Monday, May 12, 2008
December 2007
A month of shopping, eating, celebrating and bonding with friends and family …that’s what Christmas is all about….being with the ones you love!
…taken outside the sari-sari store beside our house…my mom, evita and my sister…while waiting for ditse to pick us up
One of my favorite shopping place in town is Market market at Forth Bonifacio. The mix of goodies here are quite good, from the cheapest (sometimes even divisoria like) to kinda expensive...to expensive. If we’re too lazy to go to divisoria, we would end up going to Market Market. They also sell some unique goods, that you wont find in the usual tiangge....like plants…fruits…and ofcourse the normal goods like clothes, shoes, jewelries and gift items.
We took a stroll at Serendra and then had coffee at Starbucks inside “fully booked”. As usual it took us forever to get a seat. At this point ive completed my starbucks sticker set so they gave me my new planner. Which reminds me….where is that planner now? Hmmm..
Trinoma! Another favorite place of mine 1. because they have sbarro 2. they have Fridays 3. what else….because of Landmark! And it so near our place…just 10 minutes by cab.
Sadly Friday's took out the chicken barbeque from the menu...how come? Its so good tender chicken thoroughtly marinated in bbq sauce roasted and served with garlic vinegar dip..and cucumber sallad (or was it atsara). And when you take a bite..it melts in your mouth...yummy! ..unfortunately is not available anymore :( otoke otoke!!!
… at the deck…
TEC Friends Christmas party. In the previous years, we usually do overnight christmas parties, only this year, its hard to get everybody at one place at one time, so we’ve decided well just do a simple dinner, so that those who wanted to leave eaerly can leave after dinner…...ironically the dinner lasted until morning..(not sure whether its 1 am or 2am).
We started adventurously around 7 at Bollywood, Greenbelt, to try some Indian Food, then we went upstairs to Figaro to for coffee, then we went to mcdonalds near AIM for some spaghetti and chicken????
As usual we were talking non-stop the entire time…one time, it came to a point when the waiter at Figaro came at our table to us to ask us to lower our voices down a little. It was a bit embarrassing.... but were not the type that would get embarassed and wont get even…so on our way out I complained that their blenders are are too noisy :P Ha ha!
Star city for the kids…and adults…. There were too many people in star city that day…we went inside together but we lost the kids along the way (they were probably busy queuing for the rides..unlike me whos scared of anything that moves..)…so its just me and my sister who roamed the grounds took pictures of each other..After awhile we saw mom and dad eating in one of the stalls...then the kids...lol!
…..as you can see, some of the pictures were a bit blurred…December is the time when my cam started deteriorating from bad to worse..…ironic…just when I needed it most… I tried to have it fixed in hidalgo st, quiapo…it was ok for awhile but after a few weeks it just stopped….the LCD just went black….i could’ve returned it to quiapo again, but I just don’t have the time.
….so no chrismas pictures this year…for a change…lol!
…taken outside the sari-sari store beside our house…my mom, evita and my sister…while waiting for ditse to pick us up
One of my favorite shopping place in town is Market market at Forth Bonifacio. The mix of goodies here are quite good, from the cheapest (sometimes even divisoria like) to kinda expensive...to expensive. If we’re too lazy to go to divisoria, we would end up going to Market Market. They also sell some unique goods, that you wont find in the usual tiangge....like plants…fruits…and ofcourse the normal goods like clothes, shoes, jewelries and gift items.
We took a stroll at Serendra and then had coffee at Starbucks inside “fully booked”. As usual it took us forever to get a seat. At this point ive completed my starbucks sticker set so they gave me my new planner. Which reminds me….where is that planner now? Hmmm..
Trinoma! Another favorite place of mine 1. because they have sbarro 2. they have Fridays 3. what else….because of Landmark! And it so near our place…just 10 minutes by cab.
Sadly Friday's took out the chicken barbeque from the menu...how come? Its so good tender chicken thoroughtly marinated in bbq sauce roasted and served with garlic vinegar dip..and cucumber sallad (or was it atsara). And when you take a bite..it melts in your mouth...yummy! ..unfortunately is not available anymore :( otoke otoke!!!
