Lovin' It!

I Love -

2009-06-02T18:43:00.002-07:00

- that I am able to work once every two weeks from home. We're trying to anticipate working from home when the Winter Olympics is in full gear. I get to be the workaholic that I am from 8:30-5:00, prepare dinner and be domesticated at 6:00, and then relax.

- Angels and Demons (book and movie).

- the Public Library. Our books are not limited to school report books. They purchase at least 10 copies of the latest books and when I say latest, I mean John Grisham's The Appeal kinda latest. And the best thing is I get to borrow it for a month and renew it online for at least another 2 months.

- the sun. It's summer time and I might go biking to Steveston this weekend. What a lovely day!

- how my hair is growing longer and the thought of having it permed again.. hmmm

- him.. always have, always will :)

Sheryl would love this

2009-05-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

Taylor Swift meets Coldplay

2009-03-07T14:42:00.002-08:00

What's going on during this time of the year..

- Did not eat meat on Ash Wednesday, but did not hear mass though. Not eating meat every Friday, but eating 2 pieces of bacon Monday to Thursday. Doris (my Romanian deli lady): "Men are like bacon. You like them at first but one day you realize and ask yourself why in the world did I marry this guy. You see Mimi, they're all the same; men and bacon. The only difference is, one is a two-legged pig, and the other is a four-legged pig."

- Gerbera and Tulips are in season. Note to self: post pictures of flowers on my desk. You see, I try to destress while I am at work. By Dunsmuir Street, there's a little stand alone flower shop that sells really inexpensive flowers. Every week, the owner of the store goes to the flower market to bid for what is in season and what will sell for the week. I do not know how he does it but I get the best deals there and I've recommended practically half the flower-buying colleagues of mine to buy from him. Every Monday lunch, I go and get myself flowers for $5.00. It's usually 10 stems worth of flowers that'll last mee the whole week, sometimes 2. I prefer to change flowers every Monday to start my week right. And on Fridays, flowershop guy tries to sell all his stock; 15 stems for $5.00. And it sells like hot cakes! Will take pics next time.

- After 3 years of living in my aunt's house, i discovered last Thursday that she has.. *squirms in delight*.. MAGIC MIC!!! If Mickie is reading this blog, she'd be so happy for me. I thought I had sung my heart out after 3 years of built up karaoke fever but ever since I plugged the microphone into my tv last Thursday, I've sung 2 Whitney Houston's and half of what the 13 finalists on Am Idol have sung.. *big smile* I guess belting out the rangiest songs destresses me. It's proven.

- I thought and I still think that something lovely happened to me while arranging some beautiful red roses in the vase. While putting the loveliest one in cold water, it bloomed in my hand. I thought that was something different and it gave me the chills. Felt good something that precious and delicate opened itself up to me.

- Listening to: The Way I am - Ingrid Mathison

2009-02-28T16:56:00.005-08:00

- Spending the lazy saturday watching one of my favorite movies, "You've Got Mail." There's something about this movie that makes me laugh and cry and be hopeful that my Joe Fox is out there. I have watched this movie a little over 10 times, from being alone at the dorm, being with my HS friends, crying when i was heart broken and giggling when i think of him.

- What better to do while watching one of the best chick flick than to paint my nails. I just recently discovered that in order for one to have long lasting nail polish, one needs to: 1) colorless polish, 2) 1 coat of color of choice, 3) another coat of color of choice, 4) colorless polish to seal the deal. No wonder my polish doesn't last me 2 days; I do only 1 coat of the colored stuff!

- Got myself into something that I cannot say yet. It's something to do with work, and it'll change things once I hear more in the next 2 weeks. Be patient, Mi. I'm very nervous and excited at the same time. If it doesn't happen, at least I didn't disappoint myself.

- It snowed about a cm thin the other day and it was quite a surprise. The temp dropped to -2 from 4 degrees. Might not seem a lot but when one take an hour bus ride to and from work, -2 matters!

- In the meantime, enjoy some pics from last December, 2008..

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-17T20:18:00.003-08:00

- i'd say this is the best one yet
- no plans, no where to go, no one to be with (there's a dream of someone though)
- woke up late, quick shower, got a massage
- got a surprise massage the monday after

and she sits like a little girl, under the shady tree, anticipating all the good things that will come her way. with toes curled, legs bent, shoulders and neck all facing up the blue sky, she wonders when her dream of that someone will true. be patient little one..

highlights

2009-02-12T20:21:00.002-08:00

highlights for the first 2 months in 2009

- fired 20 people (and counting..)
- sick as a puppy and sober on new year's eve (could be a good thing too eh?)
- biggest snowfall in vancouver in the last 40 years
- karen and john's wedding (aww the highlight of my heading south for winter)
- got commented for writing an emotional wedding speech (it's the pasta)
- bonded with my friends (ktv, figaro coffee, "girl insect", what more can i ask)
- xiamen, china (the sea worms, tan tan mien, and the shortening of my life by 3 years because of the people smoking everywhere)
- realized how much my family loves me

- firing 50 people (and counting..)
- chanel chance - fresh (my new favorite, my love)
- killed and resurrected some tulips i bought for my desk (i totally forgot that plants need water!)
- work politics (they could make you or break you - i'll stick with "or")
- missing my friends and family at home
- valentines :)

Sunday Mornings

2008-09-01T08:49:00.002-07:00

Isn't heaven to wake up to a snoring 5yo Aidan and a 1yo demanding Carmina? I was dressed to the T on a Sunday morning because I miss the days when I used to wear Sunday dresses to church. I usually do that now just so that He won't think that I wear lousy repeat clothes to see Him and dress nice to go out.

So I got home to find Carmi naked on the bed; her already size 5 diapers were being changed. I got Van, their mom, to take the camera and start shooting. Stark naked with a huge belly pouring out, hair unkempt like how a dainty girl should be, but cute nonetheless.

5yo Aidan was also awake by this time so we got the camera and having mastered vain-y self-portraits, I took the camera and shot away. If none of you guys have seen Aidan in person, he has this huge eyes when he wake up that calls for attention. I swear once you see him awake, he's really awake and you'll be dazed.

Enjoy..

My SFO Uncle

2008-08-31T21:16:00.006-07:00

When I went on an Eastcoast tour to Montreal, Quebec, Ottawa, and Kingston, I was only expecting a few good pics of pure power-fresh snow, good food, and a sense of independence by going by myself.

Then I met Uncle Frank. He's a 60-yo something who went there with his sister, Auntie Grace. Little did I know that not only will my Mandarin speaking skills be put to test, I also found a friend in them. I approached Auntie Grace who was trying to take a picture of her brother. I was there by myself so I took the advantage of making friends, so I would have decent photos rather than coming back with vain-y self-portrait, desperate type of photos. I introduced myself and started tagging along. To my surprise, Uncle Frank's daughter's name is Mimi. Obviously, we all got along well; I treat them like my uncles and aunties, and they treat me like their daughter/neice.

My batteries ran out, and lo and behold, Uncle Frank's batteries ran out too. I never knew that Grace was keeping an ancient, bulky 2.0 megapixel digicam in her purse. So our photo adventures continued.. And that was it. Back to Toronto, we said our goodbye's, gave each other's email addresses and that was it.

I sent him a couple packs of Philippine Dried Mangoes to his SFO address just because I thought he might like it knowing the Asian palate, mongoes as he'd call it, just brings him memories when he was in Manila many years ago. Earlier this week, I got a surprise package waiting on my doorstep. It was a white box with UPS written all over it. It was from my Uncle Frank. All the way from San Francisco, I got my share of surprise.

This picture does not do justice as how the Lacey's dark chocolate toffee crunch tasted but this is the best that my camera can do.

My Ottawa and Montreal pictures started with just myself being the only subject. My trip ended with 2 more subjects on every picture from Quebec all the way to Kingston; and a package of goodies from San Francisco 10 months later.

Saturday Brunch

2008-08-09T23:04:00.002-07:00

Chicken Breast, Olives, Yellow Tomatoes, Grapefruit, Grapes, Sundried Tomatoes topped with Toasted Almonds on a bed of Mixed Spring Greens with Japanese Miso Vinaigrette Dressing

2008-08-04T13:06:00.007-07:00

karen is back to blogging and while i want to comment on her post, i am unable to. there seems to be a technical problem with blogger. so i find myself thinking what song brings back vivid memories...

it was always

michael buble's home

how could you forget when someone asks you to slow dance to this tune. he held me in his arms and placed my head on his chest. it was the sweetest thing. i've never felt so safe and protected. but then he said it was always

michelle featherstone's we are man and wife

right now though, i'm loving

jason mraz's i'm yours
So, i won't hesitate no more,
no more, it cannot wait i'm sure
there's no need to complicate our time is short
this is our fate
I'm yours

Random

2008-08-02T18:11:00.002-07:00

i dreamt of my highschool computer teacher and i saw her wearing a black polka dotted dress and she was pregnant. i lost touch with her since she got married and moved to the states but looking at my gradeschool and highschool pictures brought happy memories back. the sad part though is that i missed most of the reunions, birthdays, weddings, and parties. i might have looked at too many old photos uploaded on friendster and facebook that i ended up sleeping at 1am; for a sleep hogger like me, that's pretty late.

been quite a while since i went to church wearing a pretty sunday (or in this case, saturday afternoon) dress. i should do that more often before winter strikes and my legs freeze up.

have a hair appointment on tuesday. i'm torn between cutting it shorter, or just the bangs because i'm already starting to miss my long hair. i want to curl it to... like the shirley temple look but noooo... 1) i'm not a kid; 2) i don't tap dance and sing; 3) i'm not blonde

we'll see how it goes.

2008-07-31T20:28:00.002-07:00

*knock knock*

and he opened his door; i realized he never closed it no matter how hard i slammed mine on the other end. it's a big, big risk he's taking but i tell him it'll be worth it. we've been through hell and back, its about time we give "us" a chance. there's nowhere else to go but up..

why i won't let go this time? he taught me what unconditional love is. so this is what it feels like eh? genuinely happy and content.

Ocean's Eleven

2007-08-16T19:26:00.001-07:00

all i could think of right now is a line from the movie...

"does he make you laugh?"
"he doesn't make me cry."

but my danny ocean would ask, "does he make you laugh?"
"not as much as you do."

2007-08-16T19:24:00.000-07:00

you get to a point in your life where everything doesn't seem to go your way, nothing makes sense and yet you feel indifferent. you reach a crossroad of not knowing whether you should move on or hang on to what you're already comfortable with.

i thought i knew how my life would go. i thought i had everything planned out but everything seems to be turning the complete opposite way. i don't mind at all. i don't mind growing, changing, learning more. what i do mind is hurting people along the way.

lately, i've been trying to be as "successful" in my own understanding of the word, as i can be and i realize i've hurt a lot of people along the way. i've broken their trust, i've stabbed them to their deepest cores, and just push them away. maybe it's my defense mechanism when i don't want people to know how i really feel. maybe pushing them away and not talking will make them forget to ask me, "how's it going? everything alright?" because if they do ask me that, i'd probably break down.

i don't want to be the person that i hate. but i was scared that i was turning into that someone. i had to act quickly. and by doing so, i have never felt so disappointed that i can do so much harm to someone who gives me nothing but unconditional love. when someone lets you go, after all the fighting, after all the rejection, after all the coldness, and just like that, turns around and is actually happy and supportive of you, makes you wonder if what you're doing is right.

one of the teachings i often read from the bible says that, "love is patient, love is kind. it is not jealous, love does not boast, it is not inflated. Love covers all things, it has faith for all things, it hopes in all things, and it endures in all things."

you offered to keep your door wide open. i said maybe i'd take a peek. it would be too much to ask to keep it wide open indefinitely. but i'll surely take a peek and say, "hey you, i missed you already."

i can't believe that for the past year and seven months, all i've been praying for was you, and now that i finally have you, i push you away just like that. i'm sure i'll regret it someday.

*knock knock*

2007-08-10T18:56:00.000-07:00

I never believed when people say it in the movies, "i love you so much, it hurts."

... not until now

All Grown Up

2007-04-18T22:46:00.000-07:00

... because for the very first time, i've filed my taxes. i just had to pay for the convenience of not lining up in the sweltering heat (philippine version) but rather, sit down in front of the computer and just type in all the information provided.

... because i was able to have my version of a well-balanced lunch by having wendy's salad and frosty, rather than a big bacon classic combo meal and frosty. either way, i needed my dose of frosty so i had to have the salad.

... because i'm learning how to put on foundation to cover blemishes on my skin. will have to see the difference between concealer and foundation though. note to self: lessons from peggy on base make-up/foundation; lessons from sharleen on different kinds of concealer.

... because instead of sulking at work, i've managed to smile like a deranged lady for three days already. my jaw is beginning to hurt, my gums are over exposed, my throat is dry from all the smiling but it's ok. i should smile otherwise, i look like i'm sleepy/ i'm a snob.

... because i want to

Almost A Year

2007-04-14T16:45:00.000-07:00

as i am writing this, my wasted and broken heart cannot feel anything but numbness. i ask myself why i should be affected, but there is no answer; why should it be you, only vagueness; why me, silence.

no, i'm not pissed off, i never was, never will be at you. am just disappointed as there is no promise, no word of honor. you bring me to the highest of highs. and just like that, my heart is torn apart, struck, dumbfounded. it was a tug of war for a bit. a little of this, and then a lot of that. what happened along the way? all these feelings, nowhere to go. swallow up everything, take a deep breath, and move on, as if nothing ever happened. did i do something wrong? i don't know. maybe i did.

why like this? :'(

mixed emotions

2007-04-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

have i been on hiatus for too long? but then again, i never missed blogging when i didn't feel like writing my thoughts. if i did, this would have been a very emotional blog; a circus of extreme emotions.

so what's new since november of last year? well... there's the hair, the flabbier tummy, discovering stick foundation, and then spring. yipee! more capris, polo shirts, shorts, and sandals to wear!

skipped work for two days to attend a course on communication... kinda wished i was at work but then again, it was a nice break. *sigh* i'm bored with my work... i want a more brain-stimulating, creativity-tickling, stress-challenging job that would push me. hmmm maybe i don't belong to the financial industry? hehe what am i gonna do?

