My Packets of Joy (Delivery 002)

Where it all began --

1. today is the 16th, our 37th month of being together.  if you (like us) came from (failed) marriages because spouses cheated (on us), you would think that every day should be a cause for celebration.  it is.  but beyond the fiesta is also the challenge (and all hopes and prayers) that THIS time is better.  i don't think we would go down history as the most exemplary couple ever if norms and society's rules (and the church's too) are your benchmarks.   sans the legal set-up, and probably because of our past, we take a high premium on respect-trust-fidelity/faithfulness-honesty.  our story (or at least how we met again after 19 years after some chat in YM and an insanely long mobile call) is worth telling our friends (or at least those who still believe in cheesy, mushy almost impossible romantic reunions.) and i always start my storytelling with, "hindi ko siya sinagot kasi mga bata pa kami.." (his version of which was, "niligawan ko siya pero hindi niya ako sinagot kahit araw-araw nasa Lagro ako eh taga-Cubao ako.") oh, the stories of our youth!

2.  i am obviously a huge fan of love stories --- the real ones (like my friends', Kester and Jo) and those that defied the odds (read: politics or showbiz or just about any circumstance where a true relationship was expected to fail at the onset) -- this is why i bought the (obscenely) priced OK! Mag featuring the Royal Wedding.  i watched CNN's coverage of the wedding but i had to have the mag (because it could have something that CNN wasn't able to tell.  wala naman. hmph!) well, i will keep it nonetheless.

i was only able to read it earlier in cara mia while enjoying mango sorbetto after doing some errands.

3. hi-top's on-sale goodies from chips to toiletries to juices and cereals.  i hoarded the granola bars (chocolate chip) of Quaker last month and grabbed several packs of Olay's body wash. i kept some for myself but gave the rest to my SIL and officemate, who were body wash addicts themselves.  for some reason, i liked the exfoliating kind even with facial cleansers. there is some psychological effect on me of those tiny beads that seem to insert themselves deep into my pores and assure me that i'm clean inside (insofar as the depths of my epidermis are concerned) then i would only have to take care of my more internal (read: spiritual) cleansing.  how weird could i be!?!

anyway, i tried the potato chips on sale too, and i didn't like it.   why can't they just put Lay's, Ruffles, Cheetos and Pringles on sale?  this way, all will be tested of their EQ, and i will be the one to amass these goodies and self-confess that i am a certified EQ-failure in huge proportion. as if i would care anyway! and then i would share my loot with my junk-eating friends.

4. my baguio trip confirmed at the last minute but was productive and fulfilling.  i was on my own and made sure that i maximized my time there. thank God for a former PMS colleague whose family owns Prime Hotel, i was reserved even on short notice and was attended to warmly.  i liked Prime Hotel because it seemed to be the center of everything! while it's not world class and its amenities need a lot of make-over, i was contented with my accommodations.  when i'm at work and on travel, i would rather have very spartan lodging so i don't feel that bad not being able to enjoy the 5-star facilities of my accommodations.  it's usually meant for a mere change of clothes and a long, hot bath but never for a long, deep slumber or michelin-graded food;  that being said, Prime was good enough for me.

i was able to walk to the market, and should i have conceded to my chicken joy-addict self of yesteryears, i would have had all my meals in the adjacent jollibee.  but no, i went to the Sizzling Plate restaurant, which was just a 3-minute walk from Prime, and i ordered myself a thick, juicy, big t-bone steak that was very affordable and yummy.  (i was too hungry to even take a picture.  seriously, it was sooo big that i thought i wouldn't be able to finish it but i did! thankfully, i don't have a photo to prove my katakawan.)

5. victory liner's deluxe bus service.  it was on schedule and the drivers were careful.  (my basis of care and safety was my recent trip to Mindoro, where i took jam and was not able to sleep a wink because the driver was overtaking the whole time!) seats were comfortable, and there were free bottled water and crackers.  the movies onboard were updated (and of course, pirated!).  there were no stop-overs except for one time when our driver had to pee outside.  there was, of course, a comfort room onboard but was meant for us, passengers, only.  i wasn't able to use it though, and i'm relieved.  as a rule (no matter how distorted), i would rather die with a ruptured kidney than die of some bacteria i'd get from a public toilet.

it was all foggy going home.  to think, it was an afternoon trip.  it was my first time to experience such density that i wanted to stop the bus and go down so i could feel how that thick a fog feels.   i was dozing off in no time because our driver was slowly crawling down the zigzag and never overtook nor swerved.

