SEDUCING MOVIES
------

there are a lot of good films that i want to watch, amidst the oscar buzz, and how beautiful and deserving a lot of the films - babel, the deaprted, etc.., but i chose one film to watch...



SEDUCING MR. PERFECT starring Uhm Jung Hwa and Daniel Henney. Can you believe that Jung Hwa is in her late 30's, she doesn't look like it, and watching the film, i found her cute and really pretty unlike the poster, she looked like a mad man. Well, then there's Daniel Henney, i think he is the new craze in korean showbiz, i mean watched him before in My Lovely Kim Sam Soon, the problem is i think he acts kinda fake. so there you go. i totally loved the film, it was cute, and light, and funny, so it really is a brainless movie, and that does it for me, its entertaining. watched the film with achi ice who was visitng from myanmar.

later, i'd watch DREAMGIRLS with rommel aka qt and helen. thanks to qt for treating us. yay!

---

i am currently loving Josh Groban's "when you say you love me", a really nice song, and paired with a beautiful voice. its only now that i like him, i never listened to him, his song accidentally made it in my ipod. buti na lang..

BEING ANTI-SOCIAL
------

this morning's meeting, lolo called me an anti-social. here's the context of the conversation, after meeting client, all of them were invited to the CNY lunch by MediaCorp in Orchard Hotel, and they were asking me to attend it since we were discussing and brainstorming about a lot of things. but it really wasn't planned, i am not supposed to go. so i told them, no, its better for me to stay. so lolo said, you are such an anti-social. first point.

second point. a previous boss was always inviting me out to go to dinner, karaoke, movie and half of the time, i say no, buti nga nag-yes pa ako eh, at may karapatan pa siyang sabihan ako na anti-social, and i act like i am so old na. - ok whatever, as if i care.

yes, i admit, since looong time ago, i am really an anti-social, i am sure even my close friends would attest to this fact. i repel bar's, gimiks, inuman, and all that. i do dinners and coffee, karaoke (minsan, depends with who?!), pusoy in starbucks, and thats it.

rebuttle to point no.1 - honestly, i dont want to mingle with other people, i am happy in my own turf doing my own stuff. next, i am okay with going to lunches and dinners, but not when i have tons of things waiting for me, like a shoot i need to coordinate, press ads waiting for me to check and sign off, clients waiting for my email, and following up a whole lot of things. get the point?!?!

for point no.2 - i go out with people i like to go out with. simple. HAHA!

---

my mind keeps wandering off lately, whether to be in bangkok, or hong kong-macau. i mean i want to do both before this year ends, but i gotta think about saving too. and its really HAAARD to save up. i need to look at the pro's and con's of this.

HK-MACAU
(+) 2 places in 1 go
(+/-) H&M is opening in March
(+/-) sale all over the place
(+/-) marc jacobs and UNI-QLO can be found too
(-) expensive since 2 places nga.
(-) expensive cause for sure i will do some major shopping.

BANGKOK
(+) relatively cheap stuff
(+) patpong, sorry kelangan ko puntahan ito.
(+) i dont think i can shop that much cause i dont look for a lot of things there.

actually, thsi helps ah.. i know na where to go, my mind is so much cleared. i'll plan my HK-MACAU trip na lang. :)

BACK TO MY FIRST LOVE
------

lately my posts have been about shoes, material stuff, things i want, i hope for, friends, family, and all the emotions that have been going through my head. but there is one thing that keeps me sane, and alive, its the good food i get to eat every so often. and since my parents were here, of course, i brought them to all the good places to eat.

HAGEEN DAAZ
aside from ben and jerry's strawberry cheesecake and fidge brownies, hageen daaz is my second chocie when it comes to good ice cream. they are familiar to me because of their mochi balls, which i enjoyed truly when i was young.


ice cream balls - i guess these are their best seller ice cream formed into balls. its good dipped in chocolate fondue then rolled over with nuts.


sponge cakes, cookies to dip..


i have been eyeing to get my hands off this fondue for months now, and since it is timing that mom and dad was here, we all tried it and enjoyed it tremendously.


yeah, this one cost about $45, around Php1,500. Well for me its worth it.

