The Best V-Day!

I can say that this year, 2011, is one of the best Valentines Day I ever had. No, I don't have any special someone. I can not do that since its not yet legal. Still waiting for the judge's decision on my annulment case. It's just that I feel more love around me.

I am so thankful with my Design Centre Family who has been very creative in celebrating our Valentines Day in the office. We were inspired to decorate our floor with cheesy quotable quote placed in each cubicle that set the mood yesterday. Hanging hearts on the ceillings and wearing black, white or red on the said day. The best part was the exchange of hearts, wherein we picked a half heart and match it with another, then you exchange gifts. Aside from the exchange hearts gift, we still gave a little token to each other. Simple tokens like chocolates,

wafers, strawberries, coffee stirrer with a heart shaped top, truly love is in the air.

When I got home, who else will I spend my Valentines? Of course, its my family and my one and only daughter Trisha. I gave her the heart shaped balloon and the rest of the sweet presents. I greeted her "Happy Valentines day! I love you baby" and she replied the same thing "Happy Valentines day! I love you mommy!"

In my cubicle, I personally chose this mushy tagalog quote/pick-up line "Magaling ka ba sa Algebra? Can you replace my "X"?" I just posted this today in my FB page and mind you, a lot of friends liked it and gave thier comments. I guess, that's just the spirit. Never loose hope for love will come in an unexpected time.

Happy Valentines Day to All!

Hello Blog!

Hello Blog! Its been awhile since I posted in my blog. Reasons? I can give you a thousand and one. First, I was busy playing "PLANT vs. ZOMBIES" game. I finished the game but was addicted to it for months. Been playing the Adventure mode 4 times, finished the mini games, playing the survival mode over and over again and been visiting my ZEN garden and grew my Tree of wisdom to 70 feet or more.

Second, I was busy with FACEBOOK. Reconnecting with Friends way back in Grade School to College and past colleagues. Also been playing games in FACEBOOK like Restaurant City, Cafe World, Hotel City and a lot more.

Third, been busy with WORK. I was sent to Japan last October for 10 days. I had a lot of paper works, documentations and presentations to finish upon arrival. Very hectic.

In summary, I just didn't have the time. Or I can say, I did not make any time to BLOG.

Well now, I'm back and I wanted to use the Christmas break to write my experiences, my speeches or just talk about anything under the sun. I was inspired with Nica, a Toastmaster friend, and Paolo Coello's blog that I have been following in Facebook.

Just glad to find my blog again!

SpongeBob Mood Badge

SpongeBob Mood Badge: "Put the SpongeBob Mood badge on your page."

Found this on a friend's FB profile.  It's cute and i love watching Spongebobsquarepants, so I adapted it as well.  Hahaha!  Glad to have another looong weekend!

Baby Gaga, Loca Mama!

This is my speech number 6 where I must show vocal varieties in delivering my speech.  Well I thought of sharing the times I have with my baby Trisha, her cute moves and antics that makes me love her more and more each day...

April 28, 2010

 

“Rah rah ah ah ah ah, Roma roma mamaa, Gah gah oh la la, Want your bad romance”, that song is one of the top hits of today’s popular hit maker Lady Gaga.  This is one of the songs that my baby and I fondly sing together in our playtime or bonding moments.  For tonight ladies and gentlemen, I will not be singing all of her popular hits.  I will be sharing with you my baby’s top 3 special abilities that make me go crazy.  Trisha’s special characteristics are having Super Baby Instincts, being a Baby Star and admirable Baby Love.

First the Baby Instincts.  There is what we call the Mother’s instincts, but Trisha has her baby instincts as well.  She knows the time I go home.  When I go home late from work and find her sleeping, she’ll open her eyes and ask for her milk.  Or when I lay down beside her, she’ll place her arms on my shoulder and kiss me on my cheeks.  When I go home early, she’ll be the one to open the door jumping and screaming “Yehey! ‘to na Mommy ko!”.  Then my mom will tell me that she’s been talking about me and waiting by the window 10 minutes before I arrive.  Imagine that.

Another, Baby Star because at a very young age, she loves to sing and dance.  With the creative genes she inherited from me, Trisha is a talented baby. Before I will just sing a part or Lady Gaga’s Poker Face song like this “Ma po-po-poker face, ma po-po-ker face…” then Trisha will continue it by singing “ma ma ma ma.”  Now, when we play, she will either tell me to sing for her an upbeat pop music then she’ll sing along with me and dance.  Sometimes she’ll tell me to clap my hands after she performs.  In addition to that, she knows the campaign jingles of the political candidates. Isn’t that amazing!

