Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas!

It's the second time that I'm celebrating Christmas away from home. But I'm glad that it's not that sad at all as I expected. Thanks to my dear ones who are around and it also helped that we reached that age wherein substance over form really matters. My Abu Dhabi friends and I opted to celebrate our Christmas party in a more meaningful way. We served lunch and distributed gifts and other stuff to 130 OFW wards (househelpers who ran away from their sponsors for different reasons) currently sheltered in the Philippine embassy. It was one of the best moments of my life. The joy is beyond words. I know that helping our fellows doesn't need to be big and can be done anytime. I pray that we can help each other, especially the really needy ones, in our little or big ways.

I wish everyone a merry Christmas and more blessings for the coming year!

Friday, November 18, 2011

Purrrr-dita!

Hello everyone! Yeah, I'm still alive and I'm picking up through this cold November air. *Embraces the winter in the UAE*

What with this post's title? As Winello reached his peak of manhood, we got a new kittycat and we named her Perdita (you may pronounce it as "purrr-dee-ta" or "per-di-taah". Why Perdita? Taken from one of the characters in William Shakespeare's play A Winter's Tale and based on the name of inner satellite of Uranus because our new kitten's eyes are shaped like a beaming satellite! She's amazing and so cute. However, we're still dealing with 'siblings... errr, cat rivalry' because Winello seems jealous.

Breaking Dawn. I know I'm over my Twilight addiction, but I think being a Twi-hard will be in my veins forever. Like a first crush, it dies but is never forgotten heehee. This morning I learned that Breaking Dawn (last of the four film adaptations; well, the fourth book's adaptation had to be split in two parts to properly showcase the story's details) is already in the UAE cinemas and we watched pronto! Funny and heartwarming is that some people randomly remembered me for anything Twilight. Heehee. Oh, the teeeeny prestige of being an old fanatic! I'm not embarrassed, anyway. I'll always be proud that once in my life I wanted to be a vegetarian vampire and that a wolf would imprint on me. Hahahaha.

Concert marathon. I've been to Britney Spears', Incubus', The Cult's and Sir Paul McCartney's concerts as part of the F1 after-race concerts. I have tons of stories and photos to share. That will be in my primary blog.

Got Talent! We had our own version of Got Talent in the office as part of our annual retreat. No, I was not one of the performers but maybe I should try next time because of the generous prizes heeheehee. But I was so scared that I'd win the Most Workaholic award through a poll. I'm glad I didn't win. Other awards, to name a few, were Most Distinct Laugh, Biggest Fan (of the company), etc.

Wow, I did miss blogging a lot!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

The highschool scent

I am reunited with Johnson's baby cologne. It smells wonderful! It makes me feel young(er) at heart. It's amazing how a sweet young scent can bring back a lot of good memories. :)

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Today's breakfast is brought to you by Jollibee! :)

In reference to this entry's title, that means that I am home. Really, really home!

And there are rainshowers for a couple of hours everyday.

The Filipino dishes, the kakanins, and all the things that make me fat. Heehee.

And the best part? Most of the people I love are here.

Ahhhhh, there's no place like real home.

Monday, July 25, 2011

It's amazing when...

It's amazing how simple words of appreciation (not that I am kulang sa pansin) at work can take out all the hardships and eyebags. (*wink*)

It's more amazing when you come to a happy home at the end of the day; the stress at work won't matter at all.

It's most amazing when we sleep peacefully with a big smile painted on our face because we know we did the best that we can (at work, at home, taking care of relationships) without expecting in return.

It's ultra amazing when we know what really matters in life. :)

PS. If you are looking for another fun and feel good reading, Winello the Cat's blog can paint a big smile inside your heart.  Yes, he's my charming kittycat.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Because it's my birth month

I'm extra happy because it's my birth month. I turned a year older and happier!

More sources of happiness:
  • One of my closest friends in Abu Dhabi has given birth. The baby girl is so pretty! It's amazing to finally have met the baby whom I was speaking to practically almost everyday during workweek. I remember my friend telling me that the baby would kick when she would hear me speaking to her. 
  • I came up with a new version of chicken adobo and my diners told me that that's the best chicken adobo they've tasted! Naks! I know they were telling the truth. I couldn't believe that I actually cooked that. I hope that was not tsamba and I can still replicate that. :)
  • We watched the last installment of Harry Potter and Cars 2 (like watching grand prix).
  • And more!

