my edible imaginings

Debil in da Donat

2009-11-18T18:16:00.002+08:00

Shopaholic and Sister

2009-10-07T15:43:00.002+08:00

Sophie Kinsella has conquered the hearts of millions with her New York Times bestselling Shopaholic novels, which feature the irresistible one-woman shopping phenomenon Becky Bloomwood. Now Becky's back in a hilarious, heartwarming tale of married life, best friends, and long- lost sisters (and the perils of simply having to own an Angel handbag!). What's a round-the-world honeymoon if you can't buy the odd souvenir to ship back home? Like the Chinese urns and twenty silk dressing gowns Becky found in Hong Kong...the five kilim rugs from Turkey...the splendid hand-carved dining table (and ten chairs) from Sri Lanka...the, um, huge wooden giraffes from Malawi (that her husband Luke expressly forbade her to buy)... Only now Becky and Luke have returned home to London and Luke is furious. Two truckloads of those souvenirs have cluttered up their usually immaculate loft, and the bills for them are outrageous. Becky's even maxed out on her second secret credit card, and she doesn't have a new job yet! Luke insists she go on a budget. And worse: her beloved best friend Suze has found a new best friend while Becky was away. Becky's feeling rather blue--when her parents deliver some incredible news. She has a long-lost sister! Becky is thrilled! She's convinced her sister will be a true soulmate. They'll go shopping together, drink cappuccinos together, have manicures together, and watch their favorite videos together. Until she meets Jessica for the first time and gets the shock of her life. Surely Becky Bloomwood's sister can't...hate shopping?

~~~spoiler alert~~~

Finally! I've been waiting for ages to finish reading all Shopaholic books by the brilliant Sophie Kinsella and last Tuesday, I finished reading Shopaholic and Sister. All Shopaholic books are definitely must-reads!

In this installation, Bex and Luke have come to the end of their honeymoon and decide to go back home. Becky envisions heart-warming reunions and fab parties...but she comes home to find that she has a half-sister who absolutely hates shopping, her best friend Suze has found another best friend...and her marriage is falling apart because of her $2,000 Angel bag (and her spending spree).

I could relate to Becky's insanely impulsive attitude towards decision-making AND spending her (and her husband's) hard-earned money. The only thing is, I realize it's a problem--but she doesn't. She thinks everything is perfect and that the reason for Luke's waning attention could be because she didn't put the CDs in their respective cases. This book is absolutely hilarious! And it is also the only Shopaholic book that brought me to tears---literally! AND! I have fallen in love with Luke Brandon-yet again. :p Who doesn't want a guy like him?

Anyway, I really love Sophie Kinsella's approach in writing the story. Every scene and character was described so vividly, it was never a bore to read! Just like Harry Potter...only posh and pink! :)

Now I definitely WANT to read all of SK's other books.
Next week--The Undomestic Goddess / Remember Me?

Medal of Honor: No heroic act is too small

2009-09-30T14:56:00.002+08:00

Many blogs and articles have been written regarding Typhoon Ondoy (aka Typhoon Ketsana)'s disastrous effect on the Philippines, which put Metro Manila under a state of calamity. So I'm not going to write about that, but something connected to it, on a rather smaller, more personal scale.

Last Friday, I was supposed to work on some projects for the office (and some other personal tasks) all due before October starts. Naturally, I'll need to bring the laptop and my personal USB HD home. But I was too tired to carry the very heavy backpack all throughout my commute from Ortigas to Kamias, so I decided to go back for it in the morning. It was raining hard that night. Little did I know that the rain won't be letting up anytime soon and that it would change the lives of a lot of my friends, including mine.

I woke up early for the Youth Visitation the next day. The rain was still at it. It showed no signs of coming to a halt. So I decided to wear my Chucks, just beacuse I really hated the feeling of having wet, icky, muddy feet. Whoops! Bad idea. I barely got to the end of K-8th, our street, and I was drenched and my Chucks were soaking wet from the rain, which, as Forrest Gump once said, went sideways and sometimes came from underneath. When I got to the end of K-8th, I was totally shocked to see a street-turned-raging river right next to ours. K-7th was no more. "It's bagyong Milenyo all over again", I said to myself. This was not entirely a shocker to me because it had happened a few times before. As I turned to look at the other side, there seemed to be water coming in from the creek nearby, slowly but surely submerging K-10th in all it's muddy glory. And our happy little street was smack in the middle of it all!

I went back, took my shoes off and braved the storm in slippers and a windbreaker. I had to withdraw some money just in case the storm gets worse. The servers of the banks might shut down and I only had 11 pesos in my wallet. Not good if this storm lasts for days. When I got back, I was really hungry so I decided to buy some food from the nearest bakery.

That's when I saw that Ondoy meant business.
This wasn't some ordinary typhoon. It was one we would never forget for years to come.

K-7th was still a raging river, only higher this time. But K-10th was no longer visible nor passable. And it had only been less than an hour! I've never seen it this deep in creek water, in all my 20+ years in Kamias. Tito A--a once very close friend of my mom, Lourd, Edge, their sister and parents were living right smack in the middle of the makeshift ocean! So I hurriedly bought a pack of cigarettes and dropped by the higher side of K-10th to ask for help from our friend Eky. Their side of the street was further away from the flooded side than ours.

I've never really helped anyone in dire situations like this and never thought the day would come when I'd brave the dirty waters and plunge right in to help save a whole family. I was brought up sheltered and kept as far away from harm as possible. I could have stayed home, dry and safe, tucked in my bed with a warm mug of chocolate and a good book. But the waters from the creek behind K-10th was rising really fast and I knew I had to set comfort aside and get help because no one was doing anything to get any of the people out. Perhaps they thought the house was high enough to keep them safe but I didn't want to take any chances. There was no way to know when the rains were going to come to an end. If no one would get them out and the storm continued to pull heavy rains into our area, they'd be trapped in there for sure and I dare not think of what would happen to them if they were.

Then, I thought of my best friend, Janice. She lives right in the middle of the raging river of K-7th. I wanted to make sure she was okay too. I wanted to swim to her house but I didn't know how I was going to pull that off! The current was so strong, cars and vans were being lifted off the sidewalks! Naturally, I was so relieved when she sent me an SMS. Her message brought bad news about their home, but I was glad she was safe and with her family. They're a strong lot. I was sure they'd help each other survive this tragedy.

Then I also remembered Dice, who used to live in Kamias and is now in Antipolo which was surely as flooded as Kamias was, if not more. I sent her a message asking if she was okay. That was all I could do for her now. There was no way to get to where she was at the moment. The only thing I could do for her is to pray He'd keep her and her family safe. She sent me a message telling me she was stuck on the 2nd floor of her house, inflating lifesavers, even joking about her floating couch and fridge. She still had spunk in her. I knew if there's anyone who was brave enough to survive this, it was Dice.

Then, I thought, if K-7th looks this bad at the East side, it was probably even worse at the West side because that part was lower than the east of Kamias. Tita G and Tito Ferds' house was at the last stretch of K-7th. That's where all the water from that street was headed for! They're surely in need of help!

And then it hit me...If Kamias was hit this hard, what more of Marikina and its neighboring towns? And my heart sank when I remembered Chino and all my cousins in Provident Village, Marikina. Normal rains brought flood waters into their village about as high as 8ft. Surely it's higher this time around! I tried calling him but his phone was turned off...

Why is this happening, I asked myself. What can I do?

Somehow, I snapped back to reality and remembered we still had to get Lourd, Edge and everyone else out of that muddy dangerous makeshift sea. It was the only thing we could do for now. The current wasn't as bad as K-7th so I knew there was a big chance we could all get out of there safely. I called RJ (who aslo lives in the middle of K-7th) up without further delay and asked him if he could help us get the Fedilos and Tito A out of their house. He went with us, no questions asked. Minutes later, Jude & Julius were also with us. RJ swam right up to the house and tried to check if they were okay but he said he couldn't see them. So he went inside (which wasn't that hard to do because the water had already reached the top of the walls) and swam all the way up to the balcony that led to the 2nd floor. A few minutes later, he was back saying they were all accounted for and safe, but as soon as they heard this wasn't flood water but creek water, they wanted to get out ASAP. There was one problem. Not everyone knew how to swim.

So we asked people we knew, who lived nearby, if they had any life jackets or rafts or even training boards. But no one had anything that could help get people safely out of the water. RJ, Jude and Eky swam back inside the house through the side gate (which was more accessible than the main gate) to help them pack the belongings they needed to save. Good thing they had big plastic containers for their things, which could easily be floated to safety. Too bad they couldn't carry the weight of full-sized people. Tita Chu lent me an empty 5-gallon water container which might help those who don't know how to swim. It was a long shot but was worth a try. As Julius and I were about to swim to the side gate, the plywood that served as a patch for the back wall of the house was knocked down from inside by Lourd and Edge's dad, revealing a pathway that was more passable than the side gate. The water level was safer here, at about half a foot higher than the waist. So Julius and I took that entrance and minutes later, we had everyone with us, including Tito A.

The house was a wreck and they barely saved anything. but Tito A was right---these were just worldly possessions that can be bought and replaced. What was more important was that everyone was safe.

We dubbed ourselves Kamias Red Cross, just to keep the mood light. :) After that "rescue operation", we checked on the Trajanos and Aricos and headed back home after hearing they were okay.

The flood waters receded late that night and Edge's parents had to go back and spend the night at their house to make sure no one sneaks in to steal what was left. Meanwhile, their kids spent the night at our place, while Tito A and his grand daughter spent the night at a friend's house. The next day, we helped the Trajanos at K-7th clean their house up. It was a total mess! Clearly, they too weren't ready for what happened.

That day was an eye-opener for me. I did things I never thought I could do. Clearly, not all "heroes" were born to be one. Others had to choose that path because of love, friendship and hope.

