Our friend, Remus, was only 23 years old when he passed away. His mother told us that he had just gotten home that day they rushed him to the hospital. The nurses and doctors at the hospital in San Pedro, Laguna told them that he urgently needed to undergo kidney dialysis and surgery because there was water in his lungs. They waited hours for the surgeon to arrive, but he never did, so they had to contact another doctor. His mother wanted to move him to another hospital but the hospital people told her that Remus, at that point, was already in a critical condition, so moving him would only cause more complications.

When the other doctor finally came, it was already too late. Remus was at the peak of his suffering, he couldn’t breathe due to the water in his lungs and his heart couldn’t take it anymore. He died of cardiac arrest while in surgery.

Remus’ mom told us that before he was taken to the OR, he was crying and was already saying goodbye to her. He already knew he wouldn’t make it. Her story made the rest of us well up.

Remus was one of my closest guy friends in college. He was kind, generous and thoughtful. As a working student, he was very focused that he managed to graduate and pay for his school expenses on his own. But the thing I remember most about him was after college, when we both got jobs in the same call center company in Ortigas. Whenever our schedules would meet, we would take our breaks together and just talk about college life and our friends back in Bacolod. Two months later, I left that job (because I didn’t think I would survive another day as a call center agent) while Remus stayed for another year. I saw him a few times after that with the rest of our blockmates. A week before he died, he texted one of our friends to say that he wanted to see all of us again on May 5, a Saturday. He said it’s been an awful long time since our last reunion.

That Saturday, we got together to see him at his wake.

(This is the only photo I could find of him online. Someone deleted his Friendster account. Hmm.)

May 1, 2008 marks Remus’ first death anniversary. Every once in a while he would come to mind and I would think about how his life would have been if he hadn’t died. I miss my friend. The rest of us in our batch would grow old and fulfill our dreams while he will forever be a 23-year old.

Oh. Yeah. I’m 23 now. I grew up. Now I know why Peter Pan chose not to grow up. Heh.

Thankfully, I got this piece of device that lets me stay in touch with people outside this invisible bubble surrounding me. Through the wonders of chat programs, blogs, and social networking sites (Hey, me being a geek is not the topic here! lol), I’m still able to have a good laugh with friends and find out how they’re are doing even if it’s clearly not as meaningful as the real thing. One just has to learn to make it work.

In light of this topic, I want to acknowledge the “friendship awards” I got from two bloggers. One is from Teacher Julie who’s been using the very first WP theme I made (that I’ve been wanting to update but got no time) and whose blog was featured in the newspaper a few months ago (I actually have a copy of this Philippine Daily Inquirer. Thanks Romzkee for giving it to me!). She included me in her list of virtual friends to whom she passed the first class friendship award to and described me as “my blog theme designer whom I have not met (yet) in person but I feel connected to, in more ways than one.” *Sniff sniff* Please pass the tissue!

And if that’s not enough, problogger Sasha also gave me the You’ve got a friend in me award. This is what she says about me: “…for easily saying yes when I asked for a link exchange. Naku there are a lot of really great bloggers like this girl who can be snobs. I can name a few pero wag na lang… Joni, on the other hand, is a popular blogger who creates beautiful themes that is NOT a snob at all!” I don’t know about the “great”, “popular” and “beautiful” adjectives but I was really touched when I read her message. Thanks, Sasha!

Just last Sunday, I was so happy that I was able to spend time with my former workmates at One Global aka ePac. It’s been so long since the last time we were all together (We missed Riz, Reah, Romzkee, Karen, and Ying, though). Ryan, the webmaster of Miss Earth‘s official website, had complimentary passes so he invited Bheng, Nico, Sarah, Kelly, Vanz, Emz, and me to the 7th Annual Miss Earth Pageant at the UP Theater in UP Diliman.

