Another one of those long weekend update... =)

TACO BELL's in town!

We were at SM Southmall that Saturday afternoon to pay some bills and to do some shopping when we saw some banners announcing the opening of the newest US-based fast food chain. Naturally, we got curious and went in for some snacks. The lines inside were long, but fortunately, service was good so the wait was just brief. The seats and tables were varied, but i particularly liked the round tables which could comfortably seat around 6-8 people. Ambience was good, i must say - perfect for a barkada hang-out. We ordered chicken quesadillas and 2 taco supreme. The verdict? Well, the taco was nothing special (although the sour cream was good), and the quesadillas had very little on the inside. For a 300+ meal, sad to say, it was not really sulit. I'm definitely ordering other items on the menu the next time we go back there.

After the unsatisfying meal, we browsed around the shops to look for tops (i swear i'm running out of clothes to wear na! hihi) and i found two of them at my favorite (and very reliable) store, People are People! Yipee!!!

Before heading home for another night of badminton, we went inside Toy Kingdom where Jon fooled around with Spiderman, and bought his own toy which he has been looking for for quite a while already. He got ecstatic when he saw it and he didn't let go 'til we paid for it at the cashier. heheh!

After the game, we headed to BF and ate at Bacolod Chicken Inasal House. Jon n I were both famished and ordered chicken inasal and batchoy (another fave of mine =) ).

Sunday morning, I got a call from my elder sister asking if i wanted to go with them to the mall and help her to pick out her new fone. A few minutes later, my mommy, ate, k8, and chuchay were already at home to pick me up. Girl bonding!!! Went back after 3 hours and had lunch at my old place. Anyway, here's a pic of my niece striking a pose (imitating ninang, of course! hehe!)

Back at home, I helped Jon clean the windows of our room while watching the finale of the Survivor All Stars. After some rest, we headed to Makro, and bought packs and boxes of items needed for the mini-grocery business the twins are going to start in Batangas City. Had a great time loading 2 long carts of different stuffs! Tiring, yes. But fuN! =) Anyway, i wish the twins the best of luck in this joint venture... of course, i'm here to help (i'm actually doing the inventory right now.. hehe, may sweldo ba ko dito? *wink* ) :D

While unloading the stuff from the van back home, got a call from Jezlyn, a soon-to-be-bride, who wanted to borrow our wedding video. She arrived with another friend, Mae, in tow. apparently, they were impressed with our on-site video played during the reception of our wedding that they are seriously considering to get them as their videographer too. Of course, I only have high praises for Realtime... and i highly recommend them!!! I hope they get them! We had more than an hour of non-stop chatting about bridal fairs and wedding suppliers!!! *sigh* i miss wedding planning!!! And as with all the other couples i know who are planning for a wedding, i offered to help in any way i can... =)

Before they ran off, Jez asked both of us for some advice for a successful relationship/marriage. And so now, I end this post with some tips...

1. Constant and effective communication is the key - express feelings often; even in arguing, or in the heat of passion... hahah!
2. Have fun together - bringing in sense of humor into the relationship is one of the most important factor of a healthy relationship. Laugh together, but never AT each other.
3. Know how to fight fair. - Don't be afraid of sleeping on the problem. Sometimes, it's the only way to cool heads off, believe me!
4. Surprise each other from time to time. =) - spam and egg with love, anyone? ;-)
5. Have some time alone for yourself. - Keep your individuality. Also, some time off to miss your partner does wonders to the relationship.. ;-)
6. Keep the love, and lust, alive... =)

My Face, Defined...

Personality Profile:
You are a long-term planner, diligent worker and avoid risk as much as possible. You are of above average intelligence and have the ability to focus on tasks that seem unimportant at present, but can lead to greater things in the foreseeable future. You are not keen to interact with others or make social connections. You would rather gain material wealth before putting yourself in a position to be judged. You are not confrontational unless someone directly opposes your intellectual beliefs. You are highly concerned with your social status. You are keen to avoid risks that could jeopardize your long-term plans. You take a calculated approach to life, working hard to control all aspects of it in order to not leave anything important to chance.

