Don't You Just Love It?

You're with everyone at home, on a Monday.
It's already 10am, but the cold breeze masks the sun's heat, making you think it's still 6.
You have the most valid excuse to sleep all day, to pig out, and to demand for gifts.
You meet with good old pals, after a year or more of no communication.
Everyone attempts to help, give, and love more than usual.

Christmas, you have one avid fan right here. :)

*done blabbing.

Only The Phinest

Most of the time, it's because I want to or because I have to.

Sometimes I ignore or forget - but today, I was reminded of one of the reasons why I work for and as Phi.



It's for them, and for Him up above. :)

*done blabbing.

Happy 40th, Auntie Gil! :)

Just arrived home from a 2-day, 2-night stay at Renaissance hotel with the whole family.

I was very stressed the day before because of the second NeuroPsych exam, and it really was a much, much needed break. Grabe, Makati life! I had a dip in the pool, the comfort of going to Greenbelt in a few steps, the best-est buffet meal ever, and the chance to pretend that life was THAT great and easy. It was truly a short escape from the small horrors of my world. :)

But it really isn't the food or the way of life that made me happy at the end of it all, but the thought that 1. I was with my family. and 2. I have one aunt who is willing to make such an effort to make everyone else happy, on her own birthday. :)

Happy birthday, Auntie Gil! You know we all love you. :)

*done blabbing.

Only On A Night Prior to An Exam-Free Week..

..can you see Kathleen, June and Kris giggling over Pride and Prejudice, Serine Facebook-ing, and Ceej sleeping soundly. :P

I love long weekends! :D

*done blabbing.

How to Save A Life? Have a Dress Made. :D

Choose from the masterpieces of Greenbelt 5 in-house Filipino designers, and help save the lives of patients from the Department of Internal Medicine of the Philippine General Hospital


AC+632
Amina Aranaz (Aranaz)
Arnel Papa
Butch Carungay (Atelier Avatar)
Vittorio Barba (Barba)
Michi Calica-Sotto, Emi Jorge and Elena Bautista (Bonne Bouche)
Cesar Gaupo (Gaupo)
Jun Escario
Kate Torralba
Lulu Tan Gan (L Manila)
Randy Ortiz, Ivarluski Aseron, Dennis Lustico, Jojie Lloren, Henri Calayag,
Jing Monis, and Doltz Pilar (Myth)
Patrice Ramos-Diaz (Paradi)
Choc and Yvette Religioso


Brought to you by

Sagip Buhay Medical Foundation, Inc.

and the

Phi Lambda Delta Sorority

Outta Reach

Nakakainis yung pakiramdam habang nasa ilalim ka ng Sky Garden habang nagtitilian yung mga tao dahil nasa taas si David Cook. Tapos, pagbaba pa niya, kamay lang niya ang makikita mo. At yung napakaraming camera sa paligid. At yung papaalis na black van.

Perfect example ng katagang so near yet so far. Haha. :)

*done blabbing.

Mails

After my 3+-hour-long exam for applicants at Ahead Katipunan last Friday, I decided to wait for and go home with Charles who was finishing his thesis in Diliman. Since they weren't still done when I arrived, I went to the main lib to kill time. I grabbed a couple of books which seemed interesting and one of the books I got was The Oxford Book of Letters. It was a collection of letters mostly written by popular people (some were written for popular people while others were simply witty).

.

Some, like this one, were actually heartbreaking;

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To Venetia Stanley, 12 May 1913

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Asquith broke of the letter he was writing when he received Venetia's letter announcing her engagement, and wrote this one instead.

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Most Loved,

As you know well, this breaks my heart.

I couldn't bear to come and see you.

I can only pray to God to bless you - and help me.

Yours.

.

some were funny;

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To Princess Bibesco, 24 March 1921

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Katherine Mansfield was the wife of critic John Murry. Murry was having an affair with the Princess. Mansfield did not object to the affair, only to the letters.

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Dear Princess Bibesco,

I am afraid you must stop writing these little love letters to my husband while he and I live together. It is one of the things which is not done in our world.

You are very young. Won't you ask your husband to explain to you the impossibility of such a situation.

Please do not make me have to write to you again. I do not like scolding people and I simply hate having to teach them manners.

Yours sincerely,

Katherine Mansfield.

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most would force out an 'awww'.

