[Group Events] F2F41 | Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz | May 23 2015, Saturday, 11am-2pm | Venue: Milky Way Cafe 928 Pasay Road (A. Arnaiz Ave.), Makati City

[Tina]

To everyone planning to read the Chaos Walking series - are your hearts ready? Ika nga ni Aaron, get some bubble wrap. :P

[Maria]

I haven't read any Patrick Ness since I concluded that trilogy (view spoiler)[wasak na wasak ang puso ko siguro hahaha (hide spoiler)].

[Maria]

Throwback Thursdays

2.1
(view spoiler)[
Please post a selfie/half-selfie with one of your favorite summer reads. Either the book is about summer, or you read the book during summertime. Elaborate on why this book is a favorite. (hide spoiler)]

2.2
(view spoiler)[
Do you know Legs already? ;)

Post a selfie/half-selfie with your pet. If you don't have one, go grab another person's pet and take a selfie/halfie.

For those with pets: Explain why you decided to have a pet, or why you have a pet in the first place.

For those without pets: Why don't you have one?
(hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[
*Points system:
5 points - best entry
3 points - second best entry
1 point - all other entries

Best Entry will be posted next Thursday (view spoiler)[I know, I know, I haven't posted last week's winner. Hopefully, I can post it within today ;) (hide spoiler)]. I will also post it in my Instagram account.

Selfie models can be used (aka Ramsey instead of myself, Allie instead of Monique). Basta I want a special someone to appear in the photo, if you are shy to do a selfie. =)

Questions? :)
(hide spoiler)]

[Louize]

Throwback Thursdays

2.1

(view spoiler)[

Read from March 31 to April 07, 2013

"The Sense of an Ending is not a book of answers, but of questions. The moment I hit the last page, I went back to the first page, then scanned my way through again, desperately looking for the answers to my unanswered questions. I must admit that I was highly intrigued by the twist at the ending, something that created “a sense of an ending” for the story, but it did not satisfy my curiosity. No doubt, that the perplexity of this book is its charm. Plus, this had been very interesting because I buddy-read it with some wonderful people"

(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]

(hide spoiler)]
2.2

(view spoiler)[


This is our baby Rue back when she was only a month old. She is a crossbreed from a Dalmatian sire and a Basenji. So, she is very intelligent and affectionate. We adopted her since we no longer have a baby in the house, and for obvious reasons, we miss having one.

When Cheyenne came home from a Christmas Institute (a camp), she said she had a recurring dream that a dog came bounding down her when she gets home. We took it as a sign that it's time to adopt. And we have no regrets ever since. :)
(hide spoiler)]

[Monique]

Sis! I have a selfie model (view spoiler)[Allie (hide spoiler)]. Qualified? :D

[Maria]

^(view spoiler)[come to think of it, I also use Ramsey as my selfie with Angus' #FridayReads, so yes. :) (hide spoiler)]

[Angus]

Throwback Thursdays

2.1
(view spoiler)[


One of my favorite summer reads from last year (April) is this collection of short stories from George Saunders. Tenth of December, the inaugural winner of the Folio Prize, is composed of stories that have whimsical elements in it. They are surreal and strange, yet they are superb. Funny and heartbreaking at the same time as well.

However, that picture does not inspire summer. Here's another one:



Not a selfie. Just sharing and proving that I actually read (and take pictures of) books at beaches.
(hide spoiler)]

2.2
(view spoiler)[


Meet Chianti, a female golden retriever. She is my best friend's kid, so I call Chianti my niece. When I lived in Baguio, I used to walk Chianti every morning, right after my shift (I did the graveyard shift). I tried to teach her a few tricks, like staying, walking along our side (without dragging us), crapping at the right place.

