"date" with Ate Bebeth

We had lunch with Ate Bebeth (who’s actually in town for a vacation) at Olive Garden in Times Square yesterday. I also met her older sister, Ate Aida who’s been in NY since the 80s. After lunch, we went to see the Brooklyn Bridge where we took some pictures (since it was also our 1st time to go there). We also took her to Ground Zero. She didn’t get to see much as they already took out those picture frames showing what happened during 9-11. That was actually it! We parted ways at 5pm or so.

More pictures here…

Tag

Tag from Caryl…

1. What’s your favorite color? - White

2. What’s your favorite quote? – Live life to the fullest.

3. Favorite television show? - Prison Break

4. What part of the chicken is your favorite? - Thigh

5. When you get a cold or the flu are you tough or a big baby? - Both

6. Are you more serious or a big dork? – Both

7. Use one word to describe how you are feeling right now. - Bored

8. Name your worst habit. - Pricking blackheads

9. Name a book that you could read over and over again. – None

10. Are you a collector of anything? – I have a lot of shoes if that qualifies.

11. What’s one of your favorite blogs to read? - Pinoy Expats

12. Name one thing you are passionate about. - Computer

I’m tagging YOU!

Have fun!

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mall explosion

I just don’t understand why many people do evil things. There was an explosion (which they suspect was a bomb) on the ground floor of Glorietta 2 in Makati at around 130pm, Friday. 8 people were killed and 129 others hurt. I have sent a text message to Mama but no reply yet. I just want to make sure no one from my family got hurt or involved in any other way.

really tired!

IFC and I have been really tired these days. As mentioned in my previous post, we’ve spent the last weekend in NJ. We decided to just send “balikbayan” boxes (one for each family) so we won’t have too much to bring on our trip. We started packing Monday night and finished last night. The earliest that we went to bed for the past 3 nights was 1200am. I feel bad for IFC as he gets up an hour and a half earlier than me. Anyway, the boxes will be picked up on Sunday but we have to go to NJ again tomorrow night. *sigh*

Costco

Costco definitely offers more affordable prices compared to the regular stores. It’s just that they come in bulk. We wanted to finish our “pasalubong” so we could send it via cargo services. I wouldn’t want to have a lot of things with me during the trip.

And so we asked Tita Gie the favor to take us there. I already prepared a list of what to buy but we just went over board when we got there. There were so many things that we want to buy for the family. Bottom line is we went way over the budget. IFC and I were so overwhelmed about it that up to now I feel like I’m worried or something. Oh well!

La Communidad de Zamboanga

Natives from Zamboanga City (where my mother is from) celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Pillar (city patroness) annually. So this year, we were invited by Tita Gie.

It started off with a mass. Messages from the city politicians were addressed before dinner was served. Food was good except for the “buko pandan” which I think had some vanilla syrup in it. Then, there was the dancing… or should I say “line dancing” which Filipinos here basically enjoy.

I must admit though that it wasn’t really fun compared to the 1st time I attended such. We went home with Tita Gie to NJ and stayed overnight.

Riodizio

We went Riodizio (a Brazilian Restaurant) for the company dinner on Friday. They offer a fixed-price (which is not so expensive) continuous tableside service. Salads and starters among others are in a buffet table. Then they have this sort of like a cup holder where one side is green and the other is red. This gives the signal if you’re ready for the meat to be served or not. Servers go from one table to another with different kinds of meat (sirloin, plank steak, sausage, rib eye, etc.) in skewers.

Overall, the service was great and the food tasted really good that I went home so full.

Funny or Embarrassing?!

I remember when I first came in the US I stayed at Tita Laling’s in Massachusetts. And since I was new here, I wasn’t really familiar with the coins. I mean which one is the “dime” or the “penny”. Identifying a “quarter” was a no-brainer. To cut my story short, Tita Laling practiced me on how to count US coins faster before I moved to NY. Oh and she even brought me to the Laundromat so I could be familiar with the machines.

How funny huh? Or should I say embarrassing?!

Caryl loves my blog!

Thank you for this Caryl!

