Bistro 51

Dahil nasa mood akong gumala at uminom, tinawag ko ang aking tita at pinsan and they both recommended Bistro 51.

In fairness I like the ambiance ah. It reminds me a lot of Casa Generosa back in Baguio where I also had a few drunken nights.

Goodbye Tanduay Ice. Kay San Miguel nalang ako.

Pwede bang mawala ang sisig pag ako ang umiinom? no no no no no! We still ordered a few more things but my cousin was hoarding my phone so hindi ko na napicturan.

Ayan ang malandi kong pinsan na si Jae. Nag-pose pa talaga. Jusme! 

And since jam night yun sa Bistro 51, kinulit-kulit ako ng tita ko at pinsan ko na kumanta. Dahil medyo may tama na ako ng konting-konti lang, go naman ako. Ayan, may video pa hehe.



After drinking, I said I wanted to eat Empanada. If ever you are in Ilocos, your trip will NOT BE COMPLETE unless you try the following: Longganisa, Bagnet, and Empanada.

That night, Parker called me up and my cousin and Tita spoke to him. Nakakatuwa, nagkwentuhan silang tatlo. Jusko ano kaya pinagusapan ng mga yun?

"As early as now I want to welcome you to the family kaya come here on summer ah", saaaabbbeeee ba naman ng Tita ko kay Parker. Sa kanya na ang hindi-ko-kinaya award.

Madami kaming napagkwentuhan ng gabing yun. Past lovers, present lovers, funny moments in the past, family matters, and the most discussed topic was sex.

Sabi ng tita ko she can't believe daw she was talking with us about sex eh a few years ago lang daw binabantayan niya kami ng pinsan ko habang naglalaro kami. Eh pano naman kami diba? Di kami na-trauma sa ganun usapan? Ganon ba yun?!

Ay ay ay ay!!! Sabi ng Tita ko, feeling niya kami na daw ni Parker forever kasi sa lahat daw ng mga naka-relasyon ko, both men and women, si Parker lang daw ang willing at walang takot kong ipinakilala sa kanila.

Haaaanggg sweet no? Kaya nga ba sa lahat ng mga Tita ko eh siya ang aking peborit. By the way, ilang taon lang agwat niya sa amin ng pinsan ko so basically parang barkada lang namin yun kaya sa kanya kami close.

Out of Narnia...Again... Part Deux

After leaving the house, we went straight to Robinsons Ilocos. On the way there, they were all nagging me to tell them who 'babe' was.

"Whats her name?"

"Where's she from?"

"Does your mom know?"

All of them were berating me with questions.

"Shhh!!! I'll tell you everything in detail when we get to Robinsons."

They finally stopped.

When we got to Robinsons, the moment we entered the mall, they started nagging me again, it was getting a little irritating to be honest. So there we were, walking around the mall when I blurted out,

"Alright here's the deal. I dont have a girlfriend. I have a boyfriend. You guys want ice cream?"

They stopped in their tracks. As in, they literally stopped in their tracks.

"Wehh? Di nga?", asked my Tita.

My cousin just stared at me.

I nodded.

"Are you serious?", asked my tita again.

"Yes! Mukha ba akong nagbibiro?", I answered sarcastically.

"See I told you", said my cousin

"See she told you!...wait...what?!", I exclaimed.

"We were arguing on whether it was a boy or a girl", said my cousin smiling.

I laughed.

"So how does he look like?", asked my cousin

I showed them a picture of Parker. My tita showed the picture to my tito.

"Bago kong pamangkin", she said.

"Talaga? Kaninong anak?", asked my tito.

My cousin and I laughed.

"Siya nga ang BAGO KONG PAMANGKIN. He's a new addition to the family", said my tita then she looked at me.

"Ano?", asked my tito.

"Ay jusko! Boyfriend ni Anton!"

My cousin and I burst out laughing.

"Seryoso? Parang di naman", said my tito.

"Gusto mo picture namin na naghahalikan para maniwala ka?", I asked laughing.

"Meron diyan? Patingin!!!", yelled my cousin.

We all laughed.

Apparently it came as a shock to all of them.

That evening meant a lot to me.

