mini blogging

i've been working really hard the past few weeks and stressing over a lot of things in the office. so as soon as i left work yesterday (which was a saturday, i know), i've decided to try very hard to enjoy the rest of my weekend and really take my mind of work.

not sure if trying hard not to think about work counts as not thinking about work though. oh well... 

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since the last blog post, the 30-day blog challenge which i failed miserably, i've had the opportunity to visit our Berlin office and stay there for 2 weeks. and since it has always been my goal to do some sort of European tour before i turn 30, i tried to make the best out of it.

the trip was a bit of a rush and since i was there for work and limited visa time, i really did not have time for a tour. but then i thought, if i could just see Paris, then i'm good. and with a little push from my friends, especially from K who researched flight, tour and hotel options for me -- i had an expensive, impromptu but very much worth it weekend trip to Paris.

it was sometimes lonely and scary to travel alone, but most of the time i was lucky. my colleagues in Berlin really took care of me and tried to keep me company if they can. in Paris, it just so happened that a high school classmate who is based on the US was spending that same weekend there, and so we met up. it was cold and snowing, i loved it!

memories from that 2 week-long trip now up on my wall

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the past few months, i've already received a number of postcards from my friend M in Singapore. 2 of those are also up in my wall (in the pic above) and the other is in the office.

i repaid her by sending her postcards when i was in Berlin and Paris also. 

i love sending and receiving postcards. the message itself almost does not matter. it could be a bunch of nonsense. but just thinking of how much that message has to go through to get to you, it makes it so much special.

not to mention it's always better to see something else in your mailbox other than bills.

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i finally finished reading Neil Gaiman's Sandman! (okay fine, not yet done. i still have a few pages to go through in The Wake. but that's negligible, right?)

i love Neil Gaiman's work, and Sandman is the first graphic novel that i really appreciated. the other day, M had this as her status message, one of my favorite lines from the series:

Sometimes you wake up,
Sometimes the fall kills you.
And sometimes when you fall, you fly. 

then i just saw Neil Gaiman blogged about this same line. he saw it tattooed on some woman's shoulder blade, while he was in Australia.

i wonder how it feels to have your own words inked forever on some stranger's skin. a stranger from the other side of the world, nonetheless. 

arigato gozaimasu, japanese tv!

Day 15 » A TV show you’re currently addicted to.

Well, it's not just one show that i'm addicted to. I'm currently addicted to japanese dramas or jdramas.

Strictly speaking, the first jdrama that i saw was Nodame Cantabile. And as much as i loved Nodame, the one that really got me addicted on the genre was the show Zettai Kareshi. In fact, i discovered Zettai Kareshi because of Nodame.

Photo credit: http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Nodame_Cantabile

Since we liked Soshi so much from Zettai, we looked for his shows and discovered Hana Kimi. From Hana Kimi, we liked Nakatsu and looked for his shows. Then we discovered real-life Nakatsu has a real-life bestfriend, who i now have huge crush on, and we've started watching his shows as well.

So since seeing Zettai last August, i've already seen and finished 8 jdrama series. The last jdrama that i saw is this show Voice, which is where K and I got the idea to play Pinoy Shiritori.

I got addicted to jdramas so much that i'm able to finish the whole series in just 2-3 days, and that's considering that i only just watch them after work. So a while back, i've taken a 3-week hiatus from them. And now, i try to limit myself to just one series per week. Oh yes, control!

I love jdramas because they are short (usually just 11 episodes) and are very well made even if it's just for TV -- the acting is good, the soundtrack is nice, and the stories are well thought of.

Anyway, next in the pipeline is probably another of Yamapi's show called Code Blue. I hope it's good. But with jdramas, i've never been very disappointed so far. And knowing that Yamapi is there anyway, i don't think i'll regret it. :D

http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Code_Blue

Chocolate Kiss!

Day 12 » A photo of your favorite place to eat.