Lastly, her unconditional Baby Love, which I will elaborate more compared to the other 2 special abilities.  There was a time when I stayed overnight in a hotel for one of our Sales Events.  I told her beforehand that I won’t be home but will be back the following day.  The next day, I called her up to check on her, when she picked up the phone, she said to me “Gabe ka mommy, ket d k pa uwi.  Dala ka ubong ha!”  To translate what she said, she questioned why I did not go home but demanded for a treat or a gift when I get back.  Another incident, it was one early Saturday morning she woke up early and asked for her milk.  I just said yes but did not get up to make her one. She tried to wake me up but I only nodded asking for few minutes.  You know what she did?  She went up with a deep sigh, took her milk bottle and milk powder container from the table and handed them to me.  Of course, I smiled, laughed at myself and made her bottle of milk.  Last example, there are times when we argue.  I will get mad and start nagging her, she will cry, embrace me and say “Mommy, sorry po!”  She knows when I am mad and she immediately says sorry for it.  And I know that she loves me.

I shared by baby’s special abilities because I am glad to see these from her at an early age.  It’s true when they say that all the toxicity you had from work paves off when you get a kiss and a hug from an excited child waiting for you to come home.  She’s currently 2 years and 8 months of age and she expresses her feelings openly.  With her as an additional member of our family, there was never a lull moment and we never had a clean house with her toys filling up the rooms.  My message for all is to spend quality time with your loved ones.  No matter how busy your life is.  You work to live not live to work. 

To end my speech, let me share few lines of one of the songs we sing together “I love you baby, and if its quite alright, I need you baby, to warm my lonely night.  I love you baby, trust in me when I say…I need you baby don’t bring me down I pray I need you baby and now I found you stay and let me love you baby, let me love you…”  Good Evening.

 

 

 

The Traffic Sign

This is my 2nd speech entitled THE TRAFFIC SIGN, delivered last November 10, 2009. The Lenten break is really a good time to reflect and organize, that I am able to post the speeches I had from our Toastmasters...


A sign comes in different colors, shapes and sizes. A sign with symbols in round, square or triangular shape has their own meaning. For everybody’s appreciation, I will talk about a very common sign that we get to see in our day-to-day life, a sign that puts order on the roads we go through, and that is the Traffic Sign. I will not be a traffic officer or a reporter that will give points on how to avoid a terrible traffic. My speech for tonight will give you a different perspective for a traffic sign.
Let me start by envisioning yourself in a car you are to drive. You start your engine and travel to a certain destination. Upon reaching the main road out from your house, you came to an intersection together with the other vehicles trying to get on their way. There you see this traffic sign in a corner. Now, what colors do you see in a sign? There’s green, orange and red. These colors have their own meanings. In a traffic light, green means go, orange means pause and red means stop. Otherwise, without these traffic signs, the roads will be chaotic.
Let me correlate the importance of traffic signs to the ride of life we have. Most of the time, we would always want to be on the go, the green light. We are always rushing, trying to beat deadlines, grab opportunities, speak yourself up, be on the right track and be the first to reach your goal. We do not want to be interrupted with pauses, the orange light, because for us, we know this causes delay in what we are doing. Yet, we have to realize the importance of the other two signs, the orange and red light.
The orange light, means pause, yes it is a pause and not to speed up your car for the red light is about to appear. I used to do that from time to time. A pause is very important in our lives, for it gives us time to think. It is a way to re-align your goals to where you are really heading to. Orange light or a pause does not cause delay for it only gives us time to better decide on which path to go. An example is when you are confused before coming up with a decision. Try to take a break, a pause which the orange light reminds us, take a breather. This helps us to clear our mind and weigh the circumstances accordingly.
Finally, the red light which means to stop. Why do we have to stop? In a road, a stop gives way for others to go. For in an open intersection and all vehicles coming from opposite directions goes for the green light, all of them will definitely crash, paying for their lives. Same as in a relationship, you have to stop to give way for the other, and know when to stop if it is no longer right.
I hope this little sharing of my perspective gave you some things to ponder. We should always notice the signs around us to better appreciate and live the life we have. We may be going through our own hustles and bustles when we go for the green light but always remember when we have to pause for the orange light and when to stop for the red light.

