After weeks of anticipation, our long-awaited joint birthday celebration for five finally pushed through. And the destination…BAGUIO!
On the night of October 21, we assembled at the back of our building where our rented van was to pick all twelve of us up. When it finally arrived, we laughed in amusement at the sight. It was a school van, even bearing the sign “Caution…children on board” at the back. Well at least it’s a convenient mode of transportation. We figured out how to fit our entire dirty dozen into the rather small van and were soon hurtling off to our destination with the three smallest girls and drew at the back and two guys up front with Mamang Eric, our driver.
make way for the school van! caution: children aboard!
Our first stop was KFC in the North Luzon Express Highway for a late dinner at around 9pm. I had my KFC constant, a Caesar Gogo Sandwich (can’t have enough of them veggies) while the rest had your typical fried chicken.
Then we climbed back into the van for the long ride to the City of Pines.
Turns out my rowmates JC and Gelle were also prone to motion sickness, like me, so we spent the rest of the ride in deep slumber to prevent nausea from kicking in. And because I was in the center, at certain points during the trip I found them both with their heads on my shoulders. Friendster Profile Update –> Occupation: pillow! 🙂
At around 3am we climbed out of the van and into the cold outside of Baguio. We dragged our luggage into Baguio Ina Mansion, where we had a reservation for a two-room condo.
After checking in we headed to the room and wanted to cry at the sight. The place was dingy and small! There were three small bedrooms with a big bed in each. Not exactly what we had in mind.
Quickly we divided the people into three – four smallest girls, three biggest girls, and the boys in the biggest room with a mattress on the floor.
Just then, we were told that another place would be given to us because we wouldn’t fit in the rooms. So the 4 boys went there, while Drew stayed with Yen in one room, and the three other girls were in the other.
We three biggest girls (Keso, Gelle & me) decided to stay together, though. We were so sleepy we decided to sleep straightaway. It was not easy to stay asleep, though. All three of us had to share a single blanket (and a blanket was a necessity in this cold city) and had to hug each other tight in order to keep warm.
12 housemates sa bahay ni kuya? actually..lobby sa baguio ina mansion
We woke up late the next morning and were thrown off our sked. One good news, though, is that Doms found a prettier place for us to stay in. It was located in the same building and was priced the same. So after bathing, we transferred our stuff up there and were so delighted with the new place. It was bigger and cleaner and a hundred times better than the mousehole we stayed in the previous night.
After settling in, it was off to Camp John Hay for brunch. We had a hearty off-budget meal at Dencio’s. Oh well, their dreamy dalandan juice made it all worth it. We looked into some souvenir shops in the vicinity and discovered yummy choco-flavored liquor, Amarula, in a duty free shop. Then we posed underneath the pines before hurtling off to Minesview Park.
lunch at dencio’s
underneath the pines of camp john hay
But before getting there, we stopped over at the butterfly sanctuary first. But it looked like there were no butterflies in there, so we just posed for some more pictures outside.
wacky shots – all boys, all girls (take note, drew is in both groups)
Minesview was crammed full of tiangge that sold all kinds of Baguio souvenirs and food. But before buying our pasalubong we headed for the place that was overlooking Baguio, what the place was named for: a great view.
After striking a few poses, the awards committee, namely we three bedmates (ang sagwa pakinggan!), slipped away from the group to buy award keychains for everybody. Then we wrote their award titles with their names on the keychains.
Unfortunately it rained, so we couldn’t enjoy walking outside. After making a few purchases we got back into the van and headed for the Good Shepherd’s place, where they sold the best tasting ube jam. The jam was so fresh that you were instructed not to close the jar till 3pm the next day to allow it to cool properly.
Everyone bought some along with other goodies like strawberry jam, peanut brittle and lengua de gato. Then we were back in the van.
seriousness pose…kaso may nagtraydor! ANUBAH!
walang turuan! minesview view (ayos magcaption!)
We couldn’t go to Burnham Park because of the damn rain, so we headed to SM instead. Baguio’s SM was rather unique, because it was open air and yet colder than all the other SM malls that are on aircon. We wandered around the shops then settled in at a coffee shop for some coffee to warm us up.
