Quote 041708

Don't make promises when you are in joy. Don't reply when you are sad. Don't take decision when you are angry. Think twice, act wise.

Quote 032708

“Albert Camus once wrote, 'Blessed are the hearts that can bend, They shall never be broken.' But I wonder, if there’s no breaking, then there’s no healing. And if there’s no healing then there’s no learning. And if there is no learning, then there’s no struggle. But struggle is part of life. So must all hearts be broken?” - Lucas Scott (One Tree Hill)

Let Go and Let God

Today I let go and I let God
     take charge of this life of mine.
Now in the dark corners of my soul,
     His light is beginning to shine.
All of the cares and worries
     that I have carried around for so long
He has lifted them from my shoulders,
     and filled my heart with love.
Problems that were overwhelming
     suddenly seem very small,
     and come what may, starting today,
     I know I can handle them all.

If you are troubled,
     "Let Go and Let God"
     take charge of your life for you,
     and however dark life's shadows seem,
     His light will come shining through.

Points of View

~ ~ ~
I dedicate this song to my Besty...
~ ~ ~

Joey Albert and Pops Fernandez - Points Of View

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Artist: Joey Albert & Pops Fernandez
Albums: OPM Timeless Collection Gold Series 2: Joey Albert /
OPM Timeless Collection Gold Series 2: Pops Fernandez
Year: 1997
Title: Points Of View

Look, it's happened once again
It happens every now and then
Feeling the hurt and hating all the men
Ready to stop it all

That's when I need a friendly face
To see me through these lonely days
Just to put some sunshine in my place
Don't take too long I need you

REFRAIN:
Here I am
I haven't gone that far away
And since I am
That kind of friend you know
Would stay with you through all the pain
Never to leave you in the rain
Ready to listen to what you've been through
Your woes and blues and share each other's

CHORUS:
Points of view
We've been there once before
And kept our points of view
It doesn't really matter if they're never quite the same
We have our rules in different ways
We play the games of different folks with different strokes
And keep our points of view

See the world seems bright again
It only darkens now and then
Most of the time there's just no telling when
Look up and see you've got me

REFRAIN:
Here we are
We may have gone our different ways
But since we are
The kind of friends who'll always stay
No matter what the pain
Learning to love that cap o rain
Ready to say we're here to stay in every way
Although we'e got our different...

CHORUS:
Points of view
We've been there once before
And kept our points of view
It doesn't really matter if they're never quite the same
We have our rules in different ways
We play the games of different folks with different strokes
And keep our points of view

Points of view
We've been there once before
And kept our points of view

Quote 030108

"Funny how we set qualifications while we are in the process of finding the person who is the best for us when at the back of our minds we know that the one we love will always be an exception to the rule."

Avenue Q - Review

by Shine Vicencio

~ ~ ~
This was a review I made October last year after I watched the first run of Avenue Q.
~ ~ ~


image courtesy of Atlantis Productions

Music and Lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx
Book by Jeff Whitty
Directed by Bobby Garcia and Chari Arespacochaga

RUN: September 7 - 23, 2007
WHERE: Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati


It has been quite some time since I last saw a musical production here in Manila. When I heard that Atlantis is going to produce Avenue Q and will be staged here in Manila, I didn’t hesitate and reserved my ticket. I’ve heard a lot of raves for Avenue Q since its Broadway debut. It was the 2004 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, so I was sure that I wasn’t going to regret watching this one.

Avenue Q is a musical about real life. Its setting is in an outer borough of New York City at the present time. The place is far from being Park Avenue (where most well-off people of New York City resides), but it is home to some unusual people and puppets. It is about graduating from a course that one doesn't know what to do with (What Do You Do With a B.A. in English); it is about finding a job and losing a job; it is about finding an apartment to live in and getting kicked out of your apartment; it is about racism (Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist), promiscuity, falling in love, avoiding commitment, finding one's purpose (Purpose), wishing to go back to one’s security blanket (I Wish I Could Go Back to College) and discovering one’s self in the process.