It made me feel happy.

It made me feel accepted.

It made me feel loved.

Now, all of my relatives in my dad's side know about me and they are happy and very supportive. They are actually expecting me to return to Laoag with Parker. They can't wait to meet him. They have asked me hundreds of questions about him and are ecstatic on meeting him.

Like what I said before, its times like this when you realize who your true friends are and how much your family loves you. Again, coming out is not easy but taking the first step out is the only hard part. Once both feet are out, the worst is over.

The fear of rejection is what holds others back from coming out. But would you lie to yourself and others just to make them happy? Shouldn't you find happiness first? Coming out was easier than what I expected and I hope that my story inspires others as well.

Among all of the questions they asked me, isa lang ang hindi ko kinaya na tinanong nila.

"Nag-sex na kayo?", tanong ng tita ko. 

Since naloka ako sa tanong niya...

...naloka din siya sa sagot ko ahihihi. :P

Out of Narnia...Again... Part Une

Before reading this, I suggest reading And Then I Came Out Of Narnia.

This is actually the continuation of my previous blog post. The link above tells the story of how I came out to my Mom. This post naman is how I came out to my Dad. For most of us, it is easier to come out to our Mothers because they tend to be more understanding and being the women that they are, they can already sense if their son is gay. Like most of us, I had my hesitations and fears when it came to coming out to my dad. Mamaya pag sinabi ko sa kanya yung totoo baka ilabas niya mga baril niya at paulanan ako ng bala eh.

So without further ado, here we go. By the way, nobela din ito ha so bear with me nalang po.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I arrived in Laoag at 11AM. My Dad arrived after 20 minutes. Apparently he went somewhere because he thought I was still on the road. When he got home, he prepared lunch for all of us.

"I've seen your Facebook posts. So who's your girlfriend?", he asked while we were having lunch.

"Oh that? Haha! Its nothing, Im just playing around Facebook", I answered nervously.

The day ended pretty fast since I fell asleep after eating lunch. That evening, I was going out with my cousin and tita so I had to wake up a few hours early to prepare. I got up at around 5PM and when I went out of my room, I saw my dad in the terrace chatting with my stepmom.

I waited until my stepmom left then I went up to my dad. I lit a cigarette and asked him how he was doing.

"So whats new with you? How's work?", he asked.

"Im ok. Work is great, can't complain much about it since I'm having fun at work."

"So what else is new?"

I took a deep breath and released it with a sigh.

I took my cigarette and puffed.

I looked at my dad in the eyes.

"I have something to tell you.", I said

"Yeah? What is it anak ko?"

I hugged my dad tight.

"Pa I want you to know that I love you so much and I've forgiven you for everything that happened in the past"

"Yes anak. Whats wrong? Tell me. Did you get someone pregnant? Are you getting married? Did you kill someone?"

"Remember earlier, you asked me who my girlfriend was and I said that I didnt have any?"

"Yes why?"

"I said that because I don't have a girlfriend, I have a boyfriend."

My looked at me and fell silent and he stood up.

"Oh shit", I whispered to myself.

My dad suddenly hugged me really tight and he started to cry.

"I cannot give you the things that can make you happy, so if this is what makes you happy, then Im happy for you. You are my son and that is what's important."

I tried my best to hold back my tears.

"Anak, I'm getting old, all I want is to know that you and your brothers and sisters are okay. If you are happy, then I'm happy. But, always remember that I will not be here forever so you have to take care of yourself."

"I will Pa.", I answered.

My stepmom suddenly came up to us looking worried and asked us what was going on.

I told her everything. She was happy that I told my dad the truth. She was cool with it as well since among all of the women my dad has been with, my stepmom is the one I liked the most because she's the only one who was genuinely nice to me.

They asked me about Parker. Who he was. Where he was from. What he did for a living. Funny thing is that my grandparents met in the exact city where Parker's from. I never knew that until my dad told me.

He asked me if my mom already knew, I said yes. She's known for a few months now.

After talking to my dad, my cousin fetched me. Little did she know, she and my tita were in for a surprise.

(Itutuloy...)

