Their story is one for the books...

This is the story of the mom of a very good friend.

When my friend shared this story with me, I thought it was something worth sharing with everyone (or at least, to cheeseballs like me. Haha!)

The parents of my friend have separated a long, long time ago. My friend's Dad, I assume years after the separation, found another woman to love and is now stepmom to my friend. My friend's biological Mom, on the other hand, has been single for quite some time now.

Just before Christmas, my friend's Mom made an announcement. She was already seeing someone. It seems like a serious relationship. It is a serious relationship. They're planning to get married some time this year.

My friend couldn't be more happier for her Mom. Before the announcement, my friend was already starting to get worried about her Mom. Who will she spend time with? Who will be there for her? And we're talking about a life partner here rather than a mother/daughter relationship. So the announcement was very much welcomed.

When my friend asked who the guy was, her Mom said that it was a guy she knew all the way back in high school. Yes, from high school! They were either classmates or batchmates in the same school.

The guy has been in love with my friend's Mom back then and he continued to love her even after high school, after college, and apparently after several decades.

Just how much does the guy love my friend's Mom? When he found out that she got married to my friend's Dad, he did what most straight guys (from that generation?) would do - down several bottles of liquor and hope that the alcohol would make him forget. Months or years after the wedding, when the guy saw that my friend's Mom was pregnant, the thought that came to his head was, "That should've been my child."

Isn't that the sweetest thing? It is, you have to agree. Hehe!

If you're wondering if the guy ever married, he did. He also raised kids. He lost his wife to cancer a couple of years ago, but he had the chance to prepare for the inevitable loss.

And now, several decades after that love which blossomed in high school, the guy is finally with the woman he truly, truly loved. One true love? Possibly. One great love? Maybe.

After my friend told me this story, we were both gushing at how cheesy it was and how rare this kind of a romantic story happens. (In my head, I was already thinking... basta. This post is about my friend's Mom, not the dreams I have in my mind. Hahaha! ;)

You'd think it only happens in the movies, right??? Apparently, not. (Movies can be inspired by real-life stories every now and then, right?! Hehe!)

Definitely one for the books. Definitely pwedeng pang Maalaala Mo Kaya.

The joint practice that waited for years to happen...

After a number of years, the plan to attend a yoga class with Bernice finally happened. Haha!

In previous yoga-relate entries, I'm quite sure that I already mentioned that it was Bernice who introduced me to the practice. Before she left for the Netherlands several years ago, she would almost always arrive at our get-togethers with a yoga mat slung over her shoulder. This got me interested, and I started asking questions about it.

Bernice left for the Netherlands for graduate school, and I enrolled myself to the gym thanks to a fantab corporate promo. It took a couple of months before I had the guts to attend the yoga classes. But after my first yoga class, I knew I wanted more. That started my yoga journey. I even have a favorite yoga teacher at the gym. Whenever I miss his Saturday class in Glorietta, I would try (very hard) to attend his Sunday class in Galleria. O ha! I was also able to attend one class facilitated by Bikram Manila's Tristan Choa when our HR department invited the guy to hold a session at the office. He's soooo good! When the Global Mala Project happened in Manila a couple of months ago, I was totally happy. That deepened the desire to be practice yoga regularly. I have to say though that I've still got a long way to go. I may know the asanas, but to understand the yoga philosophy is a whole different matter. I know that I have to get myself into a yoga studio outside of the gym for that. We'll see, we'll see.

Anyway, going back to the get-together with Bernice. When she messaged me last month that she'll be in town for the holidays, I brought up the idea of attending a yoga class together. It's only right that teacher and student do that, right? Hehehe! I told Bernice I could probably get her into the yoga class session. We just agreed to meet up at the coffee shop right outside the gym in Galleria. We were both excited.

Fast forward to yesterday. After giving Bernice a big hug, we made our way to the gym. I gave my membership card to the guy behind the counter and told him that I'd like to have Bernice as a guest. The guy hesitantly tells me that my membership does not have that kind of privilege. Toinks!

What do I do? I do what every Pinoy does in similar situations - pakiusap. I gave the guy my sweetest smile coupled with a pa-awa effect and said, "Sir, my friend came from abroad and we'e been planning this for the longest time. We're not even going to work out. We'll just attend the yoga class." If needed, I was ready to make up a story that we came all the way from Alabang or some other area far from Galleria just to attend the class. Hehehe! I know, I'm evil.