For Now

2006-11-13T00:20:00.000-08:00

Promise me you'll wait for me
'cause I'll be saving all my love for you
and I will be home soon

Promise me you'll wait for me
I need to know you feel the same way too
and I'll be home, I'll be home soon

Decisions... Decisions

2006-09-25T23:19:00.000-07:00

to resign or not to resign?
sales? or non-sell?
support? or stock?
rollout? or folding?

just a few of my mini-crises with regards to work. i knew i had to resign soon. i thought i could take the work load, working 7 days a week. the superhero in me thought weekend work is just a relaxing work with perks. hmmm i was wrong. there's more to retail than what people see upfront.

currently in love with:
- smell of pine tree
- banana republic parfum jade
- banana chips
- khaki curduroy jacket
- chocolate brown color
- preppy clothing
- vacation plan :)

Last of Summer '06

2006-09-23T23:26:00.000-07:00

for the first time in three and a half months, i got a weekend all to myself. working two jobs is hard enough, not spending time for myself is even more difficult than i've ever imagined. it used to be saturdays for barkadas and gimick at night, sundays with family at home or at the salon. for now, i am more content at the thought os busing around the city and craving for that last bit of sunshine. in the next 6 months, i'll be enduring the fall-winter chill that hits the skin as if my nose and ears would fall off anytime.

so i actually did maximize this first ever weekend i have to myself. after walking 4 blocks (yes, i enjoy walking/jogging here) to the mall and another 4 to the library, i passed by mcdo to have my brunch. living in a dorm for three years and having seen supersize me twice made me semi-anti-mcdo. i've never had any burgers for two years now and i realized this morning was my first visit to mcdo for so long. gosh this entry is so messed up.

anyhoo, i decided to go to my favorite place by myself this afternoon. the ever excited-to-see-a-public-transportation me walked to the nearest bus stop and hopped on the first bus that came along, rode for 25 minutes and there i was in steveston. what a busy day. with the sun out and the fall chill, it was a perfect day; lots of people, lots of dogs, kids, tourists. whenever i go there, i never miss to visit my fave cafe and drink my fave coffee. walked around the whole place for 30 minutes, drank another cup of coffee and spent the afternoon reading my book.

who wouldn't be in love with this view?

i would, i already am. and if there would be someone special in my life, this is where i'd take him. strolling hand in hand along the century old wooden planks that make up the port, salty air against our skin, the lasts of the summer sun's rays, the soft jazzy music in the background, a slow dance to end the night.

for now, i'm enjoying my tan, my sunkissed nose and cheeks, my sore legs from all the walking, my craving for yet another cup of good italian coffee and endless daydreams of that special someone whose hand i'll hold while strolling down steveston village.

Dream Wedding

2006-09-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

by far the most memorable wedding i've attended was when:

- there were less than 50 people in a small suburban church
- microphones were not needed when the bride and groom made their vows
- tears were shed by the couple and the guests as vows were being said
- guests were truly honored to be part of the ceremony and not as critics
- the couple was never ashamed to smooch in front of their parents
- the whole entourage, bride in pretty while gown included, danced (hiphop) their way to the presidential table
- speeches made up most of the reception and people actually listened
- the guests started to leave at 11:00pm, 3 hours after everyone had finished eating dinner
- every speech made each and every guest shed a few (ok fine, a lot for me) tears
- the father of the bride sincerely welcomes the groom to their family, and thanks the groom's parents for raising a son like him
- the father of the bride said, "ann marie, daddy's gonna miss you. from now on, breakfast, lunch, dinner, dad will be eating alone. come visit me sometimes ok?" and that's when everyone sniffed altogether
- the brother of the bride breaks down in front of the guests as to how thankful he is for his brother-in-law, coz if it were not for the groom, the family wouldn't be as close
- the dad and the very beautiful bride got up for their dance... butterfly kisses was played

Fabrics

2006-06-29T21:57:00.000-07:00

came across she's blog and found myself singing along to this...

Strolling along country roads with my baby
It starts to rain, it begins to pour
Without an umbrella we're soaked to the skin
I feel a shiver run up my spine
I feel the warmth of his hand in mine

Oh, I hear laughter in the rain
Walking hand in hand with the one I love
Oh, how I love the rainy days
And the happy way I feel inside

After a while we run under a tree
I turn to his and he kisses me
There with the beat of the rain on the leaves
Softly he breathes and I close my eyes
Sharing our love under stormy skies

nice noh? it's just that...
1 - it's not raining here
2 - don't have his warm hand to hold
3 - don't have WHO??? hahahaha

anyhow, summer sale going on right now. i never realized how expensive banana republic clothes are. until now, it still doesn't sink in. i mean, i seldom buy their clothes because i see shirts that i like for half the price in the neighboring store even if i use my 30% discount. their sale price is still expensive, like 200 bucks for a trenchcoat. oh shucks, i should be promoting my brand. what the hell... it's the best quality in its range that's why it's so expensive. but knowing me, i live for 168 shirts, the throw away type, so i'd rather stick with the 2 for $15 cotton shirts and buy it in all colors rather than invest in a $38.99 light turquoise modelle/nylon blend shirt. what am i talking about??!

also i've learned a few things about cloths! funny how banana loyalists know our brand, styles, fits, color themes for the season, and even fabrics. it's amazing how a customer can tell me 10 things about linen that i know nothing about. and during downtime, i find myself touching all the different fabrics our shirts, skirts, jackets, suits, and pants are made out of, flipping the care labels, feeling every type of weaved cotton and comparing it with a 60-40 linen cotton blend shell top. i also learned that you don't kill sheeps when making wool. you just shave their hair and spin it to thread. same goes for cashmere.

It's Been Eons...

2006-06-02T09:22:00.000-07:00

and i don't even have the time to blog. ok i'm kidding, i have all the time in the world, i just have all the excuses in the world. hehe

so how's it going? well i'm part time sales at banana republic and i just want more hours. i have so much fun talking to people specially when i'm in the fitting room... loves it!! i just have too much time doing nothing so i'm looking for another part time office job as well. nothing to do with standing up for 5 hours straight! hehehehe so plain receptionist work i and my varicose veins would really appreciate.

bits and pieces:
- i'm starting to like muffins (butterscotch pecan at mmmufins)
- g, what mana imong goodluck thing? are you gonna be a model?
- mj, do you miss school? i mean our school? hehehe i give that gay registrar a "che ka" as well
- mickie, you and vince are going strong ha. i miss karaoke with you
- borbs, dili man mu show ang video. what was that all about?
- kar, oh yeah mag reply diay ko sa friendster message nimo. hehe:)
- she, who are you talking about in your blog???? i think i'm too faraway, i can't even connect. i've one person in mind though, THE one person but you tell me...
- i love ironing by the way, weird huh?
- for some reason, i can't call home using my globe phone

the sun is beginning to shine but rains here and raindrops there, brrrr. i wanted to go to the library today but the weather is not cooperating, unless i ask my aunt to drive me there, but... i could've been driving now but i am too lazy to finish studying for my driving exam (yep, no more P200 here and leakage dayon) which i have to pass before i take driving lessons and go for the practical exam. eversince i knew hot to commute (i love it!), i just didn't have the motivation to drive anymore. hehehehe commuting makes me feel so independent specially when i go downtown... ugh gosh this is such a babaw post.

Pschyed!

2006-05-01T23:55:00.000-07:00

I.
1. Reply with your name and I will write something I like about you.
2. I will then tell what song reminds me of you.
3. If I were to apply an o'clock to you, I'll tell you what it would be.
4. I will try to name a single word that best describes you.
5. I'll tell you the most memorable moment I've had with you.
6. I will tell you what color you remind me of.
7. I'll then tell you something that I've always wondered about you.
8. Put this in your journal.

II.
1. I’ll respond with something random about you.
2. I’ll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3. I’ll pick a flavor of jello to wrestle with you in.
4. I’ll say something that only makes sense to you and me.
5. I’ll tell you my first/clearest memory of you.
6. I’ll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I’ll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
8. If I do this for you, you must post this on your journal.

Things I Did (and did not do) in School

2006-04-27T22:47:00.000-07:00

Things I did in La Salle!!!
* watch a UAAP la salle vs ateneo game live in araneta - and we lost
* eat at AGNO - whoo hepa alley
* hangout at AGNO
* hangout at a friend's condo
* sing the alma mater
* swim at the olympic size swimming pool - freaking cold!
* hang out in ampitheater - christmas time is the best
* watch something during the u-break in the ampitheater - parokya ni edgar concert was one of the highlights
* cross enroll
* be a 1st honors dean's lister - ojt term hahahaha
* be a 2nd honors dean's lister
* get a 4.0 (except P.E and NSTP)
* eat in mcdonalds - pa-deliver pa nga eh
* eat in UM (KFC included) - more often than mcdo
* eat somewhere outside near the campus (not fastfood)
* borrow/reserve something in the IMS
* adjust - suki ni ate beth
* be active in an organization - bms!
* be stereotyped by others according to your college (CBE, COE, COS, CLA, CCS, CED)
* get an alarm sound when you scan your id - embarassing... but i went in for the grad practice :)
* be deceived by the false names of professors in the on-line enrollment - hell term!
* pay surcharge - :D
* go to the chapel - i always do
* hear mass - on sundays and my birthday
* visit the museum - yep once
* know a xerox lady - 2nd floor library, bisaya
* sleep in the library - hehehehe i believe in 10 minute power naps accdg to pinpin, but we always end up sleeping for 30 minutes
* eat inside the classroom - kfc hotshots anyone?
* get to know mang jack - i miss mang jack
* get to know jenny - i love jenny! the sweetest, gayest, civilized, educated, richest semi-crazy bum in the whole world! "ate penge..."
* got/given something to someone during the valentines week - yep, and it wasn't even a surprise anymore teehheee :D
* have a class after 6:00 pm - saletax class was at 6:00-7:30
* talk about someone passing by while on a bench in SJ walk
* study in conservatory - it's like home to me
* print somewhere near outside the campus - nitro and alva
* type somewhere near outside the campus - nitro and alva
* cram - if i don't cram, i don't study
* do a last minute paper - i always do
* date a lasallian - dated a lasallian
* have a crush on your classmate
* attend a seminar outside lasalle
* talk to a lasallian celebrity (model, actress, vj, etc.)
* sleep in a class - discreetly of course
* have a lasallian girlfriend/boyfriend - had a lasallian...
* be in a conflict with a professor - i still think she got personal during our thesis defense
* witness pda inside the campus (firsthand) - medrano hall, and boy were they into it!
* use a computer in the computer laboratories
* get exempted from finals - PE!!! hahahaha
* stay at school till 10:00 or later - thesis term
* actually read a whole article in The Lasallian - i read mickie's awwww :)
* took time to look at the 'Proudly Lasallian' stands in the campus - i always do because a few months ago, i always wanted to be featured in one but never got to
* thought that yuchengco restrooms are the best restrooms - definitely!!! hahahaha
* shifted / planned to shift
* spend money for 1X1 ID pictures - every term!! index cards even!
* entered the thesis room in the library - and i don't like the lady
* searched a professor in the DLSU website
* eat siomai (inside or outside near the school)
* tasked to photocopy for a bunch of people
* enter a job fair in campus
* buy a raffle ticket, donate something, sign a signature campaign inside the campus
* sell raffle tickets, ask for donations, made people sign signature campaigns inside the campus
* watch something at night in the yuchengco theater - i'm a pops orchestra fan! and that romance concerto with renowned pianist ingrid sala-sta. maria.
* make a video for a class project
* make a powerpoint presentation
* give a very low evaluation to a professor
* eat inside the java cafe - it's like my dining room
* go to the clinic
* pick a popular professor (infamous, cool, generous, cute) for a subject - all of the above!
* be the one to make the 'mass overload sound' in an elevator
* buy something in the bookstore

Things I didn't do in La Salle...
* get caught by the DO
* wear inappropriate attire
* smoke at AGNO
* have class in all the buildings(Miguel, LS, SJ, Yuchengco, Velasco, Gokongwei, Mutien Marie, STRC, Sports Complex) - 7 out of 9... not bad
* use the football field
* get a 0.0
* get a major or minor offense
* go out with 5 or more blockmates during freshmen - never had a block until 3rd year
* walk around the campus with 4 or more blockmates after freshmen
* cut a class together with blockmates
* beg for a higher grade during course card distribution - never!
* be a member of TAPAT or SANTUGON
* talk to your LAMB aside from LPEP
* have a crush on your blockmate
* have a crush on your professor
* be drunk somewhere near outside the campus - dorm perhaps? but it was just gin-pom
* forget your ID at home
* actually read a whole article in Plaridel - i can't stand reading in filipino
* read a whole book borrowed at the library - hahahaha never happened and i don't think it ever will
* get a txt or call with your cellphone not in silent mode during class
* break something in the laboratory - nope, no science lab class
* ask the library for an endorsement
* park in the beach
* park in Sports Complex
* be pissed with a guard - i befriend them
* nearly reached / reached excess absences - nope, never happened

and if i were to go back to school again? i'd pretty much to everything the same except to party harder, study harder, do all of the "did not to" except the failing and the offenses. other than that, college life turned out to be something i didn't expect at all... it was brief yet memorable.

Snif Mmmmm

2006-04-22T20:02:00.000-07:00

scent is the strongest sense tied to memory...

from she... so true, so true.

if i could get one idiotic word that i could best express myself... i am a very smelly person. i love to smell, that is; i don't smell bad. i am one of those who appreciate weird combinations of scents and when described in detail to my friends, i pity their faces and jaws that drop to the floor. i love smelling (discreetly, of course) things, dogs (yep, i love the smelly dog kinda smell), food, flowers, techi stuff (try smelling your digicams, where you place your batt and memory card), and people (oh their scent is the first thing that makes me look at them). i have a wide collection of perfumes and i love my family for being perfume people.

you know where heaven was in cebu or manila? rustan's essences. and here? shopper's, london drugs, sears, and the bay, all perfume aisle. but what i love about the perfume aisle here is that there are no people trying to spray perfume up your nose just for you to smell their product. i am free to pick up any bottle of my choice, give it a little whiff, walk around and pick up another bottle, and when i've come to love a scent, i spray it on my clothes. the next day, i go to another perfume aisle and spray more on me. what a life... being a bum but smelling so good ain't that bad you know.

Chocolate Overload

2006-04-20T15:05:00.000-07:00

i am beginning to master the art of bus riding; sleeping and waking up just before my stop, at that! nice day today, not too cold but the sun is still shy.

my main point in writing this entry is to make you drool. hehe m kidding.

guess where i was this afternoon?

no idea? hehe godiva chocolatier shop along robson street. it was hella expensive! but one bite and it was all worth it. a few pralines, truffles, and thins, whitwhiw! yummy!

and one more thing... what could be better than receiving a bunch of these from someone special, together sitting on a blanket looking up at the dark sky tinted with the brightest stars, cuddled by the cool mountain breeze and bap kennedy singing moonlight kiss...

No Energizer Bunny

2006-04-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

happy easter!! wow the kids here are so into their treasure hunting organized by community centers.

and what do you know? i'm sick. sore throat and colds. brrr weather is crazy here.

The Whiskered Fish

2006-04-14T19:05:00.000-07:00

apparently, my mom didn't know i have a thing against anything that crawls... cockroaches, snakes, insects, whatever. so she bought a pound of this imported fish from china, a whiskered one that had a thin body and looked like a snake. ok well for me it looked like a snake. and it was alive still. this fish that i'm talking about is the edible kind ok? don't get me wrong, we don't have space for aquariums here.

we were having a peaceful, quiet good friday lunch when one of the fishies jumped out of the container. mum picked it up and decided to "whatever" me. she walked slowly to me but while she was picking up the fish earlier, i was looking at her and hoped she wouldn't come scare me. so i was ready to scream when she walked towards me. but noooo... the scream turned into tears in an instant and how would you know? i hyperventilated. im serious!!! i didn't know what was going on. my cousin and auntie were laughing their heads off and my slipper somehow got lost under the table and all i could think of was that i couldn't breathe! i was that scared so mom dropped the fishy back to the container and came to me coz i think she got scared too. i was saying that i can't breathe anymore and everytime i tried to take in air, the only sound that came out from me was wheezing and more exhaling. for a moment there, everyone got silent waiting for me to go back to normal.

adventure huh? afraid of live snake-looking edible fishies. hehehehe *shame on me* but whaddaheck, we're laughing at it right now.

shit, hyperventilating is no fun!

