2007 Year End Review

I know, I know. It's what, end of Feb. already and I'm making a 2007 year end review?! But I found my sister's post about her year end report and I got to thinking that it's a nice way of taking the year it was in retrospect. Specially that last year was a very good year for me and there were so many happenings to really remember it with.

January

Of course there was the annual New Year party at home.

It was my Papa's birthday on the 6th and, as usual, we offered a mass for him. We included in the mass offering my Lolo Godeng and Lola Mely, my paternal grandparents.

It was also Carl's and Get's birthdays but since they're out of the country (Carl was in Japan and Get is in Qatar), I just sent them greetings through emails.

Eli came home from Italy this month. He treated me and some of our G-23 blockmates to dinner at Gerry's Grill in Park Square.



February

Summer outings started early last year. My mom's company outing was to Bolinao, Pangasinan and I went with them since I haven't been there before. I wasn't able to swim much since the water is either really shallow or really deep. But the waves were fantastic.



March

Attended Henry and Mima's wedding in Clark, Pampanga. Henry rented a villa for us at Mimosa so we can stay the night there.

The Cookies (Jenny and Lord), Stan, Fred, Earth, Hazel, and me took a day trip to Corregidor. This is my first time to go there and it was a blast! Hope we will have more out of town trips.

Since we're an outing addict, my mom and I joined my Tita Mariz's company outing to Golden Sunset Village Resort and Spa, Calatagan, Btangas. This resort is owned by a famous hair dresser Ricky Reyes.



April

For our annual Holy Week outing, we went to Beachwood Resort, Sariaya Quezon and Aguila Resort, Mabini, Batangas.

Badminton and Karaoke party with Headstrong friends: The Cookies, Fred, Stan, Jet, Hazel and Tid.

Headstrong company outing at Mount Sea Resort, Tanza, Cavite.

Puerto Galera trip with Carl, Marlon, Abi, Dianne, and Apple.

May

The annual family swimming party for Vince's birthday. Rain or shine, we go swimming for his birthday. And my mom wanted to celebrate her birthday too so we went to Fontana, Clark, Pampanga.

June

Had dinner with Solar lab pips. Chona and Winson invited us to their wedding.

July

Chona and Winson's big day! I was part of the entourage and it was my first time to try curly hair.

AIU-RP Team Building at La Corona, Pagsanjan. Unforgettable experience!



August

August means birthday gifts and birthday parties! Thank God I have lots of family and friends who loves me! Yay!

WEBAPSS PSG also had a fun party at Redbox, Trinoma this month.

September

My first trip to Melbourne, Australia! Yay!!! It was so exciting and I feel very blessed that I was given a chance to travel to this place. And it was free! I was sent by the company for a business trip.

Jherome's birthday party.

October

Redbox party (again!) with my G-23 friends.



November

Another first for me. First trip to Bangkok, Thailand! Again, courtesy of AIU.



And the annual All Saint's Day trip to the cemetery.

December

Lots of Christmas parties:

1. AIU-RP Christmas party at Giligan's, Park Square
2. Headstrong Christmas Party at Intramuros
3. AIU Party at Serendra
4. Barkada Christmas party at Seaside
5. Family Christmas party at Aristocrat and at home
6. AIU-RP Reunion and Christmas party

Blogthings: Do You Need a Man?

***You Don't Need a Man ... or Want One!***


Generally, you're very happy being a single woman.
And anyone who has a problem with that... well, that's there problem.
Not that you wouldn't share your life with the almost perfect guy.
You simply won't settle though. Your life is too good to share with some substandard man!


Do You Need a Man?
http://www.blogthings.com/doyouneedamanquiz/

Blogthings: What Sign Woman Are You, Really?

Your True Sign Is Cancer

Cozy Moody Romantic Traditional Ultra-Sensitive Unable to Let Go The Most Loving Ever Intuitive and Imaginative

What Sign Woman Are You, Really?

Blogthings: Could You Be Violent?

There's a Chance You Could Be Violent

Overall, you're a pretty chill person - and you have a good handle on your emotions. Sometimes your anger gets the best of you, and end up regretting how you act. Try to curb your temper more often. It only has to get out of control once to do some damage.

Could You Be Violent?

Blogthings: What Kind of Soul Are You?

Got this from Ann

***You Are an Old Soul***


You are an experienced soul who appreciates tradition.
Mellow and wise, you like to be with others but also to be alone.
Down to earth, you are sensible and impatient.
A creature of habit, it takes you a while to warm up to new people.

You hate injustice, and you're very protective of family and friends
A bit demanding, you expect proper behavior from others.
Extremely independent you don't mind living or being alone.
But when you find love, you tend to want marriage right away.

