Sexy.Naughty.Bitchy

Random Thoughts 6

2009-11-02T10:13:00.003+08:00

This is an unedited version of my blog. It's been in my flash drive for months now and i'm finally posting it (Sir B, you have a way of making me feel guilty! HAHAHA!). So...here goes nothing (or something)...

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Passed by a house with Christmas lights decoration on the way home. It made me smile.Ü Ang aga talaga mag-umpisang mag-celebrate ng Pasko ang mga Pinoy! September 2 pa lang, may Christmas decorations na!

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Head hurts after listening to the car stero on full blast.

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I've been sitting at this small bench near the escalator for almost 30 minutes now while Mom and Pop shop. Yes, I am one of those people who braved the crowds & went to the 3-day Mall-wide sale @ SM Mall of Asia. Come to think of it, I was also here yesterday...which is not unusual seeing as I consider MOA my 2nd home. Ü I'm actually writing this blog on a receipt from Naf Naf where I bought my new black boots (woot woot!Ü). I was just so happy for not buying those boots when I first saw them coz now I got a 20% discount off it! Yippee!!! Glad I waited...and it just means that these boots & I were really meant to be! HAHA!

Going back to my escalator escapade...those of you who know me well knows that I have always got the energy for shopping. But now I find myself resting on this bench, listening to my iPod while the girl beside me has been burning the mobile phone lines for as long as we both have been sitting here (naka-SUN siguro...unli-calls. LOL!). I dunno why I just lost the energy to shop...maybe because i've spent more than what i'm willing to spend for the past month so now is the time to start my abstinence from spending. Thanks to my iPod, i'm actually enjoying my rest on this bench while I people watch at the same time. So what have I seen so far? This little boy, prolly around 1-1.5 years old, who's sporting skinny jeans while malling! He was just the cutest! I bet this is how JLC would look like if he had the same fashion sense that he has now when he was just a little kid. Then there's this little girl who tried on a onesie which I believe should be for teens to adults but the smallest size got to fit her just right so she was just the happiest girl in the world (just like me yesterday with the boots Ü). I told myself i'd check out the price when I get up from this bench (I was too lazy to stand up though the rack was just 3 feet away. The onesie was P700 w/ 10% discount).

So there goes my escalator escapade coz Mom & Dad are now a-callin'...they're probably done shopping or are about to change venue for more shopping. Either way, i'm happy to have just people-watched on this little nook by the escalator.

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Gloria has spoiled us as a nation with lots of long weekends for the past two months. Don't get me wrong but I actually like & enjoy these long weekends. What I don't like is the getting back to the 5-day work week routine (5.5 for us with Sat work). I feel like i've gotten used to starting the work week on a Tuesday and i'm no longer used to working on Mondays. Oh well, today's the last of the long weekends. Reality, here I come.

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Oh...but GMA just recalled that Nov.27-29 holiday. I'm sure a lot of people out there would want to strangle Gloria now for un-declaring that long weekend...especially those who have already made plans. Wala lang...ang gulo mo, GMA.

Bicol Food Trip

2009-08-16T13:00:00.007+08:00

Laing Pizza This pizza actually tasted good. Its thin crust was just right to the bite and crunchy as ever. As a person who's not really that fond of eating vegetables (I admit that I really should eat more veggies), I must say that I would choose this pizza if given a choice between one that has bell peppers in it (not a fan of bell peppers, thank you very much!Ü).

Laing Pasta For a pasta lover like moi, I was actually quite apprehensive at first and was quite unsure if I'd like this dish. But since it has white sauce as its base, I took quite a chunk of it (sorry guys, naubusan ata yung iba...hehe!) and swore that I'd finish everything in my plate whether I liked it or not. Good thing was, I LOVED IT! I even went back for more but there was no more left so I was just happy to have gotten a lot on that first round.Ü

*Both Laing Pizza and Pasta available at Small Talk Cafe...a cozy little resto at Legaspi.Ü

Bigg's Sizzling Tapa If only all breakfast meals were created equal. I think this was the first time I ate breakfast on a sizzling plate. Just thinking of it now makes me hungry!Ü I know, I know...TAPSILOG lang naman yan na nilagay sa sizzling plate but still, you gotta hand it to them for bringing their food presentation up a notch. And their tapa tastes good! I'm officially a fan of Bigg's Diner! Sana mag-open na sila dito sa Manila!Ü

Bigg's Korean Spare Ribs We (the entire group) became such a fan of Bigg's that we decided to have dinner there as well (after having breakfast the same day...lunch was at CWC). I couldn't decide on what to order so I asked the resident Bicolana of the group what she was ordering and she told me this was her favorite Bigg's dish. So I tried and it was yummy as how she described it! It's a bit sweet to the taste so those who love a bit of sweetness in their food (like moi) would enjoy this meal. And at P135 for a meal with rice and veggies, it's good value for your moolah.Ü

Sili Ice Cream
On our unplanned extra night in Bicol, we got invited to a dinner hosted by our resident Bicolana's uncle, where we were served Sili Ice Cream and Chocolate Cake. I didn't know how to react at first but...Sili Ice Cream? Meron pala nun?!??!! Well, apparently, there is such a thing and who else would've thought to concoct this unique flavor of ice cream but the Bicolanos themselves.Ü But...not just that...we were told to match it up with Chocolate Cake...which I found a bit puzzling but decided to trust the "experts" on this so my friend and I decided to try it and needless to say...we weren't able to finish that one cup of Sili Ice Cream which we so willingfully shared. Haha!Ü Hmmm...let's just say...it was weird...like you're not eating ice cream at all. I guess those who are fans of spicy stuff would love this but since I am not...then at least I can say i've tried Sili Ice Cream and it tasted like sili!!!Ü

So...when in Bicol...try everything of the above...especially the first two.Ü

Candy Designs™...SLIPPERS!

2009-06-10T14:55:00.006+08:00

Presenting...my project for the last Sunday morning of May2009...Candy Designs™...SLIPPERS! Hehehe!

My Inspiration: I've been looking for black sandals that I could use for malling or just about anything but couldn't find the right fit for me. Most of the time, it's not to my liking: doesn't look good on my feet, too chunky, too much bling, no more size available, etc. So I just decided to make my own since my months of search has turned up nothing. Zilch. Zero.

Materials:

Grosby Rubber Flip Flops bought at SM for P179.75
Carolina's Blings (I dunno what to call it Ü)
-Silver Circle Blings @ P24.00 for 20pcs
-Blue Circle Blings @ P16.00 for 20pcs
Mighty Bond @ P44.75

The BEFORE shots:

IN BETWEEN...

The AFTER look:

Nice ba?Ü Total Cost (minus labor and Mighty Bond Ü) for the Black Slippers is P216.15, while for the Blue one P199.25. Not bad right?Ü If I could find cheaper slippers, eh di lesser cost. But i'm biased with Grosby...I love the fit and it is of good quality (my mom and I have a pair for almost a year now and it still looks brand new). Plus, i'm not really into those slippers with prints in the upper sole (well, it really depends on the print). And since i'm gonna be adding blings to the slippers, i'm afraid it might be too much if there's bling AND prints in the upper sole. I guess this is just me...I love keeping things simple and classic (naks).

So...what do you think? Pwede na ba ibenta sa P300? Hehehe!Ü

A Peek at Mt. P

2009-05-28T21:37:00.001+08:00

A group of 50 PALers, ex-PALers, and a bunch of Plus Ones boarded a bus on the 29th of March 2009 and on the wee hour of 0315H was en route to the peak that caused a massive explosion on the year 1991...MT. PINATUBO. This was NOT a company-sponsored trip, mind you. It's just that Ai, the ultimate trip organizer, was able to gather 50 people to join the trip to Mt. P, that's why it looked like we were on a field trip (oh how I miss those days...Ü).

We only had a 20-minute stop over at Shell NLEX (where a bunch of us had a super early breakfast) for the entire trip going to Capas, Tarlac, which was our first drop-off point. This is where the Pinatubo Spa Town is located and where the 4x4 ride going to Pinatubo started. The 4x4 ride comfortably seats 5, but can fit up to 7 pax, which is what we did since there were 5 of us plus a driver and the guide. Our group chose the "open-air" 4x4 (as opposed to the "closed-type" Ü) because it matched our yellow outfit, and eventually found out that:

None of the instrument panel in this specific 4x4 was working
Our driver was probably the youngest among the bunch (there were 10 4x4s rented for this trip)
There was something wrong with our 4x4 because we had to stop several times for the driver to tinker with something in the engine & tumirik kami at one point in the "skyway" (the guide had to go down, look for a rock and place it in one of the rear wheels just so that we wouldn't go downhill)

That last part was actually scary but we just made fun of the situation to make things light (although deep inside I was already worried that we might not make it since we couldn't even make a call because there was no signal in that part of the world). And since we didn't understand the dialect that the driver & guide was speaking, we just made our own interpretations of their conversation like: "Wala tayong preno. Pero tawa lang tayo para di nila mahalata." just to keep our mind off some major matters, like being WAY behind the other 4x4s (although I think our interpretations were even worse...hehe!).

Alas, after a little over an hour in the 4x4 (the 4x4 ride was supposed to take less than an hour but our trip took longer because of all our detours), we arrived at the second drop-off point, which is where the trekking started. Although we were the last to arrive at the 2nd drop-off point, we knew we were on the right track since we saw all the 4x4s of the other teams parked all over the place. Not really knowing what to expect, we started our trek as a team and surprisingly, the trail was not hard to traverse. It (the trail) was mostly rocky and all you really had to do was concentrate on what rock to step on. What made it more fun is that there were parts of the trail where water was flowing freely, which was a pleasant surprise for us all since the cold water on our feet (most of us were wearing trekking sandals) was a welcome relief from the summer heat (although it was not that hot when we were trekking up since it was only around 8AM and it rained the day before).

After a few minutes of trekking, we were able to catch up with the other teams because their picture taking extravaganza took as much time as the entire trek itself. This made the trek more fun because aside from the fact that, the more, the many-er...este, merrier...witty remarks were exchanged by those in the group and since there were more of us, meaning more cameras, all you really had to do was smile and pictures were being taken of you from every angle! Grabe, ang hirap maging celebrity! HAHAHA! Anyway, after almost an hour of trekking (which would've probably taken less time if we weren't taking pictures of each other every minute Ü), we reached the top of Mt. P! Or at least the topmost part of Mt. P where trekkers are allowed to set foot on. [Additional NOTE to those reading this: You know you're near the top once you see the portalets to the left of the trail...just try not to breath deep when you get to this part.Ü]

I was actually surprised to see a lot of people at the peak, a lot of them campers who probably spent the night at Mt. P. I later learned that you can actually camp overnight at Mt. P as long as you've asked for permission at the "base camp" (which was somewhere at the part where the Pinatubo Spa Town is located) since there has to be a military (??? not really sure) escort before you can stay there overnight. After the initial shock of the number of people at the place (I wasn't expecting the place to be that crowded) only did I notice the beautiful background which was Pinatubo. It was a breathtaking site...something that would let you forget the two hour trip you just made (mind you, that 1 hour 4X4 and 1 hour trek that we took was the SHORT CUT Ü). When you get there, it's like you've been transported to another place. An officemate of mine even mentioned: "Parang wala ka sa Pilipinas!"...which was actually true. I personally found the aqua blue waters the most amazing among the many wonders of nature to see at the place. Never in my life have I seen such aqua blue waters which I previously thought to be true only in paintings or digitally-enhanced movies, but not in real life.

After taking in the beauty of the place (and a lot of photo ops Ü), we headed down the cement staircase which leads to Mt. P's crater. I'm actually not sure if this is really the crater where lava and that mushroom-shaped pyroclastic flow came out from or if this is only "named" as the crater to make tourists believe that they've reached that part of Mt. P (if anyone reading this blog knows the truth behind this "crater", please do let me know Ü). Nonetheless, I'm just happy to let everyone know that I've reached that part of Mt. P! YEHEY!

Once we got to the crater part of Mt. P, we settled down by laying down our picnic mats and taking a lot more pictures. It was around 9AM when we got there and several of us dipped into Mt. P's crater while the rest played cards, listened to their iPods, took a lot more pictures of the place, or just simply rested under the shade of some of the trees there. Those who went swimming (or "dipping"...I personally didn't swim) had to brave the really cool sulphuric-filled-waters of the crater. It was really, really cold! And here were were expecting it to be warm, if not hot. I'm now regretting not asking the guides if the water there was really that cold or if it was only cold because it rained the day before. Oh well...I can probably ask next time.Ü

Anyway, come lunch time, we all gathered together like one big, happy family Ü and shared in enjoying the lunch prepared for us by some of our officemates (Thanks to Shiela, Megs, Janette, Jacky, and Dulce!!!Ü). Since it was already 12noon, the sun was now shining all over the place (it was actually not that sunny the rest of the morning). Good thing there were trees near the area where we laid our mats so we didn't have to eat lunch under the heat of the sun. After lunch, several groups went ahead and started their trek down so that they can avail of the massage & spa services at Pinatubo Spa Town. The rest of us stayed behind and spent the remaining time by chatting, playing cards, and taking more pictures (Hahaha! Hindi kasi kami camera shy!Ü).

A few minutes before 1PM, we all started to get ready for the trek down. The one and only portalet at the crater was emmitting a pungent smell by then but since there was no other choice, a bunch of us had to brave the smell (or not breathe for the whole duration you're inside the portalet) just so we can relieve ourselves knowing that the nearest decent washroom is two hours away (although you can always be one with nature and do your thing in the talahiban...hehe!Ü).

We finally started our trek back a little past 1PM and this took a good one hour of our time. It was already sunny then so we donned our hats to protect our heads from the heat of the sun. I was also a bit disappointed because some parts that we passed by before where there was water flowing was now dry. I don't know why but the trek back actually took longer than our trek going up. Anyway, after an hour of walking (and taking pictures...ulit!!! hehehe!), we finally reached the place where our 4x4s are parked and immediately climbed in so that we can finally begin our ride going back to base camp. Despite the super bumpy ride, all 5 of us in our 4x4 actually got to sleep the entire trip back. I was actually surprised with myself coz I don't usually fall asleep easily but I did, probably due to exhaustion and lack of sleep the night before.

When we finally got back at Capas, I was feeling "grainy"...literally. I felt like I was a vacuum cleaner and I sucked up all the dust in the world! My white hand towel, which I used to cover my nose for the entire trip back, was now gray in color upon arrival at Capas. And when I tried combing my hands through my hair, it wouldn't go through! As in! Hahaha! It was the dirtiest I felt my entire life! I've never looked forward to taking a bath as much as I did after that 4x4 ride back. Apparently, we were lucky because it was not maalikabok during our 4x4 ride going to Pinatubo because it rained the day before, so we were not "grainy" when we got to the peak (and we looked good in our pictures Ü). But since the sun has already dried up any remnants of rain in the area, we experienced the exact opposite on our ride back. We were so full of dirt to the point that, when I started showering and tried to comb my hand through my hair with water running through it, my hand still wouldn't go through! That was how dirty we all were! So NOT taking a shower was not even an option! I swore, from that point onward, that taking a shower will not be taken for granted anymore (you're talking to someone who would rather be placed inside the washing machine instead of taking a bath. hehehe!).

The shower we took at Pinatubo Spa Town costs P100 and it was the best 100 pesos i've ever spent. The P100 comes with a free soap, use of locker, and towel (which you should return back after use...hindi pwedeng iuwi...not that you would want to...it's just an ordinary towel Ü). They also sell shampoo and conditioner in sachets just in case you forgot to bring your own. I'd give the shower room a grade of "OK" (if there's such a grade Ü) since it was clean and I didn't feel yucky (ano ba yan, so coño! hehe!) when I took a bath there (I actually felt more yucky with myself. Hehe!).

So that was our Pinatubo trip. We just went to Aling Lucing's for dinner (got lost in the process) and experienced the worst rain, flooding, and blackout one could ever imagine for a day trip but at the end of the day, we all got home in one piece, so in my standards, the trip was the best adventure one could have in a day. We got back at PNB at around 11PM, all tired but happy with the adventurous day that we had. My estimated total spending for this day trip is a little over P1,000 (a bit of a breakdown below Ü). And to end this blog, I just have a few notes to leave you with:

If given a choice, choose the “closed” 4X4 (not the “open air” type...maybe there's a lesser chance of getting dirty with the "closed" type 4x4 Ü)
Next time: try the “long cut” (trek time approximately 2 hours, one way)
Next time: try the kayak/boat to the other side of the crater (which you will have to arrange at "base camp"/Capas...prior to all that riding and trekking)

I know this blog is kinda late but I hope it's worth the wait.Ü TTFN!

