saturday extravaganza

saturday was special! pamper day and social day for me.first stop was my facial. i think it has been more than a year since my last facial. masakit. dumugo... ang mga pimples kong pinutok ni ate. awww... but i love the feeling of facial massages! and someone else removing whiteheads for you!second stop was cafe cartel lunch. i was a bit disappointed with the baby back ribs. where did all the flavor go? mistulang nilaga lang ang ribs...

ion

december 1 na! this pic was taken inside (yes, inside) the christmas tree in ion, orchard. love it! the tree was magnificent from outside. it was more spectacular inside!last christmas, our family was all over the world haha! ma and win in tarlac and we were here in sg. this year, we are one! full force here in sg!soon, i will have a niece (95% sure she's a she). there are some things i wish she could experience. christmas and childhood - definitely...

remembering

...

magandang linggo

all's well today. i could say this sunday is the perfect ending for my week. i also declare that this sunday is a perfect beginning for the coming week. domino effect. day 1 is perfect, the rest of the days will be perfect too. :)the day started with a wonderful lunch shared with friends. it was myr's birthday. we went to the end of the world :p in choa chu kang to visit their lovely home. who says mature love can't be thrilling? i heard super kilig stories today and it was like watching a romantic comedy movie. cheers to love!i feel like...

friday madness

in 30 minutes, it's officially friday! i love fridays. i could barely count the times i stayed late at work on a friday. for me, it's the perfect way out from all things chaotic and and stressful.friday doesn't mean i could sleep longer on saturday. my brother is a health buff and he "forces" us to jog or bike on saturday mornings, which i don't really mind. i love it too!i don't have energy and will to work 100% on fridays.i buy a yummy breakfast on fridays.i try to eat out for lunch too!and i do the grand escape on the dot!come to mama,...

kuskus therapy

i once read from someone's facebook status: i can't sleep so i cleaned the bathroom. and others commented that cleaning the bathroom is a good therapy for stress. i thought that it's not a bad idea.i tried it last week. after having another late night at work, i scrubbed the shower walls and floor before taking a bath. it was magic! i felt good afterwards! i felt that it was a sponge that absorbed all the negative emotions and thoughts inside of me. i came out of the bath feeling very relaxed and renewed.i felt a little inis over something...

at home

i was at home last oct 7 to 11 (wow 7-11!) to attend joy's wedding and to have a short holiday as well. when we were having breakfast on the 7th, i was really happy and nostalgic to see our dining table still arranged this way - old, lace table runner and all! and look at the plate and utensils! they belonged to my lola (still does, i think... RIP, lola). as a proof, there are her initials on the plate and fork. FLC - florentina de leon camacho....

what is tranquility?

forgetting the things you left undonegoing for a swim whenever you feel like itstrolling by the baysitting on the sandand on cozy beach chairs!watching the waves engulf your painted toe nailsdrinking a beer or two at nightwatching tv 'til you fall asleeplooking all around you and everything you see is wonderfullong drivesholding handswhile walkingnot working (for a while)eating good foodhaving good conversationand good laughsforgetting all things...

sleepless

it's the time for worries again. i can't sleep. i am thinking about the work i left behind and the work that is waiting for me tom. when can i be worry-free? i feel there's just too much to be done.i want to be free from worries. maybe i just need to learn to handle things differently. maybe i just need to relax in the middle of tension. be like a bamboo - sway with the chaos of a storm. sturdy yet gentle, never snapping despite the harsh winds that try to dismantle it.i need to convince myself more that things will be alright and that...

hhwwmpssp

i took this shot on my way home last week. i got off the bus with the girl in the picture and her lover boy was waiting for her on the bus stop. she seemed surprised and delighted to see him waiting there. then they started to walk the long walk home. i stayed behind them because i was desperate to take their photo. i have no talent in taking pictures but you don't need talent to capture love :) they look so cute :)and i wonder why i have to...

productive (somehow)

it's the first time this weekend that i feel productive :)i planned to do some work over this weekend. but heck, it's weekend! have a life! work is not life, so why have work on a weekend? work could wait until tomorrow. there's a right time and venue for everything and weekend at home is not the right one.so i lazed around last saturday. i didn't do anything! i didn't even do the laundry and i didn't clean the bathroom (it's my turn). it's also my turn to cook food but there are still a lot of leftover food from last friday. what a perfect...

