Jones Posting :)

Suddenly Homesickness strikes me. Or is this just stress from being an adult?

2007-05-06T00:54:00.000-05:00

After all those months. After all those months that I thought I finally feel "settled", homesickness suddenly strikes. The funny thing is, I just came back from shopping! My favorite sport. And just as I sat down, this ugly feeling came creeping in.

I don't know if it really is homesickness or if I just miss all the good times I've had in the past. Dang it, why did I ever look at all those pictures of a younger me. I miss going out with friends, I miss having fun on weekends.

I hate having to worry about bills, I hate doing laundry on a Saturday morning, I hate having to think about what I'll prepare for tonight's dinner, I hate worrying about adult stuff. Sure, I have way much purchasing power right now, but why do I miss those times when I have to beg my parents money to buy the most ridiculous thing that's the latest craze in school?

I just feel like getting away right now. It was so easy back in the days. I just call up a couple of my closest buds, and we just hop in a car and drive to the nearest place that makes us happy.
I miss them good ol' days. I miss those 2 and half month long summer vacations. I miss going to school knowing that no matter how many times I flunk a test, my friends and I will still have a good time "sa tambayan".

I miss them good ol' days. :)

Da Bears. Blame it on the rain.

2007-02-06T11:20:00.001-06:00

It has been 2 days since that awful Super Bowl loss, but the pain is still there. I came to work yesterday and people were just ......sad. The complete opposite of how the whole of Chi-town was 2 weeks before the Super Bowl. The bitter cold that weekend was bad enough here in Chicago. But I guess the -9 degrees farenheit temperature with the -22 degrees farenheit wind chill was there to numb bears fans' pain.

I've had this ugly feeling days before the Super Bowl that I have been trying to shrug off. I've became extra superstitious in hopes that that can actually help The Bears. But the moment they won the coin toss, I knew that was it. From what I recall during the season, they didn't win coin tosses (except maybe for the game against the saints and a few more) but they won the games.

Devin Hester's touchdown was amazing! I think that was the first and last time I jumped off my seat during the game. The start was awesome for the bears and that's when I started to have what felt like a bad case of indigestion. The Bears did a lot better when they do bad in the first half!

You can't blame it all on Rex. Really. Defense wasn't as strong as they should have been. Sure there were plenty of times that I wanted to throw my food at the tv for those moronic things that Rex did but I can't say I'm mad at him. If anything, I feel sorry. I feel his pain. Of course he wanted to win. He's wishing he did better. He had that look on his face (during the game) that makes me just want to give him a (bear) hug.

Rex isn't that bad. He had good days and he had nasty ones. The Bears did make it to the Superbowl so we should be thankful for that. He's relatively a "new" quaterback as compared to Manning. He has been injured in the last seasons, and now that he's not, I think he did ok. I guess in Miami it was just Manning's time. He got the Super Bowl that he deserved. I guess Bears fans are just hungry for another 1985 Bears Team.

Would it have been different if Miami had a dome? If it didn't rain? If Rex didn't trip and held that darn ball like it was covered with grease?

Here in Chicago, there are polls left and right on whether Rex Grossman should be kept as The Bears' Quarterback. Darn right he should still be the starting quarterback! Seriously, I pray that they keep the team as it is. They have a great team!

Rex Grossman is a humble guy who's eager to learn and he knows he has a lot to learn. With a little more experience and practice, he's going to make it. The Bears are going to make it. I guess the season was fun. The fans had a blast painting the whole of Chi-town blue and orange. We just have to keep the faith. The Bears will be back. The Bears will be back! :)

Blog Revisited

2006-11-17T23:41:00.000-06:00

I'm baaaaack! :)

Wow, it has been more than a year since I last wrote on my blog. Meaning, it has been that long since I last had the leisure to sit still for a while to blog. Reading my previous posts made me look back. I can't believe how different my life is right now compared to how it was in my previous entries. Hmmmm... what do I write about now? I can't list all the changes that took place. Where do I start? So much has happened and at the same time, so many things did not.

To fill in the gap, here are the things that kept me busy while I was away from my blog:

- I'm working now. Been working for more than a year in a hospital (I can't believe I survived that long!). Yes, I have rejoined the work force! Gone are the days when I can just lay in one place for hours doing doing absolutely nothing. So from being this shopping-crazy unemployed gal I've become a shopping-crazy employed individual. :). Wow, what an achievement.

- I have moved about 3 times since my last entry, and I will be moving AGAIN in a few weeks. :). My life is just funny. During the first 26 years of my existence, I have never moved. I practically grew up in the same house for 26 years. I finally made my big move when I was 26, and from then on, I have just been living out of a suit case almost. :). Pack, unpack, or partially unpack, and then pack again, and then move for the nth time.

Moving, and travelling is fun, don't get me wrong. But I just wish I can reach that point where I can stay in one place for a while so I can let my roots grow out again. :)

Well, that's it for now. One thing I forgot to mention is that I now have developed an allergy to too much thinking. :)

I Want To Buy This and That :)

2005-08-27T00:48:00.000-05:00

Ok. *Cracking my knuckles*

It has been more than a month since I last updated my blog. Now that my head has been overflooded (redundant?) with thoughts, I guess it's just about time to let it all spill.

This afternoon, since Brian got home early, we decided to watch a movie. We saw "The 40 Year Old Virgin". The start was funny. But after an hour I found myself not laughing that much anymore.

We then ate at Pizza Hut for dinner. It has been a long time since I last ate at Pizza Hut, so it was nice to have their pizza again. After dinner, we decided to go to the mall across the street, where we spent most of our time at Best Buy.

Ah, Best Buy...... They wouldn't call Best Buy "Best Buy" for nothing. I love that place. Entering the store makes me wish I have tons of money to buy plasma tv, digital cameras, the baddest sound system, tablet PCs, GPS for my imaginary car.... heck, I would buy the entire store!

