I Blog, Therefore I Am.: February 2008

HAPPY LEAP DAY!

It is a once-in-four-years Leap Day and it’s nice to blog because February 29 will only be seen again in 2012 and who knows if I will still be alive by then. It’s also the last day of the month so it’s good to recap and reminisce what happened this February.

If I have to put three words for February 2008 it will definitely be tragic, emotional and friendship. This is of course greatly attributed to the passing away of my dear friend Binchy and the good lessons he left us. I still think of him a lot and I know that this is one of the things that I wouldn’t be able to move on from easily. Death of a loved one is something that we just get used to and not something we get over with.

Since I am low on updates in the last few weeks, here’s a summary of what I’ve been up to.

POLITICS

I will not have a reaction on today’s Interfaith Rally that calls for the resignation of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at Ayala Ave. (unlike the other rally weeks ago) for the sole reason that I was not in our office in Makati when it happened. Nevertheless, I am not fully SOLVED on the issues YET. I’ve had enough of People Power in the Philippines and its after-maths. If Gloria resigns...then what? BUT the evil biatch is really something, huh? I will not be surprised if we wake up one day to another Martial Law. More on this next time – I am not yet “in the heat” to discuss the government brouhaha that the we are currently facing.

WORK

The reason why I was not in Makati today was because of our department’s first Strategic Planning for the year. We were cooped at The Heritage Hotel for two whole days for the assembly. The activity and sessions were informative and engaging. It was different from the previous we had and it quite rocked us a bit. Nonetheless, the brainstorming were great (lots of terrific ideas), the presentations were instructive, but the food definitely sucks. I am not really a fan of Heritage Hotel when it comes to their dishes. I always end up eating at nearby SM Mall of Asia after a day’s food at Heritage. It's all blah.

We are really busy at work lately. I have to manage daily office grind with preparations for upcoming department events and activities. We even had an AVP shoot the other day for a major event next month. I was so used to being an organizer for such so it was fun being one of the “talents” for a change. Here's a couple of photos:

NO, it's not my regular attire.
I was actually wearing a maroon Muslim outfit and was making a bow.

Team BSD at the AVP shoot

BOOKS

I finally got hold of the book I’ve been obsessing since December. I went to Fully Booked SM Mall of Asia and they finally have a copy of Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris. I first chance upon this book when I was reading a 2007 year-ender feature of TIME Magazine. TIME named the book as one of the best in 2007 and the New York Times gave it glowing reports and reviews.

Then We Came To An End is a critically acclaimed novel that relays the story of a Chicago-based advertising agency as they face downsizing and lay-offs at the end of the 90’s boom. The novel is not for everyone but it can be one of your fast-read-while-waiting books. It’s light, comedic and was written in a third person narrative. It’s too early to give it a review (I am still on page 43) but it looks promising.

The next book on my list is Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella. It’s another fun book from one of my favorite chick-lit authors. I just re-read recently Undomestic Goddess and I cannot wait for more of her works. I also wish to finish reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Love In The Time of Cholera. It was such a very heavy and emotion-filled book so I’ve already put it down several times.

TRAVEL

I went to Davao two weeks ago before Valentine’s Day! It was just a quick trip where I presented to our Mindanao leaders our group’s plans and strategies for this quarter and next. I really really really love Davao. It’s so divine yet simple! I often tell friends that Davao is the place to be if you are tired of good ol’ Manila. Too bad my stay was only less than 24 hours. It’s almost five years since the last time I visited Davao and I vow to make another trip to go and visit Pearl Farm and Samal Island.

I forgot to bring my camera so I don’t have photos of the nice sights I saw and the people I spent time with. I also took the opportunity to meet and dine with my friends in Davao like Koleen, Jesselou, Beam and Bianca. We had dinner at Penong’s near Royal Mandaya Hotel (where I stayed) and it was oh-so delicious. I love the BBQs and only-in-Davao restos like Penong’s!

My trip to Davao was so close to Binchy’s death and I was still wary on being alone at that time so it was really nice when Koleen and her cousin Bianca accompanied me at the hotel. They also met with me again (together with the others) after my meeting to kill time before my flight back to Manila. They took me to SM Davao and I bought Durian candies and some el cheapo frozen tunas from General Santos. It was generally a fun trip albeit a short one. The flight home was delayed so I was glad I had my laptop with me to amuse and entertain myself on the long wait. Beam’s two Pomelo fruit gifts were also the best! Thanks, thanks, Beam!

Davao, I’ll be back!

2Comments

, by Abbie

In American Idol, Music

AMERICAN IDOL'S DAVID ARCHULETA

0Comments

, by Abbie

In Grey's Anatomy, TV

GREY'S WILL RETURN "SOONISH"

6Comments

, by Abbie

In American Idol, TV

PINOY'S PRIDE AT AMERICAN IDOL 7

0Comments

, by Abbie

In Favorites, Friends

MORE TODAY THAN YESTERDAY

The title of this post was inspired from the song of Spiral Staircase which will always remind me of this great friend I had.

"I had". Speaking in past tense about him is one of my struggles in the last few days. Maybe it has not fully sunk in yet that my dear friend Binchy is now gone. Its been more than a week since he left us and my friends and I still cannot stop talking about him and the way he touched our lives. It is also probably the reason why this memoriam post is a bit late. It took me more than a week to finally open my desktop PC and gather the beautiful pictures we had. It was truly a heartbreaking experience for every photo is a memory of fun times together.

