The Story of My Life (or Lack Thereof)

2011-07-10T01:54:00.001+08:00

Does everything really happen for a reason or is that just a way for us humans to attempt to comprehend something incomprehensible - the new opiate for the masses?

The Daily (Doggy) Grind: It's a Dog Eat Dog World Part 1 - Taste Test

2011-06-19T02:22:00.003+08:00

When I felt Nikka has recovered enough to be put on a real carnivore's diet, we dove in head-first. Well, she did anyway. It was into a meal of raw meaty bones (equivalent to 2% of her ideal body weight (not a very active dog to begin with - strange for a Beagle).

We started off with a quarter chicken - also her humans' favorite chicken part - the thigh and leg. The meat was ribboned and the skin scored. The leg was frozen for 24 hours then thawed in the chiller overnight and put on the counter for the ten minutes it took me to scrub her food bowl clean, sanitize her eating space, and put the whole(!) chicken slab in her dish.

At first, she gave me a look that said "Mom, have you gone insane? Where's my kibble with wet dog food?" before walking away (her siblings had all finished their kibble meals so she had nowhere to forage). A few minutes later, she came back and licked at the skin. A few more licks later, she took the first bite.

She bit, chewed and chewed and chewed then swallowed. It took her thirty whole minutes to finish her meal - she had plenty of leftovers. I was so proud of her.

I still am!

I am happier still that Deedee the Basset Girl and Hunter the Cocker Spaniel lil man have gone the Nikka way and are on RMBs now. The proud momma (yours truly) has started giving them bits of liver with their chicken. Douglas and Lilly have followed suit and I am ecstatic! Soon we're going into the uncharted territory of pork ribs, beef heart and bull pen*ses. Oh yes, you read that right!

The Daily (Doggy) Grind: How I Rue About The Chew(ies)!

2011-06-15T23:34:00.002+08:00

Because our canines are fed a kibble-based diet (this will change soon - that's a separate post altogether), they need to brush their teeth and chew on various "teeth-cleaning" chewies. And such expensive things they are!

Two "bones" made of compressed rawhide will keep two dogs busy for about half an hour - just enough to alleviate boredom. It costs 80Php or about 2USD. A dollar for each dog for half an hour of teeth-cleaning fun. Ouch.

A 6-pack of 3-inch edible chewbones costs 70Php or about 1.80USD. One pack keeps all five canines (Deedee is a chewing machine) busy for another half hour. Double ouch.

If I went to Chatuchak (a huge outdoor market in Central Bangkok), I could get both of these things for less than 1USD.

On second thought, if my canines were eating as a wild dog does, they need none of these highly-processed things! What wolf in the wild needs chewthings made with tapioca starch, guar/xantham gum, and possibly even artificial coloring? How do all these contribute to strong, shiny teeth? Heck, I even brush their teeth with enzymatic veterinary toothpaste and their breath is still "doggy"...

I really think it's time for a change!

*** Edit: All five canines - Douglas, Nikka, Hunter, Deedee and Lilly - are now on raw meat (chicken like manna from heaven!), and virtually all the deposits on their teeth are gone - except for the little bits on Nikka's and Hunter's back teeth. I still brush them to get them off.

The Daily (Doggy) Grind: Who Let The Dogs Out?

2011-06-11T14:01:00.001+08:00

I did. I have to. Twice a day. Everyday - rain or shine, come hell or high water.

(Well, maybe not high water. In that event, I'd have five dogs on leashes and life vests and we'll all be swimming for our lives!)

I need to let them out into the fresh air twice a day for their twice-daily P&P session (poo and pee, excuse me, readers who are eating as they read) plus their daily dose of R&R (romp and roam). The consequences of missing this are drastic: imagine five hyperactive dogs pissed off and bored being cooped up in a 30sqm, one-bedroom apartment.

Last weekend, the Fantastic Five were due for their afternoon walk when the rain fell hard and fast. What can two puny humans (J and I) do against the forces of nature? Nothing! So the leashes were put on and all seven of us went for a romp in the rain. I wish I had a water-proof camera to capture the moments of canine bliss.

Dogs (mine, at least), need to see the outdoors and gulp fresh air for their well-being and their humans' peace of mind. The skylight in the living room can only do so much.

So go ahead and let the dogs out... and burn a few calories in the process. Just don't forget your poop scooper!

*** update: all five dogs now eating raw! Tomorrow is their first time eating pork! Keeping fingers and toes crossed!

The Daily (Doggy) Grind: A Food Matter

2011-06-05T11:27:00.004+08:00

Who knew the subject of food would bring me, a canine Mommy, so much heartbreak and frustration? Much as any mother in any species would, I want the best nutrition for my children. I want to make sure their chow is made from wholesome ingredients that give them the nutrition they need while making sure it's free of stuff that canines can very much do without. Allergens, sub-standard materials, inferior protein sources (euthanized dogs, dead/diseased/dying/disabled animals, infected sheep placenta and stillborn calves - any takers?), unnecessary carbohydrates - these are things I do not want in my dogs' food.

So imagine my chagrin when switching my Bea-gurl Nikka (there were only two canines in our home, then) to a grain-free formula with 40% mcp (min crude protein) brought about a spike in her BUN and liver enzymes and seizures that shook the hell out of me and was misdiagnosed as distemper by another vet (NOT Doc Rommel of Pet Cradle Veterinary Clinic - the main man in our canine girls' lives hehehehe)!

What does a concerned mother do? Why, find another food source! As puppies in their respective breeders' houses, Nikka and Deedee were fed a brand we shall call OP. It is a relatively inexpensive brand (about 60 Php or USD1.50 per kilogram) that was commonly sold in every pet food store in the city. On the package, the declared mcp is anywhere from 25% to 27% - well within the 27% mcp ceiling for maintenance for dogs with liver issues.

The girls seemed to be OK on the food, until I noticed that Nikka's coat was dull and Deedee was actually losing hair. With that, I started replacing 1/10 of their daily food with a brand we will call ALSO, which has 40% mcp. Their coat condition improved, and Deedee stopped waking up with her blinkers filled with eye boogers.

As I researched deeper into the ingredients of these dog foods, I realized that most inexpensive brands used cheap grains that no dog in its right mind would consume, let alone need: corn, brewers' rice, wheat feed and all sorts of gluten. More startling, even the more expensive dog food brands contain this stuff too. Wait a minute, aren't dogs carnivores? What are all these carbohydrate sources doing in my dogs' chow? Won't my pups just be pooping this out after the stuff travels their GI tract and probably irritating it too? Carnivores, such as dogs, need glucose as all mammals do but not necessarily from dietary carb sources, yes? They don't really need it in their diet since they can make glucose from fat and protein, right?

It disturbs me, too, that the veterinary world finds no concensus on whether or not dogs need grain (or carbohydrates from non-grain sources, for that matter) in their diet or not. We have seen generations upon generations of dogs fed grain-based dry kibble and they seem alright. But that doesn't mean these canines really NEED the grain, right?

I studied human anatomy back in college for two years. I studied vertebrate anatomy for only one year, so I never got into the nitty-gritty of animal digestion and metabolism beyond the different metabolic cycles (gluconeogenesis is a new word!) and the different types of carnivores. But this is something I have been changing and will continue to change. But I know this for a fact: dogs are carnivores and should be fed carnivore-appropriate food.

Research, especially in this day and age, can be jump-started by a few mouse clicks. This has led me to many published journal articles on this matter. Let's just say I am 100% more informed now that I was last year, when Nikka started having her seizures.

In a couple of years, I will further my knowledge in animal (and not just canine) health and nutrition by going back to school. Yes, I will be entering veterinary school in a couple of years at the ripe old age of... =) Hopefully!

But for now, with the research I have seen and absorbed, I am settling for the middle ground: feeding my dogs food that stays within the recommended 27% mcp and with a low glycemic index grain.

This will change (very soon), when I feel I have seen all the information there is out there. Only then will I be able to choose what I think is the best for my canine kids. But I will say it again: my furkids are carnivores, plain and simple. Carbs - grain or not - have no place in their diets.

** Edit: I bit the bullet and put Nikka, Deedee, and Hunter on RMB's full throttle. Just didn't feed them their usual kibble for two meals (24 hours) then scored three leg-and-thigh chicken quarters and called it breakfast. Proud momma moment once more! Hyuk hyuk hyuk...

The Daily (Doggy) Grind: The Early-Morning Hours

2011-06-02T23:24:00.002+08:00

The cellphone alarm goes off at 5:40AM. I snuggle deeper into my pillow, it's too damn early and the bed is so inviting! Alas, if I don't get up now another louder alarm will wake me up a few minutes later anyway - the sound of five canines who need to go out to pee!

So it goes every morning. Mommy K needs to get up and put on requisite outside clothing (boxer shorts and sando does not an outdoor outfit make). She then needs to struggle with getting only the chosen dogs - if the girls go first, then the boys need to be made to stay inside. Vise versa if the boys go first, which is usually the (harder) case.

After a walk around the block, a few deposits of P&P have been made - scooped up, bagged, and disposed off - and Mommy K is ready to head back to get the next batch of canines.

She then needs to measure out five portions of dog food - each of a different weight and food combination (in case of the youngest, who still eats puppy chow) - into five different food bowls, top with a dollop of warmed canned dog food and mixed like Beef Pepper Rice.

Each bowl on the floor, the struggle is an old one - how to ensure no dog eats off his brothers' or sisters' share. It's madness; it's chaos - exacerbated by times when the youngest boy or the middle girl refuse to eat - the need to hand-feed is imminent!

After the Great Chow-scapade, Mommy K washes the gravity waterer and refills with another 1.5gallons of agua . That's just enough to last these five bundles of energy about ten hours - the time between Mommies leaving for work and returning home.

While Mommy K attends to the kids' (pups' ?) nutrition, Mommy J sets about making sure the floor is clean of any drool, spilled food or misplaced pee (yes, that does NOT belong on the floor, dear canine).

This is a snapshot of our Early Morning Hours... and while we do this 7 days a week, we Mommies would never trade it for anything in the world.

*** Edit: That's just two bowls of dog food now. Nikka, Deedee and Hunter are now on RMB's (raw meaty bones) starting with chicken quarters. Yum! You should see them crunching on them chickies like it was their job! Proud momma moment!

Meet our Fantastic Five: Lilly

2011-05-28T09:00:00.001+08:00

Allyson Natasha was the last of five siblings who were born three days shy of Christmas in 2010. The smallest of the litter, she also has the most distinctive look - as if she'd been sparring with Manny Pacquiao and he got one on her. A true-blue aspin (short for asong Pinoy - literally Filipino Dog), she is most of the time mistaken to be a mix of bulldog, fox hound, Jack Russel Terrier and Beagle! Wha....?

Our bunso (youngest child) is her own dog, with a sweet shyness and a spark of mischief in her hazel eyes. She bullies her ates (older sisters) and kuyas (older brothers) when the fancy strikes her - and I'm not sure if it's her age or her cuteness that lets her get away with it.

She learned the command "sit" at warp speed at just three months of age. Though she lacks self-confidence and would rather not go out on walks with her mommies and siblings, she has the time of her life when loafing around the house with her canine siblings.

Meet our Fantastic Five: Deedee

2011-05-24T09:01:00.003+08:00

Aiesha Nadyne, our 19kg Basset Hound who thinks she is a 9lb lapdog, forced her way out of Pin (her dam) on the same date my parents got married in church - May 24. Today, this huge clown of a dog is one year old and is as naughty as ever.

A true alpha female she, who dominates even her ate Nikka, has no qualms about stealing attention from the canine we are currently cuddling. Like a true hound, she chows on anything in sight - plastic bags are not an exception. Despite this, she is the healthiest of our five furbabies.

Her energentic tailwag and loud voice are the first to greet any new arrivals into our home - followed a split-second later by soft but huge paws on the upper thighs (or knees, depending on the newcomer's height) and frenzied face-licks as soon as one leans down to pet her.

Soft and cuddly, this living stuffed toy is a joy to snuggle up to if one doesn't mind the confetti of hair left on every available body surface.

Meet our Fantastic Five: Hunter

2011-05-22T20:57:00.001+08:00

This buff hairball breathed his first on the first of August 2009. My memories of him as a puppy are his soft paws, riotous fur and his near-death experience due to Parvo.

Our little survivor is now a big bully at home, daring to hump his kuya Douglas who is 25% heavier than he is. He is our all-in-one alarm clock, cuddly toy, burglar alarm, and baying machine. One bark from a dog within earshot and he is off joining the chorus.

This small dog with great looks walks like a dog on a mission, which my brother calls a "mad dash". Solitary walking (just me and Hunt) has curbed his mad-dash tendecies and we can enjoy our twice-daily walks at a leisurely pace.

Meet our Fantastic Five: Nikka

2011-05-20T08:52:00.000+08:00

Annikka Nicolette came into the human world on June 24, 2009. J and I decided to have her after a phone conversation. She was at home; I was in High Street with Douglas.

I came home to the cutest Bea-gurl I have ever laid my eyes on. This mischievous prima donna quickly won us over, depsite her sharp puppy teeth and noisy baying. Admittedly, J and I never got to enjoy her puppyhood, something we are still making up for.

Nikka is the ultimate VelcroDog. She goes where the humans are and would nudge us with her muzzle until we either scold her or give in to her demands for a head-scratching. While she does not enjoy the boar-bristle brush as much as her kuya, she will never say no to a belly rub or a scratch behind the ears.

