Hong Kong High

It has got to be one of my most favorite places ever. I've been to HK so many times but I still never get tired of it. Each time I come back to Manila, I'll always be dreaming of the next time I'll return. Maybe it's because I'm such a shopaholic and HK is a shoppers ultimate mecca, or maybe it's because it's so easy to get around there you won't feel like a tourist at all. Their transport system is so efficient which makes me so envious, why can't our government do that here? It was sale season over there and there were loads to buy,if you have the mooolah, which I don't. Boo-hoo. I've never seen so many Gucci bags in use! Almost every other local I saw was toting one, males included. Gucci is THAT big over there apparently, well, based on the long queues outside every Gucci store I saw. And it's not cheap in HK I tell ya.

Anyway, this time around, I went with my sister from NY, her kids and her (mine too) cutie pie grandson. They visited the amusement parks and had so much fun shopping, my sister being an incorrigible shopper herself. I didn't go with them to Ocean Park because I've been there several times already. Instead I strolled around Causeway BAy and Harbour City by my lonesome and did a LITTLE bit of shopping. It was fun though. I enjoy shopping alone even when Im here in MAnila. I notice that I do the most damage to my cards when I shop alone. Haha! I went with them to Disneyland. It was Ok..Just a bit bigger than Enchanted Kingdom. I enjoyed the parade though. The production design is amazing! There are so many pinoy performers among them. Too bad we didn't get to see any of the shows because we had to wait 45 minutes just to get in! We tried out a few of the rides. They were fun. nothing heart-stopping, and that's how I like it.

I didn't take too many pictures because I have like tons of them already, from my past trips. I only took a few when we were in Disneyland.

Gaya-Gaya

because i'm just too lazy to think of a topic...

LAST MOVIE YOU SAW IN A THEATER: The Lake House--A feel-good movie that has many loopholes and a very pinoy ending.

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW: Geez...there are so many i've started, but the one that's on my bedside table now is We were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates.

FAVORITE BOARDGAME: Scrabble!

FAVORITE MAGAZINE: In Style

FAVORITE SMELLS: a baby, CLEAN perfumes, fresh from the oven pizza, and the smell of ginger being sauteed.

COMFORT FOODS: hot, hot pizza, lucky me supreme la paz batchoy, chips and dips, and a cold glass of iced tea.

FAVORITE SOUNDS: cooing ang laughter from a baby, early morning sound of waves on a beachside, birds chirping, the noise my pamangkins make when they get together.

WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD: The feeling of helplessness and desperation when a loved one is gravely ill.

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING: Lord, thank you for this brand new day.

FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE: KFC!!

FUTURE CHILD'S NAME: Maxine or Maximillan

FINISH THIS STATEMENT "IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I WOULD.." : Travel the world.

DO YOU DRIVE FAST? I'd like to say I drive carefully...hahaha!

DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?: I think i have a small stuffed elephant somewhere in my bed, but i didn't put him there.

STORMS, COOL OR SCARY? : scary! I worry and i can't sleep when a storm is raging outside.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR? : a red kia pride

FAVORITE ALCOHOLIC DRINK: vodka tonic

FINISH THIS STATEMENT- "IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD LOVE TO" : go to the gym

DO YOU EAT THE STEMS OF BROCCOLI: yes. i love veggies.

IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY COLOR, WHAT WOULD YOU CHOOSE? : medium brown with light brown highlights.

GLASS HALF-EMPTY OR FULL: half-empty, always.

HOW MANY TOWNS/CITIES HAVE YOU LIVED IN? : one--good ole manille

FAVORITE PLACE TO RELAX: the beach!

FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH: tennis and gymnastics

WHAT IS UNDER YOUR BED? : dust bunnies...hehe..

TOILET PAPER/PAPER TOWEL-OVER OR UNDER?: over of course. it SHOULD be that way.

