Another Non-Sense Post

I recently updated my blog layout and make sure it fits the description of my blog. Then I realized for almost one year of writing here I haven't posted or had a follow up on my shopaholic nature... Well I will try my best to put some of my kikay side here.

For now I would like to post my favorite high-heels I used to wear in my previous office. :)


My J-Lo pink lace shoes I bought last May at Rustan's Fire Sale. Who would have thought it was only P480.00 pesos ;) I got lucky that day!

Spontaneous Trip

Last long weekend was a fun one, though I never planned any vacation (Undas pa naman). I was looking forward on sleeping my favorite room and counting the list of books I want to read during vacation when my HS friend texted me she wanted to go out with us due to pressure from work. I was gladly to accept her invitation with our other friend. My friend wanted us to have an spontaneous trip. Be it in Cebu, Dumaguete, Subic, Baguio… anywhere as long as far from their house. But since it's a long weekend and "Undas" season we couldn't even pass-by from the horrendous traffic in the SLEX. All flights are fully-booked and the next date available is November 2 (Kamusta naman yun). We tried checking bus reservations going to North (Ayun kamusta rin naman yun). We ended up pigging out at Stackers Mckinley. Akala ko naman kung anong meron sa Mckinley because I heard a lot of nice things na it’s a nice place to hang-out yun pala wala lang. As in WALA! Much better pa if we went to Eastwood or spend the day at Nuvali in Sta. Rosa, there we can rent a boat and have fun plus drown ourselves to coffee and pastries. :P

Part of our itinerary in Mckinley is to visit the creepy museum entitled "Myth of the Human Body" but since we didn't know the direction (partida may sasakyan pa yan!) and we end up again to another horrendous traffic along Fort Bonifacio area. Since it will be a long line of traffic and already 7:00PM we decided to go to Alabang Town Center for a stroll and coffee. It would have been fun if we reached the museum because it would be fit for the season of Halloween :)

When we reached Alabang Town Center, we ended up doing window shopping. Unexpectedly, we end up buying expensive tsinelas from All Flip-Flops because of sale (minsan lang mangyari every year) and proceed to our ATC goal to drink coffee and have a long chat.

Well, despite the fact that our original plan did not push through I still had lots of fun with my HS friends. I love talking with them and have the best time. I always miss them. Being in mid-20's is difficult (not to mention the dreaded quarter life crisis) but having friends like them made me want to thank our Lord. They are the source of my joy and the one who knew most of my plans. Kung wala sila for sure windang ang pagkatao ko. I remembered I suggested to my HS friend na itago nalang natin sa letrang L, I want to work in abroad in due time. Ito sinabi ang mga nya na natawa ako:

Me: Gusto ko magwork sa abroad. Mas malaki sweldo dun
L: Gaga, hwag! Paano kita tatawagan at pupuntahan kung nasa ibang lupalop ka na! Mahal ang long-distance!
Me: Hello pag andun naman ako libre accomodation nyo pag nagbakasyon kayo. O di ba trip to abroad! Haha
L: Wala ako pakialam noh! Isa pa pano kita susugurin sa bahay nyo kung MIA ka. Bruha ibang level ang saya pag kumpleto tayong tatlo.

So there I came to think that when I leave, they are one of those persons close to me that I will miss badly.

To my HS friends L and I, you are one of my most treasured friends.

Random Crazy Thoughts

1. Looking for a job as a travel show host… I'm always drooling while watching National Geographic and Discovery channels on travel episodes

2. Wants to move abroad… Iceland, New Zealand, Sweden (asa ka pa!), Norway, Scotland, Finland. Places that nobody knew me and nobody does even care. It's nice to get some place where you can start without all the pakialameros in life!

3. Sometimes I want to color my hair RED and have it curled :P

4. If I had huge money, I will go try backpacking trip in Europe…

5. If I had the power to be invisible, I want to try it for a week and see how it feels

6. For once, I would like to pull the fire alarm for no apparent reason

7. I want to shop till I drop for one whole day without thinking the price tags

8. Want to try that bungee drop at Danao Forest Park in Bohol… (I dunno how I'm going to manage it since I freaked out in incredulous heights

9. Play hooky for a day… go to a beach and have fun not thinking about tomorrow or future

10. Sometimes I want to put hex on those people who irritated me most… (but of course this is just a cheap talk and I have no guts to do it since I am scared of KARMA)

11. I want to buy blue and red contact lens and wear them

12. Chocolate and potato chips bingeing! (Hello UTI, Diabetes and Obesity!)

13. Travel some place (beach, city, historical monument) on my own without anybody knowing it

14. Travel the whole NCR using the trains as the only mean of transportation. Hello MRT and LRT

15. Plan my dream wedding even though I'm not yet engaged… How about those brochure packages outside the country??? Teehee!

