Friends

I just caught the last episode of the season finale of 'Friends'. As with many others, I can't believe that the long-running show - 10 seasons of laughter, 230 episodes of friendship ups and downs, is finally over. Honestly, I've never been much of a fan of watching tv series but watching 'Friends' has really been an exception. I could sit around all day just watching episode after episode. Not only is it really funny but through the years, I've grown with the characters of the show, at times identifying with them, other times, (believe it or not) learning from them. Sometimes though, it makes me look at my own life and make me wish that I could have friends like the characters in the show. They were such a tight group who went through life's ups and downs together. Not that I'm complaining about anything, it's just that once in a while there is that pang of loneliness that makes one wish for something more. Someone once told me that the friends we make from school or from work sometimes tend to be just friends of circumstance. We become friends only becasue the circumstance calls for it, like school projects or group works. When the circumstance ends however, it's as if you've never known each other at all. There have been times that I have felt I've never actually made any real friend at all, that they were all just friends borne out of circumstance. That thought used to bother me a lot but somehow I have realized that it is not just a 1-way street; that if I started living up to the word "friend" a bit more myself, I may not be worrying about not having real friends at all. Right now, I am quite happy to say that I have found them - friends, true friends. Still a far cry from the bunch in the TV series but best of friends nonetheless and I just want to say thank you to them.

So no one told you life was gonna be this way
Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's D.O.A
It's like you're always stuck in second gear
When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year
But ... I'll be there for you
When the rain starts to pour
I'll be there for you
Like I've been there before
I'll be there for you
'cause you're there for me too.

(^^,) T-H-a-N-K-S (^^,)

As the title implies, this is a message of thanks. Thanks to all who have droppped by this site, to those who find reason to come back, to those who have taken the time to leave a comment, and especially to those who inspire me to write more. If you have your own blogs, feel free to inform me. I'd love to read one of yours.

P.S. C-C-C, I still don't know who you are. A hint maybe?

Enchanted Kingdom and its Enchantment

百聞不如一見 I finally got the chance to set foot on the closest thing to Disneyland here in the Philippines – Enchanted Kingdom. “What?! First time mo?!” Hehe. The weather was very uncooperative on our way there. We were already having second thoughts of going. Good thing though that I controlled myself and stopped singing in the car. Haha. Anyway, the skies had cleared when we got there by lunchtime. Thank God! Time to enjoy and have fun! It was quite disappointing though to learn that a lot of the great rides like the Space Shuttle, Condor, and Rio Grande Rapids were closed. Despite that, we had ourselves one heck of a great time. Anchors Away and Bump Cars were the best. One regret though, I didn’t bring my own camera.

"Be ready to spend a magical day filled with laughter, thrills, and wonder."

One thing about going on trips like these, we tend to leave all our problems outside the theme park. Inside, it’s all about enjoying, laughing, and having fun. It doesn’t matter that we’re not kids anymore, once inside, the kid inside every one of us comes to life. Something as silly as bumping cars around make us want to queue up on the long line again. And yes, we still groan every time the buzzer signals us to get off the cars. Ride after ride, thrill after thrill. It’s amazing how everyone ends up laughing after each ride (although some look more sick than happy =P). The moment one clicks the camera for the last shot with everyone standing by the big “Thank You, Come Again” sign however, the enchantment ends. Leaving the “Enchanted Kingdom” brings us back to reality, back to the usual hum of life.

Ouch Ouch Ouch

Just a short one:
My officemate finally convinced me to play badminton with them at the Sports Center. Aside from a couple of faces from our building (Info Systems), all the others were strangers to me. It was okay though, I got to meet some people along the way. During the second set, I was paired with a girl from Reservations. We played against 2 other ladies. Funny thing was, none of us were pros in the game and didn't know much about the rules like scoring and serving. Good thing though, there was a girl in the benches who knew how. She kept score for us. It was such a long game that the ones next to us were already getting impatient. They would groan loudly every time the score remained the same despite several throws back and forth. We too were having great fun just watching them get impatient. Hahaha. It was all for good fun. (Several years later...) The game finally did end. We lost. It doesn't matter that much to me though, I sure gained a lot - particularly my much-needed exercise! Right now, my body's starting to ache, ouch ouch ouch. I'm getting sleepy too, especially with dreamsounds playing on the radio. Cool weather... overworked muscles... heavy eyelids... a perfect setup for a goodnight's sleep. Goodnight y'all zzzzz......

Just the Two of Us

I've posted something for Father's Day, might as well include the one I've written last Mom's Day. =>


There is a point in a child’s life called growing up, one of mommy’s most dreaded times I suppose. Gone is the child who once went to mommy thinking that she has the answers to everything. Gone are the times when the young girl would clutch her mommy’s hands tightly while crossing the street. “Mommy, mommy, mommy!” she’d wail. “I want my mommy!” Yes, mommy was everything to the little girl, her best friend, her protector, her ally, that is, until she grew up.

