bEinG a kiD is so mUch eaSieR...

Catching Up.

2010-08-31T22:47:00.001-04:00

Today I received an email from an old friend. It was really nice being able to catch up on each others' lives.

I realize it's been a really long time since I last posted anything here. I don't really know if there's one thing that kept me from writing. It's more like a combination of things... work, the summer, laziness, lack of creativity...lol ewan ko ba, it seems like whenever I attempt to post, my mind goes somewhere else or I get caught up doing other things and I just never get back to it. So ayun, lack of posting for months is what resulted. So here it goes..

Sad to say, I've totally slacked off on reading as well. My parents lent me two books which they said they enjoyed reading and thought that I might enjoy them too. The books are currently lying on top of my dresser, untouched. Everyday, while I am getting dressed, I look at them and I tell myself, "Today I will start reading..." and then I go to work and come home and forget about it. Instead, I sit in front of my laptop and play games or watch TV. Really sad, isn't it? I've become one of those people consumed by their love of games.. not that anything's wrong with it. I just feel like I should probably be more balanced about my activities.. with no particular activity dominating all others to a point where I'm always doing just one thing. Sayang naman kasi ang brain cells ko. I think it's better for me to expose myself to other, more fruitful hobbies.

The summer is almost over. Meh! I always feel somewhat forlorn going into the fall and winter seasons. It just seems like a really long time until it's summer again. This summer, though, was extremely hot. We've been having temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius and with the humidity, it feels even warmer. There were days when I just felt like sitting in the car all day where there's air conditioning. We don't have AC at home so it's been really uncomfortable with the extreme heat. Perhaps you're wondering why we don't have AC... we tried to buy a few units... but they didn't fit our windows so we had to return them. And so here we are.. stuck with our fans for now. We have AC at work but our CEO likes to keep it cooler than what's comfortable. It always feels like we're in the freezer. I've had to bring a scarf or a sweater with me at times just so I don't freeze at my desk. It makes it difficult deciding what to wear to work because it's very hot outside but it's extremely cold in the office.

This summer has also been a busy one for us - socially. We went jet boating at Niagara Falls, water rafting at the Ottawa River and went to Long Point Beach a few times. We also went to some picnics, BBQs, festivals and played tennis and beach volleyball. I'm not particularly good at sports but thankfully, my friends are patient enough to just let me play and enjoy myself. Steve always says, "it's not about winning, it's about having fun".

Work has been hectic, to my surprise. I usually find the summer months quiet with the exception of this year. It seemed like I had a mountain of work in front of me and I was climbing it slowly while pushing a wheel barrel. Not only was I training a lot, but an important member of our team had decided to leave the company and I had no choice but to take over her responsibilities. I'm just glad that most of the big work load's done and I can move on to other tasks. I've been so tired that there were days when I felt like no matter how much sleep I got, I was just as exhausted the next day. I literally felt like I needed to just do nothing but sleep for a week.

Steve and I were invited to two baby showers this past weekend..both on the same day. I gotta tell you, of all the days to have a baby shower, I don't know why they both had to be on the same day. As usual we found ourselves running around like maniacs, getting ready for both showers, picking up presents and preparing dishes and driving to and from places. We were already exhausted before we even arrived to the first shower. I don't know how we survived both on such little sleep. Although we were both beat, I have to say that we did enjoy them. Coincidentally, aside from the fact that they were on the same day, they were also both co-ed showers and were designed more to be BBQs. So Steve got to go with me to both. I don't know if he was necessarily thrilled about it but he went anyway. It was kinda funny how he discreetly excused himself from the room when it was time to open the presents. He casually sneaks out and heads over to the backyard to hang out with all the other husbands. I, on the other hand, look forward to this part of the shower. I love watching new mothers and mothers-to-be open each beautifully wrapped present to find out what cute little thing is waiting inside.

Let's hope the temperature's ease up soon... as I sit here typing, I'm practically melting.

Tough

2010-03-03T10:59:00.000-05:00

It's the little things I accomplish that sometimes makes me the happiest. Yesterday, one of our technicians was off sick and so I had to "man the post" so to speak. I was a bit worried that I would either get an email or phone call with an issue that required something beyond what I could do or what I knew how to do. Buti nalang I only received 2 support calls and I was able to resolve both issues.

We have 3 new employees - a tech, a salesman and a receptionist. Sometimes I can't help but feel a bit stressed because I worry that they're not going to work out and I always feel terrible when someone's being let go. It really bothers me especially if I know the person is the bread winner of the family or if it's someone's who's older. There have a been a few instances where we've had to let go of people for various reasons and I felt really sorry for them (well, most of them.. there were a couple I was glad to see go). I'm just glad I'm not involved in any of these activities. I would hate to have to do the "firing"... I would hate to just be in the room when they do it especially when I've heard stories of some begging to be given another chance. I don't think I can handle it.

Our new tech reminds me of my dad. Something about his mannerism and the way he carries himself just makes me think of my dad. I don't work closely with him because the side of the company that I belong to isn't the same one that he belongs to so we really have nothing to do with each other. I also do not know how easy or difficult it is to learn the product that the other side of our company sells and supports. But I do know that he is struggling and I can't help but cringe everytime they give him a hard time. I honestly can't tell if he is the problem or if management and the other people on the team maybe have unreasonable expectations. Pero nakakaawa talaga. The other day his manager gave him such a hard time that I had to leave the room because I couldn't stand it. If he were my dad, I know there's no way I would stand for it. But anyway, I really hope he works out.

I know business is business... and that sometimes you have to make tough decisions for the sake of the success of the company. Pero that doesn't keep from feeling for others.

Out of Shape

2010-03-03T09:36:00.000-05:00

Gah! How come some people are just so darn photogenic?! I spend hours and hours pouring over all of their pictures because I can't get over how good they look regardless of where they are and what goofy expression they're wearing on their faces. Some people are just effortlessly good-looking and the fact that it shows on their photos just kills me. I know it's not good to be stinkin' jealous but I can't help it! Ang daya naman kasi! I always look weird in my pictures...make-up or no make-up! Others can have their photo taken as soon as they get out of bed and they'd still look really good.

While having dinner with my family last Sunday, JR said, "wow ate, ang dami atang food sa plate mo ah! mauubos mo ba yan?" I looked at the food on my plate and I was surprised because I thought I was being conservative with the amount I put. Apparently I used to eat so much less than what I eat now. That, I think, proves that I'm consuming so much more than I used to. That would explain the extra meat in my middle area. I really need to start watching what I eat and I really need to start learning to exercise. Kulang lang talaga ako sa discipline. Puro reklamo, wala naman akong ginagawa to reverse it.

I admire those people I see jogging on our street early in the morning even when it's really cold outside. It's like they don't feel the bitter cold at all! If it were me, I'd be frozen like a popsicle stick. In fact, the moment I step out the door and feel the cold air, I'd probably walk right back in. Steve always teases me because I don't own a proper pair of running shoes. He says all my shoes are made for matching my clothes but none are good enough for participating in sport or any form of exercise. He says all you need to do is take one look at the pairs of shoes I own and you can pretty much tell I don't exercise... at all. I told him I don't need shoes to go on the Wii Fit anyway.

But I think this time, I really am going to try getting some exercise. I seriously am considering buying a pair of running shoes and I'm thinking of running around our neighborhood during the spring or the summer when the temperature outside is mild. If that doesn't work, I can always use the running shoes and try playing tennis or maybe enrolling in a gym. It would be a lot easier if we lived in a condo that has a gym... that way I don't have to go out. It would be so convenient. We have a gym at work but it's really small and our CEO likes to use it and he doesn't like to share. Plus, it's tough having to go to work early to work out and then staying late at the office to work out. There's just something about being at the office that makes everything seem like such an ordeal. Even when I'm not working, if I'm in the office, it still feels like work. It seems to suck the fun out of exercising. I think that it would feel a bit different if I were in an actual gym where they offer dance classes as well. I think it would give me a different perspective and I can actually enjoy it. Of course, this is all in my head and the reality maybe different than what I perceive it to be. Who knows, maybe the moment I step into a real gym and try it out, I might hate it. Ewan...

I don't want to be stick thin.. but I want to be fit and healthy.

An Oldie But Goodie

2010-03-02T13:00:00.002-05:00

Everybody loves somebody sometime
Everybody falls in love somehow
Something in your kiss just told me
My sometime is now

Everybody finds somebody someplace
There's no telling where love may appear
Something in my heart keeps sayin'
My someplace is here

If I had it in my power
I'd arrange for every girl to have your charms
Then every minute, every hour
Every boy would find what I found in your arms

Everybody loves somebody sometime
And although my dream was overdue
Your love made it well worth waiting
For someone like you

If I had it in my power
I would arrange for every girl to have your charms
Then every minute, every hour
Every boy would find what I found in your arms

Everybody loves somebody sometime
And although my dream was overdue
Your love made it well worth waiting
For someone like you

Everybody Loves Somebody
- Dean Martin

The 2010 Winter Olympics

2010-03-02T11:44:00.000-05:00

The Winter Olympics held in Vancouver is finally over. Now we can go back to watching our normal TV shows. The only thing is, in some small way, I kinda miss watching the different events. I've never followed the Winter Olympics before so most of the events I've seen were new to me. I used to belittle the Winter Olympics saying that it's not like the Summer Olympics - the real Olympics. But now I realize that the Winter Olympics is no small feat. I am very impressed with the skill that these athletes showed and I'm even more amazed at the type of sports involved like the ski jump and the mogul. I mean, who thinks to themselves to go down a hill at a speed of about 140 kilometers per hour and then fly through the air and then land on their feet?! How do you even learn to do that?! How many falls and bad crashes must one undergo to get to that level? Who invented these extreme sports?!

Although I really shouldn't be very nationalistic, I couldn't help but feel proud for Canada to have won the most amount of Gold medals compared to any country in the world during the Winter Olympics. I think that the Canadian peopel cheering on their athletes really helped push them to do their best and encouraged them to go for gold. I really think that teams that play in their hometown and end up winning is proof that positive encouragement does wonders for people.

The hockey game finals for gold between Canada and the US last Sunday was very intense. Steve and I went over to my parents place to watch it with my family. To say that we were on the edge of our seats is an understatement. With 24 seconds to go, team USA scored their second goal which tied the game. The last thing any Canadian wanted was for the game to go on overtime. We just wanted to win period. Believe it or not, somewhere along the game, I had begun to doze off. I hadn't had enough sleep and my parents' couch is just so darn comfy that I couldn't help closing my eyes despite the loud yelling and cheering. When Sidney Crosby scored the goal that landed us the gold, my entire family yelled at the top of their lungs (which woke me up) and when I opened my eyes, all I could see is my mom, my two brothers and Steve in a group hug jumping up and down in our living room while yelling at the same time. It was super funny! It really was a sight to behold.

I heard that Quebec is bidding to host the Winter Olympics in 2022. I would be close to my 40s by then! But if they do, it would be cool because it's only a 5-hour drive from Toronto so we have a shot at going and seeing the games.

Tidbits

2010-02-15T19:41:00.003-05:00

While taking an afternoon nap today, I dreamt I had gone home to the Philippines and was in the car, driving through the neighborhood I grew up in. Although brief, it was such a nice dream. It made me miss home all the more so.

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Steve and I have been following the winter olympics on TV all weekend and I never thought I'd enjoy watching the diffirent events but I found myself cheering on the Canadian athletes. I have to say I'm quite impressed with their skill and I can't help but marvel at the speed these athletes go with their snowboards, skis and skates. Nakakatakot talaga!

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I`ve been so lazy all weekend. I planned on doing some house cleaning but I didn`t accomplish any of my chores. All I wanted to do was chill and sleep. It was nice being able to see my family as well. My mum made tacos for dinner which was absolutely delicious. Tacos and me - we`re good together.

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I find myself tearing up so quickly these days. I cried when I saw the new Tim Horton`s commercial, cried when I was hearing the stories of some of the olympic athletes, and cried while watching a dvd. Goodness, I`m so emotional! Nakakahiya but I can`t help it!

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Steve and I went to the mall on Friday and Saturday evening. I got him a new suit, a dress shirt and a tie as gifts. It was so tempting to just go out and spend money since there were a lot of really good sales. But I held back (with Steve`s help of course!) and for the most part, stayed close to my budget.

Why is it so hard not to shop!!

For My Husband.

2010-02-11T16:56:00.005-05:00

This is not our favorite song
But the night's moving right along
May I have your hand, may I have this dance?

I sense that you are amused
But you just bought those brand new shoes
It would such a shame, not to give us the chance

And oh, my love
There is only so many dances
We can take across the night
So while it's just me and you
I thought I might say to you
You put the beautiful in life

I know at times that you feel alone
When I'm here and I'm never home
You said it before, it's the price that you pay

On matters of clarity
It's no secret you carry me
But you disguise thoughts of fall, I will keep you safe

And oh, my love
There's only so many dances
We can take across the night
So while it's just me and you
I thought I might say to you
You put the beautiful in life

And oh, this is not our favorite song
But I wish it go on and on
It's moments like these singers do all they can to stop time

So let me just say to you
Before the DJ changes the tune
You put the beautiful in life
You put the beautiful in life

This Dance
- Five For Fighting

Home-cooked Adobo and Other Things

2010-02-11T16:38:00.004-05:00

Steve made chicken adobo for the first time last night and I was really impressed with how good it turned out to be. I've been bugging him to cook some Filipino dishes and so he finally relented. We decided to use a recipe in an Asian cookbook that my cousin had given to us as a wedding gift. I told him I wanted to see if the recipe was any good so that way we know if the cookbook is any good. I told him that if it turned out to be a disaster, we can always use my mom's recipe next time we make it.

I was curious if it was going to taste differently since we used a different brand of vinegar and soy sauce (I'm used to Datu Puti and Silver Swan - lol). We also decided to use only ground pepper instead peppercorns (I dont' really know if that was going to make a difference - as you can probably tell, I can't cook so everything is foreign to me). But alas, it tasted just as good. Steve liked it a lot and he kept saying it was super tasty. I think we will add it to our weeknight dinner rotation.

I should have taken a picture of it but I forgot! It would have been nice to post the end product.

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While listening to my iPod, Lea Salonga's song, "Two Words" came on and I can't help but reminisce about the time we were planning our wedding. I considered walking down the aisle to it at one point. I just love the lyrics and how well she sings it.

In a while, in a word,
Every moment now returns.
For a while, seen or heard,
How each memory softly burns.
Facing you who brings me new tomorrows,
I thank God for yesterdays,
How they led me to this very hour,
How they led me to this place...

Every touch, every smile,
You have given me in care.
Keep in heart, always I'll,
Now be treasuring everywhere.
And if life should come to just one question,
Do I hold this moment true?
No trace of sadness,
Always with gladness...
'I DO...'

Now a song that speaks of now and ever,
Beckons me to someone new,
Unexpected, unexplored, unseen,
Filled with promise coming through.

In a while, in a word,
You and I forever change,
Love so clear, never blurred,
Has me feeling wondrous, strange,
And if life should come to just one question,
Do I face each moment true?
No trace of sadness, always with gladness,
'I DO...'

Never with sadness...
Always with gladness...
'I...DO....'

I eventually decided to walk down the aisle to Pachelbel's Canon in D because I felt it was more appropriate for our setting.

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I miss watching music videos. Yesterday morning I heard on the radio that MTV will no longer be called Music Television and it will just be known as simply MTV. They said that it probably meant that MTV will no longer be playing music videos and will instead stick to their other programs and reality shows. That SUCKS! I don't know how others feel about this but I, for one, will be sad. When I was still living in the Philippines, I remember watching music videos all the time! Now we'll have to rely mostly on YouTube.

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I love love love watching Modern Family. OMG it's hilarious! I know some people will disagree with me on this but I actually like it more than the Office (please don't hit me! lol). I don't know, maybe I just haven't watched enough episodes of the Office to really like it? It's not to say I hate the Office... Basta, I like Modern Family more.

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I realize that having a shopping budget prevents me from buying impulsively. Now, before I buy something, I really think about it. I consider how much the item is, if I really need/want it or if I can do without it. Knowing that I only have so much money to spend, I hesitate on spending it right away. Ngayon, if I see something I like in a store, I look around other stores first and if at the end of the day I still want it, then I come back for it. That's how I know I really want it. But if after walking around for a bit, I forget about the item, then that means I didn't really want it that bad. I figured, if it wasn't memorable to begin with, then it's probably not worth spending the money on it.

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It's so nice and sunny outside! Although it's still very cold, it's nice to atleast be able to look out the window and get some sunshine. The last thing we need during the winter months is really cloudy weather. It just makes everyone feel gloomy.

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I borrowed the Wii from my family and I am considering using the Wii Fit again. It's been a really long time since I last used it. I bet when I turn it on, it's going to scold me and tell me I've been very lazy. Better late than never, right?

Stop and Smell the Roses

2010-02-09T15:37:00.003-05:00

You're gonna miss this
You're gonna want this back
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast
These Are Some Good Times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna miss this... (You're Gonna Miss This by Trace Adkins)

I was listening to my iPod while working and this song came on and I couldn't help but feel somewhat nostalgic. It's so true, we often fail to look at the blessings and positive things that surround us despite our difficulties. Our tendency is to always want to move forward, always eager to take the next step and failing to be grateful to just be in the moment. I think this song is just a good reminder to cherish the present as much as we can even though times may be tough.

Love This

2010-02-04T14:23:00.002-05:00

"I think one thing sort of defines it which is, it's not how much you love someone when you love them, but it's how much you love them when you hate them. It's when you're in that moment where you cannot stand what the person you're with is doing, but you still love them. That's when you need to show it -- not just say it, but show it." (Ashton Kutcher)

Just Tired.

2010-01-27T23:33:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I am still taken aback by people’s inability to read and follow simple instructions. I begin to wonder if the person’s (a) just busy, (b) confused, (c) slow, or (d) inept.

I’ve had a rough day at work today. Come to think of it, I’ve been a bit unhappy at work lately. To be honest, I just feel unappreciated and taken for granted. It just feels like the longer I stay with the company, the more unhealthy it’s becoming. I love working with Steve – he’s great and he’s probably one of the few things I love about my job. Aside from the paycheque that pays the bills and helps us afford a few things, he’s one of the reasons I’ve stayed for as long as I have with the company I work for. But everything else that surrounds us is becoming more and more unbearable as time goes by. I don’t know if it’s because we’re getting busier by the day and everyone’s stressed out and have the tendency to take it out on others. I’d like to believe the when all the stress-inducing factors go away, people would be less edgy and there would be less tension around the office. But I know the problems go deeper than that. It seems like every day, Steve and I have to talk each other into staying on the job. We both know it makes sense to stay for now... but there are days when we’d love to just hand in our resignation papers and walk out the door. Sometimes when I am so frustrated, I daydream about winning the lottery and being so stinking wealthy that I wouldn’t have to take BS from anyone anymore. That lottery ticket would be the slap in the face I am dreaming of giving them.

On the other hand, I can’t help but also be grateful that I am employed... that we are both employed. I watch the news and read about the lives of those affected by the recession and I feel extremely guilty for even complaining about my circumstances. By their standards, I have no right to complain. And to be honest, at the end of the day, I think to myself that it is better to have a job that I somewhat hate but pays the bills than having no job and worrying about where the money is going to come from. Despite all my work-related frustrations, I do feel blessed to have what I’ve been given.

I guess I’m just venting. It’s almost midnight and I’m tired. I am thinking of the things I need to do tomorrow as soon as I get to work. I am thinking of the little spat I had with one of my managers. I am thinking of all the things I need to follow up on and trying to prioritize my tasks so that nothing false through the cracks. I am trying not to screw up. I am trying.

Shopping Online - Love and Torture

2010-01-18T16:58:00.000-05:00

I really have to stop window shopping online (if there is such a thing). It’s driving me nuts! I want to buy buy buy! But I can’t!!

Oh man, this is the hard part when you live in a place that has 4 seasons. You always feel the urge to check out the new stuff coming out for the coming season. The temptation to spend is so strong!

Arrgggh! Someone should just put some sort of security setting on my computers to prevent me from even visiting online stores. It’s pure evil.

A night to remember

2010-01-18T16:52:00.001-05:00

I’ve had an interesting weekend.

Last Friday, we celebrated my father-in-law’s birthday by going to a dinner/dance event at this banquet hall he frequently goes to. I asked Steve what the name of the place is so that I could “Google” it in advance. “Googling” is something that’s become a habit of mine. If I wanted to check out a restaurant or a nail spa or a hair salon or even check out a store, I would go online and search for the website first before deciding on whether I should physically go there. Steve says I’m a little nuts for doing this but I tell him it’s perfectly reasonable to want to know whether the place I am going to is worth my time and effort. He finds it funny that if I wanted to check out a shoe store, I would first go their website and see what they have online and then call the store to see if they carry the styles I am interested in and if they have my size in-store. He calls it crazy, I call it research.

