Preparing To Be BORA-fied
Monday, March 21, 2005
Goodbye, everybody!!! In 2 hours, I have to get up and get ready to go to the airport. In 6 hours, I am boarding a plane bound for Caticlan. I'll be taking these babies, all 15 of them,
for a spin and won't be back for 2 weeks.
Yes, 2 weeks. 2 weeks of being in Boracay.
With my bikinis and booze (of the tequila variety).
With my boy (Yup, A will be coming too to spend Holy Week break),
my bosses (Actually, that's just my uncle, Tito Henry and Lito, who I've known since I was a kid that they're not just bosses but family as well)
and buddies (Yup, college friends and their S.O.s (significant others to the ignorant) are coming too!)
12 days of non- stop partying (and working) from the 23rd to April 3 as we've got bands performing every single day.
Bikinis. Booze. Boy. Bosses. Buddies. Bands.
Just how I like my Boracay.
for a spin and won't be back for 2 weeks.
Yes, 2 weeks. 2 weeks of being in Boracay.
With my bikinis and booze (of the tequila variety).
With my boy (Yup, A will be coming too to spend Holy Week break),
my bosses (Actually, that's just my uncle, Tito Henry and Lito, who I've known since I was a kid that they're not just bosses but family as well)
and buddies (Yup, college friends and their S.O.s (significant others to the ignorant) are coming too!)
12 days of non- stop partying (and working) from the 23rd to April 3 as we've got bands performing every single day.
Bikinis. Booze. Boy. Bosses. Buddies. Bands.
Just how I like my Boracay.
Weekend Recap
It was a long weekend again, folks! I'll try to recap it as fast as I could
Friday
-- Met up with A at Greenbelt at around 10pm and caught the last showing of Robots.
-- Took A home and slept at 4am. I had an early morning that day. I had to wake up by 830am!
Saturday
-- Woke up at 830am, lounged around a bit and waited for my bath water to heat, took time preparing my overnight bag. We had a sleepover at Tagaytay, with A's college posse!
-- Left the house at around 10:30am and got to the office at 11am. Prepared the checks for the acoustic groups that were performing in our branches for the next 3 weeks.
-- Met up with A at Oks Manoks, a chicken inasal place his college buddies put up, where we were meeting Bri, Elaine and Jim. We ate lunch as well.
-- Headed to Tagaytay at around 3pm and got there a little past 5pm. Thank God it wasn't traffic in South Superhighway but it was a bit traffic in the Tagaytay area. There was some sort of mini- fiesta.
-- Krissie, who was the host of the sleepover, served us spaghetti for merienda. She was turning 25, celebrating her graduation from her masters, and her acceptance to a school in Milwaukee.
-- Between merienda and dinner, we just hung out. The guys plugged in the videoke machine and well, for some people, the rest was history... like A, who held a concert last night.
-- Around 7, dinner was served. We had Mongolian food and delicious barbecue.
-- After dinner, we hung around the living room and watched people take turns. A's side of the posse (it was a big group and so there were smaller groups within) hung outside because they were smoking. It was freezing outside! Even with my jacket, it was still a bit chilly. Poor A. Didn't bring a jacket inspite of me telling him. I guess he didn't think it was THAT cold.
-- Soon after, I brought out the tequila, shot glasses and slices of oranges I brought along for the sleepover. We engaged in drinking games. One of which we all get a card and on the count of 3, we all put the cards on our foreheads, with the face of the card facing everyone else. Whoever gets the lowest card takes a shot.
-- Everyone else went inside after and only 6 of us were left outside: me and A, Krissie and Jim, Bri and Elaine. With 3 guys and 3 girls, we decided to play Tequila Taboo, using the board game Taboo. The game was simple. It was boys versus girls and after we all took turns making our team guess the words, the group with the lowest score takes a shot! On our first round, I was the first person up. I guess I was a bit wasted already from the tequila shots I had earlier because I was kind of slow in describing the Taboo word. The tequila were playing tricks on me because I was starting to see words on the card that weren't actually there! Thus, explaining why I had a hard time describing the Taboo words. It was sooo much fun and we laughed so hard. The first 2 rounds were won by the guys and boy, were their egos way up there! But we clobbered them on the next three rounds!!! We go, girls! We had so much and we laughed so hard. We had so much tequila that we started feeling hot from the alcohol and even took off our jackets! And while laughing so hard, I kept leaning on the wall for support so I don't fall over. Unfortunately, because I was a tad wasted already, there were times that the wall was actually farther than I thought! Of course, that got everybody laughing again! (Check out my sidebar, Quotes of the Day section, for funny lines from the game.
-- The game was cut short when Miki and Cris, who were brand new parents, arrived. Cris, who gave birth prematurely at 7 months, recounted her experiences to us.
-- For the rest of the night, we just lounged around and told stories and caught up with each other's lives. A got more wasted by the minute. He no longer bothered to keep his score up in videoke. He just kept singing and singing and dancing and dancing. Our friends just laughed and enjoyed watching him.
