Mga Kababawan

There are some small things that I need but never got around to buying/getting them. That's why I was so pleasantly surprised when one of my officers gifted me with a placemat and a bunch of post-its. I guess he heard me going about needing those stuff (he's my seatmate after all. Hehe).

We got a lot of wonderful stuff this Christmas. Our first Christmas as a married couple. Really great.

I'm supposed to start packing for our trip tomorrow. I don't know where to start!

Sayang ang Miles

As Leo and I forsee that we will be doing a lot of travelling next year, we're going to get Miles membership. We're choosing between Asiamiles, Mabuhay Miles and Worldperks.

As my credit card is affiliated with Asiamiles, I'll surely get that so I can convert my credit card rewards points to miles. Come to think of it, we might be getting membership for all! However, my concern here is that my passport is still under my maiden name. Can I just wait to apply until I renew my passport? Or can I apply now and just renew later?

Any suggestions from the well-traveled group?

Merry Christmas!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1686083153

May the Christmas season bring peace and joy to our hearts, remove all our fears, worries and anger and replace them with courage, confidence and love. Merry Christmas!

All the best,
Leo and Sunshine

Merry Christmas!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1686083153



May the Christmas season bring peace and joy to our hearts, remove all our fears, worries and anger and replace them with courage, confidence and love. Merry Christmas!

All the best,
Leo and Sunshine

Taylor Hicks Live in Manila!

I saw the ad last Sunday. I've been a fan of Taylor Hicks since Season 5 but I had no plans on going to this one. With the workload that I have, good luck on being able to leave early.

However, Tita Rosa sent me a text telling me that she just saw Taylor Hicks rehearsing across Glorietta 4. She kept on texting me until I gave in. At 630, I called it a day, packed up and walked towards Glorietta 4. It's not as easy as I thought as I was carrying 3 big bags--what I do for Taylor Hicks.It will definitely be faster than trying to get a cab during rush hour.

Tita Rosa managed to get a table at Superbowl where they have a clear view of the stage right across G4. Taylor Hicks took the stage at around 7pm. I wanted to scream when I saw him but it would freak out the other diners. I just ate, barely tasting what I ate, while watching him across the street. Unfortunately though, we can't hear him.

I quickly finished my dinner and walked across the street. What I would give to have my camera with me so I could at least take a picture of him. Man, he could really sing! Maybe why he did not make it as big as Daughtry or Carrie Underwood is that is songs are not mainstream. His style is more of Ray Charles and it's not popular to the pop generation.

It was great seeing and hearing him live, more of it's free!      

Haagen-Dazs Craving

I've been craving for Haagen-Dazs Dulce de Leche ice cream the whole weekend. I gave in and ate two scoops last Saturday at MOA. It does not help that there's a Haagen-Dazs stall at ATC where I'm picked up by the driver every night before I go home. I have to fight the urge to buy a scoop or two whenever I pass by the store.

I told Leo that if/when I get pregnant, that ice cream will definitely be in my cravings list. He should have enough money to buy at least a pint of the delectable yummy ice cream (600/pint!!!). He said it's ok as long as it will last me a month. I disagreed. It will last me a week the most!

All the while, I thought Dulce de Leche was a Filipino-inspired flavour. Apparently, it's inspired by Latin America's treasured dessert. It's a delicious combination of caramel and sweet cream with swirled ribbons of gold caramel. Aaarggggh!!!!

Departure for Bangkok

Start:

Dec 28, '07 5:00p

The Golden Compass

I haven't watched the movie yet but it's something that hubby and I will watch soon.In the meantime, I checked my own daemon. I laughed when I saw it was a gibbon. Would you agree?

One Night in Bangkok

Actually, it's 4 days and 3 nights.

My hubby and I are going to Bangkok on the 28th of December and we'll be back just in time for the New Year's Eve festivities. We've always wanted to go out of the country together and this will be our first time. It's also my first time on a big plane in 20 years (not counting local flights)! We already bought a Lonely Planet book and Leo has started reading up on places where we will do the tourist thing. Can't wait for that.