I told my best friend that I will adopt one of Chianti's kids if she ever goes into dog breeding. There are no plans about that as of now. I don't have a pet right now because I live in a boarding house. I don't think pets as big as golden retrievers will be welcome there. Probably if Chianti bears children, I will be forced to look for a place where I can take care of a dog. (I prefer dogs. Cats are okay but I was traumatized by a not so fun feline experience.)
(hide spoiler)]

TSoaE Buddies: We should hang out at ATC again! The TSoaE HOHOL is one of my favorites.

[Louize]

Angus wrote: "TSoaE Buddies: We should hang out at ATC again! The TSoaE HOHOL is one of my favorites. "

We should, preetee pleeease! :)

[Monique]

Throwback Thursdays

2.1
(view spoiler)[
Throwback to a week before:


I didn't expect I'd love this book but I did! I'm still gathering my thoughts for a proper write-up though, so for now, trust me when I say that this book blew me away. It took one of my greatest fears and plunked it straight into the realm of probability and I shudder at the thought of it, but at the same time it made total sense of the world and how everything, indeed, can come to pass. (hide spoiler)]

2.2
(view spoiler)[


These are Allie's first pet hamsters, Venus and Smarty (view spoiler)[Smarty has since passed on to hamster heaven (hide spoiler)]. She would have wanted a dog but with our current living situation (view spoiler)[we live in a condominium unit (hide spoiler)] we think it's not yet time for one. But she loves her cousin's little dog, Mimay, whom she visits every now and then in Laguna. (hide spoiler)]

[Maria Ella]

Throwback Thursdays/Flashback Friday - since I was always busy during thursdays, GAH.

2.1 (view spoiler)[
Most memorable bookish selfie ever~


May 25, 2013 noong ako ay payat pa (view spoiler)[at 24 pa ang bewang CHAROT (hide spoiler)]
Thanks to Ben for having this candid shot at my SLR during my first read-aloud scene, an outreach activity we had with the elementary kids. Me reading this book and saying "Gandah~" as a comment whenever the Diwata was in the picture. Kids were laughing when I say that and at the end of the day, they were calling me - "Ate! Gandah~"
...and it was full of feels. hahahahah

No seriously though, reading to a bunch of kids - 36 of them - is tiring. They are full of energy, likes to ask questions, some are talkative, standing - you know the drill. No wonder teachers are stressed. When I looked back, I still feel amused and proud of myself that I was able to do that. I remember Nik and I talking about this read-aloud activities and he felt the same sentiments.

Tired, but very very happy.
(view spoiler)[for those curious - the blog is right here. (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

2.2 Legs ba kamo? (view spoiler)[

If I can't have a grandkid, at least I have a pet." -Mum

This was me and buddy 26 weeks ago (per my instagram upload ahahaha) This mongrel is now around 20 dog-years old. (view spoiler)[Papa says 1 human year = 6 dog years (hide spoiler)] It wasn't a stray dog, my mum bought her in Guadalupe, when she decided to have a pet who can take care of our house when we are not around. Actually, she bought that (view spoiler)[after our argument that it will be a LONG LONG LONG WHILE BEFORE I CAN AFFORD TO HAVE A KID (view spoiler)[you know mothers, may pagkatroll madalas, lalo na kapag nasa "wastong gulang ka na para lumagay sa tahimik" (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]. I loved her from her puppy days to motherhood days, and I felt her loneliness when we gave most of her puppies away (we cannot afford to have nine puppies roaming around the house, like dogs > humans hahahah)

Remembering buddy makes me wanna come outside the house and hug her, but she is sleeping so I don't want to disturb her heeeee~ :D
(view spoiler)[for curious pet-lovers, some of her puppy photos are right here. (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Maria Ella]

Because I am clingy just like my buddy~
(view spoiler)[TA-DA! SHE READS CHIC-LIT HEHEHEHE
(hide spoiler)]

[Ingrid]

Throwback Thursday
2.1
(view spoiler)[

The Luminaries! (view spoiler)[this is after n times of taking, thank the lord of timers. (hide spoiler)]
It's only the third chunkster that I've read in my whole reading life (Cloud Atlas first, Tigana second) and it surely deserves to win the Man Booker Prize. The characters were lovely, all of them were developed uniquely (that's more than 12 characters, each with his or her own personality) and the plot was gripping enough that I finished the book in less than 10 days. Pure awesome.

