Right love at the wrong time...

I'm sure everybody knows the song "Somewhere down the road" which was originally sung by Barry Manilow. It's a beautiful song that kept on popping in my head these days. But is it true? Can it really happen?

We had the right love
At the wrong time
Guess I always knew inside
I wouldnt have you for a long time

Those dreams of yours
Are shining on distant shores
And if theyre calling you away
I have no right to make you stay,

When do we know that it's the right love? What if you really love each other and yet it still doesn't feel right? What if he chooses to be with someone he doesn't love, dumped you that he said he loves so much, just because it's the right thing to do?

Letting go is just another way to say
I'll always love you so...

Let go... move on... those have always been the advice of friends... those are the things I myself want to achieve. But how? Someone told me time is the best healer... Do we really forget the feeling over time? Do we really forget the person we love so much? Or is it just there in our hearts... we keep hiding it and try hard to suppress it but it's still there.

I really don't know the answer to all those questions... I really don't know what the future has in store for us but then we have to live each day as it comes. Accept the fact that life is never fair...

Personalized Gift Ideas are very cool!

It's less than a week before Christmas and I'm still worrying about what to give my friends, relatives and colleagues, I guess most of you are having the same predicament at the moment. We're all very busy finishing our work before vacation that we never even noticed that Christmas is almost there. But hey, there's still time left and it's so easy to order online nowadays.

Especially since Pexagon is offering personalized holiday gifts. You may choose from Personalized Thumb Drives, Personalized Pens, Business Card Flash Drives and Wooden USB Flash Drives.

Pexagon offers Personalized Thumb Drives which are available in 14 colors and up to 16GB in capacity. You may also have a two-line personalized message engraved on the reverse side, how cool can that be! It would be nice to give your younger friends since they are so colorful and hip.

They also have these Personalized Pens that are so affordable and can accomodate a free line of personalized laster engraved text.

I'm sure your colleagues and business inclined friends would also love the Business Card Flash Drives. Three lines of personalized text can be engraved on the front side of this flash drive and it has up to 2GB capacity. It's so unique, actually this is one of my favorites, and the prize is just right for its purpose.

And of course, they also have Personalized Wooden USB Flash Drives! You can choose from two colors with 2GB and 4GB capacities. This would look good on a leather briefcase and this would really make your boss remember you if you give it to them.

What are you waiting for? Visit the Pexagon Technology website now and avail of the 20% discount they are offering.

Road Trip Part 2: Revisiting Baguio City

After sleeping well that night, I woke up at around 6AM. Elbert and Randy woke up way too early to make sure they'll catch the sunlight. Still feeling lazy but refreshed after that very wonderful night of rest, I showered and prepared my things since we already agreed that we will be going around Baguio City again until before lunch and then we'll be leaving for La Union after that.

So, we decided to visit Tam-Awan Village which is located in Pinsao Proper, Baguio City. We took a cab going there and paid only P47.00. I really like the idea of taking cabs in Baguio since the fair is so affordable and it is more comfortable travelling that way.

We had breakfast in the cafe in Tam-Awan Village, I had Tocino with Egg and brown rice, and the other guys had beef tapa and longganisa. It was my first time to eat brown rice... I was fascinated by it... the color is actually almost violet, I'm not really sure if it was fried or boiled because it is quite moist and a bit sticky. I liked it though. The coffee was also very good that's why I had 2 cups of it.

After breakfast, we went around, check out some of the artworks displayed in the gallery and bought a few things at the souvenir shop. I bought a pair of dangling, blue earrings for myself.


I would have loved to see the inside of the "Dukligan Hut" (Fertility Hut) but it was occupied that time. So we were contented to just have our pictures taken outside some other huts.



We went back to the hotel then and prepared to leave for La Union. On our way going to the terminal, we bought some more wine... strawberry wine, rice wine and the other two that I can no longer recall. It's still sitting on top of my table at this time, though the rice wine is almost gone.

I'll be telling you about what happened to us in La Union next time.

Photos courtesy of Randyblu... thanks so much!

Marikina Valley Christmas Party

I've been a member of Marikina Valley Community website since June of this year. It was there that I met my new friends. The MV group is not just a website, it's where real people, real friends meet. It's a website that binds different kinds of people together.

On December 13, 2008, we held our very first Christmas Party. It was a simple gathering yet a fun-filled one. We shared the food that each of us brought... we had pancit palabok, mussels, puto, cake and ice cream. Some of us even had beer afterwards.

It was a successful party because of everyone who participated and helped out in the preparations. I want to recognize them here, through this post... JC for leading the whole thing and for keeping MV, Ayumie and Maroni for bearing with some of our immature ways and for bringing the palabok and cooking the delicious spicy mussels, Elbert and Jill for coming to the party (i'm really glad you did), Dennis for the ice cream, Jabey for the the venue, photos and the yummy puto, Jard for the funny moments and for the beer and Vinzer and Alex for the roasted chicken. Thanks, guys for your cooperation. Till next year! Cheers to our friendship!

Wordless Wednesday: Pretty Sunset

Photo Courtesy of Engr. Elbert M. Malonzo, RHCT
Location: San Miguel, Bulacan

Road Trip Part 1: Revisiting Baguio City

My first Baguio City Experience was sometime in October 2001. I went there with three (3) of my friends but we only stayed there for the whole day. We took the bus, left the terminal at around 10PM and arrived in Baguio at 4AM. It was very cold, the cool wind really made me chill when I went out of the bus. We slept for a while, went out to walk around Baguio the whole day and then went straight to the bus terminal going back home.

