24th BIRTHDAY: Part 1 ------

yeah i know my birthday is still on monday, but i have so many things going on that i feel i need to segregate my posts into parts, as usual. yesterday, friday was like my birthday too. although i wasn't really ecstatic about it, i am grateful for things, actually sa sobrang babaw ko, i am grateful for a lot of things. and i think that somehow it is good. keeps me grounded and hopeful. i will just post fave photos and etc next week in my multiply, and still post my fave pictures here in this blog.

oh, if you read my previous post below, i had wish for some stuff for my birthday, and guess what i got most of them, actually 2 out of the 3 items i "wished" for, i got. yayaya!

1. got a dark green hoodie jacket from pull and bear. www.pullandbear.com - i think its ZARA's sister company, i am not sure if we have that in manila though. i like the things there, and the hoodie i got is my first purchase from pull and bear.

2. my friend lyn, gave me $60 worth of vouchers from kinokuniya, which is my fave bookstore here in sg, so i went to pick 3 books, clueless in advertising, tokyo tabloid, and unstuck. i am so happy i got all these. actually there are some more books i want to purchase. she also gave me a birthday card and a oriental rug bookmark. so cool and nice of her. :)

3. office friends chipped in and gave me a 4GB, blue, iPod nano. a really nice gesture, though it was yeah, it was a nice gesture, really. at the same time juat eng gave me a hand made card, she is so creative and the card is really beautiful. :)

4. ting gave me a book called the art of account planning which is currently what i am reading, but in between i sneak at the 3 books i got also. hahaha! it wasnt a present, but she lent it to me, she said i can have it since it was too technical for her, copywriter daw kasi siya. hahaha!

5. got myself a polo, 2 belts, jeans and 1 newspaper boy cap in TOPMAN. haay. the wonders of retail therapy.

6. yesterday, rebecca and i ate at ichiban boshi, one of my fave sushi places here in sg to semi-celebrate my birthday. hahaha. she is so nice, i wrote her a "thank-you" email for the ipod, and was a little bit senti. she emailed me back and said that, she is happy that we work well together, and at the same time we are friends. and that she can be her careless and funny self when she is with me.

thank god for friends and family.

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grabbed some photos from my brother's multiply, photos of last new year with my family.



inside angkong's room, with mom and dad


at bangkerohan with ags and cho

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off to krabi, see you all next week. :)

100th POST
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i want my 100th post to be about my birthday celebration, but i guess ill save that for my 101st. haha! actually its really over 100 na, but the first 60 was is my first blog, and this is the 100th here in this second blog.

i guess i just wanted something special for my 100th post, and i believe that this is special and relevant to my life. i know that asking for a sign is not the right thing to do, but i guess when you are really confused, that is the only thing to do. and HE never fails me, i believe in that and have proven it a million times over. now, there is a sign. i just need to wait for a few more months, and finally, finally, finally.... i'll have my life back - in one whole chunk.

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by the way, i want to share this to everyone. grabbed from julia's multiply, and asked me to read it. :) hope you enjoy.


God, grant that I may see the joke of things
the little things that bother now and then
God grant my sense of humor may be strong
to weap a bit and then to smile again.

God grant there be a chuckle in each tear,
to every trial, God grant a funny half
so when I'm being judged,
perhaps you'll say "Are you the soul who tried to laugh"

And when I nod and answer "Yes I am"
I tried to kill my troubles with a grin
Perhaps you'll smile and say "That was a task!, but here's the gate of heaven,
Enter in"

-Bruno Hagspiel

BIRTHDAY BLUES AND GREENS
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so my birthday is coming up, am really not excited about turning 24, because i like being 23, somehow it is like still being able to be a kid and afford all the mistakes, and still assert yourself, cause hey, i am 23 already and i can think and decide for myself. i guess i like having options, whether to jump or not is my decision, but i just wanted to have some options for myself. also 23 is quite a year for me, and i feel that this is the age, i grew a lot, in terms of size that is.

i guess being committed to a certain thing is not really for me unless i am really happy, i always find the perfect excuse, or the great escape. i can be committed and passionate about what i do, but it should come from within and not really people telling me to do it. so that's a little thing i thought about in the past days, that made me analyze myself a little bit further. but now, it depends on the circumstances, i kinda need to do this, but not for long.

