Sleepless in Laguna

Caffeine can be your friend. If..... taken in moderation. In my case, moderation wasn't even in the list.
It's that time of the year again, where Sturbuck's is giving away their planner in exchange for 24 of
their drinks, mostly coffee. I started last November 15, and after a month, Im starting on my fourth planner.
Thats 72 caffeinated drinks in 30 days. Basically, 2.4 cups in a day. Fortunately, i have my friends and family
to help me endure this fruitless struggle. Hahaha!!!

What am I supposed to do with 4 planners? One is for me, the other is for my wife, the other one is for my dad,
and the fourth one is just because........ I had extra stickers.

Sleepless in Laguna

Caffeine can be your friend... if taken in moderation. In my case, moderation isn't even the word. It's that time of the year again, where Starbucks is giving away their planner in exchange for 24 of their drinks, mostly coffee. I started last November 15, and after less than a month, I'm starting on my fourth planner. Thats 72 caffeinated drinks in less than 30 days. Practically 2.4 cups in a day. Fortunately, i have my friends and family to help me endure this fruitless struggle. Hahaha!!!

What am I supposed to do with 4 planners? One is for me, the other is for the wife, the other one is for my dad. And the fourth one is just because........ I had extra stickers.

It pays to wait.....

I received an email from Toy Kingdom telling me bout their "exclusive warehouse sale" last November 3 at the Megatrade hall in SM Megamall. Since i haven't bought any Christmas gifts for the kids yet, i decided to go.

We woke up early to get a head start. We got there at 10:30 AM. To my surprise, the place was already packed. We browsed for a couple of minutes. Sans the shopping carts and terribly disorganized bundles of toys that littered the floor, we were able to get things done and started falling in line at around noon.



It was a long line and i figured that we'd be stuck there for a good 2 to 3 hours. Our makeshift cart was a huge box, probably the size of a "balikbayan box" and it was almost full. While waiting, Sam and I took turns goin back and forth to several spots that we might have missed and ended up putting more stuff in our cart-wanna-be box. When it was our turn to pay, it was already 5pm. Again, a whole Saturday spent just waiting.

On our way home, we dropped by at Festival Mall for dinner. I passed by an Adidas store again, just to check what's on the shelves. And to my surprise, there it was, a pair of Adidas Philippine Gazelle. MY SIZE.



Cool beans!

And this is what the staff told me; "sir 2 pairs na lang po yan, yung isa naka reserve na". Talk about meant to be, huh?! I had no choice (or at least i'd like to think i didn't have any) and bought it right there and then. And it hit me. "Ganito din ang nagyari sa akin last week".

I'm still crossing my fingers for that very elusive jacket. And yes, it pays to wait. No matter how long it may take.

Half of my Holy grail

After spending an entire day in Toyota Alabang waiting for my car to get done, I finally got a break. On my way to SM Southmall to get me a burrito, I had passed by an Adidas store. After months of searching, going from one store to the other, there it was, hanged on the display stand, just waiting to be snagged by some fortunate soul.



Lucky me-- that soul happens to be me. And would you believe it was even the right size for the wife?! One of the staff even said, "Sir, swerte nyo, pinareserve kasi yan, pero di na kinuha".

And now, I'm half way there. When and where will the exclusive men's jacket appear?

there are...

... people who have selective realization of your existence.
kilala mo lang ako pag may kailangan ka. user!
... people whom you thought truly cares about you but they really don't.
hello?!! when do you intend to check on us? pag sunog na kami?!!
... people you'd rather not hate but you just can't help but feel otherwise.
at ikaw yun!

and i have this for you: G-T-H!

*ignore button activated*

San Diego Wildfire 2007

Santa Ana winds broke and fed fire here in San Diego county since last night. This came quite a surprise because it's now fall and it is less likely to happen since the weather is (supposedly) shifting to a much cooler temperature.

As i write this, residents who lives 5-10 minutes east from where I am at just received mandatory orders to vacate their houses (my area is still under "voluntary evacuation") since the winds are blowing towards south and have now begun to set fire uncontrollably. Some of these people are friends, my former manager and a lot people from my workplace. Work has activated it's command center since the break of dawn. We've been getting patients transported from northeastern hospitals that required emergency evacuations. ER was a mess according to my sister. And poor sister had to come home attached to a pager, on-call for the next 24 hours.

