please...

give me some good news.. anything! I hate this feeling of doom, gloom and more doom.... So sad....

I can't wait for the weekend, to purge all these negativity and to refocus my perspective on the blessings I have and the good things I have going on in my life... to be thankful again for what I've been given...

Hay....

save save save save save!!!

My family was discussing the recent financial meltdown in the States, and my dad believes we haven't seen the worst of it.. and despite what the government says, the Philippines will be affected one way or the other.. Hence, he has this edict laid down for us: Save save save save save!

As in, do not buy him Christmas gifts daw. Knowing that his "gift" is sitting safely in our bank accounts, tucked in for a rainy day, is enough satisfaction for him, maybe even more than an actual material gift. Holidays are not supposed to be about material things anyway, he says. People just get carried away...

Oh..

Okay..

Though I may not agree with the moratorium on presents, I do think that my generation seems incapable of saving... I don't know if it's technology that's at fault, or the emergence of credit facilities, consumerism, or just the culture.... but my generation does seem to live for the "now" more than ever before. Unlike our predecessors who's main purpose for toiling is to save, save and save, to forego immediate gratification in the pursuit of a secure, worry-free future. There's definitely some wisdom there.. maybe it just all got lost in translation when passed on to the young..... :p

Watching CNN and BBC feature the US financial system is scary, though... maybe it's what finally does the trick in making me trim down the expense fat... :p

work trip again!

This time to Taipei. Let's see if I enjoy it better than I did Bangkok :p

Rushing everything now, my gosh.. Rushing to finish my presentation for my boss, my packing for tomorrow's 8am flight, rushing my MBA homework.... aaaaahhhh!!! I haven't even started on my lecture for this Saturday.... Too many things on the plate, tsk tsk tsk....

new bag!!!

It may not be the Neverfull I wanted, but it's also a bag I've always liked.. At the risk of sounding like a total LV-holic, I am so so so thrilled to have this bag!



My mom was the one who bought it in HK, after much prodding from my dad. She actually liked a different kind of bag- the Amarente Bellevue-- but my dad told her it doesn't suit her.. So, she went against her gut and got this Alma instead. Though I tend to agree with my dad, I think she should've listened to herself and got what she wanted...

In any case, I'm the lucky beneficiary of the buyer's remorse, so I should just shut up and enjoy the new bag :-)

*P.S. Another work trip coming up! This time to Taiwan... My first time in the land of Republic of China! (The real China is called People's Republic of China, while Taiwan is formally called Republic of China.. Not a lot of non-Chinese people know this.. :p hehehe)

damier neverfull

Mommy, I want one.....!!!!!!!!!!



BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love love love love love love it!!!!!!

PF

It was pretty funny how our office janitor shyly handed me this month's PF magazine yesterday, and I had to stop and wonder why he was doing that.. Then it occurred to me! He's handing it to me to show me.... because it's the issue that included my feature....!!! Nye!!

That was my first reaction. Nye!! Then I thanked him and flipped the magazine over to my section. My second reaction was.... Hahahahahahahaha! I found it so strange to see my image stare back at me, then another image, and another image! Hahahaha! True, I did the photo shoot and interview, and all, but those things never felt real..... but here is the evidence staring at my face! Hahahahahaha!

Showed it to some friends at the office and finally took the copy home to show my family last night. My cutey father said he'll go out today and buy copies for everyone he knows. True enough, he bought himself 10 copies today. Shocker for me on the part where he plans to show it to everybody in his contact list, but a really good, appreciative feeling for his being proud of my little shot at fame. Hahaha! I still can't believe it.. Even Dennis is looking all smitten and proud.. :p

Oh well... in fairness, the feature is actually not bad... The writing was pretty decent, although I think I looked really pale in my photos :p Hehehehe...

new book!

Got this book today, with Darling Hub in tow because he wanted to buy comic books... Told him I didn't really get the allure of comic books, to which he replied, well, I don't quite see the point of that book either... Hehehe... sa bagay....

Presenting--



Based on real accounts, this book chronicles the adventure of one fashionista in the constant pursuit of the famous yet unattainable Hermes Birkin :p Should be a fun fun read :) Hopefully I get to start reading it tomorrow, after I finish grading the marketing papers I assigned to my class... :)

immune shots...

Finally, I completed the 3-installment anti-cervical cancer vaccine shots... Hurts like hell, but at least it's finished :-)

medical exam....

Had my annual physical exam the other day. I'm feeling a little nervous about the breast exams, as the doctor not only reacted with mild concern over my ultrasound results, she also requested that I take a digital mammo and an actual mammogram. I'm scared. I've never even considered the possibility of having something wrong in that area... at this age. I mean, I'm barely 26. It just can't be.

Darling Beau is also in denial, insisting I'm perfectly healthy and it's impossible that they'll find anything. Hay..

I'm tempted to research online about this, but I'm scared of scaring myself to death. So I've decided to just wait for the results to come out and worry about things when they're actually written down on paper for me.

Please pray nothing is wrong.

8/8/08!!!

I came home early tonight to catch the 2008 Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing, China. At 8:08pm, I sat down with my family to watch....

And it was nothing short of amazing!!! I'm so proud, at this very moment, to be Chinese. Many have considered this to be China's coming-out party, and it definitely didn't disappoint. After so many years of seclusion and isolation, China finally came out, and came out with a bang, it did!!! I love it! We even sang the national anthem along with the people watching live... :)

Happy 8/8/08!!!! :)

bkk....

I'm on my third work trip of the year.. this time to Bangkok. I've never been, and I hope it's as good as people make it out to be :p

The only trouble is I've missed my MBA class for the second time so far, because of work trips.. Tsk tsk... Hope this is the last one...

updates!

