Doodles on Paper

I was a little bored at work today so I started doodling on pieces of paper with my new set of multi-colored pens. Everytime I needed a break from testing, I would whip out my pens and start writing nonsense on a piece of paper. I would make fancy letters and color the middle. I’m most likely wasting paper and ink but it’s entertaining.

I had written a single word on a small piece of paper with a red pen and colored the insides of the letters with purple. After much work, I looked at what I had made and admired it for its abundance in color. And then I proceeded to tell myself how creative I was and how much time is going by just by doodling (oh sorry, I was making “art”).

Then after admiring my work, I looked at my watch and realized I only wasted 5 minutes of my time. Great, that’s just craptastic.

300

This serves as my 300th post! YAY!

Cheers to me and all my posting efforts!

YAY!

Two Left Feet

Sometimes I will be listening to a really upbeat song on my iPod or in the car with Steve and I’ll start moving to the song, forgetting that I’m not alone and other people are probably looking at me thinking I’m crazy.

I would often realize what I am doing after a few minutes, start looking around to see if anyone is looking and blush a bit in embarassment. Just the other day, while waiting for the pedestrian light to turn green, I started moving to a song I was listening to. By the time I realized I probably looked like a fool, this guy in a car was looking at me with an expression I can’t quite read. I was so embarassed that I crossed the road in a hurry and rushed inside our condo.

Last night, Steve was driving me home and the radio started playing The Way I Are and I started moving to it and Steve looked at me and laughed. It was a bit embarassing but what could I do? I had to laugh.

I love to dance but I don’t think I’m very good at it. In fact, I do most of my dancing in my bedroom where no one else can see. Even when I go out with others to a club or a party, I hesitate to dance. I always get very self-conscious and I try to hide behind the really good dancers. I know, I should just let go and try to have fun with it.

Cold

I’m so glad to not be training today. I feel very tired and coffee this morning didn’t help. To keep myself occupied, I’ve decided to do a bit more QA and my bug list has tripled in size. Yeah, the boss won’t be happy with development and development won’t be happy with me.

I was smart enough to wear warmer clothing today. I’ve been refusing to wear warm clothing for some time now because I feel that I SHOULD be wearing light summer clothes since it is SUPPOSED to be hot outside. But the past few days have been a little cold and so I thought it’s about time that I wear clothes that would cover me up a bit more so walking outside or riding the train wouldn’t be so uncomfortable.

Sometimes I wonder where all the cold air is coming from. Darn Alaska.

One Hip Slip Too Many

Last night I passed by the mall on my way home because I needed to buy a bottle of conditioner, body lotion, and a black hip slip. I bought a black dress over the weekend and if I stood in the sun, you can almost see through it and glimpse my undies. Of course I wasn’t having any of that so I needed to buy a hip slip.

Now, who knew that finding a hip slip would be such a difficult task? I thought they would have it at La Senza for sure but apparently they don’t make hip slips. Dammit, I don’t need them to make one… I just need them to sell one! So there I was walking through Eaton Centre, entering stores that I thought might possibly sell them and found nothing. Finally, I decided I would check Sears since it was the nearest one to me. It was horrible. First, I couldn’t find an attendant who could tell me if they sold them so I spent a good amount of time walking around trying to find someone. When I finally did find someone, they pointed me to the farthest corner of the floor and said they would be on a rack against the wall. I got there and all of them were not only long but they were too big.

So I decided to check out The Bay. The Bay happens to be on the other side of the mall so I had to walk all the way across and then go several floors up until I got to the appropriate section. Similar to Sears, they also had them in a corner but luckily enough, they had my size. Just to be sure I tried them on and then paid for it. I ended up getting home late just because of a stupid hip slip.

I really did consider just returning the dress at one point.

End of Season

The end-of-season sale has already begun and I can’t help but feel sad. It’s a huge indicator that summer is almost over and I feel as though it hasn’t even begun yet. The weather has been a bit crappy and the temperature’s not even close to what it should be by this time of the year. Winter seems to drag on and on and on and summer always seems to fly by. It’s just not fair.

I’ve only been able to wear my bathing suit once and I want to go to the beach and go swimming still. Summer just CANNOT be over yet! I refuse!

Random Fact

One random thing I learned at the ROM on Sunday: The weekend was born sometime during the 1870’s. During that time, people worked 6 days of the week and only had Sunday’s off. The men worked for 10-12 hours per day while women worked 12-14 hours. Several companies noticed that the number of people showing up late for work on Mondays was increasing and so they started to let employees out early on Saturdays and hence the weekend was born.

Interesting huh?

Canada Day Weekend

The long weekend has come and gone and I am once again sitting at my desk at work wishing it was the long weekend all over again. It was a good break – having started the long weekend right with a BBQ in the office. It was nice to be at work on a Friday afternoon, doing nothing but eating BBQ and talking with people instead of working.

Friday night, Steve and I met up with friends at Jack Astor’s to celebrate Elisabeth’s graduation. We thought we’d be late but traffic had cooperated and we got there right on time. The following morning, Saturday, Steve and I had breakfast at Crème de la Crème along Bloor Street West and then headed downtown to the Royal Ontario Museum. He had gotten us museum tickets since I’ve never been there. We didn’t want to have to worry about parking downtown so we decided to take transit instead. Steve was so adorable taking the TTC… he was swiping the metropass the wrong way. LOL.

The ROM had 4 floors, all of which we visited. It was pretty amazing and we both loved it. It’s so interesting to see and learn about so many different things. We had taken some pictures with my phone camera since I had forgotten my digital camera at home. By the end of it, our feet hurt and we were starving. We must’ve been there for atleast 3 hours but it was all worth it. After the ROM, we took a walk along Yorkville and did a bit of shopping. That same night, we met up with Denny and company and went to Remy’s and had drinks on the rooftop. Since I don’t like the taste of alcohol, I drank iced tea the entire time. It was fun but I was freezing. It would’ve been nice to stay there for several hours if it weren’t so cold.

Sunday, I attended my first ever JW meeting with Steve. We stopped by Milestones first to have lunch since we had an hour to kill. YUM! The meeting we attended only lasted an hour and afterwards we headed to his place to change and then went to the beaches to play beach volleyball with his friends. I haven’t played volleyball since highschool and it is pretty safe to say I sucked at it. Steve on the other hand was amazing. He was the best player among all of us and I’m not being biased or anything. It’s the truth! He can return the ball and serve with ease. While he was racking up points for the team, I was getting bruised on my arms from the hitting the ball so hard. I don’t even know who lost of who won or how many games in total everyone played.

After volleyball, we went to another beach for the bonfire and to watch the fireworks display. It was so cold and thankfully we had brought a blanket with us. We were surprised at how many people had shown up. We had a beautiful view of the city and the water but it was super uncomfortable sitting on the rocks. Steve and I kept complaining how much our bum, our back and our legs hurt and we kept adjusting our sitting position and trying to find ways to make ourselves comfortable. After a couple of hours, we decided to head home since it was just plain uncomfortable already and we were freezing. We both got home at 3:00 am and I was so tired that I couldn’t even say my prayers straight.

Monday, Steve and I decided to go to his cousin’s place and we had brunch together and played Monopoly. I had to take a nap after because I was still exhausted from the day before. We spent the entire day there and left late to go home.

It really was a great weekend. We got to do so many things and see people and although we were pretty tired after, we had so much fun. Dammit, can we move back time and do it all over again?

iPod Update

We’re having a company BBQ today at work which means we’re only working half the day! YAY!

I slept at 2am this morning since I was ripping CDs, downloading music and transferring them over to my iPod. I had originally intended to go to bed early but I kept telling myself, “Just one more CD… just one more song…” and on and on and on it went until it was already too late. I’m the type of person that likes to finish what they start so it’s difficult for me to put something down once I start it. I keep telling myself I can always do it another time but for some reason I feel the need to get everything done right then and there. It works to my advantage most of the time so I am guessing this is a good trait.

And then there’s the odd circumstance where it is a disadvantage. But if the positives are more than the negatives, then I’m definitely keeping the habit.

So now, I have over 800 songs on my iPod and three music videos. Purchasing videos on iTunes is quite expensive… at least I think so.

I bought my new iPod a cute case that when I carry it with me, it looks like I’m carrying a wallet. I guess it’s a little weird because now it looks like I am listening to my wallet. But it’s still cute so I’m keeping it.

One more thing: JR bought a set of iPod earphones that came with an FM tuner but it doesn’t work with his iPod so he gave them to me in exchange for my regular earphones. Sweet.

Shop Crazy

I’m so tired. I only got 4 hours pf sleep last night and I swear the train ride this morning seemed shorter than usual and didn’t really allow me to nap. I’m glad I only have to stay at work until 3pm today since I have a doctor’s appointment this afternoon.

I was hoping to get a few things done tonight and maybe take a stroll downtown if I have enough energy. It’s quite nice and sunny outside and it’s ideal for a walk along Queen Street West. I would love to take a walk along Bloor Street West and look at the little shops there but I don’t have time to do that today.

