Happy Easter

My brother Rayson is in Romblon.
My mother and father are at the mall in Manila.
My sister Pau is with her family.
My sister Percy is chauffeuring my parents.
I am at home blogging before heading out to the gym.

I am the missing link that completes the bind. But it's just a matter of  time ... just a matter of time
before I get to be a son, a brother, an uncle and a friend ... yet again. I miss home and I love everything that embodies it.

eat the choc eggs and reflect

time

I'm not robbed of an hour sleep but Gelo is. He is working today and with the clock moving an hour forward means a quality hour of sleep is taken away. The hard work however is syncing the rest of the time pieces we have at home. This task takes a good 15 minutes of my lifetime.

We spend more and more time with inanimate things and human relation/interaction is on a decline. This is why I treasure nights in with my other half just watching telly crammed and coiled in the sofa until it's time to hit the sack.

Time is of an essence. I say that I waste most of it tinkering on watches instead of reflecting on what Easter is truly all about. Saying that, it's time to call home. I may not say this often but hearing the voice of family is priceless.

smashing records

I have made my point known that Venus is my favourite of the Williamses. But Serena is unrelenting and now at the age of 31 is still trashing the young talents out there. This is her 6th Miami Masters and tied Agassi with the most titles here surpassing Graf's record. She's back to Number 1 and this simply confirms Richard's (Williams - dad) prophecy of how mighty she'd become.

My point here is ... age really doesn't matter.

je ne sais quoi

Doing grocery shopping with someone special is TRULY SOMETHING.

one more thing you probably don't know about me but now you do

If I didn't get a car, I know at some point  I'd own a motorcycle and drive it like a REAL MAN. We went to this common man's supermarket and found this helmet. This reminded me of my long time passion of owning and driving a lean mean dangerous machine. I told my parents about this when I was still in Manila and was met with a resounding NO. My mother being overly dramatic said, "Why don't you kill yourself now if that's what you really want in life".

Someday, yes someday I'd own one.

OK ... no "rare" meat today

reciprocity

We believe in give and take. Although I am not really into Easter and its association with Easter Eggs, I thought I'd join in and make few people smile so here's some eggs. Sometimes, it is not about what we believe in but the harmony, joy and peace it creates around us.

there goes my Catholic upbringing out of the window

If my mother could only see me munching on "rare" meat today, she'd freak out and lash me with a stingray whip for disobeying the Catholic doctrine of "not eating meat" this Good Friday. This is my third rare rib eye in just over a week and already starting to get addicted to it. As I munch on the literally bloody carcass, Gelo's friends were aghast by such caveman behaviour. With that in thought, I tried my utmost might to use the steak knife and fork with finesse and decadence.

I wonder though why most people find some people eating RARE meat unusual.

someone's doing well at work

He graded himself down but his line manager thinks he's doing pretty well and gave him As. He doesn't gloat about his achievements at work so I thought I'd glorify him thru this blog. He deserves a hug.

belong

I don't work at Woodside (where Gelo works) but I still get goodies from them. It affords a good feeling.

... and be a domestic god (dess)

... and listen to Karen

clean

I thought I'd do some cleaning this Easter.

saving

So what do I do this four-day bank holiday Easter break?

I can think of a few holiday destinations but going to Philippines this June means saving money for that long break. But ideally, I'd like to ski or frolic somewhere hot with white sandy beach. Maybe, we can explore the East Anglian coast and eat fish and chips. Or maybe, a weekend break in London but what is there to see that's free and relatively inexpensive?

We can watch Easter telly programmes, go to the gym and do nothing in between. My budget for four days is just over a hundred. I wonder where it'll take me.

options part deux

options - chronicling struggles to achieving a healthy lifestyle

I had an early meal (5:15 pm) but that's lunch and dinner together. I missed lunch as I had to drive miles and miles back to the office to do some paper works. By 8 pm, I was famished. I decided to drive to Tesco and was tormented by an array of good and bad choices to appease the growling stomach.

