Just Reesh

episode 502: I've been punk'd!

2007-10-08T13:36:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: I know that an update to my blog has been long overdue. But I've been putting it off because I was a bit busy with some...one for a couple of weeks. The only way I could summarize that experience is this ... Imagine being lifted up so high just to be thrown back to the hard ground. Yes, I've just barely picked myself up from that big fall and here comes someone who was sensitive enough to know when I'm crying even if I didn't show it and therefore he was there to comfort me. To me, that's how it all started. Asked him if he knows what he's getting himself into because I was asking myself the same thing. I decided to take the risk with him. Then things just happened too fast and in the end ... I got burned. Even though he denies this, but he's just not over his ex with whom he was with for 5 months. He cares more about what his ex would feel if she finds out that he now has someone else. He doesn't care about what I would feel. Come to think about it, what would the 2 weeks we had together compare with the 5 months that they had. I didn't even have a fighting chance. And to think that he thinks the ex still didn't have the chance to fight for what they had within that 5 months. Hah! So he might think that I am tougher and emotionally more stable than the ex. That's probably why he chose to hurt me instead of her because he thinks I can deal with it better. Damn right, I am made of tougher stuff and I can deal with this better ... but then so what? That doesn't mean that I feel less pain or that the pain is less intense for me. I bleed just the same as the next person beside me. Tough or not, we all bleed just the same. How could somebody whom I thought was so sensitive be so insensitive in the end? He said somebody has got to give and since I gave him the "time to think" that he needs, I just gave way. So I was punished for my ability/effort to understand him when he asked for time to think. I've been punk'd! Didn't know how long he planned to make me wait for an answer. But I got impatient and asked him for an answer after 1.5 weeks of keeping my silence. Told him honestly that my pride told me not to take him back even if he wants to be back with me coz he's clearly not over the ex. Even though he insists that he is and there's no going back to her ... the fact that he needed time to think means he isn't sure and he has already chosen her over me. How can I say that he has chosen her over me? Because I asked him what if I said no when he asked me for time to think? He said he'll ask for it again. Clearly, I didn't have any choice at all in the first place. He said that he believes that we could have worked things out if we decided to. With his ex he says there's no chance of working it out. That makes it a lot more painful for me. For him to choose to let go of what we could have for something he knows he can't have with the ex. Call me dumb and stupid, but I don't think he had any intention to hurt me. But then the result is the same ... I was hurt. Why do I have to pay for the mistakes of others? She hurts him, he hurts me because he's still hurting. Why did he have to drag me into their mess? How stupid was I to let him? He says that in the end, he looses the both of us anyway. Sounding so helpless. So I told him to quit acting so helpless. Because whatever mess he's in right now is all because of himself. Quit acting as if everything that happened was all out of his control. He had the power to choose and he made the choice. So he has to take accountability for his own actions and choices. How can you explain this: He says the ex couldn't fight for him. He thinks I can. But he still chose to stay hung up with the ex. Don't get me wrong. He's a good man. Just not good enough for/with me. I still wish for his happiness. I'm working hard to get over this and be back to as normal as can be again. I don't know if it's possible, but I still hope that one day soon ... I could be in talking terms with him again. Coz you see, we're co-workers. It just takes too much energy for me to ignore somebody that you don't have any choice but to see every working day. Yes, I am still hurting. But I'm trying to pick myself up again. I wonder, how many more times do I have to stumble and fall in this lifetime? I'm sure not looking forward to any more of that. Right now, I just want to crawl back under that ever so familiar blanket of numbness again.

Kewl Website: http://www.hillmanwonders.com/ - There's a new official list of the top wonders of the world and you can find it here at the Hillman Wonders site. If you're an avid traveller, then you better check this site out for you to get an idea of where you should go next. Print the list and see how many of those places you've already been to. I bet most if not all of the places listed on the site are also on the 1001 Places to See Before You Die book. The site also offers tips and insights to each of those places on the list. It tells you why each of those places made it to the list. Why they're special. It also has travel guides to some of those places. So start packing!

Fab Finds: Daim Chocolate and Ikea's Daim Cake - Yvee (my friend in Singapore) introduced me to Daim. It's hard caramel candy covered in dutch milk chocolate. I can't find Daim here. It's a product of Denmark and the only place I know that has it is Ikea. You can get the Daim chocolates from the sweets section of Ikea while you can have a slice of the Daim cake from the Ikea "cafeteria". Yum! Love at first taste is what it was. I bought 2 bags of Daim when I was at Ikea. I was livin' la vida choco for a while. If you set foot on Singapore, be sure to swing buy Ikea. I bet you my bottom dollar that you won't be leaving Ikea with just the Daim chocolates. There's a lot more at Ikea that you'll love and can't help but buy.

Anthem of the Day: Nina - Someday. "Someday, you're gonna realize. One day, you'll see this through my eyes. By then I won't even be there. I'll be happy somewhere. Even if I cared." I know I have featured this song as my anthem of the day before but this song just expresses what I feel right now. To think that he likes this song too. He said that his song for me is Howie Day's "Collide". Well, this is for him then. Perhaps it's his song to the ex too.

Today, I'm thankful for ... whatever it is that's inside me that enables me to still wake up in the morning and get through the day coping with the pain. One morning, I'll wake up and the pain will just be gone ... hopefully.

episode 501: I am alone ... but I will not be lonely.

2007-07-23T14:46:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: Almost 2 months after the break-up, I'm now as single as can be. I'm back to where I was a little more than 2 years ago before I met Steve. Yes, I do miss the daily calls we had in the mornings. I miss the "feeling" of belonging to someone and having someone to call mine. So much love to give but nobody to give it to. Sounds so pathetic, right? But like what I said in my previous blog entry, enough with the pity-party. I am alone ... but I will (and have to) get to the point when I can say that "Yes, I am alone ... but not lonely." I have to learn how to be single and be contendedly happy again. It is a lot harder to do that now that I know how it is to be a part of a couple. Before Steve, I didn't know what I was missing by being single and therefore it was easier to be naively content. But as hard as it is, that doesn't mean it can't be done. Loneliness has nothing to do with being physically alone or not having anybody to call yours. And it has everything to do with having no one in your heart ... now that's loneliness. You can be surounded by thousands of people or you might have a lot of "partners" that you can or cannot call as yours, but you can still feel as lonely as an orphan. I will just have to find new ways to celebrate the joys and challenges of living life single again. And learn all the wisdom and have all the laughter that comes along with it. For that, I'm making this episode as the beginning of a new "season".

Kewl Website: http://tv-links.co.uk/ - you will love this site if you have a fast internet broadband connection because it's "better than a remote control". You can watch Shows, Cartoons, Documentaries, Animes, Movies and Music Videos online for free! You can find the popular shows like 24, FRIENDS, Queer as Folk (interesting!), One Tree Hill, The O.C., Ugly Betty, etc. You can also find some of the latest movies there too. Pretty mint! But you just have to have patience coz it might take time to buffer. Yup, buffer ... not download. They only provide links for you to view the videos while online. This prevents the media lawyers from breathing down their necks.

Fab Finds: T House @ Tagaytay - For me, it's by far the best boutique hotel (or B&B) that you can check yourself into without burning a hole in your pocket. It's located at 3195 Calamba Road, Tagaytay City. This place just formally opened last June 2007. Its architectural and interior designs are earthy, minimalist and modern. The place has 15 rooms to accomodate people who wants calm, comfort and tranquility. There are 3 types of rooms which are differentiated by the vibrant yet cozy color combinations used on the beddings and throw pillows: Fire, Water and Earth. The rooms costs from P3,450 net (enough space for 2-4 pax) to P5,750 net (enough space for 4-6 pax). These rates comes with breakfast for two. Some rooms have bathtubs while some have sunlit bathrooms. Upon check-in, they hand you cold towels and serve you lemongrass iced tea in champagne flutes to freshen you up. And before going to bed, they serve you hot tarragon tea to ensure a good night's sleep. Their restaurant serves healthy and appetizing foods. You can make a reservation for a four-course lunch or dinner for P550 net. You'll have 2 choices of soup, salad, an entree and dessert. I love their Rich Chocolate Ganache pancakes (P200++) and April's Mint (P80++) shake that I had for breakfast. The pancakes are fluffy and huge, marbled with chocolate cream, dotted with walnuts, swirled with more chocolate and maple syrups and topped with slivers of crispy bacons. Now let me guess how they make their April's Mint shake. Blend ice, dalandan soda and fresh mint leaves together and tada ... April's Mint! Their Tribecca in Truffle Oil crepes are good too. T House also offers spa services (opens from 10AM to 11PM) ranging from standard massages (P500++/hr) to manipeds (P400++) to aromatherapies (P800++) with a wide range of aroma oils to choose from. And the last but not least, their staffs are very courteous and accommodating. Obviously, I enjoyed my stay at T House. I just hope that they won't hike up their prices as they gain popularity. For more info, check out their website ... http://www.thousetagaytay.com/.

Anthem of the Day: Daniel Bedingfield - Gotta Get Through This. "I gotta get through this. I gotta get through this. I gotta make it, gotta make it, gotta make it through. Said I'm gonna get through this. Im gonna get through this. I gotta take my, take my mind off you. Give me just a second and I'll be all right. Surely one more moment couldn't break my heart. Give me 'til tomorrow then I'll be okay. Just another day and then I'll hold you tight." A very upbeat song to help me get through all that I have to get over with. It's a very good workout song too. BTW, Daniel is the brother of the Aussie singer Natasha Bedingfield.

Mood: Hopeful, at last.

Today, I'm thankful for ... having people that I have good memories with who I keep in my heart which keeps me from getting really lonely.

episode 415: The Audacity of Hope.

2007-07-05T11:09:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: Today is supposed to be my 2nd anniversary with Steve. 4th of July in the US and 5th of July here in this part of the world. Too bad things didn't work out for us. But enough with the pity party. Time to stand back up and look forward to hopefully better days. Hoping has never been harder for me to do than it is now. But then there's the "audacity of hope". I like that phrase a lot. I heard it from the US Senator Barack Obama who wrote a book with the same title. It's more of a political document. But when he was on Oprah, he said he first heard the phrase from his minister who was talking about how people dare to hope even if it seem that there's not going to be any being in the situations they're in. So, I'm going to do the same thing now. And dare to hope that one day ... all will be better. Oh yeah, FYI. There's quite a buzz going around saying Obama might be well-positioned to enter a future US presidential race. If he wins against Hillary Clinton (who's suspected to be running), he's going to be the first African-American president of the US. Though he's actually only half African-American since his mom is caucasian. And I think that's going to be a plus for him during the election.

Kewl Website: http://upl.codeq.info/ - I always have to make a list of things that I should bring every time I'm going on a trip. But I still end up forgetting to include one thing or the other on the list. And since each trip is different, the list changes. Thank God somebody thought of making an applet that "generates a custom packing list for any journey" - the Universal Packing List. Key in when you'll be taking the trip, find out what the temperature is going to be at your destination during those dates, type of accommodation, mode of transportation, size of your bag, planned activities and etc. Then the applet will generate a custom packing list for you based on those parameters. You can either print the list out or send a copy to your email. This surely makes life easier for me. No more scrambling while packing. There will however be some things on the list that you might think unnecessary so you can just skip them.

Fab Finds: Penshoppe Mini-brush set - Small and compact, it fits perfectly into any makeup pouch for brushing up while on-the-go. It contains a lipstick Brush, blush brush, sponge tip applicator, eye shadow brush and eye liner brush. Since it comes in transluscent color, even those OCs with color coordinated makeup kits will be happy with it. It only costs P89.00 and you can ofcourse get it at any Penshoppe branches which you can usually find at the leading malls.

Anthem of the Day: Avril Lavigne - When You're Gone. "When you're gone, the pieces of my heart are missing you. When you're gone, the face I came to know is missing too. When you're gone, all the words I need to hear to always get me through the day and make it OK. I miss you." Our skater girl has grown up now. This song just shows that she's now more in touch with her romantic side. Very different from her previous teen rebel type album.

Mood: Sober. Calm. Still numb ... but hopeful.

Today, I'm thankful for ... the friends who kept me company during the turmoil. Ira, Grace, Joyce, Cris and Tiny. And to those who called or sent messages to show they cared.

episode 414: The Aftermath.

2007-06-25T13:06:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: It has been 3 weeks since Steve and I decided to give up the fight. My fault really. I just don't have to spine to stand up and fight for him against my family. Yes, I am such a coward. It could've been our 2nd year anniversary together next week if things happened differently. Am I over him? Have I moved on? Sadly, no. I still feel guilty and sorry for hurting Steve's feelings. And for making him feel that I have just been dragging him along just to hurt him in the end. I think I can deal with a break-up better if I'm the one who's been broken up with and getting hurt instead of the one who broke up with somebody and therefore hurting that person. What does it take to make me move on? Maybe when I find out that Steve has moved on along fine and has found somebody who can take good care of him the way I wish I could've if we're still together. He's a good man, so he deserves a good woman. A woman who can fight with teeth and nails for him.

Kewl Website: http://www.freakyourmind.com/ - Are you familiar with Chriss Angel's Mindfreak show on cable's A&E TV? Criss Angel is a world renowned mystifier and provocateur. To a lot of people, he's very unlike other magicians or illusionists. Definitely a couple of levels above David Copperfield. He's more on the level or maybe even higher than David Blane. Now, let him show you 3 easy steps to freak your friends out. Try it on yourself first so you can appreciate how freaked out your friends would be when you send them the link. It would be best if you can be there with your "victims" when they view the link. The expressions on their faces would be priceless.

Fab Finds: Mexicali's Veggie Burrito - As with most (if not all) depressed females out there, the top food that I craved for is carbs. And the bext carbo-loaded food that I've been myself with is Mexicali's Veggie Burrito (MVB). I've always liked MVB even before my heartbreak. I usually have my fill of it during the weekends when I go malling. So I guess it's only natural that it's one of the things that I hang on to for comfort while I'm in this emotional rollercoaster. MVB is made of mexican rice (which I think is flavoured with tumeric powder hence the yellow color), mashed refried beans, lettuce, salsa, cheese (which I think is cheddar), sour cream, grilled zucchini, button mushrooms and bell peppers wrapped in soft flour tortillas. It's served with nachos and fresh salsa made of tomatoes, white onions, celery and a dash of salt. And you should never eat a burito without Mexicali's aoli (garlic cream sauce), my favorite. Aside from veggie burrito, they also have other assortments like BBQ chicken, BBQ pork, ground beef, roast pork, grilled steak or grilled shrimp. A regular burrito costs P115.00 (w/o VAT and SC) which already comes with the fresh salsa and nachos. You'll find them at Glorietta, RCBC Plaza, Bel-Air, Mall of Asia, Greenhills Promenade, Megamall, SM North EDSA and TriNoMa.