Home situation is still ok. The pool in the back is thickly covered with fine soot. Pine leaves all over. Everything is either orange or gray. I have now packed three bags and a suitcase. If worst has to happen tonight --- i have water, power bars and 3 cans of libby's sausages in my backpack.

This has been a chaotic and sad day for all San Diegans. Please be generous with your prayers.

Maps of the wildfire are from CBS 8

something i haven't done in a while

i swiped this from someone's blog that i recently read. i hope she won't mind :) i'm just plain bored. but that doesn't mean i've got nothing to do. in fact, i've got so much on my plate right now that i need a break from all these monotonous activities around me. so, if you're feeling like i do or kahit hinde...

TAG YOU!

Name Four Scents You Love
...my nose only agrees to light, fruity scents like--
Country Apple by Bath & Body
Green Tea by Elizabeth Arden
Green Jeans by Versace (kay hubby)
Eternity for Men (kay hubby)

Name Four Things You Are Thinking About Now
...
i want mushroom and eggs for breakfast
sana they mail back hubby's PP soon so we can pay for tickets na
i like that canon 400d xti combo pack with 2 lenses i saw at costco yesterday
i want to chop off my hair and keep it short like way back in my college days... only if i lose 13 more lbs

Name the Last Four Things You Have Bought
...
Essenza Home Fragrance Reed Diffuser (Pomegranate and Chai) from Costco
Essenza liquid handsoap that comes in 3 scents from Costco
Fruits from Henry's
Obagi #3, #4 and #5

Name Four Drinks You Regularly Drink
...
Looza mango juice
H2O
Water
Tubig

Last Time You Said 'I Love You' And Meant It
...
Last night before i went to bed.

Last Time You Cried?
...
Yesterday morning lang when i watched our wedding video and saw some photos of me and dad.

What's In Your Music Player?
...
Naku a lot. Pero my current favorites are the jazz music i recently got from Monching.

What's Under Your Bed?
None.

What Time Did You Wake Up Today?
I first woke at 4:35 (automatic eh) but i got up at 8:10

Current Hair?
Long, layered and i'm getting bored with it.

Current Clothes?
Green tank and green pajamas

Current Desktop Picture?


Current Worry?
Losing reserved flights for Dec-Jan.

Current Hate?
Not naman hate. Inis lang with the US embassy in Manila kasi ang tagal.

Favorite Physical Feature Of The Opposite Sex?
eyes, nose, smile, skin, butt! saka dapat tall.

Last CD You Bought?
I can't recall this one, sorry.

Favorite Place To Be?
Bedroom, vacation spots and right now i want to see seoul.

Least Favorite Place?
Wherever Nellie is

If You Could Play An Instrument?
Drums

Favorite Color(s)?
I'm into whites and earth tones right now

Do You Believe In An Afterlife ?
Oo naman.

How Tall Are You?
Do you really have to know? LOL. o sya, 4'11" ayan!

Current Favorite Word/Saying ?
ahh sus!

Favorite Season?
Summer and Christmas

One Person From Your Past You Wish You Could Go Back And Talk To
Syempre my dad. I have so much to tell him and i'd love to hug him again, smell him, take care of him, play with him basta marami ako gusto gawin with him.

Favorite Day?
Payday friday!

Where Would You Like To Go ?
Naku madami pa. Right now i'd love to go visit Seoul, South Korea... and finish the rest of Asia.... hahaha ang layas!

How Many Kids Do You Want ?
1 or 2

Favorite Car?
Nothing in particular right now. Basta it has to be roomie and has to have AC/Heater, saka sun roof and most importantly, i'm not the one driving.

oh, how annoying!

So where on earth have i been?!

Absolutely--- NOWHERE.

I've mastered hiding and staying out of trouble for a good time now and sorta like to keep it this way for awhile -- till i got tagged by good friend, Nikki -- now this is a good reason to come back and blog, di ba?

Not that i was really missed by anyone nor do you really care about some updates on my whereabouts the past few, but i'd like to log some updates and do some quick recollection for myself to read before i proceed to the tag. let's see--

April: I had a good birthday this year. Highlight was good shopping day with mom and this.

