TGIF!

This week seemed like forever with all the work that had to be done, deadlines to meet, errands to run, relatives to please, etcetera, etcetera. But knowing that it's Friday is comforting somehow.

Our company has a grand draw thingy to be held tonight but I'm not interested to watch. I'd rather catch up on the rest of the episodes of the TV series I am watching. Upon DD's recommendation, I started downloading The Hills and can't wait to watch it. I guess if you loved Laguna Beach, you'll love this, too!

Yoshinoya

One of my favorite fastfood restaurants has got to be Yoshinoya. I love almost everything they have but nothing beats their beef rice bowl or gyudon. The beef is tender and very flavorful and I love how the onions turn out sweet. I usually put a small amount of the red ginger strips to be less cloying. Otherwise, it is just fine as well. My normal order whenever I go to Yoshinoya is beef rice bowl, miso soup, shu mai and green iced tea. We ate at the Greenhills branch last Saturday and had the time of our lives. We had my usual order plus chicken udon and tempura/gyudon combo.The picture does not do justice to how delicious this gyudon is. I ordered just the regular size but it's so filling I didn't get to finish my chicken udon.This is the chicken udon. I didn't really like this so much but I can say that the chicken is very tasty. I love Yoshinoya's shu mai (siomai). There are 2 kinds: mushroom and crab. This is the mushroom shu mai.Tempura/gyudon combo. This is half-full because Joy started eating already and then I told him to stop because I have to take a picture of it. So there.

We went home happy. We can't believe we paid less than P400 for everything, including our iced teas. They also offer unlimited rice for P15. I haven't tried the chicken bowl yet. Is it any good? There are more food added on their menu. I want to try all of them. My friends and i are going to the SM Megamall branch tomorrow. I can't wait!

DVD Marathon

Being a true blue couch potato, most part of the idle times I'm at home is spent watching DVDs. In fact, I have a bunch of unopened DVDs of the old and the latest TV series from all the CSI versions to the so-called Koreanovelas. I guess it all started with the upsurge to fame of the F4 via Meteor Garden. I bought both seasons of Meteor Garden and grew a strong penchant for the show and one member of the group, Jerry Yan a.k.a. Dao Mingzu. Currently I am watching two TV series: That 70s Show and Gilmore Girls.

Believe it or not, since the defunct That 70s Show aired in 1998, I only started watching it on DVD about a week ago because Joy bought all the seasons available. It took me a very long while to see it because first, '70s era does not interest me at all. I love the '80s. Second, I used to think that this show is just all nonsense crap. BUT, I was wrong. The minute I played it on, I was laughing endlessly. There was no dull moment in every episode. It's just sad it ended already on its 8th season. I love Eric and Donna! Kitty, Eric's mom is hilarious! I'm still on the first few episodes of season 1 and I want to take it slow...

So, I'm watching it alternately with Gilmore Girls. I'm on season 4. I love Rory but I love Lorelai more! She's a cool and pretty mom. Watching Gilmore Girls is not complete without coffee and pizza on the side. There's this one time I watched it past bedtime, I had to pause the player and go down to the kitchen in the middle of the night to make myself a cup of hot coffee. You see, I love coffee too and watching them drink it over and over again is a torture to me. Did you know I almost set up our coffee maker inside my bedroom? Hahaha. Didn't push thru though. There are the series that I watch religiously and download over the net. I watch them with my Maxian and I miss watching them and can't wait for the new season:

Grey's Anatomy - Season 4's pilot episode will be aired on September 27. Can't wait!

Prison Break - Season 3 will air on September 18. The ridiculous rumor that Wentworth Miller is gay just made a lot of fans curious to watch the next season. Good job!

Heroes - Season 2 will air on September 24.

Smallville - Season 7 will air on September 27.

I have yet to watch House, MD. I have the copy of season 1 but I can't find it anymore.

