Lolo Pete's Wake

Here are snippets of the wake.

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Aguinaldo Room of Funeraria Paz, Manila Memorial Park Sucat.

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Inside the family room...

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Jof, Aly + Richard

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Joanne, Gabbi, Angel + Aly

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Big Moe, Me + Aly

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The three kulits.

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During mass (photos were taken on different days).

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I got the best advice about moving on from my cousin Kokoy. He told me that we have to learn to accept that lolo is no longer with us. We did everything we could when he was alive just so he can be with us longer, but in spite of all the effort, lolo was not getting any better. Nahihirapan na rin naman sya. At least now, we know that he is in a better place and more importantly hindi na sya nahihirapan.

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He couldn't have said it any better.

Remembering Lolo Pete

Me and my lolo back in the early 80's.

I finally found the courage to write this...

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On 11 November 2008 around 11.30am, my Lolo Pete passed away. On that same day, my entire world stopped.

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I found out thru my sister. She sent me a text message because she was at the hospital with him when he had a cardiac arrest. I called her. Then I cried. A lot. I wailed, I bawled. My hands shook, I felt weak and I lost the will to do anything. I managed to call my husband and asked him to come home because I was pretty useless at that point and someone had to pick up our daughter from school. We took the next available flight to Manila on that same night.

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He didn't even make it to his birthday. It was supposed to be on 19 December. My cousin Joanne and I were planning a big surprise for him but it all came crashing down. I was so looking forward to coming home but not like this; not for my lolo's funeral.

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You see, there are grandparents and there is THE grandparent who meant everything to you. Lolo Pete was the latter. I remember the last time I spoke with him before he passed away. We were chatting and the webcam was on. He wanted to thank me and my husband for the gift that we sent. I kept telling him that it was nothing and there was more to come on his birthday. We also made plans for him to come and visit us in Bangkok when he was feeling better. Then he started crying. Good thing I was standing up and I was out of the webcam's range or else he'd see that I was crying too. That's how my lolo was. It doesn't take much to please him so the smallest thing that you do really means a lot.

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Let me share with you some photos and the eulogy that I wrote for my lolo.

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When we were babies: Me, Lolo Pete and my cousin Chig.

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Another early pic: Chig, Lolo Pete, Me, my brother Mick, my sister Angel and Lola Nene.

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Lolo's birthday (can't remember the year): Me, my brother Jof (partly hidden), Angel, my cousin Kokoy, Lolo Pete, Mom, Lolo's helper Neneng, Chig and tito Vicstan.

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Tito Jun's birthday (again, I forget the year): Me, tito Jun, Kokoy, Lolo Pete, Angel, Mom, Tita Papot, Big Moe.

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During our wedding: Lolo Pete, Richard and Me.

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Mom's 50th birthday: Angel, tita Papot and Lolo Pete.

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Lolo's favorite pic.

To tell you the truth, writing my grandfather’s eulogy was difficult for me. It’s easy for me write about anything under the sun, but putting all of my lolo’s good traits into writing is a challenge because I don’t think I can ever do justice to what he achieved in his lifetime.

I have a lot of fond memories about my lolo. He was a doting grandfather who spoiled me and my cousins to no end. I remember when we were younger, we would have our weekly dates with our him at Shakey’s Magallanes. If we had requests that were not granted by our parents, lolo Pete was always there to save the day. I don’t remember a single incident where he got mad at his grandchildren. Never po syang nagalit sa mga apo nya. Kaya lolo Pete was our ultimate idol and his grandchildren were his biggest fans. We practically worshipped him. Para po yang artista kapag dumarating kasi lahat po kami sinasalubong sya. Kung may ginagawa man po kami, ititigil naming yun para salubungin si lolo. Our lolo always made us feel loved and he made sure that we knew it. To him, each one of us was his best apo – ang pinakamaganda, pinakagwapo o pinakamabait na apo. If we were able to give back feel even half of the love that our lolo made us feel, then I’m sure that he was very happy.

