September has me going on two definitely-going-to-push-through trips to HK and China, and one not-sure-yet-but-I-hope-it-does trip to Madrid. If all goes well, these three trips would happen one weekend after the other, with my 2nd to 4th weekends of September all booked up.
Also lined up for September is the despedida de soltera of K, my very good friend. It also marks the 2007 bar examinations, and I have two very close friends taking the bar this year. So, aside from the usual rounds done by D for his brods, I also want to drop by my friends' review rooms before the exams to wish them good luck.
September is also when I finalize my decision to take up further studies and hopefully make it to the upcoming exam schedule so I can start immediately this coming semester. I've come up with a pro and con list and it looks like the pros are winning... Hehehe...
An exciting September talaga!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
journalistic boo-boo
Heard about this incident earlier and decided to check it out. Well-known Journalist MF wrote in two publications about a trip she recently took to Greece, with pretty deliberate insults directed at OFWs. This obviously earned the ire of many Pinoy workers and gave birth to so many seething reactions from Pinoys the world over.
Read the original articles at:
http://selvo.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/people-asia-p30.jpg
http://selvo.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/people-asia-p31.jpg
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=goodLife2_april16_2007
As I read these three articles myself, I couldn't help but feel offended on behalf of OFWs. I myself have flown coach on Emirates and Qatar Airways on more than one occasion, and I do have to agree on the noise-level complaint of the writer. Pinoy workers do tend to be quite noisy and chatty. Though understandable because this tendency to be talkative may be their best outlet for the anxiety of going somewhere totally foreign, when you're tired and sleepy, this can be very very annoying. I'm also personally not a fan of very cramped places, but this holds true whether I share the space with a roomful of OFWs or a roomful of kings and queens. The discomfort mainly comes from the "sikip"-ness, not from the fact that the sharers of the space are Pinoy workers. And, since I've been in the same situation as her, I can safely say that a lot of her statements are truly OA, such as her insults re their smell. The problem with the articles she wrote is not that she's overly sensitive (to smell, etc), but that she's not sensitive at all.
Which leads me to her initial reaction to the negative responses that her articles elicited. Check it out at the last paragraph of this article-- http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=goodLife1_july30_2007
Really, nothing has ever sounded so dumb to me. Esp from someone from the supposed upper crusts of society. She's mistaking humor for cruelty and prejudice. Good thing she finally came to her senses and issued a proper apology to the public:
http://www.geocities.com/fernandez_malu/
I don't think she deserves the death threats, but I seriously don't feel sorry for her either. I mean, she is reaping what she sowed. In a country that's 99% poor, it's almost a crime to say the things she did. She sounded like a bigot, for which there is absolutely no excuse. And it's an even bigger crime against the Filipino people to thump one's nose at the very group of people who are holding up our economy. The Philippine economy is not propped up by the "have's" as she termed it, but by the very people whose smell seem to have offended her so much she had to put it on paper.
Oh, and I also blame the editors and publishers for even giving an avenue for these irresponsible words. They're just as guilty as MF for giving these hurtful things the light of day. Let this just be a lesson to everyone that just because someone's not at the same level as us financially doesn't mean they deserve any less respect. And just because you were given a pen to write with doesn't mean you can write whatever you want. Part and parcel of press freedom is press responsibility. What a sad day for Philippine journalism.
Read the original articles at:
http://selvo.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/people-asia-p30.jpg
http://selvo.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/people-asia-p31.jpg
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=goodLife2_april16_2007
As I read these three articles myself, I couldn't help but feel offended on behalf of OFWs. I myself have flown coach on Emirates and Qatar Airways on more than one occasion, and I do have to agree on the noise-level complaint of the writer. Pinoy workers do tend to be quite noisy and chatty. Though understandable because this tendency to be talkative may be their best outlet for the anxiety of going somewhere totally foreign, when you're tired and sleepy, this can be very very annoying. I'm also personally not a fan of very cramped places, but this holds true whether I share the space with a roomful of OFWs or a roomful of kings and queens. The discomfort mainly comes from the "sikip"-ness, not from the fact that the sharers of the space are Pinoy workers. And, since I've been in the same situation as her, I can safely say that a lot of her statements are truly OA, such as her insults re their smell. The problem with the articles she wrote is not that she's overly sensitive (to smell, etc), but that she's not sensitive at all.
Which leads me to her initial reaction to the negative responses that her articles elicited. Check it out at the last paragraph of this article-- http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=goodLife1_july30_2007
Really, nothing has ever sounded so dumb to me. Esp from someone from the supposed upper crusts of society. She's mistaking humor for cruelty and prejudice. Good thing she finally came to her senses and issued a proper apology to the public:
http://www.geocities.com/fernandez_malu/
I don't think she deserves the death threats, but I seriously don't feel sorry for her either. I mean, she is reaping what she sowed. In a country that's 99% poor, it's almost a crime to say the things she did. She sounded like a bigot, for which there is absolutely no excuse. And it's an even bigger crime against the Filipino people to thump one's nose at the very group of people who are holding up our economy. The Philippine economy is not propped up by the "have's" as she termed it, but by the very people whose smell seem to have offended her so much she had to put it on paper.
Oh, and I also blame the editors and publishers for even giving an avenue for these irresponsible words. They're just as guilty as MF for giving these hurtful things the light of day. Let this just be a lesson to everyone that just because someone's not at the same level as us financially doesn't mean they deserve any less respect. And just because you were given a pen to write with doesn't mean you can write whatever you want. Part and parcel of press freedom is press responsibility. What a sad day for Philippine journalism.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
THANK YOU!
I woke up this morning thinking about how blessed my life has been and how thankful I am to everyone who helped it become as full and as fulfilling as possible. So to you guys, God being #1 in this list, thank you thank you thank you! You cannot know just how grateful I am and how much this has all inspired me to do better and be better. :-) So, at the risk of sounding redundant.... Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Friday, August 03, 2007
longchamp les pliage
Have recently reignited my love for Longchamp Les Pliage bags. I love the fact that you can fold them up and stack them in your luggage, to accomodate those last-minute shopping sprees.. I love that it's the ideal travel bag because it can carry so much. And I especially love the fact that it's waterproof and can perfectly protect all possessions it contains vs. all kinds of rain. I love it, I love it, I love it!
I just found out that you can customize your Les Pliages too! You can choose the color combination and even get your name embroidered on it! I tried it out online ---
*Just because I'm on a shopping ban doesn't mean I can't window shop...even online! :-p
I just found out that you can customize your Les Pliages too! You can choose the color combination and even get your name embroidered on it! I tried it out online ---
*Just because I'm on a shopping ban doesn't mean I can't window shop...even online! :-p
Monday, July 30, 2007
creed love
My darling beau is sooooo cute!