Plus points for it being a book I used to prank (which worked, LOL) last April Fools. It's also one of my Dare you to Read books this year courtesy of cousin Monique. (hide spoiler)]

2.2
(view spoiler)[

Meet our cat, King. We apparently have the same birthday (this selfie was taken on our birthday last year). He's turning at least 35 cat years old, I think. I didn't have a say in taking this cat in; I guess they wanted something to take care of in lieu of me, hahaha. I became more of a cat person since, but that doesn't stop me from liking dogs. As of posting, we now have more cats (3 adult, 4 kittens. We're looking to give away 3 of the kittens because that's one too many) than dogs (3) which is basically more animals than humans in this household. (hide spoiler)]

[Meliza]

Throwback Thursday

2.1
(view spoiler)[

I just finished reading Mythology Class by Arnold Arre a few days ago, a buddy read with Tin. I wasn't much of a fan of graphic novels but Tricia introduced me to some titles. I am glad to learn more about Filipino works and now I know why they say that this is one of the best. (hide spoiler)]

2.2
(view spoiler)[

I met this dog this morning when I went with some friends to visit someone. This is the dog tied at the door of the sari-sari store next to the house we visited. I thought, "Wala pa akong pet selfie!" So I approached this dog when nobody's looking and tried to take a selfie with him. Look, he licked at my face! I learned afterwards that his name is Dexter. I like him, I think he likes me too. Hehe!

We have a dog and a cat at home in Batangas but I don't have a photo with any of them. It's my father and my youngest brother who loves to pet them. I just give them some attention every now and then. Hehe! I don't think I can have my own pet. I don't want to be too attached to animals anymore because I feel so sad when they die. Also, (view spoiler)[I couldn't even take good care of myself so how could I take care of another living thing? LOL (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Alexa]

Throwback Thursday
2.1 (view spoiler)[ I read this summer of 2013, buddy read with some other people in the book club. It's one of my favorites because I found everything about it interesting - the footnotes, the story, the time setting, the magic. I absolutely love reading about 19th century London and magic, so when those two elements are combined, more often than not I enjoy it. It was a pretty daunting read at more than a thousand pages, but the hassle of bringing this brick everywhere was worth it. (hide spoiler)]

[Maria Ella]

Alexa, (view spoiler)[everytime I see that "green thingy" aka fridge makes me wonder about WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THOSE CHOCO-YEYS HIDDEN THERE. KINAIN MO NA NAMAN! BATANG ITO, OO. Sareeee, ate mode. (view spoiler)[juiceme pag lumaki nang todo ang pata mo tatawanan kita, parang walang bukas. HEHE (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[twstrfries]

@Ingrid KING is <3. I miss that masungit cat of yours.

[Tin]

Throwback Thursday
2.1(view spoiler)[
I remember chancing upon The Lost City of Z by David Grann in one of those April to May sales in NBS, and I did not know that it was non fiction until I was already reading it. Now that I think about it, reading this over the summer wasn't the wisest thing to do, as it made me feel sticky and hot and have heebie jeebies. This book practically stripped the romance out of adventuring/exploring ala Indiana Jones and Lara Croft. The story is about a real, live legendary adventurer named Col. Percy Harrison Fawcett who disappeared in the jungles of the Amazon as he was looking for The Lost City of Z. You wouldn't believe the number of bugs in there that could kill grown, healthy men in so many strange ways. And they encountered one of the longest, biggest Anaconda there is. They thought it was a thick log, until it started undulating! I will always remember this book because I never knew non-fiction could be so thrilling and suspenseful and exciting. (hide spoiler)]

