MY RETREAT

What a story! A close family friend of mine who I fondly call Ate Zara recently got married last September - and the story goes like this: the couple, Zara and Rob planned to get their marriage license first then have the wedding the next month or later. So they went to process all the paper works at the Foreign Affairs (the couple works and live in Cambodia) and they went back the next day to pick it up. Since they are already there, they decided to see the "sangkat" (the commune authorities who conduct the civil wedding ceremony). Apparently, the sangkat asked them a lot of questions and in process Zara was trying to translate everything to Rob and kind of lost in translation along the way. The next thing they knew  they were asked to say their vows and were given some papers to sign. And that was it!! They were instantly married right there!! Talk about quickie wedding (LOL). Looks like you can’t really get away when it’s meant to be, isn’t it? Best wishes ate Zah! Tell Rob that eventhough we haven’t met him in person yet, he’s very welcome to our family and we love him already.. Again, congratulations and and cheers to both of you..

Newly weds Zara & Rob on their honeymmon at Kep

I love good news especially when its about the people
close to me. I bet you feel the same way too. Remember the last time
you shrieked excitedly with "Oh my God!!!" or expressed a heart-melting
"Aww, that’s sooo sweet!" and even blurted something with attitude like
"Oh no! you did’nt!!!" ??? Well, I got a few to tell you right now so
check this out.

Congratulations to
Marfe and Ben Arroyo for their first baby boy! Baby Ethan will be
christened on November 10. Definitely all the family and friends will get together again to
celebrate this happy occassion. Below are some pictures taken during
the baby shower, a surprise party which were put together by the Arroyo
sisters..

7/7/7 -  Hundreds of couple said I do to this famous lucky 7 day of the year and among the ones who tied the knot were Laure Lynne and Mike Arcena.
Welcome to the club! I wish you both the best in life. I’m so happy for you Lynne, everyone can tell that you and Mike are perfect for each other. May God bless you both and once again, Congratulations!!!

Also, congratulation to the International Bicolano Association or
better known as IBA for its 5th Anniversary at the Cast Away Restaurant in Burbank. The officers which are all
women and is headed by our president, Stephanie Florece so deserved the
credit for the success of this occassion. Thanks for their so-called
"women power", the group is more organized, united and is attracting
more young Bicolanos to join and actively participate. Kudos to the
officers and may the Bicol family grow even more!

To access the IBA’s website and to become a member, pls. visit our website at www.ibagroup.org.

It’s been four months since the last time I updated this page. It seems like forever and I obviously need to work overtime in order keep up with all my friends’ updates and emails. Damn! I feel soooo out of touch.

OK, if you happened to be reading this, then I owe you an explanation about my disappearing act.  Well, let me think.. hmmm… do I really have to come up with a good excuse???
Eh! I’m caught off guard here so I might as well tell the truth though you are free to call these excuses. Lol.
Seriously, I have been so busy as in busy moving around, and I’ve been going through so many changes for months (thankfully, I’m close to getting through my recent life’s transition.. well, sort of).

So here’s the brief list of the why factors: first is the big M.. y’know, second was moving to a new apartment (our first new home), third was having another freakin’ new job (still working to get my first raise), and a lot little things going on the side like not yet having an internet at home. Sounds pretty simple huh? Not unless you’re on it and when everything’s going on at the same time, it becomes a little overwhelming. Well, I’m learning a lot along the way and thanks God, things are getting better so far.

Well, I guess I just have to look at the brighter side hu? After all, they say change is the art of life itself. Without it, our day is just like the other day and we simply just moved on after the other day’s gone. Boring!!! So, please do understand, I know I’m awfully guilty for not checking back at you, for not answering your e-mails, IM’s, etc. So don’t be cross ok? Hopefully you’ll welcome me back just like the old times..

And oh, by the way, I miss u too

This was totally the opposite of the past month - I felt more upbeat and ready to just take off! And off i went actually, flying to see my baby - hopping from one airport to another - from Burbank to Denver, Colorado to O’H
are, Chicago and finally to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I was so excited to see Gino again and It was fun to watch him and everybody worked. I also met some of his friends, the roadies, some members of the band, and watched the concert for free with an all-access pass hanging around my neck. It was pretty cool sitting right next to the tech guy and roaming wherever I feel like going while the show is going on. But I guess the best part of this adventure is spending my birthday alone with Gino, checking the city on his day off and just hanging around the tour bus. It was only a 4-day trip but it was such an experience, not to mention that the the weather was so extremely cold at 14 degrees compared to the sunny weather of L.A.  Well, it all came down to seeing my baby which made this trip so worth it.