Anthem of the Day: Enrique Inglesias - Do You Know What It Feels Like. "Do you know what it feels like loving someone that's in a rush to throw you away. Do you know what it feels like to be the last one to know the lock on the door has changed. If birds flying south is a sign of changes. At least you can predict this every year. Love, you never know the minute it ends suddenly. I can't get it to speak."

Mood: So tired. Still depressed and numb. Been trying to get over it but failed.

Today, I'm thankful for ... the fact that this heartache hasn't killed me yet. And that my eyes hasn't fallen off their sockets from over-crying. And that it looks like Steve is doing better now after the rough initial 2 weeks. I believe he's doing better than I am now. Which is good.

episode 413: The Ice Queen Returns.

2007-05-29T12:59:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: Let me ask you, which would you choose ... the family that raised and loved you for 27 years or the guy that you're in love with for the past 2 years? Can you choose who you fall in love with? How can you not love the guy who has been nothing but sweet, kind, patient and understanding? On the other hand, how can you ignore your father's tearful plea begging you not to make what he thinks is a big mistake? How can you choose in the first place? Will you be able to live with the decision you'll be making? Can you tell me why I can't have both? Since I can't have both, I have to put the Ice Queen's mask back on again. Just don't want to feel anything anymore. I just want the blessed numbness again.

Kewl Website: http://www.business-opportunities.biz/projects/how-much-is-your-blog-worth - Key in your blog's URL and find out how much it's worth in US dollar terms. It uses a scoring system based on what elements you have on your blog. As if you need any more convincing to try it out, right? You'd do it for mere curiosity anyway. Mine is worth a measely $564.54 only.

Fab Finds: Beauty Formulas' Instant Foot Cooler - "Hear the Fizz, Feel the Tingle." For a person who has dry feet but likes to wear flip-flops like me, this stuff is just fantabulous. It kindda has a moisturizing effect on my usually tired feet. And I just love the fresh citrus scent and the cool menthol feel which stays on for quite a long time after you first spray it on. It's very invigorating. It's made in UK by a company that specializes in foot care, skin care and oral hygiene. I got mine from Watson's SM Makati. It costs P143.00 only and a bottle lasts for 2 weeks of daily use.

Anthem of the Day: Joy Enriquez - How Can I Not Love You. "Can not touch. Can not hold. Can not be together. Can not love. Can not kiss. Can not have each other. Must be strong, and we must let go. Can not say what our hearts must know. How can I not love you. What do I tell my heart. When do I not want you here in my arms. How does one walks away from all of the memories. How do I not miss you when you are gone. Can not dream. Can not share sweet and tender moments. Can not feel how we feel. Must pretend it's over. Must be brave, and we must go on. Must not say, what we've known all along."

Mood: Tired. Pissed. Frustrated. Hopeless. Depressed. Numb.

Today, I'm thankful for ... nothing. Yup, for the first time in sooooo many years. Nothing.

episode 412: Time to Set Sail.

2007-05-21T14:13:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: "20 years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain. I sure hope he's right. Since I've decided to throw off my bowlines to go brave the currents, he better be right.

Kewl Website: http://www.chow.com - CHOW.com. Food. Drink. Fun. Let's see, what have I learned from this site? I learned the easier and faster way to dice onions. I also learned how to cut a chicken into eigth serving pieces. I also learned how to open a wine without breaking the cork just like a sommelier. How to set up a buffet. How to seat your dinner guests to make sure that conversation flows smoothly. All these are in their How-To video section. And aaaah ... the countless recipes. Yum!
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Fab Finds: Elianto Eyeshadow Palletes - Found the perfect shade of eyeshadow but it comes in a set with a other colors that aren't going to work for you. Do you still buy the set or not? Does this dilemma sound familiar? Don't you just wish that you can just choose the eyeshadow colors that suits you and have it assembled into a set instead? Well, your wish is Elianto's command. You can choose eyeshadow colors by 4, 6, 10, 20 and 30 and have it assembled into a compact pallete case. Ain't that mint?! Some of their eyeshadow colors cost P99.00 each, while the other more recent (metallics, etc.) colors cost P119.00 each. The case that holds 4 colors costs P120.00. I just got the "by 4" set since I'm just starting to learn how to put on makeup. By the way, Elianto is a Malaysian brand using Korean technology. Aside from make-ups, they also have nailcare, bodycare and skincare products. I guess they're the more economical version of the korean brand The Face Shop. There are Elianto branches in Robinsons Department Store and 3rd Flr. of The Block SM City North Ave. I'm sure they have other branches but these 2 are the only ones that I know of.

Anthem of the Day: Fergie - Big Girls Don't Cry. "I hope you know, I hope you know that this has nothing to do with you. It's personal, myself and I. We got some straightening out to do. And I'm gonna miss you like a child misses their blanket. But I've gotta get a move on with my life. It's time to be a big girl now. And big girls don't cry." Yes, that's a song by the Fergalicious herself. I think this is by far her best song. Even though the sound is more acoustic than R&B, it's still as catchy as her other songs. This song's lyrics is more meaningful than her other songs. Pretty un-fergie-like but good.

Mood: Worried and nervous. Dad's coming over to see me this weekend. I know that lately, he and mom have been in constant fear of me making a very "wrong" decision that will take me down the "wrong" path. I wonder what he'll do to try to make me change my mind. He's pretty good on debates and persuation. Will he succeed? It remains to be seen.

Today, I'm thankful for ... the option I have to pay somebody to clean my house for me since I'm such a slob and the laziest person on this part of the universe.

episode 411: Wisdom from Spider-man's Aunt May.

2007-05-03T10:41:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: Spider-man Peter Parker's Aunt May plays a strong role in providing moral support to Peter. On the latest Spider-man movie series "Spider-man 3", Aunt May gave Peter a couple of advices. According to her, a man has to be understanding and put his wife before himself. Self-sacrifice makes you marriage material. But the same thing should apply to a woman too. Both man and woman has to put the other before himself or herself. And a person can only sacrifice himself if he really loves and cares for the one he's sacrificing for. And that's obviously a lot easier said than done. Another thing that Aunt May said is that you become what is in your heart. True. You can't suppress whatever negative is in you forever. It'll inevitably come up to the surface. So as hard as it may be, we must try our darnest best to purge all the negatives out of our system. Again, easier said than done but it must be done. And about hurting someone or doing something wrong to somebody, Aunt May said that "You start by doing the hardest thing -- you forgive yourself." But it comes naturally to man to love himself more than others. That's why it's such a big challenge for a man to love somebody else more than himself. It really couldn't be that hard to forgive himself. Besides, our responsibility is not to forgive ourselves, but to seek forgiveness and try to make right what we have done wrong. It may not be the pop-psychology way, but it is God's way. The best part of the Spider-man 3 movie is when Peter Parker danced the John Travolta's Grease moves. Love it!

Kewl Website: http://www.brandstrategy.co.za - Time to get that hamster inside your skull to start working. Check their Brain Teasers out (under the Fun! tab). They're pretty mint! Love the River Crossing game. Let me know how long it took you to solve it. When you think your hamster needs a little break, then try out their Free Games.

Fab Finds: Metallic flip-flops from Follow Your Heart - It's summer and it's flip-flop season. I don't know about you but I don't think that the sandy beaches are worthy of my Ipanema flip-flop. In my opinion, only the concrete pavements and tiled floors of the urban jungle is worthy. So I had to buy cheaper flip-flops for my beach trips which comes in flowery pastel colors. There are times that I wish I can find cheap ones in metallics just like my Ipanema. Well, the other day was my lucky day. While just wandering around the mall like all mall-rats do, I spotted these metallic flip-flops on one of the glass display shelves of the Follow Your Heart stall. It comes in olive green, chocolate brown and dark orange. I tried them on thinking that it must be worth around P200.00 a pair. But lo and behold, it only costs P70.00! I thought I heard wrong, thinking that the saleslady must have said P170.00. But nope, it's P70.00 alright. Pretty good deal huh? It looks pretty sturdy though I still have to put it through the ultimate "lakwatsa" test. But come on, P70.00 for a pair of metallic flip-flops like these is darn great deal! The Follow Your Heart stall on the Ground Flr. of Glorietta (right across Designer Blooms). They have branches at Market! Market! and Tiendesitas.

Anthem of the Day: Bo Bice - The Real Thing. "Tell me what we got, tell me it's a lot, tell me it's the real thing. Tell me not to change and always be the same, tell me that's a good thing. It's a good thing. Tell me not to lie, tell me not to wait. Tell me that you want the same things as me. Tell me that it's fate, driving me insane. Tell me it's the real thing. That keeps me hangin on."

Mood: Sullen. Still worried about how my parents will take the news.

Today, I'm thankful for ... the kind of single carefree life I have now which I soon will have to let go to make room for another new chapter of my life.

episode 410: April showers WILL bring May flowers.

2007-04-30T18:17:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: April showers WILL bring May flowers. I'm relieved. Now, I just have to focus on getting myself ready for the new journey ahead. And to pray that my parents will understand and that God will ease their fears in my behalf. How can I get them to understand that even if I fall, I will stand back up again. I really really wish they can be there to help me stand up again.
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Kewl Website: http://www.kayak.com - "Life's a trip," according to Kayak.com. Kayak is a travel search engine. It searches hundreds of travel sites from all over the world, provide the information to you in an easy-to-use display and send you directly to the source to make your purchase. It also helps you find the flight, hotel, cruise, or rental car you want. After all, what good are 1000 options when you can't find the flight you want? Once you make your choice, it links to the travel sites to make your purchase. Kayak allows you to choose which site to purchase from– through an online travel agency or consolidator such as Orbitz or Airfare.com. Unlike online travel agencies, Kayak is not a store. Online travel agencies are retailers that can only sell you the products on their shelves. Kayak is not limited to the size of a stockroom. In fact, since it doesn't sell anything, it doesn't even have a stockroom. Rather, it searches for travel goods across the Web and provide details on hundreds of options. Since Kayak doesn't sell anything, there's no hidden agenda or biased displays. And, Kayak is free to use. I know what you're thinking, that it's too good to be true. How the heck do they make profit? Well, Kayak makes money when travelers click on our advertisements and when they click on the results from travel suppliers like airlines, hotels and rental car companies. The bottom line for consumers, however, is that it's not trying to sell you anything which allows it to provide objective, comprehensive travel information to use as you want. Then, you select the travel products you want to buy and you decide where to buy them. Ain't that mint?!! I've used it to look for the cheapest flight available. You can easily compare the different prices and schedules of a multitude of airlines on Kayak. More and more of us Pinoys are more travel-savvy these days. So go ahead, look for an affordable trip to take. The world is our oyster!
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Fab Finds: Bud Keybag by Q-max Innovations - This is a better and smarter alternative to the regular keychain. With this cute keybag, you can tuck your keys into the bud which will prevent the sharp edges of the keys from tearing the linings of your bags, your pant/jean pockets or even your flesh. With this keybag, it's now safe to throw your keys into your bag without having to worry about the keys scratching and ruining the surfaces of your mobilephone, mp3 player, makeup case, etc. Plus, it also minimizes (if not eliminate) the rattling sound that keys normally make that reminds people of jail guards or cows. It's durable coz it's made of silicone instead of just ordinary rubber or plastic. To clean, all you need is a damp cloth to wipe it with. I got mine from Fully Booked @ P199.00 only. It comes in red, green and light brown.
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Anthem of the Day: P. Diddy f. Keisha Cole - Last Night. This song kindda describes the "to call or not to call" dilemma that me and Steve went through for the last 2 weeks. It is a love song. But since this is a product of P. Diddy, it's of the R&B kind. It has a very very catchy beat and melody. A friend of mine (B2) might even describe it as "danceable". I still have LSS (Last Song Syndrome) with this song.

Mood: Feeling a lot better than last week. The only thing left that's bugging me is how to make my parents understand that my decision won't bring about the end of the world.

Today, I'm thankful for ... the guidance from God for all the decisions that I've made. I'm not a devout catholic. But He has never failed me so far.

episode 409: Giving Up the Fight?

2007-04-25T16:37:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: "I can't seperate the winners from the losers anymore and I think I should be giving up the fight," by Kris Kristofferson. That's a quote that my Steve used on his blog entry about what's happening to us right now. But hopefully, April showers bring May flowers.
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Kewl Website: http://www.toptipsforgirls.com - "Top Tips For Girls, the ever-expanding bible of genuine advice. Find answers to all your questions, and leave something handy behind when you go." Every woman has a reserve of helpful, clever tips that she's worked out for herself or has picked up from other women to make life easier. Well it's time for us to share them with the rest of the sisterhood around the world. "It's like being in the bathroom at a party with millions of women, all of whom want to give you advice." The thing that I like about this site is that there's no need to plough through seemingly endless and mostly irrelevant chat threads for the part that actually gives you the answer to your question. In this site, all tips are short and to the point. So go ahead and visit the site but don't just take advices, leave some handy ones behind too.
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Fab Finds: Azaya Spa and The Lotus - We know that most of the good spas charges around P700-P1,500 for 1 blissful hour of full-body massage. That's kindda steep for average income earners. Well thanks to the ever reliable outcome of business competition, a lot of "budget spas" are conceived that offers more affordable services. I know of 2 pocket-friendly spas here in Makati. Azaya Spa's 1 hour Swedish or Shiatsu Massage costs P500 only. The place itself has a good zen-like ambiance. They have a massage room that you have to share with their other clients. But they also have 2 couple's room (1 with just a shower and toilet while the other has a shower and bath tub that fits 2). If you plan to go there with a friend, then request for them to let you use the couple's room for you to have more privacy. They won't charge extra. Their letting you use them depends on the rooms' availability ofcourse because they have to prioritize their Body Scrub and Body Wrap clients for these rooms. Azaya Spa is located at Crowne Tower, 107 H.V. dela Costa Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City. Tel#: 8136654. They're open from Monday to Friday @ 3PM to 11PM and on Saturday and Sunday @ 1PM to 11PM. The Lotus' 1 hour Royal Thai, Traditional Thai and Wat Po Thai massage costs P300 only. While their Shiatsu, Swedish and Oriental (combination of Shiatsu and Swedish) costs P350. Their Body Scrubs and Wraps costs P700. I have only visited their H.V. dela Costa branch which has Thai interior design. Me and my friends like it when they're burning pepermint oil because it's so soothing and really does calms your nerves and makes you want to doze off. The only downside at this place is that if you want to take a shower before the massage, you'll have to shell out P100 extra for that. What they do for you instead is to soak your feet for 10 minutes before the massage in a wooden basin of warm water with smooth stones lining the bottom of the basin. Hey, you want to pay less, then accept the no-free-shower setback. You get what you pay for. The service and the ambiance of the place is good enough for the price you'll be paying. The Lotus has a couple of branches in Makati. Click on the picture above to see the addresses. Tel# for H.V. dela Costa branch is 8930759. Oh yeah, they're open til 2AM. So we nocturnals dwelling in Makati can now have a good late night massage to help us catch some precious snooze.

Anthem of the Day: The Braxtons - I'd Still Say Yes.

