Great Finds at the Global Pinoy Bazaar

Stepped out into the light today and woke up earlier for the Global Pinoy Bazaar at the Rockwell Tent! It was a refreshing break from piles of paperwork and terabytes of stress accumulated from the previous work week. This is definitely better than the last bazaar I went to (see previous post) because of the assortment of gift/craft/home ideas that I got. All of them, are proudly Pinoy products! What made it more exciting was the fact that most of the sellers were really friendly so you can chit-chat with them while scouring their stalls and get a bit of a background about their biz.

The bazaar is only until November 11, 2012 (Sunday) so I suggest you head out to Rockwell and support emerging Filipino brands! But come prepared-- there's an entrance fee of Php100.00 that's good for the entire day. If you're hungry, there are light snack booths in the tent but I suggest you opt to have dinner/lunch outside.

Of course, any adventure isn't complete without fun friends to accompany you! I went with craft buddy Keevee, her guy Miguel, and sister Sassja. Being with them was such a treat. Today, I realized what a small small world we live in because of the common-friend-network I discovered. haha.

I also got to bring home a stash of goodies from the bazaar:

Fabric and felt pencil case from Fab Manila, a funky printed Little K Crafts tickler, sweet & salty bacon chocolate chip cookie from Bird House Bakers, and a chunk of healthy goodness from Pannzian beach's malunggay oatmeal cookie.  

I definitely had a great time today. How about you?

Butterflies

It was 2006. Some of my high school friends and I were at Sunrise Homes in Katipunan, crowding over a desktop computer-- "stalking" Friendster updates from CDO. We clicked Monic's profile, checking what her plans were for her birthday on Tuesday. It was March 12, 2006. Two days before her birthday.

After an hour of online nonsense and chips, I received a call from my best friend Hannah. "Boo, something happened to Mon and Tito Bong. They were rushed to the ER. Nanay called me up. I'll call you back for details". 

My heart sank. Monic was one of our dearest high school kabarkadas. She has been my next door neighbor for more than 5 years. We went to school together. Talked on the phone almost everyday even after high school. She was one of the happiest people I knew. Her smile was infectious and her love for life and the little wonders of the world always made a huge impact on everyone she met. She was generous and thoughtful. We both shared the love for arts, crafts, and knick-knacks. She always knew what to tell you in times of trouble or loneliness. She always had time for other people. 

A couple of months prior to that day, my dad sold Tito Bong one of our company motorcycles. I was thinking that it must've been a motorcycle-related accident. My heart was beating uncontrollably. I had to know what was going on.

Nerves set in and I was pacing the room back and forth, waiting for Hannah to call back. "I hope she didn't break any bones. It would be a shame for her to be injured on her birthday". I tried to calm myself down--- until I received another call. No one was speaking on the other end. I could just hear sobs. "Hello? boo?" I called out to Hannah, blood rushing from my cheeks. "Boo, wala na. Wala na siya. (Boo she's gone. She's gone)". Hysteria. Panic. Hyperventilation. I couldn't understand the other things that she was saying. Hannah passed on the phone to someone else, I could only make out sobs and wailing. They were all at the hospital. Instinctively, I called my mom right away and the only thing I mustered to say in that moment of shock and confusion was "Si Mon, si Mon. Wala na siya. Wala na siya. Na-aksidente daw sila ni Tito Bong. Call Hannah. Call Hannah". And then I lost it.

I didn't know what else to do/think/say/feel. I just cried uncontrollably. I couldn't understand what was going on. I didn't even bother to know what happened. My heart was ripped out of my chest. My world just crumbled. It was the first time that I ever lost a friend-- one of my best friends. We grew up together. We've been partners in everything! We spent days daydreaming about college-- about conquering New York as a group, projecting ourselves living the life of the "Sex & The City" girls-- being fabulous, and being successful together. It was only days ago that the girls told me that they were preparing a surprise birthday for her since she wasn't able to have a big 18th birthday party. It was her mom and dad's surprise for her, having worked in the States for so long. It was only hours when I talked to her about her recently concluded big event at school. It was too much. It was too soon.

