want that perfect lighting for your portraits?

i just got to share this!

sa mga addict at O.C. sa lighting chorba when taking portraits...

http://www.juergenspecht.com/truestories/?number=1&storypage=2

p.s.
pero ha.. creative sya ha... galing nya!

love you!

i'm in a very good mood today. i don't know why. but i'm just happy.

glory and praise to God!

i love you talaga Lord..

p.s.
oo na corny...paki ko ba :P

Surfvivor '08 Challenge: Mini-Competition

Mark your calendars.

On Feb 2-3, 2008, there would be a mini-competition and get together of all SurfVivors who joined us since Dec 2006! From the 1st wave to the latest wave of Jan 2008! You are all invited to join this trip as contestants, photographers, models, minglers with new people, and supporters!

A lot of games and an event is in store for you guys. It's the launching of Philippine Organization of Surfers... Guess what :) Once a SURFVIVOR, you are automatically a member of this latest organization!

Hurry, send your REG FORM now and slots to reserve to travel.factor@gmail.com.

For more info click me

suggested out-of-office replies

it's that time of the year again where everyone goes on a long vacation...... this might come in handy just for laughs, lol

stolen from virgilmvx :

I am currently away from my desk, beating my head against the wall.

Your message will be replied to once I have reached a level of numbness sufficient to cloud my vision to the point I am able to formulate an appropriate response to your request.

------------

I am currently out at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get the position. Be prepared for my mood.

------------

You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn't have received anything at all.

------------

I will be unable to delete all the unread, worthless emails you send me until I return from
holiday on 4, April. Please be patient and your mail will be deleted in the order it was received.

------------

Thank you for your email. Your credit card has been charged $5.99 for the first ten words and $1.99 for each additional word in your message.

------------

The e-mail server is unable to verify your server connection and is unable to deliver this message. Please restart your computer and try sending again.

(The beauty of this one is that when you return, you can see how many in-duh-viduals did this over and over).

------------

Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system. You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive a reply in approximately 19 weeks.

------------

I've run away to join a different circus.

------------

I will be out of the office for the next 2 weeks for medical reasons. When I return, please refer to me as 'Marvin' instead of ' Martha.'

my bubbly face...

love this song!
this has been sitting in my laptop for a couple of months now and i always forget to put it in my shuffle....... anyway, enjoy the lyrics.....

I've been awake for a while now
You've got me feelin' like a child now
Cause every time I see your bubbly face
I get the tingles in a silly place

It starts in my toes
And I crinkle my nose
Where ever it goes
I always know
That you make me smile
Please stay for a while now
Just take your time
Where ever you go

The rain is falling on my window pane
But we are hiding in a safer place
Under cover staying dry and warm
You give me feelings that I adore

They start in my toes
Make me crinkle my nose
Where ever it goes
I always know
That you make me smile
Please stay for a while now
Just take your time
Where ever you go

What am I gonna say
When you make me feel this way
I just- mmm...

It starts in my toes
Makes me crinkle my nose
Where ever it goes
I always know
That you make me smile
Please stay for a while now
Just take your time
Where ever you go

Dada dada dadada dada dum....

Mmm mm...

I've been asleep for a while now
You tuck me in just like a child now
'Cause every time you hold me in your arms
I'm comfortable enough to feel your warmth

It starts in my soul
And I lose all control
When you kiss my nose
The feeling shows
Cause you make me smile baby
Just take your time now
Holdin' me tight

Where ever, where ever, where ever you go
Where ever, where ever, where ever you go

Where ever you go
I always know
Cause you make me smile
Even just for a while


- bubbly by colbie caillat

i am getting fat!!

i am back to 120lbs and i hate it!!!

and winter's coming and when it's winter you eat a lot and you sweat so little so there, goodluck to me......

my residence has a very good sports center and i have yet to try it........ if only i can get my butt to the gym..... that picture to your right is the gym.... i know that picture should be enough motivation enough for me to go and exercise but i'm just so darn lazy! i'd rather sleep..... i already have developed an affinity to my pillows....... no, not the bed, my air bed is trying to kill me! i am currently sleeping on the floor because my back really hurts because of my bed.....i'm buying a mattress on saturday....... can someone accompany me to ikea please :-P

where i live: http://www.4wallsinphilly.com/montco/towers-at-wyncote/towers-pics.htm

official website (hard to view) : http://www.towersatwyncote.com/

i am getting fat!!

my residence has a very good sports center and i have yet to try it........ if only
where i live: http://www.4wallsinphilly.com/montco/towers-at-wyncote/towers-pics.htm

official website (hard to view) : http://www.towersatwyncote.com/

my lil angel

finally! pictures of my niece....

