Unabashed Honesty

Still Alive

2011-09-27T07:41:00.001+08:00

I feel so guilty about not updating this whole time. I've been a bit busy and distracted. But I will try to be more active in the coming weeks. So dear readers, stay tuned. ;)

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See you tomorrow, Incubus!

2011-07-27T21:05:00.000+08:00

The last time I saw them was 2008. It was an otherworldly experience. I waited 3 years for it to happen again. If Not Now, When? This is it!

See you, Incubus!

Beautiful Bohol: Beaches of Alona, Dumaluan and Bohol Beach Club

2011-07-23T14:34:00.001+08:00

Alona Beach at Night

at Pyramid Resort Restaurant. The food and service were great.

We rented a motorbike the next day to go to Dumaluan Beach.

Entrance fee is just 20 pesos per person. You can imagine how many locals and tourists go to this place on weekends.

Because I have a bit of agoraphobia, we decided to go to Bohol Beach Club which is just beside Dumaluan.

It's practically deserted. Bohol Beach Club's shoreline is the longest in Panglao Island, or so I've been told.

Beautiful Bohol: Tarsiers, Hanging Bridge, Man-made forest, Chocolate Hills

2011-07-23T14:33:00.000+08:00

Few facts about Tarsiers:

The Philippine tarsier is nocturnal; they hunt at night, exclusively for animal prey. At day time, they hide in hollows close to the ground. When kept in captivity, individuals may huddle together or intertwine their tails. (source)

Tarsiers tend to be extremely shy animals. Contact with human beings (including being petted by humans) often leads to their death within a few months, hence conservation in natural surroundings away from human contact is all the more important. (source)

How can tarsiers rest in the morning if tourists keep visiting them? Have you ever thought about their quality of life in captivity? Think about it.

Entrance to the hanging bridge.

Not seen in the picture: my shaky knees.

Fact about me: I'm deathly scared of heights.

The beautiful and very dense man-made forest.

Beautiful Bohol: Blood Compact, Baclayon, Loboc River

2011-07-23T14:32:00.000+08:00

We went to Bohol last week and I gotta say I fell in love with the island. I admit it's kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing. It wasn't totally unplanned, but we did buy plane tickets just a few days before our flight. Anyway, Bohol is amazing. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

Before departure.

Here we are!

The flight took an hour and 15 minutes.

This was the car that we used for our countryside tour. Kuya RJ is the owner. Our tour guide was Kuya Arvin. He was great! I'll definitely recommend him to anyone. Not pictured: Kuya Arvin holding a "Welcome Mariel Peñafiel and Company" sign. lol.

First stop was the Blood Compact site. The view behind us is breathtaking.

The small island pictured behind us is Balicasag. I'm not 100% sure though.

Inside the Baclayon Church. It's one of the oldest in the Philippines.

Now tell me what you can see here. The answer is after the jump.

I’m back!

2011-05-29T09:25:00.001+08:00

This hiatus have gone on way too long. I’ve been neglecting this blog and I don’t even have a good reason. I guess I just got bit by the procrastination bug. Although I gotta admit, I really miss blogging. It feels great to be writing again.

I won’t bombard you with pictures in this post (but I’ll do it in my next). I’m just here to tell you about my good news. I got a job! I work for the British Embassy now. And if you don’t know where it is, it’s located in McKinley Hill, Taguig City. I gotta tell you, it’s a bit hard to get there, but it’s worth it because I’m really enjoying my job.

So how are you, my dear readers? I hope you’re all doing great. Tell me what I’ve been missing.

Career change is imminent.

2011-02-12T15:32:00.001+08:00

I’ve been a bum for more than a year now and to tell you the truth, it’s downright degrading. I have online jobs, but I can hardly call them “jobs”. I do have a valid reason why I’m jobless, but right now, I’m not very happy with my current predicament. So yeah, I’m about to go on a different path.

My mother is okay with it. She even wants me to go to school again, but that’s not really what I have in mind. My father is not gonna be happy about this, but they’ve been in control with my life for so long. Isn’t it time I make my own decisions? I’m TWENTY-THREE, for heaven’s sake.

Wish me luck?

Seven Years!

2011-02-02T22:46:00.001+08:00

Happy Anniversary Dee! I love you!

First Weeks and So Far, I’m Happy

2011-01-11T23:54:00.001+08:00

I’ve been neglecting my blogs lately so before you think I’m dead, I just want you to know that I’ve been busy. Let me sum it up for you.

I’m trying to go all organic now. If you’re wondering why, google ‘harmful chemicals in toiletries’.
In relation to number 1, I just bought some Human Heart Nature stuff from Diane. Check out her online shop. She’s one of the best online sellers I’ve ever encountered.
Been busy with my online jobs, as usual.
Our maid just left us, so obviously, I replaced her. lol. Anyway, it’s okay, I need the exercise.
Speaking of exercise, I’ve been trying jogging these weeks, and I’m loving it.
Diane, whom I mentioned in number 2, gives free By Nature Handmade Soap (BNHS) samples (until supplies last) to her customers. She gave me Sea Mud Pie and I’m using it to wash my face. It’s actually very good.
I’ll probably buy BNHS Dairy Bar and Citrus White next time.
I’m not gonna give up using drugstore brands altogether, but I’ll definitely limit using them.
I went to speak with an important person who can help me to go to UK to study and work. Unfortunately, my parents are not exactly happy with it.
There’s a huge chance that I’ll change career.
First book I finished this year: “Her Fearful Symmetry” by Audrey Niffenegger. It’s disappointing. I won’t recommend it to anybody. It’s a shame, I really loved “The Time Traveler’s Wife”.
Been going on dates with Tobi. It will be our 7th anniversary on February 2. So excited!

How’s 2011 treating you?

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-25T18:30:00.001+08:00

Merry Christmas to all! Enjoy the Holidays! God bless.

Consider this photo my gift to you.

Just did something to my hair

2010-12-17T00:28:00.001+08:00

I’m still alive! I feel so guilty for abandoning this blog. It’s just that I’ve been a bit busy with a lot of stuff these past weeks. So anyway, I’m not really sure what to tell you in this post. A lot has happened and I don’t know where to begin. Perhaps I should just show you my newly colored hair.

I hope it’s noticeable. lol. I used two boxes of Revlon Colorsilk Light Reddish Brown (55) to dye my hair and this is the result. It's not really that obvious, you’ll only notice the color when direct light hits it. What I really want is to have auburn hair. Yep, I want to become a redhead. Anyway, I don’t really blame the box dye. I know I have very, very black hair. haha. Well it’s cool with me. I think I’ll probably use a local brand which is made for Asian hair next time. I’m not really comfortable about the idea of bleaching my hair so that’s not an option.

Ok, I’ll stop talking about myself now. On a completely different subject, I just want to know if you guys think if I should have my kitties vaccinated against rabies. I’m having second thoughts about it because I learned that anti-rabies vaccination can cause adverse reactions to animals. Some pet owners claim that their pets died of chronic renal failure due to the vaccine. Though on the other hand, it’s safer for us humans if they’re vaccinated. So tell me, what are your thoughts about it? I’m gonna leave you some recent photos of my kitties.

Mommy & Baby

Plants Versus Kitties

Bleh!

Tagaytay Trip On a Whim

2010-11-25T02:05:00.001+08:00

The last time we went to Tagaytay was on Tobi’s birthday. We had so much fun that time so we decided to go back.

We left Cainta at 6:30am last Saturday. We didn’t encounter heavy traffic along the way. Our first stop was McDonalds along SLEX because we haven’t had breakfast yet. We just love McDonald’s Sausage McMuffin with Egg! We went on with our journey after eating. We arrived at Pink Sister’s Chapel, Tagaytay at approximately 9:30.

We said our prayers, took photos and then went to Cliffhouse. Joanne’s blog post convinced me to visit the place. Cliffhouse is a much-hyped hangout in Tagaytay. A lot of bloggers I’m stalking are praising it. Now I know why. It has such a nice view of Taal Lake and the volcano itself. It also boasts of a high-priced bed and breakfast and a number of restaurants.

Taal Lake

Dancing Kitten

2010-10-26T10:00:00.001+08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Here’s Taba, dancing to Lady Gaga’s Just Dance.

I’m sure a 32-second video won’t take much of your time.

Kitten Dancing to Lady Gaga's Just Dance

I Got My Kindle!

2010-10-18T10:21:00.001+08:00

Yay! I ordered my Kindle 3 (Graphite, Wifi only) from Amazon October 1st and I received it October 14th. Pretty fast huh? It was even out of stock when I ordered it. It made me so happy when DHL delivered it to my house.

See?

I’m a self-confessed bookworm and Kindle 3 is my first ever dedicated eBook reader. I used to read on my iPod touch, but it really strains my eyes. This is the main reason I bought Kindle in the first place. I can’t stand the glare from my iPod. And Kindle’s Pearl eInk Screen is the best. The contrast is great. It really looks like paper. Kindle doesn’t have a backlight so it won’t strain your eyes. It’s like reading a book. Kindle 3 also boasts of faster page turns although I can’t really comment on that because as I said, it’s my first reader.

Looks like paper, eh?

Screenshot 1: Currently reading Stieg Larsson’s “The Girl Who Played with Fire”.

Screenshot 2: CNN news which I got from Calibre.

I love a lot of things about my Kindle 3. One of them is that it is light. It weighs only 8.5 ounces. The problem is that I bought Amazon’s Lighted Book Cover and it significantly adds to the weight. It really doesn’t bother me, but I can see how it could be a problem to others. Anyway, more on the cover later. The storage is also good enough for me. It has 4G internal memory. One small problem is that it doesn’t support expandable memory. But I think I can manage. The QWERTY keypad is nice. I don’t even care that it doesn’t have number keys. I also love the built-in Oxford Dictionary. Kindle’s software is pretty intuitive. I also haven’t experienced any crashes yet so that’s a good thing.

There are also some things that I don’t like about it. My biggest gripe is that it doesn’t support ePub, which is my favorite eBook format. I had to convert my eBooks to MOBI so I’ll be able to transfer them to my Kindle. I also didn’t like using its experimental internet browser, but it’s okay with me because I got my laptop and my iPod. I haven’t tried loading a PDF file yet, but I read a lot of reviews saying that Amazon Kindle doesn’t handle it very well. Let me make it clear that I don’t really mind these gripes that much.

The cover that I bought is the Lighted Book Cover which is also made by Amazon. As I mentioned earlier, it’s pretty heavy, but it’s okay with me. The cover is sturdy and it really protects my Kindle. I chose Steel Blue and the color wasn’t as bright as I thought. I really love the built-in retractable light which draws its power from the Kindle itself although I probably won’t be able to use it all the time because I have a bedside lamp (I do my reading before going to sleep). The cover is expensive, it costs $59.99, but I guess it’s worth it.

Now let me talk about the shipping process. I live in the Philippines so I was a bit hesitant to have it delivered to me. Good thing I found this forum thread which convinced me to buy my own Kindle 3. Amazon notified me thru email once they shipped the package. They gave me a DHL tracking number so I was able to track it. You can also track the package in Amazon’s site once you log in. They shipped the package October 11th and DHL delivered it to my house October 14th. The experience was convenient because you just have to sit and wait. Waiting is hard though.

Kindle 3 is probably the best and cheapest eBook reader (only $139) out there. I’m very happy and satisfied with it. I’m so glad I bought it!

PS. I named my Kindle “Matthew”. Got it from Van She’s bassist.

We’ll Miss You, Patchy

2010-10-05T07:18:00.001+08:00

Patchy, my sweet baby, passed away last night.

You will forever be missed, baby Patchy. We love you so much.

An Aspiring Yogini

2010-09-30T23:34:00.001+08:00

I’ve been meaning to talk about Yoga. I’ve just been busy with work so I wasn’t really able to write. And mind you, even if I’m busy with work, I still make sure to have time for exercise. I’m really trying to live a healthy life. But I’m not gonna lie to you, I still chomp on a lot of sweets. I don’t think I can live without them.

So let me move on to the subject. I wanted to try yoga since I was a teen, but I was hesitant about it. I told myself that I cannot be a vegetarian and aside from that, I don’t have the time and money to attend a yoga class. Even as I convinced myself that I’m unfit to do yoga, the thought still lingered on my mind. Then recently, I read a lot of stuff about it. I learned that one doesn’t have to be a vegetarian to be a yogi. Sure, it would be better to be a vegetarian, but you don’t have to force yourself to change your diet just to do yoga. I also learned that doing 20 minutes of yoga for 5 days a week is actually better than 2 hour sessions for 2 days a week. I immediately fell in love with Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, which has a sequence that need to be followed for about 90 minutes. And that’s what I did, or at least, I tried. The sad fact is, I’m literally unfit to do it. I had a hard time doing its fast paced movements. So I tried looking for other types, and finally decided on Vinyasa Yoga, which is pretty similar to it. It doesn’t have a sequence so it can be personalized as needed. I googled ‘free yoga videos’ then I found Yoga Journal’s website. I downloaded a number of podcasts and decided to try them out. Jason Crandell’s Energizing Sequence is my favorite. It feels pretty complete for a 20 minute session. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think it’s a Vinyasa Yoga sequence.

I’m really loving yoga. It makes me feel so great. It’s so relaxing and invigorating. I almost always complain about lower back pain and yoga helps me with it. My favorite pose that targets the hips is Pigeon Pose. I also love Downward Facing Dog for some reason. Another thing, or rather, person that motivates me to practice yoga is Kathryn Budig. She’s pretty sexy isn’t she? lol. Btw, believe it or not, my arms actually became more toned in just a few weeks of doing yoga. I’m still definitely a beginner so I try to be very careful, because like other exercises, you can still get injured from doing yoga. I’ll try to attend a class in the near future so that I’ll have an idea if I’m doing the poses correctly. Anyway, I’ll recommend yoga to anyone. You don’t have to be young and flexible to do it. You can always modify the poses to your liking and gradually improve your flexibility as you practice. I’ll end this post with links to yoga resources. Have fun!

http://www.yogajournal.com/

http://yoga.about.com/

http://www.myyogaonline.com/

My Favorite Blogs

2010-09-26T02:50:00.001+08:00

I may not be very active in my blogs lately, but I still bloghop. My day won’t be complete without it. Kess recently gave me an award, check it out here. I’ll do the same and pass it on to three very special bloggers. I give you my favorite blogs in no particular order.

