Feeling contented today...

I'm feeling all right with the world today. My two favorite boys are sleeping, both tired from their day's pursuits. Which gives me time on my hands to do nothing but blog and stare at them and thank God for giving them both to me. He always knows what I need.

The One Where I was about to Give Up This Blog

I was going to close this blog because (1) I got bored with it and (2) I didn't see much sense detailing my life for eternity on the internet.

But seeing my entries dating way back to 2005, I felt a sense of sentimentality. How could I just delete a blog that has served as my online diary for so many years? It's helped me remember the tiny details that I otherwise would have forgotten, like my Capetown memories, my Bangkok bar hopping, my Cebu Christmases. Too often I remember only the big moments and I don't need a blog for those. But I do need this sort of diary to remember rants, raves, little things that crossed my mind during the day.

I have decided to start up this diary again. And I know it might only be me reading it from time to time. But wouldn't it be sweet to realize that the me reading this 10 years from now would be smiling as she reads my entries and think that yeah, God gave me a good life. :)

Birthing Marco

Since the first day I found out I was pregnant, the birthing portion of the whole baby experience has terrified me the  most. In fact, I cried when I first got the positive result and my first words to my amused hubby were "giving birth is going to be painful!". (so obviously my pain tolerance is nearly zero).

So it came as a surprise to me that when my water bag broke on the night of April 18, I was quite calm. I took a shower, put on make up, had an early dinner and even had time to apply my parents' long term visit pass in Singapore. It helped, I think, that I had my hospital bag all ready and standing by the door.

me at 2cm

We arrived at the hospital around 10pm. The delivery room at Mt Alvernia was quite spacious. All our pre natal classes and prenatal reading had me prepared on what to expect, and what to do (and not to do) once there.  Paui was also doing a good job in making me do the deep breathing exercises. What I didn't expect was blood. Lots of it. Dripping from me. The movies I saw never showed this much blood.

And while the nurses at the hospital were very nice (I especially liked the midwife attending to me. Her IE wasn't too bad), I had one horrible experience with one nurse. After attaching my catheter , she just up and did an IE without informing me (which I think should NOT be done). I gave a little scream. And the stupid nurse? She just told me "how can Dr. Tan deliver you leh if you pain like that?" Like it was my friggin' fault that she can't be expected to be gentle when touching the most sensitive parts of my body! Grrr. I think she was practicing on doing her IE on me. I can tell she is terribly INCOMPETENT. When she left, I burst into tears and my body was left shivering from the trauma.

Thankfully, my doctor and my anesthesiologist were very good at what they do (not to mention, nice and reassuring).  Marco finally came out of me 9 hours later at 6:59 AM on April 19.

One last great push (I remember I even had my eyes closed in case it helped) and Marco came out kicking and screaming out of me. My husband was quite stunned at first and had to be prompted by the nurse to take a picture. hehe.  Here is our first family picture with our OB. I'm thankful I got her. She did make my delivery as less traumatic as possible. And she was very understanding of my low pain threshold.

a tired but happy mom and dad with Marco

Paui swore there was a bucketful of blood dripping from me. And thankfully I never saw it or I might decide to make Marco an only child.  I did see this however and I still can't believe this thing and Marco were both inside me for 9 months!

And baby makes three!

This was all unplanned, a tiny bit unexpected but definitely not unwelcome.

Hubby and I are still getting to grips with it . And it is not helping that we are on different continents right now :(

But I got my first sonogram (or should I say embryo sonogram. hehe).

Pray for us that we would be good parents and not screw up the life of this child. ;)

I am an E-book Addict

Hubby came back from a Canada business trip two months back with his most thoughtful gift yet -- an E book reader!

I was so thrilled that I chose to ignore the main reason he bought the two ebooks...to keep me at bay while he was playing PS3 games. haha.