Love-Hate Relationship

2006-04-12T00:08:00.000-07:00

it's official... my friends in cebu are having the time of their post college lives, boating and swimming under the 37 degrees summer heat. and i am here, chilling my butt off in the 12 degrees spring chill. i want the sun, with the heat!!!

so i've been eating waaaay too much for the past weeks and this week, i wanted to start dieting. but how can i resist one of the best cakes i've ever tried? and this sunday, i'll be eating more of it. glorious! what to do? what to do?

easter is coming up. i didn't know it's such a big thing here... egg-shaped chocolates, and just delectable chocolates line up the grocery aisles. and best of all, almost every one of them has free samples. yep, going to the grocery adds up pounds you know. and community centers here are opening up for registration. easter egg hunting this sunday! weeeeee! no, i didn't register. hehe

loves it (naaaah):
- food network here is on 24 hours a day (i still don't like emeril live)
- there is a channel 422! OMG! (been channel surfing most of the time because i couldn't stick to one)
- the mall is a 15 minute walk away from the house (it closes at 6pm on mondays and tuesdays)
- laundrying (ironing)
- milk here tastes a loot different; it's sweeter (they come in gallons and i can't finish it all by myself)
- 17 degrees cool weather (you don't feel your sunburnt face until you go home and find tan lines from sunglasses)
- checking mailboxes, yes the one outside the house! (junk mail, lots of it)

Mass Produced... But Still!

2006-04-08T23:41:00.000-07:00

went to 2 costco(s) and i got stuck in 2 areas. the first one is the food area (what's new?), and the 2nd one is here.

they mass produce these things but still its different when you're surrounded with these. i'll probably consider it my favorite flower not because it is the most common one when related to matters of the heart but i find it so sensual and passionate by just looking at it. depending on the color, i find roses speaking to me with different sentiments... innocence, calmness, naiveté, wildness, sweetness, whatever it conveys, i just love 'em. everytime i go to costco, i pass by this stall and take a deep breath, then i touch its crisp petals preserved by the cool tempterature. but most of all, i take pleasure making my mind go crazy thinking, "when will someone give me one of these?" just $18.99 dude... shell out some money and send me one of these. you choose the color. show me some loving?

but if it were really up to me...

what a beauty!

Home and BItchy Mikey Mike

2006-04-08T19:15:00.000-07:00

michael buble's home is the overplayed song in my ipod. i recommend you to download it and listen. on normal days, it's a feel good song with a pleasant tune, nice voice. but on lonely, homesick days, the song kills me. it's so addictive that even if i want to stop listening to it already, i can't seem to.

weird thing that for the past 3 weeks i've been here, everytime i go to the grocery (produce aisle for that matter), it blasts off from the store speakers! 3 times already and i don't know... i'm just counting. actually, i'm having this weird interpretation on what it means but nevermind... hehehe

so mikey mentions me in his blog. i love this guy's blog. a must read! he is livin his life. funny i seldom hear "marvilyn". mikey, it's mimi:) mwah!

my sister and mom is still here. i wonder how i'd be like when they go home. optical floodgates open!!!

Laundrying 101

2006-04-05T12:52:00.000-07:00

i now appreciate the helpers who wash and IRON my clothes at home; clothes that include those you wear at home and out for a walk (here, only long sleeves polo will be ironed)

- warm water/ dryer shrinks clothes (no accidents yet, just precaution)
- black shirts must not be washed together with towels and sweats (OMG, lint everywhere!)
- somewhere in the washer, there's a thing for bleach, and not directly over the clothes (my poor black socks)
- always empty out tissue or lint-ERS in pockets (tissue bits everywhere!!!)

i miss the helpers at home who does all these things. and come to think of it, do we ever appreciate what they do? do we stop and say, ey thanks for ironing my clothes. even the pambahay clothes. everyday, we go out and wear crisp smooth shirts without a wrinkle in them. when we see them ironing our pajamas, do we stop and think, "do pajamas really need ironing?" think about it.

on the brighter side, i'm beginning to love laundrying. with just a few turns and a press of a button, new, fresh, crumply but clean clothes.

i fear, therefore i am... human

2006-04-02T17:47:00.000-07:00

[ ] the dark
[ ] staying single
[ ] getting married
[ ] being a parent
[ ] giving birth
[ ] being myself in front of others
[ ] open spaces
[x] closed spaces
[ ] heights
[ ] cats
[ ] dogs
[ ] birds
[x] spiders (and/or other insects) - cockroach, and anothing that crawls.
[ ] driving or being in cars
[ ] flying
[ ] being put to sleep (anesthesia)
[ ] flowers or other plants
[ ] being touched
[ ] fire
[ ] water
[x] the ocean
[ ] pools
[x] failure
[ ] success
[ ] germs
[x] thunder/lightning
[x] frogs/toads
[x] mice/rats
[ ] jumping from high places
[ ] snow
[ ] rain
[ ] wind
[x] cemeteries
[ ] clowns
[ ] large crowds
[x] demons or evil
[ ] crossing bridges
[ ] death
[x] Hell
[ ] Heaven
[x] being robbed
[x] being sexually assulted
[ ] men
[ ] women
[ ] having great responsibility
[ ] doctors, including dentists
[x] tornadoes
[x] hurricanes
[x] being punished
[x] diseases, including cancer and STD's
[x] snakes
[x] sharks
[x] dinosaurs
[ ] Friday the 13th
[x] poverty
[x] ghosts
[x] Halloween
[ ] school
[ ] trains or railroads
[x] being alone
[x] losing my friends
[x] being blind to things
[x] being deaf
[ ] growing up
[ ] being murdered in my sleep

i fear 26 out of 65. and you?

Whoever Said Airplane Food Was Bad Huh?

2006-03-27T08:33:00.000-08:00

i've always loved plane food. i just didn't like the smell of airplanes. i so wonder why there's this thing about plane food that it sucks. well, who says you can't have gourmet food 35,000 feet from ground huh? tag me if you beg to disagree but my photos would prove you wrong.

parma ham, roasted baby pepper with salsa, and white button muchroom in a bed of baby arugula leaves.

french bread with balsamic vinegar and olive oil in cute bottle. and fresh green salad with shaved parmesan cheese and grape tomatoes.

sauteed scallops with chinese vegetables courtesy of the sheraton, hong kong.

fruit platter with port wine (sweetest one i've ever tasted).

chocolate marscapone cheese cake in mango coulis sauce.

roasted duck noodles courtesy of the sheraton, hong kong.

haagen dazs vanillla ice cream.

white chocolate cake.

with the bountiful photos, excluding the one i had for breakfast, you can just imagine how many pounds i've gained on air. i ate every two hours. i ate when the flight attendant served food. i look at my watch and say, oh, it's dinner time in cebu, so i eat. then two hours after, it was lunch time on air so yeah food. then a couple of hours after, i'd look at my watch then say, oh, it's midnight in cebu. i should eat. so there goes the duck noodles, fresh fruits and ice cream. then two more hours after, it's breakfast time already.

and by the way, the pictures did not include the ones i ate from the first flight which was just, you know... like 2 hours before i started this food feast. hahahaha ice cream overload!

i love flying!

My Foreign Home

2006-03-26T15:10:00.000-08:00

i've landed... omg the immigration officer was so gwapo! unreachable though so moving on...

for those of you who know me, i'll be raving about the food here so those not interested, upper right corner please "X.

have you seen/tasted/savoured/devoured/been in love with:
*strawberries
- that "tok" and bounce when it's dropped on the floor rather than a silent smash?
- that "crrr crrr" when rubbed together?
- that don't fit in your mouth and you have to bite into it at least 3 times to finish a piece?
- that go "cccrrruunch" in your mouth rather than the ones from baguio that melts when you pushit with your tongue?
- that are so sweet, you think you're eating mangoes?

*vegetables
- the size of babies!?
- that aren't stringy and doesn't smell like soil?

*scallops
- the size of golf balls?

cebu will always be my home. i've lived in and with my dormies for a couple of years and "home" will always be a topic of conversation. i've lived with my sister at my aunt's place in manila and still, "home" always brings us good memories of food and laughter. in as much as i would want to call this my new home, cebu can never be replaced. home is where the heart is... but then again, the heart is so resilient that manila and now, here, will be my home extension.

i just hope i can survive the loneliness here. no more crossroads and bts to tambay, no more chillax at my place, no more poker nights with the couples, no more scorer nights still with the couples, no more karaoke with mickie, and no more friday nights with my dormies. no goodbyes, no countdowns, no tears; just "see you soon" and "i'm coming back home."

in the meantime, food will be there to help me adjust. yep, the freshest and sweetest ones i already miss when i can't get my hands on them. and more so, michael buble is a sweet smile away to serenade me with "home."

Maybe surrounded by
A million people I
Still feel all alone
I just wanna go home
Babe I miss you, you know
Let me go home
Cause I’m just too far from where you are
And I gotta go home

From Friendster! haha

2006-03-23T05:18:00.000-08:00

Four jobs I like to have
- food writer
- barista (caffeine high)
- executive (high heels, power suit, secretary at my beck and call...)
- flight attendant (travel for free huh)

Four Films I Can Watch Over and Over
- serendipity
- finding nemo
- sweet home alabama
- big fat greek wedding

Four Places I Have Lived
- ma. cristina ext. (smelled like wet wood all day long... ew)
- parents' house (with the dogs... loves it!)
- dorm (my dormies and manang's food makes it bearable to live in a cramp place)
- vancouver (soon!)

Four TV Programs I Love to Watch
- friends
- the today show
- oprah
- all cooking shows in the lifestyle network

Four Places I'd Like To Visit
- china
- boracay
- europe
- authentic sidewalk italian pizzerias

Four Websites I Visit Daily
- yahoo! mail
- friendster
- my blog
- sothere.com

Four of My Favorite Foods (whoa, this is tough!)
- fruits (mango, strawberry, kiwi)
- veggies (brocoli and kang kong)
- ice cream (all except buko salad and avocado)
- cake

Four Places I Would Rather Be
- in manila for foodtrip before i leave
- ask me again 3 days from now and my answer would be: HOME
- in someone's arms (yaaawk o.a.! haha)
- typical: rainy day, by the window, fireplace, warm chocolate, thick blanket, ...

Cheers to You!

2006-03-21T19:25:00.000-08:00

to someone i long to spend time, moments, and happiness with:

two roads diverged in a wood, you took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.

giving up doesn't mean you failed, it just means you have another chance to learn and grow. this calls for a celebration because you are brave enough to wade into the deep seas, unsure if you can take the rough waves. knowing you, this is just one tiny bump on the road. i tell you, there will be more bumps, more scratches, more gigantic waves to tackle. that's life; shit happens. but so does

happiness...
peace...
humility...

Why Oh Why?!

2006-03-21T18:59:00.000-08:00

why does _____ have to have _____ _____? i _____ for _____ and then just like that, it _____.

*sigh*

I Needed A Few Pieces of This

2006-03-21T06:30:00.000-08:00

new chocolate overload cake.

Let the Pictures Speak for Themselves

2006-03-13T04:40:00.000-08:00

caramel buttercake covered in velvety white caramel cream topped with toasted sliced almonds.

burnt sugar cake with burnt sugar frosting and white chocolate markings on top.

devil's food cake. two layers of chocolate cake sandwhiching a thick serving of whipped cream and drizzled with creamy chocolate fudge icing all over.

An Italian Bruncher

2006-03-05T15:23:00.000-08:00

what do you get when you mix together a lazy sunday morning, bored cook and hungry person in one, craving for anything italian, and an apprentice baker trying to prove that she hasn't lost touch in the culinary department?

a plated italian bruncher! and you know what bruncher means? it's a meal good for breakfast, lunch and believe me, with the way i serve, it'll last till dinner!

creamy pumpkin soup that's rick and thick. this is not like those in the restaurant where you feel like drinking milk. no no for me. i want mine pure and smooth.

then there's the roasted potatoes (agghh. lumpy and soft in the inside but crunchy on the outside) and tuna casserole. the original recipe calls it tune torte but heck, i'd get "what's torte?" so make it simple and there you go. layers of tuna, crackers, milk+egg mixture, and a little (ok a loot!) burnt cheese on top, which my sister got rid off because it's "carcinogenic." in my language, it's gooey and yum!

mushroom risotto! this time, we ran out of japanese rice so i made use of ordinary rice (no idea what's it called). it turned out pretty good, just a little less sticky but what's the cheese and milk for right? made enough for the family and there's always extra for sheryl and crynric to eat!

there's the taste craving and there's the i-wanna-cook-it craving. been searching for canelloni (kind of tube pasta where you fill something inside it and bake the whole batch) eversince i saw it on tv and where do i find it? duh... tinderbox! i made this a vegetarian dish and i got four thumbs up from she and ric. dits, if you're reading this... *pikaaat* lami kaayo!!! veggie pa gyud :p wahahahaha layers of homemade tomato sauce, zuccini-eggplant-carrot-cream cheese filled canelloni, bechamel sauce (thick and creamy white sauce), and generous grating of cheese on top. 40 minutes in the oven and you're just so ready to dig in to the dish.

end result? plated italian bruncher, which lasted until dinner; happy tummies; "see, i still know how to cook" chef, and two hours in the badminton court running like a mad dog trying to burn all the carbo-loaded, calorie-laiden, cheese+milk oh-my-gawd-i'm-so-gonna-get-fat-but-it-was-good meal! :)

Knowing Thyself!

2006-02-23T05:25:00.000-08:00

ooh interesting!

help me know myself?

click here

make one for yourself too k? and inform me!

Cookies!!!

2006-02-23T04:31:00.000-08:00

been experimenting on cookies to sell and one thing i've learned: pictures on recipe books are deceiving. bad reviews for pillsbury cookbook recipes; cheers to their food stylists/ photographers (sarcasm here).

no pictures yet. will upload once i make a new batch next week. cookie lovers out there, betty's new cookies are:
peanut butter cookie
chocolate chip cookie
oatmeal coconut cookie
peanut and white chocolate cookie

i'm in the process of perfecting the triple chocolate chunk cookie. does the name sound good or what? the batter is ooey gooey and doesn't look like a cookie batter at all. but after it's out from the oven, the chewy, chunky chocolatey glob is a stick-to-your-teeth kinda cookie. really good! chunks of dark and white chocolate melt as the batter cooks and when you bite into the cookie, bigger chunks of toasted walnuts eagerly greet your sweet tooth.

funny conversation with employee.
emp: mi, did you go to baking school?
me: nope
emp: how long have you been baking?
me: when did i first step into our bakery? january of this year? that cheesecake was the very first thing that i baked in my entire life. i've always been the stand and watch achi and dits bake but never hands-on.
emp: haa but you're confident when you bake like you're not afraid of the eggwhites and mixer.
me: hahahahaha (what was that?)

funny conversation still with same employee.
emp: mi, don't you get tired of kitchen testing?
me: of course not. that's my work, i love what i'm doing.
emp: si achi lageh, she gets tired. maybe because pirmi palpak iya noh?
me: bwahahahaha *thinks* achi is so gonna laugh at this when i tell her!

