headbanDgers

this afternoon, my sister and i went to the mall. we had an early dinner, saw a movie, and went around the mall. i remembered that i needed a headband because of my hair that has a mind of its own (i have bad hair days every single day). i bought 2 headbands and my sister bought one to complete her new year's eve outfit. when we got home, we tried them on and so did logan :)


proof of our kabaliwan:










see? kabaliwan talaga hahahaha :)

should old acquaintance be forgot...

yup, 2009 is about to end and we'll usher in 2010. wow, 2010 - whether we pronounce it as "two thousand ten" or "twenty ten" it's still two thousand and ten years that mankind has chalked up.

for me, it'll mean forty years of existence (hmmm...they say that the 40s are the new 20s - so i think i'll look forward to that. but, to be completely honest, i'm actually ambivalent about it....) and another shot at starting anew. i actually make my resolutions on my birthday but since everyone is talking about resolutions, i have several that i really hope i do get around to realizing:

1. do something about my health - i've ignored my health for the longest time. ignored for me means, simply that, ignoring it. i've never undergone any lab tests, bloodwork, or annual physical exam even if diabetes and hypertension run in the family. when i have a fever, headache, stomachache, asthma attack, or whatever kind of attack, i reach for a tablet or a capsule. maybe it's time for me to know exactly where i stand in terms of my health.
2. do something about my diet - this might actually happen when i get the first item done. undoubtedly, there are going to be changes in my diet (or lack thereof) when i know whether i need to watch my blood sugar or blood pressure.
3. have my eyes checked - argh! i don't want to wear eyeglasses but i suspect that i'm going to ... soon
4. do something about my means of livelihood - at my age, i should be gearing towards a retirement package (HAHAHAHA). unfortunately, i've been moving from one job to another (or as me and my friends call it - jobhopping). where will i find that dream job of mine?
5. blog more - time and again, i've said this to myself but i get sidetracked - fb, no internet connection, nothing newsworthy ... :)
6. travel more - i sort of stayed put this year, no trips anywhere and i miss that. there are places here in the philippines that i still want to see and i hope that in 2010, i can get on at least 2 trips (if #4 will allow it).
7. strengthen relationships - existing ones and those that will develop ...
8. stay strong - those who know me well know what i've been through; not just in 2009 but several years running now. and the road to survival hasn't been easy and i haven't reached the end yet. i am amazed at the fact that i'm still alive. there have been instances when i want to throw in the towel but somehow, i keep getting up everytime i fall. i know there is Someone keeping me alive, making me strong, and telling me to keep on believing. even if at times i question all this misfortune, Bro tells me that i can do it and that He is always here for me.

i truly hope and pray that 2010 will be a better year for me, for you, for everyone. for the whole world, for all of mankind.

"costume change"

i finally got some downtime from christmas preparations and activities; not really frantic but busy enough to say, "whew!" how was christmas for you and your family?

well, i was about to post some pictures of food we prepared for noche buena when i thought of changing my blog template. a new design, a new look, or even simply rearranging stuff on my blog. the default templates in blogger weren't really appealing (sorry blogger!) so i decided to look around for other blogger templates. i found some and went through several designs before i settled on the current template: coffee desk

my sister says it's "me" because i'm a coffee addict (hehehe) and i still use a planner (yeah, i'm a bit old school).

i'm still trying to put it all together by placing my old widgets but i know i'll get there :) what do you think about my new template?

happy holidays to you

well, it's december 24, 4 p.m. ..thought i'd squeeze in a post now before we all get busy preparing for christmas eve...

let's stop thinking about our problems, tight financial situations, fights, what you hate about people you know, and all the negative stuff...focus on family, dear friends, the mere fact that we can celebrate the holidays whether it's a lavish or super simple celebration, and the real meaning of christmas - birth of jesus christ.

a wonderful christmas to everyone :)

who do you call? stressbusters!

