balanced insanity

"oh wow..."

2011-10-31T16:27:00.000+08:00

it has been said that we live through others and these people can show us what we are. what better "mirror" to have than another human being. it's difficult to rationalize our existence, actions, decisions, what we do. but when we know we shall leave what we've known as "life," others provide an insight to what we go through.

like millions of people, i was sad when i learned that steve jobs passed away. i don't own any apple product but i do celebrate and acknowledge his contributions to life, technology and communications.

and the most recent news i've come across related to jobs, is his sister's eulogy - what her life was like to have a brother named steve and what his life was like. a touching and wonderful read...

again...

2011-10-19T11:55:00.001+08:00

motorola has done it again ... it has made me want to get my hands on a new phone ... i want it bad. i wonder when it'll be available here ( november in the U.S. )?

i want you ...

such a tease!

2011-10-12T12:25:00.002+08:00

happy birthday!

2011-02-27T20:02:00.000+08:00

she's a source of inspiration, love, selflessness, hope, and caring

she's the original fashionista in my life and the only one who can lovingly call me a "pindangga" :)

she cooks the most delicious pancit, kare-kare, and spaghetti i've ever had in my entire life

nurses, crochet needles, yarn, and bedspreads remind me of her

as well as bags, shoes, and make-up

i love you mom!

happy, happy birthday

2011-01-02T18:16:00.001+08:00

i don't really chronicle my life through photographs. the only pictures i contributed to this slideshow were the ones of the planner and the chocolate :) but, it's how i celebrated another yuletide season.

this holiday season, it was more about relationships - renewing friendships and sustaining the ones that matter most to me. this year is probably the most hectic in terms of having dinner with friends who were in manila for the holidays. three get-togethers for visiting friends (i only have pictures from 2 parties), one for old and dear friends (represented by the chocolate), the company christmas party (sorry, no pics from that party), and the one at home with ate ynna.

allow me to share images from this year's holidays. i look forward to next year's slide show and i hope you'll be in it with me :) for my friends and family who are in the slide show, love you guys! :)

NOTE: by the way, there are captions - you'll need to hover over the picture with your mouse pointer so the captions come out.

i am spoiled

2011-01-02T17:29:00.000+08:00

i received nice gifts this year.

such as a starbucks tumbler, bracelet rosary, cd, abundance bracelet, handsoap, and several pouches / kits.

of course there are gifts that just really make you feel spoiled. :) one of my best friends, r, gifted me with royce prafeuille chocolat - berry cube. according to the website:

“Feuille” in “Prafeuille” is the French for leaf.
Between just 3mm thick chocolate leaves a variety of sauces is sandwiched.
The secret of the deliciousness is the 3 mm thickness.
Its special characteristic is the thinness: the chocolate leaves which sandwich the sauce are made as thin as possible. First the crispy texture of the chocolate, then it melts on the tongue: a velvety delicious palate. The texture of the sandwiched sauce enhances the softness. When put in the mouth, a new delicacy of a blend of 2 tastes is obtained.

Each chocolate base is different, but designed in harmony with the sauce. With this structure of chocolate and sauce, 5 different delicious tastes can be enjoyed.

it's sheet-thin chocolate filled with blueberry, strawberry and raspberry sauce (yes, raspberry!).

just like their nama chocolate, the prafeuille, is delicious :) can chocolate go wrong in my mouth? hehehehe the prafeuille also comes in caramel and coffee! oh my, i should visit the royce outlet in trinoma :)

thank you so much r, for making my christmas so decadent :)

got it!

2011-01-01T00:23:00.000+08:00

from this ...

to this :)

it's your birthday!

2010-12-19T15:17:00.002+08:00

yup, like you posted on fb, it's your 34th birthday ...

and i won't say anything because that makes me 32 - teehee!

what i will say is that i wish you love, the love that you deserve and yearn for; strength, physical and emotional, and happiness.

we've been through a lot, separately and together, and i want you to know that i survived the most difficult time of my life because i saw you survive the same thing yourself.

you're a beautiful woman inside and out and i know you'll become even more beautiful and graceful now that you're ... 34 :)

i love you sis! happy, happy birthday :)

i'm all lit up

2010-12-05T18:47:00.000+08:00

i am fascinated with lights. i don't know why. actually, i don't think anyone knows about this fascination of mine. and what better holiday is there for lights aside from an american 4th of july? none other than christmas ...

when i was younger, i remember that snow-covered lawn with the nativity scene outlined in dancing (or what i think they call chasing lights?) lights. i don't remember the street, but we used to drive by that house and all i wanted to see were those lights. our christmas tree at home, lanterns and trees in other houses, displays in malls, even lampposts with christmas decor; i'd always go "wow...". here in the philippines, it was the parol and our christmas tree too! as i grew older, light festivals became the norm - the giant lanterns of pampanga, that place along gilmore that's hard to miss with all the lighted parols on both sides, ayala avenue, manila peninsula, and there's even a pyrotechnic festival sometime around dec 30. and even if it wasn't christmas, my trip to shanghai was all about the city at night. have you seen shanghai at night? wow! don't even think about the electric bill they're racking up.

i work in ortigas and the building ain't bad at all but it isn't rcbc plaza in makati or the makati stock exchange either. towards the end of november, they were sprucing up the lobby with lamps and christmas trees. i was thinking, "great, there's going to be a christmas tree in the lobby!" and for a couple of days, we'd see, little by little, what they had in mind. there was one giant tree in the middle and several smaller trees and capiz lanterns and lamps at the entrance for both towers. then they put up the curtain lights and of course, i got excited. then on december 1, they lit up the lights and put a smile on my face :)

and of course, there's my previous post of the coldplay video :)

Lights in Singapore

(last picture from article on FemaleNetwork)

Christmas Lights

2010-12-04T01:17:00.004+08:00

http://www.coldplay.com

got a few minutes?

2010-11-17T22:43:00.002+08:00

an uplifting read ...

one "bloody margarito", comin' right up!

2010-11-14T17:29:00.006+08:00

eighth title in another weight division. wow. manny, you are truly the man! i'll have to admit though, i was a bit skeptical about this fight. it seemed like you didn't put as much effort into your training as you usually do. of course, you've got your political career, showbiz "commitments", singing 'imagine' and all that stuff.

then again, it just shows that it's not what we see that makes the difference but, it's what you are as a world-class athlete and what you do inside the ring that spells the difference.

the quote that struck me from an espn write-up was: "I did not want to damage him permanently. That's not what boxing is about." i will use the adjective "compassionate" to describe manny here, wanting to stop the fight when margarito's eye was swollen and shut. a compassionate boxer - an oxymoron if you'll ask me. but that's how manny is. he knows he's the best and could certainly be boastful about it but, no, he's ... "compassionate".

is retirement an option now for you? well, you can retire if you want to. but, i would really want to see you beat the living daylights out of mayweather jr. i truly would.

my dad would've enjoyed this fight, i could imagine him watching it with my brother. and i guess he too would want you to show mayweather what boxers are really made of.

tunay kang ipinagmamalaki ng pilipino manny! ang natatanging pambansang kamao!

* picture and quote lifted from news article on espn

time for "guilty pleasures" :)

2010-11-10T01:06:00.000+08:00

undas 2009

2010-11-06T00:50:00.003+08:00

2 down, 15 to go...

2010-11-05T23:53:00.001+08:00

it's the season for stickers, planners, toffee nut latte (at last!), and more pastries! i am particularly excited to sample the pecan butterscotch pie. i love pecan pie :)

one to six and now seven ...

2010-10-29T22:32:00.002+08:00

interesting ...

