From Books, TV and Get Togethers

I thought I was back on track with my blogging but I was wrong. TOINK! Some "things" came up. I was busy catching up with my reading as I had to stop because I need to focus more on my school books rather than on my "R&R" books. Before the start of my review I just finished reading New Moon so after the exams last month, I continued reading Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. I won't be making a review of the book because for sure most of you have finished all four books already. Hee hee!

Then, I finished watching Boys Over Flowers. LOL! For those who have no idea what Boys Over Flowers is, it's the Korean version of the hit Taiwan series, Meteor Garden. The moment I saw the commercial in ABS, I really got curious. The resemblance of one of the actors in the Korean F4 with Meteor Garden's Jerry Yan was super close. They would pass as brothers but I think the Korean actor is taller.



So anyway, I finished the whole season in youtube. Pinagtyagaan ko sa youtube despite the subtitles because I can't wait for another day just to see the next episode. LOL! Low EQ remember?

Another reason for my absence here is that I've been meeting up with college friends, previous officemates for parties and out-of-town trips. A and I missed a lot of the latter when we were still reviewing for the exams.

So there, after catching up on my reading, finished watching a Koreanovela (haha!) and almost done with the planning of our so-called college reunion, I think I can blog again. :)

Song of the Week # 6/2009

It's a Monday and I am back to posting the Song of the Week. This week, I chose a song from a band called Juan Pablo Dream. It's a local band and I just love them. The title of the song is A Nice Place. A very fitting title for where I want to go after a very stressful month.

Enjoy your Monday everyone!

Back to Normal Programming...

This has got to be the longest time that I have not blogged. I was shocked to see the date of my last post. It was last April! Sheeesh! My apologies to my avid readers (LOL! feeling!) and friends for not updating my blogs as I have been busy. Last month and a week back have been one of the most stressful days of my life. There were times when both A and I would be snapping at each other (well, it's more of me snapping at him...hehe!) but at the end we'd realize that it was just the stress and would apologize to each other. And of course when there's stress, there's always the possibility of breakouts. True enough, I have blemishes all over my face for the past few weeks. So I am off to the mall again in search of a top acne treatment. Sigh.. I wish it would not leave any dark spots.

Anyhoo, I just want to say that I'm back... for good! And hope to be able to blog hop ASAP.

Bulilit Commercial

The first time I saw this commercial, I was already humming the tune for days. Plus, the kid is soooo adorable. I'm glad someone posted this on youtube. Weee!

Ok, now ... Everybody sing... One...two...three.... Bulilit, bulilit ang liit-liit... Lol! Enjoy! :)



P.S. I'm not endorsing this real estate company. The kid reminds me of myself having that same haircut at that age. Haha!

PRC Filing

Last Tuesday was a very stressful day for me. My classmates and I went to PRC for the filing. This was my first time to set foot in PRC. Getting there was already stressful as the traffic was terrible. Jeepneys move like snakes as they slither their way in those side streets. Not to mention the pedicabs that just pop out of nowhere! Haay...

So we got there around 2:30 p.m. and as we successfully parked our car (somewhere safe..hehe!), we proceeded to walk to PRC. As we got there. We still needed to have our forms and other documents notarized as part of the requirements. We had to pay 150 pesos for the notarized school documents and application forms. This I find weird because all the documents that we will be submitting are all certified by the school. Hmm... Anyway, after having all our documents ready, we proceeded inside the building. I have three words to describe what I saw: Divisoria in December. There were a lot of people and this was just outside the building. When we went in to find a shorter queue, there were more upstairs. I was beginning to think if the building could bear the weight of all the people in it. As we searched and searched for the shortest queue to have our papers processed, we found this room at the second floor where they can process everything. This was good news for us because for some, they would have to go to different queues just to get their metered stamp, the blue and white forms and the one for the payment. In that office at the second floor, they accept payment, they have the metered stamp and give out the blue and white forms. In short, combo meal slash package deal. Kulang na lang eh foot spa. Lol! We were even saying that we got the best queue and we might even end up getting the "license" too. Hahaha! How I wish!

So there at around 4:45 p.m., we were done. It was good that there were eight of us because we would each fall in line in a different queues and would switch places once done. Hehe! It was also good that we were told to go there after lunch because there were "less" students that time. Sa lagay nung pumasok kami eh less pa pala yun! Kaloka! What more if we went there in the morning. I heard from some of our classmates, that they were already there at 4:30 a.m. and was able to finish around 2:00 p.m. Yikes! I would've gone crazy if that was me!

What only made things bearable was the staff in PRC. They were all very helpful and courteous when approached. The only real thing that I disliked was the lack of organization and signs inside the building. You wouldn't know where to go first. We were even joking around saying that PRC made it that way so that the students would make sure that they pass the board so that they wouldn't have to go through with that again. Hahahaha!

All in all, it was an adventure again. I'm beginning to think that every time I go to any government office, it would be an "adventure". LOL!

Visita Iglesia on Holy Thursday

My husband and I had our Visita Iglesia last Thursday night. This was my first time to do this outside the comforts of our village in LP. Hehe! I was used to doing Visita Iglesia just by going to the three nearby churches in LP. I know, some sacrifice right? But that's what we've been doing for the past... ummm... 10 years I think.

* The above photo was the shoes we wore that night. After reading this, you'll understand why I posted it. *

Last Thursday was different. This was our route:

1st and 2nd Station: UST Church
3rd and 4th Station: San Sebastian Church
5th and 6th Station: Shrine of the Holy Face of Jesus
7th and 8th Station: Quiapo Church
9th and 10th Station: San Beda Chapel
11th and 12th Station: San Miguel Church
and finally, the 13th and 14th Station: St. Jude Archdiocesan Church

It was a very humbling and eye-opening experience for me.

