I Love My Job

Now, THIS is what you call ad agency life. For several days in a row, I've been working past 9 p.m. Saya. :)

In Praise of Pasta

She said "Everything you see I owe to spaghetti."

Whoa. It's unfair. Look at her waistline. Sophia Loren at 19 and today.

Home Improvement Fetish

Am thinking of saving up for a.....flat screen TV! Or a projection TV. Only for the space-saving benefit of it.

Alright, alright, it looks cool, too.

While I was researching on the net, I found this and this in Karim's site. Hmmm I could think of many uses for these.

oOo

Hmmmmmm my pictures keep disappearing ...grrr.

oOo

After brainstorming at Coffee Bean with the team last night, Joan complained about how cold it was. We poopooed her and kept ribbing that it was her spaghetti strap top that kept her cold. But while walking back to Blanco, I felt a cold breeze which made me shudder a bit. Jeez it felt like December still. When I woke up this morning, the lovely Mexican weather lady of CNN explained why: Some sort of chilly wind from snowy China mainland. Wow, even our col air is made in China. Hehe.

Keeping It Real

The most difficult thing to evolve into is to be someone who is real. Not too many people become that even at a ripe old age. Whoever said that most psychological problems stem from people trying not to be themselves nailed it right on the head.

So when you do become real, everything falls into place. Really, all everyone has to be is to be their real selves, and the events one was meant to experience, the people you were meant to meet and the places you were meant to see---they just come to you without effort.

More and more, I am learning, that the more you accept the imperfections in yourself, the more real you become. And the more you let go of the idea that there is a perfect you, you will realize: "How arrogant of me to think I deserve only the perfect!"

Rather, what we need to seek and what every person deserves really, is to be in a relationship with that perfectly imperfect person who enjoys the company of the imperfect you.

And I am perfectly imperfect. And I don't apologize to anyone for being so.

Wowwww paree ang laleeeem like the balooon. You know, like the well with the tubig pare.

oOo

Another one bites the dust.......

oOo

If I were crazy, I'd be in Australia, Beijing, Singapore, KL, Hawaii and Dubai in the next few weeks. But I'm not. "Good girl" BUT thanks to Cayee, my sweet sis-in-law, I can stop by San Francisco to visit my cousins and NOT pay any additional cash. Yay yay yay! East to West Coast, yahoooo!

oOo

I bought 2 new pairs of shoes. Argh. And one top. Argh. But all on sale. Excuses, excuses.

Am in the market for new luggage, preferably in a bright lime green, silver or hot pink. Makes it easier to spot at airport luggage carousels even from a distance. No more tacky ribbon to distinguish it from the rest of the other black and brown luggage.

I also wanna get a casual travel suit tailored. But in hot pink. Nothing girly, just simple and modern. Am tired of black all of a sudden. I wanna get more color into my wardrobe. Am still on the lookout for green patent heels. As in bright primary color green. Not emerald. Not forest green. Not khaki green. But plain old bright green. Oh, and lime green open-toe wedges. Not easy, am finding out.

Word of the Day

overweening \oh-vur-WEE-ning\, adjective:

1. Overbearing; arrogant; presumptuous.
2. Excessive; immoderate; exaggerated.

As in, "Her overweening ambition made her unpopular at work."

Workity Work

Here at the office, finishing up some work. Had a nice breakfast at home, brunch at Saturday market and some dessert. Grethel dropped by! I haven't seen her since two years ago when she worked in Cayman Island. She hated it there and is back, doing freelance stuff for Lowe.

Slept early last night felt pooped. Am thinking of where else to bring Jojo's Austrian friend who arrived last week for business. Am trying to help him establish contacts here in Makati, maybe even help him out in the marketing and advertising side. He's trying to bring this unusual alcoholic drink into the country which I think will be a cinch to sell.

Problem with being single is, my relatives assume I have more free time than my married siblings. NOT. Like I have all the time in the world duh.

Then again, it's interesting to learn more about a new culture and to show my country and look at it through a foreigner's eye so am not complaining except maybe if there's so much to do at work. I've so far made Andy (Anders is his first name) try lechon, sisig and dinuguan which he enjoyed. He is craving for guava and guava juice (which we take for granted) and is eager to try balut, so might bring him to Baywalk or maybe Malate. No guava and balut in Saturday Market, can you believe that?

If not for the cool people at work, I wouldn't be enjoying this afternoon at the office. I am lucky than most people in that I enjoy my work and enjoy being with the people I work with--barf--even IF they love picking on me. *tears in my eyes* Barf ulet.

Word for the Day

Ain't Rashim cute?

Just started this yesterday after reading Karim Rashid's book. He does this everyday. I think it is a good habit to adopt and an easy way to learn new words. If I keep at it, I will learn 365 new English words a year, and 365 new Japanese words a year.

I took Japanese as my foreign language (mandatory) for 2 semesters in college and still remember how to write words in Katakana and Hiragana. I wanna improve on this and start learning to write......*shudder*.... Kanji, the most difficult to remember Japanese alphabet. Yeah, the Japanese are not content with one alphabet. They have 3!

Today's word of the day is......

dissimulate \dih-SIM-yuh-layt\, transitive verb:
1. To conceal under a false appearance.

intransitive verb:
1. To hide one's feelings or intentions; to put on a false appearance; to feign; to pretend.

Example: "He was too pissed off with client's stupid comments, he had to dissimulate his distaste for the directions he gave."

In short, plastic. Mwehe.

oOo


Japanese word for the day:

Ongaku - music

Dame desu! Subarashii desu hai? Hai!

