I Blog, Therefore I Am.

I closed another busy week with a fabulous dinner last Friday with friends. I was all fired-up and inspired last week to work despite having to stay late at the office for several days. Everything is actually quite cool despite the new work, targets, and responsibilities that were given to me and my group last week. But work is not what this post is all about. I digress.

I met up with Olen and Dansel, my super girlfriends from Honda, for some bonding and heart-to-heart at Greenbelt last Friday. It's been quite a while since I last saw them. I wasn't able to attend our yearly Christmas/New Year gathering so I also brought with me my gifts for their daughters, Nicole and Bela, who are both my Godchildren.





I love these two women to bits. They were with me in some of my "development years" post-college. Olen and I used to share a condo before in Salcedo Village when I was still with Honda. She's one of those unfortunate people in the planet who knows me very well. Dansel was the late addition in our little group. Some common experiences and feelings in the past brought her to us to form a lifelong friendship. It was really nice seeing them both last Friday.

Now on to the food! We initially planned to dine at A Veneto, a favorite of Olen's, but it was so full that night thus we decided to look for another restaurant. It was good that we skipped A Veneto since I just dined there the previous Thursday with my geek boylets. We ended up at Teriyaki Boy in Glorietta for some appetizers and dinner at Greenbelt.

Teriyaki Boy used to be one of my favorite el cheapo Japanese places. My friend Tin and I dined there a few months back and I hated it since. There was something new, raw and weird on the dishes they served that night. I haven't been to TB since then until last Friday where we had California Maki and Ika Fry for appetizers which were fortunately not so bad that night.


California Maki


Ika Fry

Dans wanted to eat somewhere nice and quiet so we decided to check out the new restaurants in Greenbelt. We also wanted some salad, pasta and pizza so we eventually ended at Madison in Greenbelt 5. They had the usual Friday crowd so we dined al fresco.



Madison specializes on steaks and ribs but they also have pasta, salads and pizza. There was an enticing Wagyu Rib Eye on the menu but we decided to stick with greens and noodles. We shared a Crab Caesar Salad, Grilled Seafood Linguine and Meatball & Herbed Roasted Tomatoes. I love the seafood linguine but I admit that it's not too different from the other seafood pastas I've had before.


Crab Caesar Salad, Baby Romaine Hearts, Bacon & Boiled Egg


Grilled Seafood Linguine, Tomato Vodka Sauce


Artisan Pizza
Meatball and Herbed Roasted Tomatoes

I've been experimenting with a lot of restaurants and food lately (check out my previous posts) and it was mainly because of my new camera. My shots are improving but I will definitely try to schedule my photography class this February to have more post-worthy shots on this blog.

I wonder where we will eat next Friday. Any suggestions? :)

I've waited for January 23 for four days - that's from January 19 to 22. Aside from the fact that it's payday, I've longed for the day simply because it's TGIF! Work was demanding and whirlwind in the last week and it was such a joy to finally reach Friday. January is always a loaded month because of all the proposals and plans we have to turn in for the new year. We've already submitted two proposals in the last week and negotiated a lot of "deals" so I think we are on the right track. I'm pretty inspired and excited for the new things and projects that we are doing and I cannot wait to launch and implement them all.

Nothing beats celebrating a Friday after a long and hardworking week. So here are some tales on how I celebrated last Friday with my colleagues; and the upcoming Chinese New Year with my friends.

FRIDAY IS ALWAYS PICTURE DAY
My officemates love posing for pictures. So here are some samples on how we usually spend Fridays: in front of the camera.







KUNG HEI FAT CHOI!
My friends and I are not Chinese but our dinner pick for Friday was at Superbowl in Glorietta 4 to somehow celebrate the Lunar New Year. We ordered a LOT since we were used to having dinners for five people. Unfortunately, Charo and Jako were not able to join us so it was only me, Tin, and Aileen who consumed all the fattening Chinese munch you can see below.


Chinese Food Fest Face-off! Hehe!


Starters: All The Free Kropek You Can Eat


Dimsum Combination Platter
(Siopao, Hakao, Pork Siomai, Deep-fried Wanton, Vegetarian Spring Roll)


Yang Chow Fried Rice


Hunan Tofu


Lechon Macau


Crispy Mandarin Chicken

We watched Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway's Bride Wars after our hearty meal. It was such a fun movie about weddings and friendship. The ending was a bit unexpected but not really surprising. I've always been a fan of Kate and Anne (more of Kate) but this movie definitely belongs to Anne. It's a lovely chick flick that helped us de-stress after a long work week.