Jen's Birthday Celebration

Last August 28, I received a text message from my cousin inviting us to dinner at Dampa in Macapagal Avenue for her birthday celebration. Inang joined us, too but we didn't know she had a hidden agenda.

This conversation took place when I fetched her from their house in Boni before going to Dampa:

me: Halika na. Gutom na ko.

Inang: Sandali, kunin ko lang jacket ko. Baka malamigan ako sa casino.

me: Ha???

This picture on the right shows Inang smiling and posing for the camera but before this was taken, we asked her to pose with us, she declined and said she's not interested! Charing!

Our friends from Bulacan came over and it was fun! We were just a small group but the food was overflowing. We waited for over 30 minutes for the food to be cooked. We were all so hungry I forgot to take pictures of all the food we ate. I love the buttered shrimps and the tempura. After dinner, Inang asked that she be brought to the casino immediately. Jen and her husband Odie accompanied her while the rest of us went to Figaro first to have coffee.

Shortly after, we were inside the casino playing the slot machine. I lost P200 but had fun.

At past 1am, we decided to leave already because our friends would still be going back to Bulacan. On our way home, my cuz called them up via speakerphone:

Cuz: Ingat kayo.

Them: Okay.

Us: Punta tayo Mimosa next time.

Inang butted in...

Inang: Sige, sagot ko ang gas basta kasama ako.

Them: (laughing) Sige! Parehong Pajero?

Inang: Pambihira! Isa lang!

Us: HAHAHA

Inang is the coolest granny! If you know Ariel and Maverick of the "The Misadventures of Ariel and Maverick" fame, you should be familiar with Mommy Elvie. Mommy Elvie and Inang are so much alike in many ways!

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Cebu

August 18-20, 2007. At long last, I've been to Cebu - it took me a good 30 years to finally set foot. What a shame! I didn't even think I would make it. Imagine the stress I went through the night before our departure from Manila because of the typhoon...there was a big flood and I prayed so hard that it would subside or else I'm gonna have to swim! Thank God, I made it! I'm so glad our flight was at 12:30 because the flood subsided at 10am...and yeah okay, I woke up at 9:30 albeit the twins' constant wake-up calls from eight until nine in the morning because we were supposed to have breakfast. Sorry Lex, you lost your bet... I wanted them to try the delicious congee at PAL's Mabuhay Lounge but since I came later than expected and because we had to share a table with other passengers, each of us had to content ourselves with one small serving. Haha! Next time we know what to do!

It was an hour-long flight from Manila. My twin friends and I rented a car from the airport to our hotel (Waterfront). Thanks to the driver, Manong Ramon for suggesting that he can tour us to Cebu for an eight-hour rate of P1,500.

Day 1: After checking-in at the hotel, we went to the nearest mall, Ayala Mall to buy some stuff and to have lunch. We had lunch at Bigby's. Just imagine the look on our faces when we saw the prices at the menu. I just HAD to order racka bye baby (baby back ribs) because I think there's nowhere in Manila that I can have it for P100+ and it is HUGE! Please stop wondering how I finished it all by myself - absolutely no doubt about it. We went to the grocery afterwards. I love grocery-shopping in Cebu because there I found imported items that are not sold here. We had dinner at the hotel's Port Seafood Restaurant. It was a buffet and we had a feast. The bam-i and baked oysters were delicious. I think we had three plateful of baked oysters. We were quiet the whole time we were eating because there were "NK" beside our table. Annoying! I really took a picture of them but the lighting inside the resto was dim. I didn't capture them the way I wish I would have. As you can see from the photo on the left, the price is unbelievable! I wish lunch buffets in Manila are just as low-priced but that's wishful thinking. We were all so full after eating I wonder why we managed to smile and took a shot at this photo right here. We had to walk really slooooowly to go back to our room. I'm so sorry Bexie but I just have to post this:

