chronicles of portland

i couldn't wait for friday to get to fly to portland and meet up with morgan, jessica and reuben. we were planning to hangout in portland from two weeks back when morgan sent out that invitation. the flight was uneventful (got delayed a bit) and i landed safely but a bit late in portland. morgan was already at the airport when i came out and he gave me a big hug before we proceeded to the baggage claim area. morgan drives a big F150 and since he just moved to this part of portland a week ago, we actually had to make several u-turns before he finally figured out where his house is. the house was big and sits on 23 acres of land and morgan's room was big and comfortably fits 2 sofas aside from his bed. i got a chance to meet flo, morgan's roommate who was quite chatty (almost in a drug-induced state if i might say) which helped in a way bridge the silence. we drank our beer/ale at the roofdeck as jess pulled over the driveway with reuben. i finally got to meet jessica's husband this time.

the first night in portland was spent by first checking out the white eagle where they have me try out the spanish coffee (coffee liqueur, rum, coffee & whipped cream) while we listened to some bluegrass music. we chatted a bit with some hummus and nachos when mesh came in before we proceeded to this tapas place called collosus (?). mesh's wife (rajestri) joined us for dinner and we learned that the chitgopekars were expecting their first baby - yahoo! congratulations to mesh & rajestri!!! the sangria at this place was awesome - smooth, fruity wine that was just unbelievably good every which way i drank it. the tapas we ordered were very good too (clams, empanada, veggies, mushrooms) that we finished most of what we ordered. after dinner, we checked out some bars before settling to this school-turned-bar/theatre/etc called kennedy school. this was really fascinating and weird in the sense that you have this old, history-rich place and you're chugging beer as you walk by the halls. i was pretty buzzed by the time we decided to call it a night.

saturday. snow day. it was a long drive going to breitenbush where i finally managed to see snow in all its natural, uhmm wet from the rain, glory. thankfully, jess & morgan lent me winter clothes that kept me warm enough to appreciate playing in the snow. we couldn't really find a steep enough slope to sled on so what the guys did instead was to tie a rope and the sled at the back of the pick-up truck and drag it along the snow. it was a big adrenaline rush when i tried it. we also had a snowball fight - yeah, real life snowball fight. we were wet from the rain and after a couple of driving to find a slope for sledding, we gave up and decided to go to the hotsprings instead. after we managed to find morgan's friend who works at the hotsprings, we were on our way to dip into the hot pools (there were a number of them) and the pools we walked to were packed with literally naked people, yes - you heard me - naked. while we walked by, most of them seemed like they were sizing us up from head to toe - can't say i blame them, we were definitely fresh meat (translation : uber gorgeous) - hahaha. we settled at the spiral pools instead where we stayed for an hour or so - in our bathing suits (conservative? naah ... would have i done it naked? hmmm probably. maybe.). it was surreal being soaked in a hot tub while there were snow all around - it even started to snow for real right after.

when we got back to portland, we showered and changed and decided to go see jujuba play at the goodfoot. jujuba is a 12-member band that delivers funky, danceable style of nigerian juju and afrobeat music. it was different but it was quite good music to dance to - and after a few rounds of beers and reuben starting up with the cocktails - crown royale+coke and gin tonic, we were quite drunk soon after. jessica was the designated driver and so that gave reuben, morgan and i permission to drink non-stop. i think i was half-asleep during the drive home - half-sleeping & waking to tap out the newspaper morgan kept poking at me.

we woke up sunday quite late and decided to get breakfast at this place called genie's where i had really good eggs benedict and huckleberry pancakes. the wait for breakfast was worth it since the food was great. over breakfast, we talked about our plans for the future, what we want to do with our lives and this is the part i felt like we have really bonded. after our meal, we went to downtown portland soon after where i finally managed to buy my macbook -no sales tax and intel discount. that was sweet. we met with jessica's brother chris afterwards where we got to hangout, drink some more nitro (pale), play some pool (to which i sucked so badly) before deciding to have some mini-burgers, tater tots and hummus. jessica and reuben left that night back to seattle.

