hersheyvillegas’ blog

I know.  I'm kinda late in joining the Twilight bandwagon coz most people are now reading book 3 or book 4 even.  Well

Edward

I just started with the first book over the weekend after I got a call from my god pal, Joy, last Friday that there's this yummy new series that I should totally be reading about.  The moment she said it's about an uber cute vampire, I was hooked.  I wanted to race to the nearest bookstore and grab a copy, but of course, I had to wait til Saturday to actually go to the mall and into a bookstore, and start ravenously reading a novel about a teenage vampire love affair (which I believe is written for the tween to teen market, but hey, I'm still young). It's such an interesting read and I found it quite irresistable that I finished the book in two days.  Of course, I so want to have the other books in the series...New Moon, etc. coz you see, I only got a bite, naturally, I want to have the whole pie (or apple, hehe).  Joy also told me that there's already a movie, showing in November, and that Edward Cullen will be played by Robert Pattinson (Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter).  At first I didn't think that he'd fit the part but I checked the website and now I'm convinced that Robert is just perfect for the role.  He's so gorgeous in the movie poster that he's my top crush for now.  His strong jaw, piercing eyes, and supple ivory skin are just too vampire-y.  I thought that Vampire Lestat is the sexiest vampire ever, well for me, the new hottest vampire is Edward Cullen.  Robert actually looks kinda dorky as himself, but when he's in character, as Stephenie Meyer puts it, he's so beautiful.  

Twilight-airbrush-cast

This is my own blog so I can write whatever I want, right?  Well let me tell you about this crazy fantasy I have.  In an alternate universe, I am Mrs. Tavington (Col. William Tavington's wife - you know, the wife, if he ever had one, of The Patriot's top baddy).  Well, my love for Col. Tavington is kinda fading coz I've just developed this intense liking for the bloodsucking hottie, Edward Cullen.  Of course, I'm not Edward's main gal coz he's got Bella Swan (that fragile little bitch!), but I'm the other woman.  You know, like Prince Charles' Camilla but of course, way prettier and absolutely younger!  I even have a little side story about how Edward and I, Mrs. Tavington, hooked up, and here's how it goes:  Edward, since he's been walking the earth since the 1900s, met the beautiful and amazingly scintillating

Tavington

wife of an English colonel, me of course, and fell head over heels in love.  But because I was married, to The Butcher, no less, we had to keep our love on the down low.  In that universe, the redcoats won, Col. Tavington settled in America and eventually became the President, lived his life loving his little missus. Edward, on the other hand, loved Mrs. Tavington, er me, so much that he made me a vampire, so like him, I'd be immortal and I'd never grow old. Crazy, huh?  Well, here's the crazier part. Years passed and Mrs. Tavington still loved Col. Tavington that she had no choice but to turn him as well so that he will also live forever.  So now, President Tavington walks about, looking as dashing as when he was wearing his dragoons uniform, very much in love and faithful to Mrs. Tavington, who is currently in love with a much younger man, a smoldering vampire, Edward. Hey, Stephenie, how about a fifth book about this :  )

I know it's awful -- bribing traffic officers -- and though almost everybody in the Philippines is doing that, that doesn't make it right.  But the hassle and trouble of claiming your license and stuff is just too much.  So drivers in the country often resort to just slipping the almighty P100 bill to MMDA traffic enforcers (actually, multiples of P100, those boys in blue are not cheap anymore).  Anyway, last Tuesday, I was on my way to pick up my mom from Megamall and I was at EDSA. I just passed Robinson's and the car in front of me was so slow so I decided to overtake.  When I did, I crossed over to the yellow lane and the greedy MMDA spotted me.  Argh! 