Anyhoo, the website for this dinner/dance event specified that there was a dress code which made me a bit uncomfortable. Any event that calls for a dress code always has the tendency to make me feel anxious. I’m not particularly good at doing my own hair and make-up so any event that’s fancy enough for me to have to do my hair and make-up is somewhat stressful. I did eventually manage to pull myself together and go to this thing.

I later found out that this dinner/dance is actually a single’s mixer. But it wasn’t a mixer for the young and the hip… rather, it was a mixer for the 50 and over… Steve calls it “the geriatrics mixer”. I felt out-of-place… Steve, my sister-in-law and I were probably the only ones under 50 there if you don’t count the bartender and the personnel selling the tickets by the door! At first I thought, “hey this isn’t so bad, we can grab dinner and maybe dance a bit and then go home”. Boy was I wrong! I had barely finished eating when a guy in his early 50’s (maybe?) asked me for a dance. I usually decline dances with strangers (I just find it so uncomfortable) but because these men were older, I thought it would be disrespectful to do so. I mean, how much harm could it possibly be if these men were old enough to be my dad or even my grandpa right? So there I was on the dance floor with this man and the first thing he says to me is, “I couldn’t decide who to ask first… you or the other girl.. I wasn’t sure which one of you was with the guy…” OMG I couldn’t believe it! I just laughed and told him that he asked the wrong girl. I was with “the guy” and that I’m actually married to him. He then said, “Oh.. okay.. I’ll ask the other girl later”. I couldn’t help but grin widely. I knew how feisty my sister-in-law can be. I politely answered all of his questions, danced the entire length of the song (despite the fact the he smelled strongly of cigarettes), thanked him for the dance and then went back to my table. Steve found it amusing because he knew how uncomfortable I was.

Shortly after, another man approached and asked if I would mind dancing. I politely declined but he was rather insistent and since Steve told me to go ahead, I decided to once again venture out into the dance floor with yet another stranger. The first thing he asked me was whether I came to the mixer often. I told him no, it was my first time and that I came to celebrate my father-in-law’s birthday. He seemed surprised that I was married although I don’t know why he would be since I was beside Steve the entire time. I joked with Steve later on by saying that maybe my engagement and wedding rings weren’t big and sparkly enough for people to notice. Hahahaha!

I didn’t mind the dances – they were innocent. But what made the entire thing uncomfortable was how aggressive some of these men were and how often they kept coming to our table and trying to get phone numbers and such. It really was very, very weird. One man even told my sister-in-law that he could “take care” of her and that he had the means to do so. It’s like these men had no shame saying these things in front of Steve and their dad!

I couldn’t help but feel bad for some of the people there. What if they’re lonely? I couldn’t help but think that maybe some of them have lost their spouses and are now single and are in want of another life partner. Granted, some of the men there were strange and aggressive and unbelievable but I’m sure some of them were decent and are maybe there for the right reasons – to meet someone they can potentially have a relationship with.

In any case, this was definitely a memorable experience... for so many reasons.

Feeling a little frustration

2010-01-07T14:40:00.001-05:00

Uh oh, I’m feeling the shopping itch again… tsk tsk… very bad. I did a bit of shopping during our 1-week stay in Virginia and my primary objectives were to buy a pair of nice, comfy black leather boots and a sweater dress to wear during the cold season. I specifically wanted to buy boots that would look nice with a dress or a skirt, preferably with heels and one that covered my leg up to just below my knees. Who knew it would be so impossible to find a pair that looks good and fits me well at the same time?! I tried on so many different pairs but none fit right. I’m beginning to think that maybe I have odd-shaped legs. I have really small calves which makes it extra difficult to find a nice fitting pair since most of the ones I do find don’t hug my legs well enough and there’s always a bit of a gap between my legs and the boot. Not flattering at all. Over-the-knee boots are what seems to be dominating most shoes stores and those just make me look even shorter than I actually am. I also find that scrunch boots seem to look best on me but I don’t know if they look good with dresses or skirts.

I found a nice sweater dress at Banana Republic here in Canada before we left for the States. I had seen it online before and had always wanted to buy it and it finally went on sale for $100 at the store. But because I had planned to go shopping with my cousin in the States, I wanted to wait until I was out with her before spending money. And so I didn’t buy it. As it turns out, I didn’t really find any nice sweater dresses during my stay in Virginia so when we got back to Toronto, I checked out Banana Republic to see if they still had the dress. As expected, it was gone. Not a single one left in the store. Bummer.

I saw this one very cute dress at Esprit in the States but they no longer had my size. It was on sale too which was a bonus. I checked online to see if they maybe still had sizes on their website but as it turns out, they’ve completely run out of my size.

I can’t help but get frustrated because when I have the means to shop, I can’t seem to find what I need and there aren’t a lot of nice things out. But when I’m completely tapped and shopping is out of the question, the stores will be filled with nice, shiny items. Why is that?

Holidays in Virginia

2010-01-05T15:12:00.001-05:00

I spent the last few months looking forward to our trip to Virginia and I can’t believe it’s all over now. Ang bilis talaga lumipas ng panahon.

The drive to and from Virginia took 12 hours and I managed to stay awake during the entire drive there but I slept during the drive back. We were worried because our car hasn’t been running well lately and we didn’t know if the car would make it. We held our breaths as we drove through the Appalachian Mountains. Getting stuck in the middle of nowhere would have been catastrophic. Thankfully, the car survived the drive and we didn’t experience any car trouble during the entire trip. We even made it back to Toronto just fine and dandy.

It was nice being able to see my relatives again. It’s been a while since we’ve had a big family reunion like it. Although we still weren’t complete (we were missing one family and my dad wasn’t able to come because he had to work), it was still just as enjoyable. I finally got to meet my nephew – Aiden (who’s over a year old) and my new niece – Jacqueline (who’s about 6 months old). I’ve only seen them in pictures and I was really excited to meet them. I was also happy to see my other nephews (Chris and Cjem) and my niece (Charis) who I haven’t seen since May of 2008 (or was it 2007?). I always have to remind myself that Alicia (who is 2 years old) is my cousin and not my niece. It never fails to surprise me to see how fast they’re growing. I swear they grow an inch by the minute. The last time I saw Alicia, she had already started talking but she was so shy that she’d burst into tears whenever someone looked at her. But when we walked in the door at my aunt’s house in Virginia the night we arrived, the first person to greet us was cute, little Alicia with her squeaky little voice. A very high-pitched “Hi Tita” and “Hi Tito”. I couldn’t believe how tall she’s grown and how social she is now. She’s still a bit shy but she’s very cheerful, very friendly and very polite. I can go on and on and on about how adorable the little ones are! Aiden’s charming smile, Jacqueline’s chubby cheeks... so cute!

While we were there, we visited the Smithsonian museums (the Natural History and National Air and Space Museums – both located in Washington DC which was about 20 to 30 minutes away from where my relatives lived). We were quite impressed with the museums... all very big and free! Yup, no admission fees (which was awesome by the way)! I went shopping with my cousins a few times while Steve and my brothers visited the different monuments in Washington DC like the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, etc.

We played a board game one evening which was total chaos because we were all laughing so hard and it was really fun because our aunts and uncles joined the game too. We played a bit of Scrabble too so our lola can join (the other game was too fast and chaotic for her). It was quite cute watching everyone play and just have fun. The entire clan seems to enjoy playing board games. As far as I can remember, we’ve always either played cards or a board game whenever we’d get together for reunions or birthdays or holidays in the Philippines. It was always either a game or watching the Sound of Music. Hahaha

I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad going back to Toronto. Sure I missed home and my routine but it was nice being able to spend time with my relatives. I can’t help but envy how close they live to each other (generally between 15 to 30 minutes apart). They can easily come over to each other’s houses for lunch or dinner or they can meet up and go shopping together if they wanted to.

The trip was a bit exhausting because we slept at 2 am and woke up at 6 am almost every morning the entire time we were there... but I have to say, it was all worth it. I would go back and visit again in a heart beat.

Senseless Dressing.

2009-12-16T15:54:00.000-05:00

We are finally getting snow. Although winter doesn’t officially start until next week, it’s been slowly getting colder as the days go by. I can’t complain though because it stayed relatively warm during all of fall and the temperature only started dropping to the negatives last week. Hey, I’ll take what I can get!

During this time of the year, I find it puzzling and amusing to watch the way some women dress themselves even though it’s freezing cold outside with risk of hypothermia. The other day, Steve and I were walking down the street dressed in our warm clothes with our boots on and a heavy jacket on top and we saw this woman frantically waving down a taxi and she was wearing a mini skirt... a MINI skirt! The kind that when you sit, you can practically see everything. The weird thing is, this was at 10:30 am. I can somewhat understand if this was in the evening because maybe she was on her way to a club or a house party or something. But where does one go at 10:30 in the morning wearing skimpy clothing in -3 degree weather? She wasn’t even wearing any tights or leggings or even a pantyhose to keep her legs warm. I had layers of clothing on me and I could barely stand being outside for more than 15 minutes!

It’s really bizarre how many women would rather look “hot” than be comfortable. I often see women walking by wearing clothing that you know isn’t geared towards keeping the “wearer” warm in any way. I always see women in high-heeled shoes walking down a snow or ice-covered street. It’s an accident waiting to happen. It’s funny how some women dress themselves with every intention of looking like a runway model except that it somehow doesn’t fit the picture because as they’re “strutting” their stuff down the street, there’s strong gusts of wind blowing and snow all over the place. You can see white smoke coming in and out of their noses as they inhale and exhale the ice-cold wind.

Some people are just impractical I guess. Well at least they look good.

Loving this song right now.

2009-12-16T13:33:00.001-05:00

I'm five years old, it's getting cold, I've got my big coat on
I hear your laugh and look up smiling at you, I run and run
Past the pumpkin patch and the tractor rides, look now, the sky is gold
I hug your legs and fall asleep on the way home

I don't know why all the trees change in the fall
But I know you're not scared of anything at all
Don't know if Snow White's house is near or far away
But I know I had the best day with you today

I'm thirteen now and don't know how my friends could be so mean
I come home crying and you hold me tight and grab the keys
And we drive and drive until we found a town far enough away
And we talk and window shop 'til I've forgotten all their names

I don't know who I'm gonna talk to now at school
But I know I'm laughing on the car ride home with you
Don't know how long it's gonna take to feel okay
But I know I had the best day with you today

I have an excellent father, his strength is making me stronger
God smiles on my little brother, inside and out, he's better than I am
I grew up in a pretty house and I had space to run
And I had the best days with you

There is a video I found from back when I was three
You set up a paint set in the kitchen and you're talking to me
It's the age of princesses and pirate ships and the seven dwarfs
And Daddy's smart and you're the prettiest lady in the whole wide world

And now I know why the all the trees change in the fall
I know you were on my side even when I was wrong
And I love you for giving me your eyes
For staying back and watching me shine
And I didn't know if you knew, so I'm takin' this chance to say
That I had the best day with you today

The Best Day
- Taylor Swift

Hey new Dell! Welcome!

2009-12-07T17:00:00.001-05:00

My new laptop finally arrived last Friday! Yay!

I must say I love Windows 7 so far. Certainly better than Vista in my opinion! I don’t really know it well enough yet but I like what I see and the little new features that are available. My laptop is a 15.6 widescreen and I ordered it in Cherry Red (which I adore by the way). I would have purchased a better laptop (maybe a Mac or a Sony Vaio) but since the laptop got stolen unexpectedly and we weren’t really planning on buying a new one so soon (wasn’t in our budget), we decided to go with a Dell which is relatively more affordable compared to the other brands. I know most people would cringe (“What?! A Dell??”) but it really is good enough for what I use it for. I don’t really do any sort of programming on it (unless you call changing my blog layout “programming” and neither do I do anything considered to be “heavy” on the machine).

I was pretty thrilled that it was delivered so shortly after we made the order. It would have sucked if we had to wait several weeks for it to arrive. I love having a laptop and since Steve and I both use the computer at night, it really is convenient having 2 computers at home.

Now all I have to do is to make sure I get all my programs installed and find the files I lost. I’ve already asked my dad for a copy of the wedding photos he took with his camera. It’s a good thing he has a back up of some of my files from my former laptop (he reformatted it about a year ago so he made a backup of it then) and so I can just hopefully put it all back in the new one. I am a bit worried though about the songs I purchased through iTunes because aside from my iPod, I don’t really have a backup for it. My brother has a CD that lets me rip songs from the iPod back to a computer but when I spoke to him last night, he said he ran an update for it and now he can’t get it to work. I am hoping we’ll be able to figure out a solution because I would hate to not be able to get the songs out of my iPod and re-purchasing all those songs is just not an option for me.

I wonder what the thieves did to my former laptop. Did they sell it already? If they did, to who? How much did they sell it for? What did they do to my files? They probably deleted all the files and just reformatted the computer but I wonder if they looked at them first before getting rid of it. Don’t they realize that those files were important to me?! How do these people sleep at night (oh wait – it probably doesn’t bother them anymore... Mine was probably not the first laptop they’ve stolen and I’m sure they’re pros considering the manner they opened the car – swift and skilfully I imagine).

Although I am happy that I have new hardware, I still can’t help but feel sad for the one I lost. It had some nice features to it that I would miss, it had all my photos and important files and it was the first big purchase I ever made with my own hard-earned money.

But what can I do... there’s no point in crying over spilt milk.

New Moon - Yay!

2009-11-30T16:11:00.000-05:00

As usual, the weekend flew by in a blur.

I finally saw New Moon on Friday night with a couple of girl friends. It was a girl’s night out at the movies while the guys spent their evening with chicken wings, beer and video games.

I personally liked New Moon better than the first movie. I guess having a new director and an increased movie budget helped. The special effects were great! Of course, I still think the books are 100 times better than the movies but I enjoyed watching it nonetheless.

There were some things I found frustrating in both the first and second movies like how exaggerated Edward’s make-up is. I know they’re supposed to be somewhat pale – being vampires and all – but I honestly think there’s too much powder on him (look at Jasper!). I also feel like they didn’t really do him justice in the movie… there’s so much more to him other than his good looks and I feel like they focus too much on the fact that he’s hot rather than his personality, the complex relationship he has with Bella and his internal conflict.

I liked how they developed Jacob’s character in the New Moon movie because you can see why Bella would have conflicted feelings for him and Edward. To be honest, when I was reading the books, I envisioned all the characters looking differently and Jacob wasn’t that hot in my imagination. Admittedly, he’s gorgeous in the movie and I can’t help but swoon when he finally appears on screen with short hair and a buff bod. Don’t worry, I didn’t squeal in the theatres like a schoolgirl although the tweens sitting in the row behind me were beside themselves with sheer delight (it was quite annoying – you’d think it was the first time they saw a hot dude on screen). Despite how loveable Jacob is in the movie, I am and will always be pro Edward.

I liked it when Bella says in the movie, “Please don’t make me choose… because it’s him. It’s always been him.”

Ahhh… I love love love this book!

My laptop

2009-11-20T23:34:00.003-05:00

got stolen today. Huge bummer.

We had planned to pass by the mall today after work since there was a lamp I had seen on a website that I wanted to check out. We eventually did buy the lamp together with a few other items, had dinner there and when we got home, I noticed that my laptop bag wasn't in the car anymore where I left it. Out of panic, we decided to drive back to work and see if I had somehow left it there by accident. I knew I brought it with me but since we lived only 20 minutes away from work, it wouldn't hurt to go and see if it was there. Turns out I was right, I did in fact bring it with me and it was in fact gone.

I gotta tell you, whoever stole it knew what he was doing. Somehow he was able to open the car doors, take the bag and locked the car again. We didn't even notice it was gone until we got home!

I can't tell you how bad it feels to lose something so personal as a laptop. I invested quite a bit of money on it when I bought it 3 years ago. It had all my photos, music and various files. The laptop itself is replaceable but the contents aren't so easy to get back. Thankfully, I have back-ups of our wedding photos and my dad has a back-up of most of my photos on his computer (I don't know why he has them but he does). My brother has a software that allows me to grab the songs that are in my iPod and put it back into a computer so I can always give that a try. I am just a bit perplexed about all the other pictures that I may not have a back-up of and knowing that someone else has something that rightfully belongs to me is unnerving.

A laptop is something I consider personal and I can't help but feel somewhat violated. I know there are people out there who have no qualms about stealing but it doesn't make it right.

Farmville Rocks.

2009-11-13T16:36:00.000-05:00

I’ve been playing a game on Facebook called Farmville and I am totally addicted to it. It’s amazing how hooked I am to this game considering how boring it must seem to other people. It’s exactly my type of game and I could spend hours on it planting, harvesting and buying different things for my farm. My cousins were the ones who got me to play it and I’ve been playing so much that I’ve pretty much surpassed them in level. Steve says that these days when he finds me sitting in front of the computer, it’s always Farmville that’s on the screen. That and my hotmail. I’ve actually started playing some other farming games on Facebook like Farm Town and Li’l Farm Life but Farmville is still my primary focus and my favourite.

I was so excited this morning when I found out that Zynga (creators of Farmville) has just recently made the farm expansion to 22x22 available plus the ability to gift chicken coops which produce mystery eggs. I have been waiting for this farm expansion for the longest time and it’s finally here! I didn’t even bat an eyelash when I happily spent 250,000 coins for additional farm land. I was also happy to have received a chicken coop from some of my farm neighbours (thank you!). The only problem is, I’ve been experiencing a lot of connection issues with it and it’s really beginning to annoy me. I’ve been trying to send a chicken coop to my neighbours with no success whatsoever. I’ve also been trying to acquire a mystery egg and some fertilizer bonus and again to no avail.

I also found out from the forums (yes, I actually read this too) that apparently if you harvest flowers, there is a chance you might be able to purchase a garden shed. I haven’t been offered one but I definitely want it. It sucks that it’s not available for purchase at the market. I don’t know why they don’t just add it there so everyone can have one. Soooo annoying.

As you can see, I really am hooked on this game.

Dedication

2009-11-09T16:58:00.000-05:00

When you’re about to read a book, do you read who it’s dedicated to?

I always do. I always wonder who the author is dedicating the book to or who he/she is thanking. The ones that I love to read are those dedicated to the author’s parents, spouse, and children. I find those the most touching. I think it’s really thoughtful and sweet when an author writes even the simplest of poems to express the amount of love and gratitude they have for their loved ones.

Today, I opened a book and this is what the author put:

For my husband, Ian
My heart, my love, my home

For someone to have so much love and respect for one’s spouse is truly magical and special.

Tid Bits of the Day

2009-11-09T16:05:00.001-05:00

It’s Monday morning and I’m sitting at my desk at work trying to figure out what I’m supposed to do. For some reason I feel lost today. I know I have a call at 11 am to try and resolve an issue a client is having. But other than that, I have no clue if I’m supposed to be doing QA or trying to do some research for my boss. I asked my manager if she needed me to do something for her but she said she doesn’t have anything that she specifically needs me to do so I am free to use my time with whatever projects I have on the go. This is one of the things I like about my job... I have the flexibility to use my time however I want as long as I am able to submit my deliverables.

I think I’m going to do QA today since it really is my primary responsibility right now.

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We had a bright, warm, sunny weekend which is rare for this time of the year. I spent my Saturday morning doing some chores around the house while Steve worked on an assignment for his CGA course. Then, we took my mother-in-law out for lunch at the Danforth. It would have been nice to be able to walk around for a little bit after lunch but we were rushing because we had dinner plans with a friend for 5.30 pm. So we practically had to scoot out of there right after eating.

------------------

I’ve been meaning to clean our bathroom for several days now and I feel bad that I still haven’t done it. I hate having to procrastinate on chores. But I’ve been busy doing other things and by the time I actually have time left to do the bathroom, I’m always so tired. So I tell myself I’ll do it the following day and the same thing happens and I just keep prolonging it. It also doesn’t help that cleaning the bathroom is my least favourite chore to do. But I have to admit I always feel better after I’ve scrubbed it clean all around.

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I finally got my hair coloured and cut again! My gray hairs were beginning to be a distraction. Every time someone talks to me, it’s as if they are trying to figure out why I have so many gray hairs when I’m only 26 years old. They eventually say something like, “Wow, I didn’t realize you had so many gray hairs!” or “How come you have so many gray hairs? You’re so young!” which then prompts me to explain that it’s hereditary and that I’ve had it since I was fourteen. It really isn’t as bad as you think it is... most of my gray hairs are hidden but I still prefer to get my hair coloured every now and then. It’s also a good excuse to get it trimmed since I’m already at the salon. The only problem is, it gets a bit pricey especially since I have long hair.