You tend to be a perfectionist and quite self-conscious. You sometimes wish you were less reserved and more like some others you see who are more bold and outspoken in social situations. But as much as you try to be like them, you cannot, because you care too much about the future to ever be comfortable taking risks in social situations.

Your view of other types: Academic types can end up rich but it will take longer than with Boss types. You see Boss types as potential business clients and as great resources to expand your contacts. Therefore you treat them with respect. For the most part you do not respect Artist types, however there are some Alpha Artists that you give some credit to. You look down upon Blue collar types as you consider them ignorant. You see White collar types as unsuccessful versions of yourself, but because of work situations you may have to interact with them often. You have very little in common with Charmers, therefore you avoid them. You consider Gambler types to make foolish decisions, and for the most part you do not interact with them. At times you feel sorry for Drifters.

Other types' view of you: Boss types consider you to be a valuable resource of advice. They constantly interact with you to make better decisions and they often respect your opinion. For the most part Artist types do not interact with you for they rather take it easy. They however may like you because of your knowledge of subjects that they find interesting. Blue collar types find you boring and uptight, they have very little in common with you. White collar types may respect your accomplishments and ambition. Charmer types regard you as mostly withdrawn from life and too uppity to hang around with. Gambler types think that because you play so safe you miss out on great opportunities. Drifter types have no regard for you, because your repetitive routines seem boring to them.