Going back to when I started blogging, I was just as ecstatic as you could imagine exploring everything to have a nice-looking blog. I also used to stay so late till I’m dead-tired. I would always make sure the thought of each sentence is complete. Blogging is important for me as it helps me keep in touch with family and friends. It’s my own space where I can share my thoughts on anything.

I must admit though that lately I don’t have patience anymore to keep on changing my skin. And I tend to cut the sentences short or should I say I use only phrases sometimes. Despite all these, I’m really happy that I still have frequent visitors.

Anyway, here are some of the sites I visit often… and like Caryl, I may not leave comments or shout-outs all the time but rest assured, I regularly visit your blogs for updates.

Abby
Caryl
Gracita
Marj
Pao

Weekend in MA

Tita Gie has been inviting us to go to Tita Laling in Massachusetts since August. I told her IFC will have a surgery so maybe we could go on the weekend after that as he will still be resting then. Anyway, Tita Gie made a last minute decision on Thursday, Sept. 27th that she’ll drive. So we went to NJ on Friday and by 730pm we were already on the road. Tita Gie accidentally took the wrong way and we didn’t know how to get back. She asked IFC to drive instead as it was already dark. To cut it short, we arrived in MA at exactly 1145pm.

Come Saturday, we went to Longhorn for a late lunch. I was also able to practice a little driving at the Clubhouse. But most of the day was spent eating and “karaoke” singing.

We went to attend a mass on Sunday. And went to Sholan Farms for the apple picking. It was IFC’s 1st time and we really had fun. We headed back home around 330pm.

The stay in MA may have been short but I’m still so happy we were able to visit Tita Laling. It’s been 9 months since we last went there.

pictures here…

IFC's surgery

IFC had a “varicose seal” surgery last Wednesday, Sept. 26th at the LIJ Hospital. It was just a 30 minute procedure… considered minor so we were also able to go home that same day. The nurses were all very nice and efficient. The facility is very clean and doesn’t even smell (like the typical hospital). Over-all, the service was excellent!

It was just kind of weird for me… the feeling that I was waiting in the lobby and suddenly, the doctor comes out uttering… “Mrs. Castillo! Mrs. Castillo!” Why? 1) I’ve never experienced such; and 2) I’m not yet using IFC’s last name. And imagine the way most Americans speak… fast and slang. In short, I didn’t get everything that he said. And when I reiterated some of them, he just said: “Don’t worry the nurse will go over it with you again in case you forgot what I said!” Yikes!

pictures here…

It's been 2 years!

How time really flies! It’s already been 2 years since we got hitched. But having said that, I’m still like an ordinary woman always reminiscing her very “big” day. Everything is so fresh and if I could just do it over again, I definitely will!

Anyway, I have to say that I am so blessed for having IFC as my husband. I may have said this before but I think he is the most understanding person I ever met. He very much know how to deal with my “so easy to get annoyed” attitude. And most of all, I am thankful for his unending love and support.

Happy 2nd wedding anniversary ‘Theart! Thank you for everything! I love you! Mwah!

An Empire State Love...

- Victor’s (former co-worker) wedding yesterday
- Held at Sheraton Hotel, Flushing
- No traditional Chinese wedding ceremony (wish I experienced this not to mention I wanted to see their Chinese wedding dresses)
- Bride changed gowns 3x
- Met new people (including Victor’s online gaming friends from Canada)
- So much food
* appetizer: a platter of roast pork, chicken and beef; breaded shrimp with walnuts in cream sauce; and scallops with veggies
* chicken soup
* main courses: fried chicken with prawn crackers; steak; lobster; steamed fish, lo-mein and fried rice
* desserts: red beans and dates in a warm sweet kind of soup; cake; and fruits such as grapes, raspberries, pineapple, cantaloupe and honeydew
* drinks: tea, red wine, soda
- Rice and noodles always the last ones to be served (kind of weird for me as we're used to having rice with something else and not just the rice alone)
- Bouquet throwing done one time for both single ladies and gents
- Parents join the newlyweds as they go from one table to another for a toast
- Picture taking with the newlyweds takes place on your way out (the bride holding a tray full of candies)
- Couple going to Spain for their honeymoon (How’s that huh!)