May: applied to change my citizenship.

June: got interviewed for citz; i was a nervous wreck after the findings of my ate's x-rays (read: patient #1); kuya got into a nasty car accident towards the end of the month (read: patient #2). His back surgery went well and has good turnaround so far. became a US citz (finally) on the 22nd.

July: 5th year wedding anniversary-- sad since we're not together to celebrate for the first time. Got my new passport and upgraded husband's petition to speed things up. Canceled vacation to WA. Patient #1 and #2 now started to annoy me.

August: HOT and HUMID, ugh. Stubborn patient #1 and patient #2 plus ten thousand family and friends visiting over drove me crazy. I simply can't stand it. I was ready to pull my hair out! trip to Anchorage with mom before the month ended.

September: Ate's home interior improvements and pool deck placement's finally finished. Front yard landscaping to follow. And their tired interior decorator/landscaper/home nurse/slave/sister/--ME! --couldn't wait for them to leave for China/PI so she can have her sanity back.

October: Bliss! Home alone. Nice. Just very, very nice. And oh, plus a more stable and worry-free WiFi is back-- thanks, Guerrero. You're the best! Husband's interview on the 11th. Finalize tickets to PI and back after husband's interview. Do i see Seoul somewhere in between?! just wishing...LOL.

aishhh... whatalongdragging update! sorry, hehe. here's the tag as promised:

I shall name it-- "The Annoying ME"
Instructions: List 7 quirks, habits, traits which make you annoying. When you’re done, TAG 7 others to do the same.

1. Pronounce "New Hampshire" in a jologs way with matching pouting lips. This annoys Monching, Nel and Alicia so much... haylavet!

2. According to my husband (who's in skype and laughing so hard right now after i asked him "Hon, when do i get annoying to you?"), i am annoying when i insist to be right when the entire world tells me that i am sooo wrong.

3. Still according to husband (who's still laughing and seem to be enjoying all these), i am annoying when i demand for him to be awake when I'm awake.

4. When i say "duhhhh!" in a dragging manner... i sometimes annoy myself. LOL.

5. It annoys Marlon, my college buddy, when i sing "Nahhh-Nahhh-Na, Na, Na, Nahhhhh" (from the show Champoy from way, way back) loudly, as in LOUD, every time our prof in Philo would exit our room. Poor professor reminds me so much of Noel Trinidad. LOL. Marlon's ready to choke me, hehehe!

6. I won't let my husband go once he's told me that he's cooking up a surprise for me! I annoy the heck out of him till he spill the beans... sweet!

7. Just to annoy my husband some more, and this becoming an effective habit just to tick him off real good, I'd pretend not to hear him in skype and would keep calling "honey... honeyyy!!..... honeyyyyy di kita marinig!!!!" then he'll be all so close to his mic saying "ano ba! kulang na lang lunukin ko na 'tong mic ah!" LOL. classic. haylavet!

and for the lucky 7 i'm tagging, you're IT! so get ready:)-- Keith, Diane, Annabelle, Yevka, Jenne, Dionne, Angie

Nostalgia

Friday, the last day of school. I'm all set to go at my aunt's house in Las Pinas and spend my weekend with my cousins. We'd play all day. Pretend to be superheroes or WWF superstars. Take turns in the Atari console. Play " sipa ball" with neighborhood kids. And lock ourselves inside my cousins room, turn on the a/c, pick the best toys and make an army and find a suitable furniture (a cabinet, a side table with wheels, the top bunk of a double decker bed, a study table or even a rocking chair) which will serve as an HQ (syempre, kailangan may tirahan ang armies namin). Amongst the toys were G.I. Joe's, Marvel action figures, ThunderCats, Voltron, Daimos, Lego, Tonka, Bravestar, He-Man, Matchbox's and ofcourse, Transformers. We'd pit our armies and try to out do one another by giving the toys special abilities such as laser beams, forcefields and super strength.

Those were the days. When there was only one flavor of Pringles available in the market. Apples are worth 35 pesos each. Traveling time from Alabang to Makati was only 15 minutes. Michael Jackson's Thriller was the craze. The Ford Laser was the coolest car. A Big Mac meal in Mc Donalds is only twenty five Pesos and they still serve milkshakes. Big Bang sa Alabang was the biggest attraction every Christmas. And a single G.I. Joe figure would only cost 45 Pesos in Rustans.