Kess – I’m returning this award to her because she’s such a great online buddy. She’s absolutely the sweetest! I just love reading her posts. They’re always so thoughtful and sincere. Thanks again for giving me this award, dear!

Joyce – She is not very active in her BlogSpot nowadays, so I’m also following her on Tumblr. We became friends through Incubus. We love their music so damn much (not to mention the über talented and hot Brandon Boyd). lol. I actually think that we should meet. Perhaps in the near future, eh?

Ish – His blog has a variety of posts. Ish talks about anything and everything and that’s what I like about him. Another thing that I admire about him is he’s very hardworking. I wish I could be like you, my friend. And don’t even try to convince me otherwise.

I hope you like this award. I just written this a while ago. Feel free to pass it on. Hehe.. Anyway, I wish I could talk about yoga on my next post. As I told you, I’m really loving it. Thanks for visiting! Have a happy weekend!

I’m still alive

2010-09-19T22:52:00.001+08:00

Hi dear readers! I just want you to know that I’m still very much alive. I have been busy with work these past few days so please bear with me. And before you worry about my social life, let me tell you that I’m still very happy about it. In fact, I watched “Despicable Me” with Tobi and my little sister last week. The movie was great. Agnes is so cute! I also went to my friend’s birthday party last Wednesday. And last Thursday, I was busy preparing food for my mother’s birthday. To add to all of that, I play with our cats every chance I get and I do yoga every night. So that’s how my week was. Let me share some photos to show you how happy I am.

Me, Tobi and my ‘little’ sister at Mr. Choi Kitchen, Robinsons Galleria

Patchy, my baby

We call him “Taba”. It’s actually Filipino for ‘fat’.

Our kittens. They’re a tad malnourished, but they still look cute to me. :)

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a happy week!

Tagaytay Trip with Family

2010-09-03T14:47:00.000+08:00

I got sick. That’s why I wasn’t able to update this blog right after our trip. I still have cough and colds, but I no longer have fever. I really was too sick to blog. The rainy season is making everyone sick so I suggest you drink lotsa fluids and take Vitamin C. I wouldn’t want my readers to get sick.

It was just a few weeks ago when Tobi and I went to Tagaytay. Last Sunday, I went there again, but I was with my family this time.

We attended the mass in Pink Sisters. After the mass, we couldn’t resist taking a few photos.

me and my sister

me and my Papa

We decided to have brunch in Bag of Beans. I acted as the tour guide because it was their first time there. It’s a good thing my short-term memory brain still knew how to go to the place.

My mom, checking out Bag of Beans’ Menu

We weren’t really that hungry so we took more photos of ourselves.

You’ll rarely see me wearing this kind of (girly) outfit. If you’re a long-time reader, you’ll know this is not the kind I usually wear. I actually missed my chucks that time. lol. The change is nice though.

Bathing in sunlight.

They have some cute restrooms.

Cozy, ain’t it?

Seafood Pasta and two slices of Bread

Fish and Chips

That bangus was not that dark. I’m not sure what happened. :\

Omelet and sausages

They look so much alike, don’t they?

Do I look more like my mama or my papa?

It would have been better if my other sister was with us.

We were accompanied by a few other married couples that day. It was actually their outing. They all belong to Couples for Christ. Some couples also brought their children. After eating, we headed to a farm in Amadeo which is owned by a friend of one of our companions.

We left the farm and decided to go to Good Shepherd to buy pasalubong before going home. And on the highway, we took these.

Taal Lake. And that cone shape right there? That’s not the actual Taal Volcano. At least that’s what I heard. And our teachers didn’t know any better.

I love the sun on my skin. ♥

It was a fun trip. It was a bit tiring for me because I wasn’t able to sleep a wink the night before but it was worth it. I was actually asleep all the way home. lol. Again, thanks for reading this post. I hope the photos didn’t make you dizzy. If you’re Filipino, I assume you already went to Tagaytay. Would you mind sharing about your trip? Leave a comment, will you?

Just Had a Perm!

2010-08-29T01:23:00.001+08:00

Finally! And it’s cold perm.It was very spontaneous. It wasn’t even on my mind when we went to the mall. I’m not sure what happened. I just saw the new salon, asked them how much is the service, and then decided to do it. I think one big reason I did it is that it’s cheap. I had my hair permed for PhP600. Not bad huh? Anyway, this is going to be a very short post. This is probably my shortest post ever. I just wanted to show you my new look.

PS. I’m going to Tagaytay again tomorrow. Hope you have a happy weekend!

Having Fun at Galleria

2010-08-24T16:24:00.001+08:00

I want to apologize for my inactivity in the interwebs. Let me blame PLDT for my absence. Their service is unbelievably poor. The last time our internet connection (and phone) got a problem, it took them almost a month to come to our neighborhood and fix it. Anyway, enough with the rant. Let me get on with the good stuff.

It just occurred to me that all I ever post in this blog is my countless dates with Tobi. Well, this isn’t going to be different. lol. Tobi and I went shopping last Sunday in Robinsons Galleria. And I’m not ashamed to admit that Tobi bought some stuff for me too. He’s like my sugar daddy! haha.. Anyway, we immediately went to Kenny Rogers to eat because we’re both starving. The last time we ate at Kenny Rogers was just a few weeks ago (at Powerplant Mall branch) and we were really satisfied so we tried their branch in Galleria. However, we’re very disappointed because the food is not nearly as good. Tobi had the Classic Healthy Plate and I had the Lite and Easy Healthy Plate. The smoothies that we ordered were very sour not like the sweet smoothies we had at their Powerplant branch.

I didn’t even bother to take photos of our food. Obviously, we didn’t enjoy the meal so we went to Krispy Kreme to have some of their delicious doughnuts. And we didn’t regret going there. We’re so glad we went there. See the pictures and you’ll know what I mean.

Yes, that’s KitKat.

We love Krispy Kreme doughnuts. We don’t care how much calories they have. lol. Anyway, after that, we went shopping. Tobi bought a top for him and two dresses for me. Isn’t he so sweet? And aside from that, he also bought me my very own yoga mat. In case you’re wondering why I need one, well, I’m actually trying to learn both Yoga and Pilates right now. I downloaded tutorial videos and so far I’m loving them. I’ll try to talk about them in my next post. After buying some stuff, we decided to eat at Goodles. Upon checking the menu, we noticed that they only make pasta, but I gotta tell you that they have a lot. To tell you the truth, we weren’t really hungry that time, we just wanted to try their penne pasta with shrimp. And I have to say, it’s good. Unfortunately, I forgot the name of the dish that we ordered.

We just love taking our photo…

The sauce tends to settle at the bottom so you really have to mix mix mix!

After eating, we walked a bit and checked out some new books in Bestsellers and then we finally went home. What a fun day! It didn’t even cost me a single penny. And that’s thanks to Tobi. See you in my next post. Hopefully it’s about my new fascination on Yoga and Pilates. Thanks for reading!

Tagaytay Trip on Tobi’s Birthday

2010-08-15T23:06:00.003+08:00

We’ve been to Tagaytay a few times before, but this is the first time we went there together. Today is actually Tobi’s birthday and so we decided to celebrate it there. Fortunately, we didn’t get lost even though it’s Tobi’s first time to drive to the place. There are many road signs so we didn’t have a hard time finding it.

Tagaytay City is only 55 km away from Manila. A lot of Manileños love to visit the place because of its cool climate and obviously, its proximity to the metro. We chose to go there because we’re sick of going to the malls. We left Manila at 6am so we didn’t encounter heavy traffic along the way. I think it took us about an hour and a half to get to Tagaytay. We visited The Good Shepherd Convent, Tierra de Maria, and last but definitely not the least, Bag of Beans.

at Tierra de Maria

My hair’s becoming wavy again. I love it.

Btw, don’t let my bangs fool you. I only part it sideways when I’m with Tobi because he likes it. So basically, I still have blunt bangs.

The Virgin Mary

At Bag of Beans. It’s a popular coffee shop/restaurant/bakeshop in Tagaytay. We loved the food and especially the ambiance. The service is a bit slow though. We had to wait a long time for our food. But all the wait is definitely worth it.

White Mocha. It’s mine!

I love it when he smiles like this. :)

Fish n Chips

Roast Beef with veggies and mashed potatos

Salt is not so awesome…

2010-08-09T01:50:00.001+08:00

I’ve been a bit busy with my online jobs lately and that’s why I haven’t been able to update my beloved blog. I still make sure to have time to bloghop though.

Anyway, I don’t really have the time to linger around and tell you what I’ve been doing. Let me just tell you about my recent date with Tobi. We went to Powerplant Mall yesterday and watched Angelina Jolie’s latest movie, Salt. It’s not what I’d call a favorite, but it’s okay. Inception’s a whole lot better. Jolie was amazing, and not to mention, sexy, but the story’s not that great. The stunts are good though I gotta admit that watching her jump on moving vehicles gets tiring after a while. I think it won’t hurt if you’ll just wait and rent its DVD. It’s not something that I would want to recommend to you, my dear readers.

After watching the movie, we checked out some stores. It’s actually our first time in that mall. We think it’s a nice place to hangout so we’ll definitely go back there. So anyway, I’ve been forever wanting to buy a dress from Zara but I never find anything in my size (in the SALE section, that is. lol). I’m not sure, but I think I’m XS.. Unbelievable, huh? I don’t even think I’m thin. What do you think?.. We laughed at ourselves because we know that we’re not gonna be able to buy anything from Zara that is not on Sale.

We got hungry after all the walking we did so we finally went to Kenny Rogers to have dinner. I’ll let the photos do the talking…

I look hungry here. lol.

Grilled Fish and (steamed?) Veggies. My meal. They actually call it Low Calorie Meal. Yum!

my yoghurt

After eating, we walked a bit then finally went home. Another happy day with Tobi has passed.. So there. That’s my quick update. Just wanna let you know that I’m still alive. Thanks for reading and have a happy week!

Inception = Awesome

2010-07-29T07:45:00.000+08:00

I just want you to know that this is a pretty old draft, but I decided to post it anyway. I was not able to post it because I’m having trouble with my internet connection. So here it is.. Tobi and I watched Inception last July 18. It was amazing. It's one of the best movies of 2010. The story revolves around Leonardo DiCaprio's character named Cobb. Basically, he and his team makes a living by stealing ideas from people's minds. It's kinda hard to explain because I barely understood it. Of course I'm kidding. But it really is complicated so you gotta see it for yourself.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, one of my ~~many~~ crushes, is awesome in this movie. He plays Arthur, the Point Man, who is actually my favorite character. I’m just not sure if I like the character or the actor, or maybe both?.. The photo above is from my favorite scene of him when he was fighting the bad guys in a place where there is no gravity. And I’m not gonna tell you about it.

Ellen Page’s performance, as always, is great. Tom Hardy is funny. Marion Cotillard is hot. Ken Watanabe is brilliant. Cillian Murphy is hot too. I’m too lazy to make a full review. lol. Just watch it!

Sibling Rivalry…

2010-07-13T03:44:00.001+08:00

..in a good way. FIFA World Cup and Wimbledon just ended and we are caught in some kind of a sports bug. For the record, I’m not sporty so this is really unusual for me. I watched almost every match in Wimbledon and some in FIFA. And I’m not going to deny that one of the main reasons I watched them is the hot men. Haha!.. It felt so great when my bets won. Needless to say, I like Rafa Nadal and La Furia Roja. They’re so awesome, and did I mention hot? My favorite in the Spanish team is Gerard Pique. He’s a good defender and he’s got the most beautiful blue eyes.

Okay. I kinda went off topic there. It’s so typical of me. Let me get back to the topic. As I was saying, my sisters and I have been in a sporty mood recently. So we’ve been playing badminton these past few days, a sport which I find easy to play but I actually suck at it. As I said, I’m not a sporty gal. I prefer nonphysical activities like reading, taking photos of stuff, surfing the net and whatnot. Let me show you some photos of our “small badminton tournament” which is just outside our house.

We treated ourselves to some dirty ice cream to cool off. Click here to know what a dirty ice cream is.

I’m not gonna post my very unflattering photos this time. I wouldn’t want you to see my sweaty face. lol.. As much as I hate to admit it, I really enjoyed playing badminton. I think we’ll be playing it for a while.

How about you? Do you like sports?

eBook Reader Wanted

2010-07-05T03:17:00.001+08:00

You may not know this, but I love reading so much. It’s one of my favorite past times. And I’ve been wanting to buy an eBook reader for quite some time now. The problem is, there are only a few stores selling them in the Philippines. One of them is Infomax. I visited their branch in Trinoma yesterday and I was not disappointed. It’s actually my first time to see an eBook reader with my own eyes. Yeah I know, I’m pathetic and I should be ashamed of myself. Well what was I supposed to do? It’s not like I have the moolah to travel abroad. Anyway, back to the topic. Infomax is selling Kindle, Nook, and BeBook. I checked their prices and I was flabbergasted. All of them are being sold for more than PhP22,000. I don’t know about you, but that’s too much for me. If I’m not mistaken, Barnes and Noble is currently selling Nook for only $149. As of today, 1 US Dollar is equivalent to 47 Philippine Pesos. I’ll let you do the math.

I love reading so much. In fact, I have more than 600 eBooks in my hard drive today. And I’m using iBooks to read them. Reading from my iPod is fun, but it gets tiring after a while because of the backlight. And aside from that, the battery drains so fast when reading. Let’s face it, the iPod is not really built for this. Before you get the wrong idea, I want you to know that I still prefer reading an actual book. I’m really just a sucker for technology. And besides, it can’t hurt that an eBook reader can hold hundreds of books, can it? How about you? Do you have an eBook reader? If your answer is no, are you planning to get one?.. I actually got my eye on this online store. If you click the link, you’ll see that they’re selling the Sony Pocket Reader for PhP 11,000. I think the price is reasonable enough. I’m thinking of buying one from them. For now, I gotta save up. I’ll just leave you a photo of Sony Pocket Reader.

