I wish I could make you see that yours is not the only heart that's broken, that yours is not the only life that's now incomplete, and yours is not the only happiness that is insincere...
Image from this site
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Day 13: Shopping As Cardio
Day 13: Woke up later than usual at 9am (GMT +7). Internet is still alive! Harharhar... after a few minutes online, the Three Little Pigs took a bath (like I said, Little Pigs always stick together!) then off we went for more... you guessed it right, shopping!
Today's shopping was supposed to be less about me and more about pasalubong for the peeps back in Manila and stuff for my family here in BKK. Operative word(s): supposed (to be). Because I still ended up buying a few things for myself... specifically, more dresses and a pair of shoes. Harhar... I also got me half a kilo of Bing cherries for 200 THB. Not bad! They're sweet and juicy and good... and a good snack while walking. The pits are the pits, though (pun very much intended).
I actually have more shopping to do but this time it is strictly for pasalubong purposes. Strictly! But first, kailangan ko muna ma-holdap ang tatay ko. I need his ATM card... Mwehehehehe...
Planning to welcome Year 2010 over at Central World with the family (sans Bro and Wifey, who will be spending their New Year's Eve and Day with Wifey's family and their two little furballs, Doug and Hunter, in Bataan)... The city has some sort of countdown like in Times Square. Might as well... it's not like fireworks will be everywhere here in BKK. I miss Manila. =(
Today's shopping was supposed to be less about me and more about pasalubong for the peeps back in Manila and stuff for my family here in BKK. Operative word(s): supposed (to be). Because I still ended up buying a few things for myself... specifically, more dresses and a pair of shoes. Harhar... I also got me half a kilo of Bing cherries for 200 THB. Not bad! They're sweet and juicy and good... and a good snack while walking. The pits are the pits, though (pun very much intended).
I actually have more shopping to do but this time it is strictly for pasalubong purposes. Strictly! But first, kailangan ko muna ma-holdap ang tatay ko. I need his ATM card... Mwehehehehe...
Planning to welcome Year 2010 over at Central World with the family (sans Bro and Wifey, who will be spending their New Year's Eve and Day with Wifey's family and their two little furballs, Doug and Hunter, in Bataan)... The city has some sort of countdown like in Times Square. Might as well... it's not like fireworks will be everywhere here in BKK. I miss Manila. =(
Ok, just a short post for now. I'm really not in a good mood. Maybe a better mood and a better post is in order... on the first day of 2010. Happy New Year, folks!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
TODAY (Day 3): Life Is Good; Life is Painful
I won't pretend to know what you feel, but I believe that life is good because life hurts. But I'm still sorry that it had to hurt you too...Image from this site
Day 12: Expensive Internet versus Free Internet and Late Night Shopping
Day 12, continued: I finally got connected on the darn expensive WiFi at Starbucks on Convent. I got to check my office email, post the docs I needed to post, send the emails I needed to send and clean up my inbox. After that, I chatted with Kyx for a little while then went on home.
Still no internet at home. I'm so pissed... Then Sister tells me about a site that gives out free internet (one hour per month) for every username you create. How easy was it to create a username (and claim one hour of internet usage gratis)? I won't say it's easy as pie, since I don't bake and baking is not something I will categorize as simple (this is also a classic Kasseopeia digression, which is a good example of "easy"). Let's just say, all you need is an active imagination and the ability to type. SO, with that in mind, I created a username and I surfed for free for an hour. Hurray!
The plan for the day was: shopping. Then shopping. Then more shopping. But things change, especially plans so we ended up doing laundry (how exciting!), watching a few movie downloads, writing on journals (I did this) and reading a few verses. Shopping was postponed... for the evening!
So we watched Paranormal Activity (I'm so glad I did not choose to watch this at the cinema over 2012. I would've felt so cheated!), Shutter - Hollywood version (not so scary. The idea of Megumi didn't scare me since she was a benevolent ghost and that damn Ben Shaw deserved everything and more, damn him! So I can't wait to watch the original version, which Rap kindly lent me early in November and I haven't gotten around to watching. Sorry...), 2012 (the first five minutes, which we missed in the cinema because Italianni's has horribly slow service) and The Proposal (at this point I was already writing on my journal so I was just glancing back every now and then. I've seen it, anyway). I miss watching TV (or in this case, the laptop) with my mom and sibs. We're all night owls and we usually did this a lot in Manila - stay up late and do nothing productive. Heck, it was great for bonding. I'll miss this when I go back to Manila.
After dinner, my dad went for the bed (he's the only one in the family who subscribes to the early-to-bed-early-to-rise philosophy. The rest of us think sleep is a waste of time if we're gonna do it for all eternity anyway) and the rest of us went for... Thanon Silom! Shopping should be an Olympic sport!
I walked away with two new dresses (fit for the office, how about that?) and a couple of pairs of earrings. I got my mom a dress for herself, two shirts for my nephew (Bradir's kiddo), a bottle of acetone for Sissy (for her nails, not to manufacture illicit substances, you idjit!), and a couple of chilled sliced melons. After sundaes at McDonald's, we went on home and hit the sack.
Woke up at around 1am and checked my phone. Missed a couple of messages (which made me very sad), couldn't go back to sleep, wrote a little bit on my journal... then finally drifted off to sleep.
This is the beginning of Day 13 and I'm due home in 9 days (theoretically 8, but my flight is in the evening so the last day still counts. Besides, it makes me less sad)... and I got my Internet back! Woohoo! Thank goodness. Strabucks WiFi and international calls and texts on roaming was becoming extremely expensive...
I walked away with two new dresses (fit for the office, how about that?) and a couple of pairs of earrings. I got my mom a dress for herself, two shirts for my nephew (Bradir's kiddo), a bottle of acetone for Sissy (for her nails, not to manufacture illicit substances, you idjit!), and a couple of chilled sliced melons. After sundaes at McDonald's, we went on home and hit the sack.
Woke up at around 1am and checked my phone. Missed a couple of messages (which made me very sad), couldn't go back to sleep, wrote a little bit on my journal... then finally drifted off to sleep.
This is the beginning of Day 13 and I'm due home in 9 days (theoretically 8, but my flight is in the evening so the last day still counts. Besides, it makes me less sad)... and I got my Internet back! Woohoo! Thank goodness. Strabucks WiFi and international calls and texts on roaming was becoming extremely expensive...
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Day 9, Day 10 and Day 11 - No Internet, No Life!
My internet has been on downtime since Christmas Day. Am now at Starbucks (it's more expensive here... just like in Seoul. A bid to lure the peeps to buy local? Maybe!) taking advantage of the Wi-Fi, which is peng mak (very expensive) at 150 THB for an hour. WTF?!? But what the hey, beggars can't be choosy... on second thought, I chose to pay for this so I should stop complaining and start blogging, yes? Yes. On to the post...
Anyway, Day 9 found my family in Thana City in Bang Na (near the Suvarnabhumi Airport) for CFC Central Bangkok's get together. It's theoretically a post-Christmas party but it's really just an excuse to get together, have a potluck lunch/dinner of delicious Filipino food and sing karaoke the way only Pinoys can.
Momsie and Popsie camped out in the living room until early morning to finish cooking pork spareribs adobo and my Mom's special kare-kare (to the uninitiated, it's pork hock in peanut sauce and eaten with shrimp paste). Mom and the Three Little Pigs made the nata de coco delight on Christmas Eve.
Thana City is like Eastwood City - a veritable garden of condominiums and golf courses. Of course I exaggerate. There was just one golf course. I stick by my claim of a garden of condos, thought. At the Prestige Condo, there were two swimming pools. TWO, darnit! While in our condo at Silom, we had a shower. No tub. Where's the justice in that? Oh... we're just a few minutes by bus, train or cab from the nearest malls. Bang Na takes half an hour by cab on the highway. There's the trade-off. Ok, I rest my case.
Thana City is like Eastwood City - a veritable garden of condominiums and golf courses. Of course I exaggerate. There was just one golf course. I stick by my claim of a garden of condos, thought. At the Prestige Condo, there were two swimming pools. TWO, darnit! While in our condo at Silom, we had a shower. No tub. Where's the justice in that? Oh... we're just a few minutes by bus, train or cab from the nearest malls. Bang Na takes half an hour by cab on the highway. There's the trade-off. Ok, I rest my case.
Being the picture-fiends that we were, we had several sets of 10-second timed ten shots in the playground (yes, there was a playground) and the gazebo. My family is a crazy lot, as you all probably already know. Pics are on Facebook, just in case you're curious. Friends-only, though, so don't say I didn't warn you.
As I've said, Bang Na is near the airport so every now and then a plane roars through the sky, making us look up. I have the habit of trying to identify the airline by the markings on the tail fin and body, so I kept chanting "Thai Airways, Air France, Cebu Pacific, AeroFLot... wait, is that PAL?" with every new take-off. Bro and Wifey cringed at each one, though, as they were due to leave in a couple of days. Boohoohoo...
We got home late to Bang Rak... like 10pm? The sisters and Bradir stayed up till the wee hours of the morning. I hit the sack at midnight. The next day was shopping day, so I needed my energy to be UP UP UP!
