Yax's Doodles

First Glimpse

2006-05-17T08:05:00.000+08:00

Join me as i journey thru another milestone in my life... motherhood...

http://momyax2be.blogspot.com

Diner Dash 2

2006-05-15T09:44:00.000+08:00

The one hour downloadable preview from yahoo games just wasn't enough... we thought we'd easily find the crack over the net (just like part 1) but we couldn't find any... must be because the game's still relatively new... i was so frustrated and i kept on pestering jon to search the net and annoyed him to the point of getting me the game... heheh... hey, it was mother's day after all, and whether or not i am already eligible for a mother's day gift, i got the game i wanted... and now, i'm hooked!!! hihihi.

*also currently addicted to tumblebugs and cake mania. somebody stop me!!! =)

Changes...

2006-04-30T10:42:00.000+08:00

So i've not been blogging for more than a month... blame it on my raging pregnancy hormones. i'm too sick.., too tired.., or too lazy most of the time. So there. =)

But i promise to make up for it by making this reaally long post which i hope will not bore u to death... hahaha! :D

~*~*~

After the announcement that we were pregnant, of course, blow-outs and celebrations followed. We treated some friends, officemates, and family members (in separate occasions of course) soon after. I guess we just couldn't contain our happiness and excitement that we just had to share it to the world...

..And special thanks goes out to everyone who prayed for us, congratulated us and even gave sound advices and tips... you're all a blessing!

~*~*~

Remember my wedding coordination stint which was supposed to be this august? I had to let go of it...

It was an inevitable decision but i had no regrets whatsoever. Right now, my priority is this baby and the stress that i know comes with the job has got to go. Fortunately, the bride to be, was very understanding and even very supportive. Thanks, jez. I can only wish her a successful and a beautiful wedding. I know the coordinator i recommended will do a great job... =)

Speaking of letting go.., the Boracay trip with Aion and Yna won't be pushing thru this Sept. We had to cancel our reservations (Cebu Pacific P10 fare) upon learning that i was pregnant. At first, i still wanted to go... but as i picture myself in a two-piece with a big stomach bulge, somehow, it just didn't appeal to me... hahah! Next year guys... ;)

~*~*~

I'm on a three-month leave from work.

This was actually suggested by my mother in law and my mommy because at the start of the pregnancy, i had this frequent abdominal pain which, i've read from my pregnancy books, were danger signs. It was scary... but luckily, after a couple of weeks of complete rest, the pain finally disappeared.

So now, i'm on vacation but sadly, not enjoying it to the fullest... well, these pregnancy symptoms sometimes gets the better of me and leaves me feeling miserable... :( and can anyone take this summer heat??? arrrghhhh!!!

~*~*~

Jon's 27th birthday. No surprises this time. Yep, too lazy. heheh!

I just got him a bass stand and a guitar strap and spent an entire day cooking for the twins' bday celeb here at home (a few days before their actual natal day)... some of the dishes i prepared: hardinera, suzi wong (like cordon bleu), asparagus with bacon, spicy wings, fried chix... Man, was it tiring!!! But the compliments i received that night more than made up for it. =)

Jon n I stayed at Astoria Plaza in Ortigas for 3d2n (the first night was another gift) and had a very relaxing time. Buhay-baboy was a more appropriate term.

We came back home Thursday afternoon and met up with Aion and Yna for Visita Iglesia that evening. We completed the 14 stations of the cross but only got to visit 7 churches around Manila (we were done at past 12 midnight already). For the past two or three years, Jon and i were not able to do this coz we were always out-of-town so this was a welcome change... and yes, the visita merienda was delish... ryt, guys? ;) bwahahaha!

~*~*~

So what else happened?

...i was ninang to cousin in law's son;

...i had my first transV ultrasound at the request of my OB last apr 17... this deserves a separate post, but to sum it up, the feeling that i experienced was nothing compared to anything i've ever felt before... all the uncomfortable symptoms, the large increase in the scales,.. all those were forgotten as i caught sight of my baby inside my womb. It was a miracle indeed...

...i'll be a matron of honor at my sister's wedding on july 15. - we had measurement taking last apr 23 and of course i had to stress that i'll be gaining weight for sure so my dress should better have room for major adjustments!

...fun party with my pamangkins!

...i've been missing out on a lot of things at the office... grrr. the Zambales outing, the team-building in Antipolo, the volleyball games... haay... maybe i need another ultasound... ;)

back with a vengeance...part 3...(the BIG surprise)

2006-03-23T21:55:00.000+08:00

u may probably have a hint by now, but here's my story... =)

*~*~*

When I was brought to the hospital Thursday afternoon because of an upset stomach, I was worried because i might be given medication that is not good for an expectant mother... And i suspect i AM one...

I was 5 days delayed.

And so i asked to have a pregnancy test and thank God!!! it confirmed that i am pregnant and i was ecstatic!!!

*~*~*

Of course I didn't tell Jon right away... even if i wanted to. I wanted to see the look on his face when i finally tell him.

Besides, i already made him believe that i already had my period while there in Cebu. U see, he was keeping track of my cycle and my first day, supposedly, fell on the day i was to leave for Cebu (Sunday).

He asked me Monday night. I didn't respond. He just assumed. I didn't correct him.., instead i made use of my acting skills all throughout. That way, even if i did have my period, he wouldn't be disappointed again.

And this time, i was happy that i will NOT anymore..

*~*~*

Seeing Jon again at the airport made me want to blurt out the surprise then and there... but i tried my best to contain myself a little longer until we were home. Instead, we had dinner at Plato Platina to "celebrate" (together again eh... heheh).

There were times I just couldn't help but smile to myself and when he notices this and asks me, I just make up some silly excuse which of course, he believes... He really doesn't even have a tiny bit of a clue... hihihi.

Even when my kulit sister texts him often which says "Yes! Yes! Yahoo!" (She had an excuse too... we were going to Canyon Woods in Tagaytay that Sunday to claim our free 3d2n stay and she says she's just excited when asked)...

Anyway, as soon as we got back home and we took care of our business (hehehe), i immediately put my plan to action...

"hun, u want to see the results of my stool exam? Eto oh... "(I gave him the results from the hospital, the first page contained the stool exam, and the other one, the pregnancy test...)

He was taking so long and examining every bit of information there is... I was getting impatient na so...

look at the other page hun... meron pa yan... (while readying my videocam)

He turned the page and there it was...

after awhile, i slipped the piece of paper i prepared and planted a kiss...

The video i have of him will show it all... but he asked me not to share it... too shy i guess, sorry. :D

But let me just describe it to u... First, he was laughing and smiling, and then, he was staring at the papers in front of him, teary eyed, in shock and disbelief... and then afterwards, he was jumping and acting like crazy!!! "Magiging tatay na ko!!!"

*~*~*

The seemingly long wait for us to conceive is now over... but the journey has just begun... =)

back with a vengeance... part 2... (the weeks leading to...)

2006-03-22T10:00:00.000+08:00

backtracking...

Feb. 25 (Sat)
After gimmick with friends, i came home at 2am to this:

This was something i requested from Jon a few weeks back but i had no idea how he would do it... so just imagine my surprise when i saw this in our bedroom! I was happy like a child playing house... hehehe ;)

In return, i cooked buffalo wings and shepherd's pie (potato and meat casserole) for him that night and we stayed inside our room all night long. It was my O, after all, and we've been planning for this holiday... ;)

Mar. 1 (Wed)
The National Women's Month Celebration kick-off program at Amoranto Sports Complex in QC. Alay lakad, Unang Hirit (saw Drew and Regine), programme, tiangge, lunch at Max's c/o FSI, and most impt part, half-day!!! :D (which meant free from all meetings and a chance to rest! whew!)

Mar. 3 (Fri)
Red Box with ofcmates to celebrate Dionne's bday. Jon, Lu, Jera, Bon n I had a sumptuous dinner at ___ before heading to our room at Red Box where we sang and danced all our stress away!

Mar.4 (Sat)
While the boys had a night-out, Yna and I had some serious girl-bonding!!! :) Starting with some shopping, dinner at a Japanese resto, then 2 fun games of bowling, and afterwards, some coffee and dessert... all the while sharing our innermost secrets and having the grandest time... =)

Met our boys afterwards of course to take us home... hihihi.

Mar.10 (Fri)
FSI Bowling games. I'm glad i chose to join these games coz i needed a break from all the work re interfaith. But despite the practice i've had with Yna the other week, i still sucked big time. heheh. I had fun for a while but had to go back to the ofc for more OT work in time for our flight that Sun morning... oh well.

~*~*~

what's the surprise, u ask? .. it's comin' up... :D

back with a vengeance...(the Cebu trip)

2006-03-21T10:23:00.000+08:00

it has been a month-looong blogging hiatus for me... and i'm glad to be back! Work has been hell to say the least.. OTs were alien to me before but these past couple of weeks found me slaving away at the office til 10 pm and even a Saturday OT! All these because of the Interfaith Dialogue held in Shangri-La Mactan, Cebu last week which was participated by almost 200 delegates from 15 countries in the Asia Pacific. I'm just so glad it's over... and i'm also mighty proud of the excellent work we've done there.

I was pretty miserable on my first two days (Sun-Mon) in Cebu because i was missing Jon terribly and i was tired all the time. Non-stop work, skipped meals, work til one a.m, lack of sleep... Luckily, on the third night, we got off from work a little earlier that usual and went back to our suite in Hilton. While 2 of my officemates decided to have dinner outside, i opted to just enjoy the time alone and ordered room service, plopped myself on the sofa, and watched American Idol on tv. I had enough sleep afterwards which accounted for the good mood i felt the next day. That Wednesday night, we tried the Sutukil and saw the Mactan Shrine beside it.

Thursday, the last day of the conference... we were in panic mode again because of things to wrap up and handouts and cds to produce... two hours before the conference culminates, all hell broke loose... i was having an upset stomach and together with my officemate who was also experiencing the same thing, we were brought to the nearest hospital for immediate treatment. Although it was nothing serious, we had to wait for almost 3 hours for the result and by the time we got back to Shang, some of the team members were already packing our things at the secretariat. A blessing in disguise??? hahah. To celebrate the success of the conference we ate buffet dinner by the beach at Shang but since my stomach was still acting up, i didn't get to enjoy it that much... I decided to go home early to rest at our beauiful suite.

Friday, our last day in Cebu... we had an early breakfast, went to the beach and the pool.. and by lunchtime, we were ready for check-out. We were again invited to lunch by the undersecretary of cebu at a shabu-shabu (the first night, we were treated by him at a chinese resto) and afterwards, had some pasalubong shopping. By 4pm, we were already at the VIP lounge at the airport waiting for our flight... and this was the time my ex-boss praised us for a job well done... with special mention of the 3 FSI girls of course. :)

At 6:30 pm... i was back in Manila and i was too excited to see Jon... after all, I have a BIG surprise for him... :)

some Cebu pics.

to be continued...

Valentine FEVAH! (part 2)

2006-02-17T19:16:00.000+08:00

mooshy-mooshy post! ;-)

Hearts Day started by me waking Jon up with a surprise...

Before going to sleep the night before, i placed my bag just below my side of the bed (with my gift inside) for easy access. I was so excited that i even woke up ahead of my alarm that morning before going to work. I watched Jon sleep for a while before lifting his left arm very slowly and putting my gift on his wrist... He stirred up a little, I whispered "Happy Valentine!" into his ear, and he noticed the spanking-new watch for the first time... =)

Of course, i was elated that he loved my gift... Weeks before, his old watch's indiglo got broken and he mentioned that he needed a new everyday watch. But since it wasn't an immediate need, he never got to buying himself one... I was just happy to do it for him. =)

....

30 minutes before lunch time, I got a call from him inviting me for a lunch-out. I was a bit confused coz i knew he was cooking up something for that night but i just happily obliged. When i got in the van, he handed me this beautifully arranged bouquet of flowers. *sigh*

...and then he told me that his original plan was to go up to my office and deliver the flowers right to my table but he just couldn't find a parking space (he went around the area a few times already)... and that we really weren't supposed to have lunch-out talaga... haha! We just drove thru Jollibee Macapagal and ate lunch inside the van... that's when i had a clue that he was taking me out to something fancy that night.

When i got back to the office (bringing with me my flowers, of course), i got totally swamped with work and meetings that before i knew it, it was 6pm already... i even had to excuse myself on that last meeting just so i could have a quick change of clothes and made up my face in a hurry.

...

I was totally floored.

As soon as i stepped into the romantic ambience of the patio garden of Shangri-La Makati, i fell in love all over again. We were led to a corner table which had a beautiful centerpiece of candles, roses and calla lillies.., beside us a huge glass waterfall. Stars were few that night, but the full moon just above some of the buildings was a perfect finishing touch.

We had a gastronomic four-course dinner complemented by red wine and there was even a live band singing love songs which made the enchanted evening more memorable.

Just before ending the perfect night, a waiter handed Jon a single long-stemmed rose to give to me. =)

video and photos at my multiply site...

(from our cam-phones - which doesn't give it any justice, sorry!)

*~*~*

spreading the love...

Before going home, it was time to play cupid by doing a favor for Yna - a Valentine surprise. Read about it in Aion's blog. :)

Valentine FEVAH! (part 1)