This time, after seven (7) years, I went to visit the City of Pines again. My friends and I agreed to take the bus, leave on November 28 (Friday) since the November 30 holiday was moved to December 1 and we won't have to go to work for four days. But eventually, most people have thought the same way we did and so when we arrived at the bus terminal at around 10PM, we were surprised by the huge crowd gathering inside the terminal. To make it short, we were not able to leave that night. We had to wait for the 5AM bus to take us to Baguio City. It was a very long wait, we were all very sleepy and tired but we decided to just stay there and wait.

We arrived in Baguio City the following day (Saturday), a little after lunch time. With my heavy back pack behind me, we walked the streets of Baguio City and had lunch in a restaurant named "Zola". After satisfying ourselves with the food, we then had to find a place to stay. As we have already expected, it was hard to find a place to stay since there were really a lot of people in Baguio that time. It being a long weekend and we found out later on that there is a Nursing examination going on that time.

We eventually found a place in Camp Allen with the help of a cab driver. It was a small hotel named "Robol 88", it's got a rooftop where we can have fun while seeing everything around us. We paid the accomodation for a day since we were still unsure of our plan for the next day. We slept for a few minutes and went out to take a walk. It was a very long walk but I did not get tired, I enjoyed every moment of it, seeing a lot of people, enjoying the cold weather, seeing beautiful flowers and breathing fresh air.

It was the most pleasant long walk I had. We went to SM Department Store, bought some small things to give to our friends back home and sat outside SM. It was already past 6PM and it was really very cold out there.

At around 7PM, my friends, Randy, JC and I decided to have dinner in a restaurant nearby. Randy said that the food there was great and so we decided to try it out. We ordered buttered chicken, lumpiang shanghai and rice and we were really surprised with the amount of food we saw on our table when all the food were already there. They really gave us big servings and we never.. however we tried... we were never able to finish everything. But the thing that they served us sodas without ice is something that really amused me. We looked around on the other tables and we found out that all of them are satisfied to be drinking their sodas without ice and there we are trying to figure out why they served it without ice. Eventually, we requested for ice from the waitress :)


On our way back to the hotel, we bought a small bottle of strawberry wine just to try it out and then we bought some bottles of beer from the convenience store. We decided, despite the coldness of the weather, to drink on the rooftop. It was very very cold, I had to put on a warmer jacket and socks. But my hands are still very very cold as well as my face. The cold wind kept on blowing but we stayed on. The strawberry wine tasted very good... we should have bought a bigger bottle :)

When we finished the wine and a few bottles of beer, we decided we already had enough so we went down to our room and slept. At around 3AM we were awaken by the ringing of one of our cell phones. Our other friend called to let us know that he is already at the bus terminal. I was so sleepy so I just let the two guys fetch him from the terminal. I slept like a baby till morning :)

(photos courtesy of Randy and Elbert)

to be continued...

Get discounts on Vacuum Cleaners!

This morning when I went out of the house to go to work and saw the car in front of the house, I nearly changed my mind. The car is so dirty inside and out that I really would have wanted to get my hands on it and clean it.

I don't need to go to a car wash to have it cleaned since I already got a vacuum cleaner at home. It is one of the most reliable home equipment that I have at home since I use it to clean the car and the house and it really helps me save on my cleaning time by 50%. However, I really want to buy a smaller vacuum cleaner that I can easily pull wherever I wish to clean. Something that's light weight and very handy and while I was browsing the net, I had the chance to visit EZVacuum.com, a site that offers a 10% discount on your entire order of vacuum cleaners and stuff.

They really have nice vacuum cleaners bags belts filters brushrolls machines that you can choose from. Availing the discount is as easy as buying over $20 worth of their items.

As I was having a hard time thinking of gifts that would be very useful to my friends, I just had a thought, why not give this to my special friends? I'm sure the price would be worth it and it would really make them happy.

COMELEC registration ongoing

I went to the Commission on Elections Office this morning to accompany a friend who is going to register as a voter for the first time. We arrived at around 10:15 in the morning bringing with him a valid Identification Card (ID) showing his present address and a photocopy of said ID. Since he is already 24 years old, he was not required to bring a birth certificate anymore.


We spent exactly an hour for the registration. We started out by submitting a photocopy of the required ID and in return the staff gave my friend some forms to fill out. After filling out the form, we returned it to the staff and waited for his name to be called for verification of the details on the form. The last step was for his biometrics and his picture to be taken.

The registration started on December 2, 2008 and will end on December 15, 2008. But don't fret, that's just a Christmas break... they will be accepting registrations again starting January 5, 2009 until December 15, 2009.

For registrants who are 18 years old and below, you must bring a copy of your birth certificate and one (1) valid Identification Card (showing your present address) with its photocopy. Birth certificates are not required for registrants aged 19 and above.

WW: Waves

Location: Sebay Resort, San Juan, La Union
Photo Courtesy of Engr. Elbert M. Malonzo, RHCT

Letting go

People come to our lives when we least expect them to. And when they do, we tend to love them and care for them so much that we give up so many things just to be with them. Sometimes we even tend to give them our whole lives thinking that this person will stay forever. I, for one, do have the tendency to depend my happiness on the person that I love. I neglect my friends and even my own family when I'm in love. Just to make that person feel that he is that much important to me, that he is the only one that could make me happy.

