happy thoughts in 2008

I'm feeling more anxious today than I should be. As the new year approaches, I have decided to take big risks and major decisions in my life. I feel so low and my eyes are about to swell in tears. I know that I should not let this anxiety swallow me. Before I finally say good bye to 2008, I want to reminisce some of the joyous moments and blessings I received this year.

January - What a charmed way to start the year as my first niece was born - Joaquin Afridel Cay Roque. We call her Quintin or Prinsesita (Tagalog word for little princess).


February - I finally got my own ride - Bruce. It's a Honda esi 95 model and Gilbert bought it second hand from a good pal, Alek.


March - After several years of amortization, we got our Land Title for the lots Gilbert and I purchased in 2002. At the same month, my brother Ejae and pretty sister-in-law Princess officially pledged to love one another in the sacrament of Matrimony. Hooray!


April - It was my birthday! More to that, the whole family spent an adventurous summer in Subic Island Cove, Zoobic Safari).


May - Gilbert's high-spirited family visited us for a gathering in one of Pampanga's swimming resorts. We celebrated my dear mother-in-law's 64th birthday.


June - Luck is on our side as we celebrated a Holy Mass and met the Healing Priest, Among Fernando Suarez.


July - Gilbert's birthday! I also had a chance to file for a voluntary time-off from work.


August - It's detox time from our busy lives. We took a day off and spent an overnight stay at Hotel Vida (Managed by Fuego Hotels and Properties). I was offered a reasonable Junior Suite package from the visually stunning tavern. So our 08-08-08 story was all about our Hotel Vida experience - from the cozy ambiance to the great staff service.


September - Wanting a more inspiring activity, we trekked Pampanga and journeyed to the Seven Churches.

1. Sta. Monica Parish Church, Minalin
2. Metropolitan Cathedral of San Fernando
3. St. Augustine Parish Church, Lubao
4. Immaculate Concepcion Parish, Guagua
5. San Guillermo Parish Church, Bacolor
6. St James Parish Church, Betis
7. Holy Rosary Parish Church, Angeles City
October - Together with good friends, Helen and Roel, we invaded Tagaytay City and Enchanted Kingdom for a weekend escapade.


November - With the help of our ever reliable carpenter, Kuya Bong, we had a temporary fence on our Holy Angel Village lot.


December - After ten long years of relationship, our close friends - Inna and Armand - finally tied the knot. It was a funny, romantic, coffee themed wedding.


Dwelling lovingly on each memory assures me that God has not given up on me. He was standing right next to me all throughout the year with His infinite love. To this day, I am surrounded with colleagues turned best friends, supportive families, and a loving better half.

I'll let this wonderful thought sink deep into my spirit.

Now I'm ready to welcome 2009.

seed starting

Early this morning, I was exuberant seeing the first few Pomegranate leaves. Gilbert transferred them into separate plastic containers so we can plant them tomorrow in a bigger space. These plants can survive hot or cold temperatures although we only give them partial shade.

I'm not an expert in gardening but I would really want to have a simple garden at home and grow this healthy and delicious plant. I know I have to wait several years to enjoy them but it's definitely worth it.

my christmas wish

...is to be accepted for who I am and to be loved for who I can still become.

pulling up the stakes

One of the biggest decisions anyone could make is quitting their job. It isn't easy, believe me.

Later in the afternoon, I will formally tender my resignation as a Training Facilitator for eTelecare Clark Services. It was a decision that should have happened months ago. I kept on postponing it because I was too afraid to move out of my comfort zone.

my workstation (taken January 2007)

You see, I've been with the company since 1999. This is my first job and the place, my second home. I've spent almost a decade of laughter and trials with people I treasure. In fact, this is where I met the man of my dreams - we call it Love@AOL. (AOL is my original employer. It was acquired by eTelecare in October 2007.)

If there is one thing holding me back, that would be the wonderful relationships I have built both here and abroad. Some moved on with their lives outside the company. Others are still eager to climb the corporate ladder.

