A hodge-podge first entry for 2011.

This is quite a record for me. I haven't blogged since 2011 began, as my last post was the previous year in review. So yeah, I owe this blog an update. But because of how much time had passed, maybe I won't go into lengthy details.

Anyway.

Dingdong and I turned a Peaberry session into an annual year-end tradition. We had met up and hung out at Peaberry on the afternoon of New Year's Eve back in 2009, and so we decided to do the same for 2010. We had also invited Lara to join us, but because of the date and all the crazy traffic jams, maybe another time. Even after Dingdong had left, I still had company, thanks to Marj and some of her high school friends. Erik was also supposed to come but he got a little tied up at home. But thank goodness Marj, Erik and I live in the same village. At least now we know where we can find each other for Peaberry, hehe.


I posted this status message on my Facebook profile on January 2nd: "Life really just happens. May mga dumarating at may mga nawawala. Yun lang."

For some reason, I have this bad feeling that a close friend has certain issues with me, yet I can't pinpoint what. Bigla na lang hindi nagpaparamdam, eh kasing dalas kong katext yun sa (then) boyfriend ko. I still don't know if I did something wrong or what. Is it because I flaked out on one particular day that we were supposed to meet? Or my being non-committal to certain projects because I have other commitments? I wish I knew the answers. I messaged that friend once, asking a few questions, and I got short answers. Then I asked if there's anything wrong. Dedma. Oh well, maybe in time. But for now, I guess kailangang mawala para may ibang dumating, at (in the words of Roobak) para magkaroon ka ng mas maraming panahon para sa sarili mo.


I got to attend DUP's Orosman at Zafira presscon on Wednesday last week, thanks to Toots. I was so excited when I first heard that it was going to run again, as I've seen both the 2008 and 2010 runs (though for some reason, the latter had more impact on me). The entire cast was amazing each time, and the music can be spine-tingling.

I got to interact with the bloggers I see a lot at other presscons, and it was my first time to chat with them. They were a happy tight bunch, and I'm glad they let me join in, even for that one day.

One thing I've learned, kailangan may dala ka ring baon sa presscon, hindi lang sa class o sa rehearsal. When the presscon's open forum began and Toots opened the floor for questions, he singled me out as having seen both previous runs of the show and requested that I ask the first question. I was so unprepared that I ended up throwing them a lame question, ahahaha. It was so embarrassing.

(Anyway, I'll try to do a separate blog post about the event another time.)


The following day, Thursday, I spent the afternoon having lunch and hanging out with Carms, Jay and the adorable Evan. The last time I saw all three was way back in September, the day after Carms had given birth to Evan. And I only got to see Evan through the glass window of the ICU. At least this last visit, I got to see and touch him up close.

I just love this little family, even back when Carms and Jay were still engaged. Despite the fact that Carms and I rarely get together and we haven't been friends that long, I feel as if she knows me so well. She always seems to give the best advice at the right time, and I feel as if she's an older sister even though I'm biologically older than her. And I'm glad she found an awesome husband in Jay, who's equally quirky and compliments her perfectly. And now with Evan here, there's more reason to go all the way up north to visit.


On Saturday evening, Rosa and I went to Hard Rock Cafe to watch Nyoy's gig. It's been about six or seven years since I last set foot in that place, and almost the same amount of time since I last watched one of Nyoy's gigs. My goodness, it's been that long? Anyway, as Rosa had been curious and hasn't seen any of this guy's live performances, we decided to go on a Hard Rock night.

We first thought of having dinner somewhere else, but eventually settled on eating inside Hard Rock. Good decision. At least we managed to nab a good table that's far from the speakers, but still a good view of the stage, should Rosa take photos. I think we had way too much salad that night, as we already ordered a big salad to share, but then the other dish we got also had a salad on the side, hahaha. I got to introduce her to Maynard before the show, and to Maica as well (who later joined us at our table along with Mars).

Sitting there sipping my banana-berry colada made me feel old. Hahaha. I remember excitedly sitting among groupies with a glass of iced tea, trying to talk to the others over the music. I realized that hanging out with that group in that particular place wasn't really that conducive to talking. And I actually enjoyed it before? Hahaha. This past Saturday, I just sat back and enjoyed the music.

It was refreshing to hear that familiar music again, along with new songs and new versions. I have to say, I should do this every once in a while again, but not as obsessively as before, of course. It's a good way to end the week.


Speaking of every once in a while, I started reading more often again. I spend Sunday evenings at a nearby coffee shop armed with a book and a tea latte. I missed reading. I love taking the time just for Starbucks solitaire once every week. Maybe I'll keep doing this. It's very cathartic.