yep, that's aiyanna shanice and my brother and my sister-in-law.

puti-puti! sarap kurutin ng pisngi!

page-emote ng lola...

oo birthday ko ngayon.
so anong ginagawa ko? anong handa ko?
wala.
nagluto ako ng instant pancit canton at kumain (w/ matching 2 slices ng tasty). mag-isa. sinamahan ko rin ng konting potato chips at carbonated water (umiiwas ako sa coke).

habang kumakain ako bigla akong nalungkot. na-miss ko na naman pamilya ko. tatay ko. kapatid ko. aso ko. kung nasa pinas ako ngayon siguro nasa greenbelt ako ngayon at kumakain sa italianis or nasa cpk siguro ako ngayon at umo-order ng paborito kong tiramisu. or nasa serendra, sa brazil-brazil at kinukulit ang waiter na maglabas pa ng grilled banana (saba). at pagdating ko nang bahay, malamang lalantakan ko yung frozen brazo na in-order ko ke ange a week before para sa birthday ko pero nangangalahati na dahil hindi ko matiis hindi pag-tripang kainin.
hay.
ewan ko nga ba at bakit nagda-drama ako. wala naman akong dapat i-expect dahil ang mga close friends ko nasa pinas lahat. pero ewan ba. parang may kulang lang talaga.
ang engots ko naman kasi at nakalimutan kong mag RSVP dun sa mini cocktail party invitation netong apartment building ko. e di sana may ka-chikahan ako ngayon at hindi etong nanghahaba nguso ko. kahit na parang puro matatanda mga nakita ko kaninang nakaabang sa venue ng party e atleast may kasama ako.
kanina nga pala pagdating ko sa office may bday card sa cube ko. bday card na may bday greetings ng mga officemates ko. kakatuwa rin. yung ibang pangalan nga lang dun hindi ko kilala.
hindi naman sa nagse-self pity. excuse me. independent woman itoh. pero lech. ewan ko ba anong nangyari. kinondisyon ko na sarili kong wag mag-inarte sa birthday ko e. kasi alam ko nang ganito ang mangyayari lalo pa na weekday birthday ko. pero ewan ko ba. nasanay lang siguro ako na nase-celebrate ko kahit paano ang birthday ko sa mismong 18. o di ba. umiral na naman pagiging ma-drama ko sa buhay. napaka-drama queen ko talaga.
nasusuka ako. naumay ata ako sa pancit canton na kinain ko. anong oras na ba? 6:50 pm na pala. happy birthday to me. ay hindi pala, kasi 19 nasa pinas so hindi ko na birthday.

ewan. makatulog na nga.
p.s.
maraming salamat nga pala sa mga bumati.
pinasaya nyo ako.

at sa yo na nagbigay ng $100. hindi ko
yun ine-expect. sobrang na-touch
talaga ako. salamat. nami-miss na
talaga kita. next year. uuwi talaga ako
para jan mag-celebrate ng birthday ko.
punta tayo ng boracay ha. matagal ko nang
wish mag-celebrate ng birthday dun e.

first gift!!

first gift i received for my birthday today is a $100 gift certificate from amazon that someone really special gave me...... i loooove it! if you're reading this....thank you, thank you, thank you.....

and the first thing that i bought is this book (i bought the used one for $11):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0821225146

i've been eyeing that photography book for a year now....

i'm not much into portraits (i'm more into landscapes) but i love nude photography and yes black and whites always, always amaze me....... i remember joining a nude photography session back in the philippines...... no, i wasn't the model, silly...... i was one of the photographers...... i still have the photos if you want to see them......

 

don't panic...

inhale..exhale...inhale..exhale...

age is just a number... age is just a number... age is just a number... age is just a number... age is just a number... age is just a number... age is just a number... age is just a number...

inhale..exhale...inhale..exhale...

ang tanda ko naaaaaaaaaa!

syet.

what i want for my birthday...

- flat tops
- curly tops
- lucky me pancit bihon (bihon ha, not the pancit canton at not the bihon with sabaw din)
- crema de fruta from red ribbon
- dinuguan at maraming puto from red ribbon
- dolor's sapin-sapin (sa pinas lang meron neto e )
- palitaw
- mainit na bibingka with salted egg
- or puto bungbong with lots of star margarin
- frozen brazo (huhu, na sa pinas lang meron)
- wings from hooters or wild wing cafe

that's just it ! see, i'm not demanding ...puro pagkain e no? LOL

why i hate fridays....