It doesn’t take a lot to please our lolo. The tiniest effort that you did for him becomes the biggest and best thing in the entire world. Kahit po gawan nyo lang sya ng tuna sandwich na galing sa lata, para sa kanya iyon na ang pinakamasarap na sandwich na natikman nya. Sasabihin nya na “it’s the best in the west”. If you make him instant coffee, it becomes the best coffee that can put Starbucks to shame. For our lolo, no small deed goes unnoticed and he will always let you know how much he appreciates what you did for him. I guess that’s his way of teaching us to always see the good side in everything.

So how do you say goodbye to someone that you hold close to your heart? The truth is you don’t. You never will. You can never say goodbye because they will remain in your heart forever.

We love you, lolo and we will miss you – we already do. Things are not the same now that you’re gone. We will miss your jokes, your funny stories, and best of all, your big, hearty laugh. Thank you for everything -- I wish I was able to say all of this to you in person, but I know that you are watching over us now in heaven. The world is now a less happy place now that you’re gone, but we know that you are in a better place now with lola Nene and tito Vicstan. Farewell, lolo Pete and may the angels guide you on your journey.

In behalf of our family, kami po ay nagpapasalamat sa lahat sa inyo na nakikiramay sa amin. Losing a loved one is never easy. It is always devastating. But seeing all of you here – seeing the number of people’s lives that our lolo Pete has touched, makes me feel honored to be his apo. He truly was a great man and his passing is a big loss not only for his family, but for a lot of people as well. Salamat po sa inyong lahat.

iPod. Finally.

After years of resisting and convincing myself that I didn't really need it, I finally jumped on the iPod bandwagon. Now the keyword here is didn't, which means dati hindi ko sya kelangan but now I do -- or at least I think I do. Haha!

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Yeah...I think I have a good enough reason to buy a new iPod because my old mp3 player died on me.

Well, I didn't really expect it to last long because it's not a real iPod Shuffle. That's what happens when you buy a fake.

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Anyway, here it is.

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It looks blue here, but it's actually purple. My first choice was red but the guy at the shop told me that red is only available in the US. So I bought a red silicone case instead.

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What I love about this case is the back part.

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See? No messy cords! I'm OC so this silicone case + me = match made in heaven.

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Ayan, mas ganado na ko magpunta sa gym with my new iPod. Did you know that Gwyneth Paltrow and I have something in common? Si Madonna lang naman ang gym buddy naming dalawa. Haha! Her Madgesty and Gwynnie exercise together -- in the flesh! -- while I just listen to my all-time favorite queen of pop's hits when I'm on the treadmill. Listening to Give It To Me always makes me want to up the speed so I can keep up with the song! And Jump never fails to make me feel good.

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Btw, I know this totally contradicts my last post, BUT in my defense, I bought this last Sunday and that was before I decided to go on a shopping ban. Plus, I saved money for this. How? I made small adjustments in our weekly budget (meaning no manicure/pedicure/massage/Starbucks) and placed the extra money in an envelope until I had enough for an iPod.

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You know, it really feels different if you save up for something. Mas excited ka bumili with the anticipation, the wait and all. It's like going to the finish line after a marathon. You're glad that the run -- or in this case, the wait and pagtitipid is finally over and reaching your goal (or the acquisition) is much sweeter.

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My next project now is to save up for my husband's PSP. It's my sister's fault she got us hooked on this. Tuloy, gusto na namin bumili. But it's not really that important. It can wait. For the meantime, pag-iipunan ko muna.

Shopping Ban for the Domestic Goddess

I just finished paying the last of our Christmas expenses last night so now I am voluntarily* placing myself on a shopping ban for the next two months or until I lose the extra weight that I gained during the holidays. Whichever comes first.

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*Voluntary, meaning I decided to do it because my husband made parinig to me last week that he won't buy any clothes daw muna because he still has some shirts that he hasn't even worn yet. I'm sure my dear husband was actually projecting that to me and he was not really referring to himself. Heehee!