------------------

I want to go to Ikea.. we were there last week but we went an hour before closing so I didn’t really have enough time to look around and there were a few things I wanted to get. I enjoy shopping at furniture stores and I especially love cute and unique items that are affordable. It’s just finding the time to actually go around and having the money to be able to buy things... is the issue. Ahh money, where are you?

What's up.

2009-11-02T17:02:00.000-05:00

We are back on Standard Time which makes it a 13-hour difference between Canada and the Philippines. I don’t know why but I always keep the time difference between Canada and the Philippines whenever we switch time zones. The Philippines seems to be my point of reference... always.

We were lucky last week because it was relatively warm. By saying relatively warm, I mean to say that the temperature stayed somewhere between 5 degrees and 10 degrees. I heard it will be cold again this week which means we’ll have to bundle up... which reminds me, I have to look for my gloves. I can’t remember where I put them (I think it’s somewhere in my dresser). I don’t particularly like wearing gloves unless I really need them but I like to keep them in my purse anyway just in case it gets cold enough for me to want to wear them.

Steve and I had a somewhat busy weekend. On Friday night, we went to Mississauga to check out the Homesense store located at the Heartland Centre. A co-worker gave as a Homesense gift card as a wedding gift and we haven’t used it since so we thought we’d go and see what they have. We’ve heard good things about it from some of our friends but when we checked it out, we weren’t too impressed. It felt like shopping at Winners. Piles and piles of random things that were neither nice nor unique. Maybe we just happened to go to a bad Homesense location. Sabi kasi nila, every location is different. There’s good ones and there’s bad ones. Maybe we went to a bad one. But we also checked out the Homesense store along the Queensway and we didn’t like that one either. Two bad stores in a row?? Parang unlikely.

Anyhow, we had dinner at an Indian restaurant with Steve’s cousin on Saturday night and the food was d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s! Just remembering how good everything was is making me salivate. I don’t have a high tolerance for spicy food but I really like Indian food. Yummy yummy! My favourites include samosas and butter chicken. I also like the chicken biriyani and nan bread. The restaurant we went to is relatively new and I wish they had better signage in front so that more people will see it and more people will eat there and they won’t close. I hate it when we find a good place to eat and then they close after a few months because there’s not enough business.

I am back to my “let’s-furnish-the-apartment” mode. We already have the big items we needed to get and now we just need to paint and decorate the place a little bit to make it cozy. We’ve been concentrating on other priorities so we put it on hold for awhile but now I’m eager to get back to it. I always enjoy shopping for our place (come to think of it, I enjoy any type of shopping really). We’re trying to keep our spending within our budget (it’s super hard!) so we have to be careful with what we spend our money on. So far, I have been really bad with saving. Kawawa naman si Steve, lagi nalang siya ang nagbu-budget.

I received an email from a friend last week about the difference in symptoms between the cold and the H1N1 (swine) flu. I think I may have had the H1N1 and just didn’t know about it. My symptoms were very similar to what was in the email. But I’ve heard so many different things about it that I don’t really know for sure. I should have gone to the doctor and had myself checked when I was sick. Now I won’t know what I had. There’s such a huge demand for the flu shot and I’ve heard that a lot of the health centres have to put a limit on how many they can accept since there’s just an overwhelming demand for it. I’m a little wary about getting it since the swine flu vaccine is so new.

Edward's Perspective

2009-10-29T16:25:00.002-04:00

I’ve been reading the Midnight Sun draft from Stephenie Meyer’s website again these past few days. Even though I’ve read it a few times before and even though I know the story inside and out, I still get hooked on it once I start reading the first few lines. I still feel disappointed that the draft stops at 264 pages and that Stephenie has decided to put it on hold indefinitely. I understand why she would be upset about the draft being leaked on the internet but I wouldn’t have even known about the leakage if she had not posted anything about it on her website together with the draft. So a draft was leaked... she did mention that there were several versions of the draft... but because there was no confirmation of which version is true and accurate and since it isn’t finished, she could have continued writing it and fans like me would still be waiting for the real thing to be published so we could eagerly get our hands on a copy and read it. Sometimes I even wonder why she bothered showing some people the draft to her book which led to the leak.

I loved reading the book from Isabella Swan's perspective but I would equally enjoy reading the entire story again from Edward's perspective. To learn the reasons behind his gestures and facial expressions. To gain more insight on his character. It would be nice too to look at Bella from his angle when you're not as privy to her thoughts.

I realize I’m being selfish about the whole thing. I’m just really disappointed that there is a huge possibility she might never finish writing it and hence, I will never get to read it. It just feels so unfair to be denied that privilege.

Nakakainis talaga!

I saw...

2009-10-26T11:13:00.003-04:00

... this on Post Secret today:

-----Email Message-----
Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 2009 8:50 PM
Frank-
I am typing this to you at the library because I cannot afford a postcard and stamp. My family and I are living in a self-storage unit illegally. It's getting so cold at night. I want them to know I'm sorry, it's my fault, but I can't say it.

I couldn't help but feel sad knowing that there are people out there who don't even have the most basic necessities. It's so easy to take for granted the things we have and we often forget that there are others who don't even have food to eat, water to drink or have a house to sleep in.

Flu

2009-10-15T16:59:00.000-04:00

I’m just at the tail-end of the flu and I was finally able to go to work today. It’s literally been a week and thank goodness it was the Thanksgiving weekend so we had the Monday off for the holiday. At least that didn’t count towards my sick days. The past few days had been filled with on-and-off fevers, headaches, soreness, coughing, a few tears and lots of Advil. I’ve consumed more Advil in the last week than I have altogether within the 5 years I’ve been in the country. It’s totally ridiculous.

I can’t remember the last time I had the cough. I always get the cold but very rarely do I actually get the cough. It’s been so long that I can’t even remember what it felt like until recently. I think having the cold is much better than having the cough. My throat and abs hurt from coughing too much. Even when I’m sleeping I wake up because I’m coughing. My poor Steve had to sleep through all that coughing. It’s funny though because every time I cough, he would wake up, look at me and then fall back to sleep. Half the time, he doesn’t even remember waking up.

Although it was nice having a valid excuse not to go to work, it got a bit boring staying at home all the time. I just want to feel normal again. Healthy and no coughing.

Paint

2009-10-05T16:54:00.003-04:00

I saw The Proposal last night and I loved it! I heard it was good but I missed it at the theatres so I only saw it last night on DVD. I have a huge crush on Ryan Reynolds now.. dang he’s hot! Steve’s pretending he’s jealous which I find quite adorable.

We are thinking of painting our apartment starting with the living room. The problem is, we can’t seem to find the right paint color. About a month ago, we picked up a couple of paint samples so we can try them on a wall in our living room. We realized that neither of them looked good with our furniture so we decided to go paint-shopping a second time. This time, instead of just buying paint samples, we decided to just go ahead and buy 2 gallons of paint. BIG MISTAKE!! We painted a section of the wall with it and it was UGLY!! It doesn’t even look like the paint sample on the picture! We were sooo disappointed. So we’ve decided to put our “paint project” on-hold until we are ready to go paint-shopping again. I find it a bit challenging choosing paint because it looks different on the paint swatch and it’s different when you put it on the wall. Plus, lighting affects it a lot so you just don’t know how it’s going to turn out. I don’t know how other people do it! It seems so much easier for them than it is for me! I am amazed at how some people can just pick a color, go home, paint the walls and voila! It’s perfect.

I was toying around with the idea of hiring someone to paint our place but after checking out the paint services on the Home Depot website, I’m having second thoughts about even inquiring. It says on their website that you basically book an appointment for a consultant to come over, do an assessment of your place and then they give you suggestions on what needs to be done and then I’m assuming provide you with a quote after. The whole thing just sounds expensive so maybe that idea’s out the window. I was just hoping we could pick out the paint color and let the professionals do the job. But I was hoping the professionals would do it for an affordable rate.

I’d love to have some fresh paint on our walls to make the room cosier... it’s just a matter of actually getting the work done. It just sounds so tedious!

On repeat.

2009-09-21T11:01:00.003-04:00

Something always brings me back to you
It never takes too long
No matter what I say or do
I still feel you here ‘til the moment I’m gone

You hold me without touch
You keep me without chains
I never wanted anything so much
Than to drown in your love and not feel your reign

Set me free, leave me be
I don’t wanna fall another moment into your gravity
Here I am and I stand so tall
I’m just the way I’m supposed to be
But you’re on to me and all over me

You loved me 'cause I'm fragile
When I thought that I was strong
But you touch me for a little while
And all my fragile strength is gone

Set me free, leave me be
I don’t wanna fall another moment into your gravity
Here I am and I stand so tall
I’m just the way I’m supposed to be
But you’re on to me and all over me

I live here on my knees
As I try to make you see
That you’re everything I think I need
Here on the ground

But you’re neither friend nor foe
Though I can’t seem to let you go
The one thing that I still know
Is that you’re keeping me down
You’re keeping me down

You’re on to me, on to me and all over
Something always brings me back to you
It never takes too long.

Gravity
- Sara Bareilles

I recently came across a new TV series called Vampire Diaries. I have only seen two episodes so far and I haven't really decided on whether I like it or not but I am intrigued. Paul Wesley who plays Stefan Salvatore is absolutely heart-melting.

Anyhoo, whenever there's a scene between Stefan and Elena, this beautiful song is playing in the background. It's the same song that was playing on So You Think You Can Dance for the "Addiction" routine that was choreographed by Mia Michaels (I think?). I downloaded it on to my iPod and I just can't stop listening to it. Sara sings it so beautifully.

The Time Traveler's Wife

2009-09-09T12:35:00.000-04:00

I finally saw the Time Traveller’s Wife two weeks ago with Steve and my sister-in-law. I thought it was great! Very well done and stayed close to the book. Obviously there were some scenes in the book that didn’t make it to the big screen but nothing that you’d miss. I loved the cast (I think Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana were awesome for their roles) and the chemistry was believable to me.

I often get disappointed with books turned into movies because I always feel like it’s not even half as good as the book itself. But I wasn’t disappointed with this one. I really, really enjoyed watching it. I even cried twice! I thought I’d be immune to it, knowing the story already and everything. But man, it was good.

I am going to buy the DVD when it comes out. It’s def going to be a part of my Sappy DVD collection.

A Few Updates.

2009-09-08T16:30:00.001-04:00

Back to work after the Labor Day weekend and I’m playing catch-up with my Farmville and my blog-reading. I’ve been so pre-occupied with playing Farmville that I haven’t posted anything new here since. My cousins have been talking about it so much that I decided to try it out. That probably wasn’t such a good idea because now I’m hooked on it and I can’t stop playing the darn thing. It’s the first thing I check in the morning and the last thing I go on before jumping into bed at night. It’s absolutely ridiculous but I find it so entertaining. My brothers tease me for playing games that are somewhat childish but it’s these simple games that I love the most.

Work’s beginning to pick up so I’ve had a few hectic work days. Nothing too crazy although I was pretty frazzled one morning last week. I had run out of patience and it was phone call after phone call after phone call. I really should be used to it by now but I was just out of it that morning.

Steve and I went to Naigara Falls for the long weekend with his cousins. We stayed at a hotel with a water park so his nieces and nephews could play in the water. Steve was just as excited as the kids were. It was quite adorable actually. He couldn’t wait to pack and go. We forgot to bring toothpaste in the process. It was a good trip... we spend our Sunday afternoon at the water park then had dinner at a restaurant close-by. The next day, we had breakfast near the falls then headed to Buffalo to do some shopping. I’ve never been across the border so it was a new experience. We didn’t go around much and only stayed in Buffalo for a few hours. We had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory (food was great and the cheesecake was just FABulous!) and we are definitely coming back for more.

The long weekend turned out to be expensive but we both had fun. Shopping in Buffalo is definitely something we’d have to do again. I didn’t take a lot of pictures... there wasn’t much to see where we went.

I’m already counting the days till the next long weekend.

A Case of Verbal Diarrhea

2009-08-12T13:34:00.002-04:00

I feel so sleepy and I have a training session starting in half an hour. I am not looking forward to it at all. I knew it was a bad idea to go out for gyros at 10:30 pm last night but it was a last minute invitation from a bunch of friends to celebrate one of the guy’s big mile stone. So even though Steve and I were already getting ready for bed when we got the phone call, we decided to go anyway. I didn’t get a lot of sleep the night before either so all I feel like doing right now is jumping into bed and just sleeping.

Our CEO and his wife just had a baby – their firstborn – so Steve and I decided to get them a present. I had just finished wrapping it the other night, complete with ribbons and all, when I realized that I had actually wrapped the card with the present. So dumb of me. The plan was to leave the gift on his desk but since stupid me decided to wrap the gift with the card inside, now I have to personally hand him the gift and explain that the card is wrapped inside. Ugh!! I can only imagine what he is going to think of it. I can’t even wrap a present properly.

I am considering having a physical check-up one of these days. I suspect that I have low blood because I keep getting bruises, I am always tired and I get dizzy really easily. Every time I mention these symptoms to anyone, the response I often get is the “are you pregnant?” inquiry. I know I’m not but people always give me that quizzical, are-you-hiding-something-from-me look. Like I would hide that kind of happy news! Crazy!

Being a newly-wed, I always get asked “how’s married life?” and I always reply with either “It’s good, pretty much the same as when we were dating except we see each other all the time..” or “It’s okay... it’s good.” Let me tell you, apparently replying with the latter is not good. I think the expected reply is “It’s GREAT! I LOVE being Married!” where you proceed to jump up and down gleefully and clap your hands like an excited little girl. Hehehehe! Just kidding. Seriously though, I don’t know what people expect to hear but when I say that being married is okay and that it’s good, they look like they’re expecting more. But in Filipino, when someone asks, “kamusta ka naman?” and you answer with “okay naman” it’s usually a good thing. I guess when using the same expression in English where your reply is a mere “okay”, it’s worrisome. Truth is, I love being married. Yes, there are things that didn’t change from when we were dating and there are things that are new and require some getting used to and there are things that are worse and things that are better. But that’s married life.

The other question I get asked often is whether I like kids and if we’re going to have some. I love kids and yes I would love to have some. Then before I can continue, someone will interrupt and say, “I think you should wait before having them.... it’s a lot of responsibility... wait till you are ready, are stable, when you no longer want to party,...” yada yada yada... it always annoys me... just because I said that I love kids and would love to have some doesn’t necessarily mean I’m trying to get pregnant now. Sometimes I think it’s a trick question you know? It’s like there’s no safe way of answering it without getting some form of lecture or advice. I think next time, I will begin by saying, “We’re waiting to have kids for now but yes I would love to have one when we are ready...” The funny thing is, I know that the closer I get to thirty, the more pressure we’ll be getting to have kids. I’m telling you, you’re either too young to have them or you’re getting too old and you should be thinking of trying to have one. It’s like when you’re engaged and you hear people saying you’re too young to get married or when you’re not in a relationship and you hear people asking you why and then telling you that you’re getting older so you should be thinking of settling down soon. It’s as if you could will your future spouse to come at the right time when people feel you should get married. “Um, do you mind coming into my life when I’m 26 years old and then we can date for about 2 years and then we can marry by the time I’m 28 because that would just be perfect.”

Aaannnyyyhow, I’ve had mixed feelings about the weather lately. I’ve always said how big of a fan I am of warm weather and how I’d rather be hot than be freezing. But it’s been so humid and hot these past few days that it has made sleeping at night a bit uncomfortable. We don’t have airconditionig in our place so it does get really muggy really easily. As a suggestion (if anyone could actually suggest weather and temperature conditions), I would prefer to have hot days and cool nights. Not cold – just cool”er”. That way, it would make sleeping a bit more pleasant.

We were invited to a BBQ this weekend and have been asked to bring meatballs for at least 100 people. So we’re probably going to be spending our Saturday afternoon up to our elbows in ground beef, flour, eggs, mint, onions and breadcrumbs. I’ve never made 100 meatballs before so it should be quite an adventure. I hope we don’t show up for the event smelling like cooking oil!

A Sad Passing...

2009-08-06T11:10:00.000-04:00

I had to work during the Civic Holiday so I get tomorrow off instead. Yay! I’ve been meaning to do some errands and catch up on a few things so I’m pretty happy about getting the day off. The only downside is that Steve doesn’t get it off with me so he’ll be stuck at work the entire day. Bummer.

While on MSN the other day, I came across the sad news of Cory Aquino passing away. I am always stunned when I hear about such a prominent and influential individual passing away. I was surprised when Francis M. and Michael Jackson died and I got that exact same shock when I found out about Cory. I can’t help but feel that they were taken away too soon. I remember my dad telling us about the EDSA revolution. I was only a few months shy of being a three-year old at the time and my brother, JR, barely a year old when it occurred. As no one knew how the revolution was going to turn out or what it would mean for the Filipino people, my dad was apparently very worried that it might mean hoarding of goods and supplies and shortage of food. He was particularly worried about the possibility of the shortage of milk – being a dad to two very young children. So he had taken all the money he had with him to the grocery store and bought all the baby formula he could afford. My parents had bought enough baby formula to fill up a small cabinet. They wanted to be sure that if anything should happen, we wouldn’t go starving. Yes, it’s a small thing in the grand scheme of things but I love knowing that my parents always put us first in every situation. It’s one of the many sacrifices they’ve done for our benefit which is why I love my parents very much.

I saw an eighteen-minute snippet of Kris Aquino’s speech during the funeral ceremony and I couldn’t help but get a bit emotional. I can’t imagine the pain of losing a parent. I don’t even want to think of it.

I look forward to a time when death will be no more.

As Revelation 21:4 says:

And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.

All I Can Say Is...

2009-07-31T14:46:00.003-04:00

... this movie better be darn good.

I saw a movie poster for it the other day while Steve and I were in the car and I started pointing and squeeling at it like a maniac. Steve started panicking because he was driving and he thought I was pointing to a bug on the windshield (I kinda react that way towards bugs) or something alarming. I told him no, it was just a poster.

I really do hope this movie does not disappoint me. I promise to buy the DVD if it's good so let's make it happen people.

Too much television.

2009-07-31T14:20:00.002-04:00

I’m glad this season of the Bachelorette is finally over and we get our Monday evenings back. That’s the problem with having a show you like watching, it tends to take over your time. I’m still a bit disappointed that she didn’t pick the one I wanted but Ed isn’t so bad for her. They do look legitimately happy and he does seem to really love and adore her. Steve and I were saying how obvious it is that the producers of the show really make an effort to make the bachelor/bachelorette look extremely good for the show. Not to say that they don’t look good naturally but you can tell they had to work out to get a toned body. Not only that, but they always look so fab during the show. Just look at their clothes, hair and make-up!

I didn’t get a chance to watch last night’s episode of So You Think You Can Dance because we were busy preparing dinner for some guests we are having tonight and also because I was busy cleaning the bathroom. It took me 2 hours again! Ugh. At least this time I didn’t have to do the laundry at the same time since I already did it over the weekend. I saw the 100th episode of So You Think You Can Dance last week and I was so disappointed with Katie Holmes’ dance. All she did was lip synch to a song and do some really basic dancing (if even that). They made such a big fuss about it that it raised my expectations only to be disappointed. It kinda sucked. I think she’s gorgeous though – with long or short hair.

I am still bummed out about the fact that both Jason (there goes Mr. Cutie) and Janette got eliminated last week. To be honest, as much as I like Evan, I think he should have gone home. As for the women, I think Melissa should have been eliminated. She’s beautiful and she’s a terrific dancer but she’s not as versatile as the other remaining dancers. I thought she bombed when they did the cha-cha or rumba was it? I can’t remember. But her and Ade didn’t dance it very well. I hope Brandon and Kayla make it to the end because they’re really strong dancers. Kayla, I think, lacks personality but she’s got the technical skills.

When So You Think You Can Dance is over, I’ll probably try watching Wipeout. It’s on the same time slot as So You Think You Can Dance which is why we never see it but I’m hoping that whe SYTYCD is over, we can begin watching. It’s hilarious! I always find it funny seeing the contestants tumble their way through it. I don’t know if they get hurt when they bounce off those giant red balls but it sure looks painful the way they hit themselves and fall sometimes.

TV can be soooo addictive.

Yummy!

2009-07-28T16:27:00.002-04:00

My co-worker has an entire jar of pistachios on his desk and man, they’re so addictive! I always find myself gravitating towards that dumb jar. They’re just soooo good! But really salty too which is why I am trying to stop myself from devouring too much of it. I have a bag of frosted flakes hidden in one of my drawers which I snack on every now and then. I don’t like eating my cereal with milk so I eat cereal the way I eat potato chips. Since the pistachios are so salty, I usually follow it with my frosted flakes and because it’s sweet, I end up getting really thirsty so I’ll drink several glasses of water through the course of the day and in turn end up having to go to the washroom so often. So there... there’s the vicious cycle that’s been going on at work. By the end of the day, I’m all snacked out that I’ve lost my appetite for a proper meal.

