Tuesday, October 14, 2008
I was waiting for Shaider to rescue me, but he never came....
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Going Bananas
I heard this on an AM show while driving on my way to work. I think it was Aiza Seg...err, I mean Arnold 'Igan' Clavio's show. Of course Im going to narrate it in my own kikay way...
One day, two bananas are having meryenda and were bragging about how sweet they are.
Latundan said, "Despite my size, I am very sweet".
Hindi naman nagpatalo si Lacatan, so he said "I am bigger and even sweeter!".
Narinig ni Saba ang conversation. He felt insecured and sorry for himself. Nag-emote ito. He walked away slowly and did not join the 2 other bananas.
On his way home, nasalubong nya si Brown Sugar who immediately noticed Saba's sadness.
Concerned about Saba, Brown Sugar inquired "Why are you sporting a sad face? What's bothering you?"
"I feel bad. I am fat, short and not sweet", sabi ni Saba.
Brown Sugar melted and told Saba "It does not matter if you are sweet or not, the important thing is how you make others feel special".
Tapos Brown Sugar and Saba hugged each other habang tumutugtog ang kantang Total Eclipse of the Heart.
At eto ang madramang alamat ng Banana Cue.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Fish Be With You
Yep. There is. Why not? It's a sport! Huh?
So on July 12, we were up at 5am and trooped to Mexico, Pampanga to cheer (is it the right term? we're supposed to be quiet so we dont scare the fishes away) for Jason and his friends. I figured if Eone and myself were there, he'd be more inspired to catch those fishy.
Well, I was wrong.
Jason and 3 of his colleagues were all newbies in the competition arena (except for Alex, kinorek ako ni JPN), so it's not that disappointing that none of them won...hindi nga sila nakahuli e. As the famous cliche' goes "Charge it to experience nalang". Yeah, and the charge is quite steep for Php400 joining fee, gasoline and toll fee. Mwehehe.
On the better side, Lakeshore is a good venue to do practice photography, so I took lots of shots (and deleted those that I didn't like). I was pretty amazed as to how good my Sony Cybershot is, I realized perhaps I don't need to get a DSLR. Sabi nga ni Ruby, "wala sa cam yan, nasa photographer yan". Oo nga.
It was also the first time Eone went on a picnic with Jason's officemates, and I was happy she went along with them pretty well. She even attempted to go fishing with Tito Ton, played with Liam and entertained them with her dance numbers. Showbiz! Pwede na!
After this experience, I'm glad they have decided to just stick to Coloong whenever they feel the itch to fish. It's a fish pond so the chances of not catching anything is next to zero. There are also fresh fishes caught from the usual lambat up for grabs at only Php65 a kilo.
No pawis pa.
Friday, July 11, 2008
RSVP 101
RSVP is Répondez s'il vous plaît, a French phrase that translates to "reply, if you please.". It is with this meaning that invitation cards and similar documents are often marked with "R.S.V.P." It is standard practice to reply to an RSVP request whether confirming attendance or declining. (thanks to Wiki *wink)
Having thrown numerous parties in this lifetime, I have been witness to the pitfalls of RSVP (or should I say – the pitfalls of people who ought to know RSVP?)
The Best: You confirmed your attendance, you actually came, and you arrived on time! Wooohooo! Thank you!
The Good: You'd rather be somewhere else other than the party, and you were decent enough to tell the host you are not coming. Clap your hands!
The Bad: You have no plans of going and you don’t care if you leave the host wondering if you will show up or not.
The Ugly: Confirmed you will attend (sure, we will be there :-) with a smiley pa!) and then you don’t show up.
The Foul & Ugly: You said you will attend, you didn't show up, and you didn’t even bother to tell the host you are not coming anymore. No apologies for not making it, not a tinge of regret at all for making someone wait.
Familiar? Common? The usual?
The point I am driving at is that RSVP is not a decoration; it's not to make the invites more appealing or to announce to everyone the host/hostess' phone number. It's there for a purpose. Whether the guest doesn’t know what RSVP means or just plain rude is beyond me. All I am saying is that if one cannot attend the event be kind enough to inform the host.