Day 10 - Jatujak, here I come! We left for Jatujak at 11am. We took the BTS to the Mo Chit station then walked. And walked. And walked. Then we shopped. And shopped. And shopped. Oh, yeah...we shopped too. Then we got sunburned. But who cares about sunburn when I was able to buy my pasalubong for my whole team plus my officemates... and a few other items for special peeps in my life? *wink wink*
After Jatujak, we took the MRT back to Sala Daeng Station. After a close encounter with the not-so-dead/not-so-living, we walked on to Burger King. After a heavy snack (no lunch... we opted to stay hungry and keep shopping - not a bad idea, on hindsight), we decided not to go on to MBK and Panthip that day. So Bro and Wifey went on to MBK with Popsie to buy more pasalubong while the Three Little Pigs plus Mom and Bradir went on home.
I had a bum stomach that night but I still went out with my sibs and Mom to feed Bradir some kwai chap. We also proceeded to get drunk... on soy milk (I prefer the one with sesame seeds - not too sweet). We also went walking along Silom in search of a few things to buy (shopping, of course, is first and foremost on everyone's mind). But my tummy allowed me to walk just one block when it beckoned me home for "call of duty". There's still tomorrow, anyway.
Day 11 - Bro and Wifey are flying back to Manila at 11pm tonight. I also finished re-reading The Time Traveller's Wife... and cried again, like I did the first time. FInally, Jen and I can discuss the novel (again) without me forgetting the little details (I need Memo Plus Gold - Kuya Kim had something going there!) and muttering "I need to read it again". I also made a BIG decision today: something that will change the course of three lives, one of them mine. What that is and why I made that decision is for me to know (and for you to find out, dear reader. Unless you're one of those whose lives will change) so don't ask. I won't tell. Let's not waste each other's time.
Cooking is a sure-fire stress reliever for me so I defrosted and peeled a kilo and a half of shrimps. Then I cut up five heads of broccoli, minced a head of garlic, a large onion and diced four tomatoes. I made garlic-buttered broccoli and gambas. Both dishes were wiped out at dinner.
So now, it is the beginning of Day 12 and my internet is still dead as Ninoy and Cory. But free internet is out there...somewhere. It takes patience to find it and not have to exchange a new dress for an hour online. Unfortunately, patience is not my virtue...
Day 11 - Bro and Wifey are flying back to Manila at 11pm tonight. I also finished re-reading The Time Traveller's Wife... and cried again, like I did the first time. FInally, Jen and I can discuss the novel (again) without me forgetting the little details (I need Memo Plus Gold - Kuya Kim had something going there!) and muttering "I need to read it again". I also made a BIG decision today: something that will change the course of three lives, one of them mine. What that is and why I made that decision is for me to know (and for you to find out, dear reader. Unless you're one of those whose lives will change) so don't ask. I won't tell. Let's not waste each other's time.
Cooking is a sure-fire stress reliever for me so I defrosted and peeled a kilo and a half of shrimps. Then I cut up five heads of broccoli, minced a head of garlic, a large onion and diced four tomatoes. I made garlic-buttered broccoli and gambas. Both dishes were wiped out at dinner.
So now, it is the beginning of Day 12 and my internet is still dead as Ninoy and Cory. But free internet is out there...somewhere. It takes patience to find it and not have to exchange a new dress for an hour online. Unfortunately, patience is not my virtue...
Saturday, December 26, 2009
TODAY (Day 2): To Err Is To Be Human...
We had the time of our lives, didn't we? But time, like everything else, runs out too. Thank you for everything...Image from this site
Day 7 and Day 8: No Action... Then Too Much Action!!!
Day 7: The plan was to get up early and frolic at Lumpini Park. What do you think happened? Of course none of my supposed companions woke up in time to go to the park! So what does a girl with thwarted plans do? Stay online, of course! I edited my photos list and posted what I thought was postable... then I slept. For a little while.
When I woke up, Sissy and I helped Momsie cook one of my favorite foods: spareribs casserole! So in our bed clothes, we cut and squeezed the limes then peeled and minced garlic. Fun, fun, fun!
Early in the evening, Momsie and Bradir dragged me to United Center to fetch Popsie. Before I knew it, we were on the BTS at the Sala Daeng station en route to the grocery.
Now, I do love trains and all its incarnations (digression: I've never been on the PNR trains. Although I know the rails have been rehabilitated and new trains have been installed, the trains of yore still haunt me... you know, coffins on rails?) so I expected to be wowed by Bangkok's BTS. I was not disappointed. Stations and trains reminiscent of LRT Purple Line (aka LRT2) had me at....errr, I dunno what the announcer said. It was in Thai. Hehehehe... Nonetheless, I absolutely loved the train. Though the foot traffic reminds me the MRT at rush hour (think Magallanes North Bound at 6:30pm), Thai peeps don't bump and jostle. In fact, they don't mind being a few minutes late in boarding the train as long as they make as little bodily contact as possible. Practical, maybe not. Polite, most definitely.
So... on to the grocery. It's pretty much an ordinary grocery store. Kinda like Shopwise or Cash and Carry. Except I found a few things to shoot (covertly, as cameras aren't allowed in there) and they scared me sh*tless...
We got home quite late, which made me miss a few important YM messages but what the hey... I can always leave offlines. *wink*
Day 8: Christmas Day. Sissy's 19th birthday. Temple Tour day! I woke up at 8am (GMT +7) after just 4 hours of sleep... Since the Little Pigs were still snoring, I went online and chatted with Kyx. I also saw Jen and Nikka via webcam for a few minutes. (Ang laki na ni Nikka! I really miss her!)
After a quick lunch at Somtam Convent (Bradir's first time), we were on the BTS towards the Saphan Taksin station where the ferries were to take us down the Chao Phraya River and on to the wats (temples).
First stop: Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn) where the Hundred Buddhas are. There's also an obelisk-like tower which we were able to climb for 50 THB (about 70php), which was all good except that 1) I was required to wear a cardigan over my sleeveless dress and, 2) Wifey was afraid of heights. Nonetheless, we got some great shots (including one of moi sitting on the higher terrace overlooking the Chao Phraya River... before the guard blew on his whistle vigorously and signalled furiously for us to get off that darn terrace).
Second stop: Wat Po (Temple of... I have no idea). Home of the Reclining Buddha... that HUGE piece of gold shaped into the classic Buddha. We actually took more pictures here than at Wat Arun, mostly because we were fascinated with my camera's 10-second timed - 10 shot function. Just kidding! We were a photo-crazy lot so we took lots of pictures!
After dragging ourselves around the wats, we went on to the Grand Palace. Unfortunately, we got there 20 minutes after closing time so we took a couple of tuk-tuks to Siam Paragon, BKK's answer to Power Plant + Shangri-La Mall. We had dinner at Sizzlers (reminiscent of Friday's), which included unlimited soup, salad and dessert for everyone who ate there. We spent 3,000 THB for eight hungry peeps... not bad!
With full bellies, we went on the BTS back to Sala Daeng to have some ice cream at Swensen's. Alas, we arrived a few minutes after closing time (not our lucky day) so we postponed it for another day... hopefully on the 27th, as Bro and Wifey are leaving on the 28th.
So, will tomorrow be as busy as Day 8? I sure hope NOT! However, there's still a lot of shopping ahead... and Swensen's... and Gelatoni... and...
When I woke up, Sissy and I helped Momsie cook one of my favorite foods: spareribs casserole! So in our bed clothes, we cut and squeezed the limes then peeled and minced garlic. Fun, fun, fun!
Early in the evening, Momsie and Bradir dragged me to United Center to fetch Popsie. Before I knew it, we were on the BTS at the Sala Daeng station en route to the grocery.
Now, I do love trains and all its incarnations (digression: I've never been on the PNR trains. Although I know the rails have been rehabilitated and new trains have been installed, the trains of yore still haunt me... you know, coffins on rails?) so I expected to be wowed by Bangkok's BTS. I was not disappointed. Stations and trains reminiscent of LRT Purple Line (aka LRT2) had me at....errr, I dunno what the announcer said. It was in Thai. Hehehehe... Nonetheless, I absolutely loved the train. Though the foot traffic reminds me the MRT at rush hour (think Magallanes North Bound at 6:30pm), Thai peeps don't bump and jostle. In fact, they don't mind being a few minutes late in boarding the train as long as they make as little bodily contact as possible. Practical, maybe not. Polite, most definitely.
So... on to the grocery. It's pretty much an ordinary grocery store. Kinda like Shopwise or Cash and Carry. Except I found a few things to shoot (covertly, as cameras aren't allowed in there) and they scared me sh*tless...
We got home quite late, which made me miss a few important YM messages but what the hey... I can always leave offlines. *wink*
Day 8: Christmas Day. Sissy's 19th birthday. Temple Tour day! I woke up at 8am (GMT +7) after just 4 hours of sleep... Since the Little Pigs were still snoring, I went online and chatted with Kyx. I also saw Jen and Nikka via webcam for a few minutes. (Ang laki na ni Nikka! I really miss her!)
After a quick lunch at Somtam Convent (Bradir's first time), we were on the BTS towards the Saphan Taksin station where the ferries were to take us down the Chao Phraya River and on to the wats (temples).
