When Love Takes Over

Hello Dear Readers,

How are all of you? Doing fine I hope. So right now, I wanna share a story with you. I should have done this sooner but it's only now that I found time to write it. It's a bit lengthy so bear with me.

Gregory and I have been dating for a while now, but we never really had a label... officially.

We'd enjoy each others company, go on dates, talk on the phone everyday, I'd cook for him, he'd fetch me from work, basically, typical stuff that couples do. But like I said, we never put a label on whatever the hell it is we had.

One night, we went out on our usual date night and after that, we went straight to the house. We were in bed and we were just talking.

"You have no idea how happy you make me feel", I said.

He was looking at me, smiling that dorky smile which means he's really happy.

"I have so many things to be thankful for. This year has been amazing. I have a good job, my relationship with my family is great, and what we have is really special to me", he said. "I haven't felt this happy, I've never experienced this kind of happiness before."

"I feel the same way. When I don't get to talk to you, I feel restless. I wake up in the middle of the night looking for you only to realize that you're not beside me. I've been with a lot of jerks who have hurt me and I never thought I'd find someone like you, someone who makes me so happy. Someone who makes me feel so secure and safe", I answered.

He smiled at me again.

"I love it when we're together. I love your smell. I love hugging you. I love being with you."

I took that moment to ask him something I've been meaning to ask him for a while now.

I took a deep breath and looked into his eyes.

"Do you love me?", I asked.

He looked at me. He was obviously caught off guard by my question.

Oh shit... I think I was too fast.

"Alright, I think I caught you off guard. Let me ask it again and this time close your eyes and---"

"YES!" he exclaimed. "Yes, I love you."

This time, I was the one caught by surprise.

"Really?" I asked. I was all giddy with excitement.

"Yes. I've been saying I love you for a long time, just not out loud. Whenever I'd hug you, I'd whisper to myself that I love you."

Now that was the shit. I did not know that.

"I've always wanted to say I love you but I was worried about what your reaction would be. So I wanted it to come from you." I said with a grin on my face.

"Ang daya mo!" he said with a chuckle.

I hugged him.

"You know when I realized I loved you?" he asked.

"When?" was my response.

"It was a early on when we were dating. During your Senakulo. That night I was there watching you perform. Me being there, that was something I know I won't do just for anyone but I did it for you. I was there because I wanted to. I was there because I wanted to see you. From then on, I knew I loved you."

I was in tears.

I was speechless.

"Oh shit! This is the real deal." I told myself.

I could not believe it. It was bliss.

"So do we make it official?" I asked.

"I don't know. You wanna?"

"Why are you asking me? Are you ready to be labelled as someone's boyfriend?"

"I've never been labelled as one." He paused for a few seconds. "Yeah, let's make it official."

I laughed.

"I have a boyfriend!" he exclaimed.

I found it funny.

So that's how me and Gregory became a couple. A couple of weirdos haha.

I love him and he loves me, and he never fails to make me feel that.

We've been together for quite some time now and we are happy as we can be. Ang tagal nga daw ng honeymoon phase namin eh. Six and a half months flew by so fast.

Oh and yeah, I'm his first official boyfriend. He's never been into the whole commitment and relationship thing. But for some reason, some weird twist of fate, I managed to change that.

Just like what my friend Mariah told me, mukhang siya na nga talaga.

And there you have it.

I hope you enjoyed my story.

Love,

Adam

Bunny and Bear

Almost every couple have pet names for each other. Kami ni Gregory, meron din.

We have a lot of pet names for each other but lately, he's been calling me Boo Boo Bear and I call him Bunny.

He calls me a bear kasi I'm cuddly and fluffy daw.

I say, he calls me that because I'm as big as one haha.

Ako naman, I call him Bunny kasi his two front teeth reminds me of bunny teeth :D

Ewan ko ba kung ano trip namin.

Wala lang, natuwa lang ako.

Ang lakas maka high-school lang haha :D

A Gesture of True Love

"What  time is our trip?" asked Gregory.

