something i remember..

As we were traversing the Emirates Mall in Dubai almost a month ago, Mommy J and I were talking about our respective significant others. In standard J fashion, she pointed out to me what a gem Attorney truly is and that I should always remain thankful to have him, regardless of what I think he can and cannot provide for me. It's very rare to find a guy who'd literally give you everything he had, whether it be the last spoonful of rice on his plate or the very last bill in his wallet. And she told me not to worry about money, because the most important thing I should remember is that it matters not how much he'll ever have. What matters is that he'll give me his everything. As little or as huge as those resources may ever become, the fact that "isusubo nalang niya, ibibigay pa niya sayo" is something I must always cherish. Not all girls are as lucky, she said. Not even those who actually end up with millionaires.

And believe you me, she repeated, that quality of his is the one thing you'll miss the most if things ever go bad.

Tonight, I think back to that conversation, as Attorney proves yet again just how much of himself he's willing to give up or give to me. And only me. In this whole wide world.

All girls should truly be just as lucky.

anniversary weekend and a really long break

OK, so I just had a 5-day break. Super sarap! Let me recap what happened.

Friday - We were supposed to kick off our anniversary a day earlier, but unfortunately, Dennis had to work on some super urgent election thing, so, since I had already gotten my leave approved, I figured, why waste it? I just went to the mall and got my hair cut and done. I also did a little bit of shopping (hehehe) on the side.

Saturday - Attorney had a daylong seminar at Manila Hotel on vote canvassing (or something like that.. It's so hard to keep up with all the election stuff) so I spend the day with my mom. Dennis picked me up at around 6:30 to go to Lolo Dad's, where we had the hugest meal ever known to man. I finally got to try the famous foie gras, which was HEAVENLY. As in! Totally worth all the hype! Except that you know how expensive it is, so you tend to take the smallest bites possible, and every bite reminds you of how fatty and totally unhealthy it is, but since you're in culinary heaven, all thoughts on dieting are out the window. (wasn't that the longest sentence?!)

We also had super good wine to accompany the food binge we were on, and super good coffee to cap off the meal. I love love love love it! Thumbs up all the way! I love Lolo Dad's! Apart from the symbolism of the place, I just love the food, love the service, love the ambience, love everything! 'Til next time, Lolo Dad's!

Happy 2nd year!


Sunday - After Buddhist mass, we watched Perfect Stranger in Shangri-la, after passing by Tektite for him to do a wee bit of work for the.. you guessed it, the big E. I kinda liked the movie, despite what the reviews wrote. And take note, I'm not a big fan of Mademoiselle Berry.

We then had another sumptious meal over at Cookbook Kitchen, where we had the softest fish in the universe and his super good chicken with the sausage and the ham thing. Loved it! I also loved the fact that we had dinner there this weekend, because it's also one of the most memorable restaurants in our life together as a couple. :)

Monday - Took this day off specifically to rest. Did a lot of napping and finished the 7th season of Gilmore Girls. Total coach-potato day.

Tuesday (today) - Had a buffet lunch at Red Kimono (P485 lang per person!) then headed over to Greenbelt 3 to have our usual foot massage over at Simple Pleasures (also highly recommended by this couple). We then caught the latest Spidey movie with Kaye, Rap, Anna and Ian (we missed Guia and Martin) and had dinner at Bubba Gump, where it was about 25% food and 75% talk. Hehehe. Had tons of fun! Hoorah for May 1 holidays!

So there went my 5-day mini vacation :) As you can notice, it's filled with only one thing= FOOD. Suffice it to say that no dieting was accomplished :P I loved it though. It was a good anniversary weekend (plus, I got a stunning new gold watch from my darling beau!) and a great chance to rest, lay back and have fun :)

palmolive circle of 10

Right before I left for Dubai, my darling beau entered me into the Palmolive Search for the Shining Circle of 10. We were in Glorietta, walking towards Zara, when an exhibition girl approached me, inviting me to join the contest. I instinctively shook my head to say no, but Dennis said "yes!" with so much enthusiasm, the girl immediately called her other colleagues to usher me into the audition area. I was frozen in disbelief! Dennis kept saying, "Look at all these other girls who made the effort to get made up and fix their hair, and forcing themselves onto this contest. E, you, you were approached, invited even, to enter! Au naturelle pa! No makeup! Normal looking hair! You have to try it out!" He then proceeded to introduce himself to the Palmolive booth people as my "agent" and my "lawyer" and filling out my application form for me. Next thing I know, a photographer was taking my photo and asking me to flip my hair. Someone then took my VTR and asked me to sign a form.

I then saw what the prize was... P100,000 in cash! Suddenly, I was more into this thing than I was when we started the process. Hahahaha! Who cared about the modelling contract? I want the cold hard cash! Hahaha!

So tadaa, introducing Candidate # 59--


I then flew off to the United Arab Emirates the next day, not thinking anymore about that silly little audition. After all, it's only something we did for the sheer fun of it.

Then fast forward to tonight, when I got home, my mom handed me a letter she received via messenger this morning. It's a letter from Palmolive's ad agency, Y&R, saying I'm qualified for the screening audition and interview. I was like, what?! No way! Hahahaha!

Dennis is beside himself with excitement, insisting I should go check it out. I said, no, I can't do that. It's nahihiya. Besides, I said, I'm okay na with the fact that at least they ended up considering me, instead of rejecting me flat-out, and that my beau is my biggest fan ever! Enough to peddle me to multinational companies holding talent searches. Hehehe.

He's still convinced I'm throwing away the chance of a lifetime. Hay.. Even if I'd love to win 100k in cash, I would never subject myself to that kind of process. Hehe. But Dennis still insists. I'm really something special and I'm not maximizing it daw. Hehe. He's so cute noh!

That's it for my little kuwento. Aliw e! :p

milestones

This year is turning out to be one of the most jam-packed ever. My upcoming 2-week vacation to Canada and Boston has been booked (*though I have yet to get myself a Canadian visa, but hey that should be easy and only a matter of time) and if all goes well, I might be going to NY for a few days too! Yahooo! And work will be taking me to London in July! Yahoooooo! First time ever in London! And all for free! Lord, please make sure it pushes through!!!!

Trips trips trips. I love 'em trips. This year definitely takes the cake in terms of places visited. A milestone has been hit! A record has been broken!

Oh, and this Saturday marks the second anniversary for me and my darling beau. Don't know what he has planned but I'm definitely looking forward to it. Another milestone! Thank God I finally found him a suitable gift. I hope he likes it. :-)

Life has been good to me. Thank you, Lord.

dubai summary

I'm baaaaaack from Dubai!

Hmm.. I'll start first with the work part of my kuwento. Our show went very well. Almost perfect, actually, except for the weak performance of Zsa Zsa. Other than that, it was definitely a huge improvement from the Doha leg. The place was packed and the audience seemed to have enjoyed themselves.

One thing I have to say about Dubai is that it's so f*cking HOT! Yes, even hotter than in Manila. I didn't think it was possible, but I guess if there's one place hotter than Manila, it would be the desert. Stepping out of the hotel feels like you've gone into the inside of a microwave. You can feel the sun painfully on your skin, even if you haven't stepped out under the sunlight just yet. It's sooooo hot, I kept thanking God for airconditioning.

As hot as it gets during the day, it gets just as chilly at night. That's where Dubai differs from Manila. Evenings are actually windy and get quite cold especially when you stay out til the wee hours.

What else.. We went to the famed 7-star hotel, Burj al Arab and took some breathtaking pictures. My favorite, though, was Madinat Jumeirah, which is this beautiful hotel and souk complex with its own little beach that just makes you relax simply by looking at it.

Dubai is also the shopping mecca of the Middle East. Brands from all over the world flock onto this little city-state and you can find everything and anything you desire! Spent half of my precious per diem on H&M, but who cares, I found cheap, good loot! Oh, and jewelry is also relatively cheaper, especially yellow gold.

Lastly, if you're in the market for high-end luxury items, you'd be glad to know that these things come pretty cheap in Dubai, primarily because the government does NOT charge taxes-- at all. So they don't need to pay those customs fees and transport charges, not to mention the goods sales tariffs. Hehehe.. Proof of this is that my boss Jane purchased 3 LV bags and an IWC watch for her hubby. All in one afternoon. Hahaha!

So far, Dubai is definitely the place to go if you need to visit the Middle East. You just have to be careful of the leering eyes of Arabian men, their tendency of taking advantage of tourists (by jacking up the prices like you wouldn't believe) and the sweltering heat. Aside from that, go ahead and visit Dubai! You'll like it :)

dubai, here i come!

Okay, after some flight booking problems, I'm finally off to Dubai, UAE tomorrow, along with the rest of the SMART team. Up to now, I still can't believe we were this close (holding up two fingers super close together) to getting upgraded to business class! Arg! But, alas, we lost the chance and have to now survive economy on an OFW plane headed for the Middle East. Can you already tell from my tone just how much I'm gonna be loving this trip?!

Anyhoot, we're gonna be there for exactly 7 days, which means hooray because of the per diem but fucker because it's so damn long and it's gonna be one tiring trip. At least God heard my prayers and allowed me to get my period last night (okay, this is already over-sharing but hey, I really prayed for this) because the last thing I want is to cramp up while in Arabic soil.

