the real, the now

i spent the day making tour packages until i was cross-eyed from staring at the numbers.

the mundane reality of running this business was--well, not exactly unexpected--maybe overlooked in the rush and excitement of setting the whole thing up.

i often catch myself just sitting or standing still, arms suspended, eyes darting about, unsure of the next task...even sometimes forgetting what i was doing at that very moment. the same goes for malou and we have to laugh at ourselves.

but i chose to do this. it's not what i expected, but it is what keeps me going these days.

and when i earn that first million...i'm going to keep going for the second. hehehe.

e-passports

today is a defining moment in philippine history. introducing...the machine readable passport (MRP)!

we've been spreading the word since a memo went out a month ago that starting november 15, all new & renewal applications will be processed as MRPs.

what's an MRP, anyway?

according to wikipedia, it's "a passport where the data on the identity page is encoded in optical character recognition format."


the philippines is actually the only ASEAN member left that has not been using a machine-readable passport. talk about slow!

and the advantages of using an MRP?

it means faster processing through immigration, more security since data encoded on your passport is not easily alterable (though opposers have been trying to disprove this. read.), and we finally meet international standards.

anyhoo, we are now accepting new and renewal applications for MRPs.

basically, the requirements are the same except that photo backgrounds are now royal blue instead of white, and personal appearance is a MUST due to fingerprint scanning, even for renewals. for the same fee, our DFA-accredited liaison officer will assist you through the process and will pick up the passport for you after the 20-23 day regular processing.

call 082-221 2255 for more details.

happy traveling!

what is sweetness?

sweetness is....

...jakob cuddling next to me while watching star wars.
...jakob pretending to be a droid and talking to me in a robotic manner.
...jakob hugging my legs while i hammer his picture frames on the wall and telling me he loves me.
...jakob shamelessly announcing to the whole wide world, "auntie tessa loves me very much!".

family time

earlier today, we traveled to digos to gather with the rest of the clan at the cemetery where my grandparents were buried.

my family will use any excuse to fiesta. death is merely a reason to commune and eat and laugh! yep, we have the strangest lamays.

we came ready with long tables and chairs and lots and lots of food. after a short service led by the eldest daughter, tita fele, we dug in! and after we've indulged our taste buds, tongues start a-wagging. we talked about the good ol' days when lolo and lola were alive. we talked about the family members who weren't able to join the get-together (good-natured libak gud oi). and we talked about the grandkids.

apo no longer applies to me and my cousins, but to the growing number of little boys and girls, the so-called next generation. every smile, every pout, every smart-alecky comment is discussed fondly by the proud lolos and lolas and titos and titas. this could take us hours, dissecting each kid and patting ourselves on the back and claiming a hand for their brilliance. i hope my nieces and nephews will grow up realizing how blessed and loved they are.

finally someone took notice of the time and we had to halt the chikahan. but packing up is equally fun with everybody scrambling to take home leftovers. with cheeks aching from constant grinning, we headed home.

birthday gift FROM the birthday boy!

magkasunod lang kami ng birthday ng youngest bro ko and we usually celebrate together. but now since i'm based in davao and he's in makati and there's no way he's going to shell out money to mail me a gift (hehe), he decided to send me this instead:

happy birthday, wexy! ate wuvs you vewy much!

my cup runneth over

i will never tire of saying this...THANK YOU!

i feel absolutely overwhelmed by the love.

the first text message arrived shortly after midnight from chie2x, my guillergan cousin. followed by elly's--aba, ba't gising ka pa! nag-oktoberfest ka noh?!--and greetings also from che-che who was still probably walking through dumaguete boulevard at that hour.

all throughout the day, i was continually blessed by friends and family.

my silliman friends who through the years have remained loyal. mia, i was pleasantly surprised and utterly grateful :) sha-anne, whose birthday is tomorrow, never fails to call on my birthday, knowing i'll also be returning the favor on her own special day.

my PSID friends, kahit na minsanan na lang kami nagkikita, didn't forget. special thanks to joseff who texted all the way from US, and to gian who sent me an e-note even though he's just arrived in australia & is still probably groggy from the trip. "the stage committee"!!! i miss you guys! especially my baby chester :D

my PWC friends, maraming salamat din! naku, forever na toh! haha! reunion! bing, it's never too late...salamat sa effort :D

my bai 8...lukaret kayo pero talagang love nyo ako. special mention to chevas: bru, i miss you, i love you. thanks for calling all the way from dubai! mingaw gyud!!!

to the people of my heart and spirit, thank you. i am still a part of you, as you are of me.

sa mga loyalista ng pamilya namin, sa kalisud o ginhawa, thank you for the care and affection.

to alexis na nagra-raket sa sm bacoor kahit sunday, salamat at paki-lutuan mo ng birthday breakfast si rex tomorrow...wag na naman chorizo please! hahaha!

to eric, langga, thank you for remembering.

last, but definitely not the least, a big THANKS to my family...champion kayo! "merienda" daw, pero nauwi sa dinner at muntikan nang maging midnight snacks kundi pa umawat si tita helen, hehe. ang aking dakilang ina na talagang sobrang labor of love ang paghanda...parang party nya, hehehe. ang aking faderhood na ang tanging concern eh dapat may ice cream--para akong six years old pa. my cousins--kuya digs, cuz ai, amy, malou & adling--who prepared and cooked and even cleaned up, salamat, salamat, at isa pang salamat! ate marla & attorney, kahit na eat & run, may criselda's cake naman dala kaya ooookkay lang.

i may not have mentioned the name of every single person who remembered me on my day, but i know i thanked you earlier and i'm still thanking you now. you have made my life so much more meaningful!

i'm full of food, laughter, love, family, lasting friendships, and chocolate cake. thank You, Lord.

sentihan

i'm becoming more sentimental as my birthday clock ticks closer to the deadline. or maybe, it's just because a few of my friends are leaving.

R. (no, the other one) is leaving for sydney, gian is going to melbourne tomorrow, and my longtime friend nenen has decided to shift his whole life to brisbane. australia is kidnapping my peeps!

but i'm especially sad that nenen, aka eugene lapore, is packing up again. ever since we met on silliman campus, by way of our regional org, hijos de davao, he's been globe-trotting.

i was a transferee living on edith carson hall and he, darwin obeso (whom we prefer to call "doogie") and rigel suarez (now married to susan vista of Ang Pamana)--all seniors by then--were regular visitors.

my fondest memories of that trio almost always involved singing and music. harana was still uso in those days. it sounded so barok when i was still such a city girl, but when i transferred to silliman, it actually felt like a privilege to have such an experience.

i was living on the ground floor on the east wing so it was a simple matter of standing outside our window, strumming their guitar and serenading me and my room mates. birthday serenades are the best.

nenen, who was 6th place on the C.E. board, got a scholarship to japan and left shortly after he graduated. a few years later, he took his MA in germany, and now he'll be studying yet again in brisbane, as well as do part-time consultancy.

time is running by so fast, it's alarming. but i also feel grateful that even though so many things have happened, this bond that i have with these people hasn't waned the slightest.