Billiards hangout

Earlier this month, while at SM North's The Block, we saw the world pool championships for women. Little did we know that a Pinay will be winning that tournament, besting billiard athletes from the world over.

To be honest, I could care less for the event - I am not a billiards fan. But only because I don't know how to play billiards. I remember one time hanging out with Alfred at his old barkada hangout right beside Adamson and they were playing billiards. All I could remember is the smoke and the heat inside the place. Unfortunately. Haha.

Oh but of course I was the ever supportive girlfriend watching at the sidelines. :)

Recently, I read a blog post linking to this online venue for multiplayer games,8c1.net.http://www.8c1.net. It's a virtual hangout to play billiards with friends. Why not? :)

Our first fun weekend of 2009

Note: Long post ahead. Rather than dwell on the fact that my site is still down and I have been asked to disable my redirect before they can fix it, I'll just talk about the weekend I just had.

It feels like I just had a long weekend. On Tuesday evening, Alfred and I went to Greenhills, believing that it was the last day for their Night Market, as posted on their website (okay, this is really embarrassing because I just checked out the link now, and we actually looked at an archived page, and the dates were for last year's nightmarket!). When we got there at 8pm, the regular shops were already closing and the parking lot where the night market stood in December, was already cleared out.

 

We just decided to have dinner because I hadn't even had lunch. Our final choice was a filling meal at Max's. After the sumptuous meal, we checked out the section of Greenhills that was still open at that hour: the Promenade. We checked out Gourdo's and I admired all the baking and cake decorating stuff they had there. The only thing I picked up to take home though, was an oven thermometer.

We spent some time at Fully Booked too. There were so many interesting titles, but I restrained myself from making any purchase, there are still several books left on my to-be-read pile from months ago, plus books I got in November and December. I also figured I'd checkout my favorite second-hand bookshop before I buy never-been-owned books.

We were supposed to head home after leaving Fully Booked, in fact, we were already on our way down the escalator. Then I remembered that Iskul Bukol's LFS was supposed to start 10:35, and that was a little more than just 5 minutes away. The boyfriend is a big TVJ fan (hehe) and he really wanted to see it, so I asked him why not go see it now? We sure weren't sleepy yet anyway. 

It wasn't as funny a movie as I expected it would be. But it wasn't too bad either. There were inconsistencies too. Like the kid being able to speak Tagalog. I mean, by the time they were looking for the Peseta, the kid was already talking comfortably in Tagalog, but when they first found him in the hotel room, he couldn't understand Vic.

Anyway, after the movie, we braced ourselves for a difficult time finding a cab. Good thing was, there were several taxis lined up near the Music Museum entrance. Since it was already midnight, it was a nice quick ride home. 

Before leaving for Greenhills the other night, I took this photo of Esban, for my Project 365 Day 6 post:

That's Esban showing me what they did with this makeshift rooftop I took home with me from work the other day. It's a rooftop we used for bay decoration for Christmas. I took it home because they would be thrown out anyway. And what a waste that would be. Just as I predicted, the kids loved it! Since there were three more of this in the office, I took them home too so each of them would have one to play with.

The next day was almost spent just sleeping. But we didn't even let the rains stop us. We went to Quiapo to have Frankie's lens fixed (finally!), and to check out some iPhone clones. Alfred got Mang Romy to put in the missing screw on his PDA too. 

We had a nice walk (eventhough it was drizzling, and it was muddy) from Hidalgo to Raon, to Isetann. Then after walking around and having a snack of shrimp and pork siomai, plus two pieces each of mini bibingka from Bibingkinitan, we took a motorized pedicab from Isetann back to Hidalgo. Because it had been raining, it wasn't hot at all, and you couldn't smell pollution. Yes, you could smell the common street smells of Quiapo, but it wasn't really all that bad. 

As in our previous visits to Quiapo, we went into the church to pray a bit. We were surprised that there were a lot of people, because we knew that the feast of the Nazarene wasn't until Friday, the 9th. As it happens, there are pre-event programs ongoing already. 

Because there was already a crowd at the back of the Church. The image of the Black Nazarene was being returned to it's storage after what I assumed was a short parade/program at the plaza. Everywhere you look, there were devotees waving their handkerchiefs, and cloths

 that bear an image of Christ, and some prayers. I'll share those photos too, but first up, here's the photo I took from when were at Plaza Miranda, right in front of Quiapo Church (click the photo for a larger view):

Thankfully, it was a cloudy and rainy day. Had it not been so, I'm sure I would've developed a migraine because of the heat and the crowd. Hidalgo street wasn't as crowded as in our previous visits. Seems like they cleaned out the road for the event, there wasn't as many vendors out as there used to be. 

