Surprise!!!

“It may be little, it may be big, but surprises happen when you least expect it. Take what life gives you. Delight it and enjoy it.”— L. R. Haake

According to Wikipedia the traditional etymology of the month April  is from the Latin aperire, “to open,” in allusion to its being the season when trees and flowers begin to “open,”   April’s birthstone is diamond, which symbolizes innocence and also the hardest substance on the planet. Its birth flower is daisy and sweet pea.

Here’s what I know about the month of April – The first day of the month is April fool’s day, when everyone gets to be a joker for at least part of the day. Also, it’s Tax season, the observance of Holy week and Easter Sunday (depending on the year).  William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 and he died on the same day, in 1616. The Titanic sank after striking an iceberg on April 15, 1912 on the same date Leonardo Da Vinci, one of the smartest men in history, was born on 1452. Last but not the least, it’s the birthday month of Ramil (April 8), Cris (April 1/9), Sugar (April 22), and Badet (April 23)

It’s the year of surprises. It started with Lemon’s birthday March 11. We just thought of throwing him one just to make his day and to make the day exciting for all of us. For this kind of trick, the venue was essential – he always bugged us to go to Timbre Substation every Friday for our usual end of the work week activity but the queue is always long and we always end up in Chijmes and other bars.

I got mine March 19, 2011. Coming home, it was dark but the air-con was on – that was a giveaway but it was too late, the reverberating word ‘surprise’ followed. Friends were there, the living room was spanking clean, balloons and wall decors were all over the place… priceless! I cannot believe my mother was on it and my sisters as well…Yeap, just like in the movies. Two surprises in a lifetime must be good karma for me.  The first one was a top notch –It was a McDonald’s birthday surprise party- adult playing the parlour games and I had burglar for a mascot. This is off my bucket list definitely! –Thanks Friends!

Revenge is sweet and not fattening– come April there are 4 people going to celebrate their birthdays. For the mama’s and the papa’s who made love on September the result is an April offspring and  yes, got 4. We decided to give the surprise in one go, pick one date and plan the blow. As mentioned earlier ‘venue was essential’, we decided a condo amenity where no one from the group resides so we asked help from a colleague outside our group to book us the barbecue pit and lucky us, they have theatre room as well. When it was all confirmed we arranged ‘the lure’ for all of them. We decided that the timing should be on separate hour so as not to ruin the…tadah….SURPRISE!!!

Chivalry was never dead for Cris Sison. He was the go to guy for our laptop and computer issues, very ‘techy’ dude. Apart from that he’s very helpful and ever willing to give assistance but we were appalled when he didn’t take the bait when 2 of our guy friends invited him for a ‘supposed’ photo shoot. The brain child of this brouhaha had to step up to move him. We had to create a drama – a damsel in distress thingy that is need of a hero – I told him I need his help because a friend is not paying up and I need a guy friend to come with me to  their condo  just in case the husband intervene. He gladly conformed and fell from our trap…Gotcha!

separated at birth

I can’t help watching Glee and not be reminded of Ramil Oliveros. He is Cris Colfer looked like– refer to photo attached somewhat turned into ‘bitch stole my look’ segment of Fashion Police on E!  But in this case it became ‘bitch stole my face’. His Favourite quotes “it’s better to hate me for being REAL me, than liking me for being someone i PRETEND to be” An artist by occupation, he is a landscape designer. He can cook, he can sing and he showers a lot 2 or 3 times a day. Our accomplice never had a hard time inviting him he was game for a photo shoot. Come afternoon, He was pissed as it was raining. We can still hear him complaining for dragging his ass into the rain just as we went out from behind the barbecue pit for the surprise… Gotcha! Check out his stuff http://ramiloliveros.blogspot.com/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/ramileonard…

Bernadette Secillano the CPA who worked hard and played even harder. Badet is a very cool and collected gal. She is very fun to be with and loved to be out partying. Our accomplice and her flatmate was really stressed dragging her to the venue  at one point he just wanted to give up and just spill the beans just  to make her come. Her flatmates actually joined forces so as not to ruin the surprise and after few hours more of waiting and tagging she arrived half way of the movie.