2010-10-24T21:13:00.003+08:00

that's what i think of the movie, "the social network." aside from the rave reviews, i'd like to see how an idea of "gathering everyone" on a single site becomes one of, if not, THE most visited websites on earth. of course, how did mark zuckerberg (is he the founder, co-founder, ceo or president?) start it all? zuckerberg has certainly been in the news with his $100 million donation to establish Startup:Education, a foundation benefiting newark public schools, and his inclusion in the forbes 400 list - #212. what impeccable timing for publicity! or am i just so "late" to hear about stuff? (i've been living under a very big rock for some time ... tee-hee)

anyway, i hope i get to see it ... anybody got a dvd? *wink*

there's a zombie on your lawn ...

2010-10-23T00:04:00.002+08:00

here's what kept me busy during my "hibernation" :)

i made sure i finished the adventure levels so i could watch that cute video at the end of level 5 :)

i missed this ...

2010-10-17T23:10:00.002+08:00

i found out that simon baker, a.k.a. "the mentalist" patrick jane, recently guested on the ellen show ... i really wish i had cable tv *sigh*

2010-10-16T22:11:00.005+08:00

all good things come to an end. much like when "the return of the king" installment in the LOTR trilogy was about to be shown, i'm "sad" that this is the last HP book / movie...november 19, 2010 and june 2011. *sigh* :(

they're back!

2010-10-16T21:42:00.003+08:00

2010-08-07T17:02:00.001+08:00

it's crazy when you get the chance to come back after a hiatus. there's so much going on in your mind that you end up not getting anything done.

hah!

and another one :)

2010-08-06T18:34:00.003+08:00

i hope our i.t. department will forgive me for doing this :)

i'm back!

2010-08-06T18:32:00.002+08:00

with a shameless plug ... :)

are you still there?

2010-03-09T15:08:00.017+08:00

whew! that was a long break if you'll ask me. so, how's it going? i hope things have been going great for you.

for me, well, i've been cruising along. so much has happened since my last post. i've been reborn (my 40th birthday), nourished (latest food updates), and released (moved out of the darkness)!

as always, nourishment is the name of the game; chiechay's game anyway. so, what will i share with you? well, remember this post? it came to me in time for valentine's day. oh yeah, that dark bar, wrapped in brown-streaked red paper, presented itself to me through a window display. odd that the red package stood out from amongst the rest. and there were about three or four more packages in different colors (well, i know red always stands out). but the words dark + chocolate + chilli (oh yes, double L...they might as well just write chillyn) were more than enough to reel me in, hook, line and sinker. oh yeah. i walked out of the store looking like the cheshire cat (have you seen 'alice in wonderland' yet?). i couldn't wait to get home!

so, i took the pictures. i was getting so impatient (yeah, my eq was at an all-time low) that i never bothered with the lighting and all that stuff, i just snapped away then i took that first bite. i ate a square (the bar was divided into squares, 24 to be exact). hmmmm, ecuadorian dark chocolate is delicious, but where's the hotness? so, i take another square and another until i've devoured 4 squares, one after the other. i ate the bar like i would a snack, i chewed the chocolate squares, not waiting for it to melt in my mouth. and you know how chocolate sticks to your teeth? well, when i got the chocolate that was on my teeth and gums, that's when it got hot. hmmmm, subtle, very subtle but you can definitely "feel" the chilli (it really is double L). ha! so i eat another square actually another four squares but that was the maximum heat it generated. just subtle "hotness".

i was hoping it would reach that level where i'd need something to bring the heat down. don't get me wrong, the dark chocolate was delicious. it's an overall 6.5 for me. nevertheless, i know what to expect when i get my hands on what i'm looking for.

maybe i should try a spicy hot chocolate drink to whet my craving in the meantime. care to join me?

care for a stick?

2010-01-04T16:45:00.006+08:00

for a couple of days, i've seen this stand at the cinema level of trinoma. from afar, looks very simple but upon closer inspection, the freezer display shows you what's inside...gelato on stick. yup, gelato. yesterday, i decided to satisfy my curiousity and craving. when given the chance to have gelato, jump on it. gelato is gelato. so, what will it be? i found myself "torn between two lovers" - pistachio and gianduia (hazelnut) ... which is which? i gave in to my "green" side.

the also have mango, strawberry, coffee and chocolate sticks...i didn't have time to memorize the menu. of course, gelato is more expensive than ice cream and at Php80.00 per stick for a plain one, it is expensive. (per stick is half; you can order a pair as well, i guess that would be two sticks more like the popsicle, right?) you can add toppings, dip it in chocolate, and i think there are other add-ons. the guy before me bought a half gelato with some toppings and he paid Php225.00! hmmm, expensive.

but when you "devour" ;) the gelato stick you'll think it's worth it; it's a treat, a reward. gelato is more dense than ice cream and sorbet and creamier too. delicious. :) i wonder when can i reward myself again?

stick house is found on the cinema level of trinoma (beside fuzion cafe and the candy stall). if you're like me and forget where i found such a delight, just look at the ice cream stick :)

you may also want to visit their website: http://www.stickhousesrl.com/ (they have gelato making classes!!! i want to enroll! unfortunately, the classes are in held in italy ... on second thought, i've always wanted to go to there...an added incentive!)

headbanDgers

2009-12-29T00:38:00.009+08:00

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...

2009-12-28T02:42:00.002+08:00

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:

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.
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.
have my eyes checked - argh! i don't want to wear eyeglasses but i suspect that i'm going to ... soon
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?
blog more - time and again, i've said this to myself but i get sidetracked - fb, no internet connection, nothing newsworthy ... :)
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).
strengthen relationships - existing ones and those that will develop ...
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"

2009-12-27T17:00:00.002+08:00

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

2009-12-24T16:03:00.004+08:00

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!

2009-12-10T12:50:00.007+08:00

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 ...

2009-12-04T16:24:00.002+08:00

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 :)

2009-12-04T13:59:00.000+08:00

i protest!

2009-11-30T15:20:00.005+08:00

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

2009-09-27T20:47:00.002+08:00

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

2009-08-23T00:10:00.000+08:00

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

2009-08-03T16:51:00.003+08:00

thank you tita cory, goodbye....

a cool lola!

2009-08-02T09:12:00.002+08:00

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...

2009-07-03T15:12:00.005+08:00

currently listening to: someday

what "date" is it?

2009-07-02T01:31:00.002+08:00

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

2009-06-30T16:07:00.006+08:00

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?

2009-06-18T21:21:00.007+08:00

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"?

2009-06-18T00:31:00.007+08:00

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

2009-06-03T21:36:00.002+08:00

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...

2009-05-06T21:07:00.001+08:00

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!

2009-05-03T17:16:00.003+08:00

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!

2009-03-28T21:00:00.004+08:00

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

2009-03-15T12:32:00.003+08:00

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

2009-03-07T16:46:00.002+08:00

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

2009-03-05T17:09:00.007+08:00

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?

2009-03-05T16:13:00.002+08:00

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

2009-03-04T14:01:00.001+08:00

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

2009-03-03T08:00:00.002+08:00

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

2009-02-21T09:02:00.002+08:00

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...

2009-01-11T14:02:00.001+08:00

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

the holiday season that was...

2009-01-11T13:37:00.004+08:00

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

2009-01-02T22:00:00.001+08:00

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....

hey, hey, hey....crazy!

