all about me

My Manila: White Moon Bar at Manila Ocean Park

2011-02-07T22:07:00.001+08:00

After our Manila Zoo adventure, we just wanted to sit and relax. When we're in Manila, we usually have ensaimada at the New Diamond Hotel. But since we were on adventure mode, we decided to try something new.

I remembered seeing a feature on White Moon bar so we headed to Manila Ocean Park. White Moon Bar is an open-air bar with a gorgeous view of Manila's famous sunset. It has huge, comfortable white sofas, low tables and capiz-decorated speakers. Last Sunday, they were playing 80s music, which was probably perfect for most of the customers. It served really cold beer (a bit pricey at P80/bottle) and other cocktails. Our waiter nicely suggested that we also order food and swore by their beef nachos, but we had to decline as we already had dinner plans. Most of the other customers also just ordered drinks, which the waiters efficiently served.

The atmosphere was very relaxed. Some of the customers were a couple, 2 small groups of tourists (4 or 5 persons in each group), and a group of men. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves with drinks but the place was never noisy. I couldn't even hear the laughter from the group of men who were 3 sofas away from us. The gentle winds probably carried out the sound.

With the comfy chairs, the magnificent sunset, the 80s music and the perfectly cold beer, we forgot all our cares and snuggled deeper into the sofa. For that moment, there were no bills to pay, no global warming to worry about, and the world was in peace.

Tips:

If you're bringing a car, park inside the gate of Manila Ocean Park. There are plenty of parking spaces inside even on a Sunday.
Go early. The sofas get filled at around 5:30 PM.
If you get there before 5PM and you can't stand the heat, you can explore the complex first.
You can catch the Musical Fountain Show after sunset. If you pay online or get an SMS coupon, the ticket is only P99. Check out http://www.manilaoceanpark.com/promos.php?id=96&l=indexnews for details. Promo is valid until 31 March 2011.

*White Moon Bar is at the second floor of the Manila Ocean Park complex. You can take the main entrance, take the escalator near the food stalls at the left side of the mall, then walk right, heading towards Hotel H20. You can always ask the guard for instructions, they're very helpful.

My Manila: Manila Zoo

2011-02-07T08:21:00.000+08:00

7 Feb 2011 - B and I have decided to see Manila as if we were tourists. First stop: Manila Zoo, the field-trip destination when we were in elementary school.

Manila zoo has improved over the years. Only the chimps' cages retained the broken tile and cement flooring. There are now huge cages for our eagles and other fowls. There are lots of picture-taking opportunities - you get to carry a snake or a bird on our shoulders, you can ride a horse or ride a boat. There are also several play areas for kids. It's still not as nice as the public zoos I've visited in other countries, neither does it match Avilon Zoo on the other side of Metro Manila. But it's not a bad place to spend your P40.

Batanes

2010-07-12T06:37:00.002+08:00

I've always wanted to photograph Batanes. So, after having so much fun in Backpack Photography - Banaue, it was only a matter of time before we signed up for Backpack Photography - Batanes.

Batanes did not disappoint - it had power outages, our inn had problems with water supply, bottled water was a precious commodity and the sun was blazing so hot it activated my dormant sweat glands, but the views were so magnificent that I was always torn between just standing and breathing in the beauty of the landscape or attempting to capture them in photos. And the food, specially the daily serving of lobster and coconut crabs, was a treat to my sleep-deprived body.

Here's the album I ordered from Artscow.com (you may also visit this site to see the album):

More pictures may be viewed here.

Sexy knows no waistlines

2010-03-15T15:22:00.000+08:00

B has always been a fan of Jane Monheit. He would always check out her new albums and his mp3 player would always have at least 2 of her songs.

So when I learned that Jane would have a concert in Manila as part of the Philippine Jazz Festival, I immediately got us tickets. I thought it would be a perfect Valentine gift for B.

It was a perfect Valentine gift for me as well. It was the best organized concert I've ever attended. There were no long queues, and we were given seat numbers upon registration. The ladies at the registration table also informed us that there would be front acts and that Jane was expected to start singing at 9 PM. This gave us time to have dinner.

When we went back at the Rockwell tent, we had enough time to get a bottle of cava (Barcino's had a booth a few meters outside the entrance) before the front acts started to perform. And they didn't disappoint! It was nice to hear the raspy voice and easy rhythm of Art Manuntag again. The energetic moves of Brass Munkeys' bass player was also a delight to watch.

But of course, the star of the show was still Jane. When she entered, we were surprised at how large she was. But when she started to walk, she got us convinced that she was the sexiest woman on earth. As she started singing, it became obvious that she was in love with music. She had excellent control of her voice but this was nothing compared to the way she sang each song - she sang with her whole self. She seduced us to her world - we fell in love and felt her passion. We were convinced that we will find the rainbow connection and cross the moon river someday. She shared with us her love for her family and reminded us how love can make us fly. We were mesmerized.

We never wanted the evening to end. And it didn't, even if the concert did. Because we will always remember the music of Jane Monheit every time we close our eyes.

Removing Pencil Marks from Clothes

2010-03-06T14:39:00.002+08:00

I am just so happy when things work.

I was wearing a new light blue dress last Friday and after happily prancing around in it, I accidentally wrote a 5-inch line on it with a pencil.

As soon as I got home, I googled about removing pencil stains from fabrics. I came across sites that mentioned using ammonia, pre-laundry treatment products and stain spray, which I do not have. I was just happy to come across this page in a quilting website. It suggests mixing:

1 cup water;
2 tbs alcohol; and
1 drop clear dishwashing liquid

and applying these mixture with a toothbrush.

I only had green apple-scented dishwashing liquid but tried it anyway. And it worked! I'm excited to wear my dress again =)

My Fan Girl Moment: I Miss You Like Crazy!

2010-02-27T02:41:00.007+08:00

It's been years since I watched a movie on its first day of showing. But due to scheduling conflicts and our excitement to watch I Miss You Like Crazy, I found myself not only reserving for tickets for the first showing date, I also fell in line an hour before show time! It was actually fun, as we got to sit on the carpet and munch on our snacks while waiting for the guards to let us in the theater. It was just like having a picnic except that we were in the middle of a packed mall with all those tempting food stalls.

Anyway, sulit ang fan girl moment! I Miss You Like Crazy was a good movie - the script was well-written, the actors pulled off their roles and most of the time, the scenes looked beautiful (it made me want to visit Kuala Lumpur!)

The movie was about love and the perfect time for it. It involves a love square (as opposed to a love triangle) among John Lloyd Cruz (Alan), Bea Alonzo (Mia), Maricar Reyes (Daphne) and Malaysian actor Gerald Hans Isaac (Mir).

I loved the script - it wasn't perfect but there were no unnecessary scenes and there were very few lines that made me cringe. I loved that it made an effort to let the audience understand how the main characters reached their decisions. The story tackled infidelity and showed sides of it that made it still unforgivable but understandable. There were no villains but the circumstances of the characters provided enough conflict. There were just scenes where I found the conversations about love and relationships a tad too long. I guess I'm just used to Korean and Japanese dramas were philosophical conversations on love and life are reduced to just a line or two.

The director also did an excellent job in casting the roles - everyone, including the supporting actors acted really well. John Lloyd's character was a bit boring (no special quirks except for being conservative in his choice of wardrobe and his house), but he seemed so real. You can easily feel and understand his emotions. Bea, on the other hand, had a very quirky character, which she was able to pull off most of the time. There was one scene where she was trying to act like everything was okay, giving a fake smile while delivering lines that would end in a curse - she was able to pull it off and still look beautiful! The supporting cast only had a few lines (Bembol Rocco did not even utter a single word) but they stayed true to their characters, had perfect timing and made the movie so nice to watch (isn't it awful when they get support casts who don't know how to act?). I specially loved Bembol Rocco, Ina Feleo, Ketchup Eusebio, Maricar and Gerald. Even the horse knew exactly when to pee!

The movie looked so pretty most of the time - the shots of the scenery are so nice that I now want to: (a) ride a boat to cross the Pasig river; and (b) walk around the parks of Kuala Lumpur. I loved the contrast of the clean lines of Daphne's modern condo against the texture of Alan's old house. I also love the choice of angles for the shots - there was a scene where Alan was supposed to be stuck in traffic - they used a low angle that made everything seem so tight that even I felt claustrophobic. Ang galing!

Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about the wardrobe. Maricar obviously wore a wig. There was one dramatic scene where Mia had a huge wet spot on her dress, which was unfortunately at the crotch area. Even worse was a scene where they focused on Bea's hand with her nails painted a dull grey. I thought they mistakenly inserted scenes from a horror movie! Oh well, nothing really is perfect.

Still, it was a nice movie and it was a good decision to watch it on February 24, 2010. Why? Watch the movie and you'll find out.

And yes, I'm back to blogging.

Stay safe!!!

2009-10-27T05:28:00.000+08:00

I was in Trinoma last night at around 7 pm. I was supposed to meet Rey in front of Cyma at the top floor so I took the escalators near the entrance facing the restaurant area. The escalators were inside the mall but this set of elevators was located in a very quiet location - it faced a wall and was away from the view of the shoppers and the guards.

When I got there, 3 men were just getting off the escalator. When they were near me, one of them suddenly said that they needed to go back to the 4th floor. He immediately went back to the escalator. I slowed down to allow the 2 others to go ahead of me but they stopped to chat. I went ahead. Suddenly, I felt that something was wrong, so I looked around. I noticed that aside from the 3 men, there was nobody else in that section of Trinoma. All of us were on the escalator with their "leader" 4 steps ahead of me, and the 2 guys who were then 2 steps down. I felt so uneasy that I ran past their leader without no logical reason (wala nang isip-isip, kunwari na lang may hinahabol akong guwapo). When I reached the top and looked back, I noticed that they did not complete their escalator ride (so I guess hindi sila nabulag sa aking kagandahan). For some reason (maybe I'm really just paranoid every Christmas/tuition/election season,) I felt that I just escaped an attack. I was relieved but I was still shaken that instead of turning left towards Cyma, I mistakenly turned right and took the longer route (nakita ko tuloy and Siomal by Hussein's. Doon kami kumain. Masarap pero para na rin kaming na-hold up sa mahal ng binayad namin.)

Nothing really happened to me. The 3 guys may just have been friends who were hanging out at Trinoma and had no intentions of robbing people. It may have just been coincidence that no one else was using the escalators. But I'd rather be paranoid and look silly/crazy than be robbed or hurt (mahirap kumita ng pera!!!).

So, I will take what happened as a reason to share with you what motherlily always told me: (a) when in public places, always be aware of your surroundings; and (b) don't ignore your gut feel, it may be your guardian angel (or in my case, fatherlily!) warning you of dangers.

More tips can be found at:

How to avoid an attack - http://www.ehow.com/how_2213835_avoid-an-attack.html
How to avoid purse snatching - http://www.wikihow.com/Prevent-Purse-Snatching and http://www.ehow.com/how_1889_avoid-purse-snatchers.html

Stay safe!

Feeling Tech-y

2009-04-05T00:36:00.005+08:00

B has a new toy - a black MSI Wind! It's nice and cute and it serves its purpose as a portable book reader and dvd player. The 6-cell battery really powers the Wind for at least 5 hours. The only complaint we had was that it couldn't connect to our Netgear wireless router at home while it didn't have any problems connecting to the wifi in Coffeebean and Tea Leaf, Kozui and the Complink branches in SM North Edsa and SM Megamall. I knew that our router was working fine as my Dell-ing masira office laptop could connect to it without any fuss.

I've checked out the manuals, googled it, browsed through countless of forums, inquired with the tech people of Complink, and still didn't get the solution. But after getting a talking fuschia rubber-covered heart-shaped mouse, I got inspired to be creative and experimented with the router settings myself. Nope, I'm not a tech-y person (M, Deng and Janina can attest to the number of times that they got an email from me asking for help on Excel, our internal website and even Powerpoint), but I'm a brave fool. And this brave fool finally found the settings that allowed the MSI Wind to connect to our router. Woohoo! (For those who want to know, I just changed the channel to 01 and set the mode to B and G. Whatever that means.)

And speaking of my talking fuschia rubber-covered heart-shaped mouse, I also have a purple extension cord! Don't they look perfect with my laptop bag?

Hay, wala na talagang maniniwalang abogado ako. And I haven't even mentioned that my mouse says "I love you" when you click the scroll button (even I have to shiver at that.)

25 random things about me

2009-02-25T13:33:00.006+08:00

Yup - got tagged in Facebook several times. I meant to complete this 2 weeks ago but never got to start drafting until I got stuck in traffic along C-5 on my way to work this morning.

1. i seldom drink coffee but i make brewed coffee everyday.

2. brewing coffee is the only kitchen-related task that i do for B.

3. i don't go to the kitchen to make coffee. our coffee maker is in our bedroom, beside the electric kettle. I use the hotwater from the kettle for my tea.

4. i love loose-leaf teas.

5. tea is supposed to help digestion and keep weight down. i've been drinking tea for 2 decades but i just keep on gaining weight specially around my stomach.

6. which is why people always think i'm pregnant.

7. i don't mind when people think i'm pregnant, i'm quite used to it.

8. and i hope they don't mind if i use their misconception to my advantage - i get good bargains (people seem to think that they will get lucky if they sell stuff to a preggie), i don't have to run when flying on budget airlines, and i didn't have to climb the stairs of arc de triomphe (B and i got to take the elevator!)

9. i have never been pregnant and i don't think i'll ever be. we're child-free by choice. (this is a nicer way of saying that i have no plans of losing sleep over a 3-month old tyrant.)

10. but i don't mind helping B take care of his 17-year old daughter, G. (she doesn't give me sleepless nights and i don't have to wash her when she poops!)

11. i first met G when she was 2. B and I were a couple for 10 years before we got married (it took him that long to convince me that he wouldn't wear my underwear.)

12. we were gimmick buddies for a year and a half before we got together. we've been married for 4 years (thankfully, even if i gained so much weight since the wedding, he still wouldn't fit in my underwear.)

13. we've been living with B's mom for all those 4 years. i don't mind living with my mother-in-law. She runs the house like a hotel (we have room service every breakfast!) and cooks really delicious food.

14. i love good food and it shows - it goes straight to my stomach and never leaves it.

15. B's my eating buddy. we often try out new restos and for the past 5 years, we give each other a point for each good resto that we recommend. the score's at 64-63, in B's favor. i don't mind losing to him on this for as long as he's fatter than me.

16. the last point I received was for Cely's carinderia in Angeles City, Pampanga. for P385, B and I had really good bulalo, the best chicken barbecue that B has ever tasted, the best sisig I've ever tasted, rice and 7-up. the food we ordered was good for 4 people but we finished everything anyway.

17. we were in Pampanga to check out the hot air balloon festival but we ended spending most of our time eating, sleeping and biking. that's how we are when we travel - we make detailed plans but we don't mind setting aside our plans if we feel like doing something else. (actually, what really happened was that we were horrified when we saw the number of people trying to enter the site!)

18. i just learned how to ride a bike last December using a bike that Marian gave me (thanks, Marian!). I've been riding a bike at least twice a week since then. I'm now using Gen's (pronounced as "Jen") bike (thanks, Ojai and Gen!) I love the feel of the wind on my face when I'm biking, it reminds me of distant places with flowers, rivers and fresh air.

19. i love going to distant places with flowers, rivers and fresh air. forget the flowers, rivers and fresh air - i love going to distant places.

20. i seldom shop when i travel. i'm happy to just keep on looking at the pictures that i took. pero di ako nagwagi sa New York - if satan used outlet shops to tempt people to sin, i'd definitely go to hell.

21. i love pictures! we had 3 photographers at our wedding and i didn't regret getting all of them. i bought an entry level dslr (olympus e-500) a couple of years ago so that i could have good pictures when i travel, only to realize that if i was taking the picture, i wouldn't be on it.

22. i think that i take good pictures (hey, my entry just won first place at the Olyclub's monthly contest!) but i'll never be a brilliant photographer. i just don't have the patience to carry all the necessary gears and wait for the perfect moment.

23. photography is just like my other skills/talents - i'm a jill of all trades but master of none. i sing (sang with the Ateneo Glee Club in college), play the piano and the violin (achieved level 4 as certified by the British School of Music), write, act (i studied Creative Writing in high school but graduated as a Theater Arts major), dance, organize events, eat a whole spring chicken with 2 plates of rice, fall on a bike when I wasn't moving in the first place, get drunk on fruit juice, and hide my jewelry so well that i couldn't find them again.

24. the only skill i am really good at is sleeping - i can sleep anytime, anywhere! B thinks I'm narcoleptic.

25. i think that my chow, Porkchop, is narcoleptic, but still find her adorable even if she's asleep most of the day. i treat her like a baby except when she gets on my nerves in which case i kick her out of the house and let her sleep at the garage.

Scene from Loving You

2009-01-15T19:23:00.000+08:00

ex-boyfriend na childhood friend: . . .ginagawa mo lang bang past time si laine?

current boyfriend: We both know she's way too special for that. Jepoy . . . you're the only one who's holding her back. Do the right thing.

ex-boyfriend na childhood friend: Sige, just so we're clear - you break her heart and i'll break her neck.

ano raw???

Act N@W - my Concordia and San Juan Adventure

2008-12-21T23:35:00.007+08:00

Since I'm pretending to be good this Christmas season, I decided to join some of the members of Newlyweds@Work (N@W) extend some help to Concordia Children's Services.

Concordia is a small orphanage that takes care of 22 kids and supports the education of 34 other urban poor children. Marj wrote about them in an email and a lot of N@wies picked up her plea for help. A few emails later, volunteer N@wies were already organizing a party for the urban poor kids. Many others volunteered to send donations. I was one of them.

Initially, I just pledged a little money. It was the easiest thing to do. But after attending several Christmas parties, indulging myself in food and alcohol and tremendously enjoying the company of friends, I felt like doing something different. So, I volunteered to take pictures at the Concordia party.

When I mentioned my plans to some officemates, they too got excited and offered to donate goods. Thinking that more people would be interested in helping out the kids, I sent out an email to almost everyone in my address books. The response was overwhelming. I could hardly pack all the donations that I was able to gather in our car!

Apparently, there were also tons of generous Nawies that we just had too much donations for 1 beneficiary. The organizers then decided to donate the overflow to St. Martin de Porres Charity Hospital.

A week before the party, I sent out an invite to the members of the Olyclub and the GSM PhotoClub to help me take pictures. I was happy when Mot, Honey, Oli and Rodge volunteered to cover the party with me.

The night before the party, I charged my batteries and prepared my memory cards. I was so excited that I didn't have enough sleep. I fell asleep at 2 AM but by 7:30 AM, I was ready to leave. I passed by Mot on my way to Concordia. Traffic was a bit heavy because of the hundreds of people who were going home to their provinces for the Christmas holidays. We arrived at Concordia 30 minutes before the start of the party.

Concordia was nestled in between Ligaya Lodge and Gardenia Terrace Motel. The entrance was a gate right beside a huge banner advertising taxi rooms for P599. We wondered if the babies in the orphanage were products of the activities in these motels.

As soon as we got there, we unloaded the donations from my car and started preparations for the party. I helped set up the table for the prizes, which was useless as more donations arrived after I set it up so they ended up fixing everything again. There were just so many donations!

The program started promptly and I was impressed by the host, Ate Ayie. She chose games that were appropriate for the kids and she even made animals out of balloons. 3 crew members of Jollibee were there to help her out. They were all great with the kids!

But the star of the show was Dani - she read a story to the children. She was able to capture the attention of all the kids with her story that they almost looked hypnotized! When it was time for the Q&A after the story, everyone knew the answers (except for me, hehe). I was really so amazed by her talent in story-telling. Tinalo niya talaga si Kuya Bodjie at si Ate Sienna.

The children also got excited when Jollibee performed. Jollibee was just so charming that even the adults (photographers included) wanted to have a picture taken with him. After watching him and taking pictures of him for 30 minutes, I was half in love with him!

I so enjoyed the program that I didn't notice the heat, the dozens of children running around and screaming and the fact that we were having the party at a parking lot. I was also having so much fun with the other N@wies that I ended up posing for a lot of pictures with them. We even had a picture taken with Jollibee! It surprised me how we all gelled and had fun together even if it was my first time to see most of them. I was also amazed at how everything was efficiently organized.

After the program, a handful of us went to St. Martin to turn over the donations. The administrator was visibly touched and she promised to make sure that the donations would benefit the patients and the staff. She also requested the head nurse to give us a tour of the hospital. At one point, someone asked if we were actresses (apparently because only actresses went around hospitals to give out free stuff). We wanted to answer that we were actresses but we weren't famous because: (a) we were never launched; or (b) our soap operas were televised at 3 AM and got axed after 1 airing.

Even after giving out slippers to the kids in St. Martin, we realized that we still had 2 full boxes of slippers with us. Wanting to ensure that the slippers were donated to less-fortunate children, we thought of institutions that would have children who may appreciate having new slippers. We decided to make an impromptu visit to the municipal hospital of San Juan. Right outside the hospital were 2 street kids. One of them was running around with bare feet but he still refused the slippers we were giving him! We were so desperate to give him the slippers that we were almost begging him to receive it. Hindi kami nagwagi.

The people in the hospital were a different story, they were so grateful for the slippers and showered us with thanks. One of the kids confined in the hospital was the sibling of the kid playing in front of the hospital. We left a pair of slippers for him. Ha!

Unfortunately, there were only a handful of kids at the hospital so we still had several dozens of slippers with us. Since we were on a mission to hand out those slippers, we discussed our next step. We thought about standing in a busy corner and give out the slippers to the kids who knocked on car windows to beg. We decided against it, natakot kaming pagkaguluhan (naks, feeling artista!) After a few minutes, we decided to distribute it at the nearest depressed area.

And so, we trekked to the nearest barangay hall and found ourselves talking to the people of Brgy. Balongbato (in English, Rockwell!) We told them that we had slippers to give out and that we would appreciate it if they invited children between ages 2-8 to get their slippers from us. After 5 minutes, at least 100 kids were swarming the place. We all felt like we hit the jackpot! We had the kids fall in line and gave out the rest of the slippers. we ran out of slippers halfway through the line. Once again, I was amazed at the efficiency of the Nawies - they not only gave out the slippers, they were also able to give the right size to the kids. Ang galing!

We finished at around 2 PM - I was tired and thirsty, my legs felt heavy after standing for hours and walking around with my gear (I really have to start working on becoming physically fit!) but I actually got a little sad when our adventure ended and said goodbye to my fellow N@wies. It would take some time before I see them again in person.

As I journeyed back to real life, I browsed through the pictures on my camera and smiled. I was pretending to be good but the fun and adventure that I had with the N@wies and my photographer friends were all real. Their smiles were saved on my memory cards. I just hope that my smile was saved on theirs - lalo na yung picture ko with Jollibee!!!

More pictures are posted at: http://abieco.multiply.com/photos/album/50/Act_NW

Call for Applicants to Philippine High School for the Arts Scholarships

2008-12-01T10:49:00.003+08:00

The Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) is currently accepting applicants to the 2009 Annual Nationwide Search for Young Arts Scholars (ANSYAS).

PHSA is a government run secondary school for artistically gifted and talented children and youth located in Mt. Makiling, Laguna. It implements a special secondary education curriculum oriented to the arts while offering the Basic Education subjects prescribed by the Department of Education (DepEd). The specialized curriculum of the PHSA is focused on the disciplines of Creative Writing, Dance, Music, Theater, and the Visual Arts.