BIGGEST LOOSER

Sharing with you my 5th speech for our Toastmasters session last March 17, 2010 entitled The Biggest Looser...

What do this sign mean to you? For kids, they’ll say it’s a gun. For politicians, they’ll say it’s a sign of Cory Aquino. For others, this is a sign of Looser, especially if they place it on top of their foreheads. Yes, I want to be a Looser, a looser in a way that I will no longer have flabby thighs, bulging belly, double chin and other problematic body parts. I want to loose weight. Why is this important to me? Because I love myself and I am vain of my looks. Being part of the sales team, it’s a must to be pleasant and presentable. Otherwise, clients will not entertain you and give you projects. Another reason is for me to fit in any clothes I wished to wear. And lastly, for healthy reasons, I don’t want to die due to fat related problems.

This has been a goal long time ago and ever since I did not loose weight. This frustration, made me decide to enroll myself to the gym last December 2008. They say that in few months time with the proper diet and exercise, you will definitely see results in 2 months. The first few months are okay because I have been diligent on my diet and exercise. But in the middle of the year, I missed my gym sessions and with the holidays approaching, I lost track of my diet.

To continue with this frustration, last week, the gym’s account manager called me and asked when am I going back? With my goal in mind to loose weight, I went back last Saturday and found out that I gained 7lbs from the first time I started going to the gym. From 127lbs I am now 135lbs. I am 5’2 in height and my ideal weight is only 110lbs. Imagine that I need to loose 25lbs. That’s a big number for me. Now, I am back to start and have not reached the finished line of the weight lost track.

I went back to the thread mill and jogged for 30 minutes. I used the machines carried the dumbbells. But the most difficult part here is the floor exercise, the crunches. For me, doing this will require a lot of will power and determination to have a 6 pack abs. So imagine me in the floor, taking a deep breath as you pull yourself up and exhale as you lie down. I have to do variations of crunches for 360 repetitions. After a stress busting work out, I felt quite different. I felt more energetic with my adrenalins at high but the following day, all my body muscles are aching, that I can hardly take a step. Despite of the body ache, I thought that this is a good sign because it means that my work out is taking effect. I went back the following day and the other day with my motivation in mind that I will succeed in loosing weight. I just have to make time for it even if you have a hectic schedule. I conditioned myself to be in the in the gym every Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tuesdays for the Hip Hop Aero dance, Thursdays for the Belly dancing, and Saturdays and Sundays for the machines. Of course diet is part of the routine, drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day, a complete and nutritious meal with a lot of fruits and vegetables, small servings of meat and a cup of rice twice a day only. I also moderated my cravings for sweet foods, instead of having it after every meal I only have it once a day either breakfast or lunch.

With all these activities done, there is no doubt that I can be a biggest looser in due time. I agree with the saying “No Pain, No Gain!” and “No Guts, No Glory!” I really have to dedicate time, effort and the will power to achieve this. I have to be consistent, diligent and most of all determined to be totally fit. And hopefully someday, I will be one of the biggest looser around.

Food for the Thoughts

Food is the most primitive form comfort.  If you remember, we have 3 basic needs, food, clothing & shelter.  And the biggest need that we have is food.  My speech for tonight will not be about inspiring quotes, as the title goes Food for the Thoughts.  Instead, I will talk about one of my secrets to be happy in this fast phased environment that we live in, my comfort foods.  I am not a cook but I know what tastes good.  I can share with you all of my favorite foods but I only picked the top 3 munchies I usually crave for specially at times when I don’t feel good.  These are the times when I feel overworked, tired, emotionally high or simply about to have my monthly period.

To begin with, for my appetizer, I love to have Kuchay Dumplings.  Kuchay Dumplings is a foul flavorful food I tasted in Causeway, one of the Chinese restaurants that serve this kind of dimsum.  Kuchay in English is the Chinese Garlic chives.  It is similar to a grass with buds at the edge.  It is chopped and wrapped in a dimsum wrapper.  Most Chinese restaurants add pork balls and shrimp to make if tastier. What I like in Causeway’s Kuchay dumplings is its purely kutchay, no other ingredients, and since it’s a vegetable dish, I don’t worry for my diet.  I can eat 9-12 pieces in one meal.

