Posts (page 2)

Share a song that gets you through the day.

Your_Universe

Rico Blanco

• If a man wants you, nothing can keep him away.
• If he doesn't want you, nothing can make him stay.
• Stop making excuses for a man and his behaviour.
• Allow your intuition (or spirit) to save you from heartache.
• Stop trying to change yourself for a relationship that's not meant to be.
• Slower is better.
• Never live your life for a man before you find what makes you truly happy.
• If a relationship ends because the man was not treating you as you deserve then heck no, you can't "be friends".-- A friend wouldn't mistreat a friend.
• Don't settle. If you feel like he is stringing you along, then he probably is.
• Don't stay because you think "it will get better." You'll be mad at yourself a year later for staying when things are not better.
• The only person you can control in a relationship is you.
• Avoid men who've got a bunch of children by a bunch of different women. He didn't marry them when he got them pregnant, why would he treat you any differently?
• Always have your own set of friends separate from his.
• Maintain boundaries in how a guy treats you.
• If something bothers you, speak up.
• Never let a man know everything. He will use it against you later.
• You cannot change a man's behaviour. Change comes from within.
• Don't EVER make him feel he is more important than you are... even if he has more education or in a better job.
• Do not make him into a quasi-god. He is a man, nothing more nothing less.
• Never let a man define who you are.
• Never borrow someone else's man. If he cheated with you, he'll cheat on you.
• A man will only treat you the way you ALLOW him to treat you.
• All men are NOT dogs.
• You should not be the one doing all the bending...compromise is a two way street.
• You need time to heal between relationships...there is nothing cute about baggage... deal with your issues before pursuing a new relationship.
• You should never look for someone to COMPLETE you... a relationship consists of two WHOLE individuals... look for someone complimentary...not supplementary.
• Dating is fun... even if he doesn't turn out to be Mr. Right.
• Make him miss you sometimes... when a man always know where you are, and you're always readily available to him - he takes it for granted.
• Never move into his mother's house.
• Never co-sign for a man.
• Don't fully commit to a man who doesn't give you everything that you need.
• Keep him in your radar but get to know others.

RANT #1:

I hate unnecessary small talk.

And in this country; people love unnecessary small talk.

The spiel never changes; it's always "Hi, how are you?". And I have replied a million times the same unenthusiastic "Fine" or "I'm doing good."

Even with Clients who obviously hates you; they still find the time and the effort to engage in awkward pleasantries.

This conversation actually happened:

Emirati Woman Client; Bigshit in Business Excellence: Hi, Franzine, how are you?

Me (knowing she's pissed): Good. And you?

Client: Fine. (then proceeded with the next line without skipping a beat) Listen, your Field Manager is here and they missed an interview with one of our Investors. How can this happen? I specifically told you that the Investor would be here at 8am; blah blah blah... (by this time, I am imagining lunch and thinking happy thoughts).

Me: They had another interview in another building; and this Investor decided to be interviewed today without confirming with us ahead.... (explaining away; with fake apologetic voice)...

And the conversation went on for at least another 20 minutes.

Can you see why I hate small talk? I would've appreciated it more if she just went on with her ranting straight away and not have initiated awkward small talk. I mean, why bother if you were to lambast my work anyway?

 RANT #2:

I don't understand why people press the Down button when they really want to go up using the elevator; or in this country, called a lift. It has happened countless times before; I see people impatiently pounding on the Down button. I thought they parked in the parking lot in the basement. To my surpise, they got in the lift with me. True enough, the lift went down and the same person who pressed the Down button got really mad that it went down when he meant to go up to the 3rd floor. How stupid is that?

Do they expect the lift will be faster if they press the Down button? My Indian officemate said that in India and Pakistan, there are signs near the lifts "Press Up to go Up; and Press Down to go Down". Apparently, some people press the Down button because the lift is somewhere up there and they're beckoning it to come down.  Silly.

Pasensya na. Sometimes, small things like these piss me off. =p   

Yesterday was really something.

FIRST LEGIT LOMOWALL:

Woke up kinda early and headed out to Bastakiya to help out Hind put up the Lomowall for the Al Bastakiya Art Fair. Hind is the Lomographic Ambassador of Dubai. This time around, the Lomowall is huge; with a total of 40 panels from lomographers in Dubai. The venue is far from ideal; with practically no light that a Lomowall would surely need. But anyway, its a great effort to spread Lomolove in Dubai. The fair's opening is tomorrow night and will run through April. If you're from Dubai, be sure to drop by at Bastakiya and check out the Lomowall. Here are actual pictures from the Lomowall.