But then despite the years of being together there can't be no assurance that he is going to stay. Despite giving everything I can, still I can't make him happy, I can't give everything that would make him stay and love me forever.

And now, I'm left with another heartache, with a big empty space in my life... Why did it end up like this? Have I done anything wrong? These are just two of the questions I've been asking, which still remain unanswered.

I don't want to keep him in my life when he is no longer happy... I don't want to insist that he stays when I am no longer the person he would love to see when he wakes up. I don't want him to feel caged and suffocated by my love for him. There is nothing more to do now... than to let go.

I still have my heart, though it's already broken, I still know how to love, though I don't know if I should love again because loving again may mean another heartache.

WW: Hermit Crab

Photo taken by: Engr. Elbert M. Malonzo... thanks my friend!

I'm still alive and I'm back!

It had been almost a month now since my last post. A lot of things happened in my life for that short period of time. A lot of decisions have been made and that includes having to continue my blog or not. I decided to go on... maybe not as active as before but I would still go on with this.

In the first place, I started this blog to be an outlet of my feelings... to be an expression of my thoughts... and everything that's happening to me. And so it must continue... until I still have feelings... until I can still write.

I have collected quite a lot of memories for the past month and I would be willing to share them with you in my next posts.

All I know is that... I'm glad to be back.

Happy Birthday... Ate Weng

October 22... a very special day for my sister. It's her birthday and I would like to express how happy I am to be taken care of someone like her through this post.

Her name is Rowena but she is commonly known as "Weng". For me, she is Ate Weng. She is the 3rd of four siblings and I'm the youngest. I was born exactly two years and one day after her. And since we were children, she is the one closest to me. We always go to places together. I even remember her waiting for me while I was taking my college entrance exam at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. She patiently waited for me because I don't know how to travel alone. I don't go to malls on my own, she was always with me.

When my parents died, she became the "head" of the family. She is presently even raising the six (6) children of one of my sisters. Even if she recently had her own child, she still assumes responsibility of them.

When I have problems, she is always the one who is so worried about me. She takes care of all of us in a lot of ways. She is the best sister I have and I am grateful to God for giving her to us.

I just pray that her life will be peaceful and happy forever. Happy birthday, Ate Weng! I love you...

Slacking on everything that matters

I've been out for a while... I'm sorry but I just don't feel like writing for the past days. I don't even feel like mingling with other people for awhile.

I even want to avoid some people who makes me happy because I know that this happiness will not last and this friendship will not be good for both of us. Am I going nuts? Well, I guess not... I'm just trying to protect the lives of other people whho might be affected by my feelings and so I decided to just go away. Not for good, because I know that I can't... but just enough to make things lighter... enough for me to divert my attention to something else.

I'll be back, maybe tomorrow, maybe next week... I really don't know but I will.

Tag Fever

Thanks to one of my cyber friends, Deborah Katy for this tag.

-----------start copy here---------

1. Link to the person who tagged you (see above).

2. Post the rules on your blog (this is what you are now reading)

3. Write 6 random things about yourself (see below).

4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them (This is only a game)

5. Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog

6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

-------end copy------

6 Random Things About Me

1. I am a 34 (almost 35 in a few days) year old lady who believes in happy endings and love at first sight.

2. I am more comfortable in having male friends than females.

3. I am a sensitive, loving person.

4. I seldom go out of the house without having breakfast.

5. I am a very shy person.

6. I LOVE reading books.

I would like to share this tag with my real and cyber friends:

Vinzer/Elbert/Dennis/Randy/May/Jirl

My Weekend: The feast of the Our Lady of the Holy Rosary

I've been living in Sta. Barbara for three years now and it was the first time that I celebrated the feast of the Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. I was actually hesitant since I don't think my relatives would be able to come to my place. But when I asked my sister, she said yes, they're going to come.

So, last Saturday, I had to go to the grocery and shop for a lot of things. I don't have any idea what I will be cooking because I really did not plan for it. But while I was pushing my cart on the alley of the grocery, I thought well maybe I should cook "puchero" for lunch. I bought some pork, vegetables, banana, sweet potato and pork and beans in can. I also bought some ground pork for the spaghetti that the children always love. And for dessert, I bought some graham crackers, milk, cream and some wafer sticks. I'll be preparing some refrigerated cake.

When I was on the counter, I was shocked to see that I had bought a total of 5 grocery bags. OMG, how can I carry all these things??? I tried to do it, I have to do it. So, i balanced all the bags on both hands, walked out and reached the front of the mall. But I don't think I can go on any longer so I put down the bags on the sidewalk and decided to wait for a cab. But as expected, cabs don't really like going to my place since it's in the mountains and very hard to reach. I can't do this alone, I told myself. So, I called my sister and asked for help. Thankfully, she sent one of my nieces to help me and we were able to go home by 6:30 in the evening. We had dinner and I started preparing the refrigerated cake.