I was chatting and doing my on-line stuff last Monday, February 4, when I got a message from Jovet, a good friend from Goodyear, asking me to pray for Binchy because he was rushed at the Asian Hospital. I replied and asked what happened. Jovet did not reply so I decided to call. That conversation was probably one of the worse I’ve had in my life. Jovet relayed to me that Binch collapsed after getting home from a badminton game and arrived ‘flatlined’ at Asian Hospital in what appeared to be as a Cardiac Arrest. He told me that the doctors and nurses were able to revived him but he was then in a respirator about to be wheeled to the ICU.

I was frantic and nervy after that phone call so I immediately went out of my room and told my parents what happened. I also grabbed both of my mobile phones and started calling Ros and Eric, two of our closest friends, at the same time. Eric, who was in India at that time, was the first to answer. He also cannot believe what happened and even told me that Binch sent him an SMS just before he left for India. Ros on the other hand was already asleep when I called so she had a hard time absorbing everything that I was saying at first.

The next few days were tragic ones. There were a lot of calls, e-mails and SMS between friends and former colleagues. Ros, Eric and I were so affected by what happened and I cannot focus very much at work. I went to see Binch on Tuesday at the ICU and it broke my heart when I saw him with all the tubes. I also met his family led by his sisters, Beepsie and Butchick, and it was really heartwarming to see them all there and the loving support and care they are giving their "Kuy". It was also nice seeing the many friends who visited and prayed for him at the hospital (and eventually at his wake). I am sure that Binchy will go “Awww, how sweet!” by the outpouring love, support and prayers by all of his family, friends and relatives.

February 8, 2008 was probably one of the worse days of our lives but it was probably the best day of Binchy’s. If there was one person I know who was ready to meet his fate and was God-conscious, it was probably my dear spiritual friend, Binch. At 2:45 am of Friday, February 8, 2008, Binchy went into the light to meet his Father and Creator at a young age of 38. He was ready but I guess most of us were not. His 4 days in the hospital where he stayed and fought were probably not for him but for us so we can properly say goodbye to him.

Who is HE for me? Except for my maternal Lola, Binch was probably the closest person I had ever loss. He was this funny, goofy former-Goodyear-cube mate friend of mine who never failed to make fun of me whenever there was a chance. It was also probably the reason why I cannot fully cry until now since all of my moments with him were pure joy and happiness. Plus - I know that he doesn’t want me to go all drama on him and his memory. Nevertheless, he was a very important friend of mine, who used to be one of my go-to-guy cradles at Goodyear. Thanks to him, my iPod is rich with music and classic timeless playlists. Binchy, as my blog readers would also notice, was also a constant star here on my blog and was probably the best looking guy at my Multiply photo page. (oh yeah, I know you want me to say that, Binch!)

I actually have a confession to make. A lot were telling me about widow and bereaved wife jokes since last week. So, was there ever a time when he was more than a friend for me? It was in 2006 when Binchy and I became really close. We became friends when I started pouring my troubles to him after I broke up with Mark and started having troubles at work. He was one of the advocates of my “moving on and starting anew” mantra. He was such a great friend who provided me lending ears at that time. We went out to watch cheesy movies, dinners and lunches, shopping, and work from the coffee shop. He really helped me in one of the lowest points in my life and for that I am forever grateful. It was never ‘more than friends’ but I must admit that he was really a good looking guy whom you can impressively take to dates and events. Hehe! He always got adoring stares from girls whenever we were out. There was an unpublished blog post which I wrote while we were together in one of our late night video-editing sessions for our project, Bayani Ng Kalsada. He fell asleep beside me at the sofa after gushing about seeing his crush in a badminton game he just came from. The blog post I wrote was about him. I said that I would have fallen for “this sweet sleeping guy beside me” if I was not too blinded and still in love with my ex-boyfriend. I mean what’s not to love, right? I never posted that blog entry (nor entertained other sweet thoughts about him) but I showed it to my friend Marge. It unfortunately went to the trash bin together with my other Goodyear files.

There were so many memories I have of him and space is not enough if I will write them all here. There were so many fun times but there were also a couple of bad times – mostly the times we fought and argued because of work. One of the things which stood out (and I know he wants me to write this) was when he took me with him to his Bible Study at CCF Alabang. It was truly one of my finest moments with Binch. He was really on his element at that time and he gladly answered all of my curiosity questions even if I was already bothering him while he listens to the Pastor.

I was part guilty because the last I saw him was when we had dinner at Brother’s Burger in Westgate at the end of October 2007. He and Ros just filed their Goodyear resignation that week and I was really happy for them for finally taking the plunge. We never actually ‘talked’ that night and that was one of my regrets. But I remembered pestering him for information on our ex-boss’s reaction when he handed his resignation letter. The four of us (Binch, Ros, Eric and I) usually went out and had dinners post-Goodyear to catch up on things. There were several plans in November and December but they unfortunately did not materialize due to our our busy schedules. There were also SMS greetings between us last Christmas and New Year but that was it…and now my friend is forever gone. :(

I have no doubt in my mind that Binchy is now with our loving Father. He was one of the few people I know who was never afraid to proclaim the greatness of our Lord each moment he can. (He used to send us Daily Bread messages in our e-mails which he typed religiously each day.) I also admire the way he helped other people through his kindness and generosity. His life was very full and alive and he made sure that each person he met was appreciated. He touched so many lives and for that he will never be forgotten.

I was hesitant at first to write something about him on this blog because it might be too heartbreaking for me. Then I remembered one conversation we had when he told me that he tried Googling himself once and even found a post or two about him – which I made fun of, of course.

So, here you go, Binch. I swear that I have carefully chosen your most gwapo shots for the picture collage above! I know you will like this very much and will even make fun of my blogging habits – as usual! :) You will be missed and always remembered! We love you!