Las Angelitas

We're here now in Los Angeles, California. We arrived Saturday, Dec. 22, 2007, 10:28am (L.A. Time). Hmm... almost all of my friends asked me these questions in their IM/call: "How's L.A. compared to Chicago?" Actually, I'm still in the process of comparing the two. I will take this opportunity to answer this question so by the time I get back to Chicago, I hopefully will no longer hear this question:

(1) The ratio of Filipino: Non-Filipino is probably, 5:1. This is the number one difference I noted. Wherever we go, I can always recognize familiar language. It feels like I'm not in America...parang nasa Dubai din kami... which really feels good. In Chicago, I'm craving for Filipinos, haaarrr... bwahahaha!
(2) Because of #1, filipino stores sprouted here, there and everywhere! You will never miss Filipino goods here... where in Chicago you will unlikely find filipino stores... at least within our suburb.
(3) The roads are much nicer to drive. Although they have bigger lanes, their roads are more clear. (Andaming lubak lubak sa Chicago!)
(4) The best of all -- They have no snow! This is the number 1 aspect that I really enjoy. I can just wear rubber shoes (not boots), 2 layers of clothing, and I can go outside without ear muffs and gloves. The temp here feels like summer in Chicago.
(5) Houses are not made of concrete. I don't know how they call that bldg material, but it's a non-concrete. The reason being is because california is very prone to earthquake.
(6) But I find the people in Chicago much nicer. You can build friendship in train stations, trains, buses... wherever you go. Here in LA, it seems that people do their own thing.
(7) And of course... the shopping is cheaper! Although most of the brands here also exist in Chicago... LA has more thrifty stores which you will not find in Chicago. Hopefully, I will find more in the days to come!

So far, those are the only things that I observed. And so far, I am still enjoying the place. Our first stop was the Hollywood and Kodak Theatre...Yes, with all the stars and name imprints along the street. I had fun watching and taking pictures with the different hollywood "costumed" characters... but the sad part is you have to pay them for taking picture of them or with them. So, I was acting like a paparazzi when I was taking pictures of them... :(

Yesterday, we watched "I am Legend" in Burbank City and did again some shopping. We're scheduled to go to Las Vegas on 27th and 28th then proceed to Disneyland on 29th and Universal Studios on 30th. Other than that, we have no plans yet. So, I'm really looking forward for the days to come. I've been wanting this kind of vacation...eventhough it means having empty pockets when we go back to Chicago.

Merry Christmas to all and may we have a prosperous new year ahead of us!

Here are just some of our pictures:

With Tita Ledy at Kodak Theatre.

A picture taken by Randy while me sipping a hot coffee... reason for the funny face here... :)

From the airport, we went to Asia Buffet to have a sumptuous lunch. That's me with Tito Fred and Tita Ledy...

We just came from the airport and now travelling going to our place of lunch...





Syempre, ang palaging pose ng mga nagpupunta ng hollywood, hehehe. I sooo love Will Smith...

My Elusive Dream

Happy... Happy... Happy!
Finally attained my elusive dream...ok, kababawan na to...but this dream is sooo elusive talaga... it's not because I always fail in exams but there were always barriers towards the end of the process. I also attempted to have this in Pinas, but again circumstances at that time did not permit... that's why I consider this dream as very "elusive". But this time, it came very smooth, easy and sweet!

As promised in my last week's post, I conquered my fear! Yey!



The inspector even told me that I'm brave enough to choose this day to take the road test since there were drizzles in the morning and inches of snow piled up on the road. I just told him, "I'll be travelling for christmas next week so I need my license now...(feeling ko napressure sya sa statement na to, di kaya?)".

Well, what I did is I practiced driving from 7am til 11am (tagal noh? kapagod nga eh!) then I proceeded to the driving facility and took the test. I had no difficulty in the actual test (actually, antok na antok ako nung actual road test na...parang pagod na pagod nako kakadrive and yung pihit ko ng manibela swabeng swabe na lang kasi hindi na mahigpit ang hawak ko dahil pagod na nga ako... 2 hours lang din ang tulog ko last night). But I had "near accident" experiences in my practice...like,

(1) Naisampa ko sa curb yung kotse dahil sobrang kapal ng snow...diko nakita na curb na pala yun...shonga talaga!
(2) Huminto ako sa gitna ng daan kasi nalilito ako sa instruction netong mga kasama ko, hahaha! Ang ingay kasi nila eh...nabwisit ako, so hininto ko sa gitna, hahaha! Pasaway talaga...

... yan lang dalawa lang naman ang major mistakes ko while practicing. Sa road test, yung return parking lang naman and slight mistake lang kasi diko nagitna sa parking alley.

Free time means survey time!

1. Introduce yourself:
; Ola! I'm Lei... at your service! ---> pasencia, wala akong maisip. natutulog ang creativity hormones ko.

2 . It's Thursday at noon, where are
you
usually?
; naglalunch sa office, hehehe.

3. Who are the last four people to send
you a text message?
; Let me see... Tmobile, yung cel number ng iPhone sa Apple na tinest ko, Tito Fred, EmiratesBank

4. What brand of shampoo is in your
shower right now?
; Clairol

6 . What are you listening to right
now?
;History Channel

7. Do you watch MTV?
; matagal tagal nang hinde. Mas type ko na ang VH1.

10 . You need a new pair of jeans, what
store do you go first?
; hmm... first? wala naman. siguro eto ang mga brands na I'll check out pero walang order kung alin una: Levi's, Giordano, jeanswest (dito lang may kasya sakin na slimfit na jeans), DKNY... yan lang ang mga tatak ng jeans ko so malamang yan lang din pupuntahan ko. Pag may nakita ako sa ibang tatak at maganda naman at reasonable ang price, why not coconut!

11. How do you feel about your hair?
; naku, buti natanong mo. Sobrang nagdry na sya kakablow dry ko. Now, I'm in the lookout for a good salon here. Sabi ni Randy sa Vidal Sassoon na lang daw, alam nyo ba kung magkano dun? Baka naman mamulubi ako dun... :(

12 . What time do you wake up for
work?
; 6:50 am...at inaantok antok pako dyan.

13. What movie is in your DVD player?
; ewan ko. nasa pinas DVD player ko eh.

14. Last two numbers in your phone
number?
; 03 (tmobile), 18 (etisalat), diko alam (roaming - kasi diko ginagamit for outgoing, puro incoming lang at alam lahat ng kumokontak sakin ang number ko, hehehe...tanungin ko muna sila kung anong number ko.)


15. Who's in your house?
; wala kami house dito. Sa pinas, kapatid kong bunso, mama at papa ko.

16. What side of the bed do you sleep
on?
; right side

17. Do you like roller coasters?
; yeah!

18. What magazine(s) do you buy
regularly or subscribe to?
; dati cosmo phils sa Pinas, Digiphoto sa dubai, ngayon, wala na.

21 . What do you think about gay
marriage?
; walang pakealaman

22. What do your pants look like?
; which of which? iba iba eh.

24. Do you own a pet?
; No.

26. What's your favorite number?
; 12

28. What are your plans for Saturday?
; I have a big plan on Saturday pero diko muna sabihin. Aside from that, nood kami I AM LEGEND with PwC ex-officemates. Sana matuloy na to, ate jo, noh! anong petsa na!

29. What is the dumbest thing you have
ever done with your cellphone?
; hmm... ihagis sa pader kasi ayaw magsend! Yan eh nung N3210 pa lang gamit ko... nasa krisis ang globe nun at ayaw magsend eh magkaaway kami ni Randy nun. Baka isipin nya, bati na kami kasi di nako nagrereply...eh hindi naman ganun!

32 . Are you paranoid?
; ah eh paranoid ba kamo? Bakit mo tinatanong yan? Sa tingin mo ba paranoid ako? May balak kang masama noh!

33. What was the last thing you were
invited to?
; hmm... holiday party sa lincolnshire. Di ako umattend. I'm not a social person.... (ano daw?)

