Well hello there, 2013!

My first post for 2013. Five months of hiatus. How pathetic is that? As usual, I'm pre-occupied with work and the holiday rush (last year!) and then moving out of the old house and moving in to the new one and Jhay coming over again and [insert all other excuses here] but hey, I truly, madly, deeply miss blogging. So here's another attempt to get my writing mojo back and I beg you, Universe, to give me more free time to sustain it. Pretty please with cherry, chocolate chips and candy sprinkles on top? ;-)

Also as usual, please allow me to try to finish something I started way, way back -- the 100-day Picture Challenge, that is -- because it's the easiest way to start things up again, and to share the past few months of my life bit by bit. Shall I start? :)

Day 56 - A picture of you all bundled up

Sorry I have never been to a winter-y city yet so this is the most bundled up that I have ever been. Haha! Photo taken in the Strawberry Farm in La Trinidad, Benguet last December. In fairness naman it's cold there though the bonnet is for picture purposes only :P

Day 57 - A picture of you in your backyard

Another apology 'coz our house in Manila and here in Singapore both don't have backyards so let me just share my photo in this big, big backyard of strawberries up north. We went to Baguio after Christmas and I'm so happy about this trip because it's the first time that I was able to bring my whole family somewhere far from Manila, all on me. I felt kasi na Jhay and I have been exploring other countries na when I can't even bring my Mom and the kids out of town. Seeing them enjoying the sights and the climate is just priceless. Only I wish Dad were still with us to make the vacation perfect.

Day 58 - A picture of your hair all done

Rarely do I get my hair all done so this is from 7 years ago pa - my 18th birthday celebration. I loved what the HMUA did to my hair (pardon the grainy close-up shot though, a camera phone was all I have then! haha) except that we didn't have enough time to curl the ends. And omg, look at those arms! I know it's big already but looking at my arms now makes me realize that I really have grown bigger since I started working :(((

Day 59 - A picture of you at your graduation

I miss my dad so much. Now I'm anxious about reaching another milestone in my life because I'm sure it'll feel incomplete without him to share it with :'(

Day 60 - A picture of you at a sports game

On Jhay's birthday two years ago I surprised him with tickets to see his all-time favorite basketball team Ginebra. Of course it wasn't his first time to see them play live but he was so happy that day because he's been wanting to watch them with me. In fairness, it was super fun! I am not a Ginebra fan but seeing him cheer his heart out instantly turned me into one. I'd do that again any given day! :D

Day 61 - A picture of you at the mall

At ION Orchard, one of Singapore's premiere shopping centers. Nahiya naman yung Charles and Keith paper bags ko sa brands sa likod ko! Haha!

Day 62 - A picture of you on a ride

Perfectly-timed shot by Jhay. That's me on the Battlestar Galactica at the Universal Studios Singapore. Holding on for dear life, literally. Lol!

Day 63 - A picture of your luggage

I used to wonder why most luggage are black or brown or navy blue until I saw this pretty orange luggage of mine in the carousel all covered in mud splats after a rainy departure from Manila. Lesson learned the hard way, eh?

Day 64 - A picture of you at work

I wish we can work wearing something like this every day. Haha. Unfortunately, shorts are only allowed on weekends.

Day 65 - A picture of you at a park

When I was little, I have a pink and purple bicycle I would go round and round on it until I'm tired and sweaty. Of course I'm hungry too so I'll park the bike on the sidewalk, take my Hello Panda and bottled water out of the basket in front and eat to my tummy's content. Ah, childhood memories. All those I got to relive one holiday afternoon at SG's East Coast Park. Good thing I still know how to bike!

35 photos left! I can do this! Hope I can also find the time to share with you our new house and let you in on a virtual tour of my humble room. And all our SG adventures as well!


And even if this is a bit late, Happy Happy New Year! (kakatapos lang naman ng CNY eh :P)

TGIF!

Very rarely do I get the chance to say this so indulge me...