I felt ashamed (of the fact that when we haven't even started with our Visita Iglesia, I already kept asking A if we're going to walk far from the churches that we will be going to) when I saw something for the first time and made me realize how silly I sounded.

What I saw was probably something a lot of you who frequent the churches of Manila during this time have seen before. I am talking about those people who walk barefoot while doing their Visita Iglesia. At first, (when A pointed them out while we were inside Quiapo church)I thought they just remove their shoes while inside the church but they were also walking barefoot on the streets. I was quite shocked and a bit afraid for their sake (the nurse in me was panicking and I was already thinking of all the possible medical emergencies they could be in). There were even girls who were doing the same thing. Imagine walking the dirty streets of Manila without any shoes. The thought made me cringe and shudder at the same time. But it also made me realize that these people couldn't care less if they step on gum, poop or even something sharp. What's important to them is that it was something they "gave up". Something we should all consider doing to live a more content life.

It was so simple yet for me, it was very real. Compared to what I had in mind (a long list of what I plan to give up this holy week), not wearing any shoes beats the likes of "not eating any pork", "not smoking or drinking for the rest of the holy week", etc, etc...

I wish I could do that. But I don't think I can. That is why I admire those people.
I hope I (and the rest of the people) would realize that it doesn't have to be really complicated to make a sacrifice. It's as simple as removing ones shoes.

I hope everyone was safe this holy week. Happy Easter!

We did it!

Yes, I am back! After another long break from blogging, I am here.

Last week, April 1 to be exact, April Fool's Day, was our graduation day. A and I are now BSN graduates. Woohoo! I cannot believe that it's been two years already. I remember telling A that two years is a long time to wait but I didn't even notice that it's been that long already. All the adjusting to being a student again (after eight years) has finally paid off.

So anyway, the commencement exercises was held in PICC. We were 800 BSN graduates. Imagine, 800?! Whew! That was a long list!

The guest speaker was a priest and he gave a Homily-like speech but it was ok. There were funny parts but as students, we got bored and wanted to get on with the giving of the diplomas. So while the guest speaker was ending his speech, this is what we were doing...




And once we got our diplomas, we didn't go back to our original seats. Instead, we looked for our other friends and decided to sit together. Lol. Mga pasaway! And this is what transpired while waiting for our other friends to get their diplomas.




And being the second-coursers that we are, one by one we sneaked out of the auditorium so we can start with our photo op. Lol! And here's a peak of some of the pictures....

Moi and A... "We did it!"


Ladies in Black


"Alin...alin... alin ang naiba?"


Group pic!!!


With my parents and A's mom


Now we got one more hurdle to overcome and then we're set.

I thank God for everything, my parents for being supportive in this path that I've chosen, for A who was always so patient and understanding, for the friends that I've made in this new chapter of my life (they made exams, hospital duties and our case presentation bearable!) and lastly, I would like to thank my hairstylist for this event and the 33 hairpins (yes, I counted them!) that held up my gorgeous bun. Too bad, I forgot to take a photo of it. :)

To all the graduates of 2009, congratulations!!! Woohoo!!!! *Tumbling tumbling*

Thank You

In relation to my previous post, my family and I would like to thank everyone who sympathized and gave their love and support when my grandmother passed away last week. I was so deeply touched to receive text messages from people extending their condolences to our family despite the fact that they haven't met my grandmother. Also to those who came to the wake especially to those who came after office hours (I know you're all tired and that LP is a bit far from where most of you live), our heartfelt thank you.

Ina

It was always told in Religion class that death is a stage in our life that should not be feared as it is at this time that we come to live with our creator in paradise. This belief is what I have been holding on to since I have learned the concept of death. It is what kept me from being "at peace" and not questioning the reasons why people have to die. However, it is different when a loved one has moved on to paradise.

My grandmother passed away last Sunday.

It wasn't something that happened suddenly. We all knew that her health was slowly deteriorating. We were hoping for the best but was preparing for the worst. As her health slowly deteriorated, I felt helpless. I wished that I could take away the pain that she felt. But there was nothing that I could do but to kiss her on the forehead and asked her to try to eat more. In short, I wanted her to fight to stay with us. The look on her face and the frailty of her body sent a piercing pain on my heart. Unfortunately, our worst fear happened. Ina, my grandmother was gone.

No matter how hard I try to convince myself that she is now in a better place, a big part of me still wishes that she's still here. I know it is selfish but right now this is how I feel. A lot of 'what ifs' have crossed my mind, and I wish that I could resolve them. One of these is to be able to repay the time and effort she has given to care for us when my brother and I were still young and our parents were out working. She has become our second mother. And because of the kind of lifestyle that we have right now, the busy schedules, the deadlines that have to be met and the responsibilities that need to be done, only a minute fraction of her care and love for us were reciprocated.

I'm sorry Ina for not doing more.

I love you.

I cannot stress how this message has made an impact on me. I hope you would all take the time to watch this.

Song of the Week 5/2009

This week's Song of the Week was performed by Josh Groban and Charlotte Church entitled The Prayer. A lot of artists have done renditions of this song but this is what I like best.

I chose this song because it is what got me through last weekend.

Song of the Week #4/2009

This week's Song of the Week (though delayed) is my favorite song at the moment. At first, I was annoyed when I heard it but it kinda grew on me. Now I'm singing and dancing at the same time whenever I hear it on the radio. Plus, I just love her face's bone structure. Heehee! I'm talking about Lady Gaga and her song, Poker Face.