From Hidalgo, we took another motorized pedicab to the 168 Mall.  We ended up buying new curtains for the room (love it!), plus curtains for my brother's room too. Alfred already put them up, and they look wonderful! I also got three pairs of jean for 730 pesos (less than 20 dollars!), while Alfred got himself a pair of shorts. We also ended up buying a few DVDs of movies and TV series.

I expected a difficult time hailing a cab home, but it wasn't too bad. Traffic wasn't very cooperative though. I ended up sleeping on the way and waking up with a headache. But even that didn't ruin my day. We ended the day by watching a movie when everyone was already asleep. It was a local movie starring Toni Gonzaga and Vhong Navarro - My only you. Rock n' Roll! :)

Oh well, why couldn't we just have regular days like these all the time? ;)

Alfred's home!

*If you arrived here expecting ::where the moon shines::, you have been redirected to my Blogger blog temporarily. My site is experiencing server issues and my host, unfortunately, is out for the holidays. :(

Last night, as I was getting ready for work, I looked at my pink polo shirt and immediately wished that Alfred won't be wearing his pink polo shirt to work too. We would look so silly! To be honest though, I secretly wished he would too. Because, wouldn't it be sweet? Haha!

Anyway, I went straight to the clinic as soon as arrived at the office. You see, coming back from the vet's yesterday, my eyes were so irritated and they were soooo itchy, and there was stabbing pain all over. I lay down covered my eyes and wished it would go away. The pain went away but my eyes were still very watery and quite itchy. When I woke up last night, my eyes were covered with extra layers of muta - or morning stars as they are sometimes called too - on my eyes. My eyes were also itchy, and the lids were feeling quite hot. I knew then this wasn't a simple eye irritation.

The doc sent me home to avoid spreading pink eye around. I wasn't sure if I welcomed the extra day off or not. You see it's the last day of the fiscal week (Friday) and I have uploads due. It's crunch time for me. I also had agents scheduled for coaching last night.

Anyway, go home I must. I still stayed in the office until 1AM though, prepping stuff to take home with me so I could work a bit from here (technically I shouldn't because staring at a computer monitor will tire out my eyes). I also had to talk to one my agents who rendered his resignation :(

Back to Alfred. Since the clinic was on Alfred's floor (and very near my old beloved station), I passed by him before going down to our floor. And there he was wearing his pink polo shirt! Haha.

I saw him again just before I went home, and now he's here snoring away. I don't think I'll be letting him go home to his parents anytime soon. I think he wouldn't want to either. Not for my sake though, but for Zune. He's bent on disinfecting the entire compound, if he can, just to be sure that the parvo virus is killed. I'm afraid about the outside though. The street is littered with dog feces and last night when I came back from work, there were three neighborhood dogs scavenging for food in our trash bins! I'm not sure if they are strays or if they do have owners, but more than the inconvenience they cause us, what if they pick up the virus too? What if they're the ones spreading it around? Oh well.

Happy New Year!

Sadly, New Year's in the office was just like any other work day. My agents and I looked out the window at the stroke of midnight, watching all the fireworks light up the sky. I looked at the direction of our home, and picked the fireworks that I thought were the ones they had lit up - my Dad SMSd me to say that they were firing them already.

I had planned to leave the office by 7am on the dot. No go. I left about an hour and a half later. I found my cousins Freedah and Candy still up and singing. They've always been my buddies for all nighters. So I didn't totally miss out on videoke - I had breakfast, changed clothes, and ran down to sing with the rest of them until an hour or so ago. :)

Alfred's still in Bicol, probably flat out from drinking too much. Last night he mentioned trying to hitch a ride with his cousins who'll be heading home today. If he doesn't fit in their car/s, he'll ride with his brothers tomorrow. I really do miss him. 

I disabled my blog's redirect earlier, just to check if it was finally working. Just in case, I thought. But no. Everyone at the web host are really on holidays, such lousy customer service. I wonder if I'm the only Philhosting client whose having these problems? The thing is, I can access my Cpanel, but nothing for my Wordpress is accessible.

As a result, I've had to contact Entrecard support and they'll be disabling my EC. I had advertisers lined for the next couple of days, EC will manually return the credits they've paid to me. :(

Oh well, I am falling asleep on the keyboards already, better get on and have some sleep. 

