2008 was a year FULL OF EVENTS!

thanks to the blogosphere, 2008 was really a memorable year for me. i had a lot of fun, and i mean, A LOT! the food, the people and the great experiences that i truly embraced with a bang! so as i countdown this year with a fresh start, i would like to remember these big events that i've been a part of. food has a very big share in all of these.

first of which is the Trinoma Blogger Food Tour which ignited the ohmski spirit to attend these kind of blogger events. and this also was very memorable for me because i won on the Blogger Photo Contest that although i campaigned, i didn't expect.

i conquered Boracay. it was expensive, true. but the feeling of living the life a little upscale was truly will last a lifetime. and spending getting away from stress isn't bad after all.

a very funny experience fro 2008 was i was held guilty of jaywalking in Marikina. of course i learned a lesson but sometimes, i was really ignorant of any rules. i heard a friend told me one time, Geminis tend to listen to advises, but they are stubborn and do the thing they want to do.

it's time to do something for the environment. Earth Hour was successful in the country and hopefully this will frequent every year to save the planet and also slow down some bad things we are causing its destruction. remember, it's irreversible.

my first TV exposure. Al, kelangan ko ng kopya nito! my 3-5 minutes of fame became a buzz to the people close to me.

a little taste of history and forcing to trace my ancestry at Villa Escudero was a time that i also want to repeat. i think i haven't got the most of it yet.

my Survivor torch flamed until the first half of December. of course, you always get updated.

Oktoberfest was stretched. may nagsawa kaya sa inuman dito? we all know that this went on 120 days as the best Oktoberfest yet. for bloggers, a special Oktoberfest was offered to them.

finally, I saw Judy Ann Santos at Pantene's event. the events kept coming and coming.

there's a lot of promos i shared with you and one of them is Delifrance's Secret Santa. i know marami din nag-enjoy sa inyo.

and sino ang hindi pumusta sa labanang Pacquiao-Dela Hoya? na-feature pa ang Pambansang Kamao sa isang astig na magasin at nahirang na World's Best Fighter!

and i welcomed Christmas season when Super Bowl of China gave bloggers a festive treat with their four additions to the menu and having us take home a ham and their yummy special chicken! i hope there's another next year!

a lot of concerts also happened this year. the much waited Eheads reunion, Rihanna and Cris Brown at the Fort, and a number big acts that i don't know where to start. whew! dami nun diba?

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matayog pa rin ang APO

last night was a blast! and i say that i was a virgin in watching APO concerts as Jim Paredes would say. ang galing pa rin nila at walang kupas pa rin ang mga boses! they sang all APO favorites at hindi binigo ang fans after more than 2 hours of waiting while watching front acts. nga pala, they are not APO Hiking Society anymore, it's APO of the Philippines. truly we are proud!

Teatro Marikina talents gave us a variety of numbers. talented talaga. the congressman honored the government of Marikina dedicating Impossible Dream. Periodico was the front act. i can say, "May future ka" to the band. and the main event begins with a very lively opening song. dko lang alam kung anong title but it has repeating "heto na" on the lyrics but it's not Doobidoo. hehehehe... everyone sang along with timeless hits like Ewan, Blue Jeans, Panalangin on the first set. a very entertaining play on the song Yesterday by The Beatles liven up the audience kasi parang pirated ang interpretation nila. tumatalon na plaka kumbaga, naisingitan pa ng Do-Re-Mi.

the second set, ganun pa rin. lahat nakikikanta sa mga awiting Mahirap Magmahal ng Syota ng Iba, Doobidoo. Doobidoo rendition was fun. isipin mong may versions pala sina Frank Sinatra, Beyonce at Ken Lee. haha... single people and hopeless romantics waved their flags on When I Met You.

it's a merry christmas greeting to everyone when they sang Tuloy na Tuloy Pa Rin ang Pasko and Pasko Na, Sinta Ko. and then it was finished by another exciting Salawikain rendition.

a new song was introduced to us and it is good. hoping to make it to the charts soon as they release it. dko na naman alam ang title.

other titles were Kabilugan ng Buwan; Di Na Natuto, which is in 3 versions each of Jim, Buboy and Danny. old and young sang with Batang Bata Ka Pa. the greatest folk songs were rendered in contemporary music and barkadas sway on Awit ng Barkada.

the show ended with a granduous fireworks display.