2.2(view spoiler)[ This is more my sister's dog really. Her name is supposedly Fiona, because she came to our house just when Shrek was all over. But then that was also the time when Marina was all over. And everybody started calling her Dugong because she had thick short legs with lots of folds in them. Like Dugong, the villain in Marina. My sister tried to do damage control but it was too late, she somehow won't respond to Fiona, (how do dogs learn their names, anyway?) and people around the house won't stop calling her Dugong. Anyway, Dugong passed away just last December. Dugong who loved to howl and loaf around and not fetch the balls we threw at her. Dugong and her perpetually sad face.:)

Anyway, I don't think I have pets of my own because I am too lazy to do the hard stuff, like bathing, picking up poop etc. I only want to be responsible for the easy tasks. Like playtimes! Haha.
(hide spoiler)]

[Gwaxa]

Throwback Thursday (view spoiler)[Super late! (hide spoiler)]

2.1
(view spoiler)[


Set during the long summer of the fictional world of Westeros, A Storm of Swords is the third book in the Song of Ice and Fire Series. If you like complicated stories with multi-layered characters who die at totally unexpected moments and fantastical creatures which you will root for, then this is a book (or series) for you. Just be ready to be an emotional wreck after this. :)

(hide spoiler)]

2.2
(view spoiler)[


This is the reason why I'm late in posting my entry on this activity. He's been MIA these past few days, tsk! Anyway, this is our adopted cat, my father and brother call him Garfield but all of us girls just call him Miming. He's a stray cat we just sort of adopted by giving him food and in return he catches the mice in our kitchen. Like a lot of cats, he has this penchant for a little deviousness. He will go inside the house and be sweet to whoever's eating or holding food. Most of the time, he's sleeping or grooming himself in our patio.

(hide spoiler)]

[Elaine]

Throwback Thursday (view spoiler)[Monday (hide spoiler)]

2.1
(view spoiler)[

This photo was taken summer 2012 while vacationing in the beaches of Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro. I have always dreamed of reading a book while lounging on a hammock (under the trees) and I got what I wanted. I know medyo mababaw but I was happy doing it. Feel na feel ko yan. Hahaha. As for the book- Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, it was just a last minute purchase before going on the trip.
(hide spoiler)]

2.2
(view spoiler)[

I just realized that I don't have a selfie photo with our pet dog, Pao! I was trying my best to get a selfie with him this morning but he was totally uncooperative! Doesn't face the camera and kept looking away (may sumpong ata). Anyway, to compensate for the very stubborn dog who doesn't want to get his photo taken today, I'll post another selfie with another dog taken just last weekend during our trip to Quezon. The dog in the photo was the beach resort owner's dog (I think) and kept following us wherever we go (kinda stalkerish).

And because I don't have a selfie with our dear hyperactive Pao, here's his selfie instead.
(view spoiler)[
(hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]

[Alexa]

@Maria Ella: (view spoiler)[Good news! Matagal nang ubos! Wala na siyang laman actually :)) Wala na akong makakain dito huhu (hide spoiler)]

[Louize]

Found this mail waiting for me when I got home today:

(view spoiler)[


I believe Benjamin Alire Saenz is a huge Shakespeare fan to have come up with this question. Like it was said, LOVE -true love- is unruly, uncontrollable. It can make us do things we don't usually do, most of them are crazy too. It can take us into places and situations beyond our limits. Sometimes, especially when the feeling is unfamiliar, it tears us from being defiant and letting go -letting go of our inhibitions, our fears, our anonymity, and our firewalls. Some people say, it is like feeling a butterfly in their stomach. For me, it it feels like the coiling and uncoiling of a dragon inside. It can be a total riot, at least for me that's how it feels.
:)
(hide spoiler)]

[Maria]

^Yay to snail mail!

