Quote and Tie (2)

Change is nature. The part we can influence. 

 And it starts when we decide.

from the movie Ratatouille

Staycation Mode On

One of the most awaited long weekends of the year is here already. We've waited for this since after Christmas break right? Okay, I'm not supposed to sound like I'm giddily happy because it's the Catholics' observation of the lenten season, but I think there's no reason to be sad either. You don't need to do things like hurting yourself, check this post from one of the blogs I'm following  but if you think that what Jesus has done more than two thousand years ago, is not enough for you, then go ahead do it!

Meanwhile, as I was saying, the long weekend makes me a bit excited. The staycation includes a general cleaning of our room, a visit to an old friend, reading some books, a few movies on dvd, and on Good Friday is for a church service and watching Senakulo. The rest of the free time is just relaxation (hayahay as my brothers-in-law calls it) or anything whatever me and the husband feel like doing. It probably doesn't sound that exciting to you, but to me, since it is something that's not my normal routine, it is fun! Four days of no work will make me miss the people here in the office, but everyone needs it, right? So there it is. Vacation mode is officially ON. It's five o'clock and I'm heading home! See you!

Ang Ganap

Ay! So this is the ganap. It's been more than two weeks since my last post. Wala kasi akong maisip ma i post. Isinumpa ko pa naman sa biyak na bato na ginawang sangkalan na updated itong blog na ito, kaya eto, may mai post lang ang peg. Inisip ko magsulat ng something about semana santa, pero naisip ko kulang pa ang aking mastery of the subject. Ganurn! :) Speaking of semana santa, eto yung pangalawang pinaka ayaw ko na okasyon noong bata pa ako, unang ayaw ko yung piyesta (hanggang ngayon ayaw ko pa rin). Baket? Kasi walang palabas sa tv, bawal kumain ng friend chicken at hotdog, bawal maligo pag Biyernes Santo, at higit sa lahat bawal daw tumawa. Yung fiesta naman, ayaw ko kasi ang daming lasing na nagkalat sa kalye. At least ngayon medyo naiba na ang takbo ng panahon, meron ng palabas sa tv, hindi na masyadong tahimik ang buong barangay, at hindi naman pala talaga bawal kumain ng hotdog at fried chicken.  Ah, yung piyesta? Mas marami ang lasing, may bonus pang mga adik at snatchers!

At dahil last day of work, vacation mode on na ako dito sa office. Sana nga eh, kaso hindi, may nang stress bigla! Ambowt! Naka line up na lahat ng libro na babasahin ko, nakalista na rin sa utak ko yung staycation plan namin ng asawa ko, nakahanda na ang mga labada, nakabalandra na ang mga kalat na lilinisin, at ang all-time classic na libangan na walang hanggang movie marathon pag wala na talagang magawa. Siguro naman sapat na ang apat na araw dyan!

Ngayon balik ako sa problema ko. Wala akong ma i post, kelangan meron. Dapat meron. Review? Ano re review-hin ko? Yung bago kong paboritong sabon panlaba? Pwede. Quote for the day kaya? Ang dami na gumagawa nun, makikibasa na lang ako ng quotes. Outfit of the day? Pwede, kaya lang ang outfit ko today ay outfit ko rin ulit after one week so mas ideal na i post ko ang outfit for the entire week for the rest of 2013 or WAG NA LANG at all! So I guess tama na ito.

Happy long weekend and have a very blessed vacation slash staycation to all! :)

Song For My Ladies

Sure the song rings a bell because it became a part of a popular shampoo brand tv ad. It's been one of my all-time favorite girl power song that I don't get tired listening (and dancing) to it. It's catchy and the lyrics are just perfect for the modern day women, that's us!  If you happen to be unfamiliar with the song, please read the lyrics below, and, admit it, that woman in the song is YOU! :)

Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield.