actually, i like fridays (who doesn't) it's myself that i hate when it's friday........ i am just so extra lazy when it's friday......... like now, i have 3 change requests (but i'm blogging ) that i need to work on and i should be doing a staring marathon with eclipse right now....... you know how it is, trying to understand other people's codes, toggling breakpoints, doing "watches", issuing SQL statements here and there, those sort of stuff....... i'm actually good at doing debugs/tracing and bug fixing but i'd rather do something from scratch and code my own algorithm rather than reading other people's codes and try to make sense out of it.......... i would eventually understand what the previous owner of the codes is trying to accomplish but that's not until a couple of migraines and after a few cups of coffee (boy, tracing thru codes is an ultimate tranquilizer)....... but anyway, i know i could fix one of these change requests before this day ends, but right now i just want to sleep, which i can't anyway, so meanwhile i'm blogging (my 3rd as of 12:43 pm) ................. 

on another note.......... i still have the new niece high..... so here's what i have researched about my niece's name...... (aiyanna shanice is one of the names in my long lists of girl's names that i sent my sister-in-law)

 

more:

Gender: Feminine
Language: English
Etymology and History:
Ayanna is a name that is not listed in any of our print sources. Most internet sources claim it is a “Native American” name meaning “Eternal Blossom,” but this seems unlikely. There are thousands of Native American tribes and thousands of Native American languages and cultures.

Other sources list Ayanna as an Ethiopian or Swahili name meaning “Beautiful Flower.” This seems more likely, if only because the similar name Ayanna first appears on the lists in the 1970s, a time when many names of African origin were enthusiastically embraced by the African-American community.

Ayana also pops up on a few lists of Japanese names, often with the meaning “Colorful” listed.

Whatever its origin, Ayana and Ayanna are now fairly common names. This is probably at least partially due to their phonetic similarities to the popular name Anna.

Pronunciation: ay-ann-ah.
Alternates: Ayana, Aiyana.
Ayanna means blessed in Cherokee.

All info about Aiyanna
Name Aiyanna 
Meaning eternal blossom

next i will research on shanice.....

addicted to cappuccino...

i want my cappuccino maker but it doesn't come cheap....

letch!

one weakness....

i have that one stupid weakness..... that one stupid weakness that always gets me in trouble.....

darn.

one weakness....

i have that one stupid weakness..... that one stupid weakness that always gets me in trouble.....

darn.

aiyanna shanice

that's my niece's name, nickname is aisha..... she was born december 9...... december like her tita ayeen..... i was told that the baby is pretty (eherm, mana ke tita, lol) and i can't wait to see her! i've been pestering my brother and sister-in-law to post pictures of the baby....... hayy! i wanna wanna wanna wanna wanna wanna see aiyanna!

thank you Lord for another blessing!

mt. pinatubo, anyone? [an update]

do you still remember an afternoon when suddenly everything got dark and we were enveloped by grayish darkness and ash started "raining" on us? yes, that's the mount pinatubo erruption. have you ever wondered how that volcano looks like upclose? we, the Travel Factor will take you there.

experience the extraordinary volcano that erupted sometime in 1991 and described as the beauty of horror. Now a days, this volcano is enjoyed by tourist, novice climber and mountaineer. a different landscape you should not miss. enjoy the 4x4 ride on it's rocky terrain, towering lahar deposit and its unique crater lake.

PACKAGE RATE
P3,000 per pax (Special Introductory Price);
P3,500 (regular rate)
Inclusive of manila-capas-manila transpo via private van, Registration, 4x4 Vehicle transportation to hiking trail, tour guide and local trail guide, Conservation fees, Free time at the Crater, 3 meals and usage of equipment

* Pre climb meeting - 1 week before actual climb -- ATTENDANCE IS A MUST!

PAYMENT DUE DATE: Pls pay on or before Jan. 4, 2008

HOW TO JOIN

Fill-out registration form and send to travel.factor@gmail.com with Email Subject: Akyat '08: Pinatubo Fun Clim (Jan 12 - 13)
or Akyat '08: Pinatubo Fun Climb (Jan 19 - 20)

You will then receive an email on indicating instructions on where to deposit full payment and schedule of pre-climb

intrigued? follow this link

more pictures?

(mine) http://sweetsentiments.multiply.com/photos/album/3/Mt._Pinatubo_Philippines

(friend's) - richard http://www.photonski.com/images/112888

(friend's) - macky http://mackysy.multiply.com/photos/photo/2/1

(friend's) - richard again http://www.photonski.com/images/112886

off with the old, on with the new......

new job, new apartment, new friends....

i moved to my new apartment last friday night...... i had one of my bestfriends (i have 3 best friends now :-P) plus 2 of my bros and 1 sis at SFC to help me move....... we had like 3 cars in all which is good because we don't have to go back and forth my old apartment...... i don't live in philly now but i'm still in pennsylvania and my apartment is just 10 minutes away from center city philly......