2006-02-15T19:21:00.000+08:00

hey, hey, hey! :) ...i'm back!!! 'ope everyone had a nice V-day celeb! ..coz this hopeless romantic sure did... :) ...still pretty much hung over about the whole thing, actually... happy happy joy joy!!

~~~

Jon and I had a blast when we visited BOHOL for the first time for our early Valentine escapade last week...

We arrived at Tagbilaran airport early Thursday morning and even the downcast skies and the slight drizzle didn't dampen our spirits. We easily saw our chauffeur and immediately took us to the resort where we are staying for 3 days (Panglao Island Nature Resort). The place was really beeyootiful!!! Especially our bungalow with jacuzzi... i would have to say that this really beats our Bora accommodation last year (Fridays - except for the four-poster bed... heheh). Really, it was the ideal honeymoon place (which is precisely why we chose this over the other resorts in Panglao)!

After a few hours rest, we headed to the resort's restaurant which was a minute walk from our room and had lunch there. Right after, a resort's staff was kind enough to tour us around the place... we saw the garden, the resort's expansion project at the other side, and we even went inside their very own cave, the Cambagat Cave which was really well-maintained and also a good place for swimming. Manong was our driver, our tour guide, and even our photographer. Sobrang bait. :) He dropped us off at our bungalow... we took a nap til it was time to go to the BQ Mall (service from the resort)...

We bought some pasalubong at the mall and had dinner at a Mongolian BBQ resto before we headed back to PINR. Back in our place, we tried the jacuzzi and it was pure bliss. ;)

Since there was no night life in the place, we were ready for bed as early as 10pm... and we had enough time for more relaxing... Jon watched TV while I read the book "Memoirs of a Geisha"..

2nd day, we headed to the beach before breakfast. I would have wanted to swim right then and there if not for the Bohol trip we scheduled for the day...

Our chauffeur was a few minutes early but we were glad to start the tour sooner...

Blood Compact Shrine
Tarsier
Loboc River Cruise
Man-made forest
Chocolate Hills
Floating resto for a late lunch
Baclayon Church and Museum
Pasalubong shopping!

We went back to the resort to change and drop off our things and took a dip in the infinity pool... it was really getting cold already so we made our way back to our jacuzzi. ;) We ordered room service and ate dinner inside our room.

We had an early big breakfast the following day and went straight to the beach and the man-made islet. More picture taking, swimming - which we continued in the infinity pool and our jacuzzi before we got ready for check-out.

Since our flight is hours away, the resort made us stay in their comfy lobby where we had our late lunch and i was able to finish reading my book MOAG (can't wait for the movie)...

Back in Manila, we waited for our sundo --> Yna and Aion at the airport (super thanks again, guys!), then we had dinner, watched movie, and had coffee afterwards. =)

some of the Bohol pics here

to be continued...

finally! a reason to CELEBRATE

2006-02-03T09:33:00.000+08:00

(nope... i'm not yet pregnant. )

woohoo!!! finally!!! the much-awaited transfer of my boss to another department materialized early this week and i am finally out of her claws! bwahahaha! i am freeeee!!!

Ay... not entirely free pala. She still included me in the Interfaith Dialogue (hosted this year by RP, Indonesia, New Zealand and Australia) which will happen at Cebu on March. Hay. I haven't been to Cebu yet, and i would have loved to go there, but under the circumstances, i think enjoying my stay there for almost a week will be out of the question... and of course, without Jon there, I know i'll be miserable... waaaah!!! :(

But then again... she's outta here... and the Dialogue will take place in more than a month pa... still more than enough reason to celebrate!!! yahooo!

...

and celebrate, i did! =D I took a much-needed rest from work for two whole days. I read a book (Digital Fortress by Dan Brown), surfed the net, watched videos, ate, and slept.

Jon and I also went to Tiendesitas at Ortigas Wednesday afternoon to check out this new shopping place i've been hearing about... only to get a little disappointed.

From afar, Tiendesitas looks promising. It sort of looks like a resort, really. The place was nice, in fairness...(nice for a photoshoot even)... And i found the "village" concept appealing since each village is devoted to a certain theme (food, handicrafts, pet, fashion, toys, etc) so one would know exactly where to go for that item one is looking for. BUT (shopping-wise), the place is super hot (no airconditioning)!!! It made us really uncomfortable while shopping and to think that there still weren't a lot of people there! Also, prices were a bit steeper and the range of choices were not that many. =(

But I did enjoy looking at the pets at the (wherelse?) "pet village", we also tried some of the native delicacies available there (u gotta try Tita Lynn's flavored suman!), and bought some abubots... so it wasn't entirely an unproductive trip... =)

Bummer weekend and another Wedding

2006-01-30T15:23:00.000+08:00

I was sooo drained and sooo damn tired last week at work that i was just really anticipating the weekend... But i guess all that stress caught up with me coz i had "sumpong" during those days... and i think that may have ruined it altogether... :( Jon and I had another ~~silly~~ ~~serious~~ silly fight that lasted the entire weekend before we kissed and made ~~out~~ up. ;)

oh well... the *toot* more than made up for it naman... bwarharharhar!!

a little side story...

I was surfing the net Sunday morning when i saw this on top of our PC...

i was still so pissed so i separated "us"

later on... i found this... (i just had to laugh out loud..hahah!)

so anyway, this is "us" moments later... nyahahaha!

~*~*~

Anyway, i've got some BIG news! I wasn't able to blog about it last week coz of work but now that i've got the chance...

my mom's getting married again!

now, isn't that exciting??? :D

Talked to my mommy via YM the other day (she left for Australia last Jan 15 after Ray stayed here during the holidays - she'll be back before Valentine's Day), hoping to get more juicy details but she refused to give any. She said to wait until Ray comes back on summer and we'll talk then... hmmmmm, mamamanhikan??? ;)

oooh... and get this. i'll get to coordinate two more weddings in the family ( my younger sister Kate is the other one ) at a discounted rate, of course... nyahahaha! ;)

Weekend Pics... plus Singapore Anniversary pics.

2006-01-24T10:28:00.000+08:00

Friday night, we celebrated Dulce's birthday at our favorite hangout, Red Box at Greenbelt 3. Just like the previous times, it was a blast. 'nuff said. =)

pics here and here.

*~*~*

Saturday was Jason Mraz' concert. Aion, Yna, Jon and I had light dinner at The Fort Strip before going inside the NBC Tent. We had good seats so taking pictures of the geek in the pink was a breeze. The acoustic concert was truly an enjoyable show and after more than 2 hours or so, i had a new crush... the adorable Mr. A-Z himself. Hihihi!

After the concert, we dropped by the newest carnival in town, Eurostar. But since it was almost midnight when we got there, we decided not to go in anymore... sayang lang yung entrance fee. Some other time, maybe. We saw some of the extreme and heart-stopping rides and although i am 100% sure i won't be getting in any of those crazy rides, i'm sure going there with friends again would still be a whole lotta fun...dun na lang ako sa mga pambatang rides... nyahahaha!

We were all famished coz of the light dinner we all had so we headed to Carlos' Pizza, a new pizza place at BF which we had been planning to try since it opened. Funny, no one even ordered pizza... heheh. I loved the ribs though. Definitely comin' back.

Pics here.

*~*~*

I just remembered that i still haven't blogged about our Singapore Anniversary trip. In the meantime, here are our SOME of our photos and i'll let the pictures speak for themselves. :) When i have the time, i'll write the detailed kwento... sana sipagin ako... :(

some of the Singapore pics here.

Weddings and me

2006-01-18T13:18:00.000+08:00

There's always something about weddings that fascinates me... whether it be the bridesmaids' dresses, or the little boys and girls who are all dressed up for the occasion, or all those beautiful flowers and bouquets, or the bride's stunning entrance... i could go on and on...but i guess, ultimately, it's the magic of the entire occasion which celebrates LOVE above all else... (I'm such a romantic, aint I?) =)

~*~*~

I attended a high school friend's wedding at Caleruega with Jon yesterday. it was a very nice and intimate celebration, with the venue contributing to the romantic ambience. Some instances brought tears to my eyes, as expected... Maine's closed-door entrance and the couple's personal vows. =) Reception was held at Josephine's and Jon had a nice time practicing his shots. You can view pics here (some were taken from my digicam, though.)

~*~*~

{MnM}
I have finally accepted a friend's request to be her wedding coordinator...

Ever since Jon and I got married, i have not yet been able to take it entirely out of my system and I can honestly say that i miss wedding preps (yes, even the stress that goes with it). When Jezz txted me 2 months ago, it was really flattering that she wanted me and yet i have been aware of the tremendous responsibility that i will be getting once i accepted the job. But... after weeks of contemplating bout it, i've decided that i can, and I WILL do it. =)

A budding career? Hmmm... not sure about that just yet, but for now, i am accepting coordination only for close friends and relatives, and I guess i'll take it from there... ;) Wish me luck.

Tagaytay Weekend Getaway

2006-01-11T10:48:00.000+08:00

Since our calendars are jampacked last December, Aion, Yna, Jon and I decided to have our Christmas slash New Year slash Costume Party last january 7-8 at Tagaytay City.

Yna and I have been researching for a good yet cheap place to stay a few weeks before but never really booked one yet since we wanted to have an ocular first. So, we decided to leave early Saturday morning hoping to find a nice venue for our "party".

And we did... after 3 tries (first was Club Estancia - the place was OK, but didn't have separate rooms, 2nd was Viewpoint Inn - which had a verrry nice view and veranda, had separate rooms, but, very small), we found our home for 2 days... at the MC Mountain Home Apartelle. We had 2 big adjoining rooms with kitchen and verandas. Really, it was the perfect place to be. :p

After we've settled in our rooms, we went out for lunch at Josephine's. The view was very nice there so we had a short picture taking session after eating. While at it, I was surprised to see Maine (high-school friend) who was checking out the reception set-up and was scheduled for their food-tasting that day (she'll be having her wedding reception at the same place next week - which i'll be attending, of course).

Before going back to our place, we dropped by the Mahogany market and bought live tilapia, vegetables and some supplies we needed for dinner and breakfast the following morning. Of course, we also bought BULALO (cooked) which will be our main viand for the night! uhmmmm, yummmeeeh!

We rested for a few hours and then, we prepared dinner. We had bulalo (added more veggies), pinaputok na tilapia and papaitan. Ansarap! Perfect for the cold weather outside.

After freshening up, it was time for the parteiiii to start. We had beer, vodka and wine... Videoke, and yes, we even had a game --> Pinoy Henyo! It was a gurls versus boys game and each team had 6 words to guess... This was freakin hilarious! Needless to say, us gurls won over the boys. Hihihi! :D

Of course, the night's main event... where we dressed up as Japanese school gurls... this called for a looong photoshoot! ;)

The following morning, we woke up a little late and prepared breakfast. The weather was very nice and we opted to have breakfast at one of the verandas. We had yakisoba, tortang talong, fried egg and corned beef plus the tocino and pineapple chunks (from the free set breakfast from the place). Pretty heavy breakfast, eh! That was the best "home-cooked" breakfast i had in months! =)

We rested for a couple of hours more (we requested for a late check-out) and then, it was time to go. We're definitely coming back here for future parteeeis... ;)

Next stop was at Taal Vista Hotel where we enjoyed the magnificent view of Taal and had a photoshoot once more. After about an hour, we were asked to leave the area because there's a wedding that will take place and so, we had merienda at the cafe' inside the hotel while I waited for the wedding to start.

I took shot after shot at Jon's camera while witnessing a very romantic wedding. Yna and I both cried during the bride's march. It was truly something else.

When the wedding was through, the four of us came back to the view deck for more tambay and picture-taking.

We headed home at 5pm, bought fruits and other pasalubong along the way, ate dinner at Rai Rai Ken somewhere at SSH, and got home at arnd 9pm. It was a vacation well spent. =)

Hundreds of pics here and here. :D

After one year of being married...

2006-01-09T22:19:00.000+08:00

Due to the nth honeymoon euphoria and the holiday frenzy, this post has been one-month delayed... (warning: PG13 :D)

Jon and I have been together for (exactly) 8 years before we got married, and in those years, you'd think that we'd already know each other like the back of of our hands. Well, almost. Surprisingly though, there are still lots of things we discover from each other in our day-to-day lives, some funny and some are.., well, not-so-funny. :D

The period of adjustment was relatively smooth and easy. We had our own share of fights and tampuhans but most of them were over silly stuff (but enough reason for a mind-blowing make-up sex... haha!).

So anyway, lemme just reminisce and make a recollection of what it has been like... being married for a year...

... As you know, Jon and I are living with his parents, and this, i must point out, is by choice. And for reasons only the family can comprehend. Oh, we can move out if we want to... but everything has its perfect time. Besides, living with them is not in any way difficult, and it even gives us the liberty to splurge on our wants in life and allows us to travel every now and then.
Although i must admit that it does present some problem from time to time... like for example, (and this happened just recently), i got a text from a friend that night asking if we were already sleeping coz she had just called and my mother-in-law answered the phone... she said that after a while, my MIL came back to the phone and told her we were already asleep...but u see, we were NOT sleeping and we didn't hear her knock on our door either... hehehe. go figure. We had a good laugh after. nyahahaha! :D
... I did say there were a lot of discoveries... and some of them are really weird ones... especially when he is sleeping... like that time that it was blackout, and when electricity was restored, he sprung from the bed, turned on the lights, saying, "yes, yes, may ilaw na!" and then went back to sleep... or this other time when, i turned to face him to give him a hug, and he suddenly punched me! (not hard nman) ... turned out he was having a "maaksyon" dream! he was very apologetic nman after... :D
... We've settled into a routine during weekdays. I get up ahead of him since I go to work early, I wake him up when it's time for me to leave and he drops me off at the bus station, he goes home and gets ready for work. He calls or texts when he's about to leave home, we work the whole day, he fetches me in the afternoon and we go home. We eat, watch tv/tinker with the computer, and then we sleep. I sometimes sleep early but not without him making meme me... hihih!
... Waking up on mornings has never been the same again... although it's particularly hard to get up during work days. Cuddling is something we always do on weekends... yes, morning breath and all...
... Household chores are divided between us according to our "expertise" ;) But, grocery shopping is something we love to do together.
... We found surefire ways for destressing... going to the spa, movie marathon at home, shopping (yes, Jon's becoming a shopaholic now :P) or travelling. Boy, do we love to travel!
... Some would think that living together means no more surprises. But the truth is, it just makes making or planning surprises a lot more challenging. You just need to get your creative juices flowing! ;)
... I am way comfortable with my name now... and yes, my new signature. I love it!
... We still cannot fart in each other's faces...Okay, that's gross... i mean, presence. :D
... We still can't get enough of each other and I love him more than ever...
... And after a year, we're now ready to become parents... and we're praying for a baby girl... but as I've said... in HIS perfect time... =)

'TWAS the Season to be Busy... (part 2)

2006-01-04T11:01:00.000+08:00

warning: long read + pictures overload

December 24.
My mother in law put me in charge of the noche buena at home and since i was so preoccupied with a lot of things lately, i figured that the simple the menu, the better. I soon figured out that however simple the menu was, all the preparation still left me exhausted! But hey, don't think i'm complaining... i think of it as a practice for the coming years... ;)

The menu consisted of baked ham, spaghetti, caldereta, barbecue, fruit salad... I'm not going to take all the credit coz Jon helped a great deal. It was a nice experience, and i couldn't help but imagine the time when we already have a family and a house of our own. =)

We attended the 9pm mass and afterwards, had a light dinner at home and went to my old place. It was a tradition that we always have our noche buena there because right after, we all sit around the living room, and we distribute our gifts for everyone. It was particularly special this year because we had a guest, Ray (mommy's Aussie friend). =)

My Christmas loot at home consisted of a Guess bag (from Jon), Celine blouse, Body Shop body butter, shower gel, loofah, and body scrub gloves(?), and a big grocery basket. Jon was also surprised when I handed him his Armani black code perfume. He also got Arrow socks, Ralph Lauren hankies, and a Lacoste polo shirt from my family.

Speaking of gifts, there were lots and lots of them this year and i love every single one of them... hihi! I guess I've been nicer than naughty this year... ;-)

December 25.
Christmas morning was spent in bed trying to restore energy lost the previous day. Lunch time, a friend with her two children (godchildren of ours) visited us and we gave them their gifts. After that, more time for r&r. My MIL recently bought the latest Magic Sing with 2000+ songs and in his excitement, Jon bought a Tagalog Chip with more songs days after... Jon and I spent the entire afternoon trying out the songs in our room... yup, we're certified videoke addicts!!!

And... it doesn't stop there! When relatives arrived that night, Jon set up the videoke at the living room and we all had a grand time at our very own videoke bar... complete with beer (vodka for me), chips, chocolates, and other pica-pica. :D

December 26.
My mom's birthday. Jon and I first went to Hidalgo St., at Quiapo, where we looked for a standard lens for Jon's spanking DSLR, the Nikon D70s (which he got from Singapore). We found a good deal there and my hubby was a very happy man as he took shot after shot on his camera on our way to Makati.

Shopped for a few hours at Glorietta (got back my capital from the tiangge + additional 70% earnings! wahooooo!) then made our way to the first World Pyro Olympics at the Esplanade Bay just beside the SM Mall of Asia. The fireworks display from China and Australia was just spectacular!

Pyro day1 pics here.

December 29.

Asheley and Bang's Wedding. I was up at 5am and met a friend at the salon at 6. By 830 am, we were on our way to Tagaytay. In a way, it was my first wedding coordination assignment and Jon's first wedding to shoot... hihihi... cge na nga, practice pa lang... ;)

view entire album here.

Right after the wedding, Aion, Jon and I went home, changed clothes and waited for Yna to pick us up and we went to the 4th day of the World Pyro Olympics which showcased the pyrotechniques of U.S.A. and South Africa. If Jon and I had good seats the first day, we had an even better place this time around. We were by the edge of the Manila Bay where we ate our Jollibee take-out food on top of the rocks. Saya! =)

Pyro day 4 here.

December 30

Reunion and 10th year anniv party with 4Agirls (high school classmates). Being one of the organizers, I was one of the few earlybirds that evening and helped in the food preps (cocktails only) and decors (tables/chairs and balloons courtesy of JS2K -> my family's biz -nag-plug pa! hehe). It was a fun-filled night as we reminisced on the good ol' high school days.

Hat party pics here.

December 31

We went grocery shopping first thing in the am. As usual, the place was packed with people. The same goes at the fruit stand where we bought Jon's usual gift at my old home, the seedless jumbo watermelon. =) We dropped this off before going home.

Every year, egg rolls (recipe at my food blog) were always incuded in the menu and this year was no different... (bilog-bilog = pera! :D ). It was kind of a reunion at home because Jon's cousins (7 of them) and other relatives are celebrating the New year with us so the food preparation this time around was a breeze coz we had lots of helpers around.

Around 9pm, everything was ready... and everyone was just counting the hours til midnight. Earlier, i learned that ate's family are celebrating the new year at my old home (first time with the kids), and i got kinda sad coz Jon and I wouldn't be able to join them in the celebration... But that was to change coz when we visited them before the putukan, I couldn't bear to leave especially since both my niece and nephew were really excited bout the fireworks display they would see that night and... when my younger sister's boyfriend PROPOSED to her that night... we had our crying moments, of course. =)

So, as a result, Jon and I both celebrated the New Year at my old place and had a grand time as usual. =)

January 1

Spent the first day of the year sleeping, tending to visitors, and having a concert at home. By nighttime though, we were off to the first party of the year at Charrie's condo. It was a blast meeting new friends and reconnecting with old ones. =)

New Year party pics here.

sad...

2005-12-23T18:48:00.000+08:00

i never realized how much i wanted for it to happen NOW ...until today ...until this... :( i never admitted it to myself before but part of the stress was coming from this... i knew it would have been a happier Christmas for all those who wish for it and it would have been the best gift Jon and I could ever receive this holiday season...

...but everything happens for a reason and I know that we will receive this gift in His time...

i got my . today.

~*~*~

Despite this recent development, i still wish each and every one of you a blessed and a meaningful Christmas. Let's not forget that Jesus is the reason for the season. Let's all enjoy this time of sharing, giving, and loving...

'Tis the season to be busy....

2005-12-19T10:02:00.000+08:00

*title borrowed from Dionne's blog* :D

Aside from the endless shopping for gifts, attending Christmas parties here and there (and a few more on the coming days), i am also currently co-organizing a friend's wedding on the 29th (another meeting on the 22nd), a reunion and a post christmas party on the 30th, and a new year's party on jan 6th. My Sundays are being eaten up at our tiangge where i have been slaving away for hours coz of the volume of people doing their late holiday shopping.

I have been losing sleep already...seriously. The last time I felt like this was last year, a month before our wedding. This stress is really getting to me... and I have got to RELAX. Hay. Another vacation, perhaps??? hehe.

Recently, another friend asked me if i could be her wedding coordinator august next year. The truth was, i am very much flattered... but at the same time, i'm really really scared. What if i don't deliver what was expected of me? So i said i'll think about it first... (although me and my officemates have been toying with the idea of forming a group already - coordinators, emcee, florists)... Bahala na...

But despite all these stress sources, I'm still loving the holiday season (who doesn't?). These are just but a few things why... cold mornings and even colder nights; reuniting with old friends and relatives; wrapping gifts (oh what joy!) ; and yes, the gifts themselves, of course! =)

Okay, so i'm babbling... My thoughts are becoming so incoherent lately because of lots of things to think about... I guess i need to rest for a while.

BTW, may utang pa pala akong Singapore kwento... haay ulit.

Rocking My World for 9 years

2005-12-14T21:27:00.000+08:00

Blame it on Rockstar:INXS. =)

Ever since we got addicted to the show, the rocker in him (Jon) resurfaced (he was part of a band many years ago) and for weeks, he had been hinting about wanting to get a new bass guitar for himself. Unfortunately (or fortunately for me), everytime we would go around the mall and pass by some music stores, he couldn't really see a good one or couldn't really decide what to get. In those weeks, i would often look disinterested but the truth was, i was making a note of those things that he would mention (brands and what-have-yous) or would look at the internet links he has visited for research. You see, I don't know much about these things although i do love to sing. :D

In my own research, i came across this forum for musicians and music aficionados and asked for their help. Follow the thread here. (Don't forget page 2! *wink*)

Another person who played a very important role in this surprise was Aion, a former bandmate and friend. Anyway, here's the story...

After getting some tips from the experts (and getting busted by Jon himself... well, ALMOST anyway... at least, i had the mind to save myself... hihihi!), I scoured for the right bass guitar for days and finally found THE ONE at Perfect Pitch Makati. I had it delivered days before our actual anniversary at Aion's place for safekeeping.

We flew to Singapore the morning of December 8 (Singapore anniv celeb kwento to follow) and left instructions for Aion (thanks again, dude!), together with the keys to our house and room (major acting needed here when Jon noticed that our keys were missing :D ) and the ribbon for the guitar.

When we arrived days after, I let Jon get in our room first, and saw him do a double-take at our bed, saw the shock register on his face, and finally, his eyes lit up and said, WOW!!! That's more than enough thank-you for me. =)

my hunny with his new Yamaha BB415.

YOU ROCK MY WORLD, hun! Happy Anniversary(1st and 9th)!

Looking forward to making good music with you for the rest of our lives... =)

The (3-day) Weekend before our Anniv

2005-12-05T20:10:00.000+08:00

Friday was a holiday for us working in Pasay City and weeks before, we scheduled a night out to celebrate the occasion(?). We had such great fun at Red Box the last time that we wanted a Part II (this time, with some other officemates as well).

Bon, Dionne, Jon and I met up at Greenbelt 3 and had dinner at Sentro (sinigang na corned beef, boneless crispy pata and ginataang tilapya) before going to Red Box to meet the others. Dulce, Ate Malou, Lawrence, Jera and Bianco arrived in that order. As expected, the 5 hours went by so fast which was spent singing, screaming, dancing (dirty dancing?), doing the conga, picture-taking and a little bit of slamming that it just calls for a part III. hihih!

more pics here, and here.

*~*~*

Finally! We've started on our Christmas list already and Saturday was spent shopping for gifts (mostly for inaanaks) with my fave niece, Chuchay at the Toy Kingdom at Southmall. Had lots of fun browsing the cool toys available for kids now that for a while there, I forgot i was grown-up na. ;)

I had an appointment with Bioessence at 6pm and we had to return Chuchay also so we headed to Moonwalk where my sister was waiting, and headed to the spa. On the way, I got so tamad to have my body scrub session that we decided to just go back to SM to continue shopping for gifts.

After dinner at Tokyo2, jon and I met up with Yna and Aion and we had coffee at Starbucks Madrigal. And it has been a truly great evening just making kwento and catching up on what has been goin on with our lives. =) Our own Christmas party is well under way... ;)

*~*~*

Sunday, before heading to EPZA for the tiangge, I went to the spa to make up for my session the other night. Sale at the trade fair was a little bit slow but we still managed to make it within the average.

*~*~*

In a few days, we will be celebrating our first year wedding anniversary (and 9th year as a couple). Has it really been a year already? I guess that just goes to show that time really flies when you're havin so much fun... =)

W@W Christmas Party and then some...

2005-11-29T09:22:00.000+08:00

The WaW Christmas Party held at Villa Immaculada (at the back of Manila Cathedral) last Friday was a huge success. Dionne and Joven, Dulce (supplier - emcee, who's also getting married next year), Jon and I arrived early at the venue, claimed our loot bags and strategically seated ourselves near the stage.

The venue was just lovely. The table centerpieces were of calla lillies and small roses (which i got to take home later that night) on vases of different sizes and small candles. The seats were creatively adorned with leaves (of what tree, i don't know).

The party started two hours later with a group game. The 4 groups were to make a wedding gown based from the designs made by Veluz (who, incidentally won the supplier of the year award later that night), using only the materials provided to them (tissue papers, cash register tape, scotch tape, scissors, thumbtacks). Who could ever imagine that Jon and the other 4 grooms-to-be would win over the OC brides 2-be, the men suppliers, mostly photographers, who've seen hundred of wedding gowns before, and worse, the women suppliers who were mostly designers themselves! haha!