Along came Sunday... I woke up early despite sleeping quite late. I had to prepare breakfast for them since I told them to come early so they won't have trouble waiting for a jeepney. The arrived at my house as early as 8:00 AM, all the 10 children (including my 5-month old niece) and one of my sisters. My house was full of children running in and out of the house. The only times I kept them still was when I put on a video for them to watch and when they were eating. They were a handful but I am glad that they came even if I ended up cooking the whole day until 3:00 in the afternoon.

It was a tiring but pleasant weekend.

Wordless Wednesday: Alone in the moonlight

Thanks to Engr. Elbert M. Malonzo for this picture!

My very close encounter with pick pockets

While I am writing this post, I still can't believe what I did this morning. I am still shivering whenever I think of it.

Two of my nieces stayed with me for the weekend and agreed to go back home when I went to work this morning. So, we took a public transport and alighted at our destination altogether. It was 7:30 in the morning and we were walking side by side with each other. I was holding my younger niece on my left hand while the older is on my right. She had her shoulder bag on her left shoulder. As we were walking on that busy street (Shoe Avenue in Barangay Sto. Niño), I noticed two men walking very closely behind my older niece. I know these men to be pick pockets since I have long been observing them whenever I wait for a jeepney in the afternoon. So, I have kept calm, stayed walking, hoping that they would just leave since I don't think my niece got anything valuable on her bag except dirty clothes. But while I kept on walking, I am trying to look at my right to see if they're still there. And at that moment that I really turned my head to look, I caught the older pick pocket about to open my niece's bag pocket! I was so shocked, I don't know what to do and apparently what I did was to tell these bad guys in the vernacular, "kilala ko kayo" (I know who you are). I kept repeating that same line with the guy I caught and I noticed the other bad guy went to my left side and told him the same line. I guess they were intimidated and just left. They did not run, they just walked away calmly.

It was only when they left that I noticed my niece's mobile phone was on that pocket and that was what enticed those pick pockets to follow us. I was so nervous and still shivering when I came to my office. I will never forget this experience.

Just a few tips for you, guys:
1) never put any of your valuables on your bag's front and side pockets
2) always carry your bag in front of you, where you can always see it
3) be aware of the people around you wherever you are

My first tour guiding experience

The Tourism Office had long been requesting me to be a tour guide since a lot of students, local government officials and non-government agencies are visiting the City and they are understaffed.

Two days ago, I was again called by a staff of the Tourism Office and asked me if I'm available since there are 120 students from a private school who requested for a City Hall tour to study about the local government's functions. I told her I'll have to see if I'm available and that I'll call again but actually there's another reason, aside from my busy schedule, that I've been trying to say No to their request... it's because I'm quite nervous and I don't really know if I can handle a tour guiding assignment.

But yesterday, I already said yes, I'm available. So, last night when I was in bed, I had been rehearsing in my mind what I'm going to say to them. I have already memorized my opening statement and some of the things that I'm going to say about the different offices they are going to visit. I slept on it and woke up early this morning, still a bit nervous but I told myself I have to do this and if I'm not going to do it now, when will I ever have the courage to do it.

So I went to the City Hall of Marikina 30 minutes before the visitors arrived so that I can prepare myself a little bit and talk to the other tour guides since they are more experienced than I am. When the visitors came, I was still nervous and when I said my first line I'm still nervous. But I had to compose myself, I had to be brave and so I guess it was on my fourth or fifth line that I tried to relax a bit and tried to act normally.

The tour went on for a little more than two hours and my final statement went out normally and I'm glad.

Thank God for my friends

It had been a very trying and quite depressing weekend for me. There were a lot of things to think about, a lot of things that kept bothering me for a few days now and made me always cry. I know I'm not supposed to be a weakling like this but there are times that I just can't help it. There was even a time that I just wished I could die that very moment but I know it is a sin and I shouldn't even have thought about it.

Right at this very moment my life seems to be on hold. I am being observed by my doctor and it will take some time and some more tests before she could finally tell me what I am undergoing at the moment.

I just want to thank my friends through this post, who kept on praying for me, who kept on asking me how I am, who kept on telling me that I should be strong and trust God. I also thank my sister... my ate Weng who, despite having a lot of problems of her own, kept supporting me and loving me. I am so grateful for having all of you in my life. Thank you so much for your support and prayers.

I am trying to hold on, I have trusted God to give me strength to accept what is about to come but I am still praying that He will give me what I desire most.

Visiting my doctor... after two years

Since I was a child, I'm never fond of going to a doctor... I can still recall the shots that made me cry when I was small but became bearable when I was a bit older.

Just this morning, me and my good friend went to the doctor, a gynecologist actually, because I wasn't feeling good and I thought it's about time I visit a doctor since it was more than two years since I last visited her. I went there because usually my menstrual cycle was always normal... until now. I was so nervous... but then my doctor just told me "you need to have an ultrasound and then we'll talk afterward". I was really nervous and my knees really wobbled when I went out of the doctor's office. I don't know what to think of, I don't know if I'm sick with something really bad... until now I still don't know. I'll be back to see my doctor later after work and I'll have her interpret the result of my ultrasound. For now, I can do nothing but pray that I'm not sick.

WW: A path to the land of beauty

Thanks to my friend, Jason Benedict dela Paz for this photo!
Location: Daranak Falls, Tanay, Rizal

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SM City Marikina Mall opened with a blast

Me and my friends were among the excited throng of people who came to the opening of the SM City Mall in Marikina last Friday (September 5, 2008). I excitedly finished my work and prepared to meet my friends.