2008-12-15T18:47:00.004+08:00

oh my...i am so sorry :( i've been busy with a project that has taken up most of my time; so much that i haven't blogged for close to three weeks already!

well, things are definitely crazy, sometimes crazy good but most of the time, crazy bad *sigh* but, let's not get into that....

what happened since we last "saw" each other? well, the pac man has done it again! crazy isn't it? his fight against dela hoya was telecast sunday, december 7 and boy, you should've been outside! no traffic whatsoever; i bet that edsa was one hell of a smooth ride all the way from quezon avenue (because from monumento to north avenue, it's crazy what with the construction of the lrt - mrt link)to taft. restaurants had a tv set up, people indoors were glued to their tv. crazy. i wonder if his next fight (is it going to be ricky hatton?) were to be telecast during a weekday, would companies and businesses operate or would they close because everybody is on leave for the fight? hmmmmm ....crazy? maybe not...

it's that wonderful time of the year...

2008-11-18T14:09:00.007+08:00

aside from my birthday, christmas has always been my fave holiday (yes, my birthday is a holiday, a personal holiday :) ). when i was young, i loved it because christmas meant trees, decorating the tree, making snow angels, snowball fights (rarely do i get into one because we weren't really allowed to play outside), fantastic lawn decorations, santa in the malls, the presents and so much more but most of all, i loved waking up and seeing our snow-covered lawn, unblemished with footprints, human or otherwise :)

when i came to the philippines, christmas took on an entirely different meaning. christmas starts on september one because it ushers in the BER months (septemBER, octoBER...get it?). nowadays, i get more text messages on september 1 than i do on december 25 (how's that for trivia? :)) in the states, there's still halloween and thanksgiving before christmas but here, there's only all saints and all souls day on november 1 and 2 so you can just imagine how early houses start bringing out the tree and wreaths. then you have your bibingka and puto bumbong vendors outside churches making your stomach growl with the aroma of those goodies and of course, the simbang-gabi. you really know it's christmas

in the malls, it gets crazy as well. i took pictures of landmark's area for christmas decorations at the ground floor. although there are more decorations in the home section of the department store, they of course, brought some of the stuff downstairs in the selling area right smack in the middle.

main thoroughfares in the city, ayala avenue, edsa, gilmore (where the spectacular lanterns are on display and are for sale...) even north avenue already have the christmas lights and decor in place. it really does lend some christmas cheer to an otherwise bleak outlook what with the economic setbacks everyone is facing

*sigh* it is christmas and i cannot avoid it. neither can i avoid feeling so sad about the season. up until 4 years ago, like i mentioned, it was my favorite season. now, it just reminds me of so much sadness and loneliness. this year, will i begin to look forward to christmas with anticipation? will i feel the excitement, happiness and cheer again? i know you're going to say that the true reason why we celebrate christmas goes beyond our personal burdens or situations. i know, but i'm just ... human.

the 44th

2008-11-05T13:12:00.001+08:00

the people have spoken

adorable enzo

2008-10-15T17:39:00.007+08:00

i'm a godmother again. saturday, october 11 was lorenzo antonio s. rivera's dedication; enzo for short. enzo is the muy gwapito son of my dearest friends ben & tess who got married in 2003 then migrated to canada. they were here two years ago and this year, they're back for the dedication. the occasion also served as some sort of reunion for the petiks gang.

i heart globe....

2008-10-10T23:57:00.009+08:00

i *heart* globe. i do. i truly do. oh my god...i love my service provider, i love globe. yesterday, last night rather, i was at my wits' end on how i was going to get my moto razr v3x up and running as a modem. i needed, desperately needed, an internet connection. i didn't make it to the internet cafe and i had to send an assignment. aarrrgghh...what am i going to do? when i got home, i tried to set up my phone using the motorola phone tools program but, to no avail. i even used up my prepaid credits because i dialled the isp ergo, i was charged per minute for the rate of mobile to landline...AARRRGGGHHHH how stupid could i be? i called the globe hotline. the customer service rep couldn't really help me, i wasn't actually expecting he would solve my problem. truth be told, i was frustrated. i just informed the people expecting my assignment that i had trouble with my internet connection.

this morning, i went to my "satellite office", trinoma and first order of business: send my assignment with profuse apologies for the delay. once that was accomplished, i checked my mail. then, i received a call; it was from globe technical support. the tech rep's name was ron (ron, thank you so much!) and he guided me thru the process of setting up my v3x and internet connection to globe. it really helped that i was in front my laptop and my mobile was connected so the whole process was smooth, easy and fast. i gotta hand it to ron, he was patient with me. now, i wasn't an angry customer; i was nice :) believe me, i'm usually an assertive customer.

when we set-up my internet connection, he asked me to try connecting to the internet. naturally, i couldn't start a session because we were using the phone so he asked me to hang up, try connecting and he'd call after 15 (was it 15?) minutes. i hung up, tried to connect and OH MY GOD! it worked!!!!!

true enough, he called back and i immediately said "ron? it works!!!!!" i know he could tell i was sooooooo happy because i could tell from his voice and tone that he was smiling too because of my happy reaction. i said thank you over and over again and he said, "thank you ma'am for taking my call."

awwww....i'd like to shake the hand of his foundation (and/or soft skills) and product specific trainer; good job!

ron, thank you very much :) i can't thank you enough..i didn't get your surname ...

globe, you've got a happy and satisfied subscriber here :) (i hope it stays that way)...

oh and by the way, i got my assignment back and i needed to edit it. it's 12:04 a.m. and guess what? i just sent it back using my v3x, laptop and globe internet connection. I LOVE IT!

"hot" chocolate

2008-10-08T14:04:00.010+08:00

for me, a good life has three C's: coffee, cheesecake and chocolate :) and i love my 3 C's. now what if i could combine one C with another C that i also like? well, i have been, for the past 3 months, on the lookout for the 4th C; "hot" chocolate. and by hot i don't mean the hot cocoa drink. i literally mean, hot as in chili hot. yes, my 4th C is chili. i'm looking for a chili chocolate bar.

it all started when i researched for chocolates in singapore that i hoped a very good friend of mine would bring home for me (he didn't but he's still a friend hehehe). of course in singapore, there's royce; also godiva and leonidas chocolates. all mouth-watering but not uber interesting. then, an online "singapore street directory" lead me to my first encounter with chili and chocolate; i was truly intrigued. next, i came across the chocolate gallery. oh dear, this for me was the best (website and selection) among those that i saw. imagine, espresso, raspberry truffle, hazelnut truffle, champagne truffle, coffee ganache and of course, dark milk with spice power (or is that "powDer"?) pralines! it is the second to the last picture but again, the thought of chocolate and spice (chili) was enough to set me on a hunt for something like that here...

i consulted my best friend, google (hehehe) and i learned that sarotti is available locally, in SM! alas, when we inquired at the snack exchange in megamall, the elusive chili chocolate bars weren't in stock :( i tortured myself some more and googled sarotti chili chocolate and found myself reading a blog that had a post on sarotti. more research and whattaya know, there's also Lindt Chili Chocolate!

oh dear... :( i gotta get my hands on one of these bars !

(l-r: the sarotti nuss chili bar; lindt chili chocolate)

it's 802.11g Jollibee!

2008-10-08T11:53:00.005+08:00

whenever dial-up just can't cut it, (yes, i don't have a dsl connection yet - go ahead and laugh your head off) i head off to my 2nd office, the glorious Trinoma Mall ... :) of course, wi-fi is what i need so i usually trek to a coffeehouse. but, i have been for days intrigued that there are a few patrons of Jollibee who have their laptops setup while eating chickenjoy! hmmmm....so today, i decided to ask them if they do indeed have wi-fi and lo and behold, they do! they gave me the password for access and here i am, blogging from Jollibee! while i didn't get the chickenjoy today, i had burger steak and their crispy fries, yes carb overload hehehehe .