i like my new apartment..... i love those french doors..... it has a verandah, facing the swimming pool...... i don't have to go out anymore for the washer/dryer (my previous apartment's laundry area is at basement, beside the garage)........ it has the usual kitchen stuff plus microwave (hah! good thing i didn't buy one during black friday) and dishwasher......... it has freee shuttle to take me to and from the train station, groceries and banks and that means i don't have to buy a car yet, which is good....... hmmm, what else..... it has fitness center, swimming pool (pero sarado na for winter), basketball court, tennis court, library, mini theatre (free movie every wednesday).......... there's pilates class (i like pilates better than yoga talaga), i want to enroll sana, kaso ang tamad-tamad ko na talaga mag-exercise and i'm not sure how much a pilates class costs.......they have a nice resto and bar just below me....... ayun..... antok na ako, later na ulit.....

special shout out to my pretty sis rhea, to my handsome bros rv and dex...... thanks guys! see that picture to your right? that's them goofing around in my bathtub..... i was so tempted to open the water but decided against it, lol...... so yep, that's them doing a sort of premature housewarming....hmm...i think premature bathroom warming is more appropriate, lol.....

p.s.
i haven't finish unpacking yet...... and i really need to buy
floor lights for my bedroom, ala kasi lights sa loob e....
and a real bed very very soon, my back is killing me!

p.p.s.
i'm going thru something.... please pray for me...

on crinkles and snow...

it snowed last sunday and then again yesterday......... i almost slipped today and i really need to buy one of those snow boots, pronto! ............ the only thing is, those trusty ones doesn't come cheap, grrr..... but, oh well, i'd rather have a hole in my pocket than a broken limb or worst *gasp* a broken face....

p.s.
i like the first inch of snow....... it really looks like everything was sprinkled with confectioner's sugar, lol..... and the soil looks like a super large chocolate crinkles! yummy!

on panic mode and wish list

darn.

how time flies...... it's 21 days to go til christmas and i haven't done any christmas shopping yet! i'll be busy this weekend and i'm attending a christmas party (SFC-PA) on sunday........ hmm, let me see........... i need to find gifts for my household (SFC, 4 girls) and my other SFC bros and sis and some of my officemates....... need to find a gift for my bestfriend too........ hmm, now that's a challenge because i'm with the bestfriend all the time and it would be hard to hide my gift...... plus i need the bestfriend to drive me to the store where i would buy the gift from, geez! i need to get a car soon....

hmm.... hmm.... hmm.... while i'm at this whole christmas shopping thingie i might as well post my wish list.... yep, i'm joining the band wagon

1. an suv (jeep liberty-gray or jeep wrangler-black or yellow or a rav 4 will do ) .. i can dream right?
2. a roundtrip plane ticket to and from the philippines
3. a nikon d200 kit set (a d80 kit set will do)
4. a vaio notebook (white)
5. a sealy posturepedic mattress (queen size)
6. a good interior design book
7. an ipod with a good ipod speaker (i think klipsch is good)
8. a bose entertainment system (lol, dreaming ulit....)
9. a small flat tv (don't want those tube things)
10. just surprise me.......anything, as long as it comes from the heart......  it's the thought that counts, anyway  (ang drama man! :-P)



on another news i'm moving on the 8th, can't wait! i'm halfway done with the packing.... i have 2 of my luggages full of my clothes and the rest are small boxes and tons of paper bags....... what's left are the kitchenwares, china wares and utensils, which is not a lot really but would take up much space too but i'm using a trash bag to pack those (except for the china wares), LOL........... also, i need to pack my week's set of clothes, my airbed, pillows, sheets and my super favorite blanket (it's fluffy and kinda heavy, bought it for $50 at bed, bath and beyond in NJ)............ the super old tv has to go, too many sad memories associated to that tv, i'll just leave it in the trash bin.......... i'll go this friday to my new apartment to sign a lease contract and to get the keys and hopefully i could start moving the first batch of my things that same night and then continue moving the rest early saturday......

i also need to start cleaning the old apartment........ not much to clean anyway, i'm pretty good with cleaning (i think ) i do it atleast twice a month...... just a few scrubs in the bathroom, need to vacuum the carpet, the kitchen is clean but i have to clean the fridge w/c wouldn't be a problem too and after that i'm done!

God is good!

 

national treasure and philly

just finished watching national treasure....... a friend of mine told me that the "chasing" was shot in philadelphia........ i've seen it already when i was still in the philippines but i wasn't paying too much attention about the place where it was shot..... all i know is it's in the U.S....... it was nice to see familiar places..... i love philly's old buildings! maybe i was an architect in my past life :-P

if you want to see what center philly looks like go  watch national treasure starring nicholas cage....... the scenes from when nicholas went to his dad's house until he was caught by the fbi is in center city philly....

