all sorts...

Thanks to Lea Salonga!

I finally met Nette and her husband Mike in person last Saturday. Thanks to Lea Salonga (LS) who will be performing for Les Miserables from March 6th till summer. Nette is a die hard LS fan!

Maybe some of you are wondering who is Nette. Well I got to know her through an online community which I joined when I was preparing for the wedding. It 1st started with just complimenting and commenting on all sorts of things within the group until a friendship blossomed. We were in constant communication through chats, emails and blogs.

Anyway, I went to Milford Plaza Hotel where they were checked in at around 7pm or so. Nette was all smiles as she was coming near to where I was seated in the lobby. I too was so giddy that I’m meeting my blogging buddy at last. We were too comfortable with each other that we talked about so much stuff.

Dinner was at Tony’s where I made a reservation a day before. Irvin just went directly to the restaurant since he was working that day. We ordered caesar salad, calamari, linguine with seafood in garlic and olive oil and shrimp and chicken franchese. Everything tasted good and their servings are really huge that we had to take home a lot of left over.

We strolled around Rockefeller Center afterwards. It was chilly though but nothing could be nicer for them since Chicago is colder. We said our goodbyes at almost 11pm.

To Mike & Nette… We really had a great time! Thanks for meeting us... and for the dinner too. Hope to see you guys again.

Recipes from pinoycook

I like trying new dishes from time to time. I think that’s one thing you have to do when you’re married. You wouldn’t want your husband to be eating the same thing repeatedly. I love this cooking blog from Ms. Connie. I learn a lot from her. She even has her own recipes that are just amazing. She has this way of improvising her cooking just so her kids will like it.

Broiled Pork Chops and Onion Rings





Chicken Menudo





Flowers from IFC

It was really nice to have had an early Valentine’s date since we had the snow storm on Feb. 14th. There was no gift whatsoever but the flowers were very much appreciated.





False Alarm

I had the symptoms but they’re very similar to when you’re having your period. It was my 1st time to have used the home pregnancy test kit and I didn’t realize that it was going to be that disappointing once you get a result other than what you expect. *Sigh* We just have to be patient I know. I guess I just have to say it will happen in God’s time…

Tag from Caryl

Caryl... sorry for the late post.

GuiltWhat is yours? Explain yourself Culinary: Beef Stew (Caldereta in Filipino)
I really love Papa's Caldereta so I keep on trying to perfect mine. It's not as good as my father's but I think it's still good.
Literary: BloggingI don't mean to copy Caryl but I just like it having new found cyber friends and of course keeping track of what's happening to them.Audiovisual: Prison BreakI just love the thrill of events that I couldn't stop wishing to have a complete DVD collection of it.
Musical: Soft MusicIt makes me feel at peace when the world around me seems so complicated.
Celebrity: Hugh JackmanHaving seen him in person with no make up wearing just a shirt and jeans, I have to say that he is really good-looking and neat.

Now I tag:-

Pao, Nette, Abby, Alynn and Kitts


to complete this same Quiz, Please click THIS.

It's been a year for IFC!

Yesterday marked the 1st year since Irvin came to the United States. How time flies huh! I can’t believe it’s been a year already. I think he has already adjusted to the environment, people, etc. I remember how he was complaining about the weather when he arrived. By now he knows how it’s like after experiencing his 1st winter storm on V-Day. Well pretty much… he didn’t experience a blizzard yet. I’m just happy the homesickness he had wasn't that bad.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Gail... Hope you had a blast! All the best!

HaPpY bIrThDaY, Caryl!

I know you are happy and contented with what you have right now but I still wish that He will continue to shower you with blessings that you truly deserve.

Sama naman ako sa Jollibee! :) I really miss that!

Happy Birthday, Joe! Hope you're enjoying your stay in Cebu. :)

Snow Storm on V-Day!

We had a crazy day yesterday with the snow storm mixed with rain and sleet. I didn’t think it’s going to be that bad wearing only my regular shoes to work. But as time went by, the road has become more messy and slushy. What a Valentine’s Day Treat huh! Still it didn’t stop some people from delivering the flowers. They did whatever they could to still celebrate a special day. :)

And despite that crazy weather, many people said we’ve had a long drought this winter and having a day like yesterday was the best. Well not for me. I mean yes I’m thankful for not having a bad winter season this year but I definitely don’t want too much snow.