Sharmila Castrojas or Sugar as we casually called her likes all things Korean especially those Kpop bands and music. She’s an energizer bunny, she arranged her own after party. She can still go clubbing even after dinner or movie. She was the only celebrants with visitor and it was her boss. We never had a problem with her, our accomplice was her sister who asked her to accompany her to a gathering and she was good to go. Problem was she has a spa and facial appointment that day so she arrived at the few scenes of the movie and the boss’ comments ‘Sharmila’s late even in her own party’.

December 8

December 8 Birthdays
1953  Kim Basinger, Athens, Georgia, actress, 9 Weeks, Batman 
1964  Teri Hatcher, born in Sunnyvale, California, actress, Desperate Housewives 
1966  Sinead O’Connor, Dublin Ireland, singer, Nothing Compares 2 U 
1979  Sharlotte Jourdan Castrojas, Philippines,  IT Coder

I remember writing the below as a friendster testimonial for this birthday gal eons ago. Some of the words still holds true except for “you’re cool and collected and you are sooo fine” Really! I wrote that? What the hell was I thinking? Oh yeah, ‘fine’ rhymes with ‘time’ – alright then justified!  Nothing to do with her character at all…NOT!

So since it’s her special day today and not just to post what I wrote, really… I reckoned to waste this space on her… Here in my blog,  that is now increasing popularity and garnering million of hits per day…NOT!

Somebody once said it is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. Let’s be stupid today. Happy birthday!

I’m sitting here idle it’s like watching paint dry
So I decided to write you a testimonial without sounding so wry
I’m searching for words that will capture the real you
What makes you tick, your dreams and what you really want to pursue.
I recollect my days before Singapore but then you are always in Japan
Then it hit me….I don’t know you much, but I will do the best I can
My memories of you are so shady I cannot construe
Bear with me on this as I give justice to the words that is soooo you.
Resistance is futile to this lady,
She will get you by her charm if not by her politeness and courtesy
Not just another pretty face though she takes after her older sister’s face (or should I say, youngest brother’s face)
She has this short tolerance on certain people but won’t show rudeness just to hide a trace.
Her generosity can be balanced by her extreme care at handling her resources
She loves to travel and a willingness to go at whatever lengths and distances
You can always count on her to give you her blunt and honest opinion
Sincere and a witty conversationalist, being bitchy was never her strong suit or option.
She has a certain childish tantrum-throwing side to her personality
She has her own way of being fun and her own source of great comic ability
She’s able to go to great lengths and make things happen
Though sometimes she’s appears to be passive, silent, and unopened.
She’s tolerant and patient, unlike her sisters she won’t snap easily
For favor or help you can depend on her, she’s reliable and sturdy
And oh, did I mention she graduated magna cum laude?
And apart from that she can cook the best damn chicken curry
She can sing, she can do everything but don’t make her dance
She’s convenient to be around, she help whenever she gets the chance
She’s honorable, honest, trustworthy, truthful, generous and sincere
That is why to her friends and family she’s always a dear.
We both loved the beach and we can’t come to office on time
So for me, you’re cool and collected and you are sooo fine
Now I will conclude this testimonial of mine
I just can’t believe saying this stuff about you just made me rhyme.

Jes’ European Dinner

 

 

Jes the Chef

“There is only one difference between a long life and a good dinner: that, in the dinner, the sweets come last.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

The first weekend of December my officemate, Jes, invited me and few my colleagues to her house for a European Dinner. It’s a 3 course meal (that eventually turned into 4) and she said the menu was a surprise. When I asked if there’s anything I can do to help she declined and said she will prepare everything. I was in awe as I never knew anybody who can do an entire entree of food in one dinner alone. But knowing Jes, I knew it’s going to be an interesting evening for the main meal of the day.

Jes loves to cook, she reminded of the Nigella Lawson the domestic goddess. She’s a big Jamie Oliver’s fan and she planned to marry him someday. All of the recipes for the evening were from Jamie’s recipes. She was always generously sharing her cooking with us during lunch and all of us are excited and always looking forward to it every time there’s a heads up of her bringing food in the office. Having been invited for this formal sit down dinner I felt privileged… felt like the ‘chosen one’ after all, how many friends you got who will take this extra lengths of preparation just to feed you? To make this European dinner more classy Jes, asked us to dress up and to bring white wine to match her menu so I picked up a bottle of Chardonnay on the way to Jes’ crib.

