An Audio Clip From a Suitor

In 2008, the sweetest, most romantic guy on the planet tried to win my heart.  

Ahem. Haha. :)) 

While on the road with me, he recorded this audio clip that I could play back 

over and over to be reminded of his love. ♥

Eeeep! My blog is turning into a KESO site already! But I don't care. =P 

I'll try to make this my last cheesy post in the meantime. :)  

Here it goes...

He recorded this on June 08, 2008, and two months after that (888), 
I said YES. ♥ Yaaay!

Cheers,

An Old Video File

I was browsing through my files moments ago, and I saw this old video I took of Rolly. This was back in December 20, 2008, four months after we got together.  As what has been the routine ever since, he parked his car at our place and we were off to the mall using Happie (that's my car's name), and that was where this video was taken.

WARNING:  Do not watch this if you're allergic to MUSHINESS.  Hehe. I myself was laughing as I was viewing this, and I wanted to hit myself on the head for talking like that while the camera rolled.  I sounded like an extra-terrestrial! Pa-cute masyado! Kakainis! =))

Okay.  So you've been forewarned na ha.  Don't blame me if you still click PLAY and feel sick after. =P

 

Cheers,

The Shopaholic in Me Strikes Again!

Because my shopaholic alter-ego got the better of me again, my feet "dragged" me to the mall where I was "forced" to buy something, not caring whether I needed it or not.

What could I do but obey, right? =P

Whatever.
I'm just happy I saw this super nice bag from Zara.

 

The bag has two handles: one shoulder strap & one hand  loop. 

Nice to match either a corporate or casual look.

Its unfussy rounded sides are sooo cute and laidback-looking 

(I didn't take a photo though).

Good for informal Satur-dates & Sun-dates, too! ;)

Yaaay!

Not bad for 3,790 bucks! :)

And because I couldn't help it,
I bought it. ;)

Sssshhh! I know. 

I've always been an "obsessive-IMPULSIVE" shopper.

Visit Zara at Trinoma for more gorgeous bags, clothes, and shoes!

Cheers,

Happy Feet! :)

If it's shoes,

then it must be

CHARLES & KEITH.

I love my new pair of

gladiators!

*BIG, BIG SMILE*

My feet can't wait any longer!!!

Just to share what my options were:

Obviously, the one on the right won.
And I got to take it hoooome! :)

*kiliiiig!*

Cheers,

On Envy, Jealousy, and Insecurity

"If malice or envy were tangible and had a shape,
it would be the shape of a BOOMERANG."
- Charley Reese 

Envy. Jealousy. Insecurity. Such thing, whatever word you call it, is deadly.  It's not only deadly, it's downright stupid. 

If you wish to find happiness, recognize the good things around you.  Be satisfied with what you are and with what you have. Stop looking around and questioning why others do or have better. God has given each of His children unique gifts, and He has blessed you with your own.  Do not detest others for loving those you hate.  You do not own their hearts and their minds you cannot control.  And why hate in the first place? Hate is too great a burden to bear. As Coretta Scott King would tell you, hate would only injure YOU, the hater, more than it injures ME, the hated.  In fact, I am not injured at all.

Know that you cannot be envious/jealous/insecure and happy at the same time.  That's sad. Throwing that killer boomerang out, you always just end up hurting yourself.  Envy backfires, every single time.  But the good news is, you have the power to set yourself free. And only YOU have such power. So unfasten the shackles of negativity -- from your tongue, your thoughts, your heart.  Believe me, it will be so much lighter. 

You're not stupid, are you?  Well, since envy is the most stupid of vices because there's nothing to be gained from it, get it out of your system.  I wish you well. :)

Cheers,

A Lovely Marriage Proposal - To Feed the Mushy in Me :)

Saw this video on youtube, and I cried. It's soooo nice! Being the mushy girl that I am, I kinda wished I was Ginny as I was watching the video.  Kudos to you, Matt! :)

Some say "happy-ever-after" is elusive and hard to pin down, but I hope it wouldn't be difficult for this sweet  couple. Best wishes!!!

**********************

End of the World Today?