This is my anti-boredom-weekday-stress-is-killing-me reliever. And it helps kill time during the long MRT rides. And since I have always been a certified book worm, it didn't take long for me to become addicted to my new fantasy series: Sword of Truth.

Ah Richard and Kahlan...my two constant companions on my way to work and on my way home.

And at night, just before going to sleep, hubby and I share a quiet moment as we lie in bed, reading our ebooks and holding hands. My favorite way to end the day (or one of them anyway.hehe).

Positivity!

For a few months now I have been down and doubting myself (and my years of work experience). I have been feeling incompetent and mediocre lately which only spiralled my demotivated morale even further south.

And out of the blue, just before my week ended last week, I got a glowing letter from my bosses praising my work!

Just like that, my bleak mood evaporated and aurora borealis lights started twinkling in my nighttime sky.

*sigh* It is just way too easy to please me...

The one where I almost got deported

My jolly conversation with US immigration officer went like this. For dramatization purposes, let us call him Joe1 and Joe2 (there were two of them).



Joe1: Good am. Had a long flight?
Joe2: (just grunted and took my travel documents. He was the one inputting all the details into the system)
Me : Really long flight. I'm glad to be on solid ground now (attempt at building camaraderie)
Joe1: So where you come from?
Me : From Singapore. But had a Hongkong layover.
Joe2: (turns to Joe1 with a frown) Is this passport ok? It is handwritten
Me : (cringing with humiliation. my passport should really be the new one now)
Joe1: (to Joe1) Yeah theirs is like that.
Me : Sorry I was supposed to get the new one. But I got so busy and they had to send me here so I didn't have time (grabe. why do I always have to be so chatty at the wrong moments! Rochie shut up like now na!)
Joe1: (he just smiles. He was actually very nice to me).
Joe2: (just frowns some more. He wasn't nice to me at all).
Joe1: So you work in Manila?
Me : I used to for two years. Then I moved to Bangkok.
Joe1: So you live in Bangkok?
Me : For 4 years. Then I moved to Singapore a year ago. That is where I work and live now. I am homeless that way. (I was trying to make a joke and I ended up just incriminating myself! waaaa...akala nila mag TNT ako!)
Joe1: Hey, you shouldn't joke like that with the big man here (points to Joe2 who still looked serious and, oh dear, was he angry???).
Me : (now nervous after realizing faux pas and just smiles and has now resolved to be silent)


What can I say? I have an irritable foot-and-mouth disease -- I always put my foot in my mouth every chance I get.


Good thing I wasn't deported or else I wouldn't have worn my new (and only) Zara wintercoat that hubby bought for me as a gift. I have experienced winter in other countries three times previously. And always ALWAYS I look like a little 12 year old girl bundled up in thick jackets (I think even 12 year olds dress better than me for winter). So this time I was so excited to actually look like a grown up!

I stayed at the Wyndham Andover in Boston. Three things I loved:


1. free wi-fi (chatted with hubby and family during the night!)
2. the flat screen television
3. the nice, comfortable bed (which I was so grateful to sink into after my near-immigration fiasco)

Although on the eve of my departure, I was woken up by a screeching fire alarm and had to wait in the freezing cold in my sleepwear (with jacket of course) and there wasn't even any staff around to explain what was going on! And my great big sendoff was a nice blackout in the middle of my packing. ;) It was as if Boston wanted me to go back to Asia already. hahaha.

4th Month of Married bliss: Novotel and Clark Quay Adventures

Usually my hubby and I are not so adventurous with our stomachs. In fact, when we find a restaurant or a dish that appeal to us, we don't mind trying it over and over until finally even our unimaginative appetites get sick of it and demand something new. (no need to ask us then how many times we've had dinners at Sakae Sushi and Din Tai Fung).