Thankfully, the guy was nice enough and let us in. I kept on thanking him and I told him that this would be a one-time thing. (I hope!)

Bernice and I then made our way to the yoga studio, and I'm glad we agreed to meet up at 9 because the gym pushed the class to 9AM instead of the usual 9:30AM. For the next 90 minutes, Bernice, I, and some 10 to 12 people followed the lead of our teacher Pio. What I love about Pio is that he goes beyond the allotted time. Usually, it's just a 60-minute class, but he extends his class and I'm really thankful for that.

After greeting each other "Namaste," Bernice and I stayed behind. We waited for everyone to get out of the studio before I took out Hanschen and Tey's very reliable mini-tripod.

I set up the camera. Bernice and I agreed to do the easier poses - vrikshasana (tree), natarajasana (dancer pose), eka pada rajakapotasana(one-legged king pigeon pose). Wish we could have done some more complex poses but I only had 10 seconds to prepare for the photo. Haha! (The dancer pose could be waaaaay better.)

When we were happy with the photos, Bernice and I got ready to spend the entire day together. We headed to Shangri-la Mall, which I'm starting to really like after all these years. The day included brunch at Penang Hill, coffee at Figaro (why is there no Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in Shang??? Why???), window shopping, and of course, a very good conversation.

I realized that I'm blessed to have a number of people in my life who I always find so easy to talk to. Bernice is one of that. We could spend the entire day, and we would not run out of things to talk about.

It was already late in the afternoon when we parted ways. We took the MRT together. I got off at Cubao station. Her station was GMA-Kamuning. We agreed to meet up again this Saturday. It'll be just as fun because we're going to meet up with former Magsaysay colleagues Noreen and Carol. Yeeey!!!

Hello, 2011...

Happy new year everyone! :)

How was your first day of the year, of another decade?! :)

I thought mine wouldn't be a good one, but things got better. Haha

Yesterday, I woke up feeling feverish. I thought it was nothing so I went on with my plan to go to the gym. The workout did me some good. I was sweating like a pig the whole time and I was hoping that that would make the feverish feeling go away.

It didn't.

When I got home in the afternoon, I took a nap and woke up because I was shivering. I only had the fan turned on, but I was really burning. I had to wear a sweater and bundled myself up in a blanket. I was like that until just before midnight. I don't know why but it seems to be a Dec. 31 curse. Last year I was in the same exact situation. It was much worse though because I brought myself to the Emergency Room. Haha! I won't dwell on that anymore since there's no point in doing that.

Going back to last night, my Mom woke me up before midnight. I was shivering, but I didn't want my Mom to see that so I just tried very hard to put on a happy face. I could hear the sound of the fireworks of our neighbors. I looked out the window and it was all smoke. I could see my Dad, my brothers and my nephews and nieces watching our neighbors with their fireworks. Haha!

I didn't go out of the house anymore to join them. Instead, I joined my Mom at the kitchen/dining area to wait for the guys to return for our Media Noche. For the first time, I was overwhelmed by the amount of food we have on the table. We've always had the same number of dishes prepared every year, but this is the first time it came to my mind that boy, do we prepare a lot! And there's just five of us in the family. (My kiddie nephews and nieces would join, but still there's so much food left to last for two more days. Hehe!)

Anyway, I didn't eat much. I had some pasta, some ham and the 12 pieces of grapes (which my Mom has been making us eat since we were kids. Haha!) After dinner and though feeling sick, I stepped into the shower and took a bath. I promised some friends that I would be joining them for a party at our happy place in Ortigas and I intended to keep that promise. Haha! Fever or no fever, I was already psyched to go out with my friends for our own party to welcome 2011.

The gods seem to have seen the importance of the party because as soon as I got out of the house, I found a cab. I was worried that it was going to be difficult to get a cab, so I could have hugged the Manong when I saw him and his cab. Hehe! I picked up Marl near his house and then we set off for Ortigas.