As a kid growing up back then, 45 pesos is a lot. I'd only get these on special occasions such as birthdays or during the holidays.I only had a couple of G.I Joe's and Matchbox, whereas my cousins had dozens. That's why i love going to their place every weekend, so that i could play with their toys. What i really love is the Transformers. Unfortunately, it was expensive and i was just able to afford one which was Laserbeak of the Decepticons.

Fast forward to 2007. Transformers the Movie is now out in cinema's. Although I haven't seen it yet (wife and i promised to see movies together) it brought so much memories when i was a kid. I wasn't really that excited with the movie, but with the toys. I really went gaga when the first wave was released on the local malls. I started with one, then with two, then with........I even asked honey to buy exclusive releases in the US.

Fortunately, I'm not the only one with the Transformers Fever, i know a couple of people who's on the same predicament as i am. And FYI, these are guy's that are on their 30's.."How i wish that these toys only cost 45 pesos. And again, those were the days".

The Sleeping Giant

Its been so long since i wrote anything in our blog. The last time was when were still with Modblog.

Nothin interesting thats been happening to me lately and its almost been a month since i took the board exam for nursing. Right now I'm doing some catching up with my DVD's. I'm done with Heroes, all 3 seasons of Lost and now I have my eyes on CSI.

Read a lot of books (not to mention the nursing books, hehehe), like the one i bought entitled "Fantasy gone Wrong". There are 16 short stories in total. And all are so hillarious, and puts a twist to all those fairy tales that we've known to love when were still kids.

Im back to playing Magic the Gathering, "again", but I'm not as active as before. Ive also acquired new stuff for my toy collection. Bought some at Toycon 07 last June. Wish had a couple of bucks more, dami ko kasing gusto bilhin.

There so many things that needs to be done. Here's to name a few:

1. Review for my NCLEX exam
2. Save money to buy those Cathay Pacific Flight bags
3. Fix my Miata and Beetle before Owen leaves.
4. Loose weight (I really have to), I think I'm 200 lbs na
5. And most important of all, buy the original Lovers in Paris DVD set (honey is so into it right now). So far, wala akong makita in any of the local video stores.

Nachos and cheese

Snackin' at Target!

Trial mobile blog

It works!

my big fat boy

is celebrating his 29th birthday today!

since it's your 29th birthday, i'll give you my 29 reasons (in no particular order) why i love you so much because...
1. you're so funny you make me laugh so hard especially on most unexpected times
2. you feed me well
3. you love to go places i'd love to see
4. you taught me that the wipers on my windshield can be changed
5. you love my pork sinigang, chicken pork adobo and bicol express
6. you always smell sooo good i can just inhale you all day
7. you laugh at my silliest jokes
8. your massages are to die for
9. you give me hope when everything else seem to fail
10. you never ran out of answers to all my questions
11. you'd get up first and make me breakfast
12. you'll find your way out in the middle of mad edsa traffic just to find me a decent bathroom
13. you taught me how to eat and loooove crabs!
14. you always make sure that i pack well and travel light
15. you don't get mad when i wake you up early in the morning just to annoy you
16. you're the only one i know who can come up with the silliest idea and call it "the solution"
17. you amaze me when you elaborate on things so much that i lose track of my own train of thought
18. you're my nurse when i need one
19. you seem to know a lot of the things i don't know
20. you're so huggable na nakakagigil!
21. you never fail to buy me my pasalubongs
22. you're soo afraid of heights that won't leave my side
23. we both prayed for the ozone layer back in highschool (nerd!)
24. you took "everything under the sun" literally ..bwahahaha!
25. you make me feel like i'm the sexiest woman alive! (bawal tumawa!)
26. you still cry whenever i leave (shhh... secret lang natin yan)
27. you will never ran out of kwento
28. you'd call me right away when you dreamt of something so you won't forget the story in it
29. now i know that you will never pass up on any playstation series just to keep playing tekken with me!

you know i can go on and on and on but i'd stop here and continue on next year :)
i love you! i love you! i love you! kisses and hugssss to you my big fat boy! happy, happy birthday!!

my current lust

ok it's past midnight and i woke with this repeated noise coming out from my mobile phone... it's annoyingly one after the other! i guess roaming and SMS traffic is terrible in hong kong. anyways, i'm still feverish at the moment and i'm scared that my cough might be showing signs of PNA. yikes! i better walk-in to see the doc tomorrow and get myself checked.

