DessertComesFirst

DessertComesFirst

Dear Friends,

My friend Nanah told me about this awesome blog/site on food! So much scrumptious food, buffets and desserts! Check it out at DessertComesFirst. It's the ultimate food-lover's dream come true!

The Nth Food Trip

Heaven ‘N Eggs

My reckless splurging days are over so Aldrich and I decided to reserve the expensive restos to special occasions. On our 5th monthsary celeb (a week advanced to take advantage of the 3 day weekend) we had lunch at Heaven ‘N Eggs in G4 and I was surprised to say the food wasn’t really that expensive considering the huge servings that they had! I ordered Breakfast Chicken Teriyaki which was served in a pan-like ceramic with what seemed like 2 cups of rice mixed with chicken teriyaki strips, tofu cubes, black mushrooms, togue and 2 eggs which I opted to be cooked sunny-side up.

Aldrich had the Angus-Beef platter with really good and tasty beef, one sunny side up egg and one baked egg, rice and condiments like ketchup, suka and atsara.

Lastly, we had Mango Crepe ala Mode which I didn’t bother taking a picture of since it’s nothing uncommon. It had the usual chocolate syrup, cream and a scoop of vanilla ice cream and tasted good, too :)

Color Me Mine

After a four-month wait, we’ve finally gotten the Triceratops that we colored in Color Me Mine, and I knew that mine was quite an artists’ flop. I didn’t coat on the color thick enough and my dinosaur looked blood-stained instead of cute! Oh well, hehehe.

Adik sa Tahong

“Adik ka!” This is what a friend told me when I recounted my recent Dampa experience. Monday (Nov 28) was a sort of continuation of our advanced monthsary celeb, so Aldrich and I went to Greenbelt to watch the sneak preview of Chicken Little, shopped around a bit and had dinner at ‘The Original Dampa’ along Sucat in Paranque.

Greenhorns in seafood marketing, we just went to one stall and bought all the seafood there, tsk tsk. I can almost here the voices of my parents laughing and exclaiming that we should have gone around to all the stalls and checked for different signs of freshness from each fish or shrimp or shell, hehehe. Anyway, after the ultra quick trip to the market, we had our seafood cooked at a place called Trinity’s which seemed to be the biggest and the most frequented resto there. It was only when the food arrived did we realize that we bought too much--½ a kilo of shrimp, squid and panga each and 1 full kilo of tahong. But since adik ako, I was able to finish around ¾ kilo of the baked tahong with cheese. It’s freakin’ tasty and good baked tahong with cheese, my super favorite in the whole seafood world! That’s why I was able to happily gobble all that up. The Buttered Shrimp with Oyster Sauce were really really good too, but I didn’t finish as much since prying the meat out of the shell proved to be a hindrance. Aldrich and I were able to finish the Inihaw na Pusit since half a kilo was the normal serving size and it wasn’t as spectacular as the ones I’ve tasted at Congo’s or Baywalk. As for the Panga sa Miso, I found the soup terribly salty and could not muster to have any more after the initial taste tests.

After a while, we decided to have the food wrapped up already for take out coz even though I felt like I could still finish the entire kilo of tahong, there was a ‘health and gluttony’ conscience at the back of my mind telling me that I might get rushed to the hospital if I don’t stop gobbling up the tahong. I felt really woozy and sabog afterwards, just like after a drinking session and also the back of my head kinda hurt and I could feel warmth going up my body which I interpreted as signs of high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Something like this also happened to me after eating the 2 eggs at Heaven ‘N Eggs, hehehe.

I think I’ll start dieting again…now for health reasons, hehehe.

Trips Trips Trips

Caliraya

It was a socializing event masked as a church retreat. I’m not actively seeking for a partner (duh) that’s why I was hesitant on continuing on..but there was no backing out so I went. The travel time took a painstaking 4 hours since it was at the far end of Laguna and there was heavy traffic: Brgy. Lewin, Lumban, Laguna. This is past Pagsanjan.

The place was really nice, an islet with complete amenities for a great outing: horseback riding, canoeing, windsurfing, kayak, tennis, badminton, team building activities, swimming, fishing, etc. The Caliraya Recreation Center mostly caters to big groups for retreats, recreation and teambuilding activities. We stayed at their ‘hotel’ and there was airconditioning and towels that was changed every morning, cool! Room service never fails to make me light up, hehehe. The food was also provided by the hotel, 3 buffet type meals which helped me lose weight!

Here’s why:
· Buffet – meaning you can get the right amount that suits you
· The usual meal is composed of 1 meat, 2 veggies, rice, 1 dessert, soup and free coffee or tea
· I didn’t eat rice and I had lots of veggies!
· The dessert and tea+milk made me happy every time which meant that I needed not eat a lot

Aside from the food, our hotel was on top of the mountain so to reach the activity area, we had to walk down a flight of stairs constructed on the slope of the mountain, instant exercise with fresh air! :) Very cool!

Stuff I did:
1) Canoeing – it was a great experience! Evelyn and I had a lot of bloopers on the way back to the shore which just made me laugh a lot. We didn’t know how to turn, we got stuck in the lilies by the mangrove, we hit a docked fishing boat, we got stranded in a piece of land in the middle of the lake and all that time, we were rowing against the wind! My arms were sore from the instant workout but it felt good! The feeling of being in the middle of water and the wind blowing against your face along with trees was heaven for me :)

2) Badminton – I hadn’t played for a long time and I sucked! But at least I got started playing again and rediscovered the benefits and pleasure of the game. :)

3) Fishing – The Catfish in the pond were taunting me.. they were doing backflips near my rod and even ate my ‘paing’ without getting hooked! Tsk tsk tsk, my friend Lin King got a fish in just 5minutes time so we had a photo op with it instead, hehehe :) Silly fish!

The downside that I see in the place is that there’s a rental fee to all the activites except the swimming pool and the place was quite far. So unless you have lots of money and time to spare, it’s planning and saving up time in order to experience the beauty of this recreation center.

Monthsary

It was my turn to think of ideas on how to celebrate our 4th monthsary so here’s what we did

Nov 4, 2005 (Friday)
Lunch @ KFC
1 hr Badminton @ Ultimate Impact
Go kart @ The Kart Trak near CCP
Biking @ CCP
Dinner @ Teriyaki Boy

Nov 5, 2005 (Saturday)
Lunch @ Luk Yuen
KTV @ World Music Room
Coffee @ Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf
Four Brothers movie @ Promenade
Dinner @ Pizza Hut
Massage @ Clark Hatch
We spent a whopping Php2000++ per person so these series of activites at one go will not be repeated again. Hahahaha!

My Comments:
· My interest for badminton was reignited
· I still don’t know how to ride a bike but I can handle a sidecar or ‘padyak’. I like the feeling of wind in my face
· I’m the stereotypical woman driver..”Ang bagal naman nito, babae kasi eh!” I realized that go karting isn’t really for me coz I get scared at every fast turn that I make hehehe.
· World Music Room isn’t anything special. The room for 4 was too small and there wasn’t anything fantastic about it. I’d prefer IO or Red Box anytime of the day.
· The Ice Blended Chai Latte promo offering of Coffee Bean is slowly fading away…noooooo!!! · Four Brothers is a very violent and gory movie, just like Domino…at least Aldrich likes it a lot.
· Pizza Hut’s new offerings are quite decent. Not the best tasting but good enough for people on a budget.
· Once more with feeling: Nothing beats the massage @ Clark Hatch!

Chai @ Coffee Bean

The write-ups are true! Chai Tea is good for your health and I’m craving for it for that extra boost and feeling of lightness :) By mistake, I’ve tried the hot Chai Latte, the iced Chai Latte, and when I thought the promo was over, I still made it and tried the Ice Blended Chai Latte!!! :) I wasn’t really a tea fan until Chai came along. Aside from energy boost, it also makes my daily movements more regular, hehehe. It’s a fiber-deficit person’s ultimate delight! Highly recommended by moi!

Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire

I watched Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire with Aldrich at Globe Platinum Cinema last night! The lazy boy seats were ultra-comfy, the popcorn and drinks refillable and it was a good movie :) By far better than HP3! Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson) also had really cute angles there, hehehe :-P My favorite one was when he was first introduced to Harry and friends…casually jumping down from the tree, soft hair waving in the air….really really cute….hehehe.

Anyway, I’m still in the Harry Potter mood when I got home last night and reread Chapter 23 of the book just to see how accurate the great fight scene of Harry and Lord Voldemort was. Well, the book described it better and had more ‘fireworks’, but there’s no budget constraints with words.

Now I’m psyched up to read HP5…I’ve been stuck forever in the part where Harry and friends are in a house. I shall dodge through that part and hopefully get to the middle where the action’s suppose to start. I’m sure I’ll finish the book before the movie gets shown in 2007, hehehe.

Next great movie to watch is The Chronicles of Narnia this December! As for now, I’ll just surf through the Harry Potter 4 website the relive the magical feeling from the movie :)

A Quickie from Me

A Quickie from Me

I haven’t blogged for such a long time and I feel the urge to…yet I do not have enough time to talk about all the things that I want to discus. Thus, the list once again.

