Nguso Kung Nguso...

last night chichi borrowed my phone to play games. a little after that i saw her squinting at the phone's screen with her lips pointed at their highest peak, in what i thought was utter concentration at something that she was trying to view at a certain angle.

i asked her, "chichi, anu bang tintitingnan mo't hirap na hirap ka dyan, kung makanguso ka pa", to which she answered in her bulol pang tagalog "nagkukuha akong picture ko"

and when i saw her self-portrait shot... all i could say, "oh my..."

sigh... please baby... don't try to grow up too fast....

Colors of the Fall

i just found myself feeling bored so i decided to take a walk in the vast Luxembourg Garden. It was a somber November morning... dark, and a bit gloomy, as if hinting of a rain, which never came.

 there were fallen leaves every where, but the trees aren't completely bare yet. and the remaining leaves on the trees are of varied colors. it's a gloomy day, but a bit colorful, just the same, especially when set against a beautiful "backdrop" such as the Luxembourg Garden. i just had the urge to snap away at these trees, at these leaves to capture this particular mood of Autumn.

it's a shame i was just using my mobile phone to take pictures, so the photos were kind of dark. they might have turned out better had i used a real camera. or they probably won't. either way, i'm not a photographer, so it probably wouldn't matter what camera i used, these pictures don't do justice to the beauty of the scenery, but what the heck... atleast i tried to capture them.

see more photos from this album HERE

Bonchon and Wendy's (July 14, 2011)

Post-Reunion, Emman's Birthday and Charle's Farewell Dinner all in one night.

click on our picture below to view all photos:

L-R: Farah Bantiles, Me, Charles Kue, Emman Galupo, Michael Sevilla

Night Out With My UP Friends (July 11, 2011)

North Park, Trinoma
Backdoor Blues Cafe, QC

with Zel Zalamea, Joyce Keziah Ramos, Ahmed Paglinawan, Aileen Rachelle Rabago, Jo-Ann Fajardo, Feli Cuevas, and Liyam Estrada

CLICK HERE to view more photos!

Eto Na!!!!!!

BALARA ACADEMY BATCH '95 GRAND REUNION!!!
July 9, 2011
Dapo Bar and Restaurant

click any of the pictures below to view more photos! (note: it doesn't matter which photo you click, they all take you to the same album).

Food Tasting Get-Together

had a great time bonding with the BA '95 Batch Reunion Organizers (Farah, Catherine Hernandez, Louie Castillo, and Allan Alcayde, and Charles Kue) for some food-tasting treat in Dapo Bar and Resto (that's where the reunion will be held). i wasn't supposed to be there, kase nagpapa-cute at nagpapa-importante ako, hehehe... buti na lang pala sumama ako.

L-R: Charles Kue, Farah Bantiles, Louie Castillo, Allan Alcayde, Me, and Catherine Hernandez

And as always with such bonding sessions, bitin lagi ang oras. so after Dapo Bar and Resto, Louie and Catherine left, but Farah, Allan, Charles and I decided (well actually, THEY decided) to hang out pa sa Starbucks. kase bitin pa raw sa kuwentuhan.

yung paalam ko sa nanay ko na hanggang alas-otso lang ako... ayun... naging alas-onse pasado.

buti na lang di ako napalo.

marami pang litrato, LAHAT NANDITO.

Isaw and Manggo Shake with Sissy Farah

what did i say? huh? didn't i say me and Sissy Farah would see each other again soon?

and so we did! for some food-tripping in UP Campus.

more photos OVER HERE!

Sissy and Jollibee

today i met up with two of the best things in the Philippines. Jollibee and my bestest chum, Farah

Bantiles-Ongkingco... i've been to jollibee last time i came home in 2008, but this is my first time to see Farah again after high school. we met at robinson's galleria and first, she gave me the sim card that i would use from today onwards (while i'm in manila, at least).

and then, second important agenda: sit, eat chickenjoy, and catch up on each other. translation: chikenjoy and chika, chika, chika. too bad i only get to spend a couple of hours with her coz i had to hurry back home because mal and chichi are waiting for me at the Avida Towers. but of course we're still gonna see each other again soon! can't wait!