 

my first thanksgiving...

i finished my task ahead of schedule..... i told them i'll be done by end of next week because i didn't know my problem was easy (never used itext before and thought what i need to do is complicated)....now, all that's left are cosmetic stuff (alignment, font sizes, etc).....anyway.... here's a blow by blow account of what i did last thanksgiving....

wed..
went home a little early.... i was thinking of cooking picadillo for my friends but i got lazy ....what else is new

thurs..
am:
9:00 - woke up at 9..still sleepy..pressed snooze...
10:00 - ok, time to get up! checked email until 11
11:00 - finally took a bath
pm:
1:30 - took off to get lunch at nifty fifty
1:45 - need to go back to my apartment to get my pillow
1:55 - really took off to nifty fifty
2:10 - nifty fifty is closed! grr..need to go back to the apartment to get snacks...
2:20 - back at the apartment...got some food and other snacks..
2:45 - stopped to get gas
3:00 - washington dc here we come!
5:00 - i think we're lost
6:00 - finally met with marie, russ and barbie...wow! marie brought me her famous angel cake!! SOOOO happy!! boy, it's windy at dc... my skirt is flying... thank gawd for leg warmer ...anyway, introductions...introductions...then we head off to baltimore for our crab cakes at philips....
7:30+ - arrived at baltimore harbor... philips is closed, bummer...went out to look for other resto, taking chances...hmm... what are these people doing camping outside this mall....oh! it's best buy! wow! their lining up for black friday this early? interesting.....wait, is that an old woman, right there? wow! so this is what they mean by black friday..... interesting... i'm hungry!
8:00 - can't find a resto...agreed to just grab a quick bite somewhere and have dinner at a chinese resto in center city-philly....
10:00 - went to mai lai wa for chinese food...we had our thanksgiving dinner consisting of walnut shrimp, black pepper squid (yum!), special fried rice, hongkong wanton soup, beef chao fun... why did we forgot to take pictures! that's my first thanksgiving dinner...geez! tsk!
11 something: time to go home! i'm sleepy...showed my friends how center city looks like at night...oh! and we stopped by at the boathouse for pictures....i love the boathouse at night, really need to get a dslr soon....

fri..
am
7:00 - wake up time
8:00 - went to walmart hoping i could find a cheap microwave...
8:30 - no more $25 microwave....that's what you get by being lazy to wake up early......but i got my self a digi cam bag for $1.97..... yeah, that's it...no more cheap items, they're all gone...huhuhu....
9:00 - went to nifty fift for breakfast..ordered crab cake sandwich...it wasn't bad... note to self: order that choco shake that marie ordered next time...
10:00 - we have a crack in philly..... a crack on a bell, lol...... anyway, gave my friends a quick tour around the city-cityhall, LOVE, logan square, rodin, philly museum of art, independence hall...no bell, line is sooo long....
pm
12:00 - need to go back to the apartment... marie needs to get her batteries...
12:30 - left for atlantic city..
3:00 - atlantic city...pictures and more pictures..ate funnel cake.....
5:30 - it's getting cold..can we just take the car to taj mahal?
6:45 - arrived at taj mahal..more pictures..
7:15 - finally left atlantic city
9:00 - had dinner at a jamaican resto (jamaican jerk hut, one of the locations where they had shoot the movie in her shoes)... lessons learned: half jamaican jerk is not half the regular order size, it means half chicken...chicken bbque is good!
10:00 - time to go home..

sat..
8:00 - wake up time but i need to work on photoholic's booklet
8:30 - was about to take a bath but russ beat me to it
9:00 - took a bath
9:30 - need to go to wachovia to encash my first paycheck with my new employer..paycheck = 1 day salary only :P
10:00 - left for shopping! went to franklin mills outlet mall..15 minutes away from where i live...yes, clothes in philly are tax-free! but i would love to shop at delaware because there it's tax free for everything!
10:30 - on your mark, get set, shop!! i told them we need to leave at 1:00 pm...they need to catch their 4:00pm flight and they need to be at the airport an hour before...
pm
1:10 - left franklin mills... my friend and i surprised them to a treat in an indonesian resto... friend called his friend (who owns the resto) for our order while were driving back to the city and told his friend that we'll get there around 1:30 and we need the food ready because my friends need to catch a flight...hehe, ang demanding ba?
1:35 - welcome to indonesian resto! they liked the salad (gado-gado)....my guess was right that they'll like that salad.....
2:20 - left the resto...we need to buy philly cheesesteak for their baon...
2:30 - pat's line is too long, darn and geno's too! geez... huhu, we can't buy cheese steak anymore or they'll miss their flight.... i should have went there and bought them cheese steak while they were having lunch...*sigh*....next time, next time...
3:10 - at PHL airport...nope, not Philippines, ours is MLA, CLRK and CBU..tama ba? hehe... ayun, hug-hug, said our goodbyes and thank yous... they noticed my snickers..yeah, bought it at franklin mills that morning and was already wearing it
4:00 - went to ikea (again).... found my perfect computer table..... can't wait to move!
6:00 - left ikea....
7:00 - home sweet home....