Ilocos Escapade

Dahil ako ay nakakuha ng ilang araw na bakasyon, ako ay umuwi muna sa Ilocos Norte, specifically, in Laoag City. Taga dun kasi ang tatay ko. Originally, I was planning to go to Baguio but at the last minute, I decided to go to Laoag.

The truth is, I had a reason to go there, I shall discuss that in another entry, wag muna dito. So ayun, umalis ako ng Manila ng 12:00MN at dumating ako dun ng 11AM. 11 hours ang biyahe! Grabe! Iritang irita na ako ng mga 8AM kasi ang tagal tagal ng byahe.

Pagdating ko dun, eh dumeretso ako sa bahay ng tatay ko kasi di naman niya alam na dumating na ako. May pagka-ninja ako pag umuuwi ako ng Ilocos eh. Bigla-bigla nalang akong susulpot dun. Eto ang kwarto ko dun.

Wala naman kasing gumagamit ng kwartong yan kung hindi ako and since once or twice a year lang ako pumunta dun, hindi ko alam kung anong milagro ang nangyayari sa kwarto na yan pag wala ako. In fairness bonggang linis naman ang ginagawa ng akin stepmother sa room ko pag umuuwi ako.

So ayun, kinagabihan eh tinawag ko ang pinsan ko na si Jae at ang tita namin para gumala. May binalita ako sa kanila. Hindi nila kinaya. Naloka sila. Ano kaya yun?

Abangan...

(Itutuloy)

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone. Im sorry for my lack of posts, I'll make it up to you in the coming days.

I know I've been quite the Grinch and because of that, I've realized that no matter how far I am from the people I love, I know that in their own way they miss me and that there are people around me who love and care for me just as equally.

So greetings. Here we go.

To my Mom, thank you for the gift and for everything you have given me the past 22 years. I love you so much and I hope you're having a blast there in Cali.

To my Dad. Thank you. You already know why. I miss you and I will see you on summer.

To my relatives in Ilocos, thank you for making my trip so special and memorable. I miss every second of it and I cannot wait to go back there.

To my family in Baguio, Merry Christmas to all of you. I miss you all dearly.

To my bestfriends, Jackie, Lyve, and Darnell. Nasan ang gift ko? hehe. I love you all and I hope you're having a great time this Christmas eve.

To my close friends at work, I need not mention any names, thank you for being my family here in Manila. The past 9 months have been a huge adjustment period for me and I would have had a hard time if it wasn't for all of you. Thank you and Merry Christmas.

To my readers, thank you for all the love and support. I promise to keep on blogging para di kayo magsawa.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night...

Vay-Kay

Hello kids. I am going on a very very short vacation. Im going somewhere waaaay up north. I was planning to go to Baguio, but at the last minute I was called up north.

Im sure my friends know where I am heading. As for the rest of you, I'll blog once I get there.

Just because I'm alone this Christmas doesn't mean I have to wallow in my misery at home.

I can go wallow in my misery somewhere else.

Anyway... more to come.

New Money

 

 

Apparently, ito na pala ang bagong design ng pera ng Pilipinas. In fairness I like it. It kinda reminds me of Hong Kong Dollars and Thai Baht for some reason.

Napaka-colorful no? Pag tinitignan ko to, yung Pride Flag ang naiisip ko. The colors are so beki!!!

I laveeeetttt!!!

Can't wait to get my hands on them. But wait, sabi ni Libby sa akin eh 3 years nalang daw ang validity nung mga current na bills natin. Totoo ba yun?

Kayo? What do you think of the new design of the Philippine Peso?

New Face of Fezbook

 

This is how the new Facebook profile page looks like now. I was snooping around Gizmodo when I found their post about the new FB design and with it was a link to activate it.

It kinda looks ok but needs some getting used to. I dont like the part where I can't arrange my friends who'll appear on my page and it doesn't show your status beside your name anymore. Boo!!!

Overall, I kinda like it. I was getting bored with the old Facebook layout anyway.

Here's the link to update your Facebook profile to the new one, http://www.facebook.com/about/profile/, just click on the green button at the top.

How about you? Have you updated yours and do you like the new layout?