Princeton, a bright-eyed college graduate, came to New York City filled with big dreams and a tiny bank account. Looking for a place to live in, he found out that Avenue Q was the place that is within his budget. He met people from all walks of life and race in this neighborhood which led him on a hilarious journey of self-discovery.

While watching the show, I could see myself in Princeton’s shoes a few years back (and sometimes in the present when life seems so tough on me). I guess we all went through the stage when we were fresh out of college, trying to find our niche in the real world, knowing that we’re out of college’s security blanket. “I wish I could go back to college. Life was so simple back then.” As we grow older, it seems like life gets more and more complicated. Don’t you just wish that we could go back to college, or high school? But then, as the show also says…”everything in life is only for now”.

Unconventional to the usual musicals I’ve seen from the past, Avenue Q made use of both real people and puppets to portray different characters. At first, I couldn’t imagine how this was going to be staged. I thought of Sesame Street when I heard that puppets were going to be used in the play, and imagined having a waist high wall all the time to keep the audience from seeing the puppeteers. But this show is far from being Sesame Street. First of all, the puppeteers didn’t have to hide behind a wall while they performed. If you watched you would see that Rachel Alejandro performed for two puppets, and that Joel Trinidad performed for at least four puppets. Secondly, I wouldn’t recommend kids to watch this show. We usually associate Sesame Street and puppets to kids. But Avenue Q is advertised to have “full puppet nudity”. In my opinion, adults and teenagers would love this show. But since Avenue Q addresses issues like sex, racism, drinking, and surfing the web for porn, parents should use their discretion based on the maturity level of their kids before letting them watch this show.

The performance of the main cast was amazing. Frenchie Dy, Rycharde Everly and Aiza Seguerra who portrayed real people’s characters were fantastic. Frenchie, who was discovered from Star In a Million proved to have the voice of a winner. She was able to belt out the high notes of The More You Ruv Someone and carry out the role of a Japanese migrant complete with speaking and singing voice Japanese accent. Rycharde was so funny. And Aiza, whom we knew as the kid who won the hearts of many in Eat Bulaga, proved to have great talent. She played Gary Coleman in the show. Yes, the child actor from Different Strokes. Although Aiza played a male character, she played it convincingly.

Rachel Alejandro, Felix Rivera and Joel Trinidad all portrayed the characters of puppets. In short, they were the puppeteers of the show’s main characters. Although they were hiding behind the character of their puppets, you could still see that their facial expressions match the lines that they deliver and the songs that they sing. There were some puppeteers, however, that are expressionless, which doesn’t give much impact to their performances. They also had to adjust their voices to make their speaking voices sound like a puppet. I know it was hard to make it consistent for the duration of the whole show, but they were able to pull it off. There were also times that I noticed that the puppets were talking or singing but the puppeteers’ mouth isn’t moving. One would think that they are great ventriloquists. But I was told beforehand that there are guest voices in the show. Among them are Lea Salonga, Rob Chien (Lea’s husband), Jet Pangan, KC Concepcion, Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo and Bobby Lopez (co-creator of Avenue Q). However, I couldn’t quite point a finger whose voice was talking or singing during those times.

I really enjoyed watching this show. I give it a “two thumbs” up. To those who missed the October run of Avenue Q, and to those who would want to watch it again, Atlantis Productions decided to do a repeat performance on December. The run will be from December 14 – 23, 2007. Venue will still be at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati City.

And as Rachel Alejandro said after their curtain call, let’s support Philippine theater. =)

Uncontrollable Smile

I can't say that I am 100% happy...
But at least now I can smile again with an uncontrollable smile... :)

I still miss my bestfriend though.

What Shine and Theresa Means

What Shine Means

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong.
You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know.
You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do.

You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out.
Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia.
Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.
You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.
You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people.
You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts.
You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.
You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.
At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.


What Theresa Means

You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life.
You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home.
You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble.

