The Memet Diaries

Aherm

2011-09-20T10:52:00.001+08:00

Dear Blog,

Yes, I am still alive. Albeit a tad bit too busy. I promise I'll make it up to you soon.

Missin' you,
Dianne

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Melissa, You'll Soon Be Mine

2011-08-06T16:07:00.001+08:00

Ahehehe. So I finally got myself a pair of wellies. As promised, next on my list is a pair of Melissa shoes. :) This'll be another pair that I can wear while it's raining. They won't keep my feet from getting wet, but they definitely won't get ruined if they come face to face with water (unlike all my other pairs that eventually met their demise after getting wet one too many times).

What exactly are Melissa Shoes? Here's the info I got from their website:

Melissa is an iconic global footwear brand that traces its origins to Brazil. Melissa’s avant-garde designs are often considered pieces of art in and of themselves. Over the years, Melissa has partnered with the world’s brightest design talents including fashion designers (e.g. Vivienne Westwood), architects (e.g. Karim Rashid and Zaha Hadid), and furniture designers (e.g. The Campana Brothers), among others.

From sexy stilettos to fabulous flats, Melissa shoes have re-invented the much-loved jelly, bringing style and comfort to a whole new level. Melissa looks forward to bringing the future of fashion to the world.

In the Philippines, Istila Companhia is the exclusive distributor of Melissa.

Here are the pairs that I'm choosing from. Notice that they can be worn on smart casual days at the office or even with a spiffy suit (Something that I can't pull off with my wellies). :)


Ultragirl J Maskrey (P15,500)

Mermaid (P3,250)

Vivienne Westwood Croco (P7,599)

Patchuli (P4,599)


Amazonas (P4,599)

Aren't they just lovely? These are my top 5 picks. The Ultragirl J Maskrey took my breath away the first time that I laid my eyes on it. I just completely lost my breath when I saw the price though. P15,500 is way too expensive. That's already a netbook right there! Hahaha! So, yeah. That lovely pair will just remain a wish for me. :p

It's a toss up between the remaining 4. But I gotta admit, the last 2 pairs have a certain pull. I showed them to The Memet and he said he liked the Amazonas the best. He said it looks like a furniture or a structure of some sort. I dunno if it has anything to do with him being an engineer. Hahaha! I've got my eyes on the Patchuli pair. It looks sexy. Hehe. Anyhoo... I'll try to find time to go to Anthem in Shangri-La so that I can try them on. I'll probably decide from there.

But first... I gotta save up some moolah. Hahahaha!

By the way, being that Melissa shoes are made of jelly or plastic-like material, won't it get scratched easily? Feedback, anyone?

My Plueys

2011-08-06T15:06:00.002+08:00

My first pair of wellies is probably the best purchase I've ever made in my entire life. Rather timely too, because we've been getting a lot of rain recently.

I'm so glad I succumbed to my urge to get one. Hahaha! I've actually been rather happy whenever I have to leave the house while it's raining.

Thing is, I hate getting my feet wet while commuting. I'm not being 'maarte', really. I guess it has something to do with my being OC? Flood water irks me. It's just plain dirty. And you don't know what kind of germy trash had been lying around before it started raining. Not to mention those things that the 'durara' people leave on the streets. Oh! And let's not forget about leptospirosis. Toinks. Yes, I'm like that. You'll never be able to make me walk barefoot outside of my room. Hahaha!

Anyway, yeah. I'm really glad I bought myself a pair of Plueys. :) No more gloomy and icky rainy days for me! :)

Next on my list? A pair of Melissas. Hahaha!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Take a Peek at My Kikay Kit

2011-07-02T02:52:00.000+08:00

Okay guys... Errr, girls... LOL! Since I shared with you the contents of my satchel, I thought I might as well show you what's inside my kikay kit! I must warn you though... If you love makeup, you might just get disappointed.

It's a bit boring, but I'm in the mood for sharing. And anyway, it's my blog, so... Uh-huh. ;)

Here you go!

Top (L-R) My Kikay Kit and some plasters. Bottom (L-R): Oil control film and a mirror.

Top (L-R): Human Nature lipstick and Human Nature tinted lip balm. Bottom (L-R): L'Oreal lipstick and a nail cutter! :p

Top (L-R): V&Co. Cream Vanilla cologne and Incanto Shine. Bottom (L-R): Lush solid perfume and a pen! Hehe...

Not a lot of stuff, huh? Actually, I just realized that I don't even have pressed powder in there. Hahaha! And... Is it weird that I have a pen and a nail cutter in my kikay kit? I'm hoping that's normal. LOL!

If you noticed, I'm into scents too. I love smelling good. I feel naked without cologne or perfume. But I can't lug around the original bottle coz it's too heavy, so I usually transfer it into smaller containers. Makes it easier to fit in my bag. :)

What about you guys? Care to share what's in your bags / kikay kits? :)

My Yellow Cambridge Satchel

2011-07-02T02:30:00.000+08:00

I think I'm going through a bag phase. I saw this bag on Schu's blog around Feb of this year and just fell in love with it. Right then and there, I pre-ordered it, and then I got it after a couple of months.

I just super love my yellow satchel. It ain't as roomy as a hobo, but, I was still able to fit a lot of things in it. Here, take a peek. :)

My 14" yellow Cambridge Satchel. :)

The Contents:

My cellphones

Baby wipes

My kikay kit (Freebie from Watson's)

My company ID

Human Nature hand sanitizers

Sophie Martin wallet

Umbrella

Human Nature 100% Natural Hydrating Lotion

Candy


Ta-da! All snug and (somewhat) organized in my satchel. :)

Kuya Homer Gets Married

2011-07-02T01:57:00.000+08:00

My mom and I traveled to Laguna to attend Kuya Homer and his wife's wedding last month. It was just the two of us because my dad, brother, and everyone else in the family were in the Paulino reunion in Talavera, Nueva Ecija. The Memet, on the other hand, was in Potipot, Zambales that weekend.

If I remember correctly, Kuya Homer's wedding day was the same day someone "prophesied" that the world was going to end. Apparently, it didn't. LOL.

Anyway, I'll share some of my favorite shots with you. I just love photographing weddings. :)


This one's my favorite shot from that day. :)

The newlyweds with the minister.

Sweet! :)

With their entourage.

My mom and one of my friends.

Me and my mom. :)

The reception venue.

Hmmm. I dunno why the pictures aren't all that clear today. Something wrong with my settings on Blogger? :(

High Time for Wellies!

2011-06-25T02:38:00.000+08:00

This is really is it. LOL! I am dead-set on getting myself a pair (or two) of wellies. For those of you scratching their heads thinking I've gone berserk, wellies are rain boots. :) And you gotta admit, with the kind of crazy stormy weather we've been getting lately, it's only practical to have a pair of rain boots handy. ;)

I've been browsing through Plueys' website and I've already tagged my top 4 choices:

Go Fish (P2,399)

Origami Me (P2,399)

Puppy Love (P2,399)

Oooh La Lace (P2,399)

I wanna get all 4, but then, what do I need 4 pairs of wellies for? Hehehe. I'll probably get 2 pairs. Or... Ok. Just one. Hahaha! Let's see how that goes.

Egay - Falcon

2011-06-25T02:12:00.000+08:00

I hope y'all are safe at home right now. Just got home 2 hours ago, and boy, was it a difficult commute.

The Memet wasn't able to fetch me from work because he's always busy with so many things whenever there are natural calamities. In this case, it was the flooding going on in Cainta. I waited (and waited) for an fx going home from Ortigas, but there were none. Some of the other stranded passengers decided to take a cab as a group to save on cab fare. Since they were all going the same way I was, they let me join them. We were 4 strangers in a cab with the driver. Hahaha! Goes to show that extreme/weird experiences often bring strangers together.

The first 2 passengers got off before Junction, and I was left with the girl whose stop was Tikling. I don't know her name. Come to think of it, I never got any of their names. Hahaha! But anyway, we got stuck in stand-still traffic approaching Junction. When we got to the intersection, we found out that the reason was that the flood-water was pretty deep past Junction so none of the small vehicles could pass through. Even large vehicles like trucks and buses had difficulty. At this point, the cab driver let us off and turned back. My nameless new "friend" and I then looked for a bus and hopped in. It seemed like a pretty good idea, but then we didn't really get anywhere because... Well... Traffic wasn't moving. Hahahaha!

I called The Memet and luckily, he was able to get away from work for a couple minutes. I got off the bus (my nameless friend decided to stay), walked to the loading/unloading area going into A. Bonifacio, and met The Memet there. It was easy going home from there. There was flood-water, but it was pretty shallow.

And so here I am at home now. The Memet had to go back to their headquarters to continue facilitating help for the stranded passengers and residents who need assistance for whatever. I hope he comes home soon... Can't sleep yet.

Heavy rains scare me so much. Reminds me of Ondoy. Anyway, I hope we don't get seriously disastrous floods anymore. So please, let's do our share to help save mother earth...

My Brother's Wedding

2011-06-25T01:59:00.000+08:00

I mentioned in my previous post that I attended a couple of weddings in my absence from blog-life. LOL. One of those weddings is my one and only baby brother's wedding. :)

I could go on and on about so many details, but heck, I'm super tired so I'll share some pics with you guys instead.

I took 'em all. They may not be all that professional or artistic, but I'm proud of them. Hehehe. I really, really want to improve as a photographer. But enough yakking. Here are some of my favorite photos. :)

They used our SUV as the bridal "car", so I was able to get a shot of the bride before everyone else in church saw her. :)

The newlyweds.

My cousin the bestman with The Memet. Sweet noh? LOL.

Push that truck! Go go go! :p

Look at all that money!

Catching some alone time during the reception.

Me, resting after the ceremony. I wasn't able to take a lot of photos coz I was part of the entourage. Toink. :p

A Few Weddings, A Birthday, and an Outing

2011-06-20T20:54:00.000+08:00

Ola Amigo/Amiga! LOL. I've been unable to blog for quite some time, and quite frankly, I don't know where to begin. I feel like I missed out on telling you guys a lot of stories and thoughts... From my previous mobile posts though, you probably know that I've been busy as heck this past couple of months. Was also sick for a good two weeks. Went on sick leave just one day though. Hahaha!

Oh well. The land procurement went well. We still need to finish paying for it within the year, so we're tightening our belts for the next couple of months. Once it's fully paid, we'll need to wait maybe another couple of years before we can actually have the house built. Hahahaha! But, well, one step at a time. We'll get there eventually.

So... Hmmm. So many things happened, and instead of me yacking on and on about it, I'll post pictures instead. Enjoy! :)

Oh. My. God. LOL! The pictures are in my netbook. And, the Memet has just arrived home, so I'll upload them later. Hahaha!

Ciao! :)

Crash and Burn

2011-06-02T05:30:00.001+08:00

My apprentice came back. :) But... She's tendered her resignation. She's rendering her last 30 days with the company. :( Rest assured though that it isn't my fault she's leaving. In the few months she was with me, we have become friends. But, well, she has to do what she's gotta do and yeah, after a heart to heart talk with her, I understand where she's coming from.

So now, I'm awaiting the inevitable. We opened the post to applicants but turnout's been nil. Sigh.

I'm not in good shape the past couple of days. Sick, sick, sick. But I'll be on leave tomorrow. :) One thing I'm looking forward to - We're going to purchase a property tomorrow. I'm super excited. ;)

Anyway, that's all for now. Ciao! :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Why Aren't I Pregnant Yet?

2011-05-26T12:27:00.001+08:00

Somewhere one unassuming morning...

Someone's Mom: Ano, wala pa ba?

Me: Wala pa po eh. (Smile)

Someone's Mom: Ilang taon na ba kayong kasal?

Me: Um... More than 2 years na po. (Smile)

Someone's Mom: Ahh. Anak ko kasi buntis na. Nagspotting sya kelan lang kaya pinagpahinga muna namin. Mag-iisang taon palang silang kasal. (Smiles then walks away)

Uh... How come I feel like I've been insulted? Tsk.

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Have Mercy!

2011-05-25T13:56:00.001+08:00

Aaaargh! I don't like posting negative updates, but I'm in dire need of some unloading lest I spontaneously combust.

I am swamped at work this week, working on everything for my business unit. Clients have requests left and right. If you pile up all my tasks, they'll probably be taller than me.

And the icing on the cake? My apprentice decided to go MIA. I've been unable to contact her since yesterday. So all her tasks have fallen on my already full plate. Please, come back! Waaah!

Seriously, people. Work isn't a game. If you have a problem or if you're having difficulty coping, atleast talk to your immediate supervisor about it. Don't leave 'em hanging. Coz speaking from experience, this situation I'm in is no walk in the park. Seriously.

Sigh. I guess I need a new apprentice.

That's all, thank you. Now... Back to work...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Work, Work, Work

2011-04-27T13:50:00.001+08:00

Friends and family, they're there for you no matter what. Your parents, your brother or sister, your husband or your wife, your kids... They all love you unconditionally. Real friends do too.

The company you work for? You only matter to them when you can generate revenue for them.

That's probably not the case for ALL companies, but that's how it is for majority of them.

Lesson: Family and friends should matter more than your work. Work can always be replaced. Other companies will take you in. Heck, you can even have your own business. But your family and truest friends? They're irreplaceable.

Cherish them always.

Ciao for now!
Dianne

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My First Kimmidoll

2011-04-13T21:23:00.000+08:00

Hey! How have you guys been? I'm so glad to be blogging from a PC. It's so much easier. LOL!

I have so many things that I wanna blog about, but I don't think I can blog about everything in my head tonight. I need to turn in soon. So I'll show you guys something instead. :)

Look! It's my first ever Kimmidoll!

Super duper cute! XD

Here she is outside of her box. :)

I first saw it on someone's blog (Can't remember whose...) and I just fell in love. Hehe! I was in Glorietta with The Memet and my inlaws last weekend when I wandered into Fully Booked. As I was about to pay for a gift that I bought for someone, I saw that they had some Kimmidolls near the cash register! The bigger ones are around P600+, so I just bought the keychain. Need to wait for payday to buy the bigger one. Hahaha!