First stop: Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn) where the Hundred Buddhas are. There's also an obelisk-like tower which we were able to climb for 50 THB (about 70php), which was all good except that 1) I was required to wear a cardigan over my sleeveless dress and, 2) Wifey was afraid of heights. Nonetheless, we got some great shots (including one of moi sitting on the higher terrace overlooking the Chao Phraya River... before the guard blew on his whistle vigorously and signalled furiously for us to get off that darn terrace).
Second stop: Wat Po (Temple of... I have no idea). Home of the Reclining Buddha... that HUGE piece of gold shaped into the classic Buddha. We actually took more pictures here than at Wat Arun, mostly because we were fascinated with my camera's 10-second timed - 10 shot function. Just kidding! We were a photo-crazy lot so we took lots of pictures!
After dragging ourselves around the wats, we went on to the Grand Palace. Unfortunately, we got there 20 minutes after closing time so we took a couple of tuk-tuks to Siam Paragon, BKK's answer to Power Plant + Shangri-La Mall. We had dinner at Sizzlers (reminiscent of Friday's), which included unlimited soup, salad and dessert for everyone who ate there. We spent 3,000 THB for eight hungry peeps... not bad!
With full bellies, we went on the BTS back to Sala Daeng to have some ice cream at Swensen's. Alas, we arrived a few minutes after closing time (not our lucky day) so we postponed it for another day... hopefully on the 27th, as Bro and Wifey are leaving on the 28th.
So, will tomorrow be as busy as Day 8? I sure hope NOT! However, there's still a lot of shopping ahead... and Swensen's... and Gelatoni... and...
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Day 6: Staying Indoors and Bradir Arrives!
Like Day 4, I didn't get my requisite 15 minutes of sunlight for maximum Vitamin D synthesis. I did, however, go out with Mom to the laundromat down the street for two loads of washing. Sis (KT) came too, acting as the photographer. Harhar...
Carrying the laundry... heavy!Staying indoors, I was online checking office mail, chatting on office IM with my team mates eager for the long Holiday weekend, and on YM with Kyx testing out the webcam on my sisters' laptop. Thanks to that, our meal of kai yang and pad thai was broadcast over the web... while it was being devoured by one (huge) happy family (sans Bradir).
When one stays indoors for 24 hours, one will get bored eventually... Which happened to me! So, what's the best thing to do when indoors and bored? Turn on the A/C and eat! After eating, look at pictures to decide which to upload.
Bradir arrived a couple of hours ago and finally, we're complete! You bet there were tons of pics taken and I ought to post them soon. But since I'm feeling lazy right now and it's 3:20am here, I prefer to sleep... so goodnight, world! Will post the pics tomorrow.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
In Other News...
(Commercial muna...)
Dear Ginny,
After you called, I went online and surfed like mad. Desperate to read something interesting.
Anything interesting.
Just anything.
Anything to occupy my brain and keep my thoughts from straying back to That-Which-Must-Not-Be-Thought-Of.
I saw this song while randomly picking videos... The lyrics looked promising, I thought. But what sort of promises, I asked. I found out soon enough. You will, too.
Though a part of me wishes you won't... the same part of me that wishes that I didn't.
Touche, darling...
♥ Kaye
Me and my heart...
Wake Up - Coheed and Cambria
I'm gonna ride this plane out of your life again
I wish that I could stay, but you argue
More than this I wish, you could've seen my face
In backseats staring out, the window
I'll do anything for you
Kill anyone for you
So leave yourself intact
'Cause I will be coming back
In a phrase to cut these lips
I love you
The morning will come
In the press of every kiss
With your head upon my chest
Where I will annoy you
With every waking breath
Until you decide to wake up
I've earned through hope and faith
On the curves around your face
That I'm the one you'll hold forever
If morning never comes for either one of us
Then this I pray to you wherever
I'll do anything for you
This story is for you
('Cause I'd do anything you want me to for you)
I'll do anything for you
Kill anyone for you
So leave yourself intact
'Cause I won't be coming back
In a phrase to cut these lips
I loved you
The morning will come
In the press of every kiss
With your head upon my chest
Where I will annoy you
With every waking breath
Until you decide to wake up
Dear Ginny,
After you called, I went online and surfed like mad. Desperate to read something interesting.
Anything interesting.
Just anything.
Anything to occupy my brain and keep my thoughts from straying back to That-Which-Must-Not-Be-Thought-Of.
I saw this song while randomly picking videos... The lyrics looked promising, I thought. But what sort of promises, I asked. I found out soon enough. You will, too.
Though a part of me wishes you won't... the same part of me that wishes that I didn't.
Touche, darling...
♥ Kaye
Me and my heart...I'm gonna ride this plane out of your life again
I wish that I could stay, but you argue
More than this I wish, you could've seen my face
In backseats staring out, the window
I'll do anything for you
Kill anyone for you
So leave yourself intact
'Cause I will be coming back
In a phrase to cut these lips
I love you
The morning will come
In the press of every kiss
With your head upon my chest
Where I will annoy you
With every waking breath
Until you decide to wake up
I've earned through hope and faith
On the curves around your face
That I'm the one you'll hold forever
If morning never comes for either one of us
Then this I pray to you wherever
I'll do anything for you
This story is for you
('Cause I'd do anything you want me to for you)
I'll do anything for you
Kill anyone for you
So leave yourself intact
'Cause I won't be coming back
In a phrase to cut these lips
I loved you
The morning will come
In the press of every kiss
With your head upon my chest
Where I will annoy you
With every waking breath
Until you decide to wake up
Day 5: The Shopping Bug Bites Again!
Shopping is not something I enjoy doing on a regular basis. But when I shop, I do it all in one go. For me, shopping is a One-Time-Big-Time affair. It also means it's a one-time, big-time drain on my wallet.
Having visited Platinum Mall on Day 2, the family and I (minus Dad, who had work) made our way to Bo Bae Tower. I had awakened at 8:30am; late by my standards (as it is by that of Bro and Wifey) but crack-of-dawn early for my mom and sisters. So instead of traipsing around the six-floor paean to consumerism at 10am, we ended up hailing a cab at a half-hour past that time.
Arrival at the Bo Bae Tower meant two things to me: food and shopping. With the last meal being more than 12 hours before, the former need was crying for attention. I put my arm around my mom's shoulder and whispered "I'm hungry. Feed the monster!" She's my mom, so she didn't freak out; she's so used to me. So without further ado, my mom lead her brood to the 6th floor Food Station. Here I got a bottle of water for 20THB, a dish of kai tom (chicken rice) for 30THB and a huge chunk of honeydew (looked good but tasted watery) for 15THB. Not a bad hoard eh?
The monster thus fed and already behaved, the shopping began. Shirts, shirts, and more shirts were the order of the day! With a few pairs of underwear thrown in for good measure (pun intended - it was a needle-in-a-haystack search for MY size, durnit!) and a few good cycling shorts, we were battle-weary and ready to head home.
At 5pm, the rush hour begins so we had a hard time getting a cab. Having successfully hailed one, mom shepherded my sisters, Bro and Wifey into the car and off they went. Mom and I had a leisurely walk to the main road, intending to take the train back to Thanon Silom. Luck was on our side, though, as a kind taxi said YES to Mom asking him to take her to the heart of traffic-land! Upon arrival, we found the sisters, Bro and Wifey on the street... eating! Of course, what else was new?
Back at the condo, we all went through our purchases. I must say, all the shirts I got (most expensive being 130 THB) were treasures. Now all I need are shorts and jeans.. I can't wait to shop again!
Having visited Platinum Mall on Day 2, the family and I (minus Dad, who had work) made our way to Bo Bae Tower. I had awakened at 8:30am; late by my standards (as it is by that of Bro and Wifey) but crack-of-dawn early for my mom and sisters. So instead of traipsing around the six-floor paean to consumerism at 10am, we ended up hailing a cab at a half-hour past that time.
Arrival at the Bo Bae Tower meant two things to me: food and shopping. With the last meal being more than 12 hours before, the former need was crying for attention. I put my arm around my mom's shoulder and whispered "I'm hungry. Feed the monster!" She's my mom, so she didn't freak out; she's so used to me. So without further ado, my mom lead her brood to the 6th floor Food Station. Here I got a bottle of water for 20THB, a dish of kai tom (chicken rice) for 30THB and a huge chunk of honeydew (looked good but tasted watery) for 15THB. Not a bad hoard eh?
The monster thus fed and already behaved, the shopping began. Shirts, shirts, and more shirts were the order of the day! With a few pairs of underwear thrown in for good measure (pun intended - it was a needle-in-a-haystack search for MY size, durnit!) and a few good cycling shorts, we were battle-weary and ready to head home.
At 5pm, the rush hour begins so we had a hard time getting a cab. Having successfully hailed one, mom shepherded my sisters, Bro and Wifey into the car and off they went. Mom and I had a leisurely walk to the main road, intending to take the train back to Thanon Silom. Luck was on our side, though, as a kind taxi said YES to Mom asking him to take her to the heart of traffic-land! Upon arrival, we found the sisters, Bro and Wifey on the street... eating! Of course, what else was new?
