MEComposing

Because government corporations are still supposed to observe austerity measures, but holding a Conference within the office premises defeat the assembly's purpose by virtue of participants getting distracted by clamors for their signatures, brief meetings/consultations etc., we've decided to look for a cheap venue outside of Manila.

I found Rockpoint Hotel Spa and Conference Center over the internet and found it a nice place (if slightly cramped, esply since we've been regular clients of Fontana Resort before with its vast lawns and villas). It also offered the cheapest Conference package so it ended up being our venue.

Anyway, I have nothing but good thoughts about the place. The waiters were courteous and attentive. The food was not 5-star hotel great but tasted like fine, homecooked meals. The facilities were clean, there was cable TV (sans remote tho) in all the rooms (even the dorm-type ones) and except for the dorm-type ones, all had square bathtubs. Truly perfect for a fuss-free conference, or a family weekend affair. They also have contacts in case you want a massage.

I was told that they're building a branch just in front of Villa escudero in Quezon, this one really sporting a Spa of its own, with wider spaces and better facilities. Of course, it will no longer boast of hot springs water filling its bathtubs and pools. Operational by January 2007.

*~*

Got back from the Conference last Friday... and immediately sneezed my way into the weekend.

Who remembers how many different types of antihistamines i've had to take?

*~*

Met with blogger Ghee again and her friend Edwin at Seaside-Macapagal last Saturday with my husband, sister and cousin in tow.

We ate at Aling Tonya's... and had the following:
Kilawing Tuna
Guinataang Tanigue
Grilled Tuna Belly
Crabs in Sweet Chili Sauce
Shrimp Tempura
Sizzling Squid

The conversation was good, Ghee's friend was gross as usual, and they all marvelled at how much I ate. Ahehe.

After eating for some 3 hours, we headed to White Bird. It's just pure love for me (and the fact that Edwin loved his childhood friend Ghee and came along, and was used to accompanying his former female boss to similar places) that my husband joined us inside.

My sister had a blast! Well, at first, she felt pity for the dancing, gridning guys but it took her soon enough to get past all that and just enjoy the show. She even got mildly miffed that someone else 'tabled' the one she was eyeing (she was begging me to allow her to table someone and to take the money off her allowance... I would have obliged if only I wasn't weirded by the fact that hubby was there... not that he'd challenge it, it was just weird).




Honestly, it got quite boring to see guys go on and off the stage because it's generally the same dance moves, and the same bodies, and the same bananas. But of course, something has to be said for their smooth, relatively flawless skin... and golly, how some can move was just simply amazing... and err... they were really wonderfully endowed :) One was even sporting 'humps' (silicone embellishments to a c0ck that gives the feel of a double head, or something). And Ghee attracted them enough to have at least 2 of them dance in front of us... so close that again, I was weirded out by the fact that my hubby was sitting beside me.

Oh, and their masahistas were great! I swear am not just saying all these things because am friends with the daughter of the owner... but really, the masseurs knew their stuff. They were also mostly gays and were chaka-looking. Got some 15 minutes of pure touch therapy (gave the guy P200... but their 'fees' start at P100 naman, I was feeling generous lang, ahehe) while again feeling weird that hubby was there. He teased me about how he could see the worry in my eyes that he'd mind... howell, i'm married to one cool guy, I tell you.

Table-ing (for lack of a better term) a guy will cost P400 for one hour (the guy will be entitled to one drink).

The light show triggered my sister's migraine... and we went home hearing retching noises.

*~*

Cried Sunday when I said goodbye to my fave, fave aunt from my father's side... since they'd be migrating to the US too. I'm sure gonna miss Kakang Indeng's fussy attention and her cooking.

... and how I wish I was referring to chatting. As it is, i'm exhibiting psychosomatic reactions to our 3-day Conference (Wed-Fri), which I arranged, and which fills me with so much stress right now... knowing how demanding and unreasonable and self-absorbed some of the participants can be...

Howell...

*~*

Anyway, met blogger Ghee last Friday. It's really amazing how strangers can get so excited over each other... and how we feel familiar and intimate with each other just because we've been visiting each other's blogs. The meeting was made all the more amazing because Ghee came with a friend she hasn't really bonded for 25 years (they were classmates in elementary). Edwin regaled us with so many stories about his 2-year stint in Saudi (all the sexual propositions, how he maneuvered himself from such situations, witnessing a beheading, handling colleagues' jokes about how their penises are bigger than those of Pinoys, etc). We separated at past 2 AM, enjoying our time at Merck's... where we agreed to meet again this coming Saturday for this:

Other bloggers who wish to join can just send an e-mail my way (but i'll be checking mails Fri pa ulit).

This entry is already really long due.