Monday, July 11, 2011

It felt good that I held the spatula again

Time has been running crazily lately and it proved over and again that if there's a will, we'll find a minute.

Last weekend, just when I have a long(er) list of things to do, it felt liberating to forget my takehome work and savour the overnight stay in Yas Rotana Hotel. I was a nerdy to have brought a laptop with me, which only sat in the room. We spent most of the time swimming, chatting, laughing and eating.

And for today? I'm more than glad that I was able to bake kiddie cupcakes again (after several months) after cooking dinner. Little J started attending the summer camp yesterday and she will bring the cupcakes tomorrow (assuming few pieces will be left tonight) . It's amazing how we don't get tired when we do things for people we love. And I, of course, feel like a superwoman when the tiny efforts are appreciated.

I am really the biggest fan of gift of time.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Happy are those who sleep peacefully

Our kittycat, Winello, sleeping with his feet up!

Our kittycat is a joy to watch especially when he's asleep. I guess he dreamt that we did a belly rub for him. Amazing how he held his feet up that long!

taken tonight, winello our cat sleeping like a baby :)

This creature is truly a stress reliever. :) :) :)

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Crowning glory

I've finally visited my favorite salon in Abu Dhabi to get a haircut. Let's just say that I do my visits on an annual basis, hahahaha, yes, you heard it right, because haircuts and treatments here in the UAE cost a fortune. I'm thankful that I'm low maintenance. When I go home for vacation, that's the time I get to pamper myself. What's ironic is when I was still a peso earner, I frequently pampered myself. It only means that salon charges in this part of the world are really expensive and I'm nagkukuripot (spendthrift)! Why not? I need to find a balance because I'm gastador (extravagant) in the more important things (this one's subjective, it depends on the mind of the spender). Buti na lang mura lang ang shampoo, conditioner, at suklay.

But seriously, there's something liberating about getting a haircut. Yung feeling na ang ganda ganda natin pagkalabas ng salon. Yun nga lang back to being not so pretty na uli the next day pag naliguan na yung buhok. Kase wala na ang magic ng blower. That's what you call "the morning after". That's why today, I didn't wet my hair while taking shower. Tutal nashampoo naman sya sa salon kagabi (defensive?). Parang ma-delay ang morning after. Hahahaha.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Matutuwa ba ako o hindi?

Kailangan ko muna mag tagalog ngayon.

Kasi naman, sabi ng boss ko ni-google nya ang pangalan ko at nalaman nya sa pamamagitan ng isang link na may blog ako.

At nabasa nya ang blog ko!

Waaaaaah! O... hahahahhaha! (?)

Grabe, tawa talaga ako ng tawa (na parang naiiyak sa isip ko) dahil may bagong tagasubaybay ng blog ko... at boss ko pa.

Pahingi nga ng tubig, hindi ako makahinga. Hahahahaha!

At nang mahimasmasan na ako, heto ang naisip ko.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

This week's wrapping up very merrily

  • The credit card company temporarily blocked my access (until they spoke to me) because "there were charges to it, like charging a storm". Apparently, I rarely use my card unless I need to do bookings online, regular bills payment, etc. It's a matter of choice in order to avoid/minimize debts. Anyway, I charged up a "storm" because in a day, I did all the necessary bookings for a couple of trips which are happening at different quarters of this year. The good news was that the credit card company sent me vouchers worth almost P6,000 to be spent on furniture and lifestyle shoppes. Incidentally, I qualified for a promotion because of the amount of charges. Hahahahaha. Kita mo nga naman, perfect timing sa promotion.
  • We got the buy 1, take 1 tickets to the Formula One (Abu Dhabi prix) this year. It's discounted + take 1 ticket pa. Yeheeeeeey! Thanks to a friend who helped me with this deal. I can't wait to know who are performing for the three-night after race concerts. Last year, we had the time of our lives appreciating the music of Kanye West, Linkin Park, and Prince
  • And of course, Scotty McCreery won American Idol (AI)! I love Casey Abrams and when he was eliminated, I hanged on to following AI because Scotty was still there. I know the criticisms about him, but I still like him. He has the charisma and I feel better when I listen to him. In case you don't know, I'm his number 1 fan in Abu Dhabi! Heeheee.
  • I was able to teach new trick to Winello, our charming kitten. When I will look at his eyes and say "sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleeeeeeep....", he would obey as he realizes that it was time to sleep. But there was one time that I fell asleep earlier than him (and I was seated-sleep) as I was repeating the magic word and people at home was laughing at me and was chanting "wake up, wake up, wake up!" Hahahaha.
Work is getting crazier, as usual. But sources of cheer are flourishing! What a balance eh? I wish all of you the same. :)