Back to School

It all happened so fast. And now I find myself in the middle of waking up very early on mondays and tuesdays, taking down notes, cramming for exams and most off all, wearing a UNIFORM. Ugh. I never thought I'd wear another uniform in my whole life. But here I am, back in the campus and taking up my second course, nursing. It felt strange at first, going to a new school after a bazillion years, meeting new people, and the prospect of a career change. If not for a benefactor, this would never have happened. And now, I find myself enjoying all these new things that are happening to me. I liked going to class, hanging out with my new friends, basically, just being a student again. I just don't know if I'll still feel this way once we start our tour of duty.

God help me.

Cause I'm evil....Mwahahaha!

You Are 40% Evil

A bit of evil lurks in your heart, but you hide it well.In some ways, you are the most dangerous kind of evil.

How Evil Are You?

It's father's day today. My father would have been 80 years old if he was still here with us. I miss him everyday. We were not the best of friends but when he got sick and eventually died, I felt like a fish out of water. He was not one to spoil his kids, but he literally took care of everything for us. Who he got sick, I didn't know what to do with the house, the business, everything. And slowly but surely, I got the hang of it and it made me what I am now, a semi-responsible adult, I hope...

Happy Father's day Tatay.We miss you so much. We love you.

Better late than later

Just got back a month ago from a long-delayed trip to Boracay. It was fun, albeit short because we have jobs and responsiblities we have to get back to..ho-hum... Next time, I promised myself I'll be staying longer, like a week? yeah right...that will be the day...

While we were there, we met up with my sister's household helps who went home to their hometown for a vacation. They were just a tricycle and a boat ride away, and it was their firat time in Bora! Unbelievable!

Boracay is great as usual..., crystal blue water, white powdery sand amazing weather, and great food. Especially the food! I had the most delicious roasted garlic and prawns pasta in CYMA at D'Mall. Good thing they also have a branch here in Manila, at Shang. I plan to check it out soon! Yum! There's also the Hawaiian Barbeque, A japanese resto which unfortunately I forgot the name, and the usual buffet places in the island. Plus there's also the old reliable Binalot and Andok's if you want the familiar. What I was pleasantly surprised to find out was service in boracay is very good. Anywhere you go.

And of course, you can't leave Boracay without experiencing the whole body massage by the beach from the manangs. Ahh..heaven!

LOLA?!?!

Dont' look now, But I already have 4 grandchildren! That's by way of my nieces and nephew of course. I have yet to have one of my own and already..I'm a lola!? I'm not complaining though...I love them to bits..including my other nephews and nieces. Here I am with one of them..pretty, pretty Dani.Her sister Francine, refuses to have her picture taken, she clung to her real lola, my eldest sister. She's a real cutie though, with her long curly hair and cute button nose. But Dani, she's the sweetest, the most mild-mannered-girl you'll ever know... One day, she'll grow up to be one fine lady, I should know...who does she have for a lola?! Mwahahaha!!

August 1

Following Mano's lead...

Three neat facts which happesned on this day:

1.1774-The element Oxygen is discovered by Carl Wilhelm and Joseph Priestly.

2. 1944- Anne Frank makes the last entry in her diary.

3. 1981- MTV's first broadcast. The first video played was "video killed the radio star"

Two births

1. 1936- Yves Saint Lauren- French fashion designer

2. 1965- Sam Mendes- British stage and film director (Kate Winslet's better half, I believe...)

One death

1. 2005- King Fahd of Saudi Arabia

Tagged!

Four jobs I've had in my Life
1. Err...I've only had one job. I've been an optometrist for half my life now.

Four films I can watch over and over
1. The Last Emperor
2. May Minamahal
3. Love Story
4. The Breakfast Club

Four places I have lived
1. Err...again, I've only lived in good old Tondo all my life

Four TV programs I love to watch
1. FRIENDS
2. Sex and the City
3. LOST
4. House

Four place I'd love to visit if I have the money

1. New York
2. Austria (the hills are aliiive.....)
3. Angkor Wat in Cambodia
4. Italy

Four websites I visit daily

1. Friends and relatives blogs
2. Eonline
3. Pinoyexchange.com
4. yahoo

Four of my favorite food
1. Pizza
2. Lumpiang Ubod
3. Holy kettle corn
4. Chicken Inasal

Four places I would rather be
1. Boaracay
2. New York ( i miss my sister)
3. Hong Kong
4. the mall (shopping!)