sometimes stress can really get to you. it's how you handle it that helps you get on with life. lately, i've been going through prolonged stress attacks :) LOL those who know the source of my stress would probably just laugh but me, i can hardly laugh let alone smile ... vacations are not the way i deal with it although i wish i could. i've realized that there really isn't any vacation for the kind of job i have. i deal with it by eating - LOL! now, why am i not surprised? i guess that's how i deal with any kind of stress :) right now, i find myself eating only when i feel like eating. and sometimes, what i feel like eating doesn't really constitute a healthy meal but it does satisfy my craving.

kitkat dark chocolate - at the grocery i frequent, the kitkat boxes are close to another chocolate (the brand of which escapes me at the moment) that has the same colors, red, white, orange... so imagine the look on my face to see something dark brown/black with the words "kitkat"..upon closer inspection, i find that kitkat has gone dark...as in dark chocolate!

sebastian's bananutella - after a japanese dinner, my friend and i wanted to have dessert. someting other than coffee and cake, chocolate, etc. then we remembered sebastian's ice cream! lady luck was smiling at us because there is a sebastian's stall in trinoma. i already knew what i was going to get: butter pecan. turns out i was wrong. my curiousity got the better of me so i peered at the tubs of ice cream in the fridge and i saw they had banananutella ... have you ever tried eating a banana smothered with nutella? try it, you'll like it and if you're like me, a third of the nutella jar will be gone together with one or two bananas :) the ice cream was good but could be even better if they added more nutella...the banana part, they've got down pat. more nutella please :)

next post: more stressbusters

damn ...

on the eve of the fourth year - still no retribution in sight...

i hate getting the bad end of a deal...

finally, i got it :)

i protest!

my blog says...it has been ages since i posted and while i do visit my own blog once in a while, it's because i have links here that i haven't had the time to list somwhere else.

yeah, i've been busy...on facebook :) (now blog, calm down...please...) yeah, whenever i do have time to spare, i'm there, busy with my cafe :) it is one of my dreams to have my own cafe and in fb (as most of us call it), i have the el ellce cafe (yes, i can hear protests from my family because i haven't actually asked permission from them to use our name...). for my 30-seater cafe, i've got nine stoves (one more level and i can get another), 6 counters, three waiters and a cafe that looks "divided". divided because i've got a portion of the cafe that is actually my idea of a cafe, you know, bookshelves, wooden tables and chairs, lamps, that kind of look. i don't have enough money so i haven't converted my whole cafe into how i'd want it to look like. even in fb, i've got to save money for renovation :)

see for yourself:

even my slaying has taken a backseat to the cafe ... tsk, tsk, tsk...

well, i've got to go...gotta prepare more dishes for tonight so that my customers will have something to eat when they drop by...hope to see you there!

ondoy

ondoy, ondoy, ondoy...i don't think i'll forget that name anytime soon...the name conjures up images of submerged cars and houses, people stranded on their rooftops, nonstop rain...

i am very fortunate not to have experienced the worst of typhoon ondoy but i know many friends and have seen the reports on those who need help.

i am posting here a link to ms. joelle horca's blogpost (with her permission) which provides more information on how we can help: typhoon ondoy relief efforts

thank you.

cute :) hahahaha

for a woman who changed the philippines for the better...

thank you tita cory, goodbye....

a cool lola!

i've been a fan of lola techie since her first commercial for a local telco. i found her first commercial very amusing but i was really laughing out loud with the second one.

i've been waiting for this...

currently listening to: someday

what "date" is it?

egad, it's july 2, 2009! we're in the second half of the year! oh dear, 6 months have gone by already? hmmmm ... "panic, panic!"

michael jackson 1958 - 2009

friday morning, i woke up to my brother's text telling me that farrah fawcett passed away due to cancer, and michael jackson due to cardiac arrest. i already heard of farrah's battle with cancer so her passing wasn't as surprising as michael's. i'm sure everyone who learned that the king of pop died reacted pretty much the way i did, with disbelief.