Last Saturday, we were in Rustan's Makati and found ourselves in the middle of the perfume section. We did our usual duck-and-avoid stance to get away from the various perfume salespeople waving their spray bottles in our faces.
However, in the midst of our duck-and-avoid dance, we noticed a new area in the perfume section-- the House of Creed. One of Creed's salesmen was too quick for us and held out a sample for Dennis to sniff.
Now, my darling beau ain't the fancy type of guy who has to use a certain branded perfume or have certain branded clothing and shoes... He's the if-it-works-and-is-priced-reasonably-then-maybe-I'll-buy-it type of guy. Which is why I was surprised when he actually took the sample and paused. He handed it to me as if to tell me to smell it....
And hey hey hey, it smells quite good!
Milismie Imperial is what caught my darling beau's and my attention. It has that nice, fresh, clean scent with refreshing marine and musk notes. Presented in a special “Antique Gold” glass bottle and with the added plus that it's unisex, my darling beau was actually tempted!
The price was a LOT to ask though, even if it's parfum... So, my darling beau graciously put it back on the display and calmly told the salesman he'll think about it.
...still, it's a feat bigger than the average perfume salesman has ever achieved with my boyfriend! Mr Creed Salesman should be proud of himself. Hehehe :)
Last Saturday, we were in Rustan's Makati and found ourselves in the middle of the perfume section. We did our usual duck-and-avoid stance to get away from the various perfume salespeople waving their spray bottles in our faces.
However, in the midst of our duck-and-avoid dance, we noticed a new area in the perfume section-- the House of Creed. One of Creed's salesmen was too quick for us and held out a sample for Dennis to sniff.
Now, my darling beau ain't the fancy type of guy who has to use a certain branded perfume or have certain branded clothing and shoes... He's the if-it-works-and-is-priced-reasonably-then-maybe-I'll-buy-it type of guy. Which is why I was surprised when he actually took the sample and paused. He handed it to me as if to tell me to smell it....
And hey hey hey, it smells quite good!
Milismie Imperial is what caught my darling beau's and my attention. It has that nice, fresh, clean scent with refreshing marine and musk notes. Presented in a special “Antique Gold” glass bottle and with the added plus that it's unisex, my darling beau was actually tempted!
The price was a LOT to ask though, even if it's parfum... So, my darling beau graciously put it back on the display and calmly told the salesman he'll think about it.
...still, it's a feat bigger than the average perfume salesman has ever achieved with my boyfriend! Mr Creed Salesman should be proud of himself. Hehehe :)
Friday, July 27, 2007
shopping abstinence
Given my recent splurges, I've decided to take a shopping abstinence, a.k.a. a purchase ban.. on clothes, shoes, bags, accessories... anything fashion-related that I have NO need whatsoever for.
And this time, I'll stick to the real definition of "need." Not the self-justifying kind that wraps "want" under the guise of "need", especially when presented with a "good buy" (which for the time being is erased from my vocabulary)
Lord help me and give me strength!
:p
Wish me luck! Happy weekend!
And this time, I'll stick to the real definition of "need." Not the self-justifying kind that wraps "want" under the guise of "need", especially when presented with a "good buy" (which for the time being is erased from my vocabulary)
Lord help me and give me strength!
:p
Wish me luck! Happy weekend!
Monday, July 23, 2007
HP7!!!!!
Bought the final book of the Harry Potter series last Saturday and was so excited I had to sit down in the coffee shop inside Powerbooks Greenbelt so I can immediately start reading HP7. Good thing my darling beau was also a book lover and didn't mind grabbing a book from one of Powerbooks' shelves and sharing a mug of coffee with me as I devoured the first twelve chapters of HP7 in one sitting.
Finally, by the next evening, I've finished the last chapter and read the epilogue of this wildly anticipated book and.... WOW! I loved loved loved loved it! Don't want to ruin it for anyone else out there who's still reading the book, but all I can say is JK Rowling definitely did not disappoint. And all those malicious people out there that released those false "reviews" and "spoilers" can go stuff themselves. None of their predictions turned out to be true. So, fellow fans out there, don't worry, your reading pleasure as you go through HP7 is intact :-) Happy reading!
Finally, by the next evening, I've finished the last chapter and read the epilogue of this wildly anticipated book and.... WOW! I loved loved loved loved it! Don't want to ruin it for anyone else out there who's still reading the book, but all I can say is JK Rowling definitely did not disappoint. And all those malicious people out there that released those false "reviews" and "spoilers" can go stuff themselves. None of their predictions turned out to be true. So, fellow fans out there, don't worry, your reading pleasure as you go through HP7 is intact :-) Happy reading!
Friday, July 20, 2007
london, baby!
I loved London!
Ok, let's start from the awful beginning. When I arrived in Heathrow (all by myself, I may add), I was so tired that instead of figuring out the cheapest way to get to the hotel, I opted for a chauffeured service instead. Had I stopped and gave it a moment's thought, I would've figured out that the hotel is only a subway stop away. Anyway, the service driver is now 32 pounds richer because of me. What a rip-off. Shit.
Anyway, after that, I met up with my colleague Gayle and we spent the next two days feverishly working to make the show as successful as possible. Given there's only two of us when usually we'd have at least a 5-person team, we divided tasks between the two of us to be able to cover as much ground as possible. Still a little jetlagged, I navigated the streets of Hounslow all the way to Central London all by myself. At first, I got a little lost... Ok, a lot lost. I remember calling Dennis all upset, swearing off London and telling him about how exhausted and hopelessly lost I was. After he calmed me down, I decided to save time and just shamelessly ask bystanders for directions. At the end of the day, I accomplished all my tasks, with a little time to spare to explore a bit of central London. All thanks to the London Underground-- the highly efficient underground transport system without whom I wouldn't have survived and in whose debt I will forever remain.
The show then took up the next 2 days of our trip, with each day ending with the two of us shlumped on the bed, unable to move and hopelessly hungry and thirsty. Because a bottle of mineral water costs 2.50 pounds in London, we reluctantly shared 1 bottle over the two days. Result of which is two very thirsty and very cranky girls.
We then had two days (well, 1.5 technically since the second day is when we fly out) all to ourselves. We then decided to make those two days count like anything. So, we went all around town, went to all the sites. I loved loved loved loved Central London! The architectural sites are just too beautiful to take in all at once.
We went to all the must-sees and ate hearty Chinese meals at Chinatown (hehe, sorry, you can take the girl outta China but...) On our last night, we watched the musical Mamma Mia, with Epy Quizon and Dong our friendly Pinoy tour guide. Mamma Mia ROCKED! I loved it! Couldn't stop singing the songs with Gayle all the way back to our hotel..
