Gemini

We could have been twins—twins separated by months. Ten months and ten days to be exact. He has always been my protector. I have always been his fan. We’ve been each other’s counselor every time we have problems. We have been each other’s refuge.

 The first time I heard he would get married before I would, I didn’t treat it quite seriously. One month before the wedding was when I broke down. I had been getting used to the fact that he had gone home only once a week but marriage would permanently dislodge him from our home. That was the harshest news that affected our nuclear family. We had always been five people despite our different schedules.

the Viter-Ybasco family

But we cannot always be five forever.

That was when he left and decided to tie the knot.

My brother has been married for 23 days already and Syme has been bullying me ever since: why haven't I written something about the wedding? It is an important event that has shaped not only my brother and his new wife's life but also our family's. Why don't I have a record, except the pictures, of that event? Most importantly, why is Syme more driven to have the event posted in my online journal more than I am? The last question I shall not answer.

 

I was the emcee in the reception. The fact that I was late in the wedding made the whole thing quite ironic. There had been a problem with the service of the wedding and my mom and I had been delayed. I was not even able to hear them say their vows. I was only able to attend the last part of the ceremony. I even thought I wouldn't be the emcee anymore and I already heaved a sigh of relief...only to figure out that I sighed too early.

 

I was still one of the masters of ceremony. I gathered my courage, thinking that the task was specifically assigned to me. I was there for a purpose and I intended to give my best for my brother.

The reception went well although there were minor problems. We were still able to include some wedding traditions like slicing of the cake, drinking of wine, and throwing of the garter and bouquet.

There were tear jerking speeches from the Bestman, my youngest brother, Drex, maid of honor, Grace's bestfriend, parents of both the groom and the bride and of course from the protagonists themselves, Grace and Ken.

I was not driven to tears by the speeches actually. I was even astounded hearing Bjorn speaking in English because it was the first time I heard him do so. What made me cry was when they started dancing to the tune of Butterfly Kisses.

That wedding may be the reason we are not together right now but it has made him extraordinarily happy. It is also the reason we have two additional family members, Grace and BJ.

With all of these said, I think I have to admit that the only thing that I want to say is, though it also pains me, I am happy that my 'Bal' has settled down. He deserves to be loved by someone he has devoted his life for. It is one kind of love that even a sister cannot give.

To my Kambal, you know that I'm always one of your greatest fans. That will never change.

-----

  

green spiky thumb

I have been trying to write about my new addiction but the draft it seems doesn’t want to be published. It has remained a draft for almost a month now. It is quite ironic because the topic I have been attempting to write about is not at all extraordinary but very simple: CACTUS. The very same plant that grows in the desert; the plant that doesn’t need to be watered regularly; that very plant with green irregular trunk and stems and spikes for leaves, that is the plant I have wanted to write about but failed for several times.

For wanting to take up a new hobby, I have decided to take care of plants that are not the kind my mother takes care of in her garden. They just have to be different so I can call them my own. It is not interesting to take care of things that other people have.

Fuji, one of my favorite Prince of Tennis characters, has inspired me to take care of cactus because he has a collection of one. At first I thought it was weird to have even just one because normally we let cactus grow in the desert and I doubt there is a single person in this world sane enough to water a cactus in the desert. After a while, it makes sense because it busts stress like a regular plant but it is not difficult to maintain it. For a busy person like Fuji--just imagine a middle school student and a member of the tennis club--it is highly recommended. For a person like me who juggles work, family, and relationship, a cactus is indeed a good idea.

Fuji, my Zebra Cactus

Last February 3, I bought my very first cactus. I was hesitant to give love to it at first because I am not even sure if it was a real cactus. It doesn't look abnormal. In fact, it looks normal in every way, one will forget it is cactus. It looks like a normal ornamental plant. I call it Fuji.

The second one looks like the desert type that for some reasons, I only water it twice a week. I name this one Eiji.

Eiji,

I plan to buy the other kinds and name them after my other favorite anime characters. I am still contemplating though since this idea means having a lot of money to spend, a lot of cacti to share my love, and a lot of spines.

dream pair, Eiji and Fuji

As to why I was not able to write about my cactus as soon as possible, I think it is because I have been accustomed to having them around me now that they don't seem as remarkable as before. Well they did. The problem was my charger gave up on me for two weeks and there were more exciting things to write about this February.

Last but not the least among my reasons, a cactus is still a cactus no matter where you put it: desert, home, or even blog. It can thrive without me. It is not even thinking about me! How unfair is that!

I may have failed to write about them when I still had the thrill upon owning them but I don't forget greeting them good morning as soon as I wake up, and goodnight before I sleep. I maybe an irresponsible writer but I think I am a good mommy to my cacti...now that sounds creepy.

