In La La Land

If I were allowed to fulfill my dreams without any realistic thoughts of monetary compensation or financial concerns, I'd probably minor in History- studying Asian and World history! That would be so cool! I really like History, I think because I'm a root cause analysis type of person and I believe that it is in context of historical evidence where true understanding lies.

Then after that, I'll travel the world! I'll go to Europe, Asia, Mediterranean and wherever history and culture abound. I'll probably need to relax as well so I'd set off to the white sand beaches where waters glisten and the cool breeze lulls you to sleep! Ah, that would be the day :)

I've also thought about enrolling in an English / Speech Development class which abound nowadays along with the sprouting of call centers. I have a classmate in ManStat class who's working in a call center and I just love her accent! It would be nice to have one, too hehe :) Just for vanity purposes.

I thought of all these dreams / ideas just by watching Passport to Europe with Samantha Brown in Discovery Travel and Living! I absolutely love that show, it whisks you off to places that you can only dream of going to in your sleep -- that's for us commoners of course.

While I'm at it, ill expand my daydreaming to enrolling in a culinary school abroad, hmmm but at least, that's closer to reality than the other ones above ;p

FREAKIN' FIRE DRILL!!

I'm on Sick Leave at work today due to a fever last night and early this morning :(. I attribute my illness to the fire drill that happened yesterday in our building.

Picture this: I'm one sedentary office worker sitting in front of the computer for 8 hours or more, whose only exercise involves typing and going to the john and then suddenly there was an alarm-like sound which I thought was someone's cellphone ringtone. But it didn't die down and a recorded voice spoke via the intercom telling everyone to calm down since it was a fire drill. All elevators / escalators were switched off and we had to take the stairs and go to the ground floor assembly area. What's the catch? We're at the 30th floor!! Thirty freakin' flights of stairs, for crying out loud!!!


GT Intl Tower

What can we do? Nothing, we had to comply. We were each given mineral water and Oreo biscuits as a consolation before we went down the stairs. Great, just great! I was totally not in shape for that situation, but I'd call myself lucky for not wearing high heels that day. I would've gotten stuck somewhere in the middle of the building. The first five flights were a breeze but after that, I felt my knees complaining and my vision getting slightly impaired since I felt the need to see where my foot was stepping onto or I'd fall down. I held on the railings for dear life as we went down the flights of stairs…twenty nine, twenty eight, twenty seven, twenty six, twenty five, twenty four, twenty three, twenty two, twenty one, twenty, nineteen, eighteen, seventeen, sixteen, fifteen, fourteen, (there wasn't a thirteenth floor), twelve, eleven, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, GROUND!!

I headed straight to McDonalds and had to stand in line some more to buy my Sundae cone. I really felt weak and sleepy afterwards, I couldn't even open the bottle of mineral water, sheesh!

A few hours after that I felt a tremendous wave of a headache, the type that makes throw down everything you're doing and say that, "I have to go home, I'm not feeling well" But I had class later that day and I had to ascertain that we didn't have a quiz. So I attended the first half of class then went home afterwards.

What a crazy, crazy day.

Now I wonder what would happen if there was a real fire? I'd think some adrenaline would rush up to help me out but after that, the weakness will be greater. Shucks. I need to be more fit for situations such as these or I might become one of the casualties!

Music & Lyrics

Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore's less publicized movie, Music & Lyrics, turned out to be a wonderful surprise! :) A feel-good movie that will keep you laughing all throughout the 90 minutes (at least I did!)

In one perspective, the movie is basically about two people trying to come up with a song, and here's what they came up with :) Enjoy!






A WAY BACK INTO LOVE


I've been living with a shadow overhead
I've been sleeping with a cloud above my bed
I've been lonely for so long
Trapped in the past, I just can't seem to move on

I've been hiding all my hopes and dreams away
Just in case I ever need 'em again someday
I've been setting aside time
To clear a little space in the corners of my mind

Chorus:
All I want to do is find a way back into love
I can't make it through without a way back into love
Oh oh oh

I've been watching but the stars refuse to shine
I've been searching but I just don't see the signs
I know that it's out there
There's got to be something for my soul somewhere

I've been looking for someone to shed some light
Not just somebody just to get me throught the night
I could use some direction
And I'm open to your suggestions