Back at the condo, we all went through our purchases. I must say, all the shirts I got (most expensive being 130 THB) were treasures. Now all I need are shorts and jeans.. I can't wait to shop again!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Day 4: Food At Home (And On The Street, Too!)
The light of day did not touch my skin yesterday... except through the windows of the living room. The sisters and I yacked our heads off till midnight, after which I fell asleep. We were planning to go back to Lumpini Park the morning after: to jog, take pictures and cavort on the playground. Alas, the sisters decided that Hotel 626 was boring and went on to Assylum 626, effectively depriving them of sleep that caused them to snore until past 2pm. Go figure!
So Mom and I kept ourselves busy with laundry and cooking. Yehehehesss! If there's good food on the street, there's better food at home! While mom sorted the laundry, I cut up some tomatoes, onions and ginger for pinaputok na pla-pla. The tilapia she bought from the market were HUGE! Picture a behemoth with singkong butas for eyes. Deciding to stuff the giant swimmers a few minutes before grill time, I cut up some kangkong for a stir-fry.
Chuvaness was doing her 6-millionth reader contest and I was watching the site meter sporadically throughout the day. The prizes were COOL... and not to mention, madami!
So anyway, I stayed in the house reading Her Fearful Symmetry (I finished it at around 2am this morning. I loved it more than The Time Traveller's Wife - maybe because the protagonists are twins. Two sets, at that!), surfing the Web (and getting fashion tips, harharhar), and checking my office email. My mom said, I should be on vacation but I can't help it. Anyway, if an issue comes up while I'm on vacation... guess who's gonna handle it anyways? *lol*
As I mentioned earlier, my dad's condo is smack-dab in the middle of the CBD. We live on a street parallel to Thanon Silom, kinda like Ayala Ave back in Manila where the office buildings are. Everyone walking around the area is dressed like they're all leaving on Lear jets at any second or will be airlifted to their next meeting destination. It doesn't help that down the road is a Catholic school that caters to children of diplomats and those of the hi-so (high society aka anak-mayaman). So what, you say? Like I said, we live in the middle of the CBD and as such, we're given to going out on the street dressed in full pambahay regalia (my Havs get lots of exposure here... *lol*) in search of the elusive manong roti (he's so hard to find...), the addictive puto-pandan (not its real label, of course) and the sweet merangue barquillos (not its real name, either). On our way to Silom, we bumped into my Dad walking home from work. We didn't find the treats we were looking for, so we went home.
In the evening, the sisters and I took more vain-pics (aka self-portraits) and did more ten-shot antics than should be done when wearing only underwear and wearing sleep clothes. But what the hey, I won't see them again for another five or six months and there is no better time to be a kid and be crazy than NOW! =)
On other news, I tried voice chat on YM using my work machine. That's when I discovered I could use it without the need for a headset! Hurray! Thanks to Kyx for urging me to try. Wouldn't have discovered it if not for you! Goodbye, cumbersome headsets! This beats hands-free overseas calls anytime!
So today, we're supposed to be shopping (again) but the two other Little Pigs (my sisters - I'm the third one, hehe) woke up later than expected and are now pulling me towards the shower. After all, the Three Little Pigs always do things together. Ciao!
So Mom and I kept ourselves busy with laundry and cooking. Yehehehesss! If there's good food on the street, there's better food at home! While mom sorted the laundry, I cut up some tomatoes, onions and ginger for pinaputok na pla-pla. The tilapia she bought from the market were HUGE! Picture a behemoth with singkong butas for eyes. Deciding to stuff the giant swimmers a few minutes before grill time, I cut up some kangkong for a stir-fry.
Chuvaness was doing her 6-millionth reader contest and I was watching the site meter sporadically throughout the day. The prizes were COOL... and not to mention, madami!
So anyway, I stayed in the house reading Her Fearful Symmetry (I finished it at around 2am this morning. I loved it more than The Time Traveller's Wife - maybe because the protagonists are twins. Two sets, at that!), surfing the Web (and getting fashion tips, harharhar), and checking my office email. My mom said, I should be on vacation but I can't help it. Anyway, if an issue comes up while I'm on vacation... guess who's gonna handle it anyways? *lol*
As I mentioned earlier, my dad's condo is smack-dab in the middle of the CBD. We live on a street parallel to Thanon Silom, kinda like Ayala Ave back in Manila where the office buildings are. Everyone walking around the area is dressed like they're all leaving on Lear jets at any second or will be airlifted to their next meeting destination. It doesn't help that down the road is a Catholic school that caters to children of diplomats and those of the hi-so (high society aka anak-mayaman). So what, you say? Like I said, we live in the middle of the CBD and as such, we're given to going out on the street dressed in full pambahay regalia (my Havs get lots of exposure here... *lol*) in search of the elusive manong roti (he's so hard to find...), the addictive puto-pandan (not its real label, of course) and the sweet merangue barquillos (not its real name, either). On our way to Silom, we bumped into my Dad walking home from work. We didn't find the treats we were looking for, so we went home.
In the evening, the sisters and I took more vain-pics (aka self-portraits) and did more ten-shot antics than should be done when wearing only underwear and wearing sleep clothes. But what the hey, I won't see them again for another five or six months and there is no better time to be a kid and be crazy than NOW! =)
On other news, I tried voice chat on YM using my work machine. That's when I discovered I could use it without the need for a headset! Hurray! Thanks to Kyx for urging me to try. Wouldn't have discovered it if not for you! Goodbye, cumbersome headsets! This beats hands-free overseas calls anytime!
So today, we're supposed to be shopping (again) but the two other Little Pigs (my sisters - I'm the third one, hehe) woke up later than expected and are now pulling me towards the shower. After all, the Three Little Pigs always do things together. Ciao!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Bangkok: Day 3 - Can You Stomach This?
This is my series on my holiday vacation in Bangkok. Here are the other posts:
Day 1 and Day 2
Day 1 and Day 2
Day 3 began lazily... literally. My sisters and I were in bed until 10AM. Though I woke up at 7:30AM (force of habit: 4 hours of sleep is plenty), I stayed in bed for an additional two hours, on office IM with Kyx and checking office email (eeewww!).
When the household began to stir, I went to work making two kinds of fried rice (oyster sauce and adobo), frying hotdogs and making sunny side-ups while sipping Betagen (Yakult but way better!) in front of the stove. Sissy took over my IM, chatting with Kyx.
After a particularly heavy brunch (made heavier with some spicy dumplings to be dipped in a black-vinegar like concoction), the family members all took our own individual naps (I didn't... I just wrote a few notes, took stock of my shopping expenses and packed away the stuff I bought from the day before) while Bro and Wifey opted for some QTT.
Three hours later, we were taking our baths (The Three Little Pigs always bathe together... hehehe) and trading sneakers to go walking/running/jogging at Lumpini Park. The park reminds me of Burnham in Baguio. Burnham on steroids. It has two (?) lagoons, vast running paths and a multitude of people. It had at least three areas for aerobics or yoga or whatnot... and at least two playgrounds.
The family and I got there late; it was almost evening when we started walking (and Bro started running with Wifey and Sis). Not much photo opportunities so we vowed to come back when the sun was higher in the sky and our cameras didn't need a flash to get our faces on memory. Harhar...
So we walked along Silom again, stopping to look at some shoes on the sidewalk (killer heels ala-Blair for only 140 THB!), some funky shirts (caricature of a sad groom and happy bride with "GAME OVER" written below), and some mango with sticky rice. Mango with sticky rice!!! Aaaarrgghhh... I bought two orders (80THB each) with a fist-size ball of sticky rice and one whole mango each.
We hurried along to have steaming bowls of kwai chap... fresh rice sheet noodles and various animal parts that never see the sunlight in a meaty and satisfying broth. For only 45 THB, this was good chow. A big serving too, as I barely finished mine.
Patpong was part of the plan, but it was still too early (8pm) and we wanted to wait for Bradir on the 23rd so we postponed our... adult education for another day. So on we walked, stopping by 7-11 for a bottle of yummy soy milk and a few bottles of freshly-squeezed dalandan juice.
Back home, we talked more about our childhood - mostly gross, embarrassing stuff like who pooped in whose jeans (not me!), who got lost in the department store (me!), and other childhood antics. I missed these guys... and am glad I'm here.
So back to the mango with sticky rice... it was gone in five minutes. Sweet, juicy slices of mango chased down with rice topped with viscous gata... heaven in a mouthful.
Now excuse me while I wipe the drool from my chin... That vendor will see more of me every night!
When the household began to stir, I went to work making two kinds of fried rice (oyster sauce and adobo), frying hotdogs and making sunny side-ups while sipping Betagen (Yakult but way better!) in front of the stove. Sissy took over my IM, chatting with Kyx.
After a particularly heavy brunch (made heavier with some spicy dumplings to be dipped in a black-vinegar like concoction), the family members all took our own individual naps (I didn't... I just wrote a few notes, took stock of my shopping expenses and packed away the stuff I bought from the day before) while Bro and Wifey opted for some QTT.
Three hours later, we were taking our baths (The Three Little Pigs always bathe together... hehehe) and trading sneakers to go walking/running/jogging at Lumpini Park. The park reminds me of Burnham in Baguio. Burnham on steroids. It has two (?) lagoons, vast running paths and a multitude of people. It had at least three areas for aerobics or yoga or whatnot... and at least two playgrounds.
