Gene falls, Gene fell, Gene's fallen

Saturday Road Trip with Friends

2010-11-14T00:58:00.004+08:00

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Spontaneity...spontaneity...
We shouldn't plan for road trips; we should just go and take them!

2:00 am

Arrived at Dagupan Bus Liner Terminal

3:00 am

Bus left for Manaoag
Road trip with my best friends Melody (Mel) and Lovella (Vel)
Wheat pandesal, eggs, Marty's ("Marty's is not a pig! Hindi siya baboy! Gulay! Gulay!")
'Makulit' chicharon vendor all over Vel :)

7:00 am

Reached the Our Lady of Manaoag Church
Bought Manaoag items and candles
Attended mass and had our candles blessed
Visited the shrine
Lighted our candles and sent out our prayers to the Heavenly Father
Watched some curious "plays of flames" among candles
Bought more candles
Floated our candles over water…let go…let go :)

10:00 am

Craved for Max's but realized it's in Urdaneta (whoops)
Breakfast at Gianni's, Manaoag
Loved the 'lutong bahay' and their kind accommodation of Mel's request for sunny side up eggs
Menudo, Binagoongan, Giniling, 12-oz Coke…yum yum
Decided spontaneously to go to Baguio :)

11:00 am

Got Maxx candies instead, hehe
Walked to the van terminal
'Makulit' empanada vendor all over Vel (again)
Van left for Baguio
Dizzying overtakes had us on the edge of our seats (Thank God, the fare came with insurance :)

12:30 pm

Reached Baguio (Otek St.)
Strolled to Burnham park and had 'hilaw na mangga' (Mel), pink cotton candy (Vel) and blue cotton candy (yours truly)
Enjoyed the 30-minute swan ride, pedaling (Vel and myself) and steering (Me) through "the swan lake" of tourist-y boats under the noontime sun and against the lovely cool breeze

2:00 pm

Lunch at Ganza Restaurant - Tiyan ng Bangus sa Miso, Special Chopsuey, Mango Shakes (Mel and Vel) and Buko Juice (Yours Truly), with a cute Pot of Rice
Yum yum fresh veggies…delicious lunch…so Baguio!
Another enlightening girl talk over lunch on the past, present and future
Went knitwear shopping - furry warmer (Mel), knitted colorful caps (Mel and myself) and cellphone holders (Vel and myself)
Window-shopped through ukay-ukay but held back (good job girls!)
Bought strawberry jam (Vel and myself) and honey (Vel)

3:45 pm

Rode taxi to Victory Liner Terminal
Honest cab drivers here; they give you change
Bought tickets and rested for a while

4:40 pm

Bus left for Manila
Food trip in two bus stopovers
Donuts 'n Dip (Vel and myself), hotdog and puto (Mel)
Capuccino (Mel and myself), macaroons (myself) and croissant (Vel)

11:30 pm

We're back in Makati!
"Cinderella is home before midnight :)"
What a lovely Saturday road trip with friends!

P.S.

Eat, Pray Love (Makati...Manaoag...where next?)

It's Feminine Friday!

2010-09-17T23:40:00.000+08:00

My "technicolor" dress

(My own girlie version of Joseph the Dreamer's multicolored coat)

It's so pretty I don't want to take it off! :)

Hahaha

Day Off!

2010-09-11T22:06:00.000+08:00

After my DFA appointment in the morning (which was smooth and systematic, overall), I was in the mood for some real girl shopping!

I’ve been holding back this craving for weeks (mostly due to lack of time and partly to control my shopaholic tendencies).

I took care of my necessities and grocery shopping yesterday and I’ve just survived a really hectic four-day week so I told myself that “Today, I’m going to give my feminine 'me' a treat.”

It’s been a while since I went to Megamall… I thought ‘Why not give it a try’… So from DFA, I took the slow sweet bus ride to dear old Mega (It’s been years since I last visited this mall, and I was happy with the changes and improvements done.)

In my blue walking wedges and my favorite big blue bag, I took in the refreshing lineup of cute-sy boutiques (from second to third floors - Mega A and B) for the preliminary 'once-over' before the 'shopping proper'. Thankfully, I was there during the first hours after opening and there were less shopping people then.

…Apple and Eve, Fashion 21 (though this one felt short of expectations; the choices seem like 'one level up' of Marks and Spencer, i.e., you could risk looking like everyone else), La Senza, Linea Italia (there was that Emporio Armani darling pair of shoes though they’re not my size – i.e., not meant for me), Wade, Maldita, Steve Madden, Mint, Karimadon (I’m going back for those new arrivals sometime soon), Forme, Folded and Hung, Mango and so much more…A lot of new and familiar brands to feed one's fashion appetite. In my opinion, SM now looks like a good hybrid of Robinsons’ Galleria and Glorietta.

I’d like to shout out my sincerest thanks to the sales ladies of Shapes, Memo, Una Rosa and Shiseido who have been really super-nice to me. Just for today, I felt special and well cared for. The sweet girl of Una Rosa even picked up dresses in my size (the rare / almost endangered size of “1”, haha) for me to try while I was at the fitting room (really thoughtful and she was never pushy). The girl from Memo upped my “good vibes” when she informed me that I just bought a belt that Donita Rose also got (wow huh; I’ve beginning to like Memo a lot, after my infinity wrap and this belt ). Rowena of Shiseido was patient enough in picking out the shade for me (light/sheer for everyday, but with some color – I could be the 100^th customer to ask for such oxymoron of a shade).

At the end of day, I am smiling and nothing can ever wipe that away.

Love love love being a girl!

Love love love being an independent woman who can buy her own stuff and make her own choices!

Go girl power!

Note to self - The latest Shopaholic book already came out last month. Will get my own copy soon.

2010-09-04T23:19:00.000+08:00

Just remembered this poem from our elementary school principal, Ma'am Fiorella Espinosa...

She gave this to me after I gave her a "thank you" poem for being so supportive considering that I was under-aged and a transferee.
(Yeah, I wrote 'thank you' poems when I was younger; I miss that part of me :)
I hope that she's smiling down from Heaven if ever she gets to read this from there...

G-o oh wisp-of-a-girl
E-xplore the world unfurled
N-ew visions, thoughts, new dreams
E-ndless with new schemes
F-ill the earth with sunshine
E-ach day, God's grace be thine
L-ive, love and be your best.
Genefel, get ready for more conquests.

Surprisingly, I've memorized this by heart and took these with me wherever Life brought me.
"Live, love and be your best." I'll remember to do just that ma'am. Thanks so much again.

Diary of a Surprise (with post scripts)

2010-08-28T16:28:00.019+08:00

August 18, 2010

FB Status:

Genefel Ober my day is almost done :)

At around 10:30 in the evening, I was already into my last task for the day – a conference call with our Ernst & Young contact in New York. All went well and good. By a few minutes past 11:00 pm, my workday was done!

I went to my favorite chill-out place: The Old Manila Coffeehouse (Dela Rosa St., at the back of the SGV office), and had my very late dinner. I wanted to reward myself so I acceded to the friendly waiter’s suggestion and ordered their specialty for the month: Beef Caldereta, paired with a healthy fruit shake.

It was almost midnight when I got back to the SGV office. I’ve decided to stay over instead of go home since (a) I would be less tempted to oversleep and risk missing my flight, and (b) it’s more convenient and safe to get a cab to the airport from SGV because the cab’s plate number is logged by the SGV guard.

I went to my desk and worked on getting my forty winks.

August 19, 2010

At 12 midnight, I sent my SMS to Mama greeting her a “Happy 65^th birthday!”. Of course, I thought that she’d be asleep by then (but later learned that the blinking light of her cellphone for new messages woke her up early in the morning).

I posted my Out of Office message in my SGV email and my cork board.

That’s Marlin, the blue fish that traveled all the way from Oman to Makati,
courtesy of my best friend Shirley…

and my SGV anniversary balloons (which I incidentally left at the after-party; fortunately, the staff were kind enough to bring them over to my desk).

I love posting “OUT”, especially if it goes with something like “Vacation Leave”.

By 2:30 AM, I double-checked my stuff (I didn’t bring much – just my birthday gift bag for Mama, my office bag and the Vietnam paintings inside the tube). I’d already changed into jeans and red shirt, and had my infinity wrap (i.e., a very versatile wrap which can be styled in infinite ways; the nice girl from Memo showed me at least eight ways to twist and tie it; I got the one in black)

…Ready for my Mission: Surprise!!!

Our kindly kuya guard helped me get a cab to the airport. I was there in no time at the NAIA Terminal III. I got the Cebu Pacific promo fare and booked this as early as May 29. (Mission: Surprise was a ‘leap of faith’ three months ago.)

FB Status:

Genefel Ober is going home to Iloilo (in a few hours) to surprise her mom on her 65th birthday...Happy birthday Mama!

I got my 12-dozen box of Go Nuts Donuts in assorted flavors, including Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse (for the fun of it). Mama liked these the last time I took one box for my vacation last May 2009).

I sent another SMS to Mama reminding her to: “eat something long, sweet and colorful for her birthday…and to stay at home ‘cause my surprise birthday gift is coming”.

I didn’t have to wait long before the boarding time was announced.

Yey, finally, I’m going home again!

FB Status:

Genefel Ober ‎"the flight going home always feels heartwarming-ly different...i pray for more flights like this..."

What a beautiful morning…whew…so refreshing and exhilarating at the same time…Nothing beats the Iloilo greenery and the smiling Ilonggo folks starting their mornings as early as 5:00 AM.

I chatted with the taxicab driver for a while about miscellaneous stuff (oh, I miss the Ilonggos, I realized; I wouldn’t even smile at or joke around with a Manila taxicab driver especially if I’m on my own).

While inside the cab and approaching our subdivision, I called up Mama just to make sure she’s awake at this early hour. She may already be up and about since she didn’t immediately take my call. After a few minutes, she called me up and I greeted her (still on the premise that I’m just calling in to greet her and is just up early preparing to get to the office :)). After a few minutes, I’m already in front of my home sweet home’s gate (still locked, since it only gets opened much later after sunrise)

…SURPRISE!!!