Too Lazy To Blog

2010-06-27T23:58:00.001+08:00

The last time I updated my blog feels like ages ago. Let me show you my recent photos.

I’m not really in the mood to write stuff lately, so I’ll leave you with this. The photos were taken earlier today when Tobi and I went to Greenbelt Makati. Anyway, I wish to write more in my next post. Thanks for visiting. Hope you have a productive and fun week!

Day Out with Boyfriend and Sister

2010-06-01T17:46:00.002+08:00

We had so much fun! The bad news is, I overspent money again. *sobs*

We went to Greenhills last Sunday. My stomach was already growling as soon as we arrived. We decided to have coffee in Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf because I was craving caffeine at the time.

my ‘little’ sister and her drink

Tobi and his Banana Chocolate

After drinking our coffee, we walked around and bought some stuff. Tobi bought some things for his iPod and I bought some girly stuff. We looked for a nice and reliable laptop for my sis because our parents promised to buy her one. That’s actually their graduation gift for her. Lucky eh? She’s the class valedictorian after all. After doing some window shopping, we finally went to Flapjacks to have dinner. We were all so hungry when we got there. It’s our first time to eat there and we really loved the food. Flapjacks is famous for their breakfast menu and I totally understand why.

The Famous All American Slammer from Flapjacks. Those are hash browns, sausages, bacons, eggs, pancakes and bacons.

I completely forgot to take photos of our pasta and salad because I was so hungry.

Getting to know each other. And I’m tagging you all.

2010-05-30T02:03:00.001+08:00

Charlie tagged me and as I said, I’m tagging all of you!

Create a New Blog Post.
Paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your title as "Getting to Know Each Other!"
Tagged as many people as you like :)
Contact the bloggers to let them know they've been tagged

1. What time did you get up this morning?
- 11am

2. How do you like your steak?
- Well done.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
- The Last Song. And I wasn’t really happy with it.

4. What is your favorite TV show?
- My current favorite is Gossip Girl.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
- France or Greece.

6. What did you have for breakfast?
- Hotdogs and a cup of red rice

7. What is your favorite cuisine?
- Italian. yum yum.

8. What foods do you dislike?
- The only thing I can think of right now is fried fish.

9. Favorite place to eat?
- Italianni’s. Everything is so delicious.

10. Favorite dressing?
- Balsamic vinegar.

11. What kind of vehicle do you drive?
- As much as I’m ashamed to admit this, I can’t drive stick shift cars.

12. What are your favorite clothes?
- My graphic tees.

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? . . .
- Australia. I want to watch Matt Van Schie or Van She perform live.

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
- Half full.

15. Where would you want to retire?
- Wherever my family is.

16. Favorite time of day?
- None. In fact I wish I have more time in a day because 24 hours is not enough for me. Do I make sense?

17. Where were you born?
- Quezon City

18. What is your favorite sport to watch?
- I kinda hate sports…

19. Who do you think will not tag you back?
- I don’t have a clue.

20. Person you expect to tag you back first?
- I don’t know.

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this?
- Everyone!

22. Bird watcher?
- Not really. I like watching people though.

23. Are you a morning person or a night person?
- Night person. I’m so grumpy in the morning.

24. Do you have any pets?
- Not yet.

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share?

Read more »

Current Addiction: Van She

2010-05-27T12:10:00.001+08:00

Van She is an Australian electropop band that I discovered thru Joyce's mixtape. I immediately got ~~hooked~~ addicted to them. Seriously, I cannot last a day without listening to their songs. And I blame Joyce for this addiction. lol. Van She's first album, called V, is just delectable. It’s very unusual for me to like all the songs in an album and yet I loved them all. I especially like The Sea. It’s the best chill-out song. It’s just so frustrating for me to search for decent videos of their live performances. Youtube doesn’t have it. The only site I know is moshcam.

From left to right: Michael Di Francesco (synths), Matt Van Schie (bass), Nick Routledge (vocals, guitar), Tomek Archer (drums)

I actually have a huge crush on Matt Van Schie. Yes, Van She’s name was taken from his surname. That’s how special he is. lol. Good news is he released Balmy Nights, his solo EP, just a few months ago. And the album title perfectly fits. His songs do not disappoint. The basslines in Lady is pretty cool. My favorite song is Journey. I love it so much that words escape me. Matt Van Schie's sexy voice is perfect for his songs. And btw, did I mention that he accepted my friend request in Facebook?

You won’t even imagine how glad I am when I saw that.

Looks like my taste in music is changing. I rarely listen to alternative metal stuff (like Mudvayne) anymore. Still, Incubus remains as my all-time favorite band. Anyway, it won’t hurt if you listen to Van She’s The Sea and Matt’s Journey here:

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

The Last Song Was Pretty Good

2010-05-25T01:05:00.001+08:00

It’s been weeks since Tobi and I last went on a date. It was actually one of the reasons why I was so bummed out to update my blogs. Anyway, we finally went to Greenbelt yesterday to make up for lost time. Good news, I actually didn’t take any photos so you won’t see any picspam.

My mother asked me to buy some grocery stuff so that’s what we did first. I actually had fun doing it because it felt like we were a married couple. lol. We went to the cinema afterwards and bought tickets for The Last Song. I was really looking forward to watch it because I loved the book. Anyway, we decided to eat first because we had a lot of free time and I was starving. We ate at Seattle’s Best, our favorite coffee shop. We had Clubhouse sandwich and Pasta Arrabiata. They were both so yummy. It’s a shame I didn’t take a photo. We went to Fully Booked after eating, spent a few minutes there and then headed to the cinema.

The Last Song, as I said, was pretty good, but I can’t include it in my list of my favorite movies. I am not a fan of Miley Cyrus and her acting made me hate her even more. Bobby Coleman’s performance, however, was really good. He made me cry a few times. Greg Kinnear looks like he’s really a good dad and Liam Hemsworth was ok. In fact, Miley’s the only one who looks out of place. Despite that, I still liked the movie. If you already watched it, tell me your thoughts, would you?

By the time the movie was finished, we were already craving for something sweet. We went to Red Mango but decided against it because it was so crowded. We decided to try gelato from Gelatone instead. I chose mixed berries flavor and it was so good. I’d love to try it again. Tobi chose chocolate and honestly, there was nothing special about it. We went home after finishing our delectable dessert.

It was a pretty sweet date. I just wish we could do it everyday. haha.. So how was your weekend?

Lazy as Hell

2010-05-20T22:00:00.000+08:00

Just trying out my new app, BlogPress. It's been a while since I last updated this blog or any of my blogs. To tell you the truth, I was just too lazy to post anything. And I still am. I've been so lazy these past few days.. I think I should stop blabbering now. Thanks for your patience. I promise to post something worthwhile to read next time.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Let’s talk about Mother’s Day, Jailbreaking, and Election Day

2010-05-09T16:19:00.001+08:00

First, I want to say Happy Mother’s Day! Let’s not forget to thank our moms for every little thing that they did for us. We won’t be where we are right now if it weren’t for them. So before you continue reading this, go hug and thank your mom for me.

I wasn’t very active in the blogging world lately because I’ve been busy playing with my baby. No, I’m not a mom yet. I’m actually referring to my iPod touch, which I successfully jailbroke. Hurrah! Yes, I did it myself, but not before reading heaps of tutorials about it. lol. I wouldn’t want to brick it after all. I’m feeling very generous today so I’m going to give you my resources. I have the 2nd generation, non-MC iPod and my OS is 3.1.3. Click if you want to know about the difference of non-MC and MC models. And this is the best resource that I got. It’s actually for iPhone 3G, but trust me, the instructions are the same for iPod touch. You can also check out this, this and this. Don’t check “Already pwned” if your device isn’t pwned yet. I tried jailbreaking my iPod three times and I got lucky the fourth time. After jailbreaking, you should see the Cydia icon on your device. Jailbreaking is fun, but it’s quite dangerous according to some people. It’s very easy, you just have to follow the instructions very carefully. Leave a comment if you have a question. I’ll do my best to answer you. But remember, jailbreak at your own risk! I will not be held responsible for your device. This is how my iPod touch looks like right now.

Okay, so this is the beginning of a completely different topic. Tomorrow is Election Day. I’m not really fond of sharing my political views but I felt compelled to share this one.

Click this for a much larger view.

Gordon’s the best candidate in my opinion. Maybe it is a little late to change anybody’s mind, but I want to think of it as a reminder. Let’s remember to vote wisely. The future of our country is in our hands.

Random updates:

I finally got my IVT certificate. Yay! Am I ready to be a nurse? Nay!

I just tried hair waxing (cold).

As I said, I’m feeling very generous. So if you are a fan of the Southern Vampire Mysteries, click this!

It’s too hot! Take me to the beach, will you?

Follow me in twitter to get more random updates.

Iron Man 2 Is Awesome

2010-05-01T02:56:00.001+08:00

It really is. I watched it with my sisters and we loved it. Mickey Rourke scared the crap out of me. I don’t really like him, but I gotta admit that his performance was really good. Sam Rockwell’s cute dance moves reminded me of another movie of his, Charlie’s Angels. I’m thankful because Scarlett Johansson played the Black Widow because Emily Blunt, their first choice, wouldn’t be nearly as good as her. I can’t say the same about Don Cheadle though, because I prefer Terrence Howard. I loved Howard in the first film. I especially liked the part when he said, “Next time, baby,” when he was contemplating whether he should wear the suit or not. Robert Downey, Jr., as usual, is amazing. He’s so hot! He and Gwyneth Paltrow make a perfect couple in the movie. Okay, enough of my fan girl talk. Here are some photos. Enjoy.

Scary!Scarlett Johansson is so hot. Gwyneth Paltrow looks lovely.Robert Downey, Jr. Pure awesomeness.

Nursing Career, Ukay Shopping and other boring stuff

2010-04-30T15:13:00.001+08:00

It feels like ages since I last updated this blog so you can expect a lot of blabbing in this post. Before I forget, I’d like to thank Juliet for the Sisterhood Award that she gave me. I just gave the Friendship Award to a few bloggers in one of my recent posts so I wouldn’t hold another award ceremony this time. I'm such a buzzkill, am I not?

Because I’ve been craving for ukay shopping this past few weeks, I went to Ukay Ukay sa Ortigas. For those of you who have no idea of what I’m talking about, ukay shops are basically thrift shops that sells secondhand clothing. I bought three tops and a pair of sandals. Each top is sold for PhP50 and the sandals cost PhP280 which I haggled down to PhP230. Pretty neat huh? A pair of Zara pumps caught my attention. The problem is it’s a half-size bigger. *sobs*. Anyway, Ukay Ukay sa Ortigas is really great. It’s a large shop which offers lots of good finds. Check out the shop’s pictures in spot.ph.

I tried DIY hair cellophane recently and here’s the story. I really loved the result and I think I’m gonna try it again. I’m satisfied with my hair now so I don’t think I’m going to try another do-it-yourself hair treatment anytime soon. And speaking of my hair, I had put it in a bun again for the nth time for my brief but sweet hospital duty. I had to render 8 hours of hospital duty yesterday to complete my IV (Intravenous) therapy cases. I had to have 3 IV Insertions, 3 IV Medications, and 2 Blood Transfusions. And surprisingly, I was successful! Yay! Another thing that surprised me was how much I enjoyed the duty. I thought I didn’t want to be a nurse anymore, well, I was wrong. But honestly, I’m not sure if that’s how I will feel once I get accepted in the hospital that I talked about here.

Doesn’t it surprise you that this post doesn’t have a single photo? Let’s keep it that way. Have a happy long weekend!

A Quick Update: Foodtrip Edition

2010-04-21T02:59:00.001+08:00

To tell you the truth, I’m not in the mood to update my blogs right now. I’m not quite sure why.. So just to keep you updated with my life, I’ll just show you some pictures.

Strawberry Ice Cream Shake from French Baker, SM Megamall. Tobi and I ate there last Saturday.

Egg Salad Sandwich from French Baker. I love the sandwich, the salad and the potato chips.

Blue Cheeseburger. This was what Tobi ate. It’s actually huge, it’s just not obvious here in the photo.

another vanity picture

my “little” sister

us at Figaro in Robinsons Galleria

While we’re waiting for our food..

Grilled Chicken Sandwich. Yummylicious.

So that’s it. Hopefully, next time, there will be more words instead of pictures. I’ll be completing my IV therapy cases next week. Wish me luck! I’m seriously going to need it. Have a fun week, everyone!

College Girlfriends Night Out

2010-04-11T07:22:00.001+08:00

At last, I was able to hangout with my college girlfriends. The last time I saw them was almost a year ago. You can only imagine how much I missed them. We met last Thursday at Gateway food court. Our original plan was to have coffee at Starbucks, but of course, plans, like promises, are made to be broken. After having dinner, we went to Padi’s Point Araneta Center Cubao and continued our bonding session there. Whenever we hangout, we usually eat and go to the movies. So it’s slightly different this time around.

outside Araneta Coliseum

while waiting for our drinks

A friend and I had this bucket of Red Horse beer for just the two of us.

Some of us are already feeling a bit tipsy after we finished our drinks. We decided to go to Starbucks to have our much needed coffee. Once we got there, I was surprised to see a high school friend. I almost forgot that he works there. lol. I started blabbering to him while I was at the counter and I’m sure he noticed that I was a bit ~~drunk~~ tipsy. I gotta admit I’m quite ashamed of my behavior that night, but I guess I learned my lesson. hehe.

at Starbucks Araneta

Do I look drunk to you?

My high school friend took this photo.

We all felt sleepy after drinking our fraps, which is quite funny because it’s coffee after all. Anyway, we decided to sleep in a place not too far away from there..

As you can see, my hair is losing its ‘waves’. hahaha. Wanna know how I made it wavy?

I’m making the famous duck face.

We weren’t complete but we still had a fun night.