i can't lie - part 2

i mentioned about our anniversary........ yes, if i was "behaving" it would be our 8th year (i misbehaved after our 5th 1/2) ............. that's what i keep telling my dad "no papa, it wasn't his fault, it was me"....... because it really was me....... i know he loves me, he's not the type who's vocal about his feelings but i know he loves me (or loved me) and i still feel so bad whenever i remind myself of the heartaches i have inflicted on him....... i really wish i could turn back the clock...... maybe i shouldn't have left the philippines........ we almost got back together if i didn't just packed and left my country......... i know he doesn't want me to leave but....but.... i'm stubborn..... full of pride........ i was waiting for him to stop me.....

someone told me i keep living in the past........ maybe i am......... but i don't care......... this is the only theraphy i know and that is to acknowledge what i'm currently feeling even if it means digging thru the past......... as much as possible i want to hit my current feelings head on....... sort them out, acknowledge that this is what i'm feeling, wallow on whatever that feeling is and when i get tired of it i'll move on.........

but right now, the only way to move on is to find closure....... and i have to see him........... if he accepts me again, well and good........ if not, if not..... *sigh* then that means i really messed it up........ it means it's high time to move on and i mean, really move on..........

yeah...yeah... i'm being melodramatic again, blame that time of the month! :P

i can't lie...

a lot of times, whenever we chat at ym i have this urge of telling him how much i miss him...... but i don't have the courage...... maybe it's because i'm afraid that he would reject me...... yes, i'm still inlove with him...... and he's still the one i want to spend the rest of my life with..... he gets me.... he digs me.... he knows me..... we get into each other's nerves sometimes, yes...... but we also know how to make each other happy....... we laughed a lot........ my dad still asks about him, about us..... although he's not saying anything about us, from the sound of his voice i know he's still hoping that we'll get back together......




i long for the days when we would just sit on the car while i eat mc donald's french fries, choco fudge sundae and OJ..... i miss him saying "ang takaw mo" while i'm eating........ or "ang tyan, ang tyan..."..... i miss walking along greenbelt park and stopping for a minute or two if the band is playing a good song...... i miss falling in line at a movie theater with him...... i miss his hands, his stout "matabang maputing bulate-like" fingers....... i miss putting my head on his shoulder (i remember telling him that my head fits perfectly on his shoulder, like it was meant to be there)..... i miss staring at him while he's driving and him complaining why i stare....... i miss him calling me "dude".......



i so miss him...... specially now that my birthday is coming and our anniversary date is coming....



p.s.

sometimes you really have to make a few
wrong decisions before you realize what
it is you really want....



p.p.s.

i don't want to hurt someone
else's feelings but i can't lie
to myself or to that someone
else for that matter.......

mt. pinatubo anyone?

Do you still remember an afternoon when suddenly everything got dark and we were enveloped by grayish darkness and ash started "raining" on us? Yes, that's the mount pinatubo erruption. Have you ever wondered how that volcano looks like upclose? We, the Travel Factor will take you there.



Experience the extraordinary volcano that erupted sometime in 1991 and described as the beauty of horror. Now a days, this volcano is enjoyed by tourist, novice climber and mountaineer. A different landscape you should not miss. Enjoy the 4x4 ride on it's rocky terrain, towering lahar deposit and its unique crater lake.

intrigued? follow this link

more pictures?

(mine) http://sweetsentiments.multiply.com/photos/album/3/Mt._Pinatubo_Philippines

(friend's) - richard http://www.photonski.com/images/112888

(friend's) - macky  http://mackysy.multiply.com/photos/photo/2/1

(friend's) - richard again http://www.photonski.com/images/112886

 

picadillo for a cranky mood?

picadillo
Originally uploaded by photoholic-ayeen

it's that time of the month again that, aside from being cranky, i have all sorts of cravings again and this time i'm craving for picadillo..... actually, i'm confused about how it's really called..... all my life i know this dish as picadillo but jollibee called at arroz cabana.... anyway, so yeah, that's my saucy version of picadillo (i like it not too dry so i could mix it with rice).... my second batch since i got here in philly....this time i made sure i have my quail eggs and i have my banana (the saba, i fried it and sprinkled it with tiny tiny sugar).... my first batch doesn't have them....