"There are buses that leave every hour. We can ride Farinas or Florida." I answered.

"So what time will our bus leave if ever?"

"We can get a 9 or 10PM trip."

We were discussing our return trip to Manila.

It was around 7 and we were in my room in the house of my grandparents.

My grandma was preparing dinner.

After a few minutes, my Tita arrived and so did my cousin.

We went out and made our way to the terrace where they were.

We had arroz caldo for dinner.

Over dinner, nagkwekwento ng kung ano-ano ang Tita ko when all of a sudden she asked me something.

"Uuwi na ba talaga kayo mamaya?"

"Yup." I answered.

"Hindi ba kayo pwedeng magextend kahit one day lang?"

"I dont know. Kung sa akin okay lang pero tong si Gregory ang iniisip ko."

I dont think he heard us talking because he was busy listening to my Tito. They were talking about something from Nat Geo.

"Tanungin mo baka naman pwede kayong magextend. Sayang naman vacation niyo kungf 2 days lang." sabi ng Tita ko.

I called Gregory's attention.

"Can we talk?" I asked.

"Sure. Whats up?"

"Come with me."

We went to my room so I could talk to him in private.

"Do you really wanna go home tonight?" I asked.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because honestly, I don't wanna go home yet."

"Oh... Kasi my dad is expecting us to arrive tomorrow and he'll fetch us from the bus terminal."

He saw the sadness in my eyes.

"You really don't wanna go home yet, do you?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"It's just, I only see them twice a year, sometimes once so when I come here I try to spend as much time with them as I could."

"But if we stay here for one more day, what will do?"

"Well, we can go to the lighthouse and we can also go to the windmills in Bangui plus if we have time, we can go to Pagudpud."

"Alright hold on." he said.

He brought out his phone and called someone.

"Who are you calling?" I asked.

"My parents." he answered.

He left the room and went to the terrace. I followed him but I couldn't hear what he was telling them.

A few minutes later he put down the phone and looked at me.

"Well?" I asked.

He smiled and gave me a thumbs up.

My face lit up.

"Were they okay with it?" I asked.

"Yeah. I told then where we were going and they're even excited for me." he answered with a laugh.

I took his hand and brought him to my room.

The moment the door shut, I gave him a big hug.

"Thank you." I said, "You don't know how much this means to me."

"Don't mention it."

"Sorry if I put you in a position where you had to decide on something like this. Is it really okay with you? I asked.

"Of course it is. Besides, I like your relatives naman eh. But, will be able to get a ride tomorrow?"

"Yeah, first thing tomorrow morning we'll go and reserve our tickets."

"Alright." he answered with a smile. That boyish smile that makes me weak in the knees.

"I love you so much" I said giving him a hug and kissing him on the lips.

"I love you too baby. Let's go out na. Your relatives are waiting outside, lets go hang out with them."

It was a huge gesture on his part and I can't believe he did it for me. It's one of those moments I will never forget.  He did tell me that in return, I must not smoke the entire evening. I agreed. A small sacrifice on my part to show him that I can do anything for him.

"You put this on your blog ah!" he said.

And blog about it, I did. :D

Impressions

"So what do you think of him?" I asked.

"I like him. Madaldal siya. Mas madaldal pa siya sayo actually." sagot ng Tita ko.

"Haha oo nga eh. Who'd have thought I'd find someone who can out-talk me?"

I was talking to my Tita while Gregory was taking photos around the city.

My cousin, Jae, said the same thing. She liked him kasi masaya daw siyang kasama.

I've told Gregory about my dad's family. He knows the petty drama that circulates around the family and the relatives I actually like.

Of course I had to brief him before meeting them. I told him mukhang magkakasundo sila ni Papa and it looks like I was right about that.

My dad, always being the father he is, said all he wants is for me to be happy. He liked that Gregory was playing with my siblings.