i managed to try and be a potter kid this time - trying in a few for the sake of it. pottery barn it seems is legal in oregon owing it to its medicinal benefits - oh yeah! we watched some of morgan's roomies play some tunes in the basement but i turned in quite early later on seeing i had an early flight in the morning. i almost felt sorry having to wake up morgan so early to drive me to the airport but well, i had no choice.

i was leaving portland with a heavy heart - missing already how great the last two days, three nights have been.

you can also view these pictures here : hanging out in portland

finding good friends at the other side of the globe

i started working with jessica when during the infamous IE reorganization a couple of years back and we've developed a friendship having worked on numerous projects. i met morgan during part of the systems explore efforts last year only but it didn't take long for us to hit if off seeing he was already friends with jessica and mindy. morgan's invitation to come to portland came two weeks prior and it wasn't a hard decision to purchase a $218 roundtrip ticket to portland seeing that jess and her husband reuben was going to be there to spend the weekend showing me around.

i was expecting already a great time ahead but the real bonus to the trip was really getting to know the real jessica and morgan - the "them" outside of work, the "them" that you get to talk to about everything and anything under the sun (or the lack of it in portland). people can and will surprise you if you have the time to talk to them. i never realized morgan was philosophical, that he was into books (yes, i will check out the Celestine Prophecy) and that he knew or even heard of the gnostic gospels. i knew he was well traveled having spent a good year roaming around asia and parts of europe and it was really a part of his life i was quite intrigued with. one-way ticket to asia, selling all of his properties back here in the US - basically leaving your life behind and venturing into the unknown. that is truly remarkable and i don't know if that is something i will be able to do - in more ways than one, i like having a security blanket. can i live life as simple as he does, not crave for so much clothes, and so much of the good stuff? i probably should and then maybe i can finally save enough money to go and travel around europe like i always wanted to.

jessica, nothing much to say about her except i love her. she's one of the few people in the group i'd trust with everything. she's exceptionally chatty which makes for good conversation, can be highly opionionated and somewhat bitchy if you don't give her her morning dose of caffeine. in portland, it was the first time i met jessica's husband, reuben, and they make for a lovely & attractive pair. Reuben is goodlooking and jessica has always been quite fetching.

i hope both jessica and morgan have a trip to manila soon so i can take them out, bring them to boracay or something. jessica can get a good, cheap pampering at the foot/nail spa and both of them can get a great full-body massage at sole-2-sole. it will be fun to hang out with them in boracay.

this weekend made me realize that i've found really good friends on the other side of the globe, not just acquiantances but real friends. i don't expect to see them that often or hear everything that's happening in their lives but i know that when next we see each other, the friendship will always be there.

mac and me

and so finally, after years of drooling not being able to buy it (cause of the processor and yes, it was hard to afford it), i finally managed to get my hands on my first ever apple computer. yes, i am now the proud owner of a 2GHz, 80GB HDD, 1GB RAM, Superdrive, 13" widescreen white macbook.

i got my macbook in oregon over the weekend where there is no sales tax so i get the full 6% intel discount. thanks to jessica for dissuading me on buying an ipod shuffle (which i think i should be able to get with a little cash using my credit card points - teehee!). haven't really used it that much yet except a few tinkering here & there. i'll probably get a wireless mighty mouse tomorrow since i don't really like using trackpads. i already know what my first project is - create a picturebook for my nephew and have it printed. that will be really nice since he doesn't really have a lot of printed pictures right now.

so right now, i have the best of both worlds ... pc for my desktop and work laptop ... mac to manage my digital life - and then some!