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To H.G. Wells, 12 September 1943

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Wells was an old friend and opponent of Shaw. Shaw had been very tactless in his dealings with Wells when in 1937, Jane Wells was dying of cancer. Charlotte was Shaw's wife.

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Charlotte died this morning at 2:30. You saw what she had become when you last visited us: an old woman bowed and crippled, furrowed and wrinkled, and greatly distressed by hallucinations of crowds in the room, evil persons, and animals. Also by breathlessness, as the osteitis closed on her lungs. She got steadily worse: the prognosis was terrible, ending with double pneumonia.

But on Friday evening a miracle began. Her troubles vanished. Her visions ceased. Her furrows and wrinkles smoothened out. Forty years fell off her like a garment. She had thirty hours of happiness and heaven. Even after her last breath she shed another twenty years, and now lies young and incredibly beautiful. I have to go in and look at her and talk affectionately to her. I did not know I could be so moved.

Do not tell a soul until Thursday when all will be over. I could not stand flowers and letters and a crowd at Golders Green.

G.B.S.

.

It may seem weird but I actually envy their having very few options of how to communicate. I have always loved receiving handwritten letters (have a small sack full of them!) and I guess I will always do. :)

*done blabbing.

On Being a Little Boozed Up

Last last Thursday.

To be able to celebrate the adjournment of candidacies and exams, One Phine Day decided to spend the night out in Makati. After dinner at Abe c/o Dindin, JF, Tomi, Mikka and Migz, some of us (including moi) wanted to just go home and rest since it was already pretty late. May and Nic, however, still wanted to stay out (and have fun!) so they proposed that we go to Pier1, a restobar at the Fort.

After all the walking, the talking, the calling for and pushing of drinks, the drinking, and talking and drinking, and talking and drinking, I suddenly felt that I could no longer hold my head straight up. Shucks, Im tipsy, I thought. I was completely aware of what was happening around me though, so I wasn't sure if my lightheadedness was due to my going overboard with drinking or to merely my being sleepy. Whichever. All I know was that I badly wanted to throw up (but I can't!) and I did NOT want to do anything I might regret later.

And so the night ended. For me, at least. With the help of my dear brods and sisses, I managed to go to Mikka's and sleep soundly, still dirty and smelly but safe nonetheless. The following morning I still did not feel completely well, and instead of listening to the long lectures, I was recounting then what happened to me the night before.

Perhaps what happened to me wasn't new at all for others, but it was for me, and it sort of affected me. It was my first time to feel that way after drinking (well, it was only my second time to take in that much alcohol) and I was disappointed because, if you know me, you'll know that I have always disputed drinking. I realized that it was sooo hard to resist the egging on of your company in those kind of situations and that it was sooo easy to lose control over your actions when you are tipsy but it is NOT inevitable (or siguro kulang pa yung nainom ko. :P).

On the other hand, I know for a fact that the prodding of Jason, JF, Clint and Kevin wasnt the sole reason why I drank two bottles of Gilbey's, one glass of wengweng and another of kamikaze. For one, since I have never gone that far, I actually did want to test my limit. :P Secondly, I trust the people I am with, so much that I loosened my grip and let go a little.

My confidence to these people wasn't put to waste. Although I was groggy at that time, I remember very well that Joshua drank the last few gulps of my second Gilbey's bottle to spare me from the additional alcohol. Nil gladly offered his shoulder while sharing something he wouldn't have shared to me if he knew I wasn't drunk. :P CJ accompanied me to the bathroom, at the corner table and to the car on the way home. She even made sure I was fine in the car before joining the others. Pat, Panic, Ace and a few other girls encouraged me to try to barf so that I could feel a little better. Nic also (and another person na di ko na matandaan!) offered a glass of water so as to help me get rid of the booze. Jason, JF, Clint, Mik, Pat and Marisse incessantly asked if Im ok. JF lent his hand on the way out of Pier1 and his car to drive us home. Kevin and Alex were in the car with us on our way back to Manila. Alex put up with my swaying and accompanied me all the way to Mikka's couch. I found out the morning after that Mikka set up the fan for us and that Rita held back her desire to take a picture of me while I was sleeping with my party dress on. And to fill my gratitude to the brim, Charles was there the next day to listen to my boring stories and to be with me on my way home. :)

Although I have said that I am saying no to alcohol from now on (or if it is inescapable, Ill only have one bottle or glass of whatever is offered to me), on the back of my head, I will always know that I can and might loosen up a bit, that is, if I'm with OPD. :)

*done blabbing.