Loopy

Wheee!

2012-01-31T17:26:00.000+08:00

Good to know that I didn't look like the wreck I was :)

1-28-12

2012-01-31T13:59:00.001+08:00

And just like that, Tracy is now Mrs. Magno :)

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Lucky Sunday

2012-01-09T01:52:00.002+08:00

I didn't have anyone take me around in London today - and since my trip so far has been incredibly tiring, I decided to take it easy today. I was planning to have mass then go to one more tourist attraction - Chelsea FC museum, which also offers tours.

I don't follow football very much, but since it was near I decided to check it out. On the train going there I realized that there was a game. A whole family beside me was taking about it. My first thought was that the museum would be closed, which would be a bummer. But I went down anyway just in case. There were sooo many people, and policemen all around. You don't normally see a lot of policemen walking the streets. I was half afraid to go towards the venue, too much testosterone. So I decided to go to one of the stalls to buy a jersey for Niki so my trip was not in vain.

The old guy in the stall chatted with me asking if I was there for the game. I told him I didn't know there was a game and that I was going to check if there were still tickets. Then he points me to his friend and I bought one from him, for the actual price of 30 pounds (it's indicated in the ticket). I know, scalping is bad! (But in this case, soooo worth it!)

And I got to see 3 out of Chelsea's 4 goals. (I left 8 minutes before the game ended, since I knew the tube would be full!) Grabeh, they got to score another 1 pa pala when I left. Amazing!!!

My second day in London has been nothing short of amazing. To see people I watch on tv or read about in gossip mags - Lampard, Cole and Torres - is just so surreal.

Hoping the rest of my trip goes just as well!

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Happy 2012!

2012-01-02T08:55:00.000+08:00

Vintage Wedding

2011-12-12T08:06:00.002+08:00

Best in costume winners :)

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Hello December :)

2011-12-01T15:34:00.001+08:00

I can already tell you're going to go by so fast!

Reasons why I'm lucky

2011-11-29T17:44:00.000+08:00

- For14 months and counting
- For making wearing a seatbelt a habit
- For understanding parents and family
- For my friends

Burp!

2011-11-23T09:27:00.000+08:00

Image taken from the foodwanderlust.com

Finally got to go to the famed restaurant last night and I was not disappointed. And unlike other buffets - they also offer unlimited drinks - soda, juice, BEER and WINE!

Totally worth it, I would definitely go back!

A trip to UP

2011-11-21T14:32:00.000+08:00

I went to Chocolate Kiss in UP, excited to eat in what - in my memory anyway - has been one of the better restaurants around.

I'm trying to stay away from meat, so I decided to try out the parmesan-crusted fish with pasta which can be found under their house specialties.

And seriously, Chocolate Kiss needs to review their "house specialty" dishes. I think the bus boy who cleans up after Junior Master Chef contestants can do better. The fish had no flavor, the pasta had no flavor - only the garlic bread had any semblance of a bite. It may be because they did not have enough stock of salt - but for P245 pesos, the dish is inexcusable.

One big blech!!

2011-11-11T11:17:00.000+08:00

Sometimes I don't even know I bother.

Thanks Chrissy!

2011-10-28T13:26:00.000+08:00

Finally got Chrissy's birthday gift to me!

And I love it :)

13

2011-10-27T10:54:00.001+08:00

Well this is a first. I've finally broken the 1-year mark with a boy yesterday.

Yes, I'm a happy camper :)

Pinoy Sunday

2011-10-24T13:18:00.001+08:00

Finally watched it - it was included in the Taiwan filmfest in Shangri-la.

I didn't like it!

Terms of Endearment

2011-10-21T13:19:00.000+08:00

I've noticed that people across the board and across relational circles - love calling me "Ther Bear".

It's cute.

30 year old Milestone

2011-10-19T12:49:00.001+08:00

My life insurance is fully paid! Woohooo!

Kiddies are growing up

2011-10-18T10:10:00.000+08:00

It was my niece Lucia's birthday yesterday. And look how she's grown!

It seems like only a short time ago that she was a little hair-less baby in a white sando running around the house.

Here she is with her wonderful curls blowing her cake. So adorable!

Good Weekend

2011-10-17T10:24:00.000+08:00

I finally got to really sleep - and I really, really missed it.