We are in the 21st century, and technology is super efficient in making RSVPing a ton
easier. It's not like you have to walk 3 kilometers or use an owl to send your "I’m sorry I cannot come". It just takes a few thumbwork to send an sms, a click of a button to send an email. I don’t think that will send anyone huffing and puffing and sweating?
I hope when people get an invitation to a party, they immediately think that the host did not send that out of whim, tables have been reserved, not the entire barangay were invited, and YOU were invited because you are someone special to the host.
Kung El Shaddai prayer meeting ito, keri lang diba? Libre entrance sa Grandstand.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
HBD Little Girl
Friday, July 04, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Singapura for Roti Prata
There is nothing extra-ordinary in this trip. I went to Clarke Quay for the first time (even though I was in Singapore for 4 weeks last year) and watched as people get thrown up in the air by the Sling Shot ride. There was also this bar called Clinic where guests have to sit on a wheelchair and sip drinks through an IV drip.
I also saw again Jeffrey, had dinners and strolled around Orchard Road with him. Roslyn also joined me and Jeff for dinner Friday night before I went to Changi Airport.
The quest for the very much coveted DSLR three hours before my flight was also unremarkable. I failed to buy the cam because I forgot whether Jing wants the D80 or 80D, which turned out to be different models of different brands! (Thanks for not answering my calls while I was in the store to get the cam, you saved me SG$2000, hehehe).
I took the last flight out of Singapore Friday that same week so I can be reunited with my little girl by 4am Saturday. It seems silly, but to me every minute matters when it comes to Eone. Since I was a fool for not staying for the weekend to relax a bit and perhaps do some shopping so, everything was bought on the last minute causing me to almost miss my flight. I was still in Takashimaya at 930 pm and my plane leaves at 12AM. With only 2.5 hours to spare, I had to go back to Hilton, pack my bags, check-out, and get to the airport. Whew!
On the other hand, it was a good decision not to stay for the weekend. I saved myself from the horrific 'excess baggage' fees which I am sure I would incur again had I stayed on. My luggage was already 21 kilos and I have not been on full blast shopping mode yet!
So I have nothing very significant to share about this trip to Singapore, except this video of how to make a Roti Prata (took it from a food kiosk selling roti prata at Food Republic in Wisma Atria). It tastes good, really. Just forget the guy who makes it. Enjoy!
Friday, June 06, 2008
Confessions of a Makeup Junkie
I confess, I am an addict.
I'm addicted to makeups, perfumes and other girl stuff. I fantasize about lip shimmers, bronzers and moisturizers. Lotions, creams, bath gels...name it, I most likely got one in some of my transparent plastic boxes securely locked inside my closet. Yes, I do lock my facial foam while I leave my jewelry and money on my work desk.
What I have are mostly gifts and pasalubong from balikbayan friends and relatives. Some were given as birthday and Christmas presents. Every occasion, it's the most common 'surprise' that pops up when I unwrap gifts and open boxes. Of course there were a 'few' that I bought from one of my trips abroad (and from Megamall).
Sometimes when I look at my stash, I feel a tinge of guilt knowing that if converted to precious Pesos, all my abubot could easily feed 10 families for a month. I know a lot of women who spend way way too much on clothes and make-ups. It was written a few years ago that Gretchen Barreto's make-up alone costs more than Php 1M. So compared to other women, my makeup spending is just coins in their piggy bank. (Well, artista naman sila, artista ba ako?)
On the contrary, I am not the typical addict who refuses to part ways with any of their 'stuff'. I do give some away; at the spur of the moment when a sister, a cousin, an aunt or a friend sweetly asks... she will more likely get one of my beloved stuff. I do believe that everything on earth is temporary, and since I cannot bring these cosmetics, perfumes, lotions, moisturizers, creams and whatnots with me in the afterlife, I would rather that they are enjoyed by myself and my love ones before the products or us (knock on wood) expire. Like recently when I got this gift from a good friend who visited from Guam, I only got to keep one Burt's Bees lip shimmer - the rest went to my 2 sisters and Ate Maris, my youngest aunt.
It's hard to explain and make one understand why women need all these beauty products. When I say it's not for vanity's sake, no intelligent human being will believe me. Simply put, there are things that only daughters of Eve will ever understand.