Happy Birthday Lyve

Today is the birthday of one of ladies in my life. Her name is all around my blog at lagi kaming napagkakalaman na mag-jowa. We call ourselves 'friends with benefits without the benefits' kaya nga ba sa iba namin kinukuha yung mga benefits na yan. Hahaha

Anyway, instead of writing a very long blog post, lemme just take you down memory lane. Wag na kayong magtaka kung pabago bago korte ng mukha ko. I gain weight and lose weight really fast. Magfocus kay Lyve, wag sa akin. Moment niya to.

This was summer of 2008. We were shooting a commercial for the University. 

This was in 2007. If I am not mistaken this was the very first pic na nagkasama kami ni Lyve kasi I just transfered to UB during this time. 

This was a nice shot of me pero her boobs were in the way. It's alright she has really nice boobs. Dont ask me how I know that.

Dinner at Kubong Sawali 

Still at Kubong Sawali.She looks a little possessed dont ya think? 

This was my first time in Casa Generosa because Lyve invited me to have a round of drinks with them. 

This was our Valentines Dinner in Tokyo Tokyo. Awwww I'm gonna miss this. 

 Still Valentines. Naloka kami ni Lyve kasi we ordered pizza. Pagbukas namin sa box, the pizza was heart-shaped. Sino ba naman ang hindi maloloka sa hugis puso na pizza diba?!

When brown visited from Australia. 

Lyve and I had our first bagel together during Panagbenga 2010. We were already about 2 blocks away from the bar that served them when we decided to walk back just to have bagels. 

A typical halo-halo day at Chowking.

This was in 2008. We were in PMA shooting a music video for 'Lost in Space' by Sitti Navarro.

Beb happy birthday. Hindi na ako maglalagay ng birthday wishes shit dito. My wallpost in your Facebook profile already says it all. Basta alam mo na yun.

Thank you for everything. I love you beb and I miss you so much.

Happy Birthday Lyve!!!

Christmas Gift For Myself

For some time now, I have been thinking of what to give myself for Christmas. I've been thinking hard of what I want but I couldn't decide. I was thinking of buying a Sony Ericsson Vivaz Pro pero aanhin ko naman ang bagong phone? I already have my iPhone 4 and I am perfectly happy with it.

Naisip ko din ang damit. Pero paglulumaan ko lang.

Gym membership renewal? Then I realized, sino ang niloko ko? I gain more weight when I go to the gym.

Out of town trip just for myself? Peak season so kamahalan lahat, hindi ko rin maeenjoy.

A set of books? I haven't even finished the book I started reading last month.

A new gadget? Pagsasawaan ko din.

Then I remembered I've always wanted an external hard drive. I never bought one kasi I converted my old 160 gig 3.5 hard disk into an external one. When I was studying, my mom wouldn't buy me one kasi I don't need 500 gigs worth of storage daw. Parang hindi ako kilala ng nanay ko ah?! Mother, hello?

So I went to Cyberzone to canvass for one. After about an hour, I finally came across a shop that was selling one which was cheaper compared to the other shops yet it's the same brand and model.

I called Parker and asked him kung mura na yun for 500gigs. Sabi niya pumunta nalang daw ako ng Gilmore kasi mas mura daw ng konti dun. Eh ayoko namang bumiyahe pa just to save 200 or 300 pesos which I'm sure ipang tataxi ko din lang. Kaya ayan, I already bought myself a gift for this year.

At dahil OC ako at saksakan ng kaartehan, bumili ako ng faux-leather case nung nasa CD-R King ako. My oddly shaped external drive fits perfectly in the case that I bought.

Naaliw ako kasi may lalagyan yung cable niya. Yun kasi yung concern ko nung una dahil baka wala akong pag lagyan nung cable eh mawala ko pa. Alam nyo naman ako, saksakan ng pagka burara minsan which I think defeats the purpose of me being OC.

Apparently, Parker thought na may portable drive na ako noon pa. I find that strange considering he's been through all of my stuff and has turned my room upside down already. He said that had he known that I've always wanted one, he should have just bought me one in Thailand kasi it's super cheap daw dun kasi dun daw niya binili yung sa kanya.

