We toured the UST hospital yesterday.

Grabe, uber tiring. Haha. Walking here, walking there. Up the stairs here, down the stairs there. In our RLE group, there's Mark, Myles, Claire, Jake, me, Innah, Joyce, Kenechi, and Cyril. Our C.I. is Mrs. Cherry Tanodra. Thank god she's nice. Haha.

Our first stop was the UST Pay Division. Kumusta naman, five floors yun. I used to think ang liit ng UST Hospital. I was wrong. Haha. Oh well. We went from bottom to top, starting at the first floor then all the way to the fifth floor. Super kapagod. I did enjoy it, though. We went to some rooms, and hospital personnel oriented us about it. Grabe, at the start of the tour, super excited ako! As in. It was like Disneyland, except better. Haha.

We also went for a quick look at the Clinical Division. Init, super! Waah. Haha.

Can't wait for next week. Start ng duty! Yay!

June 23 -- Bianca's debut at Sofitel.


I attended my blockmate Bianca's debut last night. Aww, she was so pretty! Haha. Nakakahiya lang kasi of all the UST people na pumunta, ako lang yung walang gagawin! Waah! All the other girls (Kat, Diane, Bea, Leigh, Lee, KC and Rosanne) were either part of the 18 Candles or 18 Treasures. The guys (Joseph, Francis, Glen and Gimo) were part of the Cotillion de Honor and the 18 Roses. Haha. Extra lang ako, although sabi nung mom ni Bianca if may kulang daw sa 18 Candles, ako daw yung tatawagin! Waah! Thank God complete sila. Haha.


I had class (RLE) in the morning, from 7-12. Buti na lang morning group ako, I still had time for showering and dressing up and fixing myself. And time for rest. Haha.

Mama and Papa said they were going to pick me up from the dorm and bring me to Sofitel. I waited. And waited. From 1pm until 4.30pm, I waited. Finally they came, bringing my dress and stuff. Yay!

We arrived in Sofitel around 5.30pm, then Mama and I went to the CR to change and fix up. Grabe, ang hirap pag kulang-kulang sa gamit. Dapat pala nagpa-fix na ako sa Bench or somewhere else around Dapitan para di ako nag-rush. Still, after an hour, I was done. Papa was waiting for Mama sa lobby, and HE was waiting for me sa lobby rin. Haha. My parents saw him, I went with him then we went to the ballroom na.

He had to practice the dance for the cotillion kaya I said I'll just wait for other USTmates outside the ballroom. Glen came, we waited. Then Bea came. Then Gimo and Diane. Yay, lots of UST people!

We had dinner, then usap-usap. God, I missed the 1-3 people! Haha. Oh, Leigh and KC and Lee and Rosanne and BMR came as well. Kakamiss!

After dinner, finally lumabas na rin si Miss Debutante. Aww, ang pretty ni Bianca! Haha. She was wearing a white gown. Katuwa, para syang ikakasal. Haha. Then there was the program--18roses, candles, treasures. Plus, Bianca played on the drums, and two of her friends (Maris and someone else) did song numbers. Galing pala ni Maris kumanta. Amazing. And she's nice and pretty. Haha. Then the cotillion did their dances. Joseph and Maris were partners. Maris was really good. Joseph...well, good enough. Haha. Peace tayo! X)

Anyway, so in between the dinner and the dancing, the two of us took walks around Sofitel. He had been there before, kaya he said he'll tour me around. I like the place. Super ganda. And I had a great time walking and talking with him. Haha.

Mom called around 11.30pm to tell me that they're picking me up na. I didn't want to go yet, but okay lang. Medyo malayo ang Sofitel from home eh. Haha. So, he walked me to the lobby and waited until my parents arrived to fetch me. Then we said our goodbyes; he went back to the ballroom and I went home na.

God, that event was like the prom I never had. Haha. Super saya.

This is the story of my 18th birthday party, and how I squashed a golden yellow butterfly while dancing with my Dad.

09 June 2007
MORNING
I woke up early and the first thing on my mind was, "This is it--THE day...Ayaw ko na!" Haha. I had breakfast (at least I think I did, err...maybe I didn't). I did a last-minute check on the program and the guest list, then fixed my stuff to bring to the hotel. By 9am or 10am, my cousins arrived sa house. There were baskets of rose petals, a bouquet of roses, give-aways, gowns and cocktail dresses everywhere. Super excited nilang lahat, I felt like I wasn't going to have a debut--I was going to have a wedding!

Ang usapan was sabay-sabay kami going to Vivere Suites and checking in early, then dun na magpapaayos ng hair and make-up. By 11am, Gracie, Tammy, Kaye, Jinky and I, together with the hairstylist and make-up artist, went to Vivere. Kuya Joel drove us there.