Souls you are most compatible with: Warrior Soul and Visionary Soul


What Kind of Soul Are You?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofsoulareyouquiz/

Hong Kong Trip

Just finished booking our room accommodation for our Hong Kong trip. We booked a 3/4 Persons Family Ensuite (2 double beds) room for me, my mom and my sister. I was hoping for a triple ensuite room but these rooms were already booked at Yesinn Hostels on our scheduled trip.

Our room costs us 1,677.00 HKD or 8,702.88 PHP according to an online currency converter. I paid using my credit card and I was charged an initial $335.40 HKD (1,740.58 PHP) for the deposit.

As I was looking for a place for us to stay, I considered the Wang Fat Hostel and Sun Kong Hostel as possible hostels for our trip. The problem was I saw a lot of mixed reviews about these 2 hostels. Some say that these 2 were ok, others say that they had problems. But my main concern was that some of the reviews said that even if they have already booked in advance, when they arrived the receptionist could not find their reservation. That to me is a big concern since I don't want to have the hassle of looking for a new accommodation once we're there.

We also have booked our flight care of Cebu Pacific. We will be leaving on March 25 and will return on March 29 March 28. Total airfare for 3 adults was PHP 16,995.18. I also paid this through my credit card.

So far, we have already accumulated around 30K of expenses, including the expected international tax when we leave.

Next to do is book our online entrance tickets to Ocean Park and Disneyland. I want to make all the online bookings that I can so that we will have less to worry over when we take our trip. Also, it will be easier to budget our pocket money. My goal is that our whole trip will only cost us about 50K. Luckily, our schedule lands on the off peak days in Disneyland and Ocean Park. According to Disneyland's online booking system, 3 adults will cost us 885.00 HKD (4,592.76 PHP). The Ocean Park will cost us 624.00 HKD (3,238.28 PHP). That leaves us about 10K for our food and transpo for the 4 days. Sigh! How about our shopping expenses?! I think I need to re-think our budget ....

Here's hoping all the preparations for our trip will make our trip more fun!

Work, work, work

Am so busy with work lately ... I sometimes feel as if all I do is work! Hay! Good thing that I have supportive family and friends that prevents me from having a burnout. Thanks!

Stories from Down Under - Chapter 3

September 23

May nakalimutan pala ako ikwento nung Friday kaya bago ko simulan ang gala kwento ko ng Sunday eh babalikan ko muna ung Friday ….

Last Friday kasi nag-email sakin si Leni. Siya ung Pinay na friend at officemate ni Sonny na nag-tour sakin nung Monday sa City. Si Sonny naman ung kausap ko ngayon dito sa AIG para dun sa ginagawa ko dito. Pinoy din siya. Nung ni-invite ako ni Leni for lunch, sabi niya sabay daw samin si Ronald, another Pinoy friend and officemate nila dito. Si Ronald yung nag-suggest sakin ng trip to Mt. Buller. Nag-offer din siya na ito-tour nya ako ng Sunday. At siya nga ang naging tour guide ko nung Sunday kaya me pics na ako na andun ako! Yehey!


Actually, di ko alam na matutuloy kami last Sunday. Kasi nung last Friday ang usapan namin ite-text ko siya kung matutuloy ako ng Saturday sa Mt. Buller at kung tuloy kami ng Sunday. Eh ni-text ko siya last Saturday kaso di siya nag-reply so di ko sure kung na-receive nya. At di nga daw nya na-receive nung nagkita kami nung Sunday. Pero napag-usapan din namin na kung matutuloy kami eh dadaanan nya ako sa hotel ko ng 8am. Swerte na lang at maaga din ako gumising nung araw na yun kasi nga nabitin ako sa gala nung Saturday. After eating a hearty breakfast from the hotel's resto (shempre todo kain ako kasi free un tapos balak ko magpakapagod di ba?) eh naupo muna ako sa lobby at nagayos ng mga props ko, i.e. digi cam, sweater, scarf, etc. Aba at nagulat na lang ako at biglang tumabi sakin sa sofa si Ronald and ready to go na! Hehehe. Di daw nya na-receive text ko and inassume na lang nya na tuloy nga daw kami nung Sunday na un. Kaya ayun, tuloy ang gala …. (kala nyo kanina start na ng kwento ng gala noh?! Hehehe.)


Una namin pinuntahan eh yung St. Kilda beach. Un ung pinaka malapit na Beach dito sa hotel ko. Nag-tram kami papunta dun. White beach daw siya pero actually medyo cream colored ang sand nya at hindi white ….