… at the deck…
TEC Friends Christmas party. In the previous years, we usually do overnight christmas parties, only this year, its hard to get everybody at one place at one time, so we’ve decided well just do a simple dinner, so that those who wanted to leave eaerly can leave after dinner…...ironically the dinner lasted until morning..(not sure whether its 1 am or 2am).
We started adventurously around 7 at Bollywood, Greenbelt, to try some Indian Food, then we went upstairs to Figaro to for coffee, then we went to mcdonalds near AIM for some spaghetti and chicken????
As usual we were talking non-stop the entire time…one time, it came to a point when the waiter at Figaro came at our table to us to ask us to lower our voices down a little. It was a bit embarrassing.... but were not the type that would get embarassed and wont get even…so on our way out I complained that their blenders are are too noisy :P Ha ha!
Star city for the kids…and adults…. There were too many people in star city that day…we went inside together but we lost the kids along the way (they were probably busy queuing for the rides..unlike me whos scared of anything that moves..)…so its just me and my sister who roamed the grounds took pictures of each other..After awhile we saw mom and dad eating in one of the stalls...then the kids...lol!
…..as you can see, some of the pictures were a bit blurred…December is the time when my cam started deteriorating from bad to worse..…ironic…just when I needed it most… I tried to have it fixed in hidalgo st, quiapo…it was ok for awhile but after a few weeks it just stopped….the LCD just went black….i could’ve returned it to quiapo again, but I just don’t have the time.
….so no chrismas pictures this year…for a change…lol!
Thursday, May 08, 2008
November 2007
All Saints Day!
For the past 3 years that Emir and I have been office mates, he was always saying “leah im coming down to nueva ecija this weekend. Will you be there? can I go visit you? I’ll bring my wife and kids with me” and my response would always be “Sure, you know the place right? just give me a call if you get lost, ill ask my mom to cook something nice” …but you know what? Not even once did he came to see me…except this day... Probably because he thought it might be his last chance. He resigned from work recently and is leaving for Dubai in a few days.
So early that day I told my mom that a friend is coming with his family. She said ill cook lomi and spaghetti for them. I told her why cook 2? She said that the spaghetti is for the kids and the lomi is for the adults. I asked her “wouldn’t that be too much”…she said “no, if they cant finish it all, we have the entire neighborhood to send it to”.
Thank God for Mom’s foresight..because as it turned out Emir brought lots of kids with him...and the spaghetti was a big hit!
When Emir and the gang left, I got ready to go to the cemetery…every year im the last one to pay tribute to the dead…as you can see in the pictures…it was quite dark when I reached the cemetery.
The agony of commuting back to manila after the “all saints day” holiday.
For those of you who have relatives in the province and often goes there for special occasions like Christmas, New Year, Holly week and All saints day, you’re probably familiar with this scenario.
On the last day of the Holiday, you’ve decided to go back earlier than usual to get ahead of the many people who are also planing to go back to Manila that day. You packed your bags which mainly consist of 20% clothes and 80% left over foods from your Mom. You said your goodbye but end up chatting for a while, eating some more and before you knew it..you’re already behind schedule. You rode the tricycle to the highway bus stop to wait for the bus. Around 50m from the bus stop, you can already see a crowd of people also waiting for the same bus. You were thinking, it would probably take you ages before you can get a ride, and even if you did, you’ll probably stand the whole trip back, until you reach manila. NO no no no…You smiled and looked a wee bit and said to yourself…”I will beat these guys…ill go to the bus terminal instead!”, that way you can surely get a ride and sit comfortably. You ride a jeep to the bus station, but around 500m from the station, traffic is bad. Hmmm…Why is that? You reach the station after more than an hour…is this the bus station or the market place? Why are there so many people? And why are there no bus? What is that “snake like thing” that goes round and round the building…you get a bit close and you see….WHAT THE HECK??? IS THAT THE LINE??
ARGGGH…!! I want to cry I should have left earlier ….
You know what the funny thing is? This happens every year without fail…and I ve been doing it since college days….some things you just don’t learn..and for me this is it…lol!
See you soon Emir! Why soon?
People are resigning left and right…now you see them..now you don’t….its like people are playing iniminie minie mo..and who ever gets the finger leaves… this time its emir’s turn to go. We did the traditional despedida for him…at magdaragat no less… food….videoke the works….i wonder who’s next ????