I am dying to go shopping but I am also trying to save so it’s really an internal battle. Last night Steve and I went shopping with Fey and it was quite the shopping marathon. It’s funny that out of the three of us, I was the one who ended up not getting anything when I’m the avid shopper. I was quite proud of the fact I didn’t spend but I must admit that it’s also partly because I didn’t find anything I liked in particular. I tried a few things on but none of them looked good on me or worth spending money on. It was an accomplishment nonetheless.

I need some skirts, dresses, shorts and another pair of jeans.

iPod

I lost my iPod the other day. I think I may have put it down in the dressing room in one of the stores I went to but I can’t be sure. I only went to three different places and I must’ve put it down somewhere and just forgot about it. By the time I realized I didn’t have it with me, an hour had gone by and when I retraced my steps, it led me nowhere. I knew I wouldn’t find it anyways because it’s very unlikely that someone would find an iPod and return it. But still, I was hopeful.

So there you go, my iPod is gone and although I’ve had it for over a year, it was still worth a bit of money when I bought it and now all that money I spent has gone down the toilet. Although I am sure I have a copy of most of the songs I’ve collected, I am still sad about the fact that there are some songs I had ripped off someone else’s CDs and now I don’t have them anymore. I would have to either re-download or purchase it off iTunes.

Anyhoo, I was already pondering on the amunt of money I would need to save so I can buy a new iPod. But last night, Steve gave me a video iPod! YAY! It was so sweet of him. I was really touched. I had started putting songs in it but as of today I only have 200 plus songs and I will have to look for other songs.

I may have lost my iPod but I have a very thoughtful Steve.

What's in a Name?

I came across this article on yahoo and I can’t help but feel sorry for the kid. Can you imagine what it would be like to fill out a form? Imagine applying for a credit card!

You know those boxes they have on forms where you need to enter each letter of your name in a box? Ah…yeah… go figure how she’ll manage.

Or imagine what it must be like during the first day of school when the teacher calls out each student’s name? Five whole minutes would’ve gone by and she’d still be reciting the kid’s name.

How about legal documents like a birth certificate or a passport? Sheesh!

Poor kid, good luck memorizing your name!

Babbling

Today looks like another day full of QA. Not that I’m complaining... I’d pick QA over training ANY TIME.

This being said, I don’t think I will be pursuing training as a career. It just isn’t something I enjoy doing. People have told me to pursue it because I do it well and there’s good money in it. But if every time I have training I feel depressed, doesn’t that tell you I hate it? I mean, what’s the point in doing something you don’t want to do even if it pays well, right?

Anyhow, we celebrated JR’s b-day on Sunday and we were both talking about how old we were getting and how fast time flies and how it certainly seemed only yesterday we were still kids. He said something like, “I imagined me at this age differently…” I laughed because I imagined me at my age differently too. I think everyone does. We all have an image of ourselves several years from now and sometimes we tend to over do it to a point that we get awfully disappointed when we reach that age and we are far from what we had envisioned ourselves to be. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is healthy to have a goal… to want to be something by a certain point in your life. I think it motivates us to make something of ourselves and not just let our lives fly by. But at the same time, I think we should also consider the fact that life is unpredictable and doesn’t always go as planned but it doesn’t mean we’re any less than what we originally thought we were going to be. Yes, it is different but not necessarily bad. Certain hiccups in life actually help us become better people in a lot of ways which may not necessarily be so obvious. There are lessons we’ve learned and lessons we have yet to learn and although our lives are not as grand as we envisioned it would be, it makes us see life in a different perspective.

I’m babbling aren’t I?

Rides

I was looking at the list of top ten rollercoasters on MSN this morning and looking at some of them brought back the nausea I felt during our last trip to Wonderland. Steve and I rode the Vortex and it would have been fun if I didn’t bang my head a million times agains the seat. The head banging was what made me dizzy at the end of the ride.

I love going to amusement parks and going on rides although I avoid rides that spin too much because I tend to get sick. I’ve always loved amusement parks since I was little and I remember my parents taking us to Big Bang in Alabang in December. Although it seems to me that rides don’t really make you dizzy when you’re little and for some reason, as you grow older, you get more nauseus going on them.

I’ve always wondered… why doesn’t Wonderland have a Ferris Wheel?

Time

Listening to “You Get What You Give” by the New Radicals… brings back so many fond memories.

The other night, mum showed me pictures of my nephews in the Phils and I was so shocked to see how big they had grown. I could almost swear they were babies and toddlers when we left and now they’re huge! All of a sudden I could feel the amount of time that has passed since I left the country and I felt a sudden longing to come home. As if coming home would turn back time.

I am forever amazed by the passing of time. We don't notice it so much until we stop to look at what has changed since then.

Nap Time

I finally figured out why I’m so sleepy today. It because I drank orange juice instead of coffee this morning! This is, of course, my presumption. I could be wrong.

I struggled to keep my eyes open the entire morning and it reminded me of those funny cartoons where they put toothpicks to hold their eyelids up. For a second there, it almost seemed like a solution. I tried drinking plenty of water (I don’t know why I thought that would help), chewed gum, listened to lively music, talked to people, walked around the office and tried to post… but all to no avail. I couldn’t concentrate on anything I was trying to do because because I was too busy trying to stay awake. I miserably stared at my PC and complained to Steve… like complaining would help keep me up.

To make things worse, I had to train a client today and I was not in the mood for it. At all. It’s so difficult to train someone when all you feel like doing is falling asleep right then and there. I managed to survive but it was a bit painful. Thankfully, it wasn’t a full day of training or else I would’ve cried.

Wah. I really need a nap… to fall into sweet slumber right now would be amazing.

Lesser Evil

Darn it, you know that exfoliating cream I had successfully avoided buying? It freakin’ works! It actually works!

You know what that means?

That means I should have bought it! Dammit! Arrrgghh.

Anyhow, work has stepped up and it’s been a little busy for me. I’ve been handling work-related stress a bit better and just trying to take things in stride. My so-called work-related stress isn’t so much about the job… the cause is the people I work with (not all of them) and the lack of direction. I just found out that I am moving once again to another desk (this would be my 2nd move from my original desk) and I have to say I am not too happy about it. I had to choose the lesser evil. It was either sitting beside a co-worker I don’t like or sitting at a desk which exposes everything I am doing on my computer. Tough… do I choose the annoying co-worker who would eventually annoy me to death? Or do I choose to move to a desk facing the hallway?

For my own sanity, I chose the hallway.

Think, people

I came across this article on MSN and it surprises me that people don’t think about this kind of thing happening. Every time I see pictures of lottery winners on the front cover of a newspaper or on TV, I can’t help but shake my head in disapproval and go, “What the heck were these people thinking?!”

Don’t you realize that telling the world you have $20 million dollars makes you a really good target for people with bad intentions?

In the Philippines (if I remember correctly), they don’t publish winners’ identities simply because of how dangerous it is. We are well aware of just how many bad and desperate people are out there. We can’t even display our cellphones in public too much for fear of attracting a stalker/hold-upper/thief. I remember going to Glorietta one summer with my family to buy school supplies. We had lunch and then my mom realized her purse had been stolen… together with at least 5000php in it and all her credit cards and bank cards. It was so bad. I also remember commuting to UST one early morning with 5 people in the jeep and the guy near the exit was holding a knife and asking the girl beside me to give him her watch. Her watch! It wasn’t even anything special… it was plain and old.

So when you are out there smiling towards a camera, waiving a check in hand and a headline that says, “Winner of $20 million…” Is it not just plain D-U-M-B? Is it really all that surprising when someone tries something against you?

Be more wary people.

Darn makeup

Phone banking can be such a pain sometimes. It allows you to make transactions like paying bills and moving money around but when you want to find out what happened to your money or if you want the last 10 transactions since your last statement, it gives you such a hard time. It's a freakin' conspiracy I tell you. It doesn't want you to monitor your money at all!

I decided to pass by The Bay on my way home because I needed to buy makeup. I forgot that Tuesdays isn't such a good time to pass by because that's when they have makeup artists that give free makeovers and stuff. It's really good if you're looking at buying a lot of makeup or if you want to try different things. But when your goal is to come and just buy the one thing you need, it's really not an ideal situation because you get tempted to buy so many things you do NOT need. It turns out to be really expensive and before you know it, you're walking out of the store broke.

I have a spending problem. I really do.

Tanned

I love the summer. It’s warm, I can wear anything I want, go places and do stuff outdoors… it’s just plain awesome.

I spent most of my weekend under the sun and I got pretty tanned. Miss-smarty-pants here didn’t put any sunblock on so not only am I bright red on my cheeks, shoulders and neck, but I am also in pain. My legs are a bit sore from swimming and because I am burnt, it stings when my clothes rub against my skin. I used to be the most fair in my family and now I’m the darkest. JR keeps teasing me about it and dad keeps rubbing it in some more.

Mum: “Don’t worry, it will go away in the winter and you’re skin will return to its natural color.”

Me: “But summer is just beginning which means I’m going to get burnt some more! Ang itim ko na!”