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and since my birthday is coming up.. i'd just really want to post things that i like, not to mean that i will get it, but its like a wish list, parang you have SANTA to grant your wish. see, i am eternally 10, and not really turning 24!

1. a book called TOKYO TABLOID from KINOKUNIYA
2. a nice JACKET from ZARA or TOPMAN. i have been looking for a nice jacket to buy, so i have something to bring along.
3. SHOES are always an option. i saw this black pin-stripe VANS that looks so cool. but i have so many shoes, that i don't think its proper to buy more of it.
4. HAVIANNA's.. mine got stolen, i just leave it outside the condo and pagbalik ko from manila, it was gone. ano ba yun.. tsinelas lang yun!

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i am also thinking whether to do something on my birthday, yeah i will be in KRABI, but i am just thinking whether to do a small dinner in one of my fave restaurants, or just celebrate it in KRABI, and celebrate it part 2 when my parents are here for a holiday. or maybe celebrate it when i go back to manila. i dont know yet. parang id like to celebrate it here, na parang i dont din. so maybe its better to stay as is and not do anything at all.

out for the weekend
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one thing i did this weekend was to spend money. i know i promised myself to be a little cautious with my spending, but you know, you gotta meet people, have dinner, drinks and the round, also taking the cab.. i am really contemplating about it.. i spend a lot taking cabs, but what can i do -- i live in the suburbs.

i was with mechie friday night, she wants to drink and unwind, so we went to new harbour in club street - i am not so sure if its in club street, but it was around chinatown and tanjong pagar area. i had my rootbber float, and she had erdinger, we also got a platter for dinner, light dinner only. pictures are in my multiply account. picked up a cab, and spend around $20 plus for it.

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saturday was different, i went to church, ate lunch at the nearby kopitiam, a cheap fishball noodle worth $2. and went to the grocery near the church. ahh.. i hate to go to the grocery, i always get to see new stuff, which i am intrigued and end up buying it for no reason at all. so i bought a few apples, brocolli, dried persimmon from china, and WAmeet up around or WALL's MOO soft sandwich ice cream -- well the ice cream was just the thing i need. it reminds me of the defunk PRESTO FUNWICH, which i take every recess time when i was in grade school. aww. sarap. but PRESTO is still much better. ewan ko lang. swam for a few minutes, then went to meet mechi and selwyn suppsedly sa BUGIS area, but funny, we met sa MRT pa. haha. great minds think alike.

we were suppose to have dinner sa ALTAZAAG, the egyptian restaurant which i have tried before, and posted, which sserves really great food. but there were some crossfire, and so we split.. rommel and helen with their friends?!?!, and me with mech and sel. just went to chijmes and ate at HOG'S BREATHE CAFE - masarap siya, mahal nga lang, we racked up around $120 for our meal. then went to drink sangria at the nearby spanish resto. by 12mn, we were all ready to go home, so again i took a cab to go back to the suburbs, which cost me around $20 plus in total. hay!

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sunday was slow. i did my ironing, as in routine ko naman yun. i think i am getting better every week, but it makes my arm hurt. blech. had brocolli and luncheon meat for lunch at around 3PM, i cooked. HAHA! went to sweat out for a few minutes and got ready to meet rommel and helen naman sa BUGIS area again. next time, around orchard area so it wont be that far from my place. they thought kasi na im nearer to BUGIS eh. hahaha. so FYI na lang sa kanila. grabbed ice cream at SWENSEN's and talked for quite a bit. rommel is funny, he smiles like a kid being given lollipop everytime jeffrey passes by. haha. then went to watch a movie - apocalypto which is shit. its so brutal that i would never watch that film again, and half the time i was covering my eyes.. ano ba ang problema mo mel gibson?!?! dinner at ALTAZAAG - chicken shish kebab which is one of the PANALO meals here in singapore. well i should make my PANALO MEALS list - oh thats an idea. then after a bit more kwentuhan, went home, and spend a few more bucks taking a cab..