The doggies got wild when they heard me knocking and saw me at the gate.

My Mama went out of the door, a little confused and definitely surprised…

(The look on her face and my Mama’s smile…. I will forever treasure these…Really, the best things in life are priceless). I didn’t know that I was capable of planning on surprising anyone special until then…

My doggies (I really really missed them) were scrambling to get my attention. What to do??? Shakespeare was whimpering-barking-crying on my right ear…Faith and Hope were hopping in zigzags…Love and Tiger, the dog guards that they are, were all over me, sniffing and jumping (with their full grown dog-size, you’d be scared if they weren’t your dogs). I had to leave my bags someplace safe (on higher ground, ha-ha) and had to take off my coat to save it from an eternity of dog-fur…so I can subject my self to the doggies' “balik-bahay” welcome. Hahaha…I love these fur-balls…another priceless tender-crazy moment…

It was overwhelming to see all of these roll (like a movie) before my eyes. This was the first time that I went home on August for my Mama’s birthday (i.e., it’s not vacation season; my Mama doesn’t want anyone to fuss over her birthday).

I didn’t care that I didn’t have enough vacation credits, and I didn’t care that I have at least three major special projects ongoing. I just had to go home. My Mama is turning 65 only once!

An ideal early morning with my Mom…We had coffee and donuts for starters. Mama opened her gift bag and the tube for the Vietnamese paintings.

Happy Happy Birthday!

I realized that while I may have surprised my Mama with more expensive Christmas gifts before, my Mama’s happiness is never measured by the price tags. She’s just happy at the thought of someone exerting an effort and she wouldn’t care if that’s the high-end brand for a cellphone, watch, perfume or shoes (in fact, she just doesn’t know those brands at all; but ask her about quality, she definitely knows better; indeed, I’ve confirmed time and time again that the price tag is not proportionate to quality).

Mama knows that I’m very busy to catch the malls before they’re closed (thanks to the extended hours on Christmas season); that’s why she seems to really appreciate it if I went out of my way to get her something. I say, ‘If you really want to, you’d always find time for your loved ones despite the busy schedules’.

Coincidentally, her gift bag included curious Asian stuffs – cotton dress and blouse from Indonesia, a jarful of sweets from Thailand c/o Ms. My – who was as excited as I was on my Mission:Surprise, plus the paintings all the way from Vietnam.

In the afternoon, we bought our groceries and prepared for Mama’s birthday dinner. We took out the flatware (the 25-year warranty silver I bought years ago, hidden somewhere) and Mama’s china for the birthday-worthy plating. If everyday is an occasion, then this day should be extra special!

We invited over our boarding couple (Mama’s godchildren in their wedding) to share in the long, sweet and colorful treats.

Something long…

Something sweet…

Something colorful…

After all the fun and eating, Mama and I vowed to celebrate more :)

The Heavenly Father is always good to us, and we owe it to Him to live the good life --- enjoying and sharing His blessings.

The day was done…

My Mama turned 65…

I love relishing this moment again and again…

All the stress that I had to go through at work to put some semblance of order before I leave things for at least two work days…

All the cramming and sleepless (and no-sleep) nights…

It was all worth it!

FB Status:

Genefel Ober will forever treasure the memories of today. "Thank you so much Almighty Father."

Post Scripts: August 20-23, 2010

FB Status:

Genefel Ober loves spending quality time with my dogs :) -They eat 5 meals a day, smell really good after their bath, are easily made happy by hugs and kisses, and are always enthusiastically alert (even without coffee)...what enviable lives!

Mama and Tiger (his curls are more tamed now)

Mama with Tiger and Shakespeare

(Just like our only lady dog–Faith, Shakespeare also loves the sofa’s arm)

Shakespeare, “camera-scaredy” doggie, ha-ha

(Shakespeare: ‘Don’t shoot me please’)

So I took out the flash…

Hope…without fail…is picture perfect!

Shakespeare is not that photogenic

(though he’s almost always the chosen favorite by onlookers/strangers among the five doggies, when seen in person)

I loved my nails (in Revlon Iced Spice)

…before I took the stress on them by removing the nail polish due to the one-hour delayed flight back to Manila (August 23)…hmp!

FB Status (August 23):

Genefel Ober Delayed flight...Cebu Pacific-super dislike...may airline pa ba tayo na always on time? Oh well, kaya siguro hindi makalipad ang Pilipinas...

Faith, in her messed up glory

(my Mama will always say that this ‘bruha’ look always suits her :))

Starbucks is here in Iloilo!

(Two more wishes to go: Powerbooks and Via Venetto)

FB Status:
Genefel Ober ‎"Life's high & low tides add up to moments that make up our versions of forever... While I take care of my sails and map my directions, I trust that Someone Up There knows what to do with the storms."

So go ahead...love life!

Cupcakes to Try and/or Love (Cupcakes by Sonja)

2010-08-14T23:12:00.003+08:00

Cupcakes by Sonja
...it's a different take from the usual mini-cakes: smaller than usual, sweeter than usual, and ofcourse more expensive than usual (most probably due to its 'pioneer' advantage in Manila --- though there are some who would refute this)...

If you're more on the sweet once-in-a-while-sinful-treat-side, try these out.
(Cupcakes by Sonja is located at 1st Level Serendra Retail Area in The Fort)

With all the hype (you know us Filipinos -- with that "I want to be in" mentality --- I advise the curious ones to level your expectations. There may be some form of "brand" factor contributing to all this hype which may not necessarily translate to "amazing" quality or your "bowled-over"version of perfection...Also, consider that since the bakeshop is starting up and batches are baked from scratch, cupcakes may not taste the same every time; in short, you could be unlucky trying it out in a 'bad cupcake day'...

So just chill and enjoy the mini-cake as it is. If you can, try to be oblivious to what you've heard and read about it. Then probably, you can appreciate it more. Even probably say, 'it's worth every penny'. (But don't push it alright? Just enjoy...)

(Red Velvet Vixen)

"A traditional southern cupcake made with Belgian cocoa and cream cheese icing"

A part of the proceeds will go to the Philippine National Red Cross

(Vanilla Sunshine)

“A Classic and Fluffy Yellow Cake topped with Blue Buttercream icing.”

...my favorite of the four I've tried so far simple because it's blue!

(Clockwise from top:
Red Velvet Vixen, Mocha Motion,
Bunny Huggers Carrot and Vanilla Sunshine)

(Mocha Motion)

(Bunny Huggers Carrot)

(Vanilla Sunshine)

Which part of your life did you dream into being real?

2010-08-05T00:40:00.000+08:00

If I can extract a secret from your dreams, can I steal it forever? Or just because it's yours, I only get to share it with you?

Which dream do you want implanted to be part of your reality forever? Do some dreams seem real just because you've chosen to believe that they are?

You have a choice to forget a dream or a reality, but can you choose your reality when you failed to live out your dream?

When you cannot remember the inception of your dream, can you remember its ending? Or did you make it up when the reality of waking up settled in?

If the meaning of this life is in how we live out our dreams, then why are some things or someone only really alive in our dreams?

Which dream are you in? The second level down? The third? The real one up there?

My two cents on the Inception movie:

In the same way that not all will fully understand and appreciate it in its entirety, one can watch this movie over and over again and come out feeling worked out in different depths.

There is no one way to re-tell the Inception story just because there are infinite ways to pick out the threads of dreams and realities each time.

Sweet dreams...

Juliette Has A Gun's Lady Vengeance

2010-08-01T23:49:00.001+08:00

I love my new perfume!

While it can't be helped that our preference for classic perfumes would make us smell like every Jane (i.e., more appreciation of standards over pop, even in scents), I prefer to smell "unique" on some days.

I did some research on new entrants and close-to-niche scents and found "Juliette Has A Gun" (JHAG). It has five interesting variations: Miss Charming, Lady Vengeance, Citizen Queen. Midnight Oud and Calamity J (There's even the Purse Bullet - the "rechargeable" vial version of the perfumes). Unfortunately, only the first two are available in Rustan's Makati. (Check out the website - http://www.juliettehasagun.com - for more information and updates.

When my friend Lovella and I went grocery shopping last weekend (July 25), we dropped by Rustan's to road-test Miss Charming and Lady Vengeance. I decided I like the strong curious twist of the latter. Lady Vengeance started with a quite intimidating punch; after a few minutes, this turned powdery and smelled just right enough to wear everyday and yet still spelling out E-M-P-O-W-E-R-E-D. I fell in love with it!

On the other hand, Miss Charming smelled sweet and innocent like freshly picked roses from the movie-perfect English garden, and with more of the fruity juicy spritz. While that would represent my "nice" side, I thought that I have enough colognes and EDTs in my stash to answer that.

The Lady Vengeance scent lingered for the next four hours or so (after grocery and right before dinner). Since I believed that I've done enough homework about JHAG and the scent-test proved the good reviews right and the not-so-good reviews good enough to pass, I decided to purchase my very own bottle that day.

I love how JHAG romanticized the rose from Romeo and Juliette's tragic love story into perfume versions. Indeed, this is Juliette with a gun! … Obviously, this associates more with the modern movie version which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, rather than the classic original. And that adds more kick to this perfume's charm.

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

The bottle is packaged in a cylindrical gift box topped with a black bow (with JHAG inscriptions). I did some cutting and re-tying in my own bottle to highlight its black bow.

From the JHAG website for "Lady Vengeance":

A perfume with a rich and sophisticated trail. The expression of undeniable femininity, confident and divinely sensual. The fragrance of a Lady for whom the art of seduction bares no secret. He can smell...he can dream...but the decision lies in her hand. The very elegant but thorny Bulgarian Roe marries patchouli and vanilla to draw a fine elegance, both contemporary and inevitable.

The Lady Vengeance bottle is black with silver white and pink inscriptions (perfect gun-inspired for the vengeful Juliette).

Love it! Love it!

Un-boxing Shirley's Parcel

2010-07-05T13:12:00.001+08:00

Finally, after several hiccups from my end and adjustments from the forwarder's (Trico)....