TGIF! Until January 30!

Today, January 5, 2009, is probably the most unpopular day of the year so far. Everyone was too hung-over to work or too tired from vacation to even pretend to work. The last holiday vacation was probably the longest I can remember since I started working. I took a leave on the 24th of December so I had 12 days of non-work including those holidays declared by the government. It's common for me to have January blues so I usually extend my vacation until the 3rd working day of the year. But the vacation was too long already so it's too much to even consider on extending for that long.

The first four days of the year were uneventful ones for me. I spent most of the day sleeping, surfing random blogs and websites, resizing pictures, reading The American Wife, and watching old episodes of Project Runway and Lipstick Jungle. I was too tired from all the holiday celebrations and was preparing for the work stress thus I spent 10 to 14 hours a day just sleeping after the New Year celebrations.

Now that we covered the mundane things I did during the long vacation, let’s now take a look at the few exciting events and get-togethers I’ve been in the last weeks of 2008.

YEARLY CLAN REUNION
We spent Christmas Eve at home with the usual Noche Buena and opening of gifts. My niece, Gabbie, had the biggest loot as expected. Christmas day was spent at home resting and lounging in preparation for our annual clan reunion with my mom's sisters and their families in the evening.


One of the gifts I received! This is truly a favorite.


My nieces Nica, Gabbie, Casey and Jana on our Christmas party.


My niece Icee counting her Christmas cash

BAGUIO ONCE MORE
My good friend Tin asked us to join her in celebrating her 30th birthday at the City of Pines. It was my second time in Baguio for the year but I still had fun. We went around Session, Burnham & Wright, had Strawberry Taho, coffee at John Hay, dinner at Volante and celebration drinks at Northgate.


Tin and her birthday cake of 12 years ago


At the El Cielito lobby


Ylette at Burnham. One of my favorite shots.

POST-CHRISTMAS DINNER WITH FRIENDS
My forces girlfriends Tin, Aileen, Charo & Jako had our holiday dinner at Italianni's before the end of the year. We haven't seen each other for a while so we spent the night catching up on things and exchanging gifts.


Me, Tin, Charu, Aileen


What's with the knife?


The Mac Keeper

WELCOMING THE NEW YEAR
We spent New Year's eve at home quietly despite the loud bangs outside. We gave thanks to the Lord for all the blessings He gave us for the year. We also prayed for good health, prosperity and joys for the coming year.


Gabbie and her three trumpets


Fireworks on a school zone? How weird is our neighborhood?


More holiday photos at my Multiply photo site.

It's more than twenty three hours since the New Year and I am still stuck on 2008 (but not because I want to). It's just that I was too tired in the last few days to make a serious and emotional "looking back post" and it's only now that I become inspired to actually write one.

I usually describe my years according to the major milestones I felt or experienced in that year. Like 2004 was The Year I Fell In Love, alternately 2005 and 2006 were the The Year I Messed Up and The Year My Heart Got Broken In So Many Ways (I still can't decide which is which) and 2007 was The Year I Became Smart - literally and figuratively.

2008 was a year of great blessings for me. Yeah, I still have the occasional trials and hardships in various aspects of my life but it was nothing compared to the tumultuous years I had in the past (Hello, 2005 & 2006!). 2008 was very generous to me even if I don't deserve all the things that were given to me.

The Year I Turned Thirty was probably the best description I can give to 2008. Turning thirty years old (and single at that) can be a dread. I used to fear it when I was still on my twenties. But being on this year actually opened doors for me. Come with the age is the respect and a certain reverence. I am still funny, clumsy and carefree but I already sense a certain maturity within me which I've been hoping to achieve for years. My views and convictions are now on the serious path compared to the ideals I had a few years back. Oh, and thirty is "happiness". I'm now happier and more contented with my life compared before.