You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out.
Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia.
Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.
You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.
At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something.
You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense.
You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong.
You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know.
You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do.

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.
You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.
You have the classic "Type A" personality.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Adventures and Misadventures in Bohol

Our annual out of town (or out of the country) traditional trip has arrived. We have been planning this since last year. It's just too bad that there were some who were originally supposed to join us couldn't come. This year's destination: Bohol. I think it's about time that we start discovering our own country, don't you think?

Day 1. Our flight to Tagbilaran was with Cebu Pacific. We were supposed to fly out at 11:15am, but our flight was delayed by about 25 minutes. Not too bad, as compared to last year's trip. Flight delays happen. We arrived at Tagbilaran a few minutes before 2pm. It was my first time in Bohol. I thought that it was the norm for every airport to have bag carousels. But I guess for small airports, there's just no space for it. After we got off, we waited near the gate of the airport to claim our bags. A tug carried all the luggages from the plane to the area where we were. As we accounted for all of our luggages, we were ready to go. A van was waiting for us outside to bring us to our hotel: The Flushing Meadows.

Trivia: Flushing Meadows is the home of the U.S. Open. It is located in Queens, N.Y and has been the location for the annual U.S. Open since 1978.

The resort is beautiful! The main road was paved with red tiles; there were mini playgrounds for small kids; grass, plants and trees surrounded the resort (I love nature); there is a tennis court by our villa (though we never got the chance to play); and the pool's view is the sea and the horizon (they call this the Infinity Pool). After we checked in, we went to our rooms to unpack and freshen up. Since we weren't able to have a decent lunch, we decided to have a late one at the resort's restaurant. I didn't know about the history of the resort's name until we had our late lunch and saw the menu. There was a dish called Steffi's Pasta (if I remember it right). When I asked, "Steffi who?", Jarms said that it was Steffi Graf. Then she told us that the resort was named after New York's Flushing Meadows, home of the U.S Open. If you get to visit Bohol and stay in the Flushing Meadows, notice the name of the villas. By the way, the resort restaurant's name is Aces & Champions Bar and Restaurant. I didn't notice the name at first when we got there. :)

Trivia: Steffi Graf is a former World No. 1 ranked female tennis player from Germany. She won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, second among male and female players.


The Flushing Meadows

After our late lunch, most of us decided to walk by the shore. The resort's shore is not as great as that of Bohol Beach Club (based on others' sharing). The sand has a lot of stones and coral pieces mixed with it and there are a lot of starfishes, transparent crab and seeweeds. In my opinion, this beach is not the type that people would like to swim in. But it is nice to walk around and see different species of sea creatures. That afternoon, the tide was low and a lot were washed ashore. We saw different colors and types of starfishes and corals. I have never seen a starfish as big as what we saw. It was interesting. :)


Creatures of the sea

As the sun starts to set, we decided to go back to the resort and take a swim in the Infinity Pool. It is called such because if you are seating by the pool or in the pool, it would look like the pool doesn't end. The pool appears to be a part of the sea. It's actually cool! :) and soon, after a long day, we retired to our rooms to prepare for an early start the next day.

