anneanne

Go Jordin!

2007-05-11T16:38:00.000+08:00

thanks to youtube, i get to watch the american idol performances. they only showed 'deutschland sucht den superstar' here, which is germany's version of idol. we followed this religiously and got disappointed with their choice for a winner. i tell you these singers are absolutely no match to the american idol contestants. could be that the german population does not give much choice for more/better talent.

i started watching american idol just before sanjaya got voted off. melinda is a really good singer, no doubt about it. but somehow jordin, who is not so bad a singer at all, seems to have more star quality. so i'm rooting for her.

Konting Tiis Na Lang

2007-05-04T19:11:00.001+08:00

even if thinking of actually giving birth scares me, i'd still rather count the days before june 10 (baby's due date) than the number of stretch marks i currently have. they say these stretch marks are genetic. maybe it's true because i sure have been applying lotion with vitamin e, religiously. anyway, i'm not seriously feeling bad about having them. baby can have as big a room in mommy's tummy as she wants.

so how does the name Isabel sound? we're thinking of giving her just one name.

you must be pretty updated with kris aquino's pregnancy, as i have been. well, she and i have something in common - gestational diabetes (GS). this is the type that occurs during pregnancy (my grandpa had diabetes). my doctors are closely monitoring my blood sugar levels. GS goes away after delivery. i will just have higher risk of having it again in my next pregnancies, or if i don't watch my diet, i am also at risk of having type 2 later in life. worse than kris, i have to check my blood sugar 6 times a day, inject insulin 3 times a day, and follow a strict diet. i will spare you the size and length of the needles. i've gotten so used to injecting that i actually enjoy it already. all for the love of baby. nothing to worry about, though, as baby and i are fine.

now for some good news. we already bought baby's crib and closet and some stuff. we painted baby's side of our room baby blue, so that the plain white crib and closet, and all the colorful beddings, lamp, and toys will show. maybe we should post some pictures. quite expensive purchasing almost all the things here. but it's a lot of fun.

anima christi

2007-01-09T16:11:00.000+08:00

this has been playing in my mind all day:

ANIMA CHRISTI

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.

Body of Christ, save me.

Water from the side of Christ, wash me.

Passion of Christ, give me strength.

Hear me Jesus, hide me in Thy wounds,

That I may never leave Thy side.

From all the evil that surrounds me, defend me.

And when the call of death arrives, bid me come to Thee,

That I may praise Thee with Thy saints, forever.

do you also know the song?

O Christmas Tree...with Gifts

2006-12-21T03:50:00.000+08:00

here are more takes of our tree, this time with gifts

i can't believe it's already christmas this weekend!

Guessing Game

2006-12-17T03:57:00.000+08:00

took this with we were having coffee with "the filipino community". these are 3 of our guys. guess which pau is.

O Christmas Tree

2006-12-16T14:35:00.000+08:00

in our best and most practical effort to bring some christmas spirit into our home, we put together...drum rolls....our little christmas tree. it's not the real pine tree because we couldn't wait till later to get one (because they usually wither in a few weeks so you have to buy them late). this tree stands a humble 90 centimeters, but it costs a whopping 50 euros. we figured we'd put off getting a bigger tree to next year when we already have a baby in the house.

9 days before christmas! wishing everyone: Happy Holidays!

The Pursuit of Happyness

2006-12-10T07:08:00.000+08:00

have you ever cried watching a movie trailer? well i have.

when baby and i got home, he asked which part made me cry. and as i was telling him about it, i cried all over again.

must be the hormones.

December 8

2006-12-08T19:12:00.000+08:00

immaculate conception. holiday ngayon dito! bukas daw mga malls. pagkakataon na namin mamili. wohooo!

Friends and Family in Graz

2006-12-08T17:43:00.000+08:00

austrian officemates: before, when somebody would refer to "the filipino guy" in baby's company, everybody would automatically know it's him. he also used to be the only foreigner within their department. while it was hard giving up the comforts of working with co-filipinos, not having anybody else to talk our native language with, plus trying to satisfy everybody's curiosity and doubts about how filipinos are - work- and personality-wise, i'm glad that he was able to pull it through, and quite well at that (proud wife ;) ba ). he has been blessed with really nice and supportive co-workers, most of whom we've come to treat as family already.

neighbors: baby has a polish officemate who lives within the same apartment as ours. he has a wife and a 3-year old son. he has a car, so pau rides with him everyday, sharing with the gas expenses. laking tipid na, very convenient pa. the family is really nice. sometimes, the guys would get together for a couple of beers, or they would invite us to flea markets or lake-side picnics. we just adore their really cute son.

non-austrian officemates: since mid this year, we've met foreigners (and their wives and kids, if any) from india, ireland, japan, hired after baby within their department. we showed them around, answered questions, did what we can to help them integrate easily. we're not experts but we surely had something to contribute, having gone through the same situation. it'd always be nice gaining new friends. we all regularly meet during gimiks and company parties.

filipino community: then after, the company has hired 3 other filipino guys (all guys for now, 2 with wives, and about 3-4 new hirees will be coming in by 1st quarter next year, would you believe?). this is especially interesting. despite our very different personalities, we all get along really well. in fact, they all chose apartments near our place, so we now all live within walking distance from each other. our own little filipino community! every sunday, we all go to the 10am mass, have lunch after, and make tambay at whoever's place to watch dvd's, set up tfc's, or just eat. nakakatuwa talaga.