1. Caliraya Trip – better than I expected


2. 4TH Monthsary celebration – my picks


3. Chai Latte Adventure – I tried all 3 variants


4. Anansi Boys – by Neil Gaiman

I will try to blog this weekend (crossing fingers), hopefully I won’t get turned off with my PC at home that has no net connection, tsk tsk tsk.

Ciao!

Baguio Trip

Baguio Trip!

Oct 22 @ 2am : departed from Nikki’s house to go to Baguio

We passed by North Luzon Expressway which seemed like a never-ending road with white stripes, I even got bored watching the road for just a few minutes. Hands down to Nikki’s Mom and Dad who drove us there hehehe :)

7:05 am : arrived in Baguio!

It was chilly! Nikki’s brother was wearing shorts and his teeth started to chatter hehehe. We had breakfast at Pancake house (I love Pancake house!) and I had Bacon and Pancake Medley with Orange Juice and Hot Chocolate! The Bacon and Pancake Medley had 2 pancakes with cream and syrup, a sunny-side up fried egg ang 4 strips of bacon. I left a strip of bacon and about 2 bites of pancake on purpose as my ‘diet’ for that morning, hahaha! Afterwards, Nikki and I were dropped off at Session Road to shop for clothes and thus…

My First Ukay-Ukay Adventure

I thought that the clothes would all be piled up high as a mountain in a box and then we’d go ‘ukay-ukay’-ing for the ones we like. Apparently, ukay-ukay looks just like a tiangge stall in Greenhills, only that the clothes are all second-hand with no stock for different sizes and colors. All the clothes are lined up in mulitple racks on hangers and you just need the patience to sift through each one :) There’s an entire building with about 3 floors of bargain clothes all up for grabs.

I think I didn’t do bad for my first try. I bought 2 jackets, and 1 sleeveless blouse all for P190 total! :) Cool! And they don’t even look like they’re only 50 or 70 pesos worth, that’s really a bargain!

Our Wooden Home

Afer lunch at Don Henrico’s in Session Road, Nikki and I finally got to the place that we were staying in: RidgeWood! The place looked so country-ish and not of the Philippines. It felt like a very big, ultra-furnished log cabin of a very rich family! hahaha! Here are pictures to prove it!



We got the room with a loft since there were 6 of us there. The lower floor had 2 separate twin beds with cable tv and the upper floor had one twin bed and one single bed. They also provided toothbrushes, soaps and towels just like any other hotel. The best thing I liked about the place is their lobby which had a very cozy and homey feel. I especially liked that there were little arrangements of fresh flowers on each table :) There were also 2 fireplaces but they weren’t lit during our stay, too bad. Oh, there’s also a desktop computer equipped with Windows XP OS with internet connection at a P50/hour rate in the lobby just in case one feels like browsing the world wide web. This was very apt for Nikki since she had to do some ‘homework’ when we were there.

me @ the fireplace

the sala with a smaller (hidden) fireplace


farther view of the place

Shopping and Boating

One of our main activities in Baguio was shopping. We shopped for 2nd hand clothes at the Session Road ukay ukay, we shopped for cheap jeans in the Tiangge, we shopped for woven clothes and food pasalubong at Mines View Park, we shopped for Good Shepherd foodstuff again at Mountain Maid Training Center and finally, we also shopped for more food stuff at the local wet market. Ah, the wet market was where Nikki bought a P50 Strawberry Wine that tasted of juice with just a hint of alcohol. Guess what, I got tipsy after 3 or 4 glasses hahahah!

Aside from shopping, Nikki, Mel and I also walked from Session Road to Burnham Park to ride the boat in the lake. At first, we were supposed to row the boat but we just went around in cirlces in one place hahah, so we got a manong to row for us for an additional 15 pesos ( I liked the boat ride very much coz the breeze was cool and I was surrounded with water, never mind that it was green and kinda swampy looking, hehehe. Water has a relaxing effect on me and I even broke out into song while enjoying the 30 minute ride. What did I sing?




Row, row, row your boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream.


The Mall

Since it was my first time to really go around Baguio even after 10 years of visit (I’m stuck in Teachers Camp every Holy Week since 1995), I requested Nikki and Mel that we go to SM Baguio. My brother who went told me that the place looked more like Greenbelt than an SM, so I got curious. My verdict? I say it’s a cross and falls somewhere in between. There’s no need for airconditioning in the mall since the cool mountain breeze is able to provide that for the whole 4 floors. The floors are all open and that’s where the good restos are all situated. You can eat with the glorious view of pine trees in front of you, very cool :)

Oct 23 @ 1:30pm : departed from Baguio to go back to Manila

Our last stop in Baguio before heading to Manila was the Pink Sisters Convent since Mel wanted to buy cookies made from hosts sold in the Gift Shop. Unfortunately, the shop was still closed so Mel and Nikki just dropped some prayer requests for the sisters. The trip home took about 6 hours including a stopover in KFC for dinner.

It was really a wonderful experience and I’m hoping to go to Baguio again with my officemates the next time around :) In terms of spending, I had 100 pesos left out of 2K in my wallet. I would say not bad since technically, I still had an additional 175 from the strawberry jam and pili nut requests of my friends. So that’s 275 left from all that shopping! Cool! :)

The Verdict on the Ultimate Chocolate Buffet

The Verdict on the Ultimate Chocolate Buffet

I came home from Makati Shangri-La’s Chocolate Buffet all woozy and sleepy! This was because I took too much Baileys mixed with melted Dark Chocolate hehehehe. So it took me 2 days to finally think straight and write this review. Read on!

Ambiance

The Lobby Lounge of Makati Shang was on the far end of the entrance of the hotel and had the signature Shangrila plush seats with a man on the piano providing the background music. The lights were high and bright and gave a somewhat chirpy atmosphere to the area.

When my friend Stella and I got there, the receptionist was busy talking to some other guests so we went to the cashier area where we spotted another waitress. She then called the other girl who led us to our reserved seat. Since it’s a lounge, the feel of the area wasn’t stuffy and bordering more on the casual chic.

Out waitress gave us a liquor menu but later on led us to the Chocolate Buffet upon finding out that we were there for their chocolate treats. The entire buffet was placed on five small tables with alternate heights fronting the lounge so it’s the first thing you’d see once you get near the area.


Selections

Of course I do not know what all the chocolate creations are called, but I will try my best in describing them, hehehe. On the right table were the spiral chocolate lollipops made of white and milk chocolate, chocolate biscuit-bread looking things with fruits and cream in the middle, chocolate bread—which was too ‘siksik’ for me. One distinct tart I didn’t like was the one mixed with spice. Stella and I couldn’t pinpoint if it was cinnamon or allspice or nutmeg but it had this funny a-little-too-minty sensation in your tongue that left a light bubble gum taste that I didn’t like.

Anyway, on the lower table was the best chocolate panna cotta that I have tasted! I love the mixture of cream, milk choco and dark chocolate that gives this light texture but strong flavor and there’s also caramel sauce at the bottom so you have the option to mix it or not depending on your taste. This was the best treat for me in the entire buffet J

Moving on, in the middle table was the drinking station with 5 variations of huge chocolate pellets: milk choco, white choco, semi-sweet, dark sweet and dark chocolate to be mixed with any of the following choices: milk, bailey’s tia maria’s, macadamia nut essence, and some other drinks that I didn’t know of. In a bout of excitement, I chose the concoction of dark chocolate with Bailey’s. The waitress mixed and melted them in the mini-saucepan at the buffet table and delivered the glass (around 8oz) with a stainless holder to our table.

There were also strawberries dipped in milk and white chocolate along with pralines with different flavors inside them all lined up in a 6 tier rack. Beside them were the green-colored mint gelatins with dark chocolate shards stuck all around to be poured with orange sauce; chocolate bread sticks and hot chocolate scones with your choice of whipped cream, and fruit sauce (blueberry, mango, strawberry) were also among the selections.

On the leftmost table were dimsum looking things that had chocolate inside—they were okay but didn’t really tickle my fancy so I just took a bite off from each of them for a taste. And also by this time, I was woozy from drinking the Bailey’s with dark chocolate, hehehe. I was actually still able to think some and decided to stop drinking the Baileys and ordered a different chocolate drink mixture similar to my friend, Stella’s. It was a mixture of half dark and half semisweet choco pellets melted with the macadamia nut essence. Mine came out stronger than Stella’s possibly because they didn’t use any measuring tools but just mixed all the ingredients together by feel.

Regretfully, Stella and I weren’t able to taste the chocolate cakes in the buffet that came from Circles. This is partially due to my wooziness--I could barely keep my eyes open and also because the buffet was about to end since it was already nearing 9pm. By this time, the regular singers at the Lobby Lounge have also arrived and started crooning out some ballads but Stella and I were still able to keep our conversation going.


Overall

I’d give Makati Shangri-la’s Ultimate Chocolate Buffet a 3 out 5 stars. What I liked best about Shang’s offerings were the panna cotta, strawberries dipped in chocolate, and the fact that you can make your own chocolate drink. The buffet was worth the money (PhP603 in all: 550 for the buffet, 100 service charge and 7 pesos additional fee for liquor, heheheh) especially if you prepare well for the chocolate indulgence.