I'd love to collect Kimmidolls. They're super cute. :)

Yummy Green Tea

2011-03-31T14:57:00.001+08:00

Not so fond of the taste of tea? Try iced hazelnut green tea. Yummy-ness! :)

Just found out about it coz one of the baristas suggested it as an alternative to the chai tea that I order nearly every single day.

After giving me the hazelnut green tea, the barista even said that if I didn't like it, I could return it and get chai tea instead. Sweet!

Well, I ended up loving it. :) I so love the Starbucks branch in Insular, Makati. Nearly all the baristas know me by name and they know what I want and like! Hehe. I hope the Pearl Drive branh in Ortigas has great baristas as well. I'm really gonna miss Makati...

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Munch Mania

2011-03-30T15:01:00.001+08:00

Hey guys! How're you all doing? I'm trying to get my positivity back 'coz I've been feeling down lately for so many reasons.

One of my action plans in combatting the blues is well.. Eating! Lol.

I'm trying to go for healthy snacks. Here's what I've been munching on lately:

Mrs. May's Pumpkin Crunch. It's a bunch of pumpkin seeds sorta caramelized together into a sweet salty cube. It's yummy! Great for snacking because it's vegan, wheat free, dairy free, gluten free, has no cholesterol and preservatives. Hehe!

And, hey! You're also doing a good deed when you buy some Pumpkin Crunch! Hehe. :)

You can find these crunchy treats at any Starbucks branch here in the Philippines. It's a bit pricey at P70 for a 56gram bag, but it's not so bad really.

My other current favorite snack/drink is Tearrific's Caramel Milk Tea.

It's super yummy and, it's cheaper than my Starbucks favorites! But nothing will ever replace my all time fave Chai Tea Latte from Starbs. Lol!

I dunno if Tearrific has other branches. The only one I know of is in Rublou Marketplace at Brookside in Cainta. Hehe.

Well, that's all for now. What about you? What are your favorite snacks at the moment? :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Crazy About Honey I Washed The Kids

2011-03-29T13:49:00.001+08:00

First of all, thank you so much 'babyjourney' for letting me know about Blogpress. I downloaded it this morning and now, I'm giving it a shot. It's the only app I've ever paid for, btw. Yes, I'm a cheapskate like that. Lol!

Allow me to mention that it feels kinda weird blogging from my cellphone. Hahaha! But I like it because I can continue blogging now, even when I'm at work. :)

So. Let's give mobile blogging a shot. Hehe!

If you're following my tweets, you've probably seen me express my love and devotion for Honey I Washed the Kids. It's a soap bar from Lush. The first time I ever used it was about a month or two ago and I just fell in love with the scent. It smells a bit citrusy with a mix of honey and toffee. I laveeet! Lol!

After a couple of baths with it, I regetted buying such a small chunk. Between me and The Memet, it was gone in 2 weeks. :( Yes, The Memet liked it too.

So... When I happened to be in Ortigas again 2 wks ago, I went to Lush in Shangri-La and got myself a nice big chunk.

It's P245 per 100 grams.

As I was getting ready to pay for my yummy yummy soap, I saw a small section with tiny tin cans. They happened to be solid perfume! And what do you know, hey had a solid perfume version of Honey I Washed The Kids on a buy one get one promo! Coolness!

I got 2 for the price of one. (P595)

I've used it several times now. The scent doesn't last very long, but I like reapplying every minute anyway so it's fine. Lol!

What about you? What's you favorite Lush product/scent? :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Skin Asthma

2011-03-29T00:25:00.000+08:00

I couldn't take the itchiness anymore, so last Saturday, I decided to go to a dermatologist. What I thought was just a simple case of allergies, turned out to be skin asthma. I wasn't really shocked since my mom has asthma. It's just sad because I really have to limit my intake of my favorite kinds of food. And that includes chocolates! Waaah!

The dermatologist gave me an ointment for my itchies, some medications, and a bar of soap. I was told not to use anything scented on my skin for a while. Sadness again because I LOVE vanilla or honey scented soaps and lotions. :(

I've been using the stuff given to me by the derma (yes, including the unscented bar of soap), and my skin has started showing some improvement - and it's only been 2 days! :) I wish my rashes would completely go away before my 1 week of medications is up, because if it's still there by this Saturday, I need to go back to the clinic so that the dermatologist can inject something on my rashes. Scary! But like I said, my skin looks like it's recovering already. Just hope it's 100% recovered before Saturday. Hahaha!

Here's the stuff the kind derma gave me:

It's quite a lot but it looks like it works. :) After my week-long medication, I'll be put on maintenance for a year and a half (yup, more medication). She said that by going the maintenance route, it'll lessen the occurrence of my allergic reactions. There are chances it may get rid of my allergies all together! But 'm not hoping, really. Even the lessened occurrence would be a welcome respite for me. Hehe!

***Note: Always consult a dermatologist for any skin issues so that you'll be given proper treatment.

Earth Hour 2011

2011-03-29T00:11:00.000+08:00

Hey everyone! It's confirmed. No more Blogger access at work. Boohoo... :(

I'll try to keep blogging from home, but that's gonna be one heck of a challenge since I'm almost always too tired to go online by the time I get home from work. If only there's a Blogger app for iPhone. Hehehe! :D

Anyway, I'd like to blog about Earth Hour 2011. Hehe.

The Memet and I got home around 8pm last Saturday. Because we had a couple of things to do, we forgot about Earth Hour and it was already nearly 9pm by the time we remembered. :( We quickly turned off all the lights and lit a couple of candles.

It's been a while since I last lit my Alice Blue candles so the scent of vanilla that wafted from them was a welcome treat. :)

Since we missed a couple of minutes of Earth Hour 2011, I'm thinking of doing my own Earth hour in the next couple of months. How does monthly Earth Hour sound? Hmmm. Yeah, I think I'll do that. I'll also get to enjoy my Alice Blue candles more often! It's a win-win situation! Hehe. But what's more important is that by doing so, I'm helping lessen my carbon footprint.

How was Earth Hour for you and what do you plan on doing to help against global warming? :)

Worldwide Tragedy

2011-03-12T19:08:00.000+08:00

On a more somber note, nearly everyone knows about the catastrophe that happened yesterday. I can't think of anything else to write or comment about it. All I was worried about yesterday was the safety of my friends and family around the world.

My heart broke for the Japanese people when I saw CNN in the office pantry yesterday afternoon.

The end is truly near. There's no way around it. The second coming is probably nearer than we think. Let's all be prepared.

Stay safe everyone.

Whew! Another Year!

2011-03-12T18:54:00.000+08:00

Hey guys!

I can't access Blogger properly in the office. I dunno if our IT team's in the process of setting up a meaner firewall. Hahaha! Been wanting to post some entries, but couldn't. Anyway, don't have much time today either 'coz my sister in law's family is visiting, so I'll make this a quick one. XD

I celebrated my birthday last Tuesday, March 8th. Nothing special that day, really. Oh, gosh, I'd love to go into every detail, but I'm really pressed for time right now. I'll just post a few pictures. Hehe!

I got my hair permed at Beauty Brick! XD

A cute bracelet from my sister in law. :)


A bouquet of flowers from The Memet. kilig

All these pictures were taken using an iPhone 4, The Memet's birthday gift to me. Hehehe! I super love this phone. The Memet sometimes complains that I spend too much time tinkering with the phone that I don't give him much attention anymore. He's just kidding, of course. Hehe!

Anyway, gotta go. Hope to blog again real soon.

Yearning for Changes

2011-03-01T14:12:00.000+08:00

First of all... Happy new month, everyone! Can't believe it's already March! It's as if I just blinked and the first quarter of this year's nearly over. LOL!

It's kinda weird. I was doing some reflection early today, and I can't seem to shrug off the feeling that I'm unhappy with my work right now. Yeah, yeah. If you've been following my blog, you know that I've talked about the same thing in the past a couple of times already. But see? I stuck it out. I'm still in the same company. Been in the same company for nearly 7 years now, since I graduated. My first job ever.

And yes, like I already mentioned before, I'm happy with the pay, the benefits, the people I work with. Can't complain there since my job has helped me become financially stable in the first place (Even with my seemingly uncontrollable shopping bouts). This job is a nice cushion.

Image Source: Google Images

But... I'm unhappy. I try to convince myself otherwise, but... This isn't what I want. Sure, I'm good at what I do. But it doesn't make me happy anymore. :( Coming to work everyday has been a real chore for the past couple of weeks. It's as if I'm slowly reaching the end of the road. I. Want. Change.
Okay. My batchmates and I got promoted just recently. We'll be confirmed to our new post in a couple of months. The increase in pay is pretty sweet. But... Yeah, there's that "but" again.

Argh. I don't know. I wanna do so many things. Other things. I don't want to be tied down by working for a company anymore. I wanna be my own boss. I want to break free. Hahaha! What a line.

But seriously. I want to break free from the corporate world. The only thing keeping it interesting for me is how corporate fashion continuously changes. LOL. I wanna be able to wake up in the morning, prepare breakfast for The Memet, do "wifely" things during the day, work on some money-earning thing during my free time, and have dinner ready for The Memet when he comes home. That's what I really wanna do. Lord, that's what I really want to do.

Sigh.

Anyway. My birthday's coming up in a few days. I should be thinking happy thoughts. Hehe. ;)

Fun Shoot With Elie and Melvin

2011-02-25T09:18:00.000+08:00

About 2 weeks ago, a friend's boyfriend needed a photographer for a project that they're working on in school. They didn't have a budget for a photographer so they contacted me. Hahaha! I'm not a real photographer, so I don't charge anything for fun shoots. I just do it for the experience. It's just too bad that I don't get to do it often. I sooooo need to practice. Hehe.

Anyway, we did the shoot last weekend. They were supposed to do a pre-nup of some sort. I'm terrible at directing so I just let them do whatever they wanted. LOL!

They're happy with the results, so I guess I'm happy too! Hehe. Here are some of my favorite pics from the shoot:

Looks a bit like lomo? Hehe!

And this one too. :)

Elie fell in love with this shot. Hehehe. :)

This one's my personal favorite. ;)

Bohol (Day 4)

2011-02-23T11:32:00.000+08:00

It was raining throughout our last day in Bohol.

We got up early, as in really early to go to church in Tagbilaran. Our travel time from Dumaluan 2 to Tagbilaran City? Hmmm. 15-20 mins. Seems like a quick ride, right? Well, not really. There wasn't any traffic and throughout the drive to the city, Manong Driver was actually running at a speed of around 40-50 km/h. Or probably even faster. It was far!

Anyway, that's how we started the day. :)

Here we are after church, waiting for the driver. Hehe!

After church, we went straight back to the resort for breakfast.

One of the waiters took pity on us and offered to take our picture. Hehe!

Once we were done eating, we didn't waste any time. We hightailed it back to our room to catch some more Zs. Hahahaha! After an hour's nap though, I had to wake up so I can start packing our things.

Before leaving for the airport, we had our last lunch in Dumaluan 2. Awwww. Here's what we had for lunch. :p

His.

Hers

Our driver was once again prompt, so after lunch, he whisked us to the airport for our flight. We stayed in the airport for a good couple of hours. Several flights that day got delayed due to bad weather. To add to that, Tagbilaran airport could only accommodate 2 air crafts at a time. There were so many passengers in the waiting area. Kids were wailing, people loitering... It was so noisy. Here's a glimpse of the chaos:

The tiny terminal was jam-packed!

I've never been happier to board a plane heading back to Manila. Hahaha!

Goodbye, Bohol!

Just before landing in NAIA Terminal 3. View's not bad at all! Hehe.

Bohol (Day 3)

2011-02-21T23:49:00.000+08:00

After a whole lot of doing nothing, we got up early on our 3rd day in Bohol and set out on our sea tour.

The ocean was pretty calm when we left our resort around 6am. See? I had really high hopes of seeing dolphins that morning.

But when we were halfway to Balicasag Island, our first stop, the waves started to get bigger and more menacing. The wind also picked up and it started raining. In my head, I was thinking "Great. Bummer." Little did I know that next to me, The Memet was gripping onto the boat's seats for dear life. LOL! Okay, I was also scared. Hahaha!

We asked if the dolphins would still come out during a weather like this and the boatmen said no. I was hugely disappointed. But I thought, oh well. We can probably just have a dolphin encounter in Subic. Hehe!

Looking back, it probably wasn't so bad. But while we were in that little boat swaying with the waves in the middle of the open sea, it wasn't exactly a leisurely walk under the moonlight. Hahaha!

The Island of Balicasag looked so near, yet so far. While we were rocking in the little boat, I kept thinking, "Can't we get there any faster?!" LOL. Apparently, everyone in the boat was thinking the same thing.

With gritted teeth, we got through it all and we (including the boatmen) were more than relieved to have found ourselves on the shores of Balicasag Island. We didn't leave the boat immediately. It actually took all of us around 15-20 minutes to settle. I can imagine The Memet and the boatmens' knees probably felt like jelly too. LOL!

There's a rainbow always after the rain...

Once our nerves calmed down, The Memet and I got on a smaller boat with a guide and made our way to the snorkeling area.

There were lots and lots of fish! The snorkeling area wasn't very deep and there were lots of corals, so aqua shoes are highly recommended. In fact, we could actually stand on some of the sturdy corals and the water would only be up to our waists! Hehe. But there was also an area not very far away where the water seemed darker and a whole lot deeper. I accidentally found myself wandering around in that area and had to swim back real fast to where I could see the sea bed. LOL!

Here are some pics of the underwater action that day:

Look! We found Nemo and his Dad! Hehe...

Meringue? Hehe!

After about an hour of snorkeling, we had lunch on the island. I was looking for pictures of us eating, but we must've been amazingly hungry, because neither one of us were able to take pictures! LOL.

But here, after lunch, I was able to take a photo of the beach.