That we can never be content with just one set of makeup
That there's got to be three, or two layers of eyeshadow at the very least
That lipstick looks better if topped with a lipgloss
That foundation is sometimes a cake, a gel, a stick or liquid
That dusting powder is for the face and not for the floor
That hair color needs to be retouched every 3 weeks
That shoes and bags should match
That expensive skin care products are called investments (yeah, like mutual funds!)
Oh how I love these excesses and I am soooo wanting to acquire more, but I am not gonna pawn my watch just to get a fresh tube of lip gloss. (Little Sister said only because I love watches too!).
So now you know why I am called Kikay.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Adults Say The Darnest Things
All grown-up now and 95% less gullible, I realized it was so foolish of me to believe these eccentric stories; that there are several variations to each and; that children from all walks of life have been told one or more of these tales.
It makes me laugh now because I know we all have, somehow, at one point, been duped!
1. When a child refuses to eat, during the night his soul will get hungry. It will get out of his body and scan through the pots in the kitchen, hoping to find a meal. Once the soul is able to open a pot, he will get in and eat. Then, early in the morning the maid will put back the pot cover thereby effectively trapping the child's soul until it suffocates to death.
2. When you get wounded and you refuse to have it cleaned and treated, all the food you eat will come out of that wound (yes, even your favorite chicken lollipop!)
Or if you scratch the now-healing-so-it-is-itchy-wound, a train will come out of it. (I
wonder, is it the MRT?).
Another variation is that a priest will come out of the wound. I certainly hope it's not the Pope!
3. The most effective way to prevent a child from swallowing seeds when eating fruits is to
warn him that the seed will grow inside his tummy and leaves will sprout out of his ears.
4. Dont bathe after 3PM (the time of Jesus' death) on Good Friday. I will be as if
you are bathing with the blood of Christ.
5. When there is a drizzle and the sun is shining warm and bright, it means there's a
tikbalang (half horse, half man) being wed to a (not necessarily pretty) human. Children should not go out and play to keep the wedding solemn.
6. The first time a girl gets her period, she should wipe her face with her (bloodied)
panties or else pimples will grow all over her face. Very, very unhygienic! I think this was 'invented' by a man!
7. If you sleep with a wet hair (or right after bathing), you'll be blind when you wake up. (Why can't they just say that if we sleep with a wet hair, the pillow will get wet! LOL)
8. If you skip a meal, your large intestine will eat your small intestines.
So, what fooled you when you were little?
Monday, May 05, 2008
Phuket, lovelier the second time
Now after over two years, I am back for a 5-day retraining project for Millennium Resort Phuket. The hotel is huge; two buildings housing over 400 rooms. The main come-on is Jungceylon (a shopping mall and entertainment complex) which is right smack in-between the two buildings of the hotel. By the way, the hotel and mall's owner are one and the same. Clever! (and oh so rich)...
Anyway, since I am staying only for a week, I've decided to make the most of it. I'm situated in the middle of everything so I might as well enjoy. In retrospect, it's crazy to compress all the pasyal in one week (strictly after 6pm), when two years ago I have 3 weekends to spend as I please. Plus, back then I have someone to tag along (and take my pictures!).
So immediately after second day of training, I went to see the famous Patong Beach. It's beautiful; the white and super fine sand is amazing. I really regret not buying a DSLR before this trip. Anyway, despite the beauty of this beach, I think the beaches in Philippines are far better. I have never been to Boracay, but from the pictures, I would say it is twice as beautiful. But hats off to Thailand for the huge budget allotted to tourism. It's working wonderfully well for them - tourists are everywhere spending green moolah on hotel, food, booze (and prostitutes, hehehe).
On my walk back to the hotel, I saw Bangla Stadium. And when you see a boxing stadium in Thailand, immediately what comes to your mind is Muay Thai. Knowing Jason loves Muay Thai, I had to tell him right away and feign excitement too (like I saw Brad Pitt) as I speak so he would turn green with envy. How evil! In fairness, for sure he would love to come with me here, but had to stay behind for little Eone.
