The Laments of a Broken Hearted Silhouette

Another year has come and gone within a few blinks of an eye. Just when I thought that this year would pass by slowly, it ended rather quickly due to the lifestyle and schedule that I have been following.

A good year it has been with various experiences gained – from the good to the bad ones. One reality check – I no longer lead the life of a student and sue me for saying this but I really miss staying up till wee hours in the morning revising for the examinations and also the amount of assignments that had to be completed. I also learned that people could be real hypocrites and how quickly they change when the relationship is not as stable as it used to be. Changes are inevitable most of the time.

Apart from all the realizations, I felt that I have grown to be a stronger and wiser person this year. I can safely say that I have reached a certain level of maturity. I am pretty satisfied with what has become of me this whole year. Even though there were dull and depressing moments due to some family matters, I managed to survive it all and overcome the fear and also challenges.

There are no reasons for me to dislike this year or be completely overjoyed with everything that has happened but in terms of achievement I am pretty satisfied because I graduated with an Honours and my hard work paid off – very well. The only thing that I am still fidgeting about is my future job and career because the right job has yet to come. Recession is going on and it certainly takes a longer time for me to get a decent job but may the New Year bring me loads of luck and the appropriate job that is tailored to my skills and capabilities as a fresh graduate.

Another reason for me to be happy is that my dream came true. Sounds rather satirical and it was a shocking revelation to others and myself but there is no reason for me to be sad because of the happiness that is surrounding me at the moment and hopefully it will last and never shatter.

Anyway, have a blessed and joyous New Year my dear friends! May the New Year bring you more success, luck and happiness!

Off topic; I will be posting more photos of Marche in the next entry.

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On the night of Christmas Eve, my brother, RJ and I attended the Midnight Mass at Saint John’s Cathedral since RJ is a Catholic and it was a must for her to attend the mass. I decided to accompany her since I had never attended one before and it was fun. The mass ended around midnight and it was really packed – the whole cathedral compound. It took us quite some time to get a cab home because the drivers (here) usually cut throats especially when it is a festive season and they do not follow the meter even though it is a compulsory thing to do.

I had a satisfying night – wished everyone I knew whom was celebrating Christmas and had supper consisted of pork menudo and adobong baboy. Seriously speaking, I’m head-over-heels everything Filipino. It was a mini feast for us at home and at the end of our supper; we uncorked the bottle of Canadian Eiswein in the fridge – RJ purchased it earlier in the morning when we met up with her friends; Miranda and Shila for lunch.

However, Christmas was like any other normal day for me this year because I had no plans and some friends were not free to hang out or chose to avoid the congestion in malls and restaurants. However, I did go out with Miss Ng and I was present hunting while she was doing her personal shopping. Though the mall was a little too crowded for my liking it was all right because I was with her and we managed to kill some time together before we went our separate ways – she had to attend a dinner with relatives and I was supposed to meet up with someone from The Gardens. Unfortunately, towards the end of day, I was down with slight temperature and I knew it was coming because of the cold I had in the morning.

Though everything was not extravagant for Christmas this year, I can say I had fun in my own simple ways. How was your celebration?

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I have nothing long to write come this season because I am saving that for the reflection post which will be posted on New Year’s Eve (hopefully!). Anyway, there is nothing much to do for Christmas Eve except to enjoy and relax besides playing Christmas songs for the whole day to get the house filled with the season’s wonderful spirits.

Well, here’s to wishing all my friends and readers Joyeux Noel and may you have a blessed and wonderful celebration ahead with friends and family! Remember to enjoy as many Eggnogs and roast turkeys as you can and always take pleasure in appreciating the gifts given!

Merry Christmas!

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Yes, I know, it’s another birthday dinner entry.

The previous was Miss Ng’s birthday dinner and now this post is about Dylan’s post-birthday celebration.

Anyway, Dylan’s birthday bash was delayed because on the birthday boy’s actual birth date, I was busy packing up and moving my few final items from my old pad to the new one, which is a stone’s throw from the former. It was really kind of him for allowing me to delay his birthday surprise because I was too caught up with the moving and I did not have any contingency plans for his bash due to the amount of packing and shifting that I was doing. I wanted to do it the next weekend but he had family plans such as weddings to attend and unfortunately a funeral of a relative. However, thank God, two weeks after our hectic lifestyle (which was filled with personal agendas), I managed to whip up a plan in a few minutes and got the guests to confirm their attendance via text messages.

It took me quite a while to decide on the venue because we have been to most places together – regardless it was birthday dinners or just plain hanging out sessions and finally together with Kwang Yoong the decision was made. We chose Marché Mövenpick and it was located at The Curve.

