Bling-Blings

It's been quite a while since the last time I bought any accesories. With the numerous entries I posted about hair, by now you should be able to tell that I like doodling with the hair :p. Hair is a big factor. :)

I recently bought two quite unique hair bling-blings.

Ribbon with Hair Net (or you can call it siopao)

I am inspired by the look of flight attendants who have their hair tied neatly at the back. I find this black ribbon with several shimmering stones and a small net to insert the ponytail into it. It gives a formal and elegant look, good for corporate or formal parties. Warning: make or break. Either you can carry it well or you'll end up looking like Lola Basyang with the siopao. A lot of lolas wear ribbons like that too. Hmm I wish I look like the former :p, can it be my fallback career. Hehehe.

Flower Clips

I didnt know such existed, havent seen one in Ph. Of course these are fake flowers, they're made of cloth, sewn to look like a natural flower. Hawaii is in the air. So feminine. Warning: make or break again. Not everyone can try this. Either you can sport a classy and sweet look, or high possiblity of looking like Jolens with baduy burloloys.

Cute! yet very challenging. Wish me luck. New alternative looks for 2009.

P.S. One of the difficult entries. Imagine I even have to set the timer to do this kind of self-portrait. I'm outta of my mind.

Pinoy Movies

Whenever I go home, I always manage to buy a few local movies DVD. Strange, OFWs tend to like watching local movies. Homesick!

A Very Special Love
The first time I heard abt it, I didnt like it. Dont get me wrong, I watch Filipino movies. It's just that the title seems too jologs hehe, too superlative. Love to be described as special, add to it a 'very'. Not descriptive enough of the theme, and what makes it so 'very special'? Not catchy, it's like one of the me-toos, forgettables. Then a friend recommended that to me, and told me 'surprisingly the movie has some depth'. I checked the net and saw that it was the highest-selling box-office hit of 2008, surpassing 'One More Chance'. Okay that it's, it has stirred up my curiousity, I bought a dvd.


My take: John Lloyd's acting has improved a lot, he looks so natural and convincing in his role. I like how his eyes 'act', very expressive. (For me, sya ang nagdala ng movie) It talks about how Miggy, being a son of mistress of a wealthy family, wants to revive his publishing business to prove himself. The arrogant and insensitive guy meets Laida the simple girl who has a crush on him, and slowly transforms him into a real human with emotions and concern for others. No offense but Sarah doesnt look corporate enough, something is wrong with her hair. (the poster I downloaded looks much better). Nevertheless, the jolly personality of Laida fits her well. I like the sundance concept :)

I like the dialogues below:
'What you just saw is a failure... Pangalan ko lng paghihirapan ko pa.'
'Khit bali-baliktarin mo ako ngyon, wala na akong maibibigay... Mapapagod ka lng sa kaaasa, mapapagod ka lng sa kahihintay', says Miggy.
'Khit kelan ndi ko naramdamang nakakapagod kang mahalin... ngyon lng', says Laida.

And I was told there will be a part2 coming up this Feb to be titled 'You Changed My Life'. This title is much much better and interesting. I'll have to get a copy. :)

However, I think I'm still more used to Lloydie-Bea tandem. One More Chance mega-known dialogues:
'She had me at my worst, you had me at my best, but you just broke my heart'
'Pwede bang ako na lng, ako na lng ulit'. hehehe


For The First Time
My take: I would consider it more 'modern' than the traditional Filipino movie, not the typical conservative youth. Setting in Santorini, Greece is a good idea. KC flaunts her cleavage well with the deep-V neckline blouses hehe. Good chemistry between KC and Richard. KC's version of 'For The First Time' is very warming, singing probably runs in their genes. After watching it, I've been having LSS the whole night and days after.

Time is..

A week before CNY, I just discovered my watch wasnt working. :(

It's just a simple watch, not really a branded, expensive watch. But I think it looks like one with the stones shimmering. I like the numbers (or number marks) being printed neatly as you would see in a conventional, simple watch so that my lazy mind wont have to decipher whether it's in between what and what number.

I bought it at Suntec watch sale last year. I wasnt planning to buy one, was just there to accompany a friend, but somehow I bought it and even queued for it. For me, watch is a necessity (one of the must-have items an OC friek cant live without), rather than a luxury item to flaunt. This is probably just my 2nd time to buy my own watch in my entire life.