Tips from Moi
1) Take liquor at the end of the buffet, not in the middle of it!
2) Get to the buffet early, it starts at 6pm and ends at 9pm, so you’ll have ample time to savor, digest and chit chat!
3) You should be a certified chocoholic! That means knowing that you should have enough stomach space to accommodate all the chocolate goodies and have the appetite to savor every single treat in the buffet!


Comparision

Hmmm, I’ve been to the Manila Penn’s Chocolate buffet last Nov 2004 and I’d say that I liked their offerings and ambiance better than Shang’s. Manila Penn’s lobby was more intimate with low lights and a violin quartet playing on the background. The buffet also had crepes with the chef whipping them up in front of you and of course, my favorite, the chocolate soup that was a mixture of white and dark chocolate. :)


Till the next hotel’s chocolate buffet!!!


P.S.. Circles Restaurant in Makati Shang and Crown Plaza Hotel in Galleria has a chocolate fountain where you can coat your food with chocolate from the flowing fountain! Cool!

Here, Fishy Fishy Fishy....

Here, Fishy Fishy Fishy....

I got all excited by the Fish and Co. review in today’s PhilStar. Fish and Co. didn’t really appeal to me at first coz I envisioned dry and bland food. What would you think of fish? But all this changed when I saw the pictures in the article written by Philip Cu-Unjieng.

The resto offers Baked Mussels with Garlic and Lemon Butter! Mussels is Tahong right? I love Baked Tahong! The best one I’ve tasted so far is in Krocodile Grill in Greenbelt 3. I want to try out Fish and Co.’s and compare! Hehehe. Aside from that, the author described the Prawn Trellis very well—which made my mouth water even more. The Prawn Trellis are supposedly deep fried prawns wrapped in vermicelli (sotanghon?) served with a spicy mango vinaigrette. (actually, it’s the mango vinaigrette that I want, hehe) Ooh and there’s also a seafood platter with a lemon and butter sauce! Their Smokin’ Caesar salad with Smoked Salmon also looked tempting in the picture. And lastly, I’d like to try this drink they have: Lava Guava, a mix of guava juice and tequila and a dose of honey! Cool!

The prices in Fish and Co are said to be the same with Italianni’s—around P400 to P500 per person for a full meal. Hmmm, I only spent around P250 when I went to Italianni’s with my friends coz we shared the food! Hopefully, I’ll be able to do this too when I try out the Fish and Co. restaurant at the 3rd floor of Greenbelt 3. :) Yeyy!

I can’t wait for Drich to get back so I’ll have my food-trip buddy again :)

Four Obsessive Compulsive Habits

Four Obsessive Compulsive Habits

1) Keep on calling up Aldrich's cellphone even when i know it's gonna tell me "The Subscriber cannot be reached, please try your call later"

2) Checking, Richard's, Mine and Aldrich's mail folder everytime i pass by the area to go to the restroom

3) Looking at the calendar to check if it's still Oct 5! Can't the earth spin any faster??

4) Constantly opening up my emails and friendster account for any sign of Aldrich being online (his aunt might not have IMs) due to this, i've also installed the gmail message notifier on my desktop.

MUSINGS ON THE SECOND OF OCTOBER

MUSINGS ON THE SECOND OF OCTOBER

Musical talent uncovered through Sadness
I have learned how to play 2 and a half songs by ear with the organ that my brother lent us. Striking the keys and making melodies seem to be another one of my outlets when I’m feeling sad…

Artsy Streak
I’m actually an artsy person. I like visiting museums and pretending to understand paintings in art galleries. I’d like to take pottery and photography classes for my personal satisfaction. It’s just something that I want to do.

More Revelations on The Perfect Man

I realized that there are other factors why I liked Hillary Duff’s movie. Aside from Hillary’s crazy antics, I was especially able to relate to the movie because 1) Hillary had a blog and eventually a homepage; 2) Her mom is a passionate baker. So I was awed by those two things. I had a smile on my face every time Hillary’s character would write on her online journal, and was excited when her mom would pipe out flower icing decorations for her cake. Cool, it’s so cool. Watching the movie once again ignited my desire to fix my blog and bake again. Real cool :)

The Murad Cellulite Solution
It’s a regimen actually which really interested me. I would try it out if I was in the cellulite removal stage, tsk tsk. Too bad, I’m still a long way off to that. I need to lose my fats first then worry about cellulites later on. Anyhoo, click the link for Pam Pastor’s article on Dr. Murad’s take on cellulite in the Inquirer.


Goodbye, Cellulite!

Coloring Guyito
Guyito is the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s carabao icon. We have The Philippine Star on weekdays and Inquirer on Sundays upon my request. I’m partial to Inquirer because my friend writes for their 2bu! section and my former college professor is the managing editor of the Sunday Inquirer Magazine….which also featured one of my works, hehehe.

Anyway, I read about a partially blind artist made an artistic sculpture of Guyito, which was featured in last week’s SIM. Then this Sunday, there were two painted versions of Guyito depicting nationalism and readership. I think it’s really cool and I’d like to be there when the painted Guyitos are unveiled :)

Here’s the article take from SIM…

Guyito Power
First posted 10:44am (Mla time) Oct 02, 2005
By Inquirer News Service

GUYITO, the official mascot of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, takes centerstage as the newspaper marks its 20th anniversary in December. Festivities will be highlighted by the unveiling of 20 Guyito carabao sculptures based on the character created by chief cartoonist Jess Abrera, and translated into the three-dimensional version by sculptor Juan Sajid Imao.

The Inquirer has invited 20 of the country’s veteran and emerging artists to paint the fiberglass sculptures based on the anniversary theme, “The Power of Knowing.” They are: Malang, Bencab, Kidlat Tahimik, Fernando Sena, Salvador Convocar, Soler, Steve Santos, Caña, Lydia Velasco, Ernesto Patricio, Bing Siochi, Roel Obemio, Tres Roman, Wilfredo Offemaria, Bin Samonte, Jef Samonte, Romeo Forbes, Rex Tatlonghari, Anton Balao and Jack Salud.
The grand unveiling of their works is scheduled on December 5, 6 to 8 p.m., at the Greenbelt Park, Makati City.

The carabao sculptures will be donated to 20 selected cities/municipalities nationwide, to be chosen based on their high schools’ rankings in the Regional Finals of the Quiz Bee Competition. Miniature versions of the Guyito sculptures will be given to the top 20 companies that have supported the Inquirer in the past two decades.

From January to May 2006, Inquirer representatives will visit the 20 selected schools/cities to turn over the sculptures. In addition, an Inquirer Campus Journalism Workshop will be held in each school. The one-day lecture/workshop will feature Inquirer reporters, editors and columnists who will discuss specific journalism topics and share their expertise on effective writing, editing and layouting. The number of student participants will be determined by the school’s available venue. Delegates will be given a handbook on journalism styles, methods, ethics and best practices.

Inquirer president Alexandra Prieto-Romualdez said the complement of anniversary activities underscores the need for knowledge. In marking its 20th year, Inquirer particularly hopes to motivate students to become achievers. “Through these projects, we hope to inspire the young to value reading and use it as a tool to attaining their dreams.”

Sunday Inquirer Magazine profiles the artists who have made the Guyito undertaking possible. SADG

Church Gathering @ Kaliraya
The message in church today made me say “Yes” to that gathering on Oct 30-Nov 1. I didn’t really like to go at first because 1) I don’t really know anyone that well 2) Obnoxious guys might be there 3) I don’t want to mingle. But then, I always get this some-kind-of-high when I go to church…I get inspired by the preachings which is a rare occasion these days. The message tugged on a heartstring when the pastor shared an experience of pain and suffering—pain that makes you say, ‘I can’t stand it anymore’. Yet everything has a purpose. We are the clay in the Potter’s hand and the Potter molds us as He sees best. What are my expectations? Not much, except that I’d be happier or enlightened when I come back from that experience…

Chocolate Buffet @ Makati Shangri-La

I’ve tried Manila Penn’s Chocolate Buffet last December, now it’s time to try Makati Shang’s! Bwahahahaha (laughs the Chocolate Monster!) It’s only on Fridays and Saturdays, 6pm-9pm at the Lobby Lounge. And oh my gosh, they have dark chocolate pralines and chocolate with mint ala After Eight! I am definitely going, and this time, it doesn’t matter if I’m all by myself! Hahahaha! (another laugh by the Chocolate Monster!) Check out the write up link from ClicktheCity.com under the picture :)

Sweet Shangri-la

Times like these, i feel like i'm single again

Times like these, i feel like i'm single again...coz i do things on my own, plan for myself without really including anyone else by default...which leads me to thinking what my definition of 'being in a relationship' is..

For me being in a relationship means there's someone whom i can constantly share my life with, someone who i won't think twice in sharing what's happened in my life, from the pettiest detail to the most serious and most sensitive events.

Being in a relationship also means that there's someone who i can bug if i want to go out.(Going out is a necessity for me) I don't usually like bugging others to go out with me, gusto ko kasi gusto rin talaga nung taong lumabas at hindi napilitan. Ayoko kasing nagbbaby-sit.