For my Main Course, I go for a bowl of a steaming hot Goto paired with Pork & Tofu.  Others don’t like it because they only take Goto when they are sick. Congee is their Chinese version of Goto.  I like the savory smell of garlic bits, onion chives, Chicharon bits, ox tripe and the egg.  My Goto meal will not be complete without the pork and tofu.  The pork and tofu may be a simple dish since this is only fried but what makes it special is the mixture of condiments.  The sauce is made of suka, toyo, diced onions and a pinch of sugar.  This meal great specially when served hot and its raining.

Before I give my finale, I have seen this quote from a pastry shop in Mall of Asia.  And it says, Stressed when spelled backwards is Desserts.  Coincidence?  I think not.  I guess, whenever we are stressed and we get a delectable dessert, the high sugar intake from the chocolates and other ingredients triggers the happy hormones, making us hyper active.  For Desserts, I go for a slice of Torta delos Reyes cake from Aristocrat.    My friend and I will really go to any Aristocrat bakeshop just to have a taste of this cake.  It is a very rich chocolate-coated cake with the insides similar to a Silvanas and it melts in your mouth like M&M chocolates.  Whenever I have a bite of this cake, I really close my eyes and feel its rich and sweet taste.  For me, this is one of the best tasting cakes I had.

Well I hope I gave you delight with this simple sharing that I have with a few of my favorite things - The Kuchay Dumplings, Goto with Tokwa’t Baboy and Torta Delos Reyes.  It never fails me to feel better and go home with a smile in my face.  With that let me leave you a quote from The Barefoot  Contessa’s Cookbook, “Food is not about impressing people.  It’s about making them feel comfortable”.  Good Evening.

Cherish the Moment

Every day down to the tiniest second must be a valued time shared with your loved ones.  I am saying this because you will never know how long each moment will last.  There is no guarantee that the persons around you will stay forever.  The moment may not be happy at all times but the fact that they are with you, there is still a chance to spend the days better.  And each time spent will be part of a treasured memory that will be kept forever.

Being the eldest in the family, I have always been fond of my siblings.  After 28 years since I was born, I never thought that my siblings will be married and start a family.  Two of them are already planning to settle a life with their special loved ones.  Of course I am happy for them.  It was just ironic that they are getting into married life while I am getting out of it.  I am just saddened that they will no longer be with us at all times.  Surely they will be missed.  I told myself that this will not mean a loss but will be a bigger family circle. 

This is an eye opener for me, specially for my baby.  I will surely spend each moment with her and see to it that I am present in every  highlights of her life.  

 

The Package

This my ice breaker speech, delivered for our Toast Masters session last October 21.  Read on, and know more about me...

 

I woke up this morning, trying to get past sleepy mode.  I looked in the mirror and asked myself, how will I deliver this icebreaker speech about myself.  Will I enumerate my characteristics, my likes and dislikes, or let them know bits and pieces of my life?  And I have decided to do them all.

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, I am Ann Margaret Danga-Pardo, 28 years old and I am a mother packer!  A Mother because I am a mom of a cute and cuddly 2 year-old daughter, named Trisha Marianne.  And a packer, because I work in a packaging company, that is San Miguel Yamamura Packaging Corporation, for 4 years, seven months and six days to be exact.

Basically, I am a mother packed with super abilities to juggle my career and family life.  A seasoned young lady who has been through an adventurous journey, with ups and downs, bumps and crashes, but always gets back on her feet.  When I was young, I have always been eager to grow up fast not realizing the big responsibilities you have to face when you are a grown up.  But I am always up for the challenge.  As the eldest child among five siblings, I have been taught by my parents to be responsible enough for the whole family.  I have to watch for my brothers and sister and be patient enough in dealing with them.  I was molded to be compassionate, understanding and hardworking.  At times, I may have my mood swings.  I guess that is another reason for being a woman and being an artist as well.  Being an artist just made me express myself through works of art and pushed my creative limits.  I get to know myself better.

As I entered the corporate world, I knew this is another phase of learning.  The real battlefield where only the fittest will survive.  I started from a small company and jumped from one work to another, trying to find a place to fit in.  I worked as a graphic artist, sales, media relations and accounts executive, dealing with different folks of different strokes.  I almost thought of giving up, for graduating with honors from college, expectations from me are very high.  But then I said to myself, I never dreamed of anything I can not achieve.  I worked my way out. Finally, I landed here in San Miguel as an Account Executive under Design Centre here in Packaging, a job that suits me best.