Hay... Dubai, here I come, ready or not... I'll blog again when I return. Pray all goes well! :-P

to-buy list

Should I strike it rich tomorrow and win the lottery, I'll treat myself to the following wish-list of beautiful beautiful items:

1. Tri-colored gold stackable rings with pave diamonds: Estimated cost $725


2. LV Mini Lin bag: Estimated cost $675


3. Apple Macbook: Estimated cost $1,500


4. Omega Iris Constellation watch: Estimated cost $6,300


Why can't I have more feasible, more realistic wants, like a pair of standard-issue Adidas rubber shoes?! My gohd! Kawawa naman si Dennis... hehehehe....

musings and thoughts while in sing...

OK, the trip did comprise mostly of food, shopping, food, going out with friends, and food. However, the trip, just like any holiday where your brain is not pressured to perform at tiptop shape, gave my mind enough breathing space to make some realizations.

First up is: I've finally abandoned my considerations about taking an MBA, whether domestically or abroad. I really appreciated the fact that I was there (in Sing) purely and thoroughly due to my earning capacity. Granted, my folks still shoulder a chunk of my living expenses, i.e. electricity, water and gas. But at least I can honestly say I no longer rely on them to buy my own toiletries, to buy my little indulgences and to support my basic needs of food, clothing and leisure. I'd terribly miss earning my own money and every little measure of independence that goes along with it, should I decide to resign and go study again.

Don't get me wrong though. I am 100% thankful for all my blessings, including and probably the biggest of which is my parents and their ingrained generosity to support anything character-enhancing. They'd support my MBA plans in a flash should I bring up the topic. However, I realized that, not only do I feel I don't need it, I'd actually be happier carrying on with the career I've started... and hopefully excelling in it.

Next up: I actually fell in love with Singapore all over again during this trip. Sure, I visited Singapore again last year for work, but this time was different because I was there on vacation and I had 5 whole days of reacquainting myself with the country I spent a year in when I was 10. I remembered all the reasons why I loved Singapore, and I realized I really wouldn't mind living there in the future. Granted, the details are still a little fussy for me (including how Attorney can move to Sing and resume his law career there) but it's comforting to know that I have another option should Manila start being claustrophobic for me or should I bump onto a glass ceiling in my job here. It's nice to feel that I have a plan B-- a nicer, cleaner, more law-abiding Plan B. A place where the system works and where the laws actually make society better and where life is free of the complications of politics, illiteracy and poverty. It's not a perfect place, I know, but it sure is an easier home to live in. Plus, it doesn't hurt that Singapore is probably the only first-world country with as single-digit income tax rate (only 9%!!!) and a country where the government actually pays you to have children and to let them be educated.

One of the reasons why I've never considered going abroad for work is because of my family and of Dennis. I'm very much a family person and my love for Attorney is definitely no real secret. That's where the beauty of Singapore's location comes into play. Not only is it a stone's throw away from Manila, there are so many budget airlines now offering super low fares and there are so many international call/text rates (regretfully offered by our competition) to enable you to stay connected with Manila. :-) It's really a global village we have! (I said this also in Singapore and I sounded just as loony as I do saying it here now. Hahahaha!)

Anyway, it's nice to be back. It's nice to get treated to a foot massage by my darling beau and it's nice to have dinner with my family again. Truly missed them all, even if I was only gone for 5 days :-)

singapore!!

Just got back from a 5-day, 4-night trip to Singapore. How was it? It's the one trip that spelled FOOD FOOD FOOD! I can't believe how much I ate, but even if it may mean packing on 5-10 pounds due to the sheer volume of food I consumed, I do not regret a single spoonful or chopsticks-full that ever grazed my lips because... EVERYTHING WAS DELICIOUS!

I had all my favorites-- laksa, hainanese chicken, mee goreng, bahkutteh, satay chicken, satay lamb and satay pork. I also had all my favorite drinks from Singapore-- sugarcane juice (oh la la!), 100 plus (better than Gatorade and better than water!), and iced lemon tea (makes Nestea taste like sewerage). I also had my fave Ben and Jerry's at their shop in Suntec! WINNER!

1. Food food food!


2. My one true love, aka laksa


3. Ben & Jerry's!


I also made a new discovery! STINGRAY! Sounds icky, I know, but don't knock it til you've tried it. This fish is the BEST ever and it's sooooo soft! I love it!


Other highlights of the trip is our visit to the toy museum where Van, Eps and I marveled over the vintage toys. My favorite pa rin is Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Barbie and Popeye :P We also met up with Cia and Baby Kirby, who's just the cutest little smiling baby :) We also saw and stayed in Casa de Ranza, which was beautiful and had the most luscious sheets ever created.

Oh, and I must share this winning photo--


I LOVE SINGAPORE!

And I loooove my friends! CHEERS!

A NatCon, an E.K. trip and a stunt show

What a tiring week it has been. Friday was the National Convention for Sales & Marketing at Clark, which lasted the entire day and practically took up all my energy to wake up at 5am to get to Clark at 7:30. Good thing for Starbucks and Super Petron.

Saturday saw me and Dennis head over to Sta Rosa for our Enchanted Kingdom trip with Guia, Martin, Kaye and Rap. Granted, it was a little hot and after a while, I felt so sticky, I itched to go home and shower. But, it was fun overall, and we even got to watch fireworks in the evening. We headed over to Westgate after for some drinks, and then finally headed home. 'Twas an exhausting day, compounded by the fact that I lacked sleep from the day before, but it was so much fun. We missed Anna though. Sayang she and Ian couldn't join us.

Today (Sunday), after our usual temple trip, Dennis joined my family and I as we headed over to the crematorium to visit my grandpa's resting place, as today marks his 16th yr death anniversary. It was so cute watching Dennis make my lola alalay the whole time. And hey, at least she didn't grill him this time around on the "future." :P hehehehe..

Afterwards, we watched the stunt show of Russ Swift over at the World Trade Center, where my family has a booth selling Eibach springs (for those who aren't familiar with cars, these are premium-quality springs you install into your car to make it more stable). I must say, what a show! For a measly P30, it was quality entertainment, with Russ playing up the crowd and showing all his best tricks. I loved it!

What a great weekend. Even if it was a little tiring, it's the good kind of tired. So I'm happy :)

I can't wait for the next week to start. Aside from Monday and Tuesday where I still need to show up at the office, Wednesday through Sunday should be hell lotta fun, as I will be in Singapore, visiting Baby Bay and Cia's family :) I can't wait! Sana Wednesday na!

be my lady

Last night, at his firm's anniversary dinner, my beau belted out a beautiful rendition of Be My Lady and dedicated it to moi! Such a nice surprise... and I later on found out that he had actually intended to go up to me and kneel down for added effect, but sadly the mic's cord wasn't long enough for him to do that.

Nevertheless, isn't that so adorable?! To know that someone loves you is one thing, but to see him demonstrate such love in front of a bunch of guy friends and colleagues is definitely taking it to another level. :-)

pursuit of the cheapest gas station in town

Dennis and I have a project where we track the gas prices of different gas stations in the areas we frequent, to find out which gas station or branch offers the lowest prices. In other words, we've embarked on a quest for the cheapest fuel around :P

Contrary to popular belief, gas prices are not created equal. This means that the pump rates for diesel at the Shell Rizal Avenue branch are not the same as those that Shell NAIA Road is charging. In fact, thus far, Shell Maya (the one near SMART) is the most expensive that I've seen so far. :)

Isn't this so interesting? I don't know if it's just the nerd in me or the dork in him that relishes this quest, but I really find it all so intriguing. The discrepancies we've unearthed so far range from the inconsequential 0.01 difference to the rather significant P1.20 disparity. C'mon, even if your total gas budget may not budge (meaning you still spend the same amount every month), at least you'll get the most bang for your hard-earned buck if you gas up at the cheapest station versus, say, Shell Maya. :P

So the quest goes on. I'll update this when we've covered significant ground, so everyone benefits from our "research." :P

gifts for men

Why are gifts for boys so gaddamn expensive?! Not only are there limited choices, at least compared to women's stuff, they're also bound to break anyone's budget! Hay..

I'm searching for gifts for Dennis for our 2nd year anniversary and for his birthday. From the looks of it, I have to really save up for these two presents. Hay buhay... Girls are so much easier to buy for, I swear!

young market master

Congratulations to my boss, Ms Jane Basas, for being awarded Young Market Master for 2007, for International Marketing category. The awards ceremony tonight is proof of your marketing prowess, your charm and wit, and the generosity of heart which makes you the perfect teammate and the perfect boss. You knocked 'em dead tonight, mamcy! :-)

foodfest

If there's one thing common between Dennis and me, it's our love for food. More than anything, we enjoy discovering new restaurants together, savoring familiar, everyday dishes together and re-discovering old culinary loves together. We lazed around all afternoon on Saturday at Serendra, dropping by my friend Loraine's new store, walked around and talked about everything under the sun, then topped off the day with a hearty, 2-hour meal at Conti's. Complete with my ultra-favorite Mango Bravo cake! Yum! My beau even took home a boxfull of their classic empanadas for family breakfast the next day. :-)

As for today, we had a hearty, tummy-slapping brunch at the temple with moi's family, followed by an afternoon of walking around in Greenhills armed with good ol' hotdog sandwiches and matching Coffee Bean drinks. Pigs, you say? Guilty as charged... The only consolation for the calorie buffet this weekend was all the walking we did. Hehehehe :-)

Quiet weekend, but I loved every minute of it. How can I not-- I don't think I went through a single hour without food in my tummy :-P

weekend update and more...

