before i step out to watch transformers...

It is my sincerest hope that everybody finds that point in time when they realize there's just so much love to give. That love is indivisible but can actually grow exponentially. That to love more is all we ever need.

Mama was a Lawyer. Papa was a Rockstar.

Mom: Hah! I think I know the ending of the movie already!
Pop: Where's the fun in guessing? Let's see where the story takes us...


Mom: We have to prepare something special for our boy's family day at school.
Pop: Let's bring Hunt's Pork & Beans. It's his favorite and I doubt anybody else would bring that.


Mom: Please chop off the fat from your steak... Please choose something sugar-free for dessert... Please... what's that? That's soda! Don't let the kids drink soda!
Pop: Let them! Let's eat whatever we want to eat. Our friends might talk about it, at least we have something to contribute in the discussion.
(This was of course Papa's perpetual excuse to get away from his prescribed diet as a diabetic)


Mom: Let's send Winna to an all-girls school.
Pop: What? Let her meet boys her age!

(And 2 years into an all-girls school...)
Wins: Pa, please let me go to the soiree. Please?!
Pop: No anak, boys your age are boring.

Haaaayy, that's my Popsy for you!

***


Sans the excessive alcohol intake, use of prohibited substance, extravagant lifestyle and womanizing, Papa was a rockstar who knew exactly how to rock out. He is the live-in-the-moment, let's-break-away-from-the-norm, live-a-happy-however-short-kind-of-life kinda man.

He and Mama shared only 3 things in common... being lawyers (okay, so he wasn't really part of a rock band), their intergalactic love for each other, and their supersized dedication to God and our family. In their team of strong contrasts and complementarity, Mama was the blameless good cop and Papa was the one who always injected calculated heedlessness.

Susme, I miss them both. But since this is my Father's Day honoring of sorts, a love-filled cosmic shout out goes to Popsy! You rock, man!

Happy Father's day also to my brothers Ernesto III and Adrian, and to my dear friends who have been riding the fatherhood high. Apir tayo mga pre!

until we see each other again

There could not be a more fitting way to launch my Blogspot than with a goodbye note...

Now that the rainy season, for real this time, is here, I shall not embrace its coming without a proper sendoff to my most favoritest time of the year- SUMMER.

Summer '09 was like no other. Aside from moving forward in my plan to visit all 7107 islands, the season allowed me to learn a new skill (photography), reunite with old ones (swimming and baking) and deal with the difficulty of another (running).

The sizzling months kicked off with a trip to awesome Coron. I've been around the country and I must say the sights and beaches of Coron have got to be my favorite so far.






Man, Palawan was so much fun!

































And then Diesel, my DSLR, happened. Oh how I love my boy! That's our first photo together --->






Here are some favorite photos I took during photography class:





































In March, I took Diesel to his maiden voyage. Mt. Pinatubo, no less! However, I was still too "naive" to take decent photos myself so I'm borrowing some documentation materials from my friend.

April brought me to the Northern part of Luzon, to witness the most spectacular sunset ever...


I'm sure the rest of the cast of that Bolinao trip will not forget how much fun we had that weekend :)






2 weeks after, I was due South to do something I've not done in 2 years... Surfin'!
















When I came back from that trip, I was super excited to learn I was once again a Tita after my sister-in-law gave birth to Aiden. 
That's him with Kuya JT wearing that curious look...




Aside from a visit to my hometown Atimonan, Quezon...














May was not so much of a traveling month. Instead, it saw me through overcoming my phobia in using the oven caused by NEARLY setting our house on fire 12 years ago. I have not baked anything since then! So in April I tried making cupcakes and guess what, there is still a roof over my head as I write this blog! Sorry, there are no documentation materials for that particular accomplishment as the cupcakes were received with enthusiasm in this household. The cupcakes were all gone before they got the chance to pose for the camera.

May was also about running...


Since I was diagnosed for iliotobial band syndrome (ITBS), the entire summer was all about rehab, getting better and going against one doctor's advice to give up running altogether. Booo!! In May, I was able to race again without any pain, and without a fix of my prescription meds :) The other good thing I got from my knee injury is that I was able to swim again. Just figured it's the best, virtually no impact cardio substitute.

And to cap the scorching months of summer, I found myself in the pages of a travel magazine! Eight months after the adventure race, the photos were finally published in the summer issue of Sidetrip! Lookey, that's Ageo and me on the upper left corner!


See, I cannot be totally faulted for loving summer this much. If it could only extend all year long...


There you go! Couldn't be any happier to get this blog on the road than by paying due respect to summer :) To you, my favorite months of the year, I bid you farewell. Until we see each other again. And to you, my dear reader, WELCOME! Do drop by once in a while for your fix of the mundane, profound, funny, egotistical, nonsensical and everything in between on the worldwide web :)


***
Photo acknowledgments: PJ Azurin, Myles Castro, Ivan Del Valle, Rod Eco, Aizza Mesiona, Tala Supangco, Tristan Talavera, Jason Tinebro,