Visit sa "bahay ni kuya"
Finally were visiting big brother's house…well not actually the inside of the house but "big brother gate". Well.. the house is off limits, so there….
We also roamed around the grounds of abs …its almost Christmas so the decorations was really nice..so christmassy…
The interview!
I was in the middle of the meeting with my boss when I got the call. I saw an “unknown” number flashing on my phone. I though it was my boyfriend because he’s the only one who calls me from abroad. So I smiled mumbled something to my boss…something about its important and I need to take this call….but in my head im preparing to talk lovey dovey with mahal (that’s what I call him..i know I know ..its chessy…and I don’t care..lol! ) … at least for a few minutes....so I stepped out of the room and said “hello” with my sugary voice.. and the other line said…”hello? Is this Leah blah blah blah”….hmmm..its a girl? Who could it be… I said “Yes? Whos this?” And she said this is “blah blah blah..from blah blah blah..you have an interview on blah blah blah…ill send the details thru your email…whats your email?” and I gave it to her…
in a few days I had “the interview” … It’s a video conference somewhere in makati that lasted not more than 15 minutes… it took longer for me to choose the new blazer I was wearing that day…or even the red head band im wearing for luck!! I wonder how I fared??
Monster Debut!
My niece, Evita turned 18! . I ve been with her since her baby days…took care of her…changed her diaphers…feeded her ...gave her countless baths… and now look at her…shes all grown up…but in my eyes she will always be a little girl. I love you evita and I will always be here for you. I only ask and pray for one thing. Magpakabait ka na….(be good!)
Monster is evita's pet name, because shes known for her brattiness, stubborness and bitchiness...but shes not bad...shes just that...
We celebrated it in one of the private resort in pansol, laguna. At this point my camera is ruined (probably because its overused) but im glad I was able to salvage a few good shots! Argh..now I need to buy a new one..
Thursday, May 01, 2008
October 2007
Mushroom soup at pizza hut.
I don’t have a picture of the soup, but ...I have pictures of my friends who had the soup with me. Yes were into soup too, not just coffee…and we love pizza hut’s creamy mushroom soup topped with freshly baked puff pastry. Try it the next time you visit Pizza hut!
...And nope this is not a paid advertisement! :)
Guess who's back?
He left us last April to work in Dubai!
I was surprised to get a call from an un-identified number saying..
“Hello Leah whats up?”
i would know his voice anywhere, so I said..
” Boyet!!! asan ka?” (where are you?)
” andito.. sa Pilipinas!!!” (here in the Philippines)
that was my cue, i immediately told him about my problems at work...the very recent incident happened only the day before. One manager wanted me to do a report I don’t like, because i just cant see why I have to do it. But in the end i was forced to, simply because hes the boss. It was so infuriatingly frustrating that I cried at my desk after sending the report :(
Now..Boyet being in the Philippines at this time is just perfect timing...or was it fate? he has always been my boss, my mentor, my friend ...and although hes not much older than me...sometimes I feel like he’s my dad…ha ha ha!
..blah blah blah...i went on and on, like a little kid bullied at school …
“boyet he made me do this …boyet he made me cry…boyet im so pissed…etc etc…
..finally I said “kunin mo na ko dito!!!!“ (Get me out of here!!!)
At this point he was laughing at me saying “ I thought you don’t want to leave!” …
“Noon yon....gusto ko na ngayon!” ( That was before... but now I do!)
And after 4 months it happened…I’ll write how on my next posts.
Boyet visited us at the office to give out pasalubongs (gifts)…then we had Lunch at Tempura Sam.
And ofcourse our usual “magdaragat get together”
Abe restaurant, Serendra, The Forth – SMG Office Project team dinner
To celebrate the completion of one our most problematic project, we satisfied our tastebuds with dinner, at Abe restaurant in Serendra. Abe serves Filipino dishes i would normally cook at home, like fried tilapia, sinigang, ginisang gulay...but taste much much better than when i cook them at home. Does that mean im a bad cook? lol...Anyway they also serve some exotic stuff like "buro"..for desert they have leche flan, turon, ube, and macapuno. The food is good …well it should ...for the price we paid for it.