Family for me is my top priority.  Although job may be demanding but when it concerns my family, I have to stop everything I have been doing.  I work to live and not live to work.  Especially now that I have a loving daughter to attend to, I do not want to miss the highlights of her life.  I always wanted to be there for her, for you can only see her as a child once and there is no rewind when you missed a scene.  From work, I may be tough, but at home, I am soft hearted.  I am really sensitive when it comes to family issues, maybe because of my current situation. 

 

But this does not stop me from dreaming, I may have loved and lost but I do not regret the things that happened in my life, for I believe that things have their own purpose.  You may not know it now, it may be hard to understand, but things will work what is best for you.  I have deep faith with God which I trying to pass on to my daughter.

A good package comes in different shapes and sizes.  It was molded and created through good craftsmanship.  A package to survive the test of time.

I am Ann Margaret Danga-Pardo and I am a Mother Packer! 

 

 

 

My Toast Masters 101

Hahaha!  Glad to blog again, if not with the brainstorming I needed for my 1st toastmaster's speech, I guess I will not be here.

Yes, I am now a member of the Toast Masters in our office with members from the Makati club.  I have attended 2 meetings and for our upcoming meeting this Wednesday, I will deliver my first speech.  They call it the Icebreaker, where new members will talk about themselves.  Just to give you a little briefing, this session is held every Wednesdays of the week at 7pm in our office, where members are gathered here to practice speaking in front of an audience.  I believe that this is a good practice especially for people who does a lot of communication in their jobs like Sales/Account Executives, DJs, Hosts, journalists, etc.  What I admired about this club is they correct your grammar, they make you think creatively on how to deliver speeches through their Table Topics and you interact with other people.

I am trying to squeeze out my creative juices for my working title as well as my intro and my ending.  Whooaah!  I hope I get this right.  I just needed a good start and I know, I can do it!  I'll try to post my speech.  Wish me luck!

A thought of Love

Few days ago, I overheard the TV series of Juday & hubby Ryan, "George & Cecil". It reminded me with two of my friends who ended up together in marriage and are now working in Dubai. I just thought that after the heartache's from their past relationships, the on & off kind of relationship and other sour things that happened between them, they finally made it through. They finally found their match. Someone filled the missing part of their lives that they complemented each other.

On the side, I thought to myself, how long do I have to wait for my long lost love. I've been through a lot of heartaches, learned my lessons well, I even had my baby, when will my night and shinning armour rescue me from my loneliness? When will love find me again? I no longer want to wait for love, I will just allow love to find me.

One of our conversations with my good and very supportive friends, how was the criteria I now have after all the things that happened? Does it become higher or lower? For me, my criteria went higher, for I finally realized that during my past relationships, it was always me who tried to make the relationship work, until I got tired to enslaving myself for their love. I pittied myself for doing this. Now, I know that whoever comes, should love finds me again, it will be greater than the past relationships I had because I know my worth and I am worth loving for.

Baby turns 2!

Last Sunday, we just celebrated my baby's 2nd birthday.  Wow!  Time moves sooo fast, I feel old now.  Soon she'll go to school at 4 or 5 years of age, which will eat up my salary.  Hehehe.  Anyway, going back to her birthday, we went to Aling Tonya's in Macapagal Highway and had lunch with the family.  Marco's GF Frances is our special guest for her to meet the whole family as well - aside from our immediate family, we have our lola, 2 titas & 3 cousins.  Of course the menu, mouthwatering seafood galore!  We had crabs in 2 different dishes, one steamed, while the other with oyster sauce.  Papa asked a co-employee to buy the crabs in Bicol.  Then clam soup, calamares & baked tahong for appetizers.  We also had Shrimps in 2 dishes also, tempura and steamed.  Pork Liempo which my Tita contributed.  For dessert, the birthday cake, we had 2 cakes from Estrelles.  The Caramel Cake for my baby, while the Marshmallow cake for Lola & Zorro.  Super yummy cakes, as its not too sweet with the soft sponge  cake that's just right after having  the main course.  You'll really ask for more, if you're not in a diet.  Since we had 3 celebrants for August.  Everyone's full after that big lunch, wherein we started eating at 12:30pm and finished by 2:30pm.  

After lunch, we strolled in MOA for 3 hours and went to Mass in Malate Church for the 6pm mass.  Really enjoyed the time with my family, so glad to have them around, specially my loving daughter.

Well again, Happy Birthday my dear Trisha!  Love you always, Mommy...