tatlong tulog na lang

i'm coming home to attend joy's wedding. i thought it's also a good time to unwind and have a break from work. yes, we're in the middle of execution and i'm leaving all the work for now -- in the good hands of my colleague. :) it's time for a break. well, they allowed me to have a three-day break so i guess it's not that bad. i could have a guilt-free holiday :)i am wondering what manila looks like after the storm. i hope we could all sing:the rain has stoppedthe storm has passed look at all the colors now the sun's here at last:)life goes...

damdamins

pain - my head has been aching since yesterday. might be due to waking up at the wrong side of the bed. maybe not. heck, it's all in the mind.less - i feel i could have done more. i feel i could still do more. what's stopping me? the lack of initiative, maybe? too many things running in my mind. i'm thinking too much. i feel it's not enough to do it just this one time. it's supposed to be a continuous thing.confusion - i like to but something is stopping me. i yearn for it but at the same time i feel lazy, maybe more of ashamed, to push...

blessed

the events that happened this weekend are a bit surreal. everything falls down to the same feeling of being blessed.a few days ago, i posted a status in facebook that i don't really get all the F1 hype and i'm not into it. something to that effect. friday afternoon, just when the work week was about to conclude, our manager approached me and asked me if i'm interested to watch F1. she said our agency bought tickets and gave it away to employees. why not? to see what the buzz is all about, i accepted the ticket. the catch is, there's only...

amazed

i love the feeling of amazement!i feel amazed when i see something unique for the first time.at times, i feel amazed for no reason at all.like staring at a fountain like this!all those cool waves and bubbles and squirts!to think it's just water and air and pressure!my attention was diverted to this little girl who was also staring at the splashing water.i wonder who's more dumbfounded? this little girl looking at the fountain, or me looking at her...

my pathetic attempt for nail art

bunga ng kawalan ng magagawa noong nakaraang lunes (holiday), heto't masdan ang kalokohan ko :)) ang nais ko sana'y bulaklak subalit hindi sila mukhang bulaklak! mukha lang silang mga tuldok o paru-parong napisat. hay.di ko pa rin tinatanggal. saka na :)) pero di ko na uulitin ito. pram...

lowlows and lowlas

i was going home one night when i chanced to walk with this lola. she was walking rather quickly. i figured she has more stamina than i do! she's very fit for her age, i must say.today, i watched wonder mom and learned that we are celebrating grandparents' day. i only have one lola left. she is mom's mom and she is spending the sunset days of her life in mindoro.now, i think back to the days i spent with my lolos and lolas. some memorable notes:when...

poor crabs

spotted at shengshiong supermarket: poor crabs! it's not so visible in the pic, but nakagapos sila! susme kawawa naman... ikaw na ang igap...

dugyot

look at my hair! it has this not-so-attractive shade of rusty brown! mistulang laking tabing-dagat. hahaha! i put it beside my black pants and found the remarkable difference. eeew.. :)) i've never tried to have color treatment. maybe it's all damaged because of the rebonding every year or so....

perfect sunday breakfast

yummy breakfast for sunday:pancakesbaconsyrupmarmaladecold chocolateketchup. ketchup?!? hehe naligaw lang.i realized these are remnants of mama's presence :( she requested for these while she was still he...

wonderful

while waiting for the bus, i found a feeding frenzy among this flock of birds. isn't this a wonder?...

rainy days and headaches always make me cry

sunday rainy day! i don't hate rainy days anymore. i am no longer affected by the gloomy atmosphere it brings but accompany it with a terrible headache and it's a different story. i hate ...

welcome to the family

dear april, welcome to our family! yesterday, august 29, marked the beginning of my kuya's family life. on days like this, ihinahihiya ko ang pagiging iyakin ko.it was a very intimate event. we felt blessed with the presence of around 55 guests who were also happy to witness the union of 2 lives and souls. during the ceremony, i was the lector and one of the witnesses. 'di ko malaman kung anong espiritu ang sumapi sakin at naiyak ako sa second reading!...