We left at around 6:30 in the evening and since there's no other public utility vehicle plying that route, we took a tricycle. It was only a few minutes ride and just a few walks going to the front door of SM. We arrived there just in time to see the beautiful fireworks but we did not finish it because we want to start scrutinizing the mall from inside.

The mall is beautiful, it's got nice stores and restaurants although some are not yet open. It's got 8 movie houses, although I really don't know how it looks like at the moment. I have yet to try it. The food court is quite small or maybe I just thought it is small because it was full of people when we were there. The department store looks good and I'm looking forward to shopping there next time.

Here are some pictures I took from my mobile phone camera.

My favorite Great American Seafood Recipe

Cooking is one of my favorite challenges in life. I call it a challenge because I am the youngest of all four siblings and the most protected by my parents and so I was not able to learn to cook when I was growing up. But now that I am already living on my own, I’ve been struggling to learn how to cook for myself and for my family and friends whenever they came to visit.

As I was learning how to cook, I found it to be a lot of fun especially when I find simple but delicious recipes in the internet that I myself can cook. That is why I liked the recipe of Chef John Currence of Mississippi. He is one of the participants of a cook off which is dubbed as the 2008 Great American Cook Off in Louisiana with his yummy recipe, Mississippi Redfish Courtboullion with Seafood Dirty Rice. His recipe is so simple yet it’s got a mixture of seafood and vegetables that really looked mouth-watering and healthy. Aside from the fact that I really love seafood with rice, I think this recipe is the best of all because anyone can cook it, the ingredients are not hard to find and not hard to prepare, and can be cooked in a lesser time. All its ingredients can be locally bought which means that you can be assured of its freshness. Domestic seafood is not only fresh but it's got all the health benefits intact unlike the frozen ones. If I’ll be cooking the same recipe at home, I would remove the Tabasco sauce so that even my nieces and nephews would enjoy devouring it.

If you would like to try preparing this recipe you may get it at www.GreatAmericanSeafoodCookOff.com. Aside from being able to download delicious recipes, you may also vote for your favorite chef and win a “Trip to New Orleans” prize package which includes two Southwest Airline round trip tickets, hotel, accommodations and dining experience. What’s more, there is no need to purchase anything to join the contest! Isn’t that great! And as if it's not enough, all you bloggers(like me)out there may also vote for your favorite recipe and get a chance to win that oh so free vacation by visiting their website, so hurry!

Thank God it's Friday!

When I woke up this morning, what I have in mind is that me and my friends are going to the newly opened SM City Mall in Marikina after work today. The SM Mall had it's blessing yesterday, September 4 but it was only opened for the public today.

My boss, who was invited to the blessing yesterday told me that the mall is very beautiful but I want to find out for myself that's why I'm so excited to have my work done and meet my friends.

If we'll be allowed to take pictures, I'll be showing you some of it in my next post. I hope we'll not get disappointed because we really waited for this day to come. My only apprehension is that some people said that the SM City Mall is not accessible since there are no public utility vehicles plying that route at the moment. I wonder how we will be able to get there. One of my friends said that we're gonna have a fun walk getting there :D

Anyway, it's time to go, my friends are waiting for me. I just hope we'll have fun out there since it's Friday.

Journey CD Album + $10.00 yours if you join!

Rate My Philippines is giving away a Journey CD plus $10.00 to those who wish to participate in their contest.

Joining is so easy, all you have to do is three (3) of the following or if you want, you can do all of them:

1. Write a short post about the contest
2. Join them in social networking (and they promise to join you)
3. Favorite their site in Technorati
4. Stumble them!
5. Be a do follow blogger by submitting your site to Blogs that Follow
6. Subscribe in their feeds (and they promise to subscribe to yours)

For more information just visit their site. Let's support the contest and support the Journey!

Welcome "ber" months

Last weekend wasn't so great for me since I've been having some trouble deciding about what to do with my life at this time but then when I got to the office yesterday my co-worker was playing Christmas songs from his computer and I felt excited despite being emotionally down.

It's the first "ber" month of the year, 3 more months and it's gonna be Christmas again. When I was a child, my parents see to it that we get to wear new clothes for Christmas and New Year. Right now I was thinking how they managed to do that since we were very poor that time and my father didn't have a permanent job. But they do manage and I am really proud of them. Not that it's important to have new clothes but as a child, it really made me happy.

As an adult, Christmas still gets me excited, although not as excited as when I was a child. But I still love having Christmas and New Year's feasts with my family. Enjoying sumptuous dishes, watching the happy faces of my nieces and nephews while opening their gifts and attending Christmas parties.

Those are the things I enjoy most every year and as early as this month, I'm already looking forward to the season.

Blogs That Follow

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Expansion Pack will be out soon!

I got so excited when as I was surfing the net I learned that the expansion pack for the World of Warcraft's Wrath of the Lich King will be released on November 3 of this year. I silently told myself... don't you think you're too old to be excited with computer games? But then again, I'm still young at heart, am I not? ha ha!

When I was still living with my parents, I used to love playing computer games such as Red Alert, Generals, War Craft and simple yahoo games. I spend so much time playing that my mother would always scold me because I can't help her out with the household chores. I even skip meals or sometimes ask my nieces and nephews to bring something for me to eat in my room. I was really hooked! But it passes. I eventually learned how to control myself.