Money Out...

P15,000 - Bus, Driver, Gas (div by 50)

P 2,500 - 4X4 (div by 5)

P 500 - Skyway Fee (div by 5)

P 250 - Conservation Fee (div by 5)

P 500 - Tour Guide/Porter (div by 5)

"Thank You"s are in order...

Thanks to Ai for being the ultimate trip organizer...for conceptualizing the ala-Amazing Race theme of the trip...and for providing the colorful bandanas for each group! Ang galing mo Ai! Sa uulitin ha?Ü

Thanks to Sir Poch a.k.a. Kuya Kim for giving me an idea on the title of this blog Ü

Thanks again to those who made our lunch! Super sarap! Yum yum!Ü

Thanks to those who took the photos posted here (I can't remember whose cameras these were taken from sa sobrang dami!)

BDO means Beware: Delinquent Office

2009-03-01T00:36:00.000+08:00

It all started with Fitness First encoding my card number in another member's account. To make the long story short, Fitness First billed me wrongly, and they admitted this in a letter that I got from them on the 10th of October 2008, which I faxed to BDO the next day, Oct. 11, 2008. All the while, I was thinking BDO would reverse the finance charges that got accumulated because of the wrong billing (which happened in May 2008) since:

This is the logical thing to do after an investigation where the party is proven innocent hence all charges should be dropped (in this case, reversed), and
That was what their call center agent, Marby, told me in a conversation I had with her last July 21, 2008

But NO!!! BDO DID NOT ACT UPON MY REQUEST...not until two months AFTER faxing that Fitness First letter to them on Oct. 11, 2008. They finally had a resolution by December 4, 2008, after having talked to eight (8) call center agents...and what was their verdict: The request to reverse the finance charges was DISAPPROVED! WTF!

I am not going to write about my travails with this credit card company since that would take forever (but if you want to, i've included at the bottom of this blog the entire history of my problem with BDO). Instead, i'm writing about the reasons why i'm super pissed off with this ****ing credit card company. Now, let's begin...

(1) They have the lousiest sytem for a credit card company that I know. A case in point: They didn't have a copy of all the documents that I sent/faxed. I got this idea because at least 2 agents told me that only the first P420 was approved for reversal. I kept on pointing out to them that HELLO! yung dalawang P420 ang approved...you even reversed the amount of P840 on October 23, 2008 as reflected in my bill. Now you're telling me isa lang yung approved for reversal? Duh! I asked them if they have a copy of all the documents that I faxed to which I found out they don't. Why? I don't know. But what I know is that a big and known company such as theirs should've invested on a system and implemented a process where they can ensure their customers that everything is recorded, saved, and easily-accessible in the system.

(2) Agents who seem to change their statement every time I call:

Cases in point:

Janna Magalong, whom I talked to on 13JAN2009, told me that when I fax the documents, I can call right after to verify if they received it.
Joseph Ramirez, whom I talked to on the night of 13JAN2009, told me the same thing that Janna said.
Air Delfino, whom I talked to on the morning of 14JAN2009, told me that it takes 1 banking day for them to verify receipt of faxed documents.
Odette Lozanta, whom I talked to at 7:50 in the morning of 15JAN2009, told me to check later in the day since the office who receives all faxed documents start work at 8am.
Jrose Espiritu, whom I talked to at 12:30PM of 15JAN2009, told me that it takes a maximum of 2 banking days for them to confirm receipt of faxed documents.

So...gaano ba talaga katagal before they can have the documents that you faxed reflected in their system? Apparently, 10 DAYS or 8 BANKING DAYS! It took them 10 DAYS to confirm receipt of faxed documents. Documents were faxed on 06-JAN-2009, and it was only on the 16th of January that they confirmed receipt of the 06JAN2009 fax...and that wasn't even the one that I called to inquire about...I was inquiring about the fax that I sent on 13JAN2009!

(3) You tell them to call you when they're about to review the case, you even leave ALL of your contact numbers (home, office, mobile...kahit na dapat yung system nila has these information at hand), but THEY DON'T CALL. I had to find out that they already acted on my request when I called to inquire. I reiterated my request that they CALL me when they're about to review the case but all they did was text. So...what part of the word CALL do they not understand? Takot lang ba silang kumausap at ma-bara ng customer? Baka hindi lang marunong mag-english kaya ayaw tumawag...hanggang text lang kasi pwede ipa-check sa ibang tao kung tama ang grammar at spelling.

(4) Annual fee was charged after just ten months of usage of card. Why? Apparently, their charging of annual fee charge is based on the date that the card was released from their system, which was Dec.2007 as I was told. I received and had my card activated on Feb. 20, 2008. That's two months of time where I wasn't aware that BDO was even sending me a credit card. So...logically speaking, how am I supposed to use a credit card that I haven't received? I wasn't even aware that they were sending me a credit card, for Christ's sake! OK lang sa akin that they charge me with annual fee if I didn't reach the agreed annual spending, but ilagay naman sana sa lugar. "ANNUAL" nga eh...meaning one year, which is equivalent to 12 months...HINDI 10! Good thing this additional headache didn't last for long because they reversed the charges by next billing but it just goes to show how lousy and base-less their system is.

(5) Sam Serrano: She had the audacity to tell me that she was monitoring my account the whole time. Oh, really now? If she really was closely monitoring it, then the Finance Charges would've been reversed a long time ago (like 3 months ago, when she first called to inform us that once they have a copy of the credit memo/reversal request letter from Fitness First, they'll reverse all charges ASAP). She even told me na sayang naman daw if I have the card cut-off, with which I told her: "Yung sama ng loob na dinulot nyo sa akin (Yes, I used the word "dinulot") it's not worthit. I'd rather pay P9,000 than continue being your customer. I'd rather have other credit card companies profit from my purchases but definitely NOT BDO." [NOTE: The P9,000 is for the iPod that I availed through their promo] All she could say was sorry and apologize. Don't get me wrong, this is not an attack on the person but on the company she represents, which has the worst system you could possibly think of for a credit card company.

I asked her why it took them so long to reverse the finance charges (it even got disapproved several times...4 times if i'm not mistaken)...to the point that I even had to ask for help from a relative who works at Equitable (which we all now know is BDO) to help me out and it's actually because of this that my request got immediate action (no thanks to any of the agents or to the office to whom these agents forward my requests), and all she could give me as an answer was: Nagpatong-patong na po kasi Ma'am yung request. To which I was not able to give her any reaction because of sheer disbelief to what she just said.

All in all, I talked to a total of 34 people from BDO in a span of 8 months. The headaches finally ended on 12FEB2009 (no thanks to these call center agents) and just last weekend, I got the billing statement with all charges reversed (the finance charges total came up to P6,911.98) and yours truly having no pending balance with BDO. I also already had my card (and the supplementaries) cut off as soon as all charges got reversed and all purchases have been paid (we stopped using the card last December 2008).

So...kung gusto nyo ng sakit ng ulo, go ahead, apply for a BDO Credit Card. Don't tell me I didn't warn you.

Some additional notes:

Since most of the calls I made with BDO was done during lunch break at the office, my officemates can't help but hear all the discussions I had with these BDO agents. When they learned about my problems with BDO, they willingly shared their problems as well...and these are some of them:

My officemate had her BDO credit card cut off because they were charging her finance charges due to late payment. But why was her payment late? Kasi late dumating yung bill ng BDO. She was very angry with BDO that, aside from having her credit card cut off, she closed all her & her husband's accounts with them. And she's not the only one with that same case. Another officemate of mine has been having problems with the receipt of their statement kasi laging just in the nick of time kung dumating. There was even one time, kinailangan pa nila takutin yung kausap nila from BDO telling them that pag hindi dumating yung statement, hindi nila babayaran yung bill. Ayun, the next day, the bill arrived. So...kailangan may pananakot pa'ng involved bago dumating yung bill? Shame on you, BDO!

Post Script...I was asked to try to end this on a "positive" note, and here's all that I came up with: BDO credit card should really try to improve the way they handle things and employ call center agents that can decide right there and then, which is how things are with other credit card companies. They at least owe this to the customers they have left.

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My BDO credit card, all cut up, along with my mom's and dad's

Letters faxed/emailed to BDO (in chronological order):

[Feel free to click on the picture to read the entire letter/history]

All Calls History

From PADI to RETRO

2009-02-25T18:52:00.007+08:00

I could sum up the highlights of my day with these three letters: P, Q, and R.

P: PADI License

While heading to the bathroom this morning, I saw a PADI envelope in our nook and immediately got excited. If i'm right, this is the license I've been waiting for: My PADI Open Water Diver License! True enough, it really was!!! Because of my rush and excitement, I tore off the part of the envelope with the PADI logo in it. This isn't actually much of a big deal but i'm sentimental that way. Oh well, no use crying over spilled milk, right? Besides, I got my license just in the nick of time since my temporary license is about to expire (its validity is only 90 days from issuance).

What made this more special is that, in the group of 7 that went diving in Davao last year, I was the first one who got the PADI license. Yippeee!!! Naka-lamang ako sa inyo guys! HEHEHE! Although Angel's might be in the mail already.Ü

Q: Queen

I've been reading mixed reviews about Miley Cyrus' dress at the Oscars. Some love it, some hate it. When I first saw it on Yahoo, I didn't know what or how to react: Do I love it? No...not lovin' the look. Do I like it? Hmmm...i'm not sold out about it. Will I wear it if given a chance? I guess I'll do in the very remote possibility that I will be crowned the next queen of Britain. Haha!

My officemate and I had a brief discussion about the dress today. We both had the same sentiments about it: The dress was not bad but it was not great either. She said it was just too bejeweled, and I agree. I told her my thoughts...that I'd only wear that (if given a chance to) for super special occassions like getting crowned a queen or princess (do they crown princessess? anyhow...)....but a thought occurred just now: Will that be a nice wedding dress? Not my cup of tea but I guess it would look good as a wedding dress once the blue accents are replaced by white or champagne-colored ones. Hmmm...I guess this would be a thought to ponder on.

R: Retro

Wednesday nights, for me, are Retro nights at the gym. Fitness First's Mall of Asia branch has this one hour Retro class every Wednesday at 6:30PM and I never fail to attend such class except:

When I have my monthly period
When I have other important matters to attend to (I even go out of my way not to schedule any gimmicks on Wednesday nights or schedule meetings that might go beyond 5:30PM on Wednesday afternoons)
When I'm not in town
When I'm sick

So imagine my disappointment of not being able to attend today's class (obviously, coz i'm writing this blog) mainly because my brother failed to pick me up on time. He was at the office at 6:30PM...and what time does the Retro class start? 6:30PM!!! Ano pa'ng aabutan ko dun given that I still have to change clothes when I get there before I can attend the class? I would've told him to bring me there had there been space in the car for me to change, but NO. He had the entire back seat removed and covered the entire space with a humongous sound system that I don't see the point of! He's such a spoiled brat! And, guess what? He had the nerve to tell me (NOT in a polite or sorry manner, mind you), "Ano ba talaga? Sabi ni Mommy i-hatid daw kita." after I told him to just head home because I obviously would be missing a big chunk of the class anyway (of course I was mad when I told him this). Aba! Nagawa pa nyang sabihin sakin yun? If I was the one who's wrong I would've said "I'm sorry" but it looks like he's not even sorry at all. I want to shout, cry, or throw something but I know that's just not the right thing to do for something very minor like this. I'm just really, very, super pissed off!!! =(

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Pictures from www.padi.com and www.justjared.buzznet.com.

A Valentine to Remember

2007-03-28T22:18:00.001+08:00

"I can see clearly now the rain is gone

I can see all obstacles in my way..."

That's the song playing over and over in my head for the past month now. Why, you may ask. Because, after N years (where N is any one-digit number), I finally had something to look forward to this V-day of 2007. NO, I didn't have a date...unless you consider lying on the operating table with a doctor poking your eyeballs a date.Ü Yep, you read it right: for V-day 2007, para maiba naman, I asked my doctor to poke my eyeballs for 30 minutes. HAHA! Just joking. He just scraped it with a spatula (at least that's what I heard him saying to his assistant). The scraping is true though (the poking, a bit true).Ü Why-oh-why, do you ask? Well, because FINALLY, after 4 years of contemplating, I had my eyes lasered.

Believe it or not, most people ask me WHAT and WHY: WHAT is Laser Eye Surgery (or is it Eye Laser Surgery???Ü) and WHY did I have it done on both my eyes. So let me try to explain this to you the best that I can. Laser surgery for the eye is a process wherein the cornea is reshaped so that one's eye (or both eyes) can see clearer. At least that's how I understood it. Anyone with a better explanation, feel free to come forward and post a comment.Ü So...WHY did I have it done? Well, I've been thinking about this for years now (after having read Mark Nelson's article onLasik last November 2003) since I'm never really a fan of wearing my ever-dependable eyeglasses (as most of my friends would know). People would only see me wearing my glasses on these occasions: when driving; when watching TV, a show or a movie; when in a meeting; or when I have to look at something from afar. These are the only times you'd see me wearing my glasses. Of course my sunglasses are a different story (coz I LOVE wearing those!Ü). But it would be funny (and not to mention weird and impractical) if I wore my sunglasses all the time (even at night).

Let me just mention to you now that my plan is to actually have my eyes lasered this year...on the month of October, preferably on my birthday (which falls on a Friday this year Ü). But my schedule got messed up by one newspaper article which my dad saw last January. It's a promo offered by St. Luke's Vision Laser Center (VLC) for a 20% discount on Laser Eye Surgery to those who would be screened for the period of Jan.15 to 31. So we called and tried to schedule for an appointment only to find out that they're already jampacked! Good thing they extended the promo 'til Feb.16 for those who called during the month of January. So, to make the long story short, we got ourselves scheduled for screening last Feb.10, found out that both my mom and I are good candidates for laser surgery, and had ourselves scheduled for surgery on the only date left (for those who are trying to catch the promo): Feb.14.

SCREENING
The screening took almost 2 hours for both my mom and I (this includes the waiting time in between the tests) because there were a lot of other patients there (I guess they were all trying to catch the promo too Ü). And from what I remember, they did around 10 tests on both my eyes and I will try and enumerate all of these for you:

The common eye test where there's a small house with a bit of red in it surrounded by a field full of green grass
The red dot with yellow flashing circles test
The common checking of the grade of the eye test where you read all these letters from afar wearing the funny glasses Ü. But this time they also checked the refraction (well, i'm not really sure kung refraction nga yun...Ü) of the eye by asking me to rotate the lens on the funny glasses and stop at the point where my vision is most clear.
The triangle test where they doctor checks what your dominant eye is (mine's my left Ü)
The spiderweb test which requires that all lights near the equipment be turned OFF
The red dot with purple circles test, wherein your face is placed at an angle rather than straight ahead as with the other tests
Then there's this other red dot test
The tear test...to see how much tears your eyes naturally produce
The eye pressure test
The eye refraction-pupil dilation test, which is quite nakakasilaw because the doctor tries to check your eyes using a flashlight (of course it's not your usual flashlight...I just don't know what to call it Ü)

As you can see, I'm very creative in naming all these tests for you guys (HAHA!). I didn't ask the person (who did all these tests on me) the exact names and purpose of all these tests lest she find me annoying so you'll just have to bear with what i've written above.Ü

Moving along...on the day my mom and I were screened, Doc Richie (our eye doctor) informed us that he can actually do either LASIK or LASEK surgery on our eyes. So, what's the difference, you may ask. Well, to give you a gist, with LASIK, the doctor cuts a flap then applies the laser on your eye, returns the flap, and you're good to go. This is actually the more popular choice. LASEK, on the other hand, does not involve any cutting but instead some scraping of the surface cells, moving to one side the thin film that results from the scraping, applying the laser, then returning the thin film around the eyeball and then placing a bandage contact lens to protect the eye. Wow! That was a mouthful. I'm sure i'm not the best person to explain all these Grey's Anatomy-like stuff to you so it would be better if you check out the VLC website of St. Luke's.