18 Days Before Christmas

2006-12-07T16:26:00.000+08:00

wow.

i used to be a certified christmasrat. well, i still am as i have been playing yahoo music's christmas stations everyday this month. back home i'd usually start putting up decors, drafting our christmas list, rounding bazaars, and playing christmas songs over and over, as early as sept. how i miss "paskong pinoy". *long sigh*. iba talaga. yung mga salu-salo, simpleng regalong may pambalot na bili sa bangketa, christmas songs na pinapatugtog para mas maenganyong mamili sa malls, exchange gifts, mga batang nangangarolling.

ang lamang lang ng pasko dito ay snow na di pa dumadating.

pero kahit papano, i'm sure masaya pa din ang pasko namin ngayon. madaming blessings na dapat ipagpasalamat =) this year, we will be spending christmas in vienna, with family and as much pinoys around as possible. our own little "paskong pinoy".

merry christmas, everyone, and a blessed new year ahead!

The Devil Wears Prada

2006-12-07T16:03:00.000+08:00

baby and i finally saw it last night, on it's final screening day. our excuse for the delay is that movies, which are not as big as spiderman or harry potter, are usually shown here a bit late as they have to wait for the german-dubbed version. plus the only english cinema here doesn't show all movies so they scheduled this one much later.

anyway, i would usually enjoy movies like this. however, yesterday it was different, there was less drooling. probably because i'm pregnant. the connect:
1. for almost 2 hours, i kept on shifting sitting positions trying to get as comfortable as possible
2. those fashionable clothes, shoes, and bags don't really mix with a bulging tummy and baby goo, so i have to wait for quite a while

but i enjoyed our date. it has been a while since we've gone out food tripping and watching a movie, just the two of us. plus the english cinema sells perfectly-salted popcorn.

Desperate Housewife

2006-08-25T15:48:00.000+08:00

this autumn, the latest season of desperate housewives will be shown here - in 2-tone! this means, like grey's anatomy, they will be airing it english as well (all american shows aired here are dubbed in german). i can't tell you how excited i am!

hit by the fever, and since i can relate to the characters now more than ever, i took the test in http://abc.go.com/primetime/desperate, "which housewife are you?". it told me that i am a bree. it said "you're the perfect wife, mother, housekeeper, and just a bit of a control freak..." ok, i am definitely not a perfect housewife being that i still have a lot to learn but yes, i can be a control freak...sometimes. ask my husband. whenever we'd watch the show back home, he'd always laugh at bree and how she reminds him so much of...me. har har har!

so yes, i am mostly a bree but i see myself as a mixture as well. i am also like susan who can be naive and clumsy and would sometimes go out of my way for others, and i am also like lynette who shifted from being a career woman to being a housewife (and wouldn't mind going back, why not).

so gurlfriends, which housewife are you (or which will you most likely be)?

Leap of Faith

2006-08-25T15:39:00.000+08:00

saying goodbye...
oh the 2 weeks before i left the philippines was c-r-a-z-y! during then, at work, my stress and emotional levels were at an all-time high. with all the changes happening at the same time (deadlines, reorgs, turnovers, politics). everyday after work naman, it was all gimiks! eating, drinking, dancing, clubbing! even on the night before my flight i was out till like 5am with my globe friends. 5am! and i seriously haven't packed yet then. seriously. the memories of those 2 weeks, especially the last night, i would never ever forget. i am thankful for having such wonderful friends.

i did manage to pack everything in time for an early check-in. my ever-dearest family brought me to the airport, and saying goodbye wasn't so bad. it wasn't the usual tearful scene (contrary to that with my friends the night before), which was good because we're not used to seeing each other cry. sometimes, even without all the drama, all the things you want to get across do so. i have to say free online chat, video, and voice calls help a lot! they're better than nokia in connecting people.

and so my new journey began as i left to join baby here. we are happy to have been given this opportunity. but it's not all good. we do have our fears and doubts like, how would it be living out of our comfort zone, away from my family and all our friends, in a foreign land with people who don't only look differently but who speak differently as well...what if i don't get a job (which baby says is really no problem. thanks, baby!)...how would it be with only the 2 of us...in my case, are there english masses here...i know i will be meeting a lot of christians from baby's family's church, which for me is a great thing really, but will there be catholics as well...how can i keep my faith...

my flight and my small miracle
i had baby's family's friend on the same flights plus we met a filipina who was on her way to austria for the first time, to finally be with his austrian husband (they met at palawan while he was on vacay there). so even if it was my looongest flight yet, it wasn't so bad. except for the fact that my roaming wasn't working the whole time. me and my mañana habit.

at our stop-over in taipei, all the shops were closed since it was almost midnight. i told my travel buddies that i will just meet them at the gate because i had to look for an internet cafe so i could tell pau that i was there already. i found an internet booth, which offered free internet, so i was able to log on for quite a long while. call it coincidence but in that small internet booth happened my small miracle.

while i was there, a filipino came in asking about wi-fi, and i told him the booth had wi-fi. after a while, i asked him where he worked because he looked familiar. so he introduced himself, father vic apacible, the rector of edsa shrine. he took the place of bishop soc villegas. he, along with some friends, one of whom i also got to talk with, were on the same flight to taipei, but would be taking a different flight heading to rome, where then archbishop gaudencio rosales was to be appointed as cardinal. i felt so honored to be with him, even for just a casual (one-on-one, take note) chat. it was like the best stop over ever. before he left, he brought out from his pocket a rosary scapular. he placed it around my neck and blessed me. it may not sound to you as anything close to a miracle, but this was it for me. his being there, his blessing me, in the most unexpected of times. God gave me an answer - that through this one big leap baby and i decided to take, He will be with us. that the flight i was taking was going the right way. the experience told me to hold on ever so strongly to my faith. and that's what i'm determined to do...galing no? wala lang.