I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefined

I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned

Staring at the blank page before you

Open up the dirty window

Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance

So close you can almost taste

Release your inhibitions

Feel the rain on your skin

No one else can feel it for you

Only you can let it in

No one else, on one else

Can speak the words on your lips

Drench yourself with words unspoken

Live your life with arms wide open

Today is where your book begins

The rest is still unwritten

I break traditions, sometimes my tries are outside the lines

We've been conditioned to not make mistakes, but I can't live that way
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself with words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

Watch the video in Youtube

Tony's and Japan

When I was in high school, there’s this store that me and my classmates would always run to whenever we are looking for something that we thought could not be found just anywhere. It’s a general merchandise store owned by a Chinese man named Tony, we called him Toning Intsik (means Tony the Chinese in Tagalog).  Goldfish, medals, trophies, baton, name it, you can buy them there! I went there one time to look for a second hand El Filibusterismo book, then it was Tony himself in the store. I asked “May El Fili po kayo?” (do you have a book El Fili). Tony said “Meron, fowty peso” (yes, it’s forty pesos) while extending his hand that meant I should pay first before he give me the book. My classmate also bought something from Tony, and instead of giving her her change of one peso, he gave her candies instead.  FYI this store is one of the most popular in Binangonan town proper back in the 90’s. I’m not sure if it is still as popular today because I have not been there for ages. It’s a shame because it is my home town, (my parents’ house is around five kilometers from the town proper) and the last time I’ve been there was, I think, six years ago. I should probably go back in there to see how the place looks like at present. I wish Tony is still there.

Meanwhile,  Japan Store 88 has been one of my favorite stores recently. No, I don’t buy a lot of stuff from there, I just love looking around the store as if I’m nag-iimbentaryo (counting for record purposes) of the items. There’s so many cute stuff that’s so tempting to buy, but good thing the practical side of me always prevail (hey, I have always been kuripot!). I had to, in these tough times, money should be spent wisely. Anyway, I took some of the cute items that I found while roaming around the store and here they are:

Cute heart-shaped pillows in different colors. I wanted to buy one for myself but it's too small. I prefer large and puffy pillows around me when sleeping.

Hello Kitty items, there are many of these in the store I'm sure if you are a hello kitty fan, you won't help yourself but add some to your collection. Good thing I love Mickey more than this cat :)

In some business establishments, you would see golden cats waving at you at the entrance or somewhere near the cashier, but this one is really cute. It's as tall as a five year old boy and giving out a peace sign instead of a wave. How nice!

Smokers May Hate Me For This

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate people who smoke. What I hate is the smoke itself. I hate the smell of cigarette smoke, and I hate what it could bring to our health, in short I hate everything about cigarettes! I respect their right to smoke, but I just hope that they also respect people who do not smoke, and people who hate the smell of cigars.  I am not being maarte here, it’s just that the smell gives me a terrible headache that can’t be relieved by a five hundred milligram pain reliever tablet. 

Photo courtesy of Grant Cochrane from www.freedigitalphotos.net

There are smokers wherever I go, and that’s something I have to live with.  Like here in our office, it’s just so ironic that I am side by side with two smokers and I am pretty sure that from this day on, it will always be a part of me making it through the day. Of course they don’t smoke inside the airconditioned office, but I know for sure that they don’t realize that they bring with them the horrible smell of the smoke they puffed outside.  What makes it worse is that the smell lingers on for a little long while, and they don’t think they have any idea of it. I know they don’t mean to bring the smell inside, but how would they know and what could they do? Wash their hands? Chew more breath mints? Spray Lysol all over the place once they get in? And it’s horrible to know that it’s the people around who inhales the smoke that are more exposed to danger than the ones who actually smoke. I think I just have to cover my nose or wear a mask and pretend I have colds.  Right, maybe that's just what I should do!