Applicants must be Filipino citizens with outstanding ability in any of the following disciplines—Music (instrument and voice), Dance (ballet and folk), Theater Arts, Visual Arts, and Creative Writing. Applicants must be graduating Grade VI or VII pupils for the school year 2008-2009; of above average intelligence, proficient in oral and written Filipino and English; without any debilitating illness; and willing to study in a residential high school.

Likewise, applicants must be determined to pursue a college degree in Architecture, Fine Arts, Music, Dance, Theater Arts, Journalism or any related courses upon graduation from the PHSA.

Successful applicants will receive free tuition, board and lodging, classes with master teachers, a monthly stipend plus the chance to represent the country and the school in international festivals, competitions and exchange programs. Application is also free.

Established in 1977, the PHSA has a distinguished roster of graduates that include singer Grace Nono (Theater), filmmaker Raymond Red (Visual Arts), painter and installation artist Gerry Leonardo (Visual Arts), stage and film actress Shamaine Buencamino (Theater), pianist Hiyas Hila (Music), stage and film actor Soliman Cruz (Theater), bass baritone Jonathan Zaens (Music), Biag Gaongen (Theater) and dancer Candice Adea (Ballet).

The PHSA boasts of an impressive faculty as well. PHSA teachers, according to PHSA Executive Director Fernando C. Josef, are among the best of the country’s artists, practitioners and educators. “PHSA is the only national arts institution that provides a four-year scholarship to exceptionally talented young Filipino artists. It offers these young artists a comprehensive and highly specialized training supported by excellent facilities and in the idyllic and beautiful setting of Mt. Makiling.”

Application forms and the list of requirements per art discipline may be downloaded from the PHSA website www.phsa.edu.ph. All documents and requirements must be sent directly to ANSYAS 2009, c/o Assistant Reynaldo O. Wong, PHSA, National Arts Center, Mt. Makiling, Los Baños 4030 Laguna.

For inquiries, please email phsa@laguna.net or call telefax (+6349)5365971 to 73 and 536-2862.

*re-posted from ClickTheCity.com

My Hairspray

2008-11-23T10:30:00.003+08:00

After years of not watching plays, I finally got a good excuse to watch one - my officemates were selling tickets! (I wanted to watch Wicked in NY but by the time I had a good idea of what my free days were, the shows were already sold out.) I was just too happy that Marian, Mich and Dette were also interested in watching Hairspray.

The only version of Hairspray I watched was the original (1980's) version. I just came across it while cable-surfing one evening and was instantly entertained by Tracy's dancing - she looked so huge but she was light on her feet and she danced with so much energy. She was so positive and bouncy that I really wanted her to succeed. Up til now, I still couldn't believe that Ricki Lake played Tracy in that movie.

The Manila version was also entertaining.

Mabel Ching was an acceptable Tracy. She also gave a positive vibe, was bouncy and she was effective in playing a love-struck teenager. She could dance but there were steps that she couldn't pull off. There were times when she was graceful and energetic but they weren't enough to convince me that she was the best dancer on stage. She was mostly in tune but her long notes made me cringe a bit when she lost control over her vibrato and she had the tendency to over-act the little-girl voice making her sound like a 4-year old instead of a high school student.

In contrast, Dulce really gave Motormouth Maybell a powerful singing voice but she couldn't pull off the role of a black diva. She just looked like a contestant for a Tina Turner-dance alike contest. But at least she had her moments and really took command of the stage when she sang I Know Where I've Been, unlike Tim Espinosa who was such a disappointment as Link Larkin. His voice was too thin, his dancing was average and he was never able to convince me that he was a hunk that girls would swoon for. It didn't help that he looked so ordinary.

Nyoy Violante as Seaweed also looked ordinary (and I'm being generous when I say this as he really looks like a troll) but his singing and dancing were impressive. I expected him to sing well but I was surprised that he could dance so gracefully and execute complicated dance moves. His moonwalk was amazing. He wasn't able to convice me that he was black (I didn't see the groove), but he was pleasant to watch.

Another person who was pleasant to watch was Christine Allado who played the scheming Amber. She was utterly convincing as a racist bitch. She had a powerful voice and she was a charming dancer. If Amber weren't so scheming, I would have voted her as Ms. Hairspray.

I also liked the performances of Leo Rialp as Tracy's father, Wilbur, and Monica Reynoso as the nerdy Penny, but the show-stealers were Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo as Velmo von Tussle and Michael de Mesa as Edna. Menchu and Michael were the obvious veterans - you could understand each word that they uttered and when it was their turn to shine, they dazzled me with their presence.

Menchu was amazing - I could really feel the venom in her voice when she sang, she was beautifully devious and she seemed to have complete control over her whole body, including her vocal chords. I really was convinced that she was a fame-hungry ex-beauty-queen who would use her body and connections to win. I found her performance of Ms. Baltimore Crabs more compelling than Dulce's I Know Where I've Been, because Menchu didn't only sing it powerfully, she also sang every line in character.

Michael was even more amazing. He didn't sing as well as Menchu but he really looked and acted like a doting mother to Tracy and a loving wife to Wilbur. I could almost forget that he was male. Of course, he wouldn't allow me to forget his masculinity when he deliberately switched to his deep male voice.

His acting alone was enough to keep me entertained the whole evening.

Hairspray was also a visual feast - the set was simple but the costumes were really beautiful - I've never seen so many colorful and beautifully patterned polka-dots in my entire life. All the dresses were so pretty that I wanted to wear them myself. I so covet the 2-toned raincoats that the girls were wearing in one scene!

Taken as a whole, the Manila version of Hairspray wasn't perfect but my experience was positive enough that I suppose I'll be watching plays regularly again.

Sleeping with a College Freshman

2008-11-20T22:18:00.002+08:00

We've always talked about taking up accounting but we never acted on it. But on Monday morning, encouraged by his officemates, B decided to go ahead and get his third degree. He researched on Quezon City schools and checked which ones had evening classes. He went home around noon to get copies of his transcripts and other documents. He finished his registration by 4PM. He had his first free cut on Tuesday, got a scientific calculator yesterday and had a quiz today.

Up to now, I still can't believe that at my age, I'm sleeping with a college freshman!

Treat or Treat! (Alternative Title: "Why Porkchop Hates Me")

2008-11-10T15:46:00.002+08:00

Trick or treat!

2008-11-01T07:36:00.000+08:00

Flying Asiana Air

2008-10-20T19:29:00.003+08:00

Every time people learn that I'm taking Asiana Airlines for my New York trip, they would grimace, give me a concerned look and ask me why. I used to answer that I had no choice as Asiana offered the cheapest airfare.

If they ask me again now, I'd say "why not?"

I've tried flying Business Class on Lufthansa, KLM and Asiana over the past year and a half and among the three, Asiana is the best for me.

Both Lufthansa's and KLM's flight menus boasted of chefs on board. Asiana's menu was the simplest - it just provided the meal choices. But it served the best tasting food. The tenderloin was not as good as that served in Prince Albert's but it was good enough. I didn't get to choose how it will be cooked but since they served it medium well, I was happy. It was soft and tender and perfectly seasoned with just salt and pepper. It was served with sculpted creamy mashed potatoes. My other main meal was a delicious Bibimbap (translated as: Mixing and Harmonizing) which came with instructions on how to enoy it. It was as good as those served in the Korean restos in Manila, minus the heated bowl and the side dishes. They did serve kimchi with it, though.

In addition to this, I loved that they served salted butter in a dish. It was much easier scooping butter from a solid dish rather than trying to squeeze tasteless unsalted butter from the small packets that Lufthansa and KLM (and other restos in Manila) provide. I just held the piece of bread with my left hand, and scooped and spread the butter with a knife on my right hand.

I also loved the fact that in addition to the usual US movies, I also got to watch Japanese, Korean and Chinese movies. I enjoyed watching Korea's Princess Mighty during the Manila-Seoul leg. I attempted to watch Iron Man on the Seoul-New York leg but failed, as I was asleep most of the time!

And this was the real reason why I love Asiana - they had the best seats for me. Lufthansa had some nice chairs but the headrest was too high for me making me nod a little. the KLM seat also felt weird. But the Asia chair was so perfect! It fit my hips perfectly, gave my back ample support and it had the perfect space for my head! Even if I wanted to stay awake and watch a movie, I ended up dozing off.

Oops. Another reason to take Asiana was that their washrooms were always clean!!! In Lufthansa and KLM, there were times when the washrooms weren't clean. In Asiana, an attendant regularly cleaned them so they looked and smelled clean all throughout the flight.

Oh, and there's one more reason.(I feel like I'm in a home tv shopping show.) They have reasonable airfare!

Back to Scrapping

2008-09-30T15:32:00.008+08:00

I haven't scrapped in months - but since I was home this weekend and I've already promised my friends to create the invites for their kids, I looked through my materials and started scrapping.

I've forgotten how time-consuming it was to finish a lay-out but since my friends are happy with the designs that I made for my godchildren, I feel that I've spent my weekend wisely (even if I didn't get to see Kimura Takuya the whole time!)

Here's the invite for Jia - her baptism had to be pushed a few weeks later and the reception venue had to be changed because I'll be out of the country.

Her mom wanted the invite to be colorful (in pastel shades) with lots of digi-scrap layers. I also needed to include a Precious Moments element as this will be the theme for the reception. Clarice and I both got so excited that we're thinking of using a variation for a second page with the names of the godparents and a smaller version for the photo magnets. But before that, we have to insert the venue for the reception! Ok, back to Photoshop.

Speaking of Jia, before she was born, I helped organize a couple of maternity shoots for Clarice. We viewed hundreds of maternity photos online to get ideas and to see what types of clothes she needs to wear. The day before the shoot, we went shopping for clothes - we had very limited time, the clothes that matched our requirements (no prints, empress cut and in happy colors, didn't make Clarice look like the Marshmallow Man) were limited, but we still were able to get a couple of sets. As we munched on tacos and quesadillas, her husband bought matching polos for the dresses that we bought. There was a typhoon the next day so the shoot got cancelled, but Clarice still got to wear her clothes a few days later. Here are a couple of shots from Metrophoto:

Clarice, being Clarice, planned to have 3 maternity portrait sessions. The second was held at our house as we wanted the i'm-pregnant-and-i'm-proud-of-my-tummy phots. Mimi Abesamis and Karl de Leon took the shots. Here are a couple of my favorites (I actually liked the other shots better but my friendship with Clarice will end if I post them here.)

The third shoot didn't happen as Clarice was already in labor at that time. And that was supposed to be done in the studio.

Hindi rin siya addict sa picture, 'no?

Move over Jumong

2008-09-22T22:30:00.004+08:00

Kimura Takuya is now king of my time.

[Picture obviously not taken by me]

He's sweet in Beautiful Life, adorable and charismatic in Change, lovable in Engine and absolutely hot in Pride. I can't wait to watch his other dramas. Sigh.

Usapang Lashing

2008-09-19T02:00:00.008+08:00

It's 2 AM and I survived Thursday. I'm alive!!!

I'm admittedly tipsy after having drank several glasses of screwdriver. Nope, not the tool, but the drink. I can't sleep until I lose the buzz, because if I do, I'd have a massive hangover in the morning. I could not afford a hangover because the Boss nicely told me exactly an hour ago that he would be touring the foreign visitors to our floor tomorrow afternoon.

So why did I have survive to Thursday and why am I drunk before Friday?

First, I had to sing at a wedding. No, we're not just talking about 2 or 3 songs. I sang the bridal march, the songs for the offertory, communion, the Ama Namin and all the songs during the picture taking. I used to sing with the Ateneo Glee Club and I've sang for weddings before - but never on my own. And so, I was a nervous wreck the whole morning. I couldn't even finish my favorite hotdog sandwich that I was served for lunch. I had to file a leave as I coudn't complete any task. I arrived at the church early (despite the fact that St. James is actually a whole province away from the gate of Ayala Alabang.) Unfortunately, my accompanist (cousin of the groom) arrived late - just 20 minutes before the wedding. I still got to practice, though.

I suppose that it went well except for 1 song - "You" by the Carpenters. Yeah, it was a cop out because it was too easy. But I needed to rest my voice after singing the more emotional songs. I gave the signal for the coda except that the pianist and I had different ideas about what the coda was (we practiced the song Wednesday, but I guess we forgot.)

I felt good after the mass and it was nice to hear that the groom cried and claimed that it was because my voice. Of course, I knew that what he said was crap because he started tearing up when I started testing the mic and I couldn't find anything touching about singing half of a song, stopping in the middle and saying, "Manong, paki-dagdagan po ng mid."

Anyway, during the reception, one of the groom's relatives approached me and thanked me for singing during the mass. I said that he was welcome and managed to smile, but inside my head, I was thinking that I wouldn't do it again unless I get paid (and yes, if the bride or the groom was a really close friend.)

After the reception, we proceeded to Strumm's to celebrate the birthday of the Boss. We had guests from Chicago and Europe (I knew that we had a guest from Indonesia, I'm guessing that he flew out of Manila this afternoon.) It was fun dancing to 70's music as performed by Route 70, and 60's and 80s music as performed by the Authority. Having experienced a challenging day, I decided to indulge in a few drinks (or was that several? I suppose I lost count!)

And this is why I'm buzzed. So why am I blogging at this state? For one, I really need to get rid of the buzz before I go to sleep. But more importantly, I think that it would be fun to read this blog entry when I'm sober.

Diet is "Die" with a "T"

2008-09-07T15:17:00.002+08:00

My office friends and I are starting our diet tomorrow, but I already started mine today.

Dieting has always been torture for me - I love food. I feel so happy when I'm eating good food that I sometimes wiggle my butt the way Porkchop wiggles hers every time I get home. I get cranky when I'm hungry. Eating good food can make a bad day turn golden. I can be bribed with food.

But since I'm cheap and I refuse to spend on a new wardrobe due to my weight gain, I'll have to stop pigging out. Still, I'm not willing to go on diets that I can't keep up with. So, when we were talking about our diet goals last Friday, they asked me what my goal was - I said that I will now start eating for one. Now the challenge is finding out what a normal person would eat for meals.

Two meals and I already feel like half my brain cells died. Sigh.

Twisted!

2008-09-01T09:02:00.003+08:00

Mix 1 part soju with 4 parts Zesto Twist.

It's perfect with Jack & Jill's Tostillas with homemade salsa, which is really just a mix of a can of Hunt's Diced Tomatoes, 2 small green peppers, 1 medium white onion, 1 chili, some cilantro leaves, the juice of half a lemon and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

I never imagined that I will be posting recipes on this blog but all these TV dramas are making me spend so much time at home!

CrHappy Endings

2008-08-28T09:48:00.003+08:00

I watch movies and TV series the way I read books - from beginning to end. I always try to see and feel how the writers introduce the characters, establish the relationship among them, build the tension and whack my head with an awesome resolution or ending. I'm admittedly sappy so with effective writers, I always get to cry, laugh, scream and even dream with the characters. If the storyline gives me sufficient tension, I would just go on and watch the next episode, forgetting about sleep, ~~food~~ and skipping on conditioning my hair. For this reason, I really get disappointed, angry even, when good concepts go bad.

Here's my list of crappy endings.

1. Angels and Demons - I am NEVER going to read any of Dan Brown's books after reading Angels and Demons. I loved this book from page 1 to 500 - I loved the puzzles that they needed to solve, I even checked the net for pictures of the churches and the statues mentioned once in a while and turned the book upside down to appreciate the beauty of the ambigrams. Unfortunately for me, I wasted a night's sleep getting to page 500. As soon as I reached it, I felt like I headed into a dead-end after traveling for days and had no choice but to go back without reaching my intended destination. The last 70 pages of the book was just too painful to read that it took me 3 days to go through it when it only took me a few hours to get excited by the first 500 pages. The twist at the end was so dumb that Dan Brown had to justify it with 70 more pages. Robert Langdon surviving the fall from a helicopter was just too unbelievable but I guess Dan Brown needed the miracle of life as Robert Langdon was still the lead in the Da Vinci Code which was supposed to happen a year later. This book made me so angry that I wanted to tear it in half (or at 500 to be exact) - the only thing that stopped me was that I just borrowed the book from my sister. It's a good thing that I didn't pay sh!t for this book.

2. Last Friends - This Japanese TV series had potential as it had some of my favorite actors from Nodame Cantabile and was supposed to be brave enough to deal with domestic violence, child abuse and lesbianism. The first few episodes did not disappoint. I got affected with all of it - hating Masami for being such a wimp, feeling Ruka's pain in not being able to open up to anyone with her gender issues and cheering Takeru as he goes through life being nice even if he had a traumatic childhood. In the end, I just hated them all. Masami remained a wimp until the end - I was so disappointed that the violent Sosuke committed suicide as I felt that Masami needed to be beaten every day of her life until she grew a backbone and developed a brain.I was so disappointed with Ruka's speech when she won first in the race - it was the perfect opportunity to shout out loud that she was a lesbian and to hell with everyone who objected as everyone who mattered already accepted her as she was anyway. Instead, she went on and on about winning the race and being supported by her friends and family not as a male or a female but as a human being. She never even once admitted that she was a lesbian. As for Takeru, he never really blurted out what happened to him when he was a child, he just said that his sister tried to win him over to her side. What the hell was that? After all 11 episodes, they were all reduced to wimps. For all their speeches about fighting against violence, Takeru and Ruka did not even go to the police even after Sosuke beat Takeru with his cane and attempted to rape Ruka. In the end, all the controversial issues that the TV series promised to tackle were all swept under the rug. The only good think about it was that it showed that Ueno Juri could act. Oh, speaking of acting, I heard that Nishikido Ryo got an award for this movie. WTF? How can someone having only 2 expressions win an award?

3. Memories of Bali - No one who watched this Korean TV series would ever forget the ending. After having the characters go through so much pain, the writers just couldn't find a way to resolve all the tangles they created and opted for the easy way out - kill them all!

4. Coffee Prince - I loved Coffee Prince but the ending was really anti-climactic. They really should have ended it when Han Kyul and Eun Chan got together. Everything after that was not as interesting. i would have been happier if they just requested Gong Yoo to walk around topless and sing lullabies to Eun Hye for an hour.

5. Princess Hours - Just like Coffee Prince, I loved this Korean TV series but felt a bit disappointed with the ending. I felt like they wanted to squeeze out more money from a high-rating series by adding flimsy plots and minor issues even after the main storyline has ended. The last 2 episodes just confused the hell out of everyone even if they spent so much money bringing the cast to Macau.

Important Paalala

2008-08-27T09:23:00.001+08:00

Underlined sentence from an Acknowledgment Receipt issued by the Office of the Bar Confidant of the Supreme Court of the Philippines:

"Please bring with you this receipt whenever you make follow-up of your petition."

Heaven in every bite

2008-08-18T20:44:00.011+08:00

I just realized that my long weekend was all about food.

On Saturday, we celebrated Ate Janet's birthday at Dampa at Farmer's - we enjoyed pigging out on prawns in lemon-butter sauce, chili crabs, grilled squid, grilled fish, pakbet and sinigang na maya-maya. No one was surprised when Ate Cecile and I were the last to finish our meal as we tried to finish off all the crabs.

The next day, Nina, Frank and I travelled all the way to Batangas to enjoy a barrio fiesta. For breakfast, we had home-made suman, dinuguan and puto. A few hours later, we had buko salad. Lunch was literally a feast as we had binutuhan, menudo, habanera, chicken, mixed vegetables, leche flan, ube halaya and more buko salad.

From Batangas, we travelled to Tagaytay just to get the egg tarts that we reserved from Rowena's. And since we were already in Tagaytay, we passed by Massimo's to take home a serving of their artichoke dip.

Today, seeing that we had lots of nacho-tasting chips, I made my first home-made salsa! And for dinner, we had our own version of lettuce wraps - we grilled some pork, sliced some garlic and wrapped them in lettuce leaves that were smeared with red bean paste. We still need to perfect the marinade for the pork, but it was still fun eating our version of sam gyup sal at home.

I probably gained at least 3 lbs this weekend, but each bite I had these past 3 days was definitely worth the weight!!!

*******

More on the Batangas-Tagaytay trip -

I never realized that barrio fiestas can be so entertaining - marching bands took turns parading on the main road, there were lots of vendors selling balloons and cheap trinkets, but the star of the fiesta was the ati-atihan.

Batangas' version of the ati-atihan cannot be ignored - it started with a slim trannie going door-to-door wearing only a pink 2-piece swimsuit, I got the shock of my life when I saw one knocking at my friend's window. He actually succeeded in stopping me from taking my next bite. Then came the rest of the trannie gang wearing black skin-tight clothes. They performed modern dance moves in tune to ati-atihan music. Unfortunately, each of them had his own choreography. The best part of their performance was the duo of fire-eaters - they both ate and breathed fire with lust in their eyes. Scary, but still entertaining.

Inside the house, we entertained ourselves by watching the Olympic games (the athletes from Argentina were cute!), competed in our own Olympic game - jackstones (unfortunately, one of the stars broke before we even finished one game), and watched the US version of My Sassy Girl (really awful, as we expected.)

From Batangas, we took the Star Toll (a really beautiful stretch of road!) and passed through Tanauan. The road that brought us up to Tagaytay was pretty rough and steep. There were stretches that were cemented but most of the 30-minute drive was either cracked asphalt or just plain dirt. This national road was already narrow but it was 2-way. It gave us beautiful views of Taal volcano, though. So like the ati-atihan in Batangas, the road was scary, but still entertaining.

My Anime Life!

2008-08-12T08:41:00.006+08:00

All these anime I've watched seem to have jumped into my own life:

- Porkchop seems to like watching Lovely Complex. She also loved watching Will & Grace. She doesn't watch other shows.

- At a wedding we attended, when the host announced that 2 males will be singing a duet, I jokingly hummed the first 2 lines of Mariah Carey and John Legend's "With You I'm Born Again". And then the 2 guys started singing the same song with one of them singing the female part in falsetto.

- Rey's cousin, in her early morning confusion, almost poured her contact lens solution directly into a zip lock bag when I told her that when boarding planes, she's supposed to put in all liquids inside the bag. She even asked me if I was sure that the solution wouldn't leak from the bag. Eh?!

- Our office has a no-eating-in-workstations rule. They're so bent on enforcing the rule that our Executive Director actually issued 2 memos on it. Last Monday, I was rushing urgent work so I decided to eat a ham and cheese croissant on my desk. Our Executive Director walked in and asked me a question just as I took a huge bite! Apparently, he also walked in on another office mate who was eating a cookie.

*******

Speaking about offices, we recently moved into our new workspaces. And I now have a room. It feels great to have been delivered out of cubeville! I never realized how much I hated my cube until I left it. My new room has solid sound-proof walls, sufficent storage space (a set of drawers, a mobile ped and a china cabinet), and right beside it is a breakout room with really comfortable sofas (never mind that they're screaming red.) I love my new workspace!

Reasons to Stay at Home on a Sunday

2008-07-27T20:27:00.007+08:00

1. B (yak.)
2. Porkchop (?)
3. downloaded movies/tv series
4. a good easy-read
5. a comfy bed
6. relatively fast internet connection
7. beautifully cooked meals

Who am i kidding? I don't need any reason to stay at home and stay in bed the whole day on a Sunday!

Why I worked from home last Monday

2008-07-23T01:34:00.002+08:00

I was halfway to the office when I realized that I left my office laptop at home. Ang talino!