Mon and her family were victims of a fatal robbery. They owned a newly-opened lottery outlet near her maternal grandparents' house in Lapasan. The gunman went for her father who was outside their shop, shooting his neck. Mon ran after hear dad when she heard the gunshot and the gunman did not spare her. He shot her while she was pleading for mercy. The bullet shot straight to her heart. Seconds after the shooting, the gunman went inside the lottery outlet, robbed them clean and even attempted to shoot her mom and brother who were inside. When the gun didn't fire, he ran away.

Even to this day, one cannot imagine how a kind and down-to-earth family can be a victim of such a hateful crime. It is still hard to fathom how a happy family was destroyed just because of someone else's greed. Of all the people in the world, why them? Why Mon? 

Two years after the tragedy, her dad passed away-- saving him from his struggle of being paralyzed from the neck down and having various complications.

It was tough dealing with the loss of a friend. It was a living nightmare for all of us. There were years when we spent nights crying together during the sem break, grieving together. Our world became smaller and smaller. The streets became scarier. Life became scarier. We spent years feeling like a part of us was missing.

Six years later, the emptiness we felt has been filled with wonderful new memories and new additions to our barkada. There are days when I still dream about her, when I remember that sweet smile of hers. Today I remember the pain but celebrate the wonderful years that I was able to spend with her.

Like the butterflies that she loved the most, we've set her free to soar and spread her wings to a better place. 

I love you Mon. Always and forever.

Panglao, Bohol (2004)

Futuristic Friendships

Hey ho, let's go! Finally DONE with battling against the evil flu and I'm ready to feel alive again! Haha. Forgive my hyperactive outburst, I just had a tall glass of Okinawa milk tea from Happy Leaf. Anyhoo, despite having chills from time to time I've been exhausting my social networks the past days meeting up with old friends! (Ako na ang may sakit na social butterfly) It's been such a blast!

Dates and Good Mates

Most of my close circles aren't here in the Metro. My childhood friends (my gings) are mostly based in CDO and my college girls are living in different parts of Visayas and Mindanao. Some even went global and invaded Bejing and Canada! Though I have lots of good friends here in Manila--especially my GBBFs (gay best best friends) it's been quite a challenge for us to meet up with our erratic schedules and dynamic careers however we do our best to get by. I spent most of my college days in the U.P. and Katipunan areas where most of my friends still stay. Living away from QC (the cradle of LEGENDARY memories) makes me miss having happiness right at my doorstep. That's why whenever I can, I take trips to Maginhawa (and spend an entire day at Moonleaf Tea Shop to say hello to my besties (then hope for some serendipitous moments with the other gheys) to amplify the good vibes. 

Last week I was a really lucky kid to have a good friend visit from CDO. Claire was here for a week with her parents and girl bonding over good food was hard to resist--especially for someone who feelt sick to the bones! We had a dinner with our childhood friend Sen at my favorite place in Powerplant-- Cafe Mediterranean. It was a night of never-ending teasing and updating! We talked about Claire's string of admirers and the upcoming wedding that we're planning!

Food with friends is always a treat! I really felt like I was transported back home-- pigging out on latest gossip and sumptuous fare. One thing great about having friends who are down-to-earth is that wherever you are-- may you be at Mc Donald's, eating kwek-kwek on a sidewalk, or eating spinach pizza at a fancyschmancy place; the conversations are always amazing. That's what I love about my friends, they're not really picky about places to hang out. Heck, they even welcome getting stuck in the strangest places just for the fun of it!

Whenever friends come and visit, I always have intense separation anxiety afterwards. It brings me back to my college years when my mum would visit me once a month and we'd have the most amazing week! I would endure commuting to the farthest ends of Manila just to spend a few hours with her! I learned numerous bus and jeepney routes in my desire to feel a semblance of home. When someone from home is here, I pull out all the stops just to see him/her. A few moments of normalcy and comfort take months of homesickness away. I seriously wish I didn't have to be so far away from everyone I love back at home. Alas there are bigger battles that can only be conquered whilst I am here. 

