Hug!

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

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

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

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

They are real-life lovers?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dang Josh, why did you have to get married?

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

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

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

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

Sige di na nga...

I still love you Dao Ming Si!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Heart of Life

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

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

Are You Blessed?

(Author Unknown, Source Unknown )

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

Twilight: Director's Notebook

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

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

To Watch...

The movies I want to see…

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

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

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

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

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

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

Keeping (un)Fit

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

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

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

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

Do you agree?

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

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

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

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

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

Sweets

The culprit: a pack of gummy watermelon candies.


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

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

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

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

Do you have faith?

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

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

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

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

Where do you put your faith in?

I want a pair!

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





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

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

What I've been up to

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

Let’s see…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shopping can be quite difficult at times…

Mind-boggling.

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

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

Read Dr. Oz Investigates Medical Mysteries.

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

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

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

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

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

PMS and the Wii Fit.

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

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

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

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

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

Cold Weather Alert.

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



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

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

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

Feeding your Twilight Addiction

According to Stephenie Meyer's website, the Twilight DVD will be released on March 21st! YAY!

There's apparently a "Special Edition" DVD which will feature the following:

SPECIAL FEATURES — DISC ONE

• Five extended scenes with director introductions
  
• Audio commentary (Catherine Hardwicke, Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart)
  
• Three music videos (Muse, Paramore, Linkin Park)

SPECIAL FEATURES — DISC TWO

• Five deleted scenes with director introductions
  
• Seven-part documentary: "The Adventure Begins: The Journey from Page to Screen"
  
• Comic-Con Phenomenon featurette
  
• And more!

And just in case you are wondering... yes, I am going to buy it.

Go Team Edward! *wink wink*

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

Aren’t they beautiful?

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

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

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

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

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

Nominated!

I tend to disappear from the blogging world during the holidays as I tend to get quite busy during this time of the year. I logged in this morning and guess what? My humble site has been nominated for Filipino Blog of the Week!! Yay!

I am not entirely sure how my little site was nominated (or even how it was found) but I am quite happy with just being nominated regardless of whether I win or not.

Here are the rules of the poll.

One of the rules of being nominated is to apparently put a post on my blog about the poll. So if you guys would like to vote, you can go to this site and you will find the poll located at the sidebar to the right. I am not entirely sure until when you can vote so by the time you read this post, I might not be even on the list anymore!

In any case, thank you for always reading my posts!!