Happy Balentimes!

I think feb 14 is quite big here in the philppines. i'm not sure if people from other countries feel the same about valentine's day.. pero feeling ko mas exag dito. maraming nageexpect at gumagawa talga ng effort para memorabilia and 14. heehee.

heniway, here's what i did during that day. (of course this still includes eating yummy foodie).

had lunch with my girlfriends: iris, gen, and shirley over at ALEXA'S DELI. it's this resto near our office along H.V. Dela Costa. My boss was the one who introduced me to this resto. since then, i take my college and high school friends there whenever they visit me at the office. we love their salmon sandwich (the salmon literally falls off the bread sa sobrang kapal), salmon pasta, and kilbasa pasta. (kilbasa is my peborit sowsage) see our pictures:

nag-eemote ang mga lola kasama ko (shirley, gen-shuta, and iris)

dessa girl with her shuta-gen and her kilbasa pasta!

then i also sold lots of chocolate roses! our church (Christ's Church in BF Homes) purchased a lot last year in bf parañaque which measures 6,667 sqm!!! so we really need funds to build the new chapel. the lot is paid off already (thank You, Lord!) the youth and worship team made these and i volunteered to sell them here in the office.. sobrang mura kaya naubos lahat! these were my samples:

then had a really pleasant surprise when i got home: candle-lit dinner in our small terrace! my boo set up the whole place with everthing planned! my favorite steak fr fridays, flowers, cd playing all our songs, the works! ang effort nakakahimatay!.. especially after emoting the whole day nung 14 kasi i tot he was in bicol. mwehehehe.. happy girl!

job fair plus food

watson and i went to a job fair a couple of weeks ago at U.P.. that campus is huge! the job fair itself was in the Bahay ng Alumni building. nice.. if i studied in u.p., i'd have to take the dorm there.. ang layo! you'd have to take a jeep to go to other buildings.. so come lunch, as usual, tinamad ako lumayo. we decided to eat over at CHOCOLATE KISS. it's a cafe in the same building. iris warned us that it'll be expensive to eat there.. what the heck, nakakatamad and i think it was drizzling outside so we had no choice..

watson and i spent over 500 pesos. the place was full.. i guess lots of people shared the same sentiment of being too lazy to look for another canteen. i wasnt that happy with what i ordered. the spag wasnt that good. the chocolate cake's icing was way too sweet (to think ako na ito ha).. but i think watson enjoyed his chicken tinola. it had a different name in the menu (cant remember) though we both agreed that it was tinolang manok. nakahiwalay lang yung chicken sa sabaw. by the way, that day, applicants were not that friendly.. ganun ba talga? it's my first time to man a booth during a job fair. it was a bit slow and we had to keep ourselves busy. good thing sir nick brought his mac and went out to buy us some chichirya. nainggit kasi kami dun sa katabi naming table. marami silang junk food... hehe...lemi share some pics during the job fair:

a top view of the u.p. job fair

watson enjoying his chicken tinola

my spaghetti

the farthest end of the CHOCOLATE KISS

Guava

last dec, noel's mom invited us to dinner at d fort. the resto we tried is pretty small with about 6 tables inside and 3 outside.. surprisingly, lots of people were in line for a seat.. nways, their specialty is.. GUAVA.. obvious? i mean dishes served with guava..they serve modern pinoy food, which is good and not too pricy. around 200 for each viand. i am not a fan of sinigang with guava.. it was good though, but then i really prefer my sinigang to be really sour and a bit spicy.. yum! our appetizer was real good though.. i think it's a variety of rolls... yun nalang ginawa kong ulam plus a little sabaw

rolls with bopis? i think...her is our sinigang and my serving fo rice!

visist GUAVA at the serendra commercial complex. there are a lot of nice and new restos there too.. pati brazil-brazil meron dun! yummy!