She is the most aloof Beagle I have ever met. While she is a bundle of energy, there are times when I'm convinced she is almost feline. Also, she is not the typical chowhound that most dogs her breed are. She is extremely picky with her food... and she eats the strangest things. Sampaloc-eating dog, anyone?

This sweet little Bea-gurl is one of the reasons why J and I are celebrating our 5th year as a couple this year =)

Meet our Fantastic Five: Douglas

2011-05-16T20:49:00.000+08:00

Douglas was whelped March 13, 2009 - which makes him our eldest child. Before he came into our household, he was pretty much my baby too, as I would tag along to take him walking at High Street whenever I can. It was also because of his adorable face that I decided I wanted a Bea-gurl as my eldest dog (hence, Nikka - but that's a separate story).

Doug, Douglas, Dugam, Dayam, Progs, Prugam - he is a typical member of the family in that he has as many nicknames as the people who call him. He enjoys leisurely walks in the daytime and the evening. He doesn't bark much, and his current hobby is trying to hump his brother Hunter, or his sister Nikka. He doesn't dare try it on Deedee and Lilly.

He likes belly rubs, being groomed with his boar-hair brush, and he eats like there's no tomorrow. Coming from a diet, he is now a solid 15kg, which we plan to bring up to 18kg before we maintain.

This (big) round bundle of sweet canine mushiness makes a good bedmate... if only he doesn't shed too much!

Lost In Translation

2011-04-30T06:20:00.000+08:00

I just finished 60 hours of Korean Language classes.

I think the next time I set foot on Seoul (or any other Korean city, for that matter), I won't be the bumbling English-speaking idiot who knows only how to say "Hello", "Thank you" and "How much is this?"

In the meantime, I will pester all my Korean team members to speak in their native tongue when conversing with me... at half-speed. Their normal speech just leaves me befuddled and I catch only 20% of what they say.

So for now, 안녕히 계세요!

What Remains In The Past

2011-04-28T00:34:00.001+08:00

Like 99.9% of the population on Earth, I have a past. Of course that past is filled with people who, at one point or another, shared my mundane existence with me.

Lately, I noticed that more than a few of them have reappeared. Most of them, I am more than glad to reconnect with.

They're from all corners of the globe (does a sphere have corners?) but at some point in time, our lives intersected. Now, further down the time-space continuum (in a galaxy far, far away), we've done it again.

By not keeping in touch for the past decade or so, we've missed out on that time's worth of friendship - so many potential memories. So there's nothing better to do than catch up with each other's lives, yes?

Life's too short.

In Defense of J

2011-04-24T00:32:00.001+08:00

In September, it will be five years old. "It" being my relationship with J.

In the beginning, nobody was happy for us. Especially my family, first and foremost my mother. At that time, I couldn't understand why they were so opposed to it. Aren't they happy their eldest daughter got out of an unhealthy relationship and moved on to something that just might be for life?

J takes care of me, puts my own happiness first, makes sure I am healthy. J indulges my idiosyncrasies, puts up with my temper, lets me go at it with my bad habits. J is my greatest strength. J is my greatest weakness.

When J and I met, I was an empty shell - alive on the outside, dead on the inside - having just emerged from a nowhere-bound relationship. J had just gotten out of a shitty romance. J and I found each other; we fought for what we had.

I has been five years (almost)... and in defense of J, whom most still think is unfit for me, this I will say: J has given me my reason to live again. So anyone who wishes me dead can just wish J and I never met.

But we did, and I am here to stay. Deal with it.

Goodbye 2010

2011-01-02T09:46:00.002+08:00

The weather has been generally wonderful for the past week: cloudy, gloomy, overcast with a few periods of light drizzle.

I've had good times, mostly. The ducks, the dogs, Jen and I spent both holidays with my parents and siblings. Food - and lots of it. Long talks with my siblings, mostly deep into the night. Interacting with my Dad, whom I get to see so infrequently.

For the first time in 5 years, Jen spent New Year's Eve with me and my family.

Nadyne shaked like a leaf in the minutes leading up to and a few minutes after the midnight firecracker spree.

Nikka was nonchalant; it's her second time to be exposed to such decibel levels.

Happy 2011, everyone. Here's to wishing it will be kinder than 2011. May we all find what we're looking for.

Just to let you know...

2010-12-02T22:59:00.001+08:00

I

HAVE

SUCCUMBED.

Yun lang po. *bow*

The (not-so) Secret

2010-11-07T21:30:00.004+08:00

My friend, Gee, told me a story one day. Her officemate, Girl R, is a stunner. Tall, slim, doll-faced... with a legion of guys (and an occasional girl) lusting after her and asking to court her - she has declined each and every time. That's because she has a boyfriend since high school, Guy Q - not bad looking but not good looking either. Recently, Guy Q broke up with Girl R... because Guy Q is seeing someone on the side. In Gee's words: "Kung sino pa ang hindi ka-gwapuhan, sya pa ang may ibang babae" (Contextually: How come it's the not-so-good looking guys who see other women on the side?)

I think, after so many failed relationships... I have found the secret to keeping your man by your side.

It is this: Love him enough to make him feel important but not too much to make him complacent. Hold on to him tight enough to let him know he's important but not too much to smother him. Pamper him enough to make him feel special but not too much as to spoil him rotten. Lastly, make yourself available to him enough to let him know he matters... but not too much that he will take you for granted.

But who cares? I may have found the secret to keeping my man but... I, for one, don't give a crap anymore. Harharhar...

Addendum: I don't think this would apply to girlfriends... not unless your girl thinks like a guy! Wifey and I have been together for over four years and I never had to apply those things to her. I guess I have found the secret to keeping your woman by your side: be the right person for your woman, and make sure your woman is the right one for you.

Love (and Christmas) is in the air!

Pilipino Ako!

2010-10-22T20:39:00.000+08:00

I am proud to be Filipino. On the streets of my own hometown (city?), I have had my fair share of "Pinoy ka pala, akala ko Vietnamese/Thai/Japanese/Chinese/Singaporean ka!"

Granted, my eyes are a little smaller than the Pinoy norm, but I am still 100% Filipino - despite the Japanese-sounding surname, the German-sounding middle name, and the Russian-origin first and second names. I will pick bihud (fish eggs) over caviar and ikura (salmon roe) anytime... well, most of the time. Nyahehehehe...

Anyway, Jeni collect cards - playing cards, that is. Most of the decks she has are Bicycle decks and I have gifted her with numerous unique, colorful, and delightful (for me visually, for her numismatic-ally) decks over the years.

So when she told me that the Pilipinas Bicycle deck has been launched, I naturally had to pay Cutting Edge a visit to procure said collectible for my sweetheart.

The Pilipinas deck is specially made for Cutting Edge Philippines, though I'm not sure if they are the sole distributor. The back is done in violet to red degrade with yellow graphics. Three stars and a sun, done in yellow, appears in the middle of all the numbered cards while a yellow sun appears on two edges for the royals.

This deck is a good way to express your nationalistic pride... after all, you can perform kick-ass tricks on a kick-ass deck of cards and be patriotic at the same time.

All this for Php500 (around $12). Go get your own deck. NOW!!!

I have a dream...

2010-10-18T20:49:00.000+08:00

And that is to be...

*drum roll*

A housewife.

Yes, you got that right: the very thing my own mother warned me not to become. The very thing she chose to be when my younger brother was born into this world. The very thing she and my dad decided she would be to be there for our (their children's) growing years.

Momsie was on her way to a high-powered career. She was working for a multinational company, she had the brains, she had the skills, and she had that "corporate" attitude - something along the lines of "mess with me and you will rue the day your mother went into labor".

I got all that from her - my temper (more fiery and hair-trigger), my taray looks, my ease when it comes to communication (even in a language I do not speak), my razor-sharp tongue (I have made onion-skinned people cry with my normal speaking tone), and lately my "more corporate" look (up until three years ago, my style of dress is more of "collegiate" but I digress").

What I did not get from her is the "corporate dream". I never dreamed of becoming a high-powered executive, driving a luxury car (I'd prefer a pick-up truck!), toting the requisite laptop-BB-handbag combo (a laptop and a non-QWERTY phone will be a-ok), dressed to the nines (this part I can do, hehe), and living in a penthouse condo unit (a home on a farm, please).

All I want is to stay home with my dogs, my (future) kids, my (future) businesses, and keeping house. I'd like to be blogging about my day, the stuff I cook, things from the market, the latest in dogs and kids... you know, a stress-free (in the office/corporate sense of the word) kind of life.

I was home sick a few days ago and, though my body was heavy and wracked with fever with eyes burning like it had ten chili peppers in it, I found I still enjoyed doing the dishes, thinking of dinner, sweeping up the millions of hair my dogs shed, doing the laundry and mopping the floor (my latest addiction).

Momsie said, to be a housewife is to not have your own money (that's why I will put up a business) and to be a victim to routine (which is why I will keep more than one blog, and take lots of pictures). Now, more than a quarter of a century after she first said that to me, I still say I want to become what my mother is.

** Oh yes, PMS-ing!

The Food Blog is BACK!

2010-10-16T22:34:00.000+08:00

Just a short break from my random ramblings about life to say:

My food blog is up and running again! Yey!

Do come by and leave a word or two!

The Duck House

2010-10-14T00:53:00.001+08:00

As I said in my previous entry, Jeni the macho woman was going to attempt to build a house for our little duckies. So on a Sunday she came back with pieces of wood and chicken wire - which she proceeded to saw, hack, cut, hammer, and staple into a duck house.

1) With her assistant, Nadyne and a sleepy Nikka in the background 2) Nikka and Nadyne in the half-finished house

She wasn't kidding when she said she could do it. At ten pm, the last nail was pounded into wood and the little duckies had a home. The doggies liked it too!

Nadyne was very enthralled with the ducklings... the ducklings too, apparently, as they would rush over to whatever side of the house Deedee (Nadyne) was on. Congratulations, my partner in crime. Next time, build a house for us and the four babies. =)

Yes, I am still alive...

2010-10-10T16:56:00.004+08:00

Much to the delight of my one or two loyal readers, and the chagrin of my one billion and one haters. Mwahahahaha!

Whew! Jen and I just finished moving to the new house one month ago. This is an apartment about twenty minutes from my place of work and 40 minutes from Jen's. It's not the same place I last blogged about. Yep, welcome to my (crazy) life: stagnant at some point then suddenly it changes at the speed of light.

So, we moved to the apartment a month ago, about fifteen minutes away from our old apartment. The price is Php1,000 (about USD30) more than the old apartment but the floor area is 3x more. Still small but big enough for two bipeds and two medium-sized canines (just recently: to avians to the tune of Anas luzonica). I suck at area approximation but I'd say it's about 40 sqm. It's still a huge mess; we have a lot of stuff to buy, fix and install... but all in all we're happy. The dogs are happy - they have a bigger place to roam in, they have playmates (the neighbors' kids), and they have their mommies all to themselves.

Jen just came back with more than 15 feet worth of wood, three meters of chicken wire, a new hammer and a bunch of nails. She's going to make a home for our two new babies - Patricia (Patty) and Dorothy (Dotty) - the wonder-ducklings! (A digression - Jeni will make it all by herself. I can hang pictures, scrub pots and pans... and mop the floor till kingdom come but I can and never will take up such a project. Jeni, my wifey, the macho woman! Hardeeharhar...)

We aren't actually sure what their genders are BUT we're hoping both are girls. I will be hard pressed to change their names to masculine if we're wrong. Patricio and Doroteo, anyone?

Anyhoo...

On the work front... hmmm, let's just say that I don't have much of a life outside work these days and that I spend more time at work than I do at home. Let's talk about more pleasant things, yes?

On the food front: I'm going to revive my food blog! Hurray! Since food is my biggest obsession and my greatest (non-living form of) happiness, it only makes sense for me to document and write about my best stress-reliever, yes? So I hope this is one thing that will become a reality really soon. I can imagine all the yummy pics (Bradir will teach me how to take good pictures, hopefully), the belly-busting meals (Jeni, my sisters and mom will help me chow down, that's for sure), and the trips to far-flung places in search of culinary satisfaction. Yowzah!

Another thing that I'm cooking up (that I hope will become a reality in about a year's time) is a store... I 've done two pilot runs (one successful, the other one less so) that convinced me that 1) it's possible, but 2) I need to prepare and study and polish my plans more. So yeah... despite everything that's happening in my life, I still have plans of adding more stuff to crowd my already crazy schedule. I'm masochistic that way, harrrr...

So yeah, I just wanted to check in to assure my two or three loyal readers that YES, I AM STILL ALIVE! So I will still be blogging about once or twice a week... and more frequently on my food blog. I HOPE!

2010-08-12T23:47:00.000+08:00

It's a rainy day today. I do love rainy days. I love how the world seems to be washed clean by the angry droplets from the sky.

What I don't like is the occasional flood and the devastation it brings - but that's not a usual occurence.

We're moving house (again) early next month so I'm frantically trying to fit so many things in the 24 hours I have all day: work, overtime work, packing up the stuff in the apartment, walking Nikka (we walk regardless of the weather), fixing stuff in the destination house, QT with the family, and sleep.

Aaaah, sleep. Such a luxury I can't seem to afford lately, especially since my commute has again been extended from a mere 10 - 20 minutes (with the worst traffic) to a mind-boggling 1 - 1.5 hours (traffic nonwithstanding). My weekends aren't exactly sleep-conducive either, as I usually have overtime work to do... plus cleaning up the from-location and to-location.