I wasn’t really able to sleep. I just laid on my bed for a while and when I got bored, I got up and played Tap Tap Revenge 3 on my iPod touch. lol. I’m addicted to that game. And when they woke up, we said our goodbyes and went home. I don’t know about them but I really had fun that night. We shared a whole lot of stories and laughter. Wish we could do it again. If we’re lucky, we’ll be hitting the beach before the summer ends. I’m crossing my fingers (and toes) for this one. Have a happy weekend!

Blog Awards!

2010-04-08T16:47:00.001+08:00

It’s been years since I started this blog and I can safely say that I gained a lot of friends. Many people just passed by, but there were a few who always come back to this not-so-interesting-despite-what-the-url-said online journal of mine. You’re probably wondering why I chose that url and that title. Let me explain. I actually got them from a couple of Incubus’ songs. I got “Infinitely Interesting” from Echo and “Unabashed Honesty” from Have you Ever. You see, I’m a big fan of the band. They’re my all-time favorite. And I got to see them once, when they had a concert here in Manila last 2008. It’s a pity I didn’t blog about it but you can see my crappy photos here. So that’s my explanation.

Before I go on blabbing about other unimportant stuff again, let me start our blogging award ceremony. I’m going to describe the ‘winners’ first, just to annoy you. hehe. One is a very nice and sweet girl who gave me this award, one is a chef who writes so well, one is a talented photographer, and the last but not the least is a blogger who writes about a lot of interesting stuff like travel, politics and whatnot. *insert one big round of applause here*

(click the photo to go to the source)

The Friendship Award goes to my blogging friends, Kess, Lica, Joyce, and Ish! Yay! They’re ones of the few people who never fail to come back to this ol’ blog of mine. Thank you so much guys! And Kess, even if you’re the one who nominated me, I’m still going to nominate you because you deserve this. And to all my readers out there, you’re all winners because you can still keep up with my blog. lol. Til next post! I gotta get ready for the girls’ night out later. Will probably blog about it tomorrow. Have a happy week!

“Clash of the Titans” sucked but our date did not

2010-04-05T22:21:00.001+08:00

I was not able to spend time with Tobi during the holy week because we pretty much just stayed in our houses. We decided to spend some quality time with each other on Easter Sunday to make up for lost time. He picked me up at my house at 2:30pm and we went to Makati. We went to the cinemas in Greenbelt 3 and bought tickets for “Clash of the Titans” in 3D. We then went to Seattle’s Best, our favorite coffee shop, and had snacks. And as usual, we took some, maybe a lot, of pictures.

Yes, I have wavy hair now. I did it myself overnight. Wanna know more about it? Click here.

on the way to Makati

Tobi and his drink. Just look at the brownies.

me and my Java Chip Frap (and my favorite shirt, Spiderman)

our snack

Most of the time, we just walked around the malls, chatting and laughing and doing silly stuffs I wouldn’t dare say here. lol. Our favorite spot in Greenbelt was taken so we stayed at our second favorite spot.

I really, really love taking pictures of him.

all green

And because we had to wait a few hours for the movie, we just continued walking and walking. We just sit when I get tired, and I tire pretty easily. Yeah I should be ashamed of myself. I think I really need to workout. Anyway, back to the story. The movie starts at 8:45 so we went inside the cinema at 8:20. I was surprised because it was already crowded. Thank God for reservations. After going to our designated seats, we tried out our 3D glasses. They were very different from the ones in SM Marikina. If I’m not mistaken, they were tinted a little. So this is where my bashing of the movie, “Clash of the Titans” begins. I did not have high expectations from it to begin with, yet I was still disappointed. The plot has no depth. It’s purely one-dimensional and predictable. You wouldn’t even have to listen to the dialogue to understand it. Gemma Arterton, however, is so lovely. She’s glowing and I really fell in love with her. The performance of the actors are actually good. I just didn’t like the story. Sam Worthington was okay. Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes are great as Zeus and Hades respectively. If you’ll ask me if it’s great in 3D, I’ll say that it’s not. I won’t really recommend watching it to anybody.

The movie ended at 10:30 and because it was already a little late, we decided to just grab a bite at McDonald’s Ortigas. He finally drove me home after eating. I was really thankful to him because he paid for everything. Yes, I’m that poor. And I’m really ashamed of myself. lol. Anyway, I had a pretty fun Sunday. Hope you did too.

Graduation Season

2010-04-03T07:45:00.001+08:00

My youngest sister, whom I always refer to as my little sister even though she’s not so little anymore, just graduated from grade school and she’s the class valedictorian! Yay! I’m so damn proud of her. My other sister graduated from college so I think she deserves a mention in this post too. She took up Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts. So for now, I won’t be the only bum in the family. lol. I wasn’t able to go to her graduation but I, together with the whole family, was able to go to our youngest sister’s graduation last Wednesday. Here are some of the photos that I took.

I want you to meet my adorable “little sister”.

tres marias

Valedictorian and Salutatorian. Beauty and Brains.

Kaye’s feet are on the left and mine are on the right. Those stilettos are the death of me.

at the stage

It’s our time to shine. lol.

after the ceremony

at Italianni’s Eastwood, our family’s favorite restaurant

We’re really, really hungry at the time but we still have enough strength to take some photos.

So that’s it. I wish you had listened to her valedictory address, she delivered it wonderfully. Before I end this post, I just want to share with you what I’ve been up to these days. Here it is.

You can click the photo above to go to the ‘look’ page. That’s actually my favorite look that I did on looklet. In looklet, it’s almost like you’re playing with paper dolls. You get to dress them up with pretty clothes. And what I love about them is that the clothes are real. I mean, they have clothes from Urban Outfitters, American Apparel, and designers like the late Alexander McQueen. I’m really hooked with this site. I can go for hours and hours just dressing up my models. Go visit my page, I could really use some constructive criticisms. Before you click that link, you oughtta know that I do not know a thing about fashion, so please be gentle with me. ;)

Matabungkay in Sprocket Holes

2010-03-31T01:22:00.001+08:00

Sprocket holes, we finally crossed paths. I’ve been waiting forever for this. I’ll hate myself for eternity for rewinding the film in a not so dim bathroom. If you want sprocket holes in your Holga shots, click here and here. Maybe I’ll post some tips on this blog next time. Now let me show you my burned, cross-processed, sprocket hole photos from our recent Matabungkay trip.

Pink Sunset

Tobi and the humongous light leak. I’m not even sure if that still counts as a light leak.

Me and the Pink Sea

sprocket face

Pink Yelly

Peach Tobi

Matabungkay Shore

Peach-toned Tobi

Orange Silhouette

Tobi and the sunset

Me and the rafts. Look familiar? Check this out.

I’m not sure if the pink and peach tones are caused by my stupidity (and by that I meant the time I rewound the film) or by cross-processing. Yes, I asked Digiprint to cross-process this film roll for me, and for no extra charge. This marks the first time I used 35mm slide film for my Holga 120CFN and also the first time that I tried cross-processing. Yay for firsts! If you prefer the original square format, click here. Can’t get enough of my lomo shots? Go to my flickr page.

Three blog posts in one day! Whew! This totally breaks the record. I better crash now, I need to wake up early tomorrow for my youngest sister’s graduation. Yay!

Manila Pen in Holga Squares

2010-03-30T20:57:00.001+08:00

I love using expired films because they’re cheap. Yeah, I’m a cheapskate. I bought my film rolls here. This is actually the first time that I used my Holga after a long time. So anyway, I took my Holga 120CFN and a roll of Kodak Portra 160NC to Manila Peninsula and here are the results.

The view from our room. My trusty Holga camera didn’t fail me in this shot.

Sisters. Multiple Exposure. Flash.

It’s us again. We were joined by a cute Caucasian kid in this pic. It’s a shame he wasn’t looking into the camera.

Manila Pen’s pool

And an unrelated shot:Family. Sweet, huh?

You might wanna check out my blog post about our overnight stay at Manila Peninsula. The pool looks inviting, doesn’t it? I’d love to go back there. Manila Peninsula exudes luxury which I can’t afford. haha. Next post will contain my sprocket hole shots in Matabungkay.

Having Fun With Film: Fisheye Edition

2010-03-30T18:13:00.001+08:00

I finally had my film rolls processed! Yay! I gave them to Digiprint at SM Megamall last Sunday and I received the package this morning. I wasn’t expecting it because I was informed by their staff that I might receive it next week. Anyway, the rate is still the same. PhP155 for a roll of film and then add PhP30 for every additional roll. They accept a maximum of 5 rolls. After processing the film rolls, they will deliver it thru LBC. There’s no additional fee if you want to have your film cross-processed. Not bad, huh? I actually think it’s pretty cheap. But I haven’t tried other photo shops yet so don’t take my word for it. lol.

I will create a separate post for each film roll so you better be ready. What you’re about to see is the first film roll that I used with my Holga K200. I used Fuji YKL because it’s cheap. I used the fisheye lens in some of the shots. Enjoy!

a fountain in Greenbelt

trees in the city

Tobi’s light leaked portrait

my favorite spot in Greenbelt, Makati

serene

underexposed

outside Seattle’s Best, our favorite coffee shop

We named her Sophie.

So what do you think of my film shots? Too craptastic for your taste? I hope not. Sorry for the watermarks, I’m just playing it safe. Next post will contain my Holga shots in Manila Pen. Stay tuned!

I Keep Coming Back to Eastwood City

2010-03-23T19:32:00.001+08:00

Just got back from Eastwood. Yes, I’ve been there countless times before and I will never get tired of it. I just love the place. I got too many memories there. By the way, I was not able to take photos today. I completely forgot about my cameraphone. lol.

Two of my former officemates and I decided to hang out because we miss each other so much. Only one of us is left working at eTelecare/Stream in Eastwood. The other one is completing her studies in La Salle. We agreed to have a lunch date at Fazoli’s, an Italian fast food restaurant at the heart of Eastwood City. We love that place because they serve great and affordable food. You only need PhP200 to dine there. And as usual, we were not disappointed. The serving is huge. They give free bread and you can also have your drink refilled anytime. We stayed in Fazoli’s for a while and another friend joined us. He didn’t stay long because he still had to go to the office to have his clearance signed. We spent the whole afternoon laughing and chatting. We went to Eastwood Mall and just walked around. Then we went to Dairy Queen, my favorite, and both of them ordered Strawberry-Banana Blizzard while I ordered Oreo Blizzard. I finished mine first. lol. I really, really love sweets. There’s a big chance that I’ll get diabetes when I’m older, and to be honest, I’m quite scared. After finishing our treats, we went our separate ways. I had so much fun. I wish we could do that every week.

I’m actually having problems right now, nothing I can’t handle, but enough to make me glum. I almost forgot about them when we had our lunch date. I’m so thankful I have great friends.

Matabungkay Beach Fix

2010-03-16T01:30:00.001+08:00

Finally, we had time to hit the beach. We chose Matabungkay because its proximity to Manila. I enjoyed the company, but not the place. I’ll let the photos do the talking. That being said, you should expect a picture-heavy blog post, starting now.

We went to Metropoint Mall in Pasay because we were told by the Al Fresco people that that’s where we can find vans headed to Lian and Calatagan. The fare is PhP170 per person. So here we are inside the van, camwhoring because there’s nothing left to do. Our van left the mall at about 1:30pm. We encountered heavy traffic at SLEX because of the ongoing road constructions. It was quite a long ride in the van, then we got off at Matabungkay and rode a tricycle to Al Fresco Beach Resort. We paid PhP30 to the nice driver. He offered to pick us up the next day and we accepted it because we didn’t see a single jeep or tricycle on our way to the resort. We arrived at the resort at 5pm. We didn’t find any guards there. We walked a bit inside and finally found somebody. We told him that we had a reservation. He immediately called Ate Ruby, the caretaker of the place. Ate Ruby greeted us and handed us the key to our room. We were given one of the Superior Rooms. One of the lights inside the room won’t turn on and they don’t seem to know how to change the light bulb. We didn’t waste time because we want to see the sunset, so we got dressed for swimming and went outside.

Purak Room

The sunset was almost beautiful but the rafts ruined the view. That’s actually my main complaint the whole time we were there. The beach in Matabungkay is nice. The color of the sand varies from white to gray and the beach slopes gradually, which makes it safe for children. But as I said, the rafts really ruined everything. And the atmosphere there was very different from Laiya’s. You cannot really relax in the beach because many vendors and raft owners will pester you. You can also hear people singing in the videoke in the wee hours. And aside from that, there were quite a lot of trash along the beach. It’s such a shame, really, considering the beach looks good.

We went for a dip and I was really dismayed with the rafts because they’re blocking the way. Though I gotta admit that I almost forgot I had my period. lol. We went out of the water and took a bath before it went dark. The bathroom is small, but clean. We had dinner at past 7pm. They made us choose the food beforehand because we availed of three set meals, we chose grilled chicken for Tobi and liempo for me. After eating, we stayed at the cabanas while we hugged and chatted. We watched a bit then finally slept because we were just so tired.

And the sink is outside the bathroom.

the fishing rods displayed in the Dining Area

Tobi woke up the next morning disoriented. He forgot where he was and that he was with me. lol. Anyway, we got up and went outside. Then we started camwhoring again.

It’s almost wilted.

A Quick Beach Fix

2010-03-13T01:00:00.001+08:00

I just finished the 3-day IV Therapy Training and my hand hurts like hell. Well, I’m exaggerating it a bit. It only hurts when I move it, which is like, always. It’s so swollen that I can’t even see my veins anymore. And it’s in perfect timing too, because Tobi and I will hit the beach tomorrow. Yeah, finally our plan is about to unfold. It’s going to be a swell time! Pun intended. And did I mention that it will be the second day of my period tomorrow? Perfect, perfect timing! We’ll be going to Matabungkay for a quick beach fix. We’ll be staying at Al Fresco Beach Resort. So I’m gonna crash now. I need to wake up early tomorrow. Thanks for reading and have a fun weekend!