We met up with Francis, Vince and Joffer, Richard and Gerry, and I-vanchy. When I saw that it was starting to be a couples' gimmick, I had to text I-vanchy to hurry up and get to the bar already. Haha! Just kidding, just kidding. I don't really mind being the third wheel (at first to Marl and Francis), then fifth wheel when another couple arrived, then seventh wheel(?!) (Haha! Is there such a thing?) when another couple arrived. I'm really happy to be with friends on the first few hours of 2011, and I was even happier because I saw that so and so patched things up. Yeyyyy!

The next few hours were spent just dancing, raising our bottles/glasses, and toasting to friendship and so on! Surprisingly, there were a lot of people at the bar. It wasn't like the maddening Friday volume of people but there were still many partygoers. Fun! I have to say that I-vanchy and I missed Edsel, Arthur and Vic since it's usually the five of us wreaking havoc at the bar on Friday nights. Haha! Edsel was in Cavite. Arthur was in Olongapo. Vic was in Sydney.

We left the bar just as the first sunrise of 2011 took place (Gerry and Richard left earlier though). The six of us got into a cab and headed to Rufo's at Shaw for bfast. It was closed. We tried MickeyD's at St. Francis Square and it was also closed. We ended up at a grill/restau in faraway Makati Ave.! Haha! I fell asleep while waiting for the food, maybe because I was feeling sick and just dead tired. Haha!

I got home by 8AM. After saying hello to my family, I headed straight to my room, changed into something more comfy and just hit the sack. Haha!

Good start for 2011! :)

My 2010 in 37 questions...

Sorry, following my friend Noreen lang. :)

1. What did you do in 2010 that you've never done before?
- A half-marathon! :) Completed four half-marathons this year and the highlight was the Standard Chartered Run in Singapore. Destination running FTW!

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
– Yup, kept some of them... will have just one or two in 2011

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
- Shyrel Morco. =)

4. Did anyone close to you die?
- My Tita Cecil, sister of my Mom, who I love dearly. It all happened so very fast. =(

5. What countries did you visit?
- Hong Kong (I love!) and Singapore (I love more!)

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
- That one. ;P Keeping fingers crossed.

7. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
- August and December. The Hong Kong trip with colleagues and the Singapore trip with friends from all over were EPIC!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
- A healthier and much more fit lifestyle. Going down to a 31/32" waistline from a 36/38". Counted iyon, right? ;P

9. What was your biggest failure?
- Uhm, I keep getting myself into a particular WTF situation. ;P

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
- No injuries nor major illnesses. I did have allopesia first half of the year. That was a wakeup call to do something about stress.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
- Hanschen! (My Lumix LX-3!)

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
- My closest friends - for being there.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
- You1 and You2 - You1: friends don't do that to friends, and You2: people don't do that to people.

14. Where did most of your money go?
- Brother's schooling. Home expenses. The economy of Hong Kong and Singapore. LOL!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
- The H&M x Lanvin collaboration? Hehehe! The Singapore run. :)

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?
- Forget You. Haha! Kidding. Uhm, Kelly Rowland's Commander.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? happier
ii. thinner or fatter? definitely fatter
iii. richer or poorer? just the same - richer. #Echos

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
- Cultivating friendships.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
- Letting other people get the best of me.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
- The same way I have the past 30 years - at my Lolo's place in UP Diliman.

21. Did you fall in love in 2010?
- Almost. Sabay pasok ng "Muntik na Kitang Minahal" ng The Company. May ganon?! Haha!

22. How many one-night stands?
- Ano iyon? LOL!

23. What was your favorite TV program(s)?
- Glee, Modern Family, The Vampire Diaries, The Walking Dead

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
- Hate is a strong word.

25. What was the best book you read?
- Uhm, Angelina Jolie's memoirs of her UN work. Inspiring, just inspiring. The message is simple - Stop watching things happen. Make things happen.

27. What did you want and get?
- New artwork
- How about something I did not want but get? The trip to HK was not part of 2010 plans, but I'm happy it happened. :)
- Something from Miuccia's closet.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
- Difficult. Liked a lot of movies. But the biggest surprise for me was liking Till My Heart Aches End. Not a Kimerald fan at all, but I absolutely adored the movie.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
- 28!!! Ibaba ang kilay, please. :) Uhm, got a haircut then dinner.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
- Hmmmm....

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
- More adventurous. Hehe!