EARLY AFTERNOON
None of us had any lunch. We settled into the room and checked it out. It was large enough to accomodate all of us, though medyo dim. Very few lighting.

Since I was told na ako daw ihuhuli sa pag-aayos, Kuya Joe and I decided to have lunch at Festival Mall. He treated me to Sbarro. Mostly throughout our lunch we talked about *ahem* what Kuya Joe teasingly referred to as "my boylet." Grabe, interview! Haha. After eating, we went to McDo to buy food for our cousins. Then we went to Bench kasi Kuya wanted to buy an undershirt para dun sa isusuot nya later for the party. He walked along the aisles to the section ng men's underwear. I stood close behind him (yes, I saw myself surrounded by men's undershirts and briefs). After some minutes of looking, thinking I was a saleslady, turned to me and asked, "Pwede ba 'to ma-fit?" Ako naman, inaakala ko na ako mismo tinatanong, so I answered, "Pwede siguro." Damn, do I look like a saleslady ng Bench briefs?! Haha. We were laughing all the way until we got back to the room sa Vivere.

LATE AFTERNOON
I was told that the photographer and video guy were going to come at around 3pm. We were waiting kasi they were gonna take pictures while I was being prepped for the party. But 3pm passed. Then 3.15pm.Then 3.30pm. When they still weren't there around 4pm and everyone else was fixed, I decided not to wait anymore. Nagpaayos na ako.

While they were putting on my make-up and fixing my hair, I realized hindi pala ako pwede maging model. I couldn't sit still for even just a few minutes. Haha! When I was almost done, the photo-video crew arrived. Mama and Papa arrived afterwards. Then my cousin John and his bandmates entered the room. Super dami ng tao! The room was all loud and noisy and chaotic and messy.

The photographer decided na we just go to the bedroom and do the pictorial there. She made me pose with my gown and give-aways and shoes and all. I felt like a real model. Haha! Katuwa. Pero di daw sila makapaniwala na I was turning 18 na. Hindi daw ako mukhang 18. Haha. I know, I know--I'm short petite. After pictorials sa bedroom, we took a couple of photos sa dining area, then outside the room. Afterwards, sabi nung photographer doon na daw siya sa ballroom. I said I'll follow na lang.

EVENING
By quarter to 7pm, Mama and I made our way down to the second floor, where the ballroom is. The plan was I'd make my "grand entrance" down the aisle with my dad and brother. So we waited at the room behind the ballroom until the event started. I was shaking all over. My youngest cousin TinTin (5, i think) and my niece Iya (2) were with us. They were my flower girls, and they'd be showering the flower petals as we enter the ballroom. Damn, I knew I was getting married. All I'm missing is the groom. I was super nerve-wracked! Then I heard the music start--the music during the Yule Ball in movie four of Harry Potter. Haha. They opened the doors and I started to walk down the red (was it red?) carpet.

Time to party.

THE BIG EVENT
I made it to the front of the room (while my flower girls had ignored their flower baskets and started popping bubbles coming out from the bubble machine, occasionally squealing, "Bubbles! Bubbles!") and sat on the couch. Kuya Joe later said parang nasa studio daw ako ni Oprah. The couch definitely looked a lot like the one Tom Cruise had jumped on when he was on the show.

Anyway, we started with a slideshow of my pictures, then Mama did the welcoming remarks. i remember her emphasizing on my weight when I was born ("...just 4.8lbs. Yes, 4.8lbs!"). Then lots of other things. My attention was on Iya, who had been running around the stage all throughout my mom's speech. Then Tita Cory led the prayer before meal. Right before dinner, the guests were asked to come up on stage per table to have the photo op with me. One by one, the guests came. Most were family from both Ma and Pa's sides. I had to go to Lolo, though, para di na sya mahirapan umakyat sa stage. Lots of titos and titas came to have a picture with me. I received a dozen kisses and birthday greetings. Then Papa's friends, some of them bringing their kids along. Tita Fe brought Maggie along. I thought Maggie's sister was also gonna be there, pero di na pala pumunta. Na-conscious naman ako nung umupo siya sa tabi ko for the photo--she's like, thin and I was, well, less thin. Haha. Tito Tom brought Kier, who's around my age. My partner nung social dance way back in third year. He surprised me with a greeting and a kiss sa cheek pa. Sweet guy--to think we never said as much as hello kapag nagkikita during parties and stuff with Papa's friends. [Oist, YOU are not allowed to get mad at me for saying these about a guy friend of mine--YOU didn't go to my birthday! Ha!] Then my St. Scho friends came with their escorts. Grabe, I missed them! Two years ago, kami-kami lang in school. No guys. And now, they had these people wearing coats and ties and escorting them. Aww...Inggit aku. Haha.