New Betty's Bakeshop Branch

2006-02-14T16:48:00.000-08:00

as promised, my version of mango cheesecake opens itself up for critiques and comments. the mango turns black noh? is it sugar glaze that bizu puts on top of theirs? or gelatin?

chocolate overload mini cakes! looks yummy? visit our new branch and get yourself a piece, or two. i can't believe how moist and chocolatey this cake is. i destroyed 2 minis and 2 big ones because everytime i get them out of the baking pans, they just crumble because they're uber soft. and the frosting... overloaded with chocolate sweet enough and already perfect with the moist cake but then again, who says i can't lick it off the bowl or smother it with plain white bread and gobble (yes, gobble) it all up?

Mrs. Betty's Bakeshop
Andres Abellana St. cor. Bacayo St.
Beside QuickChange and right across the Canadian Consulate Office

Rest Day

2006-02-11T07:36:00.000-08:00

i told my sister that my work days are from monday to friday only. hahahaha demanding?! so i was free today. but since i was to attend kar's little gathering of ala satc (except miranda - shelly) post-birthday dinner, i baked her a newyork style cheesecake. that's plain baked cheesecake eaten straight up with red wine, but better with champagne, which we also had.

i forgot how yummy la tegola is. everything we had was seafood and although their clams weren't as fresh anymore, still, it's yummy! thank you kar for dinner. and for the many years of laughter, tears, hugs, pecks, and gossips(!), and a lot more to come, thank you very much! cheers to you and john!

but of course, i couldn't resist baking today. when i made kar's cheesecake, i got some of the batter and made a smaller version of oreo cheesecake and mango cheesecake. i haven't tasted it yet but by the looks of it, i just hope it's yummy. i tried to follow bizu's way of decorating their mango chiboust but hahahahahaha... will post pictures tomorrow! mick, kar, dormies, you be the judge!

Not A Good Baker, Just Passionate

2006-02-10T17:33:00.000-08:00

the rain is pouring non-stop since 2 or 3 days ago and i love the cold weather. problem is, it's very humid and i go to bed feeling as if the sheets are damp. and in the morning, i find it difficult to bring my lazy ass to the shower. hehehehe

my job is so not helping my diet. i've gained back half of the weight that i lost. crazy for cakes and sweets noh? my sister said not to worry because what i would bake, i would not eat because it's yucky seeing the "raw" batter. but not in my case. i eat whatever i bake. take note ha, i eat, i don't taste! there's a big difference :p

then my sister also mentioned something that struck me. baking might be my calling daw! hwwwat?! i said noooo, i love cooking! i'm in the culinary department, not pastry. then she said my dits can be the culinary because her food is almost always better looking and better tasting than mine. then if my achi bakes, her cakes doesn't rise. hahahaha. and me daw, first time pa, my cakes would rise!??? i was like... huh? does it matter? i laughed it off.

so this blog will be my companion in my journey to finding out whether baking really is my "calling." ugh, i so don't want to use the term. i feel like a nun... answer God's "calling." seee hahahaha crazy me. sugar high perhaps?

Cake Crazy!

2006-02-10T06:44:00.000-08:00

crunchy, fudgey oreo brownie i made the other day. an uber rich chocolate and oreo combination that is so chunky and so thick and gooey. the batter can be eaten as is so if my sister hadn't stopped me, i would have licked off the bowl clean.

taste tested by mickie. weird though, she ate it together with the apple streusel. hahaha. oist, girls, why is mickie the only one showing up at my place? kar, you disappoint me.

prune cake whose center wasn't baked! hahahahaha i blame it on the cold weather. was tired na waiting for it after an hour. lesson learned there! but the outside is still edible and yummy though. i love it with walnuts. lots of it!

butter cake is one of my favorite cakes. innocent looking, very pure yet very rich. the texture is so fine and the taste, divine! perfect with afternoon tea. but in my case, i smooth over a lot of whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

ooh february! strawberries are in season. i saw fresh ones in the grocery. i might be making strawberry trifle anytime soon.

unbelieveably good banana carrot cake. not too sweet and the cream cheese frosting is good too. got crazy thinking of ways to decorate the cakes. this is as far as i could think of. but of course, by this time, my taste buds needed a little calibrating from too much butter cake!

tooth-acheingly sweet! i had my first bite and i was blown away. i tingled from sweetness! hahahahaha i have to do some major adjustments. but i'm sure chocolate lovers and sweet tooth can tackle this cake, i'm just more on the savory dish which is why i prefer my dessert less sweet, if there's such a thing!

decorated the cake with powdered sugar, how creative! (sarcasm)

An Apple A Day

2006-02-08T16:06:00.000-08:00

third day of work and i plan to post most of my creations here. i'm loving baking! i'm beginning to find it more structural thus, easier than cooking. ooh scary thought. i always thought i'm more of the savory kinda gal rather than a dessert one. am i turning into a sweet tooth? no loss there... as long as it's food, no problem!

apply struesel muffins. i just love the crumbs on top! i would have doubled the recipe and pack the whole muffin with it but i can hear my mom yapping that it'll be too sweet. whoever said desserts aren't sweet? :)

Prune "poot poot" Cake

2006-02-06T16:35:00.000-08:00

happy birthday karen!!! love you lots sexy one.

a healthy prune walnut cake with less sugar for the birthday girl :) hope she'll like it.

Define Valentine's

2006-02-06T02:02:00.000-08:00

i can feel it in the air... a little chill from the holidays, and a lot of love. *sigh*

what could be sexier and sweeter than these?

happy birthday dear shelly!!! wish you were here. miss you dearly :) mwah!

Charitable Bum

2006-02-04T23:36:00.000-08:00

i'm home :-D

i've no work and i dread it!

i've decided to practice baking and creating goodies for the bakeshop. friends, taste testers and critics needed. drop by if you can!

What A Fruitful Day!

2006-01-23T04:23:00.000-08:00

suffered some kind of viral thing which i got from my sister. sore throat over the weekend and even a little feverish. but to hell with fever and flu... at first, i was so concious with what food i ate, careful not to eat fried or anything sweet. well, apart from the virus, i also overate on blueberry cheesecake and strawberry trifle. bwahaha shame on me.

last night, i couldn't stand just watching my family devour the food on the table. lechon kawali, fried flat fish, etc, etc... how unhealthy are we? hehehe guess what? i woke up this morning with an even more terrible sore throat. took antibiotic (3rd day for some virus ain't good right? ;-) hehe)

i decided i wouldn't want to spend the rest of the day locked up inside my room "resting." i'd get a headache if i do so. what did i do?

banana muffin crunch. complete with homemade granola (i got it from ina garten's... uber yum!), fresh banana and lots of walnuts! look at my pretty soldiers align themselves! i'm bringing some to manila for my sister to try. she won't believe my new hobby is baking! haha.

i topped each muffin with a banana chip. it's by far the moistest (?!) muffin i've eaten, thanks to lori for the recipe. but i've got to adjust some ingredients to make it betty's! hehe

prune cake loaded with walnuts. mum loves this one!

mango cobbler with a cake type of dough which i have to change. less sugar in the cobbler itself and more butter on the dough. it doesn't look appealing but with vanilla ice cream, i can't wait to dig in!

Strawberry Trifle Delight

2006-01-21T16:07:00.000-08:00

i don't know how you guys feel about strawberries but there are only two words that for me, best describes this sweet, kinda soury fruit: sexy and lusty. forgive the choice of words but i can't help it. as i was cutting these babies into quarters, i had to take a bite at a few red juicy ones. succulent and very soft on the lips, firm yet delicate, they're like women "fruitified."

while i let my blueberry cheesecake chillout at the chiller, i made my strawberry trifle. it's just a layer of pound cake, strawberries and cream. sounds yummy? it sure does!

i first soaked the berries with balsamic vinegar and sugar overnight. i can see your faces wrinkle there. you have to try these soaked berries. you'll be surprised what balsamic vinegar can do to them. it becomes so sweet and rich and the flavors deepen.

then the layering starts out with butter pound cake with a sprinkle of amaretto liquor on the cake. the liquor, which smells like hazelnut, makes the cakes a little soggy yet gives it a sweet booze taste to it. have you been to cafes that serve mango cobbler but you hardly see any mangoes? or blueberry cheesecake and the topping is just a tespoon? i just hate it when i get that. so naturally, my trifle was overflowing with berries. see what i mean...

end result: pretty to look at, sensual to taste. a rich mixture of butter cake, cream and this lusty fruit never really lasted the whole day. by 10pm, zilch, nada, empty trifle bowl.

A Creamy Cheesecake Day

2006-01-20T19:32:00.000-08:00

for those of you who know me, i only cook. i never bake. yes, we have a bakeshop and i have all the equipments ready to be put to good use but i find baking too methodological. yesterday, i hauled off my lazy self to the bakeshop and attempted my first baked goodie, blueberry cheesecake, one of my most favorite desserts in the whole world!

i believe this turned out to be one good eat! it never really lasted the whole day... before 12 midnight, everything was consumed!

let my pictures speak for themselves.

hungry? heee :D

Prominent Emotions

2006-01-18T02:02:00.000-08:00

sad and hurt.

for what reason?

i don't know.

Perfect Gloomy Combination

2006-01-17T23:41:00.000-08:00

was there any day in your life that you just wanted to stay in your bed and bawl your eyes out? well, this is one of those days and what perfect combination with a gloomy, chilly, humid weather like today. is this just pms? or is it more than that?

my tear ducts are ready to burst so i'm just distracting myself with any activity that i can think of. so far, i've read a book, played my piano, played with the pups, roadtrip with my mum's friends (i drove like a turtle, blame my mood), emptied out my ipod batts, jogged, slept, cooked... still a few sighs and i'm teary eyed.

*pathetically daydreams*

A Ranty Post on Food and Weight Gain

2006-01-17T02:13:00.000-08:00

been telling myself that i'll go to the gym or play badminton but it's been a week and i haven't done any form of exercise expect eating. if only chewing food can tone cheek muscles, then i'd be a winner in looking like an anorexic. then nooo, all the calories go to my tummy and love handles.

last december, i proposed a deal, game, challenge, whatever you call it, to my family. from december 25 till march 20, whoever lost most weight will win our pot money. we decided to contribute 5,000 each. gosh, fo far, both my sisters have lost 5 pounds each. and i have gained 5 pounds. i was planning to save up the money for some plan but nooo. i just ate it all away!

but when i think about it, food makes me happy. i love to eat. i looove to cook. i'm happy when i cook. i'm happier when i eat. i'm happiest when the food i cooked tastes good. i've been wanting to write my own recipe handbook. something that i could pass on to my kids, if ever they'll be into cooking. i've never received any hand-me-down recipes from my grandma, who by the way doesn't know how to cook a thing. from my mom, she memorizes by heart her chiffon cake but i'm not into baking either. that's something i will be trying out these couple of weeks.

so there... my new addition to my checklist. a recipe handbook of my cooking. sounds easy? watch me cook and you'll know it's difficult. i don't measure ingredients. i open the ref and find what i want to cook. i don't want to waste things. and i want to create something new out of the old. so many "genres" in my cooking style. i've to ready my tape recorder. haha

Chili's

2006-01-14T22:25:00.000-08:00

a must try for dessert addicts. chocolate molten from chili's and the best part? the ends of the cake where it's chewy and crispy and warm and moist. *drools*

I'm Home

2006-01-14T09:23:00.000-08:00

for the first time in 4 years, i came home, unpacked, and stowed away my luggage. i'm home, for good. but then again, not for so long. aww darn it. in two months time, will have to pack in a much much larger suitcase!

overate on roast beef, paella, and lechon today. got tummy aches tuloy. grandma's birthday together with the sinulog eve (but the lunch version) we celebrate every year. i got so involved, i cooked around 40 pieces of fried chicken for our employees! hot oil + humid air = slightly burnt forehead and cheeks. i'm all blotchy now. our cook said i'm like roast pig. so mean noh? hmph.

for those of you who don't know... this site's up. will update as often.
http://marvilynphotos.blogspot.com

Pork Fat Rules

2006-01-11T18:57:00.000-08:00

i'm craving for carbs, and pork!

emeril lagassi:

pork fat rules!

hands down, i'd have to agree.

hmmm been thinking of the good eats i want to cook when i go home tomorrow. strawberry trifle will sure be on top of the list, as well as those mentioned in my to do list. but to add to that, i wanna try pizza (as in, i'll be making it from scratch, from the dough to the tomato sauce), stewed pork (we seldom eat beef so pork nalang), lechon kawali (manang pau's version), chicken curry (still, manang pau's version but with my twist - something like japanese curry but with coconut milk).

oohh i'm hungry na.

To Graduate!

2006-01-09T18:55:00.000-08:00

wee passed defense uber long story but nevermind, i should be happy i passed. so thanks ya'll for all your prayers and support!

will be home this friday naaaaa! i'm so excited! food trip! who's coming with me to da vinci's pizza? i'm so intrigued with their white sauce-thin crust pizza ha? mick, kita nalang? kar doesn't eat man gud *hint hint* kaon kar baa!

mick, no more dits cooking when we chillax at home. ako nalang mag cook. eat man gyapun ka ha? hehehehe bisan dili yummy, smile lang gyapun! bwahahaa

just lazing around coz our final (hopefully) thesis revision every afternoon lang so i usually spend the whole morning pigging out and watching cooking shows. sawang sawa na!

hmmm food reviews. manang from dorm will cook for me special kawali. yesterday, i went to the dorm and hurot na ang kawali. she said i've to go back today and she'll make libre. after more than 6 months of living a non-dormer's life, i actually miss the food, next to the dormies. favorite combination: 1 cup rice, 1 big bowl of monggo soup and 1 big piece of lechon kawali (manang style), which i'll be having in 2 hours! i've been craving for it!!! all the oil and the crispy skin and toyo/calamansi and when you first bite into the tender meat... awwww! i'm gonna shower na so that i can go to the dorm and enjoy my free meal!

*to self: "what diet?"

January 4 Post

2006-01-09T18:51:00.000-08:00

i was glad to be home. i’m back in manila now and i can’t wait to go home in a few days. if everything goes well with our defense, i can graduate! wasn’t able to blog a single thing while i was home because had uber fun with family and friends and then spare time was spent with my favorite dog, Sydney Bristow Yap. she gave birth to 4 cute little puppies: Irina, Lauren, Natalie, and baby Vaughn. Alias fans? favoritism nako at young age pa… baby Vaughn, the youngest, the only boy, very spoiled by moi! gets the most kisses. so i was home last Christmas and here’s a jist of everything that happened.