-- Surprisingly, I was getting sleepy by 2am! I'm usually awake and raring to go at this hour. Maybe I was sleepy because of the lack of sleep and because we started the party early. Needless to say, I went to bed sometime around 4.
-- I couldn't sleep. Krissie told me that there were huge spiders that come out at night and they don't know where they come from or where they pass. They all seem to appear even if the doors and windows are closed. While they are harmless and I'm not scared of spiders (as long as it ain't poisonous), but having to wake up in the middle of the night because you feel it crawling on your face or arm or leg is scary!
-- A joins me in the room at around 5am. It felt good knowing he was there already beside me. I fell asleep instantly. (Only to be awakened many times because of his loud snoring! Apparently, he snores loudly when he's had a lot to drink. I'm surprised the neighbors living a few meters away did not complain!)
Sunday
-- We wake up at 11am. Freshened up and changed clothes and headed downstairs for breakfast. I had a slice of mango.
-- We all started packing up our things and loaded things in the car. We convoyed to a place called View.. something where we had lunch. We chose the place because it had a TV set. The boys wanted a restaurant with a view... of the Manny Pacquiao fight.
-- Elaine and I were tasked to order food for everyone. We had 3 orders of Bulalo soup, 3 orders of Fried Tawilis, 3 orders of Inihaw na Liempo, 2 orders of Adobong Kangkong and 1 Kilo of Butter Garlic Prawns. Food was delicious!
Now you do!
-- After lunch, we all parted ways though A and I convoyed with Bri, Elaine and Jim. I drove this time. Driving on a Sunday is nice, light and easy.
-- By the time we got to C5, we separated ways. A and I went to mass at Santuario De San Antonio in Forbes.
-- After which, we went to Glorietta to do some last minute shopping trip. We had dinner at Oliver's Sandwiches.
-- I took A home at around 9:30pm and headed home myself so I could pack for Boracay.
Friday
-- Met up with A at Greenbelt at around 10pm and caught the last showing of Robots.
-- Took A home and slept at 4am. I had an early morning that day. I had to wake up by 830am!
Saturday
-- Woke up at 830am, lounged around a bit and waited for my bath water to heat, took time preparing my overnight bag. We had a sleepover at Tagaytay, with A's college posse!
-- Left the house at around 10:30am and got to the office at 11am. Prepared the checks for the acoustic groups that were performing in our branches for the next 3 weeks.
-- Met up with A at Oks Manoks, a chicken inasal place his college buddies put up, where we were meeting Bri, Elaine and Jim. We ate lunch as well.
-- Headed to Tagaytay at around 3pm and got there a little past 5pm. Thank God it wasn't traffic in South Superhighway but it was a bit traffic in the Tagaytay area. There was some sort of mini- fiesta.
-- Krissie, who was the host of the sleepover, served us spaghetti for merienda. She was turning 25, celebrating her graduation from her masters, and her acceptance to a school in Milwaukee.
-- Between merienda and dinner, we just hung out. The guys plugged in the videoke machine and well, for some people, the rest was history... like A, who held a concert last night.
-- Around 7, dinner was served. We had Mongolian food and delicious barbecue.
-- After dinner, we hung around the living room and watched people take turns. A's side of the posse (it was a big group and so there were smaller groups within) hung outside because they were smoking. It was freezing outside! Even with my jacket, it was still a bit chilly. Poor A. Didn't bring a jacket inspite of me telling him. I guess he didn't think it was THAT cold.
-- Soon after, I brought out the tequila, shot glasses and slices of oranges I brought along for the sleepover. We engaged in drinking games. One of which we all get a card and on the count of 3, we all put the cards on our foreheads, with the face of the card facing everyone else. Whoever gets the lowest card takes a shot.
-- Everyone else went inside after and only 6 of us were left outside: me and A, Krissie and Jim, Bri and Elaine. With 3 guys and 3 girls, we decided to play Tequila Taboo, using the board game Taboo. The game was simple. It was boys versus girls and after we all took turns making our team guess the words, the group with the lowest score takes a shot! On our first round, I was the first person up. I guess I was a bit wasted already from the tequila shots I had earlier because I was kind of slow in describing the Taboo word. The tequila were playing tricks on me because I was starting to see words on the card that weren't actually there! Thus, explaining why I had a hard time describing the Taboo words. It was sooo much fun and we laughed so hard. The first 2 rounds were won by the guys and boy, were their egos way up there! But we clobbered them on the next three rounds!!! We go, girls! We had so much and we laughed so hard. We had so much tequila that we started feeling hot from the alcohol and even took off our jackets! And while laughing so hard, I kept leaning on the wall for support so I don't fall over. Unfortunately, because I was a tad wasted already, there were times that the wall was actually farther than I thought! Of course, that got everybody laughing again! (Check out my sidebar, Quotes of the Day section, for funny lines from the game.
-- The game was cut short when Miki and Cris, who were brand new parents, arrived. Cris, who gave birth prematurely at 7 months, recounted her experiences to us.