The final day we were in London was spent feverishly going through all the shopping sites naman. As I said before, it was right timing that we were in London (or bad timing, depending on your perspective) because the whole of Central London was on sale! It's their annual July sale! We went to Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Piccadilly Circus. We also made some time to pass by Oxford Street, where I went to Selfridges and Topshop while Gayle went off to look for her dad's and brother's pasalubongs.
Loved London! Can't wait to go back :-)
... where I don't feel like going back to right now is WORK. THE OFFICE. Hay, how I wish I can just travel for a living :-p
This weekend has a lot of good things in store, though. ---
1. HP7 book is finally out tomorrow! Can't wait to crack it open and start reading.
2. Darling Beau and I are celebrating his birthday tomorrow night, since I was in London on his birthday.
3. My cousin and her hubby are visiting from Canada. Will get to spend some time with them before they leave for Japan.
That's it! Happy weekend, folks!
Ok, let's start from the awful beginning. When I arrived in Heathrow (all by myself, I may add), I was so tired that instead of figuring out the cheapest way to get to the hotel, I opted for a chauffeured service instead. Had I stopped and gave it a moment's thought, I would've figured out that the hotel is only a subway stop away. Anyway, the service driver is now 32 pounds richer because of me. What a rip-off. Shit.
Anyway, after that, I met up with my colleague Gayle and we spent the next two days feverishly working to make the show as successful as possible. Given there's only two of us when usually we'd have at least a 5-person team, we divided tasks between the two of us to be able to cover as much ground as possible. Still a little jetlagged, I navigated the streets of Hounslow all the way to Central London all by myself. At first, I got a little lost... Ok, a lot lost. I remember calling Dennis all upset, swearing off London and telling him about how exhausted and hopelessly lost I was. After he calmed me down, I decided to save time and just shamelessly ask bystanders for directions. At the end of the day, I accomplished all my tasks, with a little time to spare to explore a bit of central London. All thanks to the London Underground-- the highly efficient underground transport system without whom I wouldn't have survived and in whose debt I will forever remain.
The show then took up the next 2 days of our trip, with each day ending with the two of us shlumped on the bed, unable to move and hopelessly hungry and thirsty. Because a bottle of mineral water costs 2.50 pounds in London, we reluctantly shared 1 bottle over the two days. Result of which is two very thirsty and very cranky girls.
We then had two days (well, 1.5 technically since the second day is when we fly out) all to ourselves. We then decided to make those two days count like anything. So, we went all around town, went to all the sites. I loved loved loved loved Central London! The architectural sites are just too beautiful to take in all at once.
We went to all the must-sees and ate hearty Chinese meals at Chinatown (hehe, sorry, you can take the girl outta China but...) On our last night, we watched the musical Mamma Mia, with Epy Quizon and Dong our friendly Pinoy tour guide. Mamma Mia ROCKED! I loved it! Couldn't stop singing the songs with Gayle all the way back to our hotel..
The final day we were in London was spent feverishly going through all the shopping sites naman. As I said before, it was right timing that we were in London (or bad timing, depending on your perspective) because the whole of Central London was on sale! It's their annual July sale! We went to Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Piccadilly Circus. We also made some time to pass by Oxford Street, where I went to Selfridges and Topshop while Gayle went off to look for her dad's and brother's pasalubongs.
Loved London! Can't wait to go back :-)
... where I don't feel like going back to right now is WORK. THE OFFICE. Hay, how I wish I can just travel for a living :-p
This weekend has a lot of good things in store, though. ---
1. HP7 book is finally out tomorrow! Can't wait to crack it open and start reading.
2. Darling Beau and I are celebrating his birthday tomorrow night, since I was in London on his birthday.
3. My cousin and her hubby are visiting from Canada. Will get to spend some time with them before they leave for Japan.
That's it! Happy weekend, folks!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
going home!
I'm now back at the Emirates lounge in the Dubai airport, waiting for my flight to Manila to board. How was my trip, you ask? I don't want to get into the work part of it right now as I'm trying real hard to forget it (hehehehe), but the personal part of the trip was, contrary to my expectation, FABULOUS!!
I not only had enough time to see some of the best sites in London (i.e. Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, etc)., I also happened to be in London right when the entire place is having one big massive sale! London shopping, which is otherwise totally unattainable (with the astonishing P92 to 1 pound exchange rate we have), suddenly became affordable! I even found myself at Harrod's yesterday! Beautiful stroke of luck!
Riding the Underground all around town, taking the bus, taking in all the beautiful sites, going around and doing a bit of shopping = one hella fun London trip! Loved it! :-)
If only I won't have to go back to work right away....
Hehehe..
That's it for now! Let you know more when I get back!
I not only had enough time to see some of the best sites in London (i.e. Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, etc)., I also happened to be in London right when the entire place is having one big massive sale! London shopping, which is otherwise totally unattainable (with the astonishing P92 to 1 pound exchange rate we have), suddenly became affordable! I even found myself at Harrod's yesterday! Beautiful stroke of luck!
Riding the Underground all around town, taking the bus, taking in all the beautiful sites, going around and doing a bit of shopping = one hella fun London trip! Loved it! :-)
If only I won't have to go back to work right away....
Hehehe..
That's it for now! Let you know more when I get back!
Friday, July 13, 2007
en route to london
Here I am at the Emirates Business Class Lounge at the Dubai International Airport, enduring the 4 and a half hour wait for my connecting flight from DXB to Heathrow International. As is obvious, I'm in en route to London today, given the fact that my VISA was hastily approved and delivered yesterday morning. Sucks, really, as I was actually looking forward to NOT going. Didn't want to miss my darling beau's 28th birthday on Tuesday, and didn't want to endure two 20+ hour flights just to be in the UK for a grand total of 4.5 days. Arg. Adding to my misery is my cheap-ass 6131 phone breaking down on me a few hours before my scheduled departure last night. I dropped it in my haste to get to the bank before it closed, and since dropping and spilling its battery and guts out, my stupid phone refuses to turn back on. All the contacts that I need are in there! Arg again.
Oh well. Might as well try to hold my chin up and enjoy this trip as much as I can. What else can I do anyway? I'm already here...
Hay... Will blog again when I return next Thursday. See you guys!
Oh well. Might as well try to hold my chin up and enjoy this trip as much as I can. What else can I do anyway? I'm already here...
Hay... Will blog again when I return next Thursday. See you guys!
Saturday, July 07, 2007
UK
I should be excited to be sent to London for work, really. But the combination of PMS, the stress of having so much work to do, the pressure of proving myself to upper management, and the overall fatigue I still haven't gotten over since my last trip, just takes out the excitement about the entire thing.
