“Tea pot is on, the cups are waiting, 

Favorite chairs anticipating, 

No matter what I have to do,

My friend there's always time for you”

--Anonymous

I love the thought of setting dates for meeting friends... it is something worth looking forward to. Yesterday was a great Sunday, the first Sunday of summer and it was sunny and warm. I got out of the house and dropped by Robinson's to buy the silvanas that I promised to bring along with a box of tea. I arrived late, as usual, although the sun was still shining bright although it was nearing 5 PM. Darwiza's house, a 3-story "building" is nearing completion, although the first floor was almost done and felt so much like the lobby of a nice, small hotel. She had prepared a nice table for us, complete with a tea set for my tea (yay!!!). Serlyn prepared pasta, someone bought chicken, the others brought  fruit mix, coconut shake and ice cream. For an afternoon snack, we sure know how to prepare! 

Love, love, love days like these :)

About ten years ago, babies were the farthest from our minds. Ten years ago, we were marveling at how different college was from high school, reveling in the freedom of no longer having to wear the checkered red-and-white-skirts that we have worn every weekday for four years as we immersed ourselves in Felicity, Ally McBeal and Party of Five. Now, half of us are married, and babies make their grand entrances every few years or so. Time flies sooooo fast. And I feel soooooo old.

There are three babies, two toddlers, to be exact, and one newborn, Johan Bryle, a cute, pink, wrinkly addition to the group. I say group, because back then, coffee dates consisted of meeting up with the girls, most of them all dolled up and smelling good, and we would kill time by talking about boys. Ten years later, husbands are here, and babies, too. Johan is the newest addition, born on January 23, 2011 at SMC. Freslyn,Darwiza and I were pressing our ears against the doors of the labor and delivery room, hearing the voices of the doctors telling Serlyn to push... six pushes later there it was, the baby's cry.For someone who just got born he had a pair of pretty strong lungs in him, and he was crying even after he was placed in the nursery room. The proud uncles and aunts, the lolas, and of course, us, we huddled in front of the glass barrier that separated the newborns from the rest of the world, and we just gawked.

Welcome to the world, Baby Johan!

Finally, I have decided to take the last step.

There are difficult people in our lives that we cannot help but love. And even if they have shown time and time again how rotten they can be towards us, the feeling lingers. You manage to break away and you hope you can stay friends, but even friendly conversations turn sour. It could be your fault, it could be the other person's fault--- it doesn't matter, things are no longer what they were before. Sad to say, all things have an ending, even friendships. Or perhaps, they just needed to be punctuated, for the time being, so as not to fray the edges some more, to prevent the fragile thread that's keeping you connected from breaking.

It's sad. The impending withdrawal, tastes of which I've had for the past week, feels more solid now, like it is finally here to stay. This is the shot that I've been dreading, but I have to endure the pain, knowing that no matter how it may hurt, at least it won't hurt forever.

It's a new day, and although I have no idea what lies ahead, I'll rest in the knowledge that its going to be better than yesterday.