Wake up!

My blog has been sleeping for a very long time. Pardon for the absences. There were so many things that have been running around my mind and I have been contemplating to blog about each of them.

What really has been keeping me busy? Well, "a lot of things" should keep the answer in its simplest term. What are these things?...a list would probably suffice:

(1) My project in Indiana has ended. Umm, my role in the project, that is...but not necessarily "the project". I stayed in that client for 10 months! (Even longer than my stay in my previous company.) So, when I packed up my things, cleared my desk -- a feeling of resignation dawned on me. Strange! Will I still go back to the client? That, I don't know as of now. But all I can say is I learned a lot of things during my stay in that client...and gained friendships too!

(2) We just stayed in our apartment on the night of Thanksgiving. Unlike last year, where we bravely faced the biting cold weather in the wee hours for our shopping trip, we just went to Kohl's and Chicago Premium Outlet in the morning after Thanksgiving. Of course, I lied when I said to myself that I won't be buying any stuff... that I will just content myself in checking out things. Of all the things I got, I soo love my Fifty Four Fossil Rachel '70s saddle bag (blue)! About the rest of the items I shopped, my voluntary promotion of human welfare has evolved -- "philanthropy" in other words. I did some last-minute gift shopping for friends in Pinas. (Did I mention that the husband, too, was a certified liar?)

(3) My balikbayan boxes have finally arrived in our house in Binan, Laguna. I have been checking the website of the cargo company for the past week, worrying that we wouldn't be able to receive the package just in time for Christmas. Since this was the first time that we shipped a package from US, I was worried that it would take a long time before the package reaches the Southern Luzon region. In Dubai, we trusted Makati Express in shipping our boxes -- no negative feedbacks. So, when we came here, after scouting for pinoy cargo companies, we settled in using "forex". And I made the right choice. They delivered the package in less than the estimated time of 35-40 days (32 days, to be exact). They also let you track the package using their website (just like UPS/Fedex). And once the package has been received by your recipient, they take a picture of the package together with your recipient...funny! But this is to prove that the package was in good state when it was received.

(4) We'll be flying to Manila on Wednesday. Unlike before, we can't feel the excitement this time. We have finished a fraction of the things we need to do before leaving. Our bags are half-packed... I hope, by tomorrow, I will start feeling the excitement.

(5) I have booked and paid the hotel where we will be staying in Baguio, together with the whole family. This will be my nth visit to Baguio, but will be my parents' 1st time. I just hope that everything will turn out great.

(6) I've been procrastinating again and haven't finished my *plan* -- that by the way, I promised to finish by the end of 2008 (if you try to back read to my 2008 new year entry)!

So, that's about it for the update!

Happy holidays, everyone!

Who, me?

It’s been a while…it’s been a while.

Busy? Nah. Other priorities? Yes.

But time has come for me to blog…rather, rant.

I’m still here with my old client. Poor me? Nah. I’m leaving this client in 2 weeks’ time and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for my next assignment. Oh well, that’s not something to worry about this time… I’m still about to go for vacation. (Yeah, baby!)

What happened today ruined my lunch and my whole afternoon. Hmm… let me rephrase that – What happened today made me feel so bad. Yes, that sounds more right.

At 11:53 AM, we (together with my colleagues), headed to Building 5 to have our lunch in the cafeteria, just like what we usually do. My client has this concessionaire rendering catering services. And I have this discount coupon wherein for every food exceeding $4.79 that I buy from them, I get one punch on the coupon. And my 11^th lunch/punch should be discounted by $4.79.

So, this noon, I brought my coupon and my credit card to the pay station with my tray of food. Upon receiving my credit card and coupon, the cashier immediately swiped my card to the register (I have to add, without even an opportunity for me to talk). As she was about to punch my coupon, I told her that it’s full already…that I should have a discounted lunch. So, she called her colleague (I think, the Supervisor) and asked the other person to reverse the previous *swipe*. As they were waiting for the register to do its thing, I kept on hearing her saying to the Supervisor that “Usually, they tell me beforehand that the coupon is full…blah…blah…blah”. At this moment, I was about to explode but due to the number of people waiting in line, I just decided to hold my temper. As I headed out of the pay station, I was shaking my head while looking at her.

What made me feel so bad is why did she need to blame me for her own fault? I really don’t like people who try to escape from their fault by making excuses and putting the blame on other people! Why can’t you be responsible for your actions? Your procedure should be to look first at the coupon card before swiping the credit card! And if I tell you that the coupon card is *full*, when it’s not, are you not going to verify it? So, next time, I can just probably tell the cashier that it’s full already, so I can get a discounted lunch – even though my card is short of 3 punches to get a discounted lunch!

I was so disappointed and felt so bad at that moment that as soon as I laid down my tray on our table, I couldn’t help but kept on jabbering with my colleagues! (Pasalamat at hindi pa ako sa Tagalog tumatalak nyan…kundi, maririndi ang buong cafeteria!).

She’s actually a nice cashier until this afternoon. From now on, I will no longer use that coupon card. What’s the big deal…I still get my meals reimbursed. I was just trying to claim what I’m entitled to and somehow give my client some savings.

I was about to write a letter to Eurest Dining Services to complain about this but up to now, I’m still thinking about it. (As a background, one Mexican resto around here fired one of their guys recently. And my colleagues think that that was because I complained about that specific guy not so long ago.). I don’t want to make a big deal out of it especially in these times of economic breakdown. I’m just disappointed. That’s all.

Feel Good (and smell good) Tip for the day: "Zinc"

"Make sure you are getting the USDA recommended daily allowance (RDA) of zinc. Yup, that's right, a zinc deficiency can lead to foot odor, as well as general body odor AND bad breath! So, make sure zinc is included in your multi vitamin, or get a seperate zinc supplement."

Me and my technology

Admittedly, I can proclaim myself as a technology slave. Is there something bad about it? Perhaps, yes. But with the different breakthroughs nowadays, one can never have too many gadgets or devices to make their lives easier. But as much as I heavily depend on technology, there are still little things that I prefer to do the ‘manual’ way:

(1) I don’t use dishwasher. In our apartment, we have this big dishwasher that I never use. I even don’t allow my husband to use it. Why? Because after my husband used it one time, I still could see the food leftovers on the floor of the washer, even how small they are. I figured afterwards that the washer needs to be cleaned right after using it to avoid the bad smell of the leftovers. My argument: What’s the point of using the washer for cleaning dishes when afterwards; I also need to clean the washer? I suppose, cleaning the dishes is very much easier than cleaning a stinky dishwasher.

(2) I prefer “tangible” books than e-books. When I read books, I want to hold the book and not strain my eye with too much light from the celphone or computer screen. Plus, I can manually write/comment on the good phrases in the book.

(3) I would choose “fan (pamaypay)” over electric fan/airconditioning machine. I easily get cold. And I would prefer natural air rather than the air produced from these machines.

(4) Even though my celphone has this capability to record our grocery needs, I still use my white board/black marker on our fridge door to note down the things we need to buy for our next grocery.

(5) I still use diaries to record my meetings. I just love my handwriting, I guess, hahaha... :)

And I do believe that no matter how ‘high tech’ we become, we should somehow still know how to survive in cases of technology breakdowns (but don’t ever ask me to drive manually, because I can’t and I don’t plan to learn about it).