32. What kept you sane?
- Best friends. The gym! (Serious.) Si Lordy and si Mama Mary. (Always, always.)

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
- Hmm, can't think of any.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
- RH Bill and the Church meddling

35. Who did you miss?
- Wala naman. Siya iyong naka-miss. Kidding.

36. Who was the best new person you met?
- Uhm...

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010:
- Stop overstressing or else you'll lose your hair... seriously.

Starry, starry holiday (part 2)...

The other major, major stars I got to meet during the holidays were the boys of the Philippine national football team - the Azkals. Totally unexpected. I've been hearing about the guys primarily through Twitter after they made headlines with the defeat of Vietnam at the Suzuki World Cup. It didn't occur to me that I would actually get the chance to meet them.

Tuesday of the last work week was crazy. I got a text from my senior manager Monday night that I had to attend a meeting Tuesday morning re: the Azkals meet & greet. I didn't think the meet & greet would happen that same day!!! At 9AM, I rushed to make welcome banners and photo walls. And then I had to harass my suppliers to print the banners and photo walls in time for the 1PM program. That meant I needed the materials before 12 noon. I had to move heaven and earth. Haha!

It was all worth it though. There was a huge turnout of employees at the program. And despite the crowd, I had the best seats in the house because I was allowed to freely move around. Thanks to my senior manager for assigning me to do the coverage. It was the best!

Up close with the Azkals. Etheridge. Borromeo. Del Rosario. Grier. Greatwich. I was having a field day. Haha!

Of course, the real star of the season is Lordy. Gusto mo iyong segue na iyon?! Hehehe! Thank you, Lordy, for another wonderful year. :)

Titles to read for early 2011...

Look what's happily piled on the side of my bed and waiting to be read. Haha!

These will keep me busy when I get home in the evening from work this coming first quarter of 2011. Yey! :)

I just finished Michael Thomas Ford's The Road Home, which Tey bought for me when she went to the US a couple of weeks ago. I didn't like it as much as the other four MTF titles I've read, but it's still going to my prized books list. Before that, I was reading Mineko Iwasaki's Geisha, a Life. The book/autobiography gives the reader a wonderful peek into the world of maikos and geishas. Beautiful book.

As you can see, I have another MTF title waiting to be read. I just dunno if I should already start on that, or if I should choose another title.

The Maupin was a fantab buy because I got it at Fully Booked at a really, really cheap price. Haha! Found it in the bargain bin. It's in very good condition though.

The Kabul Beauty School caught my attention because I remember reading in a previous issue of US Vogue the story of a woman who went to Afghanistan to teach hair and makeup to the local women. It should be an interesting read. (See, I can go beyond Kinsella and Weisenberger chick lit. Haha!)

Meanwhile, Alek was meant for me. I've been looking for the book for the longest time and I stumbled upon the copy above when I went to Bibliarch just last week to get presents for the barkadings. Alek is the story of Sudanese refugee turned international supermodel Alek Wek. Again, this should be an interesting read.

Bringing Home the Birkin is something I've had for so long. Bought it at Fully Booked in Gateway ages ago. I just still haven't found the time to read it because Angelina Jolie's Notes from My Travels and Dana Thomas's Deluxe caught my interest more. Hehe! Promise to read Tonello's book this 2011.

Lastly, the Mitch Albom and the Khaled Hosseini titles are gifts from my Twitter friend/running-muay thai friend Jamie. He was so generous to give away several titles a couple of weeks ago, and I'm just so happy that I bagged the said titles.

So these are the titles on my to-read list this coming early 2011. Excited. How about you? What's on your to-read list?

Starry, starry holiday (part 1)...

The holiday season was filled with stars. Hehe!

At the company Christmas party, I wasn't expecting any celebrities. It was a long day. We had an exhibit booth that needed to be manned, and I was assigned to do the 7AM - 11AM shift. That meant I had to get up at 5AM and be at the venue by 6:30AM. Hehe! By noontime, I was tired from talking at the exhibit booth and I just wanted the day to be over and done with. The day ended at 11PM because we had to attend the party in the evening.