I ate THE perfect mango last night for dessert. Steve had come home from playing basketball with his friends and I was watching the finale of The Bachelorette (I’m disappointed she didn’t pick Kiptyn by the way!) and he peeled and sliced a mango for me. It was soooo good! Just the right amount of sweetness and firmness. It kinda reminds me of an Indian Mango common in the Philippines and it tasted just like the Indian Mangoes that grew in our backyard when we still lived there. I kept telling him over and over again how delicious it was and he kept telling me he doesn’t like mangoes because to him, it tastes like soap. Don’t ask me why because I don’t understand how it could possibly taste like soap. Weird! If I had bagoong (shrimp paste), it would have been heaven. Yum yum!

Another co-worker told me that there's a Bario Fiesta here in Toronto too. I just don't know if it's the same as the one in the Philippines or not. But she said they have halo-halo there so I think I'm going to check it out. Steve always asks me what halo-halo means in english and I tell him it literally translates to mix-mix. Hahahaha! He doesn't really like any of the Filipino desserts. But I think it's just a matter of him trying as much as he can until he finds one he actually loves.

All this talk of food is giving me some massive cravings. I want to go on a food trip!

Funny Wedding Dances

2009-07-28T09:49:00.004-04:00

My cousin posted this video on her Facebook page and I thought it was super creative and hilarious at the same time. What a great idea to start a big celebration. I wish I had thought of this for my wedding!

I also found this video on YouTube which I thought was rather amusing.

Clean

2009-07-13T14:23:00.001-04:00

My hands are so dry from cleaning the bathroom yesterday. I was tired and wanted to just take a nap but I ended up having a really bad nightmare and I was scared to go back to sleep so I decided to do some chores instead and keep myself distracted. I figured I’d do the laundry since I’ve been meaning to do it for awhile now and there were already 3 loads to do. So I hauled all of our dirty clothes to the wash (I had to make 2 trips... we had so many clothes to wash and I couldn’t carry everything including the detergent, fabric softener and bleach in a single trip). After letting 2 washing machines run, I went back upstairs and started cleaning the bathroom. It took me 2 hours to finish because I wanted it to be thoroughly clean. I realize there really isn’t any graceful way of cleaning the bathroom... you have to be on all fours, scrubbing everything and reaching high and low just to make sure everything is spotless. I kept having to run back downstairs to check the laundry...I actually realized I had the left our front door open so many times. By the time I finished cleaning the bathroom, the entire apartment smelled like Vim. I took the fan from our bedroom, opened the bathroom windows and just let the fan blow out all of it. Since I was still waiting for the laundry to be done, I decided to do some sweeping and vacuuming. I also tidied up the living room a bit. I was tired after doing all the chores but it felt good knowing that I accomplished a lot for the afternoon. When Steve got home, he started making dinner and then we went out for a walk to Blockbuster to rent a video. We also passed by Baskin Robbins on the walk back home so I could get a tub of ice cream...Yum!!

Dinner turned out nicely – roasted chicken with potatoes and corn cob on the side (omg I’m beginning to sound like a housewife). Steve’s such a good cook... I wish I could cook that well. He’s patiently teaching me so hopefully one day I will master the dishes he makes. I’ve already mastered his Greek salad, ribs and mashed potatoes (they’re easy dishes to make). I attempted to cook Tortang Talong once but it turned out bland and not quite the way my mom makes it. I haven’t attempted it since but Steve’s traumatized (I think) from that cooking experience so it might be awhile before I make a second attempt. JR says I’ve ruined the dish for Steve permanently and that he wouldn’t be surprised if I ruin Filipino food for him for good because I make such horrible dishes. I take him to Filipino restaurants once in awhile and he has his favourites like Beef Kaldereta, Menudo (only if it there’s no liver in it) and pork barbeque (he absolutely loves it). He actually once Googled the recipe for Beek Kaldereta and we attempted to make it from home. It turned out okay but I still think my mom’s recipe is better. Steve loved his version though.

I want to make Tinolang Manok, Tortang Ampalaya and Pinakbet because I haven’t had them for a long time. I don’t think Steve will like tortang ampalaya because last time we were at a Filipino restaurant, I made him try it and he said it was too bitter. He doesn’t mind Pinakbet so I think that’s a safe dish to make. I’m also craving this dish my mom makes which has squash and gata (I think). I think Filipino recipes are better learned from family members... the ones that have been passed on from generation to generation. For some reason, they just don’t turn out as good if the recipe came from the internet.

Last night after washing the dishes, I thought about halo-halo... I think I’m going to go on Google and look for any Filipino restaurants that might serve it here in Toronto. All this talk about food is making me hungry!

Man, I wish I could dance like them!

2009-07-09T12:41:00.004-04:00

I didn't get a chance to watch the full episode of So You Think You Can Dance last night and only caught a few of the last performances. Among those that I was able to see, I loved this one the most. I think it was danced really well and I loved Wade's choreography. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

It got me

2009-07-08T10:53:00.005-04:00

Once all alone
I was lost in a world of strangers
No one to trust
On my own, I was lonely
You suddenly appeared
It was cloudy before but now it's clear
You took away the fear
You brought me back to life

You are the sun
You make me shine
Or more like the stars
That twinkle at night
You are the moon
That glows in my heart
You're my daytime my nighttime
My world
You're my life

Now I wake up everyday
With this smile upon my face
No more tears, no more pain
Cause you love me
You help me understand
That love is the answer to all that I am
And I?m a better man
You taught me by sharing your life

You are the sun
You make me shine
Or more like the stars
That twinkle at night
You are the moon
That glows in my heart
You're my daytime my nighttime
My world
You're my life

You gave me strength
When I wasn't strong
You gave me hope when all hope is lost
You opened my eyes when I couldn?t see
Love was always here waiting for me

You Are My Life
- Michael Jackson

I didn't get a chance to watch the memorial for Michael Jackson yesterday because I was at work and last night we weren't home to see the recap. So this morning I looked for some clips on MSNBC as well as YouTube. I have always been somewhat curious of the relationship between Michael and his children so I was glad to see some pictures and home videos. He seems like a lovely father based on what I just saw. I feel sorry for the kids because no child should ever lose a parent especially at such a young age. I think that despite Michael's quirks, he really loved his children and did his best to protect them from the prying eyes of the public. I think that despite the fame that surrounded him and all the crazy antics, he did what he could and gave them the best of him.

In the videos I saw, You Are My Life was playing in the background and I couldn't help but get teary-eyed. It is a beautiful song.

Wes is gone! Woot Woot!

2009-07-07T12:34:00.002-04:00

I am soooo happy that Wes was finally eliminated from the Bachelorette last night. The snake should have been kicked out from the show a long time ago. Jake, Michael or Jesse should have been at the top 4 instead of stupid Wes (is it obvious that I don’t like him at all?). I just don’t think it’s fair that he went as far as he did on the show. I don’t like the fact that he went in it with the wrong intentions. The song he made for Jill wasn’t anything special anyways. It was kinda annoying actually. I told Steve last night that if he somehow didn’t get eliminated, I would have stopped watching the show. I don’t think I can stand another episode with him in it.

Anyhow, I really hope she ends up with Kiptyn. I don’t mind Ed either actually. Reed isn’t bad but she just seems more compatible with either Kiptyn or Ed. She obviously has a physical connection with Ed but I think that there is a comfort level with Kiptyn that just comes naturally between them. I also admire Kiptyn’s honesty when he said that although he feels that everything is going better than expected between them, he also feels that a proposal is somewhat far off. I think it’s perfectly okay to want to know each other better before getting engaged. At least it shows that he takes it seriously. He is right... how well do you really know a person in a month or two? How do you know this is the person you want to spend the rest of your life with?

I find Ed charming and it’s obvious that Jill has the physical chemistry with him (he must be a good kisser or somethin’) but as much as she’s attracted to Ed, I think you need to be with someone who you can be with beyond all the physical chemistry... what happens when all that fades?

So yea, I’m hoping she chooses well. I can’t believe how invested I am with this show now considering wasn’t too crazy about it in the beginning.

The Weekend

2009-07-06T17:01:00.002-04:00

As usual the weekend went by again in a hurry. On Friday evening, we decided to have dinner with my family and my brother’s friend, Dan, who had spent the week in Toronto to see my brother. Since it was his last night in town, we thought it would be nice to take him out for dinner as a family. He’s never been to a Greek restaurant before so we took him to Danforth which is basically Greek town here in Toronto. I was hoping to eat at Mezes because it’s one of the best (if not the best) restaurant there and they have such good food. They are a bit pricey (dinner for 4 people could easily go over $200) but the quality of the food is just outstanding. They have the best iced tea in Toronto as far as I can tell. Steve always complains about the fact that they seem to nickel and dime you for just about anything. You pay for each glass you consume instead of it being refillable like most places in Toronto. I don’t really mind... okay, let me rephrase that..., I am also conscious of the money we spend when we go out for dinner. But we don’t eat at Mezes everyday so I don’t mind paying more than usual when we do go there.

Mezes was packed when we got there. We didn’t have reservations because earlier that day we couldn’t decide on where to eat. Since the wait was long and we didn’t want to have to stand in line all night for dinner, we decided to go to Ouzzeris instead. It was also busy but not as packed as Mezes. We were able to get a table for seven and soon enough we were seated and having a delicious meal. The food is good too and about the same price as Mezes. We ended up staying there for almost 2 hours.

The following day, Steve and I just did some stuff in the morning then ate lunch at home and took a nap in the afternoon. I always feel good when I get the chance to nap. I also always end up getting a headache after napping. I never used to but now I do and I don’t really know why. But that doesn’t stop me from wanting to nap... I still love it! After our nap, we headed out to dinner with Steve’s dad and sister at a patio. Boy, his old man sure can eat! I am always surprised at how much food his tummy is able to hold. After dinner with them, we went back home, changed to warmer clothing and then headed out again to meet some friends for a bonfire by Lakeshore. They were doing fireworks at the Exhibition Place and from our spot on Lakeshore we had a perfect view of the city and the fireworks. It was a bit chilly if you weren’t sitting by the fire but we did have a good time. Good thing though that we ate dinner before going... I don’t think the chips would have done it for us.

Sunday morning Steve let me sleep in a little bit then we took his mom out for lunch. Later that evening we made dinner at home (we already spent so much eating outside) and then rented a DVD from Blockbuster. We decided to rent Confessions of a Shopaholic since we haven’t seen it and I was curious. It was okay... quite funny because I could relate to her shopping addiction although on a much smaller scale compared to her. She was just crazy! I love the part where she’s trying to rationalize buying the green scarf and in the end she tells herself it’s “really an investment”. Hahaha! That part was so me! I always convince myself that my expensive purchases are good investments. Steve gave me a knowing look at the part where Rebecca says “I forgot I even had this!” when she realizes she has this little black dress in her closet. It certainly wasn’t Oscar-worthy but it was still entertaining. I just hope I don’t turn into a shopping maniac like her. It would be such a disaster.

So that was what made up my weekend. Short but quite enjoyable.

Lovely little things

2009-06-30T15:46:00.002-04:00

Oohhh found these on ETSY and I WANT them!!

Almost late

2009-06-26T11:24:00.000-04:00

Toronto weather’s been nice lately. We’re finally getting temperatures between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius. We had to buy a fan because we don’t have airconditioning in our apartment. We slept so soundly last night that we both woke up extremely late this morning and had to rush to be able to make it to work on time. I had a sudden adrenaline rush when I saw the time on our bedside clock. I couldn’t believe that it said 7.43 on it. At first I thought, “that couldn’t be right…” so I woke Steve up and asked him if the time was right. He just nodded and said, “yeah…” and closed his eyes again. My next thought was sh*t we’re going to be late!! I think I may have heard the alarm go off earlier but I think I dozed right back to sleep and that’s probably why we both woke up so late. I hate waking up and realizing I’ve gone waaay past my “getting-up” time. It screws up my morning routine completely and I spend the next few minutes panicking and trying to organize my thoughts and figure out what I should do and the order I should do them so that I can be out the door right away without forgetting anything. Surprisingly, with all that mad dash to get to work on time, we actually arrived a few minutes earlier that we usually do. Oh the power of our adrenaline! Better than Red Bull I tell ya.

I overheard a colleague talking to our manager about his vacation time. He had just submitted his vacation request and they’re trying to figure out if the time he’s taking off is going to conflict with another colleague. I couldn’t help but feel envious. Dude, I want to go on vacation too! I know we just came back from our trip to Punta Cana 2 months ago but still…I feel like going back to the resort and spending a week or two there. It’s soooo nice just sitting on the beach with the sound of the waves nearby. I LOVE the beach and I was blessed to have been proposed to and wed at the beach. I can just imagine myself sitting on a lounge chair, sipping a cold beverage and just basking in all that sunlight. Maybe I should stop torturing myself by thinking of it too much. It makes it hard to concentrate at work.

Back to work!

Love furniture shopping

2009-06-22T17:03:00.002-04:00

This morning a colleague asked me how my weekend was and I honestly couldn’t remember what I did! I had to think hard for a while! It’s so strange…

Steve and I saw the Hangover with his cousin, had lunch with his mom and sister, saw my family, gave away old clothes to a charity drive and bought dining chairs at iKea. We’ve been looking for dining chairs and a book case for awhile now so we were pretty excited to have found the dining chairs we bought. We found a really beautiful book case at Crate and Barrel but it was unbelievably expensive so we didn’t get it. We might settle for a Billy book case from iKea which you can buy separate pieces and then put them together any way you like it. We just haven’t decided on what we want to do with it exactly so we’re holding off on it for now. Plus, it won’t fit in the car so we either borrow his dad’s van or get it delivered.

Since the dining chairs are from iKea, it required assembly. We decided to put them together last night and it was a bit painful. There were really only 4 things that needed to be screwed together but we had difficulty with attaching the back of the chair to the seat. The bolts just wouldn’t go through! Steve was getting so frustrated that he started to regret buying them. We did eventually put all of them together then we realized that the chairs were too wide to fit two of them between the dining table legs. In the end, we decided to expand the dining table by adding the leaf in the middle (it’s an extendable dining table that can sit 4-6 people) so that we could fit two chairs side by side on each side. Although it was a lot of work, I actually am pretty pleased with how it turned out. Steve, on the other hand, was a bit agitated after all that effort so we had to go for a walk around the block to calm him down. Hahahaha!

Our place is slowly coming along but there’s still a lot to be done. While we were at iKea, we noticed they had a room with a bunch of furniture and décor in the same color scheme we had in mind for our living room so we’re thinking of painting our living room with the same color as that room. It’s funny how similar Steve and my tastes are when it comes to furniture and items for the house considering we have such different tastes in clothing. It’s so evident when we go shopping together for clothes. He’ll often point to a dress that I will never wear in a million years and tell me it’s beautiful. I just raise one eyebrow and tell him it’s ugly. But when it comes to furnishing our apartment, we’ll often eye the same things at the same time. So it really is quite easy agreeing on what to get. We also have no problems agreeing on the colors. We’re only focusing on our kitchen and living room for now. We’ll eventually move on to other areas of the apartment later on.

The best part of furniture shopping for us is finding things we love at reduced prices. Sometimes we come across an item so beautiful and unique and finding out it’s marked down is BIG bonus. It’s almost wrong to not buy it. While we were at iKea, we also saw this really cute wall unit on sale. It was so cheap that we were considering buying it. The only problem is, we don’t know where we would put in our apartment. Otherwise, we would have surely bought it.

Pier 1 is growing on me. I find so many nice little knick-knacks in affordable prices. I always thought that store was expensive but they're actually not bad. I can't help but get excited everytime we pass by a Pier 1 store. It's like I'm a kid again about to go in the toy store. Everything's just so beautiful.

Why me?

2009-06-16T16:07:00.001-04:00

Our CEO approached me today to ask how QA is doing. I gave him a safe answer by saying that we were getting there. I never really get into details with him as it is never good to do so. Not that I am trying to be sneaky about anything. But he does tend to make a big fuss about unnecessary things and completely ignores the big issue at hand. So the safest bet in every situation is to give a safe answer and let the managers take care of the rest. It has always been the way to go within our company.

So anyhow, he asked me if it would be possible to have a meeting with him at some point to go over the QA process. He was curious as to how we do QA – what steps are involved, how we track and report issues, how do they get passed on to development... and so on. I told him I wouldn’t mind having the meeting with him and all he has to do is let me know when he wants to have it. I acted cool, calm and collected... just like how a good employee acts when in front of the big boss. But the truth is, as soon as he leaves, I freak out. I freak out because he really should be having this meeting with my supervisor who is the head of QA and not me. I freak out because I don’t know what his expectations are, what it is exactly he is looking for in terms of QA processes. Mostly I am freaking out because I don’t know what to do and I don’t know just how much information he is looking for and how much information my supervisor is comfortable with me giving (remember the whole keep the details away from him issue I mentioned earlier?).

My other boss (yes, I have multiple bosses because I’m special...hahahaha.. kidding! I have so many different tasks that span different departments so I end up having to report to more than one manager) told me to go ahead and just show him how it’s done. Easy for him to say because he doesn’t have to be in that meeting and he really isn’t involved in that part of my work. Eck! I am so anxious it’s making me sick.

I really hope I get a chance to speak to my supervisor first (she’s on vacation but should be back tomorrow) so that she can give me advice as to how best to go over the meeting with the CEO. Or better, have her spare me the trouble!

If worse comes to worse, I may just have to wing it and hope for the best. Totally not comforting.

10 Embarrassing Songs...

2009-06-16T14:19:00.006-04:00

So the rule is to list 10 embarrassing songs from your iTunes library. You know, the songs that you have downloaded and probably listen to once in a while (or maybe a lot) but you’d never admit to having it in the first place. Oh, and I didn’t come up with this idea... I just happened to come across it from another blog. I just thought it would be fun to come up with my very own embarrassing song list. So here goes...

Baby Got Back by Sir Mix A Lot - This is a more recent download actually. While we were in Punta Cana a month ago, we went to the disco within the resort and they played it while we were there. My cousin and I just had so much fun making whacky dance moves and laughing our heads off to this song so I decided to download it because although the lyrics really are shallow, it always puts a smile on my face. C’mon, how can you resist not singing along to...

I like big butts and I can not lie
You other brothers can't deny
That when a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist
And a round thing in your face
You get sprung...

Don’t you just want to laugh?

Be A Good Lover (Zuo Ge Hao Qing Ren) by Jerry Yan - I think you all know by now how big of a Meteor Garden fan I was back then (and in some ways I still am) and... I ended up actually listening to the F4 albums and buying their concert DVDs! There I said it! I know, it’s silly because I can’t even understand the lyrics but I love them anyway! I would never dare listen to it in the car with someone else present though... they just wouldn’t understand.

Boombastic by Shaggy - Two words for ya – Levis Commercial!

Yes, remember the Levis Ad where they had this clay man wearing Levis jeans and he zip lines from the top of his building to rescue the lady in the burning building using his jeans? I think that’s where this Shaggy song became so popular. Anyhoodle, I have it in my iTunes library because I think Mr. Levis is HOT. Hahahaha! Kidding! I just like the song really... funky and funny at the same time.

Liquid Dreams by O-Town - Okay, I don’t really remember any other O-Town song although I’m sure there are others. The only one that stands out is this one (obviously if it’s the only one I can remember!). I remember thinking to myself back then, what’s up with the title? Then after listening to the lyrics I went, “oohhh.. ew...” hahahaha! But I like the song anyway.

Posters of love surrounding me, lost in the world of fantasy
Every night she comes to me and gives me all the love I need.

Now this hot girl, she's not your average girl
She's a morpharotic dream from a magazine
And she's so fine designed to blow your mind
She's a dominatrix supermodel beauty queen

I dream about a girl who's a mix of Destiny's Child
Just a little touch Madonna's wild style
With Janet Jackson's smile, throw in a body like Jennifer’s
You've got the star of my liquid dream

....
Looks ain't everything she's got the sweetest personality
Like Halle B
My mama thinks I'm lazy, my friend all think I'm crazy
But in my mind, I leave the world behind every night I dream
Oh.

Liquid Dreams, my Liquid Dreams
Waterfall and streams, these liquid dreams

Mambo No. 5 by Lou Bega - This, I think, classifies as a one-hit-wonder. I don’t even know what happened to Lou Bega after Mambo No. 5. My mom absolutely loves this song and a part of me thinks that I downloaded it because it reminds me of how her face lights up every time she hears it. She always bobs her head in a cute, funny way.