Day 2: The three of us woke up with smiles from our faces. The picture above says it all. At 8am, we were having buffet breakfast at Uno. It has a wide selection of food. I wish they offered french toasts though. By 9am, Mang Ramon was already waiting for us just outside the lobby. Our first stop was at the Philippine Taoist Temple. Then we went to Fort San Pedro but once inside we found out that the museum is closed since it's a Sunday. Darn the receptionist for collecting entrance fees from us! Our trip would not be complete without having our pictures taken at the famous Magellan's Cross. At the back of the historical Cross is Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino (also called Basilica del Sto. Nino). I wanted to buy miniature Sto. Ninos for pasalubong but couldn't find any in the vicinity. We went inside the church but it was too crowded (it was a Sunday) and we were all perspiring and exhausted and hungry already. We left and Mang Ramon brought us to Lapu-Lapu Shrine. We went down the car and asked one another, "What the hell are we gonna do here?" . To cut the long story short, we had our pictures taken beside Lapu-Lapu. Is that his full name? I tried Googling it but I can't find the answer. At past 12 noon, we were all ecstatic because --- it's lunchtime! And where else is the best place to dine but in Shangri-La Mactan's buffet restaurant, Tides. Before eating, we freshened up first and strolled along Shang Mactan's beach. It is paradise! Next time I go to Cebu, I want to stay at Shang and have the must-try experience at the CHI Spa. By 1pm, we headed to Tides and had the time of our lives. The buffet costs P1,050++ per person. I love everything I ate there. If I hadn't been full already, I would have tried the noodles at the noodle station. Mang Ramon brought us to Hilton Hotel afterwards but you see, if you just came from Shangri-La, there's no turning back. Hilton Cebu is the pinkest hotel/resort I have ever seen. It didn't take half an hour and we left. We spent the rest of the afternoon buying foodstuff for pasalubong: otap, dried pusit and danggit. It was a tiring yet productive day.

Day 3: This is our last day in Cebu. We woke up later than the day before and spent the morning at the hotel. While having breakfast, we saw Freddie Roach eating and then I heard from the next table that Manny Pacquiao checked-in last night in our hotel. Before going to the airport, we dropped by CnT to pick up the lechon we ordered. We had lunch at the airport. There's Bo's Coffee there, too so we had coffee before boarding. Even the coffee in Cebu is cheaper. Good thing we checked in early and asked pangga to reserve seats for us. We had good seats.

We arrived in Manila late in the afternoon. When I got home, I immediately ate the lechon. It is the yummiest lechon I have ever tasted. It's so flavorful even without the sauce. I wish I had brought in more.

The trip was fun, fun, fun. Thanks to all the people who made everything possible. I love Cebu and I'll surely come back!

Water drinking problem, solved!

They say that a person must drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water a day. I am guilty as charged. It has been a problem for me for ages. I feel like drowning everytime I force myself to drink pure water. It's that bad. Until today. I found the solution. This:Really. Lemon water. Since I started drinking this, drinking (water) became exciting to me. What's more, I googled lemon water, and found out that lemon water aids in weight loss! Wow! Haha. That I still have to find out for myself.

Typhoon Egay

Deda woke me up early this morning to get my ass moving to go to work. Thanks to her I arrived early in the office. It was raining on my way to work but I didn't know there is a typhoon until my boss told me so.

After a while, Joy called me up and told me that their area is in flood...for the first time! Then I took a peek at the window and saw this:

This is Ayala Avenue at around 10:15am. My "sunshiney" boss told me I can leave if I want to because the rain is not going down but I'd rather stay. Hmmm...I'm craving for all kinds of food right now I'm going crazy haha - the effect of typhoon on me!

I loathe people who are...

