Week in Review

Random stuff that made me smile this week.

1. Yummy-won't-break-the-bank shabu shabu at Thousand Cranes.  They have individual shabu shabu sets for only around Php 280.00.

2. Hanging out with friends at Pammy's 25th redux.

3. Discovering a new must-see TV series. V, a remake from a 1983 mini series, is what's keeping me and the Hubby sleepless for the past few days.




4. Going back to yoga finally after a month of vacation.  Need to get back into shape for #5.

All I want for Christmas...

8 months to go and I am already wishing starting my Christmas list. Hee.  I loved the new "trash" bag from LouisVuitton's Spring/Summer 2010.  Unfortunately it seems a tad too rich for my blood at $1,996.  If it were more classic looking, it's probably worth considering.  But I worry the bag-high I'll get from carrying this will not even last me 1 out of the 12 days of Christmas.

A Laker Birthday Surprise

One of my friends is oh so fond with surprises.  So fond, in fact, that last year she threw 3 surprises in a span of 3 days add to that another secret surprise was in the works that we were in on for her behalf :)) Imagine the insanity and hilarity that ensued from trying to keep up pretenses from both of them.  We made her swear to the high heavens that  there would be no more surprises, at least for the rest of 2009.  We just couldn't handle all the lying and confusion 4 surprise parties bring (the 2 real surprises, the faux surprise, and the secret surprise)

And so with that in mind, this year, for her fiance's birthday, she decided to thankfully stick to just one party!  Ahh the sweet smell of less confusion.  Ever the Ms. Organizer and Ms. Pa-picture, dear friend made sure that we all looked picture perfect and had costumes and props prepared all for the big day.

Trying to be Domesticated

Last Tuesday, we had some friends over to try, lo and behold, yours truly's cooking.  I was a bit pressured to come up with something not so burnt-looking (my old time masterpiece of a recipe).  So with last Saturday's cooking lessons from Jax safely tucked in this blogger's consciousness, I went about to prepare the following: Nilagang Buto-buto with lobster balls and crabsticks, lamb stewed, buttered vegetables and finally trusty Nestea ice tea to close the deal.

A Not So Pleasant Wake Up Call

Very first maid experience was an epic fail.  Our supposed little angel of a helper has brought us nothing but nightmares, giving us more headaches than all her combined household work is worth.  And to think she only stayed with us for four marvelous days.  $%#^!

Because it's a Friday...

... I wish I was cool enough to pull off this look,

Love the tights!  Too bad it's not for sale.

Also love those white patented Doc Marten boots 

(anyone going to HK anytime soon?)

My Year in 2009 (part 3)

...(cont.)

JULY

I'm only 5'3 and so not waify in any angle imaginable.  Model material definitely not!  It was kinda cool then when good friend Pamela of Adidas asked us to join in on their shoot for their 2009 UAAP collection.  Seriously doubt our photos were splashed across the pages of STAR and INQUIRER but free GCs from Adidas made it all worth it.

Note to self: I will not make fun of models ever. AGAIN.  Heck, despite (photo) trigger happy tendencies, it turns out I knew squat about emoting/posing for the cameras.

AUGUST

It was a pretty slow month.  Silly blogger here though considers being able to finish books 1 to 10 of Y: The Last Man the ultimate high.  Unfortunately, maybe due to all the house and wedding preps I haven't been able to read as much as I would have wanted to.  And being the closeted nerdo that I am that really is such a travesty.

Note to self:  This 2010 I shall visit Powerbooks more frequently.  And will stop living the motto, so many books so little time.

SEPTEMBER

Far from being a high, september truly was a pinnacle for most Filipinos.  The wraths of back to back typhoon of Ondoy and Peping, left Manila in the most havoc I've seen in all my 27 years of existence.  Despite the growing heartache and frustrations you just got to admire Filipino resiliency. And I will forever be grateful that family and friends came off it safe and that much more stronger.



OCTOBER

This year probably was the most healthy-living-centered I have been.  Two marathons under my belt with my time in each marathon slowly improving. (Well, if you're coming from a 1:28 5km average, 10 minute-deductions seem like a vast improvement) I also reached my 4th year HS weight of 112 lbs.  Now the problem as usual lies with my favorite sin this coming year, how can i say no to eat all you can buffets?!?

NOVEMBER

After a year and 6 months of being engaged, the fiance and I officially tied the knot in front of family and friends.  The whole day was magical.  I just remember being in this giddy state wherein nothing really matters except who was standing right in front of me.  I kept crying on the way to the church.  And not even the good kind of crying.  No, there's no pasosyal wiping of the tears here, no wonder my false lashes had given up even before the ceremony ended.

