do not wear t-shirt

It seems everyone were reaching out to old friends nowadays. My officemates were having reunions with different group of friends on almost every weekend since summer hit Cebu this year. High school reunions at San Fernando and Portofino, college barkada reunion at Camotes, and the list goes on.


To those who can't make it to attend reunions had to be contented to see and chat with friends online. I had my own share of reunion through online with an old friend just recently. We were not exactly friends. More aptly said: we were just college acquiantances. We know each other through common friends. I never even remember a single chance we talk or laugh together. He never even bother to greet me whenever we bumped each other at the school lobby. I'm not yet 'miss congeniality' with boys during college so I didn't took the lead to greet him either.


It was so ironic that we just decided to get to know each other just now, though online. I don't know when we'll see each other, but I can guess it will be sometime later. With our current work sked no chance of hitting each other that soon.


He has an interesting personality. He look dumb stupid but he write and talk like a genius. You can even talk with him about anything under the sun. I have browsed his fb wall and read his own and his friends' comments, one can say he can easily crak jokes and can even laugh at his own expense. He has his own style of sense of humor. But contrary to his happy demeanor, he is passionate with his hobby, cooking. That passion is so unusual with boys, it's usually a girl thing. He said he will prepare a mouth-watery pasta for me, well that is yet to happen.


He has this funny way of showcasing himself in front of the camera. I told him, I found it annoying. He simply replied, 'ana man na mga gwafo sa personal'. Whew! Talk about self-confidence, looks like he has full tank of it.


Then suddenly it hit me, I told him I realized I can do nothing with his ways and his looks anyway, the same way he can do nothing with mine. The only thing that was left for us to do is to accept things and people the way they are, I added. Maybe he's not in the mood to talk serious (but I doubt if he's ever serious in anything), he just jokingly commented 'wow, pang-blog ang sentence'. Then after that, I heard no more from him. He has that way of ending conversations abruptly.


Well, hours before that he told me one important tip from a guy to all girls who would be hitting the beach this summer. He said, do not wear t-shirt. Wear your best swimwear.


I like that tip, thanks sir Jeff.

amor vincit omnia

Everybody needs someone to look up to. As for me, I always have Tatay to play that part. At one glance, one can say that I look like my mother. But for those who know my Tatay very well, they would say that I am very much my father's daughter.


Almost every father secretly wished to have a son as their first born child. When I was born maybe my father was somewhat disappointed. Though he was happy when my brother was born, he was sad as well because he was a sickly baby. So he only has me to fulfill that wish. He made a son out of me. Most of my cousins my age were boys. Whenever there is a family get-together, I was always seen playing with them brandishing my own toy gun.


My Tatay is never perfect, but just like most other children I can brag that he is the best father in the whole world. I still adore him even until now that I'm already grown up, and he will always be the apple of my eyes until I breathe my last breath. Someone even commented that I am unconsciously comparing men I am with to my father.


Amor vincit omnia.


I got that line from him. And it has been my all-time favorite since then. Fathers tend to preach sometimes, and I always pretend to do other things whenever he is in that mood. But to be honest, I am intently listening to all his words. All those lessons I have learned from him boils down to one word. Love. And I realized it's true.


His own love story is a living proof of that ancient line. Tatay is a hopeless romantic, but he stubbornly denied of being one. He believes in happy ending and lights sparking in the sky when you kiss the one you love. When he met Nanay, he hesitantly admitted that he felt that magic, that strange feeling with her. Only he refused to recognize it right away. But you see they end up marrying each other no matter how hard he refused.


But there's more to that. Tatay has been playing around. Well, he loved women. And boys were just like that, according to him. He got a tongue lashing from his sisters because of that notorious vice. (For your info, Tatay is the only son in his family and he is kinda spoilt by my Lola.) Nanay left him for a few years. She brought my brother with her and I was left to him. Nanay needed space, he said. That's what he called cool-off. I was too young to understand what's happening back then.


The time we only have ourselves has made me closer to him than ever. I saw him prepare my breakfast and my baon for school. Instructed me to take a bath, accompanied me on my way to school and fetched me from school. He is a cute clown while he tried to make me laugh. I will always treasure those playtimes I had with him. He tried hard to assist me with my assignments. He is good in numbers, but had an awful gut with letters. I can spell and can speak English better than he does.


I don't know how he wooed back my Nanay. But when she's back, a few months later I got a new baby sister. Two years later, another new baby boy. And he's changed a lot since then, we got more family day's and more family outings with my aunts' families. Once again, Tatay proved that truly love conquers all.

who let the dogs out?

I'm in the hot seat today because of my newest pet, my blog. Looks like everyone in the office went agog with it. I wonder why, because to be honest, there was nothing special in it. Just pure random thoughts.


Another inquisitive friend approached and inquired what's with the header of my blog 'adventures of a lost girl looking for her pet dog'?


I was lost for words, maybe a minute or two, and could not blurt out even just a single word to answer her. Because at that time, when I made my blog I am not consciously aware why I wrote it there. I just suddenly realized that I'm still grieving for our childhood dog, named Bantay, who was lost out of the blue. My Tatay allegedly claimed that one of our neighbors killed him and made him 'pulutan'. According to Nanay, me and my brother cried hard when we learned about his sudden lost. We even refused to eat our lunch that day.