The Man from Never Land

A man once came, whom I thought will be the fulfillment of a dream.  

He is attractively mysterious, playful & magical.  

He comes and he goes his own ways to live by.

He doesn't worry for the future and doesn't dwell on the past.

He just lives for the day and tomorrow is nothing but a blast.

He talks of his adventures, like a bold shining knight.

And takes me away dreamily, under a cold moonlight.

It is like a fantasy that came to a reality.

A man who fights for me against the pirates of the sea.

We share our days in Never Land, with his games and foolish ways.

But doing the same routine everyday made me look forward for tomorrow.

So I have to stop and look at the clock, to see that time has left me behind.

I suddenly came back to my senses, I have to go back where I once lived.

I bid him goodbye keeping his promise, he will often visit and just be around.

Every night I waited, hoping he will be back.

Hours to days, weeks to months, years to decades.

Not even a shadow came by the window panes. 

He must be with the mermaids singing or with tiny fairies playing.

Or he might have been asleep with his dreams in Never Land.

I realized I can not be with my Peter Pan for I am real and he is only a fantasy.

We are worlds apart of dreams and reality.

Painful Goodbyes

Have you ever lost anything or someone so valuable to you?   It can be an object or a special person who can be a family member, a friend or a lover?

While driving for work this morning, i heard a topic in RX 93.1's Morning Rush with Chico & Del, about why is it sad to let go or when does it hurt to miss someone.  They said, 'when you know he or she is not going back'.

True enough, YES, when somebody leaves for abroad, perhaps a friend or a special someone, who leaves due to unavoidable circumstances, its sad because you know you're going to miss them.  But then, you know they are just around and will be back for sometime.  You even get excited to receive messages through calls, cellphone, email, etc., specially now that we're living in a hi-tech world where communication is very easy.

On the other hand, when somebody leaves because its their time, death for instance, it pains because you know they're not coming back.  It may be scary to have them around but seriously, you're in 2 different worlds, the living and the dead.  There is no other way of communication but only through prayers and reminiscing the good old memories you've had.

The most painful of all is seeing the person you longed to be with but you know for a fact that he can no longer be yours.  It goes with the saying 'So near yet so far'.  It's the same feeling you  have when somebody dies.  What hurts more is you can still see him around and knowing that the pain he left behind is still there.   It may take sometime to fully recover but life has to move on.  The song below is a personal favorite, read on & reminisce the love you once had but can never be...

GOODBYE

Airsupply

I can see the pain living in your eyes 

And I know how hard you try 

You deserve to have so much more 

I can feel your heart and I sympathize 

And I'll never criticize 

All you've ever meant to my life 

I don't want to let you down 

I don't want to lead you on 

i don't want to hold you back 

From where you might belong 

You would never ask me why 

My heart is so disguised 

I just can't live a lie anymore 

I would rather hurt myself 

Than to ever make you cry 

There's nothing left to say but goodbye 

You deserve the chance at the kind of love 

I'm not sure i'm worthy of 

Losing you is painful to me 

I don't want to let you down 

I don't want to lead you on 

i don't want to hold you back 

From where you might belong 

You would never ask me why 

My heart is so disguised 

I just can't live a lie anymore 

I would rather hurt myself 

Than to ever make you cry 

There's nothing left to say but goodbye 

You would never ask me why 

My heart is so disguised 

I just can't live a lie anymore 

I would rather hurt myself 

Than to ever make you cry 

There's nothing left to try 

Though it's gonna hurt us both 

There's no other way than to say goodbye

Sick Leaves

I am sooo glad that my diarrhea is over!  Special thanks to Diatabs.

I had a bad tummy Tuesday last week, at night that I wasn't able to work on Wednesday and I even missed the Thanksgiving dinner given by our bosses to the Sales team (where i am part of).

I think its because of the rich and creamy sauce of the carbonara we ate over lunch last Tuesday.  Then at night, i had to goto the CR 2x and 4x during the wee hours of the morning.  I just don't like to go back to the toilet and release all the food i got.  Although it made my tummy smaller.  Hehehe.

After recovering from diarrhea, i just had a fever last Sunday, a couple of cough and colds as well.  I wasn't able to join my boss to our trip to Cebu for 2 days, where we will have a business presentation with 2 new clients.  I guess i only needed enough rest to take good care of myself and to spend more time with my baby and my family.  I have to  take 2 days of Sick Leave this week and tomorrow I will be fit for work again.

