George Stephanopalous, Stevie Wonder’s mom and a soldier

What do they have in common? I bought them, well actually, books about them yesterday. But I’m getting ahead of my Valentine's day kwento. :) And you thought I wouldn’t post anything about Valentine’s.

My Valentine’s day started on the 13th. My father gave me a bouquet of roses =) teehee…

I never thought I’d like receiving flowers. When I was in HS I didn’t get it why my friends are all giddy when they received flowers (siguro inggit lang ako? haha) I like receiving chocolates and balloons back then. My philosophy was I can’t eat roses and balloons are way cuter! I don’t know when I actually started wanting to receive flowers.

Anyhoo, come V-day, we all went to dinner my family with Joema. Joema and I met up at Powerbooks. Bought some books and received a single rose aka “Joema’s Valentine gifts”.

It wasn’t traffic yet so we arrived early at Robinson’s Metro East and got to hang around Mocha Blends.

I started reading George Stephanopalous’ book. I actually bought the book only because I remembered his name in one episode of Friends. The one where the Phoebe, Rachel and Monica were looking out to his apartment window whilst he was with a woman. It was mentioned there that he was an adviser of Clinton. Thus the curiosity in buying the book about him and his work at The White House.

Last night’s dinner was at Max’s (same resto where we had our dinner at last year’s Valentine’s day). Tanong tuloy si Joema:

Joema: Max’s na naman? Di ba dun na last year (Note: He joined us dinner last year)
Ako: Oo ganun talaga yung mga yon. Parating sa parehong resto lang kumakain.

It’s this thing my mom has about trying new food – she doesn’t do that. So we always end up at the same restaurant if there is an occasion. The weird thing is if she’s with other people she’s okay with trying new restos, to which my brother quipped that it’s only because wala na syang magawa hehehe.

So where was I in my kwento? Oh we were at Mocha Blends and everybody else were just on their way to Rob. My mom was the first to arrive she texted asking where we were so I told her we were at Mocha Blends. And then I received a text from her that she’s at Max’s so Joema and I went there. Jay was already there when we arrived but she was nowhere in sight – she went downstairs pala to Mocha Blends. Hay hanube delayed na naman ang messages! Akala ko pa naman nagpa-waitlist na sya dun sa waitress, good thing nagpalista na ko weven before she arrived. We waited for a few minutes for our table. When we were about to get seated my father arrived naman so timing na timing.

We ordered the usuals – crispy Pata, kare-kare, pansit and chicken of course. Sarap talaga ng lutong Pinoy!

While waiting for our food

Busog na

When we got home, Joema, my brother and I watched CSI in Studio 23 - walang kasawaan kahit na alam na kung anong mangyayari - and then It’s a Guy Thing afterwards. It’s really creepy when I heard Bubbles call Borgy “Mayor". Remember that rumour that he’s running for Manila mayor? Ayayayay! This was the first time I watched the whole show. Ketchup is so funny!

The news was on after it so we watched American Idol instead. Enough of the election campaign hullabaloo! Joema called it a night after the 56 hopefuls were cut down to 40. It was just an ordinary night for us but that’s okay the important thing was we were together.

I hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s day yesterday, may it be with your bf/gf, friends or family. Continue spreading the love. :)

Happy Thought

Because I made some major booboo here at the office and found out about it early this morning, I need to think of happy thoughts to make it through the day. So with this I am blogging about my Friday gimik at Bonifacio High Street. It was in celebration of Jose's and my birthday. We had dinner at Heaven 'n Eggs Market! Market! I ordered my favorite Minute steak with scrambled eggs, french fries and pancakes. Jose gave out his pasalubong from China. I wasn't able to take a picture of it but it's a very pretty trinkets holder.



We then proceeded to Serendra Piazza and took some group pictures kahit na mukha kaming mga DH don na nagpipicture taking on our day off. Actually buti na lang may nauna sa min na nagpipicture taking kaya di na kami nahiya.