Finally, the photos were done and I got to the table. I wasn't hungry, though; I just wanted to catch up with my friends. So I took just three or four bites of whatever was served, then I scooted off to see my friends. We chatted a bit, then nagstart na yung program.

The first thing we did was the 18roses. Since I didn't have guys to dance with, and sayang naman kung di magagamit yung 18roses, what we did was I said a little dedication for Lolo and Lola (who passed away last January--God knows how much she would've wanted to be at my debut) then I gave the roses to Lolo. Next up was the Father-Daughter Dance. I'd been waiting for it, kasi when we had our Quinceañera in SSC-W, Papa was in Vietnam and while everyone else were dancing with their dads, I danced with my tito instead. So Papa owes me a dance. I was worried, though, kasi hindi kami nagpractice! Haha. Uh oh. We danced to "The Way You Look Tonight"--the same song played in the movie First Daughter, when Katie Holmes was dancing with her dad. After our dance, dapat my little cousin Joey was going to dance ballet, but she wasn't done changing to her costume yet, so we had to improv. Kuya Mitch, the emcee, called each of my titos and cousins to dance with me. That pretty much killed the time, since I had a lot of guy cousins to dance with (John even picked a white rose--probably from the table centerpiece--and gave it to me). I found dancing with Joshua and my brother Martin cute. Kasi they're like 10 and 12, and they didn't know ano gagawin. And they looked so cute in their coats and ties. Haha.

Finally, Joey came na. She was such a pretty little girl, everyone adored her while she danced around the dance floor. Then Tintin sang a capella the song from Mulan, "Reflection." Afterwards, her sister Kaye sang "Tell Me Where It Hurts," accompanied by John's band.

The program proceeded with the messages by the ninong and ninangs. Then my ever-nice batchmates and friends stood up and said their pieces for the 18candles. Aww, ang sweet nila. Haha. So mabait! It was time for the cake slicing after, but before I went to the cake, they all sang "Happy Birthday," then Iya helped me blow out the 18candles. I had a bit of hard time slicing the cake, halatang hindi marunong. Haha. But I managed to after what seemed like forever. Then Papa gave a toast in my honor. After his toast, it was time to release the butterflies--symbols of my freedom. Some of the butterflies were stuck in the box, though, so we pulled them out and helped them fly off.

When everyone had settled back to their seats, I gave my speech--it wasn't so much of a speech, really--and introduced my charity foundation, White Cross Children's Home. Then as the people watched the slideshow of the charity, I snuck out and changed to my dress. When I came back, the first thing I looked for were my earrings. He gave it to me, and I promised I'd wear it. So I did, then I took pictures with my friends.

After the slideshow, jamming na. The photographer invited me out of the room to have another set of pictorials sa may lobby. I was missing the songs of John's band, Room 63, but I could hear it a bit naman downstairs. They played, "I Wanna Grow Old With You," that Adam Sandler song from a movie (I forgot which one). Basta, I like that song. Natuwa ako they played it. Haha. After the pictorial, I went back up and met up with my friends and cousins. Tita Cynthia wanted to dance, kaya she requested na they play "Let's Groove" by EWF. Then Papa dragged me to the dance floor. "Kung di tayo sasayaw, di susunod yung iba," he said. And he was right. As soon as we got to the floor, the rest of my cousins and titos and titas came na rin. Papa and I were dancing around. After a while, I went to sit down. I noticed there was a squashed butterfly on the floor--a golden yellow butterfly. It was right where Papa and I had been dancing on a few minutes ago. I pointed it out to Kuya Mitch, and he was like, "Yep. Di ba yan yung symbol of freedom mo?" Haha. Uh oh. Will my freedom be squashed, too? Haha.

After "Let's Groove," the band's vocalist asked everyone to please keep quiet. May nagtext daw sa kanya, and that person na nagtext ay may special message daw for the debutante. "May nagpapasabi sa debutante: Happy birthday, and I love you. From Pepe." I knew he was just joking, and no doubt one of my guy cousins *ahem*KUYA JOE*ahem* put him up to it. Then the vocalist said out loud pa, for everyone in the room to hear, "Sino ba si Pepe?!" By then, everyone was echoing that question. (I learned that Mama told them everything she knew about him, haha). Kuya Joe dragged me from where I was sitting then brought me sa stage. He borrowed the mic and said, "May announcement daw ang pinsan ko about kung sino si Pepe." Grr. Damn. Haha. I said we're just friends. Totoo naman eh! Then the band played, "I Love You, 1-2-3" or something like that. Kuya Joe danced with me. Haha. Sweet. Then naglokohan pa sila ni Kuya Mitch, and Kuya Mitch danced with me. Kuya Coo came after, then si Paolo, then NJ. I have the greatest guy cousins! Haha. Mga gwapo pa. I made Kuya Coo dance with my batchmate, Shariz. I dunno how that went, basta alam ko nandun sila sa dance floor. Hehe. After the band, they played dance tunes on the digital mobile na. That triggered my friends to get on the dance floor na, thank goodness. Haha.