O di ba! Beach siya pero balot na balot ako! Ang lamig kasi eh! And wag nyo na lang pansinin na parang ang taba ko sa pic … promise bulky lang ung suot kong panlamig! Hehehe. Ganda ng scarf ko noh? 2 toned yan, half-black and half-gray. And marunong na ko maglagay ng scarf! Bah akala nyo siguro madali lang maglagay nun, eh ako nahirapan nung una kong dating dito kasi di naman ako nag-scarf sa Pinas noh. So tiningnan ko pa mga nakikita kong mga tao dito kung pano nila nilalagay yung scarves nila … o pede na ba?! Hehehe.



Kung mapapansin nyo, maalon ung dagat sa likod ko. Ang lakas kasi ng hangin minsan dito eh! Imagine ang lamig na nga eh may malakas na hangin pa! so ang lamig lamig talaga minsan, brrr!!!



Naglakad kami along the beach hanggang makarating kami sa Luna Park.





Unfortunately eh 11am pa siya nago-open pag Sunday kaya di na kami nakaikot sa loob. Ang liit ng pic ko noh?! Mahilig kasi si Ronald kumuha ng pic na kita yung background in all its glory. Kaya ayun, ang siste maliliit ako sa mga pics. Hayy!!!!



Tapos lakad kami ulit papunta sa other side. Grabe! Nung napunta ako dito tsaka ko lang nalaman na kaya ko pala maglalakad ng buong araw! Ilang araw din na pamamasyal ko dito na puro lakad ginawa ko ha! Huh! Ako pa na gagastos na lang kesa maglakad ng malayo from PBCom to Landmark dahil malayo na sakin un!


Sa other side nung bach eh me St. Kilda Pier naman. Lakad lakad din kami dun.







Ung asa likod ko sa pic na ito sa itaas eh yung city sky line, kita nyo ung matataas na bldg? yan ung city. Para siyang SG in a sense na puro shopping malls at kainan dun. Kaso ang difference, sa taas ng mga bldgs na yan eh di lang office spaces. Marami din residential dyan, unlike sa SG na ang center eh puro malls at offices lang.



And pansin nyo ba na ang nakaalalay ako sa hair ko?! Pano ba naman kung hindi eh di na makikita mukha ko kasi ang lakas ng hangin! Ang hirap magpa-picture na maayos ang hair … kaya ayun tinali ko na lang hair ko.



Tapos balik kami city. Punta kami sa Flinders Train Station.




Sakay kami train papunta sa Williamstown, isang sikat na town din dito. So nakasakay ako ng tram at train dito. Yung bus na lang di ko nasasakyan … di ako nakasakay dun sa tourist bus! Para siyang free city tram pero iba naman iniikotan niya. Sayang!


At dahil napagod na kami ng kakalakad, nag-lunch na kami dun sa williamstown. Kumain kami sa La Porchetta.





Eto ang parang Pizza Hut or Shakey's nila dito. Para tong Nando's na maraming branches. Pero sa loob nito kami kumain kasi malamig sa labas eh.



After ng lunch eh nag-train ride ulit kami pabalik ng city para magpunta sa Smith St. sa Fitzroy.



Pero bago pa kami nakarating ng Fitzroy eh dumaan muna kami dun sa Royal Exhibition Bldg at Melbourne Museum kasi on the way naman. Although di na kami pumasok sa both building kasi kapos na sa oras eh.





Dito sa Royal Exhibition Bldg tumitira ang Queen of England pag napapadpad siya sa lugar na ito. Yang mga nakikita nyo na ruins, ung inuupuan ko, actual ruins yan from the buildings before dito sa Melbourne.





Onwards to Smith St. at Fitzroy! Andun yung mga factory outlet shops ng Nike, Addidas, Quick Silver, etc. Pero wala naman ako nabili para sa sarilli ko kasi tinitipid ko nga pera ko. Tsaka wala naman ako nakita na type ko.



After nun balik ulit kami sa city. Punta naman kami sa Melbourne Aquarium. Iniwan na ko dito ni Ronald kasi nakapunta na siya dito eh tsaka medyo mahal dito, A$ 25, so ako na lang mag-isa nagikot sa loob. Pero bago kami maghiwalay …

Stories from Down Under - Chapter 2

September 21

Nagmamadali ako bumalik sa hotel room ko from the office kasi hinahabol ko na bukas pa ung Halftix na store sa city. Store siya na nagbe-benta ng mga shows/tours na malapit na ganapin, like show for that night at 8pm pede mo mabili ng discounted. Till 6pm lang open ung store, tulad ng karamihan ng shops dito pag weekdays except fri. Balak ko sana na magpunta ng Mt. Buller, may snow dun at lifts na parang cable car. Kaso wala na daw ino-offer na ganun sa Halftix.