Thanks to my favorite food blogger, we both tried two new places during the weekend. ;) Let me rephrase that: two new and affordable places (in light of our tipid mode these days). And we found a new mall too! hehe.

hotel stay
Using Paui's miles, we were able to get a free one night stay at Novotel in Clark Quay. I was so enraptured with the hotel. It was newly renovated (none of that old, dark and creepy aura), it had a sleek modern design and while our room was not too large (wala rin K magreklamo dahil libre), the bathroom and the bed were to die for.  In fact, our first reaction when we entered the reception was "wow! looks exactly like Langham!" Langham Place was the hotel we stayed in Hongkong during our honeymoon.

We got robes and slippers, cable television, and best of all, bathroom toiletries in these cute tube-like containers. I was packing a few of them into my bag before we checked out and Paui just shook his head and muttered something like 'typical pinay'. Burgis! hehe.

We even tried their pool and lounged around trying to drain away hours of stress from the office. It was a bit awkward going to the pool clad only in a bikini and a wrap as we had to go through two formal-looking Chinese restaurants.

new food tries
Our stay, since it was free, did not include my favorite hotel treat: breakfast. And looking at their room service menu (which ranged from 16 SGD up), we both decided that lunch, dinner and any kind of activity involving cuisine would have to be done outside hotel premises.

And here the HT couple from http://www.everyfoodweeat.blogspot.com/ came to our rescue! For lunch after salivating at the pictures of bakuteh, we tried the Song Fa Bak Kut Teh restaurant, located just right across Central Clark Quay. To the cognoscenti, bak kut teh actually refers to the soup which is a complex mix of herbs, spices and boiled with pork bones for hours (how many I never ventured to ask). My hubby loved the soup! He felt the taste was so unique and the flavor so rich. He almost wanted to buy the herbs sold in the store. (I stopped him as he expected me to cook this dish myself.funny ha-ha). And the meat was so tender. I just cut into the rib using my teeth and the meat separated cleanly from the bone without any resistance at all. Ahh heaven.

Together with our soup, we also ordered braised pig's trotter. It tasted like (my favorite dish) the Cebuano humba! Only the latter is sweeter I think. But just as good. And as we both were not health conscious-people (I know, we really have to change) the best part of this dish was that piece of well-cooked fat just marinating in that thick sauce.  *sigh*. I suddenly miss dad's humba.  And to assure our heart that we still wanted it to keep beating after all that cholesterol, we ordered some vegetable kai lan (which I had to force feed to my reluctant husband).

We had an early dinner that day (as we just wanted to luxuriate in the confines of our room for the evening after all*ehem*).  Since we were so near Liang Court already, I convinced hubby to try one of the top 10 ramen in Singapore and one which my FT friends recently tried -- Black Pig Delux Shabu Ramen with Dragon Ball (parang anime lng noh).  We asked for the chili to be put on the side so we can savour the soup flavor first, untarnished by spiciness.

And our verdict? We are addicted to the soup (ordered the same thing.Neither one willing to not try the much-touted ramen. Competitive much?). The noodle was not too thick or hard. Just the right kind of chewy-ness to it. And we felt the soup was really tasty and flavorful and not the type of soup that would make your throat parch-dry after having it. Of course, we couldn't resist putting in more chili afterwards (laking Thailand ata toh). The dragon ball was minced black pig meat shaped like a ball. Paui said the meat tasted game-y. I couldn't distinguish, so I have to take his word for it.

We checked out at 12 the next day (huhuhu. good bye hotel living). We wanted to find some brunch place in Liang Court. Most of the restaurants there were Japanese and they even had a Japanese food festival on the first floor. On the second floor, we spied a Sizzler lookalike...only with more reasonable prices. The restaurant? Saizeriya. It looked and felt like an Italian diner (even their menu promoted Italian fare). But google informed me that apparently this western looking resto is owned by a Japanese. Globalization. Or food fusion. It confuses us all.