ispeysyal

breakfast baons are extra special for the past week. why? mama prepared them!!!sticker says: made with loveawww...

magnetable

wow! the title!!!i have an old (clean) sock that i use as a purse for all my php coins. one day, wawin was cleaning my stuff (yes, he's more organized than i am!) when he found this purse and counted the coins. he immediately recognized this 1 peso coin and declared it as fake. he said it was all over the place a few months back. iwas a bit shocked because it didn't seem fake at all. he demostrated that the fake ones would stick to a magnet!...

jennifer alejandro (read: alehandrow)

gogogo! i so admire her. jennifer was a paulinian from paranaque. i never knew her personally but she was one of the popular girls back then. she is now a newscaster of the... financial section chuva of the daily morning news at channel news asia! bonga to the highest level diba?! she is conversing with financial analysts everyday on her segment... live ito! my gosh she's so galing :)there's also another pinoy newscaster at channel news asia....

sunlight (warning: hate post at the end)

6pm: i boldly told my new favorite dev, "noel, i'm going to take advantage of the "calm" moment. i am leaving now to enjoy what's left of the sun. wish you a good evening!" to this, he wished me the same. i said thanks, grabbed my bag, and left! this is the life i've missed so much! i was planning to leave at 5:45 but i had to finish some more stuff.i was practically skipping happily on my way home! when i stepped out of suntec, i was almost blinded...

pang live stream lang

courtesy of gma network, people around the world are able to witness the wake of cory in manila cathedral. i saw the link from facebook and i was happy to be a mere spectator at this event. people pay respect by queueing, saying a silent, brief prayer, making a sad glance at cory, and leaving. i wish i were there. i've always been "just" a spectator.i was 6 years old when the people power revolution happened. i was just 6 years old. i recall my parents joined the rallies. i wish they took me with them at that time. of course, it wasn't safe, but...

new life

this is it! natapos na rin sa wakas ang phase ng project namin na andun ang bulk ng trabaho. fine, na-extend kami ng 1 day. pero grabe, ang saya-saya ko. feeling ko kanina, kung ipagpapabukas pa ang sign-off nito, mamamatay na ako. walang halong biro.pero ok na. so buhay pa ako! salamat! may mga araw na inaalat ka... pero naisip ko, grabeng kaalatan naman ito! maalat pa sa dead sea! pero ang mahalaga, natapos na rin. ibang yugto naman bukas. pero feeling ko, mas masaya na ang mga susunod na araw. wag lang sanang aalat pa sa pinakamaalat na araw...

baon

every friday night, we buy groceries that will sustain us for a week. we haven't mastered the art of estimating the just-right amount of food yet and as a result we throw away so much extra food. last friday, while loading the ref with the new supply, we threw around .25 kilos of chicken breast, some old tomato sauce (which, i figured could have been enough to make a simple pasta), a bowl of ginataang kalabasa and sitaw, and some more leftover food.i was not happy about it. i know what all grandmoms and moms say: marami ang nagugutom. and this...

so inviting

so inviting!if only i don't feel lazyalmost feels like summerwith the "summer breeze" coming from an old fani remember there's some ice cream somewhere in the refand there are frozen strawberries toomight be a good idea to make a yummy fruit shake!go go ...

barenaked

my last dark purple nail polish is all chipped off. around 1cm of new nail has grown. what a repulsive sight. i tried to apply a platinum/peach nail polish on my own and it became even more repulsive. hehehe. because 1) i am not an expert and, literally, the colors came flying all around! 2) platinum/peach flatters only fair-skinned toes 3) maitim ang paa ko 4) at ako.now this one's better. bare. naked. basic. toned down. missed this. i li...

wow

'm gonna be here for you babyAnd I'll be a man of my own wordSpeak the language in a voice that you have never heardI wanna sleep with you foreverAnd I wanna die in your armsIn a cabin by a meadow where the wild bees swarm(Chorus:)And I'm gonna love you like nobody loves youAnd I'll earn your trust making memories of usI wanna honor your mother And I wanna learn from your pawI wanna steal your attention like a bad outlawAnd I wanna stand out in a crowd for youA man among men I wanna make your world better than it's ever beenChorusWe'll follow the...