Thursday, May 19, 2011

The happy home and delicious tinola

What matters most

Yesterday I really had a bad day in the office, which happens only once in a blue moon. As I reached home and it was probably so obvious, even without the tantrums and pouting, little J (my daughter) said, "You feel bad, huh? But that's nothing! What's more important is that you're now home. And this is a happy home! Everyday you come to a happy home." Imagine her almost dancing while saying that.

"And today is your lucky day... because Ate (our kasambahay/helper) found malunggay leaves so we have more delicious tinola (chicken ginger stew with vegetables) for dinner!", she added.

Wow, I really got no reason to feel bad at all. :)

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Scotty and Winello

Just a shout out that I'm extremely busy nowadays but I'm happy because I'm still able to keep a balanced life. And I hope that you all do, too. :)

I'm especially happy that Scotty McCreery made it to top 3 of American Idol. Although I hoped that James Durbin would emerge as the ultimate winner because he seemed to need it more for his family and of course, he is more deserving. Yeah, that's me trying to be objective. I absolutely like Scotty (I'm his number 1 fan in Abu Dhabi heeehee) but James is more talented.

I'm also happy and it's making a big change in our lives because we adopted a pet cat. His name is Winello. A combination of "winner" and "hello". We wanted it to sound cheerful and optimistic, eh. You can see his photos and read more about him here.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

The vampire strikes again

I am just so happy that I finally found the time to catch up with Vampire Diaries Season 2. Thanks to my friends for the download supply. Just to mention, I was a Twilight fanatic, I still am. But I am so much "tamed" now. It is not that I had a lot of time yesterday, but I just really, really felt the need to marathon seven episodes (14th to 20th). So I finished at 2am! Sabi nga nila, hindi baleng malaki ang eyebags. Masaya (at weekend) naman! Hahahaha. (It does not matter if I am sleep deprived and has terrible eyebags, at least I am happy and it is a weekend, anyway!)

Monday, May 2, 2011

Can you lend me your ears?

I was extremely busy this Monday morning when a colleague approached me and said," Can I share something? I don't know if I should share this to you. But I really need to speak to someone. I know you're busy, but can you lend me your ears?"

"Sure", I said.

Without giving the other details, she cried, I got teary eyed. I held back because I had to be strong enough as a listener. Besides, I don't want to be red-eyed after that. LOL. Well, I have those eyes which are hard to tame after shedding a tear or two. So, I listened.

And I said my piece and hugged her.

It's amazing how that few minutes of genuine listening lifted a burden.

What if I said no and paid more attention to my tasks?

She was so grateful. But as I go to sleep tonight, I realized that I am more grateful. I will bring this happier feeling of being trusted.

As they say, there are few triggers that can equal a good book, a good walk, a good hug, or a good friend. And these come for free.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Come what May*

Old school... at my hometown's municipality (december 2010)

*Alright, the title of the post is just my way of saying goodbye to the wonderful month of April. It's now 1st of May, time flies! Cheesy, I know. But let it be like that.

I checked some old photos from my phone and saw this old school typewriter. I took this when we visited my hometown's municipality in December 2010. It's a happy feeling to see old school stuff, isn't it?

One day the iPad will also be one of the so called old school gadgets. So, hold on to whatever you have. It doesn't really matter how pricey or remarkable it is, the fact that it's so hard to part ways with your stuff is one of the measures of its value. Which reminded me that I loved my Olympia typewriter and Kodak film camera which were gifted by my father when I was in highschool. Add to that my super cheap brick game and cassette tapes which I got just because they were part of some promos.

Maybe it's time to check and rekindle our love for old (and existing) stuff that we already have. It will save us some money and gain more memories.

Friday, April 29, 2011

The happy royal couple + the annoyed flower girl

nairita na si flower girl
(You thought everyone's happy about the royal couple's first kiss? Nooooo!)

It was a happy feeling seeing two people so in love with each other.