They had set meals where you can add some small amount to add soup and unlimited drinks. Wow, you can stay there forever. No wonder the place was jampacked on a Sunday morning with families towing kids on strollers. It reminded me of Golden Corral in the US. I don't have any complaints about the food (though it was nothing special, it was at least appetizing). The staff however seem to not know how to compute the bill, having changed our bill at least 4 times, despite us informing them of what we ordered (and ate) several times.  The place is a bit noisy, so if you are someone who wants a quiet brunch on Sunday morning, this place is not for you.

going back to hdb life
Then we could put it off no longer. It was time to put an end to our Clark Quay adventures. Paui still had to finish packing for his biz trip and I had to sort a lot of laundry before work starts next week. Ah. The tediousness of everyday life beckons.

But it was a refreshing change from our normal weekend routine. We got to spend time with each other, in a relaxing environment (i.e. nice hotel) without the pressure and stress of having to go sightseeing as you are wont to do when visiting another country. It was just perfect. :) In fact it was so perfect, we are doing it again. Ha ha ha. Shangri-la Singapore, you are next ;)

Photobooks Galore!

The only thing I DIY myself for our wedding (oo wedding na naman!) was our guestbook. :) It took me one whole afternoon to layout our prenup pictures on a small square image wrap photobook and order it online from Photobook Singapore. In four days (I had express delivery), I got my guestbook and I was so happy with the quality. Better than I expected.

A friend told me it was cheaper to order back in Cebu for this other photobook brand. But my issue with them is they either do the layouts for you or you have to go to their store so you can do the layouts there. With Photobook Singapore, I can do the layouting from the comfort of my bedroom. So convenient for sloth-y girls like me. hehe.

This is me happily reading our guests messages on our guestbook cum photobook....

Now I am  busy doing three photobooks for our honeymoon pictures (yes 3 because 7 days worth of pictures is not enough to put into one photobook. hahaha). And I am going against time because the Valentines Special promo will soon end this weekend. Sayang din ang 45% noh.

Sige got to go back to photo-booking now....

***UPDATE: Photobook Singapore has an ongoing promotion of 40% off till end of April! ***

daddy and living in a materialistic world (haha)

He used to not be brand-conscious. Heck, he even wore proudly the roy-gaew-gaew (199baht) shirts from Bangkok Chatuchak market. Now he is different.

It's all my fault, I know.

I bought him a Ferrari shirt during F1 Night Race in Singapore as a souvenir. Now he almost always wears it. I bought him some Lacoste shirts from the Outlet Shop in Bangkok (freaking 600 baht only for a Lacoste factory overrun shirt), now he specifically asks for those shirts.

No way was I buying 150 SGD worth shirts noh! Too expensive. Yet I want him happy and comfy. And thankfully, my friend Chinchin was selling lacoste factory overruns at half the price! yey! happy me :)

http://www.facebook.com/rochellemariebianes?ref=profile#!/photo.php?pid=16868&id=100000736747892

email: celestinecollections@gmail.com

I ordered around 7 shirts for Dady and my hubby. So excited for them to get the shirts. Hopefully they will be happy.  Strangely, I feel more excited and happy buying stuff for people I love, than buying stuff for me.  hehehe.  :)

one month na kami!

Rochie: baby, mag one month na tayo bukas.
Paui:      huh? sinecelebrate pa ba yan? Di ba anniv nlng if married na?
Rochie: *gives her new husband fierce, glowering look*
Paui:      joke lng. hehe *sabay hug para walang away*

(the above situation really did happen). As it turned out, we were not able to go out and have dinner in a fancy restaurant because Paui got sick. But we had something so much better --- a fancy dinner by moi!