Day 2. Our second day in Bohol was scheduled for the tour. Being a Sunday, we had to leave earlier than the scheduled 8:30am tour to hear mass. We all met at the restaurant for our complementary breakfast and then headed off to hear mass. We then started our tour with the Blood Compact Site. If we would recall our Philippine History, the Spanish explorer Miguel Lopez de Legazpi and Datu Sikatuna of Bohol made a blood compact to seal their friendship, as part of the native custom. The site, however, was not the original site. It was a replica made a few meters away from the original site. After a few pictures in the site, we headed off to our next destination: to see the tarsier. The tarsier is known to be the smallest primate in the world. They are sooo cute! But as expected from undomesticated animals, they don't smell good. Hehehe! Our next stop was the Chocolate Hills. This is a natural wonder of the world. We were told that the season we got there was not the best time to see the hills. Since it was starting to rain, the hills were beginning to turn green. They said that summer was the best time to see the Chocolate Hills. You will see the hills clustered together with a chocolatey color, thus the name. It was not easy to get to the top where the viewing deck is. This is the area with the best view. We had to climb up about a hundred steps to get there. But the climb was worth it. The view of the Chocolate Hills is just magnificent. Among our other destinations were the Butterfly Farm, the Hanging Bridge and the Man-made Forest. It was lunch time by the time we finished our trip through the man-made forest. We had our lunch in a boat that cruised through the Loboc River. A man serenaded us as we ate our lunch. We even passed through a small dock where kids sang and danced for a few contributions. It was kind of relaxing, after a very hectic morning. :) Out last destination before we headed back to the resort was the Baclayon Church. This is the second oldest church in the Philippines (San Agustin Church, in Real Street, Intramuros, being the oldest). A museum was built on the second floor of the church where old vestments, images and items used for the mass were displayed. It was interesting to see how the things we see now in church evolved during the Spanish era to our current time.


A little bit of history and our natural wonders of the world.

We passed through the souvenir shop to buy our "pasalubongs" before heading back. We got back to the resort by mid-afternoon, and by then we were all exhausted. Most of us decided to catch a few winks and rest before going back to the beach or the pool. I think Jen was the only one who decided to go for a walk by the beach. When she got back to our room, she was already holding a bottle with a clown fish inside. She told us the story of the old lady who gave her "Nemo" (we named it after Disney's Finding Nemo). She said that she was admiring the fish that the "lola" caught. I guess the "lola" found Jen amusing because she found the fish amusing. Hehehe! :D She was explaining that she couldn't accept the fish because she can't bring it home. But they can't understand each other because the "lola" only spoke the local dialiect (Bisaya). Jen found Joe, who can speak Bisaya, along the beach so she asked him to translate. I don't know what happened because she still had the fish in the end. Hehehe! :D To make the long story short, we had a clown fish with us for the day and we just decided to release it back to the sea the next day where he/she belongs.

Late in the afternoon, we decided to take the dolphin watch the next day. We thought, we're already here, might as well take the opportunity to see live dolphins in their natural habitat. :) So we booked a schedule for the next day to go "dolphin watching". We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening hanging out and playing in the pool.

Day 3: It was an early day for us again. This time we were scheduled for the dolphin watch. We left the island at 6am in the morning. I'm not sure to which island we were destined to go, we just trusted that our navigator knows whre to go. It was a 45 minute ride from Panglao Island to the middle of the sea where dolphin sightings were expected. Jarms, who has been to Bohol and has gone dolphin watching before, said that the last time she was there, she wasn't able to see any dolphins no matter how long they circled the area. I guess we were lucky. We didn't only see a school of dolphins once, but more than 3 times. One was even close to the boat. The one we saw that was near our boat had scratches on its skin. Poor thing. :( After seeing the dolphins, we went to a nearby island where we could snorkle. It was my second time to try snorkeling. I never really got the hang of breathing using a snorkle. I swallowed a few seawater as I was getting the hang of it. I think it takes practice. Hehehe! :D The view below the sea is beautiful! I was told that there are better snorkeling sites, but being new to these, I appreciated the sights below that sea. There was even a part where all I can see is the color blue getting darker and darker. We called it: 'the abyss'. :D Even though we know that we're going to float because we had our life jackets on, we still didn't dare to go that area. Too bad we didn't have any underwater camera to capture the view.


Our adventures and misadventures for the day.