Fire alert

It's the most horrible experience ever. One I wouldn't wish even on my own enemies. March is known as Fire-Prevention Month, but ironically, most fires occur during that time. It was a very close call, and thank God we were spared. The house behind ours, (on the next street parallel to ours) burned up March 4, around 1 am. Two people died in what they say was a case of arson. I can't describe the feeling, of opening the window, looking out and seeing these huge tounges of flame. It looked like it was already licking the back of my brother's house. I ran around not knowing what to do. I tried calling 166, and guess what, nobody was answering the call. So much for our government's efficiency huh? I ran to my sister's house nearby, banged on their gate and told them about the fire. It never occured to me to save anything. All I could think about was saving our house. My sister in-law had to shout at me to get my car out of the garage. I couldn't even remember where i put my keys. I was crying and out of breath from all that running. We all went out of the house and by the time i came back, there were already firetrucks in front of our house. I was still crying and praying, please, please Lord, help us. After about 30 tension-filled minutes, they have managed to kill the fire. But not after 1 person died, and 1 was critically injured. Later, that person died too.
Now, I'm afraid to go to sleep at night. It seems I'm always on guard, afraid that if i fall into deep sleep, I might not know if anything happens. Prayers calm me down though. I can never thank the Lord enough for looking after us.
So, be wary, and be very careful.

Ho-hum

I am so lazy.

It seems I have no energy for anything these days. Maybe it's this blasted diet pills I'm taking. They make me want to snooze all day. Diet pills...hehehe...Can you tell I'm getting desperate here? And it doesn't help that one of my dearest friends have been bugging me to go to Boracay next weekend. Ulk! I am sooo not ready for bikini season!

Though it would be fun to go to the beach again. I miss my back-packing days. That's how I learned to travel light. For local travels I can get by with one medium sized backpack. Save all those heavy luggage for trips abroad. Even my boyfriend is amazed. Who wants to drag around things that aren't really necessary? I'm low-maintenance when it comes to that. Well, only that. Ha!

Take a deep breath...

By now i should have gotten used to this. But I just can't. I'm sorry I'm only human...but GRRRRR!!

I know most of them mean well, and some are just plain nosy, but why do some people think the key to one's happiness is getting married? and having kids for that matter. Someone even said, "Oh poor you! What will happen to you when you get old! And you're like...how old now?"
Ugh.

I just stood there with this plastered smile on my face when what I wanted to do was slap her. It's like the world's greatest mystery why I'm not married yet.

This afternoon, another patient of mine asked me again the $64,000 question and then read my palm to see if I'll get married in the future! Of course I can't be rude to her coz she's my patient. She even asked if anyone is courting me, I just said yes and didn't tell her anymore that I have a boyfiend..blah, blah, because I wanted to end the conversation right then, but NOOOO she added that most guys who like me are either a) widowers b) married c) annuled because it is WRITTEN there in my palms. I swear, I had to grit my teeth and take deep breaths to control myself.

I'm really running out of answers to that question. I've tried polite, rude, witty, silly answers to no avail, the question just keeps popping up.

Good thing my family and close friends never put me in such a position. They never questioned me about my choices in life, and are very supportive about it. Although I honestly think that they sometimes worry about it.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to get married someday, but it's my business when it's going to be. and of course my husband-to-be's. Whoever he may be.

Is it December yet?

I saw an old "friend" while strolling along Podium last Sunday. The last time I saw him was more than 3 years go, and before that, more than 10 years ago. He's one of those that would fall under the "what could have been" category , if you know what I mean. Funny, after years of wishing, and hoping and dreaming I'd run into him again, when it happened, it was like...wala lang. I almost didn't recognize him. He greeted me first and it took me a couple of seconds to respond. He was with his wife and I was with SO (who was at the gym at the time so he was not able to meet him). He said he'd keep in touch. We still have each other's cellphone numbers. I never erased him from my phonebook.