Though tired, I got all excited when I found out that Lea Salonga was going to sing. No, wait. Lea Salonga was going to perform. I have always been a fan primarily because of her work in showtunes. And this was the first time that I would have an opportunity to get a photo with her. Haha! Realizing that, that became my objective in the evening. I got all excited. Thankfully, I'm part of the production team and thanks to the training in Public Affairs to do everything to get the photo that was needed, I knew what to do. Hehehe!

As soon as Lea came on stage, Tey, Steph and I headed to the side of the stage to ask where Lea would exit. Photographer John was there so we asked him to please stay there so he can take our photo with Lea. John knew Lea's handler so we didn't have a difficult time asking the handler for a photo.

When Lea exited from the stage, Tey, Steph and I immediately positioned ourselves for the photo. Success! Haha! We thanked Lea and she made her way to the backstage.

We found another photo op with her, and all three of us were determined to get a photo. But then major fail. Lea was walking towards our direction and when she was right in front of us, we all just froze and stupidly looked at her. Starstruck obviously. Haha!

Then there's the photo with Dylan Ababou of Smart Gilas. When the Gilas boys visited the Smart office ages ago, I didn't get to have a photo with Dylan because I was on field. So when I saw the Gilas boys making their way to the stage and passing right in front of our booth, I had to drag Tey for the photo. I have a thing for boys with Dylan's profile - tall, boy-next-door, mestizo, eyeglasses!!! In a parallel universe where he's not straight and I'm still me but with better skin (lol!), I would profess my love for Dylan. Joke. OA iyon. Not true. Haha!

Last star for the night I had a photo with was Wilma Doesnt. Model. Enough said. Hehe! But seriously, I love the girl because she's a natural comedienne and I love her story. Haha!

To be continued...

Yakimix + friends = fun..

A couple of weeks before Christmas, I was feeling the holiday blues and I told my Twitter friend/running buddy/muay thai master (LOL!) Marl that I wanted to have a nice Christmas dinner or maybe lunch.

I was thinking of something fancy. Uhm, a nice dinner at the Manila Peninsula lobby or maybe the buffet at Sofitel. Uhm, if I'm not mistaken, it's just him and me who are still single in the group so it was easy to get him to say yes. Haha! That and the fact that we drag each other to wherever most of the time.

The planned lunch (or dinner) had some changes but it turned out to be so much better.

I think Marl told Jamie about the plan, and Jamie asked if he and Ros could come. The gods have been kind to Marl and there were some recent "developments" in his life, too. Hehehe! Uhm, there was a slight question in my head if I was going to be a fifth wheel although it's not really an issue with me. Haha! Marl forgot that he scheduled a lunch with Didi on the same day, so he invited the group's favorite gal to join. I, on the other hand, thought of texting Adrian. And to my surprise (hehe! Don't kill me, Adrian, if you read this), he said he might go.

Marl made reservations at Yakimix Trinoma. Haven't tried the restau, but I've heard good things about it. The restau opens at 11. Marl and I were there ten minutes before 11.

When we got our table, we waited a little bit and people started arriving. Jamie was the first to arrive. A couple of minutes later, Ros showed up. Then, Francis and Didi came. And to complete the cast, Adrian rescheduled his fitness test at the gym so he could join us already.

We spent the next few hours just enjoying the food. I enjoyed the grilling part, too. Hehe! Sorry, I have to say that I was proud of myself because I only had a little serving of rice and noodles. It was more of a protein feast. Hehe!

After the good meal, we thought of catching a film from the MMFF. As expected, Trinoma cinemas were packed. We decided to move to another cinema. Thankfully, there was an MRT station just outside the mall. Jamie & Ros didn't go anymore because Jamie had to have his laptop repaired. Francis left because he had work in the evening.

Marl, Didi, Adrian and I headed to Shangri-la Mall, which was not crowded at all and which had waaaay better cinema. We watched Tanging Ina. It was okay. Several funny moments, though I'm still wondering why it won Best Picture at the Metro Manila Film Fest. (I can't wait to watch Rosario especially after reading all the positive tweets about the movie.)

From the Shangri-la Mall, we headed back north. Adrian, Marl and Didi went back to Binoma...errr... Trinoma. I, on the other hand, got off at Gayway... errr... Gateway. I was going to meet Tey, so we could go together to the dinner with UP Manila friends Ella, Gino, Jon and girlfriend Ela.

Really, really long day. But really, really, really fun.