This is not my favorite restaurant because they serve the best food, nor because it is the coziest or prettiest place. I think Chocolate Kiss became my favorite restaurant because of the number of memories i have of this place.

http://www.thechocolatekiss.com/index.html
Photo credit: http://arlenelegaspi.wordpress.com/2010/10/01/chocolate-kiss-cafe/

I lived in Molave Residence Hall for 4 years during college. And when dorm food gets really really bad and we have some money to spare, we would usually find ourselves in the neighboring 'Bahay ng Alumni' (which is not a house, but a building), eating at Chocolate Kiss. Given our little student allowances, eating at Chocolate Kiss was considered fine dining since it would usually cost us 200-250 pesos to eat there. But we'd hang out there a lot - even if just to drink bottomless iced tea, or eat cake, or sing with the pianist, or talk.

Given that the nearest branch is in Quezon City, it's been a year and half since my last visit. I went there to have two of my favorite things. First, the bottomless iced tea. As you can see here, i'm greatly enjoying it.

They serve the honey separately, so you can control how sweet you want it to be.

Second, the chocolate chip cheesecake. This is the very first cheesecake that i've had. Before this, i thought cheesecake only comes in 2 flavors - strawberry and blueberry, both of which i don't like.

Photo credit: http://waw-sisters.weddingannouncer.com/restaurants.html

As i said, their food may not be the best. But they really do serve some good stuff. So i think you won't regret the visit -- even if it's to a far away place like Quezon City. :D

yamapi love

Day 8 » Your celebrity crush.

It all started with K finding the "love of her life", by the name of Toma Ikuta. From there, we discovered that Toma has a real-life best friend who is also a popular japanese actor. 

His name is Yamashita Tomohisa, aka. Yamapi. And that's when i found the "love of my life".

Photo credit: http://www.mesra.net/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t72950.html

We have seen a lot of Yamapi's drama shows - Nobuta wo Produce, Kurosagi, Proposal Daisakusen, Buzzer Beat, and now Code Blue. And he gets hotter every time. You should see his opening shot in Code Blue.

Photo credit: http://community.livejournal.com/_yamapi/132775.html

Here he is with the supposedly BFF. They are both so cute and cool, right? No wonder they are friends.

Nomnomnom

Day 6 » A photo of your favorite food.

French toast, bacon and eggs -- i love breakfast food! 

Unfortunately, i never get to wake up early enough to have them as often as i like. But there's nothing like grease to keep your heart light. 

So when times get rough or when i'm stressed, like an old friend, no matter what time of the day, i can depend on them to cheer me up.

every thing started once upon a time, long long ago...

... and if that was really the end, well it was indeed a "happily ever after" ending. i think the best thing for me really is seeing them all together on stage and having fun. of course the performance and the songs were a big bonus, but i would always love their music. unlike the last reunion concert, this one had more "life". they were talking to the audience. they were talking to each other. and sobrang kukulit nila! unlike the last one, eto parang hindi pilit. hindi parang binayaran lang talaga sila para mag-perform. it seems like they were there, playing music together, because they REALLY want to! nakakaiyak sa tuwa. my fave moments are:

• marcus's version of "Huwag mo na itanong"
• raim's performance of "Slo mo". syempre sobrang kinilig ako dun sa part na nagtabi sila ni ely and nag-a-act sila in slow motion
• ely's performance of "Kailan". sobrang nakaka-in love and i especially like yung singit na "i love you too, pare" na hirit (which i have to thank mapet's friend for. hehe!)
• their performance of "Superproxy" followed by the chorus of "Kaleidoscope World" as tribute to FrancisM. it was very sad and touching moment...
• nakakaiyak din marinig yung "Minsan". i hope that's how they feel about it each other now, at the very least.
• the "group hug" of sorts in the end

my only regret is not getting the 5k VIP ticket. that extra 2k would have been worth it! if i could have my birthday wish, then that wish would be for them to play music again together. hindi kelangang concert, hindi kelangang as "eraserheads". but i think they appear together so often in gigs with their new bands anyway, they could always call on each other and perform/have fun on stage. they do that usually already with other people in the industry, so why not with each other. i wish they have that kind of relationship back. but anyway... right now, i would really want to hug each of them and thank them for that wonderful saturday night. it brought me back to the best years of my life. salamat sa soundtrack ng buhay ko na ginawa nyo. i love you, mga pare!