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Anyway, I haven't been to the mall since Sunday. Believe it or not! It's actually very effective if you want to avoid spending. Haha! But I know that I can't avoid the mall for long. Sooner or later (as in mamaya? hehe!) I will have to go. Pwede naman window shopping dba? I just hope that they don't have any crazy sales going on or else that will be the true test of my willpower. That's the kind of test pa naman where I know I will fail miserably. Ok lang with clothes because I can avoid that (because I know that nothing will fit me at this moment), but shoes and houseware? Oh my... Better to stay at home na nga lang to avoid temptation.

Winter in Bangkok

When I unpacked my luggage from our holiday trip, I stashed all my jackets and sweatshirts at the back of my closet thinking that I won't be needing them anymore. But just as I was making room for summer clothes and having visions of beach trips, hot afternoons and ice-cold drinks, I realize that it's still winter in Bangkok.

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One morning, as I was about to hang our laundry, I was greeted by a cold blast of air when I opened the door to our balcony. When you put your hand out the door, it's like sticking your hand inside the freezer. It's just like being in Tagaytay but without the humidity.

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Now I need to put out my jackets, shawls and sweatshirts once again because I need to wear them even on a sunny day. I'm even thinking of buying a pair of tights. Hehe!

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Sigh...I was so looking forward pa naman to basking in warm Bangkok weather after spending weeks in freezing cold Tagaytay.

The Lesson That I Learned From Flying Cebu Pacific

The first time we flew Cebu Pacific was during our honeymoon at Plantation Bay Cebu. We did not encounter any problems back then -- except for the fact that we missed our flight back to Manila, but that was my fault because I thought our flight was at 6pm. Yun pala, it was at 5pm. Hehe!

The second (and most definitely our last) time we took Cebu Pacific was when we went home for the holidays. Why? Because their service sucks. Period.

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Never mind the super uncomfortable seats; I can deal with that since it was only a three-hour flight, but what I hated the most was they made us pay Php10,000 for our excess baggage!! Ok, so we were not exactly travelling light -- we brought four (4) luggages + one (1) box @ 61 kilos on our way to Manila, and five (5) luggages @ 80 kilos on our flight back to Bangkok -- but I think I have a valid reason to react this way. You see, we were given a 20-kilo baggage allowance on our way to Manila and with three (3) passengers, ok lang. So even if we had an excess of one (1) kilo, they did not make us pay for that. But, on our way back to Bangkok, we were only given a 15-kilo allowance. WTF?! We asked the guy at the counter how come they're only giving us 15 kilos this time when we were given 20 kilos on our way here? His answer: baka daw tutulog-tulog yung nasa counter sa Suvarnabhumi Airport at malamang daw na-debit yun sa staff. Sabi ko nga, talaga? Eh di ibig sabihin nun lahat ng pasahero ng eroplano na-debit sa kanya because we were all given a 20-kilo allowance. Richard asked if he can speak to the manager but he said kahit daw kausapin pa yung manager, ganun lang din daw yung sasabihin sa amin. Richard still insisted that he speak to someone who can decide on these matters, but he didn't call anyone, he did not pick up the phone, he did not even pretend to contact anyone. He said he "checked" the computer but there was no record of our last flight and how much allowance was given to us so he can't really prove if we were given 20 kilos or not. Yeah right.

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Richard and I knew that even if we were given a 20-kilo allowance, we would still be over by 20 kilos. But that's way better than paying for 35 kilos at Php400 per kilo! Kalokohan na yun dba? Para na rin kami nagbayad ng isa pang tao. Anyway, the kindhearted (you do realize that I am being sarcastic here, right?) guy behind the counter told us that after much consideration, he will only charge us for 25 kilos. We tried to push our luck by asking for further discount but he said parang hindi pa yata kayo natutuwa na tinawaran ko na kayo ng sampung kilo. Geez. Utang na loob pa pala namin sa kanya that he gave us a huge discount given the fact that we are the aggrieved party here. So we were standing there for what seemed like forever until finally, we just decided to shell out Php10,000. Kasi mukha namang wala ring mangyayari kahit magdamag kaming tumayo dun. At that very moment, we decided that we will never fly Cebu Pacific ever again.