Ondoy's wrath brought disaster that was off the scale. But it also brought out HOPE.

What we did will be forgotten in a few days. No one will tell that tale to their children. No one will build monuments, no parties will be thrown. But I believe that no heroic act is too small.

So, I award this Medal of Honor for heroic valor, to RJ, Eky, Julius and Jude for daring to cross the line from safety to danger to save and help friends in that time of need. :)

Playing DOTA All Stars

2009-09-25T10:58:00.001+08:00

Hahaha, well what d'you know!! A song about DOTA!

----
Playing DOTA All Stars

Playing dota all,Playing dota all-starsx3
Playing dota all-stars(x2)

head into my lane,ready go for that gankah
gotta get that money and put it inside the bankah
am not a tanko though stay filled up with tangoes
and before you know you'll get mangled from every angle
In this land I'm a savage, you'll get slammed caught in ravage
I'll be damned if I manage to rip on this beat with amplify damage
you love it you hate it all I know is you'll be blasting this as long as you're playing

*CHORUS*
playing dota all, playing dota all-stars(x3)
playing dota all-stars(x2)
playing dota all, playing dota all-stars(x3)
playing dota all-stars(x2)
*/CHORUS*

I've been gaming longer than some of you been alive
so take the next few lines and do not criticize
from quake to counter-strike and then this game arrived
RPG, action, strategy intertwined, in my mind,it's a perfect combination
if you got the patience to learn a game as your name & occupation
with careful observation and patient concentration,you'll learn the ways and crave to play like, everyday.

*CHORUS*
playing dota all, playing dota all-stars(x3)
playing dota all-stars(x2)
playing dota all, playing dota all-stars(x3)
playing dota all-stars(x2)
*/CHORUS*

If i'm in the mood as soon as I get home I'll pop open my laptop and put on my headphones
and I hop into vent and see if my friends on, if you think I'm playing pubbies, you're dead wrong
I play with my friends, no matter the skill, 'cause there is nothing better than laughs as we die and we kill
Pendragon is nasty, reposo is so-so, playing with don-exitus that shit is a no-no.

*CHORUS*
playing dota all, playing dota all-stars(x3)
playing dota all-stars(x2)
playing dota all, playing dota all-stars(x3)
playing dota all-stars(x2)
*/CHORUS*

12 Things that are true about me...at least for today.

2009-09-22T18:00:00.003+08:00

Things that are true about me...at least for today.

1. I slept really early last night, woke up on time this morning, left the house on time too. But I'm still an hour late. I can't figure out why the world is against me every morning.

2. I am really thirsty. I look at my mug, which hasn't been washed in 3 weeks and is growing molds. I imagine the distance from my desk to the pantry, and then I decide I'm not so thirsty after all.

3. I'm thrilled that I'm given a chance to color stuff for Wandering Men Studios (all thanks to John G.). But right now, all I can think of is how stupid I feel when I color using Photoshop CS4.

4. I just did yoga 3 times over the weekend. I am making it an excuse to stuff my face silly with chips and candies. What the hell, I'm doing yoga tonight, anyway.

5. When I started smoking, I wasn't really nicotine-dependent. I just thought most guys think it's a turn-off. So those guys who don't mind a little quirk like smoking could be seeing something else in the not-so-perfect litte me. :)

6. I am 5'9" as of now. I was 5'9" yesterday and I think I will still be 5'9" tomorrow.

7. I only have PHP150.50 in my wallet and PHP0.0 in my only bank account. Yes, I am broke but, oddly, I'm happy.

8. I have 2 pending personal projects, 2 pending artworks for clients and 1 for my day job. All due real soon! Today, the calm before the storm.

9. I am scared to death to think of what will happen to me and my brother in about a month. We need to find a new place but I don't know how we're ever going to raise PHP20,000.00 in 1 month! I might have to sell my iPod and that will probably kill me. I can't even let go of my favorite pen!

10. I haven't gone to church in over 3 months!

11. I finished coloring something for a client and am super proud of it!

12. I still stand by "If someone under-appreciates me, I'm better off single.". :)

How about you? What's true about you at the moment?

September weekend

2009-09-22T11:17:00.005+08:00

Another long weekend.

Another get-together.

Another garage moment.

Sept 21 was the last day of Ramadan. Naturally, it was a holiday. :) Another long weekend...And I spent it drinking, playing DOTA and hanging out with friends. :) Jhun's back from Cebu with a new haircut and Edge is sporting one too. One that shocked a lot of people! In a good way. :)

Allan is sporting a new hairstyle

This is me and my grade school smile. And I just woke up.

Jhun, fresh from Cebu! Ursa Warrior!! er...Lord Voldemort?

I was teaching teh cat to smokez! His name is RB. Short for Razorback. :)

We wuz also techingz teh cat to climbzees! He is teh spidercat!

That is teh LOLCAT's mother.

This plus 2 bottles of GSM blue...

Our tanggero for that night.

B and S. Seriously.

See kapitana? We found her roaming around the streets of Kamias blindly. We took her in...because she looked pitiful. LOLz. Well, she was actually on her way home from Angel's and we "kidnapped" her for at least an hour of garage drinking. :p

Teh flashez!

Pair-pair? Not! singles night ito! (minus Paul, RJ and Juls)

S and B.

Eky and his fiancee. I think they're both already walwal.

And that's me. Busy playing Solitaire. Flushes the alcohol off my system.

We had a 5-on-5 DOTA afternoon the next day.
Team 1 (Bato-pick winners): Me, Edgar, Eky, Joseph and Lourd
Team 2 (Bato-pick losers): Julius, Paul, Ace, RJ and Chogz

And it's ironic that those who won the bato-pick were the ones who lost the game. :p
Lotsa fun. :) Missed Ace!!! Ngayon lang sha sumama ulet. :)

And as our nightcap, watched Tropic Thunder with Edge and Eky.

Nuts!

2009-09-15T14:56:00.002+08:00

Okay. Today must be a day of complete shockers!

First of all, my mom calls, telling me she won't be able to help with the house expenses starting October. Well, that's fine by me because it isn't her responsibility anymore, we're all of age now and should be handling our own living expenses. But she should have given me at least 2 months notice! Now I don't know how I'm going to come up with deposit & advanced payments for apartment rental, because clearly, we will have to move out of that 12K one which we could barely afford.

Second, what's with all the rush jobs at work? Gah. I am an obssessive compulsive person at times and my day just goes totally wrong if my schedule doesn't go according to plan.

But, as my father always tells me---I have the uncanny ability to see the positive side of every wrong turn, I have a job that pays better than most, so I know I'm still lucky. :)

Hangover Blues

2009-09-14T09:36:00.002+08:00

Last Saturday (well, technically Sunday morning) after DOTA night, 4 friends and I went on a drinking sprint. We used to have marathons that would last for hours but that day was a record-breaker.

Long story short, there were only 5 of us and 2 long necked bottles of alcohol, one being a brandy, the other a gin---which we all downed in 4 hours.

4 hours!

2 bottles!

2 kinds of alcohol you're not supposed to mix in one night!

Well, I woke up at 3PM that day with the weirdest and worst hangover I've ever had in my entire life. I wasn't able to go to some activities I planned to attend that day. 1st was the brunch with 2 good friends. 2nd was the fellowship at church. 3rd was the studio time I was supposed to have with a few friends.

And now, a day after that nightmare, my whole body hurts, as if in protest of my drinking stunt. My ears are ringing and I'd really love to wear shades all day. I am never going to drink 2 or more kinds of alcohol in one night. ever. EVAH!

===
9 Home Remedies for Hangovers

1: Bananas

Bananas are your best friend! While you were drunk and peeing like a racehorse, lots of potassium drained from your body. Eating a banana bursting with potassium will give you some giddy-up and go. All you have to do is peel and eat.

2: Ginger Root

Ginger has long been used to treat nausea and seasickness. And, since having a hangover is much like being seasick, this easy remedy works wonders. If you're really green, the best bet is to drink ginger ale (no preparation required). If you can remain vertical for 10 minutes, brew some ginger tea. Cut 10 to 12 slices of fresh ginger root and combine with 4 cups water. Boil for 10 minutes. Strain and add the juice of one orange, the juice of half a lemon, and 1/2 cup honey. Drink to your relief.

3: Honey and Lemons

The classic hot toddy (nonalcoholic, of course) is honey, lemon and hot water. Easy to swallow, this beverage replenishes fluids and sugars lost to a hangover. It is vital, however, to use honey instead of white sugar. Honey contains fructose, which competes for the metabolism of alcohol. Some healthy competition is needed, since it prevents the rapid change in alcohol levels that results in headaches. Plain sugar contains sucrose, which isn't absorbed as quickly. To make a toddy, boil 1 cup water and mix in honey and lemon juice to taste. Enjoy a toddy several times a day.

4: Rice, Toast or Soup

Food is probably the last thing you want to look at while recovering, but you do need some sustenance for energy. Stay with clear liquids until you can tolerate something solid. Then start off slowly with mild, easy-to-digest foods such as plain toast, rice or clear soup.

5: Sport Drinks

Sport drinks are a good way to replace fluids as well as electrolytes and glucose.

6: Ice

Put an ice compress on your aching head. Place crushed iced in a plastic bag, wrap in a dry towel and apply it to where it hurts. Or just rinse a washcloth under cold water, place it on your forehead and rest.

7: Juice

Juice, especially freshly squeezed orange juice, will help raise your blood sugar levels and help ease some of your hangover symptoms. However, if your stomach is upset, skip acidic juices such as orange juice and stick with apple juice instead.

8: Water

Next to time, drinking water is the best cure for a hangover. Dehydration does a doozy on your body and causes much of the discomfort associated with a hangover. Stick to water, be it tap, bottled or carbonated. Drink more than eight glasses a day while recovering.