Davao Getaway

2006-08-25T13:04:00.000+08:00

my mom and sisters thought of us taking an out-of-town trip before i left. we decided to head to davao for 3 days. my sister's ex, whom we have all managed to maintain a very good friendship with, volunteered to be our host and tour guide, as his work is based there.

here are some of our pics =)

the whole gang

too much coffee (crocodile park)

bumalik sa pagkabata

the best steak in davao

going to pearl farm

pearl farm na

my acting debut

had lots of fun, sayang di nakasama si pau =)

i don't have a picture of the best halo-halo in the whole world - aling foping's. promise, when you do get the chance, you have to try this!

Guess Who's Back

2006-08-23T15:22:00.000+08:00

after a couple of login retries, i would like to welcome myself back to the blogging world! welcome back, myself!

has it really been almost 7 months since my last post?! how time flies indeed. i don't even know where to start. maybe i will just have to type away as i let the past 7 months of my life flash before me...i guess, i will have to post a series of um...posts, otherwise i'd bore you to sleep with one really, really, really long narration. well then, happy reading (ang jologs)!

can i just say, myself feels good to be back!

How Time Flies!

2006-01-30T23:32:00.000+08:00

happy 1st anniversary, baby! yabyu!!

Whew!

2006-01-25T15:14:00.000+08:00

told my boss already. he took it well, and i'm so happy that he did =)

all of a sudden i feel like i'm on vacation mode, like i'm here for a 2-month vacation. at the same time i am feeling this little pinch of sadness, for leaving, for leaving everything and everyone here. of course this sadness is a far cry from the sadness brought about by the ten thousand miles between baby and me (actually more like 12k. i should know because i was doing the countdown on my way to vienna).

Dizizit!

2006-01-23T21:03:00.000+08:00

been back for a week now and i still haven't recovered from the jetlag. well of course it doesn't help that i have been sleeping late (or rather early) everyday, around 3am on the average, 5am at the latest. as i said, i'd rather chat with baby than sleep.

everyone in the office has been on planning mode since november last year, especially within our group, as we are having a reorg. as if it is even possible, i have just been given more responsibilities, that my superiors and colleagues are getting more and more concerned about my resignation. note: everyone already knows about this because "the award-winning mr. rdv", who only won, ahem, the most outstanding leader for 2005 (that's my boss!!), candidly mentioned it during his acceptance speech in front of no-less than the executive group. i am now known as "an tiris, who just came from austria to visit her husband". yes. he is just so unbelievably funny! but i am nevertheless very, very proud of him. i am also very proud of him.

sad as it is to be leaving such wonderful friends and great opportunities (and, of course, my family here), i would still rather be with baby. i mean, do i even have to explain? ;)

tomorrow i shall be, dreadfully, breaking the news of my resignation effective march to my favorite boss. i just know that more than anything, he and the whole team (picture below) will support the decision and will be very happy for baby and me :) gulp!

i can't wait to go back to my favorite place in the world - our home (picture below)! i miss it so much! and, of course, i miss baby, too!

Happiness is...

2006-01-07T03:56:00.000+08:00

stepping on foreign land for the first time

snow on my hair

camping with my baby, Eye, and our dear friend Chianti in our new (then empty) apartment, viewing the snow-capped roofs of our neighbors'. no picture here.

making my first snowman
although it looks more like a snowbear

playing snow ball with dangelo, our bible bearer, and chaboom, our cute flower girl (who happens to have lost a lotta weight!)

lying down with my baby on our new sofa in our not-anymore-empty-athough-still-partially-furnished apartment, listening to Michael Buble's version of That's All. no picture here either, but here's one of our pictures together, as well as a picture of our sofa:

White Christmas!

2005-12-23T11:04:00.000+08:00

got my visa na, yay!!! now i have to do some last minute shopping. i'm so excited! we're going to have happy holidays indeed!

I Love Pretzels!

2005-12-19T01:23:00.000+08:00

heeheehee! look at what baby sent me:

i love pretzels! i love baby, too!
notice the keyboard of baby's laptop. it's customized for the german alphabet. takes some time to adjust to. nope, those are not smileys but umlauts. every vowel has an umlaut version.

My Favorite Team

2005-12-15T11:56:00.000+08:00

this has truly been a great year for the team.

despite the heavy (and i mean H-E-A-V-Y) workload, the negative comments, and all the drama, we have managed to do quite a great job. other groups have yet to top achieving all these in a span of 1 year: 3 regularizations, 3 promotions, and making it as finalists in our company's annual awards under the most outstanding leader and excellence in innovation categories (my throat still aches from all the screaming during the announcement).

i am just so proud of the team!

Ich bin sehr gut!

2005-12-14T18:35:00.000+08:00

grabe, tama bang i got the highest grade in our german class? ew, geeky!!

i guess i enjoyed it much to absorb everything well. either this or i am just a good crammer.

i'm happy kasi my boss gave me permission to take intensive german next sem, TTh 8-12nn. meaning i have to work 1-9pm, which is fine. =)

Paging Christmas Spirit Pleeeyyyaazz!