Enjoy the song. Happy Thursday everyone! Isang tulog na lang weekend na! :)

No more teachers...No more books...

The crossing of the fingers and the constant prayers have paid off. A and I have (surprisingly) passed the Final exams AKA Preboards that we had last Sunday and Monday. The results were released today and our classmate, M texted us our scores. It wasn't a high score but it was a passing mark. Honestly, I wasn't really expecting this but I was hoping I'd pass.

We were really worried because we were told that if we fail in the exams, we would have to retake it. Waaaa! That would be really stressful. So I am sooo happy that A and I and also my other friends have passed the exams! Wee! Graduation here we come!!!

Sunday Stealing - "The High School Meme"

I've missed a lot of Sunday Stealing because of school and I know it's Monday already here but in the U.S., I'm only two hours late from posting this. Heehee! So here goes...

This week's Sunday Stealing was from a blogger named Diana Pharaoh Francis from the blog Mad Libs. It's all about High School.

1. Did you date someone from your school? Nope. I was in an exclusive school for girls.

2. Did you marry someone from your high school? That would be a "no" again.

3. Did you car pool to school? Nope. My dad would always drive me to school after dropping off my mom at her office.

4. What kind of car did you have? Let's see, that time, we had a Toyota Corolla and a Honda Civic (that we still have till now).

5. What kind of car do you have now? A Honda Civic too. Heehee!

6. Its Friday night...where are you now? Hmm... It's actually a Monday afternoon here...Lol. But hypothetically, I'd probably be out with my husband while he plays with his band or resting for the next day's review class. Ugh!

7. It is Friday night...where were you then? Probably at home, watching TV or a movie.

8. What kind of job did you have in high school? I didn't have one but I've always wanted to try to work in this clothing store.

9. What kind of job do you do now? I'm not working at the moment as I am finishing my second degree. Weee!!!

10. Were you a party animal? Not really. I was a bit of a late bloomer.

11. Were you considered a flirt? Hahaha! That would be the last thing my schoolmates would think of me.

12. Were you in a band, orchestra, or choir? As much as I wanted to, I'm pretty sure they'd be fine without me.

13. Were you a nerd? Nope!

14. Did you get suspended from school? Almost. One of the teachers thought that two of my classmates and I were cutting class when in fact, we were looking for her. Good thing, we got cleared of that.

15. Can you sing the fight song? Hmmm.... I don't know which one is the fight song. Lol.

16. Who was/were your favorite teacher? That would be our Grammar and English Lit. teacher in our freshmen year. I learned a lot from them about school stuff and most importantly about life. :)

17. Where did you sit during lunch? It varies every year. But in our senior year, we ate lunch outside Troika Hall.

18. What was your school's full name? St. Scholastica's College, Manila

19. Where did you party the most? I already said I wasn't a party animal back then. But we usually hang out and go crazy whenever we're at my friends' house.

20. What was your school mascot? Hmmm... I don't think we have one.

21. Would you do it again? High School? Definitely. Especially our Sophomore year. Plus, I was really skinny then. Lol.

22. Did you have fun at Prom? Uh-huh. My date was my crush and a real gentleman. Plus, a bonus, he was funny and charming too.

23. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with? That would be a 'no'. We lost contact after high school.

24. Are you planning on going to your next reunion? If there was one, sure! But we've celebrated our 10th anniversary already and we didn't have a reunion so I'm guessing after the 20th then? Lol.

25. Do you still talk to people from school? You mean the teachers? Well, yes then but not that often.


26. What are/were your school's colors? Navy blue and white.

Better late than never... you can still post your entry and join in the fun. Yahoo Sunday Stealing!

Passport Renewal

This afternoon, A and I went to DFA to have our passports renewed. Well, actually I went ahead since A still has to work till 1:30 pm.

So I got there around 12:30 pm. I was early for our 1:00 pm appointment because I wanted to be first on the queue. Well, that's what I thought.

I was lucky that at the last minute, A told me to just take a cab going there because I might have a hard time finding a parking space. But honestly, the parking space would be the least of my problems after what happened this afternoon.

Okay, back to DFA. So I got off the cab and went straight to the guard standing at the entrance. Before I could reach him, there were three or four men wearing big IDs hanging on their necks and asking me the purpose of my visit. So I obliged by saying that I had an appointment at 1:00 pm for our passport renewal. They were asking if I had the application forms and pictures. I'm thinking (and if I'm just a nasty person would say this aloud), 'of course I have them with me. Who on earth would go there without any kind of document with them', right? But then they checked my pictures. They said those wouldn't be accepted because I had "bangs". Sheesh! What do they want, I'd cut them just so I can renew my passport? And to think I wasn't really pleased with the pictures that I have because they said I shouldn't smile. Well, I'm not used to that. Now, I have to get another set of pictures, this time with a worn out black blazer which thankfully I didn't have to wear. The 'photographer' just draped the stinky thing on my shoulders and proceeded to take my picture. My gosh! I looked horrible!! My face looked swollen and I looked paler than a ghost. Talk about overexposure! Then I had to pay Php 120.00 for that ghastly photo of me. 120 pesos for 6 passport-sized photographs! That's not all, since they removed the old picture that was glued on my application form, they charged me 12 pesos for the glue, the ink I used to put my thumb marks and a copy of the application form which they insisted that would be collected once I apply. Pero syempre hindi kinuha diba?