WEE NAM KEE'S HAIANESSE CHICKEN
since the day i have discovered this resto, i have brought over friends and family to try this whenever they visit singapore. i first tried this with mechie and selwyn, gotta believe them, they are experts when it comes to food here in sg. so i always ask for their opinion. so i also brought mom and dad here for lunch, they really agreed with me that the food is definitely good.


roasted and white chicken for your pleasure.


since there were no baby kailan, i decided to get this dou miao, which is equally good, just minus the oyster sauce, so better for us, no MSG.


this is my favorite, cereal prawns, so good, around $20 per order, good for 3 pax.

FAMILY PICTURES
as my title goes, back to my first love, and of course i would include picture of my parents here. actually, we barely had pictures together, around 5 lang, cause i took pictures of them like a papparazzi, i got shots of them without them looking, and i liked it that way. i hope they liked it too.


mom and i at the shoe store while waiting for dad to make up his mind


mom and dad at the dining room. how sweet? they even have paparazzi pics by me, and they are walking around holding hands, how cheesy can that be, and to think on september, they are married for 25 years already.

i love you mom and dad. thanks for everything! mwah.

I MISS... I WANT...
------

okay. it is silent in the office, i can get use to this environment and feeling, calm, peaceful and serene - it is so ideal yet so not advertising. yeah, i guess we have to enjoy it while it last, cause for sure next week will be soo busy. can you believe that feb is ending na. exag! then the first quarter is gone, things pass by so fast, and i don't know where i will be next.. honestly, i just want to enjoy the moment and look forward to the next level.


here are some few things that i miss
- chicken liver patte @ pepato
- berries and cream @ sonja's
- bulalo steak @ breakfast at antonio's
- goldilock's banana muffin
- taro ice from quickly


and here are few things that i want
- i want that greyhound playohund dark-denim pair of jeans, and blue collared shirt. (anton, please stop spending!)
- i want a new wallet (ok, have to apologize, i did spend a whole lot for this, my baby)
- i want to go home, spend time with family and friends..
- i want to go to bangkok
- i want to visit obee&mic in vietnam


oh, i better look at rates now. dad told me that i can book my ticket and go home ng MAY and he'll pay for it daw, but siyempre nahiya naman ako so i'll just pay for it myself, but let me see when is a good time to go home. ;) i guess with all my spending and the taxes i need to pay, i won't be able to go home ng MAY, unless patulan ko ang offer ng tatay ko.

A TRULY HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR
------

so my parents have been here since friday evening, and they'll be staying till the 24th. during times like these, i wish time wouldn't pass by so fast. i am tremedously enjoying my time with them here in sg, cause here, they just stay at home with me, or we go shop and eat together, or i tour them around.. kasi sa manila, dad goes to the office, mom has her own itinerary, and i have my own, i don't usually spend time with them, buti na lang its the CNY holidays, so i can spend more time with them, its just sad that it will all be over soon.

okay, i feel that i am stuck in a crap once more. it's just that i feel really blessed at this point in my life. i am living here to try to be a little bit more independent, but it seems that it ain't working that well. i dont know. okay, here are some true to life excerpts:

1. mom has been ironing all my clothes like crazy, cause usually i do iron those that are office attire, and other shirts,jeans,etc.. i really dont waste time ironing them, and now mom irons all of them, as in lahat! arg!

2. both of them wouldn't make me pay a single centavo, even my own drink, dad says na "pag andito kame, di ka maglalabas ng pera.."

3. dad is fixing all my things, he's a little bit OC (okay, not a little) now, when you go inside my room, everything is lined up, my polo's, jean's, shirts in the cabinets. my books are all lined up pretty well, together with my magazines. picture frames are all organized. even my little butingting's are all clean. heck, even my toilet is all, well organized. hay!