Mood: Depressed and scared of the possible outcomes of the big decision I have made. I'm sad that I've hurt somebody I love and care.

Today, I'm thankful for ... the supports, advices and scolding from Grasya, Ira, Joyce and yes ... even Tiny too.

episode 408: My Last Philippine Summer.

2007-03-30T12:12:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: Summer is finally here! Time to head for the beach for some R and R. This is going to be my one last summer under the scorching Philippine sun. Am sure gonna miss it. Sigh ...

Kewl Website: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/ - For world travellers or for those who have loved ones living in other timezones, this site is God-sent! If you're like me, my brain hurts whenever I have to do math in my mind just to know what time it is somewhere else. I just wish that cellphone manufacturers can include a light version of this as part of their cellphone software package. This site shows you the current time and date in all the capitals of the world without having to input anything. It's a no brainer. Hey, I just like anything that lets me conserve my brain cells since I don't have much left. If the Green Peace organization aims to conserve energy resources, I'm the founder of the Green Minds organization which aims to conserve brain cells and spread green jokes. Hehehe!

Fab Finds: Mirror Mints by Little i - See and be seen with this smart flip-top tin filled with premium sugar-free mints made in Canada. Suitable for every fashion situation from the office to the party. Slip easily into a handbag or jeans pocket. These mints satisfy that craving for chocolate without all the calories. Open the lid to reveal a handy little mirror perfect for lip gloss, teeth and makeup checks. This three-in-one accessory lets you pop a sugar-free mint and sneak a peek without anyone suspecting. In seconds flat, you're home free with fresh breath and a sexy smile. Also available in fresh pepermint and tropical citrus flavors. I got my gourmet chocolate mints from Watsons at Mall of Asia for P99. Cheap and chic - just my kind of thing!

Anthem of the Day: Cruel Summer by Ace of Base.

Mood: I'm in a bitchy and beachy mood! So I better get myself to the beach real soon or I might bite somebody's head off!

Today, I'm thankful for ... the US Consul for keeping the visa interview short and for approving my visa request. And I'm also thankful to God for telling him to do so. Hehe! Whew! So I guess God's also telling me to go and be "losyang" but happy too.

episode 407: Here comes the Fire Pig! No, not lechon!

2007-02-12T13:16:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: I am an Earth Goat. Yes, a meeeheeeh. My Fire Pig forecast for this year says that it's the year for me to focus on those things that matter most in life, family, beauty, our wonderful planet. It's a great year to create a family or enrich the one you have. It is a good year to go back to the basics, taking steps to establish solid ground for your family and your career. If you've read my previous entries, you'll know that I sure hope the part with the family and career is really so! About the "beauty" part of the forecast, I am trying to learn how to take better care of my health and "beauty". I'm even trying to learn how to enhance it with artificial beautification with makeups. As for the "wonderful planet" part, I do support green peas. I mean, green peace. But I guess I do have to do better than that. I'll have to work on that too.

Kewl Website: http://www.firepig.com/ - It's the official site for the chinese lunar year of the Fire Pig! For those of you who wants to take a look at the forecast for the year 2007, just enter your birthday and email address. The site will send your free forecast to your email in a few seconds. Give it a try, you've got nothing to loose. Come on, admit it! You're as curious as a cat. You don't have to believe every word of it. Just take it as a guide or precaution for the rest of the year. Kong Xi Fa Tsai everyone!

Fab Finds: Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana - Clean, crisp, light, flowery, powdery ... heavenly. No matter how much you spray on, it'll stay light and pleasant. The scent composition consists of granny smith apples, bluebells, white rose and jasmine. There also are traces of amber, musk and cedar wood. Don't let the content scare you. Like I said, it's very light and powdery. To me, this might as well become my favorite and staple scent. It's gonna be what Cool Waters for Women by Davidoff is for other women because of its clean and uncomplicated scent. Since there are just too many people wearing Cool Waters, Light Blue will be such a refreshing wiff. I just got a 5mL vial from the Scents per Cent stall at Robinsons Galleria to try wearing it all day and to find out how long the scent will last and whether or not it'll go sour as the day comes to an end. It passed the test with flying colors! Love it! It costs P38/mL at the Scents per Cent stall. Yes, they sell real branded perfumes by the mL. You can get some for yourself by the mL too if you're the kind who wears a perfume depending on your mood. Or you just simply can't afford to buy a full bottle. Go ahead, take advantage of what Scents per Cent is offering. Obviously, you're not the only one who would prefer to buy perfumes by the mL. Otherwise the Scents per Cent stalls would have already lost its business and closed down a long time ago.

UPDATE 03.30.2007 - I bought a 300mL bottle of D&G Light Blue at the Lucky Plaza on Singapore's Orchard Road for just 38SGD (approximately P1.208.40).

Anthem of the Day: Lee Ryan - When I Think of You. Yes, from the Light Blue scent to the former member of the boy-band Blue. "You're my past, my future. My all, my everything. My six in the morning when the clock rings, and I open up my eyes to a new day. My laughs, my frowns. My ups, my downs. It's a feeling that you get when you know that something's true. When I think of love I think of you." Love the song. Love the rhythm and melody. Love it!

Mood: I feel recharged from the sleep I had this weekend. We'll see how far along the week this will last.

Today, I'm thankful for ... my family and my career. I know, I've been thankful for them before. But I can't help but be sincerely thankful for them again and again.

episode 406: Very V'day!

2007-02-09T13:59:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: I have always been one of those people who think Valentine's Day is the corniest and embarrasing day of the year. That was when I was still perpetually single. But now that I'm a half of a couple, my perception has changed. All the cheesiest, most "baduy", most embarrasing things that people do on V'day are acceptable to me now. But I still prefer to go out on a V'day date on any day other than on the day itself to avoid the throngs of lovebirds who will be flocking to all the restos with appropriate mood lighting. And I'd prefer my flowers to be sent to my office or home address instead of being handed to me when I get picked up by my date. Carrying a bouquet of flowers through the duration of a date is just too much hassle and is still too cheesy (though forgivable) in my opinion. Since my valentine (Steve) is on the other side of the world, he sent me white gold necklace with a modern heart-shaped pendant lined with pink semi-precious stones in advance. Love it! Thank you baby! People, V'day is the one day in the whole year when all your cheesinest and "kabaduyan" are forgivable and probably quite appreciated. So go ahead and be a big block of cheese on this day!

Kewl Website: http://www.islandrose.net.ph/ - Valentine's Day is just around the corner. So for you guys who are just too lazy to drop by a flower shop to get a bouquet, this site should save your hide from being skinned by furious loved ones. And for those who are just too far away to hand their loved ones the flowers themselves, this sites slogan is "Keeping relationships alive" ... it might keep your relationship alive too. Island Rose is a Philippine-based online flower shop. Don't worry, you can pay with dollars or peso. A bouquet of long stem deep burgundy variety of roses that have large blooms and long thornless stems costs P1,440. They have other choices of colors but they only sell roses (hence their name). All bouquets are delivered in bud stage beautifully bunched and wrapped in Island Rose packaging with a personalized greeting card. Island Rose delivers from Tuesday to Saturday in Provincial areas and daily in Metro Manila. Take note of their cut-off time for V'day delivery though. Feb. 12, 2007 4PM Philippine Time. They say that the earlier you order, the more you save. So click away and make your loved ones blush and smile!

Fab Finds: Sony Ericsson K800i - Instead of me having to write a full review about this mobilephone, pardon me for being a little lazy by just giving you this link that already does exactly that. http://www.trustedreviews.com/mobile-devices/review/2006/07/19/Sony-Ericsson-K800i/p1. My opinion as a new owner of this model of mobilephone and a ex-Nokia-faithful, the interface does take a bit of getting used to. The classic frustration of a Nokia-faithful turned Ericsson user is getting a "+" instead of a space while typing an SMS. But all in all, I love this phone. It is afterall the first SE phone to feature the "Cybershot" name.

Anthem of the Day: Gwen Stefani f. Akon - Sweet Escape. Another track from Gwen's new album. Love it's suave finger-snappable tune. Sounds like an updated 80s song.

Mood: Happily wearing my Steve's V'day gift around my neck and also wearing a big grin on my face.

Today, I'm thankful for ... my Steve for being the thoughful and loving person he has always been.

episode 405: Changing Careers ... aaaargh!

2007-02-02T14:05:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: If I'm not in the IT industry, where would I be? If I'm not going to do what I've been doing for the past 6 yrs., what will I be doing? Not that I wanted to have a change of career, I just might have no other choice but to find a non-IT job in the near future with the path I'm heading to now. Been thinking of some service-oriented (but non-medical) job. I'm thinking about trying jobs at the other end of the spectrum like cosmetology or culinary. But I don't have enough time left to enrol in a cosmetology or culinary course and be able to finish it before I have to leave. Sigh ... I wonder how other people deal with career changes. It must be a little bit easier for those whose quit their current jobs to pursue their real passion. My situation is different though. I love the job that I have right now. Yes, sometimes it gives me a granddaddy of a headache. But I have grown accustomed and have learned to love what I do. Leaving this job and switching to God knows what kindda job in the future kindda scares me and makes me really worried. But then I have to do it for the sake of my personal life. Career vs. Love? I chose Love. So here goes the new chapter of my life.

Kewl Website: http://www.coffeecup.com/freestuff/ - Free website templates that looks quite professionally done. Free web design softwares that makes life a lot easier with drag and drop functionality. A collection of free fonts. This is a great site for web design novices.

Fab Finds: Really Ripped Abs Body Spray by BOD man collection of Parfums de Coeur - By far, this is the best masculine scent I've ever come acrossed. Or am I just biased because Steve was the one wearing this scent the first time I caught a wiff of it? This is not one of those woody, heavy musk masculine scents. It's light, clean, airy and incredibly sexy. Any man wearing this scent would make women passing by give him a second look. Yes, I swear by it. I bought one bottle for myself to remember my Steve by. So anytime I miss Steve, I can just spray some of the scent on my pillow and wiff my heart to contentment. I've let my girl friends smell it and they all agree that it does smells very sexy. It's available in 8 oz. bottles which costs somewhere between $8 to $12 at Walmart, Walgreens or any drugstores. It smells great and it's very inexpensive.

Anthem of the Day: Justin Timberlake - What Goes Around Comes Around. Another catchy but chill track from JT. A good cool tune to listen to during summer.

Mood: I feel like a zombie. Tired and sleepy and my mind is struggling to keep up with the day's work. Didn't sleep well due to work problems. Was woken up at 4AM by a call from my boss and can't get back to sleep after that. But hey, I've had days that were far worse than this. So ... just got to hang on til the problem gets resolved. I got a feeling that I'm going to be sleeping like a log tonight.

Today, I'm thankful for ... the peace that has prevailed over me and my brother for the past 2 yrs. Like all siblings, we fought for years and years since childhood. But at last, we've reached a stage of adulthood when I guess we both think that fighting is just a waste of time and a big sign of immaturity. So we've chosen the peaceful path of just arguing from time to time instead of the physical kickboxing match we've had for years. I'm sure our parents are more thankful for this than the two of us. They can breathe a long sigh of relief of having not to worry if we're gonna accidentally kill each other during a fight. Hehehe!

episode 404: Born to Try.

2007-01-24T17:32:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: I was born to try. Even if I know that there's no guarantee in anything, I still have to go ahead and try. Come to think of it, all of the good things that happened to me are results of me trying. So I guess I'll just have to keep on trying.

Kewl Website: http://www.107.peugeot.co.uk/peugeot.swf - Who doesn't want to drive a Peugeot? Still learning how to drive? Don't worry, you can still use the Peugeot. Oh, don't forget to practice car parking too. Yes, still with the Peugeot ... on your PC. Hehehe!

Fab Finds: The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry - Dan Brown did say that this book by Steve Berry was one of his many inspiration for writing his own best-selling book "The Da Vinci Code". As the title suggested, the story of this book revolves around the medieval order of the Templars which was dissolved some 700 years ago and the world thought it no longer exists. The book revives the Order in the 20th century and they are in a quest to find the Great Device which is ... (spoiler up ahead) ... the remains of Jesus the son of Joseph. The Catholic faith is so heavily based on the "account" on the Bible which is that "the Christ died, the Christ has risen and the Christ will come again". But what if Christ just died and has never risen? Dust to dust. What effect would that kind of "fact" have on the Catholic faith? Think about it. For me, it really doesn't matter. Jesus Christ doesn't have to be omnipotent to have my "respect". Even if he really was just a prophet (meaning plain human) who's thoughts and teachings are considered to be radical at his time, he has my respect. His teachings make good sense anyway. So why not learn from him? Confucious and Sun Tzu didn't have to be elevated to the level of gods to have their own followers or "religion". Why can't it be the same for a perfectly human Jesus? But then again, I guess the Catholic Church/Faith won't be as big as it is today if Jesus didn't have the element of omnipotency. Anyway, read the book and find out more about it. This is a best-selling book too. Comparisons to "The Da Vinci Code" can't be avoided though. "The Templar Legacy" is just a bit too dragging since Steve Berry inserted a lot of "by the way" facts to it. Though those facts are quite informative, I can't help but to skip over paragraphs just to get to the next scene. All in all though, this is a good eye-opening read.

Anthem of the Day: Delta Goodrem - Born to Try. "Doing everything that I believe in. Going by the rules that I've been taught. More understanding of what's around me. And protected from the walls of love. All that you see is me. And all I truly believe. That I was born to try. I've learned to love, Be understanding, And believe in life. But you've got to make choices. Be wrong or right. Sometimes you've got to sacrifice the things you like. But I was born to try. No point in talking what you should have been. And regretting the things that went on. Life's full of mistakes, destinies and fate. Remove the clouds look at the bigger picture."

Mood: I feel fresh. Had a new haircut by a Korean hairstylist. I like it!

Today, I'm thankful for ... my parent's trust and faith in me. I hope they won't lose their faith when I do what I've planned to do in a couple of months time. I don't want to break their heart but then I have to do what I have to do.

episode 403: Makeup my mind!

2007-01-17T16:38:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: I really need to learn how to put on makeup. I see drag-queens, teenagers and pre-teens putting on their own makeups quite expertly. While I, a woman of the late 20s still doesn't know what makeup colors works for me! What a shame! I don't plan to start putting on makeups everyday. No, No, NO!!! Just on super uber special occassions like when attending a wedding. I always have to go to salons to have my hair and makeup done on these kinds of occassions. The results have always turned out to be quite disappointing. Since I don't have a clue about how I wanted to look like, I just let the gay makeup artist do whatever he wants with my face. I almost always end up looking like a drag queen. Since I don't want to hurt the makeup artist's feelings, I'd just wipe most of the makeup off when I get home. Sigh ... sad, isn't it? I do have friends who knows how to put on makeup. But then I don't have the same face and complexion as theirs. Skin color's not the same too. So they can only suggest but don't really know what will work for me. Does anybody know of a makeup or cosmetology class that doesn't cost too much? Peferably in Makati or somewhere near hear. I found a Basic Makeup class here in Makati but it costs P15,000 without materials! Too expensive! But if I don't have any other choices, ... is it really that important for me to know how to put on makeup? Is there really no way for me to miraculously learn this myself? Should I go ahead and shell out that much money for a makeup class?

