A Reason to Smile

I have one big reason to smile >> I had my braces removed! Bwahaha! You probably thought it was something deeper or emotional or sentimental. Nope. It’s just that my teeth look damn good. It looks as if I am wearing dentures because it looks polished and perfect. Of course I know that this too will pass and my teeth will look normal (but still good because of the retainers) so I am savoring every moment and smiling even more (if that is even possible). Today is a good day to smile!

Upper Boys Fellowship

Last Saturday was a first – it was the very first time that we had a boys-only fellowship between the heads of the chapter. By that I meant Anto, me, Ryan and Jonas. Our fellowship is usually either the whole chapter, per household or all the heads in the chapter. It was never just us guys. What’s up with that? I really don’t know. I guess we never really established ourselves as a separate group so we didn’t really plan on doing anything for just the four of us. Plus the friendship demarcation is already quite thick. Ryan and I on one side then Jonas and Anto on the other. But due to recent events, our chapter head initiated that the four of us go out. We have been chapter mates for almost 4 years yet we haven’t really done anything so this was a welcomed gesture.

OK so initially it was awkward. No one was really speaking or sharing anything that could sustain a decent conversation. I thought it was weird because I am friends with these people separately on different levels but when combined there was nothing. Haha!

But of course, as with every problem, there is a solution. And in this instance, the solution is draft beer! We ordered a barrel and two mugs into drinking we were already conversing non-stop. We talked so much that the people in the restaurant had to ask us to leave since they were already closing. We went home feeling unsatisfied so we had to continue our discussions in the car going home. We had to stop some topics since we didn’t have any time because we had to wake up early for the CFC Anniversary.  Anto also mentioned that we should have been doing this kind of bonding from the start. Oh well, better late than never.

Thanks guys! It is a pleasure serving Him with your headship, help and support!

Pajama Party

Last Friday was my last Manila team building for the year and I enjoyed it a lot. It was also my first time to have a team building that would only require us to stay in Makati in a hotel room. It was a pajama party, a drinking session, and a night of revelations. Haha! I was actually surprised about the openness of my team mates in discussing their personal lives. We tackled office issues, a little bit of family, life preferences, some mental games and of course most importantly, love life – not the cutey kind of discussion but more of the mature type.

We were also very lucky to get an extra room since one of our team mates was also in the floor organizing her sister’s bridal shower. They finished at around 11pm and so she gave us the keys so that we have anther room where we can sleep. Oh, and she gave us more food and booze to match! Thanks Rog!

I would definitely say that this team building achieved its purpose. It did not become just an excuse to use the team building budget on something that didn’t necessarily build team. I felt that because of the honesty and openness of my team mates, we actually gained more insight into each other’s lives and in effect has allowed our team to become more bonded. Till the next team building guys!

Beautiful Pampanga

My family and I were on our way to my lolo and lola’s birthday celebration last Saturday when we felt hungry and stopped by SM Pampanga. The Mall was packed! We were walking along the ground floor were most people were strolling when I sort of noticed something. We finally decided to eat at Wendy’s, which was also quite packed, but had enough room to accommodate us four. I was eating my shrimp burger when my father verbalized what I sort of noticed. He said, ‘ang dami talagang magagandang Kapampangan.’ That was it! We observed the same thing so I said, ‘oo nga’ quickly because I didn’t need to test his observation. Everywhere you look, you will see a ‘pwede.’ This was something we already know and was reminded of when we strolled around SM Pampanga. My mom said, ‘May kastilang lahi kasi.’ Yeah, I guess she was right. But more than that, this observation also applied even with darker skinned Kapampangans. And it’s not the kind of beauty you see in Manila. It’s more of an undertone, understated, natural beauty. 

I noticed this even in our birthday celebration which apparently turned out to be a reunion because all the clan members were there. I was looking at ‘the sisters’, a term referring to my mom and her 7 sisters, and thought that all of them looked beautiful. From the youngest twenty-something tita to the eldest fifty-something tita, they all look good for their age.

And so friends, If you are single and is still looking for the one, I urge you to try to meet a Kapampangan beauty (am I sounding like a pimp?! Haha!) Go to SM Pampanga and stroll around to see what I mean. It’s a good test of a man’s radar to test how many he can spot. Hehe. Pampanga should not only be known for Razons, tocino, and parol/lantern. It should also be known for its beautiful people.

As for this gwapong Kapampangan, well, let’s just say he’s very much into a loving relationship with a beautiful Bikolana so this post should only serve as a public service announcement. Haha!