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?

Baby-G

In the mid 90's, the popular watch brand, Casio gave every teenager another entry in their wish list. And that is the Casio Baby-G series. Most of my friends had those jelly-strapped ones while the boys had mostly the black rubber strap.

I was one of those kids who totally nagged my parents just so they would be those really big jelly-strapped watches. Just as my parents gave in to my constant nagging, we went straight to the mall to look at them. As I was trying to fit one of them on (it was a pink one), I noticed that it didn't really suit me as it was too big for my then skinny wrist. I was so frustrated. I almost had it.

Now if that were to happen to me now, and this time with a Patek Philippe, I wouldn't mind if it was too big or too small for my wrist. Moral of the story, if you want something badly, don't let anything get in the way. Not even a skinny wrist. Lol.

Care to share your Baby-G story? Heehee.

"Flying T"

One of our "couple friends" were telling us that they were planning on buying a playhouse for their one-year old son. For someone who doesn't have a child yet, I have no idea how much these things cost. And I was really shocked that these plastic playhouses are quite expensive. This started our discussion about the "cheap" toys we had when we were growing up.

One of these is what we call the "Flying T". I have completely forgotten the name of this toy and was really happy (more of relieved) when our friend told me of its name. It's like a small helicopter blade made of plastic. You can get it as a free toy inside your favorite chips. All you have to do is just get the top part or the "blade" and insert the plastic that looks like a hard straw in the hole of the blade. Then in order for it to fly, you just need to put the toy in between your palms and in a rubbing motion, the toy will spin and just release it. Voila! The blades come in different colors and I remember asking my mom to buy the chips in stores where they sell wholesale products so that I can have a lot of those Flying T's in different colors.

Does anyone of you know what I'm talking about? I tried searching for a picture of it in google images but I can't find one. Just in case you're a kid in the early to mid 80's then you know what kind of toy I'm talking about.

Domesticated Spice Girl

Sometimes, there are still a lot of things to do but my energy level just can't handle it. Having the capacity to do chores after a long day is really difficult. Just like what happened yesterday when my husband and I just got back from our review class and was so dead tired. I realized that I need to do some folding from all the laundry that I've done last Saturday. Just looking at the pile of clothes made me want to just lie on the bed and sleep. Unfortunately, that was not an option.

So what I did was go to our audio racks to pick a CD to play while doing the folding. I needed something that has a fast beat and something that I would enjoy singing and dancing to. I chose the Spice Girls Greatest Hits album. Heehee!

I love the Spice Girls. I remember back in the late 90's, I was in college then, the Spice Girls was a huge hit. My friends and I would even pretend to be them whenever their song was playing on the radio. I was always Posh Spice. LOL. So anyway, I hit the shuffle button and played the CD. I was surprised to see that after three songs, I was almost done folding the laundry. I especially remember doing the dance steps of "Stop" when it played. That was one of my favorites. Here's a music file just in case you're folding the laundry while reading my blog. Teehee! Enjoy!

Stop - Spice Girls

Thank you Spice Girls! Till my next laundry day.

Fast Food Favorites

I just love the new commercial of McDonald's right now. You know the one where "Ang Huling El Bimbo" is playing on the background. The moment I saw those red and white tiles on the wall and the styrofoam containers for the burger made me really reminisce of the old McDonald's. It brings me back to the time when most or almost every McDonald's serve milkshake. I just can't get enough of them. My parents would always drive-thru at the McD's before going home and they would buy me a chocolate milkshake and large fries to go with it. Yummy! That would be my usual afternoon snack until I was 10 years old. Next to the milkshake and fries, I also love their hot fudge sundae. And just like in the commercial, I too would dip the fries into the sundae. Sweet and salty. Perfect! Now if only I stopped eating these kind of food when I reached college then I wouldn't have to go looking for weight loss pills like Fenphedra. Oh well...

What about you? What do you like ordering in your favorite fast food when you were young?

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!

Sesame Street Moment # 6

It has been a while since I've updated this blog and it's been a long time too since I've posted my favorite Sesame Street segments when I was a kid. A real big thanks to youtube and for those people who have posted these classic videos.