2005-12-12T18:16:00.000+08:00

grabe! 13 days before christmas!

i'm addicted to bazaars! been going to them since last weekend, and yet i haven't bought half of my list.

have also been super puyat since last week because of all the client and company christmas parties. will be partying on everyday (yes, everyday) till next week! walang pahinga ito!

bazaars, gifts, parties - these should make me feel the spirit by now. but somehow, kulang pa din.

i hope mabigay na visa ko para matuloy yung new year namin ni baby together...then i will be happy!

Close Encounter With Big Brother

2005-12-08T23:26:00.000+08:00

this post is best viewed using IE and best read by a Pinoy Big Brother fan.

was one of the lucky 5 peeps who got invited to meet the ex-housemates and tour inside the bahay ni kuya. thought it was going to be a meet the hundreds of screaming fans thingie (was afraid to get lost in the crowd), but it ended up to be an intimate lunch with them - 5 of us officemates and 6 other lucky people against direk lauren, sam, say, chx, ati, and jb (yep, say and jb weren't so much in speaking terms). even if i was really hungry, i wasn't able to eat at all. can i just say that sam has really, really beautiful eyes i melted everytime he looked at me. in fairness, they were all really nice, not yet showbiz. but the nicest of all was direk lauren. chx was surprisingly nice. i now take back all the nasty things i thought about her. here's our group picture:

after lunch, the ex-housemates left na then we walked to big brother's house. no less than direk was our tour guide. boy was he super accomodating and nice! in fact, i like him na, more than sam. this liking's result:

no cameras nor cellphones were allowed inside the house, so no pictures of the housemates. uma, cass, and jason were all asleep so we just watched nene as she walked around the garden looking upset since big brother was nagtatampo at them. the house looked smaller than on tv.

hay, we really had fun. at first i had second thoughts about going, pero i'm glad i did. how much more baduy can i get, huh?

Christmas Bells Are Ringing

2005-12-04T00:06:00.000+08:00

had our final exam in german class this morning. puyat ako from cramming, as useless. once a crammer, always a crammer. overall the exam was easy, at least easier than i expected. thanks to mein mann, who taught me pa kahit thru ym lang. ano kaya grade ko. anyway, here's our class picture. like in ALL of my class pictures, i am seated in front. consuelo na lang na mukha akong maputi.

gush, 22 days till christmas! how time files! bazaar ako tomorrow with my officemate. sana madami ako makita. i'm afraid baka ma-convince ako to buy kikay stuff for myself! resist i must.

Changes

2005-11-14T21:41:00.000+08:00

it's been more than a week since baby left for austria. miss him terribly. tomorrow's his birthday. happy, happy birthday, baby! yabyu!

it's been 2 days since we moved to our new home. my back still aches from all the activity. realized it's so much fun to move to and organize a new home. our friendly handyman, mang demi (i call him mang demmit) who has been working for us for years already, asked me "nasan ang asawa mo?" i guess he misses baby, too.

work has been, as always, crazy.

One Big Leap

2005-10-28T20:23:00.000+08:00

my baby will be leaving soon. even if i can go with him already, we decided i shouldn't yet. have to wait and stay a while for practical reasons and besides, my boss isn't ready yet. kidding. wonder what i'll do - go visit baby this christmas, or wait a little more till next year when i join him there for good. it'll all depend on how things will go with his new office and officemates, my german classes, and my job hunting. wish us well! =)

Such a Boring Post

2005-09-27T18:48:00.000+08:00

i was going to blog about my frustrations with work lately, but you can just read macel's latest post, which are the exact same thoughts i've been having. funny how it seems almost everybody's feeling the same way. sometimes i get sick and tired, not only of work, but of complaining about work.

so what else can i blog about, seeing as i have not been blogging for sometime now...

ok let me try blogging again some other time as i have nothing nice to say. all i think about is work work work.

back to work.