Sakto naman na pag labas ko ng store eh may lalaki na parang nagaabang sa labas (pero sabi nya afterwards di raw siya nagaabang, hinihintay nya lang daw ako lumbas. Hay naku Leah ha!). Mejo naalangan ako sa kanya kasi bigla na lang nya ako kinausap. Yun pala, siya pala yung hubby nung officemate ko dati sa Headstrong. Robert name nya, hubby ni Leah. Na-kwento kasi ni Leah sa kanya na asa Melbourne nga ako. Nakasalubong na daw nya ako at dahil konti nga lang daw pinoy dun, naisip nya na baka ako nga daw ung niku-kwent ni Leah sa kanya. Sabi ko nga sa kanya Leah, mestiza ako! So paano nya naisip agad na pinoy ako di ba?! Hehehe. Baka kelangan na ng new glasses ng hubby mo Leah?! :D

May ni-contact si Robert na friend nya na officemate daw dati ni Leah, si Jo (o Joe ba spelling)? Naka-kwentuhan ko din siya. Officemate pala siiya dati ni Leah at Jenny, another former officemate in Headstrong, sa UOB.


September 22

Maaga sana akong gigising para makagala. Kaso ang lamig! Ang sarap matulog! Kaya late na ako naabangon at nakapag-asikaso para gumala. Tapos syempre nag-breakfast pa ako ng marami kasi libre yun at kelangan ko mag-ipon ng lakas dahil madami akong balak puntahan ng araw na un.

1st stop is the Shrine of Remembrance.



Old building na siya na sabi eh naging libingan ng mga heroes nung WWI and II. Etong structure na to eh asa gitna ng isang park. Di ko sure kung pwede pumasok sa loob nito eh kasi nung araw na yun parang sarado siya kasi walang tao.

2nd stop: Royal Botanical Garden



Ang laking park nito! Ang dami niya sections kaso since start pa lang ng spring eh di pa masyado namumulaklak ang mga halaman dito. Konti lang naikot ko kasi kakapagod ikutin ung buong place eh, masyado siyang malaki.

3rd stop: Victoria Market

Dito ang bilihan ng fresh fruits at souvenirs ng Melbourne. Para tong Divisoria na medyo mas malinis at maayos lang. Dito ko namili ng halos lahat ng pasalubong ko.

Nagikot-ikot muna ako dun sa buong market para magkaroon ako ng idea how much binebenta mga prodcts dun. Tapos nung napagod na ko, nag-lunch muna ako sa Nando’s, sikat na resto dito sa Melbourne. Madaming branches na akong nakikita nito dito. Parang chicken inasal style nung luto nila tapos meron silang sauce na ang tawag nila ay peri-peri na merong range of hotness (me ganung word ba?!).

After ko mag-lunch, nagpunta ako dun sa isang tindahan na nakita ko medyo mura ung mga stuffed toys na magandang pasalubong sa mga bata kong pinsan. Ambait nung Indonesian guy na may ari! Lahat ng binili ko me discount. Dun ko rin binili ung mga caps, bags at yung ethnic rain maker na house décor. Lahat yun may discounts! Partida mura na nya binebenta compared dun sa ibang shops tapos may discount pa. Sabi nya may friend daw kasi siya na Chinese na nagpro-provide sa kanya nung mga stuff na binebenta nya ng mura kaya nabebenta nya rin ng mura. At saka mas nagco-concentrate daw siya sa pagbenta nung mga mahal na products nya, na hindi ako bumili kasi mahal talaga!

After nun sinamahan pa nya ako sa Vietnamese friend naman nya na nagbebenta ng shirts. Sabi ko kasi sa kanya bibili rin ako shirts. Sabi nya dun sa Vietnamese, mag-kamaganak kami para daw bigyan din ako discount nung Vietnamese. And what do you know, may discount nga rin ako! Hehehe. Swerte ko dun ako napadpad sa shop nung Indonesian na yun.

4th stop: Free City Tram

Dapat punta pa ako Melbourne Zoo para makakita naman ako ng kangaroo at koala. Kaso wala ng time eh, hanggang 5pm lang ung Zoo eh past 3pm na ko natapos sa Victoria Market tapos medyo malayo pa yung Zoo. Kaya balik na lang ako sa City at sumakay na lang ako nung free city tram. Sayang nga di ko nakuhanan ng pic ung free city tram eh! Yung trams eh yun ung parang mrt nila dito.

Yung free city tram, tram siya na umiikot sa city. May sound system sa loob na nagku-kwento ng mg historical facts nung mga buildings na dinadaanan or nagde-describe nung mga shopping malls. Para siyang tour guide. Fortunately na naman eh me nakatabi ako na 3 girls dun sa tram Yung 1 girl, nito-tour nya ung 2 ang girl. Kaya parang me tour guide din akong kasama.

