Day 19 - A picture of something you love to do

This pretty much sums up my two favorite things to do:

EAT and TAKE PICTURES! :D

Salivating over Tiramisu Meltdown,

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.

Day 18 - A picture of the sexiest woman alive

photo credits: left, center, right

Whether or not it's fake doesn't really matter to me. Haha. I just love her curves. I don't like the skinny sexy kasi. So yeah, IMO, Kim Kardashian is the sexiest woman alive. Not to mention, she has a pretty face too! ;-)

I'd love to know who you see fit for the title! Share! :)

Day 17 - A picture of someone who has made a huge impact on your life recently

I was supposed to put a picture of Haley but it's so predictable, right? So I thought of this guy instead...

Friends, meet Jim, our team lead.

I personally took this photo for a company newsletter so I'm kinda proud if it.

It's post-worthy, yes? ;P

Career-wise, there's no one more fit for Day 17 than Jim. I learned a lot in the past year that I've been working with him and in the last few months, all the more that I was able to prove how great a leader he is.

I was recently assigned to a project in which I am the only resource doing QA. Being a junior, everyone doubted my capability but Jim believed in me. When we had a one-on-one talk, I had to look away because I don't want him to see that I was thisclose to tears while he's telling me he's certain that I can nail it. That confidence meant so much. That confidence convinced me that I'm actually better than what I think of myself.

In my book, what sets him apart is that he knows when to speak out and when to listen to what I have to say, when to intervene and when to step back to let me do my own thing. More than a mentor, he is a motivator. He inspires me to step up and outperform myself every single time.

"The reward for good work... is more work." -- I've seen my job in a whole new light since he told me that.

P.S. Jim, if you ever chance upon this (I hope not :P), sorry I put up your picture without letting you know. And thanks, if I haven't said it enough :D

Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you

I'm not naming one, two or three... because I have 8 persons who inspire me.

My family inspires me to soldier on, no matter how difficult life gets sometimes.

Seeing my mom set herself aside to take care of us is enough for me to do my best to become a better daughter and sister. Knowing that my dad, despite a few failures here and there, perks up and still tries his best to make a living for us inspires me to help provide for the family in my own little way. Looking at my five younger sisters and envisioning a bright future awaiting them makes me want to work doubly hard to send them to a good school and give them all their needs, and if possible, their wants, too.

Sure we don't have a posh house, a luxury car, or weekly shopping sprees but just having this beautiful family (literally and figuratively :P), makes me feel extremely wealthy.

And of course, this guy.

Being with each other for more than 6 years, I can safely say now that J is the man I'm meant to spend the rest of my life with. Whenever we talk about future plans, I'm amazed at how certain he is that we'll have a blissful and abundant married life. He makes me believe it, too, and inspires me to do my part for that plan to materialize. We both know it's not gonna be a walk in the park but I know we can make it because we're taking the rough roads hand-in-hand. He inspires me to love the life I'm given, emanate kindness and generosity everyday, value my work, chase my dreams, and in the end be the woman I am destined to become.

Thanks Crickette!

I work on night shift this week because I'm on the last few days of my project (I made it! Yay! :D) and honestly, I am enjoying it. For some reasons, I am more productive in the wee hours and when I get home, I recharge until mid-afternoon and still get some me-time before going to work again. 

And then this afternoon, while spending my lull time, I got all giddy when this arrived at our doorstep:

Well it wasn't really a surprise because Crickette of The Drama Queen Can Tell Stories e-mailed us that she'll be shipping the prize anytime last week but usually, someone else at home receives deliveries on my behalf. This time, I personally got the package and it was pure delight! ^_^

It should have been just Nivea products (for the record, I've been using the brand for years!) but since Crix is a dentist, she threw in some tubes of toothpaste and bottles of mouthwash, too. Thanks mucho, Doc! :D

Happy Thursday everyone!

Of Pajamas and Priceless Girlfriend Moments

Warning: Picture-heavy post.
 
Since we became part of the working class, my girlfriends and I make it a point to celebrate each of our birthdays -- complete with gifts, good food and a sinful cake with a candle on top. Well of course we also celebrate back when we're still in college but because we already have our own moolah, we can afford to up a notch in terms of how we do it now. The past birthdays we celebrated laughing our hearts out at a comedy bar, beating each other at bowling, acting like little kids at a theme park and getting up close and personal with our marine friends at the ocean park (and why haven't I blogged about all of those?!). But there's one thing we've wanted to do for the longest time but haven't gotten the chance to do so -- PAJAMA PARTY!!!

Thanks to Nhix's birthday-slash-promotion treat, we were finally able to fulfill that dream last weekend. Awesome way to start the month, eh? ;D

photo credit

After scouring the net for hotels and finding out that it's way out of our budget (plus they're strict with the number of guests per room), we thought of looking for condos for rent instead. The problem with the idea, though, is that most of the units has a 3-day minimum. We were actually losing hope until I chanced upon Jedidiah Rentals. I texted the property manager, Grace, and lucky for us they allow overnight stays! We were already decided to settle for it without even scrutinizing the place because it's cheap at Php1800 + electricity charge but seeing the photos made us want to drag the days to October 1 already. Here lemme show you some...

