Happy Birthday! :-)

Although I was not able to go to Tagaytay (my birthday wish), this year's birthday celebration for moi is still quite memorable. I had three birthday cakes (my purple ube "best enjoyed before" cake from Intras, my jumongous brownie from Eda @ Kulinarya, and my personalized vanilla ice cream from Italiannis, complete with lapdance moves from Mike!). That means more birthday wishes! Yay! Got to eat all my favorite food as well: pasta, salad and cake galore from my favorite Italian guys--Don Hen's, Chef D' Angelo's and Italiannis! Yumyum!


I think what made it more special were the people who remembered my day, even if I don't get to talk or catch up with them as often as I wanted to. There were a couple of text messages, and birthday cards, which really made my heart smile and laugh as well. All in all, I was really happy even if it was a work-filled day. Thank you for sending all your love…Much love to you guys as well!


Thanks to God for another year, for new hope, new experiences and new opportunities to touch more lives and discover more about myself and life...


Afterthought: Eda and I will be celebrating our 10th year Anniversary this May (a few weeks earlier than our exact date in June), at Nurture Spa and Sonya’s B&B. Guess I’m going to get my birthday wish after all! God really works in miraculous ways... :-)

Geek in the Pink: Jason Mraz Live!

I was never a really really big fan, but I enjoyed his music so I decided to go with Eda. Besides, what better way to have an early birthday celebration than to enjoy good music with your best friend (whom surprisingly I've never been with to a legit concert before! Gary V does not count!) and a really cute guy in guitars?

Never expected it to be so much fun! Thanks to Eda for getting us really really good seats at the Rockwell Tent! Jason was surprisingly witty (I love guitar guys with sarcastic humor!) and so adorable. He and Paolo Santos performed really well, and though I was not able to really memorize all the songs despite the never ending looped Jason Playlist at the War Room, I was the content fan waving my lighter to You and I, The Remedy and Wordplay.



Felt like a couple of giggly highschoolers who stalked Jason at the backstage. Even if we were unsuccessful in getting his autograph, just waving goodbye to him made us still smile stupidly (pathetic, I know). What can I say, we were defenseless against his charms! Can't wait to catch his next concert in Manila (which is turning out to be an annual tradition I heard!) Cheers to the Geek in the Pink! :-)

New Year, New Resolutions

Yup, it's my year! Officially the YEAR OF THE DOG! And to kick things off, here's my own "list" (drumroll please...):


Things I Want to Happen for 2006:
1. Get a Drivers' License!!!
2. Learn Ilocano and Spanish.
3. Learn to play guitar.
4. Learn how to cook.
5. Develop a new sport (still deciding between Chess and Swimming)
6. Travel to an Asian Country (Bangkok or HK... depends on the fare and rates! Sayang ang miles...)
7. Learn Photoshop
8. Watch a concert, game and play
9. Keep all doctor appointments with Dr. Sese
10. Invest money wisely (probably in time deposit)
11. Get a new cellphone!


On a more personal note, I resolve to:
1. Never say anything bad about others (or at least minimize them...)
2. Fulfill all promises (that includes being on time!)
3. Pray and reflect more.
4. Procrastinate less.
5. Personal makeover! Fix self, room, workspace more...


Let's see how many I can tick off as DONE by the end of the year!

Hiatus!

Been a long time since I last wrote in here... well, new year, new skin! Will try to do multiple blogs for the meantime. Hehe :-)

Find Your Favorite: The Starbucks Coffee Planner 2006

After 21 crème brulees and peppermint hot chocolates (among many others), I finally claimed my Starbucks Planner at Starbucks Petron Station, North Expressway (yep, we were on our way to Bulacan and Nueva Ecija then). Too bad my friend Jonjon was not there with his usual perky smile and warm hugs, but thanks still to baristas Ren and Lea who made me feel welcome during my stay at the store.