Watched 300 twice over the past weekend... That's how much I loooooved the movie! And that's considering I actually didn't feel like watching it at first, writing it off initially as one of those testosterone-filled, tiring-to-watch macho movies. But after much persuasion, I watched it with Dennis on Saturday night, only to watch it again with him and my brothers the following day. What can I say? Those abs are worth watching over and over and over again.

Funny how I've heard so many guys use lines from the movie like "What is your profession?" and "For I am kind and generous.." Hehehehehe.

Onto other news, I seriously need to start saving more money. I have a 5-day Singapore trip coming up, then followed by a 2-week Canada and US vacation in June. Add to that some work trips in between and hopefully (please Lord!) a Bangkok trip with FILC towards the end of the year. For some weird reason, my dad is giving me a hard time on getting permission to go. He insists the security situation in Bangkok isn't safe.. i.e. it's still under martial law and can be bombed any day now. Grrr... I'm not very sure if he's just saying that to make me suffer or he actually believes it.. Hay... It's so annoying! Grrr.... Oh well.. Granted, it's still so far away, but if we want to get the good rates, we have to act fast. Oh, and let's not forget that Cebu Pac is also another issue of his. "I don't trust Gokongwei planes.", as if Big John is actually the pilot running the plane. And as if being a "Gokongwei" plane actually has any bearing. I don't see the difference between that and a "Tan plane." Tan for Lucio Tan (i.e. PAL). Grrrr.... Again, I don't know if he's just deliberately making it hard for me.

Though beats me why he'd do that.

Haaaayyy...

In other news, back to work again this week. We're still waiting for our Dubai visas to come through so we can finally fly already and get ready for the event on the 22nd. I can't believe it's taking this long! I'm a little psyched to see Dubai, actually, even if people keep saying Bahrain is better. I want to see at least the 7-star hotel and find out if it's really worth the hype.

One good thing about these work trips to the Middle East is I get to visit places I otherwise probably would never see in my lifetime. I don't see myself paying good money to visit places like Bahrain, Doha, Dubai....

Then again.. if only the work trips start going the direction of Greece, Italy, Paris, Frankfurt, London.. that totally wouldn't hurt! :-p

Ok, one thing at a time, Gladys Jane.. Let's keep our fingers crossed for Bangkok first. Those damn terrorists better stay away from that country until I get my dad's sweet yes. They can totally ruin this for me. Grrrr....

i want shoes!!!

Been wanting to buy sporty flats for ages now. But I know I should stay away from shopping, because I have yet to finish saving up for trips I'm taking on April and June. But.. it's just so hard to stay away.. huhuhu...

These are my choices so far--

1. Old Navy striped skimmers

2. Keds celestial skimmers

One is more expensive than the other, but both out of my working budget for now :(

Just saw this feature on the Today Show this morning about women and finances.. about how women spend money so differently from men.

All I can say is: There's a certain maintenance cost to looking good. And you get what you pay for. So don't worry about the spending. Just focus on ways to earn more.

Hahahahaha, what a load of self-justifying C_AP!

kidnapped heroes

Just finished watching this series called KIDNAPPED, which is a story about a wealthy family whose son gets kidnapped for a period of 12 days. An investigative team is assigned to find him, headed by an ex-FBI operative played by Jeremy Sisto (of former CLUELESS fame).


Needless to say, I LOVED IT! Heard that this series was produced by NBC last year and they instructed the writers to wrap up the story in 13 episodes, to make the series more "intense" and avoid being "dragging". But, for some reason, only five episodes were aired and the show was suddenly cancelled. Good for me (and every other fan of this show), the entire set of 13 episodes was recently released in DVD. Watch it, folks. You'll be glad you did :)

I'm now onto my next series, HEROES, which is still an ongoing show (a hit show, if I may add) in the States, also by NBC, about a group of ordinary people discovering they had extraordinary powers. At first I thought this was just a rip-off of the XMen, but hey, surprise of all surprises, it's actually really good! I'm just on my first two episodes so far, and I LOVE IT!

giddy giggly mushy...

I just can't help it-- I LOVE HIM, I LOVE HIM, I LOVE HIM!

at least i can say i've been to qatar....

So I finally survived Qatar. At 5am yesterday, our team arrived safely back in Manila after a horrendously long, horrendously tiring adventure at Doha.

Did I enjoy it, you ask? Well, let me give a short recap:

1. Apparently, tall white long-haired girls with chinita eyes are a rare sight in Doha. Everyone, and I mean everyone, kept staring at me as though I'm from outer space. Also, the guys there seem to be in severe drought for living, breathing women. I've hereby reached my quota for the "I love you, miss!" and the "Hey there, whats your name?" pick-up lines. I've also had it up to here on the oogling eyes and the huge smiles from random strangers. I swear, Qataris put the Pinoy kanto boys here to shame. They look like little angels in comparison.

2. The aroma of the place-- oh my Lord! I finally understood where the smell comes from. Apart from the fact that they do not change clothes nor shower for at least 4 days, they also use some horrific type of perfume that seems to be half-part sweat and half-part vinegar. Eeew.

3. Oh, and let's not forget the fact that we almost died in an almost-stampede at our hugely-attended event. I swear, ang squatter, kahit bihisan mo at dalhin mo sa abroad, squatter pa rin! I am not normally a swearing type of person, but on this trip, I learned that injecting "punyeta" and "fucker" in every other sentence somehow gets my message across the mob better. Oh, and we should definitely add "life insurance" as part of our must-haves in our next trip.

4. Not only did I miss pork like hell, the food is crazy expensive and crazy bland! And there's nowhere else safe to eat but Dairy Queen.

Hay... Those were the main highlights. I think my memory is voluntarily purging the other gruesome details as I get acclimatized back to life in Manila. I just tried to make myself feel better by buying myself 2 pairs of shoes in Zara on our last day there. Might as well get something for all the trouble. :-p

Oh well... at the very least, at least I can say I've been to Qatar. Few people in my social circle can say the same :-p

Then again, few people in my world will get assigned to go to United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia before the mid-year ends. FUCK FUCK FUCK.

But hey, let's focus on the bright side. Every trip to the Middle East will make me appreciate home more. I'M F*CKING CRAZY IN LOVE WITH MANILA RIGHT NOW!

doha, here i come...

Tomorrow, I'm set to leave for Doha, Qatar, as part of our brand's world tour 2007- Middle East leg. Alas, as opposed to my splendid Hawaii trip last year, f*ck of all f*cks, this year's budget would only allow for an economy-class ticket for me.

Lest you think me a spoiled rich kid whining about riding with the masses, you must first understand that Arabian airlines' economy-seats look more like chairs off PhilTranCo buses than Singapore Airlines-esque plush lush cushioned seats. What stands between your cheek and your seatmate's cheek is probably about 1 to 1.5 inches. The back rests do not recline and there's very minimal legroom. Also, since this is what one terms as "an OFW flight" (Doha being a prime destination of Filipino workers), it's bound to be a noise-filled flight too. Add to that the fact that Arabs elicit an illogical fear in me, and the flight duration is 10.5 hours! Non-stop!

And the "aroma", I can just imagine...

LORD HELP ME, PLEASE!

On the upside, my darling beau is treating me to an early Valentine's date at Paseo Uno this evening. Sort of a send-off slash Valentine's treat slash consuelo de bobo for the dreadful trip up ahead. Love love love love him!

More updates when I get back. Pray that I'll survive!

my mom's voice

As much as I may hate it sometimes, my mother's is the voice is in my head. No one else in this whole world can bother me as much as her, I'm sorry to say. Though, admittedly, this fact also swings the other way (in that praises somehow ring nicer when they come from her), she can have this annoying choke-hold on me like no other being ever created. It's so frustrating sometimes, especially when she nags me and tries to make 'predictions' about me and my life.

I know she's just looking out for me, and she just wants the best for me. But sometimes, I just wish she'd stop the doomsday monologue and just be supportive. I just wish she'd stop picking on what he doesn't have and focus on the fact that he makes me so happy and that he's the one person who can make me feel like I'm the center of the universe. That's just not something you throw away.

Her little nuggets of irritation (she fancies her method to be 'tough love' when really, it's just 'tough'-- tough to the ears) just keep going on and on about how terrible it would be if I didn't get the life she got from my dad or will get from a "much more deserving" man. Aarrrgh, Lord knows no one can push my buttons better than my mother. She knows just where to hit. How can she not-- I think she programmed me herself!

Inspite of all this, though, I just can't muster enough courage to tell her off. To tell her that, no matter how scary those "hardships" she describes I'll have to suffer through may be, nothing scares me more than not having him in my life.

There, I've said it. Though not to the one person who needs to hear it most. She'll think me foolish for saying that-- naive, really-- but it's the truth. Losing him scares me shitless. And that fear is the only thing now drowning out my mother's voice. I never thought I'd see the day where something will have as much endurance.

foot caught in the door

Hahaha, saw this online just now and found it so cute. It's a rubber stiletto shoe meant to be used as a door stopper. What a cute gift! And it's only $10!

paycheck bummer

One of the few perks of working where I work is the number of months you're paid. Now, there's no guarantee of that anymore. What a bummer.

