Tag Archives: friends

Obnoxious

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Kimchi, cat with an attitude. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

My obnoxious cat thought she could prevent me from working and could earn a treat by being bossy like this. I could still work from my main computer, silly little cat. 🐱

They couldn’t leave my side. Such babies. Photo by CallMeCreation.com.

Yesterday, my new Maya debit card arrived. This is my new card I applied for (via the Maya app) after their rebranding into a digital bank with e-money features. I use Maya (formerly Paymaya) more than G-Cash since the latter is full of bugs or is usually down.

New Maya Bank debit card. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

We broke the story of PLDT via Voyager applying for a digital bank license and their Series fundraising rounds are for this purpose. ❤️

Speaking of work, while I was busy chasing 3 stories today, I was also doing some admin work—re-hiring a reporter who left and wants to come back because I am the new manager. I never thought this would be so complicated and the amount of justification needed is more compared to just doing a new hire. 😭

It’s mind-numbing.

And they have yet to approve my promotion and raise. 😑

Too much red tape here.

I had a video call with a journo friend (the bureau chief of a competing news wire) and we were both wearing tank tops—basically comfortable house clothes— and she said, hurray for working from home! Indeed! I said, that’s why it’s ok to work late as long as we can do it in our tank tops 🤣 and bare-faced. No need to put on make-up and uncomfortable shoes. And no more driving for hours.

The aircon guys reinstalling my room AC. Photo via webcam

And here I was yesterday, working with the aircon guys at the back. I had my AC units cleaned as part of their quarterly maintenance. I just woke up so that’s why my hair was in a messy bun and my face is really bare and shiny.

Even though I barely come out of my room during work days, I always end up exhausted with the amount of brain cells I needed to overwork everyday. This is what my friend and I were talking about: our brains are elsewhere i.e. pursuing national and international news but we’re stuck inside our rooms. Can’t complain though. It’s a privilege to work at home when we feel like it.

Maybe next week I can attempt to work in Makati and have dinner with friends. I need stimulating conversations with humans face-to-face. Thankfully, most of my friends have great minds so every conversation with them enriches my life.

I don’t think I can live with someone who is small-minded—we will run out of things to say to each other. If you and I cannot carry a conversation about anything interesting, we’re doomed. You don’t need to agree with my ideas and vice-versa, but at least we know each other’s minds. If you are as shallow as the water on a saucer, no matter how good-looking you are, you are only just that, a face. I remember having drinks with the most good looking guy in my sister’s class but he was as boring as a doorknob. We never went beyond discussing people. 🙄 I don’t want to end up having dinner or drinks with him again if it’s just the two of us. Besides, he only goes after literal beauty queens. Maybe he was just testing the waters if I could fit his criteria…errr no.

Anyway, I need to schedule this coffee date with another friend who is recovering from a stroke. She was overworked that’s why her neurologist recommended that she let go. I was advising her to just take a consultancy gig so she can work remotely most days of the week. Anyway, she just came back from abroad and she just finished graduate school. I will help her draw the terms of the contract and the deliverables. We will also draft the communication plan for this particular office.

And if we’re successful, we can tag-team later on and do consultancy work together. ❤️

This

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A video shot by my sister-in-law who watched the UP vs Ateneo game live

We all had a very bad week (and bad next six years or so). But at least the UP Men’s Basketball Team gave us something to be happy about last night.

First championship since 1986.

And in 1986 a woman led the people to oust a Marcos. You know, hope springs eternal. I have a feeling Junior will not finish his term.

I’ve been supporting the UP Men’s for decades as a former Maroons player myself (football) with an ex-bf who was also a UP basketball player. My sister was also a Maroons, playing volleyball in the WNCAA. I know the struggles of UP athletes—underfunded but full of fighting spirit. And to win the basketball championship—the most watched and anticipated UAAP event—after 36 years of struggling is super sweet.

My friends and I had dinner and drinks in Makati last night. Three of us are international news wire editors and one is a former reporter who is now a mid-level government official. We all covered the Treasury at the same time so we had this deep bond that spanned more than 15 years. What was supposed to be an election crying session turned into a laugh trip dinner and drinks. We hardly talked about the election and we just picked up where we left off when we had our last get-together dinner in March last year.