frenzy

i think i am an addict. whenever something catches my interest, i put forth all energy to know stuff about this something. call it a frenzy... and my frenzy changes every week or so.when mj died, i spent so many hours watching old documentaries, reading mj stuff, following news about him, watching the memorial, and searching for old, old videos of him. i was amazed and moved by his personality. two things that got stuck on my mind was 1) jane fonda's remark: "who are we to judge?" and 2) some man's remark on the memorial: "there isn't anything...

ubo

i've been coughing for the past few weeks. i've always been like this when i have cough. it lasts for a long, long time! once when i was still in manila, i had a cough for more than a month. being ms. paranoid, i consulted a doctor and told him outright i wanted a chest x-ray because i fear i might have tb. he laughed at me while evaluating the results. my lungs are healthy daw. hehe. better to be sure than sorry.now, the cough season is here. what's more, there's still the h1n1 scare. i've been coughing for the longest time but i haven't...

showbiz

i am watching asap at the moment. trip lang. here are my thoughts...i think juday is very beautiful. i'm glad she had this wonderful transformation from being the pambansang siopao to being ms. fitrum. i really think she's very pretty. :)i don't like bea. i don't like her singing voice. i get annoyed when i see her on tv. as in ANNOYED. affected si ate?!? hahai like anne! she's very arte but carry nya ito! i like her face. i like that she's super true, walang panggap, very cute and very sowsyal. i like her!i like zsazsa too. i think she's elegant...

regrets

being a bitch last nightbeing a bad girl at timescultivating tiny negative thoughts into monstrous schemesacting as if don't carespillingpretending i didn't see itnot understanding thank God for understanding, forgiving peop...

$37

my, my. i'm so happy!last week, i bought some goodies: 3 laundry nets @ $3, my favorite loreal tecni art liss control @ $19. i put them all in a plastic carrier along with my old umbrella ($15 then). all along, i knew i took the carrier home with me. but somehow, the carrier disappeared :( you just don't throw $37 away! life is hard, every cent should count and be saved.i just didn't know how it disappeared.yesterday, i was cleaning the house...

purple toes (and purple veins)

...

mama

i am a member of the friday club. we are (not so) young employees meeting on fridays, sharing good food, good stories, good laughter... sharing the good life! we take turns cooking dinner in our homes.last friday, it was held at jan's house. we had pasta. mike brought videoke - or what might have been videoke. hahaha. it was a bit bizarre because what started as a good dinner ended up being a care group sharing the deepest, darkest moments of your life. i learned so much from them that night. it was like watching 4 different episodes of MMK in...

it's been a while

it's been a while since my last post. i've been really lazy. work has been crazy and will be crazy for the next couple of weeks.it's been a while since i last saw mom. i miss her. but hey! wawin's here! he finally decided to look for a job here. it's been a while too, but there's no rush. :) the perfect time will come.it's been a while since i last played monkey bars (or baras sa pagkakaalam ko simula bata). it's been a while because the last time i tried was kindergarten. i was good at it! and all the while i thought i'm still good at it. last...

red toes

yay! red toes! i never thought i'll ever wear my toes red. metallic red even! april invited me to try a pedicure/foot spa. i was supposed to have tan or something less obvious because i don't usually color my toenails. i think this is just my 2nd pedicure and the first was something very discreet. kuya said, "try something that will give your toes attitude!" wow kuya kelan ka pa naging concerned sa attitude na inaalay ko sa mundo? hahaha!ok fine,...

happiness is...

devouring on mom's favorite breakfast!minana ko sa kanya ang pagkahilig sa nilagang itlog sa agahan, sawsaw toyo! yum.ang dali naman naming paligayahin. hehe! awww, i miss mami. kung sinong maunang magising, syang maglalaga ng itlog! haha...

all you need is...

i found another yummy love! this is gardenia banana walnut bread.at the bottom of the pic, there's this heart-shaped banana. or walnut. whatever. it's yummy...

ang sabi nya...