so how is it cooked?

hmm... just cut everything in mall cubes (potato, carrots, onion, tomato)... then saute garlic, onion and tomato..then add the ground pork...then add half cup of water...let it simmer...then add potatoes, green peas and carrots...leave it again for a few minutes...oh! and put tomato sauce...then leave it... mix in the raisins, season to taste and lastly add the quail eggs.. that's it!

btw, the rice is worth mentioning :-P..... i don't have rice cooker and i'm still perpetually stupid when cooking rice but i have my left overs when we ate at a chinese restaurant a week ago, hehe, so you can imagine how hard the rice is by now.... so what i did is to mix it on a pan in very low heat with some of the sauce from this picadillo and now it tastes like paella,lol...... who would know it was a week old rice :-P

my packed lunch for tomorrow	my dinner

indonesian food...

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now, we'll talk about indonesian food.... not indian food but indonesian food....... although, i must say i love indian food too (well, what can you say i looove eating)..... so anyway, i should have blogged about this 3 weeks ago but i keep forgetting to ask my friend what our order was..... so anyway, these are (starting from left, top to bottom)... + es shanghai/es campur (assorted tropical fruits and jelly with milk dressing) + nasi goreng mawut (chicken fried rice mixed with fried noodle, bean sprout and cabbage) + nasi campur (complete rice dish combination of chicken curry, rendang beef, egg, fried thin rice noodle, served with shrimp chips over steamed rice) + pisang goreng (fried bananas) + tahu berontak (uprising tofu with bean sprout, carrot and bamboo shoot) + gado gado (my fave! indonesian salad, cabbage, bean sprouts, tofu, egg, firm rice w/ peanut sauce with flour crackers or shrimp crackers).... try also their satay and ayam goreng kalasan...... some of the indonesian food are spicy (50%).... they use a lot peanut sauce and coconut milk....... and yes, they are good! try it! i had indonesian food again just today for lunch (i was able to try something new but i'll just wait for marie to blog about it ).... two of my pinoy friends plus my friend's roomie from chicago visited me for thanksgiving (they were with me thursday until saturday)..... and my friend and i decided to treat them for lunch because we want them to taste the indonesian cuisine.... btw, i also took them to a jamaican resto yesterday night....... it was just a bummer that we weren't able to get them a philly cheesesteak because the line is always so darn long and they will miss their flight if we still decide to fall in line.... oh well, i'll just bring them some when i visit chicago..... but i hope they enjoyed their visit........ there are still a lot of things that i still want to show them but we didn't have enough time.... there's still the amish town, the valley forge national historic park, the reading terminal , they weren't able to see the bell because the line is soo long.... we can also go to hershey park if we had time..... it would be nice too if i was able to show them atleast one of the many museums in philly.... next time....next time....

so you want to learn photography....

thought you might be interested....
specially to those joining the photoholic-ilocos series tour...



for more info go to: http://karlodl.multiply.com/photos/photo/26/1?replies_read=1

cendrillon, a pinoy resto in NY.... you just got to try it!

a friend of mine told me about this filipino restaurant in new york..... my first reaction was "ah! yeah, i've been there twice....the firefly, right?"........ yes, i was being a smart ass........... it turned out it's not firefly, it's cendrillon........ so i went there last thursday........ i took the C train (you can take A,C, E or 1) going downtown, got off at canal street, then i walked all the way down until i saw mercer street then i turned left at mercer street.... i passed by two streets, grand and, hmm, i forgot, just consult google earth........after passing that two streets i saw cendrillon at my left....... when i got there i was greeted by a caucasian guy and there was a lady at the bar smiling at me (a filipina)....... i said hi to the guy and told him i just want to order a take out...... i ordered chicken adobo and leche flan..... their adobo is good! much much better than the one i tried at manila bay, a filipino restaurant in northeast philadelphia (near where i live)....... the adobo they have is somewhat bland..... but i heard manila bay's pinatubo is good...... and oh! their crispy pata is good too........ so anyway....... yeah, the adobo is good...... it has rice that looks like a "biko" and some veggies....... it's just a bummer that some of the sauce spilled while i was on the A train on my way to penn station.......... their adobo is different pa naman, because they use "gata"......howel...... i'm going back there anyway...... i need to try their ribs adobo..... ok! enough of this babbling....... just go to their website (www.cendrillon.com ) for more info..... address is: 45 Mercer Street (between Broome and Grand Sts.) NY, NY 10013 phone:212-343-9012 fax: 212-343-9670 email:acbesa@prodigy.net "Cendrillon ... a fashionable SoHo bistro, where traditional Filipino fare is masterfully tweaked; where, with a wink and touch of culinary genius, the bibingka becomes a rich souffle of gouda and feta instead of the traditional water-buffalo cheese, and where the paella is a steaming cornucopia of shrimp, long beans and indigo-colored rice ..." - Somini Sengupta, New York Times, April 1998

