french open

it's roland garros once again, the second grand slam of the year. and what better way to welcome this important clay event than to feature one of the best dirt ballers in tennis history: rafael nadal. rafa is doing the roland garros blog again this year. it's his second year now, and he's doing a pretty good job. vamos rafa!

photo taken from www.sportsillustrated.cnn.com

my american idols

these are my american idols: elliott yamin, constantine maroulis, and blake lewis. i've already seen constantine in the flesh when he visited the philippines in 2005 (i think). i hope to see elliott and blake in person one of these days:)

all photos taken from www.americanidol.com

sister act

the demaluan sisters (from left to right): marie joy(yoy), april love (lalab), and may caroline (kai)

pamilya zaragoza

this is my family. i miss being around them. i can no longer remember the last time we all spent a special occasion together. i look forward to being around them once more. sana soon.

bumoto po ako

masaya ako sa naging desisyon kong bumoto kahapon kahit sobrang init. buti na lang at nahanap ko ang aking pangalan sa listahan ng mga botante ng 1157-A. sila ang mga binoto ko:

1. joker arroyo
2. noynoy aquino
3. chiz escudero
4. ping lacson
5. manny villar
6. alan peter cayetano
7. antonio trillanes iv
8. migz zubiri
9. jess paredes
10. adrian sison
11. martin bautista
12. sonia roco

mabuhay ang mga bumoto! may karapatan na tayong magreklamo.

kabaliwan

naranasan mo na bang mabaliw sa kaiisip sa kanya?
ako malapit na malapit na.
ang hirap palang huminga kapag utak mo'y nakasara
walang ibang laman kundi sya.

gusto kong iuntog ang ulo ko.
gusto kong tuluyan na 'tong lumaya
sa pang-aaliping nakakapanghina.
ngunit pano ba unang-una?

pagod na pagod na ako
sana matapos na lang ng hindi ko namamalayan
ayokong mabaliw
pakiusap ayoko na.

foods from home

last night, i suddenly craved for foods i surely miss because i can only feast on them when i’m home. by home i mean my provincial home. i love to eat but unfortunately, some of my favorites are foods from home like these ones:

1. lechon bisaya – how i miss the crispy balat which is even yummier when dipped in sukang bisaya and the rib part, too
2. steamed shrimp – i can eat a kawali of this. perfect when eaten with uyap or bagoong alamang and kalamansi
3. sinugbang isda (grilled fish) – super delicious when matched with sukang bisaya
4. mama’s beef steak – nobody does it like mama. i already know the secret to it but unfortunately i kinda forgot (shame on me!)
5. humba (bisaya style) – there’s nothing quite like humbang bisaya
6. inun-unang tulingan (paksiw na tuna) – those put in big biscuit cans (especially those from siquijor) are the best
7. lechon paksiw – i don’t know but I think it has something to do with the vinegar that makes this different from its tagalong counterpart
8. chicharon with bagoong alamang – perfect! cholesterol overload but who cares it’s still a delight
9. kinilaw - be it shrimp or fish kinilaw. oh so, so yummy
10. marang - this looks like durian without the spikes. it's quite difficult to find this here in manila and not to mention, super expensive

take me home now, please!

forgiveness

they say that time heals all wounds. in my case, it actually did. it’s amazing how time erased all the hurts my heart had kept all these years for one person who once mattered so much to me. it has been five very long years since he walked away and broke me. the damage he left was so devastating that forgiveness never figured in my plan. but one day, it came naturally just like a leaf which peacefully and quietly found its way to the ground.

it felt so good. i felt so peaceful and happy. i have so much to be thankful for because of the relationship. i learned so many things: unconditional love, selflessness, healing, moving on, and most especially, forgiveness. he will always be someone in my life; he will always be a part of me. but it’s time for me to finally move on now.

punta na sa fontana

we did go to fontana last saturday for our company outing. what can i say, it was fun and memorable. the breakfast was good: Jollibee pancake sandwich and hot chocolate. the bus ride was a little slow but fun. our bus (bus 2) was 30 minutes late because the driver unfortunately hit the kisame of the clark entrance post and some explaining had to be done.the place was cool and spacious. i should say the huge trees were my favorite. the pools and the artificial waves were a letdown. i kinda expected more. the games were fun that i played all three of them. funny but the obstacle race was the best for me. i never thought i could run that fast, huh. my team, the yellow team, was second overall. not bad. picture-taking was a must because the place was just so perfect for photo shoots. speaking of photos, i will share some here. you can check out the others in my flicker photos. enjoy!