Usually din, if i plan something, the other person is always included in the picture, either kasama sya sa plans or I inform him of my plans.

Hmmmm...

So today, I didn't adhere to any of the definitions of being in a relatioship simply becauase i couldn't. My bf is in Chicago and all the plans i made were last minute which i couldn't tell him about since he's asleep.

I went to the gym after lunch, which was a big thought struggle for me since medyo naddpress ako kanina kasi mukhang hindi na tlaga matutuloy ung Singapore trip that got me all excited. Ang hirap maging sobrang excitable na person, it drains all your energy. But working out on a Saturday at FF Greenhills is always something to look forward to, malakas ung enticing power nya para sa akin so i was able to go :) I think nagiging habit ko na rin pumunta sa particular gym na un. It has some addictive properties, hmmm. Reminds me of the catchphrase printed on the bright colored wall: Motivation gets you started, habit keeps you going.

Anyway, after gym, i went to G4 and met up with Karen to watch a movie. Last minute un, kasi while i was feeling depressed, i felt like watching a movie, so i texted Karen since i remembered that she's not doing anything today. So there, we watched Perfect Man, the one with Hillary Duff. Lo and Behold, i enjoyed it more than Pefect Catch with Drew Barrymore and who's-that-guy. Maybe because my expectations weren't that high? And besides, i enjoyed watching Lizzie Maguire before, and similarly, the movieshows Hillary doing lots of crazy antics as in her TV series.

I'm more of a Hillary Duff fan than a Lindsay Lohan fan. For one, i absolutely hated the movie Confessions of A Teenage Drama Queen. I don't even remember the storyline much anymore, it's was simply soooo superficial and not entertaining at all. Herbie was okay coz it was more of a remake so there's an edge there.

Anyway, Karen and I ate at Wendy's before the movies, nagchikahan, etc. I was also finally able to buy my Shine Curl shampoo, pay for some bills and after movie, I shopped a little at Bench. Then i went home already, although I wouldve wanted to stay longer and walk around the mall.

I'd like to try eating at Heaven N' Eggs sometime, also taste those colorful circular things at Bizu...window shop at the expensive stores, check out cellphones, look around Powerbooks, oh and i forgot to buy Cosmo!

I don't even know if i will be able to tell Aldrich all these with the details included, well he can read it in my blog. But this isn't really my ideal type of being in a relationship...

Hmmmm...

I'm just having some rather different thoughts right now and all i can say is being alone makes me think a lot.

Here are some of my thoughts:

1) Save for a PC or Save for an out-of-the-country trip?

Saving for a cellphone is on low priority although it is one of my wants.

Right now i'm checking out sightseeing options in Singapore. I realized that if i'm really set on going, i should first research on the place and plan out the places that i want to see so that money and time are not wasted and also save up for the trip.

2) On being single and the illusion of indestructibility

This made me remember Karen's question to me on why Hillary wanted to run away when she started falling in love with the guy in the movie. I told her coz she got scared and Karen asked me why. Hehehe, why? because falling in love is a scary ,wonderful thing. Scary even for the old-timers coz it makes one vulnerable. You have to invest a big part of you in someone else. You put down your guard, you let the person take care of your heart. That is scary. But that is also love--trusting the other person with your heart. This leads to the automatic risk of loving: getting hurt. Despite this, a lot of people choose to love than not to love. The pros still outweigh the cons :)

Even with that answer to Karen's question, i still feel at times that i don't want to be in a relationship. This thought usually comes to me when i've experienced too much hurt and i try to be strong and in the process, i'm too guarded and develop these shields to protect me. There are times when i feel that i don't want to have someone take care of my heart, that i'd rather take care of it myself, so at least if something happens, there's just myself to blame. Well, this is one of those times...

Sometimes, i just feel like i want to have total control of my life so i won't go crying like im doing now...it's just gets so tiring..it's not something that i can control with my mind...coz it's something that i feel...

It's one of those times that i just want to be alone, but it's a moot point as of now. I know enough not to make decisions when im emotional.

In the midst of tears, I ask myself...

In the midst of tears, I ask myself, why do I have to be sad? Why do I have to cry all the time? Why do I have to feel this pain, this loneliness? Why me?

Yet in the things I do not understand, I look upon with a mystical eye. I attribute the unfathomable circumstance to a higher power. It is something that my narrow reasoning and perspective cannot grasp at the moment.

Hardships happen for us to experience, to learn to grow. This is my belief. Everything has a reason, everything has a purpose in this life, no matter how insignificant or how hurtful.

In this belief, I gather my strength. I manage to see the silver lining behind the dark clouds, the rainbow after the rain…

Hmmmm…..

The time will come when I will read this post again and the intensity of my sadness will simply be a distant memory. I will have risen from this challenge stronger and more experienced…

But for now, I am still waiting for my tomorrow to come…

Testing the archive calendar...

Sadness is such a powerful emotion…

Sadness is such a powerful emotion…it has the power to wipe away all those happy memories and leave you sobbing in its loneliness…

5 weeks have passed since Aldrich left for Chicago…now there’s just 2 more grueling weeks left until he comes back.

Two weeks na lang!! Kaya ko ‘to! I have suffered but am still alive after 5 weeks so what’s 2 weeks right? (I am trying to convince myself, obvious ba?) Only the last week is the hardest. We won’t have any communication at all. The internet connection of the laptop with him is broken and his phone is dead. Shucks. At least it will be the last week.
Only a few more days until all this is over.

Will my life be like it was before he left? Will things still be the same again?

Hmmm, I really don’t know.

I’ve learned and changed some in the 5 weeks that I’ve endured.

Gradually, I learned that I am able to survive by myself, that I am capable of making myself happy. I can eat alone, I can watch a movie by myself, I can go the mall and shop by myself and I’m kinda happy afterwards. There is a sense of fulfillment in what I have achieved.

Despite all these ‘accomplishments’, I still succumb to loneliness now and then—a condition that I have yet to understand fully.

I want to be happy all the way by myself but it doesn’t seem to be possible. There’s still a missing piece….I miss Aldrich.

The more I go out with my friends, the more I realize why I enjoy Aldrich’s company so much—not that I don’t enjoy my friends’. It’s just that I am able to see the qualities that endear him to me more clearly. He complements me and in that we are two matching pieces in a puzzle.

Kapag magulo ang utak ko, siya ung nagiging organized sa aming dalawa. Kapag nasa kulit mode ako, nasasabayan din nya un. He’s like my best friend, the one person that knows me best and knows how to be with me so we can jive perfectly.

It’s not that I cannot live without him. Life is just brighter and more enjoyable when I’m with him. There’s someone who understands me and who I can turn to when I need a shoulder to cry on, who will let me talk and talk when I feel like pouring out my crazy ideas and opinions. And most importantly, he’s someone who loves me…

Love from another person is an inimitable thing and feeling.

Damn…I feel so damn blessed! God must really love me. I put chance under the category of God’s invisible hand working in the world. And for that I shall say Thank You! I am assuming that God probably reads my blog, too! Hahahahahaha!

Finding My Perfect Match

I just realized how complicated it is to find a perfect match or a boyfriend for keeps at least, for me.

Here's why...

I've met a bunch of nice, thoughtful and sweet guys but there are some 'requirements' that are non-negotiable for me in order for a lasting relationship to ensue or at least to keep me happy..

1) i need someone who will understand and be calm during my mood swings
2) he should also know how to react during these extreme mood shifts
3) he should not be a nag, not a lecturer, but a friend
4) he should be funny and makulit and can make me laugh
5) he should at least listen to my corny jokes
6) he should listen to me and be there for me when i feel that the world is against me
7) i need someone who appreciates me.
8) i need someone who appreciates and accepts me for who i am
9) he should not try to change me but allow me to change for myself and be there to support me
10) he shouldn't be too uptight or too image conscious
11) he should be able to handle change
12) we should at least jive in a number of our basic perspectives in life : hmmm like eating is fun?
13) he shouldn't be too serious and should be in touch with his inner child
14) but he can also be serious when the situation calls for it
15) he should be able to protect me, when crossing a street or from petty thefts or from the stupid things that make me trip...
16) he should like chocolate
17) he should like watching movies
18) should not impose or possess, but see me as a free spirt and a separate individual
19) should like talking to me and exchanging thoughts
20) oh and how can i forget! he should love me

hmmm what else? Being sweet and thoughtful is not really a requirement, but hey, my boyfriend's super sweet and thoughtful so lucky me! :-P

And all those 20 requirements are surprisingly possessed by Aldrich, no wonder he's my bf! Lucky, lucky me :)

Girls Outing!

I'm quite happy today :) At about 3pm in the office, i was already restless to meet up with my college buddies Dior and Malou @ Italianni's Greenbelt :) Although i prefer confiding and opening myself up to guys, i also miss talking to my girlfriends about girly stuff and experiences that somehow girls usually experience more than guys hehe--heartbreak, annoying guys, learning experiences, shopping, weight, hair, make-up and the like :)

Girl power kami kanina, the manager of Italianni's even gave us a dessert of our choice on the house. Suki na kasi ung dalawa dun kaya kilala na :) I think it's a good tactic of the manager of taking care of his customers and make them come back. Cool!