yada yada yada yada

yay!!! i finally have internet at home again. i've been internet-deprived since Sunday, and i just got it back yesterday. i was getting so pissed at Globe already when it still was not available by Monday night. they came by on Wednesday morning and discovered that at fault all that time was the electrical wiring in my condo! some wire short-circuited on the 15th floor. and they had the gall to ask me to pay for the wire they used to replace the one that short-circuited. now i love Globe again, and i hate my condo again. and since it's nearly April, i think i will be entertaining the thought of moving out again... let's see. ------------------------------------------------------------ since a lot of people are still asking, yes i am still very busy. but i really really hope it will be over soon. when i say that, people try to console me by saying something like "well, that's ok. you're getting rich anyway". now just to put an end to all that nonsense, believe me that that is not the case. if you know me, then you know that i prefer to work, and work better during the night. it's easier for me to work until sunrise, than to come in the office before 10am. so when things matter, i give it my best. and what's best is for me to take advantage of my strengths, which translates to working at night. and unfortunately translates also to being late for work (i can't help it, i still love to sleep). and even if i get a lot of scolding for this behavior (though it's less now than before), i still believe that after all things considered, it's more beneficial than detrimental for my work. and of course, i pay for being late, literally. but i need money especially to pay for my outrageous rent. so i offset some of the salary deductions by getting paid for the extra hours i put in (at night, of course). and that's my financial story. so now, on the very rare times that i get to meet you, my other non-office friends, stop bugging me to treat you! ------------------------------------------------------------ i don't want to say that i'm workaholic. i'd rather say that i'm dedicated. ok, stop laughing. to prove that i am still not workaholic, i went out tonight (yes, friday night. social life. yay!). and that's considering i have to make a build tomorrow and i still have some code to put in. so clap clap for my efforts (please?). i finally got to watch twilight. i read the books (thanks Mapet!) so i expected to be disappointed even with my very low expectations. and guess what, i was right. what i hated:

• Rosalie, Esme and Jacob are ugly
• isn't Eric supposed to be nerdy and pimply, and not gay?
• the makeup. is it too much to ask to at least even out the pale white foundation/powder, and put some on the necks of those actors??? (and i usually don't care about this but it really bothered me)
• Jasper looks constipated
• Edward looks like he's smelling something really bad when he's supposed to be in pain, and he looks constipated also
• it could be the screenplay, or the directing, or the acting. but at least one of those is to blame for the bad story telling

what could be better:

• i wish Edward smiled more, he's supposed to have this really nice smile
• i wish Alice was more bubbly, and had more screen time
• i wish all of them Cullens would be more regal, and graceful. Edward was a slouch.

what i liked:

• the baseball scene
• Alice's pitch. did you see that right leg?!?!? she kicked so high, and her foot was pointed and all... it was so pretty.
• the dad. i think he's the only one who more or less satisfied the idea of what i had in mind when i was reading the book

the verdict: i don't regret watching it, but i won't buy the DVD (and that's a harsh punishment). however, i'll probably still watch the sequel/s if they come out. ------------------------------------------------------------ speaking of DVDs, i finally had the time to clean and reorganize my collection last Sunday (all 160 of them. no internet, what do you do? me, i cleaned my room). so now they are all so prettily arranged, and i have space again for more! yay! I HAVE SPACE FOR MORE! so now you have an idea of what you can get me for Christmas. hihihi! :D but ok, if you want specifics:

• Friends Season 8, 9 or 10
• Iron Man (i love the steel case version, so freakin' expensive though so i'm still undecided if i should it get it or not)
• Bourne Ultimatum (2-Disc), Hulk (the one with Edward Norton), Wanted (James McAvoy ftw!)
• i haven't updated it in a while but i still want these
• a revolving/rotating (?) DVD-rack
• Absolute Sandman Volume 4 (i'm waiting for Fully Booked to go on 20% off sale before i buy it)
• Fables Volume 11
• if you're rich and/or you love me, you can buy this for 11k at Fully Booked
• breakfast! (yes, i love breakfast food but not in the morning)
• and as always, i like things that are personal (handmade, personalized, one of a kind). but no paintings from J please, don't get any ideas. :P