I'm ecstatic because tomorrow is one of those few Saturdays that we are not reporting for work. The past 3 weeks have been really really stressful so I didn't have time to blog. I have a lot of stories piling up again! I've been aching to write so I swear this weekend I'm gonna make time for at least two posts :D

Another thing that made me happy today (or yesterday, technically) is that I've already booked my December flights! Yay! Airline tickets cost a fortune during holidays but what the heck, I am sooooo coming home for Christmas! As one station ID goes, Da Best ang Pasko ng Pilipino... di ba? :D Although truth be told I'm anxious cause it's the first Christmas that we don't have Dad with us anymore but I'll cross the bridge when I get there.

One more reason I am hyped is because J is visiting me again in 8 days! ^_^ He'll be staying here for a couple of weeks and we're spending 2 days in Malaysia. I've also booked our hotel an hour ago and by the looks of it, I might just lounge around all day and forget the rest of our activities (just like what happened when during our Indonesia trip). Haha! I'm crossing my fingers that we get to enjoy what KL has to offer. After all, it's a new country to explore, new memories to cherish and new adventure to share with all of you. Can hardly wait! ;-)

Okay, I know this post doesn't have even the tiniest sense of cohesion but maybe all I wanted to say is that I'm happy and thankful that it's Friday already. Whatever it is that you're doing this weekend, I hope you'll have an awesome time. And if not, I hope this can make you feel at least a wee bit better :D ---

My days get really rough  but one press on my phone does the trick. Every. Single. Time :-)

Have a rockin' weekend, y'all!

In 7 Days...

...life as I know it will turn upside-down.

Remember I told you that there's another reason I bought myself a laptop but can't disclose it until it's a hundred percent sure? Well today, I received the confirmation. I'm leaving for Singapore in 7 days. For work. For the entire 2012.

Sigh.

I know I've wanted this opportunity for so long but now that it's here, I can't help but ask myself if I'm ready for it. Like, emotionally. I haven't been away from my family in my entire 23 years. I can't last a day without Haley. I'm sure as hell I can't take more than a week of not seeing J. I need a regular dose of girl bonding. And in a week I'm off to a foreign land for a year-long assignment. Seriously?!

Sigh.

I have my flight details now and God knows I've been holding back the tears since I opened that e-mail attachment. It's no turning back. It couldn't have happened if it wasn't meant for me. I can do this. I am doing this. For my family. For J and I's future. For my career growth. No one said it's gonna be easy, but I'm certain it's gonna be worth it.

Wish me luck. Lots of it.

And if you have time, listen to this song 'coz I've been LSS-ing on this for the past X days.

Because I Deserve It...

I bought myself a Christmas gift!

Well, not really "bought" cause it's from BPI's Installment Madness but I'm still gonna pay for it so what the heck! Haha.

I figured that now is the perfect time to buy one cause the kids' school work is getting more and more demanding leaving me little to no time at all to use the laptop for just surfing the net or blogging. Now my old laptop is theirs and I can tinker with my lappy as much as I want, in the comfort of my own room even. Thank God for wifi, as well :-)

Now allow me to share with you how great a deal it is...

I got it at Php37990 at 0% interest for 12 months and with the Buy Now, Pay Later promo at the Installment Madness, I'll start paying for it on March pa! I opted for it because the two preceding months will be financially stressful for me (with the post-holiday expenses and Faye and Choy's prom on February, good luck to my pocket, really! Haha). And then there's actually another reason, a major one, but because I don't wanna jinx it, I'll be mum for now. Promise, pag sure na, I'll blog about it right away! :)

Next, the specs...

     * 2nd generation Intel Core i5-2430M Processor (2.4GHz)
     * 14.0" Diagonal HD BrightView LED Display
     * 640GB Hard Drive
     * 2GB DDR3 RAM
     * WLAN and Bluetooth
     * DVD Optical Drive
     * New Mobile Intel HM65 Express Chipset
     * Radeon Graphics
     * Genuine Windows 7 Home Basic (64-bit)

Another laptop brand offers an i3 processor at the same price so I preferred HP. My Compaq (an HP product also) served me well for 3 years -- and counting! -- so durability is out of the question. RAM and disk space are tip-top too! Now I can have all my files in one place without compromising the machine's performance. And the color! Oh my goodness, the color i L-O-V-E!

But wait there's more!

It comes with a free Snap-on cover in Leopard and tell me, what could be more fabulously fierce than that?! Raaawwwrrrrr!