80's girl

We had an 80's christmas party last 22nd of December. waton had several posts about it already! it was really fun!

my friend, iris and i hosted the party. aside from the fact that we were running around for raffles, announcing winners, and intoducing the different presentations, we really had a great time! as for me, i won lots of rustan's g.c. that i used up in a couple of hours last 26 (first day of their year end sale was crazy)!! wuhu! bought them things na i wouldnt dream of buying with hard-earned cash like havianas, 500 peso jell cushion for your foot, etc. the rest i bought jeans na 999 nalang from 3K! and.. hmm.. what else.. black pumps! i gotta have shoes.. PLUS i still have 2k worth of g.c. to spend, thanks to boo's mom!!! woopy! more serious shopping.. i'm hoping to buy a nice black bag kahit tapos na yung sale nila.

mandark, my boss - sue, iris, watson, folen, dessagirl

my outfit won 80's icon of the night for MALE category.. harharhhar! and then my giant ghostbusters coloring book won 1st place for the 80's memorabilia contest. watson couldnt join coz he was organizing this one. hehehe! bet he had loads of entries. he's an 80's guru, you know. i also wanted to enter my 18-inch alf stuffed toy. if you press his belly button, he says all sorts of stuff.. i settled for the coloring book..

i cant wait for next year's party. what would make a nice theme next year? excited ba daw..

Thank You!

I have my starbucks planner.. my very first ever.. the planner does not usually interst me for the previous years.. but then when i saw the sample last dec, it looks different and a lot nicer! =) i would like to thank the following for my free drinks:

opis: for buying 5 regular drinks for our meeting

watson: for buying iris and i drinks after winning "2006 non-technical manager of the year"

melvin and rona: for buying one holiday drink to give the receipt to me!

tita norma: because noel forced her to buy the last 3 drinks dec30 so i can finally get my planner! hehe...

kris kring kring

hi! our office is one of those "kris kringle types" during Christmas.. our mechanics are a bit different:

1. pick your 80's code name (we had an 80's-themed party this year btw)
2. check who your mommy and baby is at the posted chart

3. wait for your baby's wish

4. post your wish

revlation will be during the party, and your gift should be at least PhP 500. as usual, the sky is the limit.. some posted for havaianas, sd cards, bed sheets, bag, belt, cologne, etc. ang wish ng bayan ay ang 1 gig na thumb/flash drive.. dats what my baby wished for so i got it for him.

my wish on the other hand was super garapal:

and guess what? i ended up getting my lacoste perfume and a 1gig thumb drive! YEAH! turns out the one who got me was a board memeber dats why i really made an expensive wish (btw, only 2 of the organizers know the code names.. and i was one of them) wahoo! thanks sir jan!

what did you get for your kris kringle chuvanels?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!!!

God bless you!

~dessa girl

TIRED

i just want to say that i am completely tired.... i want to go on vacation but i cannot afford it, and i dont have time. i want to travel for a month and just eat and sleep to my heart's content...

i need a break from work.. being in the office for more than 12 hours a day sucks..

but then again.. it's Christmas.. my favorite season ever.. better than my bday, or any other holiday...

even if i get tired, i'm still thankful for all the blessings i have received this season. amen..

somebody get me some icecream!!!!!!!!

Good Girl Ako

For those of you who know my eating habits, you will understand why eating beef with ampalaya is an achievement for me. Congratulations to me! And to Mr. Poon for making this yummy dish and to "shuta" who got her commission and shared her blessings with me.

blooper girl

a few weeks ago, my colleagues and i went to clark and subic for another ocular inspection. the places and hotels were ok but not as nice as the ones we saw down south.

anyway, during lunch at Gerry's Grill Subic, it rained really hard. so when we walked to the car, there were puddles everywhere! nung nakatayo ako sa labas, waiting for my turn to get in the car, parang may naramdaman akong malamig sa smallest toe ko.. hmm... anu kaya yun??

pagtingin ko, butas lang naman ang sapatos ko! as in natanggal yung pinaka -wat do you call this-- um, cover?! ewan! tapos nahalata na ng mga waiters: "ma'am, naghahanap na ng kapalit yan ha!"

dessagirl: manahimik ka!pupunta ako ng duty free at bibili ako ng tsinelas!

aba, pagdating ko sa pure gold, yung mga tsinelas sa manila na 100 ay 150 dun! grabe! so bumili ako for the sake na may mabili kahit 150!!! grrr!!!!