What's New Pussycat by Tom Jones - Okay, I honestly do not know how this song got into my iTunes library to begin with. I am guessing I had copied it from a CD together with other songs that I actually like. It’s so annoying too because during the odd times it ends up playing on my iPod, it gets stuck in my head and I get a really bad case of LSS (Last Song Syndrome). I tell you, it’s bad spending your afternoon hearing Tom Jones sing “What’s new pussycat? Ohhhh ohhhh..” over and over and over again.

You’re probably wondering, why don’t I just remove it? Because my dears, it’s still a classic song! Hahahaha!

Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex by CSS - The only reason this song made it to my library is from a TV commercial (yes, as you may have noticed I have a bad habit of picking up songs from TV commercials... I actually have a bunch of them on my iPod). I don’t even really like it. I think I liked it for a few minutes after I downloaded it and then that was it. It’s just one of those songs where if I happened to be listening to it, I really hope no one asks me what I’m listening to. It’s just really uncomfortable having to respond with, “Music is my hot, hot sex”.

Oh! Carol by Neil Sedaka - Huh. I didn’t even know I had this. You know what it reminds me of? Driving to church on Sunday mornings. While we lived in the Philippines, we used to tune into this radio station (I forgot which one it was) and they would play oldies like this one. We used to like it so much that it almost became a family tradition. I can just picture my boss’ expression if I ever played this song out loud at work... hahahaha! He’d be like, WTF?

Stars Are Blind by Paris Hilton - Oh boy... I don’t know what to tell ya.

Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!! by The Vengaboys - I don’t know why. But it sounds like a fun song... you can’t help but think of the Vengabus right? Hahaha! Seriously though, it reminds me of a DDR song.

I could use some zzzzz..

2009-06-15T10:58:00.001-04:00

It’s Monday morning, we’re back to work and I am exhausted. Steve and I had a busy weekend attending a conference in Kitchener from Friday to Sunday and we haven’t gotten much rest. We were up as early as 6.30 am and then getting home at roughly about the same time in the evening. I was so tired that I fell asleep on the way home every day. And then last night, we went to Mississauga to spend some time with a visiting family friend so we didn’t get home until late. It was past midnight by the time we went to bed. So you can just imagine how difficult it was for both of us to get out of bed this morning. We had forgotten to set the alarm clock too! Luckily, I happened to glance at the clock at just the right time.

The drive to Kitchener took about an hour or maybe a bit more but it was a smooth ride for the most part. We did encounter a bit of traffic on the way there both Friday and Saturday mornings and then got stuck on the way back on Friday afternoon. I find it to be a quiet ride with a nice view of some farm land and what appeared to be a ridge. I liked Kitchener too – it seemed like a quiet, peaceful place to live in and I found the residents to be very friendly. The houses we passed by were really cute and I couldn’t help but admire them. It was also nice seeing so many kids outside riding their bikes with their parents. You don’t get to see very many of those here in Toronto.

Although the ride there took only an hour or so, it felt long to me. It’s weird because I should be used to long rides – with all that back and forth commute to UST which sometimes took up to 3 hours! It seems I may have gotten used to travelling short distances within the GTA and anything over an hour makes me a bit impatient. I still enjoyed the ride though I kinda felt sorry that Steve had to drive us to and from for all 3 days (I haven’t applied for my driver’s license yet... I should though and soon).

I could really use at least 8 hours of sleep right now.

Love it

2009-06-11T16:48:00.002-04:00

I love this new site called Swish and Swanky which I recently discoved while browsing through blogs. Oh how I adore all the lovely colors and decor! Just beautiful.

See what I mean? Some people are just REALLY talented when it comes to putting things together. If I can make our apartment look like the rooms featured on the blog, I'd be very happy.

Frosted Flakes and Fairy Dust

2009-06-11T16:43:00.003-04:00

So I finally decided to make some minor changes to my page layout. I call it “minor” because I basically re-used one of my former templates and tweaked it to make the design a bit better (I hope!). It didn’t take me a long time (surprisingly!) since I was able to find the things I needed quite easily. I know, the colors are somewhat “childish” – light blues, pinks and greens – but it’s easy on the eyes so I figured why not?

To the people that developed Adobe Photoshop, a BIG THANK YOU!! I love it more each time I use it. I always learn something new.

Looks like there won’t be any furniture shopping this weekend... BOO! We’re extremely busy so I don’t think we’ll have time to look around. Le sigh...

We have to go somewhere tonight for dinner and it doesn’t look like we’ll be able to go home early. That means we also won’t be able to go to bed early. Which means that we’ll be up early tomorrow and I’ll be bobbing for apples by mid-day. Yeesh. I just hope nobody notices... I think I’ll have to buy me some gum. Actually, maybe I’ll buy me plenty o’ gum.

When we went grocery shopping two weeks ago, I bought a big box of Frosted Flakes. Steve kept asking me if I’d be able to finish it since it doesn’t look like anyone else will be eating it but me. He kept reminding me that it would be a waste of money for me to buy an entire box and not eat it (I suddenly felt like a five-year old again). I told him I honestly don’t know if I’m going to be able to finish the box but I love Frosted Flakes so I don’t think I’ll have a problem eating plenty of it. He says he doesn’t understand how I can eat cereal without milk. I told him milk ruins it. I love my cereal plain. Like eating a bag of potato chips except they’re not made of potatoes and they’re sweet. I’ve been eating it little by little and the box is now half-empty. Hey maybe I will be able to finish it after all!

Oh and by the way, I didn’t necessarily find a “creativity” store. But I did borrow some fairy dust from a pixie this morning. Hopefully it's working!

Where do I buy a bit of creativity?

2009-06-10T16:48:00.001-04:00

I am considering revamping my blog but I’m too lazy to do it. It takes so much work to have it look like the way I want it and since I don’t always know what codes to use, I have to go online and do a bit of research. I also often find myself looking for graphics and images to use and the ones that are free aren’t always that great, and the ones that are great aren’t always free. I got really inspired after seeing a few other blogs that had such beautiful designs. The only problem is, most of them were web designers and they know a lot more than I do. I know what I know only be reading and practicing but that’s about it. I need to re-learn web design via Photoshop since I’ve already forgotten most of it.

I am also considering changing the site name but I can’t think of anything. How do other people come up with such cool and witty names anyway? I feel like a dumbass for not being able to come up with anything creative or original. You’d think I’d know a lot of words with all the reading I do but nothing comes to mind whenever I think about it... nada, nil, zero, NOTHING.

Other people can pull it off with a simple phrase or word and it would still sound interesting. Me? I come up with the cheesiest names possible. I don’t even dare mention the names that have come to mind.

Oh how frustrating... do you think I can buy creativity even for a day?

The way of the geese

2009-06-10T15:10:00.003-04:00

It’s already June but it’s still cold during the mornings and evenings. I’m disappointed because I thought I’d be wearing flip flops by now! Instead I’m still going out with a jacket... MEH!

The geese are in town having babies and I don’t know why but they seem to always come back to our area. I don’t really get it since we’re in an industrial area in the city and it’s not like we’re beside a pond or anything. It’s quite amusing because there’s a pair of geese in almost every building and they build their nests and lay their eggs. Our pair wasn’t very smart because they’ve decided to build their nest up on our roof (our building is a single storey by the way) and it gets really hot up there with barely any protection against the elements. We suspect that the babies had died because the pair of geese we have aren’t very good parents and it seemed they neglected to feed their young. The poor little babies weren’t big enough to go down from the roof to our lawn to fend for themselves.

It’s quite cute because the babies of other geese in neighbouring areas have grown and we see them crossing the street or walking across lawns and there’s so many of them. There are parents and babies and there must be about ten pairs of geese and their young ones of different sizes. It’s funny when they cross the road and they walk sooo slow that they cause traffic. I find it rather amusing when the babies decide to lie down in the middle of the road, totally oblivious to all the cars waiting to cross. Steve says they’re defiant because they don’t seem to want to move even when there’s a car tire or person right beside them. Man I tell you, they must know they’re protected by law and that they can’t be harmed.

I still haven’t figured out what it is that they eat at lawns but whatever it is, they seem to like it very much.

Furniture and Decor

2009-06-08T16:57:00.003-04:00

Among the many new and exciting experiences of being married is picking out furniture and decorating our apartment. We live in a 2-bedroom apartment with a balcony in a quiet neighbourhood amidst beautiful, big houses. I have to say that it’s both inspiring and depressing living around big homes. Inspiring because it motivates me to do well in my career so that one day, hopefully, we too could live in a decent-sized house. Maybe not as big as the ones around us, but one that can fit a family. But like I said it’s also depressing at times because I can’t help but wonder if we’re ever going to get there. I can’t help but envy the people who own those houses. I always tend to wonder about what do they do for a living, how they can afford such luxuries and wishing that us, too, could afford the fancier things in life someday.

Anyhow, I find furniture shopping somewhat addictive. I get so giddy knowing that we’re going to go see a furniture store. I can’t wait to see what they’ll have and what new ideas it will give me. It’s always fun even when we’re just looking because it give us as glimpse of what we could do with our place. New ideas about what color to paint the room, how to arrange our furniture, little trinkets that could spice up our little space and so on. I’m always amazed at how talented other people are at putting things together especially when they combine different colors in a room. A purple couch with green pillows and a pink paisley rug?! Who knew it could look so good?!

I keep seeing different kinds of color schemes and they all look so good when put together that it’s beginning to confuse me. One day I want red, the next it’s green and then white and then blue... Eck! So many color combinations to choose from, so many different ideas! I almost want to try them all just to see which one we’ll like the best. That’s not a very practical thing to do, of course, but it would be fun.

There are still a few big items we need to purchase for our living room but buying furniture is no joke. It costs a lot of money and even when you don’t think it’s a lot, it IS a LOT. I am always surprised when it comes to paying for it. “Huuwaaat?! It’s THAT much?!” We are also thinking of painting and it’s always a question of when do we paint and what color to paint our rooms with. But as Steve keeps reminding me, Rome wasn’t conquered in a day. So I think we’ll take our time and continue to look around and save up until we find something we absolutely love. We’ve both decided that it’s better to hold out for something we both really want rather than settling with what’s good enough. After all, if we’re spending that kind of money, we might as well buy something we really, really like.

Updates.

2009-06-05T16:31:00.003-04:00

This is my very first attempt to post directly to Blogger from MS Word 2007. I didn’t even realize this was an available feature until today. I honestly don’t know how I missed it before! So we’ll see how this post goes and if it looks okay, then maybe this will become my method for posting.

I have recently discovered shopping online for Bath & Body Works. They opened their first location here in Toronto at Yorkdale mall but they don’t carry all their products. There’s so much more on the website. Too bad... the ones I like are not available at the store so I have to buy them online which means I’ll have to pay shipping costs on top of it. They’re pretty affordable at $8-$15 compared to buying L'Occitane at $45-60. I still love, love, love the Almond Milk Concentrate from L'Occitane even though it sells for $58 (plus tax!). It’s just sooooo good with a light scent that stays from when you put it on in the morning to when you go to bed at night. I find it really expensive for a body lotion but it’s my favourite so I’ll splurge. I’m one of those people who are very particular to the creams they use. Some people splurge on coffee beans and cigarettes... I splurge on body creams and lotions.

The last book I read was the Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Our VP had lent it to me a week before the wedding and I was so busy that I never really had the chance to read it until after we came back from our trip. I actually brought it with me to Dominican but could only read a few lines here and there and then I would drop it and just go swimming. I found it slow in the beginning but I kept on reading it until I got to the part where I could no longer put the book down because I was dying to find out more. The conclusion was very surprising, one that I didn’t expect. I found the book very different because it had a sort-of melancholy tone and I couldn’t distinguish whether it was sad or mysterious or both. Nonetheless, it was a really good read. There is still a book at home I haven’t read and it’s entitled The Long Walk Home by Will North. I started reading the first few chapters several months ago and for some reason I forgot about it. I literally put the book down and put stuff on top of it and just completely forgot I even had the book. I have to re-read the first few chapters because I can’t recall what I had already read. Last week, I saw a book at Indigo called The Disappeared and it looked interesting. I was going to buy it but then I changed my mind because I still have a book to read at home.

I just have this big urge to read. I can’t go for months without reading. It’s like writing, I just feel the need to do it because I enjoy it so much.

The big highlight of my work day was making strawberry shortcakes. They’re so yummy and perfect for an afternoon snack. Exactly what I need to tide me over until five pm. Yum Yum Yum!

They finally narrowed it down to the top 20 dancers on So You Think You Can Dance last night. I was so bummed out that Alex Wong didn’t make it simply because he is under contract and wasn’t allowed out of it for a few months. I felt soooo bad for him because he looked like he really wanted it and he seemed like such a strong and talented dancer. I also felt bad that they chose between Ryan and Evan. It just wish they didn’t have to choose between the 2 brothers. They were both equally talented and Ryan just sounded like he needed a break.

I can’t wait till it gets to the choreography... it will be a blast!

Grumpy.

2009-06-02T17:03:00.001-04:00

I’m having a really bad day at work. Not only did I have so many things to do today, but I also received a phone call from a really difficult client who almost single-handedly consumed what little remaining patience I had in me. I’ve had several back and forth emails and conversations with our development team regarding certain major issues within our application and because there is a bit of communication gap in the department, it has made it even more challenging to get a task done. To top it off, I am told that the pay raise we were promised isn’t exactly going to happen. Just what I needed to hear at the end of my work day.

I suddenly feel very tired and unmotivated. I would elaborate on why exactly it is that I feel so upset over the things I’ve mentioned but something’s are just better left off the internet.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m extremely grateful I even have a job. But sometimes there are things that just drive me off the ledge.

I made a cruel joke

2009-06-01T16:56:00.002-04:00

Someone at work showed Steve the Jim Gaffigan comic skit on Hot Pockets and he thought it was so funny that he keeps playing it over and over again. That’s one new thing I’ve learned about him... that when he finds something amusing, he will play it over and over again and will laugh at the exact same things over and over again. I think it’s cute because he tends to think about it even when he’s driving and he’ll suddenly burst out laughing without me knowing what made him do so. I always end up giving him a questioning look and then he’ll tell me he just remembered the clip. He gets so excited that I can’t help but find it rather amusing.

I missed work last Friday and spent the entire day mostly sleeping. Around five in the afternoon, I sent Steve a message on MSN telling him to come home and that dinner’s ready. He arrives home about 20 minutes later (yes, we live that close to work), tells me about his day and the proceeds to surf the internet. After a few quiet minutes, he asks, “Hey honey, where’s dinner?” to which I reply with, “Oh I didn’t make any... I was only kidding...”

He then goes on to saying, “aww... why did you tell me dinner’s ready? I got so excited that you finally decided to experiment in the kitchen...”
And then I say to him, “Oh honey, you should know better.”

He says it was a cruel joke.

I thought about it after and I agree, it was a cruel joke.

I think I'm going to have to make him a meal one of these days...

SYTYCD update!

2009-05-22T11:34:00.000-04:00

So You Think You Can Dance is back!! Woot Woot!

Steve and I watched the New York and Denver Auditions last night which aired at eight in the evening. I was so happy I caught it on time because I had no idea it was even on. I liked the song Natalie Reed danced to (it sounded like a Jason Mraz song) and I hope I’ll be able to find it online. Too bad that the Blogging So You Think You Can Dance site is no longer in use. It was really good for getting updates on everything related to the show as well as a good resource for trying to find out what songs the dancers used for their auditions and performances.

I saw some really good auditions last night although Steve was saying that it seemed more female dancers were getting tickets for Vegas compared to male dancers. He wonders if may be they are saying no to some female dancers on purpose to make the numbers more even between males and females. I wonder that myself, but I think it’s a little premature for them to be limiting dancers based on gender. I would think they’d wait until the eliminations in Vegas to narrow it down to the top 20 dancers.

I hope that this season will still feature choreography from Wade Robson, Mia Michaels, Jean Marc Genereux and Dan Karaty. I was also excited to see Sonia last night during the auditions. She was the new choreographer they introduced on the show last season.

I can’t wait until they narrow the dancers down to the top 20!

Lily in Hut?

2009-05-21T11:41:00.003-04:00

Saw this on the MSN Wonderwall this morning...

Do you think it's true?

Catching up.

2009-05-15T11:59:00.001-04:00

I’m going to try to make up for the weeks I didn’t post a single entry.

I’m happy to report that I have caught up with all my tasks (of course as soon as I say this, I’m sure something will come up). That’s not to say that work hasn’t been a hectic (because it has and still is) but I’m coping with it as it goes along. We’ve lost a key member of our Development Team and although management has informed us of the adjustments that will be made, I still can’t help but worry about how this is going to affect myself and the company in the long run. I’ve been asked to move from my office to the Tech Area to assist with technical support and to guide the team in doing support more efficiently. I am still to do training in my office but my desk has been moved to the tech area. It sure sucks to not be in my own office anymore. Bleh!

The other day, while reading on the MSN website, I came across an article about Mexico’s plan to once again boost tourism since it had declined so much due to the Swine Flu outbreak. I wanted to link the article here but for some reason I couldn’t find it anymore (too bad). Apparently, the plan is to offer tourists travelling to Mexico free vacations for the next three years if they display Swine Flu symptoms within eight days of travelling to Mexico. Would you consider it? Three years of free vacations seems like a tempting offer but don’t forget that you’ll only get it if you actually contract Swine Flu during your visit. Although I enjoy going to all-inclusive resort, I personally don’t think I’d risk going there right now in the midst of the Swine Flu outbreak. Yes, it could all be under control and yes they could be doing intensive check-ups and taking all sorts of precaution but wouldn’t it be wise for us to not tempt it?

I’ve only been back for two weeks and I already feel like I need another vacation!

Guy in Pink Boxers

2009-05-15T11:27:00.002-04:00

I thought this was quite cute. Hey, what was he supposed to do? He was sleeping and suddenly they get attacked. At least he had the mind to quickly get up, put his helmet and vest on and prepare for battle. I don't even know what I would have done if I were in the same situation. I'd probably be thinking, "What's going on? Shit, my hair's a mess!" Hahaha! Kidding! Anyhow, I thought I'd share this with you...

Army Spc. Zachary Boyd, 19, who hails from Fort Worth, Texas, said he was in his sleeping quarters at Firebase Restrepo in Afghanistan’s Kunar province when the Taliban attacked the base, forcing him to take up a defensive position while clad only in his helmet, protective vest, a T-shirt and his pink “I Love NY” boxers.

A wire service photographer snapped a photo of Boyd rushing into action in his underwear and the snapshot wound up on the front page of the Star-Telegram and the New York Times.

Article and Image courtesy of Z103.5 Blog Posts

Stay With You

2009-05-15T11:02:00.003-04:00

This is the song Steve and I danced to during our wedding in Punta Cana.

We've been together for a while now
We're growing stronger everyday now
It feels so good and there's no doubt
I will stay with you
As each morning brings sunrise
And the flowers bloom in springtime
On my love you can rely
And I'll stay with you

Oh I'll stay with you through the ups and the downs
Oh I'll stay with you when no one else is around
And when the dark clouds arrive
I will stay by your side
I know we'll be alright
I will stay with you

Though relationships can get old
They have the tendency to grow cold
We have something like miracle
Yeah, and I'll stay with you

Oh I'll stay with you through the ups and the downs
Oh I'll stay with you when no one else is around
And when the dark clouds arrive
I will stay by your side
I know we'll be alright
I will stay with you

And there will be heartaches and pains, yes it will
But through it all, we will remain
In this life, we all know
Friends may come, and they may go
Through the years I know I will stay
And in the end I know that we'll find
Love so beautiful and divine
We'll be lovers for the lifetime, yeah
And I'll stay with you
I will stay with you

Oh I'll stay with you through the ups and the downs
Oh I'll stay with you when no one else is around
And when the dark clouds arrive
I will stay by your side
I know we'll be alright
I will stay with you
Everything will be fine
And I will stay with you
Through the end of time
I will stay with you

Stay With You
- John Legend

Busy bees

2009-05-08T17:12:00.000-04:00

Coming back from a two-week vacation, I feel a bit displaced. I barely went online during my two weeks off since I was busy with the wedding and also because we were away at a beautiful resort where I’d rather be outside then on the internet. Work seems a bit foreign (although like that Celine Dion song, - it’s all coming back to me now) and I have a lot of blog reading to do since I haven’t been able to follow the blogs I usually follow. I’m out of the loop with all the celeb gossip (hahaha!) and I can’t believe I am still reading the same book for almost three weeks now (I usually go through a book in a matter of days or even hours).