Kewl Website: http://www.xmailharddrive.com - Ever wished that you can do something useful with that huge Gmail account of yours other than to wait until your inbox gets full with spams? Finally, a clever way to utilize that 1GB capacity of your gmail account. Turn your gmail account into a portable harddrive for FREE! You can upload and download files, photos, etc to your gmail account and sort them. No need to register or submit any additional infos. Just login using your gmail logins and start uploading files.

Fab Finds: Cherry Blossom by Bath and Body Works - I refrain from buying girly, flowery fragrances because most of them just smells too sweet and too girly for me. But the Cherry Blossom line of Bath and Body Works is one of the rare exceptions. Its label describes it as "Fresh, light and alluring. This fresh scent combines the heady fragrance of spring's first blossoms with soft, delicate musk." If you're a fragrance expert, then these following lines should mean something to you. "Fragrance Top Notes: Dewy Watermelon, Green Lush Accord, Wisteria Petal, Red Plum. Fragrance Mid Notes: Cherry Blossom, Sheer Freesia. Fragrance Base Notes: Musk, Sandalwood, Heliotrope." I like it because it's not too flowery which would have a very heady or too sweet a scent that it makes my sinus and head ache. It's not too musky either which would make my nose crinkle and my eyes cross. This is a perfect well-balanced scent that can be used during summer or during the rainy days. It smells quite classy and sophisticated. Definitely not like a teeny-bopper cologne. I got a travel sized lotion of this scent last 2005 when I was in the US. I liked it, so I asked an officemate to buy me a 236mL bodyspray for me last Christmas. The 236mL bodyspray costs US$10.50 with tax. But it is on sale on the Body and Bath site right now and they're selling it for US$5.00 without tax.

Mood: Still Cranky! I need food! But can't have anymore of them! Darn it!

Anthem of the Day: Nelly Furtado f. Jay Vegas - Say It Right (remix). A nice Head-boppin' song with a dash of raggae.

Today, I'm thankful for ... the Higher Being for letting my grandmother regain her strength and getting well again after having to spend a week in the CCU/hospital.

episode 402: Mutual Funds. Uhh ... Mutual What???

2007-01-15T14:49:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: Yeah yeah, resolutions schmolutions. But I did make one serious one for 2007 though. I have got to learn how to make my hard-earned money grow ... grow faster and bigger with minimal risks. I ain't getting any younger, ye know? The only thing that I'm familiar with right now is Time Deposit. The interest I earn is miniscule since the amount I have deposited is nowhere near a million dollars. I've heard about buying and trading stocks but they're just too risky and too complicated for my puny little brain and too time-consuming for the little patience that I have for number crunching. My dad said my uncle (who's a regional bank manager) mentioned something about Mutual Funds and that I should take a look at it. So I guess I should do some research on it and try to fathom it.

Kewl Website: http://www.icap.com.ph/mf_101.html - I found this site that explains about Mutual Funds 101 by the Investment Company Associations of the Philippines. It answers the questions "What is Mutual Fund?" "Why Invest in a Mutual Fund?" and "Advantages in Investing in Mutual Fund." See if you'll be interested in this kind of investment too. Oh yeah, I'm not a mutual fund agent or anything like that, ok? Just wanted to share what I'm starting to learn.

Fab Finds: Krispy Kreme's Original Glazed Doughnuts - Yes, Krispy Kreme's neon red "HOT NOW" sign lit up in the Philippines last Nov. 30 at the Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City (The Fort), Taguig City. The franchisee is The Real American Doughnut Co. which is owned and operated by the principals of the restaurant chain Max's, a 61-year-old company that operates 118 restaurants in the Philippines and the United States. A couple of days after the opening, me and a couple of friends sneaked out from work in the middle of the afternoon to have our first taste of the famed doughnuts. There was a pretty long line when we got there. But they did a pretty clever thing to appease the crowd ... they gave out free doughnuts! 1 whole hot-off-the-oven melt-in-your-mouth original-glazed doughnut per person. That sure did the job of appeasing the crowds. People ended up wanting to get their hands on more doughnuts after they tasted the free sample and not minding the long lines. The Krispy Kreme's staffs action are on a fast-forward mode anyway. So each person lined up gets served within a reasonable waiting time. My faves are the original-glazed, glazed creme-filled and caramel kreme crunch. The original-glazed doughnuts cost P35/each while the flavoured varieties cost around P38/each. I have yet to try their coffee which i heard is just as popular as their doughnuts. They now have another branch just opened up at SM Megamall Upper Ground Floor, Building B, Mandaluyong City.

Mood: Cranky. Hungry but have to resist the urge to eat. Gotta loose these holiday weights!

Anthem of the Day: Tom Jones - Kiss. Yup, feeling retro.

Today, I'm thankful for ... another year of good health. Didn't get seriously sick in 2006. Had my blood tested for cholesterol, createnine levels, etc. The results fall on the average brackets while my createnine level (toxins in blood) is LOW which means my kidney is still doing its job. Though it's time I get a PAP test and mamogram again. I guess I'll do that at the end of the month.

episode 401: Here comes the BIG year!

2007-01-12T12:57:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: 2007 is going to be a BIG year for me. This is when a new chapter of my life will begin. Can't wait to see what's going to unfold in the next few months! But a part of me is still trying to hold back and is wishing that time just stops on 2006. Yes, I'm a bit apprehensive about moving on to the next chapter. But there's also a number of good things waiting for me in the next chapter anyway. So ... que cera, cera! 2007, here I come!

Kewl Website: http://www.snapfiles.com/freeware - If you like or is familiar with the download.com site, then you'll love SnapFiles too. There's a lot of freewares that are pretty nifty and useful. They have a bunch of categories under the Freeware tab. They've got tools for Browsers, Graphics and Photos, Downloads, Web Authoring, System Utilities, Multimedia, Security/Privacy, Email Tools, etc. I'm sure you'll find something you'll like. And since these are freewares, they're obviously FREE! I've tried the Spambully for Outlook and Rainlendar. They work! For you blog-a-holics, check out the Blog Tools under Web Authoring category.

Fab Finds: Personalized Braclet from Pinkbox - Pastel colored or black matte rubber straps inserted through Colorful or rhynestone embedded letters spelling out your name and sealed with a cute silver buckle clasp. Definitely a cutesy! I bought these for my little girl-cousins for Christmas. They loved them! Since the straps are long enough to fit adult-sized wrists, this could be a good gift for yourself, your kikay friends or your bling-loving boyfriends (think rhynestone embedded letters with the black strap). The strap and buckle clasp costs P120 and each of the pastel colored letters costs P25. The rhynestone embedded letters costs more though.

Mood: Excited! New year, new beginning, new challenges, new life! Can't wait to see what's in store for me. Hopefully they're all good. (Crossing my fingers, eyes and toes.)

Anthem of the Day: Rod Stewart - Everything I Own.

Today, I'm thankful for ... all the ups and downs that happend last 2006. I'm also thankful that my brother survived a car accident and walked away with just a broken arm which is now 70% back to normal.

episode 319: Life's a piece of flourless chocolate cake!

2006-11-06T17:22:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: What's the longest word in the world? No no no, it's not that popular 'supercali-blah-blah' word on the nursery rhyme/song. It's Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. It's a lung disease caused by the inhalation of very fine silicate or quartz dust mostly found in volcanos and occurring especially in miners. According to Wikipedia, the origin of this word was intended to be a hoax. Researchers discovered that the word was invented in 1935 by the president of the National Puzzlers' League, at their annual meeting. The word occurred in a newspaper headline about the meeting, after which it was picked up by an author of puzzle books. Members of the National Puzzlers' League then campaigned to have it included in major dictionaries, eventually succeeding with the Oxford English Dictionary and Webster's Third. Does that give you any idea on how bored I am? Not that I don't have anything to do. I'm just not in the mood to work!

Kewl Website: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/quickies/msid-1234791.cms - The Economic Times lists the world's most expensive things. From the world's most expensive bra, cocktail, haircut, teabag, jeans, nail polish, perfume, teddy bear, etc. Isn't it nice to see the things that you can't afford? What next? World's most expensive poop? There might already be one out there!

Fab Finds: Melt-In-Your-Mouth Flourless Chocolate Cake from Cupcakes by Sonja - to quote the description on the ShopCrazy blog, it's made of "dense Valrhona flourless chocolate with rich, velvety texture, dissolves in your mouth with pure sublime flavor". For me and my friends who have tasted it, the only word we can think of to best describe it is 'Orgasmic'. I've tried other versions of the flourless chocolate cake but none of them is as purely chocolatey as this one. Some versions added flavorless gelatin into their recipe (to hold the shape, i guess) which ruins the tasting experience when you suddenly taste clumps of undissolved gelatins in them. You should try Sonja's version for P98.00. Yes, a bit costly. But it's definitely worth a try. Careful though, you might get hooked. You'll find Cupcakes by Sonja at the Serendra Piazza (right across the main entrance of Market! Market!), Bonifacio Global City (The Fort). You won't miss that pink and chocolate brown facade of the store. It's such an eyecandy! Their store hours is from 2pm to 11pm.

UPDATE 11.10.06 - I think I can safely conclude that the cupcakes themselves are not as impressive taste-wise as I have expect them to be with the steep price and all the hypes about them lately. Pending on the chance to try their Heavenly Pistachio cupcakes, I think the only worth-your-money item they have is the flourless chocolate cake. Not a lot of people who went to Cupcakes knows this yet because it doesn't have the colorful yummy icings like those on the cupcakes. So they are naturally drawn to buy the more pretty but not as good choices like the cupcakes. Berry and Cream cupcake and Pecan Pie are not bad, but nothing will beat the flourless chocolate cake. If you don't mind having something sweet to drink while devouring the already sweet cupcakes, then try their Strawberry Iced Tea (P70). A new flavor to iced teas.

Anthem of the Day: John Legend - Save Room. Has a very catchy tune.

Mood: I'm still slacking!

Today, I'm thankful for ... my family's relatively good health. So far, my mom, dad and bros have not been confined in the hospital in the past 2 decades. There has been a couple of scares but none serious enough to be hospitalized. I hope this continues throughout our lifetime.

episode 318: Fried Icecream, anyone?

2006-11-03T12:59:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: Edward Norton is fluent in both Spanish and Japanese. Yes, japanese! That's a fact! After graduating from Yale, he spent a brief period of time in Osaka, Japan, where his grandfather's company, was working to create affordable housing for low-income families. He picked up a bit of the lingo while he was out there. My hat's off to all celebrities with brains!

Kewl Website: http://www.askmen.com/fun_stuff/2006_fact/
index.html - I have previously featured the AskMen.com site before. But there's a new addition to their site which I like ... the Fact of the Day section. This is where I found out about Edward Norton's linguistic ability. Did you know that a group of crows is called a murder? Or that the Mexican version of the Tooth Fairy is known as the Tooth Mouse? How about the fact that bulls are not attracted to the color red? Useless facts? Hey, it's a good way to kill the time when you're bored but have to act as if you're busy.

Fab Finds: Fried Icecream - Yes, there is such a thing. That's another fact! Instead of trying to describe it to you, let me tell you just how I think they made it. Use an icecream scoop and make a ball of vanilla icecream about the size of a golf ball. Roll it on crushed corn-flake cereals and nuts. Pat and pack the crushed cereals on to cover the icecream ball entirely until it's about 1/4 inch thick. Deep fry it for just a few seconds just to get the cereal crust golden-brown ... about 10 seconds. Serve it with drizzles of choco syrup, black and white choco shavings, sprinkle of crushed nuts, whipped cream and top it with a cherry. Or instead of going through the hassle of making one yourself, you can go to Jack's Loft and get one for just P98.00. I went to the Robinsons Galleria branch. They have another branch at Libis, Eastwood Citywalk 1.

Anthem of the Day: Beyonce - Irreplaceable. I was disappointed with her previous single "Ring the Alarm". There's just too much going on with that track that it's irritating to listen to. But she made it back to my fave list with this latest single 'Irreplaceable' she recently released. Another woman empowering song for da ladieeez. For you guys who are less than a man, never even for a second think that you're irreplaceable!

Mood: I'm slacking! It's just 7 weeks before Xmas! I'm in the mood for a super long vacation!

Today, I'm thankful for ... my relatively good health. Right now, people in the office are coughing left and right. I wonder how long it'll take the virus to get to me. Nevertheless, I'm very thankful for a pretty good immune system. In the almost 27 yrs of my life, the last time I was confined in the hospital was when I was born. Not bad, if you ask me.

episode 317: AmEx Autograph

2006-11-02T13:34:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: Have you seen the latest print-ads of American Express on magazines? They got celebrities, politicians and other popular personalities who are AmEx card users to answer the following questions like an autograph ... which I'll attempt to answer even though I don't own an AmEx card. Try answering them yourselves too.
My Name: Reesh
Childhood Ambition: To become a flight stewardess and travel the world for free.
Fondest Memory: Summer 2006. Spending too much on outings but having lots of fun anyway.
Soundtrack: Right now, it's the OPM 'Til I Met You'. Cheesy, ain't it? Can't help it!
Retreat: My bedroom. For me, 'retreat' means a comfortable place to catch some snooze or do some serious thinking.
Wildest Dream: Oprah Winfrey and Richard Branson is living one of my dreams in my behalf. Grace of 'Will and Grace' was living the other dream for me.
Proudest Moment: Coming back from India after my first job was over. I can now cross India off my list of places I want to go to before I die. I won't mind going back there again. Love the food. Love the people/culture.
Biggest Challenge: The life ahead of me.
Alarm Clock: My mobile phone.
Perfect Day: Pay Day.
First Job: Translating an insurance software from English to Chinese in India. Then QA the system.
Indulgence: Shopping (impulse buying a little more than just 'once in a while'). Food Tripping (even if it costs an arm and a leg).
Last Purchase: Miss A Kit. Refer to the Fab Find section of my 'episode 315' blog entry.
Favorite Movie: My Bestfriend's Wedding.
Inspiration: My family. And the lessons learned from other people's and my own mistakes.
My Life: ... has been good so far. We'll see how it will be in the next few years. I'm hopeful.
My Card: Not AmEx.

Kewl Website: http://www.urbandictionary.com/ - "Urban Dictionary is a slang dictionary with your definitions. Define your world." Shoulder surfing - To look over the shoulder(s) of a person with whom you are currently engaged in conversation to see if you can find someone 'better' to talk to. Rockstar Parking - Parking somewhere that does not obey the normal parking conventions. Such as: parking directly outside the door of a bar, club or resto, on the sidewalk or in the hotel lobby. Break the Seal - The point at which you first piss after you have been drinking your favorite alcoholic beverage and at this point you will be pissing every ten minutes. Want more? Then go to the site!