Mum: “Bakit, you’re Filipino naman ah… You are supposed to be a bit dark”

Me: “Eh kaso I’m not dark naman by nature noh! I was born fair so getting tanned doesn’t mean I’m returning to my natural color. Not even close”

Mum: “Sabi na kasi you should’ve worn sunblock. Ang kulit kasi eh.”

I felt better later when Steve and I went out for dinner and he said he likes my new color. He said I have a “glow”. I smiled…

Great Weekend.

• Pay Day
• Breakfast at Perkins
• Paramount Wonderland
• Swimming
• A nice tan (or so everyone says… it stings though)
• A squeeky clean bath tub (without me cleaning it)
• Finding a super nice, dark pair of jeans that fit me perfectly
• Being able to buy a cute top 5 mins before the store closed
• Lining up to buy an expensive piece of clothing and then just when I’m about to pay, being told it was on sale for half the price!
• Getting Love Generation for a ringtune (and it sounds awesome)
• Spending time with the family and going to Little Italy for lunch
  
  And of course, lots and lots of time with Stevie!!

One Word: WOW

Saw this today and it honestly brought tears to my eyes...(Watch the judges reactions). In Simon Cowell's own words, "Absolutely Fantastic".



While the first one ALMOST brought me to tears, this next one ACTUALLY DID! She's so adorable!



This are some more that I thought were really good...









Last one to make you laugh!

So You Think You Can Dance?

Here are a few video clips from the show where the dancing and the choreography just blew me away!

Enjoy!

Sara and Jesus (Cabaret Hoover by The Triplets of Belleville)


Kameron and Lacey (Dancing by Elisa)


Cedric and Faina (Get it Shawty by Lloyd)


Hok and Jamie (Tambourine by Eve)

Lola

I got into the elevator last night to make my way up to our floor in the building and the scent that greeted me upon entering reminded me of my grandmother’s house in QC. It smelled exactly the same and it’s almost as if my grandmother was in the elevator with me. I got a little freaked out coz you know what they say about that right?

Anyhoo, I felt a little sad because I haven’t seen her since we left for Canada almost 3 years ago and I truly miss her and her b-day parties. She’s such a sweet old lady with a great capacity for listening. We used to see her almost every other weekend and when she knew we were coming to visit, she would prepare dishes that she knew we loved. She would prepare a dish for my dad (he’s the most picky out of all of us I think) and she would also prepare dishes for my 2 brothers (that would most likely consist of chicken). Mum and I would eat whatever was there. If we came late and she’s already eaten, she would still sit with us in the dining table and just watch us eat and listen to our stories. Looking at her, it was obvious she enjoyed our visits and loved it when we shared our stories with her regardless of how mundane our topics were. After lunch if we felt sleepy she would tell us to go lie down in her bedroom and she would turn on the aircondition so we were comfortable. Mind you she doesn’t use it herself because she says it’s a waste of electricity and it that it was pretty expensive to use and yet she would gladly let it run the entire afternoon when we were there.

Wanna know a secret? She can finish a whole half-gallon of her favorite ice cream all by herself! I’ve never seen her do it in one sitting but apparently others have. I look at her and I can’t help but think, “Where does all that ice cream go?”

The one thing about grandmothers is that they know how to cook, clean and sew. When we were younger, I remember her making pillow cases and pajamas for us. She could sew curtains and dresses and make all sorts of stuff. Sadly, it’s a skill that has not been passed over to me. Consider it lucky if I hem a pair of pants right. Sewing for me consists of taking my clothes to someone who knows how.

I remember JR and me going to Bacolod with her during the summer. She would bring a pack of gum or candy with her to ease our discomfort with air pressure. To ensure we had a safe flight, she would ask us to pray with her while the plane was taking off. She never let us out of her sight even for bit. She would patiently sit in the garden while we play with our cousins and she would peel Santol and give it to us.

Dad told me one time that he gets in trouble every time my brothers and I get sick. My grandmother would call and reprimand my dad for not taking better care of us and that he should do this and that. He would assure her of course that he was doing the best he could but she would call every few hours to check how we were doing.

I don’t know if she knows I remember all of it. She probably thinks we were too young to remember… but I remember. In fact, I remember all of the little things she does for us that never fail to tell me how much she loves us even if she doesn’t say it.

I hope you know that I love you lola.

Perhaps It Was Her?

A Chinese co-worker asked me the other day whether I have a great grandfather somewhere in my family who is pure Chinese. I said I wasn’t sure but I was told I have a Chinese surname and a pure Chinese relative on both sides of the family. He said I should find out because according to Chinese tradition, having a pure Chinese grandfather (or a male Chinese ancestor – great grandpa or great, great grandpa, etc.) would make me Chinese even though we got mixed along the way. I found this very interesting so I decided I would Google it and see what information I could find.

The very first link that came up led me to a forum with single post from a person with the exact same name as one of my great aunts who had passed away a few years ago. Unfortunately there’s no further information available aside from her name so I can’t tell for sure if it is in fact her or if it’s just a coincidence that someone else happens to have the exact same name.

It made me miss her all of a sudden.

Still the same?

I was browsing my Friendster account this morning and happened to check out my best friend from childhood’s profile. Every time I look at pictures of him, I am often amazed at how much he’s grown and matured over the years. I can still remember him as a boy…very playful and a bit talkative. I remember all the bike rides, afternoons spent outside playing games, going to the playground and all those nights in December when we would go caroling.

I haven’t spoken to him in years… I can’t even remember the last time I spoke to him nor the reasons for why we drifted apart considering we lived right next to each other. I guess living next door to someone doesn’t mean you can’t stop talking. I can only presume it must be due to our age gap…I’m two years younger and maybe somewhere along the way he grew up way faster than I did.

Sometimes I wonder how much he’s changed in the years since I last spoke to him… did he change at all? What type of music does he like now? When I think about these things, I am surprised at how much I still don’t know about him. Sure, we were best friends but that was a long time ago when our conversations were composed merely of what games we were going to play, who among the kids in our neighborhood were cool and some TV programs.

Looking at his Friendster page, I can’t help but smile when I see a movie or TV show he has listed as a favorite and it’s a favorite of mine too. Maybe we’ve both grown up and maybe we’ve both changed in so many different ways but maybe, just maybe, we’re still alike in some things.

It's the job

1 more hour then it’s 5pm! Yey! Freedom!

I am testing a third system now and it’s the best one by far in a sense that it’s got way cooler features than the other two. I am eager to get this one up and running smoothly because I think it will be an awesome update to the existing system. Not only would it remedy a lot of the existing issues, it would also make it a lot more efficient and less time consuming to use.

Okay, I know I’m speaking programmer again. So I’m gonna stop myself before I start getting real technical and bore you to death.

My work calendar for next week is filling up faster than I can say “shoot me”. It’s not all that bad… it will keep me occupied and will make the days go by faster but at the same time, it’s guaranteed to be exhausting.

Another thing to look forward to is the fact that Mr. Pres will be flying out and will most likely be gone for several weeks. The sad thing is, he’ll be replaced with people who I don’t like either. There’s just no winning this situation. Hmpf.

I really have to look into playing the Lottery soon…

Friends

I feel fortunate to have such great friends who despite being so far away still think of me and still say hi once in awhile. I feel loved and cared for and for someone like me who is miles away and lives in a totally different timezone, it truly means a lot. Even the little things are truly appreciated. I love the fact that I know I can always talk to them when I need them and they are always there to listen and offer comfort.

I love my friends and I hope that others are as fortunate as I am.

Tester needs a break

I’ve been doing QA all day and it’s making me awfully sleepy. I’ve done 2 systems so far and I need a break. As much as I love testing, it’s also very tiring after awhile. I need to keep myself as alert as possible so I don’t miss anything and so that I document each and every tiny detail. I am contemplating going outside in the sun for a bit to get some fresh air but since Mr. Pres is in the office today, I am having second thoughts.

How I wish I could nap right now.

Independence Day!

Happy Philippine Independence Day!

I remember when we celebrated our 100th year of independence. My family and I went to Roxas Blvd to watch the festivities. It was such a big event and there were so many people. I remember how expensive a bottle of water cost and at the end of the day, all the drinks were sold out and you couldn’t buy water nor pop anywhere.

They had the parade which was both interesting and beautiful. It was the most lavish parade I’ve seen in the Philippines. I haven’t really seen any other major parade except for the usual Santacruzan although I wanted to see the Mask parade in Bacolod City which takes place during lent. Come to think of it, I don’t think Santacruzan is considered a parade… it’s more of a procession really.We had taken some pictures but I can’t remember where we kept them.

I also remember the fireworks that night. We were staning along the coast and they were lighting fireworks off a barge. It was the longest fireworks display I’ve seen and it apparently cost the government billions of dollars. If only I had a video camera back then…

I remember we were so hungry after the whole event and we had such a hard time looking for a place to eat. Every place we went to, the lines were so long that they stretched all the way out the door. We were starving so my parents decided to just eat anywhere where we can find food. After much walking, we found a Joe Kwan and decided to eat there. Of course the food wasn’t that great but when you’re hungry you become less picky. It actually tends to taste better than it really is. LOL. The funny thing is, after we ate, we noticed a bunch of restaurants lined down the road. If we had walked a bit further, we would’ve been able to choose between Pizza Hut, Wendy’s, etc.

