August~ the last month before the Ber Months

I’m predicting that this month I shall double my size. I started starving myself last year October by a bet with my friends that I’ll be treating them for lunch if they caught me eating rice. I won the bet and never get to treat them their fancy lunch.

This month August, yes! the month before the Ber month starts, I started eating like there’s no tomorrow. August 1 my agent treat me for a free lunch, I'll be stupid if I’ll be saying no, so I joined the wagon. After that free lunch my friend texted me asking what time she should pick me up because we had set a cooking spree for that day. When I got there my cousin texted me asking for my location because everyone’s at the house eating 3 kinds of pasta and pizza and I have to be there since its Sheila birthday (my cousin). I excused my self from the cooking spree and told them I’ll be back before 9pm . I was full and can’t move my ass when I got back at my friends house. When I got there we started eating again and after much discussion we decided to go to the wake of a friend’s father. And a few minutes after, my cousin texted me again saying that we will be going to wensha spa for an overnight pampering I was torn between the two groups, so I did my best to divide my time. My cousins will pick me up at St. Peter’s Chapel at 1 am so we can all go to the Spa and by the way Wensha offers eat all you can buffet so I was again shoving food inside my mouth, Shabu-shabu this time. Aside from eating too much my schedule was over loaded which I feel happy about since I love doing various activities.

Ok I also started this month by not sleeping at all august 1-2 I was awake for the entire 40 hours. Nyah what’s new?

Continuing my food journey this august, my brother who resides in Singapore will be here for a vacation and as usual when our family gets together we have a habit of indulging with food. We are a foody family, we enjoy food and conversation, and it’s one of the bonding moments that we will always share.

So August 3 before we pick up my brother at the airport my cousin Sheila and I had a Korean lunch at Chongkewang in Makati while waiting for the rest to pick us up. I had a Dolsot Bibimbap and Sheila had a fish cake plus the side dishes that goes with our meal. I was soooo full the restaurant offers big serving and the side dishes are awesome. At 3pm we hurried to the airport and when my brother arrived we decided to have dinner at YakiMix MOA the restaurant opens a 5:30 pm so I signed up and we are 3^rd on the list … and I was doomed after. We left the resto at 8pm. I was really full but I can’t help but take a sampler of all the Sushi, Maki, Sashimi, it’s my weakness. We also grilled some shrimp, squids, salmon, and all possible beef and pork marinade. The dessert table is a fancy eye lure, I was smiling at the cup cakes and cakes and pastries and egg tart and ice ream with your choice of candy topping, I’m having hard time breathing just recalling how I devour all of those. Hay life is good when you enjoy the food and the people you eat with.

It’s my first week in August and while I’m writing this I’m waiting for the caterer to arrive here in the Office… yup another binge eating for me. Oh lord please give me the right amount of metabolism to burn all this before I turn myself into a pumpkin. Happy august everyone ^^

August 1st week in Action:

Mel's Lunch Treat at Kenny Rogers Glorrieta 3

Me and Christian

While Waiting for my Free Lunch~ FREE! ^^

Me, Christian and Grace

The rest of the Group from L-R Lei, Eunice, Mel, Me, Grace and Christian.

Wok with Tyan and Culinary Disaster with my evil sissy!

This is what we call "Chicken Salad de Santan Ala Concreto"

This is actually a joke to our friend since she loves doing food like a culinary expert so the 3 of us decided that we should have our own funny version. That's chicken salad topped with santan with tempura crackers, damo from Kevin's graden and the Tanzan and stone are courtesy of Jasper. I have a bunch of Luna Friends ^^

Me, Kaye and Belen (L-R) and our creation. Ok lah!

At Wensha Spa and Buffet

Want's some kungfu fighting?

After the massage

Out Shabu Shabu which is over flowing and can feed 10 people!

After eating

The rest of the Gang (L-R) Me, Nico, Ivee, Sheila, Lisette

ChongKeWang Korean Resto

My Awesomeness Side Dishes! Yummy!