The most-asked-and-I-often-despise question of the year was of course the boyfriend question. "Do you have one?" "When are you going to have one?" "Mag-diet ka kaya so you can have one?" I am tired of answering these questions so I often answer in jest or sarcastically. My usual answers were "I am not interested!" or "I've long given up on love!". Then there will be another batch of questions and opinions ranging from "But why? You're still young! Don't give up!" to "Why? Are you now interested in women?". Oh well! The truth is I feel so indifferent about it. Yeah, there are guys out there who asks; and friends keep on fixing me up with people BUT I just don't feel it. The past, though very painful and a bit traumatic, is no longer an issue for me. I have longed forgiven myself and moved on from it. I just want to be happy all by myself for the meantime. I want to be single and discover things for the meantime. I want peace and serenity for now. I'll be ready when I'll be ready. :)

It was a less emotional year for me except for the fact that one of my good friends unexpectedly died last February. Binchy definitely struck a cord in all of us but we believe that he's now in a happier and better place. Aside from that, everything was smooth-sailing and drama-free. My relationship with my family and friends became stronger than ever and I was also given a chance to bond more with my bestest friends through several trips, vacations and travels last year.

Work is great and I learned a lot last year. There was the usual pressure and competition but it helped us more than it broke us. Heading a team was really a challenge especially if you were out to prove something. There were a lot of guts, second guessing and prayers involved as we launch one project after another. I am definitely happier and more contented with my current career compared to all the other past jobs I held. It allowed me to have independent ideas, kick-ass diskartes, and most importantly it gave me the opportunity to have a work and personal life balance. The pay-out at the end of the year were just icings on the cake.

I sailed through in 2008. It's a neutral year for me (boring at times actually) and I will definitely miss it. I am sure that 2009 will be a bit different since I know it will involve a lot of challenges and risk - not only for me but for everyone (Hello, Economy!). I also know that I will be fighting a lot of internal battles this year with the choices I will make...so help me God. Stay tuned!

Let's rock 2009! Happy New Year!

I was really fascinated by Time Magazine's Top 10 of Everything for 2008 and I think that it would be cool to do one for myself as a year-ender. "Ten of everything" would be too much for me so I am just limiting my list to my ultimate "tops" and favorite things.

TOP PEOPLE

Family
In sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, until death do us part. Enough said.





Forces Girlfriends + Jako
We've been through a lot this year - travels, dinners, quarrels, success, misunderstandings, profound e-mails, unions, engagements, singleness, happiness and broken hearts. Despite everything we've gone through we realized that we all love each other at the end of the day! :)



My CLRD Angels
The year will not be as sweet if not for my dear Marj and Kathy. We worked very hard and delivered a lot of projects that helped build subscribers' loyalty. I'll miss you, girls! Thanks for all that has been and for all that will be!

Gabsters
Our fondness and support for GDM was the one that introduced us to each other; but we discovered along the way that we have loads in common other than our PBB obsessions. Our BBQ Boy dinners were always riot events!

Ros + John + Eric
A common tragic event early this year made us closer to each other. It was not a "good year" for us but we all believe that it's already time to move on (Binchy would want it that way).

TOP TRAVELS

Boracay Birthday
This is my most traveled year! I'm out each month except in January. The one that stood out is my 30th birthday celebration in Boracay. My friends Tin, Aileen, Charo and Jako went with me last 888 (August 8, 2008) and had the time of our lives. The highlight of the trip? The Paraw Sunset Sailing!

Viva Vigan
My friends and I had a memorable roadtrip to Vigan last May. Aside from the cobblestones, the picturesque Spanish houses, and the yummy delicacies (I'm still craving for Martha's Bibingka until now), the trip was one for the books because we were were stranded in La Union for hours because of Typhoon Cosme. Our trip back home was 17 hours long. Whew!



Beautiful Bohol
Our Team Celebration Program in Bohol last September was great because there were only four (4) of us on the trip and it was my first time in Bohol! I can't wait to go back for more! Bohol is truly a relaxation haven!



Travel To Meet Subs
A huge chunk of my work-related travel this year was because of one of our loyalty programs. I was able to meet various subscribers all over the nation through this activity. They were all fun and enriching events and it gave me also the opportunity to visit Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija and Balanga, Bataan for the first time. I also visited Cebu (twice), Davao (thrice), Baguio and Cagayan de Oro this year.

TOP EVENTS
(These are my non-travel events this year that are memorable. "Memorable" can either be happy or sad and a couple of entries here were unfortunately sad ones.)