Word for the Day: Karoshi

2008-07-10T17:06:00.002+08:00

"Karoshi" - deaths from overwork

I guess these are not uncommon in Japan as they already have a term for it. For the latest Karoshi news, check out:

Ruling finds Japanese man died from overwork

OlyClub Philippines Photo Exhibit: DISCOVER NEW WONDERS

2008-06-29T11:30:00.005+08:00

From Cris Alcala's Multiply:

The First OlyClubPh Photo Exhibit

"DISCOVER NEW WONDERS"... regular subjects, different perspectives

Venue: Ground Floor of SM Mega Mall, Bldg. B (Near the Main Entrance)
Duration of Exhibit: July 3 - 16 (2 Weeks) 10:00am - 9:00pm
Admission: Free (Open to the Public)

- On display are top 30 framed artwork photos, taken by OlyClubPh members using various Olympus dSLRs and Zuiko Digital lenses, as chosen by the respectable Mr. Jay Alonzo.
- Demo Olympus dSLR (Pro and Semi-Pro) cameras and lenses (No products will be on sale at the exhibit).
- 32" LCD Slideshow presentation of olyclubph's history (timeline) and a hundred other photos from the olyclubph members.

Ribbon Cutting on July 3, 2008, 6:00 PM, Thursday. Everyone is invited to attend the opening of this club event or visit the exhibition. We hope to see you all!

Print Exhibitors:

Christian "Chris" Alcala MD
Amie Alegre
Dennis Alfaro
Norman Aquino
Francis Cadiente
Abie Co
Mickey Cruz
Ryan Cruz
Frandy de los Santos
Rey del Rosario
Sandro Domingo
Marvin Nuto
Earl Thomas "toktok" Paler
Sean Paler
Mot Rasay
Randy Rivera
Dexter Tan
Francis Tuason

***Thanks to Donna Samonte for initiating the web announcement & invitation***

Makiling Cafe

2008-06-26T23:18:00.005+08:00

I love seeing pictures of Mt. Makiling. These always remind me of my high school days at the National Arts Center when the only thing I worried about was getting rid of the pimple on my nose.

So when a fellow Ibarang (which is what we call students and alumni of the Philippine High School for the Arts) sent links to his pictures, I eagerly downloaded all of them. Most of the pictures made me happily nostalgic but this picture of the NAC cafeteria (which we all called "cafe") made my heart feel a little bit heavier.

(Photo courtesy of kuya Daniel Honrade.)

Cafe was where most of us started our day. We would line up beside the metal counter where we were served breakfast in metal trays. If the line was long, we would sit at the edge of the wooden stage while waiting for our turn. When we were running late, the servers would scoop our viands into clear plastic bags and pack them in brown paper bags.

Lunch and dinner at the cafe were social events - we would chat with schoolmates while eating with distorted forks and worn-out spoons. Most of us would be seated in 3 long tables arranged on wooden floors, while the luckier ones get to seat at the balcony where they could enjoy the various shades of green that Mt. Makiling's trees and plants had to offer. The balcony was separated from the main dining area by glass doors.

With a wooden stage at the farthest end, Cafe was also "the" venue for staging mini-presentations, contests and even school announcements (major presentations and school activities were held at the NAC Theater). The transparent glass wall at the back of the stage allowed us to see the beauty of the mountain during the day but served as a black backdrop as soon as the sun hid behind Maria's back. I remember being in awe as I watched ate Pia, ate Anette, Ate Judelle, ate Grethel and mommy Christy perform "Limang Dipang Tao" on its stage. Four years later, it would stage a play that I directed where I required the actresses to gush like crazy over Gabby Concepcion while wearing ill-fitting monotonous clothes made up of metallic threads. I could still imagine Vivienne say, "Pedestrian lane, Pilut!"

Right beside the stage was an upright piano where Miguel would perform a classical version of Madonna's "Like a Virgin."

The dining area was not only meant for eating. It was the venue for exhibits, rehearsals and other school activities. This was where we auditioned for the school paper - we were all required to write an essay on the importance of art in life. I remember feeling so much pressure (I majored in Theater Arts and took up Creative Writing as a minor) that I was only able to write 3 short forgettable paragraphs. (I got to be Features Editor only because the title of my essay caught Ms. Almonte's attention. I borrowed the title of an old religious song, "How Great Thou Art!")

We held classes at the balcony when the rains prevented us from walking the kilometer down to our classrooms. The balcony also served as an alternative classroom for the Visual Arts Majors even on sunny days - I remember seating for hours in their midst as they attempted to draw my portrait and later on wishing for the portrait drawn by my high school crush. It was also the place where friends exchanged confidences and where several young couples confessed what they thought was love.

The Cafe survived the elements. Its grey stone walls refused to budge even as harsh winds swept the green plastic-and-metal chairs from end to end. These stone walls protected us during the 1990 earthquake - at that time, we were rehearsing a play when the cafe started to dance. Water violently sloshed out of its kidney-shaped pool. In panic, most of the younger students rushed to the balcony but the cafe valiantly carried their weight and didn't allow anyone to be thrown off the nearby cliff.

The cafe also survived our tears - the stairs leading to the dining area absorbed our despair when we learned at the end of our first year that we needed to say goodbye to 15 of our batchmates (we were only 28 in the batch!) We replaced the tears with shrieks and laughter when ten of us graduated three years later.

Sadly, the cafe did not survive the fire that razed it to the ground several years back. I see that it now has a roof but its sides are still unprotected without its walls. It is such a shame that it has not been rebuilt as I couldn't imagine life in the NAC without a cafe where students nourished not only their bodies, but also their minds, their art, and their love.

Sometimes, it's not the government's fault

2008-06-05T08:20:00.005+08:00

I took a leave yesterday to get my Community Tax Certificate and Professional Tax Receipt from the Quezon City Hall. Today, I hope to file my consolidated income tax return with B. The BIR still has not issued his W2 which is supposed to be attached to the return - I hope we can get his W2 today as our return is already terribly late!

I was dreading the trip to the City Hall as I was imagining that I'd be lining up for hours in a dusty, damp and smelly office. I even bribed B with a free movie so that he would accompany me. I shouldn't have worried! It only took a few minutes to line up for the Community Tax Certificate, and the line was in an airy and clean-enough corridor with no offensive odors.

Getting the Professional Tax Receipt was a different story - I was second in line to a frustrating taxpayer. Yup, the taxpayer was the one who was frustrating. From what I can understand of their conversation, the taxpayer paid some fees and wanted a local government stamp on her documents. The government official was patiently explaining that the stamp should be made on the 3 copies of the original forms, which could not be done since the taxpayer only brought 1 photocopy. The taxpayer kept on insisting that the stamp be made on the photocopy as that was what her boss asked her to do. Never losing her smile, the government official said that the government office to which the taxpayer was required to submit the forms would not accept photocopies and would definitely look for the stamp in the original forms which were colored pink, yellow and blue. After 10 minutes, the government official just stamped the photocopy with a warning that the said stamp was useless on a photocopy. What was worse was that when the taxpayer left, she even mumbled, "Hirap talaga kausapin ng gobyerno!"

I was just amazed at: (a) the patience of the government employee - I was ready to strangle the taxpayer on the 5th minute but she didn't even flinch when he heard the taxpaer's remark; and (b) how I was so engrossed with what was happening that I couldn't even remember the physical conditions of the room; and (c) how good I was at eavesdropping!

When I got my Professional Tax Receipt (it only took the government employee 3 minutes to issue it!), I told B about the taxpayer and asked him if he encountered people like her. He said that he's used to taxpayers who get hysterical when they didn't get what they want even if they failed to meet the requirements. Sometimes, they even accused him of not doing his job when it was part of his job to ensure that the proper documents were submitted and that all requirements were met before they issue rulings.

On our way home, the cab driver kept on blaming the government for the rising gas prices. B explained that the Philippines was not the only country which was experiencing an increase in gas prices. The cab driver then started blaming the government for the tuberculosis that several cab drivers were suffering which he believed were caused by the fumes from the converted LPG engines of some taxis.

I guess it really is just easy for people to keep on blaming all their problems to the government, and sometimes, the underpaid government officials are the ones suffering for it. Our government is far from perfect but we also have to make sure that we do what is expected of us. I guess we also have to remember to treat government employees with respect even if some of them really deserve to have all their eyebrows plucked for being so lazy and/or corrupt!

Now that I think about it, I should have told the taxpayer in front of me that this time, the government was not at fault. She'd probably be irritated with me but at least the government official at the Taxes and Fees Division would know that somehow, her efforts were appreciated.

This Made My Day!

2008-05-13T08:53:00.000+08:00

Hi Abie,

I am writing to let you know that one of your photos has been short-listed for inclusion in the second edition of our Schmap Italy Guide, to be published mid-April 2008.

www.schmap.com/shortlist/p=76889912N00/c=SG31103500

Clicking this link will take you to a page where you can:
i) See which of your photos has been short-listed.
ii) Submit or withdraw your photo from our final selection phase.
iii) Learn how we credit photos in our Schmap Guides.
iv) Browse the first edition of our Schmap Italy Guide.

While we offer no payment for publication, many photographers are pleased to submit their photos, as Schmap Guides give their work recognition and wide exposure, and are free of charge to readers. Photos are published at a maximum width of 150 pixels, are clearly attributed, and link to high-resolution originals at Flickr.

Our submission deadline is Sunday, March 23. If you happen to be reading this message after this date, please still click on the link above (our Schmap Guides are updated frequently - photos submitted after this deadline will be considered for later releases).

Best regards,

Emma Williams,
Managing Editor, Schmap Guides

Birth Announcement for Shelsey

2008-04-30T00:29:00.002+08:00

Credits:
Crystal Wilkerson's Spring Fling Elements
Bren Boone's The Peacock Lady Kit

Happy to Downgrade

2008-04-29T00:05:00.005+08:00

After 3 years if service, my Nokia 9500 finally gave up on me. It served me well - I've taken notes on it which I got to email directly to my former bosses, used it to review contracts and memos which clients needed "yesterday", stored frequently used laws on its memory card and even drafted and published blog posts on it. It also gave me quick access to my office email which always had urgent tasks waiting to be completed. Even if it looked (and weighed!) like a brick, it was always with me.

It took me quite some time to find a replacement - I ignored the fact that one of its hinges had already joined some cans on a recycle bin. But when the phone's LCD started acting up, I new that it was time to accept that my not-so-cheap gadget has ended its useful life (waaah!).

After considering some options, I bought a cheapo - a Samsung E590 (a little over 7T pesos at 0% interest for 6 months!), which only feature is to look handsome. It does have GPRS capabilities (no wifi!), a 3 MP camera (it can take decent pictures as long as there's sufficient light) with a mini-bean bag as a stand, and you can use it as an MP3 player and a radio (features which I probably won't use,) but it's still a definite downgrade from my old phone. I love my Samsung E590! I guess it's mostly because it reminds me that I no longer have to send notes within a few hours from attending a meeting, or review contracts or memos on the go. And I really do find it handsome. It also helps that it's really light!

Speaking about downgrading, I took advantage of another office perk that I now have - working from home. I started to do some research in the morning and ended a little after 1:30. Since I wasn't expecting too much traffic, I passed by UP to satisfy my curiosity about their Masters in Technology Management (admissions is closed for this sem, can't enroll middle of the year, their office is closed today - ha??? so what was I doing sitting on their sofa and chatting with the staff?). I was done by 2PM but heavy traffic along Katipunan road forced me to accept that I would never reach our office at the Bonifacio Global City by 3PM. Since I can't use my car from 3 to 7 because of this improperly-called-color-coding traffic scheme in Manila, I decided to work from home. It was not a good idea - when I reached our house, our room was being cleaned and it was just too humid and warm in it. So, I decided to work at the Starbucks branch a few kilometers away from our house.

Not being a tea drinker, I am not too fond of Starbucks. But today, it was my "home" as I can't literally ask my boss permission to "work from Starbucks"! It had wi-fi and a plug for my laptop. The chairs and tables were the perfect height for working and it had a clean washroom! The guard kept an eye on my stuff when I used the washroom or ordered more food, or ordered more food (no, I'm not being repetitive, I'm just stating what I did this afternoon.) The temperature was also perfect. At first, I ordered a grande Dulce de Leche Frap (really creamy and yummy!), and a honey-glazed donut, which I should have eaten as fast as I could, as it got tough when it cooled. An hour later, I started munching on their potato chips. I got a couple of bags in different flavors - barbecue and spicy thai (?). Those chips were crisp and delightfully spiced! The bags were a pain to open, though, so I had to request the staff to open them for me (or maybe I'm just a wimp? And no, I wasn't being helpless because I found the server cute - he wasn't but he was helpful so he was okay.) It was surprisingly quiet and the only distraction I got was a phonecall from my brother-in-law saying that I have a new niece! (I didn't go to the hospital immediately - I gave my sister a call and she said that she wanted to sleep. She also said that she was fine, just tired, and that I could only see my new niece tomorrow as she'll be in an incubator 'til then. I guess she just didn't want me to barge in her hospital room today with my camera with her still trying to shake off the effects of an epidural.) Needless to say, I finished the office task which I set out to complete today.

And since I didn't have to spend an hour in traffic going home, I got to take a peek at the pics I took during our summer outing! Unfortunately, I was not too happy with that batch of pictures - I guess I was uninspired or just plain tired (I only had a day to rest from Barcelona before leaving for Batangas.) Not that La Luz Resort was ugly. It was far from that - its Filipiniana-inspired decors were just perfect for the beach. I also loved the row of white beach umbrellas in front of the cabanas. (But La Luz was also far from being a luxury resort - the bed and pillows were as tough as punching bags, and the toiletries provided were in sachets.) The beach itself was okay, the sand was white but not Boracay-fine. The pebbles didn't prevent my other officemates from enjoying the cool water, though. I didn't swim with them - I didn't want to treat my officemates to an afternoon of whale-watching. But I still enjoyed our company outing - in the afternoon, I had a relaxing massage in one of the cabanas, and in the evening, I enjoyed singing with my officemates (I stayed up 'til 4 but some of them were still singing 'til 5 AM!)

So what's the point of this post? Wala ulit (but when I started writing it, it was supposed to have one, I just lost it along the way.) It's the coffee speaking.

Oh yeah, the picture with the laptop was taken using my new phone. Obviously, the picture above wasn't.

Barcelona pics are up!

2008-04-23T22:57:00.002+08:00

The Barcelona pics are here.

I'm still feeling tired after the Barcelona trip - I only had 2 days to rest before heading to La Luz, Batangas for our company outing (now that's a different story.) So I don't have much energy to do anything other than work. I'm hoping I'll be better in a few days. See you then!

Kung Bakit Payat si Paris

2008-04-13T16:10:00.005+08:00

With only 1 hour and 29 minutes left on my internet card, 250 ml remaining on my 1-liter bottle of Evian and 2 hours and 5 minutes prior to check-out, I decide to take a rest and divulge some facts that I recently discovered.

Bakit payat si Paris? Dahil hindi siya kumakain.

Bakit di siya kumakain? Kasi hindi talaga masarap ang pagkain dito sa Hilton!

At first, I thought it was limited to the finger food that they serve during the meetings. I was wrong. Yesterday, I was too exhausted to move after 3 days of non-stop meetings. So, I decided to order room service for lunch and dinner. The sea bass for lunch was fresh but poorly seasoned. They just grilled it with the other vegetables and the chef probably thought that the sauces of the onions of the aubergines and onions would be enough to flavor the fish. Just like me, he was wrong. The sea bass tasted flat.

For dinner, I decided to order something basic, something that even I can prepare - a bacon cheeseburger. Since they called it the "Hilton Cheeseburger" I was hoping that it would at least be decent. Again, I was wrong. The fries that were served on the side tasted like cooking oil, the bacon was tough and the meat patty was dry. I am just so happy that I can charge all those crappy meals to the office.

Bakit payat ang mga tao sa Barcelona? Kasi ang bilis nilang maglakad!

Only a handful of our meetings were held at the Hilton. Most of the sessions were held at the Hotel Rey Juan Carlos. According to everyone in Barcelona, Hotel Rey Juan Carlos is only 15-20 minutes away on foot. Since I didn't have any reason not to believe them, I walked from Hilton to Hotel Rey Juan Carlos. It took me 45 minutes to get there.

A similar thing happened for dinner. We were scheduled to eat at a resto, which the concierge said was only 10 minutes away from Hilton on foot. It took me 10 minutes to get there in a cab.

CONCLUSION: People in Barcelona as are fast as taxis.

Bakit wala pa ring Barcelona pictures? Kasi wala pa akong napupuntahan. Kagabi lang natapos ang meetings ko.

But I am now on my personal time. Hola, Barcelona!!!

I'll be right back!

2008-04-11T00:44:00.003+08:00

I'm in Barcelona on a business trip.

I arrived midnight last night and attended a meeting from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM today. Needless to say, all I've seen of Barcelona are the interiors of the hotel where I'm staying at - which isn't saying much. I don't get the off-white and metal combination of Hilton Barcelona - it looks cold and unwelcoming. I really feel like I'm sleeping in a school cafeteria! And an over-priced one at that. The sandwiches were ordinary, the salads were too sour, and the fruits on the desserts weren't sweet. But I love their extra-fluffy towels and robes, as well as their Crabtree and Evelyn toiletries.

I'll post pictures after I take a short nap.

Living without Mercy

2008-04-02T22:49:00.004+08:00

I've been working from home since Monday because one of our helpers, Mercy, went home to her province.

I love working from home! I get so much work done because I don't have to spend time travelling. I have complete control of my time - I can start working immediately after breakfast and take a cold shower in the middle of the day when the summer sun is at its peak. I also don't have to worry about what clothes to wear! My only problem with it is that all our office software run a bit slower and it takes more time to retrieve emails and handle files.

I'm actually a bit sad that I'll be going back to the office tomorrow - Porkchop will definitely miss our morning walks! But it's not consistent with our office policy to have people working from home (at least not when we're still creating a corporate culture.) It's also helpful to interact with my officemates from time to time as we learn a lot from each other.

Speaking of Porkchop, she really must think that she's a human princess. While being the poster-girl for supreme laziness, she has found a way to communicate with us. When she's feeling warm (which is all the time this summer) she parades in front of the fan and makes funny noises until we turn it on. She also stares at the freezer until we give her ice cream. She goes to our bathroom and stares at the faucet when she needs a drink. She knocks on the door when she needs to get out of the room. She's such a brat, but the way that she's trained us is just so amazing!

So what's it like living without Mercy? We've been eating lots of pizza, our room's a mess and my back hurts after washing the dishes. I so miss our daily breakfasts in bed as we eat all our meals in the kitchen. (So now you know where Porkchop gets her princess-complex from.)

I am an ESTP!

2008-03-31T09:33:00.002+08:00

Joey tagged me and suggested that I take an online personality test. She said that the results are eerily accurate in her case.

As for me, the results are almost the same as the results I got from the guidance office way back in college! Does that mean that I didn't grow up?

Saved by the Flowers

2008-03-30T15:12:00.005+08:00

I attended a primer on lighting yesterday in what promised to be a beautiful eco-resort. The pictures in its website were so breath-taking and from the write-up you can imagine a place where nature and leisure were perfectly combined in a comfortable Philippine-style resort.

The seminar was supposed to start at 9 so we planned to leave early, with me picking up my first passenger (3 attendees rode with me) at 6:15 at the McDonald's branch near our house. By 7 AM, we were out of Manila. Unfortunately, the road works at the South Luzon Expressway and the terrible traffic at Calamba and Los Banos town proper stretched the 1.5 hour trip into a long journey of 2 hours and 45 minutes. I was happy to have offered rides to my co-attendees, as we enjoyed chatting along the way. (I wasn't planning to take passengers but when I saw the carpool details, I noticed that all the pick-up places where in Makati. I knew that there were some people coming in from Quezon City, so I posted an invitation at our forum. Their contribution for the gasoline and toll expenses also made my wallet happy.)

After the long drive, we were excited to see the place - but I already felt disappointed the minute we entered its gates. There were no directional signs, no one was there to welcome us, and the road we were supposed to take was blocked by a jeepney. This meant that we took the wrong road and had to make a challenging U-turn at the end of it. The main dining area was so-so. The ceramic birds hanging from the nipa ceiling were a bit interesting but the linens were too tattered for my taste and the china and utensils were probably bought second hand from a cafeteria that closed in the 50s. Its only saving grace was that the whole structure was covered by a screen that effectively blocked out the mosquitos.

We transferred to a conference room for our seminar. It was nothing special but it had adequate airconditioning and its washroom had running water, soap and toilet paper. This place served as our little haven against the offensive summer heat and that wreck of a washroom near the dining area that had wet floors and sinks that only had slime for soap. If asked to describe the eco-resort in a sentence, I would have just said that I was thankful that I'm not staying overnight.

When we were sent out to take pictures, I was uninspired by the huge GREEN pool, and the team building area which was bare except for the tires on the grounds. But the flora and the fauna were of a different class. Nature seemed compelled to make up for the unchic shabbiness of the resort - the flowers were beautiful and the plants looked so healthy even with the spiders and all those cute little bugs. They all stood proudly and welcomed the sun in all their colorful glory. As I took some shots of the flowers (which were a bit of a challenge since I didn't want to pick them out of their branches,) I was thankful for the existence of the resort, at least someone will be taking care of all those beautiful plants.

++++++++
If you're wondering about how the seminar went - a lot of attendees arrived late because of the traffic so the seminar started at 11 am. As expected, the primer gave me several light-bulb-over-my-head moments. It also strengthened my belief that I'll never have the patience required of a professional photographer. My co-attendee and I were joking that if we were to set up the lighting and do all the necessary computations, the sunset shot that we're supposed to take will turn into a night shot. The other attendees didn't seem to have any problems with all those processes, though.

B, b and CCME!

2008-03-28T20:23:00.004+08:00

It's B's birthday today!!!

As tradition dictates, B brought food for his officemates today. Since I was busy this week, I was not able to order from my favorite caterers (Amber, Tita Len's, or Conti's.) So, yesterday, I crammed and surfed for caterers that can whip up meals for 20 people in a day's notice. And I found one!

I got the name CCME Homemade Foodstuff from an old thread at Newlyweds@Work. It was just mentioned once so I searched the net for reviews. While I did find a couple of blogs saying that CCME prepared yummy food, there were no details given. I then visited CCME's website, and while it was not aesthetically beautiful, I loved it for its contents! Everything was there - their menu, prices, location and contact details. Even better, they have a form for ordering online! Their prices are so reasonable and they deliver for free. I ordered food and fervently prayed that they send us edible meals.

I do not regret ordering from CCME. In fact, I told B that if we need to entertain a large number of people at home, we'll just order from CCME.

They delivered our lunch promptly. And the food was very good, specially if you consider the price!

We ordered 2 kilos each of kalderetang baka, lechon kawali, steamed prawns, laing, pancit sotanghon and 2 gallons of rice. It was more than enough for 20 people and we only paid a little over P3,000! They even gave us free puto.

The kalderetang baka was my favorite. The beef was tender, the potatoes were soft but not overly so, and the sauce was perfectly seasoned. It was the best kalderetang baka I've ever tasted.

The laing was not far behind. I don't usually eat this dish but one of the blogs that I read said that CCME's laing was really good so I ordered one. It was heavenly - it had the right amount of coconut milk and it didn't taste like I was eating a plant! It was only moderately spicy upon my request (B's officemates didn't like spicy food) but they sent siling labuyo that you can mix in with the dish if you want to spice it up. Next time I want to eat laing, I'll order one from CCME.

The steamed prawns were fresh. I didn't get any allergies from them and the prawns were cooked with the perfect combination of butter and garlic.

The lechon kawali and sotanghon were not exceptionally good but for the price we paid, they were definitely worth the price.

[For dessert, we brought a tub of Vanilla Blue Bunny Ice Cream. As expected, every one loved it!]