so warning.. if you have real old shoes that you have not used for over a year, please dispose them and avoid wearing them when it rains. napagalitan tuloy ako ng boss ko.. hehe.. "bakit ka ba kasi nagsusuot ng lumang sapatos? "

Was sick..

was sick this weekend. went home last friday with a runny nose and soar throat. i was sneezing while in line at the terminal and teary eyed coz of my clogged nose and depression coz no one's picking me up to bring me home... i'm really sensitive when i get sick.. i seek attention but usually keep it to myself.. now, i'm a bit better. just a little cough and colds. loads of decolgen, vitamin c, sleep, water, and a nice purple get-well balloon did the trick! and of course, someone who insisted i stay away from sweets...

Family Dinner

My family and i had dinner a week ago. This wasnt planned... we were on our way to alfonso, cavite so we stopped by mcdo tagaytay for a quick bite..

This is nice.. something we used to do when i was a kid. it's been a while since the 4 of us ate out together... just the 4 of us and no one else.. NICE! actually, even at home, it's rare that all of us are complete during meals.. sitting down with the family is just one of the nicest things on earth..

When was the last time you had dinner with your family?

si aling dessagirl, ang super tindera

Last weekend, ako ay nagbawas ng damit at nagbenta. (pahinga muna tayo sa pagdonate ng old clothes kasi i need serious moolah)..

here's a good way to earn extra cash: GARAGE SALE

1. go to your closet and realize this: ay, napaka dami ko nang damit at kuning-kuning sa mundo.. must get rid of these to make room for the new stuff (hehe..)

2. get your own price tag (make sure the color is different from the ones who will be selling as well during the garage sale so you dont mix up your stuff. then, "price tag" ANYTHING you dont need no more! i got to sell figurines from weddings or bdays

3. make a list with codes to make sure all items are accounted for. place the codes in the price tags as well. for example: skirts are coded as sk-01, sk-02.. para organized. matrabaho pero sulit. i used to encode this in excel. pero para tipid sa kuryente, e linista ko at nag calculator nalang ang lola mo...

4. when you are sure that you have everything in place: plastic bags, tables, a clean garage.. make an announcement. flyers and posters in busy streets, bgy halls, etc. really help! btw, when you choose a date, make sure it's during payday. para may pera ang mga customers mo... mala sm three day sale itich. hehe

5. on the day itself, wake up early and start selling! people usually come in as early as 8am! funfunfun!

Take note of the following though:

-you can get bored when there are no customers (thanks my pamankins and cousins.. i wasnt that bored.. hehe)

-when they arrive in groups in tricycles, matataranta ka pag sabay sabay bumili tapos wala ka pang panukli..

-yung mga tatawad ng sobra.. aba, ang mura na nga ng mga paninda ko, kulang nalang hingin nila

-yung mga matanong: "para saan to? umaandar pa to? sayo to? anung baiwang nito?" ayan.. mejo na-stress ako sa mga tanung na yan

By sunday, i got a good amount.. not as large as last time (naka 4k kaya ako nun) pero ok na rin.. happy selling!!!

ito na...

ito na ang simula ng panahon ng pangungulubi (tama ba?) deshembre nanaman at marami na ang nag hahanap ng pinaka maganada at pinaka murang regalo... iris (a.k.a. kagandahan) and i went to divisoria last week.. my gulay.. have not been here for a couple of years so sobrang na miss ko itich!!!! we went to ylaya, tabora, divi mall, and first time ko ever dito: 168!!! trulyly!!!

i like! it's not that warm, they have REAL cheap stuff and nice stuff! naubos ang kakaunting dala naming yaman. papano, kaka bili ko ng anik-anik at kuning-kuning, hala.. naglaho na.. but i got funky and unique gift items which of course, am not about to broadcast! hellur? for meself, i got some nice dessagirl things: adidas goofy edition shirt, hello kitty pouches for my phone and digicam, purple ariel pen and stickers, at kung anuanupa!

the food was real cheap too! 60 pesos for chapsuey, bbq, plain rice, soup and gulaman. o-ha?! yun nga lang, kulang sa lasa. pero ayus na! check out their nice food court! you wouldnt think you were in divi:

so there.. my first christmas shopping adventure.. yeah! happy shopping everyone!