Small is beautiful

Small thought. This morning, while reading Karim Rashid’s book, I realized I haven’t been pushing myself as much as I have when I was younger. I’ve let some things just slide. Like constant learning. My fitness. My vision. My aesthetic. And Rashid reminded me all over again of things I already know but have forgotten or let slide.

At the same time, I realize I have been successful in that I’ve discovered what I want and no longer want to compromise myself. I am living the life I want. I am living my authentic self. And I do not apologize to anyone for being me.

But there are some things I have allowed myself to compromise. Small things. Like not trying out new things and risking losing that sense of security that comes from familiarity and comfort and habit. Compromising because doing something different will shake my stable life and maybe raise a few eyebrows. Maybe even be thought of as crazy or out of my mind. No matter. These things that make me uneasy and afraid, I should embrace.

I thought I left that thinking behind when I turned 30. Seems I still slide back some of the time, and I have to constantly remind myself everyday to push. When I wake up in the morning, I try to remember that it is a brand new day to create and shape my life.

Small steps.

I am pissed off about many things this morning. But the more I think about them now, the more I realize it’s more of me being pissed off with myself than me being pissed with other people. And I have to thank Lester for listening to my woes for a few minutes and to share with me the joys of Zara sales, Style.com news and trendspotting updates. Thank God for YM and an office that allows its use.

Small joys.

Hate

If it's not fun, it's not worth it.

Narrowminded people should be shot and thrown into the Pasig river.

Turkeys can't turn into swans.

Men can learn a thing or two from him.

Time: The New Luxury

It's amazing how pockets of free time can help you see things with utmost clarity. Sleep and time, in fact, are the new status symbol. I need more of both. And so I said 'no' to 2 invites to go out last night and spent the night reading 3 books. I devoured two: one, a funny book called "How to Walk in High Heels" with a quirky nice cover and an advice book on clothes.

Now relishing the third: Rashid's 'Design Your Self.'

I already admire Rashid's design aesthetic. Now I am loving him more for his life philosophy. I especially respond to his "When you add, subtract" philosophy. Briefly, this means if you get a new pair of shoes, get rid of an old pair. The book itself is fabulously designed and layed out.

What's funny is, he even offers great love and relationship advice. Imagine such nuggets of wisdom as "Have sex everyday" and "Live independently of each other." Hahahaha hanep. And get this, he has a wife. I always thought he was of the Oscar Wilde variety. . .

Anyway, here are reviews off Amazon. Pretty accurate descriptions:

Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Designer and writer Rashid (I Want to Change the World; Evolution) weighs in on everything from redecorating and socializing to fitness, work and sex, all of which, he says, should be performed with flair and passion. Two themes dominate his philosophy on living: "less is more" and "do it with color." In decorating an apartment, then, Karim urges readers to use bright colors to "imbue the space with a plethora of positive energy," "put all your chargers in one place-with one surge protector" and follow his "no bookshelves" rule. His rules for work are similar-ditch the business card and "just tell people your email address." Women are encouraged to "wear white all year long," while short men should "wear flat-front pants, with a slight flare." When it comes to the bedroom, Rashid encourages readers to do it anywhere and everywhere else, and, by all means, use toys. (Conveniently, Rashid designs a line of upmarket erotic appliances.) The book's design is bright and brisk, making for an exciting read, though the range of subjects he addresses can make the book feel too scattered; the seven pages Rashid dedicates to death, though conveniently placed before his chapter on work, are superfluous. ("Why can't someone order a casket from Gucci or Prada?") Readers who are ready for the next generation of self help books will enjoy this volume.

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Book Description

Celebrated industrial designer Karim Rashid explains how to optimize all areas of life, aesthetic and spiritual, in this colorful, beautifully designed book.

Design wonderkind Karim Rashid, whose projects range from the Trump Towers apartments to Lacoste sportswear to the ubiquitous Umbra garbage can, prescribes an organizational and style overhaul in Design Your Life. In short, sharp chapters, he tackles topics as diverse as the wardrobe, office space, love life, and diet, answering perplexing questions like how to properly pack a suitcase, use colors to accent a room, and carve out free time in a busy schedule. Whether the reader is looking to redesign his physical space or spiritual life, Design Your Life offers comprehensive guidance that is straightforward and easy to follow.

Rashid's philosophies center on quality over quantity, space over clutter, clarity over complexity, and a marriage of form and function in every design. With each page in vibrant color and packed with his charming artwork and sketches, Design Your Life is an ideal gift book-and the very embodiment of Rashid's functional style.

Rainbow Sighting

While brainstorming with the team, saw 2 pretty rainbows from the office veranda. For some reason, it made me happy. 'Yun lang. Back to being sungit hahahha.

Clutch-friendly I-Shuffle

Now, this I have to have. Said to be the world's smallest mp3 player, it costs US$79 (or around P3k plus). But over at the electronics store in Paseo, it was being sold at P5k thereabouts.

Thank God I curbed my impulse to buy it then and there. It looked awesome! The size of the iPod radio remote, it comes in just a 1GB capacity, but sports a shiny new aluminum body with a clip for easy wearability. Will be nice to bring along while travelling, very small and non-flashy. Less danger of losing passports and IDs and stuff and all those documents you need while going through customs.

The plus: It will fit even the smallest evening bag. Will get this in the States instead of here in March. *Delaying gratification* I should pass the marshmallow test. Someone suggested that it would even make a great money clip. I agree. I lust. I want.

Artiste

I've got the art down to pat. Am happy. Don't know where things will lead, but am living in a zone where the now is eternally in focus, blurring the past and soft-focusing the future.

oOo

Waya prepared a delectable concoction of chicken, parsley, ginger, garlic and lemon wrapped in parchment paper. Baked. Took a while, but when she served it for breakfast with rice, something else! Chicken was tender and moist, not dry. I guess it's because of the parchment paper. If Waya were a guy, he'd be the perfect husband. Charing. In the real world, if he cooked chicken in parchment paper, he'd most likely be gay.

oOo

6-1!