Checking out their other side dishes and kimchi and pickled veggies

My Dolsot Bibimbap! I super love it!

YakiMix Moa With my Flintstones

Having Fun at V's New Mac while waiting for our reservation

(L-R) 1st row Auntie, My Momma, Wacky and Ivee. 2nd row Lisette, Moi, Renz and Sheila

My dessert Plate

My almost finish Sushi, Maki and sashimi

My empty dessert platter

Moi plate, Yanchow, Kani Tempura, Lechong Macau, Kani cake

The Dessert Bar "Object of my Affection"

Pilgrim’s Progress: Kula Shaker

I’m a big listener of Kula Shaker, my College songs when I’m in the middle of Panic are Govinda and Tattva the chanting makes my mind more at ease and both are somehow taken from the Sanskrit. Their melody is like a psychedelic trip and the funky songs like Hush, Hey Dude, smart dog and Grateful when you’re dead (Jerry was there) would surely send me dancing in my room. The songs like Namami Nanda-Nandana, Dr Kitty, Machine Gun, and others where they used a lot of nature sounds like chipping of the bird, cat moaning and other traditional Indian Instruments and remix that will surely bring you to stillness and leave your mind clear. The song “Shower your love” is my love blues, it’s my pleading song hehehe.

Now I ‘m digging their new album Pilgrim’s progress although I’m still trying to dissect the album I’ve notice a lot of changes in their music. The carrier track Peter Pan R.I.P. is more like a melancholic theatrical sound and the use of various instrument such as snare and violin shun them away from their Indian inspired trademark but will still recognized Kula Shaker because of the melodic voice of Crispian Mills not to mention the catchy instrumental tempo, still noticeable. Ophelia is one of my favorite mainly because the lyrics is really good and it sound relaxing but I do get a countrish vibes in that single, for me it sounds more like an old English song with bag pipe and everything. But the lyrical presentation is superb their songs as always are poetic. Another song that I want to put emphasis on is the song “Modern Blues” the song started with some Indian woman chanting and a creepy laugh somewhat like an evil witch. At first I was “WTF! Here we go this is what I’ve been waiting for” and then the Lyrics ~ *Somebody spare this whole twisted philosophy I’m searching for meaning in a world of mediocrity, I can’t move for preachers, I can’t find no teachers. Think I’m gonna stay in bed…wasted my whole life working for fools~~, I got blood on my fingers and stones in my shoes* BINGO! And there I found myself shaking my buns like in the 60’s show wooohoo! Hehehe^^

Kula Shaker has matured in their sound and I like it. Their trademark, drum roll accompanied by Crisp bass slide (there is something about the bass melody, I can’t help but notice. Almost the same in all of their songs) and wah riff all together is still… yeah, so much there. I wonder how long will they stay in my playlist since their old albums are still on queue.

Quotes:

Ophelia~ “Doubt the stars are on fire, Doubt Truth to be a liar but never doubt I love you....till the day I die” “You were tired of this shadow life. Of fears that hold us tight I will lie beside the river now...”

Peter Pan RIP~ “Peter Pan, Don’t look back. They clipped your wings and chained your back”

Calvary~ “We can’t turn back, we’re under attack, outnumbered too I believe. Cut down, surrounded, all bust up and pounded, love send the cavalry.”

Modern Blues~ Somebody spare this whole twisted philosophy I’m searching for meaning in a world of mediocrity, I can’t move for preachers, I can’t find no teachers. Think I’m gonna stay in bed.

If I fall hard

I’m scared of the possibility of me falling in love again, I promised myself it will never happen again...not that I’m in a relationship right now honestly I am not in any of that form. But why am I scared because I can see that it is something that can’t be avoided in one way or another I will fall for someone who I will always doubt and be paranoid of his intentions.