This was the most restful weekend.

Saturday - went to Paco's baptism and had the best eat-all-you-can Korean buffet. Then had a restful afternoon with sickly Niki-poo. (I'm still guilty that he's sick til now since he fetched me from work instead of going to the doctor.) A plus point though for Niki being sick is that I got to spend Saturday night on a date with my sister Papot - and we finally got to watch No Other Woman!

Sunday I was fortunate enough to have a car - so I visited Niki for lunch and went to the Fort for the Monster league (go Green team!). Afterwards I went home and had a lovely dinner with my parents and Papot in Metrowalk - where apparently they have a dance floor and DIs (dance instructors). My parents love to dance, so they hit the dance floor and spent the better part of the evening on it. So, so cute.

Here's a picture of my parents dancing:


Sunday at Metrowalk

So adorable! I think this would be a good Sunday routine for the family :)

2011-10-13T13:42:00.000+08:00

Hahahahah! After following Samuel Jackson on Twitter, I get the following recommendations:

Nice to know Twitter is always looking out for me ;p

How Time Flies

2011-10-13T09:57:00.000+08:00

Wow, I'm 30.

Discounting the fact that my body aches a lot more now after doing strenuous activities, I don't feel any different.

I had a lovely time ringing in my 30th in Hongkong with my loved ones. It is quite possibly the best birthday celebration I've ever had - very laid back, surrounded by the people who matter most to me - it was how I imagined it should be.

It is true that the older you get, the more you realize that with your limited time on earth, you'd rather do away with unnecessary drama and spend time with the people that matter. I'm glad that I had the luxury to do so for 4 whole days to celebrate my 30th year.

Hello 30, I think we're off to a good start :)

Wow

2011-09-29T17:41:00.000+08:00

This post is a bit overdue - but I am still giddy with the fact that I've been at this easy, loving relationship for officially 12 months now. (Well, 12 months and 3 days.)

I'm amazed that I'm still in that level of giddiness as when we first started.

Leave it to Niki to find the perfect song and video to describe us. :) Yes, yes, I'm being cheesy!

Tired

2011-09-16T10:28:00.001+08:00

I didn't get to sleep last night, thinking about things I've been trying to ignore in the meantime since I've had so much on my plate.

I still don't know if I should make a big deal of it yet and to talk to those involved, or if I should just go with the flow and see where it takes me.

For now, I'm going to cross my fingers and hope it will be all worth it.

Thursday Commute. :)

2011-09-15T07:05:00.001+08:00

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Champions!

2011-09-12T13:25:00.000+08:00

A trophy, finally :)

Back-to-back champions - hoping for a three-peat!!

Proof

2011-09-08T07:03:00.001+08:00

Tickets from my first bus ride to work alone. :)

Feels good!

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Journey to La Union

2011-08-31T11:24:00.000+08:00

We traveled to La Union right in the midst of a storm - and we had to detour around what we thought was an impassable flood but apparently was just a fallen tree. Total time spent on the road: 9 solid hours.

Still asleep and blissfully unaware.

Zero Visibility

Look at all that rain!

Town Centers are flooded!

Happy 11th!

2011-08-26T15:15:00.001+08:00

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Tightening my Belt

2011-08-22T10:16:00.000+08:00

I insurance-hoarded last year, and since most of the premiums were due July and August, I'm very much broke right now.

It doesn't really help that there's the upcoming 4-day long weekend (the first of its kind in over a year!), and sweldo comes after the long weekend. I wish I was able to budget my money more. Boo!

So today I promise to only consume what I can get for free for the whole week - free coffee in the office, not to buy extra ulam for lunch, and to not give in to snacks that I need to pay for (free chocolate, other food from the office is fine).

I estimate this would help me save 500. That should be enough food money for the long weekend, it's normally cheaper in the provinces anyway!

Awww!

2011-08-16T11:21:00.000+08:00

Niki just sent me the most adorable message - it's a picture of my dog with the subject "I miss my mommy :)".

I have the best boyfriend ever. And look, Huck-y has a new pillow :)

It's a Wednesday

2011-08-10T08:46:00.002+08:00

And I would really like to hear something good about myself. (Mostly because I don't think there's any.)