So there I was, all bent on just paying off the MMDA so I could just get my mom and get home fast.  Of course, he asked for my license and gave me the usual lecture.  I said sorry in the most charming way and asked him if he could just let me off in exchange for my last P200 (that was all that I had in my wallet at that time!).  The bastard refused, he said the yellow lane violation was worth P500 and that my license was expired.  Oh crap!  He then continued with a half crazed smirk on his face that that makes my violation in the two thousand peso neighborhood.  Like hell I'm gonna pay that much (although my license was indeed expired.  I totally forgot to renew it before my birthday which was just last July 9)!  So I begged and begged that he just accept my P200 coz I really didn't withdraw money.  I even showed him my wallet.  And then it occured to me, hey, I have my checkbook.  So I told the greedy prick that I would just write him a check for P500, which he could encash at any BPI branch.  He thought for a minute -- should I take this pretty little thing's P200 cash or P500 check? -- guess what, he went for the check! Wow!  He gave me my license back, told me to drive carefully, to stay off the yellow lane, and then asked me how he could get the money with the check because ir's his first time to encash a check.  I explained it to him with a sinister thought in my mind that I would just call the bank for a stop payment order.  But then I thought, poor thing, I'd let him have that P500.  I haven't checked my account to see if he already got it, hmmm....

And just this morning.  I got busted again, by a MAPSA this time (Makati traffic police).  Today is my number coding day and if not for the heavy traffic in EDSA, I would have made it in Makati at 7 a.m. (coz hey, I left at 615).  Anyway, I was there at Makati Avenue, almost in front of Petron, and this MAPSA dude tapped my window.  I checked my watch, and thought, 720 a.m., P200.  But MAPSA boys are harder to bribe, and besides, he had a serious look on his face that said "you can't bribe me," so I didn't.  He took my license, which I just got yesterday, and gave me a ticket. Oh brother!

If I have a book, this will be the cover

I've always enjoyed writing poems and composing songs -- not necessarily based on my own experiences.  Sometimes, I write about my observations of how people react to certain situations.  The very first song I composed (when I was in college) was about a girl's resentment of her boyfriend who seemed to have no time for her. Of course, that's not about me and my hubby (who I started dating in college), that boy gave me a lot of time, and love, and stuff...it was about his best friend and his girl.  Well, they parted ways a few months later and they didn't even get to hear the song I wrote about them (my girl friends did).  I've written tons of other stuff after that -- about my honey, my other love (Cure frontman Robert Smith, hehe), about my trusty Bic ballpen, about other people's heartaches.  But the thing is, my prose is not Pulitzer prize material.  I use simple words, inject a little wit and humor here and there, and it's all eezy breezy.  The stuff that I write are conversational, it's like I'm just talking to you, or myself, or some imagined friend.  Here's one of my favorite compositions (which I've written like five years ago) about a girl accidentally meeting her ex after they've broken up.  It must be based on something I've watched or read coz none of my friends  had this experience.  It's such a cute and sad little tale and the melody is nice too.  (I'll attach the mp3 next time).  I've never really figured out the right title for this one. Hey, maybe you can help me :  ) 

If I have an album, this will be the cover art

Here we are after we've said so long, goodbye

and I feel a little awkward to say hello

you reach out your hand to take mine and I just blush

and I feel like I am melting with your touch

what do we talk about?

I don't wanna know if you're happy

I'd like to think that you were better off with me

don't ask me either coz I can't lie

I know that my misery is written in my eyes.

You say you gotta go

it sure is nice to see me

and that I should take care and goodbye

just nodded my head

still shaken by surprise

and I've got this sinking feeling like I would die

why did we have to meet when I'm not over you? 

Now the old feeling's back and I don't know what to do

should I call your name and run after you

hold you tight and kiss you like I used to do.

As so you walked away

and I'm left standing here

cursing this moment

but wishing you're still near

I hope the next time I run into you

would be like a thousand years away

by then I wouldn't care if you see me or say "hey"   

Ever had those boring days when you wished your life's more exciting (like you're a spy or a big rock star or something)?  Well, I'm having a major blackout today coz there's no electricity.  Not literally, but you know, there's a total lack of spark in my immediate surroundings right now.  It might as well be dark and utterly still. Anyway, I drove to work today as usual.  It was uneventful, thank God (I'm not really wishing for excitement on the road).  Parked my car, had breakfast (the usual), and went straight to work.  Had to finish a press release about Fitch Ratings affirming my company's national rating, blah, blah, blah.  Oh it was so exciting to write the article literally wrote itself -- NOT! 

Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but sometimes, writing about fnancial performance, acquisition, branch expansion, and all that corporate jazz can be truly mind-numbing.  I want to be sent to some exotic country and write about the spots worth checking out, or sample a fascinating new restaurant and rant or rave about it, or do a piece on celebs, rockstars, fashion, beauty.  I so wanna be like Carrie Bradshaw (not the writing about sex part, although I'm sure I could write about that, too)!  Oh, what fun it would be to take out my Macbook ( I use a bulky PC, ugh!), come up with a fresh story that tittitales my soul, lunch out with fab friends in some ritzy joint (my friends prefer to eat in- you know, cafeteria food), and unwind later with cosmopolitans (or white russian) at a really happening bar.  There will be intrigue, drama, tons of shoes, and designer clothes!  Hey, I'm not in some icky office uniform right now, I'm actually rocking the chic power suit and 3 inch pumps I'm wearing, but the over-all blandness of my cubicle and the stark flourescent lights above my head make me feel like a government clerk (no offense to government clerks, I think they're pretty awesome in their own right) who can't wait for 5:30 so I can drive home and watch my usual TV shows, and do my usual bedtime routine, and wake up the next day at 6:00 a.m., as usual.

Sure, I'm rambling.  If I want to be a fashion writer or a gossip columnist, I should switch companies, coz seriously, the one I'm in won't have me writing about who's doing who (not that we have the sort of excitement around here.  Everybody seems to be a friggin' staright arrow!) or who's wearing who (whether fake or authentic).  But if I really think about it seriously, all that excitement about being in a fashion magazine, or a media company, or an advertising agency (my original dream, I graduated with a Mass Comm. degree) will probably wear me out. I mean, I don't really like working longer than I have to -- I hate doing overtime work, I wanna go straight home to my kids,  I don't wanna be sent to some place for long (3 days max) coz I'll miss my family, and I don't think I'm ready for the cut-throat bitchiness in the fashion or advertising industry.  I'm a sweet thirty-something career woman who was never shouted at by my bosses, never had a fight with my co-workers, and never figured in an office intrigue. I'm fragile, hold me :  )

I guess I'm really where I belong.  This office is safe, intrigue-free, and guilt-free (see, I'm slacking off right now and I don't feel at all guilty, hehe). But being a PR officer for a bank (there I spilled it. I work for a bank! isn't this exciting?) can also be exhilirating.  You know, when I let the press in on the bank's strong ROA, ROE, CAR, and NIM, which ultimately translates to my own fat profit sharing check, that's a thrill!  When we have corporate events and there are a lot of left-over food in the buffet that we, of course, can bring home, that's a delight.  When there's nothing to write about yet coz we're waiting for our competitors to come out with their press release first so we could do the necessary adjustments to ours (wink, wink) and I have the time to take long coffee breaks coz I have nothing yet to do, that's a joy. 

Okay, so I don't hate my job.  It's not exactly electrifying but I do get a buzz every now and then.  It's just that today,  as in right now, I'm not getting any jolt.  Hmmm, how about I eat out, (by my lonesome, my officemates had lunch already, guess where) walk a couple of blocks to have aglio olio pasta at Paseo Center, pretend I'm Carrie, having a wonderful lunch with my girlfriends... now, that's just crazy.  But I'll go have lunch now, and definitely not at the cafeteria!  Who knows, I might bump into a local celebrity or see a full-on cat fight on the street between two office girls fighting for the affection of their cute married boss, that'll be exciting!  

I've been meaning to blog yesterday, but I was really uninspired.  You see, I'm not the melancholy type (by my kids vocabulary, emo). If it's a sad story, then it need not be told.  If it's a happy one, then do share.  What I'm writing about now is kind of a heartbreaking story (well, for me) so expect it to be brief coz I hate getting depressed.  Let's just say that the triple celebration last Saturday was not the fun family get-together I pictured it to be.  Well, the food was great. We pigged-out at Fridays, ordered and finished one meal each (baby back half slab for me) when as everybody knows, Fridays' food is for sharing, my mom in-law shopped for shoes, so did my niece by my brother in-law, and I seemed to have a good time the whole time we were together.  But was I really enjoying myself?  Not really.  We were ubiquotously incomplete, that's why.  My elder boys, Louie and Kyle, preferred to hang-out with their friends.  I did remind them that the celebration included my birthday, but still, they didn't want to go.  My mom also ditched me and decided that working out in the gym is a lot more fun than eating greasy food (but totally yummy, and quite expensive) with us.  Okay, so other people who mattered were there -- my hubby, my little boy, my in-laws.  But I really wanted my whole family to be there.  Oh, how I longed for those days when my kids would tag along wherever I go.  Are those days really over? Sigh :  (  

