4Ts and an S

The past few days I’ve been staying late in the office. Workload’s kinda tough so I go home somewhere between 12MN and 3AM. I guess my body clock had adjusted pretty well so I’m still up and about at 1 in the morning. I really really wanted to rest but sleep just won’t come knocking at my door so I thought I might as well make the “puyat” worth it.

So here’s my agenda for the night… err, morning..

 
I wanted to share 4 things that I am thankful for today – 4 very little things that gave me a few seconds of happiness:

 
* I have finally added the LinkWithin gadget here. So what the hell is LinkWithin? It’s that portion at the bottom of my posts (come on, scroll down for a while) that links 3 related stories so that visitors can easily hop from one post to another. Really nice, isn’t it? Get yours here. :D

 
* Toblerone Pilipinas just sent a message saying that instead of the previously announced prize of Php 2000 worth of The Spa GCs which I and my Epic friend will share, they’re giving us PhP 2000 each to avail full pampering packages! Awesome!

 
* I had some quality time with my two darling babies, Kurt (my favorite inaanak who lives with us now) and Haley. It was super amusing to play with them and sing A-B-C and take pictures. Here are a few shots:

 

Please excuse my baby hair strands all around :P

 
And last but not the least…

 
* It’s Friday already! I don’t know if it’s because of the Monday holiday or I was just too busy that I hardly noticed the days pass. It’s weekend once again and this weekend is a really exciting one because it’s the awarding of the Toblerone Epic Friend Promo (that means chocolates and spa and girl bonding) and Jhay and I will be turning 63 months! He said he’s cooking up something special for our monthsary so I’m really looking forward to that.

 
Oh speaking of my Jhay, the S that I am talking about is a Sorry.

*mellow music in 3, 2, 1...*

Since I got home early today, Jhay and I intended to catch up on our how’s-your-day session and eat-at-the-same-time-even-if-we're-kilometers-apart habit every night. But my mood swings and short temper got the better of me. Yes, we fought. They say girls rarely admit it when they’re wrong but here I am saying it was my bad. And I’m sorry. So please honey, when you wake up, bati na tayo ha? :D

There you have it. It's 2AM in my clock and I was able to spend my one hour well. Now let's all have a great night and a beautiful Friday ahead :-)

Cheers,

On Strengths and Weaknesses

Just this morning I had one of the biggest surprises of my life. I wanted to share but I’m afraid it’s way too personal. But just to give you an idea on how serious it is, I have used all the swear words that I saved up for 5 years. Haha. But kidding aside, it was a family matter that I never thought I will ever have to go through. I trusted the person so much, and now all the trust and respect that I have for him has gone down the drain :(

It is in trying times like this that I’m most thankful I have an awesome set of friends and an equally wonderful boyfriend backing me up. The entire time that I was feeling lonely and crying and confused, they were there to remind me to be rational and keep me grounded. They helped me to weigh things and think of the best course of action. With them I was able to set cowardice aside. Using all the guts left within me, I faced the issue. Being able to confront the person involved was a liberating experience. That person may have given me BS answers but at the very least, I was able to let him know that I am not letting it pass. I’ll be keeping an eye on him… for my family’s sake.

*silence*
 

Okay, ‘nuff of the sad thoughts now. Let me share with you my lesson for the day:
 

When depressed, stay away from the mall, 

especially the one with very tempting sale items.

Uh-huh, I bought not one, not two, not even three but 6 blouses at Landmark Trinoma. I’ve been weak, I know, but you can’t blame me! How could I say no to the array of colorful plus-sized clothes? I tried really hard to resist but I seem to have used up all my strength in this morning’s confrontation. And hey, you still have to congratulate me because I only spent a total of Php 1551.25! 6 office tops for less than 2k is a great deal, right? :D
 

So before I go and try those new shirts on, since it’s also National Heroes’ Day, allow me to thank my Jhay and my girlfriends for being my own set of heroes! Much love! :-*

Customizations Ongoing

I am kinda playing around with my layout at the moment so please bear with me.

Thanks a lot! :-)

Oh yeah, I have a new signature too! *dance*

Hot and Cold

Right now I am enduring a freakin' hot afternoon here at home because I wanted to make up for all the going-online-for-no-reason-at-all time that I lost this week. It was busy as hell at work (busier than last week's busy LOL) that I didn't even have time to fool around in Facebook. Imagine I had to work from 1PM to 3AM of the next day because of the deadline. I know this is usual for most carer-oriented people but I seem to be pretty much affected because it was the first time that I experienced it. (Note to self: Start getting used to working overtime.)