Anyway, congratulations and best wishes to you and Kelly!

jolly good!!!

This is rather late…

Anyway, IFC has received his EAD. This is really good news for him as he can now work legally in the US not to mention that he is now eligible to apply for Social Security #. He went to the SSA office on August 27th and received the card a week later.

And since we’re going for a vacation in the Philippines this Christmas, he said he’ll start looking for a job January next year. We are just so happy that things are getting better for us.

trying hardER

We are so desperate to lose some weight and we only have 3 months to do that. Why 3 months? Well we do not want to hear people say… “ang taba mo!” so we have to drop the pounds before we go for a vacation in the Philippines. *sigh*

So what are we doing to achieve our goal?
- The other night, we walked a total of 4 miles. That took us an hour. Not that bad huh?! We could have walked more… only if we have time though. I wish we have more time but we also need to rest especially IFC. I’m actually surprised I didn’t even feel tired or soreness in my legs. We plan to do this maybe 3x a week.

- Cereals for breakfast, cold-cut sandwich or the usual Filipino food for lunch and oatmeal for dinner. All three meals are with fruits. Sometimes we treat ourselves with something heavier for breakfast like ham/bacon/sausage with egg sandwich.

- Fruits (mostly) for snacks or nothing at all.

- We will have ice cream once in a while and 2 pieces max of bite-size chocolates like this in one eating.

That would be it for now. I wish I could do some exercise on the days that we’re not “walking”. Yeah… why not!

grrrrr @#$%@#$%

Why can’t some people follow rules? Yeah there is a so-called “exception” to the rule but if it happens all the time, it’s extremely annoying!!! Then they would think it is ok… just ok to do that!

on the contrary...

- I'm lucky to have a loving and caring husband

- being thousands of miles apart from family improved our relationship… made us close (not to mention my mom now being vocal on how she loves and misses me)

- having a decent job enables me to help family/relatives in times of need

- I'm healthy (well aside from my “allergy” which I have no control of)

- 3 months (or so) to go for our Philippine vacation

let me whine a little...

- 50s & 60s temp during the summer (not to mention wearing a sweater or a light jacket);

- Been raining a lot lately;

- Perennial rhinitis (spring is long over and I still have allergy attacks which gave my Internist the conclusion that it’s a year round kind of allergy);

- Gained 10 lbs in 4 months… total of 23 lbs in 29 months (so freaking hard to lose it);

- Grown out of my clothes (which means I need to buy new ones… bigger ones! IFC is right that instead of me going back to my original shape, I let the clothes adjust on me. Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! )

- Gave up wishing for a smoother and clear skin (I guess it just can’t adapt to the US environment and climate)

- Been getting bad reception for the TV (which made us subscribe to “DVDs by mail”... added expense! *sigh*)

- Drinking coffee regularly (which I didn’t do before)

6 weird things about me!

I’ve been tagged by Dionne…

[Each player of this game starts with 6 weird things about themselves. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well and state the rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says you are tagged in their comments and tell them to read your blog]

• I like pricking blackheads. I just can’t resist it every time I see a black spot on my face. The effect? It leaves dark marks which take forever to come off.
• I’m a neat freak. I always want things to be organized. If I’m at home, I just couldn’t stop from keeping things together. I get so irritated if my surrounding is messy.
• My eyes get bigger (whether I’m happy, excited or upset) when I talk. I think it’s a habit that I developed when I was still young. The only downside of it is that sometimes I get misinterpreted by it. :)
• I hate okra. I eat “saluyot” (vegetable that’s kind of slimy when cooked), well known in the north, but I don’t know why I can’t eat okra.
• I can’t sleep well on a house or hotel that I’ve been to for the 1st time during the 1st night. Part of my previous job was traveling. I always had a hard time getting sleep during the 1st night.
• I really don't know how to say it but I sleep with my feet extended beyond the edge of the bed.

Consider yourself tagged!