I still have to catch up on my viewing of "Fated To Love You" but I am bit spoiled. I havent watched Episode 15 but reading posts over at soompi and reading the lines exchanged between Xin Yi and Cun Xi makes me sigh especially this one...
CX: "I don't know what I have done wrong to make you hate me that much"....... T_T
Man oh man!
I am already expecting to cry and feel a pang in my heart. Ano ba yan?
Your Travel Personality Is: Easygoing |
 When you travel, you're looking for a lot of downtime. Vacations are your chance to recoup. All you need is a scenic spot and plenty of time on your hands. You'll figure out the rest. You're not one to make lots of plans when you travel. You just follow whatever path seems right. |
Three debuts and one fiesta down..I have a few more that I am excited about in the coming months.
Journey concert in July. I may have been young then when Steve Perry was with Journey but I knew about their songs in high school. I remember singing along to "Open Arms" and "Faithfully" when bands back home would cover their songs. Now that they have Arnel Pineda as lead singer, it is going to be a double treat. There are 13 of us watching so it will be fun, never mind that its on a Wednesday.
When I was a sophomore, my cousins, Ate Joyce and Kuya Justin went home for a vacation. Ate Joyce brought as "pasalubong" magazine clippings of New Kids On The Block (NKOTB) and also a NKOTB watch. I had tapes of their albums and listened to them a lot. I wasn't a big, big fan but I was a fan so it will be a fulfillment of a childhood wish to watch them in concert.
And now I am. They will have a concert at the Staples Center on October 8 and Chrissie and I are watching it. She already purchased our tickets. I cannot wait!
After reading about Randy Pausch's "The Last Lecture" and him talking about his childhood dreams and how he was able to fulfill them in the course of his life, it made me reflect on what were/are my childhood dreams. He said that it has to be specific. I cannot think of all of my childhood dreams are off the bat but I have one that I cannot forget.
But, this is what I am excited about now..
I read on Monster Muncher's blog about a Kyochon Chicken in Orange County. YAY!! Kyochon is this Korean fried chicken. A year ago, Chrissie and I went to the one in Koreatown in L.A. after watching a screening of "Lust, Caution". I have read about it from Wandering Chopsticks and she read about it from "Best of L.A." magazine and for some strange coincidence that day we both felt like trying these famous fried chicken. We went and there was a wait for those chicken but it was sure worth the wait. We ordered a large (about 15 pieces) of mixed wings and drumsticks and we finished it all, just the two of us. It is delicately battered and double-fried but oh so delicious. It has hints of sourness and saltiness and sweetness that we cannot really point out for sure. It came with a bed of cole slaw drizzled with mayo and ketchup and a side of pickled radish. We came out of there very, very satisfied. I have photos but its in my camera phone. I will upload it as soon as I can. I have been craving for it but Koreatown is just too far. So, I am really excited to know that they already have a branch in Orange County and I googled it, its only 12 minutes using surface streets from my cousin's house. Yay! They deliver too but I have to know up to what distance they will deliver. I wonder when our next party is and I will order these chicken that I have been raving about to my cousins.
I didn't know if I was going to be amused or annoyed or if my lunch (I already ate before knowing they were at the dimsum place.) was going to make its appearance felt on their already food-filled table. It turned out that supposedly someone took notice of me at the fiesta. I didn't even know. I am not dense, not totally but I am not presumptuous either. Besides, I had other things to think about last Saturday than a guy noticing or not noticing me. I was very busy running around because as an officer its my duty and responsibility. Also, as an officer I talked to a whole bunch of people. So, when they were pointing out someone, I didn't know who or what it was about.
Don't get me wrong its flattering but I think what I cannot reconcile up to now was the "thumbs up" sign my aunt gave me. What was that supposed to mean? That there's hope for me after all? That I wasn't a lost cause that they all thought I am? It was perplexing and at the same annoying. Did they or she really think I was such a lost cause that at my age (32) I am not married with kids nor in a relationship? I thought these incidents have stopped when they have not been pushing anyone to me. I thought gone were the "me ipapakilala ako sa iyo" or the "kelan ka mag-aasawa" or "blooming ka ah, baka me bf na" remarks. I don't have to be in a relationship to be blooming. Ugh! Well, it seemed it only went to hibernate for some time. Its alive and kicking again. I don't know whether to be amused or annoyed. Actually, thinking about it now, I am annoyed. I mean really lay off please everyone. And what added to it was my cousin telling me yesterday (Sunday) "oh you were flirting with someone yesterday." I wanted to tell him "dude, you are 13, what do you know?" I was talking to a lot of people, so I am flirting now? Really, this is one of the reasons why I prefer not to attend family parties anymore because they don't know how to back off. Much as I appreciate the thought and the concern, I don't need it. I don't want it. Give it to someone who wants it. Or there are other aspects of my life that you can be concerned about not whether I am attached or not. Last time I checked its my life and I can do whatever I want to do with it. Lay off my life!