DECEMBER

Our first Christmas as husband and wife.  Nothing beats the feeling of falling asleep next to the person who gives you the good kind of butterflies and then waking up knowing that everything is as it should be. SOBRANG CHEEZY!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

My Year in 2009 (part 2)

.... (cont.)

MAY 

...was try something new month for the hubby (then-fiance) and I.  We went to Subic with a bunch of our friends and tried to act a lot braver than we were by taking a crack at the Tree Top adventure.  Silly scaredy cat blogger here had to muster enough bravado in front of friends.  Afterall I just bungy-ed a few months back and a little tree drop should be a walk in the park right?  I don't know why I always put myself in this predicaments, ok, I do know why.  I'm mayabang as hell and I just want to prove to myself that despite the terror of a thousand deaths knocking I will let go of that damn rope. MUST let go!!!  It never fails to give me a heart attack though.  Poor weak heart deserves a little break after every challenge.  M-U-S-T develop ballsier balls. (yeah, you get what I'm getting at.)

The fifth month of the year also found us Boracay-bound with hubby's friends plus some of my ex-Nestle workmates.  Went on a helmet diving escapade and found my inner Ariel.  Boracay was extra fun due to all the freebie events we were able to attend to courtesy of Nestea and Grand Boracay (thanks Gail for hooking us up!)  Nothing beats going on a vacation with these two words always present: "OPEN BAR".

JUNE

My 27th!!!  Hubby surprised me with a faux wedding.  There were family, friends, tears and cake.  What more could you ask for in a wedding, right?

We finished house construction around this time as well. So that's a double yay for us!  Good thing too, 'cause we were fast becoming a contender for the imaginary Suki of the Year award at Wilcon and Home Depot so thank gawd construction wrapped up as planned. 

My Year in 2009 (part 1)

Since most sites are doing their year end countdowns, I thought it was high time I join in on the fun and create my very own version.

This year was full of unbelievably fabulous memories and fortunately not so many cringe worthy lows. Here are some highlights for each month of 2009.

JANUARY

...for me was all about the 2009 Nestle Kick Off.  Our batch was in charge of organizing the event and as you can imagine, with more than a thousand++ in attendance, a mixture of chaos, laughter, tears, and pride ensued.  It was 5 days of sleep deprivation, heartbreaking excitement and a whole lot more that made all of us that much more closer.  It was our graduation of sorts.  I will forever have the fondest memory of the last week of January 2009.  Oh did I mention, Kick Off stress week made me lose 5 pounds! San ka pa!

FEBRUARY

We have been in 6 countries together;  Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong (ok, that's not really a country but heck) and Macau (yes I know, still not a country.  Should brush up on my geography), for 2009 February, favorite travel buddy Jeanie and I decided to make it into seven with our little trip to Hawaii.  My US visa was about to expire without so much as a dent to it that I am grateful Jeanie was available for a little R&R that time.  To date, Hawaii and all our little and not so little adventures and misadventures still ranks a top my most outlandishly fabulous out of town/country trips.

MARCH

Hmm nothing really eventful happened this month, me thinks. Oh yeah, except for that one tiny incident on March 2 that was called as my official last day in Nestle.  After almost 2 years working as a slave CMT in one of the coolest, family friendly corporations, I tendered my resignation just before my trip to Hawaii.  In all honesty this was somewhat an unexpected move even for impulsive lil ol blogger me.  Well, the resigning wasn't but the timing was.  I was initially planning on quitting after the November wedding to start something of my own.  However, by some twist of fate (that's what I'm calling it and I am sticking by it hee) I got to go inside the big room and handed my two weeks noticed 9 months earlier.

APRIL

... Was the start of our house renovation. Then-fiance and I searched high and low for the perfect floor tiles, synthetic granite countertops, wenge laminates and many more construction terms that I wouldn't bore you guys with.  I loved the whole process so much that for a moment I even considered going back to school and taking up interior design (it's still there, that crazy idea, but for now that plan has momentarily been shoved way way back.)  Blood, sweat and tears went into this and so now that everything is in order, I sometimes find myself just staring at our house in appreciation.

FB & Twitter Fatigue??