It's May 21, 2011 - the day the world is about to end, some people say. Hmm. That's just funny. An obvious hoax, really.

But why do some people believe that May 21 is Judgment Day? This has been the topic over several discussions on twitter and other social media. Well, according to Business Insider, there are two numerical proofs, and I quote:

"The first proof is based on Genesis 7:4, when God said to Noah: 'Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.'

"When God referred to seven days, he meant both seven days and seven thousand years, because 'one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.' The flood occurred in 4990 BC. Seven thousand years later is 2011.

"The second proof looks at the significance of the number of days between the Crucifixion and May 21, 2011. There are 722,500 days between these dates. 722,500 is a significant number because it is composed of the significant numbers 5x10x17x5x10x17. Five signifies redemption; ten signifies completion; and 17 signifies heaven. The numbers represent the day of redemption (5) and the end of the Christian era (10) and the ascent to heaven (17) -- and these factors are doubled for added significance."

There.

It's a relief that one preacher in California who has been predicting Doomsday today, also predicted Jesus' second coming on 06 September 1994. =D Hundreds of his followers gathered that day at an auditorium waiting for Christ which never happened. How could the erroneousness of his predictions be any different now?

Well, no matter what we hear, no matter what prophets and preachers might force us to believe, it's good to always be prepared. No one really knows when D-Day would be. As written in the Scriptures:

Luke 12:39-40: "...if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him."

2 Peter 3:10: "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth in it will be laid bare."

********************

Food That Make My Mouth Water Every Single Freakin' Time

Indulge me.  I am hungry and I want to pig out, but I don't have someone with me and it's lonely to eat by myself.  Let me keep my sanity by just imagining my favorites.  These are the food that make my mouth water every single freakin' time, arranged in order of craving intensity at the moment:

HAPPY CREAM PUFF!!!  Who could ever resist that European cake with custard cream?  I love petit puff crunchy caramel! Too bad they only have two stores in the Philippines, making them #1 in my always-hungering-after-food-list, it's rare for me to actually get to have them.  Waaah! More stores please?

 RAZON'S HALO HALO!!!  I was never a fan of halo-halo until I got to taste that of Razon's.  The blend is just so good, it blows my mind each time. Not to mention, it costs around P80 or P85, so mura! :)

SUPERBOWL's LEMON CHICKEN!!! This is the best lemon chicken I've ever tasted, swear!  Rolly is so crazy about this that we've actually gone around so many Chinese restaurants to see if theirs could beat Superbowl's.  Well, wala eh.  :)  If it's lemon chicken you want, it's to Superbowl you must go. 

CONTI'S MANGO BRAVO!!!  Conti's is popular for many of its delectable entrées, but to me, nothing beats frozen Mango Bravo, a crowd favorite. The layers are filled with meringue and cashew nuts with chocolate mousse topped with sliced mango.  A certified must-try!

STEAMED HAKAW!!! Whenever I'm eating chinese, one thing is constant in my tray.  It's hakaw, whatever restaurant I'm in.  This is my all-time favorite dumpling!  Besides the shrimp, I love the semi-transparent wrap with some soft-cooked egg dough inside. :)  So far, a Megamall restaurant named Lutong Macau has the best hakaw I've tasted.  Superbowl's tastes awesome, too. 

FERRERO ROCHER!!!  My feel-good chocolate brand! :) Tell me, who ain't crazy about this whole hazelnut covered in milk chocolate, surrounded by Nutella and encased in a nut croquante??? Tell me!!!

 

ROYCE' CHOCOLATES!!! Royce' Nama is soooooo good, but it's soooo expensive!!! Sure it looks plain on the outside, but once you taste it, it's just hard to stop.  Nama is a box of little chocolate squares dusted in cocoa powder.  If I had so much money, I would definitely buy that Royce' kiosk at Trinoma, and I'll gulp down all those chocolates!!! 

PANCAKE HOUSE'S PERFECT MATCH!!!  Every time we're at Pancake House, this is my order, no matter what time of the day. :)  With two sunny-side up eggs, crispy bacon strips, toasted bread, and hashbrowns.  Yumyum!