A lot of people have said that buying that much coffee does not compensate for just a planner. But for the collector in me, it was the process in itself that I cherished. I did play Santa (as their ads suggested), as around half of my precious stickers were through freebies I gave out to family and friends. It felt good to treat them to Starbucks, because it gave me a chance to catch up with them—what’s going on in their lives at the moment, how they’ll be spending Christmas--a welcome escape from our usually hectic work schedules.

This year though, the planner itself was indeed worth it! The whole thing works as a journal in itself, encouraging the owner to write not only appointment schedules, but their most intimate thoughts as well. That’s convenient for me since my 2005 Starbucks planner was more of my diary than a planner anyway (the first one that I actually finished after millions of required homework and online journals!) Each month features a flavored drink (which is actually cool because I get to learn the Starbucks lingo a little bit more) weaved into a blog-inspired entry. The GCs are a plus to help you find your favorite Starbucks concoction—something that actually inspires you to pursue life’s choices and make each experience as personal and memorable as possible. Wow… I never appreciated poetry until now. And I didn’t know that there were so so much more coffee variants to choose from… so much more to get you hooked into the Starbucks Coffee Culture! I know I’m now a full-fledged convert!

As for my drink… I’m still torn between a venti green tea frappucinno with extra whipped cream, a grande hazelnut caramel affogato, or just a good old white chocolate mocha with a ham and cheese croissant… gotta go find my favorite! 

The Company of Fools @ the Metro Bar!

Company of Fools @ Metro Bar

Finished my last event for the year-- sponsorship at The Metro Bar for the Company of Fools concert! Was really down with fever last night, but a they say, the show really must go on. So take pictures I did (thanks to my new sony cam!) while samples were given away to the events' audiences... Too bad I was only able to catch the opening song for the Company (I'm a fan pa nman!), but I really had to rest as the flu was really starting to affect me alte into the night


The Company! :-)

Thanks to Les, Dick, Dessy, Dianne and Cris for helping out! I wouldn't have survived the night without you guys...Hope you enjoyed the concert as well :-)


with Cris and Dianne :-)

Carabiners! Carabiners! Carabiners!

Carabiners!

The Carabiners are finally here!!!

After months of sourcing out a Chinese supplier, negotiating for colors, wire payment transfers, dealing with customs and brokers, deliveries to warehouse and plant... I finally have in our hands 60,000 carabiners (figuratively of course!).

It's a nice way to end the year, work-wise. I was quite afraid that we would not be able to see those cartons until next year, good thing it pushed through this week still. Importation was quite an interesting experience--there's so much I have learned about this industry for the past months. Thanks to Tito William for being patient with all my seemingly stupid questions, and for mentoring me about the tricks of the trade. I hope I can learn about export really soon as well--can't wait to ship Felinas out to Vietnam! :-)

Lost and Found (Returned)!

Was about to actually create an entry to warn friends to take better care of their phones.. as a couple of my friends had their own mobiles lost or snatched in public places, even in broad daylight... when I myself experienced the same thing!

I was on my way from the bank to see my dermatologist, when I realized that I left my phone in the trike! All color drained from my face, as I struggled for a minute on what I should do. I left the derma clinic immediately and took another ride to the tricycle terminal, waiting desperately for the driver to return. Surprisingly, this was the first time that I rode a tricycle without taking note of the body number and driver's name, as I have always been trained to do. Good thing my mom was able to contact him and he promised to return my phone. I gave him an extra jacket and 500 in gratitude.. I was really thankful to have my phone back.

There are not too many good men out there who would have returned lost cell phones... as they say, times are hard and I know he could have sold it somewhere. But I really am grateful and lucky I guess... I hope my friends have had the same fate. Not that I wish them to lose their phones, but that if ever misfortunes strike that their belongings would be misplaced or left somewhere, that they should also be lucky to find a good-hearted person who will still return them :-)

Big Winner Nene!

Congrats Nene!

Congrats to Nene for being the first Big Winner!