It was about 1am when we finally finished eating and our next dilemma was how we were going to get home. We didn’t bring a car with us at the time because we knew parking would’ve been impossible. At 1am, the LRT is closed and there are barely any buses. We had to take a bus to Makati City and then take another bus to Alabang and then take a jeep to Las Piñas from there. We literally went all over the place just to get home. It was past 2am by the time we arrived home and I remember being so tired that we literally fell on our beds.

Eventhough it was very exhausting, we had so much fun and we really enjoyed the celebration. I was glad we went because I felt it was worth it. Plus, how often does one’s county celebrate a hundred years of independence right?

Bits and Pieces

I was updating my Multiply site this morning and I realized it doesn’t actually transfer all of my posts in Blogger. I have no idea why.

Anyhow, I rented some DVDs last night and one of them was Russel Peters’. I’m telling you, that guy is so funny. If you haven’t seen him, go to YouTube and search for his videos. I especially love it when he imitates accents. He’s so good at it.

Another DVD I rented is The Celestine Prophecy. I’ve seen the book several times before at Indigo and Chapters and have always wanted to read it. I never really read the book but I was curious when I saw the DVD. The movie wasn’t too impressive but maybe the book’s better. I know I like the Harry Potter books better than the movies.

I’m so sleepy. I got 7 hours of sleep last night but I really feel like I need more. Doesn’t your bed feel so much softer when you’re tired? I had such a difficult time getting out of bed this morning. After taking a bath and getting ready for work, I leaned my head against a pillow and closed my eyes for 5 minutes. I wish I could just stay in bed until noon.

I was reading the Metro on the subway and there was a brief article about a one-year old baby who fell from an apartment window on the 14th floor. A bunch of clotheslines had broken the baby’s fall and the baby actually landed on the grass unharmed and just crawled after landing. How amazing is that?! It truly shows that God is watching and nothing happens without God’s permission. Don’t ask me how a one-year old baby could fall out of a window because I have no idea.

Names

You know that silly thing most women do? Ya know, when we think of names we’ll give our kids someday…?

I’ve done it and I’m pretty sure you’ve done it at some point too.

It’s funny because I’ll hear or read a name that I will like and then at some later point I will meet a girl or a guy that has that name and he/she turns out to be a real….a real… am I allowed to say a**? Okay, let’s just say that person turns out to be someone I really don’t like. You know what happens? It ruins that name forever for me. For instance, I think I will never name my boy Michael because I know so many Michaels who are pretty notorious and arrogant (no offense to the Michaels out there who are genuinely nice).

Sometimes I’ll meet someone and I’ll say to myself, “that person has such a cute name…” and then I get to know them a little better and get disappointed. And then I end up saying, “too bad, that name’s out the door!”.

I am afraid my kid will turn out the same way (although it is more of a superstition rather than a fact). Bottomline is, I don’t want to give my kid a name that reminds me of a person I dislike.

Cherry, cherry black

The other night while having dinner with the family:

Me: Ma, these cherries are so good!

Mum: Hay naku! Do you know how long it took me to pick the good ones?!

Me: Mmm… yummy! The darker ones, the ones that are almost black in color are so much sweeter than the red ones…

Dad: That’s how you tell the ripe ones… di mashado masarap yung red…

Me: Mmmm... talaga ha... we also had them at work the other day.. Steve got them... I finished the entire pack all by myself...hehe


So there we were, sitting and eating a bowl of cherries… after awhile:


Me: Ma, your teeth are turning black… and so are your lips! Katuwa!

Mum: Onga eh… nevermind, it will go away when I brush my teeth after…


after a brief pause...


Me: Shites! You mean my teeth and gums were black when I was eating them at work?! I kept smiling at people pa naman whenever they passed me… shiyet…

Workaholics

On MSN:

Paolo says: hey

Karen says: hey

Paolo says: Are u also waiting for Friday?

Karen says: definitely

Karen says: Fridays are the only reason I go to work on Mondays really

Karen says: LOL

Paolo says: I know.


Where art thou Friday?

Another Late Night

Last night I had decided that I was going to go to bed earlier than usual. I’ve been having a lot of late nights and it’s getting to a point where I can almost hear my body begging for more rest. I did a bit of shopping (hey, it was on sale okay! Don’t be too hard on me…) and was home a little after 7pm. I had dinner and then watched “Signs” on TV with JR. I was right on schedule (I planned to be in bed by 10pm) but as I was about to go to bed, I decided to go on YouTube just to see if there are any videos of Russel Peters (for those of you who are not familiar with him, he’s a comedian who does stand-up comedy). That was a mistake.

I got hooked. DAMN YOU RUSSEL!! I ended up going to bed at midnight instead of 10pm. Yargh!

The Early Bird

I am proud to say I started working even before 9am today. Aren’t I the eager one?

I arrived at the office around 8:40am like I normally do. I grabbed a cup of coffee and half a bagel with cream cheese and told Steve to go on MSN. Usually, both Steve and I grab our coffees and our bagels and sit down and eat together until 9am and then we begin our work day. But since Mr. Pres is in town and was in the office so freakin’ early today, we couldn’t afford to have our morning chat and were forced to go back to our individual desks and eat by ourselves. I checked my e-mails, forgot about my food for a bit and started replying. Since I’m already at my desk, I figured I might as well get started early.

It actually feels good knowing I’ve accomplished more than half the tasks I have for the day. I am hoping (cross my fingers) that I will have an easy afternoon. After all, I did bust my ass in the morning.

What?!

A career in IT is not one of the 12 Indestructible careers??

What am I going to do now??

12 Indestructible Careers on MSN

Not Fair

It’s so beautiful outside that it’s such a shame we have to be at work today. It’s such a crime to have beautiful weekdays and rainy weekends. It just isn’t fair.

If I could, today I would:

Get a bit more sleep
Go to a breakfast place and order bacon and eggs with toast and a glass of OJ.
Go to the beach, or park or Wonderland or all three

I would have been able to do something fun outdoors! Instead, I am sitting in front of my PC at work, doing QA and answering e-mails in between.

At least I get to write posts.

Interesting...

I need to get myself one of these jobs:

Eight Super-sized Salaries

Wow. They make the job sound so easy don't they?

Slower than a Turtle

Today couldn’t have gone by any slower. It was another one of those really slow work days and although I had stuff to do, I also had a lot of free time on my hands. I decided to take advantage of said free time to re-do my layout, create some posts and label all of my posts. I had long been thinking of labeling them but have been procrastinating since I already had so many posts and labeling all of them would be time consuming. It wasn’t as hard as I had expected it to be since there’s a function that allows me to select multiple entries and label them at the same time. It was actually very user friendly and so easy to use.

All throughout the day I kept looking at my watch and expecting to see an hour closer to 5pm but to my surprise and bewilderment, it seemed to crawl. Mind you it wasn’t just my imagination because a co-worker also said the exact same thing, “Is it just me or is the time going by really, really slow?”

I dunno but it certainly felt like late afternoon already when in reality it was barely 2pm. Normally time goes so much faster when I’m busy but once I swear it felt like I had been working for an hour and when I checked the time, only 15mins had gone by!! It was very weird.

I think it’s time’s way of mocking me.

Kitchen Duty

We have kitchen duty at work. Our small company provides us with lunch and so we come to work everyday without having to spend lunch money. It is pretty convenient and the food is always good. The one downside to it is that we all take turns doing kitchen duty. Normally, we’re grouped together into smaller teams and each team gets a week of kitchen duty every month. It rotates so we often find ourselves in different weeks of the month and in different teams. It’s not the idea of kitchen duty that bugs me. It is the fact that some people are plain lazy. I don’t understand why some people leave their dirty dishes and utensils on the sink when the dish washer is right beside it. How hard could it possibly be to put your dirty dishes away?

Another thing that bothers me is the fact that not all team members do their part. We all don’t like it but we still gotta do it… We get free lunch everyday and not just any food but really good food and our kitchen is always full of snacks and fruits. The least we can do is to help keep the place clean.

Just because it isn’t your week to do kitchen duty doesn’t mean you have to be a slob.

"Happy Friday"

“Happy Friday!”

Steve’s first words today when I saw him.

I couldn’t help but smile. I love Fridays. It means…

No work the following day
I get to sleep in
I can stay up late
I get to do whatever I want
No pesky co-workers
The weekend’s just beginning
I’ve survived another week of torture

I feel like doing a little dance. LOL.

Laptop Reformatted

After much bugging and procrastinating, dad finally decided to back my files up and re-format my dear laptop. I, apparently, had over 1GB of files in total and could not fit in his USB memory stick. I don't know where he put my data into and I could only suspect he moved everything into an external hard drive since I saw it hooked to my laptop the other night. Last night was the first time I had actually used my laptop again since he wiped it clean. I was surprised to find that he had installed Windows VISTA as my OS instead of Windows XP. It took me a few seconds to grasp what I was seeing. No wonder everything looked a little off.