At that point, I was really irritated. Had I known that I need to affix already my thumb marks without the DFA personnel witnessing it, then I would've done it at home. And I should've brought glue so I won't get charged for it. You might say that's it's only 12 pesos and for sure I wouldn't miss it in my wallet. That may be true, but the amount of money that I need to shell out is not the issue. The issue is that these people would ask for money for everything! I mean, the 120 pesos is enough already to cover the pictures, the piece of paper used to photocopy my application form and the 3 dabs of glue used to stick my photo on the form!

But that's just half the story. The moment I got out of that kiosk and ready to go in. Another group of big ID'd men came rushing again and this time pointing me to the farther side of the street for the next procedure. Luckily, I was walking with this guy who is also there for his passport renewal and that he mentioned that he needs to get an appointment. I stopped and told him that I already have one so he told me that I should have already entered and proceeded to Gate 2 for my application. Grrrrrrr!! I was really pissed. I was already a few blocks away already and walking under the scorching heat of the sun without an umbrella. I was so annoyed when I got back at the entrance where the same men who instructed me to go to the oppossite direction of the building asked me if I had completed the forms. I wanted to scream and slap them silly but instead I totally ignored them (even the guards) and went in.

You're thinking, finally I got in and everything would be ok now, right? Wrong! As I found Gate 2, I immediately approached one of the four guards standing near the gate. (Do they really need four guards for that?) I asked him if I could go in since I have an appointment at 1:00 pm and it's already 1:15 pm. He said that I should wait and that they'll make an announcement if we could go in. So I was waiting at the gate still under heat of the sun for almost 10 minutes when one of the other four guards was speaking into a bullhorn and said that if there's anyone else left outside that has an appointment should go in now. So I approached him and asked if he was referring to those who were in the 1:00 pm slot. He then said that the 1:00 pm batch were already in and that I should go. Grrrr again! At that time, I couldn't help it and told on one of the guards.

I know two heads are better than one but having five or more is a disaster! The information being provided is already inaccurate. Ang dami-dami nila di naman sila nakakatulong! I hope anyone from DFA would be able to read this. Get a grip on those "fixers" wearing IDs who prey on the clueless and confused. And please, please try to inform your guards to have consistency on the information that they give to your applicants.

The only thing I like about this whole experience was that the whole procedure took only about 15 minutes. Mas matagal pa yung nilakad ko sa kawalan at pagkuha ng picture. Haay.... My gas abelgas!

So if you're planning to have your passports renewed, I suggest you get everything ok and do it soon because from what I've heard, by next year, everyone should have the machine-readable passport already if they want to travel. So good luck people! I hope you wouldn't go through what I've been through this afternoon. Nakakaloka! Kumulot ata hair ko sa kanila! Lol.

Dreaming of the Beach

The sun is really blazing in the afternoon and the temperature has really made itself clear that it's summer already. A lot of people have probably scheduled their summer activities already. *sigh

I so wish that I could go to the beach at least once for this summer. But I know that would be impossible. I'm so busy and my mind is so preoccupied that I can't even day dream of being in one of those Carribean cruises.

I so envy my friends who are on their way to Pangasinan and another group of friends headed to Batangas. Waaa! I want to go but I can't. My social life is on hold right now because of my studies so I guess the beach would have to wait. I'll see you next year pure white sands and sky blue sea.

Finals Week

My head is still recuperating from all the cramming I've done for our Final exams last week. And FYI, that was last Sunday and Monday. Yes, you read that right, the first day of our Final exams was on a Sunday. Given that my mind is on autopilot in the morning (and especially on weekends), it was harder because I was on two opposing planes that day. One was my usual "lethargic" self while the other one was the "high on caffeine overload" self. Let us not forget that my tummy's butterflies had butterflies in them as well. So anyway, that day was a long one. The format of the exams were like the board exam. Three exams with 100 items each for Sunday and the remaining two exams also with 100 items each was for Monday. Imagine the pain I had on my neck from looking down on the test paper for 5 1/2 hours for all three tests. But it didn't stop there, I had to take the final exam that I missed during our Intensive lecture for Psych Nursing. So that's four exams all in all. On the latter exam, my mind wasn't functioning properly anymore (as if it were on the first three tests). The questions in the exam weren't helping either because most of them were very long statements since it's a Psych exam. At the end of Day 1, both my mind and body were drained.

When we got home at around 3:30 pm, I went straight to bed and woke up at 6:00 pm. Now this is the funny part, I got up in one of those irritating ways when I just bolted up from the bed and went to get my towel. You see, I thought it was the next day already and I was going to take a bath. Good thing I saw A sleeping on the couch and mom-in-law preparing dinner. If not, I would've gone straight to the bathroom and would come out feeling really stupid and annoyed. Lol.

Day 2 was a bit different. I was more calm now because after the discussions we've had with my other classmates, we've realized that the previous day's exams were really difficult. Well, let us not blame everything on the exams but partly to blame was myself who didn't really study hard. Who was I kidding thinking of jamming everything in my sluggish brain all that was taught in just a week and a half. Haha! Good luck with that!

Going back, as I have let go of my feelings of denial and accepted the fact that it was partly me to blame, I felt a bit of regret from not watching the second Eraserheads concert. I could have watched it and would still feel this awful after the exams. Hahaha! Oh well, at least I got to watch the first one.

So there, that was how my week was. It's a Friday and yet I can't get to say "TGIF" because I have review classes on weekends. Waaa! Kuracha, ang babaeng walang pahinga!

Francis Magalona has Passed Away

"Mga Kababayan Ko", it is unfortunate that the country's Master Rapper, Francis Magalona passed away today at 12:00 PM. My condolences to his family. We have truly lost one of the best talents of our country.