I wanted to go there to check out the VCR recorders ----- which I desperately need since WB decided to air Smallville on the same timeslot as The OC. Then I later found myself drifting to the Flatscreen TV section. "Ahhhh, nice. I wonder which of you guys (talking to the different flatscreen tvs) will be my very own first tv?". Ayan start na ng daydream. And what goes with a nice tv? A good DVD player, so off to the DVD section I went. And what goes with a good DVD player? The ultimate stereo system (speakers)! And what goes with the stereo system...... Ok, earth to Joni.

It was funny that Brian and I even had a little argument because of my daydreaming. He scolded me for toying with the idea of getting those little flat screen tvs as my first tv. I should be saving the money for something else daw. Saving it to pay for my rent, electricity, car payment, etc....... But I am just in the daydreaming phase of it all. I don't have the money yet so I can't look around the store through a practical buyer's eyes.

But I can't blame him for worrying though. I'm notorious for spending money like there's no tomorrow. I admit, I'm not careful with cash, I'm an impulse buyer, and I usually turn to shopping to find "tranquilitiy".

I told him not to worry, because if and when I start working and I have to shed my own blood and tears to earn money, I'm pretty sure, letting go of hard earned money won't be easy. "Let me daydream now before the time comes when I barely even have the time to daydream with all the worrying I have to do because of all the bills that would come pouring in my mailbox." :)

I'm sure when "real life" sets in, when the actual bills land on my hands, I would even hesitate to set foot on that store for fear that I might spend "hard earned money" on something I shouldn't be buying at the moment.

Though we left the store empty handed (Ok, except for Brian's NBA Live game for his XBOX), we had fun that night. The last time I remember being in a store for more than an hour and leaving it happy inspite of not making a single purchase, was when Trixie, Zachi, and I spent an hour and a half at Toy Kingdom (Megamall) looking around and playing with the toys on display ---- and that was after graduating from highschool. :)

Bummer

2005-07-11T14:47:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday, Brian subscribed to this online video game rental thing called Gamefly. Pick whatever video game title you want and they will ship it to you in 2 days (read: 2 days daw). Pretty much like Netflix for video games.

Anyways, so since that Wednesday night, I have been waiting for these two video games we rented. Brian got the Fantastic 4 game while I got the Crash Twinsanity game. I know it might sound too juvenile, but I am a huge Crash Bandicoot fan.

We expected the game to arrive either Friday or Saturday. Since it STILL was not in the mailbox last Saturday, I expected it to arrive today. I pretty much planned my whole Monday and I have reserved the whole afternoon to playing Crash Bandicoot. I did the laundry this morning. I even handwashed all the handwashables so I will have the whole afternoon free from chores. :)

At about 12 noon, I ran to the lobby to check the mailbox. Surprise, surprise, I caught the mailman distributing mail to all the mailboxes in the lobby. Yes! I almost ran an hugged him in joy. "Hi! Do you have mail for 412C? If you do, I could take them so you don't have to drop them there." I said, with a huge grin on my face. Then he said he think he does but they're in the pile so I have to wait a few minutes.

I grabbed a copy of the news ads to kill time. A few minutes after, I finally got the mail! It's here! I almost ran upstairs and started to open the Gamefly mail. There was only one envelope so I figured they must've place both games inside.

Bummer! The Crash Bandicoot game was not there! Rats! I was soooooo disappointed. Brian came home to have lunch and I can't erase the gloomy expression on my face. I know it's just a crummy video game but I felt like a child who didn't receive his favorite toy on his birthday when he was promised one.

Yes Gamefly, you said two friggin days!!!!! It has been 5 days and one of the video games is still not here. Sigh.

I decided to cheer myself up by buying siomai/potstickers at this Thai place just around the block. I was already calling the restaurant to order those potstickers when I noticed on their flyer that they are closed on Mondays. Bummer again!

Two whammies in one day! No Crash Bandicoot video game, no siomai either????? I can't believe this. No game, and no food to console me either. Dang, I knew I should've bought those chocolates last night. :)

I hope the game will arrive tomorrow. This is what I hate about myself. When I have set my mind on doing something and it doesn't happen, I drown in disappointment. No matter how big or small it is.

I guess today is a chore day afterall. I might as well clean around and do something more productive this afternoon. :)

Taste of Chicago

2005-07-03T22:56:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we went downtown to the "Taste of Chicago" festival thing. Brian and I took the "L" (train) to meet Mabby and Nel in Downtown. "Taste of Chicago" is an anual food and music festival held in Downtown near the lake. Some of the restaurants found in the city would put up little booths where people can buy food of all sorts, hence the name "Taste of Chicago". So imagine a collection of 65 restaurant booths, more than a hundred thousand people, and little and big concerts all in one place. Doesn't that sound fun? :)

Click , here to read more about Taste of Chicago.

Just the mere sound of the name of the festival makes a foodlover like me weak in the knees. I have been secretly wanting to go to this thing eversince Brian told me about it. Hehehe. I imagined myself hopping from one booth to another, chomping on almost every food I can stuff in my mouth! Isn't that heaven???? :)

But what supposed to be a taste of Chicago turned into "Smell of Chicago". Why? There were tooooooo many people at the festival! The place was so crowded that it was too difficult to booth hop and eat. It was pretty much like EDSA during the People Power. No kidding. EDSA Revolution with white, black, brown, and yellow people, that is. :)

Bummer! I was so looking forward to tasting everything! Hehehe.

Santana was having a concert that afternoon so we thought we could skip the food (as if we had any choice) and just enjoy the music. The concert was free but since it was a first-come-first-served thing, the concert area was too full that they would not let us in. Bummer again.