Flea Marketing

Wala naman akong nakitang flea. Banda, meron. At Bill Blass na damit from the 80s with shoulder pads pa. Our Saturday trek to Evangelista to thrift shop in peektyurs. Saya saya.I'll take a picture of the crystals and the frame bags when I have time.

Boredom + Drunkenness = Creativity

Warning: Some adult content ahead!!!

One night at 121, we had a camera, a great photographer (Karl), flashlights, a nice idea (mine), lots of drinks and fabulous company. This is the result. Karl finally uploaded the pics. The rest here hehehe.

Evangelista Day

Yesterday, I finally pushed my butt to go to Evangelista instead of just lolling around in bed. Had breakfast with Waya at home and lunch at Saturday market with Paolo, Angel and Angel's friend, who is vacationing from the US. Did a little food shopping. Saw Civet Coffee being sold at a scandalous P500 for a teeny tiny bottle. Civet aka alamid eat up coffee cherries high up the mountains, the seeds get wrapped up in their stomach oils and they shit it out. Coffee pickers then pick the shit (ewww), wash 'em and what ends up is what is reputedly one of the most expensive and tasty coffee beans in the world. Yeah, even more expensive than Blue Mountain coffee. I have never tried it yet, the idea of how it is made deterring me from trying, but maybe another time when I drop by Bag o' Beans in Tagaytay.

After a quick nap, Waya, Paolo, Ige and I went to Evangelista. Took South Superhighway, turning right at Makati Apartelle to drop by Fat Michael's to ask for a map (they have a fabulously illustrated map with details on where the nice vintage stores are). Parked near a cafeteria and walked all around Bangkal. The sensation was something else. When you work and live in Makati, you don't quite get the same feeling. Lucky us, it was fiesta season for Bangkal, and loads of people were out celebrating. Bands were practicing and playing. Kids were out having fun. So Waya and Ige had a field day taking pictures.

Meanwhile, Paolo and I scoured the vintage and ukay stores for nice finds. I was thrilled to find a few jewels in my quest: 2 glass decanters (P300 each which I haggled to P200 each), and two vintage frame bags, one dark brown, the other a nice tan leather with gold rivets (P450 each which I haggled down to P500 for both).

I saw a nice 50s-esque sofa and chair, but I held out for a bit, thinking first of how it would fit in the apartment. We already had the requisite light wood and white color scheme, and a dark wood sofa and chair would not only look out of place, it would take up much precious space. In any case, I know now where to go if ever we did redecorate. Wasn't lucky in my quest for a chandelier, though. No one quoted me below P6,000.00, which I balk at 'cause a nice brand new one in Home Depot (crystal pa) is worth only P4k max.

We encouraged Waya to put up a site to upload her pictures. She has a very good eye and it would do well to hone her talent. Am waiting for the pics. We looked like we were having a fabulous time.

Tired and hungry, Ige pointed us to this small restaurant near Kamagong which serves Iloilo-style Bulalo. And boy, for P150+, a real good deal. The flavor nuance of this version of Bulalo is more on the sour side. I detected a little kick of either kalamansi or vinegar, which I don't find in Batangas and Tagaytay bulalo. I forgot the name of the restaurant, dang it, but I'll post about it as soon as my foggy brain remembers it.

I managed to drop by Ene's house in Kamuning to bring her Christmas gifts, which have been under our tiny white Christmas tree for some time, and something Paolo wanted me to hand to her. Oh fuck it I forgot to get that signed letter the office needs from her! Darn my brain's getting all fuzzy. I better call her later, maybe drop by tonight. Lisa needs it for accounting for her "services rendered" to the office as 'talent' (naks) for one of our print ads. We haven't had time to meet up recently which is a drag 'cause she's so much fun to be with. Anyways, mental check. Must not forget that.

In the meantime, I'm blogging here at the 'rents, waiting for them to dress up. Family day means malling but this time, it's my cousin Cathy's bday, who's in the country for a while on a vacation tour of Southeast Asia and I think we're having our usual looooooong dinners in Podium or Shangri-la. I don't know where yet. She's based in New Jersey, and I think she's here with her Filipino fiancee and is going to introduce him to us. I bought her a nice bag for her to use in her trip.

Am a bit upbeat lately as I've had lots of rest this week compared to last week. We have another round of deadlines this coming week at work. Duh. Hope everything turns out well.

Oh, I saw a former client use our print ad as a billboard while driving around in the Fort. Duh.

oOo

Friday night, met up with Munster for a snack then after, went out with Dave who just flew in from Sydney. We had dinner at Longgrain (?) in Rockwell, one of the places I haven't tried. When we went, it was empty save for one customer. Which didn't bode well, right? But my Beef Rendang was awesome as did the eggplant side dish they served. D loved his Green Curry and thanked me for bringing him there. We shopped a bit as he was looking for some Ministry of Sound CDs. I brought him to the right section while I looked for the latest Killers album. Damn CDs now are real cheap, like P350 for an original Killers album. And according to Dave, still cheap here compared to Sydney so he bought a bunch of 'em collector's editions.

The record companies better lower their prices or else they lose to Limewire and the pirates in Makati Cinema Square hehe. Had a bit of coffee. Walked around. Then went home around past 10. The accounts guys were still in Coquina, but sleep was more attaractive to me at that point. Zonk. Zip. And that's all folks.

Dining at The Clinic?

Client shared that there's a girlie bar place in Roxas Boulevard called "The Office." So when the wife calls to ask the hubby where he is, he won't be lying when he says, "At The Office!"

