“Much as I want to interpellate, my tongue is not used to English. What if they don’t understand my Tagalog or I don’t know how to answer their questions in English? These senators are also lawyers who spent 10 years in law school while I spent 10 years practicing my stunts.”

The Best Burger in New York: When Marshall reminisces about finding the best burger his first night in New York but not being able to find the restaurant since then, the gang sets out on a mission to find the legendary burger. But as the search grows futile, Marshall becomes overly fixated in finding the burger, making the gang question if this has more to do with him not being able to find a job and the toll it’s taking on him.   ...

Episode 2: Season 4
How I Met Your Mother

Inspired by mentioned episode from our favorite sitcom (so far), we couldn’t let the week pass without having burgers ourselves. We love burgers (Aj loves them more), but we’re both not adventurers (Me with food, Aj with finding his way inside Alabang) so we didn’t have the same burger quest like  Marshall and the rest of the gang had.

We spent last week’s dinner at KFC, McDo, or Jollibee, so there’s no way we’re getting them there. Saturday night, we decided to hang out at Brother’s Burgers at Westgate, Alabang. It was my second time at Westgate and the first one was some one billion light years ago so I was a bit amazed of how the place looked like now. I grew up and lived here in the south but Westgate definitely felt like another town.

Anyway, I haven’t had any decent food prior to our so-called date and Aj was famished, we were out of the place within 20 minutes.

The place was awfully quiet and not crowded for a Saturday night which made me love it more. If we had more time and there were no signs of heaven pouring on us, I’m sure we would’ve looked at the other joints. Oh well, there’s always a next time.

Unrelated note: I just spent two hours looking for a post I wrote three days ago. Apparently, I overwrote it. I feel so defeated.

**This is a post for yesterday.**
Have I mentioned before that I absolutely hate rain? No? Oh, well, I am telling you now. I hate it because:

1. It’s very uncomfortable and disgusting when my feet and shoes are wet.
2. Going to work or anywhere else is all the more gruesome.
3. It’s stinky all around.
4. It’s muddy all around.
5. Carrying an umbrella and wearing a jacket is a must.
6. The sound of pouring rain, cold breeze, and gloominess around you makes you want to just curl up in bed while the TV is on.
7. Laundry smells weird.
8. The house smells weird.

Photo from here

I know we (Julian, Me, and I) watch a lot of TV. Julian usually gets fixated with a particular show and it takes a while before he gets interested with a new one. From cartoon series to movies, we’ve probably watched each not less than 8 times.

These past few weeks, we’ve been watching a lot of The Princess and The Frog. We already watched it constantly some months back and now it is Julian’s favorite again.

Photo here

From watching it every single day, here’s what we gained so far:

1. We can name all of the characters (Tiana, Prince Naveen, Lawrence, Big Daddy, Lottie, Dr. Facilier, Mama Odie, Juju, Louis, Raymond, Evangeline, Eudora, Tia’s Daddy, Buford, the two Mr. Fenner, Violet, Georgia, Reggie, Darnell, Two Fingers, Pink Flamingoes, Shadows, Fireflies, Travis, Kitty and Puppy, Stella the dog)
2. Re-tell the story with all the nitty-gritty (Select 08 and you go to the scene where Dr. Facilier is dragged by the shadows or Select 06 and you go to the swamp scene with the 3 hillbillies.)
3. Sing along to the songs.

Nope, my mom's not that old.

When Aj and I got home the other day, I saw that my mom was in my sister's room. She looked like she was sleeping so I didn't bother asking her why she was there. I though it was odd that she's in another room at 10:30 PM when she's usually sleeping in their bedroom at around that time.
So I asked the only other person around at that time, Julian.

Me: Julian, bakit andun si Lola sa kwarto ni Tita Wel? 

Julian: Kasi bad yung papa mo. 

Me: Bakit bad yung papa ko? 

Julian: Eh kasi pinapalayas nya si Lola.

My mom has definitely found her ally and I'm pretty sure Julian was persuaded to do so.

Kung tatanungin mo ang mga taong malapit sa pamilya namin kung anong klaseng relasyon meron kami ng nanay ko, siguro sasabihin nila na hindi kami magkasundo. Totoo naman yan ng konti pero sa totoo lang ang SWEET ng nanay namin. Lalo na sa'ming mga panganay na babae.

September 10, 2011
Tetet: Sinigang na sugpo!
Me: Wow... Bwiset...
Tetet: uwi ka ng maaga.
Me: Baket? Yes. Julian?
Tetet: nasa taas. wala lang. di ka naman kumakain ng hipon. eh kumain na kami kanina pa... binibigyan ko si baby.
Me: So nag message ka para lang mang-asar? Ang sweet mo Ma!