I think I have dropped it accidentally once or twice. One morning I felt strange that the time doesnt seem to move away from 930am. To my surprise, I gently tapped it and the minute hand also moved. That's it, it keeps moving whenever I tap it. :( It gave up on me. Good thing my previous watch (given by my sister) is still functioning.

Strange that there are things you cant clearly explain but you just like it. It has become a part of you that you feel strange without it. I like it more and more as time passes. Now I wonder if I can find something exactly like it, and if I do, is it really the same thing that I initially wanted...

Is it really just me? Can I just stop the time instead?

I'm tired. I'm sleepy. hehe from narration to something else.

Simple Joys

Chicken Joy + Spaghetti = Simple Joys :p

I'm hungry.

Red Cliff & Lin Chi Ling

Few weeks ago, I got to watch Red Cliff 2. With a budget of US$80 million, Red Cliff is the most expensive Asian-financed film to date. It has a strong cast with Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro and some big China actors. Lin Chi Ling (Xiao Qiao) also debuted in this movie. Overall, I find the movie to be quite good, well-executed fight scenes and well-written storyline. Not as boring or dragging as I would expect from an epic movie. There were some negative reviews in the net because they twisted some parts of the history of China (well I'm not really a history die-hard fanatic so I didnt notice)

My eyes couldnt seem to detach from Xiao Qiao whenever she appears. She looks simple and yet there's a layer of elegance and appeal, just beyond words.

Some more interesting facts about her fr wiki: She's dubbed as Taiwan's #1 Beauty and voted to have the sexiest legs. Top supermodel, stands almost 5'9". A double degree holder from University of Toronto - truly beauty and brains. Rumored to have dated Jerry Yan of F4. She was born in 1974...

1974?! my goodness that makes her 34! And she looks so pleasantly adorable and sexy. Defines 'aging gracefully' at its best.

And the latest news is that she'll be Jay's leading lady in an upcoming movie. Another must-see movie. (imitating SG's accent: die die must watch this film :p) What a lovely pair on screen. Interesting.

Truly the prettiest face on earth (for Chinese). Idol!

Drifted: Girl Talk

An ex-ofcmate dropped by recently and we had some chikahan session. Usually you'll have some kamustahan conversation on common friends, something that goes like this.

Kamusta na si A? Ah we lost contact. Kamusta naman si B? Matagal ko na hndi nakakausap. Eh si C? Ah 2 years ko na hindi nakikita. Bottomline is, we somehow 'drifted'. And I got a giggle as a response to the term that I used. Drifted is such a nice, profound term, isnt it? :)

Sometimes we just dont realize that some friendships have 'drifted' away. Nobody makes a deliberate effort to keep in touch, and therefore awkwardness slowly sets in. Till the day we become total strangers.

It does happen, maybe not so frequent or maybe it's actually quite frequent but you just failed to notice. It's life.

This Jan, I got reunited with one of my best girl friends in Manila. Finally we met again and had a long chat. We were planning to go out but our schedule doesnt seem to coincide. I already had 2 lakads the day she called, I was moved when she offered to meet me in Binondo in between the 'gaps', and there we had some bonding over coffee at Seattles near my home.

Just last night she popped some ym messages about her problems. From her kwentos, seems like she's being treated like trash. (I feel for her coz once in a while, I also feel like one). Anyway, the main thing that struck me is her message 'sana andito ka :('... Aww so sweet.. so sad.. I hope she'll be fine.

Sketch Me

As I was enjoying my homebody days in Manila, I made it a point to clear all the trash in my room. In the midst, I found a funny sketch of me in my college days.








Oh my...! What a @#$%!%^. yeah right I wish this body is mine :p

The face was sketched based on a picture I submitted and the body was fr Mariah's. (if I remember correctly).

Still cant get enough, then I discovered this Photofunia site. Photofunia site has been quite popular nowadays that you'd see it quite often in friendster/facebook albums. I fancied the sketch layout, here are some more attempts :)

















For the non-sketch, here are some of those I like:




























Enough of the vanity strike.