There were some changes that occurred at work while we were away (I don’t know why or how so many things can happen in such a short period of time) and we’re still playing catch-up. I’ve been going to bed late because there’s always something to do at night – either going somewhere to check out furniture, assembling furniture we bought, making dinner, having dinner with friends or organizing things in the apartment. My stuff is a mess, everything is everywhere since I just moved in and we’re still in the process of getting our apartment sorted out. We need to clean, organize, put things away and put things together. I’m not complaining though... it’s nice being able to share all of it with Steve.

One of the things I am still trying to figure out is how to do our laundry efficiently. Our first attempt at doing laundry together was a bit chaotic. Since we had a ton of laundry to do after the trip, we thought it would be best to go to a Laundromat so that we could do several loads at once. We figured that with several washing machines running at the same time, we’d be done quicker. First, we had to figure out how to use the machines. Next, how to properly sort our clothes (Steve was concerned we’d end up shrinking most of my wardrobe) and then we had to figure out where to put the bleach (do we mix it in with the detergent or is there a special slot just for bleach?). The result? We got our clothes washed alright but we did end up turning one of my towels blue and turning one item that was supposed to be white to a shade of yellow. I think we both agreed that next time, we’ll just the laundry at home.

Assembling furniture together is another fun but tiring task. We put together two pieces of furniture the other night – a dresser for me and a TV stand. Steve put the dresser together mostly by himself and he said it took him almost three hours to put it together. There were some hammering involved and a lot of noise. But we assembled the TV stand together which looked easy but the instructions were not as easy to understand as the IKEA dresser. We had made a few booboos in the beginning but we eventually figured it out.

So yes, we’ve been busy but what can you expect for a first week back right?

The details.

2009-05-08T16:29:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I still can’t believe I’m married.

Both Steve and I were very happy with how everything turned out. So much better than how we imagined it would be.

In the beginning we both didn’t know where to start. We knew we wanted to be married within a year of being engaged but as where to start with the planning? We had no idea. I remember feeling both excited and really overwhelmed. Where to have the wedding? How many people to invite? Where do I get the invitations? The wedding dress? Where to hold the wedding and the reception? So many things to consider, so many things to look for. We both wanted a small wedding... intimate but nice... and most importantly within our means. As much as possible we wanted to have a wedding that didn’t put us into so much debt.

Looking back at it now, all our efforts were worth it. Both the civil ceremony and the beach wedding went by smoothly. A lot of people ask us why we had two weddings. It was because we didn’t want to have to deal with the legal requirements of a destination wedding just so it would be considered legal in both the country we were going to get married at and Canada. So we decided it would be best to have the civil ceremony locally which would be legally binding and to have a “symbolic ceremony” in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic which means we would go through the normal wedding vows but that it would be more symbolic rather than legally binding. Of course the next question people ask us is when we’ll celebrate our anniversary. We will be celebrating our anniversary on the day we had our civil ceremony because it is the one that actually binds us together as husband and wife.

We held our civil ceremony on April 21st at eleven-thirty in the morning followed by a lunch reception at a Greek restaurant. We had 22 guests, comprised of family and relatives. I barely slept the night before the wedding because I was too anxious – worried that we would forget or overlook something important. By eight in the morning we were up and proceeded to get ready for the ceremony. We were at City Hall by eleven and started the ceremony on time. We decided not to hire a professional photographer for the civil ceremony because we wanted to keep it is a minimal as possible. The problem (which we later discovered) was that all our guests had cameras and all of them were pointed at us at the same time so we could never figure out where to look! In every picture, someone was blinking or caught in mid-sentence or we were never looking at the same camera. The civil ceremony was conducted by a judge who was both very warm and friendly. Everyone loved him and everyone kept telling us that our judge was wonderful.

The civil ceremony took about half an hour (not counting the time we spent posing for pictures). After everyone’s appetite for pictures has been met, we proceeded to our reception which was about a twenty—minute car ride from downtown. We were supposed to pick out a menu prior to the wedding but with all the things we needed to do, we had forgotten to call. We were worried that without a menu picked out, they might not be able to roll out food as fast as we hoped. Fortunately, the restaurant was very efficient. Not only did they take our orders right away but they were also able to roll out the food quickly. There’s nothing worse than sitting at a reception and waiting eons for the food to be served when you’re already about to pass out from starvation! The reception finished at about two thirty in the afternoon then we all went home. I was dying to take a shower because I’m a little uncomfortable having so much make-up and hairspray on me.

Two days later, we left for Punta Cana, Dominican Republic with our wedding party and immediate families in tow for our beach wedding. Our flight was late in the afternoon so by the time we landed in Punta Cana, it was already past nine in the evening. I fell in-love with the Punta Cana airport because it was kinda old-school where you get off the plane by going down those portable stairs... not like the tunnels we have here in Canada. I always love the feeling of being in a tropical country... the scent, the various sounds and the warm breeze. I also liked how they designed the airport – with roofs made out of what looked like palm leaves. They also had some huge ceiling fans aptly called “Big Ass Fans” (I swear I’m not kidding!). Upon arrival, we were greeted by a Mariarchi band and they took a picture of us with some women dressed in their native costume. I couldn’t help but feel happy and excited at the same time (yes, being in a tropical country does make me really, unbelievable giddy). Believe it or not, I packed my wedding dress inside the suitcase and checked it in. So if, for some reason, our suitcases had gotten lost, the wedding wouldn’t have taken place. You have no idea how anxious I was to see both our suitcases come out of that plane. I breathed a big sigh of relief as soon as I saw them.

Outside the airport was a van waiting to take us to our resort which was an hour away. The roads were reminiscent of some roads in the Philippines – narrow, winding and with no lamp posts. I could tell the driver knew these roads well because he was driving really fast even though he could only see as far as his headlights could reach. I was looking outside the window the entire ride, trying to see what was out there but it was too dark. I could only see some plants on the side of the road and nothing else beyond that. When I did see a banana tree, I excitedly pointed it out to Steve since he’s never seen one. He didn’t see the first one I pointed out to him since we practically zoomed past it but luckily we passed by a row of them and he was able to see a few. He said he didn’t think they would be that small and that the leaves were that big.

After an hour, we finally arrived at the resort and were greeted with glasses of champagne. I think everyone was tired, hungry and excited at the same time. After checking in, they brought our luggage to our rooms and afterwards we went to one of the resort restaurants and had pizza. Once we were all full, we went back to our rooms and slept. The following morning, Steve and I met with the wedding coordinator who then helped us finalize our wedding plans and also took us around the resort to see various options where we could have the wedding and the reception. It was quite easy and we were surprisingly done within an hour.

We spent the next few days enjoying our vacation – eating, sleeping, swimming, going dancing and taking loads of pictures. I loved the service at the resort we stayed in. All the staff were friendly and efficient and they really made sure that they gave you the best service they could. Our rooms were always clean and we had no problems getting into restaurants even though we had such a huge group.

We had our beach wedding on April 28th at sunset (six in the evening) with twelve guests - again comprised of our immediate families and a few relatives. It had rained some days during the morning or sometimes at night but on our wedding day, the weather was absolutely perfect. Even the photographer mentioned how finicky Dominican weather can be so we were quite blessed. Steve and I actually saw each other already before the wedding to have our pictures taken. We took some pictures at the spa where I had gotten ready and dressed, at the gardens, then on the beach. After the pictures were taken, it was time for the ceremony which took about forty-five minutes (including the pictures we took with our guests after). Our resort was facing the Atlantic Ocean so it was really windy. There were originally four flowers in my hair but I had lost one to the wind. One of my brothers took a video of the ceremony but you couldn’t hear anything other than the sound of wind. I was so concerned that may hair wouldn’t stay in place but I was surprised it managed to hold on during the entire night despite all that wind.

We had our cocktails and dinner in front of the cascade pool which had been closed off for others so that we could have it to ourselves. We were so grateful to our wedding coordinator who was thoughtful enough to add some nice, little touches to our reception. We had our own full bar and our bartender even mixed a special drink for our wedding which he lovingly dubbed the “sweetheart”, a section for the appetizers (the beef flautas were amazing!) and a long table right in front of the water for our sit-down dinner. Although Steve and I had chosen our menu, we honestly couldn’t remember what we had picked so every course was a surprise. They served salad first, followed by lobster soup, then a champagne sorbet, then beef tenderloin for the main course and finally a chocolate mousse for dessert. We noticed that our chef was standing in the far corner together with our wedding coordinator, observing everything carefully. I whispered to Steve that I was embarrassed because I couldn’t finish any of my food and that I was probably insulting the chef in the process.

Dancing followed dinner. We had opted not to hire a DJ because it was too expensive and there were only fourteen of us! We couldn’t justify the cost so we decided to just create our own playlists using my iPod. We had a playlist just for my march down the aisle, another playlist for cocktail and dinner, another for dancing with Steve and our parents and one for disco. By the end of the evening, I had lost a button (my brother had accidentally stepped on my train and took out a button – no damage on the dress thankfully! Just the button came off), my feet were so black from dancing barefoot, and we were ready to pass out from exhaustion.

It’s true what they say, that you spend so much time planning a wedding and it goes by in such a blur. Steve and I look back at both weddings and we couldn’t be happier with how they turned out. We had great company, great food, great weather and really great pictures. To top it all off, it cost a little less than what we had originally thought.

A lot of people ask me how it feels to be married. It feels the same actually. Except that we go home together. But just the same, I love being married to him.

Yes, we're finally married!

2009-05-07T17:00:00.003-04:00

10 Common Dreams

2009-04-13T09:17:00.004-04:00

Life may be just a dream, but how do we interpret it? What we dream at night can give us clues about what is important to us in waking life. Dreams help us to process our conscious thoughts and can give us new and important insights into the problems and challenges we face in the world. Although we may have strange and unusual dreams, there are a number of common dreams that many of us experience over and over again. Read the interpretations below for an explanation of symbols that seem to appear frequently in dreams.

1. Faulty or lost items: your phone won't work, your car breaks down, or you can't find your husband.
This dream is alerting you to areas of your life that need repair or extra care right now. You may want to slow down and pay more attention to the realm of life indicated. For example, if you dream of your phone not working, notice how you are communicating to others now. Are you doing everything you can to get your message across in a positive way? If not, you may want to tune up this area of your life.

2. Money: you received a windfall, or you lost your savings in the stock market.
Money in dreams symbolizes what you value or find important in life. If you dream of suddenly receiving a sum of money, this indicates that you are at a time in your life when your values are becoming very clear to you. If you have dreams of losing money, you may be experiencing a time of feeling separated from your sense of meaning in life. Try to explore what has been important to you in the past to see if your values have changed or altered over time.

3. You find yourself back in the classroom, or you've failed a test.This dream indicates that there is a challenge in your life and you fear failing. It also can mean that you may feel that you have regressed in some way and are not up to the task currently at hand. You may also feel judged or tested by an authority figure or someone who is in charge of you in some way.

4. You or a loved one is ill or dying.You may be approaching a time of great change when some parts of your life are falling away and disappearing. This dream is helping you to practice the feelings of loss that you may be having as the elements of your life or your relationships with others change and evolve. It is rare that this dream forecasts an actual death or illness, but it still might be a good idea to get a checkup or pay extra attention to your health now.

5. Being chased.Being chased in a dream indicates that you may be feeling you have a lot of responsibilities that you are having a hard time keeping up with. This dream is often known as a "stress dream," indicating that its presence is a sign to try to relax and slow down.

6. Teeth: you're smiling with nice, clean teeth, or your teeth are breaking off or forming cavities.
Teeth represent time, stability, and maturity. The state of the teeth in your dream will give important clues as to what your relationships and feelings are related to these important life themes.

7. Nudity.
Dreams where you or someone else appears nude relate to feelings of being exposed or vulnerable in waking life. You may currently be having an experience where everyone else seems to know about your problems and issues, and you are having a hard time processing your situation privately.

8. Falling, flying, or sinking.
Changing direction, either going up or down in a dream, indicates where your awareness is in waking life. Dreams of falling or sinking symbolize a time of being more aware of your unconscious mind and deepest innermost thoughts, feelings, and memories. Dreams of flying indicate that you are exploring your conscious mind at this time or connecting to the realm of spirits, angels, and other energetic beings.

9. Water
Water in dreams is a sign that a certain emotional situation or experience is of importance in your life. Now is a good time to pay particular attention to your feelings and the realm of the imagination, dreams, and fantasies. The condition or state of the water will give clues as to the exact nature of your experience. Hurricanes and storms can indicate more challenging emotional situations, and on the opposite side, gentle streams and lakes indicate a more calm and peaceful emotional state or even a love or romantic connection.

10. Missing a boat, plane, bus, etc.
Transportation vehicles in dreams symbolize the ability to move and act in the world. They represent our will, desire, and skill at accomplishing and manifesting our dreams and goals. When one of these vehicles is missing, it can mean that we are having a hard time finding the motivation to act and move in the world. We may need to reconnect with what drives or propels us into creatively manifesting our dreams.

(Above Article courtesy of MSN.com)

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Although not always, I often remember my dreams. I don't know how or why I do but there are those that I remember only for a few minutes and then there are those that I remember even until today. I used to have this recurring dream and I would dream it so often that I am able to tell you every single detail from it. What's so weird is that I stopped dreaming it as soon as we moved to Canada. Anyhow, I dream of water a LOT. Don't ask me why... I just do. I've also had dreams where a loved one had a died, I was being chased, car won't run properly, falling, missing an event, nudity, failing an exam (I dream this a lot too!) and I think I've dreamt of my teeth once. Mostly, it's water and me showing up for an exam completely unprepared that I dream of.

An excerpt.

2009-04-10T17:36:00.002-04:00

People disappear when they die. Their voice, their laughter, the warmth of their breath. Their flesh. Eventually their bones. All living memory of them ceases. This is both dreadful and natural. Yet for some there is an exception to this annihilation. For in the books they write they continue to exist. We can rediscover them. Their humour, their tone of voice, their moods. Through the written word they can anger you or make you happy. They can comfort you. They can perplex you. They can alter you. All this, even though they are dead. Like flies in amber, like corpses frozen in ice, that which according to the laws of nature should pass away is, by the miracle of ink on paper, preserved. It is a kind of magic.

The Thirteenth Tale
- Diane Setterfield

Some snow, some geese and some other creatures

2009-04-07T14:39:00.000-04:00

It rained and snowed intermittently yesterday but enough to have snow on the ground and certainly enough to cause traffic. Until now I still get surprised at how fast the weather and temperature can shift here in Canada. The past few weeks have been relatively warm... and when I say warm, I mean that it’s been mostly above zero degrees. Not really summer weather but better than being below zero. On Sunday it was so sunny outside that I almost felt bad for staying indoors. Then when I woke up on Monday morning, it was cloudy, windy and it was hailing. I remember walking to the bus stop yesterday with an umbrella and I was wondering why the rain drops felt heavy and looked like they were practically bouncing off every solid surface. As it turns out, it wasn’t water droplets... Rather, it was tiny pieces of hail. No wonder everyone was cowering in the bus shelter.

It’s sunny again today but there’s still a bit of snow on the ground. I wore my high-heeled leather boots to work today, forgetting how slippery it would be. I slid a few times while walking this morning. Thankfully, I didn’t fall. It seems I underestimated the snow.

The geese have returned from their southern migration and there are actually two geese who have decided to make a nest on the roof of our office building. Our office building is a single storey. Since we can’t get up on the roof to check, we don’t really know if they’ve laid some eggs or if they’re still n the process of building a nest. We think they’re staying to mate and lay eggs because they’ve been here for a little over a week now and they’re pretty vigilant about their territory. They’re beautiful and quite big for birds but they have this elegant look about them. Steve complains that they’re very defiant as they don’t seem to be afraid of humans. Just yesterday afternoon, while leaving work, one goose was standing in the middle of the road and we had to patiently wait for it to move to the side so we could pass. Steve drove right up to it to see if it will get scared but it didn’t. It just casually walked to the side but it wasn’t fazed at all with the car being so close. The pigeons here are the same... they don’t seem to be afraid of humans. You can literally walk up to one and it won’t budge. I tell Steve pigeons in the Philippines fly away as soon as you start moving towards them. I think it’s probably because they know Filipinos eat them.

I am not even sure if the breed of pigeons they have here in Canada are the same as the ones we have in the Philippines. For all I know they could be vastly different, hence the difference in behaviour.

Anyhow, I am assuming that the raccoons are now coming out of their hibernation as I’ve seen a few road kills. It’s pretty sad actually... seeing a crumpled baby raccoon dead on the side of the road. I think raccoons are quite cute but I hear they bite and could potentially infect you with rabies. Rabies, my friend, is NOT cute.

It still amazes me when I see the variety of animals you can come across here in Canada like squirrels, raccoons, geese, robins, blue jays, woodpeckers, skunks, foxes, coyotes... foxes and coyotes! Can you imagine walking outside your door and seeing a fox or a coyote in front of you? Unthinkable for a Filipino isn’t it? Certainly something you only see in the zoo in the Philippines. Never in my life did I think you can just see one outside your door here (but then again, Steve has never seen a Banana Tree which boggles my mind since they’re everywhere in the Philippines... I had to Google a picture of one to show him what it looks like... he said they looked weird by the way). Although I personally have not seen a coyote here in the wild neighbourhood of Toronto, I have seen a fox. I was so shocked that I blurted out the words, “IT’S A FOX!!” in an obviously amazed, somewhat scared kind of tone. Steve still reminds me of my expression when I saw one.

My co-workers tell me deer are very common and that they sometimes just cross the road especially if you’re driving north. Apparently, bears are quite common too in certain areas. I honestly think it would scare the hell out of me when I encounter one out in the wild. I wouldn’t know whether I should play dead or run or fight till the end. I hear you should only play dead if it’s a brown bear but if it’s a black bear, it will kill you if you play dead. Apparently your best shot with a black bear is to fight it. Like I would ever win that fight without any weapon! I don’t think I’d be able to outrun it either. Maybe I’ll consider climbing a tree instead? If that bear can climb, then I’m doomed.

Anyway, all this rambling and all I really wanted to say was that I was bummed out it’s snowing and cold again when it’s supposed to be sunny outside.

Achoo!

2009-04-02T11:16:00.000-04:00

I think I am coming down with a cold. 2 weeks before the wedding. Unbelievable.

I’ve managed to get through the last 3 months without so much as the sniffles. Even when everyone else around me had the flu. And now... it’s not looking too good. I have a sore throat, my head feels heavy and all I want to do is crawl back into bed and sleep.

It’s a good thing I always bring a pack of Strepsils with me. It helps a lot especially if I have to do training while I have a sore throat... like today.

I ate three Clementines yesterday afternoon, hoping I can battle the cold by taking in as much vitamin C as I could. I also took some vitamin C pills last night just to make sure. All that vitamin C and yet I still have my cold symptoms.

Maybe it will go away? Maybe if I sleep enough, it will magically disappear?

First Definitions

2009-04-02T10:14:00.003-04:00

Swiped this from Jela.

Instructions: Go to www.urbandictionary.com and type in your answer to each question in the search box, then write the FIRST definition it gives you. I guarantee you're gonna find some pretty hilarious results.

YOUR GIVEN NAME: Karen

Karen is the perfect woman. She has no flaw. She's funny, sweet, smart as hell, and above all, she is extremely gorgeous. She doesn't let anyone push her around and she has a great personality. She has some awesome goals set and always wins my heart. Has great taste in guys. Don't listen to what the other jack-off put. Everybody loves Karen.

If you were to look up the word "amazing" in the dictionary, there would be a picture of Karen.

Hahahaha! Need I say more??

AGE: 25

The age at which one can finally rent a car in the United States without being charged enormous amounts of money and without having to sign thousands of papers for that matter.

Useful for when I want to rent a car in the States I guess.

ONE OF YOUR FRIEND’S NAME: Shey

Crazy white girl that loves everyone and cant stand people to be mad at her and talks alot

Hahahaha! Whoops!

WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING: Working

A term to describe the tedious and boring indentured servitude that most people are forced to endure to get money. Generally, not a pleasant experience.

So true! "boring indentured servitude"... right on!

FAVORITE COLOR: Blue

The hue of the portion of the visible spectrum lying between green and indigo, evoked in a human observer by radiant energy with wavelengths of approximately 420 to 490 nanometers.

Uhuh...

FAVORITE NUMBER: 7

The fiercest digit known to man.

Watch out people! It's "FIERCE"!

MONTH OF YOUR BIRTHDAY: September

A wonderful month when the air smells sweet and the weather is perfect for the girls to wear tight little sweaters that show off their curves.

Whoever wrote this is either a romantic or a pervert

LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO: Steve

A thong that is visable above the trouser line of a girl. A useful word when spotting a thong or pointing one out without the girl knowing.

Reeeealllllyy? I am marrying a thong??