Since K had his appendix taken out a few months ago, he told us about his experience and the lingering horrific pain of having a catheter pulled out. 🤣 We three women agreed that catheter pain is what we remembered most during our own surgeries. Catheter > epidural needle. 🤣 I told them that pain relievers don’t work on me and I have a weird relationship with anesthesia. My dentist is forever frustrated with that. Even my anesthesiologist was surprised and alarmed when I was awake, talking, and still felt “something” during my gall bladder operation. I clearly remember asking her, “Why am I still alive?” when I wanted to ask why I was still awake 🤣 she hiked my anesthesia to put me back to sleep. When I woke up from surgery, I was on a higher dosage morphine drip.

Our conversations have changed from year to year and now we’re talking about hospitalizations and health. Gee, we’re old 😂

K asked me how I was since my anxiety attack in Feb. I said I’m already fine and that recognizing and accepting that J was just truly evil that’s why I went through all that shit is part of my healing process. And art therapy. I may not yet be healed but I’m much better—to the extent I had been off alprazolam for more than a month.

We were like Cinderella and had to break up the party at 12 midnight. Three of us are moms while K has a strict sleep and gym schedule.

These friends keep me sane ❤️

TGIF! Photo by CallMeCreation.com

Quick night out with friends

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Rose. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

Some friends from the industry messaged me earlier tonight that they were at the Vietnamese restaurant near my apartment. In two minutes I was there. I had dinner of chicken pho and then we proceeded to the wine cellar a block away and they had a few glasses of rose while I had a sip (because I really can’t drink).

It was nice seeing them again in person. The last time we had virtual drinks was in August when we were talking about that girl that J was chasing. Anyway, we were talking about what happened to me in February (the painting that was sent to me, the cheating discovery, etc) and my road to recovery now. M, who was the only guy in the group tonight and the chauffeur, said my story was so wild and he said that I was a strong person to have endured such kind of treatment.

Then we talked about our anxieties and stresses. Like Mdz, she is so stressed about her boss who is not that bright and she’s looking for another job; Lou, who was so stressed with what happened yesterday during her first face-to-face coverage and then her story didn’t come out because of office politics; and M, who is so stressed with his new boss that he already wanted to quit the newspaper business and just figure out his next move. He’s rich anyway so he can afford not to have a plan B. So the three of them just said they would want to open a business and M would be the financier. <<< This is the type of talk among friends who are already weary with life. They’re all single so why not???

I invited these friends for dinner or lunch at home; we can grill something and I will cook a full set meal. I still have wine. Mdz said she will bring wine, M said he’ll bring the steak, and Lou will bring whatever. I’ll just have to plan it. Perhaps the weekend after the elections. Maybe we will all commit harakiri if BBM wins.

Prior to the message and the dinner and drinks with them, the girls and I went to Gateway to get our glasses. The style and brand (Ann Taylor) of my glasses were the same with minor changes. But I still miss my old glasses because this new one doesn’t sit on the bridge of my nose well like the old one did. Anyway, I’m glad it’s here so I can draw again.

Photo by CallMeCreation.com

Tomorrow we’ll go biking with our Leni T-shrts, baller and watches in solidarity with those who will be at the Grand rally in Makati.

Coffee conversations

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I miss having coffee conversations. After an event/coverage, my journo friends and I usually work in some coffee shop in Makati or Ortigas. In-between typing our stories are conversations that can be mundane or these can be mature talks about life.

It has been a long time since I’ve had that. I miss it.

Everybody’s sick right now. Friends are posting their Covid-positive results on FB or are counting the days they would be out of quarantine. So it’s very scary to venture out right now. After my bout with Covid last year… Nope. I can’t even go out to the neighborhood Bo’s Coffee to change scenery to write. I’ve had another excruciating afternoon polishing a story I did with our new hire. I think I need better mental stimulation other than reading news.

