Happy Birthday Mom! =) 

Happy Birthday Mom!

Spent Mom's Birthday today waiting for new sofa set [yay!], which everyone christened by sleeping on it.. then dinner at Baywalk in Roxas Boulevard. It was my first time to have dinner there... good thing I brought my jacket, the wind was especially strong and cold tonight! A lot of amateur bands were playing, and we walked the whole length of baywalk to catch different sets---from acoustic, pop, reggae, RnB, Oldies... the works! We really enjoyed it (will definitely recommend it and come back for more next time!), and esp coz it was what Mama really wanted (music/bands and dinner at Baywalk), so she got her birthday wish after all! Happy Birthday Ma! Glad you liked the brooch Ü Love you...

America's Sweethearts

Mark and I were teased at work today.. we were supposed to do a presentation together next tuesday, but he ended up saying "kami ni Gladys" to which WangBu retorted. "so kelan pa naging kayo?!?!"... That gave everyone naughty ideas, and being a veteran at this from AIESEC, I know I'll never hear the end of it from now on. It was great just hanging out with Mark before this "love team" (Yep, Intrapreneurs' own America's Sweethearts) started... we can just joke around and everything was comfortable between us. All of this may be no-nonsense-whatever to him (I hope), but I guess with me, it's too late to be nonchalant about it. Truth is, I've really been noticing how he's always touchy-feely with me, but never to the others.. or that he touches my hair often, or pinches my cheeks sometimes. I'm the only one he kisses on the cheek goodbye also. Maybe all these means nothing,,, who am I to assume right? [It's always fun to assume of course! heehee Ü] I'll just have to wait and see, I guess... Good Luck to our presentations next week!

Once Upon a Time in China

Official Chinese Day! Had lunch today with Mom at Super Bowl of China... dimsum delights! Then caught the last full show of Kung Fu Hustle.. laugh trip all the way... Stephen Chow is my man! I'm getting in touch with my roots... will probably turn to Pucca any moment now.. hehe =)

Mercury Rising!

Phew! This has certainly been a tough week for me. But all's well that ends well: finally was able to deliver to Mercury Drug today! Finally!!! This week's super crowded with meetings, both from AIESEC and Felina work... I can't even check my mail at night because of exhaustion. But I'm happier this way than not being able to do nothing at all...

Hope I still have enough energy to last until tonight though... deadlines are piling up, even if it's just the start of the year. I'm glad to be actually doing something.. keeps me busy, and keeps my mind off certain people... hehe *bitter old me!*

I'm getting excited for 2005... there are so many plans now, not like last month when I was absolutely clueless on what direction I was supposed to go... It's just a matter of organizing everything now so everything will run smoothly from this point on... Nothing like a new start and a clean slate to help start my year right! Yeah! =)

Launch

Went to Half Moon's Blessing and Grand Launch yesterday. It was the first time I saw that the place was full (which was a good thing because most of the time, there isnt really anyone there staying long at the restaurant). Met guests from MDLD, from the intrapreneurs team to euromed to solvang and to all affiliate companies of Lloyd Labs. Lloyd was there, and he was super nice (as usual!).... thanks to him I didn't feel too left out at the party... Met Archie who was planning to spend his honeymoon at Phuket but opted to stay at Bangkok instead (thank goodness!)... Met the architect also and her makulit son, whom I congratulated for finishing the place on time (even if the permits are still pending at city hall! hehehe) Food was great--spaghetti, BBQ, lumpia and chips, plus of course the famous bibngcrepe (wish I ordered more because everything was free! hehe) Congrats to Dennis, Mark and Dick (who's leaving today for the States... Bon Voyage!)... Best of Luck to Halfmoon (and the rest of our businesses) for 2005! =)

Testimonial from a Guy in Love...

Came across this testimonial for one of my friends... one of the best written, heartfelt words I've heard anyone say so far... what can i say? are there words that can describe what i feel for this girl? im usually good with words but somehow as i write this, nothing seems to come out of me. Is it because i dont love her? maybe im just tired have you thought of that? imagine a love that is so intense, a love that tries to express itself through groans and other language that seem to be so foreign that the human brain cant fathom. I feel it inside me, trying to come out and pour itself into thought that i may write its true purpose and meaning. But my humble brain cant understand what my busy little heart is trying to say. it just understands what my heart feels completely that it sends comfort to my whole being, saying that it will be ok and what my heart is feeling is just the love that is so intense that my heart is just overwhelmed. and that i should share it with the one i feel it for, for the love to reach its full circle. Well, i really cant say anything. maybe im just tired. i'll write something next time.... yep, what can i say to this? i almost fell in love with the person who wrote this after reading what he wrote for his girl.. (kahit halatang "bangag" sha at the time) chong pare... kakaiba ka tlga! you know who you are... you're the best! miss you already...