- jackie’s surprise party/semi-reunion of our hs batch. who showed up? those people whom i usually see during gimmicks! hahaha what a reunion. but ok, lotsa things i can’t tell here but i want to find my own _____. whoever went there and witnessed jack’s surprise knows what i mean. awww
- breakfast with karen. sheryl wasn’t able to wake up! bwahaha next time she ha? then head straight to the beach us three then bond there. we’ll bring booze and cigarettes and drugs and ….. our real selves! hahahaha that means make-up for Karen, food for me, camera for she!
- dormies night out at café georg, la marea, and k1. uber fun. tis different when you’re with dormies. as mickie said in her blog, and i’d have to agree 101%, iba ang pinagsamahan. with that, iba ang tawanan, iba ang kalokohan. i can laugh all out kayo with the dormies. not that i can’t with my close friends, but we laugh over really silly things, sometimes i don’t know why i’m laughing. this, i blame for years of boredom and confinement in 15 sqm rooms and fast food. love ya’ll!
- saw crushie *kilig* forgot to smile but then again, who can blame me? we had a millisecond eye-to-eye moment. i melted. he walked away. aww
- new year!!!! fun and games with our bakeshop employees at home. prepared games and danced “pinoy ako” every 30 minutes coz i can’t help but dance to the tune. hehehehe overplayed ang song ha! they were all amazed why my sister and i knew how to dance. of course we know!!!! ibang-iba ang pinoy eh! then there’s food… shucks. there’s the usual lechon, fried chicken, barbeque, baked spaghetti. then there’s the extra special baby back ribs, balsamic roasted veggie pasta, veggie pie with uber flaky crust, comforting beef soup, broccoli au gratin, calderetang kambing, and my last minute mojo potatoes! tip: you have to wait till all the bubbles are gone when you fry it, so that the potatoes will stay crispy and not soggy. either way, they’re oily so make it yummy nalang!
- yellowcab pizza and charlie chan pasta bonding moment with 2 sisters. then there’s holy kettle corn, then gonuts donuts. then went home, and ate again. like 2 full meals in 2 hours. No wonder… *tsk tsk tsk*

All From Mickie's Blog

2006-01-05T23:18:00.000-08:00

1. Kahayag Cafe

i had dinner with ahya dich and sis at kahayag cafe tonight. it's my second time to eat there and i feel like i want to go back again and again and again! on weekends, live acoustic bands play here and it's usually jam packed with lots of artist types. i just love the cozy ambience of the place and the food was fantastic. this is one of the pizzas we ordered, the anchovy lovey. yummmm kaayo. it's made of anchovy, pesto sauce, cheese, olives, mushrooms, and several different spices. it's my favorite!

i have to try this mick.

2. Pictorials

can i avail this mick? pag i'll lose weight na ba, go ko ha? or your artist can always make me look thinner right? hahahaha but minimal lang retoke uy para natural ba. bwahaha!

3. Three Mushroom Pasta

everyone's favorite last night, the pasta dish which we ordered from mimi. everyone was raving about it!
hehe

dits was anxious if it tasted the same ba. she kept on asking me if wala ba daw ka ning text, no comments ba? haha. i'll tell her bout this later.

4. Dinner/Post Dinner/Midnight Snack at my place

cost effective way of chit chatting and updating each other's lives. let's bring in lauren and miat since wala si mj. game ba?

5. Badminton

this time, i'm serious about this! hahahahahaha not 1 game over the holidays but we're excused. starting next week, everyday with your bros ha? me nalang coz my dits will still be here. game ba? who pa?

Defense Na!

2006-01-05T22:08:00.000-08:00

will post previous blog some day

for now... 3 hours to go before my defense. good luck to me! waaaaaa jittery all over. but i'm kinda campante.

blah blah blah

Got My Tickets!

2005-12-18T17:06:00.000-08:00

i'll be home for christmas :)

Not Expecting, But Definitely Hoping

2005-12-16T01:55:00.000-08:00

i MIGHT be able to go home for christmas after all! ok so little difference lang. here's the thing. our thesis group got so hyped up with revising out thesis that we might be able to finish on the 23rd and have everything ringbound by the 24th. i don't want expect anything but i'm just hopeful. afterall, 10 days in cebu is better than 5 days right?

so, i won't make plans na. no more to-do/when-to-gimick list because i don't want to be disappointed. i got used to the idea that i'll be spending my christmas eve with an 8-pc box of kfc chicken accompanied by sarah dawson and jonathan trager of serendipity, that i wasn't as excited as my groupmates hope i'd be when we realized we were way ahead in our timeline.

i miss home though. *smiles* hmmm i'm really really hopeful! waaa here i go again.

My Holiday Plans

2005-12-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

thanks for all hugsies girls! love ya! mj, kaya natin toh ah? don't give up. itaas ang bandila ng sacred heart!

no more sympathies from now on. ala joy ba... kaya mo yan! support ba... not na awww wawa naman you. ay basta, my drive to finish this thesis is so high, i'm impatient everyday. i feel guilty if i sleep early. every minute has to be poductive. weird noh?

so to keep my drive going all throughout the christmas season, i'm planning the food that i'm going to eat on the 24th and 25th. serious pigout session with dessert. after midnight mass, take out ko then i'll watch serendipity then i'll sleep late na. challenge to all readers!!! text me or give ma call pag christmas ha? like 12midnight kinda call. i won't be expecting but it's comforting to know that i'm with you in spirit on christmas eve. hmmm food again. shucks... my new year's resolution ba should be to reach my desired weight. just a few more pounds, the last few, most difficult pounds to lose!

Homesickess, Part 2

2005-12-12T17:15:00.000-08:00

I have never been disappointed with myself this grabe. For those who prayed for my defense, thanks! Unfortunately…

Yeah, unfortunately.

And by the time you finish reading this blog, you’d agree with me

To make the story short, the major thing is that we made a mistake in choosing the right words for our thesis problem. Instead of HR practices, we wrote HR manual. Wrong na everything… our survey questionnaire was wrong so our conclusion was doubtful. To make the story even shorter, we had to do major revisions.

Major revisions mean a grade of 0.0 (fail) and re-defense next year. I’ve never been this embarrassed. It’s not sinking yet that I actually failed a subject but yeah, I did. Too bad. But that’s not the worse part.

We are scheduled to re-defense next year January 6. submission of our paper will be on January 4. we have 20 days to re-do our thesis. this only means one thing… and this I can’t take. I’m staying here for Christmas. I’m going home on the 28th na. shit happens. Ohhh I’m so sad. This is homesickness, part 2. I’m coming back on January 3. 5 days!!! I keep trying to convince myself that at least I get to go home but after the worst homesickness attack, I get to go home for 5 days! That’s sad. Homesickness here I come. I wouldn’t be surprised to wake up on the 25th with swollen eyes missing my whole family and friends.

Joy, count me out on our reunion, can’t make it on the 23rd. mick, raincheck nalang our foodtrip. Darn it… I was expecting too much that’s why I’m uber disappointed. So much for my post-defense anti-stress plans.

So anyhow, treated myself to chilli’s tonight. Yeah, food gives me temporary relief from sadness. Their dessert was sinful! Chocolate molten. I thought I died and went to heaven. Every bite, every chocolate syrup, every scoop of ice cream, every warm crisp-moist chocolate fudge... oh stop it mimi!

I’m really sad. Hugs anyone?

Badminton This Holidays

2005-12-09T17:52:00.000-08:00

my sister and i plan to badminton when we go home. friends, you wanna play with us? we need to exercise! gym is boring na... let's play nalang. i only know city sports and metro. city sports i don't know how much. metro sports, we're not member. help needed.

inform me if you're interested. let's reserve na... will text you when i touchdown ha? serious play gyud ni... i mean the intention (to exercise and hopefully lose or maintain weight) is serious but the play, hmmm we might have to practice bending and picking up the shuttlecocks.

mick, special mention to your bros... are they free? play ta kana serious game ba.

defense this monday... pray for us! if successful, pin and i magpa spa sa tagatay. way to go mga anti-stress freaks gyud uy! hahaha good luck to us!

Post Thesis Submission - Pre Defense Destresser

2005-12-08T19:20:00.000-08:00

1. g4 and gbelt (window) shopping spree - haha na-guilty?
2. friday's lunch with pin - i wanted to order everything on the menu!
3. movie: in her shoes - wooow! if i have shoe room like that?!
4. dessert: treated ourselves to max brenner's chocolate souffe. this i have to describe to make you guys go there and eat it!!

warm chocolate souffle that's topped with a thin coating of milk chocolate with a few white chocolate shavings. warm milk chocolate dripping from the inside. drizzle the whole thing with light cream and as you fork your way around the delicate dessert, the warm chocolate just oozes its way out and onto the plate. when you dig in and take a forkful of chocolate souffle with the ganache, you can't help but get ready for the next bite. everything else around you seems to blur. background music seems to stop playing, waiters move in slow motion, and you can't stop oohing and aahing. around the corner of the plate, you pair the warm and moist souffle with haagen dazs vanilla ice cream and a couple of caramel coated walnuts and shove it all in your mouth. silence. savor one of the greatest pleasures in life. sweet, cool, warm, sensual in fact.

diamonds are girls' best friends. 2nd best friend? chocolate.

5. holy kettle corn - yummy! i finished a bag.
6. found my LBD "little black dress" at tango. i didn't buy it coz i can't afford it! P3,000. pin was wowed when stepped out of the fitting room. i took pictures and i can't stop thinking about the dress. i keep finding excuses and reasons why i don't have to buy it. who wants to contribute to my LBD fund? mag limos ko... please!

dormies, if you don't mind, let's early christmas dinner at my place. i'll volunteer na pasta, roast chix and dessert. exchange ta gifts there and then let's go out after... ktv ba or coffee?

girls (and few boys), when and where are we having our christmas dinner? ilene, nag pick na names?

*nostradamus mode: on*
mimi will gain a minimum of 5 pounds this holiday season. if you're her real friends, help her control food intake and dessert cravings.

Be Fat Than Be Carjacked

2005-12-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

i stopped gym na forever. i mean in manila ha. this carjack thing is freaking me out. i'm not the freak out type unlike my achi and mum noh. but this is getting serious. even dits is praning na! in manila, very uso the carjack/carnap issue especially along quezon avenue, banawe and mandaluyong. even in broad daylight, they just block your car and good thing if they don't harm you diba? you see, i drive myself to the gym at night then i come home around 9 in the evening. this was a few weeks ago. now, no more. i stay home and watch tv nalang.

this was what happened two weeks ago. starbucks banawe... xtrail got carjacked and the driver got shot in his foot because he tried to fight back. he got hospitalized in st. luke's.

look how small world bah...

this driver? jb's friend.
starbucks banawe? 5 minutes drive from house and gym.
xtrail? top 1 choice for carjackers.
top 2 and 3? crv and crosswind. i drive a crv.
witnesses at starbucks... nikki and mon, both my friends.
and on the way home, nikki met with the police pa.

waaaaa!!! freaky noh? gain a few pounds nalang ako, better na than being held up. *shivers* i feel so paralyzed. funny when my dits and i go out on sundays, we can't stop looking at the side mirrors, back mirror, then basta, we feel like we're being followed! hahahaha what's scary is that these carnappers don't choose people na. unlike before, they study their victims, where they go, what time they leave house, their normal route. now it's just anytime, anyone, anywhere.

partly the reason why i can't wait to go home. also, i promised na daddy we'll go to the gym together. he needs a "starter" daw, whatever that means. and he promised he won't tell mum about the carjack thing here in manila or else mum will freak out and panic! i told him i'll be fat when i go home this december. hahahaha.

*imagines*
me: dad, am i fat na? chester said i'm fat daw.
dad: you're not fat uy. you're just big-boned.
me: haaa? *pouts*
dad: yah, you have a big frame. but you're not fat *grins*
me: let's eat nalang.
dad: *shakes head* deep sigh*
me: sige lang dad, i'm smart and beautiful bitaw *grins* asa man liwat?
dad: ooh let's eat na. anak gyud tika uy!

love you daddy! hihi

Loving the Girl's Eyes

2005-11-29T20:48:00.000-08:00

from email

Current Favorite Song

2005-11-28T17:59:00.000-08:00

anyone knows who the original artist is? 2nd year highschool pa man ni... remake of boyzone.

I like the feel of your name on my lips
And I like the sound of your sweet gentle kiss
The way that your fingers run through my hair
And how your scent lingers even when you're not there

And I like the way your eyes dance when you laugh
And how you enjoy your two-hour bath
And how you've convinced me to dance in the rain
With everyone watching like we were insane

But I love the way you love me
Strong and wild, slow and easy
Heart and soul so completely
I love the way you love me

I like the sound of old rnb
And you roll your eyes when I'm slightly off key
And I like the innocent way that you cry
From sappy old movies you've seen thousands of times

And I could list a million things
I love to like about you
But they could all come down to one reason
I could never live without you...

Homesickness is Draining Me

2005-11-27T19:38:00.000-08:00

haaay

i'm homesick and i'm depressed.

i want to go home and give me mummy and daddy hugs.

i wanna go home and cook up a simple pasta meal for mickie (yeah mick, i need to destress and cooking will do. so even if it's not so good, eat it nalang ha?)

i wanna go home and have breakfast with karen then let's push through with the beach ha? just tambay lang

i wanna go home and play my piano.

i wanna go home and play with my dogs.

i wanna go home and cook everyday!

i wanna go home but i don't want to pack for canada yet. manila-cebu homesickness is killing me, what more when i leave for canada? *long-term-stay-in-canada mode: beginning to sink in*

the four years that i've been in manila, this is by far the worst homesickness ever.

Uso Ba Ang Survey? from hawtvince

2005-11-24T19:12:00.000-08:00

Name: Marvilyn Jhoanne Go Yap

Nicknames and Origin: Mimi – the official nickname I signed all my friends’ slumbook with when I was in gradeschool, maybe because the opposite of my cousin’s nickname, Em-em is Mimi?; Marv – what my gradeschool friends call me; Mims, Mi – highschool friends call me that; also anyone naglambing or in need of something; Miya, Miiii – what my family would call me; Doña – what yaya Idang calls me haha!

Adjective Most Often Used to Describe You: suplada, mataray, snob kung first impression; kengkoy, funny, “mommy” kung kaila na… mommy?! Shucks

Favorite Element: wind (kailangan cool na wind ha?)

Define Bliss: I know this word means paradise or ecstasy but for some reason, the first thing that comes to my mind when I hear this word is emptiness. Like tulala but in a gud way.

Are you in love right now?: aww I’m always in love... movies, books, perfume, dogs, people… I’m in love with love.

Define Perfection: tailored-fit to one’s own judgment of what or who satisfies the person and what or who makes that person happy

Sunrise Or Sunset? Why?: Sunset. You get to enjoy the sun without the painful glare. After which, you can spend the rest of the night cuddling with the one you love. As a bonus, you wake up together and enjoy the sunrise. Soo much better that way…

Who Do You Admire?: my dad’s patience and coolness, my mom’s brain. Dad gets along with my friends and jokes around with them (cool and cute dad daw). Mum scares the hell out of my friends… intimidating daw. But she’s really smart and thinks outside the box. Everybody asks “why?” She asks “why not?”

Favorite Natural Scent: picture this… 8:30 am standing at the crossroad of Valero street across shellhouse and right outside jollibee… a car just passed by and there are cigarette butts on the road… weird combination but this scent reminds me of the subway in New York. I love the scent of Canada and USA shopping malls, subways, and garage. Nostalgic!

What Makes You Look Twice?: scent, height, eyes in that order… then there’s hair, hands, shoes. Then ooopps, may girlfriend… ai! Looks away nalang… awww

Are You Happy With Yourself?: yes I currently am.

If You Could Touch God, What Would It Feel Like?: the fluffiest warm blanket you can turn to anytime of the day

Do You Believe in an Afterlife?: yup I do

What scares you?: cockroach, anything that crawls, “just before” moments of death? Basta kana physical pain or suffering

What is Your Most Prominent Emotion?: feeling in love or kilig *weeeee*

One Song You Wish You Would Have Written: tie… Bread’s When I See You Smile, Azure’s Dance With Me

Your Addiction(s): food, perfume, music, the idea that each one of us is destined to find his/her other half *sigh* hopeless romantic!