Milenyo

These are photos i took Friday morning on my way to work. Billboard #1 is beside padi's point las piñas just outside our village along alabang zapote road. yikes... the lightpost looks scary too.
This one fell over an overpass. i think this hit a revo.. couldnt see well. Billboard #2 is in the intersection of coastal and mia road. it was still cloudy in the morning. by noon, the sun was really out.
Billboard#3 fell on top of the edsa magallanes flyover, directly on top of a bus.. only 2 lanes were open that time so traffic was a bit slow that time... i also saw guys in fatigue cleaning the streets. there were plants everywhere. the little trees we had in makati are mostly down. =( sayang. wala nang shade.. it's gona be extra hot again. thank God we had electricity Saturday morning. some cities in cavite and parañaque i thinks still do not have power! yikes!

It's been a while since i experienced such wind and rain.. the last time i think was back in 1998 when i was still in college. our car was half under water but then the Lord is gracious and helped us make it to a gasoline station and pedicab our way home.. this time though, i just stayed at home. reminds me of who we turn when there are "storms" in life. PRAY!PRAY!PRAY!

Gift ko

26th last 26

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me! happy birthday! happy birthday, happy birthday to me!

so here is where i spent my week long celebration:

sarah and i both celebrated with the rest of the pack of wolves in MYLK (my little kitchen). you better check your bill though.. sometimes, they charge you for food not served! grrr!!! sarah! sayang yung 300 natin no! hehe.. it's been a while since we all got together.. (pic borrowed fr watson's post)

my family and i had dinner at ebun. it's really cheap here and they have yummy food! the waitress did a bad job though, taking our pic.. =( o well.. we ordered healthy food like chicharon bulaklak, crispy pata, binagoongan, beef adobo, and sinigang sa miso.. hehe.. dats why lalo ako nagiging sexy

and on my day itself, my boo and i had dinner at HEAVEN AND EGGS. always wanted to try it here.. it's good! (kahit mejo sunog yung steak ko) waiters are friendly. service is really fast, choices are good! noel was really happy with his big plate of nachos and i was overly happy with my minute steak with hashbrowns and mashed potato. diet kasi ako eh.. alam mo na.. ang hourglass figure.. baka ma deform (gag!) sobrang mura pa dito.. as in. noel woke me up at 12am to greet me and said: if you go outside, i can greet you in person. nagising ang lola mo bigla at kahit hindi pa nagmumumog, eh todo unlock ng gate! waaaaa! i have white roses (my favoritest) and PURPLE ones too! in 5 years, ngayon lang ako nabigyan ng REAL purple roses..then noel popd something in my face during dinner! IT'S THE RING I ALWAYS WANTED! waaaaa! he gave me an eternity ring for my bday! lalalalalalaa! happiness! he had to talk to my friend, gen (thanks talga sis) to arrange everything!!! waaaa! (fyi, i'm not engaged ok??!!! it's BDAY GIFT) so all in all, i had a great month. i was broke due all the eating and shopping during midnight madness.. but I HAVE THE RING!!!! yeeeeey! dessagirl = happy girl!

Favorites

I love watching romantic comedies... as in! here are some of my favorites.. HITCH, NEVER BEEN KISSED, and 50 FIRST DATES (MY FAVORITEST EVER)..

i guess i like being an idealist..(though there are a lot of things that changed this). i recommend these movies to watch with your man (if they resist, make them, girls!) and with your girlfriends.. super panalo! i never get tired watching them over and over and over.. although i'm sure everyone saw these already.. watch it again! kung hindi pa, saan planeta ka galing?

although i have to warn you, they have a tendency to make you depressed. kasi yung mga hunghang na lalaking ito ay sobra.. (esp. adam sandler at 50 first dates). if you know what i mean, you'll agree. so to all those who are still hoping that there is such a man.. cge lang.. let me know so i can pray for you.. hehe..

HITCH

.

