Valentine Vanities

I had a fun Valentine's celebration with the most fabulous single friends. Ok, that sounds a tad defensive with even the slightest tinge of bitterness. Let me rephrase - I had a fun and fabulous Valentine's shindig with fantastic friends. Better?

I did have a wonderful day last February 14. It started over lunch with my childhood bestie P in Greenbelt, who surprised me with lusciously sinful chocolates. Eating our way through our favorite corned beef pandesal from Seattle's Best, we couldn't help but snicker at guys walking around with the biggest and most colorful bouquets. There were also the sweet (or practical?) ones casually holding a single stemmed rose in between their fingers. Only during February 14 do you see the most manly of men clutching flowers of all shapes and sizes close to their hearts.

By dinner time, the whole Valentine charade was unraveling in Rockwell. Tables were elegantly set up outside the stretch of Barcino to Gloria Maris with a stage for the guest tenor belting out classic love ditties. M, my witty straight guy friend, S, a power woman in her 30's, and I couldn't help but roll our eyes at the rose petals scattered on the tables and practically everywhere in another favorite, the Oyster Bar. Thankfully, the red wine was simply divine and the fireworks display breathtaking.

Next stop was Good Earth, our watering hole, a place synonymous with the word relaxing. There were no rose petals, heart shaped balloons, or giggling girls lugging around ginormous blooms. No special Valentine's menu or red-clad waiters in sight either; Good Earth didn't succumb to the holiday pressure. But the place was still packed with groups of friends laughing, drinking, and singing along to the resident acoustic band.

And to cap off this crazy commercial holiday, we had our picture taken with a local celebrity heartthrob (a first for the three of us, it must be said), hanging (or hiding?) out in ever reliable Good Earth. What the heck, it's Valentine's Day after all.

P.S.
I'm not a Valentine scrooge. My friends and I are just naturally blessed with an endearing acerbic wit ;)

Note to self:
Take photos next time. And not with celebrities.

Love at First Goal

It was totally unplanned. I didn't even see it coming. It happened so fast and there's no going back. Yes, I am now a self-confessed Azkals fan and it started just about 5 hours ago.

I admit, I didn't care about the Azkals before even when they were making headlines with their unexpectedly good showing at the Suzuki Cup. I used to enjoy watching basketball, cheered on World Cup championship teams, and played a little frisbee but I've never been a sports nut. Boxing doesn't even make it to my sports dictionary but the legendary Pacman does, obviously.

But the Azkals changed all that. I was screaming, jumping up and down, and simply losing it during their big game against Mongolia earlier tonight. The crowd's energy and excitement was amazing and very contagious. And when Caligdong scored the first goal everyone just went crazy. I'm sure the jubilant shouts from NSG reverberated all throughout Makati.

So, what makes the Azkals and football stand out? Why are we suddenly obsessed with these two? Because football could finally be the team sport we'll be truly excellent at and put the Philippines on the sporting world map. And the Azkals are doing a pretty good job of fueling that hope. And yes, it does help that the Azkals are so easy on the eyes and know how to do cartwheels.

Maybe we're a football nation after all. The thought thrills me no end.

Almost Death of the Free Spirit

Free Spirit - that was the title of this blog up until an hour ago. The blog description went something like this, "a thirst for adventure, a quest for the unknown...I am a wanderlust." Writing it now for all the world to see is making me cringe but as they say, to appreciate the present it's important to understand the past. Or is it the other way around?

Now, compare that to my current title and description above. It's like two absolutely different persons owning this blog. My point is, just like this blog, I have changed over the years. No, I didn't get C-cups and I still like men but motherhood and maturity that comes with every birthday happened.

I love where I am now. More settled and more confident with who I am, what I want to do, and where I want to be. There's a certain sense of certainty and peace in my life now. But nothing and no one's perfect, the free spirited girl is still inside me and comes out every once in a while. And guess what, I wouldn't have it any other way.