2011-08-04T09:41:00.001+08:00

Finally, a gorgeous sunny day with blue skies. Happy day!

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Happy birthday Pots!

2011-08-03T10:42:00.001+08:00

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1st of August

2011-08-01T08:37:00.001+08:00

I appreciate going to the office during the summer months, wherein I can enjoy the beautiful sunny day in the comfort of my air-conditioned office.

But during rainy days like these - I wish I could just stay in bed and snuggle up to my pillow.

I wish I was still in bed. But my body clock is really screwed in the way that on weekdays, I'm up by 6am at the latest - and cannot go back to sleep!

2011-07-28T10:32:00.000+08:00

“That is the magic of travel. You leave your home secure in your own knowledge and identity. But as you travel, the world in all it’s richness intervenes. You meet people you could not invent; you see scenes you could not imagine. Your own world, which was so large as to consume your whole life, becomes smaller and smaller until it is only one tiny dot in time and space. You return a different person.”

- Kent Nerburn

For Tweet

2011-07-27T10:03:00.000+08:00

Found a semi-full body picture of me from Saturday. Here you go :)

2011-07-27T10:01:00.000+08:00

I'm totally loving this song right now.

Matt Pond PA - Love To Get Used by EmergencyBroadcastSongs

Happy 10th!

2011-07-26T14:41:00.001+08:00

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2011-07-25T08:55:00.000+08:00

Wow, John's married already. Me and Van still can't believe it.

I wish I have some pictures of the happy couple in their wedding, but Niki forgot the camera.

So here's a lovely picture of Van in the wedding. Check out those legs. Oh la la!

2011-07-21T12:54:00.001+08:00

Here's hoping that Niki didn't see the video when he said this is his song for me. Hahaha!

Lyrics from Lyricsmania.com:

Hold tight
At midnight
Am I dreaming or are you beaming out?
Are you beaming out?

Black light
Snow White
Red fluorescence, iridescence now
Are you beaming out?

Don't you know that
When I see your face
It's like sunlight dripping

When I see your face
It's like sunlight dripping

You're just like
You're just like
Sunlight
Sunlight

You're just like
You're just like
Sunlight
Sunlight

Excited

2011-07-20T09:55:00.001+08:00

Had my fitting for my dress for Friday last night, and the dress is so beautiful, I can't wait to wear it.

I'm excited for John's wedding!

And this hairstyle would go perfectly with my dress. I just know it. *squeee*

I heart Bohol

2011-07-18T09:48:00.002+08:00

It was the kind of vacation that I desperately needed - gorgeous place (rooms notwithstanding), excellent company and lots of nature.

We stayed in Dumuluan Beach Resort (2) - which is a cross between Pansol and Cavite. The food was pretty good, but as with all smaller resorts the service was horrible and they tried to charge us for EVERYTHING - even a bucket of ice (which is Php65 BTW). Also - no free drinking water, even for the buffet breakfast. You need to buy your own water, a small bottle is Php30. (If you walk over to Dumuluan Beach Resort 1, which is roughly 10 steps away, they sell a big bottle of water for Php40.)

But the beach was lovely, the water clear - and being with the BC folks just made the vibe of the place so much cooler and chill. I don't think I've been that relaxed and happily laughing in such a long time!

Our itinerary:
Day 1: Chill in our resort and dinner in Allona (for Gogo: aloooone - na) beach.
Day 2: Day tour to Bohol sites
Highlights:

Butterfly Farm:
Python

We almost skipped these two and I'm really glad we didn't. These two stops were hilarious, the guides were kooky and entertaining - and had us laughing the whole day.

Marlon the Guide in the Butterfly Farm: "Hindi nakakabulag ang butterfly ma'm. Alam niyo ho kung anong nakakabukag?"
Pliny: "Ano?"
Marlon the Guide: "Pag-ibig."

Wahahahah!

River cruise and buffet: Crabs, crabs, crabs. All for Php300. What more can I say?
The REAL site of the Blood Compact: I love history, and this was such a precious and important part of Philippine culture. Too bad the current mayor of Bohol does not want to acknowledge it!