Starbucks Dream Planner

Finally got my starbucks planner! Yay! After 21 friggin frappuccinos, toffee nut lattes and pepermint moccas (ewww!).. I finally got my planner last night at Starbucks Eastwood! Of course, the planner itself is a small reward for my neverending craving for starbucks... ever since I got that stamp card, I was more interested in actually finishing it, than getting the prize at the end. For obssessive complusive moi, the fulfillment was more of completing the challenge...proving to myself that I can do it. Not that the planner itself isn't fabulous.. I love it! I'm getting more obssessed with coffee everyday! Good start also to help myself become more organized with deadlines and to actually remember all those birthdays... Time to start writing... =)

Spoiled Brat

Woke up at the wrong side of the bed this morning.. was feeling all bratty and irritated with almost everyone and everything! Aaargh! Hate this feeling... it's actually "part two" of last night's drama when dad was mad at me for weird reasons.. it's so frustrating to finally come home after a week in davao to find your family all dysfunctional... I hate it! I miss being with friends when I can just be myself and not having to worry about my brother who seriously needs anger management therapy (he hates the world most of the time!) or my mom who's a control freak (I hate it when she cleans my room without permission and most of my documents and other stuff get lost and she can't remember where she placed them!) or my dad who's paranoid all the time (thanks to National Security!)... I wish this feeling would go away... I hate being cranky, especially when it's the first weekend of the year and I have this sinking feeling that I might end up all grouchy for the rest of 2005! That's creepy....I love my family to death... but I guess I just want to be by myself for a while... Hmm... maybe I'll catch one of those MMFF movies... Enteng Kabisote anyone? Ü

New Year's List

Phew! It's the New Year at Last! It's really a big relief when you find yourself gifted with the oppotunity to start anew. No more picking up from past mistakes or continuing where we all left off... everything starts on a clean slate. You feel renewed because somehow, there's this chance to actually do something to improve yourself (or even merely just do something!)... So here's my two cents worth of things I want to happen with myself for 2005: Learn How to Cook Learn How to Drive Get Passport Pray everyday (or go to mass everyday) Smile more often Save more! (Will leave savings each payday and not withdraw everything from ATM! LOL) Be more organized (keep things in planner and meet deadlines!) Spend more time with family and friends Lose weight! (Gotta renew my gym membership!) Pamper self (Keep dentist and derma appointments) And last but not the least…. Keep promises (especially this one)

Will make notes at the end of the year of which items I really did, and which items I conveniently forgotten about... =) Best of Luck to me and Happy New Year to everyone!

MC at Natcon Davao... our last "sober" picture together! =P 

Copycat

What is with Filipinos and trying to copy foreign artists?!?! Copycats everywhere! Saw new video by *gasp* April Boy Regino, and his video is eerily identical to Outkasts' Hey Ya--complete with dance moves, round stage, and girls dressed up in 60 hippies screaming their heads off at, no less than April Boy. And, to top it off, the album's single is again, a novelty song. Let's stop it with these childrens' game chats shall we? It really is getting old. And I can't believe April Boy is jumping into this bandwagon when everyone knows his strength is in baduy masa love songs... It's like John Maxwell says, "whatever is your strength, strengthen it more. Don't go improving your weaknesses or focusing on how you can adapt to the strengths of others because it is a total waste of time." Hear that April Boy? Hope so.

Moonlight Over Paris

One of my favorite love songs... Didn't mind it much when it first became a hit. But when I heard my cousin sing it for his bride for their wedding.. I was just hooked, and wished I was in love in Paris as well Ü. Heard it tonight at myx.... so since I'm having f\my nth LSS for this song, might as well post it to this blog...