Ok so it wasn't really fancy or chic. But it was a quick-and-easy-to-do dinner. I made him pesto linguini with fried salmon. Yes it was so easy that I was done in less than 30 minutes! So easy I can outline in five steps all I did:

1. Marinated my salmon in soy sauce and vinegar (I wasn't sure if you are supposed to do that but it turned out well) and placed it in fridge to chill.
2. Mixed butter, garlic, pesto and pepper in pan and cooked it a bit. Added some cheese.
3. Mixed in the linguini (obviously I boiled the pasta a bit beforehand) with the pesto sauce.
4. Fried the salmon for maybe 2 to 3 minutes then I just let it simmer in its own oil.
5. Served it to my husband ;)

Some days ago Paui bought some wine from Duty Free in Singapore (yep we always buy from Duty Free where it is waaay cheaper than buying in Carrefoure). So we had our alcohol in place. ;) And according to my husband, the flavors of the salmon and the pasta blended perfectly with our Riesling and I couldn't agree more.

Paui was actually surprised and thought the whole meal was so difficult to concoct. Needless to say, I got loads of compliments from him and several expressions of gratitude. bwahahaha. Here is a pic of him all happy and grateful and hungry (just got home from work).  A bit hurt though that he seemed so flabbergasted I can make such dishes. Tsk tsk tsk.

Happy First month of marriage baby. :)  Let us have many, many, many, many more!   I love you. *mwah*

the morning after

I woke up on December 30 a brand new woman (*ehem*). 

During breakfast, we had a good view of the place where we held our wedding reception just the night before. It looked so different under sunlight.

Last night it had a glitzy and magical ambiance. Small but numerous  lights flickered and played rapidly around the trees and over the shrubs, as if in tune to the Millenium Choir's jazzy rythm. Last night, we slow danced under the moonlight with flashbulbs going off at the slightest provocation. I felt like a princess in my gown everytime he twirled and kissed me on the lips (and in front of so many people too!). December 29 was definitely and arguably the greatest and most eventful night in our lives (or at least till the birth of our babies).

I almost expected to feel a slow let down the morning after. But I didn't.

The morning after was devoid of the glitz and fanfare. We weren't the center of attention in a party. There were no twinkling lights , no confetti thrown as we slow danced, no band playing our favorite music as we kissed. Like our reception area, the morning after was simple. Simple yet neither dull nor ugly. For it had an ambiance all of its own -- a quiet serenity and beauty that only a deep-seated joy could bring. It sits there almost naked in the sunlight,  cradling happy memories of the night before and harbinger of many more happy memories to be made.

more wedding stories

I am not totally obsessed about our wedding. But before our 1 monthsary comes up, I can definitely not stop talking (or writing) about it. haha.

I wish I can tell you I've given more thought to wedding details. But the crux of the matter is...I forgot a lot of stuff. Important but little stuff. Stuff like pens for guestbooks, fake rings for the pillow, petals for the flower girl baskets. Like I said. Lots of stuff. Totally. Forgotten.

And I wish I can tell you I've already forgiven myself. But I still give me an emotional kick in the head whenever I remember it. Sigh. Now I'm remembering again *emotional kick*. Sigh.

But there are things that I did remember. And did get right. And for these, I give myself a personal memento...a collage to remind me that yes, the wedding was not a total wreck after all.

Even the Bible here was borrowed from the hotel.  *kick kick kick*. Sigh. Looks like forgiveness is so far around the corner I can't even see it yet.

I love our invites though. And if I haven't said it enough, it is simple, elegant and sweet just the way I want it. Thanks Ate Emily! Hmm but why didn't Jim's team include a pic of my uber pink envelope? bwahahaha.

a bangkok itinerary -- made for PARENTS

In our first family trip abroad to Singapore, I made a rookie mistake in planning our itinerary --- I forgot to factor in my parents' age.

So I created this busy itinerary for their two week stay as I would for friends, which meant a lot of walking around Singapore, eating local cuisine and cramming visits to tourist sites. I forgot to anticipate that my parents would be tired from walking even 10 minutes to the MRT station (we had to rest at the bus station first and they hated the MRT due to all the walking), they got antsy and frustrated with lining up (long queues around Sentosa effectively ended our sentosa plans) and they didn't really like spicy food (which had us eating Dad's cooking at home). Well of course they still enjoyed the trip (I think)  but it would have been better had I foreseen the things that would cause them discomfort.