Happy New Year everyone! Be safe and be blessed!

Return to Divisoria - Thursday Thirteen - #12

Though I did not get much sleep, I am so happy with how we spent our day. Alfred finally took me for some retail therapy where all the bargain hunters go - Divisoria! (Check other posts about Divi - the place to be! - here, here and here.

So this edition of Thursday Thirteen is all about my July 2 2008 trip to Divi!

• This was the earliest I've ever been to Divi - we were there before 9am. I got off work at around 730 and we went there right after breakfast. We were able to beat the traffic because we passed through North rather than traverse the length of Quezon Avenue and España. Early is the best time at Divi!
  
• We hopped on a jeepney from Divi to Morayta on our way home. Why is this worth mentioning? Because I do not commute (public transport) on a daily basis. I take a cab to and from work not because I'm rich or maarte but because it's the fastest, and actually the most practical way for me. If I were to go by public transport, it would take 2 rides and about 4 blocks on foot to get to work. I do take the jeepney if I only have to go somewhere "near." The ride reminded me that I should commute more often - ditch the cabs!
  
• We set out to find these, and we did! All I need is magnets and can turn them into those. They were so cheap!

1. 

• We also got two pairs of pants for myself with some embroidered embellishments on the pockets (not too attention grabbing, don't worry). (PhP 250 each)
  
• I also grabbed a pair for my mom!
  
• There are 2 shirts for dad too! (at PhP 250 for both!)
  
• A black jacket for Alfred which really made his shoulders look broader than usual (I likey). This would hopefully curb his craving for an Adidas jacket. :)
  
• Anime DVDs! (for Alfred too)
• It rained so we had to purchase two big umbrellas (for 90 pesos or 2 US dollars each)
• We used only 50% of plastic bags than we would normally have because I had my funky Envirosax tote!
  
• Oh, and I got cheap fabrics for a project I'll be making this weekend. I'm not sure but I got the feeling that these were scraps or rejects or something. But the prints are awesome. No pictures for now because I'd rather post the finished product.
  
• I got a muumuu for myself, and one for Alfred's mom. Okay, we don't call them muumuus here, we refer to them as dusters but that's the closest English equivalent I could find. And these 'dresses' I got are house-dresses, not what one would normally wear when going out. :)
• Aside from the assault we did on Divisoria Mall itself, we were only able to look around the two streets leading to DM but there are so many other shops and sidewalk stalls in that area that we will have to scour next time we're there. If things go the way I want them to in terms of projects, we'd probably go there at least once every month. Yay!
  

Read my past TTs here and here.

Oh, Thank you for taking me there Babe!

Attention: RANTING ahead

Alfred was supposed to take me to the market today. I wanted to look for materials for a project I want to work on, including materials to make my own glass bead magnets. It didn't happen.

One of my former agents who happens to be his drinking buddy rendered his last day at work last night and so they and a bunch of other guys went out for booze after shift. I understand that and all, but he was the one who promised we'd go today. And it isn't as if he'd have time tomorrow either. He has a family thing to go to since his brother's leaving to work abroad in a few days. I wouldn't bet on Monday either.

Sometimes even when I feel like ranting about things like this (him not following through on something) I want to kick myself in the butt. After all, I don't have to let him ruin my plans. I should be capable of going my own way if I really have to. I mean, he doesn't always have to be around to escort me. There are also several other people I can ask to go with on outings like what I had intended earlier.

But, he's the only one I feel comfortable with for what I had planned out for today. I'm out on a specific mission and I would need his input.

Still. It's not as if I couldn't do it on my own.

I hate that I'm not really as independent as I believe myself to me. It's like I'm all talk, but when it comes right down to it, I can't do it. I can't do anything.

That's it. Whether anyone's going with me or not, I will go out tomorrow.

Okay, I won't exactly be going to Divisoria or Binondo on my own, but I will go somewhere else that I can navigate on my own.

P.S. I Love You - the movie

P.S. I Love You - It's been a while since I watched this movie and yet I can't stop thinking about it. I am also bummed that boyf has not made an effort to watch it.

The first 13 minutes of the movie is definitely the best scene of all. The opening music sets the mood, not for the explosive scene, but for the overall tone of the movie. It has all the tendencies of becoming very emotionally heavy, and yet there are so many light moments too that make up for it.