I hate going through the motion of giving myself to a person and being in a vulnerable state, to love is to get hurt and got get hurt is something that I can’t afford. I have turned down men a couple of times and sway away whenever I feel that the friendship is going somewhere I would never want to be in. But this time I am thinking, why am I doing that? Am I going to reject everyone? Don’t I want to be happy? Why am I building so many walls? Why am I blocking them from loving me?

My last relationship was the most disastrous I’ve ever been. I have loved that person unconditionally more that I could ever love myself or anyone in that instance. I was hurt badly I was disarmed and that pain dismantled my soul. For years I was blaming everyone, everything that I can, myself, the people around us, the situation, and the wrong moves. and yet I deny that fact that, that person was the one responsible for all the pain I was going through. He never admit his mistakes and he never said sorry for causing such pain instead he façade me with his “I don’t care how you hurt” face and said all those nasty words that made me who I am right now. He throw away all that we had and he eat all of his words like a famished creature wanting to hide all he could devour so I won’t be able to hunt all those pieces and shove it in his mouth.

I wanted to scream in his face and tell him how much he have damage me but that won’t do any good. That person had grew to someone I don’t know anymore, I’m not familiar on that side of his. He has grown into someone completely alien from that person I grew up with and talking to him about my pain would only be a laughable mistake.

If I could turn back the time I would pick up all the pieces and mistake but all is said and done. Even writing this entry doesn’t help or do any good it’s just me and venting all these turmoil inside me, although years have passed but the damage are irreversible. I have grown to out love that person and I can say I don’t care anymore. but I’m still wishing for sincerity coming from that person at least not for me but between the words that we said and for him to take responsibility and be a dignified matured man because right now all I can see from him are his failures and his pathetic life swinging from one college girl to another and putting away his wacky…tsk tsk tsk…focus and know where you’re heading at, you only have one shot in this life and I won’t be responsible for all the choices that you make and made so stop blaming everything on me because I am beautiful and I trying live a refine life.

Today I promise that I would go easy on myself and open up to the right person, I won’t rush things but be more cautious and meticulous in choosing what is right and be more sensitive to the signs. I would be more objective and be open with the idea or possibility of falling in love again. I don’t wanna wake up feeling that I don’t have a future and I will fall in love but not fall hard on the ground.

Your 500 commento goes here!

My project 365 is running just fine and I’m pleased that I’m getting nice feedback from friends, not to mention all the push whenever I feel like giving up. I was flabbergasted when I saw more than 500 comments with just 70 pictures posted. Amazing right? I didn’t know that it will be a success, but that’s too early to say when I still have more than 200 days to go.

Keeping it interesting is a little bit hard. Of course I have to continually seek for something that will gain their attention, so in that case I have posted photos with family, friends and this was one particular picture who capture almost everyone attention and boom the project survive its first two months.

Anyways, here are the things that I might need for my 365 and the things that I want for this season.

• Rubber boots
• Beanie/ski cap the colorful ones
• Trench coat (the real thing)
• See thru umbrella
• White boyfriend’s long sleeves
• Cycler’s jeans
• Ankle pants color mustard
• Majorette/Marching band’s coats I don’t know how you call those jackets hahaha Beatles Jacket LOL
• Classic motor bike helmet with eye mask

I wish to take picture in the following place:

• Beach
• Plane, Ship or Big Bike
• Club (as in while clubbing)
• New resto in manila
• Some spots in valley view LOL
• Some areas in the office
• I hope to get a picture out of the country *wish*

I’m planning to do a little cosplay in the upcoming months but I’m still on the planning stage. Have all the days to do that with 295 left. But come what may, sometimes the most laziest shoot are the ones that are more interesting…I wonder why!?

The Wife: A bigamy case

“Everyone falls in love and people want to live with the one that they love. Everybody does children, grown-ups, married people, unmarried people and me and this bastard next to me. Even if the person I hate disappears, life doesn’t suddenly become beautiful.”~ Anaega Gyeolhonhaetda

One of the things that I do on my free time is watching Japanese or Korean movies, today I have watched “Anaega Gyeolhonhaetda”: My wife got married. The title strikes me not because I’m a wife who wants to get married but because I think I might want to consider marriage if my wind shifts into the right direction.