So tips for planning a trip with parents:

1. ensure lots of rest periods (taxi rides preferable)

2. cuisine that is as close to home cuisine as much as possible

3. a packed itinerary is simply not possible. Either the whole morning is packed , or the whole afternoon. But not both..please (if your parents are anything like mine, they would sleep immediately once back to the hotel or apartment).

So with these important life lessons in mind, I have drafted a parent-friendly itinerary for our next vacay in the land of smiles and beautiful (and super thin I swear) people --- Bangkok!

Day 1: Arrival in the afternoon

             Check in and rest at the Condotel

             Dinner at my favorite Thai resto along Thonglo : Thon Kreung

             Back to Condotel to Rest

Day 2: Temple Tours in the morning and early afternoon (Grand Palace, Reclining Buddha and Wat Arun)
              Go to MBK and have lunch there
             After a bit of roaming around, back to apartment to rest (trust me, they really need this rest)
             Dinner at Ekkamai One
Day 3:Floating Market Tour and Rose Garden Tour . Kuya Jco will help us book the tour here.
             This already includes lunch and would take the whole day. So I am guessing by afternoon, my   parents are exhausted. Dinner brought up to room from Brighton Kitchen. hehe.
Day 4: Mommy has tour with colleagues
Day 5: Safari World
             Dinner at Soi 13 (bwahahhaha. mango sticky rice here I come)
             Dessert at Spring and Summer  . This has this cozy, outdoor ambiance that just relaxes and soothes. I miss this place.
Day 6: Chatuchak Market tour
              Platinum Mall
              Central
              Lunch at Fuji at Central World Plaza(cheap and really good Japanese food in BKK)
              Rest back at apartment              Dinner at Khao San and walk around a bit
              Coffee and Dessert at Patpong Bug n Bee and then due to my sister's wish to see the "cultural" Pingpong show, we will watch one very briefly. My parents would have to sit this one out. haha.

pic lifted from: http://www.bangkokvacations.net/Things-to-Do-See/shopping/images/chatuchak-weekend-market_b1.jpg

Day 7: MBK to buy souvenirs for home

              Paragon and Siam Square
              Lunch at Paragon
              2 Hour Massage at Healthland Spa Ekkamai
              Rest and chill at condo (and of course prepare to pack)
              Dinner with BKK friends  at Fuji RCA

And our transpo the whole time? Taxi! hahaha. Thank God taxis are so cheap in Bangkok . :P

my super aunti coordinator

Jim (my photog in case you haven't been following my obsession of his work) told me I was lucky to have Aunti Chary Bianes as coordinator for the suppliers. She is "abtik" in contacting the right people, have great instincts and most importantly, never even attempted to skim wedding money off me (which is a very crucial point for overseas brides).


My ever charming aunti/coordinator (and free of charge pa ito ha. hehe) gave me:
 - discounts from Sir Jim
 - discounts from DSL (as in wheedled out a lot of freebies with her smile. haha)
 - freebies from my florists
 - booked all my suppliers for me while I was abroad
 - during wedding day, she even forgot to wear her gown because she was so busy packing up the hotel room and making sure we didn't leave anything behind (and we didn't).
 - in charge of guest book and seating people accordingly (they even found one gatecrashing couple and very politely sent them to the door)
 - follow up with photographer for my raw pics and vids
 - even took leaves on the days I am in Cebu for wedding preps
 - never got mad at me even on my most bratinella bridezilla moments

so to Mami Chay, big thanks for all your help for the past year during our wedding preps and actual wedding. Paui and I owe you a lot! :) 


ps. a lot of the word 'super' is noticeably overused in this post . I apologize. I am writing this on a lazy saturday afternoon and my vocab is apparently sleeping somewhere for his siesta. I will attempt to do better next time.