We placed a separate order for our afternoon snacks - we ordered more sotanghon and pancit bam-i for the department that B used to work with. For his current department, we ordered arroz caldo at P20 per serving. The delivery wasn't as prompt as our lunch, but the arroz caldo more than made up for the 5-minute wait. It was delicious! They placed different condiments (whole boiled eggs, calamansi, crunchy garlic, onion leaves and fish sauce) in different containers. The arroz caldo which had large pieces of chicken in it was placed in 2 giant containers of mayo. I loved them even better for recycling those containers! We enjoyed mixing everything together. The chicken was tender, the arroz caldo was still hot when it was delivered and it just makes for a perfect comfort food. It really tastes homemade, it made me remember the arroz caldo that Nanay Lilia used to cook for me when I was little. The consistency was perfect - hindi malapot, hindi malabnaw.

CCME is truly a good find. And for the price we paid, I really feel like I've found a gem!

[For dinner, Mama brought home food from Spring Deer resto. It was another delicious meal. Hopefully, it will be the subject of another post.]

Not too Busy to Answer Yen's Questions of the Week

2008-03-27T23:03:00.003+08:00

I haven't been blogging and blog-hopping much lately. I've shot some photos but I haven't downloaded them from my CF card. I'm a bit busy at work and I also spent a lot of time helping ate Janet with her real estate purchase. I had a few free hours this morning but I had to prepare for B's party at the office tomorrow - he's celebrating his 35th birthday! He's just not ecstatically happy tonight since he didn't win the lotto. Hehe.

Anyway, here are my answers to Yen's Questions of the Week. It's time to get mushy!

1. Have you ever had a summer romance? Care to share?

Yes, a million years ago - an era before law school and braces, a time when a vacation costs less than P1000.

2. Do you believe in love at first sight?

No. I always look for constancy, and you don't see that at first sight.

3. ‘You don’t marry someone you can live with, you marry the person who you cannot live without.’ What do you think of this quote?

The first part is not entirely true - it is important to marry someone whom you can live with! You'll have to know the imperfections of the one you're going to marry and decide if you can stand to experience these imperfections every single day. There's a big possibility that these imperfections will never go away.

The second part sounds nice and romantic but it only applies to people who don't feel complete without a mate. People should be able to live without their spouses! Only a small percentage of couples get to live and die together. Living with each other is more meaningful when you both know that you can live without each other but choose to live with each other anyway.

4. Where does true beauty lie? On the inside or on the outside?

If you're truly beautiful inside, it will manifest on the outside.

5. Did you ever had a crush on a classmate or teacher? Who was it?

Yes, a million years ago - an era before law school and braces, a time when a vacation costs less than P1000. Does this sound familiar? Hehe.

6. Summer wear - shorts or capris?

Shorts

7. Would you ride a roller coaster or sky dive?

Both, but if I had to choose, I would sky dive. I've ridden roller coasters before but I have never tried sky diving.

8. Last stupid thing you have done?

I do stupid things everyday. I brought my camera to work everyday except today, when the sunset was perfect.

9. Any summer plans? Trips, vacations and etc. Where?

I'll be in Barcelona for a few days this April on a business trip. I'll extend my stay for 3 days so I can go around and take pictures of the city.

10. In one word, define yourself!

Sunny.

Getting Out of My Comfort Zone

2008-03-23T20:42:00.004+08:00

This Easter made me realize that I need to get out of my comfort zone.

It started with little things - learning how to use an external flash, one of our helpers taking a vacation so we have to help with household chores in the next few weeks, attending Easter mass inside a hospital instead of the church (B's dad is confined at a hospital - I hope he gets well soon!), and having to live with a budget as we expect tons of expenses these coming months. While attending the Easter mass, I realized that I may really have to get used to the idea of having a younger brother (fatherlily is rumoured to have sired one recently) and that time will come that I will have to contribute to his living expenses. B and I have been putting off having a baby as we couldn't imagine the amount that we'll need to raise one. I now realize that I might actually inherit one from fatherlily. If I really have a baby brother, I guess I'll have to make sure that his life is as comfortable as mine and that he gets the best education available.

I really have a lot to be thankful for and I guess it's time for me to share my blessings, even if I need to get out of my comfort zone in order to do so.

On a lighter note, for our Easter dinner, B and I decided to have a light supper at Harbour View, an inexpensive restaurant that juts out into Manila Bay. We enjoyed a plate of calamari and fried chicken while enjoying the beautiful sunset that Manila is famous for. We only spent P800 (roughly $20) for our meal but we still had lots of laughs while enjoying the view.

I hope you all have a blessed Easter.

B is for Biik

2008-03-22T22:56:00.003+08:00

Sheesh. I feel like a real pig. All I did since Thursday was eat and sleep. B was teasing me earlier saying that I seem to really enjoy my 3 sleeps a day (a morning nap, an afternoon nap and my 8-hour sleep.) And he's right!

I guess after being sick and then immediately taking the long road trip to Pangasinan, my body needed to rest. And after 3 days of sleeping, I feel recharged!

Hehe. Now, I'm justifying my laziness.

Yen's Questions of the Week

2008-03-22T20:44:00.003+08:00

Now that I'm back to blogging, I'm going to try answering Yen's Questions of the Week. She's on her 11th week but I'm joining in, anyway.

1. What was the last movie you bought/rented?

I haven't bought movies in a long time! B and I just keep on downloading from the net. I've also started swapping movies with my officemates - I now have Orange Days and War of Money with me, both of which are Asian TV series.

2. Have you ever gone too far on a dare?

I haven't gone on a dare since college and that was 20 million years ago! I was a coward then (still am now) so I guess I've never gone too far.

3. Can you sing the alphabet backwards?

No. I just tried doing it and just found out that I can't.

4. Are you allergic to anything? What?

Dust, cement, pollen - they make breathing difficult for me.

Not-so-fresh seafood - I break out in hives and look like a shrimp when I eat them.

But I still eat anything I want and go anywhere I please - that's what allergy meds are for. Hehe.

5. Do you cry at weddings?

Not all the time. But I've cried in a wedding or 2.

6. Name one person you want to hug right now. Why?

B! I just want to hug him all the time.

7. Hair - natural or colored?

Natural. I used to have my hair colored but I was too O-C and felt that I needed to have my roots colored every 2 weeks. I had my stylist color my hair black and never had my hair colored again.

8. Do you like camping?

When I was much younger, I loved camping, but now I can't survive without a clean toilet and airconditioning. Sheesh, I really am old.

9. Most annoying TV commercial?

Anything with Kris A. on it. I just don't like her.

10. Favorite place to shop?

SM and Landmark! I find everything I need in these stores and they have the lowest prices. I rarely buy branded stuff so these stores are perfect for me.

Back from Hundred Islands

2008-03-17T22:44:00.002+08:00

Pangasinan doesn't have 100 islands . . . it has at least 123! And a day in Hundred Islands is worth the 5-hour drive from Manila.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-03-13T23:14:00.009+08:00

10 March 2008

It was my birthday! I decide to enjoy my birthday by taking a break from work (as if I need it!). I took a leave and spent most of the day in bed (which I do most Sundays, but hey, it was my birthday, and I don't want to hear any complaints about it.)

Porkchop decided to join me on my lazy day. I tried taking pictures of her but she was uncooperative. After all, she felt that it was her birthday, too.

I took time reading the birthday greetings on my phone and my email. I went back to sleep when I got tired reading.

I did have to go back to the doctor's clinic for my follow-up check up late in the afteroon but I didn't stress myself over it. I went there when I felt like it, plopped down on the sofa in his waiting room and slept until it was my turn.

I met with B after going to the doctor. We had sushi and more sushi at a nearby place for appetizers. I also bought some oolong tea leaves for myself. As soon as we got home, MIL served us huge steaks for dinner! The meat was tender and it was so perfect with the gravy. My tummy couldn't be happier.

So what's the point of this entry? Nothing. It was my birthday and I get to be boring and pointless.

11 March 2008

I guess I enjoyed my birthday too much that I got a little sad when I realized it was over. But this made me happy:

My officemates wrote greetings on tiny sheets of paper and pinned it on my wall! Isn't that sweet?

12 March 2008

I get a little stressed as I learned that I needed to be in Barcelona by April 9, which is 17 working days away. I need 14 working days to get a visa, and I need to secure a formal invitation from Barcelona for that. Sigh.

To relieve my stress, I eat a "by-pass delight" lunch with officemates - deep-fried pork knuckes, bulalo (broth with beef marrow), sisig (A Philippine delicacy - deep-fried pork unmentionables; or according to B, deep-fried-pork-bits-that-the-pig-would-rather-keep-private-but-we-eat-them-anyway), a cup of rice, and for dessert, halo-halo (sweetened bananas, coconut, and other fruits, with shaved ice, milk, sugar and flan.)

13 March 2008

We brought a visitor from our Chicago office to Sonya's garden for lunch. Sonya's garden is a garden-resto in Tagaytay. With the infrastructure works on the highway, it took us 2 hours to get there (we also had to pass by a studio to have my picture taken, I needed passport-sized pictures for my visa application.) The setting in Sonya's garden was worth the 2-hour trip. The chandeliers in the greenhouse were beautiful, the decors were fabulous, and the food . . . was healthy. I'm sure all those vegetables did wonders for my body and I have to admit that the salad dressing and the pasta sauce were yummy, but I felt that the salad-pasta combination doesn't count as a full meal. It's a good thing that they also served tea with fresh leaves (which I loved, but our guest didn't dare drink.) I ended up gobbling up an egg tart on the way back to Manila.

Me and my bag

2008-03-09T23:52:00.003+08:00

Yup, this is still about my new camera bag.

I still need to iron the flap but I love it already. Even my laptop can fit inside!

And for those who want to see what's inside my tracy joy bag:

There's still room for an external flash, and my other accessories (extra battery, storage cards, filters, and my really small tripod.)

What's in the box?

2008-03-09T00:13:00.006+08:00

After weeks of waiting, it finally arrived!

[Photo taken on 07 March 2008, the minute I stepped out of the post office!]

Actually, it arrived in the Philippines on 27 February, but I was in Tokyo at that time. And since I got sick, I didn't return to work until 06 March. So it was only then that I saw the notice to get my package from the post office. I would have rushed to the post office the minute I got it, except that: (a) I had lots of work to do; and (b) I didn't have any government-issued ID with me (which I needed to present to the post office when claiming my package).

And so, on Friday, I made a quick visit to the Taguig City Post Office (which wasn't easy to find - had to ask for directions twice) and claimed my parcel. The post office looked as old as the sun, but the people there were helpful and I never had to wait in line for anything. It just took me 5 minutes to claim my parcel and that already included lining up at the cashier to pay the fees and going through customs to have it cleared.

So what's in the box?

My new camera bag - it's pretty and light, but it can carry my camera, my lenses and other accessories (my media cards, extra battery and even a small tripod). Not only that - it also comes with an extra flap!

It's definitely worth the wait (and the trip to the post office!)

Welcome to the Funny Farm!

2008-03-06T22:11:00.004+08:00

There are sheep on my bed and cows on my feet:

Photo of the Day - My Comfort Food

2008-03-05T20:10:00.002+08:00

It started when I was a kid and I had been sick for days. My mom served me grapefruit and I got well immediately after. It was probably not the grapefruit that cured me (although I guess the vitamin C helped) but after that, every time I get sick, I always feel a little better when I get to eat grapefruit.

Home Alone

2008-03-04T15:59:00.006+08:00

All the excitement probably weakened my resistance. On Sunday evening, I started coughing my lungs out! The next day, I felt so weak and wobbly from all the coughing that I decided to see my doctor. He prescribed several meds and told me to avoid cold drinks and to have plenty of rest. I'm now in my second day at home and I am so getting bored!

I still managed to take some shots, though.

March 2 - I just had to take pictures of B's new toy, Soundwave. It's an MP3 player

that transforms into a robot! Isn't that so cool?

March 3 - I spent half the day in bed and the other half waiting for my turn at the doctor's clinic. While I was in bed, sheep kept me company.

Made in Japan

2008-03-02T15:09:00.001+08:00

Here are some pics from my Tokyo trip:

25 February 2008 - my room at the ANA Intercontinental hotel, my home for 5 days.

My first meal in Japan - I checked in the hotel right before the sunset. After unpacking my things, I walked around the vicinity of the hotel. Japan looked clean and colorful, with all its neon signs and vending machines (there are probably 2 on each corner!) Too tired to have a full meal (I was lugging around my clothes on top of the 300 copies of the brochure), I decided to join the numerous professionals who pop in one of the convenience stores to grab a sandwich. I get lucky and get the best shrimp sandwich I ever tasted and tried on one of the Japanese juices, lemon peel and honey.

26 February 2008 - Japanese trinkets sold on the way to Senso-ji temple is Asakusa.

My favorite shot - fashionable Japanese girls on their way to Senso-ji temple

An interesting site - a caucasian dressed in a kimono being interviewed in front of the 200-lb bell at the entrance of Senso-ji temple

Still in Asakusa, a Japanese woman starts her day.

27 February 2008 - inside the Tokyo National Arts Center. The building was just so beautiful with its curved lines and the amazing shadows they create.

Shibuya Crossing is the world's busiest intersection. 6 streets meet at the center and all pedestrians area allowed to cross at the same time.

28 February 2008 - sunset at the Imperial Palace. The grounds of the Imperial Palace were so huge that we decided to just stroll around the water fountain and the nearby park. I found the sunset more beautiful than the fountain.

The sunset reflected on the building behind the fountain.

This was taken by the palace wall.

29 February - rush hour at the Shinjuku station; this station is said to be the busiest station in the world, with 2 million people passing through it everyday. I went there at 8:45 AM and literally got confused with the hundreds of people rushing to work.

G's prom

2008-03-01T23:44:00.000+08:00

I wasn't able to rest the day after I arrived from Tokyo, it was the day of G's prom. After lunch, I brought her to the parlor so she can have her nails, hair and make-up done. We spent several hours there but at the end of the day, all our efforts have paid off - she looked so perfect on her prom night!

Another loooong day

2008-02-24T11:19:00.005+08:00

(End of the brochure saga - see yesterday's post for the first part)

I leave the house at 8:30 foolishly thinking that it would only take me 30 minutes to get to the printer. At 9, I'm not even halfway there. Turning on the radio, we learn that they decided to fix a portion of the highway. We make a detour and arrive at the printer at 10 am.

The person in charge explains that someone arrived at 9:30 am with a rush job for the printing of 300 pages of a 2-page flyer. Thinking it was me, they accepted the job. I can't blame them, their conversation went:

Printer guy: Were you the one who called last night?

Client: I'm not sure, my boss just sent me here to day and instructed me to tell you that I need the brochures tonight.

Printer guy: How many copies do you need?

Client: 300.

Printer guy: And your boss' name is?

Client: Happy.

Her boss' name is Happy. It does sound like Abie! Before I faint, he explains that they still can print my brochures. But it will take more time as I'll have to be queued after Happy's printing job. Joey, the printer guy, promises to call me when the job is done.

Since their office is now 1.5 hours away from home, I go to the nearby mall to shop. Luckily, I have a gift certificate that allows me to purchase turtleneck sweaters for my Tokyo trip. To breathe color in an otherwise boring lawyer's stiff suit - I get 3 solid color ones in red, purple and teal. I walk around and see an back overcoat at 70% off, I grab one as well. I convince myself that seeing the coat was a heavenly sign - you really don't see much winter clothing in a country where the weather never drops below 18 degrees Celsius.

For lunch, I order a sandwich and potato salad combo and gobble it up while I eat. A former officemate sees me and we chat. I mention going to Tokyo and she suggests that I buy some thick stockings. Since stockings were cheap, I head to the nearby department store to get some. As I walk towards the ladies accessories section, I notice some luggages on sale. I fall in love with a blue polycarbonate hand-carry that only costs $15. It was the only remaining stock so I lug it around the store.

The brochures aren't ready at 3:30 PM so I call up G and ask her to meet me at the designers' place at 4:30 PM. I realize that I left her shoes at home so I call home and ask my mother-in-law to bring it. Mama's excited to see the gown, too (she's paying for it!)

The gown is beautiful! It still needed some adjustments, though. Mama leaves G and I at the shop to wait for the gown. They give us a perfect-fitting gown at 5:30 PM. At the same time, the printer calls to tell me that the brochures will be ready at 7:30 PM. I decide to go to the grocery. I finish at 7 PM and arrive at the printers by 8 PM. Only 199 copies of the brochure were there! They find out that there are still 111 copies left with the other cutter (They had to split the jobs because one supplier cannot cut and fold all 300 copies in an hour.) I read a book while they fetch the rest of the brochures from the cutters.

Finally, at 9 PM, which is literally, at the end of my day, I see all 300 copies of the brochures printed, cut and folded. I was so happy to see them that I just wanted to use several copies to wallpaper my office workspace!

It takes me 45 minutes to get home (traffic has lessened as it was already late.) I forget about the brochures as soon as I put them in my suitcase. Now, it's time to pack for Tokyo!

One long day - first post of the Brochure Saga

2008-02-23T07:29:00.006+08:00

I finally got my Japan visa, and I got it in the afternoon of the last working day before my flight! I was so worried about it yesterday that I catch myself literally holding my breath every so often.

And when I saw that everything was in order (my name, gender, passport details, among other things), I was finally able to breathe properly. As I walked back to my work area, I think of how I'll fit my laptop and my camera on in my hand carry.

Two minutes later, I check my email and hyperventilate. The chairman of our practice group wants 300 copies of our Asia-Pacific brochure by Wednesday morning next week. The brochure doesn't even exist! It consists of a flyer and a contact card. I email both to our Manila-based global marketing department and beg them into completing the request in an hour. In the meantime, I communicate with Mr. Chairman trough email:

Me: I'm having the brochure formatted but even if we finish the formatting today, I doubt if we have time to print the brochures and ship them to Tokyo in time - the Hong Kong and Manila printers require 3 working days, the ones from Sydney require 2

Mr. Chairman: find one in Tokyo.

At 5 PM Tokyo time on a freaking Friday! I email the marketing department at our Hong Kong office and they efficiently email me the contact details of their printer. The Tokyo printer does not reply to my email nor answer my call. I decide to print in Manila.

I send out a desperate email to all my e-groups. While waiting for a reply, I give large printing companies a ring. They're either too busy to take the job or they charge an exhorbitant amount and insist on being paid in cash or through company check. At 6 PM, I talk to our auditor, explain my situation and ask for a company check. I take 2 check signatories hostage while the auditor starts the process of releasing the check. One of the signatories insists on leaving early (she has a karaoke party to attend) and gives me cash instead (I love her!). I call up one of the printers and email the printable pdf file. They apologize and say that the cost is actually double than what they originally quoted. Half of my hair falls out. I hear choking sounds and realize that I'm making them.

I dream of strangling the marketing person in charge of Asia-Pacific. Producing brochures is her job. Except that she said she was busy and said no. The chairman accepted her "no" (and not mine) because she looks like a doll with her big charming eyes. I have efficient-looking chinky eyes.

At this point, I feel like I'm the employee in the Devil-wears-Prada without the perks (no free clothes and glam parties!)

I start calling printers I haven't heard of, plus the suggestions I get from my e-groups. A fellow photo-hobbyist who used to work for a printer kindly explains that it is not possible to find a "rush" offset printer, as color separation alone would take at least a day and I needed my brochures overnight. Digital printers can do the job but would charge an arm, a leg and maybe a whole head. He gives contact details for a digital printer. I call and almost cry when they agree to print my brochures. Unfortunately, their fee is a little higher than the cash that was given me.

I pack my stuff and start to leave the office at 8:30 PM. As I lock my drawer, my eyes fall on the yellow pages and I notice an ad saying that they print on demand. With my bag on my left hand, I dial their number with my right hand. They can do the job at a lower price as long as I bring a CD of the pdf file to their office at 9AM. On a Saturday morning.

I travel an hour to get home where hubby feeds me roasted duck and rice (he normally doesn't do this but he knows I was having a crappy day.) I want orange juice with vodka but we're out of orange juice (I remember that I was supposed to pass by the grocery before going home!) I go to bed instead, but jump out a few minutes later because I want to take a photo! I go back to bed a few minutes later and demand a hug. I fall asleep as soon as hubby wraps his arms around me.

6 hours later, I'm up and I'm preparing to go to the printer at 8:30 AM. (Of course, I have to post my photo first.) I am now feeling better but I am still worried about the printing of my brochures.

[to be continued - see next post!]

Shoe Shopping

2008-02-21T23:59:00.000+08:00

It's prom season in the Philippines!

With my last-minute business trip to Tokyo, I had to rush G into fitting her gown and buying her accessories. She'll be attending her prom on the day that I arrive! We were lucky that she was able to have her fitting last Wednesday, so all we have to get her ready was to buy her shoes and bag.

I picked her up from school and after 2 hours of shopping, we found a gorgeous pair that's both sexy and comfie!

Of course, I wasn't able to resist buying a pair of low-heeled knee-high leather boots. I justified the purchase by saying that a person living in a tropical county couldn't possibly survive in Tokyo's 3 degree weather without warm shoes.

(For my new blogmates, G is my husband's 16-year old daughter)

My Daily Dose

2008-02-20T21:27:00.003+08:00

Heidi of DesignerDigitals started a photo journal where she challenged herself to post a daily photo on her blog for 30 days, and she's inviting everyone to join her! Since I promised myself that I wouldn't let the money I spent on my camera and lenses go to waste, I have decided to join her challenge.

A photo a day. 30 days.

Wish me luck!

Happy!

2008-02-12T09:50:00.000+08:00

Our office recently leased a floor at Net Cube and they needed photos to decorate the walls. I submitted several and they picked 2 of them! These 2 pictures now occupy half of an office wall! Woohoo!

I'm going to take pictures of our office wall later. In the meantime, here are the pictures that they chose:

Shanghai kid - I just found the little boy so cute I had to take a picture

Venice at dusk - taken using my point and shoot! I'm a bit surprised that this was chosen though, I find it a bit too dark.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T10:31:00.000+08:00

Here's the card we sent to friends:

And the one we sent to our relatives:

Woohoo!

2007-11-26T23:20:00.000+08:00

Our office raffled off several CRT monitors and I won a 19" one. Yey!!!

Amazing!

2007-11-25T13:09:00.000+08:00

After watching several Korean TV series (The Wedding, My Girl, Kim Sam Soon, Princess Hours, Fantasy Couple, Full House, Vineyard Man, One Fine Day and Memories in Bali,) B and I are taking a break this weekend.

We're now watching movies from other Asian countries! This morning, we watched Hong Kong's Invisible Target. We so loved the movie - the action scenes were fast paced and beautifully choreographed, and Jacky Chan's son knows how to act.

I also got to watch Taiwan's Crying Out Loud from the Center of the World and enjoyed the cinematography that left my mouth open during the whole movie. I felt like I was watching a slideshow of postcards! The story was also beautifully presented. Surprisingly, I didn't shed a single tear but I was truly moved by it.

Another video that caught my attention is from America's Got Talent. Terry Fator is simply amazing!

Here's Terry's rendition of What a Wonderful World:

Why I Don't Get To Blog . . .

2007-10-07T01:36:00.000+08:00

He was so cute in Coffee Prince I had to check out his old movies as well (My Tutor Friend, She's on Duty, and B is still looking for the others.)

Jumong. 81 episodes. 1 hour each. 2 weeks.

He was such a cutie in Art of Seduction, too.

I'm now thinking of checking out his other movies and telenovelas. I guess I'll decide when I catch up on sleep.

And of course,

It took me a week to prepare for my presentation and another couple of days to help other lawyers prepare for their presentation. I had to present twice during the 2-day training and had to record the presentation all over again when I got back to Manila. Getting the Polish visa was so much trouble but seeing Warsaw was worth all the effort.