Other freebies include:

- an upgrade to 4GB RAM

- a beautiful leather messenger bag... not your ordinary laptop bag, I tell you! (note to self: take a picture of it to show it to you! ^^,)

- an optical mouse

- an HP digital camera worth Php4000 (approx) -- with my Canon Ixus and my friends' S95, I'm not much of a fan of this one but a freebie is a freebie, yeah?

Oh before I forget, through the BPI rewards program, the purchase also entitled me to a 6-pc Chicken Bucket and 3 servings of Spaghetti from Jollibee. We have a lot of kids so this came in handy last weekend! Talk about free advertisement. Hahaha.

With my new baby, hopefully I can organize my files and blog more often now. Crossing my fingers and toes here!

Cheers to 2011 and the blessings that came with it! :D

xoxo,

Planning 2012 the Starbucks Way

I'm sure you all have heard of the Starbucks Planner Promo running from December 13-15. But for those of you who haven't, here it is:

Photo credit

Coincidentally, I already have 12 stickers so I and my cousin just grabbed 2 Christmas drinks yesterday and I already got myself the planner. Lucky me!

I think Cherry's the prettiest shade.

Okay, I'm biased! Haha.

I've been using planners since I was in college. I tried those little ones from Papemelroti, the Cosmo Datebook, the Belle de Jour Power Planner for this year and now I'm trying out Starbucks. I actually have no plans of joining the sticker-collecting bandwagon but the size and weight of this one is irresistible! Haha. I don't want to just leave my planner in the office again (like what happened to my BDJ 'coz it's too big and bulky) so SB planner's perfect!

You have until tomorrow to take home your very own Starbucks 2012 Planner, if you haven't already! :-)

An Early New Year's Resolution

Okay, I was supposed to write about Ocean Adventure but I just had to take note of this random thought. Please bear with me :)

My friend Jaq shared with me this beautifully-written post (do yourself a favor and click the link! ^_^) and it sparked a lengthy conversation about reading.

And then I realized... where has my love for reading gone? I used to be head over heels with books, and now I don't even open an e-book, let alone a real one.

I used to cry a river reading the works of Sparks (sadly I failed to see him when he visited the country last month), took note of the codes in Dan Brown's sci-fi, memorized lines from Albom and Coelho and stayed up to finish Harry Potter even if I have a 7AM class the next day. I can still recall Francis Kong's lessons on life in The Early Bird Catches the Worm but the Second Mouse Gets the Cheese. Even Bob Ong, demmet!

Then I remember when I have yet to land my first job, I was already computing where my soon-to-be salary would go. I told myself that every month I would set aside a part of it to buy paperbacks. I've been working for quite some time now and had I fulfilled my plan, I would have had 27 books in my (now dusty) bookshelf. Sigh.

Heeeeence... a light bulb moment!

Even if we're 2 months away from the new year, I am writing my resolution for 2012!!!

*drum roll please*

If I fail on the "Lose Weight" mantra year after year, then at least I should be able to keep up with this easier goal, right? :D

With a new-found longing for January 1,

Happiness

I've been feeling blue the entire week (#pleasedontaskmewhy) and today I've come to my senses. Happiness is a choice, and if I choose to lock myself up in my room and wallow in sad thoughts, I'll lose what could have been a great weekend. So I picked myself up and headed to a place where girls get their much-needed pampering... the neighborhood salon! I'm not so hard to please, you know! :)

It's a Sunday so as expected I had to queue, especially because I wanted a particular nail technician (naks!) to do my foot spa + pedicure. I was told to wait about 1 hour so I thought I'll grab a drink at a nearby Starbucks. I love HSBC for the free tall drink for every PhP2000 spend but I love it more now that they allow upgrades!

Java Chip never fails to brighten my day :)

Add PhP15 to upgrade to grande and Php30 for venti. Not bad, right?

HSBC and SB, let's have this instant reward forever, please? ^_^

With my refreshing drink, I went back to the salon and waited patiently. After about an hour and a half (I'm in a good mood so yeah, I waited that long!), my feet are in for a treat. Soak, file like there's no tomorrow, scrub, pedicure then massage -- aaaaaaaahhhh, I so deserve this!