UP Naming Mahal

2005-09-13T09:44:00.000+08:00

bago pa ako ma-tag ni gjen, sasagutin ko na:
.:. ANO'NG STUDENT NUMBER MO? ## - 08083
.:. NAKAPASA KA BA OR WAITLISTED? - waitlisted ako sa computer science, pumasa sa math. hulog ng langit (nga ba?) na nag open ng computer engineering, dahil yun naman talaga ang gusto ko
.:. PAANO MO NALAMAN ANG ENTRANCE EXAM RESULT? - sinabi sa school namin yung 5 na nakapasa (yes 5 lang kami sa buong batch). shempre punta kaagad kami ni mama sa UP para tignan yung naka post. saka nakatago sa bahay yung dyaryo kung saan naka post lahat ng pumasa. unlike gjen, ako yung una sa magpipinsan na nag UP. feeling nila ang galing ko.
.:. FIRST CHOICE MO BA ANG UP? - oo naman, it's only the best university in the country (love your own). buti na lang pumasa ako.
.:. ALAM MO BA ANG UPG SCORE MO? - alam ko tinanong ko yon, pero di ko na maalala. siguro dahil di sha ganon ka taas
.:. ANO ANG FIRST CHOICE MO NA COURSE? - computer science
.:. SECOND CHOICE? - math
.:. ANO naging COURSE MO? - computer engineering
.:. NAGPLANO KA BANG MAG-SHIFT? hindi
.:. NAKAPAG-DORM KA NA BA? - hindi din
.:. NAKA UNO KA NA BA? - kung di ako nagkakamali, sa thesis lang ako naka uno
.:. NAGKA-3? - kung di ako nagkakamali, average grade ko ang 3, e
.:. HIGHEST GRADE: uno
.:. LOWEST: singko
.:. WORST EXPERIENCE SA UP: ay ayoko nang alalahanin pa kung meron man
.:. LAGI KA BANG PUMAPASOK SA KLASE? i think so
.:. ANO'NG ORG MO? saver, sigma alpha nu
.:. MAY SCHOLARSHIP KA BA? - wala, hello.
.:. PINANGARAP MO BANG MAG-CUM LAUDE? hello ulit.
.:. KELAN KA NAGTAPOS? 2000 (oo, i was one year delayed)
.:. FAVE PROF: mam gev
.:. WORST TEACHER: omigosh sinabi ko nang ayoko alalahanin mga worst experience ko, e. sagot ko dito si feria.
.:. FAVE SUBJECT: ee 163. di ko alam, naaliw talaga ako, e. as in nag highlight pa ako sa book.
.:. WORST SUBJECT: physics
.:. FAVE LANDMARK: chapel
.:. BUILDING: yia (sa maga di nakakaalam, sa tapat ito ng nasa likod ng chapel)
.:. PABORITONG KAINAN: beach house and rodics
.:. Noong ESTUDYANTE KA PA MAGKANO BA ANG BINABAYAD MO SA JEEP? 1.25
.:. LAGI KA BA SA LIB? nope
.:. NAGPUNTA KA BA SA CLINIC NUNG MINSANG NAGKASAKIT KA? nope
.:. MAY CRUSH KA BA SA CAMPUS? hahaha! madami!
.:. BF/GF? si baby anu ba
.:. MAY BALAK KA BA MAG-MASTERS O MAG-PHD? are you kidding me?
.:. ANU-ANO ANG MGA NAGING PE MO? modern jazz, bowling, judo for women, circuit weight training
.:. KAMUSTA NAMAN ANG BLOCK NYO? ayun, 1st year pa lang nagsi-alisan sa engg. ang natira na lang yata, 3
.:. NAKAPANOOD KA NA BA NG GRADUATION SA UP? graduation ni baby, saka graduation ko
.:. MEMORIZE MO BA ANG ALMA MATER SONG? slight
.:. MEMBER KA BA NG UP VARSITY TEAM? yes in my dreams
.:. NAKA-PERFECT KA NA BA NG EXAM? oo hahaha sa es 12! nakatago yung exam papers ko.
.:. ANO'NG AYAW MO SA FINALS WEEK? yung finals
.:. DITO KA BA NATUTONG UMINOM NG BEER? - ayoko ng beer
.:. ANO'NG GUSTO MO SA UP? the independence
.:. ANO'NG AYAW MO? walang spiritual guidance (ngek)
.:. MAGANDA BA ID PIC MO? parang nene
.:. MAY GINAWA KA NA BANG ILLEGAL SA LOOB NG CAMPUS? wala

Pinoy Big Brother

2005-09-10T14:07:00.000+08:00

i confess, i am one of the millions of viewers glued to this show. never mind our addiction to gateway malling, nothing beats home-cooked meals and pinoy big brother (baby and i are used to eating late). i already voted for franzen 3 times (text BB FRANZEN to 2331). ugh, i just had to plug. today's the elimination, i sure hope he gets to stay. i like franzen, bob, nene, jayson - the underdogs. i hope one of them wins. racquel, jb, cass, uma, say, jenny, rico, chx - the others, i have to admit, irritatingly amuse me. i can't imagine how it'll be like when they're out of the game.

Deutche Sprachen

2005-09-06T12:34:00.000+08:00

went to enroll in german 1 yesterday. german 1 is the 1st of 8 levels. it is to help me "interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help." tuition for this trimester (sept-dec) is 4k pesos, plus 900 for the text book. i was so excited to do some advanced reading (nerd!) but, unfortunately there isn't any english translation there! baby said that it's probably because they don't want us to rely on word-per-word translation, because it will only confuse us. i will be buying their dictionary next week though, a small booklet for 300 pesos. last night, i was reading aloud some sentences to baby, and he interpreted them for me and corrected my pronounciation. here are what i've learned so far (and google didn't help me with these):
Guten Tag! Wie heissen sie?
yey!

NBI Clearance

2005-09-05T15:09:00.000+08:00

probably the worst picture taken of me is the one in my nbi clearance. how can you expect me to look good after riding the mrt, then the lrt, then going through the long lines of steps 1-7 and, worse, smelling like the breath of the person who lined up behind me (ugh!)?

Merry Christmas!

2005-09-01T11:26:00.000+08:00

woohooo! it's christmas season once again! will do the shopping alone this year, though. hmmm what to give to baby this year...

When It Rains, It Pours

2005-08-31T14:19:00.000+08:00

omigosh, what a day! I can't believe it! i'm SO over my previous post! God is good!

Nuninuninuu

2005-08-30T17:22:00.000+08:00

have you ever gone through a time when you felt somewhat unmotivated to work? because i sure have been feeling it lately. dunno if it's because:
1. i have so many things to do that i don't even know where or how to start. all sorts of people from all sorts of groups come to me to ask for all sorts of stuff, some are even beyond my scope of work. how can someone as small as i am do so much?
2. i'm just really tired that i need to break away from work for about a week or so. no, long weekends ain't enough.
3. i have this frustration that no matter how much effort i give into something it's just never enough. helplessnes. it's a tough job taking responsibility for the shortcomings of the people who work for you.
4. all of the above.
oh well, as usual this is nothing serious. i'll probably get over these tomorrow.