A Bollywood Night

I haven't posted for the past week coz been busy with dance practices for our Bollywood Night, which was held last June 19 in Taboo.  Every quarter, we have this awarding ceremony for the the top sales group and last Friday is the 1st Q awarding.  Aside from that we always have this presentation per group with the assigned theme for the said Awards Night.  

Inspired by the Slumdog Millionaire movie and  Jai Ho Song, we have to come up with a presentation with a plot, a song and dance combination.  Of course there's a criteria for judging that our group strictly followed.  Hahaha, biased noh.  We conceptualized and thought of a good story with comedic character names that will catch the audience attention.  

The plot: A beautiful princess named Princess Mahatma Gandha, with her chuby but charming jalalay Madambha, from a faraway Indian kingdom is in search for her prince.  With the blessings of her father, King Haringking King, they searched for princes who will capture the princess heart through a dance showdown.  The 3 princes are the twins Randjhit Anghit and Kuhtesh Galesh, and Kharima Rhimarim.  Eventually the princess has chosen Prince Kharima Rhimarim.  Only to find out that the real Princess Mahatma Gandha is the chuby charming jalalay Madambha.  

 

A series of songs were combined to link the story matched with a rhythmic dance number.  The song list as follows: Dhoom Taana, Single Ladies, Let's Get It On, Stop in The Name of Love, The One you love, Careless Whisper, Poker Face, Jai Ho (orig), Krazy and Dhoom Taana. 

The dance number is great, even if its not that synchronized, but still we won.  The prize, a lunch date with the bosses.  Well its quite okay, although the group would still prefer cash prize.  

We had 4 consecutive days rehearsing and completing the dance steps.  The Hindu dance is surely difficult, so my team mates and I had to simplify the dance moves so everyone can easily follow.  

Part of the criteria is the costume.  I was surprised with the effort and creativity that the whole group showed.  We didn't expect that our costumes will be as colorful and as realistic as the Hindu costumes.  With all the skirts, blouses, shawls and other accessories for the ladies.  Also the guys costumes their head gears/turban, tops and pants.  For the ladies, it wouldn't be complete without the beautiful make up thats attractively great on all of us.  We also drawn mustaches, beard and thicker eyebrows for the guys.

This kind of awarding we have is a break from the hectic work schedule.  After all these awarding, its party time again, with drinks for merriment.  Everyone danced the night away up to the wee hours of the morning.  We ended the party at 2:30am.  Really enjoyed this!  A clean fun!  No worries, no tears and no fears!

Tagaytay Get Away

It was a very refreshing Saturday we had!  Family went to Tagaytay and visited places to relax and enjoy the scenery, food and of course each other's company, our bonding time.  First stop is at Paradizoo.  We came there around 11am, i guess, and we were the first visitors to arrive.  It's a farm with domesticated animals you can take photos with up close.  Well my mom and our helper didn't enjoyed it much since they've grown up in the province and its not that spectacular for them.  But my baby surely enjoyed it.  She was very friendly to everyone, posing for pictures everywhere, with us, the view and the animals.  At first, little girl is scared touching the goats and the pony but later on, she even took a ride from the pony.  Funny though, the pony stepped on my toe.  Maybe it got irritated with us, hehehe.

Next stop is lunch time at Josephine's.  We spent 2 hours for lunch.  The menu: Crispy Kangkong, Baked Tahong and Talaba, Bulalo, Crispy Pata, Kare-Kare, Beef Tapa, Bibingka and Puto Bungbong.  Mom and I had 2 cups of Hot Taragon Tea.  Actually, one serving is good for 4 cups, we thought that 1 cup is only good for one person, we even shared the tea to everyone.  Our British visitor can't eat the Talaba and Tahong, it makes him sick.  But he ate the Crispy Kangkong and he also liked the Puto Bungbong than the Bibingka.  He did enjoy the meal.

Then, after chatting and resting in Josephines, we moved to a relaxing moment at Sonia's Garden.  All of us had the Sonia's Signature Massage and take note that even my little kid had her own massage in her bahay kubo.  She did enjoy, according to our helper, who stayed with her while we're having our own massage.  She even fell asleep and when the massage is done, she woke up and started to look for everyone.  hehehe.  Good thing her Tita finished first and checked her out.  Then all of us followed one by one to her kubo after the one hour massage.