-- For the rest of the night, we just lounged around and told stories and caught up with each other's lives. A got more wasted by the minute. He no longer bothered to keep his score up in videoke. He just kept singing and singing and dancing and dancing. Our friends just laughed and enjoyed watching him.
-- Surprisingly, I was getting sleepy by 2am! I'm usually awake and raring to go at this hour. Maybe I was sleepy because of the lack of sleep and because we started the party early. Needless to say, I went to bed sometime around 4.
-- I couldn't sleep. Krissie told me that there were huge spiders that come out at night and they don't know where they come from or where they pass. They all seem to appear even if the doors and windows are closed. While they are harmless and I'm not scared of spiders (as long as it ain't poisonous), but having to wake up in the middle of the night because you feel it crawling on your face or arm or leg is scary!
-- A joins me in the room at around 5am. It felt good knowing he was there already beside me. I fell asleep instantly. (Only to be awakened many times because of his loud snoring! Apparently, he snores loudly when he's had a lot to drink. I'm surprised the neighbors living a few meters away did not complain!)
Sunday
-- We wake up at 11am. Freshened up and changed clothes and headed downstairs for breakfast. I had a slice of mango.
All of us who slept over, outside Krissie's house. Picture taken by Krissie's housekeeper.
-- We all started packing up our things and loaded things in the car. We convoyed to a place called View.. something where we had lunch. We chose the place because it had a TV set. The boys wanted a restaurant with a view... of the Manny Pacquiao fight.
-- Elaine and I were tasked to order food for everyone. We had 3 orders of Bulalo soup, 3 orders of Fried Tawilis, 3 orders of Inihaw na Liempo, 2 orders of Adobong Kangkong and 1 Kilo of Butter Garlic Prawns. Food was delicious!
A and I having our picture taken with the Taal Volcano behind us. Do you see it?
Now you do!
-- After lunch, we all parted ways though A and I convoyed with Bri, Elaine and Jim. I drove this time. Driving on a Sunday is nice, light and easy.
-- By the time we got to C5, we separated ways. A and I went to mass at Santuario De San Antonio in Forbes.
-- After which, we went to Glorietta to do some last minute shopping trip. We had dinner at Oliver's Sandwiches.
-- I took A home at around 9:30pm and headed home myself so I could pack for Boracay.
The Customer Isn't Always Right: Part 1
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
The customer is always right. But for us who work in an industry that deals with customers by the hundreds every single day, we know this isn't always true.
As an example, my uncle, during one of our manager's meeting, drew the letter M on a piece of paper. He asked the person who sat across from him what letter it was. Naturally, to the person sitting across him, the letter M looked like a W. Of course, to my uncle, it was an M. He pointed out that sometimes there are 2 ways at looking at things. Customer service is also the same.
In the restaurant and bar business, we encounter different kinds of customers. With them, we share experiences that are funny, amusing, heartwarming and sometimes appaling and scary. I am starting a new series of entries entitled "The Customer Isn't Always Right" so I could share with you these experiences. Now, let me just clarify that not all entries mean that the customer isn't right. Sometimes, they are right and we could be, well, wrong.
Sorry, Sir, No Slippers Allowed Inside The Establishment
Over the years, our bar and restaurant have turned away a number of customers simply because they were wearing rubber slippers or tsinelas. Here are 2 different scenarios where the guests acted differently from one another.
Customer 1
Receptionist: Sorry po, Sir! Bawal po ang naka- tsinelas sa loob. (I'm sorry, Sir! We do not allow wearing of rubber slippers inside.)
Guest: Sige na, pumayag ka na papasukin kami kahit ngayon lang. (Please, allow us to enter just this once.)
Receptionist: (Smiles sympathetically) Hindi po talaga pwede, Sir! May dress code po kami (pointing to the sign beside him). (We really can't allow it, Sir! We have a dress code.)
Guest: (Gets frustrated and annoyed) Bakit?! Dahil ba mura lang ang tsinelas ko?! (Why? Just because may slippers are cheap?!)
Receptionist: Hindi po ganoon, Sir... (It's not like that, Sir...)
Guest: (Brings out his wallet and pulls out two P500 bills and folds both in half, then in half again. He then proceeds to tuck each bill under his heels) O ayan! Mahal na tsinelas ko! (There! My slippers are now expensive!)
Customer 2
Receptionist: Sorry po, Sir! Bawal po ang naka-tsinelas sa loob. (I'm sorry, Sir! We do not allow wearing of rubber slippers inside.)
Guest: Ganoon ba? (Oh really?)
Receptionist: (Smiles apologetically) Opo. (Yes.)
The guest left and return five minutes later. Only this time, we let him in. Why? He went back to his car and put on his golf shoes!!! (For those who don't know, golf shoes are the kind of shoes that have spikes under them!)