Personally, I don’t like re-formatting my machine. I know it is good to re-format once in awhile but it’s always such a hassle to have to put everything back in again. I have to look for my CD installers again, re-install all my programs and put all my documents back in. I always worry that in the process, I might lose something – an important file, my purchased music, photos or projects I’ve spent a lot of time on. Not to mention all the links I’ve saved in My Favorites. Ugh.

I know VISTA is still relatively new and like any other, it still has some problems. I am a bit hesitant to use it but dad seems to really want it so I’m letting him do whatever he wants. Anyway, if it doesn’t work out, I can always re-format again and put XP back on.

The Hidden Good

There are so many hidden talents and so much good in the most unlikely people. What’s sad about it is that we are far too busy minding ourselves and taking notice of the flashy things that surround us that we fail to see the light in others.

It is true that we should be wary. There are a lot of bad people out there who have malicuous intentions. But we forget that there are also a lot of good people out there who have such kind hearts.

Sometimes I encounter people who seem to have extinguished the good in them and then there are times when I encounter people who I am sure would go straight to heaven if they died. I am thankful to encounter such good people that help restore my faith in humanity.

Work

I’m totally glad I am done with my training session for the day and that I have the rest of the day to myself to do other things… except now I am left thinking of things to keep me occupied till 5pm. Tsk tsk. Steve was just saying how we both complain when we’re swamped and we complain when there’s absolutely nothing to do. LOL. Why can’t the world be perfect?

It looks like there are impending changes within this small company of ours and both D and I will have to move to yet another section of the building. I’ve moved a total of 3 times and moving again means a fourth time for me. I love my spot right now and would hate to move but then again, it isn’t up to me and I pretty much have to suck it in. Bummer. I can only hope for a quiet, decent spot somewhere.

I hate this company. Unfortunately, looking for another job is also a lot of work. I’m being lazy, I know.

Out of the Loop

I’m so out of the loop when it comes to Philippine news and gossip. Not that I followed it before anyway but lately I realize when someone mentions a name, a show, some new dance move or a new expression, I feel my eyebrows crease and my whole facial expression turns into one, big, puzzled look. I realize I have no idea what they’re talking about.

And so lately, Google has been my friend, providing me with enough info or at least giving me an idea of what it is. Of course Google can only do so much and it doesn’t really help when you are trying to find out what a certain Filipino expression/slang really means. In fact, Google is only useful for tracking news and a few pictures here and there.

You don’t notice the changes that happen around you, the different little things that evolve and take place and then you move half-way around the world and every little thing is magnified.

Do you realize I have no idea what Big Brother is?!

Embarrassing as it is, I have to admit I am getting pretty slow on some of the goings-on.

Unplanned experiences

Last night I was able to watch another episode of So You Think You Can Dance. I was really touched by some of the people who auditioned because they had physical disabilities and yet they try and some of them actually dance so well. It just shows that anyone can do anything if they set they heart into it.

I was just thinking of how funny life is sometimes. During last night’s episode, they featured a guy (we’ll call him John because I can’t remember his name) who played as the quarterback for the school football team. John’s dad was saying how proud he was of his son because he was the perfect son – had a good personality, played sports really well, was popular in school, dated a cheerleader… and then John got into an accident and was forced to take ballet lessons as a form of therapy to help improve his leg work. During therapy, he developed an interest for dancing and decided to quit the football team to focus on dancing. It really is amazing how one life experience helps a person see things in a different light. It took for an accident to happen for him to even consider dancing. When I saw him audition, I was impressed at how well he moved considering he just started dancing. Perhaps God has other plans for him. It’s truly amazing how something unplanned happens and yet everything falls into place.

YM Integrated with Yahoo Mail

I’m grateful for the warm temperatures even though we’ve been getting rain for the past couple of days. I would very much rather that it rain as long as it’s warm, than to have snow snow with the cold. It’s much easier to bring an umbrella instead of needing to wear several layers of clothing.

Today I was very pleased to find out that Yahoo has integrated their messenger into e-mail. What this means for me is that I get to chat with my Yahoo contacts just by signing into my e-mail even though I don’t have Yahoo messenger installed on my PC. This is beneficial to me since I only have MSN messenger at work and is limited to my MSN contacts. I know I can always just add my Yahoo contacts into my MSN contact list since it allows for cross chatting anyway but since I already have so many YM contacts, it’s tedious to have to re-add them all over again. I’m lazy I know.

They Obviously Thought They Can Dance

Ever watch the show So You Think You Can Dance?

Last night while having dinner with Steve and Fey, we were watching the show. It really amazes me how gutsy these people are! I have to say there are those who are truly talented and really know how to move. And then there are those that are…uh…how shall I put it… plain horrible. I admire them for trying but maaannn… one guy was dressed in a very weird costume and basically stomped his feet through his audition. What were you thinking? One girl proudly said she had been training for 15 years and when she got on stage, everyone said she was horrendous. She didn’t know how to dance. At all.

I would understand if it were the first season when people didn’t know yet what to expect and were auditioning for the show but if you followed the previous season and you know damn well how difficult the competition is and who you are up against, wouldn’t you be more prepared? Wouldn’t you choreograph something that would compete with the top 20 finalists of the previous season? I would think so.

At least I can admire them for trying and going for what they want. One thing’s for sure, it was fun watching the whole thing.

Professionalism

Most days I hate having to train clients. But then once in awhile I’m fortunate to get someone who is not only nice and smart but also makes my job so much easier by being generally pleasant and professional. You would think most professionals would have a certain level of professionalism but professionalism is apparently not a common characteristic even with individuals who attended reputable schools and hold such high professions. It always surprises me when I speak to a CEO or a president who is rude and very unprofessional. How do they manage to keep their businesses running I wonder?

People often forget that the only way the other person is ever going to know you is through the sound of your voice over the phone or through your e-mails. They will not spend weekends with you nor be able to witness all the other things you do. So sometimes, that one phone call or that one e-mail you send is all the impression they are ever going to get. It’s your only shot to a giving a good first impression. Regardless of what position you hold within your company, it does NOT and will NEVER be an excuse for your bad attitude.

How often do I find myself either working with or talking to someone who’s obviously had a rough day and is not in the most pleasant of moods? I do understand how difficult it is to do your job being in such a bad state. But being a true professional means leaving your personal problems at the door and putting on your best “work attitude” just as you should leave your work issues at the door when you come home. The entire office does not need to suffer just because you had a bad night. It does not give you the right to yell or be rude to the people around you. If you can’t smile, at least be polite. Be mindful of the people around you who also have personal issues to deal with but come to work not only delivering a good job but also displays the right kind of attitude. True, there are people who are very annoying and who really try your patience but always, ALWAYS try your best to be professional. Try your best to smile, remember to say “please” and “thank you”, be polite, maintain a positive attitude and if you are ever on the phone or writing an e-mail be mindful of the tone you are using.

How easy it is for us to forget that we are dealing with others who are also making a living for themselves, who also have lives to live and personal issues to deal with. How hard is it to do your job and try your best to make someone’s else job easier?

Rant

What do you do when you come across a person who clearly WILL NOT and WILL NEVER admit she is wrong? Do you fight back until every bit of muscle on you begins to shake? Or do you simply bite your tongue and let it slide?

In the situation I was in this afternoon, I should’ve kept my mouth shut and let it slide. I was asked a question to which I gave an honest answer according to how I know it is. Plain and simple. But no, she insists she is right and goes on to make a mess out of things. Things I do not need to worry or think about and could care less to be honest. This is the part where I normally break down into fits of anger and start tearing up because I am clearly upset. But sometime ago I have decided that there are things which are simply not worth my time and that I should accept the fact that there will always be people who simply are a certain way and there’s nothing I can do about it. Perhaps one day it will bite them in the a**. I sure hope so.

Linked to Multiply!

This morning I checked my Multiply Site and was surprised to find out that the automatic importing feature actually works! The last time I logged in, I was trying to set it up in such a way that when I post in my blogger account, it would automatically import it to Multiply. I thought it didn’t work since I didn’t see the posts but it actually did! Now I’m even more motivated to maintain my Multiply Site since I know I can keep posting here and it will update my Multiply blog right away! Kewl.

Victoria Day

Victoria Day, Steve and I decided to go to James Gardens since it was beautiful out. We were lucky enough to find a parking spot when we got there. It was really nice. We had brought a blanket with us to sit on, some chips and bottles of water. I’ve never been there before and niether has Steve so we decided we’d walk around and see the place a bit. We didn’t really know where we were going so we just kept on walking.

We were hoping to see some interesting animals like a beaver or maybe a frog. Frogs are common in the Philippines (you see one almost everytime it rains) but I’ve never seen one here in Canada. Of course I’ve never seen a beaver either so I really wanted to see it. Unfortunately, we don’t think you can find one in James Gardens. We saw a few interesting birds including a red cardinal which I wanted to take a picture of but I was far too busy trying to take a picture of the chipmunks. I’ve never seen a chipmunk before so imagine how excited I was to see not one but two! Someone had left nuts along the wooden fence which we guessed were meant for the birds to eat but the chipmunks were having a go at it. They’re so cute! I didn’t know they were tiny and very agile. Their cheeks were so round and I really wanted to touch it. Take a look!