It is sunny today and many are expecting the snow to melt. I guess not since temperature is very low. I don’t think it will since it is very cold.

I feel bad for Irvin though not having snow boots. I brought him to the store before for a few times asking him to pick one. He may be thinking that we’re having a really nice winter then so he kept on saying next time. And he didn’t like anything that was on display too. But come to think of it… snow boots is snow boots. You buy it for your protection and not for fashion. Oh well! I hope he learned his lesson.

Pictures of yesterday’s storm courtesy of CNN…

And here’s more snow storm coverage…

Happy Valentine's Day!

An Early Valentine's Date!

We went to see the movie Night at the Museum yesterday at the Lincoln Square’s IMAX Theatre. The tickets were given to me by my superior a few weeks ago. I also want Irvin to experience IMAX. It gave us a headache though with the big screen and all.

Anyway, I think the movie was nice. We both liked it though Irvin said the movie was very simple where they basically just concentrated on the museum as their location. Though the title already says it, we think it could have been better considering those great actors in the movie. But overall, I would still watch it. :)

Synopsis: Good-hearted dreamer Larry Daley, despite being perpetually down on his luck, thinks he's destined for something big. But even he could never have imagined how big, when he accepts what appears to be a menial job as a graveyard-shift security guard at a museum of natural history. During Larry's watch, extraordinary things begin to occur: Mayans, Roman Gladiators, and cowboys emerge from their diorama to wage epic battles; in his quest for fire, a Neanderthal burns down his own display; Attila the Hun pillages his neighboring exhibits, and a T-Rex reminds everyone why he's history's fiercest predator. Amidst the chaos, the only person Larry can turn to for advice is a wax figure of President Teddy Roosevelt , who helps our hero harness the bedlam, stop a nefarious plot, and save the museum.

We had a hard time finding the theatre location. Lincoln Sq. is on Broadway which is supposedly 2 blocks away from 5th Ave. if you in 34th St. So I was thinking we can just walk when we get off at Lexington Ave.-63rd St. and 5th Ave. but it’s not. We still had to take a cab just so we could be there on time.

After the movie, we headed towards Times Sq. to have dinner at Olive Garden. The wait time was 45 minutes so we decided to just dine in at another restaurant of which the name I’d rather not say. Irvin and I were both surprised when we looked at their menu. The prices were almost double compared to the same one we have near our apartment. I understand they may be paying higher rent and for other expenses being in the city but had we realized that soon, we could have just gone to the one that we usually go to. Oh well just charge it to experience!

TGIF!!!

It’s been a long and tiring week for me at work. Audit went on for three days that I couldn’t even do my regular tasks. They asked for too much information compared to what has been done the previous audit year.

Also, I wasn’t able to do my normal weekend routine… apartment hasn’t been cleaned… I had to do my laundry on Friday after work… I didn’t go to Flushing to do food shopping so we just settled for canned goods, breakfast foods and orders from the restaurant this week. I was in NJ last Saturday and we went to a birthday party on Sunday from noon till 8pm.

TGIF! At least I can have some rest this weekend…

Groundhog Day

Hooray!!! We're going to have an early Spring this year!!! Well, this was Phil's prediction if you believe it.

What is Groundhog Day anyway?! I can’t really relate the 1st time I heard of this. A co-worker explained it but also suggested that I research it in the internet for a better explanation. Here’s a brief history of how it all started…

European Roots

(Adapted from "Groundhog Day: 1886 to 1992" by Bill Anderson)

Groundhog Day, February 2nd, is a popular tradition in the United States. It is also a legend that traverses centuries, its origins clouded in the mists of time with ethnic cultures and animals awakening on specific dates. Myths such as this tie our present to the distant past when nature did, indeed, influence our lives. It is the day that the Groundhog comes out of his hole after a long winter sleep to look for his shadow.

If he sees it, he regards it as an omen of six more weeks of bad weather and returns to his hole.

If the day is cloudy and, hence, shadowless, he takes it as a sign of spring and stays above ground.