Actually, all these pushing is what is making me go the other way. Rebelling, if you want to call it that. I don't like the pressure, the manipulation and the invasion. I want to live my life in my own terms and no one dictating anything to me. If I decide to get married tomorrow, I will do so because I made that decision and not because it was made for me or planned for me. When I will be in a relationship, they will know because he will for sure meet the family. When I get married, they will have an invite to prove it. Until then, stop bugging me.
I used to like the "thumbs up" sign. For me it means I did a good job, a recognition. But now I don't like it much because its a reminder that some of relatives actually thought that I was about to be filed in the "hopeless case" box. They thought I was a lost cause because they couldn't check off "married" under the "Things Raissa should have accomplished by 32" list just yet.
I can handle a joke, tease me even but there are parameters. I can
take playful ribbing. I have learned to just laugh with it but then
again there are parameters. You can tease me for forever, innocent
teasing but sometimes a different message comes across. Dont make me
feel like my life is worthless
because I dont fit the checklist. My lola said "okay lang mahuli sa biyahe kesa naman mali ang masakyan." "At minsan sa pagmamadali, namamali ang nasasakyan."Traveling light is a personal option. But for Filipinos, traveling light is not an option, its a waste. There have been so many jokes about Filipinos traveling not with luggage but with boxes. If you want to know where the Philippine Airlines counter is amidst the chaos that is the airport, just follow where all the balik-bayan boxes are headed. This is a no-fail strategy because for sure behind mountains of boxes would be the PAL counter. Hey, we have to take advantage of the two free 70 pounds luggage allotted for each passenger.
How many times have I heard my relatives say "sayang yung space." when the box has reached its maximum weight - 70 pounds but the box isn't full yet. Or "sayang yung weight." when the box is busting in the seams and is way below 70 pounds. I think my family have nailed the art and the science of packing down to a T. When I say family, I mean my mom, my sister and myself. Well, its more my mom and my sister now. I try to veer away from it as much as I can. Its a lot of work and they do a better job at it than I do. We have done a lot of lifting, moving around of stuff to pack to be able to achieve a full box with exact weight, the perfect balance. Its not the easiest thing to do but for some strange reason we feel a sense accomplishment when we are able to do so. Or maybe because at least my sister and I wouldn't be hearing the "sayang ang space", "sayang ang weight" comments from the peanut gallery (translation: our aunts, uncles, lola etc.).
Well, that's all going to change. I just read over at PDI - PAL to limit baggage weight on North American route. Uh-oh! The dozens of sardines and corned beef have to be cut down. The packs of Knorr Soup will have to be less. The papaya soaps will be one for each now rather than a half a dozen. The shoes, the clothes, all the pasalubongs would have to be reduced. This is going to need some getting use to. I have a ton of relatives going home this month. Thought their flight home is not going to be affected, its coming back that will be. This policy is going to take effect after July 1 and it didn't say travel to Philippines, it said travel to North America. So my relatives will be going home with 70 pound boxes but coming back with 50 pound ones. This is going to be tough. My mom will have a crazy task of packing their boxes back with 50 pounds maximum in mind. I bet there will be many that will be left behind that are most often than not are enough to fill another 50 pound box. How that will get here is a question that really doesn't have an answer yet.
I actually welcome this for some reasons. I have always wanted to travel light but I know that it was just not possible having a family that I do. But now at least its just not going to be an option for me but a requirement, something that I or them cannot do something about.
I wouldn't want to work at the PAL counter on July 1. I can already sense the confusion and chaos. Not to mention the irate passengers. Boy oh boy! Good luck! Well, at least they will sure earn from all the excess baggage fees that they will be able to collect.