Nothing beats real sit-down dinners and catching up during coffee dates. Because of my current set-up with friends,  I owe much to modern day technology for keeping me connected across the miles. 

Love in the Time of Technology

I thank God and human-kind for opening all possible portals of communication. Like what I had with Mr. P before, my relationships are so widespread-- it goes cross country! I don't really subscribe to the term LDR (long distance relationships) because I believe that relationships need not be labeled differently despite the distance. Wherever that person may be, how long the time has elapsed since you've seen each other-- what is important is that you strengthen that relationship.

In order to cope with geographic separation, I've been relying on social networks to bridge the gap. Facebook has become a good avenue to easily update friends and family with a snap and a click. My dad, who is currently based in L.A., makes it a point to post his adventures online and pops me a message on Viber almost everyday. Gone are the days when you have to worry about expensive overseas call charges because the internet makes texting and calling readily affordable and available. Those days, people used to scrimp their Php25 per 160 characters to say everything they want to. Now it's replaced with the ease of sending short messages with emoticons pa (which I love!) for free! Good thing my dad never gets tired of receiving a flood of colorful messages from me like "Hello dada! Eating burger! " or "Hi dada! I'm sick again. Colds and fever. Huhu " 

I do the same with my friends--even those who are just in the country. What's amusing is that my friends at home also use Whatsapp to update each other about funky finds and memorable moments. Those of us who are not in CDO get to see our friend's adorable baby Gabe grow up everyday. Technology makes milestones easier to share and capture. As kids we used to spend hours on the phone doing what we love best-- telebabad. The countless hours burning our earlobes with our phone sets are now replaced with hours of tapping our screens sending emoticons and photos as much as we can. 

My college girlies and I rely on Tumblr for our much-awaited "red tabs". On Tumblr, every new update is indicated by a tiny red flag with the number of new posts in your particular blog circle--hence our excitement over such. A different thrill overcomes me when I open my account and discover a multitude of red tabs from the girls! Accounts of travels, work woes, quest for love and satisfaction, nifty finds, and nerdy nothings make my life more colorful. Whenever the girls write pages of updates, I am living vicariously in every word that is written. We have healthy exchanges about anything and everything under the sun! Though these interactions are seasonal, it turns everything posted into a good read. 

Of course, how could I leave out my current addiction--Twitter! The ease of reading other people's brain farts has changed my relationship with many of my friends. Life is too marvelous to fit in 140 characters but dissecting them into these micro posts make it more interesting! I've made so many new friends through Twitter and it's entertaining and enlightening to stay on top of what's going on with the world and mapping out people's train of thoughts. In an instant, the burning desire for self expression-- from the most mundane musings to the deepest of emotions all blend in perfectly in the Twitterverse. This allows me to get connected to my gnork (geek+nerd+dork) friends from all over the globe! 

See? Photos and emoticons!

Ready to read today's red tabs from the circle!

Visting my best Whatsapp buddy in Beijing! L-R: Mr. P, Shani, Me, & Elma. 

The Circle of Global Trust: Dee (currently in UK), Yan (who loves Asian adventures lives in Davao), E (the globe trotter who just got back from Paris)  & IJ (who promised to bring us maple syrup and hockey pucks from Canada). 

The best thing about hooking up with friends online is that no matter where we are in the globe-- whatever hour it is, there's always an opportunity to interact. I'm a firm believer of exhausting all resources so there is absolutely no reason to say that you're too busy or too far away to make things happen. 

We don't find time, we make it.  

It's right about time for me to reply to my circle tabs. IJ's coming home in a few months and we're syncing our schedules for her homecoming. You see, our social networks are also active avenues where we plan our next reunions! I'm definitely excited!

Don't you just love the friends and the internet? :)