Related to this, for the past weeks, I’ve been experiencing some trouble with my celphone. While browsing, it would sometimes just freeze and would not respond to any key strokes. There was even a time that I think my phone just experienced a blackout. The whole screen was completely black. I tried calling my number from the landline and my phone was ringing (and vibrating) but I couldn’t see the screen.

After I was able to retrieve my screen back, what I did was I checked the number of my apps in my screen (by counting the number of non-default icons), and I realized that I already have 30 add-ons!!! Wow! I didn’t imagine that I have this much…and I don’t use most of these apps. Well, I better start deleting some of these apps to somehow disburden my phone.

As I plan to do this, I received an email from Apple announcing the software update to 2.1. Well, I hope this, too would help in reducing my technology breakdowns! Added features for this software update is indicated in this flyer:

What I like most:

..the added option of wiping out data in the phone after 10 unsuccessful passcode attempts.

Apple alert

Yesterday, as I was comfortably lying in my bed while watching TV, my phone suddenly rang for a text message. Well, it was a text message from Apple saying that they just announced an exchange program for the ultracompact USB power adapter that came with my iPhone 3G.

Apparently, they just discovered a defect in the metal prongs of the chargers of iPhone 3G sold in US, Japan, Mexico, and other Latin America countries.

If you are an owner of an iPhone 3G that was sold in countries mentioned above, visit this link to know how to get yours replaced: http://www.apple.com/support/usbadapter/exchangeprogram/

I don’t actually use this charger because I find the iPhone 2G charger more compact and stylish, so I’m still using my old charger...while, the husband (who got the hand-me-down iPhone 2G) is just using the USB cord and dock to connect his iPhone to his computer (which does charge the battery of the phone). Nevertheless, I will still get my charger replaced come October 10.

I don’t want to be bitchy but at least Apple voluntarily announced the replacement program just like what they always do. Anyway, you still get the best customer service whatever the problem is in your apple product. And that’s one of the many things you’re paying for.

Enjoy your technology (by Cali Lewis)!!!

I'm Platinum!

I received this email message few days back --

Yes! I'm now "Platinum"! That means, I get double points and elite status in all my stays. Last night was my first night of stay as a Platinum member in Holiday Inn. So, I had a cup of coffee and newspaper delivered to my room -- awww...soo nice! Plus -- it's so heart-warming to see your name posted in the front lobby under the "Platinum" category.

If only Ramada has a ladder system of membership, I should have Triple Platinum by now. As a flashback, I stayed in Ramada for several months (which is the main reason why I was able to buy PS3 in Feb -- by using my hotel points to get a gift card from Circuit City). But because of this very bad experience with them (they just lost my very important package from Dubai -- where I had to call the hotel manager from his home!!!), I decided to transfer to Holiday Inn last July.

I became a Gold member after just 1 week (I think)...which didn't excite me at all. But this one, oh definitely!

I'm excited for my double (sometimes triple) points! Woohoo!!!

Well, I'm thinking of using my points for a free stay in Hotel Intercon with my family when I get home to Philippines... in shallah!

Heroes vs. Prison Break

September 22, 2008 - the long wait is over!

Everyone is now counting down -- for the comeback of "Heroes" (Villains). This is one of the many TV series that I've been following and watching since it started.

And now that it has come back for the next season, I can't express the excitement.... until I saw the timings and schedules of NBC.

Again, Heroes and Prison break are showing at the same timing!!! Darn! That means I need to choose between the two (unless, NBC and FOX are considerate enough to have alternating commercial breaks).

I think I'd choose Prison break for now... anyway, torrent is just always there... forgive me, Peter Petrelli... (mas matimbang sa puso ko si Scofield, haha!).

Enjoy the new seasons of our beloved TV series!!!

(P.S. Since everyone is raving about Gossip Girl, I forced myself to watch the first few episodes of GG yesterday. Note: I actually tried liking this series for several times, but I don't know why the story flow doesn't excite my curiosity. Let's see if I could finish another set of episodes of GG.)

Can't wait for the next season of Desperate Housewives this Fall, too!

Apple really rocks!

I just blogged here that I got a free battery replacement from Apple for my macbook...for the sake of "customer satisfaction".  And in that entry I also mentioned that my iPod vid also needs a new battery.  So, today, husband went again to the Apple store and brought my iPod for battery replacement.  

As a background, we already brought this in one Apple store but they just suggested I should just replace it with a new one or better yet, buy an iPod touch (which btw I think is ridiculous... it's like buying another iPhone).  I just want to have my iPod repaired because it's an "iPod".  It should serve its purpose... gets?  I don't want to use my iPhone as an iPod because I have a separate iPod... (gets nyo ba? Medyo magulo, pero gusto ko lang pakinabangan kung anong binili ko...kung ano talaga ang silbi nya..ayokong itapon na lang ang iPod dahil lang sa sira sya).

So, in high hopes, we decided to bring the iPod to another Apple store (to where I also brought my macbook).  So, husband told the "Genius" (this is how they call the reps in the Genius bar in Apple stores) that we ordered a replacement battery for an iPod video 80 gb and we were told that the battery is now ready.  And then, the genius said, "So, you're picking up your new ipod."  And then, husband said, "No...no.  I'm just here for a new battery."  But then, the genius replied, "Yes. That's how we do it.  We just replace your iPod with a new one instead of replacing the battery, because it's more cost-effective for us to just replace the unit.  But you'll just be paying the cost of the battery."

Apple, YOU ROCK!

Bwahahaha! So, now I have a brand new (with plastic and all) iPod video 80GB White.  Same as my old one but without scratches.... and without MUSIC and VIDEO and PODCASTS... :(

...and that's the drawback, all my music, videos, podcasts and other favorites are now gone.  Oh well, husband is also doing that aspect - rebuilding the lost data from my old one to the new one.

Husband, YOU ROCK!

...hahaha!  

Power interruption

As much as I want to blog, eh medyo may katamaran ako magblog today and medyo jam-packed din ang sched. So, share ko na lang ang chat message ko sa isang friend ko.

Pag sinwerte nga naman...

Lei Villanera (8/27/2008 6:23:58 PM): hehehe
Lei Villanera (8/27/2008 6:24:18 PM): lam mo ba, flor, nakalibre ako ng battery sa mac ko, hahaah!
Lei Villanera (8/27/2008 6:24:58 PM): pumunta kasi ako sa apple nung sunday para patingnan nga ang mac ko. tapos sabi, palitan na raw ang battery. pero out of stock daw. tawag daw ako makalipas ang ilang days.
Lei Villanera (8/27/2008 6:25:10 PM): tumawag ako kahapon. sabi nila, meron na raw battery available.
Lei Villanera (8/27/2008 6:25:21 PM): tapos pinapunta ko si randy sa apple kanina.
Lei Villanera (8/27/2008 6:25:41 PM): sabi sa kanya, wala pa raw. nagalit si randy. kasi sabi nya, tumakas lang sya sa trabaho para sa battery tapos sasabihin wala.
Lei Villanera (8/27/2008 6:25:46 PM): tapos alam mo nangyari?
Lei Villanera (8/27/2008 6:26:08 PM): binigay na lang sa kanya yung battery nung isang macbook na display dun! hahaha...bagong bago pa rin ang battery....
Lei Villanera (8/27/2008 6:26:21 PM): hindi na pinabayaran para raw sa customer satisfaction
Lei Villanera (8/27/2008 6:26:24 PM): ayos!

