iPhoto for Smoother Skin

Tweaking with my Friendster account tonight. After adding lots of friends (ewan lang kung kelan mag online mga tao to approve my invites!) I decided to upload some photos but got sidetracked. Am glad I did because I discovered the "retouch" feature in iPhoto. Got to love anything that would take away the blemishes with just one click. Stil have to find something that works that way in real life. In the meantime I'll content myself with smoother skin in photos I decide to print and upload. At least when my memories grow dim I'll look at my old photos and end up thinking I had smooth skin back in the good old days. Hehe. How's that for lying to oneself?

Spot the Difference
(wag pilosopo di kasali the fact na cropped yung image!)

Btw I know it's not an old concept but it is so much easier than having to learn Photoshop, which I never had the patience to really learn anyway. As for Picasa, my other photo viewer of choice (choice pala ng husband) I just use the "I'm feeling lucky" button everytime. Wala atang retouch dun?

First Phone Ever

Was about to log off but I remembered that I need to blog about my first phone ever. No, I've had a phone since 2nd year high school (Phillips Fizz pa nun!) but that was really a family phone that they let me take to school since they wanted to make sure I was safe each time I had to take the bus alone all the wya home to Laguna. I've also had a few phones since then but they were all hand-me-downs from my sister who happens to like changing phones and getting a newer model every few years. It's not that I've been completely broke for more than a decade to buy a new phone but I've always taken pride in being practical. This time though Silas' phone (3310 pa po), which I've been borrowing for a month now just won''t cooperate with my cheapness anymore "forcing" me to allow Mark to buy me my first ever truly new phone.

I absolutely love my new phone (Nokia 7310). It's pink, has a mirror surface, and has all the basic stuff I need in my phone (text messaging, a calculator, calendar, alarm clock, and notes). It also has some extra stuff but though I like them I just need my basics. The plus factor is the cam since I can now take pics of Sam anytime anywhere. Its also really good for me that its a new model since it can last me another 5 years or maybe more unless Sam manages to learn to start dunking stuff in the toilet bowl (in which case I'd be glad to have a phone messed up just to see my son a big enough boy to get in silly troubles).

Thanks Mark. You do know when to push me to stop being too cheap. Hehe. I love your Crhistmas gift! Tons better than the electronic toothbrush (though I did like that too! Hehe.) ^_^

Thinking about it though I still haven't ever bought my own phone yet. Maybe before I turn 40 I would but myself a new one...or maybe I can just keep on waiting for Mark to get tired of my phones breaking down and letting him buy me one for a gift. That's what husbands are for afterall, right? :p

Learning from Sacha

This is all about a blog I love to read and I think is worth sharing. If you don't know Sacha Chua (and I admit I don't know much about her beyond the fact that she went to the same high school I did, she's a genius, she's cute, and speaks in this cute little voice) I think you really should get to know her through her blog. It's funny how I still think of her as this high school kid in uniform so that I feel like she has wisdom beyond her years. I guess she does have wisdom beyond her years though since people a lot older than her (like moi...) will learn a lot or at least be reminded of what they've learned before by reading her thoughts. The blog is full of the kind of practical idealism that I've been wanting to imbibe. Been wanting to write something really deep but heck I'll just link to the latest fave posts from her.

An all exclusive Sacha Chua painting (got to love her sketches!)

Relentless improvement and a focus on the positive - Will the 3/3/1 help make our marriage work better? Hmmm... Should talk this over with Mark to find out. For bosses (paging Kuya Ariel!) this is something you should check out, might work for your team. ^_^
The only way to fight the darkness is to blaze even brighter with light - This says it all.
It’s not just for you - it helps other people remember the steps, too! - Maybe I wouldn't think I suck so bad at dancing if I had a such a great dance teacher. Oh wait...I never did take dance lessons!

An Extraordinary Experience at X/O Philippines

I've been trying to put off this post till I get some pics to go with it but since I can't find anything about X/O Philippines on the net except for this one Inquirer article I'm posting anyway. If you want to see the food then just visit the place yourself. Sorry!