All of the food here, the ice cream, and the pica-pica were created and handmade by the hostess nothing bought from the grocery ready-made (except for the champagnes, alcoholic beverages, etc.)  Or should I say, ready to eat. Also, all the dishes had a mixture of wine or vodka – this is Jes’ trademark. To add more drama to dinner instead of saying a prayer we individually say out loud what we are thankful for…Yeah, it was my idea, I picked it up from reading  eat pray love and Henny finds it awkward harharhar! c”,)

Pre- Dinner Starters

1. Rose Champagne (Just a historical background, champagne first gained world renown because of its association with the anointment of French kings. Royalty from throughout Europe spread the message of the unique sparkling wine from Champagne and its association with luxury and power.) 
2. Foie gras mousse on Rye topped with pitted cherries
3. Camembert topped with Apricot Jam and Fresh Blackberries
4. French Brie topped with Fresh Raspberries in Phyllo Shells
5. Lingonberry Jam & Camembert Cheese topped with Pecans in Phyllo Shells

 First Appetizer

Mediterrean Mussels – The Hors d’oeuvres to pique our appetite. Mussels have traditionally been a delicacy in continental Europe. This serving was cooked with tomatoes, wine and garlic and it tasted very nice.  The tomatoes add a nice sweetness to this dish. Since I was aware that the every dish has wine I was conscious that the wine may overpower the delicate flavor of the mussel meat but I was pleasantly surprised that the sauce was so mellow not as sharp. I could not even taste the wine and the fact that it was served with baguette or crusty Italian bread made it very delizioso!!!  I will never look at mussels the same way again in fact if I happen to see one I will be reminded of this dish.

Second Appetizer

Roquefort salad with warm croutons and lardons – Roquefort is a sheep milk blue cheese from the south of France, it is one of the world’s best-known blue cheeses. Legend has it that the cheese was discovered when a youth, eating his lunch of bread and ewes’ milk cheese, saw a beautiful girl in the distance. Abandoning his meal in a nearby cave, he ran to meet her. When he returned a few months later, the mold had transformed his plain cheese into Roquefort.

I don’t eat my veggies since I was a child if I do I am very selective. Those salads with leaves they are just there for décor sometimes I wonder why people eat them.  But for this dinner, I don’t want to miss a thing. So I munched those greens and surprisingly find them very tasty.   

Palate Cleanser

Pear Sorbet– is a frozen dessert made from sweetened water flavored with fruit (typically juice or puree), wine, and/or liqueur Sorbet is sometimes served between courses as a way to cleanse the palate before the main course. This crushed of ice with pear and liquor was flavorsome.

Main Course

Pot-Roasted Poussins Agro Dolce served with olive oil mash – Poussin pronounced as [poo-SAHN] was a French word for a very young, small chicken, sometimes also called petit Poussin.   Agro dolce is a traditional sweet and sour sauce in Italian cuisine. Its name comes from “agro” (sour) and “dolce” (sweet). Agro dolce is made by reducing sour and sweet elements, traditionally vinegar and sugar.

As  an Asian (or maybe it’s just me) when served by an exquisite meal I tend to look for rice to maximize the taste but in this case I get hold of myself just to savor the chicken with the orange fruit  and turkey bacon on its own. All I can say now  with my index and middle finger  placed on the thumb and  the remaining two fingers point upwards is “Prelibato!” (Italian word for excellent, tasty)

 Dessert

Prune & Armagnac Ice Cream – Armagnac is  a district in Gascony in southwestern France that is best-known for distilling wine into brandy. I’m not much into sweets but this combination of ice cream, pear, and vodka was exquisite.

The dessert was over after 12 midnight.  For every meal, we took a break because we need to breathe really. We are all stuffed that most of us felt sleepy. I need to mention, the utensils used are fine, I love the shapes of plates and the bowls. This dinner was an awesome experience for me and I’m glad I came and more thankful that I was invited. I felt so bloated but in a good way it was a very soothing meal that beats all the fine dining and fancy restaurants here. Thanks Jes!