34. What item/s should never be shared?
; toothbrush, towel, comb, foundation at undies. yan ang mga unang-una sa list ko!

35. What do you usually order at KFC
; hot shots!!!! wahhh... miss ko na to!

36. Have you ever sat all the way
through Gone With The Wind?
; NO.

37. When was the last time you were up
all night?
; last Nov 23, 2007... thanksgiving midnight shopping.

38. Does drinking alcohol make you act
more like your true self?
; No. Tahimik lang ako pag lashing eh.

39. Where is your favorite place?
; Shopping mall

40. Do you ever think about the price
of gasoline?
; Yes...kasi lahat tumataas pag tumaas ang gasoline price. lahat ba pinapatakbo ng gasolina? Nakakain ba ang gasolina? nyeta!

41. Do you sleep with a fan on?
; No. Ayoko ng hangin unless heater yan, hehehe!

42. What is the best thing about
winter?
; WALA!!! as in wala! ay meron pala... pagporma at pagshopping, yun lang.

43. How often do you hold back from
saying what you are thinking?
; pag sa work, madalas. pag non-work, bihirang bihira, my friend....bihirang bihira!

44 . How many states have you been to
where all you saw was the airport?
; hmm... 5 - Hongkong, Karachi (pakistan), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), New York, London

45 . Are you currently planning a trip?
; It is planned already.

46. How many plants are in your home?
; ewan ko, diko binibilang.

48 . Have you ever googled your name
and found somebody?
; ehehehe...hobby ko to eh. tanong mo sa arbour peeps. lahat ng client ko ginoo-google ko ang name, hehehe! of course, pati name ko!

49 . Whose number one in your top 8?
; anong top 8?

50 . What is your favorite possession?
; hmmm.. mac ko na lang.

51 . What makes you feel like you are
young again?
; watching movies for kids.

52. Do you ever type "kik" instead of
"lol"?
; Ano yung KIK?

53. Do you know how to play chess?
; Yes.

54. What are you worrying about right
now?
; Judgement day sa Sturday.

55 . Are you picky?
; Yes

56. have you ever been in a one-night
stand??
; No.

Advance christmas gift-giving/Being nostalgic

I've been thinking so hard for the past few days what to give to my husband as a gift. It's really not a challenge for me as I've been used to this kind and I consider myself as a creative creature in giving gift to my partner. However, at this time, it suddenly became so hard. Ang hirap talaga pag may austerity measures kang kinoconsider, hahaha! At first, I was planning to buy him PS3 (sana naman wag nya mabasa to...kasi may iba pakong plano). Actually, last thanksgiving holidays, we were supposed to buy PS3...but then something prevented me from buying. First, wala pa naman kaming sariling TV dito. This is somehow tearjerking for me, I'm missing my HDTV which was just 3 months old when I sold it at the lowest price you can imagine (See related post --> http://lvillanera.multiply.com/journal/item/116/Updates...updates...updates). We had no choice but to sell it since it's very hard to bring it here. Before, people would say "Ang ganda naman ng TV nyo! Pangmayaman!" Ngayon, parang dukhang-dukha ang feeling kasi we don't have our own TV yet... everything is still provided by the hotel. haaayyyy... Iba pa rin pag sarili mong pag-aari.

Since, I'm being nostalgic here, here's some of "her" first pictures...huhuhu!:





O diba, ang landi landi ko pa sa mga pics na yan! Actually, may isa pa kong namimiss dyan eh...yung TFC!!! Now, all I can do is to treasure all these pictures... *sigh*

Now, back to why we decided not to buy PS3... secondly, it's not really a necessity at this point, may PS3 pa naman na full packed with games. Third, ssshhh...baka wala nang atupagin si Randy kundi PS3 gaya nang nangyari dati sa PS2 at PSP...buti na lang ngayon, parang ginagawa nya na lang pampatulog ang PSP. Dati, halos di ako pinapansin kakalaro nya! Bwiset! Kaya dapat pag bumili kami ng PS3, may katumbas din yun na camera accessories para may mapagkaabalahan din ako while he's busy playing. :)

So, I ditched the idea of giving PS3 this christmas. My boss gave me this link which has lots of gift ideas at cheaper prices plus the shipping (including return) is free. Oooopppsss, this is not a sponsored post ha, hehehe. So, I browsed the site and I reserved this piece of clothing for him:



http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/18367000/c/25276.html

Since the site offers overnight shipping, I was planning to have the jacket shipped on Dec 19, to arrive to him on Dec 20 (also our 11th wedding monthsary).

You might be wondering why this jacket. The reason is simple, it's winter here and I do think Randy needs additional jackets because when I begin to count how many jackets I have and compare it with his... I feel so guilty of dominating our shopping spree, hahaha! And what's so special with the brand? To tell you honestly, I never had an inkling that the people in the US give so much attention to this brand. When we were still in Pinas, Randy would just pull me in this brand's boutiques in Glorietta 4 or Power Plant/Rockwell. But I usually sit there and just wait for Randy to finish his window-shopping. In short, I was not really interested in this brand...it's sooo damn expensive plus I can just only see few people in the Philippines wearing it... I just thought it's not a quality brand. But when we went here, everything changed, everyone is wearing this brand! There must be a reason why they're wearing it and why it's so damn expensive! ...oh, I get it (by reading lots of buyers' feedbacks).

Last Saturday, we went to downtown (once again) to complete our chrismas gift list. It was already 7pm when we just decided to visit once again "The Northface" since Randy has been salivating with their products from the very start. I was just trying out some jackets but had no plans of buying one. But when I found this particular jacket, my mind suddenly began changing. As I was happily trying out the jacket and mix matching it with various caps/beanies while still thinking if I should buy it or not, Randy suddenly uttered, "Gusto mo ba talaga nyan? Gift ko na sayo yan." ...and the rest is history.

However, before we left the shop, I asked him, "Gusto mo dito na lang din kita ibili ng gip?" hahaha... and that was it! Parang nagexchange gip lang kaming dalawa. Pero di naman, kasi mas mahal ang inabot ng binayaran nya, hahaha...mas lamigin kasi ako so I need sturdier type of material. But when you look at our jackets, you will think na same model/style lang sya... pero hindi.

We chose the style of the jacket because we're planning to use it in LA/Las Vegas Trip. There, we don't need down jackets or coats, we just need a typical windbreaker. So, here's how mine look like:



...and here's the picture with my gift to Randy:


(Side note: Nagtest drive kami last Sunday and we both wore our jackets and my beanie...ang cute namin tingnan, para kaming members ng Universal Motion Dancers hahaha...joke lang! We went to McDo for coffee/brunch and guess what...nakuuu, natapunan ako ni Randy ng coffee! Take note, 2 tall cups ng coffee ang tumumba in my direction! Akala ko malalapnos balat ko...pero you know what happened? Ang galing! Waterproof nga ang jackets... nagfloat lang yung coffee sa jacket and patak patak na lang ang natira...hindi rin sya namantsahan. Yun lang, tumapon sa pants ko ang coffee...pero ligtas pa rin dahil sa thermal pants, hahaha. Yan ang nagagawa ng ginawing bata...super protected! hahaha...)

hahaah...so para talagang nagexchange gips lang kami, bwahahaha...pero mas ok na rin yan kesa wala... (yung iba dyan alam ang sinasabi ko, hehehe!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR! And for all OFWs celebrating christmas away from their families, MABUHAY ANG BAGONG BAYANI! anyenye!

...now, I'm starting to feel that indeed christmas is just around the corner...

Maldita!

I have to confess something...

I deleted one "person" in my friendster list today. And I can say that this is another maldita attack! I'm just annoyed with her "kaartehan" and corny pictures, shoutouts, etc and... and.... and well, everything about her (Ang co-corny talaga ng mga posts nya, pati pictures nya..promise...ang paplastik ng comments, hahaha...I'm being childish now!). She's not actually my friend in person... she's just ummm... better not mention it! So, I just decided to eliminate her... after all, I'm not really attached to her and I don't really care about the updates in her life...(Friendster serves me the purpose of keeping me updated with my friends' current statuses).