The cutest little thing ever! After walking around for awhile, we got tired and decided to head back and find a clear spot to lie on our blanket. We ate a few chips, drank water and just laid down under the warmth of the sun. It was such a nice day.

Later that night we went to the Ontario Place to watch the fireworks but I forgot to take pictures! It was nice too and we got there just in time. Had we been a few minutes late, we would've missed the entire thing. It was a nice day altogether... I even had an opportunity to take a nap in the afternoon. Such a great day.

H's Big Event

The long weekend went by in a blur. H’s wedding was simple but nice and Steve and I spent most of our time listening to the guy beside us who couldn’t stop talking. He was nice and so were the other people in our table but Steve was pretty tired and was really hoping for a quiet evening. Poor guy.

We forgot to bring a camera so we ended up using my camera phone to take a few pictures and pretty much relied on others to take pictures for us. H’s little sister was having way too much fun with the disposable cameras on each table and was taking pictures of anything and everything. She took one of me and I can only hope it’s a decent shot. After all she was aiming at uh… my..uh.. chest. Little kids should never be allowed to play with disposable cameras and take pictures of unassuming guests.

There was a cute little boy who was in a very happy mood and was playing, running and rolling on the floor a lot. Whatever that little boy had to drink was pure energy in a bottle. One thing’s for sure, he’ll be fast asleep by the time he gets home.

We danced to a few songs which I thought was pretty nice. All in all, it was good but I was dead tired by the time I got home.

Bummer.

Too bad the tickets for the Maroon 5 concert were sold out. They should’ve done it at the ACC instead. Bigger venue would’ve meant more seats and more seats would’ve meant more tickets and more tickets would’ve meant me going to a Maroon 5 concert.

Me Wishes

I wish I didn’t have to work today and still get paid…

In fact I wish I don’t ever have to work and still be able to afford all the things I want.

If only it were that easy…

I wish.

Dress Stress

After much searching, I finally found a dress to wear to the weddings I’m attending in the next couple of weekends. It’s so hard to find one that fits me well… too long, to wide, to tight, too expensive… and everytime something comes up where I have to wear a dress, I can’t say I’m too thrilled with the idea.

I love wearing dresses just as much as wearing jeans. It’s finding the right dress that makes the whole thing so unappealing. I have to start looking for a dress to wear atleast a week before the event just so I have enough time to go around. There are stores where it’s easy to find a dress that would fit me but they’re freakin’ expensive. I just don’t think it’s worth spending over $400 for a dress I’m going to wear once… maybe twice. If it were a really big event then maybe I’d consider it. But otherwise, I’d rather look for something that’s nice and not too pricy.

Maybe I should buy a dress everytime I see one that fits me and is within my budget and just keep it until I need one. That way if something does come up, I can just pull one out of my closet.

Top 10 Most Bizarre Foods

Yey Friday!!

I came across another interesting article on MSN this morning. Click here to read it.

I'm familiar with some of them although the only one I've ever eaten out of the 10 as it is, is Durian. A couple of them I think I've also eaten although not exactly with the same ingredients.

1. Durian
Location - Pinang, Malaysia
An extremely odoriferous (some would say noxious) fruit with custard-like flesh. Native to Malaysia, the oblong, thorny fruit can be deep fried, formed into cake and candy, or made into flavorings for ice cream, beverages, and other food items. Durian is considered a delicacy in some parts of Malaysia, and has been known to sell for $50 (U.S.) for one fruit. Many people love the taste of durian, but its powerful aroma is so offensive to some that airplanes, trains, and buses often prohibit the fruit in passenger areas.

I had no idea Durian originated in Malaysia. We have it in the Philippines too although I only eat it as a fruit and I don't really like it as an ice cream flavor or anything else. I have to agree, it does smell bad but man, it tastes good!

2. K'lia
Location - Marrakech, MoroccoAlso spelled khlea, this meat (usually lamb) is salted, dried, and preserved in its own fat. A traditional specialty of Morocco, k'lia is often served with lentils and spices at the outdoor market, Djemma al Fna in Marrakech, Morocco.

I don't think I'll like it. I'm not so huge on Lamb.

3. Mangrove Worms
Location - Palawan, Philippines
Worms that live off dead wood pulp. Eaten raw. Popular in Sabang Beach in the Philippines, these long, slimy worms are said to be high in iron and taste similar to oysters.

I have to ask, WHY? Why oh why? I wouldn't eat it even if it did taste like Oysters. I wouldn't eat it if my life depended on it! They're worms that live off dead wood pulp people! The first person to ever try it must have been extremely desperate.

4. Callos
Location - Taberna de Antonio Sanchez in Madrid, Spain
A casserole made with blood sausage and tripe, which comes from the intestines of various domestic animals. This dish is popular in Taberna de Antonio Sanchez in Madrid, Spain, where it is often served as tapas, small dishes designed for sharing.

My grandma makes this although slightly different. Not too sure if she makes it with blood sausage (whatever that is). Would I eat it? I think I already have... I knew it, sometimes ignorance is bliss.

5. Coconut Grubs
Location - Coca, Ecuador
Larvae that live in dead palm trees. Zimmern tried the dish in the home of a member of the Pilche community in the Amazon rain forest.

One word: Larvae. Can I just say yuck?

6. Menudo
Location - Motes de la Magdalena in Quito, EcuadorSoup made with tripe and beef hearts. This soup is also popular in Mexico, where it began as a peasant dish. Menudo in Mexico can refer to "raw stomach meat" as well as the stew. The recipe for menudo varies in different regions of Latin America.

My mum makes this at home although differently. Mum makes it with pork instead so no harm there! No strange, disgusting ingredients either.. just pork, green peppers, potatoes and green peas i think. Whew!

7. Goose Intestines on Bean Sprouts - Goose guts.
Location - New York's Chinatown
Served at Congee, a restaurant in New York City's Chinatown. Goose intestines are not uncommon fare in China, but then again, neither are duck feet or frogs.

Stick with chicken. I personally don't eat goose, duck nor frogs. I've heard it tastes really good but I just can't. eat. it.

8. Nutria in Sauce Piquant - a large semiaquatic rodent.
Location - Morgan City, Lousiana
Eaten in the home of a trapper in the bayou in Morgan City, Lousiana. Dining on nutria is not for the faint of heart. The rodents resemble large rats with bright orange incisors. Still, the nutria is probably safer on your plate than alive in your yard—the animals are a host for a nematode parasite that can infect human skin. Yummy!

Um... yeah.. sure.. excuse me while I go vomit.

9. Soup No. 5 (Yes, that's the real name)
Location - Balaw Balaw in Luzon, Philippines
Soup made from the back and testicles of a cow is eaten at Balaw Balaw in Luzon, Philippines. In the United States, cow testicles are also sometimes referred to as "Rocky Mountain oysters" and can be prepared in a batter and then fried in oil and eaten with hot sauce.

"Rocky Mountain Oysters"... funny. No thanks!

10. Haggis - Assorted sheep parts mixed with oatmeal and stuffed into a sheep stomach.
Location - Edinburgh, Scotland
This traditional Scottish dish was originally a common peasant meal, but can now be found in grocery stores year round all over Scotland and other areas of the United Kingdom.

Let's go take out some Chinese instead..

Maybe the foods mentioned above aren't as bad as they seem. I mean, it's different when the recipe is written down as opposed to seeing the finished product. Although I have to ask, the people who first tried/made these dishes... why? Was there a lack of food that they started eating whatever they could find??

Huh?

I was trying to type blogger.com into my web browser to go to my blogger page and accidentally typed in blogger.ca and viola! It took me Google! WHY??

No point to this post really... I just wanted to tell you. LOL.

Happy note on "Happy Slip"

I recently came across an interesting website: Happy Slip!

I love how she imitates her parents and her aunt. It’s so funny! JR and I were watching some of her videos on YouTube the other night and we couldn’t help but laugh because we can relate! She’s so entertaining to watch. JR said that fellow Filipinos would find them funny more than others but I don’t think so. I mean there are people of different nationalities who gave good comments too. I haven’t had the chance to browse all of her videos on YouTube but among my faves are:

Help
Peelings
Morning Meest
YouChoob
Mixed Nuts
Home

Pinoy and proud! It’s always nice to find Filipinos who despite growing up outside the country still retains their values and still recognizes their roots.

Take Me Home

I’ve done my time in this crazy world
What trails have I left behind?
No matter what I’ve done
I know I can always come home

So take me home
From the beach to the bay
Take me home to good old Cambridge way
Take me home
Coz there’s nowhere else I’d rather be
Than to come back to the place that made me me
I’m coming home

When I see this world
And all it has to offer
I know I’ll stand amazed
No matter what I see
I know there’s just no place like home

So take me home
From the beach to the bay
Take me home to good old Cambridge way
Take me home
Coz there’s no where else id rather be
Than to come back to the place that made me me
I’m coming home
I’m coming home

No matter what road I take
It never feels quite the same
Yet it’s all the same
So here I am another night
I can’t ignore you sixty-four
You bring me more than words can say
You bring me home

So take me home
From the beach to the bay
Take me home to good old Cambridge way
Take me home
Coz there’s no where else id rather be
Than to come back to the place that made me me
Coz there’s no where in this world I’d rather be
I’m coming home
I’m coming home

Home

Josh Verdes

I found this song from a website I was browsing and happened to like it a lot.