Okay I know I don't have the prettiest feet but I just wanna show you my nails!
Red is just perfect for this feel-good Sunday, don't you think? :)

Today's lesson: Be happy, you owe it to yourself. I know a drink and a spa ain't gonna fill in that missing piece deep inside but it's a good start.

Here's to a beautiful week ahead!

Let's pretend this is Tumblr

... and that something copied and pasted would suffice as one post.

via

I love you, Luke. I do.
But we go days without having a meaningful conversation, and I used to miss you so much when that happened. But it never seemed like you missed me.
So I guess because of that, I stopped missing you.

-Brooke Davis, One Tree Hill.

Now that it's out of my chest, maybe I can sleep now. Or maybe not.

Sigh.

And God said...

Patience, my child...

I know how awful it feels, I perfectly understand.

Set jealousy aside, it won't get you anywhere

Instead focus on your dreams and on what you can do to get there.

Work harder, stay strong, just keep the faith

Because what I have for you is worth all the wait.

Day 09 - A picture of what's in your bag

I, too, cannot believe that I can fit all those stuff inside my small bag.

Yes, I bring all those with me wherever I go.

Let's start.

Most of the weight of my bag is because of my wallet. I feel incomplete when I don't have it with me so I just don't mind its hugeness. I told you, red is slowly becoming a favorite :D

Second row from L-R: my tiny umbrella, 2 cologne atomizers (1 is VS Love Spell and the other is VS Secret Charm, I use them alternately),  loose powder, alcohol, my company ID, key with nailcutter keychain.

The floral purse is my vanity kit. It contains an eyeshadow palette, blush, compact mirror, eyelash curler, lip balm (I heart Carmex!), blush brush, liquid eyeliner, mascara and lipstick. I don't put make-up on everyday, though. Only during special occasions or when I have time to fix myself (and almost always I don't).

Bottom row from L-R: Pocket tissue, wet wipes (I'm using Giggles ever since FashionPULIS advertised it. It's good!), an extra hanky, my phone's headset, tickler (where I write draft blogs when I want to pass time), a highlighter and 4 colored gel pens (I don't use the usual red, blue or black -- I'm maarte like that! hahaha).

Oh, I just realized that I forgot to take my comb out of the bag! Silly me!

Looking forward to seeing what's in your bag, too!

Dear Lord...

This week has been a crazy ride, work-wise especially. I was given a task I'm not sure I can handle and at just about the same time I saw one great opportunity passed me by. I have to admit, Lord, that I felt downhearted. In fact, I still am downhearted, because that opportunity is one thing that I've always wanted. But it's gone and I know there's nothing more I can do.

Hence, what I ask of you now is an open mind and a brave heart to accept that life wouldn't always go my way. Help me keep in mind that despite the heartbreaks, You are there and You have perfect control of what's going on. Help me not to forget that when you take something away, it only means that you are preparing me for better things to come, things that I don't expect but deserve.

Lord, help me not to be jealous of the people around me because even if I feel that they're way luckier, they too have their own battles. Help me not to fret for not getting what I'm praying for, because not once have You said "No," just "Not now." Help me not to complain but to see things in a brighter perspective, to understand that this is not a misfortune rather a chance to prove my worth, a chance to step up, a chance to chase my dreams.

With this task at hand, bless me with knowledge to comprehend fully, patience to deal with difficulties, strength to overcome my fears and see myself how my colleagues see me: responsible, reliable and highly-capable. Give me an unwavering faith to hold on to the fact that one day all these are gonna pay off, and when that day comes I'll only be grateful that I didn't give up along the way.

All these I ask in the name of Jesus, my lead, my teammate, my guide and Savior. Amen.

I'm in Love with Amanda and Manika

Hey, everyone!

Please excuse this really short post. I'm just passing time waiting for the bug fixes (yep, in the office on a weekend.. boo!) when I saw this lovelies at Ms. D's shoe shop and fell in love... I really really wanna faint because they're just so beautiful and I wanna have them now. As in N-O-W.

Meet Manika.

And...  Amanda!

If I only have lots and lots of money, I'll invest on shoes, I swearrr!!! Sigh.

Now excuse me while I go back to work :-)

Missin' blogging big time,

Finally... I Got You!