I Think I'm In Love!

2005-08-25T13:26:00.000+08:00

i'm obsessed with the 1st one (beige, yes, the simplest of them all), kaso ang mahal!!!!! could this be meant for me? kasi seldom does it happen that fancy shoe stores have my size...and Naturalizer has a pair that fits me perfectly! ugh!

Our Wedding Video

2005-08-24T19:24:00.000+08:00

i'm back!

got our wedding video yesterday. realized one thing, ang arte ko pala talaga. i couldn't believe it! tama si baby. anyway, we love the video! weird panonoorin ang sarili namin. in fact, nakakatawa sha. i'm so happy our video turned out ok.

been listening to christmas songs lately, i usually do this pag malapit na ang pasko. i'm not so excited about this year's, though.

daming developments lately, God is good!

happy birthday, ivy (aug 25), hope to see you soon!

happy birthday, fritz (aug 26)!

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watched the video with my officemates during lunch. they liked it, too! yehey!

Gotta Getaway

2005-03-22T08:13:00.000+08:00

Sana matuloy kami sa Puerto Galera. I gotta get away from work for a while. I've been working more than 12 hours a day for like a month now. And the to-do's don't seem to get any less. Inggit ako kay Gjen. Gusto ko din mag-detach muna tapos pagbalik ko sasabihin ko 'wanna piece of me?!'

Just Updating

2005-03-15T08:36:00.000+08:00

Got really lucky and saw Norah Jones' concert last Saturday! Had just 1 ticket though, so single ako for 2 hours. Ok lang, katabi ko naman officemates na tig-1 din ang tickets hehehe...
Was pretty close to the stage, pero not as close as another officemate, who managed to get 2 2nd row tickets! Katalsikang-laway ni Norah. Gifted child ever!! =D
Galing, as expected! I'm really glad I went to watch!

The next day, may family get together kami. Because my A-ma (lola) loves Norah Jones (probably more than I do, kasi my cds are all from her!), we played her 2 cds on our way to my Aunt and Uncle's at Tagaytay. As soon as we arrived, my Uncle naman stared their cd player, Norah Jones, both cds. Buti na lang may in-between na Barbra Streisand's broadway songs. Although I love Norah Jones, balik Alicia Keys muna ako.

Grabe, lately, I've been riding with baby to work. He parks kasi near my office, crosses boni-edsa overpass, and takes their office shuttle to work everyday. Tapos pauwi, baliktad naman. Anyway, pag sumasabay ako sa kanya, I have to wake up mga 4:40am! Super busy kasi kaya I have to work the extra hours (which reminds me, I have to check my OT pay). Grabe...pero nasasanay na din.

Back as a Mrs.

2005-02-09T10:21:00.000+08:00

I'm back!
Thanks kina Eye at Ryan, mga official phohotgraphers namin, for taking such wonderful pictures of our wedding =) Galing nyo talaga, mga pro!
Thanks kay Macel, sa sobrang gandang AVP! Pinanood nga ulit namin kagabi, kakatuwa talaga! Mas magaling ka pa sa mga pro!
Thanks sa lahat ng naging part ng entourage, mga nag attend, tumulong sa preparations, mga newlyweds Gjen and Met for the tips kahit na makulit na ako, mga nag post at nag comment sa mga blogs, bumati, tumawag (hi, Aids!). Kaka-tuwa at kaka-touch, really meant a lot to us =) Maraming salamat!
Post kami ng URL ng webshots next time. Busy kasi catching up with work, kaya di pa kami tapos mag sort and mag upload. Di ko pa nga nalalakad change of name and status hehehe!

Just Remembered I Have A Blogsite

2004-12-28T16:17:00.000+08:00

I miss blogging...

Baby and I attended the Quezon City Hall's family planning and marriage counseling seminar last week. It was required. Most of the marriage counseling part was blah blah but the teacher did give some good points. Kala ko di na sha mauubusan ng acronyms! P-A-G-A-A-S-A-W-A or B-R-A-V-E-H-E-A-R-T-S. Don't ask me what they stood for. The family planning part was interesting, though.

Grabe! Got an MP3 player for Christmas from one of our partners (it took me about 1 hour to finally realize na totoo nga)!

Ate A LOT this Christmas! Now I'm kinda seriously thinking if I should go on a crash South Beach Diet...

Have a Blessed, Prosperous New Year, Everyone! =D

Beard Papa ulit

2004-11-22T16:25:00.000+08:00

Hay. Bakit kasi of all the places na magtatayo ng Beard Papa sa Megamall, dun pa talaga malapit sa Slimmers. Nananadya?

Nokia 7270

2004-11-17T17:46:00.000+08:00

It may have not have all the cool features compared to other hi-end Nokia phones, but this is my favorite! Bagay na bagay sakin =D Kelangan lang di ako magpa attach sakaling kunin from me =(

http://www.nokia.com/nokia/0,,62355,00.html

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Bukas na Robinsons Pioneer! Lahat yata ng taga dito sa office namin dun nag lunch.

Robinsons Pioneer, Gateway Mall and Taco Bell

2004-11-09T11:02:00.000+08:00

Yes! Magbubukas na ang Robinsons Pioneer! May mall na within walking distance from our office! Di na kami magtyatyaga sa KFC and Pioneer Center!

Yes! Magbubukas na yung Gateway Mall! May sossy mall na malapit sa bahay! Sana maganda sinehan.