MOONLIGHT OVER PARIS

I. You said you've been overseas
I say over where
You say just a holiday
My Alsatian heir

I say I've been working late
Working over time
Haven't seen the sun since sixty-nine

Chorus: Does the moonlight shine on paris
After the sun goes down
If the London bridge is falling
Will anybody hear the sound
If you follow the sunset
will it ever end
Does the moonlight shine on paris

II. Oh and how can you just walk away
Is it something that i said
I see only black and white
You see green and red

You believe in the miracles
Water into wine
I believe it when it makes the new york times

Chorus: Does the moonlight shine on paris
After the sun goes down
If the London bridge is falling
Will anybody hear the sound
If you follow the sunset will it ever end
Does the moonlight shine on paris

me and eds at DLSU  

Guilty Conscience

Spent whole day today "in the field", even if I promised Mark that I would join him early morning in the office so we can do his powerpoint for presentations on Monday. I woke up early enough, but I had to do some blogging in the house, which was why I wasnt able to make it at MDLD anymore before the Megamall meeting with the MC. After having told him that I would probably be there in the afternoon instead, I then rushed to the meeting, for which I was also late (aaargh! hate this habit!). I soon learned that convocations for DLSU was that same afternoon, so having the dilemma... I chose to go to DLSU first (yep, to see my "special someone") before going to see Mark. Turns out, my DLSU adventure took longer than expected... and Mark texted me finally to ask if I was still going to go. Gullt-ridden, I tried to finish everything, only to arrive in tomas morato already at 6pm! He was nice about it, only mentioning once that he was already there at 8am (because I told him I would be there at 8am also!) Shucks! I've never been so guilty and embarrassed about what I did than that moment... coz I know I chose to do something that was entirely futile anyway (because the person I was supposed to meet.. well, things didnt go as planned, even if we did meet and talk for a while) than keep my earlier promise to Mark. I know, i know. My brain would say I finished his ppt in time anyway before my dad fetched me early (yep, was only there in MDLD for 30 minutes! Sheesh, right?)... and I know he left also as soon as I did because he was not online in YM anymore after 20 minutes. I just hope next time I can make better choices and decisions, so others won't be hassled by my, well, "spontaneity"... Ü

Back in the Habit

Wow! I can't believe it's actually been a month since I last wrote in here... so many things have happened over the past month... my trip to Bohol and Cebu, POGS launching at PICC... my knee dislocation (oh yeah, that happened just today!). Of course, my roller coaster life at work for Felina, in AIESEC, DAYS, and the "love life" (as if it exists! Haha!). Back in the Habit, eh?

I guess writing and keeping up with this blog site really takes more than just the ideas and the the experiences and the rants and raves that you need to fill the space in. More than that, it needs the commitment from me--the willingness to actually put in and contribute something each day. That takes more heart I guess.

I've never been good at keeping commitments. That's one of my biggest flaws I guess... I always thought I could keep my promises and be the always responsible/dependable girl that people always thought I was. But what they don't know is that I get restless easily. When something gets too "routinary" for me, I get bored and want to escape. Procrastination more like it. Home grown couch potato. The DVDs are my best friends lately--they keep me happy more than anything else in the world. Well, except for my pillow, that is.

Sometimes I get scared. What if I cannot commit anymore when things really need my commitment??? More than love for what I do, it's actually the GUILT that keeps me hanging on to my responsibilites so I don't slack of (at least most of the times that's true). My biggest motivator so far has been people's expectations: what others think or would think of me if I were to achieve something great and even if I come across my biggest failure. What others are saying or thinking or gossipping about me behind my back?

I guess it shows also on my relationships: I'm afraid to commit also with men. When the time comes that I have to choose, I choose not to go through with it. Then the guy just, well, leaves me alone to regret that decision forever. *Sigh* The story of my life... (which is probably told in another blog altogether)

Today though, is a classic example. I'm supposed to go to work, but freaky accident-prone that I am, I got my knee dislocated (again) for the nth time. Hmm... I should have gone to work, but I opted to rest instead... away from the horrors and pressures of work that has been gnawing at me lately. Don't get me wrong... I love my work. It's just that sometimes, I can't seem to handle all the deadlines and the pressures... it's all too much! I know I said I thrive in challenges like this, but sometimes, I just wish I had a vacation you know? Hmm... maybe I will get one in the future...