My Youtube Hits 100K+

In relation to my concert-tripping (if there is such word), my steaming hot youtube reaches 100K+ views in 1 year! I even have some subscribers. Initially I was just planning to use it as my video files backup. Wow. Never thought my ultra-blurred recordings have enticed some curious souls to click on them. My top 2 videos that have 3000 hits are from Nicholas and Jay!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0xy_KAYrgQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHIbFhOlIXE

So probably if I put up an online ad for whatever rackets I might have, it will sell, well at least earn some awareness points. :p

2008 Last Glimpses

I feel an urge to write a year-end entry for all the blessings the past year. 2008 is a crazy and memorable year for me. Never imagined that my life in SG would be like this.

Work
It was only in 2008 that I can finally say to myself that I establish the confidence in what I'm doing. Previously working in a pampered environment, it's like I was working on a superficial and macro-level, touching just the surface. Now I got to witness a project from requirements gathering down to development, SIT, UAT and production cut-over. I was there from start to end, from higher level to knitty-gritty details. I became part of 2 major challenging projects that really push me to think beyond. I saw my manager defending for my ratings with the country manager, and I really felt moved as it was the first time I saw a person speaking on my behalf for what I deserve. Unfortunately I didnt get the monetary compensation for that due to recession (hehe bad timing!). Still, there are things in this world that a higher paycheck can't buy. We'll see, cant really say, I still have to have a back-up plan if things go wrong, which might be soon.

Back to School
I managed to squeeze in 2 marketing modules from NUS ext. I never really imagined that I'd be going back to school. It was fun putting your focus on something OUTSIDE work, and to realize that your brain is still functioning properly. Research, writing papers, preparing for presentation and exams - all these things seemed so far away and I'm glad I was able to do it again. My creativity skills were challenged. Though tiring to juggle work and studies, it was a rewarding experience.

Leisure Courses Overload
Checking my records, I enrolled in 7 short courses (8 sessions each) and 3 workshops (just 1 session each). Wheew dont know what was in my head. Beat that :p. There's always something to do, something to learn. I am becoming a jack of all trades. (and a master of none!) So hard to remember if you don't practice.

Resto Cooking
Seafood Cooking
*Rice Dumpling Making Workshop
*Mooncake Making Workshop
*Baking Workshop

Pilates
Social Dance
French
Korean
Guzheng

I think I had already posted a blog entry for some. I'd do some backfill for those I havent when I have the time.


Concerts
I watched 11 concerts in 2008 :p With or without companion, rain or shine, nothing stops what my heart desires.


I Keep Coming Back
Recalling my vacation trips, I realized I was in Manila for 5 times last year :p (Jan, July, Sept, Oct, Dec). Thanks to everyone who made my 2008 special.

2007 is all about adjustment. 2008 is like exploration to me, a 2nd childhood perhaps :p. And as 2009 sets in, I'd make sure it's a different me. A stronger, wiser and more beautiful me. Dare me. (That's the spirit!)

I have an assertive female ex-colleague who once told me, 'Some things come with with maturity, come with age'. Now I slowly understand what that means (I hope).

Let me end the blog with a picture, a nice sunset in Bkk. I like it because it exudes life's simplicity. Simple joys from watching sunrise or sunset. Simple me without any make-up or porma get-up. Free of cares and just simply enjoying what life has to offer. And that's just the essence of it. Let go and let God. Cheers 2009:)

Pitstop: Jan09 Vacation

Of all the vacations I had in Manila, this one's the most relaxing. It was also one of the coolest Decembers in Manila that I can remember so far. Add to it that GMA was so generous to keep people away from their work for a consecutive 10+ holidays. Sheesh, and I have to burn 10+ vacation leaves to enjoy this festive season back with my family, which is more than half of my annual leave allocation.

Since most of my friends were like on their own vacation (province or out of the country), I was somehow forced to be a homebody and I enjoyed it! Managed to squeeze in an overnight at Sofitel, cool place with the scenic view of Manila Bay. I again had several rounds in jacuzzi, sauna and steam room, and suddenly I have flashbacks of how I used to do the same at Gold's before (courtesy of ex-company benefits). The following morning was Spiral time, yummy buffet as always. Food trips were also wonderful as I was able to pacify my cravings for Jollibee, Dencio's, Waiying, etc. Surprisingly I was able to do mall-hopping of the 'newer' malls I havent frequented for a long time like Trinoma, Gateway, Rockwell and also had my first time in Serendra/Boni High Street. Oops was I away for that long hehe. I also finished my regular routines ahead of time like dental checkups, derma, massage, foot spa, haircut, tiangge visits and even KTV nights. I only spent 2 jampacked days catching up with friends and had some worthwhile quality time. Lastly, I was able to drop by Manila Memorial, whew it was already almost 2 years ago the last time I was there.