Fab Finds: Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry - If you like Dan Brown's round the world chase for clues and answers, you'd probably like this novel too. Familiar with Anastasia? Do you believe she has somehow escaped from the masacre done to her entire family? What really happened to the family of Russia's last Tsar? In current day Russia, after the fall of Communism and a succession of weak governments, the Russian people have voted to bring back the monarchy. The new tsar will be chosen from the distant relatives of Nicholas II by a specially appointed commission, and Miles Lord's job is to perform a background check on the Tsarist candidate favored by a powerful group of Western businessmen. Guided by a bizarre prophecy penned by Rasputin, Miles is on the run in Moscow and around the world. Will he find Anastasia and her brother Alexei? For me, it's a very informative and interesting read because not that many people in our country know about the real social and political situation in Russia is even to this present day. To us, Russia is just a communist country that is too far away for us to concern ourselves with. Hey, additional knowledge ain't gonna hurt ya!

Anthem of the Day: Carrie Underwood - Before He Cheats. Dedicated to all the ladies whose boyfriends or husbands are cheating on them. A pretty empowering song for a very frustrating time.

Mood: Melancholic. It's starting to feel like Christmas!

Today, I'm thankful for ... all the lunatics out there ... especially Lizard Palingkera. She makes me realize how sane I am! She never realized that all her fury and insanity has been the butt of our best jokes here in the office. Keep all those text and calls coming! Mwahaha! You're the biggest fool ever! And you call yourself psychologist? That's the most ridiculous and pathetic joke of all time!

episode 316: Wisdom of Oz.

2006-10-30T16:38:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: "So you want a heart? You don't know how lucky you are not to have one. Hearts will never be practical unless they are made breakable." - Wizard of Oz to Tin Man. Courtesy of my bro Adiong.

Kewl Website:http://www.usnews.com/usnews/doubleissue/mysteries
mysteries - Mysteries of History is perfect for those who like Dan Brown and Steve Berry "historical mystery" stories. It's full of topics with a few twists of mytery from the ancient Sphinx, Stonehenge and Shroud of Turin to the more recent topics of Yamashita's Gold, Nazi A-bomb and Amber Room (which Steve Berry wrote a novel about). Is there a possibility that Queen Elizabeth I was actually a boy? Is that the answer to the question why the "Virgin Queen" never married? Take a look at their "Whodunit?" page. Believe it or not, it's still an amusing read. History is full of pranksters, hoaxters, and assorted deranged souls who've created what seemed like a mystery of history ... but turned out to be nothing but a goof. Take a look at the "Great Hoaxes" page.

Fab Finds: SOMS Noodle House - Been to this humble little place for about 6 times over the past 2.5 months. So I guess it's high time that I feature it on this blog. SOMS is a little residential-type eatery that serves delectable thai food at a very affordable price. The place can only seat around 20-24 people at a time on its 4 monoblock tables, al fresco style (open air under the shades of trees). So if you're going there during lunch time (w/c is the best time to go), then either be there before 11:30am or wait til it's 1:30pm to be sure that you'll have seats when you get there. The place is located at Alguer Street which is right next to the Rockwell entrance on Kalayaan Street in Makati City. The address is 5921 Alguer St., Poblacion, Makati (near Makati Dog & Cat Hospital). Call them on 757-8079 if you need more infos on how to get there. My favorite dishes are the Tom Yam Shrimp soup (P101.00), Spring Rolls (P77.00), Chicken Red Curry (P77.00), Garlic & Pepper Beef (P77.00), Phad Thai (P77.00), Plain Rice (P7.00) and Thai Tea (P30.00) to wash everything down. The owner (a Thai chef married to a Filipina) obviously like the number 7 based on their prices. Yes, prices are cheap but the taste I would say is far better than those of the thai restos you'll see in the malls. The serving portions are pretty generous too (sharable by 2-3 persons). The only down-side is that it usually took us time to wait for a taxi to take us back to our office. Once, 6 of us ended up squeezing into a tricycle just to get out of the scorching mid-day sun. They have recently opened their 1st branch at 1766 N. Garcia (formerly Reposo) St. corner Milagros St., Brgy. Valenzuela, Makati. FYI, they've been featured on fashion magazines and tv shows.

UPDATED 01.09.2007 - Me and my officemates went to SOM's Reposo branch today for my belated birthday treat. The place is enclosed and air-conditioned and it definitely has a lot more space than the mother branch near Rockwell. Instead of monoblock plastic tables and chairs, they have tile covered wooden and wrought iron tables and chairs. There's a slight difference in the prices though. Those dishes that costs P77 at the mother branch costs P89 here. Not much really. They also serve new dishes that the mother branch does not have like spicy stir-fried kangkong and thai omelette. They also have a "sala" where they said you can rent for P100/hour for karaoke. From what I heard, this branch is owned by the son of the owners of SOM's mother-branch.

Anthem of the Day: Akon f. Eminem - Smack That. Eminem and RnB can mix afterall! And it's a pretty good one too. Thanks to Akon, I guess.

Mood: Taking it easy again since my boss is going back to NZ. Weeeeh! Don't get me wrong, I like my boss (in a grandfatherly way). But he can be such a Hitler sometimes. So when the cat's away, the mouse WILL play!

Today, I'm thankful for ... this job that pays not only for Starbucks, but also for credit card bills! Yes, I've been thankful for my job a couple of times. But I just can't be thankful enough especially now that it's the holiday season when my itch for shopping and food tripping gets worse!

episode 315: Immortality, anyone?

2006-10-23T20:06:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: Remember the movie "Interview with a Vampire"? What if you were given a choice? Stay human or become a vampire and live forever? Stay human means you'll just have to continue living your current life. If you become a vampire, you have to kill (for blood) to live. You won't be able to see sunlight ever again. Be damned forever. But on the other hand, there will be no sickness, no pain, not much feelings left. Imagine the 'supernatural' powers and strength you'll have. Personally, I think I'll give damned immortality a try. I might get bored while living the 'forever and ever', but at least then I can choose who to kill for blood ... the world will never run out of those people who can better serve humanity by being dead. You corrupt politicians and psychotic terrorists better watch out! Yes, you will all be at my mercy and judgement. Is that playing god? Yes? No? Either way, I just hope that I would stay sane being a vampire to carry out that 'mission'.

Kewl Website: http://www.knowyourstuff.org - Ever wonder how much of what do you own? And how much they're worth? Ever done home inventory? Never easy, huh? Well, to make this task a whole lot easier, go to this site and download the new home inventory software for free! This software makes creating a home inventory fun and easy. Once you have completed your inventory, it is easy to keep your information up to date. Everybody should keep a home inventory onhand in case of emergencies like burglary and fire. It will help you get your insurance company sort out the details they need to "reimburse" you for the "loss and damages". You should do a home inventory even if you don't have these kinds of insurance. At least you'll know how much was "lost".

Fab Finds: Miss A Kit - If guys have the Victorinox Swiss Knife, the ladies have the Miss A Kit (Miss Army Kit). For the ladies who already owns a swiss knife, Miss A Kit is a good addition. But for those who don't have a swiss knife yet, then this is a must-have. 16 handy tools in one convenient and stylish package for your daily adventures. The kit has a mirror, flashlight, pen, nail file, screwdriver, keychain, perfume vial, knife, ruler, cork screw, bottle opener, safety pin, needle and thread, pillbox and tweezers! It comes in 12 chic colors to fit your taste. This is definitely topping my Xmas wishlist! I want one in either in pink or in rose. If nobody loves me enough to get me one, then I'll get one for myself. I just hope that it's made of metal instead of plastic. Anyway, according to the ShopCrazy blog, it will be available next week in Rustan's, Hobbes and Landes for the suggested retail price of P1,250.

UPDATE 11.02.06: I've bought one yesterday at Hobbes & Landes (Greenbelt3). It is made of plastic, but it's of the durable kind. They only have 3 colors available: Teal, White and Magenta. I got the Magenta. I changed the empty perfume vial with the Summer by Kenzo sampler vial I got when I bought the L'eau Par Kenzo Pour Femme a couple of months ago.

Anthem of the Day: Akon f. Snoop Dogg - I Wanna Love You. RnB is in my blood! I swear!

Mood: It's holiday tomorrow! Eid-Ul Fitre (or the end of the holy month of Ramadan). So am feeling goooood!

Today, I'm thankful for ... however much creative talent God has bestowed on me. It helps balance my more dominating logical side. I'm not saying that I'm anywhere near Einstein. But I am proud to say that my I'm pretty smart ... sometimes. Hehe! I still hate math though. Grrrrr!

episode 314: "You complete me."

2006-10-11T18:14:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: "Sometimes we're in love with the idea of falling in love. Loving the illusion of having or missing someone. It's alright to feel happy through other people, but don't get dependent on achieving happiness by being with someone. Love oneself first, be whole first before sharing your life with somebody because if you don't, you'll always look for people that you think can make you complete and in the end will make you loose yourself more. Bit by bit. Piece by piece." (courtesy of my bro Adiong) So what did Jerry McGuire say? "You complete me." ... hmmm ...

Kewl Website: http://www.despair.com - I'm one of those people who scoffs at motivational speakers (except for some that are unnervingly good like Anthony Robins). I find what they're saying boring and sometimes even silly. For the better part of a decade, Despair Inc. has been engaged in a fierce battle in the marketplace of ideas with the multi-billion dollar motivation industry. In 1998, Despair introduced the world to a darkly insightful line of motivational poster parodies known simply as Demotivators. If you have a good sense of humor, you'll be amazed by how much they make sense and actually hit the spot. My favorite Demotivators are "Dreams are like rainbows. Only idiots chase them." Another one is "Let's agree to respect each other's views no matter how wrong yours are." And my best pick is "INDIVIDUALITY: Remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else." You can order a Demotivator calendar off this site. With one demotivator a month. Pretty darn cool if you ask me.

Fab Finds: Baby Couture diaper bags - Who says you have to sacrifice your fashion sense just because you've become a mom? Check out these chic diaper bags by Baby Couture (proudly made by a Pinay mom). Each Baby Couture diaper bag comes with a coordinating changing mat, amenities bag, internal waterproof pockets, key holder, and an exclusive Eiffel Tower Couture bag charm. I stumbled into this when I was looking for a baptismal gift for a friend's baby. I was looking for something unique. My other option was diaper cakes for the baby's use but they're too expensive. Luckily, these chic diaper bags cost just around P485 to P745. So I decided to give the baby's mom a gift instead of the baby. A post baby shower gift instead? Hehe! They're available at any Babyland and Rustans branches. I got one from the Babyland Glorietta here in Makati.

Anthem of the Day: Regine Velasquez - You've Made Me Stronger. Though I can't relate my current situation to this song, I still can't help but to sing-along the whole day. I dedicate this song to my fwend Robelle Joyce Bicerra Cairo. Hehehe! "You've made me stronger by breaking my heart. You ended my life and made a better one start. You've taught me everything from falling in love to letting go of a lie. Yes, you've made me stronger baby by saying goodbye." Go go go!

Mood: I feel relieved now that I've finished my part of the important documents I had to file. Now is when the agony of waiting and anticipating starts.

Today, I'm thankful for ... the very helpful website which has most of the information I needed to file the documents. I love the power of the internet! Well, the good part of that power that is.

episode 313: Listen.

2006-10-05T14:16:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: When an old person dies, it's like a library that has burned down. Imagine all the knowledge and wisdom that is lost forever. So spend time with your loved ones that are of age. Talk to them. It's the best thing for you to do to make them trully happy. And more importantly, listen to what they have to say. They did not come by all those wisdom easily. Don't let it all just be burned down.

Kewl Website: http://www.learn-spanish.co.il - Since I'm feeling the Latin music lately, I thought now would be the best time for me to review the handful spanish words I know with this site. The lessons are divided into categories like alphabets, calendar, greetings, phrases, etc. And each category lists the words in flash-card format with the spanish word, the pronunciation key and the meaning of the word in english.

Fab Finds: The Tea Square - You'll find their stalls in the malls. They serve teas (hot or cold) with a twist. Their tea bags are brewed/seeped right in front of you with hot water. Their teas are a blend of tea and fresh fruit juices or dried fruits, then sweetened with fructose syrup(sugar from fruits). They're very light and refreshing. Obviously, they're the healthier option to the regular instant iced teas. I love their Tropical Escape (a blend of tea, strawberry, pineapple, banana & coconut), Refreshing Mint (a blend of spearmint, peppermint and green tea) and their new flavor ... Tangerine Orange (a blend of green tea and orange juice). Ask them to give the tea a few spin in the blender to make it foamy and cold right away. They don't serve teas alone, they also have a light snack called BreadBites which are freshly baked 6-inch long breadsticks stuffed with cheddar cheese & a combination of fillings. They come frozen and they heat it up on the toaster before they serve it to you. They're crisp on the outside but chewy on the inside with yummy cheesy fillings. My favorites are the Mushroom Chicken Pesto and Garlic and Cheese. I'm waiting for the new flavors to come out: Tomato Garlic Herb and Jalapeno Salsa. Some of the teas cost P35 and some P45. While the BreadBites cost P20.

Anthem of the Day: Rakim y KenY - Tengo un Amor. Roughly translated, the title means "I Have a Love". If you love latin pop music, you'll love the songs by Rakim and KenY. Personally, I love listening to latin songs because its sunny upbeat rhythm just lifts my mood up instantly. I try to research and translate the meaning of the latin songs that I like. But in general, I could care less what the song's saying. If I like the rhythm and the feeling it gives me, I'll listen and dance to it over and over again until I get sick of it. But since I'm not a good dancer (and will only dance whenever I think nobody's looking), I'll just have to bob my head and put my hands up in the air while sitting in front of my laptop half working, half not.

Mood: Feeling "here but not really here". Been pretty engaged with very important documents that I have to file. So I've been in a pretty serious mood lately. That's why I needed to infuse some latin songs into my head.

Today, I'm thankful for ... all the free mp3s I've been downloading from the internet. Am I supporting music piracy? All I can say is that I won't say no to freebies.

episode 312: Ayayooo!

2006-09-26T10:53:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: Ayayooo Steve! There's no maybe baby!

Kewl Website: http://www.love-calculator.eu - As what the site says ... "Would you like to know who your friends' crushes are? Are you unsure if your partner cheats on you? Are you secretly in love with someone and they don't know? Why don't you find out if they feel the same way about you?" This is a wickedly brilliant site where you can create a Love Calculator link which will trick whoever you send the quiz to to answer the questions like the names of their secret crushes, etc and the site will send the results of any person taking your quiz to your e-mail address. It's easy and it's free!