Layout Change

Yup, I changed my layout again.

See, this is what happens when I have a bit of free time on my hand. I end up playing with my page and re-doing the whole thing. It’s really fun playing with it though. There are so many different things I can do with it… I just have to be patient enough to read through the code and make changes to it slowly.

I’ll probably be changing this again after awhile… LOL

You think it's healthy?

Read this Healthy Habits That Aren't

It certainly seems like everyday people are learning new things that contradict former “beliefs”. I would say former “studies” but now when I think about it, how many of these so-called “studies” were actually performed?

Peanuts cause Acne, Coffee’s bad for you… do this, avoid that, this is good, that’s bad… where do I even begin?

And as soon as you decide to follow these “health” advisories and when you’ve been following them for quite sometime, a health bulletin or another study will come out contradicting whatever it was they said before which just makes it all the more confusing.

Maybe I should be more conscious about my health. Sometimes though eating healthy takes the fun out of it. If I had to choose between a regular health bar and a chocolate coated one, I’d choose the chocolate coated bar.

Maybe I’ll feel different when I get older.

Google Me

I googled my name out of curiosity and none of the first 2 pages were me and I didn’t bother looking at all the other pages. I was just surprised to see that most of them are in the medicine field. None of the results I saw were remotely interesting but it was interesting to know how many people have the same name as me. I wonder if I’ll ever meet anyone of them in my lifetime.

Yesterday I was posting about how glad I was that I didn’t have any full-day training sessions this week. Now it seems I have a few meetings that might be difficult. I guess one easy week is asking for too much. I shouldn’t have said anything. Eck.

Living in a country that’s normally very dry sure makes me notice humidity so much more. Even though it’s only 28 degrees outside, it sure feels like it’s 30. I’m not complaining about the heat because I like it. But it feels a bit uncomfortable with the humidity. Feels like all my clothes are sticking to my skin. This is the type of weather where all I wanna do is jump in the shower.

A few things I need to do after work today and I really hope I get to do all of them.

Rambling (again)

I just have to survive this week and then it’s the long weekend! Yay! I don’t really know what the fuss is about with Victoria Day or why it’s a holiday. Sorry guys, I’m still familiarizing myself with this country and I still know Philippine holidays better. Although I have to say I forgot all about Philippine Labor Day and was wondering why people were home on a weekday.

Leslie just told me she’s planning to come here for a weekend to visit. I’m really looking forward to seeing her since I haven’t seen her in awhile. We have yet to figure out where she’ll be staying.

Oh, the song they’re playing on the radio right now sounds like The Corrs. Now that’s a band I haven’t heard on the radio for a while now. I like their songs. They’re playing such good songs on the radio right now and I can’t help but reminisce about older times. I make myself sound so old by saying this don’t I? I can’t help it, a good song comes on and a flood of fun memories come rushing back to me. Always happens.

I’ve been reading other people’s posts a lot lately and I can’t help but feel a bit envious of how good they are when it comes to writing. They almost make me feel jealous of their lives because it just sounds so interesting. Argh.

5pm where are you?

Borrowed Post

Came across this from another blog: Click here to view original post

Since I'm running out of ideas to post about, I'm borrowing this feast!

Appetizer
Name two things that made you smile this week.

Victoria Day weekend! Who doesn’t love a long weekend?! Of course, I can’t help but smile about that…

No all-day training sessions! It’s so nice to be able to go to work and not have to train all day. It’s just so tiring.. it really gets me.

Soup
Fill in the blank: Don't you hate it when ________?

People are so inconsiderate and they only think of themselves. How selfish can you possibly be?! No, the world doesn’t revolve around you and it’s sad you haven’t realized that yet. No worries, what goes around, comes around.

Salad
When you can't go to sleep, what is your personal remedy to help yourself drift into Lullabyland?

One of three things: Read, listen to music or just lie in bed with my eyes closed.

Main Course
What is something which you've always wondered but have not yet found a good answer?

What really happened to the freakin’ dinosaurs! Really.

Of course I also wonder about life, religion and the universe but mostly about dinosaurs. Haha.

Dessert
What is your favorite pasta dish?

I like pasta with white sauce. Oh sorry, let me rephrase that. I LOVE pasta with white sauce!!

It could be carbonara, fettucini, penne… it could be chicken and mushrooms or seafood… as long as it’s white sauce, I’m good.

Saw it, Filled it, and re-posted

Found this in a blog I was browsing.. I thought it was kinda fun to fill it out and re-post.

I AM: pining for the weekend
I WANT: to go on vacation
I WISH: I earned more money
I HATE: inconsiderate people
I MISS: my college friends
I HEAR: my co-worker talking in the other room
I WONDER: how many people in the world really love what they do.
I REGRET: being so nice sometimes
I AM NOT: dumb
I DANCE: when I feel like it
I SING: whenever I hear a really good song
I CRY: when I’m hurt, mad or frustrated
I AM NOT ALWAYS: okay
I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: not a lot of things
I WRITE: mostly about little, mundane things
I CONFUSE: some Filipino words
I NEED: a dress
I SHOULD: save more
I START: playing with my thumb when I’m nervous or stressed
I FINISH: what I start
I TAG: rarely.

You're My Everything

You're a falling star, You're the get away car.
You're the line in the sand when I go too far.
You're the swimming pool, on an August day.
And you're the perfect thing to say.

And you play you're coy, but it's kinda cute.
Ah, When you smile at me you know exactly what you do.
Baby don't pretend, that you don't know it's true.
Cause you can see it when I look at you.

[Chorus:]
And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.

You're a carousel, you're a wishing well,
And you light me up, when you ring my bell.
You're a mystery, you're from outer space,
You're every minute of my everyday.

And I can't believe, that I'm your man,
And I get to kiss you baby just because I can.
Whatever comes our way, ah we'll see it through,
And you know that's what our love can do.

[Chorus:]
And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.

So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La
So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La

[Chorus:]
And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, You make me sing.
You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.
You're every song, and I sing along.
'Cause you're my everything.
Yeah, yeah

So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La
So, La, La, La, La, La, La, La

Everything
- Michael Bublé

Sandal weather

Mr. President is back today and will be here for a few days. Yikes! It doesn’t bother me so much that he is here when I’m busy because I can go through the entire day without bumping into him. But on a day like today when I’m not overly busy, I do mind. I’ll have to try very hard to look very busy. He makes everyone in the office uncomfortable and stresses everyone out which in turn stresses me out. Ugh.

At least it’s Friday again! Yey! Woot woot!

I was so glad to finally catch Juhl online. I hadn’t spoken to him for awhile now and was curious as to how he was doing. I was a little bummed out because just when I finally had a chance to chat with him, I was asked to take over a training session. I honestly wanted to kick someone. Or something. I only had enough time to ask him how he was doing, if he brought his cellphone with him and to compliment him on his new haircut. I guess 15 minutes of chat time with him is still better than nothing. I’m actually quite glad that I was able to talk to Arlene, Pao and Juhl all in a single week. Too bad I didn’t get a chance to talk to Shey but I did call her on her b-day and was able to hear her voice again after such a long time. I always feel good after I talk to anyone of them. They’re such great friends and I can’t help but feel like they’re family. I love these guys.

The weather has been really good lately and luckily, we’ve managed to avoid rain. I love being able to walk out the door without needing to wear a jacket although I still bring one with me just in case. It feels so nice to be wearing light clothing and sandals. I was considering wearing capri pants to work today but decided I should save it for another day. Sitting on the bus with the windows cracked open and a little bit of wind blowing in is awesome.

Little Ms. Shiny

You want the things you don’t have. Maybe not all the time but still holds true.

I am the splitting image of my mum (or so everyone says). She doesn’t look her age either and a lot of people actually mistake us for sisters rather than mother and daughter. No, she didn’t have me early. In fact, she had me when she was 27 years old (oops, I think I just told you how old she is…hehe. Sorry mommy!) I have the same set of cheekbones, the same smile, same hair, almost the same everything. The only physical characteristics I took from my dad are my limbs, fingers and toes (oh yes put our hands and feet right beside each other and you’ll be amazed at how similar they are! Lucky for me, the shape of my dad’s fingers and toes aren’t the typical male’s and in fact bodes well for me. LOL), my grey hairs and of course my super oily face. Although I look like my mum, I’m as oily as my dad. Ugh. Thankfully, it’s only my face and not my entire body.

So you ask me, what’s up with the first line of this post? Simply put, I don’t like having such an oily face and would really love to have inherited my mum’s instead. That way I don’t have to constantly reflect light off my face whenever someone takes a picture of me. I would also be saving money from buying oil blotters and blot powders. Super ugh.

I have failed

I am failing miserably at the art of saving... this is so depressing.