So, ayun nga, nakalibre ako ng battery for my laptop. Swerte rin dahil ang mahal pa naman... $129. Tomorrow, yung iPod vid ko naman ang papalitan ng battery (oo, lahat ng apple products ko ay sabay sabay naubusan ng battery. It makes sense naman dahil halos sabaw sabaw ko rin sila binili). Sana makalibre ulit si Randy boy, hehehe... nagpapractice na nga sya kung pano ang style nya tomorrow magalit... Ayos!

Can somebody donate some fats?

We were shopping yesterday at Magnificent Mile but no matter what outfit I try to put together, the image in the mirror doesn't satisfy.

...and I figured out where the problem lies...

I'm too skinny!!! (Not to mention that lots of people are saying so...). Whenever I look at the mirror, I look at myself as being 'malnourished' or 'anorexic'.

So, can somebody recommend good vitamins for boosting appetite? I tried looking at the GNC website but I can't find any. Most of the vitamins for this purpose are for KIDS! Darn!

Disclaimer: I can't devote so much time to gym...so I need to also have some artificial ways to gain weight. Gym is already off the list.

Chicago 2016

This is not an excuse for being aloof for the past weeks/months. But to make up for my absences, I'm sharing to you this website (which is just in time for the ongoing Beijing Olympics).

Just some pieces of FAQ:

Q:What is the Chicago 2016 Bid Committee?
A: The Chicago 2016 Bid Committee ("Chicago 2016") is a 501(c)3 corporation whose mission is to seek the privilege of hosting the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Chicago. Chicago 2016's Board comprises business, civic, athletic, cultural and academic leaders representing Chicago and the surrounding Midwest region. Its honorary chairmen are Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Patrick Ryan serves as chairman and CEO.

Q:Where will the Olympic events be held?
A: Washington Park will be the site of the Olympic Stadium, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies and the track & field events.

The stadium will be an 80,000-seat temporary facility that will be converted, post-Games, into a 5,000-capacity venue (with expansion capability), well-suited to host local, national and international athletics events. It may also be used as an amphitheater capable of hosting cultural events that are so important to this city.

Chicago 2016 is currently working on site plans for the additional events, which will include McCormick Place as the host of 11 competition venues.

Q:Who else is competing for the 2016 Olympic Games?
A: Now that Chicago has been selected as the U.S. Bid City, the competition for the 2016 Games Host City enters the international phase.

International cities competing for the 2016 Olympic Games were officially announced on September 14, 2007, and include: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Madrid, Spain; Prague, Czech Republic; Tokyo, Japan; Baku, Azerbaijan; Doha, Qatar; and Chicago, IL, USA.

Q:Is traffic and transportation a concern?
A: Chicago's extensive rail, transit, and motorways infrastructure, combined with the world-class O'Hare and Midway International airports, make Chicago one of the most accessible cities for local residents and International visitors.

While we are still in the early stages of planning, smooth transportation for athletes, spectators and the citizens of Chicago going about daily lives is one of the Chicago 2016's highest priorities. Detailed plans will be available in the future.Website: Chicago 2016

...interesting. But oh well...who cares?!? Only God knows where I would be in 2016. Let's just set this aside from now.

Chicago 2016

This is not an excuse for being aloof for the past weeks/months. But to make up for my absences, I'm sharing to you this website (which is just in time for the ongoing Beijing Olympics).

Just some pieces of FAQ:

Q:What is the Chicago 2016 Bid Committee?
A: The Chicago 2016 Bid Committee ("Chicago 2016") is a 501(c)3 corporation whose mission is to seek the privilege of hosting the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Chicago. Chicago 2016's Board comprises business, civic, athletic, cultural and academic leaders representing Chicago and the surrounding Midwest region. Its honorary chairmen are Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Patrick Ryan serves as chairman and CEO.

Q:Where will the Olympic events be held?
A: Washington Park will be the site of the Olympic Stadium, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies and the track & field events.

The stadium will be an 80,000-seat temporary facility that will be converted, post-Games, into a 5,000-capacity venue (with expansion capability), well-suited to host local, national and international athletics events. It may also be used as an amphitheater capable of hosting cultural events that are so important to this city.

Chicago 2016 is currently working on site plans for the additional events, which will include McCormick Place as the host of 11 competition venues.

Q:Who else is competing for the 2016 Olympic Games?
A: Now that Chicago has been selected as the U.S. Bid City, the competition for the 2016 Games Host City enters the international phase.

International cities competing for the 2016 Olympic Games were officially announced on September 14, 2007, and include: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Madrid, Spain; Prague, Czech Republic; Tokyo, Japan; Baku, Azerbaijan; Doha, Qatar; and Chicago, IL, USA.

Q:Is traffic and transportation a concern?
A: Chicago's extensive rail, transit, and motorways infrastructure, combined with the world-class O'Hare and Midway International airports, make Chicago one of the most accessible cities for local residents and International visitors.

While we are still in the early stages of planning, smooth transportation for athletes, spectators and the citizens of Chicago going about daily lives is one of the Chicago 2016's highest priorities. Detailed plans will be available in the future.Website: Chicago 2016

...interesting. But oh well...who cares?!? Only God knows where I would be in 2016. Let's just set this aside from now.

...I still gave in. So what?

I lied.  It WAS very unlikely that I would give in. I know, I know...I promised myself not to be persuaded by this.  But.... but... oh crap!  The husband needs a phone line and I got approved in the credit check (I've been waiting for this for a long time... to be treated as a real US person...not a ghost US person.  Well, all new comers have to go through this).  

I made the reservation...and now waiting for it to arrive.  Excited! :) (and the husband, too!)

Chicago Spire

Last week, as I have blogged about, we went to the Brickworld where they showcased the different structures made out of Lego bricks.  One thing that astonished me were the different buildings.  One of them is the Chicago Spire.  Few people know this particular building and I kept on hearing in the exhibit people murmuring, "What's that building?  I've never seen that in Chicago."  

But due to the demands of my husband's field of expertise, he showed me this website months ago...

http://www.thechicagospire.com/location/documentary/

Amazing...huh?!?

Are you iReady with iPhone 3G?

Check this link:

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/patterson/23890

Pipila ka pa ba? Duh!

Katang!

Ok...katang (-ahan) na kung katang!

Yesterday, I checked out from my hotel (As for those who don't know, I stay in Indiana from Monday afternoon til Friday morning since my client is located there). Since I had a laptop trolley, shoulder bag and an extra large luggage (pasencia, paranoid ako kaya kahit one week lang ako eh palaging extra large ang luggage ko), I decided to put first my laptop trolley and shoulder bag inside the car. After putting them in, I went back to the hotel to get my luggage and back to the car. Okay...this is where my main story begins...

I had my car key in my left hand and my right hand was trying to push my luggage towards my car in the parking lot. My hand slipped and I accidentally pushed the 'doors open' of my key. So I heard the sound of my doors signifying that they were opened. But then, I have this habit to keep the doors closed when I'm putting something inside the trunk (pasencia, paranoid ulit...baka sakaling may salisi gang at may sumakay sa kotse habang may niloload ako sa trunk...alam nyo yon, yung napapanood sa movies kapag may habulan..katulad sa movie na WANTED...uyy...plugging! My rate for that movie by the way is 3 out of 5.). So I pressed the 'doors close' button of my key. I opened the trunk. Since my luggage was too heavy, I had to put down the car keys in the trunk to free up both my hands. I lifted my luggage and loaded it inside the trunk.