It's sunny in the picture but when we left the island, it started to rain again. And this time, the waves were a whole lot bigger. There were even a couple of times when the boat rode up on a wave then we came crashing down only to be lifted high again by another wave. Some of our things even thrashed around in the little boat. I was so scared that I found myself uttering a prayer. Hehe. Yup, I was that scared. I wasn't even able to take any pictures. LOL!

But we made it safely to our 2nd stop. Virgin island!

It was still drizzling when we got there and the wind was awfully strong. It was actually pretty cold. Hahaha! We had fun anyway. We walked around the island and took lots of pictures. LOL!

Somebody anchored this thing on the shore. Hahaha!

I should've brought a windbreaker. Brrrr!

It looked like a pineapple on a tree.

After we exhausted ourselves, we hopped back onto our boat and headed back to our resort. The ride back wasn't scary anymore. The ocean had already calmed down. It was still raining though. We've had enough wind too, so the cold was finally starting to seep in to our bones. Good thing I had a shawl with me. It kept us a "bit" warm, but because of the rain, it eventually got soaked as well. Hehe.

When we got back to our room in the resort, we turned off the a/c and wrapped ourselves in a blanket - After showering of course. Hahaha!

It was raining out so come dinner time, The Memet hunted down an umbrella and made his way to the restaurant by himself to order our dinner and have it delivered to our room. After a dose of the boob tube, we finally called it a night. :)

Bohol (Day 2)

2011-02-12T18:14:00.001+08:00

I woke up to the pitter-patter of raindrops during our 2nd day in Bohol. We were originally supposed to go on a day tour in Panglao Island Nature Resort, but upon hearing that it was raining out, I immediately texted Kuya Tatsky to cancel our day tour (he was going to drive us to PINR) and went back to sleep.

I woke up around an hour and half later and was surprised to see the sun shining in through our room's windows. The Memet and I dumped the whole PINR idea and decided that it was the perfect day to do absolutely nothing. Hahaha!

So we stepped out of our room into the glorious sunshine and went to Dumaluan's restaurant for our breakfast.

His breakfast.

Mine. (No eggs. Allergic. Boo!)

Yummy pandesal!

Butter, strawberry jam, and marmalade.

Nice breakfast, nice view. :)

After breakfast, we just walked around the beach. Unlike Alona Beach, the beach in this side of Panglao island is very... Hmmm. Relaxing? There weren't a lot of people out on the beach, not too many boats on the water... It was just... awesome! Hehe.

Low tide morning.

I found a pretty flower lying on the sand. :)

I loved the color. Hehe!

Some ripple marks left on the exposed sand.

That's Dumaluan Beach Resort 2, where we stayed.

It looked like sand poop. Hahaha! We asked around, but no one seemed to know what kind of animal was making it.

Look! Hundreds of sand poop! Hehe!

Still wondering what made them. :p

About an hour later, we headed back to our room, put on our wet gear, and played around in the pool! It was kinda weird because we spent most of the time in the shade, but we still got a bit burned. Hehe!

The Memet pretending to be talking to someone on his cp underwater. :p

Us playing like kids with the colorful balls.

I think we played around like a bunch of loony kids in the pool for a good 2 1/2 hours. Possibly more. Hahaha! After showering and getting dressed, we strolled over to Bohol Beach Club, paid the day tour rate, and had lunch in their restaurant.

Awesome view!

Yummy calamares. :)

Um... Mussels?

Extremely fresh buko juice!

I think it was iced tea with some vanilla ice cream. Hehe!

Bistek Tagalog!

After lunch, we walked around some more! Just wandered around, actually, with no exact destination in mind. Hehe. This is the life. :p

Had a wonderful nap on one of the hammocks.

When we got tired of doing nothing, we went back to our room, watched some cable, then went back to Bohol Beach Club for some night swimming. Sorry, I forgot to bring my camera out of excitement. Hahaha! When we got hungry from all the swimming, we went back to our room, showered, then walked to Dumaluan's restaurant for another big meal. Hahaha!

Pizza and pasta.

Mozzarella sticks! Nom-nom-nom...

We don't look too sunburned in this pic, but we actually were. Hehe!

This was probably one of the best days I've ever had because we did a whole lot of nothing. Ahhh. Life. =D

Bohol (Day 1)

2011-02-08T03:12:00.000+08:00

Ola, everyone! I'm still waiting for The Memet to come home from a meeting (Yes, it's past 1am), so I figured I might as well make good use of my time while I try my best to stay awake while waiting for my very hardworking spouse. Hehe.

And now, I present to you, the 1st part of a series of blog entries about our recent Bohol trip. Tadah! (I must be terribly sleepy to be saying such things. LOL)

Anyway, so yes. I have SOOOO many pictures from that recent trip, so I'll only blog about day 1 today... err, tonight? Whatever.

So here we go. Our original flight had an ETA of around 9:30am. For some weird reason, however, around 2 wks before our flight, The Memet got a message from Cebu Pacific that our flight's been moved. Same day, but our ETA was moved to 11:50am. Ugh. Just not fair. To add to that, we got to Tagbilaran on time, but because the Tagbilaran airport was small and could only accommodate 2 planes at a time, we had to fly around the area for a couple of minutes. The circling took longer than expected and so the pilot decided to touch down in Mactan, Cebu first to refuel. We ended up arriving in Tagbilaran at 12:30pm. Way past our expected lunch time.

But see here, I'm still smiling. :p

Our very nice tour guide, Kuya Tatsky, picked us up from the airport and whisked us away on our country side tour. We headed to Loboc River for our lunch buffet on board a boat, but since it was along the way, decided to stop by the two Blood Compact Shrines for some quick photo op.

By the way. Kuya Tatsky's the best guide ever. He takes good pictures. So The Memet and I didn't have to worry about how we were going to take photos of ourselves at the shrine. Hahaha!

Now, on to the Loboc River Cruise! In case you're interested, The Memet paid P300 for each of our lunch buffets and P100 each for the entrance fee, so that's a total of P400 per person. The cruise took more than an hour (I think). Got to a point that I was starting to get bored. Hahaha! But then again, my attention span has become rather short compared to before. :p

Here comes our boat! :)

Some tourists decided to join the locals for a round of Tinikling. :)

The mini falls meant it was time to go back. Hehe!

After the cruise, Kuya Tatsky drove us to the Tarsier Sanctuary (I don't think it's the "actual" sanctuary. I just forgot the name of the place. Hahaha!)

The tarsiers were super duper cute! They were mostly asleep, huddled up against branches. I didn't know they were nocturnal animals. Aha! So that's why their eyes are very sensitive to light. Flash photography isn't allowed around tarsiers. I thought you weren't supposed to use the flash on your cam just because they have really big eyes... Hehe.

See how small it is, in compared to my hands? :)

It's super duper cute!

Side note: One rude tourist (a Pinay), actually shook one of the branches to try and wake up the tarsier on it. She was telling it to wake up so that she can have a decent picture taken. I was disgusted. She was so cruel. Good thing the tarsier didn't budge. Kuya Tatsky actually mentioned to us afterwards that tarsiers are very "matampuhin" (sensitive) creatures. If you hurt their feelings, they won't eat until they die. Sorta like a very morbid hunger strike. :(

Aside from the tarsiers, we also saw some flying lemurs. Well, just two. Hehe!

It was drizzling a bit when we left the tarsiers, so we drove on to Carmen where we can view the famous Chocolate Hills. :)

Along the way, we stopped in the middle of the man-made forest to have our photos taken (again, by Kuya Tatsky). Kuya Tatsky said that the man made forest should have its own time zone. It's always darker there compared to other places. Hahaha! It was very beautiful though. I think all towns/cities across the Philippines should do the same thing. :)

We had to be really quick because there were some passing motorists.

On our way back to the car after our quick photo-shoot, Kuya Tatsky pointed to something beside the road.

Eeew!

It turned out to be one BIG, black worm with lots of little feet! Waaaah! He was explaining what it was, but I'm scared of anything that slithers, so I hightailed it back to the car. Sorry, I don't know what kind of worm it was. Hehe.

And here we are. The Chocolate Hills. It was drizzling real good when we got there. Hay. The wind also seemed to kick up a bit and fog was starting to swirl in. But, well, it would've been a shame to go to Bohol without seeing the ever famous Chocolate Hills! Hehe.

Armed with umbrellas and our cameras, we started the journey to the viewing deck on one of the hills.

*GULP* That's more than 200 steps!

Once on top, I was only able to take quick pictures.

The wind was too strong that our umbrellas kept turning inside out. Haha! I also had to quickly put away my DSLR since the drizzle was turning into rain. The Memet and I were still able to get some pics using our TX5 since it's waterproof, but for the life of me, I can't find the Chocolate Hills pic from the TX5. It's probably somewhere in my netbook, but I'm too lazy to look (I'm currently using our big old PC. Hehe).

A few miles after our cold encounter with The Chocolate Hills, we passed by a "Ship House". We actually saw it on our way to "The Hills", but we didn't stop to take pictures. So when we passed by it on our way back, Kuya Tatsky slowed down and allowed me to take a few shots. Here's one.

It's actually owned by a retired seaman. A captain, I think. Hehe. It's already starting to become a landmark on its own right. :)

Next stop, the supposedly scary hanging bridge. It's not really all that scary. If you're afraid of heights, just don't look down. Hehe!

We were supposed to buy our souvenirs from here, but since we arrived a couple minutes after 5, the vendors were no longer on the other side of the bridge. (We were told that the cheapest souvenirs could be found here). We were in luck though, as there was one lady who was still packing up her peanut kisses. We hoarded her remaining supplies and walked away happy. Haha!

After the hanging bridge deal, I really just wanted to go to Bohol Bee Farm for our dinner. I was hungry. But The Memet insisted on seeing Prony, the largest python in captivity. So, even if I was deathly afraid of anything that slithers, I agreed to go.

Another good thing I liked about Kuya Tatsky was that upon seeing my "fear" of slithery animals, he made it a point to tell us more about Prony's life. He talked about Prony as if she was a person (Yes, Prony is a she). By the time we got to Prony's owner's house, my nervousness has considerably lessened. Thanks to Kuya Tatsky, I felt like I was going to go see someone instead of a snake. Hahaha!

See? I was even able to take a photo. It's the closest I ever got to a snake without hyperventilating or freezing up out of fear. Hahaha!

There was another fascinating thing about Prony. The person guarding her that night looked like...

Well, who do you think she/he/it looks like? Michael V, right? See the resemblance? LOL! She/he/it was also extremely funny.

And so, after visiting Prony, we were off to Bohol Bee Farm for our dinner. Finally!

The Memet was a bit distraught during dinner because he asked one of the waitresses for a menu, but they just kept bringing us food. He didn't know that I actually made arrangements with Bohol Bee Farm in advance. Hahaha! I was surprised he didn't ask me what was going on. LOL!

After dinner, he finally understood, when the waitresses went to our table with a cake. They actually sang "Happy Birthday" for him, which was sweet because I didn't ask them to. I just asked for the cake, really. Hehe. They all looked so shy while singing. Two were even elbowing each other. Haha! Too bad, I didn't get a photo of the entire scene as I was busy watching The Memet's reaction. :)

Here he is with his special bee farm cake after the waitresses left us. :)

That was the cap to our evening. After the very filling dinner, we were so tired that we couldn't wait to get to our room. No, we didn't stay in Bohol Bee Farm. Kuya Tatsky still had to drive us to Dumaluan Beach Resort after dinner. Hehe!

We were so happy with Kuya Tatsky's service that we gave him the other half of the cake. Hehehe!

And that's the story of our first day in Bohol (more or less). ;-)

Cambridge Satchel: Yes? No?

2011-02-07T16:16:00.002+08:00

I've been debating with myself for the past 3 days on whether I should get a Cambridge Satchel or not. I'm not sure if I need one, but I sure as heck want one.

Image Source: http://schushopmanila.blogspot.com/

Image Source: http://schushopmanila.blogspot.com/
(I so want the yellow satchel... Drool)

I asked for a pricelist from Schu, and nearly gaped when I found their reply in my inbox a day after. The 13" satchel is over P5000. Not exactly what I would spend for a bag. But... Well, I want it. Birthday present for myself? Hehe.

What do you think? Should I go ahead and get one? ETA of the next batch is around April or May. Hehehe.

*** Cambridge Satchels will be available in Schu shops this March. Send them an email at schushopmanila@gmail.com to reserve one for yourself or if you'd like to inquire about the prices as well. :)

Lusting Over Shoes

2011-02-04T07:00:00.003+08:00

I'm not a fashionista. I'm one of those girls who prefer comfort over style. Haha! But... This year, I told myself to up it a little in the fashion area. Nothing serious. Maybe I just wanna look more put together. More... Polished? Haha! And I think it has something to do with my move to a different site/office. I haven't moved yet. The move will happen sometime in March. It's more responsibilities, really. But they say it's a good thing. LOL. I'm still with the same company, btw.

Anyway, new surroundings, new people... Why not "New Me"? Hehe!

I was taking a quick break earlier when I stumbled upon some shoes. I've always known they existed. I've secretly drooled over them in the past. But now, I think it's time I get me one of 'em. Hahaha!

Melissa Shoes

Ultragirl Vazada - P2995

Vivienne Westwood Elevated 3 Straps - P5999

Crocs

Lily Holiday (Gold) - P2465

Lily Holiday Bling - P2500

Lily LJ Plaid - P2465

Mccall St Flower Wheels (Bijou Blue) - P1850

I have more Crocs shoes on my list because they're known for their comfort. Comfortable and cute! Not bad, eh? And the Melissa shoes. I'm not sure if they're also as comfy as Crocs, but they're super cute and unique. They're plastic! Hehe. Great to have during rainy days. And Lord knows we're going to see a lot of rainy days in the coming months.

Oh well. Gotta save up first. That probably means I'll have to cut back on my Starbucks consumption. Hahaha!

