Community Service + Learnning about your Environment

last july, my colleagues and i had an activty for all the birthday celebrants of Feb, Mar, Apr. It was a morning spent with street children with games, a feeding program and a zoo tour! both kids and volunteers enjoyed the zoo trip! we learned a lot from the the NINOY AQUINO PARKS AND WILDLIFE.. i'm from the south so i dont really visit the qc area. this is my first time to see the zoo.. it's a rescue center for endagered species in the country.. aside from the educational tour, they even had a program where you can pet the turtle, snake, etc. mashado akong takot to do that.. maybe next time.. para naman may pic ako nun! hehe..

.

the kids enjoyed the games as well. was touched during the part when they were given a chance to say somethign to the volunteers: a teenage girl said: "pagnasa langsangan kami, pakiramdam namin walang nagmamahal sa amin. pero ngayon nandito kami, naramdaman namin ang pagmamahal mula sa inyo.. kahit may sarili kayong mga pamilya.. " kung hindi ka banaman maiyak nito ewan ko nalang!

.

here are some pictures i took.. the ones of the animals are not too clear though.. had a hard time taking shots of them insidet their cages.. =(

the volunteers in pink with the kids.. all learning from caretakers of the zoo..

cockatoo: you can be charged millions if you have one of these but without the legal papers.

iguana. tsk ang liit, hindi mashadong kita

philippine deer: kawawa naman.. na-flash ko.. sorry po..

er.. colorful brids by jansport? hehe

had a great time with the kids, volunteers, and zoo animals! thanks to our partner organization for this acitvity: HANDS ON MANILA

TRIO

my high school barkada has been consistently having lunch at least once a month since mid last year.. i'm so happy this has become a regular thing for us. we have been friends for more than a decade now.. (graduated from high school 10 years ago) i love these girls! nways, lunch is usually at the fort since parking is so hard here in makati.. lucky tin coz she goes to work there. those staying in the makati take a ride from jacky or ashley going there (thanks girls)

nways, our latest lunch was at trio. this is about the third time i've been here..

jacky, dyan, tin, moi, karen (ashley couldn't make it coz she had some event to handle)

nways, TRIO serves great thin crust pizza, and yummy pasta. our desert was gone in 2 minutes. literally. siena cake ata yun.. dont remember. it had caramel and choklit cookies all over

classic pizza

pomodoro angel hair

1:09PM

1:11 PM

bnb pic fr karen's site: http://lucerokaren.multiply.com/photos/album/113/BnB_Trio_theFort_5Sept07_?replies_read=1

Pang Pa-sexy

The following are the main reasons why i gained a few lbs. lately:

1.
TOBLERONE CAKE ~ someone gave this to my boss and i had a slice.. it's a lot thicker than the average cake. the white stuff that looks like pancakes had a texture like merengue (spell check). i think the only reason they called it Toblerone cake is because it had toblerone candy on top! ish good.. i give it a 3 out of 5

2.

COLOSSAL COOKIE ~ this is the latest. Gen introduced it to me when we ate at OLD SPAGHETTI house. this is a wonderful desert! kya lang when i ate with my cuzin/dentist, she said it's bad for your teeth. the sizzling plate made the choco chip cookie really warm with melted choklit.. and the vanilla icecream wit hchoco syrup was a real contrast.. again... wonderful ito!!! i give it a 4 out of 5

3.
CLASSIC BANANA SPLIT ~ this is a nasty picture of it though.. this i had in front of our office.. fior gelato (sorry, i really suck in spelling.. it's supposed to be italian for icecream? ) 50 pesos lang ito! i chose fudgy, capucino, cookies and cream flavors for the icecream with mallows, semisweet chips, and syrup.... it's a 4 out of 5

4.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED MALLOWS ~ actaully, these are part of the chocolate fountain.. heaven... i had around 4 or 5 of these and some gummy bears (one of my fave candies) i think the thing beside it is a kiwi tart.. nways.. sobrang sarap nito!!no need to explain. it's a 5 out of 5!

tsk... these are apart from my choklit bar and chichirya moments.. waaaaaaaaaaaaa! promise, i'll cut down already.. (errr) TIN'S wedding is coming up and i have shed off a lot.. my master plan: have my impacted teeth removed to totally stop me from eating during Christmas time...