4. went to ikea to bring them around, since no mall's are open as of now. they bought me a table so i can blog?!?!, or eat or do anything with a table inside my room. they bought me a lamp so it wouldn't be that dark. and they want to buy me a whole lot more of things, to which my reply was, -- i lived here for 7 mos without all these things, and i dont know upto when i would stay here, so no need to fret with these small things.

i really dont feel the need to buy these things, as it might be a waste of money, since i am uncertain. if it is a real move here, then i am willing to buy all these things, but i still dont know at this point in time. i'll see, i am positive that i will feel it when i need to.

so there, am just really glad that both mom and dad are here, even without all these above mentioned. i am just happy. god, make tomorrow a little bit longer. please!

NEW BABIES
------

the past weekend, i was out hoarding shoes. HAHA! what else is to do?! well, i went to adidas, adicolor, and they were on 30% sale. but i didn't get to buy anything, until i went to a plaza (somewhere near funan mall) where they sell shoes like its as if i was in cartimar, really cheap yet original branded shoes. i am going back there, with aggie and cho. HAHA!


adidas silver stan smith retro collection. i feel i got these at a really good price. bargain ika nga.


actually, i was looking for a silver colored shoes, and was planning to get converse, but i cant get hold of them, so when i saw this baby, i was so happy, and instantly tried them and took out my wallet.


bought these at leftfoot, kinda pricey, but i just told my family back home that this would be their birthday present to me.
i am loving these shoes, am wearing them today, dress down friday!


my nike court high baby.


another angle of this baby.

gawd. i dont know why but everytime i see shoes, i cant stop myself, and i just give in to the calling of acquiring more and more shoes. i mean, how many does one need? but i just have fun wearing them, and seeing them together all in one neat line, it gives me a sense of accomplishment. ang babaw ko, but i guess everyone of us has some weirdness that we need to give in, and for me, that's it.

---

mom and dad is arriving later at around 8PM. oh my, i can't wait.... :) :) :)

PUT A SMILE ON MY FACE :)
------

doing this kind of job, being in advertising is quite a challenge. more often than not, a lot of people are masungit, and busy ng over. magpatawag ba naman ng 6pm meeting, to end around 10.30pm. you get the picture?!?! but i guess i still found myself smiling, and just thinking of nice thoughts all around me. so, now i wanted to list things that makes me smile, or happy..

1. ice cream - this does it for me. especially the walls moo sandwich. actually, any ice cream would be fine with me, ben and jerry's usally does the trick too.

2. new pair of shoes - everytime i feel bad, i reward myself by getting shoes. ah. i have a few collection now, plus the one's i have in manila. yay! i can't wait to see them all in one line, together, loving each other. hah!

3. looking at pictures - of my friends, family, and all the fun things happening in manila. they just give me a sense of belongingness, na even if i wasnt there, i felt like i was a part of it. there was this time, when i was really tired from work, and i was hanging out with some office friends in indochine in wisma, then i remembered that they are in MARU, so i called them, and chatted with everyone. after this, i just can't help but smile.


julia's caption - family. yeah. kahit wala ako dito, i feel i belonged to this family.

4. calling my friends and family. i love calling my family every sunday cause i know for a fact that they are together especially having dinner. i mean, i just wanted to feel like hey, nagparamdam naman ako and i was there with them, although not physically.

5. YM, emails, SMS from people i care for. the thoughtfulness attached to those mails, and messages, how normal they may sound, i value it.

just thinking about it, i should erase buying shoes, so being happy could be all the more cheaper. haha!
miss everyone! :(

EFFICIENT ka diyan?!?!
------

well, i have been hearing people say this word lately. from 3 clients, and my general manager. funny how my client would email me "thank you, anton. you are so efficient.", and my gm, shouted across the room, "hah? so fast, you sent the quote and signed by client already.."(in less than 10mins) and the other client says "many thanks for reverting so fast.." - so i was like, is there some conspiracy going on ?!?! of making me feel better or what?!

yes, i am efficient but because i want things done. i don't want to waste time. cause workload is slowly killing me. i mean, there is so much to do because of recent developments, my boss is out of the picture, and i have to manage things all by myself. its hard when you cant even have a proper lunch without someone calling you, and asking you for things.

so, as efficient as i may seem, i have no life at all. but in fairness, i am trying to keep my head high through all this, and a lot of people has been saying, that i look really happy lately unlike the past 2 weeks. past 2 weeks, i was in a major depress mode; actually it happens everytime i come back here from manila.

so there, maybe it helps a bit to know upto when i am going to stay here. let's see.