We'll probably see a lot of beautiful and "kilig" photos of the newly weds. But I liked the candidness of this one, not only because it captured Kate's and William's first kiss at the balcony, but the flower girl who seemed so annoyed and impatient was too cute! I liked that she didn't care that she's actually now a part of a historical and fairy tale-like wedding; she reminded me of the genuineness of a young heart, the impatience over a long wait. I'm sure that she'll giggle over this photo sooner or later. I've got tons of childhood (and even grown-up) photos with that face. :)

Sunday, April 24, 2011

When a Muslim greets me, "Happy Easter!" and asks for THE Gossip

A Muslim workmate really took her time to send me an Easter greeting. She copy-pasted one of those photos of Easter eggs from the net and emailed to me with a subject Happy Easter.  I recall the first time I (awkwardly) greeted a Muslim for the Eid celebrations (after Ramadan). I said, "Happy... Eid (?), err, Ramadan, no, it's Eid!" Whatever it is, my intention was clear, that I was happy for them. It's the thought that counts. The next year, I became smarter (that's me loving my ego hahaha). I managed to exclaim, "Ramadan Kareem" and "Mabrouk". Lesson learned... don't forget to consult the more experienced residents + our friend, Google.

Anyway, I gave her one those chocolate bunnies. And she was so happy. I didn't imagine that the chocolate can light up her Sunday that bright. I actually intended to eat that. Pero nahiya ako... I felt something that compelled me (to get it from my bag) to give it to her instead. It's amazing how a small act can affect one's life.

Then the biggest question of the day blew me. She wants to hear an Easter Sunday mass. I supported the idea, of course and directed her to the mass timings via Saint Joseph Church's website. "Will there be a gossip?", she asked. "Gossip?", me punctuating in my mind. "You know, when the priest tells Gossip." "Ah, the gospel!. Yes, there will be."

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

The 8-hour sleep

Dear God,

When we were kids, our parents used to 'force' us to sleep early but most of the time we've applied delaying tactics. But it's a cycle and now that we're old (errr, grown ups), there was a point when I asked, "can I please buy more hours of sleep?"

I know that You'll be "dead" by Good Friday. But before that, I just want You to know that I'm extra thankful today because finally I got a straight 8-hour sleep. I consider that priceless nowadays.

Happy sleeper,
witsandnuts

Monday, April 18, 2011

Palaspasan

Palm Sunday celebration in Baclaran
Palm Sunday celebrations outside the Baclaran Church.

What a delight to see this photo feature at guardian.co.uk. The sight of colorful palaspas (the decorated palm leaves) brought me home.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

It's raining! And it's April!

For the past three days, some areas in the UAE are experiencing rainshowers. And this morning, on my way to the office, I was so lucky to have savored droplets! Not that I drank it. Hahaha. But really, I was ecstatic. You can of course tell how much I miss the rain especially that I was raised in the Philippines. At work, a colleague who is a UAE national even took photos of the thunderstorm and lightning. It really IS a big news. I advised her to visit the Philippines during stormy season for her to experience the "total package". Then she recalled my Ondoy experience and other accounts of my explanation on how a normal rain happens in the Philippines. "Noooo, I'll go crazy. I can't bear that!", she exclaimed.

Anyway, it's odd that it's raining this time of the year. We're supposed to be welcoming the summer heat anytime soon. In my over 3 years stay here, this was the first time it rained in April. Talk about global warming.

I hope I can hold the rain as much as I want. I wish it were a weekend, so that I can be out of the house the whole time and walk-jog or go to the park to fully taste the raindrops.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Manny Pacquiao in The National

Manny Pacquiao in the UAE's The National

I liked that the news about Manny Pacquiao's preparation for the fight with Shane Mosley is on the front page of the The National today. He's probably the most popular Filipino in the eyes of the UAE residents, both locals and expats. I recall one of our random encounters with tourists in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Formula 1) last year, instead of asking about the weather or President Noynoy, they babbled about how good Pacquiao is... plus, how intriguing is our balut. Going back to The National, which is by the way one of the top 2 English broadsheets in the UAE, I also liked that there is a dedicated portion/link (on the top right) about The Manny Pacquiao Story.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

To the guys who wear sando

Here's an asteeeg article from Lourd De Veyra that gave me an LAS (last article syndrome) that's making me giggle inside my head until now. It also re-introduced me to some Tagalog words.