Today I went to the mall to return a top I bought a few days ago because I realized it didn't fit me well and actually looked kinda funny on me. But later, I came out of the mall with a new pair of Capri pants, conditioner and a new wallet.

What good is my wallet for if I won't have money to put in it?

Like I said, very depressing.

Useless

There are a lot of things I learned in school while growing up. All these things I've learned I'm sure are tucked away somewhere in my mind, meant to be retrieved when needed. You know what they say, the human mind is pretty powerful and that it acts like a sponge – absorbing and processing information. Unfortunately, no one bothers to tell you that squeezing the info out of your sponge is not as easy as it seems. Sure you can store them, there's just no guarantee you're going to be able to get them out of there.

Sometimes I’ll come across a situation where I can’t help but say to myself, “If only I paid more attention to it when I was being taught…” or “if only I used the things I learned then maybe I wouldn’t have forgotten…” Take for example, crocheting. I learned that in high school. But ask me to make something and I’ll look at you with a quizzical expression, trying to remember the different types of stitches (if you even call it that) and how the hell I managed to make those coasters back in school. I did a good job at it. I even remember the color of the thread I used - they were peach. But now, I wouldn't know where to begin or how for that matter.

I also learned ballroom dancing in school but now I can only remember four of them - waltz, swing, LA walk, and a bit of cha cha. All the other ones, I've already forgotten (although I did know back then there was no way I was going to remember Tango.. there were just too many steps and too many rules). I also took a few cooking lessons - I can't remember any of the dishes I learned back then. It's frustrating when I think about. There are so many little things we take for granted while growing up. Some these things would have been useful to me. It would have been cool to know so many things.

Last 2 Episodes!!

The Heroes episode last night blew me away! Only 2 episodes left and I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen. I hope it’s not one of those open-ended shows. That would be so disappointing. In a way I’m glad it’s the last 2 episodes already and that it isn’t one of those shows where they keep putting fillers in the story just to extend it. You really think Peter Petrelli is the exploding man? What about Sylar? What’s saving the cheerleader got to do with it? So many questions, so many possibilities.

I came, I saw, I gave in

I was reading Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella and every time Rebecca Bloomwood is tempted to buy something, I have the urge to yell at her and say, “No! Don’t do it!!” Even though it’s a book and she’s just a character in the book. That book is a painful reminder of how close I am to becoming her. It’s so hard to not go inside a shop and it’s even harder to come out without buying something. I know I should be more practical and I am trying. But sometimes, the temptation is so freaking hard to resist! I know I'm supposed to be saving...but damn why does it have to be so hard?! And sometimes I think there must be some sort of conspiracy going on because every time I decide that's it, it's the last purchase I'm making and I'm saving every penny from now on, the mall will suddenly come out with so many nice clothes, cute little things that I just want to buy. Awful I tell you.

Just the other day I was at Yorkdale and I told myself that I was only buying what I needed and that I was going to go straight home...guess what?!? I passed by Jacob, went in and out came me with a bag in hand. A freakin' $55 top that I didn't need. It is a very cute top though. Hmpf.

No place like it

It’s so hot in my office. I share it with D, our new trainer, and our tiny space, although it has a door, does not have any windows nor any form of ventilation. We do have a sun roof which allows a bit of sunlight into the room but it doesn’t open. If we close our door, we end up boiling. We could keep the door open but since we both train and are on the phone a lot, we have to keep it closed to keep the noise out. I can tolerate heat more than D since I’m more used to it. Poor guy is suffering so much that he decided to bring a fan to work. Being a girl definitely has its advantages because I can go to work wearing lighter clothes while he normally goes to work wearing long-sleeved clothing. Told him he should invest in lighter clothing.

I was able to chat with Arlene this morning for about an hour or so. It feels good to talk to someone who also misses home as much as I do. We were both talking about how much we missed all our friends from college and how different it truly is to be living in North America. Not that it’s bad, it’s just different. She had posted a picture of all of us from college on her Friendster page and seeing it made me a little sad. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever stop missing home.

It’s funny she said she feels like all of the people she’s close to has either left the country or is leaving and she feels like she’s being left behind. It’s funny because I feel the exact same way. I kidded around saying I started it all by leaving first. It’s part of growing up I guess… sometimes we need to leave not necessarily because we want to, but because we have to.

Sometimes I worry that if I go back home for a visit, I might want to stay.

Yay Friday!

Once again I have my morning to myself. I don’t have to train and there are hardly any e-mails coming in. I’m just sitting in my office, listening to D train a client for the first time. He sounds a bit nervous. I still remember the first training session I did more than a year ago and it was pretty nerve racking. But after awhile you start getting the hang of it and it sort of flows out of you naturally. The only way to learn is to keep doing it.

I’m so glad it’s already Friday. I have to admit the week went by pretty quickly. I guess it’s because I was extremely busy and when you’re busy, time just seems to fly. I slept late last night. Blame it on the 2-hour episode of Grey’s Anatomy and then I had to do some chores and then I had to wait for my download to finish. I was trying to download Sims Online and I didn’t know it was going to take more than half an hour to finish. I was already so sleepy but it had already downloaded half of it and I would hate to stop in the middle and have to do it all over again so I decided to just wait and let it finish. Unfortunately, the download didn’t go so well so I got upset and just decided to go to bed. All that waiting for absolutely nothing.

I got up at 6 am this morning like I always do but I was surprised I felt fine and I didn’t feel tired at all even though I got fewer hours of sleep. My guess is that my body’s gotten used to getting 6 hours of sleep every night instead of 7 or 8. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I don't know. But when I was in school, 6 hours was plenty. There were nights when I'd get only 2-3 hours of sleep and sometimes none at all.

I think VP hates me. I get that vibe off of her. I don't know why but she and I can't seem to get along. Mum says maybe it's because she views me as a threat. A threat in what way? I have no idea. As far as I'm concerned, I'm the least of her worries. I'm really harmless. I don't bite, you know. Maybe she doesn't like me because I refuse to play her games? Sorry, I don't kiss a**. I've got dignity and dignity stays with me. You may be the queen and yes, I will show you respect but don't expect me to kiss the ground you walk on. Not my style missy.

My eyes are so tired. I’ve been staring at the monitor all day and every bit of light coming from it hurts. I’m dying to rub my eyes but since I’m wearing eye shadow today (yes, you heard right, I am wearing eye shadow… I do wear it once in awhile you know) I can’t touch it. I don’t really wear a lot of make up because it’s too time consuming to put on and through out the day I have a tendency to forget and I’ll end up rubbing it off or smudging. Not to mention that fact that I’m pretty oily by the end of the day.

I have to do some QA on one of the databases but I’m so tired I can’t concentrate. Force myself I must. Maybe a little snack will help...off to the kitchen!

A small post

This morning wasn’t as busy as I thought it would be. Of course I was working but none of it was urgent. It’s such a relief to be at work without an e-mail notification popping up every few minutes. A small relief but still very much appreciated.

I’m so ready take some time off work and just go on vacation. Even for just a few days.

Shopping has always been such a good outlet when I’m stressed but I’m trying to cut back on the spending so I can save more. Not that I’m saving for anything specific, but just saving because it’s always good to save. As the saying goes, you’ll never when the rain’s going to come.

Off to sleep I must go.

Be considerate.

Inconsiderate people… hmpf. Pisses me off.

Keep the golden rule in mind:

"Do unto others what you want others to do unto you"

New job, new city?

It looks like the number of posts I manage to write per month has been less and less each month. I would’ve liked to have been able to post more but I just haven’t had the time. Gone are those slow days at work where I could afford to sneak in a post here and there. I barely have time to finish all of my tasks for the day let alone have time to spare. I’ve been a busy bee.

I keep thinking that being a student is still so much easier.

There’s a classified ad in the Toronto Star for a company in the US that’s hiring. They’ll provide paid training which I think is pretty cool. I want to apply for it but do I really want to relocate?

Feeling sick (again)

I feel sick. It seems I haven’t fully recovered since Wednesday when I had to miss a day of work. I hate being sick… it’s such an awful feeling. One minute you're cold, the next minute you're hot. You have a headache, tummy ache and all sorts of weird aches or just an over-all feeling of being unwell. All I want to do right now is crawl into bed and die. Except I don't really want to die. Atleast not yet.

I was able to spend some time with the girls over the weekend. I hadn’t seen them in awhile and it was nice just sitting down, watching a movie, eating pizza and doing a bit of talking. Our original plans of doing make-overs didn’t go through because we got hooked on Pretty Woman and just didn’t have enough time to do everything. Nonetheless it was fun. I fall in-love with Richard Gere everytime I watch it. What can I say, I'm a die hard fan of chick flicks.

Thankfully, we had better weather during the weekend. The past week was cloudy and rainy but the weekend turned out nice. Although Saturday was still pretty cloudy, atleast it didn’t rain. I was able to make a short trip to the salon before heading out to girls' night. The next day, Sunday, was beautiful and it truly was a day meant to be spent outdoors. Both Steve and I love being able to sit in the car and drive with our windows down and just enjoying the sun.

The weekend went by all too fast it seems.