The family and I got there late; it was almost evening when we started walking (and Bro started running with Wifey and Sis). Not much photo opportunities so we vowed to come back when the sun was higher in the sky and our cameras didn't need a flash to get our faces on memory. Harhar...
So we walked along Silom again, stopping to look at some shoes on the sidewalk (killer heels ala-Blair for only 140 THB!), some funky shirts (caricature of a sad groom and happy bride with "GAME OVER" written below), and some mango with sticky rice. Mango with sticky rice!!! Aaaarrgghhh... I bought two orders (80THB each) with a fist-size ball of sticky rice and one whole mango each.
We hurried along to have steaming bowls of kwai chap... fresh rice sheet noodles and various animal parts that never see the sunlight in a meaty and satisfying broth. For only 45 THB, this was good chow. A big serving too, as I barely finished mine.
Patpong was part of the plan, but it was still too early (8pm) and we wanted to wait for Bradir on the 23rd so we postponed our... adult education for another day. So on we walked, stopping by 7-11 for a bottle of yummy soy milk and a few bottles of freshly-squeezed dalandan juice.
Back home, we talked more about our childhood - mostly gross, embarrassing stuff like who pooped in whose jeans (not me!), who got lost in the department store (me!), and other childhood antics. I missed these guys... and am glad I'm here.
So back to the mango with sticky rice... it was gone in five minutes. Sweet, juicy slices of mango chased down with rice topped with viscous gata... heaven in a mouthful.
Now excuse me while I wipe the drool from my chin... That vendor will see more of me every night!
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Bangkok: Day 1 and Day 2 - Sleep is Futile
After a 30 minute delay, three gate changes and a lot of cranky passengers, I finally got on the plane for the 3 hour, 25 minute flight to see my family. I picked the wrong flight to get on, apparently, as I got here almost 1am BKK time (2am Manila). Next time, I'll pick an earlier flight.
Methinks, coming here to see my family over the long vacation is exactly what I need in this crazy period in my usually uneventful life. Though I put my personal phone on roaming, I am receiving only text messages. The calls cost too much so I diverted all my incoming calls to my office number, which is turned off BTW. The text messages I've been receiving have been... inspirational so far.
Day 1: Dinner at 2am, sister bonding till 5am. I can't believe how much I missed my mom's adobo and ginisang munggo. I missed my dad's corny jokes and my sisters' chatter. Coming home to the smell of home cooking and seeing my mom's happy face wiped away all the chaos from NAIA and Suvarnabhumi Airport. Bro and Wifey arrived on an earlier flight but they waited for me (with my Dad) before we all came home. We ate dinner discussing our favorite food, our strange eating habits and the difference between international airports in the countries we've visited.
After dinner, we all stayed in the living room and chatted for a few more minutes. Then my mom and dad turned in. Bro and Wifey retreated to their room. The sisters and I camped out in the living room and chatted our heads off until 5am. Bliss!
Day 2: Woke up at 7:30am GMT+7 ... and the house was quiet. Nobody woke up until after 10am. I can't speak for Bro and Wifey, though. They may have opted for a little... loving time. Hahaha... So after a quick breakfast of sliced dragonfruit (sweet and grainy... unlike the waterlogged mess I get in Tagaytay), we were off to go SHOPPING! But before that, we stopped by a carinderia along Convent Road for some yummies! Among all the stuff we had, my favorite was definitely the som tam... the dressing is SO good... I even dipped raw cabbage and fresh mint into it for snacking. I think I ate a farmload of raw veggies yesterday.
So...shopping. Shopping! I went crazy, methinks. Although I bought a few pieces for my mom, I still think I ended up spending almost 7K THB (about 9K php) on that one shopping trip. Can you blame me? SIX floors of shopping madness! And that's only the beginning. I haven't even gotten started on bags and shoes yet!
My dad's condo is right smack in the middle of the CBD, so all around us are office buildings, right-hand drive vehicles, traffic in reverse (North-bound comes from the right side, South-bound comes from the left... it's disconcerting, I tell you!).... and food carts. Food everywhere! If we hadn't eaten lunch before shopping, am sure I would have bought something off every vendor I saw on the street.
Som tam stalls shared space with those amazingly good puto-like cakes that smell like pancakes and pandan (1 THB each... I couldn't stop munching on them). Beautiful fresh strawberries (20 THB, 100 grams... sweeter than a Baguio strawberry but crunchy), glistening emerald honeydew and brilliant papaya reposed on ice, fried tofu and a lot of other stuff - they may have made their way into my gullet!
Tomorrow, I vow to to brave getting lost (my crappy sense of direction is legendary), getting misinterpreted by the locals ("hoy" in Thai is... THAT part of the female anatomy), indigestion and being run over by cars and buses speeding in from the wrong side of the road... I will walk around the neighborhood. After all, there's a Starbucks a few blocks from home. Gotta go get my tumblers and mugs! Harharhar...
Methinks, coming here to see my family over the long vacation is exactly what I need in this crazy period in my usually uneventful life. Though I put my personal phone on roaming, I am receiving only text messages. The calls cost too much so I diverted all my incoming calls to my office number, which is turned off BTW. The text messages I've been receiving have been... inspirational so far.
Day 1: Dinner at 2am, sister bonding till 5am. I can't believe how much I missed my mom's adobo and ginisang munggo. I missed my dad's corny jokes and my sisters' chatter. Coming home to the smell of home cooking and seeing my mom's happy face wiped away all the chaos from NAIA and Suvarnabhumi Airport. Bro and Wifey arrived on an earlier flight but they waited for me (with my Dad) before we all came home. We ate dinner discussing our favorite food, our strange eating habits and the difference between international airports in the countries we've visited.
After dinner, we all stayed in the living room and chatted for a few more minutes. Then my mom and dad turned in. Bro and Wifey retreated to their room. The sisters and I camped out in the living room and chatted our heads off until 5am. Bliss!
Day 2: Woke up at 7:30am GMT+7 ... and the house was quiet. Nobody woke up until after 10am. I can't speak for Bro and Wifey, though. They may have opted for a little... loving time. Hahaha... So after a quick breakfast of sliced dragonfruit (sweet and grainy... unlike the waterlogged mess I get in Tagaytay), we were off to go SHOPPING! But before that, we stopped by a carinderia along Convent Road for some yummies! Among all the stuff we had, my favorite was definitely the som tam... the dressing is SO good... I even dipped raw cabbage and fresh mint into it for snacking. I think I ate a farmload of raw veggies yesterday.
So...shopping. Shopping! I went crazy, methinks. Although I bought a few pieces for my mom, I still think I ended up spending almost 7K THB (about 9K php) on that one shopping trip. Can you blame me? SIX floors of shopping madness! And that's only the beginning. I haven't even gotten started on bags and shoes yet!
My dad's condo is right smack in the middle of the CBD, so all around us are office buildings, right-hand drive vehicles, traffic in reverse (North-bound comes from the right side, South-bound comes from the left... it's disconcerting, I tell you!).... and food carts. Food everywhere! If we hadn't eaten lunch before shopping, am sure I would have bought something off every vendor I saw on the street.
Som tam stalls shared space with those amazingly good puto-like cakes that smell like pancakes and pandan (1 THB each... I couldn't stop munching on them). Beautiful fresh strawberries (20 THB, 100 grams... sweeter than a Baguio strawberry but crunchy), glistening emerald honeydew and brilliant papaya reposed on ice, fried tofu and a lot of other stuff - they may have made their way into my gullet!
Tomorrow, I vow to to brave getting lost (my crappy sense of direction is legendary), getting misinterpreted by the locals ("hoy" in Thai is... THAT part of the female anatomy), indigestion and being run over by cars and buses speeding in from the wrong side of the road... I will walk around the neighborhood. After all, there's a Starbucks a few blocks from home. Gotta go get my tumblers and mugs! Harharhar...
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Today is 8 November 2009
Today I realized that I was waiting in vain.
F*ck it. I will wait no more.
"Actions speak louder than words", you said. I hear the message. Loud and clear.
Thank you very much. It was fun while it lasted.
F*ck it. I will wait no more.
"Actions speak louder than words", you said. I hear the message. Loud and clear.
Thank you very much. It was fun while it lasted.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
The 30-day Mark...
So it has been thirty days since... 1) Ondoy hit the Philippines and washed away A LOT of stuff; 2) a nameless storm hit and washed away 3 years+ of... stuff.
ANYWAY, now is not the time to mope. Now is a time to celebrate because my Pisay roommate of three years is now... MARRIED! Congratulations, Mrs. Abigail Pascual-Olayres. Like I said in my speech, I am SO happy for you... obvious naman sa dami ng all-caps na ginamit ko diba?
Pictures not yet uploaded, too tired to do so. Rey, share your pics!
Today, 25 October 2009:
I have been smoke-free for 85 days...and I still don't miss it.
I missed the 3K Run for Life this morning. For the life of me, sleep and comfort felt more important than a marathon I have been wanting to run for months now.
I saw a Pisay friend walk down the aisle and marry her sweetheart of 9 (?) years. Aaaawww...