As everyone danced and had a good time, I snuck out of the room to answer a phone call. Three guesses who's calling, haha. Of course, HIM. Sino pa nga ba? I thought since everyone was inside the ballroom, they won't go outside. So I stayed outside to talk with him sa phone. Still, syempre, a good number of people caught me on the phone. I heard lots of "Ahem!" from them. Haha. Oh well, I don't care. Basta makausap sya, haha.

A few minutes before 12midnight, most of the people had began to say bye. They gave me their envelopes for White Cross, which I was so happy about. Very touching. Some even gave presents and donations! Grabe, thank you guys talaga!

THE BIRTHDAY CONTINUES
I never thought I'd enjoy my 18th birthday so much. As in super saya! A lot of people came, even the ones who I didn't expect to show up. Na-touch naman ako. Especially my friends. I know they're all busy, what with school starting (or already started). The best talaga sila. Haha. I had so much fun!

I celebrated my birthday yesterday, June 9. But since my birthday is today, I'm still celebrating. Well, sort of. I'm just hanging out with my family. Haha. It's nice this way rin. I like celebrating my birthday two days in a row! Haha.

Oh, well. I'm kinda tired. But still on a high. Ang galing ng friends and family ko, hanggang ngayon they're making me feel all *smiley-smiley*. Too bad YOU weren't there. I missed you.

I went to UST yesterday. Actually, dapat sa dorm lang, but I managed to go to UST rin. Haha.

I learned a few days ago that he was gonna enroll at UST on the 7th. So I knew I had to make some evil, twisted plan to convince my mom to drive to UST. *evil laugh* So I told her hindi pa kami nakakapaglipat ng gamit sa dorm. She phoned the dorm and asked when we can do that. "Sabi nila this week pwede na. When do you want to go?" Mama asked. "On the 7th!" I said, a bit too quickly. Haha. Phase 1 of my twisted plan was under way, I just had to get mom to allow me to make a stop at UST, or distract her sa dorm while I sneak to school. Bwahaha!

The 7th came. Apparently, Martin and Jinx were coming with us. Mom planned pala na we go to Makati after sa dorm so we can buy school stuff. That means magmamadali kami sa dorm and she'd drive us to Makati right after. Arrgh, my plan! Thankfully, I got my siblings into the plan. "You guys might want to go to UST muna before we leave for Makati. Di ba Jinx you wanted to try Cerealicious?" I said. Of course, my sister said yes and begged Mom to bring her to Cerealicious. And Mom said okay. Yay! Haha. I can sneak off to see him while they're eating.

So we went to the dorm, I dumped my stuff inside the closet (I didn't fix it anymore, next time na lang) then got back to the car and went to UST. We parked the car, and I told them where Cerealicious was, then ran down on my way to McDo. I had just gotten out of the carpark when I saw him, looking around and trying to find me rin. Yay, he still had the long hair! Haha. I like his long hair. Ang nice tingnan on him. Too bad bawal sa school. Boo. Haha. I ran up to him and gave him a hug, tapos we went for a walk around the carpark na.

We were on the second floor, talking. Just talking. We thought Mama and the kids are at Cerealicious, and if they walk out of Cerealicious and look to their left, they'd see us. So better be careful, baka mahuli doing God knows what. Haha. I took out an invitation for my birthday and gave it to him. Utang ko sa kanya yun, even if he's not coming. He took out a little stuffed tiger, a gift since he can't make it to my birthday. So cute nung tiger! Haha. Aww.

I got a text from Jinx and Martin, saying they were at San Mig Food Shop. After some time of just walking and talking, sabi ko sa kanya na samahan nya ako going to San Mig to see my mom and siblings. He went and met my brother and sister (he and Mama "met" na before). Hindi pala sila nagpunta ng Cerealicious, hindi nila alam kung saan. So I said I'll take them. Mama and Jinx didn't want to anymore, pero Martin came along. Joseph led the way, opening the door and stuff. Naks, gentleman. Haha. We bought three snacks then went back to San Mig.

By that time, pauwi na rin si Joseph kaya I said sasamahan ko lang muna siya. Martin was left with Mom and Jinx. He and I took one last walk around the carpark, then said our goodbyes and gave goodbye hugs and stuff. Then he went to their car and I went back to San Mig.

Mama later told me something my brother said about Joseph. Sabi daw ni Martin, "Mama, I like Pepe. He's nice." And when Mama asked why, Martin replied, "Kasi he opens doors [for us]." Haha. Cute.



P.S.
On another note: Waah! June 8 na today!
Tomorrow's my party, nikakabahan ako!
Haha.