(l-r: the "terrace" where "wi-fiers" usually are; what's left of my crispy fries)

i got my motorola phone tools installed, i blogged (well, still am) and checked my mail. the only downside is there isn't any available electrical outlet and my battery lasts only for 2 1/2 hours (and that's on power saver mode).

but, it's nice to know i have an option for my wi-fi :) i'm bad aren't i?

aaarrrggghhh!!!!

2008-10-04T15:52:00.011+08:00

more often than not, i find myself wishing i had a secret hideaway that i could retreat to everytime my life dishes out more than i can handle. a place that's quiet, cool, sunny, lots of trees, a beach - yeah, i am describing bora aren't i? but if i can't drop everything and go to bora, where can i go? the metropolis i live in, known as manila, has a few places that i go to just to chill. one of them is starbucks greenbelt...

(l-r: the view from my table just outside the entrance to starbucks greenbelt; what did i have? my fave combi - croissant and coffee ...)

an addition to my list: last week, i had lunch at the park with a colleague of mine. at first i thought it would be "weird" to have lunch in the park aside from the fact that it conjures up childhood memories when mom, dad and i would go to the park, have a bbq or go apple-picking. anyway, i was pleasantly surprised. we ate lunch in the legaspi park. i only took two pictures; i failed to get a shot of the mini-bridge with a koi pond flowing underneath.

(l-r: the view from my end of the park bench...yes the second picture is slightly askew, i took it that way...)

sometimes, exposure to "greens" really does you some good....after that wonderful late breakfast (first set of photos), i became a freelancer again and i'm happy about it :)

who was in town recently?

2008-07-25T23:54:00.006+08:00

who else but our good friend ian, who was in town for less than 2 weeks....once he got some free time, we met up at megamall...

(l-r: 3 biggies and a smallie; compress!; da boys)

thank you ian, we miss you lah! see you in december? we hope so!

happy birthday

2008-07-16T12:45:00.003+08:00

happy, happy birthday dad...

it's another first (father's day was the first) - first special day for you without you. it's different but i know that the celebration up there is bigger, better and grander than the one down here...

i miss you and i love you...

i miss you...

2008-04-25T18:54:00.001+08:00

a few days into april, i asked my sister if there was something we celebrated in april. we thought of birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and many other occasions. but, nothing to celebrate. little did i know that my question would be answered; certainly not an occasion worth anticipating.

saturday, april 12 was a "busy" day for me and my sister. around noon or so, we were already in the mall. after a pizza and chicken lunch, we went around the stores, bought everything my sister needed for the weekend, did some window-shopping and had a hot fudge sundae at mcdo. we were happy (as we always are when we go out) and that joyful mood lasted until the evening. in the living room while watching tv and playing with the dogs, my brother texted my sister with some news we never expected.

dad was gone.....

my sister who read the text aloud without really comprehending it at first was shocked. so was i. the smiles on our faces were replaced with shock, disbelief and then sadness.

we wanted to talk to them to confirm the news, hoping that our brother would be joking but we realized he would never crack a joke like that. never.

when they called us, they confirmed what we hoped false, dad passed away in his sleep. they said mom woke up on saturday morning and found him lying on the floor.

at that moment, i would've given up anything to be at mom's side; to help her, be with her, support her and see dad. but we are too far apart to do that. thank god my brothers, sister and brother-in-law got there as fast as they could.

i am and will forever be grateful to the neighbors and friends that stayed with mom and helped her attend to dad while my siblings were en route to michigan. thank you.

i know the frenzy one is in when a loved one moves on and you must attend to the details. when our grandparents passed away, there were always 2 or 3 of us; i can only imagine how hard it was for mom. you have no time to grieve, you must have a semblance of calm and enough presence of mind to do what must be done. mom, we wish we were there to help you; if only...

to all of my friends who texted their condolences, offered help, offered a mass for dad, called to ask how ate ynna and i were coping, called to ask how i was dealing with it or called to allow me to cry, thank you. our family is grateful for everything; i am grateful for everything.

that night, it was hard to sleep. but what was more difficult was the fact that i would never see dad again. he passed away on saturday and by wednesday, he was cremated.

i will never get to hug him, kiss him, talk to him or see him again, i'll never hear him say "hello lyn" and "o, heto na si mommy ha anak..." whenever we'd talk on the phone...if i should be given the chance to walk down the aisle again, he won't be there to give me away, he won't get to see his grandchildren. he won't get to visit his hometown (ate ynna wanted to take dad, the whole family, on a trip to antequera, bohol).

all that and more...but, i know you're in a much better place than we all are...

i miss you dad; i miss you a lot.

i love you....

2008-04-08T03:04:00.001+08:00

i'm back :)

2008-04-04T01:25:00.004+08:00

OMG! I’m back! I truly am! The feeling is truly overwhelming! I can do the dance of joy (remember the TV sitcom, Perfect Strangers?)!!! Now that I have access (albeit at a snail's pace) my to-do list has grown and grown and grown…

Of course, this is all because of one of the most awesome birthday gifts I’ve ever received and it’s from my brother….Kuya Boychie, thank you very, very much! *MWAH, MWAH, MWAH* Don’t worry, you’ll get to see more posts, pics and maybe some videos. And that goes for everyone out there…

Let’s see, it’s been almost 7 months since my last post and I’m talking about my regular posts, not my hiccups…and if I could only share with everyone what I went through those 7 months, *sigh*… you win some, you lose some. You “win” stronger friendships, time to regroup, a chance to see what you’re really made of and a chance to see if you've got enough faith to see you through. You “lose” friends, people whom you thought were friends, several professional opportunities, business travel and most of the time, my sanity. At the risk of making myself so “weak” in the eyes of family and friends, it seemed as if I hit rock bottom. Nay, I DID, not seemed. I really did and I truly hope I can get back on my feet again.

The Christmas Season, my birthday passed by and I couldn’t feel truly happy during those times. It was really difficult but with friends, family giving encouragement and a faith in Him that was constant, I have the chance to “redeem” myself and start anew. I’d like to say that Life begins at 38 and not at 40.

So, welcome back … to me… and I truly look forward to “seeing” everyone again and I am grateful that there are still some of you who frequent my space on the web even with the lack of new stuff.

Again, Kuya Boychie, thank you from the bottom of my heart…I Love You bro!

38 and still counting

2008-02-22T01:13:00.002+08:00

yup, i turned 38 last tuesday! yipee! happy birthday to me!

it was a "quiet" day for me, i started it with a mass and ended with a prayer.

to everyone who sent their beautiful birthday wishes, know that i am forever grateful that you remembered my special day, i'm simply overjoyed! :)

i love you guys!

p.s. hang in there guys, soon, i'll be back in blogging mode!

i'm still alive ... croak

2008-01-17T23:54:00.000+08:00

yes folks, i'm still on the planet earth although my posts have been far (very far) in between, i'm still here...

how has 2008 been for you guys so far? i hope it's been good ...

on leave again....

2007-09-24T15:13:00.000+08:00

hopefully by the end of the month or october or the end of the year (hope not), you'll hear from me on a regular basis....

it has been one heck of a roller-coaster ride

damn....i'm a "freelancer" again....for the nth time....

see you guys soon...

would it?