Add the fact that I'll only be there for 4 nights, with 3 out of those four filled with back-to-back work, plus the fact that our per diems rarely cover the cost of 2 meals a day, I'm finding it quite hard to look forward to this UK trip. If only it was at least for a week, and I'm allowed to extend, and I have enough money to actually go around town (oh, and take out the high-alert status now of the entire country due to those terrorist attempts), I'd be more than raring to go board my Emirates flight on Thursday.
But at this point, the way I see it, this trip will do nothing more than add to my lack-of-sleep quotient + cause me jet-lag to death + bloat my monthly budget + let me come home to even more work waiting for me.
Sounds like tons of fun, eh????
Add the fact that I'll only be there for 4 nights, with 3 out of those four filled with back-to-back work, plus the fact that our per diems rarely cover the cost of 2 meals a day, I'm finding it quite hard to look forward to this UK trip. If only it was at least for a week, and I'm allowed to extend, and I have enough money to actually go around town (oh, and take out the high-alert status now of the entire country due to those terrorist attempts), I'd be more than raring to go board my Emirates flight on Thursday.
But at this point, the way I see it, this trip will do nothing more than add to my lack-of-sleep quotient + cause me jet-lag to death + bloat my monthly budget + let me come home to even more work waiting for me.
Sounds like tons of fun, eh????
Saturday, June 30, 2007
a spa treat and a celebration
My darling beau treated me to a spa day, after hearing my complaints day in and day out of sore calves and an aching back. One of the pitfalls of going on long vacations is that you usually abuse your body with the lack of sleep and lots of walking, and you end up with a really bruised, acutely aching body when you return.
So, anyway, given my rants about this, my darling beau decided to rescue me and take me to a luxurious pampering session at Suriya Spa. Aaaaaah.... Every stroke of the masseuse was heavenly! I loved loved loved loved it!
After spa-ing, the question then was... what now? Since I've sworn off shopping for the next few months and since we've already seen Transformers last night and a second viewing today was a little challenging to do given the hordes of people that reserved tickets online and were lined up at the theater, we decided to have a really long dinner instead, to celebrate my recent promotion. We headed off to Chef Laudico's at the Fort, where we ended up staying for about three hours.. relishing every bite and talking, laughing and enjoying each other's company all night long...
I loved Chef Laudico's! The adobo with foie gras and the prawns with the laing tempura were oh-so-tasty! Loved them soooo much! Dennis' eyes kept rolling upward with every bite of the foie gras, hee hee. The ubod spring roll with the vinegar sorbet was also very good-- totally worth the price! The ambience tonight was also perfect, because there were very few diners. The waiters were also at their most attentive and the place was so conducive to intimate talks and the occasional loud guffaws of laughter that usually accompany any conversation held by myself and my beau ;)
All in all, 'twas a simple day. Yet, in so many ways, 'twas also the most perfect of days. :)
So, anyway, given my rants about this, my darling beau decided to rescue me and take me to a luxurious pampering session at Suriya Spa. Aaaaaah.... Every stroke of the masseuse was heavenly! I loved loved loved loved it!
After spa-ing, the question then was... what now? Since I've sworn off shopping for the next few months and since we've already seen Transformers last night and a second viewing today was a little challenging to do given the hordes of people that reserved tickets online and were lined up at the theater, we decided to have a really long dinner instead, to celebrate my recent promotion. We headed off to Chef Laudico's at the Fort, where we ended up staying for about three hours.. relishing every bite and talking, laughing and enjoying each other's company all night long...
I loved Chef Laudico's! The adobo with foie gras and the prawns with the laing tempura were oh-so-tasty! Loved them soooo much! Dennis' eyes kept rolling upward with every bite of the foie gras, hee hee. The ubod spring roll with the vinegar sorbet was also very good-- totally worth the price! The ambience tonight was also perfect, because there were very few diners. The waiters were also at their most attentive and the place was so conducive to intimate talks and the occasional loud guffaws of laughter that usually accompany any conversation held by myself and my beau ;)
All in all, 'twas a simple day. Yet, in so many ways, 'twas also the most perfect of days. :)
Friday, June 29, 2007
reunited!
Reunited with my darling luggage, FINALLY!!!! Yeah!!!
I was so excited to get them, I really didn't mind the hassle of going to the airport, going through security, and picking them up at the Interline Baggage room, which is just a big empty warehouse where delayed, damaged and unclaimed luggage is stored.
As soon as I got home, I eagerly opened both bags and sighed a HUGE sigh of relief to see that everything is on tip-top shape. I thought it would be anti-climactic to go through the spoils of my trip 1.5-weeks upon arrival, but seeing all the stuff in there quickly reminded me of my sweet vacation... and then all my annoyance at United Airlines disappeared into thin air...
:-)
YAY!
I was so excited to get them, I really didn't mind the hassle of going to the airport, going through security, and picking them up at the Interline Baggage room, which is just a big empty warehouse where delayed, damaged and unclaimed luggage is stored.
As soon as I got home, I eagerly opened both bags and sighed a HUGE sigh of relief to see that everything is on tip-top shape. I thought it would be anti-climactic to go through the spoils of my trip 1.5-weeks upon arrival, but seeing all the stuff in there quickly reminded me of my sweet vacation... and then all my annoyance at United Airlines disappeared into thin air...
:-)
YAY!
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
to the god of lost luggages...
Please send my two luggages back to me. I've invested so much in the goods lying therein, and I would really really appreciate it if you can send them to my delivery address.
PLEASE! It's been a week already!!!
PLEASE! It's been a week already!!!
Friday, June 22, 2007
7 random things about moi...
Tagged by Kaye :-)
1) I have very slow reflexes. Whether it's catching things in time or dodging things that flying in my direction, my limbs somehow suffer from an invariable lag from the time my brain sends signals for them to move. I don't know why, but I've always been like this. It may be why I make for a very lousy driver.
2) I rarely have a hard time sleeping. There are some people who experience the namamahay syndrome, but I'm definitely not one of them. I can sleep easily in new places, like hotel rooms, and I have no problems sleeping in moving vehicles and airplanes.
3) I tap my fingers on the table when I'm thinking of something to type.
4) I took piano and voice lessons as a kid.... to no avail....
5) I don't know how to play chess.
6) I have a certain procedure when getting ready in the morning. Any disruption or change in the order in which I do my "brush teeth, wash face, step into shower, get dressed, put on contacts, put on moisturizer, put on shoes, get bag together, and dry hair" routine causes me to get confused, leave things out/behind and get in a really really foul mood.
7) I rarely oversleep. And I hardly need an alarm. If I tell myself the night before that I need to wake up by a certain time, almost always, my own body clock wakes me up in time.