Fire Scare

I was on my way home from school this afternoon. It's a 10-minute drive from our house. So I was driving when I saw in the sky really big and dark clouds of smoke. It was hard to tell where it was coming from but as soon as the tall houses cleared, panic hit me when I realized that the smoke was somewhat coming from the direction of our house. I was driving fast now and wasn't really minding the humps. Images of me packing our clothes and other things I can salvage in shipping boxes came flashing. Then, a sigh of relief came out of my mouth when I was already a few streets away from ours. Thank goodness it wasn't our house. I mean, I feel bad because it was someone's house or condo or building that was burning but I was very thankful that it wasn't ours.

So folks, let's be careful. It's summer already so the risk of a fire is higher in this time of the year. Let's unplug our gadgets and other appliances that are not in use especially when we're leaving the house. Unsupervised lit candles are a big no-no. I know I'm sounding like the spokesperson of Meralco but I just want everyone to be safe and not feel what I felt this afternoon.

Blogosphere Vacation #1

Though there were a few bouts of rain last week, the temperature is getting higher and higher. Summer is making its way for sure! And since my husband and I would be busy this whole summer (goodbye social life!), I wouldn't count on visiting any nearby beach or some cold spots like Baguio or Tagaytay. We're off to our books and review materials. So anyway, since a vacation is out of the question, I might as well "dream" of having one here in the blogosphere. And since I'm the type of person that wants to try something new every time I go on a vacation, I've done some research on a couple of these places.

My pick for this post is to take the Machu Picchu travel. The name itself makes me want to get my walking sandals. Machu Picchu is in Peru and from what I've seen, one of the structures there look like our very own Rice Terraces in Banaue.

Machu Picchu Terraces of Peru



Banaue Rice Terraces of the Philippines



And after visiting Machu Picchu, a little surfing in one of Peru's beaches would be great. I've always wanted to try surfing. This would be hitting two birds with one stone. :)



Till my next vacation!

Song of the Week #3/2009

I have removed the mushy gushy playlist for heart's day and have put back the Song of the Week. For this week, I chose the song from the soundtrack of the movie, The Devil Wears Prada. It's by KT Tunstall entitled Suddenly I See. I don't know but somehow I kept singing this song in my head for three days already. I'm guessing it's because of this commercial that used this for the melody of their jingle. LOL!

Anyway, hope you would listen to it. Happy Monday everyone!

My Turn

My husband and I were reviewing last heart's day weekend. We normally don't celebrate it on the day itself because a lot of people would be crowding the malls and other "vday-friendly" establishments. So last Monday, two days past heart's day, I decided to surprise A. He did the surprising last year so I wanted to surprise him this time.

Since I can't cook (yet!) I decided to order some takeout from Cyma. He was craving for their pork chops for two weeks already so I thought that would be the perfect choice. So I went to Trinoma and ordered our dinner to-go.

For our appetizer, I went for the Kalamarakia or the Crispy Baby Squid then for the salad it was a clear choice to order our favorite, Roka Salata. The candied walnuts tastes well with the greens and the vinaigrette. And lastly, A's favorite, the Hirine Brizola or the Grilled Pork Chops. I ordered a side of roasted potatoes with it. And for dessert, the sinful, Skolatina or the chocolate molten chocolate cake. Yummy!

And as I was waiting for the kitchen to prepare everything, I went to Powerbooks to buy him a book as a present. I was looking for the book Repeat While Fading book but at that time, the title escaped me so I couldn't ask the girl in the Customer Service booth. Instead, I bought him the small cook book that he's been eyeing everytime we were in a bookstore.

So as I got the book, I went back to Cyma to pickup the food and went straight home. I was in a rush because I just got a text from A that he's only a couple of minutes away. Grabe! Pinalipad ko yung kotse at mega setup ako ng table. Actually, I didn't have time to put everything on a plate so I just had to settle with opening the plastic containers so that the scent would fill the room. I was sweating like a pig after everything was set. I even setup the camera on timer so I can get a picture of us once he sees the surprise. Unfortunately, when the doorbell rang, I got so excited that I accidentally tipped the camera so it was pointing at the blank wall. So when the timer went off, it took a beautiful picture of the wall. LOL!

Here's a photo of the food that I ordered.



All in all, he was really surprised and happy. He kept apologizing for not being able to buy me flowers. I didn't mind. Actually, seeing the look on his face when he saw the food, was better than a bouquet of flowers. :) Actually, he's always the one giving me surprises, and everytime I tried surprising him, he'd find out about it. But this time I was successful. :)

Today is....

I have an 8:00 a.m. class today so I'm just gonna make this super quick. . .

Happy Heart's day everyone!!! I hope all is well.

xxooxxoo

Heart's Day Playlist

I've greeted everyone an advanced happy heart's day already but I noticed that I haven't posted a new Song of the Week.

So I decided to make a playlist that's similar to the one I made last Christmas. It includes some of my favorite love songs. Duh, of course! However, I didn't include the extremely mushy songs coz some of you might just gag. LOL.

Happy listening and keep the love burning! Wee!!! :)

Sunday Stealing - "The Get To Know Your Friends Meme"

Whoa! It's been a long time since I've played. I'm glad I did because I enjoyed answering this meme.

Here they are:

1. What is your occupation right now?
I'm not working right now. I'm a full-time student and a part-time blogger. Heehee!

2. What color are your socks right now?
I'm not wearing any socks. It's too hot to wear socks today.

3. What are you listening to right now?
I'm listening to the screaming people on the TV. My husband's watching a movie.

4. Last person you spoke to on the phone.
My classmate Jan.

5. How old are you today?
I'm still 30. And would like to remain that way, oh I don't know, maybe for another 5 years or so... LOL.

6. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV?
I haven't been really into sports these days but if we can consider cooking a sport, then it would be Top Chef. Hahaha!

7. What is your favorite drink?
Bubble tea.

8. Have you ever dyed your hair?
Yup, a lot of times but it's been a while now.

9. Favorite food?
Of course Filipino but I also love Indian, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Chinese and American.

10. What is the last movie you watched?
My husband and I watched Next and The Bank Job on DVD last night.

11. Favorite day of the year?
Christmas day. :)

12. How do you vent anger?
I rant and rant and rant...

13. What was your favorite toy as a child?
My favorite toy would be a red teddy bear wearing a jumper. I carry it all over the house wherever I go even though it's bigger than me. LOL.

14. Living arrangements?
There are days when my husband and I stay at his family's house in QC and there are days when we stay at our house in LP.

15. What was the last thing that you cried about?
The last time I cried was when I was watching World Trade Center on HBO.

16. Who is the friend you have had the longest?
That would be my friend, K. We've been friends since we were six years old.

17. What did you do last night?
Like I said in #10, we watched two movies on DVD.

18. What are you most afraid of?
I guess it would be dying alone.

19. In how many areas of your country have you lived?
Just two. Oh wait, now that I'm married, it's now 3. Heehee!

20. What is your favorite flower?
That would be the gerberas and the gumamela or hibiscus flower.

Now it's your turn to play. Visit Sunday Stealing here.

Advance Happy Heart's Day!

Ok, so you all know what day it is a week from now. Yup, it's the day that a lot of people love to hate or hate to love. Valentine's Day. Heart's Day. Couple's Day. It's the day (or week) when red and hearts decor threw up all over town. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against V-day but I am against the crazy traffic that will surely result from this one-day event. Plus, not only is it always in time for payday because it's the 14th but this year it would be worse because it lands on a Saturday -- a weekend! Need I say more?!

So for those (and I mean for the ladies) who would like to celebrate heart's day and would love to make it a hassle-free, stress-free and crazy-free day, then I suggest that you celebrate it at home.

Preparing a romantic dinner (or in my case just dinner) would for sure be much appreciated by your significant other but another great thing to do at home on this day would be a movie marathon. Snuggling and eating popcorn (or in my case again, chips and ice cream) while watching a romantic (comedy) movie would be a nice way to finish off your heart's day date. So for those who are in a relationship (married or exclusively dating), here's a list of some really good movies that's perfect for this day:

1. Love Affair starring Annette Bening and Warren Beatty. This is a newer version (or so I'm told) of the movie An Affair to Remember but the latest movie having that kind of rendezvous theme is Sleepless in Seattle (which is also included in this list).

2. A Walk in the Clouds starring Keanu Reeves and Aitana Sánchez-Gijón. Quick trivia, Debra Messing of Will and Grace and The Starter Wife portrayed a small role here as Keanu's lover before he met up with Aitana.

3. Serendipity starring Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack. For all those who believe in signs and "fortunate accidents" as what the movie would describe it, then this will be a great movie choice. FYI, this is one of my favorite romantic movies ever. There are some scenes that are a bit cheesy but my husband and I can so relate to this movie. :)

4. While You Were Sleeping starring Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman. This is one of those movies that I can't help but watch over and over again. It's one of those feel good movies for me.

5. One Fine Day starring Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney. I know the storyline is a bit plain and it all happened in one day but the love-hate relationship that Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney have in this movie is so fun to watch. Plus the kids here are so adorable.

6. Fools Rush In starring Salma Hayek and Matthew Perry. This is another movie about signs. But what I like about this is that these things do happen when you're in love (for me at least). I also get to see Matthew Perry playing a new role other than Chandler Bing(!). And everytime I watch this movie, I have this inkling to eat hotdogs because of the scene with the Gray's Papaya. LOL.

7. You've Got Mail starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. A comeback of the two after Sleepless in Seattle. Like While You Were Sleeping, I also consider this a feel good movie. And I'm sure that some of you could even relate to this movie. *wink wink*

8. A Lot Like Love starring Amanda Peet and Ashton Kutcher. I love this movie period. :)

9. The Notebook starring Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling. Who would've thought that the girl from Mean Girls and the guy from Murder by Numbers would make this Nicholas Sparks' novel a great date movie. I always cry buckets when I watch this movie.

10. P.S. I Love You starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler. Just like The Notebook, I can't stop myself from crying when I saw this movie. It's a bit "heavy" for a date movie but for couples, you can learn a thing or two from this one. And since I've already given 10 movies, might I just add that the movie If Only starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Paul Nicholls is a movie that can jolt up and somehow salvage a troubled relationship.

Other movies that I can suggest are: 50 First Dates, City of Angels, The Lake House, Jerry Maguire and My Bestfriend's Wedding. I'm sure after making him dinner, he wouldn't dare object to watching these movies. LOL.

Now for all the single ladies (all the single ladies, now put your hands up..LOL), gather all your single girl friends and set up a slumber party and a movie marathon too. Super chick flicks and light romantic comedies would do the trick. Here are my suggestions:

1. The Sweetest Thing starring Cameron Diaz, Cristina Applegate and Selma Blair
2. Mad Love starring Drew Barrymore and Chris O'Donnell
3. 40 Days and 40 Nights starring Josh Hartnett
4. Never Been Kissed starring Drew Barrymore and Michael Vartan
5. Crazy Beautiful starring Kirsten Dunst and Jay Hernandez
6. Romantic comedies of the 80's like: Some Kind of Wonderful, Pretty in Pink and 16 Candles

There you have it! Movie suggestions for those who would not brave the long queues in restaurants and cinemas.