Chorus:
All I want to do is find a way back into love
I can't make it through without a way back into love
And if I open my heart again
I guess I'm hoping you'll be there for me in the end

Bridge:
There are moments when I don't know if it's real
Or if anybody feels the way I feel
I need inspiration
Not just another negotiation

Chorus:
All I want to do is find a way back into love
I can't make it through without a way back into love

And if I open my heart to you
I'm hoping you'll show me what to do
And if you help me to start again
You know that I'll be there for you in the end

Out of the Blue

No updates for now. I'm checking my mail and and just relaxing while I surf :)

I think I like this blue motif of my blog, it just needs a little more detail and design to perfectly match my personality.

I just saw the new FHM issue with Angelica Panganiban on the cover, hmmm, it made me go -"Let's see if this is photoshop-ed too!".

So i got curious and googled Angelica's name at images.google.com. I found a picture of her during the recent Bench fashion show and her body didn't look anything like what we saw on the 'before' pictures from the Ginebra shoot--with flab and all. I'd say she worked out her midsection for the walk on the ramp; however, she also did not look as polished and heavenly like the ones in the magazine/calendar covers.

Well, i say, she's just human.

It's Tuesday

It's Tuesday and I think I've violated my diet plan already, hehe. Yesterday, I still had some will power to delay gratification with Joyce's peanut kisses from Bohol; today, however, I had Choco Mousse and a piece of White Toblerone. Ah, Chocolate!

I had brewed coffee at Mcdo, too and an 8oz. Bottle of C2, but that doesn't count, hahaha!

Anyway, I'm able to blog right now because I'm waiting for a webpage to load….sooo slow. It's free though since I'm using the office's dial-up connection. I'm working, of course. What's new? I just can't seem to get into the freakin' webpage, sigh. I still have to study after this coz we have Stat midterms on Thursday and a weekly quiz for English class tomorrow.

I'm finally able to get in! woohoo!!

****

Aldrich and I watched Music & Lyrics last Saturday as part of our Valentine's date and I still can't get the song off my head!

I've been living with a shadow overhead
I've been sleeping with a cloud above my bed…

Well, those are the only 2 lines that I know which I sing every single day! Lalalala!

****

Back to work.. I'm multi-tasking working, studying, and blogging right now since the page loads so slowly.

I just found out a while ago that Microsoft 2007 Office file formats cannot be opened using Office 2003! How pathetic is that?! What is Microsoft trying to pull here? How can you not have backwards compatibility!? I am appalled by this fact since it seems like Microsoft is trying to lure its users to either shift to 2007. Hmph. Well, business is business.

*****

Of Tech and Food

I've just installed Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007 into my PC and I soo love OneNote! I only installed it because of OneNote, coz frankly, I like the old style of the Excel / Word/ and Powerpoint better. I don't like a lot of drawings or icons since I want to maximize screen space, but that's just me. Our office will be upgrading to the newest Microsoft Products soon coz we have a tie up with them , so I guess the least I can do is try to familiarize myself with the new product.

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I have decided to keep an Online Food / Diet Journal coz it's so much more interesting than just having it all to myself. At least I can pretend that someone will be reading my work and anticipate my day-to-day updates; thus, I owe it to my readers to update.

As you can see, I need to delude myself with this kind of reasoning to be able to stick with my resolutions. Let's see if it works!

Phase 1: Do Away with Unnecessary Foods
With emphasis on free/celebration food, especially on weekends

After initial assessment, it has been found out that I am doing well with eating right on weekdays when I have my baon for lunch and dinner; however, when the weekend comes, that's when the pigging out starts again. Usually, we eat out or there's an occasion serving buffet-style meals so I give my excuses of 'Minsan lang naman 'to eh' or 'Libre kasi eh'. I end up eating so much and feeling crappy afterwards coz I feel uncomfortably stuffed.

That's my goal for now -- for this week. I'll check my progress on Sunday night, Feb 25 and see if I'm able to do as I resolve to.

End Goal: Lose 15 lbs by April 2007.

SideNote: I went to Bohol last Feb 9 - 11 and it was great! I want to do justice to the trip so I'd want to write a nice long entry, which will probably be entitled, Bohol: Better than Boracay! Haha :-p

It’s Still Clark Hatch for the Best Massage!