I'm tagging... everyone who hasn't done this yet :-)
1) I have very slow reflexes. Whether it's catching things in time or dodging things that flying in my direction, my limbs somehow suffer from an invariable lag from the time my brain sends signals for them to move. I don't know why, but I've always been like this. It may be why I make for a very lousy driver.
2) I rarely have a hard time sleeping. There are some people who experience the namamahay syndrome, but I'm definitely not one of them. I can sleep easily in new places, like hotel rooms, and I have no problems sleeping in moving vehicles and airplanes.
3) I tap my fingers on the table when I'm thinking of something to type.
4) I took piano and voice lessons as a kid.... to no avail....
5) I don't know how to play chess.
6) I have a certain procedure when getting ready in the morning. Any disruption or change in the order in which I do my "brush teeth, wash face, step into shower, get dressed, put on contacts, put on moisturizer, put on shoes, get bag together, and dry hair" routine causes me to get confused, leave things out/behind and get in a really really foul mood.
7) I rarely oversleep. And I hardly need an alarm. If I tell myself the night before that I need to wake up by a certain time, almost always, my own body clock wakes me up in time.
I'm tagging... everyone who hasn't done this yet :-)
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
trip recap!
OK, I really think I'm getting old. I never used to get jetlag before. EVER. No matter what time zone difference I go through, I always hit the ground running on local time. It's always been this easy (snaps fingers) for me to adapt to my new location. My dad had always said I'm lucky to have this kind of system.
But, alas, I think age has gotten the better of me. Not only did I suffer from slight jetlag when I arrived in Canada two weeks ago, I am also undergoing enormous jetlag now that I'm back home. Why else will I be blogging at freakin' 5 o'clock in the morning?! Anyhow, since I'm up anyway, I figure I'll just make a recap of the US/Canada trip that was:
1. Canada-
I was just in Vancouver and Toronto three years ago, and not much has really changed. So, when I was in Vancouver, Lianne and I decided to go to Whistler, which is about 3 hours away from Vancouver, since I've already seen most of Vancouver already anyway. And, my uncle and aunt took us to Seattle too, which is about three hours from Richmond, BC, since I've also seen Richmond the last time I was there. So pretty much, I was only in Vancouver to sleep and eat. Hehehehe. Oh, speaking of eating, since we have so many relatives there and my parents have so many friends, we ate BIG lunches and dinners the whole 4 days we were there. I'm scared to even look at the scale now... It was so nice to catch up with Li, though, and see how her new life is, post-accident, and meet her boyfriend. I'm just soooo enormously proud of her, for being so strong, for being such a great sister and a great daughter. I don't know if I can handle the same situation with as much strength, as much faith and as much humor as she does. I love her :-)
As for Toronto, when I arrived, preparations for my cousin's wedding were in full swing. Since it's fairly uncommon to have a wedding planner in Toronto, the maid of honor and I took on majority of the tasks, with the best man and my other cousins taking up the rest. In spite of that, I still managed to sneak in a few hours of shopping (woohoo! More on that later) here and there.
The wedding went so well! Save for a few bloopers, the program went smoothly. Oh, and save for my mom's injured toe too, which is a really long story to tell. Suffice it to say that her big toe is gonna be MIA for a while.
Met some new friends too in Toronto while I was there, as well as reacquainted myself with relatives I rarely keep in touch with. :-) Twas really nice.
2. Boston-
So, after the wedding, my parents and I parted ways as they went off to NJ while I went to Boston to visit my friend Karen, who's taking her MBA at Harvard. She toured me around her campus, showed me the main hangout places, and basically gave me a little orientation of her life there as a Harvardian (don't know if they call themselves that but that's what I call them, hehehe). Harvard is a beautiful campus and looks like a really tough institution to enter and to go through, but, as nice as it is, I doubt MBA is for me. I considered it before, and I think this trip has definitely led me to the conclusion that further studies just isn't my cup of tea. Just looking at her pile of readings makes me wanna puke. Hahaha!
Oh,and I got to meet her German boyfriend too, as well as some of his friends. A good mix of people from various nationalities and backgrounds. I guess that's one of the good parts of MBA school, should one decide to go that route. You get a vast network of people from a vast array of industries, nationalities, skill sets and personalities. You draw wisdom not just from the academics but from your social life as well. And in most instances, people can teach you way better than any book or reading ever can.
Also got to meet up with an old college friend of mine, Gen, and her boyfriend Reagan. They took me around downtown Boston, my favorite of which is Newbury Street! It's such a quaint little street at the surface, but when you look closely, it's full of little cafes, interesting restaurants and a peppering of vintage stores, ultra-designer couture shops and little boutiques of clothes, makeup, home accessories and shoes! Loved it!
Karen and I also went outlet shopping on my last day in Boston. Haha, such a quintessential US-trip activity-- outlet shopping. Our original plan was to go to the mega huge outlet in NY but, since Boston was such a small town, I already toured it in 1 day and knowing how NYC is such a big big place that outlet shopping there would be a waste of time, we decided to hie off to Wrentham Premium Outlets on my final day in Boston. Spent more than I should have yet again, but had tons of fun anyway.
3. NYC-
Definitely one of the best cities in the world! No other place is ever so full of life, so full of activity and so full of different things and people, it's like the whole planet condensed into a little place called Manhattan. Granted, things were very expensive (at least 200% more than Manila prices) but hey, the experience is worth it! Our hotel, firstly, did not disappoint. The bed was so comfy, we slept like babies on both nights we were there. The service was also good so I don't regret paying $200/night.
We also went on a foodfest while we were there. Iron Chef aficionados would be familiar with Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill and Chef Nobu's, well, Nobu Restaurant. Karen and I looooved both dining experiences! Iron Chefs do live up to the hype after all :p After that, we took the Sex and the City tour, which is my favorite tour to take, as it takes you to all the sights of Manhattan yet with that special SATC flavor added to it all.
We also went shopping (any of you surprised at this point?!) all around Soho, 5th avenue and Lower Manhattan. Again, spent more than I should've, but really, I got two pairs of Tod's shoes for about $200 each-- if that's not a bargain, I don't know what is. Though, speaking of shoes, I do admit I may have gone just a tad overboard with the shoe shopping, coz my shoe-purchase summary totals to 10! Can you believe it?! I bought 10 pairs over a 14-day period. Waah! Ouch goes my credit card bill.
Of course, no NYC experience is complete without catching a Broadway musical. We watched Avenue Q on our last night in NYC and it was FANTASTIC! No exaggeration here. I can so understand why they won that Tony award. It's definitely as they describe it-- Sesame Street for adults. But the play is so full of insights about 20-somethings (so people such as ourselves can definitely relate!), their struggles on jump-starting their life, their doubts on the right and wrong turns to take, their initial forays into true love and the struggles with money and how to have enough of it. I loved it so much I bought the CD. The music is just so phenomenal! I wish they'd stage it here in Manila...