The last time my sister and I went out and watched a movie/concert together (U2 3D was great btw) we ate at Banana Leaf. The food at Banana Leaf was NOT spectacular nor the service great. We were doubly disappointed after riding the escalator up The Block at SM and saw the cool ambiance of X/O Philippines and wished we'd dined there instead. Anyway a couple of weeks back Mark, Jamuel, Gemma, I and Sam decided to eat out and it truly was an extraordinary experience for me for several reasons:

• The place was really nice. I looooved the chairs...at least on the outside part. The whole ambiance was pretty nice.
• The service was ok. The people were nice and though they didn't have the best service it was passable for a small and new restaurant.
• The food was truly extraordinary. I absolutely loved their take on the kare-kare. Kare-kare is almost always good but usually all you can say about it is that it is good. Their kare-kare was really innovative. All the ingredients was cooked and served separately with the bowl of sauce on the side. Some of the veggies were fried while some were simply either blanched or steamed (not sure which). The pork was the best part with the ribs roasted and spiced with slat and some other stuff I do not know what. It was delicious. The rest of the food was equally good although the tapa tips was a bit too tasty, I guess it was a bit overpowering though only because we didn't eat it with the bread and the buts, which it was supposed to go with (we ordered the appetizer last...LOL). The Bicol express would also satisfy any true Bicolano although you'd better be careful with the sigarilyas (winged beans) because as Jamu found out too late some of the sigarilyas were actually very hot green peppers.
• And last but not the least, the most extraordinary part of the meal for me was that the leg of the chair I was sitting on broke and I fell in slow motion... It wasn't too embarrassing since there was only one other table with people but it still made me lose my appetite...but only for a few minutes. No, I'm not yet that heavy but the leg was already ready to give. We ended up having one free dessert (yummy buko pandan) but as my sister pointed out I ended up spending more for the BENGAY I needed to ease the muscle pain the next day. Hmmm. Should have asked for BENGAY instead of dessert. If anyone asks me though I'm willing to go back to try their other dishes though I fell flat on my butt and all that, which says a lot about how much I enjoyed the food.
  

We are the ones we've been waiting for...

Na...nananana...nananana...

I can't help it. Call it joining the bandwagon but still he gives me hope and as he says " there has never been anything false about hope."

I am not American but I am campaigning for Barack Obama.




Btw Sam can now say "O-ba" and "Ba-ma" but not the whole thing. Since he still can't say anything other than syllables right now this is a huge thing. We're crossing our fingers that OBAMA will be his first word. If that happens you can be sure he'll be another Obama baby on YouTube.

Valentines Day at Neopets

I love Neopets even if all I ever do there these days are play Roodoku, check the Neopian stockmarket, and feed my pets or check them in to the Neolodge.

Its Valentine's Day at Neopets!!!

It's a boy!

We are happy to announce the most recent addition to our family...Chub-Chub.

Chub-Chub is a dwarf hamster (Phodopus roborovskii). I have no cam (We really need one!!!) so i'm just going to post a pic of another roborovski that looks a lot like him.

Mark and I bought him Tuesday night as a gift to Sam. We were prepared to for Sam to snub Chub-Chub but was pleasantly (understatement) surprised when Sam got really excited. Unfortunately we really can't leave Sam alone near the cage because he keeps on hitting the cage really hard, which scares Chub-Chub. We can't let Chub-Chub out either until I find a hamster ball somewhere because he runs soooo fast and is really hard to catch. I'll be giving Chub-Chub until tomorrow to adjust to his new cage and will start taming him the next day. I am so happy about this. It feels like Sam has a little wiggly brother. Chub-Chub seems sad though so I'm asking Mark to go back to the pet shop tomorrow to buy Chub-Chub's brother. Yay!

I'm so happy we found the perfect pet for our family. ^_^

Walking in the Rain

I have always liked rainy days. It might simply be that in this country the rain provides respite from the heat but it might also be because the rain makes me feel a bit more at peace.

When we were kids my sister and I used to go out and play in the rain enjoying the moment despite the fact that we ended up shivering and almost unable to move much sometimes (at least I remember me shivering and feeling that way). Each time the sun started to peek out I felt both disappointment and relief since I knew I could go in and take a long hot shower...another thing I really loved.

The other day, when I wrote the post about being upset, I decided to take a long walk in the rain. I needed some exercise to get a healthy dose of endorphins and to get me started in my quest to get in shape. Donning on my new rubber shoes (which we got at half the price at Ali Mall ^_^...Don't you love introductory prices?) and this dry-fit shirt I bought a year ago (also on sale then...hehe) but was then too tight for me (yes I fit in it now! Yay!), I said bye to Sam and his yaya, who was scurrying to give me an umbrella. I pretended not to hear Gemalyn and went on my not-so-merry way.

Walking in the rain in this city proved to be a very interesting thing to do. Some of the reasons (I'm sure I'm bound to forget some of the interesting stuff I noticed then) why it was really interesting for me was....