With our options laid out infront of us, I chose LASEK rather than LASIK basically because sigurista ako (with my mom though, the doctor recommended LASEK because her eyes do not produce enough tears as we found out in screening test #8).Ü With LASEK, since there's no flap that was cut, I can just go around doing my business like I never had laser surgery on my eyes. If I eventually wanted to get into any contact sport like Taekwondo and the likes, I wouldn't have to worry about my eye. The only catch is, my eyes would take longer to heal, as compared with LASIK where you can actually go back to work the day after your surgery. However, with LASIK, you would have to think twice if ever you want to get into any contact sports in the future...or if you get into a fight, then you'll just have to make sure that you'll be extra careful around the eye area. This is basically because there was a flap that was cut and kung minamalas ka talaga, at natamaan yung mata mo (even if it's years after the surgery) and the flap got opened, then...you'll have to go see your doctor ASAP. But the chance of this happening is very slim according to my doctor. The choice you make is basically dependent on your lifestyle. And eventhough I'm not really into any contact sport at the moment, I just chose the safer route (sigurista nga eh), just in case gusto ko makipag-jombagan with anyone in the future, at least I wouldn't have to worry about my eye.Ü

SURGERY
So, the day of the surgery came and I was both excited and nervous. Excited because FINALLY, I will have better vision, and nervous because of all these scary stuff my officemates (who previously had their eyes lasered) told me when I asked them what to expect during surgery (one even said, "Don't forget to breathe! Because I did!" HAHA!Ü).

Before the surgery, they put a lot of drops on both my eyes, mostly anesthesia, but i'm not sure if there are others that they put in. Then, they cleaned the eye area with a brown stuff that looked like Betadine (I'm not sure but baka Betadine nga yung nilagay nila), escorted me to the operating table, wrapped me in plastic (like a lumpia...I don't know why but i'm thankful that they did because the room was super cold) and asked me to relax, just focus on the red dot, and to just simply answer their questions with a YES, NO, or OK to avoid any unecessary head movements. Then the doctor put something like a plastic (with a hole in the middle) that adheres to the skin, around my eye, then put a lid retractor (at least that's what I heard Ü) to help keep my eye stay opened throughout the surgery. Then he started to poke my eye. He asked me if I felt it, and I said NO (Wow! The anesthesia worked! HAHA!). Then the doctor started doing what I assume are the preparatory steps prior to applying the laser. He placed some sort of washer on top of my eye, asked for a spatula, did some scraping, he kept on saying "Maganit." (HAHA! I'll explain more later...), and sprayed a lot of water on my eye (i'm not sure if there was a vacuum that sucks all the excess water as well...just like at the dentist!Ü). That's basically what I saw (from my point of view) and what was explained to me during the surgery (the doctor walks you throughout the entire procedure).

After all those, they applied the laser. They asked me to just focus on the red dot and avoid any movement of the eye (although their equipment tracks any eye movement during the application of the laser). During this time, I can smell something burning and I can hear the other doctor (I think he's the anesthesiologist) saying "50%"..."75%"...which, I guess, is the amount of laser application done on my eye (I am NOT sure of this). Anyway, after that, the doctor checked my eye once again, put the bandage contact lens, and said, "We're done."...with the left eye at least.Ü He then proceeded to prep my right eye and did the exact same routine (the other eye, the one NOT being prepped or lasered, is covered with a black, plastic eye patch with holes for the entire time).

When they were prepping my 2nd eye (the right one), my nervousness was all gone basically because I already knew what to expect. I was even thinking of things that I wanted (and can) do after the surgery (HAHA!). Contrary to what my officemates made me to believe, the surgery was not scary at all. You just really have to focus on the red dot...and that's super easy to do.Ü Anyway, after both my eyes were done, they escorted me back to the waiting area (I don't know what to call it Ü) and saw my mom getting prepped for her surgery. She immediately told me that she got to watch my eyes get poked, scraped, and lasered on the TV at the waiting area.Ü As it turns out, all surgeries done there are videotaped so when it was my mom's turn to have her surgery, I tried to watch as much as I can while constantly reminding myself to blink (since it's human nature to blink less when watching TV or anything similar...and remember that this was AFTER I had my laser surgery). I checked the time and noted that it only took 30 minutes for the doctor to finish the surgery for both my eyes. My mom's one eye was over in 10 minutes (she only had one eye done, as recommended by the doctor, so that one will be used for looking at far objects, the other, for reading).

After everything was done, I asked the doctor why he kept on saying maganit during my surgery. As it turns out, the surface cells of both my eyes were very much adherent to the eyeball such that rather than being able to preserve a thin film of the surface cells, he had to take everything off because he couldn't keep everything intact. This procedure is called PRK or Photo-Refractive Keratectomy which is actually the mother of LASEK. So, again, what's the difference? With LASEK, you get to preserve a thin film of the surface cells which you move to the side before applying the laser and return back on after. With PRK, you scrape everything off. That's basically the layman's way of explaining it.

POST-OP
Post-surgery, they gave us a kit containing the meds (mostly eyedrops) that we had to put on our eyes periodically (one had to be dropped every hour that we're awake). They explained to us the do's and don't's that we had to take note of after surgery, like DO put cold compress on our eyes to help lessen the discomfort (if there are any)...DON'T open your eyes when taking a bath (to avoid having water enter the eyes)...DO try to blink as much as you can...DON'T put make-up for several days after the surgery...etc, etc....Ü They provided us with detailed instructions printed on paper (click here) that lists down what i've mentioned above and a lot more.

After the surgery, I felt some discomfort in both my eyes that feels like there's a foreign object stuck in it. Also, both eyes were sensitive to light so it really was a MUST to wear the very dark sunglasses that was included in the kit (my mom and I fondly call it Luke-ley...a play on St. Luke's and the famous Oakley brand for sunglasses). We were instructed to go home and rest as much as we can, but seeing that there were errands that needed to be done on that day, we were stuck doing those errands with my dad (the designated driver since my mom and I both can't drive) driving from one place (Eng Bee Tin for one...to buy tikoy) to another (my sister Bambi's place...to drop off some of her stuff). We got home around 8pm and immediately rested with our ice packs on hand. I didn't watch TV (which is what I usually do) but listened instead to the CD propped on my player that night as the ice pack rested on both my newly-lasered eyes. My vision was still blurry at that time, but that was to be expected. I kept a vision diary and tried to document as much as possible what I felt on the days following the surgery. Here's a run-down of what i've written since Day One.Ü

Day 1: Vision is blurry, as to be expected. Eyes are sensitive to light...gotta wear those Luke-ley glasses while eating at Gloria Maris...I think the waiter thought my mom and I were both weirdos. HAHA! One of the eyedrop medicine stings! =( Ironically, it's a painkiller.

Day 2: Eyes still sensitive to light. Visited doc for the one day post-op checkup. Everything's OK according to him.Ü

Day 3: Super malabo both my eyes today especially when reading something near...it's harder to see the PC monitor now as compared to yesterday (Oh yes! I logged on yesterday...but only for a short time.). According to doc, the blurry eyesight might be due to the surface cells healing & meeting up right smack at the center of my eye. Wow! What a nice place to meet up, huh?!Ü

Day 4: I can see and read better...even read the newspaper this morning.Ü

Day 5: Back to work today. Grabe, it's super hard to read anything on my monitor! But...I gotta work...so I just did what I can with what I have.Ü Checkup with Doc Richie today (after office) to remove the bandage contact lens (YEY! It was getting a bit annoying already seeing as I have contact lens intolerance...i think.Ü). Eyesight still a bit blurry even after removing the lenses and according to Doc, this is due to the surface, although already covered up, is still healing & smoothening out. It usually takes around 1-3 weeks after surgery for eyesight to be OK...tagal pa! =(

Day 6: Vision same as yesterday but clears for a few seconds after putting Genteal eyedrops. Come afternoon, eyesight better...like before surgery.Ü

Day 7: Eyesight is better...I no longer have to squint infront of the PC (which I've been doing since day 2)...but vision is still not clear as before PRK. Also, I think my bangs hit my right eye today (lagot!)...mas malabo tuloy tingin ko sa right eye as compared to the left. =( NOTE: I can easily read the plate number of the car directly infront of me (while driving)...2nd car infront - NOPE. Yipeee! I needed glasses to read those pre-surgery...

Day 8: Vision same as yesterday...still a bit blurry when looking at the PC.

Day 9: Had a briefing on RAPID Cargo System today and guess what? I can easily see and read the RAPID presentation even when I was seated at the back row!Ü

Day 10: Appointment with Doc Richie. Vision is 20/25 na raw...Ü Told Doc that eyesight is blurry when reading anything in my PC. According to him it's to be expected coz I can see far objects clearly now so when reading anything near, it won't be as sharp as it was before. Yikes! I didn't know that! =(

Day 11: Same vision as yesterday...nothing new to document today.

Day 12: Eyesight was quite uncomfy in the afternoon...a bit mahapdi en route home. I noticed my eyes were a bit dry at the office in the PM. Dunno if it's because of the aircon (it was super cold @ the office today). Blurry when looking at the PC...but there were moments it was clear.Ü

Days 13 to 18: Didn't write anything about my vision for these days...hehe...Ü

Day 19: Doc Richie said I can start putting on makeup now (HURRAY!Ü)...but stay away from eyeshadow.

Day 24: Appointment with Doc Richie today...according to him, I can put even eyeshadow makeup now! WEEEEE!Ü Just make sure that I don't sundot my eyes (As if i'll do that! Hehe!). Had the usual eye checkup and, lo and behold: my eyesight is now 20/20!!!

Okay...so here's the deal...i've nothing written for Day 25 onwards basically because since then, everything's been a-OK!Ü Remember what I said on Day 10? Well, everything's back to how it was before surgery...meaning, it's clear as well when I look at the PC and when looking at anything from afar! HURRAY!Ü That was P50,000 worth spent! HAHA!Ü No joke...Ü Now, I just feel like my eyes are a bit dry when at the office, something I've never noticed pre-surgery. I think it's because of the aircon since when i'm NOT at the office, I don't notice any dryness in my eyes. I've been meaning to ask Doc Richie about it (via text since our next appointment is scheduled the week after Holy Week), but...in true Candy form...I haven't texted him as of writing this blog. Though I read in the Instructions provided that dryness is to be expected during the healing process. So now, i'm just wondering if i'm still in the healing phase? Oh well...I can always ask on our next appointment...or text him when I find the time.

WHEW! That was a lengthy one!Ü I hope you guys enjoyed reading this month's blog (though I posted it a bit late...sorry!). If you have any comments, questions, or violent reactions, just leave a message on the tag board or leave a comment as you please. Have a peaceful Holy Week everyone! I'll leave you with pictures of my mom and I, with Doc Richie, right after surgery. I'll ask Doc if I can have a copy of the video of our surgery to share with you guys as well (HAHA!). For now, I guess I'll just keep on singing I Can See Clearly Now over and over again!Ü 'Til next month's blog then.Ü Ciao!

Bob Marley - I Can See Clearly Now.mp3 - Bob Marley

Old Movies

2009-02-21T20:58:00.000+08:00

Not really one to brave the crowds and traffic on Valentine's Day, I opted to stay at home and initially planned to start watching the 5th season of House. But on V-day itself, I was given a copy of an old movie entitled Same Time, Next Year (thanks Sir K!) so I spent V-day watching old, romantic movies instead, which was really not my cup of tea but I wanted to "discover something new in me" last V-day so I did something that I've never done before...which was to watch old movies.Ü

Same Time, Next Year (1978)

In a gist, these two individuals, who are married to their respective spouses, met by chance at an inn in 1951, spent the night together, and after having shared a lot of their thoughts and feelings to each other, decided to meet up again at the same time of the next year...and they did for the next 26 years or so (the film ended in the year 1977 with both characters still alive...thankfully!Ü).

To the guys out there, this is a chick flick so you might not find it that interesting. I actually almost decided not to finish the film after having seen the first few minutes of it but the movie's soundtrack featured a song that I liked so I couldn't dare myself to stop the movie right in the middle of it, which was good since I ended up liking the film. The song, which was played every so often in the movie, was one of the things I liked in the film. It's The Last Time I Felt Like This, which you might not recall now but I'm sure you've heard of this once or twice before (the song starts with "Hello, I don't even know your name, but I'm hopin' all the same, this is more than just a simple hello..."). Oh...I just love it! I downloaded the song immediately after. Anyway, enough about the song...let's get back to the movie. So, why did I like it? The thought of having someone who's not a constant factor in your life, who doesn't have any connection to any of your family or friends, but whom you can share all your thoughts and feelings with is something that intrigues me...and something that I wish to have if life permits (of course minus the "sleeping together" part if we're both married Ü). It's just such a refreshing idea knowing that any judgement he (or she) has of you is based on how he (or she) has known you over those one-weekend-a-year that you get to spend together. So that's my two cent's worth about the movie, which I recommend if you just want to watch a light-hearted, romantic comedy.Ü

Somewhere in Time (1980)

One evening, while waiting for my mom to finish up at the gym, I browsed through the VCDs available for borrowing at the gym and came across this Somewhere in Time VCD which apparently stars Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. We all know who Christopher Reeve is (need I mention Superman?Ü), while Jane Seymour will forever be etched in my mind as one of the celebrities who competed in the 5th Season of Dancing with the Stars (US). Anyway, since this movie will be blending well with my Old Movies for V-Day theme, I decided to download it and watch it last V-day weekend.

In a nutshell, the movie revolves around Richard Collier's (Christopher Reeve's character) quest to go back to 1912 where he apparently met Elise McKenna (Jane Seymour), the love of his life. Oh, by the way, the movie's setting started in the year 1972. How he got back 50 years earlier? Apparently by tricking his mind that it's 1912. Anyway, that part's well-documented in the film so I'll just go straight with my views and opinions about the film. To say that the movie was mind-boggling is an understatement. I actually had to write down all my thoughts right after watching the movie, and here they are:

(1) What happened to Elise after Richard went back to the present? -This one I got to answer after a few minutes: Ayun...nabuhay sya without Richard. Hinanap nya malamang si Richard and saw him in the play where she gave the watch back.

(2) Why did Elise say..."Is it you?" (or something like that) when she first saw Richard in 1912? -I still don't get this up until now. Maybe i'll find the answer when I watch this movie for the 2nd time.

(3) How could Richard have existed in two different eras? -Well, I guess this is just something you'll have to accept when watching a film having a tag phrase of Someday in the past, he will find her.

So those are my thoughts about Somewhere in Time. Did I like it? Well, I guess I did, but not as much as Same Time, Next Year. Will I watch it again? Why not? Christopher Reeve was just super handsome in the movie that you really can't take your eyes off him. And Jane Seymour was beautiful in the film. Such a perfect pair. And Arthur's character (the one person who was alive as a very young boy in 1912 and as a hotel bell boy in the present) was just so endearing to watch.Ü I also loved the movie's soundtrack, which has the same title as the movie...a timeless classic indeed (well, what can I say, I just love sappy, old love songs Ü).

That was how I spent last weekend. I have a few more old movies here, which was lent to me by my officemate: Casablanca, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and Funny Face. I'm not actually sure if I'll get to watch these...it depends if I like the plots of these movies after I Google it. Nonetheless, i'll copy them just in case I feel the urge to watch old movies in the future. That's all for now folks! Happy weekend!

Old Movies OST

2008 in Retrospect

2009-01-04T13:20:00.003+08:00

For lack of a better title, I'm recycling one that I used before...but with a different year, of course.Ü So since we've already bid goodbye to 2008 and 2009 is already 4-days old, I'd like to take the opportunity to look back on the year that was and try, as much as possible, to remember the highlights of my year (which would entail browsing through my ever-reliable daily planner since I have this sickness that you call memory gap...Ü).

I got to go, for the first time, to the following places in the Philippines: Boracay, Davao, and Hundred Islands Ü
I became a Licensed Open Water DIVEr (hindi DRIVEr ha...hehehe!)
I got promoted Ü (I know promotion's a great thing but I now have half-day Saturday work)
I got to see and hang out with my best friend Silver when she had this spur-of-the-moment Manila vacation in September Ü
My mom stopped smoking!!!Ü
My brother Kyle graduated high school and started college at CSB
The re-opening of the small rotonda at Domestic Road...after less than a month of closing it AND yours truly bombarding the **** traffic enforcers with snide comments, suggestions, opinions, justifications, and all what-have-you's every time I get the chance to (I literally go out of my way to talk to them about this impractical traffic scheme that they implemented)
Acer replaced my problematic PC (i'm actually not sure if this should be here or on the 'other' list since I am NOT happy with its OS)
Went on a "spree" towards the latter part of the year
Got addicted to Gossip Girl and House
Had a room makeover (I am still about to blog about this Ü)
The entire Philippines had a super long Christmas/New Year vacation
I had my first ever Rafting and Zip Line experience
Bumped into Anne Curtis and her model friends at the Araneta Center's washroom before the Bench Blackout Fashion Show
Finally solved that "Ñ check printing" problem at work (yippeee!Ü)
And since I love weddings, I got to go to the following weddings this year: Corina & Chito, Ian & Ethel, Ella & Marvin, Eli & Joseph Ü

The CONS of 2008, on the other hand, are...