We then walked to Bonifacio High Street. Krispy Kremes had a long line but we didn't care coz we were going to have our dessert at Cupcakes. We went inside Hobbes and wanted to see how Scene It: Friends was but the saleslady didn't let us. Afterwards, we went to our "secret garden" and took lots of pictures










After our tiring pictorial session we went to Cupcakes by Sonja and Jose bought us our cupcakes. I love their Berries and Cream :) I wanted to have a picture while eating it but lo and behold while I was posing with my cupcake the whipped cream fell to the ground :( Good thing Jose ordered 3 Berries and Cream hehe



All full and satisfied for the night

Lapit Na!

Free Countup Timers at WishAFriend.com

Sorry My Love

Why don't you tell me where it hurts now baby
And I'll do my best to make it better
I'll do my best to make the tears all go away
Just tell me where it hurts now tell me
And I'll love you with a love so tender
And if you let me stay I'll love all the hurt away



I'm so sorry the date of my birth will remind you of such a sad event. I know you're hurting but you will get pass this. Wo ai ni! <3 Pan Lici

The Boutique

I want to stay here! Kelan kaya?!?!?! A bit pricey for a bed & breakfast pero if it's a special occasion why not di ba? I would love to stay there.

Wouldn't It Be Nice

by Beachboys

Wouldnt it be nice if we were older
Then we wouldnt have to wait so long
And wouldnt it be nice to live together
In the kind of world where we belong

You know its gonna make it that much better
When we can say goodnight and stay together

Wouldnt it be nice if we could wake up
In the morning when the day is new
And after having spent the day together
Hold each other close the whole night through

Happy times together weve been spending
I wish that every kiss was neverending
Wouldnt it be nice

Maybe if we think and wish and hope and pray it might come true
Baby then there wouldnt be a single thing we couldnt do
We could be married
And then wed be happy

Wouldnt it be nice

You know it seems the more we talk about it
It only makes it worse to live without it
But lets talk about it
Wouldnt it be nice

www.lyricsfreak.com

InboxDollars

While blog-hopping I happen to chance upon her blog and found out about earning extra cash while blogging. Since I need the extra money I figured why not give it a try.

So if you want to earn extra cash then clickety click here. :)

When in Baguio

....you take the Deluxe trip of Victory Liner because they have an airconditioned lounge for you to wait in

A lounge with pictures of old buses and their old bus station

plus the deluxe bus has big legroom although you can't cuddle (trying hard kami magdikit jan)

....you travel 15mins to Trinidad, Benguet to go strwberry picking even if it costs P150/kilo instead of P80/kilo if you don't pick them

...you go to Good Shepherd to buy their famous ube and take pictures of the view and their garden

...you go to nearby Mines View Park and take a picture with Doglas

No more kids who will catch the coins that you throw

but the view is still spectacular

...you then go to The Mansion and Mines View Park

...you go to Lourdes Grotto and take the hundred or so flights of steps to get to the top. But we cheated coz the taxi took us the top already hehe

...you can buy pasalubong at the shops nearby although there are stores in all the places I already mentioned.

...you hear mass at the Baguio Cathedral

...you should while away your time at Burnham Park and wait for someone to offer their services to shine your shoes or give a manicure-pedicure

...you go ukay-ukay and hope you get a steal like we did. Gucci bag for P350 (for my mom)

and for me two Coach luggages for P2000 not for one but for both luggages!

Now that's how I celebrated my birthday in Baguio. Turning 27 isn't that bad after all. Thanks to all who greeted me. Mwah!

Break Muna

Took this picture the other day. I had candies for merienda. I can't stop eating sweets again. That's why I can't shed the extra pounds I gained during the holidays. Today naman I'm so full because we went out for lunch at Max's - pansit, chicken, lumpiang sariwa, lumpiang shanghai, crispy pata! Haayy...mamatay sa sarap!