Then I passed by the fruit section and bought melons and bananas. I am winning so far.



PS - Skipping meal is not in any way healthy at all. SO be warned!

age

I'm tired.

Years ago, I could take on a hectic schedule without problems. Now, a packed weekend leading to a full day Monday of training is proving to be difficult. My age is not just a number now. It is a determinant of a lifestyle I am yet to get used to.

appreciation

A heartfelt letter
Chocolates
Card

It's good to be appreciated.

decent

I would like to blog some more but teaching back to back this Monday proved to be tedious to my old self, considering the weekend that zapped most of my stored energy. So here's the review of this RESTO: 3/5

Go visit!

how raw errr... rare would you like it Sir?

Mambo Jambo Resto

The waiter was having difficulty getting my order. I said, "rare please errrr..." and he replied, "Are you sure"? He picked up on my hesitation and rightly so. I have been ordering RARE since I moved here in Norwich and it's either I get medium or medium rare. So elaborated on how I'd like it to be by being graphically specific. I said, "It's like when you knife it, slight blood oozes out of the meat". He gave me a puzzled look.

I got my meal but was still left reeling. It was rare alright but not as rare I thought it would be. But better than most restaurants I have been recently.

 

pampering

After a truly hectic weekend, I think whitey deserves all the attention and love.

THE weekend

Here's what happened last weekend:

- Saturday retirement party was a SUCCESS

- Sunday's trip to London was tiring but fruitful

Sub-happenings:

- Hosted the event last Saturday. My fave quote, "I am not being racist Ryan but if an English person managed the whole thing, it won't be just as successful (hubby of mum Linda).

- Drove to London, Gelo judged and provided the intermission. I also performed at the TFCkat London search and got back home at nearly 21:00, extremely knackered.

Main consolation:

Krispy Kreme Donuts

the night's going to be PINK!

if it's not a charity event or concert, it's retirement

So yea, my reputation as an animated host is getting noticed by organisers out there. Tonight, I will be hosting a retirement party of one of the nicest people in Norwich, MUM LINDA. This is a surprise party for her and I hope that she'll genuinely be moved by this and of course, we expect a flood of tears to wash away the settling snow.

Gelo is judging TFCkat contest tomorrow in London while I do the intermission act. A week later in Bamboo's concert, I will be hosting and Gelo's the intermission. Then few weeks after that, it will the same all over again in an album launching of one of the promising upcoming PINOY singers in London.

So that probably means, aside from gym, work and friends, we do have a life.

they betta give me job promotion

So I obviously managed to wrangle the 2-day course!

that je ne sais quoi moment

the smell of testosterone

Place: Virgin Active Club Men's dressing room

Time: That time when 9-5ers come out of office and pack the venue

Bit Players: Four fit lads

Main Players: Ryan and Gelo



Lad 1 (in Calvin's only): Seriously, that bird's fit mate!

Lad 2 (cream towel only):  Yeah but she looks like a man.

Lad 3 (shorts only): I'd bone her!

Lad 4 (bits hanging): With lights off, I would.

tired

I'm on the verge of losing my voice.

Talking all day has its repercussions.

But that's working life.

one man show tomorrow

It's been a while since I did a bit of revision. Taking more responsibility is perhaps the way forward in terms of advancing up the ladder of job hierarchy. One must prove to top management that you can take on responsibilities with minimal supervision and still acquire optimal favourable results. I know the subjects tomorrow inside out but being complacent is taking incalculable risks. I don't want to take that uncertain route.

So...

I thought I'd give Fb and blogging a bit of rest. Or maybe not.

officially SPRING

Winter is still ravaging the lands. The Sun couldn't do anything to penetrate the very matter that is a blanket of fog and dark clouds. The temperature is still plummeting down with blizzards annihilating the countryside.