Geesh yeah I do miss this familiar place, the familiar faces. Bonding with family for one was priceless. Catching up with PG batchmates and seeing they're okay with new not-so-stressed and fairly-compensated jobs gave me a nostalgic nodge, suddenly I welcomed the idea of working back in Manila hehe. Of course they would always tease me that I am way beyond my initial 6-months goal of staying in SG :p (hey there's nothing wrong with setting low achievable & realistic goals okei :p), and I was requested again to sing the undying 'Ni Yao De Ai' OST from Meteor Garden during our Centerstage KTV night-out :p.

I left with a heavy heart and the memories, but I didnt cry. From the last time I cried in a plane, I promised myself not to cry again. My mom was emotional again while sending me off (I actually banned her long time ago to send me to airport, that it would be better that we just part ways at the carpark). I feel choked (with suppresed tears) and managed to wave her goodbye. My sisters sent me sms and they would always remind me to 'just go back anytime'. Aawww.

Meeting friends made me realized we've all literally changed and grew. What I like best is that despite the time and distance barriers, the comfort level is still there and I hope it stays there for keeps.

Vacations like this alway break the momentum. After landing, I took a cab back to my SG home and unknowingly I pressed 20+ in the elevator, came out and realized I cant find my house. (sheesh I forgot I'm back to SG, back to reality)

Next day was back to work, and I discovered a shock. What happens next is a blur. No worries, I'll keep hanging on, palaban ako ngyon. I won't be drifting anymore. My new goal for 2009 is to glide with style. (hehe whatever than means)

Asia Pac Marketing Management

Finally got my grade for the 2nd module. It's a B!!.. Again!:p
(There are only 5 possible grades from A to E with A as the highest and D as passing.) I was hoping it's an A hehe.

The module was quite interesting, mainly dealing with actual cases of Asia Pac companies, how they deal with certain situations. I got to learn some of the different consumer buying behavior and marketing practices of those countries, along with some tips and tricks.

Below are some of the parts that I did for the HP Case that we submitted. (It wasnt really a 'creative thinking' task, but rather more of an analysis approach as to what course of action to pursue given a set of conditions and alternatives)



Competitor Analysis



Decision for Mode of Entry

P.S. I am planning to learn something new in the upcoming CNY. Stay tuned for good news (hopefully I'd learn it in one shot) :p

Pearl River Palace

Here are some of the must-try dishes in Pearl River Palace. Immerse your taste buds in the wide variety and freshness of Chinese food, just point any item in their menu and they will cook the food as you order, as many times as you want! (except for buddha soup, fresh prawns and peking duck that are limited to single order per person). Service is excellent, the crew will keep on replacing your plates whenever they find it necessary. Best value for money.


>Salmon Sashimi & Fresh Prawns


Fish Fillet, Steamed Seabass, Oyster Beef & Scallops w/ Pea pods



Buddha-Jump-Over-The-Wall Soup.
(It is a type of highly complex Chinese soup or stew consisting of many ingredients like bamboo shoots, scallop, sea cucumber, abalone, shark's fin, chicken, ham, pork tendon, ginseng, mushrooms)



Peking Duck Wraps, Crab Vermicelli



Dessert Section

No Signboard

Here are the signature dishes of No Signboard in Vivo City offered in set menu last Christmas. This is one of my best food photography collections so far. :)


Mixed Platter



Shark's Fin Soup



Cereal Prawn



Chilli Crab



E-Fu Noodles



Almond Jelly


The food is superb! But the price is really too high. The shark's fin soup itself costs 28sgd for each individual small bowl! Warm water is not free and is charged at 1.5sgd per glass. Appetizers (nuts), towels all are charged. A bunch of small things just adds up significantly. The crabs and the prawns I think are also more expensive than the Geylang branch. If you are not particular with ambience, Geylang branch offers the same food at a slightly lower price.