But now that I'm living on my own, I have lots of time in my hands and when I get tired of reading or watching movies, I turn my computer on and play games. That's why I got so excited that an expansion pack for the "Wrath of the Lich King" will soon be released. I already miss playing warcraft.

WW: Almost a butterlfy

Location: Butterfly Farm, Barangay Marikina Heights, Marikina City, Philippines
Photo taken by: Engr. Elbert M. Malonzo... thanks so much, elbert!

Road tripping in the rain

It was a rainy Sunday morning when me and my friends, Dennis, Elbert, Jabey, Randy and Vinzer went on our road trip. We were supposed to meet at 6:00 in the morning but due to the heavy rains, we were all a bit worried that our trip won't push through, thus we all arrived late.

We started our day eating taho (food made of soya and usually sweetened with melted brown sugar) in front of Marikina City Hall where we agreed to meet.

On board Randy's SUV, we proceeded to Daranak and Batlag Falls in Tanay, Rizal. It was my first time to go there and I was excited. We had to pay Php20.00 for the entrance fee. Since all of my friends, except Dennis, own a DSLR camera, they went on taking wonderful pictures and we pose for them sometimes (though we're not professional models, it was all for fun). I was always amazed at what they can do with a camera and I wish I could own one someday and learn the tricks of photography. The place is really beautiful although the paths were wet and slippery due to the rain. We explored every place we can reach and took pictures of every stone, insect, and water that we can see.

The next place we visited was an old, beautiful church in Pakil, Laguna. But since we arrived there at past lunch time, we decided to look from a place to satisfy our growling stomachs. There was only one karinderia (a small canteen selling cooked food) in the area and so we really did not have a choice. I remembered ordering sinigang but it was quite cold already. The food wasn't great but since we are all starving, we finished everything we ordered.

We immediately proceeded to the Church. They took pictures in and out of the church while I sat in a pew watching them, a little bit jealous of what they are doing. It was afternoon, we were quite lazy so we sat down on the stairs in front of the church while waiting for the others to finish. We, of course, had our picture taken there. We love having our group pictures whenever we go to a place.

Our next stop is the Japanese Garden in Cavinti, Laguna. There was a drizzle when we got there so we had to bring our umbrellas. They again took pictures while I was wondering why the place is called Japanese Garden since I can't find any plant, tree or flower that's different. I mean, there's nothing really Japanese about the garden. There are actually a lot of pine trees and it looks more like Baguio City. The place is beautiful and very nice for picnics. I wish we could have brought a blanket and some food. But then, I found the restrooms to be soooooo dirty. I wish they could hire somebody to clean it since they are charging entrance fees.

After having rested in the Japanese Garden we then went to visit St. Bartholomew Church in Nagcarlan, Laguna. But since it was Sunday and we arrived there late in the afternoon, a lot of people have already gathered inside the church awaiting for the mass to start. They took some pictures and we walked a few kilometers going to the Underground Cemetery.

We were however disappointed when we got there since the place was closed. But since the gate was made of iron grills, we just peaked through it and through the fence as well.

It was generally tiring but very much enjoyable. We did not allow the weather to dampen our moods... we went out to enjoy and that's what we did.

Wordless Wednesday: Daranak Falls

Location: Daranak Falls, Tanay, Rizal, Philippines
Photo taken by: Randyblu... thanks so much!

Getting to know you tag

I thank Deborah Katy for this nice tag!

Here are the rules:

1. List these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

7 Facts you should know about me... Rizza

1 - WORK: I currently hold a permanent office job here in the Philippines and so far I'm enjoying what I do.

2 - EDUCATION: I am a graduate of Bachelor of Arts in English at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

3 - FRIENDSHIP: For me having a few but real friends is better than having a lot of untrue "friends".

4 - RELATIONSHIPS: I am not married but I am in a relationship at the moment.

5 - WWW: This is where I search for a lot of things I need, I can't live without it.

6 - FITNESS: This is the hard part haha. I don't have any fitness regime. I just get on without it.

7 - DREAMS: To have a family of my own and to live a comfortable, happy life till I grow old.

So I pass this on to: Mayet/Joy Burlinson/Marilyn/Dennis/Kate/Jirl/Junelle

Wordless Wednesday: Our Lady of the Abandoned Church

Location: Barangay San Roque, Marikina City
Photo taken by: Engr. Elbert M. Malonzo


Dmegs Directory

My rainy morning

It's a rainy day and the weather forecaster says that it's going to rain till the weekend. I had difficulty getting up this morning, I was so lazy but I had to force myself to get up since I still have to go to work today.

Since I got up so late, I just heated the water to have a little cup of coffee. I never had the chance to prepare breakfast for myself this morning but I had the chance to watch TV and wait for an announcement that there would be now work today he he. After the hot cup of coffee, I immediately hit the shower. Brrrrrrr the water was so cold! I don't have a heater in my shower since it takes so much electricity to maintain one so I had to bear the coldness of the water that seems to prick my skin.

I hurriedly got dressed after my shower and went out of the house wearing a jacket and taking with me a small umbrella. It was 7:15 AM, I normally go out of the house as early as 6:30 AM. I told myself, I'll be arriving in the office late today.