Blurred: Notes from forwarder read as: "Iwanan sa receptionist pag wala ang ??? per email 6/27/2010"

(Leave at receptionist if recipient (?) is not around per email 6/27/2010)

Blurred again: Another note reads as: "Monday to Friday and delivery wala daw sa opisina 4:00"

(Deliver only on Mondays to Fridays because the recipient is not around on weekends;

should be before 4 PM (?)

:) At least, this is proof that I'm not a work-addict anymore :)

(Thanks Trico for the patience and diligence!)

....Shirley's parcel for us girls has arrived! Yey!

Thanks so much Shirley! Are all of these for us or do you have special requests? I didn't think it will be a big box (What was I thinking? hehe)

When I arrived this Monday (fortunately I didn't call in sick, though am a bit under the weather)...the nice guy from our Mail Room, with the assistance of our Executive Assistant - Ms. May, delivered it to my cube. For the past week, the guards at our lobby reception have been reminding me of this parcel.

The box earned its share of curious glances and queries from my boss (no less) and neighbors. hehe... "It's from my best friend in Oman for all of us here, " I said. "Ah, so you are loved," my boss quipped. Ofcourse!

By lunchtime, I started un-boxing it. And ooh, it feels good pala, I realized, to be opening a pasalubong box =) A 'first' for me (unlike Mel and Vel who may be so used to it by now) 'cause I'm usually the one sending home the boxes of my "pasalubong" (small thoughts that matter) and "abubots" (return to my closets).

Here are a few pics for Mel's and Vel's appreciation (I couldn't do my full un-boxing ritual in my cube ofcourse, so this is just a sneak peek). Help me out dears to unpack :) I'll bring it down in batches, if you want.

(Really cute and sweet stuffs in pink, purple and blue)

But the blue stuffs are MINE (hahaha - evil laugh:) Two blue stuffs, that is (I'm quite open with the rest :)

The cuddly pillow is on my chair already - I need this to remind me to take a nap on lunchbreaks :)

My Blue Fish is on top of my desk

Thanks Shi! I'm claiming this one for myself, haha

I've been looking at a similar stuffed toy / stress reliever at Landmark

but had thought it impractical to buy for myself (I know, my cheapskate side)

Thanks again Shirley. (You made my day; I'm smiling na.)
WE MISS YOU. And we'll see you soon! God bless you always. Take care!

P.S. Mel still owes us pasalubong daw (from Bacolod or Iloilo?)
Mel and Vel - See you later.

Make-Up Posts for May 2010

2010-06-16T23:35:00.085+08:00

The delinquent Genefel is making up for lost blog-times while I'm still trying to sort my thoughts out and taking a break from these crazy To-Dos.

Here are my quick blogs for all the crazy and lovely things I did last May 2010:

Update: Congratulations LA Lakers!!!

May 7 - I arrived in Iloilo for my much awaited vacation! (Since I was flying Zest Air, my plane arrived at night). Yey Yey Yey. I really love coming home!

May 10 - Election Day. I was excited to see the PCOS machine! Hahaha. The queue to our precinct was long since we arrived quite late (around 10AM). Finally, we did it! "Hopefully that vote counted! Hah!," I thought as I watched the machine eat up the ballot.

Now... that I see the numbers after the proclamation of the President down to the Councilors...hmm...Let me put it this way: Either the surveys were WRONG or the election numbers MISSTATED (They couldn't be both correct if we really think about it and are honest to ourselves; examples - Binay's sudden surge to VP victory - after a sweet brief upgrade in the surveys only weeks before the elections - did we ask who commissioned one of those surveys? Villar - where was he after all the hullaballoo of his supposed best-in-production-design infomercials - number three? And the hairline difference of Roxas behind - I repeat - behind Binay? What about the huge gap between the President-elect and number two - did the surveys warn us?)

But since it's all over. What can we do? We are Filipinos and we are ruled by the same Constitution. Let's exercise the same vigilance and contribute our inputs - big and small - to help make this "Philippine pain" quite bearable. What do we know? - we could succeed in the process. As my Presidential bet once quoted (not verbatim): 'We are already an archipelago; let's not add archipagos of relationships. We should be able to overcome this poverty of the mind, the soul and the pocket.' Probably the President-elect (soon to be President) can be our common inspiration, but the greater work lies with all of us. Let's take ownership of our country's development, and most probably with this self-revolution replicated more than 90 million times, we can move forward.

May 11 - My birthday! My special day! I'm XXXX years old (haha).
28 dears, no shame about that. I ate something sweet, colorful, and long --> MUST-EATs on ones' birthday according to my friend, Melody. I also had Egg Misua in the traditional Chinese custom (I'm not Chinese though; I just love misua, noodles and the like.)

All my favorites ofcourse!

My Genefel cake :) Lovely.

May 12 to May 20 - Busy cruising Iloilo City for various errands and visits to my dear relatives - my Tita Bertad and Tito Susing, Tito Junior and Tita Cel, and my dear godmother - Maninay Minda.

My doggie, Hope, one of the dear ones I miss while away from home

I also visited the doggies adopted by my Maninay Minda - Mr. Big and Kulot (from Faith's second litter). Too bad, I didn't have a camera then. Mr. Big, now Fluffy, has grown soo B-I-G; he's barely six months old but he's bigger than Tiger (and Tiger is the long-legged dog-equivalent-of-a-six-footer type from Faith's first litter). Kulot, now Pem-Pem, is makulit, barking at me like the strict doggie she used to be. The two are very disciplined, obeying "Stay" and "Go" commands and responding to "trick" requests - thanks to my Maninay's uncle who trained them well.

May 21 - I had to fly back to SGV for the much needed admin stuff. I flew Cebu Pacific so we landed on schedule as promised.

May 23 - I flew to Ho Chi Minh (HCMC)/ Saigon, Vietnam via Philippine Airlines for a three-day teaching assignment.

I was warned (based on research) not to trust just any Vietnam taxis. I only rode on company-owned taxis where the meters are supposed to be accurate - Vinasun mostly (a lot like Light of Glory taxis in Iloilo City).

Hello Vietnam! HCMC is actually neater and cleaner than Manila! More motorcycles abound in the small city proper; even men in business attires and ladies in skirts ride motorcycles! (A newcomer needs to be careful when crossing the street - so they say). I was told by my Filipino hosts - Pearl and Sir Je (from SGV's HR) to just walk on straight and steadily 'cause this buzz of motor bikes know how to find their way, right past the pedestrians (In short, don't confuse them by walking in zigzag or back and forth - like what we do here in Manila in our own version of roadside/highway "Patintero").

I was booked at Lavender Hotel, a boutique hotel with few lovely rooms and friendly accommodating staff, so I was well taken cared of. I gave them a box of dried Philippine mangoes as a token of my appreciation at the end of my stay. No tips, no worries here - according to the locals (relieved!).

I had buffet breakfast every day. I also got to try the hotel's foot massage (at 20% off), which turned out to be 70% foot and 30% body massage. That was a delightful surprise for me and the service was very satisfactory. I had to change into white yoga wear - shirt and shorts before being led into a dimly lit room with my own massage area. I relaxed all those tired bones, after the weeks of walking and rush, during the one-hour deep tissue massage accompanied with calm music. In my opinion, the Vietnamese takes their service quality seriously; their only challenge is their English enunciation. While waiting for my turn in the foot/body massage, I remember having to help out a foreigner when she had difficulty understanding what the Vietnamese receptionist was trying to tell her.

May 24 to 26 - I was tasked to teach "IT Effectiveness" - a challenge for me since this is a new service offering that more seasoned partners/managers would have no problems teaching. As someone with only a few "seasons" under my belt, I took the challenge and I believe that I delivered well. I enjoyed the training and appreciated the active involvement of my participants in Q&As and simulation exercises. It was exhausting in a fun way, and a learning opportunity for me as well.

Pearl, Sir Je and Bryan took good care of me throughout my stay. They took me out for dinners at several curious MUST-EAT venues of HCMC.

Day 1 Sun - We ate at Ben Tanh, the local's favorite for street food. I loved the big fish and their unique way of serving their version of "balut" - with a cute spoon (though I still think that Pinoy balut is the best). I was sweating by the time I finished. (Note to tourists: Be careful with your handbags when you go to tourist places like the Ben Tanh Market; but since I look like a local, according to Pearl, I just blended in - no worries!)

Day 2 Mon - We ate Vietnam's famous PhÔ soups and rolls at PhÔ24 and Wrap & Roll, respectively (There were lots of different rolls ordered by Sir Je, and I chose the chicken PhÔ Ga to be on the safe side 'cause Ga = Chicken, haha)

Day 3 Tue - I had my share of the biggest burger I've ever seen (as large as my head?) matched with Halle Berry drink (there's also Johnny Depp).

Day 4 Wed - We ate at Kichi-Kichi where ingredients (meats, mushrooms, and other vegetables) are served in a non-stop conveyor and you get to cook your own hot pot right infront of you using these ingredients (the soup base comes in Country flavors - China, India, etc. and the classic Mushroom; I chose Mushroom ofcourse!) I was sweating at the end of it! I may have fed off my cravings for hot pot and Vietnamese food, enough to last me for years :)

With all the dining experiences, I found out that (1) they call their "kangkong" morning glory, (2) they reuse the chopsticks at Ben Tanh - so wipe it hard with the warm cloth before use, (3) warm cloth comes before the meal and cold cloth after, (4) they are just so fond of wrapping their food in fresh leaves or putting these leaves in their hot soups, (5) there's a different sauce for every roll, and (6) eating Vietnamese food is a good option to slim down - you eat a lot and get filled minus the fat ---> but slimming is never my plan.

Day 4 was also my Shopping Day! We had a short on-foot city tour.

On the steps of Vincom Center (where I had my last Vietnam dinner)

Vincom is their own Rustan's and Greenbelt!

Infront of Hotel Continental Saigon

Infront of another hotel (sorry, couldn't decipher the name now)

Across the Opera House

Louis Vuitton behind me!

