Everybody knows my parents separated when I was twelve

that I grew up with my Lola and had to be kuya to three of my younger siblings, not to mention about 7 younger cousins

I grew up with a different set-up for a family (having a new step family and getting to meet my older half sister)

Everybody also knows that there is nothing wrong with my family... It's just, unique...

The past few weeks-as soon as I got back from Manila was the two weeks fun filled, action packed and most photographed part of my family history...

It starts with two dozen people sharing a four bedroom house, 3 bathrooms, two minivans and a 4-door ford.

I slept with some of the boys in the sala. I made my nest on the big sofa. I cuddle with my pink pillow (courtesy of Madsy :D) and just go to, well, dreamland...

Drive to VEGAS. It was tiring... was long... But as soon as we got there, we checked in the hotel and started going all over the place. This was the first time the grown-ups and the kids actually had fun together. Maybe it's because we're not that all young anymore. We walked around the hotels and casinos, made jokes, made fun of each toher, took pictures and ate together. It was amazing, it was like we were all friends and were just having plain fun. I felt kinda tired and sick one night and decided to sleep it off... after the needed rest, we were ready for more adventure. We drove to Arizona to go see the Grand Canyon. And thats what we did... and took more pictures!

Upon going back to LA, we didnt rest. The family went to go meet some more relatives, eat and take pictures. Then, we all went to The Universal Studios, ate, took pictures, got wet and had fun.

It took us about an hour to all wake up. Another hour and a half to get breakfast ready and have everyone eat. And another hour and a half to get everyone ready to go out. Imagine doing logistics for two dozen people.

We shopped, drove, ate, took pictures, joked around, slept and had sooo much fun together. That's my family. I never felt apart from them. I never felt alone. I feel loved, important and significant. I never felt that my family was, well, missing a piece. We miss alot of people, one is Lola. But we know she's still with us. This is just the beginning. This isnt everyone. Last year we had the Dumaguete-Bohol trip. This year was this. In the next few years, there will be more adventures, more fun, more shopping, more food to eat, more miles and more pictures to take. More memories to make the the family that made me who I am...

Thank you God for this and everything... I can ask for nothing more...

+++

I started back at coffee bean. It was surreal. The trip back home, the family reunion - it all felt like it was a dream... Well, it was... a dream come true. Now Im awake. Now, Im back in the real world. Im back in the arena, with everyone going to test my wits and abilities. Im inspired, Im driven. I want more dreams to come true, more plans to materialize. Im working hard for that, I will work hard... The family, the dreams, the promises the plans... They will all coem true as a result of hard work, prayers, hope and patience.

Alot has changed at work. But, oh well... it would be no fun if it was still the same way it was before I left right? hehe I now have new obstacles, new problems... they are there for me to overcome-no biggie...

It was not my first time.

The first time it hurt.

It felt good though...

It was nice, actually. It was with Madsy, on one of our dates. I felt a bit vulnerable, I felt like my personal space was invaded. It was not as if I felt violated because I wanted it. I wanted it from the beginning. I wanted it to happen. I asked Mads for help coz I knew she was good at this. If she could do it everyday, she would. But what will people say?

Just today, after work, I decided I wanna do it again. When I clocked out of work at the coffeeshop, I phoned Kris, because I know that she wanted it as bad as I did. I know that she needed it... We were both desperate.

We entered the place. There werent alot of people getting serviced. We looked at the rates and big fat ladygave us an orientation with the prices. I didnt have that much money to begin with. I only had enough for the same experience that I had the first time. Kris was insistent that we go all the way since we were already there and that it would only cost a little bit more.

I said, sure, why not...

The lady had me sit on a comfy chair. It was made of leather, fake leather. Then, I felt a pounding sensation on my back. It was soft at first and started to get stronger.

The lady asked how I wanted it. She had a heavy east asian accent clouding her english, so I had to say "yes" to whatever she asked me.

I could see the people walking in front of the establishment, taking second looks at me. Wondering why I was there.

The first time felt like it took a long time. This new experience, I think, took a bit faster than I would anticipated. It did not hurt as much anymore. I was a bit ticklish to be honest. But I did not let it show. The lady might think it was my first time.

...

I can't wait for my next footspa. I didn't know that getting your nails and toenails done can be ticklish, have a little pain and feel so nice afterwards, specially after a days hard work. I wanna try a full body spa next time.

Metrosexual?

Not quite. Just keeping myself clean...

The sure way.

What do you think was I doing?