I love how Holly is so worried and so serious and Jerry always has a joke to throw back.

I've got to warn you though, this isn't much of a movie review but more a comparison to my own love life.

What if this is it, Jerry?

There were times when I thought that way too. What it this is all there is to it? What if nothing else is ever going to happen in my life?

I know what I want because I have it in my hands right now.

I think I've heard Alfred say something like this before. Or at least he used to. And I swear I didn't like that facet of him, because I've always felt that he should always aspire for something more, to let himself dream and want to achieve something else. I mean, yes, be happy with what you have and accept your circumstances, but there's nothing wrong with striving to get more in life too. But now? I can honestly say that too. I have what I want and I am not asking for anyone else. I am no longer looking beyond or wishing that I fell in love with a more accomplished and career-oriented person. With all sincerity, I am happy with who I have.

And towards the end of their fight, how Jerry left, and then came back and asked:

Are we finished now Love? Can I come back?

And then Holly ran towards him and they made out. So hot! Alfred and I are so like that!

We're not a mistake just because we don't have any money.

So true of us too. We might not have the money to have our wedding now. But heck, I'll probably agree to forgo my dream wedding if I really had to. All that really matters is that our families and friends can be there and be witness as we say our vows in front of God. We also don't have money to do all the things I wish we would be able to do, but... So what?

And we are gonna last. You know how I know? Because I still wake up every morning and the first thing I want to do is see your face.

Aaaahhhh...

I get so afraid sometimes our life's never gonna start.

We're already in our life, it's already started. This is it. You have to stop waiting.

I have stopped waiting. We may not be married yet, and not officially living together, but I know we've already started living the lives we both wanted for ourselves. If we haven't yet, then we definitely are starting. We are so done with waiting.

You've got to have a plan Jerry.

Haven't I said that countless times too? We do have a plan, and we've set it in motion. But as I also mentioned, we are no longer just waiting for things to happen. You can't let happiness take a backseat because it isn't in the plan yet.

Apart from the opening, Jerry's funeral is also something. And the planning that went into all the letters and the trip to Ireland. Jerry did take care of Holly, even if it meant that it was his last act. Oh and Holly's karaoke stunt, that was something. I wonder when Alfred would take the mic and sing out loud too? He never does.

Holly had issues that needed sorting out even while Jerry was alive. I have my own issues too. I just hope it doesn't take a death of a loved one to overcome those issues.

I know I've found my Jerry.

I really did relate to the story in more ways than one. I am definitely going to look for a copy of Ahern's book. And the soundtrack too.

Oh, I know I said it before, someone get me an Irish man! Wahahaha, peace babe! :)

P.S. I love you

Alfred's 29th Birthday - June 8

This is Alfred's Photo Mosaic. He gave me his answers to the questions and I ran the search and picked the photos from Flickr.

He turned 29 yesterday - Happy Birthday babe! :)

We spent the entire day with his family yesterday, something that we've never done before ever. So his birthday was also the day I got to meet his entire family (including cousins and nephews and nieces).

On my way to their home in Pasay, I bought a cake (ube, by their request) and my dad was kind enough to drive me to the store and then to the train station. Alfred was supposed to pick me up at the Taft station and we would walk to their house but he wasn't there yet when I arrived. I called him and I got the feeling there was going to be an entourage coming to pick me up. I wasn't wrong.

His two nieces, Ena and Pauline were there, plus his nephew Lance whom I've met and spent some time with before. So I met the two giggly girls and they were really nice sweet ones. At their home, I met his two older brothers and the girls' mom. They were all really warm and welcoming.

So we had lunch (his mom cooked Bulalo, Dinuguan, Hamonado and Pancit - all were very very yummy, no wonder he has a tummy like that). The plan was to have lunch there, and then go our own way after. But since I felt like they went out of their way to spend time with their Uncle Dodong and to meet me, why not spend more time with the kids? I asked if they wanted to come with us and see a movie - they did! We went to SM Mall of Asia and saw Kung Fu Panda. It's a hilarious movie, comparable to Shrek! Haha :)

After the movie, we headed back to their house because a cousin was there waiting. I met him before but that was the first time I met his girlfriend. Later on, this cousin's older sister, her husband and two teenage kids (boys) came along too. It was a full house, literally.

There were lots of laughter and cases of beer. I drank with them too though I'm not a real beer drinker. There were lots of stories to share and to catch up on. We ended up staying until midnight.

I know he's very happy, and I'm happy that he is.