Alice in Wonderland in 3D Goodness

2010-03-09T00:47:00.001+08:00

Our first plan was to go to Eastwood. But we all know that plans are made to be thwarted. We went to SM Marikina instead so we can watch Alice in Wonderland in 3D. It was our first time to watch a movie in 3D so just imagine our excitement. I don’t know if it’s our lucky day, but we learned that the cinema is giving away hotdog sandwich/ butter popcorn, you can only choose one, for those who will watch that particular movie. Did I mention that the ticket is only PhP250? Tobi chose a hotdog sandwich and I chose popcorn, which I later regretted because it tastes like hospital food, meaning it’s bland. But it’s cool with me, it is free after all. Because we are one of the first ones who arrived in the cinema, we got to choose good seats. Look at us, wearing our 3D glasses.

We look cute, don’t we? lol.

Yeah I know, the glasses made my nose look absurdly huge. And would you look at that bony neck?? Seriously, I’m my own worst critic. So anyway, back to the movie. I’ve already seen most of the trailers the last time when my gayfriend and I watched Percy. I’m actually excited for Iron Man 2 even though I haven’t watched the first movie yet. I’m a loser, I know. Again, back to the film. So sorry if I easily get distracted. Tobi and I loved Alice in Wonderland so much. It was fantastic in 3D. Mia Wasikowska’s performance was great. She looked perfect for the role. And off-shoulder dresses really look good on her. Tim Burton outdid himself with this movie. And his partner, Helena Bonham Carter, was amazing. She’s indeed a queen. Anne Hathaway’s gracefulness and beauty made me love her even more. I don’t care what most people say about her dark and thick eyebrows in the movie. And last but definitely not the least, Johnny Depp, as usual, is so hot even though he’s playing the Mad Hatter. I haven’t read Lewis Carroll’s book but I think I will, in the near future. Alice in Wonderland is a sure hit in the box office. And because it’s a Walt Disney film, kids will surely love it. Go watch it in 3D. It’s definitely worth it.

A Few Drinks in Cafe Lidia

2010-03-06T23:11:00.001+08:00

Just finished taking a bath to get rid of the smell of beer on my body. And for the record, I just want to say that I didn’t get drunk. I had three bottles (I think) of San Mig Light and it’s just enough to make me a sleepy. Anyway, let me get on with the story. My friend, who is a former officemate, called me on my cell phone at lunchtime. We chatted for a few minutes and then he asked me if I was available because he wanted to drink. I was hesitant because it was terribly hot today. Then he told me that he would just pick me up at my house. I didn’t really believe him when he said that so when we hung up, I just sat down in front of my laptop. He called me again after a few minutes and asked me the directions to my house. Apparently, he was already inside our subdivision. I was shocked because I wasn’t ready to go outside the house yet. I hurriedly prepared myself and right after I took a quick bath, ate asked me if I was expecting a visitor because there was a car outside. Sure enough, I saw his blue-violet Honda Civic. He texted me to say that he’s waiting outside so I replied and told him I’ll be outside in five minutes. To make the long story short, he waited about 20 minutes outside, then I finally went out. I asked him where are we going, and as usual, he wouldn’t tell me.

I really have no idea where he was taking me. I was feeling a bit queasy in my stomach when he stopped outside a small cafe in Marikina called Cafe Lidia. To be honest, I was expecting him to bring me to a not-so-good place where beer is cheap. hehe. So sorry if I didn’t trust you, friend. I was impressed with the place. It looked nice and clean and the ambiance is good. The restaurant has this old-fashioned charm that I really loved. There aren’t many customers when we get there so it’s quiet aside from the music playing. I let him order the drinks and food because I know he’s going to pay for all of it. lol. We had nachos with cheese dip, fish and chips and blueberry cheesecake. All of them are so delicious. The serving was big so we didn’t finish eating all of it. The food is also very affordable. You get what you pay for and more. lol. I sound like an endorser. My friend told me that they even offer free wifi, but I didn’t try it. The place is really worth visiting. The problem is, I forgot the address of the cafe. Pfft. (edit: I remember it now, it’s in Calderon street!)

We already ate most of it when I took this shot.

Because my friend has been drinking since morning (he was with his college friend), we decided to go home so he can get some sleep. His shift ended at 7am and he hasn’t slept a wink yet. And as expected, he paid for everything. Yay! haha.. After paying, he drove me home. Thank you, friend!

I had fun today and I’m so sleepy already. Tobi and I will watch Alice in Wonderland tomorrow at Eastwood. I’m excited! Hope you have fun! Toodles.

Not So Happy Weekend

2010-03-02T00:26:00.004+08:00

I was not able to go to Qatar OD last Saturday and I actually have a pretty good excuse but I really cannot share it. Sorry guys.. Anyway, I just want to congratulate J-boy and Redchic, my fellow PExers, for getting accepted in Qatar Airways and Emirates Airlines respectively. You don’t know how happy I am when I read about it in PEx. I’m not really active in PEx but I make it a point to backread everyday.

One of the things that gave me joy this week was this,

Isn’t she so adorable?

I love kittens so much so I was so ecstatic when our cat bore two (one boy and the other is a girl)! It’s not really our cat. We just adopted it because it would always go inside our yard. I didn’t even know that it’s pregnant! lol.

We didn’t intend for them to live inside this box. Papa just left it outside and when we woke up the next morning, they were already there!

5 Out of 5 Smiles for Manila Pen, ☻☻☻☻☻

2010-02-24T01:26:00.022+08:00

As much as I hate to admit it, I had fun during our brief stay in Manila Peninsula. I didn't think it was possible but I really enjoyed it. You may have noticed in my previous post that I didn't have high expectations for our trip but I was proved wrong. I don't know if it was the exceptional service or the beauty of the place. Or maybe both. ;)

Manila Peninsula is located at the heart of Makati where all the action is. It is just a few steps away from Glorietta and the other Ayala Malls. It is the perfect hotel for travelers who want a taste of Makati. So why did we go there when we're not even tourists? As I've said in my previous post, we only had to pay half the original price. It is also our family's way of celebrating because my two siblings will graduate this March.

We carried our bags containing a few clothes and swim suits and went to Manila Pen. Check-in time is 2pm but we arrived there at 2:30 pm. The lobby is huge. I noticed that most of the guests there were foreigners. Anyway, the lobby has a lot of chairs and tables for waiting guests but since we arrived later than the check-in time, the key to our room was immediately given to us. We stayed at the Grand Deluxe Room. My youngest sister was so ecstatic to see our room. Upon entering the room, you'll find a closet on the left side along the small pathway to the bedroom. Next to the closet is a grand bathroom. The bathroom has a shower room, toilet room, big sink wih a huge mirror, and bathtub. The bathroom alone made me satisfied. Lol. After walking thru the small pathway, you'll find a study area on the right side and the bed on the other side and finally, the 40-inch Samsung LCD TV. If you visit their site, you'll notice that the Grand Deluxe Room has one bed only. The room is big enough to accommodate two more beds so we asked for them. With one king-sized bed and two single beds, the room is still quite spacious for a family of five. (Click to enlarge the photos.)

The Lobby

Tres Marias

my sister, jumping on the bed

inside the bathroom

mini bar (not included in the photo: mini fridge)

on the study table

the tub

While they were having their afternoon siesta, I tried the hotel's free wifi and it was surprisingly fast.

Vacation Mode: On

2010-02-20T06:52:00.001+08:00

It’s pretty late and I’m still wide awake. (Ooh, it rhymes! lol.) I fell asleep for about an hour while waiting for my sister. She arrived home at about 3am. I was actually rudely awakened by the noisy doorbell. But it’s ok. She just came from her friend’s wake and I know it must be a tough day for her.

I’m writing because there’s nothing better left to do. I still got an oDesk assignment and I haven’t quite completed the required hours (of work) yet but of course I need to rest too. I really need to take a break. And I will. My family will be staying at Manila Peninsula on Sunday night. Before you get the wrong idea, let me tell you that we’re only paying half the price for the room. I don’t want you to think that I’m rich because I’m not. lol. It’s been a long time since we stayed in a resort/hotel so papa decided to take advantage of our relative’s discount (my aunt works there). I honestly don’t know how will I enjoy my stay there when I have better plans in mind. Wanna know about them? Well, my boyfriend and I are thinking of hitting the beach on March. The last time we went to one was August 2009, when we went to Laiya. We really enjoyed our stay there. We like to think of ourselves as beach aficionados and we want to visit all the beautiful beaches here in the country. Laiya was a good place to start with. We’re still undecided about where to go on March though. San Antonio, Candelaria and Subic, all of which in Zambales, are our choices. I’ll tell you the reasons why we picked those places. Subic is very popular to tourists so this one is a no-brainer. Pundaquit, San Antonio is also known to a lot of beach goers because of Capones, Camara and Anawangin. Haven’t heard of them yet? Check this out. If you’re feeling lazy to click the link, then take a look at these wonderful photos.

a lighthouse in Capones

Camara Island

pine trees in Anawangin Cove

You can visit all these three with the help of a boat and naturally, a boatman who knows the place. I really want to try island hopping! I haven’t been there but I learned (from a number of blogs and forums) that there have a been a few unfortunate incidents that happened on vacationers who went to these places. And that is why I’m hesitating to go there.

Uacon, Candelaria is the third option because of Potipot Island. It’s just a five minute boat ride from the mainland. I’ll let this photo do the talking.

I haven’t been to a white sand beach yet and I’m absolutely aching for it. Potipot Island is probably one of the nearest white beaches here in Manila so I really, really want to go there. The problem is, it’s a little too far than the two other Zambales beaches that I mentioned. And if you’re a close friend, you probably know that my parents are very strict and I will have a hard time convincing them to allow me to go on a 3 days, 2 nights trip. So I’m a bit torn now. Help me decide?

Note: I don’t claim ownership of these photos. Click the photo to go to the source. If you find one of your works here and you want it to be taken down, leave me a comment or send me a message.

Valentine’s Day Date

2010-02-15T18:25:00.001+08:00

To be honest, I’m not really fond of Valentine’s Day. It’s not a day that I consider special, partly because our anniversary falls on the same month. Obviously, I will focus all my attention on our anniversary. Tobi and I are not one of those romantics who makes it a point to go on a date on this day. But we did go on a date yesterday. We did it because I wanted to watch Dear John. I finished reading it about a week ago and I loved the story. So even if Tobi isn’t into drama, I persuaded him to watch the movie. *insert evil laugh here*

We decided to go to Eastwood because we know that it’s not gonna be crowded unlike SM Megamall. And we were right. There were more people than usual, but I’m sure it’s incomparable to the volume of people in other malls. We checked the movie schedule, bought tickets and went to Fazoli’s to eat. I used to eat there when I was still working in eTelecare and I really missed the place. The food is very good plus it’s affordable. We ordered Fettuccine Alfredo and pizza rolls (I forgot the name). We also ate a lot of their free garlic breadsticks. It’s a shame I was not able to take pictures. If you’re a long-time follower of my blog, you’ll notice that Tobi and I love eating. It’s a good thing we never get fat. haha. We left the restaurant feeling so full.

To pass the time, we walked around Eastwood..

Then it was time for us to go to the movies. I didn’t have high expectations from Dear John because I almost always get disappointed in movies that were books originally. In the end, I actually loved the movie. It has slight deviations from the book but it was still pretty good. I almost shed a tear. Almost. I just had to laugh when I heard some girls crying. lol. The movie is mostly drama but you’ll get a good laugh every now and then. Both Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried are perfect for their roles. Tobi thinks they don’t have chemistry but I digress. I think they look good together. Tobi and I loved Dear John. If you haven’t watched it yet, go ahead and watch it.

Tobi and I arrived home at 9:30pm. He stayed for a while while we chatted and hugged. We really spent quality time with each other. It just feels so natural when I’m with him. :) Hope we can do it again soon.

How did you spend your Valentine’s Day? Did you have fun?

Tidbits of Updates

2010-02-12T18:39:00.001+08:00

My parents were forever persuading me to take up IV Therapy Training. I didn’t want to because many hospitals don’t require it. For those of you who have no idea regarding IV Therapy Training, it is actually to prepare us nurses to deliver nursing care properly on infusion therapies or suwero, as we Filipinos call it (quoted from Corexcel). Unfortunately, it is required in the hospital that I talked about in this post. Yep, the same hospital where I was treated so well that I wouldn’t want to work there. Forgive my sarcasm. So anyway, off I went to Veterans Memorial Medical Center yesterday to pay for the said training. It is my first time to go there but I’m pretty familiar with the place. I paid the fee, which is PhP2,800. The training dates that I chose is March 10-12. I’m neither nervous nor excited about it. To tell you the truth, I feel nothing. haha. But I do think I need to start studying for it to avoid looking like an idiot in front of my peers.

I can’t believe I’m writing this, but if anyone of you knows Pedicab’s setlist last Meiday, please do leave a comment or send me a message. Pretty please? I really liked a few of their songs, I just don’t know their titles.

Another thing, can you suggest a nice and relatively cheap beach resort that’s near Manila? Thanks!

Other random updates:

I’m excited for my oDesk shirt!
I want to watch Dear John. I just finished reading it and I absolutely loved it.
I’m currently reading A Touch of Dead, Sookie Stackhouse’s most recent book.
I’m not sure if I’m up to attending Qatar Open Day on February 27.

I apologize for my disorganized thoughts.

Dencio’s Eastwood and Meiday at Cubao X All in One Fun Night

2010-02-09T23:11:00.003+08:00

My former officemates had another unforgettable get-together last Saturday. We agreed to meet at 5pm but almost everyone was late. It’s okay though, we had fun taking pictures.

We decided to go to Dencio’s. We never get tired of that place. I, for one, miss Pancit Dencio’s. We ordered food and beer, had a lot of laughs and took pictures.

Sorry for my weird facial expression, I was chewing crispy pata here.

We really missed each other. We talked about a lot of stuff while drinking Red Horse. I learned that there are have been so many changes in the office aside from the fact that Stream already bought eTelecare. We mostly did silly stuff. I enjoyed watching a friend tie a knot in a cherry stem using his tongue. I didn’t think he could do it but he did it twice. I was so amazed.