Before I even reached the gate of the villa where I live in, I already saw a long line of commuters and there was not even a single jeepney. Oh my, I really am going to be late! But it's my fault... I got lazy and got up late ha ha. But maybe my luck hasn't ran out yet... after 5 minutes of waiting, there came a jeepney and then another and another. I luckily got boarded on the 3rd jeep.

I was in such a hurry I even asked the guard before reaching the lobby of my office building if I'm already late and he said, "No, ma'am you're still 3 minutes early". Wow, I said, I made it! I'm not late!

Wordless Wednesday: Butterflies

Location: World of Butterflies, Marikina Heights, Marikina City
Photo taken by: Jason Benedict dela Paz

The good thing about the fuel price hike

Just this morning while I was leisurely walking on my way to work, I saw a group of men, around 8 of them who were biking. I observed that they are not the usual cycling enthusiasts since they are not dressed in cycling outfits. Some are wearing jeans and some are wearing shorts and they have their bags on their backs.

As I walk along, I saw a number of people walking on the sidewalks. People whom I observed are also on their way to their jobs. Some are dressed in casual outfits and there are some who are even wearing high heeled shoes and office outfits.

On the other hand, the news on TV says that the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and the Light Rail Transit (LRT) are always packed with so much people that you don't need to hold on to the hand rails while the train is moving because there won't be any available space for you to move and there would be a lot of people all around you.

As I was contemplating on this, I have concluded that these are the effects of the continuously increasing fuel prices. People seldom use their cars anymore. Most people take the public transports like trains, jeepneys and buses.

But the good thing is, a lot of people are gearing up their old bicycles stocked in the garage or at the back of their houses for a long time. More people are making use of the sidewalks and the bicycle lanes here in Marikina.

I guess despite all the bad things happening around us we can say that still there are a lot of good things we can make out of it.

Just another survey: Oil Price Hike

Wordless Wednesday: So stressed?

Location: My house

This time my WW is not so wordless so forgive me guys. First, I would like to thank my friend, Vinzer for this picture.

These are my friends (from left to right) Jabey, Randy and Dennis on the picture. We just came from a day at the Butterfly farm and Pan Americana for a fun photo shoot. We decided to have fun in my house afterwards.

Describe my day tag... how's yours?

I got this tag from my friend Marikenya. Thanks for the support, my friend!

Rules:
1. List 6 things that describe yourself today or yesterday.
2. Add your blog to the list. Feel free to add all your other blogs.
3. Tag other online friends you know.

I would like to describe what happened to me yesterday, here it goes:

1. I tried so hard to wake up early since we were assigned to host the flag raising ceremony and gladly I wasn't late but we were exposed to the sun for an hour and I was really sweating when it was through.

2. I donated blood for the 2nd time, I was still quite nervous and it lasted for exactly 30 minutes since the nurse said that my veins are very thin but I was very glad I did it.

3. I went back to work afterwards and was very busy in the office drafting some legislations.

4. I spend my break time trying to drop some cards to increase traffic in my blog.

5. I accidentally met a neighbor whom I have not seen for a long time, we chatted while we both waited for a jeepney to bring us home.

6. I came home earlier than usual, ate some bread, watched the news and slept till morning.

And now I’m tagging my friends –

Adi/Momeen/Emmyrose/Dennis/Dette/Jirl/Janny/Nanay Belen

FHM Magazine’s 100 Sexiest Women

Thanks to Superbonngg, I was able to attend, for the first time, the FHM 100 Sexiest Women party with three of my friends. We arrived at the World Trade Center in Pasay City before 9:00 in the evening and as expected it was so hard to find a parking space since the tickets indicated that the event will start at 8:00 PM. We weren’t able to leave the house early though since the car we’re using is banned from the roads until 7:00 PM because of the number coding scheme. But we were able to find a parking space anyway, with the help of a funny man who runs around waving at cars to park on the side of the roads and on the islands in the middle of the road (for a fee of course and you’ll park at your own risk).

When we got inside the venue, unsurprisingly, there are a lot of men and a few women who were already gathered around the stage and there are a good number of them who are still roaming around having their pictures taken with the sexy models brought by the sponsors. My male friends were among them and I acted as the official photographer for the night. It was fun prodding them to go beside the sexy ladies and pose (they’re a bit shy at first). I myself wanted to pose beside the models too but there’s not even one woman who does it so got really shy and didn’t do it.

When we were through taking pictures, we went in front of the stage to watch the sexy models parading on the ramp. I find myself in the middle of a throng of men but I didn’t mind since I already expected the party to be dominated by men. I was there out of curiosity and to have fun as well. As hours go by, more and more men are coming in and the air conditioning units don’t seem to exist anymore. Everyone is sweating and my feet were getting cramped from standing for a long time while wearing stilettos. But then nobody seemed to mind and nobody wants to leave.

Everyone, including me, waited for the No. 1 Sexiest Woman… none other than Marian Rivera. We weren’t disappointed, she was the last to grace the ramp and she’s lovely.

The party was over at 12:00 midnight and by that time we were near exhaustion and we were really starving. Our night wasn’t over yet. We looked for a place to eat and we found ourselves in a seafood restaurant along Macapagal Avenue in Pasay. We ordered sizzling squid in oyster sauce, baked mussels and prawns with sweet corn sauce and cheese… yummy. We devoured the food as soon as it was served and for a time nobody uttered anything. We were really starved.