Right now, i am gradually understanding myself and balancing my moods so i wouldn't be depressed all the time. I'm a person with a lot of excited energy and i need to channel that somewhere or it will turn to negative, thus sad and depressed energy. So a while ago, i got myself excited over that stuff that i would do over the weekend--what movie to watch, which driving school to enroll in, where to workout and when to start reading Love in the Time of Cholera :) A good book always makes me excited! :)

I'm also going to a couple of highschool friends' joint birthday party tomorrow which is also my very first appearance to my highschool friends after graduation. Oddly, i'm not really worried, which is kinda boggling me right now coz im not so conscious and insecure about myself like before. Have i grown older? Have i matured? I don't worry so much on what people will think of me anymore, i just be who i am and if they don't like me then so be it, that's me :) Cool! La lang, i kinda feel empowerd :) hehehe

And these are my thoughts for the day....

Today's Status 09.21.05

I was acutally okay yesterday, I even watched a movie all by myself in Greenbelt 3 - The Brothers Grimm @ 6:30 and was able to buy a Tall Cafe Mocha@ Starbucks just before the movie started. After the movie, i browsed around Powerbooks and got myself Gabriel Garcia Marquez' s New York Times Bestseller Novel, Love in the Time of Cholera...

Well that was yesterday, oh well.

Tomorrow, you're always a day away...still waiting for my 'tomorrow' to come.

A Diary Excerpt...

Sometimes the light inside me just fades to an all-time low and i feel numb, like a robot..

Sometimes I feel like an open wound that gets hurt so easily, and the emotional pain seems so unbearable--the pain courses through my entire body--making me feel that i want to die...

Sometimes i feel so frustrated with myself because i see myself trying so hard to be strong but never being able to sustain it for a long time; failure happens and it makes me wish i could prevent failure yet i know deep inside me that it's not possible..

Because as long as i care, as long as I love, i will forever feel th pain but it is also love that gives me hope and brings me to heights of happiness that i've never imagined..

I'm a slave to love, it's my light source...

The Mind has a thousand eyes,
The Heart but one,
Yet the Light of a whole Life dies
When Love is done

--Francis William Bourdillon

The Silver Lining


Love is patient, the Bible states…
Then let this be my prayer, o God
Give me the strength to hold on
Give me the grace to bear—
this challenge that I live in;
Let the tears fall, let the heart break
But let not my faith waiver…
For love is patient
and it shall help me wait a little bit more...

TELL ME WHERE IT HURTS
By M.Y.M.P.

Why is that sad look in your eyes
Why are you crying?
Tell me now, tell me now
Tell me, why you're feelin' this way
I hate to see you so down, oh baby!

Is it your heart
Oh, that's breakin' all in pieces
Makin' you cry
Makin' you feel blue
Is there anything that I can do

[CHORUS:]
Why don't you tell me where it hurts now, baby
And I'll do my best to make it better
Yes, I'll do my best to make those tears all go away
Just tell me where it hurts
Now, tell me
And I love you with a love so tender
Oh and if you let me stay
I'll love all of the hurt away

Where are all those tears coming from
Why are they falling? somebody, somebody, somebody left your heart in the cold
You just need somebody to hold on, baby
(Give me a chance) To put back all the pieces
Take hold of your broken heart
Make it just like new
There's so many things that I can do

[Chorus]

[Instrumental]

Is it your heart
Oh, that's breakin' all in pieces
Makin' you cry
Makin' you feel blue
Is there anything that I can do

[CHORUS]
Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me baby
Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me
And I'll do my best to make it better
Yes, I'll do my best to make the tears all go away
Just tell me where it hurts
Now, tell me
And I love you with a love so tender
Oh, and if you let me stay
I'll love all of the hurt away

Is it me or is it the food?

I bought Chicken Sandwich and a Bavarian donut in Mister Donut at the 12th floor--something that i usually do before (around 2004 and very early this year) and actually really liked their sandwiches and donuts! One sandwich already made me full and an extra donut will be on a matakaw day.

So after 3 months, i ordered the same thing and the food tasted very bland! The bun of the sandwich was dry but at least the spread they use is still tasty, but usually the tastiness and moistness of the spread can also be tasted in the buns itself...then there's the bavarian donut that' usually sweet but again, it was bland and tasteles..a total waste of calories!

Hmmm is it me or is it the food? Have may taste buds become accustomed to rich tasting food that anything less would taste bland for me?

Oh and another thing that i noticed was that the donut was smaller than usual. Again, i questioned my perspective. Does it only seem smaller now because my appetite is bigger and yes, i am larger?! Hahahaha!

This must be the reason why i'm getting fat :p Hehehe.

Happy Birthday to Me! :)

It was my birthday last Saturday and I really followed my plan, with minor changes, all by myself!

I arrive at Fitness First gym in Greenhills at around 10:30 am and started off my 30 minute cardio workout, followed by machine workouts, a few minutes in the steam room, shower and it’s off to Makati I go :)

I had a late lunch at 2pm at Chef d’ Angelo but it was very very filling! I just ordered Chicken Al Pesto without any drinks and I came out really full! I think it was meant for two since there were 2 slices of garlic-butter bread with the pasta.

After eating, I went to Greenbelt to buy tickets for Sky High then I bought Pure Vanilla Ice Blended at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Before entering the movie house, I checked Dome for their flourless chocolate cake, but they just had the regular choco cake so I didn’t get one anymore since I was also full from my pasta lunch.

I sat right smack at the middle of the theater, well maybe a bit nearer to the front—my seat number was F8 and I was surrounded by kids and their parents and a man also sat beside me but didn’t bother me at all, whew :) The trailers in the movie house were all for kids hahaha, and it was funny coz I was watching a kid flick while drinking a beverage that tastes like melted vanilla ice cream on my 23rd birthday! I was celebrating getting older while reminiscing of the joys of childhood, hehehe :-P

The movie was really good and I was laughing and making a lot of excited noises while I was watching Sky High. Near the ending of the movie, my friend Ricky texts me that he’s bored and asks me where I am. I was kind weirded out by his text coz I wondered what he was doing bumming around on a Saturday and it’s me whom he texts since we weren’t really super close? I was thinking maybe he wanted to hang out or something but I already told him my plan for the day and I didn’t have extra time to spare. I made sure of this so I wouldn’t be bored, hehehe.

So after the movie, I started walking from Greenbelt to RCBC Plaza via the walkway and texted Ricky when I was near RCBC already since he said he was at GT Tower. I waited for him outside the entrance of Fitness First plus and he even called me up saying he was at the entrance of RCBC. When I told him I was already inside, he said to wait for him to go up. I really didn’t know what he was up to coz I couldn’t think of what we would do since my scheduled Body Scrub + Massage was due in around 5 minutes. But hey, he wanted to meet me so I waited a while.

Ricky finally arrives and he was carrying a huge bouquet of roses! He was Drich’s delivery boy! Addendum: Oscar was the delivery van driver too! Hahahah! I was sooo surprised coz I really didn’t expect another bouquet of flowers from him since he just gave me one for our monthsary and it was given to me 4 days ago! This really really made my day! The bouquet held 4 dozen big as in BIG red roses that was arranged into a cascading bouquet, much like what you’d give to a Miss Universe awardee, shucks!!! :) :) :)Hehehehe :) I am soo happy!!! I love roses, especially big red ones! :) Hehehe. I love this guy so much, he really knows how to make me smile :)

I went in Fitness First Plus, holding a bouquet of roses in my arms and prepared for my one and a half hour body scrub and massage. I requested for a locker to put the roses and I had a shower before my treatment. Their massage area was a semi-spiral staircase up from the gym floor and I was led into a dim and spacious room to lie down. I chose the chocolate scrub out of curiosity but they also offered melon, strawberry and green tea flavored scrubs. The therapist named France, was very courteous, asking me if the pressure was okay and if it was okay to scrub my underarms, my butt and my boobs, hahaha! La lang, I just wasn’t accustomed to that much courtesy since massage therapists usually assume that you’d know that they’d scrub you on those parts, hehehe.

After the body scrub, I was asked to take a shower in the shower area also inside the big room. They had towels prepared for you and even put your slippersby the step outside the shower area and if in case you forget to take off your earrings like me, they also have this capiz holder where you can place your earrings! I really liked the service :) The massage was also good, the therapist also tried to massage off my the stressed out veins on my back but I’m not sure why I didn’t fall asleep. I was actually about to, but I think she massaged a vein somewhere on my head or neck that made me wake up all of sudden, how weird! I also noticed that the music they played was louder than the usual massage music which kinda preoccupied my mind for some time. They played this chinese song on strings and there were times when the music would stop and I would really notice the silence. This disturbed the relaxing rhythm of the massage.

Anyway, after the massage, France assumed that I was sleeping so she left me for a while, but I was actually awake. I waited until she arrived and asked me indirectly to dress up by telling me that she had tea prepared outside. So I wore the bathrobe and earrings and had a little massage marketing chat with her over tea. I also found that that her birthday came after mine! What a coincidence!