Until this move is completed, I may never get enough Z's. On second thought... until we move again to a location near the office, where the girls have a garden to frolic in, I doubt "enough sleep" will be in my list of top-ten things I do daily.

Now I'm having second thoughts if I really want a (human) baby...

48 hours down, 48 hours to go...

2010-07-24T01:05:00.002+08:00

The plane left at 9:35PM on the dot. We arrived 25 minutes early. Definitely a first for me...

48 of the best hours this month, so far. 48 to go and I am getting sadder by the moment. Whenever I'm here, I never want to go back to Manila. When I'm in Manila, all I think about is the next time I come here (and eat som tam coz I'm takaw like dut...) - crazy I know but I love it here. I love this city more than I love the city I have lived in for the later half of my life.

I want to call this home but I can't.

It was not meant to be.

Just like you and me.

And so, as I need to say farewell to this beautiful city I wish were my own, I need to say goodbye to you too. You, whom I wish were my own too.

Time will heal all wounds.

Pray tell... why do I write such incoherent posts lately?

TODAY (Day 11): Realization...

2010-04-10T14:45:00.003+08:00

But we all know that life is unfair; we don't always get what we want...

Image from this site.

You Were Saying?!?

2010-03-31T11:45:00.001+08:00

ONE: Do you love me today?

TWO: Bakit naman "today" lang? Lagi naman kitang mahal...

ONE: It's only today that matters to me. Hindi naman natin alam kung may bukas pa tayo eh. Our "today" is the only time we have that we are certain is really ours.

TWO: What do you mean by that? Love mo ba ako today tapos bukas hindi na? Bukas ba iiwan mo na ako?

ONE: Hindi sa ganun. Hindi natin alam, baka bukas masagasaan ako ng tren. Baka bukas mabangga ako ng truck, maholdap at masaksak, atakihin sa puso sa stress, hindi na magising...

TWO: Kaya nga nag-iingat diba? Para sigurado tayong may bukas pa tayo para magmahalan?

ONE: Hindi din kasiguraduhan yun... pag oras mo na, oras mo na.

TWO: Nakakalungkot naman isipin.

ONE: Wag mo nang isipin... dadating yan kung kelan dapat. It's a matter of "when", not "if". So... do you love me today?

TWO: Yes, I love you today. I loved you yesterday and every day before that since the day I realized it. I will love you tomorrow and every day I will live thereafter.

ONE: That sounds so nice... but we don't know that either... As long as you love me today, I'll be ok. That's enough for me.

60 Minutes for Mother Nature!

2010-03-27T20:32:00.004+08:00

All right everyone!

THIS IS IT! Let's turn off our lights...

Well, locking the door, lighting a few candles and getting under the sheets is purely optional.

Harharhar...

There's A Fine, Fine Line...

2010-03-21T15:14:00.002+08:00

Yes, I saw Avenue Q with Paolo the other night. Aside from singing along like two 3-year olds in front of Sesame Street (with nudity and foul words), I also felt like sticking a knife between my ribs hearing this song again after ten million years... Okay, two years.

This is a song by Kate Monster after Princeton dumps her to find his purpose (ugh, I do hate that word). Emphasis 100% mine...

There's a fine, fine line between a lover and a friend;
There's a fine, fine line between reality and pretend;
And you never know 'til you reach the top if it was worth the uphill climb

There's a fine, fine line between love
And a waste of time

There's a fine, fine line between a fairy tale and a lie;
And there's a fine, fine line between "You're wonderful" and "Goodbye."
I guess if someone doesn't love you back it isn't such a crime,
But there's a fine, fine line between love
And a waste of your time

And I don't have the time to waste on you anymore.
I don't think that you even know what you're looking for
For my own sanity, I've got to close the door
And walk away...

There's a fine, fine line between together and not
And there's a fine, fine line between what you wanted and what you got.
You gotta go after the things you want while you're still in your prime...

There's a fine, fine line between love
And a waste of time

I sure hope you're not wasting my time as I am making sure I'm not wasting yours. Coz that would suck...

This Is Why I Hate Math...

2010-03-08T22:08:00.004+08:00

Through the years, my Math teachers always had that great power to inflict pain on me. All they had to do was start with: "If A = B and B= C, then A = C"... Give me a few seconds and my brows furrow in irritation. A few more minutes and my skin starts to blister. A couple more minutes and I'll run screaming out the door where uniformed attendants are waiting to strait-jacket me and tie me to a front-row desk. Okay... the last two sentences were just in my over-active imagination, but am sure you get the picture.

So, on the topic of "If A=B... " ek-ek.-ology.. this is my opinion: If someone is important to you, you don't necessarily love him/her. But if you love someone, it is automatic that he/she is important to you. Agree?

I, for one, definitely do. Of course I would not have written those words for someone had I not believed them in the first place. But yes, I do believe that loving someone immediately elevates that person's importance in your life by 100 steps.

So... I would much rather be loved than to be deemed important (a digression: politics was never one of my aspirations. I'd rather be loved than to be made important. You know, love is all that matters and all that crap...), that much is true. But I do wish I would be loved enough to be deemed important.

A is not always equal to C.

TODAY (Day 10): Words Are Never Enough

2010-02-20T13:53:00.004+08:00

Still, they're all I have left.
They will have to do...

Image from this site

Relasyones Chuvaness!

2010-01-21T20:37:00.003+08:00

From Facebook:

"... a successful relationship requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. Always with the same person, but deeper and deeper everytime. Each time on a whole new level you together open in love and discover the truth of your beloved anew. There is no limit to the beauty of your beloved. If you think you've reached the end, stop generalizing."

Awww gawd...

Well, what if the relationship in itself is something that your family and society in general frowns upon? What if it is something God forbids?

What...ever!

TODAY (Day 9): Error!

2010-01-16T11:48:00.003+08:00

I promised myself I won't make the same mistake twice.
I'm doing what I can.
Please, let me...

Image from this site

Day 23: Sawasdee Kha, Bangkok... Day 24: Mabuhay, Manila

2010-01-11T16:39:00.003+08:00

Day 23: The Three Little Pigs fell asleep at 4am. Dad woke us up at 7:00am and we were in Lumpini Park by 7:45am. We took lots of pictures in the park, which I realized, has a Burnham Park meets UP Diliman Academic Oval vibe.

As the sun rose, the temperature went higher and we indulged in a little bit of guava juice and lots of time in the playground. Pictures to follow on FaceBook. Friends-only though...

On our way back home, we passed by a vendor near the Zuellig World building selling cakes. One type had green "cream" while another had white. Four greens plus four whites went for twenty baht. Twenty freaking baht! Try getting them in a Thai resto here in Manila and you'll pay 70 to 100 baht for four measly pieces! Argh! Anyway, the takoh cakes here in Manila are usually reminiscent of maja blanca - with corn bits embedded in the cake. The ones I got in Bangkok had either yam (green "cream") or some sort of sweetened root crop (white "cream" - texture similar to singkamas).

For lunch, Popsie and The Three Little Pigs went down the street from the condo for some kai yang (roasted chicken -we had one leg/thigh and 8 wings), sticky rice in a woven basket and somtam (salad of shredded unripe papaya tossed with fish sauce, sugar, water, lime juice, tomatoes and dried shrimps) that we requested: mai sai prik - do not put chili. I learned the hard way that asking for anything to be "little spicy" is not a safe bet... "a little' is relative!

Passing by Manang's store, we bought a few limes and a couple of potatoes... for my afritada It would've been a success except that Thai tomato sauce was sour to the max, so I ended up having to add sugar and butter to make the afritada seem less like chicken pickles! Harharhar...

Before dinner, Sissy and I headed back to Ete at the Silom Complex for my last hurrah at cookie dough ice cream. Unfortunately they didn't have it so I settled for a duo of Nutella and Green Tea (both tasted what they should taste like: Nutella and Green Tea) while Sissy had a duo of Mocha Crunch (fantastic!) and Bannofi (not too good - the banana component was too artificial).

At 8:30pm, we left for the airport. Nobody was in tears! Instead, we were laughing and joking with each other all the way from the cab until I went into Immigration at 10 minutes before 11pm. In between, I had to remove the shampoo and body wash I packed because I was two kilos overweight. Had I known they were not going to weight my check-in luggage... I would have packed my check-in to ten kilos then stuffed the shampoo and body wash into my check in luggage! Durnit! Anyway, we stayed near the edge of the airport by the convenience store joking around, taking pictures, teasing each other and generally having a good time!

My flight was delayed by 15 minutes (not bad), before which Doc Ceccz asked me if I wanted to join her and Rei at Prov... errr? Hehehe... I teared up when the plane began to move into position for take-off. I slept on and off for two hours (first hour, I ate and read the bible), waking up only when the pilot announced our final descent to Manila. I teared up again... I was back in Manila... whether I liked it or not!

Jen and Joc were at Terminal 3 to pick me up when I got out at 5:20am. Between plane, luggage pickup and immigration (ghost town), it took me a little over ten minutes and I was in a cab home. We deposited my stuff at home, got the stuff for Jen's family then sped over to Caloocan via LRT. I played with Nikka (my, she's gotten huge!) then slept like the dead. Woke up a few hours later and had early dinner/late lunch of mechado that Jen requested especially for the day (thanks Mama F!).

Back at home, I sorted my purchases into their respective laundry piles then promptly fell back asleep. Kyx arrived at around 11pm with... dyaraaan! A huge bouquet of stargazers and purple lilies! Beautiful (but so huge... in his words, pang-Miss Universe)! Calla lilies na lang,kumpleto na ang favorite flowers ko! Hahahaha... He and Momsie made chika for a while. In the meantime, I watched CSI: New York! (KJ, yes, I know!)

So there... am back in Manila... whether I like it or not! I'd like to go back... In time for Song Kran, I hope!

Day 22: My Last Hurrah... Blue Pill, Please!

2010-01-08T21:18:00.003+08:00

I'm still in denial that yesterday was my last full day in Bangkok (and later, the last time I'll be sleeping in this house for this trip) so I woke up a little later than usual. I even logged on to my work email, answered emails, posted documents and other such work-related things. I also made lunch (ginisang giniling and buttered veggies - snowpeas, carrots and baby corn), which Dad was unable to eat coz he had an 11am to 12nn meeting (I can relate).

After lunch, I washed plates, poked around FaceBook, lurked in a few blogs... then took a bath. A few minutes before Sissy and I were to leave for Central World, the heavens opened up and cried for me. Aaaawwww, I know how it feels! I really hate to leave.

The rain abated at 4pm and on to the BTS - Sala Daeng station Sissy and I went (Sis opted to stay home and sleep). We got off at the Siam station and walked to Central World. We got Bro's Skullcandy Asym earphones in white then stopped by Gelate on the second floor. We had blackberry (nicely sweet and tart but full of those gosh-darned seeds!) and vanilla bean! Yum!

We took the BTS back to Sala Daeng and went on to Body Shop at Silom Complex. On our way out, we spotted Ete - a shop that claims to sell home-made ice cream. Being ice cream, monsters, Sissy and I sat down to Mint Chocolate Chip and Rookie Rocky (rocky road meets cookies and cream). We had originally wanted Cookie Dough and Bannofee but they were out of stock. I'm still gonna try tomorrow, even if it means being late for my flight! Harhar...

Popsie and the Three Little Pigs sat down to a dinner of lunch leftovers plus kai thot from my favorite vendor on Convent - I'll miss those guys! After dinner... more ice cream! Dad finished off the quart of Rum Raisin from Swensen's while Sis and I tried but failed to conquer the Midnight Brownies. Partida, I ate almost a quarter of a whole papaya before I even started on the ice cream!

Plans for tomorrow include: jogging at Lumpini Park in the morning (I also want to take pictures in one of the park's many playgrounds), lunch at the kai yang place on Convent, a trip to Ete for Cookie Dough ice cream, and an early lunch at Manong English along Convent. But you know what they say about plans: they're but plans till they actually happen!

Goodnight, guys! See you in Manila!

*sigh*

TODAY (Day 8): Expectation is a BITCH!

2010-01-08T03:17:00.003+08:00

I'm sorry. I was looking for something in you, and when I couldn't find it, I tried looking for it elsewhere. I forgot that this is what loving you is about: accepting you for what you are and despite what you're not. I hope it's not too late...

Image from FaceBook

Day 21: Denial, (something better than) Dreyer's and Dinaldalem

2010-01-08T00:35:00.006+08:00

Today is my second to the last day in beautiful Bangkok. I was full of plans: wake up early, check out the shops on one of the satellite streets along Thanon Silom (and buy a few things, of course), do the laundry, cook lunch, whisk my sisters to Central World for gelato and a little bit of retail therapy, come home and make dinner, have some Swensen's ice cream then do another circuit of Thanon Silom in the night time.

But something unexpected happened: I opened my office mail and answered a few messages. Then a few more. Another one here and a couple more there... Before I knew it, it was 4 in the afternoon and I wondered where the day had gone.

In the interest of fairness, I was able to do one load of laundry (Sissy went to the laundromat with me), made lunch (just fried a few pieces of chicken and asked Sissy to get some pad thai from Momsie's favorite vendor along Thanon Convent), cooked dinaldalem for dinner, hung the laundry out to dry, got ice cream to go from Swensen's, and went on the Silom circuit.