The famous figure (Ho Chi Minh)

I love this shot!

With my To-Buy list ready, Pearl, Bryan and Tola (a local) were all nice enough to accompany me in my hunt for (1) paintings, (2) national costume, (3) Vietnamese coffee and tea, and (4) lacquerware.

I got to buy all three! The fourth one plus more - I bought in my last-minute shopping at the airport's souvenir shop (I know it may be quite more pricey - even if duty-free - than those at the night market. But I'm not much of the Divisoria/Greenhills type so I actually prefer buying nice little breakable things at the airport; they're packed better, too.)

Back in my hotel (I'm wearing my colorful night dress, a gift from Mama)

On my last night...

Everything packed and ready

My SGV and prettifying things on standby (need them for tomorrow's prep)

(While waiting at the airport, I can't resist taking shots of big airplanes;

this is one of them - a big plane called Tiger)

May 27 - I'm back in Manila. I needed to rest so I requested to take the rest of the afternoon off. The loads of activities in May 2010 exhausted me, but they were really worth the long walks and extended nights.

May 29 - Mel, Vel, Charm (Vel's sister) and I went to see Prince of Persia. We were very satisfied, to put it simply.

On reflection after seeing the movie:

What if... what if I could have that hourglass and the magic sand? What would I do? Would I change anything in my past?

Definitely no, but I'd replay all my beautiful memories over and over again :)

Poor Things

2010-06-16T15:00:00.000+08:00

Poor Big Breakfast, I didn’t get to eat you properly. The scrambled eggs were cold when I took the last spoonfuls.

Poor newspaper – I didn’t get to read you when you were still fresh. You’ll be history by the time I scan your pages tonight or whenever.

Poor Hamdesal, I substituted you for a quick lunch. And sorry too, HenLin Braised Beef, I couldn’t even relish the rich sauce before I have to put you aside.

Poor things – the girl is so busy to enjoy Life’s little gifts. Forgive me Father. I promise I’d spend more moments with your gifts.

My 21-Piece Suesh Makeup Brush Set (Musings Long Overdue)

2010-04-20T13:11:00.011+08:00

Dear friends,

This is my long overdue post on my 21-piece makeup brush set by Suesh. I got this in the midst of my fascination with makeup and brushes.

Sheryll of Suesh was very accommodating in answering my endless queries about the brush sets, payment and delivery options, et cetera. She also provided me the brush guide which includes details of the brush sets by Suesh.

After much thought, I decided to get the Professional Advance set which has 21 brushes made from “all natural- goat, squirrel, pony and raccoon hair with birch wood in glossy silver gray handles”. The set includes:

1. Large Powder
2. Foundation
3. Concealer
4. Round blush
5. Angled blush
6. Base
7. XL eyeshadow
8. Large eyeshadow
9. Med eyeshadow
10. Small eyeshadow
11. Highlighter
12. Wide Smudge
13. Contouring
14. Angled contouring
15. Flat Eyeliner
16. Narrow Eyeliner
17. Brow
18. Tool
19. Mascara
20. Brow Comb
21. Lip

The brush guide says that the set is “for makeup artists who need a set of complete brushes with just-enough tool types and variations.”

Just to bring me back to earth, I AM NOT a makeup artist by any chance. I fell in love with the set after probably four hours of debating on which set to buy. So I followed my heart!

I ordered my brush set last Sept 17, 2009 (yes, yes, this review is so long overdue)* and got it the following day (fast). The delivery date was within the lead time promised.

I took photographs of my set for my appreciation and documentation, and I'd like to share these with you. Some of the brushes are early favorites, and so they have their own portraits with the pages of my Twilight journal and Making Faces book as backdrops. I included here my "two cents" on the brushes which I have used so far (the rest are safely stored in their respective ‘niche’ in the pouch).
Caveat: Thoughts below are from a mere mortal attempting to do make-up. No claim to expertise or mastery whatsoever :).

Enjoy!

When I opened my package, I remembered gasping,

"This is soo B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L!"

Packaging

Each big brush was wrapped in a plastic cover that looked like a brush-guard (to keep the shape).

All brush stems are covered in plastics and placed in the soft black brush case.

I couldn't help feeling like a real professional make-up artist when I first held my set.

(View from the left:)

(View from the right)

(View from the top)

(My early favorites on the page with my journal notes)

The early favorites with my Fanny Serrano eyebrow brush (black handle)

in my Coca-Cola bottle

(turned makeup brush holder, complete with white sand to protect the base of the brushes)

And here are the brushes...

(Mendelssohn march :)

Foundation brush

Back in the days when I was using up my cream foundation (since it was approaching two years, the maximum shelf life), this brush impressed me. It spread the foundation very well on my face (so I don’t need to use my finger pads) and left no visible brush marks. Up to the last time I used and washed it, I noted no shedding at all.

Notes:

When I was able to finally use up my foundation cream, I switched to mineral makeup. From then on, I’m using my The Body Shop (TBS) kabuki brush. I’d love to try Suesh kabuki brush, too. Probably, I’d get one for travel and hopefully there’s a matching kabuki brush case.

I think that kabuki brushes are really perfect for my kind of low-maintenance makeup; the catch is how to take care of the brush shape when you take it with you. I don’t like the small packet (the black-brown thing which looks like an envelope pouch) which came with my TBS kabuki brush. The packet/pouch looks like it will squash my brush if used frequently. Also, the way that the packet/pouch is structured keeps it in close contact with the brush’s head and the makeup left on the brush. Thus, non-hygienic and would require frequent washing. That’s why the TBS kabuki brush stays at home.

For everyday use in putting on powder (I don’t use puffs, again, for hygienic reasons), I use my Manicare retractable brush; though this one’s not too impressive (considering the promise of its brand name and price) since it feels a bit rough on my skin. Good thing it doesn’t shed that much and the size is just right for travel.
WISH: I hope Suesh would consider adding a retractable brush to its individual and travel set lines.

Concealer brush

I earned dark eye bags after the almost-daily night reading and the stress-induced insomnia. The concealer made me look “normal” during these times.

The Suesh concealer brush was fine-tipped and work just right in reaching areas near the eyelids for more precise coverage. It works well too to cover up uneven patches on the sides of the nose. I think it would also be perfect if one needs to cover some bad-timing pimples and dark spots. I don’t go the extra mile of hiding my scars (I have several from chickenpox and childhood accidents) and pimples (on stressful days); I just let them show through. Thankfully, the cream or mineral foundation makes them less obvious.

Concealing-wise, this brush hits the mark precisely. It absorbs just enough concealer and the fine tip stays put to do its work. I guess, the rest of the precision is up to the user’s steady hand and mastery (I wish I have both).

Lip brush

I think this is the brush that can serve its purpose for one’s at-home kit as well as for travel.

There may be some bit of hassle in twisting open and putting on the brush cap. What if the cap suddenly slid into an uncovered drain while you’re doing your make-up on the sink? (Lesson learned from imagining the worst case: Never do your make-up requiring the use of mini-brushes while on the sink; save it for later).

Although on the positive side, the brush cap, when placed over the brush’s end, adds length to the brush stem making it easier to use vs. the short lip brush typical in travel-size brush kits.

WISH: I just wish that Suesh would consider designing a retractable lip brush (like that of famous Smashbox #18), which I think is more convenient.

Eyeshadow brushes

(Sixth to Ninth from right)

It thrilled me to see the many eyeshadow brushes in the 21-piece set and all the eye make-up possibilities behind it. There are four of them – from small to extra large! What more can one ask for? I think this whole range would suit the ones who love to play around with their eye makeup (I know one – my best friend, Lovella). In my case, the medium-size eyeshadow brush (eighth from right in the picture) suits me fine. I alternate it with my Art Deco eyeshadow brush. They are about the same size and length and both do their jobs well. Gentle to the eye area but firm enough to pat and spread the eyeshadow for the desired effect.

Mascara Wand

(Barely visible here - third from left in the set)

I use waterproof mascara (since I seem to be oily in the eye area) on days when I expect big meetings, and lately - a little more often than usual – in order to use it up before the maximum three-month shelf life (Again, you say. Apparently, I only do full makeup when I’m in a really good mood AND I have enough time. And these weren’t true for me in the past weeks/months).

The naïve ‘Me’ was wondering, “Where I am supposed to put the mascara wand that comes with the mascara while I’m using this mascara wand from the Suesh brush set? Should I throw the former away (Then what would cover my mascara)? Should I cut off the mascara brush from the cap? Should I rest the wand on the table with a tissue paper (That’s possible when one has ample space and time.)?” Ridiculous ‘Me’, I know.

I read somewhere that one should be using a different mascara wand which can be washed frequently (not the one that comes with the mascara since that collects bacteria, etc.). That is ideal.

The more feasible, realistic option for me is to use the mascara in my Suesh brush set to separate the lashes for clumps created after applying mascara. And to address the concerns on hygiene, I guess it’s enough that I use up the mascara within three months. That’s why I made the mental note that I’d always purchase the smallest size possible.

Going back to Suesh’s mascara wand…The length of the brush seems just right though I wouldn’t mind if they made it a bit shorter. The wand’s bristles look okay and fine enough to separate clumps. I’d appreciate if they’re longer though so they absorb more excess mascara. I also hope that the bristles are made from some other material which does not gather little hairs or cotton fibers or other little things when it’s left on its own. I don’t know if that is supposed to be true for all mascara wands. I sort-of liked the mascara wand from The Body Shop (after cleaning it up) ‘cause the bristles are superfine and are made from something that glides over lashes and even eyebrows (whichever way you want to use them).

The sad thing about my Suesh mascara wand was that the brush head fell off its stem after probably the third wash. I think it may have been my fault if I carelessly (I couldn’t exactly remember) submerged the entire brush head in water, past the part where there’s supposed to be the glue to hold it to the stem. As a remedy, I used clear nail polish to glue back the head to the stem :)

WISH: I hope that Suesh would have a redesigned mascara wand which is solid (no glues involved; personally I think, the mascara wand needs the most frequent washing among all makeup tools), and with superfine bristles that don’t gather dust and fiber. Sorry for the lengthy wishlist.