5th stop: Federation Square and Yarra River





Pagkababa ko ng tram sa Flinders St., nagikot-ikot naman ako dun sa Federation Square nila at dun sa gilid ng Yarra river. Yung Federation Square, yun yung parang Luneta nila.

Along the Yarra River naman eh may parang open area na parang carnival and concert place. Mala-UP Fair ba. Merong malaking ferris wheel tapos may stage na merong DJ na nagpe-perform. Ang daming tao sa loob! Inisip ko nga pumasok para ma-experience ko naman gimik dun kaso isip ko baka magkagulo dun eh. Malakas kasi uminom mga tao dito, maski sa loob nung parang carnival me mga beer and legal un kaya di na ko tumuloy. Naglakad-lakad na lang ako along Yarra River.

Medyo nawala pa ako dahil sa kakalakad ko. Ang haba kasi nung Yarra River, so pag dating ko sa dulo ayoko ng bumalik di ba?! Ang layo na nung nilakad ko eh! Ginawa ko nag-try ako maghanap ng tram station sa may dulo. Eh wala na pala dun, mga taxi na lang dumadaan dun. Ayoko naman mag-taxi at mahal tsaka sayang naman ung daily ko na Metcard na good for the whole day. Metcards kasi tawag nila dun sa card nila for the trams, trains and buses dito. Parang yung cards sa SG din. Pero sa SG yata parang stored value siya kaya pwede rin sa taxi. Dito kasi for bus, trams and trains lang siya. At saka more of time length ang basehan nung Metcards. Pwede ka bumili ng Metcard na good for 2 hrs, ride to sawa un for 2 hours. So yung daily ko eh un lang ginamit ko sa buong paggala ko nung Saturday.

Anyway, going back sa kwento ko. Ayun so wala ako mahanap na tram station so lakad lakad ulit ako hanggang sa may nakita ako na sign na papunta sa tram station. Napadpad pala ako sa mga stadium nila. Nadaanana ko ung Rod Laver Arena, Olympic Arena at Vodafone Arena. Dito daw ginaganap ung mga sports events dito. Melbourne kasi is the sports capital of Australia. Adik sila sa sports dito!

Again, dito na muna ang kwento. Maghahanap pa ako ng copy nung chapter 3 na ni-email ko kung kani-kanino. Unfortunately eh di ko pala na-emailsa sarili ko ung chapter 3 ko na kwento. At saka iu-update ko pa tong entry na to to include some of the pics I took while wandering around the city.

Stories from Down Under

WARNING: Mahabang kwento po ito.

Howdy mates!

Ako po eh pinadala sa Melbourne, Australia para mag-investigate at analyze nung mga nae-encounter nilang problems dun sa software na supported namin. Saturday ng gabi ako umalis ng Manila. Ang 1st misadventure ko eh ang all the while ang nasa isip ko eh 10:30pm pa ang flight ko, instead of 8:05pm. So balak ko mga 5:30pm pa magpasundo sa bahay sa company service para 7:30pm asa airport na ko. Putik! Buti na lang me nakapansin sa e-ticket ko na 20:05 ang nakalagay na oras ng alis ko. Kaya ayun, sa awa ng Diyos eh nakarating naman ako ng on time sa Centennial airport.

Habang asa airport eh napansin ko na mas mahigpit na sila ngayon. Nung pumunta kasi kami Singapore at Boracay, ang security chuchu lang eh yung pag-xray ng bags sa gate mismo tsaka yung pag naka-check in ka na. Ngayon, just before ng boarding meron uling x-ray chuva ng mga bags. Yung iba nga nagrereklamo, para sakin naman oks lang kasi mas may security chuva eh mas safe ang feeling ko.

During the flight oki sana. May nakatabi ako na Aussie na gwapo! Papa-ble talaga ang dating. Kaso, amoy di naligo! Yuck! Kaya di ko na ni-landi, ni-try ko na lang matulog. Ang hirap pala matulog sa eroplano! Kahit anong pihit ko sa upuan ko di ako maging komportable. Pero dahil nga siguro sleeps like the dead ako, eh kahit papano nakatulog pa rin ako kasi medyo naalimpungatan ako at pinapakain na kami ng breakfast dahil malapit na kami mag-land. May mga alcoholic drinks sa plane kaso di ko alam kung me Bailey’s, gusto ko sana humingi kasi free. Kaso naisip ko baka naman bangag ako bumaba ng plane eh mahirapan ako hanapin ung susundo sakin. Tapos malala pa nun baka bossing pa susuundo sakin eh di kahiya naman di ba! Hehehe. Kaya naisip ko sa return flight na lang ako babawi sa paghingi ng Bailey’s, kung meron!