So, wanna guess who I deleted? Start posting your guesses now!

hahaha...you better check your friendster list...if I'm no longer there, then it's YOU! hahaha... Kidding aside, drop me a note if you feel like you're the one... baka naman kasi nagkataon lang na nagloko ang friendster at nabura ka lang ...

X's: This girl also said something before that is somehow not so nice about my group of friends. Though, not directly pertaining to us, but...she should have been nicer... *wink*

Actually, I'm planning to delete some more people...people that I no longer care about or someone that really pisses me off... especially those Mr./Ms. Know-It-All. I know I'm being very straight...but that's my personality. I'd rather be true to myself than being a hypocrite.

Vengeance is now finally yours!

Almost all of my "friends" have known me as a "fighter". I usually fight against anyone who's depriving me of my rights. But there are times that I can do nothing...especially when she/he has all the control of the situation. Sometimes, I plan to have revenge... bwahahaha...

Okay...it's getting scary now...but what I'm trying to say here is that we have our own moments of revenge. Sometimes we are guilty of hurting others primarily because they also have injured us in one way or another. Yes, it's a sin. But everybody's guilty of that. But we cannot deny the fact that the world is filled with nasty, obnoxious, and repugnant individuals... and of course, you won't just sit in one corner and let them destroy you. You're extremely hopeless in that case!

As I was browsing the net to look for the next movie to watch (since we're having another Pex EB...yahooo), I chanced upon this movie, "Sweeney Todd".

Visit Sweeney Todd in Myspace

The movie is about a barber, Benjamin Barker (played by JOHNNY DEPP) who had been separated from his family for a very long time just because of the lust of a certain judge. After several years, he was able to return to his home in England with a revenge in his heart under the pseudonym, Sweeney Todd. He wishes to regain his family together and penalize the judge who brought chaos to his life and to the society who made their lives miserable. He has been killing people and his accomplice, a pie shop owner Mrs. Lovett, uses the corpse of his victims in making pies... ewwww!

Related to the movie, there's this link where you can confess the revenges you have made in your entire life. It really feels good to confess your dirty deeds...no more guilts, hahaha!

As my share, here's my confession:
I once worked in a company where I have this girl officemate who had been very good in making excuses to be absent whenever we have deadlines. She's usually absent on the day itself of our deadline which is month-end! My revenge was... I resigned on the day itself of the quarter-end, which is more dreadful than the month-end! hahaha... I really made it a point to resign on exact quarter-end because of her! Grrr.... and when she knew about it, she was really mad and overly disturbed! Yesss!

I still have lots of confessions to make...but due to its volume, I can hardly remember all of them!

How about you? Would you like to make a confession? This is your chance to vent out and release all your guilts ....

Visit this confessional dashboard.

visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site

Taking my first driving plunge

I started taking driving lessons when I was still in Dubai. I registered in March in Belhasa Driving and started the lessons in August (I had an entry regarding this way back). After 1 week, I passed the signal and parking test. And after 2 months, I was supposed to take the road test...my final step in obtaining the much elusive "Driving License" in Dubai. However, the exact day of my road test was scheduled to be my flight date going to Chicago. So, my high hopes of driving along the roads of Dubai and racing against the stu*id pana drivers suddenly subsided. (Not only that, it took a while before I was able to accept the fact that the amount that I paid to the driving school will suddenly go to nothing... the driving lesson in Dubai is one of the costly expenses...and when I say costly, it means really a fortune!).

Now, when I went here in Chicago, of course I cannot drive. It really feels like a handicapped just staying at home and can't go outside without calling for a taxi cab. So, as soon as I arrived here, I called the driver services facility and asked for the requirements and how to obtain D/L. My boss even gave me a driving book which I can read just in preparation for the written exam (tackles the Illinois driving rules). Randy even went to 2 offices of Secretary of State also to obtain D/L. However, we always go home empty-handed. We cannot apply for D/L unless we have a social security number. So, I still had to wait for my SS number to arrive before I would be able to apply for D/L. So, I said OK.

Last week, I was jumping with delight when I came home... my SS number finally arrived... after more than 1 month of waiting! So, yesterday (Saturday), I hurriedly went to the nearest Secretary of State driving facility and applied for an "Instruction Permit". (I still did not apply for D/L coz I'm kind of afraid to take the road test...baka nakalimutan ko na kung pano magdrive, hehehe).

I was not expecting to take the written exam since I was just applying for an instruction driving permit (it's like a student license in Pinas). And I was shocked when the rep told me to proceed in the written exam area...ohmigod!

So, I had no choice but to take the written exam. And thank god, hahaha...I passed it with flying colors, bwahahaha! 28 out of 29 questions... And I was able to finish the exam way ahead my co-test takers...pero ang nakakahiya, ang mali ko pa eh ang "meaning ng flashing red light"...bwahahaha! Bobita talaga!

So, here's the proof:


Now, what I need to do is to find someone with valid D/L who can accompany me in driving, hahaha. Tsk...tsk...tsk...driving ata is one of my weaknesses. Madali ako kabahan...kung sa Dubai nga, driving along Jumeirah Road at Wasl Road lang kinakabahan nako (Oo, 80 kph pa lang ang max kong nagawa, hahahaha!)...pano na sa freeway?

I'm planning to take my road test this coming Saturday...pero hindi pa buo ang loob ko...pag sinumpong ako ng nerbyos, baka next month na lang. After mag ipon ng lakas ng loob sa christmas/new year season, hehehe... :)

Maldita!

I have to confess something...

I deleted one "person" in my friendster list today. And I can say that this is another maldita attack! I'm just annoyed with her "kaartehan" and corny pictures, shoutouts, etc and... and.... and well, everything about her (Ang co-corny talaga ng mga posts nya, pati pictures nya..promise...ang paplastik ng comments, hahaha...I'm being childish now!). She's not actually my friend in person... she's just ummm... better not mention it! So, I just decided to eliminate her... after all, I'm not really attached to her and I don't really care about the updates in her life...(Friendster serves me the purpose of keeping me updated with my friends' current statuses).

So, wanna guess who I deleted?

hahaha...you better check your friendster list...if I'm no longer there, then it's YOU! hahaha... Kidding aside, drop me a note if you feel like you're the one... baka naman kasi nagkataon lang na nagloko ang friendster at nabura ka lang ...

X's: This girl also said something before that is somehow not so nice about my group of friends. Though, not directly pertaining to us, but...she should have been nicer... *wink*

On being appreciated

I posted in the last survey that I answered that my day today went out really great. So, I now truly believe that we need to start the day right. The moment I woke up today, I was smiling. I don't know why but that is the first time that happened to me ever since I came here. I usually wake up feeling drowsy and lazy. But this morning, I felt different. It really feels good when you're not pressured with work. This is already my 2nd month (Today, to be exact) here and that means also my 2nd month in my current client. For those 2 months, I've been kicking my ass off with tons of work...I usually work everyday for 10 hours at a minimum (PwC people, don't react, okay? Our life in Pinas is overly different with our own lives today, hehehe)...plus I also spend 1 day of my 2-day weekends working. Okay, I know, I know...it's morbid.

During those times, I felt so gloomy and heavy-hearted. It seems that I'm carrying all the problems in the world. But that feeling ended this week!

This week was our first week of execution (actual audit/testing of the system software). And my boss told me to stop rendering overtime and rest...he noticed I've been very busy...killing myself with workloads.

And today is the best day of all! I got some appreciations from my client. My client is running problems in the software and he keeps on sending me IM about his problem and of course I keep on sending him solutions to his problems. For the last query that he had...he IM'd me with... "You know what, Lei...I don't care what Chris says...but YOU ROCK!" Then I just replied with, "Hahaha..." Then he told me to go home already and sleep since he thinks I can do my work even with my eyes closed. It really feels good to have something like that from a client.