In Singapore, there's a cool bar called "The Clinic." This is how it looks like. Found this at that cool site, Cool Hunter, roaming the globe "so you're in the know." Bookmark it!

The Costs of Infection

Back at work. Had a shoot previously but I really felt woozy and asked that I don't stay on for the night. I hate being sick.

Found out I have some sort of throat infection, which explains the pain in my throat and my general malaise for the past few days. My doctor (my bro) prescribed me a slew of pharmaceuticals. Took the day off to be a vegetable and watch yet again Project Runway Season 3. And then because no one would be able to do it for me (boohoo, the perils of living alone), weak-kneed me walked on by to the nearest Mercury to buy them (wwwahhhh I miss my mom!). Thank God there IS a Mercury now within walking distance from my place. Now, if only there was a Mr. Quickie and a dressmaker, ayos na.

Imagine my shock when I had to pay over 2k for my week's supply of antibiotics! And that's not even counting the lozenges (every 2 hours which means I take 12 a day? I don't know if the prescription was exaj), paracetamol and cough syrup. Sheesh. I can buy a top from Zara with that money. And I'm not even talking about a t-shirt from their teen line, but an honest to goodness dressy top or skirt. Or even a pair of good shoes Or even a new NARS Multiple. Shet. Hate hate.

My budget's screwed up. Anyway, I ended up doing some must do errands to make use of my time well. Go to the bank. Pay bills. Withdraw money. I got a white Japanese shallow bowl to place keys/receipts/bills, light bulbs for backup, a Chinese lamp, electrical cords and sockets for the bulbs (the kind where you have to pull a chain to turn the bulb on). Boring stuff for the house.

Now, am on a home improvement trip. Now, I realized I need:

1. tassels to attach to the pull-type bulb sockets - how old school, 'di ba?
2. a large shag carpet to rotate with the red one we have
3. vintage glass decanters (meron laya sa Envangelista?) to put in moutwash, hand gel, dishwashing liquid....looks way better than plastic pump containers

Anyway, in the evening, while waiting for my Tapa King dinner (thank God for delivery), mom texted that my Canadian Visa got approved. Yahooooo!

Don' t Feel So Great

It's like I have this big knife lodged in my throat and it hurts everytime I swallow and cough. My body feels like it has the flu but I have no temperature. I feel cold, like when you have the flu. Joints feel sore. And looks like I will have to look for a new room mate soon. Anobeh. Am keeping mum about it. I already know the kind of off-color jokes the boys will say when they find out.

Keri, Okey!

Ige: Wow, karir....serious. ... flat naman!
Arnie: Hoy, ikaw 'di lang flat, sharp pa. Hmmp bitch.

Pau: Ang aarte..
Angel: Ang ganda ko!
Kris: Okay ba cleavage?
Arnie: Ma, Coke Lite 'to, hindi beer!

Pau: Gamit ko, Colgate with Calcium!
Arnie: Ayan side view, para payat...
Kris: Kunwari virgin!


Kris/Angel: Ambango ni Denyak!
Arnie: Angellll ang puwit mo nakaharang!
Denyak: Sakit ng singaw ko...

The fun, fun, fun annual Whitehall-Gasso Red Box party. More pics here.

Remember Cassette Tapes?

Now, this is cool.

"This back to the future bit of kit is a full logic, front-loading cassette deck that can convert, edit and play tapes on your PC. Once you've hooked up the Plus Deck you can rediscover the music and sounds you grew up with in MP3 format, archive your collection, or simply use it to play tapes on your computer."

A Real Bobby Dazzler

The fanny is happy 'cause of the gala which caused a kafuffle dressed as the usual lair. Greeted me with a pash. Keen as mustard and in the lair. Onya! So zonked hahahaha.

Reality

"Stephen: What you feel only matters to you. It's what you do to the people you love. That's what matters. That's the only thing that counts."

This reminded so much of people I know. Reminded me of mistakes other people have made. And reminded me of the reason why I think marriage can be overrated. Damn great script. All too real.

Tito Tim Has a Show!

Tim (naks feeling close) has inked a deal with Bravo to host his own show, "Tim Gunn's Guide to Style". Saya. If I get to meet him in person, I'll be ecstatic.

Oi, an interview with Laura and Uli. Kweeek watch it!

Saya

Today I am going to do...... nothing! Sarap.

oOo

I almost died laughing. My lola, whose mind is starting to get blurry if you get what I mean, pondered over why I shouldn't just marry Gino since we get along so well and we spend so much time together. I almost died laughing. She doesn't know. I couldn't say.

The weird thing is, mom knows, and STILL she argues that, hey, there are unconventional marriages like that now and a lot of them work. Come to think of it, we ARE like an old, bickering couple. But coming from my ultra Victorian mom, it was a laugh. She wasn't even joking. I guess she just wants me to have kids na.

Ay baliw.

Insomnia

It sux.

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what did you think? Not bad.
2. How much cash do you have on you? My wallet's upstairs, but I think I have around 3,000 inside it.
3. What's a word that rhymes with "TEST"? rest
4. Favorite planet? Planet Arnie
5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone? B
6. What is your favorite ring on your phone? Hellomoto
7. What shirt are you wearing? H&M t-shirt
8. Do you "label" yourself? hmm yeah
9. Name the brand of shoes you're currently wearing now? Havainas
10. Bright or Dark Room? dark
11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you? Baliw
12. What were you doing at midnight last night? B was showing me his brandspanking new Powerbook and demonstrating how Parallel works (makes Windows work in Apple OS)
13. What did your last text message you received on your cell say? "You still up barney?"
14. Where is your nearest 7-11? Tandang Sora
15. What's a saying(s) that you say a lot? Ganun...Hellow....Ohmeynn!
16. Who told you they loved you last? Gino
17. Last furry thing you touched? A throw pillow
18. How many days of school did you miss this week? none
19. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed? 1
20. Favorite age you have been so far? 29
21. Your worst enemy? Myself.
22. What is your current desktop picture: at work, a collage of balenciaga and peter som and marni dresses
23. What was the last thing you said to someone? 'Sige matutulog na ako'
24. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly, which would you choose?: A million bucks.
25. Do you like someone? yup
26. The last song you listened to? Original Fire - Audioslave
27. Carmen Electra or Pam Anderson? Carmen Electra