2007-07-16T14:01:00.000+08:00

Lyrics
Would That Make U Love Me

Robin Thicke

If I wasnt who I was

If I wasnt me

Would u stand next 2 me in the street

If I changed my hair

Would u then be proud

If I ran round town with a different crowd

Would u be my baby

If I had more money

Would that make u love me more

If I practiced a different religion

If I spoke my words differently

If I changed my tune 2 your favorite song

Would u wrap your arms around me

If I dug down deep 2 the bottom

Would u love me unconditionally

If I sound like u and we laugh the same

Would u mind if I hang around

Would that make u love me more

If I came 2 u from a different place

Would my message finally be heard

If its just me and u and theres no one else

Would u see how much were the same

Would u be my lover

If I’m a different color

Would u be my brother

Would that make u love me more

autobots, transform!

2007-07-09T16:30:00.000+08:00

have you seen this? if you haven't i suggest you do....

i wasn't really a big fan of the cartoons but when my good friend rose and i finally saw it last saturday, wow! seeing how the cars/vehicles transform into robots was just....awesome! i wonder if director michael bay will be coming out with another "installment"? if so, when? :)

next week, i hope our schedules will allow us to see this....the 7th and final book is also due this month...whew!

the princess went to a party yesterday

2007-07-09T12:03:00.000+08:00

independence day

2007-07-04T14:58:00.000+08:00

happy 4th of july everyone !!!!

here are some pics of our 4th of july lunch @ burgoo :))

(l-r: what 4th of july celebration would be complete without a hotdog?; ian, chris, jen, carol and marlet (hidden) gettin' it on with lunch and, gilbert, cathy, joan and the big boss ....)

1-2-3 sleep....not!

2007-07-04T01:35:00.000+08:00

it's 2:05 a.m. and i'm still at the office. got a cup of freshly-brewed coffee with me and i'm craving for mcdonald's plain muffins...hmmm

i'm not stranded by some super typhoon, just stranded with workload that requires "real-time consultation" a buzz phrase that me and my colleagues have been using a lot lately *LOL*

i heard that july 7, 2007 (7/7/7) is a lucky day to start a business, open up an account, get married, etc, etc...

wonder what i should do to counter all the negativity that i've been having?

so....what's keeping you up? :))

i hate this feeling...

2007-06-29T18:12:00.000+08:00

of falling in a rut again....a friend of mine told me that a rut that started out like this usually lasts for three years. *sigh* it'll be like 3 or 4 months before the third year is over. i hope i counted right.

a rut as defined by one of my best web companions as:

a fixed or established mode

of procedure or course of life,

usually dull or unpromising

!@#&*%^?>!#@ *sigh* it seems as if i periodically fall into one. but what do you attempt to get yourself out of from first? the "work rut", the "heart rut", "the financial rut" or "the restless rut"?

what a bummer.... :(

ciao everyone...have a happy and "rut-less" weekend!

where to?

2007-06-25T18:37:00.000+08:00

i've always been a late bloomer. unfortunately, i'm also a late bloomer when it comes to travelling. the philippines does have a lot of things to offer and so many places to see...i just hope that i'll live long enough (and save enough money) to uncover more places both locally and internationally (europe in 2010!!!).

there are more pictures of bohol and i hope you'll enjoy looking at the pictures in my online photo album

please be kind enough to leave a comment / comment(s) ....

until my next "travelogue"!

going home

2007-06-21T13:29:00.000+08:00

after the hills, we dropped by a butterfly sanctuary, simply butterflies. we've been to a butterfly sanctuary in baguio (in CJH) so i knew what to expect. rose had a wonderful time capturing the butterflies on film. joy had quite a discussion with the "butterfly-keeper" and i just went around enjoying the beautiful butterflies, flowers and plants :) afterwards, we dropped by the hanging bridge.

(l-r: pretty butterflies, me and rose at the foot of the hanging bridge...)

(l-r: joy at the foot of the bridge, in the middle and at the other side...)

after the hanging bridge, we hurried to the apropriana gift shop, a popular one-stop shop pasalubong haven for tourists. we bought a few things like the requisite peanut kisses :)) then, manong rudy brought us to pier 4 for our 2-hour ferry ride back to cebu.

we were tired so, on the ferry, we caught a few zzzzzzs. even if i was scared, i still managed a few minutes of sleep. upon arriving in cebu, we hailed a cab and joy dropped us off at CNT (because she had to go back to regency to retrieve the guitar plus she was on a different flight back to manila), a very popular restaurant that serves the infamous lechon cebu. rose and i were planning to bring home a couple of kilos. unfortunately, at 7:30 p.m., the place was already closed ... *sigh* and we thought we'd finally taste the lechon...oh well...

so, rose and i decided to just proceed to the airport. better to wait there than to be late for the flight. at the airport, another taxi pulled up behind us and lo and behold! it was joy :) we still parted ways; she proceeded to the check-in counter; we looked for a cafe so we could eat. we were famished! now, i don't know if this is really what happens but there were no cafes open inside the airport and it was just before 8 p.m.! it was really irritating because you're in an international airport, you're very hungry and there's no food...technically, there was a cafe that just served their last order and was just waiting for the last customers to finish their meal and leave. rose couldn't take it anymore so she asked the waitress what food could we order. after several "plea bargains", we finally got 3 orders of rice, chicken-pork adobo and sprite. why 3 orders?

it turns out that joy was booked a return flight to manila for may 30, 2007 and not april 30, 2007 :)) so, she cancelled her ticket and whaddaya know, she ended up on the same cebu pacific flight as rose and i. so the travelling trio go home together! :))

now, the cafe, as i said earlier, was closing but we still have to eat our food. with nowhere else to go, here's what we did:

we claimed a bench to ourselves. i sat on one end, balancing the styro boxes while joy and rose sat on the floor (airport floor) and used the bench as a table. only in the philippines my friends...

after dinner, we checked-in our bags and waited for the boarding announcement. after an hour, we were back in manila...

down the river and up the hills

2007-06-20T17:27:00.000+08:00

after the loboc church & museum tour, it was time for lunch. across the street was the "docking area" for the famous loboc river cruise. you pay for lunch and then you're shown which floating restaurant you'll ride. before departure, there is a buffet lunch. once the guests are seated, the cruise begins.

(l-r: a view of the buffet table; the cruise begins!; the busay waterfalls at the end of the river)

the cruise lasts for approximately an hour. and if there's one word to describe it: green. the water is green, what you see on your left and right and in front (except for the end) is green! at the end, are the busay waterfalls. i must admit, it was very relaxing.

after the cruise, we check out the tarsiers. then en route to the chocolate hills, we pass through the man-made forest of biral. this 850-hectare forest has teak and mahogany and wow! it was beautiful! imagine a canopy like that!

(l-r: our little friends out on a limb, and two photos of the man-made forest)

of course, a trip to bohol is never complete without the chocolate hills...these hills are actually more "chocolate-y" after summer. nevertheless, i'm still amazed at how these 1,268 hills were formed! truly a sight to behold!

(l-r: the hills, joy as we reach the peak of the viewing area and me at the bottom of the 214-"step-staircase")

the grandeur of bohol

2007-06-19T13:48:00.000+08:00

the next day, we had to be up early because our city tour would start at 8 a.m.. we were going to catch the 4 p.m. ferry trip back to cebu and fly back to manila at 10:40 p.m.

breakfast was included in the overnight package so we had a few minutes to see the beach in the morning. naturally, rose was up earlier than joy and me because she wanted to capture the sunrise...

(l-r: sunrise; sunrise view with a boat and the beach from where we were sitting in the cafe...)

by 8:30 a.m., we were on our way to our first stop, our lady of assumption shrine in dauis. now, there are a lot of old churches in bohol. and i began to notice and appreciate the beauty of old churches....there's a certain feel and look and you can't help but admire how churches looked like in the old days. now i did not know that joy had a thing for old churches, old houses. so seeing a church such as the assumption shrine was a real treat for her and there were more to come.