Where to Buy:

Melissa Shoes - Manila: Geleia (MOA, TriNoma), Anthem (Powerplant Mall, Shangri-la Mall), CMG (Selected CMG Boutiques), Mia Bella (Serendra), Culte Femme (Rustan's Tower Shangri-La, Rustan's Makati, Rustan's Cebu), Mix (Greenbelt 5), Rustan's Red Tag (Robinson's Place). Outside Metro Manila: Culte Femme (Rustan's Alabang), Discovery Shorelines (Discovery Shores), Regalo Boutique (Shangri-La Boracay)

Crocs - Click here for store locator.

Letter Found

2011-02-03T14:30:00.000+08:00

Image Source: Digitalbristles.com

Shoot me.

Kill me.

Hurt me.

Any pain but this pain.

Unbearable. Insane.
The kind of pain that you think you can will away. But after you've exhausted everything, it proves you wrong 'coz it's still there. Eating away at your heart, possibly even your soul. Consciously, you are dying inside. You want to fight, but it all comes down to resignation.

I was waiting for numbness, but it never came. I thought acceptance came in its place but I was wrong. What I thought was acceptance was pain in disguise. It never left. It just made me believe that everything's okay when in reality, it's not.

I know eventually I'll look back at this and laugh at how silly everything is. But in the mean time, I'll wallow in this pain. Maybe in due tiem, I'll become jaded because of this.

But does one really want to be jaded? To be afraid to love, to get hurt... To feel?

It seems to be the safest option. It seems safer to just opt not to feel. But can one really be hopeless enough to fall into such a state?

Even if it's possible, I think I shall not allow myself to give up in so tragic a way. To be jaded is to be stoic, is to be inhuman.

So even if at times, the pain is seemingly overwhelming, unbearable, I will fight. I will fight, if not for the person I have come to love with all my being, I will fight for myself. I will fight to keep my courage. I will accept the pain. Because to feel pain is to be alive.

*** I wrote this letter back in February 1, 2007, before I met my husband. I found it neatly folded and tucked away in one of my planners in the office. Looking back, I'm glad I kept fighting. I'm glad I'm happy now, and I'm very thankful for all the blessings I've received in the past years. I'm glad I've found my best friend, my soul mate, my partner in life. My husband. Thank you, Lord. :)

B.T.W.

2011-02-01T13:31:00.000+08:00

Oh! By the way! I am "this" close to going Pro in Flickr. That's why I'm no longer posting Photos of the Week. LOL. Just sharing. Watch out for that! =D

Follow me in/on Flickr as well, yes? *wink* Sheesh, which preposition should I use? Gah! LOL. Sorry, I'm high on my antihistamine right now. Haha!

Hello, February!

2011-02-01T13:23:00.000+08:00

Image Source: Google Images

I feel like January just flew by! Can't believe it's already February. Hehehe! I might wake up tomorrow and it'd be December already! LOL. But no, can't miss March, April, and May. More birthdays! LOL.

Anyway, was out the whole week last week. The Memet and I spent our anniversary / his birthday in Bohol. Will soon blog about our trip! Wanted to do it over the weekend, but I had tons of stuff to do. Hehehe!

That's it for now. Was just making my presence felt. Hahaha! Stay happy and be safe always! XD

Stuffs for You!

2011-01-14T16:11:00.000+08:00

I've observed that a lot of people use the word "Stuffs" when referring to a bunch of things. As in, "I have so many stuffs in my closet!". Hmmm.

Image Source: Google Images

Did you know that the word "Stuff" is both the singular and plural form of the word when used as a noun? It's sorta like a collective noun. If you're using it as a verb though, you can use the word "Stuffs" if the subject you are referring to is singular. Did that make any sense? Hahaha! It's hard for me to get too technical because I'm not an English major. Hehe! Here are a few examples to help drive my point across:

Noun: Stuff

          Incorrect: "All the stuffs in my closet are accumulating dust."
          Correct: "All the stuff in my closet are accumulating dust."

Verb: Stuffs

          Example 1: "He who stuffs his mouth full cannot chew".
          If you noticed, the subject in this sentence is "He". It is singular, so we used "stuffs" and not "stuff". It has something to do with subject-verb agreement.

          Example 2: "They are ready to stuff their mouths full".
          In this example, "They" is the subject of the sentence. It's plural, so "stuff" is used.

So there. I hope that made sense. LOL! Again, I'm no English major. I'm a Psychology graduate, so please let me know if I made any errors in explaining this. Hehe! If you have any clarifications or violent reactions, please post them as a comment. I'd like to hear your thoughts. :)

You can also refer to Dictionary.Com for more information on the topic.

Late New Year's Party

2011-01-12T13:05:00.001+08:00

It was Monday afternoon when I found out that Cainta's Mayor Mon Ilagan organized a dinner party for all the municipality's department heads. Being an OIC for the Engineering Dept., The Memet was also invited, and apparently, everyone was encouraged to bring their spouses. The party was for January 11, 6pm.

Image Source: Google Images

When I found out about this, the first thing I thought was, "Oh no, I've got to work until 10pm...". Then it dawned on me that I was on a 7am-4pm shift on the 11th. The last thing I had to do on Jan 11 was attend a 3-4pm meeting. I knew my meeting was not gonna end at 4pm, so I told The Memet that I can go with him, but I'll probably be a bit late.

The Day: January 11

My supposed 3pm meeting started around 3:30pm. Right then and there, I knew there was no way on earth that I'll be out of the office at 4pm. My meeting ended at 5:30pm. I got in an fx at the back of my office bldg as soon as I can, but we had to wait for the fx to be full before it could leave. I left Makati at 6pm. :-(

After so much ugly traffic and a slight vehicular accident, I arrived home at around 7:10pm. Not bad, I guess, but the dinner party was set at 6pm. The Memet assured me that it wasn't gonna start at 6pm and that I shouldn't worry. I had a terrible time getting dressed for the event because, que horror, I had nothing appropriate for a dinner party! Well, I had some very colorful outfits I could've worn to other dinner parties, but I couldn't wear those to a dinner party with the Mayor and other department heads. Gah!

I settled on a pair of dark slim-fit slacks, a plain army green top, a black short-sleeved cropped blazer, and tan sky high heels.

When we arrived at the venue, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. I was not underdressed. LOL! In fact, I was kinda thinking I should've worn jeans instead since the Mayor's wife was wearing jeans and a tucked in boyfriend polo with a pair of ballet flats.

The party itself was loads of fun. Mayor Mon took on the role of the host and he was really good. He was really funny, as in stand-up comedian funny. Hahaha! There were some DIs for the oldies who wanted to do some ballroom dancing in between the raffle draws. There was also a videoke thing going on. Mayor Mon would assign people to sing in between raffle draws and the dances. Him being the Mayor, no one was able to say no. Hahaha!

I badly wanted to take some pictures but I felt extremely shy. Age-wise, I was really out of place. Well, the Mayor's Exec. Assistant's wife is pretty young, but she was busy with other things so we didn't really get to talk. Actually, everyone was nice. The Mayor and his wife were both extremely laid back and approachable.

We got home a little past midnight, slept around 1:30am... Then I got up around 5:30am for my 8am shift. Ugh.

Anyway, looking back at last night's party, I feel like I have to brush up on my people skills. Sure and fine, you can throw me in front of a training class out of the blue and I wouldn't have any problem pulling it off. I can get along with trainees and co-workers easily enough. But last night's party was a completely different thing for me. If The Memet remains OIC longer, I'm gonna have to seriously learn how to socialize with the people in his circle. Both The Memet and I are both silently wishing that an actual department head would already be assigned to Engineering so that he can go back to his old job. That would mean... More quality time with each other! Ever since he became OIC, he's been extremely busy. So there. We're both always busy and stressed. That's why we still don't have a kid. Hahaha! But, well, that's a different story. :p

Need Help: Anniv/Birthday Gift for The Memet

2011-01-10T18:00:00.001+08:00

I can't believe our 2nd wedding anniversary's coming up. I've been so caught up thinking of stuff for my father in law's 60th birthday that it escaped my mind that our anniversary's only a couple of weeks away! And it's not just our wedding anniversary. It's also The Memet's birthday! Waaaah!

I'm running low on ideas, so if you have any, please please please share them with me. We'll be in Bohol on the week of our anniversary, so I'm kinda clueless.

I'm thinking of having our hotel room in Bohol set-up with balloons and a tarp, but I already did that last year:

So... What else can I do??? Help!

December 2010: New Year's Eve

2011-01-09T17:32:00.000+08:00

The Memet and I spent the afternoon of December 31st visiting our Ninongs and Ninangs. We gave each of them a box of brownies and some By Nature Handmade Soaps. The soaps were, of course, care of... ehem... me. Hahaha!

Once we were done, we went straight to my parents' house for an early dinner with my side of the family. :)

I only have 4 cousins in the Paulino side. 3 of the 4 are boys. Hehe!

Very small family. Hehe!

Me: More food, please! (It just occurred to me that my dad's not in any of the pics. LOL!)

After that, we went home to more food, a prayer, and some pictures.

Another very small family. :)

Small, but obviously happy. :p

We didn't really stay up to greet 2011 anymore. The Memet and I were asleep before midnight because we had to get up really early the next day for a trip to Pampanga to visit my mom's side of the family. :)

December 2010: Kalihiman Year-End Socializing

2011-01-09T17:14:00.001+08:00

I think this was the last party/event I went to before the year ended. Yeah, I think that's right. Because The Memet and I got sick the week after. Hahaha!

December 19, 2010: This was a get-together/socializing with my co-officers in church, particularly in the Secretariat Department. Yes, I like the stressful kinds of duties, even away from work. Hahaha!

There's just a few of us, but we had loads of fun. I'm not in a lot of pictures because I was the photographer, as usual. Actually, I was in only 1 picture... I think. LOL.

Anyway, most of the pics from this event are in my netbook, so here are some that I found here in my desktop PC. Hehe! (Just click on the images to better view them.)

Food! I'm not good at cooking, so I brought the cakes instead. Hehe!

Me and some of the kids. :)

The games were uber fun, thanks to Cyril, the game master / host. :)

December 2010: Manila South Recognitions Night

2011-01-09T17:05:00.001+08:00

About a week after the Sykes Year End Party, my teammates and I drove to Club Mwah somewhere in Boni, Mandaluyong to attend the 1st ever Manila South Recognitions Night. We didn't really know why we were invited because it was primarily for managers, but hey, as long as there's free food, we're game! Hahaha!

Here are some shots from our Club Mwah party on the evening of December 17, 2010. :)

Club Mwah's elevator. :D

Event souvenir! Took me a while to figure out what it was for. Hahaha!

The Follies de Mwah, Club Mwah's in-house entertainment. They're super galing! :)

The entertainment they provided was really good. World class, infact. :)

The lady in the purple feathery coat (left) is Manila South's big boss. One of the best bosses ever. :)

Me and my friend Katz sitting in the sidelines. :p

After the entertainment and the awarding, people started to party the night away on the dance floor.

Me, I don't dance. I've got 2 left feet. So, I just took pictures instead. Hahaha!

December 2010: Sykes Year End Party

2011-01-09T16:50:00.000+08:00

I only had 7 blog entries in December of 2010 because so many things were happening around me. I had parties left and right, The Memet and I got sick, and well, yeah. Soooo many things. LOL!

I probably forgot some of the things that happened in December, but let me try to go over them right now. I'll start with the Sykes Year End Party, also known as The Pyro-Music Love Festival.

It was held at the SM MOA Concert Grounds last December 11, 2010.

My friends and I started the evening by having dinner at Holy Cow in MOA. We don't have a group pic, so here's a solo shot of me. Hahaha!

We had a "freedom wall" of some sorts. Of course, we wrote down a lot of non-sense. XD

The program consisted of celebrity hosts (Tuesday Vargas, Billy Crawford, and Bangs Garcia) and some bands (Itchy Worms and the vocalist of Sino Si Kat). There were loads of giveaways (I didn't get anything this year. Boo!), and lots of cool entertainment, including fire dancers! XD

With some friends from work. :)

The night was capped off with some really awesome fireworks. It was, after all, a pyro-musical event. :)

We all stood in awe. Most of us were probably thinking: "There goes our 13th month pay..." Hahahaha!

I am Sykes!

Shopping List for 2011

2011-01-05T00:49:00.000+08:00

I have decided that to start off this year, I will be making lists. I hope to go back to these lists every once in a while and see how I'm doing as I go along. Hehe! What better way to start than with a shopping list? ;-)

Image Source: Google Images

Lemme see. There are things that I need, but neglected to attend to in the past, so... Here goes my list:

1. Tripod - After several trips and family gatherings, I have decided that I really NEED one. It's hard not being included in family portraits (coz I'm always the photographer). The Memet and I also hardly have any shots together when we go on out of town trips on our own. LOL!

2. Nikon 50mm 4/1.8D - I love taking portrait shots. Period.

3. Camera Bag - I need a small one for my Nikon D40. All I have is the original bag that it came with. It's very bulky.

4. Chucks - Weird, right? Hahaha! My sneakers are more than 3 years old already, and it's starting to die on me. Well, not really die, but you get what I mean. Hahaha! I need a new one soon.

5. Ipod Shuffle - I don't need a Nano or an Ipod Touch. I just want a Shuffle. The teeny tiny one that you can clip on to your sleeve or your shirt or something. The Shuffle that I have is still the 1st gen kind and it's starting to embarrass me. Hahaha!

6. Wallet - The one I have is starting to fall apart. But if you see The Memet's, his is in worse condition. He doesn't want to replace it. He simply likes it because it doesn't run out of money, he says. LOL! I got us our wallets before our wedding almost 2 years ago.

7. Side Table - The kind that has a drawer with a lock or something. Hehe! We still don't have a side table next to our bed.

8. Chest - A big, long chest, about the same width as the foot of our bed. It can serve as add'l storage for our bed linens and a bench we can sit on while watching TV.

9. Towels - We need more towels. We've been running low on towels ever since we started going to the gym.

10. Book Shelf - I think this is part of my 2011 new year's resolutions. But when you think about it, it really belongs here in this list. Hahaha!