But then again, this is where the famous line of Attorney Chan comes in. When you join a company with the primary reason of you liking the job and not because they happened to be the highest bidder for your services, then the increase or decrease of the number of months you're paid doesn't hurt your motivations as much. It's like the cherry on top of your cake was taken away. As long as you really like the cake in the first place and even though you will still miss the cherry, it's not the end of the world.

So there. It's not the end of my world, granted. Because I really like this job. But I am sooooooo gonna miss that f*cking cherry.

cheesy entry about my folks...

Had a long family meeting last night, where we discussed a broad range of topics-- from why my brother shouldn't quit his job and handle the family business, to what my youngest brother should do after graduation, to what I'm doing now and what I wanna be doing in a few years time. Throughout the discussion, whose mood went from serious to light to funny then back to serious, I caught a glimpse of the inner motivations of parents and was awestruck by a huge "consumer insight" about my folks.

Truly, parents only want the best for this children, and "best" here often means getting opportunities they themselves didn't get when they were younger... And, more importantly, turning out even better, even bigger (not literally, I hope, esp in the case of my brother Kendrick, haha!) than them.

They don't want their children to exactly follow in their footsteps, but instead leverage on what they've started and be an even bigger success, to be an even happier, even more fulfilled persons. It's all about bridging the potential with the actual-- armed with the opportunities and the facilities that they've made available to us, they want to ensure we fill out our absolute potential and be the best version of ourselves we can be.

I just think it was so endearing, and as I mentioned in an earlier entry, I'm grateful to see that my parents have taken a shift in their treatment of us kids-- from mere children who know nothing of the world to young adults who are capable to making decisions but prefer to make them in conjunction with (or under consultation with) our parents. I think last night, they were even more grateful to see the premium we place on what they think or recommend. They've seen more than one example of their friends' children totally bypassing mom and dad and going ahead and making life-altering decisions without their knowledge nor consent. I think, above all, they were happy that we were good kids. No matter how else we turn out (professionally, socially, intellectually, etc), being good kids is definitely a good start.

OK. Enough tooting the Co horn. Just want to say that-- I love my folks and I love my family! :)

birthday bash ala kaye

So Kaye had her little birthday bash yesterday (and delayed celebration na rin of her and Rap's engagement), where we all stuffed ourselves silly (especially with the dessert spread) at Circles. Needless to say, the food was glorious. I had loads of the one item I eat most at buffets (barring the dessert stuff)-- salmon sashimi! And the dessert was heavenly, I can't stress that enough. Thanks, Kaye! :)

After the 3-hour dinner (see, nasulit talaga!), we headed over to M Cafe, for a supposedly 1-round of drinks... which eventually turned into a 5-rounder between Dennis and Ian, and a two-rounder between Rap and Martin. Thanks to the open bar, courtesy of Hennessy.

Let me just say how cute it was to see my beau and Ian talk about political story after political story, sharing their own experiences, talking about "raids at ___clubs"- nonstop while smoking their 895-peso Dunhill cigars. Hahahaha! 'Twas such a riot-- watching them smoke with one hand and carry the cognac on the other. They looked so ancient :p

But in fairness, they both looked the part of a successful lawyer and a successful banker.

The above is truly remarkable, because my beau isn't the type to warm up to people after the 2nd or 3rd meeting. It usually takes longer, and usually requires that the other party stay consistently interested in whatever he has to share. Well, except for me (malamang he had to be the one interested first, kundi walang mangyayari samin! Hahaha!), this is how most of his friendships and relationships have come to form. So, kudos to Ian! :)

and Happy Birthday to Kaye! Wishing you nothing but everything happy and everything good as you embark on a spanking-new part of your life with Rap :)

questions questions....

Need to de-stress. Lifted this off Julette's blog---

FIRSTS

1st time you tried smoking:
college. right outside mia's house. gopal was the B.I.

1st alcoholic drink you had:
beer

1st time you entered a bar:
i think 4th year high school

1st award you received:
best in conduct in grade 1 (hahahaha!)

1st hero:
Ken (as in Barbie and Ken)

1st time you were sent to the principal:
high school

1st college entrance exam you took:
U.P. Diliman

1st teacher in college:
Father Soria

1st job:
Banker

1st goal you achieved:
Being independent (living abroad)

1st crush:
Brad Pitt

1st person na binigyan mo ng flowers?
I think my lola

1st date:
in Pizza Hut somewhere near my school :)

1st friend:
Lianne Siy

1st kiss:
@ 16, hehehe.

1st movie you watched with a friend:
.....err... Apparently, it wasn't that memorable a movie

1st fight with a friend:
Eileen Lim. Forgot about what :P

1st gift you received from a friend:
stuffed toy

1st gift you gave to a friend:
stuffed toy (guess it was the thing back then huh)

1st record you bought:
lea salonga! hahahaha!

1st song you sang infront of many
a Chinese song about a cat and a mouse, back when I was young and impressionable... a.k.a. uto-uto. hahaha!

1st musical instrument you learned to
piano

1st concert you watched:
don't remember

1st celebrity you saw in person
don't remember

1st TV show you really liked:
i think it was batibot! :P

1st book you bought:
nancy drew

1st sport you played:
taguan yata :P

1st sleepover:
high school

1st terrible fight:
my bro. over what, i don't remember

1st prank:
don't remember :P

1st inaanak:
N/A

1st time you spent the night alone
in Singapore when I studied there at age 10

1st bestfriend:
Lianne

1st wedding you attended:
don't remember

1st person who greeted you on your last birthday:
Dennis :)

1st friend in friendster:
I think Lianne :)

1st time you got lost:
don't remember

1st cellphone:
6100

1st cellphone ringtone:
just a beep.

1st collection:
stuffed toys

1st club you joined:
the student council

1st time you felt proud of yourself:
when I lived alone in singapore

1st time you saw a ghost:
N/A thank God!

1st rollercoaster ride:
Star City

1st school you attended:
Uno High School

1st friend you had when you entered college:
Gen Ongchi

1st ambition:
To be a cashier. Kaching-kaching!

SECOND BRAINLESS SURVEY

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what did you think?
A new pimple. Great.

2. How much cash do you have on you?
P2,000

3. What's a word that rhymes with "TEST"?
Chest

4. Favorite planet?
Ours

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone?
Someone from work.

6. What is your favorite ring on your phone?
The Nokia tune, hehehe.

7. What shirt are you wearing?
A Forever21 top I got for $15

8. Do you "label" yourself?
No

9. Name the brand of shoes you're currently wearing now?
Tiangge flats.

10. Bright or Dark Room?
Bright

11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?
Julette was bored :P

12. What were you doing at midnight last night?
Talking to Dennis.

13. What did your last text message you received on your cell say?
"I love you!" yiheeeee...

14. Where is your nearest 7-11?
Outside my village

15. What's a saying(s) that you say a lot?
Lately, for some reason, it's "O.A.!"

16. Who told you they loved you last?
Dennis

17. Last furry thing you touched?
N/A

18. How many days of school did you miss this week?
N/A

19. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed?
Too many

20. Favorite age you have been so far?
My age now

21. Your worst enemy?
No one :)

22. What is your current desktop picture:
None

23. What was the last thing you said to someone?
"I love you too" yiheeeee.....

24. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly, which would you choose?
Show me the money, baby!!!

25. Do you like someone?
I love someone :P

26. The last song you listened to?
Anong meron ang taong happy.... nyarks!

27. Carmen Electra or Pam Anderson?
Carmen Electra, hello!!

foolish thoughts

I think my obsession with JL's telenovelas are coming back to bite me in the ass. I know this blog entry will probably make me sound like the biggest closet jologs that ever lived (closet pa rin nga ba?!) but I don't care. I just found tonight's episode of MSKM so fit for my current situation. I think sacrifice is overrated yet underrated at the same time. Overrated because sometimes you just have to be practical and know what your limits are, and accept that there are just some things you cannot do and there are just some fairy tales that do not end happily.... yet it's also underrated because there are times you just have to forego what's superficial to be able to have and keep what really matters. See, all these foolish ideas being fed to my brain by that darn soap I just can't help but follow every night.

.....

Damn... The above is probably the most loser-ish paragraph I've ever written in my life.

Anyhoot..... you know what the say, when the going gets the tough, the tough goes shopping. However, since I just got my credit card statement the other day and am still feeling the remnants of swipe trauma, all I can do for now is window shop. Ain't these nice?

In other news, my friend Giselle and I are currently exploring starting up a travel agency business. She's willing to resign to manage it fulltime while I'm willing to cut back on some free time (whatever little I have) to do the sales and marketing work. We're still in the know-more-about-it phase, but I think it's looking quite good. At least we have the location down pat. We have an accountant and a lawyer (guess who?!) on board. We just need to sort out more details. Hopefully, this is the ticket to... something. Something substantial. Something solid. Something to hold on to. Lord, please!

.....

So many random, foolish ideas flooding my brain tonight. Might be a better idea to just go to sleep now.

positivity

Really, I'm trying my best to stay positive and still believe that things will take a turn for the better.

Really, that's the only way to deal with this entire thing. As hard-up as things may be, the truth is I love him too much to consider any other option. So what else is there to think about?!

...

So now, I'm just going to keep looking at the bright side until it blinds me.

i can feel a funk looming near...