Crazy Weather Makes Me Crazier

The sound coming from the fan woke me up this morning. It's been hot these past few days. Summer. I dreaded the coming Lenten Season. Husband and I have no vacation plans whatsoever. I hate long no work days because I've left with nothing to do. It makes me think more of my longing to have a child. I have more free time to spend on nothing. Just doing nothing. I hate it. When I'm home and doing nothing, I tend to eat a lot. I get hungry every three hours. Luckily I can burn those calories without exerting so much effort. I'm thankful I got my father's genes of one hundred mph metabolism. Right now, I crave for my comfort foods, this

and this

These are not healthy, but who said comfort food are suppose to be healthy. I'm just taking a break here at work, and I have a mango shake and Oishi Pillows instead.

Back to the weather, it was hot this morning, and ironically at around twelve noon, it rained hard, at least here in Marikina. The rain made me crave for a soup like this:

Then after about an hour, the sun is shining once again! At it remind me that God is a very loving God.

Quote and Tie

"The greatest struggles are not fought on the world's battlefields; they are fought in human hearts as men and women war with pressures within which often defeat them. The real enemies are forces such as fear, worry, inadequacy, inferiority, anger, frustration, and the inability to cope"

 From the book Winning Your Inner Struggles by Harold J. Sala

Celebrity Encounters

She may not be as famous as Marian Rivera or Anne Curtis, but she sure is a very familiar face to all of us, I mean at least to me since I saw her in Aswang. That was in the 90's when this movie with Alma Moreno, who played the young aswang, Manilyn Reynes and Aiza Seguerra and her, the lady in the picture, no, not me, the old woman in the middle. When I saw the movie, there's this one scene that gives me goose bumps even until now every time I remember it. I don't know but I found it so scary. That was the scene when the old aswang was hitting the ground with a walis tingting while the characters played by Manilyn and Aiza was passing by the aswang's home. I can never forget the look on the aswang's face. But anyway, her name is Lilia Cuntapay and I'm so happy to have a picture with her, and she seems like a very kind woman.

Lucy Torres-Gomes has been one of my favorite faces on tv since she became Richard Gomez' other half. When I won tickets to Bench's fashion show featuring Lucy Hale, I was not expecting to see her there. How can I be so stupid not to think about that when she's one of Bench's models? Okay, so were standing in line to the entrance of the SMX Convention Center waiting for our turn to go inside when Lucy Torres with her daughter Juliana walked in right in front of me. Yes, right in front of me! She was like two to three meters away, and I was so stunned and starstruck it was too late to take a picture of her and see what I got, nothing but a bad picture and just the memory of her super beautiful face.

She was actually chatting with the security guard while walking, how nice of her!

It was September 26 2009, while typhoon Ondoy was flooding Marikina and the nearby places, I was at somewhere in Shaw Blvd selling ice cream at Ronald McDonald House Charities Badminton tournament. A lot of companies have participated there and had their respective representatives. Our company did not have any, so we were there to sell ice cream instead and I was the cashier. Meanwhile GMA Network were represented by some celebrities, and I was lucky enough to have pictures with some of them, and I would like to share only one, with AJ Dee because he actually made akbay to me and I was like kilig, like a high school girl. Sorry but I think mas gwapo sya kay Enchong! :)

That's all folks! 

Where Have All The Gentlemen Gone?

Maybe it happens sometimes, but gone are the days where a man would offer up his seat in a full bus or jeepney for you, or let you go first in a line to the cashier in a supermarket  or government offices. Everyday, going to and from places, I take the jeepney most of the time. Sometimes I take the bus and lrt or mrt when going somewhere outside my home Rizal. It has been part of my daily life since 1993 ( I was in first year high school when I started to commute) because I never owned a car as of the moment (can't afford it :))