After that chat, I’m considering their hair spa with avocado as the main ingredient for only 650…next time when I have extra money, hehehe. I went back to the locker room and it wasn’t really what I expected of FF Plus. The area was kinda dim, maybe they were trying to achieve this homey feeling? But I appreciate the bright and colorful design in the regular Fitness First. The locker room is also smaller—for select guests only maybe? Well, the real appeal of the place is their indoor pool that I passed while going the the massage area.

After that I went home with my parents, bouquet in hand. Oh and we took out Jollibee food for my dinner since my mom didn’t have anything prepared. I had my usual #6: Spaghetti with 1 piece Chicken Joy and a Chocolate Sundae :)

It really was a happy birthday for me even if I celebrated it alone, as long as I know that there are people who care about me and delight in my existence, hehehe :-P

Flowers for Moi!

I got flowers again!! Aldrich is sooo sweet! It's for our 2nd monthsary last Sept 3 :)

It was his friend Oscar who delivered the flowers to me since Drich is in Chicago right now! My favorite mums are present of course then there's this big one that looks lke a sunflower with the petals becoming reddish in the middle and another one that has soft lush black middle and then another one that feels like felt paper and looks funny.

Finally i have actual pictures to show!

me and the flowers!

My colorful bouquet

Big red one

I'm so lucky to have such a sweet and thoughtful bf!

This entry can also be found in my MSN Spaces Blog

A fetish for Vanilla…

By far, the best desserts that I’ve tasted have been topped with creamy, pure and innocent looking vanilla ice cream! I was more of a chocoholic before but now, I’ve discovered the utter delight of vanilla ice cream—whether on a cone, as a drink or topped in some devilish dessert!

Here are some of the vanilla ice cream topped desserts that keep my mouth watering..
1) Apple Fritters topped with Vanilla Ice Cream from Lush Life restaurant @ The Orchidarium.
---the warm, sweet and fried apples combined with cold and creamy vanilla ice cream keep you asking and asking for more. You can even request for as many scoops of vanilla ice cream you can afford, to boot!

2) Flourless Chocolate Cake topped with Vanilla Ice Cream @ The Dome
---the warm and slightly dark chocolate in the moist cake is absolutely to die for! What more with the creamy, freshness of vanilla ice cream to complete the contrast of tastes in your mouth… mmmmm, this dessert sent me to chocolate heaven!

3) Choco Lava @ Samina’s Resto in Jollibee Center, Ortigas.
---rich, brownie dough straight off the oven topped with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. The ice cream is a must since the dough is a bit sweet without it but the combination still made me close my eyes while savoring the dessert.

And then here are my other vanilla favorites…
1) Vanilla Ice Cream Cone from Mini Stop – a simple but delicious treat only for 10 pesos!

2) Pure Vanilla Ice Blended Drink from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf – a drink that tastes of pure vanilla ice cream from McDonalds’s for 150 pesos hahah! It’s worth it coz no other place does it that way :)

Since we’re on the topic of ice creams, I’ve discovered that Fruits in Ice Cream only sells for P15 a scoop in the UP Shopping Plaza! Yes, P15 a scoop, unbelievable! It’s around P35—40 a scoop in Ateneo and P55 a scoop in Rockwell PowerPlant Mall. Wow! My favorite is Raspberry Passion (?) coz it has swirls of chocolate to enhance the strong flavor, delish! :)

I was able to discover this because my college friends and I went to school to get our yearbook last Saturday (Aug 27). Then we had lunch in UP at Mashta, a Korean Restaurant in the mall that didn’t taste bad at all. We had tempura, kimpab (sushi like), bulgogi and a sotanghon like dish and the food was really good and tasty! :) Cool!

I can go on and on about food…

I’m not sure if I’ve already divulged Drich’s and my favorite staple order at Teriyaki Boy. When we get seated, we don’t really need the menu anymore. It’s straight up, two orders of Teriyaki Boy Chicken Don, an order of California Maki and Spicy Salmon Gunkan, Bottomless Iced tea for me and Rootbeer for him, hehehe :) Is it a surprise that I’ve gained weight? Hahahaha!

Recently, I’ve finally tried out eating at Kimpura for the 2nd time in my life. The resto is famous for teppanyaki that’s cooked right in front of you by their chef and the food did taste better the second time around! My brother treated us to oysters, beef, chicken, shrimp, and bean sprouts and fried rice all fresh from the pan! They also serve an appetizer of chili anchovies and miso soup. After the appetizer, then the chef will arrive and whip up the teppanyaki dishes and you’ll be absolutely taken by the smell while the food is cooking. Hmm, this is not really recommended for the health conscious coz you’ll get to see how much oil and butter goes to the tasty dish that you’ll be eating in a few minutes, hehehe.

Let’s now shift the gears to healthier talk, my take on the Fitness First vs. SlimmersWorld competition based from experience.

In all honesty, the only edge that SlimmersWorld has against Fitness First are the free training programs given to you and maintained by fitness instructors in the gym. Fitness First has more comfortable and easier to use equipment, better ambiance, entertainment and facilities. Let me get down to details:
1) Weights machines are padded and not rusty
2) There are easy-to-use Yellow buttons for all adjustments to the equipment – a must for weaklings like me
3) They have this ab-machine that you lie down into and makes you really crunch off the fats in your ab area
4) There are lots of cardio equipment to choose from which are all wired to around 10 TVs in front of you
5) The lockers all have their own lock and key, no need to bring your own padlock
6) There’s a sauna and steam bath area
7) There’s a huge locker room with lots of lockers, mirrors, hair dryers and shower rooms equipped with shampoo and liquid soap!
8) Free banana and VCD rental
9) There are stretching machines too

Hmm, that’s about all the perks I can think of in FF. As for Slimmers, I guess there’s a homier feeling. Once you sign up, they’ll assign a trainer to make you a fitness training program and you can always go up to them and ask for help in case you forget how to use a machine (happens to me a lot of times). After about 1 and half months, they’ll update your program and you can always ask them for any fitness advice or questions. Fitness First also gives you two ‘power packs’ as they call it where an instructor will show you the ropes around the center and give you a workout but everything is verbal. They won’t give you a written down detailed program unless you sign up for personal training.

Since I’ve been working out for 5 years on and off and had about 6 training programs, I think I can already handle working out in Fitness First on my own. Well, professional training is definitely better but hey, I don’t have extra cash for that, hehehe :)

Going to the gym is one of the plans that I’ve laid out for my upcoming birthday this Saturday! Yes, it’s my birthday and Drich is far away…awww. To take my mind off the distance, my birthday’s gonna be a pamper myself day to make me feel really special :)

Here’s my Birthday Plan

1) Watch the movie SKY HIGH – a light comedy, adventure on the school for mutant children. Cool!
2) Have pesto pasta and chocolate cake for lunch! I’m not yet sure where but these dishes are a must since I’m craving for them and my birthday’s an excuse to enjoy myself.
3) Have a good workout in the gym + sauna
4) Avail of my 1 and a half hour Body Scrub and Massage from Fitness First Plus! – I bought this coupon for P666 about a month ago from an ex officemate. It’s good I haven’t used it!

That ought to keep me busy for the day :)

Before I end this post, I want to show the graphic that I made for Drich on his birthday last Aug 24 :) I sent this to everyone in the project including ex project mates so they’d all greet him a happy birthday :)

Coconets Invade the World!

This is cool!

An entry from the Philippines has become the finalist in Newsweek and BBC's The World Challenge contest.

The project is called COCONETS discovered by Juboken Enterprises which uses waste coconut products like the husk of the coconut to control soil erosion.

Here are details of the Coconet project and a fuzzy screenshot of the voting page with all the other finalists from all over the world Really awesome!

The World Challenge is basically a competition/search designed at identifying groups or individuals all over the world whose projects have contributed great impact at grass roots level.


COCONETS: COCONUTS FOR EROSION CONTROL -- PHILIPPINES


Preventing landslides in the Philippines using waste coconut husks In little more than two generations the Philippines has seen nearly all its jungle vanish.

With little regard to the future, loggers and squatters have destroyed watersheds. The inevitable result has been landslides sweeping away topsoil. In 1995 agricultural engineer Justino Arboleda started Juboken Enterprise to combat soil erosion. The company makes nets that act as surrogate tree roots by holding loose soils together. Joboken's coconut plantations provide the fibre. The nets are made from waste coconut husks: an eco-friendly solution to a developing eco-disaster. The 'coconets' were rapidly taken up throughout the Philippines, and Arboleda began to develop other uses for the different waste products generated on his coconut farms. These included doormats, stuffing for car seats and mattresses, and fertiliser (made from coconut dust) suitable for organic farms. But the flagship product is still going strong: coconets are now being produced at a rate of 30,000 square metres per month for markets throughout the world. This continuing success has improved the lives of more than 1500 families in the Philippines: each family involved in the project earns an additional income of around US$5 dollars per day. These achievements have been honoured by the President of the Philippines, who in 2004 presented Juboken Enterprise with a special award.

Coconets will appear on BBC World Saturday 17 September at 08:30 GMT, 13.30 GMT, 20:30 GMT. The finalist advertorial will appear in the international Newsweek editions (EMEA, Asia, Latin America): On Sale 15 September

Click here to vote in The World Challenge!