I could see people walk pass by me with little white plates filled with pizza, cheesecake, grilled burgers, chips..... I was so hungry that I was tempted to just grab other people's food as they walk by. They won't notice anyway since we were packed like sardines. I could easily reach over the plate of the person beside me, grab a chip or two, an pop them in my mouth. I'll be moving again with the crowd before he can notice he's missing a few chips on his plate. Hehehe. :)

Anyways, since we were all hungry, we just went to a real restaurant instead to eat a real meal. We had dinner at Italian Village. Nice little place! Food was awesome too! The manager was also very friendly. He kept on unexpectedly popping at our table several times during our dinner (he reminds me so much of the butler in Mr. Deeds). When he found out we were all Filipino (I was guessing he is Italian), he started to tell us about his son (was it his son, or nephew?) who married a Filipina etc....... then a few minutes after that, he showed up at our table again and started to ask about Filipino cooking... :)

After our nice little dinner we had coffee at Caffe Baci.

That's it for me. I'm pretty exhausted with all the walking and eating we did today. Exhausted but happy. :)

Nice little surprise at the drive-thru

2005-06-27T20:36:00.000-05:00

I remember this certain incident that happened when we were in Michigan last, last weekend. On our way to Cedar Point, we decided to grab something to eat at the McDonald's drive thru. We were hoping to still catch the breakfast menu that time. I was craving for the breakfast burito, while Nel and Brian were craving for some McGriddle sandwiches, (I forgot what Mabby wanted). But Erwin put our breakfast meal cravings to a halt when he pointed out that is was already 10:41 am, past the McDonald's breakfast time na raw.

"Darn!", we said. Anyways, we stared at the menu and tried to choose something else. I settled for the Chicken McGrill sandwich while the others decided on........ I forgot what, since I was too hungry that time to remember anything else.

So at the next window we ordered using the meal numbers we memorized. "2 number 3's, one number 8, .......".

When we got our orders in the last window, we were surprised to see hash browns. Hash browns???? They ran out of fries for the regular menu?

Nyak...... it was still breakfast! We ordered from the breakfast menu! Since we used numbers, we have no idea what breakfast meal we actually got.

To our amazement, we got 2 McGriddle sandwhiches, 1 breakfast burito meal, and another McMuffin meal. Those were the things we wanted in the first place! Amazing! We ended up getting what we have been really craving for. Now isn't that a nice surprise? God heard our little wishes and gave us our favorite meals. :)

Our Michigan-Ohio Weekend

2005-06-21T09:07:00.000-05:00

Last Friday night Nel, Mabby, Brian, and I took a long drive to Erwin's place in Michigan. Well, we knew what long drive means, but we didn't expect the usual 4-5 hour drive to Michigan to turn into an 8 hour drive! We got caught in traffic because of a rerouting (we never knew why they closed a huge part of the freeway/I-94). We left Chicago at around 8 pm (Central time) and reached Michigan at 4 am (Eastern time)!

A few winks after, we had to wake-up and prepare for a whole day of rollercoaster riding. Yeah!

Rizsa, Julie, and her boyfriend, Clint, drove to Erwin's place and then off to Cedar Point, Ohio we went. Woohoo!

Our first ride, the "Raptor". "An inverted roller coaster, Raptor has seats similar to ski lift chairs, suspended below its inverted track. Riders see nothing but the sky and track above them, and nothing but their dangling feet below -just a few feet above the ground! Raptor passengers also tumble head over heels six times!" (taken from the Cedar Point Website).

And for the ultimate drop, Millenneum Force. I'm a drop and speed junkie, so this was one of the best for me. A vertical drop of 300 feet at an 80 degree angle, and with the speed of approximately 93 mph...... awesome! :)

Just look at that drop! :)

And the best of them all........ The 420-foot-tall, 120-mph Top Thrill Dragster "Strata-coaster"!

This ride was just...... Wow! Imagine being launched at a speed of 120mph in less than 4 seconds, then climbing 420 feet at a 90 degree angle, and before you can even give out another scream, you drop 400 feet at a 90 degree angle at the speed of 120 mph...... and best of all, you drop face down! Whew! It was definitely exhilirating. :)

Oh no! I AM a shopaholic!

2005-06-14T08:23:00.000-05:00

I am currently reading "Confessions of a Shopaholic" by Sophie Kinsella. It felt like reading a biography of myself! I am Becky Bloomwood!

I'm not saying "I am a shopaholic" beaming with pride as if I'm telling the world I have been crowned a beauty queen. No. I'm saying "I am a shopaholic" with fear and worry --- shopaholic, as in a disorder of some sorts. Some people wear "shopaholic" on their shirts as if it were a badge of valor or something. Ok, I was/am one of those people. I really like to shop. But upon reading this book..... and seeing how silly Becky Bloomwood can be with all her ridiculous spendings ---- it was like frowning upon my own self!

I run to a store with huge sale banners plastered on their display window. The attraction is like that of a moth to a flame. I go crazy on sales. I say, "it's on sale.... so that means I am practically saving money!". Yeah, that's how Becky Bloomwood would put it too. Then last night I was thinking, if I buy things on sale, why does it feel like I am not saving money at all? In fact, I feel more "broke" more than ever.

Duh! It's because I am still spending. If I really want to save, I should stop spending period. Put all shopping sprees to a screeching halt. Stay away from the stores..... sales most especially. Sales. That does the most damage. We tend to buy things we don't "actually NEED" during a sale.

The thing is, there is a fine line that seperates a need from a want. It's not that hard to "confuse" a want from a need.... specially for a shopaholic.