Of Housewarmings and Birthdays

Last Saturday, we (me, Grace, Joel and Gary) went to My and Robert's place. Sort of a housewarming of sorts. We ate way too much! My served us her specialty - baked spaghetti yum yum yum! We also had pork chops and fried chicken. Banana split for dessert (cappuccino ice cream for lunch then strawberry for dinner). My's house is really, really nice. Her daughter's room has a built-in playhouse. Awww I wish I had - make that have one. It's been so long the last time we saw her that it's like a never ending story telling for us plus Grace will be leaving soon for the States. Anyways, after eating lunch My called their masahista and we all had massages. Grace was the first one so while she was having her massage we went around Merville to look for houses/townhouses. Joel is looking for one although I'm not sure if he's serious about it. Then it was my turn to get a massage. It was a one-and-half-hour-pure-bliss. I think they ate merienda and watched Scary Movie 4 while I was gone. After my massage it's eating time again! Gary and Joel had their back massages afterwards then all of a sudden the day was over.




We'll see each other again for Joel and my birthday. The Baguio thing will not push through but we'll go to Tagaytay instead for Grace's despedida this March. Side note: I will go to Baguio this weekend with my family for my birthday. Yay!


Sunday was Luigi's 2nd birthday.




When Joema and I arrived, the "adults" were playing a game. The ladies won - of course! =P





Jo and David was in town again for David's brother's wedding. They were able to drop by the party but it was bye-bye time after that. We gave them our super late wedding gift :)






We had coffee after the party. But not for EJ who's now one month (or so) pregnant. Congratulations guys!






Weekends spent at home lazing around sleeping, eating and watching tv are fun. But weekends spent with friends are much much more fun!

Performer itech

We had our annual performance evaluation last Friday at work. I was so worried before my boss talked to me. But I'm pleased to say that she gave me an 'Exceptional' grade in one of my projects. *big grin* She also told me about the promotion that was supposed to be for me. You see, in the bank if you want to be promoted you have to apply for it. The opening are advertised and all qualified staff can apply. There is an opening for a higher level post which I was suited for. But I cannot apply for it yet because I need to be atleast one year in my current level. My boss wanted to wait until my first year which will be in February. But unfortunately our HR sent out a new AO that applicants for promotions should have been atleast two years in their current level. So, my boss told me they can not possibly wait for another year for me. She said they need to advertise the post even if I'm not yet qualified to apply. She didn't want me to be demotivated and assured me they appreciate the work I'm doing and that they will try to reclassify me to the next level. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything will work out fine. For the mean time, I need to show her that I am qualified for that promotion and that I am as hard working as my other colleagues in the unit.

Haberday!

Happy birthday to my only brother!!





Wishing you good health and all the happiness in the world. You deserve it!

Janice and Al's Wedding

It was Janice and Al's wedding yesterday. Janice is such a beautiful and elegant bride. The church they chose suit them perfectly because San Sebastian Church is soooo grand!!! They wanted this church because of its history. It's the only church in Manila "made of steel frames and panels...that were manufactured in Belgium". They enjoyed their Europe trip so much that they wanted their wedding to have a touch of something Europe. That is why they chose this church. Actually, the bride initially wanted a garden wedding but since priests don't marry couples outside the church they opted to have their reception at a garden instead, at The Orchidarium beside Luneta Park.

Joema wasn't able to come to the wedding so my "date" for the night was Steve.

During the reception, Janice and Al's love story was told to the guests. And theirs is like no other. They've been together for 12 years and half of it was spent away from each other. After college, Janice went to the States to study and finish her Masters degree for two years and then she worked in New York for three years. In 2002 she went back to Manila but it was Al's turn to leave to finish his Masters in Belgium. When he finally came back, they started preparing for their wedding. So nice noh! They stood the test of time and distance.

The other couples that night: Penny and Pao

Charline and Allan

Sino kaya ang susunod sa altar? Hmmm...

Sorry for my rant last night. I was just so pissed off. I am still irritated with that girl but I did not fax the letter anymore because I received an automated reply from the email. That means they reguarly check their inbox right? Oh well, I did told her why I was mad. It's a long tiring story of text messages exchanged. Let's just say na sayang ang piso ko pangtext sa kanya. The nincompoop will still go to our meeting place even after I told here I'm canceling our meeting. Good luck to her coz I won't be there.