---

well, i have been blogging about the 3 pairs of white shoes, well, there you go..



---

oh paulo's leaving for NY. may you have the time of your life there, may you achieve everything you wish and aspire for, because you totally deserve it. it's been nice knowing you. GO V!

sign off! :)

MUSIC FOR MY SOUL
------

the wonders of ipod. how things can be so different when you have a MP3 player, especially for someone like me who sits/stands in the train for an hour just to reach office. well, ive been listening to only a couple of songs lately, dance, dance by fallout boy, irreplaceable by beyonce, and kelly clarkson. well, i know its weird listening to her so early in the morning and so late at night. her voice is just so comforting to hear. you can go emo, angst, etc. so its nice to hear her everyday, if not every so often.

so this in my "new" favorite song from her album. i'm not goona write in the title, just read the lyrics.


I don't believe
In the smile that you leave
When you walk away, and say goodbye
Well I don't expect
The world to move underneath me.
But for god's sake could you try


I know that you're true to me
You're always there
You say you care
I know that you wanna be mine


(Chorus)
Where is your heart?
'Cuz I don't really feel you
Where is your heart?
What I really want is to believe you
Is it so hard?
To give me what I need
Want your heart to bleed
That's all I'm asking for
Oh where is your heart?


I don't understand
Your love is so cold
It's always me that's reaching out
For your hand
And I've always dreamed
That love would be effortless
Like a petal fallin' to the ground
A dreamer followin' his dream


Where is your heart?
'Cuz I don't really feel you
Where is your heart?
What I really want is to believe you
Is it so hard?
To give me what I need
Want your heart to bleed
That's all I'm asking for
Oh where is your heart?


It seems so much is left unsaid
But you can say anything
Oh anytime you need
Baby it's just you
And me


I know that you're true to me
You're always there
You say you care
I know that you wanna be mine


Where is your heart?
'Cuz I don't really feel you
Where is your heart?
What I really want is to believe you
Is it so hard?
To give me what I need
Want your heart to bleed
That's all I'm asking for
Oh where is your heart?

---

met alvin last night, he was here since tuesday, and we sceduled to meet up yesterday (thursday) for dinner. met him up at tangs, with his mom and cousin shopping. so we went through a whole lot of things because of their shopping bags. he said that he wasnt in the mood to shop, so when i looked at his hotel drawer, there were 4 new pairs of shoes, 2 new polos, 5 new shirts, 2 pairs of jeans (of the same style, color, and everything). so i was, oh yeah, you are really not in the mood.

anyways, had dinner at DAN RYAN's, which i really wanted to try for the longest time, and since it is just beside regent hotel where they were staying, we just had dinner there. the muffin was my favorite, what can i say, love muffins. so we just went for a stroll back to orchard because he wanted to change this pair of shoe he got from aldo. (he got 3 pairs of white shoes - all the same style, so he wanted to change this pair to black - classic alvin - i took a picture and will post it in my multiply later) but since there is no size 10 in black, he resigned to go home with 3 pairs of white shoes. HAHA! went back there to have a beer, chit chatted. actually i haven't seen him for a really long time - almost 2 years.

funny points - he was telling me about how he is as a friend, and how he treats people, like he won't deceive them, or anything, not that it is not relevant, but its weird. secondly, that how one person say in particular that the three of us (che, alvin and i) were always together before, and how we are so inseparable. well, that one is true. (well, i guess its really like that!)