Usually, before I close the trunk cover, I would check if I have all the things I need...like I would check if I already have the keys with me...if my mobile is not left inside the luggage...all those stuff. But then, these days, I've been very busy with work-related things. I'm having huge problems with my client and project so there's always lots of things going on in my head...I can't even sleep at night because of these troubles.

So...back to the story... as I've said, I loaded my luggage inside the trunk and closed it. At the exact moment that I heard my trunk went 'thug!'...I uttered,

"Uh...oh...where - is - my - key-?" Yes. I uttered it in a very slow manner. I checked my doors. They're all closed.

Then I began to shake. My hands and feet were trembling as I gushed towards the hotel lobby. I asked for help from the hotel manager and I was lucky that he's so helpful that he dialed the number of the company that could help me. So, there...yes, I sought help from the ever-reliable 'Triple A'. I had to wait for 1 hour before they arrived. But I really appreciate the concern from their reps...in my 1 hour of waiting, they would often call and check on me if I'm still okay and remind me to stay in a safe place that I could see my car. Triple A is famous for servicing road accidents and other vehicle-related stuff...so their service always comes with a 'calming-down-the-customer' procedure..he-he-he! Well, at that time, I really needed that. I was hyperventilating as I have an 8:15am conference call which by the way, I was not able to attend to because all my things are inside the car. I don't even have my mobile phone or even my purse. I was literally empty-handed.

At 8:20 (the time they told me that the service would arrive is 8:27, so they're still on time), the service came. They had this small deflated balloon bag that they tried to insert thru the door...pumped it with air to inflate it and to have a small space open for the door...and for them to insert the metal rod inside the car. The metal rod has a hook at its end and they used that in pulling the unlock button of the door at the driver's side. At the sound of 'click', I immediately opened the door and my car began, 'beep...beep...beep...beep..beep'...I immediately pushed the trunk release button and got my key from the trunk and pressed the 'doors open' to stop the loud beeping sound. Whew! Thank God!

Lesson learned? 'Wag masyadong paranoid...wag mangarap na nasa movie ka.'

"Komedyante"

Nung ako'y musmos pa at nangangarap ng mapapangasawa, malimit kong sabihin na "sana ang mapangasawa ko...gwapo...matangkad...maputi...matalino...mayaman..." Ngayong may-asawa na ako, ni hindi sumagi sa isip ko na ikumpara sya sa mga pamantayan na dati rati ay malimit kong banggitin. Siguro yun ang tinatawag na "tunay at dalisay" na pag-ibig. Wala kang tinitingnan...wala kang pamantayan...basta mahal mo sya.

Pero sa mga taon, buwan, araw, oras at segundong nagdaan ay tila napansin ko na ang asawa ko ay may pagka-komedyante. Napaka popular nya sa mga tinatawag nating "one-liners". Sa dami ng mga nasambit nya sa nagdaang mga araw ay mangilan-ngilan na lang ang aking natatandaan sa oras na to. Nais ko sanang ibahagi ang ilan sa mga ito:

(1) Naghahanda pa lamang kami nuon sa aming nalalapit na kasal. Nag-inarte ako dahil parati na lang ako ang gumagawa sa aming "wedding preps". Sa sobrang inis ko ay nasabi ko: "Wala ka nang natutulong sa kasal natin...palagi na lang ako! Alam mo ba kung ano ang misalette? Alam mo ba kung anong souvenir ang ipapamigay natin? Alam mo ba kung ilang bisita ang meron tayo? Alam mo ba kung sino ang caterer natin? Wala kang alam sa lahat ng nangyayari sa preparations natin!" Sa puntong ito, akala ko ay sasagot sya nang padabog din...ngunit, subalit, datapwat..kumanta lamang sya ng: "I don't know much....but I know I love you...(na may kasama pang kumpas ng mga kamay with feelings!)". Imbes na umusok ang ilong ko sa galit ay natawa ako. Kung gusto nyo marinig ang kanta, heto ang link. Dahil dito ay naging kanta namin sa kasal ang kantang iyan.

(2) Nitong mga nakaraang araw ay tumataba na talaga ako. Alam ko na pangarap ko ang lumobo at maging lumba lumba...ngunit ang aking pagtaba ay hindi proportional. Tanging bilbil lang ang nadadagdag sa akin pero ang mga braso at ibang parte ng katawan ay napakatagal lumobo. Nasambit ko sa asawa ko nuong isang gabi: "Ang taba-taba ko na...tingnan mo bilbil ko...ang laki-laki naaa..." Heto ang sinabi nya: "Tigilan mo na kasi ang madalas na pagfi-friendster." (Napakunot ako ng noo at nag-isip nang mabuti kung anong ibig nyang sabihin. Matapos ang matinding pag iisip ay nais nya lang iparating na pagkatapos kumain ay maglakad-lakad ako at wag diretso sa pag-upo sa harap ng kompyuter.)

(3) Kanina lang ay nagmaneho ako papunta dito sa Indiana. Sa aking byahe ay ilang beses akong nahirapan sa pag - arangkada sa tuwing ako'y mag-o-"overtake" sa ibang sasakyan. Pagkarating ko sa opisina, gaya ng nakaugalian ay tumawag ako sa aking asawa. Isa sa mga sinabi ko ay: "Naiinis na ako sa kotse natin. Ang bagal bagal nya. Hindi ako makaarangkada. Mahina ang makina nya." Tumira na naman sya ng kanyang panalong one-liner na, "Walang problema ang sasakyan. Bawas bawasan mo ang paglalaro ng Need for Speed." Kung naglalaro ka ng game consoles ng Sony (e.g., PS2, PSP, PS3) eh alam mo na kung anong ibig nyang sabihin.

(4) Ilang segundo lang ang nakakalipas ay tumawag ulit ang "komedyante". Ang sabi nya, "Matutulog nako. Antok nako." Ang sabi ko, "Bakit? 8:40 pa lang dyan ah?". Ang sabi nya, "Uminom kasi ako ng Smirnoff". Kaya naman pala. Hindi pa dyan natapos. Bago kami nagpaalam sa isa't isa ay nagpahabol ako ng, "Bukas, mag-gym ka. Ang taba-taba mo na!". Humirit ang komedyante syempre (sa pinakamaarteng pananalita na maiisip nyo): "Look who's talkin".

Apat lang iyan sa libo-libong "one-liners" na sinasambit nya araw-araw. At dahil dito, madalas ay kinakabagan ako. Ngayon, alam ko na kung bakit.

Getting a year older

Almost one week from now, I'll get another year older.  Supposedly, we will hold a party in our apartment on the 10th of May (just 2 days before my bday).  However, a friend will be coming over to Chicago this weekend so I just decided to hold my birthday celebration 1 week advance.  Right now, I can still smell the smoke from outside because Randy is currently busy grilling fish and pork (Thank God, we can now freely grill "pork"...unlike in Dubai that we need to be very cautious...yah know!).  And since I really consider my birthday as my most important day of the year, I could use this as an excuse to post anything about myself (as I always do, hahaha).  So, here's your dose of my survey for today before my guests start coming in: (The responses below are fully detailed...so beware of having a long read).

1. What do you want for your birthday?

I'm actually not picky when it comes to gifts.  I can say that I'm a truly appreciative person.  It's so easy to make me happy, especially on my birthdays.  Kahit candy wrapper lang yan, I still treasure it with the same intensity as that of a more expensive gift.

2. Who will be your next kiss?
Most probably, it would be my husband.  We usually kiss every minute...kahit magkasalubong lang kami sa room, sa cr, wherever...