PS: Parafin wax? I thought ballistics tests used that to trace gunpowder off of a hand that has supposedly fired a gun. I didnt know that there is a procedure to make your hands soft. It looked kinda painful. Would probably take a while before I find a need for myself to do that.

Thanx Kristine for paying for the nail and toenail cleaning, I owe you a movie.

Thanx Madsy for helping me go through my first experience. That was one date I will never forget... Thank you and I miss you miss pouty face...I miss you sooo much!

http://www.happynail.com/  yeah, this was the place

This is what I do...

I look for a job, then, make coffee...

Oh, and I pay my bills...

Will it be asking for too much if I ask God for a nice entry level job for my career - kasi he's been soo good to me these days...

    [This is a sticky - so, for my recent blogs, scroll down.]

Ive never really have written  anything about myself. Well, I have, all the time, but I wanna talk about Me! Me! Me! So here it goes...

This is my tab - so, might as well, right?

My friends call me Jab - though my real name, my legal name is Andreo Francisco Juico Buhay. The Jab came from J.B., my middle initial and my last name. It turned into Jaboy then to Jab. Some friends still call me Jaboy though... And my Mom and my Tita's call me J.B. when they're getting mad.

Welcome to the Jabbycentric world view!!! Previously, this tabulas was sub-titled as infatuation junky. Like most guys (and you thought guys knew what they were doing), I didn't know what I would be feeling most of the time. Specially when it comes to the romantique. I was never really sure of what I felt. It felt good! But I still end up smacking my head when I crawl out of a torn down relationship.

I am done with college - AB Communication Arts from the far flung post-puberty never-neverland called UP Los Banos.

UP Los Banos is where I really grew up. UPLB changed me, as it did thousands of other people. In all those thousands, you will never hear any similar anecdote. UPLB provided me with everything that I needed for life, and some that I dont.

I get myself into alot of dangerous situations. You would find me wanting to spend the night camped in the middle of the jungle, or driving at outrageous rates of speed, or drinking one too many beers, or meeting my with ex's.

Im into Mountain Climbing, rappelling, swimming, mountain biking, running, tennis, trying to learn golf now. I like reading about science, I have a subscription with Time Magazine and Sports Illustrated. I like reading the newspaper, some books on wilderness survival, history, the renaissance, art and even the bizare. I also like learning about culture and music.

By the way, Im 23, in-love and inspired...

Sorry, I got tired of myself...next time nalang ulit...

For picture, click these links

http://jab.blogs.friendster.com/photos/my_17th_birthday_/

http://jab.blogs.friendster.com/photos/photos/

For the past months I have been writing about that certain topic that we all tend to avoid but seem to get our attention whenever it pops into our daily lives.

People either turn stoic, stare at nothing and begin to smile, or, they could also react with aghast as if love was the worst thing that ever happened to them.

I've written about it, about that special person that Ive always dreamed of. How I wanted it to be this, how I wanted it to be that. I wrote how I wanted to do things with that person, simple, little things that may seem too mushy for alot of people. I've had half a dozen relationships, all of which has turned back to being friendly or platonic (which is kinda cool though).

I also probably have the same number of girls of whom I courted - but alas, none of them wanted me as bad as I wanted them. I always dreamed of having this wonderful girlfriend who will make me happy and feel good about myself. Someone who would do the things that I do and enjoy the things that I enjoy.

I'm currently in a relationship with, aside from being wonderful and amazing - this girl really loves to be with me, talk to me and, well, just loves to love me. She always tells me that I was always her baby. That the morning after she met me, everything changed. That was more than two years ago.

I always enjoyed her company. We had drinks, long walks in the campus, had lunch or just plain tambay. We also have some moments together, well, I dont need to put them into details nor describe. Sorry.

We are half a world away. We send daily messages to each other saying how much we miss and love one another. And an hour not knowing what the other is doing is like a lifetime being wasted.

We have plans together, promises to make true. We have both our lives ahead of us. We also both do not know what is prepared for us. What we do know is that as long as we both keep each other, keep each other one day at a time, we will make it.

I learned that love is not about what I want to do, what I want to happen, how happy we can both be. That love is not about being together (although that would be nice...), is not about showing how much you cherish each other by giving each other gifts, going to special places and experiencing wonderful things.  

Love is happiness you feel when you know that, that someone loves you back. Love is that happiness you feel just knowing that fact that you can love that person back. It is about feeling good, not because she tells you that things will be better, rather feeling good just because everything is better, now.