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lesson's learned - never take a cab na lang. thats one thing i need to learn. its really la luxury taking cabs here in singapore, lalo na when you live wuite far from the city. hey hey hey, i also got a few stuff from TOPMAN, they were on a end of season sale, got a funky new polo which i love.. got a cool brown parang newspaper boy kind of cap - sorry, i dont know how you call it, got a pair of jeans and 2 belts. well i have a new and complete wardrobe, thanks to end of season sales. ano kaya meron sa ZARA?! dibale na, dont want to check it out anyhow. the lesson there is shop only when its on SALE - oh people who know me knows na dapat ilayo nila ako from that word. cause i get so crazy all of a sudden and hord things i dont even need. next time.. we all have lessons to be learned, the problem is i just keep doing the same mistake.

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oh i have lots of pictures, ill just upload it sa multiply. :) thats all folks, need to get some sleep for the week ahead.

JAI THAI and SOMS - cheap and cheerful thai restaurants
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got to eat at JAI THAI with mechie and selwyn. first heard about this resto when i read 8 DAYS, a local singapore magazine. they said it was good and serves authentic thai food, authenticated by the thai embassy. took me 3 mos of procrastinating before i could even go and eat there, because no circumstances allowed. its not so expensive, food prices ranges from $3 to $7 only, so we could order more and pay less. YAY!


this platter has sweet andsour catfish, spring rolls, chicken pandan costs about $7 with the fried rice, so its like a combo meal.


TOM YUM, hot and sour soup, $3. Not really a big fan of TOM YUM, i dont like sour soups anyway.


thai buko juice, $2. anyway, i tried to order mango pudding in sticky rice, unfortunately it was out of stock. ah next time, ill go try.


the fried rice that comes with the combo.


ice chendol, $3


green mango salad. good. i think that vietnamese and thai food does kinda taste alike except for the soups.


pad thai, $4. big serving!

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SOM'S in n. garcia, well i have hear a lot about SOM's na and i know is that they were famous in a street near rockwell, so nagulat ako na they have a place in n garcia na din pala.


mango catfish salad - it was pretty good, mukhang sisig ang catfish. haha!


since julia doesnt eat thai food, she ordered TOFU - well i am sorry pero hindi masarap.


there was no chili paste, so no TOM YUM available that evening. so we ordered TOM GUM, its like light coconut milk soup with chicken and tons of herbs. the un-chili version of TOM YUM, still sour but not hot.


ito ang panalo.. their curry was so good, that the sauce was gone, talagang nasimot namin. VERY GOOD!

fly away from here...
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mabuhay miles emailed me and their fares were on sale, pero hello naman, mas mahal pa din sila than all the budget carriers. an average of USD 150 per way, sa iba 2-way fare na yon. anyway, they really cant bring down their costs. speaking of budget carriers, i've been thinking what new places i would like to go for 2007 - and i have quite a few, hope that they are realistic even. HAHA!

- labindalawa is planning to go to BANGKOK for this years holy week, i hope we push through lang, pero mukhang malabo eh, sila obee and mic is not sure if kaya nila maka-alos. so che, mon and trace lang ang sure. so i am not that positive that it will push through.

- i want to go to MACAU-HK by mid year or the early 3rd quarter with tita bot and aggie, thats a promise so i really need to do that. and i've been dreaming about going to macau naman talaga since last year. wish i have the money.

- mom and i plan to go to HCM this year. just dont know when, hope it pushes through though, but that is the least of my worries, since i have been there, and i want to see other places naman.