Read more…

tagged!

I was tagged by Weng on:

5 Things That People Don't Know About Me

1. It has always been my fantasy to become an image model (endorser) of Guess. Yes you’ve read it right! Haha! And I really don’t know why! I’m not even photogenic by nature. Modeling or anything related to that sense is not even in our blood. The only modeling experience I had was in high school when we had to wear the clothes that we saw in Home Economics class. It’s free to dream anyway.

2. I don’t like soft/saggy bread. It’s either I’ll toast it before I put the condiments or better yet, make the sandwich when I’m about to eat.

3. I won’t stop whining till I get what I want. To me, there are so many ways to whine… not only the annoying one we know about. I would use a lot of “parinig” as they call it in our language especially if I can’t ask for it directly.

4. My brothers and sister used to call me Ms. Minchin… a character from the cartoon series “Princess Sarah” who’s an old maid, very strict and organized. I don’t want any mess in the house. When we were kids, I would ask my siblings to sleep in the afternoon so they could have snack. I never gave money to my siblings for pagers, cell phones or even for dating. I used to tell them they’re still students so act like one. They will have all these luxuries when they have their own job anyway.

5. I have fear of heights. I can’t be on those fun-rides like roller coaster, etc. I can’t really take it other than the fact that I also have motion sickness. I remember that time when Castrol (the company where I used to work) sponsored a Team Building Program. I was 40 ft above ground and I had to cross from one tree to the other just by walking in a single log that’s not even flat. I cried a lot and got so much support from the leaves and anything that I could hold on to. I did it though!

Now, I’m tagging:

1. Caryl;
2. Jheng;
3. Ate Irmee;
4. Erica and
5. Carmela

quality time!

I feel relaxed… well not really. I suddenly remembered sometimes you feel more tired if you had too much rest. Haha! But yesterday was one of those happy and stress-free days. We just stayed home practically the whole day talking, giggling, watching NBA, eating and feeling guilty (as charged) for not having gone to the church. I cooked 3 dishes yesterday and I didn’t feel beat up at all.

Backgrounder...
We’re always tired during the week being at work for 12-14 hours including traveling... 12 hours for me and 14 for him. It’s as if we don’t want to do anything anymore when we get home. And so we have to cook 5 dishes every Sunday for our one whole week’s food. We refrigerate them and just heat up whatever we’re going to eat. I try to finish all the chores (cleaning up of the apartment, laundry and food shopping) on Saturdays while Irvin is at work.

Bottom line is… I definitely had some quality time with my hubby. :)

anything goes...

Irvin's christmas gifts...

California Pizza Kitchen





Pho-Bang Restaurant (Vietnamese Cuisine)





1996 pictures that Tita Baby sent me

HaPpY bIrThDaY, Papa!!!

Papa is always in a light mood... always smiling and is fond of throwing out jokes. He's not much of a talker (it is Mama who's always been vocal to us in most things especially if we've made mistakes) but he can be serious when he does. Best wishes for my funny and loving father!

Birthday greetings also to my friends... Ellen and Janice... All the best guys! :)

Oh and belated happy birthday too to my niece Daighne! She turned 6 years old last January 15th.

breakdancing on a street in Manhattan

what we are missing in Pinas...

The company of family and friends is what we miss the most. Of course, we have some friends here but family is family. It's still different when you're in your so-called "home".

Anyway, I got this picture from Ate Irmee's webshots album. It could have been nicer if we were there to celebrate the fun of Miggy and Kyle's birthday party.

Maybe next time... who knows?!

samu't saring kwento

I really don't have the time to blog lately. Work has been taking all my energy plus there are chores to be done at home.

Anyway, we went to see the Big Tree at the Rockefeller Center and Empire State Building as well. I've been here for almost 5 years but it was just my 1st time to go there.

more pictures here...

Christmas was spent with Tita Laling and her family in Massachusetts. It was just a simple celebration but both Irvin and I felt like we're home. Of course we were still wishing we're in the Philippines but being with Tita Laling kind of filled the emptiness we have.