As to shopping and food, what is here that is not in Manila? Absolutely nothing. So I thought I'd buy absolutely nothing too. Haha. No, I had to get something for my little girl, (at least) to compensate for 6 days of being away from her. Then there's Boots No.7 Soft and Soothe toner for Redjeulle which, ironically, cannot be found in Manila. Why, Rustan's, why?
My only complain about going anywhere in Thailand is the language. Only a handful speaks english, and that's not even good english. It makes training a nightmare! I had to resort to drawing most of the time, and I am NEVER good in drawing. Sometimes, it's like playing charades, no kidding! One instance, a trainee wants to go to the toilet and had to ask to be
excused. She waved her hand, pointed at her groin and said "Teacher, teacher, I pee-pee!". Hilarious!
By the way, if in future anyone plans to go to Phuket, please do not take Bangkok Airways which is supposedly Asia's Boutique Airline. It bounced like a kangaroo when we landed. Made me wonder where they train their pilots as they all seem to have been former jeepney drivers! I heard too that it's quite expensive to fly Bangkok Airways (I didn't pay for my airfare, as usual); they have a passenger lounge which serves buffet food, provides internet and comfortable waiting area for all their passengers. Yes, all, regardless of seat class.
Oh the joys and pains of travelling. More joys than pain, it's true. But for me, who cares about fine white sand and magnificent sunset over a blue-green beach? If Im away from my family, nothing would be truly lovely. I would still prefer to just stay in Manila and do regular office stuff. At the end of the day I'll be with the warm embraces of my Eone, eat adobo and watch soap before I sleep.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Monday, March 03, 2008
Chocolate Fondue 101
whengkay: gusto mo kumain ng masarap
whengkay: puta magpagod ka
rubyle: wala bang nabibili na tunaw na?
rubyle: all along akala ko ilalagay ko ng bloke bloke yung chocolate sa fondue pan
rubyle: shet. ignorance.
whengkay: wala
whengkay: GAGAH masisira ANG FOUNTAIN KAPAG GINAWA MO YUN
whengkay: kpag nga meron buo buo na choc na napahalo
whengkay: nag s-stop ang motor ng fountain
rubyle: inutil ang fountain
whengkay: me fountain ka na
whengkay: choc nalang ang kulang mo
whengkay: bongga na yan
whengkay: madali lang yan
whengkay: gusto mo ilagay mo isang malaking ziplock bag ang chocolate
whengkay: tapos punta ka ng saudi
whengkay: tapos ilagay mo sa gitna ng street sa saudi
whengkay: tunaw ang chocolate
whengkay: tapos ilagay mo sa thermos
whengkay: tapos uwi ka na sa pinas
whengkay: party time!
Buti nalang hindi ako cooking instructor. Hehehe.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
I went to Sri Lanka but it's like I've never been there...
1. Military men. Dark, heavily armed, and sweaty (and perhaps smelly) on the look for suspicious characters. They gave me long and hard stares probably not because I look like a member of LTTE, but because they have never seen a Filipina before?
2. Held my breath many many times in the elevator, offices, conference rooms, and public restrooms. I learned to how grasp one big breath of air and hold it 'til I reached my 29th floor room. After that, I'd curse for 10 good minutes the daot who sent me here.
8. Gagged and came very very close to barfing. No explanation needed.
9. The impressive Katunayake Airport. It's not as breathtaking as Changi or Hong Kong International Airport, but it's way better and bigger than NAIA. If our 'leaders' will stop shopping for luxury cars out of the taxpayers money, Philippines will have a chance to having a nice airport too.
10. Learned that every full moon is a public holiday in Sri Lanka. Geez, that's 12 days a year already. Add up the other public holidays they celebrate and it will be close to 30 non-working days. Whew, they are sooo lucky. I should let my bosses know about this...they actually think Philippines has the most number of public holidays (with 12 days, we're not even close to Sri Lanka!)
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
I Saw the SIGN!
I am lucky to have been gifted a job which allows me to travel to many destinations for free - staying and dining in fancy sometimes 6-star hotels. Surprisingly and ironically, I am not so enjoying it since I am by myself and I miss my family though the trips are only for 3 weeks sometimes 4.