Tag Archives: bugsy

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2011 and Bugsy

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Coming across Paulo Coelho’s story of Ali, Aydi and the fire of friendship, I immediately thought of this gorgeous throng of kindred spirits from childhood that I am blessed to have.

For Bugsy -- my gorgeous personal beacons

As 2011 was the year I was reunited with my blood sisters, I felt that 2011 was also the year for another batch of my sisters — Bugsy. The year that just had past was momentous, to say the least — it was the year that Rina left the nest for Boston, that Tonette released her biggest film TO DATE, that KE launched their first Sole Sister mall store, that Bugsy itself pulled off our first overseas trip. Whew. A lot of leaps of faith in that list, and I’m pretty much sure I left out a lot more.

Thanks to Bugsy for being my beacons, for making me smile with the random posts and messages, for inspiring me to better myself whenever my will falters, for never failing to remind me of who I am before we were hurled into the world of career paths, credit ratings, and all the uglies of adulthood. Yes, 2012 might appear blah compared to all the adventures we had in 2011, but then again, who knows, it might be even better!

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shout-out for 1984 kiddos

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the thing that i love about hanging out with Team Bugsy are the zany theories we throw at each other, ranging from the hands-down-insane to the this-might-be-worth-taking-a-look-at. during one of our bouts during the long weekend, a friend piped up with this conclusion — there are no good-looking guys born during our year, 1984.

okay, okay, before the hostile reactions, i admit that this might be quite a rash generalization — that’s why we’re asking people to prove us wrong. do you guys beg to differ? send us pics, and we’ll eat our words. =P otherwise, who knows, ridiculous as it sounds, this might just have a hint of truth that we never really thought about. [i have a feeling i might have a lot of hate mail after this. haha!]

philippines, travel

Bugsy chills @ tagaytay

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Another long weekend well-spent. =) After watching Live Aids just the night before, we whisked ourselves away to Tidoy’s pad in Tagaytay to bum together (couldn’t imagine a better way to spend the time =P).

For girls with no plans, we certainly got to do a lot together:
.: crashing 2 weddings @ Sonya’s Garden (even bumped into Joy!)
.: braving the cold with only coffee from Starbucks
.: stuffed ourselves with greek dishes at a random Greek resto by the road
.: got wowed by Tidoy’s awesome driving through the fog and the Highland’s winding roads with a visibility of only 3 feet (holy cow, how does she do that?!)
.: had dancing lessons courtesy of Tidoy’s floor-to-ceiling mirror panels
.: went loony during an emo pictorial with Joey & Tetel (and found a new respect for kids putting eyeliner, btw)
.: saw plants, plants and more plants, and got treated to a healthy breakfast at the Highland’s Bistro Saratoga
.: capped off an idyllic weekend getting pampered at the T House Spa

Unwinding with these guys was exactly the type of rescuing I needed, and I’m utterly euphoric that I wasn’t able to miss this one. It was a thrill to see how much we’ve grown, and how much we haven’t really. =P Here’s to Bugsy, and can’t wait til our next escape. Mace, Kmed and Crisel, you absolutely HAVE to be there next time! =)

Pics over at https://picasaweb.google.com/108800249052978959532/200811BugsyChillsAtTagaytay.

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What’s the deal with me and phones?

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I guess some things are just not meant to be. Yep, you guessed it right. In less than a month, I lost yet another cellphone. This September ’08 loss was brought to you by SMB Oktoberfest — mahaba-haba nga yung inuman pagkatapos.

To be honest, I lost count of how many phones I’ve said goodbye to (or rather, how many phones never bothered to tell me goodbye… sniff.). Must be around 10? (Bugsy, how many times did you receive ‘Hi-I-lost-my-phone’ messages?) I can only remember the highlights. Like my first phone — it was a Nokia 5110, lost in MegaMall’s Surplus Shop. I left it in the dressing room, and it was gone when I came back for it. I was crying so hard (in public! Eeeep!). I almost told Tidoy I couldn’t go to her debut because I was too sad. Emo much? Haha!