Queermas dinner 2010

Thursday night was the annual Queermas party. :)

It started several years ago. If I remember correctly, it was either 2002 or 2003. The first one I remember was at the condo along Tordesillas where Jigs and Xoch used to stay.

This year, we started off the Queermas party with dinner at Sugi. Well, the rest of the group started with dinner at Sugi. I-vanchy and I were late. Hehehe! We had to do some shopping, gift wrapping and I-van's haircut. Hehe! The meeting time was at 7PM. We arrived at 9PM. Hehe!

From Sugi, we moved to Barcino where we had drinks and the much-awaited exchange gift. I bought some Moleskin notebooks for the exchange gift. Jigs was the one who got the gift. I, on the other hand, got a very nice game set from Abi & Chari. There were also presents from Millie, I-van, Edsel, Jofer & Vince.

Many years have passed since that first Queermas party. A lot of changes has happened. New faces are added every year. Some of the people who used to go are no longer seen - new work, moved elsewhere, new partner.

But even if the cast changes, one thing remains the same - the presence of friendship. It is that thing that keeps the tradition alive. It is that thing that keeps the people connected no matter what.

Bringing out the boxing gloves and the hand wraps again...

In one corner of my room sits a black mesh bag with a pair of red boxing gloves. Hidden under a pile of shirts which I have to give away is a pair of neatly rolled blue hand wraps.

The last time these two have been brought out was in 2008 when I tried to get into boxing at Elorde. But I was unable to sustain that and both were almost forgotten.

Yesterday afternoon, I found myself digging for the hand wraps and wiping away the dust that has gathered from the mesh bag of the boxing gloves.

Earlier during the week, good Twitter buddy Marl invited me to join him, Ros and Jamie in their muay thai training. Marl and Jamie have been doing muay thai for quite some time now, while Ros is a fellow newbie.

Good thing that I didn't have anything scheduled yesterday afternoon. At 4PM, I was at this building on the corner of Sta. Catalina and Banawe in QC making my way to the third floor.

It's the home of Sarreal Boxing Gym.

When I got there, the guys have already started with their warmup. They were jogging around the gym. Sarreal gym appears to be a good boxing gym. There's enough breathing space for the boxing ring, the drills, the training activities, and for resting. Hehe! The restroom/shower area was small but it was clean and decent.

After putting my stuff in one of the shelves, I joined Marl, Ros and Jamie.

What followed after was four hours of intense workout!!!

The warmup activities already gave me a good stretch. Afterwards, trainer Gomer taught me and Ros the basic moves. This was then followed by sparring inside the ring. I've almost forgotten how grueling it can be, even if it's just three minutes of sparring. Haha!

Jab left, jab straight, kick. Some of the instructions given by Jomer. Good thing I did boxing before so I was a bit familiar with things.

After the first round, I had to sit down and catch my breath. Ros, Jamie, Marl and I took turns sparring with Gomer. The guy is made of steel. He doesn't tire at all. Hahaha! Peaceful and compassionate person that I am (may ganon talaga?! LOL!), I didn't want to kick him with much energy because I was afraid of hurting him.

But after seeing how Jamie kicked with so much power and energy, I started to think that Gomer probably enjoys the feeling of another person's shin landing on his thigh. Masochista lang. Or maybe he thrives on feeling pain. He is a fighter after all. Haha!

In the next two rounds that followed, I tried to punch hard and kick harder. It hurts! Haha! And it requires focus, I had to keep reminding myself to pivot my non-kicking leg and I had to keep the kicking leg straight and pointed.

We started with our training a few minutes past four. By the time we got to my favorite part - the post-workout stretch - it was already close to eight in the evening. Wow, I didn't expect the whole thing to last that long. I certainly didn't expect myself to last that long. When we were doing the drills and the abs routine, I was already dead tired. Hehehe!

For surviving the initiation, I rewarded myself with a good dinner, gelato and a foot massage. Haha! I was able to drag Marl to go with me. Unfortunately, Ros and Jamie had to go ahead. I have a feeling we will do it again very soon.

So that was my baptism into the hall of pain (as Jamie calls it). I loved it. I still have a looong way to go with my form and movement, but I think I had a good start. And I will definitely go back for more pain. Haha!