After 110 days, the show we have religiously followed is now over. Congrats to Nene (who was my bet, same as Jason) for winning the hearts (and text votes obviously) of 500,000++ Filipinos. I know that she will use the money well, as she is really quite smart. I actually like her, most of her qualitites and values I really admire and hope that I can also emulate--leadership, independence, optimism. I just hope she doesn't let her mother abuse her newfound fame and fortune (yup I can feel that vibe... too bad)

On to the re-runs, reunions and DVD versions then. Congrats to PBB and Direk Laurenti Dyogi for a great first season!

New Cam: SONY CYBER-SHOT DSC-T5!

new cam!

After months and months of saving up, I finally bought my cam! Yayness! It's sleek, gold and Sony, exactly how I wanted it... a little more than my budget actually (good thing for credit cards! Thanks for my red card Tina!), but I don't think I wouldn't have been happy with any other brand or unit. It was really love at first sight! Plus, I got a 3000 worth of GCs for accessories!

Thanks to Eds also for helping me buy the cam, and for all the questions I wouldn't have asked, techie-challenged as I am.

Trigger-happy time! :-)

iMac Fanatic!

iMac G5 :-)

I am now an iMac convert.

War Room now officialy has a Mac.... a new toy to be exact. I can spend hours downloading from BitTorrent or Posioned.. and learning about design has never been so user-friendly! No cables, everything is already plugged in the system. Just your trusty keyboard, mouse, and the wide-screen monitor with built-in hard drive. Best of all, no viruses!!!

Just hope I can learn photoshop soon also! Oh well, one lesson at a time... besides, I'm still not done downloading all seasons from Friends anyway! haha :-)

Back to Baguio

Baguio is now my second home. Well, next to boracay that is :-)

Turista sa Mines View... :-)

I loved going back to Baguio. Though the trip was really tiring (6 hours for the climb up and 6 hours again going down) by Victory Liner (my longest commute so far!), we slept most of the time and tried to watch movies (pacifier, dodgeball and white chicks to be exact) anyway. Lesson Learned #1: Buy Bus Tickets in advance, especially during looong weekends!

Shempre, me and Eds can't help but go on a food trip pa din--Baguio style! For some reason, we always ended up at Session Road... Visco's had the best baked lasagna; Jumongous Mongolian Rice Toppings at Gobi; Chopsuey Heaven at Star Cafe (love baguio veggies!). We took the best and most pictures at Kenny's and Pizza hut though... dessert sampler forever! Loved chokolate-eh at Cafe by the Ruins... hated my brandy-coffee combo at Ionic Cafe! That was weird... Lesson # 2: Have maps ready, but if you can't afford it, drop by National bookstore and read on travel guides. Know the most happening places to hang out, the best / cheapest buys, the native delicacies and cafes (opening and closing hours are also vital infos!)

Food Trip Galore!

Spent wads of moolah at the shopping places as well: Mines View, SM Baguio (love their centralized airconditioning! haha!) and Central Market... went overbudget and withdrew twice just for choco flakes, peanut brittle, knitted stuff, baguio shirts, keychains, knitted sweaters... mostly non-useful cute stuff... :-)

Even if we splurged on the trip, our savings at the Navy Base guesthouse more than made up for all our shopping sprees. It was quite cozy, American - style, and we can cook our own breakfast at the kitchen or enjoy the fireplace. Best place for bonding with Eda and Marianne! :-) But I don't think our trip would have been the same if we didn't have a cam with us. Each pic would take around 4-5 poses before we perfected the "look" or the "scenery"... good thing we had enough funds for "disposable" energizer batteries! haha! Lesson # 3: when bringing a camera, make you sure you also bring with you rechargeable batteries (or spare change for energizers!)

pa-cute effect chuvaness! haha!