I knew this day would come.  I just didn't think it would come this soon.  But lately I don't feek like updating my Twitter account. I have stopped posting pictures at Facebook and haven't attempted to stalk anyone in weeks (wow!) I wonder if this is just a fleeting feeling or a sign that I have outgrown social networking sites..

Two Weeks Notice

Ahh love.  One of my top most fave topics in literature.  And yes, I am one of Those. Those suckers, who still believe in the whole love at first sight, love conquers all, you and me against the world fantasy.  What friends say is cheezy I think of as romantic.  It's silly but I get absolutely happy and giddy when I realized that someone whom everyone castoff as an insensitive shmuck turns out to be nothing but pure mush when face with love. (altogether now, Sobrang cheezy!)

Rain Rain Go Away...

You know that scene from the movie, The Day After Tomorrow? When New York was suddenly seiged by floodwater and there was chaos and confusion everywhere? Well, today, the streets of Manila looks exactly like that.  I'm a huge Filipino-lover so I hate to bash my beloved Philippines... But this has reached an insane level of incompetency! We cannot even withstand one freaking day of non-stop raining! (update: ok so it's reported that it's a month's worth of rain fall..shame on me for being ms. reklamdor!) We are completely paralyzed over Ondoy and worst properties and lives are being damaged in the process.



This one is from outside my sister's house.  And to think she lives in a freakin' posh village in the Greenhills area (along Wilson St.).  How can this happened? 

To whoever wins the 2010 elections I really hope that you spend huge amounts of money in fixing our drainage system (update: and buying MORE rescue rubber boats!!!). This is getting ridiculous. We can spend over Php 300 Million on stupid and seriously useless U-turn flyover slots along C-5 but we can't have a decent drainage across the metro?!?

Plus, why are there are only 13 freakin' rescue boats from our National Disaster Coordinating Counsil? How is that even possible?  Somebody please give me a logical reason for this utter blatant disregard for disaster prepareness.  13 rescue boats in a country surrounded by freakin' bodies of water!!! I am so mad and frustrated, especially since I know friends and family are affected. 

From Xavier High School (photos from the net, sorry will give proper creds once I find the source)

From Katipunan

I'm praying for all family and friends and everyone who's lives have been affected by Ondoy.  I hope tomorrow brings them some fabulous news to at least lessen the sting this typhoon has brought them today.  Perhaps the winning lotto numbers?

Please help those in need: Contact the Philippine Red Cross donation through SMS: text REDAMOUNT to 2899 (Globe) or 4483 (Smart)

The Murtaugh List

Lola Syndrome: /adj/ a syndrome used to describe couple's, who have settled blissfully into domestication, weekend outings are sometimes traded for DVD marathon sessions at home.

Oops...We Did it Again..

So last night, we had yet another embarrassing oops moment.  I was having dinner with girlfriends at Cajun, more on that later, and our topic soon turned to the not so urban myth creatures known as TDKs (/n/: tay-diok lang)

Love Conquers all and other myths

(This article came out on yahoo recently, reposting it with some foot notes from yours truly)

Here is what relationship experts think about the tried, but not always true, love sayings.

by Stacey Colino

1. Say “I Love You” Every Day

Barbara De Angelis, personal-development expert: Say it as often as possible. There’s no reason to be emotionally stingy with the person you love.

Nancy Kalish, psychologist: I agree that it should be said often, but it should be said sincerely, so it means something. Not just “Good-bye. Love you.”

Jake Pua, phonecall hater: Agree! I love these 2 particular scenes from My Best Friends Wedding. First, Dylan McDermont was telling Julia Roberts one of the reasons why he loves Cameron Diaz, “When I hugged her, even in public, she never pulls away. She lets me hold her for as long as I want.” & second, “Kimmie always say that if you love somebody, you say it, you say it right there, otherwise the moment just passes you away.”

2. Play Hard to Get

Sam Yagan, dating-website cofounder: Playing hard to get starts the relationship off on a deceptive foot. If you want your relationship to be based on trust, honesty, and communication, why would you begin it like that?

Greg Behrendt, coauthor of He’s Just Not That Into You: You shouldn’t play hard to get; you should be hard to get, because your life is so busy and fulfilling. My wife and I call it being a MOD―a moving object of desire.

Jake Pua, pretentious love guru: Agree with GB. Don’t care if it’s straight out of the pages from The Rules book, but I firmly believe that if a man wants you, he will and should do all the pursuing. I find girls who make the first move kinda icky and desperate (I know I know I’m judgmental, feminist police shoot me now! But seriously, one of my friends once told me how his now girlfriend used to drop not so subtle hints about them, even giving him some sort of pastry as a gift pre-relationship :O this old fashion Manang is not approving of such gestures.)