9: More Dos and Don'ts

If you can remember one thing while intoxicated, remember this: Guzzle plenty of water before going to bed. It will help nip dehydration in the bud, and you'll feel much better in the morning.
Stick to one drink (or less) per hour, and sip it slowly. One hour is about the time it takes for the average adult body to process an alcoholic beverage. One drink is a 5-ounce glass of wine, a 12-ounce beer or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor.
Rest. Pull the shades down, unplug the telephone and go to sleep.
Never drink and drive.
Try Pepto-Bismol or an antacid to relieve queasiness and settle your stomach.
Take a multivitamin with B vitamins to replace those lost during your night of carousing.

These natural home remedies should get you back on your feet after a night of overindulgence. With a little tender loving care, you should be all better in no time.

Broken and Whole Again

2009-09-09T10:39:00.005+08:00

My family is broken. It's been that way for so many years, and I expect to feel numb every time I remember how it all happened, but I still feel the dull stabbing pain I felt back when it was happening. It still feels so fresh and new.

But I learned how to cope with it. My closest friends helped me through it without even knowing. They've made me a part of their families and although I longed for my own, I still felt loved. But the hugs, the advices, the caring words, the genuine friendship, although truly appreciated, are really different from the ones I get from my real family. It's been ages since I felt secure through a mother's touch, and protected by a father's arms. My youngest brother is in the US now and I'm living with my other brother. And he's never there. Well he is...but isn't. He's never there when I get excited over something. He's never there when I feel sad. Never there when I need him. I talk to him and my voice is part of the world's everyday noise. There--but never heard.

Now it feels as if I'm standing on one side of a street looking at the other side, where all the other people are, including my friends. They smile at me, wave at me, cheer for me, and then it all dies down after some time. And I'm left alone at my side of the street. I walk and I enjoy what I see, and then after some time, I don't anymore. And I look to the other side and everyone's just immersed in their own thing. Even my brother.

I occupy my mind with work. I fill my to do list until I am so swamped that I don't remember I'm alone on my side of the street.

They say your friends will fill whatever gap your family leaves when it is shattered to pieces. And I'm telling you, none of that is true. They don't fill whatever gap you long for a mother, a father, a brother or a sister to fill in. They just pass by, linger, and then leave. Happiness with friends is seasonal. Like alcohol. Like gimmicks. Like money.

And the only thing you hold on to is hope. And faith. Which, surprisingly, I still have a lot of.

I used to think "Was it me? Have I done something wrong to ruin the perfect life we used to have?" and then it dawns on me...nothing ever "just happens". It is all written.

And all I can do is hope, and have faith.

Hope. Have faith.

..and then, at my side of the street, alone, looking out...I know I am still whole.

Almost There...

2009-09-03T16:50:00.004+08:00

It's been a very long week and I feel so tired. It's Friday tomorrow and I was hoping to get some rest but I still have to finish a lot of commissioned artworks. Anyway, Hopefully, I WILL get to rest next week. :)

I'm looking forward to a very eventful October. It IS after all, the beer-drinkers' much awaited month of the year! It is also the month of Indie Komiks releases! I can't wait!

Okay, I's sorry for shamelessly plugging that here. :p

New layout

2009-09-01T17:51:00.003+08:00

I have a new layout which I downloaded off BTemplates. It looks cool but I haven't figured out how to work some parts of it yet. The Layout section in my dashboard is all jumbled and not working properly so all I have here is whatever the template allowed me to retain. :p I will figure this out soon. :)

It looks lovely, doesn't it?

OBF Cartoon Night at Sazi's

2009-09-01T13:17:00.005+08:00

Amie, Sassy, Jamine, Jamie and I hung out at Sazi's last night. It was cartoon night and the bands of OBF had to do covers of cartoon OSTs. The band line-up: Itchyworms, Concrete Sam, Silent Sanctuary and Soapdish. CS' cover of Thundercats was nice to hear. Old school eh! :) And of course mawawala ba yung Voltes V Ending theme (performed by Silent Sanctuary)? And as usual, laughtrip yung Soapdish. :) Especially when Sarkie was playing the drums! Sablay eh! Hahaha!

I've never enjoyed a gig this much in my life. Well, I haven't gone to many gigs but Soapdish always, ALWAYS has something up their sleeves and there's never a boring night with OBF.

Jamine, Sassy, Amie, Crystal

Sassy, Amie and Crystal

Sassy and Amie with Lady Gagi

Sassy, Crystal, Amie

Crystal and Donnie (thanks for the CD. Good stuff. =>)

Sassy, Amie and Crystal

Ulitin natin ito. Namimiss ko kayo mashado. :)

Karaiwashi Responds

2009-08-28T15:14:00.005+08:00

I took The Demoiselles' challenge of posting a picture of myself with no make-up on, to show the world that there IS real beauty underneath all that gunk we put on our faces.

I would have loved to take my "no make-up" picture in the morning right after waking up, but I'm usually screaming "Oh sh*t I'm late" and running around the house figuring out what I should be doing first. So, I decided to do it here in the office once my adrenaline has slowed down to a normal rate.

And...(I hope I won't regret this)...here's my no make-up picture:

Other than the very dark and puffy eye bags, I think it turned out ok. :) And thanks to my freckles, pimples aren't too noticeable when they pop out of my face on days I least expect them to. :p Perfect cover-up.

Help win the fight against this anti-progressive beauty standard by uploading your own makeup-less photos through your blogs/plurks/tweets. Of course, don't forget to send me links! :)

--
the fish is too tired to check for spelling or grammatical errors.

My Personality Revealed: REALLY? Do you agree?

2009-08-26T18:56:00.001+08:00

Your view on yourself:

You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:

You are a true romantic. When you are in love, you will do anything and everything to keep your love true.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:

You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you meet that person.

The seriousness of your love:

You like to flirt and behave seductively. The opposite sex finds this very attractive, and that's why you'll always have admirers hanging off your arms. But how serious are you about choosing someone to be in a relationship with?

Your views on education

Education is very important in life. You want to study hard and learn as much as you can.

The right job for you:

You have plenty of dream jobs but have little chance of doing any of them if you don't focus on something in particular. You need to choose something and go for it to be happy and achieve success.

How do you view success:

You are confident that you will be successful in your chosen career and nothing will stop you from trying.

What are you most afraid of:

You are concerned about your image and the way others see you. This means that you try very hard to be accepted by other people. It's time for you to believe in who you are, not what you wear.

Who is your true self:

You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.

What makes YOU happy?

2009-08-26T17:55:00.001+08:00

Cold mornings and hot coffee.
Reading a good and witty book with a mug of hot coco or coffee while curled up in a comfy couch.
Going to theme parks.
Fireworks makes me insanely happy. insanely happy and giddy and jumpy.
This certain song makes me happy. I listen to it and sing along while it plays all day.
Lucille keeps me company, she makes me happy.
My garage moments with Karee, RJ and Eky.
Talking with friends.
Sharing comfortable silence.
My best friend.
Drumbeats make me happy. Much like heartbeats.
Sweets.
Drinking sessions with friends make me happy. Have me drink too much and I might pole-dance or lap dance. maybe you will be happy.
Painting.
Walking under the moonlight, listening to the trees rustling.
Playing the guitar makes me happy. Though the guitar isn't happy when I play.
Singing.
Baking.
Cooking...
Surprises make me happy.

And a whole lot of trivial things..

What makes YOU happy?

10 People

2009-08-26T17:24:00.002+08:00

Name 10 people you can think of right off the top of your head. Don't read
the questions underneath until you
write the names of all 10 people.

1. Paul

2. Karee

3. Edgar

4. Fran

5. Janice

6. D

7. Jhun

8. Amie

9. Sin

10. Sassy

1.How did you meet number 9? (Sin)

We used to be blockmates. :)

2. Do you have a crush on anyone up there?

Yes.

3. What would you do if you hadn't met number 1? (Paul)

How can you NOT meet your own brother? We live in a very small and cramped apartment. We have the same parents. His receding hairline and my freckles say it all.

4. What would you do if 6 and 2 were going out? (D & Karee)

I would wage a silent war on Karee! How could you! You're my sister! LOLs.

5. How did you meet number 8? (Amie)
She's a friend of a friend. Turns out the world is just so small. :)

6. Is 2 one of your best friends? (Karee)
You could say that.

7. Whose number 9's best friend(s)?(Sin)
I don't really know. Wendy? Or Raizza? We haven't talked in a while.

8. Have you ever dated number 1? (Paul)

Ew.

9. Do you miss number 10?(Sassy)

Yes. We work in the same department but we used to hang out a lot. I don't know what happened. Maybe work happened.

10.what do u think of number 6?(D)

He's honest and has the traits every girl looks for in a guy. And he plays the drums! that's a plus! :)

11.what do you think of number 7?(Jhun)
He's leaving tomorrow. Sneaky little bastard! I'm going to miss him terribly!

12. who does number 3 like? (Edgar)

Ahahaha. That is a very funny question! NEXT! :p

13. Have you ever been inside number

8's house? (Amie)

Nope.

14. Do you love number 4? (Fran)

Yes, of course!

15. Ever been in the same bed as any
of the numbers?
Some, yes. :)

16. What about no. 5?(Janice)
Yes hello! She's my bestfriend!

17. Do you trust these people?

Yes. Some of them, with my life.

18. would you date no. 5? (Janice)

Well, if she's into girls, why not! LOLz.