>

first day high?

today is my first day because my employer was anxious for me to start.....

i was supposed to start this monday november 5th (that's what the job offer has) but because my lawyer wasn't able to file my h1 transfer on the date i have anticipated i had to haggle..... i said i won't be able to start until the 19th of november because i need to give my previous employer a 2-week notice..... although what really happened was i just gave my employer a week notice and filed for a week vacation leave..... i'm in dire need of a vacation and i know as soon as i start with this company i would be very very very very, did i say very? yeah, "very" busy....

i'm the only asian here, the rest are whites...... i saw 2 blacks though and 1 french...... the office is big but old (29 years in the business)..... it's in the suburbs area so it's a one floor big building and surrounding offices are far from each other..... weight watchers and accuweather offices are here...... i like their break room because it has everything as in it's a complete kitchen, you can actually cook here...... they have two bathrooms (maybe if you do overnights? oh boy *bites finger*).... they have a mini gym (weights, yoga balls, etc but i'm only interested on that elliptical thing, coolness!).... everyone seems friendly...... i have my own cube, which is bigger than what i had at ibc (i can set up a tent here).... everyone seems to have 2 computer monitors........ which is a good thing because pressing alt-tab all the time kinda gets irritating sometimes....... hmm... whatelse...... i kinda like my new project........ they say i should start small so i won't get overwhelmed but they posted the whole database schema at one of my cube walls and i get dizzy by just glancing at it, jeez! i even had my first meeting..... but so far so good.... i think i'll be staying here for a long time (yeah, i have to stick with 'em because they'll be processing my greencard, lol).... and oh! my lawyer just sent me my h1 transfer receipt notice from INS which is good.... i think that's as good as being approved so i think i can breathe ok now .....

on another news...i'm broke .... i have to send money back home for my sister-in-law.... she'll be giving birth soon.... i'm so excited.... i want my own baby too..... hmm... maybe in 2009..... c'mon! it's a joke! you're no fun ....

p.s.
i need to return the laptop to my previous employer
and i'll be laptopless for ...hmm... a month! oh darn, that
sucks.... goodluck to me...

back track....

here's a quick rundown on what's been going on...

outside the bldg...more pix here

first, i found a permanent full time position.... it's no longer in center city philly but it's still in pennsylvania and is just 20 minutes away from center city.... it's no longer a consulting firm so that means goodbye to travelling.... not that i am giving up travelling but i kinda just don't like the idea of not having a stable job.... consulting means no client-no salary and that sucks, big time! (that only goes for non-american consulting companies because that's an illegal set-up).... i actually have 2 permanent position offers.... the other one is in minesotta but i accepted the one here because i chose the one with higher pay and benefits (minny offer doesn't have medical benefits).... anyway, i'll be starting on monday (19th).... it was supposed to be on the 5th but we had to wait for my transfer to be filed first and i wasn't able to resign until last monday november 5th....

second, i went to baltimore aquarium last saturday.... i wasn't feeling well that day because i had my very first flu shot the day before (free flu shot from ibc...yep, took advantage of it before i finally left).... they say their flu virus here is much different from the philippines so i figured i really got to get that flu shot because i can't get sick.... plus it's highly recommended specially for people with asthma.... so anyway, the side effect was i felt like i'm getting a fever and my head hurts.... but i enjoyed baltimore just the same  i just rested the whole sunday and then i felt better after....

more pix here

that's the dinuguan and me wearing an eagle's mcnabb jersey

third, went to jersey city for my red ribbon trip last monday (nov 12th).... sheesh you could have seen me while i was taking my first bite of puto and dinuguan.... i never thought i have missed it that much.... bought brazo de mercedes (half roll), crema de fruta, mamon and ensayamada for take home..... i'm so going back there.... too bad, it's a 2 hour drive from philadelphia but still, i am going back! (note: goldilocks' brazo de mercedes is still better than red ribbon's) i also went to see some murals by a filipino friend..... you might have heard of him-- eliseo art silva ...... he's a famous filipino muralist with murals all over california and philadelphia.....

more photos here

my lease ends on first week of december.... my new apartment will be available, hopefully, on the 8th of december.... i can't wait! now i can really buy furnitures and other things for my apartment.... because right now the only furniture i have is a queen size airbed, an iron, an oven toaster and a blender.... well, atleast i don't have to rent a uhaul to move ....

i guess that's it....

and oh! 2 of my friends are visiting me on thanksgiving! can't wait! and i also can't wait for black friday.... major discounts, baby! :-P