There are places i'll remember...

Location: Makati Office
What I should actually be doing: Week 4 Report


"There are place I’ll remember all my life, though some have changed, some forever not for better, some have gone and some remain. All these places have their moments, of lovers and friends I still can recall, some are dead and some are living, in my life I've loved them all..."

It's true, what this song says. That in our lives, there will be places that will mean more to us than anywhere else. Maybe because a special event or occasion took place there or a special moment, or simply because it reminds us of something very important to us that's why that place will always have a special place in our hearts. And no matter where we go, we often find ourselves going back there, just to relive those moments passed.

And in my 24 years here on earth, particularly in the Philippines, here are some of those places that will hold a special place in my heart for as long as I live.

1. Antipolo Overlooking – nothing special has really happened to me at this place, it’s just that the other night, I noticed how beautiful it is to look at. Especially at night when you could see all the lights from the buildings at the nearby cities. Simply beautiful.

2. PowerBooks, Greenbelt 4 – if I would be stuck in a place overnight or even a couple of days, it would be perfectly fine with me if it’ll be a bookstore, most especially if its at PowerBooks, Greenbelt 4. I love being surrounded by books and the scent of so many books around me fills my heart with happiness. Weird, I know. But why Greenbelt 4? I don’t really know why, it’s just that I feel so comfortable there.

3. Starbucks, Greenbelt 1 – aside from one of my favorite places to read a book, especially during early morning at around 7, this place holds a special place in my heart because this is where my office friends, Bom, Mark, Jela and I go to bond, rant, or when we just felt like having some coffee. This place has been privy to a lot of our conversations regarding life, work, friends, a lot more. And I seriously miss going there during lunch times or after office hours (calling the attention of Bom, Mark and Jela…hehe...).

4. Gerry's Grill, Glorietta Foodpark – one of my favorite restaurants. And this has also been the venue for some memorable celebrations I’ve had with family and friends. There was Acy’s promotion blow-out, Christmas lunch with Tita Mae and my sister Joanne, Sir Bot’s birthday lunch, Acy’s despedida, Acy’s homecoming dinner, and a few more memorable events.

5. Our Lady of Grace-Caloocan Blessed Sacrament – this is one of those places where I truly am at peace. I don’t know what is about this place that makes me so comfortable and at home. And I don’t know if it’s wrong or not, but the inner peace that I feel when I’m at this place is what I’m looking for in every church that I go to. I don’t know about you, but there are some churches where I don’t really feel all that comfortable with and as a result, I can’t really talk to Him very well. But here, I always feel good when I come out, like life could throw at me anything and everything and I would be just fine.

6. Baguio – I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’ve been to this place several times but I would gladly go back a lot more times. I don’t know what’s with Baguio but until now, even just the thought of going back there gives me a happy feeling. It could be because I love going the Palengke to buy stuffs, the Grotto and it’s a couple of hundred steps, SM where you could view the city (it’s specially beautiful at night), Good Shepherd for their very yummy ube jam. Or it could be because of all the happy memories and experiences I’ve had during my previous visits there. Or it could be because I simply because I love the place itself, period. I’m even thinking of getting a house there when I’m able to. How ‘bout that? ü

7. 2007 Dagupan Extension, Tondo Manila - I've spent most of my childhood years here and it's always fun to reminisce about those times of us in the street playing patintero, tumbang preso, tsako, langit-lupa, taguaan, etc., until our Lola comes out at 6pm with a stick calling us to go home already. Or those times when we would stay inside the house and just watch TV with our aunts and cousins. Or those times when there's a special occasion and my sisters and I will prepare cards or letters for our Mama and wait for her to come home even if its already late at night just to give them to her. Yes, our life then might be hard but it was so full of fun and laughter that I wouldn't have it any other way. Sometimes, I even wish that I could transport myself back to those years just to feel how it was like all over again.

8. La Consolacion College - Caloocan - of course, there's high school. How could I ever forget high school? How could I ever forget those open forums by the chapel? Or those chikahans by the boat lavatories? Or those trips to SM North when all the while our parents thought we were doing our projects? Or those times when we cried about our first "heartaches", failing grades, petty quarrels, major fights, peer pressure? Or those things we did just so our crushes would notice us? How about those cute elementary and college boys, who could forget about them? Oh, and the PBA fever, during our junior and senior years! And of course, the graduation, the graduation that was full of tears and laughter and pride. I've got so many fond and beautiful memories about high school, but nothing will beat my sophomore year. It was really the best. That was when I met my first best friends; when I learned how to be really responsible; cried my first "heartache" tears; appreciated myself. And most importantly, that was when I started to grow up.

9. Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila – aaah, college. By far, the best years of my life was spent during college. And I really miss those days of endless homeworks, a couple of reports all at the same day, reviewing for the exams (in which some are held on Sundays), going to a classmate’s home to do projects, and all the things that a student does to pass. And of course, all the kalokohans that we did, those trips to SM during breaks and even during classes, making our professor walk out on us because we’re so noisy, following our crushes around the campus or making sure that we’re at their tambayan during their breaks, then there’s the big fight during the feasib days, and the feasib days themselves! The endless crying, the quarrels among friends and group mates, the fear of getting a failing grade, and so on and so forth. But you know what’s the best thing that ever happened to me here? This is where I met five of the most important people in my life. PLM has given us the opportunity to meet each other, become friends and be a part of each other’s lives and I would be forever grateful to PLM for that.

10. Bagumbong, Caloocan City – it’s home, what more can I say?