I still am not in a hurry to get married, though... much less enter another serious relationship yet again. I'd rather live vicariously in that aspect for the time being, thank you very much!
I met up with my other Pisay friends and it made me realize how much this job is really disconnecting me from the world I once inhabited. It makes me wonder: is it still worth it?
I have been thinking since last night: There is always a FIRST time for everything... and I have been wanting to ask "so when was the last time YOU did something for the first time?"
So there's this talk of another big storm hitting the country in a week's time. God have mercy on us all...
Before I hit the sack, I would just like to say: Actions speak louder than words. If your actions can vouch for you, don't bother with words. They most often complicate things.
Harharhar...
ANYWAY, now is not the time to mope. Now is a time to celebrate because my Pisay roommate of three years is now... MARRIED! Congratulations, Mrs. Abigail Pascual-Olayres. Like I said in my speech, I am SO happy for you... obvious naman sa dami ng all-caps na ginamit ko diba?
Pictures not yet uploaded, too tired to do so. Rey, share your pics!
♥ ♥ ♥
Today, 25 October 2009:
I have been smoke-free for 85 days...and I still don't miss it.
I missed the 3K Run for Life this morning. For the life of me, sleep and comfort felt more important than a marathon I have been wanting to run for months now.
I saw a Pisay friend walk down the aisle and marry her sweetheart of 9 (?) years. Aaaawww...
I still am not in a hurry to get married, though... much less enter another serious relationship yet again. I'd rather live vicariously in that aspect for the time being, thank you very much!
I met up with my other Pisay friends and it made me realize how much this job is really disconnecting me from the world I once inhabited. It makes me wonder: is it still worth it?
I have been thinking since last night: There is always a FIRST time for everything... and I have been wanting to ask "so when was the last time YOU did something for the first time?"
♥ ♥ ♥
So there's this talk of another big storm hitting the country in a week's time. God have mercy on us all...
Before I hit the sack, I would just like to say: Actions speak louder than words. If your actions can vouch for you, don't bother with words. They most often complicate things.
Harharhar...
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Simply Happy
On Thursday, 17 September 2009:
I have been smoke-free for 53 days... and I don't miss it at all!
I have been alcohol-free for 15 days... but I miss it. =(
I have run a total of 10km in the past week.
I have spent a total of 3,200 pesos on clothes in the past week. *gasp*
I climbed the inclined wall twice in less than 3 minutes at each attempt. Whee!
Kuya Manny was our guy at the wall.
Alvin traversed 9-10-11 successfully, yey! Neither Japes nor I did. =(
Japes forgot to drop me off at Sucat... and we ended up having to turn back on the way to his house. *lol* I-take home daw ba?
On this day, 19 September 2009:
I am happy. Simply happy. Happily simple. =) More energy, mas happy!
Taking Nikka to walk in Boni High Street. It's kinda cloudy and rain is threatening BUT we're forging on. Kowiz will drive. Ayoko mag-drive. Kailangang hawakan ang asong malikot!
Ciao for now!
I have been smoke-free for 53 days... and I don't miss it at all!
I have been alcohol-free for 15 days... but I miss it. =(
I have run a total of 10km in the past week.
I have spent a total of 3,200 pesos on clothes in the past week. *gasp*
I climbed the inclined wall twice in less than 3 minutes at each attempt. Whee!
Kuya Manny was our guy at the wall.
Alvin traversed 9-10-11 successfully, yey! Neither Japes nor I did. =(
Japes forgot to drop me off at Sucat... and we ended up having to turn back on the way to his house. *lol* I-take home daw ba?
@>-;-----
On this day, 19 September 2009:
I am happy. Simply happy. Happily simple. =) More energy, mas happy!
@>-;-----
Taking Nikka to walk in Boni High Street. It's kinda cloudy and rain is threatening BUT we're forging on. Kowiz will drive. Ayoko mag-drive. Kailangang hawakan ang asong malikot!
Ciao for now!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Oh Emme Gee!
Hindi ko kinaya!
I just read this on Pepper Lunch's Philippines site. One location closer to work and soon, another location close to home. Lovette! YG's, you know where we'll be eating on my birthday! (Fish and Co is reserved for Jen's bash so it's not Fish and Co, Dada!)
Temperature in Seoul today is 19C... Autumn is coming! I wish I was in Seoul right about now...
On other OMG-worthy news... I posted the Laiya pics on Facebook. Just check it out. It's friends-only though. Don't say I didn't warn you!
I just read this on Pepper Lunch's Philippines site. One location closer to work and soon, another location close to home. Lovette! YG's, you know where we'll be eating on my birthday! (Fish and Co is reserved for Jen's bash so it's not Fish and Co, Dada!)
Temperature in Seoul today is 19C... Autumn is coming! I wish I was in Seoul right about now...
On other OMG-worthy news... I posted the Laiya pics on Facebook. Just check it out. It's friends-only though. Don't say I didn't warn you!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
On This Day - 6 September 2009
I have been smoke-free for 35 days.
I have run a total of 30km in the past month.
I have consumed more chocolate-covered cereal in one sitting than any normal homo sapiens should consume in one week.
I realized that things happen... not necessarily for a reason.
That doesn't change the fact that I still have the need to ask "Why?" without necessarily having the need to hear the answer.
Still... why?
I have run a total of 30km in the past month.
I have consumed more chocolate-covered cereal in one sitting than any normal homo sapiens should consume in one week.
I realized that things happen... not necessarily for a reason.
That doesn't change the fact that I still have the need to ask "Why?" without necessarily having the need to hear the answer.
Still... why?
Monday, August 31, 2009
How True?
Is it true that the better off (and more fun) your personal life becomes, the reverse is true for your love life? Oh goodness me, I've never had so much fun in my personal life in the last three years! You can only guess where my "love life" is going.
To the dogs. To the DOGS I tell you!
Not THAT dog!
It's true. Despite the hectic-crazy-crappy-lifeless schedule we keep at work, my ETL team still has the time to bond over food, badminton, travel and other crazy stuff. Similarly, I still have wall-climbing sessions with the Delivery team (I do hope to drag them into the other stuff ETL does).
On the flipside, things aren't so hot on the amore side of the fence.
On the flipside, things aren't so hot on the amore side of the fence.
Oh woe is me...
It hasn't been the same in the past... two or three months. Sure, I've tried and tried again. As someone said "Kaya yan! Subok lang nang subok!" But what the hey, sometimes I feel all that trying has been in vain. Is it coincidence (Dada would say "of course it's not!"), is it fate, is it destiny (ugh, Serendipity)? Or is it just that neither of us has the same time to spare as we used to?
Hmmm... text KASS (space) your answer and send to 1234567890. Open to Globe, Smart, Sun, Talk n Text, TM, Red Mobile, Bayan Wireless, PLDT wireless and Kawawang Phoneless subscribers!
Hemingway, I have to catch some Z's. I haven't quite recovered from the Corregidor Escapade and today wasn't exactly as restful as I would have wanted it to be. So goodnight!
P.S. To you: "Just realize what I just realized, then we'll never have to wonder if we missed out on each other..." Let's not let this chance pass us by, ok? I don't want to wonder for the rest of my life... ♥
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Corregidor!
Went to Corregidor with my team yesterday. Too busy pa to do a full post so access this album via my Facebook na lang >> CS2 goes Daytripping
Ciao for now!
P.S.... Namimiss na kita... Sana Tuesday na!
Ciao for now!
P.S.... Namimiss na kita... Sana Tuesday na!
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Ponder THIS...
"One grows distant from another not because of indifference, but because of fear. There's the fear that the hurt gets greater as one gets closer; a recognition of the tendency to fall deeply, and consequently drown in a quicksand of stupid irrationalities. Sometimes, what drives one away is not the absence of emotion, but the overwhelming presence of it"
@>-;-----
Is this what's driving you away? Or am I just assuming too much? Maybe I was wrong, maybe nothing's driving you away. Maybe you were never HERE in the first place. Maybe there was never anything there after all...
@>-;-----
Cross-posting from FB:
1 What's your latest addiction?
♥ Any and all activities that punish my body and make me sweat. No, sex is not one of them *lol*
2 What are you listening to?
♥ Be OK - Ingrid Michaelson
"Open me up and you will see
I’m a gallery of broken hearts
I’m beyond repair, let me be
And give me back my broken parts"
3 How late did you stay up last night and why?
♥ Until...uh....wait, I haven't slept in the past 33 hours. 0_o
4 Who were the last 2 people to text you?
♥ Paolo and Jovi
5 Any plans for tonight?
♥ Dinner with Ceccz and Rei. Go home to Nikka to take her for a walk and some pooch quality time
6 Who were you with last Friday night?
♥ SECRET =) Basta I was happy with the people I spent Friday with
7 Do you think you will be in a relationship 3 months from now?
♥ Depende sa kanya... *lol* Ayoko nang magsalita!
8 What radio station do you listen to the most?
♥ NU Rock 107.5 and URock 105.9
9 When was the last time you cried?
♥ I guess last week. Lost. Dazed. Confused. Tired. What can I say? =P
10 Have you ever talked to someone when they were high?
♥ Oh hell yeah! It wasn't a pretty sight!