Advance happy valentine's day everyone! Oh and happy weekend at that... :)

Absence and Confusion

I'd like to think and I want to convince myself that I am having writer's block (if you would call me a writer) that's why I haven't posted anything here since last week. But actually, it must be the cold weather again that's been keeping me glued on our bed for the past couple of days. Well, that and the 5-day silent movie that I've been starring in last week. Yes, 5 long days of not talking. My throat hurts and no voice is coming out of my mouth. Hence, the silent movie. I had to do my own version of sign language whenever I'm talking to my husband. Answering the phone was a challenge. The most that I can do were short grunts. I sounded like a cave man.



So anyway, as I was keeping tabs on what I was eating for the past week, I still got disappointed because I saw little change on my weight. I then started contemplating. I can picture a big scale in my head. It had exercise on one side and the best weight loss pills on the other. At my age, and since summer is fast approaching, the side with the pills weighs more than exercise. Oh what am I to do? Should I sweat it out or take a shortcut? Hmmm...

Song of the Week # 2/2009

This week, since it's my blog's first birthday, I've decided to play again the first ever song that I put up as the Song of the Week.

It is one of my favorite feel good songs. I first heard it in 50 First Dates and another movie where the title escapes me. It's by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole. I have no idea how to say his last name though. Toink!

Hope you enjoy listening! :)

Big Eyed Gal Turns One!

Happy first birthday Big Eyed Gal!!!

I cannot believe that it's only been a year. After all the posts and layout makeovers this blog has been through, it feels like it's been more than a year.

Dramatic as it may sound, my life has changed a bit ever since I seriously started blogging. I have met a lot of interesting people and have read their interesting, funny, witty blogs. I learned a lot in the blogosphere. One of these is learning a bit of html code when changing the layout of my blogs. Haha!

Anyway, I would like to thank my friends and family and the people that I have met in the blogosphere who still frequent this blog. Thank you very much. I know I haven't been doing a lot of updates but I still try my best to inform you all of what's happening. It's just that I'm at the busiest year of my schooling. So please do bear with me.

So there... happy birthday Big Eyed Gal!!!

My Blog is Fabulous!

Got tagged by Gracie. :-) It's been a while since I've done one of these. LOL. Thanks Gracie!



the rule:

You need to list 5 addictions that you have and pass this tag/award to 5 more fabulous blogs.

MY ADDICTIONS:

1. JUNK FOOD



My friends now how bad my addiction is when it comes to junk food. This is one of the reasons why I gained weight. Combos like chips and chocolate is my favorite of them all. I guess I never outgrew this phase. Hehe!


2. SHOPPING



It's a form of exercise actually. LOL. Seriously though, there's nothing like having this great feeling at the end of a shopping day when I know that I've gotten great finds and good deals. Who needs drugs when you've got shopping high?

3. TRAVELLING WITH MY HUSBAND



Don't get me wrong, I also love to travel with my friends and other family members but it's different with my husband. It's sharing an adventure with him and then we get to tell our future grandkids about it is what makes it more special.

4. INDIAN FOOD



Junk food is not my only addiction, I am also addicted to Indian food. Hmmm... This is not good, I've put two kinds of food in this addiction list. Haha! Now you know where the extra pounds came from. LOL! Seriously though, my husband and I are both addicted to Indian food. Since we're both fans of spicy food, Indian food is heaven!

Lastly...

5. MOVIES



I am addicted to watching movies. If I can do one thing for the whole day, this would be it. I can sit or rather slouch or possible lie down in bed while having a movie marathon.

Now, I'm tagging: Em, Andrea, Joy and the sisters, Abie and Vien.

Song of the Week # 1/2009

Christmas has passed (quite fast actually) and so I had to remove the playlist I put up with my favorite Christmas songs. Instead, I have brought back the Song of the Week. Yes, it's back! It was up last Monday I think but didn't really got the chance to blog about it. Unfortunately, I can't put it in auto play mode because the people from entrecard does not allow sites that have entrecards to have auto play music. I want the music to be in auto play mode so that whenever some visits my blog, they would be "forced" to hear it. Hehe! Oh well... I do hope you listen to it.

The Song of the Week is from the movie Honey starring Jessica Alba. I remembered this song because when I was clearing up one of my micro sd cards, I saw this song and totally forgot how I really loved this song especially when it was played in the movie. The song's title is I Believe by Yolanda Adams. It's one of those lift up your spirit songs.

I chose this song because I wanted to start the year by being the most optimistic of the optimists. Hehe! Exaggerated as it may sound but I would like to think that things would be brighter for me and my husband this year. This is a new chapter in our life and it's only fitting that I have a new and better outlook in life.

So there, hope you would enjoy listening to the song as much as I did. Here's the lyrics so you can sing along. Happy weekend everyone!



Yolanda Adams Lyrics
I believe Lyrics

Everything is Online Now

I cannot stress enough how technology particularly the internet has changed the lives of people. From shopping to paying your bills to watching a movie or ordering food online. I'm telling you the world is probably very very grateful for having the internet. Well, it may have some drawbacks, but for me, I think there are more pro's than con's.

Take for example, having online education programs. Sites like elearners.com provide a lot of opportunity for distance learning. Imagine having to go to class without really going. I mean, it's bad enough that you get all the pressures of school work but it's worse when you still have to go through the time and energy of actually going to the campus. With this kind of website, you can go and search for the type of course you want to take and you will be provided of the name of the schools that offer these courses online. There's really no worry if the quality of the education is high because all of these are accredited by organizations that are recognized by the Department of Education.