When the others got back, we all had dinner – Mang Andok’s lechon manok and liempo with rice. Then the berks had a surprise for us birthday celebrants — a birthday cake! After they sang our birthday song we closed our eyes, made our wishes, and gleefully blew out the candles. Know what, this is my first birthday cake since my debut. Aww.
birthday celebrants with their surprise cake
After the cake, the awards were up next. Of course we put a lot of thought into each person’s award, and I myself put a lot of effort in writing the description for each award, even putting myself on “do not disturb” status in sametime while I crammed to finish the description. And the fruit of my labor? Here goes..
customer service award
this award is presented to the individual who has contributed to the enhancement of quality customer service at p&g. the criteria for this award are exceptional initiative in “going the extra mile” to provide service to internal and external customers as well as working extra hours at work. for her impressive workaholic tendencies we are hereby granting 100 recognition shares of P&G Friends Pte. Ltd to our customer service awardee, ms. dina.
superstar
there are millions of stars in the firmament, that’s why you have to be an extremely talented star in order to stand out. such is the case with the superstar, nora aunor. she may seem like your everyday lass at one glance, but there is raw talent packed within her small frame, captivating everyone within reach, giving birth to fan clubs who would slit the throats of those who dare insult their idol. such is the power of one of the girls in our group. to underestimate her will be the worst thing anyone could possibly do. her adoring fans abound, and she picks them up quite easily, sans the effort. such intangible appeal. i am speechless with awe. help me award this title to our very own superstar, yen.
ms. gugo
they say that the crowning glory of a woman is her hair. and isn’t it true that a woman’s beautiful hair is her asset? in this year’s beauty pageant, we would like to award the candidate who has the most luxurious hair in the group, such hair that makes women and men alike drool with envy. to get this type of hair, ladies in the audience, you need to use the plant with the scientific name: entada phaseikaudes k meer. this plant has been proven to enhance the hair’s ability to release natural oils to make hair manageable and shiny. this is why we have named the award after this particular plant. and this year’s award for best hair goes to the candidate who also takes home the “best in swimsuit” award, ms. arni. ladies and gentlemen, ms. gugo!
best actor
what is an actor? nowadays he is not just anyone, but someone everyone knows because of his “reputation” which he never fails to regain; someone who is a chick-magnet; someone who has good manners and gentleman behaviour; and of course, someone who can render a heartbreaking, tear-wrenching performance infront of a live audience. ladies and gentleman, for his impressive stint as a “pulubi” in le pavillion, we are awarding BEST ACTOR award to mr. jerome!
big brother
it is the talk of the town, and its theme song has even been a constant in our airwaves. everyone knows about pinoy big brother. but whereas the housemates are bared for the world to see, big brother himself remains a voice while his face remains a mystery. the reason why he has kept himself from the screen, he says, is because he is afraid na alipustahin ng mga tao ang kanyang kasuotan at wala na syang maisusuot EVER. but today, ladies and gentlemen, we have a chance to know something the world does not know, and that is the identity of big brother! but what’s the deal with the title? big brother is someone whose word is the law. whatever he says, goes. takot lang nating makain! diba yen? he’s the one who initiates our lakads. new members have to have his approval before they are allowed into our group. and of course, most importantly, he is BIG. so without further ado, let us put our hands together for our big brother doms!
tanging ina
being single and taking care of your own self is hard enough. just imagine how hard it is to juggle your career, gimik life, and a child all at once! and most girls who marry early are stereotyped as women who have ruined their lives forever. but, ladies and gentlemen, within this very room there is a female who dares to defy the norm! we salute and commend the woman we all wish we could become in the future, our very own tanging ina, rhesa.
rookie of the year
it is not easy being new in a group, especially when everyone has known everyone else practically forever, or in this case, what seems like forever. it takes a special kind of something to fit in and not feel “op” when everyone starts laughing about inside jokes or talk about experiences you didn’t go through. so for being very game and coming along despite knowing the difficulties that he may have to hurdle with this rowdy bunch of misfits, we take our hats off to our rookie of the year, jc.