Hmmm. I think that's about all I need, really. More books, clothes, bags, shoes, and a new cellphone are welcome additions, of course. Hahahaha!

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T12:00:00.004+08:00

I set this to post on 6pm of December 21st but just today, I found out that I apparently saved it as a Draft instead. LOL! So... Here you go. Hahaha!

As we say goodbye to 2010 and welcome 2011, I would like to greet you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year! Thank you for following my blog and for actually reading the stuff I churn out. Hehe! I hope 2011 is everyone's year. May we all have a bountiful, healthy, and peaceful year ahead of us.

Peace & Love,
Dianne

My New Year's Resolutions for 2011

2010-12-31T02:33:00.000+08:00

I've been so busy (what's new?) these past few weeks that I barely had any time to post a decent blog entry. I won't make a lengthy one right now. Just wanted to write down my list of new year's resolutions lest I forget. I hope this list is more realistic than the ones I had in the past couple of years. Hahaha!
Here we go:

1. I will go to the gym at least 2x a week.
2. I will buy a shelf for all the books that've piled up since The Memet and I got married. Once I have a shelf, I'll be able to get all my books from my parent's house. (Good thing my brother isn't complaining yet. They're all in his room. LOL!)
3. I will buy a side table and a reading lamp.
4. I will start depositing more funds into my personal savings account. Just because I'm married doesn't mean I shouldn't have my own money. :)
5. I'll take more VLs from work (when and if my schedule permits. hehe)
6. I will find time to regulary meet up with my friends.
7. I will save up for a trip to Batanes.
8. I will blog more often (Yeah, goodluck).
9. I will start taking photography more seriously.
10. I will LIVE. :)

I have a good feeling about 2011. :)

What about you? What are your new year's resolutions?

Image Source: Google Images

Las Vegas Meets Broadway

2010-12-21T07:00:00.003+08:00

Who else here has heard of KAOS? I want to go see it sometime in January... Hehe. Dunno how much the tickets are as of yet, but I'm hoping to find out soon.

Source: http://www.rwmanila.com/

Kaos with The Manila Symphony Orchestra
A classic adventure of a handsome prince, a beautiful maiden and an interfering advisor.
A never ending search for true love...
Las Vegas meets Broadway in a one-of-a-kind musical spectacle never before seen in the Philippines.

The Story
In a medieval kingdom, a lonely prince peers into a magical mirror and falls in love with a beautiful maiden from the future. As the past and the future converge, the two discover a love that transcends time and overcomes seemingly impossible odds.
This is the story of KAOS, a visual and musical spectacle unlike anything Manila has ever seen.

KAOS has a six-month run, one that started on the 1st of December 2010. Here are the show schedules in case you're interested:

Wednesdays: 8:00pm

Thursdays: 8:00pm

Fridays: 9:00pm

Saturdays: 3:00pm & 9:00pm

Sundays: 3:00pm

Holiday Schedules:

December 24 and 31: Matinee show only

December 25 and January 1: Regular show times

You can catch KAOS in The Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World, Manila. :)

Handbook 2011

2010-12-20T16:40:00.000+08:00

Saw this in Jon's blog and I felt compelled to share it here. Hehe. I shall try to go by these things every day of next year. You should, too. I think it's something very positive and helpful. :)

Here goes my Handbook for 2011...

Source: http://ducly.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/handbook.jpg

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in 2010...
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don’t over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake..
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness..
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree..

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will… Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up..
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy.. So, be happy.

Last but not the least:
40. Share this to everyone you care about, I just did.

Sykes Year End Party - Teaser Post

2010-12-13T16:46:00.001+08:00

How I wish I'd be able to make a follow-up post on this topic. Hahaha!

Attended the 2010 Sykes Year End Party last Saturday, 12.11.10. It was held at the huge MOA Concert Grounds, right behind the SMX Convention Center. It was a blast! Hehe. I'll "try" to post another entry with more details, but in the mean time, I'll just share this photo:

L-R: Stef, Me, Cherie, Quich

This was taken in one of the many photo booths at the venue. This particular photo booth was the same one we had at our wedding: Pose n Print! XD

Well, that's it. Gotta get back to work. I have a few more parties lined up before the holidays, but I might only be able to attend one more. I need some serious REST! Hehe. Anyway, ciao for now! :)

Writer's Block

2010-12-06T06:12:00.000+08:00

I've been wanting to blog these past couple of days, but I just can't seem to do it. Add to the fact that I've been super busy, I just didn't have the time to sit in front of my computer and stare with the lost hope of actually thinking of a topic to blog about. LOL.

I need to be inspired. Hehe.

Image Source: http://www.google.com.ph/imglanding?q=writer%27s+block&um=1&hl=tl&sa=N&biw=1280&bih=831&tbs=isch:1&tbnid=crxeP0tqITZH3M:&imgrefurl=http://hannington-hd.blogspot.com/2010_04_01_archive.html&imgurl=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zLWN4GtRDl8/S8sjSqAt5xI/AAAAAAAAAq4/0Rndg9UYBro/s1600/writers-block.jpg&zoom=1&w=1152&h=768

One Day Billionaire

2010-12-01T16:49:00.000+08:00

So... Who won the Lotto Jackpot? You lucky person from Luzon you... Hehe! So the wait's finally over. I'm actually late. It's been over a couple of days. Hahaha!

Anyway, was talking about the Lotto thing with one of my trainees last night. He mentioned that he hoped this new winner isn't like the one who won around P200M sometime back, because that guy spent all his money in 2 months' time and is now living in the slums once again. Tsk tsk. I'm thinking back to how the guy spent all his money in 2 months time, and I can't help but think how stupid he was for doing so. You know what the guy did?

- Checked in at Shangri-La hotel for weeks on end.

- Dined in the hotel's restaurants with all his friends every single night.

- Rented a limo for weeks and weeks.

- Gambled.

Tsk tsk tsk. In 2 months, all his money was gone.

Now, if I were in his shoes, I'd've done differently. Let's play the what if game. Hehe. Let's say I won the latest Lotto jackpot. Here's what I'll do with around P700M:

- Buy a house in Cainta. No place like Cainta for me. I love it and I hate it at the same time. Hahaha!

- Establish my own bed and breakfast in Tagaytay, Laiya, Boracay, Busuanga, Puerto Princesa, etc.

- Pay off all my dad's credit card bills. LOL!

- Sell Dan's CRV and get him a brand new one. CRV parin. He just loves it. Hehe!

- Buy a Honda Jazz and a Ford Everest.

- Invest in stocks.Will need one of my ninongs' help with that as I'm completely clueless when it comes to stocks. Haha!

- Build a school with a huge library.

- Take my family & closest friends on a week-long shopping spree.

- Travel the world.

- Take up photography. As in seriously.

- Etc, etc. :p

I don't know if that even sums up to P700M. Hahaha! Anyway, I know I can't ever win in the Lotto thing because, well, I don't do the Lotto thing. Did I make any sense at all? LOL!

Image Source: http://wemakethefunny.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/cash.jpg

My 2011 Starbucks Planner (Yipee!)

2010-11-21T23:01:00.000+08:00

I'm so happy! I already got my 2011 Starbucks Planner last Tuesday, November 16. That was a record-breaker for me. The promo cards were made available only last November 3rd. Hahaha!

I was so busy this past week with work and all, add to that I was also sick, so I wasn't really able to post anything here. I was able to take pictures of my new planner 2 days ago. Here it is!

Once my cough and cold goes away, I'll start working on my 2nd planner. Well, yeah, it isn't for me. It's for The Memet. Hehehe! Adik mode, here I come again! LOL!

I Want: Sony Walkman MP3 - W Series

2010-11-11T14:30:00.001+08:00

I saw several posters of this cute gadget all throughout Fitness First when I worked out this week. I was so intrigued that I looked it up on the net. Hehe!

Here's a sneak peek at the new addition to my wishlist:

Pink & Purple Sony Walkman MP3 - W Series. (http://www.sony.com.ph/)

What's amazing about it is that it's waterproof. Hahaha! And if you know me, I'm into everything waterproof (My brother has started asking me if I have plans of living underwater. LOL!). I even bought The Memet a Samsung B2100, a completely waterproof, shockproof, dustproof cellphone. He's thrown it around, dunked it in a bucket of water, and it's still alive. Pretty good deal for something less than P6,000 (the cellphone). The waterproof Sony Walkman costs around P3,999 according to Sony's website. Memory's only 2 gig though, but then that's the capacity of the ancient ipod shuffle I'm using. LOL!

I'm gonna have to save up if I'm gonna buy this little gadget in the near future. I already have so many items lined up in my wishlist. Hehe!

By the way, if you'd like to see the full product specs, you may visit Sony's website, or you may just click this link right here.

Law Enforcers Not Following the Law

2010-11-09T07:00:00.002+08:00

I don't get it. You get pulled over by law/traffic enforcers for violating "the law" and you get issued a ticket (or they "ask" for a bribe). But... How come no one pulls them over when they violate traffic laws?

See, we saw this guy on a motorcycle. The guy was wearing his helmet, but the girl riding with him didn't have one on.

Click the photo to view a larger image.

I took a good look at the motorcycle they were riding. Look familiar?

Click the photo to view a larger image.

Took a closer look still and saw that the guy was in uniform. What's that? MMDA or cop uniform? I'm not too sure. But I know those pants when I see them. Haha!

Click the photo to view a larger image.

As if the no-helmet violation wasn't enough, they decided to do an overtake/counterflow. Will you look at that?

Click the photo to view a larger image.

Now, how exactly is the rest of the Filipino folks supposed to learn some discipline if the law enforcers themselves do not follow the law?

Photo of the Week (#20)

2010-11-08T07:00:00.002+08:00

Took this photo out of boredom. Hahaha!

It's a little girl riding a broomstick. I think she's supposed to be a little witch, but her face is too cute. Haha! Oh, and I took this photo using my TX5. Shoots like a DSLR sometimes. :) Makes me consider selling my D40. But... Nah. I love my D40. After all, The Memet bought it for me. Just wish it's not so bulky and difficult to lug around. I also wish I could afford to buy lenses and other paraphernalia for it. Hahaha!

Life & Death

2010-11-07T11:15:00.000+08:00

We were in Novaliches yesterday to attend my father in law's auntie's funeral.

Even though I didn't really know her, I felt heartbroken for the family she left behind. My father in law felt especially sad since she literally took him in when he moved from Bicol to Manila.

I felt so sad for Lolo (Tiyo 'Wel)... I think it's extremely hard to be left behind by your spouse. :( If that happened to me, I wouldn't know how to continue with my life... :(

Anyway, the day was pretty gloomy yesterday. Thankfully, we were already back at Lolo's house when the heavy rain poured.

The whole day served as a reminder for me... Cherish every moment you have with your loved ones. Arguments and disagreements should be resolved as soon as possible. Shed any anger immediately. Spend precious time with your parents and siblings. You never know when it'll be too late.

Photo of the Week (#19)

2010-11-02T07:00:00.001+08:00

This week's photo is one that I took while we were in Acuatico early this year for our 1st year anniversary. We were waiting for our dinner to be served and I happened to see a couple of ants just busily walking around near me, minding their own business. I didn't want to massacre them since they weren't doing anything bad to me, so I took a picture of one of the busy ants instead. :p

I wish I had time so that I can go out and take more pictures of random things. Hehe. Well, anyway, this is all for now. =)

Date Night! (10.31.10)

2010-11-01T16:06:00.001+08:00

We weren't able to visit my parents last night because my mom was in Tagaytay with some friends, my dad was busy, and well... my bro's got his own stuff to do. Hehe. So, after a 5pm meeting at church, The Memet and I drove off to Robinsons Metro East with our gym gear. We spent about an hour with our personal trainers and after working out, we decided to catch the last full show for Life As We Know It.

Photo courtesy of Google Images

It was a pretty good movie. We found ourselves laughing out loud quite often. Hehe. In The Memet's point of view, it wasn't a bad chick flick. As proof, he actually stayed up throughout the entire movie and admitted at the end that it was quite entertaining. Hehe. Believe me, if he doesn't like the movie, he'll sleep through it. LOL!

Side note: Throughout the movie, I was like "Ayoko na magka-anak... Ang hirap!". Hahaha!

After the movie, we headed straight to our car in the near-empty parking lot. Our car was the only one left. Hahaha!

We're almost done paying for this car! Hahaha!

No chance we were gonna be able to eat anywhere in the mall (since all the establishments were already closed), so we drove a couple minutes to Burger King and grabbed a couple things to go.

Staff here are so friendly. The guard even opened the car door for me, and he had an umbrella ready because it was drizzling! =)

While waiting for our take out. The Memet's already hungry. Hehe.

We were home before midnight. =D

It was a pretty simple night, but we both had loads of fun. I sincerely wish we could do this more often. How I wish our jobs weren't so demanding and time consuming. Oh well.

Fitness: Runaway Gal

2010-10-28T07:00:00.006+08:00

For the longest time, I was only allowed to brisk walk on the treadmill. THAT's how out of shape I was. After just a minute of running, I would be seriously out of breath. Haha!

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto

Anyway, I was in the gym prior to my shift the other day, and I was watching Meet the Spartans in the Cardio Theater while doing my usual 40-minute brisk walk (Speed - 5.5, Gradient - 8-10). I was suprised to see that 15 minutes into the exercise, I still wasn't tired and I was barely sweating. So, I decided to up the challenge and increased my usual 5.5 speed to 6.5 (Gradient - 0). This was the speed that my PT suggested me to use if I wanted to jog (big IF). Haha! She did this to me 2-3 weeks ago and after three 1-minute reps on the 6.5, I was ready to fall flat on my face. LOL! But this time around, I was able to last 5 whole minutes and it didn't seem like I was tired yet! I didn't want to give my system too much of a shock, so I just decided to do three 5-minute reps with about a minute's worth of interval in between.

I'm super duper happy with this new "discovery". I'm slowly being whipped back into shape! That flat tummy that I'm going for? It's well within reach. Hahaha!

I Want To... But I'm Scared!