the king of pop, at 50, is gone. it's unbelievable! he still had so much more to share; songs to sing, dance moves to execute, and more people to inspire. and to think that he was about to return to performing live starting with a series of concerts, all fifty are sold-out, in london.

while his personal life may be controversial, undoubtedly, mj as an artist is like no other. he changed the music scene ever since the late 60's as part of the jackson 5 and when he went solo and his album "thriller" came out, a music icon was born.

his songs make us wanna dance, sing, help, reach out to someone, make a difference; all that and more. with his passing, his albums and dvd concert series are selling like hotcakes in record bars. i don't have all of his albums but i would like to share with you my favorite mj videos and songs:

videos:

1. remember the time - amazing! i really love this video - the ancient Egyptian setting, eddie murphy, iman, magic johnson, the "magic" element, the dance routine and of course, the cat at the end of the video :)

2. thriller - i thought i was watching a short film not a music video. i guess this is what got me "hooked" on music videos (video hit parade, mtv, channel v, and myx, that sort...). i remember being so mesmerized by the concept and the choreography - of course, the dance moves. all that while being spooked by michael, the zombies, and vincent price's voice :)


songs:

1. remember the time
2. you rock my world - currently in my moto v3x playlist...
3. PYT (pretty young thing)
4. the way you make me feel
5. you are the love of my life

what are your favorite songs and videos?

born to amuse, to inspire, to delight

here one day

gone one night

like a sunset

dying with the rising of the moon

gone too soon

yes, you are gone too soon michael, but your legacy, your music will always be with us. thank you...








http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson
http://www.michaeljackson.com
http://www.youtube.com

where's my jacket?

a week ago, my sister and i were going to the mall. it was drizzling so i decided to bring my jacket instead of lugging around an umbrella. i put the jacket on the armrests of two adjacent chairs and minutes later...

i find my sister's "mischievous" dog, logan, resting on my jacket. i say to him, "logan, kukunin ko na jacket ko..." and he just looks at me and proceeds to make himself comfortable...

hahaha so, i decide to bring the umbrella. before i step out the door, i glance one more time at him still hoping to bring the jacket instead...

the umbrella it is ... :)

what's your "wordle"?

i got this from my brother's blog and i thought it would be cool to try it out and create my own.


create one for yourself, visit wordle :)

i'm anxious

about tomorrow that is...there's an opportunity and i hope it's a good one...i'm apprehensive about the thought of seeing some people but, i've got to conquer my fears, major and minor...oh well...wish me luck and say a prayer....

here comes the rain again...

well, the rainy season is here. so, it looks like summer has ended...drat...i hate it when it rains...literally and figuratively

the pacman has done it again!

wow...he is really the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet. my sister and i saw the bout (a super delayed telecast) and i felt for hatton. everytime pacman's right or left hook connected with hatton's body or face, i would wince myself - i can imagine the power of each jab, hook and punch. wow...

to the pacman, you've made boxing history and the whole Philippines is proud of you!


check this out...

please vote!

i'm apolitical. but this is one election where i want my voice to be heard. in the fight between mother earth and global warming, i cast my vote for mother earth and switched off our lights at home. have you voted?

www.earthhour.org

The broken clock is a comfort, it helps me sleep tonight

Maybe it can stop tomorrow from stealing all my time

I am here still waiting though i still have my doubts

I am damaged at best, like you've already figured out

I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing

With a broken heart that's still beating

In the pain there is healing

In your name I find meaning

So I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on

I'm barely holdin' on to you

The broken locks were a warning you got inside my head

I tried my best to be guarded, I'm an open book instead

I still see your reflection inside of my eyes

That are looking for a purpose, they're still looking for life

I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing

with a broken heart that's still beating

In the pain there is healing

In your name I find meaning

So I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on

I'm barely holdin' on to you

I'm hangin' on another day

Just to see what you will throw my way

And I'm hanging on to the words you say

You said that I will be ok

The broken lights on the freeway left me here alone

I may have lost my way now, haven't forgotten my way home

I'm falling apart, I'm barely breathing

with a broken heart that's still beating

In the pain there is healing

In your name I find meaning

So I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on, I'm holdin' on

I'm barely holdin' on to you

Broken - Lifehouse

from the album "Who We Are"