After a few hours swimming around the area, we decided to go back to the resort to have our brunch. Since we had two consecutive days wherein we had to wake up early and sleep in late, we all took our afternoon nap. Some went back to the room, some slept by the poolside, some by the beach. That was one of the most relaxing naps I had in a long time. I'm not sure if it was just because I was so tired, or it was the ambiance as well. :D

That afternoon, we all hanged out by the beach. It was also the time to free nemo, since we're already going home the next day. 4 of us decided to walk by the shore of the island and free the clown fish given to Jen. Since it was low tide, we could walk on the shore (which is usually covered by water during high tide) and easily go to Bohol Bee Farm as a short cut. We walked around taking our time and taking pictures by the shore, moving farther and farther away from the resort's shore. We reached Bohol Bee Farm at around 5:30. The sun was still up during that time and we can still see the path that we went through. We stayed on the other side of the island for a while, bought some muffins and our dinner (we just wanted to try something new). Before we knew it, it was already twilight and it was already hard to see the path we took. Since there were sea urchins and slippery rocks, we decided to take the long road instead. We thought that it would take about 30 minutes to walk, but when we asked for directions they said that it was really far (probably more than an hour of walk based on their expression). We took our chance at taking the long but relatively safe route. The road was not the cemented type and there were no street lights to guide us. On our sides were trees and tall grasses. We're not even sure if there were snakes or other small but wild animals around. We depended on Lizzie's celphone flashlight and the lights from motorcycles that pass by. But we were worried about the little light we have because her celphone was almost 70% drained. When we reached the first intersection, we saw a house where we could ask directions from. It seems like they were having a gathering because there were a lot of people in the outside sala. We knocked at their gate and a lady in her 30s entertained us, we called her Ms. Lulu. When we asked for directions, she said that there are 2 ways to get back to the resort. One was the longer but lighted way, and the other was a shortcut but a very dark road. She said that it was dangerous to take the shortcut without bright lights to help us see the path. She looked at us like kids lost in the middle of a busy mall. She asked us to wait and called her husband. When they got back, she introduced us to her husband, Mr. Junie, who was carrying a big flashlight. He volunteered to guide us through the shortcut, which apparently took us only 10 mins to get back to the resort. It was REALLY a shortcut! These people are blessings! It was nice to still meet people with big hearts who will gladly help people in need. :)


Hanging out by the shore.

Day 4: Our last day in Bohol. We just spent the morning packing and getting lots of sleep. We didn't have to wake up as early as the last 2 days because our pick up time for the airport was still at 11am. So we took our time getting ready then had breakfast around 9am. We still had time to spare before checking out, so we decided to hangout one last time by the beach. Jen and I went back to the house who helped us the previous night to give a small token of our appreciation for their help. We also found out the the house was actually a foundation called The Shepherd Arms Foundation. I'm not sure what the foundation is for though. Since the sun was up, we didn't have any trouble finding our way to the house and back to the resort. :) Soon, we checked out of the hotel then headed for the airport. Our flight back to Manila was still a bit delayed. It was a really tiring but well worth it weekend. :D


The shortcut (upper left); hanging out by the beach (upper right); waiting for our flight (lower left); the plane that will bring us home (lower right).

And now I can say that I have been to all three main islands of the Philippines (Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao). Hehehe! :)

Quarter Life Crisis

I remembered an email I got from our Kada's Yahoo Group. It's called 'Quarter Life Crisis'. Read on and see if you're going through it too...


* * *
They call it the "Quarter-life Crisis." It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are a lot of things about yourself that you didn't know and may not like.

You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now. You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones.

What you do not realize is that they are realizing that too and are not really cold or catty or mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you are. You look at your job. It is not even close to what you thought you would be doing or maybe you are looking for one and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and are scared.

You miss the comforts of college, of groups, of socializing with the same people on a constant basis. But then you realize that maybe they weren't so great after all. You are beginning to understand yourself and what you want and do not want. Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging a bit more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and add things to your list of what is acceptable and what is not. You are insecure and then secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you or you lay in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough to get to know better. You love someone but maybe love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you are not a bad person. One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap and getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic.

You go through the same emotions and questions over and over and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans and money and the future and making a life for yourself and while winning the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out. We are making a lot of mistakes, but helping one another learn from them and reaching out to pull one another up. We are not the shiniest group of people, but we are very much a circle. We are there for one another and will listen and grow for the rest of our lives. We will piss one another off, but we will also heal one another's hearts. We are the group who sometimes don't need words but will laugh at the end of a conversation that started with angry words.