I have no plans to work in another call center but still, I want to resign tactfully as it is not wise to burn bridges. My work desk is free from clutter. I'm almost done disposing all paper documents, personal files and e-mail. I also coordinated with the Human Resource Department to confirm my benefit options. I want to leave my job with a clean slate, maintaining positive relationship with the company.

Am I afraid?
Yes, but what an irrational fear!

Am I ready?
It doesn't matter, does it? Ready or not, I've made up my mind.

Am I prepared not to get a regular paycheck?
I will be. Money isn't everything.

It is heartbreaking to say good bye but at the same time, I feel charged and elated to nourish my social and family life. I've contributed more than what was expected of me at work. It's time for me to move on.

living the fit life

For the past few days, I have the urge to lose weight and increase my aerobic exercise. I was looking for a truly healthy weight range for my small frame and height. So thanks to the power of Internet, I got it confirmed at an instant - I am overweight.


Yikes!

Even if I don't have extra time for a strict work-out, it doesn't mean I couldn't stay fit. I need to lose those extra pounds. With the food feasting holidays fast approaching, I need to start now or I might end up gaining more weight. We know how tempting holiday meals are - with tasty array of pinoy kakanin (local sweets) and special banquets.

The solution? A more disciplined me.

I really want a healthier lifestyle and make an enjoyable exercise routine that I can keep. I'll start by parking the car a little farther from the main entrance at work for more walking experience. I'll take the stairs when shopping instead of using an elevator/escalator. I'm also considering pairing up with Gilbert in a weekly badminton game. He's always been my work-out buddy and he was telling me last night how eager he is to have me join his badminton group (again!).

I don't plan to starve myself to death but I'll definitely choose my meals more prudently by picking the right food (preferably fresh veggies or fruits) and eating only a good amount.

So there.

My plan: Exercise more and eat less.

I could start with that and then just add more routines the following months.

It may sound simple and uncomplicated but I need to work on it. And the best time to start is now.

they're selling what?

Before I splurge on Christmas shopping, I made plans on how I can cut back on expenses. Checking out flea markets or "tiangge" before actually purchasing from malls is number one on my list. I usually find nice items with a much reasonable price in a tiangge.

And as Gilbert and I finally headed flea markets last weekend, we saw this funny sign.


It made me wonder at first if they were selling pear-shaped coins or a pear-shaped coin purse. When I double checked, what they're selling are simply coin purses. It was really a misspelled sign.

bridal shower (slightly scandalous) games

A good friend is tying the knot on the 23rd of December. We want to make her really happy, so we planned a naughty fun bridal shower, setting the tone with "feel good" music and playing slightly scandalous games with an intimate group of pals.

The party kicked off with the Hot Cucumber game. At the start of the music, the goal is to pass the cucumber from between their legs to the next person to their left or right - but using only their legs. When the music stops, the person left with the cucumber between their legs will answer a question like Do you view sex as an emotional feeling or a duty, why?, Which do you think is important: performance or size, why?, and Have you ever been caught doing something naughty?

After learning a little about my friends' secrets, we proceeded to the second kinky game. The group was divided into two and each group should arrange (or should I say disarrange) an assigned room. The concept is "How will the couple's room look like after their honeymoon?" One group prepared a short skit depicting the couple's bed scene while the other group explained every funny detail of their room.

We took a quick break after a laughing session with the previous game. When everyone is eager for more fun, we proceeded to the third sexy, mind game. Still in two groups, they should come up with a complete sentence or thought about a given topic. Each group member is allowed to say only one word. The group who could come up spontaneously with a complete thought earns a point. The topics were:

1. Describe what the bride was wearing during their honeymoon.
2. Describe the bride's hair after their honeymoon.
3. Explain what the groom whispered to the bride after the honeymoon.

I can hear the walls shaking with tons of laughter and screams with this game. The last game was strictly for ladies. I gave them rolls of huge papers (flip charts) and masking tapes and their goal is to shape or form the paper into the best male anatomy. A friend who is almost four months pregnant won the game.