Chinese(Lunar) New Year with Tokpokki and Ramyun

I can only get to celebrate year of the Dragon every 12 years, year of the Earth Dragon every 60 years. Nothing compels me to celebrate both since I was born in Filipino Christian family but I have decided to celebrate 2012 Chinese New Year anyway.

My mom, tasting my dish

tokpokki

I prepared Tokpokki (that's korean sweet-spicy rice cakes for you), and Ramyun. My Mom dipped slices of Tikoy in beaten eggs and fried them.

My original plan included my boyfriend and friends celebrating it with me but due to an unavoidable circumstance, the party was cancelled. I was left to celebrate it with my mom. I guess it wasn't so bad. Pure Filipinos aren't compelled to celebrate Chinese New Year anyway. I only did it because I was used to preparing for it since I worked for a Chinese School and a Korean company.

Aside from that, I am looking forward for what is in store for me this year. I was born in the year of the Dragon and although I am not Chinese and I don't like being governed by what they say about my Zodiac, I think it won't hurt if I will start my year right in a different culture. What say you?

I am probably the last person you will think of when you hear the word stuffed toys. Or fluffy pillows.

I am probably the last person you will think of when you hear the word stuffed toys. Or fluffy pillows. Or cute teddy bears. Right?

But that is wrong.

How could you be so mean! I actually like them.

Whether you believe it or not.

The reason that I don’t seem to like them is I did not have any when I was young. My father has this strange philosophy that children can’t handle toys well and that “toys” should be given to kids when they already have the “mind” to handle them with care.

He therefore decided to give me one when I was already teaching in Chiang Kai Shek. I was really pleased. It was a lazy dog.

After that, the others came.

from my student in caloocan science

from Eugene Lester Lin of CKSC

from my III-7 students

from Kristie, Mariel, and Joemar, my friends from VCF

from my youngest brother, xerd

from my lovely III-4 students

from ryan kyle sia, III-6

from Maria Cecilia Villafuerte

I still have a Spongebob hand warmer(from III-6) and Pikachu (from DUO) but both are dirty and as of the moment, not presentable.

I wish to have one of these though. 

it's Haina's teddy bear...

Yup, a giant teddy bear that I can hug when I sleep. I don’t want to believe that I should have a boyfriend first before I get one. If you are reading this, you know what I want for Christmas. But if you are quite generous, well, one for my birthday won’t hurt. Haha…

an exhausting weekend, it was

Last weekend probably was one of the most productive weekends that I have had. It was a roller coaster ride that yesterday evening, I fell asleep in the church.

My weekend started when I finished reading Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. It was already 6:10 Saturday morning when I realized that I finally found out that I was at the last pages of the book. Honestly I had found difficulty in finishing it because of our house’s condition and the book had not helped at all. As of the moment I don’t have any heart to make a review for the novel. I plan to make one though where I can post all of the pains I experienced in reading it (will that be a review?).

At 7 p.m., I went to Louie G. Mendoza’s house and talked with him about so many things. I usually ask him for enlightenment on situations that I find blurry. I am not what anyone can call a subjective person but I have my blind spots so at times, I need a person who can confront me about it. What is more is, it is easier (for me) to disclose complicated topics to men since they think in a very straight line. I don’t know if this is negative or positive for other people but it is positive for me. The most important factor is Louie is one of the closest male friends I have and we have had a series of chats and contradictions before. He is usually the first person (from the list of my male friends, 4th if I’ll include my father and brothers) I send messages to whenever I have a problem.

8pm, I saw Toy Story 3 (sponsor: Mr. Louie Mendoza)! At last. Hehe. After watching so many Korean dramas, Japanese animations, and Meet the Fockers, I finally saw a movie that is worth my time. I think I have to see it again though since it is worth watching twice. Also, I have decided to make a review on it.

8:30 I met a new person, James, Louie and Ed’s friend. He is pretty cool and friendly. He and Uie invited me to jog with them the next day. Uie made me promise that I would join since I broke my first promise to join him, Saturday morning. It wasn’t as if it had been my fault. I had been on the way to his house; I had just needed to put a foot outside the door when I received a message that I shouldn’t push myself to go with him. Back then, the idea of staying at home was more tempting than reducing body fats so I decided not to go.

11:15 p.m. I got home and edited some files in my computer. I need to back up some of my files and before doing so, I have to change some titles and contents. I re-watched some anime episodes and rewrote their titles to make myself not fall asleep.

0800-1000 am after having a light lunch, Uie, James and I started our fitness day with brisk walking from Quirino Stadium to Raha Solaiman. We then jogged to CCP—at least they did; I had to stop every now and then to get used to the pain near my stomach. When I finally got to CCP, I lost them. With the hundreds of people so conscious of their health, I could not find their familiar faces. I had not expected the places to be so crowded. Thinking that they had gone around the area, I went the other way to “meet” them. However, I saw neither Uie nor James. I only saw tennis courts. I considered myself lucky.