3. When was the last time you went to
the mall?
We just went to Woodfield Mall last night to buy Randy's new spectacles.

4. Are you wearing socks right now?
No, I'm not.

5. How did you spend your vacation?

My last vacation was Christmas/New Year.  We went to Los Angeles/Pasadena, California to visit my relatives and Las Vegas, Nevada with our good friends, Jude and Aida.  We even slept in Jude's sister's house in LA.

6. Have you been to the movies in the
last 2 weeks?
No, I haven't been to a movie house for the last 30 days.  We were supposed to go to movies last night but we just decided to have a sumptuous dinner at Cheesecake Factory.  Plus, I was dead tired last night because of the long drive I had.

 

7. What was the last thing you drank?
I just drank a chocolate drink which was given by Randy's greek boss.  (This boss of Randy is really fond of him.  He's currently giving a supply of chocolate drink on a daily basis.)

8. What are you wearing right now?
I'm wearing my birthday attire. My husband just told me this morning that I'm like a kid...I have my birthday attire (pambirthday), christmas attire (pamasko), etc.  I was brought up by my parents with this tradition and I'm still practicing it.

9. What was your last purchase other
than food?
Randy's specs.  We went to Oakley store last night since he's been targetting to buy this pair of glasses...but good thing, we decided to check out Lenscrafters for their Oakley selection (where I also had my eye exam last 2 weeks).  We got 60% off the price of the glasses because of our health insurance card.  We would not be able to get this discount if we bought the frame from Oakley store.

10.What was the last food you ate?
I just ate a Taco Bell ready-to-eat food which I bought from Walgreens in Warsaw, Indiana last Monday.

11. Who would be the person you would
call if you were up in the middle of
the night and couldn't sleep?
It would definitely be my husband.

12. Have you bought any clothing items
in the last week?
Yes.

13. Do you have a pet?
No.  But I really want to have a dog.  But sadly, I can't ...because of my travels.

14. What made you laugh in the last 5
days?
5 days might be inappropriate to use as the time range since I won't be able to remember all of them.

15. If you could be anywhere right
now, where would you be?
I want to go to a beach in the Philippines.

16. What is the last thing you
purchased online?
My hair dryer and a pocketbook.

 

17. One thing you hate about yourself?
I have a very bad temper. very baaddd... I say harsh words, too..sometimes, I don't even consider my relation to the other person...I really hate myself because of this.

18. What's your favorite soup?
I have this big craving for clam chowder right at this moment.

19. Last person you msg'd?
It's Mike Garado.  He just arrived here in Chicago last night and we'll meet here in our apartment later tonight...together with some other PwC buddies.  He will be sleeping over here since his relatives' place is one-hour away from our place.

20. Are you a good student in school?
I'm an auditor so I'm used to giving substantive evidence in every word I say.  Was I a good student? Hmm.. I was the 1st honorable mention awardee in my grade school, Valedictorian in High school, and a Magna Cum Laude in college.  I don't know what's the exact standard to be considered a good student, but studying your lessons well and doing your assignments should be the #1 from the list.  

So, there.  I hope you gained some more info about myself.  More surveys to come...

Ooopss, I have to mention that I just received my birthday gift from the husband...and as I've said, I truly appreciate it...(...and I really love it! - this requires a separate entry).

The sad defeat of the Sushi queen

Aside from popcorn, I have this weird taste for Sushi/Maki these days. Last week, I had sushi for the whole 5 days. My addiction started with just 4-piece of sushi in one as my appetizer. Then it became, 6...then went up to 9...My colleagues even noticed that! And one of them even dared me to eat the 15-piece sushi bar special menu. At that time, I just said, "No. I can't do it. My stomach's maximum capacity is just the 9-piece order."

But then, today...yet again, I wanted to eat sushi for dinner. So, we went to a sushi bar near our hotel -- Noa Noa Sushi Bar and Restaurant. We agreed that we will just eat an appetizer, (a spinach artichoke dip that is), and 3 sushi menus:

(1) The Mickey Roll - 8 pieces

(2) Eel - 6 pieces

(3) Real Snow Crab - 8 pieces

In total, there were 22 pieces of sushi/maki (the picture was taken after eating the first 6 pieces of sushi), and I needed to eat "15" to accept the challenge. I said, "DEAL!". I was deadly hungry and so I thought this would just be a piece of cake. But I forgot that I've already eaten 80% of the Spinach Artichoke which we ordered for the appetizer.

...and yes, the sushi queen was defeated...

The sushi queen showing off the "2 lonely sushis" (as how my colleague calls it) which caused her sad defeat.

Note: The "2 lonely sushis" were just thrown away by the sushi queen due to extreme sorrow.

My preeee---ciouuusss...

Hahaha..I was looking for a specific message in my friendster account (which is related to one of the tasks I want to accomplish today in my previous post)...when I read this message, sent last Feb 2007:

Hi Lei!

My God , your very sweet smile matches perfectly with your expressive sparkling eye
and that makes you truly beautiful. Im kingzaintz aka king santos, a radio announcer and a newspaper columnist from the Philippines. Text me or call me at 09109337184 or
email me at kingzaintz@yahoo.com.ph so we can send messages more often.
By the way, so you are in UAE right now? If ever there are Filipinas who are having a hard time in getting their Singleness or Birth-Certificate or other documents here in Manila please contact me, I can help them. They deserve to be happy and entitled to a bright future. I have a close access with the NSO.
Hope to hear from your soon My Sweet Precious Lei ---King

Bwahahaha! I don't know the guy and I don't remember reading this email before. Maybe because I was busy with my honeymoon at the time this message was sent. What is more funny is when I showed it to Randy, he immediately said,

"My prreee--ccciiiooouuusss..." (with husky voice and mocking the character in the movie, "Lord of the Rings")...

Hahahahahahahahaha....

Never got the time

I am sooo busy! huhuhu...

I'm actually working from home today. I really miss our home terribly that's why. Tomorrow, I'll be back again in the far far far away land of Indiana! Damn!

Anyways, as I've said I'm really, really busy. We went for a photoshoot last Saturday ...and I can say, that I was able to somehow bring back my mojos in shooting. To tell you honestly, I lost the enthusiasm with this hobby for the past few weeks...because of the recent happenings. That's why I haven't posted any good photos...(Oh God, wake up, Lei...when did you post good photos anyway?). Ok...that is why I haven't posted any photo from practice shooting or whatsoever. But now that my interest in this hobby is now back, I don't have the time to post or arrange them...or even to download them from my CF cards. My CF cards have more than 600 pictures that I haven't saved in my laptop...some of these pictures were still from the L. A. Trip that we had last December...shit! Those are already 4 months old sitting in my CF cards. (Please, don't crash...please!)

Oh well, these are the things I want to do right at this very moment (if only I have the time):

(1) Finish my URFS document (Ok, this is work-related. But I think this would relieve some of my stress.)

(2) Download the pictures from my CF cards. Organize them in my laptop. Post-processing for those not-so-good pictures.

(3) Finish my 6th Sophie Kinsella novel: Shopaholic and Baby.

(4) Finish the item related to my PLAN.

(5) Personal writing that I'd rather not disclose here.

(6) Bloghop

(7) Post the photos to my flickr, friendster, blogspot and multiply accounts.

(8) Shoot more (...I even want to shoot people...as in gusto ko mamaril ng mga tao!)

...Those are just the things I wanna do now...for tomorrow, I have some other things set aside. (sigh)

2 gallons of Caramel please..