11 What does the fifth text in your inbox say?
♥ Jovi: "Ahehe tnx. Out na video sa MVT and MYX. San yung Urbandub event? May event ang UG tomorrow night, baka dun ako pumunta pag sinipag"
12 What movie you seen last?
♥ HP6? I hated how bitin it was! Grrrr...
13 What’s your outfit right now?
♥ Black mid-thigh length stretch dress and salmon-colored footless tights with black and white patterned 3-inch wedge sandals
(opo, walang 14-15)
16 What were you doing at 11 pm last night?
♥ Walking Nikka outside, against the vet's advice. Harhar...
17 Who was the last person you texted to last night before bed?
♥ I haven't gone to bed so... the last person I texted before I "slept" was Dada. Hoping she was ok.
18 Will you be driving in a year?
♥ In my new car? Hopefully yes, if all things fall into place as I planned. Excited to get my Foxtrot (yeah, may name na sya kahit wala pa sya saken)!
19 Is there anything that you are craving right now?
♥ Bacon waffles with whipped butter. Does going to La Union to surf count? That's a craving too, right? *lol*
20 When and where did your most memorable "hug" take place?
♥ Aaahhhrrr... Sometime last week, very early in the morning somewhere down South. My lips are sealed, though =)
21 Single or taken?
♥ Single is sexy...I'm not! Not THAT way anyway! *lol* Taken... for granted?
22 Have you ever started a sentence with "No offense, but"?
♥ Hell yeah... though, most of the time I skip the "No offense" part and go ahead to the offensive part. *lol*
23 Do you drink tea?
♥ Yeys! Bring it on! Tropical Passion from CBTL, I heart you!
24 Have you ever been arrested?
♥ Nope and I hope I never will be
25 Have you rode in someone else's car today?
♥ SECRET! =D Mahirap na...
26 Have you made a mistake this past week?
♥ Of course, I'm sure. I am but human.
27 Who was the last person you texted?
♥ This morning? Paolo, to confirm if we're going to Abi's wedding together. Ayoko magdrive... umagang umaga!
28 Are you happy with your life right now?
♥ Hmmm... yeah... I'm happy with the new things (and people) I'm involving myself in (with). =D
29 In the past 72 hours have you been under the influence of?
♥ Insomnia. Sleeplessness. Rambling thoughts. No, not drugs.
30 What's the connection between you and the last person you texted?
♥ My best friend of 14 years. =) Aymishu, PVP!
31 Do you think someone will repost this?
♥ Most def!
32 Do you miss someone?
♥ Of course... but I won't tell you who! Mahirap na...
33 Do you think the person that you miss, misses you too?
♥ I sure hope so, it'll be too sad if that's not the case...
@>-;-----
Tala: Mukha ka nanamang tanga dyan... tama bang magbasa ng chat history? Kahit magbasa ka nang magbasa hanggang lumuwa ang mga mata mo, hindi sasagot yan. Hindi sya sasagot dahil hindi niya alam. Eh kung sabihin mo kaya sa kanya at nang magka-alaman na?
Star: Hindi pwede. Hindi pa ngayon ang tamang panahon.
Tala: Kung hindi ngayon, kelan pa?
Star: Hindi ko alam. Next year? Two years from now? Never? Baka nga never.
Tala: Bakit naman never?
Star: Kasi baka mali ang basa ko sa mga senyales. Baka wala naman palang kahulugan lahat ng mga ginawa at sinabi nya.
Tala: Pano mo malalaman kung hindi mo tatanungin?
Star: Ayokong mauna. Palagi na lang akong nauuna palagi... At nauuna lang din akong masaktan palagi. Nakakasawa na.
@>-;-----
"We need to talk" >> the four MOST dangerous English words.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Random Thoughts On Another Sleepless Night (Morning?)
SKL na nababaliw na ata ako sa kakaisip sa kanya. Hindi na tama ito. May meaning ba ang "Text ka pag nakauwi ka na" o ang "Text ka pag nasa bahay ka na"?
SKL na ala-una na. May pasok pako ng 7AM. Hindi ako makatulog. Iniisip ko siya. Iniisip ko work. Iniisip ko ang ngayon. Ang bukas. Ang kahapon.
SKL na ayoko nang mag-isip.
@>-,------
BB,
Thank you for the fantastic weekend. You have no idea of the effect you have on me. But if it were up to me, I won't let you know. Not yet, anyway.
GB
@>-,------
Overhang,
You push me to try bigger things than I am used to. You encourage me to try and just laugh at myself should I fail.
It was you who said "At least na-try mo".
It was you who said "Cool ka lang. Hindi mo problema ang problema ng buong mundo."
It was you who said "Ok lang yan. Kakayanin natin ito."
Why aren't you the one I'm spending my time with?!?
15-Degree-Incline
@>-,------
When a person's influence practically dictates your playlists... you're in big trouble! Be still, my heart!
@>-,------
My hands are searching for you
My arms are outstretched towards you
I feel you on my fingertips
My tongue dances behind my lips for you
This fire rising through my being
Burning I'm not used to seeing you
I'm alive, I'm alive
I can feel you all around me
Thickening the air I'm breathing
Holding on to what I'm feeling
Savoring this heart that's healing
My hands float up above me
And you whisper you love me
And I begin to fade
Into our secret place
The music makes me sway
The angels singing say we are alone with you
I am alone and they are too with you
I'm alive, I'm alive
I can feel you all around me
Thickening the air I'm breathing
Holding on to what I'm feeling
Savoring this heart that's healing
And so I cry
The light is white
And I see you
I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm alive
I can feel you all around me
Thickening the air I'm breathing
Holding on to what I'm feeling
Savoring this heart that's healing
Take my hand
I give it to you
Now you own me
All I am
You said you would never leave me
I believe you
I believe
I can feel you all around me
Thickening the air I'm breathing
Holding on to what I'm feeling
Savoring this heart that's healed
----- "All Around Me" - Flyleaf
@>-,------
I wish I could be every little thing you wanted...all the time. Tang*na mo, ang hirap mo ispelingin! Hayuf!
Good morning, world...
Sunday, August 16, 2009
The Biggest Lie
Do you know what the biggest lie of all time is? Read on.
"I had/have no choice."
B*llsh*t. One ceases to be human when one ceases to have a choice. Yes, as human beings we always have a choice. There is always at least ONE choice available to us in any given situation at any given time. It's just that the available choices are sometimes not favorable for us, so we choose to bluff our way out of our choice by claiming to have no choice.
What the... Even choosing not to choose is already a choice.
What's with this post? Well, I thought there was such a thing as "freedon of speech" and "freedom of expression". You know, benefits of being part of a democracy or some phony showcase thereof. Anyway, I just said I was pro-choice and that SexEd should be part of the elementary and high school curriculum.
Why? I believe that a human being who makes an informed choice ultimately chooses better. A human child who does not learn "things" from her parents or her school will learn it from other media: TV, radio, print, Hollywood, the porn industry, her friends... heck, even music! So if my daughter/son is expected to make a choice for her/himself, she/he may as damn well be informed on the choice she/he is to make.
Makes sense? Apparently not.
I have been called (among many things): a "female dog" (that's Nikka, not me!), a slanderer (what the?), a bigot (huh?), a sl*t (slot machine? Sa casino yun diba?), and a p*rn hugger (as opposed to a tree hugger, maybe?).
Cool it, people. What's with the hot heads? Dahan-dahan lang! Tandaan, habang iniipit ay lalong umiinit. Habang pinipigil, lalong nang-gigigil.
Ampf...
@>-;------
"But that's not an invitation; that's all I get
If this is communication, I disconnect...
...and I hold the record for being patient
With your kind of hesitation..."
@>-;------
On the subject of choice... I choose not to choose since a choice is not called for. We can be as we are, we can do as we did, we can be as we were. No questions asked. None yet anyway.
As I said on Facebook: "You have no idea of the effect you have on me. But if it were up to me, I won't let you know. Not yet, anyway."
The perfect time will come... and it will be when both of us least expect it.
I know it will be perfect when the time comes. It will be worth the wait.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
RIP F.Pres Cory Aquino
It's all over the Net and the news. She joined her Creator at 3:18am today.
Rest in peace, madamme. This country's loss is great.
Rest in peace, madamme. This country's loss is great.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Do Not Disturb
Being busy strangely leaves me with a hollow silence in my head where memories resonate. While I exalt "busy-ness" as a good state to be in when I don't want to hear myself think, I found recently that despite the reports to run, specs to review and deadlines to meet my brain still has the energy to reminisce.
I miss how comparatively laid-back my old job was. After 8 manic hours with the kids, I had the late afternoon and the whole night to myself.
I miss rainy afternoons when I would choose to stay at a nearby mall, have coffee, read a book and just watch the world go by.
I miss choosing to take an FX and deliberately get myself stuck in traffic so I can people-watch while music was blasted into my ears at bone-crushing decibel levels. Listening to Rage Against The Machine while watching two drivers argue about who crashed into whose vehicle was as surreal as hearing Usher croon "I just wanna take it nice and slow" in time to a couple gobbling each other up across the aisle from me.
I miss preferring to stay at the grandstand or in the Sunken Garden after MA classes until 9 or 10 in the evening and listening to the crickets or eyeing die-hard Pele wannabes punish themselves on the lush grass.