Habang andun kami sa Ilocos, sinabi sa akin ni Gregory that he was surprised by how accepting my family was. To be honest, it also baffles me.

He said it felt weird because they were treating us like a couple. Like a regular couple. It's something Gregory isn't used to. He said it felt weird, but weird in a good way.

I still can't believe that I've already introduced him to my dad's side. It actually feels... right...

Around Ilocos Norte

Considering my dad's family is from Ilocos, I haven't really been around the 'tourist' spots in the province. But since I was with Gregory, my dad took us around.

It was a family trip I guess. It was me, Gregory, my dad, my step-mom and my three siblings.

This is the light tower in the northern part of Ilocos. They said that it still works until now.

Entrance to the tower.

This is the light tower but no one is allowed to go in. In fairness, this is in a really high place and ang lakas ng hangin dito. Sa laki kong to, feeling ko liliparin ako. Ganun kalakas yung hangin.

The Bangui wind mills.

The windmills were so cool.

We walked around the beach. Gregory and my siblings were picking rocks.

The entire trip from Laoag to Bangui, Gregory was playing games with my siblings inside the van. I was trying to sleep. Sabi ni Papa (in Ilokano): "Okay siya ha. Makulit din pala."

So may stamp of approval na mula sa tatay ko?! Ansabeee?!

Oo na. Ako na ang masaya. :D

Fort Ilocandia

About 3 weeks ago, Gregory and I went to Ilocos Norte. To those of you who know me, my dad's family is from Ilocos Norte so yeah, Gregory met my dad and some of my relatives there.

This was kinda planned about two weeks in advance so it wasn't really something that happened on a whim. 

When we got to Ilocos, after a 10 hour bus ride, dumeretso kami sa bahay ng tatay ko. Nakilala ni Gregory and lolo at lola ko, pati narin sina Papa at mga kapatid ko. Nagrequest ako kay Mamang, ang aking lola sa side ni papa, na magluto ng aking favorite ng longganisa. 

After naming tumambay sa bahay, hinatid kami ni Papa sa hotel kung saan kami magsta-stay.

We stayed in Fort Ilocandia because we were only planning to stay in Ilocos for two days. The room was booked through Agoda so we were able to get a discount. Buti nalang kasi ang mahaaaal ng rooms dun.

The beds were nice although the pillows were micro-fiber. Considering the the prices they have for rooms, you'd think they could spring for feather or down pillows. Just saying. It was comfortable enough though. It took us a while to make the air-conditioning system work though because the control knob is by the wall and isn't really labeled properly.

The room was spacious enough for the both of us.

The bathroom could be improved in more ways than one. The sides of the mirror was a bit dirty.

I dont know if this could be called a terrace but the room had one of these. Good for me because I can smoke here.

Here's the view. It's kinda relaxing.

The rest of day was spent going around Laoag with some of my relatives and taking pictures.

Since we only booked one night, we had to check out the next day before going to Vigan for a day tour. I dont really have the pictures because we used Gregory's camera. 

Once he gives me a copy, I'll post them here.

Nina Unleashed!

Gregory likes listening to the songs of Nina. He actually has her albums, scary I know. When he found out that she had a show, he asked me if I wanted to go watch.

I used to listen to Nina when I was in college. In fairness, I like her naman but I'm not that big of a fan. I told him I didn't mind and we could make it a date night.

Natuwa naman siya.

The show was at Metro Bar in West Ave and it's a good thing I've been there before so getting there was a no-brainer.

The show was scheduled to start at 8PM. Completely forgetting the concept of 'Filipino-Time', we were there on time. So 8PM the hosts were on stage, comedy bar queens, entertaining everyone. After an hour, there were some kids who came out to perform. I guess they were the front act or something.

I went out for a smoke because it was unbearable for me. Medyo hindi kinakaya ng ear drums ko eh.

It was already 10:30PM and the Soul Siren hasn't come out yet.

"This bitch better deliver because we've been here for almost 3 hours and I'm getting annoyed" I told Gregory.