I get asked this a lot: what's dinaldalem? When I was in high school (senior year), my roomie brought a dish with pork strips, pork liver and potatoes (P-cubed, yeah huh?) and I immediately exclaimed, "wow, dinaldalem!" to which my roomie (Lani, it was, who hails from Bataan) replied, "higado yan". Right... same dish, different names. In Ilocano, dalem is liver. So the dish literally means "liver-ed" or "cooked with liver". Traditionally, when a pig is slaughtered, some of the better parts of the pig are taken and sliced (still warm, ugh!) then cooked in a big pot with strips of liver, garlic, vinegar, salt (or fish sauce/patis) and cracked black pepper. Imagine adobo with patis instead of salt and you get dinaldalem. I ate it a lot growing up: my Mom's version, another by my Nanay (Mom's mom), another by my Mommy (Dad's mom), or by one of Nanay's siblings (they're all great cooks. Must have inherited that gene... eherm!). But I have a secret: I have never tried cooking it until yesterday.

According to my Popsie (who has eaten more than twenty versions of the dish), it is good and spicy. Ooops, I may have gotten a little heavy-handed on the ground black pepper but what the hey! It was edible and, I must admit, quite nice. The pork was tender and the chicken liver (my favorite kind of liver, besting even foie gras) was cooked just right. I think I'll be making this dish a few more times in the next few weeks (in Manila, though. *sigh* ) to perfect it. Harharhar...

Before we had dinner, we went to Watson's at C.P. Tower on Thanon Silom - a couple of buildings away from Dad's office - to pick up a few toiletries for my sisters. It was also having a sale, so all the better! We met up with Popsie at the store then went over to Swensen's on the lower ground floor. Swensen's is an ice cream parlor and is (according to the impression I got, anyway) a local brand. Thais are very loyal to their local brands, which may explain why the branches I see are usually packed. They're also very common here. To date I have counted at least five branches all over the places in the city (C.P Tower on Silom, Central World on Ratchadamri, Siam Paragon, Platinum Mall and MBK) that I have visited.

I was expecting to get a tall glass with three or four flavors but Dad suggested getting a quart (149 baht) or two (249 baht) to go. Being a sucker for all things frozen and creamy (and delicious), I went for the two-for-249 promo. We got Rum Raisin and Midnight Brownies. After placing your order, they hand-scoop the stuff into plastic quart container, wrap them up in aluminated (as in, lined in aluminum?) paper bags with their red and silver logo all over - with a few pieces of dry ice. The packaging is so cute! Efficient too, with an added bonus of watching your toilet bowl bubble and spew smoke for a good five minutes when you dispose of the dry ice (we live about five minutes away - on foot - so the pieces were more or less intact). Just remember to turn on the vent!

What can I say? The texture was beautiful... too dense to be ice cream but too light to be gelato, it was creamy and smooth - melting almost as soon as it hits the tongue and coats the mouth with a film of flavor that's so... there! The Rum Raisin packs a punch - the rum assails your taste buds (not too strong - for me anyway, as I love big flavors) then mellows out to let the velvety vanilla shine through. When all the cold ice cream melts away, you're left with whole pieces of rum-soaked golden raisins to munch on. Perfection!

A contrast to the in-your-face flavors of the Rum Raisin was the stealthy-but-oh-so-sinfully-good oral attack (that somehow sounded so wrong!) of the Midnight Brownies. The first spoonful makes you go, "hmmm... chocolate. Brownie bits. Quite good" that progresses to " Ah, maybe a darker sort of milk chocolate. The brownie chunks are so moist!" and culminates in a " ... a creamy dark-but-milk-chocolate. Velvety chocolate. Oustanding brownies... Must eat more. More! MORE!" by the fifth spoonful. It's a trap, a flavor that holds on and doesn't let go until the last spoonful. Such eating pleasure! Chocolate bliss or Buddha-hood, you decide.

The texture reminds me of Dreyer's but smoother and creamier. The flavors are bigger... and I wish I started eating my way through their menu the moment I arrived. Woe is me. Lesson learned. Day 1: eat ice cream at Swensen's after lunch. Dinner, have gelato at Central World. Repeat until my visa expires. Harhar...

After indulging in two-days worth of calories in ice cream, Sissy and I went on a circuit on Thanon Silom. Our usual route is: right to Silom from Convent, straight until right before Rama IV, cross Silom to get to the other side (yes, the side where Thanon Pat Pong is - with the ping pong show. Harhar...), walk on until a little past United Center then cross again, go back along Silom until Convent. Then Walk on to convent to Soi Phi Pat 2 para makauwi ng bahay. In that short stretch of sidewalk we covered (took as an hour, since we were browsing the merchandise, of course), we bought: three fabulous watches and a couple of pairs of high-heeled shoes. And we spent less than 800 baht. Happiness!

At Liberty Square (Silom corner Convent), we saw Khun Chao with his roti cart. While he was making my usual roti with egg, we asked him what time he packs up to go home (he's usually in front of our condo at 6pm then he moves to Liberty Square at around 8pm) and were shocked when he replied "3 in the morning". I'm going to miss him and his yummy roti.

For those who keep asking, roti is "bread"... but this specific product is not of the baked sort. It starts out as a supple ball of dough soaking in what I think is a sort of flavored oil(midway between the size of a tennis ball and a golf ball). Khun Chao whacks it on the greased surface of his cart, which he pulls and shapes until it is paper thin and about 12 inches in diameter. He then sets this afloat on a puddle of oil in the middle of a 16-inch hotplate (bowled in the center to hold the oil). After three seconds, he cracks open an egg onto the roti dough and spreads it around, allowing it to cook in less than seven second. He then folds the sides over until he forms a square. This is then flipped over and a dollop of margarine is added. He allows both sides to brown, drains it for a few seconds on a rack before placing it on a chopping board. It is chopped into sixteen bite-sized squares, loaded onto a piece of stiff paper, drenched in condensed milk, crowned with granulated white sugar and poked with a single wooden skewer. 18 baht will buy you this culinary wonder and I have been having it almost everyday for the past two weeks...

*sigh* I only have less than 48 hours left until I need to leave Thai soil and step on my Lupang Hinirang... I still cant decide if I'm happy about it or not.

I still don't want to go home. I wonder if the classifieds show some promise...

TODAY (Day 7): Things Haven't Changed

2010-01-07T05:03:00.004+08:00

I hope you read this... I meant for you to see it.

Image from this site

Day 20: Three More Days, More Cooking and Rain, Finally!

2010-01-07T04:34:00.005+08:00

I woke up after 9am yesterday. It has become quite a habit and I hope I don't carry it over to Manila, when I need to go back to work (argh!).

Like I said, for lunch, I just reheated the gambas I cooked the other night (made specifically for next-day consumption) and what was left of the sinigang. After lunch, I defrosted a kilo of chicken thighs (seven huge pieces) and stuck them in a marinade. For those who'd want to replicate it (this is for you, Sissy, since you love it so much), here's how I did it:

Wash the chicken thighs and clean out the butts if they're still stuck on there. Get a gallon-size Ziplock bag - make sure it's clean! Into the bag, pour in about four tablespoons of good patis (fish sauce), the juice of three limes (the tiny Thai ones) and about a teaspoon of ground black pepper. Smoosh around to mix then toss the chicken pieces in. Burp as much air from the bag as possible and seal. Smoosh the chicken around to ensure even distribution. Store in the chiller section of your fridge while it marinates. If the chicken pieces are a bit thick, score on the non-skin surface to facilitate cooking.

Heat up a bit of oil in a non-stick pan, about 1/8 inch deep. Heat up to 160 degrees Celsius (at least that's what the induction cooker says the temp is). Pat the chicken pieces with a paper towel to get rid of excess marinade (don't be tempted into allowing it to drip into the hot oil, it won't add flavor. It'll just burn due to the sugars from the lime, trust me) then place it skin-side down on the hot oil. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the skin browns and crisps up. Lower the temperature to 130 degrees Celsius and flip the piece of chicken. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until juices run clear.

Ideally, the meat should stay in the marinade overnight. The first four pieces that I cooked for dinner last night stayed in the marinade for less than four hours but was already flavorful. The last three pieces should taste better for lunch later (paired with pad thai from Mom's favorite vendor on Thanon Convent. Must remind her - mai sai prik!) and I can't wait!

I also reheated the last of the chop suey (discovered the survivors in a microwaveable container at the rear-most reaches of the fridge) with some of the broccoli I blanched earlier yesterday. Perfect!

So I didn't leave the house, as it rained several times today. Plans to go to Central World for last-minute purchases was thwarted by Mother Nature. Awww darn, I had three days left until I need to head back to Manila (aka, the Real World) and I lost one day to the rain. Ironically, I love the rain and I was glad it rained today - it was getting too warm. Still... one day lost! Oh agony! (I'm kidding, of course)

Later on today (since it's not almost 4am), I'm going to the laundromat to help the sisters load their washing. Then head out to Thanon Convent for the pad thai - must be there at 11am. Lunch hour gets crazy! After lunch, the Three Little Pigs will head out to Central World for last-minute purchases which will include (available merchandise and remaining baht willing): a baseball cap, ground coriander, microwave anti-spatter dome, and some toiletries for the sisters. Of course, a trip to Central World warrants another visit to Gelate. I wonder if their Lemon Sorbet is any good...

TODAY (Day 6): Perfection Is Relative

2010-01-06T16:00:00.002+08:00

"We are the perfect couple. We're just not in the perfect situation."

I wonder why I feel that this was made especially for us?

Image from this site

Day 19: Central World, More Cooking and Internet Failure

2010-01-06T15:40:00.003+08:00

Yesterday, I did a little bit of cooking too. Just seasoned some beautiful pork loins with salt, pepper and granulated garlic before shallow pan-frying them to just-cooked juiciness. Paired this with the last of yesterday's chop suey. Thank goodness, goodbye chop suey. Enough consumption for one year, methinks.

After lunch, the Three Little Pigs went to Big C to purchase the last of the stuff I want to bring back to Manila. After the purchases (and a pint of DQ Oreo Blizzard), we went on to Central World, which is like Shangri-La Mall (on Shaw Blvd) on steroids. A little bit of cam-whoring in the ladies' room (yeah, we are a picture-hungry lot!) and a lot of walking around, we settled into three scoops of amazing gelato at Gelate on the fourth floor. The Ferrero tasted exactly like its namesake: crushed, refrigerated and made creamier. The kiwi was like peeling, pureeing and freezing the fruit then popping it in your mouth: kiwi-flavored brain freeze! It was beautifully flecked with those tiny black seeds. The passionfruit was the best of the lot, in my opinion and Sissy's. It was appropriately sweet, tart and luscious. A perfect palate cleanser after the decadence of the Ferrero and a good follow up to the mild flavor of the kiwi. We're going back... maybe tomorrow.

When we got home, Dad was home and we cooked sinigang na ulo ng salmon with lots of shrimps. Woohoo! Popsie also defrosted the smaller shrimps by mistake, so he peeled those and I cooked up another batch of gambas for today's lunch.

After dinner, went online.. only to lose the internet at around 1am. Sucks, but no right to complain... we're only freeloading on the darn connection. So God bless whoever owns that account, hehehe. It also rained last night and I didn't realize until that moment how much I missed it. I almost ran up to the rooftop to cavort under the raindrops, but checked myself as it was 1:30am and I certainly do not want to get sick on my last couple of days here.

This morning, just heated up the gambas and sinigang for lunch. I also blanched the broccoli and asparagus for later use (purchased last Sunday, they were quickly losing freshness... sayang naman! They make for good snacking anyway). No plans for today... yet. Just more wishful thinking that I didn't have to go back to Manila.

*sigh*

Day 18: House Arrest, Chopping the Suey and Packing Up

2010-01-04T21:03:00.007+08:00

Today found me here at home... all day! I found I wasn't too sleep deprived last night so six hours of snooze time was enough for me. Woke up at 8am, and immediately went into cooking overdrive. Yes, cooking. On the menu: chop suey.

Defrost the pork? Check!
Peel the shrimps? Check!
Wash and cut up the veggies? Check!
Clean the straw mushrooms (and discard those that have gone bad since yesterday)? Check!
Slice the pork into thin strips? Check!

So into a cold pan (yes, cold. As in, no heat on the burner...) went strips of pork fat, skin on. Turned the heat up to Medium and let the fat render (ah, pork fat... smells so good!). In the meantime, bashed up and minced six cloves of garlic. Diced a good-sized onion too, shedding a few tears in the process. After a good ten minutes in the pan, I fished out the now-crispy pork, lowered the heat to low and tossed the garlic in, followed by the onions a minute later. Tossed in a good amount of patis and let that cook. Turned the heat back up to Medium, tossed in lean pork and let that cook for a good seven minutes. Added a good splash of oyster sauce and some water.

When the contents of the pan came up to a boil, I returned the cracklings, eeerrr... crisped pork strips. Dumped in the bell peppers, carrots, baby corn, asparagus, and straw mushrooms. Let that cook for four minutes (more like five, though) before tossing in the shrimp, broccoli and Chinese pechay. After two minutes, adjusted the seasoning (needed a bit of salt) and added a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce.

Et viola! Ready for lunch... unfortunately, it was a lunch made for eight people. There are only four of us here at home. All good, though. Leftovers were cleaned up at dinnertime.

So today, I didn't leave the house... not even to go down to the ground floor... I'm starting to like days like this and I don't want to go back to Manila! I don't want to go back to work! Boohoohoo...

Anyway, I repacked my stuff earlier this evening and I succeeded in fitting most of them into a couple of sports bags. The rest of my clothes will go into my hand-carried luggage. Only 1 kilo overbaggage! Hah! Blame the suitcase! Dead weight = 5 kilos! Grrrrr... On the upside, I may or may not pay for that one kilo at the airport (hey, 320 baht can still buy me a dress! Or a pair of shoes...). On the downside, I have an excuse to squeeze in a little more shopping. Uh-oh...