[Maria Ella]

GAH I HAVEN'T RECEIVED THE MAIL YET HUHUH

[Elaine]

Got mine in today's mail!!
(view spoiler)[
Why is there a riot in the heart when we love? It's because we experience feelings of giddiness, excitement and doubt all at the same time. When we love, we do things we don't normally do, we learn to sacrifice, make time, make compromises and sometimes we learn to be cheesy/mushy too. It's the unfamiliar things we do that makes our heart skip a beat and the experience of actually doing things with a special person makes it go in a riot.
(hide spoiler)]

[Maria]

^Nagkakasubukan kung kaninong post office ang efficient. Haha. Yay, Elaine!

[Ingrid]

Not surprised I haven't gotten mine, hahaha.

EDIT MAY 14, 2015 Got the mail, but not RSVP-ing because can't make it :(

[Maria]

Throwback Thursdays(view spoiler)[for LAST week, lol (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[
I'm sure you have other circle of friends outside GR-TFG :) Post a photo, and let us know what has kept your friendship with them stronger over the years. (hide spoiler)]

Throwback Thursdays(view spoiler)[for THIS week (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[Do you remember Ari's close relationship with his mom? Post a photo, selfie, whatever, with your mom. Share the biggest sacrifice your mom has made for you. ;) (hide spoiler)]

Throwback Thursdays(view spoiler)[for NEXT week (hide spoiler)]

(view spoiler)[
Learn a new hobby. Taste a cuisine you haven’t tried before. Find a new friend. Post a photo next week of your new discovery, and describe what it's like for you, to learn something (or someone) new. You have a week to think about this!
(hide spoiler)]

[Meliza]

Hi! I received your mail today, Maria!

(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]

Why is there a riot in the heart when we love?

(view spoiler)[When we love, there are a lot of emotions existing in our hearts. We feel as if our heart is gripped or crippled by fear, by desire, or by confusion. We feel distracted, thrilled and happy or sometimes discomfort. This riot usually happens at the start, when we’re still in the process of being aware that we are in love. Love will make us experience something new. Love can make us do things that we don’t usually do, making this riot to also exist in our minds. But this heart deserves to be at ease too, and feel peace after the entire riot that it has endured. I believe that true love, after some time, can make our heart settle down. (hide spoiler)]

[Maria]

^Awesome, Meliza! :D

[Ranee]

Why is there a riot in our hearts when we love?

Dear Maria,
(view spoiler)[ Ever heard of the saying, "there is beauty in chaos"? Well, of course not in a terrorist way but I like to believe in that saying. I think it is about the raw-ness of everything, how each argument is laced with emotions that makes it into one ball of feels. The chaotic downpour of all these feels in different expressions.
Ever had that time you just wanted to hold someone's hand? How a certain voice stops you and then another whispers to give in and just do it. Simultaneously, a voice suggests to you to just poke that certain someone while a new voice tells you to pinch his ear instead. Then the moment passes, all that is left is this blush in your face. And then you see him come back, the riot that quieted down has began to pick up, this time more intense and as your heart beats to focus on the voice you so desperately want to hear, he holds your hand. Then you pinch his nose with your free hand, not too tight but enough to numb the tingling sensation that was passing through your other hand.
A new riot begins, if I should kiss him now...
There is a riot because there are so many feelings, each different, others logical while the rest is crazy but happy and you want to do them all with that person all at once, even if sometimes it may hurt you or him but you do it anyway because you want to believe it is all worth it. (hide spoiler)]

[Maria Ella]

ANDAMING THROWBACK PHOTOS ahahahahah.
Anyways, I received the mail today~

Why is there a riot in the heart when we love?
(view spoiler)[ For the heart speaks the loudest, and weaves a thousand stories yet to unfold.