Anyway, the name implies a friend that you engage in carnal activities with. And though it's true, what with the relationships right now becoming more and more complicated (or more and more basic, depends on how you really look at it), few set-ups actually involve a guy or girl friend who you run to because your family was sh!tty, and work sucked, and the one you're in love with is giving you problems. Few set-ups actually call for long conversations through the night about life and love, and plans and dreams, and secret and not-so-secret heartaches.

Fubus are usually people who aren't really friends... and don't really hang out... or who may hang out but don't really date... because there is a love interest, or a committed relationship somewhere, in some parallel universe.

So, for all intents and purposes, they're people who don't hate each other and who sleep together. And I don't even mean regularly (as in every week) because there are set-ups where they do it everytime one person is attending to some business in that area... so it could be every 2 years or so, who truly knows?

But yes, there are those who sleep regularly... making it a meantime relationship where, at the end of the week, after putting up with all the crap one does in order to live, there will be that nubile (or at least willing) body to look forward to...

Or... after putting up with the routine of being a husband to a busy wife, and a father to demanding kids... there will be that woman who would be giving much, without asking a lot of questions.

Or... after putting up with a husband who's emotionally absent... or abusive... there will be that secret tryst to keep some woman from going totally insane.

Of course, love isn't in the equation. Emotional attachments, though an inevitable probability for those who are in it, are still not exactly welcome.

And to avoid that, friends say that one should always have a Plan A and B... and not to sleep with both regularly. But of course, Plan A and B dont necessarily have to know that...

A former fubu of mine got really attached with me. It got quite ugly in the end... because his attachment ruined the set-up for both of us.

And now, I cannot help but sigh that a friend is bewailing the fact that guys she's sleeping with aren't turning her into their girlfriend... how they want love and sex, but separately given.

Because I was once like that... giving my body to someone else, while having my heart suspended in a romantic hopefulness that wouldn't be so readily rewarded.

Ah well, the things we sometimes find ourselves in... in the process of finding ourselves.

In lieu of bingeing on food, I decided to return to reading.

The Creation Myths by Clare Brown was a book I decided to purchase when I couldn't find the original book I wanted. And dare I say, it's really a very well-written book!

Of course, am fascinated lately by British writing. Something about the dry humor, even in the most painful or awkward of circumstance appeals to me. And Clare Brown was able to capture in this book all the myths we sometimes cloak ourselves in, to justify the self-serving things we do... our betrayal of loved ones, our betrayal of our vows, our betrayal of our self-respect.

Clare Brown discussed passion and sexuality and love and happiness in the midst of the conception and birth of seven babies. After reading the book, I actually wondered when they'd make a movie of it because it has the clear magic of LOVE ACTUALLY where all characters converge in one area... but then, a movie won't be able to capture the thoughts and real motivations of the characters...

One of which is Tom... a basically average-looking guy who is brilliant enough to be a published author many times over... who have mastered the art of seducing women into believing that he's this trapped soul and they're his only line to reality and all that's good and sane and wonderful. Ok, supposedly he's also great in bed too. But really, he was just a typical guy basking in a false sense of reality he's created for himself... he's a coward who didn't like making choices, didn't like making commitments, didn't like taking responsibilities. And he ends up unhappy, despite the literary accomplishments. And I know a lot of guys like him.

Another character is Cressida... a woman who's blessed with a good enough life... a fairly ok upbringing, intact family, a wonderful career, a loving and devoted husband, great kids... who finds herself willing to throw all those things away for Tom... insisting to the end that what they have is love... even after realizing that this guy will forever lie to her... that he's not a good man... and will never be a good man.

*~*

Anyway, last Sunday was spent in a reunion for my father's side of the family. How I love that family, with all its imperfections... how it has helped create me, my thoughts, my motivations, my dreams, my values.

And I was both amused and bemused that our family's youngest generation, our nieces and nephews, are being created by us.

*~*

The book I read before this was "The Madness of a Seduced Woman" and it was also a beautifully-written book that made me totally abhor the heroine... hate her and her growing madness... and feel all the dazed resignation of everyone when some things have been greater than you are from the start... This one is lyrical while Creation Myths was more direct and conversational.

*~*

Unfortunately for my wallet, Powerbooks is having a sale. Bought three expensive books at 20% off (any book exceeding P300 is expensive for me... I mean, come on, why are they sooo expensive?) aside from the two books I bought at Booksale.

One of the books I bought tonight is "Babyville" by Jane Green. :) I also bought "My Legendary Girlfriend", touted as the male Bridget Jones' Diary.

*~*

Now i'm torn between playing with my new BOP IT toy or reading...

*~*

For a more titillating read, may I please interest you with my sexual sentimentality?

Like what I said previously, i'm quite addicted to honey these days. But I like it raw and by itself, unlike my hubby who uses it on toast, pancakes and ice cream. So anyway, finally got JRA to take me and his family to Ilog Maria, a bee/honey farm just past Km. 47 of the Aguinaldo Highway.