This morning, my 7 year old son, woke up early.  Usually, he gets up at 6:30 as the school bus picks him up at 7:15.

As I drive to work before 6:30, I hardly catch him awake before I leave.  Taking this rare opportunity to help my little boy get ready for school, I gave him a bath.  And it felt really good that I wanted to stay on and help him get dressed and serve him breakfast.  Of course, I resisted the urge as I also had to get ready for work.  There are so many women who say they can balance their career and family life, but I'm convinced that that's not all true.  In my case, it would seem like I am balancing my different roles as a wife, mom, and careerwoman, because my marriage is strong, my kids are happy, and I'm moving up the corporate ladder.  But when you break it down to the little but important details, you'll realize that you can't quite divide the pie equally. Looking back, it's actually my mom who raised my kids.  My

Kyle and Louie with their Lola (taken in 2003)

 two elder sons, now 14 and 13 are true-blue granny's boys.  Sure, I'm there for some of the PTA meetings, help them with their assignments (when I can and when I have the time), watch their recitals, buy them stuff, but I really miss out on a lot of quality time with them.  I spend 3 hours on the road (back and forth, 2 hours if I'm lucky), 8 to 10 hours in the office, and when I get home, I'm already kindy tired and irritable.  What's more, it doesn't help that it's hard to connect with my teenagers now.  They give me the one question, one answer bit.  It's so hard to

Richrad (2 y.o.) with his Dad

have a good conversation rolling, except when we're eating out, then they talk (a little more, but still not that open).  That's why I love weekends.  I love preparing breakfast in the morning, sharing a meal together, and just bum around in the house watching movies or playing games with them.  This actually irritates my mom.  She tells me that weekends should be study time and that I should encourage my boys to read books instead of watching DVDs or playing computer or playstation games for hours on end.  She just doesn't get it that weekends

14 y.o. dreamboat

 are the only time I draw them near.  If I bring up school stuff on rest day (which I sometimes do) then they're sure to go back to their room! Of course, we can't keep them in the house to share the whole weekend with us.  They insist on going out and playing with their friends at the park or at the gaming shop nearby.  That's already minus 6 hours from our 48 hours together, take out sleeping time which totals 20 hours (they wake up late on weekends), and doing about 6 hours of chores and errands, and what's left? Only 16 hours or less. I remember when my teens were younger, grocery shopping were perfect bonding moments.  Now, they refuse to go to the grocery with me, so I tag along my little boy, my only remaining child who welcomes my kisses and hugs in public. 

I guess a woman can only truly balance her different roles if she has a home business, or works part-time, or she's the energizer bunny!  I'm no superwoman but I am trying. I don't see myself quitting any of the roles that I have already committed to.  I just wish I'd have more time and more energy to give my 110% to each role.  But hey, I still get brownie points for trying hard, right?  Oh well, I won't be blogging 'til Monday.  It's Saturday tomorrow, and it's precious!      