There is no sense denying how much I love the teleserye LOBO of Piolo and Angel because I really do. It made me write a reaction addressed to a showbiz columnist. If that isnt saying anything then I dont know what will. Heck, I even became an instant Angel fan because of this drama. Piolo's pogi points are skyrocketing not only because he is so handsome here but also his character is such a man and yet full of tenderness and love. This will sound weird but each time he appears on screen, I get goosebumps. *blush* and I cannot stare at him for long. As if naman he's looking at me but really when he as Noah stares at Lyka, as a viewer I feel like he is digging into my soul, okay not in the cannibalistic way but in such a romantic way. *sigh*
In today's episode, Noah proposed to Lyka. His way of proposing was re-enacting the time when they first met as kids when Noah then known as Jay-Jay tied a P20 on a string which was followed by Lyka then known as Ulay. Noah gave Lyka a P20 bill and attached to it was the ring that was from his father, played by Bobby Andrews. The ring has history but I am not going to say what so as not to be a spoiler. I think its such a cute way of proposing. Sure a bit on the cheesy side but I have come to accept that people in love can be so cheesy anyway. So pagbigyan! So I was watching it and listening to everything he said as he was proposing. Aba lintek, he totally said the things that the guy proposing to me said in my daydream. It may not be the same situation, lets just say that there were so many misunderstandings before Noah and Lyka achieved the relationship they have now, but basically what Noah was saying sounded so familiar to me. If I had those lines in my head copyrighted, I can sue the writers for infringement. Yes, it was that familiar. Thank goodness for forums where members are so nice to post the transcription so here was Noah's whole speech after she already unfurled the P20 bill to see a ring there.
noah: pinapangako ko, sa araw-araw, aalagaan at mamahalin kita ng sobra-sobra, na makakalimutan mo ang bawat pagkakataon na nasaktan at napaiyak kita noon hanggang sa wala nang matira. at sisiguraduhin ko sa 'yo, na mangangalay ka sa kaka... sa kakangiti sa sobrang saya ng buhay na ibibigay ko sa 'yo. ipinapangako ko, na sasaktan ko muna ang sarili ko, bago kita masaktan muli. alam ko, wala pa kong nagagawang karapat-dapat para tanggapin mo ang singsing na yan. ( lumuhod si noah ) bigyan mo lang ako ng pagkakataon, sinusumpa ko, hanggang sa huling araw ng --- natin, papatunayan ko sa 'yo kung ga'no kita kamahal. pakasalan mo ko, lyka raymundo.
In my daydream, it was in English of course LOL In my mind, the guy was also saying something like.."I am not sure if I have what it takes to love you the way that you deserve to be loved but I will spend each day proving to you that I do." *blag* "I will prove myself worthy of your love and trust if you will let me."
I dont know if Angel has really become that good of an actress but she was crying so much when Noah proposed to Lyka. As if, it was a proposal to Angel and not to Lyka. Piolo was that convincing. Well, in my daydream, I was crying too. I guess Angel more than internalized the scene.
She couldnt help herself. She initiated the kiss here. Is that acting? If it is then shes now really an actress.
Oh let me make it clear, I am nowhere near OTPing them in real life. I know Angel has Luis though some of the Gelos (thats what their fans call themselves) are still in denial. She seems happy. Piolo well, for now that he is still single, I am here, along with a million other people I bet. LOL
Going back to those lines,
Hay, how can I use them now in any of the story plots I still have to write? And would I still be moved if hypothetically I get the same proposal in the near future? Would it have the same impact? Hay naku, wala pa nga iniisip ko na. Stop!Oh and I am amused and amazed that pre-marital sex is visible now on Philippine TV because this scene happened before he actually proposed.
This scene was tastefully done. Very artistic, I guess the directors had to be creative to convey this scene but still be able to satisfy both the younger and older viewers. Plus, this is seen on Primetime, scenes like this have to be tame but definitely not lame. I wished I was in Lyka's shoes at that moment. LOL
Well..well..well. Remember my post of defying logic about the way that office W is alphabetizing their charts , first 2 letters of last name and first 2 letters of first name hence ROmero CArlos goes before ROdriguez DAmian. Only this office files like that because the two other offices have been filing it as it should be which is last name, then first name. I thought it was a closed issue, well I thought wrong. My staff at one of the two clinics called me to inform me that the OM was there in M office for an in-service, bringing along the 2 front office personnel from office W. The two who have been at the receiving end of my ire because of their inability to follow simple instructions. The OM showed the two the chart room at office M and she noticed that its filed differently. She asked the front office staff as how come charts are filed that way (last name and first name). Well, it has always been how things were filed over there and that I said so. The OM went on to say that she must be informed of any changes. First off, she has never given any instructions to them to do it other wise and secondly nothing has been changed and it is not going to change. She went on to inform the staff at office M that she will speak with me. Well, bring it on. Since the call from my staff 15 minutes ago, I have printed close to 20 pages of references to shove into her face if she insists on doing things her way. I am going to be firm with this because its the right way. Its not some power-tripping on my part because frankly I never worked that way. I am going to be firm because what she wants is bordering stupidity and illogical. I don't want all my English teachers to come hunt me down for doing something against what they taught me.