6. my impromptu, spur of the moment eat outs with kix and nana.  the last time they were with us, i volunteered to go to the lotto for mom so we can head to the nearest johnny rocket's in morato.  (i think the resto is overrated and the prices are steep! but i wanted my pamangkins to experience the 60s-70s dance of the JR crew, and they wanted bottomless fries.  well, they found the dance funny but was not entertaining at all! i guess, the kids' basis of a resto's entertaining capacity is a well-loved mascot.  the crew assigned to us gave them 3 balloons and 3 coloring books so the extra set they gave to our guard at home (they already assumed he had a kid).  i was touched by their generosity that sharing is a given and need not be told.  i always enjoy my time with them because we get to talk about a lot of things, and i am often floored by how simple their view of life is;  their solutions are direct without run-around and not pretentious; yet if applied by us (adults), it would result to further complications and headaches.  they are frank when they ask me questions, and since i'm never known to sugarcoat, they hear the truth, no matter how sad or bad.  they already have, more or less, an idea of what/who a good/bad person is and who they actually are.  their papa (my brother, together with my SIL) talk to them maturely anyway so what would be the point to underestimate their capacity to comprehend?

7. all the recent episodes of CSI (Miami, Vegas and New York) that spoke volumes on integrity (especially in the workplace) and love for family.

8. The Rite (finally with English subtitles!) starring Anthony Hopkins and Colin O' Donoghue.  It is a mere reminder that one should never part from his/her Faith as it may be the only thing that could save.  beyond the supernatural realm of this film, i agree that with one's Faith comes an extra dosage of strength, of hope.  (my terrible, terrible heartaches of the past left me weak, un-trusting and with a lower-than-bottomless pit of insecurity and lack of self-esteem.  but it was with His grace that i held on and believed that all will be well;  that, sooner or later, i would, again, have that peace of mind and heart and happy-ness that i deserve.)

9. eating in moderation, not drinking as many glasses of coke and knowing that i can lose weight because i am G&D.

10. receiving a text from jo and wishing me a better day after she read my post for mother's day.  i assured her that it was a thing of the past, which obviously i wasn't able to process well and let go.  she also invited me to a dinner treat, and i look forward to it (not because it is free dinner! how wrong is economics btw!?! but because it's always good company when you converse with UP people over good food.  it may not always be coma-inducing conversations that lead to internal hemorrhaging but it is guaranteed insightful and yes, provocative.)

11. my SSEAYP sister Ket's sharing about her marriage recently.  i love love love how she is always honest, even in her writing.  whenever i have the chance, i tell her how honored i am to be her friend and how being friends with her (and the rest of our friends in our very small circle) taught me so much about Islam and tolerance and the culture of peace.  i am humbled too for being told that she has so much to thank me for.  (we are so members of mutual admiration society! we often tell each other.  siguro marami lang kaming similarities in character and values, aside from being pretty girls!)

12. having taken the step to move forward by forwarding my CV to offices and people i'm keen to be working in/with in the future.   being invited back to PMS and realizing how much i missed policy work in government.  preparing myself to take the CESO exam in June, which i hope to pass.

13.  answered prayer --- for mr p to have that peace of mind.

14.  big sweet guavas that keep me full (and distract my attention) when i feel like opening a bag of potato chips or finishing off a chocolate bar.

15. a Project at work that's nearing completion, which only means i was able to help manage it well.

16.  all my little internal dramas that allowed me to recognize that i'm far from perfect, that i make mistakes but not big enough to self-flagellate.  it also made me realize how every relationship (especially when it relates to people other than you) is a work in progress, that its length does not make it less prone to problems but could lead to all those involved to mega-complacency and/or abuse.  it is only right that we all face bits of trying times here and there to compel us to take action --- to introspect and discern and assess our non-negotiables --- and gently remind us of who we are and what we believe in.

17. receiving cesz's email that i should continue this, "My Packets of Joy" because it is worth reading.  i do hope she replicates this (and my other blogger friends as well).

18. hearing good reviews on the trailer of "In The Name of Love" --- it was made by mr p for star cinema's theater trailer.  we should watch it soon.

19. dinner cum drink date with mr p in agave (and getting drunk after 5 glasses of frozen margarita).  this is a subtle reminder of my mortality (ha!) that i'm no longer the svelte (i really had to put it here!), alcohol-high-threshold young UP student that i was.  i think it is still mentioning here because i have come to terms with my age -- of what i can and cannot do anymore -- and should not do, like drinking frozen margarita with a straw! (how wrong, right?!) i forgot the first thing i learned back in the dorm -- to never drink alcohol with a straw. tsk tsk. senior moment there.

20. watching Desperate Housewives --- it is witty and the issues are real and grounded (aside from the fact that the plot is seamless and the editing is technically good.)

21. looking forward to a meeting tomorrow in sweet I because of its mongolian buffet.  i will also eat their mango cream pie for dessert so i would have another round of "My Packets of Joy" asap.