Sa Ikaaayos ng mundo, 'Wag Mag-Sando! (For a better world, don't wear sando!)

Friday, April 1, 2011

The Weekend, Scotty and Casey

There's something about the nearing of weekend that excites everyone as if it's happening for the first time; then we dislike it whenever the first day of the workweek is approaching as if we're not used to it, huh! Anyway, I'm just so happy that it's weekend already (note that we have Friday & Saturday as UAE's weekend). I felt that the concluded workweek was jampacked of workloads and other things. That's the beauty of a weekend, it gives us a break and we always have something to look forward to on a regular basis.

On new things that I look forward to:
  1. Scotty McCreery's and Casey Abrams' performances in American Idol. I know that Scotty won't be the ultimate winner but he's definitely going to make it big sooner or later. He's too young to be my crush (LOL), but seriously, I'd buy his album as soon as it comes out. His country tone is soooo pleasing to the ears (and the looks, too) and I like that whenever he introduces his own version, he makes it really his own. As for Casey, I'm now a fan! After a number of performances, he has proven that he's really an artist (as if I'm an artist who knows how to discern my kind, hahaha!), can survive any song, and unique! Recently, he sung Elton John's "Your Song" very genuinely. I'm surprised that without his usual banging and squiggling, he can be really captivating by being "quiet" this time. I can't get over it that I taped it through my TV's personal video recorder + I recorded it to my handyphone in HD format so I can bring that particular performance and listen to it anytime I want. (Yeah, that's addiction.) It's sad though that our very own Thia Megia has been eliminated. At a tender age, she has exuded remarkable ability. She has a bright future.
  2. To use the Dreamy Diana Lens with the SLR. I need to find time next weekend to test it.
  3. Tomorrow's photo walk with my Iggy sisters. How cool is it that we are going to release our shutter bug the same day?!
Have a balanced weekend everyone!

Saturday, March 26, 2011

This week's oozing with positivity!

today's breakfast: beef tapa, fried rice & eggs, spanish bread, coffee

Hearty breakfast. I really, really appreciate the gift of time because that's priceless. Couple friends whom I've not seen for over three months paid me a visit. They were not able to make it for my housewarming due to work commitment that weekend (booooo! that happens at times) and other things got in, but who cares about that? Finally, they were here! They had a sleep over and this morning I prepared for them a hearty breakfast: homemade beef tapa, fried rice, sunny side up and scrambled eggs, sausage, spanish bread, with coffee on the side and Datu Puti vinegar with spices (not shown in the photo).

Good things come to those who wait. My friends and I are just sooooo happy for our (another) couple friends since they made their announcement that they're expecting a baby! You might think that procreation and motherhood can come in an instant. Theirs was a case of "the wait is over". It's really touching in the sense that we've joined our forces in praying for it, well of course the other part of the work depended on them. I loved the part that their desire to have a baby made them more in love with each other and became more trusting in the will of the One up there. Faith can really move mountains.

To give back without expecting anything in return. Another friend who is getting married this year recently celebrated her birthday. She invited us to a dinner at her house and instead of receiving the normal gifts, she requested from us the basic bathroom supplies and other small (which are actually big for some people) stuff like toothbrush, sanitary napkins, soaps, etc. She thought of giving these to the runaway (overseas Filipino workers) OFWs who are sheltered in the Philippine Embassy - Abu Dhabi Office.

The friends I referred to in this post are all based in the UAE. When I think about it, the more I realize that I/we have a very strong support system, apart from other reasons, that our being away from home is more bearable for us. We may have our ups and downs wherever we are, but isn't it wonderful when the people around us are inspiring enough -- or that we get to inspire each other in our own ways.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Kizuna

I don't have any family member who's based anywhere in Japan, but I have a blogger pal whom I really consider a real pal though we've not seen each other face to face and she hardly knows specific details about my personal life. But that didn't take out my worries when I heard about the catastrophe (earthquake and tsunami) in Japan, especially that the eye of the disaster was near her residence. Finally, she replied to my email this morning and I'm so relieved to have "heard" from her that she and her family are sound and safe, including her son who's still an infant. Thank God! Incidentally, they are in Manila right now. We can only say enough about being at the right place and at the right time. But no one can really question God's own ways.