Excerpt from the book:
"Frugality. Simplicity. These are my new watchwords. A new, uncluttered, Zen-like life, in which I spend nothing. I mean when you think about it, how much money do we all waste everyday? No wonder I'm in a little bit of a debt. And really, it's not my fault. I've merely been succumbing to the Western drag of materialism --- which you have to have the strength of elephants to resist. At least, that's what it says in my new book........"

Like in my lastest spending spree, Brian's mom and sister were going to this Outlet Mall in Huntley. Since I wanted to go back to that outlet to get those denim shorts I should've gotten the last time, I decided to tag along.

One measely denim shorts from Gap. That's all I'm buying. It was on sale at 40% off the last time, so that means it'll be around $12. $12 that's it, I kept on telling my self on our way to the Outlet.

When we got there, the shorts was still on sale but for 30% off only. I decided to get it anyway since it's still cheaper than the other denim shorts I see at the malls. But then there was this 50% off sale on these cute little Smocked Tunics. I got that too though I promised myself not to get another top since I have so many summery tops already! Dang, I just could not resist the sale.

In short, I ended up spening a little more than $40 that day. I got 2 books from the Borders Outlet, and these cute bedroom slippers from Aeropostale. Great, and I promised myself a $12 budget for that day!

See what I mean???? It's a silly addiction already! I spend till I squeez 'em wallets dry. It's not something I should be proud of, I know. Sigh...... Usually, after feeling guilty for the all the spending I've done, I suddenly cram and get into a money-saving program I device for myself. But that lasts for a short while because when I see I have already saved quite a sum, I go spending again. It's like 1 step forward and 2 steps back.

Well.... I guess it all boils down to self-control. Discipline. Sacrifice. And as a last resort..... I could just ask someone to hand cuff me to a pole to stop me from going to the mall. :)

Spike :)

2005-06-03T12:42:00.000-05:00

"Yes hello, Animal Control? Uhm, I would like to report a cat that has been occupying my bed......"

"..... Yes, he refuses to move, and he's just there sprawled over the bed..."

"Gasp! Animal Control!!!!"

"Oh well, it'll take them a few minutes to get here.... That'll give me time to sleep some more...."

"Don't dare touch me kid! I'm bigger.....errr... heavier than you!"

Awwwww.....Look at Brian and Spike sharing a bed. Guess who got more space? :)

Busy Bee

2005-05-24T08:28:00.000-05:00

I haven't updated my blog for like days now. It's funny that when I have so much to write, and so much to talk about, I don't seem to have the luxury of time to write here.

Well, at least this cat is not busy. :)

Since Brian's sister is in town, we've been going here and there, doing a little shopping and doing a lot of eating. Fortunately, we got to squeeze in Episode III last Saturday night. For me that was the best Star Wars ever! Don't you think so? Then last Sunday was Julia's baptism.

Baby Julia. Isn't she so cute? :)

Little photo session in the car after the baptism. :)

Also, for the past two weeks I have been running to the tv every night in an effort to catch the season finale of my favorite shows. Dinner (and all the other chores) has to be planned around these tv shows (Ooops! Commercial, I can wash the dishes now! Hehehe.)

So far, I've seen the Smallville season finale last, last week (a bit disappointing though), The OC last week, I missed the 2 hour season finale of CSI (Rats! And it was directed by Quentin Tarantino too!), and last night's 24 season finale was the bomb. :) The last in line is the season finale of House M.D. tonight.

I say 24's season finale was the bomb not because of how the whole nuclear war head thing was resolved. If you ask me, the climax was cut just like that, when they "disarmed" the nuclear war head thing. What excited me was the little preview of the next season that they gave. Makes me go "Ohhhh.... I can't wait to see what happens next!!!!!". But I have to wait till next year to find out. :)

Ok, need to go back to my little "job". All this backlog is stressing me out. :)

To Run And Hide

2005-05-20T20:24:00.000-05:00

Have you ever experienced those times when you just want to crawl into the tiniest crevice you can find, to be invisible, and just stay there to cry all day?

Have you ever had those times when all you want to do is lay on your bed and just stare up the ceiling but you just can't, because you are literally thousands of miles away from the comforts of your own room?

What do you do when you are at an unfamiliar place and you just want to run like a coward and cry like a little child? I feel obliged to swallow my own tears until I feel a lump the size of a basketball growing inside my throat. I feel the need to walk around people, with a forced smile plastered on my face --- to act normal, as if everything is ok.

This is one of those times when I wish I could just click my heels and say "There's no place like home..... there's no place like home....", and then find myself sprawled on my own bed the next minute, having the freedom to soil my sheets with my own tears.

This feeling of not having a safe place to hide at is almost like running around your neighborhood naked ---- the feeling of being exposed and vulnerable. I have no choice but to hide every ugly feeling that's gnawing at my core ---- to hide it in my pockets, or in any part of my body. To hide it good so I can trick my self into thinking that I don't need to retreat to my place of solace, my room, to feel free and safe.

"Kitty Porn"

2005-05-14T23:57:00.000-05:00

Here are some "seductive" pictures of Spike. (The Title used above is actually made-up by Brian's sister.). :)

Spike's Shoe Fetish

Spike, are you trying to seduce other cats with that pose?

Slurp, slurp, slurp. Camera loves you, Spike!

Meeeeeooooowwwww...... That's a wrap Spike. Good shots! :)

Friday the 13th...... Bad hair cut day!!!!!

2005-05-13T23:03:00.000-05:00

Today, I told myself I was finally going to get a haircut. All was set. Then Brian called.

Joni: "Magpapahaircut ako later."
Brian: "Ok, ingat ka. It's friday the 13th nga pala ngayon."
Joni: "Ha? Nyek, ayaw ko na magpagupit! (I'm OC, I sometimes get superstitious)"
Brian: "Ok lang yan. Have your haircut. :)"
Joni: "But...... Ok, I'll think about it (mumbling, and groaning)."