Oh, and got to see my cousin Ann too, who just got married. Loved seeing her again, catching up and sharing good good food together :-)
4. Home sweet home-
Just when the trip wrapped up and I thought I'd be on a smooth way back home, it turns out fate had different plans for me. To start this last part of my story, I'd have to first explain my route to Manila. From NYC, I'm supposed to take a NYC-Chicago flight at 3pm, arriving in Chicago at 4:30pm, in time to take a 5:10 Chicago-SFO flight, which arrives in SFO at 8pm, in time for my 10:30pm PAL flight back to Manila. Granted, the timelines are kinda tight, but my travel agent assured me over and over again that she's had millions of clients take this route without a hitch, and United Airlines (for all the domestic trips mentioned above) also reassured me that the route is safe to take, I took their word/s for it.
So, I boarded the NYC-Chicago flight at 2:50pm. I breathed a sigh of relief, maybe I was overworried for no reason. It's early! And I was so tired from my 14-day trip that I fell asleep as soon as I took my seat. Two hours later, I woke up from my nap. I thought to myself, hey, this looks way too familiar...
Wait...
WE HAVEN'T FREAKIN' LEFT YET!
It's 5pm already!
OH MY FUCK!
After finding out that the reason we haven't moved an inch is because of bad weather at Chicago, I resorted to the last option I had at the time-- PRAYER. I told the Lord that my fate is in His hands, and if He means for me to arrive in Manila at the originally-planned time and date, He'll figure out a way to get me there. Divine intervention, please come! And please hurry!
So, finally, at 5:15, the flight took off. I arrived in Chicago at about 6:15pm. As soon as I deplaned, I saw on the board that there's a 6:30pm flight to SFO, after which the next flight leaves at 8:45pm-- way too late to make my PAL flight. I had no choice but to make it to the 6:30!
So I ran all the way to gate 62, coming from gate 69. Note that Chicago O' Hare airport is HUGE, and my physical fitness isn't very.. well, fit. So, panting, I asked oh-so-nicely the gate attendant if I could possibly switch my 5pm boarding pass to the 6:30. The blondie stared at me blankly and said, "For all rebookings, please go to Customer service over at Gate 52."
WHAT!!! So, I ran like I've never ran before, to Gate 52.
When I got there, hooray for United Airlines, their Customer service counter is unattended. But, there was a bunch of machines labeled E-ticketing and Online Rebooking. After I punched in my reference number, the system replied to me that they've rebooked me already.... to the 8:45pm flight!
NOOOOOOOO!!!!!
So I ran back (at this point, I was so hingal, I could barely breathe!) to gate 62. The blondie was just closing the gate's door, with about 4 other people from the same delayed flight as me right in front of me pleading with her to let them take the flight. Blondie kept shaking her head and saying "Sorry" in the way people say sorry when they don't really give a rat's ass about your problem.
I had about 2 seconds to weigh my options...
I pushed my way past all the other 4 people and grabbed Blondie's arm. Almost tearfully, I said, "You don't understand. I have to take this flight. I have an international flight to Manila from SFO. I have to make this flight. I have to go home. I have to go home. I have to go home.." In hindsight, the way I said "I have to go home" sounded like a little child's plea, which may have been why Blondie looked at me suspiciously and asked, "how old are you, young lady?" I decided I had no time for niceties, because the freakin' plane was about to leave. So I said, "please please please....." and tugged at her arm like no stranger has ever tugged another stranger's arm. At this point too, I've started to really tear up. Desperation and the hingal just got the better of me.
Which proved to be the cincher to the deal! She took my boarding pass from me, punched some stuff into her screen, printed me out a new one, and said "ok, stop crying, you can board now." I hugged her in sheer relief and screamed THANK YOU so fast, it sounded like THYOU! The guard opened the gate for me to go through, and alas, I was on well my way home.
At least that's what I thought.
As is quite obvious at this point in the story, my poor little two pieces of luggage were still stranded in the Chicago airport. When I landed in SFO at 9:15pm, I went to the Customer service counter to ask about the whereabouts of my precious little cargo. They told me it's still in Chicago and what they can do is ship it to me. They'll let me know in two days if they can ship it all the way to Manila or just to Hong Kong. I had little time to shake Ms. Customer Service by her shoulders and ask WHY OH WHY will I have to hike over to HK because their flight was delayed?!?! My PAL plane was gonna board in 30 minutes, and I was still over at the domestic terminal. I have to take the train to the international terminal, find PAL's counter in the huge airport and make it to the boarding gate, all in 30 minutes! So, again, lots of running happened and I finally got to board. My luggage issue just had to sorted out when I get home.
You may be glad to know now though that, per my discussion with United when I landed yesterday, my luggage will arrive here, hopefully, by tomorrow. At least that's what United said. I just have to trust them for now and pray my dear two little babies get here by tomorrow.
So that was my trip. Full of new and old faces, new and old places, new adventures, lots of shopping, and a nightmarish plane trip back home. But I made it! Home sweet home :-)
But, alas, I think age has gotten the better of me. Not only did I suffer from slight jetlag when I arrived in Canada two weeks ago, I am also undergoing enormous jetlag now that I'm back home. Why else will I be blogging at freakin' 5 o'clock in the morning?! Anyhow, since I'm up anyway, I figure I'll just make a recap of the US/Canada trip that was:
1. Canada-
I was just in Vancouver and Toronto three years ago, and not much has really changed. So, when I was in Vancouver, Lianne and I decided to go to Whistler, which is about 3 hours away from Vancouver, since I've already seen most of Vancouver already anyway. And, my uncle and aunt took us to Seattle too, which is about three hours from Richmond, BC, since I've also seen Richmond the last time I was there. So pretty much, I was only in Vancouver to sleep and eat. Hehehehe. Oh, speaking of eating, since we have so many relatives there and my parents have so many friends, we ate BIG lunches and dinners the whole 4 days we were there. I'm scared to even look at the scale now... It was so nice to catch up with Li, though, and see how her new life is, post-accident, and meet her boyfriend. I'm just soooo enormously proud of her, for being so strong, for being such a great sister and a great daughter. I don't know if I can handle the same situation with as much strength, as much faith and as much humor as she does. I love her :-)
As for Toronto, when I arrived, preparations for my cousin's wedding were in full swing. Since it's fairly uncommon to have a wedding planner in Toronto, the maid of honor and I took on majority of the tasks, with the best man and my other cousins taking up the rest. In spite of that, I still managed to sneak in a few hours of shopping (woohoo! More on that later) here and there.