NEVER BEEN KISSED

.
50 FIRST DATES

Mr. Crocodile Hunter, rest in peace

i can't believe mr. hypr croc hunter is gone.. my friend kathy sent me an email this morning that he was stabbed by a stingray's barb while swimming on top of it. it went thru his chest and straight to his heart. he was filming while this happened.. a little something about STEVE IRWIN

.

Steve Irwin is the best-known wildlife crusader in the world today. As the Crocodile Hunter, Steve has become a household name and his television adventures are seen by more than 200 million viewers in 120 countries around the globe. He's starred in his first movie for the big screen, The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, and has also appeared on such popular television talk shows as Regis and Kelly, Conan O'Brien, The Tonight Show, Larry King Live and Oprah. Despite his high international profile, Steve's commitment to wildlife remains paramount.

His passion to protect the world's most endangered and threatened species can be traced back to his parents, conservationists and animal lovers Bob and Lyn Irwin, the founders of Australia Zoo. As a young boy, Steve helped Bob rescue and relocate crocodiles in the rivers of North Queensland. The father-and-son team are proud to say that over 100 crocodiles living at Australia Zoo were either caught by them or bred and raised in the zoo.

In his 20s, Steve volunteered his services to the Queensland government's rogue crocodile relocation program, for years living alone in the mosquito-infested creeks, rivers and mangroves of North Queensland, apprehending huge troublesome crocodiles single-handedly and achieving a staggeringly successful catch rate.

In 1992, Steve and his friend, television producer John Stainton, created a distinctive new style of wildlife documentary. That one-hour program, The Crocodile Hunter, featured Steve, his new wife, American wildlife caretaker Terri Raines, and the animals of Far North Queensland. Steve's boisterous charm, unconventional style and extraordinary daring, combined with Terri's wit and composure in dangerous situations and their amazingly close encounters with such potentially deadly creatures as crocodiles, venomous snakes and spiders, have seen The Crocodile Hunter became a worldwide hit.

In addition to The Crocodile Hunter series, Steve and Terri have filmed 53 episodes of the Emmy Award-nominated Croc Files, various one-off specials for NBC and an intimate new series, The Crocodile Hunter Diaries, a behind-the-scenes look at Steve's daily life at Australia Zoo.

As testimony to their commitment to conservation and the environment, Steve and Terri have purchased over 60,000 acres of wildlife-sensitive land and are working towards the rehabilitation and breeding of some of the world's most endangered animals. At Australia Zoo, they have established a breeding program to help such endangered species as the southern cassowary, koala, giant land tortoise, Fijian crested iguana and Komodo dragon, to name just a few. The zoo, a dedicated conservation area covering over 250 acres, earned Australia's most prestigious tourism award as "Major Tourist Attraction" for 2003.

Steve was recently awarded the title "2004 Queensland Australian of the Year."

lifted from http://animal.discovery.com/fansites/crochunter/meet/steve.html

Ocular Inspection

watson, fisherpau, and i went to the south for ocular inspection of venues for our business planning. we went to at least 5 different places starting from Lipa, Batangas to Tagaytay. i wasnt THAT tired kasi we ate and then once we get in the car, we sleep (sorry jerry! he was so kind to drive us around even if we couldn't help but fall asleep). panu, 6am palang, i was already in mcdo town center. o well..

here are some highlights of our trip:

the cheesecak from BAG OF BEANS in tagaytay. it's along the main road to your right, coming from the rotonda. my boss took me here early this year during our ocular, too. i ordered strawberry cheesecake and took home the cinamon raisin bread back then... and did the same thing when i brought watson and fisherpau there..

the sound of music altar of claudine barreto (spell check). we went to tagaytay highlands too.. this place is even more famous after the real nice wedding of claudine and raymart (showbizzzz) marami kaming nasagap na stuff about the wedding.. heheheee.. bagay ba??? truly!!!

the first diagonal elevator in the philippines. this is found in tagaytay highlands too, at the bellview hotel. parang escalator na elevator. check out the view. when you look over the balcony, this is what you see.. cool no?

the summit golf club. oooohhh! such a nice piece of construction! take a look! it's relatively new and caters mostly to koreans. they say the golf course is really nice here. mu-ang ko ba sa golf.

so there... watson has some posts regarding our eating adventures too.. click ober here ples.