Puyat to the Nth Power

The week that was. Several days of working late into the night yet still finding time to have fun. Connecting with fellow free spirits. Gino dropping by after a not-so-nice Friday night date. I was basically a veritable vegetable on a Friday, sleeping in then catching up with a friend. The usual trying-to-keep the apartment decent looking as much as I can. My mom would be so proud. Basically, when you're living with the parents, you take for granted that someone else, the maid or your mom, will be picking up after you--the clothes strewn over the chairs, the coffee cup on a table, the glass of water over there, the wet towel over the bed. When you're on your own, if you don't, these things STAY there and it's NOT a pretty sight after several days.

I went out briefly to finally do some stuff I haven't been able to sneak into my schedule because of the crazy week, trying to make a client approve a storyboard. Finally, that's over. There's next week once again. Pat on the back, I was able to get my heels resoled, get my keys duplicated (so no more getting locked out of the apartment episodes) and buy 2 cheap-and-cheerful light-wood laminate (yeah laminate eek) cupboards on sale. I plan to change the icky plastic knobs with something a little more sleek. Mental note to drop by Home Depot or True Value for brushed steel knobs.

Waya is still in Banaue, entertaining family so I come home to the apartment with no cheerful "Hiiiii!" to greet me. I wonder how she's doing? No one's around to cook me breakfast hahaha. Great thing Paolo was around, we did a bit of shopping in Rockwell: toiletries at PCX for Pao and me restocking on some VMV beauty loot. There was a big, bad ass sale in Top Shop, but there were so many people and a long,snaking line at the counter, we skipped it. We DID drop by Zara (of course!) to check the latest stuff, but I didn't see anything that popped out and called my name. Oh, there was this divinely chic black velvet blazer with an Edwardian collar, but I don't know when I'd be able to wear that except if I had to attend some evening affair.

I dropped by Shiseido while Paolo went to Girbaud to see if they already had the refill to my face powder compact in my shade. As usual, still no stock. The girl was persuading me to buy another line of face powders (the Luminizing instead of the Sun Care), but I was in no mood to buy another compact when I already had one. Heavens, the refill alone is already expensive! Well. Let's see. I tried on the Luminizing on my hand and the texture and finish was real extraordinary. I'll give it the one week test.

I bullied Paolo to plunk down his money for a pair of Adidas sneakers in the most perfect red color in Traffic. He looked at it with such longing and talked about it with such earnestness even after we up and left the store, I told him to just up and buy it and not buy any clothes for a while. Teehee BI ako.

Ayaw ko na mag-isip where to eat, we ended up in old reliable Cucina Victoria. Good. Filling. 'Yun na.

Saturday morning, I still had a headache. I stayed up late the previous night, animatedly discussing Surrealism and Luis Bunuel with B at his apartment. His fold-out Harman Kardon speakers for his Ipod. Where I can get the cheapest Mac stuff (at the Duty Free in Bangkok, and he would know, he travels everywhere). Whatever. A major geek hahaha.

I am ashamed to admit, I have no idea of who Luis Bunuel is despite being a Comm major who took up several Film courses. I vaguely remember watching Andalucian Dog but that's as far as I have in my foggy brain. He made it my assignment to check out his films (several shorts are public domain so you can easily view them on YouTube and other websites). I am not so excited about Surrealism, the movement, really but I am always curious about stuff I don't know anything about and will most likely go through the motions of watching and reading about him just for the exercise.

I asked the manong downstairs to help me bring up the shelving to the apartment and after, promptly got rid of the clothes that couldn't fit into my 3-level drawer thing anymore. So much for being minimalist hahaha. Now at least, I have somewhere to put my clean clothes. It was irritating that I had no place for them and had to resort to putting piles of clothes beside my bed. The apartment is so neat, I love it.

Am thinking of getting a blender, which Paolo thinks is so gay, but it would be nice to make some fruit shakes/smoothies and stuff so we'd have more fruit into our systems. That's my personal project for next week.

I hope I can get to fix the aircon vent soon. It's so hard to make singit getting it done 'cause I like to make bantay to make sure everything works out right. And I can't well leave the apartment with someone I barely know fixing it. Not that we have a lot of valuables in the apartment (hahaha who'd be interested in my makeup).

Anyway, I wish I could've stayed on, wrinkling my bed until after lunch, but I had to withdraw money from the bank for dad in far-off QC, and the bank closes at 12 noon so I had to leave early. Duh. I still have a vague headache from puyat which I aim to eradicate by being a slug over the weekend. I am thunders na. I can't handle puyat anymore.

Oh I bought a chain thingy to install in the apartment. A double bolt maybe another time.

Design, Design, Design

Can't get enough. It's all I think about right now, it's on an obssession-level. I've been watching Project Runway over and over and over again. It's on while I clean the house. While I wash the dishes. While I talk to someone on the phone. I keep watching it and I can visualize myself in that world, of fashion. Maybe not here, where I think it's more about who you know and how you sell yourself more than what you create. I don't know. Right now, all I'm sure of is I love and appreciate fashion and design more than anything.

Right now, I love Castle-Starr.

