Out of Shape

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.

Edward's Perspective

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!

Paint

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!

Lovely little things

Oohhh found these on ETSY and I WANT them!!

Love furniture shopping

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.

Love it

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.

Where do I buy a bit of creativity?

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?

Phenomen'Eyes Mascara

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...?

I want a pair!

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!

Can someone get me these in a size 5.5 or 6?

Aren’t they beautiful?

I have been browsing the internet for a nice pair of shoes/sandals/wedges that I can wear with my wedding dress. I can’t wear heels because the wedding is on the beach so I am somewhat limited to low or midrise wedges or flats. I have found a few cute ones from Piperlime but they only ship to the U.S. so I am thinking of buying a pair and then maybe having them shipped to family members in Virginia and then have them ship it to me.

I am leaning more towards getting a low or midrise wedge because I need the added height but there aren’t a lot out there that are nice enough for a wedding. The ones that I do find that are really nice cost an arm and a leg and although I am willing to spend that much money, Steve will most likely freak out.

I was worried about finding the dress but it is actually easier to find a dress than it is to find shoes and accessories to go with it (or maybe I only feel that way because I still haven’t found/bought them yet).

I REALLY, REALLY LOVE this pair… I look at them everyday. I just haven’t been able to think of way of purchasing them without going over my budget.

If you get this pair for me, I will forever be grateful!

Excited, Disappointed, Giddy and Sad

I can’t tell you how excited I am that Twilight is coming out on Friday! I am so giddy I feel as though I’m bouncing off walls. Every time they show the trailer on TV, I stop whatever it is I’m doing, run to the living room and jump up and down while clapping my hands like a silly school girl. Steve just laughs at me and my brothers think I’m a complete dork. But I don’t care! I love it!

I try not to set my hopes up too high. Chances are, the book will probably be better than the movie but I’d love to see it anyways. I am still a bit unsure of Robert Pattinson playing Edward but I’ll know for sure when I see the movie. I really… REALLY hope it doesn’t disappoint.

I have Twilight in my head day and night and while having lunch on Sunday at a Chinese restaurant downtown, I noticed a guy sitting at the table across from me. His features were similar to how I envisioned Edward in my head and of course I couldn’t help but look at him every now and then (I actually think he might have noticed… whoops!). Steve was sitting beside me and I think I might have actually whispered to him, “Honey, see that guy across us? He looks like Edward from my book…”

I checked Stephenie Meyer’s website last week and saw that she had posted the draft for Midnight Sun which is basically the Twilight Story but told from Edward’s point of view. I absolutely enjoyed reading it. It was nice to be able to know Edward a little bit better… to be able to know what he was thinking and feeling all those times when Bella could only read his facial expressions. It was also nice being able to get to know the Cullen Family a bit better and the extent of their relationship and the complexities of being vampires. I am very disappointed though to read that Stephenie has decided to put Midnight Sun on hold indefinitely due to a leak of the draft online. I am upset at the people who leaked it (whether intentionally or unintentionally) and that because of it, I might never be able to read Midnight Sun. I just can’t get over the fact that it has been put on hold indefinitely. I don’t even know if it will ever be published. I am just plain sad about it (depressed actually). I’ve contemplated on writing Stephenie to try to encourage her to continue writing but I couldn’t find her email address on the website. (And yes, I am THAT big of a fan that I would actually consider writing to the author… I am such a dweeb sometimes).

I really wish Midnight Sun would someday be published. I would give up shopping for the next 6 months if it meant I get to read the book one day. (If you knew me at all, you’d know giving up shopping for 6 months is a very big sacrifice on my part). What would you give up for Midnight Sun?

To Travel

I recently purchased a book entitled Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and so far I have read about 50 pages of it. I am aware of how popular it has become but never really got curious enough to buy it. That was until I saw her on Oprah. For some reason, it just caught my attention and it finally convinced me to go ahead and buy that darn book.

Although I haven’t gotten very far in my reading, I have to admit that there is a certain charm to it that piques my curiosity. I admire her for her courage to go after what she wanted… learn a new language, visit the countries she wanted to see and make new friends in places she’s never been to. I sometimes wish I were that adventurous… I think my sense of adventure goes as far as trying a fig (and I didn’t even like it). I wanted to learn French and I actually went as far as buying a self-teaching French kit… you know, those things you buy at your local bookstore that includes a French dictionary and a CD… that kit is still pretty much intact, never been opened and is gathering dust somewhere in my bedroom. I think my youngest brother, Miguel, actually knows more French than I do. At least he knows enough to be able translate some signs on the road.

I think I am reserved to a degree… or just being cautious as I’d like to put it. I’m a worrier by nature so I waste time by thinking of things that may or may not happen. I can talk to strangers but I am quite uncomfortable with it especially if the person I am speaking to is male. I get anxious every time I have to travel for work. I don’t feel comfortable staying at a hotel alone and eating meals in places I’ve never been to. I like staying in my comfort zone where everything is familiar and predictable. For some reason I just feel safer that way.

But yes, I would love to travel. I would love to meet new people and make friends in different places. I would love to learn about other cultures and taste Chinese food in China, Pasta in Italy, sushi in Japan, Gyros and Souvlaki in Greece, Waffles in Belgium and all that. I’d love to be able to go to Europe and experience all its wonderful architecture and history and art. I’d love to be able to visit all those beautiful places I see in books and movies. I would love to be able to speak another language so fluently. I once met a Japanese woman who spoke fluent Greek and I wish I could speak and understand Greek just as well as her instead of staring blankly at people with a confused expression every time they spoke in a language that was so alien to me.