Credits for the Mosaic photos:
1. King Alfred's Tower, 2. Chicken Adobo Bento, 3. My Old School, 4. one headlight, 5. Kianna Dior @ AVN Expo 2006, Las Vegas, 6. beer belly, 7. Paradise, 8. Leche Flan, 9. flambé, 10. "Norouz" is coming!..., 11. These little piggies, 12. Blue Devil

My Cooking Master Boy and Thursday Thirteen #11

Cooking Master Boy - that is Alfred's favorite anime. I enjoyed watching it too when it was on ABS-CBN but for Alfred, it's like a how-to guide for cooking. Seriously. He's been watching the series again, but this time through Youtube.com or Crunchyroll.com or some other video site that carry the any or all 52 episodes of the toon.

He's been wanting to cook the perfect Yangchow fried rice, or even just to simply perfect the art of adding egg to rice. The other day, after watching an episode of Cooking Master Boy, he claimed to know the trick to get it done. For breakfast yesterday morning, he got up and tried his newly learned trick. In fairness, he didn't disappoint. So breakfast was a big, fun event yesterday. :)

A couple of hours later, while we were at the mall looking for a chopper/food processor to make crushing Oreos an easier task for me, he still couldn't forget about his wonderfully cooked fried rice. He was disappointed at not having taken a photo; I said we'll capture it on film next time - if he can recreate it. :)

Today, I am bummed about NOT being able to post a decent TT in the past 3 or 4 weeks. Really, I had several ideas and posts written out in my mind but I never reached the keyboard to get them all out. Does that happen to you too? I think it happens to many of us - we actually think about stuff that's happening around us and react to them, and then later think what a great post that would turn out to be - and then not get to post.

So here's my thirteen posts I have yet to write.

1. A post for or about my Mom and our relationship. Of course with Mother's Day last Sunday, I thought about how we didn't grow up as 'good friends' but having an ok relationship nonetheless. Instead of posting those thoughts right away, I stopped to look for her pictures that I can scrap and include in the post.
2. My top freebie hunts for digital scrapbooking. I have long wanted to feature maybe two designer blogs at a time, as my little way of thanking them for all the wonderful designs they give away to cheap-o's like me who grab every freebie that comes their way. :) When I get to do this, the first one I would write about would be Susan of Raspberry Road.
3. My follow up post about our day at the beach waves of Club Manila East. I have not finished my layouts of our pictures. And I MUST talk about the indestructible paper bracelet.
   
4. Ramble about what I'm going to do for social change. As a young girl I was involved in many activities that contribute to society. I really was a child rights advocate and not just one who would talk about it. Now, I don't really do anything in that front and I wish I could change that.
5. My thoughts on being a non-active Church member who does not attend Sunday mass (or any mass for that matter). I specifically want to dig through my thoughts and feelings about what I can do to be part of either the Youth movement or Sunday School. I know I have something to contribute, I'm just not making time.
   
6. Our third anniversary in the company. On the 23rd, Vanette, Edsel, Bea, Joey and I would be celebrating our 3rd year at NCO. We're down to 3 from the original 24 (am I correct?) who started training as L2 TSRs. We were the special class that spent one week at Camelot Hotel. We were the class with a lot of potential.
7. I wanted to share an inspirational video that I watched while I was at work the other day. It's about how our attitude towards events and things in our everyday lives could be key to what becomes of us . At least that's what I remember about it. I will watch it again and get the link up here someday.
8. Ramble about friends and why I am not like others who spend so much time with friends. This is something I think about very often.
9. Budgeting and saving money; making money. I really would love to travel and go on trips but don't have the resources for it. I've been earning three times as much as I did three years ago and yet my bank account doesn't have much. I know I can be thrifty if I wanted to, so why am I not so? I also make a little money through my blog over at http://verabear.bravejournal.com but I'd also like to explore how else I can earn online.
   
10. Marriage/Wedding plans. Okay, there are no concrete plans yet
    
11. I have not added Steve Berry's The Third Secret to my bookcase. I read this weeks ago.
12. How my luck is turning and my team is performing well at work now. I wanted to write about each team member to go with the pictures of our videoke night. That's another item on my "to-scrap" list.
13. The baking courses and schools and I read about online and why I want to sign up. Last month, I had plans to sign up for baking courses (which would have started in May).

I will post about these things SOON. If not, well, at least they're on this list already. Hahaha!

Read my past TTs here and here.