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At hindi lang yun...we were supposed to wait at gate 114, but when we got there, gate 114 was for Kuala Lumpur. So we proceeded to gate 115, only to learn that our flight will be delayed for another hour. They did not say why (or maybe I just missed the annoncement?) While we were waiting, they started calling the passengers in small batches so the staff can collect our boarding pass. Para daw mabilis na makapag-board pagdating ng eroplano. Then, they started calling all passengers with babies and small children so we got up and went to the gate. Konti lang naman yung may mga bata so the other passengers were right behind us. We thought that we will be able to board the plane right away, but lo and behold! We had to wait again, on our feet, at the boarding bridge. Why did they ask us to go there when the plane wasn't even ready yet? Pinauna pa nila ang mga bata eh patatayuin pala nila. We were better off waiting at the gate. At least dun may mga upuan. The Cebu Pacific staff who met us at the bridge wasn't very friendly either. Parang sya pa yung galit when one of the passengers asked her why we can't board the plane yet. Kasi daw they were still checking the plane. Aaah...dbale na magtiis kami sa kakahintay tutal it's for our safety naman. Gosh, did these people ever think that we paid for our tickets? We deserve an ounce of courtesy at the least! Sabi nga ng mommy ko, nagastusan ka na, pinahirapan ka pa.

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So what was the lesson that I learned from Cebu Pacific? Don't be fooled by the cheap rates because there's a catch for sure. Cheap rates = crappy service. Before I made our booking, I compared the rates of PAL and Cebu Pacific, and the latter was cheaper by THB10,000. We chose Cebu Pacific thinking that we got a good deal on our plane tickets. Or so we thought because we ended up paying the same amount if we flew PAL. At least with PAL, the seats are better, they provide blankets and food.

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So to our family and friends back home who are planning to fly Cebu Pacific, let this serve as a warning. 15 kilos lang ang allowed ha! And don't expect to be wowed by their service. I'm not saying don't fly Cebu Pacific because if you want bigger savings on your plane ticket, go with them. However, remember to pack light. That means, if you're going to BKK and you're planning to do a lot of shopping, either you take PAL or you can send your stuff by courier (I can refer you to Tita Baby's contact at Pratunam).

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As for me and my family, never again. We will just consider the amount that they charged as donation for the improvement of their service. Ha! As if that's going to happen.

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Looking back, I realized that I should have paid attention to the warning signs. I've read about bad experiences with Cebu Pacific on the internet and thru forwarded emails. I just crossed my fingers and hoped that it won't happen to us. Oh well, as my husband said, charge to experience na lang.

This is their check-in counter at Suvarnabhumi Airport. It took us around an hour to check-in. Can you believe that?! The line was moving at a very slow pace. The other airline counters were practically empty. And if that were any indication of the airline's efficiency, then Cebu Pacific ought to be ashamed.

Buti na lang hindi mainipin si Alyannah because she finds ways to keep herself busy.

As for me, I was too excited to go home so I did not let the long wait bother me.

Naka-ngiti pa kami dito kasi ok pa kami.

Come to think of it, papunta pa lang kami ng Manila ang dami ng hassle. The long line at the check-in counter, waiting for what seemed like ages at the gate (sabi last call na daw for Cebu Pacific pero when we arrived at the gate, all the passengers were still there waiting). Then, when we were finally able to board the plane, we had to wait for another hour before we took off kasi daw we were still waiting for one passenger. Hay...I tried not to let these small things bother me because I was really looking forward to going home at that time. But now that I think about it, flying Cebu Pacific wasn't a very pleasant experience. I really learned my lesson. I'd rather pay more and get better service than pay less and get crappy service.

The Domestic Goddess (and Family!) is back in Bangkok!

I'm baaack!

I know it's been a while, but I've been very busy in the past two months that I didn't have time to blog. My favorite grandfather, Lolo Pete, passed away last November so we had to fly back to Manila for his funeral. After that, my parents and my titas went to Bangkok with us but they got stranded -- no thanks to the protestors who took over Suvarnabhumi Airport. A week after my parents were finally able to fly back to Manila, it was our turn to go home for the holidays.

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Madami akong kwento. I just have to figure out kung ano ang uunahin ko so stay tuned.

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In the meantime, maglalaba lang muna ako :)