Mas maganda yung Singapore Changi Airport kaysa yung airport nila sa Melbourne. Parang NAIA or Centennial lang natin. Pag labas ko dun sa arrival area eh nahanap ko naman agad yung sundo ko. Taxi driver pala sundo ko na maghahatid sakin sa hotel. Putik ang lamig pag labas namin! Eh naka manipis na jacket lang ako nun kasi di ko naman expect na ganun kalamig dito tsaka dun kasi sa plane di naman ganun kalamig. Tapos, ang mahal ng taxi fare ko!!!! Huhuhu. Yung isang araw na per diem ko dun lang napunta sa taxi fare ko! Buti na lang at sabi sakin na reimbursible naman daw ang taxi fare.

Since early Sunday morning ako dumating, pagka-check in sa hotel at pagka-hang ng mga damit ko eh rumampa na ako! Inikot-ikot ko ung area dito malapit sa hotel ko. Sa Bayview on the Park ako naka-check in. Dami parks na malapit dito so nakapunta ako dun sa Fawkner Park at Albert Park. Pero di ako masyado nakapag tagal sa Albert Park. And sayang at di na ako nakabalik dun, balak ko sana mag-picture picture dun s alake area. Nung mga last days ko kasi dun eh medyo naging busy na at di na ko nakakaalis ng maaga sa office so di na ko nakaikot malapit dun sa hotel ko.



Speaking of picture picture, habang nagiikot ako at napi-picture ng mga buildings (o di ba pati buildings ni-picture-an ko!) eh nahulog ko digi cam ko!!!! Huhuhu. Badtrip! Nasira clasp nung battery. Nagagamit ko pa naman pero medyo mairap lang hawakan. At saka di na ko pwede mag-timer kasi dapat laging hawak ung sa may battery. Dapat ita-tape ko siya kaso di pa ko nakakabili tape tsaka parang medyo nakakahiya kasi low tech na nga camera ko (2 megapixels lang) tapos may tape pa di ba!?! Habang mga tao dun eh ang techy ng mga cam. Hay! Isip ko nga bumili na lang ng digi cam fun eh kaso la pa ako nakita na mga digi cams so di ko natantya kung medyo mura ba para ica-card ko na lang.

Tapos nung 1st day ko sa office dun, nung Monday, swerte! Wala yung bossing! So medyo email email pa ako nung Monday. Pero medyo madami na rin ginagawa kasi may daily status report ako sa boss ko sa Manila eh kakahiya naman kung wala man lang akong mapakitang output di ba? Tapos another swerte kasi may Pinay dun sa office na super bait! Nag-offer siya na i-tour ako sa city after office para medyo ma-familiarize ako dun sa city pag gumala na ako. Grabe dami namin nilakad! Bait bait nya. So now medyo familiar na sakin ng konti ung city. Tapos bait pa nya kasi tinuro nya sakin paano sumakay ng Trams (yung parang MRT nila dito pero 1 car lang tsaka nasa kalsada lang) tsaka pinautang muna nya ako pera kasi di na namin inabutan bukas ung money changer na mura. Yung mga money changers pala kasi dun may commission. Eh yung tinuro nya sakin eh walang commission. 11pm na ko nakabalik ng hotel room ko.



Tapos kanina pumasok na yung bossing dito. Swerte na naman kasi cool naman pala siya. So di kasing hectic ng nie-expect ko ang ginagawa ko dito. Pero nagtra-trabaho pa rin ako ng matino kasi ayoko naman mapahiya ako, di kaya ng pride ko! Hehehe. May another blooper na naman ako kanina! Kasi me ipapapadala na chocolates yung isang kasama naming pinoy dito sa mga taga-Manila. Eh nakalimutan ko sa office! Naalala ko na nung papunta na ako ng city para magpapalit ng pera at saka para mag-ikot ulit. Hay! Kinabahan nga ako kasi baka mawala sa office eh patay ako kasi papalitan ko ung chocolates na yun pag nagkataon. Eh di bawas pa sa budget ko un di ba? Kaya binalikan ko pagkagaling ko ng city. Buti na lang, mabait yung gwapong security guard at pinayagan ako na umakyat ulit para kunin. As in ung security ID pa nya pinagami nya sakin ha! O di ba?! Gwapo na mabait pa!

Ay naku grabe ang daming gwapo dito! Kung pwede lang maguwi ng konti para sakin at sa mga gurly friends ko maguuwi talaga ako eh! Sila na lang gagawin kong souvenirs at pasalubong! Hahaha.