I was never a sporty person. The last sport I remembered playing was volleyball and I did it just because it is required to take 4 PE classes when I was in college. That was also the last time I wore a pair of rubber shoes. Seriously!

But since I have a boyfriend who convinces me every day to lose a little weight (he always always tells me that he loves me even I don't but I should also be mindful of my health -- right, hon? :P), last weekend he bought me this:

We've been searching high and low for the perfect sports shoes for me but it's always either we don't like the design or they don't have my size, or sometimes the design and size are okay but it's way out of our budget. So I was beyond ecstatic when we finally found the one that's not white but has pink, has size 8.5 and (the best part) is only...

And it still has 30% off the price tag! 

Do the math then congratulate me for such a steal! ^_^

My first step to wellness has just been taken, thanks to J :-) Now on with the harder part: diet + exercise.

Wish me luck :P

A Little Update

It's been more than a week now since my last post, blame it on my ISP. In fairness to PLDT, my connection is good most of the time but once it gets busted, it takes more than daysssssssss to get the problem fixed. In fact, I have no internet connection at home for 9 days now. And they have poor customer service also because dad's following up ever freakin' day to no avail. So dear PLDT myDSL peeps, I hope you can do something about this because if I don't get my service back within the week, I swear, I'm getting our line cut! *rawr*

Now enough of the negative vibes on a Monday. Here's a little update:

*  As I've told you, I spent the Holy Week in Ilocos. Then the weekend after that I was in Laguna for our yearly family outing. Then yesterday I was with le boyf's family for a surprise swimming party for his uncle. I'm sooooo thankful that I get to spend time with his family now :)

* Due to asterisk # 1, I haven't had enough time to put together my Ilocos posts but I'm working on them. I hope that the universe conspires so that I can publish them this weekend.

* On top of my head: I miss staying at home and doing nothing.

* Maude's Avenue of Thoughts is turning one on May 18th! ^_^ I've prepared a little something to give away so please please please stay tuned and help me spread the word once I post the contest mechanics :)

Missing blogging big time,

Advisory

Hi dear readers (if there still are).

Much as I wanna blog, I have a lot of personal issues at the moment. I have a few drafts but I can't finish them because my emotions are messed up. I'll get back as soon as I can. Promise.

Please still drop by once in while. I'll really appreciate it.

Much love,

Conversation with Mom

I have a quick kwento...

Over lunch...

Mom: tumawag sakin si Jhay kagabi, tumawag ba sayo?
Me: *silence*
Mom: inaway mo nanaman? baliw ka talaga
Me: *with a serious tone* Mana lang ako sayo.

Mom laughed her ass off cause she knows it's true. Hahaha.

Happy Sunday everyone! :D

I'm Giving Up...

I grew up taking Christian Living classes everyday, attending first Friday masses, writing reflections on the Gospel (with my parent's signature to attest to my mass attendance :P) but tell you what, I was never a religious person. Religion and faith are two different things, and I am, at the very least, proud to say that the latter I am overflowing with. That is why today, like the rest of the Catholic community, I observed the beginning of the Lenten Season: Ash Wednesday.

Since I believe I am mature enough to join Bro in His journey, I am doing my own version of abstinence. I thought about this for hours because I wanted them to be something relevant but not too ambitious. Hence, I only chose to give up TWO things, in the hope that they'll become a habit I'll be able to continue beyond the fasting season :)

1. SLEEP. Okay, don't think I'll make a zombie out of myself. I won't. I just meant I'll sacrifice 2-3 extra hours of sleep every morning by going to the office (relatively) early. My usual time in is 12noon and Jhay has been pleading for the longest time that I come in earlier to keep up with his work hours. I figured, now is the perfect time to begin but to still be realistic, I'm imposing a not-later-than-10AM rule. So help me God.

2. RICE. A month ago, I had the mandatory annual physical exam at work and as usual, the finding is that I am overweight. Well let's face it, if dieting is a quiz bee round, it has to be clincher. It is just so hard to say no to Sinigang, french fries, barbeque, Chickenjoy, chocolates, sundae, and the list goes on. But recently, I went for a check-up and was advised by the doctor that not only am I unhealthy, there is also a high probability that I won't be able to conceive because of my weight issues. Oh please, I want to be a mommy someday! Thus, I am taking a baby step to wellness. I'm taking things slowly so for now, I am eliminating rice from dinner. Again, not too ambitious, so viands are still allowed in my book. Just. Not. Rice.