Dinner was sponsored by Tamayo's (who also provided the venue, and table centerpieces), VS&F and Josiah's Catering. Entertainment was provided by a choir group, string ensemble, band, Paolo Clemente (of the Tux), and even Mr. Steve Tamayo himself (plus 3 of his waiters - more of this on Joven and Dionne's blog). Cake from Mr. Alex Franco (yup, our cake maker). There was even a chocolate fountain which we were eyeing even before it was set up. Heheh! ;) Really really goooood fooood.... yummmmm.

Another game which I joined this time was the Cinderella-like game. I'm sure from it's name, u'll know how the game goes. Prize was sponsored by Solea - 4 pairs of shoes. I was among the first four girls who lined up to try one pair of shoe on. When the host opened the box, i thought it looked perfect for me. It looked small and u see, I'm a size 5 1/2 - 6. But when i tried it on, unfortunately, it was about half an inch smaller for my feet!!! Like the evil stepsister, I tried my best to force my feet to fit the shoe but to no avail.... grrr!!! sayang!!!! :p

Jon, on the other hand, won another game (this time, joining forces with some grooms-to-be and photographers) and his name was even called during the raffle. kaswerte! Di bale, swerteng misis ren ako... hehe.

We saw our photographer Chito Cleofas in the party and although he wasn't among the top 10 this year unlike the previous years, he was still the number 1 supplier for us. hihihi! During the party, he caught me off guard (staring into space) and captured a shot from his camera.... haha!Anyway, we talked briefly during the party and he mentioned that he was an official photographer for the SEA games. Galing... 'di lang pang-wedding, pang-sports pa!!! :D

Before the party was over, John and Benz Rana announced that they (in collaboration with Jason Magbanua and Dino Lara) prepared an on-the-spot presentation of the party and showed it before the hundreds of guests... and what do u know, i appeared on 2 slides!!! Hihihi! You can view it here.

Apart from the food and the entertainment, I'm just so happy with our loot!!!! We got...

Starbucks mug (exchange gift)
cloth from North Road (another dress, yay!)
picture frame from Dino Lara Photography
earrings from Angel's Wink Production
w@w pocket calendar
magnetic address book
wedding ring case from Chu-u-yen Events
gift certificates from Meza Bar & Resto
w@w button pin
beeswax pastilles from Liwanag Candles
altar bound, 2006 w@w desktop gallery
ref magnet from C & C Creative Concepts
picture magnets from Konsepto
brownies from Alex Franco
apple walnut cake from Gervy's Amazing Cakes

christmas tree chocolate from Chocolate Confectioners
white chocolate from OA Sweets
something sweet (chocnut-like) from C& C
tie-dyed sleeveless shirt

jar of hot choco (the one they serve at Mcdo) from Da Capo

butter sponge cake

Thanks to John, Benz and to all the suppliers for making this event possible! =)

pics can be viewed here.

*~*~*

Saturday after lunch, we went to Greenhills with Aion and Yna in hopes of getting some items for our Christmas gifts. Unfortunately, there weren't a lot of good finds. Most stuff were from Divi anyway, and i'm sure, it's much cheaper there... so we'd rather go there on a different day. Another 168 adventure? Wheeee!!! :D

We had dinner at Burgoo at the Promenade and had lots of fun doodling at the table. Hihihi. There wasn't a clear space left when we were through. Haha! Although still full, we just had to taste the cream puffs of Beard Papa (which Aion claimed was the best cream puff he's ever tasted - and i have to agree on that). Choco marble cream puff equals yummmeeeh!!

Sunday, Jon and I were so happy to have a huge sale at the EPZA trade fair where we stayed for six straight hours. Tiring, yes, but worth it. =)

Monday (holiday) was spent at my old place for the double celebration of my sister and my nanay's birthday. An uncle from abroad went home that afternoon and it was also a sort of reunion at home.

Jampacked weekend, eh?

Tweeh Things and a Wedding

2005-11-25T16:26:00.000+08:00

i've been tagged by Jera.

three things i HAVE to do:
1. get at least one item crossed out on our Christmas list... :D
2. research and make an itinerary ;)
3. diet!

three things i WANT to do:
1. shop
2. travel
3. shop some more

three things i read in the newspaper lately that put a smile on my face:
1. "arrovo" :p
2. uhmmm...
3. 'la na.

three things i'm crazy about right now:
1. spa
2. iPod video
3. Jonskie. =)

three things i wanted to but wasn't able to blog about:
1. my wedding and honeymoon stories
2. ..
3. ..

three things i'm really looking forward to:
1. transfer of my boss to another department... hehe.
2. Holidays --- gifts, parties, reunions and get-togethers, vacation!
3. our first wedding anniversary!!!

...owkaaaay, that being done, I just have to blog about yesterday's wedding. I mentioned in the previous post that this is the first wedding i'm attending since forever. And yes, that's quite an exaggeration, of course. :D But really, i was so excited that i even bought a new dress, (found a nice shawl that will complement the dress 2 days before - not only that, i needed it for cover-up...hehehe), scheduled a leave and made an appointment at the parlor the night before... *kikay laugh*

*vanity* :P

Jon and I made it to Fernwood Garden 1 at exactly 5:00p.m. Proceeding to the chapel, the first thing we saw was the bridal car. At first, i thought that the wedding had started already but as we neared the Benz, Jon saw the bride still inside. Whew! I was also a little surprised when she opened her car window and greeted us. I probably should explain at this point that she is Jon's high school classmate and we, well, we've never met before... although i've seen her profile in Friendster. Even before, I knew she was pretty (she looks like Rachel Leigh Cook), but when i saw her yesterday, she was such a vision!!! Hay. =) Anyway, she said that she browsed our wedding pics and mentioned that she made gaya some things from our wedding. I was so flattered, of course.

Anyway, the wedding took place at the chapel of St. Francis. And as expected, I had my crying moments... especially when it was time for the bride to walk down the aisle and when the couple read their own vows (i could vividly remember my own "walk", and the vows we made for each other)... hay ulit.

Reception followed and we marveled at the beautifully decorated and romantic garden setting. The program was short but sweet, nevertheless. It was a nice wedding and I'm truly glad we came. =) Looking forward to the next wedding... (Ey's wedding on dec 29 at Tagaytay City -which i'm currently co-planning). 'Cited ulit!

More wedding pics here.

And now, i'm off to the first Christmas party for the year... the WaW Christmas Party ! =) Happy long weekend, all! =)

FSS

2005-11-21T23:06:00.000+08:00

you know the drill... here's a rundown of my friday, saturday and sunday...

Friday afternoon, took the half day off to do some errands, and proceeded to Glorietta to look for a formal dress for a wedding Jon and I will be attending this Thursday (soo excited, it's the first wedding i'll be attending since forever ;) ). Midnight madness sale was ongoing and it took a lot out of me NOT to stray and make some unnecessary purchases... *wink* Jon and I scoured the mall and after four hours, found the perfect dress at Sari2. I just wish i was a couple of pounds lighter, though. Oh, well...

We walked to Greenbelt and made reservations for another office party at Red Box scheduled on December 2 (Pasay City day - a holiday for us). Too bad the billiard room is already taken. Anyhoo, we decided to have some snacks, at well, the snack bar outside the GB cinemas (i forgot the name, but we ate small burgers and a corndog. After which, we went strolling and found a new ice cream bar, the COLD ROCK. I remembered weeks before, while chatting and discussing business with Jeff, a friend from San Jose, California, it was mentioned and naturally, I got curious. So, we went in to give it a try.

First, u pick the size of ur cup... Then, choose ur ice cream flavor (maximum of 2), Next, choose from the variety of candies, candy bars, chocolates, nuts, fruits which u wish to mix-in your ice cream. Then, watch as they smash and combine everything in a cold rock. And, voila!

Aussie choco chip ice cream with strawberries and gummy bears

We were strollin around Glorietta again when Jon received a call from my in-laws and found out that they were in the area too and so, we met. After a little shopping, we had coffee at Bo's and had a nice time chatting with them until we parted ways (they were home-bound and we had dinner at Dencio's).

We had Harry Potter reservations that night and we were just in time for the previews when we went in the cinema. Aion and Yna followed minutes later just as the movie was about to start. Great timing! Hee!

Okay, so i was disappointed. :( The boys loved it though but for one fan (I even reread GoF days before), i truly had mixed emotions coming out of the moviehouse.. Maybe i just expected too much from it since out of the 6 books, this was my favorite installment. I mean, why change a lot of things and miss out on some important parts? Barty Crouch in Harry's dream (wtf?), Dumbledore portrayed as a violent man (tsk tsk), Neville giving Harry the gillyweed and not Dobby (i miss Dobby), Sirius Black in coals (that's just not the way it should be!)... and where were Mrs. Weasley, Ludo Bagman, and yes, Winky (and S.P.E.W)??? I could go on and on... but then again, I think these HP movies are just NEVER going to be as good as what goes on in my imagination while reading the books.

But i have to admit that i still enjoyed watching it. I even cried when Harry brought back Cedric's body... i didn't cry in the book but i was shaking during that part. Oh and Ralph Fiennes! He is just the right man for Voldemort. Red eyes or not, he's just perfect.

~*~*~

Saturday morning, Jon and I drove off to Del Monte Avenue, QC for a badminton session with officemates. We were an hour late (Saturday morning traffic? aaaarggghh!) but managed to work out a sweat for an hour and a half more. Ace Water Spa was just a stone throw away so we went in to take a look and make some inquiries right after. Really niiice.... I've heard a great deal bout this place and now that i've actually seen it, i would really want to try it some time. *hint hint* We had a hearty lunch at Savory before heading home.

Catched up on my Zzzs and when i woke up, it was time for my appointment at Bioessence. Jon dropped me off and went to Southmall to buy some computer stuff and picked me up afterwards. The rest of the night was spent in front of the TV, PC, and PS2.

~*~*~

Sunday, we excitedly went to Chito Cleofas' office to pick up our wedding album. Even though i've seen the layout already, seeing the final product was enough to bring tears to my eyes once more. *sigh* Uh oh, with barely 3 weeks left before our first anniversary, i guess supplier ratings are in order... *note to self*

view the entire album here. =)

After we settled our balance and got the beautiful (and heavy) album with carrying bag and the 2 parent albums, we had a very nice surprise coz Chito promised to cover a half-day photoshoot for free when we aready have a baby. Isn't that sweet? =) Thanks, Chito, we're definitely going to count on that. =)

We had lunch at my old place (we gave one of the parent album already) before going to EPZA for the trade fair. Jon and I manned the booth for five hours and had a modest sale. On our way home, we dropped by the marketplace to buy fruits for our mommas.

That's how my weekend went by.

various moods and modes

2005-11-14T11:33:00.000+08:00

It has been a fun week at work, no doubt about it. One of our boss is out-of-the-country again for three whole weeks and everybody is just in a jovial mood. =D Petiks days are here again... hahah!

Friday, in particular, put us into uncontrollable party mode because the other boss is out for the day and we were gonna celebrate the birthday of one of our officemate, Irish, that night. The fact that the office didn't have water supply for the day and add to that, we just couldn't wait to go out already, we decided to have lunch at KFC at Blue Wave with Jon joining us.

We were counting the hours and minutes before the designated time.., and finally, it was 5pm! We all trooped to the van and proceeded to Greenbelt where we met with Irish's hubby, Dionne's hubby-2-b, and Ara at Big Buddha where we had buffet dinner. We were so full afterwards but that would never in a million years, have stopped us from having a grand time at the main event of the night... VIDEOKE at RED BOX, baaaaby! =D

All of 10 of us sang, danced, and partied the night away... My throat hurt from all the singing, screaming and laughing that night. It was soooo much fun!!! There will definitely be a part 2! Pictures can be viewed here, here and here. =)

~*~*~

Saturday, Jon and I woke up early that morning and started with the Christmas decorations already. The tree was a delight to do, but putting the Christmas lights outdoors was a more challenging task... fortunately my husband and I got the job done and were through a couple of hours til sundown. Definitely tiring but seeing the house in a Christmassy feel made up for everything. It put us to good spirits and almost made me burst into Christmas carols suddenly... well, almost. =)

Pampering mode. Having rested and showered, Jon and I went straight to Bioessence. We went there to avail ourselves of the discounts they were offering that weekend. I was there just last Wednesday (celebrating our 11th monthsary all alone... hehe) and my therapist told me about these offers. I availed of the body scrub package (lasting for 2 months, i think) and got 30% off it. Great deal! While I had my first session, Jon had a whole body massage and foot spa. (We both) felt really good after a tiring day. *contented sigh*

~*~*~

The following morning, we were off to EPZA (Cavite) for the start of our biz. Helping us set-up our tent were my Tito Arthur, my bro Peng, K8's bf Erick, and of course, Jonskie. =)

It took us almost five hours to set-up and decorate our tent (IMHO, it was the prettiest and most kikay-looking booth there :D ), and for a couple of minutes (we were beat so we decided to close early), had our initial sales of almost a thousand. Not bad, eh?! Can't wait til it's my turn to man the booth this Sunday. Wish me luck! =)

Two Long Weekends...

2005-11-07T14:13:00.000+08:00

The long vacation was spent NOT at the beach or some other out-of-town destination, rather, it was whiled away on a lot of errands, a couple of dinner dates with my husband, some gimmicks and family bondings, and tending to my sick dog. Not that i am complaining though... It was still a nice vacay... and i can't imagine having a grand time some place else while my "bitch" is at home, without anyone caring for her. Some other time, perhaps...

~*~*~

After we've been to Market! Market! that Sunday afternoon (30Oct), dinner was at Dayrit's (Magallanes) with my hubby, Yna and Aion. Finally! I got to satisfy my cravings and curiosity about this resto. I was able to taste the famous roast beef and the one-of-a-kind "ghettis". There were many items in the menu which i wanted to try but settled for these...

~*~*~

The morning of All Saints' Day, my family visited my daddy at the Ossuary Garden at the Nature's Church where we placed flowers, lit some candles and prayed. Hay. I miss my daddy...

~*~*~

I got another biz! This time, partnering with my sisters for a bazaar space at EPZA which will start on 11Nov and end on 23Dec... We've been to Divi twice this vacation already and we've started sorting and pricing our items with Jon and the whole family helping us in time for the opening. Our merchandise comprise mostly of toys, books (learning is fun), and small gift items. Although I'll be able to go there on weekends only since i have work, it makes me feel excited nonetheless! Wish us luck... =)

~*~*~

Got really stressed over the past week because SONIC, my 81/2 year old mongrel (askal ;) ) is sick. :( She's been having difficulty urinating and when she does, there's a lot of blood coming out of her. She wasn't eating and was very weak and i thought for sure that that was it... but i wasn't gonna give up on her that easy (although i must admit that euthanasia crossed my mind...shame on me! ). Four visits to the vet (Pampers played a very important role on these trips *wink*), 7 kinds of medicines that we're making her take, and a lot of TLC seemed to pay off coz she seems okay now, she's been eating and going round the house already. But of course, her sickness (she has cystitis, kidney problem - i'll spare u the details, though) still require continued medication and I hope and pray that she gets well very soon.

~*~*~

Badminton Event

2005-10-28T21:19:00.000+08:00

I had the privilege of being included in the roster of badminton players playing for the DFA in the Inter-department Sportsfest '05 sponsored by DOH in Tayuman, Manila which lasted for a week (24-28 Oct). We are 20 players in the group, two from FSI (my office - together with Ryan, my mixed doubles partner). This is the first time the DFA is joining and although we only placed 6th (or 7th? - we didn't attend the awarding ceremonies, u see) out of the 16 teams, we were quite happy with the results - especially since my partner and I won all but one of our games. =)

Looking forward to next year's tourney... in fact, we have started our weekly practices already... talk about being excited... :D

pics here.

I'm in Heaven!!!

2005-10-22T23:49:00.000+08:00

...shopper's heaven, that is!!! :D

{22 oct, sat}
Wanting to go to Divi for the longest time, Yna, Aion, Jon and I finally found time to pay a visit to this shopping mecca. The last time Jon and I have been here was before our wedding when we had to buy tela for the entourage's gowns. So anyway, we met Yna at Shell Select, had breakfast there and proceeded to 168 Mall, the newest place-to-be in Divi. =D We got there just before noon and what a lucky day, coz we had the best parking slot available! Armed with a big bag and a bottle of water, the quest for great buys was on. =)

Us couples separated for a while and agreed to meet later to eat, but lunch was far out of our minds as we got so excited and busy looking around and making purchases that were really quite a steal! But since some of us needed lots of energy, we decided to have lunch at around 2o'clock already. Here's a tip for all of u who plan to go there: food court at the 3rd floor, look for Mitzi's Chinese Resto and order their Lechon Macau or any of their pansit, they're tops! Although u have to fall in line for about 20 minutes before getting your food, it's worth the wait, i promise. Our food consisted of yang chow fried rice, lechon macau, pansit canton-bihon, pechay with garlic, and fried dumplings, washed down with ice-cold C2 lemon light, all for the price of 500+ (u do the math...).

After eating and resting for a few, we separated again and continued shopping (after all, we had enough energy to last us with all the food we ate... hahaha!). Sigurista that i am, we started from the first to the last row of stalls, not wanting to miss any good find. Heheh. Finally, at half past 4, Jon n I were through going around 168. We dropped off our purchases in the car and waited for Yna and Aion to finish, but then, we found out that they were already at Tutuban mall, still not through with their shopping and asked us to come with them... u think i said no??? 'course not! :D Off we went again and explored tutuban and found many a great deal once again. =)

Finally finished, tired and hungry at past 7pm (we were there for EIGHT FULL HOURS, imagine!!!), we were ready to go, but not before we bought different fruits for pasalubong. I suddenly had a craving for bulalo and giant burgers and wanted to try Dayrit's resto at Magallanes but our car took us somewhere else (*wink*)... Market, Market!

Before dinner, we had some freshening up to do at the car (I even had to change my bag and slippers coz i feel so dugyot already). We chose Marina and had bulalo, crispy crablets and tuna belly for dinner. Sarap eh! :D And then we finally headed home...

For our purchases, I had:

a silver metallic bag
1 dri-fit badminton shirt
2 sleeveless blouses
2 T-shirts
1 free-bra
brown skirt
1 pambahay shorts
brown (metallic) slippers
brown sunglasses
multiple strand necklace
3 earrings

while Jon had:

Southpark toy (Butters)
vintage shirt
1 bermuda shorts
2 dri-fit shorts
beach shorts
3 DVD's
3 hankies

all that for... (drum roll, please) 4 thousand bucks (including food and the fruits for pasalubong) only!!! Woohoo!!!

our DIVI LOOT!

PLS CHECK BELOW FOR UPDATES

2005-10-19T16:59:00.000+08:00

I know... I've been a bad blogger lately for having neglected my blog for a month! (tsk, tsk) :( I've been swamped these past few weeks that i just had to forget about blogging for a while... I do go online every other day (visiting some blogs, checking my mail, updating my friendster account) but composing an entry proved to be a tedious task for me.. poor, poor blog...

but hey, i'm back (i hope) and i'll be antedating my posts here so i can update u guys with what has been goin on with my life so puhleeez, do check out often for updates BELOW... ;)

Twins' Biz Blessing

2005-10-18T23:10:00.000+08:00

Early Tuesday morning (oct 18), Jon and I, together with my in-laws (with the balloons and tables and chairs from my family's biz in tow), drove off to Batangas for the blessing of the RFC building, the twins' biz (mini-grocery), and Alex's own biz (Blue Boz water station - congrats and good luck again, utol! =) ).

more pics here.

We arrived early for the affair to help with the food preps and the decors. At noon, the priest arrived and started the rites. Afterwards, my parents-in-law showered coins in every room (four residential rooms upstairs, the mini grocery, the computer shop and the water station below, plus the home of our tito at the back of the building) to the delight of the people there.

Lunch was served and the lechon from Blue Boz came not long after. While passing time and waiting for other guests, i watched the store and had fun selling stuff til the evening. Hmmm... a change of career for me, maybe? hahaha! :D

Office Oktoberfest

2005-10-14T15:17:00.000+08:00

{13Oct}
Five (beautiful) Librans celebrated their birthday in the office by treating the FSI people to a merienda cena (on a date that is pretty much on the middle of our natal days).

I was tasked to organize the party and to order food (from none other than Amber's and cakes from Goldilocks) a week before i took my birthday leave and followed it up the day before the celeb. On the actual day, we, together with another Libran, Ma'am Glenna, posted an invite in our bulletin board (below the monthly celebrants), decorated the room, and prepared the paraphernalias for the event.

At the strike of 3pm, people were already at the designated place, singing the birthday song to the five celebrants, while we, in turn, blow the candles of our cakes which of course, marked the start of the small feast.

The food which comprised of pansit bihon, puto, bar-b-q, lumpiang shanghai, 2 kinds of cakes and softdrinks were gobbled up in less than an hour. :D Amid the eating, of course, were the picture taking and posing from every corner, which i discovered, was innate in every Libran (cam-whores! heheh! :D)...

more pics here.

First birthday with my hubby

2005-10-11T21:50:00.000+08:00

{9Oct - 11pm}
After the birthday blowout with my family, Jon offered to give me a full body massage (this is becoming a habit! - bisyo na to!!! :D )... Barely an hour later, Jon excused himself and told me he was having an upset stomach and he needed to go to the comfort room. I asked him to turn off the lights while i dozed off... a few minutes after, i heard the door open, and when i turn to look, i was surprised to see Jon there, a cake (with a lit candle) and a bouquet of roses in hand while singing softly, "happy birthday to you..." It was 12 o'clock... and my heart just melted. =)

A week before, I have almost ruined this part of the surprise. On our way home from work, while looking through his cellphone, i saw a message to an unnamed number but was clearly meant that he was ordering cake from our wedding cake supplier, Mr. Alex Franco. I remembered that we were craving for it some weeks ago and i guess he remembered. =) fortunately, when i teased him non-stop about it, he was mum and tried his best to keep a straight face. So i kinda forgot about it...

So anyway, back to my story... turns out that he not only bought one, but THREE Alex Franco cakes! We quickly got a plate and fork and shared a slice. Dee-lish!!!

But i still didn't know what was in store for me on the actual day of my birthday. I was at a loss coz i knew we were not checking in a hotel or going to a day spa... been there done that (Linden, Bellevue)... and i also knew we were not going out-of-town or out-of the-country... so since it was officially my birthday already, i lovingly asked my husband what was it he was planning to do.

...I was to SHOP. TIL. I. DROP. How exciting is that!!!! Woooohooooo!!! i could not contain my excitement... I wished it was the morning already... =)

{10 Oct - 9:30am}

I was sooo ready to hit the shops. On our way to the shopping destination (glorietta), I was already thinking of what things to buy. And shop til i drop, i did. =)

My loot contained Ralph Lauren Cool set of 100ml perfume, shower gel, moisturizer and a round pink kikay bag, Nike rubber shoes, pink blazer, 2 office blouses, 4 T-shirts, 3 sleeveless shirts, white-rimmed shades, lots of accesories, and my fave, shoe organizer. Of course, jon didn't come home empty-handed... He had 2 t-shirts, 1 dri-fit shorts, and as freebies to my purchases, 2 baller bands and a 1.5ml Armani black perfume. And to think that i still had a few bills left in my wallet! It was such a blast!!! =)

Of course, the day will not be complete without going to church. Jon and i walked all the way to Greenbelt chapel and there, we prayed.

{10Oct-6:30p.m.)

After dropping off our purchases in the van, the next part of the surprise. Jon led the way to where we were having dinner. Circles at The Shang Makati... Jon had been here plenty of times before on business meetings and i could only imagine the place when he would make kwento... now, i was finally here.

Buffet food was definitely tops here. All my faves were there..., american, italian, chinese and japanese cuisines, seafood (those oysters are to-die-for!),salad and dessert stations. There was even a chocolate fountain which i just had to try! And i loved it! for my drink, i ordered a cosmopolitan to celebrate the occasion. Needless to say, we were stuffed yet again!

We walked to a star-filled night on the way to the parking area. Though tired, i wanted to skip all the way there. I was just so happy and i'm feeling very romantic that moment. It was a perfect ending to a special day.

pics here.

Btw, i'm 26 and this has been my best birthday ever... I was overwhelmed with text messages, phone calls from here and abroad, friendster messages and testimonials and even tags here in my blog. It was so heartwarming and i truly appreciate each and every one of them. Super thanks. =) More importantly, got to spend it with the people special to me... friends, family and most especially, my dear dear husband... my happiness would not be complete wihout u here (strikes my left breast)... ;) thanks for everything. i heart you so much! =)

...but wait, the party isn't over yet...! ;)

up next: office blowout

Birthday Celebs with my Two Families

2005-10-09T16:28:00.000+08:00

{8 Oct}
I was excited this particular Saturday morning, not really just because my in-laws are treating me (us) to an overnight stay at Bellevue Hotel but because we had a viewing of our final wedding album layout at Chito Cleofas' ofc at Makati. =)

We met with Cris, Chito's wife, who, incidentally, is also the layout artist of the album (Chito had a wedding to shoot that day). Upon entering their office, Jon immediately saw our portrait standing on the middle of the room. I could only gape and stare at it. Wow! =)

We then viewed the digital layout of the album and after (very) few minor revisions, we were done. We loved loved it! We talked more about the album style, color cover, album finish and what-have-yous. The final album wil be done in a month's time!!! We can't wait!!!

We went back home to pack our things for the overnight affair... after having light lunch and a little rest, we drove to Alabang and checked-in our room at The Bellevue Hotel. We had room 1807 (one number short of the room number at Linden =) --- wala lang...).

My MIL ordered room service and had salad and sandwiches delivered. We all had a scheduled appointment at the spa (another treat) so we only had light snacks while watching tv.

We were already at the 3rd floor (the Bellevue Spa) when the clock struck 4pm. We were all ushered to our individual rooms for a one-hour swedish massage while I opted to shower first. The one hour massage was really a good one. Of all the massages I had, it was the best i've ever received (I also asked Jon afterwards if he liked it, but his fave is still Bioessence - maybe i was just lucky i had a good masseuse).

Back in our room, we relaxed some more. =)

Dinner at 20/20 was my treat. Earlier, Jon n I reserved seats by the window with a great view. It was an eat-all-u-can, drink-all-u-can German buffet. I was glad that we were joined by my brother-in-law that night. Moments later, the band started to play... they were really good but they failed to catch our interest when it was getting late (we got so sleepy already due to a late Friday night gimmick), so we went back to our room and left the oldies behind...

{9Oct}

The following morning, we had noodles and tea for breakfast (light ulit coz we were having buffet lunch ulit). After some freshening up, Jon and I decided to take a dip in the pool at the 3rd floor.

Cafe d' Asie (international buffet) at the 2nd floor is where we had lunch before going back home contented and with tummies bulging... =)