Oh well, let me go back to my thing today. A few minutes ago I enjoyed a cup of dirty ice cream! Hahaha. FYI, the entire neighborhood has been a suki of that one sorbetero for ages so I guess it's not dirty after all. :-)

How I loved the classic keso and tsokolate combination!

Who said that a Starbucks mug is only for a hot cup of coffee? It's perfect for a cold treat too! :-)

Peach was happy to know that this (however a different color)

was among my birthday wishes. Apple green is second only to pink
as my favorite color so it's still awesome! :)

Before I forget, I took a picture of the cute apple green mug just because I wanted to thank the person who gave it to me. She said she wanted me to remember her by leaving me something that I'll always use. So here's to my sweet girl, Peaches. Thanks for sharing a beautiful conversation with me. The date that we had yesterday was short but very very sincere and soothing. I'm looking forward to having another coffee break with you really soon. I'll miss you, girlfriend! Bon voyage!

A warm and time-tested friendship is one of life's simplest pleasures.

Oh yes, the barista mistook Peach for Mitch. Hahaha.

Mommy for a Day

Last Sunday was a real family day for the Rolle clan because it was my nephew Rafa’s 1st Birthday. Two party areas of Jollibee Alabang were occupied because all the relatives were there to join the fun.

The birthday boy and his family.

When I was a kid I adore Jollibee and guess what, some things never change. I still crave for Jolly Spaghetti every once in a while. I’m still enticed by Aga Muhlach holding the “crispylicious, juicylicious Chickenjoy.” And of course, I still take pictures with the endearing mascot of the country’s #1 fast food chain.

Jollibee and Me :-)

Yeah, I enjoyed the affair. I got to see the cousins who I seldom see, only this time all of us are young adults already. I took pleasure handing the kids the “Bring Me” item, proving time and again that I am every inch of a stage sister. I loved taking lots and lots of photographs: capturing family fun, immortalizing priceless Haley moments.

Mom brought with her a box of crayons to keep Haley busy.

She loves coloring and writing. Very good baby! :)

Haley dancing with her bags of chips. Mom brought those too! Haha.

Super cute! :D

 Slowly baby... You might end up as big as Ate Em. Hahaha.

The kids playing "The Longest Coin"... with a twist.

Haley loving her loot bag.

I and my Epic Friend. We're both pretty, I know! :)

Two of my best-loved godmothers.

Family shots! *Mom's the one in yellow, btw*

After more than two hours of being a kid again, I assumed another role. Because Alabang Town Center is just a few steps away, my aunts decided to stroll so I went with them… but Haley went with us too! It shouldn’t have been much of a deal had Mom come with us but she didn’t so I had to take care of the little girl. Thing is she doesn’t wanna walk because she’s scared of wearing shoes again! Last time they went to the mall she had new shoes on and she walked and ran around like there’s no tomorrow, and the result? She had 2 blisters per foot. Poor baby. And poor Ate Em because I had to carry her in my arms the whole time.

As if it wasn’t tiring to wander around ATC, we went to SM Southmall next. Haley fell asleep on the way so I had to cradle her from the car to the mall. I could feel it, I look haggard already but I am the day's Mommy, right?

That's me thinking how Mom (our real Mom) can take it when we go malling for hours, considering how small she is and how heavy Haley is. Hahaha.

After some wooing from her Ate Faye, Haley agreed to get on these super cute kiddie rides! They're battery-operated so kids can freely drive around the area. Indeed, Haley enjoyed it! :)

A dolphin, a panda and an... ant? Whatever! Haha.

These rides are at 10php for 3 minutes. So sulit!

After the fun rides, she walked already, but she still didn't put her shoes on. 

Look at how she enjoyed walking barefoot. 

She even posed with her Ates and Kuya.

Haley with two of her favorite cartoon characters.

 

Then we dropped by SM Storyland. We took a few pictures while it was the teenagers' turn to have fun.

 Faye, Choy and our cousin P-jhay in the mini Roller Coaster.

Do I really look like her Momma already???

At around 7pm it was time to go home. We had to commute going home since Tita A and her family's still driving to Cavite. Inside the bus, Haley's still energetic as ever!