 

 

Dinner Attendees - Nen , Henny, Jeremy, and Chua

 

LA’s After Party

LA wearing his Son-Goku costume

‘Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.’ – Margaret Mead

Born on October 23, 1983, Leonard Allan Bayot or LA as we called him came to work in Singapore back in 2006 at the fresh age of 23, after 1 year work experience in the Philippines this young stud managed to score a job in a Swiss bank where I used to work. I remember his first day, he was conscious, awfully quiet and reserved. He treated us a box of pizza because we bullied him to pay for it as initiation for newly hired first day employees. Later on, he found out he was the only one who did that.

But karma’s a bitch and so was LA because we found out that he was not quiet nor reserved after all…

We worked on the same project. Like a typical overseas worker who hadn’t had enough of working in Manila but had an opportunity of working abroad at an early age. He always whines about going home, missing his friends and family etc. As per his dialogue “Screw the opportunity! I don’t care about the 10 folds salary” I want to go home! – But guess what! LA still roams Singapore and is now on his 3rd year and counting… (And yeah…still with the same company.)

 LA Trivia

1. As a baby he appeared in a baby powder commercial
2. In his puberty he was invited by kuya germs to join that’s Entertainment (was it for a Sunday group?)
3. We always say he is in the wrong industry because he is very showbiz. He is good in acting, comedy, and skits
4. A certified vlogger with his own website http://www.umleo23.com
5. Recognized by the Philippine Blog Awards his vlog was nominated for the top 10 Philippines funniest vlog award
6. The following year he was asked to present the same category
7. He has the funniest impression of Janno Gibbs, Ate Guy, Ruffa Mae, and Madukar (ex colleague)
8. He can’t eat when there’s a party or gathering reason being, just like a kid he was too excited
9. When we are tired after hours of partying LA’s still active and perspiring doing some comic stuff making us all laugh
10. He is a very good dancer he can bring anything to the dance floor
11. He can cat walk and pause like a professional model… wait until you see his side walk
12. if you made fun or be little him prepare yourself because he can make a better comeback and pay back’s a bitch when he make comments about you
13. He is very artistic, cam-whore and cam-pimp, He is now into photography 

 

Scenes in clark quay - orange juice guy

LA’s after party

 

We always celebrate his birthday party parallel to Halloween so this way we can dress up and go to Clark Quay to mingle or enter the bars for free because were wearing costumes. We are not used to this culture but we are getting the hang of it. Just so you know, people dress up as ghosts, witches, goblins, and other scary things for Halloween due to the belief that it will ward off harmful spirits. The purpose was to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit and thus the real spirit will leave to avoid harm.

The event was Ghouls Night out at Clark Quay -The whole of Clarke quay is like a big club. It was as crowded and most people are

Scenes in clark quay - club entrance

really into costumes, most of them showed up prepared and really spent money and time on their

@ the Arena

costumes. The outside was better than inside…the bars are crowded so we just hanged at an outdoor bar where we can see people passing by. Our groups (composed of 24 people) holler at passers by wearing their costumes… most of them responded approvingly except for Edward Scissorhands…hmp! Indeed, the time you enjoy wasting is not wasted because we holler at everyone wearing their costumes until 3am.

Notes:

Clarke Quay is a historical riverside quay in Singapore, located within the Singapore River Planning Area. The quay is situated upstream

Clark Quay

 from the mouth of the Singapore River and Boat Quay.Presently, five blocks of restored warehouses house various restaurants and nightclubs. There are also moored Chinese junks (tongkangs) that have been refurbished into floating pubs and restaurants. The Arena is one of the anchor tenants of the place. The G-MAX reverse bungee, the first in Singapore, is located at the entrance  Notable restaurants and nightclubs include Hooters and Indochine. River cruises and river taxies on the Singapore River can be accessed from Clarke Quay.

The most striking custome that caught my eye that night was the white dude wearing a ‘clark kent to superman’ transistion costume. Simple yet it rocks! and ohhh.. you need to have the looks to pull this one out

Fria’s big 3-0!

Facts about friends:  50% of them know and like you because of the FAVORS you do or did for them; 30% of them have seen you at your BEST; 15% of them shared your PAIN; But… only 5% knows the REAL STORY of your entire life.