My bet, Miss Canada, won the pageant. She’s pretty, intelligent and confident. And she’s half-Filipina! Kewlness. Miss India (Bheng and Sarah’s bet) came in 2nd, and Miss Switzerland (Kelly’s bet)… didn’t make it to the final four. Lol! I think the Spanish-speaking candidates had a shot at winning the crown too if not for their st*pid translator who just couldn’t get the translation right. He kept stuttering and shaking his head as though searching for the right words to use hence the candidates’ answers kind of lost their impact. Not that I could translate Spanish, but really, they could’ve done better with another interpreter.

I had so much fun despite the fact that we had to wear cocktail dresses (although I can’t really call the one I wore a “cocktail dress”). Thanks, Rai, for inviting me! Next year ulit! Haha. Read more about that night here.

(See more photos) Calling all the ePac gurls! Kelan dinner date natin?? Anakng$#!$@%*!! lol.

They also had a lot of questions about blogging and the Pinoy blogosphere. They asked us when we started blogging and what do we usually blog about. It was just fair for them to throw these questions at us. After all, we are self-confessed blog addicts. lol.

Pinoy bloggers have come a long way from being low-profile Internet geeks individuals to becoming a community who’s “say” matters a lot in the worldwide web. I think the Blog Parteeh last January was an awesome initiative to unite the active bloggers in Manila. And of course there was the controversial Philippine Blog Awards last March which was organized to promote and recognize the top Pinoy blogs.. The 3rd Philippine Blogging Summit last April.. The very recent Taste Asia happening.. and many other events I neglected to mention. Today I no longer get surprised to hear news about off-line marketing initiatives seeking the opinions and reviews of bloggers. Doesn’t that make you proud to be a blogger?

Anywho – after dinner, the four of us (plus Deej!) walked around Bonifacio High Street and had fun taking some pictures of ourselves. We also stopped by Starbucks for a little “kape kape, chika chika” session we’ve been planning to have for weeks. We made the most out of our time together last night – after all, it’s not everyday that I get to bump into them, let alone spend four hours with them. Although I do see and talk to them online almost everyday.

Among the photos taken last night, the one below is my favorite! :cute:

“It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… Optimus Prime!”

More pictures!

Sa uulitin!

See related post.

Hiram Part Two

Yes, I know we’re no longer teens, but this war actually started over four years ago. We were the inseparable trio, we even called ourselves the Charmed sisters (which was a hit back then). They’re the best friends anyone could ask for. We always did stuff together like playing Volleyball or teaching in Sunday School or shopping (well, they loved shopping, I just didn’t want to be stuck at home ) or going on a vacation by ourselves — It was really fun! But that was until the day one of my best friends (let’s call her Anne Curtis) broke up with her long-time boyfriend (let’s call him Geoff Eigenmann) and found out later that her Ex and our other best friend (let’s call her Heart Evangelista) have been sort of “seeing each other” for the last few months, even before the breakup. That drove Anne up the wall because one, she was still in love with her Ex at that time, and two, she was hurt because she felt her own best friend betrayed her. Heart defended herself by saying that there was nothing going on, they were just friends. I think that’s true for the earlier part, but they still ended up together anyway.

Me? I was stuck in the middle. I didn’t want to choose a side since I wanted to be the understanding, objective kind of friend (hah!) but because I’m not perfect and I also have my own opinion about what happened I sort of leaned toward the other which consequently led the other one to think that I too betrayed her by siding with the other one (Are you with me?). I tell ya, it was one helluva drama.

We tried fixing the problem so many times but it was just so hard to do. Whenever I was with Heart, Anne would get jealous. And whenever I was with Anne, Heart would get paranoid. Now it’s four years later, Anne is together with her childhood sweetheart (Let’s call him Oyo Boy Sotto. They have a beautiful love story, you should hear about it. ) for almost 3 years now, Heart and Geoff are going on their 4th year together, and I — I’ve moved out of home 3 years ago (but not to escape all the “fun” with my best friends, I swear) and have spent lesser time with both of them.. You would think that we’ve all moved on, but no. The past still finds a way to haunt me.