~~~

Jon and I rested for two hours and then, we were off again for another birthday treat - this time, with my family. We went to my old place and there, i received a bouquet of flowers (from my sis and sis bf) and another necklace and bracelet set (from my elder sis and kids)...

With my ate's car tailing us, we drove off to ATC. Days before, i received an email from Tony Roma's with a gift certificate (buy one take one ribs) as a birthday gift valid althroughout my birthday month so i decided to use it that night.

We had a feast of california honeys (2 whole slabs), santa fe salad, onion loaf, and chicken alfredo, with fries, corn on the cob and coleslaw for sidings. Yummy! For the kids, i bought them Jollibee meals. Heheh. Dinner was delightful, i enjoyed very minute of it... and i'm not just talkin bout the food. =)

We had Ice Monsters for dessert at the food court. Just before going home, my mommy gave me her gift (my request, of course), which Jon could not protest to... hahaha! She made Peng buy 100 pesos worth of chicharong bituka!!! uhmmmmm!!! :D

~~~

Bellevue pics here. Tony Roma's pics here.

up next: Birthday with my hunny

All's Well that Ends Well

2005-10-04T17:29:00.000+08:00

bottled up hurts and feelings finally let out, swallowed prides, lots of revelations and realizations, broken relationships mended, LESSONS LEARNED...

a blessing in disguise..? maybe so. =)

but all would be really well if "all" could be ended well... ;)

Linden Birthday Bash

2005-10-03T15:33:00.000+08:00

Yna celebrated her birthday last Sept 24 while I, on the 10th of Oct.

i've been pretty excited 'bout this birthday bash for a time and it didn't disappoint... it was one hell of a party for four!!! read on...

*Princesses for a day*

{September 30}
Yna, Aion, Jon and I left early and went straight to Linden Suites in Ortigas and checked-in our 2-bedroom suite... The room was big, beautiful and complete with nice amenities... there was only one glitch though... we had no oven. Sure there was a microwave, toaster, coffee maker, rice cooker and range top... but there was no oven.

Why the problem? You see, the boys promised to cook dinner for us that night and the recipe they were both thinking of required an oven... :( It was an even bigger problem for Jon, who, days before, was frantically looking for a recipe of baked spareribs (which i love) over the internet and had actually prepared some of the ingredients already. I'll let you in on a little secret... Jon had never cooked before... so this day was pretty special and when he learned that there was no oven, he was pretty much disappointed and a little heartbroken that my heart went out to him.. I knew how much he wanted to cook so i told him we would make do with what we have... (fortunately, Yna brought a recipe book) ;) The four of us quickly thought of our menu for the night and i told Jon i would just help him if needed... After making a list (and checking it twice), the boys were off to SM Megamall right across to do the grocery shopping while Yna and I explored Linden and went to the convenience store below the building to grab some snacks.

Our slaves arrived moments later, bringing with them lots of goodies *wink*... They wasted no time and busied themselves chopping, marinating and cooking dinner while I let Yna soak in the bathtub first to ready ourselves for our scheduled massage... In between some cooking instructions, i was able to relax for a while by lying down on the sofa, watching TV and reading some magazines..

I had just finished taking a bath when I heard the two masseuse arrive. Right on schedule!!! =) We had a one-hour swedish massage in our respective rooms and i almost slept! Whew. Sarap. =)

princesses ready for their massage

while the slaves cook in the kitchen =D

The combined aroma of the boys' cooking filled the air when i opened my room... I wanted to see what's going on in the kitchen but i was told that we were off limits there... hmmm... the excitement was definitely building up!!! ;)

Few moments later and the dinner was ready. Yay!!! Yna and I were asked to be seated at the dining table for a course-by-course food tasting before we all have our meal... But first, a surprise... we both had our birthday cake to blow!!! =) Apparently, while having our massage, Jon went out and bought cake for us. Such a sweetie, my husband. =) After we blew the candles, the cake was set aside for a while to give way to the feast awaiting us...

After pouring the wine, the boys took out our food one by one... the garden salad, crispy kangkong (by chef aion) for appetizer, carbonarra (by chef jon), spicy chicken (by chef aion) and steak with herbed gravy (by chef jon) for our main dish. It was all good!!! and i'm not saying that for show only... After Yna and I tasted everything on the menu, it was the only time that our slaves sat down with us and ate. It was a lovely and a very special dinner. We were both so touched and felt so loved. =)

our menu: crispy kangkong with dip, garden fresh salad, spicy chicken,

medium well steaks with herbed gravy and carbonarra

a toast to friendship

Tummies satisfied, the four of us headed downstairs to the indoor pool and jacuzzi of the hotel. Since it was almost 9pm, we had the whole place to ourselves. The jacuzzi was oh-so-relaxing and it even had a nice view of the Megamall area. Parties were at full blast that night (oktoberfest na!!!) but we had a much fun party of our own...

Back in our room, Yna and I had coffee and ate our desserts while our slaves attended to our every need ("water please, picture please..." haha!)... I showered first, then waited for the others to finish. While waiting, i got the Magic Mic out and started the videoke session inside our room while the boys had their much-needed rest and played PS2 in the living room. Woohoo!!

And then, it was time for our tequila-vodka-beer bonding session!!! My fave part! Nyahahaah!! We had onion rings (by Chefs Aion n Yna) and Monterey sisig with egg and chicharon as pulutan. We sang, we danced, we played around, and i can't remember what else... ;-) bwahahahah... We partied 'til 4 in the morning and I partied all by myself with only the cabinet, the kitchen floor, and the toilet sink to keep me company til 5:30 am... As for Jon??? Tired and sleeping like a log.... nyahahaha... oh well... =D

*The Morning After...*

{Oct 1}
We barely had 30 minutes left 'til the end of the hotel's breakfast buffet downstairs... i was amazed coz i didn't have a hangover but i was so sleepy and grumpy the whole morning... ;) After the hearty breakfast, we quickly changed to our swimsuits once again and took a dip in the pool and the jacuzzi til it was time to go home...

I got my first gift from Yna when we returned to the parking lot and loved the white clutch that she gave me... thanks gurlfriend! =) Sa susunod ulit... ano, discov naman??? :D

see all pics here.

Toy Fest

2005-09-26T15:32:00.000+08:00

{September 25}
Another lazy Sunday afternoon with Yna and Aion... this time, we headed to Rockwell Tent at Powerplant Mall for the Toy Fest where the awarding ceremonies for the Gundam Wing contest was held... Aion placed a win and we're proud of him...kahit hindi nanlibre.. hehe :D

The day's hi-lites:

moments with Maverick (of Adventures with Ariel and Maverick fame) ...aba, close?! ;)

Maverick's groovy car

Kidz Station invasion

Rocker Jon buys Levis jeans (inspired by Rockstar:INXS --- birthday mo, hun? ;P)
Jon treats the birthday gurls ice cream...

supergurl and superdudes

aion receives third prize

zaifu dinner

Sonya's Garden w/ family + Red Box w/ friends

2005-09-23T22:10:00.000+08:00

(Sept.17)

As soon as i saw the sun peeked out that morning, i knew it was gonna be a promising day... The heavy rains had finally stopped... and i knew just where to go on that beautiful Saturday... Tagaytay!!!

We waited for Mom and Ray to finish with their lunch engagement and we then proceeded to Sonya's Garden (i finally had a reason to go - tour Ray there!). The place was exactly as i remembered it... awesome! The abundant flora, courteous and accommodating staff, beautiful surroundings and cool breeze all adds up to a relaxing time. We even checked out one of the rooms at the Bed and Breakfast and it was really nice! We then strolled along the once-secret garden and posed for pics. =)

Of course, the dining experience was another one to rave about. Upon being seated at the cozy dining room, one would immediately notice the unique table setting. In every seat, the plates do not match but that only enhances the charm of the place... it actually IS nice.

Salad was served first... I've been craving for Sonya's salad a few months back and i just had to take two huge helpings of it... hahah! Who could say no to that assorted greens (plus a few edible flowers) picked from their own garden, which u can top (all-u-can) with carrots, turnips, cucumber, egg, mango, jackfruit, pineapple, nuts and cheese, plus the super secret dressing! uhmm!!! :p Fresh dalandan juice with mint leaves complement the whole meal.

Freshly baked bread with assorted spreads (various pate', pesto, white cheese) and the pasta followed. You can choose whether u like white sauce, or tomato-based sauce or u can even combine it if u like! Chunks of chicken, shrimps, mushrooms, capers, olives, parmesan cheeese and garlic powder complete this part of the meal.

Afterwards, we were each given a cup of hot water with tarragon leaves to wash it all away. It was surprisingly refreshing! The last time we were here, it was mint leaves. And just as some of them thought it was over, the desserts came! Turon with langka and minatamis na camote capped off the whole meal. Needless to say, we were all stuffed. The long trip was all so worth it.

Despite the lack of variety in the meal they serve, I am definitely coming back... (and from what i've heard from my mom, Ray loved it there too!) =)

~~~

We got back home at around 9pm and after dropping Ray, Mom and Peng off, we met with Yna and Aion for another Saturday gimmick... this time at Redbox in Greenbelt 3.

All of us are into Rockstar INXS (the newest reality TV show hit) that we were all in the mood to sing ala rockstar! ;) And we surely did rock the night (and the morning) away... Fun was definitely an understatement!

Check out all of the pics of the days' adventure (Sonya's and Redbox) here.

random musings

2005-09-16T12:19:00.000+08:00

it's another weekend! Woohoo!!!

I'm home waiting for Jon (he attended an agents' conference at the Alabang Country Club and will be back after lunch - afterwards, we're off to tour Ray around) and i'm back to blogging! A lot has happened that i haven't been able to blog about and i'm hopin to cram it all up in one single post... so brace yourselves! ;)

~~~AFEX~~~

franchising is one business Jon and I have been thinking about for a while now... and when we heard that there's a food expo at the World Trade Center last week, we didn't pass up the chance of going... but of course, the freebies and loads of food-tasting come as close seconds why we went there... haha!

i don't know what it has got to do with the food expo (in delivery, maybe?), but we saw this battery-operated scooter which Jon drive-tested. I sorta loved it *hint, hint* at first coz it was perfect for me... but then again, would i be able to use it??? hmmm.... i don't know......

nway, we've got tons of info bout some food-related biz but we're still thinking things over... any tips or advices?

~~~another biz~~~

It's been almost 2 weeks since i started my prepaid biz, and i'm happy to report that it's doing quite well. Thanks marhgil for the idea! For just simply a few clicks on my cellphone, i'm earning shopping money! :D

so, sino magpapaload??? ;)

~~~one lucky girl~~~

Last night, we were at the Casino Filipino at the Grand Boulevard Hotel with Ray, Mommy and Mike (our angel *wink* - hihih!). It's actually my third time in a casino but this is actually the first time i won big money!!! Yahoo!!! I played the slot machine only and although it's not exactly the jackpot, the sound of the coins gushing out of the machine and the excited cries of my companions was enough to make me feel like i've won a million! haha! I would've wanted to play more and get that elusive jackpot but all the others have lost already... and of course, i didn't want to lose my winnings! I knew when to stop. =)

We just had dinner there (courtesy of my mom's friend working there) and before going home, I treated them all to dessert at Ice Monsters at BlueWave Macapagal (which Ray loved).

~~~Friendster & Google Earth~~~

Friendster has a new look and I'm lovin' it!!! plus, it's now jam-packed with new and cool features so, do check it out now!!! don't forget to add me up! =)

Now, this is really worth raving about... I've heard about it a couple of months back but Jon and i have actually tried it only last night... Google Earth is truly amazing!!! Try it (the requirements are steep, though)!

~~~digiscrapping projects~~~

I promised I would share some of my work so here they are... 1) wedding layout1; 2) bora trip; 3) chuchay; 4) save the date card for my officemate Dionne (theme for her wedding is book-lovers)...

Enjoy! Comments are most welcome! ;) Enjoy the weekend, everyone!

a new "mate"

2005-09-12T18:22:00.000+08:00

Isn't it amazing that at this time and age friendships are easily created no matter how far the distance is?

Exactly the case of my mom and her new Aussie friend. They met thru the internet, and have been chatting for months. At first, i thought it was just too good to be true... but when i saw several changes in my mom (from new outfits to new outlooks in life) and when everytime i would visit, she was always glued to the PC at home, talking, i knew it would be something special... =)

They decided to meet last week at Singapore. Last Friday, Jon and I took the half day off from work to fetch them at the airport (Ray, the new friend, will be vacationing in Manila for another week). But before that, we had a lunch date to celebrate our 9th monthsary. What better place to prepare us for our new Aussie mate? One word. Outback! =)

Afterwards, we went to the airport and met my mom and Ray. Ray is quite shy and reserved, but seemed nice, anyway. All the way home, we were chatting about the places they've been in Singapore (places that i so wanted to see on our brief visit there during our honeymoon but wasn't able to because of lack of time) and i noticed that my mommy still appeared a little bit hyper. Funny. =) We had dinner at home which was prepared by my sis. After a few more getting-to-know-you chit-chats, Jon n I went home.

The next afternoon, we all visited daddy at the ossuary garden before going to ATC for a game of bowling and dinner. I'm sure everyone of us has one message for him... daddy, no one can ever replace u in our hearts... =)

I haven't played bowling in years... and as expected, i sucked big time. Oh, Ray sucked too but he got the hang of the game in the last few frames so he beat me in the end. Hahah! It was so much fun, nevertheless. Everyone played 'cept for my younger sis. Oh, and Jon won. Yay for him!!!

We had dinner at Subway, went shopping 'til closing time and we drove them home before going back to ATC to meet some friends...

Captured M&Ms

2005-09-09T09:09:00.000+08:00

i now present to u my photoblog...

Note: i somehow got distracted with my new hobby (digiscapping) that editing this new blog has been put off for a while... but the site is up and running and i'm hoping u'll all like it! Thanks mucho!

shabu(2), anyone? =)

2005-09-07T20:31:00.000+08:00

This shabu trip was long overdue...

We've been planning to visit the nearest mini shabu-shabu resto for the longest time and finally, we found ourselves (Yna, Aion, Jon and I) at their CCP branch last Saturday night, sitting comfortably and enjoying the cooking each of us are doing and of course, the variety of food laid before us. Plus, it was yna's and aion's first time here so i kinda enjoyed seeing them having a good time.

The shabu experience must have put us on a different high, coz afterwards, the camera session at the breakwaters was a crazy one, mate ;) !!!

We dropped by Icebergs at BlueWave Macapagal afterwards for some sugar fix while listening to (more like making fun of) the band performing that night.

Another food- and fun-filled night!!! =)

*pics here*

untitled too

2005-09-02T15:57:00.000+08:00

I just got back from a week-long hiatus from work (the upset stomach i had last week became a full blown gastroenteritis according to my doctor)... I had a lot of time in my hands but most of it was wasted, if not in the bathroom (*lol*), i was in front of the computer - NOT blogging (can u believe it?), but downloading kits, papers, and loads of stuff for my digiscrapping projects and reading online tutorials for photoshop... I guess that makes me a certified addict! =) (will share some of my works in a later post).

~~~

I promised myself i would enjoy the weekend (long weekend for me, apparently), but i still feel so bitin coz i wasn't able to go out much since i had to be close to the bathroom as often as possible. The only time i was able to go out (i thought for sure that the Chinese medicine worked already... hindi pa ren pala) was last Saturday night with my hubby, Aion, Yna, Wax, Weng, JD, Charrie and my newfound friend, Spark (a shih tzu). =)

Anyway, we went to Tagaytay that night with only one agenda in mind: eat bulalo!!! Since it was almost 11pm when we arrived, we couldn't look for another place anymore so we settled for Leslie's. To complement our bulalo, we also ordered crispy kangkong, lemon chicken and pork sisig (are you drooling yet? ;) ).

A trip to Leslie's Tagaytay would always mean instant photoshoot so after we ate, we posed for the camera for about an hour and headed home.

see that round shaded area above?
friends, anyone of u know him? bago ba nating tropa yun? :D

~~~

Here come the "ber" months once again!!! ...the merriest time of the year! So many occasions to look forward to!!! Lots of birthday celebs (including my birthday - yay!), our first year wedding anniversary (another YAY!), and the holiday season! Oooh, by the way, i'm updating my wishlist in the "all about me" page so i can help u generous people decide on what gift to give me... ;) hahah!!!

Happy weekend y'all! ...and Happy Holidays! =)

computer firsts...

2005-09-01T10:54:00.000+08:00

i've been tagged by marhgil.

my computer literacy history...

first OS: DOS

first PC game(s): solitaire... hearts... and my favorite... minesweeper... only a few understand this game then... ka-addict den to nun!

first language: turbo pascal, c++, and visual foxpro

first website visited: can't remember eh.

first email address: svaguirre@yahoo.com

first news site visited: can't remember din.

first chat tool: MiRC pero saglit lang... i'm not into chatting then but when i discovered YM, ayun... chat na parati. =) add me up! --> hunnybunny1209

first yahoogroups joined: 4a_girls@yahoogroups.com

first blogging tool: BLOGGER

A Wish Granted

2005-08-31T14:40:00.000+08:00

To Jeff... this one's for u! belated! :)

me and aion with jeff (on the phone... hehehe)

after making kulit countless times, asking him what he wanted for his birthday, he finally told me what he wanted... and i'm posting these proofs... (he's overseas) =) read on....

~~~

Saturday morning (amidst the grumbling of my stomach), Jon n I braved the Saturday early morning traffic and went to the Redemptorist Church in Baclaran to fulfill a birthday boy's wish...

It has been years since i stepped inside this church and i noticed a lot of changes here and there. Most significantly were the two tv sets placed at the rear end. Stepping inside, the mood was solemn, but instantly, one can feel the "heaviness" in the air. It was a lot more different than in any other churches, but it was quite understandably so, since that church is where a whole lot of people offer their worries, their heartaches and ask God (thru the intercession of Our Lady of Perpetual Help) their heart's desire...

Jon chose a spot close to the altar and there, we thanked God for the great opportunity presented to us thru a selfless wish and prayed fervently.

After praying, we went straight to where the candle stands were, got some candles, and offered Jeff's wish... thus completing our mission for the day... =)

Keep the faith, jeff! Everything will be alright... *wink*

untitled

2005-08-26T15:14:00.000+08:00

...work had been pretty stressful at the start of this week... to the point of me thinking about quitting it altogether (yup, i'm not proud of it, but i'm a quitter... :( ). I have three bosses at work now and it's no easy task (especially if one of them is a certified biatch)... Anyway, i'm not to rant about it now... one day of crying and mulling over my job is enough.

The stress caught up with me and i have been missing work since yesterday. I guess u could say that my stomach couldn't take the pressure... I have been suffering from diarrhea since Wednesday night and ordinary pills don't work anymore. I took a chinese medicine this morning and vomited a little in the process, but i'm hoping it will take care of it once and for all... i deserve to enjoy the weekend!