VIEW ALL PHOTOS HERE

like Nanay, like Chichi

The Frioul Islands

beach, beach, beach....


and more beach!!!!

and MORE PHOTOS too!!!

Aileen Rabago in Paris

a good chatmate and namesake (yeah, i know she wasn't named after me, but this is my blog, so i'm not too strict on my terminologies) of mine, Aileen Rabago, came to Europe last month. she sent me a message in FB a week before to tell me that she'll be visiting Paris for a day and asked if i could tour her around. although we haven't met in person before she came here, we've already chatted several times in the past, and i've always known her as the girlfriend of Ahmed, also a very good friend. and any friend/relative/gf/bf of any good friend of mine is always a more than welcome company for me!

and even though she visited while i was having one of the toughest, toughest times i've had in my entire existence, accompanying her for one night and a day was very refreshing and it gave me a moment to forget my troubles during those times. it also gave me the "first time" opportunities to visit the Notre Dame Cathedral (i haven't been inside the cathedral before Aileen came) and watch The Crazy Horse show.

so i met up with her and her companions (she joined two men in coming to Paris) on the evening of 11th june, at a cafe in Paris 6th.

eventhough i've been in Paris for seven years now, i've never ever really taken the time to tour the city and visit its famous places (except the Eiffel Tower, that is), so i have absolutely no idea where to take them. i was actually hoping they'd have something in mind that they want me to take them to. good thing they did! hehe...

so friday night, i took them to the Eiffel Tower, which they wanted to climb at first but they changed their mind when they saw the long queue for the entrance... because really, it would take more time to stand in line than it would to climb the tower. and then we went to the Arc de Triomphe, and then to Avenue des Champs Elysées. Aileen was quite happy to take it all in. she would have been happy to take the boat ride along the Seine River for a little bit more of sight-seeing, but her two male companions were so bent on seeing The Crazy Horse. although she was quite reluctant to agree, i guess she didn't want to appear killjoy, and also, she didn't want to take off from them out of pakikisama. so off to the Crazy Horse we went. we were late for the first half... and i wasn't really sure it was worth the money to pay for a half-show (eventhough i didn't pay for my entrance). but what did i say about her two male companions? BENT. and so that's how we ended the night. to the second half of The Crazy Hose show.

early the next morning, Saturday... Ai and I met up early in the morning to visit the Louvre (minus her two male companions with whom she agreed to meet at the train station later in the day). she really, really wanted to visit the Louvre so we went there first. she was taking the 4pm-train ride back to Brussels, so i knew that the museum would eat up most of our day. and she was fine with that.

after we took her picture with The Mona Lisa, she was quite happy to get out of the museum, hehe... we still had time for a little chat and to grab some lunch before i accompanied her to the train station. too bad she only had less than 24 hours to visit Paris. we both wish she'll have another chance to go back and stay a few days longer and visit more places. 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL THE PHOTOS from the album Aileen Rabago in Paris.

Eto Ang Resulta ng Kakulitan ni Hajji

si hajji ang pinsan ng aking butihing asawa. sya rin ay isa sa aking mga malalapit na kaibigan dito sa Paris. kalimitan ay kaya nya akong mapa-payag sa maraming bagay. tulad na lamang ng pagsali bilang backup dancer sa darating na concert nila next week.

dahil jan, nagkakaroon kami ng practice. kanina ung final practice namin para sa aming sayaw. syempre bawat praktis may picture-taking. pero madalas dugyut kami pag nagpa-praktis. syempre laging pawisan eh. kahit sa last praktis namin walang exemption. mga dugyut pa rin...

at dahil last na praktis at piktyuran na 'to... tinodo na namin ng bonggang bongga ang kodakan!

NARITO ANG LAHAT ng pruweba ng aming pang-aabuso sa aming mga camera.