For New Year... well not really on the day itself... we went to Tita Gie in New Jersey on December 30th and stayed overnight. We were at Manang Fely's house when the clock striked 12AM. We've been planning to go to Times Square for the ball dropping but Irvin was just so tired that we decided not to go anymore.







more pictures here...

Irvin fell asleep on Christmas eve and happened to have a pose that Tita Laling said was sort of "cute". We took some shots with him sleeping. Good thing he didn't get mad... Haha!





Can you tell how much Irvin likes his gift?! Click here and here. Please bear with the mess in our apartment. I realized that only after I took the pictures. Oh he's really been talking about that latest perfume from Versace from the time we saw it at Macy's. I thought he couldn't guess what it is so I put it in a bigger box but I was wrong. :) I'll post some pictures of what he gave me for Christmas in another post.

Lastly, we want to greet Kyle a very happy birthday! Belated birthday greetings too for Miggy! He just turned 1 year old. Kuya Lito and Ate Irmee threw a birthday party for him and Miggy (who's birthday was actually on December 24th) last Saturday. You can view the pictures here...

I was online yesterday busy looking at this that I forgot to make a post. Haha! I ended up not buying it anyway. I'm still thinking though. :) Oh well!

Start of a new year could mean an opportunity to do things better. It's a perfect chance to start anew. So let's not deal too much on the past but concentrate on what we have right now and what we can do for tomorrow.

Happy New Year! Wishing you all the best in 2007!

Happy Christmas Everyone!

Tatay's Death Anniversary...

Today marks the 9th death anniversary of my paternal grandfather. It’s already been a long time but it still feels like it was just yesterday when we lost Tatay. It’s sad indeed but I know he has already found eternal peace with God.

I miss you so much, Tatay! You’re always in my thoughts and it’ll stay that way forever! I love you! Oh and don't you worry about Nanay... we are taking care of her. Tito Paqui makes sure she's in good health. :)

Freezing Cold!

Right Now...

at work: Port Washington, NY (11050)

Partly Cloudy
17 degrees Farenheit / -8.33 degrees Celsius
Feels like 1 degree Farenheit

and at home: Jamaica, NY (11432)

Partly Cloudy and Windy
19 degrees Farenheit / -7.22 degrees Celsius
Feels like 2 degrees Farenheit

Brrrrrrr!!! It's freaking cold!

things to blog soon...

Nope it's nothing really exciting. I just want to say that I have a lot of things to blog. It's just that I'm too lazy to do it and... too busy with work, wrapping christmas presents for the kids (I love gift-giving but sometimes it can be too stressful.), writing christmas cards to family, relatives and friends... both locally and internationally. Anyway, here is the list of what I'm supposed to blog:

- our CPK (California Pizza Kitchen) craving
- Thanksgiving Celebration at Manang Fely's House
- Shopping spree on 'Black Friday' and Thanksgiving Weekend
- balikbayan boxes sent to our families

'reming'

Typhoon 'Reming' was a total disaster to many Filipinos in the province of Albay. Many people lost their properties and more importantly their loved-ones. It's been 5 days since the typhoon hit the area and a lot of people are still missing. I hope the Philippine government will do everything to help our countrymen. Let's pray not only for the physical but for the mental healing as well.

My sis-in-law's birthday!

Happy Birthday, Sharyn!!! Wishing you more happy years to come! :) Sorry about the shirts... "M. K." I really didn't know... Haha!

Happy "Turkey" Day!

It’s Thanksgiving Day and it’s the 1st time ever that I’m not spending it in MA… well since the time I came to the US. IFC couldn’t take off from work so we might just go to Manang Fely tonight. Anyway, whatever it is, the show must go on.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

check out the annual parade sponsored by Macy*s...

latest updates!

Delayed anniversary gift
We really wanted to have something special for the 1st wedding anniversary but due to some unexpected events, it didn’t go as planned. And being the practical people that we are, we’d rather ask what one wants instead of making surprises. I know! I know! Of course I would love to be surprised at times too.

Anyway, we got ourselves an iPod. Yes we bought 2 iPods… a black one for him and a white for me… both 30GB iPod video. At 1st I was telling him we’ll just get the 4GB nano. We don’t need a much bigger capacity anyway. I mean how much songs can you actually listen to right! Besides, I want the limited edition nano. But Nano is priced at $199 and just for an additional $50 you’ll get the 30GB iPod video. Will you still have second thoughts?!

iPods are usually charged in the computer using a USB cable. But we’re not always in the computer so we also bought a USB power adapter.