Crossing the Line

We're all satisfied, living within the lines that we create ourselves 'cause within them, we are safe and there are no surprises. But sometimes, crossing the line makes you see things you would otherwise not see if you were inside; enlarges your point-of-view and ultimately, makes you grow. Outside looking in, if you will. And today, I crossed that line.

Nah. All this drama. I've been crossing the line too many times last year already. Just that today was a milestone. And I am loving myself even more for doing so.

Whohoooo

Crazy, wild Friiidaaay.

Waiting for Client

Firsts

1st time you tried smoking:
high school. never really picked it up until recently.

1st alcoholic drink you had:
tequila.

1st time you entered a bar:
high school. silhouette tower, greenhills.

1st award you received:
achiever's award, grade school.

1st hero:
joseph in the bible.

1st time you were sent to the principal:
never. except to make chika with the principal who borrowed books from me (nerd!)

1st college entrance exam you took:
UP.

1st teacher in college:
mrs. merceditas contreras, freshman english

1st job:
junior reporter

1st goal you achieved:
don't remember.

1st crush:
i vaguely remember it was an older boy playmate.

1st person na binigyan mo ng flowers?
mama mary.

1st date:
legit or illegit? hehe. college with _____

1st friend:
our maids.

1st kiss:
7 years old.

1st movie you watched with a friend:
dead poet's, i think.

1st fight with a friend:
don't remember. i never fought with anyone.

1st gift you received from a friend:
a bookmark, i think

1st gift you gave to a friend:
card.

1st record you bought:
cassette-simple minds and side a hahahaha baduy

1st song you sang infront of many
sound of music

1st musical instrument you learned to
piano

1st concert you watched:
joey albert hahaha

1st celebrity you saw in person
lorna tolentino or ton ton guttierez

1st TV show you really liked:
sesame street

1st book you bought:
sweet dreams

1st sport you played:
basketball

1st sleepover:
high school, practice for a school play

1st terrible fight:
with my brother. we wrestled :P

1st prank:
wala. nice ako eh.

1st inaanak:
maid's daughter

1st time you spent the night alone
our maid went home to the province

1st bestfriend:
cc

1st wedding you attended:
tito beto and tita pomy's (flower girl ako)

1st person who greeted you on your last birthday
gino

1st friend in friendster:
hmmm si madz!

1st time you got lost:
baguio palengke

1st cellphone:
the big nokia phone

1st cellphone ringtone:
the usual

1st collection:
bags, rocks and stamps

1st club you joined:
bazooka bubble gum hahahaha

1st time you felt proud of yourself:
i won an essay writing contest

1st time you saw a ghost:
heard, yes

1st rollercoaster ride:
grade school fair

1st school you attended:
narciso's kindergarten school

1st friend you had when you entered college:
trixie

1st ambition:
to be a scientist, inspect rocks and make lab experiments

NARS Spring 2007 Collection

It's here! I want the "Risky Business" lipgloss and the "Tutti Frutti" lipstick, a sheer, candied strawberry, according to the website. If it's anything like 'Dolce Vita' in texture, I certainly am gonna fall in line to buy one. Likey-like.

All Hail England!

London bridge has fallen down, fallen down....

Yesterday

January 10, 2007

The warm sound of cellos will fill your heart and send tears pouring down your face today -- too bad you'll be in line at the drugstore when this happens. Bring a hankie.

Shet.

IPhone: What's Next?

Today, Steve Jobs launched the iPhone to the world with these words: "Well today, we're introducing THREE revolutionary new products. An iPod, a phone, an internet mobile communicator.... these are NOT three separate devices! And we are calling it iPhone!"

I wonder how much it costs?

oOo

I LOVE season 3 of Project Runway and I just finished watching all of it, marathon-style, since I arrived from dinner with E last night. I barely slept but I managed to nap through some parts of it and woke up around 7 a.m. to continue.

This batch is a real talented and mixed bunch. The output was exceptional compared to the previous seasons. I can't even say I don't like anyone's design aesthetic. The only downside is there wasn't much fighting or arguing going on like in the previous season. Everyone was generally lovely.

Ahhhhh I Have Season 3!

Project Runway season 3 is way cool. So far, I am loving Laura, Keith and Robert. I won't be able to sleep well the next few days, that's for sure. I have to finish the entire season.

One board down. One more to go for Friday.

oOo

Am meeting up with E again tonight. Teehee.

Working

Animal, animalistic, arousing, blue, bodily, carnal, debauched, delightful, epicurean, exciting, fleshly, heavy*, hedonic, hot*, hot stuff, irreligious, lascivious, lecherous, lewd, libidinous, licentious, lustful, moving, physical, pleasing, purple, randy, raunchy, rough, sensuous, sexual, sexy, sharpened, steamy, stimulating, stirring, tactile, unchaste, unspiritual, voluptuous.

Looking for a word that means delicious but in a 'carnal' way. Boss's instructions.

Which made me remember a number of things. Rats.

Back to work.

So, animal, bodily, corporal, corporeal, earthly, fleshly, genital, impure, lascivious, lecherous, lewd, libidinous, licentious, lustful, physical, prurient, salacious, sensual, sensuous, temporal, unchaste, venereal, voluptuous, vulgar, wanton, worldly...

it's 1:44

Am still here. Surfing about Daniel Craig. Alpha male through and through.

It's 12:46 p.m.

And I'm still at the office. I love my job. NOT. I wanna go home na. Arg.

Grrrr

First cry of the year. Because of my dad. I swear he can be the most difficult person in this side of my planet.

Black is Always In

Even in nails.