Well, that's not the end of my luck for today. My boss was reviewing my executed test scripts since this morning and he had been telling me that I'm doing a great job. Of course, I did not believe him because I just can feel that he's only saying that to somehow appease me. But before going home, he went to my cubicle and had a chitchat with me. He told me in a serious tone that he just talked to my company's CEO and the CEO was asking him about my performance. And he just wanted to inform me that he gave the CEO a "super positive" (that's how he calls it) feedback. According to him, he told the CEO that I do well in making presentations with the client, creation of protocols, protocol execution and the client respects me as a trusted consultant. Whew! That was really good...yeah, baby!

And my boss also told me that he just wants to tell me straight in my face how he thinks about my performance since he's not the typical exec. vice president who will usually keep the appraisals in high confidentiality. He doesn't want others to think that he's the 2nd highest stockholder of the company (hahaha..Im not too sure if he's boasting at this point, hahaha) and a highly reputed individual within the company. Then, we just talked about some corporate attitudes and some corporate policies that I'd rather not post here, hehehe... :)

Well... that's my piece on being appreciated. But I guess I'm not really too lucky today...

I slipped hard, right knee first on ice today (on heels)...which resulted to terrible bruises on my right knee and I think a mild fracture...huhuhu! It really hurts... huhuhu...I'd better stay at home for the next coming days... :(

Grabbed from LC

1. Were you smiling when you woke up
this morning?
~!~ yes! It surprised me by the way...and because of that, my day went out great! Super great!

2. When was the last time you met
someone new?
~!~ Hmm...let me think about it. Just few minutes ago? Had a chitchat with the saleslady in coat factory.

3. When did you last eat pizza?
~!~ Thursday this week. Lunch party at the office.

4. Do you drink beer?
~!~ occasionally yes.

5. Do you wash your own clothes?
~!~ right now? most of the time, nah. I have my personal labandero...with TLC...hahaha!

6. Are you tired?
~!~ tired...but satisfied.

7. Besides your bed, what is your
favorite thing in your room?
~!~ laptops and cameras

8. Pepsi or Coke?
~!~ Pepsi

9. Would you ever take someone back
if they cheated on you?
~!~ No

10. Do you enjoy piercings and tattoos?
~!~ I've been planning to have tattoo...by L.A. or Miami Ink.

11. Taco Bell or McDonald's?
~!~ McDo...sawa na sa beans ng Taco Bell...kakasuka na, promise!

12. Are you restless?
~!~ most of the time

13 . Is your computer desktop or a
laptop?
~!~ laptop...believe it or not, I never owned a desktop...late bloomer ako at nakikidesktop lang ako kay Randy nung di pako nagwowork.

14. How many multiply views do you
have?
~!~ Hmmm...ignorante ako...san ko ba to makikita? sa friendster lang alam ko, hehehe...

15. Want to be a prince/princess?
~!~ Let's give it a try.

16 . Do you believe dreams come true?
~!~ yes

< br>17. Last song you heard?
~!~ Latin song sa McDo.

18. Do you like Batman?
~!~ No. Not a fan.

19. Who is in the room with you?
~!~ Randy

20. what r u wearin on ur foot?
~!~ None..im sitting in our bed.

21 . What was the last thing you ate?
~!~ lots -- ice cream, shrimp, chinese rice, etc...had a chinese dinner buffet in a nearby resto.

22. What were you doing before this?
~!~ We just arrived from shoe shopping and coffee drinking.

2 3. What is the closest item near you
that is blue?
~!~ comforter

24. In your opinion what is the
weirdest thing listed on
goofyicons.com?
~!~ I don't know.

25. What instant messaging service do
you use?
~!~ YM

26. what is ur fav website?
~!~ Multiply, Blogspot, Friendster, Pinoyexchange,

27. Whose house were you at last night?
~!~ None

28. What do you wear more, jeans or
sweatpants?
~!~ jeans

29. What is the last movie you watched?
~!~ Ehem...ngayon ko lang maipagmamalaki to, HITMAN! hahaha...sa wakas, naging semi-updated din sa movies! Bukas ma-update ulet yan...sa wakas! Yessss!

Payperpost -- up and running!

I started blogging when I started our wedding preparations last year. I'm a type of person that usually say in front of your face what I usually don't like or like about you. My blog usually serves as my outlet of how I feel for each day that passes. Also, since I'm working abroad and I left a lot of friends and family in my home country, they usually ask me to blog about anything related to my current situation. So, I really made it a habit to blog to keep my friends and family updated with what's in and out of my life.

But then...I never thought that this blog would somehow become an extra source of income. I never had an inkling that I can somehow earn money from just sitting in front of my laptop and just writing about how I feel or think about a particular subject. Isn't that amazing? You can earn money in the comfort of your home and doing what you really like....which is blogging.

Before, I was really unaware that there's this certain opportunity to earn extra money thru blogging...until all my blogger friends started posting some sponsored posts in their blogs. At first, I thought that they need to apply personally to the company for you to be able to blog about their product. And I thought..."I won't do anything like that...It would be a great hassle for my schedule!" And besides, I'm not even sure if there's an existing facility like that in UAE since I was in UAE then. So I just kept on reading their posts. Then, at one time, I just saw this post of one of my friends that she earns money thru blogging and that's where I got the full information about payperpost! I clicked on the link on her post and I applied...then got approved!

This facility offers good opportunity to let the people earn money without having the hassle of personally applying or something like that. It just requires some clicking here and there in your laptop! That's just easy! Who would not want to apply for this kind of money earning facility? See!

Now, I need to think of the things I can buy for these extra earnings...hmmmm...and hmmmm again. Let me do the counting...shoes, bags, clothes, gadgets ... oh, I lost count...let me do it once again...

I'll better start making a list now...


blog reviews

Move back!!!

Hey y'all! Move back! I feel like exploding...believe me!

Grrr...

Why are there so insensitive people in this world???

Can't I just ignore them? Nope...because they still owe me...

They owe me every single mess they brought in my life...

Ungas talaga! Sige lang...sige lang...tingnan natin...

Lazy ass...

I'm uberly lazzzzyyyy today! The moment I woke up from bed, I felt like going back to sleep and spend the rest of the day just sleeping. But then, I can't. This week is the first week of our validation execution -- the most awaited event. And to what or who should I blame this kind of feeling?

Take a look -- I hate cold weather! Grrr

I'm waiting for my taxi here while having my coffee to somehow wake me up. And this is how our surroundings look like today. Who would have the guts to go to work with this kind of surroundings? Now, tell me!

But I should be thankful enough for the cab driver, IGOR, to bring me to office safe and sound! Okay, I need now to get back to work. Grrr...

Let it snow...let it snow...let it snow...

Just another snowy day. When I was still a child I've been dreaming to actually see droplets of snow. But now that I'm a grown up, I no longer like snow. I can't go outside...I can't eat ice cream (...while outside. I now do this on a daily basis in the comfort of our room just to satisfy my sweet tooth)... I can't go to downtown...

...oopps..who said I can't go to downtown?!? Well, I just want to share what happened to me and Randy last Saturday. As early as Monday last week, there has been too many news advisories warning people that a strong winter storm will arrive by Saturday afternoon. And on Thursday last week, an interoffice memo was routed informing us to stay indoors on Saturday and to keep enough food stocks at home and to prepare for some possible power outage.

Come Saturday, Randy and I went downtown. Kulet namen noh?!? Hmmm...not really. Because we really need to go to downtown since we need to claim our cards in the bank. And we have scheduled to buy some more winter clothes (kelan kaya matatapos ang shopping ng winter clothes? hehehe) since it's really getting icy.

During the early part of the day, the weather was bearable. Though, I can barely move my hands and they are turning red already and ready to crack my skin open, I can still say that that is still the best part of the day. We were able to claim the ATM cards and proceeded to the shopping arena.