My Pond's Beauty Blog
One of my non-work achievements of the year is winning the Pond's 7-day Beauty Blog. The "essay" (as my dad puts it) won me a new iPhone 3G and gift certificates.

Binchy's Passing
My good friend's unexpected death usually trumps the happy events of the year. We are still grieving but we know in our hearts that he's now in a happier place.

NatCon 2008
Customer Care's National Conference 2008 became a memorable one for me because of some unexpected twist of events. It still haunt me at times but I already learned from the experience. Things that doesn't kill you truly makes you stronger! :)

Vince & Eliza's Wedding
Ate finally tied the knot last November! The event was a joyous one and it gave me the opportunity to be reunited with my Real relatives whom some I haven't seen in years.



TOP GADGETS

Canon 1000D
Santa came this year and got me this! Eyeloveit! Definitely the gift of the year (or even the decade).



Nokia E71
Nokia did everything right with this phone. It's perfect (or perfect for me at least!). The slim design allows you to text using one hand, it has WiFi, cool interface, huge LCD screen and its HSDPA! Definitely one of the best Nokias in the market today.

iPhone 3G
Dubbed by most as The Gadget of the Year, it is not on top of my list because it's not the best - for me anyway. It has its greatness, ganda points, Internet anywhere and everywhere, and it's the best iPod ever...but it's far from perfect (jailbroken or otherwise). But I still love it to bits because it's "my trophy".

TOP TV SHOWS

Grey's Anatomy
The plot with Denny coming back to life is beyond absurd and George may be resigning but I still love this show! Nothing can keep me away from it despite the cheesiness of Mer and Der. My only wish? End the dead guy story and let Izzie fall in love with Alex.

Gossip Girl
One of my Twitter buddies thought I was on my early twenties because of my great love for these Upper East Siders. Season 2 made me fall in like with Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass together with the teens and tweens of the world. I still love Serena and Lily but I just can't stand the Humphreys especially Dan, the over-analyzer.



The West Wing
It might have ended a couple of years ago but I am still on Season 3 of this great political drama. I am so fascinated with life at the White House and my week is not complete without hearing the "CJ! CJ! CJ!" of the reporters at the make-believe press room.

Brothers & Sisters
Who doesn't want to be part of the Walker family and their famous dinners? I've decided this season that Kevin is my favorite Walker (aside from Nora of course). Who's your favorite?

TOP MOVIES

Sex and The City Movie
Seeing Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte once again is beyond words! Watching it at Powerplant with great friends after Pepper Lunch was also great.



Twilight
Seeing Bela and The Cullens come to life is more than enough to land this movie on the list despite its crapiness. Sorry, Twitter movie fans.

TOP BOOKS

Twilight Series
It was the much-hyped launch of Breaking Dawn in August which prompted me to read the series. It somehow filled the void that Harry Potter left me. Stephanie's writing was so bad (grammar and punctuation errors, over-plot, under-plot) but her great storytelling skills compensated for it. My favorites are Breaking Dawn, Eclipse and Alice Cullen.

American Wife
Time Magazine agrees with me that this is one of the best reads of 2008. It's a story of a librarian turned First Lady of the United States of America (sounds familiar?).



Remember Me
Another chick-lit of Sophie Kinsella which was patterned after the humor and sweetness of tUndomestic Goddess and Can You Keep A Secret?.

TOP RESTAURANTS
(Funny that everything on this list is a destination restaurant.)

Bigby's
I fell in love with their Grilled Rodeo Chops and Iced Tea! I had it four times this year: Bigby's Davao, Bigby's LimKetKai, Bigby's SM Cebu and Bigby's Ayala Center Terraces. They will open a branch in Manila soon! Yey!

Cyma
This was my "supposed" 30th birthday dinner. The Cyma feast we had in Boracay was one of the best dinners that my friends and I had of late. Greek food is truly love! Best Moussaka I've ever had!



Breakfast at Antonio's
I came back this year to this beloved restaurant that hold so many wonderful memories of yesteryears. Their steak is still tender and I still love it! Yum!