(hide spoiler)]

[Maria]

^Ranee: (view spoiler)[Forgive the geekiness, but one of my favorite terms in Chemistry is Entropy... so chaos? yeah, I get that. :) (hide spoiler)]

^Ella: Pa-deep!!! lol (view spoiler)[in fair, dumating yung sa yo hahaha. woohoo! (hide spoiler)]

[Maria Ella]

(view spoiler)[So since Maria posted the throwback instructions recently - I am allowed to post two photos, yea? (hide spoiler)]

Last week's Throwback thursday
Cue Yuppie vibes~
(view spoiler)[



TADA! Circa 2011. Four years after graduation - yuppie years. More than ten years of friendship, because we are all college friends and classmates. Maybe I can compare this with Gimik, the telenovela in the 90s because we just let life happened and then we stick and talk to each other. The most recent get-together was last Christmas and a close friend of mine invited us to his wedding (view spoiler)[in which, I was the bridesmaid. (hide spoiler)]

Sure we have had our dramas, but those did not let the friendship die (like those drifted apart and whatnot). I hope we have another series of get-together soon. (hide spoiler)]

[Maria Ella]

This week's Throwback Thursday

(view spoiler)[Mum's birthday, Circa 2010


Siya si Liwanag, ang ilaw ng tahanan ng mga Betoses. I am no cheesy person, but one of the best sacrifices she did was to keep up with the problems of the husband for more than thirty years. I don't want to elaborate online, maybe because I keep my family problem/s as a speech anecdote, rather than making it hard-coded as a written note. But yea, my father is such a problematic being.

I do my best to keep her alive, you see, because she is on a life maintenance - if I don't give her medicine, colon cancer will be triggered - and you know these kinds of cases. I might not have my own car - HECK I CANNOT EVEN JUMPSTART LAW SCHOOL - but I'd gladly choose my mum rather than the tangible things. :)

For those who heard me sing - she is my mentor. She may not be a Baccalaureate in music, but she knows her 101s - chest and head tones, vocalizations, octaves, primary and secondary vocals and all other shenanigans. I can say that we were the family singers because of her teaching us since 3. :D

AT DAHIL DYAN, you can watch our MTV below -
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=... (hide spoiler)]

[Elaine]

Throwback Thursday - Last Week
(view spoiler)[

With my college friends. We shared/did a bit of crazy stuff starting when we all became of legal age. Hehe. We were all blockmates since freshman year so I think it was just natural for us to be close after seeing each other's faces for four years. Right now, we all have different schedules but that doesn't stop us from seeing each other say once a month or every 3 months or whenever we have the free time. We know a lot of each other's secrets/kalokohan/katangahan lalo na sa love life and it's nice to have different kinds of personalities having your back.
(hide spoiler)]

Throwback Thursday - This Week
(view spoiler)[

The biggest sacrifice my mom has done for us was quitting her job and not pursuing her career goals. She quit her job and turned down an offer to work abroad when I was in highschool because of a lot things going on in the family.
(hide spoiler)]

[Tina]

Throwback Thursday - Last week:

(view spoiler)[


We call ourselves "Achieve" because when we were trying to plan our first dinner out with everyone, my best friend Toni was all, "ACHIEVE!" How we all got together is funny - two of them were my high school friends, one from college, two from work. I met up with my college friend one night, then two from high school showed up, and the two from work were also around the same place so we all had dinner together. Soon, we just became one group. Then once we have achieved our first dinner (and that eventually became a tradition for us), we invited some friends (view spoiler)[as plus ones (hide spoiler)] and some of them became parts of the group. I'm not exactly sure what made us all gel with one another, but I think our friendship has lasted because we all stand by each other even if we don't see each other a lot. And we also dish no judgments to each other regardless of how pathetic we have become. Our annual Christmas/New Year dinners is something that we all look forward to in December. :)

This photo was taken on our last dinner before two of the people in the group got married. (view spoiler)[Group photo is incomplete, though, because one of us is in SG and wasn't able to go home on time that year, and the girlfriend (now wife) of the other had another dinner to go to. (hide spoiler)] We hardly see each other as a complete group in the year, but we make it a point to see each other by December, for the annual dinner, and whenever one of the OFWs go home. :) I think our next meet-up will be for the baby shower/baptism of the first Achieve baby. :D Yay.
(hide spoiler)]