We went to several shops...and we can see that the snow is slowly falling. We were somehow delighted at that point. Then, we entered another boutique...but when we were done at that boutique and decided to transfer to another, we were shocked with the surroundings! We can see "ICE" everywhere...take note...not snow, but ICE!!!

We ate lunch and decided to go to Magnificent Mile. But then, on our way, we were carried by the strong winds and I kept on slipping on the ice. I didn't mind the snow, but the ice, wind and rain are terrible! So, we immediately decided to go home.

Our way to the train station was the hardest part...Randy's umbrella got broken...Randy and I slipped for "n" number of times which left my non-water proof boots soaked in ice and snow! I was very envious of Randy's shoes since I just got him a water proof pair of shoes during the Thanksgiving...*sigh*. Because I could no longer stand the frost, I told Randy to stop once in a while. It took us a while before we were able to reach the train station.

It was indeed a horrible experience. And everyone's saying the same thing -- "You haven't experienced the worst, Lei".

Oh c'mon!

Welcome home!

For the past weeks, I've been saying that I want to buy another external hard drive. My external hard drives are running out of capacity and since I also recently upgraded to Leopard, I need a space to utilize the Time Machine function of the OS.

I know I've been making a great deal of this recent purchase...counting down the days before its arrival to our doorstep. But this is because...this was really a GREAT DEAL! If you only know how much it costs! Oooopsss...not because it's too pricey...but because it was unbelievably CHEAP! Believe me! I was supposed to buy a 1TB hard drive but the greatest deals are with 500 GB drives...so I had to make a choice. Prices of 1TB drives did not offer great savings so I just opted for the 500 GB.





Now, I'm happy that I will be able to use this function...



...and the price? Just $115 which already includes the 3-day shipping! Isn't that amazing?
*Note I just saw a SALE item today in the same website where I bought my HD... 250GB for $189.99...hahaha! I really got the best deal ever!!!

Long wait is over

I'm currently here at work...and I got this YM message that I've been waiting for the whole day!


..can't wait to go home! :)

End of innocence for MAC fans

Just stumbled upon this article in BBC news.

...but this did not change my impression on MAC and OSX.

Best way to keep your PC or MAC virus-free: "COMMON SENSE". Don't open or load any file that you don't trust.

Here's the link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7079777.stm

A world without friction

The moment I decided to work abroad I told myself that I will never be an employee forever. I will start saving for my own business in the future. When I was a child, I can still remember that I was fond of selling any kind of things/food items in my school. I would sell stationeries, home-made sampaloc candies, choc-nut, hany, renting all my pocketbooks & nursery rhyme books, etc. Even though I was not making any profits with these, I was still having fun...maybe some of the ladies here would agree to this when they were still young. And the silliest thing I did is whenever my uncle would give me Php10, I would buy different kinds of candy, put it in a recycled container, make a "FOR SALE" placard and I would sit outside our gate and position myself as if I am one of the vendors in the wet market. And I would just end up crying because no one in our subdivision would bother to look at my merchandise for sale. My siblings and my parents would just laugh at me and would tell me that time will come that I will be a great businesswoman.

I never lost that dream. I've been seeing myself to become a successful businesswoman someday. So, to pursue that dream, 10 months ago, Randy and I began planning about a business. The first business that we thought of did not push through because of different newly enacted Philippine legislations that would increase our start up and operating expenses and would somehow become detrimental to the success of our business.

So, we started all over again in the month of July/August 2007. At that time, I also joined an oil & gas company. And I never thought that I would inscribe in the industry that I was then employed.

Last September 2007, we officially launched our business. At first, I was very hesitant to start this since I've been hearing many sad stories from those who just started putting up businesses in the Philippines. But I realized that that's just part of life...I wouldn't be able to start any business if I would be very cautious all the time. We sometimes need to take risks (as what my "Rich Dad" always say...you better read the book, this has also became an eye-opener and inspiration to me).

To make things simpler, we are selling "motor oil" that protects the engine and fuel system of vehicles. Our market are mostly taxi companies/operators in the Philippines and sell the products in "drums". But because of increased demand, we started selling in "gallons" for small enterprises/individual users.

Supposedly, we are the sole sub-distributor of Bardahl Philippines - Caloocan/Valenzuela. However, there are emerging unauthorized resellers of the product (as always...tsk..tsk..tsk..). So just to give everyone a heads up, as of the time of writing of this blog, "we" are the sole reseller of the Bardahl products in the Philippines (Caloocan/Valenzuela).

For more information of our products, visit BARDAHL.

Aside from the fact that our product is way cheaper than the standard/well marketed oil brands, I will no longer indicate any more marketing statements here. Just let the website above do the talking.

For orders, please contact:
MR. ERMILANDO BAYTIONG
09194005465
We deliver within Metro Manila area.

MAC 101: Printscreen in Mac

I still consider myself as an amateur when it comes to mac apps & functions though I've been a mac user for more than a year now. So, there are still tough times for me where I couldn't figure out how to do some commands in mac that I can seamlessly do in PC. So, I decided to document each discovery I encounter. For those who already know this, good for you... just ignore my post and do your own thing, hahaha! No need to comment... just a caution for "mr/ms know-it-all".

So, here's the story: I was about to post a blog entry today regarding something that I'm excited about. To do that, I had to capture printscreen. But I'm using mac right now...as I was about to hit Apple command key (functions just like the Ctrl key in PC) and *Prtscrn* button... I was like..."Where's the Prtscrn button?" I forgot that I haven't seen in my mac keyboard any button similar to the PRTSCRN button of a PC keyboard. Then, I started researching about it. As always, mac never fails to amaze me with its capabilities. Here's how to do a print screen in mac:

TO PRINT JUST A SPECIFIC AREA IN YOUR SCREEN:
Hold down the key and the key and press the numeral <4>. Your mouse pointer will now look like a shooting target symbol (don't know how to describe this but this is the symbol you get when you try to aim at a subject using a shotgun while looking at the eyepiece of the gun) with numerals that keeps on changing as you move your mouse. Position the mouse pointer and drag over the image in your screen you want to capture. Once you release your mouse pointer, you will hear a faint click, like a camera shutter. The Image will be automatically saved to your desktop as a .png file in OSX 70DPI. And on the hard drive in OS9. Here's the outcome:



TO PRINT THE WHOLE SCREEN OF YOUR MAC:
Hold down the key plus the key and press the numeral <3>. This will give you a full screen shot that is saved to your desktop as a .png file. Here's the outcome:



Now, the question is...What's with the FedEx screenshots? Wehehehehe...

Let's wait til Friday... or maybe Wednesday...who knows! :)

Ivy's last...Lei's first ...for today!

1. Who is the best hugger that you
know?
--> Randy (safe si Ivy sumagot sa tanong na to, hahaha)

2. Do you believe in love at first
sight:
--> a big NO!

3. Is there something you want to tell
someone:
--> Yes..."pakiayos at pakifinalize nga yang work instructions nyo nang matapos na rin ako sa ginagawa ko...buset!"

4. What brand of shirt are you
wearing?
--> New York & Company

5.How many kids do you want to have?:
--> 2

6.Do you wanna change your name?:
--> mmm...wag na lang.

7.What did you do for your last
birthday?:
--> sumakay ng erpleyn

8.What time did you wake up today?:
--> 6:50am

9.What were you doing at midnight last
night?
--> sleeping

10.Name something u cannot wait to
do:
--> rest! tagal naman magpasko!

11.What is one thing you wish you could
change about your life?:
--> nothing

12. Which hand do u like better?:
--> right...mas may silbi ang right hand ko.

13. What are u listening to?:
--> server...hahaha..sandamakmak tong nasa tabi ko eh.

14. Have u ever donated money for a
good cause:
--> yes

15. Have u ever talked about someone
behind their back?
--> sabihin mo nga sakin kung never mo pa tong nagawa! sige nga! sige nga!