Here I go again. Just a few days ago, I made the resolve to be more appreciative of what he can give and less frustrated at what he cannot. I made the promise to myself to focus more on the good parts of this relationship rather than mull over the less fortunate sides of his circumstances. I vowed to always remind myself that, despite everything, what I have is a good good good thing.

But what can I do, tao lang... Recent developments cannot help but call back that damn sense of disillusion I felt in the latter part of last year.. that nagging worry about how things will pan out for us in the future. I'm starting to again feel despair and intense sadness wash over me, as I think about what's been deprived of him and how utterly unfair it all seems to be.

I also cannot be so hypocritical as to allege that no part of this is selfish in nature, because, really, if you drill down to the heart of it, all these doom-saying voices in my head stem from my fear about our future... about my future with him... About THE dream becoming more and more challenging to attain. About the possibility flipping ominously onto the realm of impossibility... a.k.a. the ugly place where all dreams go to die...

The picture in my head may very well just remain that-- a picture. Nothing more. Reality may just be that cold splash of water telling me to wake up and live a life so different from what I had hoped for.

Nothing has ever sounded more depressing.

I can sooooo feel a funk looming near. Here I go again.

finally!!

Finally, her dream came true! K is engaged :)

it's that time of our lives...

So many people are getting engaged! Latest in the roster are my cousin Ann and my dear dear friend Kaye. Still can't believe Kaye is engaged (si Ann I can believe, she is, after all, 30 years old already and has been with Kenny for 11 years now) Grabe... it is indeed that time of our lives...

In other news, my other friend with a name starting with K had not-so-good-yet-not-so-bad news. The long and short of it is that he will propose this weekend. Finally. I just really really wish it finally happens for her and that all this heartache will have a happy ending after all. Hay. Spent two hours this afternoon with her, dissecting everything that happened, replaying it all in our heads and figuring out how she ended up here. To me, relationships are not easy, but they're not supposed to be this hard either. And hers is so gaddamn hard. I can't believe how much work it's taking, and I can't believe that it's her who's doing all the work... carrying all that burden, all that thinking and analyzing, all that wishing and waiting.

And for him to even have the gall to say she's speeding things up?! Hello, if after 7 years it's still too fast, ewan ko na!! My gahd! He's pushing 40!

I sure hope when my time comes, it won't be as complicated as this. Tsk tsk...

So many weddings, woohoo! I love weddings! I have three to attend this year.. so far.. Hehe.. Time to plan what to wear :)

welcome, 2007!

Preamble:

One of the benefits of having a blog is, much like a diary, you get to flip through the past year (or past months) and get a glimpse of the person you used to be, the circumstances that surrounded you then, and the thoughts & feelings you had for the most important and the most mundane aspects of life. I am thankful to have this online journal because it helps me look back at 2006 and see just how good life and God have been to me.

Some highlights:

1. On Work: Finally got a good foothold on my new job, got settled on the new environment, the new culture and the new job scope. Enjoyed my newly increased salary and got pleasantly surprised by my boss when she promoted me upon regularization. Sarap ma-promote! :P Went to a couple of trips abroad courtesy of Smart, too, and I loved loved loved it! Oh, and towards the end of the year, my good friend Guia joined me at Smart.. quite literally, as she really joined me in my cubicle. Hehehe. It's all good though. In a place like Smart, you need as many friends as you can have around you. :)

2. On Family Life: Super thankful that everyone in my family was healthy this year, especially my lola. Though she sometimes has bad bouts of high blood pressure and of recurring palpitations, 2006 was a pretty healthy year for us. I must also say that this year saw my parents change their treatment of us from mere kiddos who know nothing about the world to young adults who may not know everything but can be useful in their own ways. I know it's been a big jump, especially for my dad, to shift perspectives on our contribution in this household, and I'm immensely grateful. Our voices are still not equal theirs in this house, but I'm cool with that. That's how it's supposed to be anyway. :P

3. On Love: Still madly and crazily in love with my darling beau, who continues to make me laugh and make me feel like the most special person on earth. He continues to love me with love so powerful it makes me feel like I can do anything and be anything. He continues to believe in me with a faith so strong that I prefer seeing myself through his eyes. He continues to really be my partner in facing and conquering life, and I'm so thankful to have him next to me as 2006 ends and the new year opens. Great love, great life :)

4. On Friends: Gonna bring all my key friendships with me into 2007, no falloffs :) I love love love FILC, and I love love love my Citi-gals. Even if Baby Bay had to move back to Sing, the wonders of technology keep us connected and updated. It's like she never left :) I love love love digdipper and my Uno barkada. As for my best friend, a big tragedy has befallen her brother this year. Thankfully, despite the odds, he continues to persevere in the tough road to recovery. I continue to pray for her and her bro everyday, and try to keep as much touch as possible, especially when she finds herself in moments of weakness or in puddles of self-pity. I love you, Li, keep faith!

5. On Money: Well, same as last year, I still spent more than I should have :P Hehe.. I doubt I have the willpower to change that sometime soon, but I'm still glad because 2006 saw me start to diversify in my choice of savings instruments. Mustered up enough courage to play with the stock market and started to read up more about other financial tools. One thing I really appreciated about my first job in Citibank is that it oriented me about financial jargon, helped me shrug off any last traces of fear regarding banking products and instruments, and enabled me to at least try them out. Hopefully, 2007 will find me at a better place financially. Please. Especially after my first taste of Christmas bonus at Smart (oh, it really makes me love my job tenfold, hundredfold, thousandfold). My financial goal for '07 is better financial management. That means less clothes and shoes and bags.

Conclusion:

Really, 2006 has been a pretty good year, full of blessings and full of love. So I won't bother God na by asking for more. If 2007 turns out as good as 2006, I'll be very happy already. Thank you again, dear Lord, for 2006.

*Oh, guess what, on another note, finally got that Family Computer console and spent the entire afternoon playing Ice Climber, Bomber Man, Adventure Island and Balloon Fight. XBOX 360 definitely cannot hold a candle to this classic invention. I love it!

sad news to open the new year

Still can't believe it. A friend of mine lost his mom and two younger brothers when their house burned down last night. He was in Boracay at the time and his dad was at their store in Alabang when it happened. The fire reportedly started when their Christmas tree caught fire. His mom and two brothers were trapped in the second floor.

What tragic news indeed, especially at this time of the year. My deepest condolences to you and your dad, Hans :(

a little holiday glitch

Of course, my perfect holiday just had to have a little icky blemish on its pretty little face. Was forced to come in to the office on the 27th and 29th (yes, today) to implement a rate reduction that the Senate/Malacanang just felt like imposing on the telcos right smack in the middle of the holiday break, and to make sure our ad comes out nicely and correctly in time for the 1st. I hate it when these things come up, and the call of duty is just way too strong for you to ignore. The responsible side of me (or was it just the OC side of me?) just couldn't bear to give instructions and directions from the comfort of my home. Also, due to the Taiwan earthquake, the internet service at home was down, so I couldn't really work from home either. Hassle, man, hassle!

I'll end this day with a pampering massage, using the GC I won in the Christmas party. Was planning to get it this morning, followed by a pedicure and manicure at Nail Spa. But work just had to railroad my beautiful plans. Oh well. I'll settle for the massage nalang. At least it's something :P After that, maybe my beau can get off work early and we can have a nice dinner date to cap off this day.

Happy New Year, everybody!

beautiful christmas 2006

Had a rockin' rockin' Christmas!

Besides the fact that I ate and drank way too much (hehehe), I loved loved loved this Christmas holiday. All my gifts rocked, especially the best one of them all-- My darling beau gave me this beautiful pair of hoop earrings--



I love it, I love it, I love it! :)

I loved that Dennis got to spend part of it with me and my family. I loved the grand reunion we had with my dad's side of the family-- the games, the food, the "raffle", the dance, everything! My darling beau was the star of charades, it was so cute! Hahaha! Oh, and he managed to out-win everybody in the mahjong game. My Uncle Robert lost P600! Hahahaha!

We must have taken thousands of pics that day. I love it, I love it, I love it!

Merry Christmas, all! :)

tada... bonus!

One thing all Smart employees look forward to is the annual company Christmas party. No matter what the theme may be, what group presentation your team has to come up with, what caterer they got, etc etc, only one thing really matters-- the bonus. It's an unspoken yet very-much-felt fact that people attend the party only to hear how many months of additional pay they'll get to spend on their families this Christmas.

So, the mighty boss, fondly referred to by his initials MVP, went onstage tonight and announced that this year, they're keeping the employees' total takehome pay to 21 months. Yahoo!!! It's my first full-year of service with Smart, and that means I finally finally get to experience how it feels to have your bank account go ka-ching-ching on Christmas day :-)

I love SMART! :-)

weekend recap

This weekend was special because I didn't really do anything special. Haha, that may sound strange, but let me explain.

This weekend was all about me and Dennis, just hanging out together, just having fun, just "being." Friday night was spent at a good ol' Chinese restaurant where we stuffed ourselves silly with noodles, dimsum and more dimsum! I've been craving noodles all week, and it felt so good to finally get my wish!