I still remember the last time I was offered up a seat in a public transportation, and it was some years ago. My husband and I were going somewhere in Manila to buy some stuff for our small business, we took the mrt. I hated taking that train especially on weekdays and during rush hour. I'm sure you understand me if you do take the MRT every single day. My guard! I can't take the awkwardness when someone's armpit is one over a hundred centimeters next to my face! Thankfully that was a weekend and the MRT was not that crowded, so I decided to go with my husband in the male's section of the train. We were standing because all the seats were already taken. When the train was already moving a few minutes later, a man made kalabit (poked a finger at me to get my attention) to me, so I looked at the direction where the kalabit came from, then I saw a man pointing a vacant seat and motioned me to take it. I looked around and found out I was the nearest woman in that seat. So I took the vacant slot and murmured 'thank you' to no one in particular. While sitting, I could not help but analyze what was happening. I asked myself if I looked sick that made those men offered me the seat when they could just take it since I was like four or five steps far and someone nearer could just take it. Maybe I looked sick because I did not have any lipstick on, or maybe because I'm thin. No. I'm thin but I don't look like sick, and maybe I did not wear my Estee Lauder lipstick (which I got for free btw) but I didn't think I looked like a recovering tuberculosis patient. Then I thought would the world end soon that's why people starts to be kind? Ump! But then  I just thought the men were just kind enough and offered me that vacant seat because I'm a lady, the good manner taught by their loving mothers. That small act of kindness made my day! It's been a long time since then, and I thought where have all these men gone?

If you happen to be one of those men, I hope your breed will grow into multitudes! :) God bless all of you!

Pasalubong Features

Summer is here because we can all feel it. And when you're out of town for a vacation, don't forget your family, friends, officemates, and the people you love to buy something for them when you come back. I would like to thank those people who remembered me during their vacations by sharing these photos:

Pastillas de Leche, courtesy of Ate Loida from her vacay at Marinduque (all this time, I thought that her hometown was Marikina).

These peanut candies from Lady during her trip in Cebu.

I don't really know what kind of food is this but it looks and tastes like ampaw, but it's better because it has some nuts in it. This is from Dimple, pasalubong from her Hongkong trip.

Ballpen from South Korea courtesy of Dimple (again)

Keychain and Cadbury chocolates from Sir Albert's Australian trip. I kept some of these keychains as pasalubong and I already have more than ten. 

Dimple traveled a lot and I'm glad she always remembered me, this is keychain from Thailand.

I actually have more than that but I was not able to take pictures of all of them, but I am very thankful that these people brought me something from their trip, it made me really really happy! :) Thanks to these people and I hope to have an addition to my collection of key chains this year! Ahem, to those who will be travelling! :)

My Least Favorite Color

It was not just my least favorite one, but I hated this color so much. It started when I was in college when I saw a guy wearing a purple shirt, the one exactly like the color of puto bumbong, and I thought the color never looked good on a guy, as much as to a young girl. Since then, I never really liked violet, or lavender, or purple, whatever difference they have there, I didn't care.

Just recently, we had a sports fest as part of our company's anniversary celebration. As usual all employees were divided into four teams, and guess what, our team color is lavender. But why did the committee  have to choose lavender along with red, yellow, and green? I don't know, but I think they did something that changed my mind to not to hate this color anymore. When I saw our pictures, I was surprised to see that I don't look bad in that color and the color did not hate me back. Check out the photos below:

Okay, purple/lavender/violet, after more than ten years of hating you,  peace na tayo!

Photo credit: Katrina Guevarra's boyfriend (sorry don't know his name)

Claire's Practical Tips To A Happy Summer

The month of March is fire prevention, international women's and (official or unofficial it might be) the start of the summer season. I'm sure you can feel the heat already. Most of us are excited, with the plans that we have, I know you've been waiting for this. But what if you have all the plan, yet you don't have the budget, or you do have a budget but it's not enough. Well, here's a few things to do during that summer break you've longed for without having to spend your hard earned money:

Tip # 1: Bring your bestfriend along wherever you go.
Isama mo ang best friend mo kahit saan. Mas memorable ang bawat sandali kapag kasama mo ang kahuthutang dila mo, lalo na pag magkamukha kayo, ang saya! Parang ganito:

Tip # 2: Climb a tree and make sure to have your picture taken.

 Umakyat sa puno, kelangan may picture ka, proof na nakaakyat ka sa puno. Kahit puno ng aratiles okay na yun, gandahan na lang ang kuha para magmukhang andun ka sa mataas na part ng puno.