20. Love them all?

Love is such a strong word. Maybe. :)

Night Out at Sazi's

2009-08-26T13:45:00.003+08:00

Went to see Neruda play live at Sazi's last night. But the ultimate reason for the get-together was a beloved friend's unplanned departure to Cebu. He will be leaving tomorrow and it was just such a shocker for all of us...we drank 'til we puked. Okay. I mean 'til one of us puked. I hardly felt woozy, just full.

It was an impromptu gathering but it was definitely EPIC. I am going to miss you, Jutsman!!

My Wishlist 2009

2009-08-18T13:40:00.004+08:00

Dear Secret Santa,

I've been a pretty good girl this year and I'm hoping this time you could give me what I want. :) I've made a list for you so you won't have a hard time figuring out the things that I would really love and USE until I wear them out (as opposed to gifts just bought for the sake of gift-giving...which I often keep on a very dusty shelf, hide somewhere or eventually throw away)

I have a lot of things in my wishlist but I will keep this short and sweet. :) So...

1.) A Wacom Intuos 4
I love my trusty graphire but it's giving me a lot of limitations in the artworks I create. :(

2.) Any of these Star Wars novels I intend to collect. I already have The Cestus Deception and 2 Jedi Medic novels. Here's a list, with a code guide. All these happened between Star Wars Episode 2 & 3. This is where the planet battles in the Clone Wars are shown. I'd really love to have all...(click to enlarge image)

3.) A tech pen set for inking

4.) Imaginary Friends Studios artbook

5.) Any Star Wars artbook

6.) any studio Ghibli Artbook

Anyway, my birthday and Christmas are both celebrated on the same day..so,, purrty please?

2009 Manila Design Week: Graphika Manila

2009-08-17T11:20:00.007+08:00

Springboard

Everywhere We Shoot

Adobo Magazine

Philippine Graphic Design Awards 2010

Brand New School

Industrial Light and Magic

Stephan Sagmeister

Tuloy and Laban blog banners

2009-08-04T17:32:00.003+08:00

Hi everyone,

I made a "yellow ribbon" banner for my blog.
You're free to use it if you want.
See below for posting instructions:

For blogger accounts, create a "Text" gadget and input the ff in the body:
img src="filename". Do not forget to enclose the whole code inside "< >".

For black backgrounds, the filename is:
http://i31.tinypic.com/4gg3dd.png

For white backgrounds:
http://i32.tinypic.com/2utozrb.png

Leave the gadget title blank by pressing spacebar.
post a comment for any questions. :) Ikalat. Dahil tuloy lang ang laban. :)

My Room needs fixing. So does my brain.

2009-08-04T16:02:00.004+08:00

I want to start getting rid of the clutter in my life and this year, I plan to start inside the four walls of my very own room.

I used to have a huge room back when we still lived in our own house. We moved out about 2 years ago. Now we're living in a very, very small rented apartment (which is still a pain in the ass to clean, I have no idea why). And when I say very small, I mean VERY SMALL. like it's-the-living-room-*1step*-oh-look-it's-the-kitchen small.

My room is so tiny, my bed alone almost occupies the whole effing room! I don't have a work area so I work propped on my bed and everything.

I plan on moving to a bigger (and cheaper) apartment someday but in the meantime (since I think that plan is going to take a while for me to be able to pull off), I want to redesign my room for two reasons:

1 - so that I'll actually have space for work AND sleeping (trust me, the house is too tiny for me to relocate my work area. It's either my room or--no workspace at all.).

2 - so that it still looks cozy and I'd actually look forward to hanging out in my own room!

This is how it looks like right now:

And this is how I want it to look like:
(I'm asking help from friends if they think they can come up with a better design to make the room look more spacious)

Looks like everything must go.
Even the bed (good lord, the bedbugs!). Even the small shelf, the side table and the TV that belongs to my ex. Everything goes.

And I'm not planning on buying the new stuff at a mall or an Our Home shop.
I'm thinking of having the furniture custom-made by a sash factory. Is that cheaper?

This is my project this year. :) Anyone have any ideas that could help?

Democracy is your gift to your children. This is my gift to you.

2009-08-03T16:57:00.008+08:00

I was 4 years old when you were seated as the Philippines' and Asia's first female president. I knew nothing about politics then. But this I know: If it weren't for you, we'd probably be another North Korea, not having freedom to do the things we love and enjoy. You brought democracy back to the Philippines.

You weren't just our president, you were the country's mother.

I will forever thank you for this freedom that we are all enjoying now.

Thank you, Tita Cory. Isa kang bayani.

Cory's remains passing by Ninoy's statue. image from Lola Techie

"iamcory" was designed by karaiwashi (based on the "iamninoy" which was designed by MyPhilippines). Reproduction and/or re-posting of this design without written permission from the artist is prohibited. This artwork will be on exhibit and for sale on August 19 at the Ride n Roll Diner where other paintings to commemorate the national Heroes day will be also be exhibited.

STOP. Reset.

2009-07-28T17:14:00.000+08:00

2 Projects in the office. Must be done by August.
I need to rest.
Too much freelance work.
Not much done.
Need to find center and balance.
Yoga? Yes…well, not really.
I need to practice healthy sleeping and eating habits.
I wonder if mom’s doing well.
I wonder if my father’s happy.
I think I want spaghetti. With a lot of cheese.
I also need to finish reading all the books and comics I bought last year!
What? I’ve only had 1 glass of water today? Why??
Wait…what?

I’ve been feeling a bit more tired than usual these past couple of weeks. Too tired to enjoy my time with friends. Too tired to finish anything I start. Too tired to focus on my work. Too tired to concentrate on anything I do. Too tired to enjoy a quiet afternoon at my favorite coffee shop. Too tired to enjoy resting. Just too tired.

I tried working on the one-shot comic project, but none of the scenes in the script were making their way to my once-very creative mind. I tried relaxing while watching TV. Perhaps this will help me get back on track, or so I thought. But stress level shot up even more. Nothing I did to help relax my mind worked. Not even sniffing the invigorating aroma of a freshly brewed cup of coffee. I know caffeine drinks would make me feel more restless but taking the scent of coffee in has always relaxed me. Lately, everything I did would just irritate me. I could barely concentrate on work. The laughter I shared with my friends over something so trivial used to linger for a long time, but up ‘til recently, I’ve been having a hard time being “in the moment”. Nothing I did would excite me anymore.

A friend of mine saw how restless I’ve become.
He said I was probably just too tired, living a very hectic life in this fast-paced world. That maybe I just need to stop. STOP. Something I never really thought of doing. I tried slowing down, and only ended speeding up more. STOP. I tilted my head and gazed at him in unreserved astonishment. How could the solution have been so simple yet so elusive?

Ever since my mom was diagnosed with cancer and my father diagnosed with chronic infidelity, I started busying myself with a lot of things. Most of it, church work. I’d give most of my time and financial resources to a youth organization at our church. If I wasn’t busy with that, I was drawing my brains out, trying hard to be a photographer, taking on too much freelance work or sneaking in a ton of gimmick time with my friends. I was in denial. The possibility of things becoming too much for me to handle never dawned on me until I started getting frequent headaches, was almost always sick, and had erratic eating and sleeping habits again. When my friend asked me to just stop everything altogether for just one day, I did and I started feeling really tired. Never, in my entire life as a young adult, have I felt as physically drained as I was that day.

I slept at 8PM.
I wasn’t sick. I was just so physically and mentally drained.

And when I woke up on Saturday morning, I have never felt so rested in my entire life! For the past few months, I’ve been aboard a speeding vehicle, not minding the blur of everyone and everything around me. The little heart-warming moments, the uncontrollable laughter, the unspeakable secrets that delight the heart…I was never really there to appreciate them. I was everywhere…and nowhere.

And then I stopped. I stopped and saw the street, the sidewalk, and the people bustling about. And I started to appreciate how beautiful my life is, once more.

Last Sunday, some friends dropped by and I never realized how much I really missed them. I missed out on so much!

Now, I am back on track and everything around me is quite vivid. Once they start becoming blurry, I will surely remember to slow down and just enjoy the ride.

My Favorite Bassist...

2009-07-22T13:44:00.002+08:00

Tetsuya Ogawa (born October 3, 1969, at Osaka in Kansai, Japan), known professionally as tetsu, is the leader and bassist of the Japanese rock band L'Arc~en~Ciel. He also does backup vocals and has composed many of the band's songs, including 'Link', 'READY STEADY GO', 'finale', 'Driver's High', "Stay Away," and 'Pieces'. In the band, his name is 'tetsu' (All in lower case).

Since 2001, he had solo work under the name 'TETSU69' (Number 69 is his birth year). As of 26 November 2006 he changed his solo name to 'tetsu'.

In 2007, Tetsu and 22-year-old actress Ayana Sakai got married.

Playing Style

Tetsu is renowned for his melodic style of bass playing. Many of L'Arc~en~Ciel's songs involve Tetsu playing counter melodies with ken (guitarist of L'Arc~en~Ciel) while still holding a groove with the drums. Tetsu's composing can be seen as more 'poppish' as compared to ken's who has a heavier and sometimes bluesy approach. He frequently uses slides, hammer-ons, and pull-offs in his playing.

Tetsu plays with a pick most of the time, but uses fingerstyle occasionally when the song calls for it, such as in 'winter fall' and 'jojoushi'. In a few songs Tetsu can be heard using the slap style of playing such as in the Laruku song 'THE NEPENTHES' and 'twinkle, twinkle'. Tetsu has also used distortion such as in the song 'Stay Away.' Tetsu has also been known to play briefly with a banana, "Munkimpo-kun", (which he whips to the audience afterwards) prior to the beginning of a song (usually 'Stay Away') in some concerts.