To Be or Not to Be?: to be, definitely

Beauty Is: skin-deep. Cliché but it’s the inside that matters.

If You Could Change Your Name, What Would You Change It To?: I always liked the names Sarah (sweet yet seductive) and Victoria (classy elegant) but then it wouldn’t sound me. I love my name… unique noh? combination of my parents’ names plus LYN.

Do You Associate Crying With Pain?: not always… I cry when I’m touched, I cry when I’m panicky, I cry when I laugh too hard, I cry when I’m hurt. Crying is a coping mechanism for anything that tugs the strings of my heart.

What Causes Emptiness?: something you desire that you can’t get for very frustrating reasons; no love, no food (syempre empty stomach na!), no friends to talk to… dami reasons

Are You Vulnerable to Anyone? Who?: my conscience (I can go on an all expense paid shopping spree with my sister and not buy anything when I think of how others can’t afford to buy food, but then again, I can be impulsive sometimes), my dad (silence. *shakes head* tsk tsk* me: oooohhh shoooot! I forgot to go to the baaaannk!!!)

How Do You Feel About People?: intimidating people challenges me, less intimidating people humbles me, people I admire in my field of interest inspires me to write, compose or experiment, my friends keep me sane and smiling.

Is Social Status Important?: no matter how much we deny it, power struggle in third world countries are so high that yes, social status is important in countries like ours.

Favorite Art Form: music, poetry, photography… in that order. You can feel the emotion when you hear or read or see. These art forms are what I call “enablers” for me to feel deeper.

Would You Rather Be Used By Someone You Love, or Be Involved With Someone You Only Like Partially?: used by someone I love… that kind of pain I can take. But being involved with someone I only like partially is just too selfish a thought.

What Would Jesus Do?: He’d still love despite all the hatred

Brilliance is Defined By: grade of diamond (literally speaking, brilliant means shine or sparkle) but otherwise, it’s street smartness

When Was the Last Time You Were Truly Happy?: everyday I find small reasons to be happy about. When I can’t of any, I think of Christmas, then I’d still be happy. The last time I was truly happy? Just now.

Is Contentment the Same as Satisfaction?: being satisfied seems like I’m in a happier state rather than just being contented.

Better to Have Loved and Lost Than to Have Never Loved at All?: loved and lost is better… at least you tried to love diba? Isn’t it the greatest feeling?

Favorite Taste: very tough question… all I can think of now is the feel and taste of unseasoned warm soft-boiled egg just out of the shell and the yolk straight onto my tongue… velvety smooth, very creamy texture that coats the throat and soothes the soul. Then there’s ferrero rocher hahahaha

Hurts More; Sticks and Stones or Words?: words… Miss Ybañez, gradeschool principal, made us memorize this line when we were in grade 2… “wounds may heal but scars will remain.” She meant for us to choose our words wisely. Two things you can never take back… time and words spoken.

Do You Believe Everyone Has a Perfect Match?: I’d like to believe that… it’s what keeps me hoping that there’d be someone who’ll love me for who I really am.

Words or Pictures?: words

Lasts Longer - Love or Lust?: love for the romantics; lust for the hedonists

Is Cynicism Used to Prevent Pain?: we’re humans… we’re born to feel. Cynicism hides pain, not prevent. Again, it’s a coping mechanism, I think, for those who can’t bear the pain. Like aspirin ba! Numbness lang na feel.

Is Optimism or Pessimism More Widely Accepted in Society?: sad to say, pessimism. We grew up thinking that when we’re optimistic and more so if we’re open about it, we’re mayabang and hambog. Makes it difficult to take compliments noh?

Fishing For Compliments Is: one of the many ways to feel good about oneself.

Would You Rather Hold or Be Held? Why?: awwww tough one!!! Hmmmm. I want to be held really really tight on a cold winter day… ayan na naman! Daydreaming!!!

Favorite Palindrome: level… it’s the first word that I can think of! Hehehe then there’s racecar.

How Long is a Moment?: varies per person in different situations.

Lullabies or Silence?: when I’m alone, then rod stewart can sing for me. When I’m with someone special, silence and lots of eye contact is deafening. When I’m with someone special and the moment is special, sade can serenade for us. hahahahaha

Full Moons or New Moons?: full moon, definitely. What a beauty! Mahal nga lang sa fish market coz no fish if full moon… they hide so increase and price!!! bwahahaha

The Most Accurate Way to Find Out How Someone Feels About You Without Asking Is: to ask for signs from Him (or in my case, from Her).

Who Do You Live For?: for Him.

Kisses or Hugs?: hugs definitely… mmmmm then if the person smells good pa, tight huuugs!

Is Isolation Self-Imposed?: yes… what are friends for?

Better - Introversion or Extroversion? Why?: extroversion… what are friends for?

Most Important Factors in a Relationship: trust, communication, lots of loving and hugging, and looking towards the same direction.

Do You Keep a Journal or Diary? Why or Why Not?: online journal, do they count? I’d like to think that when the right time comes, I’d let my kids read what I wrote when I was “their age.”

"I just want to be friends" - Sincere or Bullshit?: *matthew mcconahey(sp?)* how to lose a guy in 10 days* Bullshit! Why lead on in the first place diba?

Favorite Sound: acoustic guitar playing a romantic tune

Is Singing in Public a Right or a Privilege?: privilege

Envy Is: jealousy with a green face. Think of snow white’s stepmom… that’s envy.

How Do You Feel About the Prominence of Eating Disorders in Today's Society? Why?: *shakes head* tsk* it’s all because of E! Entertainment Channel and beauty magazines… who defines beauty ba? Aren’t we all beautiful in our own ways? Is beauty limited only to having a 34-24-36 stats and weighing less than a hundred pounds no matter what height you are? Gosh, why did He send us pastry chefs?

Do You Support Local Music?: if I like the lyrics, the melody, or the instrument, yes, I support.

Favorite Musical Instruments: piano, acoustic guitar, viola (higher-pitched violin)

Life - Seems Better When It's Just Beginning or When It's Nearly Over?: when it’s nearly over. You can look back from the very beginning and see how much you’ve grown as a person and how much you’ve touched other people’s lives… the very essence of living right?

On Average, How Many Times a Day Do You Question Your Significance?: I don’t question my significance. I’m just grateful… so that would be twice a day. One in the morning and one before I go to bed.

When Was the Last Time You Laughed For No Reason?: just now hihi :D

How Do You Feel About Your looks?: ooohh I’m soooo haaaawt! Bwahahaha when I’m with my family, I feel good about my looks. When I’m with my friends, gosh, am I the yaya? Ma’am Karen, Ma’am Sheryl, manang Mimi at your serbis.

Innocence is a Virtue or a Burden: depends on physical appearance. Example: Jessica simpson – virtue (but sometimes stupidity/ignorance); then let’s say… Michael Jackson – burden!

Do You Look For Love Forever or For Now?: love forever that starts now.

If You Had to Choose, Would You Live Like There's No Tomorrow or Dream Like You'll Live Forever? Why?: live like there’s no tomorrow. “no dream is too extreme” according to disney’s Pinocchio but when will you start living if you just keep on dreaming?

How Old Do You Want to be When You Die?: His will be done.

What is Your Favorite Sin?: gluttony… Lord, please excuse nalang this sin. Or else, make my stomach and intestines small para I won’t eat too much. Then I won’t sin as often.

How Far Would You Go For a Friend?: 3rd base? Bwahahahahaha I’m soooo kidding! I’d tell him/her the truth, no matter how difficult for both of us. I did that that to Karen (not the third base ha?) and I believe we’ve grown closer despite the distance. Love you kar!

Do You Feel that Love Needs to be Proved?: if it’s real and sincere, no need to prove. You can feel it naman eh.

Would You Rather Exist For Someone or Have Someone Exist For You?: I’d rather exist for someone. It feels good to know that I’m loved. Latter thought seems selfish…

What is love for you?: Love, in a very simple, elementary way of describing, gives me that tingling feeling as if there are thousands of bells simultaneously ringing in my ears. It sends chills down my spine yet gives me warmth and comfort. It literally makes my heart skip a few beats. When you feel it, you just know.

Friendster Board

2005-11-23T23:09:00.000-08:00

MAGLISTA NG PANGALAN
1. Karen Dy
2. Sheryl Chua
3. Emily Go
4. Mickie Go
5. Pinpin Tan To
6. Maripet Del Rosario
7. Shirley Wee
8. JB Gosiaco
9. Yves Yu
10. Vince Roa
11. Ilene Uy
12. Chester Go
13. John King
14. Mary Jane Go
15. Joy Lim
16. April Borbon
17. Jihannee Tan
18. Cynric Ang
19. Paul Yap
20. Nikka Hugo Yap

How did you meet 13?
Met John through Karen… first time we met was in Banri I think. Shucks… who’s this mayabang guy who won’t even mingle. And he’s dating my friend? Hmph! *peace john :D*

What would've happened if you never met 5?
I can find another thesismate, can befriend other food lovers who’d eat food off the table and sometimes off the floor (wala pang 5 minutes!). I can also go out with friends whom I can laugh and cry with, or whom I can talk to just about anything under the sun… but then again, life would have been different without Pin. With her, I can laugh louder and cry harder and enjoy my college life. Love you Pinot! Souffle ha?

What do you honestly think of 10?
Disclaimer: not all items below are honest thoughts... most are imbento or claims. Beware.
Hawt Guess model attempt, looking for hawt gf… date at your own risk! Haha Vince is like a new found friend pero long lost at the same time. Travels a lot, eats like there’s no tomorrow (my food partner in Manila) and has the biggest heart in the whole wide world! You should ask him about his goals, it would make your heart go “awww…” vince = 0917-HOTVINZ; www.vince2hawt4u.com; takes a bath 5 times a day; smells really good; very nice hair; hawt bod; passionate in whatever he does; very uber pogi... *vince, plug na ni para daghan naka hawt chix! Woohoo!!

Have you ever liked 3?
I love my hot, gorgeous cousin, my fashion consultant, my honest “did I get fat?” “yes you did” equipment, my inspiration for trying countless times to slim down, my shopping buddy, late night coffee talks, my sister and my friend. Like is an understatement for Miat!

Would 4 and 11 make a good couple?
Ilene Uy and Mickie Go… good couple… hmmmm… sa beach yah they can swim together sa beach! Pwede… like good swimming couple! Like marlin and dory of finding nemo? Ilene: *panics* mick!!! I can’t hear my pulse!!!

Do you think 12 is hot?
Chester Go… my cousin? My ahya? Hey, we belong to the same clan… I’m hot, he’s hot!

Would 1 and 17 make a lovely couple?
Karen Dy and Jihannee Tan… hahahaha they’d make lovely girlfriends but together, they don’t even fit as a lesbian couple. No match gyud uy.

What language does 19 speak?
Poetry… ahya, I miss reading your poems… write more! Miss you na! Paul speaks bisaya, Filipino, English, a little fookien, a little german (if I remember it right), and now, he speaks Siberian… to his doggy! Way to go paul! Teach me ha? Arf!

Who is 8 going out with?
JB Gosiaco… 6 years and counting with Alison Dy! You go guys!!

Is 9 a boy or a girl?
Yves Yu… sounds like a girl’s name but he’s a he!!! Eves, ipis, ebs, wawa naman your name. Wrong spelling noh? Next time you should say, “I’m yves, you know, yves yu! Mr. Hunk, mr. Pogi, you don’t know? Ok it’s Y-V-E-S.”

When was the last time you talked to 18?
Cynric Ang… hala when man toh? Hmmm shucks too long ago! Krua thai, was out with the girls in BTC, I wore black, miat wore green and the rest of the girls wore pink! When was that? End of august??? Are you really moving na? awww

What is 2's least favorite food?
Sheryl Chua… least favorite food? Shucks I don’t know but I’d say… isaw, atay, internal organs??? Hala, we should eat out more pa she!

Does 14 have any siblings?
Mary Jane Go… Mickie, James, and Muymuy! Hahahaha Bonbon uy, not muy!

Would you ever date 6?
whoa… hot chik!!! Of course I’d go out on a date with apet… coffee, desserts, pasta, veggies! Apet, when are we going out?

What is 4's middle name?
Michelle (walay) LEE Go! Hahahahaha joke lang miiiiick!!!

Would 14 and 19 make a good couple?Mary Jane and Paul… Paul’s married na to nikka… they’re the perfect couple. awww

What’s 16's favorite color?
borb’s favorite color iiissssss *takes a wild guess… red? Or yellow?

Which school does 7 go to?
Shirley went to Uno Highschool, then to DLSU, and then works at Shell.

Where does 9 live?
in bicol, on top of jacky. then in manila, I can’t tell noh… girls will be lining up by his doorstep then ma-rape siya! Gosh yves is hawt noh!! Girls, beware!!!

Would you make out with 1?
Karen? In a heartbeat! My lesbian lover… let’s get hot in the shower tonight *imagines* yaawwk, luod uy! hahahahaha

What is your history with 20?
Nikka… my achi whom I only met once and they dated with paul sa resto 3 or 4 valentines ago! Awww you guys make a lovely couple. When I go to Subic, IF I go to Subic, I’ll text you ah!

Do you have a crush on any of the numbers?
I should have read the questions before I listed the names… that way, I could have included ********* hahahahahaha!!! But noooooo!

Any talent of 15?
Joy can create research projects out of scrap items… my mentor when it comes to recycling scrap items and making something new and nice out of it! Joy, I’ll give you my fats so you won’t be underweight na! Miss you dear… we should eat out!

Skirts and Slacks

2005-11-23T16:55:00.000-08:00

funny story that i just have to share.

my boss said to me... mimi, you look different today. like yesterday, you were thin but today, you look fat. why is that?

i was wearing a slim skirt yesterday and i'm wearing loose slacks today. could there be any effect? i suppose there is!

office for the entire week.. work work! thesis defense on december 13... pray for me!

Tuesday Sundae

2005-11-21T22:23:00.000-08:00

haven't had plain sundae in the longest time... just had to impulsively buy from jollibee and devoured it in 2 minutes despite cough and colds. yumm!

i want fic ice cream in green tea, vanilla, cookies and cream, strawberry, and cappucino.

Nothing Productive

2005-11-18T16:55:00.000-08:00

i got bored watching tv for three days straight. poor cd, rod stewart must have been too tired to serenade me. texted pin if she wanted to go out today. still asleep and i don't think she'll be up till afternoon. shucks.

waaa i so want to go out, eat, relax, enjoy. i'm sooo bored. nothing significant to blog about except the usual... can't wait to go home. i'm home sick noh?

congrats to sophie who's now a bitch. and i totally forgive her for breaking my pyrex! but for blocking the aircon on the way to blue waters? not forgiven! haha mick, we speak of sophie as if she's human noh?

i think nestle has some kind of addictive formula they put in their mango yogurt. i can't seem to stop eating it. pair it with yakult, whew! yummy! i savor every spoonful of yogurt that it takes me 15 minutes and 40 spoon-feeds(?) to eat the whole package. my sister... less than 10 spoonfuls and 3 minutes, she's done. hahaha

anyone knows where i can find "discovery travel and living" channel? i can only find "living asia". i saw their programs in animal planet and their culinary programs are sooo interesting! there's "made to order", "the naked chef", "the culinary school". i live for cooking shows you know. i memorize all food shows in the lifestyle network.

grabe, my blog is soo not interesting. i'm just plain bored i guess. or nothing significant enough to blog. blog for the sake of blogging? pathetic. next year, i might create a photoblog. just everyday tidbits, things i see around the house, streets, events, whatever. just so you can see how i see life. (hirit: blurred? coz mimi needs glasses and she's seeing double!) hahahaha crazy uy. hmmm stop na.