I’ve been trying to rack my brain, but I can’t remember what phone came after that. I do remember that I had a Nokia 3330, 8250 (I loved this one!), 7250i, 3310, Motorola Slvr L7, Razr… sheesh. I had to look for a visual poster on the evolution of Nokia phone models to remind me. Can’t remember if I ever owned an Ericsson. I do know I had a Samsung something — I was the only one who knew how to send messages with it. Haha.

After going through so many losses, you’d think I’d be more wary. At least I’ve stuck to keeping my phones on a cord, as my sister always reminds me to get one after each ‘na-Ish-nanaman-ako’ moment. It’s happened so many times that no one really in my family really gets shocked anymore when I tell them I lost another one. It’s more like, ‘O, talaga? Text mo, baka isoli. Hanap ka ng lumang di ginagamit. O eto uli number ko.’

Most of the time, I’ve accepted that it’s just this thing with me. Like how some people forget their keys. The most recent loss was the only one that really got me fuming mad. It was the first time that a phone was deliberately ripped off from my pocket. Hinayupak na Jumping Jolog yun; mabangga ka sana ng trak, mabalia’t mabugbog at manatiling buhay. I guess most of the time, it’s not really that I’m too careless; it’s just that I’m too naive that I really do believe that nobody really wishes to do you harm, or nobody really conceives of doing something mean to anyone else. Hay. Right now, I hate the fact that I get paranoid whenever I see groups of Jumping Jologs (or JJs for short). Yesterday, I didn’t know if it was just paranoia or if Sta. Lucia should officially be declared JJ-hotel. I’ve lost that good-old trust in people. Dammit.

Oh well, so friends, you know the drill. I’ll probably be getting around to getting my old number reactivated this afternoon, so send me your names & numbers tomorrow to replenish the phonebook. Thanks guys, and hopefully I can hold on to my new phone for at least the end of the year. 🙂

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The Eheads Reunion: An Ultraelectromagnetic Experience

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(For the record, I’ve got a lot of unposted entries swimming in my head, but this one DEFINITELY deserves to be jotted down, remembered, and immortalized.)

It was a reunion concert, that was for sure, but not just for the Eraserheads. It was for all the 90s kiddos out there, for all the fans and vanguards loyal to OPM, and for all the friends who found a compelling reason to meet up again after a long lull.

Thanks to the fabulously-early Ethel, who was already there as early as 2 pm, we got a great spot at the front of the Patron area, conveniently near the McDo stall of the VIP area. By 8, we were complete and as giddy as eager groupies (maybe even more). Dana pointed out that this was our first time to see the EHeads perform live. Excitement as well as anxiety took over, as I was wondering what the catch would be for this much-anticipated event. Would they only be singing 3 songs? Where the heck were the instruments? Would we be only getting live video feed? I swear, if that happens, I’ll find a way to the SVIP section, just to give the organizer a good whack in the head.

Eight-thirty rolled along, and the 10-minute countdown began. Fellow EHeads groupies chanted down every last 10 seconds of each minute, and were cheering like hell for the last one minute. The ‘SA WAKAS!’ line that flashed on the screen practically summed it all up. Our eyes were glued to the montage of the group’s pics on the screen, as we were all wondering what would come next. Then, the familiar intro rifts hit the air, and everybody immediately knew it was Alapaap. Suddenly, something was rising out of the platform — the stage, instruments, killer sound system, and oh yeah, the EHeads appeared! I don’t think there was anyone who wasn’t shouting and jumping up and down at that moment. I swear, it was like it was U2 who came out of that stage. I myself was shrieking incessantly, and I could feel tears streaking down my face. It was really happening! Fireworks shooted from the top, the side and the bottom of the stage, sending an already-fired-up audience to a frenzy.