So anyway, here's the one where they show how crayons are made. As a kid, I was really excited to see this one because obviously as a kid, we're all curious as to how things are made or where certain things come from. This is one of them. I love to draw ergo I love crayons.

Enjoy this video while I go contemplate on which diet pills to take to get rid of all the holiday fat I gained. Heehee!

Icee

Christmas shopping is really tiring especially when Christmas is just around the corner. The malls and flea markets are packed with busy shoppers getting ready for the biggest gift-giving event of the year. There's really no need to walk on the aisles of flea markets because the crowd is so thick that you just get "carried away" by the walking mob. It's like riding a really slow train without breaks and all you have to do is "jump off" once you reach your station.

So anyway, I was having a break from all the shopping and decided to check my shopping list and what's left of my shopping money (glad that I took one of those payday loans offered by my bank). It was so hot inside despite the roaring a/c so I went and bought myself a frozen drink. It then reminded me of this drink that was popular when I was still a kid. I remember lining up and ordering the strawberry flavored one. My tongue and lips would have a redder shade because of that. LOL. This was before Slurpee came to town. Do you still remember this?

The Happy Saver's Club

I was doing some bank errands yesterday when a nostalgic moment hit me again.

You see, there was this kid who was with her mom inside the bank where I was. The kid kept asking her mom for their bank book. He was a bit confused because he just saw his mom hand the teller some bills and all she got was their bank book. The kid looked adorable actually when he was looking all confused and panicky.

Then, I remembered in the 80's that most of my playmates are members of the Lucky Saver's Club of Banco Filipino. Their parents opened bank accounts for them and the kids would be getting goodies once they open an account and whenever the parents have a transaction. I wasn't a member of that club. My playmates would just show me their bank book and all the free stuff they got. Makes me wonder why though. Maybe they knew that I wouldn't be having trouble with cash advance or other credit related problem. Ha! That's what they think.

I do however commend this scheme. It taught the children the value of money and the concept of saving. I wonder if ever I was a member of this club if I would still be a shopaholic. Hmmm...

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?

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!

Dial-Up Servers

Not so long ago, a familiar ringing sound would be heard whenever we would go online. It was even popularized by the movie of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, You've Got Mail. You get connected by buying pre-paid internet cards or if you're one of those people who's not afraid to get their accounts hacked and pay 10,000 pesos for using the internet 24/7 when clearly you didn't (this happened to us when we were still in postpaid connection). Sometimes it would take a hundred years before you can get through because you'd always get a busy line when you're trying to use the dial-up server. This sucks big time! I even remember trying to go online when I was unaware that my brother was using the phone. I heard him through the modem talking to his girlfriend and then the modem starts dialing the number for the dial-up server. LOL.

So anyway, those days are clearly gone with the emergence of cable, broadband internet with their CAT6 cables with their speedy, unlimited use of the internet. It is sometimes annoying when the connection tends to be so turtle-paced or worse, there's no connection at all. Still, I prefer the internet connection today because I get to multi-task while I'm online. Talking to a friend on the phone and chatting with others online.

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.

Superman

I am sure a lot of us have seen at least a single Superman movie or even the Superman TV series in the 90's or the early parts of this decade. As a kid, I was able to watch the evolution of Superman as what I would like to call it. Nothing much has changed except of course for the handsome young men who have portrayed the red-caped hero. Despite my continuous support for this character, I am still bothered by one fact or flaw of the story. It started when I was kid and watched my first Superman movie and until now, I just can't let go of it.



Why is it that people don't recognize him when Superman turns into Clark Kent. I mean, nothing much has changed except for the glasses, the curly bangs and the red and blue costume right? I still don't get it. I mean, what if contact lenses were invented first and not eye glasses, what then? You might think I'm overreacting but I'm just plain curious. Is there an explanation. Kindly enlighten me.

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!

I wonder...

I've been trying to track down some of the child stars that were big, back in the 80's and 90's. I really can't remember some of their names because I was a kid myself back then but I remembered the roles they portrayed.

It's just sad whenever I read about some of those former child actors that have been seeking drug treatment. It's a shame to see their talent go to waste because of bad judgment. I do not condemn them but hope that they go to the best drug treatment center. It's better to see them come back to big screen doing cameo roles rather than seeing their faces in the tabloids.