(ok, back to work. advance merry christmas everyone!)

looking for a date

well, not really a date date. i just thought i'd get more attention with that title. and now that you're reading this, anyone there interested in watching West Side Story with me? :D

i just wanna gloat

pagbigyan nyo na ako please... :D 12 or 13 years ago, i was able to fulfill one of my secret ambitions in life. and that is to rock! back then, digicams and video cams are not very common things for a high school student to have. so you'll barely see proof of the coolest moments of my life. except maybe for very unflattering shots such as this: now, they are all very well documented! (and can be edited. :p) i enjoyed our performance so much. and i hope we'd be able to play again soon. for now, enjoy our version of "Ang Huling El Bimbo". we originally did not plan to play this, and was about to play Plush instead. however, we were so inspired and touched by the Eraserheads reunion concert that we just had to play something they never had the chance to play. about 3 hours worth of practice for this, hope we did it justice at least. :) ok, now i am done gloating. i promise to post a more sensible homecoming post later. but for now, i have to sleep... and continue dreaming.

everything

i have to watch the Lifehouse concert! is there anyone out there who's interested to join me? huwag lang Upper Box B, masaya na ako. :D i once said that i'd be willing to pay 10k just to watch this band. thank God the ticket prices are not that expensive. i'm still broke from my Hong Kong trip. this is probably meant to be! :D

i am back

... from Hong Kong and Macau. And i'm dreading the week-long meetings, trainings and discussions that is coming my way. I think i would need another vacation after that. I'll be doing a more detailed post about my trip later. For now, here are just some things i would like to get out of my system already!

• most of the people there keep talking to me in chinese. i cannot believe i look chinese.
• 4 days and 3 nights out of the country, 3 different hotels -- i am not doing that again!
• i am not drinking again for a month! i woke up this morning and i was still drunk. good thing i didn't have my laptop with me and i was on roaming, so drunk blogging and drunk dialing were not options.
• for someone who didn't pay for any of the hotels and rarely paid for the food and drinks, i spent waaaaay too much. i won't be eating for the rest of the year. thanks to my friend Richie for all the treats!
• but on spending again, i just want to say i love all the things that i bought. and of course, my "prized finds" were DVDs! wahahah! i bought When a Man Loves a Woman, When Harry Met Sally, Lost in Translation, and Il Mare. :D
• i gambled for the first time in Macau, and i actually won a bit. but again, i already spent all my winnings.
• while in Macau, i received a text from Bibliarch that Fables 10 and Absolute Sandman Vol. 3 which i reserved last week were already available. and they were on sale until Sunday (20% off!). so i asked my sister to claim them for me, and now they are here. triple yay! new babies. ;)

It was tiring but it was also a fun vacation. Now, if only i can find my brain again and get my head out of the vacation cloud...

DVD Wish List

I've been on DVD-buying hiatus for about 2 months now. I need help finding/getting these DVDs. As far as i know, they are not available here. So if any of you is traveling and is in the mood to shop for DVDs, and/or you've recently been to a store and you saw any of these is already available, please please let me know. Of course there are budget constraints, so we'd have to talk about it first. If you're buying it as a gift though... well, i always love good surprises. :D Click here to see my full and current wish-list.

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Reality Bites (10th Anniversary Edition) Manufacturer: Universal Studios Price: $3.91 Learn More

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With Honors Manufacturer: Warner Home Video Price: $3.99 Learn More

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The Cutting Edge - Gold Medal Edition Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD) Price: $6.22 Learn More

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The Rock - Criterion Collection Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video Price: $18.50 Learn More

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Face/Off (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition) Manufacturer: Paramount Price: $10.44 Learn More

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Being John Malkovich Manufacturer: Universal Studios Price: $6.57 Learn More

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Flatliners Manufacturer: Sony Pictures Price: $4.20 Learn More

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Lost in Translation Manufacturer: Universal Studios Price: $2.65 Learn More