And it was like that for the next 12(?13?14) songs — everybody jumping up and down, everyone singing at the top of their lungs (never mind hitting the right tone), everyone just so glad to see that yes, miracles do happen. Even Buddy himself was all smiles (I swear, I was such a groupie — up to the 3rd song, I was shrieking, ‘Si Buddy!’ everytime the camera focused on him). I love them for singing With a Smile, Shake Yer Head and Toyang. I love them for making me miss lyrics that are at par with Ligaya, Kailan and Huwag Mo Nang Itanong. I love that they featured snapshots of UP while singing Sembreak. God, I love them so much that I even found myself singing to Fruitcake. Ethel was right in saying that there was so much love in there that evening, that friends were reunited and were just there to sincerely enjoy good music and all it stood for. The crowd never really needed any encouragement. It was like playing the National Anthem — everyone stood at attention and knew what to do by instinct (i.e. wave their hands, hoot loudly, sing ‘Do-doo-doo-dooooo!’ perfectly during With a Smile).

Of course, as everyone probably knows by now, the event was cut short, as Buddy, Marcus & Raymund, together with Ely’s sister, announced that Ely had to be rushed to the hospital and that they themselves were at a state of shock. Despite the obvious disappointment at going from such a great kickoff to a sudden halt, I don’t think I heard a jeer or a boo. Heck, Ely belted out a 15-song set, people; one would think that he just gave as much as his strength would permit, before plopping down and calling it quits. The crowd took the news in, understood, and gave the band the heartfelt applause that was due them. A minute of silence was given for prayers, before the crowd parted. Although, I think everyone still kept their tickets, just in case, and prayed for an equally-surreal Part Two. Heck, I would still pay for tickets if there was a Part Two. Frankly, I actually think we still owe them. More than sulit, I tell you. We went on for hours later on, for the most part wondering what songs they were actually planning to do next (Magasin? Para sa Masa? Pare Ko?).

The best part of it all was I got to spend this never-to-forget moment with my high school buddies, Team Bugsy (oo, high school kami nun kaya may pangalan). These were the songs we grew up with, the songs that would trigger memories at once for everyone (i.e. kanta ni Mace, Huwag Kang Matakot’s special message, etc.), the songs that were somehow made a part of us and who we were. Just think, how many groups out there were also going through the same thing? Love, miracles and magic went on this August 30th, I tell you. Here’s to long friendships, invincible bands, and the power of timeless music.

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spcp cheering time-warp

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i just hooked up the new router, so i’ve pretty much spent the last few days surfing at every comfy nook in the house. =)

i was in the mood to watch some dance vids, when i came across some videos of our HS batch’s cheering routines. man, i forgot how the rush felt when you and 100+ of your batchmates get your game on out on the floor. here’s to batch 2002. =)

asia, philippines, travel

Last Call for Summer

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after a testosterone-filled apo trip, i was truly grateful for tidoy’s invite to a chill-ax getaway at subic. we whisked ourselves to this cozy place called Courtyard Inn, which was more luxurious than what i was used to. we had our own beds, cable tv, room service, the works. perfect for the brat within who was crying for some pampering.

in truly girl-bonding fashion, we hit the spa, the subic yacht club pool and the duty-free shops. a tiny misadventure was thrown our way though, when tidoy’s battery was discharged when we left the headlights on (funny though, because it was in the middle of the afternoon). mga diyosa talaga ang mga kasama ko — a bunch of guys swarmed & came to the rescue, and even asked us out for dinner afterwards. bugsy, ever so anti-social, opted for a jazz-club dinner & russian-vodka guzzling at our inn afterwards. sarap! haha.

of course, what trip would be without its photo ops? we also swung by zambales and took a quick dip at the sea, to bid goodbye to a glorious summer. for more pics, check out tidoy’s multiply album at http://doyti.multiply.com/photos/album/26. thanks again guys for the great weekend!