.... and I love it.

meet Paul part deux

I've never met another person as persistent as Paul. He's so determined that God must have sent him here on Earth to test the human virtue called patience. But God is good. He gave him sense of humour to counteract the annoying side of persistence.

Special K

It's not bad in fact.

combating humdrum

Looking smart mon-fri is a tall order and booooooooring at times. The most one can do is play with colours. So adding a touch of pretentious genius look i.e. non-graded specs on top of routine get up is refreshing. My colleagues think I'm trendy. I think of myself as an instinctive person. I imagine that if I'm bored of myself then 99% of people around me would be too. The worst thing about this is the re-birth of the hyperactive self that's dormant for the past years.

But...

I can't mess up this smooth sailing ride. I had my fair share of Colorado rapids in the past.

good weird

Strange!!!!!

I used the turbo broiler on the 18th of March 2012 just like today!

backsliding part deux

We are VERY good at making sure we go to the gym 3-4x a week and labour at pumping irons for over an hour. But what would you do if you have pork belly sitting in the fridge? You simply cook it.

You boil it for nearly an hour. Allow it to dry. Place it inside the turbo broiler at 220C for 45 minutes until the skin gets crispy. Turn it upside down and cook for another 15-20 minutes. After cooking, remove from the broiler and start chopping to pieces. You should hear the crisp cracking of skin. Take a few scoops of rice and decant a portion of Mang Tomas Sarsa. Take few pieces of pork meat and stuff your face.

Then realise that your hard work is futile and thrown out of the window.

Yey

I didn't jinx it

Nadal is now top of the board in terms of the number of Masters title accumulated, finally breaking the tie with Federer. This is his third title since coming back from injury and it proves to say that truly "you  can't keep a good man down".

VAMOS RAFA.

not nada anymore

Since his over seven month hiatus from the sport, Rafa has been a runner-up and claimed two titles on his way up competitive tennis. Rafael Nadal is now back in Master's final and will play Del Potro for Indian Wells trophy today.

I hope I don't jinx it.

NAM's artistry

These are obviously different characters and quite meaningful, really. He is trying to come up with conceptual definition of ME through the paintings. It is sometimes scary how his mind works - from the sublime to the ridiculous (ridiculous is used to soften the possibility of exposing his Jackson Pollock nature).

I learned something

Eden HD TV.
Program: Pole to Pole
Place: Egyptian tombs

Michael Palin: Why are paintings in profile?

Egyptian guide: They look good that way.

mix

Going to the gym 3-4X a week and being acutely aware of diet are two things that are difficult to manage and balance. Gelo and I decide to eat nothing after 6 pm and I find that hard. At 11 pm, I already feel and hear the growling of my tummy.

So this morning, I opened a can of rice pudding for brekkie. I felt guilty but I know I work hard in the gym and being guilty over food is the most stupid thing ever.

I love tats

Gelo has many tats. The first time my mother met him, she was unimpressed. One of her mottos is that your body is your temple. I would love to have one but I'm petrified to death going through the process. So aside from the scar of appendisectomy, my body's a temple (in terms of tats, that is). There is that psychology about tats where the wearer becomes strong and staunch. And usually a gay man falls for that because whether we admit or not, we like strength and security. We say all sorts of adjectives to define gayness, but no one openly mentions how insecure we still are in the world we live in.

OK.

That may not be true to those who embrace the lifestyle with fiery predisposition but personally, I find tats sexy partly because I am insecure of who I am. Now, I may be that but that's a brave admission.

I don't think I'm the type

Oh yes, I'm not that person who follow bands/lead vocalists. My sister however told me that Bamboo would blow me away with his enigmatic presence in person. I am looking forward to hosting the event and now, getting to see the man of the hour should be interesting.

I don't see myself taking even a little dose of groupie moment but let's see if I'm just as unaffected the way I perceive myself to be or not.

fingers crossed

Let's see if I win another limited edition Marc Jacobs tote bag.