Tetsu primarily plays a 5 string bass since L'Arc~en~Ciel's 15th anniversary, but is known to occasionally use 6 strings in L'Arc~en~Ciel songs such as Neo Universe, Time Goes on,Get out from the Shell where Tetsu plays lead melody.But in Perfect Blue he use a 6 string baritone guitar (similar with electric guitar but tuned one octave lower). Tetsu also performs a Guitar / Bass Double Neck on the song Trust.

Even though Tetsu is endorsed by ESP Guitars and has several models, he has used his Zon bass for most of his recording works. Tetsu is an avid collector of basses and guitars. He owns over 120 basses and more than 20 guitars.

Other Side Projects

Creature Creature [formed in 2005]

Vocal. MORRIE [ex Dead-End]
Bass. tetsu
Guitar. MINORU [(Murohime Shin) ex THE MAD CAPSULE MARKETS, DIE IN CRIES, BLOODY IMITATION SOCIETY]

Released three singles on June 19, 2006:
『Red』
『風の塔』 (Kaze no tou) music by tetsu
『パラダイス』 (PARADISE) music by MORRIE and tetsu

Creature Creature released their first album on August 30, 2006, called 'Light & Lust'.

---

Top 10 World's Best Bassists

1) Cliff Burton (Metallica)
2) Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
3) Tetsuya Ogawa (L’arc en ciel)
5) Geddy Lee (Rush)
6) Toshiya (Dir en grey)
7) John Entwistle (The Who)
8) Steve Harris (Iron Maiden)
9) P-nut (311)
10) Ross Valory

My thoughts on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2009-07-22T11:46:00.001+08:00

I finally got to see the 6th Harry Potter movie - Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince last night. It is, in my opinion, the best Harry Potter film to date. However, there were a few things that weren't covered or explained, thus making the experience a tad bit incomplete for those who haven't read the book.

I'd write a review but I think I'd be extremely biased if I did, so here are just a few thoughts on it:
(Warning: SPOILERS)

1.) They didn't focus too much on Severus Snape as they were really supposed to, in order to help establish the importance of his role in the whole story. They were focusing more on his being a villain, which is good, but they should've also shown WHY he was called the half-blood prince. Not even a shadow of his mother Eileen Prince was shown, nor his father Tobias Snape.

2.) Snape was a great wizard. This was shown more in the 6th book than in any other books (aside from the very shocking ending of book 7). He was able to conjure his own spells, make the best potions in his class, discover the properties of most potion ingredients that weren't really stated in their potions book. Bezoar, for example. A raw ingredient in potion making that was noted by Snape in his old book as an antidote, in itself, for most kinds of poison. In the movie, Harry is seen rummaging through Slughorn's stuff and pulling out a bezoar to stick into Ron's mouth in order to save him from being poisoned to death. Credit should be given to the Half-Blood Prince, I think.

3.) The Sectumsempra curse was supposed to be a very fatal one and only Snape knows the counter curse for it. In the movie, it seemed to me as if the counter curse is something anyone can conjure. Although Snape was the one who reversed Harry's spell on Draco, it appeared as if it was only so because he happened to be there. Also, in the book, Harry resorted to that spell only because Draco was poised to conjure the Cruciatus Curse. The movie showed Harry to be a bit too reckless in his choices of spells.

4.) I really loved how they showed Harry's extraordinary courage after drinking the Felix Felicis.

Slughorn: "Harry!"
Harry: with a WTF look on his face "Siiiiiir!"

LOLs at this scene!

5.) And how Harry got Slughorn's true memory...it didn't seem too hard for him to be able to figure out how to go about that task. And Slughorn wasn't shown to be someone who truly covets rare things (people included). Whereas to Lockhart (in the 4th movie), whom they've successfully established to be a "celebrity" of some sort, but a fraud at that. the characters seemed to be too underdeveloped in this 6th installation. You really can't fit too much into 2 1/2 hours, now can you?

6.) I just absolutely LOVE the Quidditch scenes. That's that. (But I was kinda hoping to hear the Weasley is Our King song in the 5th book)

Slytherin version:

Weasley cannot save a thing,
He cannot block a single ring,
That's why Slytherins all sing:
Weasley is our King.
Weasley was born in a bin
He always lets the Quaffle in
Weasley will make sure we win
Weasley is our King.
Weasley is our King,
Weasley is our King,
He always lets the Quaffle in
Weasley is our King.
--
Gryffindor version:

Weasley is our King,
Weasley is our King,
He didn't let the Quaffle in
Weasley is our King.
Weasley can save anything,
He never leaves a single ring,
That's why Gryffindors all sing:
Weasley is our King.

7.) The Inferi. Of course I know what they are. But do the non-readers know? pfft.

8.) The Snape-Potter relationship was supposed to be more emphasized now (more than the Potter-Voldemort link). Here, the link between Potter and Snape is supposed to be shown on a more strikingly personal level.

There's a lot more I can say about this film but I shall stop here because I have forgotten some points. Will edit as I remember.

Care to share your thoughts?

---
Here are some little thingies for you, not mine. found over the web. :) Spoilers! You have been warned! (well, some are spoilers, some are just silly)

young Severus

Severus Snape (oh, I LOVE!!!)

behind the scenes. something you won't see in any of the HP movies, nor in the book.

Can't wait for movies 7 & 8

News! =)

2009-07-17T15:47:00.001+08:00

It might interest some of you to know that I now have an official online portfolio, powered by DeviantArt, of course. :)

It has this minimalist feel that I'm digging so much. :)

Most of the artworks are already posted in DA, but I chose the ones I really love. :)
Hope you like it. :)

Time Flies

2009-07-16T13:29:00.014+08:00

I've been going over some old pictures in my hard drive the past few days and saw some captured moments I really miss.

and we start with

Birthdays

2002 - My birthday
L-R: Janry(neighbor), my brother Paul, his bestfriend Kelvin, Me, My godmother Ninang Chit and her daughter Melanie

2003 - My Birthday
L-R: AR, my then-boyfriend Lee, Me, Jovenz and Harvey

2004 - My birthday
L-R: Joseph, Eky, Kat, JZ, my bestfriend Janice, Paul. I was attempting to pose as Sadako. Epic fail.

2005 - My birthday
My friends at the office surprised me with a small kiddie party at one of our conference rooms. :) They're so sweet.

2006 - Dice's Birthday
She celebrated it at McDonald's Katipunan with kids from her class (she was a techer back then)

2006 - Our manager's birthday
When Lei was here, we'd hold surprises for people who celebrated their birthdays. :) Gusto ko ibalik yun...eto ang bagong MarComm angels with Ei. :)

2006 - JZ's birthday
I miss these kids!!

2006 - Paul's birthday
We make it a habit to have a plate for Kuya Jess. :) Kaya Kevin (my youngest brother) had to wait for me to finish eating before he could sit at the table with everyone. Haha.

2007 - Sam's birthday
the photographer for this event was Shaira Luna. The party was held at The Events Place at Greenhills. A party fit for a princess!

2007 - Sassy's Birthday
We had lunch at Chili's. :) Katawa, they sang for her and gave her dessert with a candle but she ended up paying for the dessert. Boo. Birthday scam. Haha.

2007 - My birthday
This was the first time I celebrated my birthday on the day itself (Dec 25)...and people actually showed up! Lee was there at 7AM with a big Eeyore doll and a long-stemmed rose, Lei, Sassy and Jamine were there too! Gino and TJ came all the way from Filinvest. Of course my Tropang K buddies Janice, JZ and Eky were there. So was Joseph. :) We also had Dragon Fireworks! Loved this day!!!

2007 - Gino's birthday
FVDT with their girlfriends. Yes. Ganyan talaga. :)

2007 - Jayson's birthday
kami ulet. Oo, wag nang tanungin. Ganyan talaga. Normal na scenario na yan. :p

2007 - Lei's birthday
Sassy and I slept over at Lei's place. This is the first time we saw Hugo, her poooppie!

2007 - Papee's birthday
Papee is in the US. But we still celebrated it at Seafood Island with Dice, Paul, Janice, Lee & Joseph

2007 - Paul's birthday
surprise dinner with close friends at Trellis :)

2008 - Jude's Birthday
buo na ang garagers nito (dahil kay Love. Ops! bawal umapila kasi totoo naman. :p)

2008 - Lourd's birthday
surprise ni Mayee for him.

Fr. Ben's birthday
Sumayaw sila dito at nakikain lang kami. This is the day I gave Karee a bouquet of flowers. But I chose this pic because it is absolutely hilarious!

2008 - Paul's birthday
Lee and I treated Paul to lunch at Omakase Libis.
This is his first taste of warm sake.

2008 - Nanny's birthday

2008 - Karee's Birthday
celebrated her birthday at Chogz's place. Everyone was there. :)

2008 - Karee and Bea's birthday surprise
surprise birthday get-together for Bea and Karee.
6-minute wrestling match with Lourd. Kapagod!

2008 - Mama Roxy's birthday
shempre, we'd look for reasons to celebrate. Now, no one wants to celebrate anything anymore. :( Nakakamiss lang talaga.

2009 - Paul's Birthday
I invited his high school friends and, of course, people from church. :) He was pretty ecstatic about it. And at the end of it all, I was so broke. Hahaha.

2009 - RJ's birthday
And I chose this pic dahil...close sila. Colse kami. At close kami. :)

Next, Events!

2009 East Kamias Rockrakan Tunog Kalye
This is Lourd's band Carrot Juice. Edge is the drummer. :)

2009 AGP Event at PUP
I was giddy with excitement. If you can't make out what it is...it's a shot of Edge playing the drums onstage. Which is like meters away from me so I was zoomed in so close, the camera refused to take a decent shot!!!