Got my nails done a while ago. Had them apply a dark plum color, almost black, on my hands and a bright true red on my feet. And lo and behold, while surfing, look:in 2006 apparently, black polish was hot in 2006. And everyone couldn't get enough of Chanel's 'Black Satin', reportedly sold out everywhere in the US.

oOo

We had dinner in Gloria Maris, Podium. Am so busog. Burp. Must eat light dinner tomorrow.

New Year Survey

I answer this every year. And my dad isn't here yet. Tagal. Survey time muna.

What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before?
Basically debauched and walked on the wild side.

Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Most of them. Like saving up. Being less anal but not naman too lax. Being honest with myself.

Did anyone close to you give birth?Nope.

Did anyone close to you die?No thank God. Oh an old cellphone died on me.

What countries did you visit?
HK, Macau, China (Shenzen).

What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
Honestly, none. Am strangely satisfied this year.

What date from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?None. Duh.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Being happy.

What was your biggest failure?Being too content, maybe. No, scratch that. Not pushing myself too much in boxing.

Did you suffer illness or injury?
Just the usual PMS related ennui.

What was the best thing you bought?
Stuff for the apartment: DVD player, espresso machine (though I haven't used it once haha) and the amazing Guerlain Meteorites and T. Leclerc Loose Powder in 'Banane.' I'm shallow, so sue me.

Whose behavior merited celebration?
Someone at work who shows strength of character and a genuinely open spirit.

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Grrr. Basta.

Where did most of your money go? rent, eating/going out, money for my parents, pension plan, plane ticket.

What did you get really, really, really excited about? Books, Project Runway, Chloe, Marni, Balenciaga, Goyard and men in general.

What song(s) will always remind you of 2006? "London Bridge" by Fergie.

Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? -- Happier.
ii. thinner or fatter? -- Fatter. Hate.
iii. richer or poorer? -- Richer! Delaying gratification works.

What do you wish you'd done more? Boxed. Read.

What do you wish you'd done less of? Stayed out late. Smoked. Drank.

How many one-night stands?Mwahahahaha

What was your favorite TV program? Project: Runway, Grey's Anatomy

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? None. I am SOOO mature and level-headed, I'm starting to bore myself.

What was the best book you read? Didn't do much reading, but I learned a lot from "Call of the Mall" by Paco Underwood

What was your greatest musical discovery? Franz Ferdinand, Hot Hot Heat, Audioslave and John Legend

What did you want and get? I got everything I wanted. Seriously. Well, except being with.....but that's wishful thinking.

What was your favorite film of this year? Girl in the Cafe

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? We ate out, I don't even remember where. I turned 34.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?Three things: Running the business full-time. Painting. Travelling every month.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
Something new, something old, something comfy, something I wouldn't normally wear.

What kept you sane? Laughter.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Daniel Henney. Rowr.

What political issue stirred you the most? None. I ignore politics.

Who did you miss? D.

Who was the best new person you met? B, R and W.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006: Happiness is not a noun, it's a verb.

What was the nicest thing someone told you about yourself: That I am the most self-assured woman someone's ever met. Ha as if.

The most touching experience you've had this year? Knowing G would ALWAYS be there for me. Always.

What did you like most about yourself this year? I did what I set out to do.

What did you hate most about yourself this year? Went just a bid overboard on the zen thing.

What was your proudest moment of 2006? When I discovered my net worth. And when dad bragged about me to someone and I overheard (he is stingy with praise).

What was your most embarrassing moment of 2006? Sheeesh I don't wanna remember.

If you could go back in time to any moment of 2006 and change something, what would it be? Just up and bought something I wanted. I've been real sensible this year. Zzzz.

What are your plans for 2007? Draw up a plan. Execute but loosely follow and adjust. Save. Travel. Study. Risk even more.

How are you different now that the year has ended? I am calmer, happier and wiser.

What are your wishes for the new year? Someone better than D.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: "How come everytime you come around my London London bridge wanna go down...."

What Joy!

Shallow Joy 1: A text from Lester shares that the next capsule collection to be launched by Target this coming Feburary is by none other than Proenza and Schouler!

Shallow Joy 2: Paolo just texted, saying there is now a DVD of Project Runway Season 3 available at our suking pirated DVD vendor! *Palpitate*

Ho-Hum

Finished all the documents finally! Yay! Tomorrow, I call the Canadian Embassy for the Fedex guys to pick up and deliver. They don't do personal interviews anymore, surprise, surprise, so I made sure my picture looked nice. :P

oOo

Friday night, Red Boxed with another batch of clients again, this time with that pharma account. It was a whole lot of fun with the creatives and my favorite accounts girls present. I didn't eat much as I was busy singing. Besides, I was still full after pizza, pasta and sugar-free sansrival at nearby Grappa's in Greenbelt. Brainstormed with the team there so we could go straight to Red Box after. We're clearing on Monday, 11 a.m. Ack. Good luck to us.

I enjoyed it so much, we were the last people to leave. I went all out singing a duet of 'Magkasuyo' with Ige. It was especially fabulous 'cause two of our clients, Mel and Cy, two very good singers, were singing with us. Needless to say, Ige and I couldn't monopolize the night too much har har. Rats.

Left Red Box past 1 a.m., and Ige dragged us pa to 121 to meet up with Adie and her friends. It was unusually packed! Saw the 121 regulars and other people who were, I think, celebrating someone's birthday.

I finished a glass of red wine and still no Paolo (who went up briefly to the apartment supposedly to change). Meanwhile, sick Ige was crashing and was nodding off to sleep in his chair. So we decided to call it a day around 2 since Adie and her friends transferred to Capone's anyway. Ige and I certainly weren't scinitillating company, tired and pooped as we were. Poked Ige awake and walked back to the apartment.