There you have it, the two things I'll give up for Lent. What's yours? :D

Realizations

Jhay and I have been talking about marriage and family life for the longest time. Being together for almost six years, we know that settling down is something that’s in the near future already. We often tell each other that had we not have responsibilities to our own families, I’m most likely Mrs. Hipolito by now.

Until one day it dawned on me. During one of my staring-into-nothingness moments, I realized that I don’t wanna get married yet. Well at least not in the next five years. Close friends may be laughing at this point because they’ve heard about my dream wedding (and the hopes of fulfilling them soon) a thousand times over but hey, it just hit me. Gusto ko pa pala ng mas maraming panahon para sa mga pangarap ko.

Seriously, I don’t know what got into this head of mine but all of a sudden, I thought that I still want to be young. All of a sudden I realized that I’ve been acting too much like a 30-year old when in fact it’s just three years since I said goodbye to being a teen. It could be because I stress myself too much about work, I mind the kids’ baon and the bills, I get carried away in being a mommy to Haley, so everything was on fast-forward mode that I almost forgot that I am 22 and I have to enjoy my youth while it’s here.

This doesn’t mean that I love Jhay less nor not want to marry him anymore. JUST NOT YET. It’s just that now I have a stronger conviction that I wanna live the life of my dreams first before WE live the life of OUR dreams. There are more beautiful places in the world that I have to set foot on, more crazy nights with friends, more I.T. experience in my CV, more items awaiting to be ticked off my imaginary checklist – the same way that he has his own goals that he wanted to accomplish before kissing bachelorhood adieu. Sure sleeping in each other’s arms every night is bliss but with that comes a lot more serious things that we fail to include in the happy picture: next day’s menu, running out of groceries, paying rent, car maintenance, heaps of laundry, having a baby, ensuring his/her bright future, and the list goes on.

You get my point, right? Greater things are in store for me, for us, and we are giving our best to turn our reveries into reality before immersing ourselves in bigger responsibilities.

Hang in there, Honey, because a beautiful forever awaits us after we’ve lived singlehood, and lived it well.

P.S. No, this isn't about last night's argument :P

Tomorrow, Tomorrow (I ____ you Tomorrow)!

I have very few posts in the past two weeks because a lot of things are going on in my life right now. I've been barking coughing for the longest time, feeling so sick so I just go straight to bed upon getting home from work. My weekends were spent attending Christmas parties and my spare time I spent shopping. You see I really have no time to blog but every time something big happens, I make it a point to share it here. Just like now. No, I mean tomorrow.

Tomorrow, God-willing, is a big day for me and Jhay. It's actually something that I've long wanted and now that it's here, I could feel the butterflies in my stomach fluttering non-stop. I might not even be able to sleep tonight. Excited, scared, anticipating, I can't tell the difference anymore.

Okay, if it turns out fine, I'll post it here (I promise, I'll fill in the blank in the title ^_^). Otherwise, I just might forget it happened. Haha.

Wish me well, guys. May the Force be with me.

12.11.10 is my Lucky Day!

I know I've been on blogging hiatus (again!) for 2 weeks and haven't even explained why I'm gone but I am just so happy that I felt the need to blog!

Even before publishing my Christmas wishlist, I was able to tick an item off the list!

Photo courtesy here

Yes friends, call me lucky because I won an iPod Touch 32gb in the office Christmas Party raffle! :)

A shot right after I got back from the stage to get my voucher.

Will be claiming the item on Monday at the office :-)

Since I was a kid, I have this luck in raffle draws but this by far is the best prize that I've gotten. I remember getting something as cheap as a glass set in Grade 1, a backpack in college, a 500php-worth Ayale eGC in my team's party last week, and now a gadget that I've been wanting to have!

Thank heavens for this blessing (and Mom and Haley and Jhay who I made kulit to pray that I win :P) and thanks to Headstrong too! Now I can say Merry Christmas! :)