September 25 is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 97 days remaining until the end of the year. It was also Fria Lee Arroyo’s 30th birthday. We celebrated her natal day with a barbecue party, all of her invites graced the event.

Friends are like a good bra, supportive, hard to find, and always close to your heart. That’s Fria! She’s wacoal and victoria secret combined.  We go way back, she was my officemate in some bank in Eastwood, Libis in 2004. She belonged to another testing team but we went to lunch together. We hit it off as friends from there on.

 We organized an ‘All about Fria’ charades as an ice breaker for her party. Charades is a game of pantomimes: you have to “act out” a phrase without speaking, while the other members of your team try to guess what the phrase is. The objective is for your team to guess the phrase as quickly as possible. In our case, we let them act out all the movies and TV series Fria got hooked to from past to present.

It was a tough category knowing Fria had a different taste in music, movies, and TV shows. She liked the old stuff e.g. Wuthering Heights, Ice Castles, Twin Peaks (top rated old TV series in 90’s), Young Americans. She digs bossa nova and all that non mainstream music which you never heard of unless being played by her in her laptop. Also, Fria is the only person I know who spend most of her time with the computer. She wakes and sleeps with her laptop so we will never know what other old stuff she surfed in the net.

We are in the middle of the game and having too much fun when the security guard knocked in our door and informed us that neighbors are complaining of our excessive noise. They will call out the police if we don’t stop, said the guard. Now, we are used to getting such complaints almost all the time when a party is happening in our unit. But this time it was only 11:45 pm, usually the protest will turn up at 2am- 3am. They say,  “if it’s not fun, you’re not doing it right.” We must be having too much fun, done everything right that’s why we got scolded that early.

To Fria – There comes a point in your life when you realize who really matters, who never did, and who always will. One thing you can’t recycle is wasted time. Life is too short. We’ve got to live life well. Let’s stop worrying over what-ifs and be with people you want to be with, do the things your eager to do, after all, it’s only you, who will decide of how your life will turn out.. to be happy and contented.

Apple’s Pink Party

According to Irish Proverb ‘When the apple is ripe it will fall’. But this is one ripe apple who will never fall because at the age of 30ish Apple doesn’t look ripe at all.

Last August 15, 2009 we celebrated Apple’s birthday themed as the ‘Pink Party’. It was impromptu that she asked for that color when she doesn’t even have an outfit in mind to wear for her own bash. As always she managed to get by just in time for her own shindig.

 

 

   

 

20 Facts about Apple

1. Her real name was Sheryll Anne and yes, her other siblings are named Lemon and Sugar
2. Once scored a gig and paused for a print advertisement on a local newspaper
3. Was a president of the student council in her college alma mater
4.  Ran   for cum laude and granted leadership award in her commencement college exercise
5.  Used to be in a jazz dance club and thought about competing in college underground
6.  A frustrated groupie, once head over heels  for a local band singer of the 90’s
7. Has this great love for math, she once was a math teacher in an all boys high school prior to finding a career in I.T. and like to solve math workbooks to pass the time
8.  Has a master degree in education (in Ateneo)
9.  The person I know who acquired the most branded shoes, bags, and clothes without blowing her budget or savings
10. Well organized to the point of being obsessive compulsive
11.  Once in awed by hello kitty – even at the age of 20ish
12. Who still watches cartoon channel and fascinated by it up to this time. She spend most of her time in front of the TV
13.  For someone who is outgoing she doesn’t smoke, and doesn’t drink but once I saw her drunk and that was it never again!
14.  Has the tolerance to play long hours with kids that’s why her nephew wants to marry her
15. If she want to be alone she  do volunteer work for an orphanage back home
16. if she’s not in IT, she wants to be a fiction writer for children’s books
17. For her IKEA and DISNEYLAND are the place to be and she can stay there all day
18. She collect ref magnets as souvenir for places she visited
19.  She is a trick player on small children and old folks
20. She’s funny but you cannot push her around, she’s reasonable but she have a sharp tongue. So don’t mess with her, don’t be deceived with her look as though a damsel in distress because whe she gets mad  she can put you through hell.

“Because time itself is like a spiral, something special happens on your birthday each year: The same energy that God invested in you at birth is present once again.” – Menachem Mendel Schneerson