Was jolted awake the next day with my mom calling me at 7 am, asking me to buy dollars for dad (you can't buy US dollars from a bank unless you are planning to travel, meaning you must have a plane ticket and a passport to show and dad wasn't travelling overseas anytime soon and needed the dollars for his business).

Long story short, with my head throbbing from alcohol and lack of sleep, I went to the bank and bought the damn dollars, then promptly went back to Makati as we had a brainstorming (again) to continue with the team.

We killed time at Coffee Bean near the apartment and came up with some 8 or so ideas. The team didn't seem too excited yet though so personally, I feel we'll need another round of brainstorming tomorrow.

In the evening, I had dinner and coffee with E in Greenhills and was home earlier than usual. Bought a back issue of British Glamour (the best Glamour ish) and a Harper's Bazaar with Catherine Zeta Jones on the cover. No traffic on EDSA, which was a surprising change for a Saturday night.

Thank goodness my period's almost gone or else I'd still be feel blah today. I still feel sleepy though. I should really be home by 10 pm everyday, stop smoking (albeit socially) and limit myself to drinking wine. Period. I wanna curl in bed with my books and magazines, but the family's going out in a while for the usual family dinner. I think we're going to Podium as usual. I wish I could just stay home.

Am starting to get bored again.

More Celebrations

My youngest brother has gone a long way from his flat-footed clumsy self. Was real happy to get this email from him:

Dear Daddy, Mommy, Kuya Jojo, Ate Arnie and Kuya Rex,

I am happy to inform you that I was accepted for an International Scholarship Program in Advanced Interventional Endoscopy at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco California.

I will be starting this coming March and will be staying there for 1 year.

I am also a candidate for the most outstanding fellow in Gastroenterology for this year so please pray for me.

Mark

Haha Moment

Dami work. Sneaked some time to check my sitemeter stats. Someone found my blog after searchng the word 'bading.' Hahahahahaha

All I Ever Watch is Food Network

At least, it's true in my case. I hardly watch tv lately. If I do, I'm glued to the Food Network, or MTV, but more for background noise than anything else. The Food Network as the new MTV? With the Naked Chef and the Iron Chefs snatching icon status from the usual rock and music stars, must be some trend that's shaking media researchers heads. Apparently, am not alone.

Looking Back: The Best Ads of 2006

From Businessweek.com:

"It’s been a year of tumult in the advertising industry. The Web continues to eat into consumers’ television time. The 30-second spot has been challenged by viral campaigns, but that doesn’t mean every company should try it. Blogs, co-creation, and YouTube all spell change for the industry — it’s just not clear what that change should be.

The good news for Madison Avenue — and its clients — is that advertising is far from dead. In some ways, it has never been more alive. For evidence, look no farther than our round-up of the most memorable ads of the year. Some soared, some stumbled, but all proved that creativity is making a comeback. And that is good news for all of us."

Instant Party

Just add vodka.

Paulo leaves for New York by February to study. Carmie is leaving to sell donuts (haha). And guess who just got engaged?

It was the perfect time to party last night. It was a blast though the real drinkers (Julette especially) weren't around so there was so much booze left for another party. Went home past 3 a.m. My head hurts from drinking too many Cosmopolitans.

It was a blast thanks to Angel's uber-efficiency and her instant margarita and cosmpolitan buckets. We even had makeshift hurricane lights in the garden area: tea lights and brown paper bags. We had a small fire incident involving Paolo and the table cover that was extinguished quickly.

Claire, Shelyn and Iman, my good, good friends from my previous agency, dropped by, too. Iman was nice enough to give me a copy of his second album. We're planning to meet up again to visit our inaanak, Santino, next weekened. Am sure he's all grown up now. Didn't realize how much I missed them till last night.

oOo

The T is back. Happy days are here again.

oOo

Whatever you do, do NOT eat at Han Kang (beside Bento Box in LP Leviste cor. Herrera). That was the worse lunch I've had in recent memory.

First Day of the Year

There's this superstition my mom once told us about how the things you do on New Year's Day will shape whatever happens to you the entire year. Well, today, January 1, 2007, I woke up early to fill out application forms, arrange for bank documents and type out travel documents.

Does that mean I'll be travelling the entire year? I HAVE heard that our annual office overseas trip might be to Cambodia this year. Not confirmed yet though 'cause some office mates say it might be to Bangkok again. *Excited* I just hope the schedule doesn't overlap with my trip to the US and Canada though. Last year, our trip was scheduled May so I guess it's just about right.

Am planning it out so it becomes a productive and organized one. Having a father who's the stereoptypical type A (Capricorn pa!) personality does that to you. Even if you're a Piscean Type B like me. So I guess I, grudgingly, have him to thank for training me to to always have a Plan B and C...and yes, even a D. But not, I hope, to a pathological degree. His OC-ness is legendary. But that's another story.

I can be forgetful, but having a 'to do' list and backup documents as fallback saves me. Like that time I left my passport at the Customer Service counter of the Macau Jet Foil station. I guess I left too much in haste and left it there.

Was beating myself up for losing it as I was gonna pay a lot of money to have it replaced, if I remember right, enough to buy several Uniqlo t-shirts and stuff at Muji. But good thing I had a photocopy of my passport and IDs on hand as I always do it would be easy to get a replacement. I did call a lawyer friend who knew somebody from the Embassy to help me out but turns out I didn't need to do all that.

I retraced my steps with Pedi, Ainee and Lisa and went back there and found it at the Customs area. The kind Customs officer was really nice, even asking me about my trip. Well, he was cute, too hehe. Imagine a Vaness look alike without hair product in a khaki customs uniform.

But anyway, why did I suddenly remember that? I just finished typing everything up and I have to do those boring errands before work starts again tomorrow. We have a New Year drinking thing tomorrow night even. Holiday mode ends today.