Haven't updated this blog for the longest time. Been sooooo busy with:

1. MBA: Even if I only have 1 class this sem (in an effort to manage my time better given #2 item below), my economics class is super challenging! As in, it's the toughest class I've had so far in my fledging career as an MBA student, that it's almost like taking a full load.. Hay..

2. Teaching: I started teaching about three weeks ago, and so far, I'm proud to say that it's been going well. Partly because I've had the chance to really sit down and plan my lectures ahead of time. My problem now is that the next few weeks is gonna be quite hectic for me, so I don't know how my next few classes will go. Wish me luck. Hay, and oh, I almost forgot to mention that... it's true what they say about nobody ever becoming rich from teaching :p Hehehe... So, if you're in it for the money, don't even bother, man...

3. Work work work: For some reason, just when my school work started and my teaching load commenced, my work load also started intensifying. Totally unexpectedly! My bosses just started paying intense attention at my business and started demanding more and more of my time and efforts... gosh! :p Though it's a good thing, really, as Dennis keeps reminding me, that at least they keep on appreciating my worth in the organization, it's also incredibly tiring. Plus the fact that I have a work trip this week, which I wanted to avoid and was desperately hoping will be cancelled, in light of #4 below... But, oh well, it's pushing through. So, hello, Bangkok, here I come....

4. Kaye's wedding! Yay! : Kaye's wedding is coming up in 6 days. MY GOSH! It seems only yesterday when we were saying Kaye's wedding was still 1 year and a half away and she has all the time in the world to get it all together... and now, ilang tulog na lang, it's here! Guia is picking up my dress for me since I'll be abroad when it's ready... My plane from BKK arrives on Friday afternoon, which gives me just enough time to fit a nail spa appointment in before a family thing in the evening, and before I'm supposed to take my beauty rest for the early wakeup call on Saturday morning. I'm so excited! :) Beyond excited, actually :p

Boy, time really flies when you're having fun.. or when you're really busy :p hehehe. Before I know it, one of my bestest friends in the planet will be married and get swept off her feet for her honeymoon... then, it's Darling Beau's 29th birthday, then it'll be finals season (for both MBA and my teaching classes.... OH MAN!) and then before I can get a wink in, it'll be my birthday, then Christmas, then 2008 will be over, then 2009 will be here and it'll be my best friend's wedding by May. Woah, time, please stop for a bit! You're going way too fast for me :p

i can't wait!!!!!

Go to www.powerbooks.com.ph to make an online reservation :)

new slippies! :)

Yay! I love it! :D

i can't wait!

http://www.sexandthecitymovie.com/

dress in the making...

So, we had our second fitting yesterday for our bridesmaids' dress, to be worn to the First FILC wedding.. I'm so excited, you can totally see how the dress will more or less look... it's so beautiful! I love it! Can't wait to see the finished product :)

wife fund

So, for some strange reason, my mom sat me down tonight to give me a talk about saving more and spending less, as I'm approaching marrying age, and therefore, I need to prioritize increasing my assets... and no, bags and clothes are not "fixed assets" :p

She told me that, while it is true that this is the one time in my life (now that I'm not married yet) where I can spend my money in whatever way I want, without regard for what anyone else thinks, it is also the one time in my life where I can (and should) save my money as much as I can. Once the husband and the kids enter the picture, I will find myself spending at a rate that's so much less controllable than it is now. While I can think of this time in my life as a carefree time where I should enjoy my money, she says it's wiser to think of it as the time in my life where I can accumulate as much wealth.. (aka the wife fund)... as I can, because I will never be able to save as much as I hypothetically can right now. Now that, in her words, kargo ko lang ang sarili ko.

Well, in light of my previous post, that's going to be challenging.

But she's right. I have approached this single life thing all wrong. Instead of appropriating my money in "life-enjoying" manners, I should be saving substantially so as to cushion myself for married life, where costs will inevitably balloon, given the ff reasons:
- I currently do not pay for utilities like electricity and water, which when I get married, would not be the case anymore
- I also currently do not pay for maids, groceries, etc. Again, such won't be applicable in married life
- Should darling beau not able to buy me a home and I refuse to live with his folks, we'll need to rent our first home.. (Though thank God I managed to have a car already for us...)
- Baby = haaaaa?!?!?!?????

There you go. So, now, my wallet will be on a strict diet.

Or at least I'll try...

Good thing darling beau and I managed to land teaching gigs recently. Hopefully they pay a decent amount and hopefully they are not just one-offs, so the money generated can go towards the new save-money plan...

:p

at the rate i'm going, i'll have no savings when i turn middle-aged...

'nuf said..

turn your trash into treasure...

happy 3rd anniversary!

So, I was in Cebu last April 28, which marked the third anniversary of my relationship with Attorney. Good thing he's so understanding, and he didn't give me a hard time about it. We just celebrated on April 26th to make up for the lost time together.

As agreed, we presented each other with our less-than-two-thousand-bucks gifts. I gave him a black leather Fino wallet to replace the dillapidated one he's using, and he gave me---



He gave me the entire trilogy of Twilight, which amounts to roughly 2k! Sakto! Hehehe. So, admittedly, using a criteria of judging by the degree by which the gift reflects the recipient and the happiness level it is expected to bring to the recipient, he is the runaway winner.

However, seeing as how I was such a sore loser, we decided the final decision is a draw and that we split our anniv dinner date. Hahaha! I love this guy! He makes me pag-bigyan even if I don't deserve it. Hahahaha!

Happy Anniversary!