Bad Mannered Customer
Just last Saturday, we didn't let a girl inside because she wanted to bring in with her her pet dog. She fought the receptionist and insisted on seeing the manager. Of course, the manager came out and talked to her. He explained why we couldn't let her pet dog come in. (As if we need to explain this!) She angrily said:
"Bakit ayaw niyo papasukin yung aso ko?! Eh mas malinis pa itong aso ko kaysa sa mga waiters mo eh! (Why wouldn't you let my dog in? My dog is cleaner than your waiters!)
GASP! I know! Such horrendous behavior! No breeding or proper upbringing at all! Tsk, tsk, tsk!
The manager retorted, "Eh di mag- hanap ka ng restaurant na may mas malinis na waiter! (Then go find a restaurant with cleaner waiters!)"
As an example, my uncle, during one of our manager's meeting, drew the letter M on a piece of paper. He asked the person who sat across from him what letter it was. Naturally, to the person sitting across him, the letter M looked like a W. Of course, to my uncle, it was an M. He pointed out that sometimes there are 2 ways at looking at things. Customer service is also the same.
In the restaurant and bar business, we encounter different kinds of customers. With them, we share experiences that are funny, amusing, heartwarming and sometimes appaling and scary. I am starting a new series of entries entitled "The Customer Isn't Always Right" so I could share with you these experiences. Now, let me just clarify that not all entries mean that the customer isn't right. Sometimes, they are right and we could be, well, wrong.
Sorry, Sir, No Slippers Allowed Inside The Establishment
Over the years, our bar and restaurant have turned away a number of customers simply because they were wearing rubber slippers or tsinelas. Here are 2 different scenarios where the guests acted differently from one another.
Customer 1
Receptionist: Sorry po, Sir! Bawal po ang naka- tsinelas sa loob. (I'm sorry, Sir! We do not allow wearing of rubber slippers inside.)
Guest: Sige na, pumayag ka na papasukin kami kahit ngayon lang. (Please, allow us to enter just this once.)
Receptionist: (Smiles sympathetically) Hindi po talaga pwede, Sir! May dress code po kami (pointing to the sign beside him). (We really can't allow it, Sir! We have a dress code.)
Guest: (Gets frustrated and annoyed) Bakit?! Dahil ba mura lang ang tsinelas ko?! (Why? Just because may slippers are cheap?!)
Receptionist: Hindi po ganoon, Sir... (It's not like that, Sir...)
Guest: (Brings out his wallet and pulls out two P500 bills and folds both in half, then in half again. He then proceeds to tuck each bill under his heels) O ayan! Mahal na tsinelas ko! (There! My slippers are now expensive!)
Customer 2
Receptionist: Sorry po, Sir! Bawal po ang naka-tsinelas sa loob. (I'm sorry, Sir! We do not allow wearing of rubber slippers inside.)
Guest: Ganoon ba? (Oh really?)
Receptionist: (Smiles apologetically) Opo. (Yes.)
The guest left and return five minutes later. Only this time, we let him in. Why? He went back to his car and put on his golf shoes!!! (For those who don't know, golf shoes are the kind of shoes that have spikes under them!)
Bad Mannered Customer
Just last Saturday, we didn't let a girl inside because she wanted to bring in with her her pet dog. She fought the receptionist and insisted on seeing the manager. Of course, the manager came out and talked to her. He explained why we couldn't let her pet dog come in. (As if we need to explain this!) She angrily said:
"Bakit ayaw niyo papasukin yung aso ko?! Eh mas malinis pa itong aso ko kaysa sa mga waiters mo eh! (Why wouldn't you let my dog in? My dog is cleaner than your waiters!)
GASP! I know! Such horrendous behavior! No breeding or proper upbringing at all! Tsk, tsk, tsk!
The manager retorted, "Eh di mag- hanap ka ng restaurant na may mas malinis na waiter! (Then go find a restaurant with cleaner waiters!)"
Forgetful Cat
I don't know if my brain went ahead to Boracay without me or the 12 hours of sleep I had last night turned my brain into mush because I...
... forgot to bring my plastic envelope, where all proposals, marketing plans, memos, and all work related what- have- yous are kept, to work (I remembered this halfway going to work)
... forgot to put on my watch, bracelet and earrings (I realized this after parking my car at work)
... forgot to call PLDT and inquire about their WeRoam program (I remembered at around 6:30pm, after their office hours)
... forgot to change Tito Henry's booking to an earlier flight (Actually, I didn't know I was suppose to do this until he called me at 8:30PM)
... forgot simple terms and words. (In fact, while working on my marketing plan, I felt I couldn't construct a decent, comprehendable sentence! I kept pressing the backspace button!)
Damnit! I need my brain back!
... forgot to bring my plastic envelope, where all proposals, marketing plans, memos, and all work related what- have- yous are kept, to work (I remembered this halfway going to work)
... forgot to put on my watch, bracelet and earrings (I realized this after parking my car at work)
... forgot to call PLDT and inquire about their WeRoam program (I remembered at around 6:30pm, after their office hours)
... forgot to change Tito Henry's booking to an earlier flight (Actually, I didn't know I was suppose to do this until he called me at 8:30PM)
... forgot simple terms and words. (In fact, while working on my marketing plan, I felt I couldn't construct a decent, comprehendable sentence! I kept pressing the backspace button!)