(l-r: the assumption shine, posing at the blood compact site)

after a photo-op at the blood compact, it was on to another old church, baclayon. baclayon also has a museum that showcases religious artifacts from so long ago that i don't know the date anymore! it was also there that i saw a book made from carabao skin; they used to write on big pieces of carabao skin. unfortunately, no cameras were allowed upstairs; sorry guys....

(l-r: dramatic shot of the baclayon altar, the altar from afar, sign before you enter the church)

after the baclayon church, it was almost time for lunch so, our tour guide, manong rudy, brought us to the loboc church. now loboc is famous for its world-renowned Loboc Children's Choir. we were fortunate enough to be there during practice and hear them sing. such beautiul voices indeed!

(l-r: upon entering the loboc museum, the Loboc Children's Choir practicing, awesome wall paintings)

next post: lunch on the river and the rest of the bohol tour...

i've already gone mad!

2007-06-05T09:32:00.000+08:00

i'm interrupting my regular posts on my trip to give way to much more important news:

how am i going to get my hands on one of these???

interesting sights

2007-05-25T17:40:00.000+08:00

i've been to a couple of beaches. a few in batangas, cebu, la union, cavite and of course, my fave, boracay. but i must say the beach in bohol is by far the most interesting. interesting in terms of what you can actually see on the shore.

the sand...i've seen gray sand, brown sand and of course, powder-like white sand (boracay, where else?) but bohol has what i've heard rose and joy say, "cream sand". it's also fine, white in some spots and grayish in other parts and it was a bit slippery. slippery enough to entice some of the kids to bring out flat wooden sleds and glide on the shoreline. they were what i called "sandboarding" :))

(l-r: look at the creamy sand!, a starfish in the grass, that's my foot; i'm behind enemy lines!!!)

aside from the sand and probably the fact that it was low tide, we came across so many starfish, a couple of sea urchins, "mini-islands" that become visible during low tide and a lot of my enemies, squid! everytime joy stumbled upon a "stranded" starfish, she'd throw it back into the water. we walked for several meters, maybe half a kilometer down the beach just taking pictures of the beach, of whatever life-form we saw and of each other. we also got the chance to use rose's tripod so that we'd have pictures of the three of us. now, we didn't know that there were some kids following us probably intrigued by the contraption that we lugged around the beach. (it was also hilarious how we'd try to take a picture of us three: two would pose in the frame and the third person would have to hit the self-timer then run back to the spot HAHAHAHAHA) at one point, i guess they couldn't satisfy their curiousity so they really came in for a closer look .... that's when we decided to have our picture taken with them....

(l-r: joy with the kids, me and joy with them, the young 'uns and the young once...)

afterwards, we went back to the resort for dinner and several rounds of photos. rose still hadn't seen what her camera could really do so joy and i were "models" for her that night. she'd go through all the modes then she'd say, "oh, pose na kayo bilis..." then, we also tried several rounds of the modes with the tripod...sabi siguro ng ibang taga-dun, "parang mga sira-ulo itong mga ito....magpopose tapos tatakbo at titingin sa camera..." HAHAHAHAHAHA

(l-r: pang-friendster?; 1-2-3, pose!; one of our last shots for that night and one of the best if i may say so...)

god's little paradise

2007-05-23T17:19:00.000+08:00

that's what's on bohol's website and it IS a paradise. as i mentioned earlier, my father is from bohol, antequera to be exact (dad, i hope i'm right :)) and it's such a shame that the family hasn't been there yet. i can only imagine how fun it would be if we were all there.

so, after an early buffet breakfast at the regency, we packed our bags and went to pier 4 for the super ferry ride to tagbilaran. we were supposed to catch the 9 a.m. (or was it 9:20?) trip alas, we didn't make it. so, it was the 12:30 trip. i must tell you that all pictures from when we left cebu to our arrival in tagbilaran were taken by rose or joy. you know how much i dread travelling by water :(( so during the 2-hour wait until boarding the ferry, i had to calm down and psych myself that everything's going to be alright. joy and rose were with me so, i could relax. i also told them that no matter what, i stay in the middle!

the ferry was okay, it's a super cat so, it's really okay. we wanted seats with legroom so we sat on the first row in the back section. while i was so nervous, joy and rose wanted to go around the boat and even wanted to go up on the top deck (which they did of course...). so when they left me (waaahhhh!!!) i just concentrated on the movie (in pursuit of happyness) AND i borrowed rose's iPod...

(pictures of joy and rose on the top deck...)

(l-r: me sandwiched by rose and joy, another pic while i was eating chippy, finally..."land ho!")

after the grueling two-hour ride, my feet were safely on the ground, the next thing we had to do was find a resort. we went to bohol without any reservations and luckily, the resorts weren't full. (talk about going with the flow! :) ) rose's sister, recommended the dumaluan beach resort so we met our bohol guide, manong rudy and off we went to dumaluan!

it was approximately 30 minutes (or was it longer? i couldn't tell because i was so engrossed with seeing bohol for the very first time...) until we got to dumaluan. lucky for us, there was a "cottage" available. so we checked-in, then, made arrangements with manong rudy for tomorrow's city tour. after that, it was time to go to the beach!

goin' around town

2007-05-23T14:06:00.000+08:00

both rose and i have been to cebu before. we've both seen the must-sees such as tops, the taoist temple, magellan's cross, fort san pedro and even ate at the sutukil place. when joy finally arrived after lunch telling us that at 3 p.m., we had a tour of cebu, i was surprised. i thought that joy had been around the place.

so when we got into the car that we rented for the city tour, we immediately asked the tour guide where he'd take us. we scratched off a lot of places in the itinerary, places we've been to. although we were left with only a handful of places to go, i was still excited!

first stop: get a memory card. this was for rose's brand new toy, the sony DSC-H5. the first mall we went to didn't have any cards so we proceeded to sm cebu. after buying the card, we were brought to fort san pedro. unfortunately, there was a reception scheduled so we really didn't get to go in and around. we did get to browse at the various "posters" on the wall explaining what the fort's history was and so on and so forth.

after the fort, we went to magellan's cross and the sto. nino church. the cross provided rose another great photo op. of course, when it's rose who's taking the pics, me and joy were lucky to even be in the frame. it's the view/subject that's of utmost importance. (not that we mind, her shots were excellent!) then, we said our prayers in the cathedral and lighted some candles.

(l-r: "kasama ba kami sa picture?" me and joy @ magellan's cross, joy outside the basilica and beautiful "wall sculptures")

from the basilica, we headed for casa gorordo. unfortunately, i didn't get to see this museum in my previous cebu trip. casa gorordo is an old house, old as in 19th-century old. it was the home of the first Filipino Bishop of Cebu and is now a museum. the house is charming and now that it is under the care of the aboitiz foundation, they've painstakingly restored the house, some furniture and fixtures and chandeliers even bedpans...

from the museum, we only had two more stops before we called it a day. second to the last was the lapu-lapu shrine. it was getting dark so we hurriedly took some pics before it got too dark. besides, our last stop was the alegre guitar shop because joy wanted to buy a guitar for her nephew.

it was a tiring but fun day for the three of us. after buying a guitar, we headed to regency. we just bought mangoes and food to eat in the hotel room; the sooner we rested the better :))

next: 2nd day: Bohol...

magnificent cebu

2007-05-22T12:30:00.000+08:00

after that heart-stopping, adrenalin-pumping run from the lounge to the airplane, rose and i settled in for a 60-minute flight to cebu. now i've been to cebu before and initially, we were supposed to head straight to the pier for the ferry trip to bohol.. unfortunately, with the fiasco involving joy, we ended up arriving in cebu almost 6 hours before she did. calculating the travel time to bohol and assuming that we arrive late in the afternoon, we decided to set up camp in cebu for the first day. next question, where do we stay?

after browsing thru the various hotel leaflets/fliers at the tourism desk, we spoke to daniel, the airport rep for the crown regency chain of hotels in cebu. daniel was very accommodating and kind. it also helped that rose stayed in a crown regency hotel when she was in cebu before although she couldn't really remember which one. after a few calls, we waited for the hotel van and off we were to crown regency.

we checked-in then went back down for the next important matter for the day: breakfast. so we headed on down to the cafe and ordered a la carte: danggit breakfast for me and the tapa breakfast for rose. both delicious if i may say so! then, we went to the convenience store to buy some "nourishment" until joy got there.