3 towers of residential condominium units developed by DMCI. Hello, Mommy Fleur! :)

Dansalan Gardens is located at Boni Ave., Mandaluyong City.

Weeeee! Huge pool for the school of fish! ^_^

Comfy couch + LCD TV + DVD player = movie marathon!

The inviting bed's a threat to our plan of staying up all night!

Photos from Jedidiah Rentals' site

Seriously, PhP1800 only? I don't want to sound like a home TV shopping voice over but... What an offer! :D

The day came. After shopping for gifts for Nhix and buying some groceries for our little party, we went straight to our home for the night. When we got there, we had to wait awhile for Ms. Grace's assistant to take us to the unit. Building security is impressive, by the way :) As soon as the door opened, we tried our darn hardest not to squeal in delight!

Actual photos from my cam

2 couches to fit all 5 of us

The entertainment set, with cable TV even.

The kitchen may be small but it has everything you'll ever need.

The 4-burner electric stove with exhaust and lighting system was a hit to Noreen.

The dining table which for us became the gadget table because...

Beside it is the phone and modem.
It kept us connected to the outside world :)

The bed is really comfortable and have you noticed the lamp at the corner?
Turning it on made the room even more cozy.

The huge wooden cabinet has enough hangers, a flat iron and a comforter, too. Have I already said that the unit has everything you'll ever need? :P

And the best thing about it is that the entire place is spotlessly clean, including the comfort room! The fixtures are of high-quality, as well.

But what really got us are the little details...

This wall clock is too cute I just had to take a picture.

They have dinnerware narin and pots and pans and knives and this classy glass collection.

And yes, the plates are Ikea pa!

This reaaaallly caught our fancy -- a fish ice tray! It's meant for us! :D

We continued to admire the place while taking some rest. It's great for a couple starting out but we had other plans -- what if we just live together?! Imagine coming home to your friends and beginning to tell the day's adventure as soon as you step in and having the entire night just for girl talk? That'll be crazy, but super fun!

We love it that the furniture are strategically located for self-timer shots!

After about two hours of daydreaming about us living under one roof, Jejo arrived. You know what that means... time for dinner! :D

Noreen cooked our favorite Pork Sinigang so it was one hearty meal.
But before that, there's picture taking of course!

Our tummies were full but we just can't say no to this. They loved it because it's not too
sweet but since I'm a sucrophile, I still prefer Red Ribbon or Conti's :P

Nhix brought cupcakes from Cake R' Us. Too pretty to eat, aren't they?

Happy birthday, labs! :D

Post-dinner, it's pajama party proper! Fine, they're not all pajamas but those would do, okay? ;-)

We laid our sleepwear on the bed with our gifts for Nhix. Wedding ang peg! Haha.

Then we had the obligatory continuous shots...

Then Nhix opened her gifts...

A wallet from Jaq, a bag that I want for myself from me and Noreen and an Ipanema sandals from Jejo.

And finally, it's time for some real and unadulterated girl bonding...

We hid under the sheets and talked about family, love, work and everything in between. It was a no-holds-barred conversation -- something that we haven't done in a while because we're busy juggling our career and personal lives. We made the most of the privacy by watching porn (kidding! :P) sharing a thing or two about our relationships (boyfriends, beware! hahaha) and pouring out our frustrations and secrets and future plans and dreams. Imagine you and your 4 closest friends in one cozy room talking about things that under normal circumstances only your diary would know. Isn't that great? I say priceless.

A movie and some episodes of Vampire Diaries followed. Before we know it, the sun is starting to show up and it's time for the most important meal of the day.

Our breakfast.

Thanks Noreen, for taking care of our tummies! :)

Once again, we had our fill. To religiously follow the sched that we created, we watched Hip Hop Abs, a workout video for those who wanna lose weight. You're supposed to follow the routine but as I've said we just, well, watched. Hahaha. Then we changed into our swimming attire because we're hitting the waters next!

First shot. We're trying so hard not to appear cold but in reality, we're freezing! The wind was extra strong that morning, thanks to Typhoon Quiel.

Let's play a game, shall we? Pagandahan ng underwater shot. Hahahaha.

Mine is boring, I know!

I love Jaq's pose. I tried to do that but it was hard. Hers is effortless.
Oh by the way, drop by her blog! :)

Nhix's is... kinda revealing. Haha.

Noreen is just so happy. Agree? :P

Where's Jejo, you ask? She's there... taking our pictures. She's not very comfortable submerging herself in the water, that's why. She's still a winner, I think, for being an awesome photographer. Hahaha.

Now let's offer a brief moment of silence for D10, Jaq's underwater camera. It succumbed after that swimming session and needless to say, my friend is devastated she even wrote D10 a letter. Include them in your prayers, please?

We went back to our unit and started packing up. Much as we wanted to stay longer, we had other activities after that. As always, it was one awesome weekend with my ladies and we could only wish for more of this. And to close this uber long post, let me share with you one quote I truly believe in because of our friendship:

"A best friend is a sister that destiny forgot to give you."

Thanks destiny for being so generous to give me 5 (yes, Ep, that includes you) :D