So tomorrow, The Three Little Pigs will go to Central World and Siam Paragon for some last-minute purchases... then the bag stuffing shall begin in earnest. Thankfully, I bought all my pasalubong yesterday and have been able to allocate luggage space for them.

Only four days to go and I will bid beautiful Bangkok sawasdee kha. I wish I didn't have to leave...

TODAY (Day 5): I Never Stopped Loving You...

2010-01-03T21:03:00.003+08:00

I will NEVER stop loving you...

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Day 17: TRO on Shopping and Overbaggage Fees

2010-01-03T20:30:00.003+08:00

Three days ago, I did a "practice" pack, wherein I pack up my stuff as I would do it a day before I leave to check how many kilos I have in excess. At that time, I was about five kilos over-baggage. So I issued myself a TRO: no more shopping for myself. The only things I will shop for are pasalubong for the peeps back in Manila.

Yeah, right!

So today, Popsie took the Three Little Pigs to the Holy Redeemer Church on Soi Ruamrudi for the 11am English service (there is a 12nn service but is conducted in Thai). Well, today is the Feast of the Epiphany and I amazingly remember what it's about. Hardeeharhar...

After the Mass, Popsie and the sisters greeted their peeps from CFC (Couples for Christ) and YFC (Youth For Christ) respectively while I browsed the tiangge that the church had going in the function hall. I was surprised to see a store selling Pinoy stuff: Ligo sardines (green and red), Lucky Me pancit canton (regular, chili and chili-mansi), and Knorr sinigang mix.

Lunch was at a carinderia behind the church. It's owned by a Thai family but the dishes they serve were 90% non-spicy. One could choose two to three viands (I had shrimp with mushroom and chicken with green beans and carrots) to be ladled over a plate of rice. Too much rice, if I may add, as I barely ate half of the serving on my plate. Gulped some ice-cold freshly-squeezed dalandan juice and I was ready for action.

We walked to the Lumpini Park station of the MRT and took it to Phra Ram 9 to get to the I.T. Mall in what I think is called CP Tower 2 (Popsie isn't so sure either). I bought a 500GB external hard drive to back-up all my files on my work machine... I don't want to risk what happened to Dada's laptop a few months ago.

After the pocket-heavy purchase (ok, it wasn't THAT expensive... I'm just bemoaning the fact that I could have bought numerous dresses, shoes and belts with the same amount. Harhar...), Popsie and the Three Little Pigs headed on to MBK. We took the MRT back to Sukhumvit station, where we got off and crossed over to the Asoke station of the BTS all the way to the Siam station. At the Siam station, we crossed over from the BTS-Sukhumvit line to the BTS-Silom line, and rode one station down to National Stadium.

At MBK, I bought shirts for all the peeps back in Manila (ouch, ang dami nun!) as well as a few foodstuffs. All that walking pooped me out, I can tell you that! So after all those purchases, the four of us headed on home via the BTS - from National Stadium to Sala Daeng station.

So now, I'm home and trying to fit all that stuff into my suitcases. Good luck to me. I'll let you know how it goes...

In the meantime, let me munch on some roti from Khun Chao so I can gain back some strength. Harharhar...

Manila, much as I miss you, I'm really not ready to come back home. But I have no choice. I'll see you in six days, durnit!

Day 16: Year 2553 and the Impending End of My Vacation

2010-01-02T21:57:00.014+08:00

No more shopping for me! As it is, with just the clothes I've worn for the past two weeks I already have ten freaking kilos in my check-in luggage. Add my recent purchases from two weeks of shopping madness, and it's up to almost twenty. That still does not include the pasalubong I need to buy within the next few days. It's final: shopping is DEAD! I have issued myself a TRO...

Did not leave the house yesterday, except to bring Mom and Bradir's bags to the driveway. Had papaya for lunch... I noticed that I have eaten tons of papaya since I got here two weeks ago. It's quickly becoming my favorite food, which is totally unexpected since I was never such a huge fan of the uber-seeded fruit. The papaya here is a deep red-orange, sweet as heck and as juicy as papayas come! At ten baht per piece (served chilled, cut into bite-size pieces and with a wooden skewer to shove each piece into your gaping maw), it's a steal!

For dinner, Mom made chicken-macaroni soup. This is my ultimate comfort food: chicken wings, liver and heart in a milky broth with chunks of cabbage and bits of carrot. Momsie made a huge batch, which I think we'll be consuming in the next few days. There's only four of us left in the house now: my dad, my two sisters and myself.

It's gonna be really quiet next weekend, am sure...

Mom and Bradir leave for Manila today... Their plane leaves Thai soil at 12:35am. Boohoohoo, not because I'll miss them, but because I'll be seeing them again in exactly seven days. Boohoohoo, not because I don't want to see them, but because a big part of me does not want to go back to Manila.

Too much confusion. Too many memories. Too many decisions to make. Too many lives affected.

True, most of my friends are there. True, my loved and beloved ones are there. True, a huge chunk of my life as I know it is there.

But that is also the exact same reason why I don't want to go back. For the past two weeks, I feel like I've started over again. In a new place I know almost nothing about, where nobody knows my name, where I've been and what I have and have not done. It's a place where almost everyone is a stranger and I am back to square one.

Why can't we do that with our lives - go back to Start, the way we do on countless videogames? Why can't we hide parts of our lives, as we could take down selected posts on our blogs? Why can't we delete certain memories, the way we can remove emails from our mail database at work? Why can't we make things to be the way we want them to be, like Photo-shopping our favorite snapshots?

Why can't I just click "Cancel" when asked to decide between A and B? What if I don't want to choose? What if I want the choice to be taken out of my hands, for once? What if I want a fresh start, not only for myself, but for the people whose lives are entwined with mine (whether by choice or by sheer circumstance) ... the people whose lives I have damaged for eternity (whether I meant to or not)?

We Pinoys (and the rest of the world) may be celebrating the year 2010 right now, but for the Thai peeps it's already 2553. Strange, eh? I wonder how it'd feel to fall asleep now and wake up in 2553, when everything I know and everyone who knows me are long gone? I wonder if that would be the fresh start I need...

Day 15: TechnoMart Flashback, Pesto Pasta and an Empty Ratchaprasong

2010-01-02T00:01:00.002+08:00

Woke up at 9:30am today after a little over 6 hours of sleep. Too much drinking from the previous night rendered my brain useless for anything except sleep and the occasional nocturnal sojourns to the bathroom to take a leak.

Lunch was sinigang na spareribs (which I burned my tongue on, durnit). I pigged out, naturally, before spending a little time chatting over YM. Shopping is over and done with (theoretically... is it wishful thinking?) so no plans to go out to Silom tonight. After all, walang pasok so only a few vendors would be out there. So what to do?

Like I said, today's goal was techno-overload. On the itinerary: Pantip Mall.

Popsie, Bradir and I took a cab to the said mall, which was a few meters away from Platinum Mall (tempting, indeed!). Looking at five floors of electronic madness, I was transported to TechoMart in Seoul - circa December 2008. That time, I bought a PSP and a Cowon O2 for Jen. This time, I bought... nothing. Harhar. I was looking for a 500GB external hard drive but Popsie kept insisting on a 1 terabyte drive. "Konti lang kasi ang diperensya ng presyo", he says. But how on Earth do I fill up 1000GB? My pictures, despite how huge a picture-freak I am, will barely take up 10% of that space! So what to do? Postpone the purchase for the trip to what Popsie refers to as I.T. Mall... wherever that is!

Walking back to Big C from Pantip, I noticed something strange: Ratchaprasong (the shopping area/district along Thanon Ratchadamri - you know, all those designer stores and those malls surrounded by hotels) was strangely empty. Like Ayala Ave during Holy Week. Like my brain when I go back to work on the eleventh. Mwehehehehe...

When I got home, it was time to check the AS400's after the shutdown. It was ok, a few missing records but nothing a manual run can't fix. Mom made pesto to smother the spiralli with, while Sissy and I walked along Convent to Silom for some kai thot (fried chicken). At 10 baht for each chicken leg, not a bad deal eh?

I'm still not in blogging mode, as I'm a bit sad that Mom and Bradir are leaving for Manila tomorrow night. Almost makes me wish I booked my flight for January the second instead of the ninth. Almost is the operative word since, truth be told, I'm not ready to go back to the Philippines yet. If it were up to me, I'd stay here for a year. Harhar...

But that's not in my hands... so I'm doing what I can: drinking up this ice-cold 630-ml bottle of Singha beer. It's light and a bit sweet: like San Miguel Light crossed with Cerveza Negra. Cheers to 2010!

P.S. The Weather Pixies look so cute! They all have fireworks in their own skies... Either that or I'm drunk... Hardeeharhar!

Day 14: Sawasdee Pi Mai Kha!

2010-01-01T11:20:00.005+08:00

Yesterday, our plan to welcome 2010 over at Central World was thwarted. After going to the grocery at Big C, we saw the stages being set up along Ratchadamri (saw one in front of Central World and another in Siam Paragon. Not sure if there were more within Ratchaprasong) and the crowds that were gathered. It was HUGE, rivaling that of the crowd in front of Galleria during EDSA Dos. Okay, that may be an exaggeration but it was only 7pm!

Mom, Sissy and I were planning to take the jet-jet (Bus number 77) since Dad, Sister and Bradir took a tuk-tuk back home with the groceries. Walking out of the Big C, we saw that most of Ratchadamri was closed to traffic, since the aforementioned stages were up and running. So Mom, Sissy and I just took a few pictures on the street and bought three pairs of those plastic headpieces with horns that light up. No traffic = no buses so we decided to take the BTS. We walked to Ratchadamri station but ended up taking a tuk-tuk to Sala Daeng station, as it was cheaper (50 THB as opposed to 63 THB if we took the BTS) and we wouldn't have to climb three flights of stairs.

At Sala Daeng, we bought pesto from Tops. Then we got 200THB worth of fried chicken legs (that's twenty pieces!) from a vendor at Liberty Square on Thanon Silom, a couple of blocks from home. The plan was to cook some spiralli, smother it with pesto and serve it with fried chicken. EPIC FAIL! The maids of the condo invited us for dinner and drinks on the courtyard. Of course it was impolite to say no... so off we went.

The food came in varying degrees of wicked spiciness: the kai (chicken) was not spicy, the moo larb (ground/chopped pork - sauteed with lemongrass, cilantro and I dunno what else) was a bit spicy, and the kikiam with tomatoes and onion was wickedly spicy! It made good pulutan for the Isan wine (a kind of fermented rice wine from Northern Thailand - it was sweet and potent. Reminded me of basi) and the wine coolers. After drinking myself to a mild buzz and dancing like heck, we headed upstairs at around 10:30pm. An hour and a half, a quick shower and a few drinks later, we ran to the condo's rooftop to watch the fireworks from all around the city! Another perk of living in the middle of the CBD: we are surrounded by hotels and our rooftop offers a 360-degree view of the fireworks. It's World Pyrolympics - for free!

After the fireworks, we went back to our unit and started drinking. We didn't last long (rather - I didn't. I was reduced to being the bartender) and we decided to catch some Z's.

Today, our AS400's are on shutdown mode so I'll need to be online at around 3pm my time to do some testing - hopefully. Sucks to be without SameTime. Thank goodness for YM and Skype!

So, here's 2010! I hope it will be better than 2009 because last year was a freaking PAIN in the rear end, I kid you not! My 2010 forecast isn't very encouraging. To be quite honest, I kinda saw this coming but to actually read it in black and white (and seeing the past year flash before my eyes while watching the trailer of 2010) was a little too much for me... had to have a drink afterwards. Oh, what the heck! Cheers! Thank you to everyone who was a part of my 2009. Here's to OUR 2010!

TODAY (Day 4): Nowhere To Go

2009-12-31T12:32:00.006+08:00

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...

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Day 13: Shopping As Cardio

2009-12-31T11:33:00.006+08:00

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. =(

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!

TODAY (Day 3): Life Is Good; Life is Painful

2009-12-30T22:46:00.005+08:00

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...

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Day 12: Expensive Internet versus Free Internet and Late Night Shopping

2009-12-30T14:01:00.003+08:00

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...

Day 9, Day 10 and Day 11 - No Internet, No Life!

2009-12-29T12:59:00.007+08:00

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.

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...

TODAY (Day 2): To Err Is To Be Human...

2009-12-26T00:57:00.004+08:00

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!!!

2009-12-26T00:24:00.010+08:00

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...

TODAY (Day 1): People Lie...

2009-12-24T18:42:00.004+08:00

I'm sorry. I, too, am but human... Forgive me...

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Day 6: Staying Indoors and Bradir Arrives!

2009-12-24T03:52:00.006+08:00

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.

In Other News...

2009-12-23T22:22:00.005+08:00

(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

Day 5: The Shopping Bug Bites Again!

2009-12-23T01:14:00.006+08:00

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!

Day 4: Food At Home (And On The Street, Too!)

2009-12-22T10:03:00.004+08:00

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!

Bangkok: Day 3 - Can You Stomach This?

2009-12-21T12:19:00.005+08:00

This is my series on my holiday vacation in Bangkok. Here are the other posts:
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!

Bangkok: Day 1 and Day 2 - Sleep is Futile

2009-12-20T09:58:00.012+08:00

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...