Damnit! I need my brain back!
Maid in Hell: Part 2
Saturday, March 12, 2005
These are accounts not based on my experiences, but my uncle's.
KALDERETA
Uncle: 'Day! Anong ulam? (Inday, what's the food (for supper)?)
Maid: Kaldereta po, Kuya! (Kaldereta is a tomato- based beef stew... I think! Anybody care to correct me on this?)
Uncle approaches the table and looks at the beef stew. He is puzzled because instead of the beef being reddish from the tomato sauce, it looked pale. Like how beef in Nilaga looks like.
Uncle: 'Day, sigurado ka bang Kaldereta to? (Are you sure this is Kaldereta?)
Maid: Opo, kuya!
Uncle: Bakit siya maputla?! (Why is it so pale?)
My uncle proceeds to try the beef. It tasted weird.
Uncle: 'Day, iba yung lasa eh! Sigurado ka talaga na kaldereta ito? (It tastes weird! Are you sure this is Kaldereta?)
Maid: Opo! Sinundan ko po yung recipe eh. (Yes, I followed the recipe.)
Uncle: Patingin nga nung recipe. (May I see the recipe?)
The maid hands over the recipe book to my uncle and he scans it.
Apparently, the maid didn't know that the continuation of the recipe was on the next page.
HAMBURGERS
My uncle likes eating hamburgers and tacos for breakfast. Upon waking up one day,
Uncle: 'Day! Anong ulam? (What's the food (for breakfast)?)
Maid: Hamburgers po!
Uncle: Sige, mag- ahin ka na. Kakain ako. (Okay, please serve the food. I'm going to eat.)
A few minutes later, the maid calls him and tells him that breakfast was already on the table. He sits down and notices that there was something missing. He figured that maybe the maid wasn't done preparing the food so he read the papers for awhile as the maid finished preparing breakfast. A few more minutes later, he noticed that the maid was going about her usual chores, as if she was done preparing breakfast. Yup, something was still missing. The hamburger buns were there. So were the ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard. Apparently, the maid forgot to serve the hamburger patties!
Uncle: 'Day! May nakalimutan ka ata! (You forgot something!)
Maid: Ano po, sir? (What is it, sir?)
Uncle: Yung hamburger patties! (The hamburger patties!)
Maid: Ay, sir! Wala nang hamburger patties! Di pa nag- grocery si Ma'am! (Oh, sir! We're out of hamburger patties! Ma'am hasn't gone to the grocery yet!)
Yes, my uncle had hamburgers for breakfast... without the hamburgers.
KALDERETA
Uncle: 'Day! Anong ulam? (Inday, what's the food (for supper)?)
Maid: Kaldereta po, Kuya! (Kaldereta is a tomato- based beef stew... I think! Anybody care to correct me on this?)
Uncle approaches the table and looks at the beef stew. He is puzzled because instead of the beef being reddish from the tomato sauce, it looked pale. Like how beef in Nilaga looks like.
Uncle: 'Day, sigurado ka bang Kaldereta to? (Are you sure this is Kaldereta?)
Maid: Opo, kuya!
Uncle: Bakit siya maputla?! (Why is it so pale?)
My uncle proceeds to try the beef. It tasted weird.
Uncle: 'Day, iba yung lasa eh! Sigurado ka talaga na kaldereta ito? (It tastes weird! Are you sure this is Kaldereta?)
Maid: Opo! Sinundan ko po yung recipe eh. (Yes, I followed the recipe.)
Uncle: Patingin nga nung recipe. (May I see the recipe?)
The maid hands over the recipe book to my uncle and he scans it.
Apparently, the maid didn't know that the continuation of the recipe was on the next page.
HAMBURGERS
My uncle likes eating hamburgers and tacos for breakfast. Upon waking up one day,
Uncle: 'Day! Anong ulam? (What's the food (for breakfast)?)
Maid: Hamburgers po!
Uncle: Sige, mag- ahin ka na. Kakain ako. (Okay, please serve the food. I'm going to eat.)
A few minutes later, the maid calls him and tells him that breakfast was already on the table. He sits down and notices that there was something missing. He figured that maybe the maid wasn't done preparing the food so he read the papers for awhile as the maid finished preparing breakfast. A few more minutes later, he noticed that the maid was going about her usual chores, as if she was done preparing breakfast. Yup, something was still missing. The hamburger buns were there. So were the ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard. Apparently, the maid forgot to serve the hamburger patties!
Uncle: 'Day! May nakalimutan ka ata! (You forgot something!)
Maid: Ano po, sir? (What is it, sir?)
Uncle: Yung hamburger patties! (The hamburger patties!)