I think I’ll cheer myself up by buying flowers tomorrow and set up a working space outside our front door so I won’t be too cooped up. I’ve been having conversations with my cats lately 🤦🏻‍♀️

Merry Christmas!

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It was just a simple affair today. Last night’s dinner was early and we just ordered from fastfood stores because we’re all lazy. We retired early. For lunch today I grilled steak for my sisters and mom, brought chardonnay but they didn’t have a wine bottle opener 🤦🏻‍♀️

Steak for my sisters. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

Meanwhile, I just indulged in blueberry cream cake (there was no cheese in it) because when I come back to my apartment, I will continue with my simple diet of lazy food. Sandwich or dumplings and soup.

Photo by CallMeCreation.com

I left home at around 3 pm, distributed some gifts to friends, and drove back to QC. But then K messaged me if we can have a quick dinner in Makati at around 6 pm. I arrived at 5 pm and did some revenge shopping. Bought tops from Uniqlo, shoes and bag from Hush Puppies, and necklace and earrings from SM. Because why not? It’s Christmas! It has been two years since I bought shoes and clothes for myself.

I quickly changed shoes and top and put on the jewelry in a bathroom at Glorietta 5 before my dinner with K. This gay friend of mine always urged me to look decent and to work out to lose my flabs. He even brought me to his gym once to force me to exercise. He has been pushing me to lose weight for 15 years already. 🤣 However, I’m really not an indoor girl. I’m more motivated if I exercise outside.

Anyway, during dinner we talked about a lot of stuff and as usual he told me about his sexcapades in Boracay during his break. I’m not really sure if his being gay made him promiscuous (because they can’t procreate) or it’s just in his personality. Whatever. It’s funny how we can talk about work when we’re from competing news wires.

When I drove him to his condo, he told me he’s happy that I’m my perky self again, unlike the previous dinners/lunches we had this year when there was still some kind of shadow lurking behind my eyes. Especially last year when he came to the rescue and pulled me out of my apartment and treated me to a pre- new year’s eve lunch to help me verbalize what just happened i.e. the breakup. I rarely went out to dine this year and if I did, it was with him. I knew he was trying to cheer me up. So he is in the best position to judge how far I have come. He was the one to message me after the breakup to get out of my bed and take a shower and brush my teeth. He always asked me if I was able to sleep. He did it everyday for a couple of months after the breakup.

That’s how friends are. They prop you up when you’re dead until you live again.

Every girl needs a gay friend. Someone to remind her that she looks like trash so she needs to smarten up. Someone to criticize her shoes and makeup. Someone to tell her that she’s fat so she needs to exercise and nags her until she does. And someone to tell her that the world will be alright after a breakup.

Best Friends For Life

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Today I saw my BFFs, who had been with me since elementary days. We laughed so much over lunch. One of them even took a leave of absence for work so we can hang out.

We needed that face to face connection. Serotonin boost for all of us. We all had been feeling blue about the daily drudgery of life and for a moment, we just relished each other’s company, and giggled like we were back in high school.

My girls, on the other hand, went out by themselves since my hometown is a very safe place to let them be. Especially inside the university campus. They ate at a Korean restaurant and hung out at Starbucks with their kuya and their tita and they were fetched by their tito (my brother) and dropped off here in grandma’s house at 9:30 pm. Tomorrow they will be out again with their kuya, eat at a ramen house and play hooky.

I think my decision to transfer here is a good one. For my kids to be more independent while being safe.

My older sister put up the lights this afternoon. Photo by CallMeCreation.com
Even the garage was decorated. Photo by CallMeCreation.com

This Toyota sedan was offered to me by my mom so I can let go of the old Isuzu. But that old car has so much use as I can carry three folding bikes and plants there all at the same time. This Toyota can only carry people and groceries.

I’ll be back here on the 24th. While my girls will be with their dad, paternal grandpa, and other relatives on their dad side, my cats and I will just be lolling about in the apartment. ❤️

Meanwhile, Ate C sent me these pics of my forlorn cats missing me. They kept waiting for me by the door.

Gotta sleep early. Hosting gig tomorrow.