A few hours later........

I now have THE WORST haircut I've ever had in my whole life! It was so bad that I was on the verge of tears. I used to think that people who cry when they get a nasty haircut is a little bit OA..... that was until this mini-mullet happened to me.

I think now is the appropriate time to ask me that haircut question...... "Buhay pa ba yung gumupit sa iyo?". I know that is usually meant as a joke, but in my case..... That question can be taken seriously. :)

It's gross. I said to the stylist, "Just up to my shoulders, lots of layers, but still sort of like a bob". Was that a lousy description? Now, I look like Tina Turner! It looks like a little mullet!

Just yesterday I was feeling like an ugly duck(ling), and now I have a haircut to complete the look.

The nasty haircut (it may not look as bad in the pictures, but believe me, it's gross.):

No amount of "pacute" would actually improve the haircut, but oh well.....

Short hair does not flatter me at all. Do I look like J.A.S. (Clue: an actress. My friends and some of my old college classmates know who I'm talking about. Want to guess? Hehehe.) with this hair?????? :)

Friends Episode 23 Season 9

2005-05-12T13:06:00.000-05:00

Mike: Phoebe, will you marry me?

Phoebe: (smiles at him happily for a few seconds before answering) No!

Mike: Uhm... Ha ha!

Phoebe: I love you. But I never needed a proposal from you. I just needed to know that we were headed somewhere, you know, that we had a future.

And I say AMEN to that Pheobe! Those are my words, those are my words.... That's exactly what I want to say. :)

Bulging Wake-up Call

2005-05-12T10:28:00.000-05:00

I've been in a slump since I stepped on the weighing scale yesterday. Who wouldn't? I almost fainted when I saw that I tipped the scale at 135 lbs (add bloating to that). Waaaaahhhh! I'm starting to worry big time because I have gained a total of almost 12-15 lbs since I left Manila last September. Ever since I started college (1996) till last year, my weight has always been between around 116-120lbs (highest was probably 125lbs). I left Manila last year weighing 118 lbs.

I've been known to be a notorious eater by almost everyone. I go crazy at any buffet table (or any dining table for that matter)Everyone who knows me knows that I stuff my face with food almost every hour and still manage to somehow "maintain" my weight --- either because of my metabolism that keeps up with my eating habits or because of the anaconda that has been residing in stomach.

I have never changed my eating habits since I left Manila. I would simply die if I did. I guess the lack of activity and the cooler weather in North America (I barely sweat in a day) contributed A LOT to the unwanted adipose being deposited all over my body.

It doesn't help that Brian seems to be losing weight everyday, while the opposite is happening to me. If only I can transfer all this fat to him, that would make us both happy. :)

Don't you have those days when you feel absolutely ugly? This is that day for me. I get a lot of comments from people who are "shocked" at my weight gain. Even my own boyfriend jokes about my weight.

He has always been teasing me about my monstrous appetite (so does the other people I know). I can laugh at all the teasing before (in fact, I joke about it myself) because I don't I feel anything when people comment about my appetite. But now, ha-ha-ha..... As in dry laugh. The comments are starting to hurt because they are becoming more real each day (truth hurts huh?). I still laugh sometimes, but more often than not, I don't see the humor in it anymore (there is nothing funny about cellulite!). I feel absolutely fat today..... and...... I will knock the living daylights out of anyone who dares to remind me of my current weight problem!

And I'm also talking to you, WEIGHING SCALE! I don't want to see no "ugly numbers" flashing when I step on you! Hahaha, I sound like a psycho. This weight stuff is depressing....... I need to eat something......(Oh, so there's the real problem.) :)

Sunday Morning and Sunday Afternoon . :)

2005-05-09T11:28:00.000-05:00

(This entry talks about my Sunday. I was too tired to write about it on the actual Sunday night.)

What a beautiful Sunday! Waking up to warmer weather was such a nice treat! I started the day with my usual morning rituals, then off we (Brian and I) went to hear mass and met up with Erwin inside the church.

I just have to say that the weather was so great! You can actually see the people outside enjoying it. Almost everyone had their car windows down, people in convertables enjoying the breeze, people were playing with their dogs in the park..... the weather was almost perfect. People were already wearing clothes that actually show some skin!

When I walked out the apartment lobby, I realized I was wearing brand new stuff from head to toe --- the only thing that wasn't new was my worn-out black bag. I bought a whole bunch of clothes and some shoes in anticipation for spring ---- which by reading my previous posts, you would see that it arrived a little later than expected. So when I found out we were having warm weather that day, I pulled some of my clothes out of their shopping bags and snipped all the tags off -- I was so thankful I can finally wear them! :)

After mass we decided to satisfy our hunger with a hearty lunch at one of the restaurants in Oak Park. It was such a fine sunny Sunday that day. (Blue sky, temperature in the 80's -- Yehey!) that I didn't mind walking around Oak Park in my 3 1/2" wedge heel shoes to find a resto with a good al fresco area (but of course! Al fresco is the way to go on a day like this!). Finally, we decided on Flat Top Grill. My first time (also Erwin's) to eat there and our friendly waiter was kind enough to walk us through the whole Mongolian thing --- a little more complicated than what I was used to in Manila.

Food was great. My first Mongolian concoction was a little too hot though. Why? I'm a huge oyster sauce fan so when I saw it on the buffet table, I poured more than usual. "Why is this oyster sauce red kaya?", I thought to myself. Checked the sign several signs, and it does say oyster sauce alright. "Oh well, that must be how it is here.".

A few bites into my meal, I swear, my nose started to run ...... my food was too spicy! Anghang talaga! It turned out that that red oyster sauce was a hot one. No wonder it was sitting there along with the different chili sauce(s). They should have placed a "VERY HOT Oyster sauce" sign right above it.