_{photo credit: dpreview.com}
now i'm having a difficult time going back to sleep. there are so many thoughts clamored in my head right now. take this camera for instance. i've been lusting over this Canon 400D SLR for the last 3 weeks or so. thinking about it constantly makes it to my i want list for this year! i even drove to Costco and Circuit City for local pricing and to get the feel of it with both of my hands. now, if you know me well, you'd know that i don't usually drive to a store after work hours unless i absolutely have to. i've read so many forums, comments, reviews all about canon and photography hoping to justify why i need it. i know i want it. no doubt about that!

am i actually gonna put it to use? definitely! most especially on our travels.

do i have the budget for it? yes... but not for the lens that i want it with. meantime, i can do with the regular one (18mm-55mm EF-S) that comes with the kit.

do i know how to use it? i'm a rookie in photography but i am a fast learner... especially in learning something that i really, reeeaally want.

do i want to be a pro photographer? no. i want to develop it as a hobby, though. but should people choose to pay me for shooting, then i'm no fool to say no (naks! as if! hahaha!).

what's wrong with the camera i have now? actually, mom owns the Sony that i always use (mom just wanted one to say she has a digicam but doesn't care if she knows how to use it or not... tsk! moms!). it's nice, white and sleek... but it's not mine! and the other Sony that hubby bought many, many years ago (it's soo old i can't even find a photo of it on-line, hehe!) is still trusty sans the bruises it has from being dropped so many times and the battery that rans out real fast! it's a conjugal property so i can call it mine but like i said, it's old.

so technically, i don't have one i can call mine. how sad is that? :(
i think i have just validated good reasons for this future purchase.

hmmm..?!

belated happy v-day!

so how did it go for me and hubby?
well, valentine's day was just another regular day spent at work (for me) while husband is roaming around the streets of hong kong, with mama and titas in tow, for some pre-chinese new year spree. the thought of actually joining them came across me since it will be a straight flight for me coming out of san diego. however, when i searched for ticket prices, there were nothing below a thousand grand! certainly not worth the money and short time to spend. had the idea pushed through, i know i'm gonna beat my own impromptu travel record again in less than a month! hehehe. no way. i'll just reminisce my hong kong moments with hubby in flickr. so, today, day after valentine's, i'm stuck here at home. i had to miss work since the flu has finally caught me.. and here i am thinking i did good not getting sick this flu season... guess i spoke too soon.

so how was my v-day in general? so-so. i'm still having a date with gallons of fluid and romancing my pbook til now.

hope ya'll had a great one... or at least better than mine :)

thailand

One of the best wedding gifts we ever got came from tita/ninang celia. this trip was no surprise to me and honey since this has been discussed way back in december. it's fine to kill the suprise when it comes to gifts such as this, hehe! it was supposed to be a honeymoon gift but turned out to be a family trip of 16 of us! it was fun! fun! fun! thailand weather was not very inviting the entire time we were there. though there were no rains, the sun was madly burning us every single day! now, if you happen to see the photos, pardon the icky hair and washed out shots... the sun was really casting harsh and hard! it was hotter and drier than manila weather. nonetheless, we got to see many places and ate as much thai food (spices and all) that we can ever consume in 5 straight days! the food was great. it was true when tita celia said that it gets better as the trip moves on. although the first restaurant included in our itinerary for dinner sent two of our men in the family to the bathroom minutes after their meal! i guess the spices got to tito mau and alex that quickly. tito mau (proving to be the tough guy that he is!) moved along with all the meals and was able to last the enitre five days of eating thai food. Alex got traumatized so he backed out and had kfc on the second or third day! hehe!

the sojourn continues here

i told my self that i will not give me the right to come back here and start writing again until i transfer to and finish extracting all of our vacation photos from my portable hard drive (a christmas gift from honey!) and put them out into our on-line album. so finally, i finished the whole process just this week! i'm so glad that i was finally able to decongest my didi (my two and a half yo powerbook) and that she can finally "breathe" now that she'd coughed out about a gazillion of files and photos from her hard drive :)

i'd really like to pick up from where i left off but that would mean writing a whole lot of backlogged thoughts, events, emotional roller coaster and so many things in between! so scratch that idea and maybe i can decently come back into scene by simply summing up what we've been up to and where we've been the last 6 months. but i won't do it just yet. definitely not in one shot! i figured the trip to thailand and all the other places deserves separate entry.