ADVENTURE WITH XEN

I was barely unpacked from the previous trip and here I was, galloping my way back to Burbank Airport to see my mom and Xenia in Sacramento. Xen, who’s the ultimate adventurer of some kind, planned out our itinerary schedule that way we can see so much of the city in just 2 days. First we visited the Old Town Sacramento and tour around the California State Railroad Museum then we took the train ride along the river. The next day, we drove down and around Downtown San Francisco and went to see the Aquarium of the Bay  in the afternoon and had dinner and stayed over at Manay Sheila’s house later that night. It was awesome being  with the sisters, it’s more like seeing my family even fro just a short period of time.

DAY 1 - sacramento

DAY 2 sn. francisco

with sisters xenia and manay sheila

This month pretty much passed by quicker than I thought.
This was the time I relocated from the Valley to Hollywood, got a new
job in downtown LA. and this was the month when Gino was still out
touring with GNR so I was pretty much alone bored, brooding, homesick
and waiting for Gino to call..

few photos taken at Don’s Halloween get together party :

with stephanie and jojo, liz, jenni & trix

October is over and all the bags of chocolates are empty and are now in the hands of last night’s sugar filled- hyper Trick or Treater’s. Halloween is such a big deal especially here in L.A. and I admit, I enjoyed this holiday because I got to see people - young and grown-up’s alike dressed up in costumes from weird to really scary and from cute & sexy outfit and to any character they could come up with. (So far, I had been a sports referee, a devil lady and a school girl in uniform). Last night, I had fun giving out chocolates to kids from our neighborhood and boy, don’t they look so cute with their costumes? SpongeBob, little witches, Tinkerbell, and marvel superheroes showed up at my door. I guess that’s what they do- eat chocolates when they’re not busy saving the world;-).

Back home, we celebrate this day differently in a traditional and religious way. Although it occurs at the same time with Halloween, The All Soul’s Day or more popularly knows as Undas or Araw ng mga Patay (Day of the Dead) which follows Todos Los Santos (All Saints Day) is more a celebration and honoring the lives of the deceased rather than fearing monsters or evil spirits. Like other countries such as Mexico and Brazil, this day is also a national non-working holiday in the Philippines where we visit the cemeteries and decorate our relatives’ graves with flowers and candles of different scents and colors. Usually the cemetery gets very crowded at the end of the afternoon and most of the people stayed until morning - to make sure that the candles are burning all night long. There they spend the night offering prayers to the souls of their loveones, easing boredom by playing card games, eating, drinking and partying with family and friends. The cemetery is the best place to bump in with long lost relatives and friends like high school classmates since most of them come home to their old town to attend this occasion.

Speaking of long lost friend, I was awakened at 2:30 AM today by one of my high school best friends. Ate Dohrie as I fondly call her happened to see my brother at the cemetery and called me up right away. It’s been 10 years since we last seen each other and I’m so happy to hear from her again. We chatted over the phone and after we hang up, I couldn’t help looking back at what I used to do back home.. everybody must be at the  the cemetery right now. All my family, including my mom who’s home right are all gathered at the same cemetery we go to every year. My cousins and I used to watch grandma as she offers food for the souls to eat that night. I sort of wonder, if my loveones’ souls can travel back to the Philippines, perhaps they can travel furthermore all the way to my room, I’m sure it will be very comforting to say HI to them before I go back to sleep..

Peñafrancia Fiesta - September 16, 2006 @ Echo Park, Los Angeles

with Steph tending the I.B.A.’s booth

International Bicolano Association

with Chin-Chin, Jenni and Stephanie (posers!!!

Time to explore more of Santa Barbara! This sun-drenched city is nestled between Los Angeles and San Francisco, just off the scenic Pacific Coast Highway. Once you get there you will notice right away the majestic Santa Ynez Mountains and its surrounding Channel Islands basks in sunshine and natural bounty. No wonder, they call Santa Barbara the American Riviera.

There are many things to do in this small yet charming city so scroll down if u wanna hear more about our stay there;-).

LUNCH @ Louie’s California Bistro ~ this restaurant serves v. good seafood, chicken and men! their famous meatloaf is the best one we had so far. We couldn’t have agreed more! The lunch we had was delicious and though a little bit early, the bottle of champagne went well with it (thanks Dylan!).

For info. you may check their website at www.louiessb.com

TOUR aboard Land Shark ~ this amphibious vehicle was designed for both land and sea cruising. The tour was a 90-minute narrated adventure about Santa Barbara’s historical backgrounds and landmarks. First it took us around town, then it made a  splashed into the harbor and cruised the coastline!!