After months of not seeing each other, Heart and I had a time to catch up on things again two days ago. There were many significant and trivial things to talk about so I made sure I steered clear of any topics related to our barkada’s “lost friendship”. And yet, it seemed that topic would just never go undiscussed. Heart still feels frustrated in trying to patch things up with Anne (after all these years!), and Anne, who I text with from time to time, is firm with the fact that she doesn’t mind if she’s one friend less.

And me? I’m waiting for time to pass. I know it’s only a matter of time before both of them will give our lost friendship another chance. That would be the day when all of us are mature enough to leave the past behind and accept each other’s shortcomings. I long for that day. Who knows? Maybe we can all hang out together with Geoff and Oyo Boy in one room! Haha

We used to say that if we three had children of our own someday, we also want them to be friends. I’m still looking forward to that.

The Moral of the Story

Think twice before going for your best friend’s Ex. You’ll never know how hard the blow (and how long the recovery period) is until your best friend starts to snub you and send cuss words your way (lol). But if you’re the best friend who was cheated on, let it go and just be happy for your best friend. It’s been years. What she did to you only meant that you were supposed to be with someone else who’s gonna love you more than your Ex ever did.

Easier said than done? Yeah, that’s what I said too.

Like I said, I really don’t mind losing, it’s not a big deal. I’m breezy! LOL. But the fact that these 3 people (and 2 more offline) went off their way to “promote” my blog is very flattering. Guys, I’m touched! *sniff sniff* Whattafrend kayo!

And because there are kind-hearted, perky people like them, I’ve decided to join in the fun. So yey, I’m finally putting up a badge on my sidebar as well! Just for fun! (I can see Ganns rolling his eyes). Click on the badge and vote this site! BUT ONLY IF YOU WANT TO. There’s no pressure or anything. LOL.

***

The Awards Night is 3 nights away, and I’m kinda excited. I’m excited not because this blog is a finalist and that I’m looking forward to them (possibly) flashing a screenshot of this blog on stage (Ugh! Argh! Waaah! Grrr! @#%/$&!!), but because I’m part of the Stage & Decor committee and I’m looking forward to helping decorate the place. Plus, I’ll get to see some of my blogger friends again! The Blog Parteeh last January was such a blast that I don’t mind going to a somewhat similar event again.

Anyway, if you want to come, they’re giving away e-tickets. The seats are limited so you better blog now.

“Sam” is a Samsung 19″ Widescreen LCD Monitor. We bought it at a cheaper price than what it’s worth. If you’re interested, ask me where you can get it. My nosy older brothers also love it. They keep knocking on my door once in a while to beg me to let them use my PC. Bwahahaha! They’re planning to save already — I hope that one goes well. That way, it will finally be my turn to benefit from them!

That’s Papa Wentworth Miller :heart: on my screen, btw.

***

Last Thursday, we finally said goodbye to an officemate. Tina is one of my favorite people in the office. She and I have a lot of things in common and we went to the same university which is probably why we just clicked automatically even though we’ve only known each other for 3 months. It’s sad to see her go, especially for the others who have known her longer, but we all understand how important this is for her, so there’s really no point in forcing her to stay or letting her feel miserable about it. It’s just a fact of life. Some time later, for everyone, there’s always a greener pasture to move to somewhere.

Her closest friends arranged an “ultra secret” despedida lunch for her, and I was a tag-along. Invited at the veeery last minute. LOL. We were at Redbox karaoke in Greenbelt 3 having lunch and taking turns holding the microphone. The ultimate goal of our lunch together was to make Tina cry. She almost didn’t! Not until we coerced her to give her goodbye speech.

Sosyalan! Automated at de-remote itech!

Mark and Marc rendering their doble-kara version of Endless Love

The beautiful people of DWH

Tina singing “Stay” (by Lisa Loeb)

Incidentally, RedBox is having an awesome, awesome promo. From 12nn-3pm, you and your friends can get meals at affordable prices (from Php 100 – Php 200) and the karaoke room is free! So if you feel like singing in the middle of the day while having lunch with your friends, try Redbox in Greenbelt 3.

I swear I don’t work for Redbox or anything like that.

Goodbye, Tina! We’re now one pretty face less in the office. Huhu. We will miss you dearly.