16. Who's getting on ur nerves ryt
now?:
--> hmmm..right now? wala naman. peaceful ako ngayon.

17. Most visited website:
--> multiply, pex, blogspot, friendster, gmail, yahoo, flickr

18. Coke or Pepsi?:
--> pepsi

19. Do u have a crush?:
--> yeah..

20 Have u kissed or been kissed by
anyone in the past 3 days?:
--> yeah, baby!

21. Do u disagree with alot of things
going on in the world?:
--> I definitely think so!

22. Do u enjoy your friendship with
your friends?:
--> yeah!

23. Do u think flirting is bad?:
--> of course!

24. Do u flirt with anyone?:
--> No.

37. Do you regret telling anyone
something?:
--> Yes

Sunugin ang mga manggagaya!

Just to be warned...

May gumagalang imitator na blogger...kinokopya nya ang entries ng iba't ibang tao and claiming as if she's the writer. She even posts yung mga layouts ng digiscrappers. Ang masama eh verbatim ito...so pag kinopya nya ang post mo at may binanggit kang relatives mo dun, magiging relatives nya rin :lol: Pati pictures ng relatives mo na nasa LO mo, kokopyahin nya rin...problema, pixelized na ang post nya so halatang *trying hard copycat* sya talaga...(lol).

Sunugin ang mga manggagaya!

This reminds me of *iPod Nano*...(lol)...wanna know who's iPod Nano? Send me PM, hahaha!

Here's Mai's entry regarding this culprit....

Midnight shopping hang-over

My lips are soo dry...My eyes are drooping...My body feels sooo depleted... My wallet thickness slimmed down...but nevertheless...

I'm HAPPY!

As the clock struck midnight (November 23, 12am), we went off our place and hit this "place".
We were all new to the place but we never cared (Thanks to the irritating GPS voice that guided us in all our maneuvers and to the untiring effort of QOSMIO) . The traffic was brutal...believe me! And there was no available parking space by the time we got there. The place was full-packed with people and cars. No one cared about the 15-degree Fahrenheit temperature and some ice (and I mean ICE here) on the road. And here's the best thing -- they endured the long queue for each of the brands while freezing in the coldness of the early morning. And I said "they" because I never attempted to enter these brands with long queue.
What did we buy? (The question that keeps on popping in my screen from my IM window...information that my friends want me to divulge now since there are still 2 days more of shopping). Well just pieces of clothing for the winter season...with the killer boots, winter office attire and all...but mostly are for Randy. Why? Because I had to draw his attention to some other things rather than being pushy to buy PS3, hahaha! If you want to know the great deals (with prices) that we got, just send me PM. Hurry -- there are still 2 more days!

We haven't hit the electronics shops (of course!)...but I don't plan to buy anything spectacular. I tried buying online this morning a 1 TB external hard drive (because this is what I really need right now and I'm too tired to go outside) thru this site. But the hell...all the things that I want are already "sold-out"! Tsk...tsk...tsk...

At 5am, we hurried off to have our breakfast at the nearest ihop. And at 8am, I started to close my eyes and doze off.

Though the shopping is somehow tiring and exhausts our savings... the activity becomes more meaningful when shared with friends. See you again in LA, qosmio, our all-time travel buddy! 'Twas nice to meet your wife!

So, that's how we spent our Thanksgiving...how about you, how did you spend the holidays?

Walang mag-iisa ngayong pasko

My friend, Barry, my kapamilya has been bugging me to view the Abs-cbn's Christmas station ID for 2007. Because of my hectic schedule, I never had the chance to visit youtube and take a look at this station ID.

And because I was very emotional last night because of the snow thingy, I decided to watch the Abs-cbn's station ID.

...I hate to admit that I almost cried.. *almost pa ba yung konting kurap na lang ng mata eh lalaglag na yung namumuong luha ko*

First REAL snow experience...

Today is the night before the thanksgiving day! Because of that, nagcutting ako sa client ko, hahaha! Everybody was in a vacation mode already so I decided to go home by 12nn. At 4pm, we went to the nearby shopping mall and did some shopping for some more winter clothes.

It was forecasted this morning that today will be the "first drop of snow". At 8:30PM, we already decided to go home. It was raining hard when we hopped inside the cab. When we arrived at our place, Randy was shouting with joy outside the cab while I was handing our payment to the cab driver. To my surprise, he was jumping for joy because it's snowing already! Hahaha... we were like crazy jumping and twirling around under the drops of snow!

hahaha...nakapagski dubai naman kami...but then, this is our first real snow experience...with matching umuulan ulan ng snow! Sayang, it's dark na kasi outside at malakas talaga ang hangin so I can't take my cam outside and take a picture. Maybe tomorrow, I can somehow take snapshots...

But then...I don't like winter season. Lamigin kasi ako...plus the fact that this reminds me na malapit na ang christmas... and I am away from my family. :(

Career realizations

I can vividly remember during those times that I would say that my current job is the most boring job I've ever had. But it's really surprising that right now, I am starting to realize the importance and the challenges that my job tends to offer. Some say that this is very much different from my professional degree and license...but right now, I was able to realize that yes this is very much different...but that is why I'm having the edge from other people who has the same license/degree with mine.

With my current job, I'm learning how the system works (particularly SAP)...not only in UI...but also how it works in the background! I'm just surprised at times that I am now able to configure and to troubleshoot some of the system errors on my own. And since I am dealing with FDA regulations, I am also exposed to different Goods Manufacturing Processes (GMPs), Best Practices and other business processess across all manufacturing modules. My work is actually beyond understanding the business process (which is more likely to be Internal Audit) but also deals with how the system executes those business processes.

...but then I still cannot erase the fact that I am somehow depressed when I don't usually understand the terminologies/jargons that my co-workers are using -- of course, I'm dealing with system/IT professionals and I'm not one of them! And it really sucks when the system stops working for the reason I can't really figure out! Grrr...

But then, at least I now learn how to appreciate things... :) That's one thing to be joyful about right at this moment.

Oh...speaking of the devil...batch determination of my SAP environment didn't take place...Grrr...need to dig this out of my system!

sick puppy

I'm sick today!

Grrr... I really hate having colds. My father would always complain when I was a child na "amo raw ako ng sipon". I easily get colds. Especially now that we have negative temp here...

I'm hoping that I will be well soon...I have tons of work to do... :(

...and also, thanksgiving holidays are up this coming week. I want to enjoy the holidays!

38 Qs

I was tagged by LC.... so here's mine!

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night? Randy. Kasi ginagaya nya si Bear Gylls ng Man Vs. Wild. Nakakatawa kasi yung pagsabi nya ng "Veetamin C". Hanggang ngayon natatawa pa rin ako...


2. What were you doing at 0800? Travelling in Highway 45
   


3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Tinatapos ko ang Production Planning Module ng SAP. Laban ka? hahaha...


4. What happened to you in 2006? Married my bestfriend (for 9 years)
   


5. What was the last thing you said out loud? (Ran)- deeeee...(diko na matandaan kung bakit kasi palagi ko yan sinasabi kahit wala naman akong sasabihin kay Randy. Trip ko lang syang tawagin palagi.)
   


6. How many beverages did you have today? Two - Veetamin C juice at tubig, hahaha!


7. What color is your hairbrush? Black na binili ko sa Spinneys-Mercato, Jumeirah, hehehe. (Nilalagyan ko ng kwento para mas masaya...hehehe!)


8. What was the last thing you paid for? Ang hirap naman...diko maalala. Basta pagkain siguro kasi naman di pa ulet kami naggrocery, marami pa laman ang ref.
   