We are friends and in 10 years, when we have figured out where we fit in in this world, we will still be friends always and forever!
* * *


At some point in our lives, we all have (or will) experience what we call "quarter life crisis". Realizations, whether it be good or bad, cannot do anything in our lives unless we act on it. Dwell on the past, stay where you are, or move forward. I guess it's how we face it or how we handle this situation that makes us a better person.

Happiness

I'm quoting this from Carmel's blog...

Happiness comes in many forms:
in the company of good friends, in the feeling you get
when you make someone's dream come true,
when the promise of hope is renewed.
It's okay to let yourself be happy...
Because you never know how fleeting that happiness might be.

...something to ponder on...

Thailand, the Land of Smiles

5 of my officemates and I went to Thailand over the weekend. The original plan was for Boracay. But it was already starting to rain a lot since we were entering the rainy season, so we changed it to Hong Kong. But a lot of people say that there's not much to see there except for Disneyland, so we opted to go to Thailand instead.

Day 1. Our scheduled flight to Thailand was moved from 10:35am to 11:50am. We only knew about it when we checked their site and confirmed it on the phone. Haaay! PAL (Plane Always Late) talaga. If we haven't confirmed the flight schedule we would be waiting in the airport for 5 hours. Anyway, we still met early at Terminal 2, PAL's the new terminal, just to be sure we're on time. We planned to meet at 8:00am, but I arrived in the airport around 7:30. No traffic. From Ortigas to the airport, it took only about 20 minutes. :) One by one, people arrived in the airport. When we were complete, we checked in and went inside to wait for our flight. To pass the time, we ate our brunch and played the card game Lizzie brought. Soon, we were on our way to the land of smiles. :D

Trivia: Did you know why Thailand is called the Land of Smiles? It's because when you talk to them, they always answer you back with a smile. Our tour guide told us that even if they don't know what we mean because of the language barrier, they would just answer with a smile. Thus, Thailand is called the Land of Smiles. Hehehe! :D

After 3 hours, touchdown! We were in Thailand. A driver picked us up from the airport and dropped us off at our hotel. As soon as we checked in and unpacked a little, we went for a walk around Bangkok. We went to The Platinum Fashion Mall, World Trade Center and Siam Paragon. We saw a baby elephant along the way. Very cute! :D Around 6:30pm, we took the train (similar to our MRT) to go to the resto where we were supposed to meet my brother for dinner. We ate at Curries & More, a fine dining Thai restaurant. My brother treated us to dinner. Thanks, Wewe! :D I highly recommend the soft shell crab. Yummy! :d

Day 2. It was an early day for all of us. We were going to Ayutthaya (Thailand's 2nd capital) to tour the place. Our pick-up time was 7:00am, so we had our breakfast at 6:00am at the Sky Lounge (complimentary at the Baiyoke Suite Hotel). We finished early so we thought we had enough time to freshen up and brush our teeth before leaving. But we thought wrong. We got stuck in the elevator for about 15 minutes. The elevator door closed but it never left the 43rd floor. We thought our tour guide would leave us. It's a good thing that he was also a bit late. Apparently, he looked for us at the wrong hotel. He went to Baiyoke Sky instead of Baiyoke Suite. While we were stuck inside the elevator, we used the emergency phone to call for help. Someone said that an engineer will come to open the door, but 15 minutes had passed but nobody still came. We became desperate because we thought our guide might leave us. Liz sang the tune of Superman and Barry decided to force open the elevator door. Hehehe! Barry, as Superman. :)) We were able to get out and took a different elevator. Soon we met our tour guide for the day and left for Ayutthaya.

