Dedication

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

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

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

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

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

Tid Bits of the Day

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

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

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

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

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

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

What's up.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Edward's Perspective

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

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

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

Nakakainis talaga!

I saw...

... this on Post Secret today:

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

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

Flu

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

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

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

Paint

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

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

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

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

On repeat.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gravity
- Sara Bareilles

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

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

The Time Traveler's Wife

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

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

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

A Few Updates.

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

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

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

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

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

A Case of Verbal Diarrhea

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Sad Passing...

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

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

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

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

As Revelation 21:4 says:

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

All I Can Say Is...

... this movie better be darn good.



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

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

Too much television.

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

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

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

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

TV can be soooo addictive.

Yummy!

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

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

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

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

Funny Wedding Dances

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

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

Clean

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

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

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

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

Man, I wish I could dance like them!

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

It got me

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

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

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

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

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

You Are My Life
- Michael Jackson

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

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

Wes is gone! Woot Woot!

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

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

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

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