Aldrich and I had our Valentine celebration today by having lunch at Italianni’s @ Greenbelt and having a massage at The Spa.

The ambiance of The Spa was great, thanks to its well-planned and themed interior design. I had a few problems with service / amenities though, which eventually I learned was because of my own doing (or un-doing). As usual, I was given slippers, a robe and a towel when I got to the Female Powder Room, but the slippers were too small! I didn’t have that problem at Clark Hatch, not even once. I told Aldrich my complaint and he told me that one of The Spa’s code of ethics or something like that is written on the wall saying that the customer should take prerogative in letting the staff know what they want so they can serve the customers better. Well, I didn’t see that anywhere in the walls, and besides, I didn’t plan to go there to read.

So anyway, I noticed that there weren’t any complementary drinks, so I just headed to the shower which again was visually pleasing. This made me happy of course. Hmm, they didn’t have shampoo though, only soap was placed in the dispenser.

Moving on, after the shower, I went to the steam bath for a few minutes. I liked it that they had a clothes rack beside the door to relieve the customer of any excess baggage before going in the steam room. When I was done with that, one of the staff led me to another room to wait for my massage. I was also given tea to drink, but it was ginger! –so I just gave it back hehe. After waiting for a while, we had our massage in the couples room and when the massage was done, we were asked to leave the room at once.

No sleeping time? Oh well.

Clark Hatch lets you sleep in for a few minutes after the massage proper then gives you the stretches when you’re ready. There are also complimentary drinks before and after the massage. And their slippers fit me! Hahaha! The Spa’s massage itself was not bad and almost comparable to Clark Hatch’s but overall, I’d still go with Clark Hatch. They only charge 580 max for Swedish massage with all the amenities, while for a name and the couples’ room with no significant purpose; we had to shell out 1200 each! Sheesh.

Uncontrollable desire

I can’t seem to control myself when it comes to food. I just ate a lot of Krispy Kreme doughnuts today and I just know that I’ll pay for it sooner or later. I wonder if I’ve already acquired diabetes due to the intensity of sugar in the loops? I’m gonna search it up in the internet, “How do you know if you have diabetes?” or “Symptoms of diabetes” in good ‘ol Google.

I came from Manila American Memorial and Cemetery this morning for the second session of the Landscape Photography class. I borrowed my bro’s Canon D400 SLR camera for the class, the only problem was that I didn’t know much of the basics of a manual camera so at one point or another, I ended up switching to auto-mode and getting the results that I wanted, hehehe. So much for photography class! I realized from this experience that I’m not really a hardcore photography buff; I find the technicalities too deep and mind-boggling. I’d rather point and shoot, throw in some effects, then I’m good to go! The one effect that I desire most is a focused subject and a blurry background, is that too much to ask? I’ve also realized that I enjoy taking pictures of food, which, I think, doesn’t go well for my health.

Two of my sisters-in-law have already tried the South Beach diet and both have lost 10 pounds of more in a span of 2 weeks! Unfortunately, I don’t have that much money yet to get into the diet! Php600 a day—that’s totally over my budget. So right now, I’m an aimless wanderer when it comes to losing weight. I don’t eat a lot when I feel like it and I eat a lot when I feel like it— everything is done on a whim.; thus, 0% progress.

I wonder what’s the probability that I’ll lose weight if I go on as I am right now? ManStat class has influenced me to think with statistics and I guess it isn’t so bad after all. From what I see, ManStat is a little bit easier than ManPri because ManStat has empirical basis for its conclusions; while ManPri analysis depends on your familiarity with the field and how one should conduct business there. Maybe there’s also a basis, but I can’t fathom it completely yet.

I’m eating suha right now to fight off the sugar-induced (assumption) itchy toe feeling. My dad swears by it—his blood sugar and cholesterol level has dropped after 5 days of eating the fruit. It doesn’t hurt to try, besides, it tastes good too :)

Icky Sugar Feeling

Dear Blog,

Too much sugar and oily foods leave you feeling crummy after a while. It grossly affects your mood and you can’t seem to focus and do anything right. I hate it when that happens… much like now. Sigh.