*****

Casino Royale




When I 1st saw the preview of this 007 comeback movie, I was like… Who the heck is this guy! No offense but I think Pierce Brosnan is way…way more good looking than Daniel Craig. Then, on a Friday AM in the bus, I saw someone reading a paper with Daniel Craig in the front page saying “The Best Bond movie since Connery”. I got curious and asked Irvin if he wants to see the movie and apparently he said yes.

And so we went to see the movie yesterday. We went for the 1st screening where tickets are half the regular price. Daniel Craig? He is hot… as in “macho”. He did great in the movie… acted like a real pro… a veteran. And I definitely recommend Casino Royale. It was so worth it. The actions were breath-taking and definitely wasn’t boring.

And for those of you who wants to try the strategy game, click this…

You can also listen to the music played in the movie…

*****

Olive Garden



Irvin and I have been to some restaurants and so far, he finds the food quite ordinary until we went to Olive Garden. He liked the food so much that we’re thinking of going back.

House salad…




Minestrone soup…




Chicken parmigiana…




Shrimp risotto with asparagus…




Chocolate mousse cake (which I find kind of different and I didn’t really enjoy)…




I forgot to take a picture of the bread sticks though…

*****

McLaren
Our big boss got a new car from Mercedes Benz. I hope he won’t mind that I’m blogging about it. I guess not! I even told him I took pictures of it (from the parking lot at work) to show to Irvin. Besides, he was the one who said it costs $450k anyway. A co-worker said there’s a price difference between a sports car and a racing car. I didn’t even know. This McLaren is considered a racing car that’s why it’s very expensive.





Who wouldn’t want to have this luxury car anyway!

if i could turn back time...

Then... skinny, Now... gained some "ehem" pounds (actually 13lbs to be exact. lol);

Then... young looking, Now... very matured looking;

Then... smooth & clear skin, Now... breaking out (haven't adjusted to the weather);

Then... lots of friends, Now... not really (most of them have their own gimmicks... mind your own attitude);

Then... I was home (in the Philippines), Now... I am in my adopted country (New York);

taken during the product launch in 1999(credits to Jonel for e-mailing this)

birthday wishes and some tributes...

HaPpY bIrThDaY, Tita Baby!!! May you have many more healthy years to come! Stay pretty always! :)

*****
Today is Tita Baby’s birthday but let me just share some of my experiences with my two great aunts…

Having grown up in my grandparents’ care (till the age of 12), I got more attached to my relatives on my father’s side. Papa has 2 sisters of whom I’m really close with. I don’t know how you would exactly call it but Filipinos have this expression of calling your 3 daughters (if you happen to have) “tatlong maria”. They were saying I was a darling when I was a kid and they didn’t really consider me as a niece. I’m more of the 3rd “maria”. Even some neighbors thought I was the youngest sibling…

Tita Aba and Tita Baby are cool aunts. It’s just fun whenever I am with either one of them. I just love talking to them… just about anything under the sun. I could spend long hours on the phone with them and not even feel bored.

Tita Aba and I used to go to Marikina Sports Center to exercise. We always had a good time and I just miss it! We both love eating. Oh and let me not forget her super yummy spaghetti and spare ribs caldereta. Tita Aba is always there to listen, to laugh with you and give you support whenever you need it.

Tita Baby, on the other hand, would talk more about beauty regimens. She always tells me you could stay young and pretty if you just take care of your skin. She’s been living abroad for so long now. I was still young when she went to Jordan (after she passed the board exams for nursing I think). She’s also been to Vienna, Austria before she settled in Switzerland. Despite that, she never forgets to keep in touch. She’s told me so many things on survival. I guess there are just some things that only people who are in the same shoes would understand.

So to Tita Aba and Tita Baby, thanks for being there… always! :)

birthday greetings!

Happy Birthday to my childhood friends Aileen (Nov. 6) and Karen (Nov. 5)! Wishing you guys all the best always! Mwah! :)