Maid: Ay, sir! Wala nang hamburger patties! Di pa nag- grocery si Ma'am! (Oh, sir! We're out of hamburger patties! Ma'am hasn't gone to the grocery yet!)
Yes, my uncle had hamburgers for breakfast... without the hamburgers.
Things That Made Me Smile This Weekend
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
Smile 1: Finally seeing A after a week and watching HITCH
Smile 2: Free Cheeseburger Meal- Supersized paid by the company president (just when I decided not to buy everybody burgers, like I usually do when I go to the main office on Saturdays)
Smile 3: Finding parking easily in Megamall
Smile 4: Finding 5 bikinis for the price of P300 each at the Surplus Shop! (Hey, these are Old Navy overruns, not some cheap-o kind! The fact I found 5 bikinis for the price of 1 branded bikini made me smile from ear to ear). Next to books and dvds, inexpensive yet stylish bikinis are the items I love to collect. I've got a running total of 14 bikinis and I want more!
Smile 5: Finding board shorts for A at P150 each! Still at the Surplus Shop
Smile 6: Just as I was about to leave the bar, my dad asks the driver to buy half a kilo of Salmon Sashimi. Do you think I'd turn down the opportunity to eat free salmon sashimi? I don't think so! Whether A liked it or not, we HAD TO stay. Unfortunately, the market ran out of stock.
Smile 7: Very relaxing Saturday night, watching two movies with A
Smile 8: My parents allowing me to sleep in, and my mom not pestering me to go to church with them. (I'd rather go late in the afternoon, thankyouverymuch!)
Smile 9: A making it in time for my brothers Don and Xavier's play. He kept texting me how traffic it was and I was worried he wouldn't make it.
Smile 10: Wearing the brand new pink halter top that Karla brought as pasalubong from the States.
Smile 11: Cami's sense of style and confidence to pull off an unusual outfit: pink ruffled skirt over jeans, a sweatshirt over double layered camisoles and her hot pink Chucks.
Smile 12: Finally seeing Don act. I was acting like a psycho fan! When he walked on stage, we (my side of the family) started cheering. I couldn't help but shriek, "I love you, Donsie!!! I love you!!!" (I've never felt that way since Leonardo Di Caprio came out on Titanic). He was soooo good and dead serious. He played a proud, mean and arrogant prince and no matter how hard the audience laughed, he maintained his composure and stayed in character! Pretty hard yet impressive for a six year old!
Smile 13: Coming home for a mini- celebration with lots of food laid on the table: Green Salad with Mango Chunks, Lasagna, Mini- Pizza Rolls, Inihaw na Liempo, Kare- kare, Fish (I didn't bother find out how it was cooked).
Smile 14: Getting the little Princess, Sophia, to smile and play with me.
Smile 15: Enrique, my 11 year old cousin, who has been visually impaired since birth and is always quiet you wouldn't think he was there, joking about how he's been tricking us all along that he could actually see! (We're thinking that his eye sight is starting to develop).
Smile 16: Knowing that in two weeks, I'll be in the sunny shores of Boracay for two straight weeks!!! Tequila galore, dancing all night!
Smile 2: Free Cheeseburger Meal- Supersized paid by the company president (just when I decided not to buy everybody burgers, like I usually do when I go to the main office on Saturdays)
Smile 3: Finding parking easily in Megamall
Smile 4: Finding 5 bikinis for the price of P300 each at the Surplus Shop! (Hey, these are Old Navy overruns, not some cheap-o kind! The fact I found 5 bikinis for the price of 1 branded bikini made me smile from ear to ear). Next to books and dvds, inexpensive yet stylish bikinis are the items I love to collect. I've got a running total of 14 bikinis and I want more!
Smile 5: Finding board shorts for A at P150 each! Still at the Surplus Shop
Smile 6: Just as I was about to leave the bar, my dad asks the driver to buy half a kilo of Salmon Sashimi. Do you think I'd turn down the opportunity to eat free salmon sashimi? I don't think so! Whether A liked it or not, we HAD TO stay. Unfortunately, the market ran out of stock.
Smile 7: Very relaxing Saturday night, watching two movies with A
Smile 8: My parents allowing me to sleep in, and my mom not pestering me to go to church with them. (I'd rather go late in the afternoon, thankyouverymuch!)
Smile 9: A making it in time for my brothers Don and Xavier's play. He kept texting me how traffic it was and I was worried he wouldn't make it.
Smile 10: Wearing the brand new pink halter top that Karla brought as pasalubong from the States.
Smile 11: Cami's sense of style and confidence to pull off an unusual outfit: pink ruffled skirt over jeans, a sweatshirt over double layered camisoles and her hot pink Chucks.
Judo being sandwiched between me and Cami
Smile 12: Finally seeing Don act. I was acting like a psycho fan! When he walked on stage, we (my side of the family) started cheering. I couldn't help but shriek, "I love you, Donsie!!! I love you!!!" (I've never felt that way since Leonardo Di Caprio came out on Titanic). He was soooo good and dead serious. He played a proud, mean and arrogant prince and no matter how hard the audience laughed, he maintained his composure and stayed in character! Pretty hard yet impressive for a six year old!