Natikman ko na din Taco Bell! The taco was thin and crispy. In fairness, nasarapan naman ako. Makabalik nga. Anyway lalakarin ko lang naman mula sa bahay.

Beard Papa

2004-11-08T10:56:00.000+08:00

They serve the best cream puff in the whole world! Dulcinea's have more bread than cream, while Beard Papa's are the exact opposite.

Baby and I first tried them last Saturday at Galleria. The cost (P50 each) didn't bother me more than the thought of how sinful it would be to eat one whole cream puff by myself! The puff is hollow inside, and upon ordering, they fill the hollow up with cream that has the same consistency as DQ's or Jollibee's sundae. I don't even what to know how many calories each has.

We've been eating it for 2 consecutive days now. Hanggang kailan kaya namin yon aaraw-arawin...

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Na-try namin Thai Kitchen. Ang mura dun! Isang bandehado ng Bagoong Rice, P120 lang! Masarap sha! Yung Phad Thai, mas masarap yung sa Krua Thai, pero mura din sha sa Thai Express, you'll get your money's worth.

Coincidence

2004-10-05T09:32:00.002+08:00

My seatmate, Nabeth, is currently in labor at Polymedic! She's about to give birth to a baby girl, yey!

Let me tell you a really funny coincidence. Eversince I started working, all my left-side seatmates have all been girls, who all got pregnant while we were seatmates, with baby girls! First it was Berni, from ABS-CBN, who's lovely daughter, Sam, looks so much like her =) Then Louie, from ABS, whom after waiting for 4 years or so, finally got pregnant, and gave birth to cute little Raye =) Then Nabeth =)

Galing no?

---------------------------
Troy got fired from The Apprentice, because he finished only highschool, while his competitors were all with MBAs and Business degrees, and Trump didn't want to gamble a multi-million business with him as the Manager. Real bummer, but I have to admit, he kinda had a point.

ABSi Friends

2004-10-04T13:38:00.000+08:00

I'm excited to get back in touch with my ABS-CBN Interactive friends! For starters, I've added babyburn and minminvl =) Miss them so much!

For Curiosity's Sake

2004-09-30T13:55:00.000+08:00

I am Vanilla Flavoured.

I am one of the most popular flavours in the world. Subtle and smooth, I go reasonably with anyone, and rarely do anything to offend. I can be expected to be blending in in society. What Flavour Are You?

The OC

2004-09-30T11:15:00.000+08:00

I have been very careful with my new shoes. Inside the MRT or bus, I'm always afraid somebody would step on them. You have to understand, it's gamuza.

This morning, while inside Jell, a man came inside and walked like he was drunk. As if the 3-foot-wide aisle wasn't enough space, he stepped on my shoe! I let out an 'Oh Shit!' which, for me, was kinda loud (I think I scared the man). But I guess only the people seated 1 row in front and behind me heard. Then I realized, it's probably not his fault. The bus was moving already anyway. Then I felt sorry.

I'm not gonna buy any more gamuza shoes. They drive me crazy.

New Addiction

2004-09-28T13:06:00.000+08:00

Baby and I are so hooked on The Apprentice (Mondays, 8pm on ABC5, right before Queer Eye, 9pm on ETC)!

I know there's a new season, but I'm not welcoming spoilers!

I like Troy...and Bill. I think Amy is over-rated.

Money, money, money, maaneh!

Ask the Fruitcake Lady

2004-09-24T10:57:00.000+08:00

I'm back at work. Should've gone to the office yesterday because I worked the whole day anyway. Lagot ako sa sister ko, inubos ko yata yung prepaid internet credits namin na binili nya for Ragnarok...

Something's wrong with my stomach today. It's been making weird sounds, I'm afraid my seatmates would hear.

Baby and I chanced upon the Fruitcake Lady while watching The Tonight Show With Jay Leno early this week. Nakakatawa sha! She's 93 years old, answers any question asked of her. Believe me, she's no-nonsense! Check out some of her videos from http://www.nbc.com/nbc/The_Tonight_Show_with_Jay_Leno/ fruitcake_lady/fruitcake_lady_page2.shtml =)

Fever

2004-09-22T08:25:00.000+08:00

So after almost 10 days, I finally got to post again. I had to go on sick leave to be able to have the time to do so?

I was only kidding about not going to work to watch the finale of TAR. Yesterday, I woke up with my right tonsil swollen. Then last night, I was already feverish. Talk about right timing. I'm supposed to still be sleeping, but no. I might as well watch TAR, right? Hehehe! I have the whole afternoon to sleep anyway. That is unless I'm obliged to stay online and work.

Regine

2004-09-13T10:10:00.000+08:00

Last Friday, my officemates and I went to Conway's Bar at Shang Makati for the 5th anniv of one of our partners. Shempre daming food, drinks, and dessert (forgot I was on a diet-dietan)!

Host si Regine Tolentino. Shempre may dance number sha.

Napilitan ako sumali sa 1st game nila (actually pauwi na kami when hinatak kami ng one of the managers of our partner). Mechanics were that the audience were to choose a letter, then each group will think of body parts starting with that letter and post-it the word to that body part. Shempre close na kami ni Regine T. kasi nung letter 'B' yung iniisipan namin na word, binulong nya samin Bul2. Sayang natalo kami by 1 point. Buti nalang may consolation prize. Express and Foot Massage sa Shang Urban Spa.