Anyways, I went back for seconds -- staying away from the hot oyster sauce this time.

iPod..... youPod.... wePod..... Hehehe :)

2005-05-09T00:27:00.000-05:00

Woohoo, Brian finally got one! He has a new little toy and though it is not mine, I'm just glad he has something to tinker with (and that goes for me too, hehehe.). I love playing and tinkering with those cute little gadgets. I would love to be a "techie" myself (since the gadgets out there just interests me.) but I would need a few more years to afford a real "techie lifestyle".

Have you ever wanted to try something, thinking that it is one of the best things in the world, and then when you finally get your hands on it you are just so disappointed? That's what I felt about the iPod. I don't know if it was just plain PMS that clouded all the excitement that I should have for that cute lil' thang, but ......

Probably I expected too much of the iPod. With all the hype about it, I expect it to virtually have no flaw at all.

First the software. We had some trouble importing some songs, converting, and transferring them. Probably because we just inserted the CD and just hoped to figure it all out as we go along --- hence the somewhat difficult time we had with the song transfer and all. I'm no techie moron and Brian is not either --- it's just the impatience and the tiredness we felt (after moving a dinning table and 4 chairs --- on foot!--- from his Aunts condo on the next building to where we are at, probably added extra stress to our already tiring day) that made figuring that darn thing out a bit more difficult. We just wanted to fill it up with songs already and just listen to it. Hehehe. :)

In fairness to the iPod, the sound was exellent! Crisp and nice --- just right, coming out from a tiny rectangular thing. But when we hooked it up to the stereo that Brian has, using the iCable...... Ngerk! The sound was not good at all. To think the stereo was a Bose for goodness sake! So he changed the cord placement a bit and the sound improved a little but still it was nothing compared to the orig sound that comes out of the Bose stereo. Hmmmmm...... That was disappointing. We just stared at the stereo with pure disappointment on our faces.

We did read some reviews the the available hook ups out there were not as good as people expected. And they were right.

What happened to the crisp sound? Sigh. So Brian has to return the cable and he (we) just have to be content with listening to it through earphones for a crisp sound.

Probably to get really superb sound, the iPod needs to be docked directly on those Bose Soundock Speakers. Well it should sound better than using those $30 cables -- those soundock speakers are a little pricey at $299.

Now that Brian has a new little toy to accessorize, it would now be easier for me to get him little gifts. Incase sleeves, chargers, remotes, iPod car stuff ---- those would be like "kikay stuff" for boys. Hehehe. :)

Game Over

2005-05-07T15:05:00.000-05:00

Bulls lost game 6 of the playoffs. I swear I thought I was going to have a heart attack while watching the game! Sigh...... they were so close. Oh well, it was good to reach the playoffs. Relive the dynasty some other time guys. Some other time. :)

Oprah and 7 Cheating Husbands

2005-05-05T10:00:00.000-05:00

Click here for the show

I have just finished watching the Oprah. Pretty interesting topic. Seven men all in one room, spilling it all out, with their wives listening in the backstage. While watching, I thought to myself that if I were in the backstage listening, most likely I would lash out and storm into that room where the men are and beat the heck out of each and everyone one of them. "That's for all the women in the world!", I would say. Headline na lang sa Manila, "Pinay, lost it during Oprah show.". Hehehe. :)

Seriously, I got paranoid watching Oprah. I mean, those men were married for several years (one guy was married for 15 years before he had an affair), and that happened. No one is spared!

I mean, the wives didn't see it coming. Some never expected it, some thought all is fine. It just made me realize it could happen to ANYONE. So, if you men out there dare say "Nope, never. Not to me.". Ha! That's is one big lie. Even the men in the show admitted that if they were asked a few months before the affair, if they would even consider entering one, they would say that they would never do it --- and yet there they are.

It's so hard to trust someone, isn't it? I mean, I'd like to say I trust Brian, but the truth is out there --- men could cheat. Giving your trust to your man won't do a darn thing to prevent it from happening. Even the most trusting wives get burned.

So how do you stop it? Most of the men on the show admitted that they never planned the affair. "It just happened". It happened with a co-worker (that's my greatest fear), with a woman working at his son's daycare (Goodness! Your son is an "instrument" to the affair?????). Another guy said he had 2 girlfriends, he married one of them, walked down the aisle and all that, then two days after the wedding, he still went to hook-up with his other girlfriend. I just shake my head in disbelief.

I feel the pain the wives are feeling. Any woman knows HOW PAINFFUL that is, so why are there girls/women out there willing to have an affair with a married man? Don't they know that if that happened to them, the pain they would go through is beyond words? WHY?????

I'm not perfect either. I don't want to think I am condemning the cheating parties, it's just that I don't understand it. The men said they love their wives. Then what happened???? Love is not enough? The men said the affair fed their egos, gave them a boost, made them feel wanted. That's selfish, if you ask me.

It's scary to know no one is saved from this. How on earth can you prevent it then? If there is a book out there that describes how to make a relationship fool-proof, like an owner's manual to a relationship, I would seriously read it several times, follow it to the letter ---- I would do ANYTHING to avoid this. But can I really avoid it? I'm just scared of the fact that no one can be spared.

Oprah even mentioned a book called "The Script: The 100% Absolutely Predictable Thing Men Do When They Cheat". A part of me wants to go out and buy it. But I'm afraid it would be like opening Pandora's Box. Paranoia would probably get the best of me. I'd be looking for clues everywhere, reading between his lines every second. I would be like Sherlock Holmes on crack!

