I'm Here!

Yes, I am still breathing and I guess I'm still alive. Hehe! I've just been super busy for the upcoming board exams. That is why I have been quiet in this blog. It has been over a month since I last posted an entry here. Sheesh! My apologies. I swear once the exams are over, this blog will be updated before you can say 'popsicle'. :)

So anyway, I just want to share what I'm going through right now. I am super duper stressed. My eyebags are so big they're down to the floor. I'm looking more and more of a raccoon because of the dark circles under my eyes. Wait, I think the raccoon has white circles around its eyes..or is it black!? Oh never mind! So, there's the stress evident on my face but also I can't keep my hands from shaking from all the caffeine I've been taking just to stay up late to study. I have spilled coffee in our living room three times already. I had to put away the area rugs we have so as not spill any coffee on them. Haha!

I really wish my husband and I would pass the boards this June. So please pray for us. We still need to study more but there's not enough time. We're hoping for the best and (somewhat) preparing for the worst. Will keep you posted. Hope everyone is doing ok.

The Sacrifices we have to Make

Speaking of holy week, my family followed a no-meat diet during this week. It's one of the sacrifices we have to make. Before, I remember trying to fast for a day. Unfortunately, after not eating breakfast and lunch, I felt faint in the late afternoon and decided to eat something before I collapse. I guess fasting is not for me.

Every year, I try to come up with other sacrifices that I can make. There was this year when I stopped smoking the whole holy week. That was when I was still smoking. There was also a time when I promised not to eat junk food (one of my vices). This year however, I am making the hardest sacrifice that I can think of. I promised I would abstain from shopping for the whole month of April. This is quite difficult especially when there are huge sale signs plastered on store windows. Waaa!

Any suggestions for next year's holy week sacrifice? What's yours for this year?

Cheers to a Great 2009!

I was so caught up with last Christmas' vacation that I was unable to update this blog. My apologies. Things have been crazy late last year. Apart from our very fabulous vacation, I was also busy with school. Yeah, surprise, surprise. So even if it's like the last week of January already, I would still like to greet everyone a happy new year! I hope everyone had the chance to stay in one of those really nice vacation rentals out of town. My husband and I did and it really gave us the break that we needed. This year is going to be more stressful and busy for sure so I am glad we had that vacation.

So, cheers to 2009! I'm welcoming every challenge and will be grateful for all the blessings. Bring it on 2009!

Dona Nobis Pacem

Peace to you all!

Thinking of the environment

Okay, so I haven't really been super lazy. Actually, I've been doing a lot of "online window shopping". I am planning on buying a few things so I can update my wardrobe. The shoes department really needs to be spiced up a bit.

Just last week, I have been looking at a couple of vegan and eco-friendly shoes. Surprisingly, I never knew that these kind of products can be stylish and pleasing to the eye as well. Brands like Dansko and other comfy shoes have vegan products as well. I'm seriously thinking of buying one of these so I could at least, in my own little way, be of help to the environment.

Did I mention they have great looking vegan bags as well?

Do you live in the Past, Present or Future?

This is so true about me. Funny how a couple of questions would read how I am. LOL. Seriously though, I agree with what this says. I rarely dwell on the past but sometimes I do worry about the future (financial-wise).

You Live in the Present

You take things one day at a time. And it turns out, that's a pretty great way to live. You aren't consumed by the past, and you're aren't obsessed with the future. You live in the now, and you enjoy each moment. While most people don't live in the present enough, make sure you don't live in it too much. It would be a mistake to forget your past or neglect to plan for the future.

Do You Live in the Past, Present, or Future?

Random Questions

I really feel lazy these past few days. Probably because of the graveyard shift I got for my duty. Anyway, I saw this in my friend's blog and decided to give it a go since my mind is not working properly this morning. LOL.

What color is your toothbrush? white and pink
Name one person that made you smile today? My boyfriend, A.
What were you doing 45 minutes ago? I was preparing my breakfast, egg white garlic omelette... yummy! Hehe! Garlic breath in the morning. Woohoo! :)
Have you ever been to a strip club? Not yet.
What is the last thing you said aloud? "Ano? Di kita marinig!" (What? I can't hear you!)
What is the best ice cream flavor? Hands down to: Rocky Road and French Silk!
What are you wearing right now? My khaki shorts and a shirt
What was the last thing you ate? egg white garlic omelette
What is your favorite flavor of popcorn? caramel and butter
Who is the last person you sent a comment/message on friendster? Don, it was his birthday last week.