At first I expect a regular comedy romance story where the characters will fall in love and get married and then woman will fall in love with another man that will eventually lead to divorce before she gets married again, but slowly as each scene matured I started feeling bizarre as to what the woman wants.

The Story:

The scene in the subway started it all when the woman meets her former colleague and after a drinking reunion the two then realized that they have one thing in common, they love football. The girl offers him to have coffee at her house and everything just followed~ the sex and the relationship. The heroine’s character portrayed a cool, hardworking, intelligent and sexy lass but the downside to her positive traits are her carelessness attitude she refuse to be tied down, she come home late at night drunk, believe that life can be played strategically like a football game and she collects old books not because she reads them, she collects because she love the smell of it. The male protagonist’s character however can be safely classify as any regular guy, a man who falls in love with an exceptional woman and a chap who would do anything to tie the knot so he can pacify her outrageous girlfriend. His goal is to marry and have children with her but the story took its twist not long enough before their honeymoon ends when the woman declared that she wants to marry another guy, but wouldn’t give up their current relationship either.

As a viewer my thoughts are “that’s impossible, this can’t happen in real life, very illusory.” But the portrayals of every character’s emotion are unexpectedly realistic: betrayal, jealousy, helplessness, loneliness, understanding, hatred, paranoia, and desire to keep the relationship prevent me from hitting the stop button.

As the movie progress I was fascinated to see all those motion. Both of the characters holding on to one another, the man accepting her wife’s desire to marry another man, swallowing every pain he can afford to gulp in and the mental battle he has to suffer realizing their role reversal. The wife juggling her time between two men, thus giving them equally love and attention and bearing with both husbands emotional instability. The second husband (not so visible until the mid part) who I think is very subtle, quiet and understanding of his situation. The real drama came when the woman announced her pregnancy and now the question is: who could be the father of the baby?

To make the story short, the first husband took a DNA test to find out who the real father is and announced it during the kid’s birthday party displaying his stubborn competitiveness and jealousy, the woman on the other hand run away from both husbands disappointed and humiliated and the second leading husband was left behind lonely and seeking comfort from the first husband. Then after sometime both men received an invitation to live with the woman they love under her stipulation and both men out of love agreed and they live happily ever after.

Is it realistic or not? Am I not used to this kind of movie because I’m wedged with double standards? But then again putting myself under the first husband’s shoes and trying to feel it when let’s say my husband tells me “I want to marry another woman” would I take time to soak it all in and rationalize things or just dash my way to out leaving my husband behind for falling in love with another woman.

Our society, unfair as it may seem would only permit man’s infidelity, the heroine’s proposal is damned to be ridiculous and socially unacceptable, but why is it not as dreadful as when a husband confess to his wife that he is having an affair? Why does everyone expect the wife to stay and fix whatever there is to be fixed?

My point of view

First of all I don’t understand infidelity, I know that people do change and so as their preferences but why marry if you’re in doubt. Is it enough to say that you did your best but things didn’t work out, if that’s the case then why not just end it instead of giving yourself a hell on earth and why is it socially accepted for men to cheat on their wives? This didn’t take a lot of thinking from me~ because the women allow their men to commit the hideous mistake.

Putting myself in a plain housewife state 100 years ago, when the world is a male-oriented-culture, when females are not allowed to rule, study, work or vote, when we are not allowed to participate in any activity or organization, when woman were classified as a weak, when we play an insignificant role in the society but to raise a kid and to satisfy our husband. Wouldn’t I accept my husband’s apology after confession, when I am fully aware that I’ve no other place to go and won’t cut it through since I’m just a plain house wife? That’s how we got used to the idea that it’s natural for a man to seek relationship outside marriage.

