There's a rainbow after the rain.

Friday. August 19, 2011. Last training day. It started like any other day. I woke up, got some coffee, took a shower, had my breakfast and went to work. That's my typical routine for almost two weeks since I got a job in Makati. But, life can sometimes be so cruel. Things can change in just a blink of an eye.

I walked into work and eight hours later, walked out with no job and "I hope you learned a lot".

Yes that day, Hoobert the Awesome has rejoined the ranks of the unemployed.

It's like the heavens fell on me when Ed told me that I didn't pass the training. Oh, how it shattered my heart! It was my first job ever and I screwed it up. I literally cried. At that moment, I was only thinking of how will I break the news to my family. My sisters were so proud of me when they learned that I got a job and this news will surely break their hearts. Then, I received many uplifting messages from beautiful people. This I got from Jean Ymson, "You're a smart kid. I want you to go to the medical field and kick some ass".

Sourgraping is the easiest thing in the world. I could sulk in for days. I could threw tantrums on anybody who passes by me. I could say a lot of snarky things that would probably make me feel better. But I won't, why? I'll just make a fool out of myself. Yes, I lost my job but this is not the end of the world. Hindi titigil ang mundo sa pag-inog dahil lang sa nadapa ako. And moreover, hindi hihintayin ng mundo ang muli kong pagbangon. What I need to do is to get myself together, move forward and never look back.

That night, as strange as it may sound, I slept with no hard feelings because somehow I knew that there is something better in store for me.

When one door closes, another opens as the old saying goes. PRC dropped the bomb the next day.Those of you who know me from the blog knows that I took the licensure exam for nurses last month. I scrolled down to look for my name and there it was. My eyes popped wide open upon seeing my name.

22830 JUBERT JOHN REQUILLAS MARZAN

Yes that day, Hoobert the Awesome has joined the ranks of world-class Filipino nurses.

I was ecstatic. Deep inside, I was screaming like what a high school girl would do for Justin Bieber. I immediately reached for my phone and sent an SMS to my mom. Through word of mouth and passed on by excited messages on Facebook, I suddenly became the toast of town. LMAO. It felt very surreal. Indeed, God is good.

Anyone who says that "everything happens for a reason" knows what he's talking about. I believe it and so should you. Nothing happens by chance or by sheer luck. Failures all occur to test limit of our souls.

So, what's the idea of this whole entry? Simple and I want this to end in a good note.

Life is too short for sourgraping too much. Looking back, there is always something you wish you had done or hadn't done in that one moment. You torture yourself over the "what ifs" and think that you would somehow have been better off if you had done this, that or the other. But the bad news is, history is just that, history. It may piss you off but you cannot bring back time.

If you're out there in a similar position - don't be too hard to yourself. The battle may have been lost but not the war, right? Just keep the faith and believe in yourself. 'Cos if you don't believe in yourself, no one else will.

LOVE IS SWEETER THE SECOND TIME YOU FALL

I once had a girlfriend. You know, one of those cheesy high school love stories. But it didn't last that long. She has her priorities and sadly, I'm not one of them. I was really, really hurt. (TIP: If you have a high school sweetheart going to a different school, do yourself a favor and break up.) But I think letting her go was the smartest thing to do. We stay friends though. Now she's just Facebook-stalking me. LMAO. But I discovered in one of those random Facebook talks that she doesn't consider our "relationship" a relationship. Wow, it caught me by surprise. Yes, we're young and innocent back then but I fell in love with her and I'm sure of that. And I thought she felt the same way too but I was wrong. Oh well, now, I don't care. Shikes, I sound so bitter. LMFAO.


After that a-week-and-four-days relationship, I gave my achy breaky heart a rest. While some boys cross stitched from one relationship to another like they are just changing their underwears, I chose not to exert effort at all and just let Cupid do the hunting for me. (Anyway I still ruminate that single guys should not automatically be declared as torpe or worse, gay. That's bigotry.) It took Cupid five years but I'm not on a rush. Love is not a game. It's about finding the right person at the right time and under the right circumstances.

Being taken is not a matter of choice; it's being single that it. Not unless a girl proposed her undying love for me before my 20th birthday, I will be single 'til ad infinitum. (Sorry but I cannot disclose her name here. Our parents will surely freak out. She's almost three years younger than me.)

We met last summer. We were seatmates in a PUV. She was with a friend. It was love-at-first sight. She opened her hands. She was suggesting me to hold her. With no second thoughts, I gave in. I held her hands for about 30 minutes. Lower those eyebrows honey, yes, it's weird 'cos we barely know each other but heck, I fell in love with her hard. I mean hard.