9. Where were you last night? Nasa kama, nagtatrabaho habang nanonood ng TV.
   


10. What color is your front door? Brown.
    


11. Where do you keep your change? Kung saan-saan lang. Tamad ako magtago ng sukli.


12. What’s the weather like today? Sunny ngayon, kaya masaya...ay hindi pala..malas pala ko ngayong araw na to.


13. What’s the best ice-cream flavor? Jamoca Almond Fudge ng Baskin Robbins pa rin.
    


14. What excites you? Christmas & New Year holidays!


15. Do you want to cut your hair? Yes, sobrang haba nya na ngayon.
    


16. Are you over the age of 25? No. sakto ka lang.
    


17. Do you talk a lot? Depende kung sino kausap.
    


18. Do you watch the O.C.? No


19. Do you know anyone named Steven? Aba, oo!
    


20. Do you make up your own words? Oo minsan...
    


21. Are you a jealous person? Yata...
    


22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’. Alvin


23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’. Kaye
    


24. Who’s the first person on your received call list? Chris
    


25. What does the last text message you received say? Your balance is now 547 minutes..ek..ek..ek...nagload ako sa fone, weheheheh!
    


26. Do you chew on your straw? No


27. Do you have curly hair? Yes...salamat sa teknolohiya ng rebond.
    


28. Where’s the next place you’re going to? Kama, tulog na.
    


29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? ha! Andami kaya...kalimutan na lang natin sila. Hindi sila dapat inaalala at dapat ay binabaon sa limot!
    


30. What was the last thing you ate? Ice cream!!! Salamat, jessamyn at dahil sa status mo sa YM, naalala kong may ice cream pako sa freezer, hehehe!
    


31. Will you get married in the future? I am "married" already.
    


32. What’s the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks? Pwede bang next week mo na ko tanungin nyan? Next week na lang ulit ako makakapanood eh.
    


33. Is there anyone you like right now? Oo naman noh.
    


34. When was the last time you did the dishes? Kanina lang.
    


35. Are you currently depressed? No


36. Did you cry today? No


37. Why did you answer and post this? Kasi ayoko nang may pending work to do, hahaha!
    


38. Tag 5 people who would do this survey. Emtee, Ab, Chachung, Ibyang, Gy

Architecture Cruise

Yesterday, finally, Randy and I were able to meet with Arbour Dubai officemate, Edward. He has been here in US for 1 month already but we haven't met ever since he came here. We were just 10 days apart of departure from Dubai in October. I came here last October 7 and I think he arrived here last October 17. He was assigned in Indiana which is 3 hours away from Chicago.

So yesterday, after so many research on how he can reach Chicago by train, he finally was able to come to Chicago! Our first stop? NAVY PIER! This is also our first time to go to Navy Pier. By the time we got there, it was already full-packed with sooo many people. So, we tried the number 1 activity that Chicago is boasting about...the Shoreline Architecture Cruise. Actually, this is Edward's idea since he only had 1 day to spend in Chicago. Sobrang layo ng travel nya from Indiana to Chicago. Supposedly, he will be joining us in our place, however, he parked his car in the train station in Indiana na hindi pwedeng overnight parking. So he had to come back at that day also.

This cruise showcases Chicago's architectural heritage. The guided Architecture Cruise departs from Navy Pier and travels for one-hour on the historic Chicago River. We were able to see more than 40 of the world's most celebrated buildings in Chicago. During the cruise, what made us proud is, the tour guide mentioned the BURJ DUBAI Tower and another building soon to be built in Abu Dhabi!

And another funny thing is (shift to t-a-g-a-l-o-g) naglipana na naman ang mga bola-bola na mga Pana (yung may pulang marka sa noo nila!) sa cruise! At syempre nagpapakaepal pa rin at pilit na isinisigaw ang bansa nila...bwahahaha! We were laughing so hard!

The cruise was great since we were able to learn so many things about the architecture in Chicago...which is also needed by Randy since he will soon start to find jobs here. Actually, he started already but he can't start to work until he receive his EAD (work permit). For now, houseband muna sya...and I can assure you that that is only for now...hehehe! (Minsan, naaawa din kasi ako sa kanya na nasa house lang sya eh...)

After the cruise, we ate at Navy Pier and headed to Millenium Park...dropped by to some souvenir shops and did some shopping.

Next Friday, Edward will be heading back to Dubai and will just come back here on 1st December.

I will post some of our pictures soon!

First christmas outside Pinas

While everybody's busy preparing their christmas list and doing some christmas shopping errands, I am busy planning for our first christmas outside Pinas and away from our family. I have accepted this fact since the beginning of the year (while busy preparing for our wedding) but then, I was thinking of celebrating christmas in Dubai with friends. But since we're already out of Dubai, I thought of coming up with some other plans. But definitely outside from where we are right now. By December, snow might already be covering our place with several inches thick! I don't wanna experience christmas just staying indoors. So, I planned this trip:

After the Fight, Criss Angel has something to say...

I posted last week about a fight that happened on LIVE in the tv program, PHENOMENON.

Well, here's the explanation of Criss Angel why he reacted that way...

http://www.nbc.com/Phenomenon/video/#mea=178444

And...I totally agree!

After the Fight, Criss Angel has something to say...

I posted last week about a fight that happened on LIVE in the tv program, PHENOMENON.

Well, here's the explanation of Criss Angel why he reacted that way...

And...I totally agree!

PHENOMENON -- What a riot!

I am currently watching this show, Phenomenon in NBC and I was shocked with what happened! This show is a competition for all mentalists (I'm not sure what term to use, honestly. They are the ones practicing mentalism as form of magic).

This so-called "Jim" performed his magic by acting or seemingly possessed by a dead person who according to him will tell him the object to write in the white board (while being possessed by the dead person, he was writing something in his whiteboard). At the end, he guessed the object inside a box by showing what he has written in the whiteboard. The object by the way was selected by a guest celebrity before the show from hundreds of options of objects. So that was his trick/magic.

Two of the judges are CRISS ANGEL and GELLAR. Gellar commented that he was amazed by the performance. However, Criss Angel commented that it's like a comic act and started challenging the contestant and his co-judge to guess what is inside his envelope and he will give $1Million to any of them.

Jim, the contestant, suddenly became hysterical and they started yelling and challenging each other to a great confrontation.

And I was like, "Ohmigod!" The show is on LIVE and they had no choice but to cut the voices on air and even the host acted as mediator of the confrontation!

Tsk...tsk...tsk...all I can say is...the performance is indeed a comic act! hahaha... I like Criss Angel more...hehehe =)

Ceiling poster for HALLOWEEN!!!

This is my post for the halloween season! hahaha...

Nice ceiling...but I will never have this kind in my house!

Wedding Invite...not from Randy's mom though, hehehe!

To those planning to get married, don't ever let your MIL (Mother-in-law) do your invites. Hahaha...

Yeah right...I look like a kid!

Now I have proven...I look like someone below 18 years old!

Randy and I went to supermarket today and just the usual, we bought 6 bottles of Bacardi. This time, I was the one who paid at the counter while Randy was packing our goods. To my surprise, somebody from the customer information approached me and asked for my ID. And I was like, "What the..."

I showed it...and he said, "OK."

It took long before I came to realize that he thought I was below 18 years old...and should never be allowed to buy liquors! Hahaha!

...I thought I was in Dubai or something that I need to have a license before I can buy alcoholic drinks.

Yun pala...... baby-face lang ako, bwahahaha!

Lipat-bahay

Haaayyy, kakabwiset na tong blogger na to! Palagi na lang palpak! Hindi sya nagko-cross post sa Multiply account ko...grrr....

Mabuti pa, I'll move permanently na nga lang! hmph!

Please visit me here --- http://lvillanera.multiply.com

See you there!

Divalicious will resume!

Ohmigod...just got hold of this news early this morning from another blog...



This was published in the August 27 issue of Manila Standard, page C1...tsk..tsk..tsk..iba na talaga ang journalists ngayon, makabenta na lang. Kunsabagay dahil sa isyu na to, sobrang laki siguro ng step-up ng number of readers ng Manila Standard and People Asia. Buti na lang di ako nagbabasa ng dyaryo...hahaha!

Not feeling well?

Can anyone tell me the message of this poster?

All geared up...to work out!