living independently

for the longest time, i've wanted to try living independently off my family. the desire is not because i don't like living with them (ok? sometimes they do get into my nerves) but because i want to see how its like not having to depend on people to cook your food, pay the bills, wash the dishes and stuff - you know what i mean. at 32, i've never really done any of that - and by that i mean for an extended period of time. this trip changes all that, and sure its just 1 week more than the longest trip i had before but the difference this time is i chose to stay at an apartment-type lodging complete with kitchen, washer and dryer, dvd players, the whole gamut of a bachelor living his own life and earning his own keep. in a way its not really the full experience i've had in mind - not having to pay the electric bill and the rent but hey i do budget my allowance, do the groceries, wash and dry my clothes, wash the dishes, the pots and pseudo-clean the house (yes, they provide housekeeping). but the thing i like the most is cooking and most turn out to just the way they should be and sometimes i learn a lesson or two on how to make it better the next time i make it. while i don't really make everything from scratch - kind of hard seeing i don't really have all of the ingredients and hey, i work here too (did i tell you that?) that i use prepared sauces and mixes already on some of the dishes.

so far i know how to do sinigang, nilaga, beef with brocolli in oyster sauce, baked salmon with mayo & onion sprinkles, menudo (without the liver eh), afritada, adobo - these at least take some time to prepare. those that sort of quickies (due to the prepared sauces) include black pepper chicken, lemon chicken, and orange fish fillet. i should be able to try some more filipino dishes when i get back to manila. i probably should try kare-kare (but i'd have to find a good recipe) - i'll ask cindy for her mom's recipe, they make a mean kare-kare. its not hard to cook here since i can immediately wash everything in running, hot or warm water.

this is living the life. but there are people i do miss back home.

five weeks & counting

i can't believe its been five weeks already since i came here to the US. time really moves fast whether you want it to or not. this is like a tug-of-war because during the weekday when i need to work, i can't wait for friday to come, dread the weekend will be over, and then wake up the next week wanting for my trip to last longer. there's three more weeks left in my trip and next weekend i'm going to portland, then the next week i'd have to do my shopping. crap, i can't believe i haven't bought any shoes yet in the last five weeks - this is a first, yay. i guess i'm trying not to squander so much of my savings since i really want to buy a mac computer. i did splurge a bit already by buying a $100 bose earphones (which i do not regret a bit, its awesome).

work has been busy the last few weeks. after i got that "scolding" from nurse betty, it sort of woke me up just a little bit from my "work slumber." so i've been pretty active after that incident cause damn if i let my good name get sullied by nurse betty. its about to get busy some more in the next three weeks since there will be more discussions and a presentation i'd have to prepare. i should start planning for it really but i'm having a really lazy weekend.

i miss my friends back home - there's really no one to go out here and its too uninspiring to go to the gym by myself - hence the fat inducing stupor i've been in since i got here. the only good thing here is that i've been quite good at cooking for myself (well i've been using mixed sauces) and i think i've been quite good in cooking sinigang and nilaga (stew). i'm watching the food network right now and i just realized "wow, it'd be nice to be with someone who will cook for you." so add that to the list of traits i'd love my SO (significant other) to have.

ahhh what should i do today? i need to think of what to do, perhaps i should just go to the mall and see where that takes me. should i check out some shoes? or clothes? tempting ... but i should hold off until i get my mac. oh yeah.

valentine treat

i saw this video from the movie "love actually" from dj's multiply account. thanks for posting this. in the spirit of hearts day (though the scene is actually at christmas), i think this is one of the sweetest gestures one can make to somebody they love. whether that person belongs to somebody else. so in the spirit of this day, i love you mcb. i will always love you and i will always look back and cherish all the best times i had with you.

counting down the days ...

hearing it the bose way

the main reason i haven't been going into any of the malls of late was because i didn't want to be tempted and buy anything. i was quite proud that four weeks has passed and i have not bought a single pair of shoes - bummer right? hahaha
seeing i didn't really have anything to do today, i decided to go to az mills to .. you know, just look around. i didn't really buy anything at az mills so i decided to drop by fry's electronics which was just across the freeway. i finally managed to get the measurements of the imac 17" i've been eyeing since i got here. i'd have to check later whether i can fit it (sans the box) in may carry-on luggage (crossing my fingers here and hoping that they release Leopard before i leave).
one of the things that i've been toying around was whether to buy a logitech speaker (similar to what gizie has) or a bose ear/headphone. i knew the earphones would be something i'd be able to use more so i was settled on that. it was quite a difficult decision because the earphones were quite expensive ($100) - but what sealed the deal really was being able to try the bose speakers (tried the headphones) and hearing the difference. oh my, i am so loving these earphones right now, the sound coming out is just awesome.