Chatuchak Weekend Market It!

i'm not sure if this is true but they say that the CHATUCHAK WEEKEND MARKET in Bangkok is the biggest "tianggian" in asia.. so this is a must-see for bargain hunters.. they say it's like divisoria.. for me, it' s a mixture of divi, the old greenhills shopping center, and an ugly version of tiendesitas.

.

during weekdays, some shops are open. but then they recommend that you go during weekends to see it in full swing. people fr the province go there to sell as well. you will find everything here.. take a look at some shots i took from my phone. was not that comfortable bringing my camera since i expected it to be really crowded..
.

my friends and i were looking for a place to have lunch.. we were looking for one of teh only 2 air conditioned restos in the place. the heat in bangkok is pretty much like the one we have in Maniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiillllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh
.

Here is a sample of what a hallway would look like. swarming with people.. this is the girls clothing section.. i like! the store, junk shop had a pogi salesman! hehe.. the dude with long-hair doesnt look like he sells stuff there.. para shang model! ehehehe.. hindi bagay magtinda sa chatuchak.. may store kaya sha dito??

.

iris and i liked this store kasi ang cute ng mga pouch! we had difficulty though talking to the girl in charge since she doesnt know a single english word.. so we communicate thru calculator. kahit mag-barok ako ng english: "we get 3--- you give us, 30.. yes?" she would just stare! sowsss..

.

one of my regrets.. i saw a GOOFY puppet na wood.. sobrang collectors item! they were selling it to me for 400 baht~Last price.. that's around 600 pesos.. eh aanhin ko naman ito? sasabit ko sa pinto? magpuppet show mag-1? pero ang ganda!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the pinocchio puppet looks silly though.. and gay.. ehehe..

.

some students use their talent to earn money. here's a little girl playing her musical instrument and people would give her some spare change for that. there was one kid dressed as a kikay cowgirl with a super short skirt and boots and make up.. the works~dancing! and the mom was right next to her, like a pimp! gusto kong hampasin!

.

nways, my chatuchak trip went well.. bought lots of stuff and pasalu! i also saw some sexy stars from manilaaaaaaaaah.. dun din nagshopping..

.

when you visit bangkok, go see chatuchak and you will get the best bargains. wear light clothing and be prepared for thick crowds. be careful also, there are a lot of items that are cheaper when you buy them here in manilaaaaaaaaah..

Ang aking mga tanong at puna sa huling aklat

WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SPOILERS AHEAD.......................

.

1. too many people died! sows.. surprisingly, i was saddest when doby passed away. =(.. fred's death was more of a shock to me.. they're twins! how can one die?

.

2. at king's cross (ba yun?) dumbledore's explanation on how things happened was way too long......

.

3. neville's character was totally different from all the recent books.. it's like meeting him for the first time

.

4. when did harry first see snape's petronus(spell check)? ... aside from the time the doe showed him the sword?

.

5. mrs. wheasley said the B-word! (YOU B#%*H!) hehehe.... didn't see that coming.. this part is now for kids..

.

6. sana si luna and neville ended up together. she looks cute in the movie btw

.

7. snape's character had the biggest twist... may be more intriguing than harry's life.. when harry was in the pensive (ba yun?) all those memories were crammed in one chapter and one way of harry finding out the truth

.

thank goodness it ended well.. hehe.. when dumbledore said harry had to die, parang, um... ha? hehe.. buti nalang hindi.. book 7... i like! wachu think?

.

picture credits: www.thehouseofoojah.com/audiobooks/ccp0-catsh...

Cebu it!

first time to visit cebu ever... here are some things i will remember about cebu:

1. taxi cabs give you your change even if it's only 1.50 pesos! sows! dito parang kulang pa yung bayad mo nun! and, some cabs have their meters on the rearview mirror which takes me a while to look for it.. hehe

2. the enourmous pile of danguit and pusit and "tabuan" ba yun? that strong odor that sticks to me from head to toe, inside-out!

3. the magnificent borloloys! super cheap! variety is enless and prices are the best! borloloy attack. super cheap stuff are found in mactan shrine ba yun? um, robinson's mall (which by the way they call robi heehee), and a palenke at the back of cebu city hall. here are the stuff i bought from robai.. mga 1/3 ito ng lahat ng accessories na nabili ko for pasalu and moi...

4. TOP(S) - counterpart of antipolo in cebu. nice view! first time visitors get to ring the bell and make a wish. though it was a bit foggy that night, the view was still nice. .