Sigrid Uy in Paris

a high school chum from BA came to Paris for a day tour today. her name is Sigrid Uy. almost like Aileen Rabago (an online friend who visited last year), i never really had any social interaction with Sigrid before she came to Paris... or... should i say, before facebook. she contacted me through a common high school friend, Maricel Ramos (who lives in Rome, Italy).

but unlike Aileen (whom i never met before i came here, but had talked to several times on the net), i've always known Sigrid from high school days (i'm almost positive she didn't know me then), albeit not personally. she was quite popular in school then. i know she was popular, coz i knew her. i mean, in high school, if it's somebody i know, then he/she must have been popular... coz i never really gave a damn about other people except my current classmates... unless that person was really popular that i couldn't help but to have heard about him/her. and sigrid always had a way of standing out from the crowd. although i must admit, i never really liked her in high school. she gave off the impression of being snooty. well, atleast to me.

but anyhow... so... maricel told me she'll be coming over, and that if i want, i could contact her. she wasn't on my contacts list yet, and i really did intend to send her a message. pero naunahan nya ko. (",)

so we met at the train station, and eventhough we haven't seen each other for so long, i think i'll recognize her in the crowd (some of our batchmates have commented that she's changed so much in appearance, but i don't agree, though. i mean, well, ofcourse, she looks older compared to when we were younger (who doesn't, anyway?)... and perhaps her face is fleshier now (i think she used to be skinny in high school), and she looks so much better as well. but i'd still recognize her.

i never knew her personally in high school, we never got to hang out, we never talked, we never even so much as greeted each other on the corridors. first because we were never classmates and second because, well, i think we just both didn't care about one another's existence. and, like i said, on my part, i think she was snooty. not a snob. snooty.

but i wouldn't know if she really was, since i never really knew her before. but if she was, well, she isn't snooty now. nu-uh. not even one tiny bit. if anything, i find her to be nothing but a really sweet and modest person. and honestly, i really, really had a wonderful time with her. i wish she could have stayed longer.

sometimes i could go hating on FB, but whenever i think about the opportunities it has given me to find old friends, and meet new people and make new friends, like i think what happened with me and Sig, i just can't help but be thankful.

me and Sigrid in front of the Trocadero Fountains (yeah, she's so tall, kainis)

i have the entire PHOTO ALBUM HERE

Welcome, Year 2010!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

we welcomed the year in our home, with the only relatives i have here in Paris. as usual, Noemi is the ever-reliable organizer of lahat ng gimik at kalokohan. and take note... may motif pa talaga ang celebration! hulaan nyo kung ano:

View our New Year's Eve Celebration HERE.

Weekend in Milan

An impulsive decision to visit Milan, Italy with my cousins Noemi, Ariel and Apple on an otherwise ordinary weekend. The weather there was soooooo fine, just a little warmer than Paris, but still cold in the early mornings. This is also the first time I saw our distant relatives, Tita Au, Jing, her husband Mark, their daughters Alysson and Gene, and Toto - after they've all migrated to Milan, Italy. We (Alan, chichi and I), Noemi and Ariel, all spent Saturday night at Tita Au's place, together with their old-time friends, Virgie and her hubby, Jay with their son AJ, and Toto's girlfriend Shirlene. That night the barkadas also held a slumber/drinking" party for us. Lunch, dinner, pulutan, and the Sunday brunch all courtesy of Jay and his wonderful talent in cooking. 


The next day, Sunday, was the sightseeing and picture-taking day. We went to visit the Piazza Duomo and its famous Duomo Cathedral, which was once the largest cathedral in the world, but still remains to be the largest cathedral in Europe. Fiive steps from the Duomo square is the Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele... not a gallery, but literally Milans' Champs Elysees. Then off to the Castelo Sforzesco, part of Milan's renaissance architecture which now houses several museums. Kinda like Paris' The Louvre.

View photos here: http://redthetemptress.multiply.com/photos/album/25/Weekend_in_Milan


THESE SHOTS were taken using three different cameras, hence the different image qualities of each photos. Needless to say that qualities of the shots also depend on the photograpther's (which we're not) ability to take good shots at good angles with good lighting... which, ofcourse neither I, nor my husband, possess. So we just posed and fired away at the cameras. Enjoy!