Fab Finds: Pom-Pom Ring with Pearls and Beads - If you love pearl jewelries, this ring will be a good addition to your collection. Most pearl jewelries tend to come in old classic grandma-style designs. But since this ring has a pom-pom design, it looks hip and elegant at the same time. It has a combination of pearls and beads in brown and old rose tones on gold which I think is perfect. I got this from SimpleJoys @ SM Mall of Asia (Unit 125 North Parking Bldg.) for just P175. This has a matching chandelier earrings too which also looks hip and elegant for P200. SimpleJoys also has a branch at SM Megamall (2/F Building A) too.

Anthem of the Day: Petey Pablo - Show Me The Money (from Step Up OST).

Mood: Feeling "here but not here". Been busy with very important documents that I have to file. So I've been in a pretty serious mood lately.

Today, I'm thankful for ... the patience that Steve has been giving me. I know that all these waiting marathon is killing him. I'll be with you soon enough baby. Ayayooo!

episode 311: Take a chance and make a choice.

2006-09-22T11:12:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: "Life holds no promises to what will come our way. It makes no guarantees as to what we will have. It just gives us time to make choices and to take chances." (courtesy of Joyce Cairo) I have made my choice and it's a chance I am willing to take.

Kewl Website: http://www.dailycandy.com - If you want to know the latest "in" things in different cities of the US before it hits our shores here in the Philippines, Daily Candy is a good source. Their finds and recommendations are sorted out into categories: Fashion, Food & Drink, Beauty, Arts & Culture, Fun and Services. Personally, I simply like the illustrations they have on the site and their witty way of writing.

Fab Finds: Ipanema Anatomic Soft Flip-flop - If you want to jump into the Havaianas flip-flop bandwagon. I recommend that you get the Ipanema brand instead. It scores better in quality, comfort and cuteness. I got a pair of Ipanema Anatomic Soft from from Regatta (G/F of Glorietta) for P725. Compared to the metallic color versions of Havaianas, this bronze pair looks way better since it's matte metallic all over. Havaianas is metallic only on the straps. Plus, the Havaianas pair is made of stiffer EVA materials which scores less in comfortability. While Ipanema's is made of softer but durable and bendable EVA, therefore is more comfortable to wear. Plus, it has groves that fits the groves of your feet. Another point on comfortability. In general design, I prefer Ipanema brand better than Havaianas. Ipanema's designs comparably look a lot more refined than Havaianas.

Mood: Less pissed, more broke. Did retail therapy yesterday after being pissed off by a client. It worked! And the result is another Fab Find!

Anthem of the Day: Ciara f. Chamillionaire - Get Up (and almost all tracks of the Step Up OST). Makes me wish I know how to dance hip-hop. Go catch the movie "Step Up" if you can. If you like Jessica Alba's "Honey" and hip-hop dance and music, then you'll like this movie too.

Today, I'm thankful for ... the technologies that enables me to keep in touch with Steve even if we're half a world apart.

episode 310: Life you love vs. Love of your life

2006-09-18T19:38:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: "What if finding the love of your life means changing the life you love ... what would you choose? The life you love or the love of your life?" (courtesy of Grasya Chua). They say that no job can keep you warm at night. Love of my life it is!

Kewl Website: http://freaknfunnypics.com/flash/deal_or_nodeal.swf
Want to find out how lucky you are? Test it with this flash version of the popular TV game show "Deal or No Deal". A good thing to play with to pass the time or just bored.

Fab Finds: Bag Organizer - a nifty thing to help you organize the content of your handbag. You won't have to dig deep in your bag to find something since you'll know where everything would be on the bag organizer. It will also make the task of switching bags a whole lot easier and faster since you can just pull out the bag organizer that contains almost all of your stuffs from one bag and put it into the other. You might have seen the original version of this on TV infomercials made of leather which is a lot more expensive. I found this cheaper version at Stacks and Stripes (a stall at the G/F of Glorietta, right across McDonald's) for just P280. It's made of cardboard or plastic board wrapped in a silky material. It comes in 2 colors: matte silver and matte gold.

Mood: Sober. Been singing-along to mushy songs and OPM songs the whole day.

Anthem of the Day: Heartland - I Loved Her First. If you liked Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle, then you'll love this song too. A song by a father to his daughter. Major tear-jerker!

Today, I'm thankful for ... the job that pays for Starbucks!

episode 309: To plunge or not to plunge.

2006-08-18T09:08:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: Am I ready to take the plunge? No, I'm not talking about Nestea or the toilet. What I mean is whether I am ready for the next chapter of my life or not? Sorry for being cryptic, I'll post the answer when I finally know.

Kewl Website: http://www.marthastewart.com/. This site is full of very crafty informations. It doesn't matter if you're a homemaker, a bachelor/bachelorette, a man or a woman, a kid ... you'll find this site very interesting, informative and helpful. It has instructions for everything from simple recipes to DIY greeting cards to party planning to making your own bags and belts to renovating your living room. I love that they have templates for patterns and checklists that would help you organize spring cleaning and even a checklist that would help you plan a simple party or your wedding!

Fab Finds: Earphone Line Rewinder - If you're tired of untangling your earphone wires every time you're about to use your mp3 player, get this simple silicone earphone line rewinder. I got mine from Storage Room Enterprise @ Greenhills Theatre Mall for just P95. Other shops beside it sells this for P150 to P350. It's a good thing I didn't impulse-buy on this and spent time to look and ask around first. What a big price difference a few minutes and steps can make! I am still on a look-out for a better functioning earphone line rewinder with a clip that you can clip to your clothes and can just tug the wire and it self-rewinds. This way, if your player is in your bag or pocket, clip the rewinder on your shirt and rewind the wire enough so there won't be too long a wire dangling. If anybody knows where I can get one for a reasonable price, pls let me know.

Mood: I'm still tired from a long weekend of cleaning. But I'm in the mood for Taco Bell! I recently heard that Taco Bell has finally arrived at Philippine shore. Don't know how long they've been here but I first found out that they're here just the other weekend when I went to the Gateway Mall and saw that they have a branch on the ground floor and another one at the foodcourt. How I wish they have a branch here in Makati!

Anthem of the Day: South Border f. Jinky Vidal - Sweet.

Today, I'm thankful for ... the friends I have made over the years that I've spent here in good ol' Makati. Since I don't go out to party and meet people, I met most of these friends at work. Our girl-talk topics has NO limits. The contributors/culprits are Joyce, Grace, Ira and the thorn among the roses, Tiny. But we girls start talking in codes if the topic is about super-femenine stuffs and leave Tiny to put all the pieces together. By the way, Tiny is not gay. He just loves being the thorn.

episode 308: A comfortable pair of white shoes for my Grandma's very long journey.

2006-08-07T20:59:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: My mom told me that my grandma (who has to visit the hospital 3X/week for dialysis) has been asking them quite persistently to look for a pair of white, very comfortable flat-heeled shoes for her. My mom said that grandma made special emphasis on the words "comfortable" and "white". I felt a little bit odd about that for 3 reasons: 1, my grandma usually just gives and never asks for anything back. So why the sudden pressure on my mom and aunts to get her the pair of white shoes? 2, why the special emphasis that the shoes have to be "very comfortable"? 3, why does she want the shoes to be in white? She always prefer beige or shades of browns instead of white because white makes the dirts more obvious. So I called my mom to ask her why while I was at the mall looking for the shoes last weekend because I was having a hard time finding them. My mom suddenly broke down and told me that my grandma said that it has to be very comfortable and white because she's going to use them for a very long journey. My grandma can't go anywhere without getting uncomfortable because she can't stand or walk for more than 5 minutes without feeling pain because her illness made her body weak. The only place she goes to nowadays is the hospital and that's because she has to. She'd really rather stay home. So what long journey is my grandma planning to take? Then it suddenly occured to me that what my grandma meant about the "very long journey" is the last journey of her life. She was actually preparing for the clothes she's going to wear after she passes. It took all of my resolve to keep myself from crying while I had to continue wandering from one mall to the other looking for that most perfect and most comfortable pair of white shoes for my grandma's long journey.

Kewl Website: http://www.shopcrazy.com.ph - as what its About Us section says ... it is the "Philippine's first shopping weblog. It is a sister site of femalenetwork.com and candymag.com and is supported by Cosmopolitan, Preview, Marie Claire, Good Housekeeping, OK!, Real Living, and T3 magazine." Browse through the articles either by their Categories (fashion, beauty products, gadgets, home accessories, food and drink, kids, lifestyle service, and sale/promo alerts for the hottest deals in town) or by their monthly Archives. They have featured quite a lot of interesting and at the same time pretty affordable products. What I love about them is that they include the prices of the products they are featuring. I don't know about you but I personally hate reading articles raving about a products but don't tell you the prices. I also like their articles about the cool places (high-end hotel resto types and low-end carenderia types) to dine. And yes, they also suggest dishes for you to try out and how much it costs.

Fab Finds: AcneFree 3-Step System - like a lot of other pimple-fighting products in the market, AcneFree has a 3-Step system consisting of Purifying Cleanser, Renewing Toner and Repairing Lotion. It has a time-release acne medication Benzoyl Peroxide formula that works 24/7. I've had pimples since puberty and I've tried a lot of products from antibiotic creams to salicylic acid formulas. But so far, only AcneFree worked for me. What I do is when using the cleanser to wash my face, instead of rinsing off right away, I leave it on for an extra minute or two before rinsing it off. The formula will then have more time to do what it's supposed to do. And when I have this huge pimple that I want to get rid of real fast, I soak a piece of cotton with the toner and put it on the pimple and leave it on until the cotton dries off. My only complaint about AcneFree is that the repairing lotion feels too heavy when you put it on your face. It feels oily even though it says that it's an oil-free formula. So instead of puting the lotion on twice a day. I only put it on at night before I go to bed. It costs around US$19.95++ and you can get it from Walmart where I got mine. It's a cheaper alternative for the famous Proactiv Solution which costs around US$39.95 plus shipping and handling because they don't sell it in stores or outlets. So if you have any relatives in the US, ask them to get you the AcneFree set from Walmart.

Mood: Missing my "Ammah" (fukien for "grandma"). She's in Davao while I'm here in Makati. The last time I saw her was last Christmas. Can't wait to see her again by the end of this month.

Anthem of the Day: Gary V - Can We Just Stop And Talk A While. Been listening to flashback songs since last week.

Today, I'm thankful for ... having a grandma like my "Ammah".

episode 307: Seeing things from a new perspective.

2006-07-31T10:39:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: Today is just the 5th day since Steve left but I'm already missing him real bad. He was here for a week and those were the most hectic but happiest days I've had this year. It was a great experience for him too since he'd done a lot of "first" on this trip. It was a delight seeing the sheer joy and amazement in his eyes during his "first(s)". First time to travel internationally. First time on an outrigger boat. First time on the beach. First time riding a banana boat. First time wearing flipflops. He can't believe that the country singer Kenny Rogers has a fastfood chain and finding that out here added to his amazement. He can't believe McDonald's ranks lower than another foodchain (Jollibee) here too. And that McDonald's sells rice and chicken here. It's fun and refreshing seeing things from his perspective.

Kewl Website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/

index_surveys.shtml. BBC UK's Survey and Psychology Tests is a range of pretty interesting tests that you can take to find out more about yourself. The tests are more scientific and some are actually surveys to help scientists study more about human minds. Take part in the experiment to test whether your senses overlap or whether you hear colors. Find out what makes you squirm in disgust with the sensitivity to disgust test. Try to improve your recall using World memory champion Andi Bell's technique.

Fab Finds: Cakemania. This is a very addictive game. For those of you who finds Diner Dash and Diner Dash 2 to be stressful, Cakemania ranks lower on the stress-o-meter. In this game, your goal is to serve people cakes in your customizable kitchen. Cakes become fairly complex, with multiple layers, frostings, and decorations that will delight your customers. When they're happy they pay you higher tips, and then you can use that money to upgrade your kitchen so you can make even better cakes! Give this baking game a try, the fast-paced action and upgradeable kitchen should keep you happy. Let me know if you want the serial to unlock the trial version.

Mood: In the mood to gorge down everything I can get my hands on. And I already did ... unfortunately.

Anthem of the Day: Jessica Simpson - A Public Affair.

Today, I'm thankful for ... the mid-year bonus that my boss gave me for a job well done!

episode 306: I'm having memory gaps @ 26.

2006-07-17T13:37:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: My mind is constantly running through the list of things and places that i want to show and take my Steve to. I was so scared that I might forget something that I ended up creating an itinerary for his visit. Yes, an itinerary! I even listed down everything that we're supposed to buy or what I'm supposed to show in each of those places. Yes, even the names of the places we're going to have our meals and with whom. No, I am far from being an OC. I'm just very bad when it comes to remembering things. I even forget my mom's birthday a couple of times already. I had to have a friend (Joyce) remind me about it. So, to make sure that my Steve will still have the time of his life when he's spending time with me, I just had to jot everything down. Friends joked and said that what I have is not "memory gap", it's "selective memory". True? Hmmm... could be.

Kewl Website: http://www.wikipedia.com/. The free online encyclopedia and probably the most updated one. Try searching for SM Mall of Asia, they have all the informations there. Their "slogan" is "The free encyclopedia that anyone can edit". Whenever you think that an entry is not as updated as it should be or that you have more informations about an entry that you want to add, you can go ahead and edit away.

Fab Finds: L'eau Par Kenzo Pour Femme - A floral aquatic. A serene expression of freshness, a persistent aurafilled with sensuality. Frosted mint for its clarity and amplitude, lotus flower for its clearness and a subtle touch of pink pepper to warm these two notes with sensuality. This fragrance will work for both sunny and rainy days. It doesn't turn sour after you sweat under the sun. Even if you get drenched by the rain, the clean fresh smell will still be there. If you like Davidoff Cool Water, you'll like L'eau Par Kenzo Pour Femme too. I got a 30ml bottle for P2,250 from SM Makati. I know, it smells like heaven but the price is just as high. Make sure that you ask for freebies like samplers for the other scents that comes in small "vials". You can use the vials and refill them with your fave perfume and put one in each of your bags so you can make sure that you smell great anywhere you go.

Mood: In a very good mood. Counting down the days til my Steve gets here.

Anthem of the Day: Neyo - Sexy Love.

Today, I'm thankful for ... my boss for giving me the time off to spend with my Steve. Though he doesn't know that I'm going to be spending them with Steve. I've been taking days off one after the other lately to spend time with my Grandma and relatives in China. So I was worried that my boss might say NO to me this time when I ask for a week's break. But he said YES anyway. YEY! I don't have to pretend that I'm deathly ill. Hehehe!

episode 305: I'm addicted to Diner Dash 2.

2006-07-12T10:40:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: Can't think of anything else except work, work and work. I have got to get all these work done and out of the way so I can take a week's leave to spend time with my Steve. The only break I take is the few hours at the end of every work day to play Diner Dash 2.

Kewl Website: http://www.bigfishgames.com/. This site offers a lot of cool downloadable and free computer games. You can also download my all-time favorite computer game Diner Dash 2 from there too.