YOUR NICKNAME: Karen

Karen is the perfect woman. She has no flaw. She's funny, sweet, smart as hell, and above all, she is extremely gorgeous. She doesn't let anyone push her around and she has a great personality. She has some awesome goals set and always wins my heart. Has great taste in guys. Don't listen to what the other jack-off put. Everybody loves Karen.

If you were to look up the word "amazing" in the dictionary, there would be a picture of Karen.

Everything begins and ends with perfection I guess... hahahaha

Naps, anyone?

2009-03-30T15:17:00.001-04:00

These days it seems I can never get enough sleep. I’m always so sleepy and around 8 in the evening, I am already struggling to keep my eyes open. If I make the mistake of lying down to nap, I will most likely end up sleeping through the night. Last week, after eating dinner I decided to lie down for a few minutes. It was only 8:30 pm and surely enough, I fell asleep and woke up the next day at 5 am. I was so confused the next morning because I couldn’t figure out what day or time it was (and yes, there are days when I wake up and I cannot, for the life of me, figure out what day it is which ends up scaring the crap out of me).

Do you feel the need to have a day within the week where you just sleep-in? I do. And let me tell you, I get really cranky if I don’t get to sleep-in at least one day of the week. I used to be able to sleep-in until noon without waking up but now I get a headache if I do so I just sleep-in until about 9 or 10 am and then I force myself out of bed (like that’s a big difference, right? It’s only 2 hours shy of noon after all!). But yes, I enjoy sleeping. I actually like napping during the day too.

It really surprises me when someone tells me they can’t nap. I just have to ask, “Why??” For me, it is the most natural thing to do especially during a rainy afternoon or a boring subway ride. I have no problems whatsoever napping. Even if I tried to stay awake during my hour-long subway ride to work during the morning, I will eventually end up closing my eyes. I feel better after a nap. I think the only time I actually feel bad about napping is if I end up napping during an inappropriate occasion or place. Like when I’m in church for example. Or if someone is giving a really long talk and I end up dozing off. That’s just rude.

I remember when we went to Mexico last year, Steve and I resisted napping during the afternoons because we didn’t want to waste our days sleeping. In our entire stay there, I think I only napped once or twice and only for about an hour or two during both times. I think it’s the only other time where I would have felt bad had I slept for long periods of time. I certainly didn’t want to waste my Mexican vacation in a nice resort by sleeping! I’d rather be at the beach relaxing and drinking an iced tea or a Miami Vice (yum!) or even better – swimming!

I remember not getting much sleep through College especially when we had projects to work on. I really don’t know how I was able to function with zero or very few hours of sleep and no coffee. If I attempted that now, I’d be a walking zombie (even with coffee!). Now even with 5 hours of sleep, I feel exhausted.

I wonder how I will be like when I have a baby and I’m not getting any sleep. I worry that I will be very cranky and mean!

Sleep and I are very good friends indeed.

Beautiful

2009-03-26T15:24:00.006-04:00

For some odd reason, I am sitting here at my desk at work and I am suddenly craving the lasagna they have at Greenwich. I don’t know why it even came to mind! I haven’t had one of those since I left the Philippines more than four years ago… they were really good!

My uncle sent me an email the other day about the possibility of having a family reunion in Bacolod sometime next year. I would REALLY LOVE to go but I don’t know how we’ll be able to afford six plane tickets to go home especially since we’ll be catching up with the expenses from the wedding and buying household items. I told the rest of the family about it and we were all bummed out because we think we might not be able to afford it.

I can’t believe it’s less than a month until the wedding. Time flies! In between tasks at work, I keep looking at the traveler photos of the resort we are going to. It always brightens me up but it also makes me so anxious. I really hope it is as great as it looks on the photos. It’s gotten so many excellent reviews but who knows right?

It looks so warm and inviting doesn't it? I can almost imagine all that sunlight on me...

Updates

2009-03-24T11:42:00.002-04:00

It was time to make some more wedding-related payments so I took out all the money I had in my savings account today. It was the most amount of money I have ever saved in my entire life and having to spend it all hurt a bit. It’s hard to save and it’s equally hard to watch all that saved up money go to someone else. I’m hoping I’ll be able to save up again after all the wedding expenses and household expenses have been taken care of... but that might take a while though. I’m thinking of contributing to my RSPs at some point too. How do you get what you want without spending?

I have been going on TripAdvisor.com a lot lately to look at reviews and pictures of the resort we are going to. I am pleased with the reviews so far and I am hoping that it is as good as they say. I can’t wait to be under the sun, lying on the beach and just relaxing. I think all of us could use a vacation. There are still a few things we need to take care of but we’re crossing tasks off our list one by one.

I am looking at several places for hair and make-up for the civil ceremony and I’ve narrowed my list down to a few. I would have loved to go to the salon I usually go to for my haircut but their rates were a bit much for what I was willing to spend especially since it’s just a really simple civil ceremony that would probably only be half an hour long and then we’re having a small lunch reception after. I can understand spending that kind of money for the beach wedding or if I were having a full blown wedding here. But I just can’t justify spending hundreds of dollars for a civil ceremony. The problem is, most places downtown charge an arm and a leg and since the wedding is somewhat early, I’d have to consider distance and travelling time when it comes to selecting a place. I did find a few highly recommended places online and I am thinking of checking out one that is closer to city hall and another that is located west of Toronto. They both got great reviews but they’re prices were very affordable.

I forgot that when I went dress-shopping, my cousin and my brother took a few photos of the dresses I was trying on. I had them saved in a folder in my laptop which I just remembered again today. I took a look at them and I still love the dress I bought the most. It’s still with the seamstress for alterations but I love how it feels on me and I like its simplicity and elegance. I hope it still looks good even after the alterations have been made. I keep worrying that it will get ruined as soon as someone touches it. I would love to post photos here but I’m afraid it will ruin the surprise!

Spring is almost here and I can’t wait for warmer weather! I would love to once again be able to step out of the house without a thick jacket on and sit at a patio or go for walks. I am thinking of visiting the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) again and maybe even going to a cabin somewhere north (I’ve never been to one yet). OR maybe we can drive to the States!

I haven’t been using the Wii Fit for more than a month now (sadly). I’ve slacked off and I think my Wii trainer will reprimand me the next time I sign in. My goal to lose 5 lbs every week is out the window at this point. I read somewhere that you actually lose weight just by sleeping. So maybe I’ll do plenty of that!

Geez... I feel so busy!

Johnny Rockets!

2009-03-16T14:34:00.003-04:00

On Saturday, while the family and I were downtown, we decided to eat at this new place that opened along Dundas and Yonge called Johnny Rockets. According to Steve, they’re a chain and quite popular in the States but I’ve never been in any of them. I’m not too crazy about burgers but since my dad really wanted to try it, I gave in.

As soon as we entered the place, I was instantly amused. It was classic! I loved the Juke Box, the old Soda machine, old-style Coke glasses, stainless counters and old-style diner decor. The servers were super friendly and they even did a dance number when the Donna Summer’s Last Dance came on the Juke Box! It was soooo CUTE!

Anyhow, here are some of the photos I took of the place... my apologies if they’re a bit fuzzy since I only used my phone camera to take these...

My brother holding the menu

A view of the restaurant and that's our server (her name's Lola) walking away from us

Little Juke Box on our table (there's a bigger one that actually plays music)

Old-style Coke glasses!

Stainless counters

Productive weekend

2009-03-16T14:08:00.001-04:00

I had a really productive weekend and I feel better knowing that we got so much done in a span of two days.

On Saturday, my parents, brothers and I went downtown to shop for suits, shirts and ties (for the civil ceremony), khakis and slacks (for the beach wedding) and swimming clothes (for our stay in Dominican). I thought we’d have a hard time looking for suits but it turned out really well. Not only were we able to find nice suits for the boys but they were really affordable too. I was so happy that we got them on sale and ended up saving a lot of money. The boys look so sharp in suits! I couldn’t resist snapping a few photos of them using my phone camera. The only complaint I had about the whole thing was how long it took. It took us about 3-4 hours just to shop for suits and shirts. Miguel was so adamant about wearing a green shirt with his suit so I had to look for a nice shade of green and a matching tie. JR was easier to shop for because he didn’t really have a preference and liked pretty much anything I handed to him.

After the boys bought clothes, Steve came by and picked me up and then we headed over to Square One in Mississauga to look at the linen suits he saw last week. His best man (also best friend and cousin) met us there and we saw three different kinds of linen suits. Out of the three kinds, the Calvin Klein ones fit them the best and they were the color we wanted so we decided to get them. They were also able to find matching shirts and ties to go with it so that was good.

There are still a few more items we need to get like dresses for my mom (one for the civil ceremony and one for the beach wedding), a bathing suit for her, sandals, etc. We also still need to check with our bank to see if we can get travel insurance from them for a lesser amount of money compared to getting it from the travel agent.
We also still need to book the reception for the civil ceremony but I’m sure it won’t be a problem since it’s just a simple lunch and there aren’t going to be a lot of guests.

It’s a lot of work but it feels good to get things done. So I am feeling pretty tired from all that walking and shopping we did over the weekend but it was all worth it.

Do You Need to Be Lucky to Find Love?

2009-03-12T12:42:00.005-04:00

Do You Need to Be Lucky to Find Love?
by Rich Santos

Looking around at the earth's processes, I'm reminded of how lucky we are to have beautiful things in the world.

Way beneath the earth's surface, when carbon has been placed under enough pressure, diamonds are formed. It takes millions of years for this process to occur. When a parasite drills into a mollusks' shell, that mollusk performs a set of defensive actions that result in the formation of a pearl.

Okay, maybe love happens easier than diamonds or pearls happen. Or does it? Like other beautiful things in nature, a lot of things have to happen for anything to culminate. One of the main governing forces over these kinds of processes is good old-fashioned luck.

Here are four elements of falling in love that require a little bit of luck to ensure success, in my opinion:

Timing
When two people meet and start hanging out, a key to taking the next step in a relationship is where people are in their lives. Are they both in a position to be able to be close to someone? Perhaps one of the two is working on their career too much, or maybe someone has just been through a painful relationship not too long before, and can't commit.

When it all works out, people come into one another's life at just the right time. And, luck has a lot to do with it because you really can't plan it — you can only hope that it happens just right.

Circumstance
Circumstance dictates the entire process of running into a person. Are you both living in the same town? What brought you there? Every meeting you have with every person in your life is determined by a combination of personal choices and events in your life. As Back to the Future taught us, even the most minute choice/action can change the future.

If you want to go even further back, your existence is based on events and choices of ancestors before you stretching far back in time. So, not only are we all lucky to be on earth, but we are lucky that our significant other is on earth as well, and even luckier that circumstance brought us together.

First Impression
They say first impression is everything. This holds true in business and pleasure. We base so much on that first meeting with a person. There's a lot of luck involved. People like me are lucky when we can control what we say and not screw anything up right off the bat. OK, maybe there is some control over that, but what about subtle things?

Perhaps when you approach someone in a bar, a particular song happens to be on, or the lighting and atmosphere are just right to give your meeting a little more impact. Making a memorable and emotional first impression is not easy; so a little luck always helps.

Chemistry
When my high school teacher told me that everything a human does is based on chemical reactions in the brain, I was floored. From then on I walked around wondering about the chemical reactions going on in my head that made me wave to a friend, or snap my fingers along with a song. Hell, how do the chemicals in my brain even make me like a song?

With so much complex brain chemistry telling us what we like, what we do, who we are, and if we are happy or sad, we are lucky that people even exist that we can blend with. I am convinced that my brain chemistry is so scrambled that there are no possible compatible female minds. But I'll keep looking, and perhaps I will be lucky enough to meet someone who is not only compatible, but makes all my brain chemistry happy.

Article swiped from MSN Lifestyle

I saw this article on MSN this morning and I thought I'd share it here because I think it's so true. I completely agree that timing, circumstance, first impression and chemistry all play a role in what relationship we'll develop with each other. It's funny because these are things we can't control and yet they have such a huge effect on what happens next. Do I think that falling in-love involves luck? Maybe...

God Bless You!

2009-03-11T10:39:00.002-04:00

I seek in prayerful words, dear friend
My heart’s true wish to send you,
That you may know that far or near
My prayerful thoughts attend you.

I cannot find a truer word
Nor better to address you,
Nor song nor poem have I heard
Is sweeter than God bless you!

God bless you! So I’ve wished you all
Of brightness life possesses;
For can any joy at all
Be yours unless God blesses?
And so through all the days
May shadows touch thee never
But this alone, God bless you
Then art thou safe forever.

My grandma sent this to me and Steve along with a letter to my dad. Although it is a simple poem, it really touched me and almost made me cry. I miss her everyday and I regret not being able to visit her as often as I'd like. Even though we're in Canada and she's in the Philippines, she never fails to send her love and well wishes. I hope she knows how much she means to us.

Halo - Beyonce

2009-03-09T16:53:00.002-04:00

I'm currently listening to Beyonce's Halo and although at first I wasn't sure if I liked it or not, I eventually did develop a liking for it.

-------------------------

Halo
Beyonce Knowles

Remember those walls I built
Well, baby they're tumbling down
And they didn't even put up a fight
They didn't even make up a sound

I found a way to let you in
But I never really had a doubt
Standing in the light of your halo
I got my angel now

It's like I've been awakened
Every rule I had you breakin'
It's the risk that I'm takin'
I ain't never gonna shut you out

Everywhere I'm looking now
I'm surrounded by your embrace
Baby I can see your halo
You know you're my saving grace

You're everything I need and more
It's written all over your face
Baby I can feel your halo
Pray it won't fade away

I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo
I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo

Hit me like a ray of sun
Burning through my darkest night
You're the only one that I want
Think I'm addicted to your light

I swore I'd never fall again
But this don't even feel like falling
Gravity can't forget
To pull me back to the ground again

Feels like I've been awakened
Every rule I had you breakin'
The risk that I'm takin'
I'm never gonna shut you out

Everywhere I'm looking now
I'm surrounded by your embrace
Baby I can see your halo
You know you're my saving grace

You're everything I need and more
It's written all over your face
Baby I can feel your halo
Pray it won't fade away

I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo
I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo

I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo
I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo
Halo, halo

Everywhere I'm looking now
I'm surrounded by your embrace
Baby I can see your halo
You know you're my saving grace

You're everything I need and more
It's written all over your face
Baby I can feel your halo
Pray it won't fade away

I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo
I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo

I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo
I can feel your halo halo halo
I can see your halo halo halo

Parting ways

2009-03-09T16:48:00.001-04:00

These past few days have been an emotional rollercoaster for both Steve and I. A close couple friend of ours has filed for legal separation and the circumstances which led up to it were... to say the least – very unfavourable. As a matter of fact, it was downright shocking and hurtful. When we first heard about it, we honestly didn’t know how to react or what to say. I reacted by first thinking that it must be a joke because we were all together last weekend and everything was fine. Then after realizing that it was really happening, my second reaction was to ask the “whys” and “hows” and “what happened?” and of course the “what do we do?” and “where do we go from here”.

Steve and I were both extremely upset over the news because these are our close friends. They’re the people we practically spend most of our weekends with, the people we thought whose kids would be our kids’ friends and the people we go on vacation with. We’ve had many dinners together, seen movies together, played board games together... and this was the last thing we expected. I wish the separation were amicable because it would make it easier for everyone to just get along. But it doesn’t seem that way right now. In fact, we don’t know if we can still be friends with one party simply because of the reasons behind the separation.

It’s only been days but it’s already turning ugly. Sides are being taken, clothes are being packed, lawyers are involved, and sooner or later someone’s going to have to deal with who gets custody of the dog and who gets what assets. Thinking about all these things, I can’t help but get upset... I feel angry, hurt, shocked and sad... mostly sad.

I’m sad because it couldn’t have happened at a worst time. But then again, there is no good time for something like this. I’m sad because nothing will ever be the same again and we’ll miss all the activities we enjoyed doing together. I’m sad because the plans we had together may not ever happen. I’m sad because I don’t know if their separation will eventually lead to divorce. And I’m sad because of the circumstances that led to the separation and I’m sad because I don’t want to see such a young, lovely couple have to go through something so terrible.

Knowing what I know about what had happened, I honestly can’t say if they should stick together and try to work it out or if it would be best for them to part ways. Right now, I am leaning towards the latter. I am pro working things out but only if both parties are willing to make it work. I don’t know if this is the case. There are some things that harder to accept, forgive and forget.

The last thing you would want to see is your good friends go through a really difficult time. As much as I’d like to mend things so that everything can go back to the way they were, the best that I can do is pray and hope for the best.

Edward

2009-03-06T16:21:00.003-05:00

Swiped this from Clever Girl's Blog and I can't help but SWOON!

I have to be honest and say that there are times when Robert Pattinson looks so hot and there are times when I think he needs a hair cut. At times I see shots of him which remind me of the "magnum" pose from Zoolander (sorry!).

Regardless, he IS cute!

Phenomen'Eyes Mascara

2009-03-06T10:15:00.002-05:00

Phenomen'Eyes Mascara by Givenchy (photo courtesy of Sephora)

I saw this on the internet and I really want to try it. I'm not a big make-up person and the only make-up I wear on a daily basis are foundation, pressed powder, and chapstick/lipstick. I am not particularly good at putting on make-up and I actually think I look weird with eye make-up on. But anyhow, the primary reason I don't particularly wear mascara is because I have such tiny eyelashes that make it hard for me to put on mascara especially the really little ones close to edge. I wonder if this "sphere-shaped" Givenchy mascara will do the trick.

They don't carry Givenchy at Holt Renfrew and apparently Sephora is the only store that carries it. I wonder if Sephora here in Canada has it too...?

Sad news.

2009-03-06T10:13:00.001-05:00

I just found out (courtesy of White’s post) that Francis Magalona succumbed to leukemia. He was just 44 years old. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and loved ones.

Related news here.

Books for the desert

2009-03-05T16:25:00.007-05:00

You're packing your bag for that other desert island - the one with no electricity - what 5 books do you take with you?

I swiped this from Jela’s blog (thanks Jela and I hope you don’t mind..).

A bit of a toughie since I love to read and I usually end up loving most books I go through. I am a big fan of “feel-good” books and I normally go for the romantic and emotional type of books. As Steve says, I am a sucker for mush. So here goes…

Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas (James Patterson) – A friend of my mom’s lent her this book and I ended up reading it before her. I have never read any of James Patterson’s action-filled, mystery books but absolutely loved this one. From the moment I read the first few pages, I was instantly hooked and I think I actually finished it the same night that my mom brought it home. I loved the book so much that when I saw it at National Bookstore, I bought my very own copy which I brought with me when I moved to Canada. I read it again after a few years and I still keep it in my bedside table.

Lamb (Christopher Moore) – I would probably be chastised for reading this just because of what it is about. Some people might be offended by it but I thought it was hilarious. I found it so funny that I actually cried quite a number of times because I was just laughing so hard. I adore the sarcasm and the author’s sense of humor. It is a fictional story about Jesus and his best friend Biff and all their adventures while growing up. It’s one of those books that make you go, “oh this is just so wrong…” in between laughs. Ever wonder what Jesus did between the ages of 12 and 30? Read on…

Twilight (Stephenie Meyer) – Need I say more? Some people do drugs, some people smoke… but Twilight is just my kind of heroin. I can honestly read this book over and over and over again and still gush and cry every time Edward and Bella are together. Yes, it’s a teenager’s book but I love it just the same.

The Notebook & A Walk to Remember (Nicholas Sparks) – Technically these should count as two separate books but I figured since they’re written by the same author and have almost the same theme, that I should just bunch them together. I don’t own all of Nicholas Sparks’ books but I did enjoy the ones I’ve read. Want to have a good cry? Pick one up from the bookstore near you. They always make me burst into tears but I love how he portrays the characters in his books and the complex relationships they have. His books don’t always promise a happy ending but they’re really good reads.

Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) – We had to read this book for a school paper but I loved reading it anyway. It’s certainly one of those few classics that I enjoyed reading. I still have the tattered copy which I bought years ago when I was still in high school. I really admire how well the book was written and how effective it was in describing scenes and characters. Just like Pride and Prejudice (another love of mine), I enjoyed flipping each page, trying to figure out what was going to happen between the two main characters. Where they going to end up together? What’s the big reveal?

These are just a few of the many books I have enjoyed reading. I am currently reading The Long Walk Home by Will North but I've only read the first few pages and it's too early to tell whether I will love the book or not.

Confusing?

2009-03-04T15:28:00.000-05:00

"I'd rather be a could-be if I cannot be an are; because a
could-be is a maybe who is reaching for a star. I'd rather be
a has-been than a might-have-been, by far; for a might-
have-been has never been, but a has was once an are."

-- Milton Berle

Hug!

2009-02-10T17:24:00.004-05:00

If you're angry at a loved one, hug that person.
And mean it. You may not want to hug - which is all the more reason to do so.