i am so going to be deaf.

life & times update

hmmm its been quite a while since i last posted anything in my blog. things has just been busy with work, with going out ... just lots of stuff happening. let me see if i can remember most of what has happened the past few weeks.

• i went to Chandler Regional Hospital to get my final vaccine shot where after all the hassle of bringing the vaccine, they weren't going to use that because no doctor will administer anything that is not available in the states. bummer! it was fascinating because it was the first time i've been to a hospital in the US. anyways, i did a bit of waiting just for the medicine but luckily there wasn't a lot of folks in the ER that time. imagine, the last shot should have just cost me probably 1k in pesos, but i had to deposit $200 and call back for the final bill - not sure if that will be higher or lower than $200. well, the company is paying for it. the good news though is that they said i could drink again, so i've been getting really re-acquianted with my bud lite.
• am is here in the US so we (with GC and husband LDC) have been going out for dinner and lunch and everything else during the past week. its super pig-out fest (and yes, i am getting heavier by the day ... dammit!) from oreganos (best cookie/ice-cream dessert), cheesecake factory (best cheesecake), kc moore's (very nice salmon dinner), in-n-out (best fastfood burgers & fries hands down), kfc (uber favorite chicken), panda express (whatever, cheap but uber good orange chicken) and texas roadhouse (unbelievable bread & cinnamon butter + fall-off the bone full slab of ribs). oh well, am is leaving next week so i will start to lose weight and go to the gym - i'll try to do 5x a week. yeah, as if.
• did i say how much i love dr pepper (softdrink)? that's really the only other softdrink i drink here in the US ('course i can do diet coke and mountain dew, and yes, they still call it diet coke here). i love dr pepper!
• i recently had a 1:1 with nurse betty where i got an earful about how i am doing managing my project. let's just say she wasn't happy and i sat there listening to her diatribe. i hated that time cause i was super making pa-cute to this cutie seated at the other table and i was embarrased if the cutie heard me getting a lecture. i knew it was coming - it was just a matter of time - i was seriously slacking off not because i couldn't do the work but because i hadn't been feeling motivated this whole time. i've been having a very difficult time being creative and all that it wasn't just working for me this whole time. short to say, nurse betty screwed up my aura that day. i didn't make any excuses - there wasn't any point to so i just said "i will work on it." i wasn't used to getting scolded like that - i always made sure my work was top-notch but as rln puts it, we're all working just to get by lately. so i did adjust my approach after that - been more talkative (with sense of course) in meetings, taking the initiative to finish my overdue requirements. i'll prove to her i am as good as my reputation.
• nurse betty asked me where i want my increase for this focal - more on base pay or on eb%. it would have been great to have both but after consulting with friends, i decided i wanted it more on base pay. besides the increase probably isn't that big this year and i'm not expecting to get promoted. dammit. haaay wish wish ko lang ... hoping the increase is good enough.
• mb invited me over and stay at his 6-bedroom, 25 acre land in portland. jh was cc'd in the mail and she was coming over too with her husband. jh & i are very good friends. sigh, i really don't know if mb is flirting with me but it doesn't matter, whether he does or doesn't, i'm pretty sure i'd have a great time in portland. flirting back will just be icing on the cake.

let's keep things at that first. i would have wanted to write more details but words are starting to escape me already with today being a friday (in Az) and me getting ready for the weekend.

oh, and by the way, i've already booked a plane ticket to portland. oh yeah!

happy birthday abet

today is the birthday of a good friend. happy birthday abet!
i wish you peace, happiness and love wherever you are.
i (and everybody) miss you.