Random things:

1. I'm eager to finish work today because Joema and I will see each other later this afternoon. In less than 5 hours I'm off! Yipii!
2. It's Janice and Al's wedding on Saturday. Pam gave me an evening purse as a Christmas gift and I'll use it on Saturday. I'm excited hehe. I like weddings because it's the only time I dress up like a real lady. :) Although hirap sa paa talaga mag-stiletto okay na rin. Nung wedding nga nila Jo, Cris and I are complaining 'sakit na ng paa namin, di ito ang natural na bihis namin'.
3. I have to buy a gift for my brother. It's his birthday on Sunday. Hmmm...what to give him?
4. I have P2200 worth of gift checks from SM. And I don't have anything in mind that I want to buy. Can I just exchange it for cash in their Customer Service booth? I will use part of it to buy my brother's present.
5. I need to scout for a gift for my parents' wedding anniversary. I'm thinking if I should give them another package from Nurture Spa like I did two years ago, or book them for an overnight stay at a hotel in the city like I did a year ago, or book them at a hotel in Tagaytay. I have to check out this place, Balay Indang, if it's good there.
6. We are planning to go to Baguio for Joel's and my birthday this January. Well, actually we're scheduled to go first week of February. Yehey! But before that we'll have a lunch get-together at My's place next Saturday.
7. Another trip I'm having this February is our trip to Davao. I have to scout for places to stay in and activities to do. I'm so excited for this one! I hope we have a great time like we did in Camiguin.

Customer is Always Right

I'm so pissed off with this agent I sent an email to the developer of the property she was selling to tell them of her unprofessionalism. Tomorrow I will fax my letter to their home office to make sure that they get it! Here's my email to them:

I saw an ad of your project Spazio Bernardo at this link:

http://bahay.ph/ads/15421/

I inquired about the property (on 12 Dec 2006) and Ms. Marivick Barbo sent me an email with the payment terms for the condo unit (on 13 Dec 2006). I made an appointment with her via text message on 28 Dec 2006, 2pm at SM North Edsa as I was eager to see the site and the model unit. She agreed on the date and time I set. The day before the appointment I was a bit anxious as she has not confirmed with me if we are pushing through with the meeting. But since she agreed, based on her earlier text message to me, I assumed that the meeting will push through. On the day of our appointment before 1pm, I sent her a text message asking her if we could move the time to 3pm instead because my boyfriend who was accompanying me was running late. She said it was okay but the meeting place she indicated in her reply was at 'Bluewave, Marquinton'. It turned out she set up another appointment on the same date and time that we agreed on. I wanted to cancel the meeting because of her unprofessionalism but she insisted that Ms. Lorie, the secretary in their office, will assist me. She also offered to meet me at 5pm instead. But since I had a previous engagement at 5pm the same day I agreed to meet Ms. Lorie which turned out to be alright because she was able to answer all my questions and she showed me the model unit and some of the condo units that were being renovated to show me a better view of what the unit will look like.

Ms. Marivick followed up on me asking how I found the property so I told her I will contact her for feedback. I sent her an email (on 4 jan 200) with some questions I have regarding the property and again set up a meeting for tomorrow, 11 Jan 2007, at 5pm at SM Megamall. On the same date, she confirmed our appointment via email and text. Again today, one day before our set appointment, I did not receive any confirmation from her. So I sent her a text message asking her if we are still okay to meet for tomorrow. She replied asking me what time we'll meet. I can't believe this agent of yours! She doesn't keep track of her appointments with her clients. Maybe you should give them diaries/planners as Christmas gifts! I accepted her apology the first time she forgot about our appointment, but the second time is unforgiveable.

She told me that your condo units are selling like hot cakes. I'm sure that's true with your very affordable price and the very nice environemtn of your project, but that doesn't mean that she will not take time to service all of her clients. She could have told me to set another time and date if she already has a previous appointment. As a working individual myself, time and money is of value to me. If your agent does not think that I am worth her time and attention then that is okay. I am letting you know how this agent has treated me so that you can teach them on how to handle your clients. The truth is, I was already keen on getting a unit but because of this I am extremely turned off with the service of your agent, I would rather get a condo unit from a not-so-famous developer than get one from you because I was not treated as a valued customer. Just so you know, customer service is still the most important factor in running a business.

Thank you for your time.