 

RODIC'S TAPA!!!  Anyone who's been to UP Diliman would attest that Rodic's has the best tapsilog in town!!!  It's because of this humble carinderia that  has made me declare tapsilog as my favorite dish ever!  Do yourselves a favor guys, go to UP and try this.  You're gonna thank me. ;) Walang sinabi ang Angus Beef Tapa of Heaven 'n Eggs, swear! (Btw, Rodic's has a Makati branch na nga pala.)

 

BUBBA GUMP SHRIMP!!!  If you're a shrimp enthusiast just as I am, you'll never go wrong with Bubba Gump, as Forrest Gump would have told you. :)  Shrimper's Heaven is a crowd fave!

*********************************

Oh wow, after all the imagination, I feel full. :)) Mind you, that's just my top 10 at the moment.  I could go on and on and on listing down all the food that my taste buds want, and I might just run out characters.  Whew!  My being matakaw is now out there in the open!!!

What If...

I'm sure a lot of people out there, like me, sometimes ponder on their life's what-if's and could-have-been's.  What if I chose other options in the past?  Where would I be now if I did this or that? Hmm.  I'd have my fingers cut if such questions have never ever crossed your mind.

In my case, even though I am happy and satisfied now, there are occasions when I ask myself what could have been if I picked the choices which I did not choose in the past.  Could my life have been better, or worse?  Could I have been richer? Or could I have been in the streets now begging for alms? Haha, exaggerated. But you get the point, right? :)  Just to share, these are the things that enter my mind sometimes.

• I took up Broadcast Communication in college, but now I am nowhere in the broadcast media.  Instead, I am part of the awesome brand team of ISCI (woohoo!). 
• Sometimes I tell myself I should have taken Business Ad or Marketing in college, that way I would have been able to learn and apply more useful things in my job now.  But I've always known that among all school subjects, Math or anything related with numbers and calculations is where I've always been least good at (Read: "least good," not "bad." =P).  On the contrary, I've always been fond of words and language and English.  I love reading, writing, and speaking, hence the choice of college degree.  Hmm. Looking back, I know that this choice has made a huge impact in my life.  Perhaps good companies wouldn't have gotten me if I wasn't Magna cum Laude from UP (Ahem, I really had to say that huh? Haha).  Yeah.  And I know that if I had taken Business Ad or any other course not close to my heart, perhaps I wouldn't have excelled.  I would have flunked or changed course anyway.  Conclusion:  I made the right choice! :)
• Some friends from GMA still ask me now if I'm interested to be a reporter. Hahaha. Nah.  Brand management is my first love now. :)  It's more exciting and dynamic and fab! =P

•   Since I went to UP Diliman in college, I was exposed to a lot of things.  Liberal-minded classmates who smoked and drank like there's no tomorrow, sororities, activists and rallies.  Hmm, what if I got drowned in that system?
• I'm just glad I didn't.  In my life, I have never experienced even a single puff of cigarette.  Heck, I can't imagine myself holding one and letting smoke off my mouth.  But I know how to drink now, occasionally. =P And I learned that when I was already 25! Hmm, had I drowned into filthy college ways, I would have become a wasted girl.  Tsk tsk.  There's a positive side to being a chicken and unadventurous. =D

•  I have the most amazing and most supportive family in the whole wide world!  But what if I was born to another family?  What if my parents were not my daddy and mommy now? :(
• Oh wow, I don't know.  I don't think I would be the same person.  I am who I am because my dad is Vic and my mom is Jovy, and I was born a del Pilar.  This wasn't my choice but I'm glad that they were God's chosen parents for me.  Had I grown up with different parents, maybe I wouldn't have this positive disposition now, I wouldn't be this cheerful and happy.  Or who knows?  I could also have been happier, or wealthier, or taller (hehe).  But again, I am perfectly happy with my family. With them, I cannot ask for more. :)

• What if I hadn't met Rolly in 2008?
• :( :( :( Had we not met, perhaps I would still be searching now.  I am confident to say that he's God's gift to me talaga, and we're destined to be together.  Maybe he would have a different girlfriend now, and I a different boyfriend, but in the end, our paths would still cross.  Right, Cupid? ♥

Well, those are my what-if's.  They're very few, but major. Assessing what could have happened if God chose other things for me, I could say that I'm thankful for my life's blueprint which He drew.  And if He would ask me if I'd want the same in my next life, I'd definitely say yes. :)

The New Apple of My Eye ♥

Have you guys seen THOR already?