---

have a happy weekend everyone. :)

happy monday
------

i was really happy yesterday, and the main reason was i was able to chat with a lot of friends. simple things lang pala to make me happy.

first off, i called cheryl to greet her, since it was her birthday yesterday. we chatted a little bit about her dinner plan, and about our holy week trip, and if ever it will push through. i hope it does naman.

i was also able to talk to lester, and i am super duper happy for him, parang ako yung may offer eh, well it was a wish came true for him, and i hope everything falls into the right place. and thanks to lester, for helping looking out for places to stay in HK.

was able to chat with pat, she's a college blockmate of mine from UST, i studied there for a year and a half, fyi. well she invited me to her wedding. she is getting married. exag dba?! actually, i knew the news from tere, our kabarkada, and i was thinking over the weekend, na she will be getting married na, and i am even a year older than her. how time flies, she is just 23. ho-hum. so for sure i will be back home byc dec 27 for her wedding. haha! i am excited since this is my first friend who will be getting married. oh, i hosted her debut, and now she wants me to do it again, i dont think so.

called gasso friends too. well, it was really a blast talking to them, parang nasa veranda din ako. i missed the hirits, et al.

YMed kaye, helen, rommel, angel, iya and joan. hay. happy day yesterday. anyways, one more thing i am happy about is that joan is doing something for me. well, i wont reveal it yet, but am really excited about it. and just thinking out loud, i havent talked to her for the longest time so it was really fun to be updated about things.

---

oh, heard the bad news from julette. joan, i hope you are doing okay ah. and i hope there's nothing much in that bag. and i hope that his bicycle fumbles. kakarmahin din yang hayop na yan.

saving up for the holidays
------

since i promised myself that i would save up for my trip(s), i have been avoiding shopping, and going out. i just stay at home, stuck with this iBook, and surf the net all the time. well i do spend on buying food outside, since lately i have been so tamad to cook. hahaha! and i do get a little bit of exercise, walking out and breathing a bit of fresh air while buying meals. haha.

so, i was surfing the net and yeah, i came across these little babies, that yeah, i have tried to order...


1. adidas dragon. its just a really ordinary shoe, but its classic. so i don't mind getting one.



2. this is nice. the color is different, and its simple but with a twsit.



3. adidas rod laver red. actually i like the black too, but since i am getting the adidas dragon too, which is black and white, i did settled for the red one.



4. chuck taylors all star leather high. oh yeah, when i saw this pair, i was so giddy and clicked "add to card" button instantly but to my horror, it was sold out already. tsk tsk.



5. chuck taylors metallic silver slip ox. actually i was suppose to buy one together with my siblings, but i decided not too that time, and get NIKE instead. but i think this is the first pair of chucks i will get, if ever.

so after getting so excited, giddy and all.. clicking these babies to my cart, with all specifics and shoe size. to my dismay, the shipping cost, and taxes incurred will double or een triple the amount i was suppose to pay. and i dont even think its fair, so there, i just clicked EX to close the whole page. though i am not sure of it because i left my credit card details on it. i hope everything is okay.

so there goes my first attempt with online shopping. they should have a big warning sign that aside from the handling fee, there was tax. i am okay to pay the handling fee, but not the tax. why should i? i'll just keep my money. blech.

talking non-sense on friday night
------

i had breadtalk for dinner, kaya roulette, wasabi floss, and floss yaki nori. i mean itsthe healthier choice than that of the other food i was planning to get - BK, McDo, KFC!

---

now, i just want to sleep, super inaantok na ako, also because of the wind, its like christmas in manila. but maybe its because chinese new year is coming up, thats why the weather is like that, or maybe singapore although down south is also affected by the melting ice caps in china, so the wind blown here is so damn cold. okay whatever.

---

arg! i am trying to figure out this limewire, ipod, itunes technology thats been bugging me since this morning. i mean how difficult could it be to download songs and put it in my iTOON. (yes, that's the name of my ipod.. my nick's ton, so there goes the name of my ipod) i suddenly miss aggie and cho, they usually (okay, all the time) figure these things out for me. i am no techy person, all i know is to plan and do according to plan, but other than that, i have no sense of direction, im low-tech, and useless. chicho and my dad can even be electricians as they all know how to work things in the house. my mom told me that i should learn too, my reply, never mind, im just gonna hire someone to do it. i am no handyman. HAHA! beat that reply.