On another happy note, Leo gave me my birthday/Christmas present. It's something out of my wish list! A Nintendo DS! Yay! Now, I have something that will keep me occupied while enduring the shuttle waits.

Now if I can just get rid of this persistent cough and colds, I'll be one happy camper.

Christmas Parties

This past week, I attended 3 Christmas parties one day after the other.

The first one was last Thursday which was the industry awaited Mastercard Christmas Party. The prizes were absolutely fantastic! Of course, I didn't win anything but it was great seeing old friends from the industry. Incidentally, the grand prize was a 42" plasma TV. Other big prizes were laptops and cameras. Really nice.

The second one was Friday which was the SCB CB-Operations Christmas Party at Grilla. This one was also great as I won a nice prize (Nokia 5070!). The theme was also quite nostalgic (80's) and it had such great dance tunes. Everyone, including me, was dancing all night long. I just got back from a 2 day sick leave so I was not feeling quite well but it did not stop me from "swaying" on the dance floor.
In keeping up with theme (and to make things simpler), I just wore a simple Bagets shirt (Bagets was an iconic 80's movie), jeans and rubber shoes. I decided to forgo the make-up as I said, I was not feeling good.

My boss, Joanne, was also sick with the flu but she dragged herself out of bed just to join us in the celebration. I mean with 2 Dupods and an Ericsson P100 and a grand prize of trip to Boracay, I would drag myself out of bed!


As for yesterday, we had the CAU Christmas Party. We went by the same route we took last year wherein we rented a 1 bedroom Condotel for the festivities. This time, with our increased number of people, we rented a 2 bedroom Condotel at the BSA Mansions at Makati. The place was very spacious to fit all 21 of us comfortably. However, we had a laugh when we entered the room and found a condom wrapper on the bedside table. Apparently, the previous occupants got jiggy with it and housekeeping forgot to do its job. We forced one of the boys to remove it and he picked the wrapper up like he was handling some toxic material. He rigorously washed his hands afterwards. Not contented, he sanitized his hands and poured alcohol over them.



I won a prize but I donated that to them. Prizes were minor compared to the CB-Ops Christmas party but the games were hilarious. Most importantly, the guys enjoyed themselves.

I just have one scheduled Christmas party to go and that one is more difficult to dress into (Awards show). So we have the wear long gowns and everything. I'd go for the prizes though. We have numerous trip prizes so I'd go with that.

SCB CB-Operations Christmas Party

Christmas Party was held Dec. 7, Friday at Grilla (near Rockwell), Makati City.

It was really really fun! The prizes were also outstanding! Incidentally, I won myself a new Nokia 5070! Hah! I was really hoping to get the Sony Ericsson P1 or the Dupod but I'm very happy with this one.

The theme was 80's and the organizers even got a band to play 80's music which really got the people (including me) bouncing around the dance floor.

The Best Proposal Ever

I read this post from the N@W website and I cried through the whole thing.

As most people know, Neil Gaiman, one of my favourite authors, was in the country a couple of weeks ago to give a speech/talk at the recent Ad Congress at Subic. One of the people there actually got Neil Gaiman to propose in his behalf to his girlfriend.




Read the girl's version here
Read the guy's version here

You will no doubt be teary-eyed as well.

Neil Gaiman even wrote about it in his website
(Check under Journals)

In My Boredom

Spending the second day at home wherein the most strenuous thing that I should be doing is lying down (actually, I can stay in front of the computer but not in long periods), I decided to revise my blogs. So far I'm done with my blogspot and now I've changed my multiply site.

I've customized it in a sense that my posts in both sites will be fed to each other. I can't give up my blogspot as I can customize it more than multiply. Well, one can do it with Multiply but CSS feed is too complicated for me. Blogspot has type and drag. And you can use any format that you like.

Anyway, I'm returning to work tomorrow so this would probably be my last post for quite a long time. The next few weeks will no doubt, be very busy for me.