I thought after she apologized for being territorial of her staff at W office, things will change but apparently it isn't. We had a meeting one time and I sensed that she has a hard time relinquishing control or authority. Heck, she can have it for all I care but if you are going to do something stupid I am not going to let it happen. She is finding it difficult that she has no full authority over all the staff. Aside from me she has the administrator and the owner to deal with or in her warped mind to struggle with. What she said during that meeting keeps coming back to me. "If Doctor wants me to manage then he has to let me be in charge!" Not her exact words but close. Translation: everyone else butt out! But the thing is, she has not shown enough to be able to be left on her own. And I think the owner and administrator are just hesitant to leave her in charge by herself. She thinks its a cultural thing (the owner, administrator and myself are Filipinos and shes not) that we (administrator and me) get the owner and knows how to work with him and knows how to gauge our boss' instructions which are vague most of time. But it is totally not a cultural thing. Its just that we know our boss very well and have learned over time and through missteps on how to deal with him. Don't get me wrong, I don't have a "boss from hell" in fact its quite the opposite but Dr. C just has his own way of working. If he's not sure about something, he mumbles his instructions. If you ask him a question and hes not convinced or hes not sure what to say, he stays quiet. If he doesn't want to deal with it at that time, he tells you to talk it out with the administrator. I have been where the OM is in now but the difference is I have learned to accept our boss for what he is and how he works. If I know he isn't so sure, I don't bug him nor do it right away. I let some hours pass and ask him again and I ask until I am convinced that he is convinced that its what needs to be done. Some things are not meant to be done that very instant. This I have learned working for him for as long as I have. The OM finds it hard to do it and she cant get it when I told her that she cant doing anything but adjust because that's how Dr. C is and that's how he works. You don't change a person or mold them to what you want them to be so that things will be easy for you. It doesn't happen that way. You just learn to adjust to every human being you come in contact with. No two people are the same and that's just how the universe works. Don't change it, deal with it.
She
knows how I am and I know she will be careful with what she says to
me. I wont bite her head off but she knows better not to cross me
because she knows I am not going to back down especially this one. She
can go running to our boss but I am not going to let what she wants
happen because its not the right thing to do. 
I have a DSLR - a Nikon D80 given to me by very generous people. I have had it for one year now. I still havent given it a name. My sister is calling it "Eddie" for some reasons. I am not sure if I like it though but for the mean time and for purposes of discussion, I will refer to it as "Eddie".
I am still getting to know "Eddie". We have our good and bad moments. I was able to take really good shots of roses one time while I was just tinkering with it. It gives me so many options and allows me to experiment but the 18-55mm lens is not enough. I need a more powerful one to really use it to its full potential. I am in the process of acquiring a second hand lens which I am excited about and also a probable private tutorial that a fellow photohobbyist is arranging. I have had my share of bad moments too when it wouldnt let me get really good photos but then again the problem may not be with Eddie but with me.
Much as we have a good rapport now, it doesnt mean that I have stopped lusting over others like these two for instance. It may be lower than Eddie but they are compact enough for me to bring rather than lugging Eddie and his whole entire gear along even in long gown and all. But we will see.
The first one is the Kodak Easyshare V1273. I like its matte black finish. Its so sleek and yet powerful - it is able to shoot with a light sensitivity of ISO 3200. Wow! High ISO Mode is great. It has HD video/picture capture. Double wow! It has a touchscreen making it easy to edit the pictures. It got pretty good reviews too. I like that its also small enough to put in my purse and bring along.
The other one is the Canon Powershot G9. I have heard so many nice things about the G9. It has the capabilities of a DSLR minus the bulk. It also has high ISO settings and can easily be adjusted because the dial is right there. But it says only up to 1600. Compared to the Kodak, this one is bulkier but its more compact than the DSLR. It wont fit into a tiny purse though.
If size is what I am looking for, its best for me to get the Kodak because it is really small. I think its only a little bit bigger than my phone. Zoom wise - Kodak is only 3x the optical zoom while G9 is 6x. Kodak is more user-friendly with a lot less buttons to operate. It has a microphone as well. Price-wise, the Kodak is more practical for the specifications because it costs half of that of a G9. But then with the G9, I will be able to do almost the same functions as that of Eddie minus the bulk. The Kodak got better reviews (4.9 out of 5.0) than the G9 (4.6 out of 5.0). In fact one customer said that the Kodak is a great compact carry along to compliment his Nikon DSLR. But then again G9 has the functions of the DSLR minus the bulk. Then again why would I need another DSLR if I already have one. Hmmm... decisions...decisions..decisions...