Problem with Fitness First & BDO
My birthday fiasco (dalawa yun, but I don't want to reiterate)
I lapsed in my "blogging promise" (to myself) of 1 blog per month

Forgive me if I don't want to elaborate on the last three since I want to remember 2008 for its happy-happy, joy-joy moments and not on those things I'd rather forget. And since 2009 has already begun, my wish for everyone is a year where the fun and happy moments totally outweigh the not-so-happy ones.Ü TTFN!Ü

To JOY

2005-08-05T18:12:00.002+08:00

In Memory of...
Joy Angelica Crisostomo Pongco
25 March 1982 – 29 July 2005

It’s still clear in my mind. Saturday morning. 30th of July 2005. I was inside the car. I just dropped off my brother & mom at my bro’s school & was waiting for my mom to come back when I remembered that someone texted me while I was driving. So I got my phone & read the message. It was from my friend Aya. It read: “Dear friend, Joy Pongco died yesterday at 3PM. Her remains lie at Magallanes. We will all be with her.” First thing that came to mind was, “What? Is this a joke?” Instinct told me to call up Aya, not really knowing what to say. Should I scold her for sending such a prank? Or...could it be true? I didn’t want to think about it. I didn’t even want to entertain the idea. This could not be true. Then came Aya’s voice on the other end of the line. I asked her, “Joke ba ‘to?” Then she replied, “Candy, mag-jojoke ba ko ng ganyan?” So then it was true. But how come? Why? What happened next is all a blur to me now. I remember asking what happened, where Joy is at the moment, all sorts of stuff that will validate whether this is true or not. Then I cried. I didn’t know what else to do. And then, in that moment, despite it being a sunny morning, it felt like darkness came & prevailed over what was left of my thoughts & feelings.

It actually hasn’t sunk in yet, even though I’ve already seen her, all peaceful & serene. I can’t even describe what I’m feeling right now. I feel sad in general. But mixed emotions overcome me every now & then. I feel guilty because the last time I saw her was September of last year during my advance birthday celebration. Come to think of it, that was the last time our barkada was complete. Who knew back then that the next time I will see Joy, she’ll be in a coffin, lifeless & still. I feel guilty because I was in Baguio when the whole barkada watched live the Bb. Pilipinas pageant 2005 to root for Arfie who was competing that night. Had I been in Manila, I would’ve been able to see Joy for the last time since she wasn’t able to come to the succeeding barkada gimmicks that we had. I feel guilty because I could’ve done a lot of things to let her know that I miss her & to let her know that I’m still here. I could’ve called her up to ask what’s up...I could’ve texted her “musta” on one of those times when she sent me quotes via SMS...I could’ve emailed her letters or sent her a message via YM...I could’ve done a lot of things to keep in touch but I didn’t. So now, all that’s left are regrets & this painful feeling knowing that I’ll never hear her laugh...I’ll never see her smile...I’ll never hear her voice...and I’ll never feel her touch & squeeze her in a really tight bear-hug ever again.

It’s weird but I sometimes find myself scolding Joy for leaving us too soon. I’d tell her (in my mind) that we still have Macel’s wedding to attend to next year. Why didn’t she even wait for that? Aside from that, we still had a lot of plans as a barkada. We still have plans of going abroad as a barkada & going on a vacation as a group, probably in Boracay. Why didn’t you wait for that to happen, Joy? Kainis ka naman eh, iniwan mo kami...Iniwan mo kami when you know that you still have so much in store for you. You’re still supposed to get married, have kids...we were also gonna start our own business, diba? Ikaw yung accountant then the rest of us have our own roles in the company. With your passing, napapapisip tuloy ako...siguro hindi kikita ‘tong company natin kaya you decided to leave para di na matuloy at di na tayo malugi. Hehehe...Kidding aside, I don’t want to dwell on things not done and things that we failed to do. I’d rather remember the moments we got to share together...the break times we shared at the lunch counters in St. Scho...the bonding sessions at Maris’ house...the sleepover (where we didn’t get any sleep) at Intercon on Macel’s birthday...the kwentuhan at Manila Hotel after Mian’s debut...the “videoke challenge” at my house last year on my birthday celebration...I’d rather think of all these memories than wonder about the “what-could’ve-been’s” and “what-might’ve-been’s” if only you were able to be with us longer. I’m quite sure that’s what you would want us to do.

Hay naku, Joy...there are a lot of things I want to say to you, I don’t even know where to start. I want to say sorry...I want to say thank you...I want to say I love you...I want to say I miss you...I want to say a lot of things that I don’t even know how to put into writing. But even though I can’t sort all these thoughts out at the moment, I know that you know what I mean...and you know what I feel...and that somehow, I know I’m able to get these thoughts across to you no matter how jumbled-up they may seem.

I don’t know how long it will take for all these to sink in...I don’t know when I’ll be able to accept the fact that you’re no longer with us physically...But despite all these, I know that I am consoled by the fact that you didn’t suffer much. That you opted to leave silently and at peace. Your passing has taught me to cherish life even more...to cherish my family and friends even more...and to keep in touch.

Joy, wherever you are, may your inherent goodness and sunny disposition be always with us as we face the world without you by our side. To Joy’s family, thank you for the gift that is Joy. To everyone whose lives were touched by Joy, remember this: we didn’t actually lose a loved one...we gained an angel. I love you Joy! I miss you! Til our paths cross again...*MUAH!*

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I just want to share this SMS sent to me by Joy last April. I found it very touching at the time that’s why I never erased it from my phone. But its meaning is deeper now, more than ever. Here it goes...”I can never change the direction of the wind...but I can always adjust my sails just to reach you...hope we’ll stay in touch for the rest of our lives & remain forever friends.” Joy, I promise to keep in touch although you’re not here with us anymore because I believe that the bond of friendship endures through everything, even through the realm of mortality. I love you gurl...I miss you! BWP4ever...

Losin' Myself in Footloose the Musical

2005-09-21T06:36:00.001+08:00

I love to dance. I haven't had any professional background on dancing but i just looove it. So...when i first heard of Footloose the Musical, my initial instinct was to know how to get tickets for the show (plus hope that the tix won't be too pricey Ü). However, i was faced with another dilemma...i don't know anyone who would be interested to watch the show with me (if only i had a special someone...but that's a totally different story...Ü). It took quite a while for me to find someone who would accompany me to the show. For starters, i'm the only person i know who loves Jay-R & doesn't find him "icky." Good thing i found friends who are equally eager to watch the show...Well, actually, 1 friend who was equally-eager (that's you Pam Ü)...another friend who got dragged into it but eventually was also eager (not as i am though) to watch the show after seeing a clip on it on TV (that's you Assu!)...and 3 others who i believe really got dragged in to watching it coz i couldn't find any reason on why they'd watch a musical such as this (i'm definitely grateful though...the night wouldn't be as fun without you guys...Maris, Rex & Gela)...So anyway, with the dilemma on "tix" and "pax" all covered for, we were now all set to see Footloose the Musical @ Meralco Theater on the 17th of September 2005, 8PM.

I wasn't expecting much from the show given that this is the first major project of the said production (i'm not so sure 'bout this though...). Also, i read a review from the paper (after having purchased the tix...) that the said musical still had some room for improvement...but it's a good show in general. Plus, my dream of seeing Jay-R on stage went down the drain when i read that Jay-R did not actually open the show on its initial staging coz apparently, he hasn't memorized all his lines yet (i'm not sure if this is just gossip or not). Anyway, i consoled myself by thinking that...what the heck, i'm not a professional critique when it comes to musicals or theater, i'm sure i'll enjoy this anyway, and...having Jay-R there or not is OK (but i still kept my fingers crossed that he's there Ü) since: (1) Footloose is synonymous to dance & i looove to dance; and (2) i just soooper love the 80s (i actually think i was born in the wrong era Ü)!

So...there i was in Meralco Theater with my tiny bag of expectations about Footloose the Musical. But oh boy...was i not ready for the surprises that lie ahead into the night. So...allow me to elaborate & enumerate: Surprise #1: Seeing Papa Piolo. NO, he's not part of the cast so this was really such a shocker. I'm actually thanking God for my über petite bladder that can only hold as much! Given that i gobbled up an entire big cup of iced tea before the show, i actually had to go to the washroom three times the entire time i was at Meralco Theater. The 2nd time was right before the show started. So...guess who were we to bump into en route to the ladies room? Papa Piolo of course!!! My God! I actually didn't notice him given that i was not wearing my glasses so my "peripheral" vision was limited to only a foot Ü...that's why we had to back-up a bit so i could get a closer look. WOW...heaven! He's moreno, though still a bit vertically-challenged (in my standards). But i guess his looks more than make up for his height. Well, that was my chance encounter with Papa Piolo. Next surprise, Surprise #2: In the ladies room with Lucy Torres. Well, this isn't as kilig & fun as seeing Piolo, but 'twas also such a "starstruck" experience for me since i actually read her two columns in the newspaper every week. She really is maputi. And tall. I didn't expect her to be that tall, though i've already seen her twice before in the last two Bench fashion shows. But this was the first time for me to see her in a more "up-close-and-personal" manner. Again, i thank God for my über petite bladder for this instance coz this was the same trip to the washroom in which we bumped into Papa Piolo beforehand. What were the chances of seeing two celebrities in a single bathroom break? Super slim i suppose...Ü Oh, by the way...Lucy was with Ben Chan that night. And given that there were quite a handful of VIPs that night (i consider Ben, Piolo & Lucy as VIPs...aside from US of course, haha!), i was hoping that, well...maybe Jay-R will be in this show Ü. And, lo & behold...Surprise #3: Jay-R opens the show. My heart literally skipped a beat when i saw him strut his stuff & sing the opening lines of..."Been working so hard, i'm punchin' my card, Eight hours for what, oh tell me what i got..." I'm not exaggerating when i say that my heart actually skipped a beat when i saw him. This is true. Dunno why... Probably the lack of a lovelife has made me a hopeless romantic...resolving instead to celebrities for inspiration. Haha! Anyway, the less than 800 bucks that i spent for the show paid off the moment the musical started. My friends & i were actually thinking that this was totally worthit & more than what we bargained for. Ü

Given the "events" that transpired before the show, i'd have to say that the events that followed (that is, the musical itself) also put up a good fight & didn't leave me disappointed. The musical was all in all good despite the few boring moments & technical (sound & lighting) glitches. But, like i said, i'm not a professional critique...and i actually enjoyed the show despite its shortcomings. The show had its memorable moments as well, especially when the cast was belting out some of my favorite 80s songs such as Holdin' Out For A Hero, Let's Hear It For The Boy, Almost Paradise, and of course, my all-time favorite, Footloose, which they sang as their opening & closing act (a double treat for me! Ü). There were also some other memorable songs that stick to memory such as Somebody's Eyes and Mama Says...as well as memorable perfromances from some of the cast members such as Giancarlo Magdangal as the cowboy-hat-and-jumper-suit-wearing, totally-momma's-boy, geeky-but-lovable Willard Hewitt...Nikki Valdez as one of the perky sidekicks of Ariel (the girl lead of the musical), Wendy Jo...and Caisa Borromeo as Rusty, who wowed the audience while singing Let's Hear It For The Boy (with Willard trying to dance in the background).Ü

I have to admit, the best performance of the night was that of Jay-R's (OK, OK...i know i'm quite bias but you'll have to let this pass...i'm the one writing this article anyway Ü). So maybe he's got a lot more to learn when it comes to acting in theater but oh-my-honey...this guy can DANCE. Well, i already know this for a fact having seen him groove on TV, but he still impressed me (and a lot others i suppose) with the way he moves & grooves to the music. Gela even mentioned that after having seen the show, she now has a newfound respect for the guy, who, just hours ago she thought was just one of those good-looking but talent-less actors in showbusiness. Aside from dancing, i was also soooper mesmerized by Jay-R's voice...Oh wow! All the time i was imagining that he was singing to me instead of Iya Villania (who, by the way, played Ariel Moore, the other lead), especially when they were both singing a duet of Almost Paradise (which has been playing over & over in my mind for the past few days...Ü). Haay...super imagine-to-death ako that Jay-R was singing to me. Wish ko lang...but sometimes, wishes do come true so...i'll just hope this one wish of mine does...Ü.

Given that the musical is an adaptation of the movie Footloose that was shown in the 80s starring Kevin Bacon, one might think that there are some elements lost in the translation from movie to theater. I'm not the best person to ask regarding this since i haven't seen the movie version (but i'll make it a point to see it soon Ü), but i'm quite sure they've captured the essence of what the original Footloose was all about. Though the plot is quite shallow given that dancing is actually punishable by law in the quaint town of Bomont (why would anyone do that?!???), one must see pass through this & realize that the core that the story wants to touch on is the relationship between family, friends & neighbors. The passion & the message is still there & i guess what makes this story timeless is its universal theme combining music & dance in a story almost everyone can relate to (especially us Filipinos).

The less than 800 bucks i spent for this show is totally worthit! I recommend for you guys to watch it if you want to have a great time...and if you like Jay-R Ü (or Iya Villania for you guys out there Ü). Just make sure you watch the 8pm show coz there's a bigger possibility for you to see Jay-R & Iya as the leads...but i've heard that their alternates are good as well. I guess my only regret for the night is not having my picture taken with Papa Piolo & Jay-R...but then again, i'm quite sure our paths will cross again (naks! how i wish!)...So...i guess this is all for now. Til next month's blog!Ü Enjoy the pix we took after the show...with us...well, actually, just me...fooling around & looking like a totally crazy whacko with all those people watching me having my pix taken with Jay-R's poster! Nyahaha! But...what the hell! What are the chances of me seeing these people again anyway? Super slim! So i'd rather look like a total whacko & have a fun time (i'm telling you, we did! 'twas a total laugh trip!) than sit & not have funny moments to remember this night by...Ü

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If you're interested to watch the show, Footloose the Musical will be running for the whole month of September, every Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays, with show times of 3PM and 8PM. For more details, visit ticketworld.com.ph.

www.PictureTrail.com

2006-12-26T09:45:00.005+08:00

Check this out! From PictureTrail.com! I actually got this from Ethel's profile page (HEHE!Ü Thanks Ethel!).

Cute diba? Ü Just wanna share it to you guys! They actually have a lot more photo flicks (that's what they call it) to choose from. Just check out their site. You'll have to register first, though (for free). Enjoy the holidays, everyone!

*HUGZ!*and*MUAH!*

Cool Slideshows

Are You Fabulously Independent?

2008-08-14T21:21:00.004+08:00

It's only now that I got to read my July ish of Cosmo magazine, and one of their features there is the Cosmo Quiz on Are You Fabulously Independent? Since it's just a 5-question quiz, I decided to answer it to find out if i'm a: (1) Clingy Thing...(2) Indie Chick...or (3) Lone Ranger. So...here are my uber-fabulous answers (in bold...and the corresponding points attached to it):

1. Your work motto is "If you want a job done right, ___"

a. "Ask everyone in the office how they'd do it."
b. "Do it yourself." - 0 point
c. "Turn to a few trusted colleagues for advice."

2. Who typically pays on a first date with you?

a. You, so you're not obligated to him for whatever happens post-meal
b. Him, if he offers, but you don't mind splitting it - 1 point
c. Bring your wallet to dinner? Ha! He'd better pay up or get ready to scrub some dishes.

3. The biggest thing you'd ever do alone is:

a. Visit a foreign country. It would be an incredible adventure.
b. Eat dinner by yourself in a restaurant, though just the idea of it makes you a little sad.
c. Have a kid, buy a home, and any other thing you want. Who needs someone else around to screw it up? - 0 point

4. On Sunday mornings, you:

a. Text everyone in your phone book until you have afternoon movie plans, even if you have to be a couple's third wheel.
b. See if a friend wants to catch a movie but see it alone if no one's free. - 1 point
c. Turn off your cell and be MIA for the day. It's your time alone, intruders be damned.