Twas one of those times when I actually carried a basket and took my time going through the stuff being sold there. Anyway, their website is exhaustive enough in extolling the virtues of their products so I won't discuss that anymore.

Bought Royal Jelly (to relax) and Bee Pollen (to energize) and both taste like hell. I think one should take some honey after them just to rid yourself of the aftertaste. But their honey is really delicious... my brother-in-law started gulping from the bottle while we travelled home. And they also sell clay made from beeswax, for those with artistic but sensitive-skinned kids.

*~*

The most recent shock of my life... i've actually kept gaining weight and now weigh 140 lbs. Diet and exercise, here I seriously come... because this is just unacceptable anymore!!!

I think my last care-free day was last Monday, when the typhoon Glenda and SONA had government workers stay at home.

Because I got sick last Tuesday (dang allergies, which isn't really a surprise since the weather has been rendering people sick around me)... so I had to stay home last Wednesday, but also had to gather all my energies and go home to Lipa for my uncle's burial the following day. Good thing it was actually sunny there and the burial yesterday, though hot and humid (not to say emotional), was a breeze.

Us cousins, while waiting for our elders to tell us it's time to bring Tito Jose to the Church for the Mass, decided we want a party for all the birthdays marred by my uncle's death (and we didn't mean that in a bitter kind of way)... so come August 06, we'd be celebrating birthdays (my Mom's, Pyro's, my uncle Romy's, my SIL Angie's, my cousin Adri's and my cousin-in-law Karen's) and despedidas (my uncles and grandma's for their return to the US on the 8th, and for a pair of uncle and aunt, who'd be migrating to the US on the 20th)... I'm in charge of ice cream and cake, as usual. And we're thinking of ordering some 'dirty ice cream' because the kids actually love it when the ice cream is scooped from that metal barrel. Now, which cake to buy... esply as a treat to my uncle who worships them? Hmm...

Sister, after getting dengue, seems to have gotten some gastro problem. We'd know for sure once she's had a stool whatever tomorrow... so yeah, I was absent from work again and feeling sick still. Spent all afternoon crying and sleeping (crying because I was having an emo moment, due to the stress and sickness and exhaustion). So yeah, this is a very uninspired post... but I want to remind myself I lived this week. And I want to know that the past weeks did pass... and that there were fun times along with the bad and sad... like seeing uncles and cousins I haven't seen in years and months.

Anyway, one 'weird' thing that happened this week was my cousin's friend (an adopted family member for years now) bringing with her a Russian guy to my uncle's wake.

Albert looks yummy no? He stands 6'9" and wears size-15 shoes (arrgh, imagine the implications of that!) and he's only 20 years old! Poor him, KC and my uncle refused to leave him alone. KC, who at 6 years old could actually speak perfect English, even tried teaching him stuff (It's door in english, d-o-o-r, in Tagalog it's pinto, what is it in Russian?). His appeal to most of us wasn't the fact that he's Russian or looks great... but his height. So before we all left, members of the family took turns having their pics taken with him. (oh, of course, it was also endearing to me that he doesn't smoke!)

My sis stands at around 5'7".

He slept at our house... and my cousins kept teasing him about how it's customary for foreigners to sleep with the eldest female cousin. Ahehe.

Anyway, my parents... even after my insistence that they've sent enough of them already... sent us OATMEAL packages again via my uncles. I'm going to be kind though and send them Carnation Coco Evap and my Gising-gising Recipe (and all my Mom's weird bilins, like Scoth Brite and rubber bands and eyelash curler).

Well, they also sent honey. I'm obssessed with honey these days... and will buy some more tomorrow if I get to finally go to Ilog Maria.

*~*

The Blogberks are talking about sex.

And who knew feet could be so beautiful, artistic and interesting?.

Because one of my Dad's cousins work in Malacañang, flowers and a Mass Card were sent for my uncle in GMA's name.

Anyway, there we were at the porch, cousins hanging out with aunts and nieces and nephews (who I made more hyper through chocolates), the night stormy and really cold last Saturday...

KC was jumping around and making us laugh with his antics. His Mom told us about how, when her own father died, KC asked his lola why people were paying to look at his lolo (referring to how people in the province would give some monetary aid after looking at the dead person).

Then he decided to read the ribbon on this particular flower arrangement.

"Gloria Makapal Arroyo"

We laughed.

He read the next. "Jose Mig-wel Arroyo... ay bakit Arroyo, diba dapat Camitan?"

We were confused.

He then asked us why both names had Arroyo. His lola (my aunt) told him to just ask Gloria.

He replies, "Sabagay, si Gloria na lang ang buhay eh."

Then his dad (my cousin) finally understood... he thought the "Jose Miguel" was our deceased uncle, that's why KC said it should have been Camitan.

*~*

Pyro celebrated his 3rd birthday with people who love him so much.

*~*

Nacho LIbre starring Jack Black was a pointless film but it was dang entertaining! Had so much fun watching it!