Do you take vitamins daily? Unfortunately, No. I always forget.
Do you go to church every Sunday? Sad but no. :(
Do you like sweets? Yes!
Do you like Chinese food better than pizza? Hmm... tough question. I really can't decide. LOL.
Do you drink your soda with a straw? Yup!
What did your last text message say? "Ok lang. Thanks kamo sa mommy mo." (Ok! Tell your mom thanks.)
Are you someone’s best friend? I'd like to think -Yes.
What are you doing tomorrow? Hmm.. probably reviewing.
Where is your dad? he's probably driving right now so I don't know exactly where he is. LOL.
Look to your left, what do you see? My bed and window.

What color is your watch? Black leather, silver and silver and gold.
What do you think of when you think of Switzerland? My aunt and cousins.
Do you use chapsticks? Yup!
What is your birthstone color? Umm... white. My birthstone is pearl.
Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive through? Both.
What’s your favorite number? 8
Do you have a dog? Yes.
Have you met anyone famous? Yup!
Any plans today? Hmm... update my blogs, review, give my dog a bath and finish listening to my audio book of Twilight!
Ever gone to college? Yup! And I'm doing it all over again. Hehe!

Do you dye your hair? Before, yes. At the moment, I can't because it's not allowed in school (#$%&*!!!).
Last song listened to? Jingle bell rock
Can you say the alphabet backwards? Yup! In a turtle-pace. LOL.
Do you have a maid service clean your house? No!!! :(
Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? My chuck taylor sneaks.

Are you jealous of anyone? Nope!
Is anyone jealous of you? I'd like to think, yes. LOL.
Do you love someone? Y-E-S!
Do any of your friends have children? Yup! A lot of them!
What do you usually do during the day? Oh just the normal stuff.

Do you hate anyone that you know right now? Hmm... none at the moment. ;-)
Do you use the word ‘hello’ daily? Yup! Especially to my dog.
Do you like cats? N-O!

Whew! That was a long one! Happy Monday everyone!

Eat all I can

Growing up with both my parents working, my mom would always leave me and my brother to my grandmother when they go to work. We didn't mind really because that meant free access to all the goodies my grandmom has in her sari-sari store.

Ever since I could remember, my grandparents has this home based business of having this store plus they sell all-natural vinegar. So anyway, my brother really didn't care much that time with the vinegar but we did love "hanging around" inside the store so we could help ourselves to all the candies and chips that my grandmom sells.

Are you still familiar with Orange Swits (I think it's still available up to now), Choco Nut, chocolate football and soccer ball, Goya chocolates (plain and with rice crispies), Stay Fresh mint candies, Cheezels (the cheese flavored chips that had free toys in it) and even Horlicks?

I miss those days. I miss hanging around with my grandmother and she'd tell me that I can have all the candies that I want as long as I practice writing my complete name on two sheets of pad paper. Hehe!

Bundle up

The air outside is getting colder as the days are closing in on December. Fall is here and it's time to put away our flimsy summer clothes. And in a few weeks time, winter will be knocking on our doorstep. That is why I am looking for the perfect fall and winter outerwear. I want something that looks stylish, comfortable but with a little extra oomph that's perfect for my personality. I came across roca wear coats and I just fell in love with them. These coats stand out and does not look boring at all. I just hate it when I'm looking like everyone else during these cold months. Who says you can't look good even if you are all bundled up?

A Homer Moment

As a kid, whenever I would be asked which subject is my favorite, I would always answer: "science". I cannot recall the time when I would say "math" instead of science. I hate math. Actually, hate is an understatement. I especially do not like problem solving because it entails both analysis and math computation. I am slow when it comes to these things. I just don't get it. It's harder for me to relate to my life compared to science when clearly it is about life. I remember in college when we have our Economics subject and we were discussing futures trading and other stock market concepts, I was like Homer Simpson staring blankly into space. LOL. Now that I'm back in school, I still cannot escape math. I am grateful however that it's just the basics. Whew!

On a diet?

I am really stressing out these past couple of days. My dog Sundae hasn't been eating much. She just plays with her food and that's it. I don't get it. She's not sick or anything so why all of a sudden she lost her appetite. Well, I switched to a different dog food because her old one is now really expensive. The vet told me while I was buying pet supplies said that her new dog food is also good for puppies but is less expensive than her old one. At first she was able to know that I've mixed in a few scoops in her old dog food. I did the gradual weaning to the new mix and soon enough she was able to adjust. Just a week ago, she was enjoying the new mix but a couple of days ago, she barely touches it. I think it's time for a check up. I'm afraid she might be underweight already. :(

Growing Old

Call me crazy but if given the choice, I do not want to reach the age of 80. This may come as a shock knowing that I am the kind of person that loves life. However, I do not want to burden my future children to care for me when I can no longer do it by myself. Yes, you could suggest that I be left in an elderly facility but that is not part of our culture. I would be grateful if I am still as strong as a horse at this age but I don't want to see the day that my children's shopping list would include incontinence supplies. When this happens, then it would only mean one thing, the inevitable has happened. I have gone back to the first stage of the life cycle. This is what I would like to avoid. My children should be enjoying life and exploring it and not taking care of an old woman.