Expected Occupations: Lawyer, Doctor, Investment Analyst, Accountant, Architect, Engineer, Professor, Researcher, Psychologist

~~~

Anyway, just for the fun of it, i changed my pic and got an archetype of an Alpha Charmer and her as my celeb match... heee!

Check it out! Visit http://www.faceanalyzer.com/! =)

Currently addicted to...

add my olliephaunt as ur neofriend!

I've been taking care of and playing with my pet, shopping, bulding a home, getting a job, playing a whole lot of games, visiting places, buying stocks, opening a bank account, taking tours, accepting quests, and having a hell lot of FUN!!!

I guess it's time to get another one... ;)

Father's Day

Celebrating father's day (without daddy here) was not a bit sad anymore as the previous years... Although he is very much missed by his family, the sorrow is long gone... what's left are the memories which, from time to time, eases our longing hearts... =)

The day started with a visit to the Nature Church's Ossuary where we offered flowers and prayers, and greeted my dad =) Then, we all headed to ATC for lunch... K8 was treating all of us that day coz she just received her very first paycheck. Great timing!

It was already past noon when we got there and we were all famished already. The resto we were supposed to go to was packed with people (we didn't make any reservation... *rolls eyes*)... as all the resto in the mall... geez!!! I must have listed my name in 5 different waiting lists and we waited for almost 2 hours before finally settling in Max's, which had the fastest queue... *sigh*

My disappointment wore off however, when, 10 minutes after we placed our order, our food was already served! That was fast! We stuffed ourselves with fried chicken, kare-kare, daing na bangus, liempo, sinigang na hipon and lumpiang sariwa and had buko pandan for dessert. It was quite a feast! =)

Back at home, I cooked caldereta (again, recipe to follow at our food blog...) for dinner and the other day, we bought a cake for Papa (my FIL) and greeted him Happy Father's day...

Fun with the Gang

Aside from being badminton addicts, Aion, Gina, Marlon, Mauie, Jon n I are all certified foodies, movie buffs and a recent addition... arcade freaks. =) The past weekend was a proof of all these... =)

FOOD TRIP FRIDAY NIGHT. To work up an appetite, we started the night off by dropping by the RUINS and walked around the rows and rows of stalls looking for a good (read: cheap ;))purchase. After we all got our items (i was able to get a capri pants for less than P500), we drove off (Aion's turn to bring the car that night) to Brooklyn Pizza and ordered our slices for take-out and brought them to Flaming Wings (yep, again!) where we ordered pasta (bolognese, penne with sausage) and of course, the delish chicken wings!!! yum! :p

And since we got so bitin over ice monsters last week, this time, we made sure that we got there early. Dessert was monsterrrific!!! :)

G4 SATURDAY GIMMICK. Sadly, Mauie and Marlon weren't able to come with us because of a sudden errand... but nevertheless, it was still a fun night! The 4 of us left at around 5pm and arrived at Glorietta an hour after.

Before the BATMAN BEGINS screening, we headed to SPAM JAM where we had early dinner (this was Aion's request - his first time...heheh)... We ordered spam n egg with fried rice (i'd still say Jon's spam n egg with love is better! ;) ), spam royale (with mushroom n cheese), and spam hero sandwich... Although there was nothing really special about the food here, AION swore he'll be back... spam addict.., he IS! =)

Still waiting for the time, our feet brought us to RED LANE where Aion looked for kits, Jon n I searched for outfits (i was looking for a bolero for weeks already, to no avail :( ) and Gina bought two office blouses. The kikay gurls also bought blings for 50 a pair. =)

We enjoyed the movie greatly. IMHO, i think it's the best BATMAN movie made... two thumbs up for this one... although i have to say that Christian Bale reminded me of FPJ in some scenes where he would hunch his shoulders, change his voice (as Batman) and speak FPJ-like... nyahahahah! :D

After the movie, the 4 us trooped to Timezone where we played games for more than an hour. Since it was almost midnight, there were only a few people left and we immensely enjoyed playing (and shrieking) like freaks. We shoot hoops(Jon n I lost... :D), played arcade, air hockey, bowling, skateboard... Gina and Aion tried to knock humpty dumpty down (that biatch! :p), Jon n I tried to kill pesty monsters, and the boys went to the house of the dead ;) It was mucho fun! =)

Before dropping Gina off, we first had to answer the call of our rumbling tummies and ate at SINANGAG EXPRESS. I didn't know what to call it --- is past midnight breakfast the right phrase? heheh...

The long weekend

It was such a great surprise that PGMA changed her mind and declared Monday a holiday. Another long break! Yay!
Friday night was another movie night (with Aion and Gina) at ATC. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were both smokinnnnn in the movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith! Although i didn't really like how the movie ended, it was a good movie nevertheless. We had coffee and some snacks at Starbucks BF right after.

Saturday night, we went food tripping. It was our turn to bring the car that night. (Aside from the money we could save, we started carpooling with the gang coz it's so much fun this way. =) )