Pronounced as Mar-Shay, this restaurant is totally a fresh concept in dining and was pioneered by the Mövenpick Group in Europe in 1983. A name that speaks for itself, Marché means ‘marketplace’ in French. Marché is a hive of culinary and market activities and abounds with colors from the mountain of produce such as baked goods, fishes, meats, vegetables, pastries and other salivating foods and beverages. Complementing the goods is the color of the restaurant – colorful tiles, flagstone flooring, bright ceiling hangings and awnings. There were also barrels and wagons to create the bustling environment of a European market and it allows diners to feel as if they are part of a lively marketplace.

Oh, the diners are given market passports and it will be stamped on when an order or purchase is made at the various stations. The passports have to be returned to and settled with the cashiers upon leaving. One of the best things I enjoyed at Marché was that the food were prepared in front of your eyes and they are fresh and they serve delicious pizza(s) and of course the unforgettable Rösti which was so filling and scrumptious!

The celebration was good and it went smoothly. In order to not let the birthday boy know about the venue, we blind folded him with RJ’s sleep mask with a huge NAUGHTY imprinted on the front and honestly, it was really funny because everybody was chuckling away when we led the waddling boy through the throngs of people at the mall and towards the restaurant. I tried not to laugh but I ended up chuckling all the same because he was so afraid to walk because all he could see was total darkness.

Well, when we arrived safely into Marché and before Dylan could take a seat —- the mimer decided to play with him. With oranges. It was not an embarrassment but all of us could not help but laughed and the birthday boy was made to hold the oranges and was spun around by the mimer before he finally let him off the hook towards his spot at the table. We managed to capture the whole scene in video for remembrance sake because the older we get; the more suitcases of memories all of us need.

Do you agree?

Another funny thing is that the mimer seemed to be very interested in my youngest brother, Yang, because he kept coming over to our table to show some tricks to him and honestly, Yang was the only diner there who’s free and kind enough to play along with the mimer and mimic his tricks. Seriously, it was hilarious to see both of them miming. . Moreover, our dinner at Marché was a definite walk down memory lane for RJ because she completed her tertiary education in Switzerland and is an avid fan of everything Suisse. She definitely enjoyed herself jolly that night just like all of us did.

By the way, this post will be divided into a few more entries due to the amount of photos that will be posted and I have decided to segregate them accordingly. All photos are not modified except for the signature and hues and saturation may differ from one monitor to another.

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Not to boast but I’m just happy because finally the connection arrived in the evening after voicing out our displeasure over the phone to the technical assistants the night before. The whole trick is to push them because if not the workers will stay stagnant and dwell on your report for as long as they want to since they have three to seven working days to solve any problems that were reported.

Anyway, this post has been delayed for quite some time and it will be a post that is filled with a variety of food that we ordered when we celebrated Miss Ng’s birthday a few weeks ago. To cut the long story, I shall post the photos of what we had on that eventful celebration.

The dishes were lovely and had their own distinctive taste and it tickled my taste buds simply because they were delicious. It’s your turn to salivate now!

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I am orbiting around my new pad thinking of what to do and how to amuse myself with every passing minute. The telephone line has been connected for a week now and there were no signs of the Internet technicians. Honestly, I am really deprived of my connection and I have been cleaning my room almost every day because of the boredom inflicted. All books have been read and some a few times and that left me with nothing to occupy my bored self.

It is nonetheless true that us; the new age youths won’t be able to survive without an Internet connection unless we are sent packing to retreat homes that has the signage that says – Internet Connection Is Prohibited. Even my brother is mumbling his life away and constantly bugging me when will the connection arrive because we would be checking the DSL light on the modem every hour.

I know — it’s lame.

Anyway, right now I’m happily sitting down at Starbucks and using their free WIFI with a venti Toffee Nut Frappucino that is only available during the Yuletide season. It’s cold and I’m chattering from the air-conditioner but heck I’m planting my ass here till dinnertime, which is soon. Albeit the signal is pretty slow for me I am grateful that there’s a connection and I can check and reply my queue of emails.

Nothing much has been up lately besides my personal quest – job hunting. I have declined a few offers due to certain reasons but I still have high hopes that I will be able to secure a job that suits my liking and that I won’t be forced to wake up every morning dreading to go to work.

Life’s quirky. Very, actually.

Well, I’m unsure when will be my next post but hopefully the connection will arrive at my doorstep or my modem within the next two days because we are tired of bugging and threatening the technicians. They seem to be very incompetent workers, frankly speaking. I won’t be surprised if their customers call up and give them a good yelling over the phone because of their incompetence.

Have a good weekend everyone!