I never thought I’d miss someone this much, that by simply looking at our pictures that I set as the wallpaper of this pc at home, I’d remember how to smile.

I will try not to cry today. It’s 11:20 and that’s only 40 minutes left until I can cry, if ever I feel like it. Then I’d set a record and try to break it each day.

Can I really not cry? I don’t think so. It seems to have been embedded in me—to cry. I still believe that the formation of the little moles on the left side of my cheek stand for the path where my tears fall.

This is a brand new experience that I’m going through. Have I cared about someone so much and got separated from him? I faintly remember missing my brother when he was staying in a dorm near DLSU. I also remember missing my other brother when he went to take his masters in Australia.

But I didn’t cry this much.

In my past relationship, my ex-boyfriend never wanted us to be apart and I guess we almost never did. The only time we were apart for a long time was during Holy Week when I’m obliged to go the summer church retreat in Baguio and he has to go with his family to their house in Mauban, Quezon.

When else were we apart? I can remember the time when he went to Boracay, but I think I was busy with school that time so it didn’t feel so bad.

Ah! I remember when we were just a few months into our relationship and he got a summer job in one of his relatives' office. I remember emailing back and forth with him, saying that we miss each other. We were only 15 and 16 years old during that time. Somehow I’m always the older one.

Anyway, im saying that this is a new experience for me and I guess that’s why im quite a loss on how to handle it. I want to strike a balance, yet I teeter from side to side since I’m only just beginning.

I don’t want to shut out my feelings completely and numb myself from the pain because that would mean denying my love. But I also do not want to wallow in sadness and not be able to function while the one I love is away.

There must be some kind of balance. It must be found.

How do wives of seamen bare the separation? Or those with OFWs for loved ones? I remember one taxi driver telling my dad that he used to work for a sub-contractor. Unfortunately, the firm went bankrupt largely due to the MIASCOR canteen that owed the firm a lot of money. (MIASCOR, Manila International Airport Security Corps?) So because of this, he was laid off and his wife had to work as an caretaker or domestic helper in Taiwan. My dad, as usual, was veering the conversation to the financial gains one would get from working abroad that he didn’t hear the driver saying that it’s very difficult….because his wife is so far away.

He misses his wife. Awwww, how sweet.

It would be 2 more years until his wife can come home for a vacation and another year until she finishes her contract. Shucks.

What if I were in his shoes?

I still don’t know how to handle this kind of situation or what my absolute preference is.

I, of course, do not want to hinder the growth of another person, especially the one I love, similarly, I don’t want to be hindred of my growth either. So if the career plans point to going abroad, it ultimately is the decision of the person who plans to go.

Yet it’s so difficult not to think about the one that would get left behind.

Argh!

I don’t know what to do. I’m actually trying to convince myself..trying to inject some kind of logic, but it’s not working.

It’s 11:45 now. ( I seem to be checking the time more often these days)

I’ll try to go to sleep….

Why does it seem lonelier when someone’s away? Even if at this exact time of day, we don’t really talk? Could it be that there is no one to look forward to seeing tomorrow? No pop-up notification from YM, AIM and MSN messenger saying that Aldrich is online?

I’ve just finished watching Ever After, starring Drew Barrymore in VCD. It was a nice, down-to-earth adaptation of the Cinderella fairy tale. Although the prince was quite arrogant…and well, I dunno. I’ve learned my lesson in relationships. You can’t teach old dogs new tricks, it’s very very hard and I’m not really up to it. What I’m saying is that when you meet someone who is arrogant and you go into a relationship with that person, don’t expect that the one you love will change for you. Change ulitmately should come and be for oneself, no one else. That way, the change will last.

Anyway, I still liked the movie though, it’s the feel good movie that, as usual, made me cry buckets of tears. To be honest, I think I just cried dippers for the movie and the remaining amount was to wash away my sadness. (Am I still corny?) It gets tiring to be sad and cry for such a long time. So I remember that I should be happy. Someone told me to smile always, that someone is who I’m crying for. So it makes no sense to cry because that person wants me to be happy. (Sinong cinoconvince mo?)

I noticed that I have started talking to myself even in the written word…

I don’t really care. There’s no use pretending to be sane.

Do you know that every now and then, I do not want to feel the wind, the breeze or any strong force hitting my body? I just want the air to be perfectly still and I want to sweat. Ergo, during these now and then times, I should consider living inside a sauna or steam bath room.

Did you also know that although tomorrow is Monday in the Philippines – a very busy (I hope!) working day, it is still Sunday in Chicago. Right now, it’s 09:00pm Sunday here while it’s 08:00am Sunday there. By the time I get to the office tomorrow, around 09:00am, it’ll be 08:00pm Sunday there. It’s still Sunday! I have to wait till Tuesday comes when it will finally be Monday in Chicago…Monday evening. Their Monday morning would be around the time I’m sleeping on Monday night. Aargh, stupid 13 hour time difference!

I remember before when Aldrich was in Dublin, since we were really close friends and I was extremely fond of him, I’d be happy when the clock hits 4pm coz it’ll be 8am in Ireland already :) It would only mean that I’d have someone to bug and tell my crazy stories and corny jokes to, hehehe.

Will the office allow me to go on Chicago shift?

I need to get a grip of myself. I am positively delirious.

(Beep,beep! Text message….)

Wow, I have a lunch date with my college friends Melissa and Nikki on Saturday, which also happens to be Oli – my ex-boyfriend’s 22nd birthday. We’re gonna get our yearbook, which again, reminds me of my ex because the creative shot that is in every yearbook shows me and him together. Oh well, 5 and half years isn’t something that should be forgotten anyway.

Oh, Aldrich’s birthday is coming up, this Wednesday! That day is also the deadline of my Health and Fitness article for the CIO newsletter. I’ve volunteered to write about Haviland Wellness Place in GT and interview my friends who work out there :)

I cant decide what to do! I’m rotting from indecision… I can’t decided if I should sleep now so that when I wake, it’ll be morning and I’d go off to work already; or I could stay up and wait until Aldrich wakes up.

Something tells me that I shouldn’t stay up until he wakes up, but I really miss him…. Hmmm, maybe I won’t wait..coz before he slept, I texted him and I guess I don’t want him to wake up to my text, too. I just don’t want to be annoying. So I guess it’s off to sleep or do whatever for me..

If I cry each day for six weeks, will I lose a considerable amount of pounds? Can I now apply for the Visine Tears print ad?

Just trying to see the humor in things…

Everything seemed to be fine for the entire day, I even got to talk to Drich over the phone coz he settled in the apartment already. I even joked around with Ricky…I thought I was okay, but hey, everyone has their episodes…

I continued reading the History of Love book and at the end of one chapter, something reminded me of Drich and that I wouldn’t be seeing him until the 3rd of October. It could be the feeling of sadness of the person talking in the book over memories of the past, of a friend that he lost, whom he couldn’t seem to forget. It’s such a sad scene that was abruptly cut off by the change of tone in the next chapter. It was when the friend he was talking about was still alive, and in the new chapter, that friend he lost was the one talking and living the moments that will eventually become memories of the past.

Memories. They come to haunt you.

That scene got me ‘unglued.’ (unglued, taken from Amanda Peet’s character in As Good As It Gets)

So I put the book down, slide down to a lying position on my bed but changed my mind in an instant. I stood up, opened the radio for some noise and company and looked outside the window…the trees, the setting sun, the soft breeze, the perfect scene.

It was my favorite time of the day. 5:30pm.

But I was looking out the window, seeing my reflection if I look closer than farther, and seeing my eyes water and finally roll down the tears…continuously.

Will I go on like this until my tomorrow finally comes?

“Bukas, bukas ulit…”

I just realized that I haven't written about the super-kilig things that my BF has done for me....because I’m about to tell of another one! Aldrich is leaving for Chicago this coming Saturday and we've been spending more time than usual with each other since he'll be gone for 6 weeks...past my birthday and his, awwww.

Anyways, before I tell of what he did tonight, I’ll give a brief background of what he did before--when he was still courting me. One of the most memorable dates we had happened on June 11. It was just a few days after I gave him the 'go' to court me. He brought me to Orichidarium in Ma. Orosa in Manila and the place was just like heaven's garden on earth! The entrance itself was breathtaking, made of stone posts forming an arc shape and covered with shrubs to give that 'secret garden' kind of feeling.

Above the pathway was also an intricate design of vines in an arc shape serving as the top cover. Then there was this mini-bridge which led to the Lush Life restaurant. The waiter guided us to the side of the resto into a circular area surrounded by flowering plants and shrubs everywhere and there was a tree that hung its leaves just above the table for two where we dined on. Upon sitting down, the waiter suddenly went around the place and lit the candles encircling the area one by one! I couldn't keep the smile off my face coz it was my perfect date come true! I really couldn't believe it! We dined by candlelight and there was also a glass bowl on the table with flowers floating on water...shucks!

The food was good especially the apple fritters topped with vanilla ice cream and at a reasonable price. It just makes me smile every time I remember that event!