Ours is a happy home when I was still a child (and even until now, though I haven't spend much of my time in it nowadays because I am now currently based in Cebu, while my family stays in Catarman). I grew up in a very wide backyard with only a brother and a dog to play with. (My two other siblings was born when I was already in my fifth grade, so I only have them as playmates.) We seldom play with neighborhood kids because we still need to get across the busy highway along Bacoor, Cavite just to play with them.


My brother and I loved Bantay so much. We even slept together with him, cuddling him possessively. He would always went with us whenever we buy something at a nearby sari-sari store. He would sometimes carry the brown bag full of pandesal bought from the bakery. He was there when I and my brother failed on our first attempts to drive a bike. He was there also proudly barking and running along with us as we joyfully brag to other kids and skillfully showed them how to drive a bike. He would barked a neighborhood bully who would make us cry. That's why those poor kids hate dogs.


He was there when we we're still learning our first strokes on swimming. He was a master swimmer for us back then. He was there patiently accompanying us as we hesitantly cross the street during when Tatay was teaching us how to cross the busy highway safely. Until now, I am still wondering how dogs managed to avoid rushing cars in just a matter of seconds and emerged from an almost fatal accident with graceful strut. And of course, I will never forget those early morning walks to school and late afternoon walks from school with him. Sigh.


Now, I'm a grown up girl, no, I mean a full-grown woman. I realized the dog on my header is just a metaphor. I realized I'm looking for someone who would be there with me no matter what, who would be loyal and patient to me even in adversities. Someone who would accept me as who I am, someone who would protect me from harm. Though, others would say, I am too independent and has strong personality to even have and need one. I must admit, despite this strong facade I'm trying to project for everyone, inside me is still a little girl looking for her 'dog'.

why mizjudith?

An observant friend came and asked me today why I'm fond of using mizjudith as codename, username, password, etc.? Obviously, she had learned about my newest pet, my blog. And she's quite disappointed why I haven't explained about this mysterious word 'mizjudith' on my first blog. Well, here's the story.


'Mizjudith' has gone way back from my college days, during my last two years to be specific. Those were the days of rigorous cost accounting assignments, of tedious MAS discussions, of continuous audit theories and problem solving, and of ingenious sessions on our law subjects. Those were the days of endless group studies and group tutorials at any vacant rooms, at our favorite spot in the library, at our classmate's house, or if lucky enough, at review room. Those were the days we were still full of hopes, dreams and ideals.


In those last two years of college, I served as a volunteer facilitator. Every semester I got to handle different group of students back then, and they used to call me Miss Judith. You might say, so that's it. But that name sounded just nothing for me then.


Until someone special to me (and will remain special) called me mizjudith. Then that peculiar name stuck. When the time came that that someone had to work elsewhere, I managed to find ways to remind me that he's just around. So I had my workstation named mizjudith, during manito-manita I used it as codename (nevermind if its quite obvious) and I had even used it as a password for quite sometime in my pc (only that time, sorry guys I changed passwords regularly). Until he left me for good.


Now you might ask why I'm still using mizjudith when I don't need anymore to remind myself of him? My answer is just simple. The name 'mizjudith' reminds me of those happy memories and glorious times; of hopeful dreams and wonderful plans. In short, it makes me smile. I heard from someone that we had to surround ourselves with things that make us smile to live life a lot easier.


And who knows, another really someone special would come my way to invent another word for me that would make me smile (sigh)... hopefully, this time he would stay for good, he would spend his lifetime with me. Well, that's another story.

Bata, bata, paano ka ginawa?

That line may sound innocent. Maybe funny or simply dumb stupid.

But in our office, I used to call one of my officemate that name. Bata. Bata. Bata. Of course, she doesn't like me calling her by that name. It's quite annoying, she said. But I guessed, she's now used to hear from me calling her 'Bata'. Only she would roll her eyes, sometimes.

I'm quite tall and she's petite. When we're together, I look like her elder sister. Sometimes, she would go ahead when we're walking or would not stand beside me. But it's not only our vertical limit that has obvious difference among the two of us. We are different in quite so many ways.

I always silently wish I have her quiet patience and steadfast perseverance. I also admire her financial ability to manage her money. She could easily gather up millions with her persistent attitude to live a simple lifestyle and to spend on her so called 'important things'. Although, most of us we're irritated for her being KJ sometimes (because she would refuse to hang out with us on some occasions), but we silently admire her firm conviction not to be lure with worldly adventures.

What surprised us most was her amazing point of views in life and unimaginable imagination, we never expect from someone like her. She is far mature than her diminutive form. Ren, you have my high respects. It is my pleasure to work with you, and hope our friendship would last our lifetime.

I wish on my oncoming birthday, I would grow wiser in mind, in money, in love and in life. I may not be as patient as you, or as thrifty as you, or as mature as you, but at least I would still have you there as a friend.

I chose you Ren, as my first subject on my first blog because someone told me to start with little things.