Here's a short synopsis from IMDb.com:  "The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders."

I was never a fan of comic book characters, or movies inspired by them.  In fact, weeks before the showing date, Rolly told me about the movie and I was apathetic.  It was only until I heard good reviews about Thor that I actually felt I wanted to see it.  

Last weekend, we watched. And BAAAAAM! I fell in love.

That's the whole point of this blog entry actually. Chris Hemsworth. =P

Tell me... How can you not like the movie when the actor is this gorgeous???  How can you not fall in love?

*BLAG!* I just passed out.

=P :)) :*

So Long, My Dear Tita

Dear Tita,

It's only been a few hours since you left us.  And yet here I am, writing about it already.  You might not have known that writing's my outlet when you were still alive, but now, I'm sure you already know... and that you will be able to read this, wherever part of heaven you may be at this moment.

Tita, it was so fast.  You left us so hastily.  That was probably the shortest, most painful hours of our lives, especially when your sisters were wishing and praying to prolong the moment so you could stay with us a minute longer.  I cannot explain how shocked I felt when we received the news.  I cannot describe mommy's almost hysterical response.  It was past 10pm last night, and I drove mom to Bulacan as fast as I could, even in my sleepwear.  As we drove, my mom was saying your name repeatedly, crying, it was a dreadful chant.  I tried to keep my cool 'coz I needed to focus, even when my hands were shaking and my head was filled with thoughts of you. 

We went straight to the morgue, you know it was my first time to be in such a place.  My other titas were there, crying.  Still, I managed not to cry.  I needed to be strong because mommy and all your sisters were weak.  But when I saw you, lying in that beautiful white casket, it hit me.  It was real, you already left.  No matter how hard I tried to keep my tears from falling, I could not help it, and I'm sorry.  My favorite tita, my most loved tita, is now dead.  My tita who was like my second mother, is gone.  It was difficult to accept.  Very difficult. It's painful, tita.

Tita, you taught me a lot of things.  You taught me how to be selfless.  You were a mother to me and to all my cousins, even if you were a biological mom to none.  You eagerly served us whenever we visited, not asking for anything in return.  You always cooked my favorite dishes whenever I was home and you knew I wouldn't eat vegetables. :) Your laughter and big grins were always a sight.  Your hilarious dance steps during our parties wouldn't show a sign that you had problems, or that you were feeling bad inside.  You were very appreciative, even of the smallest things.  You were always cheerful and merry, I think I got my always happy disposition from you. You always said that I looked like you whenever I went home and people would say I'm pretty.  Sinasabi mo lagi, "Syempre mana sa ale (tita)." :) Thank you tita.  I only have good memories of you.  Memories that I will forever cherish.

Now, I'm back here in Manila.  I need to fix things that we left when we frantically drove off last night.  As I said goodbye to you this morning, I saw you smiling at me.  I know you're happy now, tita.  Especially because your last words last night were for Jesus.  Before you breathed your last, you were able to call HIM and ask forgiveness for your sins.  You died praying, and we know that Jesus was there with you at that very moment. 

I love you, tita.  I'm happy that I was able to tell you that last week.  Through SMS, I told you for the first time that I loved you, and that I wanted you get better and healthier, because I still wanted you to live longer.  I didn't know that it was going to be my last message to you, too.  I love you tita.  I love you. I'll go back to Bulacan tomorrow night, and the night after that.  I'll see you smiling at me again.  And after this phase of our lives, when we move forward with no more Tita Emer in the physical world, you will still stay alive in our hearts and in our minds.  You will never be forgotten tita.  Until we see each other again. So long.

For my Tita Emer

 IMELDA C. PALOMO

1970 - 2011