I am a very fun-loving person but there are people or at least some traits in them that I really really hate. In no particular order:

1. People who TALK and PREACH like they are holier-than-thou but are just as bad as everyone is. These people talk like they are the only children of God, how good they are and how wicked other people are. They are quick to judge other people but are privy to their own boo-boos.
2. Ass Kissers. They suck. Period.
3. Envious people. You will know who these people are on times when everything works well for you. They just cannot accept the fact that in this world, either other people just get what they deserve or they are simply lucky. They are those who cannot be happy for other people. Whatever you have, they must have, too...soon. Such pathetic losers.
4. Free loaders. Ack!
5. Copycats. Hah! There is a limit to the saying, "Imitation is the best form of flattery" - it's a case to case basis.
6. Arrogant people. This is where you distinguish the "old rich" from the "novo rich".
7. Slave drivers. Don't we all just hate them?
8. Power Freaks. The fly on the back of a water buffalo thinks that it's taller than the buffalo.
9. Selfish people. They are the ones who do not have any consideration for other people's welfare. They only think of themselves and what's good for them. They are only kind to you when they need you.
10. People who SAY everything they know and if you didn't say it first, then you must not know it and they are teaching you something!!! Stop it. Just stop.

There. I said it. I wish this would make me feel better. Haha.

I am not perfect. I know that. There are times when I become a bitch myself and I pray that I don't cause too much annoyance and discomfort to the people around me. I wish others are just as sensitive...

Typhoon, flood and a lazy day at home...

On my way home last night, our driver told me that there is a typhoon. I really had no clue. There was a little traffic but it was fine. I'd choose traffic than soaking my feet in dirty waters from the flood. But the inevitable happened. We got home in no time and there was a lot of water in the gate already. Thanks to Bexie for lending me her Havaianas. I promise to keep one pair in the office for emergencies like this.

When I woke up this morning, I looked out the window and there was flood everywhere! There is no way I am going to hurl myself into the floods. Besides, there was nothing that important for me to do in the office so I didn't go to work. I started sending messages to friends and officemates and then I went back to sleep.

I woke up just before lunchtime. Today's my cousin Jaja's birthday so we had the usual pancit, fried chicken, lechon kawali and 3 kinds of cake given by her friends. I did nothing all day but eat, read and stay online. When the rain started pouring again late in the afternoon, I wanted to sleep but I was so tempted to have coffee and so I did and curled up in bed again while reading a book. Yes D, I AM reading. Hahaha.

These made my day...

Monday morning. I arrived in the office at 8:30am and found this on my table: This is the pair that's on sale that I ordered from LoveShoe last Friday. Apparently, it arrived the next day. I tried it on as soon as I opened the box. It's a little big but I can make do with it and the fact is I love it and it felt so comfy. I opened her site again and found out that she will no longer be selling. That's just so sad. Still, I'm happy I got a pair from her.
After a couple of hours, the delivery guy came with my O magazine. I thought I won't be receiving this anymore since I didn't get my July issue. Thank God, it arrived. I can't wait to read it.

And then, as I was browsing thru Flickr, I saw really beautiful photos that were uploaded and I found out that they are LOMO photos. Here are some of the ones I marked as favorite. I hope they don't mind that I posted them here:

• bangkokbeat's Color of the road
• the other martin tenbones' Takarazuka, Japan
• slavatoria's Lomo Fisheye_Darling Harbour
• stitch's water lilies
• cafolla's us

Yes, it is lomography. It started being a hype in the '90s and still has a lot of following to this day. I remember seeing lomo shots before but I never took it to the next level. But now, I think I want to give it a try. Now I regret not taking my Photography class seriously.

After work, I had dinner with Joy at Avenetto and had these:

And Sumiyaki coffee afterwards at UCC Park Cafe:

I wish all Mondays are like this.

The more you give, the more you will receive.

Honestly speaking, giving makes me feel a lot better than receiving. It is not too often that I give away stuffs but expect that when I give something, it is from the bottom of my heart. And in those seldom occasions that I do, I always get something really amazing in return. It just comes back tenfold it's so magical and humbling!