First stop was Flaming Wings. We ordered chicken wings for take out and proceeded to Brooklyn Pizza. Now this was another gastronomic discovery! Their pizzas were very similar to Yellow Cab, but more affordable! So yummy too! Aion, Gina, Jon and I were so stuffed after, that the trip to Ruins (Greenhills style-tiangge) was a welcome treat to our full stomachs. This was the first time for Jon and I to go here and we were on shopaholic mode. But, some of the shops were already closing (it was almost 11pm) that i only managed to buy a pair of dangling earrings. Oh well, there's always next time..! =)

The night was young so we went looking for another place to go to. We were so in the mood for dessert that when we passed by an Ice Monster branch in the area, we got excited and got down the car to have our sugar fix... only to be told that the store will be closing in a few minutes.. waaaah! We decided to change venue and went to Westgate Alabang, where we met up with Marlon and Mauie. While the 2 had dinner (they came from a movie date ;) ), the four of us went looking for a way to satisfy our cravings, and someone came up with idea of buying ice cream! Woohoo!!! We trooped to a nearby gas station and bought 2 tubs of ice cream and we feasted on it at Brothers Burgers way after the store closed. It was a fun night of catching up on each other's affairs. =)

At home the following day, i cooked fish steak and brocolli with mushrooms in oyster sauce (recipe to be posted at my food blog soon). Right after lunch, we watched the Survivor All Stars marathon aired at ch.23 and just bummed around all afternoon making kulet and playing like children... heheh ;) That night, we played badminton with Marlon and Aion, met up with Gina right after, had dinner at Jollibee and we went to our place to watch the MTV video awards and our wedding video complete with nuts and popcorn. =) Gosh! After how many times i've seen the video, it still never fails to make me all tingly and warm inside... Especially that part when i'm walking down the aisle... it always leaves me breathless... haaaay... =)

Monday morning, after washing the car, Jon fetched my niece at my old place (they were visiting that day) and while preparing for lunch, we both got in touch with our inner child and played with Chuchay for a while. =)

I love taking pictures of my niece... look at us... these pics are taken on two separate occasions... manang mana, di ba? hahaha! :D

Anyway, after feeding her and bathing her, Jon n I both got ready coz we were going out with my mom and sisters, first to the wake of K8's bf's mom, and then to SM Southmall for some shopping and family bonding time...

Food Junkies!

Having been confined inside the house for over a week, and given the limited food choices we had coz we got sick, it was inevitable that i had these huge cravings all of a sudden... and nope... i am NOT PREGNANT! :D

First off, after a badminton game early this week, i suddenly wanted donuts - and not just any donuts, mind you - it had to be Gonuts Donuts. After pleading with Jon, we drove off to Westgate Alabang (along with Aion) and bought a box of donuts and shared it inside the car on our way home. =)

The next night, we weren't satisfied with dinner at home and we got hungry again after a couple of hours so Jon and I decided to go out. This time, i was craving for spaghetti! Although my taste buds was longing for a JOLLIBEE spaghetti, i settled for Mcdo coz neither one of us wanted to go down the car and buy our food. We just went to Mcdonalds drive thru and ordered away.

Wednesday night was dinner with Aion and Gina at Flaming Wings - a small restaurant at an exclusive village in the south. The two had previously dined here and were raving about it so we decided to give it a try. And was i pleased!!! They had huge servings at an affordable price and the food tasted great! We had pasta (carbonarra and bolognese), chicken breast sandwich with side salad, and of course, wings! I absolutely loved the chicken wings! We will definitely come back here... oh yeah.

Still, i was craving for more... Days before, a picture of a big, juicy and greasy burger came to mind and didn't leave my thoughts... it was sheer torture!!! Jon ended this fortunately when he invited me out on our 6th month anniv and brought me to Brothers Burgers at Westgate Alabang. We both had the 1/2 pounder black angus burger complete with onion rings, drinks and a giant chocolate chip cookie. Now that's a meal!!! We were so stuffed that we weren't able to play well in our badminton session after... but who cares? hahaha!!!

but it's definitely time for another diet... =)

Let the Games Begin!

DFAPA Sportsfest 2005 finally opens!!!

So excited to play!!! =)

Back to Regular Programming =)

Oh, it was fun while it lasted...

Although the 4-day workweek for government agencies officially ended on the 26th of May (almost 2 weeks ago), the regular 5 working days a week only starts now for me since i've been on sick leave since then..

*sigh*
I will definitely miss the commute home with Jon, the merienda-bonding with my officemates, and most especially, having my FRIDAYS OFF - which for me, meant spending time with my family and pets at my old home; catching up on my sleep, and of course, having some pampering time for myself!!!

On the other hand, i welcome with open arms the thought of sleeping in late and going home early, and will not anymore dread the dragging 10 hours of work every single day... oh well... =)

In Sickness and in Health...

we stick together... =)


Jon and I had been down with the flu for almost a week... He got sick first, and I played nurse for a couple of days before i got sick myself. And it was no surprise... We were obviously sharing the virus inside a constricted space, and it was just bound to happen.

Now, that just proved we were true to a clause in the promise we made to each other almost 6 months ago, right?! hahaha! :D