Happy year 2008!

Okay...okay... sorry for my entry last time, hahaha. I guess I fooled many of you...please check my friendster account :)

Time check, it's only 10:47pm here in LA and still counting the last few hours of the year 2007. I just finished packing our things for our flight back tomorrow to chicago -- packing means vacuuming actually. We only brought 1 suitcase to for our things when we got here in LA...but now, we needed to buy vacuum space bags to fit all our things in just 1 suitcase.

I got so many photos to upload and so many stories to tell but so little time to do so. Here are the activities that I'm so eager to share:
(1) Las Vegas trip with qosmio and wifey (with sleepover in qosmio's place)
(2) Disneyland visit
(3) Universal Studios - Hollywood

Right now, I have 5gb equivalent of pictures to upload -- 2gb was transferred already to laptop and still have 3gb in CF cards -- ooppss, I think I need now to transfer them, mahirap na...

Few more hours, minutes and seconds and we will again welcome another year. Time flies really fast. So far, year 2007 is the most memorable year for me. Many unexpected things have happened. These things brought so many realizations in my life... yet another post to make. For now, let me just greet each and everyone -- HAPPY YEAR 2008!!! God bless us all! :)

New haircut for the new year!

Oh, finally! I was able to take the courage of cutting my hair short... and when I say short, it means shorty short!!!

hahaha...

Looking for a place to stay

With the kind of job that I am in, it's very usual for me to travel and stay in hotels. Sometimes, when I get short notice from my boss regarding a travel requirement, I usually make my own hotel reservation. There was a time before that I was already losing hope to get a cheap deal for hotel. Though my company will shoulder my hotel expenses, it would still be better if I would have the best deal since I'm on a per diem basis... sometimes, the most expensive hotels do not offer free breakfasts. Now, I'm very glad to know that there's a new website that I stumbled upon: Hotel Reservations.

This website offers cheap deals for hotels in various countries. Not only that, they also offer add-on requirements like car rentals. This website will be of great help to my requirements in the future... not only to my job requirements, but also to our upcoming vacation getaway! Actually, to test the website, I tried searching for my hotel in Chicago the first time I came here. The price that I paid then was something above $100... but when I looked at Hotel Reservations, they have $80/night rate -- what a great deal!

Now, I'm putting this website to my bookmarks so everything will just become one click away in the future!

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