(l-r: my danggit meal, rose's tapa meal and "nourishment" pb chips ahoy, cherry and caffeine-free coke)

and now we got to the exciting part, well for me that is...sleep... hehehehe we wouldn't be exoecting joy for five more hours so, we rested. but rose had something that kept her awake, a new toy! she charged the batteries, tinkered with it a bit then gave in to sleep :))

next: re-visiting cebu

bohol here we come!

2007-05-18T17:51:00.000+08:00

i've never been to bohol. it's such a shame because my dad is from antequera, bohol. we (our family) should've been to bohol sooner so we could've enjoyed the sights and everything that it has to offer.

anyway, my travel partner rose and friend joy planned about going to bohol months back. i wasn't really planning on going but when i accompanied rose to the cebu pacific ticketing office to change something in their reservations, rose asked me to keep the three tickets. three? yup three because rose took the liberty of getting me a ticket as well. :)) talk about being shanghaied! :)

after getting over the pleasant surprise, we all made plans for the trip. travel light, travel light (something which i'm still working at)...as usual, with early trips, i sleep over at rose's and we go to the bus station or airport together which prevents one of us not waking up on time. for this trip, we'd meet joy at the domestic airport. our flight was at 5:00 a.m. and we were at the airport at around 4 a.m. we checked-in our bags, got our boarding passes and waited and waited and waited for joy who came at around 4:30 a.m. we were wondering why it was taking her so long to get her boarding pass and it turns out that she didn't realize that the 1 quart rule about liquid/gel in handcarry baggage doesn't apply here in the philippines. here, it's zero tolerance for liquid/gel in your handcarry.

we didn't know that was keeping her from checking-in. from where rose and i were waiting, all we knew was the cebu pacific ground stewardess was making the last call for passengers bound for cebu (we took the cebu flight then ferry to bohol); it was our flight! it turns out that the counter personnel wouldn't allow joy to board the plane anymore (she just made arrangements to take a pal flight to cebu). so after telling us about the situation and deciding to take another flight, we agreed to just meet in cebu, of course.

so, rose and i had to rush through the terminal fee booth and last inspection area (where you take off your shoes, belt and stuff) then we had to run, and i mean run across the waiting lounge to the gate to the plane! although we weren't really the last passengers to board, you could feel everyone's eyes on you thinking, "the flight is delayed because of you!" oh well...

we settled in our seats for the hour-long ride...

"ninang...."

2007-05-07T11:26:00.000+08:00

it doesn't get sweeter than this....

check this out and tell me what you think...

2007-04-26T17:09:00.000+08:00

another blog?

whew!

2007-04-24T14:27:00.000+08:00

hello everyone! how have y'all been? wow, it has been ages since you last heard from me....i know, i go through this phase and now i've come to ask for forgiveness...

well, work has made me very busy....and i've been all over...i've been to baguio 4 times already this year and i've been to davao as well. last week was a test of my physical endurance...tuesday night we travelled to baguio, left thursday then, it was off to davao on friday and back to manila on saturday....oh dear, you should've seen how wasted i was :) certainly not a refreshing sight....i would want to post pictures alas, business/work came first and that left me with no time to take pictures...if i go back to davao, then maybe i'll have the opportunity to take photos and then share them with you...

but next week, i finally get to go on a vacation! (i say finally because i had no vacation during holy week) i'm going to ... BOHOL!!!

me, my lips and i

2007-03-07T14:05:00.000+08:00

those who know me very, very well know that i can't live without lip balm. my friends know that i even use lip balm before going to sleep. so, imagine how happy i was to know of a lip balm blog!

bring on the lip salve! :)

2007-03-07T10:48:00.000+08:00

Way Back Into Love

I've been living with a shadow overhead
I've been sleeping with a cloud above my bed
I've been lonely for so long
Trapped in the past, I just can't seem to move on
I've been hiding all my hopes and dreams away
Just in case I ever need em again someday
I've been setting aside time
To clear a little space in the corners of my mind
All I want to do is find a way back into love
I can't make it through without a way back into love
Oh oh oh
I've been watching but the stars refuse to shine
I've been searching but I just don't see the signs
I know that it's out there
There's got to be something for my soul somewhere
I've been looking for someone to shed some light
Not just somebody just to get me throught the night
I could use some direction
And I'm open to your suggestions
All I want to do is find a way back into love
I can't make it through without a way back into love
And if I open my heart again
I guess I'm hoping you'll be there for me in the end
There are moments when I don't know if it's real
Or if anybody feels the way I feel
I need inspiration, Not just another negotiation
All I want to do is find a way back into love
I can't make it through without a way back into love
And if I open my heart to you
I'm hoping you'll show me what to do
And if you help me to start again
You know that I'll be there for you in the end

why?

2007-02-25T15:19:00.000+08:00

until when can one stay a fool?

until when can one "beg" for something they know in the back of their mind is wrong?

until when does one stay, even if they're being kicked in the face?

why do i keep asking you even when i know the answer?

set me free...

happy birthday to me...

2007-02-20T16:17:00.000+08:00

it was my 37th birthday yesterday, ergo, it was new year for me....i see my birthday as my "new year" so this year, i celebrated new year twice in february and on 2 consecutive days, the 18th and the 19th. to all my chinese friends and relatives, KUNG HEI FAT CHOI :) it is the year of the fire pig!

well, my birthday was very quiet. my mother called me and as always, it is so nice to hear my mom's voice and of course, dad's as well...i miss you both...the birthday messages started coming in and i was so deeply touched by family and friends who remembered my special day. thank you to all of you ... *mwah*

then, i spent most of the day in one of my favorite places on earth -- the mall :) what a productive way to spend one's birthday! but, it was my chance to get some personal errands done like replacing my watch's battery, pay my bills and of course my most preferred form of exercise, people-watching while sipping coffee. if me and my friends were together at starbucks, it would be one hell of a riot....woe to those who happen to cross our line of sight! :)

i heard mass then got together with my friends for dinner. (mom, i was good, i didn't have any alcoholic beverage...i'll save that for the weekend :) )

i have so much to be thankful for, i know. i hope i can remain strong and until i do, i hope that love finds me this year...

the gang has been busy and i haven't posted pics in a long time...here are some from our christmas dinners (there was more than one...)

(l-r the early birds: carol, giselle, me, tess and marlet / the whole gang having dinner @ bananaleaf / after-dinner coffee @ starbucks)

our next get-together & gift-giving @ starbucks promenade: rose, ben, tess, joy, marlet, john, me and carol ... arnold took the pic...

happy oink, oink!

2007-01-02T11:48:00.000+08:00

happy new year! how did you welcome the new year? my year-ender was slightly hectic but manageable. i'll post pictures soon.

next, it's the chinese new year and 2007 is the Year of the Pig...what will it bring us? i found this article in my preliminary surfing about the swine's year...