I guess we are getting addicted to popcorn.  However, we're now particular with a certain brand of popcorn.  I can even say that I can probably finish the 1 gallon of this in one sitting.  Can't believe it?  Well, this is a must-try for everyone!  I swear, these popcorns are incredulously DELICIOUS!

Just take a glimpse of how mouth-watering these popcorns are:  Garrett

...and I love them more than Taters!

(Oooppsss...my fingers are all messy now...gotta go and wash my hands...oh, my laptop! Yellow all-over!!)

My wedding album

...DEFECTS!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/irobot773/sets/72157604629093500/

...story to follow.  Just enjoy viewing the pictures first...anyway, the pictures speak for themselves...

Shake it up!

Did you feel the shake early this morning? Well, I didn’t. I’m actually a light-sleeper and always have been sensitive with earthquakes. But I don’t know what’s with me that I didn’t feel the strong earthquake and was probably having a good time in the Dreamland.

I just learned about the seism when I reached the office and everyone was talking about it. Here’s an excerpt of the news from Wall Street Journal:

WEST SALEM, Illinois -- An earthquake Illinois early Friday, and it appeared to rival the strongest temblor ever recorded in Midwest region.

Associated Press

Rubble from earthquake damage to a building lied strewn along a sidewalk in an old section of Louisville, Ky., Friday.

The quake jolted residents in several nearby states as well, but no injuries or significant property damage were immediately reported.

The quake, measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale, hit just before 4:37 a.m. local time (1037 GMT) and was centered six miles from West Salem, Illinois.

"It shook our house where it woke me up," said David Behm of Philo, Illinois. "Windows were rattling, and you could hear it. The house was shaking inches. For people in central Illinois, this is a big deal. It's not like California."

The jolts were felt in a region that included parts of the states of Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Its Web site said earthquakes seldom occur in the area, and that the largest recorded earthquake in the region -- also a magnitude 5.4 -- caused damage in southern Illinois in 1968.

Friday's quake shook buildings in central Chicago and the cities of Indianapolis, Indiana; Cincinnati, Ohio; and St. Louis, Missouri.

You can read the news here: Wall Street-Earthquake in Illinois

And now, just few minutes ago…I suddenly was held back with what I just felt. My desk was shaking and when I looked on my left, I saw my Oreo box, Tissue box, TicTac, and bottle of lotion (yes, they are neatly piled on top of my desk), all shaking! What the hell?!?!

I then shouted to my colleague, trying to confirm if I just felt an aftershock. Then she also felt the same! Then suddenly, a phone rang…it was my colleague’s wife, reporting that she just felt an aftershock, too! We are here in Indiana…and I just heard that the quake in Illinois was even stronger.

Cluttered mind

I am creating this post to remind me that I should refrain from posting blog entries from now on until I finish my PLAN...

That I should focus myself with my PLAN...

That I should be able to accomplish my PLAN before 2008 ends...

and this also serves as my apology for my upcoming absences here in Multiply...

The art of letting go

We were together for 2 months. I couldn't argue when people say you're like a knight in a shining armor. You're sturdy and I feel like an action star whenever we're together. Even though you have travelled so many miles, you never failed to protect me. You were always there keeping me safe in every turn...every maneuver...everywhere I go.

As much as I want to keep you with me forever, you have to go. Your next rider is waiting for you... there, she's sitting in the waiting area in the black leather seat where I first saw you. She was so delighted when the store rep announced that she'll be having you. I hate to say goodbye...but I have no choice. I also overheard that you'll be going to Iowa with your new driver. Be mighty and proud as you travel...Keep her safe...just like the way you kept me safe for all those times.

This morning, as I walked to the parking lot, I searched for you. But you weren't there. I feel like missing you.

Bye, bye, Camry.

I returned my car to the leasing company last Saturday. As always, the acceptance and letting go was very hard...

when luck replaces misfortune

For "n" times, Randy has been trying (very hard!) to acquire his driver's license. What he only "had" for several weeks and days was just instructional permit. He "was" not allowed to drive without someone with him who has driver's license. Okay, I won't tell anyone how many times he failed the road test...hahaha...baka magalit sakin ang asawa ko. Siya na lang daw ang magbablog nun. After the road test, he would always say, "...misfortune comes in this f*cking world".

But I guess, luck has replaced his misfortune last Saturday. Finally, he got his d/l... you would laugh when you see his picture in his d/l. Parang ang sarap lagyan ng picture ng bubble tag na "SA WAKAS! Bwahahaha!"

And now, since I'm soo busy with *housewife stuff* at home, I asked him to buy a bathroom cleaner from the nearby Jewel Osco. This is the first time that he will drive without me. And guess what? It took him 1 hour to buy stuff...yes, he bought things other than the bathroom cleaner -- he also bought a blender, egg pan, etc... (magshopping ba?!?!) Now, I'm getting concerned with Randy having a driving license...

sleepyhead

I feel sleepy... everyday...every hour... every minute...

It's always a struggle to keep myself awake during the day...

Just today, I had 5 cups of coffee... trying not to fall asleep at work. But my attempt was unsuccessful. I "almost" fell asleep today... after having 5 cups of coffee.

...and I have no reason to believe that someone's growing inside my womb (it's a girl thing, so I'm pretty positive about this)...

...maybe this proves that my work is now really causing mental weariness...

I NEED A NEW PROJECT ASSIGNMENT! I hate being assigned here...

Comfort does not come with the price

I have to admit that I'm really a brand-conscious shopper. Me and my husband have always shared this belief that if it's expensive, there must be something why it's expensive. Whenever we shop, we would always opt for the things which what people call as "branded".

Actually, when I was younger...hmm..probably, aged 8 to 12, I don't mind having clothes, shoes or things which are just bought from "palengke". My sister has always been the one who's overly brand-conscious. Whenever we shop for our christmas clothes, she would whisper to my mother that they would go to a nearby "Guess" shop (her fave brand even when she was still young) right after my mother finish shopping for me in a "palengke" stall. And I wouldn't mind at all... I care less about the brand that time, as long as I have comfortable clothes or things that I want. My logic was "why would I buy a piece of clothing when I could buy 10 pieces of clothing with the same price?"

But things change. These days I often choose "quality over quantity". Whenever we shop, I usually look for the brands. I'm kind of loyal to particular brands for some categories. My reason now is oftentimes, if it's not branded, it has no quality. But now, I've proven that this rule is aptly described as "oftentimes"....but I have to add, "not all the time".

Aside from the facts above about myself, I have to say that I'm also very fond of shoes. (Not to mention that I just realized that I've been buying shoes at least once a week these past few months, oh my god, stop it, Lei!!!). And 2 weeks ago, I bought this particular shoe that I've been eyeing for since we went to LA. I was very happy wearing it. I felt like I was "Rebecca Bloomwood" (yes, the shopaholic lady from Sophie Kinsella's novel series) thinking that people would call me "the girl with the X-brand shoes". And it was true, when I wore it in the office, almost everyone was asking me, "Ms. Lei, is that "X-brand" shoe you're wearing?". And you won't believe that most of these people asking me are guys. And I asked them why they know the shoe brand when it's a female brand, and they answered, "well, every single woman I know is crazy about it...and that includes my wife". :)

So, as I've said, I was too happy wearing it. But just after two days, my feet began aching. But I ignored it. "Who damn cares?!? Everyone's raving about this! Maybe I'm just hallucinating."