The wedding went so well! Save for a few bloopers, the program went smoothly. Oh, and save for my mom's injured toe too, which is a really long story to tell. Suffice it to say that her big toe is gonna be MIA for a while.
Met some new friends too in Toronto while I was there, as well as reacquainted myself with relatives I rarely keep in touch with. :-) Twas really nice.
2. Boston-
So, after the wedding, my parents and I parted ways as they went off to NJ while I went to Boston to visit my friend Karen, who's taking her MBA at Harvard. She toured me around her campus, showed me the main hangout places, and basically gave me a little orientation of her life there as a Harvardian (don't know if they call themselves that but that's what I call them, hehehe). Harvard is a beautiful campus and looks like a really tough institution to enter and to go through, but, as nice as it is, I doubt MBA is for me. I considered it before, and I think this trip has definitely led me to the conclusion that further studies just isn't my cup of tea. Just looking at her pile of readings makes me wanna puke. Hahaha!
Oh,and I got to meet her German boyfriend too, as well as some of his friends. A good mix of people from various nationalities and backgrounds. I guess that's one of the good parts of MBA school, should one decide to go that route. You get a vast network of people from a vast array of industries, nationalities, skill sets and personalities. You draw wisdom not just from the academics but from your social life as well. And in most instances, people can teach you way better than any book or reading ever can.
Also got to meet up with an old college friend of mine, Gen, and her boyfriend Reagan. They took me around downtown Boston, my favorite of which is Newbury Street! It's such a quaint little street at the surface, but when you look closely, it's full of little cafes, interesting restaurants and a peppering of vintage stores, ultra-designer couture shops and little boutiques of clothes, makeup, home accessories and shoes! Loved it!
Karen and I also went outlet shopping on my last day in Boston. Haha, such a quintessential US-trip activity-- outlet shopping. Our original plan was to go to the mega huge outlet in NY but, since Boston was such a small town, I already toured it in 1 day and knowing how NYC is such a big big place that outlet shopping there would be a waste of time, we decided to hie off to Wrentham Premium Outlets on my final day in Boston. Spent more than I should have yet again, but had tons of fun anyway.
3. NYC-
Definitely one of the best cities in the world! No other place is ever so full of life, so full of activity and so full of different things and people, it's like the whole planet condensed into a little place called Manhattan. Granted, things were very expensive (at least 200% more than Manila prices) but hey, the experience is worth it! Our hotel, firstly, did not disappoint. The bed was so comfy, we slept like babies on both nights we were there. The service was also good so I don't regret paying $200/night.
We also went on a foodfest while we were there. Iron Chef aficionados would be familiar with Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill and Chef Nobu's, well, Nobu Restaurant. Karen and I looooved both dining experiences! Iron Chefs do live up to the hype after all :p After that, we took the Sex and the City tour, which is my favorite tour to take, as it takes you to all the sights of Manhattan yet with that special SATC flavor added to it all.
We also went shopping (any of you surprised at this point?!) all around Soho, 5th avenue and Lower Manhattan. Again, spent more than I should've, but really, I got two pairs of Tod's shoes for about $200 each-- if that's not a bargain, I don't know what is. Though, speaking of shoes, I do admit I may have gone just a tad overboard with the shoe shopping, coz my shoe-purchase summary totals to 10! Can you believe it?! I bought 10 pairs over a 14-day period. Waah! Ouch goes my credit card bill.
Of course, no NYC experience is complete without catching a Broadway musical. We watched Avenue Q on our last night in NYC and it was FANTASTIC! No exaggeration here. I can so understand why they won that Tony award. It's definitely as they describe it-- Sesame Street for adults. But the play is so full of insights about 20-somethings (so people such as ourselves can definitely relate!), their struggles on jump-starting their life, their doubts on the right and wrong turns to take, their initial forays into true love and the struggles with money and how to have enough of it. I loved it so much I bought the CD. The music is just so phenomenal! I wish they'd stage it here in Manila...
Oh, and got to see my cousin Ann too, who just got married. Loved seeing her again, catching up and sharing good good food together :-)
4. Home sweet home-
Just when the trip wrapped up and I thought I'd be on a smooth way back home, it turns out fate had different plans for me. To start this last part of my story, I'd have to first explain my route to Manila. From NYC, I'm supposed to take a NYC-Chicago flight at 3pm, arriving in Chicago at 4:30pm, in time to take a 5:10 Chicago-SFO flight, which arrives in SFO at 8pm, in time for my 10:30pm PAL flight back to Manila. Granted, the timelines are kinda tight, but my travel agent assured me over and over again that she's had millions of clients take this route without a hitch, and United Airlines (for all the domestic trips mentioned above) also reassured me that the route is safe to take, I took their word/s for it.
So, I boarded the NYC-Chicago flight at 2:50pm. I breathed a sigh of relief, maybe I was overworried for no reason. It's early! And I was so tired from my 14-day trip that I fell asleep as soon as I took my seat. Two hours later, I woke up from my nap. I thought to myself, hey, this looks way too familiar...
Wait...
WE HAVEN'T FREAKIN' LEFT YET!
It's 5pm already!
OH MY FUCK!
After finding out that the reason we haven't moved an inch is because of bad weather at Chicago, I resorted to the last option I had at the time-- PRAYER. I told the Lord that my fate is in His hands, and if He means for me to arrive in Manila at the originally-planned time and date, He'll figure out a way to get me there. Divine intervention, please come! And please hurry!
So, finally, at 5:15, the flight took off. I arrived in Chicago at about 6:15pm. As soon as I deplaned, I saw on the board that there's a 6:30pm flight to SFO, after which the next flight leaves at 8:45pm-- way too late to make my PAL flight. I had no choice but to make it to the 6:30!
So I ran all the way to gate 62, coming from gate 69. Note that Chicago O' Hare airport is HUGE, and my physical fitness isn't very.. well, fit. So, panting, I asked oh-so-nicely the gate attendant if I could possibly switch my 5pm boarding pass to the 6:30. The blondie stared at me blankly and said, "For all rebookings, please go to Customer service over at Gate 52."
WHAT!!! So, I ran like I've never ran before, to Gate 52.
When I got there, hooray for United Airlines, their Customer service counter is unattended. But, there was a bunch of machines labeled E-ticketing and Online Rebooking. After I punched in my reference number, the system replied to me that they've rebooked me already.... to the 8:45pm flight!
NOOOOOOOO!!!!!
So I ran back (at this point, I was so hingal, I could barely breathe!) to gate 62. The blondie was just closing the gate's door, with about 4 other people from the same delayed flight as me right in front of me pleading with her to let them take the flight. Blondie kept shaking her head and saying "Sorry" in the way people say sorry when they don't really give a rat's ass about your problem.
I had about 2 seconds to weigh my options...