Throwback Thursday - This Week
(view spoiler)[


So this is my mom, aka how I'll look like in 30 years or so. :P Like Elaine, my mom had an offer to work in Australia back when I was just a baby, but my mom didn't take it because she wanted to be with us here. My mom also made other little sacrifices, especially with not getting some of the things she wanted when we were still studying, or like how she stays up waiting for me whenever I go home late (view spoiler)[(so I should really stop going home late now, not just because of #lolabones) (hide spoiler)]. And she's AMAZING at budgeting - I do it at home whenever she's with my dad in Guam and I go crazy trying to make sure everything fits. :)
(hide spoiler)]

[Gwaxa]

Throwback Thursday - Last Week
(view spoiler)[

My closest friends from high school. This was taken last January when our medical student friend was on school break and was finally able to meet with us (she's the one across from me). Most of them, though, I see on a regular basis since we all live in Taguig and usually hang out in BGC or in one another's place. We've been friends for more than a decade and with that comes all the knowledge we need to understand and know each other so well. There are of course, petty and not-so-petty fights but we always, always get past that. One of my favorite things about them is that even if we lose touch for a while, there's no awkwardness when we see each other again. It just means that we have lots of things to talk about.

(hide spoiler)]

Throwback Thursday - This Week
(view spoiler)[

This is my super duper awesome mother. For me, the biggest sacrifice she has done for us are all the little comforts she gives up so we can be cared for. She's not a career woman but she made a career out of taking care of our daily needs. She may not have gone to college but she supported and cared for me whenever the stress of college life got the best out of me. And because of this, I will go hug her now. :))
(hide spoiler)]

[Angus]

Throwback Thursday - last week

(view spoiler)[


These are my college friends. We started our barkada when we won majority of the seats at our university's student council. I only spent one school year with them but that was an intense year. Mostly, we weren't having fun fun. We were doing student service (going to meetings with school officials to represent thw whole student body, hearing out student complaints, organizing events, etc.). The fun only came later. Probably it is exactly this why we are still together.

And since we spent our last year at college together, we became a tight group. I have this theory that the people with whom you spend the last months of your college end up in the list of people you'll be friends with for a long time. Recently, I went to Singapore with some of them. We are planning another trip. Hopefully, all of us can join.
(hide spoiler)]

Throwback Thursday - this week

(view spoiler)[


My Mama is camera shy. Her name is Jennifer but her nickname is Janet. No one knows how that came about, not even her.

Anyway, the biggest sacrifice that she made for me happened in 1983, when she chose to keep me despite the sperm donor's order to get rid of me. Why do I know this? I think one of my older cousins told me about it, about how the sperm donor brought her to an abortionist when she told him that she was pregnant, and about how cold the clinic was, and about how she had an "enlightenment". I know that she didn't tell me this because I sometimes think of this and I want to talk about that single moment that could have changed it all. What did it feel like? Did she have a vision? Hear voices? Is this all true? (There's also another version of this story that my older cousins said but I'll reserve that for another session. This alone is too much for me to share. Why am I even sharing this? Perhaps I want to make this point: she was 19 when this happened. Isn't deciding to keep a child with no promise of marriage and only a tenuous future a courageous feat? They eventually got married but only because of my religious grandparents. And look what happened thirteen years later.)

My Mama always stood for me. She and the sperm donor always fought about my fascination for dance and gymnastics (so I was never given the chance to develop my dancing potential chas), my choice of TV shows (Beverly Hills 90210, Sailor Moon, etc.) and singers (Lea Salonga!) and toys (my sister's Barbie dolls, of course), my way of handling glass and silver ware (with the irrepressible pinky sticking out). In other words, she took the blows when the sperm donor beat me for my kabaklaan. Yeah, that can be taken literally.

My Mama is not the best mother but she did what she could. She fucked up a lot of times but I love her. That's why I know I love her because I embrace everything about her. Hindi halata but I miss her a lot.