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I’m terribly sorry for the lack of updates for the past few days. Also, I have not been able to visit any of your blogs too due to the disrupted connection or rather unavailability of connection at my new pad. I have been waiting for the telco to transfer the line from my old place to the new one so that the internet can be connected but until today they have yet to do so. Such dilly dallying creatures and I wish I could threaten them with real threats. I am deprived of my internet connection and though there were wireless signals at my pad it was too weak for me to intercept so there’s no way for me to steal anyone’s connection. Anyway, I planted my arse at the cyber cafe since it is only MYR1 per hour - great bargain because it is the school holidays right now. A marketing way to attract more youngsters to game their lives away. Uh huh! To cut the long story short - I am deprived and I cannot enjoy the comforts of being at home while going online. Sigh.

Well, here’s the continuation of Miss Ng’s birthday at Palate Palette. Just a few photos of my friends enjoying themselves. I promise that there will be a proper update once I get my connection at home. Do bear with me.

There will be more to come soon, so stay tuned! I’ll be back soon!

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Due to unforeseen circumstances, the earlier plan for Julee’s birthday was postponed even though it was supposed to be celebrated one week before the actual day. Anyway, to cut the long story short, the celebration glided smoothly.

We celebrated her birthday this year at one of the swankiest restaurant in town named Palate Palette. The place was armed with the funkiest and colorful designs all over and it was not a sore eye but an interesting joint for friends to catch up with a few rounds of cocktails. There were seven of us including the birthday girl and we all had fun because of the laughter we had had.

It was the usual for the whole night – we talked, laughed and joked over food and drinks. Small talks all around and I could almost feel the tension and stress that everyone has been burdened with evaporating. Indeed, it was a good feeling and the party was a success too because we ended up going into a club and how we managed to smuggle my eighteen year-old brother in. That was unplanned, like seriously!

Anyway, the night ended well with all of us having so much fun. I hope the birthday girl felt the same and that she enjoyed herself too.

Off topic; I’ll continue the birthday series in the next upcoming post with more photos of the food and drinks we had and to the cutting of the cake by Miss Ng. However, I might not be able to visit your blogs as often as I’d like to because I’ve been busy moving to a new pad and the Internet connection over there has yet to be connected.

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About two weeks ago, I attended a friend’s graduation recital and whilst on our way to the university, RJ’s aunt called up and asked her to get a bouquet of flowers. Dylan was driving and the call came at the right time because we were a stone’s throw away from the turning into a housing area and there were some flower stalls by the roadside. Unfortunately, the one frequented by most people were closed on that day and there left only one single stall by the roadside. We stopped in front of the stall and started choosing the appropriate flowers and I was walking around until I spotted the stall’s simple signboard made from a piece of thin wooden plank and it says …

“Khanita Flowers, By The Roadside Under The Trees”

Immediately, I called out to RJ and Dylan to have a look at the signboard and all of us ended up having a good laugh because it was really hilarious - the description of the shop and where it was located.

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Off topic; click on the photo to see a larger image. I bought this birthstone Rosary two years ago when I visited Quiapo Church or also known as Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene in the Philippines. Later, I took the Rosary into the church for the Priest to bless it with Holy Water because I am not a Catholic.

My posts have been sporadic lately due to my routine and I cannot seem to find a good time where I can actually sit down in front my laptop and type my thoughts away. Lately, many unexpected things have been happening – the good and the bad. No matter how hard a person tries to explain himself there will still be judgment day because it is human nature to make assumptions and judge everyone. Pieces of my thoughts are floating and I cannot help but to recall something – the truth that was spoken perforated into trap created by knaves.

Everything is moving slowly without any excitement and somehow the world seems a little dull to me. Maybe it was my thought process that led me to believe that reality is colorless (at the moment) and only in shades of black and white even though there were happy moments and endings for certain issues. Everyone seems to be monotonous these days too. It feels like all of us have been subjected to the caste system – the well-known social stratification and restrictions in India.

An unwanted tragedy happened too. Very sudden and unexpected of it to happen and I am still trying to digest the whole pictorial and also coming to terms of acceptance. However, I am positive that everything will come to a good end and today I realized the importance of friendship – once again and how a good friend can stick by a person through thick and thin.

The road of friendship and relationship may be foggy but if you do not try hard enough to walk into the misty pathway, you will never know what is waiting for you on the other side. In this life we need not only our kin but dear friends too. I am extending my heartfelt gratitude and thanks to a good friend of mine for the help that has been given for the past two days because if it was not for the aid things could have been bad. I am sure that someone feels the same way as I do too.

0500 hours is approaching soon and here I am still writing away in my personal space. I am trying to sleep but my mind cannot seem to rest because someone dear was admitted for observation and maybe surgery later in the morning or the next day. Anyway, my faith and prayer is constantly there and I believe that that person will be fine under the care of professional healthcares. This also shows that life is often unpredictable and anything can happen at any time of the day. With the strength one has in faith and religion, many obstacles can be tackled tactfully. Like they always say, God is the Greatest of all beings.

Signing off now.

Good night or rather good early morning!

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