We decided to go to Meiday at Cubao X when we learned that a number of indie bands are gonna play there and that there’s no entrance fee. How cool is that huh? Us girls rode with one of our officemates who has a car. The boys commuted to get there. It was my first time to go to an event in Cubao X and I gotta say that it was quite an experience. The crowd was very different from what I expected. There were so many girls. A large percentage of the crowd looked like rich people. I don’t want to label or stereotype people but that’s what I really noticed. As I’ve said earlier, there was no entrance fee so I was kind of expecting a different crowd, if you know what I mean. And because it was free, obviously, the place was jam-packed. If I’m not mistaken, there’s only one washroom for the girls and one for the boys. One has to pay PhP5 to use the toilet. I don’t even know why they charge people when the place is not even that clean. And when I was inside the washroom, I thought I recognized someone but I didn’t try to approach her because I was not really sure. I was thinking that it was Zylla, an online buddy. I noticed that she was looking at me when I was shamelessly staring at her. I later found out that it is indeed her. If you’re reading this, Zylla, I apologize if I haven’t introduced myself properly. My shyness got the better of me. lol. My friends aren’t really into the bands so we just hanged out at Genre Bar, which is also inside Cubao X. Again, we had a few beers. We also planned another get-together, and this time, it’s going to be at the beach. We haven’t decided on the venue yet, we’re considering Zambales, Pangasinan and Batangas.

A friend and I had a chance to watch Pedicab perform live for a few minutes. I didn’t really like them but their good performance convinced me to try to listen to more of their songs. The event was very different from other gigs and concerts that I went to. The stage was just a step away from the audience. It was almost intimate. We weren’t able to finish the show because I really, really had to go home. It was already 2am and I have no key. Thankfully, that friend drove me home. I was lucky because my sister was still half-awake. haha. I slept immediately after taking a bath because I’m so damn tired.

I had so much fun that night and the other nights as well. Everything is going so well. I even won an oDesk shirt because of the feature that I got with this post! So how was your weekend?

*Note: All photos were grabbed from Dryx.

My Favorite Number 8 – 2nd Edition

2010-02-08T02:58:00.001+08:00

8 TV Shows We Like to Watch

(This does not necessarily mean that I watch them all the time.)

True Blood
Spongebob Squarepants
Grey’s Anatomy
Nip/Tuck
House, MD
America’s Next Top Model
Saturday Night Live
Gossip Girl

8 Favorite Places to Eat and Drink

Italianni’s
Dairy Queen (my favorite is DQ Oreo Blizzard)
McDonald’s
Yellow Cab
Seattle’s Best (one of the best coffee shops)
Fazoli’s (I love love love pasta)
Wendy’s
Red Mango

8 Things I Look Forward To

getting a job
going to the beach
reunion with my College friends
visiting my parents’ hometown, Marinduque
using my Holga
buying an eBook reader
reading my eBooks
traveling in the country (places: Baguio, Bohol, Batanes, Boracay, Palawan, Davao, etc.)

8 Things that Happened Yesterday

Went to a funeral.
Hugged and kissed Tobi. ♥
Hanged out with friends.
Drank a few bottles of Red Horse.
Got tipsy.
Watched Pedicab perform live in Meiday.
Got scared of my friend’s driving.
Went home really late.

What a day! I’ll tell you more about it probably on my next post.

8 Things I Love About Winter

To tell you the truth, I haven’t experienced it yet. So here are the things that I think I’m gonna love about it.

the scenery
winter clothes
the cold (brrr!)
ice skating
snowball fights
snowman
ski
lit fireplace

8 Things I Am Passionate About

Life
Love
Photography
Arts
Music
Books
Blogging
Food

8 Words/Phrases I Often Use

Shoot
F**k
Oh yeah!
Chuvaness (got this from my gay friends)
Whatever
Oh my God!
Tsktsk
Other curse words that I can’t bear to include here.

8 Things I Learned from the Past

Never give your trust away.
Think hard before you act.
Never dwell on the past. It won’t help.
Take risks.
Give and you shall receive.
Pray hard.
Accept your flaws and shortcomings so that you’ll love yourself more.
Always look at the bright side.

8 Blog Friends to Tag

I won’t tag anyone. If you want to do this, go ahead. Just give me a link to your post.

Got tagged by Juliet. I actually did a similar post back then. Check it out. Now I think you learned a lot about me. Is it too much information? I hope not. Have a good week everyone!

Club Manila East Fast Facts

2010-02-03T23:45:00.001+08:00

I decided to create this post because I’ve been receiving a lot of questions about Club Manila East. I’m not in any way affiliated to them. My friends just ask me because I’m near the place. So here are some tidbits of info I gathered.

It’s almost summer and naturally, people are already excited to go swimming. There are many resorts bordering around the busy streets of Manila but only a few are decent (in my opinion). Club Manila East Taytay is one of them. A lot of TV shows have featured this resort and that only adds up to its popularity. If you want to relax and unwind but you don’t have a lot of time, then this is the perfect place to be. It’s just an hour away from the hustle and bustle of Manila. Well, depending on the traffic, of course. If Ortigas Extension is not that congested, you’ll get there within 30-45 minutes.

View Larger Map

Club Manila East Taytay Rizal is huge. It has a lot of pools. The most famous attraction is the CME Beachwaves. As the name implies, it boasts of machine-generated waves. And like the beach, it gradually deepens. This can be a good alternative to the beach though you won’t see any sand there. I’m not really fond of the Beachwaves but I do love the other pools. I mostly hang out at the pool with the slide (sorry, I don’t know what it’s called). You also don’t have to worry about bringing your kids there because they have a kiddie pool. Another good thing that the resort has is that they offer Basic Surfing Course. You can learn more about it here.

CME has a boating area. You can go kayaking there for free! If it’s peak season, you’ll expect to see a long queue there. But if you’re lucky like me, you can have the area for yourself. And if you don’t know how to swim and you just want to take pictures of your bikini-clad body, then you can do it here. The place is clean and well-maintained. Here are some photos I took.

Film

double exposure (click to enlarge)

Digital/Cameraphone

me and my best friend

deserted

The entrance fee in CME Taytay Rizal is PhP350. You can stay there from 7am to 9pm. The resort has a number of cabanas, huts, cabins and pavilions but you have to pay extra for that. If you have a tight budget, you can choose from the many chairs and tables scattered around the whole resort. There are also plenty of restrooms around the place. I haven’t stayed at their hotel yet so I don’t really know anything about it.

Let’s go to the boring part. CME is very strict with their policy so you better check it out before going there. Shirts are not allowed so prepare your swimsuits if you want to go swimming. Bringing food inside the resort is also prohibited, but you don’t have to worry because they have a restaurant inside. Although if you really want to bring food, you can leave it inside your car and then you can just go there whenever you’re hungry. You won’t look like a cheapskate because a lot of people are doing that. Pets are also not allowed.

I hope this post helped. Not yet satisfied with the info I provided? Go to their official website. You can also check out their Facebook Page to see learn more about their promos. Have fun!

Six Years of Friendship, Love, and Everything in Between

2010-02-02T16:14:00.001+08:00

We started as friends. No, scratch that, we became best friends. We always talked on the phone and he endured all my nonsense talk. He put up with my moodiness and craziness. He showed me love when I didn’t deserve it. He was always there when I needed him. He never left my side, even when I strayed. He has forgiven me for all the terrible things that I’ve done. He truly has never ending patience. I thank God for having him in my life.

Happy 6th Anniversary, Dee! I know we’ll be counting more years together.

Career Week

2010-01-28T17:49:00.001+08:00

Each night, I pray to God to help me with my career. I got a bit busy this week because of my hospital and airlines application. Let me tell you about them.

January 26 (Tuesday): I slept for two hours and then got ready for my “big day”. I was told Monday night that I’m going to take an exam in a particular hospital. I’m unprepared and I lack sleep (obviously). How much worse could it get? I tried to push all the negative thoughts away. I thought about my future. I finally concluded that it was not that bad. In fact, I’m fortunate to have this opportunity. I’m not gonna lie. Somebody’s kind of helping me with my application. Papa’s friend works in that hospital. I’m not really fond of getting help from people when it comes to my job applications but I don’t think I have a choice because papa is the one behind all of this. For the record, I just want to say that I’m very thankful for it. And besides, most hospitals nowadays prioritize ‘referrals’ from their employees. Walk-in applicants in that hospital are interviewed first, then they take the exam. I was not even interviewed. They let me take the exam. I haven’t even had IV Training yet, which is a basic requirement in that hospital. The recruitment officer told me that I still have to be trained and once I present my certificate to them, they will schedule me for an interview and another exam. The recruitment officer looked very kind and accommodating. I was WRONG. He did let me take the first exam, which is mainly an IQ and Logic Test. And he did not let me join the other applicants who are taking the same exam. I thought I was special. Little did I know that I would be answering half the exam on my lap! He asked me if it’s okay with me and who was I to say no? So I tried my best to answer in the HR room, which is quite crowded that time. People were stepping on my feet, chatting unstoppably, and bumping my chair. I almost cried out of frustration. What’s worse is that an applicant, who arrived late, was asked to join the other applicants in the exam room. So that’s the kind of ‘special treatment’ that I got.

Today: Okay, now I’m gonna tell you about my first time to apply for a flight attendant position. Again, I slept for about two hours that night. I didn’t look my best but I’m pretty sure that makeup made me look better. I prepared for about two hours then off I went to IPAMS, the agency that handles the applications for Emirates Airlines. When I arrived there, there were already a lot of aspiring flight attendants. I gotta admit, a lot of them were really beautiful. But my spirits were not dampened. I was smiling the whole time I was there. I chatted with two of the applicants while I was waiting. The first one, a guy, said that he came all the way from Batangas. The other one, a girl, told me that she’s a Mass Com graduate. Her name is Paula. I did not get the guy’s name. My name was called by Sir Noel (I think), he checked my height and weight. I noticed that I still didn’t reach the 50kg mark. If I’m not mistaken, I weigh 47 or 48 kg. So much for my plan to achieve 50kg. My current BMI is 18.2, so technically, I’m underweight. It’s quite a shocker, right? Cause I really don’t look like I’m underweight. Do I?.. After checking, he asked me to go back to my seat and wait. Ms. Rocel called me a few minutes later. She examined me from head to toe and asked me to sit. She asked me a few questions like why didn’t I pursue my nursing career, how did I learn about the opening and stuff like that. I was also asked to show my hands. Then she asked me to stand up and turn around. After that, she let me sit again and gave me the closing spiel. She told me to wait for an email from them and then she told me that I can go. I went outside without even saying goodbye to Paula and the guy, and I’m terribly sorry for doing such thing. I was not expecting to be ‘eliminated’ just like that. But then again, maybe she didn’t like my appearance and the way I answered her questions. Whatever it is, I’ll never know. Looks like I’m not gonna be joining flygirl anytime soon. lol. It’s actually the first time I got ‘rejected’ (The first time that I applied was in eTelecare/Stream and luckily, I was hired.) but I wasn’t really that disappointed because I know that God will give me other opportunities.

so this is me when I got home (not in the photo: my blazer)

When I got home, I received a text message from papa telling me that I passed the first set of exam in that hospital. God really has a way of working things out. I was very happy when I read that message although I wouldn’t want to get my hopes up because the recruitment officer seem to hate me. And another thing, this is not the end of my plan to become a flight attendant. By the way, I’m not undecided, I’m just trying to explore my options.

Tell me about your career stories, I’d love to hear them.

Movie Date with Tobi ♥

2010-01-26T02:32:00.001+08:00

I said in my last post that I was planning to go to IPAMS. Unfortunately, procrastination got the best of me. But I promise that I’ll be going there this week. I’m also thinking of going to Mayon, the agency that holds applications for Oman Air. I actually got that idea from Joanne, who went to these agencies last week.

I got so busy with work these days that I didn’t even have time to update my tumblelog. But don’t worry, I still have time to have fun! lol. I worked all day last Saturday so I took a break on Sunday. Tobi and I went to SM Megamall. And because he just got his first salary, he treated me out to lunch. We ate at Bigby’s Cafe and Restaurant. And I must say that I’m pleased. The serving was huge and the food tastes good.

Choco Loco and Monkey Business Freeze

Carbonara

Granny’s Chicken Fried Steak

I think I’m beginning to look like Tobi.

We didn’t eat everything because we were already so full. I told you, the serving was humongous. After eating, we watched Heath Ledger’s last movie, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. The movie tickets were actually care of my mother’s credit card, thanks to Citibank’s promo. We got two tickets for two receipt purchases of PhP1,500. We just had to pay an additional PhP40 because the receipts that we have are worth PhP130 each. Isn’t that great? Learn more about it here. Anyway, back to the movie. We absolutely loved it. The movie was a bit weird, I’m telling you, but it did entertain me. All the actors performed well. Lily Cole was amazing. I didn’t know she could act. Heath Ledger’s performance was excellent. The movie made me miss him. The three actors who replaced Heath, Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farell, were all great. And it made me so happy to know that they all gave their earnings to Matilda, Heath’s daughter. Aren’t they sweet?

After watching the movie, Tobi and I went to the very popular Red Mango. We finally tried their frozen yogurt. I think frozen yogurt is slowly replacing overpriced coffee (yes, I’m talking about Starbucks). It’s rapidly gaining popularity. It’s now becoming a fad. That’s totally okay with me because I really love yogurt. And by the way, just for the record, I also love coffee.

I really, really got to sleep now. According to my body clock, it’s not yet late. My bed time is 4am. (Now you know why I have eyebags.) I just need to sleep earlier than usual because tomorrow is exam day! Yes, you read it right. I’m going to take an exam in a hospital not far from here. If I’m not mistaken, I passed my resume last November. And tomorrow will be my first exam. Oh gawd, I’m not ready. And by the way, I think you’re already confused. In the first half of this post, I talked about becoming a flight attendant. Now, I’m talking about another career option. Actually, I think I’d prefer to be a flight attendant. The salary might be lower but I’m sure that if I become one, I’d have more chance to go home. But I wouldn’t want to disappoint my parents. So here I go. Wish me luck? Or better yet, would you give me a hug?