Today is 8 November 2009

2009-11-07T23:26:00.002+08:00

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.

The 30-day Mark...

2009-10-25T01:02:00.002+08:00

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...

Simply Happy

2009-09-20T14:27:00.003+08:00

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!

Oh Emme Gee!

2009-09-13T21:41:00.005+08:00

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!

On This Day - 6 September 2009

2009-09-06T13:31:00.002+08:00

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?

How True?

2009-08-31T01:59:00.007+08:00

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.

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... ♥

Corregidor!

2009-08-30T14:19:00.002+08:00

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!

Ponder THIS...

2009-08-22T02:19:00.006+08:00

"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.

Random Thoughts On Another Sleepless Night (Morning?)

2009-08-20T21:18:00.006+08:00

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...

The Biggest Lie

2009-08-16T22:10:00.003+08:00

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.

RIP F.Pres Cory Aquino

2009-08-01T04:44:00.001+08:00

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.

Do Not Disturb

2009-07-07T13:40:00.004+08:00

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?

Rule Number One: Thou Shalt Proof-read!

2009-04-11T01:36:00.000+08:00

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!

Warranted of Arrested

2009-02-15T14:49:00.001+08:00

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.

Happy Hearts Day!

2009-02-14T05:15:00.003+08:00

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!

Happy First Birthday, Baby SKY!

2009-02-12T15:13:00.000+08:00

I look forward to holding you in my arms and sharing a meal with you again. My treat! I love you, Baby SKY! =)

When It's O-V-E-R...

2009-02-07T17:14:00.001+08:00

... 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.

A Portent of D-O-O-M

2009-01-03T11:22:00.001+08:00

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'!

Just Another New Year

2008-12-31T17:18:00.001+08:00

What is the best way to spend the days leading up to the New Year?

Do LOTS of stuff!

Cook up a storm

Momsie asked me to make side dishes for a family dinner on the 28th. Since her stove conked out the day prior, I made corn and carrots in garlic-butter sauce... and basil-olive oil grilled eggplant.

After slapping on some sunscreen (aka olive oil, dried basil, salt and pepper), the eggplant slices lounged on my stove-top grill for 2 minutes on each side until they were buttery soft. Sold out on the dinner table!

Throw around a few balls with your family

Family (nuclear + in-laws = one big FAMILY) went to MOA to throw a few balls around. Fun!

Clean up your humble abode

When I arrived here in Manila a week ago, I just dumped all my stuff on the floor. After several days of shopping, all the stuff accumulated on that same spot until Jeni and I had to evict the squatters... Which we did successfully but with much effort and many tears. Mwehehehe...

Stuff your face with a few regional delicacies

Tati brought home some crack...err, butterscotch from her trip to her hometown. Being a self-confessed BS (bullcrap or butterscotch...both apply mwehehehehe!) addict, I stuffed my face with one pack of the sweets and promptly went into a sugar coma. And, yes, that is a fly on my shirt. Coz I am SO full of sh*t (oh YOU are SO wishing it were true, aren't you?!? Libre lang mangarap... tingin muna sa salamin, kafateed!)

Hit a few balls around with sticks

Before we bid farewell to our current neighborhood (moving out early next year), we decided to check out a few local spots and chanced upon a billiard hall/bar/ktv thingamajiggie. They have about 8 (I think) billiard tables, two private KTV rooms (think Prov or a less classy Red Box) and cheap drinks (frozen margarita = 130 bucks. San ka pa?!?) - more than enough to make us stay more than two hours (and have a little too much to drink).

Have fun... and win a few stuffed toys in the process

So since Jen and I had nothing better to do in the last few hours leading up to putukan (*shudder*), we decided to spend those hours at Time Zone. Two hours later, we ended up with three new toys to add to the "babies" taking up precious real estate on my bed. Now Rocco won't sleep alone.

Alone no more...

Whose idea was THAT?!? I plead innocent, your Honor...

~o~o~o~o~o~

2008 - the year that was. It was so NOT uneventful for me. It was this year that...

... I made the move from educator to full-time corporate pain in the behind

... I weeded the men from the boys

... I also weeded the "stay" from the "go"

... I gained weight but gained more friends

... I fell in love again (heehee)

... I experienced snow!

... I said farewell to all that needed to be let go

... I chose to hold on to what needed to be held on to

For 2009, I wish to...

... move into a new place early in the year

... move on with my career (yes, move being the operative word)

... move on with my life (again, move is the operative word)

Yes, fifol of the world... 2009 is the best year to make a HUGE change in my life and I intend to do just that.

Thank you to everyone who was a part of my life this year. You know who you are. Thank you... you all made me who I am and who I am not.

Happy New Year, everyone! Now excuse me while I plug in my earbuds. The firecrackers are getting a wee bit too loud! Hehehe...

My Dream Summer Escape

2008-12-27T19:34:00.000+08:00

I need time out. I need to destress. I need to detoxify.

I need to escape and I found the perfect place.

Antulang. It takes my breath away...

I want to stay at the Pool Villa. By my lonesome or with a special someone...

The outdoor jacuzzi would be the perfect place to cuddle while stargazing.

The Secret... come to Momma!!!

(photos from the Antulang Resort website)

The Seoul Train part VI - Seoul Long, Farewell!

2008-12-18T15:07:00.000+08:00

My gas, atat na atat nako umuwi. Kagabi pa lang, nag-empake nako.

In less than 48 hours, I will be leaving Seoul. I had fun while I was here and I will miss a lot of things.

When I come back, I definitely know what I want more of:

Street food
The subway
Chilsung Cider
Seasonal fruits (persimmons, kiwi and strawberries)
Soju
kalbitang
ice cream
Lotte Crunky chocolate bar
Technomart
Shopping, shopping, shopping!

Goodbye Seoul! See you when I see you...

The Seoul Train Part V - Korea Sparkling

2008-12-05T21:46:00.018+08:00

Korea Freezing!

It's freaking -11C right now... and windy too.

Not that I'm complaining... I love the cold. It's an energizing change from the heat and humidity of Manila. The weather is good for walking around and observing the locals. Heck, I can even use the stairs to ascend to our 7th floor office without breaking a sweat!

Well, much as I love the weather, I also have to protect myself. Freezing to death isn't a nice way to go (on second thought, what is?) So I'm glad I have my anti-it's-so-freezing-cold-you-might-freeze-your-nose-off-weather arsenal!

Meet my tulo-ang-sipon-sa-sobrang-ginaw minions:

My Balm Soldiers

No woman (and men too!) in her (his too) right mind would go around without lip balm. The wind is a bitch and staying unprotected has very ugly (and painful) consequences.

I adore the mositurizing qualities of Blistex Complete moisture (blue tube). Imagine your dry, chapped, cracked and bleeding (eeeew) lips are pieces of steak and the balm is like butter. Slathering it on is so good, it's almost orgasmic!

Mint is #1 in my list of lip product flavors (second being strawberry) and so I lurve Burt's Bee's peppermint lip balm. It was a Christmas present from S last year and it's still alive today! I think this is a bottomless tube, as I have been painting it on my lips for 11 months now. Le miracle balm! Hehehehe...

Cherry is not one of my I-like flavors but Nivea Lip Care in Cherry lends a nice color to otherwise pale lips (blame the cold).

And in case you're wondering...yes, I slather them on at the same time. Sequence is right to left. Harhar...

Purple/Pink trench from Banana Republic

When I saw this in the shop, I fell in love with it. I showed it to my mom and gave it her stamp of approval. I heart this coat. It's so un-wintery (color-wise anyway! All I see here is black, gray and all shades of brown) and a bit funky... like something a grandma with three-foot long needles would knit. I sometimes get asked by the college kids here, "where you get your coat?" and I tell them I bought it in Manila. Their eyes widen and they gasp "You have Banana Republic in Philippine?" (Yes honey, we have Louis Vuitton too!) Priceless!

Black Trench from J. Crew

This wasn't one of my choices when I was shopping back home. But another Banana Republic dress I saw (and bought) went well with this so I this sucked out resources from my wallet too. I heart the buttons on the sleeves.

On the inside...

The lining is done in silver and hot pink. I lurve!

Pale pink metallic jacket from ab.plus

This winter-worthy jacket, I got from the mall... on sale! Whee! I'm not particularly fond of pink but my other two color choices were black and gunmetal... Color is so my thing. So pink it was. It's filled with goose down (according to YuMi) and should keep me warm when we go snowboarding. I hope it does. I'd like to have fun, not freeze my butt off thankyouverymuch!

Neck neck mo!

Many people forget about protecting the neck when the weather is chilly and the wind is blowing (blast-freezer is the first thing that comes to mind) but I'm not one of them. I brought two pashminas from home in two colors: hot-pink (yes, I am not a fan of pink!) and sky blue. They kept me quite warm even at -5C temperatures but they're no match for the chilly gusts. For that, I got myself a 9-foot long black muffler from Bean Pole at Shinsegae mall in Non Dae Mun (more on that shopping trip in another post). It's so long I can wrap it around my neck and still have enough material to cover my mouth, nose and ears... and make a swimsuit! Well, maybe not the swimsuit...

Bean Pole = Ralph Lauren?

It's wool and woven in an intriguing pattern, quite unlike the ones I saw at Zara. My other color choice was white but there was no way on Earth I could maintain something white. So I snapped this black one up and didn't think much of the price until I converted it to USD...then to peso. F%cking sh*t! Maygaaad! Buti na lang it's soft and warm... I sleep like a baby in the bus when I wrap this around my neck. Instant pillow!

HeeYong says Bean Pole is like their local Ralph Lauren. Yessiree! I believe that now! Oh my aching wallet...

~*~*~*~*~*~

On a not-so-totally unrelated note, we went to E-mart to get some groceries. Passing thru these scanners, I beeped! I was surprised so I emptied my pockets of metal and still I beeped. The girl manning the scanners frantically tried to communicate to me (in Korean, of course) what the matter was. After about five minutes of frantic Korean (hers), English (mine) and hand gestures (ours both) I discovered the culprit.

Not following directions!

Haller! Nakalimutan ko lang naman gupitin itong lintek na tag na ito na may RF thingamajigee sa loob. Hey, I bought this the day before I had to leave Manila. I just threw it into my suitcase and got it dry-cleaned here. Gimme a break! Mwehehehe...

Yes, it's my beloved purple/pink trench. And it got me into trouble!

Love is such a female dog sometimes...

~*~*~*~*~*~

Listening to: One Step at a Time - Jordin Sparks

We live and we learn to take one step at a time

There's no need to rush

It's like learning to fly or falling in love

It's gonna happen and it's supposed to happen

That we find the reasons why

The Seoul Train Part IV - Seoul-dering On

2008-11-23T16:53:00.006+08:00

The whole Pinas contingent went exploring the DMZ (demilitarized zone aka JSA - Joint Securities Zone) with Jean (from the US office), JinSoo, KiKeun and his two adorable sons (spitting images of their handsome father) - JunHyuk (10) and JunHwan (9).

The JSA circa 1970's - from wikipedia

Not being one who is good in history but interested in knowing, I bet wikipedia will give you a better explanation of what the DMZ is, how it came about and why the heck I wanted to see it.

The entire trip was an exercise in patience, restraint, endurance and adventure. I will expound on that in a few moments but before I do, let me say I enjoyed it immensely and I hope I enjoy the rest of my stay here in South Korea. Much as I miss the Philippines and I am excited as heck to get on that plane home in less than a month, I am looking forward to coming back here in early January of next year.

~*~*~*~*~*~
Patience, little grasshoppers!

It took Kikeun and the rest of the group (we were 12 in all) more than two hours to get to DMZ in Paju City, where there are tour buses that leave every 30 mins and last approximately two hours. Along the way, we laughed over how simple words are said in Korean (JinSoo, KiKeun and the kids), Tagalog (the Pinoys), Bisaya (Adam, Terence and yours truly) and in Bahasa (Jean). A few of the things we laughed over are:
** How a rooster crows (Kukurakoo/Tiktilaok/Tugtugaok/Tuktukaroo)
** How a dog barks (Mong-mong/Aw-Aw/i forgot the Bahasa equivalent)
** How a baby cries (Ingee/Uhaaaa/Iwee)
** Turkey sounds (No words can describe this one. Suffice it to say, we laughed until we developed rock-hard abs)

After all that, we sank into pensive silence. Contemplating the barren landscape of ricefields (all empty now), brown mountains (no more leaves on trees because of the coming winter) and people walking quickly, most of them holding closed their jackets at the neck (that day, the temperature was a "balmy" 3C).

The snoring began a few more minutes later. First it was Meng (Adam got a good shot of that). Then it was Joan (Adam also has a picture). The loudest snore of all came from Jean. Of course, Adam got a shot of that too!

The two young men were well behaved during that leg of the trip.

~*~*~*~*~*~
It cost us just 8,700 KRW (approximately 7 USD) to go on that trip but I spent way over 70,000 KRW (about 55USD) buying stuff for people back home. I also bought a pair of pale pink wool gloves to match my winter jacket. Mwehehehehe...

(After that trip, we had dinner at McDonald's - thanks Jean! - where sodas get free refills then went to Lotte Department Store. I spotted a nice jacket with stars on them at Zara and a way-too-cute LeSportsac shoulder bag... but I postponed my shopping to next week because I did not have enough KRW's and they don't accept USD's. I bought a couple of pairs of black wool leggings instead.. so I can wear my skirts even during winter. Next on the shoping list: heeled pumps!)