Even though it was hell for my as* (lol), i welcomed the two-day break. This is a great stress-buster for me. I busied myself with downloading loads of stuff for my digiscrapping projects... i'm excited to start our wedding layout and play around with photoshop!! I am fast becoming an addict!!! =) I'd love to share with u my work and i'll be doing so in the next couple of weeks so brace yourselves, people! ;)

~~~

Last Saturday, we attended a children's party at The Farm of Sen. Villar. The kids (us included) were treated to an afternoon of fun complete with face painting, dirty ice cream, popcorn and cotton candy booth, clowns and games galore! I never had this kind of wholesome fun in ages! sharing our pics here...

u all have a fun weekend! *muah*

Kissed by a Butterfly

2005-08-23T18:49:00.000+08:00

my very first project in digiscrapping... (thanks mrs. schmuck for the inspiration and jenny for the useful links! =) )

my niece and me

so... what do u think? not bad for a newbie, huh? =)

The times of my life...

2005-08-22T18:50:00.000+08:00

I was "lucky" enough to be tagged by Evi and Dorothy... (thanks, guys!) =)

What Were You Like...

20 Years Ago:
I was bagging medals and awards at the school in our village. My parents decided to transfer me to a much bigger school because of "lack of competition"...

famous words:
Q from my mom's officemate: bakit ang tali-talino mo?
me: Kasi po mahilig po ako kumaen ng utak ng isda... (errr...)

15 Years Ago:
Discovered my boyish side and spent my afternoons playing with the neighbors - sipa, teks, football... but still played the occasional lutu-lutuan, bahay-bahayan and taguan.
Collected stationeries and swapped these with gurl friends. I could not recall whatever happened to those stationeries. I'm pretty sure I never used them.

10 Years Ago:
Labeled boy-crazy in high school, i developed lots of crushes and flings here and there.
Discovered the effectiveness of my will power and made my way back to the top of the class on my junior year just because i wanted to impress a crush and attend their graduation.
Showcased my talents in school... sang onstage in various programs, played volleyball, joined the group singing competition, excelled in acting in stage plays and the like...
Not only active in school but also in the community, serving the Lord in my own little way by joining the church choir and other community projects.

5 Years Ago:
Four years into the relationship, i was very happy to have found the mysterious boy who saved my life and at the same time, gave it meaning... JON. =)

3 Years Ago:
Had my very first job at Makati at a corner office with a view, but had a robot for a boss so i decided to quit, no matter how prestigious the company, how magnificent the building is, or how high my salary was. Sorry, not that kind of gurl... :P

Last Year:
The best year of my life. Jon made the sweetest proposal, got busy with the wedding preparations, and got married to the love of my life...
Our first time to travel out of the country without the 'rents.Hunnymooned in Singapore and (star)cruised around Asia - Phuket, Thailand; Penang, Malaysia and then back to Singapore. Had the most incredible time of my life...

Bittersweet as it is, it was the end of an era for me. I had to leave behind the life that i had - my home for 25 years and my family; and embrace the new life that i chose.

This Year:
the year when I travelled and vacationed the most - Boracay (twice), Hongkong, China to name a few - and the year isn't over yet!!! *wink*

Living the good life now and making every moment count... =)

Yesterday:
I overslept becoz of a late gimmick. Did the laundry. Went grocery shopping with my husband. Made tacos.

Last Night:
Received the most relaxing massage from my hubby... and then some. ;) It was mind-blowing, i tell you. heheh...

Today:
...is just another manic Monday... Work, work, and more work!

Tomorrow:
More work ahead! Looking forward to playing badminton with friends in the evening.

Next Year:
Time to start planning for the baby! We're thrilled and at the same time, scared by the idea... but we'll be ready for it in all aspects...

5-10 Years From Now:
We'll be living in a house all our own, Jon n I would have 2 kids by then, one boy and one girl (with the help of the Chinese chart, of course! *wink*).

...Passing this on to... my SIS, POBS, YANYAN, CHER, YEN, OBI, DIONNE and SHAI.

caffeine, sugar and shopping fix

2005-08-19T10:18:00.000+08:00

We decided to just stay in last Saturday night because we had planned a gimmick the following day. After preparing the chunky sopas Jon requested, and eating dinner, we spent time watching tv and surfing the net, researching* and blog-hopping.

Our resolve not to go out that night went down the drain the minute we saw a chocolate cake in somebody's blog... a dessert and a coffee to complement it was exactly what we needed at 11pm and we immediately went to the nearest coffeehouse (the newly-opened Starbucks) where we had apple pie with whipped cream on the side, coffee jelly for me, and strawberry frappe for my man.

We didn't use to be these coffee addicts. Come to think of it, a coffee for more than a hundred bucks is too much... why, we can even prepare these at home and won't cost a thing. But why do we even go to these places? Aside from the yummy, frothy coffee... It's the ambience. It's the conversation that we always have sitting at the the comfy corner couch. It's the comfortable silence while flipping on the pages of the magazine and taking a bite out of the yummy pastry before us... So when you think about it, the price u pay is worth every penny. =)

...

Sunday at noon, Aion, Yna, Jon n I went to G4 Makati to watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Yna and Jon both saw the original film and they were raring to see the remake... After buying our tickets, we had lunch at Shakey's - meat lovers thin-crust pizza and basket of chicken n mojos. Afterwards, we decided to take on their new offer, the eat-all-u-can sundae!!! Yna and I made layers and layers of dips, ice cream and syrup and had this as a result:

Giant sundae shared by 4 - YUMEEEEHHH!!!

Still waiting for the screening time, we went to the newly-renovated SM and bought a gift for Jon's inaanak who will be having a party tom while Aion took care of some business there, til it was time for the movie.

The movie was entertaining and quite enjoyable. Jon said Tim Burton made a better version... and of course, Johnny Depp was brilliant and gorgeous in a weird way... but then again, he's always weird in almost all his movies...

Shopping followed after but we got disappointed coz it was almost closing time... so we headed back home and went to Ruins where we had light dinner and shopped til we dropped. ;)

**************************

On a different note (I think you'll know what i mean when i say different *wink*), NBS has an ongoing sale and i finally got my copy of the SBD. Although i pretty much understand the diet's concept (a little similar to Atkins), i'm still reading up to understand it perfectly - and still have time to binge and eat whatever i want before i go on a diet - again.

Jon had been complaining of the way i eat before when I was doing Atkins. He says it's unhealthy. Now i'm sure he'll be quite satisfied with this diet. Even more so when he sees me minus the unwanted pounds...

cross your fingers for me. ;)

Mig Rox my Sox!!

2005-08-18T09:09:00.000+08:00

On Wednesday evenings, you'll usually find Jon n I in front of the television, glued to Star World, watching the primetime telecast of Rockstar INXS. (For those of you who do not know, it's like American Idol, only this time, the contestants are competing to be the lead singer of the rock band INXS).

I still have a hangover from last night's ep which is truly blog-worthy...

Mig Ayesa's performance last night was truly outstanding! I bet he'll win the encore today... (again, for those of you who do not know, Mig is half-Filipino and he is the main reason why we got hooked... =) )... The band handpicked "Baby I Love Your Way" for him to sing... and they couldn't have chosen any better. Mig even played the piano... and he sang beautifully! My heart was racing at the first few lines of his song and I was teary-eyed after... and although he kind of faltered towards the end (but caught himself just in time), nobody seemed to mind, i think. Everybody was just choked up with emotions... what's amazing was that so were the audience and the judges (Dave Navarro and INXS)! After the show, Jon downloaded that same song (along with some other past performances from the show), I listened to it, and the magic was still there... wow! You blow me away, MIG!!! I heart you!!! :D

The show's getting to be more and more exciting! Of course it's a given that my best bet is MIG! But among the 8 contestants left, I'm also rooting for Marty who sang "Hit Me Baby One More Time" last night (although i think he should lessen the angst in his performances); and Jordis whose rendition of "The Man Who Saw the World" last week was superb. JD is good (and a hottie too) but he's full of himself most of the time so i really don't like him.

Now who's gonna say bye-bye next??? Will it be Jessica, who's on the bottom three for 3 weeks already but kept bouncin back? Or will it be Ty (oh please, let it be Ty... heheh :D )??? Can't wait to watch the show tonight... =)

To infinity...

2005-08-09T23:14:00.000+08:00

celebrating our 8 th month as husband and wife...

To infinity (8)... and beyond! =)

Dinner for 4...

2005-08-07T17:15:00.000+08:00

Two Saturday nights in a row... dinner at Yna's place... Aion, Jon and I brought food, Yna cooked, we watched TV and DVD 'til past midnight. We basically just relaxed, relaxed, and did i say relaxed..? Compared to going out, this made us save a few bucks, allowed us to dress down, and was certainly more fun as we got the whole cozy place to ourselves... (next time, we're definitely bringing jon's ps2...)

it was definitely the life... now who wouldn't want that (especially after a tiring week at work)???

the only thing that changed was the menu... =)

mac and cheese, inihaw na liempo, lechong manok
desserts: various chocolates i got from our ref

mushroom soup, crispy pata, rice and bread rolls, plus mac and cheese
desserts: mango tart, eclairs

VideOK!!!

2005-08-06T13:18:00.000+08:00

Alvin's back in Manila again and another get-together was planned Friday night. I have been wanting to go back to Red Box and belt out some tunes again, and since nobody wanted to make a suggestion as to where we would be going, i sort of decided for them (but i have to thank Tsa's so-called "road expertise" for this, of course! *wink* heheh!).

We availed of their after-hours package (12am-4am) for P299/each (inclusive of 2 drinks) and took turns singing our hearts out. But wonder of wonders... the one who had complained earlier of our venue was the same one who hogged the microphone the most (It's Alvin, if u must know)! hmp! :p

A few years back, going to a family ktv near our place (PM - Planet Music, baaby!!!) was one of our favorite gimmicks, and it's nice to be able to reconnect again thru it. =)

Pero bitin!!! ;)

Kids at Heart

2005-08-01T15:16:00.000+08:00

Now we don't ordinarily go out on a Sunday... coz we usually reserve this day for lazing around the house and just recharging for the workweek ahead... but yesterday at noontime, we tagged along with Yna and Aion and went to SM Megamall for the awarding of the Model Kit Competition which Aion joined a few months back (check out his blog and gallery for some of his works).

The event was held at the Toy Kingdom and while waiting, we had a blast scouring the rows and rows of toys which the huge place was cramped with... It was so much fun getting to try some of the amazing toys that are now offered to kids! I particularly liked those spy toys and that thing where you can engrave your name (or anything u want) to any metal or similar surface! (We would have bought it then had i not thought of the sale waiting for me just outside the store! heehee!) Imagine that! What truly incredible toys! Why on earth didn't we have those COOL toys when we were little???

And get this - we even competed with little children in catching bubbles!!! YEP. CATCHING BUBBLES! ...on our hands, on our shirts, and even our hair.... and nope, i'm not talking bout catching bubbles in mid-air, and the second it touches ur fingertip or anything for that matter, it bursts right away... no sireeee. I'm talking bout holding them on your hands for minutes!!! MIND-BOGGLING, i tell you!!! And really, really COOL!!!

After shopping, we went straight to G4 where we again, shopped (it's sale season, wheeee!!!). Yna had her wish and we had dinner at Luk Yuen. Just before going back to the parking lot, the boys saw a wrestling ring at the center of Glorietta. I asked the manongs there if we could use it and take pictures and fortunately, they said ok (shops were closed already and there are only a handful of people left inside).

It's fun to be kids again, don't ya think? =)

Se7en

2005-07-27T10:25:00.000+08:00

...Another meme from Abbie

Seven things that scare you:
1. death of a loved-one(including my dogs)
2. rejection of any kind
3. scary movies and scary stories
4. needles
5. oral examinations
6. roller coasters :D
7. child-bearing

Seven things you like the most:
1. trips abroad
2. dates with my hubby
3. beach vacays, out of town trips, night outs with friends
4. spa!!!
5. family bonding and get-togethers
6. internet surfing and blogging
7. cooking and baking

Seven important things in your room:
1. PC
2. microwave oven, breakfast maker, airpot, ref
3. aircon
4. books and magazines collection
5. clothes, shoes, bags, accessories
6. our bed *wink, wink*
7. secret items... nyahahaha!!!

Seven random facts about you:

( I took these out of my 100 things )

1. I'm a major crybaby (part of the reason why i'm called YAX - iyakin). I cry easily at weddings (even weddings of people i don't know) and sappy movies.

2. I believe i was a man my previous life.

3. I ate my shit when i was still a baby (maybe that's why i am good at cooking - have u ever heard of that saying?

4. I used to suck my thumb while sniffing a stinky pillow (not for me, of course!) :D Gave me a different high. Haha!

5. I hate being late (from anything). I'd rather be ABSENT. :D

6. I love organizing gimmicks, parties and outings, and i can be a bit OC about them. =D

7. I don't smoke, have never tried drugs, and never liked beer - but boy, do i love to parteiiiii!!! =)

visit my 100 things for more! ;)

Seven things you plan to do before you die:
1. have a happy family in a happy home
2. travel around the world
3. learn a foreign language (Spanish or French???)
4. renew our vows (get married with the same man again!!!) =)
5. learn how to drive....???
6. make amends with people i hate or hurt and those who hate or hurt me
7. hear mass and confess my sins (for the last time)

Seven things you can do:
1. i'm a tongue-roller!
2. do fish-lips
3. read a 750-page book in one day
4. organize events, activities, parties, etc.
5. sing!
6. cook and bake
7. multitask!

Seven things you can't do:
1. drive!
2. play a musical instrument
3. complete work attendance in a month
4. be plastic - coz my whole body will show it
5. tell a big lie
6. NOT eat fatty foods
7. NOT BLOG for a week

Seven things that make you irresistable to the opposite sex:
1. eyes and smile
2. sense of humor
3. my briliant mind
4. i am a passionate being...
5. romantic, and sweet nature
6. open-minded *wink, wink*
7. i like to think i'm cool (and i can be one of the guys...) =)

Seven things you say the most:
1. "Thank you for calling FSI..."
2. "San tayo?"
3. "Nyahahahaha!"
4. "I'm hungry!!!"
5. "Whatever!"
6. "Ewwwww..."
7. "Awwwww!"

Seven celeb crushes (whether local or foreign):
1. Johnny Depp
2. Ethan Hawke
3. Ewan McGregor
4. Ethan Zohn
5. c Aga sa cellphone ko... ;)
6. Bret Hart
7. and... Angel Locsin =D

Seven people you want to see to take this quiz:
1. my hubby
2. Aion
3. Mauie
4. Alex
5. Tin
6. Naomi
7. Deb

Green Day

2005-07-26T12:19:00.000+08:00

With the prize money (and then some) in hand, and my husband in tow, we headed to Greenhills for a day of serious S.H.O.P.P.I.N.G.!!! =)

The Sunday drive to the ultimate shopping place was leisurely (read: no traffic! =D). Shortly after arriving, Jon drooled over the strawberry cinnamon rolls at Cinnabon so we bought two mini rolls (original for me!) and brought them over to Gloria Jeans (our fave!) to have coffee. On our way to GJ, we passed by the air-conditioned chapel and went in to say our prayers before anything else.

After GJ, it was time to look for bargains!!! The throngs of people who were also looking for great finds at the tiangge didn't stop us from having a great time!

our loot:

green Roxy shirt for me - 200 (180 n lng! yay!)
green and violet vintage shirts for jon - 280 a piece (got them for 500 - 250 each)
eating paraphernalia storage box for our room - 250 (Jon's favorite find)
black purse, gold clutch, metallic handbag from HDY for moi, (abt 1000)
chichas galore for our tummies! =) (3 for 100)
green Adidas rubber shoes for jon - 500 (got it for 480)

Before heading home, we had an early dinner at Luk Yuen and had noodle feast and chicken feet plus some refreshing tea. AHHH!

Great bargains plus great food with my great husband... heheh!!!! Whattaday! =)

Instant Money and another EB

2005-07-25T16:17:00.000+08:00

sis... sali ka sa game ko! =)

so goes the line of fellow blogger NAOMI in my tagboard two weeks ago...

naturally, i got curious... so i hopped immediately to her blog and found this riddle waiting for me...

A girl who was just learning to drive went down a one-way street in the wrong direction, but didn't break the law. How come?

i read it a number of times, and immediately emailed her the first logical answer i could think of. I got so excited! After all, the prize was 20 canadian dollars (which was equiv to almost a thousand bucks!) I was eagerly awaiting her reply to see if i won and was frequently checking her blog for updates of the winners. The next day, i found out that i won! Yipee! Instant money! :D

In claiming our prizes, Nao organized a sort of an EB/birthday bash (she's celebrating her birthday today... happy bday sis! =) ) thru the help of her amigazz Ning and May. The date was set lat Friday, July 22 and we all met up at Pioneer Grill in Pasig.

i'm not really new in this EB thing... this was actually the 2nd (or is it 3rd already??? *wink*) time i got to meet friends over the internet and i think i'm actualy getting better at this. u see, i'm really this shy person and it takes some time before warming up to new people... but that night was different... i was accompanied by my husband and 3 of my friends (Mauie and Aion both won too... =D... plus Marlon), so i was not as nervous as the previous EB's... and it proved to be a fun, fun night!

hapee wid my prize! =)

da boys en da gurls

winners!

see more pics here...

To Nao, thank u for sponsoring this EB.., we had a great time meeting new people and we hope to meet u soon too! ;) God bless!

...and to May, Ning, Ronallan, Marhgil, Migraine man, Kring, Yanyan, and to all the others whose names escape me at the moment... it was a pleasure meeting u all and i'm looking forward to seeing all of u again some time this year... ;)

***

after the EB, the five of us went to BlueWave for some midnight snacks at Hotshots (juicy burgers, yum!) and dessert at Icebergs... It has been some time since we've been out with Marlon and Mauie so we sort of seized the moment... ;)

Better Luck Next Year...

2005-07-22T15:12:00.000+08:00

The DFAPA Volleyball tourney had just ended and i'm sad to report that unlike the previous years, we placed last among the teams. :(

Oh, i could put the blame on many things... i could point my finger at my teammates (notice i didn't include myself? ...hehehe) for not giving their 101 percent during the games; i could blame some of my other teammates who are either on scholarship abroad, or busy with their families, or enrolled in other language courses (conflict in schedule) - and because of these we only had 1 or two reserves every game (it was so damn tiring!!!); and many other trivial excuses - we had no coach, lack of practices and the like...

this was us last year... team "ube"

this is us now.... team "PONKEN" =)

...the bottom line? the team was not good enough this year and we are nothing but... big, fat, LOSERS.

oh well.., at least we had fun... (yeah, right! :))

the team at play...

light moments before a game... o, peechur muna!!!

Some of the FSI people who watched the games, contributed energy drinks and meryendas, made pom-poms and banners, composed exceptional cheers (and chants?), took our pics and gave their never-ending support to the team... many thanks guys!!! kung may best cheerers, i'm sure you're the champs!!! :D

***

special thanks goes out to my ever supportive husband, who never missed a single game and cheered all of us on - (he claims to be stressed and jittery whenever there is a game - but still, he showed up every time) thanks hun! i love you!!! =)

Weekenders

2005-07-18T10:46:00.000+08:00

Last last weekend was a complete blah... Friday night out with friends didn't materialize, I wasn't able to go with Jon and my MIL Saturday for the scheduled out-of town (day trip to Mindoro) , Sunday was spent lazing around the house, and before we knew it... it was time to go to work once again.

I was determined not to make a repeat of the previous weekend so Jon and I made plans early in the week. I knew it wasn't gonna be as boring... coz after all, the magic is coming Saturday!!! wheee!!!

turning Korean

Aion, Yna, Jon and I went out on our usual Friday night gimmick (Marlon and Mauie are MIA once again - perhaps tiring of our company already? :( ). Anyway, we were in the mood for something out of the ordinary that night, and we all agreed on dining at a Korean resto which BF was infested with, and we just had to choose where exactly... We picked this big place which had a decent number of diners inside. (Itaewon)

Fortunately for us, our waiter was very accommodating and he helped us in choosing our orders. He even showed us how to grill the 2 large beef slabs and the porkloin platter right in our table. Aliw! =) We'll definitely schedule a shabu-shabu dinner soon...

Food was delish. Appetizers were aplenty. I liked the Korean spicy soup that was served at the start of the meal. We even had free pineapple dessert and rice tea. All in all, it was a great Korean dining experience.

korean pics here.

Ice Monster dessert followed and for the first time, we get to hang out at yna's place that night (very cozy!) , meeting her siblings and playing with her cute baby nephew, until it was time to call it a night.

Magic and freebies

I was super, super excited to get my hands on the 6th installment of the Harry Potter series. We would have bought it the minute the store opened Saturday but we had to buy grocery stocks at the market that morning so my date with my hubby was not until that afternoon.

There was a HP exhibit at glorietta that day and we were able to take a look at Yna's sister's entry (a scene taken from the 4th - goblet of fire). Too bad i wasn't able to take a pic, coz i was so pumped up to grab my own copy. =)

After buying my book, we went around the mall and found the perfect metallic gold slip-ons that i am currently addicted to (the golds-i mean). Priced at less than a thousand, i happily bought it. =)

And was i glad when the salesclerk handed me a P250 voucher at Italianni's which was good until the 31st of August. Niiice!

We browsed the shops again until it was already dinner time. Our poor tired feet found good rest at Tony Roma's where we feasted on ribs (Jon had the original recipe while I had my fave - carolina honeys - they're to-die-for! ;) ), chicken and shrimps which were complemented by corn on the cob (we asked these to be shredded already) and tasty coleslaw.

Dinner was undoubtedly satisfying. I just love dining here with my husband because the ambience was great (great view, good lighting),the service was impeccable, and of course, the good food. We even had another treat tht night - we were given free appetizer coupons plus another free main course the next time we dine here! Ain't that great?! =)

Our date would not be complete without watching a movie... and we got tickets to the 2nd to the last screening of Fantastic Four. While waiting for the screening time, we went to Taters and claimed the free iced tea (from the movie bundle tickets) and bought fries for the movie. Okaay..I know what you're thinking. We have such huge appetites, noh?! hahahaha!

The movie was entertaining enough to keep us awake during the two hours. And we headed home right after.

The minute we got settled in our room, I comfortably laid down in my bed and... nope... i didn't sleep just yet... how could i, when i was dying to read The Half-Blood Prince already... =D

2 hours later, i finished reading the first 5 chapter of the book... i was still wide awake but upon seeing the time, it was time to stop... (i also had to pull Jon away from the computer screen)...

The magic is here

I was glued to my book the entire day Sunday (well, 'cept when it was time to eat and to relieve myself...). By 8pm, i was through reading... =)

How did i like it? (Let me borrow this from abbie) --- One word. WHOAAAH!!!

Okay, okaaayyy... not enough? let's just say that my fave still is the Goblet of Fire. In THBP, another character got killed off again and i was crying profusely when i got to that part... but i am kinda hoping that the character killed in the OTP and THBP will live again on the last book... haaay... i'll have to wait for another two-three years for this one...

and it's gonna be a LOOOOOONG WAIT!!!

"IT" again...

2005-07-07T14:08:00.000+08:00

...we got tagged by Dionne...

Things you enjoy, even when no one around you wants to go out and play?

My list:
1. BLOGGING
2. plopped on my bed, reading a book or a magazine
3. listening to my mp3 collection and singing at the top of my lungs
4. playing and bonding with my doggies
5. viewing old and recent photos... reminiscing!

Jon's list:
1. playing PC games (when Yax is not blogging) or PS2 games
2. internet surfing
3. watching television in the bedroom
4. playing the guitar
5. downloading and watching "stuff" too... hehehe

What lowers your stress/blood pressure/anxiety level?

My list:
1. shopping!
2. a relaxing massage (either at the spa or from my hubby)
3. watching DVD with Jon, complete with popcorn and chips
4. playing badminton with friends (not in competition though, kakastress yun eh! :D )
5. going out and having fun with friends =)

Jon's list:
1. a massage by my hun
2. a nice dinner and movie date with my hun
3. DVD marathon nights
4. badminton
5. playing the guitar and hearing my wife sing

We're now tagging: AION, MACY, MAY, LEN and YANYAN.

Prioritizing Health and Wellness

2005-07-06T19:06:00.000+08:00

Remember my fibroadenomes?? (backtrack here)

It has already been six months since i calendared my next appointment to my ob-gyne... and i took the half-day off from work Monday morning and together with Jon, we proceeded to Philamcare (our office healthcard) and requested for a letter of authorization to go to my preferred doctor. I also consulted with the resident physician coz for a week now, i've been complaining about a sore lymph which hasn't subsided for two years now... He suspected lymphaniditis and scheduled me for an x-ray and cbc exam the following day.

We went to my ob at another hospital afterwards and was getting quite nervous while we waited. When at last, it was my turn, i showed her the ultrasound results once again, and she let me lie down and performed the breast exam. Out of the blue, i asked her if i could have a pap smear. Thinking that it would have to be scheduled first, i was surprised to hear that she could do it right there and then..! It was the first time EVER for me, and i was really really scared coz i heard that it was painful. My doctor sensed that i was tensed but she ordered me to relax or else it would really be painful. It was uncomfortable at first, but then, she must have seen thousands of it already (hahaha!), so i let myself relax. I did feel pain a lot of times, but it was tolerable, and in a few minutes, it was over. I would have to come back next week for the result. As for the fibroadenomes, she said that the sizes were still quite small, but she'd have to refer me to a surgeon...

My heart was racing but i pushed all negative thoughts out of me and went to the surgeon's office. The surgeon was still very young, 30-ish or so, and quite attractive, i must say... =) (At this point, Jon offered to come in with me... but i declined... nyahahah!). He took one look at the ultrasound result, and asked me if he could take a look...er... examine the breasts. He even asked me if i wanted him to call in his secretary, but i said it's alright *wink*... The exam was over in a few and after his lengthy explanation, he said that he doesn't recommend surgery as of the moment, given my age and medical history, but i'd have to monitor them regularly. Still, the sigh of relief i made was so loud it must have been heard outside the room. =)