Flawed But Hopeful

2010-01-21T18:29:00.001+08:00

I mentioned in my older posts that I’m quite inclined to apply as a flight attendant. I think I don’t need to explain more on that since we all know what are the perks of being one. And finally a great opportunity presented itself about a week ago, IPAMS will be conducting pre-assessment for those who want to work at Emirates Airlines. I think I read about it in several blogs that I’m following. Learn more about it here. I got a bit excited because this will be the first time that I’m going to try it. But there’s a part of me that’s saying that to apply in an international airlines is a bit far-fetched considering I haven’t even tried the local airlines yet. Then I told myself, what have I got to lose? So I made a decision to go to IPAMS this Saturday. Wish me luck!

I don’t really believe in bad luck but the rashes on my right leg made me want to consider it. Why do they have to appear now? I think it’s allergy. There was a time when I became ‘allergic’ to chocolate. I’m not really sure if it is an allergy but I think it is because I get big, red rashes whenever I eat one. And what’s worse is that they get darker after sometime. Anyway, I consider that as one of the lowest points in my life. lol. Anyone who’s close to me knows that I eat, drink, breathe (well, not really) chocolate. That’s how much I love it. Where was I? Oh yes, back to the story. I ate half a packet of M&M Crispies and one whole bar of Snickers last night. When I woke up this morning, I scratched my thigh but I didn’t look at it. And while I was watching “House” on AXN, I finally noticed the nasty rashes. I don’t know if I should be sad because of the bad timing or because of the fact that I’m allergic to chocolate again. Sigh. I took Claritin this afternoon. I really hope it works. There’s also another thing that’s been bugging me, my mother now wants me to apply for a student visa in Australia. Obviously, she’s thinking about my nursing career. I’m actually considering it right now. But that’s another story which I will probably tell you in another post.

I know my looks are far from perfect. I accepted my shortcomings a long time ago. I have blemishes and pimple marks. A pimple is likely to appear on my face during PMS. My tummy is a bit bulgy. I have a small backside. I’m aware that I have a lot of imperfections. Having said all of these, I will still try my best to apply as a flight attendant. I want to believe that I can still be beautiful despite all the flaws.

Can I handle this?

2010-01-19T12:53:00.001+08:00

I got so busy last week that I didn't have time to update this blog. But I do update my tumblelog more often. I don't really consider it serious blogging but I love it nevertheless. Follow me?

Maybe you're wondering what's keeping me busy. In my previous post, I mentioned that I applied for oDesk jobs and got interviewed once. Good news, I got two online jobs! Yes, you read that correctly. I was interviewed again last Saturday. It was thru Skype this time. I’m so happy I got two jobs! I think I can pay my mother on time! lol. I think I’m going to have a bit of a hard time because I have to please my two bosses, hence the title. And this would probably mean less time for me to blog. But don’t worry, I’ll be sure to update this every now and then.

When Cristy said in her post that she’s giving away free prints, I got too excited so I immediately filled out her form. She then said that she sent the prints December 21, 2009. And because the snail mail system here in Cainta sucks big time, I only got the prints last week. I waited a long time to get the prints and they’re finally here! Yahoo!

The extra blank note card, which was given to me because I’m one of the first ones to fill out her form, is not included in the photo. And by the way, those glasses are just for computer use.

Aren’t they great? Go visit her flickr to see more of her awesome shots! She’s been very sweet and kind to her followers. And she even sent me an eBook once because she read in my blog post that I’ve been forever looking for that particular eBook. I’m actually thinking of returning the favor by sending her my photos too. I’m a bit hesitant because my film shots are not that exciting compared to hers. But I’ll definitely think about it.

I should be turning off my laptop now because I’ll be going to Trinoma to meet my college friends. See you around!

Of Online Jobs and Hairstyles

2010-01-13T16:52:00.001+08:00

This is how random I can get. (I meant the title.) I know those two are not even the least bit the same. Well, it’s my blog so I can do whatever I want with it. I just wish I don’t lose readers because of the way I write.

As you all know, I’m currently jobless. My first buyer/ employer in oDesk just ended my assignment last Monday. I’m a bit sad about that because I like my buyer. He’s very kind and appreciative of my work. I do hope I can work with him again. So because the assignment has already ended, I was asked to leave a feedback for my buyer. I learned that I could only see his feedback once I leave a feedback for him, which is totally cool. I’m sure oDesk wants us to be fair in giving feedbacks. I left him a perfect feedback, I even gave him nice comments. Immediately after submitting my feedback, I saw his feedback for me. Here it is.

I was so glad when I saw this. Having a good feedback in my oDesk profile means more opportunities for me. Anyway, I didn’t waste time and tried to look for another job. After waking up the next morning, I immediately check my email. One potential buyer invited me for an ‘interview’. An interview in oDesk can mean many things. A buyer may want to interview you on Skype, or he may ask you to do something to test your skills. I was asked by my potential buyer to do something, I find it easy but I was not really sure if he’ll like my job because he has asked a lot of provider (that’s what you call us) to do it. So that means more competition for me. Wish me luck!

Okay. Changing the topic now. I just want to say that I kinda miss the time when I was a bit adventurous about my hair. There was this one time that I had three (3) haircuts in a week! I had very long hair before this ‘incident’. Then it went to this.

By the way, those waves are natural.

then this

Check out my rebond experience here.

Update: I wouldn’t want you to be confused so here is my most recent photo.

And the rest is history. You probably know how my hair looks like now. It still pretty looks decent if you ask me. hehe. Anyway, I miss those times. I’m so scared to get a perm. I can’t even bring myself to have a haircut. lol. So that’s about it. Check my new blog if you have spare time. I hope the next post that I’m going to write is about me getting a new job!

Jobless But Busy

2010-01-11T17:29:00.001+08:00

I got inspired after seeing Kess's makeover. I wanna get a perm! But I have to consider a few factors before I do such thing. First, I don’t have budget for it. I still owe my mother 20k because of my laptop. And worse, I’m actually jobless right now because my oDesk buyer is having problems so he had to end my assignment. He hasn’t actually ended it yet but he told me a few weeks ago that he’s going to end it today, January 10, 2009. Another thing, I’m afraid to do anything to my hair. I had it rebonded last February 2009 and I quite liked the result. But the stylist told me that my rebonded hair might not have a good reaction to a perm. I’m scared to do anything drastic to my hair. I think I’ll just get a haircut soon. lol.

On a different note, I had a happy weekend. I went to the birthday party of Tobi’s grandfather. It’s also the despedida of his aunt’s family, the ones that I mentioned in this post. All of his relatives were there so I tried to look my best and smile all the time. I wouldn’t want them to have a bad impression of me. I already met most of them in other get-togethers but I’m not really close to them. Tobi and I have been together for more than 5 years now so it’s just acceptable that I already know his relatives. I ate a lot because there’s just so many food to choose from! It’s a good thing I wore my black empire cut top (it’s loose on the belly part. lol).

This time, I was not able to take decent pictures because Tobi’s cute cousins were so busy playing! :D

By the way, I actually got a new blog dedicated to women’s interests. That, along with other social networking sites, will surely keep me busy in the coming weeks. See you there!

Mood: Excited!

Listening to: Psychosocial by Slipknot

Reading: a lot of websites about Baguio City

Watching: nothing

Eating: Marks & Spencer Dark Chocolate Digestives

Drinking: cold water

Thinking about: our upcoming trip to Baguio City on our 6th anniversary. *crosses fingers*.

Win a free WOW Boracay Package!

2010-01-10T00:43:00.001+08:00

Win a Free Boracay Vacation Package by WOW Philippines Travel Agency WOW Philippines Travel Agency, Inc. is celebrating it's 5th year in business during July of 2010, and we would like you to have a chance to celebrate with us, so we have decided to give-away a FREE Boracay Package complete with 5 Star accommodations at the luxurious Le Soleil de Boracay Hotel on Boracay Island. The lucky winner will win the following Boracay vacation package. Vacation Package Inclusions: - 5 Days / 4 Nights Luxury 5 Star Accommodations at the Le Soleil de Boracay Hotel
- Flights to Boracay from Manila to Caticlan Airport on Philippine Airlines
- Island Transfers - Door-to-Door from Manila to the resort and back to Manila Domestic Airport
- Three (3) Meals each day, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
- Boracay Activities - Horseback Riding, Island Hopping, Glass Bottom Boat
- PLUS - 5,000 peso Spending Cash
Read More Information: http://www.boracay-packages.com

Oh my God! This is so cool. I’ve been wanting to go there for quite some time now. *crosses fingers*

Bestfriends Basking in the Sun

2010-01-08T15:50:00.001+08:00

Forgive me if I haven’t been very active in the blogging world lately. As some of you may know, I’ve been hanging out with my bestfriend these days. And that’s what I’m going to tell you in this post.

We went to Club Manila East Taytay last Wednesday. To say we had fun is an understatement. The weather was perfect. It was just right for swimming. The resort was deserted. It almost felt like like we own the place. lol. Joyce was so excited to go bask in the sun. That’s pretty understandable because she came from Chicago, The Windy City. It’s actually our first time to go swimming together. So without further ado, let me show you our photos.

Yes I know, my tummy is flabby (thanks to the Holidays). My hair’s damn messy. I told you, the resort was deserted. It’s fun to go to Club Manila East during off peak season. Nivea Children’s Sun Lotion SPF 50. We were so afraid to get sunburned. We just want to get that nice glowing tan. lol.

kayaks Tanned enough for you?

We were in the resort from 10am to 6pm. I’m thankful I bought that sun block because we might have been burned if I didn’t. Tobi went to pick us up and then the three of us had dinner in Jollibee, SM Taytay. If you ask me, I didn’t really want to eat there. It’s just that my bestfriend missed that fast food restaurant, which I totally understand because there’s no Jollibee in Illinois.

Because we were so exhausted, we headed to my house after eating. Tobi left my house at about 9pm. We continued our bonding session at home and fell asleep while chatting. Hooray for sleepovers! And the next day, I gave her my gift, I’m not really sure what to call it, I think it’s a bath kit. She promised to meet me next week so she can give me my Cadbury and a book which she and her boyfriend bought. I can’t wait!

Mood: Happy

Listening to: Letting the Cables Sleep by Bush

Reading: this blog post

Watching: E Special about Miley Cyrus. lol.

Eating: Lucky Me Sweet & Spicy Pancit Canton

Drinking: my favorite! pineapple juice. :)

Thinking about: my future. :))

PS. I was not able to use my underwater film camera because it broke while I was trying to load it.

It’s Friday again. Hope you have a happy weekend!

Bestfriends Day Out!

2010-01-05T17:52:00.001+08:00

After more than two years of waiting, my bestfriend and I finally met yesterday! Woohoo! I can’t find the words to express my happiness. We agreed to meet at her brother’s office in Makati because she already forgot how to commute. lol. Well I guess that’s only normal since she’s been in the US for more than two years. She went with her brother, who has to go to work at 8am, and I went with my parents cause my mama’s office is just near. Needless to say, we met early in the morning. Since not one mall is open at 8:30am, we decided to stay in Starbucks along Ayala.

Well, you can’t really tell that it’s Starbucks but what the heck.

She bought drinks for each of us and we talked about a lot of stuff. She showed me her newly acquired Nikon D5000 which her papa gave her. And yes I was a bit envious but I reminded myself that I’m going to buy one soon. Haha. Her papa called a few times, checking on her. I think he’s worried that I brought Joyce’s ex boyfriend with me. lol. Let me be clear that I’m not planning to do that cause I don’t want to interfere with them. The thought did not even cross my mind. He’s a close friend and she’s my bestfriend but getting them in a room together is not a good idea right now. And besides, my bestfriend is very happy with her boyfriend. Anyway, I totally understand her papa’s concerns (if that is really it). I actually thought that it was sweet of her papa to call her considering he’s in Hong Kong.

We decided to walk to Glorietta at about 11am. I’m just glad it was not hot that day. We had lunch in Max’s (she paid for it again) and laughed at the waiters there. No, we’re not mean. It’s just that the waiters don’t seem to know what they have to do. I think they’re new. So we walked and walked around the malls there. She bought a couple of tops and I bought a bathing suit (that is sure to expose my bulging stomach) because we decided to go swimming tomorrow! Isn’t that exciting?

We mostly used our cameraphones to take photos of ourselves because we’re not very good with her DSLR. lol.

We kinda look like each other, don’t we?

see the resemblance?

photos are taken from my favorite spot in Greenbelt

Our date ended at about 3pm because she had to go home with her brother. We hugged, said our goodbyes and promised to go swimming on Wednesday.

Random thought: My legs hurt because of walking too much. I’m getting old.

Another one: I created a new blog but I’m not yet ready to show it to the world. hehe.

Last thought: I got a pimple on my nose! So much for camwhoring on Wednesday. Oh no!

You can follow me on twitter to check my random thoughts and outbursts.

Hopefully, the next post will be about our trip to Club Manila East! Have a happy week everyone!

How I Spent My New Year

2010-01-03T17:58:00.001+08:00

(in pictures)

That’s a lot of food, I know.

me, mama and my sister

tres marias

taken when we are watching the fireworks display outside our house

papa, shaking a tin box full of coins

There wasn’t a lot of fireworks this time. As a matter of fact, it was already quiet at 1:30am. It was a fun time for our family nevertheless. We ate a lot, drank some wine, laughed and chatted. It was definitely better than my last new year which I spent in office. How about you? How did you spend your New Year?

PS. Got a message for me? Tell me about it here. Follow me on tumblr, will you?

New Year’s Eve Thoughts

2009-12-31T03:31:00.001+08:00

So it’s almost 2010. Time flies too fast it’s like a blur to me. A lot has happened during 2009. I’m thankful for all the blessings that my family received. I know I made so many mistakes and I think it’s safe to say that I learned so much from them.

As Oprah once said,

Cheers to a new year and another chance to get it right.

Happy New Year!

Note: Photo was taken from this website.

What I’ve been doing this Christmas

2009-12-26T20:03:00.001+08:00

I mentioned in this post that my bestfriend and I were planning to go to the beach. Sadly, I received a message from her in facebook that we can’t do it anymore. It looks like she’s going to be very busy here in the country. I was really disappointed but I guess there’s nothing I can do.