Fab Finds: Diner Dash 2. Who's the new heroine who is rocking the computer gaming world today? No, not Lara Croft! It's Flo! The star of the Diner Dash game series. This game challenges players to run a restaurant by seating customers, giving them menus, taking orders, delivering food to tables, handing them a bill when they're done, and finally, busing the tables to make room for new customers. You'll have a newfound respect for overworked waitresses and waiters once you've played this game. Diner Dash 2 lets you take control over five unique restaurants: an outdoor café, italian pizzeria, mexican food joint, japanese sushi grill and a surprise fifth restaurant. The food, décor and customers will vary depending on the restaurant. When you earn enough points, you can choose upgrades to dress up the joint such as a garden bed or kitchen tile for your chef. New items are then introduced, such as a latte machine to hold over hungry customers, mops to clean spilled water and highchairs for screaming babies. It offers new power-ups in case Flo needs some help, such as a hostess, busser, entertainer and drink server - but it'll cost you ofcourse. You can download trial versions of the game easily by searching for it on the internet. If you need the serial, just let me know.

Mood: I'm pretty excited and giddy. Can't wait to see my Steve again.

Anthem of the Day: Kala - Jeepney.

Today, I'm thankful for ... my Steve for coming over to see me and my world.

episode 304: Life's too easy.

2006-05-22T10:24:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: How can I be so darn lucky? Life has been too easy for me so far. So easy that it makes me think that God is giving me an easy life because I'm gonna die soon. I'm not complaining. Heck, NO! But it's just that I still can't believe that I'm one of the lucky ones. Yes, I've gone through some bumps and humps here and there, but there hasn't been any cave-ins or huge man-holes to fall into yet. Oh well, I'll just have to be thankful and keep hoping that my luck won't run out too soon.

Kewl Website: http://wellstyled.com/tools/colorscheme2/. Color Scheme Generator is very helpful for those who are planning to spruce up their blogs or websites by changing the color scheme. I'm sure you can find some other usage for this too.

Fab Finds: Teastick. A combination of a tea strainer and a stirrer. Good teas don't come in tea bags. Every tea aficionado knows that using loose leaves is the superior way to make a cup of tea, but it's tough to deny the convenience of teabags. Instead of using the tea balls like the english do to strain their teas, I found this part spoon/stirrer part strainer thing at one of the gift shops in China. Just scoop up some loose tea with it and close it, pour hot water on your tea cup and dunk the teastick into it. If you like milk and sugar with your tea like I do, you can use it to stir. Pretty cool and functional. I bought this for RMB5.00 which is around P35.00 only.

Mood: Pretty calm. In the mood to work.

Anthem of the Day: Nickelback - Rockstar

Today, I'm thankful for ... being lucky. For Steve. For my family. For my friends. For the life I'm living.

episode 303: Never Say Never

2006-01-26T04:12:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: Never say never. Since change is the only constant thing in this world, what you thought you NEVER will or can do or say will be just the things you'll be doing or saying soon enough. Been there, done that.

Kewl Website: http://sureseats.myayala.com is the online site for Ayala Cinemas. You can either check what film is showing in the theaters right now or what's coming soon. You can also register to enable you to reserve seats online.

Fab Finds: Chef'n Pepper Ball - The innovatively unique see-through round shape looks like a gumball machine with easy-to-squeeze handles. The handles enable one-handed grinding. Perfect for multi-tasking. Great for when you need to stir with one hand and grind with the other. Unlike most other pepper grinders, the Chef'n pepper ball includes a lever that lets you adjust the coarseness and flavor to five unique settings. I bought one for my mom for $9.00 from Walmart.

Anthem of the Day: Mary J Blige - Be Without You.

Today, I'm thankful for ... all the food that I ate and will eat. Yes, I seek comfort from food. And I'm also thankful that I have the capability to pay for all the food I have greatly enjoyed. But I'd be more thankful if I can sink my teeth into some hot pandesal dipped in instant coffee. Mmm-mmm...

episode 302: Here We Go!

2006-01-21T04:07:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: I wonder what 2006 has in store for me. There's still a whole year ahead of me ... so I guess I should just breathe deep, hold my breath, make the sign of the cross and dive in! Our company will be moving to a new office in a week's time. New environment, a chance for a fresh start. I'm also planning to move out of the dorm and into a condo soon. We'll see how that works out. And I know that I'll be travelling a lot more for work this year, more new places to go? 2006, ready or not ... here I come! YEEEEEAAAAAAAH!

Kewl Website: www.limewire.com - A lot of people know me as the "Download Queen" or "Pirate Queen" because I just can't keep myself from downloading free movies, music, ebooks from the web. As of this date, LimeWire is the fastest, most reliable and robust P2P File Sharing software I've used and abused. "Swarm" downloads from multiple hosts help you get files faster. The user interface is great too.

Fab Finds: George Foreman Grill with Bun Warmer - This smaller, cuter and more colorful version of George Foreman's famous "as seen on TV" Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine is perfect for preparing quick, low-fat meals for one or two people. The double-sided grill surface heats in less than five minutes to an even temperature perfect for grilling most foods. The high grill grooves and slight angle allow fat to run off the grill as food cooks, and the nonstick surface requires little or no additional fat for cooking. The plastic, grooved spatula works well to scrape off any bits that may have stuck to the surface. Meats and fish are the obvious choices to take advantage of the Grilling Machine's fat-reduced grilling, but vegetables and tofu work well too. The double-sided grill means food cooks twice as fast, leaves attractive grill marks, and generates surprisingly little smoke. Plus, the Bun Warmer on the grill's lid lets you heat up burger buns while you're grilling your burger patty. Talk about multi-tasking! I got mine for just around $21.00 at Walmart.

Mood: Sleepy. Been working night shift for just a week, but it's already taking a toll on my body. My body won't let me sleep for more than 5 hours. Darn! Plus, I do miss going to the malls after work.

Anthem of the Day: Craig David - Hypnotic

Today, I'm thankful for ... the patience and resilience that God has given me to get through each day.

episode 301: Hey Ya 2006!

2005-12-29T19:49:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: Time for resolutions and goals again. My birthday's coming up in a few days too. As you can see, I only get to hit some of the goals that I've set for last year. But that's okay, I can try to hit those remaining goals this year while adding some more to the list. The new Goals and Wish lists are listed on the right side panel of this blog site.

Kewl Website: www.buyansellph.com is the online version of the Buy & Sell paper that sells on the newspaper stands for P25. You can browse the online version for free. It's the main resource for people searching for things to buy or rent. I mainly use it to find myself a place to rent. But the listings ranges from appliances to real estate.

Fab Finds: Sony liv MDR-Q66 are a pair of portable headphones that hook over the back of the ear and provide a good listening experience without anything inserted into the ear. It has an adjustable retractable cord to extend and retract the cord for storage purpose. The texture type cord also prevents cord from tangle. The only downside is that they don't feel overly secure on the ear and are thus more suitable for passive pursuits like lying on the beach rather than anything active.

Anthem of the Day: Gwen Stefani - Luxurious.

Today, I'm thankful for ... year 2005. For everything that I went through and learned on 2005 that made me a wiser person today.

episode 203 : Year-Ender Wrap-up

2005-12-24T10:49:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: This year has been a heck of a year for me. A lot of unexpected things happened one after the other. I became an international jetsetter all of a sudden. Had my first trip to the US and seen every season they have there. Saw snow for the first time. Met my first boyfriend, had my first ever relationship. Yes, at the age of 25 - still totally unexpected. So the ice-queen has actually met her match. Flew on business class for the first time too. What a difference compared to coach class. My bank account hits the six digits figure for the first time. But that won't last long considering that it's the shop and splurge season. Had my first mamogram and ultrasound just to make sure I'll live through 2006. Thank goodness everything's fine.

Kewl Website: http://www.danbrown.com. If you love Dan Brown's bestselling novels Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code but have a bit of a hard time imagining all the locations and monuments and the tons of things that was being described in the books ... then the author's website will definitely help. Though I love the book's thrilling and mysterious wild-goose chase plot and the "enlightening facts" it has, be a smart reader and read further about the claims and "facts" to find out and learn more about them. Is it true, are those facts real? Read US News: Secrets of The Da Vinci Code and let the article demystify them for you. If you're good at downloading from the internet, you'll find a copy there. Or if you guys want a copy, drop me a line and I'll email it to you.

Fab Finds: Casio Sheen Illuminator watch. It's a dual-time watch - half analog, half digital. Ideal for travellers crossing time zones. You can actually manipulate it to become a triple-time watch. It also has an alarm setting which is useful when you have long waiting hours for connecting flights and wants to catch some snooze or do some duty-free shopping during the wait but wants to make sure that you get on board your flight on time. It also has a stop-watch feature and date setting. I bought mine in Davao for P1995.

Anthem of the Day: Pussycat Dolls - Stickwitu.

Today, I'm thankful for ... my Steve. He's a great guy. Yes, every girlfriend in the world would say that about their boyfriends, but do they really mean it? Well, i do. As a bonus, he's dashingly gorgeous and macho too. He's got a gift for poetry and can sing too. But his passion is to help people learn and realize how to make their lives better no matter how hopeless things seem to be. Didn't I say he's a great guy?

episode 202: There's No Place Like Home

2005-09-16T15:34:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: I love Pinas. It doesn't matter how messed up the government is here. Doesn't matter how polluted the air is. Doesn't matter how bad the economy is here. I just love Pinas. This is my home. I miss it sorely whenever I leave it. People think life would become better some place else. True to some, a disillusion to many.

Kewl Website: www.ecensus.com.ph - This site allows you to request birth, marriage, death certificates or CENOMAR (singleness) anytime, anywhere! And to top that off, your documents will be delivered to your doorsteps within 3 days. And believe it or not, you can also pay for your requests online using any Megalink ATM cards! No need to go to the bank or ATM machines for the payment. Just click the "Pay my request online..." link, input your ATM card number and WALLA! Done! It's unbelievably convenient! I've tried this service myself. So be rest assured that it's not a hoax.

Fab Finds: Creative Muvo V200 - a stylish ultra light mp3 player, FM Radio and Voice Recorder all in one. It's immensely easy to use - simply drag and drop data and music files from computer to player and you're ready to get your groove on. It features a built-in USB 2.0 connector, so you don't need a USB cable to connect it to a PC! It's available in 128MB, 256MB, 512MB and 1GB1 of flash memory. I got the 256MB and it stores around 50 mp3 format songs. I got mine for P3,999.

Mood: Relatively relaxed since work-related pressure is off for now. So I'm trying to enjoy this pressure-free day as much as possible.

Anthem of the Day: Pussycat Dolls featuring Busta Rhymes - Don't Ya.

Today, I'm thankful for ... Steve.

episode 201: Ode to Makati

2005-09-08T22:57:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: This is the "return of the comeback" for this blog of mine. Been neglecting it for a looooooong time as you can see. I finally got some down time from work today to post a new entry. I'm so shocked! So, thought of the day? No place is better than Makati, Philippines. Amen? Amen! Makati for me is like Manhattan for Carrie Bradshaw of Sex and the City. I've been away from my Makati for 2 months now and I'm dying to be back there. And I've been missing it so much. I miss it more than my real home where my family is. I'm a die-hard urbanite! I need to be back dealing with the hustle and bustle of Makati. I need to do some serious meditation at Glorietta, Greenbelt and SM Makati. And I need to get some nourishment from the restos lining Greenbelt and Glorietta. I need to have my dose of coffee and coffee talks at Starbucks with my friends! Makati, I'm coming home baby!

Kewl Website: http://www.walmart.com/. Walmart is my home while I'm here in the US. Just like SM Makati is to me when I'm in Makati. I can live there if they'd only allow me to. I'm so shallow and cheap, I know. But what can I say? I just love it there.

Fab Finds: Body and Bath products. I'm so into their anti-bacterial hand sanitizer. I'm actually using it in place of cologne. They have a good variety of scents too.

Mood: I'm in the mood for some major shopping. Greenhills, here I come!

Anthem of the Day: Black Eyed Peas - Don't Lie.

Today, I'm thankful for ... having this job and doing what I do. Yes, this job has given me major headaches, sleepless nights, nervous breakdowns which has caused me to go through a couple episodes of depressions. But at the end of the day, I still love this job because it gives me the opportunity to travel. And my 2 great passions are Food and Travel. So at least I get to do the Travel part and a little of the Food part with this job.

episode 110: Staying Single - Courage or Cowardice?

2005-03-14T09:15:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: Is my plan to stay single as long as I can actually an act of courage or just plain cowardice? I've known a lot of people who are couples and I've known a lot of people who wish they can be a part of a couple. But I know more people who are couples but who now wish they're not. And people getting hurt trying too hard to become a couple. Love hurts, right? So, knowing what I know about this roller-coaster thing called relationship (though this is just a second or third-hand knowledge), and that getting hurt is quite inevitable, I think it must be quite intimidating and tiring to ride one. And so I thought why should I bother riding one and getting hurt myself? Is that cowardice? But on the other hand, I think it also takes courage to stand alone in a crowd of couples. To be independent and self-reliant. I don't know, but I think people these days are jumping in and out of relationships by the second. Taking the jump without assessing the risk first is just plain foolishness which would result to time, effort and emotion being wasted. Right now, I do think that I'm taking the easy way out by staying single avoiding the bumps of the ride. But hey, staying single ain't easy either.

Kewl Website: www.neopets.com. It's a virtual pet site. So for those who like pets but don't like the real responsibility of taking care of real ones, getting a neopet is a good alternative. Remember the Tamagotchi craze a couple of years back? Neopet is kind of like a cross between Pokemon and Tamagotchi. The difference is that Neopets will reside in your computer instead of a keychain size thingy. It's completely FREE! Neopets has many things to offer including over 160 games, trading, auctions, greetings, messaging, etc.

Fab Finds: Instead of Fab Find, I'm actually looking for a good pair of pants that can fit my hippo butt. Anobody know where I can get one? Found it! Kamiseta has some pretty good pairs of jeans. Never used to spend more than P800 on a pair of pants but those jeans are worth it. Probably because they tailor the jeans to fit and flatter a woman's butt very well. So I bought a couple of pairs even if the price ranges from P1399 to P1999 and up.

Mood: Calm, cold and collected.

Anthem of the Day: Mario - Let Me Love You.

Today, I'm thankful for ... cable tv. Especially the Discovery Travel and Living channel. It broadens up my horizons. Made me aware of what the rest of the world has to offer. Made me strengthen my resolve to go out and see more of the world.

episode 109: Serenity

2005-02-28T22:24:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: "God, grant me the SERENITY to accept the things I cannot change; COURAGE to change the things I can; and WISDOM to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen." - Reinhold Niebuhr

Kewl Website: www.humanforsale.com - Have you been reflecting and thinking about your self-worth lately? Stop wondering and start finding out how much money you could get on the open human market! This site will attempt to place a value on your life using a variety of criteria in 4 basic facets of life (physical,mental,lifestyle,personality). This is obviously a very subjective matter and is not intended and does not claim to be scientifically accurate. The more honestly you answer the questions, the more realistic the dollar value returned will be. I am worth $1,731,774.00 on HumanForSale.com. I'm cheap. What about you?