Catch more cover photos of the Marikina Year End Concert

1. APO Hiking Society Concert and Fireworks Display by Ada Lajara
2. Marikina Year End Coverage by Azrael Coladilla
3. Marikina nAPO Sila Coverage by Carl

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my Christmas so far

although i haven't got to attend even one Simbang Gabi, i think i had the best Christmas yet!

after i had done my last minute Christmas shopping, i realized that i still have money on my ATM unspent! pero syempre titipirin na rin before New Year. kelangan kasi mapera ka pagpasok ng taon and sabi din sa isang feng shui interview na wag gumastos on the first week of the New Year. and maganda itong 2009 para sa mga taong born on the Year of the Rat. anung swerte kaya naghihintay sakin? career na sana ito. sana pati "karir" hehehe...

last Christmas, i spent the night with my elementary classmates, waaahhh namiss ko sila kahit wala ang isang taong namiss ko talaga. hehe... pero ok lang. nandyan naman si kumpareng Sun para may katawagan ako at katext. kaso mahirap umuwi kahit pwede na lakarin from Starbucks Marquinton ang bahay namin. madami nang tao, umuulan pa! nasan na kaya ang digital shots namin from Mark's and Anne's DSLRs? comment naman kayo dito para malink ko yung uploads nyo.

speaking of uploads, hirap talaga pag walang PC sa bahay. dko maupload ung mga pics sa cp ko. gusto ko sana ishare sa inyo ung mga gifts sakin.

and on the 26th, as i've said previously, nagcheck-in kame ng family sa Crowne. isang sosyal na overnight ito at nagsawa din ako sa Galleria. nakita ko pa si Jace Flores from Survivor Philippines. (hanggang dito ba naman, SP pa rin nasa utak ko? haha) the food was on them kasi the hotel was on me. gastos no?

then later the next day, pagkacheck-out namin sa Crowne, drecho naman ako sa Global City para imeet naman ang officemates ko at baby shower ng isang balahurang nagngangalang jowesh. ayun, bilog na bilog ang tiyan at hinala kong lalaki ang lalabas. pero anyway, niregaluhan ko nalang ng damit at medyas ang bata para may laban sa ginaw paglabas nun.

feeling sosyal still at nagfifirst-time sa Serendra (bigkasin na parang may bweysesh sa ngala-ngala) at Bonifacio High Street, muntik ko nang mwala ang 2 kong phone. buti nalang may nagsurrender ng kaawa-awa at nakakahiyang cellphone ko sa counter sa Starbucks sa Fully Booked. to Abby and Mikka na nakausap ko, GOD BLESS YOU (mga staff ng starbx).

of course, pictures to the max kahit 12 na umalis ng Global City at nakumpleto na nina rio at alex ang kanilang stickers. naghihintay na lang sila ng january para masulatan na ang mga bagong planner.

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christmas itinerary

Merry Christmas everyone! it so happened that my schedule for the whole Christmas break is occupied with a lot of get-togethers and meal meetings. fortunately they don't overlap each other and some of them which supposedly includes to my schedule has happened already or they have been postponed.

later we will hear Christmas Novena at church and welcome the newborn Lord.

first, Christmas Day with relatives. i don't know if the same thing happens every year that our relatives go to our place by lunch and then we drop to my auntie's house for snack until dinner for some barbecue.

on December 26, our family with my niece will check in at Crowne Plaza for a post-Christmas bonding. this will be an overnight fun so we better plan all the fun. -- ate, tulungan mko dito!

on the 27th, me and my officemates will throw a baby shower for one of our former officemates, Jouie at Market! Market! chitchat and coffee with everyone who will attend.

28th, mokke peeps will have a party of our own. gifts? ewan ko kung makabili ako. hehehe... but my presence will count right?

30th is concert night. APO Hiking Society will bring us back on memory lane for Marikina's annual year-end concert. fireworks display culminates the year.

31 sa bahay lang. hehe...

again, MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

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a short story

a taxi driver was driving late afternoon on the road when suddenly a driver of a big truck behind him kept on blowing his horn. he pulled over and asked the truck driver what his problem was. the truck driver just stared at him.

on the road again, the truck driver kept blowing his horn. the taxi driver angrily stopped and asked the driver of the truck. the truck driver said:

"there's a woman behind you with a knife wanting to cut your head. everytime i blow my horn she disappears, and now i think she's right behind the person reading this message."

good night.

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friendster users: beware of a new virus

as usual, the ever-reliable friendster has got some problems. the frequenting site maintenance doesn't seem to work. i don't know if they have completely fixed ALL problems for me to continue my membership of this boring site. i just can't leave it because i have my true friends on my list. the only way to communicate with them is thru friendster. and the only thing exciting about it is the testimonials sections which has lost its essence because it became a comment section where everybody is just like sending emails already in there which supposed to be private. the inbox is not spam-proof. and now even the comments area. lately i have received a new comment but to my surprise this came out:
i supposed to send a message to the person who posted this to my site but prior to it, a DJ said that her friends also notify her that she posts this as comment but in truth she is innocent of it.

as for me, mag-enjoy nalang kayo sa pic or kung masyado kayong conservative, delete nyo na. lol

kasi naman sa mga ka-friendster ko, lumipat na kayo sa Multiply. kahit dagdagan nyo pa ako ng invites pati sa facebook, thanks na lang.

