It's been a couple of years since I last ate at Achong's, one of the best places to eat in Dumaguete if you are strapped for cash AND if you happen to love street food. Achong's is a small eatery across the street from ACSAT, a local computer school, that sells street food, from isaw (grilled chicken innards) to Adidas( chicken feet), as well as the more common pork BBQ sticks and hotdogs.

JP and I went there for the first time together last week, after both of us had sudden cravings for anything that did not resemble mall food. Achong's was crawling with people when we got there, and the place was thick with smoke and the smell of grilled chicken.

Rice wrapped in leaves are often paired with local streetfood. The rice is poured into the woven leaves before it is cooked. To eat, the packs are sliced open in the middle, and the leafy wrapping is peeled off.

Each stick if isaw goes for 4 pesos, very affordable, since you only want to consume five or six of these if you know what's good for you. A person can spend roughly 100 pesos for a complete meal of isaw and rice, paired with a cold glass of Coke.

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!

This is a long overdue post. The date might fool you, but I am actually posting this in 2012 (I'm feeling all Back-to-the-Future-rish right now), since I skimmed through the drafts in this blog and found this particular draft in dire need to be filled up and published. 

I noticed that I never posted the photos I took while attending Ate Rona's and Buddy's wedding, which they had in December 2009. The wedding was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen, and it had Ate Rona's touch down to the smallest details. Kat and I were tasked to capture photos of the details, from the flower arrangements to the table settings, and it wasn't really a difficult job, since everywhere we looked, we were surrounded by pretty. 

Only a select few will get this seemingly disjointed post, but I am posting it just the same. Here I am again, after several months of being gone. Frankly, my journal is in my room and I'm too lazy to get up. So here I am, since apparently, there are some emotions that you just have to put into words. If you can't write it down using pen and paper, might as well blog about it.

This is a post about crossroads.

There are times that all the stars seemingly align and circumstances occur just to break the order that you have created for yourself. They are all good, and others may even see it as chances that you just cannot pass up. And they are right. There are some chances that you cannot pass up. But it could also mean letting in the possibility that the life you have envisioned for yourself is not going to be the life you are going to live. Just the possibility, mind you. Crossroads, remember?

The thought of choosing between two favorable options, I am realizing, is way harder than choosing between the lesser of two evils. I am inherently selfish, and for the most part of my life, seldom have I ever thought that I could have my cake but not eat it too. I have always thought that if you press hard enough, you can get what you want, and the next thing that you want, and the next thing after that. Alas, life, the great teacher, felt it apt that tonight was the night to teach me the lesson on choices-- that sometimes, you have to make a decision, choose between two lives that as a child you longed you would live. That is the great thing about being a child. You can think about the possibility of living many lives, imagine one life for one day, another the next. But growing up shows you that you cannot live two lives at a time. A few hours ago I was given a small peek at the life that I envisioned would be the perfect life for me three years ago--just a small, tiny peek at the possibility (not yet the reality, thank God!) But the incident got me thinking about all the possibilities, about the parallel world that would be created if I take one road instead of another, if ever I was given the chance. Would I take it?

I am very fortunate to have parents who never wanted to steer my life for me. They always went with my decisions and supported me all the way. Not all the time, but they were there when it mattered. And they were there when I made the decision to take up law. Now it seems like my 'balimbing' mind wants to go flying off to another direction again, and I can only wonder if my parents will still be as approving of my next move. A friend asked me, what I really wanted. I want both. Turns out you cannot have both. So I am a bit dreading the time when I'll find myself standing at the crossroads, when I need to make that decision that I could probably regret for the rest of my life. I am quite hoping that the moment at the crossroad never comes. Monday is a long way ahead. Perhaps a storm will come, shutting down all flights to the capital. Or perhaps, I will get a call, telling me that there is no need to come because the position has been filled. That way I leave this moment with no guilt, confident that it was not up to me, but up to fate. And who can argue with fate? It was simply not meant to be.

I want to cry when I think of all the opportunities that have passed me by. All the 'what if's' and all the possibilities. But it is true what they say, that for every road you take, you always have to take another. It is always up to you to make the best of the one you choose. And opportunities always abound. The question is knowing when to take one opportunity and knowing when to let one go, to pursue an even bigger challenge. In the end, I guess, it would always boil down to priorities. Times like these make you realize that you really need to sit down and identify what matters most, so that when its time to choose, you can choose the road you were meant to take.

This is an old, old, almost-forgotten draft, but since I'm feeling a bit nostalgic, I feel like this is the right time to publish. Farrah is a friend of mine, and when she asked me and Kat to take play-engagement photos of her and Victor, we didn't hesitate. This shoot was the second play shoot that I had done with Kat and planning it was both fun and exciting. I didn't have any prime lenses back then, oh, I didn't know any better! Just the opportunity to shoot live, willing models was such a thrill for me. 

Farrah and Victor were born natural models, fortunately, and even under the scorching heat of  the summer sun, they were willing to go through all the poses that we could think of and didn't hesitate to share their own ideas. We chose a great location, the Chinese temple located near the beach, so we had colorful reds, blues, and greens to play with. They even bought a couple of balloons with them for added color! I remember feeling so tired after this shoot, but it was all worth it. One afternoon of pure fun with great people and I got to practice my camera skills to boot!