It was a long night, we were all sleepy and there’s nothing more to do but go home and sleep. It was a tiring but enjoyable night. A first time for me and I had fun.

WW: Nightscape Photoshoot

Location: Marikina River Park
Photo taken by: Jason Benedict dela Paz... Thanks, Jabey for allowing me to post this photo!

High "Rice"

From breakfast to dinner most Filipinos never miss having rice on their tables. Even if it causes us to be bigger, still we can’t give up eating rice. I, myself prefer to have rice for breakfast instead of bread so I try to wake up early every morning just to cook for myself so I can avoid having snacks while I’m in the office.

But for the past months the prices of basic commodities, with highlight on rice and petroleum products, have ballooned and became almost unbearable for middle class Filipinos to afford and the government hasn’t done anything about it.

Oh, maybe they did something… yeah I can remember seeing long lines of people on the sidewalk for hours under the heat of the sun waiting to buy 5 kilos of the cheaper rice (NFA rice as they call it) being sold by the government for Php18.00 per kilo. You cannot buy more but there are a lot of talks that they sell it to bigger companies for better profit.

It is so sad to think that while millions of Filipinos work hard to have a decent life and give their families at least three meals a day, there are a lot of politicians out there who spend their money on junkets, luxury cars, dinner meetings in high class restaurants, etc. And the saddest part is… they are spending the tax money that the government has squeezed out of the meager salaries of millions of Filipinos, including mine.

Cute Tag: The Things I've done

Tags are important to us blogger and I appreciate sis Vicy for this tag.

Rule:
Place an X by all the things you've done, or remove the X from the ones you have not.

This is for your entire life!

Gone on a blind date X
Skipped school X
Seen someone die X
Been to Florida
Been to Mexico
Been on a plane X
Been lost X
Been on the opposite side of the country
Gone to Chicago
Swam in the ocean
Felt like dying X
Cried yourself to sleep X
Played cops and robbers when I was little
Recently colored with crayons
Sang karaoke X
Paid for a meal with only coins X
Did something you told yourself you wouldn't X
Made prank phone calls
Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose X
Caught a snowflake on your tongue
Danced in the rain X
Written a letter to Santa Claus
Been kissed under the mistletoe
Watched the sun rise with someone you care about X
Blown bubbles X
Made a bonfire on the beach
Crashed a party
Gone roller-skating X
Gone Ice-skating
Gone skinny dipping

1. Nick-name? Rizza
2. Mother's nickname? Janet
3. What is your favorite drink? Coke
4. Tattoos? None
5. Piercing? Ears
6. How much do you love your job? I like it very much.
7. Birthplace: Marikina
8. Favorite vacation spot? Beach
9. Ever been to Africa ? Nope
10. Ever eaten cookies for dinner? Yes, a lot of times.
11. Ever been on TV? Yes
12. Ever steal any traffic signs? Nope
13. Ever been in a car accident? Yes, but thank God it's just a minor accident.
14. Was it your fault? Nope
15. 2 Doors or 4 Doors? Just the side mirror
16. Salad dressing? Ceasar
17. Favorite pie? Egg Pie
18. Favorite number? 7
19. Favorite movies? I am Sam, Sex and the City, I-Robot
20. Favorite holiday? Christmas
21. Favorite dessert? cake
22. Favorite food? anything, i love to eat
23. Favorite day of the week? Friday
24. Favorite brand of Body soap? Skin White
25. Favorite TV show! I don't have any
26. Favorite smell? Benetton Cold
27. What do you do to relax? Lay in bed and read a good book.
28. Do you have a message to your friends reading this? Thanks for my really good friends who stayed with me through ups and downs of my life.
29. How do you see yourself in 10 years? Contented, with 2 kids and a bit old.
30. What do you do when you are bored? I play computer games or read.
31. Furthest place you will send this message. I just hope it reaches the end of the eart, if possible :)
32. Who will respond the fastest? i'm really not sure
33. Who will LEAST likely respond? the bussiest person i'll tag

And now I'm passing this tag to Angela W, Marky, Sven-Marvin, jirl

Wordless Wednesday: Got milk?

This is supposed to be a wordless wednesday but I can't help but introduce to you this cute little baby. She's Carlisle, she's 3 months old and the first daughter of a proud daddy, my officemate Ruel Lucas a.k.a. Super Bonnggg of FHM.

Flame of Friendship

I started blogging because I was inspired by a friend of mine and now I have gained more friends because of it. Thanks to Dette for this tag of friendship!


The Flame of Friendship

A symbol of spirit of unity.
The burning icon of love.
Undying picture of hope.
The hot symbol of oneness.
The Flame of Friendship.

And now it's your turn to flame yourself!

Meet new friends. Discover friendship. Make bonds.
Copy this post starting from the PICTURE ABOVE to the end
and add your blog on the list below.
Let's start FLAMING!

-----------------------------------------------------------
The People Who Accepted The Flame of Friendship
-----------------------------------------------------------
Tiklaton: We are the witness
Janeth Vicy's Life Journey
Muthahood Crib
Thoughts, Experiences and Reality
(now, you follow!)
OOOPSS!! Don't forget to invite your friends!
_________________
END COPY HERE

And now I'm tagging you guys! Please keep the flame burning...

Marikenya
Dennis
May
Debbie
Meg
Cathy
John B
Deborah Katy