My All Saint's Day Short Story

This is kinda late post since All Saint's Day and All Souls day had already passed. I just want to share a piece of story…

During November 1 and 2, people are busy going to cemeteries to visit their dead loved-ones and relatives. When in cemetery people are cleaning, weeding and painting the graves of their departed loved-ones. We also do the same minus the part where people are having a blast by partying, drinking and feasting on the graves during All Saint's day. People remember November 1 and 2 as the day of the dead and the day to commemorate the memories of the departed ones.

My Lolo Dolfo never fails to visit the grave of my Lola Laling (his wife) during All Saint's Day. My Lola passed away due to diabetes complication and left us March of 1999. But since then my Lolo never fails to visit my Lola's grave. My Lolo regularly visit my Lola's grave from the day after we buried her to the present, everyday for eleven years. Few absences of my Lolo's attendance to the cemetery is because from his illness but other than that, every afternoon my Lolo is already carrying few candles to light and the flowers my Lola likes when she was alive. One distant memory I remembered was when I went to cemetery with him on one balmy afternoon (that was May 2006, more than 3years since my last vacation), my Lolo was so animated and talking to my Lola's grave that he was proud that I am already a grown-up. My Lolo also said that if Lola was still here she would be proud of me too.

If other people are squeezing themselves on visiting their dead loved-ones on November 1, my Lolo has other ideas. He believes that commemorating my Lola's memories doesn't happen on one specific date or day, it should happen everyday.


What's the summary of my story? I witness true love from my Lolo's great gesture of true love to my Lola even she left us eleven years ago.

My Lolo and Lola who I loved so dearly

Weird Feelings

Lately I'm having these weird feelings... Imagine, I cried when my sibling told me that her gf of three years broke up. O di ba ako daw ang affected to think wala naman akong kinalaman sa relationship nila. Siguro I just feel bad for my sister. We're not that close when we were growing up but just recently we became close and open to each other. She's the only sister I have so whatever hangups we encountered we were there for each other.

Then lately I had these mood swings... this must be the medicines I'm taking. Sometimes I feel down then the next things get better...

Buti nalang I got these message from FB:

"that you are blessed. You may think you have challenges, but you have so many blessings. Sometimes it only takes moments of concious effort to recognize those blessings. Once you focus on the gifts instead of the problems, your whole perspective will change and you will see blessings everywhere"




Is this message telling me I've been too uncontented despite the pouring blessings from God? Siguro nga... Naku Lord, sorry na po. I should be thankful for all the great things you gave to me. I've been too reklamadora for the past few weeks but I will try my best at everything. Baka magtampo na rin si Padre Pio at St. Claire because I am not thankful of the things I've asked for them. I will focus on my goals and hopefully the great 2010 of my life will continue on the coming 2011

Late Bloomer

I always admit I am a late bloomer when it comes on some stuff. Sometimes people are raving for their favorite restaurant, music, books and travel destinations, and I am sooo clueless what they were talking about… the only thing I am not a late bloomer is that I am up-to-date when it comes to current events and showbiz news (kaya nga nabansagan ako sa previous office namin na ako daw si Ms. PEP eh :P)

Thinking about it I am not so affected but sometimes I can't help but laugh at my cluelessness and for being naïve… And then while listening to John Mayer's "Waiting for the World to Change" I realized, I've been too late to like some things people liked earlier pa in their lives :P

Ok so why I am writing it here now??? Wala lang, I just want to list it down here and see how late I've been to join the fray of fans and favoritism

On Music
○ Before I don't like John Mayer's songs and Alicia Keys… currently, I had copies of their album in my IPOD and cellphone memory. They are also my most played pop song.

○ I also don't like Lady Gaga. I found her too weird for words and kinda scary to be honest, pero ngayon nakiki-RARARA Bad Romance na ako and singing Just Dance and Poker Face

○ I'm no fan of country music. But when Taylor Swift created an album and I saw it on MTV, my perspective on country music changed

○ During 1990's I don't like listening much to alternative… but years later, I built a huge collection of alternative songs and albums from Collective Soul, Incubus, Limp Bizkit, Nine Inch Nails, Smashing Pumpkins, Blink 182, Smash Mouth, Sugar Ray, Third Eye Blind, Offspring, Arkana, Nirvana and even Metallica… I never thought I will be a Rock and Alternative fan.

On Books:
○ My late addiction to Twilight Saga… but this was soooo 2008. I just remembered that I scoured all parts of Manila bookstores (that includes National Bookstore, Powerbooks, Fullybooked and even those not so known bookstores in Recto) just to get a single copy of Twilight book. Thank God a previous officemate of mine referred me to newly-opened Fullybooked branch beside Edsa Shangrila hotel and nobody knows they got huge stocks of books! After a week of my visit, I was able to purchase the next three copies…. Talk about weird addiction to the storyline!