the hunt is on

for new phones :) (yeah, i wish....) my sister and i recently had a "text exchange" and she tells me that she likes another phone or should i say, she's eyeing another phone (she just got her iPhone a couple of months ago). she likes this one while i'm thinking about this one or this one (yup, i'm inclined towards business phones) ;). the funny thing is both are being touted as the iPhone killer. :) has it been such a disappointment? i know i was one of those excited about the iPhone but when i finally got my hands on one of them, i was disappointed :( i'm quite the texter and not being able to forward texts was such a bubble-burster.

so, will my sister and i get our hands on these babies? we'll see...

spring cleaning

i've realized that whenever i have extra time on my hands, i find myself going through my stuff and throwing away what i don't need or don't need to see anymore :) yeah, i know you're thinking that she must have a lot of stuff to go through them only when she has extra time on her hands. yup, i do. first up, my moto v3x...

my moto's phone memory has lotsa pics that i shoot whenever i feel like capturing something or, yes you guessed it, whenever i'm dining out. evidence?






first row, l-r:


1. Buon Giorno's Pizza Margherita - wow, this place serves great italian dishes...when my friends and i are here, we always get the crostini trio + pizza + pasta. i forgot to take a pic of the ravioli (which i love; i love ravioli but you don't really get to find a place that serves ravioli what with the demise of angelino's in megamall...affordable ravioli i must add hehehe) but the pizza well, i did remember to shoot when we were down to the, ahem, last 4 slices. the pizza is big and delicious....


2 & 3. Toast Box's Fried Mee Siam and Thick Slice Floss Toast - this duo is fast becoming a part of my comfort food list. i must admit, singaporean, thai or malaysian cuisine intrigues me no end and toast box is just that, singaporean, intriguing and well, delicious too. Mee Siam can be ordered fried or as soup. i just prefer it fried. floss, well, floss is also a favorite of mine since i was introduced to it by an old friend of mine who is chinese. they always mix their congee with floss. plain congee with floss is so much more delicious than with all the elements added to it in chinese restos...anyway, bread talk (a sister store of toast box) has the famous floss pastry, hot floss and now they have cheese floss. hay, muy delicioso :)


second row, l-r:


1. a "tongue-tied cherry stem" ;)


2 & 3. Secret Recipe's Thai Bagoong Rice and Espresso Cheesecake - wow....this place is hot. i mean the dishes are hot...i mean spicy hot. good thing i have quite a tolerance for spice. although my good friend ian who lives in singapore says their dishes are a bit bland for him, i still like the resto and that's because of the cheesecake. :) the cuisine is classified as asian so there are some thai and singaporean dishes mixed with some lamb dishes but their dessert selection is for me, to-die for. espresso + cheesecake = heaven :) :) :) need i say more?

who watches the watchmen?

yeah, who does? i'd like to :) i'm not really well-versed in graphic novels but when i saw the trailer of this movie a couple of months back, i was extremely intrigued and spellbound by the trailer. my good friend r, who of course, is my partner-in-crime for travel, movies and books, knew about it; moreso her brother who has quite a collection of graphic novels and is quite knowledgeable about this stuff.

i visited the site to know more about the story, read some production notes and even check out the soundtrack. all very "addicitive" :) and the logo, how could i not like it? a smiley...anybody who knows me knows that i love smileys, smileys on my mug, blogposts, text messages, notes, ym ... :) even a blood-stained smiley makes me happy. ever since kill bill 1 & 2, 'the gorier, the better' as me and my friend r always say ... :) :) :)

and an interesting note to the novel, it's in Time Magazine's List of Top 100 English-language Novels. hmmmm truly interesting...

directed by zack snyder (also of 300..."long live king leonidas and the beheaded cutie!" my tagline for that movie), watchmen opens this week ... i hope i can catch it this weekend ...