Another memorable event was the time when he asked me to be his girlfriend. It was Saturday and when we met up in the morning, I was faced with a huge huge bouquet of deep red roses, 8 dozen of them bunched together in one bouquet! I was shocked and speechless! Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I’d get 8 dozed roses! My constant dream was simply to get a dozen, which I felt was already too much for the ordinary guy..but no, I got 8 dozen! Hahahah, I guess he's no ordinary guy. :)

We hung out till I had to leave to go to Mel’s birthday party in the evening. Since I didn't have any ride home, he and his friends picked me up from Shangri-La Mall. When I got in the car, the flowers were beside me and he said that we'd pass by some place before he'll take me home. It was Oscar, his friend driving and he drove past Makati and then we were in the Macapagal Blvd area and he finally stopped driving in front of this huge church that stood alone in the area. Upon seeing the church, my heart started racing coz I had this gut feel that he might pop the big question that night. I got down the van then he motioned me to go the front and look at something, he took out a box of 24 pcs Ferrero Rocher chocolates! Now this really made me stop breathing for a split second coz I knew that it was the night coz we had a joke about those chocolates--that I’d answer the person who gives me a box of 24 ferreros... So he led me to the church and my mind was cloudy as I walked up the steps. We went to the balcony of the church but looked for a different spot because there was a guard in that area. We ended up talking beside a tree on the vast area on the side of the church.

We talked for a while about things that I don't even remember now coz all I could hear was my heart beating and my heavy breathing. I really liked where we were standing coz we could see the vast expanse of the boulevard and the string of lights shone against the dark black sky, which occasionally let out the sound of thunder. All I remember now was when he asked me, "Can you be my girlfriend?" I paused for a while and turned my head away from him. Then he gave me option, "Yes or Not ready?" I turned my head towards him and gave him a slow, sweet smile, "Yes". Hehehehe. That made us officially an item on July 3 @ 1 am. :)

Finally, after narrating those two very very memorable and super kilig events, I got another one to tell!

Today was like any normal day except that the day of his departure was looming ahead. I went to the gym after work (finally!) and he fetched me there. He gave me three options on where to eat: The floating resto at Baywalk, Orchidarium or somewhere in Makati. Since I just got out of the gym, I was famished so we went to eat at Dome in Makati. The place was quiet and cozy and I loved the Baby Choc drink which is like the Churros dip and their Flourless Chocolate Cake was to die for!! I absolutely recommend it especially for chocolate lovers, the richness of the chocolate was perfect and the caramel sauce on the plate provided just the right sweetness now and then. Our main dish was Roast beef with rice, potatoes and salad but I found it extremely oily even though it tasted good. Dome still remains a dessert place for me after that experience.

Anyway, going back, hahaha (I got carried away by the food), after eating, Aldrich took me to Dangwa, the guys' secret shopping place for cheap flowers! I never saw so much flowers in one place all my life! Again, I was awed! We went around the entire area, crossing two streets to go from the block that sells arranged flowers and the block where you arrange them yourselves. After surveying the variety of flowers, I realized that I am fascinated with Malaysian Mums! After searching some more, we found this store that had an arranged bouquet of a few mums, dahlia, anthurium, a cauliflower looking thing and irises; so we asked them to rearrange the bouquet and throw in another dozen of different colored mums, hehehe. I especially like the purple and white mums, I don't know why, but I light up and smile every time I see them :) I got my perfect bouquet and the vendor even added extra orange irises to make my bouquet more colorful. The dahlia was fuschia in color; the anthurium, light blue and the mums came in white, purple, red wine, white with violet specks, yellow, yellow with pink tips and pure yellow and yellow green! Yey! :)

Receiving flowers really makes me happy! My first encounter with mums was the time when Aldrich gave me a Varia Bouquet from Holland Tulips. This was the day when he told me that he loved me...hehehe, and the mums made an impression on me ever since.

Too bad I don't have a camera now so I just looked for pictures of the flowers I have on the Internet so whoever’s reading my blog can visualize my bouquet :)

I can say that I’ve never felt this happy with anyone else in my life! I want to thank God for blessing me with some one like Aldrich. :)

A Weighty Issue

I didn't really foresee any adverse effects to my getting fat except that i would need bigger clothes..

At this phase in my life, i have lost that firm and paranoid grip that i have on myself to always watch what i'm eating. For the past five years, i just kept on dieting but then binge eating it back again until it became a viscious cycle. I can honestly say that i never really felt good about myself or my body's physical appearance until this year. I had poor self image and felt that if i became thinner, my self-image would improve. Little did i know that it's not my body that i needed to change, but my perspective and my idea of self-worth. I finally understood that body size or shape is not directly proportional to amount of self-worth. I really feel good about myself even if i'm fat right now. Yes, i am around 20 pounds overweight, hehehehe, but i don't feel a tad bit ugly. I can't really explain why but i feel good and confident about myself and i'm really happy about it.

The reason why i'm planning to lose the excess weight is to cut down on my expenses. I dont' want to buy a whole new wardrobe coz i don't have the money for it! Another thing is i am annoyed by the little skin growths on my face which i think is due to cholesterol or eating oily food. Lastly, the back of my calves have grown spiderveins from lack of exercise, hahahaha! Oh, im also wasting my money on my Fitness First membership (P2050/mo) if i don't use it.
So my plan is to gradually cut down on the takaw-mata food and start exercising more. I don't plan to go on crash-then-binge diets again or eat flavorless food or become a vegetarian. No, siree! I love my food rich in flavor and it always delights me to try out new and different restaurants! So to compensate for that, i need to rechannel my energy into exercising more. I actually agree with the slogans painted on the walls of Fitness First..."The extra mile is just between your ears" and "Motivation gets you started, habit keeps you going". No words spoken so true. It's all in the mind! It's just a matter of convincing yourself to want to do it and it shall be done.

Aldrich and I have a bet to make losing weight more interesting and more motivating. The conditions: I should have lost 10 lbs by the time he comes back from Chicago (6 weeks,starting Aug 20) and he should have lost 15 lbs. The clauses: if we both reach the target weight, the judging of the winner will be based on who loses more extra weight than the other, (e.g. my 12 lbs is equal to his 17 lbs). And the reward/punishment: The loser will become the winner's slave for a day! Hahahaha! Who wants to be a slave? None! Who wants to get a slave? Me and probably him too! Hahahah! I will win! I just know it, i should because i have beter resources! hehehe.

Thoughts of the Moment

I actually have a working computer here at home! My brother gave his old pc to me coz he got a new one. His monitor is even flat screen!

*** Reading the newspaper ***

I chanced upon an article on Zhang Zi Yi who's said to become an international star once Stephen Spielberg releases Geisha, his adaptation of the acclaimed book Memoirs of a Geisha, with Zhang Zi Yi as the lead. The article i read also talked about another movie that Zhang starred in as a prostitute: 2046, a Wong Kar Wai film that i wasn't able to watch. I started becoming interested in watching War Kar Wai's works after watching In the Mood for Love around 2 or 3 years ago. The movie was unlike any other movie i watched, it leans more on the artistic side and to be honest, what piques my curiosity is the fact that i cannot fathom the movie at once. I am delightfully puzzled all throughout the movie and at the end, the light slowly comes to me and i finally understand the movie. That is such a cool feeling! One American movie that comes close to that is Sliding Doors, starring Gwyneth Paltrow. I really like them a bit confusing, that's the way that i never forget them.

*** Watching Channel [V] ***

I'm watching Channel [V] Double Shot right now and the themes of the last 4 songs are all women who have been cheated on..shucks! I had my share of that but it was a long time ago. I'm in my 2nd relationship right now and quite new also, we just celebrated our first monthsary last Aug 3 :) There was a point in time when i was still 'healing' from my previous relationship that i felt that i could sustain being single forever - that men just complicate my life. Somehow, that logical part of me seems to have been shortlived coz i had an 'almost' relationship a few months after the breakup...I'm over that now, again. I just seem to need to learn the hard way, tsk tsk. Anyway, now, the reason why i got into my 2nd relationship is coz this guy gives me hope. When i thought i'd give up on the male species, he comes along and shows me that not everyone is the same, that there's someone out there who's sincere, who cares for me, respects me, is there for me, who wants the best for me and would not impede my freedom, my personal space, and my growth as a person. That last line is very very important to me. I'm the type of person who can get caught up in a created world but i'm also the type who would occassionally want to venture out into the unknown and well, simply try out new things and meet new friends. I find that i am more easily able to open up to guys and because of that i have lots of guy friends or acquiantances. I need my guy to accept that and not get jealous because it's just really part of me. Having experienced so much hurt in the past definitely taught me a lot of lessons on relationships and also clearly defined my stand on things.

*** Still Watching Channel [V] ***

Ooh,ooh! Something to get excited about! (At least for me, hehe) The Britney and Kevin show, aptly entitled "Britney + Kevin: Chaotic", is premiering on Channel [V] on August 22, 7pm! Yey!! I absolutely adore Britney Spears and i can't really explain why and i don't really care that i can't. She is soo pretty! Hehehe. Another band band that i really like is Maroon 5. I like the tone of their songs, there's some oldie twist to their tunes that captivates me and gets me listening and enjoying everytime i hear their music. Maybe i should buy their album...hmmm,maybe when i finish paying off my credit card debt!