KEEP IT SIMPLE

I found this diagram in a tumblr account.
Simple lang noh?=D

(click on photo to enlarge image)

CHOWDOWN IN CHINATOWN

                                       

In one of my desperate attempts to gain weight, I thought of going on a food trip in the cheapest food-tripper friendly place I know, Chinatown Manila!

Mark promised to write about this in his blog (I'll update his link soon).

I bought Ivan Man Dy's Binondo Food Wok Map but lost it in the LRT. tsk. So we resorted to my stored knowledge (haha!!), Roam Magazine's Binondo Feature, guts and kakapalan ng mukha!=D The place is fairly easy to navigate anyway and it helps that Filipinos are naturally friendly.

What we ate?

Sizzling Fried Legs. Fried Siopao. Lumpiang Sariwa with seaweeds and peanuts. (I can't get over the peanuts, they made the lumpia taste really special). Sate Beef Chami. (Super Salty).Dumplings.

Di treated Mark and me to ice cream after just to rinse of the sauciness of Chinese food.

What we saw?

Charming Chinatown.=)

Who we met? Or better yet, who we made friends with?

The Philippines is the friendliest country in the entire universe!
This group of construction workers were so amused at us taking pictures of Mr. Ongpin (the statue along Ongpin St.) that we decided to have our picture taken with them instead.

Mr. Hi-Ho of Shanghai Fried Siopao (Hi-ho is just a name I gave him from Snow White's seven dwarfs' song, "Hi ho, Hi Ho, it's off to work we go..) and Kuya Tryk who took our very first group picture.

  

If being a Brazilian is too much to ask, dear Lord, I hope to become a flawless porcelain-skinned chinky-eyed hot Chinoy in my next life!!

Yay!=D

I LOVE THE UNIVERSE!

Inspiring!

I love the whole world. And being part of it. =D

A Discovery Channel Video: Boom-De-Yada

CHUCKS

 Universal Shoes? 

I have traded these pairs of Chucks with heels for now but I can not believe I've had them since college and still am using them. It's either I'm too poor to buy a new pair or my feet simply love the feel of being in them.

I walk with these shoes.

I run with these shoes.

I go to office with these shoes. (haha!)

I have gone to college with these shoes.

I hope to be resilient as my Chucks.

HARRY

I hope to write about interesting people I meet. This has been my plan since forever but I only have done it once and it's in fact one of the favorite subjects I've ever written. This was originally posted in my multiply account which I now rarely use.

Also, since I do not have a picture of Harry (the one I used in my old blog I can't export, yikes, low tech talaga ako) I'm posting mine (vain!) taken on the same night (christmas party) of my Harry encounter.

Date written: March 05, 2008

 Picture above: Newbies' Dance Team - We Placed 2nd. Harry's group was first. Photo Credit: Johans Lucena (johans318.multiply.com)

There was shuttle #32, shuttle #33 – then shuttle #40. Then #36. But our shuttle assignment was shuttle #34 and we found it at the tail of a long line of more or less 50 shuttles. All throughout the hunt, I was tugging my brown miniskirt, lugging some three pound-heavy backpack and desperately covering the length of my legs (naks!) with a supersize Watson’s plastic bag. But I wasn’t complaining. I was with Harry.

“Ganyan ba dapat kaikli?” He asked chuckling, referring to my skirt.

I gave him an awkward smile and let out a timid “hehe”. He offered to carry my things which I politely refused. He insisted. I gave in. My things were really heavy. And being the gentleman that he is, he gave me his shirt so I can wrap it around my waist. Hay!

When at last we found our FX-shuttle (damn it! Haha!), I suggested we sit in the back so we can make use of the space for my things. I struggled to lift my legs (and keep my butt from showing) to get in the car – I never realized miniskirts can be so binding. He assured me he will look the other way and even coaxed our driver to do the same. “O kuya, dun sa kabila tayo titingin ha!”, he said, as if enjoying my girly ordeal.

There were only three passengers. Me. Him. And that unremarkable third person who was dropped off just three blocks away from the venue of our company’s Christmas party. I had Harry all to myself for the majority of the trip. Merry Christmas to me! I feigned fatigue and sleepiness but I could not resist the urge of observing him really closely. He sang along with “We’re the king and queen of hearts…hmmmmm” playing in the background. “Pang Prom no?”, he said. “Oo nga” was all I could reply. Lame. Really Lame.

He was enjoying the song so much that he even played with an imaginary drum set. Cute. He showed me his disco ball necklace and congratulated my group for having placed second in the dance competition. I congratulated his group for being the FIRST. His Michael Jackson moves which had all the FLI girls shrieking and screaming replayed in my thoughts. He said it was a last – minute choreography and he’s ecstatic it worked out well.

Silence.

I have a fuzzy recollection of what we did or talked about but a few minutes before I got dropped off our East Avenue apartment came the kind of conversation which sets Harry apart from the rest.

“Diyan kami nagba-badminton”, he said, gesturing outside the translucent FX-window from where I vaguely saw a medium-rise building with what seemed like blinking lights. I nodded even if I wasn’t sure I got his badminton-building right and told him I am unfamiliar with the place. He was genuinely surprised.

Harry: Taga-QC ka di ba? Di ka nagpupunta dito?

Me: Di ako mahilig lumabas. Good girl ako eh.

Harry: So kapag mahilig ka lumabas di ka na good girl? Ang gusto ni Lord lumalabas tayo. Ang gusto niya pro-active tayo. (…Went on with a drawn out God-discussion)

Me: Alam mo bang di ako spiritual?