2006 ToyCon
this is a shot of a group cosply of Magic Knight Rayearth

2009 Hataw Hanep Hero
At Silver City. Don and I are siblings of a Yakuza clan, if you're wondering about our very random costumes

2008 Incubus Live in Manila
Yes, I still get goosebumps when I remember this night!
It was my first live concert.

2009 - Fall Out Boy Live in Manila
Ack!!! Patrick Stump!!!

2008 TagCom
I went with Fran. But of course I chose this picture. It IS Hard Gay, after all. :)

2008 Pauls' Graduation
Oh lord...I caongratulated this dude beside him. Then found out he was a teacher! Why the hell are they wearing the same toga??? DUH!!

Drift Compatition
I think this was 2007...or 2008. I forgot. This was held at Greenhills Promenade.

2008 ToyCon
Hey, Wilson Tortosa! :) and Luci. :)

Ack. my eyes are tired. I will continue next time. :)

My Collection of Erasers

2009-07-13T14:22:00.005+08:00

People collect lots of things. Toys, jewelry, cars, stamps, letters, even girls/boys!

Me? I collect erasers. Yes. That's right. Erasers. Pambura, in Filipino.
But these are ones I will never ever use. Not for erasing, at least. :p

Here's a picture of my collection with my cellphone, so you'd have an idea how small they really are. :)

L-R: Kushi-dango (Sweet Dumplings), (i dunno what that is, can someone tell me? - an Onigiri, perhaps?), Sakuramochi (Pink Sweet Rice Cake)

And these are all for pictorials with Neko. :p

Start with Coffee, End with Coffee

2009-07-13T13:21:00.006+08:00

Coffee at Starbucks Shangri-La...

Edge teaching Fran the proper way to enjoy coffee. But hey! That's tea!!!

This was the first-ever thing that Fran and Edge did together. :) Bonding over coffee. Followed by dinner at Chilis Greenhills, where we stuffed our faces 'til we were all on the verge of throwing up. And then bonding over coffee...again! :) I love hanging out with either of these two...And it was a blast to hang out with both of them at the same time!!!

I thought I'd have to deal with a whole lot of awkward silence, the kind when you introduce friends from two different circles...but I was wrong. :) Seeing them exchange kwentos as if they've known each other for a long time made me all warm and jumpy inside. :) I was reminded why I feel so comfortable when I'm with either of them. What made me think they won't get along? :)

And Frankie said "I have a feeling mauulit ito". :) I hope she's right. :)

Kitchen of Cakes and Coffee (KoCCo)

2009-07-13T13:06:00.004+08:00

There's this quaint little coffee shop at Morato (beside Kozui and Baang) called Kitchen of Cakes and Coffee. And I've always wanted to try their coffee and pastries. :)

After our Persian-shisha-pipe-bonding, we walked all the way from the Persian restaurant to KoCCo.

I was really stuffed but I still ordered a Mango Walnut Torte and a Kahlua Java. :) The Mango Walnut Torte was heaven, but the Kahlua Java was a disaster. It tasted like coffee made of burnt beans and rum. (-_-)' Note to self: never order spiked coffee.

Albeit the drink was a total disappointment, the night out with my closest friends was a good way to end that adventure-filled day. :)

THIS. IS. SPARTAAAA!!!

2009-07-13T12:47:00.004+08:00

LOL at the title. I just HAD to use that because last Saturday, I had dinner with friends at The Persian Restaurant. :) Other than the place being Persian, this post has NOTHING to do with 300...or spartan men in trousers and red capes.

Anyway, I wanted to try smoking a shisha pipe at the Persian restaurant in Morato so, after the coffee seminar, I asked Janice and Egde if they wanted to tag along.

We went home from Greenhills at around 6PM, dropped our shopping bags off and rested a bit. Then we all met up (Joseph tagged along) at around 8PM and took a jeep to the place.

Chogz joined us (she came from UP).
Karee was supposed to come with us too but she bailed out at the last minute kasi she had some other plans, I think. :)
Paul was supposed to join us too but he was stuck at his girlfriend's house, doing boyfriend duties. :p

They serve lamb chops, which is my favorite. And it was my first time to try a shisha pipe and it was really cool. I felt like I was the caterpillar in the Alice in Wonderland movie. We tried the strawberry flavor. I really have no idea how the thing works but it had water, charcoal and strawberry flavored something. :p

I'd like to go back there next time. 3 more flavors to try. :)

The Culture Behind Starbucks Coffee

2009-07-13T12:26:00.008+08:00

I attended a coffee seminar at Ash Creek, Greenhills with Janice and Edge last Saturday. :)

I never knew there was so much culture behind coffee and coffee-tasting. There were rituals pala in Africa for coffee. Much like the Japanese tea ceremonies. :) And I thought the flavors of each bag were artificial. Everything was natural pala and the flavor depends on where it's grown and how it's processed.

According to the Coffee Masters, there are 2 ways to process coffee: wet and natural/dry. The beans processed manually (wet) have a "brighter" acidity than the sun-dried ones.

While coffee can be enjoyed alone, the coffee masters suggested that food pairing is a good way to bring out the coffee's flavor.

We tried 3 flavors that day.
1.) Ethiopia Sidamo
2.) Tanzania
3.) Arabian Mocha Sanani

Ethiopia Sidamo
From the birthplace of coffee, Sidamo is highly prized by coffee buyers from around the world. It features a fleeting, floral aroma with a bright yet soft finish and, like the best Sidamo coffees, a wonderful hint of lemon.

Food Pairings: The key flavor to set off this coffee's charm is lemon - lemon poppyseed muffins, lemon blueberry biscotti and lemon bars.

Trivia: Sidamo is Ethiopia's southernmost province bordering on Kenya.

Tanzania (tan-za-nee-ya) From Tanzania, a medium-bodied coffee with unmistakably East-African characteristics. It has crisp, clean flavor with refined berry and bright citrus notes.

Food pairings: Tanzania has a wonderful fruity flavor that pairs wonderfully with raisins, currants, juicy, sweet fruits like peaches and berries, and tart, tangy fruits like citrus and kiwi.

Trivia: Grown in East Africa’s fertile Rift Valley.
Showing us how to use the coffee press and how much coffee to use when prepared with ice. We tried both hot and cold for the Tanzania. :)

And lastly, my choice among the three,

Arabian Mocha Sanani
Here's Starbucks' most exotic and unpredictable coffee, laden with flavors of deep port wine, berry fruit, warm earthen spices and cocoa.

Food pairings: A currant scone or a slice of spicy carrot cake are a good match for this coffee.

That day, I tried The Very Berry Cheesecake and it really brought out the coffee's berry flavor.

Trivia: Yemen rests on the Indian Ocean. Coffee buyers use Sanani to refer to coffee growing region around Sana'a, the capital of Yemen.

---

As we started the coffee tasting, they taught us 4 coffee-tasting steps to make coffee drinking an experience rather than just a ritual.

Step 1: Cup the cup. You put your cupped hand over the cup, leaving just enough room for the vapor to come out, then you take a whiff.

Step 2: Slurp, not sip. The noisier, the better. This way, you won't burn your taste buds and the coffee spreads all throughout your tongue.

Step 3: Locate the experience. Try to loctate which part of your tongue reacts to the coffee's flavor.

Step 4: Describe the experience. Each flavor has a story. And each person experiencing it has a different story for every flavor. What's yours?

When enjoying coffee with dessert that brings out its flavor: slurp the coffee, eat a very small piece of the dessert, then slurp the coffee again. This will help bring out the coffee's flavor.

We had a bit of a quiz at the end and I won nyahaha. :) Gave my prize to Janice. :)
It was definitely different from my usual weekend activities. Now I feel so cultured. :)

Hnyurnyur. :)

French Toast for Breakfast, Anyone?

2009-07-13T11:26:00.006+08:00

this is mom's french toast.

Last Saturday (July 11), I wanted to try making french toast like mom's so I got up early and left for the supermarket at 7AM to buy ingredients (which included cream cheese, and we all know how pricey that is. *sweatdrop*)

---
Here's the recipe (mix everything in a bowl, except for the butter. dip slices of bread and cook on Teflon pan with butter over medium-high heat until golden brown. Serve with cream cheese and cocktail frankfurters)

1 loaf white bread
4 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose cream
5 tablespoons maple syrup
about 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
about 2-3 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
butter instead of cooking oil

---

They loved it!!! :) Yey! :)

Unready

2009-07-09T12:24:00.002+08:00

I cannot believe I still haven't applied for a Social Security ID and still do not have my BIR card with me. I don't have a license because I have no plans of learning how to drive (it will be the death of me, trust me. I'll fly instead). I have renewed both my Philippine and Spanish passport though. I have my medica insurance card. What else am I missing? I feel so unready for the real world. I know it is my playpen and all, but you still have to pay the entrance fee, right?

Tonight, I am making a list of things I need to accomplish or acquire to be ready for the real world.

Should that include discount and membership cards?

Excitement in a box

2009-07-08T13:31:00.007+08:00

I'm pretty excited about the coming weekend.

I'll be attending a coffee seminar with my bestfriend Janice and Edge at Ash Creek, Greenhills on Saturday afternoon. None of us really know what it's about but we decided to give it a shot and signed up. I do know they're giving away freebies like coffee beans and drinks and shirts! YEY!

After that, a date with my buttercup Chawlie at the Eiga Sai screening of Memories of Tomorrow. I hope Tash, Nins, and Mars could make it. :)

And I'm planning to start off Sunday with a bang. :) Jogging around the UP Oval just might clear my head of its usual clutter. After that, I'm off to Shangri-La for another round of Eiga Sai screenings with Edge. We're also probably having coffee with Fran in the afternoon. :)

I can't wait!

But I'll have to set all the excitement aside for a while. I have a ton of work to finish before I embark on a journey, which is the 2nd weekend of July.