Out with the old, in with the new...

2006-12-29T14:52:00.000+08:00

A Meaningful Christmas and a Prosperous New Year to everyone!

I hope that 2007 will be a better year for us laden with opportunities, new beginnings, chances to redeem ourselves, blessings and new inspiration.

I pray that God will continue to guide us and keep us safe from all harm.

For my family and friends, I pray for your safety, good health and your unwavering support that will still be there for me.

For myself, I hope the coming year will be the start of a "new life" for me and that my fortitude won't forsake me.

I pray that the Lord will always keep a watchful eye over me and never cease to be a source of inner strength.

I hope that this year, love will find me...

Boracay Chronicles - Day Two

2006-12-06T15:11:00.000+08:00

YEHEY !!! we woke up around 8 and immediately, we checked outside if the weather changed and by golly it did! it wasn't sunny but it wasn't raining! excitedly, rose and i had breakfast (breakfast buffets were part of our package) and by 10 a.m. we were on the beach! rose was going to swim and i was going to relax and possibly sleep more on the shore. wow! yesterday i couldn't fully appreciate the beach since i was lugging around a heavy bag. on our second morning i just had my mobile and digicam with me and writing materials (pencil and sheet of paper). oh dear, the sand is all that i've heard about and more. it's so fine, it's like powder! baby powder! you could walk the length of the shore without any slippers and your feet won't get burned! the trees that line the shore are like a wall that separates you, the sand and the sea from the world... ah, life...all i could say at that moment was..."life doesn't get any better than this..." so rose and i simply walked on the beach looking for our own spot. and it turned out that our spot was beside the famed "sandcastlemakers" of boracay. rose was fascinated by the castles and was interviewing the manong on how to make one. apparently she got so inspired that after her dip in the water, she settled in the sand and made something. not a castle but a turtle :) so that's how we spent most of the morning, in the sand, taking pictures, looking at the beautiful people there, rose making her baby turtle, listening to music and me, writing. ah, life... since the sun wasn't out, we stayed there until mid-afternoon or when our stomachs finally couldn't stave off the hunger :)

we went back to the room to change then it was off to d' mall for lunch...after scouting around, we chose lemon cafe, one of the newer restos in bora. perusing the menu, i noticed that almost all of the offerings had lemon in it...well, i should've known because it is lemon cafe. rose had the porkchops and watermelonginger slush while i had the seared tuna and mangolemon slush...for starters, we had shrimp bisque.

(l-r the bisque, shakes and my tuna beautifully presented. the tuna sits on a bed of lemon mash, surprisingly delicious mashed potatoes with lemon!)

after that sumputous lunch, rose and i went around d' mall then hurried to find a spot on the beach at around 5:30 for sunset. we found a resto that had lounge chairs and we ordered mango shakes so we could sit there without being bothered. between rose and i, she has an eye for poster shots.

those are just my shots. i'll provide the link to rose's pictures once i've uploaded them. so we lounged around until around 8. that was our last chance to see bora at night since we were leaving the following day.

rose and i "hiked" to station 3 then back and finally settled on having dinner at Patio. it was a very relaxing day...the kind of lifestyle you can only dream about. we didn't want to think that we were leaving soon...but we did have a couple more hours to be on the beach tomorrow...

Boracay Chronicles - Day One Part 2

2006-12-05T16:58:00.000+08:00

we watched movies on cable all night, alternating that with local programs and newscasts because we wanted to know what Typhoon Reming had in mind. unfortunately, the area that included bora was under typhoon signal # 1 *sigh* oh well...so i took pictures of our room so that you'd have an idea of the rooms in Patio Pacific. we got room 101. this room is actually the last room you'll pass by on your way to the beach or their swimming pool when go through the back entrance. the room is great (by my standards). there's a double bed and a single "bed" or duvet on the side. actually, it can accommodate three people. rose wanted to sleep on the single bed so i had the "big" bed all to myself. it has a tv (which saved us from boredom on the first night), of course a bathroom (a very clean one if i may add) and although there wasn't any closet, there was a rack with an extra chair that we could place our bags on. it was clean, no irritating odor and the airconditioner worked fine. it was a bit dark, they could probably put in either another flourescent bulb or a lamp to add more light.

rose and i were relegated to the room by 2:oo p.m. and the rains didn't let us out anymore. since we had a snack, we just decided to rest and fix our stuff. i also took the opportunity to go thru my purchases and made a list of what else i needed to buy.

by 6:00 p.m. or so, we were hungry. even if we wanted to venture out to the beachfront, the rains and wind orevented us so we ate at Garden Cafe. prior to the trip, i came across some articles on the net about dishes that the Cafe is famous for. we decided to sample two dishes: the Chili Prawns and the Fillet Mignon.

rose also decided to get the Vanilla Bailey's Mega Milkshake. well, both dishes were delicious. they were deserving of the article that i read. but, they would've been more delicious if the fillet mignon wasn't that "tought" and if the prawns weren't so hard to peel. i guess they grill the prawns first before cooking them in the sauce and they may have been grilled too long thus making the skin "stick" to the meat. but, the sauce was delicious and they were really prawns, not just shrimp. so 6 pieces were enough for us. the meal was satisfying but if i may recommend anything in bora, please do try the Vanilla Bailey's Mega Milkshake. for those of you who have the occasional liqueur, you've definitely had bailey's. the drink rose always has. i'm partial to tequila but no cuervo milkshake on the drink list so...anyway, going back the THE shake. i wanted to get a mango shake but i didn't place my order. i asked for water first. then, they served the shake. rose took the first sip and you should've seen the look on her face. that look made me want to grab the glass and pass judgment. when rose offered the glass, i didn't refuse. one sip and i was hooked...for life! so hooked that i brought my milkshake to the room :)

after dinner, it was back to the room for more hbo, axn, star movies and local channels....it was a long wait until sunrise...

balanced insanity

"oh wow..."

again...

such a tease!

happy birthday!

i am spoiled

got it!

it's your birthday!

i'm all lit up

Christmas Lights

got a few minutes?

one "bloody margarito", comin' right up!

time for "guilty pleasures" :)

undas 2009

2 down, 15 to go...

one to six and now seven ...

interesting ...

there's a zombie on your lawn ...

i missed this ...

they're back!

and another one :)

i'm back!

are you still there?

care for a stick?

headbanDgers

should old acquaintance be forgot...

"costume change"

happy holidays to you

who do you call? stressbusters!

damn ...

finally, i got it :)

i protest!

ondoy

cute :) hahahaha

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

a cool lola!

i've been waiting for this...

what "date" is it?

michael jackson 1958 - 2009

where's my jacket?

what's your "wordle"?

i'm anxious

here comes the rain again...

the pacman has done it again!

please vote!

the hunt is on

spring cleaning

who watches the watchmen?

P.D.A. 7 Days

ho-hum

post birthday blues

first pics of the year...

the holiday season that was...

make way for 2009

hey, hey, hey....crazy!

it's that wonderful time of the year...

the 44th

adorable enzo

i *heart* globe....

"hot" chocolate

it's 802.11g Jollibee!

aaarrrggghhh!!!!

who was in town recently?

happy birthday

i miss you...

i'm back :)

38 and still counting

i'm still alive ... *croak*

on leave again....

would it?

autobots, transform!

the princess went to a party yesterday

independence day

1-2-3 sleep....not!

i hate this feeling...

where to?

going home

down the river and up the hills

the grandeur of bohol

i've already gone mad!

i heart globe....

i'm still alive ... croak