Don portraying the proud, mean and arrogant Prince Harry
Smile 13: Coming home for a mini- celebration with lots of food laid on the table: Green Salad with Mango Chunks, Lasagna, Mini- Pizza Rolls, Inihaw na Liempo, Kare- kare, Fish (I didn't bother find out how it was cooked).
Smile 14: Getting the little Princess, Sophia, to smile and play with me.
Smile 15: Enrique, my 11 year old cousin, who has been visually impaired since birth and is always quiet you wouldn't think he was there, joking about how he's been tricking us all along that he could actually see! (We're thinking that his eye sight is starting to develop).
Smile 16: Knowing that in two weeks, I'll be in the sunny shores of Boracay for two straight weeks!!! Tequila galore, dancing all night!
Suspect At Large!
Monday, March 07, 2005
Just the other night... Saturday, I believe... as I drove my car to a crawl, preparing to park, I was surprised at the scene lighted by my headlights.
There it was... a case of hit and run. And the suspect left the crime scene, leaving no trace. Click here to help us solve the crime. If you think you have a suspect, please leave a comment.
There it was... a case of hit and run. And the suspect left the crime scene, leaving no trace. Click here to help us solve the crime. If you think you have a suspect, please leave a comment.
Congratulations Are In Order For...
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Congratulations are in order for...
A- whose Skyflakes commercial and Ballet Philippines TVC won Ad of The Month!!!
The Bar I Work For- for winning the 2004 National Shopper's Choice Awards for The No.1 Resto- Bar in Metro Manila. (Hehehe! I missed a manager's meeting/ food tasting to receive the award in behalf of the company. Personally, I'd rather be at the food tasting! I missed out on trying 31 new food items we're putting in the menu!)
(Wait, Is my title grammatically correct?!)
A- whose Skyflakes commercial and Ballet Philippines TVC won Ad of The Month!!!
My little brother, Don- who scored the lead part in his pre- school play. Apparently, he's soooo good in his role that during rehearsals, parents have been going up to my mom to compliment on how good he is.
Don (2nd from the left) as Prince Harry in the play, The Greatest King
The Bar I Work For- for winning the 2004 National Shopper's Choice Awards for The No.1 Resto- Bar in Metro Manila. (Hehehe! I missed a manager's meeting/ food tasting to receive the award in behalf of the company. Personally, I'd rather be at the food tasting! I missed out on trying 31 new food items we're putting in the menu!)
Me, accepting an award in behalf of the company
(Wait, Is my title grammatically correct?!)
The Weekend That Flew By
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
I dread the end of the recently concluded long weekend. Aside from a 3 day vay-cay, it was probably the best weekend I've had this year.
By the 11PM of Thursday night, I was still at work, making the final touches of the memo for a promo. A was out with his friend from work at their usual hangout. Though where I was was closer to home, I decided to drive to Makati and surprise him. I don't really know the inner streets of the Makati Business District so I had to download a map to find out where the bar was. When I reached my destination, I called up A and he sounded so surprised and happy that I was there! Excuse the cheesiness and sappiness, but when I heard his excited voice, I could imagine his face light up and that made me smile. We decided to eat out but at 130am, most of the restaurants in Greenbelt were closed already so we headed to the nearest McDonald's instead. I dropped of A at his house and gave him my surprise: a DVD of the movie version of "Crying Freeman."
On Friday night, A and I ate at Tia Maria's Cantina in Katipunan. Their TV was on and I enjoyed watching the commercials (Hey, I'm an IMC graduate! Old habits die hard! Plus, I never get to see local commercials anymore so I feel lost when people talk about the cool commercials!) We headed to Eastwood and bought tickets to "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events." I went around the bazaar and bought presents for Cami and my stepmom. We bumped into Bri and Elaine, who were there to watch "Constantine." We passed te time at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and headed to the movie theaters after. Just outside the cinema, I saw Maricar, my ex's sister! I waved hi to her and didn't notice her date until he turned. It was Rico Blanco of Rivermaya. A and I were surprised! After the movie, we met up with Bri and Elaine again for one last smoke (well, they did. I didn't.). We headed home. My parents were up and were expecting some guests. After the guests left, we hung out for awhile and talked. It was too late for us to watch a movie.
On Saturday night, A picked me up at home. We passed by my office in Ortigas because I had to sort out the checks for the bands who were performing the following week in all our branches. A and I dropped by the new DVD place to check out the.. what else?... DVDs. Between us, we only had P300. We had to choose our DVDs wisely. But with so much to buy, I resolved to come back the next day to buy more. We headed to Eastwood as we were meeting up with A's high school classmates for a reunion at Superbowl of China. Apparently, the meal was free! As his classmate was the owner of the franchise. We were all wondering why Bri and Elaine were late and when they arrived, they told us they were planning on bailing and just staying in to watch The OC Dvds! Of course, the four of us, including Sky, who loaned the Dvds to them, launched on an OC-filled conversation! The guys reminisced about their high school life and laughed at how geeky/ immature/ punkish (in A's case) they were. Elaine and I sure learned a lot of things about our boyfriends! By 12mn, we went home. A and I popped "The Phantom of The Opera" in the player while binged on Classic Ruffles and Onion dip.