- kulala lumpur, might be joining my colleague because he is from KL, and i can have a free stay at his place. YAY! just deciding when and timing might not be good for me.

anyway, just thinking about it, my birthday is coming up, and of course my trip is coming up na din. i am going to KRABI in THAILAND. i hope the weather would be great, and everything goes well. i am planning to celebrate my birthday there, facing the beach and relaxing, going island hopping, enjoying the scenery and peaceful nature. want to go see PHI-PHI ISLAND and MAYA BEACH, go snorkeling and etc ... HAAAY. i want to go to BORACAY and SUMILON ISLAND in CEBU too. pagbalik ko sa manila magbeach ako... beach tayo juls, kaye, ange, julia, chingers, bede.. tara na! pero di libre ito.. baka pagkaisahan niyo na naman ako, maninpa ako ng tao. HAHA!

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hey, i want to say thank you because you made me realize so many things that i took for granted. you made me realize how life treated me, it might not be the best, but its damn good. thanks for saying all those kind words, that i didnt even know or wasnt conscious about it. but with your kind words, everything just fell so perfectly, it felt good, and it gave me courage. maraming salamat sayo, kaibigan!

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funny, but i dont even look forward to the KRABI trip, all i want is for the weekend to come, and my parents visit. YAYAYA!

blah blah blah
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today, i just went out to buy lunch at 2PM in the nearest kopitiam, i also decided to bike for around 45minutes. it was the second time i used the gym for 5 months, punyeta. i also watched the pacifier in dvd. i got to fix some stuff, changed sheet, but i havent vacuumed yet, maybe next week. mechie and rommel texted and asking me if i want to go watch pan labaryth and the queen, but wasnt in the mood to, so next time na lang. though i want to watch the queen sana, kasi heard good stuff about it, maybe i am gonna watch it next week alone. HAHA!

so today, i found myself just surfing the net, youtube, email, feng shui, yming mom and ags, thats what i usually do naman over the weekend.. i also read TOUCH, a hong kong fashion magazine with takeshi kaneshiro on the cover, since mechie didn't like it cause all the stuff are for guys, inarbor ko na. unfortunately i cant understand anything kasi chinese ang nakasulat, so i just look at the spreads. found really nice and expensive things.. how expensive, how about HKD8,000 for a jacket?! WTF?! because of that mag, i want to go HK-MACAU tuloy. blech. mom told me, please save up and please stop spending money. mom, put this on record i have no money to spend. HAHA.

i am also reading TIME, person of the year is YOU edition, and the whole hulabaloo about it. yeah, i do agree in a way, and now, i figured out that a lot of products are marketed that way. - going back to YOU, who can control things, who has the freedom.. etc etc. yeah right. as if totoo, nice thought but it really far from reality. my "bitter" self is again back. HAHA! but i like the concept, dont get me wrong and i like the thought of it.

oh, i love these line's..

"since i'm not your everything, what if i'd be nothing, nothing at all to you.." from beyonce's irreplaceable, and just found out the NE-YO was the one who wrote the song. ganda.

"just so you know, i tried my best to let go of you but i can't stop it. i just sit around.." - jesse mc cartney's just so you know.

"i know there is pain, but hold on for one more day.."-wilson phillips.. si julia kasi kaya ngayon super may meaning na sa akin itong song na ito.

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ate dinner at jai thai yesterday, i've been dreamng about it for the last couple of months and finally was able to dine there na din, post about JAI THAI following. well, i also have a few things to keep me busy and looking forward to, mom and dad's visit on the chinese new year; and the birthday present i have for myself. yayaya!!!

and also i have to list some of my upcoming projects that i constantly need to remind myself para ma-accomplish ko naman.