The scenery is very relaxing.  Inside the massage rooms, I liked their shower room coz it has a window with running water flowing so they won't see you naked outside.  Music is calming and their soap smells good.  How I wish I can have that kind of shower room when we get to have our own house.  hahaha.  We also bought pop beans, fresh salad veggies, salad dressings and cheese hopia.  

We passed by Caleruega to revisit the Church and the place where we had our retreat back in High School.  Well, a lot of things has changed, 12 years ago.  Wow, that long means I'm getting older.  My 3 other siblings also reminisced their high school days retreat.  We were pointing at places where we had the star gazing, pictorials with our teachers and friends, etc. 

For our last stop, we had coffee and apple pie in Bag of Beans.  They serve this specialty coffee, Coffee Alamid, coffee beans are being pooped out by Civet cats.  Well, it surely tastes good, just don't mention it came out from the cats.  Hahaha.  A friend says that their Chicken pie is a must try, maybe in our next visit.

So we traveled back home but we also checked out the sale in Adidas and Lee in Paseo de Sta. Rosa, Laguna.  My brother and his gf bought some jeans and some other items.  It's 50% off the regular price.  Too bad, nothing fits me.  I guess I have to push through with my exercise to have my waist lower at 27 or 26 inches.  Wonder how long do I have to go to the gym?

Anyway, that's it.  What can I say but 'ANG SAYA SAYA!  Lalo na kasi LIBRE!'

  

Gymboree

Finally, i went back to the gym today.  I've been trying to visit the gym at most 3 times a week, pero most of the time once a week lang.  Bakhet?  Kasi nga hectic ang schedule.  Sa dami ng workload you have to attend to.  And most of the time, i want to go home agad to be with my little darling.  I've been trying to get up early para mas refreshing and i don't have to stay out late.  Kaya lang its difficult.  I really need to discipline myself.  Nagagawa ko lang gumising ng maaga pag coding ako.  Ayun nakaka-exercise ako ng umaga.

Siguro if i can go to the gym 3 times a week, baka ang seksi ko na ngaun.  Hehehe.  Sabi nga ng baby ko 'uy chechi', meaning 'uy Seksi'.  Told my baby 'sige anak, paninindigan ko ang pagiging chechi.'

Kaya balik na ulit sa GYM!

A Day Out of Work

Well, I took a leave from work coz its my day today.  I just want to spend my quiet time with family and my mini me.  Still, can't stop myself from checking my email coz I got calls and text messages from clients whom I have to attend to immediately.  Tuloy pa rin ang trabaho kahit nasa bahay ka!  Iba lang ang venue!

My sister's bf is here today. He's a British and he's good, he mingled with the whole family even with my baby.  Nosebleed na nga kami kaka-english and british accent pa. Hehehe! Pero okay naman, he doesn't mind that we speak tagalog around him.  We all sang using our Magic Sing Videoke, and it was fun.  Finally, he got the highest score of 97 after several trials.  hehehe.  And he loved Red Horse Beer which we served him.  He said he would like to take some at home. The alcohol content isn't that strong for him.  Sabi niya, there are other beers back home that's stronger but not that good as Red Horse Beer.  Siyempre 'Ito ang Tama'.  He also drinks San Miguel but I think its a Mexican brand.  I should let him try the other San Miguel Beer products we have here.  He actually had the beer as his water.  Ewan ko nga kung naka-ilang Red Horse beer in can na siya.  And so are my siblings, they've been drinking now while playing the Rock Band.  Ayos na trip diva!  

Crush just Puffed!

"Waaaah!  Wala ng Crush!  Sabi ko na nga sa sarili ko ayoko na magka-crush! Kasi nag crash lang din ang puso ko!  Pathetic!"

I just found out that my not so serious crush (i hope) already had a gf.  And they just celebrated 1 year.  Well at least he isn't married.  Unlike me who's got a complicated side of life.  I am married and have one kid, my precious baby girl.  But yeah, I'm living a lonely life, with no husband by my side.  I'm going through annulment and hopefully it will be over in 6 months or a year's time.

Well a crush is just a crush, as i tell my friends, he only makes my day a little brighter because he really reminds me of my ex bf.  The way he speaks, his voice, his gestures and his actions.  Are they twins? Naah!  I guess the man of your dreams will never be the one, he'll only remain in your dreams.

Okei lang yan! Hanap na lang ulit ng iba!  Hahaha!  

Happy birthday to ME!