It is not about finding that person that will make you happy, but having that person not do anything and you're still happy. It's not about her doing the things that I want and enjoy. It's about doing nothing and still love what's happenning.

She was right there, near me the whole time, and I didnt notice. She has been loving me when I was telling her about other girls I was seeing.

She prayed to God if she could have me. She asked God why she felt this way for me when nothing good was coming out of it.  She prayed and I was always in her prayers. Sometimes, I was just a few feet away.

Love has nothing to do with oneslf. My love has nothing to do with me. My love is all about her. Is all about Madsy. My Madsy.

I am her answered prayer.

I am the result of her patience and loyalty.

I am hers. It feels wonderful.

We both have come a long way since we met. We have had our share of tears, of pain, of laughter and of dreams shared. We are blessed by God with this trial we are going through. We are blessed by God with each other. He will never put us both to harm. He will be the Mason that will strengthen our foundation. The bond of this relationship.

I love my girlfriend. I love our history. Our story. I love how we found each other again. I love how our friends love it that we love each other.

I love how we still find new things about each other. I love how we both love it when we pout. I love how she makes me want to work hard. How she wants me to push myself to the limit. I love how she tells me that it's OK to fail as long as we learn something from it. I love how she showed me that it's OK for me to get a footspa. I loved it when she would cook me carbonara or make me a ref cake. hmmmm.... 

Madsy - forgive me for publishing this.

I just miss you alot.

I feel helpless knowing that you have a fever there and I am here, wanting to have a fever for myself. You went to my apartment and brought me food when I could not walk nor stand up when I was sick. I may have been groggy, weak and convusling that time, but I couldnt forget the angel, the freshness that you brought that afternoon.

Love - is - mushy.

What the hell, I like footspas. Might as well be mushy eh?

All I want is to live on a tropical island.

To drive my Toyota Tacome 05' pick-up truck or/and 76' Mustang convertible around town.

To have my own coffee shop, restaurant and beach resort.

I want to have Iced tea with my (future) wife while watching the sunset on the deck of our beach front house.

I want to be able to dive to coral reefs on weekends, take pictures and run on the beach.

I want to be able to fish, to grow vegetables and fruits and herd my own livestock.

All I want is for it to be simple...

There are very few things that dissapoint me right now -

- People still order tea and expect it to non-caffeinated.

FACT: Tea's are naturally caffeinated

although there are some which are decaffeinated

People order an americano without the water

FACT: Cafe Americanos are basically water and espresso

* well, that's that

oh, I have this friend from since I was well, lets just say for more than 15 years. I went back home last summer. Someone found out that he is in town. The night before I left, I was able to call him up and tell him that I wanted to see him, and a bunch of our other friends. He says, sure! drop by kami - apparently he's in a gimik. I can only assume that there are girls involved. The faggot never showed up, called or texted. I badly needed a ride to the airport, and I was actually depending on some of my friends.

Anyhow, I guess for him the gimik comes before friendship. I guess, this is where things come down to eventually.  Well. it's his life, his loss.  Thanx. Yeah, Im just dissapointed.

Other than tha, life is just dandy -

My bestfriends having a hard time at life - but its her life to fix-

this ones for you caccie

THE COFFEE BEAN

A young woman went to her mother and told her
about her life and how things were so hard for
her. She did not know how she was going to make
it and wanted to give up. She was tired of
fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem
was solved a new one arose. Her mother took her to
the kitchen.

She filled three pots with water and placed each
on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In
the first, she placed carrots, in the second she
placed eggs and in the last she placed ground
coffee beans.

She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the
burners. She fished the carrots out and placed
them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and
placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee
out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what
do you see?" Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she
replied. She brought her closer and asked her to
feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were
soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break
it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the
hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the
coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its
rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it
mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects
had faced the same adversity -- BOILING WATER --
but each reacted differently. The carrot went in
strong, hard and unrelenting. However after being
subjected to the boiling water, it softened and
became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin
outer shell had protected its liquid interior.
But, after sitting through the boiling water, its
inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans
were unique, however. After they were in the
boiling water they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When
adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond?
Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

"Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that
seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I
wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I
the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but
changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit,
but after death, a breakup, a financial hardship
or some other trial, have I become hardened and
stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the
inside am I bitter and tough with a hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually
changes the hot water, the very circumstance that
brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it
releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like
the bean, when things are at their worst, you get
better and change the situation around you.

The circumstances that wakes us up every morning
is just 10% of what happens to our day, the way we
look at the circumstances decides what happens to
our life.