Oh well, medyo madrama na. Throwback pa more!
(hide spoiler)]

[Kristel]

I got it! Edit: LOL posting fail. /o\



(view spoiler)[There's a riot in the heart when you love because the stakes are higher. It's not about the strength or authenticity of the feeling, but the uncertainty of whether you two can be good for each other, if together you can make something greater than the sum of its parts. (hide spoiler)]

[Maria Ella]

Edited throwback explanation posted here

[Aaron Vincent]

I got mail!!

As for the question:
(view spoiler)[
How should I know? I've never been in love.

(view spoiler)[ This is my pity party. Pengeng icecream!!!! jk Hahaha (hide spoiler)]

(hide spoiler)]

[Tina]

Aaron Vincent wrote: "I got mail!!"

I hope this means I'll get mine today. :))

[Aaron Vincent]

Tuesday pa daw dumating. Kanina ko lang napansin. Haha

[Ingrid]

Throwback Thursday (last week)

(view spoiler)[

Photo taken during Deirdre (the girl in the orange skirt)'s debut. Across the Universe (Beatles and the 70's).

Friends since high school, we call our group "OFriends" (same people with my throwback picture of best summer adventure). Most of us were classmates during 1st year, but the group wasn't "completed" until 4th year (we're still missing one in this picture, sigh).

I guess what makes us friends up until now (and forever, amen) is that we're running on mutual acceptance. We accept each other's flaws and we know that we can't always be there for each other, but we try. I try to meet with them, mostly because I'm the person with a lot of time on her hands right now, haha! (hide spoiler)]

Throwback Thursday (this week)

(view spoiler)[


Photo taken when I was asking for a family picture back in 2012, then we decided to go to a studio to have one (we had 16, LOL).

Biggest sacrifice? Uhm, none that I could think of, but most probably the small things that come with being a full-time mom. I guess we're kind of like the family of Estha and Rahel, where the big things remain unspoken, or unheard of. (hide spoiler)]

[Louize]

Throwback Thursday (last week)
(view spoiler)[


Remember the saying that goes, The family that prays together,stays together? Well, these two are practically like my sisters. We've been through many things together over the years. Serving the same church among others. We've prayed for each other during good times and bad times. We've held each other's babies when they were born. Struggled together in our motherhood and wifehood(?). We literally finish each other's sentences most of the times.
(hide spoiler)]

Throwback Thursday (this week)
(view spoiler)[


Here's mom at 73, catching her unsuspectingly on an early Sunday morning, still bedraggled. She is the force behind the tank. The tank being my dad. LOL. She quit her job for me, literally. I had an accident when I was very young, good thing she was still in the house when it happened. After that, she decided that it can't happen again, and the only way to make sure was her being at home with me.
(hide spoiler)]

[Angus]

Why is there a riot in the heart when we love?
(view spoiler)[

(view spoiler)[Like a chest bumping like a dryer with shoes in it? I don't know why, but it must be a beautiful feeling. (view spoiler)[Ang totoo niyan eh gusto ko lang mag-RSVP, busy-busyhan ng slight sa office. (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)]
(hide spoiler)]

[Maria]

^Aaron: (view spoiler)[Bitter Ocampo, is that you? (hide spoiler)]

[Maria]

Ingrid wrote: "Not surprised I haven't gotten mine, hahaha.

EDIT MAY 14, 2015 Got the mail, but not RSVP-ing because can't make it :("

Ingrid: Answer the question pa din, please? ;)

[Maria]

PRE-ORDERING OF FOOD

For those who sent their mailing addresses to me and who are still intent in coming next week (view spoiler)[regardless if you already have the snail mail or not ;) (hide spoiler)], please post your food choice in this thread.

Milky Way Menu

P350/minimum per person, if you may. Thank you!

[Angus]

Adobong Sugpo and Real Brewed Bottomless Iced Tea, please. (view spoiler)[Php 572 na yan, with service charge. (hide spoiler)]