In the meantime, I find it more comfortable to use my old mascara wands. I clean up the wands thoroughly with make-up remover as soon as the mascara runs out. I save an old one for grooming eyebrows and another one to separate mascara clumps.

Brow Comb/Brush

(First from left)

This tool has two uses: a brush for combing/grooming brows and a comb for separating lashes.

I don’t use the latter very much. I think that the brow brush is great for its purpose as its bristles are dense and firm. Good for thick brows. Although I have thin eyebrows, the compact bristles help create natural looking lines to cut across the brow powder.

I just find the length a little bit awkward. I wouldn’t mind if it’s made shorter. Other than that, the brow brush part of this tool is perfect for everyday use.

Angled Blush brush

(Third from right)

I thought I‘d never find any use for this brush in my workday make-up routine ‘cause I’m not the “define-my-cheeks-with-blush” type (I’m more of the “pat-blush-on-apples-of-cheek” type :). It turned out that the angled blush brush became a long-time favorite. With just some adjustments in the brush’s angle, it could do wonders when I feel like I need to look “mature” for big client meetings (slant it!), when I feel like being simple yet professional for days spent at the office doing desk work (use it horizontally flat, 180°), or when I feel like being feminine (pat more blushy blush on the apples of my cheeks). This brush definitely is a multi-tasker for different moods.

Powder brush

Powder brush (closer)

This brush is soft as a dream. It glides across my face and I could imagine a squirrel’s tail…LOL. I don’t know if that thought blurb is pleasant, funny or what. But I loved this powder brush to bits. It’s large and soft enough to spread loose powder across my face. I feel like a real pro (if only for a few seconds) whenever I use this brush.

After several uses though, I noted 2-cm hairs falling out from this brush especially when I use it after putting on moisturizer, SPF or any creamy substance. At first, I thought, that those “fallen hairs” were my eye lashes. Hahaha! But how come they looked too straight?

These do not happen often though and the hairs shed are not that alarming (probably 2-3 short hairs infrequently).Then I observed that my powder brush does not seem to shed when I use it over mineral make-up. So I guess, I should just steer clear of the creamy kind or let the skin absorb the cream first before using my powder brush.

I still love this brush with all its teeny flaws. In fact, I make it a point to take it with me when I go out-of-town even with its large size.

Note:
A bad experience with a kabuki brush from Art Deco: The brush shed like crazy (probably 6-10 hairs every time). It was just awful! I like Art Deco’s eyeshadow brush though and still use it to this day. Probably, big brushes are not just their forte.

Fan brush/Tool

This brush is as soft as expected. It is both gentle and efficient in sweeping away any excess makeup. It looks pretty on my drawer, and reminds me to spend some extra time on make-up.

The Final Verdict

When I saw the prices of the brush sets, I leveled my expectations considering that a much coveted MAC brush (case in point – the stippling brush) costs as much as the 21-piece Suesh brush set. MAC is a legend in brushes while I’ve read good reviews on Suesh. I expected regular-sized brushes with okay bristles. I got super-large (larger than the brush sets normally seen in department stores) and really soft-bristled brushes(imagine more squirrels this time(*_*) that get the work done.

Bottom line - the 21-piece Suesh brush set exceeded my expectations.

*Post Script:
If you will look closely, the date stamp of the photographs (Sept 23, 2009) is a few days before Ondoy's swift onslaught. My 21-piece Suesh brush set was one of the fortunate art treasures which I was able to save.

I believe that God blessed my brush set. In the maddening rush of waters, this lucky one made it to my bag and stayed safe with me. Thank you Father for saving these pieces of art.

What's in my bag?

2010-04-19T13:11:00.001+08:00

Hey dearies,
Summer is here. Our tax deadline is over. Except for a few fiscal-year-end accounts, I am so ready for a vacation.

Recently, I've made it an early morning habit to check my daily horoscope c/o Cosmopolitan. And then found this interesting section "What's in my bag?" (http://www.cosmo.ph/style-beauty/whats-in-my-bag/).
Haven't you noticed how our local showbiz talkies have copied Hollywood in their exclusive features of "prying into" the celeb's bag (which by the way costs as much as the GDP of a small country)?

How cute, we say...We once thought that a woman's bag is so sacred to her that she'd do anything to guard this like a secret. Not anymore.

Well, I'm not a celebrity. But I want to feel like one!!! Here's my take on my everyday work bag :)

My ever reliable everyday Via Venetto bag in Mocha

(Used my SJP bracelet as my bag's accessory)

Hawaiian tropic SPF 45 lip balm & TicTac mints

SGV Business Cards and ID

My 3-year old wallet

and dual-sim phone (saves the hassle of bringing 2 phones)

Can't leave without at least one hand sanitizer

Coin purse (gift from my best friend, Shirley)

with my key chain from my second most favorite city in the world (second to Iloilo City)

Card holder from HK (gift from my staff Reina)

containing my miscellaneous freebies cards from Figaro, Delifrance, McDonalds, etc.

My super-trustworthy perfume - Clinique Happy Heart

Shades (Cybershades)

and Goody comb (the goodie is probably 6+ years old)

For my sensitive skin - VMV Grandma Minnie's hand sanitizer and

Big Brave Boo-Boo Balm

My emergency kit:

An extra battery for my phone

in a knitted holder from my best friend Melody

& my Holy Bible

My kikay kit containing, among others:

Fanny Serrano mini lash curler

LaCross tweezers

VMV compact powder

Bench oil control sheets

Revlon lipstick

Garnier eye roll-on (for emergency eye bags?)

Manicare retractable brush

And just to prove that they all fit in my VV bag :)

I love my bags and and all the magic stored inside it. They inspire me to step out of my door every morning thinking "I can conquer the world today!"

How about you dears? What's in you bag? Share :)

Clash of the Titans: The Movie vs. the Mythology

2010-04-05T21:38:00.001+08:00

Our dear friend, Melody, celebrated her (drum roll!) 30th birthday last April 3, Saturday. As Melody’s birthday treat to Lovella and me (actually a long overdue consequence agreed on a four-month old bet – which I will not discuss on this post – don’t worry Meldz), the three ladies went to see “The Clash of the Titans” 2010 version in 3D.

The idea of the 3D and a high-tech fresh 2010 version seemed exciting ofcourse. Well, until you finally go and see the movie.

There are just two points that I want to get across. First – Do not bother with seeing it in 3D, and second – if you are a Greek mythology scholar of sorts, or want to be one, SKIP this film (just go and read the book please).

For the first point - 3D, 2D or 1D (hah), there won’t be any difference. As most critics said, just spend the extra bucks on more popcorn. For probably 80% of the film, my neighbor whined discreetly on the fact that taking off and putting on his 3D googles didn’t make any difference. For a matter of seconds, he seemed convinced: “Ah meron naman pala” (read: There seems to be some 3D in here). Then after a while, I heard again: Wala naman eh! (read: This movie people tricked me!). This repeated for a number of times throughout the film. Good thing, the whines were not that bothersome as you probably could imagine if 10 teenagers saw the movie in the row across you.

For the second point - Mel and Vel definitely sensed some things were glaringly inaccurate or off. So I did some after-office googling and found the 10 “Myths” below * (See also note for caveat). Again, I’d reiterate: NEVER recommend this movie for academic enrichment. PLEASE.

Myth #1: Danaë, who mothered Perseus, was the wife of King Acrisius.
The real mythology: Danaë is the only child (not the wife) of Acrisius - King of Argos.

Myth #2: King Acrisius’ blood boiled over when he found out that Zeus’ crazy whim for lovely women included Danaë. Zeus even disguised as Danaë's husband (the nerve) and went to bed with her!
The real mythology: In his desperation to have a male heir, King Acrisius sought out the prophecy but learned that his grandson would kill him. Thus, the king imprisoned Danaë in a bronze cave. However, the clever Zeus came in the form of golden rain and bore Danae a son - Perseus. Fearing the fulfillment of the prophecy, King Acrisius banished Danaë and Perseus, sending them away in a boat never to return. Now you realize that this King Acrisius wasn’t mad at Zeus for the unspeakable deceit he did for impregnating Danaë. Oh, he was just afraid to die.

Myth #3: Perseus needed the head of Medusa in order to kill the Kraken…in order to save Andromeda, the King Cepheus' (supposedly the new king of Argos) daughter…who was sacrificed to prevent the attack of the Kraken…who/which was released by an angry Hades, the god of the Underworld…who was insulted by a mortal’s (Cassiopeia's) comparison of the beauty of her daughter (Andromeda) to that of Aphrodite, another goddess who is in no way connected with Hades' Underworld.
The real mythology: Polydectes, the brother of the fisherman who found Danae and Perseus, fell in love with Danaë. Since Perseus was ‘high and mighty’ at that time, Polydectes plotted to remove Perseus. He organized a large banquet where he requested the guests to bring horses as gifts to help him woe Hippodamia, "tamer of horses" (yeah yeah, a front). The supposedly pure-hearted (or shortsighted?) Perseus promised Polydectes a substitute gift since he didn’t have a horse. The substitute gift, upon Polydectes’ request, turned out to be the terrifying head of Medusa ("the reigning one"), one of the Gorgons, whose very expression turns people to stone. Medusa, after all, is in some way related to the god of the sea and horses (Poseidon).

Myth #4: Perseus was so angry at the gods and goddesses for having killed his adoptive family that he swore that he will never take any gift from them (well, probably with the exception of Pegasus…and the sword that never bends – Who could resist these?)
The real mythology: The gods Hermes and Athena came to help out their demigod relative by giving him an adamantine curved sword (c/o Hermes), and highly-polished bronze shield (c/o Athena). At the end of all his battles, Perseus is said to have given his winged sandals (from the nymphs he met later) to Hermes so that he could fly, and Medusa's head to Athena who put it on Zeus' shield and used it to protect herself in battle.