Anyway, I felt really inspired by the tweets from Japan which were said to have been tweeted in the midst of the life blowing quake. Thanks to Grace of Sandier Pastures for sharing those tweets. This got to be the most striking for me:

This earthquake has reminded me that Japanese goodness that had recently become harder and harder to see still exists. Today I see no crime or looting; I am reminded once again of the good Japanese spirit of helping one another, of propriety, and of gentleness. I had recently begun to regard my modern countrymen as cold people … but this earthquake has revived and given back to all of us the spirit of “kizuna” (bond, trust, sharing, the human connection). I am very touched. I am brought to tears. (http://twitter.com/VietL/status/46376383592677376)

More inspiring tweets here.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Smiley fruits

Fruits
(Orange and apple)

Happiness is when you have a pregnant colleague-work pal who shares with you her food. Especially if it's so cheerfully prepared! I hope the baby doesn't mind. (*winks*)

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Kabag

Mark this day, not only because it's Ash Wednesday but I learned something new --- that the English term for "kabag" is FLATULENCE.

That only means that I didn't find a need to bother myself to know what is kabag in English. But better late than never. It brings back those younger days when I felt that I'm a genius because I know the English term for kulangot, muta, and more.

Hello FLATULENCE! Today you made me feel ignorant and intelligent. Harharhar.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Geometry

Happiness is when you are able to make someone’s life easy by letting him/her realize that Geometry is fun.

Explaining 8 lessons in a non-conventional way, using almost everything that surround us on a daily basis as illustrations in understanding polygons, pi (Ï€) (yeah, the 3.14159265 value) and other computations, identification of angles the simplest means without the aid of the protractor, prisms, and more.

I’m happy because I made someone’s life easy and took all the fears of Geometry.

And I thought that I didn’t like Math when I was younger.

I love how life bounces at us to make us realize the infinite possibilities.

I think that taking someone's fear without expecting anything in return would be a good part-time "job".

Monday, March 7, 2011

Cheer me up, Kitty!

Hello Kitty case for Blackberry

I'm cool, serious, crazy, glutton, hungry, snobbish, friendly, weird, reasonable --- rolled into one. But in the office, my reputation spells regulation-authority-OMG she's here again-and so = some sort of boring person. Nature of the job, you can tell. I sort of transform depending on the hat I'm wearing.

Anyway, in one incident while I was engaged with the Blackberry, everyone seemed to be weirded out. My imagination even whispered to me that there's a shocking trigger for their giggles. Well, I forgot to take out the Hello Kitty case from the Blackberry which is supposed to be worn during weekends only.

See how influential Hello Kitty is. In a matter of seconds, it changed my reputation. LOL. I think, in a coooool way. :) If they find out about my metallic blue case for the iPhone, they might think I'm too old to be a rockstar wannabe.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Random cheers

Ola! Yeah, this blog has been quiet. But that doesn't mean that there were no sources of cheer in my life the past weeks. I've been too busy to bite a pandesal everyday. ;) Just to officially log them here, in random order:
  1. I nailed the presentation to my big bosses (they're functionally a group). Until now I can't believe that I'd be that brave to respond to their queries during the presentation. The best part was that I didn't get intimated. Thank God.
  2. Esquires Coffee Shop in Muroor serves rice. Plain rice! And we've tried Mongolian beef and spicy basil beef, both satisfying!
  3. I've upgraded my receiver (box) from e-vision. So, I can watch high definition (HD) channels now + the receiver has a personal video recorder (PVR) utilizing its internal memory. Most of the time, I'm torn between two channels. Hence, I'm not missing the other shows/movies/whatsoever now. Yay for the PVR!
  4. Finished reading Twisted 8 1/2, actually re-read majority of the pages. Finally, I've regained my affair with the books.
That's all for now. I'm watching Six Days Seven Nights (Harrison Ford movie) via Fox Movies while writing this. I've seen a number of movies lately. My subscription to Orbit Showtime Network is super sulit (worth it). Been tuning in to The Filipino Channel (TFC) only for a few series and local news. Let's see if I'd still need it.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head

I was surfing channels and heard Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head while Peter Parker (of Spiderman 2) was on his way to school and stumbled.

I can't say if hearing the song was so timely, but it really sparked my mood.