Just recently, I gave away a bunch of *slightly* used and unused clothes and vitamins to someone in our building and unexpectedly, I got these in return:

These are plane tickets to Cebu which were given by my boss - one for me and for my twin friends. What's more, we have free accommodation at Waterfront Hotel and Casino during our 3-day stay!

The Nokia E61i is a gift, as posted earlier.

A few days ago, Tita Jovy's balikbayan friend (Tita Lisa) gave me a Coach bag as pasalubong.

So it always pays to give - although that should not be the reason for doing it. It’s the law of reciprocity – what comes around goes around but not necessarily from the same people who you gave to. Always give more than you receive to receive more than you give. Recognize the cycle of the universe that says that in order to make room for more, we have to let go of some of what we have.

Give it a try.

Michael Jackson's Dance Video

I'd love to share with you a video of his killer dance moves!

A Phenomenon that is Michael Jackson

If there is one event in this lifetime that I regret not going to, it is Michael Jackson's 1996 History World Tour HERE in Manila. The King of Pop was here and I let it slip away. What was I thinking and where the hell was I? Hmmm...

I am not proud to say that it is only now that I got to appreciate Michael Jackson and his extraordinary talent -- except ofcourse for the "rumors" about his "behavior" which I still find hard to accept. It is better late than never. Thanks to his Ultimate Collection DVD that I watch *almost* every night ever since I bought it about a month ago. He is so good - watching him makes me think he is from another planet. I have never seen or heard or known of anyone famous who can do what he has done. He has the best dance moves ever, a powerful and distinctive voice, the best production ideas as evidenced by his music videos, concerts, and live performances, and he is a great songwriter, too. He is THE total performer! I wish he'd do a comeback. I read somewhere that he is planning on doing a show in Vegas. I wonder if it's true...

A Wonderful Surprise!

A few hours after I posted my previous blog entry, I had the biggest surprise of the day. Look what I found in the house:

Someone just gave me a new Nokia E61i! Of course, he is someone special to me. The truth is he promised to get me a new phone of my choice but I never thought that today is that day. I actually even wondered if he brought the box of his new phone and then I took a closer look and saw that it's a Nokia with the model I want. So, it has to be MINE! He could have placed a ribbon with a card or wrapped it or something. (Now I'm being an ingrate bitch! hahaha). After charging the phone for a while, we went to Baang Coffee to give it a WiFi test...and it worked! I love it! It even has a message reader for when you're driving or doing something else and you don't want to scroll your phone. It's useful if the messages are not in "text shortcuts" because the message reader cannot read text shortcuts. Yeah, yeah it looks like a scientific calculator but I don't care. I just love it.

Now, I'm really confused...

For days, I've been having a hard time choosing which phone/PDA to get and the choice went down to two: Prada phone by LG and Samsung i600. Joy has a Samsung i600 and we noticed that the voice quality of its phone function is below average so I'll have to scratch that off from my list. Now, I think I'm liking Nokia E61i more based on the reviews.

photo courtesy of GSM Arena

I'm really confused. Should I get this or should I wait? I'm not so sure though if I can wait any longer because I'm just so tired of my Razr already, just looking at it depresses me.

Happiness

Wikipedia defines happiness as an emotional or affective state that is characterized by feelings of enjoyment, pleasure, and satisfaction.

It's my ultimate dream to experience constant happiness (which is abnormal, if you ask me). But who doesn't want to be constantly happy? However, we are not born to live our lives in pure bliss. As they say, in order to be truly happy, you must have been in deep misery at one point in your life. You wouldn't know how happiness truly feels without experiencing sorrow.

There is nothing more delightful than knowing that there are people who are genuinely happy for other people. It adds joy. And it can never be faked. To quote Pierre,

"There's some people which helping being happy gets me happier. This could be called caring. They also seem to experience the same effect with some other people, so there are kind of circles of people, where I care more and more about their happiness, peaking at myself. But at the end of the day, my happiness wins."