Myth # 5: Perseus tricked the three old women, referred to as Stygian Witches in the movie adaptation, to spill out the beans on how to kill the Kraken by threatening to throw away their one and only eye. And that simple secret alone was enough for Perseus to go a long way.
The real mythology: The three perpetually old women, called the Graeae (also Gray Women) had one eye (and also one tooth) which they shared so only one of them could see at a time (and chew at a time?). Perseus took the eye and only returned it when they helped him defeat Medusa, which (as is typical of Greek odyssey) would require a long trip to meet up with the nymphs of the north. The Graeae told him the directions, and when he reached the nymphs, they gave him the tools of the trade - winged sandals, a magic purse/wallet or kibisis (which would fit whatever was put into it, including Medusa’s head), and a cap to make him invisible. Perseus found Medusa and killed her (looking in the reflection in the shield to avoid being turned into stone). Medusa’s sisters were hysterical but Perseus managed to escape because he was wearing his invisible cap (kind of like the wizard boys’ Invisibility Cloak). He put Medusa’s head into the magic purse/wallet and flew on his winged sandals towards home. So you see, the Kraken - for whatever it equated to - was never the end goal; it was Medusa’s head. And what a waste for doing a 2010 version when you couldn't have effects for invisibility caps and winged sandals. A flying horse is so last season.
Comic slip: One of the Gray Women called Perseus back to warn him of his impending death: "But wait, there's more..." - a line borrowed from Home Shopping Network?

Myth # 6: Pegasus was a gift from the gods.
The real mythology: From Medusa’s neck sprang Pegasus ("he who sprang") and Chrysaor ("bow of gold").

Myth #7: Paraphrased from Myth #3 - Cassiopeia compared the beauty of her daughter, Andromeda, to that of Aphrodite, which then angered Hades – the god of the Underworld.
(IMO, this is the funniest and most ridiculous made-up myth of all! Why would Hades care so much about the insults to Aphrodite's beauty? Shouldn't he be hating her and her cohorts in Uptown Olympus while he had to content himself with leftover Underworld?)
The real mythology: Cassiopeia declared that she is equally beautiful as the Nereids and drew down the anger of Poseidon who then sent an inundation in the form of a sea serpent, Cetus, to punish men and beast. Who are these Nereids, you ask? They are the sea nymphs, the 50 daughters of Nereus and Doris and the companions of Poseidon - the god of the sea, earthquakes and horses.
This makes better sense (assuming that mythologies are supposed to be logical) since the chosen object of comparison are sea nymphs which resulted in the wrath of a sea god who then sent a sea serpent as vengeance.
By the way, the Kraken sub-plot is of Norse and Icelandic origins. Either the script writer lived somewhere there or is a big fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean. Again you'll see that there is no Kraken business here. Medusa was the end goal – period.

Myth #8: Perseus set out for Medusa’s head to kill the Kraken…a death threat to Argos c/o Hades.
The real mythology: As he was passing Ethiopia, Perseus rescued the princess Andromeda as she was about to be sacrificed to a sea monster and he took her with him as his wife. Rescuing Andromeda was not THE goal; it was only an incidental reward.

Myth #9: As a lovely ending, Io (another demigod - with the countenance of a Pond's commercial model, yes, that of cold cream and whitening fame) who supposedly died early on the story was resurrected and given as a companion/gift to Perseus. (Well, since he didn’t want to be King of Argos or rise up to join his Olympian relatives, it would be a waste of genes if he didn't have a love life. )
The real mythology: Perseus married Andromeda and had to battle with a rival, Phineus, to whom she had been betrothed. With his ever handy and potent weapon, Perseus also turned Phineus into stone with Medusa's head (apparently still safe and writhing alive in Perseus’ magic purse/wallet).

The ending continued with the "happy ever after wedding" and a blissful marriage with Perseus and Andromeda having seven sons and two daughters. Most of them grew up to be kings and heroes as well. How lovely for a family.

Then, who is this Io? She has an entirely different and interesting story of her own (of course, connected again with Zeus’ fascination with beauties; now you know his type - think skin by Pond's, eyelashes by L'Oreal, curls by Kerastase, and so forth). Mind you, the real mythical Io even went through a difficult stage - what with another jealous goddess (Hera) who turned her into a cow-like creature with bull-horns (something like that) stung into psychosis by no less than gadflies! She became human eventually.

Myth #10: The main story thread to weave it all - MISSING
The real mythology: When Perseus got back to Seriphus, he turned King Polydectes into stone for continuing to bother his mother Danaë. Finally, there! - The ultimate and final vengeance supposedly! (Not the conquest of some Kraken).

Perseus later returned to his homeland and accidentally killed his grandfather King Acrisius with a discus. AND THIS is the fulfillment of the prophecy; thus the story comes full circle – from the banishing of the baby who later grew up to be an Olympic discus thrower/killer. A tragic end! Therefore, King Acrisius/Calibos DID NOT die in between the conquest of Medusa’s head and the battle with the Kraken. And produced scorpions from the blood of his severed hand!

By the way, where did the plot about the scorpions come from? Early Star Wars? (Note: The Djinn, a.k.a. genie - those genderless entities who tamed the scorpions in the movie adaptation - are said to be of Middle Eastern Islamic origin. Go figure how these reach Greece.)

Whew! I feel that I need to refresh on the pure unadulterated mythology. The 2010 version of the “The Clash of the Titans” was a good excuse. Now it’s your turn to spot the rest of the myths!

Credits to my sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
http://www.ehow.com/
http://www.teachingideas.co.uk/history
* Note: There may be slight variations across different versions of the Greek mythology. Again, reading the book is best, if you want to ace that Literature exam.

A Real Woman Doesn't Dream Just About Shoes and Perfect Hair Days

2010-03-29T13:22:00.003+08:00

From people watching in the metro and from what I read from all these girl magazines, I observed that the female in us adjusts and creates our own needs, wants and options in times of crisis. I also realized that living in a bustling metro is often the excuse to complicate simple solutions.

The big malls and the high-end beauty havens are not symbols of urbanization after all. Not in my book. In my opinion, they are simply glorified versions of solutions to problems created by our own lifestyles.

For women especially, there is a redefinition of what’s necessary and what’s important. This is a cliché we hear every day --- the classic précis of testimonials received from the confused boyfriend to the uninterested husband. And it appears that all women live with it like it’s a boring trivia.

When an aspect of a female’s life (work, love, friends, whatnots) goes down a valley, the typical working girl in Metro Manila would resort to different defense mechanisms. They may seem crazy to the point of being psychotic. If we are honest enough, we can admit that sometimes we do submit ourselves to at least one of these indicators of crazy-ness or psychosis.

For our sanity (just for kicks and wishful thinking), I offered alternatives in what a rural lass or a girl from a less bustling city ("Probinsyana Nene") would have done…

Bad Situation #1: Someone commented on your fine lines, wrinkles, sun spots and/or pimples
Defense Mechanism: Go to the nearest Watson’s or beauty/cosmetic counter and shop for makeup, cleansers and miracle creams (galore). Go to the salon and have a facial and a diamond peel and a mask and an eye treatment and the whole derma solution package…
What Probinsyana Nene Would Have Done: Smile and say “They’ll be gone tomorrow.”

Bad Situation #2: The wind or weather made it a bad hair day
Defense Mechanism: Go to the nearest salon and have a haircut, or better yet splurge on a hair treatment, or hair color, or hair extensions, or digital perm, or…Splurge on a pricey shampoo, conditioner, at-home hair-rebonding set from the latest TV/print ad.
What Probinsyana Nene Would Have Done: Tie back her hair and get on with the rest of the day. Most often than not, everybody else will be on the same bad hair day. So it doesn’t matter.

Bad Situation #3: This is a depressing / boring / frustrating day! Ugh!
Defense Mechanism: Go to the mall and buy yourself a treat – probably a bag or pair of killer heels! Or go to a spa for a body scrub or a foot spa!
What Probinsyana Nene Would Have Done: Go home and treat herself to Mom’s home cooking.

Bad Situation #4: Someone said you are getting fat.

Defense Mechanism: Ask 10 more friends if you are really getting fat, and stay unconvinced with the answers. Weigh yourself five times and compute for your “most achievable” BMI. Enroll in a gym and take up all sorts of slimming classes (yoga, pilates, kickboxing, etc.). Eat some more. I’ll go on a diet tomorrow or exercise on Friday.
What Probinsyana Nene Would Have Done: Ask her Mom to un-spoil her once in a while. Look at the mirror, and say “How dare they criticize MY body! I feel healthy and that’s what counts.”

Bad Situation #5: You are so poor you cannot afford that “thing” (bag, shoes, jeans, blouse, etc.) that you’ve been lemming for forever.
Defense Mechanism: Take out that plastic and buy it! Every cool girl in the office has it. And besides, it’s in Cosmo’s Must-Buy List. Pretend that someone will miraculously pay out that credit card bill … yes, until it becomes due.
What Probinsyana Nene Would Have Done: Go home and continue to dream about it. "All of my friends dream about it anyway. Credit card - what credit card?" The more "sophisticated" provincial lasses would reserve their credit cards for life-and-death emergencies and bare necessities, e.g., weekly groceries.

Bad Situation #6: You suddenly came to a realization that your boss is the worse ever.
Defense Mechanism: Have a drink with friends to vent it all out. Have dinner with friends and dissect the misery. Stress over it for a week or for eternity. Secretly plot your resignation from Plans A to Z. Stress over the secret plots for another eternity.
What Probinsyana Nene Would Have Done: Go home and forget about it the second her dog tap-dances in its “meet and greet” act. Tomorrow’s another day.

***

The supposedly empowered women talk about apathy over the more complex issues on corruption and political will. But do you hear them listen to themselves and reflect on their own apathy over "quirky" lifestyles they create? Oooh no, they have to be flawless and feminine for that info-mercial.

Not that there's anything wrong with being feminine and physically appealing. We should celebrate it because that is part of being a woman. But as my blog title goes: A real woman doesn't dream just about shoes and perfect hair days. We dream of a quality life with our loved ones, of making a difference in our own barangay and city, of leaving a legacy to our children, of being good mothers, sisters, girl friends, and daughters. That is female; that is woman.