Our first stop was the Summer Palace (Bang Pa-In Palace). We were only allowed to go around the area, not inside the residences, but we still enjoyed the scenery and took lots of pictures. Next were the different temples and ruins in Ayutthaya. It has been a tiring day because of all the walking, plus the very hot and humid weather. But we enjoyed every place we went to. :) Before going back to Bangkok, we were asked if we wanted to ride the elephant. Just for the experience, we agreed to do so. After all, when are we ever going to have this opportunity again? :D When we got back to Bangkok, our last stop for the day was the Gem Stone Factory where jewelries made from different stones (mostly rubies) were made. Pearl and I got ourselves some nice rings. :D We were done by 4pm. So we decided to do our souvenir shopping at MBK before having dinner. The MBK Mall was a lot like Greenhills Shopping Center. One area was full of 'tiangge' type stalls where you can bargain for items you want to buy.

Day 3. On our third day, we went to The Grand Palace. Inside the palace, you will also find the famous Emerald Buddha. Actually, the Buddha is not made from emerald. It is really made from jade. Maybe, they should rename it to The Jade Buddha. Just a thought... ;) The Grand Palace is REALLY beautiful. Every building is either made of gold or some colored stones strategically placed and designed on each architectured structure. Very, very beautiful. I can't describe in words how beautiful it is inside. Just check out our pictures, but I think it still doesn't capture everything. I wonder how it feels like to live inside a palace.

After the tour to The Grand Palace was the city tour that came together with our hotel and plane package. Since we went to The Grand Palace first and have been to temples the previous day, the temples we went to which were included in our city tour didn't seem to appeal to us that much anymore. But it was still great to see the 2 biggest Buddha's in Bangkok, the leaning Buddha and the standing Buddha. After the city tour, we went to the Gem Store Factory again. I was told that it was really part of the tour and we can't skip it because the agency gets a commission if we bought something. So we had to go in again, watch the short film and check out the jewelries inside. I didn't buy a jewelry, but I did buy a stingray wallet. Hehehe! :D After our the last stop of our city tour, we went to The Platinum Fashion Mall for our last shopping before heading back to the hotel. We still had one agenda before we end our trip. We were going to watch a Cabaret show that evening where the performers were gay men who looked like real ladies.

While waiting for our driver to pick us up, we played a game that Lizzie brought which is like Win, Lose or Draw. Pearl, the best pa rin talaga yung drawing mo. Hehehe! :D 9pm was our pick-up time, and the show we were going to watch starts at 10pm. It was about 20 minutes to our destination, so we still had to wait a while. We had great seats for the show. It was a good thing, our guide, Wida, had great connections and was able to get us good seats. Hehehe! :D Those guys, or should I say gays, really look like women. And some are really beautiful. Just don't make them talk because that will give them away. It was a great experience to see a show like that. Just ask Barry. ;)

Day 4. Our last day in Bangkok. We just spent the day packing and getting lots of sleep. We didn't have to wake up as early as day 2 and 3 because our pick up time for the airport was still 11am. So we took our time getting ready then had breakfast around 9am. We checked out of the hotel then headed for the airport. Our flight back home was on time, thank goodness. It was a really tiring but well worth it weekend. It was a good thing that I still had a vacation from my vacation. So I still had time to rest before going back to work. :D

Check out our pictures in this site.

Top 5 Things You Probably Don't Know About Me

My turn to tag someone. :D Here's a list of the top 5 things you probably don't know about me (in no particular order):

1. I like the bathroom tissue to be inside out.
2. My day is not complete without my daily dose of caffeine.
3. I can't remeber directions based on street names. I just know when to turn left or right.
4. It's VERY hard for me to verbally say "I love you". I also don't write or say it if I don't REALLY mean it. And you can't make me.
5. When I do the groceries, I usually buy items in 2s.