Yesterday morning, i forced myself to go to Philamcare once again for the xray and cbc exam. The x-ray was no problem, but the cbc exam... Well, I ~~hate~~... okay... i'm terribly afraid of needles and my head was on the other direction when they took my blood sample. I felt all energy drain out from me after that... but my husband says i'm just exaggerating....... Anyway, results will be out in two days...

We went to Alabang to take care of some other business and while i was out in the car waiting, i realized that it was a lovely day. The rainshower surprisingly put me into a good mood.

And indeed, it was a beautiful day.

After a quick lunch and some grocery shopping, I rewarded myself (for finally going to the doctor) with a new jeans from People r People with a gold metallic belt. I was looking for a gold bag but didn't find any to my liking. Some other day, perhaps.

And his reward? a trip to the spa! =) yay!

We went home and just placed our purchases in our room, and we were off to Bioessence. We availed the couple's package which included a facial (mint for me, regular facial for him), footspa, and a combination of shiatsu/swedish massage! Aaaaahhh! =)

First, we were asked to strip down to our undies, and we were led to the sauna where we baked for 15 minutes. =) We were given drinks to cool off and then the foot spa came next. Our facials and massages followed after that felt sooo damn good!!! I even had a few minutes shut-eye after everything. We stayed at the spa for four full hours! And we were really refreshed and rejuvenated. Ahhh! Can't wait to go back... heheh!

Now, my only wish is for all the medical results to turn out fine...

Saturday-Fun-Day

2005-07-03T15:24:00.000+08:00

warning: pics overload! =)

We were at Edsa Shang yesterday afternoon to treat our ninong and his wife who were celebrating their anniversary at the hotel. Buffet lunch at the garden cafe' was dee-lish, with the relaxed ambience contributing to the delightful meal. =) (We even saw Imee Marcos a few tables beside us and some other local celebs, plus there was a wedding function, so i enjoyed looking at the different gowns parading at the lobby.) Conversation was interesting too, as we talked about the couple's business (which inspired both Jon n I) and some other property that we, together with my mother-in-law, would have to look at, over the weekend. You see, Jon and I are very much into the idea of starting a new business soon and we are still in the process of researching and looking into it... Anyway, after the meal, each of us was given a big koala bear stuff toy, which came with the drink of the month that we all ordered.

A few minutes rest after we got back home and then, we were off to Greenbelt 3 for the scheduled movie and dinner date with the gang.

After we got our reserved tickets at the Sureseats booth, we walked all the way to G4 and had dinner at Banana Leaf Curry House. It was the first time for all of us to dine here (although i've heard lots of good feedbacks) and we got excited over the exotic names that we read in the menu...

Many of them didn't quite like the food they ordered - and that included my husband, who specifically wanted laksa, a Singaporean dish which we loved when we went there for our honeymoon - turned out it was much too spicy for them to take... hmp, chicken! =) heheh! Anyway, i ~~loved~~ liked most of the food there, plus ambience and the service was superb! But i think, it'll be some time before we go back there again...

We were still early for the screening so we passed time at Chimara where we bought popcorn to munch inside the cinema. Of course, we also claimed our free iced teas with the coupons we had from the cinema tickets.

...War of the Worlds sucked big time! Most of us got really disappointed with how the movie ended... i mean, WTF was that??? Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable...

It was almost midnight but no one wanted to end the night just yet... And so to take our minds off that dreadful movie, we went to Timezone at G4. Arcade time! =) We love playing here coz there were only a few people and they have bigger space than that of Greenbelt. As usual, we got to try almost every game and i had fun trying out the percussion for the first time.

After consuming every cent in our Timezone cards, we focused our tripping to the movie billboards all around the area. Ansaya! :D

All that fun and play worked up our appetites, and we found our way to a 24-hour resto (Chowking), still at Makati. We parked our cars at the gasoline station, crossed the street, striked a pose in the middle aisle, and went eating. At 4am, we were home, in our beds, happily snoring. =)

can't get enough of our pics? click here.

Doggie Lover

2005-07-01T16:46:00.000+08:00

Had some doggie-bonding time today at my old place...

A nice big smile from my fave pet, SONIC.

My 3 askal doggies!

I sometimes feel i've neglected them already... and today was the time i (more than) made up for it... =)

Getting together with old friends...

2005-07-01T11:16:00.000+08:00

Got a message from my friend Nique yesterday afternoon informing me that Alvin, another friend whose current work is based in Cebu, is here in Manila for a few days. Called Alvin up and he said he wanted (more like demanded... :p) to have a get-together with the tropa. All of us could only indulge him (you spoiled brat, you! - and on a weekday at that! ) :p

Plans were settled, and at 9pm (the scheduled time), miss excitement (yep, that's meeh) was all over the place, tidying up the venue and bugging Jon to set up the DVD downstairs coz we planned on watching our wedding video... We last saw each other New Year's Day (when we had our annual get-together) and i was really thrilled to see them all again and talk about the goings-on in our lives.

I've never learned... in all the years that we've been friends, all our planned gimiks never started on time...

I was upstairs, waiting for them, and everytime i would hear our dog bark, or even when i hear a trike or a car pass by, i would frantically go down the stairs and open the front door to welcome whoever come first... just to be disappointed a number of times. Oh well...

Nina and Tsa were the first ones to arrive... at about 10pm. Typical.

..but my impatience with them disappeared the minute i got to see them. By 11 pm, we were almost complete. Nique was still stranded sumwhere doing God knows what... it was just as i predicted - another all-nighter!

Alvin brought Yellow Cab pizza and beer just as promised. I popped a bag of popcorn, and after a few minutes of chit-chats, we were all set to watch the wedding video. =)

A few minutes before the video ended, Nique arrived somewhat drunk... =D Kwentuhan and kulitan, plus a few pics, of course... and then she offered to buy us all a cup of coffee. Yipee!!! Never mind that it was midnight and it's a weekday... we were all going out to enjoy a cup of nice, warm, and FREE coffee!!! =D

Unfortunately for us, the nearby Starbucks was closed already, same goes for Figaro and Mocha Blends. Since neither of us wanted to give up just yet, we tried ATC, but with no such luck either. The coffeehouses we went to were all closed for the night. So, guess where we went to to have our coffee fix??? At Mcdonalds! Hahah! For a couple of hours more, we enjoyed talking, and joking around over a cup of coffee (or chocolate, for some) and hot fudge sundae. great combo, yes? Nyahahah! See that pic of me with the singkit eyes and hot fudge over my pearly whites? That's the crazy meeh all fired-up at past 2am with my crazy gang. Yep. I missed my friends and it felt oh so good to be with them again... even though there are still issues unresolved and unexpressed feelings on my part. But hey, that's another story... ;)

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

2005-06-27T10:51:00.000+08:00

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...

Constant and effective communication is the key - express feelings often; even in arguing, or in the heat of passion... hahah!
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.
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!
Surprise each other from time to time. =) - spam and egg with love, anyone? ;-)
Have some time alone for yourself. - Keep your individuality. Also, some time off to miss your partner does wonders to the relationship.. ;-)
Keep the love, and lust, alive... =)

My Face, Defined...

2005-06-25T18:39:00.000+08:00

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...

2005-06-22T15:49:00.000+08:00

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

2005-06-20T10:24:00.000+08:00

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

2005-06-19T09:07:00.000+08:00

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

2005-06-13T13:55:00.000+08:00

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!

2005-06-10T09:00:00.000+08:00

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!

2005-06-08T16:21:00.000+08:00

DFAPA Sportsfest 2005 finally opens!!!

So excited to play!!! =)

Back to Regular Programming =)

2005-06-08T08:51:00.000+08:00

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...

2005-06-07T11:47:00.000+08:00

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

Our Wedding Video!!! =)

2005-05-30T16:25:00.000+08:00

So happppeeee to finally see our wedding video! Obviously and undoubtedly, we loved each and every second of it... yeah, even the part where i surprised Jon with a song - i was off-key and so off-timing (oh, the shame!!! :D)!!! On our first viewing with REALTIME, i thought of editing this part out but eventually came to my senses and the romantic side of me won... I realized that without it, our wedding video would be incomplete.

The package we got from Realtime included 2 DVDs (1 with jacket cover), 2 VCDs, 1 VHS tape, and the 6 mini DVs - the raw wedding footages. The DVD copy even has menu and chapters! They also added in an MTV-style production plus the on-site video (they played this during the reception - which many people absolutely loved!) and even included the AVP prepared by my brother-in-law (played also at the reception)! Galing talaga!

And have I mentioned that I so looooooove our wedding video? :D

--------------------

{the weekend update}

Watched Madagascar (hilarious movie!!! - go watch it!) with Aion and Gina Friday night at ATC and had midnight snack afterwards at Hen Lin.

highlight of the bonding session: "LO-HI???" and "Anong NE-MO?" ...did i get it right, Gina? hahaha! :D

The rainy Saturday afternoon was spent at Festivall Mall (it's been so long since we went here). Had an early dinner at Teriyaki Boy, went shopping, bought office supplies, and then, Jon finally gave in to his desires (hehe) and bought his own badminton racquet - complete with titanium strings and overgrip! My homeboy was so happy with his purchase all the way to our badminton game that night. Maybe that's the reason why he and Aion have finally beaten Marlon and i...??? hmmm....

Jon and I went to the market early Sunday morning. In the afternoon, we wasted time surfing and browsing blogs in the internet. And then, I cooked spaghetti for dinner, then we got back to being couch potatoes and watched television all night long... :D

Seduced by the Dark Side of the Force

2005-05-23T10:48:00.000+08:00

Sorry folks...i just couldn't resist naming this post with this title. =) But I think it suits the pics above... right? hahah!

Well anyway, except for another luncheon videoke session at Red Box Saturday (after we dropped off the music cd needed for our final wedding video edit to REALTIME), the entire weekend was devoted to watching 4 Star Wars movies... yep, you read it right... 4 Star Wars episodes for 3 days! Mind you, i'm not even a real Star Wars fanatic...

Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith was preceded by dinner at Sentro (after choosing between this or Bubba Gump) with Marlon, Mauie, Aion and Gina. Fortunately, we had reserved seats so we were able to savour every morsel of food we ordered. Delicious food, btw (as always) - my fave, of course was the sinigang na corned beef!

Many people (including my husband) didn't like this installment that much. But... i DID like it. Heck, to each his own, right? =) I'd have to say episodes 1 and 3 are my favorites... heheh.

Now, i've watched all the first 3 (or should i say, last 3) episodes when i was a kid. And i never really understood any of it nor did it stay on my mind for all these years. All i could remember were the cute, cuddly and lovable Ewoks (which, during high school, was a pet name for me... heheh)! So, imagine my eagerness when i learned that we had DVD copies of Episodes 4-6 at home which Alex bought a long time ago which were all digitally edited and remastered! It was a STAR WARS marathon weekend for us! =)

And I immensely enjoyed watching the movies! Especially with Jon pointing out some things which were not in the original films. I wouldn't even notice any of those if it weren't for him... so, thanks hun! =)

I did see one obvious change, though. Anakin Skywalker (Christian Haydensen) made an appearance at the Return of the Jedi! My heart skipped a beat when i saw him. I just wished Ewan McGregor was also there... hihihi ;)

------

Let me end this post by another picture...

Anakin's "serious" apprentices

--- MAUIE!!! sabi ko SERIOUS!!!! :p

A Sudden Expense

2005-05-17T12:00:00.000+08:00

Fuck! Where's my damn phone???

I rummaged through my bag, anxious and irritated at the same time. We had just arrived at the meeting place after the long trek from the Majayjay falls (see previous post - The Pahiyas Festival)...

Shit! Andito lang yun hun eh...
I remember placing my 6600 at the very bottom of my long pink bag earlier. The last time I've seen it was when i received a text from Dionne, informing us where they were at that time... I continued looking for it... but to no avail. It was... GONE.

......

Days (even weeks) before going to Lucban, we have all been forewarned that there were lots of pickpockets during the fiesta. And believe it or not, i came prepared. I brought a long bag and didn't bring any unnecessary valuables, except for our digital camera and my cellphone, of course.

I have never lost something as important as this one. So imagine my frustration when i found out that the phone i got for free (oh, it was a SMART promo a year ago) disappeared without trace. There was not even a slash on my bag!!! The bastard must really be an expert! tsk tsk tsk.

The recent pictures, downloaded games, important notes and reminders, and most importantly, the contacts i've gathered and saved over the past years were all gone in a flash. But there was nothing else i could do but to let go...

Fortunately, SMART replaced my sim card and didn't change my number (an advantage for plan holders). I just had to fill up some forms, sign some documents for call barring and other stuff and voila, 3 hours later, my number was already activated.

Of course, i had to buy my replacement phone. *sigh* Jon and i searched in several malls before heartbreakingly purchased this one. haaaaay... the added bills!!!

As for the bastard who took my phone.., i hope he fuckin rot in hell!!!

Snippets

2005-05-16T22:49:00.000+08:00

on our way home after our badminton game at Anvil...

him: I was watching you kanina...
me: Really? Bakit naman?
him: Wala lang. I was watching you play...
me: So.., am i good? *grins sheepishly*
him: oo naman...
me: *smiles from ear to ear*
him: Na-realize ko lang, kung di mo pa siguro ako asawa ngayon, i would still fall in love with you all over again...
me: *looks at the mirror inside the car - sees a scruffy looking, sweat-smelling, and hair-all-over-the-face girl looking back at me* ...looking and smelling like this???
him: yup, no doubt about it...

awwww... =) - now i'm convinced. I have a BOLERO husband... =)

The Pahiyas Festival

2005-05-15T23:39:00.000+08:00

It was the first time for both Jon and I to attend the Pahiyas Festival at Lucban, Quezon. I have long been wanting to experience Philippine festivals such as this one and fortunately, my friends at work came up with this idea for our summer escapade. =)

Got up at around 3am this morning and excitedly prepared for the day's adventure. At 4am, we were ready. There were hardly any trikes in the village at that ungodly hour but luckily, my BIL was still up. He gave us a ride and dropped us off where we could get a taxi. The meeting place was at Shell Select EDSA-Buendia and we got there in no time at all. We had breakfast, bought some gum and chips, and waited for the others (there were more than 20 of us) and the arranged vans to arrive.

At 5am, we were off. The trip to Lucban was pretty much uneventful (well, 'cept for the beautiful sunrise at SLEX which we were all trying to have good shots of, amid the traffic).

We arrived at Lucban at around 8:30 a.m. We had a trike ride to get to the town proper coz the vans we rented were already asked to park elsewhere. The first thing i noticed after the short ride were the famous longganisang lucban which lined up the streets! I had to buy some of those before we get home, i noted.

After a short walk, we finally saw the beatiful houses adorned with kiping. They were fantastic. Never before in my entire life have i seen a place so colorful and so alive. WOW!!! The entire houses were decorated with different colored kipings, many of which were shaped like lanterns or flowers. But there were also some which were decorated by vegetables and fruits (sitaw curtains, tomato walls, etc,etc). Other materials were also aplenty; like palay, crepe papers, coconuts, banana leaves, and many many more which exhibited the creativity, ingenuity and resourcefulness of Pinoys. Truly superb!!!

The sweltering heat would never in a million years stop us from going house to house. Of course, we took thousands of pictures!!! We were even allowed to go inside some houses and took turns taking some shots. Ang saya! After an hour or so of non-stop posing, we paused for some snacks and had our first taste of the famous pancit habhab! Dee-lish! What made it even more so was the sukang maanghang and the way it is eaten - doggie style!!! Yeah!

While eating, the procession passed by us. Even the image of San Isidro Labrador was adorned by kipings. We followed the procession, but we made a detour and took the short cut going to the old stone church of Lucban. After some quick prayers and 3 wishes (i do that everytime i visit a new church =) ), we joined the others and went to some relatives of Bon's to answer nature's call. Bon's tito and tita were very accommodating, they even offered us juice, suman ng lucban, and yema. We rested for a while before going back to the gazebo in front of the church to join up with all the others. On our way there, i saw some pretty hats and decided to buy one (the one i brought was not enough to cover the sun, and well, for a more tourist-y feel...hahah!). Jon bought his own straw hat later, of course.

It's a hot, HAT day!

All 24 of us had an early lunch at an al fresco restaurant - Cafe San Luis. The heat and all the excitement must have made us all hungry again. Hahah! After lunch, Jera and Bianco informed us (thanks to the tourist map given to them) that nearby was a falls we all could visit. After making some inquiries and haggling with the trike drivers, we were off to Taytay Falls in Majayjay. I wasn't aware that the trip was going to take us an hour! The trike we were riding (with Dionne and Joven) had a lot of difficulty with the rough and winding roads and at last, more than halfway to our destination, the motor overheated and gone kaput. We were stranded in the middle of nowhere!!! (sino kaya ang may balat sa pwet... hmmm...:p)

Our other companions were passing by us one by one... We had to wait for the first tricycle to go back and take us to where the others already were.

We paid 20 bucks (entrance fee) and started the long trek going to the falls. The trail was slippery (yep, i slipped once! ouch!) and narrow, that i started to regret agreeing to this part of the trip. After about 30 minutes or so of walking, we finally saw the falls... and it was truly breathtaking!!! Yup... definitely worth the sweat!!!

At first, Jon n I were just taking in the beauty of nature (minus the thousands of people buzzing like bees, of course), just taking pictures and watching everything that's going on. I saw some of our companions making their way closer to the falls and noticed that some of them were swimming already! You see, going to the falls was not really part of our plan and not one of us brought swimming gears, or even extra undies (we were only told to bring extra shirts). But the lure of nature (and my officemate's cajoling) was strong and inescapable... I threw all my cares away and went in the water.., maong pants, blings and all! Damn, the water was so cold!!! The splashes of water i received from my officemates as a welcome treat, somehow helped my body temp adjust easily. Jon wasn't as brave, though. He stayed on top of the boulders and designated himself as the photographer for the time being. I kept on pleading for him to join me but he said he was happy and content where he is. Oh well... it was bonding time with my officemates then!

After some time, the cold was getting too much for some of us and so we got out and started wringing our clothes. Jon and i decided to go ahead of them and join the others who didn't swim. The long trek back was not as hard although I was dripping wet and my pants were getting a little uncomfy. Fortunately, the sun was at its hottest and by the time we got back to the town proper (this time, we boarded a jeepney), my clothes were a little bit dry already.

We were to have merienda at another relative of Bon's but on our way there, we came across a gown parade. And just like the decorative houses all around, the gowns and barongs were colorful and oh so beautiful. After all those feast for the eyes came the feast for our grumbling stomachs. And what a bountiful feast that was! It consisted of spaghetti, pancit, hardinera, puto, dinuguan, kaldereta, fruit salad, etc. etc! Man, we were stuffed!

After some rest and a little freshening up, it was time to buy pasalubongs! Jon n I did some exploring of our own and we were able to buy kipings, longganisang lucban, and uncooked pancit lucban.

At around 5:30 pm, it was time to go home. We passed yet another parade, this time, of the higantes (bearing some sponsors' name). I excitedly ran in the middle of the street and posed beside one. The TJ higante gladly stopped walking and posed while Jon took this shot. Heheh. =D

Another trike ride and then we hopped in to our rented van at last. We got back home at around 10pm tired but with smile on our faces. =)

Even the thought of losing my cellphone could not take away the joys of the day's exciting escapade... yes, people, i lost my phone in Lucban... :( ...but more on that on a later post.

**To view my pahiyas photoblog, click here. **

Happee Birthday TWO you...

2005-05-14T14:56:00.000+08:00

It was another enjoyable evening with the gang last night. We met up with them at Dad's to somewhat celebrate Aion and Mauie's birthday. We stuffed our faces at the crossover buffet (my husband was the last man ~~standing~~ eating... :D); and had the bday celebrants greeted and sung to by the roaming band (there was an extra Kitchie Nadal song, but of course, we had to tip them afterwards).

Our stomachs were about to burst when we were finally through so we had to stay at the carpark for a few minutes and waited for all those food to be digested before deciding where to go next...

Marlon suggested a place at Mamplasan and we decided to go there using just one vehicle. We all hopped in the van and Jon drove off. But as it turned out, the place was already closed so we went all the way to Paseo de Sta. Rosa at... well, yeah, Sta. Rosa. =)

The place was lined up with bars and coffeehouses. But what was more interesting was some of the outlet stores (like Adidas and Nike) which sell items at great discounts. Too bad the stores were already closed.

Anyway, we came all the way to Paseo but we stayed at Figaro at the gasoline station just across from it. =) I think the noise there was just too much for us...

During the "coffee coffee", we were able to plan for another summer getaway, this time at 8waves waterpark. Luckily, I had some free time that day coz the gimmick with my old friends was cancelled. I really hope it pushes through... uhmmm, aion, sana tamaan ka... hehehe. :D

Five

2005-05-09T20:43:00.000+08:00

"Time flies when you're havin fun"

In a flash, we're already celebrating our 5th month of being together... It's been a great and fun ride... and i'm at the edge of my seat, craving for more..! =)

We both took a leave from work and had some business taken care of this morning. We were thinking of going to the mall to watch a movie or something but just before lunch time, we thought of driving all the way to Tagaytay. It was one of those spur-of the-moment decision which made the trip more exciting and fun!

Our first stop in Tagaytay was People's Park. The last time we've been here was two years ago. We were kinda optimistic that the park had changed already but we got disappointed. The place was just as what i remembered it... dirty, unkempt, and just plain ugly. :( But there was one redeeming factor... the view at Peple's Park was magnificent!!! The view there made up for the P20 entrance fee which at first, i thought we were being robbed of... =)

After our (quick) stay at the People's Park, we drove off to find some place to eat. We wanted something out of the usual (Leslie's, Josephine's are out) and cheap (goodbye Sonia's and Antonio's). When we passed by the famous Mushroomburger, our search was over. Jon hasn't eaten here yet and i remember this was a favorite when i was still in high school so, we quickly made a u-turn and ordered our food. There were lots of new items on their menu, but we settled for the mushroom burger royale and longganisa meal with the adobo egg (back then, it was still century egg)...

After the yummy lunch, we proceeded to the newly-built Magallanes Square and went to an ukay-ukay shop... There were rows and rows of clothes to choose from but because the place was so humid, i didn't have the patience to browse everything and decided to go somewhere else. That "somewhere else", of course, was another ukay-ukay shop at the rotonda. I only got a simple top here. There were still lots of clothes to check out but i saw Jon getting bored so i dragged myself out of the building already. =)

Next, we had some coffee and a salad at Starbucks. We stayed there for more than an hour just talking and enjoying the view.

Before we knew it, it was time to head back home. But Jon promised to buy me my favorite fruit, so we stopped by a fruit stand on the street, and bought a kilo of mangosteen. We ate some of it on our way home and just as i predicted, Jon loved it too! Yum! =)

The long drive was just as fun, singing along (more like having a concert inside the car! haha!) with our CD (Corrs and Cranberries songs combined) 'til we got back home.

It was a great, albeit simple, 5th month celeb and i can't wait for more months and years of wedded bliss! =)

Mothers Day

2005-05-08T21:34:00.000+08:00

I received an early present for Mother's Day from Jon Saturday night...although technically, I am not yet a "mom". =) He got me this very nice necklace and i wore it immediately on our date that night.

Initially, we thought of going to Red Box for another night of non-stop videoke but we remembered we still didn't have gifts for our moms so we browsed the shops at Glorietta instead. We found kikay earrings and bought two pairs. =)

The videoke was replaced by dinner at Marina. The sumptuous meal consisted of bulalo, grilled tuna belly, and a bucketful of grilled oysters ( i still say steamed is the best, though)!!! We finished everything off eventually and headed home right away. We were supposed to watch a movie and have coffee afterwards pa, ...but you know what they say about the oysters, right?! bwahahahaha!!! :D

This morning, we woke up early to buy some fresh roses for our moms, lola, and ninang. When we got back, Mama, Lola, and Ninang Roma were all having breakfast and surprised them by giving the flowers and the gift. I heard Ninang Roma say, "Thank God for Jon and Yax". Nakakataba ng puso d ba?... =)

Afterwards, we went to my old place and gave Mommy our gift and the flowers. She and K8 prepared spaghetti, roast chicken, and crema de fruta; my sister's boyfriend brought tiramisu and we had a very delicious lunch. Had a few hours of bonding moments with my family (while Jon spent time in front of the computer) and went home at around 3pm to cook one of my specialty, EGG ROLLS.

Unleashing the BitCH within...

2005-05-05T19:09:00.000+08:00

Pardon the rage people... i just hafta get this off my chest...