Maybe I'll get to write about Warsaw when I stop finding Korean cuties on DVD. :)

Finally . . .

2007-09-19T23:30:00.000+08:00

I got my Poland visa! I'll be flying to Warsaw tomorrow for our European practice group's meeting. It's just sad that I lost a day. I was supposed to leave today but my visa just arrived this afternoon. At least I still get to attend the meeting (and just on time - I arrive in Warsaw at 11 am and the meeting starts at 1:30 pm).

It took a month and a few long distance calls to get that visa. I hope the pictures that I'll be bringing home will be worth the wait!

B's New Desktop Wallpaper

2007-08-27T02:34:00.000+08:00

I should have slept hours ago but it was such a challenge taking a shot of B's Mazinger Z toy. His arms and legs were reflecting all the mess in our room! After a hundred tries, I finally got it right.

Now B wants me to take more shots of Z! Hay.

Not Pregnant, Just Fat!

2007-08-03T00:00:00.001+08:00

Maybe I should have this printed on a t-shirt and wear them in all reunions that I need to attend:
Hehe.

High on Sonja's Mini Cupcakes

2007-07-25T08:56:00.000+08:00

We celebrated the birthdays of Paul (my brother in law) and Nikki (my niece) last Sunday at their house. All 3 of my nieces were there and after feasting on Sonja's mini cupcakes, they had so much fun playing and having their pictures taken at the stairs. I guess sugar attacks can sometimes be good!

Speaking of those cupcakes (sorry, no pictures, the box toppled over so the cupcakes didn't look pretty), I found them a bit too sweet but the girls just loved them and would have kept on eating if we didn't stop them.

The Body Attack

2007-07-17T23:14:00.000+08:00

Once upon a time, I was a gym rat. I worked out at the gym at least 3 times a week with a personal trainer. I lost several pounds and my body mass index vastly improved.

One day, I was a bride at our wedding and lived happily ever after.

Unfortunately, living "happily ever after" meant buffet meals, wine and cheese after a day's work, midnight calls to McDonald's delivery, trying out the specialties of new and newly-discovered restaurants, watching movies with burger, fries, pizza and softdrinks on our laps, and 20 lbs. of body fat.

So there I was at the gym, 2 years and a few months later, at the prodding of my childhood friend, Sarah. We thought it would be fun to join a class so we hopped in one that fit our schedule, the Body Attack. After a few minutes, I was huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf. I ran as if I was the king's messenger and danced the salsa with the enthusiasm, but sadly not the grace, of Esmeralda. I kicked and punched as if slaying dragons.

After the class, I was as red as a poisonous apple and was ready to sleep for a hundred years. Unfortunately, like the seven dwarves, I'm off to work in the morning. But since I don't want to be mistaken as a fairy godmother (I really think the glam wicked witch had a lot more character), I'm going back to wage another war with my flab at the gym.

Seriously, though, I really had lots of fun tonight (even if during the "Forever Young Running Segment" I really thought I was going to be forever young as I was ready to drop dead on the floor!). I love being with Sarah because I don't have to worry about how I look and how I act when I'm with her - she already saw me without front teeth when I was a kid! We also laughed so hard when she confessed that she was pressured to keep up with the routine because she was embarassed to stop - she has been regularly going to the gym for months and felt that she should keep up with me, who was having my first serious work out in years. I admitted that I couldn't stop because I was running after my heart.

We had so much fun that we decided to meet at the gym at least twice a week. Aside from the laughter, working out would definitely improve our chances of prolonging our ever after.

i finally got to have my hair cut

2007-07-15T21:29:00.001+08:00

and the hairdresser cut 6 inches off my hair!

I'm loving it now. I hope I'll still love it when I wake up tomorow morning.

New Member of the Family

2007-07-13T16:41:00.001+08:00

Isn't he adorable?

My Work Space

2007-07-11T18:17:00.000+08:00

I had a slow day at work today so I decided to work on my space here in cubeville. I guess this set-up is growing on me.

Busy Bee!

2007-07-09T09:31:00.000+08:00

I was hoping to change my template over the weekend but there were just lots of things to do that I didn't even get to turn on my computer!

As you know, I went to a wake last Thursday. And guess what, hindi nakapalag ang mga payat! Hahaha. Before going to the funeral parlor, I passed by my childhood friend, Sarah, from Fitness First Plus. Sarah was my best friend when we were kids. At that time we were both thin, but that's where our physical similarities ended. I was fair-skinned and chinky-eyed with short straight hair, she was morena with expressive round eyes and long hair with big fat curls that framed her pretty face. Like me, she gained weight since we were kids.

While still in the car, we got to talk about people commenting about our weight and we decided to bully them into not mentioning the words "fat" and "taba". When we got to the funeral parlor, none of our friends were still there. Ate Yaki welcomed us in. Ate Yaki was our favorite Sabbath school (the Seventh-Day Adventist version of Sunday school or kiddie mass. Yes, I used to be a Seventh-Day Adventist, but this topic is reserved for another blog entry) teacher. She taught us bible stories and encouraged us to help in our community. Like me and Sarah, she also put in a few months. The wake was for Ate Yaki's father but she appeared to have graciously accepted his loss, she explained that Tatay had been sick since December and it was more painful for her to see him and Ate Cris suffer. We learned that Ate Cris, our childhood friend, chose to leave her nursing career, to take care of Tatay. She had been at Tatay's said for almost 24 hours every day since December.

Ate Yaki, Sarah and I traded stories until our thinner friends arrived. Even before they can say a word, we already told them that they couldn't mention the words "fat" and "taba". They obliged. Of course, when we were saying goodbye, they joked about how it was good to see us after all these years, "ngayong malalaki na" kami. They added that "ang liliit" pa namin noon. But it was all in good fun and even Sarah and I laughed with them.

As for the when-are-you-going-to-have-kids question, they all stopped asking when Sarah explained that she wanted children but it was difficult for her since her husband and I were only together 4 weeks in a year. To make the conversation lighter, I volunteered to show the picture of my baby, who I described as "matangos ang ilong, malago ang buhok at napakaganda ng lahi!" Of course, they all laughed when they saw the picture of Porkchop on my phone.

It felt nice to see friends and I was so surprised to see that even if we all grew older (and fatter, in my case) the dynamics of our relationship stayed the same - Ate Yaki still talked to us as if we're still her students, Sarah and I still successfully teamed up in order to avoid hot issues. Unfortunately, Ate Cris remained the sensitive person that she was. We didn't even try to cheer her up, we knew we wouldn't succeed. So we just held her hand and silently prayed that she soon accepts the loss of her father.

As for me and Sarah, we celebrated our little "victory" by pigging out at Max's. We laughed at how we avoided being insulted by going on the offensive. We talked about how we vowed that we would be maid of honor in each other's wedding but ended up not inviting each other, but still ended up as friends. We so enjoyed being with each other that we ended up staying at Max's until they closed! It would be weeks until we see each other again but now we know that the next time we meet, we wouldn't need to worry about careless remarks and broken promises. All we'll need to worry about is finding a venue that would let us chat until the wee hours of the morning.

Why I Hesitate to Meet Old Friends

2007-07-04T20:58:00.001+08:00

The dad of a childhoold friend died so I'm going to the wake tomorrow with some of our other childhood friends. I'm excited to see them again after all these years but I just dread hearing the usual, "What happened to you?" (I put on a ton of weight since college), "When are you giving birth?" (I am centrally obese - arms are relatively thinner than my tummy) and the pakialamera question, "Why don't you have a kid yet?"

I usually answer the what-happened-to-you-question by saying, "Gumanda!" As for the when-are-you-giving-birth-question, I always say, "In 3 years, elepante kasi yung nasa loob." I'm used to these questions, anyway. But sometimes, when I'm having a bad day, I just don't have the humor to take the insult, so I say something nasty and feel bad about it afterwards.

The why-don't-you-have-a-kid-yet question is what usually irritates me. Hindi naman sila yung magpupuyat sa pag-aalaga ng bata o magbabayad ng tuition fees when the kid goes to school. I usually answer that we have no plans to have kids at the moment. Most of the time, they reply by reminding me about my body clock. Ano ba?! Do they think that we didn't consider my ticking body clock when we decided not to have kids at this time? Minsan talaga, gusto ko na lang sabihan, "wala kang karapatang makialam!"

Hay, sana talaga I'll have a good day at work tomorrow so I can bite off my nasty remarks when (unfortunately, not "if") I hear these questions.

Sari-saring Reklamo

2007-07-04T00:08:00.000+08:00

pasensya na, i feel like whining today . . .

1. I can't believe I'm so cheap that I'm still not willing to pay for a decent photo site to house my beloved pictures. This week, I've been busy migrating my photos from Yahoo to Multiply. Yahoo is closing down YahooPhotos (waaah!) and will be deleting all the pictures uploaded in the site by September. I've tried using the automatic migration but only a few pictures were migrated to Multiply. So now, I'm downloading my pictures per album. Kakatamad.

2. I have an awfully stiff neck. This morning, I heard something dripping on the side of the bed. I was so sleepy that I just craned my neck to take a look. I felt my neck slowly stiffen. Kainis! It's so uncomfortable I decided to put some Salonpas ointment on it. Now, my neck's still stiff and I smell like a senior citizen.

3. I brought chicken asparagus soup to work today. When I was about to eat it(excited pa naman ako), I discovered that it was already spoiled.

4. Our internet is painfully slow tonight!

Mabuti na lang, maganda pa rin ako. Hahaha.

Trio and Telfast

2007-07-02T23:42:00.000+08:00

Mang Al, our reliable driver, was not feeling well today, so B had to pick me up from the office. And since he was so nice about it, I volunteered to buy him dinner.

We decided to go to Trio at the Fort Strip. I had lunch there a couple of weeks ago and I loved their salciccia. The resto was almost empty when we got there - only 3 tables were occupied, which probably contributed to the prompt and efficient service.

We ordered their Insalata Mista, the Trio Sampler and the Shrimp and Scallop Pizza.

The Insalata Mista was described on their menu as

Mixed greens with an assortment of smoked salmon, shrimp and squid tossed in our special lemon-mango vinaigrette

That was a pretty good description. The lemon-mango vinaigrette was definitely special as the sourness of the lemon was perfectly blended with the sweet mango juice. Unfortunately, there was just too much dressing on the salad. (B loved it, though.)

The Trio Sampler was a plate with small servings of their best selling pastas - Frutti di Mare, Pancetta and the Agnolotti. The Frutti di Mare, or seafood pasta, had clams, mussel, squid tentacles and fish on white-wine olive oil sauce. The white-wine-olive oil mix was wasted on the not-so-fresh seafood. B liked the vodka-based tomate cream sauce of the Pancetta. The sauce blended well with the penne, smoked bacon and the chopped tomatoes. However, like the salad, I thought that the Pancetta would have tasted better if it had less sauce.

What surprised us was the spinach agnolotti stuffed with portabello and spinach. It tasted so good that I didn't mind that they were swimming in the garlic cream sauce.

The Shrimp and Scallop Pizza had roasted garlic, caramelized leeks, not-so-spicy shrimp and baby scallops that probably grew into adulthood in Trio's freezer. I loved the thin crust but the pizza as a whole tasted flat. A good sprinkling of chili flakes made it taste a lot better.

Actually, the dinner wasn't so bad. In fact, we wanted to taste their dessert, but the trio of girls with their irritating colegiala accents were getting on out nerves. I had a cup of ice cream from FIC, instead.

Unfortunately, when I got home, I felt the beginnings of an allergy attack so I immediately took a doze of Telfast. I wasn't surprised since I always get rashes when I eat seafood that's not fresh.

So will we be returning to Trio? Yes, but only for their agnolotti. I'd steer clear of their seafood, too.

Fully Booked at Bonifacio High Street

2007-07-01T12:12:00.000+08:00

B hated picking me up when I was still working at Legaspi Village in Makati City. He loved some of the restos in Greenbelt but he always found the Ayala Central Business District too crowded.

Now that I'm working at the Fort Bonifacio, he always jumps at the opportunity to pick me up. I have to admit that there is more breathing room at the Fort, but what tempts my B like a moth to a flame is the 4-storey Fully Booked branch at the Bonifacio High Street.

The Fully Booked branch is on soft opening but most of its selling area is already filled with hundreds of books. It has stock of all the old bobo books that I've been looking for and it also sells the photography books that I almost ordered online when I couldn't find them in any of the stores here.

The comic books and popular fiction are at the ground floor, together with the pretty notebooks and scrapbooks. It took me several minutes to browse through all the sci-fi and the chic lit that I love to read.

Half the second floor is for kids. There are are rows of colorful children's books that looked interesting. The artwork on the new children's books are all so pretty!I'm already planning to buy a book on faeries and an illustrated book of poems.

There are rows and rows of travel books at the 3rd floor and I'm sure I'll be hanging out there when I'm planning for my next trip (which will be 10 years from now since I recently spent all my money in China and Singapore.) B loved browsing through the non-fiction books at the same floor.

There are CDs and videos at the 4th floor but there's still a huge space for art and other hobby books. We loved browsing through the books on interior design. And of course, I lusted over a couple of photography books.

The Starbucks at the 3rd floor isn't open yet but there are several soft seats scattered around the place. We literally spent hours there. It truly is a heaven for book lovers like me! (Of course, there's hell to pay when you get to the cashier.)

[Note: All photos taken using my Blackberry]

View from Our Office Window

2007-06-29T23:39:00.000+08:00

Cubeville isn't so bad when you have this view:

Oh, yeah. I haven't blogged about my new job!

So where do I start?

Hmmm.

One crazy day last year, I decided that I didn't want to practice law anymore. It was a fleeting thought and the decision lasted only about an hour or two. But in that brief moment, I submitted a resume for a legal content administrator position. At that time, I sent out my resume from time to time just to confirm to myself that working at a high-profile law firm, with its extended working hours and a stress level so high you'd be amazed there's still hair left on your head, was a choice.

I didn't hear from the advertisers of the job for months and completely forgot about my not-so-lucid job application. So, I was surprised when someone called me up for an interview for a Professional Support Lawyer (PSL) position. Curious about the job title, I scheduled an interview on a slow daw at work. For most part of the interview, Mich, the HR Director tried to explain the the work of a PSL. I honestly didn't understand a lot of what she said but the phrases "work-life balance", and "lots of travelling" convinced me to agree to another interview when they called me up a couple of months later.

The 2nd interview was a puzzle to me since it was not actually an interview. Marian, a lawyer who worked as a PSL for a couple of years before she was promoted, explained to me what she did on a day-to-day basis. The "interview" gave me a picture of what is expected from a PSL. It also became clear that there were a lot of positions above the PSL level in case I decided to pursue it as a career.

A couple of interviews and a written "test" (I was asked to summarize a couple of cases and a powerpoint presentation) later, I was offered job. At that time, I was spending too much time in the firm working on both client and administrative matters. The job offer was an opportunity I couldn't turn my back on.

I've been working as a PSL for a month and a half now. While there are still a lot about the job that I need to understand, I appreciate the flexy time which allows me to choose which 8 hours of the day I would spend at the office as well as the challenging tasks that I am asked to do. I love working in a virtual team , and even if my boss tends to ignore me for days (after all, they do work in an international firm), working on tasks without a partner breathing down my neck feels like drinking a glass of green mango shake in the middle of Boracay (this is definitely exaggerated but the point is, it feels good to work without so much stress!) Of course, the small and light-weight laptop, the huge LCD monitor and the blackberry issued to me help boost my contentment level.

I was sad to leave my job at the firm because I would be leaving co-workers who have became close friends. I didn't want to miss our extended lunches where we talked about anything from entertainment gossip to the latest Supreme Court decision. But with my new job, I still get to visit my old officemates and I am now enjoying lunches with my new ones.

The only things that I truly miss from my old job is my enclosed room (with 4 solid walls and a wooden door) and the services of a waiter. But I'm slowly getting used to cubeville (besides, I don't have to "live" in it!) and I have, in fact, started to personalize my space in it. As for the waiter, well, it's not difficult to microwave my own food and clean my own mug.

Cheering for Cutie-pie and Orange Cakes

2007-06-27T23:57:00.000+08:00

Everytime I see Araneta Coliseum, I am always reminded of the times when Papa, Vanni and I would watch the Toyota-Crispa championship games on our 14"-Sony color TV at home. The reception on screen was a bit cloudy and there would be some static when the wind blew on our rooftop antenna, but we would clap and cheer for our favorite team - Vanni for Toyota, Papa and I for Crispa. A few years later, we would be watching the UAAP games at the Araneta Coliseum with Vanni and Papa cheering for La Salle, and me cheering for Ateneo.

Nowadays, I would only get to watch a basketball game when B plays NBA Live on the XBox. So, I got really excited when an officemate invited us to watch her husband's game. Actually, it was a bit embarassing since I didn't know who her husband was - the only players I remember are Samboy Lim, Allan Caidic, Alvin Patrimonio and Jojo Lastimosa who all stopped playing at least a decade ago! I had to wait until I got home so I could ask B.

It turns out that my officemate's husband played on the Alaska team and we we had tickets to their 4th semi-finals game against San Miguel. B reminded me to cheer for Alaska.

The game was at 4:30 PM but we arrived at the Araneta Coliseum at 5:30 PM, when the game was halfway through the 2nd quarter. We had nice seats - we were seated a few rows behind the game officials. I was still trying to figure out who the Alaska players were when the buzzer announced the end of the 2nd quarter.

I was a bit disappointed that the coliseum was only half-full. I thought that people would watch the game live because it was already a semi-finals match. It didn't help that the few times I watched other basketball games, the coliseum was fully-packed with people. Nevertheless, I heard myself cheering for the Alaska players. At first, we just clapped every time they sank a shot. But as the game progressed, we started screaming every time they stole the ball, when the ball was stolen from them, and even when the San Miguel players missed a shot. We even cheered even if we didn't fully understand what was happening! It was a good thing that another officemate was kind enough to answer all our questions.

Halfway through the 3rd quarter, I could already match the names of the players with their faces even without looking at the back of their jerseys. I started cheering for them individually. Of course, when I noticed Ferriols for the first time in the middle of the court, I just had to scream, "Go cutie-pie!" not knowing that his girlfriend was seated 2 rows in front of us.

By the 4th Quarter, we were all screaming and clapping continuously, specially after Alaska stole the lead from San Miguel.

It was a good game that left our hearts pounding until the end. We were ecstatic when Alaska won the game! I was amazed at the range of emotions I felt (and the amount of adrenalin my body pumped into my blood!) for a team that I just "met".

After the game, we were so hungry, that we were almost in a hurry to go to Bellini's at the Marikina Shoe Expo.

Bellini's is a cozy restaurant with painted walls, Italian home-cooked dishes, home-made sweet wine, a cheery Italian owner and Italian-speaking waiters. Our waiter patiently explained the items on the menu to us. When we ordered the vino dolce, he explained that it didn't go well with the food that we ordered and that it was more suited for dessert.

Food was served in a few minutes and I loved my fetuccini al vongole. The clams were fresh and the sauce was lightly flavored to emphasize the taste of the clams. It was perfect.

The Bellini pizza that we shared wasn't bad - I loved the thin crust. I would have preferred a pizza with less toppings, though.

After our pizza and pasta, we decided to have orange cakes so we can properly enjoy their home-made vino dolce. The orange cakes were so good! It had the texture of butter cake, the moistness of a good rhum cake, and the orange shavings on top added a chewy texture. It wasn't too sweet but it wasn't acidic either. We easily finished the generous servings on our plates.

The vino dolce was very interesting. It wasn't as sweet as the other dessert wines I've tasted but it effectively masked its alcohol content. By the end of the evening, we were giggling like school girls.

On my way home, I realized that watching a PBA game and having dinner at Bellini's were pleasures that should not only be remembered but experienced over and over.

[Note: Araneta Coliseum doesn't allow spectators to bring in cameras so I left my bulky DSLR and smuggled in my little point-and-shoot.]

The Person Who Made Me Blog Again

2007-06-23T12:27:00.000+08:00

I've been a bad blogger. Really.

My blogs have been abandaned for months.

Not that I have nothing to blog about, in fact, I do. Lots.

But everytime I think of blogging something, I just find something else to do - create a lay-out, crop, resize or upload a picture or 2, read a book or even sleep.

But this man, Paul Potts, made me blog again.

The moment I saw his audition in Britain's Got Talent in Jessica Sprague's blog, I just thought that the whole world (or at least my world) should see this man.

I'm not an opera lover but neither am I new to it. I've listened to several opera singers and while I can't relate to most of them, there are some singers that I love. But seeing Paul Potts singing Nessun Dorma was different - he made all my hairs rise! And while he's not the best singer I've ever heard, he definitely is the most sincere.

And he looks so ordinary! And because of what he did, he reminded me that ordinary persons can do great things. I hope someday I will.

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-26T19:46:00.000+08:00

I hope you all had as much fun as we did. Here are a few pics from our Christmas lunch with the Co Family. I still have to upload the pics from our celebration with Rey's family.

And here's the card we sent out to our family and friends. (Shhh. Panj hates her pic and promised to give me a substitute but I suppose she forgot about it.)

Down with the Flu

2006-10-30T08:17:00.000+08:00

I was fine Friday evening. I just felt a little stiffness on my back so I had a massage which brought me straight to dreamland. A few hours later, I woke up feeling like someone poured glue into my nostrils - I couldn't breathe and I felt like my brain had solidified. And I felt really heavy, so heavy that I couldn't stand or sit for more than a couple of minutes. Thinking that I was dreaming, I went back to sleep. My sleep was unusually light, I woke up everytime B moved. As the sun started to shine, I woke up feeling like a block of cement was weighing down my chest. I was down with the flu. Too bad I got it on the 28th, as we were supposed to go to my brother's house for my sister-in-law's birthday and their village trick or treat. I guess I'll be using the horns that I bought for trick or treat next year.

Two days, decongestants, a mucolytic, a steam treatment, a kilo of fruits and liters of orange juice after, I am still sick. I can breathe through 1 nostril, my brain has been turned to mush and my throat has become so itchy that I start scratching my neck. I am now able to sit and walk a few meters but I feel like I'm walking in a cloud. I croak like a frog when I speak.

This is boring, I can't do anything. I get dizzy when I read and sleepy when I watch TV. I guess I'll just go back to bed and sleep.

Something New

2006-10-24T11:34:00.000+08:00

2006-06-16T12:05:00.000+08:00

Please indulge my obvious hangover from our latest trip:

Yes, the travel bug has bitten us again!

Since our ambitious 20-day vacation last April in Italy, France and Belgium left us financially poor (but rich in pictures!), we decided to visit nearby Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

Subic started out as a Spanish naval port in 1884. The United States engaged the Spanish army in a battle in 1889 and took over Subic in 1990. Days after the Pearl Harbor attack, the Japanese conquered Subic in 1942 but the United States reoccupied the base in 1945. Despite the declaration of Philippine independence in 1945, the United States continued using Subic as a military base until 1991. Shortly after the Americans left Subic, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) was created to develop the former military base into a self-sustaining commercial, industrial, financial, transshipment and tourism center.

It appears that SBMA has succeeded in achieving its goals.

Subic is now a Freeport Zone that offers a bundle of tempting incentives for entities that establish their businesses in the area. It also has a lot of attractions for people like us, who seems to have a travel leech stuck on our bums (or on our battered wallets.)

From Manila, going to Subic is a breeze – Subic is just a 2-hour drive over well-maintained roads. But going around Subic is a different matter. You have to make sure that you have a vehicle as public transportation to the attractions is not readily available (there are no trains and trams and you can hardly see any taxis.) But once you've solved the transportation problem, everything will be just fine.