He just smiled at me.

Nina came out at around 11:00. Finally!

To be fair to her, she's still got it. The pipes on this woman, oh my god. Effortless and high notes. 

She excused herself and let some guy named Kristofferson or something sing. Naturally, I went out to smoke. Kiber ko dyan.

She came back out wearing this white ensemble. Maganda yung damit in fairness. She sang a total of 12 songs I think. Not bad narin.

When she sang her last song, people asked for more. She sang her infamous rendition of 'Through The Fire' and oh my, she slayed it. Parang yung audience pa ang na-ihi para sa kanya dahil sa taas ng notes na naabot niya.

It brought me back to my college days when I used to listen to her music. Like most people, pag heartbroken ako noon, ang theme song ng buhay ko ay 'Someday'. Oh diba?

Her dressing room was near the stage and Gregory wanted to have his picture taken with her. Nakipagpicture-picture narin ako. No one pass judgement!

I was annoyed at the fact that we had to wait for 3 hours but I must admit, I enjoyed the show. I guess, the long wait was worth it. In fairness sa kanya, she's really good live.

Overall, I had a good time. I wouldn't mind watching her show again. The only comment I have is sana she sang more songs from her Dianne Warren album. Yun lang.

Leaving The Island

We only spent 3 days in Bora because it was a long weekend. When I woke up, Gregory had bread and coffee. He usually wakes up before I do but that's because he goes to sleep first.

So we packed our shit and left at around 8AM. It was kinda annoying that the day we were leaving was the day the sun decided to come out. The sea was calm as well :|

While we were on the boat on the way to Caticlan, I snapped some photos. These islands look really cool. I'd love to visit them next time. Also, the water was crystal clear.

From Caticlan, we took a van going to Kalibo. We were early. We got there at 10 and our flight was at around 11:30AM so we decided to have an early lunch at this restaurant near the airport.

This is the view from where we were sitting.

While waiting for the plane to leave.

Boarding the plane. I must say, my phone takes good photos ah.

When we arrived in Manila, we went to my house first to rest.

The trip was a spontaneous thing and I am so glad we did it. Escaping from the busy city life was good for us. We had so much fun and being by the beach with each other was the best way to spend our vacation. Even though it was only for 3 days, it was magical, for the lack of a better word.

This was the first of many trips Gregory and I will take. Where will we go off to next? I don't know. Who knows where our crazy antics would take us. All I know is, when I'm him with, I'm happy and make a lot of memories with him. I'm happier than I've ever been. It's one of the reasons why I love him. He makes me feel happy and loved everyday. (To the tone of Charlotte from Sex and The City The Movie) Not all day, everyday. But yeah, everyday. :D

Around The Island

After the rain and shit on our first day, we woke up the next day and the winds were a bit strong so the wind catchers were put up in all the establishments by the beach.

People were still by the beach despite the strong winds.

We found this really tiny sand castle. Apparently, building sandcastles are no longer allowed in Bora. Not sure if this is true though.

Gregory wanted coffee so we went to 'Real Coffee'. As luck would have it, this was the place that sold the calamansi muffins. I've heard about them but I didn't know where they were sold.

In fairness, it was really good. It costs 45php a piece. Gregory loved these muffins. He was tempted to buy more.

Gregory wanted coffee but when he saw that they had Ginger Tea on the menu, he ordered that instead.

D-Mall which was filled with foreigners.

There's me, answering e-mails on my BlackBerry. Taray. Work mode while waiting for lunch :)

 For lunch, we went to Nigi Nigi Nu Noos Restaurant to sample their seafood platter.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around station 2 and 3.

Of course, I had to bring my poi and start zipping when the sun started to set.

For dinner, we went to this Mongolian Deli place and we were planning to go to the bars but I had a migraine attack so we went back to the hotel so I could rest. I guess it was okay because when we were on our way back to the hotel, the rain started to pour again.

Despite the rain, migraine and shit, it was a fun day.