The movie is an eye opener not because I consent bigamy or polygamy or polyandry but because it talks about equality. It’s an unending debatable topic and can come up with millions of rebuttals as to why a wife should not be given the same chance a husband can enjoy.

Just to make myself Clear

I am stating that I am against polygamy of any other form of outside intimate relationships in a married life. I am Pro-Monogamy. Unfortunately things can’t be perfect and you can try all you want or give it a thousand shot. When things don’t work out I dare you woman to stand up and believe that you can make it after a bad relationship. Love is not easy to lose but disrespect is tantamount to a dead relationship.

Are we ready for the Rainy Daze? Ondoy Experience & Preparation

Are we all ready for the down pour or are we just enjoying it because finally the weather is starting to cool down again?

Personally I really like rainy days although last year’s Ondoy pawned me with fear and panic I’m still glad that everyone in my family and friends are safe. Now are we up for another Ondoy?

Recalling the tragedy~ I was stuck in the office tweeting more than 24 hours with no sleep and rest. I remember commanding everyone not to go home and to stay put until I give them a go signal to go home. No telephone lines in almost all residential, no cell phone signals, no electricity in some part of Manila, Rizal, Quezon City and other neighboring province. I was tired and anxious of what’s going to happen next and praying that the rain would stop.

One of my agents was crying because her daughter was stuck inside their house and climbing the 3^rd floor because the flood water has reached the 2^nd floor ceiling.She's not a catholic but we all prayed the rosary. I guess situation like this breaks the barrier between any religions the important thing is that we all have the same intention.

I was pacing back and forth because I can’t contact anyone in my family, although I know that they'll be safe from flood since our location is situated in a higher ground but then again all the roads that lead to our place was flooded and there’s no way they can get out if they run out of supplies. From time to time I would be able to communicate with my cousin via twitter who was also struggling to get an internet connection. And to my surprise they don’t know the gravity of the situation, maybe because they were all stuck in the house with no electricity and telephone connection.

I was all over the internet the whole 42 hours sleeping for only two hours. I was task to take care of our employee, good thing I have extra cash that day since I have to provide food and supplies for them. I was tired physically, emotionally and spiritually. I was having a hard time digesting all the information I’m getting through internet, people crying for help, dying, drowning, children out in the roof drench and cold, elders who can’t do anything because of their aged strength, government officials saying that they don’t have enough boat to rescue people, people twitting missing family members and friends, and people crying in distress. I was hurt and I was crying in the confinement of my office room.

After 3 days I was glad to be home. I was so tired that I passed out in my bed. I also feel so worn out from internet so I went on hiatus. I left twitter, plurk, facebook, tumblr and blogspot. The exhaustion was something that I haven’t felt in my entire life.

I’m wishing and hoping that our government is doing something in preparation for another Ondoy and I’m praying that it won’t happen again. But we all have to be prepared, now, below are the list of things that you should have in your emergency box/kit in case a storm like Ondoy comes again, make sure it’s handy and easy to carry.

Emergency box/ Storm Kit

• Candles and lighter (Butane)
• 3-5 days’ supply of Can goods, Crackers, noodles or dry food (depending on the size of the family)
• Can opener or Swiss Army Knife
• Drinking water
• Flash lights and batteries
• Transistor radio
• Petroleum Jelly (for blisters and incase a child gets shivery, rub it to their belly, underarm and neck it will make them feel warm)
• First aid kit: bandage, paracetamol, medicine for dehydration, cough and cold, rubbing alcohol, cotton balls and other medicine that may be needed for special cases
• Dry clothes and jackets
• Blankets umbrella and big plastic sheet
• All important document should be wrapped and vacuum in a plastic bag

You may add more depending on your needs but remember that an emergency kit should be easy to carry and not too heavy. It should be situated at the easiest place to find and family members should know where to locate it. Finally find a spot in your house where you feel safe just in case a flood arise, make an escape plan and list all the emergency numbers that you might need.

Oh! Hello JUNE and Hello There RAIN *hugs*

Let’s all be safe!