I love their tamarind shake….its something different..
Korean cultural festival
Lets talk about one of my so called life’s obsessions ….named “Hanguk” ….in English Korea…yes its korea the country…and anything korean related!
It started with my fondness of watching KDramas…which gradually expanded to KAartist, then KPop Kfood and now Korean language.
I said to myself since im so obsessed with anything Korean, I might as well get something productive out of it. So last June, Ive decided to formally study hangugo, or hanguk mal or Korean language…in a real school...with real teachers and real classmates. It was funny because me and my friends were almost 2x as old as our classmates and even our teachers but I don’t really mind. Being with the young makes me feel young! Ha ha ha !
We were taught to read and write hangul (Korean scripts) …and ofcourse speak and converse in Korean ..it was so much fun! One of the activities we went to is the Filipino Korean cultural festival. It like an exchange of culture program…like Filipinos will sing Korean songs and Koreans will sing Filipino songs. There were contest and prices and speeches from the Korean ambassadors and some Philippine congresman. They also give out free kimchi’s on the way out..Yummy!
In our school, we do lectures and exercises but there were also games, field trips, skits, presentations and unfortunately like all classes…quizzes, long test and exams! I guess a little pressure is unavoidable to push us to learn more. The hard truth is that, learning a new language requires lots and lots of dedication, memorization and practice. As the lessons progress more and more students are dropping out until its just me, uchi, ella, patty and issa. Eventually I had to quit too, because I have to leave the country. *Sigh… uri sonseng nim, chingu…bogoshipoyo!
Fifteen hours of bliss
October 30, 2007
1800 Your plane landed at the airport. I got your sms and my heartbeat went half a bit faster than norm.
1900 We met each other again face to face after 3 months of waiting…its as if the months flew by and this is just a continuation of the last time we were together.
2000 We had dinner with my cousin and niece … I feel so happy because you wanted to meet the members of my family. You have conquered them as you have conquered me.
2200 We walked back to the hotel with my niece and took pictures everywhere we go. Im content just to hold on to your hand and smile into your blue green eyes. I don’t mind if other people are staring because I’m proud to be with you.
October 31, 2007
0600 I watched you shave through the mirror, trying to memorize every nook and cranny of your beautiful face, so I can use the memory whenever I’m feeling lonely for you.
0730 We had breakfast at the café. You were reading the papers while I pick on my food. I enjoyed the view more than the meal because the view happens to be you. We ate in poignant silence, smiling in between sips of coffee.
0930 Time flies so fast when were together. We said “goodbye, ill see you soon” …while I try my bravest and not cry because I don’t know when “soon” is going to be.
1200 Your plane flew back to HK, while I cried at the cab on the way home… because… I am missing you already. I wish soon would come sooner than soon…
My sister and her weird snapshots
This is just a sample of the many weird snapshots that my sister likes to do. She looks quiet on the outside, but that’s misleading because she totally not…shes funny and witty and weird…and im lucky to have her…
sister wala kang kakupas kupas! ….now I don’t know how to translate that in English. Hahaha!
I don’t have a picture of the soup, but ...I have pictures of my friends who had the soup with me. Yes were into soup too, not just coffee…and we love pizza hut’s creamy mushroom soup topped with freshly baked puff pastry. Try it the next time you visit Pizza hut!
...And nope this is not a paid advertisement! :)
Guess who's back?
He left us last April to work in Dubai!
I was surprised to get a call from an un-identified number saying..
“Hello Leah whats up?”
i would know his voice anywhere, so I said..
” Boyet!!! asan ka?” (where are you?)
” andito.. sa Pilipinas!!!” (here in the Philippines)
that was my cue, i immediately told him about my problems at work...the very recent incident happened only the day before. One manager wanted me to do a report I don’t like, because i just cant see why I have to do it. But in the end i was forced to, simply because hes the boss. It was so infuriatingly frustrating that I cried at my desk after sending the report :(
Now..Boyet being in the Philippines at this time is just perfect timing...or was it fate? he has always been my boss, my mentor, my friend ...and although hes not much older than me...sometimes I feel like he’s my dad…ha ha ha!