~~~~~~~~~

This is for you... and you know who you are...

You've got something to say to me...??? Then why don't you SAY IT!

TO. MY. FACE!!!!
Oh, I get it... you are that insecure of me, aren't you??? poor, poor you...

I've done NOTHING to deserve your immature actions. We've shown you only kindness... and yet... tsk tsk tsk. Ang plastik mo, sobra! ...And you are such a USER!

I never imagined u would actually do it, but you outdid yourself this time.. You're actually worse than the others. In fact, you're 10 times worse than all of them combined. You're a user, a parasite and a pathological liar! Ang laki ng bilib mo sa sarili mo... And u actually think you're popular... well gurl, think again...

But you know what? I pity you... but.., i pity him more.

Oh, and one more thing...

I wish you'd fuck off and die, you BIIIAAAATTCCCHHH!!! :p

~~~~~~~~~

Whew. There! :) See? I'm smiling again..! :)

Long Chill-Out Weekend! =)

2005-05-03T09:21:00.000+08:00

After lunch Friday, my sister, my niece, my tita n I went to the newly-opened Makro here at Las Piñas. Missed Jon (who was still at work) coz we usually shop together. I saw C2 which were on sale for only P57/6 bottles. I heard many people who were currently addicted to this green tea drink so i'm quite curious bout it and bought one pack.

Afterwards, we headed to an ukay-ukay store coz we heard that the items were on sale. Buy One, Take One for 100bucks. I'm not really very optimistic about finding good items there but not only did i find 1, but 4!!! So happy bout my new-old-clothes! =)

Spent Friday night at home browsing the net (I was looking for a place to go to coz of the sudden looong weekend) and changing the template of my husband's blog. Then, Diner Dash ulit. =) Slept at 3am already.

Saturday morning, I went to my workplace for our volleyball practice. Another great workout! Kaya lang, I got so mad that morning! There were these men kase at the side of the volleyball court who were playing basketball, and at the middle of our game, without warning, I just felt the (fuckin heavy) ball bounced on top of my head!!! The sudden jolt and the pain I felt made me cursed so loud at the court...twice! When i turned to look, those men disappeared all of a sudden. Di kase makapag-intay eh... Bad trip! While waiting for Jon to fetch me after practice, I still felt a little dizzy. And i felt like i lost 1 inch of my neck! :p

Jon n I went straight to my old place for lunch. It was my sister's birthday. =)

We went home around 3 in the afternoon and I took a nap for a few hours. We were supposed to go to Libis with Aion and Gina but Marlon n Mauie had a family dinner so it was cancelled last minute. There was nothing else special planned so Jon n I thought of having another DVD marathon. Right after we showered, we received a call from Marlon inviting us out coz the dinner finished early. We agreed to meet them at the Fort in an hour.

The "post-dinner" with Marlon and Mauie at an Italian resto at the Fort Strip was undeniably, a delight. =) Add to the fact that we had a "change of scenery", we had great food, great conversation and great company. I enjoyed every minute talking, confiding, laughing and joking with them. The night really was a welcome change! =)

me n the birthday gurl

Sunday morning, I prepared lunch at home (the usual sinigang) but we had no kangkong leaves so Jon n I decided to go to Makro for some quick grocery shopping. We both loved the C2 i bought days before so we bought 2 packs more(that's one dozen bottles! Woohoo! =D ).

After siesta, we went to SM Southmall to buy the replacement for my expired contacts. I was also able to buy a cute top at Sari2. =) We were supposed to hear mass right before our badminton sked but we've forgotten about the time and we just went straight to the court. Ang bad noh? :(

The entire Monday was spent at home. We rested, watched DVD (LXG) and rested again. We changed my hubby's blog template again, and i was satisfied with the results this time. Do visit! (it's pure kalokohan, mind you...) =)

Just before i was to sleep, Jon gave me a relaxing massage (in return for my time fixing his blog, i bet! haha!)... The long weekend rendered me fully recharged and ready for the 3-day work ahead!

Checking out the new mall

2005-04-29T23:23:00.000+08:00

Jon and I had some free time this week and we paid a visit to the newest mall in the metro. The Gateway Mall.

When I hear of Gateway Mall even way before its doors were finally opened early this year (or was it late last year?), it would always make special mention of its cinemas. And i would always always feel excited about the thought of the comfy Lazyboy seat, unlimited popcorn and bottomless soda in hand. Now that's the life!

I got hold of the mall's url some time last month and i discovered that the Cineplex 10 (the Lazyboy cinema) is not yet open. But i figured that the long drive will still be worth it.

We got to Araneta Center around lunch time and finding the new mall was easy. It was located just beside the Araneta Coliseum. Underground parking was a breeze - although i think the area was a little small in the long run considering the amount of people who will be checking out the mall - and the cinemas of course. Especially the Lazyboy cinema. =)

We went straight to the cinemas. IMHO, the lobby had a similar look and feel with that of the Greenbelt3 theatre and Rockwell Power Plant cinemas. Nothing fancy here 'cept for the skylight 360 degree mural. Couches were scattered for people waiting for their screening times. The ticket booths (centralized ticketing system here) had several big flat screen tv's above which showed screening times, seating, and some movie previews. The snack bars were limited though. I was craving for other than the usual popcorn-soda-hotdogs-chips but didn't find anything to my liking. But maybe, it was only because we still haven't had lunch yet. Food court was just one level below, but i got lazy already, so, popcorn-soda-hotdogs-chips it is! - for the meantime. We agreed on having late lunch after.

We watched the movie, Sahara which starred the ruggedly handsome Matthew McConaughey and the very sexy Penelope Cruz. The movie was entertaining but in my husband's words, impossible. But i'm not to talk about the movie...

The seats inside the cinema were comfy enough, but i still say nothing beats the seats at Greenbelt3 cinemas where i can pull up the armrest and snuggle close to my hubby. :D The Dolby Digital Sound in the cinema lived up to expectation. Crisp sound and had the right amount of volume. It was perfect for my ears.

On our way to finding where we could eat our lunch, we saw the floating garden below us, and it was a great view. More on that later.

We finally found a resto where our taste buds agreed on that day. Burgoo.

When we were already seated, it dawned on me that on our very first visit to Rockwell PowerPlant Mall about 2 years ago, we did the exact same things! We watched a movie first, then we also ate at Burgoo. Haha! I even tried to kid him, that in line with tradition, i should also buy something for myself, which i also did that day (but of course, i don't remember if i really did buy or not - haha :p)...

Anyway, we had seafood linguine, grilled pork chop, and lemon peppered chicken with corn salsa and coleslaw sidings. Needless to say, we were really full after.

The Oasis - the air-conditioned garden inside the mall which opened up to the sky was just right outside Burgoo. We went in and it was indeed, beautiful. Nagpakajologs na kame and we had pictures everywhere... =D

We browsed the shops afterwards (some are yet to open) and discovered that the new mall was a little bit complicated. There were still nooks and places to explore - maybe on the next visit...perhaps when Cineplex 10 finally opens... =)

The (very late) Weekend Update

2005-04-28T08:05:00.000+08:00

I spent Friday at home cooking pork steak (i forgot to take pictures of it for my food blog) and sardines which was again requested by my MIL. I had some time to catch up on my sleep, and wasted a lot of it playing Diner Dash - the reason why i've not been blogging for the past days. I first played this game on yahoo games, downloaded it, but when the alloted time ran out, i got so bitin that i had to search for the crack to play the full version. And i'm addicted ever since. You may want to try it out here. Oh, but if you lose sleep and start to neglect your work, don't blame me. Don't say i didn't warn you... haha!

When Jon got home from work, we went straight to my old place for a visit. He wanted to use the internet there (coz of the fast DSL connexn) while i went to the salon for maniped.

We were getting a little bit tired of the usual Friday night gimmick (movie + coffee-coffee) so we opted for another DVD night at our place. Tipid din. haha! Aion and Gina were the first ones to arrive so while waiting for Marlon and Mauie, Gina and I watched Sex and the City first while the boys watched the recorded Wrestlemania at our room. When Marlon and Mauie arrived from their date, we agreed on watching the 80's movie, SINGLES. A couple of hours later, my BIL Alex arrived and they watched some scenes from The Others and Top Gun...

Saturday was my daddy's birthday. We (my family) all had lunch together at my old place and then went to "visit" him at the Ossuary Garden at the Nature Church at Moonwalk.

After we prayed and some picture taking, we proceeded to Cavite for the birthday party of our ninang's two sons. It was the first visit for Jon n I, so our ninang toured us all around their home. Their place was huge, alright! I wish we had our own house na ren... ;)

All in all, the party was fun! Even for us. Sarap maging bata!

We dropped Mommy, Kate, Peng and Mike off at their place and went straight to Glorietta for our "date". We were just in time for the movie, The Interpreter. After the movie, we got a text from Marlon inviting us for another chillout session at Cafe' Francais at BF. We got there in about 30 minutes. After about two hours, the smoke around the place was getting to be too much for me, plus we were both so tired already so we decided to go ahead of them already.

Sunday, i cooked pork steak again (they liked my recipe, apparently =) ), and spent the whole day playing Diner Dash again. We heard mass in the evening and then went grocery shopping afterwards. =)

Birthday Greets

2005-04-27T08:13:00.000+08:00

Today, April 27, my nephew, CHOLO is celebrating his 5th birthday.

Be a good boy always!

On April 30, my sistah KATE is turning 21!

Goodluck with your new... life! ;)

MAUIE's natal day is on May 3!

Stay sweet, Mauie!

AION's birthday will be on May 9.

Keep up the good work, doc! ;)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Enjoy your day, guys and gals! *Muah*!!!

Remembering Daddy...

2005-04-26T10:32:00.000+08:00

Two years...

It was on this fateful day two years ago when Daddy left this earthly life and joined our Maker. I miss him... WE miss him so much.

Last Saturday, April 23, was supposed to be my Dad's _th birthday... It would have been a big celebration if he was still here with us...

He was a great man... my dad.

He was a very talented architect. He worked abroad for many years to tend to his family. Until his poor heart condition coudn't allow him any longer... After which he just worked in our family business where he was the manager, driver, party needs designer - an all-around worker.

He's a role model to us, his children. He didn't drink. He didn't smoke. Never been a womanizer. Perhaps the only thing that he was addicted to was the television. =)

He instilled a lot of life's lessons in us. My dad was never really a talker. But when he does, we listen. He rarely gets angry. And when he does (and that's only when we've done something really really bad), look out.

I miss so many things about him... His gentle ways, deep voice... even his receding hairline... =D I miss attending Sunday mass with the whole family complete... I miss him when there are outings and family get-togethers...

I especially missed him during my wedding... when he and my mom could have walked me down the aisle and gave me to my husband... when we could have danced the father-daughter dance... That was the only thing missing then... That would have made it PERFECT.

He led a wonderful life. And we were very lucky to have a father like him...

Let me just end this piece with this story...

It's All Souls' Day...
My lola (dad's mom), just came home from the cemetery together with some of my dad's siblings. She was clearly very angry. The whole family had some sort of a get-together at the final resting place of my lolo... They laid flowers, lit candles and prayed. Everybody was there... except for him... my dad.

Upon seeing him (who was then watching whatever it was on tv), she shouted (and maybe cursed a little) at him. She was so hurt that he didn't even make time to visit his father at the cemetery... She was so mad... Daddy was just listening to her tirades and let her finished with what she had to say... When she was through, he said gently....

"Eh wala naman siya dun eh... andito sya... sa puso ko..."

...Exactly where he is right now... in my heart. I love u, daddy! =)

The Little Bride's Birthday

2005-04-18T10:39:00.000+08:00

My niece, Bianca Patricia Mae, Chuchay, turns 3 today.
Isn't she the cutest? =)

~~~

Yesterday, Jon n I treated her to a fun, fun day at the mall - which we both enjoyed too :)

We were just supposed to buy her a gift that morning but since I remembered that they would be visiting my old place too, we decided to take her with us.

Chuchay was really excited when we picked her up, she was being dressed by K8 when we got there and she kept on telling us to "hurry up!" =) Such a charming kid!

The drive to SM Southmall was quick and leisurely. When we got there, she instantly spotted the go-karts for rent (60bucks per hour) and i immediately saw interest in her eyes. I asked her if she wanted to ride one, and she eagerly nodded her head. I told her to go to her ninong and make lambing to him... she ran off and i heard her say to Jon, "Ninong Jon, guto ko sakay sa car..." She didn't even wait for an answer... She hopped on to one and i went to push her, while Jon went off to pay for the kart. =) We went around the mall while Chuchay "drove" the kart.

While walking around, we saw that another branch of Gonuts Donuts had just opened. We bought some for pasalubong.

We visited the pet shop and she excitedly ran around the place (Chuchay forgot about the kart for a while there). She was delighted, all the while looking at the cute dogs, hamsters, fishes, and the birds all around her. =)

We passed by a candy store and i tried my best to distract her away (it was already time for lunch) but to no avail. When i told her that we're already eating lunch, she looked so miserable that i asked her what she wanted at once. Hey, i couldn't break a kid's heart! =)

We returned the kart just before eating lunch. Thank God we had no problems there... but it was just because the kid had just diverted her attention to the theme park right behind us. Our backs were turned for only a moment and when we looked back, we saw her running to the direction of the arcade at the park. Luckily, after just a few minutes of tinkering with the machines there, she felt hungry (Jon n I were both famished already)! We were then off to Jollibee, but only with a promise that we will go back after. Whew!

After we had our lunch, we sidetracked the kid and brought her to the kids' department to buy her new clothes. She saw Dora and Barbie and I asked her to choose between the two. She chose Barbie. =) Choosing the dress was easy afterwards.

We passed by Jollibee again on our way to Storyland theme park. It was good timing too, coz the Jollibee mascot was out front of the store greeting the kids. I was nudging Chuchay to the direction of Jollibee, but she was a little shy. She was just standing there, awed. Luckily again, she was seen by the mascot, went to her, knelt down, and gave her the biggest hug! Jon was recording the video on his new phone the whole time. Chuchay was speechless after that. :D

But she was all excited again when we got to the theme park. She toyed with the arcade games and looked excitedly around. She wanted to ride the bump cars but when we bought tickets, we were informed that she's not yet allowed in it... yes, even with Jon to accompany her. Anyway, it did not dampen her spirits coz in her eyes, there was still so much to see and so many to explore. She was getting on the rides here and there (even if it's not moving). Since we got tickets already, she and Jon rode the airplane ride (while I styed behind to take pictures and videos of them) and was really happy with it. =)

After a few more minutes of looking and playing around, we all decided that it was time to go home. We were waiting for Jon to get the car when she saw the phone booth. She asked me if she can call her mom at home. Fortunately, I had coins in my wallet so i dialled the number and she talked on the phone. She's really sooo sweet.

At first, Chuchay was really fighting her sleepiness on our way home. She was even teasing Jon "hahaha, inaantok si ninong jon, hahaha, inaantok si ninong jon" - in that singsongy voice of hers. But all the excitement caught up with her and she eventually fell asleep on my lap.

Jon n I were both tired afterwards, but at the same time, we both had this feeling of happiness and satisfaction that we have not yet felt from anything else before... *sigh* Catching Jon's eyes at the rearview mirror, we knew...*

It was, ...a little preview of things to come... =)

Sports Buff

2005-04-16T23:42:00.000+08:00

Ooooohh! Whatta week!!! Tiring yet rewarding, not to mention very enjoyable...