Lomowall

Kahlilpeeweepanels

Looks great huh? =)

FIRST TIME TO WATCH CIRQUE DU SOLEIL

After lunch, I went to the Ibn Battuta Mall with Kahlil, Kamil and Cobra to catch the Cirque du Soleil Alegria show. Our seats were great; we had a very good view since we were at the back of the VIP section. The show was phenomenal; save for the annoying people who kept standing up and some people who kept taking pictures. As this was a travelling circus show, it is prohibited to take any kind of pictures since the flash might distract the acrobats and other performers. But that didnt stop some people to take pictures during the exciting parts of the show. Tigas ng ulo eh! My favorite parts in the show were the fire dancers and the Chinese contortionists. There was a theme for the show but for some reason, I didnt quite get it from the performance. Maybe I was just too enthralled with the acts to bother with themes of love, hate and all that jazz.

Alegria

FIRST TIME TO EAT FINE-DINE GRUB

Afterwards, I went to Dubai Media City all by myself to go to the Taste of Dubai 2009 event with Farrah. While waiting for Farrah, I hung out at the Icon Lounge in the Radisson SAS Hotel with a Strongbow beer-cider. Good stuff. =)

When Farrah arrived, we immediately went to the Taste of Dubai venue; which was the Dubai Media City Garden. For AED 150 a pop, we sampled food for free, got other freebies and ate a luscious dinner from the Verre by Gordon Ramsay restaurant. Gordon Ramsay, man! As in the celeb chef from Hell's Kitchen fame! Here are the food that we ate; got the pictures from the website:

Tartare of marinated salmon

This was the starter; Marinated Salmon with creme fraiche and Baerrii caviar with chilled tomato jus

Braised beef-verre

Main course: Braised beef topside with sauteed celeriac and cepe veloute

Basil pannacotta

 

And for dessert: Basil pannacotta with strawberry compote and champagne jelly
















WAAHHHH, I just died and gone to gourmand heaven! =) Everything was super delicious and surprisingly filling. We got the same serving as it would have been in the actual restaurant but at a fraction of the price! This was essentially a food fair where 22 of the best hotel restaurants offer their signature dishes without the steep prices. I was so happy to have sampled fine dining from a famous chef's restaurant without breaking the bank. =)

This is the actual picture of the food we ate that night; note the plastic diningware (haha). It was exactly as in the pictures above but made food-fair ready with plastic plates and cutlery:

Tasteofdubai

Some other notables: the camel milk chocolate, the creme brulee tart and the Pan-fried scallops with vanilla celery mousseline and veal juice from Cafe Chic (Philippe Gavreau at Le Meridien). Take note that we only ate the food from famous chefs' restaurants. Hahahaha... I am definitely going back next year. =)

FIRST TIME TO SEE AN OLD FRIEND AGAIN AFTER 8 MONTHS

After the gastronomic feast, I caught up with the guys at Viceroy Pub (Four Points Hotel by Sheraton, Bur Dubai) and saw Ameer again for the first time since July last year. This guy went missing in action since July; after acquiring a cool job and a new girlfriend. It was kinda funny that we only got to see each other again becoz of erm... heartbreak problems. But it was really great to see him. He was a lot thinner from when I last saw him; but still crazy and a bully. =p

Ameer

I got slightly tipsy after downing glasses of Vodka-Redbull. We capped the night off with a meal at Ravi's; the Pakistani restaurant. Since the food was spicy; all I ate was the bread.

Wish there were more weekends like this. =)

Here's one of my favorite scenes in the movie. =) Danny Boyle said he really wanted this song to be part of the soundtrack.

I’ve noticed that a lot of people have succumbed to “that famous Facebook note”; and who am I to resist? =p

So here are 25 things that some of you might already know or don’t know yet about me:

1. I have a twin sister and was born prematurely so I was incubated for 2 months after I was born. My Mom would say that my other birthday would be June when they finally took me out of the hospital.
2. I have a weird mix of thin and meaty all over my body. I have thin wrists and calves but meaty thighs and arms. People call me pear-shaped but I just think of it as a nice way of saying I’ve got huge hips and ass for my small frame. (Tell me where’d you get that body from? I got if from my Mama!)
3. I have chronic gastritis which requires me to have some form of starch in the morning. Otherwise, I would truly mess up the rest of my day. Sometimes, I’d get attacks and down a Nexium tablet and in 30 minutes or less, I’ll be okay. That’s the reason why I always surround myself with biscuits and what-nots; in the office, my flat and Kahlil’s flat.
4. I LOVED my childhood! Even when I had my asthma then, I would always be outdoors playing. And even if I sucked at the truly physical games like Patintero, I couldn’t get enough. These are just few of what we played before, aside from the ubiquitous Patintero: Shatong, Tumbang Preso, Hopscotch, Killer Game (card game), Tong-its, tons of board games, the very dramatic kidnap and rescue role-play, a pretend wedding: marrying off kids younger than us (I was always the wedding planner/ bully), roller-skating, a bit of computer games, hide and seek games that went on forever and wherever.
5. I was never the girly-girl; I climbed santol trees, stole aratiles, macopa and kamias, bathed in floodwater (!), had tons of scrapes on my knees, elbows and face riding the bike and chasing my playmates. Needless to say, we were very dark-skinned and thin before. I even skinned my knee before riding a bike which resulted to a keloid. And I broke the bone of my pinkie on my left hand while playing hide and seek.
6. People say I have very nice feet. My Mom would even take me shopping for shoes and have me try them out first. She’ll decide which ones to get based on which design looks best with my feet. And while I know this is somewhat true (gosh, humblepie!); I secretly think the left foot is slightly smaller than the right one.
7. I occasionally change my hairstyle or hair color as I get impatient and bored with how it looks. Next up, I’m targeting Marimar-like locks so I have to grow my hair out. =p
8. I have a few girlfriends that I intend to keep for life and they have been my dearest friends for more than 10 years now. =)
9. I am musically-inclined but I don’t listen to everything out there. I think I would never like Metal or Country.
10. One concert I dream of going to is 311. Just 311. If I can go someday, I can die the next day.
11. Although I am a self-confessed rocker, I sometimes listen to R&B and more mainstream genres. (Haha, sell-out!) =p
12. My twin and I loved making mix tapes in high school that evolved into compilation CDs in college. We’d label it and arrange the segue of songs and decide on a theme. They somewhat received critical acclaim from our friends.
13. I am a walking contradiction. For instance, I am one of the boys and my guy friends never had a problem with me being around but deep inside, I love being treated like a woman.
14. I love love LOVE green! Even the puke green color! =) My tattoo’s color is… you guessed it, green!
15. I met a few boys that made an impact. One, I loved so much that I waited for him for 5 years, another, who taught me that love is a conscious decision and you have to work to keep the romance alive; and another, who said that love is about being with someone and sharing life together.
16. I would die for my twin sister and nephew. No ifs or buts.
17. I love commitment but the idea of marriage scares me.
18. I have weird food-eating ways: I don’t like bagoong; but I love bagoong rice and pinakbet; I don’t like milk but I eat milk products (I don’t want to see milk swimming in my food) and I love sweets; but I rarely finish a whole bar of chocolate or a big cup of ice-cream.
19. I have always envied tan girls with beach-ready bodies. =) Ahahaha… That’s why I’ll never go to Brazil even if I wanted to. =p
20. If I had to go to one country before I die, it would be Italy. Hands down. I mean where else can you find good pasta, coffee, sights, and people? Where else but Italy?
21. If I had a time machine, I would always love to go back to college. Everything; from the immaturity to the gradual realization of adulthood and the smiles and scrapes. I wouldn’t change a single day of it.
22. I love watching football, F1, pool, snooker, boxing and UFC. You should see me scream my ass off during World Cup!
23. I always thought that I won’t live past my 30’s and die young. Maybe it’s because I can never imagine myself old. I’ll be 27 soon and I’m still here. =p
24. My dream jobs: music journalist, photojournalist, stylist or vocalist in a rock band. Ahahaha… If I can be any of these and get paid, I’d be a really happy girl.
25. I don’t go to church that much but I always say a silent prayer every chance I get. I believe in a power much greater than us and that God will find a way to give you the life you deserve.

What keeps you up at night?

 

METEOR GARDEN Season 1 DVD marathon. Need I say more? =p

Sobfest na naman! =p 

This is a music video of Oren Lavie's song, "Her Morning Elegance".

Its a cross between a quirky video and a Sesame Street segment. =p 

Watched "Nacho Libre" during my long vacation in Pinas last December. Enzo and I did a duet of this song. =) Too bad I couldnt upload it coz the video is really dark. =( But anyhow, enjoy the original version.

Vacation is officially over and I have been in the UAE for 3 days already. The cold weather and strong wind calls for layering and for the unearthing of winter jackets once again. Just this morning, it was 13 degrees outside.

GUESS WHAT? I was able to do almost all the things I wanted to do back home! Those in red below are the things I wasnt able to do/ eat/ drink:

• Eat tons of BABOY! (So far, grilled porkchops, adobo and cripsy pata Molokai-style! ) Next up, Congo Grille sisig!
• Re-acquaint with mosquitoes
• Spend lots of time at home; especially with Enzo
• Christmas shopping (barely done!)
• Buy Asics Onitsuka Tiger sneaks for myself - saw that it was PhP 5,600 a pair and the design I wanted didnt have my shoe size. Oh well, sa E-bay nalang.
• Hang out in Cebu with the GF's (hapit na)
• Watch TV! (Nothing really good on the tube though; havent had a chance to really immerse myself on the couch; ang tigas kasi e! =p)
• Visit office friends + Fun Friday
• Hit the gym (Ha! That's a laugh. =p)
• Hair beautifying showcase 
• Drink local beers (San Mig Premium, San Mig Strong Ice, Red Horse, Coors Light)
• Get drunk on sparkling red wine (Lambrusco del Emilia from Galileo Enoteca) -
• Eat my favorite food (Jollibee, Little Quiapo, taho, sinigang , etc)
• Mall hopping

*sigh. When's my next vacation again?