Happy couple

This Saturday,  my hubby and I will be celebrating our 15th anniversay.  Actually, our church wedding was last July 3, but I was out of town then so we'll just wine and dine with the family this weekend coz it was my birthday last July 9 and also my mom-in-law's birthday last July 7.  So here I am, sitting on my desk (not slacking, just having a major writer's block.  You see, I'm supposed to be working on some articles for our newsletter) and the memories just came flooding in (aww, shucks).  Me and my hubby of 15 years and friend for 17 years, Erwin (aka honeybun, babyboo), shared the best and the worst of times.  We met in college but were officially introduced on my sophomore year.  One week after our first "hello,"  we became a couple.  Seriously, he had me at hello!  Actually, I've been eyeing him long before I found out his name.  He, too, had the hots for me the first time he saw me, which was at the the Mutya ng Pamantasan Beauty Pageant.  I was crowned first runner up, a sweet-faced freshman, who paraded in the opening number in a tube and hot pants that revealed more than my figure and bubbly personality.  It was so cold and so nervous, my nipples gave me away, which in turn, took Erwin's breath away, hehe. I couldn't forget the cute mestizo who was shouting "number 11! Number 11!" in the front row.  Of course, number 11 was moi.  Fast forward to second year, second sem., my pal and his algebra summer class classmate, Mindz, introduced us and our fate was sealed.  Oh, how that boy gave me fever (wink, wink). By the time I graduated, I was already pregnant (luckily my baby bump didn't show under my toga).

The sweetest kiss

If there is any year truly memorable for me, it's 1993.  I graduated in March, got married in Manila's civil court in May, signed my contract for my first job in on the same day that month (as in, after the wedding), marched down the isle with a huge bouquet (to hide my tummy) in July, and became a mom in October.  Fifteen years and three kids later, here I am, still happy to be Mrs. Villegas and blogging about it.  In fact, I couldn't picture myself with someone else (except Cure frontman Robert Smith, bwahahahaha!) that I wrote and composed a song for him  -- "Erwin's song" -- wow, what a creative and thought provoking title! This song is like three years old or more.  I wrote this initially as a poem and when I couldn't think of what to give him for his 32nd birthday, I made it as song and mustered the courage to charm the station manager of K-Lite 103.5 to play even a portion of the mp3 on Vito's morning show.  And you know what, they did!  Somebody even called that my song was good and that my hubby is so lucky that I love him that much.  Hey, why don't you click on it and be wowed by my soothing voice, hehe.  Seriously, pay attention to the lyrics, coz I pulled those words right from my heart's left ventricle.  Who knows, it might even become a smash hit (calling Sony, Warner Music, etc., I also have other songs, and they're all great!, Hehe). 

01 Erwin's Song

Happy family

We may have a had a whirlwind romance, wasting no time getting hitched and knocked up -- not once, but three times (all unplanned, but all very welcome), but in all honesty, I wouldn't have had it any other way.  We literally grew up and matured together.  And now, we're still growing with our kids, all our dreams are slowly but surely coming true, and everything is falling into place.  When I'm 65 and my kids are all married, I'd still be singing Erwin's Song, not forgetting any of the words or melody, even if I forget where I left my keys, or worse, my teeth :  ) 

Just shoot us!

I swear!  I've never met a bunch of people who loves being on cam more than my officemates.  And I thought I'm already the supremest picture-happy cutie ever.  I'm my own paparazzi.  Heck, I even take pictures of me when I'm doing the most mundane things, like when I'm just sitting pretty, hehe. Of course, I also love taking pictures of my kids, my friends, mother nature.  We probably have tens of thousand of digital photos already.  You know, the kind that just go straight to your hard drive, and when my parents or relatives ask why they haven't seen the photos of our last reunion yet, I say umm, I'll just burn you a CD copy.  Come to think of it, I hardly have any hard copies of my fabulous photos.  Anyway, back to the subject of my equally uncamera shy office pals.  In our department, we all love "kodak moments," in fact, we turn ordinary situations into picture-perfect memories.  About a

Flash 'em pearly whites

couple of months ago, we were taking video footages for our corporate video.  We visited the branches and took vides and photos of certain scenarios with the models and on-cam talents that we chose.  We ended up having a full-on pictorial of ourselves in the vault where the safety deposit boxes are. If I mention our other "out-of-the-blue" photo sessions, there won't be enough space! The pics that you see here (red background) were taken during our red carpet event in Cebu.  Imagine, Cebu's creme de la creme were there all prim and proper, and we totally spiced it up with our wacky pictorial. Oh yes, we click 'coz like me, they also like striking a pose.  But that's not the only passion that we share, we also love to sing.  And not just sing, mind you, but hey-get-your-own-mic kind of karaoke queen-ness. I guess people who love to pose also love to sing.  The celebrity entertainer in us is just always beaming with confidence.  With us, it's always performance level.  We try hitting the high notes without a care in the world if we're hurting other people's eardrums :  )

Hot even when wet

So what else do we have in common? We all think, feel, and look fabulous (loud evil laugh then fading, fading, done!). 