On the 16th of May, she officially became my girl. We're kind of fast - no, she was fast. Maybe she completely understands that she's getting a quality boyfriend. LMAO. No, seriously, I've waited long enough for this to come. I won't let this girl slip through my fingers again. I may not find a girl like her again in the future.

I would like to think that I already found my soulmate if there's such thing. We have a lot of similarities and common interests, I think she's Hoobert 2.0. LMAO. Little things amuse her and I like that in a girl. Though she's a self-admitted selosa, she's not the kind of girl that will keep checking me out every minute 'cos I find it very annoying. Anyway, she don't have to worry about me straying because I will show zero interest to anyone. We've just been together for almost three months but we're very comfortable with each other. There's no dull moment when we're together. Actually, she's fast becoming my best friend. When I'm kind of pissed, she's there to listen to my problems, no matter how small. When we go out, we split cost on stuffs without making a big deal out of it. When we're having disputes, she's willing to talk it out and help me see her side of things.

Ever since she came up, I never imagined my life without her. Seriously. Her existence is meant to complete my existence. There's this one time, after we had dinner, we went out for a stroll. Her arms were around me, it was raining. We were looking at each others eyes. That's the time when I realized that, oh man, I wanna spend the rest of my life with this girl.

Call me freak. Call me love sick. Call me weirdo. I don't care. Ganito pala kapag inlove, it seems that I became a different person. And I believe that she brings out the best in me. And that's what true love is - loving the person you become as a result of the person you are with. I'll admit that I'm not an ideal boyfriend, far from it. I've only had one relationship prior to ours so don't expect me to be smooth in any means. I don't know how long we'll be together or how we'll break-up. The only thing I'm sure of is hers is the only name I need to memorize. <3

Hello baby! Happy 16th. I love you so much. We're really meant to be. This is our fairytale, you and me, together.

There's No Plan B, Only God's Plan

How excited were we when Papa confirmed to us last year that Tito Mike will finally tie the knot with his long-time girlfriend. I/we were ecstatic. Especially when Mom announced that we’re going somewhere for the wedding – to Cebu. Yahoo! Back then, the wedding couldn’t have come any sooner. And then it did.

The Wedding Day. I can still recall the frantic preparations that morning at the hotel as everyone in the entourage did every little bit they could to help out. It’s really amazing what girls do to get ready for weddings. It took almost 3-4 hours to get their hair and make-up done. Shikes! But in fairness, the makeup artists and hair stylists have done an awesome job. All the girls looked great.



I know how hard Tito Mike and Tita Cheryl worked to make their wedding as close as to perfect as possible but the preparations didn't go as easy as we hoped it would be. Tito Mike was brought to the hospital days prior to the wedding and that explains why there was no engagement pictorials. All the prenup photos was taken that morning; few hours before the wedding. With a bridal party of 30 it's always hard but the photographers were superb. Needless to say, I was impressed. Way to go, Rock Paper Scissors!










The wedding was held at the Sto. Nino de Cebu Parish. Family and close friends came to witness the wedding. The couple just want it to be more personal environment where everyone knew each other. There were connections, whether it was family to family or family to friends. The ceremony was great. A few tears here and there, emotions on a high, laughter in abundant supply throughout the day.

The reception venue, Nina Ballroom of Radisson Blu Hotel also deserves a special mention. I have to tell you that this place knows how to throw a good wedding. They had all the little details covered, and we all know it's the little details that makes a wedding. The foods were great from the appetizers to the desserts - everything was just yummmm. I only had a little problem with the waiter but that's another story.

The reception was especially memorable because of the speeches. Some were funny while others are real tearjerkers. The wedding video was also shown during the reception. Again, two thumbs up RPS team!

The couple and the entourage looked like they were having a great time swaying to the music and singing along to songs of a live band. My cousins and sisters even went up the stage and overtook the band. Well, their voices aren't that bad but I can do better. LMAO. And man, there was an overflowing supply of alcohol. Waaah! For sure, this is going to be in the almanac for sometimes - an event that could generate talk in the family for years.


ICEBREAKER: I got the garter - you know, the round thing made of cloth whatever. And the challenge was to put that thing in the lady's leg using my tongue - no, I'm just kidding - my teeth. Of course, I did that. It was no sweat for me! I think it will be a good memory on the video.

In my eyes, the day was great! Even more importantly, it looked like the bride and the groom had a blast! They had that look that every couple should have on their wedding day... the look of pure joy and happiness.

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Mikey Marzan!

Photos courtesy of the very awesome RPS team!