No longer can she be called a child, much less mommy’s baby. Her many suitors can call her all the cute baby names they wish but her own mother can’t. “Mom, I’m no longer a kid!” she’d always say. She’d spend hours on the phone with her friends and share to them everything - boys, make-up, puberty, even future plans. She’d squirm at her seat however, whenever mommy tries to have a short conversation with her. It’s rather funny how she’d think it thoughtful and sweet for her guy friend to be telling her to take good care of herself but would consider the same thing as nagging whenever mommy says it. She’d even get embarrassed at a beso beso with mommy but does it all the time with her chic friends.

All this while, mommy stood patiently by the sidelines. Behind the austere disguise however, she aches and longs for her little girl. Oh, how much she had wanted to keep her from growing up, from leaving her, from not needing her as much anymore. How easy it is to just keep her as a child forever, shielding her from the cruelties of the world rather than having to see her get hurt. “No, you can’t go out.” “No, you can’t have a boyfriend yet.” “No, no, no, you’re too young…” This she knew she could not do. She had once been there too, a restless young adult venturing out into the great big world. However painful it is to realize that, still mommy pressed on, never ceasing in showing her love and giving constant reminders to her little girl. Never mind that she seemed to be a nagger for her constant lectures, the antagonist for her firm discipline, she knows that in time she will be thanked for it.

With Mother’s Day just hours away, the mother could not help but miss her little girl more. She remembers the many thoughtful gifts the young girl had once made for her for the occasion. Along with the presents had come the warmest of hugs and the sweetest of kisses all over her face. It sure is one of the joys mommy would always miss. She wonders what’s in store for her this year. She doesn’t want another perfume from the store, not even jewelry from the finest jeweler. “Maybe, just maybe, this year, it will be just like before – just the two of us…”

The Story of My Dad

Since it is Father’s Day, I’d share with you an interesting individual in my family – my dad. As a young boy, my dad and his family migrated to the Philippines. Being a native of China, settling here proved to be harder than imagined, even for the young boy. Many times he would recount to us of how it was like to know only his native language in a Tagalog and Spanish-speaking country. He was the constant subject of incessant jokes and endless pranks. Fortunately though, the bullying finally lessened when the very same students who made fun of him discovered his skills in Mathematics. “They were actually begging for my help!” dad recalls proudly every time he tells us of that story. Eventually, the young boy would grow up; enter high school, even college, and later on graduate with a degree in Engineering. Job opportunities then started to knock on the boy’s door. One by one though, he had to turn them down. He had to man the small retail store his father had started. Without a word, he had obeyed, despite realizing the fact that he had just let go of a lot of opportunities for himself, including his dream of going abroad to pursue a career. “Besides,” he had thought, “this would be the best for everyone, including my younger siblings who are still in school”. As if everything wasn’t unfair enough, Life just had to throw more stones along the path. The already thriving retail store that my dad had been asked to continue had to suffer destructive misfortunes leaving him and his family with barely anything to live by. Two hellish fires burned down the only source of living for the family. Although no one had gotten hurt in the incidents, the family of seven could only watch the flames hungrily engulf the store that had once supported them. The young lad who had helped a lot in its growth watched helplessly as he realized that all was lost. It would also be this same sense of helplessness that would push him to join the volunteer fire brigade, which he later held office. After the fire, they rummaged through the wreck and managed to find some things worth a few bucks. They started from there and with enough determination, were eventually able to rebuild what had been lost. It would still be years later when his and his family’s efforts would finally pay off when they saw all three younger siblings graduate from top universities. His younger siblings eventually got job opportunities in different countries leaving him with the store that he had taken responsibility of. He could only admire happily at his younger siblings’ life abroad as he realized that somehow they had made his dream of living a life there come true. To this day, the retail store that my dad had helped rebuild is still open to its many customers. As one steps inside the familiar place, one would find the man who had once been the boy who went through a lot and gave up a lot just to be able to give to others a little bit more.

This is the story that my dad loves to tell us whenever he gets the chance. I don’t mind that I’ve heard the same story countless times before. It has always served as a window to my dad’s past, allowing me to see what he had been like before and what had made him into what he is now. It has served as an inspiration to draw strength from, a lesson to learn about and a chance to understand him better. More so than anything though, it is a calling to repay the same kindness and unselfish love that he has willingly given because a person like my dad surely deserves it.

YahOoOoOo!

YiPpeeEe! Finally, a blog! I've always wanted to build a site for myself just to be able to put blogs. I just never found the time to do it and so I'm really thankful for Wil-B who sent his "shameless advertisement", from which I learned of this site. My first blog - a word of thanks. =>