So, I pretended that my feet were not aching...that the shoes are perfect for my feet! Come Friday, I wore it again since it's "dress-down" day. By 3:30PM, I headed to my car and was too excited to drive home.

Usually, before I drive home, I change my shoes to my driving shoes. I have specifically bought this pair of shoes which I wear for long drives. But that time, since the new shoes I have are flats, I decided not to change my shoes anymore. Driving from Indiana to Illinois usually takes 3 to 4 hours (that is if I'm not overspeeding, ooopppsss...this requires a separate entry). So, I drove home. Peaceful...happy...peaceful...happy...but wait! I have only driven 20 miles at that time...and I suddenly realized that my feet are sorely aching!!! It was too painful! I decided to slow down and look for my shoes inside the car and probably change while driving. But wait, I have put my driving shoes inside my luggage which is in the trunk! Shit!

I was on a highway and I didn't want to stop just to change shoes. I just ignored the pain and kept on shifting my left foot over my right foot on the pedal whenever I come to a halt.

This happened on Friday...It's Monday already...but it's still hurting...

And here's what I got, "swollen feet"...and this comes with numbing pain that I often wake up in wee hours because of the tingling sensations.

I don't know if it's obvious from the picture but my right foot's fingers are bigger than the ones in my left foot. I have to use the magazine as the background para hindi naman nakakadiri yung picture (I don't like looking at pictures of anyone's feet, even my own). Even until now, I can't sleep because of the pain. Promise! I'm getting concerned already that I might go to the hospital this coming weekend to have this checked. I'm thinking that it could be probably because the shoes I wore have small space for my toes...which was aggravated by the long drive and heavy traffic.

And this is the culprit...

Aren't they cute? (oopps, I forgot that I should hate this pair of shoes. I have the brown pair, by the way). :)

Anyways, that's the lesson I learned. Now, I left the shoes in our apartment. I rested it in its box...and it might probably stay there for a quite a while. (hmm...I hope my feet will heal soon).

Laurels, laurels...

I got this award from Mahryska:

Thanks, Poidy!!! (I actually don't deserve an award coz I know I'm a bad blogger...irregular blogging and nonsense topics, hehehe. But they say, it's bad to refuse an award, so there you go...)

Rule: Copy the entire list and add your name at the bottom. And tag at least 5 friends. (But you can tag as many as you like): Thea, my scrappy side, Childstar, abie, aggie, alpha, apple, apols, jacqui, jane, jody, joy, mike, kelly, mich, peachy, dorxie, Butchay, lena, anna, sheryll, pat, gracie, cheche, thet, Heidi 2, Heidi, Maeyo, Mahryska, Lei

I'm now giving this award to: Jenki, and Sarah.

Change me!

I’m not the really the type of shirking jobs by feigning illness. I’m not even habitually absent from work. When I have a deadline, I finish the job on the dot. But when I say I’m not really feeling well, I mean it…I truly mean it.

But I guess, there are just some people around who thinks otherwise. Maybe because they’re guilty of the act they’re accusing me of.

Yes, it’s true that I went to St. Patrick’s day on Saturday. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that I got drunk that day. Was there ever a rule that everyone should drink on that occasion? And the ultimate question, when you’re on sick leave for just one day, does it necessarily mean you’re just faking it?

C’mon! Grow up, people!

(Ika nga ng iba, “Change me!” in Tagalog – “Ibahin nyo ako!”hahaha)

From Filipino to Irish

Happy St. Patrick's day to all! Enjoy the green beer! *Tired* would be an understatement if I would use that to describe what I felt yesterday. We spent our Saturday celebrating the St. Patrick's Day. It's really fun watching the parade and cool outfits of different people. Everyone was wearing green clothes and accessories. There were also some who wore Leprechaun/Elf outfits!

I'll post the photos some other time.

***************************************************************************

I missed the feeling of having a sudden urge for shopping. And since we went to Downtown Chicago yesterday, I felt the old feeling. I had so much fun...picking and buying gifts for our families in the Philippines. The only question is when would I come back home to give these gifts? I personally don't know. I've been planning to go home on May 2008 but just looking at the fare prices, it makes me gulp. With the fare price, I can buy the whole set of furnitures that we need for our home that we still lack. With the fare price, I can buy the 1 year supply of vitamins and medicines of my parents. With the fare price, I can make the downpayment for my father's dream car. With the fare price, I can buy the most expensive lens that I want. With the fare price, I can buy 3 iPhones. With the fare price, I can buy 2 or 3 Louis Vuitton bags or Coach bags. Bottomline, I can buy lots of things with the fare price of ORD-MNL-ORD. But hey, the feeling of seeing your family is priceless, isn't it?

But...I have to add...I also need additional money for pasalubongs and something to spend for Pinas getaways. I wouldn't want to just stay at home on my vacation!

Ponyang...

Actually, my husband hates it when people give names to non-living things, if you know what I mean, hehehe! But then, I can't help it. I have to give name now since I have to identify it from my rented car like for example whenever Randy's asking which car to use.

For 1 month now, I've been renting a car from Enterprise which I use going to/from Indiana-Illinois every week. Before, I usually leave Randy at Illinois where he just takes public transportation going to and from work. But just recently, he was able to get an Instructional Permit. With that, he can drive as long as there's somebody with him who has a valid driver's license. At first, there's no need for us to buy a car at this point, coz he can't drive without me. But then, for him to be able to acquire a valid driver's license, he needs to take a road test for which you must bring your own car or probably a friend's car.

But sad to say, our friends near our place all own stick shift cars...which we both do not know how to drive. So there, we decided to buy our own. It's a 2008 Pontiac G6 which so far is a good make/model. It has also this On-star feature which they gave us free for 1 year. The feature is not only cool but more importantly, delivers safety and protection to the car and users. They also gave us free 30-minute call time so I can call Randy or whoever without having to pull out and dial my phone.

Picture on the left is our own car while on the right is the rented one. I opted not to use "Ponyang" (yep, the name of Kaye Abad in Tabing Ilog aside from "Eds", hehehe!) going to Indiana due to the countless potholes and terrible driving condition. So, I just use the camry going on weekdays, driving more than 350 miles per week (since it's just adopted, I did not assign it any specific name). But I have to admit, I really love my rented car more than Ponyang, maybe? or maybe not...I don't know. But what I know is I easily get attached to things. I find it hard to give up or sell things which I have for a considerable period of time. Would you believe that at once, I rented a car which I had for more than 1 month (my longest time of renting before) and when I returned it, I literally cried and cried! Randy was at first laughing but when I still continued crying, he then started to pacify me. He proved at that time that I really value things as if they are really "living" things. Well, I guess that's one of my weird traits... when I was younger, whenever my cousins would sleep over at our house my parents would describe me as "...wag mo gagalawin gamit nyan, magagalit yan sayo. Pag sa kanya, sa kanya lang." That's probably also why it's not really in my character to borrow things...if I need it, I should have it. Is that bad or good?!?

DST now on!