Happy Japan-Manila friendship month, everyone!!!

My New Annoying DA Avatar

2009-07-07T14:52:00.001+08:00

Hnyurnyur!!! :)

My new DeviantArt Avatar. Nakakainis lang! Hahaha!

First Weekend of July

2009-07-06T11:13:00.007+08:00

My kick-off for Saturday was pretty dull. Nonexistent, even. It felt like a Sunday and it felt as if my weekend was coming to an end pretty fast even if it has only begun!

some people playing soccer at the sunken garden in UP

isaw=brain power!

this is chogz. she's a bit abnormal. :p

camwhoring at UP

Buti nalang Ela and Chogz agreed to go to UP with me for isaw fix. :) So we went there and had some isaw. Ela, however, had to leave almost as soon as we got there. Maybe she had something to do. I didn't ask. She was with someone eh. :)

Ela and her friend. (I forgot her name, sorry)

Chogz wanted some twister fries so I went with her to Mcdo Katipunan. Decided to have cappuccino there nalang din. Sa kalagitnaan ng aming kwentuhan, we received an SMS from Donnie kambing, asking us to drop by Mama Nette's house because it was Gaea's birthday.

I trimmed my bangs with kitchen scissors! LOL!

Mcdo Katipunan is a haven for study groups. :)

chogz, happy with her twister fries. :)

yum! but I still prefer KFC fries.

ooh, my coffee looks lovely!

So we went back to UP, met up with Donnie and Cass and walked to Mama Nette's house from UP Hotel.

about 3/4 of Gaea's guests.

Ang daming tao! The youth from UP Parish of the Holy Sacrifice were there. Galing silang JAM house visit. Ang dami talaga! Nahiya ako bigla!! Buti nalang Mama Nette treated us like her own kids din so kiber kiber nalang. :)

The birthday girl

Donnie and make-up artist (I drew 3 stars on his face. He accompanied us to PhilCoa with those stars still on his face. Panalo ka, Donnie!!)

Donnie pestering the store owner to follow-up my 100 load with Globe. Traffic daw. Baka sa EDSA dumaan. LOL.

*Happy Birthday Gaea!*
---

Little drummerboy Edge..looking fierce!

Sunday saw us bumming around at home.
Picture picture dito, picture picture diyan...
We got so bored naubos namin ni Edge yung tig-isang kaha naming Dunhill. Pffft.

Joseph and Paul. Deciding which Tapsilogan we should hang out at.

Buti nalang nagyaya si Joseph ng Tapsi trip. :)
So we (Paul, Zep, Edge and I) went to Sikatuna for some Tapsi. but we didn't really have tapsi. Kasi nakita namin yung sisig. Hahaha. :D
On our way home nakita namin si Donnie Juan. Galing daw silang DOTA. Pffft di nagyayaya boo. Hahaha.

this is HFP at night. Beautiful.

This is K-8th at night. :)

Oh, so di naman pala uneventful ang weekend ko. :) Masaya din sha.

Okay na na pangstart ng July. :)

Mafia for a Church Event? Cool!

2009-07-02T17:02:00.004+08:00

We celebrated the 25th year of Corinthians (Philippines) at The Good Shepherd Parish, Fairview last June 20. Since we were required to wear semi-formal and I didn't feel like wearing a skirt, I wore a Green Day-inspired attire:

and woah! So did Edge!!!

APIIIIIR!

Caramelldansen Fedilo Brothers

2009-07-02T16:55:00.004+08:00

They look like twins!! :)

Lunch at Ash Creek

2009-07-02T16:41:00.002+08:00

Had lunch with Edge at Ash Creek today.

The fried noodles were superb! For 55 pesos, it isn't half bad! :) The pork-and-shrimp siomai that came with is tasted authentic. :) (store beside Tea Blends)

And of course. what's yosi without coffee? (or is it the other way around? kekeke) Starbucks Ash Creek served as our dining AND coffee place. They allowed people to bring food from other stalls found in Ash Creek. (Most SBux don't allow that anymore) :)

But Starbucks Matalino is still my Starbucks.

Ash Creek is just 2nd on the list. :)

Bratinella Jeep

2009-07-02T16:39:00.001+08:00

Edge says this jeep is probably mine. LOL.

The Hot Light

2009-07-02T16:35:00.002+08:00

The hot light was on last June 29 at Krispy Kreme Greenhills. :)
Free Original Glazed Donut! Yum!
I've been to that store twice while the hot light was on, but the donuts in the "donut museum" weren't ready yet.

This time...victory! *evil laugh*

A Weekend Filled With Randomness

2009-07-01T16:44:00.003+08:00

Last week was pretty uneventful. I had 5 working days (up to yesterday) to...PLURK. That's right. My laptop was busted and the service unit they gave me couldn't handle graphic-heavy applications. Not even a simple MS Word document! But IE and Lotus were working fine so I had all the time to surf. I wasn't too eager about though because by the time I get my laptop back, I'd have JOs up to my eyeballs!!

Anyway, here are some pics from last week.

This is Lourd. Drummerboy's brother. I did his emo make-up. :) So cute!!!

This.

Is drummerboy. And his lover-in-photogs.

I wish we'd look that good together. They look good together, don't they?

See what I mean?

It Lourd!!! He's going all emo! He wants to kill Choggy!!! NOES!!!!

Please Help Me Help A Friend Who Has Cancer

2009-06-23T16:45:00.008+08:00

I'm selling shirts and baller bands to help raise funds for a friend's chemotherapy treatment.

She was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.
There is still hope for recovery because my mom survived it, diagnosed at the same stage as hers.

I CANCERVIVE TSHIRT

I designed it and I'll be printing the shirts myself. They'll be out by the end of July.

Price: The shirts are PhP 250 each.
Sizes: Baby tee, XS, S, M, L, XL
Note: order 1 size smaller. ex: if you're normally a Large, order a Medium. I am a Medium and the Small size is big enough for me.

I CANCERVIVE BALLER BAND

The ballerbands are PHP 1oo each.

If you think it's overpriced, well, technically, it IS. Because it's for a cause. We're trying to raise enough to help out.

=========================

HOW TO ORDER:

Email me at kara_iwashi@yahoo.com for orders or text me if you know my number.

PAYMENT AND CLAIMING OPTIONS:
The shirts and baller bands will be out by the end of July 2009. You can pay me as you get the items, or you can pay in advance if you want to.

Option 1 (for friends who know me personally):
you can just drop the payment off at my place or text me for meet-ups. Same for claiming of shirts.

Option 2 (for those who live near Cubao):
Text me (get my number via my email if we don't know each other personally) and we can meet up at Gateway.

Option 3 (no meet-ups, Philippines):
deposit payment at my BPI account (get the details from me via email) and I will ship the item/s to you via Air21. Note that the prices indicated above do not include shipping fees. You will pay an additional for the shipping fees. Click here for AIR21 Rate calculator.

Option 4 (for those who don't want to purchase but want to donate: PHILIPPINES):
BPI bank deposit (get details from me via email)

Option 5 (for those who don't want to purchase but want to donate: OTHER COUNTRIES):
Send money via XOOM or Western Union.

Thank you so much and God bless.

Flowers from a drummerboy

2009-06-22T14:14:00.004+08:00

A very sweet little drummerboy gave me flowers last Thursday. :) They were the perfect subject to test my photography skills on. So I snapped away.

This entry is self absorbed.

2009-06-22T13:59:00.003+08:00

1. Where are you blogging right now? At my work desk.

2. How many unpublished posts do you have in your ‘draft’ box? I don't have unpublished posts. They irritate me. I'm kind of obssessive compulsive that way...

3. Whose blog inspired you to start your own? I can't quite remember...probably a friend's blog.

4. When do you usually publish your posts? I don't have a specific time in blogging. I blog when I feel like it. :) Ok, maybe usually on a Monday(to rave about the weekend) or Friday (to rant about the weekdays). But that's not always the case. :)

5. In your guesstimation, how many blogs do you read? I dunno, about 20 or more?

6. How long have you been blogging for? Erm, since I was in college. :) I stopped for a while. :)

7. Why did you start blogging? I initially started to blog about my artworks but they weren't that good and I kept on getting weird hate messages at my shoutbox so I stopped for a while. And now, I'm back! :)

8. Why do you keep blogging? I can't keep random thoughts out of my mind. I always have to either write it down or tell someone. But since I don't hang out with my friends that much because of my schedule, the blog is here to serve that purpose. :)

9. If you could only recommend one blog to a friend, which one would it be? The picture-comic blog My Milktoof. The milk teef are just tooo cute!!!

10. If the internet was “turned off” for one month, what you you do with all the time you used to spend blogging? That's easy! I'd draw! Or sleep.....or eat.

---
Got this from The Ignorant Historian

Letters that will never be sent PART 2

2009-06-22T10:51:00.000+08:00

11.) I really like hanging out with you. But there are times that I see too much of myself in you that I’d want to distance myself from you from time to time. You drive me crazy sometimes. Especially with your indecisiveness. Because I’m indecisive AND fickle-minded…I feel it’s just too much to have those traits in 2 people who hang out almost everyday. Don’t get me wrong, the times I love hanging out with you outweigh the times I’d like to stay hidden from your view. :p

12.) I love your gold-plated DWs!!! You have got to be the world’s best drummer! Your percussion skills are simply…orgasmic! I especially love the Alive in Red Rocks solo! If by the age of 60, you’re still single, marry me! :p

13.) I love your Star Wars movies. Thank you so much. You are an inspiration. I am your Ranch’s next greatest artist. You just don’t know it yet.