We spent Saturday morning lounging around and having a lazy breakfast at home, then we headed off to the mall where we did some Christmas shopping (or just shopping, period). After walking around so much, we finally decided to eat at another good ol' Chinese place where we again had (guess what) hot, comforting bowls of noodles, a platter of dimsum and my favorite raddish cakes. Chinese food, back-to-back, now that's what I call fine dining! :P

After going to the temple on Sunday morning with my family, Dennis went with me to get my nails done (what did I tell you, nothing spectacular or news-worthy about this weekend, really...) He also graciously drove me to Karl Edwards, where I got some last-minute trinkets for people at the office, and then we headed back to my house for a gift-wrapping session. There's something strangely therapeutic about wrapping gifts. Something about transforming a plain, white box into a beautifully-shelled and beribboned package feels calming and... well, fulfilling. Knotting that final bow or sticking that final giftag just feels like a solid accomplishment. I love it!

We then had dinner here at the house, where we had... tadaaa... more Chinese food. Hahahaha! This weekend reminded me again of how much I loooove my beau, how well we mesh together and just how incredibly incredibly incredibly lucky I am to have him in my life.

Really, nothing earth-shattering happened to me this weekend. The crazily intoxicating gift came last year pa when attorney introduced himself into my life. Hopefully, he'll stick around forever and ever.

:)

god bless budget airlines

Thanks to Jetstar for offering round-trip tickets to Singapore for only 7k pesos! Managed to book peak-season flights (Holy Week dates!!!) dirt-cheap, and since we'll be staying over at Baby Bay's pad, we'll also save on hotel accommodations! More money for shopping, food and going-out!! YEBAH!

Singapore, here we come! (next year, that is.. :-)

buddha bowl

Isn't this cool, a ceramic bowl with the little nook which lets you rest the entire bowl on the palm of your hand... Ideal for lounging on the couch or for walking around aimlessly while eating. No more spillage! This would be perfect for my dad, who always manages to somehow tip over bowls while eating or let food drip onto his shirt.

sunshine, rain, or clouds?

Recently discovered a good source of weather forecasts-- www.wunderground.com
They're more precise than PAG-ASA, and nothing beats their 5-day forecasts when planning an out-of-town trip. Try it! :-)

I wish....

Being so far away from you doesn't mean you're away from my thoughts or my prayers. Please always know that I think of you and your family all the time, and always keep you guys in my prayers. I pray for things to take a huge turn for the better, for the pressure to let up on you just a little bit, for the every-day side of things to become easier for you... I pray every day that life becomes just a little bit lighter, just a little bit easier to live. Nothing pains me more than to know you're suffering, millions of miles away from me, and not being able to stand next to you to help you through.

On the other hand, I am also very thankful that you have such a great great great guy beside you, holding your hand, keeping you strong, and holding you up whenever you're too drained, physically or emotionally, to carry on. I derive a lot of comfort from knowing God doesn't let you live through these tough times all alone, that he granted you a support system, a pillar of strength on which you can rely in times of weakness.

This would be your first Christmas with this situation. I know this would be the first of many tough holidays, the first of many challenging occasions to come. I know this is the first holiday to be marked with such difficulty, such pain, such burden... And I cannot even begin to tell you how bad it makes me feel not to be by your side.

I just wish I can be there, I wish we can talk more often, I wish things were different, I wish it never happened... I wish a lot of things. I wish I were a better friend, a friend who's more there than I can ever be right now, given the constraints... I wish my prayers had some sort of express-lane in the land of prayers, so they can granted right away and you would be freed from all this. By being my dearest friend, you carry a part of my heart with you wherever you go... so your pain will always be my pain too.. somehow.

I wish I could take it all away. I wish I could make everything bad just go away... just go away forever...

I wish, I wish, I wish.

I wish.

it's a miracle!

I have finished a good load of my Christmas shopping! I have presents na for my family (save for my parents who are always a challenge to buy for), my boyfriend, my friends and my teammates! The only people left to buy for are, apart from my parents, my officemates and Dennis' family (which means his parents and his brother-- thank God for small families!). Once that is done, I'm done! I'm free! Free to spend the remaining shopping days scouring for deals for my most favorite gift-recipient--- Moi!

Hahahaha! Thanks to Dennis for being in China this weekend and giving me the free time to complete my Christmas list. :p

Such a relief! :)

shmarty!

I've never encountered anything more intellectually, emotionally and socially challenging than my current job. I feel if I survive all this, I can do anything! You don't just grow day on day here eh... You mature tenfold by the hour and you age (not physically, I hope) way beyond your years. Para kang rubber band kung i-stretch at para kang sponge kung ma-overwhelm ng stuff to absorb.

Hay buhay...

a really good weekend and a real downer of a monday

Saturday--
Went to UA&P in the morning to give a short talk in their recruitment event. I'm always glad to do those things, even if sometimes they require me to wake up at an ungodly hour on Saturdays. Not only do I enjoy giving these talks, I also feel like I'm giving back to the school in my own little way.

Anyway, Dennis picked me up afterwards and we headed to Guia's house to look at jewelry. Hay, there's this one pair that was super duper pretty. I was tempted like you wouldn't believe to buy them, but my mom disagreed with the price. Oh well. Don't fret, there will always be a next time.

Went on to watch 007, which I thought was a cool and a really good depiction of how Bond, James Bond started out in his career as a secret agent. I thought it explained clearly why he turned out the way he did in the succeeding installments. After the movie, we walked around Podium for a bit, then headed to Cookbook Kitchen for dinner. Can I just say again just how much I looooove that place? It's so cozy, so romantic, and the food is heavenly. The price is so right too. For dinner for two complete with a dessert course, we only spent P600.

Dennis then dropped me off at Mia's party at Beers Paradise, where the beer is plenty and plenty expensive. (hahaha!) As usual, Martin and Rap chugged the stuff down like it was water. Too bad Dennis wasn't there; he would've loved the place. He later on picked me up so I can follow to Derrick's firm's first-anniv party.

Sunday--
Considering the late-night on Saturday, Sunday had me up bright and early to get a headstart on my Christmas shopping. It was quite successful, in that I got presents na for my brothers and for Dennis. But it was also quite a failure, in that I ended up spending a lot of money on myself too, by buying more clothes and a really pretty pair of shoes from Nine West. Hay.

Then we spent Sunday night watching Friends with Money (the Jennifer Aniston movie made shortly after her breakup with the Pitt) here at home, before the rerun of the Pacquiao fight started. My family made such an event out of it (none of us caught the live telecast during the day), it was so cute. Good thing it finished quickly though, I rarely have patience for these long dragged-out sporting matches. Hehehe.

Monday--
Woke up with a slight fever and a really bad headache, which led me to confine myself to bed and skip work. Though I admit it's quite nice to escape the ol' ball and chain called Smart for a day, I hate being sick. I hate feeling sluggish from all the extra hours napping and I especially hate the funny feeling you carry in your gut after ingesting antibiotic after antibiotic. Eeew.

On the flip side, the Glamour magazine and the DVD of The Producers from Dennis kept me entertained. I looooved the movie/musical! I could totally see it staged live in my mind, and I especially looooooove the end-sequence. Hehehe. I would love to see it on Broadway sometime in my life :-) A total killer of a performance. Everyone should get a chance to see it :-)

OK, time to watch old Friends reruns now... and trying not to go back to sleep again, lest I stay up awake all night tonight.

her letter from mommy J

Someone I love wrote this to another person I Iove. I just think it's so apt for her situation, and knowing that these words were said with as much love and as much hope there can ever be, I'd like to post this for everyone to read ----

There has to come a point when you drop all the big words and the big concepts and strip down to the bare, naked truth. It's always nice to keep your head high up in the clouds, but make sure both your feet stay firmly on the ground and you don't forget the realities of life you cannot help but face. Nobody benefits from being in denial and filling your head with nice-to-hear-but-don't-mean-anything-til-you-back-'em-up stuff like "it's gonna work out somehow" or "just believe and have faith in (insert person or dream here)." If life worked that way, nobody would need to work for a living, nobody would have to starve, beg or cry, and most certainly, the word failure will not be in the dictionary. If life worked that way, hearts will never break and dreams will always come true and people will never let you down. Sure, it's good to shoot for the ideal and you should in fact keep hoping for the best of the best to happen, but honey, they call it "ideal" for a reason. Life's not like that. People change, time passes and sometimes, most painfully, we discover that words are just words. Things seldom turn out the way we thought they would, and sometimes, the best-laid plans are the worst-laid plans. Rarely does the picture in your head become the life that you live.

Consider this the little knock on the side of your head from a mom who's been there, lived that. Love you, girl!

waaaaaaah!

This entire office can surely use a healthy dose of maturity. Shake off the ego, learn to think and work as a team, look at the bigger picture and transcend one's personal agenda in favor of the greater good.

Just grow up, guys.

Please.

Everyone will be happier. Promise.

weekend!

Had a fun fun weekend!

Saturday --
Got a treat at The Spa for an aromatherapy message. Divine! Granted, the place was a little small (went to The Spa in GB1) and there were only about 10-12 rooms in total. But the massage was great and the service was excellent. Kulang nalang buhatin ka nila to the room. Hahaha! :) After the massage, Dennis and I watched School for Scoundrels, which is your typical loser-gets-a-grip-and-goes-for-the-girl type of movie. Funny flick, especially with Ben Stiller's cameo role. After the movie, we hiked off to Metrowalk for dinner & drinks with Anna and Ian, Kaye and Rap. Twas fun, though the place had to close early and Kaye had one of her infamous tummy troubles.