5. You're most likely to break up with a guy because:

a. He makes you claustrophobic, wanting to sleep over more than once a week.
b. He can't give you the attention you deserve.
c. You're just in different places right now --- no harm, no foul. - 1 point

For a total of three fabulous points, it turns out i'm a LONE RANGER (which is actually kinda sad...):

You're so hell-bent on being self-sufficient that you're as approachable as a feral cat. "You may be isolating yourself from others because you're afraid of looking weak," says Squyres. "But showing vulnerability is attractive." So, ask for a friend's opinion on a dilemma, suggests Hassler. "Even if her advice doesn't fit, you'll find out how nice it feels to have a pal care for you."

Well...i'm not that surprised actually. I know, and have been told, that I am a bit too independent, and that I should learn to be otherwise sometimes. So, i'll make it a pact (to myself) that i'll try to be less independent from now on. Can anyone give me some pointers or suggestions on how to do this? =)

My Starbucks Planner

2007-01-01T12:07:00.001+08:00

With the help of my officemates (namely Carrie, Dio, Kat, Jacky, and Barbie) and cousin Harvey, I finally got my first ever Starbucks planner! Yippeeeeeee! It's my first (really!) coz I've never been the type who'd do collect all those stickers come December time just to avail of the exclusive Starbucks planner. BUT (and that's a big "but")...due to PEER PRESSURE (as-in! coz everyone around me seems to be collecting stickers for this...), I started collecting all those stickers just for this planner, which, up until now, I don't know what to do with coz the planner that I ACTUALLY need is just a small one that will fit in my bag. So now I have this (the Starbucks planner) and a small planner (that fits in my bag) that I bought from Marks & Spencer. HAHAHA! Ang dami ko'ng planners! Anyway, I know i'll eventually find a purpose for this planner...maybe as a journal where i'll write significant events that happened to me on that specific day...I dunno. Let's wait and see.

I just have one (rather sad) thought though: How come this year's planner doesn't come with all those coupons like before? :( I know I said I didn't collect the past planners but my sister (who does...but is now living in Canada) would always have at least one (last year, she got 3!) and she'd give me all those extra coupons she has. Coz, if you think about it, what will she do with the 6 fattening Starbucks drinks on her hand on one of those days when she has 3 Buy one drink, get the other equally-or-lesser-priced-drink free coupons to avail? Of course, give her extra coupons to her Devilishly-Bitchy-Sister (that's what she calls me. I call her my Domestic Goddess Sis!). So there...just my thoughts.

60 Things To Do In 2007

2007-01-09T20:17:00.001+08:00

I'm again sharing to you an article by Ricky Lo (i know, i know...i've been sharing a lot lately...not really doing any personal blogs...promise, i'll be making one soon Ü): 60 Things To Do in 2007. Again, snippets from yours truly are in blue italics. Then, by the end of the year, let's see what things in the list I was able to do. Mark down those things you were able to do as well! Enjoy!

______________________________________

60 things to do in 2007
FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo
The Philippine Star 12/30/2006

As we like to say, dalawang tulog na lang at bagong taon na.

The countdown to 2007 has begun, to culminate at midnight tomorrow with the usual explosions (the harmless ones, let’s keep our fingers crossed...Hmmmm, count them and make sure you still have 10 in both hands after you have exploded those Super Lolos and those Sinturon ni Hudas).

Here are the first 30 of Funfare’s traditional "60 things to do" (the list is trimmed down from 100) in the next 365 days. (Clip page and paste on bedroom wall as reminder.)

1. Sleep early. Remember that early to bed and early to rise makes Juan healthy, wealthy and wise.
- I would really love to do this...but it's very hard especially if you have to wake up at 5am to bring your not-so-little brother to school...and to think my office is a mere 20-minute drive from our house...and work starts at 8am...sigh!

2. Treat your friends and family to a hearty meal (burp, burp, burp!!!) at Charlemagne Lim’s Little Asia restaurant (one on Tomas Morato Ave., Quezon City, and a branch at the Promenade in Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila).

3. Spend solemn moments at the St. Joseph Adoration Chapel on Hemady St. (near E. Rodriguez Ext.), Quezon City, with the Pink Sisters. (You loved Joseph even more after you saw how lovingly he was portrayed in The Nativity Story, didn’t you?)

4. Have your vision checked at any of the several outlets of Vivian Sarabia’s Sarabia Optical Clinics (one in Megamall).

5. Flash a bright smile at the neighbor you have been ignoring all these years when you bump into him in the morning. Remember that a smile a day drives the blues away.
- I've been doing this lately...after 10 years of living in this block. Hehe! (trying to change my 'taray' image...coz you know, i'm not really!)

6. Make it a habit to take Maxillium fiber (available at Watson’s outlets, distributed by my fellow Waray Alex Tan’s company) as often as needed so you won’t be straining too hard in the bathroom in the morning. It makes you feel light and easy. (For inquiries, call 533-8988, 533-8986 or 533-9228.)

7. Drink as much water as you can to flush out toxins in your system.
- Ditto!

8. Take time out to, as they say, smell the flowers and appreciate a bright new day.
- Ok...will do.

9. Having problems with your skin, excess poundage and the like? Drop by at any of the outlets of Dr. Vicki Belo’s Belo Medical Group.
- Arghhh...skin problems...right now! Kainis!

10. Exercise. Remember that to be considered fit, you have to take 10,000 steps per day. Ask Oprah (she does it!).
- How will i do this? Rather than sitting in front of the PC at work, shall I now stand and walk in place? Hehe...Ü

11. Having any blood-sugar problem (at risk of becoming diabetic)? Consult Dr. Wilson Lim (diabetes specialist) at his clinics at Metropolitan Hospital (Masangkay St., Binondo, Manila), FEU Hospital (Fairview, Quezon City) or St. Luke’s Medical Center (also in Q.C.).

12. Take time out to collect those loose photos in an album or those clippings in a scrapbook. It can be "therapeutic." Try it!
- Wow! Scrapbooking can be therapeutic? Gotta do it again sometime soon then!

13. Hie off to Raymond Ong’s Panglao Island Nature Resort in Panglao, Bohol, with an ambience so serene that you could hear yourself think and thus have a chance to take stock of your life.
- So, one trip pass down for a Bohol trip.Ü

14. Read Mitch Albom’s new (third) novel For One More Day (after Tuesdays with Morrie and Five People You Meet In Heaven). It will make you long for your mom (especially when she’s gone for good) and make you cry and cry. (Ask Charo Santos-Concio who soaked the pages with copious tears while reading the book.)
- Will try and check this out.Ü

15. As The STAR Entertainment Section keeps reminding you, "Relax and enjoy; see a movie."
- I want to see Griffin & Phoenix!!!Ü

16. Get a foot-and-back massage at Mercy T. Ong’s MTO Reflexology Clinics (one on Timog Ave., Quezon City, and another one in Malate, Manila).

17. Avoid using your cell phone in public, if you can help it. Beware. The guy next to you could be a snatcher.
- This is simply very hard to do. Just try to lessen your cellphone usage in public, I guess, would be an easier task to do.

18. Watch a movie at the Gateway Mall at the Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City. Very cozy and very comfortable.

19. Having any dental problems? Drop by at the Achacoso Clinic (near the Timog-Morato Rotunda, Quezon City). Its patients include stars like Susan Roces and Francis Magalona.

20. Have your hair cut, your nails done, your sole scrubbed and your ears cleaned at the Gruppo Barbero (the one on Tomas Morato Ave., Quezon City, owned by Atty. Aga, Drew Arellano’s dad). Its star clients include Troy Montero, Ricky Davao, Tonton Gutierrez, Jericho Rosales, Polo Ravales and Rep. Ace Barbers.
- Wait...i'm a girl. I go to the salon, not the 'barbero.'Ü

21. Practice rhythmic, deep breathing. It relieves stress.

22. Donate money or used (or even new) clothes and other useful things you don’t need to victims of calamities (like those in Albay, Marinduque, Samar, Ormoc, etc.).

23. Attend the healing Masses of either Fr. Corsie Legaspi or Fr. Joey Faller. (Watch out for the schedules which Funfare publishes every now and then.)

24. Spend a weekend at the Imperial Palace Suites (Timog-Morato Rotunda, Quezon City, landline 411-0116) which is within walking distance to all kinds of restaurants and QC’s entertainment spots.
- Promise, I won't be able to do this coz i'm a 'kuripot' gal.Ü

25. Obey traffic rules.
- Ooops! Guilty!

26. Choose very carefully the candidates you will vote for in next May’s elections. Don’t vote for "crooks" (if you know what I mean.)
- Definitely!

27. Visit The Healing Zone Clinic & Spa (Your One-Stop Wellness and Natural Medicine Center, at 34 Kalayaan Ave., Quezon City) for acupuncture and other stress-relieving treatments. After I discovered the Zone, I’ve stopped going to another clinic (because of an unpleasant experience) that promised an oasis of relief. For inquiries and/or apppointment, call landline 433-4261.

28. Don’t work too hard to avoid being stressed-out or getting sick. Remember that nobody is indispensable. Remember that there’s always somebody out there better than you are.

29. Watch Blood Diamond, the new Leonardo DiCaprio starrer (after a two-year respite) opening on Jan. 8 after the ongoing Metro Filmfest.

30. Keep on reading The STAR and watching Showbiz Stripped (on GMA late Saturday nights).

31. If you haven’t yet, try to watch the entries in the 32nd Metro Filmfest (until Jan. 7).
- As of writing this...I haven't even watched a single one of them (and it's already the 12th of January).

32. Besides the Belo Medical Clinic, you can also visit the clinics of Dr. Nellie Yu (whose complexion is so flawless that she’s the walking advertisement for her clinics), also one of the country’s top dermatologists. There’s one on Carvajal St. in Binondo, Manila (telephone 241-1071) and another one in Makati (813-2429).

33. Fix (and oil) those rusty hinges on that door which you’ve been ignoring all these years.

34. Lock your doors before leaving the house. Check and recheck if electric plugs (especially that of the flat iron) have been pulled off.

35. Treat your family and friends to mouth-watering and tummy-filling pizzas and pastas (an array of them, take your pick!) at Napoli (with an outlet in Fairview, Quezon City, and another one at the ground floor of the Imperial Palace Suites on Timog-Morato Rotunda, also in Quezon City).

36. Write that long-delayed letter to a friend in the US whom you haven’t seen for ages.

37. Take a day off from work and stroll around SM Mall of Asia which is oh-so-huge that it will take you one whole day to cover the whole place. (Reminder: Wear rubber shoes.)
- Ayoko nga! Makita pa ko ng mga bossing ko...hehe!Ü

38. Try the toppings (Asian, American, Japanese – there’s one for every palate!) at Happy Ongpauco’s World Topps (with an outlet on Timog Ave., Quezon City, near the rotunda).

39. Don’t buy pirated tapes. Watching movies is more fun if you do so on a wide screen.
- Ayayayayayayay! This will be very hard to do!

40. Be kind to your pets. Always bear in mind that dogs are sometimes more loyal than humans. They bark, all right, but they don’t bite your back – not all the time, anyway.
- Okay, okay...I promise to be more 'mabait' to my brother from now on (Hehe! Peace tayo Kuya Kyle!Ü)

41. Having sleep disorder? Consult Dr. Roland dela Eva at his clinic at St. Luke’s Medical Center (Quezon City).

42. Stay tuned to Charo Santos-Concio’s long-running and award-winning drama show Maalaala Mo Kaya on ABS-CBN Friday nights.

43. For updates and the latest in world news, and for those incisive interviews with Larry King, stay glued to CNN.

44. For those old movies (and if you are a platinum SkyCable subscriber), there’s nothing like the TCM (Turner Classic Movies) on Channel 39 which airs ‘em non-stop. Say "Hello!" again to the likes of Greta Garbo, Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, Rock Hudson, Joan Crawford and other Hollywood greats.

45. Try going vegetarian.
- OMG! No way! Hehe...Meat is just so yummy!

46. Start saving for the forthcoming concerts of, among other foreign acts, Il Divo, The Lettermen and Cliff Richard.

47. Stop being a couch potato. Don’t just lie there when watching TV. Walk in place or jump onto a stationary bike.

48. Forgive the friend you’ve been having a "cold war" with. It’s not healthy to be carrying an emotional load.
- Hay...forgiven but not forgotten.

49. After a morning jog, have breakfast at any Jollibee outlet and enjoy your sinangag with fried egg and longganisa (downed by hot chocolate) while reading The STAR (the only paper available at Jollibee, for free!).

50. Be heard. If you disagree with an issue or you have a complaint against public officials, SCREAM! Write a letter to the editor or ask Korina Sanchez or Ted Failon for air space on their DZMM radio program. Hoy, gising!

51. Check out the new line of clothes, accessories and other items at any Bench outlet.
- Ditto!

52. Enjoy a gameshow with Kris Aquino (Pilipinas, Game KNB? and Deal or No Deal) and Willie Revillame (Wowowee, but of course!).
- Join ulit? Hehe...Ü

53. Take home a stray cat or any "homeless" animal you see on the street.
- No Deal po.Ü

54. Give peace a chance. Stop being a war freak. If you can win people by smiling, why frown at all?

55. Next time you are at Shangri-La Plaza Mall, drop by at Novecento and go over the racks of colorful shirts.

56. Drive carefully. The life you save may be your own. (That’s a reminder I see at the back of buses.)

57. Have your fill of the famous halo-halo (featured recently in Time’s Best of Asia special issue) at the Peninsula lobby, served in all sizes including "family " (good for a dozen people).

58. Plant a tree, even just in your backyard.

59. Always remember that honesty is the best policy. Don’t cheat...especially in an election.

60. Pray. It works!
- Yes!

______________________________________

You may also check out the list from 2005 (100 Things To Do in 2005, also by Ricky Lo). Of course, with my ever-present comments/suggestions/what-have-yous in green and pink italics.Ü

Shanghai Shopping Experience

2007-01-18T19:26:00.003+08:00

After a year of working at PAL, I finally got hold of the best benefit we PAL employees have: the TRIP PASS. After one year of working for the company, I'm only allowed a regional/domestic trip pass (not International...at least not yet. After my 2nd year i'll be eligible for that Ü), so what better place to spend it in than in Shanghai, where my older brother, Walter, has been living for more than a decade now (meaning: free board & lodging!).

I went there with my Mom, Dad and little bro (Kyle) and we just basically shopped 'til we dropped. Since my dad would rather spend money on shopping rather than sightseeing, then that was exactly what we did. We just shopped. For the entire week that we were there. We shopped and ate. And of course we slept as well. I'm not complaining or anything, but it would've been nice to see some of the sights Shanghai has to offer. Good thing Walter brought us to see The Bund and The Pearl Tower on our first night there. So that was the closest thing we got to sightseeing in Shanghai: The Bund and The Pearl Tower. Oh, and there was this Sundial in one of the rotondas there. Very nicely done. Walter says it actually says the time during the day, although I didn't catch it (or I just didn't know how to read/interpret). We also got to see Century Park...like Luneta multiplied by a hundred times (HAHA!). You may scroll on the pictures below to appreciate better all these things i'm talking about.

Cool Slideshows

So...since we basically shopped, what more can I share to you but our shopping experience there. Everyone who goes to Shanghai would've heard of the XiangYang Shopping Market. From what i've heard, the original XiangYang market got closed down due to rampant sale of everything imitation: LV, Chloe, D&G, Lacoste, Juicy, Omega, Rolex...you name it, they have it. And mind you guys, their imitations are of very good quality if you know how to look. So the original (market) got closed down but a gazillion other little XiangYang shopping markets opened in different parts of Shanghai. You just have to know where to look. Thus, we were mainly at a different venue of XiangYang market everyday. But the items sold are basically the same. Like Divi Mall, Tutuban and 168 Mall: three different venues but the items that you can find inside are practically the same.

Shopping in Shanghai was a bit of a breeze for us. Probably coz my dad and bro know how to speak a bit of Mandarin (FYI: Fookien, which is a different dialect from Mandarin, is more widely-used here in the Philippines). And may be also due to the fact that some Shanghainese understand English and some even know how to speak. So it won't be a struggle to ask them how much an item costs while shopping, because, when all else fails, these vendors instinctively grab their calculator and punch down the cost of the item you're asking for (most of the time this is what happens anyway).

Almost always, when you motion that you find the item expensive, they'll let you punch in the amount that you want to pay them, after which starts the "bargaining struggle" where the vendor lowers his/her price, and you don't give in, until you reach an agreement and pay for the item at the agreed price.

One tip though: these vendors ALWAYS give you an initial price that is SKY HIGH! And I mean super sky high! Such that a RMB400 item can be bought, after much bargaining, at RMB80. That's a 500% decrease in original price! Gheezh! Talk about taking advantage! Anyway, we found that our bargaining skills improved as the days passed by, such that at the end of our one week trip, we were already bargaining experts (or at least i'd like to believe so).