~*~*~*~*~*~
We descended the Third Tunnel after we saw a short movie, went through the memorabilia display and took pictures where they were allowed (in most areas, it's not allowed). The Third Tunnel was discovered in the 1970's when water sounds were heard from underground and it was an effort by the North to invade Seoul. To get to the actual tunnel, we descended a man-made one that ends where the Third Tunnel ends as well. Must I say, that damn modern tunnel was really steep. Going down was a breeze.

Coming back up is another story altogether.

After we walked through the cold, damp tunnel (riddled with dynamite holes where the NKors shoved explosives to blast the granite away), drank from the cold water that trickled down the walls (there was a faucet that dispensed the stuff. It smelled, looked and tasted clean. I had but a sip just to try it), tried looking for North Korean soldiers on the other side of the blockades... the task of ascending back to civilization began.

My hip "popped" about five times during the whole uphill walk and I had to stop to "re-align" it. I got to the top after about 7 minutes of huffing and puffing, red-faced and my throat burning from gulping in too-cold air. But what the hey, I must have burned 500 calories in the process!

~*~*~*~*~*~
After we were rested and human-looking again (a Texan I was ascending with had been climbing 20 minutes when I chanced upon her on the way up. Before I left, she appeared at the mouth of the modern tunnel, red-faced and with her female companion handing her a bottle of Pocari Sweat), we went out to see the Imjiang station of the EuroTrain.

It was marvelous! NAIA looks like a dump beside it.

The Eurotrain connects one to Europe, China, parts of the former Soviet Union (I think...my map-reading skills are B-A-D) and the rest of the freaking world! It's just so sad that it can't be used to ferry people from South Korea into the rest of the Earth - North Korea won't allow the rails to go through their country. In that way, South Korea is cut-off from the EuroTrain universe.

I said to KiKeun, "well, why not just build an underwater tunnel and have the train go that way? Or a long bridge so you don't have to go through the North."

He laughed (his eyes disappear when he does) and replied, "It will take South Korea another 50 years to have that technology!"

(On a not-so-unrelated note, is it just me or does Korean-accented English sound so cute?)

Outside the station, there is a section of the railroad in front of a memorial plaque of sorts (I couldn't read it. It was in Korean).

In true baliw spirit (Kass is not Kass if she were not crazy), I laid down across the tracks - sprawled like a drunken idiot about to be decapitated and de-calf-ed by a coming train. Reminds me of the time my whole family went to Caliraya, and in the same true baliw spirit, all five of us laid down in the middle of the highway.
~*~*~*~*~*~

I picked up lots of souvenirs for my friends back in Manila. I just hope I see them before I need to leave again a little after New Year. Leaving again isn't such a bad thing, it's the being away from my loved ones that suck crap.

But that's another story altogether...

~*~*~*~*~*~
Listening to: I Kissed A Girl - Kart Perry

"I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry Chapstick...
...It felt so wrong, it felt so right
Don't mean I'm in love tonight"

The Seoul Train Part III - Sleepless in Seoul-tle

2008-11-21T21:58:00.006+08:00

It's 11:00 pm here and I can't sleep. Considering that I have consistently been getting only 3 to 4 hours of sleep every night (including weekends), I am still functional. I think... Hehehehe.

Tomorrow we're going on a roadtrip to the North/South Korean border, so I'm preparing myself to face temperatures lower than -7C. It snowed yesterday but it was very light... I am simultaneously excited about and dreading the full-blast snowfalls that will come in a couple of weeks. Hahahaha... No worries though, I'm armed and ready for battle. Mwehehehehe...

~*~*~*~*~*~

We had nilaga-like soup for lunch. It had thick glass noodles, enoki mushrooms, beef ribs boiled until fall-off-the-bone tender, a flavorful broth (look Ma, no MSG!) and with the usual sides of pechu and radish kimchi.

Yes, I was hungry and no, I was not in a good mood so I completely forgot to take pics.

After lunch, I went walking around on the main road with Joan and Meng. I have been wearing boots since I got here (I only brought three pairs of shoes: black mid-calf high boots with heels, brown leather mid-calf high slouchie boots and blue-and-silver Nike running shoes) and it amused me that Joan got a pair this afternoon. If Meng gets one, tatlo na kami. Then we can show up at work with black stockings, short skirt and jackets - ala schoolgirls! *LOL*

^*~*~*~*~*~~

So sleep deprivation + chilly weather + mind drain from work = non-functional brain. With that said, here's another tag by the wonderful DENominator. Ihad nothing to do this morning before work (aside from attempting to nap but failing) so I filled it up. I think the title of the quiz is Ek-Ek-OLOGY. I LIKE! Hwahahaha!

~*~*~*~*~*~

LAMONOLOGY
What is your salad dressing of choice?
** Olive oil and balsamic vinegar! Yum yum yum...

What is your favorite fast food restaurant?
** In Manila, Pho Bac. Here in Seoul, Paris Baguette (actually, it's a bakery but baked goods are fast foods right? *LOL* )

What is your favorite sit-down restaurant?
** Manila: Dome and Max Brenner. None in Seoul at the moment.

On average, what size tip do you leave at a restaurant?
** Around 10% to 15% if the service is good. ZERO to 5% if I wasn't satisfied... May kasamang kausap sa manager if I was pissed.

What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of it?
** Sinigang anything (except sinigang sa bayabas...eeww!). Gawd, eyelurve sinigang!

What are your pizza toppings of choice?
** Not a big fan of cheese in general but I love quattro fromaggio. Hihihi... Craving!

What do you like to put on your toast?
** Butter and Nutella or strawberry jam. Otherwise, tuna spread with lettuce and cucumbers.

What is your latest food discovery?
** Lotte Black Crunch bar. Think Pinipig Crunch but with a thicker, lusher (and more chocolate-y) coating and cruched cookie bits enveloping rich vanilla ice cream!

TECHNOLOGY
What is your wallpaper on your computer?
** My picture of the shore in Punta Fuego. I miss the beach.

How many televisions are in your house?
** Here: two. Manila: just one. I have a studio apartment. I don't need many TV's... I could put one in the toilet though. *LOL*

What is the most recent gadget you bought?
** Cowon O2 32GB. Whee!

What gadget are you planning to buy next?
** A Powerbook.

In your opinion, what is the most important appliance in your house?
** It's a toss-up between the fridge and the TV. *LOL*

BIOLOGY
Are you right-handed or left-handed?
** Depende. *LOL* Right handed for most things.

Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
** Aside from my teeth, wala pa naman.

What is the last heavy item you lifted?
** My eyelids. I'm sleepy...

Have you ever been knocked unconscious?
** Yeps, I fainted from extreme fatigue and I did not wake up until the next morning - half my body on the bed, the other half on the floor and still wearing one sneaker (the last thing I remember is bending down to put on my other sneaker).

What is your favorite part of your body?
** Hmmm... my eyes.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
** I want to be taller. Don't we all? *LOL*

BULLCRAPOLOGY
If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
** Hell no! And spoil the surprise?

If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
** I like my name. It's unique. Palagi akong No-Hit sa NBI. *LOL*

What color do you think looks best on you?
** Aside from black? Pink, I think... and beige.

Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake?
** Yes, intentionally and non-intentionally *LOL*

Have you ever saved someone’s life?
** I dunno. Maybe.

Has someone ever saved yours?
** Literally? Nah... I'm not worth saving. *LOL*

DAREOLOGY
Would you kiss someone of the opposite sex for $100?
** Hell yeah! If she were hot and pretty, I'd do it for free!

Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000
** No freakin' way!

Would you never blog again for $50,000?
** Add another zero and I might just say YES!

Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000?
** I'd do it for a million. Not that it'd be worth it! *LOL*

Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
A. Heck, why not?

Would you, without fear of punishment, take a humans life for $1,000,000?
** No way! Not in this lifetime nor the next!

Will you eat a live goldfish? How much would you do it for?
** I'd do it for a thousand bucks, yo!

DUMBOLOGY
What is in your left pocket?
** My Blistex

Is Napoleon Dynamite actually a good movie?
** What the eff is that? Is that actually real?

Do you have hardwood or carpet in your house?
A. Wood

Do you sit or stand in the shower?
** Stand. Sit, when I'm lazy...

How many pairs of flip flops do you own?
** 12? 10? Thereabouts...

Last time you had a run-in with the cops?
** A few years ago when an armored van slammed into our car.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
** Happy. Hehehehe...

Who is number 1 on your top 8?
** Adik ka ba?

LASTOLOGY
Friend you talked to?
A. Tati

Last person who called you?
** KT

Person you hugged?
** Jeni

Person you kissed?
** Jeni

FAVORITOLOGY
Number?
** 1

Season?
** To be jolly? *LOL* Autumn

Color?
** Purple and orange

Sleepwear?
** My birthday suit

Footwear?
** Flip-flops

Drink?
** Alcoholic? Tequilla Rose. Non-alcoholic: water

CURRENTOLOGY
Missing someone?
** Hell yeah...

Mood?
** Not in the mood. *LOL*

Listening to?
** Transatlaticism - Death Cab for Cutie

Watching?
** Cold Case

Worrying about?
** Jeni's trip to PG tomorrow and my trip tomorrow to... Hehehehehe... Sikretong malufet!

RANDOMOLOGY
First place you went this morning?
** The bathroom to take a shower

What can you not wait to do?
** Fly back to the Philippines!

What’s the last movie you saw?
** I don't remember. I'm not into movies.

Do you smile often?
** Too much, maybe...

Are you a friendly person?
** Generally speaking, I think I am.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Listening to: Transatlanticism - Death Cab for Cutie

"The distance is quite simply much too far for me to row
It seems farther than ever before, oh no...
I need you so much closer
So come on... "

Seven Years Bad Luck

2008-11-18T23:22:00.002+08:00

YOU.

Yes, you!

I am so F*CKING sick of YOU!

Tagged Again!

2008-11-16T09:13:00.006+08:00

Ladies and gentlemen, I interrupt my regular ramblings with a short message from my sponsors.

~*~*~*~*~*~

I was tagged again... but by email. Frienships, I am blogging again! I'm sorry I did not tell you about the demise of the old Stargazer blog but I'm blogging again ok? Huwag nang magalit, I'll post your tags, ok? OK!

As I was saying, I was tagged by email and the questions are:

1) Single, Taken, Naked, or Flirt? Depends on the circumstances, location and the person asking. *LOL* I'm kidding. Taken. Very much so. *wink* (Flirt? Everyone, I believe, has a "flirt" gene. It's just inactive most of the time)

2) Are you happy with your current situation (see above question)? Yes, I am.

3) Would you still kiss your ex? Which one? Hahaha, I'd beso her. A chaste, friendly kiss would be the most, if at all.

4) Have you ever had your heartbroken? Who hasn't? *LOL*

5) Do you believe that there are selected circumstances where cheating is ok? It is never OK to cheat. N-E-V-E-R. Those "selected circumstances" do not exist. In the real world, they're called "lame-ass excuses". Harharhar...

6) Have you and your SO ever talked about marriage? With my current SO, yes. But we've also talked about how it wouldn't matter anyway, seeing as it's not legal in our home country. Unless we move and stay where it's legal then that'd be a whole new topic altogether.

7) Do you (personally) want children? I'd like a kid or two... eventually. In the next ten years maybe?

8) How many would you like? As I said, one or two. Preferably twins para isang irihan na lang. Hahahaha!

9) If someone liked you right now, would you want him/her to tell you? His/her choice. I'll just react to it if/when it happens. But for me, if I also like her and she was brave enough to tell me about it, plus points yun for her.

10) Do you want someone you can't have? Who doesn't like a challenge? I know I do. Envy won't be a deadly sin and God would not have said "thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife/husband" (or girlfriend/boyfriend) if it were not such a common human affliction.

11) Have you ever been in love? Yes. Yes! YES!

12) Do you and your SO celebrate your anniversaries? Of course. It's a milestone... so we ought to celebrate it with... the whole nine yards! For month-saries (no such word, I know), we just greet each other. Like saying "hey, we made it through another month!" *LOL*

14) Is it a good day today? Yes, weather is perfect. Air is cool and crisp. Sun is shining. Leaves are perfect. Perfect day... to stay in bed. Hahaha...

15) What would you like to say to your most recent ex? Recent official ex: the past has passed. I've let it go. I hope you would to. Recent-not-so-official-ex: thank you and I'm sorry. It was good while it lasted.

16) Does your ex still have feelings for you? Again, which one? Hahaha! One ex once said she wanted us to be friends. Does that count as a feeling? But that same ex also said she doesn't give a flying monkey on a trapeze so... I guess that counts too. *LOL* (Off-topic, I blame the milk for my psychobabble. The milk. Yes, the milk.)

17) Do you still have feelings for your ex? Again, which ex? *LOL* I'm not ready to be friendly-friends with one of my exes but I know I can talk to her and stuff about little things. Small talk, in other words. As for the other exes, either we're ok or we just are no longer in touch.

18) Do you believe in long distance relationships? What I have right now is already LDR. It sucks, it's hard but what the hey! We survived! So I guess I believe in it now. What does not kill me makes me stronger.

19) Do you believe in love at first sight? No. Lust at First Sight is more believable. Or Attraction at First Sight. Or Like at First Sight. Love, in my opinion, is like wine: can't hurry it.

I'm not tagging anyone... so just repost if you'd like. Oh I take it back... DOC! I tag you! Rev, I won't tag you back since I know it's not allowed but I still think you're cheating by tagging me by email! Hmph!