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ang Pasko nung bata ako

Pasko ay paparating na. ngayon lang ata ako hindi makaka-kumpleto ng simbang gabi mula nung namanata nako nung 4th year college ako. pero sisikapin ko talaga na makadalo ng Misa de Gallo para sa araw ng Pasko. noon e tuwang tuwa ako tuwing papalapit ang araw na ito sapagkat madami ang aking kasasabikan. ngunit sa panahon ngayon, at dala na rin ng modernisasyon, unti-unting nawawalan ng saysay ang tunay na diwa nito.

sa aking paglaki ay naramdaman ko ang hirap ng buhay. nakipag-sapalaran, nadapa, bumangon, nadapa, ginamot ang sarili at nag-ipon ng lakas. lahat ay nauulit lamang sa pagdaan ng panahon. may nakilala, nakaaway, naging kaibigan, nagawan ng kasalanan at nakalimutan. parang Pasko din na taon-taon na dumadaan at napaglilipasan ng panahon. minsan di na alintana sa aking paggising na Pasko na pala. parang normal na araw na lamang ito ngunit walang pasok. di tulad noon na ramdam na ramdam ang kasabikan dahil sa mga senyales na tulad ng mga ito:

karoling. naranasan ko ding umawit ng walang kamatayan at di-pinagsasawaang "Sa May Bahay Ang Aming Bati..." hanggang "Tenkyu, Tenkyu..." at inabangan ang aginaldong ibibigay ng tao sa bintana kahit maliit na barya lamang ito at gagawing pambili ng kendi sa gabing iyon. kung sinuswerte, ihuhulog sa munting alkansya ang limang pisong papel at babasagin nalang ito pagdating ng Bagong Taon. dahil sa ako'y isa sa mga lalong nakababatang nangangaroling noon, saling ketket na lang ang naibabahagi sa akin ng mga dupang kong kasama. (may reklamo? lol)

ang mga dekorasyon sa bahay. nangantyaw din ako ng mga matatanda. sinubukan ko ding magsabit ng medyas sa pinto at umasang magkakaroon ito ng laman sa araw ng Pasko. ang Christmas tree namin animo'y Nobyembre pa lang ay inilalabas na. masaya na kaming lahat ay nagtutulong-tulong sa pagpapalamuti nito at inaabangan naming gumabi para masindihan ang Christmas lights.

COD. ito yung sikat na sikat na display sa Cubao at naaalala ko pang sabay silang binubuksan ng higanteng Krismas Tri sa Araneta Center. nirepair na mga mannequin ang mga ito na iisang klaseng kilos lang ang ginagawa. kahit anong tema sa bawat taon e hindi nawawala ang mga sponsor na paparada ayaw ko pa ngang umuwi noon kahit masakit na ang mga paa ko kakatayo sa harap ng COD. magandang istratehiya ito para sa establisimiyento dahil pagkatapos ng isang palabas ay inaanyayahan ang mga mamimili na pumasok sa loob ng mall. wala na ang atraksyong ito ngayon. nasa Greenhills na ito.

pamamasko kahit bitbit ka lang. ito ay inaamin ko. at sa tingin ko hanggang ngayon ay ginagawa pa rin ito ng mga bata ngunit mas malala na, kakatok nalang sila na parang sumali sa Tok Tok Tok na pag pinagbuksan mo ay magkakaroon sila ng pera. ako ay sinasama lang ng aking mga tiyahin sa kanilang mga kakilala at dun na rin ako namamasko. pero napapadaan din naman ako sa aking mga tunay na mga ninong at ninang. sayang din ang tig-bebente, lima-lima at sampu-sampung barya noon para maipon.

ang mga pagkain. bihirang maalala ko na may hamon kami taon taon sa hapag-kainan. dahil bata kapa, mahilig ako sa spaghetti, hotdog, champorado, at suman. at tatapusin mo ang pagkain sa pag-inom ng Coke (smile!) o Zest-o.

kaliwa't kanang pagmamano. magalang lang daw ako minsan pag Pasko lang. e kasi naman, sinasabihan ka na pag hindi ka nagmano e hindi ka bibigyan ng pamasko. ayun, basta lahat ng matandang bisita mamanuhan ko. hehe

naisip ko tuloy, bata pa lang ako, mukha na pala talaga akong PERA. hahaha... kita nyo naman ang training diba?

ang mga palabas sa TV. di nawawala ang Pasadena Rose Parade, Christmas cartoon specials at New Year Countdown. ewan ko ba bakit may pakiramdam ako tuwing countdown e tutok na tutok ako sa TV. tapos nito lang nauso ang mga year-end reports. mas maganda pa nga kasi ata ang mga fireworks sa TV kesa lumabas ka ng bahay at manood ng mga baby rocket at kwitis. nung nauso ang fountain saka lang ako naaliw na lumabas.

syempre di talaga namin kinalimutan ang wastong diwa nito. kapag inilalabas namin ang Belen, nanonood kame ng COD at ang ilang bahagi ng aming pamasko, pinapaalalahanan kame na ang bawat biyaya ay namula sa Kanya. salamat sa Pasko.

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