I love being a tourist--the late nights, the no-curfew-stress-free life.. Mass at Baguio Cathedral was one of the most heartfelt and solemn masses I've attended. Iba ang kirot sa puso pag Ilokano ang misa. Everyone was singing from the heart, and at that moment I think I missed home more. Fortune telling at Bell Church was memorable as well.. it was my first "oriental" experience, and I think I'd go back to Bell Church here in Araneta in February to have my fortunes read again :-)

Going on a vacation with only a few people instead of the whole barkada was definitely a blessing in disguise: at least I was able to do everything I wanted to do and go to the places I really wanted to see. I know that it may be a long time before I go back to Baguio again. It may be a different experience altogether (I may drop by Masinloc on the way the next time), but this trip will definitely be one of my favorites :-)

centralized aircon anyone? :-)

HP4: The Goblet of Fire @ Eastwood Cinemas

...cedric and cho... :-)

Watched Harry Potter today on its's first screening day (what can I say, I'm really a fan!). Was my first time to actually enjoy Eastwood Cinemas, and I'm gklad to have gone with Eds. As usual, when the two of us are together, food trip galore talaga! Binged on Heaven and Egss (Three Sausages and Eggs again.. my fave!)... quick stop to tiangge (bought matching oriental wallets) before having a coffee break at mocha blends... fun fun fun!

The movie itself was great! As expected, it was quite long (almost three hours I think), but they were able to religiously show the crucial parts of the book. Ralph Fiennes is the best antagonist without a nose, and Cedric is simply the cutest! :-) I really missed Sean Biggerstaff when they took him out in HP2... good thing there's always Cedric now to look forward to! Cho Chang was adorable as well.. I wished they would have shown more of the Hermione-Ron angle.. oh well, maybe in the next film installation. Have to finish Half Blood Prince first!

Can't wait for Narnia, Chicken Little, Memoirs of a Geisha and Pride and Prejudice! (thanks for the wonderful trailers! haha)

KFC's Fast Food

KFC Counters

It's been a long time since I last ate at KFC, a far cry from the days when Chicken Caesar Salad was considered my staple rice at every meal. So I decided to have a go at it again after the mass last night, only to find out that nothing really changed that much since my last visit. The food's still great (I missed the salad terribly!), but the service still sucks. I wondered, as I waited at the counter line for almost fifteen minutes just to get a salad, a 1-piece meal and mashed potatoes, if the crew even knew the definition of fast food. Heck, I don't think a supervisor was even around to explain what the concept meant. There was chaos all over--the frontliners repeated my order thrice, scrambled to the back to shout out weird food codes and were slipping all over spilt soda just behind the counter. The result? Around 8-9 angry customers per queue, still waiting in line, wondering what the fuss is all about and what the hell is taking them sooooo damn long!

What's surprising is that those angry customers are just that-- just waiting. Nobody I think bothers to leave the line, or complain to the manager, or do anything about it. I did certainly raise my concerns, only to a food service crew unfortunately, for the supervisor was nowhere in sight. I guess, the people at KFC thinks that their food must be so great that even if their service sucks big-time, people will still flock to their stores. Sure, that can work for a while. But how long till people get tired of their crappy service, that is also uncertain. I hope, for their sakes, it's sooner than later, so they can get their acts together and start giving us loyal customers the service we truly deserve. That means FAST!!! :-)

Body Wellness Body Scrub

Body Scrub... Heavenly! :-)

Got myself a really really good body scrub this afternoon! I've never felt so well-rubbed, well-scrubbed, well-exfoliated in my entire life! My initial irritation at having to wait beyond their promised time (even if I extended over an hour at the sauna!) is now forgotten and forgiven for. My skin feels so smooth, so rejuvenated... I think I'd want to go to the beach again just to get myself another scrub! Haha! And it's quite cheap also, just P400 (exclusive of tips of course) for a full body service... This is the life...

Can't wait to get my body spa at Nurture Spas for my birthday!!!

BORACAY INVASION!!!