2010-10-27T16:59:00.001+08:00

I've been wanting to get a digiperm for about half a year now... But I have to admit... I'm too chicken to just go ahead and do it! (LOL)

Really... I'm scared of getting my hair damaged. But at the same time, I'm tired of the same old hairstyle. I had my hair rebonded way back in 2004, but it has long since wore off. Now, my hair's pretty healthy, but I have days when I don't know what to do with it, so I just either let it down (in a messy, not so pretty way), or I tie it up in a ponytail (which doesn't flatter me too much either). Ugh, I don't know what to do with my hair!

For the longest time, I've been trolling a Hair Perming thread in Girltalk. Reading through digiperm experiences and looking at the other girls' before and after pics, well, it's amazing.

Look at some of the pictures that I got off the internet. I've been ogling them for some time now because their hair's just soooo pretty!

Photo courtesy of Google Images

How I wish I wasn't too chicken to just go through with it. Maybe one of these days (Hopefully before 2011), I'll just do it. Hahaha!

What do you think, guys? Will I still look human if I have my hair permed? Or am I better off with my current hair? Help! XD

Me with my medium length, (sometimes) unruly hair. Hehe.

My 2010 Brgy Elections Experience

2010-10-27T10:40:00.002+08:00

When we go to our subdivision's Area 8 covered court to vote (may it be national or barangay), it usually takes us only 10-30 minutes max.

I wasn't able to take a leave from work on October 25, 2010, so I urged my family for us all to vote really early this time around. Well, it was me who came late the last time anyway. They're always early. Hahaha! So anyway, I was planning on logging in at work at around 10am so that I could go home early since it's a holiday. And so we got there before 8am.

Me with my parents. We still looked fresh and happy because we just arrived.

30 minutes passed and we still haven't found our precinct. There were only three that were "working". Our precinct was nowhere to be found. We found out from the other voters that our ballot box, ballots, and other election paraphernalia were still in COMELEC's jeep (parked outside the covered court) along with those of other precincts. They haven't brought it out yet because there was no chairman to oversee the opening of the ballot box and who would sign whatever document that needs to be signed so that we can commence voting. We thought, "Okay, let's wait a couple more minutes".

My dad, starting to look tired and impatient. Haha!

We ended up waiting over 2 hours before the chairman's assistant finally came. Even with her around, we still had to wait around 45 minutes before we were finally able to begin voting. I was in a sour mood at this time because I was already late for my 10am shift.

Add to that, heavy rain suddenly poured, drenching a lot of people. As if that wasn't enough, the rain water started to seep in so that the court had about an inch of water. Haha! Good thing I was wearing wedges.

See how "white" it is outside? That's not snow. It's heavy rain.

Here comes the water!

Everyone's feet/shoes are starting to get wet...

Anyway, my family and I were still able to vote. It just completely sucked (as in big time) because the whole process was NOT organized at all. I wonder who the MIA chairman was... If I could only find out, I would love to file a complaint.

I hope that when election time comes around the corner again, they'll be more prepared (as if).

Photo of the Week (#18)

2010-10-27T09:24:00.000+08:00

The photo I chose for this week isn't a person or a place. Not exactly a kind of food... Well, I guess it is some sort of food. Hahaha! Pardon my being inarticulate today. I woke up with a terrible headache and I'm not feeling very well.

Anyway, here's the photo. Ü

This one was taken while my teammates and I were having dinner at Zenses in Makati Ave. Hope you like the shot. Ü

Welcome Home, Jaimie! Ü

2010-10-25T13:44:00.001+08:00

My only female cousin (father's side) came home last Thursday for her birthday. Too bad I couldn't take a leave from work to go out shopping with her. :( She's leaving for Guam again tomorrow and I've only seen her twice, in church. BTW, I'm super proud of her because she already has a job in one of the clinics in Guam. She's a nurse. :)

Good thing I brought my digicam with me yesterday, so we were able to take some pics after the church service.

We both love painting our toes, and we share a passion for shoes, shoes shoes! Ü I love Jaimie's strappy high heels! Ü

Lovin' Jaimie's highlights! That's me on the right with my "constipated" look as usual. LOL!

I missed you, Jaimie! Can't wait for your next visit! Hopefully, I'll have more personal time the next time you fly home.

Vote!

2010-10-25T13:02:00.000+08:00

It's a holiday today for most everyone in the Philippines, save for some people like me who still has to go to work on Philippine holidays. Hehe.

Have you voted for your Barangay officials yet?

Photo courtesy of Google Images

I'm done casting my vote. Will make a separate blog entry for it later tonight. When I get home from work.

Calming Music

2010-10-21T13:36:00.000+08:00

When you're upset, angry, furious, irritated, and you feel like your top's about to blow off, what kind of music do you listen to in order to calm yourself down?

Me? I listen to heavy, loud music. One of my all time favorites is Down with the Sickness by Disturbed.

Actually, I listen to [rap, heavy] metal even when I don't need to calm down. It's really the kind of music I listen to. Well, I listen to all kinds of music. But after a few minutes of listening to all other music genres, I always find myself gravitating towards the fast, heavy, and loud kinda music. I don't know what or who influenced me, really. I just remember starting to veer from pop, rnb, etc around high school. That was when I started listening to Guns n Roses, Siakol (Haha!), Korn, Wolfgang, etc.

So, yeah. I might be the kind of girl who likes shiny, sparkly, fluffy, and pink things. But when it comes to music, I'm not exactly your typical girly girl. LOL!

When The Memet found out about my preference for music, he said that if I continued to listen to my kind of music even when I get pregnant, our baby might come out head banging already. LOL! Well, I wouldn't want that, so I might switch to some classical music when (or if?) I get pregnant. Hehe.

Photo of the Week (#17)

2010-10-18T07:00:00.000+08:00

This week's featured photo was also taken from Zenses in A. Venue, Makati Ave.

The two ladies on the photo are my office mates, Vannie and Jamie. Well, Jamie's no longer with the company. I actually miss her... Hehe.

Anyway, don't you just love the blue light on the wall behind the two girls? It just gives so much life to the picture. :)

I Want!!!

2010-10-15T16:09:00.002+08:00

*GASP* Thanks to a blog post by Lizz of http://www.lizzbuenaventura.com/, I need not look any further for the item that'll go on the very top of my birthday wishlist.

Look! Look! Look!

Kindle 3 Wireless Reading Device, Wi-Fi, Graphite - Latest Generation

It's a portable reading device. Very small and lightweight. Memory? 4gb! That's good for more than 10,000 e-books, PDFs, etc! HUWAW! I love, love, love the fact that it's tiny and lightweight because I usually lug pocket books around and well... I've been complaining more and more recently that doing so is a big hassle because:

1. Pocket books take up a lot of space in my already full and bulky shoulder bag.
2. The paperbacks get ruined if I force it into my bag. Poor books...
3. I still don't have a shelf at home and my books are starting to pile up like crazy. Hahaha!

Anyway, I did a quick search and the Kindle is actually available through some local online sellers. Price isn't bad either: Php8,000-10,000. Woohoo!

Memet! Me want one!!! ^_^

Photo of the Week (#16)

2010-10-11T07:00:00.000+08:00

Hello everyone! As promised, I am now going to be diligent in featuring one of the many photos that're in my archives here at home. Hehe.

This week's featured photo is one of a resto's in Makati Ave., Zenses. Ambiance is nice, not crowded, but the food's mediocre. I wouldn't really know, I'm no food critic. LOL. But it's been more than a year since I last went there so it's possible that they've improved somehow.

Don't Wear a Sleevless Shirt, Honey...

2010-10-10T12:26:00.000+08:00

The Memet and I were on the road yesterday, when a deodorant infomercial came on the radio. It's about this guy who was telling his girlfriend not to wear something sleeveless and the girl kept asking him why, all the while assuming that her bf didn't want her wearing something too sexy. Poor guy apparently just didn't have the heart to tell his girlfriend that she had dark underarms. The Memet and I kept laughing after hearing it. I'm sure you guys have heard it over the radio.

A couple of minutes passed and The Memet asked me, "What do you think my reason would be if I asked you not to put on a sleeveless shirt/blouse?" I, of course, didn't have a ready answer. He said, "I'd tell you not to wear a sleeveless anything if you haven't had your armpits waxed yet." I laughed so much I almost passed out. LOL! TMI? :p

Image Source: Google Images

Photos of the Week (#15)

2010-10-06T07:00:00.001+08:00

Hi guys! I think I forgot to post a Photo of the Week last week, so I'm posting 2 shots this week. :)

They're pics of one of my favorite kikay cousins, Jaimie. I'm glad that she's finally getting over her insecurity because of her color. She used to always complain about her being morena. But I guess she finally realized that she's very pretty nonetheless. :)

I think that I'll be able to post weekly pictures going forward. I finally figured out how to schedule blog posts. Hahaha! I'll make some in advance when I have time so that they'll just automatically appear on my blog every Monday.

In the mean time, I've gotta go. Have to head to the gym before my shift. Toodles! :)

Borrowed Books

2010-10-05T07:00:00.001+08:00

Well, I didn't really borrow them. Hehe. One of my trainees saw me lugging around a pocket book last week. I told her that I normally bring a book so that I have something to read in case traffic's ugly or when I'm on break (That's IF I can take a break). I also normally read atleast a chapter before going to sleep.

Imagine my surprise when, the next day, the guard approached me and said that one of my trainees left a package for me at the lobby. She left me 2 novels! Hehe. Great timing as well because I'm almost done with Nora Roberts/JD Robb's Remember When (I finished Interlude in Death last week).

Here are the books my trainee lent me:

Good thing I haven't seen The Time Traveler's Wife yet. I'm sure I'll have a great time reading it. The other one's a bit scary, I think, based on its synposis. Can't wait to get started! :)

Sweet Scents

2010-10-04T16:53:00.000+08:00

My daily get-up feels incomplete if I do not spray on some sort of cologne or perfume before leaving the house. Hehe. I don't really like super strong scents. I like light, sweet, citrusy ones. The types that'll make me feel and smell fresh without offending people who happen to take a whiff of me. I don't like heady scents. They either give me a headache or make me sneeze non-stop. LOL!

I thought about making this post after a trainee commented on the way I smell. She said, "You always smell powdery... Kinda sweet." It made me wonder because she commented on the way I smell towards the end of my shift. So I was a bit surprised to know that my perfumes/colognes actually stick for more than 8 hours. Hehe!

If you'd like to know what scents I use (well, even if you don't), take a look below:

They're my everyday scents. If you'll notice, the one with the strongest scent among the 5 is probably J.Lo Glow which was a birthday gift from my brother. I only use that when the weather's a bit chilly. All the rest, I use whenever, wherever. Hehe.

My all time favorite is Creamy Vanilla by Vanilla & Co. The Memet likes it too. He even uses it from time to time. LOL! My post-gym scent is BBW's Cucumber Melon. I normally use Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea and Incanto Shine when I go to church. The Memet bought Incanto Shine for me. :)

Fitness: Weekly Activities

2010-10-04T16:35:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone! Just a quick update on the weekly activities that my PT has been giving me... :)

Photo on top is the one for last week. Photo below is what I'll do this week. :) Doing fine and dandy so far! My flexibility is improving. My PT is also slowly getting me started on running.

Looking forward to a healthier and stronger body! :)

Disclaimer: Listed activities are specific to my needs after my PT's assessment. Please consult a professional/trainer/doctor if you would like to come up with your very own workout routine. :)

Fitness: Getting the Groove On

2010-09-29T15:50:00.002+08:00

I can't believe it's only been two weeks since I started working out. I haven't seen much changes to my body yet (Hello, 2 weeks?), but I'm starting to feel more lively, energetic, and well, happy! Ü

I'm glad that despite my super hectice work schedule these days, I still get to spend about an hour and a half in the gym on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. That actually means that I've cut down my sleep hours to 6-7 hours instead of 9, just so I can go to the gym before my shift. I always thought that I needed 8-9 hours of sleep each day to make me function properly. But after I've been sleeping just 6-7 hours, I realized that maybe all these years, I've been oversleeping. Hahaha!

Quite honestly, work's been quite a b!+@# these days. Back to back to back trainings... Hardly any real break. I usually have my lunch on the run. LOL! So it's good that I go to the gym regularly, because it gives me something to look forward to. Yes, I would much rather "torture" my body into shape than go to work. LOL!

Speaking of torture, my PT does just that everytime I see her on weekends. Her name's Smile, by the way. Hehe. I've only had 2 sessions with her so far, but each time, I go home with an aching bod. Believe me, it hurts even more the next day. Hahaha! That's what's great about having a PT. They push you to your limits. I believe it helps build discipline. They're also great at giving motivation. I hate those crunches that Smile makes me do, but well, she can talk me through it (5 nalang, Dianne! Kaya mo yan!). Hehe.

Anyway, I've to go now. Stay healthy peepz! Ü

Image Source: http://www.sparkpeople.com/news/genericpictures/workout_tired.jpg

Job Opening Ü

2010-09-23T19:11:00.000+08:00

Interested in applying for a job in a call center? Know someone who might wanna give it a shot? Read on below. Ü

Feel free to repost, share, etc. Ü

Photo of the Week (#14)

2010-09-21T07:00:00.003+08:00

Don't you just love the feel of soft, powdery sand against your skin? I know I do! =D

My tired, aching feet seeking solace in the cool, powdery sand... =D

If only my feet could talk, they would've said, "Ahhhh... This is heaven." LOL! This photo was taken in Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort in Samal Island, Davao. :)

More Books!

2010-09-20T14:57:00.000+08:00

Did some online shopping last week and instead of buying the bags that I was eyeing, I ended up buying 2 more JD Robb novels instead. Hehe! Almost forgot about it, so I was pleasantly surprised when they arrived this morning.

Can't wait to finish the novel I'm currently reading so that I can start on these two! =D

Road to Fitness

2010-09-20T14:47:00.001+08:00

I've been in and out of the hospital (just for check ups and consultations) quite often in the past few months and after spending about a day in Medical City last week, I decided it's time I did something about my health. Hehe.