1. People kept looking at me strangely - This guy, who was selling old umbrellas that were obviously stolen or at least scavenged , approached me but suddenly veered away when he realized that I was enjoying the rain. It seemed that some people were scared. I loved it.
2. People offered me an umbrella and jeepney drivers shouted at me to get off the rain and ride instead - This wouldn't have been so strange if they did this to everyone without umbrellas. The thing is, there were plenty of people with heads down scurrying to get out of the rain and nobody seemed to really notice them. I, on the other hand, who obviously was enjoying the rain, kept on being "helped" by people. It was nice but it would have been nicer if people noticed those who were actually in need and not just those who were doing something that was not the norm.
3. I broke a sweat from walking but didn't feel sticky - Really stupid for this to be interesting because the rain obviously washed away the sweat. It is still interesting for me though because I now know of another way to exercise (aside from swimming) and not be bothered about the heat and the sweat. I do not really like exercising and the sticky feeling (especially on a humid day) is one of the many factors why I feel that way.
4. I wasn't bothered by the air pollution - I started walking after it had already been raining for hours. It was great breathing in (though I still didn't take deep breaths) the air in EDSA and not feel all choked up with the smog.
5. There were less vagrants in EDSA - The rain really does keep people indoors. Even the beggars didn't like to get wet much and no one bothered me while it was raining hard. On my way back from Quezon Ave (yes I walked all the way there from out house) the rain had abated and the little kids were already out pestering me for coins and the doughnuts I bought for Gemalyn.

If you've never walked in the rain, you really must try it. Make sure you take a hot shower after though or you're guaranteed to get the sniffles. If you want a relaxing walk where you can meditate a bit or simply daydream I suggest you take a walk in LB or in UP Diliman. If you do want to see people weirded out by you though, EDSA or any other main street in the city would be a great place to do it. Make sure to look up and close your eyes with arms a little outstretched for maximum effect. ^_^

Oh...and this brings me to my next topic...Who wants to join me do something ala Improv Everywhere here in the Philippines. It should be fun! Leave a comment if you don't know my email or phone number and I'll get back to you. ^_^

Movie Time

I've been watching and watching and watching movies lately. Most of the movies are pretty good with the exception of Ghost Rider. I was really disappointed with it since I'm a Nick Cage fan.

Anyway here's a quick rundown of the more noteworthy ones (listed in no particular order).

Knocked Up - I really really enjoyed this movie. The funny thing is that I enjoyed it not for the comedy (although it was really funny too) but for the truths behind the comedy. Coincidentally I've been reading "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus", which gave me a different perspective as to how I saw the men on the movie. If I hadn't read parts of the book before seeing the movie I would have flat out decided that the guys were jerks, But now, I do understand their side a bit. Just a bit. I loved it so much I would even go as far as saying that's it's genius. It does bring up some "once-intense-but-now-funny" memories of when I first found out I was pregnant with Sam! Hilarious. A must-see for all couples...especially those who got wed out of wedlock (and have gotten over it).

Oh, and it also made me miss my thesis days with the guys. We didn't do any drugs but the mess and the "bumness" and the love. The eeky couch, the days spent talking about nothing, running around after the rats, staring at my monitor not knowing what to do and having Ed, Nik, and Mark do them for me, having Cel look over my shoulder to tell me I'm doing great (even when I feel like I'm getting knowing), playing NFS on Brian's PC, and watching Brian harass the guys! Just has to make you smile. I feel fortunate to have experienced that kind of camaraderie even if it did have to end.

Resident Evil: Extinction - I just love Resident Evil. I used to shy away from thrillers/horror movies because I just got so scared and wasted my time since I almost always kept my eyes closed throughout the movie. But after seeing the first Resident Evil (and I've never played the game) I just got hooked. Must be the action side that got me. Of course it certainly helps that I totally love Mila Jovovich. Girly mode: My favourite outfit by far is the one on this movie. I couldn't find a photo of her on the motorbike with goggles on so this will have to do. So cool. Some people might not have watched it yet so I should move on before I write some spoilers here.

Babel - The awards it won speaks for the movie. I don't really know what to say about it but that you should just watch it. Oh, and the fact that the movie overshadowed Brad Pitt for me says a lot! It really is sad though. To those who don't know the real story behind the Tower of Babel (and believe me or not there are those who don't) please read your Bible first so that you can put the whole movie into context. It would be a shame to not be able to appreciate the story because you haven't read Genesis 11 yet.

Still got plenty of movies to go but I think 3 is enough for today. Will be posting more movies by next week!

Personalization

I just noticed that the header in Neopets looked like this.

To make sure that it wasn't Neopet's birthday but them greeting me a happy birthday in the cutest and least annoying way possible I logged out just to be sure. As I expected the header reverted back to the usual unadorned yellow color. Though it may be a small thing, as I've said I love commercial greetings. It is the small things like this that adds pleasant surprises to one's day and [in this case literally] adds more color to my life. I don't know about you but I think personalization rocks!