I just read a back issue of GQ with Uma Thurman on the cover; this was during the height of Kill Bill and her divorce with director Ethan Hawke. Also in the issue was the case of Opus Dei. I wonder if people who are inclined to S&M would be able to endure ‘the discipline’ more than the others, and well, enjoy it more than others.

I do not fully understand that religious sect, so I shall not judge. One thing I’m sure of, though, is that I’d never become one. Heck, I can’t even get it straight with Catholicisim and Protestantism. What’s with all these religions anyway?

I always seem to screw up my Sundays. I can’t get past the sleeping after lunch part, then eating when my brothers arrive, then watching TV, then trying to do my homework, then talking to Drich before I go to sleep. It’s been two nights in a row that I’ve had ‘impromptu’ sleep. This means that I didn’t mean to sleep, like just lying down to rest or close my eyes, but I fall asleep without consciously meaning to and wake up the next morning. I don’t like it when that happens to me coz it just means that I’m very tired and probably stressed.

Logically, I don’t think I should be stressed, but I guess my upbringing was very stress-free, so now it’s much harder for me to cope with stress.

Icky-sugar feeling is still here, ugh. I need to shake this off so that I can focus on my homework. Mango Terrine in Panciteria Lido did this. Well, I did this to myself coz I was the one who ordered it. Oh well. I should have just stuck with the brewed coffee, it was great already.

Japanese doll wall decorations at the restaurant.

New Year, New Look

I have a new blog look! Yey! Blogger has now tied up with Google and its template is now in XML format, how cool! Now I'll be learning about XML :)

As you've noticed, Britney Spears is gone. I've bidden my farewell to her and have moved over to Angelina Jolie. I think I've outgrown Britney and find her antics quite frivolous. Maybe I've also matured myself which is why Angelina's tough but kind-hearted image has appealed to me. It doesn't hurt that she's also Brad Pitt's partner! I'm so for Brangelina! Sorry Jennifer Aniston, nothing against you.

I'm actually blogging at home right now which is not quite common. I was smitten by the changes that Blogger implemented so I couldn't wait to get home and blog. Adding to the pleasure of blogging is having really nice keyboards to type on. Arvin, the one who picked my name at our office's Grand Kris Kringle, was the one who gave this to me as a Christmas gift (well, it helped that i provided a wishlist).

Another reason why I'm able to blog at home is because classes haven't started yet. My first class will be on Wednesday, followed by the other one on Thursday. I've enrolled in Fundamentals of Writing, a.k.a. Business Writing and Management Statistics (oh no). In Bus. Writing, only my ego is on the line, in ManStat, it's my grades!! Well, classes haven't started yet so I'm hoping for the best :)

Shameless Plug
As I'm typing away right now, I have a Slims Uzap Vibrating Belt strapped around me waist. My brother lent it to us so that we can have a sample. He's selling it for 5K and all my sisters-in-law said that it has to work on me first before they buy one from my brother, haha! This is the second time that I'm gonna use it and so far so good. It has actually improved my circulation because I was able to do some 'movement' afterwards. I'm almost fully sedentary so this belt is perfect for lazy ol' me -- exercise without moving a muscle!

If only I had fast metabolism that would allow me to eat anything I wanted without gaining a pound! Life would be perfect.

On Christmas Day

Something Personal

Sometimes there are things that happen in our lives that we do not understand. In these trying times, i feel like crying and being down.

But things are not the same anymore.

I must be strong, i must be optimistic and i must have faith. I know that God's grace is sufficient for us. He will not give us challenges that we cannot overcome.

Life is not for the faint-hearted...*sigh*

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Where's Christmas?

How come i didn't feel that it's Christmas today? Where's the magic? Where's the awe? It's weird. Is it me? Have i become too logical and numb?

I don't want to become one of those bitter old hags and certainly I don't want to unlearn all the wonderful things that I've discovered in life such as JOUISSANCE (i will forever remember Dr. Leo Garcia) and how about SANTA CLAUS and believing in the goodness of people? Another thing, i musn't succumb to the materialism and consumerism of the holiday season. Christmas should be about love and kindess, we're celebrating Jesus' birth, right?

Have to channel good feelings and lessons from The Nativity story...

Must bring back Christmas spirit!!!