Hwaat?

2005-11-15T17:20:00.000-08:00

i'm sick... huhuhu
*sniff*

colds (from dits)
sore throat

craving for:
anything breakfast-y... bacon, hashbrown, sausage, spam, cheese hotdog, eggs

Silly Side of Me

2005-11-14T18:39:00.000-08:00

- bought belly dancing dvd 3 weeks ago (didn’t expect this exercise to be as difficult as it looks! i was perspiring and the lazy side of me kicked in after the warm-up. i stopped just before the routine was about to start. Hahahaha. sooo me!)
- attempted to belly dance to the tune of “my milkshake” last weekend. holy! i got tummy cramps after the second stanza. worse, i found myself laughing alone in the room. can anyone spell lunatic?
- cut my bangs last week. a liiittle too short! this was my second attempt (first was two years ago) and still, too short. can’t pass up as a hair stylist! sooo anyway, my dad laughed at me as i was snipping away my bangs after which he blurted, “huh? what’s the difference with you old bangs?” ohh yeah… guys.
- went back to the gym yesterday after a month of not going (busy ‘daw’ or for some other reason). forgot to bring barrette for my now short bangs. had to ask paperclip for my hair. pretty noh? paperclip! the girl beside me had to take a double look at my hair. i had to stop myself from saying, “yes, it’s paperclip, i know.”

i realized yesterday that my family purchases, cooks, and devours food by the kilo or by box, not by the grams or packs. Example:
- mum goes to the wet market and purchases tomatoes for our family alone… 3 kilos but considering how much we eat tomatoes, no wonder right? we looove tomatoes!
- mum goes to the grocery and “taste tests” a new drink. she buys 1 box (meaning: 24 packs). imagine if this is not a taste test!
- i got sick few months ago because i devoured a kilo of peeled pomelo. you see, the whole thing weighed 2.5 kilos, less skin so 2 kilos, and then i ate half so 1 kilo. i couldn’t stop throwing up the next day.
- the week after that, i devoured a kilo of lanzones, this time, without getting sick. yumm!
- 2 nights ago… dits and i watched tv and ate pistachios. how much did we consume in 10 minutes? half kilo.
- last night… dits and i were watching tv again and ate cashew nuts. how much did we consume in less than 10 minutes? half kilo.

no wonder… and i say it again. NO WONDER *shakes head*
you gotta love life! you gotta love foooood!

Cebu... I'm Coming Home Soon

2005-11-13T19:21:00.000-08:00

Another summer day
Is come and gone away
In Paris and Rome But I wanna go home

Maybe surrounded by
A million people
I Still feel all alone
I just wanna go home
Oh I miss you, you know

And I’ve been keeping all the letters that I wrote to you
Each one a line or two
“I’m fine baby, how are you?”
Well I would send them but I know that it’s just not enough
My words were cold and flat
And you deserve more than that

Another aerorplane
Another sunny place
I’m lucky I know
But I wanna go home
I’ve got to go home

Let me go home
I’m just too far from where you are
I wanna come home

And I feel just like I’m living someone else’s life
It’s like I just stepped outside
When everything was going right
And I know just why you could not
Come along with me
But this was not your dream
But you always believe in me

Another winter day has come
And gone away
And even Paris and Rome
And I wanna go home
Let me go home

And I’m surrounded by
A million people
I Still feel alone
Oh, let go home
Oh, I miss you, you know

Let me go home
I’ve had my run
Baby, I’m done I gotta go home
Let me go home
It'll all be all right
I’ll be home tonight
I’m coming back home

Currently Into...

2005-11-11T22:01:00.000-08:00

food:

nestle yogurt juicy mango
yakult
tobi mix-nuts (free sa PAL)
ferrero rocher (yikes! careful)

songs:

home - m. buble (cebu)
by your side - sade (whew! hot!)
beyond the sea - r. williams (neeeemo!)
fallen - l. wood (hmmm)
hanging by a moment - lifehouse (wala lang)
passenger seat - stephen speaks (nice accoustics)
my milkshake - kellis (bwahahaha)

Notes

2005-11-09T04:09:00.000-08:00

To do list:

Academic
- final thesis proposal
- data gathering (translation: go around different gas stations and interview station managers. deeper translation: stress and boredom)

Extra-curricular
- print and accessorize invitation letters for profs for christmas bazaar
- design posters and create from scratch for bazaar publicity (tip: mimi, please don’t be OC on this one. this is the least of your concerns)
- submit business plan for competition (synonym: forced to submit to represent school, geek)

Tips for myself:

On Life/Lifestyle
- continue to have the passion for food but read “On Health”
- to be a food critic, you only have to eat a few tablespoons of the sampled dish, not the whole meal (wants: to be a food critic/writer)
- self study piano notes, you are beginning to forget how to play
- try to be spontaneous at times, it makes your heart skip a beat therefore, healthy (example: go out with mickie, miat and don’t come home till dawn)
- go out with the girls when you go to cebu, you only have 4 months before you leave for Canada, bond with them (synonym: you only have 4 months to meet cebu guys, otherwise, you’ll be stuck with asian-canadian hotties – heaven!)

On Health
- tone flabs (conscience: don’t you want to look good when you go to boracay? when are you going ba? will your parents even allow you to go? dream on)
- lose just 8 more pounds (tip: stop craving for the following… bizu pastries, fic ice cream, toblerone, fererro rocher, nestle crunch, chocnut cake from m café, lechon kawali, anything from frito-lays, anything from jack ‘n jill, lechon, baby back ribs, don henrico’s barbeque chicken, mcdo milkshake and mcflurry, bk whopper, burger joint chips, wendy’s frosty, cheese rings, yellowcab pizza, starbucks coffee, swiss miss chocolate drink…)

On Love
- mag pray nalang ko (translation: think positive and pag pray nalang gyud!)

Lazy Monday

2005-10-31T04:52:00.000-08:00

i finally treated myself to a slice of chonut chocolate cake from M Cafe in greenbelt 4. when i sliced the cake with my fork, it felt and looked spongy but when i fed myself a good helping of both dark chocolate cake and chocnut cream icing, the whole thing just melted in my mouth and gave me the chills. it was heaven!

i'm still craving for a small triangle of milk chocolate toblerone but when i think of my M Cafe experience, ok na.

*borbon, chochnut lover, you have to try it there. slight hint lang ang chocnut but the combination is good. i've yet to try their chilli chocolate creme brulee! interesting noh?

so that chocolate made me so happy and so contented that i'm still full from all the sugar. fats, bulate, i can hear you rejoicing. thank God for pastry chefs.

after that chocolate heaven, spent the lazy afternoon at powerbooks rekindling my interest in poetry. i read my old poems... gawd, so babaw uy! hahaha can't believe i wrote those. not that my writing skills has improved. no way. but poetry is something personal diba?

sigh. been doing that lately. i miss home!

Chocolate

2005-10-30T04:42:00.000-08:00

been craving a slice of good chocolate for the past week already. funny... when i crave for something real bad, i can't even taste the other goodies. well, not really!

ok so food trip again for the long weekend. *dits, la na ta money!

sunday morning, went to church then went to heaven 'n eggs in timog. i looooove the place and the food!!! it's country and it's something you want to start you day with. funny their waiters have wings on the back of their shirts because they're supposed to be the angels in heaven serving breakfast. the person who waited our table giggled when he saw my facial expression. hahaha i was that hungry? sulit sobra.

manila people, get your butts off to heaven 'n eggs. timog circle beside italianni's and yellowcab. please please just try it.

mick, i'm going to make you suya. i had a P235 breakfast but wait! yes, it was expensive but let me explain. 2 french toasts, 3 beef sausages, a slice of orange, 2 eggs, and 1 big waffle. for the first time i had leftovers! i mean, hello? mimi = no leftovers always but grabe sulit uy. i wasn't able to finish the eggs and waffle gani. uber yummy mick! mmmmmm:)

it lasted me the whole day. literally ha? till night time busog pako. i didn't eat na dinner.

Unusually Cold October

2005-10-28T01:52:00.000-07:00

trick or treat! *in sharp tones* was what i heard all morning and the kids were adorable!!! shell had a halloween program for the staffs' kids and they came complete with costumes. princess jasmine, spiderman, batman, angel, superman, the devil without a fork, and my favorite... buzz lighyear! i asked the kid where his wings were and he just asked for his lollipop! hahaha cutie! posted in the bulletin board was a reminder for the other staff to bring candies for the kids. and you think no one brought? noooo!!! the kids and their yayas were holding grocery bags instead of pumpkin holders!!!! hahaha

i brought lollies and sugus and showed it to my boss. he forgot about the halloween thing so he went out and bought candies too. hehehe he was supposed to bring his kiddies who are the cutest (i saw sa video) but he was afraid no one would make bantay. i said, "sir, what am i doing here if not for your cuties?!" nanghinayang siya in the end coz the other kids had so much fun. he kept on saying, if my kids were here, they'd be the noisiest sa whole group! then hirit pa ko, i said, "sir, if your kids were here, they'd come as t-rexes and dinosours!!" haha so true.

went to glorietta for lunch with fellow ojts. dropped by terra nova and looked at their winter clothes. it's a lot cheaper than zara and mango (duh!) but just as nice. i think i'll buy accessories there na pang winter! ooohh i love winter! can't wait to go to canada na. i'd make snow angels and run around playing in the snow, throwing snow balls with someone special, keeping each other warm with hugs and hot chocolate, gazing at the sky when the snow is falling and catching them with our mouths open... MIMI! wake up! you can do all that with yourself nalang! hahahahaha LOL!

snow angels along the driveway, throwing snowballs at myself or at the garage door, keeping myself warm by staying indoors, and gazing at the sky all by myself. hmmm

no dream is too extreme. - walt disney's pinocchio

Reminiscing Highschool

2005-10-26T19:27:00.000-07:00

highschool - best times
highschool friends - best friends
highschool love songs - best songs

these songs give me the chills! grabe, very cheesy noh but i listen to them at least once a day and i've never sawa pa.

Still In Love - Brian McKnight
Each Time - E17
I Fall So Deep - Garly Barlow
Stick Around - Azure
Dance With Me - Azure
Cupid - 112
Misty Glass Window - Artstart
More Than You'll Ever Know - Michael Ruff
Visions of the Sunset - Shawn Stockton
Promise I Make - Dakota Moon
Secret Garden - Bruce Springsteen
All I Have To Give - Backstreet Boys
God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You - Nsync
Heaven - Nu Flavor

*sigh* i miss highschool!

p.s.
JB is pissing me off right now! tawa ka pa diyan!
JB: gutom ka lang!
me: bwisit ka! layuan mo ako!

Italian with a Filipino Twist?

2005-10-26T01:12:00.000-07:00

the babaw side of me says: im happy happy!

boss made libre lunchout coz too much work! overload na our head and computer! where else? segafredo! didn't know they had "chef recommends" fusion courses. pork spare ribs, which i think was filipino style but they sticked with their authentic italian hand tossed thin crust pizza. weeee happy bulate! haha

dessert... a must try. mud pie! good enough but not better than la marea's warm brownie cup. problem though: segafredo's mud pie had walnuts but without ice cream. la marea's warm brownie cup had no walnuts but with ice cream! sooo... verdict: same lang sila! haha

mimi's version. microwave chewy chips ahoy then put ice cream then top with chopped almonds!

will post pics of mud pie tomorrow! yum!!

Enough Said

2005-10-23T17:48:00.000-07:00

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
Jack Frost nipping at your nose
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe
Help to make the season bright
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow
Will find it hard to sleep tonight.

They know that Santa's on his way
He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh
And every mother's child is gonna spy
To see if reindeer really know how to fly.

So I'm offering this simple phrase
To kids from one to ninety-two
Although it's been said many times, many ways
Merry Christmas to you.

So I'm offering this simple phrase
To kids from one to ninety-two
Although it's been said many times, many ways
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas to you...

Joyous Week!

2005-10-21T20:14:00.000-07:00

now i really really have to finish my thesis! hay nako, if i don't then i can't graduate, and if i can't graduate, i won't be able to go to canada. that's right! it's final! everything's complete na except me packing up and picking my winter clothes! did you know? i'm going to canada na! hehehe

not soon though... after a grad (hopefully, please pray for me so that i can grad ha?), which is at the end of january, then maybe a month or two after, zooom! hehe i'm excited!

just some migrating news and then what else? oooh! have to lose weight na coz in canada, uber yummy food so i'll be like a piggy there noh? and cold too so very lazy to go to the gym! weeee can't wait! i'll be seeing my nephew, aidan, for the very first time!

but before i go, things to do:
1. boracay
2. bond with karen and she
3. shop for "winter" clothes - if kaya, ukay at baguio so that cheaper and trendy at the same time
4. cook simple but gourmet everyday - you know, kaya naman simple na gourmet eh. it's all in the ingredients and presentation
5. learn to bake
6. pack up things in manila and send to cebu
7. pack up for abroad
8. lose weight!

happy happy!

p.s. 64 days till christmas!

My Birthday Bash!

2005-10-14T01:55:00.000-07:00

it’s been a week since i last blogged and so much has happened… my birthday bash? it was a blast. didn’t expect my 21st to be this fun food fun!! ok first up… i actually celebrated my birthday thrice. am i the luckiest? who celebrates their birthday three times?! very blessed gyud me.

saturday night.
with the nowhere to be found dormies (except for g), shell friends, and highschool friends at dencio’s. we ate like there’s no tomorrow. exag our food! 2 soups, crispy pata, barbeque platter, around 4 different kinds of veggies, calamares, oh my! in short, it was heaven! first time john (pin’s bf) and jb (aww shirley was absent) nag give up! hahaha.

L-R: jb, john, pin, apet, the birthday girl, jackie, sheila, and shelly!

had uber fun with jackie, shelly and sheila. i miss them so much na. they brought their law books!! but ok lang, finals man gud this week so very ok to study while waiting for food. but they weren’t really able to study because we had to talk. sigh, i envy jackie. *sigh sigh* anyway, they had to go home early coz study pa lage. good luck with your tests girls! itaas ang bandila ng sacred hearters!

L-R: the birthday girl, jackie, sheila, and shelly!

they weren’t able to wait for as usual, jana and neil (her bf) late. but i stayed with them till they had to go home at around 10:00? or 10:30? jana was drinking lipovitan na to keep herself awake. you go girl! chika sad mi to the max uy. i miss highschool friends noh? there’s just this bond between all of us that can’t be expunged even after almost 3 years of not seeing each other.

and then there were the shell people. look at our crazy pictures! i love apet and pin. i think they’re my crazy sistahs! praning kung praning, poise kung poise, pero most of the time, praning! love you girls!

L-R: pin, me, and apet! loooove the mustache by the way!

oh and by the way, obvious ba how takaw i am with food? you know how many cakes i received that night? i got a red ribbon chocolate mousse from jb and shirley, red ribbon brazo de mercedes from pin and john, sugarhouse chocolate cake (super duper yummy!!!) and cookies from sheila and shelly.

saturday night night.
went home early ha… wasn’t expecting to be home by 11pm so dropped by starbucks banawe (my new home) to pick up sis and then there was a mini celebration. pics again… crazy tzu chi people!