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as i was scouring for our subic trip pics, i came across some old hs pics from mae & tidoy. can you say, time warp? 🙂

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pag minsan, swerte ka talaga at may teammate ka na magaling kumuha ng picture. mwehehe. some shots of jam’s gig at the HP Q2 Hoola Palooza Coffee Talk, courtesy of the legendary Paul Garcia:

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am in one of my rare sunny moods

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just came from an all-nighter from tidoy’s. after a mind-numbing week of having actual work at work, it was what i needed. after the expected binging, we had a round of bailey’s and other spirits then we caught up with each other. bugsy’s probably the only group i could talk to so casually & sincerely about the philippine economy, crime rate, hope for our country, basic good and evil, and not let it all be small talk. we could go on all night (actually, we did til around 3-4 am.)

i learned that 2007 was the year of karma. hmm, both scary and exciting. things have been so far good for me; life must have been really bad to me back then. :p

life doesn’t always have to be so hard. it’s a choice. sometimes, a choice to be happy or a choice to be justified. sometimes i can be so stubbornly optimistic — i don’t if that’s bad or good, but it works for me. better to drown in naivete rather than indulgee in self-inflicted pain.

asia, philippines, travel

from team bugsy to team bagyo

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From jam’s rat-up-your-pants surprise during the ride going to Irosin, I knew this trip was going to be eventful.

Surely enough, Caloy greeted us with rainfall on our arrival. Here we were, an overexcited bunch on a getaway five years in the making, and we were welcomed by the rainy season’s first storm.

Caloy does not know us very well yet. A storm’s not enough to get us down. As soon as we settled at Mig’s house, we went off to Bulusan Lake to, well, to see the lake and Mt. Bulusan. Next stop was the hot springs, which never fail to spark a discussion about Dante’s peak. Add some of Irosin’s giant ensaymadas and you get a lot more grins.

Since I just got my wisdom tooth pulled out, I stocked up on soup mixes, thinking I would have nothing but soup. But the moment someone mentioned ‘Bicol Express’ and ‘Tinuktukan’ during dinner, I knew that thought was out the window. Yum!

The storm brewed during the night, with a wind that went ‘whoosh’ and rain sprays through the window that go ‘haha! basa ka na!’. It was house arrest for us during the 2nd day, with no electricity nor water. Kamusta naman ang buhay probinsya? But with true self-entertaining Bugsy spirit, we passed time with our friends Poker, Psycho Game and Pinoy Henyo. (Btw, probably 70% of our photo ops were made inside our room. Haha.)

The third day brought light… literally. I couldn’t help but gasp, ‘SUN!’, once awake. We trooped the Dorotan private beach. My last days as a dependent were actually had a lot of firsts for me. For those who don’t know me, I’ve always had this morbid fear of the sea. For some reason, although I love Dory, sea+corals+fishes+me = love<->hate relationship. But thanks to Tidoy, Dana, Migs, Mace and the whole troop who put up with my whining, I actually got to dive and sea the marvels underneath, even if just for a few minutes. It was also the first time I got to play frisbee with my bikini-clad friends (sorry guys, you missed out). It was also my first beach-MTV (haha! eto nagagawa ng nawawala sa sibilisasyon!).

Fast-forward to day four: It was also my first time to attend mass in Bikolano. We were leaving Irosin that day, onto Donsol where the butandings await, commonly more known as whale sharks. No, they’re not whales, they’re sharks. For a sea-coward like me, this actually means a whole lot. What the heck was I doing swimming with sharks? Yes, they only devour planktons, but who said they haven’t got any other shark friends?!?!

But once our butanding spotter shouted ‘Go!’, all thinking stops and you find yourself jumping off the boat. You look down and sea the butanding swimming under you. Ayos! For those going to Sorsogon, you simply have to do this.

Then off we go home. The stop at Casagwa wasn’t originally in the itinerary, but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless. The sight of Mt. Mayon was enough to dwarf anyone. You know that tiny church tower peeking from the ground in Mt. Mayon postcards? I never expected to see that up close anytime during my life; that really made my day.

Never mind that I almost niffed my first day at work. Never mind that I arrived 6 am at home to my frenzied family worried about the 9am shift I had that day. It was all worth it.

Here’s to Team Bugsy and to more adventures. :o)