I've haven't really been sick much, but I feel that I'm now weaker. Probably comes with age since I'm nearing the big 30 already. Which is why I finally decided to go for that gym membership that I've been thinking about since last year. Hahaha!

I tried to stay away from the gym as much as I can because to me, it looked, well... intimidating. I tried playing badminton instead but only lasted a couple of weeks because I seriously couldn't find the time to go to the courts to play. Tried jogging/brisk walking, but I eventually lost interest.

What's good about signing up for a gym membership (aside from the fact that The Memet paid for my personal trainer. lol), is that Fitness First has a branch in my office building which is super duper convenient for me. They also have a branch in Robinsons Metro East which The Memet can frequent during weekdays. Going forward, we'll also be spending QT in their Metro East branch during weekends. =D

I'm loving the personal training so far. The Memet knows me as a "quitter" when it comes to sports. LOL! He signed me up for swimming lessons sometime last year and guess what... I didn't learn. Hahaha! After about an hour in the pool, I'm like "I'm tired. Let's go home". But with the personal trainer, I can't just say I quit. Hehe. See here, I already have some "homework" for this week. It's mostly cardio.

I'll only meet with my personal trainer once a week (during weekends), and that's when we'll work on my strength and resistance. I failed most of the tests that she did on me yesterday. Hahaha! Balance = Failed. Core = Failed. What else? I can't remember. I just know that I only passed a couple. Hahaha! Oh well.

I'll keep you guys posted on my progress. Hopefully, I'll be a whole lot fitter (is that a word?) before the end of this year. Wish me luck! :)

I Want! I Want!

2010-09-16T17:59:00.000+08:00

I saw this pair of bejeweled pink sandals in Kikay Exchange and I fell head over heels in love. I love pink, I love bling, and I love heels! What more can I ask for?! LOL! =D

You can find it, as well as other super nice sandals for sale on Shoe Luxury's multiply shop. I haven't seen their multiply shop yet but will definitely take a peek once I have the chance. I'm dying to get the pair in the photo!

Bejeweled pink sandals... I will have you soon... LOL!

New Header!

2010-09-14T13:12:00.000+08:00

Woke up early today and was inspired to create a new header for my blog. Hehe! Still needs some improvement, but I think it's better than the previous one that I had on here. Ü

What do ya'll think? XD

Me & Starbucks

2010-09-13T07:00:00.004+08:00

Back in the hay days when I was a QA (which was like 3-4 years ago), my day was never complete without a venti cup of Starbucks' white chocolate mocha. It was one of my all time favorite drinks. Helped me stay awake during those days when I spent 12-14 hours (sometimes 16 hours) in the office. :) There were even days when I would have 2 venti cups in a day. Haha! Caffeine overload.

Anyway, after a few months of practically overdosing my system with caffeine, I noticed that even when I come home really tired, I couldn't fall asleep. So I decided to cut back on caffeine. I've been on coffee rehab for about 2 years now. Hehe!

But, well, just recently, I've been frequenting Starbucks again. I just can't stay away... Hahaha! This time though, I'm opting for the less caffeinated drinks so that I won't have insomnia attacks again. Hehe. My two favorites are the classic iced chocolate and their Christmas drink, the dark cherry mocha. Because I drop by Starbucks frequently, The Memet has also developed a liking for their drinks. He particularly loves the dark cherry mocha. When it's not in season, he drinks the dark mocha.

One grande dark mocha frappe for The Memet! Hehe! Ü

Now, I've recently developed an allergy to almost all kinds of food, including chocolate (boooooo!), so I've been looking for alternatives to my favorites. One that I'm loving right now is the chai tea latte. I love it either hot or iced. It's yummy either way. So yummy that I can't have enough! LOL!

Here I am with my hot chai tea latte (no foam please!) Ü

And here's the iced light chai tea latte that I had earlier today. Yum yum! Ü

I hope I don't eventually become allergic to teas. That would suck big time. Hahaha!

Speaking of tea, there's this drink in Coffee Bean Tea Leaf that I also like. But we'll talk about that another time. :)

What about you? What's your favorite Starbucks drink? :)

Photoshoot: Maki & Choco

2010-09-12T06:00:00.002+08:00

Some of you guys already know that The Memet and I now have 2 very adorable puppies. First, there was Maki. Then, after a couple of weeks, Choco came into our lives. Ü

They're both super duper makulit! But between them, Choco's a whole lot easier to photograph because he stays still when perched on top of a table. LOL! Maki just doesn't seem to care much about heights now. Maybe because he now feels lika a "big boy"? Hahaha!

Anyway, here are some of the shots from their impromptu photoshoot. Hope you like 'em!

That's Choco in the first half of the photoshoot (photos above). See how behaved he was? Hehe. Now, here are some of Maki's photos:

Look at his tongue... It has a birthmark right on the tip. Hehe. Ü

I am Super Maki! Look, I can jump off this table! (LOL)

Even from top view, you can see his tongue sticking out. LOL!

So there you go. Hope you enjoyed looking at our "babies" because I love looking at them ALL the time. Hahaha! :)

Photo of the Week (#13)

2010-09-11T19:57:00.001+08:00

Here's my photo-offering for you guys this week:

Click the photo to view it in full size. :)

It's a photo I unearthed from my archives. It was taken last year October, at a friend's 18th birthday. Yes, I have friends who are about a decade younger than me (LOL). I still wasn't very used to using my Nikon D40 back then, but I'd like to think that I got some pretty decent shots. Well, okay. I think I'm still a noob when it comes to photography and DSLR. I don't know when that'll ever change. Hahaha!

Missing Davao

2010-09-11T18:46:00.002+08:00

The Memet and I were in Davao City 2 weeks ago. We were there from August 24-29. Ahhh... I miss being away from work. T'was total bliss. Hahaha!

We didn't go to all the tourist spots because The Memet was busy with the convention that he had to attend. We were only able to take a tour of Davao City and Samal Island on the day of our arrival. We were supposed to fly back to Manila on the 27th, but out stay got extended all thanks to our Ninong who followed us there and shouldered the expenses for our 2 extra nights' accommodations. He also brought us to Surigao del Sur where we went nature tripping. Hehe.

Here are some shots from our whole trip:

DAY ONE (1)

Hello Davao International Airport! Ü

First stop: Museo Dabawenyo

Second stop: A flower farm. Forgot the name...

Third Stop: Hagimit Falls

Last Stop: Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort

DAY TWO (2)

It was completely uneventful as it was The Memet's 1st day at the convention. I only have some pictures from our breakfast together at Grand Men Seng's restaurant.

Here's one of our pictures:

DAY THREE (3)

The Memet attended the convention again today, so nothing much to post. We did have dinner at Ranch and Reef that night where we had yummy, yummy steak. Hehe. Ranch and Reef is a buffet restaurant along Torres St. They charge P399 per head on weekdays and P400+++ per head on weekends. If you happen to go to Davao, you definitely have to try their buffet. :D

DAY FOUR (4)

This is the day we were supposed to fly back to Manila. But after checking out of Grand Men Seng, we transferred to a budget inn called Sychar Hotel along Bajada St. instead and paid for 2 nights of accommodation. Our Ninong would later reimburse it as our extended stay was his idea. Hehe! Later that night, our Ninong and his entourage joined us in Davao and treated us to dinner at a Thai Restaurant 10 minutes away from Sychar Hotel.

DAY FIVE (5)

Our Ninong was able to hire a van that would drive us to Surigao del Sur and back. The ride was bumpy and travel time (one way) was around 4 hours. I think the sites were worth it though.

We went to the following spots in Surigao del Sur:

First Stop: Enchanted River

Second Stop: Tinuy-An Falls

Third Stop: Britania Islands (Love my digicam's panoramic shots... Hehe)

Click thumbnail to better view this photo. Ü

DAY SIX (6)

The Memet and I went to church at 10am then had lunch with Nanette at Ranch and Reef. We were sooooooo full that after lunch, we decided to walk around the market called Bankerohan. This is where you should go to buy fruits for pasalubong. :) We bought several boxes of suha, mangosteen, and marang. We didn't buy durian anymore as it nobody really asked for it as pasalubong. Hehe! After shopping for fruits, we went back to Sychar to take a nap. At around 4:30pm we went back to Davao Int'l Airport for our 5:45pm flight. Yeah, we overslept so we had to rush to the airport. Hahaha!

I can't wait to take a leave from work again to experience the beauty of our country. :)

PS: All photos were taken using my new TX5. Our Davao trip was a good way to road test it. Hehe! Lovin it so far! Ü (Hmmm... Dunno why the photos' resolutions seemed to degrade after being uploaded using the new Blogger Editor. Weird.)

AirPhil Express FriDeals!

2010-09-10T16:25:00.005+08:00

Hey guys! Been checking out AirPhil Express' website quite often recently, and I noticed that they've got good deals going on. They have this FriDeal every week - A seat sale every Friday!

Do check it out and see if you can grab yourself a decent deal. I think it's pretty cool that we have more options nowadays when it comes to affordable airfares. Looks like AirPhil Express is trying to give Cebu Pacific a run for their money. Hehe! (BTW, I think CebPac is also holding a seat sale until Sept. 12. You might wanna check it out as well. *wink*)

The Memet and I won't be able to travel anytime soon because of our tsunami-like workloads, but I do hope you guys get to travel the Philippines and see the awesome beauty of our country. :)

Sleep-Texting

2010-09-09T18:00:00.003+08:00

Have you ever sent out text messages while sleeping? I know I have. Hahaha! Weird, right?

Receiving text messages while you're sleeping is pretty normal. But, I guess replying to those text messages while you're sleeping is... Well, not so normal. LOL!

I've several friends who would approach me during the day and ask me what my text message was all about. I'd normally say "What text message?". Then they'd show it to me. My response after reading the text message that I allegedly sent? "I don't recall sending that message". They're pretty used to it by now. Heck, even some of my clients are starting to notice this little quirk of mine. Hahaha!

You can read more about sleep-texting here. It's pretty interesting. :)

Image Source: Google Images

PS: I have a couple of pending blog posts. They're all partially written and are saved as drafts. Haha! I hope they don't start piling up. Will try my best to post them this weekend. :)

Photo of the Week (#12)

2010-08-31T08:44:00.004+08:00

I'm posting this Photo of the Week entry on the fly since I just got home from a 10pm-7am shift. It's currently 8:44am on my PC. Need to sleep ASAP 'coz I have to get up at 12nn for a 3pm shift. Yes, I'll only sleep around 3 hours today. That's if my body decides to clock out at all. Sheesh.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the pic. It was taken using my new TX5. Awesome cam. Hehehe.

This pic was taken last Aug. 24, around 6:30am I think? Can't remember. It was during our flight to Davao. :D

Insensitive Pinoys

2010-08-25T21:13:00.005+08:00

I am Filipino and I'm proud to be one. I love the Philippines and everything it has to offer. But when something like this happens, it makes me want to rethink my "Pinoy Pride".

I am referring to the hostage drama that happened the other day.

I am a bit late in posting this. Fact is, I don't know much about everything that happened. I don't know the exact reason the for the hostage-taker's actions. I don't know exactly what our law enforcers did to try and save those poor tourists.

From what I have gathered though, the situation was very poorly handled and that it resulted in a blood bath. It is not something that we, as a nation should be proud of. The hostage-taker had his reasons, but what he did was wrong. The law enforcers did something, but it was severely wrong and it did not resolve the problem. I don't know if what they did only made matters worse. The media and the by-standers also should've known better.

I cannot blame people for being angry at Filipinos for what happened. I cannot blame Hongkong nationals for generalizing. Generalizing is something that we do when we are blinded with anger. Truthfully, I feel angry as well.

If these were what you saw, would you be passive? Would you still be able to say confidently that you are 100% proud of being Pinoy? If you were of a different race and you saw these photos, what would you think of the Philippines?

Pardon my opinion, but I think that the people in these pictures are very insensitive. They should be ashamed. Word of advice to them, "Don't travel to other Asian countries if you don't want to be discriminated against." Actually, they should be careful even here, as I'm sure a lot of people here (regardless of nationalities) aren't very happy with them at all. I know I'm not. I'm not very happy with what happened. Not at all.

Image Source: http://news.discuss.com/hk/viewthread.php?tid=12935883&extra=page%3D1&page=1

Photo of the Week (#11)

2010-08-18T02:10:00.002+08:00

Hello everyone! I'm trying to make up for all the lag in blog posts, so... Here's my Photo of the Week for this week! =D

This one was taken a couple months back during Miggy's (The Memet's nephew) 7th birthday. The cute littlel Supergirl in the picture is Miggy's little sister, Micah. Nanay was trying to make her smile. Hehehe. Micah takes a while to warm up, but once she's accustomed to her surroundings, she's as sociable as any other 4 year old. Wait, I can't remember just exactly how old she is, but I think she's 4. Hahaha!

Sony DSC TX5... Drool

2010-08-16T16:17:00.003+08:00

I shall have you soon, Red TX5. You will soon be mine. Bwahahaha! (Did that laugh sound evil enough? Hahaha!)

Image Source: Google Images

Photo of the Week (#10)

2010-08-14T02:35:00.003+08:00

I'm so sorry if I wasn't able to post a "Photo of the Week" for the past couple of weeks. Been busy like hell with so many things going on left and right.

But, I'm back with a special photo for you guys this week. :) Here it is:

He's our baby. :) His name's Maki, short for Makisig. The Memet named him Makisig. I felt sorry for him, so naturally, I nicknamed him Maki. Hahaha! He's super cute and playful. Watching after him can be tiring, but he just has the funniest quirks, so it's okay. Hehe. As I make this entry, he's in his make-shift crib (an old hamper) playing with a couple of beads that're tied to one of my many reusable canvas shopping bags. He's been playing with it for the past hour or so. I don't know when he'll get tired of it. LOL!