Off course I took a screenshot of this since it'll be gone in a few hours. I'm thinking of compiling a repository of Neopets' birthday skins over the years! Wish I had logged on every year during my birthday before so I'll know how long they've been doing this. Oh well maybe I'll shoot them an email just to satisfy my curiosity.

Early Birthday

Got my first birthday card a few days early. I know it's from Samsung and I got it because of our aircon's warranty but it still cheers me up. It cheers me up enough to link to their website! I guess this means that their oh so obvious marketing technique works. Though some people might not like getting emails like these I actually love getting cards from brands I really do patronize. Last year my birthday card was from my bank (it wasn't an e-card but a real one) and I kept it like it was from a friend. LOL. I think I've lost it though sometime during our multiple moves. I wonder if they'll be sending me one this year. So silly but I think I'll start collecting commercial cards or whatever you call them. I'm serious about this. Hmmm. I wish though that they sent me that phone instead of the e-card. ^_^ Oh well. Happy advance birthday to me!

Lucky Me

I won two tickets to the advance screening of this:


Yay! Lucky me! ^_^

10 Things I Love That Starts with K

I visited this blog a few days back and liked the meme. Anyway though I didn't know the blogger I asked Evil Genius for a letter anyway. If you read this meme and want your own letter just tell me.

My only problem with this meme is that I can't think of much stuff that starts with the letter K. As I try to enumerate stuff I love I find myself of thinking about everything that starts with any letter except K. Oh well, after much thinking a few peeks at the dictionary here's what I ended up with.

1. Kisses/Kissing - I like kissing Mark be it a simple kiss on the cheek or the stuff my mom would hate to see. I like kissing Sam's cheeks, chin, nose, armpits, and butt. I like getting kisses from small kids as their parents force them to kiss me their ninang or tita. Kisses and hugs are the best. xoxoxo
2. Kisses - Hersheys Kisses are great. I like all kinds but the white ones and those with almonds inside are my favorite. I loooove chocolates!

3. Kites - I love it when I see a kite flying high. It brings back childhood memories. I can still remember trying to "help" my dad build this big kite for our neighborhood's kite flying contest. I don't even remember if it flew but I do remember thinking it was the best looking kite of all. It probably wasn't but it doesn't matter. I miss being a kid.

4. Kris Kingle - I used to not like Kris Kingles that much because I hated seeing people disappointed with the gifts they bring home. But lately my enthusiasm has come back thanks to the Christmas Party we attended at the Manasan's last year. I don't know if there's any formal name for the modified kris kingle where you get to swap gifts and strategize. I did sleep through the actual exchange of gifts but Mark told me all about it and we played it with my family during New Year celebration. It makes kris kingle so much fun. It's not just about the gifts anymore but the game too.

5. Kitchen - Mark and I ate here once for a spur of the moment date. The food is good. The ambience nice (it's not too stuffy and pretentious there) although you can't slouch much since the seat are benches with no backrests. They use recycled paper for their placemats and menu. The price is definitely more expensive than LB food but not outrageous. The plates are big. The serving not too big but very filling. I'd like to go back and sample more of their food. The Kitchen I'm talking about is located in Greenbelt (I have no idea which part of Greenbelt but it's near the garden) couldn't find their website so I can't point you guys to it. Sorry.

6. Klingons ... and Star Trek Books. Note I said books. I don't watch the series nor the movies but the books are great. I know they're based on the scripts and the show itself but I was exposed to the books first and I like imagining the stuff better than watching it. Truth be told I like Vulcans a lot better than Klingons too. I even really wanted to be Vulcan before or at least be as logical as they are.

7. Katherine Kurtz - She's not the best fantasy writer but her Deryni Chronicles first exposed me to the wonders of fantasy novels. We still haven't completed our collection since her books are hard to find. We just find them in old book shops and in book sales. Cool fact: A person's Deryni powers are actually not magical in nature but a result of genes.

8. Ketchup - Ketchup is good. Just make sure it's tomato ketchup and not banana. I hate sweet ketchup. Ketchup is supposed to be sour not sweet. Get sugar if you want something sweet.


9. Kids - I love well-mannered kids. I love witty kids. I love the way kids say the darnedest things. I love having kids around on social gatherings because I always have someone to talk to when I get left out or anxious. As for bratty kids or extremely hyper ones I don't love them but I still generally like them.

10. Kind people - Random acts of kindess whether from friends or strangers just amaze me. Without kind people I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have gotten through a lot of difficult situations. Thank you to all the kind people who gave me their seat on the MRT, who carried my bags for me, who gave me change, who offered a ride, who uttered a prayer, and who smiled back when I smiled at them.