9 Manila days
moving on... december found me back in PI to spend holidays with my family once again. i broke my own record (again) this time. my december trip was indeed last minute, much like last november of 2005 (for the wedding preps and honey's graduation) and july 2002 (when honey surprised me saying he has to meet me in toronto... to marry him!).oh, and forget december 2005 since it wat an emergency. and like my other unplanned trips, this time is far more shorter compared to the ones i did: i had 3 weeks for november 2005 and 2 weeks for my civil wedding in july 2002. this time, i was home for 9 (yes. nine! nueve! siyam!) days only. i don't know how i did it. it was the most tiring trip (and did i say shortest?!) i've ever done so far. i had the longest flight going back home which took me about 24 hours (i'm serious!) to reach san diego. usually, i don't feel anything on my travels to PI but excitement... i always get sleepless nights prior to start of my vacation and a complete no sleep the night prior to my departure. but you won't hear me complain a thing. however, i think i'm always "malas" on my flights back. just like this most recent one. when i got booked, they said i'm taking "special" flights--since i can only be away on a very strict time frame-- (to and from) that Korean air offer only on holidays. i had two lay overs. a 7-hour stop at incheon, seoul and a 3-hour stop in narita (my first in japan). and to make it even more depressing, i had to leave on new years eve!! i was hoping to leave on january first (as in daylight, not midnight!) but no flights were available unless i'm willing to stay til the 10th! i thought that was very mean, right? i was sooo sad to find myself inside the airport waiting for my midnight flight while watching the fireworks outside to finish. mean. mean. mean. the other passengers were clapping and ohh-ing and ahh-ing at the sight of every single colorful fireworks. the devil in me wanted to yell "shut up!" at them so badly.

i promised myself i'm not doing it again. i'd do 9-day trips again but not those kind of "special" flights anymore.

so anyway, what did we do with the 9 days i had?

EAT! yes. we ate at nine different places in 9 days! what's up with the number nine, man?!


we had this humongous king crab in schezuan sauce from Crustasia by Red Crab at the Rockwell Powerplant Mall after meeting up with fellow july w@w bride Nikki and her husband Dan


dinner at Zong in Corte de Las Palmas in ATC with the kids, mama and titas... we can never go there without orderng the ever favorito, pan fried chicken encrusted in salted egg, yummm!


lunch at Genji! after a whole day of shopping madness in Greenhills


we actually joined the crowd and stood in-line for some krispy kreme doughnuts and we were intrigued on what the craze was about at Cupcakes by Sonja ... you can find both now sitting wide on our hips!


another big, fat crab experience at the Hula Hula, still at the Westgate in Alabang. Crab Maritess is the bomb!


dinner at Cibo in ATC. nothing too fancy but we loved our pastas!


a late intimate dinner at the Skyline, Vivere Suites. We love this place and making plans to go there has become our habit. This is where we found our musicians for our wedding, The Serenate Strings, and we fell in love with the place eversince! We started collecting their stuffed animals given out together with the drink of the month since 2005 :)... it's always fun going back there, definitely highly recommended!

and lastly...

we ate at Congo grille in SM Sta. Rosa. We were really left with not much of a choice since we were rushing to eat in order to get to the movies in time! food was ok... not really happy, but it was ok. i'd prefer jollibee over that, though, had the line been shorter.

what a lengthy update! just looking back at those food alone makes me want to jump out of the bed and shop for crabs! kahit crab legs lang! but it's 11pm. darn it! ignore hunger and go to sleep.... laters!

coming back to (on-line) life!

weebee mee!

After about five months of hibernation, i've decided to finally give this blog a kick to start off my year!

blog in. blog out.

we've moved here!
please update your tags :)
Happy New Year everyone!!!
see you there!