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Edward Scissorhands (Collectible Tin Anniversary Edition) Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Price: $14.49 Learn More

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Pretty Woman (15th Anniversary Special Edition) Manufacturer: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Touchstone Price: $9.48 Learn More

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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2-Disc Collector's Edition) Manufacturer: Universal Studios Price: $13.68 Learn More

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Gangs of New York (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) Manufacturer: Miramax Home Entertainment Price: $4.93 Learn More

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Sideways (Widescreen Edition) Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox Price: $3.94 Learn More

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Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 (Box Set) Manufacturer: Miramax Price: $49.90 Learn More

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The Rainmaker Manufacturer: Paramount Price: $5.28 Learn More

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The Man in the Iron Mask Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD) Price: $5.17 Learn More

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Pulp Fiction (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) Manufacturer: Miramax Entertainment Price: $10.42 Learn More

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Runaway Bride (Widescreen Edition) Manufacturer: Paramount Price: $4.49 Learn More

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Leon - The Professional (Uncut International Version) Manufacturer: Sony Pictures Price: $6.95 Learn More

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The Italian Job (Special Collector's Edition) Manufacturer: Paramount Price: $5.00 Learn More

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Pan's Labyrinth (New Line Two-Disc Platinum Series) Manufacturer: New Line Home Video Price: $14.99 Learn More

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The Game Manufacturer: Universal Studios Price: $6.69 Learn More

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Mirrormask Manufacturer: Sony Pictures Price: $5.71 Learn More

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The Wedding Singer - Totally Awesome Edition Manufacturer: New Line Home Video Price: $7.69 Learn More

partey!!!

as you prolly noticed, i have been looking forward to my birthday (umm.. let's count how many blogs i made related to it...). obviously, i wasn't excited about getting old. i was actually very much excited to the celebration i have been wanting to have for years. and last night, it finally happened. :D my "party" was held in the Top Grill restaurant in Jupiter Street, Makati. i chose it because it was near and seems accessible, and when i was there once, i noticed that their prices are not that steep. the food isn't bad at all, and they also have videoke. only you would have to sing on the stage! :D i really really wanted to invite a lot of people. but there were still budget constraints since (as you know) i have no savings whatsoever, and i also need to keep some money because i will probably be moving again (which will cost about 3-months worth of rent). i'm really sorry about that. i originally had a guest list of about 50 people, and i counted 29 attended last night. it was too bad though that lots of people couldn't make it, and some even canceled the last minute (too bad since i could have invited more people if i only knew... :P). by the way, you guys would still HAVE TO make up for it (paging Jonas, Novis and Tami). hehe! :P but anyway, i am really really thankful to all that came. my birthday has really been special because you were all there with me. my favorite moment was when everyone sang "happy birthday" when the clock struck 12mn. it was expected, but it was still special when it happened. thanks so much again! :'D

my pisay friends. they turned on the smoke machine that is why the picture is a bit blurry.

my college "wehehe" friends.

my friends from work.

someone needs to start using the videoke and sing on stage. but no one was gonna do it first. so i requested Oliver to do it with me. and after that, the dam was wide open. :D me with my best and longest friends. my birthday "loot". the gift from J has gone missing though. waah! i'm sorry. i wonder where it went. :(

overall, i'd say the party was a success. most of the people i wanted to be there were there. there seems to be enough food and drinks for everyone, and still i didn't go over budget. i had so much fun and i hope everyone else too. and by the end of the night, i was wasted. :P see you all again next year. :) more pics will be available in my multiply site soon. check them out. :)

my first birthday gift

i was out to lunch with some officemates when i received a phone call. i wasn't sure that i heard it correctly, but i thought it was from a flower shop and they were asking me in what unit my office was. when i got back, there was a commotion in the office. i got some box on my desk. which contains this... and just in time, i had the same color on too. :D of course, my "ever-supportive" officemates, who are always fans of non-existent love lives, won't let this "event" die down without a BANG!