○ Been hearing a lot of raves about Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella… got to read the book before the movie adaptation is shown. Then I didn't knew that tabi-tabi in Recto are selling new copies of the book series for a cheaper prices. I only found out when I purchase Sophie Kinsella's other chic-lit books :P

○ Haruki Murakami book, Kafka on the Shore…. A lot of my officemates is saying that his books are good and I got to scored one copy while browsing on the sale section of National Bookstore. I am still clueless why it is a best-seller… No offense to Haruki's book lovers but I can't finish it reading… Two months after and it was left in my night table still on Chapter 2… Nakiuso lang ako pero late pa rin :P

○ Nicholas Sparks novels. I got this love-hate relationship with Nick Sparks books, some are good especially the original copies of "A Walk To Remember" and "The Notebook". I got to read the book two years after movie adaption for The Notebook and A Walk To Remember was shown on the cinemas. Then I don't like some of the novels where the protagonist/s died at the end of the novel. :P Siguro ayaw ko lang ng may namamatay at gusto ko happy ending palagi

Books that I still did not read as of this moment: Harry Potter Series, Lord of the Rings and Neil Gaiman series until now I still don't have the urge nor the interest :P

On Movies:
○ I am late watching these movies:

○ Salt
○ Here Comes the Bride
○ One More Chance - really clueless why Popoy and Basha were so talked over during coffee dates, mall hopping, tours and even while riding in the bus
○ My Sassy Girl Korean version - 5 years late watching this
○ John Q
○ Inside Man
○ Italian Job
○ My 50 First Dates
○ Avatar - I just don't get it why it was tagged as one of the good movies… I am not a fan of fiction

On Travel:
Kinda loser on going to these beautiful places…
○ Bohol - been dying to go here forever but cannot find any travel buddy

○ Boracay - feels like I'm the one left out not visiting this place

○ Cebu - Isa pa to… seems near yet so far :P

○ Vigan/Laoag - it was sooooo far and still looking for travel buddy

On TV Shows:
○ I am late watching Glee. People are already fawning for Glee series and I am still kind of clueless. Thank God for the pirated DVD series and I was hooked instantly

○ CSI series, when I watched it, it was already season 7 for Las Vegas and season 3 for CSI NY

Work-Life, Life-Work Balance...

We spend most of our time weekly on working and sometimes it is frustrating when you are stressed, pressured and simply over worked at the office and notice that most of the time you never get to go out with friends or family. I must admit, during the first two years of working, I am enjoying a lot and then more and more responsibilities came and priorities were reset.

I found a great article at US News on how to survive on worst work days. I find it interesting and helpful and would really like to put it here as part of my guide while working :)

50 Tips for Surviving Your Worst Work Days
By Karen Burns

1.Don’t promise what you can’t deliver.
2.Learn to manage your emotions, instead of letting them control you.
3.Cultivate a sense of humor.
4.Resist perfectionism.
5.Resist micromanaging (of yourself and others).
6.Get the sleep you need.
7.Try getting to work 10-15 minutes early.
8.Take regular breaks.
9.Take a walk at lunch, or do some stretching exercises, or jumping jacks, or something.
10.Don’t overdo the caffeine.
11.Don’t skip breakfast or lunch.
12.Learn to recognize symptoms of stress (anxiety, headache, anger) so you can nip it in the bud.
13.Make some friends/allies at work
14.Talk about your stress, to somebody.
15.Pay attention to your breathing; slow it down, deepen it.
16.Post family photos (or other images that make you happy) in your workspace.
17.Focus on the now (i.e., don’t agonize over the past, don’t fret over the future).
18.Take some alone time.
19.Find harmless ways to vent; e.g., cry, or punch a pillow.
20.Vary your routine.
21.Stop trying to multitask.
22.Remind yourself of what’s really important in life.
23.Beef up your skills; become better and faster at what you do.
24.Make sure you truly know what is expected of you (you may need to talk to your boss).
25.Try looking at situations from different points of view.
26.Seek work that suits your personality.
27.Learn to say “no.”
28.Always have a fallback plan (a “Plan B”).
29.Get better organized.
30.Clean up workspace clutter.
31.Stop procrastinating.
32.Make your workspace as ergonomic as you can.
33.Wear clothes that are comfortable and that you look good in.
34.Try some “positive affirmations.”
35.Learn to manage your boss.
36.Meditate/pray/contemplate.
37.Avoid negative people as much as you can.
38.Write down the things you like about your job.
39.Make a list of all your achievements in the last year.
40.Get clear on your life goals and take a step, no matter how small, toward those goals every day.
41.Learn to love yourself as you are.
42.Put a smile on your face.
43.Get a hobby that makes you happy.
44.Learn to prioritize. Learn to delegate.
45.Stop comparing yourself to others.
46.Ask for help when you need it.
47.Break big jobs into bite-size pieces.
48.Know your limitations and let others know them too.
49.Don’t try to control what is uncontrollable.
50.Hang in there!

Source

Additional from me, take at least 10 deep breaths and 5 minutes rest when things seems to be out of control... it really helps! :)