Nag-abala pa talagang mag message para lang sabihin na ang hapunan eh ang pagkasarap-sarap na SUGPO. Na IKAMAMATAY ko pag kinain ko.

You have got to watch this! Wicked. Paano kaya gawin sa judo yan?

Ako (kasama si Len at Jigs) na ata ang may pinaka 'malupit' na bunsong kapatid. Itago natin sa pangalang, Jewel Ann. Sobrang sipag nyan. Sampol ng ginagawa nya sa loob ng isang araw.

From the Varsitarian Photo by Paul Allyson R. Quiambao

Pag may pasok sa school:
Facebook muna.
Ikot.
Kain. Facebook.
Bubwisitin si Mama o Papa o Jigs sa kakaikot nya, bahala na sinong mauna o pwede ding sabay-sabay.
Pasok.
Uwi.
Facebook. Kain. Ligo. Facebook. Ikot. Facebook. Tulog.

Pag walang pasok (kunwari Sunday):
Gising ng mga almost 10 AM.
Ikot o higa ulit.
Facebook.
Pag inabutan ko sya, ikot muna ng konti kung hindi kakain may gagawing iba.
Pag nakalingat ako, facebook o ikot o higa ulit.
Sitahin ko ulit, ikot ulit sya ng konti kung hindi kakain may gagawing iba.
Mapapagod ako, facebook na ulit sya, o ikot o higa ulit.
Hanggang matulog na.

Yan, ganyan sya sa araw-araw na ginawa ng Dyos. At eto lang ang mga bagay na obligado syang gawin:

1. Sumamba (Iglesia sila ng Nanay ko).
2. Maghugas ng pinggan.
3. Iligpit kalat nya.

May 24 oras sa loob ng isang araw at parang ang haba di ba para sa TATLONG gawain nya. PERO. Madalas sumasablay pa yan.

1. Sumamba:
Hindi ako updated sa schedule nila ng nanay ko ng samba. Parang magkaiba ata eh. Magsisimula ang araw na papaalala ng nanay ko na may samba sya ng 2:00 PM. Mga 1:50 eh naglalagay pa lang sya ng eyeliner habang bwisit na bwisit na si Jigs na maghahatid sa kanya. After 10 minutes ng pagkabwisit ni Jigs hindi pa din sila aalis kasi may nakalimutan pa syang gawin. Minsan babalik na sya agad kasi nasarhan na dahil late.


2. Maghugas ng pinggan:
Tinutubuan muna ng mga sariling paa at kamay ang mga plato at baso bago mahugasan. Madalas na dahilan para wag muna nya hugasan: binababad ko pa (damit???), may kakain pa mamaya para sabay-sabay na, walang sabon, walang sponge, teka check ko lang Facebook, ikot pa ko ng madami. Lahat kami high-blood dito, yung nanay ko hindi na masyado. Si Jigs bad trip kasi baka sya ang utusan. Ako din bad trip kasi una nakakainis talaga at pangalawa baka ako ang utusan. Si Papa yan bad trip pag kailangan nya ng kung ano pero walang magamit kasi hindi pa hinuhugasan, tapos uutusan na nya si Jigs na sya na lang mag hugas.


3. Iligpit kalat nya.
Wala naman syang madaming kalat. Pero yung buong kwarto nya ang kalat.

Ganun sya kasipag. Paano na lang pag sinabi kong i-ayos nya ang lahat ng bagay sa bahay in a particular order tulad ng mga 'to?

Julian's just four but like what I posted in my Facebook status last week, I've had better, interesting, and sensible conversations with him than with people my age.

I have yet to invest on a really good video cam to document his words but until then posting them here would do (I hope).
You can't easily fool him or bully him. He sure has an arsenal of get-back-at-you lines and awesome cuteness if the first one doesn't work.

Most of the time, when people ask me about Julian's age and I tell them that he's four, it's normal for people to follow me up with: "Pwede nang sundan yan." They're probably right and I certainly agree that the age gap should not be that big among siblings.

I decided to do this "Jeepney Thrills" series because:

Sisters don't need words.  They have perfected a language of snarls and smiles and frowns and winks - expressions of shocked surprise and incredulity and disbelief.  Sniffs and snorts and gasps and sighs - that can undermine any tale you're telling.  ~ Pam Brown

I've heard people say so many times that the only way to really know a person is to live in the same roof with him/her. Not true at all. I don't believe there's ever gonna be a way to really know someone. If that were true, I should know my siblings and parents inside out. But of course, I don't. 


In a way, that's a good thing. I'm not really sure if I'll be able to handle everything about them anyway. Although that might be the case, let me share with you some of the things I know so well about my sister who's celebrating her birthday right now.


Yes, Chong. I know we share a lot with each other but I'm sure there were many stories that we left out. Here is my list of stuff people don't probably know about you (or they probably do but I can't make a nice birthday blog for you, hence the list).