Turkangel and Carl -- you're next :P

But anyone can answer also. :)

Simple Pleasures

I got tagged by Turkangel. So, here's my list of top 10 simple pleasures (in no particular order):

1. getting 8 hours of sleep (or more)
2. hanging out with good friends, sitting on the grass watching people and cars go by
3. ferrero or crunch or toblerone
4. staying under the sheets on a cold rainy day
5. window shopping
6. coffee (latte)
7. going through old pictures
8. re-reading letters from friends
9. playing with a puppy
10. holding a baby in my arms

Hmm.. who to tag next? Carl and Zhenmei -- you're next :P

But anyone can answer also. :)

Twenty-One Tips for a Happier Life

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO. Marry man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

FOUR. When you say, "I love you," mean it.

FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

TEN. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart.

Games: Addicted to Dynomite

I'm addicted once again to the Tetris-type, Snood-type game called Dynomite. The object of this game is simple. Use the slingshot to shoot dinosaur eggs at similar-colored eggs on the playing field. Match at least three eggs of similar color or pattern to clear them from the playing field. Try it! It's fun!

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If two people are in the opposite ends of the earth, you can't really say "we're wishing on the same star" or "we're looking at the same moon". Why? Because literally speaking, one may be looking at the sun, and the other may be looking at the moon. Right?

Mindanao Tri-province Adventure

Time to catch up on posts. ;)

Last December, during our Christmas break from work, my 2 officemates (Roxy and Lizzie) and I went on a trip to Mindanao (Davao - Bukidnon - Cagayan de Oro). This was my first out-of-Luzon trip. We left Manila very early in the morning for the first flight to Davao.

Davao. Well, what can I say? Airport pa lang, ang ganda na! I love their airport. It was like I was back in the US. It was clean and organized. I hope the airports in Manila will be like theirs, especially the international aiport. *sigh* Lizzie's cousin, JayJay, was our main tourguide while we were there. He picked us up from the airport and dropped us off at their house. We stayed for 2 days in Lizzie's aunt and uncle's house. Some of the places we went to were: Paradise Island, Eden Park, Philippine Eagle, and believe it or not SM City Davao. We were also supposed to go to Pearl Farm (which we were told was a must!). But since it was peak season, only those with reservations could go there. Maybe next time...

Bukidnon. After Davao, we took a bus to go to our next destination: Roxy's hometown. It was so refreshing there. No wonder she always goes back home when she wants to de-stress. The air was so fresh and it seems so peaceful. Wherever you turn, you will see nature: mountains, pineapple grove, trees. If you're a nature lover, you would love to live there. It was just too bad that we weren't able to see pineapples in the grove. They were just harvested when we got there. As soon as we got off the bus, Roxy's parents picked us up and brought us to the Del Monte clubhouse. We got a taste of their homegrown fruits and meat. Yummy! I loved the steak and the salad! :d (Roxy, thanks for the treat!) I also love the pineapples. It's soooo sweet, unlike most of the ones sold here in Manila.

Cagayan De Oro. CDO was just 45 minutes from Camp Phillips, Bukidnon. We went on a white water rafting adventure while we were there. I never tried it when I was in Minnesota, so I said this is the chance to try it. I thought is was going to be scary. But it turned out to be really fun! :D On the way to the river wild, we had a pitstop at Macahambus Adventure Park where we tried to cross the hanging bridge and go back through the zipline. This was also fun! I hope we could do this again. :D

It IS fun to travel in your own country. I love to travel, but sometimes time and money just won't permit me to. Soon... I hope I'll get to travel to another great destination real soon. *Boracay?*


My first out-of-Luzon trip.

KADA Reunion

The Graduates

Life after college. It has been more than 5 years since we graduated from college. We didn't know what was ahead of us back then. It was like Freshman year all over again. We all tried to find our niche in different IT companies.

After 5 years of working, here we are. All grown up, starting our own families and climbing up the career ladder. We all have our own stories to share. And it's just nice to see each other once in a while to do this. Here's to more years of friendship and a successful life in the future.

And to the future Mrs. Bullen... best wishes! :)


Reunion ng KADA after months of not seeing each other.

Random Thoughts 051124

Sometimes you just need to let your tears fall and everything will be alright.