A colleague of mine is getting married on the 15th. I was invited but I don’t have anything formal to wear so I’ll probably just take a rain check on that — except that it’s a once-in-a-lifetime event so I don’t think I can take any rain checks. Minus the fact that I lack the proper attire to the event, I am somehow looking forward to watch her walk down that aisle. AND, I’m curious about the final outcome of her 300K-worth wedding. Imagine that! I can buy a car with that amount of money! JK.

A close friend also contacted me a few days ago to tell me that her wedding date is final and to ask if I could come home this December. She sent me an informal invitation through text, to which my reply was “I wouldn’t miss it for the world!” I just hope I wasn’t speaking too soon.

Also worth-mentioning is the wedding of a high school classmate which took place last week. My batchmates said it’s too bad I wasn’t able to come since that particular wedding, apparently, is the first “out-in-the-open” wedding among us. Our other 3 or 4 married classmates were secretly wed before.. which we surprisingly (albeit expectedly) heard only a few months after.

In addition to these, I’ve also heard of some couples who are getting married soon. See? It’s the month of weddings and engagements!

I am very happy for these people, especially for my close friend whom I was only talking with 2 years ago about anime, boys/crushes, and dreams of living independently after college. Who knew that at the age of 23 (actually, she’ll be 24 by December) she’d be tying the knot? It’s so surreal. But then again, knowing she’s marrying a fine man (who happens to be the older brother of another classmate. LOL!), I just know that she’s going to be all right.

Funny how some couples have plans for their wedding day already when our plans only revolve around the next gadget or item to buy, the next “raket” to work on, the next movies to see, and the next out-of-town trip with friends. Hehehe! I admit that I’m still not mature enough for this wedding stuff. Maybe in another decade. Haha

Since I don’t know how to properly segue into my next agenda, I’ll just go ahead and say it. To all the lovers, married couples, engaged couples and lovers in waiting…

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

Because I’ve read the “3 Reasons why you shouldn’t be late for the Parteeh” the night before, I swore to do my best to come on time thinking that the Committee might not let me in after 1:30PM. When I got there at around 1:15PM, I felt embarrassed finding out I was one of the first few guests who came. Haha. I’m not used to that kind of punctuality. Fortunately, Tina and Aaron were there. I got to chat with them for a bit before we were allowed to come upstairs.

Ganns, who told me beforehand that I could hang out with him, was 4 hours late to the party. Apparently, on his way to Makati, one of his car’s tires gave out. No, I’m sure this doesn’t have anything to do with how much he weighs. LOL. Peace, Ganns! Alone and shy, I was starting to toy with the idea of going MIA when I crossed paths with Liz and Shari. I’ve gone to their sites twice or thrice before and I never thought I’d get the chance to hang out with them at the party. How cool is that? Mae, who’s been an online blogger friend of mine for quite some time now, was really nice too. I just luuuv her chinita eyes! Hehe.

I also met Apples, the wife of Chris who’s all over everyone with his snotty SLR camera. LOL. She was really nice and has got lots of interesting things to say. She’s a mom working for this huge company in Makati. And I just found out she also loves Grey’s Anatomy and badminton. Hehe.

We were laughing at how strange the party was due to the fact that the people there, when they approach to talk to you, would ask what your URL is first before they ask you your name. Hahaha! Geek alert!

After posting deadly pre-party blog entries, Ganns and Benj somehow ended up being friends. Some of us were expecting “action” that it’s almost a shame they didn’t kill each other at the party. LOL. Kidding aside, I’m glad the two got along. And no, I don’t think either one of them was keeping a dagger inside his pocket. Surprisingly enough.

Some of the other bloggers I met were Jeff (so are you thinking about organizing our Sony Ericsson bloggers circle yet?), Marhgil (who kept insisting his raffle ticket number wasn’t included in the fishbowl. Hehe!), Eugene, Geri (who, with all the prizes he won, was probably the luckiest guy that night. Though definitely not as lucky as AJ, who took home the iPod! [insert curse here] Dude, I think there’s been a misunderstanding. That iPod was supposed to be for me!), Pierre (who turned out to be an actual Jester), Markku (the awesome photoblogger) and many more (Sorry, guys, I’m in a little hurry, haha!). I got to meet the famous Retz and Abe too.