14.) I barely know you na. You’re always with your girlfriend and you never hang out with us. I miss the days you’d ask if we could hang out, just you and me. Most of the time, you’d only talk to me if you needed something from me. That or you’d have some new insult you want to crack at me. I’ve learned to shrug it off, but for how long are we going to be like this?

15.) You’re always MIA. What’s wrong, dude? Your GG’s here for you. Just let us know if you need anything. When’re we roaming Morato again?

16.) Thanks for your support. Whenever we call on you for help, you’re always willing to listen, and you’re always there. I still remember the very first time I rode the LRT (yellow line). You were the one who took us on a roundtrip, just so we’d be able to experience life a little bit more. We were too sheltered back then. When are you taking us for another roundtrip?

17.) I miss our coffee days. I miss you. Terribly. Can we go to Sonya’s Garden someday?

18.) What happened? I have no idea…Can you fill me in?

19.) Please listen to mama. You’re giving her an awful headache, you might just be the death of her. Shape up, boy!

20.) Your words are so inspiring. I listen to your podcasts and I feel that everyone should. I love how you fully understand your relationship with God and how freely and openly you talk about it to the people. And your topics are excellent and timely. Please NEVER stop your service. You are an inspiration to many people.

FOOD PORN!

2009-06-18T16:22:00.008+08:00

I'm sorry for a very extensive entry...I can't help it. I absolutely love food porn!!

Dewberry

isaw

isaw during candlelight dinner with drummerboy

Yoshinoya's Tempura Ramen

Teriyaki Boy's Yakisoba

Teriyaki Boy's Chicken Teriyaki Ramen

Teriyaki Boy's Salmon Sashimi

Rainforest Cafe's Shrimp Pesto Pizza

My mom's French Toast

Strawberries for dad's Strawberry Shortcake

Tofu from a Chinese Restaurant in Hong Kong (forgot the name)

Ajisen Ramen's Authentic Ramen (Hong Kong Airport)

Ramen again! (Hong Kong)

Pizza Hut Bistro's Shrimp Pesto

Cake from Starbucks. Forgot what it's called.

Fudge Brownie from Starbucks

Bread Sticks from Pizza Hut

Sugarhouse's Honey Cake

Sugarhouse's Triple X. Very sinful.

Sandwich from Jack's Loft. forgot What it's called.

Pasta from Jack's loft

Close-up shot of above.

Carbonara from Jack's Loft

Close-up of above

Breakfast meal at Seattle's Best

Oyster Boy's Original Sizzling Sisig

My fudge brownies. :)

Roastbeef Pizza

Pasta from Brooklyn Pizza, Morato

Bibingcrisp from Half Moon

Teriyaki Boy's Mushroon and bacon thing. Forgot what it's called.

Granola Yogurt Cheesecake from Starbucks.

Yes. Can't wait to take more shots of my next food trip. :) Feel free to comment.

Letters that will never be sent...

2009-06-17T17:16:00.003+08:00

I’ve decided to write a blog entry about letters that will never be sent. Not because I’m hoping the people these letters are intended for will somehow accidentally stumble upon my blog and find the letters meant for them, but simply because it's a way of freeing my life of clutter. Clutter like hatred, regret, anger...also those feelings that often lead me to do something stupid -- uncontainable excitement, love that's not meant to be, a schoolgirl crush…you know what I mean. Some are plain silly, others are hurtful, some are just meant to be said but not heard.

Here goes…

1.) I used to love hanging out with you. You were too old to like the things I like, but I was never too young to like the things you found amusing. I miss the days we’d hang out in the afternoon, singing along to my sketchy guitar-playing. I miss coffee mornings and milkshake nights. I miss the mess you make in the kitchen. I miss the insanely loud speakers playing Beatles all day…What happened? I’m really hurt that we’ve come so far apart, I feel like I don’t know you anymore. I know I’m too old to bear a grudge against you but what you did was plain stupid, insulting and hurtful. It broke me. That one single decision of yours shattered my world. It’s like you don’t care anymore. You never look back. I don’t know why. Perhaps you’re scared to see what you’ve become. Scared that things will never go back the way they used to be. Scared that people won’t accept you into their lives again. I used to blame myself for what happened. But now I know how selfish you’ve become. I really don’t know what pushed you to take the path you’re journeying now, but I hope it’s worth it. I hope turning your back on all of us is worth it. At least for you.

2.) Thank you. Because of you, I am now an artist by profession and at heart. Thank you for the inspiration and for showing me the difference of a dog’s facial anatomy from a person’s. You rock.

3.) I really admire your courage. If I was in your shoes, I’d probably just give up and cry. I know I haven’t been good to you in the early years of my life and I saw you as “the enemy”, and it hurts me to think that it had to come to this before we reconciled. I’d like to see this cross as a blessing in disguise. And I’m thankful we’re okay now. I’m sorry I ever started smoking. I can’t quit now but I promise I will…I will, eventually. I hope you’re doing well. Please take care of yourself. I miss you and I love you so much.

4.) All I can remember about you is how you belittled me and my brother that day at the beach when we were about…5? How you thought we were selfish little brats when we were lined up, wanting to have a second serving of your lovely halo-halo, thinking it’d be okay because the rest are already at their third…and you asked with a suspicious voice and an angry look on your face “pang-ilan nyo nay an?” Well so-rry! Our parents never gave us halo-halo at home. So-rry yours had to be so yummy. It’s probably because of you that I have become too generous for my own good.

5.) You!!! How could you just come in like that, without warning, and just take my breath away? How do you know exactly what to say when I’m feeling down? Why does your smile sweep me off my feet? I really think basking in all this yumminess is a very, very bad idea. But what can I say? You’ve gotta be some sort of drug…Illegal and addicting.

6.) I admire your talent. And how doll-like you look. When I see you, I feel awkward. I feel like a big lump of ugly lard. If everyone looked like you, the world will be a better place.

7.) I wish I had all the money in the world. I’d call you everyday, because we really need to talk more often. I’d take you to places we’ve never been. We’d go to the Japan summer festival and buy yukatas there. We’d sit in a restaurant in Italy, eating pasta and talking about our latest crushes. We’d see the lantern parade in China! That’d be great, won’t it?

8.) I’m glad you guys are finally together. It took you ages to find you you were meant for each other? Seriously. Get married na!

9.) I’m sorry if I’ve caused you pain. And thank you for trusting me.

10.) I thought you were real. Anyway, we’re still not sure. And because I believe in magic, I’d like a mini carousel for Christmas please. And a bigger house so that it’d fit.

--end of part 1--

1..2..3..Cosplay!!!

2009-06-17T15:56:00.001+08:00

A Healthy Dose of Randomness to Start Your Day...

2009-06-16T11:59:00.003+08:00

Some random shots I took this morning.

Randomness with ears.

"I smell shit in a jar...."

"I wonder is he smells the shit in my jar...."

Kazekage Gaara...I realized I have to clean my room. Look at all the dust on his hair and shoulders!!!!

My new Gashapon!!! I'm a sucker for these things. This one was given to me by Edge. :) It's Hiei of Yuu Yuu Hakusho.

LOL. A very unexplainable expression. Looks like I was drugged or something.

Candlelight Dinner

2009-06-16T11:16:00.004+08:00

You can't gauge friendship by length of time spent together. Edge and I have known each other for about 10 years but only started getting close early this year. And we do tell each other secrets. Sometimes, even things our own "original" besties don't know. I can definitely say we've reached the level of comfort only besties have.

And nothing beats spending time with bestfriends over candlelight streetfood dinner.

Isaw. Kachow!!!

Coke Zero for the win!

Brownie-Coffee Party

2009-06-15T19:04:00.004+08:00

Edge and I wanted to have brownies yesterday so we went to Gateway to buy brownie mix.

When we got there, we told Lourd we were doing some major Timezone time, so he followed shortly. Eky, Don and Bea arrived in the afternoon too.

When we were on our way home, I remembered the brownie mix we were supposed to buy. And since we were with friends, we decided to just call everyone else for some brownie fun. :)

And Jhunieboy brought his little Shiro too! So cute!!

We watched The Spirit and another movie (forgot the title).

A great way to end the 3-day weekend. :)

little Shiro. :)

the Garagers who were patiently waiting for isaw and brownies. :)

Coffee party. So quaint!

Yum! Sweet sugary stuff that life is made of.

Little drummerboy Edge

Donnie's batch

Yum!!! can we just eat it like that now instead of waiting for it to bake?

Betty Crocker is the best!

This is our very, very sad (albeit yummy) 1st batch. You MUST let the brownies cool for 30 minutes before attempting to remove them from the tray, else suffer eating brownie crumbs.

The second and third batches are lovely!

Bea, RJ, Karee

absolutely tired from munching on all that sweet stuff!!!

Bea and Jhunie

Thoughts on Committment and Friday church duties

2009-06-15T17:53:00.003+08:00

It can get very tiring to do church duties when no one supports you. When you're doing all the planning and no one asks what else you need for a certain activity. But I can't just bail out on them just like that.

Because I made a committment.

I just feel so underappreciated and "over-used" as a friend most of the time...

But when all the preparation is done, and they show up...I guess it's good that I still stand up and be pro-active in this org because if I won't then who will?

---

We had our staffers's evaluation last Friday.

I voted to start on time so we could get rid of the habit of always, always being late...

We had nothing to offer the staff but iced tea. Glad no one complained. They all seemed okay with it. Albeit it was hard to get back the attention of some who have chosen to chat away instead of participating, I'd say it was still a successful evaluation session.

Here are some pics from the event.

The last time I wore that dress, I was at RJ's, seriously crushing on the little drummerboy.