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head
But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turnin' red
Cryin's not for me
'Cause I'm never gonna stop the rain by complainin'
Because I'm free

Saturday, February 5, 2011

I didn't know I have an extra Php17,000

I noticed that I had an overpayment of AED 1,447 (or Php 17,000/USD 394) for one of my credit cards. Apparently, I paid my dues based on an (over)estimate of charges that I made to my card while I was on recent vacation in Manila. I settled my bills even before receiving the statement. This is one of the rare instances that I'm thankful about my (intelligent) stupidity. Is there such a thing, heh?!

Now, I have a reason to spend a little more. But I promised myself that I'm not splurging anything for the Dubai shopping festival. Let the credit stay there for the mean time, with no interest income though.

The bus ride

Saw this on twitter, via Oprah Quotes:

Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down. - Oprah


"Where is her panty?"

I've gifted a two-year old celebrant a chocolate cake from Mister Baker and a Barbie-counterpart doll-UAE style. I saw her eyes twinkled, shined and all that. I saw my own face ages ago when I had this fashionable doll. Then, she started exploring the anatomy of the doll. "But... where is her panty?", asked the celebrant.  Yaiks. I didn't know its lack of undergarment since it was boxed in at the store.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Meet Veronica, Julia Roberts' chicken (pet)

On Ellen DeGeneres show, one of the surprise guests who came for her birthday was Julia Roberts. I hardly stopped laughing when Julia shared about their house "pets", i.e. horses, dogs and chicken. And one of the chicken she named Veronica.

"Chicken are very hardworking animals!", Julia exclaimed.

Gong xi fa cai and Butse Kik

Today is Chinese New Year.

According to the Chinese expert featured on tv, I’m lucky in the Year of the Metal Rabbit. Yiheeee! But even if she had declared that I’m not, I think and feel that I'll forever be lucky. Mind over matter, eh?

***

Instead of sending the Cantonese greeting of Kung Hei Fat Choi, I messaged my BBM group Gong Xi Fa Cai. Two of them replied, alternately, quoting the lyrics of a Yoyoy Villame song, Butse Kik.

Why Pandesal ni Jo?

I've been thinking for the longest time of starting a gratitude journal. But I've always deferred this "project" thinking that I can do random inventory of my happiness triggers as of a given day even without writing about it. Until the inspiration zoomed at the right place and at the right time, i.e. I was tuned in to the feeds about Chinese New Year celebration and was trying to explore blogger.com infront of the TV. Why not blog about my festive mood and infect other people with cheer and positivity?

I initially thought of Pandesal at Choc Nut as a blog title. These two munchies never fail to bridge the distance between home (Philippines) and where I am (UAE). But in general, it's more appetizing to recall our sources of cheer as we nibble comfort food, eh? I decided to finally trim it to Pandesal Ni Jo because my other blog, Witsandnuts already has the blog description: an inventory of a Choc Nut islander's interest.

There’s something about doing random inventory of things, people, situation that makes me happy. I’d always believe that things just get better, in different ways though. Just like in taking photos, there’s really no ugly subject and/or angle. It depends on how we compose our shot and how we look at things.

And so, this sort of gratitude blog was born yesterday. And here are my rules cum expectations:
  • I wish to chronicle the stuff that made my day. Aside from fresh air, nature, genuine care, laughter, things that can’t be bought, what else is there? I'm sure there's a LOT.
  • No pressure. I don’t need to write everyday, only when I feel like jotting things or when I have the means. Or even if I don’t have the luxury of time to write, but the inspiration do strike!
  • I don’t need to force myself to think of things that made me happy. If it’s indeed a 100% sad day, so be it. (Although that’s far from happening. I know myself, I’ve been to a phase when it felt like I was being cut into pieces and still I managed to smile.)
  • Zero percent negativity on my posts. Pessimist are also welcome to read my blog. Believe me, happiness is contagious!
  • It will be an enjoyable search of new reasons for cheer, the smaller, the better. 
  • I must refer to this blog, among the other things, shall my lowest low will come (knock on wood!), hoping that certain chapter of musings will re-amuse me.
  • That I'll be able to keep myself grounded. That's hoping to get startled by exclaiming to myself someday, “Really? Something that shallow made my day?!”
  • Look back at my random musings ANYTIME. Just because I feel glad realizing that there’s just so much to be thankful in this life!
Random stuff that made me happy today: the Lebanese shish taouk for lunch. I missed this!