Harry: Si God, gumagawa siya ng paraan para mapalapit sa atin. It is sin which bars us from keeping a wonderful relationship with Him. (…More discussion)

I can not give justice to how spontaneously he revealed God, how he talked about Him with so much enthusiasm even after a physically-draining and super-fun party which had all with youthful vibe thumping and grinding with the 80’s music and having their generous fill of booze. Harry’s version of a post-party celebration is different. That is his magic. He is not afraid to be branded as, I don’t know, what do you call someone who openly talks about God, initiates conversation about Him, whenever, wherever anyway?

I remember one instance in the UP sunken garden when a bible-carrying, eyeglasses-wearing, curly-haired girl walked up to me and rattled off bible passages and Divine lectures. I got turned off then afraid and all I did was say sorry then I walked away. Harry’s approach is effortless and natural – and his charms make him all the more tolerable.

I regretfully cut short his homily as I had to give our driver directions to my place. The ride was really bitin. For him, maybe he was not able to share enough. For me, maybe I have not heard enough.

We exchanged goodbyes, goodnight’s and ingat’s. He moved to the front seat to keep manong driver company. I was kind of hoping to meet his eyes before I completely turn my back and lock our gate. But when I looked back I saw him smiling and shaking the hands of our driver, looking eager to share more of his stories. I hope manong driver enjoyed and more so appreciated his company. The same way I did.

BLOGGER BECAUSE..

Picture above: My Alabang workspace since 2008

My bond with a real estate company ended January this year and all of a sudden I felt lost and unsure of what steps to take next. You see, right after my college graduation in '07, I was accepted in a special program for fresh grads where we received specialized training from the company and in exchange, we were made to sign a contract for a 2-year service, or else we pay a serious amount of money. (naks, serious amount of money talaga noh?=p)

Being 'bonded' is good because it gives you focus. It's bad because it ties you down to something you're not even sure is for you.

The contract ended last January (yay!!). Good point, this is the freedom which I've long been waiting for!! I know very well that there are so many opportunities out there waiting for me and I hope to find my place in the universe. The title of this blog is actually inspired by my yearning to go beyond the desk which confines me everyday and refrains my hyperactivity.=p (Just in case I change my blog's title, it is called OUTSIDE THE CUBICLE when I wrote this entry.)

Bad point. What Now? Where to? What's frustrating is that, I couldn't point out what I like but I am pretty sure of what I don't like. Soul searching can be stressful, I tell you.=p

So the undecided me put up this blog because:

a) I hope to not bother my friends and workmates with work rants. Maybe cyberspace is more forgiving.

b) I hope that writing about stuffs that I feel and do and interest me will get me to my own space in the universe.

c) I like stories. And what can be more interesting than telling my own?

Also my boss requires me sometimes to write him his speech and our styles don't mesh. His is business-y. Mine is simple - and young. I find it unfair that I spend time writing for somebody when I can't write for myself. So I am giving myself time.

d) Like one of Anton Diaz's entry in OAP, I hope to make this blog my artwork, not for anybody else but for myself.

e) Blogging gives you the perfect excuse to go out and explore the universe. So you'll have interesting stories to tell.

Excited. Yay!=p

BEST I EVER HAD

I'm giddy to have found this on facebook. I have such a 'bano' taste in music so sorry if this one's 'mala-boyband'.I usually favor songs I can easily sing along to. Plus, it would not hurt if the singer is as cute as this one. So high school!

TUESDAY BLUES

Oh hello stress, we meet again. Let me handle you. =p

Breathe.

Yoga by the beach with friends

Laiya Batangas

March 21, 2010

HELLO TINA

I feel as if I've just mushroomed here in blogspot and started posting whatever I feel like posting. I hope to have a more decent blog if only to please its only reader: ME! haha! There's a reason as to why I have started doing this and I hope to write about it soon. Soon. Because for now, I'll step out and enjoy the summer heat!=D Yay!

GEEKFEST

My Current Addictions:

1) THE DIARY OF A WIMPY KID

My high school brother and grade school sister got me hooked. I was supposed to watch the movie this afternoon but I'm putting it off until the weekend because I'm the only one on leave today and the rest of the world has gone back to their post Holy Week routine. See, I'll forever be a kid at heart. I don't think this will ever replace Pugad Baboy and Archie, but still, I super love its humor. Very simple yet very entertaining. =D

Madali lang talaga ako pasayahin. Mga babaw hirit's, ayos na!=D

2) ROAM MAGAZINE, SIDE TRIP MAG

I don't dream of becoming a gypsy for nothing. If I could just run away from it all.=p These are must reads for some popular tourist spots and more so, the road less traveled.

3) EAT, PRAY, LOVE

My favorite book of all time. I have a 'for me' only copy, and a copy which I lend to others so they'll see how so beautiful this book is. One day, I'll just pack my bags and go wherever my feet will take me. Inspiring! They're making a movie out of it, I sure hope they'd do justice.

I love sharing my loves. Yay!

PUPPY LOVE

I'm 23.

And still giddy at "crushes".

Parang high school lang.=p

My cousin Nina and her friend. Cute. If only adults can be as intimate and be nonchalant about it.=)

Here's the adult version. haha!

Myrella and I wrote this in one of Red Mango's outlet where there's a freedom wall where you can just post about anything. I feel it's safer to post this here in this blog since this has far less viewership (ako nga lang yata nakakaalam - haha!) than facebook. =p We're taking charge! Feeling high school! yay!=D