It's hard to stay angry when someone shows they love you, and that's precisely what happens when we hug each other.

Hugging is important. It is more than just a sign of affection. It comforts, offers support and encouragement, and it has the ability to calm worry and fear. It is a simple act of wrapping your arms around another person and yet it has the ability to make someone feel better.

If you haven't hugged someone today, make sure you do so. Hugging is a feel-good exercise after all.

They are real-life lovers?

2009-02-09T11:14:00.002-05:00

'Fringe' co-stars Anna Torv and Mark Valley wed
Feb. 4, 2009, 12:29 PM EST

NEW YORK (AP) -- Life imitates art at the Fox series "Fringe," where co-stars Anna Torv and Mark Valley have wed.

Torv's representative, Jen Turner, says the couple were married in December. She didn't provide any details.

Torv, 29, plays FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham on "Fringe." Valley, 44, played Dunham's partner and secret lover, agent John Scott, when the series began last fall. But their relationship took a mysterious turn when Scott was seemingly killed and exposed as Dunham's apparent betrayer.

Swiped this article from MSN.com this morning. I didn't know they were dating in real-life. Did you see the episode for Fringe last week? Do you think that was John Scott's last episode?

I haven't been paying enough attention to notice if "the Observer" was in any of last few episodes I've seen.

Dang Josh, why did you have to get married?

2009-02-06T15:18:00.004-05:00

Saw these wedding pics on Perez Hilton's website... Josh Duhamel is so darn cute!

Why are some people so effortlessly good-lookin'?!

I hope Josh is still the next Transformers movie... come to think of it, I was watching the trailer for Transformers 2 and I think he is there... yay!

Maybe I will name my kid Joshua so I can call him Josh.. I don't think my mom will like it... it reminds her too much of Kris Aquino and the way she says "Josh". Hahaha!

Sige di na nga...

I still love you Dao Ming Si!

2009-02-06T14:44:00.003-05:00

Chayanne’s Yo Te Amo is currently playing on my iPod and I swear every time I hear it, Dao Ming Si and Shan Cai frolicking around in Spain is the very first thing that comes to my mind. Kinikilig pa din ako. Yes, until now.

I even remember the very first Meteor Garden episode I saw. It was the one where they played basketball. I think it was also the episode where Shan Cai meets Dao Ming Si’s sister. I got hooked from that point forward and just kept watching it until I was so obsessed that I ended up buying the entire series on DVD from Quiapo. I personally preferred the subtitles over the version dubbed in Tagalog even though the subtitles were pretty funky and sometimes made no sense at all.

I remember finding out about Meteor Garden 2. I was blissfully happy with the news. I remember going on various Meteor Garden fan sites and forums just to be able to obtain any piece of information about it. I must have gone to Quiapo over and over again, checking if it was already out on DVD. I remember seeing the music video for Yo Te Amo with Dao Ming Si and Shan Cai... It was the teaser for MG 2. I actually cried when they showed Dao Ming Si getting into a car accident. I knew he was going to have some form of amnesia. I’ve seen enough telenovelas to know someone’s bound to lose their memory at some point.

I remember my mum and me watching the episode where Dao Ming Si and Ye Sha were celebrating Valentine’s Day and you could see Dao Ming Si falling in love with her while they were slow dancing. I started bawling right then and there. I was really devastated. I actually hated Dao Ming Si and Ye Sha at that point. I knew that at some point Dao Ming Si and Shan Cai would end up together again but seeing him fall for another girl really hurt! I took it so personally!

It all seems so silly but there’s just a certain charm to Meteor Garden that never fails to appeal to me.

For all you Meteor Garden fanatics out there, enjoy...

Heart of Life

2009-02-05T16:25:00.001-05:00

I really like this song... It was playing at the last scene of the movie Ghost Town which coincidentally was also the first time I ever heard it.

I just thought I'd share it here... enjoy!

Are You Blessed?

2009-02-05T09:51:00.003-05:00

(Author Unknown, Source Unknown )

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness…you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation…you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep…you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace… you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy.

If your parents are still alive and still married…you are very rare, even in the United States.

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful…you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

If you prayed yesterday and today…you are in the minority because you believe God does hear and answer prayers.

If you can read now, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.

So try it…focus on the white paper instead of the black dot.

| Swiped this from Eper's Blog and felt that this was just the thing I needed to read before starting my work day. Especially with the economic crisis that's been going on lately, it's so easy to lose sight of the little things we have but take for granted. Don't you find that it is so much easier for us to take note of the things we don't have rather than the things we do? It's nice to be reminded of just how blessed I truly am. Thank you Eper for sharing this with me. |

Twilight: Director's Notebook

2009-02-04T11:58:00.004-05:00

February 4, 2009 (New York, NY) — Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, a division of Hachette Book Group, will release Catherine Hardwicke's Twilight: Director's Notebook as a one-day laydown on March 17, 2009, it was announced today by Megan Tingley, the division's Senior Vice President and Publisher. This intimate look at the making of Summit Entertainment's film follows visionary director Hardwicke through the creative process. Designed to replicate the director's own personal notebook that she kept on set, readers will discover the inside secrets on casting, location scouting and wardrobe to storyboard sketches, behind-the-scenes photographs, personal notes about Catherine's favorite scenes and much more. This one-of-a-kind experience for all Twilight fans will be released in hardcover for $17.99 with an announced first printing of 500,000 copies.

Read the rest of the press release here. You can read Entertainment Weekly's article here.

To Watch...

2009-02-04T11:52:00.005-05:00

The movies I want to see…

He’s Just Not That Into You
Confessions of a Shopaholic
The Time Traveller’s Wife
Reservation Road
Slumdog Millionaire
Watchmen
Transformers 2
One Week
The Reader

Movies I want to Rent (since I didn’t see them in the theatres)…

Closing the Circle
Kung Fu Panda
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Nights in Rodanthe
Blindness
Changeling
Love and Other Disasters

TV series I were not able to follow but would like to rent…

The New Adventures of Old Christine
Lipstick Jungle
Sex and the City
Supernatural (my brother bought Season 3 so I just need Seasons 1 and 2)
Pride and Prejudice (the one starring Colin Firth – I hear it’s really good)
The 2 Fringe episodes I missed

I should have a “Books I want to read” list too but I don’t really have one. I just make a trip to the bookstore, buy a book and then read it. Although, there are still some books I had already started reading but haven’t been able to finish which I probably should get back to at some point.

Keeping (un)Fit

2009-02-04T10:56:00.001-05:00

The Wii fitness instructor would be very disappointed with me. I haven’t been using the Wii Fit for at least two weeks now and I am definitely not hitting my goal by my deadline. The goal is to lose 5 lbs in two weeks. You and I both know that’s not happening. It’s a nice, impossible goal though. Steve keeps saying we should use the gym at work but our CEO’s always using it and he does NOT want to share. He’s such a weirdo… intelligent but very temperamental. He likes to brag to visitors that we have a gym at the office which the staff can use. BUT what he doesn’t tell them is that the staff can use the gym ONLY if he’s not using it (which is never by the way since he’s always in the gym).

Since a gym membership is a bit expensive for us right now, I am thinking that I should just starve myself. Kidding!! I can’t stop eating even if I tried to. I get really weak really fast if I don’t eat properly. I actually am the type that gets the shakes when I’m really hungry. To top it all off, I also have hyper-acidity which can be both painful and uncomfortable if I skip meals.

I realize that I am actually consuming twice the amount of food I was eating when I first came to Canada. Somehow I must have gotten used to the big servings here. I am always surprised when I finish a plate that I normally wouldn’t have been able to finish. I certainly don’t think that my metabolism has increased. I suspect it’s gone much slower in the last couple of years so I’m definitely not burning enough of what I consume.

I really admire and envy those people who exercise regularly. Some people run or jog outside even during the winter! How do they do that?! I look at their discipline and determination and I am in awe. I wish I could say the same for myself.

Do you agree?

2009-02-03T17:03:00.003-05:00

Brain scans show that when a man’s brain is in a resting state, at least 70 percent of his brain is shut down. On the other hand, when women were resting, at least 90 percent of their brain was active, confirming that women are always thinking...

In another study, when asked to think of nothing, men’s brains were more active in the more primitive physical activity centers, while women’s brains were more active in the emotional centers. Left to themselves, men will think about sex or their jump shot, women will think about their spouse, their children or parents.

-Excerpt from Sex on the Brain by Daniel G. Amen

I came across this excerpt while reading Chatelaine at the doctor's office. I thought it was interesting because I find that even when I don't want to think, I'm constantly thinking. I sometimes feel as though my brain just won't shut down. Not that I have any trouble sleeping... the opposite actually. As soon as I lie down, I'm fast asleep. But I do suspect that even when I am asleep, my mind is still working away which is probably why I dream a lot and why I remember most of my dreams. I always wondered if people thought as much as I do.

Even when I am sitting quietly or staring into space, I am still thinking.

Sweets

2009-02-03T15:16:00.001-05:00

The culprit: a pack of gummy watermelon candies.

A co-worker bought a bag of these yesterday and gave me a few in a small plastic bag. I haven’t been able to stop myself from devouring them and it is making my teeth hurt. Steve has taken and hidden them away from me just so I would finally stop eating. Of course, it doesn’t help that I know exactly where he hid them. This morning, I went to his desk, opened the first drawer and there they were – yummy, gummy watermelon candies.

I was able to eat two of them before Steve caught me. He once again sternly reminded me that I shouldn’t eat them because they’re not good for me. He’s actually threatened to throw them out. I’m just surprised he hasn’t done it yet... I have seen him throw out an entire plastic container half-filled with sour keys so if he says he’ll throw them out, I believe him. Maybe he’s worried I will get upset? Possible. I do get pretty cranky when something I love gets wasted. Particularly food that I like.

I love gummy candies. I never feel good after but I eat them anyway. I used to be able to eat a lot of candy and be fine afterwards. Now, if I consume an entire bag, I get sick. I remember watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when I was a kid and envying the kids in the movie who got to go inside the big candy factory. I watched the remake of that film a few years ago... the one starring Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka and I did not envy the kids at all. Just thinking of all that sugar makes me feel a bit nauseous. Last night while watching Jeopardy, a TV commercial for Werthers came on where it showed this little girl going into a Werthers shop and they were showing different kinds of Werthers candy (soft, chewy and hard) and of course caramel dripping slowly into a container. Steve said he’d love to be in that Werthers shop tasting all those delicious caramel candy. I couldn’t help but laugh because he keeps reprimanding me for eating sweets and yet he eats more chocolate and caramel than anyone I know! I’ve actually witnessed him eat more than 5 mini chocolate bars in a row! I can only eat one of those and I’m good. I find them too sweet. I love Maltesers though... I can finish an entire pack in one sitting.

I’m trying to think which brand of candy/chocolate I like the most but I can’t think of any one brand in particular. I used to be a really HUGE fan of Twix but now I’m not as fond of caramel anymore. I guess our taste when it comes to candy/chocolate changes with us as we grow older.

Do you have faith?

2009-02-03T10:00:00.003-05:00

Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld. – Heb 11:1

I love this particular Bible verse from the book of Hebrews.

Do you think that all people have faith? Not necessarily faith in God but just faith in general? I’d like to think that all of us have faith in someone or something (if not God). Let’s face it, life’s difficult as it is and I can’t imagine anyone going through life without having any kind of faith... faith in one's self...faith that things will work out in the end... faith that something good will eventually come out of it...faith that someone up there is watching. Not having faith in anything almost feels like going through life without any form of hope or destination. Even when things are great, don't you still need faith that things will remain the way they are or that should things go wrong, that it will right itself in the end?

I just find it hard to believe that there are people out there who don't have faith at all.

Where do you put your faith in?

I want a pair!

2009-02-02T15:33:00.010-05:00

I was browsing the Cole Haan website and fell in-love with these...

I love the flower detail on the second and third pair.. looks very dainty and classy at the same time. I like the first pair because it just exudes class and I like the fact that it's dyeable so I can have dyed in black after and wear it with something else. I am thinking of getting one pair (they're so expensive that I can barely afford a pair). My cousin owns a similar pair and she said it's so comfortable and worth every penny.

So many beautiful things.. so little money to spend!

What I've been up to

2009-02-02T15:32:00.000-05:00

I know I have been an absentee when it comes to posting and since it’s been sometime since my last entry, I thought I’d give you an update on what’s been going on with me.

Let’s see…

Steve took me out for dinner at the Old Mill to celebrate our two years together. He wore a suit and I wore a dress and we ate steak and lobster. The place was amazing! It’s one of those places that have been around for years and years and just looks so classy and cozy at the same time. Aside from the good food, we also enjoyed dancing to songs performed by a live band. Steve commented that the singer had a great voice except that he looked as if he had a bit too much to drink. I thought he just looked tired. Too bad, we didn’t have a camera with us so we only took a few pictures using my camera phone. It was too dark for our camera phones so out of all the photos we took, only one turned out nicely. After dinner, we went to Café Mirage for dessert. We love going there for dessert and coffee because they have nice lounge chairs and it’s a good place to just sit and talk. Plus, they have really good cakes, pies, ice cream, waffles and crepes. I have to admit that the evening was expensive but we both had a blast and it was worth every penny.

Last Thursday, my family and I became Canadian citizens. I had to take the day off from work to go for my oath-taking and also to apply for my Canadian passport. Since we applied as a family, we went as a family. There were 91 citizenship candidates present for the oath-taking, representing 23 different countries. It’s nice seeing so many different people from different backgrounds in one room. So different and yet so alike in so many ways. The judge was a nice, friendly man… such a huge contrast to all the other employees there who seemed to hate working in the service industry. I guess when you have to deal with people day in and day out, especially having to deal with people who can’t seem to follow the simplest instructions, it does get very tiring. But still, I don’t like all the people I have to deal with on a daily basis but I try my best to be pleasant! Anyhow, the judge encouraged the participants to take the oath in both French and English to show our support for Canada’s bilingualism and multiculturalism. He said the oath in French first which we all followed. I couldn’t help but laugh during the entire process because something about a room full of people mumbling French words they don’t understand seemed ridiculous. For all we know, the judge could have been saying something else entirely different and we’d be repeating it just the same!

I’m really glad we got our citizenship. We waited at least 3 years just so we can apply for it. We’ve applied for our passports as well so hopefully we’ll be able to travel to the states soon to see our relatives. I keep telling Steve, he’ll have to take me shopping in Buffalo or New York. He just shakes his head and tells me I should know better. Hahahaha!

In case you are wondering if I denounced my Filipino citizenship… no, I didn’t and neither did my family. We weren’t required to and it’s nice being able to have dual citizenship. We are happy to be Filipino-Canadians.

What else…? I haven’t been able to watch a single episode of Fringe since it came back two weeks ago and I’m completely lost. JR won’t tell me what happened and insists that I watch it on my own. He says that it’s better that way. The problem is, I just haven’t found the time to actually watch the episodes I missed. Apparently, Prison Break’s about to be axed. It’s a good show but it is about time they ended it. The story line’s getting a bit ridiculous. Come to think of it, the only show I’ve been able to follow lately is the Bachelor. Only because Steve’s sister watches it regularly and I end up watching it too.

We recently rented Ghost Town from Blockbuster and we liked it. As my dad puts it, it’s got a subtle sense of humor but quite enjoyable. I laughed so hard at the part where he gags because of the dog! Too funny!

I saw this really beautiful blue dress at Club Monaco the other day and I REALLY wanted to buy it except that it was expensive and way over my budget. I walked out of that store feeling depressed. I knew I shouldn’t have gone in to begin with. Stubborn, stubborn fool.

I finally got the swimsuits I ordered online and… none of them fit me properly!! I’m so annoyed… now I have to ship them all back. I would have rather bought one from a store here in Toronto but most stores have the same stuff. There’s so much more available online and cheaper too. I just wish they fit as well as they looked online. That way I don’t have to keep buying them and then having to return them.

Shopping can be quite difficult at times…

Mind-boggling.

2009-01-27T09:59:00.003-05:00

I was reading an article on MSN this morning about a few individuals who are considered medical mysteries. I found it quite interesting so I thought I’d share it with you.

It’s pretty amazing how different and yet similar we all truly are.

Read Dr. Oz Investigates Medical Mysteries.

I can't imagine being so physically different. I can only imagine the challenges it must present. I admire the strength and the heart that these people have.

A lot of people tell me I have an excellenet memory but wow, Jill sure has an outstanding memory! Although interesting, I'm sure it must be difficult to remember things that you would rather forget. They say that the brain automatically "forgets" anything that might be too painful or traumatic. Imagine not being able to forget? It must be hard.

I love the question that Dr. Oz presents at the end of the article:

"But the real question in my mind—I wonder if all of us have memories we can't access or if you're able to store more memories than any of us can..."

I've always wondered if we do somehow record everything that happens to us but we just don't always know how to access all of our memories. And I also wonder how our brain decides on which memories we remember and which ones we don't. It really is interesting.

PMS and the Wii Fit.

2009-01-16T14:54:00.001-05:00

I can’t tell you enough how glad I am that it’s Friday. This week has left me drained out and extremely tired. Last night, I passed out on my bed at 11 pm and woke up this morning in almost the exact same position. I slept so soundly and yet I still felt tired when I got up.

I am easily annoyed these days… I honestly think it’s because I’m PMS-ing. I don’t know if that’s considered too much information on this blog but it is what it is. If you aren’t female, then I’m sure you’ve got sisters, mothers, girlfriends, aunts, wives, and daughters so this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Anyhoo, I’ve noticed that the littlest things upset me, I am needy and I am very sensitive. One minute I’m completely fine and the next minute I feel like bursting into tears. The thing is, I am aware of the fact that it’s my hormones causing all these mood swings I’ve been having and yet I can’t seem to control any of it. I’m just plain emotional… and it sucks.

We bought a Wii Fit over the holidays and I’ve been trying to get some much needed exercise using it. I even created my own Mii character (very similar to an avatar except that it’s a 3D graphic). The Wii Fit has four (4) major types of exercises that are designed to tone and strengthen your body as well as improve posture and balance. Before you begin an exercise, it suggests that you do a body test where it measures your BMI and weight and then gives you tips on how to burn fat or tone muscles effectively. When you are ready to train, you get to choose between Yoga, Strengthening exercises, Aerobics and Balance exercises. You can choose to only do one form of exercise but you are encouraged to combine all four to help improve your overall fitness. The more time you spend exercising, the more kinds of exercises you unlock.

Well, let me tell you, I’m now officially addicted to it. I try to go on the Wii Fit for at least half an hour to an hour every other day. Since I started, I have only really lost maybe barely a pound or two but maann… different parts of my body hurt! First it was my legs, then my abs, then my back muscles, then my arms and today my side muscles hurt. The sad thing is that I don’t see any improvement physically but I do feel lots of soreness. I hear that’s a good thing because it means I’m stretching my muscles. I don’t know for sure but I better see some physical improvements! Not that I’m overweight… the opposite actually… but there are certain areas I would like to improve.. like having a flatter tummy or toned arms. I am told I need to watch my food intake too but it’s so hard! I’m always hungry! I tend to snack when I’m bored! I can totally empathize with people who find it hard to curb their appetites… I’m one of them!

I love going on the Wii Fit because I can just go on it anytime I want to and in the comfort of my own home. I don’t think it’s designed for body builders but it might just be good enough for what I need. I’m not looking at having big muscles anyway. If the Wii Fit isn’t enough, maybe then I’ll consider getting a gym membership. In the meantime, I’m going to continue having fun with it and hoping it will at least give my a flatter tummy.

Cold Weather Alert.

2009-01-14T10:48:00.003-05:00

We have a cold weather alert today. According to this morning’s weather report, the warmest it’s going to get is a still very cold -11 degrees Celsius. The low is apparently a freezing -21 degrees and if we factor in the wind chill, it would feel like -29 degrees.

Because I am always cold, I decided I should put on even more layers of clothing today due to the kind of temperatures we are having. I am wearing thick socks that go almost up to my knees, jeans, a long-sleeved white shirt with a thick wool turtleneck on top of it, and thick, water-proof boots with fur lining inside. To top it all off, I also have a scarf, leather gloves and a thick winter jacket that are long enough to cover my thighs. I officially now look like a miniature Sasquatch. I can barely move with all the layers of clothing I am wearing. I imagine you can probably try to punch me and I wouldn’t feel a thing.

It was biting cold when I got out of the house this morning. I could see my breath turn into white air every time I exhaled and my nostrils felt so dry and brittle that I thought my nose would bleed. My head was covered and so were my ears so that helped a little bit. But it was really uncomfortable being outside in such cold conditions.

It is days like today when I wish I were somewhere warm.