18th

Inspired by the poetry of Sarah Kay and phrases of Isa Garcia, I wrote the piece below.

For the one whom I have the opportunity to share 18 wonderful months with.

******

Couple of years ago, this is how I knew love will be:

I knew that love is the Prince charming who will come riding in a white horse to sweep me off my feet.

I knew that love will shower me with flowers- just because.

I knew that in arguments I will always win because love will let me get away with it.

Love will chase after me and would murmur sweet nothings in my ears to soothe me.

I knew that love will be sweet and steady and vibrant.

I knew that there will be hard times with love but it will be okay because we could always sort it out before the night ends.

I knew that I will trust love and freely be in its embrace.

Then finally, love came. One thing I notice is it's different but nevertheless beautiful.

Love now:

is a Knight with no shining armor instead he's fond of jackets and has a shiny iphone.

is a travel companion, a food enthusiasts, a tech consultant, a style hunter, a show marathoner and a buddy to all the other wonderful things you would like to try.

knows the difference between making surpises and staging a surprise.

gives chocolates when you are hungry, when you are sad, when you don't want to eat, when you don't want to talk and even when you have run out of reasons to reject.

knows how to rationalize, has opinions and principles. Love cannot be pushed around,

love is a thinking and discerning man.

won't always chase after the fights. Instead of sweet nothings, you'll get a hyper mood which will irritate the drama queen in you.

waits until you calm down, then talk to you. Or sometimes, you ask if you can talk. 

shows the difference between sweet and thoughtful. Sweet is for plesant things. But thoughtful? It's when you didn't want to be accompanied home and even if you pretend you're alone, he will silently walk beside you.

is simply complicated. You are now making decisions not only for you and your preferences.

sometimes gets hurt of the things you do and say, so does you.

is starting to make patterns, rituals, routines - but it's okay. Because you will always find new things to try and new patterns to build.

One thing I know for sure, I found love and it brought we warmth.

Like a hearth which always have fire,

sometimes, the flame is too strong, sometimes weak.

But you regularly gets the best kind of fire,

the one that will entice you to just sit in front of it,

grab some hot chocolate drink and share stories.

******

I know this is late and I don't want to make excuses.

I just took time writing this because I want you to feel what I've been having for the last 18 months I am with you.

I love you, but most of all I trust and respect you.

My Better Late than Never Bucket List (2012)

More than half the year had already passed. We are on the last non-ber month. And times likes this just makes the hair at the back of my neck tingle. The wet and cold weather also makes me giddy of holidays to come. When one thinks of holidays, one cannot help but plan of vacations and recreational activities.

I am a firm believer to the cliché better late than never, so I decided to make a list of the things/places I still want to do/go before the year ends.

Here it is:

1. Learn Archery. I'm never a sporty person, jogging is my sport, seriously. But there's something old-world and regal in archery that fascinates me. Just discovered a place where I can learn and I'm targeting August for this one.

2. Visit a Museum. I'm thinking Ayala or Mind Museum, or maybe both for September, and Bencab Museum when I go to Baguio on December. I still remember the first time I went to National Museum and accidentally knocked my head in the glass encasement of Rizal's diary. My two classmates laughed loudly, thanks to them :))

3. Have a massage and buffet at Sonya's Garden. I am itching to try traveling alone and I think this spa haven in Alfonso, Cavite is perfect for me. Looking at their website of healthy greens somehow also translates to self-discovery for me. I am preparing to do this on my birthday, a gift to self.

4. Attend a music festival/concert. It's been a while since I last attended a concert. I think that was in 2005 when Pinoy Rock once again reigned. Music scene has changed and I'm ready and willing to dive on what it offers today.

5. Road trip to Subic. Every family has that summer destination. Mine is always south: Batangas, Cavite or Tagaytay and never looked back. But 17 years ago, one summer day we went to Subic and frolic in the near-white sand and big waves. A stop-over to Duty Free and sightseeing in the bus while eating hotdog guaranteed a less-noisy metropolitan life. Today, Subic offers more new things mixed with old charm of the beach. I am excited!

To make this list more realistic for me, I'm gonna stop adding items. Hopefully I get to fulfill all that is in this list and write about the experience also.

They say every new experiences we have contributes to our character. Who knows what kind of person I will become after these undertakings :)