Sunday --
After going to the temple, Dennis and I hung out at his house while we waited for his cousin Ven to text us when they're ready to go. Ven and her hubby are visiting from Taiwan and we were gonna take them out in the afternoon before the family dinner at night. Twas so traffic, that we ended up in Gateway around 4pm na. We ate a bit (Ven is 5-months preggy and is constantly hungry) and shopped around a bit too. Ven is so daldal, she's so cute. She had, like, a million questions for me, and was delighted to discover I could speak conversational Mandarin. Her hubby, who couldn't speak a word of English, showered me with compliments, like how I was very pretty, very classy and I was the epitome of the type of girl Taiwanese moms were hunting down for their sons to marry. And he even cautioned Dennis, in all seriousness, that if he doesn't hold on to me, take care of me and marry me, thousands (OA noh, thousands!) will swoop down ready to take over his place. Hahaha! Dennis' face was priceless-- he looked so disbelieving that this guy whom he just met had all that to say to him. Kulang nalang ung thought bubble na:"What the?!" Haha!

The family dinner afterwards was fun too. Dennis' mom was on a roll, telling us stories of Dennis and his brother as little kids. Hahaha! And Ven kept injecting "So when are you getting married?" every 5 minutes or so that Dennis whispered to me, "Why is she so insistent on us getting married? It's freaky!" Hahaha!

In short, I had a blast of a weekend. Wish every weekend was like that. :-)

love @ first sight

Had my eye on you ever since I saw you launched in HK earlier this year. If I had the full-amount in cash, I'd buy you right now. But alas, for now, you're but a dream---

Presenting, the OMEGA Constellation My Choice Iris watch in two-toned white & yellow gold with diamonds and multi-colored precious stones. Beautiful---

i don't get you, girl...

My friend K (hmm.. seems like I have lots of friends with names beginning in K to write about, hehehe) told me yesterday that she and her long-time boyfriend have just paid the reservation fee on a condo unit in the Fort that's pre-selling now, for turn-over in 2009. I immediately asked a couple of questions, just to ensure she knows what's she's getting herself into). I asked, firstly, if plans for an engagement are underway.. Really underway-- in the truest meaning of the word. For her sake, I wanted her to have something concrete to hold on to. It doesn't have to be a rock. Just his word. And maybe some demonstrations to prove that he's serious.

I was disappointed. He hasn't given her any concrete assurances about marrying her. The ONLY thing he's said and has therefore committed to is the purchase of this condo unit. He hasn't even told his parents he's buying property with K, which K (rather fumbly, I thought) excused him for by saying they both (really, them both?) didn't want to upset his parents by telling them they don't plan on joining the family compound. I don't care if the freakin' parents get upset; I want him to tell them he intends to marry her. If he can't even utter the words, how in heaven's name will he be able to walk down the aisle?

She told me too that they'll be splitting the condo costs. He'll pay the first 6 amortizations, while she pays the second half. Admittedly, the payments will drain her funds and will even require her to downsize her life for a while, just to keep afloat. She has also enlisted her parents to lend her some money to pay for her share of the reservation fee. All that is okay with me, don't get me wrong. Nowadays, I know how expensive property is, and I know that it's only realistic for her to put in her share too. BUT ONLY if she's definitely, 100% sure that he will not leave her hanging 12 months from now. Darn it, she expects a proposal before 2006 ends and she's already anticipating her wedding next December (even to the extent of telling her boss she'll be on leave December of 2007). My worries even go beyond superstition at this rate. It's not about jinxing things anymore-- it's about jumping in blind faith, with no safety net.

Desperation is what I saw in her eyes and in every word she uttered in her attempt to convince me (or was it really me she was trying to convince?). I felt so bad for her, but hey, what else can I say? What else can I say that will not make this thing even more embarrassing for her, even more painful, even more scarring? She knows all the risks; she's not dumb.. She's just wishing against all odds, hoping against all hopes, that despite her greatest fears, he will pull through for her in the end. Maybe it's not the way I would've dealt with this had this be happening in my life and not hers. Maybe I'd choose to go a different route instead. Maybe I'd gamble my remaining reproductive months or years just to insure my heart and my sense of dignity. I may want to do it another way but hey, bottom line, this is her life and her choice on how to live it. Being her friend, I can hope for her best fortune and can only be there for her if her dreams don't come true.

I really really hope I'm wrong. They say a leopard cannot change its spots and that old habits die hard. Please let him be an exception to the rule.

customized M&Ms

Ain't these cute? Presenting.. customized M&Ms.

You can put anything you want in your own personal version of M&Ms chocolates-- you can put a logo or brand name if you want them as corporate giveaways or a message if you want to give them as a personal gift. You can also choose if you want certain colors only or if you want them all jumbled up in the bag.

Would have loved ordering a couple of bags of these to give as Christmas gifts this season... Too bad they don't ship to places outside of the US and Canada...

In front you have-->


Then flip to the back and you'll see-->

pig-out day

I love days like today where I can just lie in bed, nap for hours and hours on end, lazily read books and magazines, watch old Sex & the City and Friends re-runs, and pig out to my heart's content. It's been a while since I've done this, and I was definitely reminded of how good it feels to just do nothing.

True, I'm probably a few calories heavier now and there are probably a ton of zits waiting to pop out under my skin, from all the chips and cookies I consumed. I think a few brain cells have committed suicide for the lack of intellectual stimulation today, and I'm also feeling a bit sluggish and lethargic from all the napping. It's been truly a day full of everything-you-shouldn't-do-if-you-don't-want-to-grow-old-and-fat. But hey, I may not want to do this everyday of my life, but once in a while, it sure does rock. Who says a girl can't take a break? :-)

La Cocina

Still on a high from my fabulous birthday weekend---

I have just decided now: I'll set aside a portion of my yearend bonus to treat my beloved beau to a romantic dinner at La Cocina de Tita Moning. For a change, ako naman ang magtetreat sa kanya to a five-star, two-thumbs-up kind of place.

It's a super-fine-dining restaurant set in an ancestral home within the vicinity of Malacanang. It's supposedly frequented a lot by Pres. GMA... Not that I put premium on what she thinks, but hey, it's interesting to note.

More details here in case you want to know more: http://www.lacocinadetitamoning.com/

You will see if you look at the menu listings that the dishes there are ordered in sets or in full courses.. and they are not very shy to reflect the skyrocketing costs of each menu. Obviously, it's for a special occasion. ... Or for a special person, whichever the case may be.

Great, now I have a reason to save and not spend my money on the trinity of clothes/bags/shoes... (wink wink) Lord please give me the willpower to see this through.

:)

birthday weekend

Had the most perfect, perfect, perfect birthday!

The eve of the big day was spent with my darling FILC girls and their respective mates. Except for Anna, that is, because she suddenly got these strange red spots all over her body, which later on turned out to be measles (Get well soon, Anna! Let us know when we can visit!) The evening was full of good conversation and lots of laughs. It was so good to see the guys getting along very well. :)

The main day kicked off to a good start with a phone convo with my bestest friend. Despite the challenges facing her daily life, Li still took time to greet me and to spare a few minutes of precious free time to have a little birthday chat. I miss her no less after the talk and I know nothing beats physical togetherness, but still, it felt really good to hear her voice on my birthday..

Presents abound from all corners, of course-- But by far the best present of all came from Dennis, who gifted me with a beautiful exquisite Swarovski crystal necklace ---


Nothing has ever hung prettier on my neck :)

Wrapped up the evening with a quiet dinner for two and a kick-ass movie. (Watch The Prestige when you can. You won't be disappointed!).

Today, on the other hand, was spent at the temple and with my family. As usual, I'm as full as ever from the enormous dinner feast we had :)

Thank you so much for the gift, babe, I looooooove it! You're the best boyfriend ever!

hmmm.....

Today got me thinking again--

I know I have a future in the corporate world in the sense that I know I can survive (and most probably thrive) in it for most of my productive years. I know that I have enough skills to really last here and make my living out of making companies more profitable... I can probably stay here for a good 10 or 20 years and retire with a hefty pension.. There is stress, for sure, and pressure to make the numbers, but the risk is contained within the company. I will never have to worry about where the business is headed, where to get more investors, who among my children will succeed me, etc. I can enjoy all 15 of my vacation days, and I can live through my weekends in peace.

On the other hand, my brother broached the topic again today of setting up my own business.... It may not make the billions and billions of revenues that my present company makes but at least it's my own.. It's my own labor of love, and it will allow me to take more control of my time and my resources. True, it entails more risk and more worries and pressure, but at least, at the end of the day (or decade), I have a legacy to pass on.. If you gotta be stressed anyway, might as well be stressed over something that's yours, as opposed to getting worried over the revenues of a company who might redundate you once you become too expensive.

Ay ewan!

the stuff ain't old.. they're CLASSIC...

In spite of the holiday tomorrow, I didn't feel like going out tonight coz I'm still getting over the weekend. Feel like we filled it with too many things.. My body is still aching from all the walking and walking and... you get my drift... My beau feels the way too, so I think I have a valid point..

Anyway, spent a good portion of this evening looking through old stuff.. That is, apart from watching MSKM (Don't get what that means? Don't worry, it's a code only the super cool people alive understand).

By "old stuff", I don't mean ancient stuff hiding in my closet or stuffed under the bed. I mean "soft copy" stuff-- i.e. emails, files, documents in my aging, hanging-in-there-with-age laptop, written or created many many months or years ago... that I still find so meaningful to this day.