For our vacation, we just wanted to go to 3 places: Ocean Adventure, Zoobic Safari and the Extreme Adventure Park. (However, Subic has other attractions. It has several public and private beaches, including a world-class resort. It also has a Jungle Environmental Survival Camp where you get to camp, visit a mini zoo, an insectarium and a butterfly garden, interact with aetas and gain a deeper understanding of forests. For the adults, Subic also has a casino that features live bands nightly. There are also lots of shopping places for the bargain-hunters.)

We went to Ocean Adventure and I have to admit that it really is a poor relative of Ocean Park in Hong Kong or the Seaworld in Singapore. The aquariums were not impressive and there were only a few shows. But, we still had so much fun watching the false killer whales frolic around the bay with their trainers. The sea lion show was also entertaining. Visitors may also swim with the killer whales and the dolphins for a price. We didn't choose this option as the next morning we headed to Zoobic Safari.

Zoobic Safari was a treat for us. It had a small serpentarium, a mini-zoo where you get to pet a goat, a miniature horse, a deer and other free roaming animals. It also has a Rodent World and a Honey Bee Farm. However, the most exciting part of the theme park is their Tiger Safari where you ride a Pinoy jeepney with metal grills, and see tigers as they roam around a huge fenced area and pounce at live chickens. In our case, we went early in the morning when the tigers were hungry. They got so excited seeing the live chickens! One of the tigers happily ate his chicken at the roof of our jeepney. Another tiger ate his meal while hanging on to the metal grill at the side of the jeepney. It was such a thrill that I ended up seating on my husband's lap. The fainthearted may choose to ride on a jeepney without live chickens. That way, they can watch the show without being too close to the action. After the Tiger Safari, the Savannah Ride was a bit anti-climactic. The ostriches, pigs and goats freely roaming around the Savannah area were a bit curious but there was no real action. However, our excitement level shot up to the stars again when we decided to have our pictures taken with a baby tiger. The cub was so adorable! He gamely posed on our laps for as long as we fed him his milk. His trainer told us that they would be offering tiger walks within the month. In this new attraction, visitors will be allowed to give a leashed tiger a walk around a park.

Since it was a bit warm at the Zoobic Safari, we decided to spend the afternoon shopping after having a delicious and filling lunch at Meatplus cafe (we love their steaks and their rhum cake). We were able to purchase lots of food (Belgian chocolates!) and Rey purchased a case of Tiger beer and his Sobraine cigarettes.

In the evening, we had dinner at one of the restaurants near the Boardwalk. The food was okay but we missed the great Japanese food that we had at Sakura the night before. After dinner, we took a tour at the Subic Diamond Casino. It was packed with customers but it didn't feel too crowded. It had a relaxed atmosphere as the Casino doesn't have a dress code. People were gambling in their beach outfits! There was also a live band performing at the bar area. Rey was a bit disappointed that we missed the fashion show of the Philippine FHM models the night before we went to the Casino. We didn't stay too long as we wanted to visit the Extreme Adventure Park before we left for Manila in the morning.

We were at the Extreme Adventure Park at 8:00 in the morning. We were first in line! The first thing we had to do was to cross a hanging bridge. And then we got strapped to a zip line that got us flying over a jungle. It was so exhilirating! It wasn't too scary as the straps felt secure. I didn't wobble as I slid down the metal cable. We just had a little difficulty trekking back to the car as we are, admittedly, physically phhhht instead of physically fit (it really was only a 5 to 10 minute hike.)

In any case, the hike primed us for the buffet breakfast at the Subic International Hotel. For P350 per person, it had a decent spread of breads, fruits and Filipino breakfast dishes. They also have an omelet station where I got a fluffy and tasty ham, onion and cheese omelet.

We spent the last few hours of our vacation at our room at the Subic International Hotel. The Delta room was spacious and looked so comfortable with its cream walls, brown wooden furniture and orange trimmings. We loved the 29-inch flat TV and the fact that they kept the air-conditioner on even while we're out of the room. It just felt so good to enter a cool room after spending hours under the Philippine sun. (Oh, and I so loved their sheets that I ordered a few sets from their supplier as soon as I got back to Manila.)

We felt a little bit sad checking out of the hotel room but we were comforted by the fact that if we decide to go back, Subic is just a hop and a skip away from Manila.

Abie - saving up for the next trip!

PS:

You may view our Subic pictures at:

http://asia.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/abigaildco/my_photos

Florence

2006-05-22T18:30:00.000+08:00

Planes, trains and automobiles and the law of karma

Going to Europe has always been my dream. Unfortunately, getting there is another story. First, I paid US$1000 for the plane fare on economy. That alone almost made me cry. Then, I realized that I paid so much money to torture myself by going on a 19.5-hour journey. This does not include my 1-hour journey to the airport and the 3 hours of waiting in snake-like lines when I got there.

But since I desperately wanted to visit Europe, I grit my teeth and bore the suffering.

Rey wanted me to go to the airport early. My flight was at 7:50 but he wanted to leave Quezon City at 3:30. After having lunch with Panjee, we went to the Shang Plaza. Since I didn't feel like malling, Rey and Panjee left me at Hairbytes, where I had my eyebrows waxed and my hair cut. I really didn't have much time for blowdrying but Dang, the senior stylist didn't want me to leave the parlor with wet hair. So, to lessen the drying time, 2 people were working on my hair! I knew would never experience this in Europe so I made myself forget about the time and enjoyed the pampering.

We left the parlor at exactly 3:30 and arrived at the airport at 4:30. Security lines at the entrance weren't bad, so going in was a breeze. From the entrance, I walked to Lufthansa's own security line where they checked if I had the necessary documentation. The guy at the counter asked me if I already booked my hotel accommodations. When I said yes, he said he wanted to see the vouchers. So I opened my locked backpack and fished out my travel envelope. The ass didn't even look through it! He said it was too thick. After stuffing my documents back in my packpack, I lined up again to have my bags weighed. After that, there was another line for checking-in.

Throughout the whole procedure, a pretty 40ish morena was behind me. She kept on accidentally bumping my luggage with her trolley. Since I didn't want to waste energy arguing with her, I just cheerfully told her that she obviously didn't have any talent with her trolley. She smiled and repeatedly apologized. I smiled back.

After checking-in, I paid for my airport tax then proceeded to Immigrations. The lines were a bit long. I patiently stood there and decided to be zen about the people who kept cutting the lines because their flights were about to depart. Of course, I had the urge to tell them that they should have left their houses earlier but I was feeling generous and just imagined that they did leave their house early but were delayed for some reason.

To reward myself for being nice, I paid P400 get in the Sampaguita Lounge. I was immediately served pancit canton (tasted like pancit carton) and chicken barbecue without the stick (surprisingly yummy but a challenge to eat with the plastic fork, I missed the stick.) I also took advantage of the buffet and feasted on their sandwiches and nutrilicious mango juice.

After enjoying my meal, I decided to have the P300-20-minute back massage. It was expensive but it was worth the price. I felt the knots on my shoulders loosen and the massage lady was able to make me relax.

After my massage, I went to the boarding gate and got on the plane where I was seated next to the pretty 40ish morena. Buti na lang di ko siya inaway! We chatted and I found out that she was an OFW in Belgium for 4 years before she got married to a Belgian 16 years ago. They have a beautiful 12-year old daughter. She went home last month because her father passed away. As we talked, I realized that marrying rich wasn't all that easy. Aside from having to learn a foreign language, she also had to be nice to her in-laws and her husband's daughter who all thought that she was just marrying for money and didn't have qualms saying it to her face. And of course, she had to teach her husband proper hygiene. For a time it got so bad (the family's treatment, not the hygiene) that when she got pregnant, she decided to give birth in Manila. It's a good thing that everything's fine with her now and that after 16 years of being faithful to her husband, she was finally accepted by his family.

As usual, after our chat, I immediately fell asleep. I only woke up at around 10 pm when they started serving sandwiches, which wasn't bad at all. But when I thought that I'd be having sandwiches for dinner for the next 18 days, I must admit that I got a little depressed. So, I tried to cure my depression by sleeping.

I was mildly irritated when I was awakened by the sound of carts being dragged on the aisles at around 1 am. The irritation vanished when I got my tray of Chicken Curry with Steamed Rice. Sarap! I couldn’t help but jiggle my butt with glee.

After the meal, I brushed my teeth and happily went back to sleep. I woke up hungry at around 9:30 am Philippine time. It was only 3:30 am at our destinations so I assumed that they didn't have any plans of serving food. So, I asked the stewardess for some snacks. I was thinking that she'd give me biscuits, but she gave me a steaming cup of instant seafood noodles. It felt good to my growling stomach. (While eating the noodles, I realized that they gave out menus while I was asleep. The cup of noodles was listed in the menu as optional.)

A few hours later, they served breakfast, which consisted of a roll, a strip of bacon, scrambled eggs, a small hash brown and some beans. It was okay. It would have been excellent if they served more bacon instead of their clean-tasting beans (I prefer the pork and beans that came in a can even if there’s only one piece of pork in the can.)

We arrived in Frankfurt a few hours later at around 5:45. Leaving the plane took 20 minutes as there was a security check at the gate.

The airport in Frankfurt was huge. It was so huge that it made me think of 1-kilometer sprints. I was mistaken. It was actually a 2-kilometer sprint. The walk to the Connecting Flights Area wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, the line I was in was held up by a Chinese man who was being refused entry. I decided to change lines. It was moving at a reasonable pace until the officer decided to help the officer who was being harassed by the Chinese man. Seeing that I was running out of time, I asked everyone in front of me if I could go ahead as I had to be at the boarding gate in 20 minutes. They all agreed and I got to be first in line. It only took me 3 minutes to get my passport stamped. I had 17 minutes left!

I followed the directions to my boarding gate and had to line up again to have myself and my hand-carry baggage checked for weapons. That took another 10 minutes as the person in front of me almost needed to strip to his underwear before he was allowed to pass through. And so, I had 7 left minutes to reach my boarding gate, which was on the other end of the airport. I had to walk really fast and when I got to the elevators, there was a line of people. Dozens of us decided to take the stairs. Little did we know that it was 4 flights down. It's a good thing I had a small handcarry trolley bag which can be worn as a backpack. People with the usual trolley bags had a more difficult time going down. Some actually dragged their bags down the stairs.

Reaching Terminal A, I gave a sigh of relief, then realized that there was about a 20-meter distance between gates. I had to reach gate 21 (which was roughly 400 meters away) in 3 minutes. Some of the other passengers started running. I didn't as I was comforted by the fact that there were 2 middle-aged women behind me who were taking the same flight. (If ever we get there too late, there'll be 3 of us who'll miss our flight!) By that time, I was already tired so I just walked a little bit faster than the 2, who were already huffing and puffing. I made it to the boarding gate 10 minutes before the scheduled flight (we're required to be there at least 15 minutes before departure.) There was a short line of people who looked liked they went through a marathon. I joined them. When I got inside the plane, I just had enough time to use the washroom and make a quick call to Rey.

The flight from Frankfurt to Rome was a short and uneventful one. The only memorable thing about it was that they gave out a salami sandwich, which I saved for lunch.

We arrived in Rome at 9:30 but the luggages were released 30 minutes later. After getting my luggage, I walked to the Customs Area. They didn't seem interested in checking my luggage so I literally walked through them. I was surprised when I found myself at the airport lobby. I asked a handsome policeman (siempre, magtatanong ka na rin lang, mamili ka na ng cutie) where the train to Rome was and he directed me to Terminal C. I was in Terminal A! Accepting that it was my fate to walk, I headed to Terminal C which wasn't too far away. On my way there, an Andy-Garcia-look-alike winked at me. Feeling pretty tuloy ako! Ayan tuloy, I missed the escalators and had to ask a Pinoy hanging around the area. Big mistake, he tried to convince me to hire his car for 40 Euros. Mas madali daw. I pity the ignorant Pinay who would take his offer. I walked back a few meters and saw the escalators. I took it and followed the crowd to the train station. I went to the ticket booth and paid my fare: 9.50 Euros.

A fellow Pinay sat beside me at the train. She was so nice and so helpful as she even helped me drag my luggage off the train. She also offered to bring me to the ticketing booth where I can get my ticket to Florence. Unfortunately, she only knew about the automated ticketing machines which I couldn’t use as I had large bills. We both searched for a ticket booth and found one. I got my ticket a few minutes later. After paying for my ticket, I walked around and found the station's official ticket booth. I bought my ticket at a travel agency that charged me an extra 3 Euros. It's a good thing they taught me how to read the ticket so I didn't feel too bad. P195 din 'yun.

I had an hour to waste before the scheduled departure. I wanted to sit to eat my lunch. I saw travellers seating on the floor. I refused to join them and decided to walk around the Termini. I found seats near a Music store! They were mostly unoccupied as these were a floor below the platforms and the foreigners probably didn't know about it. I finished my sandwich, bought a bottle of water (1.1 Euros!) used the washroom (.70 Euros) and checked what platform to go to. I easily found my platform and was surprised to see my train there since there was still about 15 minutes before it was scheduled to leave. I looked for my car and seat number and was seated beside 2 Spanish women on vacation. They were blond and frumpy and looked as if they were on a happy pill. They were nice and chatty and even offered me some mints. They only spoke the most basic English and there were time when we communicated using hand signals. They kept me awake throughout the 1 and a half hour ride.

I arrived in Florence and was greeted by a magnificent church. The people were very nice and helpful even if they speak very little English. Their helpfulness led me to my hotel/pensione.

After travelling for 24 hours (19.5 hours to get to Rome, 1 hour to get to Roma Termini, another hour to get my ticket and 2 hours to Florence), I was exhausted, but Florence was so worth the long journey.

Viva Firenze!

I got lost looking for Hotel Pensione Ferretti. I overestimated the size of the streets of Florence ang ignored a couple of passages that turned out to be streets. It's a good thing the person manning the tabacchi was able to give me the correct directions, "avanti, no right, no left." I followed his directions and found Ferretti.

Ferreti was more of a pensione than a hotel. To get to the reception, you need to climb a flight of stairs. From there, you take a flight of winding stairs to your room.

The idea of carrying a luggage and a backpack stressed me out, but I managed to do it somehow. I also managed the second flight of stairs, but this time, I had to stop in the middle to catch my breath.

The room was nothing fancy. In fact, it was starting to wear out. But it had its charm - it had a view of a few buildings and the street below, the bed was comfortable, the closet roomy, the toilet, bidet and sink were gleaming and the pale yellow walls were very comforting. It also had a ceiling fan which I never got to use and a heater which was illegal to use in the spring and summer seasons. I didn't stay too long though, as Firenze church bells reminded me that there was a whole new city to explore. (Yes, I didn't take a full bath but for sure ako pa rin yung pinaka-mabango doon.)

Firenze (no one there called the city “Florence”) is a walking city. The city centre is only a beautiful 45-minute walk from end to end, filled with cobblestone streets, small shops and lovely old buildings.

I was looking forward to attending vespers at the Santa Maria del Fiori but I was too early. So, I decided to make a quick stop at the Basilica de San Lorenzo. I wasn't impressed.

Basilica de San Lorenzo boasts of being the parish of the Medicis, the family who ruled Florence for centuries. Unfortunately, most of its beauty is found in the Medici chapel. Outside its doors, people lounged around and the whole street was full of vendors. It forced me to remember the story where Jesus shooed away the vendors from the church steps. To me, the church of San Lorenzo was just another Quiapo church in a foreign land.

From San Lorenzo, I proceeded to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiori. Despite the throng of people outside its doors, it looked magnificent. I went inside and was just awed by the interiors. The stained glass windows were beautiful and the last judgment images on the walls were very colorful. The church became even more beautiful when the vespers started. The priests, in their fuschia and white robes took their seats one by one before the celebrant led the processional. The priests led a handful of people througout the ceremony but everything was done so sincerely. The chanting by the priests and the parishioners gave me goosebumps. It was just sad that vespers and even masses were held only in a small portion of the church as there were only a handful of parishioners (and from what I could see were either senior citizens or Filipina OFWs.)

I didn't enter the Baptistry but I took a look at its beautiful doors.

Happy with my first day in Florence, I headed back to Ferretti where I chatted with Rey using their free internet, and took a long hot shower before going to bed at 7:00 pm.

Extra Challenge

Challenge 1 - eat without a fork

My second day in Tuscany was full of firsts. Waking up at 9:30 am Manila time, I realized that I was hungry at 3:30 am in Florence. I tried to sleep it off but my stomach was detemined to have a conversation with me. So, I brought out my favorite Yakisoba and put hot water in it, only to realize later that I didn't have a fork. Desperate for food, I called on my Ilongga side and started eating with my fingers. It was so much fun! I decided to do it more often but definitely not with the bowl of hot noodles that I planned to eat that night.

Challenge 2 - Go to Pisa

After having my first meat-and-rice free breakfast, I headed to the train station to go to Pisa. It was my first time to use Italy's regular trains (the Leonardo Express and the Eurostar are special trains). I got my ticket at the station, looked for my platform, validated my ticket and boarded the train. I was already thinking that having old trains wasn't that bad for as long as there was something available for people to use until our train stopped right before a station for 10 minutes. No explanations were given but as we pulled out of the station, I saw a man lying on a platform being attended by 3 emergency personnel. Yaiks. Sana di siya nasagasaan.

Even if I took a nap for a few minutes, I got to see Tuscan farmers at work in long sleeves and slacks and really fat sheep grazing on the grass. I also saw the residential buildings with external cable wires and laundry (read as: nakatiwangwang na kable at labada) which would have looked ugly if seen in Manila but since they were in Tuscany, they looked charming.

After about an hour, we reached Pisa. There were no available maps at the station (there were big ones available at the tourist office, though) so I bought a small foldable one from the Tabacchi. It had all the information I needed in a small piece of paper. Armed with the map, I walked to the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Extra Challenge 3 - Find the Leaning Tower

There were so many things to see on the way to Piazza Miracoli. Beautiful old buildings lined the street and there were plenty of opportunities for window shopping (literally).

I also loved the little-town feel that it gave. I also felt that its people welcomed tourists - there were lots of signs that pointed where the attractions were. The streets weren't too crowded and I felt so safe and comfortable walking on its streets.

Near the Piazza Miracoli, I noticed a line of beautiful trees, I decided to deviate from the direct path to take a look at them. It led me to a beautiful park with lots of trees, pigeons, dogs on leashes and babies in carriages. It was a nice sight, as it gave me a glimpse of real Tuscan city life.

A look at the map showed that I was near Piazza Miracoli. True enough, as I looked up, I saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I was overwhelmed as the truth that I was in Italy suddenly hit me on the face. I felt so giddy! I continued to walk towards the tower and reached Piazza Miracoli. I then realized that if the Leaning Tower wasn't leaning, it would have been the ugliest structure there. The cathedral beside it had a facade that was decorated with white marble, colored sandstone and glass forming flowers and animals. The baptistry was equally stunning. And I loved the statues on top of the Campo Santo.

Unfortunately, it was another throw-away-the-vendors moment. Lining the Piazza was a row of souvenir shops. Just outside its gates were rows of buses bringing in hundreds of tourists. I took my cue from the buildings and tried to be unaffected by them. After taking a few shots, I took a bus to the train station.

Extra Challenge 4 - Find Nerbonne, Home of the Florentine Steak

Deliriously happy from my Pisa adventure, I went out to search for Nerbonne, a restaurant inside the Mercato Centrale which was famous for its steak. Looking for the Firenze's central market was a joy to do. The path was full of tiny stores selling leather goods, trinkets and scarves. Unfortunately (fortunately for me!), these leather goods, trinkets and scarves were the same stuff that you see in Divisoria at much lower prices.

The Mercato Centrale was another feast for the eye. It was full of colorful fruits and vegetables (giant tomatoes and round violently violet eggplants!) as well as huge but still pretty bottles of olive oil and an unimaginable variety of pasta and mushrooms. At the north corner were huge slabs of meat hanging on humongous hooks. I saw the Nerbonne near that area.

I ordered their specialty - Florentine roast beef on bread. It was prepared in front of me - a handsome teen cut paper-thin slices of beef from a juicy slab, poured drippings onto the bread and slapped the beef in the bread. The sandwich was as big as my face! But it was utterly delicious. I ate it at one of Nerbonne's tables, next to a couple of old Italian men who were having an animated conversation while drinking wine and greeting friends who passed by.

Final Challenge - Climbing up the Hill to the Basilica de San Miniato

One of my must-do's in Firenze was to hear the monks chanting at the Basilica de San Miniato. There were two ways of getting there - a 30-minute bus ride or a 2-hour walk. Since I wanted to see Ponte Vecchio and the Basilica de Santa Croce, I decided to walk. Knowing that I had lots of time, I decided to find my way to these places without a map. Wandering the side streets of Firenze was a wonderful experience. I saw dozens of street cafes tucked away in the tiniest of streets and a couple of baby stores selling tiny lace bonnets, knitted mittens and booties and white wooden cribs with ruffled sheets.

I reached the Santa Trinita bridge and was given a magnificent view of the Ponte Vecchio. After taking some shots, I walked to the Ponte Vecchio. It was so much alive with its rows of shopes and picture-hungry tourists. Near its foot was a shop selling miniature luggages in real leather. I was smitten.

Crossing the Ponte Vecchio, I suffered through a line of tourist traps and headed for the Santa Croce. I had to walk with a sea of tourists, who thankfully, while headed in a similar direction, didn't go to Santa Croce.

Santa Croce was another beautiful church with beatiful paintings, sculptures and even more beautiful crypts. But what gave me the strongest impression was the marble pulpit carved with scenes from the bible. The carving was so intricate that I got mesmerized. Interestingly, it wasn't one of the highlights of the church.

From the Santa Croce, I had a few minutes to reach San Miniato. As I looked up by the side of the river, I saw the church' outline at the top of the hill. I took out my map and planned my trek. It was a tiring one.

The climb up required me to take hundreds of steps and several steep slopes. There were time when I had to walk slower so I could catch my breath. These were the times when I wanted to give up and just go back down but I continued. After an hour, I was greeted by a bed of red and yellow tulips at the Piazza Michaelangelo. They were so beautiful! As I walked to the railings, I was rewarded with a magnificent view of Firenze. This alone was worth the long hike up.

A few steps from the piazza, I saw the church of San Miniato. I was a bit disappointed as it was dark and a bit dreary, although it did have a set of beautiful stained glass. I asked the lady arranging flowers at the altar what time vespers started, and she said that there were no vespers but there was a mass at 6. That sounded odd to me since I knew that the chanting was done at vespers. It was only 5 pm so I decided to wander around the area. It was then that I saw the Basilica de San Miniato. It was beautiful. Like the church of San Miniato, it was dark inside but the treasures of the church were lit. I took a few shots, rested at the park outside the church and went back for the 5:30 vespers. The chanting of the priests were better than the chanting in Santa Croce but I felt that it was less sincere. It still gave the basilica an ethereal feel, though. And I had another goosebumps moment.

After the vespers, I went out and was treated to another view of Firenze. This time, I couldn't help but ask a stranger to take my picture.

How Great Thou Art

My last day in Firenze was reserved for the museums. But then, I also realized that I can actually get to see the largest open market in the area which was open only on Tuesdays. And so, I woke up early and started my happy journey at 8 am.

This time, I decided to ride the bus as my feet were already battered from all the walking. I didn't know which stop to get off to so I asked a nice-looking old lady. It turned out that she was also on her way to the market.

The market was huge! There were only 2 rows of shops but the 2 rows were probably a kilometer long. I loved looking at the flowers, the fruits and the meats. There were also cheap winter and fall clothes that were being sold at the same price. May ukay-ukay sa Florence! Ay, "vintage shopping" nga pala ang politically correct term. Anyway, I got a body bag from one of the vintage shopping tables for €3. Wagi!