5. the yummy food of chika-an, golden cowrie, dessert factory, cafe laguna, joe's chicken inato and parklane hotel buffet!

6.doni~ a local who has a shop in the prklane hotel lobby. she sells swim and lounge wear from the u.s. Designer at panalo ang mga material! you can bargain for the price if she's there and she'll give you a beany baby of your choice! i got a purple turtle! this is me looking over some good selections! (photo from pauline)

7. the nice places we visited..

8. and best of all, the people i've spent my trip with(ma'am sue, pauline, sir nick, and iris).. go team cebu!

dont judge me, i'm not a book....

looking at the book cover and title makes me a bit nervous. it's so dark and scarry.. not a good impression that good will win over evil. worse, there is a possiblity that this book can prove me wrong... i have always defended harry potter books... that it doesnt promote the devil and stuff since harry and "the order of the phoenix" always wins.. however after reading book 6 where dumbledor dies, parang hindi ata tama yun.. so i guess i have yet to determine that...

picture credits: www.mybetterending.com/.../harry-potter-book-7/

another divi trip

Of all the Divisoria trips i had, this must be the most difficult. iris and i had to go around almost all the areas to look for stuff to use in one of our events... bayani ito.. nevertheless, i still enjoyed going around and haggling for the best prices. went to areas i didnt usually go to and it was so hot, sticky and humid and the crowd was thick that day.

take a look at this street! my gulay! we also had this really nasty L300 pick us up na sobrang init ever!

i thought beads were only sold in quiapo coz that's where the girls i know get their stuff to sell as accessories. we saw a store full of wooden and plastic beads.. these were hanging really high!

tabora street had lots of native decors bags, hanging ornaments, and even raw materials like a yantok and these braided abaca thingamajig.. you can find almost anything here...couldnt get good pictures of all the stuff though.. baka ma-snatch ang akin phone.. wag naman..

my latest finds:

a goofy cel chain.. it's cute! his face on a yellow tsinelas. i like!

my bratz lunch box.. only for 100 pesos. they have strawberry shortcake, spongebob, etc.. i like this too!

the rest of the stuff we got were placed in the sako-bags... comes in different sizes. this one is about 30 by 20 inches for 40 pesoses

it'll be a while before i could go to divi again... which is a good thing. at least less shopping for me!

Kids Camp

last friday and saturday, Christ's Church in BF Homes sponsored a kids camp. since i had to work Fridays, i took a leave last sat to be one of the staff. aaaaaannddd.. i am the GAME MASTER!!! hehe.. during fun time, we played lots of games: sack race, bring me, trip to jerusalem, wacky worm, mathematical boat is sinking, relays, newspaper dance, etc. the games were pretty simple and traditional but the kids had so much fun! they didnt get tired at all kahit mejo yung mga teachers ay todo pawis na!

the camp was held inside the worship hall so kids didnt really go out under the sun. they had skits, arts and crafts, lectures on establishing their quiet time, Bible reading, and prayer. you'd be surprised how fast they learn.. then they were also taught how to look up verses in the Bible.. wish i got to go to camps like this.. i started joining church camps when i was already 14. oh well.. nways, here are some shots i took..

they were having breakfast when i arrived at 8am

.

the tents they set up inside.. hehe..

an intermission they insisted doing: "one way! Jesus! You're the only one that i could live for!"

Market It!

aside from going to work late and leaving early, one of the things i look forward to during saturdays is going to the salcedo market. during weekdays, it's a parking lot. but on saturdays, they turn it into a market (corner tordesillas and leviste streets, i think).

there are lots of stuff to find here... number one is food of course.. then you can find plants, bags, and other trinkets.. the food here is wonderful! you can buy them fresh or ready to eat. there's italian, japanese, pinoy, indian, etc. there's a pizza stand where they cook it over what seems like a wok.. really yummy! they have letson baka there too! take a look!

i think these are um... meat? hehehe.. a bit like ham i think.. geez! i forgot!

this is the super yummy pasta stand... one serving of baked mac costs 150 but it's good for 2.. then they also cook home made dishesmy recent find: a crepe stand.. i tried the cheapest of all: mozarela (spell check) crepe for 90.. winner!..eat it with shake (shake stand is near the entrance) and it's perfect! i like banana mango shake!this is the only "market" i saw na may rustan's shopping cart! hehe.. funny...