Meet-up with My #Istambayan Friends

a few days after our Bora escapade, Ruel and I met up with our #istambayan friends. this is my first time to see my girls again since i left the Philippines five years ago (Ruel has seen them in his wedding last year).

we held our get-together at Gilligan's, Trinoma. syempre yung mga hindi na single, hindi rin mag-isang nagpunta. Ru was with her wife (and my sister) Mal, i was with alan and chichi, and Jo was with her boyfriend Feli. Mai came with her daughter Anja, and Joyce, who came alone but was later joined by her boyfriend. and Zel came with some cigarettes (she's single and happy, at the moment ^_^).

too bad nikki couldn't join us because i don't know why (i forgot what she said her reason why she couldn't come).

so here we are... after five years....

Clockwise: Ruel, Joyce, Me, Jo, Zel, Mai

Mine and Mai's little angels

View the album HERE

Our Trip to Boracay

we really didn't think our Boracay escapade would still push through after chichi was hospitalized just a couple of days before our scheduled departure. but thank God it did. we were already worrying about how to cancel our trip because Mal can't seem to connect with PAL, but when chichi's doctor found out that we were scheduled to go to Bora, she promised to monitor chichi closely during the day and said that if she continued to be better by evening, she'll disharge chichi. she said, "hindi ko babasagin ang trip nyo". and so that's what she did! chichi was discharged at half past midnight, we went home to scram-pack, caught a few winks, and off to Boracay we went!!! 

CLICK HERE to view our pictures from our first day in Bora.

CLICK HERE to view our day 2 in Bora;

and finally,

CLICK HERE to view our last and finaly day in Bora.

well, too bad jj wasn't able to come with us (again). he said he didn't have money. mal and i already offered to shoulder his expenses. so then he said he's working and couldn't take a leave. he's been there already... so i guess he just wasn't that much crazy to go back.

if you ask me.. i find Boracay to be beautiful (it would be totally moronic of me to say that it's not). but i'm really not the beach or outdoor type of gal... i don't see the point of going through all that trouble (taking the plane, riding the ferry, the tricycles, etcera) just to get to a beach. but of course that's just me. i've heard a lot of people say it's worth all that trouble to go there. mal and ru and my mom have already been to Boracay before, so this wasn't their first time. personally, if i could go somewhere else, i wouldn't really choose to go back there for all that trouble. but chichi did enjoy the beach, though. i believe that was the first time that she actually stepped outside barefoot to feel the sand underneath her feet.

all in all, it was a great holiday. not because we were at one of the most considered to be beautiful beaches in Asia, but because i was there, with my family.

Unsafe Drinking Water in Manila

.... atleast for Chichi.

chichi confined in the hospital for a night after days of drinking from local bottled water. arte ng sikmura mo chi!

I Just Can't Help But Post This:

me, my sister, and my cousins' then and now photos (",)

this picture was taken at Mal's 17th birthday in 1999 i think.

L-R: Lanie, me, Mal, and Lynlyn

and this one was taken last week, nine years after. lanie has just given birth to her second child (third, technically, because her first was a set of twin girls)

L-R: me, Lanie, Lynlyn, Mal

parang lahat kami nagbago, si lynlyn lang ang hindi? ganon pa ren itsura nya. maganda pa ren.

Tagaytay Trip with the Family

This is my first time, I think, that I went to Tagaytay. I don't remember ever going there before. Hmmm... oh, no, scratch that. I mean, yeah, I've been there. But not really up close. And not with the family. So here's to the first time with the family!

(minus jj though, he wasn't able to come because: 1st, he's not feeling well. he's been sick for the past couple of days now. and 2nd, i don't think he's too excite to go. But we were all surprised that Dad went, too, though! But it was really so good to have him with us today.

Add caption

More Photos are found HERE:

And then after our trip to Tagaytay (and stopping on the highway for some buko pies and a quick snack at the mushroom burger... we decided to pay Lanie a visit at the hospital (she's just given birth to a healthy baby boy!)... see... hitting two birds with one stone! (",)

And then one last picture-taking with the cousins outside the hospital.

  

And what good is picture-taking without goofing around?