The other night, I receive a phone call from a good friend of mine. She told me the good news that she and her son has just been granted an H-4 US visa. Was I happy for her! I know that she has been waiting for it for a very long time and finally her prayers were answered. I really felt for her because like me, she knows what it's like to be rejected...not only once. And now, she made it WITH her son! It's just the sweetest! We were laughing the whole time on the phone and at that moment I knew how happier she must have felt that someone else is also happy for her.

Find joy in the simplest things and see beauty in each person you meet. They say that contentment is the key to happiness. I say that the secret of contentment is knowing how to enjoy what you have and being able to lose all desires for things beyond your reach.

Am I happy? My answer is yes -- because I know what it's like to be in a puddle of mud and I'm glad I am where I am today. I am happy because I choose to be happy.

Choices

We make choices everyday -- with the clothes we wear, the food we eat, the places to go to, etcetera, etcetera.

Right now, I am faced in a situation where I have to make a tough choice. I'm presently scouting for a new cellphone and I'm choosing between:

The Prada phone by LG

Samsung Blackjack

I'm in no hurry though. (I'm actually waiting for the Prada phone to be available in the market. haha.)

What do you think is the better choice?

I Could Be The One

Have you ever experienced hearing a popular old song you once liked being played and spent hours and days trying to recall the title of the song...so you can download and listen to it again? I just did! The succeeding days after our visit to S&R where I heard the song were torture to me. Thanks to Bex and Jen for telling me!

I Could Be The One

by Donna Lewis

I could be your sea of sand
I could be your warmth of desire
I could be your prayer of hope
I could be your gift of everyday

I could be your tide of heaven
I could be a hint of what's to come
I could be ordinary
I could be the one

I could be your blue eyed angel
I could be the storm before the calm
I could be your secret pleasure
I could be your well wishing well
I could be your breath of life
I could be your European dream
I could be ordinary
I could be the one

I would lie here in the darkness
I would lie here for all time
I would lie here watching you over
Comfort you
Sing to you

I could be your worry partner
I could be your socialite
I could be your green eyed monster
I could be your force of light
I could be your temple garden
I could be your tender hearted child
I could be ordinary
I could be the one

I would lie here in the darkness
I would lie here for all time
I would lie here watching you over
Comfort you
Sing to you

Will i ever change the journey
Will the hushed tones disappear
Oh little Rita
Let me hold you
Oh little Rita
Let me love you

I could be your leafy island
I could be your thunder in the clouds
I could be your dark enclosure
I could be your romantic soul
I could be your small beginning
I could be your soothing universe
I could be ordinary
I could be the one

I could be ordinary
I could be the one

I could be ordinary
I could be the one

Travels...

With all the promos being offered by most airlines, be it at cheapest airfares or tempting travel packages at selected destinations, almost everyone can now afford to travel. It would be such a shame if you have not grabbed these opportunities, especially if you can afford it. I have spent countless times calling and inquiring online but have not booked myself yet. Shame on me. I have a lot of things to consider. Topping the list is the schedule. These promos are constrained to specific travel dates and considering my job, I cannot afford to leave anytime I please. I just spent two weeks of my vacation leave from my recent trip. I even had to decline a free US trip scheduled a month after I arrived. Tsk!

If you're from the Philippines, check out the ongoing promos offered by:

Philippine Airlines

Air Philippines

Cebu Pacific

Among the three, I have flown thru PAL and AirPhil, and I can vouch for their services. I prefer them because they have a separate terminal - it's so convenient. I have not tried Cebu Pacific yet.

So far, the only places I've traveled to are Hongkong, Singapore, and USA. I'd love to visit Shanghai, Beijing, Vietnam, and Thailand next time...hopefully at least one of these places within the year. In the meantime, I think I should explore more of the Philippines; the farthest I've been to is Aklan (Boracay). I want to go to Cebu or Davao next time. Anyone willing to give a trip for free?