1. project starbucks
2. project pansit
3. project shawarma
4. project ya kun
5. project retail therapy

i hope some of my projects push through na. am really excited.

picture perfect
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as i posted in my previous post, these are some of the pictures that i really really like.. it maybe the effects, the subject, the mood, or even what i remembered most of the pictures. these are just fun fun memories that i have with them.



this was taken at MARU, we are acting out "finally found someone" from the OST of mirros has two faces.


this was pau's secret despedida, tambay lang kame sa may stairs near the poolside.


i craved for lechon, and every year we have lechon naman to celebrate the new year. so i need to have a picture taken with the lechon, the first time i ever did that.


having a group shot at MARU, friends sing with me.. "i know that there is pain, but hold on for one more day.."


just camwhoring outside som' in n.garcia.


taken at amici last january 5. greeat food with greaat company.


amici last july, before i left to work here in sg.


this was last christmas day, i went with mechie and her family nung xmas at vivo city.


just camwhoring outside maru, while waiting for lights to turn on.


outside som's, julia ala j.Lo, with make-up artist julette, and PA angel tanchoco.

i have such crazy friends, and just thinking about it, i have so many fun times with them, the weird thing is that actually we dont need to do anything, even tambay at veranda will do. haay. saya saya.

my random pictures of early 2007
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i am uploading basically how my 2007 started off - with a bang! lot of good food, good friends, and family, and i could never ask for anything more. to be honest, i ended 2006 kinda weird, feeling a bit low and depressed.. but the fact that i started 2007 with a high note, i am positive that this feeling will continue to carry through the rest of the year.



i loved every moment in that motorbike, buti na lang 4-wheel so it easy to drive. you feel the energy and you become more adventurous and carefree, every once in a while its a nice feeling. to be like a kid again, a child without anything in mind.


this shot was when we are having our new year programs, seeing my cousin doing silly and crazy things. watching the kids dance like totoy bibo of some sort. am not so familiar with it na caue i barely watch the TV.


oh jut me dreamin with the wind, wondering what life will bring me. its just a ritual for me every new year. in a way, i also look back at what happened. am i in a better place than before of some sort, whether financially, emotionally, etc.


still biking around...


picture taken by angel at som's. told her that i want to try this place, so they accompanied me. hay! i think this is a very weird smile of mine, but i am weird. who cares?!


oh, ill post some of my favorite pictures when i back home, and the food i had with all its glory. but for this post, i want it all me.

looking back at 2006 and moving forward
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2006 has been a rollercoaster ride. i changed jobs, homes, country, colleagues, people surrounding me. i can say that this year made me learn a lot of things, and for that i will be grateful for this experience. i have learned to accept new things with open arms, let go and be happy for friends, developed friendships and ties that lasts. and now, i finally know the answer, the answer to the questions i once asked myself. and that is the best gift i received last 2006. i already know what i want, and somehow it feels right.

i am blessed that people closest to me support me unconditionally. i know that i am not the easiest to deal with or it doesnt matter anyway, but every word that comes from them, i value, and it gives me courage to finally move on.

i also have my own sense of being. i know what i want, and i wont let people stop me from going after it. as soon as i feel that i have had enough.. then thats it. i dont care what other people say, i dont live my life to impress them or make them happy. its me that i need to make happy, that is my obligation to myself.

i am always grateful. i never stopped thanking God for all these things that came my way. i have expressed how grateful i am for my family, and friends. i hope i made them feel that i am blessed because of their presence.

so here's a list of people i need to thank.. mom, dad, aggie, chicho, tita bot, ken, auntie dawna, uncle david, ahya ichi, achi michelle, ama, angkong, lester, jeff, bon, tere, bede, marc, che, trace, kate, obee, mic, romina, may, mon, mechie, friend, rebecca, lyn, kelly, florence, law, ting, malu, inay, mommy chi, ena, ainee, joan, pedi, angel, julette, ching, julia, paulo.

2006 has been a blast with all you guys around, and i look forward to a happier and better 2007. around - not meaning sa tabi-tabi cause a lot of people left na and i am sure i wont see them that often na, pero alam ko na kung ang meron, di naman mawawala, and i have all the memories with me to keep. loloking forward to have more memories with everyone.

ps. i know the first part of my post seems vague, but i promise to email you guys and explain myself really soon.