They called it “the winning table”, “the luckiest table”, and “the most-blessed table” and yes, indeed, it is what they say it is. Everyone at our table won a prize (or two). Aside from the goodies I got: the Kerygma and Fish magazines, the USB fan (which I’m using as of the moment), a GMA network mug, a card with free 3hours Wi-Fi access, two Bo Sanchez’s books (How to find your true love and You can make your life beautiful) and a 10% discount stub for a Treo 680 purchase (which I doubt I’m gonna use. Any takers?), I also won 2 prizes in the raffle: A Yehey.com t-shirt (which I’m using right now. LOL. Adik!), and a Krispy Kreme gift certificate worth 2-dozen of donuts (nice, isn’t it??). I should’ve taken home one of the 50 boxes of Krispy Kreme donuts they were giving away that night but when Liz, Shari, Mae and I got to the registration table, the donut boxes were gone. Oh well, the GC I got shall suffice.

And I also would’ve gotten a 4-months free subscription of PC Mag but the subscription form I filled out got stuck at the bottom of my goody bag that I forgot to submit it at the end of the party.

I went home carrying a bagful of goodies. When a friend saw me with it, he even asked me if I’d just came from shopping. Hehe. All in all, the party was great. Kudos to the all the sponsors and organizers!

After 12:00 midnight, my brother finally called me to come out so I could watch how the firecracker fountain he bought spark and crackle. Not 3 seconds passed after he lit it that I rushed back to my room to get my camera. When I stepped out again I immediately took a shot of the fountain but I wasn’t able to capture the good part because it has almost died down. I laughed at how fast it diminished! Then my brother, frustrated at the little thing, just muttered something about wanting back the Php 50 he spent for it! LOL.

Every time a new year begins, I always get both nervous and excited about what’s going to happen in the next 365 days. I want to feel optimistic toward the year 2007 but all I can think about is my anxiety, the fear of the unknown. Oh well, I just need to tell myself that there’s also a lot of other things to be excited about. Plus, the title of this new theme is perfect to remind me to always choose optimism. When in doubt, smile! I just wish smiling is enough.

The annual confusion is here again: I’m gonna have to get myself used to writing “2007″ to avoid erasures and get “2006″ out of my system. LOL. That’s just a random shallow thought, scrap that one.

***

Last night, I was with some of my KCmates at Starbucks-Megastrip. The reunion was planned on short notice so much so that I was 3 hours late in joining them! LOL. Nevertheless, when I’d caught up, I had a great time chatting, reminiscing, and laughing with all of them. To Jenmai: good work on the spontaneous “reunion”!

Pen, Me, Matet, Tatint
(More pictures here)

***

It’s 3:30am and I still don’t feel sleepy. The damn new year anticipation yesterday has screwed up my body clock again. Waaah! Good thing there’s a good supply of brewed coffee at the office. I will only need two cups when I arrive later to get rid of the drowsiness! I swear it works like magic. Better than Starbucks or Seattle’s Best, I tell ya.

Happy New Year, everyone! May 2007 be good to all of us.

Last week was one heck of a week for me. Here’s a few things that kept me — well, not really “busy” — but kept me on my toes:

ONE.

The Zahir by Paulo Coelho. I bought this book a while back after a friend recommended it. It’s about a male writer whose wife leaves him one day with no trace and no obvious reason. He wonders if she was kidnapped, if she was bored of their life together, or if she had left him for another man. Later on he finds out the reason why she left him and discovers some new things about himself too… or some kinda like that. Hehe. The book kept me going until the end (not counting the times I’d suddenly fall asleep. Not because the book’s boring though. But because I’m simply a sleepyhead). I was dying to know what happened to his wife and if they’ll ever see each other again. Well, I like the part where the writer renews his whole outlook in life. But the details about the “divinity” the characters believed in is definitely not my cup of tea. Plus, the ending’s a big mystery. I never liked hanging conclusions. haha. But it is good. One of Paulo Coelho’s best works, I should say.