the future us :)

disclaimer: this is not our baby nor did we kidnap this cute kid. We have borrowed Paui's cousin Jeremy for this photo op.  (halata naman this is not our baby kasi mukhang tisoy itong batang ito and Pau and I have the entire kayumanggi look down to a T).

so sa tingin nyo, bagay ba? coming soon to theaters near you...hahahahaa

What happened on 12.29.09

Abnormal ba ako? I still can't get enough of our onsite video. hahaha. I think I watch this at least once every 2 days. (and one time I even managed to cajole Paui in watching it with me again. :D)



onsite by Jim Ubalde's Team

Farewells again

I was not pinning all my eggs on it, but I was hoping that my current company would be the company I would retire in. I'm not really too fond of moving companies and for the sake of my future family, I really would prefer stability in my career.


But I guess the economy and capitalists have a way of screwing up the best laid plans. So here I find myself in the fortunate position of being able to jump ship to a new company, but at the same time doing what I hate the most : saying goodbye to colleagues. But hey,it is not only me but a host of others are leaving as well. So this month has been full of goodbye lunches...

My Filipino colleagues and I said our goodbyes to the big boss by treating her to Pinoy cuisine at 7107 Flavours (Marina Square). Good thing she liked our food! We ordered all the usual suspects (Crispy Pata, Sisig, Pinakbet, Rellenong Bangus, etc). And she really loved sisig (much to our surprise).

Then the bulk of SAP team leaving (me included) is given a treat the next day at The Line, Shangri-la . This is my second time to eat here and really, the food is delicious and the varities of food available -- nakakabusog!

Many more others are expected to leave too. Such a sad and tumultuous time at the office, and just when 2010 was starting too.  :( But when doors close, a lot more others open. So I look forward to the future with trepidation, excitement and anticipation. :)

Bangkok with family in April!

I have worked in Bangkok for nearly 3.5 years. But in all that time, I was unable to bring my family there for a vacation (that gives you an idea of how much I was paid there. hehehe).


Finally, this coming April, I would finally be able to show my mom,dad and Bea around this city I have learned to love and even call my second home. I am so excited and this will be the third family outing we have together (first time without Hazel though...but still hoping she might be able to join us).  Our first was in nearby Bohol, then our second was two Christmases ago in Singapore and Malaysia. And this year Thailand! I thank God for blessing me so I can bless my parents with travel opportunities while they are still able (though they do tend to get tired easily na).


So I am so excited already making plans for our BKK itinerary. :) I want to show them Spring and Summer, Thon Kreung, Platinum (syempre!), MBK, Safari World, Ekkamai Soi 1,  Once Upon a Time resto, Fuji (bakit puro pagkain pala nailalagay ko noh), Grand Palace, Wat Arun, Charn Issara, Patpong dancers, Siam Niramit, the floating market, Dinner Cruise...waaaaa...dami.  


It's just a great feeling knowing I would be able to share with them the great experience I have had of Thailand and its people. :) Will post our itinerary soon! hehe

pic of Kuya Mervs, Ria , Reys and me in Baiyoke Tower during our first New Year celebration there in 2004

2010 Goal #1

 *I will be posting my life goals for this year intermittently in separate entries. I could have only one or ten thousand.*


I am not a very good long distance friend. While I cherish and keep friendships, I have to admit I am pretty much lousy in maintaining them long distance (don't do phone calls because I can't be too chatty and I can't chat online because I might be too busy at work. thank God for FB huh). 


But I feel pretty proud of the fact that when I do meet those friends again, no matter how much the distance or time has passed, it would seem like we've talked only yesterday. Of course the amount of catching up, and the piles of gossip and news missed out on is enough to cover up any awkward silence that might ensue.


But I know I should do more than that. So life goal number 1: Be more proactive in keeping in touch with friends...whether to greet them on birthdays or for just plain catching up like the pic below of me and my Cebu Sci Hi friends in a restaurant in Holland Village.