champ
what is winning? is it about crossing the finish line ahead of the others? but no, my dears, there you are mistaken. winning is simply this: to rise each time you fall. we are proud to have such a gentleman among our friends. when he fell, quite literally, he rose up again and did not let his injury prevent him from going back to work, going back to his friends, and going back to life. he did endure a lot due to his injury..i myself cannot imagine having to go through many days without solid food…but survive this he did. such perseverance! let us clap our hands, then, for our own champion, rich.
so slow
in today’s world, everything is so fast-paced. so fast paced, in fact, that we no longer have time to sit back and relax. as the poem goes:
When you run so fast to get somewhere,
you miss half the fun of getting
there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
it is like an unopened
gift … thrown away.
Life is not a race, so take it slower,
hear the
music before the song is over.
but there is one individual who doesn’t seem to think that fastness is the way to go. so leisurely is he that it takes him about twenty years to understand what others are saying. but hey, because of his lethargic pick-up, the people in his vicinity are given a treat…laughter such that brings tears to their eyes…laughter, which is a gift of life, something that we can never have too little of…laughter, which makes living worthwhile. laughter, the song of the heart, that’s why his award is named after a very popular song. the award “so slow” is hereby given to drew.
decibel
her movie has been remade so many times because it always catches the viewers’ attention, the story of dyesebel, the mermaid. well, in our own circle we have such a girl…she also has long hair and mesmerizing looks that never fails to catch the eyes and hearts of men far and wide. and let’s not forget her voice that also never fails to catch the attention of people everywhere. yes, meron din tayong serena…ay este, sirena pala. ladies and gentlemen our own version of dyesebel, let’s call to the stage our very own decibel, keso.
star in a million
abs cbn has launched a contest that has made stars out of its winners. these champs are not just singers…they are all around talented. their songs have gone multi-platinum and their concerts have been attended by droves of fans who want to hear their lullabies. lucky for us we need not go far and need not buy tickets nor make siksik with all the “eww!” masses. in our midst is our own multi-talented champ, who has the voice of sarah geronimo and at the same time the moves of angelina jolie aka ms. smith. it takes sheer guts and the pure makings of a star to perform infront of a huge crowd..not just once, but twice! let us give a round of applause to our own star in a million, gelle.
In fairness I was able to solicit the laughter that I wanted from the people. Each person stepped up to get their keychain and down a shot of Amarula as their name was called.
In between awards, though, someone would pound on the door because we were so noisy. What was funny was our reaction everytime that happened. We all disappeared from the living room and hid in the cr, behind the ref, even under the table. Hahaha.
And oh, yes, I had an award too: big SISTER. With emphasis on the last word, they said, because I was so caring to each one in the gang and organized the entire escapade. In Gelle’s words, “We wouldn’t be here if not for her.” Aww. Thanks, guys.
After the awards we moved to the bedroom to lessen our noise to the neighbors. We played the card game 1-2-3 pass. Each loser had to pay the price by swigging down a shot of Tequila followed by salt and calamansi, of course.
Then we played another card game, red dog, before having a truth-or-truth session, where we found out some interesting tidbits, especially the list of top 5 girls in P&G wherein our very own Keso was second.
After finishing off the tequila the others decided to sleep while the rest of us stayed up all night talking and swiping the icing off our birthday cake (Keso terms it, “binaboy ang cake”).
1-2-3 pass! followed by truth-or-dare session
mga nagbaboy ng cake
In the morning we were up late again and off-sked. By the time we were ready to leave it was once again brunch time. And off we were to one of Baguio’s most known steakhouses. I had one so huge I had to give away my rice. But I had to try the chocolate leche flan.
On the way back to Manila we passed a veggie shop where I discovered passion fruit for the first time. On the way back we decided to play games to take Arni’s mind off the fact that there was a possibility she wouldn’t be able to make it to the airport in time to catch her plane to Cincinnati.
We played the “continue with the last word of the song” game, then had christmas performances per row (which ended up with our row winning due to kilig factor).
It was actually fun, though we were sweating from the heat because the van had weak aircon. Still, the important thing is that we had fun and that we got home safe and sound.
Bitin, though. I wanna do Baguio again! 🙂