Don't Speak

It's the second day of my incarceration. I texted my boss and immediate reports that I won't be coming in again today. I just need this day of rest to deal with the coming hectic days ahead. My throat and head still hurts and hopefully, the fever won't return. I have to come in tomorrow.

In my boredom yesterday (one can only sleep so much), I reconstructed my blog. I figured it had the same look for more than 3 years now and I have to renovate. After all, with the recent changes in my life, my blog deserved the new look.

The picture in my header was taken at Palawan. It is where my hubby and I spent our honeymoon (Lagen Island, El Nido). As the time stamp shows, it was taken at 637 am and the cloud formations are so wonderful. How come we don't have that in Manila? Anyway, I'll try to change that photo as much as I can.

Join The Trillanes Fan Club

Got this from Allan's site who in turn got it from The Philippine Comedian, which I subscribed to.

Here's a quote from the site:

Download the decal and post it on your blog, website, notebook, iPod, laptop, car, bed, bathroom floor or Philippine flag! Send it to your favorite opposition politicians and artista-activists! Blah-blah-blah-blah.

Makati hotels are highly encouraged to post this in their doorways and lobbies!

I am so happy to say that I did not vote him (actually, I was not able to vote last May--my grandmother died that day). I mean, I do understand that he has had enough but he's already a Senator, for God's sake! He can institute the changes that he wants to make in a legal and proper way instead of going to the streets and trying to initiate another People Power revolution which lacks public support.

I read a post somewhere that his actions actually inconvenienced a lot of people. And that's what I don't understand. How come if there's a rally, why the hell do they have to take it to Makati??? What happened to the old times when they used to go to Malacanang or to Batasan for the people to hear their cries of outrage? Is it because Binay won't hassle them too much as he's obviously anti-GMA? Is it because they want the so-called minority white-collar workers or business executives to hear the cries of the majority poor? I mean, come on! Do you think you'll accomplish your goal by disrupting businesses in Makati? Won't that do the opposite?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not pro-GMA. However, as I read in another post, the way she handles the opposition makes her look more intelligent than them. Before 2010, I will ensure that my voting precinct gets transferred so I can vote and I will vote for someone who can really make a difference. I hope we will have a candidate who will fit the bill.

Acute Tonsillopharyngitis

When my fever wouldn't subside this afternoon, Leo decided to take me to the nearby AAVA clinic (note, their rates are cheaper than E-Med at Paranaque where I used to previously go. Consultation is only P247). The doctor said I should continue taking paracetamol, gargle with Bactidol and drink lots of fluids. Heck, I've been drinking lots of water the whole day that the toilet is my NBF. I'm supposed to return if my fever does not subside after 3 days. According to the doctor, there has been reported dengue cases in our village.

I should get some sleep soon. The doctor gave me a certificate to rest for 2-3 days. I have to be in the office on Thursday though.

Sick and Tired

Well, at least I didn't get sick on my birthday.

I previously mentioned that I was feeling under the weather last night. When I was in the shuttle on my way home, I could feel my throat getting sore by the minute. That's why I only ordered warm calamansi juice instead of my usual lemon iced tea at CPK where Leo and I had dinner.

Leo took me home and I slept earlier than my usual time. I woke up at 1am feeling slightly feverish and my throat hurting so much. Leo made me drink a paracetamol tablet. He told me to forget going to the office today.

Anyway, I still woke up at 6am but did not get out of bed. I read and rested while waiting for my hubby to wake up so we can eat breakfast together. I already sent a text to my boss and my one-down that I won't be able to go to work today. I'll just rest and try to get more sleep.

However, I'm tempted to finish wrapping or fixing our other room. As you can see, plastic bags containing stuff we bought at the bazaar are all over the bed (good thing we don't sleep there) and all the wrapped gifts are piled on one side of the room. It's embarrassing, really.

Behind me is my table where I do the wrapping and writing. I'm almost done with the Christmas cards so I just have to send them off.