I pushed my way past all the other 4 people and grabbed Blondie's arm. Almost tearfully, I said, "You don't understand. I have to take this flight. I have an international flight to Manila from SFO. I have to make this flight. I have to go home. I have to go home. I have to go home.." In hindsight, the way I said "I have to go home" sounded like a little child's plea, which may have been why Blondie looked at me suspiciously and asked, "how old are you, young lady?" I decided I had no time for niceties, because the freakin' plane was about to leave. So I said, "please please please....." and tugged at her arm like no stranger has ever tugged another stranger's arm. At this point too, I've started to really tear up. Desperation and the hingal just got the better of me.
Which proved to be the cincher to the deal! She took my boarding pass from me, punched some stuff into her screen, printed me out a new one, and said "ok, stop crying, you can board now." I hugged her in sheer relief and screamed THANK YOU so fast, it sounded like THYOU! The guard opened the gate for me to go through, and alas, I was on well my way home.
At least that's what I thought.
As is quite obvious at this point in the story, my poor little two pieces of luggage were still stranded in the Chicago airport. When I landed in SFO at 9:15pm, I went to the Customer service counter to ask about the whereabouts of my precious little cargo. They told me it's still in Chicago and what they can do is ship it to me. They'll let me know in two days if they can ship it all the way to Manila or just to Hong Kong. I had little time to shake Ms. Customer Service by her shoulders and ask WHY OH WHY will I have to hike over to HK because their flight was delayed?!?! My PAL plane was gonna board in 30 minutes, and I was still over at the domestic terminal. I have to take the train to the international terminal, find PAL's counter in the huge airport and make it to the boarding gate, all in 30 minutes! So, again, lots of running happened and I finally got to board. My luggage issue just had to sorted out when I get home.
You may be glad to know now though that, per my discussion with United when I landed yesterday, my luggage will arrive here, hopefully, by tomorrow. At least that's what United said. I just have to trust them for now and pray my dear two little babies get here by tomorrow.
So that was my trip. Full of new and old faces, new and old places, new adventures, lots of shopping, and a nightmarish plane trip back home. But I made it! Home sweet home :-)
Thursday, June 14, 2007
office politics strikes again!
Some things never change. This company would really benefit tenfold if office politics is brought down a couple of notches.. not allowing it to affect business functions and disrupt organizational stability. My gosh. Can't believe this is happening... again!
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
....
Maybe sometimes all you need is to relieve yourself of your everyday distractions and the pull of the old and dry routine to discover things about yourself that are difficult to admit.. things in your life that are less than perfect and the way you feel towards those imperfections. Truly, stepping back is the best way to see what's going on and to judge what lies ahead.. to know what you can live with, live without, and what (or whom) you wish you can change.
This vacation, thus far, has been full of little reunions with friends, little touristy jaunts and little shopping trips, but hands down the best gift this vacation has given to me is a reflection of what's really going on in my system and the opportunity to address those things little by little when I get back to my real life.
This vacation, thus far, has been full of little reunions with friends, little touristy jaunts and little shopping trips, but hands down the best gift this vacation has given to me is a reflection of what's really going on in my system and the opportunity to address those things little by little when I get back to my real life.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
my hotel booking and a new thing to buy :)
Finally booked an NYC hotel today, yay! Hello, New York Helmsley Hotel! I'm really really crossing my fingers that all the traveler reviews were right and that you'll be worth the $270/night rate that you're charging my poor ailing credit card :(
Speaking of money, I have discovered another new thing I want to get! Waaah! Can't talk about it though. I agreed with my girls. :P hehehe.. But I should really buy my macbook first.
Waaah! At least... Bonus month ang June for us!
Speaking of money, I have discovered another new thing I want to get! Waaah! Can't talk about it though. I agreed with my girls. :P hehehe.. But I should really buy my macbook first.
Waaah! At least... Bonus month ang June for us!
getting ready to leave
I'm so excited to go on my 16-day trip starting this Friday, though of course I'll miss Dennis. He and I had a huge huge huge dinner last night as a little going-away thing, it being the last night we'll probably see each other before I leave. He'll be very busy kasi today and tomorrow. Oh, and Dennis got me seasons 1-7 of Gilmore Girls, and I love him oh-so-much for it! I'm such a fan, little do people around me know. Spent a good couple of hours last night watching some eps.
Anyhoot, back to our dinner, it was great!!! Granted, I ate more than I should've, but I just couldn't help it. The food at Conrad's was oh-so-good! I want to go back there when I come back on the 16th :p Hehehehehe..
I still don't have a hotel for my NYC stay, haha! It's just so hard to get a good deal yet still requiring the basics -- i.e. private bath (I don't think I'll ever be ready share a bathroom with strangers!), working elevator (no shlepping of baggages up the stairs please) and good nice beds (have a bad back and I'm super terrified of bed bugs). All these plus a good location just equals a whole lotta dollars. My dad keeps telling me not to "goof around" with my hotel choices, because he feels it's the one thing you shouldn't scrimp on. You get what you pay for, he always cautions me. So don't come complaining to me if you get robbed or get bed bug bites.
Huhuhu. But I have such limited funds! Waaah! Any suggestions, friends?
I pre-packed na my baggage last night. Pre-packed means I've gotten out the clothes I think I want to bring, subject to alterations tonight and tomorrow night. I've also gathered together my toiletries and shoes, as well as the gifts I'll be bringing for my friends and family there. I've also packed Li's magazine (YES!). So excited!
Can't wait to leave! I soooo want to go on vacation! :)
Anyhoot, back to our dinner, it was great!!! Granted, I ate more than I should've, but I just couldn't help it. The food at Conrad's was oh-so-good! I want to go back there when I come back on the 16th :p Hehehehehe..
I still don't have a hotel for my NYC stay, haha! It's just so hard to get a good deal yet still requiring the basics -- i.e. private bath (I don't think I'll ever be ready share a bathroom with strangers!), working elevator (no shlepping of baggages up the stairs please) and good nice beds (have a bad back and I'm super terrified of bed bugs). All these plus a good location just equals a whole lotta dollars. My dad keeps telling me not to "goof around" with my hotel choices, because he feels it's the one thing you shouldn't scrimp on. You get what you pay for, he always cautions me. So don't come complaining to me if you get robbed or get bed bug bites.
Huhuhu. But I have such limited funds! Waaah! Any suggestions, friends?
I pre-packed na my baggage last night. Pre-packed means I've gotten out the clothes I think I want to bring, subject to alterations tonight and tomorrow night. I've also gathered together my toiletries and shoes, as well as the gifts I'll be bringing for my friends and family there. I've also packed Li's magazine (YES!). So excited!
Can't wait to leave! I soooo want to go on vacation! :)
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