Last November, I was so happy when the DST went off.  I was able to sleep for additional 1 hour.  But now that the DST has started, I feel the opposite :(

I was terribly tired last night.  We had so many errands yesterday (first from the list is Randy's road test which I'd rather not post about it, hahaha...may magagalit sakin!).  So, aside from "THAT" thing, I went to Enterprise rent-a-car coz I left my eyeglass case when I returned my Camry last week, replaced it with Altima, then just after driving for 4 miles, went back again to Enterprise and get my Camry back, hahaha! (The Altima that I got had a problem with the engine, it has this weird loud sound everytime I go beyond 40mph!).  Then after going to Enterprise, I went back to Randy to fetch him from his road test.  Then after that, we went to the bank to deposit Randy's first paycheck, hehehe (na naligaw kami at napunta kami bigla sa I-294 highway papuntang western suburbs, blame it to the super reliable GPS, sarcastic ako nyan!).  Then after the bank, we were supposed to go to COMED (utility company) to register the apartment under my name.  But then, dahil sa windang ang kasama ko at nasa state of shock kahapon (that I'd rather not tell why, hahaha...parang may clue na siguro kayo), eh mali ang naitype nyang address sa GPS at napabalik kami dun sa pinanggalingan namin imbes na sa COMED! Grrrr....

Finally, we were able to reach the Comed...sa sobrang inis ko eh binigay ko na kay Randy ang manibela para mahimasmasan, hehehe! After Comed, we then went to Schaumburg Pontiac GMC (oooppsss...hehehe.. I was able to buy our own car na...last 2 weeks.  No blog post yet!) to have the keyless entry system installed in our car.  The key that we got is just the manual key.  According to them, we have to pay for the keyless entry system separately...*sigh*.  But no choice, sobrang hassle pag wala, lalo na pag nagssnow, that you need to get in the car the moment you step out of the building.  After that, we then went to Woodfield mall para lalong mahimasmasan ang kasama ko, hahaha..

...And there! So, just remembering the whole day yesterday makes me run out of breath.  Ang kainis pa eh the DST started today...so I had to wake up one hour earlier for the Sunday mass.  I'm soooo tired!!! Buti na lang, I already filed a one day leave for tomorrow...hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Not again

Last year it was my father who was rushed to the hospital. Now it's my mother. My father was rushed to the hospital last year, April 3, 2007 (Dubai date). And this year, March 3, 2008 (US date), my mother was rushed this time. What's with the "3"?

Please pray for her fast and safe recovery. These days have not been good to me and my friends. I have received many prayer favors from many friends for their loved ones...and never thought that I would do the same.

I am supposed to be happy...because of the recent happening that I even haven't blogged about. But I'd rather post this first... please pray...God, please help us once again.

Surprise... for free!

I had a plan...but hesitated to pursue it. Kasi naman palagi na lang ako ang nangsusurprise lang...hmph! But then buti na lang tinuloy ko pa rin, hehehe! So this is what happened.

We stayed in a hotel for our first 3 months here and because of that I registered to a certain hotel point system rewards where I get credited of number of points for each day of stay in that hotel or even to some other hotels which are part of their hotel group. An accumulated number of point can be redeemed for rewards (which you can choose from many options). For those in Dubai, this is similar with "Air Miles".

As of end of January, I already accumulated 70,000+ points which I can redeem for $350 Gift Cards from a wide selection of stores. So, I had an idea then! I was planning to use the GCs to buy my gift to Randy on Vday and his Bday! But it my mistake that I only called to redeem the points, 3 days before the Vday and 6 days before his Bday! The rep told me that it would take 2 to 4 weeks before the GCs will arrive. So I talked to almost all the reps to make it possible to ship the GCs asap! Then, they told me to pay $25 to expedite the shipment, so I paid.

On Feb 13, Randy texted me that there's a UPS note in front of our door telling him to pick up a certain package for me which they left at the leasing office of our apartment because no one's around when they came. So I told myself, "This must be it!". Randy had no idea. He got the package na but I still never told him about it. But then, he opened it, without telling me! (I was still in Indiana at this time and by the way, I chose GCs from Circuit City, a gadget store). I thought medyo may idea na...but then he was thinking pala na bibili ako ng flash with those GCs...so medyo kinabahan sya since flash nga ang gift nya sakin (see my previous post). On Friday night, when I arrived, he surprised me with his gift... but there, I also told him that the GCs are for him...hehehe! I am supposed to buy him PS3 and would just add extra on the total amount. To cut the long story short, we were able the PS3 he's been dying to have:

O diba, nakalibre ako ng gip! hehehe...Thanks to triprewards! Pero hindi pala, I was also forced to buy the TV kasi napag alaman namin na sobrang mahal ng wire na ginagamit nila dito to run the PS3 on laptop screen. Since we still don't have TV and dahil medyo nanlumo si Randy when he knew na hindi nya pa magagamit ang PS3, I had to use yung money na pinagbentahan ng TV namin sa Dubai to buy the new TV...anyway, that's the main use of it, right?!? hehehe...

P.S. Now, I'm again earning points in my triprewards account...hmmm... sana nga redeemable to cash na lang ang points para magamit ko rin to pay the utilities, rent, etc, hahaha...parang naging income ko na ang points :)

My 2008 valentines day

"Marami ang namamatay sa maling akala" -- this phrase hit me after the valentines day. As most of you know, my better half has no sense of surprisal. Sometimes he would even prefer not to celebrate occasions. Well, I can't blame him because they were brought up like that...before, he and his siblings would not even be greeted "happy birthday" in their house. (Wawa naman Randy boy noh?!? hehehe). I've been trying to change him since we became "we". I'm actually the opposite. Almost all the occasions of the year are so special to me...I would throw tantrums before if my parents or my siblings wouldn't greet me "happy birthday" first thing in the morning. And I also love giving surprises!

Last valentines day, Randy and I were away from each other. I was working onsite at Indiana while he was in Illinois. I just usually go home on weekends. So, since we're away, I didn't really expect that he would have something for me or even greet me. In other words, I already gave up changing his impression on occasions. I was even a bit snappy at him last Feb 14. Because everytime I think that I have a husband but no valentine, I get really pissed off. He greeted me "Happy valentines day" on the night of Feb 13. But come Feb 14, nadah! No greetings, no pasaring, as in nothing! So, there...I was really mad deep inside. I have plans to surprise him but always was taken aback to pursue it because of this. In the night of Feb 14 (Thursday), he asked me where his "lotion" is. So I told him, "it's under the bathroom sink".

On Feb 15, I already went home to Illinois. Upon arrival at home, he was again asking where his lotion is! Well, I got really pissed off...I still have in my head that time that nothing unusual happened in my valentines day. So, with burning eyes and face, I stomped to our bathroom, opened the sink closet, and voila! I found this:

I was stunned and went back to the sala with tears drooping from my eyes. And he was smiling intently at me. I told him I will read the message in the card before we sleep. But he insisted that I read it on the spot. So I read it. It has a very touching message...plus an instruction at the bottom. That I need to search for my gift which is just near the sponge bob figure placed on top of the fridge, just in front of the cupboards. This is where I found my gift...inside the cupboard:

It was covered with green wrap and magazine leaves. I was soo eager to open it that I forgot to take a picture of it. But here it is:

It's a Speedlite 430EX!!! I've been wanting to purchase this for so long but always shift my attention to some other things like clothes, bags or shoes, hehehe. I even can remember posting n one of my friendster surveys that this is the one I want to receive for Valentines Day! According to Randy, he was not able to read it (wushuuu!). He also told me that when I was in Indiana, he contacted Edward (my colleague who went back to Dubai from Indiana for his vacation) and asked for my client's address because he's planning to send me flowers. But Edward doesn't know the address, hahaha! It's a very huge facility kasi. And he didn't want naman to send the flowers to the hotel...wala raw appeal, asus!

So, there! As I've said before, my 2008 valentines day has now become my most memorable valentines day! I just wonder if 2009 would beat it.... hmmm...