Till then, better get some rest first.. before I hit my paperwork deadlines in a couple of minutes... Cross your fingers I can continue this blog on forever! At least to that, I'd like myself to commit... Ü

Dream for an Insomniac

I’m feeling a little more restless nowadays. I find myself suffering from insomnia almost every night as the day of the launching for Felina draws near. Can’t sleep, there are so many things to do and so many other stuff to figure out. And when I do sleep, I still dream about Felina one way or the other! Dreams of an Insomniac…..Waaaaah!!!! There are so many moments where I just space out, trying to think about all these tasks that I have yet to accomplish. Like today at lunch, when everyone was animatedly discussing the new business Half-moon…Mark had to pinch me twice to make sure I was still in the same planet with them. I just laughed and apologized—pre-launching blues, I said. He says it’s the same for him… he barely has a month before everything comes into place. When he puts it that way, I guess I’m luckier because I was able to prepare and foresee this day several months before. But then, my launching is coming sooner than his’—I can count the days left with my ten fingers. This is the time now to coordinate everything and make sure all plans and deliveries happen on time… no buts… It’s exciting to be finally launching my product---my baby—so I can get my variable pay already! (just kidding! Haha), but this is nerve-wracking all the same. Definitely Crunch Time!!!

Caramelle

Had a very strong and unusual craving tonight for McDonald’s Caramel Sundae! I don’t exactly know at which point I was converted, as I have always avoided anything caramelle in my life! But I guess somewhere in between all the Reese’s Butter cups I digested in Baguio, to the countless caramel sundaes the MC bought during AIESEC meetings… I was able to fully appreciate it’s richness and sweet flavor. Masarap din pala! Hmm... am I easily influenced then? Did I just jump the caramel coated bandwagon just because everyone was in it?

I don't know.. but I sure hope they serve Caramel Sundae for Breakfast tomorrow Ü

Before Sunset

Before Sunset

Watched BEFORE SUNSET tonight with Eds... long-awaited sequel to Before Sunrise. Loved the first film! One of the most romantice films I've watched... full of heart...honest and soulful. Chemistry between the two actors seemed very real... it almost made me want to go to Vienna to meet my own "stranger" as well! Of course, it doesn't hurt that the view was spectacular either.. I think I would really want to go to Vienna on my AIESEC traineeship!

No surprise though that I immediately went to search the Net for spoilers to this sequel. Too bad all the reviews seemed to "hate" the film... they said it did not do justice to the first one. So, having carried all those critiques in my mind, I set out to watch this film without too much expectations.. but still with the excitement knowing i'm in for a different treat this time...

Like the original, Before Sunset was all talk (I applaud the actors for being able to memorize all those lines in just one loooooooong take!)... dissecting each issue related to the plot and the character's history, as well as anything else under the sun. I saw how their characters have grown (or so they assume they did!) but also how much they still referred back to memories in their first encounter..."that one night stand". (Love Julie Deply's sultry voice!) I thought it would actually bring closure to them both, but what happened was that you as an avid follower of their story actually became hungry for more. It was "bitin" in all sense of the word--but knowing the writers, I think that the ending was just right for the theme they were capitalizing on. Not everyone can appreciate this film, I know (I'm sure my mother won't!). But for romantics like me who believe that there is hope for finding love out there... or for giving lost loves a second chance... this movie's definitely worth seeing (and getting a pirated DVD copy of so I can dissect it some more! hehe Ü)

Interview

Had quite a busy day! Spent almost the whole of it interviewing... "hot mamas" in the morning for Felina, "cast" in the afternoon for Half-moon. It was quite tough... felt quite "toxic" after two dozen interviews (halfway through the whole thing)... I volunteered to help for Half-moon partly because I've always been curious on how it's done (nothing compared to AIESEC's RBI of course), and partly because I really wanted to help Dick and Mark... Yep, it's a "What are friends for?" moment... Ü

It actually felt both weird being on the other side of the fence, and talking to these applicants made me realize just how important job security is. Life is really hard nowadays. I became a regular at work, but I always took that for granted... I was never able to appreciate it until now. I guess in a way I'm really blessed to have a great job that gives me all this learning opportunities, a flexible working environment, and supportive colleagues and boss. I couldn't ask for more (well, except for our new office space...hehe! That one's coming up soon... Ü). I do wish all those applicants luck in wherever life takes them, even if they don't get accepted in our business projects. Sad truth is, a lot of them will really need it...