The camera loves us, baby!

I'm Gorgeous Babe Hershey, there's Hot Momma Ann, Goddess Jackie, Diane The Superstar (Paris Hilton's alter ego), Sexy Can't Swim Daryn, and Bootylicous Bob.  And we don't just act fabulous, we eat fabulously too! We eat with gusto, people often wonder how we stay slim and ravishing (dead silence).  We do watch our diet but we don't pass up a good buffet.  You know, Jackie is a vegetarian when she's in certain places.  Bob eats less when he's full.  I limit myself to eating only delicious food.  See, we care about what goes to our hips and other parts that we wish would just stop growing. 

So the next time you bump into us, don't just say "hello." Take our picture, or take us to Red Box, or take us to a nice restaurant.  You'll have a blast!

Mom and me in Cebu

There's something magical about going to another place.  Even if when you get there, there's nothing really amazing to see, there is still a great sense of thrill checking out the tourist spots though they're not that awesome.  Just yesterday, we arrived from Cebu.  We were there since July 3 because we had a company event there.  I've been there twice before.  Of course, the first time I was there I was giddy as a little girl.  I wanted to get right on the sightseeing and souvenir-shopping part of the trip.  This time around, I brought my mom so she, too, could see Cebu.  She was so excited and all, and I must say, though I've seen the island's major tourist attractions, being there again got me all excited as well.  When we wrapped up all our events (we actually had 4 events in 3 days!), we had some time to go around.  Together with my officemates, we went to the nearby must-see spots -- the Baslica de Sto. Nino, the Magellan's Cross, Sutukil at Mactan, Fort San Pedro, SM Cebu, Ayala, Taboan Market and the Shamrock outlets (for the danggit and pasalubongs), Mountainview and Tops. We were booked at the Waterfront Hotel-Lahug, which is just near the Taoist Temple, but because we ran out of time, we didn't get to go there. Oh well, it wasn't really spectacular but it would have been awesome if my mom saw it too.  If we were there longer, I would have loved to venture out to the countryside and see the resorts, the Sta. Rosa Falls, etc. 

Mama by the smallest fort

The whole time we were there, there was just so much food to eat!  Since we hosted several events, naturally we had

Chow time at Sutukil

buffets for each event.  And you know what?  There were tons of food 'coz we were expecting a lot of people but only about 60% of them showed up.  Imagine, some of the grubs we had for the July 3 and 4 events, we still got to bring home (still perfectly edible, mind you)!  We had buffet breakfast every morning, feasted on crabs and lapu-lapu at Sutukil, and chowed down major artery cloggers like crispy pata and bulalo at Mountainview.  we must have gained 5 pounds in 4 days!

I booked the 8 p.m PAL flight back to Manila so my mom and I could have more time to enjoy Cebu.  Tru shopaholics that we are, we spent our last day in Cebu at the mall.  Yup!  After checking out at the hotel, we went straight to Ayala Mall and bought stuff.  Of course, we went for the sale items, hehe.  We also had late lunch there.  We ate at the famous CnT Lechon (their mall outlet) and we had a side order of kilawing puso ng saging from another resto.  Perfect combination indeed.  We were so full we didn't eat dinner after that!  We also watched Hancock (well, originally, she wanted to see "My Monster Mom," but I said, uh-oh!) and it was such a treat!  Will Smith was so funny as a superhero, and hot at the same time.   

There's so much more to see but since we were really there for work, we only had one day to go around.  And you  know what, that one day was pure magic :  )   

Oh I can't wait to board a plane again and fly to wherever!  Actually, my hubby is planning to bring me to Hong Kong this December.  Last year, we went to Singapore.  Just this summer, we had a fabulous time in Boracay.  Oh, I so love going on trips!  It's expensive but the meomries stay with you forever (awww, shucks).