Anyway, I'll probably sleep again. I drank my ascorbic acid and another tablet of Centrum. I'm also drinking gallons of water to hopefully flush away the virus.

Wala na sa kalendaryo, pero meron pa sa Lotto

When people asked me how old I am today, I answered them with the phrase above. I can't believe I'm already 32! Gah!

The day started off really blah. In other words, I really didn't want to go to work today but I'm out of leaves already.

Anyway, I was a bit disappointed when I arrived at work and saw that my workstation was not decorated. Nevertheless, I put aside my hurt feelings and focused on ordering merienda for my humongous team (I have 2 teams comprising of 33 people. Go figure). I finally decided on CCME and ordered a couple of gallons of spaghetti, another couple of gallons of pancit sotanghon, a couple of trays of cheese sticks and another 2 trays of chicken lollipop.

I asked one of my unit heads to accompany me to buy softdrinks at Landmark for the team. When I got back, this was the sight that greeted me. It somehow uplifted my spirits but I still felt a little blah.

I then went back to my evaluation and discussing business stuff with one of the unit heads over-the-bakod when I heard people singing behind me (my desk is facing the window). One of my teams gave me a birthday cake (I was not able to take a picture before I sliced it). It was a triple chocolate cake from Goldilocks. I was not able to taste it but according to them, it was delicious. They also apologized for not being able to decorate my workstation earlier as they had to leave early last Thursday due to the curfew thing and they came in late today. It made me feel better though. I thought they forgot (not like other people I know). Hehe.

At least I have a bigger cake to serve my "guests". I also bought a cake at Landmark in case they did "forget". Hehe. I bought that cake home instead.

That's me beside my "handa". I thought the food was not enough but there were still some leftovers when I left the office.

I left the office at 6pm for my dinner with Leo. Actually, Leo and I already celebrated yesterday when he treated me to lunch at Spirals at Sofitel. Speaking of Spirals, the food is really really delicious! And they're the only hotel buffet I know (unless there are others) that has a wine bar! I consumed two glasses of Asti together with my food. Yumyum! That's why Leo and are only going there once a year. You can only pig out that much.

Since I was feeling under the weather, Leo and I ended up at CPK where we had dinner. My throat is now hurting and I feel I'm going down with fever. Gosh, I don't need this. I have three Christmas parties lined up this week! And another one next week! Argh! I want to attend every one of them!

For gifts, my boss gave me my first ever formal bag (it's a really nice black clutch bag. At last, I have a formal bag!); My friend Cessna gave me a very enlightening book which I will definitely read from cover to cover (The Power of the Praying Wife). According to her, it helped her marriage last for 7 years and counting; My sister-in-law gave me a nice blouse from Marks and Spencer (hah! it fit! she guessed my size pretty well); and my parents-in-law gave me nice wonderful cash (which I used to pay for the merienda. Haha!). :)

The past weeks after my last blog have been hectic as well. Leo and I went to the Annual St. James Bazaar the past 3 days to make headway on our Christmas shopping. I'm happy to say that we're almost 90% done. I'm so proud of what we've accomplished. Now the bloody part begins--wrapping them up.

On Nov. 30, Friday, we celebrated my dad's birthday at where else, Dad's! :) We treated him to the ultimate Dad's buffet. I also gave/bought him a couple of CDs (Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman).

On a sad note, I thought this year of deaths is already over. However, I was greeted with news that my friend's father passed away on Nov. 30. We paid our respects (again at Sanctuarium--what a very posh place) yesterday. It was great seeing our friend again (he's based in the US so we only get to see him when he's in town) and seeing pictures of his wonderful family. His father also died of lung cancer (like my lolo). In his dad's case, he only lasted a month from the diagnosis (as compared to 4 months for my grandfather) before he passed away. May his soul rest in peace.

Well, that's my weeks so far and my birthday. After this, I'll take a shower and finish off our Christmas cards. It's already the first week of December and I have to send them out this week if they're going to make it to the US, England and Australia on time.