Actually for now, I am leaning towards the Kodak and save the G9 for later.
I have been asked so many times what I look for in a guy. Most of the time, actually all the time I cannot give a straight answer because frankly I dont know. Even when asked about what I find physically attractive, I still dont have a definite answer. Yes, I am that vague. LOL But lately, I have been seeing a pattern. I have discovered some things that make me go take a second look or in one, a second sniff. LOL Okay, here are some that makes me go
* I have this crazy habit of sniffing or getting a whiff of a guy when he walks past me. He has to look "mabango" and "bagong ligo" though before I take a whiff. When a guy is and he walks past me, I have caught myself so many times trying to smell him. Okay he has to be close enough for me to smell. I wont exactly go out of my way just to smell him. I have been doing this unconsciously until I caught myself sometimes then I realized that I did this in college too. Due to my last name, I usually sit in the last row when arranged alphabetically, sometimes near the back door. So when my guy classmates would go out of the room, they always pass by me. At first it was just to check what cologne they are using or trying to guess what they are wearing. Hahaha I think I got it from my guy cousins and brother who uses cologne and changes as often as they can. I smell guys to see if they use the same cologne as my guy cousins, brother and dad. Yes, my dad uses hip brands like Issey and Burberry. None of those old man colognes for him. Or maybe because I know that cologne reacts with body chemistry so I keep on guessing what they are wearing. I dont know but yeah I have looked into a guy's bag to check what cologne he uses. Pleasures for Men - good choice and it fits him. Oh his use of perfume must not be overpowering though because that will make me go into a sneezing frenzy. My dad once used way too much and I sneezed right in front of him. I like that faint smell of perfume, mixed with soap and then body chemistry (not body odor). Its so sexy.
* My heart flutters for guys who knows how to cook. I was talking to this guy once and we were comparing spaghetti sauce recipe. LOL He also challenged me to a spaghetti cook-off. Damn! The likes of Tyler Florence and Dave Lieberman makes me gush. Needless to say, I find it so sexy when a guy will cook for me. My brother, both because he was short on money and being romantic, cooked a meal for him and his then (or dating again) girlfriend. He prepared this whole Italian meal with flowers, cutlery and table for two at our apartment. I was amazed and proud.
* I tend to go for lean, athletic types. I dont mean the six-pack, ripped, muscular kind. Just toned and fit because clothes look better if the guys are fit.
* Arms - I am big on guy's arms. It has to be toned as well and better if it shows in the shirt they are wearing.
* Hands and fingers - clean hands, long fingers and must have short nails and clean. No polish please even if its clear. I like looking at guy's fingers when they play the piano or guitar or any instrument.
* Watch - I have caught myself as well checking if a guy wears a watch. I think it conveys a message that they are conscious about time. Contrary to belief, I dont like being late. I want to be on time. Hence, I follow 3 clocks - my alarm clock is 30 minutes ahead of my wrist watch which is 15 minutes ahead of the time on my phone which is the real time. I dont like waiting or I can wait but have the decency to tell me you are going to be late or on your way. But this changes when I am on vacation. I dont care much for time.
* Shoes and Belts - I dont know why but I notice the belt and the shoes that a guy wears. They dont have to really be all matchy but I also dont like those attention grabbing kinds. Belts are to hold up your pants and to complement the look not overpower it and be all I see.
* Good hygiene - Its very important. Clean and neat.
* I used to not mind if a guy smokes. I guess because all my life I was surrounded by guys who smoke but now since its been 10 years that I was around it, I cant handle it anymore. I get really peeved. My allergies tend to act up to with smoke.
I think this is it for now. If I remember more, I will post it. How about you? What makes you take a second look and check a guy out?
your single's love horoscope
for Tuesday, May 27:
Quit living your life like a shark! You won't perish if you stand still for awhile. While multitasking may be your superhero power, it might be time to stop rushing from project to person to project and instead focus on your love life.
After June 14, 2008! LOL
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Yupki Girl said:
hey I have the OST... I'll send it to you... give me a day? just a lot of things to... read more
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if he grovels too much he will look pathetic and whiny. grr yuck! LOL I like this CX. He is... read more
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nstead of groveling, i think he's trying to worm his way back into her heart. i'm not sure i like... read more
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