BlogBlast for Peace

I would like to thank Mimi for extending her invitation to join the Blogblast for Peace. I think this is a great idea (well done Mimi!) to spread the word about peace.

Most of the time, what we see in the news are mostly unpleasant. Violence and violation of human rights are rampant. Unfortunately, there are only a few things that instill good spirit and a positive vibe. I mean, I would definitely want to get goosebumps reading or watching something that says something good about mankind rather than have goosebumps while watching killing after killing.

I always ask myself what I can do to make at least a bit of difference in this world. This is a start for me and I thank you Mimi for making me a part of this.

The widget on my left sidebar is the countdown for the Blogblast for Peace happening on the 6th of November. I do hope that a lot would join and support this for other people's awareness.

If you want to join, just visit Mimi here.

Dona Nobis Pacem.

Two of my Favorite Cars

I am not a car enthusiast nor do I know a lot about them too but I just can't help it when I see old cars look like brand new.

Two of my favorite cars are the '92 model of the Toyota Corolla and the '97 Honda Civic. The former was our car when I was in high school. Almost a lot of people had this car in the early 90's. One thing I love about it is the shape of the body. And it is very spacious inside. That's why after five years of using it, I was really sad when my dad sold it to buy a new model. I can't blame him though. If we didn't sell it, for sure our car insurance would go up again. Fortunately, my dad hasn't sold the Honda Civic. Till now we have this car and it's running smoothly. There are still a lot of people using this car. I can't blame them, out of all the models released by Honda, this is one of those that doesn't go out of style. A paint job and some minor tweaking and it'll look better than the newer models. I can't wait to have ours painted candy red. Wee!

A little bit of ranting

Forgive me for this rant but I just have to let this out. I am really tired of dieting. There I said it. I am not used to doing this. I am not used to not having my clothes fit me. You may say I'm shallow, go ahead. I don't care. But it really is frustrating when I go on a diet for a week or so and see no if not minimal results only. Believe me, I could just as easily take diet pills and get this weight loss in full gear but that's the easy way out. I want to do it the "old-fashioned way". All I'm asking is to see results. A little positive reinforcement so to speak. Is that too much to ask?

A Compliment

I don't understand why some people would undergo certain treatments or surgeries for that matter and not admit that they had one even if the results were so obvious. I mean, we only noticed the positive results that's why we're asking right? Well, for me that is the case. So I just can't help but laugh and be puzzled when I asked my friend if she's undergone an acne treatment because her acne is disappearing by the week. She's slowly becoming flawless which is great for her self-esteem. I wasn't putting her down or anything and I definitely wasn't making fun of her. I just wanted a bit of confirmation and maybe ask for some tips as well. LOL. Seriously though, it's a compliment my dear friend. You're looking great!

Back to School

Being a back-to-school individual is a bit stressful but there's one advantage that I love about this. It's having sembreaks and summer vacations again. Unlike when I was still part of the corporate world, there would not be any breaks nor vacations that would last for more than a month (max!). There is no escape from seeing my boss, computer and office furniture. True, I get something out of it but there are times that I just don't want to go to work and just stay at home all day doing nothing but watch DVD marathons of my favorite TV series. I guess this is what you call burnout. Now that I'm a full time student, life became less complicated. Exams and hospital duties are my main concern now and I'm loving it. Now all I need is to make myself standout while wearing our white uniform. LOL.

Babies and Exercise

Back when I was still studying up until I started working after graduation, I noticed that I've been slowly gaining weight. It is only now that I've realized (after much denial) that I have gained a lot of weight for the past seven years. What kills me is that I saw one of my friends the other day and she looks slim as ever despite the fact that she has a nine-month old baby. I asked her for her secret and she just told me she exercises a lot. I was then puzzled as to how she manages to exercise because I know she doesn't have a nanny and so for sure she's busy taking care of the baby. She probably saw the look on my face and told me that it was all possible because she owns a Bob stroller.

Being the complete single and ignorant friend that I was, I asked her what it was. She said that it's one of the best gifts she's ever had received on her baby shower. Apparently this stroller enables her to go on walks or even jog while her baby is secured in her stroller. She says she doesn't have to use the car anymore while doing small errands. She just walks and brings along her baby with her.

Now that I know her secret, there's only one problem left. I don't have a baby. LOL!

Yearbook Photos

This is so fitting to my blog. Since I'm all about reminiscing the past, here's something that I saw at Em's blog. It's called Yearbook Yourself.

I was literally laughing my @$$ off while editing these pictures. Here's a glimpse of my favorite photos:









And this is from 1994. I don't recall sporting this hairstyle in my sophomore year in high school. LOL!