thank you very much to my dear bestfriend Faye! i have always loved yellow flowers (and as Mapet said "hala! nagiging babae na si cherry"). this is definitely one of the best gifts ever. i wish you were here to celebrate it with me. love yah! mwah! :)

smile! it really is a good day! :)

disappointment

i've always been a fan of the Amazing Race. and i religiously follow the series once i find the team to root for. i remember that for the finale of the Amazing Race 5, Faye, Lorie and me all took leaves from work just to watch the direct (?) telecast at 9am. back then we were all rooting for Colin and Christie to win. and damn it, they were beaten by Chip and Kim who luckily got an earlier flight back to the US. and what's more irritating is that they sort of lost because they were not as "animalistic" as with the previous legs. this year, i've been following the Amazing Race Asia 2, and obviously i am rooting for Marc and Rovilson to win. it has been very fun watching them goof off, and win almost all of the legs. but since they've been winning most of the legs too, i was already preparing myself to the idea that they might lose (just like what happened with Colin and Christie). however of course, i was still hoping and wishing that they'll win. and now after watching the finale, i am more disappointed that not only did they lose, they only came third! :( well, i'm sure they are disappointed too. and i am definitely not irritated AT them ("hindi ako naiinis sa iyo, naiinis ako sa sitwasyon", sabi nga ni Lloyd dati). but what's irritating is that out of all the times/legs, it is in the final leg that they have to lose their "luck". anyway, they really performed well in the race, a far cry from both Philippine teams from the previous season. and i am very happy that they were there proud and waving the flag of our country, even though they are not pure (or at all?) Filipinos themselves. to Marc and Rovilson, thanks for being great representatives of the country and congratulations on all your achievements in the race. :) now, if i were like J and see any of them, that's what i would have said. :D

i want one

i have no idea where to get or buy it. but i saw it in Neil Gaiman's blog and i want it. obviously i will not use it as bookends, but still! help, anyone? this is one of the many birthday gifts i intend to get for me. :D --------------------------------------------- below is not the exact transcript of how our conversation went. but the "joke" is still the same. et: che, di ba favorite mo si sandman? me: yep. bakit? et: itong regalo sa akin ni j, sandman eh. gusto mo palit tayo? i would have said yes but he was referring to the stuffed toy version of this sandman: :D

first blog of the year!

which is already a month late. but since i want to blog about new things, yet i feel guilty about skipping stuff i was about to blog about, and i just finished the document i and everyone in my team has been laboring over for 3 weeks, and it is already 2am and i have a meeting at 10am... i am doing this the quick way and get it over with! so here comes a barrage of picture posts. hope you like pics. :D ------------------------------------------------- December 18 Our office Christmas party, which was the most fun one I've had yet. Four days before the party, we decided to turn it into a costume party! Can you guess who we are? :D (L): The J2ME team, (R): Everyone! ------------------------------------------------- December 19 The day after the party, i was on a leave due to my friend Richie's very persistent request to go out of town. So we went to The Farm in Lipa, Batangas. We barely have pictures of us, but i have a lot of pics of the place. It was very pretty. (L): Over there by the pool is where i got my massage, (R): The lagoon. They had a postcard of this for sale, so i had to took a picture too. ------------------------------------------------- December 22 was Faye's church wedding. The reception was in Nurture Spa, Tagaytay. I told Faye before that i will make a detailed blog about her wedding. I will still do that, but this is my teaser! :D (L): with my pisay girlfriends, (R): with my college barkada ------------------------------------------------- December 27 and January 2 Leo was getting married so a few days before that, we had dinner to catch up before he becomes "un-single". Then i had to take a leave again to attend his wedding which was held in the Guadalupe church, while reception was at the Coconut Palace in Manila. (L): SAL SAs with single Leo, (R): SAL SAs with the couple Dawn and Leo ------------------------------------------------- January 2 and 3 Faye was leaving for Australia again! And we just cannot let her go without a proper goodbye. After Leo's wedding, i met up with Faye and our pisay friends. The next day, we spent hours in Red box singing and drinking tequila with Faye's cousins and our college barkada. :D (L): Our high school friends, (R): At red box with our wehehe friends the end! and more to come. beware! :P