DINE @ Stella Mare’s ~
With its glass greenhouse and sofas by the fire, this
restaurant has been voted year after year as the "most romantic restaurant" in Santa Barbara. Gino did his homework v.well The ambience was very romantic and the food was heavenly! The presentation itself was enough to make our mouth watered with anticipation.  Everything was perfect  and  the chef even surprised us with complimentary dessert  for the "newlywed’s" sweet tooth. Looks like we’re coming back there for more:-).
For info. u may check their website at www.stellamares.com

STATE STREET ~ Santa Barbara’s downtown alone reflects the legacies of their Spanish and Chumash Indian  heritage. We love the city’s distinctive architecture- the Spanish-style walkways, red tile roofs and  mission-style adobe buildings. We found found great restaurants and shops just by walking up and down the street. They also have great museums and you may want to check out check out some of the locals art exhibits as well.

SOAK UP THE SUN! Downtown is very charming indeed but our stay in Santa Barbara won’t be completed without soaking up the sun and its blue water- so we spent our last day cruising along  Cabrillo Boulevard, where Stearns Wharf extends over the sea and spent the lazy afternoon until we got all the sun we needed:-)

Just Married!!!

September 8, 2006

Santa Barbara, California

I take you to be my wedded husband/wife, my best friend,
my partner in life and my one true love. In the presence of God, I offer you my
solemn vow to trust you and respect you, laugh with you and cry with you,
loving you faithfully through sickness and in health and in joy as well as in
sorrow. I promise to love and
cherish you unconditionally, from this day forward until the end of time..

~A successful marriage requires falling in love
many times, always with the same person.~

-Mignon
McLaughlin

Intimacy is what
makes a marriage, not a ceremony, not a piece of paper from the state. -Kathleen Norris

with Gino’s bestfriends, Gru and Dylan - our bestman & bridesmaid  

It’s
true that while we flatter ourselves that things remain the same, they are
changing before our very eyes from year to year, day to day. I’m not a fan of
major changes but when something significant happens especially to people close
to me, I always feel blessed to be part of it. As a matter of fact, the mere
chance of receiving the news is reason enough for me to celebrate. The month of
August brought cheers as my loveones plan ahead about their travel, school, job
opportunities and guess what?? wedding bells!

Good
news from my mom -

after 3 years of being away from home, she is finally coming
back to see everybody again. She’s coming to the Phils. on her birthday (Oct. 21) and for
a month vacation. (Hmm… I wonder if I’m small enough to fit inside her
luggage, maybe she can sneak me in);-) I bet the whole clan of Melchor
and my siblings are all excited to welcome her back..Uh-oh! I can see it
coming.. this huge crowd at the airport waiting for my mom. Better have tissues
handy for those iyakan!! Yay! Well mom, don’t forget all the pasalubongs
ok? they’ve been looking forward to it and also, please bring something
when u come back here too.

Good
news about my brother, Jayrone-
After helping out his Kuya Jo with
their

small business in Ocampo, he finally decided to finish his computer
course. Yo! welcome back to college bro!:-) Jay, please always remember that
you’re very smart and have been working so hard, so definitely you deserve the toga
with your head up high. A ‘lil advise from your sis.. focus this time will you,
Jay? don’t let the chicks bug you and your studies. I’m serious! they mean
trouble! LOL
Good
luck Jay and keep up the good works!

Good
news for Gino -

this may sounds crazy, but so many opportunities are knocking at
Gino’s door lately -a new job offer, a new business on the go and an upcoming
tour with Guns n’ Roses??!! Who@h!! It will sure drives me nuts if all of these
things comes to me at the same time. Lucky for Gino, he knows exactly how to
handle it all. Talk about multi-tasking! Well, I’m glad my baby still have
enough time left for both of us ;-). Thanks baby ko and I’m very happy for
you..

Great news from my dearest friend, Yotie
-  After 8 years, Yotie and Topher will finally walk the aisles and say I
DO on October 21st!

How
times flew! I can vividly remember how much we love spending summer climbing up
mango trees while wondering what’s gonna happen to us when we grew up. It used
to be the three of us, Ayen, me and Yotie - childhood best friends whom people
called the tres marias- one goes wherever the other 2 goes. Seems to me that we
can stop wondering about adulthood, instead it’s time to look forward to our
weddings and for Ayen, a baby showers!

Congratulations
Yotie and Topher!  I’m so excited for you guys! I know that a special
occassion like this only comes once in a lifetime and I hope you know how much
I wanted to be there. I feel awful that I can’t even come home to be your
bridesmaid But don’t worry, I’ll make it up to you come next year Ok? ;-).
I wish you both the best this world can offer and once again, Congratulations!