To sum it all up...Shanghai is a very nice city to visit such that my mom and dad are contemplating on staying there for good (HUWAT!?!?!??!!! And how am I supposed to converse with these Shanghainese people when I don't know how to speak Chinese??!????!!!). I know i've just written mostly about shopping, but I promise to write another blog about Shanghai to tell you more about the other stuff we went to and did. But for now, let me just leave you with some fun facts that I've gathered during my one week stay in Shanghai.

SOME FUN FACTS:
Current exchange rate to Peso is 6.3 (i.e. 1RMB=P6.30)
RMB (Renminbi) and YUAN are the same.
They have toilets bowls on the floor...Literally! As in you have to squat.
Mandarin is the main language spoken in Shanghai.
Some of the few words I learned while at Shanghai are:
she-she = thank you
me-yo = wala
hen-to = marami
hao-chu = delicious
hen-hao = very good
pu-hao = bad
huan-yi kwang-ling = I actually don't know what this directly translates to...but they say this when someone enters the restaurant.
san-su-chi = 37 (since i'm a size 7, this was especially helpful when telling them what size of shoe I need during shopping Ü)
san-su-pa = 38 (just in case size 7 does not fit Ü)
ti-ti = younger brother (i know what you're thinking Ü...don't be bastos...Ü)
mei-mei = younger sister
ko-ko = older brother
che-che = older sister
e = 1
er = 2
san = 3
si = 4
wu = 5
liou = 6
chi = 7
pa = 8
chou = 9
su = 10
e-pai = 100

Gotcha! (A repost from the STAR)

2007-01-28T11:39:00.001+08:00

Something I read in the Philippine Star (hindi pa rin ba obvious kung ano newspaper namin?Ü) and worth sharing. Hope all endings are like this...though I seriously doubt that all stories similar to this end this way. Read on...

________________________________________________

Gotcha!
NEW BEGINNINGS By Büm D. Tenorio, Jr.
The Philippine STAR 01/28/2007

I caught my friend’s husband with another woman. And I bet you I almost fainted at the scene.

It seemed to be an ordinary Tuesday morning in a shopping complex in Greenhills that day. Except for my excitement to see my balikbayan friend, on vacation for the summer, I had no other business hanging around in that mall. I arrived 30 minutes earlier than the appointed time so I decided to check the place. My feet brought me to the clothes section, an aberration on my part considering that I hardly shop, let alone on a summer day.

So there I was, going from one alley to another, looking at the clothes, sometimes silently laughing at the sight of a Burberry coat or a Prada jacket for only P400, the tag price of which was announced on both sides of a cardboard paper that swayed like an Argentine tango dancer in mid-air. The air-conditioning unit in the mall betrayed the desiccating heat outside. I was feeling cold until kernels of sweat started to sprout on my forehead because from a distance – about 15 meters away from the stall where I was looking at the authentic fake merchandise – I saw a familiar face doing an unfamiliar activity. Christian, 34, husband of my very good friend Liza, 38, from Laguna, was in Greenhills with another woman. The girl’s arm was wrapped around Christian’s waist. His arm, on the other hand, caressed her shoulder. They kissed from time to time, nonchalant in their display of public affection, like lovers shopping at Gallerie Lafayette in gay Paris.

That moment, I wanted to evaporate. I was both feeling uneasy and ashamed of the situation. It was not I who was having extra dalliances but how come I was the one feeling the shame? I was so embarrassed for him. More like, I was more embarrassed for Liza who, every now and then, would relate to me that their marriage was a walk in the park.

I stayed in the stall with fake Prada and Burberry items, waiting for the real thing to happen, unmindful of the SMS of my balikbayan friend that she was already in our meeting place. As Christian and his inamorata walked towards me, I could feel my legs shaking. I was almost throwing up in tension. I was afraid. I had the choice to leave the scene and leave everything behind but I chose to stay because I knew that this was one event I would allow my friend Liza to know. I was certain about it. The heck if Christian brands me chismoso. Then, from being frozen, I felt anger at my friend’s husband. It was a whirlwind of emotion. I was angry that he had the temerity to cheat on my friend.

As Christian and his girl inched their way towards the stall where I was, I decided to approach them. Believe me, there was no expression on my face when I said: "Oyy, Christian. Kumusta ka na?" Such hypocrisy on my part because what I wanted to say that day was "Isusumbong kita."

Christian did not say a word, trying to remain unaffected. He just nodded at me, the type that tells me to keep to myself what I saw. Our meeting was so fleeting it only lasted less than a minute. But its impact was so disarming I lost all my appetite when I finally decided to meet up with my balikbayan friend in the restaurant.

For four days I managed to keep "our" secret from Liza. It was already OUR secret because I already knew about it, therefore I was already part of the "crime." Since I felt like an accessory to Christian’s womanizing, I had sleepless nights. My conscience bothered me. Part of me was saying: "It’s their business. Don’t meddle." Another part countered: "But Liza is your very good friend. She’s like a sister to you. What kind of friend are you if you keep mum about it?"

Come Saturday, I phoned Liza to invite her to play bowling in Biñan, Laguna. On that day, I had the intention of turning myself into the star witness.

"Would you love to have late dinner with Christian and me after our game?" she asked.

"Sure," I said.

Bowling night came. I was not myself. I was waiting for the perfect moment to tell Liza everything. Then in the middle of the game, I cried. I just cried. My friend was worried, handed me a bottle of water then brought me to her car outside.

"Who broke your heart?" Liza asked me as I was in between sobs. I did not reply. She was probably thinking a lover broke my heart again.

"Hoy, bakit ka nga umiiyak. Ituro mo sa akin kung sinong nagpaiyak sa iyo at gugulpihin natin (Hey, why are you crying. Tell me who caused your despair and we’ll get back on that person)," she was adamant to know.

I remained inconsolable. That moment I was both afraid to tell her the truth and at the same time anxious about her reaction. Would she believe me? Would she be mad at me?

"Tell me, who broke your heart?" there was urgency in her voice.

"Si Christian," I said.

"Sinong Christian," she asked, still clueless about her husband’s misdeed on her, "bago mong lover?"

"Hindi. Si Christian mo, may lover."

Then she cried. I told her what I saw in Greenhills. She was inconsolable despite the warmth I provided her.

We sped back to her house where a sumptuous dinner was waiting. Christian was there. A low-voiced confrontation ensued. Christian admitted his mistakes. He cried. He embraced Liza, saying "Sorry" profusely, his apologies said like a mantra. Liza did not embrace him back. I, too, was crying.

"What did I do wrong to deserve this?" Liza asked her husband.

"I’m sorry. I was the one who did you wrong," Christian said.

Christian admitted he had been going out with the girl from Sampaloc, Manila for about a year now. He met her when he was delivering garments in Manila. (Christian and Liza have their medium-scale textile business.) It was the illicit affair that kept Christian to frequent Manila twice a week, even if their delivery was only twice a month.

Liza said the pain she felt was indescribable. A great dent was created in their relationship. Christian stopped seeing the girl but not without her hearing a word or two from Liza, up close and personal.

In the end, there’s nothing that the heart will not understand for the one you love. Liza and Christian are enjoying a blessed relationship now. But Christian had to labor hard enough to win Liza back.

Last Christmas, I got a bottle of wine from Christian with a note: "Pare, thank you. Kung di dahil sa ‘yo, siguro sira na pamilya ko."

Oh well. Truth hurts. But truth also heals.

(I have secured permission from Christian and Liza, not their real names, by the way, that I would write about their story. For your new beginnings, please e-mail me at bumbaki@yahoo.com or my.new.beginnings@gmail.com. Have a blessed Sunday!)

10 Years of BWP

2006-06-11T12:47:00.002+08:00

As my good friend Macel pointed out recently, it's apparently the 10th Year Anniversary of our barkada. WOW! It never crossed my mind that my friends and I have been a barkada for that long already...and I never knew we even had an anniversary! HAHA! But...you can always count on Macel to remember those itsy-bitsy things that we most of the time neglect but actually matter a lot.

So, in commemoration of our 10th Year Anniversary, which up until now we don't know the exact date (any of you guys willing to research on the exact start of classes for SSC on school year 1996-1997???) and is actually a 10-month-long celebration (since one school year is 10 months long...), I will be sharing to you guys some bits and pieces of fact about our barkada, better known as BWP.

You're probably wondering what BWP stands for. Well, it's basically Barkadang Walang Panget. HAHA! Nice name, huh? Actually, you can substitute any word for the "P" part of the acronym, like: Barkadang Walang Pango, Barkadang Walang Panty, Barkadang Walang Point, Barkadang Walang Plan...any other "P" word you can think of...but basically, we're the Barkadang Walang Panget. The name was actually coined by a former member of the group, Millan. According to her, someone asked what's the name of our group and the first thing that came to mind was BWP...Barkadang Walang Panget...so there. That was the beginning of it. And I guess none of us had any qualms about it anyway (kasi lahat kami pretty! HAHA!) so the name just stuck.

We were originally 11 in the group: Arfie, Assunta, Aya, Diana, Joy, Macel, Maris, Meñez, Millan, Tiny, and Moi! But eventually, Meñez, Tiny & Millan drifted apart from the rest of the group leaving us with magic number 8.Ü

It's vague to me how we actually got together as a group. But I believe we started forming small groups of 2 or 3 persons which eventually came together and formed the entire barkada. And this happened throughout the course of one school year: School Year 1996-1997, when we all were in 2nd Year High School (section 2R) in St. Scho. Probably the "event" that started it all was our project in one of our subjects (I can't remember the name of the subject...HELE? PerDev???), where we were asked to visit a place (e.g. park, public library, etc.) assigned to us and report about it. We were asked to form groups consisting of 6-7 persons (or was it 5-6???), go to the assigned place, then report about it in class. It was Arfie, Aya, Assu, Diana, Maris & Millan who were groupmates then and they went to Enchanted Kingdom. I think that was the "event" that started it all. The circumstances that transpired in between that trip to EK and the formation of our group is all a blur to me now but bottomline is, we didn't know back then but that was already history in the making (naks!).

Now that you have a short history of our group, let me share to you some snippets of the different personalities that comprise the group. In other words, let me introduce to you the 7 (excluding me of course) other members of the barkada.

Arfie...One of the beauty queens of the barkada. She joined Binibining Pilipinas and Mutya, which just proves our point that indeed we are a Barkadang Walang Panget. She's a writer so creative that she practically composed the write-ups for each of us in our Pax '99 yearbook. And did I mention that she draws really well too??? That's Arfie...always determined and a gal just brimming with lots and lots and lots of creative juices.

Assunta...She's the tomboyish girl with a great bod (nice abs and...hmmm...lemme just say that her vital stats are to-die-for!!!). She's the perennial VP of the class, running around with her clipboard in tow. She's the barkada's AVON lady (HAHA! And ANEW girl to Sadie Ü). It's a running joke in the barkada that her actual work in AVON is not what she claims it to be but rather a bra model for the company. I won't be surprised if one day I wake up and learn that she's already the VP of AVON (HAHA! Hanngang sa pagtanda, VP pa rin!!!).

Aya...Sitsirya products, anyone??? Aya is like an Energizer Bunny: always on the go and she just keeps on going and going and going... Her family owns Sitsirya, a company selling Filipino food products (with stalls around Metro Manila malls & tiangges), and my dad is actually one of their suki (I love their Pastillas de Leche in a jar!). She always has just enough energy for a night out despite having a tiring day at work. She's always game! Isang aya mo lang, game na agad sya (as long as she has no other plans).

Diana...For the longest time, she has always been Sadie to me (which is her surname). But now i'm learning to call her by her first name, Diana. She's the other gal who joined a beauty pageant in our barkada (Binibining Pilipinas), which, again, proves my point that we are indeed a Barkadang Walang Panget. She's such a hardworker, with rackets every day even on weekends. I admire her for being very independent and she's the best person in the barkada to ask about make-up (what brands are OK and those that are not) and beauty regiments that work!

Joy...She's the group's Papa Bear.Ü The yearbook describes her as "Miss Prim and Proper" and the "queen of Discretion" basically because she is all that. The group can be really very rowdy at times (especially after not seeing each other for a while) but Joy will just always be the silent observer...just listening to our rants and raves about love, life and anything and everything under the sun. We'll surely miss this lovely lady.

Macel...She's my official hugger...Ü Especially in college, when things are just not turning out right, i'll just text her and meet up with her to ask for a much-needed hug. When we went out to the real world (e.g. naging office girls na kami...), and she was no longer campus-wide away, it just hit me how therepeutic (to me at least) and important her hugs are. That's why I try and hug her as much as I can when we see each other...investment kumbaga...for those upcoming depressing situations in my life. HEHE! She's also the first person in the barkada to get hitched! To her first boyfriend for that matter! Congratz again, Macel & Mike!

Maris...The former Nick Carter fanatic. Her room used to be plastered with Nick posters and her TV set tuned-in to MTV to catch the latest Backstreet Boys hit. Good thing she got over that phase (we all did) and is now very much busy manning her 7-Eleven franchise along Buendia. You gotta hand it to this girl...she knows what she wants and she knows how to get it. Her house (i think) is the official tambayan-slash-meeting-place of the barkada (we've had numerous sleep-overs at her place) coz it's the most accesible house amongst us (plus, it's near the mall...).

Well, that's the entire group in one blog. But, before I finish this off, let me just mention the extended members of the group, a.k.a. the significant others: Lesmes (Arfie's S.O.), Jomike (Aya's S.O.), Noel (Diana's S.O.), Mike (Macel's hubby), and Rex (Maris' S.O...ako nag-match sa dalawang yan! HEHE!).

So...cheers to the 10 years of experiences, fun and laughter that we had and more cheers to the upcoming experiences, fun and laughter that we will be having! Love y'all guys! *HUGZ!* and *MUAH!*

---*---

BWP Through The Years...

(L-R; Top: Diana, Aya, Arfie; Bottom: Millan, Assu, Maris; circa 1996)

BWP by the stairs...'96

Aya, Assu, Macel & Candy '96

Goofing around...'96

Class Picture Time! Circa '97

By the falls @ Villa Escudero, Feb. 21, 1997

Arfie, Diana, Candy & Macel @ Escudero, Feb. 21, 1997

Clockwise from left: Millan, Candy, Arfie, Meñez, Diana, Maris, Assu & Tiny

Picture-Picture! Take 2!

Clockwise from left: Arfie, Candy, Assu, Maris, Diana, Joy, Macel & Aya

Minsan lang kami ma-complete!!! Ü

During my 19th Bday...Oct. 2001

Mian's Debut, Jan. 17, 2004

My despedida/bday celeb, Sep. 25, 2004

Eto kami ngayon...latest complete pix...September 2005...Ü

Grey's Anatomy Anonymous

2006-11-15T22:14:00.002+08:00

I AM HOOKED!

I am like a firefly to a flame who just couldn't stop thinking about the next episode of Grey's Anatomy and what will happen to the oh-so-complicated lovelife of Meredith Grey (well, at least SHE HAS A LOVELIFE!). To tell you the truth, I'm actually more addicted to Grey's Anatomy than Prison Break. And to think Wentworth Miller's soooooo HOT! With Prison Break, I haven't watched a single Season 2 episode coz I'm waiting for the complete Season 2 DVD to be available so that I won't have to wait weekly for another episode to be shown. But with Grey's Anatomy...well, let's just say I couldn't wait for the Season 3 DVD to be available so now i'm actually downloading the episodes as they are shown in the US (once they're availabe to be downloaded of course...Ü).

I admit: I'm an addict. A Grey's Anatomy addict. Someone should enter me into the Grey's-Anatomy-Anonymous rehab program. GAA for short. HAHA! So how do you know you're addicted? For starters, you have The Fray's How To Save A Life in continuous replay on your CD Player. Another thing is you watch Seasons 1 and 2 over and over again! Gosh...it really is HARD to be addicted! So don't start watching Grey's Anatomy unless you want to be addicted like me! HAHA!

So...what does Grey's Anatomy have that other shows don't? Well, I actually DON'T KNOW! I'm addicted and I don't know why! So let me just give you a run down of what the plot of Grey's Anatomy is and maybe someone can tell my the reason why I'm so addicted to this show!