They're not meaningful as in tear-jerking stuff. They're meaningful in a that's-so-classic-of-me (or insert loved one/friend's name here). They're frozen in time, only relevant in that span of time it transpired, but still convey as much punch tonight as they did then. It's so cool to go back to old conversations, copies of old YM conference trails, files of old emails and notes that paint a perfectly faithful picture of instances in the past that are so much fun to wist over now. I love it!

Much like how tangible gifts or items can bring back such vivid memories of the past, so can their not-so-tangible, soft-copy versions. These are definitely stuff to cherish, for they are not "old" nor "worthless". They're classic.

Favorite line in a certain email shared with me by a friend -->
We all have unchangeable parts of our hearts that we will not betray and private commitments to a vision of life that we will not deny. So find a partner who will honor that and cherish the fact that you're the kind of person who knows who she is and refuses to live life any other way.

=)

I wonder how it feels...

to feel like the world is your oyster? To grow up never having a reason to think otherwise?

I was chatting with my friend K earlier this morning.. She talked about settling into her new life in Harvard Business School.. furnishing her brand-new apartment, organizing a block get-together for her new classmates, shopping for fall and winter clothes, preparing for her first Christmas in her new home, excitedly going on and on about her new classes, her casebooks, her new schoolmates... her new world... She even showed me some pictures online, but they were not necessary to help me get a picture of the spanking new, spanking cool life she's effortlessly stepped into.

Hay... My friend K... whose freedom and the resources I've always envied ever since we were little tots. The sheer lack of anything to tie her down, the lack of worries on how to afford it all, the lack of accountabilities for being the big financial overhead she's been to her parents all this time... it's such a precious privilege-- and a privilege she's had all her life. She embarks on various adventures and experiences with that characteristic carefree outlook of hers. She lives life to the hilt-- in fact, living it up has been the only way she's ever lived.

I'm sure anyone else would love to be like that. To always feel on top of the world and have all its possibilities at the tips of your fingers. To feel like anything is possible, that the entire world is up for your taking, that you can make dreams come true at will... That you can be anyone you want to be, when you want to be.

I envy her for the rich experiences she's had in her young 24 years of life. At this young age, she's already seen three-fourths of the world. I envy the opportunities she's been presented with by her parents, who demand nothing and give everything. Sometimes I fear she's grown up carrying a false impression of the world and of life, that she thinks everything is so easy to get and so easy to let go of, that everything and everyone will always be available to her 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That when a day comes that her parents can no longer be there for her, someone else will step up and fill their shoes. That she'll never be left wanting, or wishing, or needing. I hope that day never comes, but it sure is going to be a cold awakening. When you've been built up so high and you've been configured to expect the sky's the limit, the crash down is going to be a hard hard fall.

I love her with all my heart, and I truly truly hope this day never comes. Because always feeling like the world's your oyster has got to be the best feeling in the world. And all my friends deserve that. :)

Have a blast in HBS, K!

FILC + boys :)

Had a blast of a Saturday. After a full day implementing a TV launch and a full late-afternoon judging an IMC presentation, I wound down my tired brain with a good dinner and a few drinks with my FILC girls and our S.O.s (plus one British guy). This is the first time we set up plans that included the boys....

The funny thing with that evening, though, was that the four of us didn't really spend as much time catching up with each other and talking as we did checking out how the boys were doing and getting all giddy over the fact that they got along well. Hahaha! It was a riot! Hahaha!

But it was cute to realize how much it really mattered for us to see our boys getting along well and enjoying each other's company. For a first get-together of the 4 of them, it was a smashing success. Dennis doesn't usually warm up to people until, like, the 3rd or so meeting.. but that night, he was on a roll! I was so surprised to see him joking around and laughing with guys he met for the first time that night (well, except for Rap, who's like a regular gym buddy to him now, haha!) The boys totally didn't disappoint! How cool! :-)

lori + gladys = spending money

To maximize the remaining days of Loraine being my officemate, we played hooky this lunchtime and hiked off to Rockwell for a good 2.5 hours just walking around, eating and.. of course.. shopping.

That is, apart from the fact that I had bought a pair of sandals from her earlier that morning-->



Ikaw.. Nadali mo na naman ako-->



And so a number of bills vacated their short-lived spots in my wallet yet again... Hahaha! Oh well... My rationale is: I won't get to see Loraine everyday anymore pretty soon.. so might as well get a few souvenirs to remember the last days by...

YEAH RIGHT! What a load of B.S. Hahaha!

here we go again....

the jologs part of me only comes out when this happens...

JL has another soap out! YEAH!

After insisting to my boyfriend the other day that we MUST be at home by the time 9:30pm rolls in, because it's the premiere of Maging Sino Ka Man, I was soooo not disappointed. It may very well have no relation to the story, to the production, to the other actors.. but the very fact that my most favorite actor is there... that's enough for me. I was totally unfit for any kind of human interaction all throughout the show-- you could be talking to me, screaming into my eardrums... I wouldn't mind you. My eyes were transfixed onto the screen until the credits rolled.

Haha! This all sounds so pathetic!

But what can I say... I'm addicted. I love JL!

For all you closet jologs out there, you can check out Maging Sino Ka Man via---
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNILibA2o0w

citi gals!!

Met up with my Citi gals last night to say so long and farewell to our little Baby Bay. As usual, the night was full of laughs, of jokes, of stories and of little anecdotes about Citi and beyond. Though there was a tinge of sadness at the thought of one of us leaving, the night was still lots of fun. Nothing less usually happens when I'm with this round of friends. Especially now that Dang-dang has a little baby Anton! Welcome to the world! :)

Of course, now that she's no longer preggy, Dang sure made up for 9 months worth of alcohol abstinence that night. Hahahaha!

To Baby Bay: good luck, and may your best life await you as you return to Sing. Love you, girl!

I’m back!

Back from the sunny beachy paradise called Honolulu!

But before I get to that, can I just say that… there’s no better way to travel than via business class. Granted, it costs double a seat in coach, but heck, it’s worth every penny. Not only do you get express lane when checking in and when boarding, the food is great, the drinks unlimited, the movies all-you-can-watch, and the seats are as good as my lazy boy back home. No annoying crying babies here, mind you (my ultimate pet peeve when traveling), and you can practically dance and do cartwheels with all that legroom. (Sigh)… One of the best things about traveling for work is really the company policy that all international travel going for 5 hours or more automatically entitles you to a business class seat. After several work trips out of the country, I don’t know how I’ll ever go back to economy now. :-p

Anyway, so I landed in Honolulu, and discovered, to my pleasant surprise, that the secretary mistakenly booked my trip two days before the actual conference starts. That means I had two full days of total freedom in Honolulu-- free to do as I please, free to tour and to gallivant to my heart’s content. So off I went, of course, to do some shopping!! :-)

Though I didn’t have as much cash as I would’ve wanted, and though the sales were not as many as I expected, I still managed to make a decent haul. Thank God for Ala Moana Shopping Center and the outlet stores outside of town. Got a Dooney bag on 30% sale as well as a nice black beaded dress originally tagged $250 and marked down to $99. Managed to also get some pasalubong shopping done, too.

The beach was next. It’s true what they say that nothing can ever compare to the sands of Boracay. Even Hawaii’s famed beaches were no match. The only thing, I think, that they have going for them is the cleanliness. Cops are everywhere and ever-so-watchful to make sure you don’t litter. No cigarette butts here lying around in the sand, buddy, and no random candy bar wrapper washing up to you as you swim.

Met lots of Pinoys there too. Well, figures.. since about 35% of the total population there is Filipino. Met a lot of them who see Hawaii as their homeland now, and only look back at the Philippines on a once-upon-a-time basis.. That’s sad, I think.. To water down your own history and to relegate your mother country to an almost non-existent status..That’s just really sad.

I could understand though why they chose to stay and to become immigrants/citizens. Life is so much more peaceful, so much more organized, so much more.. maayos. The systems all work for you—the healthcare system, the banking/credit system, the government systems, etc. Your work always leads to the fulfillment of basic needs and to the enjoyment of life’s little pleasures. I met a restaurant hostess there who’s 2 years younger than me, who was earning $14 an hour and has already managed to buy her own car (paid completely already), can live on her own and can support herself fully. I also met another lady who, at 30, was able to fully pay for her own home and lot. That’s virtually impossible in Manila unless you come from a well-off family, or you got a big inheritance, or you work for the government (hehehe).. It’ll take you, what, 10 or 20 years to pay off a house and lot. It’s because we don’t have a robust banking and credit system here. Nor do we have a good social welfare system. In the US, you can get unemployment insurance which will pay you the monthly salary you enjoyed when employed, for a maximum period of 6 months upon losing your job. In Manila, if you lose your job or your source of livelihood, that’s it. You fend for yourself. The government isn’t going to be of help at all. Heck, our SSS system is about to go bankrupt.

So there… Add those insights to some rather-boring work stuff that thankfully finished much sooner than I hoped, some nights out on nice bars... A fruitful trip, wouldn’t you say? :-p

OK, back to reality, back to work. The good news is, seems like I may have a chance to go back to Hawaii early next year.

But before I get excited about that, I must first work with the situation at hand. Seems like a trip to the Middle East is in my immediate future. AFRAID!