Tobi and I went to SM Megamall to do a little bit of Christmas shopping last December 21. As expected, a lot of people were doing their own last minute Christmas shopping as well. We roamed around the department store. I finally found Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs. The saleslady helped me pick the right shade for my skin tone. I was lucky because they gave me a free Sally Hansen Airbrush Shimmer when I bought it. Tobi also helped me buy presents for my father and sister.

On December 23, my family went to Robinsons Galleria to do some shopping again.

Christmas is a time for family and loved ones. That being said, my family hosted a party last Christmas Eve so that we can be reunited with our relatives in my mother’s side. Tobi is close to my family so he came. We ate a lot, chatted, laughed and exchanged gifts. It was a bit ‘bitin’. On Christmas Day, we went to our relatives in my father’s side. It was a bit different from the first party cause a little bit of drinking was involved. lol. We went to UP Parish of the Holy Sacrifice afterwards to attend mass.

Our cousins who stayed in our house for 2 nights. I had so much fun playing with them. Sorry but the party photos are not decent enough to be posted here. XD

I’ve been eating a lot these past few days. I think I gained more than enough weight required to be a flight attendant. lol. I’m having a blast this Holiday Season, I hope you are too!

Christmas Message

2009-12-24T23:47:00.002+08:00

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

St. Luke 2:10-12
Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

Christmas Wish List 2009

2009-12-19T19:01:00.001+08:00

Since Christmas is near, I decided to post my wish list (in no particular order) in case you guys want to send me gifts. Haha. The list is pretty much the same with my Save or Splurge? post. However, some stuff were not included because either I already bought them or I’m planning to buy them soon. lol. Without further ado, I give you my list.

DC Venice High shoes. I fell in love with it when I saw a pair in BratPack, Greenbelt.
DJ Headphones. I love music and nothing beats listening to it on a good pair of headphones.
Marks and Spencer body butter. My skin is terribly dry so I badly need this product.
Superheadz Eximus Wide Lens. It’s like Vivitar UWS’s cousin. Take a look at its shots.
Diana Mini. This is a relatively new product from LSI. It uses 35mm film, which can be found pretty much everywhere. Check out its photos.
Rolleiflex TLR. I’d love to have this baby but it’s too expensive.
Holga TLR. I don’t really need this one but I’d love to try to use it and compare it to my Holga 120CFN.
Holga filters.
Films. In case you haven’t noticed it yet, I love film photography.
Apple earphones with remote and mic. This is for my iPod touch.
Sony PRS-300 Reader Pocket Edition. I love reading so much. I’m actually reading eBooks from my iPod touch right now and it strains my eyes. The E Ink technology makes me want to buy this.
Nokia E72. A smartphone with 5mp camera. Isn’t that great?

So that’s all. It feels good to make a wish list. It doesn’t hurt to be materialistic sometimes, right? How about you, what do you want for Christmas?

Disclaimer: All photos were taken from various websites. If you have a photo here and you want it to be taken down, contact me. Mosaic was created thru bighugelabs.

Busy But Happy

2009-12-16T22:09:00.001+08:00

I’ve been a bit busy with my oDesk job these days. I miss blogging and visiting my favorite blogs. I miss using my toy cameras, John and Travis. (Click here and here to see my lomo shots.) I miss reading eBooks from my iPod. I’m missing a hell lot of things.

On a lighter note, I spent time with Tobi this week. Last Saturday, Chic, my sister, took her high school entrance exam in San Beda College. Tobi accompanied us. We went to SM Taytay after her exam. We had our lunch then Chic went to her friend’s house which is near Tobi’s house. Tobi and I went to his house. Her aunt, who came from the States, gave me her pasalubong which consists of Hershey’s Candy Corn Kisses and Victoria’s Secret My Desire Silkening Body Splash. Isn’t she sweet? We spent the afternoon playing with his aunt’s daughter, Jillian.

Doesn’t she look so adorable?

Tobi, Chic and I hung out at SM afterwards.

As I’ve said in my previous posts, I’ve been thinking about being a flight attendant. So I had my picture taken in Great Image SM Taytay yesterday. Here are the scans.

Do you think I’m fit to be a flight attendant? Yes? No? Maybe? I’m actually a bit underweight. I have to gain a few pounds to achieve the minimum requirement which is 110 lbs.

So that ends my picspam.

My legs aren’t really flawless like that in the photo. I had to wear stockings there. I’m actually looking for a decent leg make up so if you know one, please tell me what it is and where can I find it. Is Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs ok? I don’t really know a lot about make up. I even had trouble putting make up on my face before I had my picture taken. Yes I know I’m pathetic.

Random Update! I got a formspring now. I was a bit hesitant at first but I did it, I jumped into the bandwagon. lol. So if you have a quick message/question/suggestion, click here. I’ll be sure to answer you.

If you’re following me on Tumblr, you’ll know that Red Hot Chili Peppers is one of my favorite bands. I found out this morning that John Frusciante is leaving them. Yeah, I know, it’s a shame. He has contributed a lot to the band. He’s one of my favorite guitarists. I even named my Holga after him. Before I start crying over my keyboard, I’ll leave you this video.

A Busy Bum

2009-12-10T21:05:00.002+08:00

My readers are most likely aware that I hate Unionbank. Finally, I got my EON card last Tuesday (December 8). I was told to call first before I go to the bank. I tried calling them a few times but I wasn’t able to talk to them because the first number was just ringing and the second number was busy. So I just tried my luck and went there. Fortunately, I got the card after waiting for about 30 minutes. Yes, I waited that long cause they’re so slow. The name on the card doesn’t have the ‘ñ’ in my surname. In addition to that, my second name was not included. They explained to me that their system can’t handle ‘ñ’ and that my name is too long. The teller told me to pay the Php 350 annual fee which I already paid the last time I went there. I told him about that and the other teller confirmed it by checking my records. I didn’t want to ruin the rest of my day so I remained calm and quiet. Thankfully, Tobi’s with me that time. We went to the mall afterwards and bought a black blazer which I’ll wear for my airlines application. Wish me luck!

A passport is needed to be able to apply as a flight attendant so Tobi and I went to DFA yesterday. He also needs one because he and his siblings are planning to go to Hongkong next year. We went there with Ischmael’s tips in my mind and the required documents in my hand. We got our picture taken in one of the many studios there and it was a bit pricey. Ischmael was right, there were a lot of fixers around the DFA. It was so crowded inside the building and we were a bit confused with the queues. We had to ask the officials where the next step is. The queues were long but the whole process was pretty fast. It took about 2 and 1/2 hours. We availed of LBC’s passport delivery because we don’t want to go there again. lol. We went to Mall of Asia afterwards and had our lunch in French Baker. I’m loving French Baker right now. The food is affordable and it actually tastes good. Here’s a photo of Tobi and his Steak Sandwich.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of my humongous Grilled Veggie Sandwich. After eating, we walked a bit and decided to go to Makati so that we could hitch a ride home with my parents. hehe. We went to Greenbelt and visited my favorite shops, Power Books, Music One and BratPack.

one of those rare times when he has pimples. lol

I had fun just walking around with Tobi. But what really made my day was this:

A half-naked baby playing in the fountain! He’s so cute and adorable. His Caucasian father and Filipina mother just took his clothes off and let him play there. He got everybody’s undivided attention.

So before I end this post, I just want to ask you people where is the best beach in Luzon? As I’ve said in my previous post, my bestfriend, who will be coming from the States, will visit the Philippines this Christmas and we’re planning to go to the beach. We cannot go farther than Luzon due to financial and timing reasons. I’ve already been to Laiya but I’m still thinking about going back. Please help me decide!

Thanks for voting!

Random thought: Isn’t it cool that my photo was used in Jett Pangan’s wiki page?

Gotta work now! I hope everybody’s doing fine.

No Half Measures

2009-12-07T08:26:00.001+08:00

So I’ve been a bum for several months now. There’s really nothing much to do besides working (in oDesk) and surfing the net. What I love to do is bloghopping. I really enjoy reading different kinds of blogs. I’ve been reading a lot of FA (flight attendant) blogs lately. One of them is really inspiring, check her out. And a thought came up while I was bloghopping. I realized that I want to be a flight attendant. Didn’t you have a lot of ambitions when you were a kid? I know I did. I wanted to be a doctor, a flight attendant, a teacher, and many more. But this time, it’s different. I know that I need to act and do something if I wanted to be someone. I took up Nursing mostly because my parents wanted me to. I also learned to love it. But believe me, it wasn’t easy. Hospital duties plus Nursing Care Plans are like my personal hell. lol. But I have to admit that I learned so much from them. I’m very grateful to God when I graduated and passed the board exam. I feel blessed when I landed a job in eTelecare a few weeks after I took the exam. Life has been pretty good for me. But I think I lack two important things. I lack focus and determination. Sometimes, it feels like I have no direction. And now, it dawned on me, that you can get what you want if you do everything for it. I believe that you can be anything you set your mind into. So that’s what I’ll do from now on. It doesn’t matter if I become a nurse or a flight attendant or something else. I’ll do everything to excel. There will be no half measures starting today.

Just one random thought, and it’s pretty important:

After spending two years in the States, Joyce, my bestfriend for eight years, is coming home this Christmas! I can’t wait to see her! These photos were taken the last time we saw each other (which was two years ago).

Thoughts about New Moon

2009-12-03T01:19:00.001+08:00

Finally, Tobi and I watched “New Moon” today. (I’m probably the last person on earth to watch it. haha.) I didn’t like it. I yawned all throughout the movie. It totally bored me to death. Things like the scene where Jasper almost attacked Bella kept me alive cause I was laughing so hard. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve read all four of the books of the Twilight Saga and I liked them. I just didn’t like the movies. Both lead actors, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, seem lost, they look like they don’t have a clue how to act their parts. I don’t like their acting at all. It’s not the least bit convincing. Though I must admit that they looked better this time around. Particularly Kristen, I like what they’ve done to her hair and her overall look. And in addition to that, the chemistry between them is so palpable in the movie. They look really good together. I just hope they could act better. lol. Let me also point out that there are a few things that I liked in the movie. Taylor Lautner is one of them. He’s so buff, my eyes couldn’t believe it. I’m not really into buff guys, but I gotta say he’s pretty hot. Muffins was telling the truth about Taylor. lol. Michael Sheen is perfect for Aro. I can’t wait to see him in the next movies. And the last good thing for me is the soundtrack. I love all the songs in the movie. Thom Yorke’s “Hearing Damage” fits Victoria’s scene so well. Lykke Li’s “Possibility”, played when Bella sits in front of the window while months go by, was amazing. For me, those are the redeeming factors of the movie. I’m gonna give the movie 3 out of 5 smiles, ☻☻☻☺☺. So that’s it. If you’re lucky, you’ll find a freebie in this post. I’m feeling generous today so after I found ‘it’ in tumblr, I went ahead and posted it here. haha. Thanks for reading and I hope you have a fun week!

Unionbank, World Music, oDesk and whatnot

2009-11-29T16:54:00.000+08:00

This first paragraph is a rant. You can skip this part if you want, the next paragraphs are safe. ;) I’m totally hating Unionbank right now. I had to apply for an EON card two weeks ago so that my Paypal account will be verified. I wanted it to be verified so that I can transfer my oDesk funds to it. So anyway, the teller instructed me to call her after 7 banking days to check if the card is already available. I called them on the 9th day and the teller told me that I can already pick up the card. So I paid the yearly fee of PhP350 and deposited an amount of PhP350 as well. Everything was going so smooth until I claimed my card. The name printed on the card was wrong. It was not misspelled, the name is really different from my name. The teller hurriedly told me that the name printed there is not really important if I want to verify my account in Paypal cause the documents supporting it have my correct name. She told me that waiting for another card will take more time. She wanted me to just accept the card. I was really pissed off. I told her that I’m going to wait for the new card because I don’t want to encounter problems with it. She apologized and told me to call her after 3 days, then I walked out. Oh how I wish other established banks like BPI or BDO make ties with Paypal. It sucks that Unionbank is the only one offering this kind of debit card. Ugh.

I made it clear with my (former) officemates to invite me to their GAs (General Assembly, which, as I’ve said in my earlier post, is also known as inuman sessions). So I was there when they had their GA last Saturday in World Music, Greenhills. When I arrived, they immediately handed me the mic and asked me to sing so I did even if my throat is dry and is aching for a drink. lol. We spent the night eating and drinking and chatting. We had a lot of fun. But what really made me happy that night was being reunited with my two gayfriends. It’s been a while since we last saw each other. Some went home early while others went to the office. Only seven of us remained (including my gayfriends). We went to Grilla and had a few beers and a lot of laughs. We went home drunk and dizzy but happy. :)

drunk gayfriends

A lot of you have been asking me about oDesk so I decided to give some info and tips about it. I’m not gonna post about what oDesk is. To learn more about it, you can just go to their site or go to their wiki page. Okay. So once you created an account, update your profile and your resume so that the buyers (employers) will know more about you. It’s up to you if you want to post a photo of you, it doesn’t really matter. Once your profile is complete, take several tests beginning with the oDesk Readiness Test. The test is very easy and if you fail it, you can retake it immediately. I can’t say the same for the other tests (ie. Windows XP test) though. Taking tests and completing your profile are not required, they’re just a plus factor for us providers so that the buyers will know our skills. You can immediately apply for jobs after creating an account. In applying for a job, look for the text oDesk verified payment method on the upper left hand corner, beside the “Apply” button. It’s better to choose jobs like that just to be on the safe side. You can find Hourly rate and Fixed rate jobs there. The oDesk Payment Guarantee only applies to Hourly Rate jobs. You can read more about it here. Once you land your first job, make sure that you please your buyer so that he’ll leave a nice feedback for you. So that’s it. I really can’t give anymore tips cause I’m still a newbie. lol. I hope this helps. If you have any questions or violent reactions, please leave a comment.

Random thought: I still haven’t watched New Moon. Am I a loser? Yes, I think I am. I promise to watch it this week.

PS. I’m using Windows Live Writer for the first time and it works like a charm. :)

Have a fun long weekend everyone!