Movie Review: Unfaithful

Given that I was in a down mood on my flight back to SG, I still did try to enjoy SQ's (Sing Air) perks. I asked for white wine to complement my meal. Of all the movies being shown onboard, I laid eyes on an old movie, the sensational movie by Richard Gere and Diane Lane's Unfaithful. :p



I remembered probably way back college times, this movie was a major hit. So much people kept talking about it, mostly about how 'erotic' the movie is, but somehow I failed to watch it.

Yeah it did live up to the all the attention. Diane's acting was superb, no wonder she had so many nominations and she's really super sexy. She and the French guy were so hot! I was initially wondering why would a Richard Gere's wife engage in extra-marital affairs (hey it's Gere!), then my doubts disappeared when this French guy's face and macho body surfaced the screen hehe. I really felt pity for Gere and I didnt expect him to end up in such horrible act, poor thing.

Mom's Vacation 2008

My mom was here for a week and spent Christmas with me. This was our first bonding out-of-town escapade with just the two of us. It was the start of my 2 weeks+ long vacation, the longest vacation I had since I started working, soo cool! I tried planning the itinerary on things that were of interest to her. I had to take into consideration that she was quite old, therefore everything had to be the shortest possible walking distance. Suddenly I felt like a yaya with a bag of stuff (water, shawl, basic medicine, tissue paper, hand sanitizer, etc) following after her to make sure the trips are as smooth as possible.

Day 1 - Bugis and hotpot
Day 2 - Batam, Indonesia day trip
Day 3 - Sentosa
Day 4 - Zoo
Day 5 - Esplanade, Xmas Eve dinner
Day 6 - Orchard shopping, Xmas Dinner
Day 7 - back

I organized a Batam day trip with my friends here, which is actually among the few times she bonded with my friends. It was a fun trip, but the return trip got me so much nervous as the ferry bumped into a pole causing a loud bang. I was in panic mode thinking it might have caused holes for water to get in and shrink the whole ferry. Haunted by the fact that I have to be responsible for 10 other lives onboard being the organizer, including my mom. I myself was not ready to die! Thank God nothing happened. My friends were quite accomodating and I think it left a good impression on my mom. Probably it was her first time to interact directly with Filipinos and I even brought her to experience Noche Buena (we never had one back home) It was very amusing that my mom told me the next day that if in the future I came across Filipino suitors/bfs, she's okay with that as long as the guy is kind and industrious (masipag). Whahahahaha it kept me giggling. Wow as if an assumed ban has been lifted, can't believe it if I didn't hear it straight from her! But anyhow, I never really kept that 'unspoken ban' in mind before and I dont have any persistent Filipino suitor now, so it doesnt really make a difference on me. I kept teasing her the following days whether she'll take back her words. It was quite an amusing thing to recall, I felt moved by my mom's warmth.

She was quite proud seeing that I can look after myself well. I even cooked one meal for her (the pictures dont look appetizing though as I dont have time to 'decorate': buttered prawns, pork stew, spareribs noodles and some fried dimsum take-outs). She cant seem to believe that I can cook, wash dishes and iron clothes. :)


My mom's the typical old, traditional Filchi mom. I tried to hide the tag prices away from her whenever we're shopping as she kept converting sgd to php. A SG newspaper at 80cents is priced twice of Manila's cost of 12php, according to her. But we did enjoy shopping for her clothes and she bought one each for her close friends. I also bought her a handbag and a pair of shoes. She also likes the food here, including hawker.

We also met up with our neighbor who happened to be vacationing here as well that time. To my surprise, they wanted me to bring them to a Rolex store and was eyeing for a 450K php watch! Wow didn't know how ultra-rich these ppl are. Later she's asking me about where to buy LV bags. Hmm no worries, we'll get to that level. dan dan dan hahaha.

Highlights of food trips would be Pearl River Palace and No Signboard. Pearl River Palace is a must-try for all Chinese food lovers with its unique buffet concept and the exclusive Buddha-jump-over-the-wall soup. No Signboard resto has delicious but overpriced food. I'll blog about this separately next time.

Lastly this is one of my favorite pixs with her. It's not that I'm vain to like it because I am not the one blurred out hehe. I just like the effect. :) Cheers to 09!