Wedding Preps Galore

2010-08-10T13:41:00.007+08:00

Okay, as some of you probably already know, it's my brother who's getting married next year. And boy, oh boy, am I ever excited. Hehehe! I'm so excited that I'm practically planning this wedding for them! LOL. Ofcourse, I remind myself every once in a while that I should just give advice whenever it's necessary. It's their wedding after all. Haha!

It'll be a Pink and Green wedding. I love that color combination. If I could get married again, I'll go for those colors. :)

Anyway, all this wedding hype has got me thinking. My parents didn't get the dream wedding that they wanted. The photographer they had was pretty incompetent and they ended up not having any pictures from the wedding ceremony because apparently, the photog's cam didn't have film. *TOINK*

Soooo... I'm thinking of saving up some funds. I want my parents to renew their vows in a couple of years. This October's their 30th wedding anniversary. Too bad I already set aside my savings for my brother's wedding. It wouldv'e been nice for my parents to renew their vows this year. I want to have it in Tagaytay. :) And this time, they'll have wedding pictures from the wedding ceremony. Hehe. Well, anyway, we can probably have it in 2 years or something. We'll already be spending a huge chunk of money on my brother's wedding (getting married can be quite painful to the pocket. hehe!). Next year'll also be my mom's 50th birthday. I don't think she has plans, but I already have a surprise party brewing in my head. OH! And next year's also my father in law's 60th birthday! So, yeah, we're also planning a party for him. Hehehe. So many milestones happening next year... So if I slate my parents' renewal of vows for 2012, that'll give me enough time to save up.

Wish me luck! :D

Image Source: Google Images

Hungry?

2010-08-04T16:34:00.003+08:00

I don't know why but I'm always hungry. Lots of people know me as the girl who's always hungry. Haha! And nowadays, it seems like my appetite's at an all time high. Goodness. It must be my body's way of compensating for it's messed up body clock.

Look at this photo that I compiled. Isn't everything in there just mouth watering? Hahahaha!

I hope I don't gain much weight before the 27th of this month. I've something on that day that would require some photos to be taken. Haha! Whatever it is, is for me to know and for you to never find out. LOL!

Diet... Diet... Hay. I guess I need to do some sit-ups. If only I had the will-power to really do it. Hahaha!

Image Source: Google Image

I Hear Wedding Bells!

2010-08-02T13:44:00.004+08:00

Photo credit: Kenn Garcia (Photo was taken from our wedding last January 2009)

I'm super duper excited! I'm about to help plan another wedding. Yipee! This wedding's most likely going to happen June of next year. That should give us enough time to save up some money and round up the suppliers. =D

There hasn't been a formal announcement or pamamanhikan yet, so I'm not dropping names yet. This couple is super dear to my heart though, and I've already pledged a certain amount as my share for the wedding expenses. Teehee! I've also started looking for wedding suppliers.

I just hope the couple would already work on their guest list so that we know how many guests we're expecting. It'll be easier to work on a budget that way.

Sigh... I can't wait! XD

UPDATE: The wedding will happen next April. Hehehe! 8 months to go! =D

The Shopaholic & The Not-So-Smart Driver

2010-08-01T16:39:00.006+08:00

It's been ages since I last really splurged on clothes. I think the last time I spent more than 5k on purchases in 1 single afternoon was 2 or 3 years ago. Hahaha!

Well, yesterday, I had the chance to practice my being an impulsive shopper again. The Memet had an afternoon meeting with our Mayor and the other department heads in Katipunan yesterday. It was originally supposed to be in Eastwood, so I asked him if I could go with him, coz I wanted to try out a nail salon's services there. On our way to Eastwood, The Memet got a text message saying that the venue has changed and that it'll be in Cravings, Katipunan instead. I was super bummed. I didn't want to just sit around in a restaurant while waiting for their meeting to end. So The Memet dropped me off at Robinsons Metro East instead. :D

At first, I was just strolling around, window shopping. But after a few hours, of constantly texting the Memet and asking if their meeting was done yet, I lost hope that it'll finish before 6pm so I went to look for a salon or spa. I saw Azta Urban Salon in the Body section of the mall so I stepped in. Hihi! I dunno what got into me, but I actually thought of getting red highlights. Good thing I thought against it and got red streaks instead. Hahaha! It isn't very obvious, really, but The Memet's mortified. He likes "classic" looking girls. LOL. Anyway, it'll fade away in about 2 months, I was told.

After getting my streaks and having my hair blow dried, I started my shopping expedition. I went through every boutique in the mall and ended up with a couple of dresses and tops from the following shops:

I love collecting paper bags. Hehe! I especially love the paper bag on the extreme right of the picture. It's from Petite Monde. So cute... It even has a real tassle! Hehe. :D

The Memet's meeting finished around 8pm, but around that time, traffic was super heavy in Katipunan. Around 8:30pm, he was already at the U-Turn slot in front of PSBA. That was where he encountered the stupid 19-year old driver who caused us lots of inconvenience.

The kid wasn't looking at his right side while turning in the U-turn slot. He was just concentrating on looking at the left side (where there were no vehicles), so as a result, his Trooper bumped into our Revo. It was just a minor accident, but my goodness, it took us close to 3 hours to resolve it. The kid didn't wanna pay for the damages and wanted a police report written out. Jeez. It was HIS fault. Anyway, as the mall was closing up, the Memet called me and told me that it was taking longer than expected and asked me to just take a cab and meet him at the spot where the accident happened. I did as I was told and The Memet got the shock of his life when I alighted from the cab with all my purchases. LOL!

We went to Camp Caringal somewhere in Aurora, Cubao and filed a police report. We were there until around 11:30pm. Got home around 12mn. And we still had to get up early for church Sunday morning. Ayayay.

So there. That's how I spent my Saturday. After church, The Memet and I caught some much needed sleep. Hehe. I did my house chores in the afternoon instead. Going back to church again in a few, then we're off to my parents' house for Sunday night dinner.

'Tis all for now. Take care everyone, and be wary of not-so-smart drivers. Best to stay away from them lest you'd be inconvenienced. Hehehe.

Commuter Chronicles # 9

2010-07-28T19:21:00.008+08:00

I've taken to wearing dresses more often at work and while it's all girly and nice to look at, I realized that commuting while wearing an above-the knee dress is more difficult than it looks.

First and most important of all, when wearing a dress that sort of billows with the wind, you have to make sure that the people around you don't get a free peek at your undies. Another difficulty that I've encountered is when wearing pencil skirts or dresses with either a pencil cut or straight body, it is sooo difficult trying to sit at the back of the fx because it hitches up when you sit down. And Lord knows how uncomfortable the seats are at the back of those passenger vehicles.

Anyway, I guess I'll get used to it and I'll learn some tips and tricks to make wearing a dress to work easier for my commuting self. Hehe.

A thought I've been playing with is getting a car of my own. Ta-da! LOL. Well, if I had my own car, I wouldn't have to worry about how I sit or if other people are seeing stuff they shouuldn't be seeing. Hahaha! PLUS, I wouldn't have to struggle with all the stuff that I carry around. Yep, I always carry loads of things coz aside from my usual office bag, my mom in law also packs lunch for me, and I also have to bring my clients' orders which aren't always very light.

Getting a car. Ha! As if it's as easy as buying cellphone. But The Memet and I have been admiring 2 Hyundai models.

I personally like the i10. I think it's super cute. :D

The Memet likes the Getz model because it's very roomy.

The price? Not bad... But it's almost the same price as our 2 year old Vios. Haha!

Hyundai i10 - Php578,000 (1.2 GLS AT w/airbag)

Hyundai Getz - Php498,000 (GL 1.1 CRDi MT)

The i10's a bit more expensive but if we had the money, I would choose that over the Getz because it has automatic transmission. It's been ages since I last drove a MT.

Are there cheaper car models that you know of that comes in AT? Not that I'm really gonna buy my own car in the near future. LOL!

Image Source: http://www.myhyundai.com.ph/

Photo of the Week (#9)

2010-07-26T13:42:00.007+08:00

Yes, I'm still alive. I've wanted to blog for the past couple of days but even my weekends have become busy. Well not busy like work kinda busy, but since I've been spending a lot of time in the office and at church, I gotta make sure I don't forget to make time for my 2 families, right? So, yeah, that's what I've been up to lately.

I don't have time to browse through my gallery of photos, so I'll leave you with one of my all time favorites. This photo was taken by my friend Katz' husband, Aikee Morota. He's way better than I am at photography. Like, waaaay better. Hehehe!

Here's the amazing photo:

It's our adaptation of The Ring. And... Yep, that's me on top of the tv as Sadako. Uber cool, huh.

Photo of the Week (#8)

2010-07-12T13:43:00.009+08:00

I'm posting 2 photos this week just for the heck of it. So this entry should really be tagged as "Photos of the Week". Hehe.

Here they are:

The venue. Sigh...

The couple's first kiss as hubby and wifey. :)

Obviously, they're wedding pictures. Hehe. They're photos taken from a friend's wedding last December 19, 2009. The wedding ceremony and the reception were both held in the same venue. You guys know where this venue is?

It's in Antipolo. Crapola, I forgot the name. Hmmm. Lemme think...

La Huerta Estate!!!

Isn't it just lovely?

I love photographing weddings. It's a bit challenging because so many things happen simultaneously and you can't click on pause just to capture each of them one at a time. I'm not saying that I'm really good at it. I'm still learning. But I love the challenge anyway. :D

So there, I hope you enjoyed this week's photos. :)

Blogger Lizz Buenaventura's June-July Giveaway

2010-07-05T06:20:00.004+08:00

Blogger Lizz Buenaventura is holding another contest, and this time, I thought I'd join. Love the items that're up for grabs! Teehee!

1) Eight (8) full-sized Candy*Shop nail polishes (various colors)
2) 1 TonyMoly travel-sized BB Cream
3) 1 Holika Holika Garden Recipe travel-sized Body Wash
4) 1 Organic Farm full-sized Lip Gloss
5) 1 Flory Ann full-sized Lip Gloss
6) 1 Skin Food Omija Whitening Gift Set
7) 2 Innis Free Green Tea Seed Serum
8) 1 InnisFree Green Tea Gift Set (contains serum and lotion)
9) 2 Sticker Sets
10) 1 Nail Art Sticker Set
11) 1 Skin79 Hydro Repairing Mask Sheet
12) 1 *adorable* Kapibarasan Notepad

See? I just love cute, adorable stuff:

Anyway, in order to qualify, I need to answer this question: "What Korean beauty product are you interested in trying out from the Krazy/Beautiful store?"

My answer: Hyalin's Beauty Insurance BB Cream! :D I've been wanting to try BB Creams for quite some time, but I never did because none of the available ones were organic. Thanks to Lizz, I can finally try an organic BB Cream! :D I hope it works well on my skin. :D I will actually go to the bank later, as soon as it opens, to pay for my order. Hehe. Can't wait to get it. :) You can also check out the other items that Lizz has for sale.

If you'd also like to join, just go on over to Lizz's blog and check out the mechanics. This contest is open only to Philippine-based readers though. :)

Photo of the Week (#7)

2010-07-04T12:55:00.004+08:00

Oh! Before I fall asleep, here's my photo of the week:

Doesn't it just make you feel all summer-y inside? Hehehe. I love flowers. :) Hope you like it!

Wattap?

2010-07-04T12:04:00.009+08:00

My world turned upside down when my shift changed almost a month ago. From 1pm-10pm, I'm now back on the night shift. 10pm-7pm was hell. Good thing my shift was 7pm-4am last week. This week, it'll be 6pm-3am. Sheesh.

All these changes are starting to take its toll. This past week, I normally start feeling groggy around 1-2am at work. As a result, ZZZZZZZ... while trying to work on reports. Haha! I usually just breeze through lunch because I prefer to just sleep during my breaks. Horrible.

This past month, I've been nothing but tired. Tired to the bone. But when I get home in the morning, I have trouble sleeping. I toss and turn in bed and after a few hours, I fall asleep for just 3-4 hours. In the afternoon, I'm wide awake again, just waiting for my shift. Ayayay.

Despite all the stress and lack of sleep, I seem to be gaining weight. In fact, 2 people at church asked me how many months pregnant I was. My goodness, that was insulting. I'm obviously stressed out so it's highly unlikely that I'm gonna get pregnant any time soon. I MUST lose the fats in my tummy area. Orrrr... Maybe I should get me some girdles? Haha!

Good thing the stress isn't making me break out. *knock on wood*

Anyhoo... It's the 4th of July today. Happy Independence Day, US! Thank you for the long weekend! Hehehe. =D

Went shopping for shoes the other day in SM Taytay. Love it! Bought 2 pairs for myself and another 2 pairs for The Memet (Thank you SL conversion! Hehe). Oh, I got a 3rd pair, but it's uber cheap (Just P150). Hehe.

Also bought a few other stuff like hankies, socks, a black tulip skirt, a belt, hair brushes, and some nailpolish and nail stickers from The Face Shop. Hehe. Too lazy to take pics...

After shopping, we had an early dinner at Baba Ghannouj Restaurant. It's a Persian/Mediterranean restaurant that I think I'm going to visit quite often. I loooooove Mediterranean food. Love the symphony of herbs and spices that it creates on my tongue. I'm no food critic though so I can't give you too much details, but I'm being very honest when I say that my taste buds were rejoicing the whole time we were eating. Haha!

We ordered Beef Kheema for our appetizer and a Baba Kabab Platter for our main course. We weren't really very hungry so we just asked for water for our drinks. Hehe. Food was really awesome, I'm still salivating everytime I think about it. It took them quite a while to serve the main course though. We were well done with our Beef Kheema appetizer by the time we got the Kabab Platter. It was worth the wait though. Super yummy. Hehe.

If you have a thing for Persian/Mediterranean food like me, you should drop by SM Taytay and check out the Baba Ghannouj Restaurant. It's right next to McDonald's. I dunno though if they have other branches...

Oh, sorry, no pics from dinner coz I didn't have a cam with me.

Anyway, that's all for now. My eyes feel tired again. Gotta catch some snooze time. :)