Online education would be perfect for me because I'm always in front of the computer and surfing on the internet. Research would be a click away. Plus I read a lot faster and I don't fall asleep when I'm reading from my computer rather than from a real book. I have no idea why but that's just how I am.

Now if only schools here offer online schooling.

Our First Christmas

I was looking for some insurance online for me and my husband when I realized something. How forgetful can I be when I've already blogged about my New Year when I haven't even posted the one for Christmas. Haha! So here it is...

Last December, it was our first Christmas as a married couple and so I decided that we should celebrate Noche Buena this year. Normally, my family don't celebrate Noche Buena in our house instead we celebrate Media Noche. I know it's weird and I don't know how it started but we're used to it.

So as our first Noche Buena, A and I cooked one of my favorite pasta -- Shrimps in olive oil and garlic. We also cooked chicken wings with Rosemary. Both dishes tasted great.

It was a quiet and intimate Noche Buena for us and my parents. After we ate and talked for like an hour or so, my parents headed to their room while A and I went to the Christmas tree so we can exchange gifts.



I bought him the Quicksilver backpack that he wanted when we frequented Surf World. He has a thing for backpacks. Anyway,I was really hoping I got the color right because they had one with the white print. Thankfully he did wanted the red one! Whew!



This was me opening my "surprise gift". I've asked A to wrap it again so I have something to open on Christmas eve. Hehehe!



If you've read my post about the wedding proposal that I got, my husband A has already shown me his Christmas gift. Hehe! For those who didn't get the chance to read it, he gave me the mini laptop that I wanted. It was the MSI wind that is in pink. Wee! Now I think my collection of pink gadgets is complete.

I Quit!

I have put off this entry for a very long time (almost a year actually). It's about me quitting smoking. Yes, I was a chimney before and fortunately I was able to kick the very very bad habit. However, after I think eight months, I've fallen off the wagon a couple of times by lighting up a stick once in a while whenever I was in a party. I would joke about it and say that it's called "occasional" smoking. LOL.

I've been smoking for quite a long time already and believe me I've tried a couple of times to quit ... but failed. I was close to giving up and wanted to get a smoker life insurance. Haha! But I know that when the time is right and when I really want to do it, I will be able to quit smoking. Last year was that time. Jan 26 was the last time I lit one.

I've come a long way and despite of the lapses that I had, I am still proud of myself for really doing this. Quitting smoking is physically and psychologically difficult for me. But with the support of friends and my husband, I was able to pull it off.

New Year

First off, Happy new year everyone!!! I've just finished copying the pictures in my flash drive and I am getting ready to save them in my laptop. I better get started on these or else it would pile up again. So many pictures, so many memories of the past year.

I just love the new year. No matter how many times we've gone through it, it still (and don't deny it) gives us renewed hope about certain things in life. Even if it is just the coming of a new year, somehow, we would like to think (yes, me included) that we can start anew. It's like having a clean slate and we could totally redo or try to makeup for whatever shortcomings we've had from the previous year.

But before I go yapping about the new year, I would like to say that last year was probably one of the most memorable years of my 30 year existence. This is because and from what I have mentioned, yes, the big 3-0 happened last year. I celebrated my 30th birthday though in the beginning it was with much anguish and hesitation, I have come to ACCEPT this kind of "passing". I've realized that turning 30 isn't that bad. I may be checking a different box in the age section when filling out application forms but it's just numbers.

Second, my parents left the country to be immigrants in the US. This was one of those things that have kept me awake and sleepless weeks before they left. There were times when I was crying myself to sleep just by thinking of the idea that my parents won't be here for a very long time. The longest time that I've been separated from them was for a month when they went for a vacation in the US. That was it! This time, I know they'd be staying there for a longer period so I was really really really sad. It did however, taught me to be more INDEPENDENT and self-sufficient. This really made me realize that it's time to grow up and take charge.

Third, a few months after my parents left, my maternal grandmother who was living next door got really sick. She was in remission from colon cancer and is now fighting leukemia. My aunt and I got confused and disoriented at first. Doctors were telling us that my grandmother was really weak and showed signs of having a failing heart. This is the reason why my parents went back to check on my grandmother. I had mixed emotions at that time because I was both happy and sad when my parents went back here. Every so often when my parents left, I've always wished that they'd go back. And when they did, it was under terrible circumstances. I hope and pray that she'd fight the leukemia. I believe in the power of the prayer. And I believe in MIRACLES.

Fourth, I started blogging early last year. With some help from my friends E and A, I started blogging like crazy. There was a time when I got so hooked that I lost sleep because of blogging and doing blog hops. And because of blogging, I've met different kinds of interesting people from around the world. I've learned a lot from them and hope to LEARN more.

Lastly and probably the most reason why 2008 was memorable for me is because I got married late last year. I am now a Mrs., a wife and someday a mother to our future kids. There are so many good words to use on how I felt on that day. But to sum it all up, it is HAPPY (quite an understatement might I add). I could not ask for a more loving, caring, responsible and super drop-dead gorgeous husband. *wink wink*

So for 2009, I hope to not only ACCEPT things as they come or to be more INDEPENDENT or to never stop believing in MIRACLES or to never hesitate to LEARN new things or to be HAPPY with my life no matter how crappy it can be at times but to be able to do all of this and more with my new life with my husband.

Cheers everyone! Here's to a great year ahead of us!