Ever since I started being addicted to Prince of Tennis, I became interested in looking for good tennis courts. I had remembered seeing one in Tarlac and several in Mexican dramas when I was still in high school. Back then, my idea of tennis was a sport played by old men who could not find a place where they could throw their money. Everything changed—am I actually saying that an animation changed my life? Grow up!—and I got interested in finding courts where my friends, who share the same addiction, and I could go to. Voila! I was intently looking for young men, around 15 years, who could play, hoping that somehow it wasn’t just an idea that kids could play tennis. I just had to see a Filipino do it. Imagine my frustration, seeing old men playing the game. Nah. Some things never change.

At the point where I was willing to submit to my frustration and exhaustion, I saw my companions—or they saw me. As soon as they did, they immediately asked me to follow their routine…to go up and down the slope of CCP, thank you very much. I imagined I was in Seigaku’s or Rikkaidai’s or Shitenhouji’s Tennis clubs and I really had to endeavor the harsh training. My imagination did not work.

After that, we ran towards the Coconut Grove/ Mansion/ Palace whachamacallit, turned a corner to marvel at Sofitel for a while, and reached our “badminton” spot (that’s where we want to play badminton next weekend. Can’t wait!).

The next routine was a pretty easy one. Ascend and descend the stairs of “Wow, Philippines” three times. Yes it was pretty easy. Pretty easy to drop. I gave up after the second time that I ascended. I took lots of photos while waiting for them to finish.

We danced, walked, walked some more to their hearts’ content then at last we want back to our starting point. I kept complaining about my legs’ condition but my companions seemed deaf every time I pointed this out to them.

I vowed to give myself a hearty meal as a reward for being able to bear the rigorous exercise, which I did in Chowking. It was as if I had lost pounds in 2 hours of exercising only to gain them in 30 minutes of lunch.

What was even rewarding than the meal was what I heard from James: I have a cool father. I know that already and I have always been proud of it but hearing this from a person I have just met made me feel extremely…well…proud.

After some time, we went back to Uie’s place and had some rest (while evaluating actors, actresses, and television programs) then we went to Divisoria to look for a good pair of shoes for cheap.

We went home.

But it was not the end for me.

I still went to church in Pioneer. I was able to listen to the Pastor’s preaching but 20 % of the time, I was already in dream land. I almost fell asleep while standing and about to really FALL twice. I was quite lucky to have Bon Jaina to catch and support me.

That was when I decided to go home. I needed sleep more than anything. I got home at 1030 pm.

The next thing I knew, it was already 12 noon, Monday. I had to work again.

kimchi kimchi, tons of it

Due to insistent public (consisted of my father and youngest brother) demand, my mom made kimchi

it doesn't taste bad as it looks though

my family is addicted to PoT

PoT as in Prince of Tennis.

Addiction to anime really runs in the family (should I count my mom out? lately, she knows pot characters and cleverly distinguishes one from another). my father used to buy cds after cds of animations and all of us would enjoy a bowl of junk food and watch the animations together (then my mom would be the first to doze). 

this is my current cp wallpaper

come to think of it, it's been awhile since my father has bought a cd, nor seen animations on tv. One of the causes i think is the dvd player is not at all working. Other reason is he is too busy with work. Now, he is having his one week of break from work (he has colds) and enjoying episodes of animations stored in my notebook.It was a good timing that I have copies of Prince of Tennis from manga to anime to film to musicals (i even have copies of OSTs. thanks to Ryoma/ Karupin, Atobe/Tezuka, and Nanjiro for keeping the addiction alive. hehe). My father is a fan of Slamdunk and since both animations have sports as theme, he is easily hooked by PoT.


I hardly touch my PC and there he goes asking me if he can see the animation (as if i have the power to deny him). We have different schedules at home, you see. my father, being a call-center agent is awake at wee hours of the morning so he is my competitor in pc usage. My brothers give me their puppy-dog eyes requesting me to lend the PC so they can see the same anime (XERD, the youngest being a student only has weekends; SKWAPUT, the younger only goes  home once in a while). My mom, well she doesn't use it for animations but for games. However, since my father is staying at home  this week, she has no option but let him have her "share." And she i think is quite entertained by animated young boys that look too old for their ages who can swing rackets like pros.


Now, whenever my friends ask me "What episode was it when blah blah blah?" I promptly give an answer worthy of a Guiness Record for memorizing episode number plus title. They can't put the blame on me since technically I am not the one who voluntarily keeps rewatching episodes. 

the EXIT cap

since i was not in the mood to wear hoodies (my excuse for not having a clean one today), I asked my brother if he could lend me his EXIT cap which had caught my attention when he had returned from his hiatus in Tarlac. i think it's eye-catching...don't you think so? (hekhek)