Last year, Leisure Unlimited LLC has started opening various branches of their fitness club, Fitness First here in Dubai. Of course, syempre, dinumog to ng maraming kababayans...for diverse reasons. According to the critics, nag-eenroll lang daw ang mga kababayans dito just for "show-off". But I do believe, that though there are SOME na ganito nga ang reasons, still there are many people who are also dedicated to being fit...and now they wanna do it more religiously. That's why they decided to enroll in Fitness First. Pero kahit ano pang mga rason nila, wala tayong pakialam, hehehe. Pera nila yun eh, keber!

Even when Randy and I are still in Pinas, we usually visit this club and do some trial work-outs...but we never enrolled, hahaha...And now that FF is already here in Dubai, we have received several calls from consultants in FF offering us various membership promos. Kahit na andami na naming friends na naka-enroll, hindi pa rin kami nag-enroll. Kahit na, lagi namin pinaplano na mag-enroll, hindi pa rin kami nag-enroll...I think we just had so much alibis for doing this...

(1) Ang mahal..saka na pag nakalipat nako ng work!

(2) Ang layo naman ng branches! Tapos ang traffic pa!

(3) Busy kami eh!

But it seems na ako lang pala ang nag-aalibi...hehehe. Randy kept on bugging me about joining this club. Sa Pinas kasi, nagwowork out sya sa may *kanto* sa lugar nila (*yun kasi tawag nya dito, nakalimutan nya name ng gym). And since feeling nya eh he's getting fat already, he's really keen on enrolling here.

And finally...last Thursday, naubusan din ako ng alibi. For sure, my officemates will criticize me for doing this ... since we already have 2 free fitness club memberships. But then, ang layo naman ng Novotel at The Club from our place...and hindi rin makakapasok si Randy dun dahil hindi extended to family members ang membership. Plus the fact na most of my friends are working out in FF, siguro mas maeenjoy ko sa FF. And super fabulous din ng benefits and amenities...sarap din tumambay kumbaga.

I started working out yesterday...some are asking, "Bakit kelangan mo pang magwork out, eh ang payat payat mo na?" I usually answer, "Sinagot mo na rin tanong mo eh...ang payat payat ko". And sige, gagamitin ko na rin ang reason ng aking evil sister na si Emtee... "Bonding na rin namin ni Randy to, " hahahaha!...and syempre bonding na rin with w@w sisters, Emtee & Shelai! See you at the gym...

I'm keeping my fingers crossed na maging devoted sa goal na to... =)

Update: Malu Fernandez

Few weeks ago, I sent my YM friends a link to a certain blog discussing about a Manila Standard article authored by Malu Fernandez. The article expressed derogatory opinions about OFWs especially to those who are based in Dubai - UAE. Of course, this resulted to alarming comments, movements and actions from different parts of the world -- mainly from OFWs...and even from fellow Filipinos who are based in the Philippines.
Here's an excerpt of the article:




And now, as an update, I just heard that Malu Fernandez finally resigned...

I didn't feel excited about this news...because I want the Manila Standard/People Asia to withdraw her directly... The damage that this woman had caused is irreparable.

Here's a link to a blog which featured her resignation letter.

Various videos are also available in Youtube...

Turok at E-Vision

Obvious na walang ginagawa noh? Hehehe…This is my 3rd entry for the day. Pag sinipag kasi ako magblog, tuloy-tuloy…pag tinamad, tuloy-tuloy din. Kaya take advantage na ang kasipagan ngayon.

I woke up @ 7am today. Randy and I had a fight last night…so I woke up without even being kissed or hugged by Randy before he left for work. Alright, the feeling is different. But that’s fine. He should learn now…he should be more cautious to all the words that he tends to utter when we’re fighting. I’m his wife…let me just remind him of that. But this is not really a big deal…normal na sa min ang magtalo…kiss and make up din to later…ganun lang kami, parang bata. Kaya I really enjoy our relationship…we know our mistakes, and we both know how to feel sorry for what we’ve done…I just hope he’ll feel sorry later, hahahaha!

Anyways, at 7:45am, I went straight to Al Baraha Hospital. I had to undergo Blood Testing as part of my visa processing. At an early age eh naexposed nako sa mga TUROK na yan. I, together with my siblings, have complete set of vaccines. For the past years, I never experienced the numbing and pantal-pantal and pagpapasa (may diin, as in pasa) nung tinurukan na parte ng arm. But this time, dyos ko…ang sakiiit nya! Plus nagpasa, namaga, at nagpantal pantal na parang measles yung turok! Namamanhid din sya paminsan minsan…I can feel that there’s something wrong. I feel a little discomfort. I feel having fever…ang tindi kasi nung Nurse eh. Maskulada tapos hinila ba naman yung syringe na ubod ng lakas na na-feel ko na umangat yung ugat ko at sumama sa pag-angat ng balat! Ang sakit talaga!!! I also feel cold today…feeling ko talaga lalagnatin nako neto…haaayyy…

After going through the dreadful experience with that Nurse, I headed towards E-Vision office at Khaleej Center in Bur Dubai. I was going to apply for the transfer of our E-Vision package to our new flat (yep, we’re transferring once again…reason? This would require a new entry.). I was in high hopes that I will get this settled once and for all (this is also one of the many causes of our (with Randy) fight last night). But lo and behold, the E-Vision rep told me that since our new flat is in a conspicuously new building, it is not yet covered by their service. Punyeta! But then, I calmed down. I asked, “What are our options?”. She told me that it’s either I will transfer it to one of my friends within Dubai OR pay the cancellation fee of Dhs744! Huwaaaatttt???? Isa pang Punyeta!

We availed the one-year contract promo…the reason for the huge amount of cancellation fee. Oh well, ayoko pa problemahin yan ngayon…kung hindi ko ma-transfer, eh may choice bako?! E di bayaran ang punyetang Dhs744!...tutal one time lang naman yan, ang kapalit naman eh more comfortable living. Pero I just wish na macover na ng E-Vision yung building namin…naadik na rin ako sa wowowee… =)

So, if anyone is interested to a TFC Package (E-Vision) account, just drop a note! Wala na kayong babayaran pang iba…basta itutuloy lang yung monthly bill na Dhs99 lang naman and mata-transfer completely sa inyo ang ownership ng decoder and everything.

Gusto kong matutong magdrive...

Obvious naman sa title ng entry noh? I just started my driving lessons (after almost 5 months of waiting after initial registration) in Belhasa Driving School last August 3. Kung hindi pako nangulit kay Ashish…eh hindi pako mabibigyan ng schedule. Syempre umiral na naman ang ka-malditahan ko…sabi ko, wala silang ‘word of honor’…sabi ko rin, ako ang tipo ng tao na hindi pinapalagpas ang mga to. Tapos pinagkukuha ko lahat ng pangalan ng mga nakakausap ko sa phone na nangangakong tatawagan ako...na never ako tinawagan. After so many pangungulit, I finally got called! Whew!

Last Friday, I went there in the driving school, expecting na classroom training lang muna. But then, nakuuu…pasakayin daw ba ako sa driver’s seat! Then, ayun nga, pinagdrive at pinagpark ako…so far, ok naman. Ang prob ko lang eh hindi ko palagi matantsa ang pagliko ko at nalilito ako sa kung saan ako unang titingin.

Honestly, hindi ko alam kung maipapasa ko to…ok sana kung sa Pinas eh. Eh dito sa Dubai, naku, pahirapan ang driver’s license. Hindi problema ang kotse ng mga tao dito…ang problema eh ang lisensya…haaayy…Sobrang tuwa ko na kung maipasa ko to ng 2 to 3 takes lang. Nakakatakot din ang gastos, imagine, for every failure eh halos Dhs650? Gravacious!

Actually isa pa to pala kung bakit ako tinatamad these past few weeks…I really feel demoralized ata…haaayyy…

There’s something in me na ayokong tinuturuan ako, gusto ko ako mismo ang nagdidiscover or nag-aaral. =(