Then at late night, we started chatting, dancing and drinking. Funny how our discussion always turns to the opposite sex and relationships. We talked about why men cheat, why some women tolerate cheating men, what makes a marriage strong and more about families. We shared funny first kiss stories and showed the bride-to-be that she has our support. It was indeed a comfortable, memorable time with everyone laughing and worth reminiscing for the years to come.

if you read Cosmo, try this

As a Taurean, I like keeping things in order, have my time organized and make my goals well planned. I started keeping a yearly planner when I was in high school. I plot my exam schedules, study hours, group activities, and so on. My reliable planner included my life long plans, social events and friendly dates in College. And when I worked as a Training Facilitator in AOL, I was given a yearly FranklinCovey organizer which costs around $60 to $70. (Great one, complete with address book, etc)

Now that 2008 is almost over, I had to buy a new planner. Thank God I found a fun and chic Cosmopolitan Date Book. It's as complete as my work planner but this one has a more creative design and pages.

It was designed specifically for a fun, fearless female. Hold on tight because it's not just an ordinary planner. It includes a budget tracker, life-changing ideas, so-fab fashion tips, exclusive freebies, mantras, helpful ways in managing a woman's life and yes, it even has a clear-cut plotter to track my monthly flow. Ain't that cool?

So to all Cosmo chicks out there, try this personalized daily planner. I bought mine at SM Clark, National Bookstore for only Php200.00.

Eat RICE and shine

In other countries, rice is considered one of the best side dishes, but for us, Filipinos, it plays a major part of our food life. We don't call the food a meal without the rice.

Cooking rice is also a basic kitchen task yet many people have difficulty making it fluffy and tender especially when using a stove top rather than a rice cooker.

Here's how you can cook rice using a stove top:

Step One: Rinse the uncooked rice with water at least two times to remove the talc used in processing or other impurities. For other rice like Jasmine, soaking the rice for about 15-30 minutes after rinsing helps the rice reach its maximum length.

Step Two: Measure the amount of water for your rice. If you're cooking 1 cup of white rice, use 1 and 1/2 cup of liquid. Brown rice on the other hand, requires more water.

TIP: More water produces softer, stickier rice while less water results in firmer rice, making each grain distinct. Although Filipinos generally use water when cooking rice, you can experiment by adding salt or oil. Some countries, also use vegetable broth, chicken stock or beef stock to enhance the flavor.

Step Three: Cooking Process - Bring to boil. After boiling, you can place the cover at an angle, allowing steam to escape and then reduce to medium heat.

Step Four: When you can see the holes or craters, cover on the pan tightly, and reduce to low heat. Let it stand for another 5-7 minutes before serving for a more uniform texture.

Cooking rice on a stove top requires attention since you need to reduce the heat (or add more water) at a certain time. Of course, you would want to prevent scorching on the bottom of your pan. If you're in a hurry or you don't have time to check the cooking rice every now and then, you may want to use a rice cooker. Its ability to adjust the heat automatically will come in handy. Rice cookers cost around Php 300 to as much as 2,000, depending on the brand and size.

There are more than a hundred types of rice but here are some that I have in the pantry for everyday cooking:

White Long Grain rice - four to five times longer than its width and slender kernel, great with Filipino local dishes

White Jasmine rice – very fragrant rice, best in spicy food

White Japanese rice - white, clean, rounded grains and must be cooked properly to prevent it from being too sticky

Brown rice – unpolished and in its natural state with the inedible husk removed which makes it richer in vitamins and minerals than white rice, but takes longer to cook

Other rice that I'd like to try in the future are Wild rice (I heard that this is the most expensive type), and Avorio rice (common for European dishes like Risotto).

Every Filipino kitchen shelf is definitely filled with rice. We use it for our daily local meals, other Spanish derived dishes like paella or even for afternoon desserts like rice cakes. It doesn't really bother us because rice is indeed low in fats and calories and a great source of carbohydrates, similar to pasta and bread.

So if you're planning to create a heart-healthy food list, make sure to include rice as it provides fast energy and one of the easiest grains to digest. Eat RICE and shine!

Ronald McDonald on the loose

On our way to Manila last week, we saw a glimpse of Ronald disguising himself as a biker.

How did we know it was him?

Check out those clown shoes :::wink:::