Till next kwento, bow!

PS: Will edit this post to include some pics as soon as I am able to transfer the pics from my office PC to my home PC.

It's good to be back

I'm back from my short visit to Melbourne, Australia. I was sent there to document the re-occurring problems the users are encountering in the application that we are supporting there.

I'll post my adventures next time.

Again, it's good to be back!

Birthday treats

Long overdue post ... oh well.

August 8

I was supposed to treat nanay and Dianne for dinner but the storm put a damper on our plans.

August 9

I was gonna treat a few friends of mine from AIU-RP on this night but Fred and Stan decided to do the honors instead. Hehehe. Thanks guys! For more info and pics, go to Jen's post about it.

August 10

Froilan and I treated our teammates some Pizza Hut pizza and KFC chicken for merienda. Froilan and I shared the same birth date so we decided to team up for the blow out.

August 11

I invited my high school friends (Abi, Renee and Jaja) and Dianne to the Temple Bar in Greenbelt. Abi was feeling down that night but she was a good friend and tried her best to still have fun that night to not affect our mood.

August 12

I asked Tita Lita to cook her special Kare-kare for us and for my relatives. This is my treat for them.

August 17

The August Celebrants of AIU-RP treated the team for some merienda from Buddy's.

August 24

Cecile, Marvin, Froilan and I treated some of our closest friends from AIU-RP. We spent most of the night and part of the early hours of the next morning in Pier One at The Fort.

Birthday gifts

My birthday this year was full of surprises. Who would have thought that turning 27 would be so much fun?! :D

This post will be dedicated to the gifts I received this year. I don't usually receive gifts on my birthday. My previous birthdays gifts were usually from Carl and Dianne only. I do get gifts from my other friends as well but it's Carl and Dianne who religiously give me birthday gifts. It's not that I'm complaining. Being greeted on my birthday is more than enough for me. And believe me, I get lots of greetings during my birthday! Part of the reason why I get lots of birthday greetings is because I remind people through text messages and emails that it's my birthday. Hehehe.

But I am still very glad when I receive gifts. I feel very lucky. Not everyone gets gifts on their birthdays. And it feels nice to have someone take enough effort to buy something for you, no matter the price.

So, here are some of the gifts I received this year.



This short skirt is from Carl. I am still trying to have enough courage to wear this very short skirt outside of our house .... maybe next summer.



The shades was from Dianne. And about time too since my shades broke recently. Or was it that my shades broke recently that Dianne gave me new shades?! Hmmm ....




The bag was from my mother. I was pleasantly surprised to receive a gift from my mother. Since I started working, she doesn't give me gifts anymore ... huhuhu. I used to receive money from her during my birthday so that I can treat my friends.



The Star Wars thingy was from Carl too. Although to be honest I don't know what to do with it. Marlon, Carl's hubby, explained to me what it was for but I can't imagine myself putting it in my phone since I figured it would just make my phone harder to use. Oh well .. thanks for the gift anyway!

What really surprised me were the gifts from my AIU-RP friends. Although I have also received gifts from officemates before, this is the first time that I received gifts from so many friends from work. Thank you, thank you guys!!!

The body butter lotions were from Ri. I am using one of them now and they smell absolutely delicious! If I had a boyfriend right now I am sure he'll love the taste of the lotion on my skin .... hahaha. I haven't tried tasting myself while wearing the lotion but I might give in to the temptation one of these days ...

The Ralph perfume was from Jen, Tid, Hazel, Jet, Fred and Stan. I don't think that I told any of these guys that this perfume is one of my faves but they certainly got it right!

I got more gifts but no pictures of these gifts. One gift was from Abi, it's something to wear when I have someone to show it too na. Another gift was from Renee, a Zen Zest lotion spray.

You know, in retrospect, I am really blessed. I have a very loving family and very thoughtful friends. I believe that people should always think of these little happiness in their lives and count them as blessings. Not everyone is granted another year with good health, a good job, family and friends. God is really very nice to me. Thank you Lord for all these blessings.

Sensya na sa drama. I was chatting with a friend earlier and we were talking about my papa. I was also reading a novel earlier and one of the lines struck me as so true. But sometimes the pain is as fresh as if it were yesterday. And that got me thinking also that we really should treasure the time we have now and the people we are with. Because life is really too short.

LinkedIn invites

I recently received a couple of LinkedIn invites from people I don't know. I had second thoughts of approving their invites since I don't really know them and I consider my account in LinkedIn as a serious account, not like a Friendster account where I approve anyone who invites me. Oh well ...

6 weird things about Yen

Got this from Tid. This is my first time to try something like this in a blog. Oh well .. here it goes.