TOP ON-LINE SITES

Twitter
I tried Plurk for a couple of months but I came back to Twitter. If I can't blog then I usually express myself via Twitter's 140 characters. According to TweetStat, my average tweet per day is 7.3 and I usually send them 8:00 pm onwards. My most replied twitter friends are taetin (Tin), rivengodwind (Rodge) and lilacstardust (Aileen), siaz (Mitzi) and charuzee (Charo). No surprises here since they are also my real-life best buds! Twitter is our cheesmux extension.

Facebook
I joined Facebook in mid-2007 but I only realized its full potential early this year. Everyone who's anyone is on Facebook; and it's the best Social Networking Site ever!

Multiply
This has always been my favorite repository site for photos, videos, blog entries and music. Add me up!

iGoogle
A customizable one-stop shop for everything Google (and some more). It's always a joy to see my e-mail, google search tabs, Remember The Milk tasks, Google Reader feeds and various news all in one place. Thanks to Marj for the tip!

Thanks to 2008 for being such a wonderful year!

Credits to Bordoy Viterbo, Charo, Aileen and Marj for the photos.

My friend Teena tagged me so here I am answering her tag at half past 3am. I cannot sleep and is actually working and answering some work e-mails. Ladida!

TEN RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME

The Rules:
1. Each blogger starts with ten random facts/habits about themselves.
2. Bloggers that are tagged need to write on their own blog about their ten things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose ten people to get tagged and list their names.
4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling they're tagged, and to read your blog.

Here you go...

1. I used to be just a water and soap person. BUT I've been putting on a lot of junk on my face lately. I road tested a lot of products in the last months and I am happy to say that I finally have a perfect set for my cleanse-tone-moisturize-protect routine. Will blog about it soon!

2. I made some New Year's Resolution and things to do in 2008 last January but I forgot to post them. I wrote it in a sheet of paper at work in the early days of the year and I put it on my bag. I saw it this evening and is proud to say that I've already accomplished some of them.

3. I love writing "friends-only" blog post in my Multiply. It's such a liberating feeling to write down your thoughts without worrying of random people peeking and seeking.

4. I hate, hate, hate my laptop these days! Some virus is secretly worming on my folders and our IT gurus cannot catch it! It's also freakin' s-l-o-w lately so my boss told me to have Tech Ops check it and ask them to recommend a replacement.

5. I've already been to Davao, Cebu and to a Laguna Loop roadtrip this year. Next on the agenda is some BEACHing!

6. I am loveless. Am I sad? No. Have I accepted it? Yes. Moved on and let go? 100% YES.

7. I want to buy a new camera. My current one is getting OLD. I am thinking of getting a Canon G9 or go all the way with a Canon 400D DSLR. Stay tuned.

8. I love American Idol Season 7! I have all the studio and live recordings in my iPod (since Top 12) and I can't stop blogging and twitting about them. My bet is a David-David showdown at the end!

9. My favorite time of the day is early evening. Creative thoughts and ideas usually kick in at 8:00 at night and it can last until 4:00 am. I am usually DEAD in the morning!

10. I miss my friends! ALL of them! :(

Tag to Aileen, Tintin, Charo, Mitzi, Jenny, Tere, Sheggz, Honey, Bambi and Koleen. (Jang, Meds, She, Anna: Teena tagged you already so I'm giving chance to others! Hehe!)

Belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Aileen! Woohoo! This is just the beginning of the greatest years of your life! :)

Happy Easter my dear friends! Hope you are all well and good!

March will soon come to an end and I haven't posted yet some of the fun times I had this month. I am so busy these days thus the limited posting. Anyway, here's a show and tell of what I've been up to this month. Enjoy!


BBQ Boy Birthday Celebration of Jang & Meds



SMART Customer Care NATCON 2008 Techno Showcase
Taal Vista Hotel, Tagaytay City



"I had sleep troubles two weeks before the NATCON event!"
Anxiety attack no doubt! PLEASE don't mind the hair and the 'impulse' bangs!



With Rache and Jenny at the 2nd Day of our National Conference


First smiles we had in weeks
Taken at dear Binchy's 40th Day Death Anniversary at Dad's Glorietta



On this spot will rise another showcase. Lalala!
Taken just this afternoon at The Astoria Plaza


My Forces girlfriends and I had a couple of meet-ups this month but we failed to take some photos. Ohnoes! Are we losing it, gals? We should take a bunch next time!

Tuned in.