With Cris and Wangbu @ Bora! :-)

Yep, for the second time this year, I was blessed to be given the opportunity to invade the white sand beaches of Bora once more!!! Was super excited, I bought all my beach gears early on, planned my outfits and packed two days ahead of my departure date. Of course, this particular Bora visit meant work for both Bliss and Summer Monkey which is why I had to really contribute something as well. And I believed I also went the extra mile--negotiations at Paraw, booking the tickets for the Intras and the models, coordinating with everyone... it was tough but I really had a lot of fun! I'm glad the sampling and the oculars went just fine (except for the Jude incident that is… but that's water under the bridge now...)

This Bora was definitely one of the best vacations I've had in a long time. I guess it pays to know what you're expecting, so you already have an idea of what you won't miss doing the second time around. And I did have a list (so I'll forever be OC, sue me! Haha) so I wouldn't forget this time what I should have done last May: night swimming, early morning dip(of course it didn't help that I had my monthly the second I stepped on Boracay shores! Good thing that was only for 3 days!), henna tattoo (cute flower, stemmed rose at my back, and a free one at my right hand! Thanks Long for the freebie!), massage by the beach (full body this time! Super heavenly!), sunbathing (got my tan line! Yesssss!), walk from stations 1-3 (okay, so it was in installments, but I still walked that whole lot... pwede na din!), beads bargain shopping (completed my pasalubong list! Yay!), and partayyyyyy!!!! (bish and booze and a wholelotta dancin'!!!!). I even stayed up two whole nights to make up for all the dinners and bars I missed with the Intras when I'm in Manila. I was even able to visit the Church, and pray for the souls of my loved ones I wasn't able to visit this years' All Souls' Day. What to add next time: Braids (if I'm not rebounded anymore!) and Banana Boat definitely!

Totally loved Paraw (Cris and I danced it up alright! Haha) and Bom-bom's (I'm now a certified Reggae convert! Bob Marley all the way! "I don't wanna wait in vain for your love...Idon'twanna Idon'twannaIdon'twannaIdon'twanna... Idon'twanna wait in vain!"). We had different choices for our meals and restaurants, which I also loved: Make your own breakfast at Paradiso, milkshakes galore and 6am-before-we-sleep-pampatanggal-amats-omelettes at Jonah's, Baby Back Ribs and Baked Oysters at Gastrof, Heavenly Crepes at Cafe SanMichel, sinigang at Smoke Resto D'Mall Talipapa, even Longganisa Burgers at BBQ Stands at the Beach Front (the one I threw up though later after five beers at 3pm!). Who said anything about dieting anyway?!?!?! Definitely one of the most fun food trips I've had... which is why I'm in Nesvita and C2 Detox mode now! Haha :-P


Bliss Night @ Cocomangas

Celeb Sighting Galore as well! Mygash, my mom would have a field day if she was there with me the whole time! I spied (and stalked a bit): Angel Aquino, Maui Taylor and Brian Revilla (PDA all the way at Paraw... ewwww! That was not a pretty picture), Gwen Garci, Katya Santos, Jennifer Lee, Vandolph and Grace, Sunshine Dizon, Karel Marquez, Paula Peralejo, Luis Alandy (total Baldwin!), John Hall (ulam sobra!), Phoemela Barranda, Rachel Lobangco (the Firedancer!) among others I might have forgotten already. Not too mention a few of my friendsters as well: shout-outs to Dianne Aquino, Buona Lacaba, Parx Jacinto, Faith Manguiat, Ter and Nina (who's apparently a couple now! Kudos to you both!), Amy Ang, Andrea Logarta, and special mention to Harvard, whom I wasn't able to say Hi (twice!), but can now admit I was happy to see at Bora.

Even now I can still imagine the sand beneath my toes, the chilly but clear water waking me up early morning, and the waves as it crashed towards the shore---I'm longing for and missing terribly that carefree feeling when you're in a wholly different world like Boracay. They say you can assume a different identity when you're in a foreign land--I can say that I felt more like myself while I was in Bora. No pretentions, no expectations. It was fun and liberating at the same time... Part of it may be because of the people I'm with also--it wouldn't have been as great without this right mix of people: hugs, toasts and thanks to Dennis, Cris, Brian, Kiko, Monica, Lynne, yep even Jude. You guys made my Bora experience truly unforgettable. Can't wait for Summer Monkey next year!!!