The setting for Grey's Anatomy is Seattle. Seattle Grace Hospital (SGH) to be specific. Of course we oftentimes get to visit Meredith Grey's apartment and Derek Shepherd's trailer among others. Oh, by the way, Meredith Grey is the star of the show. Hence the title: Grey's Anatomy. Which is actually a monicker for the popular medical textbook, Gray's Anatomy (the full title of which is Harry Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body). So you get it? A medical textbook by Harry Gray and a medical-related TV show starring Meredith Grey. So that's where they got the title of the show (at least I think that's how they got it).

The story is about Meredith Grey and her fellow interns at SGH, and how they struggle to cope with life as a first-year intern. Add this to the fact that sleeping with your boss is a recurring theme of the show. Meredith and Derek. Cristina and Preston. George and Callie. Wow! They surely know how to make life complicated. Not that being an intern and working 100-hours a week isn't complicated enough. Oh well...I guess getting to meet different patients everday is more than enough to keep these interns going. And as a viewer, I am actually looking forward to what kind of neurotic-psychotic patient these interns we'll meet each episode.

Anyway, I have one last thing to say: McDreamy. Any GAA addict would know what I'm talking about. McDreamy IS Derek Shepherd...the neurosurgeon of SGH whom Meredith is in love with. Where the hell did "McDreamy" come from and how the hell did the writers of the show come up with this, I don't know. What I can say is, it has a nice sound to it...don't you think? From McDreamy spawned a number of other "Mc" names like McSteamy, McVet, McSexy, McHottie, McBitch...etcetera, etcetera. Who knows what other "Mc" names the writers of the show will come up with. We already have a lot of "Mc's" and we're only in the 3rd season of the show. So for now, i'm just gonna mcstop saying all these mcthings and just mcshut the hell up.Ü

I think i've said enough. I'm just gonna end it here coz i'm sure there are a gazillion sites out there about Grey's Anatomy. You can check those out to know more about this TV show. I'll just leave you guys with this:

Things I Learned from Grey's Anatomy

AMA - Against Medical Advise
DNR - Do Not Resuscitate
M&M - Morbidity and Mortality; Season 3 Episode 5
Bovie - An instrument used for electrosurgical dissection and haemostasis (from http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/cgi-bin/omd?query=bovie&action=Search+OMD)
Teratoma - a tumor made up of different types of tissue (Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary); Season 2 Episode 7

(Feel free to add more by posting a comment or leaving a message on the Message Board Ü)

The Year That Was

2006-01-08T18:40:00.001+08:00

Jeeezh! I know I vowed to post a blog once a month…and yet, as 2005 neared its end, I failed and wasn’t able to keep this personal promise of mine. Oh well…’twas the Christmas season and amidst the Christmas rush, I wasn’t able to think of anything to say. Well…it’s actually more of that I wasn’t able to find the time to write all the things I wanted to say. Thus, the result: “non-posting” of a blog last December 2005. Oh well, that’s life…sometimes you’re up…and sometimes you’d rather be in a different place than where you are at the moment. Similar to what 2005 was for me...Hmmm…got your attention? Just read on…

Well, I can’t really consider 2005 as a “roller-coaster-of-a-year” for me…But I can say that it did hold a lot of surprises…mostly pleasant…though some, I’d rather wish didn’t happen. But generally, ‘twas a good year for me, my family, and friends.

2005 was the year I got into PAL. Oh wow! PAL = (free) Trip Pass! HAHA! Kidding aside, I’m thankful to God for putting me in a reputable company, where I found lots of new friends (flashback: meetings & practice sessions with the Christmas Committee!), met fun-to-be-with and easy-to-get-along-with colleagues, and discovered a lot of new things ‘bout myself (aba, masaya pala mag-host ng Christmas Party…kahit na super nakakapagod to the max! At hindi ako nakakain ng food!). 2005 was also the year my Uncle found a new job (after having an “extended vacation”). So, “job-wise,” 2005 was a good year for me and my family.

2005 was also the year I joined a TV Game Show. NYAHAHAH! Yep! You heard (well, “read,” in this case) me right! I’ve practiced my “Game Na!” chant (with matching right hand in a fist in the air) well enough to earn me 5 Grand, plus a picture with Kris Aquino. HAHA! Not bad, right? I got to sing, make “beso-beso” with a guy I barely knew on TV (now I see my Dad’s eyes looking like a predator ready to catch its prey…), rant several names hoping that they’re one of the characters in the John en Marsha TV show (which I never really got to watch), and almost reached the top of the pyramid. Not a bad thing for a first-time game show contestant, huh? HAHA!

Well, it hasn’t always been fun the whole year ‘round, coz 2005 was also the year we lost our beloved friend Joy. It was hard. It still is. I don’t know if I’ve already accepted that I will never be seeing her again, or if I’ve just learned to keep that feeling of emptiness in a hard-to-reach corner of my heart and mind. Whatever it is, I leave everything up to God.

<*SIGH!*> Well, a lot has happened this year. I’ve only mentioned those that really stand out, or else I’ll be writing a novel, rather than a simple blog. I just want to share to you guys an article that I got at the start of 2005 that I’ve kept for reference. It’s a list of “100 Things to do in 2005” written by Ricardo Lo. It’s nice to re-read the list at the end of the year and cross out those things that you were able to do. I'm sharing the list with you guys. The one's in green are those things that I was able to do for the year. Luv y'all! And wishing everyone a bountiful 2006! *MUAH!*

100 Things to do in 2005 (by Ricardo F. Lo)
The Philippine Star – 31Dec2004
1. Start the New Year with a smile (not a frown). =)
2. Start your day with a prayer.
3. Stop worrying and start living.
4. Stop being a hypochondriac.
5. Spend Valentine with a candle-lit dinner at home. --> I hope to be doing this this year!
6. Have a dental check-up at the Achacoso Clinic (Timog-Morato Rotunda, Quezon City). --> Had my dental check-up, alright. Just not there…
7. Any suspected sleep disorder? See Dr. Roland dela Eva (of St. Luke’s Medical Center).
8. Is your blood sugar level going haywire? Call Dr. Wilson Lim (cellphone number 0917-8957626).
9. Any neuro problem? See Dr. Joven Cuanang (at St. Luke’s Medical Center).
10. Treat your family and/or friends to a hearty meal at Little Asia (Tomas Morato Avenue, Quezon City).
11. Craving for pizza and pasta? Drop by at Napoli (ground floor of Imperial Palace Suites, Timog-Morato Rotunda, Quezon City).
12. Relax. Take it easy.
13. Watch a movie at the new Gateway cinemas (Araneta Center).
14. Arrange those old photos in an album.
15. Climb the stairs instead of taking the elevator (it’s good for your health).
16. Eat your veggies.
17. Drink a lot of water.
18. Take a 10-minute nap.
19. Visit an ukay-ukay store.
20. Stay tuned to Ariel Ureta and Winnie Cordero (on DZMM’s Todo-Todo Walang Preno).
21. Get the news “na walang kinikilingan” from 24 Oras.
22. Have a haircut at Bruno’s (Tomas Morato). --> Sounds like a barber shop to me…Dapat ata sa parlor ako coz i'm a gurl…
23. Read a good book.
24. Meditate at the St. Joseph Adoration Chapel (Hemady St., Quezon City).
25. Don’t forget to hear Mass on Sundays.
26. Join a TV gameshow. You could be the next millionaire!
27. Worried about those eyebags and wrinkles, etc.? See Dr. Vicki Belo.
28. Stop driving through a red light. --> GUILTY!
29. Remember to always lock your doors.
30. Don’t talk to strangers.
31. Put your cellphone on “silent” mode when outdoors. --> Why? I don’t get the logic.
32. Don’t spread nasty text messages.
33. Check out the new line of Bench clothing.
34. Spend a weekend with family and/or friends at Baywalk. --> We did this the year before, not in 2005.
35. Stay tuned to CNN.
36. Or watch Discovery Channel.
37. Listen to Korina Sanchez and Ted Failon 8 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday on DZMM (Tambalang Failon at Sanchez).
38. Enjoy a lively debate with Mareng Winnie and Pareng Oca on GMA late Thursday nights.
39. Play – and replay – your collection of Beatles songs.
40. Be kind to your pets. --> Generally, I was kind to my bro this year. So this applies. NYAHAHA! Peace tayo Kuya Kyle!
41. Comfort a lonely person.
42. Fall in love. --> HAH! Eto, di ko nagawa last year. Sana magawa ko na this year. HAHA!
43. Try the Chinese dishes at Wok ‘n’ Stick (beside Imperial Palace Suites).
44. Stop monitoring the love life of Kris Aquino.
45. Mind your own business.
46. Count your blessings.
47. Watch any – or all – of the eight entries in the Metro Filmfest (good until Jan. 3 and beyond).
48. Don’t buy pirated CDs. --> Parang di ko ata magagawa ‘to… =(
49. Turn off your TV set when Mahal starts talking about her “romances.”
50. Turn off your TV set when you see even a shadow of Madame Auring.
51. Watch Kris Aquino on Pilipinas, Game Ka Na Ba?
52. Stuff your ears with cotton as soon as Mystica opens her mouth.
53. Stay tuned to GMA’s Bubble Gang.
54. Want the lates showbiz tsismis? Watch GMA’s Startalk (The Showbiz Authority).
55. Try mountain-climbing.
56. Visit your relatives in the province.
57. De-stress yourself by practicing deep breathing.
58. Smell the flowers.
59. Listen to the birds sing.
60. Write a note to a friend abroad.
61. Offer a mass for the dear departed.
62. Count the stars on a moonlit night.
63. Stand when the National Anthem is being played before the last full show.
64. Stop smoking. --> I don’t smoke.
65. Drink moderately.
66. Give away second-hand (or even new but not being used) clothes.
67. Be generous.
68. Pray that government officials will mend their ways and sincerely serve the people.
69. Don’t waste water.
70. Watch the Sound of Music for the nth time – it’s uplifting!
71. Listen to your Jose Mari Chan CD.
72. Go straight home during paydays.
73. Have a massage at MTO (Timog Ave., Quezon City or Mabini St., Malate) or at Family Spa (Tomas Morato Ave. corner Roces Ave., near McDo).
74. Take your vitamins.
75. Watch the concert of Martin Nievera and Patty Austin on Jan. 29 at the Big Dome.
76. Attend the Our Lady of Perpetual Help novena Wednesdays at the Baclaran Church.
77. Take the MRT from Cubao to Divisoria.
78. Have yourself fitted with new eyeglasses at Vivian Sarabia’s clinics.
79. Shed excess poundage by playing badminton.
80. Make love not war.
81. Prune the plants.
82. Save electricity; open the windows at night instead of the aircon.
83. Plant a tree. --> I planted a plant, not a tree…does that count?
84. Save for the rainy day.
85. Watch Ocean’s Twelve.
86. Dust off your cabinet.
87. Tune in, as usual, to Charo Santos’ Maalaala Mo Kaya? Thursday nights on ABS-CBN.
88. Try acupuncture.
89. Check your tire pressure before leaving home.
90. Replace that missing button on your shirt.
91. Losing hair? Try Claire dela Fuente’s hair-growing formula (available in several outlets, one of them at Virra Mall).
92. Send a get-well-soon card to a sick friend.
93. Love your neighbor.
94. Avoid the polluted air outside; take a stroll at the mall. --> You don’t have to tell me that! I’ve done this countless of times…
95. Don’t worry; be happy. --> Easier said than done…
96. Pray. It works!
97. Spend a weekend on the beach.
98. Say no to…drugs?
99. Don’t overeat.
100. Keep reading The STAR.

Originally posted on 08 January 2006 @ http://cdsaint.blogs.friendster.com

Random Thoughts 3

2006-02-10T08:35:00.001+08:00

Lucky are those who find their special someone while they're still young and on their 'first try' on having a relationship. They're probably the ones who were super good during their past life that they're now reaping what they sowed. With those said, i would like to extend my warmest wishes to my friend Macel, who recently tied the knot with her special someone...her best friend...her first boyfriend...Mike. Congratulations and Best Wishes to you both! Luv yah guyz! *MUAH!*

--*--

I swore i won't write about "V" Day...but one can't ignore the inevitable. So here i am, writing about one of the ironic days of the year: Valentine's Day.

I say ironic coz this day can be a blissful day for others, while it can be a dreadful day for some. For me though, i'm part of the "latter" crowd. I envy those who can just let this day pass by like there's nothing special going on all around. Well in fact, there really is nothing special about this day. It's just that everybody's making such a hype out of it. The malls...media...tv...movies...and a lot others. Go try watching the local channel around this time of the year and not a single minute will pass by without the mention of this apparently "special" day. Try walking around the malls and it seems like red (or any shade similar to it) is the color of choice this season. Why is it that it seems like Valentine's Day is super hyped here in the Philippines? And yet if you try watching cable TV, there's not even a mention of Valentine's Day? Well, maybe a thing or two regarding it is said in a cable TV show or another...but not as overpowering as our local channels. Just my thoughts...

--*--

Belated KIONG HEE HUAT CHAI!!! It's the year of the Dog! It's actually MY year this year (which also means i'm gonna be turning 24, given that the Chinese Signs follow a 12-year cycle...)...wala lang...just wanna share that itsy-bitsy fact with you guys... =)

Originally posted on 10 February 2006 @ http://cdsaint.blogs.friendster.com/

In The Heat Of Things

2006-03-12T11:22:00.001+08:00

Summer's just around the corner and I can't wait to hit the beach! This summer would be a bit different for me though...given that i'm now working and gone are the days when summer is synonymous to V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N. Oh bummer! But hey...look at the bright side...at least now I don't have to ask mom and dad for moolah to hit the beach. Oh yes...you heard (or in this case, read) me right! I now have my own money to spend for my summer gimmicks and escapades! And not even the fact that I have to work from Monday to Friday can bring me down!

Ooohhh...summer! Such a nice word that i'm even considering naming one of my future daughters "Summer." Nice huh? Well, well...so, where to head off to first? Hmmm...Galera? Nice AND affordable...you get the feel of Boracay (at least that's what they say) at a much lower cost...great for kuripot gals like me...HAHA! Boracay? Never been there but i'm hoping someday i'll be able to visit this island paradise...before it gets trashed and polluted by careless tourists. Palawan? Wow...the next "Boracay." Given that Boracay has now somewhat lost some of its sparkle, Palawan is now the next "IN" thing where VIPs and celebrities hie off for some much-needed vacation (with a wee bit of privacy). Amanpulo? Well, this is what I call HEAVEN! Ok, ok...so I haven't been there...but who has? Only those with excess moolah has been there given the place's hefty price tag ($500 a night? probably even more...). Actually, I can't even fathom how i'm gonna get there...when...and with whom (hopefully with my special someone ). But a girl can dream, can't I? So here I am, sharing my thoughts to whoever cares to listen (or read), and hoping that someday...one day...i'll get to visit this virginal island in the South. Bahamas? Now, this place i've jotted down in my notes as one of the places my hubby and I will be going to on our honeymoon (the other place is Paris). OK. Before I hear any objections, let me say my piece first. I know there are a lot of "questionable" things in that one statement alone. Hubby??? Honeymoon??? Oooh, wow! I sure do know how to plan ahead, alright. Well, what can I say? I AM a planner. And no one can steal away my thunder. So...going back to where we were (Bahamas, my dears), this is one place i'm SURE i'll be visiting in the future. Don't ask me when. Don't ask me how. And don't ask me with whom. (Gheezh! I've heard that line before...HAHA!) But i'm surely gonna be visiting this place whether you like it or not! HAHA!

Well...I guess we've covered the essentials. Or at least what I (emphasis on the "I" please) consider THE essential places to go to, on a summer vacation, in one's lifetime. Just don't forget to bring your ooh-la-la swimsuit and tons of sunblock and you're ready to hit the beach! So...in this season of sun, sand, and halo-halo...let the tanning (and swimming!) begin!!! Have a great summer every all! *MUAH!*

Originally posted on 12 March 2006 @ http://cdsaint.blogs.friendster.com/cnd/

Galera Galore

2006-04-25T11:33:00.001+08:00

My summer finally took off last weekend...with my friends and I hitting the beach and hieing off to the next best thing to Boracay...Puerto Galera.

I was super thrilled of course...since i've been craving to hit the beach for over a month now...and finally...FINALLY...it has come true. Weeeeeeee! Haha! Anyway, this blog would be a tip-giving-slash-reminder-to-myself sort of thing. So to those of you planning to go on vaca to Galera...read on.

First and foremeost, try to leave Manila as early as possible. If you can leave the house @ 5AM and be en route to Batangas Port by 6AM, then great. The earlier the better given that it's summertime and everyone's heading off to some beach during the weekend so expect heavy traffic especially if you get past the 7AM mark.