Bottom line - Hope we, metro girls, can laugh it all out and take the stress level a few notches down. That way, we need not resort to the above defense mechanisms. We are all beautiful in our unique ways.

Au revoir:)

Happy Birthday Shakespeare!

2010-03-25T19:19:00.001+08:00

My dear doggie turned one year old :) He just had his anti-rabies shot yesterday. Good dog!

Take a Risk, Take a Chance, Make a Change, and Break Away

2010-03-03T18:20:00.004+08:00

Good news to me last Sunday --- I already got my orange VV bag back! It's home at last, after almost a month of repair. Super thanks to Via Venetto for the huge help. The bag looked sad in faded orange after I had to wash it (about five times I think) because Ondoy soaked it in its dirty flood waters. Now, it's back to its original grandeur; I'd say it looks even better than new (if there's such a thing). Thank you Ms. Ging for going out of the way to bring back my beloved Orange (my bag's pet name) and for making me so happy!

Speaking of Orange which I got after falling in love and dreaming about it for months, I came across another infatuation. I saw the beautiful MacBook Pro 13" last Tuesday...and I fell in love. It is SUPER expensive for me though. I'll try to save for half its price and pay the rest in 0% installment. The MAC guy was very helpful in answering my queries and said that this payment option plan is allowed. I asked my best friend Shirley if it is a good buy, and I definitely agree with her advice that I should give this "dream" of mine enough time to settle. I'd say (like in all my dream purchases - at least 30 days) that I'll give it about three months. If I still think about it and I have enough cash by then, it's my green light.

Speaking of Green Light and saving up for a dream, I'm taken back to my first big dream to freedom and independence (sob). Kelly Clarkson's Break Away (lyrics reprinted below) may be the perfect "thinking song" at that moment when I was leaving for the first time to be completely on my own (no dorm, no monthly allowance; just my starting money and my bag-load of stuff in my "heirloom" luggage) immediately after Valentine's Day of 2003. Well, the song wasn't popularized then, I guess. I believe it's perfect for us - probinsiyanos and probinsiyanas (provincial folks) - who crossed seas, left our comfort zones, and ventured to new worlds. It was a stage of Dreams, possibly Hope. At that time, everything looked new, fresh and exciting.

Now I'm in the Homecoming stage. Ready to break away from the norm and pursue my Personal Legend (yes, in the words of Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist). Might be a coincidence - I read the book (The Alchemist) when I was first setting out for this Adventure, and it's the same book that I re-read now that I'm retracing back my steps to Home.

In whatever stage of our lives we may be, I'd say it still counts that we "...take a risk, take a chance, make a change, and break away", whether in our personal goals or to make a difference in other people's lives.

P.S. I don't know what is it with me that I tend to reflect on previously popular songs. I just believe that there's no such thing as "trendy" or "pop" when you listen to what's inside you. I feel that my "thinking songs" just pop in when I need to hear the message from a quiet side of myself.

Take care dears!

Break Away (by Kelly Clarkson)
Grew up in a small town
And when the rain would fall down
I'd just stare out my window
Dreaming of what could be
And if I'd end up happy
I would pray

I'd trying hard to reach out
But when I tried to speak out
Felt like no one could hear me
Wanted to belong here
But something felt so wrong here
So I'd pray
I could break away

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly.
I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky.
Make a wish, take a chance,
Make a change, and break away.

Out of the darkness and into the sun.
But I won't forget all the ones that I love.
I'll take a risk, take a chance,
Make a change, and break away

Wanna feel the warm breeze
Sleep under a palm tree
Feel the rush of the ocean
Get onboard a fast train
Travel on a jetplane
Far away
And break away

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly.
I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky.
And I'll make a wish, take a chance,
Make a change, and break away.

Out of the darkness and into the sun.
But I won't forget all the ones that I love.
I'll gotta take a risk, take a chance,
Make a change, and break away

Buildings with a hundred floors
Swinging with revolving doors
Maybe I don't know where they'll take me
But gotta keep movin' on movin' on
Fly away
Break away

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly.
Though it's not easy to tell you goodbye
Gotta take a risk, take a chance,
Make a change, and break away.
Out of the darkness and into the sun.
But I won't forget the place I come from
I gotta take a risk, take a chance,
Make a change, and break away

Breakaway
Breakaway

Disclaimer: These are not me / mine

2010-02-10T17:57:00.003+08:00

Years ago, I would have considered myself a proud owner of a unique first name - Genefel (coined from my parents' first names. Which old Filipino names? - often a good guesswork exercise for new acquaintances.)

Years later, when I put in "Genefel" in the Google search engine, dozens of search results pages appear, ranging from namesakes (G Conte and G Pidor, even G Marchan - haha)...to coincidences (the Attorney General of Texas)...to nonsense (Hypo-allergenic pets Gene fel-ine).

Oh this is becoming a fun activity sometimes...especially when I'm extremely bored. It gets addictive ... pinning you through points of familiarity (yeah, I wrote that in 200X) and denial (I never said this! Who is this?!).

SOOO just to set the records straight (and before anything close to identity theft or mimicry happens), I'm disclaiming any association or relation to profiles/personalities/incidents/references below :

1. Genefel Conte
• genefel conte - LinkedIn
• Friendster - genefel conte
• Genefel Conte on Netlog

2. Genefel Pidor
• Genefel Pidor Facebook
• FanBox Profile - genefel pidor

3. Genefel Aqilla
• Genefel Aqilla - Pipl Profiles
• Friendster - genefel aqilla
- Friendster: ; location: Philippines, PH; calajoan minglanilla;
profiles.friendster.com/52459460

4. genefel Pid - UNYK
- People: genefel Pid, , New York, United States. Use our address book to manage your contacts, search people, find people. UNYK is a free online address book ...
www.unyk.com/en/id/genefel-pid

5. Genefel "Impel" Viter Quintero
• Genefel Viter Quintero Facebook
• Mary-Infant Jesus School: January 2007 - 1 Jan 2007 ... Ms. Genefel Quintero
• Friendster - genefel quintero
• IIT Alumni and Friends » Tadman »2001»GENEFEL "Impel" VITER QUINTERO

6. Genefel Masahud
• Genefel Masahud (APO 24th National Biennial Convention Page
• Genefel Masahud Facebook
• Registrants - Rotary Institute Manila 2009 Official Website - Genefel Masahud, 3810
• FULL NAME: GENEFEL ALVERO MASAHUD APO CHAPTER: ALPHA OMICRON SCHOOL:
Divine Word University E-MAIL: genefem@yahoo.com.

7. Genefel P. - Data Entry/ translator from United States - Scored 4.2 out of 5.0 on oDesk Readiness Test for Independent Contractors and Company Managers

8. Friendster Who?

• Friendster - genefel
- Friendster. New: Friendster Profile Skins. ♥ genefel ♥ ii. ♥ genefel ♥. Female, 17,. More about ♥ genefel
♥ • Friends (1) • Photo Albums (1) ...
m.friendster.com/profile/user/105212326

• Friendster - ஐ •GENEFEL•ஐ
- ஐ •GENEFEL•ஐ. "♥ iim szOo blessed that ii have him. ii LOVE my bhoi 'TBS_MADBROWN'. ... Messaging Off [Restricted to ஐ •GENEFEL•ஐ's friends] ...
m.friendster.com/profile/user/28846438 - Naka-cache

9. LEVEL UP! GAMES
Name: Genefel Marchan Telephone No.: +632.2.751.9600 local 144. Fax: +63.2.813.5700. Mobile:+63.918.907.5872. Email:genefel-marchan@level-up-games.com

10. MySpace.com - My hart belongs 2 RAchel - 22 - Male - SaCramEnTo ...
- Rachel And Genefel 4 EvER!! Male 22 years old SaCramEnTo, CALIFORNIA United States .... Mar 14 2007 10:31 PM hey GENEFEL. how r n Rachel? wat's new? ...
www.myspace.com/27786025

Dinagyang, Rat Races and Life

2010-02-01T13:15:00.000+08:00

Iloilo had its Dinagyang last last weekend (January 23-24).

(Hmm, I always have belated posts these days)

In all my 20 years back home, I was never able to watch it "live"; always through TV's local coverage. I bet the Ilonggos had a blast in this year's celebration. Then again, festivity continues on until the Jaro fiesta.

I've heard good things about the recently concluded Dinagyang from my Mom :)

All I can say is "Well done, Iloilo!"

There's a lot to miss when you're not home.

Every time something big happens and I wasn't there, that's when I'd say: "I missed a memory."

"You only have your youth once." -- a classic life lesson reiterated in Sophie Kinsella's "Undomestic Goddess".

I re-read it over the weekend just for kicks. Suddenly, this book became my "book of the moment" --- since it accurately captures today's workplace (my workplace) in the eyes of women like me. Bossy bosses (I have comparably lenient ones), office politics (it's everywhere), all-nighters and cramming for the glory of deadlines, six-minute-interval Time Reports (this ofcourse is too much, though our time reporting is something that makes me crazy too), and all the worse things we tolerate because we need the job or the success.

Life is a rat race in a pressure cooker (that's my Sametime status, by the way; I just combined my two fave definitions of the tricky sides in life). Some of us have turned into "husks" or "empty shells" walking from workplace to bed, impatiently tapping our feet in our own definitions of wasted time. Most of us --- lost in our ambitions and drive to climb some corporate ladder or just get up there. But where's the life? Where are the memories? Do we realize how much memories we actually lost in the process? (You must realize that I'm talking to myself as well.)

We do not have solid proof (not yet) that humans reincarnate, and even if we do --- we only live this particular life once. Even with any equivalent of reincarnation, I believe that every memory is unique to an experience.

You can never re-live a memory of one good afternoon walking with your best friend 10 years later and feel the exact joy and carefree fun you had 10 years ago. It's not going to be the same. For one, your youth is gone. You wouldn't see the same afternoon in the same eyes. If you missed that memory, it's gone forever.