From the market, I went around the Lorenzo street market again. The cheap leather bags looked like the ones being sold in Greenhills while the truly beautiful ones are way beyond my budget. So, I decided to ignore the wares and proceed with my museum tour.

I grabbed a panini from a store and looked for a place to sit and eat. I found it in Piazza Signora, in the middle of all the statues in the square. I enjoyed the sights while munching on my delicious panini in front of a statue holding a decapitated head.

Right next to the piazza was Uffizi, the biggest museum in Florence. I wasn't planning to visit but I decided to go since I wanted to see Michaelangelo's Holy Family. Luciano of Ferretti booked a ticket for me in advance so I didn't have to line up. I just had to claim and pay for my ticket at one of the gates.

Except for the paintings of Fra Lippo Lippi, the first few rooms were unimpressive. I wasn't even impressed by the famous Birth of Venus painting. But the Holy Family was something else. Perhaps it was the combination of bright colors or the extraordinary way the Holy Family was portrayed but I was just mesmerized by it and I stood there for minutes. (Warning: I also get mesmerized by Christmas lanterns.)

All other paintings looked plain compared to the Holy Family. And I didn't see the beauty of the paintings by Raphael and Rembrandt. After seeing the sculpture of the happy pig, I didn't see any other interesting work so I decided to leave.

On my way out, though, I was led through their Leonardo da Vince Project. It showed and explained his works, even making models of the things he invented. It also showed his artistic and scientific studies. It was pretty impressive and I specially loved his water organ, which was actually a musical instrument where the same amount of water is poured into ceramic pots of different sizes. The ceramic pots gave out different sounds.

After going around the whole floor which was dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci, I became a fan. The man was a genius.

After my enjoyable time at the Uffizzi, I walked to the Accademia, enjoying the paper and leather shops along the way. I saw another store selling the miniature luggages but still decided not to get one as they were a bit expensive.

When I got to the Accademia, I claimed my ticket, again using the booking code that Luciano got for me. At first, I was irritated that I was behind a bunch of teenaged boys. But after looking at more paintings that seemed more and more similar, their comments gave me a fresh perspective. I started seeing "jiggly boobs", "hard asses" and "orgasmic faces." And then I saw the original David, the real reason for my visit. I had another I'm-really-in-Italy moment.

Most people skip the Accademia as David has copies both at the Piazza de Michaelangelo and the Piazza de Signora. But these copies are exposed to the elements making David look like he had gonorrhea (as if it weren't enough that his penis is so minute!) The original David was way more beautiful. I loved looking at the details (veins on the hands and the intelligent look on his face.)

After gushing at the statue for several minutes, I entered a room filled with the plaster molds used for various structures in Paris. Many of the molds were unnamed but several of them were pretty interesting. I loved the mold that had a girl with a dog and the lady in a provocative pose.

It was getting pretty chilly when I left the Accademia so I needed to get home. But as I started to walk home, I remembered the miniature luggages and decided not to leave Florence without one. So, I bought a cheap Indian scarf and walked back to the store. I spent so much time choosing and decided on the first one that caught my attention - a classic-looking one in red leather. The man at the store carefully wrapped my purchase (in an expensive-looking sheet of gold-colored paper!) I was happy.

Abie's Answers (A's) to N@W's Thursday Questions (Q's)

2006-05-15T14:45:00.000+08:00

1. What was your high school mascot?

A gecko. I studied in Philippine High School for the Arts which is located at the National Arts Center in Mt. Makiling. We never had a human-sized mascot but the image of the gecko appeared in most of our school stuff - shirts, banners, yearbooks, shadow plays, etc.

2. What's the last time you stayed up having a grand time after 2 AM?

A few days ago. B and I were watching episodes from the second season of House.

3. Anything you want to whine about today?

I have so much to do!

First, there's work. Ever since I got back from our vacation (which was so much fun, by the way) my accounts have required much work - meetings from 9 am to 9 pm, several opinions and a month's work of contract revew which I need to finish within a week. Aggravating this huge amount of work is that our clients and their foreign counterparts smoke during meetings! My poor lungs suffered for a week and I'm now back to bringing my asthma meds with me everywhere I go.

Second, we have no helpers at home!!! Last March, B fired our personal helper (Mama, my Mother-in-law, has Nellie and Mercy.) We got a replacement in April but the replacement resigned allegedly because her mother sent her home. Later, we found out that she needed to go home so that she can enroll for her senior year in high school. So, I guess she was just in Manila for a "summer job". Kainis! Anyway, she left on May 7 and we haven't found any replacement since then (it's not easy to find one who's willing to take care of Porkchop.) On 11 May, Nellie and Mercy went to Masbate. They had to take a vacation at the same time because Nellie will be marrying Mercy's brother. Mercy will be back next Friday, Nellie will spend more time in Masbate before coming back to Manila. Mama has been sincerely willing to do most of the household chores, but good manners and pride prevent me from letting her do all the work. So, every morning, I wake up an hour early so I can feed the dog and prepare breakfast. After breakfast, I wash the dishes, clean the bathroom floor while taking a bath, clean the sink and its counter after washing my face, sweep our bedroom floor and make the bed before I go to work. I swear, I'm already tired even before I leave the house. I try to finish all my work at the office before 7 so I can be at home by 8. By then, B would have fed the dog and prepared dinner. I eat dinner and wash the dishes before I go up to our bedroom. This morning, I dropped off our laundry at my parent's house (hindi na kaya ng powers ko maglaba!). Tonight, I will have to iron B's pants. Hay.

4. How will you & your spouse spend some quality time this weekend?

Saturday evening, we ordered pizza and mojos. After feeding the dog, we went to bed and chatted for hours. On Sunday, we watched Hostel on DVD in the morning, had lunch with Mama in Casa Armas at the Podium, went to Metrowalk to buy a few more DVDs in teh afternoon, then watched a Korean movie (A Millionaire's First Love) in the evening. I fell asleep in the middle of the movie. Hehe.

5. What are you celebrating this month?

My mom's birthday - May 12 (my sis and I went to the cemetery a week ago)
Mothers' Day - had lunch with Mama at Casa Armas

6. The last time your car got filled up with gas -- how much did it come to?

Last week, the gas tank was still 1/4 full when I put in P1000 worth of gas. The needle went a little above the 3/4 mark. Last time I had a full tank, I paid around P1,550.00. I spend around P1,800 on gas every week!

A Tale of Two Birthdays

2006-03-29T06:48:00.000+08:00

In preparation for our trip to Europe, B and I decided not to celebrate our birthdays in the usual way - we agreed not to purchase expensive gifts (unless they're necessary for the trip) and we agreed not to have our usual hotel-resto date (waaah! no Prince Albert this year!)

As the clock struck 12 on the 10th, B handed me a box and a huge birthday card. On the box was a post-it note instructing me to open it first. Inside was a beautiful pashmina scarf. A real one. Not the type you'd buy in Greenhills. I was so happy with it, I already wanted to use it. Then B nagged me to open the card, it was a funny one saying that I should not worry about the past and the future, but instead focus on the present. And then from the word present, my eyes were led by an arrow to a small envelope at the bottom. Inside the envelope were crisp P1000 bills! A little note in the envelope said that the money was for thermal gloves. I got teary-eyed because I was already feeling kawawa for not having spending money on my birthday (hey, it's ok to be emotionally sensitive on birthdays) and I was so touched that B knew what to give me to make me happy (shopping money!!!) So, on my birthday, I got myself a pair of gloves (P50 from Shopwise, Mwahahahaha!), matching bonnet (P50 din!!!) and a pair of Nike walking shoes (a lot more expensive than P50.) We also got our hotel dinner in Heat, courtesy of Mama. Happy birthday to me!

So, I wanted to make sure that B would also be happy on his birthday. BUT, since I'm the head of our cost-cutting department, I couldn't spend even a fraction of our Europe money for his birthday. So, I planned to play the "perfect wife" on his birthday. Since he has breakfast in bed often (the best way to wake him up is to feed him bacon), I decided to prepare the clothes that he would be wearing. I got underwear, socks, slacks and a nice polo and placed them where he would find them (underwear and socks on top of the drawers in the bathroom, polo and pants on the bed.) His dad woke him up to greet him early in the morning and so B was up earlier than usual. After taking a bath, he immediately found the underwear, the polo and the pants. The polo was a bit tight so he chose another one. And then he went inside the closet to get a pair of socks! When I told him that I already brought out a pair for him, he sheepishly said "ay, hindi ako sanay!" Aba, nagparinig pa and mokong. As usual, we ended up laughing.

Since his birthday wish was not to spend a centavo on his birthday, I picked him up from work. We then went to Galileo for a light dinner (mga excited! our reserations were at 8 but we were there at 6.) We tried the set menu (P400 per person) consisting of a cheese platter (my favorite grana, the nutty and tast padano and smooth asiago), cold cuts platter (Salami Milano, Prosciutto and Mortadela), Penne Con Porcini (Penne in Mushroom sauce) and a glass each of red wine (Corte Brocca Rasso). He loved the food and apparently, the place as well, as he almost walked around the resto with a plate of cheese, he settled for one big chunk instead! I gave him my glass of wine as I ordered the hot chocolate and the vanilla gelatto. The hot chocolate was thick and creamy and the gellato was the best I've ever tasted! It was very creamy and it smelled and tasted like real vanilla beans. Both were totally worth working out for (unlike the food in Mr. Kabab! But that's another story). B loved the cheese so much that he ordered an extra platter to take home. Forgetting his birthday wish, he volunteered to pay for the items he ordered. When we got our bill, we loved Galileo even better! The total bill, including the set menu, the hot chocolate, the gelato, B's cheese platter my 100 gms of grana, was only P1,215! It was well within my budget that I paid for everything. So, B still got his birthday wish. He didn't spend a centavo on his birthday. Not only that, we'll also have lunch in Casa Armas this Saturday, courtesy of mama (coccinillo, here we come!) where he would also receive my gift to him - the MP3 player that he wanted to have ever since his old MP3 player died on him (I got it at Electroworld as they have a O% interest payment scheme. I only need to pay P500 a month.) Happy birthday, B!

On cost-cutting, working out and eating like a pig

2006-03-23T11:06:00.000+08:00

As part of our cost-cutting plan, B and I decided to go back to our pre-wedding weight so we can wear our pre-wedding clothes. And so, we make it a point to go the the gym thrice a week, and on the days that I don't go the gym, I complete a 30-minute fat-burning work-out at home. So, does it work? Hmmm. I did lose some fat on my back and at the sides of my waist and my legs and arms feel lighter. But the visual result is comical - I know look more pregnant than ever! I guess I'll have to work out more and eat less to get rid of the last ton of fat on my tummy.

Speaking of eating less, my tummy has been really happy these past few weeks.

On my birthday, my beloved mother-in-law treated us to a buffet dinner in Heat, the newest resto at the Edsa Shang. The concept of Heat is the same as that of Circles in Makati Shang - they have different food stations for each food nationality. It had stations for Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Indian and American/Continental cuisines. It also had a cold seafood station with prawns and rock lobsters. The Japanese and American/Continental food were nothing spectacular but the Chinese and Filipino and Indian food were really yummy. We love the sweet and sour fish and the roasted duck from the Chinese station. The dishes were cooked in the usual way but the ingredients were obviously fresh, making the dishes taste clean. The lechon from the Filipino station had crispy skin with juicy chunks of tender meat which had the right amount of saltiness. It was so heavenly (read as: a little bit more cholesterol and you'll meet your Maker soon.) The lechon is best eaten with the rice pilaf from the Indian station, which was soft and sweet. As for the seafood station, the chilled prawns were sweet, firm and juicy but the lobster felt and tasted like mud. What we enjoyed best are the desserts - aside from the usual milk chocolate fountain, Heat also had a white chocolate fountain which tasted like melted Toblerone! It was perfect with the fresh strawberries and the hefty serving of banana crepe topped with chocolate ice cream.

All in all, Heat wasn't bad at all. However, I still prefer dining in Paseo Uno which charges almost the same price for a buffet dinner. Plus, I was a bit disappointed that they didn't serve my favorite smoked salmon. So, Heat is a bit lukewarm for me.

Hotter than Heat is this place in the middle of Mandaluyong - Galileo. Don't rely on the map that they give out as you'll end up passing through a dark and crowded 1-lane alley with at least 4 wakes for the dead. By the time you get to the resto, you'd really feel like you've discovered a gem or proven that the world is round.

Galileo is a wine bar that looks halfway between a tavern and a well-ventilated Chinese warehouse. As soon as you enter the door, you'll see floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with pasta and wine. We love their cheese and cold cuts platter. The cheese platter is made up of different cheeses with different textures and tastes. It's the same with their cold cuts platter, I just love the spicy italian sausage and their beef carpaccio. We usually share several plates of pasta after pigging out on the cheeses and the cold cuts. We always finish our meals with a serving each of pistacchio gelato. All these, plus 1 or 2 glasses of wine costs approximately P450 per person.

Another new resto find is Fig & Olive along de la Costa street in Salcedo Village. The place is decorated with pictures of Santorini and it serves delicious Greek cuisine. They cooked the food so well that I ate stuff that I never liked before. I'm not a fan of chicken liver because of its texture but their chicken liver dish didn't taste powdery. And, while I love the flavor of pepper, I don't usually eat the pepper itself as I find the flavor too strong. But their rice-stuffed pepper was so perfectly flavored that I even ate the pepper.

Their kebabs were also perfectly grilled and it tasted great with the sweet rice pilaf, which I so loved. But I loved the rice that was served with the grilled fish even more. It was a bit sweet but it also had a spicy edge. We capped our meal with their sinfully rich molten chocolate cake (which I think is better served with Vanilla ice cream.) They also serve really good sangria that tasted like a fruit punch with a real punch.

After all these meals, I guess it is really not a surprise that my working out isn't working out. But if I really think about it, with all the food that I've enjoyed devouring, if I weren't working out, I would be bigger. A lot bigger. And if I were a lot bigger, I wouldn't fit in the clothes that I'm wearing now. So, working out does have a contribution to our cost-cutting plan. Plus, I'm really attached to the ton of weight around my tummy, so it doesn't really matter if it's still there.

Hay, hirap i-justify ang katakawan.

Happy Meal Near McDonalds

2006-03-09T16:49:00.000+08:00

I had dinner with officemates last night at Je Suis Gourmand at the Fort (near McDonalds) and the food was excellent!

We loved the pate platter - it had different types of pate, all of them creamy and tasty. We also enjoyed the prawn and smoked salmon salad. The prawns weren't so big but they were perfectly grilled and the smoked salmon was creamy and tasty. It also had some greens (except arugula! yey! for arugula lovers, they have arugula with smoked salmon). I also got to taste the roasted vegetables and feta cheese salad - the vegetables were just lightly roasted and the feta cheese was a good foil to the vinaigrette dressing.

An officemate likes their pea soup and their pasta. I didn't get to taste these dishes, though.

For the main course, we had the duck confit which was tender and served with mushrooms. We also got to taste the lapu-lapu, which, by itself was light but flavorful, but tasted rich and creamy when eaten with the sauce (the sauce was so yummy that it can be eaten with bread!). An officemate loved their braised lamb shank in peppered mushroom sauce.

For dessert, we liked the creme brulee, the strawberry sherbet and the grand marnier sherbet.

The owner is a French chef who is married to a Filipina.

It is best to reserve a table before going to the resto as it only has a few tables and it gets filled up quickly. Their number is: 8158801.

My DFA Adventure

2006-03-07T22:54:00.000+08:00

It has been years since I renewed my passport and as far as I can remember, it was such a breeze. I just had my picture taken, filled-up a form and paid a travel agency to handle it. I paid for rush processing and I got my renewed passport in 1 week.

This time, I decided to have an adventure and renew my passport without using a travel agency. This, of course, is due in part to an exchange of emails in Newlyweds@Work where it was discussed that it was easy to have a passport renewed. Plus, I really didn't want to let go of my current passport as it has my precious Schengen Visa.

So, I downloaded the application form from the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). It was in Rich Text Format so I just typed in my answers and printed the form. Cool! Then, I browsed through the website to check what other documents I needed to submit. The requirements were on the same page where you can download the form. If I weren't planning on using B's surname, all I needed to submit was the application form, my existing passport, a photocopy of the first 3 pages of the passport and the page where my last arrival is stamped and 3 passport-size photos. The photos must be taken within 6 months from the time the application is filed.

Since I looked terribly fat in my last studio picture, I walked to Greenbelt to have my passport picture taken. First stop was Kameraworld. I paid approximately P95 to the girl at the counter, took a seat and gave the photographer my sweetest smile. They told me to claim the pictures after an hour. And so I did. It was surprisingly clear. In fact, it was so clear that I could clearly see the giant pores on my nose and the blemishes on my face. Needless to say, I wasn't too happy with it.

And so, with my vanity in tow, I walked to the next studio. I saw a Kodak Express around the corner but since I couldn't wait for another hour, I didn't go in. I approached the Tronix booth instead as it promised passport pictures in 5 minutes. And so, I paid approximately P60 to the girl at the counter, took a seat and gave the photographer (who happened to be the girl at the counter) my sweetest smile. Unlike Kameraworld, Tronix didn't have reflectors. All they had was a digital camera and a white cartolina taped on the wall. In less than 5 minutes, they were able to hand me my photo. I looked terribly fat (but I can't do anything about it since the girl admittedly just took photos and not created miracles) but I wasn't too happy with my hair. It looked flat on one side.

And so, the next day, with my vanity and my husband in tow, I visited another photo booth. This time it was the good old Foto-Me. I talked to the girl at the booth, and went straight to the booth. I couldn't find the dark-colored glass which I was supposed to look at! The girl explained that she had to "prepare the camera". By this, I thought that she would be preparing the camera that was supposed to be hidden behind the glass. I was mistaken. She took out a camera, attached it with a cable to where the glass was supposed to be and asked me to sit in the middle of the booth. It was only then that I realized that she will be taking the shot with the camera while I sat inside the booth looking out at the whole-wide world (not actually the whole-wide world, just the bystanders in Grotesco Disneyland who got a kick out of watching people having their pictures taken at a Foto-Me booth.) After the girl took the shot, she showed me my picture on the camera viewer and proudly said that if I weren't happy with it, she could take another shot (and give those idiots another opportunity to watch me have my picture taken?! I didn't think so.) It's a good thing that B loved the shot. The girl at the booth charged me P125 (I should have charged the bystanders P5 each!).

This afternoon, with all my passport pictures, my existing passport and my application form, I went to the DFA. The helpful guard at the front gate told me where to go. However, before I reached the gate, a person from the Mayor's Office asked me if I already attached my pictures to the application form. When I said no, she led me to a table. I handed the lady at the table my Foto-Me pictures. She said that the DFA wouldn't accept them as my face was too small. She explained that the size of the head (from the top of the forehead to the tip of the chin) must be at least 3 centimeters. I showed her my other pictures and she chose the one from Tronix. She pasted one of the pictures at the box at the top of the page, placed the other 2 in a small plastic envelope and stapled the envelope at the bottom part of the application. She then asked me for my existing passport and the photocopies. I handed everthing to her. She arranged and stapled all the documents (including my passport) and charged me P5. That was cheap! I felt generous and gave her a P10. However, as I started to walk to the DFA gate, I remembered that I left my Affidavit of Mutilation (an additional requirement if the passport has some damage) in the office. And so, I went back to the table and asked them if they can prepare 1 for me. The girl at the table looked at my passport, agreed that I needed the affidavit and referred me to another lady who was seated at the next table. This other lady got my passport, asked for my address and typed an affidavit for me in 3 minutes using a manual typewriter! (I drafted a better-worded but basically the same affidavit in 15 minutes using a computer.) She charged me P200. This includes the notarial fee. Not bad!

I was about to walk out when the lady at the first table called me. I went back to her and she explained that she'll re-staple my documents for free. I handed her the documents and she stapled the affidavit with my other documents. She then directed me to the gate.

From the gate, the guard told me to go the basketball court which was only a few meters away. A couple of DFA employees told me where to line up for verification. When I got to Table 1, they checked the pictures and all the documents stapled to my passport. I was then led to Table 2, where they checked the information which I typed on my application for renewal. Next to Table 2 was Table 3, where another DFA personnel read all the documents attached to my passport. He confirmed if I would still use my maiden name even if I'm already married. When I said yes, he gave a sigh of relief and said that it was better that way, otherwise, he would have required me to submit a copy of my marriage certificate on NSO security paper.

From the basketball court, I was led to the main building. The guard told me to line up at Windows 41 to 45. Window 42 had a sign saying "Muslim Applicants Only". Window 43 had the sign saying "Senior Citizens, Veterans, People with Disability". I figured that I could only line up in Windows 41, 44 and 45. I chose Window 41. As I fell in line behind the 6th person on Window 41, I looked longingly at Window 42 as there wasn't anybody in line. I guess the girl at the window saw me as she motioned for me to come forward. I did and she processed my papers! She repeatedly looked at my existing passport, the pictures stapled on my application and at my face. When she was convinced that I am the same person on all the pictures, she made a quick check through my documents and gave me a slip of paper and told me to go the cashier. There were several windows to choose from at the cashier. I chose the leftmost window as there were only 2 people in line (the other windows had at least 6 people each, I couldn't figure out why they weren't lining up at the other windows with shorter lines.) I paid P750 (P500 for the passport and another P250 for rush processing.) The cashier gave me a small slip of paper. When I looked at my watch,I realized that the whole process (including the drafting of the affidavit) took less than 30 minutes! I was impressed.

While waiting for Mang Al to pick me up at the front gate, I told the guard how surprised I was that the whole process was so fast. He said that ever since they removed the daily quota on the passport applications, the process has become more "relaxed" although some people still needlessly go there at 6am just to be first in line.

So now, I'm P1,240 poorer but I'll be claiming my passport on Thursday. Woohoo!

(For those interested in applying for or renewing their passports, check out: http://www.dfa.gov.ph/consular/passport.htm)

Nananaginip ng gising

2006-03-04T21:25:00.000+08:00

NOTE: This was supposed to be published earlier today, except that my computer crashed early in the morning, had to be reformatted, and so I spent the whole day re-installing my programs.

Consistent with our no-week-end-spending-until-after-the-Europe-trip, B and I spent the whole weekend at home. B was playing "Pirates", a pc game that required the lead character to travel around the Carribean. This inspired me to surf on the places that I wanted to visit (except Western Europe as we were still waiting for our visa at that time.)

And so, I started surfing on Eastern Europe (more specifically, Prague, Budapest and Bucharest), the areas which I call the cold Europe (Amsterdam, Germany, Austria and Switzerland), Spain, Portugal, Oceania (Sydney in Australia and New Zealand), Alaska (for the aurora borealis!), Greece and Turkey. I spent the whole afternoon looking at pictures (which made me want to go to Salzburg as well), figuring out routes (I discovered that Santorini island in Greece is a bit difficult to go to so I guess the best way to get to the nice places in Greece is to join a cruise!), learning about the weather (I will not be able to tolerate winter in Alaska but the aurora borealis only appears at around that time, so I guess I'll have to join another cruise) and the cost of visiting these places (it will take me years to get to any of them). There's a lot of the world to see and I was so engrossed that I didn't stop until it was time to go to bed.

As I joined B in bed, I couldn't help but whisper, "matutulog pa ba ako, e kanina pa ako nananaginip?"

I'm Alive!!!