~*~*~*~*~*~

*sigh* Temperature dropped another couple of degrees. No longer in the mood to go for a walk. Going back to sleep... Zzzz...

~*~*~*~*~*~
Listening to: Superhuman - Cris Brown featuring Keri Hilson

"...But that's the moment you came to me
I don't know what your love has done to me
Think I'm invincible;
I see through the me I used to be
You changed my whole life
Don't know what your doing to me with your love
I'm feeling all super human,
You did that to me
A super human heart beats in me
Nothing can stop me here with you..."

The Seoul Train Part II - De-kimchi-fication Galore

2008-11-16T08:50:00.000+08:00

November 11.

11/11/08.

On that day, Tuesday, it was Pepero day! As TaeWoong explained, it's like Valentine's Day or some other modern holiday. It's in honor of the snack called the Lotte Pepero. It's a line of pretzel-like snackfoods that have two distinct looks: like a thin Champola wafer stick or like those mini-pretzels with sugar outside. Only there's more variety to those two major types.

For the Champola look-alike, there's one filled with lemon cream (think Rebisco sandwich), mocha cream, and some chocolate-with-something combination that's absolutely addictive!

The other form reminds me of Jack and Jill Pretzels. There's a variety exactly like that: thinner pretzel sticks dipped in chcolate. There's also the "naked Peparo", as KiKeun calls it: like sugar-coated Mini-Pretzels of our childhood. My favorite variety is the one that's double-dipped in chocolate then rolled in crushed almonds. Mmmm... I am so addicted to it that i vow to bring home BOXES of that stuff. Perfect for Christmas!

It's my twelfth day here and so far, my life is made up of: the cold, the food and the new discoveries.

Discovery number 1: Persimmons

Robby's old entries declare her love for persimmons. Back home, I have seen and eaten persimmon only once: Mom and I bought a few pieces (it was about 3 dollars per kilo. Doh!) while Christmas shopping. When I peeled, sliced and took a bite I found them bland. Like papaya sucked dry of its flavor.

Ohho, but Seoul's persimmons are a revelation. That delicate thin skin. That juicy flesh. Those perfect brown seeds that remind me of oversized Coffee Beat candies. Luscious... Mmmm... And at around 1.50 USD per kilo, it's a great buy!

Discovery number 2: Unknown plant life in the form of kimchi-like salad

It's sour, it's salty...a little bit spicy but crisp and fresh! It's not kimchi but it sure looks like it! There's a salad with frissee-like greens, another with what looks like Money tree leaves that taste like gumamela leaves (let's not talk about why I know what gumamela tastes like), and yet another that reminds me of oregano (only this one is less fleshy and is a darker green). After walking around the grocery store, I discovered that they were sesame leaves. Yum!

Discovery number 3: "Fishballs"

They're actually sheets of mashed fish, flour... and Lord knows what else. They look the way orlians do, only rolled flat and without the anise aftertaste. Here, it is sauteed in chili (served as a side-dish during meals), cut into strips and dropped into hot soup, pierced by huge wooden skewers isaw-like and simmered in spicy broth and sold off the street for about 50 US cents. I happily chomped on one in front of the Doota mall in Dongdaemun (shopping isn't my thing but street food definitely is!) and yet again outside the office before heading on home. Yum yum!

Discovery number 4: The Typical Korean Meal

It has four major components: rice, soup, kimchi, at least two other side dishes aside from the kimchi.

I think I have enocuntered kimchi if at least ten different sorts in the two weeks I have been here. Off the top of my head: radish, bokchoi (Chinese pechay in Manila), cabbage-lettuce hybrid...thing, the aforementioned money-tree-tastes-like-gumamela, the frissee-like thingie, something-that-resembles-sponge-gourd-in-life (patola in Tagalog), and a yellow rootcrop (not kamote, not potato, no idea what it is).

I have also seen different sorts of stuff thrown into soups: mung bean sprouts at least 3 inches long, tofu blocks, fish balls (sheets), radish strips, leeks, celery tops (or what looks like celery tops)... even shreds of chicken and beef bones.

Rice...ah, the rice! The rice is absolutely gorgeous! Those sticky little grains of starchy deliciousness... Mixed with barley, rye, purple rice (traditionally called tappol), and on its own - it's a meal in itself!

I love rice. I can never survive South Beach Diet... rice is just too good to pass up!

Discovery number 5: Chilsung Cider

It's a soda drink by Lotte. It's clear like Sprite, but the flavor is more like Mountain Dew with more of a lemony-limey taste. I buy the stuff at the grocery by the bottle (a liter and a half each). It's cool, refreshing...and makes great chaser for Soju. Speaking of Soju...

Discovery number 6: Soju

Soju is an amazing thing! It's 20% alcohol, a bit like your regular vodka or gin or tequila. It's clear and has almost no alcohol-y smell. The taste? It's smooth and crisp. Swabe... and it's easy to down one shot after another and not feel dizzy at all. But try standing up and you'll feel it hit you in the face... and everywhere else.

Ah, I hate traitors but when it's in the context of an alcohol kick, then ILOVEIT! Hahaha...

Hmmm, I think above entries would have been more appropriate in the other blog... Oh well!

~*~*~*~*~*~

The weather is great! It's nice and cool with a little bit of wind. This week, it averaged 7 degrees at noon - bearable without a jacket, provided there is no wind. Jacket-weather or not, I go walking around the blocks surrounding the office, just observing and enjoying the weather. I will miss this when I come home to Manila.

During my walks, I encounter lots of convenience stores and vendors. I try to buy something from vendors when I see them. They're nice and chatty, even when I don't understand 99% of what they're saying. Most of all, they provide lots of new discoveries for a Seoul first-timer like me.

I have about five more weeks here before I come home to Manila. I'm sure there are new adventures waiting for me out there. You can bet your pwet I will blog about those too.

By the way, Yahoo Weather says there'll be scattered snow showers on Thursay. Looks like winter is finally here. Brrr...

Now excuse me while I bury myself under the sheets.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Listening to: Mariposa - Sugarfree

"Nagsisising matatapos ang gabing alam naman nating
Mayroon nang taning;
Nagsisising nagising sa katotohanang
Di ka naman talaga akin;
Di mo lang alam
Inaasam ang panahong
Makapaling ka sa una't huling pagkakataon"

The Seoul Train Part 1: Stargazer Gets Kimchi-fied!

2008-11-06T19:53:00.000+08:00

Greetings with my breath condensing as soon as it leaves my mouth, my knees knocking and my hands freezing in 8 degrees on a windy day so my hands are shoved into the deep pockets of the thickest trench coat I have ever had to wear in my entire life.

I arrived in Seoul at around 6PM on the second day of November so it has been 4 days that I have been living in an apartment in Gwangju (an hour away by bus from the office in Seoul), cannot be reached by cellphone, wearing knitted sweaters, tights, knee-high boots and trench coats, eating spicy (and surprisingly good) food and having to take a bath with heated water.

I love the weather and the city is cool (literally) so this afternoon I took a walk around the city by myself. I was careful not to go too far from the office as I might get lost and I might not be able to get back. Hahaha...

My team is planning to go sight-seeing this weekend and KK has promised to bring us to an amusement park. He was surprised when I told him I like to ride roller coasters and such. He was surprised that I smoke and have been for the past ten years. Do I really look THAT conservative? Imagine me, being conservative. What a hoot!

During my walk, I had several residents (of other cities, most probably) come up to me and talk to me, presumably asking me for directions (they had maps of the subway and some other maps of the country). They stopped and bowed, apologizing with words I did not understand when they saw the huge question mark in my eyes. On the plane, the flight attendants would speak to me in Korean first before switching to English after seeing the baffled look on my face. Eerrr... I know I have small eyes and I dress pretty much like a typical Korean girl but my complexion is about ten shades away from the usual. Still, it's funny.

While was walking around, I went inside several convenience stores to ogle all the things that are "fast"...and bad for the health. I got some Lotte Peparo, which are similar to the more Pinoy-familiar Pocky pretzel sticks (but those are from Japan). I got one each of "lemon cream", "chocolate filled", "chocolate covered" and chocolate covered with crushed almonds. It tasted GREAT! I also got some Chilsung Cider (a caffeine-free soda similar to sprite but tastes more like Mountain Dew with more lime flavor), a 200-ml carton of strawberry milk, and a 330-ml bottle of "rice tea". Hehehe...

Anyway, I'll be updating my blog and my flicker. Until I get my multiply site up, I won't be posting pics. So just swing by my flicker account. :)

Nyt nyt!

-o-o-o-o-o-

Listening to: Just Fine - Mary J. Blige

"Feels so good, when you’re doing all the things that you want to do
Get the best out of life, treat yourself to something new
Keep your head up high
In yourself, believe in you, believe in me
Having a really good time, I’m not complaining
And I’m a still wear a smile if it rainingI got to enjoy myself regardless
I appreciate life, I’m so glad I got mine"

Seven is NOT my Lucky Number

2008-09-30T23:53:00.000+08:00

Oh for heaven's sake, enough rants! If the dead deserve to be left in peace, so do the living! *lol*

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hun and I spent the night at her parents' place. We were planning to go to the market early in the morning to buy stuff for lunch. To cook again after months and months of being too busy to do anything more than to make soft-boiled eggs! Not that there's anything wrong with soft-boiled eggs. In fact, there's nothing NOT to like about soft-boiled eggs. That flowy yellow yolk, the quivering white (let's not get scientific, please!)... best eaten with your hands and with a tiny sprinkle of fine salt. Yummm...

Anyway, back to lunch. We were planning to grill a few slabs of procine body parts and a few phallic veggies. Served with plain but fragrant jasmine rice... it would have been a lunch fit for... a hungry family. *lol* You could have read about it and the accompanying gluttonous actions from Hun and I in my other blog. Or maybe you won't. Coz we ended up sleeping until noon! Yaarrrhhh, so now I know what zombies feel like. Eeerrr...

Alrighty then!

~*~*~*~*~*~

I was tagged by text by an old blogger friend who updates his blog less frequently than I do. (How pathetic is that? Having a blog I hardly ever update? I moved blogs for the nth time. Is that excuse enough?)

Anyway, to start blogging again on the right foot I'll post the "tag" here. Aside from the fact that I'm too lazy to text back, my answers are also quite long and it will take a couple of hundred text messages to reply completely. No, brevity has never been my strength. So here goes!

1) Who are the seven most important people in your life?

* Hunny
* Popsie
* Mudrabelles
* Kowiz
* Kritz
* KT
* Kaiz

What can I say? Blood may be thicker than water but love conquers all. Huwaaaatttt?!?

2) Who are the seven people you'd rather deport to another galaxy?

* I will draw seven blanks here. I don't want to be a suspect should one or all of them disappear off the face of the Earth. "Hey officer, it wasn't me! I was home stuffing my face with Marion's cookies!"

3) If there were no more books left in the world, what are the 7 books you'd like to keep?

* That's a really tough one. I'll just draw seven more blanks here. If that time comes, I'll close my eyes and grab seven books at random. I don't keep books I won't want to read again anyway.
4) If you had no choice but to keep watching TV, what are the seven movies you'd keep watching?

* Gia
* Mr. and Mrs. Smith
* Girl, Interrupted
* Lara Croft (may I count them as one?)
* Wanted
* Alexander (AJ was the highlight of - and probably the only good thing in - that movie)
* Taking Lives
* The Bone Collector

Oops sorry. Was that seven already? I got carried away... *lol*

5) What are your top seven favorite cuss words?

* Shit
*Crap
*F_ck
*Dammit
* the Tagalog word for a woman's privates
* any and all combinations of the preceeding expressions

6) What are your top-seven favorite expressions?

* "Whatever"
* "Chuva" or "Chuvaness"
* "Riiiiggghhhttt"
* "Weh?"
* "Chempi!"
* "Keber" or "Kyemer"
* "Trulaness" or "Truvanescence"

7) Top seven favorite food?

* Chocolate (dark and milk. White chocolate is not chocolate!)
* Ice cream/gelato (yum)
* Cookies! Gimme! *drool*
* Pizza with crispy-chewy crusts ( I *heart* pizza)
* Pasta
* A good medium-rare rib-eye steak (or any medium-rare steak, for that matter)
* Brocolli and boiled corn on the cob(yes, it's true)

It may have been easier to ask me what food I won't eat. I won't even get my list up to seven. Maybe.

8) If you could choose someone to spend the rest of your life with, who are your top seven choices (current SO not included)?

* I'd rather keep my mouth shut on this one (or rather, I will choose to restrain my fingers from revealing my deepest desires *lol*)

9) Top seven favorite blogs?

* http://www.Marketmanila.com
* http://www.roboppy.net/food
* http://dessertcomesfirst.com
* http://80breakfasts.blogspot.com/
* http://scentofgreenbananas.blogspot.com/
* http://lutkie.blogspot.com/ >> My new favorite. She's prolific!
* http://www.seriouseats.com/

Yes, you are correct. They are all FOOD blogs.

10) Among the seven deadly sins, which are you most guilty of and why?

* Gluttony. See item above.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Tati and I were planning to go to Amici (yaarrggghh, gelato... pizza... pasta... *drool*)! Anyway... BUT things don't always go as planned so maybe that plan will materialize next weekend. Or the weekend after that. Or... whenever!

~*~*~*~*~*~

The porcine party pushed through after all! Whee! I'll be posting that in my other blog.. Harrrr!

-o-o-o-o-o-

Listening to: I Will Survive - Cake

"Weren't you the one who tried to break me with desire?"