The Perfect Man

Perfect Man :-)

Was looking forward to a no-brainer flick this week, and I knew I had a lot to choose from. Mom and I ended up with The Perfect Man, with Hilliary Duff and Heather Locklear. It was a feel-good romantic comedy, even though the story really had no backbone.. the girl was cute (i think i'm quite the Hillary Duff fan, more than Lindsay actually), the boy was cute, the story was cute... everything was oozing with the "cuteness factor, which was exactly what I was looking for so I was quite happy with it. A friend was actually disappointed when he watched it, probably coz he was looking for something worthwhile to watch (click here for the full review in his blog). Will most likely include this in my romatic comedy collection, must-buy in my next DVD shopping galore. :-)

Footloose!

Me with Iya at Footloose... mas maganda ako! haha :-)

Went with Monna to the last weekend showing of Footloose... almost didnt make it, tipid kse. Pero was thinking that this was one opportunity not worth missing. Besides, matagal tagal na din ako hindi nanonood ng musical, and I kinda missed it. Lesson learned though: don't get tickets at the last minute! Or else, you'll be sent to different National Bookstores in Ortigas just to catch the Nice Ticketnet Lady... sayang yng taxi!!! :-P

Our seats were at the far end, and Monna and I changed seats twice just to get a better view of the stage. The kids (Scholars by Lito Atienza) around us were hilarious, maraming hirit (at one "senti" moment, one kid shrieked..."kamukha ni Santa Claus o!". Umurong Luha ko!) They were quite generous also with their applause; we felt like we were at ASAP and not Meralco Theater!

After the performance, we went onstage to catch a closer glimpse of the actors, and even went backstage to get pictures. Groupies tlga... Fanatic na ito! It's always fun to be "showbiz" with Monna, coz we're always game to meet the artists and get juicy gossips along the way!

The play itself was one of the best ones I've seen... it made me want to rent Kevin Bacon's original film version right after! The veterans gave outstanding performances, as expected(Audie Gemora and Agot Isidro were personal favorites), but I'll have to say that "Almost Paradise" is still my favorite number. Have new crush though: Gian Magdangal (who plays Will) is apparently really good looking up-close. Kilig tlga! Haha :-) Can't wait for the next play! [Hope Jude can get us more backstage passes in the future... Christian Bautista anyone??? :-P]

On Startups

"In a startup, you want people who can survive without structure."
-Tony Zhang, Founder, AskMeFinance

Amen.

Real Estate Hunt

My boss gave a speech today regarding Robert Kiyosaki's book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad... I've read that book and finance explained in layman's terms really made a lot of sense. The only problem was, it was based on american culture, so most of the examples used may not be applicable to the Philippine setting, especially in today's economic and financial crisis. He showed us then a recently published Filipino version of the book: "Think Rich Pinoy", but it also stresses the importance of having the right mix of business, portfolio and real estate to gain financial freedom.

They say that the best time to invest in real estate is NOW, when most businesses are closing shop and the lots for sale are pegged at lower market prices. On my way to work today, my eyes caught at least ten "for sale" signs, that would have been good investments (for buy and sell) if only I had the capital. Which is why now I have four jobs! One resource to take would be to buy assets foreclosed by the bank... you can leverage capital investment first on a loan based on future sale, and still get profitable margins net from market rates. I personally prefer real estate over stock exchange which is more volatile to changes based on political and economic crisis. It's lower in risk, and has bigger chances of return as well. The concept may seem easy, but it takes practice I guess. And the good thing is, there is no age limit to real estate! (Which is why you see older moms leafletting at mall entrances everywhere!) May want to late this year, when my savings are more stabilized... consultancy with Dennis and Tito Romy may be good options to take as well :-) Happy House and Lot Hunting For Me! :-)