Nakita namin si Keith Martin palabas ng Shang. Wala lang.

Not busy

2004-09-09T09:57:00.000+08:00

I'm obviously not busy this morning, and somehow I'm feeling guilty. Maybe I'm so used to being busy that not being busy makes me feel like I should be busy, like I must be missing something out. This is not good.

Swimming

2004-09-09T09:04:00.000+08:00

I miss swimming.

I learned how to swim at the age of 26. Took up basic swimming lessons with some officemates in Makati Sports. I just had to take formal lessons.

We used to go to Ultra every weekend. I have yet to completele my swim across it's olympic-sized pool. I always stop in the middle hehe

I wonder if my swimsuit still fits me.

Olympic Badminton Club

2004-09-09T08:34:00.000+08:00

Last night, baby played with 3 other friends in this badminton place in Libis (beside Dampa). I didn't play because I didn't really feel like it (and yes, I am an amateur compared to them, that I might just end up wasting their time and money playing with me). Besides, 4 players are better than 5. That way, they can maximize what they're paying for. The place is so big! It has 20 taraflex courts, and is well-ventilated. They have this mini-caf that's airconditioned and has a tv, tuned in to Channel 2, so I got to watch Kris Aquino in Hiram.

Teriyaki Boy vs. Ebisu vs. Rai Rai Ken
But before playing badminton, and because I wanted to eat jap, baby and I went to City Walk to look for a jap resto. As we were about to lose hope in finding one, we spotted Ebisu. Yey! Ordered Sukiyaki, and a variety of Maki. Ebisu doesn't serve Ramen, and it's was big disappointment for baby. But have their specialty maki, Ebisu Roll, which had scallops, and which was good, but was a bit too salty. I guess Rai Rai Ken is still better. For the same price, you can get more and mas masarap ang maki (california, shake, etc.) nila. I'm not even gonna talk about Teriyaki Boy's maki. They have good Chicken Teriyaki, though.

Emerald Garden

2004-08-30T13:08:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, birthday treat ni A-ma (chinese for lola) ko for the birthday of her husband. He's not my A-kong (meaning lolo), he was the husband of my A-ma's sister, who passed away 3 years ago. It's really great that even in their 80s, they both found love and companionship anew. I'm just so happy for them! They look so cute together!

So we ate at Emerald Garden. Ok, another resto. It's a chinese resto in Roxas Blvd where A-ma has been suggesting that Pau and I have our reception (that's another story). Daming food! Meron silang house tea, of course. Their specialty is Fried Pigeon, which baby didn't eat, and which I ate 3 slices of. Kawawa talaga yung pigeon. Nagi-guilty tuloy ako...

Mr. Choi

2004-08-29T20:34:00.000+08:00

Napanood na namin yung Pricess Diaries 2 nung Saturday. The 2 things that I love watching the most are make-overs and weddings. Princess Diaries 1 had a make-over portion, and the 2nd one had a wedding. So di ko masasabi which movie I like more.

Tapos, we ate at Mr. Choi, which is beside Gold's Gym sa new wing ng Robinsons Galleria. It's a chinese resto that my boss had been asking that we try out. Sarap daw. Sarap naman. Ok yung Fried Salad Roll =) But it had lots of mayo, that I cringed with every bite (imagine all the calories!). The wanton soup was ok, di lang kami masyado na-impress sa soup mismo. Wala silang house tea, pero mura na din yung P25 na Jasmine Tea nila. Ok yung ambience, and mura na yung food.

ABS

2004-08-29T10:35:00.000+08:00

Last Friday, baby and I met up with my former officmates. We ate at NSG (National Sports Grill) in Greenbelt 1. Food there is somewhat similar to TGIF's. Fries were great (free refills)!

It was nice to see my former officemates again (even if we were incomplete) I miss our Friday lunch-outs.

CPK

2004-08-25T08:44:00.000+08:00

Baby and I love CPK. We love their salad, pizza, pasta, raspberry iced tea, everything!

For many months now, we have been collecting receipts, because as we've been told before, if we accumulate receipts worth P5,000 we will be entitled to a VIP card (for discounts and freebies). Yey! Very useful to us loyal customers.

So last night, with more that P5,000 worth of receipts in my wallet, we decided to eat there and finally apply for the VIP card. To our dismay, we were told that they no longer issue VIP cards! Waaaaah!!! Super nakakainis, I just don't know how to react. So I'm ending this post without any reaction.

Busy

2004-08-24T18:01:00.000+08:00

I have never been so busy. As in, sometimes, I really do multiple unrelated tasks at a time! It's a good thing I haven't gotten confused yet.

Sometimes it's fun, that I get to accomplish a lot of things, get to help a lot of people. Sometimes I get SO stressed out (by the way, I've made it a habit to take Stresstabs daily) that I become really masungit, exactly like my avatar.

Rai Rai Ken

2004-08-23T13:28:00.000+08:00

Sobrang sarap ng Salmon Shake and California Maki sa Rai Rai Ken!!! A bit expensive, but really worth it! Pau and I ate there last Saturday. Shempre Pau ordered his favorite, Ramen...with lots of chili. Hay, one of these days, I'm gonna buy Special Maki from Sushi Mart. It's their own version of Sushi wrapped with Salmon and Tuna. Hay I can eat Sushi everyday, kontra low-carb diet nga lang because of all the rice.

Yehey!

2004-08-23T11:01:00.000+08:00

Yehey yehey! May blogspot na ako!

My other blog: anneanne's g-blog