L-R: limarc, nikki, me, monica, and my dits. photographer: ramil

haha these are my alipins. yup, they all call me diyosa (as in goddess!!) long story basta, they either call me diyosa or doña. this is what happens pag over caffeine na.

so luoy man the camera man so give chance to take picture with diyosa!

excuse me ramil, mas muscle my arms noh! yours fat!

sunday.
one of my most grateful days of my life. i turned 21 and i couldn’t be happier to be spending this day with my sister. timely table to shock you! our motto for the day was: “dits, it’s my birthday today. i’m the richest girl in the world right now and it’s not everyday that I make libre so eat like there’s no tomorrow. today is a full-fat, no-diet day! buhay baboy for the day ha. walk a little, eat a lot. it’s today or never again” yes, coz i wore my not-so-walking heels and boy all that eating swelled up my feet! haha kidding. (good buy ha for a P600 3-in sandals, it could carry a heavy weight like me!)

9:30am – shared fruit salad (of 1 big can of fruit cocktail, 5 coconuts, 1 can cream = good for 4 people)
9:45 to 10:15am – slept like pigs
10:15 to 11:30am – prepare and arrived at shangri-la mall
11:30am – lunch at green tomato (near cinemas… a must try for those who come here to manila! really yummy italian type food. and cheap too!) ordered beef eggplant lasagna for me, sun-dried tomato pasta for dits, shared tossed salad and 8” pizza
1:20pm – got tired from 10-minute window shopping. found store that gives free demo for bed cushion. sticking to our “pig-day” motto, we asked for a demo and slept for 10 minutes. grabe, even sa mall, we were able to be pigs!
2:30pm – 2 large wendy’s frosty and large fries with loads of ketchup
4:00 to 4:30 – headed for greenbelt coz we weren’t contented with just shangri-la
4:30pm – max brenner chocolate café. i ordered hot mocha chocolate, dits had chococcino, and we shared mud max (fruit salad and walnut caramel on the sides, thick slice of gooey rich chocolate cake with white creamy icing and toffee filling in the middle
5:00pm – regret not ordering soufflé. thought of going to bizu for another round of pastry galore but decided not to because couldn’t walk already!
5:30pm – went home to retire but food fest not yet done
6:00pm – parlored ourselves with nail polish! our room smelled like cheap parlor
6:30 to 7:15pm – slept like pigs
7:15pm – went off with uncle and picked up cousins nearby (celine, christy, lloyd) and proceeded to tazza café. chowed down a plateful of spareribs complete with mashed potato and side dish. uncle went out to check the location so five of us were left with… desserts! what else? ordered mini cakes of chocolate mousse, cappuccino crunch, tiramisu, mango cheesecake, and apple pie. we finished it in about 20 minutes.
8:30pm – homeward bound

went home and talked to pin over the phone. described to her our foodtrip in detail, with feelings para inggit diba? one thing she said that i will have to agree. “mi, and swerte mo na sa pagkatakaw mong yan, ganon lang katawan mo.” friend talaga kita pin! love yah! you made my day!

10:00pm – zzzzzzzzzzz
2:30am – woke up and watched tv… couldn’t sleep – still too full.

monday night.
uyy back to diet day daw but nooooo. my breakfast and dinner went well – according to diet plans but when it came to dinner, i just had to celebrate my belated birthday with my alipins!

how fun! we ate at little asia along tomas morato. the food was great, the people were fantastic! syempre, ako lang ang non-vegetarian there noh? so i ordered a plate of vietnamese spareribs with tomato and onion good for 3 to 4 persons. was planning to make baon the leftover but was there any leftovers? of course not! i ate them all up! not only that, we had tempura veggies, agedeshi tofu, tofu steak, beef hofan without beef (veggie eh), tomiao with garlic (surprisingly good – like a milder version of alfalfa sprouts), uber lotsa food! syempre not complete ang birthday without cake diba? so the diyosa thought that her alipins won’t be able to remember her birthday cake. i bought my own dulce de leche cheesecake (too sweet) and little asia sang me a chinese birthday song with mango samurai crepe and then my alipins sang me an english birthday song with my red ribbon chocolate mousse cake! three cakes… look how happy i was! DYOSA!! Kulang “I” but ok lang!

so there… my birthday bash. complete with all the people whom i love and treasure so much. my day ended with an uber grateful prayer to Him and Her. these days wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for Them. would have loved it though if:
karen, and sheryl were here for cocktails, chika and misadventures
miat, ilene, mickie, and josie were here for the food
jany, mj, borbs, mickie, and joy were here for karaoke
mom, dad and achi were here for some lovin’ (and angpao!)

the big 2-1… couldn’t have started it any better!

p.s. 72 days to go before christmas!
still too far away? how bout this… it’s 10 weeks before christmas!

Food and Friends

2005-10-02T02:12:00.000-07:00

joy’s party was a blast… shed a few tears coz she read all her thank you cards to everyone who was there. funny noh i think i was the only one who was emotional. i mean, i know i’ll be seeing joy and i’ll still be enjoying her company and she’ll always be there to talk but you know, i don’t know. i just feel like people are graduating and this will be the last time that we’re gonna have a blast. i mean, when can you have term breaks when you work diba? Huhuhu…. Got teary eyed when joy read my part. funny noh even if simple lang kayo ang letter as in! then got teary eyed again when joy read her thank you’s to mum and pop and shot.

happy happy because we ate at sofah. one of my favorite restaurants in manila! gosh, i even think it’s better than hapchan! hahahaha i got to eat fish fillet with garlic. babaw noh? And then their pork chop. i’m so easy to please. food lang pwede na. so babaw.

last night was one of the few times that i laughed out so hard and loud since i came back from cebu. i just love it when i’m with highschool friends. i met Jackie, tj, jana and neil. kulang didto noh si mickie! mick, you should’ve been with us last night. had uber fun. we’ll be meeting again HOPEFULLY (girls, take a break from your studies) next saturday. and HOPEFULLY, shelly and Sheila can go too. just a simple dinner, haven’t decided where to eat yet but this’ll be fun! cebu friends, manila friends, and food! can’t wait!

and theeeenn… dits and i will be splurging on food next sunday. bizu will be on the list… then prolly max brenner too. for the real food, i still don’t know yet. i’m sooo excited na! sigh… i hope next week na. goodbye diet! hello gourmet! loves it!

p.s. 83 days to go before christmas!

Starbucks Banawe - New Home

2005-09-30T22:03:00.000-07:00

currently at starbucks banawe, a recently opened one. now probably my tambay place for the rest of my school term. its saturday today and i am totally loving the ambience here. i came in at around 9:30 in the morning where i was the only one in the store and the baristas were arranging the product display. then came messengers who were probably asked by their bosses to buy pastries and coffee.

then came fr. pete from damar church having a meeting with an engaged couple. he’s actually my favorite priest. he doesn’t look like a priest, and doesn’t act like a priest. he is the cool priest who goes to the same gym as i do, diets and jogs around the village, and then drinks a tall mocha frapp complete with the cream! yeah, i love cool priests. anyway, i think the couple he’s meeting is about to get married soon and fr. pete just wanted to have a talk with them to know their personality so that he can plan a good homily. why i know this? because fr. pete wed my cousin and i loved the homily. knowing that my cousin and cousin-in-law comes from a chinese background and so on, his homily… wed couples are like chopsticks (chinese diba?), one cannot function without the other. you cannot use one chopstick to pierce through your food because it looks awful and is not really accepted as proper chinese dining etiquette. so on… so on. nice noh?

then there’s this family: dad, mom, kid, 2 yayas and a driver. all in starbucks drinking coffee and eating pastry for the breakfast. then the driver comes in a brings about 6 bags of jollibee food. yeah! panlasang pilipino at home sa starbucks! and until now, they’re still having a family day at starbucks. isn’t that cool?

then a couple of students both college and highschool, a student studying for an exam, a couple doing their homework (i suppose), group of old friends making kwento, and then at a small corner, there’s me with all my papers, highlighters, pens, nuts, and coffee.

then there’s a dad with his little son around 3-4 years old. they went to starbucks to buy cake for mommy who was at home. then dad relaxed for a few minutes playing hide and seat among the sofas with his kiddie.

then came in another mommy with her cute little girl. sexy mom was eating chocolate cake. golly, can’t believe she’s that sexy having had a kid andd she eats chocolate cake! moving on…

don’t you just love a lazy day like this? later tonight i’ll be attending joy’s graduation party. congrats joy! love yah!

USB and Christmas

2005-09-27T05:28:00.000-07:00

huhu.. have already reformatted my usb flash drive but noooooo. actually it worked for a few hours but now, not working again. i think i will just have to buy a new one just to be sure. now is not the time to make do with an uncertain usb because my thesis is at stake here. oh gosh… good thing i saved everything in my pc. and this laptop (dits’, not mine) is so slow. or maybe not so slow. most of the time it works, sometimes, it tuririks! hope i can get through with this thesis without any freak accidents. freak accidents pertaining to chippy commercial. “yess tapos na tayo!” “dude, save mo ba?” “huh? anong save?”

ok this was how i felt yesterday… scary huh? but i realized that it was the laptop that made turirik, not my usb. told dits to delete unwanted programs in her laptop so she did but added songs to her itunes soooo here we go again. the laptop is able to read again my usb so no problem.

it’s a girl thing… uber cramps! this is what i get for not going to the gym for the longest time! arrgh. had the chills this morning in our 3rd home (north conservatory). now in our second home at medrano.

dits came back from cebu yesterday and she also had her hair permed like mine but hers is shorter. like lovers in paris korean girl. hehe pretty.

started searching for recipes i’m gonna be cooking and hopefully, baking, this christmas. i’m eyeing on an indonesian honey-ginger roast chicken (ina garten – pronounced as ayna of barefoot contessa) and zucchini au gratin (everyday italian). so far, these are the 2 dishes that i could think of. i still haven’t figured what pastry to bake for this christmas. afterall, if everything turns out well, this will be my last christmas here so why not cook to the max? not that i’m dying ha but maybe, maybe, i’m going abroad for the next few years. i’m gonna find me a hottie! (yes karen!) hahahaha

moving on, i was thinking of baking something out of filo dough or puff pastry but i’m intimidated by its delicateness. i want to make something like a banana-nut strudel. but then again, i can opt to make a strawberry trifle. hmmm basta, something challenging uy. trifle is too easy.

Kitchen

2005-09-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

had a superb lunch at kitchen (with an inverted "k") at greenbelt. had green thumb salad, which was like an asian fusion salad with grilled chicken and oriental dressing, and tomato soup! and of course, my lunch wouldn't have been as lovely if it ere not for my ojt friends. will surely go back to try more of their unique dishes. and let me tell you... this place, eventhough it's a semi-gourmet, casual dining place, which i love so much, their prices are affordable! or kinda... semi-affordable. P200 maximum takes your tummy va va voom!

another news. got this mail from federico gonzales, technology/innovation oriented business plan competition thing. "We are happy to inform you that your biz plan summary, "A Web-BasedFrequent Traveler's Program and Electronic Ticketing System", passed the first test and has been admitted into the next round of the PESOCHALLENGE, where you will write the full business plan for submission on the first week of November." wahahaha and i thought dq na! well, challenge nalang so that i can work my arse off this term!

gawd, i'm still soo full. oh! i have a partee tonight! mooncake dice party at ainsley's house. first batch na ojt and so far, kami lang ang pinaka close compared to the next batch that followed. potluck daw and i'm bringing buko salad! weeee! goodbye diet! hope i'll win tonight... hahaha. have no idea what the prizes are but anyhow, it's the company that i'm looking forward to.

Weeeee!!!

2005-09-21T20:36:00.000-07:00

halo halo!!!!! guess what?! our proposal got accepted the day we passed to our teacher! after 2 attempts, ok na. whew! what a relief! soo happy. we were supposed to go to the office yesterday but thank gawd we didn't. there was a big rally along ayala and the people assembled in paseo de roxas! they were the anti-glorias who celebrated the people power thing. i'm not so sure but the rally ended at around 9pm. so had we gone to shell yesterday... hindi sana ako nakawatch ng pinoy big brother.

ok another weird thing. i used to think that those who watch pinoy big brother are really baduy and boring but hey, i'm hooked. sam is such a cutie! and when he speaks in filipino, awww. i'm attempting to memorize the dance steps whenever no one is in the room! haha can't get the tune out of my head... "pinoy ako, pinoy tayo..." now there are three people i like in the show. uma, cass and sam. wait, you might be wondering why i choose uma and cass... hello? without them, the show's pretty boring and no fun. though they may be one of the "notorious" and "bastos" peoplei n the show, they actually spice the show up!

dvd marathon the whole day yesterday. sweet home alabama, my big fat greek wedding and for the nth time... serendipity. awwww. can't get enough of the movie. i still get chills down my spine when i watch the movie and i still smile and sigh like crazy! sweet home alabama i love too! "nobwody twoks to ma mama lak thaet!"

Dormies' Day and Night Out

2005-09-20T20:27:00.000-07:00

from mickie's site... love the collage!!! thanks mick, joy, g, and mj. had a blast! we look like abno's sa bottom part. autistic kaayo ha! hehe miss you guys!

i wasn't able to make kwneto the details of this day. started out with mickie's text: mims, dich won't come coz she has visitor. hwat?? come along but no need to swim! well anyway, had super fun the three of us, joy and mickie, taking turns picture picture lang. model model pa... pastilan gyud. we took turns sa slide in the pool and i think if you're underweight, you can't slide. kay si joy, always stuck up half way and kami taon ni mickie, bruises na coz of the (for lack of other words) "zoom" down the slide! we spent the whole afternoon talking while my frustrating tan attempt got wiped away coz of the rain. mj and g slept on the couch sa lobby. kaluoy sad uy.

after the beach, 10 dove st! loves it! i had to give in to my diet because of the yummy guava cake. yup, guava cake. really good! as well as their salads, soup and bread. and the price?! P150 for all of that. we were too full na. and by the way, mickie treated us from her love overdue "first paycheck" bangka.

crossroads, here we come. i got super hyper when i entered the ktv. grabe ha... new ktv song (with great partner mickie) - bongga ka dai (hala, hala, ahh!) and lady marmalade (mouline rouge version).

then we did pot session. kidding! sheesha-ed at a persian restaurant also in crossroads. as usual, met again family friends who thought sheesha was like smoking. i didn't enjoy the apple cinnamom flavor but i think our sheesha session should have been fun had the flavor been eucalyptus or menthol. let's try table 7!

then, not yet contented with all the singing and pot session, we proceeded to la marea for some comfort food. mj and g had warm brownie cup... waaaa! sooo yummy! fun fun day but my mom called na coz late na daw so headed home na. si gihanni designated driver for the night.

and by the way, we enjoyed our night at a "2nd to BTC posh place" in shorts, shirt and slippers --> beach attire pa! except for joy who thought she was going out with ces so nakaporma siya with her bling!

the next day, nag desperate housewives marathon sila but me... where did i go? ahh i think nag shopping me with miat, karen and sheryl! oh yeah yeah... bought me some jeans and gimmick clothes care of fashion designer, good but "careful with the budget" shopping buddy, and cousin, emily.