..blah blah blah...i went on and on, like a little kid bullied at school …
“boyet he made me do this …boyet he made me cry…boyet im so pissed…etc etc…
..finally I said “kunin mo na ko dito!!!!“ (Get me out of here!!!)
At this point he was laughing at me saying “ I thought you don’t want to leave!” …
“Noon yon....gusto ko na ngayon!” ( That was before... but now I do!)
And after 4 months it happened…I’ll write how on my next posts.
Boyet visited us at the office to give out pasalubongs (gifts)…then we had Lunch at Tempura Sam.
And ofcourse our usual “magdaragat get together”
Abe restaurant, Serendra, The Forth – SMG Office Project team dinner
To celebrate the completion of one our most problematic project, we satisfied our tastebuds with dinner, at Abe restaurant in Serendra. Abe serves Filipino dishes i would normally cook at home, like fried tilapia, sinigang, ginisang gulay...but taste much much better than when i cook them at home. Does that mean im a bad cook? lol...Anyway they also serve some exotic stuff like "buro"..for desert they have leche flan, turon, ube, and macapuno. The food is good …well it should ...for the price we paid for it.
I love their tamarind shake….its something different..
Korean cultural festival
Lets talk about one of my so called life’s obsessions ….named “Hanguk” ….in English Korea…yes its korea the country…and anything korean related!
It started with my fondness of watching KDramas…which gradually expanded to KAartist, then KPop Kfood and now Korean language.
I said to myself since im so obsessed with anything Korean, I might as well get something productive out of it. So last June, Ive decided to formally study hangugo, or hanguk mal or Korean language…in a real school...with real teachers and real classmates. It was funny because me and my friends were almost 2x as old as our classmates and even our teachers but I don’t really mind. Being with the young makes me feel young! Ha ha ha !
We were taught to read and write hangul (Korean scripts) …and ofcourse speak and converse in Korean ..it was so much fun! One of the activities we went to is the Filipino Korean cultural festival. It like an exchange of culture program…like Filipinos will sing Korean songs and Koreans will sing Filipino songs. There were contest and prices and speeches from the Korean ambassadors and some Philippine congresman. They also give out free kimchi’s on the way out..Yummy!
In our school, we do lectures and exercises but there were also games, field trips, skits, presentations and unfortunately like all classes…quizzes, long test and exams! I guess a little pressure is unavoidable to push us to learn more. The hard truth is that, learning a new language requires lots and lots of dedication, memorization and practice. As the lessons progress more and more students are dropping out until its just me, uchi, ella, patty and issa. Eventually I had to quit too, because I have to leave the country. *Sigh… uri sonseng nim, chingu…bogoshipoyo!
Fifteen hours of bliss
October 30, 2007
1800 Your plane landed at the airport. I got your sms and my heartbeat went half a bit faster than norm.
1900 We met each other again face to face after 3 months of waiting…its as if the months flew by and this is just a continuation of the last time we were together.
2000 We had dinner with my cousin and niece … I feel so happy because you wanted to meet the members of my family. You have conquered them as you have conquered me.
2200 We walked back to the hotel with my niece and took pictures everywhere we go. Im content just to hold on to your hand and smile into your blue green eyes. I don’t mind if other people are staring because I’m proud to be with you.
October 31, 2007
0600 I watched you shave through the mirror, trying to memorize every nook and cranny of your beautiful face, so I can use the memory whenever I’m feeling lonely for you.
0730 We had breakfast at the café. You were reading the papers while I pick on my food. I enjoyed the view more than the meal because the view happens to be you. We ate in poignant silence, smiling in between sips of coffee.
0930 Time flies so fast when were together. We said “goodbye, ill see you soon” …while I try my bravest and not cry because I don’t know when “soon” is going to be.
1200 Your plane flew back to HK, while I cried at the cab on the way home… because… I am missing you already. I wish soon would come sooner than soon…
My sister and her weird snapshots
This is just a sample of the many weird snapshots that my sister likes to do. She looks quiet on the outside, but that’s misleading because she totally not…shes funny and witty and weird…and im lucky to have her…
sister wala kang kakupas kupas! ….now I don’t know how to translate that in English. Hahaha!