I miss the choices I could make back then.
Right now, even my own time is no longer in my hands.
This time, the choice is no longer mine.
@>-;------
On a lighter, less serious note...
Baby Sky is thriving and is a precocious kiddo approaching the Terrible Two's. But a gorgeous child like this can throw a tantrum ANYTIME. Harhar...
Sky was born two days shy of Valentines' Day but this kiddo is full of love-o!He is still breast-fed when Mommy is at home but is forced to drink formula (which he hates) when she's not around. He prefers...get this... fresh milk and Nestle Chuckie!
Baby Sky, I can't wait to take you on your next Christmas shopping spree. Time does fly so fast, doesn't it?
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Rule Number One: Thou Shalt Proof-read!
I was going through my past entries and I saw glaring spelling and/or grammatical errors. Everyone who knows me knows how much these things irritate me. So now I am paying the price of not proof-reading my post before actually publishing the darn thing.
Oh, crapology!
Oh, crapology!
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Warranted of Arrested
Don't mind the title. It's got nothing to do with the entry.
On my other blog, the Divine Miss M! replied to my recent "second chances" rant:
"You give people second chances because when people make mistakes they learn and they become better versions of themselves. We don't always know what we are doing the first time. No school to teach us how to fall in love, how to be good lovers, how not to falter. And when we cut off from our lives people we loved, we cut off part of ourselves. And time will come when we've shaved off so many little bits that we don't recognise ourselves anymore. I know it's hard to forgive, but it's far easier to do that than live the rest of your life harbouring pain and resentment. Less baggage."
I started out replying to my aunt's comment BUT realized the reply warranted it's own entry (hence the screwed up title of this entry).
I didn't specify exactly what I was ranting about... nor did I specify who. But if we must discuss it from the POV of L-O-V-E... So we shall.
Oh but I do give second, third, fourth and even tenth chances... provided we haven't broken up yet. But once we've broken up, that's another story. Sure, all's forgiven and forgotten but I am not the type to reconcile with an ex. Once she walks away, she's history. She should've considered that before she stepped out the door.
As I've said in a previous blog on another site (hehehe), forgiveness comes to me as easy as exhaling. After all, what more can I do? The damage is done, the pain inflicted, the tears have fallen (and have dried up)... anufangavang magagawa ko dabah? But forgiveness does not equate with everything's-fine-and-dandy-let's-go-out-and-grab-a-couple-of-beers-and-maybe-rekindle-our-love! Neither does it equate with okay-we-may-no-longer-be-lovers-but-we-sure-as-heck-can-be-friends.
When someone (or something, hehe) breaks my heart, kicks me in the shins, tears my soul apart, kills me softly, bloody murders me... aba, suntukan na 'to! For that person to do that to me indicates a breach of trust. Whatever respect and trust we had between us has been betrayed... and that is something I do not take lightly. Call me callous, call me a female dog, call me mean but trust is something I take very seriously. When that is destroyed, almost nothing can bring it back (I didn't say nothing...there's a 1% chance that the person can regain it). For me, to forgive means I will let go of the pain and the betrayal. I will forget that he person ever caused it. But I won't let that person come close again. Why should I? So you can do it again? Neknek mo! Ano ako, tanga?
So much for forgiveness in the POV of L-O-V-E. But forgiveness doesn't just need to happen in love. It needs to happen on an everyday basis, sometimes every minute, every second. Someone is always hurt in some way by someone else. An ego bruised, an opinion lambasted, a person stepped on (hell yeah, this happens way too many times you would think there was a prize for doing this the most number of times), a friend brushed aside, a significat other taken for granted. As REM puts it... everybody hurts. But not everyone who does the hurting realizes what they have done. Either that or they just don't give a session of aerial coitus.
Without forgiveness, think of how much emotional baggage everyone would be carrying around.
My point (and I do have one - Ellen DeGeneres) is: I forgive. A lot. Easily. Many times over. The only difference is...I learn.
On my other blog, the Divine Miss M! replied to my recent "second chances" rant:
"You give people second chances because when people make mistakes they learn and they become better versions of themselves. We don't always know what we are doing the first time. No school to teach us how to fall in love, how to be good lovers, how not to falter. And when we cut off from our lives people we loved, we cut off part of ourselves. And time will come when we've shaved off so many little bits that we don't recognise ourselves anymore. I know it's hard to forgive, but it's far easier to do that than live the rest of your life harbouring pain and resentment. Less baggage."
I started out replying to my aunt's comment BUT realized the reply warranted it's own entry (hence the screwed up title of this entry).
I didn't specify exactly what I was ranting about... nor did I specify who. But if we must discuss it from the POV of L-O-V-E... So we shall.
Oh but I do give second, third, fourth and even tenth chances... provided we haven't broken up yet. But once we've broken up, that's another story. Sure, all's forgiven and forgotten but I am not the type to reconcile with an ex. Once she walks away, she's history. She should've considered that before she stepped out the door.
As I've said in a previous blog on another site (hehehe), forgiveness comes to me as easy as exhaling. After all, what more can I do? The damage is done, the pain inflicted, the tears have fallen (and have dried up)... anufangavang magagawa ko dabah? But forgiveness does not equate with everything's-fine-and-dandy-let's-go-out-and-grab-a-couple-of-beers-and-maybe-rekindle-our-love! Neither does it equate with okay-we-may-no-longer-be-lovers-but-we-sure-as-heck-can-be-friends.
When someone (or something, hehe) breaks my heart, kicks me in the shins, tears my soul apart, kills me softly, bloody murders me... aba, suntukan na 'to! For that person to do that to me indicates a breach of trust. Whatever respect and trust we had between us has been betrayed... and that is something I do not take lightly. Call me callous, call me a female dog, call me mean but trust is something I take very seriously. When that is destroyed, almost nothing can bring it back (I didn't say nothing...there's a 1% chance that the person can regain it). For me, to forgive means I will let go of the pain and the betrayal. I will forget that he person ever caused it. But I won't let that person come close again. Why should I? So you can do it again? Neknek mo! Ano ako, tanga?
So much for forgiveness in the POV of L-O-V-E. But forgiveness doesn't just need to happen in love. It needs to happen on an everyday basis, sometimes every minute, every second. Someone is always hurt in some way by someone else. An ego bruised, an opinion lambasted, a person stepped on (hell yeah, this happens way too many times you would think there was a prize for doing this the most number of times), a friend brushed aside, a significat other taken for granted. As REM puts it... everybody hurts. But not everyone who does the hurting realizes what they have done. Either that or they just don't give a session of aerial coitus.
Without forgiveness, think of how much emotional baggage everyone would be carrying around.
My point (and I do have one - Ellen DeGeneres) is: I forgive. A lot. Easily. Many times over. The only difference is...I learn.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Happy Hearts Day!
I'm not very fond of flowers... It's a known fact (quite an obvious one looking at my curves - too much of them in one place!) that I would rather get chocolates. No, it's not because of the line "Ang babae ay parang bulaklak. Huwag mong pipitasin kung sisirain mo lang" from A Love Story (though I believe it makes sense). I also do not celebrate V-day. In my mind, it is a shallow commercially-driven waste of resources. But I am still a girl and I still get lovestruck sometimes. Who can resist coming home after a long stressful Friday the 13th in the office to find a boquet of roses on top of the fridge? (A digression, my current apartment is so tiny that my bedroom doors opens up to the fridge) Never mind that I am not fond or roses. Never mind that roses (in my narrow-minded, selfish opinion) are my least favorite cliche...errrr, flowers. It's the thought that counts! The color isn't so bad too. At least they're not red!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Happy First Birthday, Baby SKY!
I look forward to holding you in my arms and sharing a meal with you again. My treat! I love you, Baby SKY! =)
Saturday, February 7, 2009
When It's O-V-E-R...
... That's the time I fall in love again.
So goes the song... but, but, BUT it doesn't work that way for me.
When it's over, it's really over. There are no second chances. Do it right the first time. Every time.
Why go for second chances when the chance has been given? Would it be my fault that you screwed up that chance? Would I be so mean to not grant you a second chance?
I do not believe in second chances. If you could have done it right, you should have done it right the first time around.
So... NO. No second chances. Why should I afford you that when I don't even allow myself that luxury? Ano ka, swerte?!?
P.S. (On a totally unrelated note): Rest in peace, Anabel.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
A Portent of D-O-O-M
A few minutes into the New Year, I had my first portent of doom: this will NOT be a good year for me. I just k-n-o-w it. Well, the doomsayer said "I just know it."
But what the hey! I've been told many times at various points in my life that I had only a few weeks to a few months of my (dreary) life left to live. What can I say, ang masamang damo ay mahirap kitlan ng lifeness. Hehehehe... So my apologies to those who hate me with every fiber of their being. I'm here to stay. Live with it... for a few more months or so (if the latest doomsayer is to be believed).
But Anabel Bosch still has a full life ahead of her and your prayers will be instrumental in helping her live that life. I don't know her personally, only as an artist. But there is no law (by man or by God) that restricts prayers to those we know personally. Read about it HERE (and I'm sure other blog sites will have it) and get prayin'!
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