3. Your Spouse Shouldn’t Be Your Best Friend

Pepper Schwartz, sociologist: I agree. I think you’re asking a lot of your marriage to have the level of confidentiality, truthfulness, and disclosure that a best friendship has. Your marriage can fulfill only so many roles.

John Gray, author of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus: I have no problem with partners who are best friends, but you should have other close friends to confide in as well―especially when you are having relationship difficulties and need time away from your spouse. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Jake Pua, never been married idealist: Yes and No. Dear Fiance knows everything about me. That includes all my evil kennivel ways. I am madly in love with him and can never stop laughing especiallly when we’re in one of our crazy adventures AND yet I don’t want to use the label “best friend” on him. He’s that and everything else. But the term best friend is still reserved to my BFFs.

4. Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

De Angelis: A little bit of absence can help you appreciate your partner. Too much is dangerous. Relationships need connection, and it’s challenging to stay connected when you aren’t spending time together.

Schwartz: To a point―and then absence makes the heart go roaming. You need a steady diet of intimacy and the other person’s presence to remember why you’re in the relationship. If you don’t see each other often enough, you can start to lead parallel lives instead of lives that intersect.

Jake Pua, a self confessed claker: A month a part was literally hell! I love my friends, don’t get me wrong. And I’m not the type to stay home and sulk but you know when you’re out having fun there’s always that moment when you realize how much you’re missing that other person when he’s away. And then you cursed the whole romanticized idea of "absence makes the heart go fonder"

5. You Can Learn to Love Someone

Judy Kuriansky, sex therapist: That’s true, depending on how you define love. You may not have the love-at-first-sight kind of love, but the deep companion kind of love―in terms of trusting each other and being a team―can develop over time.

Behrendt: No, that sounds like settling. I don’t believe in settling, because it’s not fair to the person you’re with or yourself. It’s not like settling on an apartment you don’t love but can live with.

Jake Pua, ex romantic novel junkie: NO NO NO. I believe in the whole love at first sight, love conquers all mantra. I don’t think it’s possible to teach your heart to love someone you weren’t really A. attracted to in the first place B. passionate about C. connecting with. You can go own fooling everyone, and even yourself in the process, but one day, someday, it will just hit you - you have just settled with one of the most important things in life, love.

Source: Real Simple Magazine, Yahoo 2009

Girls Only

I think every single and not so single girl should have a girl's night in/out as often as possible. Don't get me wrong I love the guys in our gang but there's always plenty of sneaky, ewwwy naughty details left unsaid when all 20 something of us are present. Despite geeky and boyish tendencies, I actually love getting manis and pedis, attending spa parties, shopping for cheapo and not so cheapo frou frou-ness, and take part in all sorts of crazy girl's only event.

Goodbye, Pres. Cory (part 2)

I read this SWS survey recently, - the trust/approval ratings amongst current and former Philippine Presidents. In it, Pres. Cory Aquino scored the highest with 60% trust ratings, I later learned that that's the same numbers she got when she was still in office. It got me into thinking, she probably was the only president post-martial law to bear such untarnished reputation. While her presidency was anything but easy (i remember getting classes suspended before because of the coup attacks), no one, not even those who tried to take her government by force, can question her sincerity in wanting to lead us to a better nation. Despite opposing ideologies they are all praises about the kind of person she was. I really hope that this feeling most everyone is experiencing right now continues on and is especially remembered during the May 2010 elections.

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Last Sunday when we went to LSGH to pay our last respects, I must say we couldn't help but noticed how organized and peaceful everything was. This despite the fact that there are thousands of people coming in by the hour.


----- ... -----

I was barely 4 when the 1986 election came to be. We all studied the history of course, back in grade school but when we saw this standing at one of the corners at LSGH, it gave me goosebumps talaga.

In college, I joined the march for EDSA 2. My mom said I was being idealistic. But I really did believe in the movement. I wanted change. I was tired from constantly saying "well everyone's corrupt anyways". I was young and knew that we deserve better. But year by year my idealism was slowly being chipped away. And despite overwhelming evidence of corruption from this government I remained steadfastly apathetic. Lately though, I guess because of recent events and watching the countless of documentaries about the martial law years being played on TV, a familiar feeling started to grow on me. And I realized hey maybe, it's still our fight and it's still our right, to have the kind of government that respects the values and ideals that we hold dear.