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

Submit site - SEO directory

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