P.D.A. 7 Days

hahaha yeah, i wish that was something i could flaunt or maybe use as my ym status hahaha i'm far from any P.D.A.s (not the Personal Digital Assistant, mind you) but that's the title of my post because i truly didn't think i'd get more depressed than i am now but, yes, john legend will be in manila on march 26 and craig david on the 27th.

how on earth could this happen to me? darn. aarrrggghhh...fate is so cruel to me...

click here for more info

ho-hum

here we go again....we find ourselves at the bottom of the pit again (and again and again and yet again). am i a masochist (or a sadist? which is which? im always confused...) to find myself in this situation again??? whoever put a curse on my life, stop. please just take the curse back, please...aarrrggghhh!

the conundrum of a vicious cycle. i feel like a hamster on the freakin' wheel, running around in circles...going nowhere. ugh! it gets so tiring. how does one extricate oneself from the "hamster wheel"?

the crisis has certainly drawn itself out too long. i need to find a way out, an end, the light at the end of a tunnel (which somone answered me with "means there's an oncoming car..." hehehehe), the silver lining in the clouds, the silver spoon in my mouth ... ooopppssss...strike that out...hehehe

when i see my goddaughter, i wish i were young again, her age perhaps. yeah, i'd like to go back to those days and wait until i could make some decisions and i'd choose the right ones this time. i know, you think i'm such an ungrateful ass for saying that i regret some of the decisions i made but yes, i am an ungrateful ass sometimes.

hmmm.....does that mean this is my karma? okay, okay, okay, i take that back. i'd make the same decisions if i had to live my life over again. satisfied? okay, so can the vicious cycle stop?

where's my fairy godmother when i need her?

post birthday blues

i think i was born in the wrong time. i was born a bit too early. browsing through the maiden issue of several new travel magazines, i find myself wishing i had the strength, resources and time to go to all the beautiful spots i see in the magazine. it's two days after my 39th birthday and while i am thankful that i have reached my age, i rue that i have experienced so little. a major setback that started 5 long years ago always seems to hold me back. does it? maybe, i dont know but why do i still find myself mired in the downward pull of quicksand? no branches in sight for me to pull myself up from out of the quagmire so should i just be content with being sucked in? ah...so unfair to just be floating and acquiesing with the flow. such a waste of time. hmmm ... it's becoming humid and it does me no good. i find myself dreaming of the beach whenever i stand on the yellow-edged platform of the mrt on my way to work. others avoid that spot because the morning sun would ceaselessly beat down on the right side of your face and body should you dare to stand in the sun's rays. but i make a beeline for it. sadistic? not really, i dont mind standing in the sun. but i should get some sunblock. yeah, i definitely should. and an ice-cold coke zero too...to go please...

first pics of the year...

as promised, here are the pics from new year :)

the holiday season that was...

i know i owe you some pictures of the holidays. it's taken me ages to post them so i decided to just create a slideshow (oh so lazy chie!). the holidays were the usual holidays we have, christmas being busier than new year...new year pics in the next post :)

make way for 2009

yup, it's a new year, literally and figuratively. well, as we say adios to '08 and hola to 2009, i'd like to say goodbye to bad luck and everything bad, negative and hopeless. i want, hope and above all, pray that 2009 will be a better year for my family and everyone reading this post. i pray that personally, it'll be the year that things start to get better for me in all aspects.

thank you to my family who never fails to pick-me-up everytime i talk to them or read their posts and messages here on balanced insanity. for my sister, who took me in for a couple of months, thank you for being a lifeline. i love you guys...

i say thank you to friends who have remained constant despite the squabbles and differences we went through. they say that you will know who your friends are when you go through difficult phases in your life. for my friends, especially the meanies, i know i'm a big pain in the ass and i give difficult an entirely different meaning when i'm in my not-so-nice moods but THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for staying with me.

for a Power unlike any other, THANK YOU for keeping that voice in my head and feeling in my heart that says "keep going"...don't ever let go of me....