The book sound interesting (truth is interesting). Here's what it's all about:

From The Publisher:
Is your husband or boyfriend "on script"?
Does he look at other cheating men disapprovingly and reassure you, "I would never do
that"?
Has he ever told you, in the heat of an argument, that "you should seea psychiatrist"?
Does he often get irritated and say, "I keep telling you to…" get a job/a gym membership/a degree?
If any of the above sounds familiar, be on your guard: Your husband may be following The Script. The Script: The 100% Absolutely Predictable Thing Men Do When They Cheat is a wake-up call to women everywhere. Statistics show that 35 percent of men cheat on their wives. Authors Elizabeth Landers and Vicky Mainzer contend that every one exhibits the same signs along the way.
In fact, they follow the same exact script. After interviewing over 100 people across the county, listening to hundreds of real-life stories of unfaithful husbands, they realized they were hearing the same things over and over again.
The script begins with a prelude. You see a friend leave his wife, and your husband promises "I'd never do that to you." Later—even years later—the curtain goes up. He starts to get distant…he starts hiding money…he gives you an unexpectedly expensive gift.
Don't be fooled: the script is underway. Like a screenplay for a movie you never wanted to see, The Script spells out what signs to look for, red flags you might not have noticed before, and how to turn the tide of disaster before it's too late.

Why can't everyone just be honest? I speak like I've been burned before. I
have. It teaches you to be on guard -- be paranoid even. There is some truth to the phrase "What you don't know won't hurt you.". But who wants to live in ignorance? Walking like a fool, not knowing there's something going on under your nose.

No one wants to be betrayed. But being on your toes every second is no way to live. What shoud be done then? All we can do now is to love, let go, and hope.

Love like you've never been hurt (love like you will never get hurt) -- that's a good way to love. Let go and surrender EVERYTHING to God. And hope that "we" can handle WHATEVER it is that would come our way --- and if we can't, let go and give it all to God. :)

Bulls lost. Boohoohoohoo.....

2005-05-04T21:14:00.000-05:00

Bulls lost game 5. Waaaaaaahhhhh!

Depressing. I don't watch that much basketball but I see to it I watch at least the second half of a bulls game. It's soooo sad. They almost had it. The wizards just had to shoot that ball in what...... the last 0.2 seconds?

Deafening silence followed after the last shot. Brian and I just stared at the tv in disbelief.... devastating loss.

Heartbreaking. Don't worry Hinrich, you still are the man! :)

Shopaholics Anonymous

2005-05-04T12:56:00.000-05:00

Things I need to keep in mind:

1. It is not how much you earn, but how much you save.
2. Salary - Savings = Expenses
3. Don't spend money you don't have (yet).

I was surfing Girltalk earlier and came across this thread with the title "Shop-a-holics, how do you budget your money while shopping?". Hmmmmm, interesting topic. So I opened it and got a few pointers. It was an interesting thread with inspirational anecdotes too. Some of the girls shared their horrific experiences with that tempting piece of plastic -- the credit card.

I never owned one in my entire life, and I'm glad too in a way. The previous job I had doesn't pay a lot so if I had one that time (or if ever an extension of my parent's), being the impulse buyer that I am, I would be in so much debt, I might even be forced to sell my own dog! Nnnnoooooooo! Sorry Keanna (my dog's name) I even entertained such a thought.

Am I a shopaholic already? I must admit, I LOVE shopping. The thrill and the rush of adrenaline I get with every purchase...... But how much is too much?

Everytime I have a little trip to the mall or to State Street or Michigan Ave, I come home (more often than not) with a little purchase. As I walk towards the apartment, my heart beats a little faster as I imagine Brian yelling, "Bumili ka na naman?????". So I hide my purchases until I can come up with a "speech" that I will give to Brian as I "present" my little purchases one by one --- sort of like to justify why this and that is indeed a "very good buy".

I'm bad with money. When I have it, my hand just itches to, I don't know.... spend it? Not that I have a lot. In fact I am just living on my "pocket money". But I know when to step on the brakes. Well, maybe sometimes a little too late.

Yesterday was my first time to visit the Forever 21 store at State Street. My gulay! I didn't know their store was that huge! 3 floors of the cutest and nicest (and relatively cheaper) clothes! One floor was even dedicated to nothing but clothes on sale. It was like how I felt when I "discovered" how nice a store H&M was -- I fell in love with their 3 storey store in Michigan Ave. The retail stores here in the US are enough to drive any woman crazy!

Anyways, shopping is a good distraction --- retail therapy, as they say. Ok, if I analyze it really, the reason I turn to shopping is probably because of some underlying issues that I may have. That's what Dr. Phil might say. I probably use it as a substitute for something I've been missing terribly. Like going out with friends (I miss all my friends back home), spending time with my family, homesickness perhaps? Yeah, I remember shopping with my mom back home. Doing it here sort of reminds me of that I guess. :)

So, I tell myself:
- Too much of anything is never good.
- Always "keep it real" when you enter the stores. (Do ya really need that thing?) :)

Another day in the windy city :)

2005-05-03T23:04:00.000-05:00

Yey! I had an excuse to go to downtown again. :)

I had to return this skirt and top to H&M. Ok, that's what I told Brian (and myself), but at the back of my head, the main reason is to do a little shopping and buy the latest Cosmo Style magazine. I get bored a lot, and "retail therapy" (and that's what they call it) really uplifts my mood. Anyways, my trip downtown would've been perfect had it not been for the cold weather. I even heard this guy behind me say, "This is the worst spring weather ever!". I was tempted to turn towards him and jump in on the little conversation he was having with his buddies. I totally agree! It is my first spring in the Midwest so I have no other "Midwest spring" experience to compare it to (unfair to compare Chicago spring to that of sunny California's). But this has got to be one cold spring. Waking up to 30+ degrees? In May? Is that how it is really?

Poor me, born and raised in the tropics, can't stand cold weather! I remember back in ECODE (my previous job in Ortigas), people in the office would actually assign me to the cubicle that was farthest from the airconditioning unit --- as in the warmest part of the office. Just so I will last a work day without shivering to death or else, all they will hear from me the whole day is "Brrrrr, ang ginaaaawwwww......". :)

How was my weekend?