---

oh my, i just messaged aggie and tita bot, if they want to go on a HK-MACAU trip. i've researched hotels and plane fares already. and it will cost us around 600USD each, without the pocket money. my gawd. so much for my dream to go to bangkok, KL, bali and NY. hahaha! ubos na sa macau at HK. anyway, one of the reasons i've been dying to go to HK is because of MJ. well, i've recently looked at their site and he has new designs out. galeng. buti na lang, walang MJ dito sa singapore, or else ill be spending my my whole pay there. i wish may bonus.

so i asked aggie and tita bot to look for family or friends that might have a place in HK or MACAU so we can save on the hotels, and divert the money to food, shopping and pasalubongs. i hope meron silang makita, i've ben brushing through my addresses, and i know some that has a palce to stay, but nakakahiya naman, so maybe save up na lang din for hotels. HAHA!

well, if everything goes as planned we'll be spending 4 days in HK and 3 days in the ex-portugese colony by mid august. the first time i saw macau on travel and living, i immidiately fell in love with it, kasi mala italy siya, small european villages, made out of stones and etc. hay sarap. i just wanna stroll around with a cup of latte in my hand. read books in the shades. hay, again i am just dreaming.

time to go back to reality.

BACK FROM KRABI
------

well i am definitely back from my short vacation in the island of krabi, i guess its an island or probably a province, wished i could have stayed longer, and went to bangkok straight from there, but well next time i gotta plan properly. if you want to ride by bus, from krabi to bangkok is about 12 hours and costs you 600 BHT, not so bad, its a private coach naman, that is if you are traveling on a budget. you can always take the plane naman, i think around 1 hour ang domestic flight, and will probably cost you around 2,000BHT.

anyway, as to every foreign country i go to, these are the things i love to do:


1. check out different products offered per country, per region, etc. this is WALL's red bean ice cream, mala-magnolia potong or motong. i missed it na sa mini stop, so i bought one, but magnolia is the better tasting ice cream.


2. i remembered that dutchmill is from thailand, and i did see it sa 7-11 stores. endorsed by korean superstar rain, i even got to see the TVC. well i felt na we have the same target age group as with sa manila. and dutchmill is special to me kasi naging project namin ito ni julia. i almost died nung shoot. that's why it is so special. well they have this biger version, and the smaller one.


3. green pea snack - but snaku format. just reminded me of snaku and how i enjoyed it when i was younger.


4. ronald with a different posse


5. nutrageous! yay! nuts with peanut butter, covered in chocolate. the best thing ever.


6. thai style pancake. parang crispy crepe. haha! cheap but not so cheerful.


7. fell in love with this bottle of 7-UP, it also has one version na PEPSI naman. so inuwi ko ang bote to be placed at my bedside. so i can drink water from this bottle and not a glass. much cooler. heck.


8. kung ang pinas ay may nilagang mani, ang thailand ay may almond. actually i was just chilling out by the beach when this old woman passed by, and being the curious person that i usually am, looked at it, and then she cracked some and let me try, well, well, well.. it was really good. so i bought a pack.


9. this reminded me of JT's chicken inasal, pero this is a better version, i loved the skin and everything in it. sa super pag love ko sa manok na ito, i ordered it for two straight days. by the way, you can avail these sa mga sidewalk lang and not really a full pledge restaurant.


10. its the first time i saw double big mac, meaning 4 patties combined in a big mac. well super size me.


11. i bought this beach banig for 110BHT, its really handy and cool, i can even use it for picknicks diba? so i like it and the design too.


12. oh yeah just chilling out at one of the islands we went to.

---

i will also post some of the things i bought that i still havent had the time to take a picture. it will be an addendum tothis post. some i got from shops, other from the groceries, with major bargaining. well, you really need to bargain cause ang taas nila magpatong ng presyo.

---

thanks to everyone who greeted me, and remembered me on my birthday. and those who gave presents too, thank you for the thought. turning 24 (blech) was real fun and worthwhile because of you guys, family and friends. marami pong salamat sa inyo. i hope this year will be as fun as the last, or why not even better.