Getting there early will not just make your trip much more worthit but it will also ensure you a spot at the Batangas Port's Parking Area, for those who will be bringing their cars to the Port. Since my friends and I arrived late (around 11AM), the parking lot was already full so we had no choice but to park in one of the numerous parking lots surrounding the port. Of course your mind will be more at ease if you park at the Port's official parking area, but the parking lot where we left our car was not bad at all, considering that nothing bitchy happened to the car. The lot we parked on charged us P300 bucks for an overnight stay (from 11AM until around 4PM the next day), while the port's rates was P200 for the first 24 hours and P10 bucks every hour thereafter (according to one port personnel we asked).

The port was, of course, chaotic when we got there (as I expected), but once you get pass buying your ticket (which costs P170 bucks one-way going to White Beach) and paying the Terminal Fee (P10 bucks), it would be a bit smooth-sailing from then on.

The boat we rode going to White Beach was M/B Brian, and they have trips leaving Batangas Port as early as 5AM (latest is 4:30PM). Trips are hourly so there's no need to worry about getting stuck at the port for a long period of time. Here's a tip: if you're going to Galera on a weekend, buy your return trip ticket as early as possible (once you hit the sands of Galera if you can) since they tend to get filled-up fast on weekends.

So...we finally reached Galera @1PM...the boat trip was around an hour and a half considering that it was already late in the morning when we left the port (i believe if you catch an earlier trip, it would take you less time to reach Galera coz there's lesser waves). If you easily get seasick, take Bonamine 30 minutes before the boat leaves to make sure you won't make a mess inside the jam-packed boat. We got there and checked-in at Mindorinne Oriental (contact # 0917 857 8425) where I made our reservations 2 weeks earlier. They charged us P4,500 for a room that fits 5 pax, and gave us 2 extra beds (1 double and 1 single, aside from the 1 double bed already included with the room), extra pillows and blankets. The place is great and amongst the resorts lining up White Beach, it's one of the nicest. It's right in front of the beach so you get a view of the sand and blue waters from their hallway-slash-veranda, where you can just sit and relax, like what I did when I woke up super early Sunday morning.

If you're planning a trip to Galera, try as much as possible to reserve for accommodations beforehand since a lot of hawkers there will try to persuade you to take the place that they're recommending, which, most of the time, will be an apartment-type place located a bit further from the beachfront. Also, rates there tend to increase for "chance passengers" (you know what i mean) since they're playing on the fact that you actually don't have a place to stay and are willing to pay a higher price for a not-so-OK accommodation rather than sleep on the beach.

The food available at Galera is mostly inihaw...inihaw na liempo, bar-b-q, pusit, fish...everything inihaw you'll find there. The prices are affordable. During our stay there, I averaged around P100 per meal...not bad huh? But you have to take note though that i'm not much of a heavy-eater...nonetheless, the food prices are affordable. And I suggest that you try and get ahead of the crowd and eat earlier or a bit later since the restos there tend to be packed with bakasyonistas and you'll either have to wait forever in order to get seated OR wait forever for your food to get cooked and served OR both! So try not to join in with the crowd when it comes to lunch and dinner time.

Galera's night life is obviously alive and kicking especially on weekends. The weekend we were there, Bamboo had a concert, though we didn't bother to watch knowing that it'd be full of people. The restos there turn to bars at night where you can order alcholic drinks to one's delight. Since you're already at Galera, try the Mindoro Sling, which is a pink concoction of some sorts. It's P300 bucks a pitcher...great to share with friends while partying the night away.

Of course Galera won't be complete without its numerous tiangges on the side where you can buy pasalubong stuff for your loved ones. Henna tattoo, real tattoo, glitter tattoo, and body piercing kiosks are abundant as well just in case you're bored and want to try something new (mental note to self: belly button piercing is P1,000 bucks). Locals also offer to massage your aching body right on the beach...and some offer to braid your hair for a price.

Just in case you want to change sceneries and go snorkeling, bangka rides are available to another part of the island where you can go snorkeling and be delighted with fishes of different colors and sizes. Just remember to bring along some bread for the fishes to enjoy this experience much more.

Hmmm...so what else did I forget? I'm pretty sure I still have some things to say but this is getting a bit too long already so i'll stop now before I end up writing an entire novel of "100 Things To Do At Puerto Galera." Just another mental note though: don't ride M/B Gorogonilla on your way back to Batangas Pier...since they will be making another stop to a part of the island and get more passengers there (parang ginawang bus or jeep yung bangka...hehehe!).
So...I guess that's all...'til next month's blog...ta-ta!

Originally posted on 25 April 2006 @ http://cdsaint.blogs.friendster.com/cnd/

Singapore on the Cheap

2006-05-05T12:37:00.001+08:00

I'd like to share this article I got from PAL's Mabuhay magazine, Feb 2006 ish. It's about Singapore and where to find it's hidden bargain spots. Given that I haven't been to Singapore, this article will be one of the things i'll be keeping handy on my first trip there (kelan kaya yun???). And until i'm able to write to you about my OWN Singapore experience...here's a quick rundown on what to do and where to go when frolicking around the Lion City <*ROAR!* haha!>.

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Singapore on the Cheap (by Lester V. Ledesma)

No doubt you've heard what people have said about Singapore being an expensive city. Indeed, a fancy dinner here may cost a day's wage in the Philippines, and an hour-long taxi ride may induce a headache. But don't let this keep you from enjoying one of Southeast Asia's richest nations. With the right information, a budget-conscious tourist need not break the wallet to have that authentic Singapore experience. Here's the lowdown on the Lion City's best -- and most affordable -- sights, sounds and flavors.

WHERE TO SHOP:

Glitzy Orchard Road is, of course, Singapore's premier shopping district, but just because it's a goods acquisition specialist's haven doesn't mean you can just charge into its stores blindly with your credit card in tow. Like any good hunting expedition, you should keep an eye out for signs of your quarry -- that is, the word "SALE." Malls like Lucky Plaza or Centrepoint often have sales at the center of their ground floors, with weekly themes ranging from books to clothes, textiles or shoes. This also applies to the basement atrium of Ngee Ann City, where much-bigger expos offer everything from toys to houseware and even quality leather goods. Should you desire a real shopping adventure, leave these chic confines and make your way to the This Fashion store (10 Eunos Road, B1-12 Singapore Post Centre) -- that's 22,000 square feet of bliss for the shopping addict. You can also check out the other This Fashion outlets scattered around town (there's one near the Dhoby Ghaut and Chinatown MRT stations), but this one by far hosts the largest collection of quality budget clothes and accessories.

Perfumes? You'll find cheap, original designer brands at Mustafa Centre (145 Syed Alwi Road), a cavernous 24-hour mall inside colorful Little India district. A favorite hangout of Indian migrant workers, this place sells pretty much everything from groceries to clothes, hardware and even electronics. Best of all, they've got a whole VCD/DVD/CD department dedicated to the best Bollywood hits.

If gadgets are your thing, we recommend heading for Sim Lim Square (1 Rochor Canal Road) -- that's where everything electronic is, especially those concerning computers and digital photography. It would be better if you knew exactly what you wish to buy, as bargaining for these products can be a rather tricky exercise even in Singapore.

There's also that one item that makes up a big chunk of every Filipino traveller's must-buy list: pasalubong (presents for people back home). These you can get at Chinatown's Temple Street, host to an open-air flea market that seems to be the country's knick-knack central. You'll know you've arrived here when you start seeing those "3 for $5" signs, which apply to a great array of mostly Chinese-made stuff like traditional oriental paintings, wooden table ornaments, Merlion keychains, silk pillowcases and that ubiquitous Singapore ref magnet. Better bring ample cash.

WHERE TO EAT:

Here's the rule of thumb when it omes to finding the cheapest food in the Land of the 'Lah: head for the hawker centers. These al fresco dining centers offer some of the best eating experiences around. Their highly informal surroundings and varied menus ensure a thorough introduction to everyday Singaporean cuisine. Best of all, they're practically everywhere -- just look for the round plastic tables and the nearby food stalls with big, backlit pictures of the menu offerings. Hawker centres like tha Lau Pa Sat Food Market (near Raffle Place MRT) and the Maxwell Food Centre (near Chinatown MRT) do brisk business all day, their seasoned cooks serving up classic local favorites like Hainanese Chicken Rice, Malay Nasi Lemak (rice cooked in coconut milk and served with peanuts, fish and sambal chili sauce) or Indian Biryani (rice cooked with spices and chunks of meat) with chicken curry. You can gorge on these for as little as S$4 (Php130), drinks included. Alternatively, you may choose to eat at the food courts instead -- the indoor equivalent of the hawker centre -- which are often found at the top or bottom floors of most malls. You'll have to pay a bit more, of course, but that's in exchange for the cleaner surroundings and the air-conditioning.

Another dining option would be to seek out any of the traditional kopitiam ("coffee store" in the vernacular). These are small family-run cafés which offer their own specialty dish. Killiney Kopitiam (67 Killiney Road; www.killiney-kopitiam.com) is one of the more popular establishments. It is so popular that its owners already have a handful of branches around Singapore -- boasting time-honored Peranakan (Malay-Chinese) fare like Mee Siam (sweet, spicy rice noodles with eggs) and Popiah (vegetables and chili in a flour wrap), aside from good, strong traditional coffee.

Over at the Esplanade, you can also check out the latest branch of No Signboard Seafood (#01-14/15 The Espalanade; www.nosignboardseafood.com), the crab dishes are so good that the owners found no need to even name their joint. Despite the swanky surroundings, their prices remain true to their humble beginnings as a hawker stall.

Last but not least, there's good value dim sum to be had at Chinatown's Tak Po Restaurant (42 Smith Street), where guests order steaming baskets of Har Gao, Crystal Chives Ball or Prawn and Banana in Dragon's Beard (among a great many others) via a neat little checklist that displays the cheap, S$.70 - 3.00 (Php25-100) price range.

WHERE TO STAY:

If you're the type of person who doesn't mind sleeping in a dorm bed and likes to hang out with ang mohs (Westerners) over beer and chips, take your backpack to Little India's Dunlop Street. Amidst the colorful environs of this ethnic enclave is a veritable budget travellers' community, complete with the de rigeur internet café's, pubs and provision shops. Around here it is possible to get a bed with breakfast for around S$15/night (that's Php100), thanks to cheerful hideouts like the Prince of Wales Backpacker Hostel (101 Dunlop St.) and The Inn Crowd hostel (35 Campbell Lane; www.the-inncrowd.com). A bit higher up the price ladder is the nearby Madras Hotel (#28-32 Madras St.; www.madrassingapore.com), which offers the standard-type hotel rooms starting at S$65/night (2,150 pesos).

If you find this neighborhood a bit too grungy, check out the area around Chinatown's Keong Saik Road instead, where a handful of decidedly classier boutique hotels stand. Of these, the least expensive would be the Royal Peacock (55 Keong Saik Road; www.royalpeacockhotel.com) with nicely-designed ensuite rooms that start at S$85 (Php2800). Also in the same area is a Hotel 81 (181 New Bridge Road; www.hotel81.com.sg), belonging to a local chain with several branches throughout Singapore. On the other hand, those wishing to lodge near the Orchard Road area may check in at Lloyd's Inn (#2 Lloyd Road; www.lloydinn.com), an independent traveler's favorite with room rates starting at S$70 (2300 pesos).

ODDS AND ENDS:

Forget that guided city tour if you're on a tight budget. The Singapore Tourism Board station at Changi Airport hosts a wealth of information about the Lion City's many attractions, most of them arranged according to subject and location. Highly recommended are the self-guided tour itineraries for the ethnic enclaves of Little India and Chinatown. These pocket-sized pamphlets come complete with a map and a walking route that traverses the neighborhood's highlights. In Chinatown, be sure to drop by the Chinatown Heritage Center (Temple Street, there's an S$8 entrance fee), a museum inside a beautifully-restored shophouse that recreates the lifestyle of bygone days. Visitors to Little India, on the other hand, should check out one of the many Indian temples along Serangoon Road -- come during poojai time (that's the daily Hindi prayer ceremony -- schedules are posted ont he main door) for a free and genuine cultural experience. And while you're there, look out for those fortune-tellers along the sidewalk. For S$5 (Php150), watch as a parrot picks out a card with your future on it -- whether this is real or not, it's still cool to watch.

Getting around, too, doesn't have to be expensive. An Ezlink card (which you can buy at the nearest MRT station for S$5+prepaid fares) gives you easy access to the extensive bus and MRT network. There's also the Citybuzz line, which passes the city's most popular dstinations -- log on to http://www.citybuzz.com.sg/ for a complete listing of the stops -- for a flat rate of S$1. Alternatively, you can alsto take the traditional bumboats that glide down the Singapore River. They're a bit more expensive at S$5, but the scenery is well worth the fare.

Originally posted on 05 May 2006 @ http://cdsaint.blogs.friendster.com/cnd/

Random Thoughts 4

2006-05-23T12:57:00.001+08:00

It's almost the end of May...and i've got a lot of things on my mind...i don't actually know where to start...but now my mind just keeps on lingering on the fact that: i'm still ELIGIBLY SINGLE! HAHA! Why start wondering now, you may ask...actually, i don't know too. Feeling ko i'm such a loser. HAHA! Ewan ko ba...it's weird. I don't wanna think about it. But it's like everyone expects for me to have someone special by now...considering that i'm already 23...super way past the age limit that my dad gave me for having a boyfriend. But the thing is, it's just not happening. I don't know if it's because i don't even make an effort to make it happen...or because it's just not yet my time...or because i'm too picky...I DON"T KNOW. I'm actually stumped. I'd rather solve quadratic equations...MENTALLY!...than think about this. Hay...my mind really has some twisted way of playing tricks on me...

People say that it's because i'm too picky. But you know what...i guess i just haven't met HIM. I'm quite sure i'm ready to lower my standards once i get to meet this guy who'll sweep me off my feet. But the thing is, no one has done that to me...yet. Nobody has swept me off my feet. I know naman for a fact na, pag feelings na ang kalaban mo, wala ka ng magagawa. You can't resist it, not even if you want to. Feelings na yun eh. And i don't want to waste my time and my efforts trying to love someone na alam ko naman walang patutunguhan, right? Hay...am i making sense? I'd probably have to stop this bruhaha now before i reveal too much to you guys...

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What's all these fuss about The Da Vinci Code? It's driving me crazy actually. Don't get me wrong, i've read the book, and am one of the eager people who'd want to see how this 'super controversial' book is translated into film. But My God! A lot of people are putting so much unnecessary effort to ban this film. But what they're actually successful in doing is stirring the public's interest, therefore making them (the public) want to watch the film more. Had they channelled their efforts some place else (like the never-ending increase of fuel prices), eh di sana mas na-appreciate pa ng mga tao yun. They should just stop protesting about this film. Anyway, if they don't want to watch it, eh di DON'T! Nobody's forcing them to anyway. I commend MTRCB though for giving the film a rating of R-18. I think i'ts just proper that they did that. Although i'm quite sure a bunch of people under 18 will still be able to watch this film given that we're in a country where pirated DVDs proliferate...but that's another story. All i can say is, at least may effort diba? Na ipagbawal to those people under 18 yung movie...

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BTW, it's my first year anniversary at PAL today! YEHEY! HAHA! Trip Pass here i come! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

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Belated HAPPY MOTHER's DAY to my MOM! Although i'm quite sure she won't be reading this, still it's the thought that counts right? LUV YAH Mommie! *HUGZ!* and *MUAH!* I would've bought you flowers and had them delivered at our house but you know how much that'd cost? 2,000 bucks!!! Grabe! I didn't know flowers are that costly! So pano ba yan...cash na lang? HEHE! =)

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Had I known SOP will be broadcasting live from SM Mall of Asia last Sunday, i would've gotten there before everybody else! HAHA! Ok...no pretenses now, but i probably would've done that. If you know me well enough, you'll know the reason why. Anyway, i'd like to congratulate my friend Aya for the successful opening of SM Mall of Asia. I remember the times when she'd text me and ask me who are the current popular Filipino artists...and i would text her a bunch of names. I would've told her to guest Ashton Kutcher, but that's not even close to being a possibility so i didn't even bother texting her that. So anyway, congratz Aya! All the hardwork and going to office on Sundays paid off! Pa-libre naman ng tickets sa IMAX jan...HEHE!

Originally posted on 23 May 2006 @ http://cdsaint.blogs.friendster.com/cnd/