Some people are so lucky to have the money and the means to travel. I sometimes wish I had the money to do that too… where I can just take huge amounts of time off work and go to different places and be able to afford all sorts of things that go with it. I would like to live La Dolce Vita as some would say.

Wouldn’t it be nice?

Ang Tagal Pa!

Found the following Twilight Trailers on Yahoo and it's making me anxious to see the movie!

Silly me.

I am in-love with Edward Cullen.

Not the actor that plays him… but Edward himself.

I know… it’s childish.

But give me a break here… I love the books, love the characters, love the story and…

I cannot wait for the movie!

W.

Steve’s cousin sent us an email yesterday with a PPS (PowerPoint) file containing pictures of the W Hotel in Maldives. I was really blown away by how beautiful it is. I even searched for it on Google and found some videos on YouTube.

I WANT TO GO!!

I wonder how much an all-inclusive trip there would cost. I read somewhere that the rooms could cost somewhere between $1700 per night and some rooms, believe it or not, could cost up to $20,000 per night!! But don’t quote me on it because it’s not a fact and I could be wrong. I still haven’t done enough research to find out how much it costs exactly. I just read that off of someone else’s page.

I told Steve about it and he said it would probably cost a fortune and it’s not exactly nearby and we’ll probably be broke with airfare alone. Plus he said that if a Tsunami hit it, we’d have no where to go. Hahaha!

BUT, how can you not want to go to a place like this?!

I miss Mexico!

It’s only my second week back from our trip to Mexico and I’m still trying to get over it. I had so much fun and I can’t help but reminisce about the whole thing and I can’t stop looking at the pictures we took. Yan ang hirap sa nagbabakasyon, pag nagenjoy ka mashado, ayaw mo nang bumalik. Hmpf.

I miss…

• Waking up after 7 to 8 hours of sleep, going for a buffet breakfast, changing into my swimsuit and jumping in our swim-up pool
  
  
• Going to the beach and playing in the waves or just lying down under the sun
  
  
• Getting half-hour massages on the beach for only $20
  
  
• Ordering as much Miami Vice as I want and not having to pay for it… actually I miss eating and drinking as much as I want and not having to pay for it
  
  
• The really hot, humid weather
  
  
• The scent of the ocean
  
  
• Our beautiful hotel room and everything in it...

Ok, fine, I miss just about everything. We really should've stayed for 2 weeks instead of a week.

I Want One Too.

Kneeler Chair

Saw this on Violet's post and I want one too! I think I'd love it for work!

Manila Ocean Park.

I just found out that there is now a Manila Ocean Park in the Philippines! Whoa! I didn’t even know they were building one. When did all this happen? It seems as if I have been living under a rock all this time. It never fails to amaze me how so much can happen in the 3-4 years since I left the country… I am blown away.

It seems to have just opened recently and I found a bit of info and some pictures of it here.

It looks pretty cool and I would love to go one day. The prices on the site above said the admission fee is 400php for adults and 350php for kids. It seems expensive in my opinion but the prices of commodities have risen since I left the Philippines and maybe 400php is not that much money anymore. Plus, I don’t really know what you get with it and how big the place is and maybe 400php is reasonable for what you get. Nonetheless, it all seems very interesting and worth seeing. It would certainly be a good place for a school field trip although again, I do not know if 400php is all that affordable. I am definitely adding this to my list of places to visit one day.

In the website, it also mentioned that…

…The Oceanarium Journey is divided into six sections and each section carries a Filipino name: "Agos", "Bahura", "Buhay na Karagatan", "Pating", "Ang Kailaliman", and "Laot"…

Just out of curiosity, what does “Bahura” mean? I have never heard of that word before. Yes, believe it or not, there are a lot of Filipino words I am not familiar with although I was born and raised in the Philippines.

I have always wanted to visit an Ocean Park of some sort. I have yet to experience walking in a water/aquarium tunnel with marine life swimming all around me. It is what attracts me the most. Marine life is just so interesting and beautiful. Have you seen those Planet Earth documentaries featuring marine life? They are, without question, among the most intriguing and beautiful creatures on our planet. I love watching those documentaries. Who knew that in Indonesia, they have land snakes that go to the sea to feed on fishes? Not only that, but they actually work with other fishes to trap those little ones in one place where both species can feed. They look so pretty and scary at the same time. I cannot imagine myself being in the water at the same time as those snakes. There were hundreds of them! And they are quite poisonous too. I always ask myself how they’re caught on film…

I really hope to be able to visit the Manila Ocean Park one day with the entire family. It would be an awesome experience I think.

I Like.

I have been trying my best to save money for the past couple of months and this means not spending as much as I used to. I have been doing quite well and have been able to save some money. Not much but not bad either.

Although I still go to the mall every now and then, I am quite happy to report that I have been able to stop myself from spending on unnecessary items. When before I would buy whatever caught my eye, now I am able to look at something and walk towards the opposite direction. Not an easy thing to do but I MUST save.

I recently passed by Banana Republic and saw this handbag:



I like the tan-colored version of it better than the white. It is pricey of course and I wouldn’t spend over $200 for a handbag but I really, really like it.

Sometimes talaga I wish I had a lot of money. Hmpf.