Life is a rat race in a pressure cooker. Who wants to live that life?

There are memories which we wouldn't miss for the world. And we only get to really live these when we are not too obsessed with worldly time and deadlines.

Chill. Relax. Have a life. That's what I'll do - in 2010 and moving forward.

Sharing our GK 88 Pics

2010-01-26T19:22:00.001+08:00

Our cluster had a Gawad Kalinga (GK) activity last Saturday, January 23, 2010.
Gawad Kalinga 88 was SGV's gift to Mr. Washington SyCip on his 88th birthday last year. Our HR and the different clusters have scheduled our staff to contribute a few hours to help out the GK village during our free time.
We got our hands dirty in the demolition and build tasks, with tans and sunburns gained in the process :) It was tiring and fun. I realized that giving your own little time to help a community -- like the GK village at Camarin -- makes you feel you rightly soo deserve the reward you get after (in our case, it's lunch at Bulalo Fiesta c/o our good boss WRB).

Here are some pics with me in my sunbasked glory hehe:

You can access more of this at http://www.pbase.com/shashintaker/gk2010.

Shakespeare Turns 10 (Before and After)

2010-01-25T13:03:00.001+08:00

Hopefully, this post wouldn't show up when Literature students look up Sir William Shakepeare's biography in the net :)

This post is about my beloved Shakespeare, who just turned 10 months last Saturday (Jan 23). I retrieved my doggie's pics from my older posts for comparison.

I now realized how big and chubby he has grown!! Haha

(Shakespeare and me on my Iloilo visit last May 2009 -

He was barely over two months then)

And now, here he is (pic taken last Dec 2009 on my Iloilo vacation; see previous post)

--- spoiled rotten by his four doggie friends

He seems to get what he wants with just a whimper.

Lucky dog...=)

The Loves of My Life

2010-01-15T13:57:00.002+08:00

The Christmas pets (clockwise Top-Right to Left: Shakespeare, Tiger, Love-Love, and Hope; Faith - the camera-shy and the only female doggie is here hiding somewhere.)

Shakespeare, now a fully grown nine-month pup, with his favorite playstuff --- flower petals...this time, bougainvillea petals.

One of Faith's lovely four pups --- we call him B-I-G, since he's unusually big for a pup under two months. You can check out the SM Bonus Puppy Dogfood model --- looks a lot like BIG! As my christmas present to my godmother, we gave her all of Faith's four pups (BIG, Brown, Chihuahua and Kulot - to be renamed, ofcourse).

This is Hope, my prince. He's always prim and proper...and camera-ready! His fave spots are the sofas and table tops where he sits very still like a dog mannequin.

Hope, in his fave sleeping position --- the "S".

Love-Love. We love him, and he has only grown much younger-looking after 6 years or so. Must be his fondness for puppy dogfood, hmm.

Faith: "Excuse my out-of-bed curls". After Mama leaves the bed (since she wakes up really early), Faith takes over her position and sleeps with me till I wake up.

Tiger and I are friends now :) He no longer flashes his jealousy streak on me (only with his fellow doggies, unfortunately).

His head's top curls have grown thicker now while his belt grows shorter (as he secretly gnaws this when his moodiness sets in or when he has nothing better to do, haha).

Tiger and his favorite boss - my Mama. He's a tamed "tiger" with her.

Hope you enjoyed the pics of the loves of my life. Till next time! =)

Welcome Back to Me!

2010-01-12T12:48:00.000+08:00

Hello dears. Just got back from my Iloilo vacation that ended last Sunday night.

Haay, I miss Iloilo already. As always, my vacation is bitin. I don't think any duration or length will ever be enough. There's no place like home, indeed.

This will be short dears. I'm reflecting and praying for divine guidance on the most appropriate action plans this 2010. The Almighty Father bless us all.

Cheers to the Year of the Tiger!

My Sidetrip to Camiguin

2009-12-16T12:20:00.000+08:00

I was at Butuan City last week for an audit engagement. After almost 26 years, I was able to go back to the place where I spent the first year of my childhood.
I have only faint memories of this place; probably most of them are imagined based on the stories of Mama and Papa, and some actual memories lost due to several head injuries I had as a child (haha).

It seemed like a "twilight zone moment" for me, when I landed at the airport. Like coming full circle...When I was there, I felt that a part of me has gone home.

The simplicity and the easy smiles of the Butuan folks are just so close to that warmth and coziness which I associate with my hometown Iloilo.

Haay, senti me.

It was crazy crazy work work work from the time I landed until Saturday (working extra hours until the wee hours of the morning). My team felt that we needed the break and the treat after the hard work. Since nearby Surigao didn't seem so safe then, we voted unanimously for Camiguin. (Nothing beats spontaneity when you want to feel the natural high of adventure and fun).

So Camiguin it was! It was a short but very fun sidetrip, all in all. And the auditors in all of us felt we needed evidence to support this - PICTURES!

I plan to upload the team's pics to my shutterfly account (though since, it's still crazy busy now that I'm back in SGV, I think that may take a while).

In the meantime, I'd like to share samples of my pics from our Camiguin sidetrip.
Enjoy!

Bus from Butuan City to Balingoan

Katibawasan Falls

Cow-girl

Sunken Cemetery

Stations of the Cross

Welcome moi to White Island

beautiful sunset

All in all, the entire sidetrip was so worth it :)

How was your long holiday?

2009-12-02T20:10:00.003+08:00

The last long weekend was another blast for the girls...

Lovella and I went to the famous Bangkal of Makati - famous for its segunda mano items (second-hand). We were canvassing for possible furniture pieces or inspirations for Lovella's new place (wow Vel!), and I was looking for my magic "baul" (a mid-sized treasure box of sorts which I intend to be the home of my precious everyday cosmetics and makeup, haha).
A funny anecdote worth sharing: We asked the jeepney driver to "unload" us right at the street for segunda manos; the kindly good-hearted soul unloaded us at the street for second-hand cars (We took it as a compliment, and walked the few blocks to the second-hand furniture pieces.)
Another one from our survey: When we asked the folks back in Bangkal on the make of their wood furnitures, 90% of them told us that it's "narra" (our national tree - famous for its durability). I almost knocked over a very delicate version of "maple" baul. When we asked them the circa or year when the furniture was purchased, 90% of them told us that it's "antique". Buyers beware: You could lose more than 90% of your hard-earned bucks if you believe all of them. The few honest ones would probably tell you that it's yakal (another hardwood used for furnitures), or that they had no idea.
We didn't buy anything from Bangkal but we took down life-changing mental notes (hmmm). And this...was the premonition to the shopping discipline test which we took right after.
After our early venture to Bangkal (7 AM to 10:30 AM), Lovella and I went to SM Makati for our brunch. Melody was on queue for something important and requested us to wait for her. While she was at this "event", Vel and I went through SM's four floors - beauty and health, party clothes, work clothes, pajama sets, lingerie, bags, shoes, gift items, furnitures (again), mirrors, memory pillows (for Vel), organizers, possible dupes for my baul (again!), and back to beauty and health where we started (like nothing happened, haha). In between, we also had a side trip to Bagaholic (It sells second-hand designers bags like Louis Vuitton and Hermes at markdown prices(the real deal they claim; by the way, they have authentication to prove it). You're thinking that we have a thing for second-hand stuff, huh. Check the store out at Arnaiz St. cor. Makati Ave., Makati.
At the end of 4-5 hours of waiting for Melody, we were so proud of our selves. Why? - We surpassed all temptations (from commission-based sales agents of perfumes, everything-on-sale tags almost everywhere, to the wonderful textures of clothes and bags). We stuck to our budget and necessities list!
We also discovered the really cheap Esprit cologne in various scents (good quality for less). This somehow toned down Melody's raving / lemming for the new Givenchy Ange ou Demon Le Secret perfume. Hopefully, she'll get over it in time (peace Mel).
I also learned and confirmed two fashion insights: (1) Esprit and the more expensive Davidoff Cool Waters are made by the same manufacturer - Coty; and (2) Fanny Serrano's eyelash curlers hail from the same manufacturer as that of Shu Uemura's (the price difference is about 800 pesos). For number 2, I'm prouder that I buy Filipino.

Check out this link for a good comparison of the two eyelash curlers:
http://www.askmewhats.com/2008/06/shu-uemura-vs-fanny-serrano-eyelash.html

I also discovered the mini lash curler of Fanny Serrano - recently released - which again serves the same purpose as the Shu Uemura mini lash curler, i.e., curl small/side lashes or curl lashes section by section (for the novice). It's portable, too!

Melody finished her important interview. She made us super-proud. And since she wouldn't want me to expound, all I can say is good luck, God bless, and bon |blank| =) We are so excited for you!
Mel, Vel and I had our dinner at Max's. Since I'm still careful about triggering allergens (chicken, eggs and pork), Vel was thoughtful enough to share with me the pinaputok na bangus (our national fish wrapped and cooked in banana leaf). Delicious!
When we're finally all home, I listened to my "internal playlist" and realized that there's this song that I've been mentally humming for the past two days, even if I'm only guessing some of the lyrics. So I googled it today, and made it my thinking song for the week --- I Wanna Know What Love Is. (The simplified lyrics - filtered for those closely applicable and "hum-able" to me - is copied below).

Enjoy dears...It's only 22 days to go before Happy Christmas!
(Enter thinking song of the week)
Where I've...

Gotta take a little time

A little time to think things over

Better read between the lines

In case I need it when I'm older

This mountain I must climb

Is like the world upon my shoulders

Through the clouds I see love shine

It keeps me warm as life grows colder

In my life

There's been heartache and pain

I don't know if I can face it again

Can't stop now

I've traveled so far

To change this lonely life

I wanna know what love is

I want you to show me

I wanna feel what love is

I know you can show me

Gonna take a little time
A little time to look around me

Got nowhere left to hide

Looks like love has finally found me

Lord help me to be strong

On this road I travel on

When I'm lost and lonely

Find me

My journey's just begun

And I'm not the only one