Add to our twice-a-week badminton schedule with friends, (which had just become three times this week - we just arrived from a game), I am now back to playing my favorite sport, VOLLEYBALL!!! Yay!!! This morning, we had two hours of fun and grueling practice at the office. The games will start in about a month and this early, we're getting ready for the tough matches we are to face especially now that some of our teammates are on scholarship abroad and some are, well.., "indisposed" for the time being. =)

I am now getting (more than) enough work out and exercise... The only problem now is how to stop myself from gobbling every bit of food that comes my way... hahah! :D

Jon's Birthday Celeb - Our Lunch Date and the Dinner w/ Family

2005-04-15T14:09:00.000+08:00

Monday, April 11, 2005, is Jon's 26th birthday...

I woke him up with a tender kiss and greeted him for the nth time. We went down for breakfast which consisted of sinangag, bacon and eggs. In the middle of the meal, Jeff (who's abroad) called up not knowing that it's the twins' bday. Jon talked to him for a few minutes before passing the phone to Alex. We finished our meal then hurried off to the different chores waiting for us.

We were thinking of going to Tagaytay that day (to a spa or a good resto) but after giving it some thought, decided against it coz we had to be in Makati in time for the planned dinner at around 5 in the afternoon; and our time was already limited (I still had to wash our wet clothes from the party)... So we just opted for lunch at a hotel. We were choosing between Shang Makati or Westin but the latter won due to its proximity because by the time we set off, we were both starving already (it was almost 1pm when we got to the hotel).

The three-in-one lunch buffet at the Westin Philippine Plaza did not disappoint our rumbling tummies. We tremendously enjoyed the different cuisines that were laid before us. It was really a great feast!!!

After our stomachs couldn't take any more food, we went to the poolside of the hotel which overlooked the Manila Bay, and we had some shots taken. The cool breeze, great surroundings, and awesome view made me want to stay longer. I could just imagine the breathtaking view the place could offer during sunset. But, i have to wait some other time for it... =)

We hurriedly drove to Glorietta and catched the advanced screening of Guess Who? which stars Bernie Mac and Ashton Kutcher. I highly recommend this one. Hilarious movie!!!

After watching, we met up with the whole family for dinner at Tony Roma's.

Before we had dinner though, I discreetly talked to one of the waitresses and arranged for them to sing for the twins. I specifically told her to wait til we were almost done eating...

In the middle of dinner though, we heard the waiters/waitresses sing the HB song a few tables away from us. Since I was not able to inform the others that i already asked them to that also, my MIL asked one of them if they could sing for the twins too. I tried to catch her attention to tell her I already did that but it was too late. That ruinned the surprise... Oh well... =)

Anyway, i thought they wouldn't sing for them na, coz the twins told the waitress not to anymore... but after a few minutes, I saw them approaching with two ice cream cakes in hand, and they all sung, "Happy Birthday!" They also gave the twins one doggie balloon each. Cute!

"Happy Birthday two u..."

"doggie-style" =D

jon's dog trick --------- my flower creation

The rest of the meal was uneventful. And so, we all headed home after. On the way, Jon received a call from my mom, sis, and bro greeting him and telling him to get his gift (another cake!) the following morning na lang (they dropped by our home but no one was there)...

Jon's Birthday Celeb - The Gift and The Parteeeiii!!!

2005-04-14T09:52:00.000+08:00

It was a week-long celebration of Jon's 26th birthday (some of those days are not for the world wide web to see so i'm only posting 3 days of it... ;)heheh )! It was by far, his happiest and wildest...

Every year since Jon n I got together, there would always be a party at his home (joint party, of course - he has a twin bro), but this year was different. My MIL decided that we would forego the usual (coz our helper left and we thought that the party wasn't such a good idea..) and she suggested dinner at a posh resto. The twins OK'd the idea. But i had plans of my own... =)

I had LOTS of ideas for Jon's gift. Heck, i would have given him everything if i had the resources. Days and even weeks before, I would ask him what he wanted for his bday (just to disconcert him), and he would always say "T-shirt hun... la na ko T-shirt eh"... (a simple man - my husband). Anyway, I couldn't decide on what to buy when Friday came by... but fortunately, a blessing came. And i knew.., i had to buy him what he really wanted deep down... and so i got him a replacement for... brace yourselves... his 5510 (yep, he's that simple). =)

I was planning on a surprise party for him, but since i already had limited "resources", i had no choice but to tell him of my plan... He was excited about it and told our friends about his "blow-out" that night when we watched a movie and had some coffee afterwards. Fortunately, they were enthusiastic about the idea... and so, plans were made, schedules were blocked off... WE WERE HAVIN' A PARTEEEEIIII!!!! :D

Saturday morning came. It was our 4th monthsary. =) I was really so excited to see the look on his face when he finally sees my gift. I asked him twice or thrice if he wanted to have it already... he said OK, to which i would think twice (or thrice again, :D ), and say, "sa Bday mo na lang kaya..." but then eventually, I couldn't contain myself anymore and couldn't wait til Monday so i gave him his gift. I videotaped his reaction and it was truly a wonderful moment. =) His eyes lit up and his grin was from ear to ear... No doubt about it... He LOVED my gift! =)

After lunch that same day, we prepared for our things for the party... or should i say, I DID. Jon was so busy tinkering with his new toy that for a moment there, I felt i don't exist. hahah! Anyway, we checked-in at Parque Espana at around 2pm (we had a reservation for a two-bedroom suite).

Jon n I had the whole place for ourselves 'til they arrived at around 8pm. We met up with them after we accompanied my mom at 20/20 bar at the Bellevue Hotel who had a group date with my titos and titas that night. By that time, i was already famished. We had 2 family-sized pizza delivered to our hotel room and dinner was cooked by Aion - the best-tasting corned beef ever! My excited husband started the videoke session (even before dinner pa).

After dinner, the gurls showered while the boys watched TV while waiting. When everyone was ready, I signaled that it was time for the blowing of the cake (I secretly textd Aion before they came to buy Jon a cake for him to blow)... Jon was again surprised when he heard us sing the first few notes of "Happy Birthday", and even more so when he saw his cake with the lighted candle... I think it was the very first time he had his very own cake... What can i say... I LOVE to make my husband HAPPY... =)

The other bday celebrant, JON's twin bro ALEX, arrived a little after, just in time for the tequila session. Our videoke was interrupted by a call from the front desk telling us to keep the noise down coz we were kinda disturbing the peace.. heheh. A while later, the tequila was down to its last drop, and we thought (the gurls especially) that it was bitin so the others went out to buy another bottle. And that's when the FUN really started!!! Aion, Gina, Mauie, me and JON were singing, laughing, posing, running around and yes, dancing like crazy!!! The alcohol was beginning to take effect on us. AND I FREAKIN' LOVE THE FEELING! Woohoo!!!

The second bottle of tequila arrived moments later. Everybody was game for the "wholesome" body shots. No need to elaborate on this... ;) More than half of the bottle has been consumed before all hell went loose... glasses were shattered, someone cried while laughing (and vice versa), someone took off his shirt and became a ninja, someone did acrobatics (totoo ba ito? heheh), everyone was wasted! basta, kagulo na! :D And so, much to my disappointment, it was no doubt, time for bed...

I woke up to a splitting headache the following morning. I only had a few hours of sleep and had a terrible hangover from last night's happenings.. but Jon n I had to get up early to avail of the 2 free breakfast at the poolside resto. When we got back to our room, they were all still sound asleep, so i started to cook breakfast for them already. While they eat, Jon n I hogged the microphone for the early videoke session.

After they had their breakfast, everyone got ready for swimming at the topmost floor of the hotel. We had the whole pool to ourselves for more than 2 hours. The underwater camera Jon n I bought (for the Bora trip) was put to good use. I requested for late check-out that morning and we're all glad that the whole stay was really so sulit. It was such a blast!!! =)

All good things come to an end as they say... and at around 230pm, we were on our way to ATC for our late lunch and more kwentuhan...

to be continued...

The best there IS, the best there WAS, and the best there ever WILL BE... ;)

2005-04-11T08:39:00.000+08:00

"Feels like home to me...

It feels like home to me...

It feels like i'm all the way back where i come from...

It feels like home to me...

Feels like home to me...

It feels like i'm all the way back where i belong...

If u knew, how much this moment means to me,

and how long i've waited for your touch...

And if u knew, how happy you are making me...

I never thought that i'd love anyone so much..."

To my husband, the love of my life... the reason for my being... where i am finally home... happy happy birthday!

...Thank u for the unconditional love that you so lovingly engulf me with each and every day... Thank u for the inspiration that makes me want to live each day of my life with you and our future family... Thank u for the promise that in whatever road life would take us, you will be there... and most of all JON, thank u for being YOU... (and i could not ask for more... =) )

Happy Birthday, hun! ...I love you so very much... =)

Early Weekend

2005-04-08T10:30:00.000+08:00

It's the first Friday of the start of the 4-day workweek for government employees like moi. 4 days (10hours each) work, and 3 whole days of vacation... I say, NOT BAD!! :D

Although i must admit that my body clock still hasn't adjusted with the change, I am so getting there... anyways, i've got Fridays to catch up on my ZZZs...

---- oops, but not today. =) I've got some important errands to do... *wink* Catch ya l8r! =)

My 100 Things

2005-04-06T10:10:00.000+08:00

I was blog-surfing last last week when i found a site filled with lists of 100 things... It inspired me to do my own. Get to know me even better... =)

Without further ado... i now present to u...

http://100thingsaboutyax.blogspot.com

Bloggers Galore!

2005-04-05T09:23:00.000+08:00

http://jonmucho9.blogspot.com

Jon Mucho, my hubby's alter-ego, talks about some of his misadventures in this blog.

http://kittyk8.blogspot.com

Join my newly-grad sistah in her BUM LIFE.

http://bloggaghehehe.blogspot.com

GAG-filled (soon) blog of my only-bro.

~~~

A big, big WELCOME to the blogging world!!! =)

(These blogs are still under construction (with my help, of course! =D ) so please keep on visiting their sites! Thankies!)

The Weekend Update

2005-04-04T11:49:00.000+08:00

Friday night.
Went home immediately after office to prepare dinner. I cooked spicy spareribs mechado. After dinner, Jon n I, together with Gina and Aion, catched the late night screening of BE COOL at ATC. Funny movie! John Travolta is the epitome of coolness and "The ROCK" rocks!!! :D

Saturday.
Got up a few minutes before 8 already and hurried to the market with my hubby. When we got home, i prepared lunch (munggo and fried fish), while Jon started cleaning our room upstairs (it's a war zone out there!). After lunch and more chores (we washed the dishes together and fed the doggies), we finished cleaning up our room. And although it was so freakin hot, i was able to take a nap for an hour or so.

At about 5o'clock we couldn't stand the heat anymore so we decided to get out of the house and go someplace else. We were waiting for our friends to text us where the gimmick was that night but it seems that nothing was planned so we made our own and went to Greenbelt, Makati.

And guess where we stayed for 5 hours??? RED BOX, baaaaby!!!

We were just in time for their PRIMETIME (7pm til midnight) promo (P399 per person with 2 free drinks included), ordered more food, sang, rocked (it seemed we still had hangover from Avril's concert - hahah), and had one hell of a good time! After 5 hours, we were still bitin! But i learned one thing though, hirap pala mag-concert ng ganun katagal! We were both tired and drained after that! Whew!

Sunday.
We both got up late and when we turned on the television, a sad news greeted us. Karol Wojtyla, aka Pope John Paul II, has passed away. (see previous post)

I busied myself making dessert (mixed fruits) after that (it was still sooo damn hot!!!) and after lunch, spent time in the computer. The very slow dial-up connection at home was making me crazy (i'm used to the DSL conxn at the ofc) so i stopped and took a nap while my ever-patient husband continued surfing the net. I woke up after an hour, showered, then got ready to go to the mall. We paid some bills, Jon bought office supplies, and we went grocery shopping. We had an early dinner and before going home, we stopped by my old place for a visit. I walked my dogs (i soooo miss them! :( ) out and had a little kwentuhan with my mom and my siblings afterwards.

We were home by 9pm and after arranging my things for work, hit the sack and called it a day. =)

Holy Father Called HOME

2005-04-03T14:24:00.000+08:00

Together with the millions of people - Catholic or not - around the world, I am deeply saddened by the news of the death of Pope John Paul II. I first learned that he already passed away this morning, and i couldn't keep myself from shedding a few tears.

Along with those tears came the memories of year 1995 when the Pope visited the Philippines for the celebration of the World Youth Day. I was still very active in the church those times and me and my friends were always included with whatever activities there were (and believe me, there were a LOT!). Anyway, it was at this time that i was fortunate enough to have seen the Holy Father. First was when we were on a sort of parade at Roxas Boulevard and his see-thru, bullet-proof vehicle passed by us and the exhaustion i was feeling that moment was washed away instantly. And athough it was just very brief, my spirits were lifted up as if i have just seen an angel. =)

The second time was at the culmination of World Youth Day at Quirino Grandstand at Luneta where he celebrated mass. This time, i saw him ony thru the lens of the binoculars while i was carried at the back of one of my much-taller friends(we were far from the stage where he was). But the great feeling he ignited in me (perhaps, in everyone present there) did not diminish...

...And now, he has gone to the heavens. The world has just lost a great man... and i am one with the world in its loss...

Rakrakan!

2005-04-01T11:09:00.000+08:00

Last night was Avril Lavigne and Simple Plan's concert at the Fort Open Field at Taguig. Before going to the venue, we drive thru Jollibee and had a quick dinner of chickenjoy, champ and strawberry sundae inside the car. We got there a few minutes before 8pm and immediately located the entrance of the section we were supposed to sit. Hundreds of people were there already, and i noticed that most of them were college girls who were wearin slammin outfits. We also noticed a few celebs there.

Simple Plan appeared on stage at around 8:30 pm and proceeded to rock the night away. That's when the girls started screaming and shouting every word the band sings. Oh, my poor, poor ears! :D

By the time Avril got out, wearing simple black shirt, black pants, sneakers and red devil headband, the people were all psyched up and everyone was at their feet (and at the top of their seats), screaming for more. And she rocked, all right! She sang some of the songs from her new album and of course, her hits - Complicated, Why, I'm With You, Skater Boi, and our favorite, Happy Ending. My throat hurt from all the screaming and singing (more like shouting) along while Jon took pictures and videos most of the time. =)

ready to rock!

Simple Plan - "sorry, i can't be perfect"

Avril played the guitar, piano and the drums

She definitely rocked!!! =)

satisfied fans

This was the first time we watched a concert since we were married (the last concert we went to was that of Alicia Keys - last October) and i got that "kilig" feeling all over again realizing that. It still feels like we're young lovers out on a date last night. Hard to fathom, yes, but i was really giddy with happiness... and it was such a great feeling. =) *sigh*

After the concert, we met up with Aion and Gina, Marlon and Mauie, and Alex at Starbucks BlueWave for some coffee. Purrfect night!

2nd Boracay Getaway

2005-03-29T22:33:00.000+08:00

click on the photo montage to view fotoblog

Boracay Holy Week Getaway <-> 23-28 March, 2005

Congratulations!

2005-03-22T08:53:00.000+08:00

This goes out to my dear sister who graduated from college yesterday. =) She was supposed to be cum laude if not for the 2.0 grade in typing during her freshman year (which i think, is very unfair :( ). But despite this, we're still very happy for her outstanding achievement.

Congrats, dear sistah! *mwah* We're all soooo very proud of you!!! I wish u a rockin' career and a bright future ahead!!! I know you'll make it BIG! Cheers!

Super SULIT Meal - a commercial =)

2005-03-21T14:13:00.000+08:00

..I just got back from a lunch-out with Jon and i just had to blog about Jollibee's new meal. Well, actually, it's not NEW per se, but just a food combination from their old products which creates this SUPER meal. The meal can be a choice of 1pc burger steak, chicken strips, or 1pc chickenjoy; your choice of spaghetti or palabok; rice; corn and carrots; and fruit salad which is priced between 80-100 bucks. And for an additional 10 pesos, u get a regular drink! That's just SUPAH, ryt?! ;) We just Labbbbeeeet!!! :D

One meal to rule them all... =)

A Break from the Routine

2005-03-21T09:22:00.000+08:00

Friday.

Back to badminton!

Went to the grocery after work Friday afternoon with Jon and immediately after, we met up with Aion, Lon and Mauie for a 2-hour badminton session. We've been "missing in action" for a little over two weeks already and my body was really craving for exercise again. ...And it was a great workout! Whew!

After badminton, we went home for dinner and a quick shower and prepared for our scheduled DVD and videoke night - with the same people plus Gina. They arrived at 10pm, bringing with them isaw, chips, popcorn and soda and we watched the hilarious Zoolander again. I watched the movie countless times already but still never fails to make me laugh. :D

After the movie, Jon n I gave them our pasalubongs (HK t-shirts for the men and chopsticks for the ladies) and we're glad that it was really appreciated. =)

Then, it was time for videoke... We've been planning to go to RedBox for months already - but it hasn't materialized yet so as practice for that, we sang the night (and the morning) away using Gina's MagicSing! Sarap kumanta! :D ...We even had a boys versus girls game and although in the end, it was hard to keep score already, i think it was the boys who won, thanks to Aion's score of 99 in his makabagbagdamdaming rendition of Three Blind Mice and ABC!!! bwarharharhar!!! :p

"muntik na kitang...."

the rockstars and the balladeer

videoke freaks

As always, it was such a blast that we lost track of time. The next time we knew, it was 4:30 am already! Mauulit ito! =) (more pics here).

Saturday.

I was awaken by the sound of my phone ringing. 10:35 am. Alveen calling.

He called to ask me for contact numbers of a good resort to stay in for their family outing on April. What d hell does he think i am? The internet? Or a travel agency? (Just kidding, vin - i know you'll read this... heheh).

After our phone conversation, I crawled back into bed beside my hubby but couldn't quite go back to dreamland so i got up already (woke Jon up, too) and prepared for lunch.

Called up my homies and i learned that they were going to Southmall and since I needed to buy eyeglasses (i left my old one at Shenzhen --- long story), Jon n i decided to go with them. We left at 2pm and finished doing our stuff at about 6pm. Stayed at my old place for a while and went home at around 7pm. Had takeout dinner from Max's and retired early for the evening.

Sunday.

Wash day. I spent the morning doing the laundry (Manang, the one who washes clothes for us was on-leave... heheh) while Jon washed the car. I was cooking sinigang na baka at the same time and fortunately, i was a competent multitasker so it was just a breeze. =)

Took a nap after lunch while Jon watched the boxing match between Pacquiao and Morales. I was watching the fight at first but the more i watch, the more i couldn't breathe and the excitement just became too much for me. I slept for more than an hour and when i woke up it was the 11th round. When i asked how Pacquiao was faring, Jon answered sadly, "parang talo eh". And Pacquiao lost all right. :( It was sad but just as every Filipino must be feeling right now, he may have lost, but he's still the champ in our hearts... heheh.

We went to Southmall again to pick up my new eyeglasses. I wanted to do some shopping pa but we had to hurry coz we were attending the 7pm mass at Philam so we just ordered takeout at KFC and ate in the car. We bought palm branches on the way to the church.

After the mass, we went grocery shopping again (we were not able to go to the market last Saturday eh). And then, we went to my old place again to give the toys i bought to my two pamangkins (who were staying the night there). Although we gave them just cheap toys, the smile and the kisses we got back from them were priceless! Ah, kids! They are just sooo easy to please! I wish we could all be like them...

~~~

The past weekends were spent either out of town or out of the country and this was a welcome break for both Jon and me... ...but who said i'm tired of vacationing? Hahah... i'll be back at the beach this Thurs. Ahhhhh!!! Boraaaaahhhh!!! Can't wait to see u again! =)

Yax's Doodles

First Glimpse

Diner Dash 2

Changes...

back with a vengeance...part 3...(the BIG surprise)

back with a vengeance... part 2... (the weeks leading to...)

back with a vengeance...(the Cebu trip)

Valentine FEVAH! (part 2)

Valentine FEVAH! (part 1)

finally! a reason to CELEBRATE

Bummer weekend and another Wedding

Weekend Pics... plus Singapore Anniversary pics.

Weddings and me

Tagaytay Weekend Getaway

After one year of being married...

'TWAS the Season to be Busy... (part 2)

sad...

'Tis the season to be busy....

Rocking My World for 9 years

The (3-day) Weekend before our Anniv

W@W Christmas Party and then some...

Tweeh Things and a Wedding

FSS

various moods and modes

Two Long Weekends...

Badminton Event

I'm in Heaven!!!

PLS CHECK BELOW FOR UPDATES

Twins' Biz Blessing

Office Oktoberfest

First birthday with my hubby

Birthday Celebs with my Two Families

All's Well that Ends Well

Linden Birthday Bash

Toy Fest

Sonya's Garden w/ family + Red Box w/ friends

random musings

a new "mate"

Captured M&Ms

shabu(2), anyone? =)

*untitled too*

computer firsts...

A Wish Granted

*untitled*

Kissed by a Butterfly

The times of my life...

caffeine, sugar and shopping fix

Mig Rox my Sox!!

To infinity...

Dinner for 4...

VideOK!!!

Kids at Heart

Se7en

Green Day

Instant Money and another EB

Better Luck Next Year...

Weekenders

"IT" again...

Prioritizing Health and Wellness

Saturday-Fun-Day

Doggie Lover

Getting together with old friends...

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

My Face, Defined...

Currently addicted to...

Father's Day

Fun with the Gang

The long weekend

Food Junkies!

Let the Games Begin!

Back to Regular Programming =)

In Sickness and in Health...

Our Wedding Video!!! =)

Seduced by the Dark Side of the Force

A Sudden Expense

Snippets

The Pahiyas Festival

Happee Birthday TWO you...

Five

Mothers Day

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