. I saw her in her most vulnerable state and she knows I would always be there to support her and throw an open arm. Godspeed, Liz! You are such a good person and you deserve all the best in the world.

Liz and I picked up Inigo after office hours and took him to the Sunken Garden of the University of the Philippines. He used to be the killjoy in the group, but due to some divine intervention, Inigo has slowly warmed up to us over the last month and it's such a blessing to see past his stoic and serious facade. I will miss him terribly, too, for he's a person with a good, well-meaning heart. He may be a man of few words, but his words resonate wisdom and passion. I never thought we'd become close friends, and I am lucky that we have become just that.

People come into our lives for a reason. I may never know fate's plan for the three of us, but I do know now that length of time and common fields of experience do not determine the breadth and depth of a friendship. We may be all over each other now and far apart later, but one thing is for sure, it is good to know that wherever life takes me, I have found friends who have blessed my life with their existence. And that I could always look back to this moment - under the clear velvety blanket of the night and amidst the wet blades of grass - with such joy in my heart and rich memories in my mind.

Indeed, this is the start of something good.

out of office, pieces of manila

I had my last day at work last Wednesday and since then, I've been lots of things: sentimental, relieved, bloated, glowing, and a shopper.

Parting ways with people you've grown with and learned from over the last 21 months is never too easy. I am most touched with the inevitable shedding of tears of my mates and as much as I tried to fight it, tears welled and fell from my eyes, too, unbeknownst to them. It was also very sweet of them to give me some of their things as mementos, which I would be taking with me to Norway to always remember them by. More than these, it's the sweet memories and the fun times that I'd be looking back on during times of loneliness and alienation.

Since my departure from the office, things went sour for some officemates and some heavy, uncalled-for drama ensued, which I was most sad about. I know that things would never be the same at the office. It is just so sad to see good friends fall apart. It is disturbing that the once air of great camaraderie among my officemates has been shattered. Those were the days. I never saw it coming. I hope that despite the relationships lost and some friendships broken, things will be better for each and everyone of them. I wish nothing more.

I've been having dinner with some of my officemates, too, for the last two nights and every meal shared was worth remembering. First was the all-American goodness of Burgoo, the second the homegrown cooking of Dencio's, both at Rockwell. I gotta hold my horses since one, I don't wanna gain weight over the next weeks considering I'm not doing anything and two, I don't wanna be a poor man.

It must be the long sleeping hours and the absence of tension that have been keeping me glowing. One of my officemates quipped that "my aura is different, seems like I'm really miles away from work." Or could it be that I shed the office clothes and settled with a tee, a tattered-on-the-knee pair of jeans and a pair of Havaianas. Either, I'm loving this new glow!

Over the last two days, I started stocking up on stuff I'd be bringing to Norway with me. First off the list was a trio of a haircare product from Bench Fix called Hairlastic Flexible Fibers. I like this product because I am able to manage my oftentimes unruly wavy hair even with just a pea-sized amount of this. Smells good and washes away pretty easily, too!


Also, I finally bought t-shirts from Team Manila, known locally as premier proponent of a graphic-designed lifestyle.

The "Famous Visitors" shirt chronicle heavyweight characters and legendary personalities who have crossed continents and landed on our shores. Yes, Michael Jackson is one of them. The "Taste.Manila" shirt lists down, menu-style, famous local culinary amalgamations spelled as three-syllable meals, which one would usually find in roadside eateries. The first syllable is the first syllable of a meat product, the second syllable is the first syllable for the Filipino word for fried rice, sinangag, and the third syllable is the second syllable of the Filipino word for egg, itlog. So each meal comes with fried rice and egg, how economical, eh? Tap is for Tapa or shreds of meat, To is for Tocino or cured pork loin, Ad is for Adobo or that famous Filipino dish made with either beef, pork or chicken and potatoes cooked in soy sauce spiced with pepper and laurel leaves. Embotido is rolled minced pork with pickle relish, carrot bits, bell peppers and sometimes, cheese. Bangus is the Filipino term for milk fish, usually served cut lengthwise and fried to crispiness. Hotdog is well, a hotdog. Longganisa is native sausage made with pork. Porkchop is well, fried pork chop. I don't know what Kap stands for. Could it be Kape? Yes, most Filipinos eat their rice swimming in a cup of coffee. Corned Beef, is well, corned beef usually served with cubed potatoes and onion rings.

The "I Rizal PH" shirt echoes the design concept of "I Heart NY" but carries the mug of national hero Jose Rizal sporting a pair of aviators no less. The "Quiapo" shirt invites one to "Live, Visit, and Experience" this famous area in downtown Manila famous for its miraculous Black Nazarene, dubious herbal concoctions, a historic bombing during the height of the Marcos regime, and yes, loads and loads of pirated DVDs.

These two shirts depict famous local desserts. Halo-Halo, a mixture of sweet preserved beans (red beans, chick peas), coconut meat, jackfruit, pounded dried rice, sweet yam, cream flan, shreds of sweetened plantain, filled with crushed ice, milk (or coconut milk) and topped with ice cream, served in tall, clear glasses. It's a richer version of Singapore's Kachang. Dirty Ice Cream is sold by your friendly neighborhood ice cream man with his two-wheeled cart, usually painted with lively colors and bold illlustrations. It's called "dirty" because it's sold off the street, but that's just a coined phrase, of course.

More shopping to do in the coming weeks!