2005-05-02T12:10:00.000-05:00

Last weekend was pretty busy. Brian's mom and dad (with his sister and neice too) stayed over for the weekend.

I turned into a Chef-wannabe last Saturday night. Brian's dad brought with him some uncooked beef meat (beef meat? A very chef-like term, Joni.). Not knowing what to do with it, I searched the internet for a pot roast recipe. It was my first time to cook pot roast and I'm happy to say that it turned out ok -- that is, everyone who ate it is fine after the meal.

After dinner we met up with fellow UST peeps downtown at this Tapas restaurant. Here we are:
(Swats, Nel, Mabby, Me, and Brian).

The next day, we drove Brian's parents back to his sister's house. We see Spike again. Spike, spike, spike. Brian's favorite cat.

Ok, Spike is cute. Brian accusses me of not liking Spike. I am a dog person, so cats don't really amuse me (Ah, the memory of a young me throwing our neighbor's cat over our "fence" for scratching and hurting my dog suddenly comes to my mind.). But I'm starting to like that cat. He has bitten me almost 5 times though ---- that does not earn him points. Ok, maybe we are even. I accidentally stepped on him one dark night. I guess Spike just smells the doglover in me, so the urge to bite my hand (whenever he gets the chance to) is always there.

Look at Spike getting irritated with all the rubbing. (Excuse my messy hair.). :)

Chore Day(s)

2005-04-28T14:57:00.001-05:00

I was supposed to write this blog 2 days ago. But I got caught up with too much Girltalking (femalenetwork.com) and was also "too tired" to write. In short, I got lazy, I was "tamad".

Last Tuesday was chore day (well, everyday is actually). But that day was special. I vacuumed the whole condo, pre-soaked all the dirty white laundy (kula, so to speak), and cooked. I want to rant about my vacuuming experience.

Beeing in such a "lousy" mood to do chores did not help make the vacuuming easy at all. I started with the room. Then moved on to do the dinning area. I took about 4 "rest periods" before I finished that area, I think. Vacuumed a few inches, then went to the computer (Girltalk!), a few more inches, then back to the computer again. After the dinning area, I tackled the living room. Basically, that part of the condo I did with no "rest period" (ok, maybe just one).

After vacuuming the very last inch of the place I felt proud (and relieved) that I was able to suck the place clean. But the story does not end there. For some reason I stooped down to tinker with a part of the vacuum. Alas! I realized I did something very moronic! I left this little switch on the vacuum, on the hose part while I wasn't using the hose at all!

Quick Info: There is a knob at the lower part of the vacuum that lets me choose whether to let the vacuum cleaner suck all the dirt through the hand held hose (hose) or through the bottom of the vacuum cleaner (floor cleaning).

Meaning, I busted my ass pushing and pulling the vacuum cleaner all over the place without picking a single dirt. Talk about placebo cleaning! No way was I vacuuming all over again. Maybe, some other day. But for now, I think the place was "psychologically" cleaned.

Another thing I am worried about though is that the vacuum smelled funny after. It smelled burnt. I saw some smoke-like something coming out. I think it overheated from sucking absolutely nothing. I hope it's not broken or Brian will kill me. I sort of mentioned this to Brian (while he was busy watching a basketball game -- a technique I use when I want to tell him something I don't want him to actually hear). Anyways, I will clean the vacuum cleaner next time (What, clean the cleaner?) then contemplate cleaning the condo (for real this time). :)

So let this be a lesson to y'all (or for me). Check those darn knobs in your vacuum cleaners!

Cloudy Day

2005-04-22T11:31:00.000-05:00

Well, it's back to the cold and cloudy weather (with a few drizzle too). Just when I was enjoying temperature on the 70's, here comes the icky weather again. Sigh. On a weekend too.

I don't know, the weather does affect me more than I thought. Right now I feel like curling up in bed and just sleep the day away. I don't know if it's just the weather or what. But this PMS-like feeling sucks. And I was even contemplating walking around the Magnificent Mile today! I should be vacuuming, cleaning, and all but I have to put that off. Chores will definitely not uplift my mood. What I'm thinking is..... I'll probably just watch Ambush Makeover and hopefully I get to catch What Not To Wear too. It would be nice to see someone else getting glammed up -- I'm definitely just staying in my jammies.

I'm not even in the mood to post my replies in Girltalk! This is bad. Brian will just find me in a horrible mess ---- curled up in the couch, in my jammies --- when he gets home. Hopefully we get to go grocery shopping today. Shopping is shopping. Be it shopping for clothes or for vegetables. I'm up for any shopping. Hehehe. :)

Test Broadcast :)

2005-04-21T00:02:00.000-05:00

I finally jumped into the "blogging bandwagon". I've been hearing so much about blogging and about how fun it is. So...... I thought to myself, "Hey, I might as well start my own since I find myself talking to...... uh.... myself most of the time." It might be healthier to "type my thoughts" instead of letting them just float around my brain. I tend to let them spill at the end of the day and find all my precious thoughts in a horrible mess on the floor. Hehehe.

It's the middle of the night, and though I promised myself to sleep early tonight (so I can start doing my chores in the morning with more gusto -- yeah, sure), here I am, clicking on this and that, not knowing how to actually..... er... blog. I reckon this is like an online diary right? Just letting my thoughts loose in cyberspace. Not that I am expecting anyone to actually read them. I'm in front of the computer most of the day so might as well.... write.

Ok, that's it for my first entry here. This is very much like a dry run, a test broadcast, a preview of all the gibberish I'll be letting loose in the internet. Adios. Need to sleep. Signing out. :)