1. I am a reading addict. It doesn't matter what I'll read, if I get interested in it my world feels as if it stops. I don't eat, work, sleep, etc until I am finished with what I am reading.

2. I can live for several days with just doing 3 things: sleep, eat and read.

3. I am a religious fan of Postsecret. I check for updates every week, sometimes even everyday.

4. When I am feeling down, I read novels that I know will surely make me howl crying. I even sometimes read books like this back to back. After reading and crying for a few hours (complete with runny nose and very puffy eyes), I'm ok again.

5. I'm dense. Sometimes I'll get wind of news that I scare people or that other people are mad at me or like me or whatever and I won't even have any idea of their feelings towards me.

6. I am both a dreamer and a cynic. I hope for good things in life but I also disabuse myself of my hope.

I am tagging Dianne and Ann to do this in their blog too. I don't know who else to tag since Tid have already tagged JJ and Rianne and they're the only ones who read my blog.

Blogging ...

Tid just left a message in the message board asking if this is my real blog. I also have one at Friendster. Is this my real blog? For now, yes. I'm not much of a writer so I don't post much here.

But I will try to post more. I've realized that as much as I enjoy being up to date with my friends lives, they might wish to be updated with mine too! Hehehe. Specially now that more and more of my friends are working abroad.

Just don't hope for a very detailed post about my life ... as I've said I'm not much of a writer. Also, there are things better shared over a cup of coffee or during inuman! Hehehe.

Currently listening at Hugh Grant's Meaningless Kiss.
Currently feeling sleepy since Henry's despedida last night ended later than I expected.

Chona and Winson's Wedding

Just came home from Chona and Winson's wedding.

Their Christian wedding as held at the Bonsai Garden at UP Diliman. Luckily, I was able to google the quickest way to get there so unlike my Solar friends, my mom and I didn't get lost.

It was a lovely wedding, even the drizzle right in the middle of the ceremony.

When we arrived there, Jack and his wife Iris was already there. Jay T. soon arrived after us. At ang lokong Jack at Jay, pinagtulungan ako! Sabi ba naman ba't daw gurl na ako ngayon?! Hehehe.

Jeng then arrived without Arne because Arne had to work today and will be coming in late.

Sir Empoy, Pia and Joven arrived just about when we were to march down the aisle.

And of course, here are some pictures. Pardon me if there are a lot of pics of me because I simply felt beautiful today! Hehehe. I know, I know, you might say that I am always beautiful but I was extra fine looking today ... in my humble opinion. :D

Di na maka-hintay bumaba ng kotse kaya nagsimula na magpa-picture.



Me and Jeng.



Me and Jack. Because some of the secondary sponsors were late, I suddenly became the sponsor for cord instead of just being a bridesmaid.



Me and Pia, my thesis partner.



With the newly weds, Chona and Winson



With Solar pips.



Pretty me and my pretty mom



At shempre, solo pic ko

Solar Lab Dinner

The Solar pips met for dinner last June 8. We met at Congro Grille in El Pueblo at Ortigas.



Winson and Chona are getting married and they met with us to invite us to their wedding.




Jeng, Pia and me are part of the entourage! We get to wear pretty gowns! Hehehe.

Totoo na to ...

Promise, ito na last outing namin for the summer 2007 ....

My Nanay celebrated her birthday with our extended family by treating us with breakfast in her new house in Pampanga and by providing food for our Fontana outing.

Dami sana maganda kwento dun sa outing namin eh. Kaso I have no talent in writing. Copy paste ko sana ang kwento ng sis ko dito about our outing kaso di pa siya nagpo-post about it. Hehehe.

One of the reasons why I continued with this blog is so that I can go back to the happy times (and the not so happy times). Kaso kung ang tamad ko naman magsulat tungkol sa mga yun, parang la rin wenta noh?! Hay naku!

Anyway, here are some pics from our outing.

Last hurrah for Summer 2007

Finally, after planning to go to Club Manila East for quite some time now (it was one of the contenders for our annual summer outing since 2005), we went to the Taytay, Rizal resort last Sunday.

The resort was better than expected. It was nice, with many pools and was not very crowded. The only disappointment was that the pool water was hot! I was expecting it to be cold since we were in Rizal, which is a fairly higher land mass. Oh well ....

Here are some pics.

It's not an outing if there are no self-pics ....



My 1st kayak ride. This pic is actually funny if you knew that the pool was only 4.5 feet high ... the funny part?! We were wearing vests!!! ... It wasn't funny?! Oh well ...



The waves were great!



My only regret for this summer was that I was not able to go snorkeling even just once! Oh well, there's still next summer.