Day 3: Sea Tour

Dolphin Sighting
Snorkling
Virgin Island
Bohol Beach Club

Highlights:

Dolphines!! (As Pliny would say it.)
The marine sanctuary was so pretty - I wished I had an underwater camera to take pictures of the fishies AND Pliny going up the banca.
Uni in Virgin Island - YUM!
Lunch and afternoon nap in Bohol Beach Club

Apparently, all the pools are warm in Bohol - I thought it was something I could find only in the resort we stayed in. But the pool in Bohol Beach Club was warm as well - which actually feels nice since my body didn't ache from all the activities.

Bohol - I will definitely be back! (But I will not stay in DBR-2, Pansol is just a 3-hour drive if I want the same ambiance.)

Ho-hum

2011-07-13T10:00:00.001+08:00

I've been struggling with the thought that I have made many many mistakes, especially in the last year. It's especially gut-wrenching knowing that had I been a bit more mature, and bit more calm, or even asked for advice, I may be in a better place now.

Unfortunately for me, people normally have elephant memories when it comes to a bad situation/reaction - even if that one bad memory is few and far in between many many good ones. I can't blame them, I'm like that as well.

So now I'm between being overly cautious and being mis-calculatingly rash (in order to combat the impression that I cannot make a decision).

I would like to move on from the past, I really would.

I also would like to have been naturally calculating, instead of being too happy-go-lucky or adaptable.

I wish to God I were less transparent and had the ability to hide what I feel especially in times of great stress.

I wish I was not such a dweller and could actually let go of past mistakes so I can truly move on.

I wish I did not always feel like I'm rushing to go somewhere or do something. I wish I felt I had enough time to truly think about things.

Anyway, enough of my thoughts. I'll end this post right now.

It will pass.

2011-07-11T11:20:00.000+08:00

"There will be a longing to go back in time, to grab the hands of the clock and force them to just a few hours before when you still had the chance to make things go the way they were supposed to. You will feel the need to justify yourself, to prove that you are still worth all that people expect of you, but you will not be able to. You will have to linger in your cloying, static failure as you accept that if you want something, you will have to work harder. And next time, you will. Next time, you will prove yourself. But now, now you have failed, and you must swallow that ugly idea, along with your pride, as you accept the disappointed pats on your shoulder.

But it will pass."

You can read full article here.

Grateful

2011-07-11T08:51:00.000+08:00

I am thankful for the week before, for making me realize that I am much stronger than my thoughts.

I am thankful for my family for being there.

I am thankful for my friends who always check on me and, sometimes, pray for me.

And mostly, I am thankful for my boyfriend, who doesn't hold a grudge and is the most loving man ever.

Ugh.

2011-07-06T08:46:00.000+08:00

I still feel horrible, and wish I could've done anything to have defended my position or as a person worthy of my position. I really should sleep soon.

It's only Wednesday. My only consolation is that this week will be over soon. I don't know about it being better, as I'll probably be displaced over the weekend from my room.

Dear God, I hope the reverberating feeling that I suck does not become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Taken from http://loveyourchaos.tumblr.com

2011-07-05T23:01:00.001+08:00

It's just one of those days wherein it seems that everything I do is wrong - and I can't seem to remember any instance when I did something right.

Everything and anything I did remotely well was all just chamba, totally accidental.

I feel like all the luck I've had is catching up on me. I don't want to prove those who think I can't do whatever it is I do right, but no matter how hard I try - the more it feels like I'm pushing a rock uphill.

I just want to disappear.

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2011-06-25T10:57:00.002+08:00

Apparently, assembling my new shoe shelf is harder than it looks. 20 minutes for one box so far - and there are 15 of them to piece together!

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Waiting

2011-06-23T19:37:00.001+08:00

It's been raining quite heavily for some time now - and I'm stuck in the office waiting for the traffic (and possible floods) to die down.

And lookee what I found here - EDIT (well, this is embarrassing): Jason Mraz ~~Jack Johnson's~~ (ex) fiance's blog.

Leafing through it - I'm amazed at the things she's done and her lifestyle. I've always wanted to be as active as that, or even as calm as that. Of course, the abs and bikini-ready body don't hurt too. (And she's only 28!)

I've always thought that by this age, I'd have found my niche - something that would give me the strength to have a completely different lifestyle. But I guess I'm really just a coast-er. And I hate leaving my comfort zone. Hahaha, time to accept it, I'm turning 30 dammit!