Tip # 3: A jump shot photo of yourself is a must. After ten years when you look at it, it will make you smile.

Huwag kang papayag na wala kang picture na jump shot, lalo na sa tabi ng dagat, parang ganito. Kung malayo ka naman sa dagat, pwede sa palayan, tabing ilog, o ilalim ng puno ng mangga na may bunga (tamang tama in season ang mangga).

Tip # 4: If you can't go to the beach, plant a tree anywhere possible.

Kung wala kang budget pang beach, pwede kang mag tree planting. Nakatulong ka na sa kalikasan, na exercise ka na, at na relax ka pa. Isa ka ng kapaki pakinabang na mamamayan ng ating bansa.

Tip # 5: If you want to go somewhere peaceful and quiet, there's always a cemetery nearby.

Siguradong tahimik at payapa ang sementeryo dahil malayo pa ang undas at lahat nasa bakasyon. Solo mo ang lugar, tamang tama para sa pagmumuni muni.

Tip # 6. If the cemetery is too creepy for you, go to the park instead.

Hindi mo feel ang sementeryo, so Luneta na lang ang choice mo. Presko ang hangin, maraming puno, magdala ka ng food, ayos na. Kelangan may shades ka para cool na cool ang dating mo parang ganyan sa picture. Isama mo buong pamilya mo at kunyari nasa Central Park kayo, dapat maganda outfit para sa picture taking ha :)

Chinese Garden at Luneta park.

Tip # 7. You have all the right to eat those sweet summer food (during summer season only).

Mapa halo halo pa yan, o dirty ice cream man, samantalahin mo na ang panahon na magpakasawa sa mga sweets na love na love mo. Try mo kumain nito everyday for two months, for sure hindi ka na mag ke crave nito hanggang sa susunod ulit na summer.

   

Tip # 8. Last but not the least, after all the sun bathing, and all those outdoor activities, don't forget to pamper your skin.

Nag enjoy ka nga pero haggardo versoza naman ang skin mo, at for sure ayaw mong bumalik ng school or work na panget diba? So go ilabas mo na ang iyong mga diy na facial scrub at treatments for your precious skin.

So, there are my practical tips to enjoy the summer! Sana ay nawindang kayo. Until next summer!

Women On Fire

The month of March is the month for annual observation and education about fire prevention here in the Philippines. Also, in the month of March, is the International Women's Month celebrated and observed in all the nations all over the world. So what does fire have to do with women or vice versa? It's just a coincidence, but still this month reminds me of my favorite kabaro (fellow women) icon of all time. Please let me share it with you some of them:

www.wikipedia.org

Corazon Aquino: aside from being the mother of Kris Aquino, who would forget the housewife that led a revolution? Her soft-spoken and kind spirited nature made the entire nation cried buckets when she died in 2009.  Of course she was not exempted from all those controversies, but leading a nation after the years of dictatorship was not an easy job for a woman who looked far from tough. She deserved all the credits.

www.wikipedia.org

Diana, Princess of Wales. I was in first year college when she died, and it was only then that I learned many things about her though I've seen her face in many magazines and newspapers when I was young. She's been an icon,  and an inspiration to a lot of women despite her not so happy marriage that ended up in a divorce. Leaving two adorable son whom she did a nice job raising well, she's one woman the world will always remember.

www.wikipedia.org

Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Who would not admire this woman? She is a saint to the Catholics, but to the people she helped, she was probably an angel in that white robe. "The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway" is my favorite quote from her. Don't you just wish that the world would have more people like her? I do.

www.wikipedia.org

Aretha Franklin. I'm not from her generation but I love listening to her songs. Every woman who wants to learn how to sing know and adore her. There have been many singers who sang their own version of Aretha's songs, but nothing beats the original. I guess no one can ever take the place of the Queen of Soul.

www.wikipedia.org

J.K. Rowling. Because of her inspiring life story and Harry Potter books. I don't need a lot of explaining, do I?








There you go, five of my favorite women icon in the whole wide world! Happy Women's Month to all my kumares!