Eh hindi naman kasi siya nagtanong. Hindi ko rin naman kasi naisip na mura dun. While talking on Skype, I showed him the portable drive and the case. He said that I look like a 1st grader who has just been given a new box of crayons hahaha.

Anyway, I'll spend the whole night transferring files. Thank God it's my rest day tomorrow.

Happy happy happy.

Laptop Make Over

Dahil nagmumuni-muni ako kanina malapit sa CD-R King kanina, naisipan kong tumingin kung ano ba ang mabibili.

I saw that they're still selling laptop skins. I have, for the longest time, wanting to get a skin for my laptop which is funny kasi hindi ko naman nilalabas laptop ko. Nasa bahay lang lagi. But still, it'll be nice to look at diba?

Ang dami nilang design but I saw this one and I instantly fell in love with it. Sabi nga ni Parker rockstar daw ang dating.

Grabe. Nung una akala ko eh ikakabit mo lang siya at nakasukat na sa laptop mo. Hindi pala. Punyeta, I had to measure the thing and I couldnt wrap the entire lid kasi pa-curve yung gilid ng laptop ko. What's funny is, ni wala akong ruler dito sa bahay so one mistake and I just wasted money. Effort kung effort ang pagkakabit ko nang lintek na skin na yan. It was worth it naman.

Hindi masyadong halata sa picture but hindi perfect straight ang pag-gupit ko dun sa mga gilid niya. Sorry naman. Pero it looks ok naman diba? diba? dibaaaaaaa???

I also bought a few other things for my laptop like a longer ethernet cable, really cute velcro cable ties and those 4-port usb hubs kasi ang daming kung ano-anong shit na naka plug sa laptop ko.

Happy Pill

Firework by Katy Perry is my current happy pill. I've listened to it more than 50 times in less than 2 days. Naka loop siya when I play it on my iPhone.

I love the melody but I love the lyrics so much more. It's got the beat that makes my head bop and it's got a message that makes me feel good about myself.

I'm not really a Katy Perry  fan but I love love love this song.

Christmas Party Costume Teaser

A few more days at Christmas Party na ng office namin. The theme is 'Glam Rock'. 

For 9 months, I've missed every office party. Something always comes up which causes me to miss it. Since this will be the first office party I'll be attending, I'm going all out on my costume. Bagong sweldo naman ako so walang pakialamanan.

When I found out na Glam Rock ang theme, I had a hard time thinking of what I will wear to the party until one day while watching Glee re-runs on my laptop, I found the perfect inspiration.

If you're a Glee fan and know every episode by heart, it's the costume Vocal Adrenaline wore when they sang 'Highway To Hell'.  I used that as inspiration until I finally came up with the perfect costume. 

I had a hard time finding the shoes I needed pero buti nalang sinabi ko kay SexyAnne ang idea ko for what I'll wear and she told me the name of the shoes I was looking for.

I wanted one that was pure red sana but I could't find any. But these look nice naman. Buti nalang I found out the name of the shoes, it was so much easier for me to find them.

I am 90% complete with my costume so tomorrow I'm going to Greenhills to buy the last bits and pieces I need.

So shoes palang yan. When I have everything I need, I'll post my costume for the party. I don't think any of care pero kiber, ipopost ko parin.

Metrowalk

Dahil nasa Maynila itong si Darnell, nagyaya siyang gumala at mag nightlife daw. Eh feeling ko hindi niya trip ang Malate at Morato dahil pag may lumapit na beki at nilandi siya eh baka bigla niyang upakan. Jusko po mapaaway pa kami.

Sabi ko sa kanya mag Metrowalk nalang kami. Pinadescribe niya sa akin ang Metrowalk.

"It's like Nevada Square but without the social climbers, gang wars, shoot outs, and high school girls who dress like college whores"

Natawa nalang si kumag. Sabi ko dun nalang kami since treat ko naman.

Since may medyo hindi ok ang pakiramdam ko nun, San Mig Light lang inorder ko. Stallion naman sa kanya. Ayoko na ng Tanduay Ice. Punyemas, mas matagal mawala tama ko eh. Saka in fairness, dahil kay Parker eh mas natututunan ko nang uminom ng beer. Hindi na ako masyadong nasusuka sa lasa niya.