On Sunday afternoon, I went to Church. A picked me up at home after and we went to Ortigas. I bought more dvds, totalling my list of "DVDs to watch" to 20 movies. We hung out at one of the branches where I work as there was an ongoing function. We had dinner and "desserted" on half a kilo of tuna sashimi, fresh from the dampa at Ortigas Town Center. By 10pm, we left and headed to Capitol Hills to visit a friend who came home from the US. We stayed till 11:45, went home and popped in "In Good Company" and ate the rest of our left over Ruffles. The weekend ended at 2am.
How I wish it didn't end. Half of the time, A and I were wishing that we already lived together in our dream (plush would be nice) condo, just vegging out. We did a lot this weekend. We watched a lot of movies, ate out, met up with people. A and I love to sleep the whole day. Heck! We're asleep from 5am to 2pm! Imagine what other activities we could be doing if we were such old geezers who'd be up by 8am! (No offense to those who wake up at 8am! It's just that the only people I know who can wake up that early no matter how late they slept are my grandparents!)
By the 11PM of Thursday night, I was still at work, making the final touches of the memo for a promo. A was out with his friend from work at their usual hangout. Though where I was was closer to home, I decided to drive to Makati and surprise him. I don't really know the inner streets of the Makati Business District so I had to download a map to find out where the bar was. When I reached my destination, I called up A and he sounded so surprised and happy that I was there! Excuse the cheesiness and sappiness, but when I heard his excited voice, I could imagine his face light up and that made me smile. We decided to eat out but at 130am, most of the restaurants in Greenbelt were closed already so we headed to the nearest McDonald's instead. I dropped of A at his house and gave him my surprise: a DVD of the movie version of "Crying Freeman."
On Friday night, A and I ate at Tia Maria's Cantina in Katipunan. Their TV was on and I enjoyed watching the commercials (Hey, I'm an IMC graduate! Old habits die hard! Plus, I never get to see local commercials anymore so I feel lost when people talk about the cool commercials!) We headed to Eastwood and bought tickets to "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events." I went around the bazaar and bought presents for Cami and my stepmom. We bumped into Bri and Elaine, who were there to watch "Constantine." We passed te time at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and headed to the movie theaters after. Just outside the cinema, I saw Maricar, my ex's sister! I waved hi to her and didn't notice her date until he turned. It was Rico Blanco of Rivermaya. A and I were surprised! After the movie, we met up with Bri and Elaine again for one last smoke (well, they did. I didn't.). We headed home. My parents were up and were expecting some guests. After the guests left, we hung out for awhile and talked. It was too late for us to watch a movie.
On Saturday night, A picked me up at home. We passed by my office in Ortigas because I had to sort out the checks for the bands who were performing the following week in all our branches. A and I dropped by the new DVD place to check out the.. what else?... DVDs. Between us, we only had P300. We had to choose our DVDs wisely. But with so much to buy, I resolved to come back the next day to buy more. We headed to Eastwood as we were meeting up with A's high school classmates for a reunion at Superbowl of China. Apparently, the meal was free! As his classmate was the owner of the franchise. We were all wondering why Bri and Elaine were late and when they arrived, they told us they were planning on bailing and just staying in to watch The OC Dvds! Of course, the four of us, including Sky, who loaned the Dvds to them, launched on an OC-filled conversation! The guys reminisced about their high school life and laughed at how geeky/ immature/ punkish (in A's case) they were. Elaine and I sure learned a lot of things about our boyfriends! By 12mn, we went home. A and I popped "The Phantom of The Opera" in the player while binged on Classic Ruffles and Onion dip.
On Sunday afternoon, I went to Church. A picked me up at home after and we went to Ortigas. I bought more dvds, totalling my list of "DVDs to watch" to 20 movies. We hung out at one of the branches where I work as there was an ongoing function. We had dinner and "desserted" on half a kilo of tuna sashimi, fresh from the dampa at Ortigas Town Center. By 10pm, we left and headed to Capitol Hills to visit a friend who came home from the US. We stayed till 11:45, went home and popped in "In Good Company" and ate the rest of our left over Ruffles. The weekend ended at 2am.
How I wish it didn't end. Half of the time, A and I were wishing that we already lived together in our dream (plush would be nice) condo, just vegging out. We did a lot this weekend. We watched a lot of movies, ate out, met up with people. A and I love to sleep the whole day. Heck! We're asleep from 5am to 2pm! Imagine what other activities we could be doing if we were such old geezers who'd be up by 8am! (No offense to those who wake up at 8am! It's just that the only people I know who can wake up that early no matter how late they slept are my grandparents!)