Fab Finds: Rosary Bracelet. Made of colorful plastic crystal-look-alike beads. It's pretty fashionable for a rosary. Have it blessed and you have an anting-anting (charm) with you everywhere you go. My mom gave it to me. She bought it in Davao.

Mood: Still relaxed. Quite talkative today.

Anthem of the Day: Michael Buble's "It's Time" 2005 album. I've noticed a sudden change in my taste of music lately. Well, not exactly "change" but an "additional appreciation". Before, I don't really like Jazz, Blues and Classic music because I consider them old. I much preferred RnB, Pop and Ballad. But now, I don't know if Norah Jones, Michael Buble and Westlife (Let Us be Frank) has anything to do with it but I really do appreciate those classic kinds of music lately.

Today, I'm thankful for ... being emotionally / psychologically strong to handle things that might affect a person in that level. And for the Serenity Prayer for keeping me sane through trying times.

episode 108: Live your vida, loca!

2005-02-22T21:34:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: "In between goals is a thing called LIFE, that has to be lived and enjoyed." - Sid Ceasar. Enjoy life while it lasts. Live your vida, loca! Live it to the fullest. Be sad and mope sometimes, but try not to waste too much time doing that. Oh yeah, speaking of livin life loca ... I just found out that Ricky Martin abruptly stepped out of the lime light to assess and reflect about his life. He has been to India and has helped in setting up shelters for street childrens there especially little girls which saved them from being forced into prostitution. And recently, he has been to Thailand to help out with the tsunami recovery focusing on kids welfare.

Kewl Website: www.unitedemailsystems.com - Let me guess, you must have gone berserk when you found out that Google Mail (Gmail) is offering free 1GB capacity email accounts. No? Well, I did. But guess what, I found a bigger and better one! Yup, United Email Systems offer free email accounts of not 1.. not 2.. but of 3GB capacity! Not only that, its GUI (Graphical User Interface) is so much better than the GUI of other web-based email providers. Its look and feel is quite similar to that of MS Outlook. Plus, it's supposed to have Spam, Virus and Crap protection.

Fab Finds: Circles Event Cafe @ Makati Shangri-la. I was lucky enough to have a complimentary buffet breakfast there with my relatives this past weekend. The place looked so cool! The interior design is so ... the words that came to my mind are "classy modern retro". The place's color motif is bright orange and white on black background which to me is retro. The table settings and the dining sets (from the napkin rings to the plate chargers to the white square plates to the modernistic design of the salt and pepper shakers and coffee pots) gives the place its modern look. And since the the interior designer was able to blend together the retro and modern look of the place perfectly, the overall ambiance of the place is so classy and chic. And notice the bright orange and black sneakers, funky earrings, and nicely done color highlighted hairs of the waiters. Circles not only offer the standard breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet but they also offer a midnight snack buffet! Great for after gimmick hunger! The food selection is extensive and yummy. They've got Chinese, Pinoy, Indian, American, Italian, Japanese stations. They also have pastry, salad, fruits and carving stations. I missed Indian food so I made a couple of trips back and forth the Indian section. The taste is pretty authentic. Not that many hotels serve Indian cuisines outside India. How I wish that they also serve Indian sweets. As for the tab, what I know first hand is that of the price of the complimentary buffet breakfast which is P889. But I read in some other articles that the tab is P1,088++. It must either be the price of the Lunch or Dinner buffet. It will be money well spent if you're not on a diet and is the type of person who enjoys any variety of cuisine. Oh yeah, a simple tip for those who spends more than 5 seconds to decide which fruit juice they want to drink at the juice station. Fill up half the glass with mango juice, then a quarter with orange juice and then ask for a shot of carrot juice to top it off. It's a yummy concoction, I promise.

Mood: Relaxed. Because I'm now taking a breather from the government related project I'm handling to focus on the other non-government related projects. I just want to enjoy this rare and short reprieve.

Anthem of the Day: Lovers in Paris Soundtracks (Korean Version)

Today, I'm thankful for ... having a family who loves me. Don't think that my family is Brady-Bunch perfect, it's far from that. But I love them and they love me. The "love" between me and my brothers is more like carino brutal. And over our dead bodies will we ever admit that we even care for each other. That's what I get growing up with two barbaric younger but bigger brothers. Hehe!

episode 107: "This too shall pass."

2005-01-31T17:10:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: "This too shall pass." Whenever I feel so down and helpless, I say these words to myself. If there's any one thing that we can count on about our world, it's "change". So whether you're in a good or a bad situation right now, it WILL pass. Nothing lasts forever, right? So if good things can't stay the same, just console yourself by remembering that bad things won't too. I first heard this in the movie "My Best Friend's Wedding". The bellboy said that to Julianne (Julia Roberts) when she was sitting on the floor right outside the best friend's hotel room smoking and crying, being frustrated, confused and feeling guilty for ruining her best friend's relationship with his fiance.

Kewl Website: http://www.worstcasescenarios.com - Do you believe that anything unexpected can happen anytime? Would you know what to do then? Do you know how to make fire without a match? Do you know how to avoid being struck by lightning? Do you know how to fend off sharks or wrestle free from alligators? What about escaping from a sinking car? Am I scaring you? Well, if you wanna know how you can deal with all these situations, check out the website. Who knows, these infos might save your life someday.

Fab Finds: Safety Pin Cuffs - I don't know what else to call it, so I'll just call it that. It's actually safety pins inserted with beads and then tied together by nylon strings to form a cuff. Ingenious really. I have one with translucent yellow beads and clear beads. So when light hits the yellow one, it looks like gold cuffs. And if light hits the clear one, it looks like silver cuffs. My brother gave it to me for Christmas. He bought it in Davao for P130 each.

Mood: Tired! Fed up! Dealing with our corrupt government is hopeless. No wonder Thailand's economy is soaring high past us while our country is still in the puddle due to heavy corruption of those sly wicked government people. I'm getting pretty good with finding out conspiracy theories about people and stuffs.

Anthem of the Day: Kyla f. Jerome John - Let the Love Begin

Today, I'm thankful for ... Change. Life would be boring without it. Though I must admit that I'm the kind of person who prefers boring routine more than spontaneous excitement. But change is good. Yes, it is. Yup. Uh-huh. Yah.

episode 106: Depression

2005-01-28T09:10:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: Depression is just anger minus the enthusiasm. Remember that there is nothing stable in human affairs; therefore avoid undue elation in prosperity or undue depression in adversity - Socrates

Kewl Website: www.apple.com/trailers - Bored? Depressed? Or just simply not in the mood to read stuffs and play online games to take your mind off your problems? Then why not check out the Trailer page of the Apple website for new and upcoming movies and watch the trailers online? The list is pretty extensive and is always up to date. Not much brain works required.

Fab Finds: Starbucks Esprit. For those who loves to hang-out at Starbucks but doesn't really care for coffee or tea, then try the Starbucks Esprit. It comes in Orange Tangerine, Raspberry, Passion Fruit, Grape, Lemon Lime, etc. I've tried Raspberry and Passion Fruit and they're quite yummy. Esprit is actually flavored bubbly water with 5% fruit juice. So for those who are diet-conscious, Esprit won't add any pound on you as coffee would if you always drink them with sugar and cream. The Starbucks Esprit bottles are pretty too, very collectible.

Mood: I'm very depressed today due to my government-related project to the point that if I only like the taste of beer and know how to drink and get drunk, I would've already done so. But since the nearest hang-out place is Starbucks, and since I'd still have to work tomorrow ... I'll just have to chose something similarly bubbly and therefore order the Starbucks Esprit Raspberry. I hope that'll make my spirits more bubbly too.

Anthem of the Day: Luther Vandross - Dance with My Father

Today, I'm thankful for ... it's very hard to be thankful for anything right now. But I guess I can be thankful for whoever wrote the script of "Lovers in Paris" and included the word "Aja!" in it. "Aja!" is korean and I think it roughly means something in between "Go go go!" and "I/You can do it!" which a person can say to encourage himself or somebody else to do what needs to be done. And I've been saying "Aja!" to myself pretty often lately and it helped somehow. "Lovers in Paris" is a korean telenovela, dubbed in Tagalog and aired on ABS-CBN. But I actually watched it in Korean language on VCD with english subtitles. I think people will appreciate that more than the tagalog-dubbed version where some of the script lines are changed into something too cheesy and corny.

episode 105: What's your story?

2005-01-21T09:14:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: "Everybody has a story that could break your heart." Mafia Lord or not, prostitute or not, murderer or not, most hated or not ... they all have a story. I still can't decide what to believe yet. Whether humans are either born bad or good. Or are we even born to be either one at all? Watching the news confuses me more. But I sure do believe that everyone has at least one touching, heart-warming story to tell. If only we listen long enough. So what's your story?

Kewl Website: www.soyouwanna.com - teaches you how to do all the things nobody taught you in school. The way all the articles was written is quite informal yet informative, with a mix of some sense of humor. Very refreshing. A great way to kill the time lah-deeh-dah-ing on the web world. Check out their "Top Ten" section too if you wanna know who's the Top 10 richest people in the world among other things.

Fab Finds: Long Scarfs - I've recently bought one at SM Makati. It's made of a very light cotton material, thinly striped with a mixture of blue and brown shades. Quite fashionable ... in my humble opinion. You can hang it around your neck when wearing tight T-shirt and jeans. It's just P199.75. How I wish more and more people would dare to wear at least a thin long scarf in this tropical country of ours. We really don't have to wait for it to snow here in the Philippines before we even consider wearing one. We do have cold and gloomy rainy days, don't we? Wear one during that kind of weather then! I actually wore mine during a sunny day. It's light and thin, so it's okay. And I hope the misconception of most of the young people here that wearing a scarf makes you look old will be abolished. It's all in the way you wear it and how you carry it.

Mood: I'm in the mood for shopping!

Anthem of the Day: Jay Sean - Got My Eyes On You

Today, I'm thankful for ... the trust that my bosses still have on me. That sure gives me a lot of pressure to make sure that I don't disappoint them.

episode 104: Rainbow

2005-01-20T07:58:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: "The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain." - Dolly Parton. I bet most of you never thought that something that smart could have ever came out from a bombshell like her, eh? It sure does makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?

Kewl Website: www.clickthecity.com - For you urbanites out there who are constantly looking for new hip and happening place to check out, you can search for them here. This site is also useful for those who just wants to find a new place to dine or dial for take-outs. Just search for the name of the establishment and it'll provide you with the numbers to dial along with the address.

Fab Finds: MYX Corduroy Tailor-cut Long-sleeves Jacket. It comes in Red, Navy Blue and Fuchsia. You'd think that because it's made of corduroy it must be thick and heavy. Surprisingly NOT! It's only P499.75. So for those people who are afraid of colors, go get one for yourself in Red or Fuchsia. You'll be surprise how easy it is to match the vibrant colors to the rest of your wardrobe and your otherwise neutral fashion sense. Believe me, I was a neutral girl myself. So don't be scared, go for it!

Mood: Tensed. Pressured. Dizzy. Cold. Feeling helpless. All these are related to work. There better be a rainbow after this rain!

Anthem of the Day: Rod Stewart f. Dolly Parton - Baby It's Cold Outside

Today, I'm thankful for ... still having a job and earning enough money to pay for rent and other necessary living expenses as well as miscellaneous expenses like shopping, movie watching, fine-dining and hopefully ... trip to Bangkok in May 2005.

episode 103: Singlehood = Solitude?

2005-01-18T08:50:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: "Loneliness expresses the pain of being alone and solitude expresses the glory of being alone." - Paul Tillich ... Somehow, I'm relating this to being single. No idea why. Hmmm... Maybe because I'm alone and single and just starting to experience the quarter-life crisis and that quotation somehow consoles my being all of those.

Kewl Website: www.iusedtobelieve.com - The childhood beliefs site. It will remind you how it was to be a child. See how many beliefs you can relate to. And who knows, you might still believe in some of them.

Fab Finds: Memo's Glam Wrap - A very ingeneous and useful piece of clothing. It can transform into a shawl / skirt / tube top / poncho / cardigan / etc. I bought one last christmas. A bit pricey (P600+). But if you think that you'll be using it quite often, then it'll be worth the price.

Mood: My eyes are tired. Hungry. Trying the starvation diet. Don't know how long I'll last though.

Anthem of the Day: Usher ft. Alicia Keys - My Boo

Today, I'm thankful for ... still being single and therefore having an uncomplicated life. But we'll see for how long I'd be thankful for that.

episode 102: It's a New Day

2005-01-13T01:40:00.000+08:00

Thought(s) of the Day: I am lucky. Where I get my luck? I have absolutely no idea.

Kewl Website: www.askmen.com. Check out the "Cool Site of the Day" section. It features a lot of informative, interesting and fun sites that you won't normally stumble into while just surfing the web. And for the women out there who wants to know how to tie a bowtie/necktie for their men or just for themselves, check out the "How To's" section. There are a lot of pretty interesting and useful stuffs there that women can...or should know about too. Like organizing, ironing, laundry, etc.

Fab Finds: Market Market "Dampa" area. They've got stalls after stalls selling good food for a pretty much reasonable price. They've got stalls selling organic produce too. Didn't get the chance to really check out the stores inside Market Market yet but I did see a lot of branded shops in there while me and 2 friends passed by looking for an ATM.

Mood: Pretty happy even though work is killing me. That's coz I've got a huge raise! Yeeeehaaa!!!

Anthem of the Day: It's so nice to be happy, sha-la-la ...

Today, I'm thankful for ... all the good things that is happening to me right now. Especially for the salary raise I'll be getting really soon.

episode 101: Just Reesh - The Beginning

2005-01-12T13:36:00.000+08:00

WELCOME to Just Reesh!

Why did I decide to Blog? Bcoz I'm just too lazy to create my own website. So I thought, blogging is the next best thing to do it then. So, ... Tah-Dah!!! Here it is!!!

What do I plan to do with this Blog of mine? Hmmm ... No idea!!! Lemme think. **Thinking** **Drumming unmanicured fingers on the keyboard** Hmmm ... AHA!!! **Light-bulb moment** I think I shall just fill up the following fields:

Thought(s) of the Day: I'll just type whatever is going through my mind into this section. Senseless or otherwise.

Kewl Website: - I love inet surfing. So whenever I happen to discover a kewl website, I'll share it here.

Fab Finds: - This may be about foods, clothes, techie gadgets, cute/practical stuffs, etc.

Mood: - What's the weather of the day at Rachelleville?

Anthem of the Day: - What music have I been listening to over and over again today?

Today, I'm thankful for ... - The good ol' semi-pessimistic me has made a New Year's resolution to try to be more optimistic. "TRY" being the operative word.

I'll be adding more fields for me to fill up as I go along.