I had dinner with SO's family last night. It was his parents wedding anniversary. I didn't see them for more than a year. I was kinda feeling my way around them again, more like meet
the'rents part two. I'm sure they were aware of what happened last year, but tactfully didn't ask questions about it. His folks are nice people. Specially his mom. I hope he could be more like her.

When will it start getting cold? This is not December weather. I have unearthed all my jackets and they are al waiting to be worn. Plus a couple I recently bought...Hee..

Our house is devoid of any Christmas trimmings. I refuse to put up a tree or put up lights on the terrace because doing so would mean I'd be the one to take them off after the holidays are over. NOT. It's times like these that I miss having a maid around. But I must. stand. by. my. Decision. Now I have nowhere to put my Christmas gifts.

Shopaholics Anonymous

I tried to stop, but I just can't. I have a serious shopping problem, sometimes I think it's not funny anymore. Just this afternoon, I was at Zara over in Rockwell and it took all of my almost non-existent self-control not to buy this most gorgeous pair of boots. It's slouchy, black suede with the zipper at the back. And just what like Monica said in Friends, "It's a great investment because it goes well with everything!" But sadly, I had to let it go. Because aside from the fact that I can't wear it often here in, hello, Manila, I'm afraid it's going to "kill me! One toe at a time!"

I still bought a skirt anyway. Haha! It's on sale, what can I say?
But seriously, I really have to stop, or I'll shop myself poor one day.
I think I do it just to relieve the loneliness I feel most of the time. Oh well, excuses, excuses. Hee..
It really does make me happy, for a time. Until I get my credit card bills. Blech.

I think I'm in the wrong career. I would love, love, love to be a fasion buyer or a professional shopper. But it would be too late to switch now, anyway.

For now I'll try my best to stop. Good luck to me.

I still haven't found the perfect pair of jeans though.

Lonely, I try not to be

I'm really having a hard time getting into the spirit of the season.
Well, for starters, the weather ain't much help. I can't remember a December this warm! It feels like its summer. Are we in Australia or somewhere?
The past few years, I've never been really happy come Christmas season. It all started when my mother died, then my father got very sick, then died a couple of years later. Honestly, it depresses the heck out of me. I associate Christmas with all the stress that comes with it--the traffic, the frenetic shopping, the gastos and whatnot. And then, there's the loneliness. I know I'm not really alone, I have my sibs and my friends and my SO, but I just feel so LONELY come Christmas time.
Last year was one of the worst. I was even sick Christmas day.
I keep thinking about the past Christmas, when I was young. How my sisters used to tell me to sleep early Christmas eve so I would be awake during noche buena to open my gifts. Of course I could hardly keep my eyes shut, always on the lookout for someone who would stuff my socks with the things I wished for. I remember getting so mad at someone, I think it was an aunt, who told my 4-yr-old self that it was actually my eldest sister who stuffed my socks with toys and candies. Oh, how I hated that aunt then!
And then my family's noisy, happy noche buena.
I miss my mother, and how she would be happy with all the gifts she'd receive. She's the sweetest person you'd ever give a gift to. Big or small, cheap or expensive, she'd treasure them all.
I miss my father, who's the exact opposite of my mother. He'd closely examine every gift, and sometimes would scoff and say, "hmm..hindi naman original!" Hahaha! But of course he was only kidding when he'd say that.
Times were simpler then.
I honestly don't know what would make me happy.
But I treasure all my blessings, big or small. God has always been good to me.
If only for that, I'd try my darndest best to be happy this Christmas time.

I love you all, you know who you are.

hello

hello...
hello...

aherm...hi, im aileen and i'm new at this. my friends have tried to convince me for the longest time. i was hesitant at first, being the moron that i am about anything that's related to the pc. my pc's sole purpose is for emailing and chatting with friends from time to time. plus reading other people's journals...hehehe...i know, it's such a guilty pleasure. And, what will i write about? i'm one of those people who has the blah-est life you'll ever know.

as for my blog's title, that's just how i feel these days....sad but true.

anyhoo, i just hope i can make this blogging thing work. in my younger years, i've always tried maintaining a journal, only to forget about it after a few months. i could just show you my past diaries, not one of them lasted a year.

maybe it will work this time...hmm?