TWO.

One Tree Hill – Season 3. I finally downloaded the latest season. I asked her to burn me copies of the episodes but I couldn’t wait any longer. Now I’m downloading episode #5 and I have to say that I love how things are turning out so far. I used to say that I don’t like the Nathan-Haley tandem but I kinda do now. The way Haley’s trying to patch things up with Nathan after leaving him for a few months to pursue a potential singing career is psyching me out. Sure, it was her fault that she left but now I kinda admire Haley’s character. She can be tough even though Nathan keeps giving her the cold shoulder yet unyielding towards proving her love to her husband. I can’t wait to find out what happens next! If only the download gets a little faster. Hehe. Lucas is also back with Brooke. Brooke, for someone who’s a flirt and a popular cheerleader is really not so bad. I find her really cool. Peyton’s having some family problems of her own.. And I wonder if Jake’s ever coming back to town. Ok, I’ve becoming to sound really cheesy here. I don’t mean to seem like such a diehard fan, coz I’m really not! I like OTH with just the appropriate amount. Haha.

THREE.

I am now officially a Smart Bro subscriber. The subscription’s a great choice for me since I don’t need a landline to qualify. I have no plans of getting my own phone line any time soon coz I really don’t need it. I’m never into gabbing over the phone much. Plus a regular phone line costs 600-700Php and if ever, I’ll be the only one paying for that. Anyway, back to Smart Bro. The monthly payment is 999Php. So far, the connection’s good, despite all the negative reviews about it. But I did experience disconnection twice 30minutes after its installation. I was kinda bummed there for a while upon realizing that I probably would be getting those interruptions often, but so far, after five days, I haven’t had anymore of that. Except for some occasional network lag. All in all, Smart Bro’s fine, though obviously not the finest. Just as long as I can do my thing like downloading and stuff, it’s all good.

FOUR.

Because of Deej and my fascination of his new job, I’ve been influenced to play Gunbound as well. Gunbound World Champion is an online shooting game where you battle with other players that are also connected through the Internet. I like it coz it’s not that difficult to get used to like other online games. I only need to master the action keys and recall my geometry if I want to score properly. Hehe. I haven’t been addicted to a computer game since the time I used to play Red Alert: Command & Conquer back when I was a sophomore in High School. After Red Alert, I tried to play StarCraft but decided it was too complicated for me then finally gave up altogether on the whole gaming thing after learning Counterstrike which just made me all dizzy. Haha. Gunbound has a clear and simple objective, that’s why I liked it the first time I played it. Er, okay, fine. Honestly? I’m just very impatient in trying to learn complicated games. Haha.

FIVE.

Deej and I went to see Cars last weekend. But as much as I want to share to you what I think about the animated movie, I regret to say that 15 minutes through it, I suddenly wasn’t able to stop myself from falling asleep. Eep! In my defense, it was the last full show of the night and I only had 4 hours of sleep the night before so the grogginess was beyond my control. Believe me, I wanted to watch! I was the one who suggested to see that movie in the first place. See? I am a sleepyhead! If you haven’t seen Cars, then that makes two of us. Haha!

SIX.

God has blessed me with wackiest group of colleagues one can have! Last week I had so much fun with them. At different occasions, we ate lunch together at Congo Grille, passed by Ortigas Park and Robinson’s Galleria for a few clicks, and played Badminton (hoping it could help us lose weight, but to no avail. Haha.) I missed Riz though. Unfortunately, she was scheduled to work at night last week. Now it’s my turn to endure the sufferings this graveyard shift entails! Obviously for this week, I only have the Internet, One Tree Hill, and Gunbound to keep me from getting bored. I have to wait several days so I can once again spend time with all the SEO girls (and Sir Joel, of course) who are always successful in making work at the office less annoying.

So I did say I won’t complain about this whole graveyard shift anymore. Heehee.

Oh yeah, maybe I should get a new book too. Does anyone have a good recommendation?