Ayan pala si Darnell. Mukha siyang beki lalo na sa pic na to pero trust me, straight siya.

Nagkwentuhan kami tungkol sa mga kadramahan, kalokohan, kagaguhan, kasiyahan, kahalayan sa buhay ko lately. Hanggang ngayon daw hindi siya maka get over na wala na ako sa Baguio. Hindi daw niya lubos maisip kung ano nagtulak sa akin na umalis noon.

Sabi ko, it was a chance for me to grow. A chance for me to broaden my horizons. A chance for me to be a better person.

Muntik-muntikanan niyang ipalo yung bote sa mukha ko.

Hindi ako magpopost ng picture ko nung gabing yun because I looked like shit that night. I looked like hell just warming up.

It was a fun night naman, a good break from everything. Plus, I got wasted only after a few bottles of beer. Literal na nakatulog ako sa taxi.

What We've Been Waiting For

Friday.

Pumasok ako sa office at nakita ko na kahit alas-syete palang ng umaga eh hindi na mapakali ang mga officemates ko. Alam ko na agad kung bakit.

Today ang pasok ng 13 month pay namin plus xmas bonus. Kaya pagdating ng lunch ko, dali dali akong pumunta sa ATM Machine para icheck kung magkano nakuha ko. Let me just say this, I LOVE OUR COMPANY.

I was actually expecting less kasi nagcompute ako. Pero it was way more than what I expected. Finally, things seem to be turning out good for me. Kaya sa mga officemates ko na nakuha na ang kani-kanilang mga bonus, alam kong masaya kayong lahat. Halina't magsiwaldas na tayo ng mga pera natin.

Dahil diyan, I solemnly swear na magpapakabait na talaga ako sa office. Thank you to the management for continuously taking care of  their employees. Thank you sa HR na kahit lagi naming kinukulit eh ine-entertain parin kami. Thank you din sa payroll people kasi mula nung nagtrabaho ako sa company 9 months ago, up to this day, ni minsan hindi pa nagkakaroon ng discrepancy sa mga sweldo namin.

I. Thank. You.

Bonding with Bongga Pt 2

Matapos ang aming gadget espionage, naghanap kami ni Bongga ng kakainan. Pag lumalabas kami ni Bongga, ang routine namin eh kwentuhan, yosi, kain. Not necessarily in that order. We can multitask hahaha.

Since wala kaming maisipang kainan, pumunta kami sa foodcourt ng SM. Nilibot namin ito hanggang sa mapadpad kami sa Tropical Hut. Sabi ko I like their burgers there kasi totoong karne ginagamit nila. Nung nasa pila na kami, tinanong ko yung cashier kung ano yung masarap. Sabi niya try ko daw yung bago which is yung double burger nila.

Eh medyo gutom ako nun so yun ang inorder ko. Akala ko kasi parang double burger lang ng McDonalds. Little did I know na ganun ang magiging size nung burger.

You can't really see the comparison yet. Basta yan ang food namin. 

Ayan medyo, nakikita na ang difference in size. 

I have no idea what Bongga was doing here. Basta nagpicture nalang ako. 

Ayan ang mahiwagang burger. Mas malaki pa sa Big Mac. How I wish na may Tropical Hut malapit sa office.

Nawindang talaga ako nung nilabas yung burger. Nanlaki mata namin ni Bongga sabay tawa ng malakas.

After kumain, pumunta kami sa bahay kasi hindi makapaghintay tong si Bongga. Ayaw daw niyang iuwi yung iTouch niya na walang laman kaya ayun, I let her have a go at all of my apps. Most of the apps that she got we're the really nice ones and the one's I regularly play.

Sabi ko nga sa kanya, if you need apps, come to me. Don't go to Greenhills or those shops that say they can put games on it kasi they'll jailbreak your iTouch.

Mga 8 na nang umalis ng bahay si Bongga and she left very happy. I was happy din kasi I got to play with the iTouch. I was right on the money. It is exactly like an iPhone but without the phone.