2006-02-24T14:46:00.000+08:00

It's been so looong since I last blogged. My excuse? I got caught up in other things. Yeah, it's a lousy excuse, but it's the only one I can think of.

So, what have I been up to?

Hmmm.

September - I designed invites for the first birthday of sam, my niece, for the fifth birthday of gen, my godson, and the first birthday of gen's sister, maki. Rey took a job at the BIR.

October - My niece's first birthday! We also saved up for our 11th anniversary as a couple.

November - We celebrated our 11th anniversary by staying at the Manila Hotel for 2 nights. G joined us on the second night. Sobrang nakakaaliw! On our first day, we just stayed and enjoyed our room, which had a lovely view of Manila Bay. We also walked around Manila Hotel and had dinner at this cheapo buffet place near Bay Walk. For around P250 each, we had loads of grilled squid, really good french fries, peking duck, paella, salad and iced tea! The next day, G joined us. We drove around Intramuros, then went to Westin Philippine Plaza to enjoy the sunset. For dinner,we went to Seafood Palace in Malate. After dinner, we went back to the hotel room for a Sponge Bob tournament on the XBox. As expected, I got third place! I really love Manila Hotel even if they have ugly furniture. The service is always excellent and they have the best buffet breakfast!

December - Christmas season! Grabe, nakakapagod. Three of my officemates were on leave so we had to take over their accounts. We worked like crazy! On the 24th, Rey and I visited his dad's family in Blue Ridge in the morning, had lunch and merienda with my family in Project 4 and had Christmas dinner at home. We had so much fun, though, and we loved the gifts that we received! On the 31st, we had lunch and merienda at my sister's house, then dinner at home.

The first wedding anniversary - We didn't plan on celebrating our first wedding anniversary on the 27th as we planned on going to Bali for a second honeymoon. So, we were quite prepared to have an ordinary day at home. BUT, Rey's uncle died a few days before Christmas and we buried him on the 27th. So, the first activity for the day was to go to the cemetery. At least I got to wear white!

So that we will have happier memories of our first anniversary, we decided to eat out. With the generous Christmas gift of Rey's siblings, we decided to splurge and have dinner at Price Albert. When I booked our table, they asked me if we were celebrating an occasion. I told them that we were celebrating our first anniversary. When we got there, we were happy to see that the place was almost empty. We got a nice corner table and ordered our favorite Prince Albert dishes - smoked salmon, steak and seabass with risotto. We were in foodlover's heaven. We had our own waiter (who seemed able to read our minds as we never had to ask for anything) and the food was, as expected, perfect. The sweetest thing though, is that Prince Albert gave us an anniversary gift - a chocolate cake!!! I wanted to kiss Francis, the captain waiter. I kissed Rey instead.

January - Despite the recent bombing in the Kuta area, we decided to proceed with our Bali trip! We stayed at the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel. We were given a room near the beach with a view of the swimming pools. The furniture were old but were utterlky charming as they looked so Balinese with all the trimmings. The food at the hotel was also excellent - they served the best nasi goreng we ever tasted and we pigged out on bamboo lobsters during theur lobster night! The reception area also reminded us of our honeymoon in Santiburi, Koh Samui. The Nusa Dua area was also beautiful - it had landscaped gardens on its streets and had beautiful gates and sculptures. The beach was peaceful and didn't have too many people. And I loved strolling around Ubud. Hay, sana I get to write about our trip in detail soon!

Also in January - I got my first black eye! As I was climbing up a flight of staris to the reception area of our office, I coughed continously and got dizzy. I tried to the sofas across the room but I ended up with my face at the side of the reception table. According to the 3 doctors that I consulted with, I had a tussive syncophal attack. In english: I passed out due to excessive coughing. It turns out I had pneumonitis and bronchitis. It's a good thing they didn't see anything wrong with my heart and my head. It was an experience to go through the tests, though. It was the first time I had a 24-hour holter monitor test where I was strapped with a tiny machine across my chest for a whole day. For my brain, they attached a whole bunch of tiny wires all over my head for about 40 minutes to monitor my brain waves. The whole thing stressed me out as they suspected that I had arrythmia, a serious heart condition. It's a good things that they were able to rule it out. I was also conscious about my appearance - battered wife ang dating! I wore Paris-Hilton-shades all the time. I even wore shades during the much-awaited dinner with Pazette, Tin, Laine, Len and Clarice!

February - here's what I wrote to my girlfriends about our Valentine celebration:

"una, dahil nasa tipid mode kami (saving for a trip na sana talaga matuloy), nag-decide kami na dito na lang sa Hotel Hogan (aka A Casa di Mama) mag-dinner. mabyuti na lang at na-inspire ang mother-in-law at nagluto ng japanese dinner. so meron kaming fish tempura, grilled prawns and sukiyaki. dinner in bed na lang kami (as always kasi di kami kasya sa ka-isa-isa naming food tray sa kwarto) pero habang lumalafang, nichi-chika namin si mommy. nasa room din si panjee pero nag-e-edit ng kaniyang webpage.

after dinner, naglabas ng roses ang Biik for me and panjee! wag kayong maawa kay MIL kahit wala siyang roses galing kay rey dahil nabigyan na siya ng isang gigantic floral arrangement ni FIL at may natanggap din siyang super sosi floral basket with cabbage roses and gerberas from ate korina (naks! feeling close). pinagkatuwaan namin ni MIL ang cabbage roses at ibinalak isawsaw sa balsamic vinegar para maging salad. tapos, pinatulog na ang panjee at ni-arrange ni MIL ang roses na binigay ni Biik sa vase. Habang nagpapaka-ala Boy Mahusay ang MIL, nag-email muna ako ng kung anikanik habang naglalaro si Rey sa computer. after 30 minutes, umalis na ang MIL and back to valentine's day na! at ang activity - manood sa DVD ng "The Maid"! sigaw ako ng sigaw. (I wonder what our neighbors were thinking.) at sobrang kaming physically close ni Rey kasi nga nagpaka-duwag ang lola niyo, medyo mega-kapit sa Biik!!! (I wonder what MIL was thinking nung nakita niya ang scratch marks sa braso ni Rey.) After The Maid, In Her Shoes naman para makalimutan ang mga kakatakot na scenes. naaliw naman ako pero di naman natapos.

happy kami kasi sobra kaming tipid pero di kami feeling kawawa. Ay, si Rey pala, di masyadong happy kasi feeling injured (hanggang ngayon may scratch marks pa.) hehe."

My New Most Embarassing Moment

2005-08-05T23:19:00.000+08:00

I attended a seminar earlier today. At first, I was hesitant to go as I was going alone but since the topics to be discussed were relevant to my work, I dragged my biik belly off the bed at 7 am to go to Dusit Hotel. I left the house at around 7:45 and was quite surprised when I reached Dusit at 8:30. (It usually takes me an hour and fifteen minutes to get to Makati.)

Since the seminar was at 9, and there were just 3 of us at the ballroom, I decided to have breakfast at the coffee shop. Since I didn't have the time, I decided to order a la carte instead of having the buffet. I ordered fluffy pancakes (I still don't understand how their chef defines "fluffy",) which was served with bacon (really awful, it was tough and it tasted like burnt slippers, not that I actually experienced having burned my slippers, much more tasting them) 2 slices of pineapple (that gave me the datung puti look) and 2 slices of melon (finally, something that can be classified as food!)

I passed by the comfort room to wash my hands, but to my horror, instead of water, the faucet gave me a sound similar to the rumblings of my biik belly when it is hungry.

Since I had some work to do, I sat at the corner of the room which was farthest from the podium. However, once the speakers started their lectures, I got so engrossed that I only got to work during the breaks. The male speakers were pretty good! The first one, who discussed the INCOTERMS 2000, was a movie-star looking french lawyer who so clearly discussed what could have been a confusing jumble of 3-letter initials (FAS, FOB, CFR, CIF, FOB, et cetera, et cetera). He spoke so slowly but since he explained the concepts so clearly, I was mesmerised (the way I get mesmerised to Christmas lights. He now probably thinks that I've got a crush on him.) The second speaker was a small, bald Irish banker, who talked fast and used his own pictures to illustrate how documents of credit worked. He was so hilariously funny that I found myself listening to his lecture on the ISBP for the Examination of Documents, which in actuality, is a sleeping pill disguised as a document.

The third speaker, a lady who holds a high position at the ICC International Court of Arbitration was obviously intelligent but was also utterly lacking in teaching skills. All throughout her lecture, I couldn't help but think that I could have given a better lecture on the advantages of arbitration over court litigation and how the ICC worked. She also made me focus my attentions on Dusit's version of a blueberry cheesecake which was better seen than eaten.

But I digress. The reason why I wanted to blog was to flush out all the embarassing tingles in my soft (with all the fat) cheeks. During lunch, I got to seat with several interesting people. We were chatting like old friends (which we all thought was more enjoyable than eating the overly-seasoned sea bass) when this old, dignified looking man took the seat to my right. My this-man-is-probably-important radar bleeped so I immediately tried to encourage him to join the discussion (which of course, turned from the more exciting ang-sarap-ng-barbecue-sa-Cebu to the more relevant I-hope-the-government-solves-the-deficit-neutral-situation-before-2010 as soon as he joined us.) After a while, I stupidly asked him, "I'm sorry, I don't think I got your name." And he answered, "Oh, I'm Sedfrey Ordonez." (And I just imagined myself drowning in that soggy mango crepe that Dusit served for dessert.) He then asked me my name and the firm that I represent. Naturally, I answered him with a smile (with my voice coming out from my nose.) He didn't have to say that he knew the founders of our firm, but of course, he did. I cannot believe that after all these years of memorizing his name (first, as the Solicitar General, next, as the Secretary of Justice, and finally, as the Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations), I will fail to recognize him!

After the seminar, I went back to the office and immediately described my stellarly stupid moment to our managing partner. He immediately agreed that this can pass as the new most embarassing moment of my life.

Hay.

BT Cafe, Bagaberde and Growing Old

2005-07-17T00:20:00.000+08:00

B and i just arrived from a really fulfilling el cheapo adventure to BT Cafe. BT Cafe, or Batangas Tapa Cafe, is a small resto at the boring end of Tomas Morato (near E. Rodriguez.) It serves grilled chicken, pork and batangas beef and kapeng barako. they give their clients the choice of ordering "eat-and-drink-all-you-can" from the menu for only P239 or a la carte. since we arrived at 9 and they close at 10, we decided to order a la carte.

the items on their menu are pretty cheap. the batangas tapa meal (with rice and fried egg) is P60. a single serving (no rice and fried egg) is P30. you can also order longanisa and beef franks at around the same price. they also serve porterhouse steak with rice for P105. it's P90 without the rice. the t-bone steak is a few pesos cheaper. they also serve sisig for P90. bottomless iced tea is P30.

B and i ordered the batangas tapa, the porterhouse steak and the sisig. the batangas tapa was so good! it was tender and perfectly seasoned. unfortunately, there was only a handful of it so i ordered an extra single serving. B loved the sisig (I didn't - it had egg and mayo!) so he ate everything on the sizzling plate. the porterhouse was thin and a teeny bit tough, but it tasted ok. B ordered another serving.

we had so much fun eating everything that we ordered. we also loved the fact that our bill didn't even reach P500. my only complaints were that they didn't serve hot tea (I NEEDED IT!) and the place was a bit too small at around 3 meters x 7 meters.

All in all, the BT Cafe really gives value for your money. However, it is definitely not for the claustrophobic.

************

last night, my officemates and i went to bagaberde to see MYMP live. B was supposed to join us but backed out when he learned that MYMP will be alternating with the wiseguys.

when we arrived at around 9:30, the place was already packed. the wiseguys were already performing and i was surprised to find myself enjoying their show. each of the guys had acceptable singing voices and i appreciated their attempt to sing in harmony. they more than made up with whatever they lacked in talent with their stage projection.

after an hour and a half, it was MYMP's turn. i just love juris' voice! however, it was the only thing i liked about their performance. hearing them sing live wasn't too different from watching their music videos. BUT, there are only a few bands who have real talent so i still enjoyed their set.

when the wiseguys came back on stage for their second set, my officemates and i were ready to dance (busog na kasi!). the wiseguys didn't disappoint. they sang dance tunes for an hour and didn't give us an opportunity to stop. the funny thing was that not everyone in bagaberde was dancing. there were only a handful of us but we weren't so bothered about it since we were seated at the back so we weren't blocking anyone's view and we really didn't care what other people thought of us. plus, from the way some of the younger girls grooved in their chairs, we knew that they also wanted to dance but were just too shy or self-conscious to do so. ha! old age really does come with confidence. it so nice to be old! hee.

B and i are planning to go back on july 23 to watch side a and pido.

exploring pasig

2005-07-11T23:27:00.000+08:00

after picking up our DVDs (season 1 of golden girls, ang tatanda na namin!) from Metrowalk, B and I decided to explore the Ortigas area.

since i wanted a facial, we decided to go to robinson's galleria. except for the addition of the east wing (that offers free wifi), there's not much change in galleria. so we didn't have any difficulty looking for our then-favorite stores - the computer shops near automatic center, the pet store at the top floor, and the toy store in front of it. we also visited filbars where i found a CD for bookworm, a game that i'd once given up hope of finding (i went through all the stores in greenhills and failed to find it there.) i was so happy that i also bought B a CD of a scanned X-men comic book.

while going around the mall, we also found a hotloops donut branch. we got the white chocolate donut and the bavarian. their dough was good (better than gonuts donuts) and their donut was not too sweet. i didn't like their bavarian filling, though.

after going around, i got a little tired and took a break at bo's coffee. i ordered tea and i appreciated the fact that the lady on the counter voluntarily told me that i can get hot water refills for free.

we so enjoyed exploring galleria together that i forgot that i wanted to have a facial.

afterwards, we decided to have a little adventure by trying out a new restaurant. (by "new", i mean that we haven't eaten there previously.) we checked out cafe juanita in brgy. kapitolyo.

the little restaurant was a feast for the eyes! it was decked with a lot of different stuff - each corner was filled with breads, masks, stuffed toys, buddha heads, candle sticks, scarves, silk butterflies, and other knick knacks. but it didn't looked cramped at all. everything seemed to fit perfectly and the place made me feel i was in another world!

the servers were nice and recommended the crispy seafood and the two-way adobo spare ribs. the crispy seafood was okay (it was the thai version of the palad that we eat at home) but the two-way adobo spare ribs was excellent! the beef was tender and it was perfectly seasoned. the crispy adobo flakes was perfect with it. it was so good that we decided to order more food (hay, i-justify ba ang katakawan?) we ordered the shrimp wrapped in sugar cane and the spicy spare ribs. The shrimp was okay (B didn't like it, though) but the spicy spare ribs was even more delicious than the two-way adobo spare ribs - the spare ribs were crisp but were so juicy and tasty! SARAP!

we also loved their mango jubilee. it had a few mango balls but it had the right amount of liquor.

and the best thing about it? our bill was only a little above P1,000. maligaya na naman ang mga biik!

afternoon delight

2005-07-06T13:46:00.000+08:00

after bugging B for a week, he finally agreed to watch batman with me. we were planning to catch the first show in greenbelt 3 but since i took a long time taking a shower (which is not surprising), we missed it. B suggested that we enjoy a frozen zombie litro (a liter of iced zombie) at masa's while waiting for the 4:50 show.

the zombie was really good! it had a pretty good kick despite its fruity taste. it was perfect with the kesong puti sticks and tokwa't baboy that we ordered. i wanted the nilasing na hipon (my favorite!) but it was not available. we so enjoyed the appetizers that we finished everything in less than 30 minutes! the waiter recommended the clams. he said that he'll ask the chef to make it a little spicy. it's a good thing we listened to him as the clams were the perfect compliment to the zombie! the gluttons that we are finished off the generous serving in less than 15 minutes! but since we were feeling a bit full, we just ordered kesong puti sticks. we also ordered another zombie litro.

after an hour and a half of drinking, we finally left masa's. we passed by the globe hub before going to the cinema to follow up my phone line. the lady at the counter was so nice. she was also efficient as i got my line the next day.

when we got to the cinema floor, we got popcorn from chimara. the lady at the counter was so nice! unfortunately,the popocorn was overcooked so we didn't fully appreciate the white cheddar flavor.

the girl at the cinema door was also cheery. it was then that i realized that i was walking around with a silly grin on my face. no wonder everyone was smiling at me.

the movie featured the darker side of batman. but we enjoyed every minute of it! the puns were funny and the cinematography was great. but the biggest joke was that the supporting actors were bigger stars than the lead. and sorry to christian bale fans, but my tipsy self just didn't see his charm. all i saw was that he needed dental work. i still loved the movie, though.

we passed by grappa's before going home. B wanted to drink their freshly brewed beer. i had to wake early the next morning so i just ordered orange juice. i guess i was still smiling stupidly as the servers were very nice even if i was just wearing a big shirt, really short cut-offs and slippers.

it was a good day. so good that even my nightmares made me smile.

and with B as my hubby, i'm sure there'll be more of that.

taking a break

2005-07-02T22:50:00.000+08:00

these past few weeks has been crazy for me.

there's always my day job (which i love, despite the thousands of hair strands that i lost because of it) and enjoying life as mrs. b (we finished watching all seasons of the sopranos, the first season of desperate housewives and about a dozen korean movies. we're now enjoying the second season of golden girls.)i also finished andie's scrapbook (andie is my officemate's daughter. she's not my goddaughter but she calls me ninang. the scrapbook featured pictures taken during her first birthday party. i finished in time for her 2nd birthday. hehe. as for the scrapbooking, i enjoyed doing it. which is good since my other officemate requested me to make scrapbook for my godson's birthday.) I'm also trying to design the invitation for my niece's first birthday. as for our wedding album . . . well, there's a time for that. (hopefully before our first year anniversary!)

on the other hand, i also learned how to use adobe audition to create ringtones for my phone. plus, i also managed to link my computer with B's so now we can surf the net at the same time. yippee! now, i've convinced myself that i can learn anything so i'm really considering facing my fear of numbers and taking a second degree next year - accounting! (since i have no plans of taking a leave from work, i'll have to take morning classes. yaiks.)

anyway, B and i took a break from all these activities today and spent the afternoon doing other things that we enjoy - B shopped for books while i had a back massage. we capped the day by trying out this new resto - rasa.

rasa is a singaporean restaurant located at the araneta coliseum. at first, we thought the the place was small but when we got in, we saw that there were more tables at the second floor. the waitresses were very friendly and efficient. taking a cue from the symbols on their menu, we ordered their specialties - the hainanese chicken and the singaporean chili crab.

the hainanese chicken was excellent! the chicken was tender and it was already flavorful even without the ginger, the chili paste and the soy sauce. each part of the chicken was perfectly cooked.

but nothing beats the singaporean chili crab. the crab was obviously fresh (we saw him when he was still alive) when it was cooked. it was so perfectly cooked that the meat just falls off its shell! the chili singaporean sauce was also very delicious. even after we finished the crab meat, B ate the sauce with the remaining half cup of rice (and he is NOT fond of eating rice.)

we also tried the raffle's cheesecake and it was also good. it was not to sweet and it tasted like heaven was melting in your mouth.

rasa is really an eater's paradise!

we're already planning what dishes we'll be trying the next time we visit.

sarap kumain!

Fwd: happy about my new toy

2005-07-01T15:55:00.000+08:00

stuck in traffic again. but my new toy is keeping me from getting bored.

for a person who used her nokia 5110 until year 2003, even i was
surprised when i got this expensive gadget. i don't understand why
people had to change their phones every so often. phones that look
like pdas but don't have pda functions irritate me. i find phones that
look good but do not have any extra features a total waste of money.
and i get frustrated with people whose use of their treo or O2 phones
is limited to what they can do with a nokia 3120.

but this communucator was something that i really wanted. it looks
like a brick but it has some functions that i needed. like most pda
phones, it allows me to check my emails and surf the net whereever i
may be. it also allows me to use mp3 files as ringtones. i can also
download and read ebooks. it also allows me to blog more often. but
more importantly, i can draft and revise word documents and i can even
make power point presentations! it has been less than 2 weeks since i
got the phone but i already had to use both functions. (it also has
spreadsheet capabilities but since i'm an idiot in excel, i do not
have any idea how to take advantage of this program.)

PLUS, i get to play mah jong! yipee!

i'm really happy i got one. now, i'm enjoying surfing the net and
looking for software that would justify my not shopping for 2 months
just so i can buy this phone without guilt.

oh. and dio, naku, sana nga di ko mabagsak-bagsak. but since it is a
bit big, it's not easy to drop. as for losing it, i already had it
insured. hay, magastos maging maluho.

mobile blogging

2005-06-23T08:41:00.000+08:00

i may have found a solution to my i-miss-blogging problem. mobile blogging!

after several weeks of negotiations for a huge and important contract,
i convinced myself that i deserve a treat on top of my weekly
massages - a pda phone. for several days, i searched the net for
reviews and played with the pda phones of my officemates.

on saturday, i finally decided to buy a nokia 9500 communicator. i knew
that it would be cheaper if i got one from globe or smart but their
business centers in megamall didn't have a promo on the communicator.

on sunday, after our father's day lunch, we went to the cybermall in
eastwood. abenson was selling the communicator at zero interest for 6
months. i already got excited upon seeing the sample phone. but before
i purchased the phone, i went up to the smart business center to check
their requirements for a new line (the gprs functions of the phone
wouldn't work with a prepaid line. i wanted to use my old phone for my
existing globe line.) i was so happy to see that they have a promo on
the communicator! unfortunately, the idiot on the counter answered
each of my questions by saying that my paycheck is important:

abie: what are the requirements for getting a line? ganoon din ba ang
requirements if i want to avail of your promo for the communicator?

idiot: ay, maam. important and proof of financial capacity. hindi
ma-a-approve ang application niyo kung hindi niyo ma-meet ang
financial requirements.

abie: ah. ok. pwede na ba ang W2 o kailangan ba ITR?

idiot: ok na ang W2 pero maam, depende talaga sa sweldo niyo kung
ma-a-approve ang application niyo.

abie: aside from the ITR, what do i need to bring?

idiot: valid ID, proof of billing, kung ITR, dapat may kasama na
payslip. pero kailangan niyo talagang ma-meet yung minimum monthly
income requirement.

abie: i'm sure i'll meet that pero di bale na lang. di na kita feel kausapin.

so, i went to globe to bug them in giving me a discount for the
communicator. it turns out that they have a father's day promo. since
rey and i both have globe lines, i was able to get the communicator at
a good price and without need of submitting documents. and now I'm
using it to blog!

yipee!

i hope this works.

Porkchop and her Opera

2005-06-13T13:39:00.000+08:00

No more talk of hunger
Replace with well-done veal
Gruyere over my taco
Ricotta, Raclette, Romano

All I want is freedom
To scratch my itchy ears
I'm here, with you, beside you
To wake you and to kiss you

Say you'll feed me
Every waking moment,
turn my head with talk of dinnertime
Say you'll marinate it
now and always . . .
promise me my maid would feed me too -
that's all I ask of you . . .

To that steak in the freezer,
I'll wait for you tonight
You're safe, No one will find you.
Until I ask Rose to grill you.

Give me some more Ringo
To get me through the night . . .
and you always beside me
The kitchen you will guide me . . .

Then say you'll share with me
One meal, one lunch time . . .
Let me lead you to the bags of food. . .
Share the bacon with you
here, beside you . . .
anywhere we go,
let's barbecue
Feed me, that's all I ask
of you . . .

Then say you'll share with me
One meal, one lunch time . . .
Dangle meat and I will follow you . . .

Share each cake with me, each
night, each morning

Say you'll feed me . . .

(Kamote cue)

Feed me, that's all I ask
of you . . .