 Pic #1: Making pa-cute with her cheeseburger

Pic #2: Her "no, you can't get this from me!" look

Pic #3: Headset's playing "Nobody" by Wondergirls.

Look at her hands, she's acting it out! :)

She was making kulit the entire trip until this 3-day sale poster caught her attention. Shopaholic in the making? Nah, she's actually singing A-B-C over and over while pointing out the letters. Adorable much noh? :)

We got home after an hour of travel. Yes, I was sooooo tired. In fact, my arms hurt until now. I experienced being a mommy and it's tough, but at the end of the day, seeing Haley happy makes all the effort worth it :-)

Super Proud Friend

That's what I am right now! :D

I mentioned in my previous post that one of my girlfriends had started blogging too. And now that her first official post is published, I just have to say that it's so worth the wait! Well, I could be bias because I was part of that blog but hey, try to read it so that you'll now that I'm not that partial after all. :P

I intend to write about my (tiring but happy) day tonight but because I wanted to rave about Jaq's blog, I'm saving that for tomorrow. Good night, world! And have a great work week ahead.. :-)

Don't forget to visit her, ha? :D

The Week That Was

I haven't written anything since Tuesday because it's so busy at work but tonight since I just ate (poor eating habit, I know), I need to be awake for a few more minutes so I'll make the most out of it by sharing the week's highlights.

Last weekend, I've been engrossed with downloading all Glee, The Music albums. I spent the first day of the work week e-mailing my girlfriends how amazing the singles are and volunteering to burn CDs for them. Thus, we had the perfect excuse for a Tuesday get-together: handing them their copies ^_^

We had dinner at Chowking Alphaland Mall (that's in Magallanes MRT Station) and I have to say I didn't enjoy my food :( I ordered the Orange Chicken Lauriat and I got 4 tiny pieces of chicken. The pansit canton was very disappointing too because it tasted like garlic. Good thing there was Chicharap, it helped me finish my meal.

Funny how our seating arrangement didn't change (see previous pic)

We stayed there until around 9:30 and was forced to leave because the crew were already turning off the lights and the aircon. But since we aren't even halfway done with our chikahan session, we've decided to stay at a nearby Starbucks, in Waltermart Makati that is. We had our beloved frappuccinos and some slices of pastry (c/o Jaq) and indulged in 3 solid hours of girl talk. Like tomorrow is a weekend, around 12:30AM we called it a night. Oh, an awesome night! :)

The next day, August 18th, was as great. I got in the office at 7:30 and was greeted by a personal message via Facebook from Toblerone Pilipinas. Yes, we won in the Toblerone Epic Friend Promo! Hurray! The awarding of Toblerone gift packs and The Spa GCs will be on September 4th. I and Ate Pants are so looking forward to it already :)

By lunch time I sneaked out to go to Robinson's Ermita to get a gift for my dear Tita Antin on her 51st birthday. I got back at 2pm, ate a quick lunch and an hour and a half later, my friends at work were already asking me to go have snacks. Gosh, my tummy is still so full but I went with them to Jollibee anyway. That time, Jhay was texting me saying sorry because he can't come to Tita's surprise birthday bash at home. Of course it got me down-hearted because we haven't seen each other for 2 long weeks but when we got inside Jollibee, Jhay was already there waiting for me! ^_^ I used to tease him because I always get his surprises busted but this time he was super successful! He and my friends were laughing at how shocked I was to see him there. Congrats honey!

We got home at around 6pm and they're all waiting for us because we have the cakes! And the celebration can't start without it! LOL. Everyone enjoyed the small salo-salo and Tita Antin enjoyed her day. Before bedtime I heard her crying while thanking Nanay Letty. Great job for me, my other two titas and Nanay, we were the people behind it! :)

My co-masterminds Tita Net (in fuchsia) and Tita A (in pink) with the birthday celebrant.

 
And just this morning, well yesterday technically, we got some good news from the company's top management. I want to remain hushed about it, but to give you an idea, it's coming this 25th. My oh my, what a great way to end a busy week! :)

What's a week full of kwento without pictures? I'll be adding them as soon as I get my camera back. (Update: 8/21, 7pm - Pictures added! :D) I lent it to a friend by the name of Jaquiline Badeo. And what's with the mention of her full name? It's because I wanted you to help me in welcoming her to the wonderful world of blogging! Visit her here, now na!

It's 1:35am in my clock and I think my midnight snack is down there already. Haha. Be back blogging when I wake up. Have a great weekend everyone! :D