"do you have to mightily wave the banner of your so-called perfect life just to make me feel i am living in a miserable slu...

sometimes

- it doesn't feel so right -- i feel there will never be a hundred percent -- it just seems to be a hundred percent, but it isn't and it will never be that -- there is a thought that the tip of the pyramid is just an illusion and it does not actually exist -- i run (britney) -- not sometimes, but always, i yearn to be a good girl (so help me God)...

happiness is...

walking leisurely on my way home...while reading a good, addictive book :)this is a 15-minute walk/read i'm talking about :)and this is undomestic goddess by sophie kinsella i'm talking about.it's a good read. thanks to april for lending the book.(however, hmm, i don't like it when i step on something i'm not supposed to step on. hehehe. i stepped on something that looks like gum today. please, let it be gum. heh...

the saddest eyes i've ever seen

went to toys r us earlier today. kuya was looking for a toy for his colleague's kid. amidst the happy, bubbly, soulful faces in the stuffed toys section, this bear caught my attention. it has the saddest eyes and expression. poor bear. i guess i could pass as a sad, sad bear the other night and the whole day yesterday. give me a faintest hint of drama and i cry right away. i cried sadly when kris allen won. it was supposed to be a happy moment! feeling...

happiness is...

going home from work and catching the last few minutes of the warmth and gentle glare of the sun...

found it!

wow! sinuyod ko na lahat ng tindahan dito, hindi ko nakita itong collagen elastin na ito. nagpatingin din ako kay ma nung nasa is-tates sya. 'di rin sya nakabili.sa pilipinas ko lang pala matatagpuan! yehey! salamat kay mama sa pagbili ng 2 malaking garapon :) pero 'di ko pa napurbahan ang bisa nya sa mukha dahil may mga ginagamit pa akong gusto kong ubusin muna. yeh...

pagkain ng gutom

yum. tipak-tipak na kanin. tipak-tipak na menudo. cheez whiz on rice. yum.(babala: walang tabang nakain sa hapunang ito. yu...

comfort food, comfort beverage

comfort foodnapakasarap ng cheez whiz. wee! matagal-tagal na ring panahon na hindi ako nakakain nito. nang maglunch kami sa LP nung friday, ay! may i buy talaga ako ng pinakamalaking bote :) yum. perfect sya sa gardenia bread - natry ko sa banana walnut at calfornia raisin. naiimagine kong masarap lalo sa corn bread. ay kahit saan sigurong bread masarap sya :)comfort beverageuso ang ubo't sipon. panong hindi e lahat ng nakapaligid sa 'yo sa bus at...

literally bottled up

i saw the poorest things in a restaurant in manila. i'm not 100% sure if these are lobsters caged in soda bottles (green bottles are sprites and clear ones are cokes hehe). i didn't find them yummy or tempting in any way :( i asked mike why they are kept this way. he said it's because they tend to eat each other so they have to be isolated from the time they were tiny babies until they reach their maturity and become ready for someone's plate.sigh....

all you need is...

one afternoon, i found a treasure while eating calbee chips. yummy love...

healing

no, i wasn't knocked out by manny. this was me two weeks ago after the excruciating battle i had with, um, my 2 wisdom teeth. the lower left one started giving me pains a few weeks ago. i asked around and found out wisdom tooth extraction in singapore costs 900SGD per tooth. 900! there are so many things i could do with 900! no way will i have it done here. the dentist in MOA charges 10k PHP, 20k max. simple math and my heart told me to book...

genius

whoever invented this screen frying pan cover is a genius. i love him! frying becomes a breeze with it. :)tilansik is a pain. with this mesh cover, you get protected from the hellish pain of tilansik plus it doesn't "steam" the food you are frying. a regular pan cover doesn't do the trick. fried stuff becomes steamed stuff.this one's fried fish for sarciado :)&nb...

100 truths

1. Last beverage→ ensure chocolate drink2. Last phone call→ mike3. Last text message→ received and sent: mike4. Last song you listened to→ song playing on michie's facebook video5. Last time you cried→ dyahe... last sundaySIX HAVE YOU EVER:1. Dated someone twice → yes2. Been cheated on? → yes3. Kissed someone & regretted it? → no4. Lost someone special?→ yes5. Been depressed?→ yes6. Been drunk and threw up? → yes.LIST FOUR FAVORITE COLORS:1. white2. pink3. red4. hmm, blueHAVE YOU:1. Made new friends → yes2. Fallen out of love → yes3. Laughed...