crossing the bridge and getting there

we'll just cross the bridge when we get there.

that's ricky's favorite motto, according to yours truly. he has been repeatedly uttering this in a span of 8 months, the latest of which was just this morning.

it's not about us or our relationship. we are a done deal, so to speak. according to him, he knew from the moment he saw me that i was the one. that was six years ago. erm, i knew that, too - around 5.4 years ago.

we consider this year our year. all our prayers have been answered - all at the same time.

thus, we'll just cross the bridge when we get there.

we've already crossed one bridge, but i could only go as far as to be with him crossing it, and watch him from afar as he realizes our dreams. all i can do is patiently wait for him till he returns and we cross back, together.

it's a sacrifice to be apart, but this is nothing compared to the wonderful future that awaits both of us.

there's another bridge to cross, i know, but that will never separate us. the more bridges we cross, together or separately, the more our love shines brightly.

we'll always have each other to go back to. we are each other's home.

and the time will come when we'll never have to be apart anymore.

we are a done deal, after all.


posted by vina @ 4:33 PM            |


round and round

and back and forth.


that's what we just did for lunch at the Spiral Restaurant of Hotel Philippine Plaza (formerly Westin).

once you enter the hotel lobby, you will not miss the loooong and wide spiral staircase leading down to the restaurant. it's right smack at the center.


you could use that and just watch your step, which we did, or you could use the elevator located near the hotel reception area, which we only did when we left the place - because we only knew about it after all has been said, eaten and done.

oh, it was love at first sight, alright. as the receptionist led our starry-eyed and gushing group through the winding buffet stations ("WOW. is that the dessert station?") to our reserved area, we knew we have found our perfect match. sorry, market cafe. so sorry.

at first, we didn't know where to start. but then we settled for the japanese and salad section first - a rather obvious choice. ("Lin, look at the oyster station! there's crab! market cafe does not have crab!")

and so we ate, and we talked, and we laughed, then we ate some more... ("Lin, they have Korean!")

but that was just means to the ultimate end.

and by all means, we had to have these before we breached our alloted lunchbreak (yes, we're law-abiding officers).

yuMMy, sugar free desserts!

needless to say, we were full, we were happy, we were late.

all throughout the afternoon, there was nothing else we could talk about but that. we were still starry-eyed and gushing.

oh we ARE going back. DEFINITELY.

and next time, we'll eat on a saturday.

(call Hotel Philippine Plaza at (02) 551-5555 for rates and reservations)

posted by vina @ 6:41 PM            |


thorn. damien thorn.

ahem.

aside from superman, THIS is actually what i'm looking forward to. yeah, yeah, i love scary movies.

opening on June 6, 2006 (06/06/06), Omen 666 is a remake of the 1976 anti-christ themed horror classic The Omen starring Gregory Peck. the original spawned 3 sequels, with the first two tackling the rise and fall of the original anti-christ Damien Thorn. the last one, entitled The Awakening, was already about Damien's offspring named Delia, and was the only Omen movie i did not bother watching.

in particular, i liked Omen 1 & 2 the best, mainly because the young Damien Thorn was portrayed as a charming, confused and torn character. there was actually a moving scene in Omen 2 when Damien, who was already in military school, finally confirmed to himself that he was indeed the anti-christ. upon seeing the mark of the beast on his scalp, he weeped and actually asked, "Why me?".

that said, i'm keeping my fingers crossed that it won't be just another mediocre remake. i actually saw the trailer yesterday and i noticed right away that the child portraying Damien Thorn looked dead-on obviously creepy. think The Ring Hollywood version starring Naomi Watts and that dead-on obviously creepy kid. one workd. B-O-R-I-N-G.

i've already contracted my sister, Debbie, and her best friend/my adopted sibling, April, to watch the movie with me - you know, just in case i need to squeeze someone's hand during, ah, tense moments...

posted by vina @ 12:45 PM            |


is there, or isn't there?

another x-men movie in the offing, that is.

(warning: spoilers ahead)

if you have watched the movie, and i mean till the end of the credits, then you will know what i mean: Professor Charles Xavier still lives (does he, really?). but with the death of Cyclops and Dr. Jean Grey/Phoenix, and Magneto and Mystique turning human (although there is THAT chess piece scene with Magneto), what is there next for the remaining mutants?

the director, Brett Ratner, who has done a terrific job filling in the shoes of Bryan Singer (well, except for the musical scoring which i did not like a bit), has already stated in an interview that this is the last of the installment. hmmmmm, do you think he's taking us for a ride? or is he just speaking from what he knows for now?

nevertheless, all three of the x-men movies did not disappoint and were worth every peso spent. The Last Stand, in particular, brought us closer to the characters and them to us. this one is more emotional and personal as the mutants proved to still be human, after all - capable of loving, more than anything else.

whether there will be another one or not is actually not important, i think. it's that all three are a keeper - a classic and hell of a ride times three.

the matrix and blade trilogies are a different story.

(be sure to sit through the end of the credits for the 10-second or so scene)

posted by vina @ 8:10 PM            |


one minute-reign


yuri and ajay : vina, what are your 10 simple pleasures in life?

Thank you, yuri and ajay. Hmmm, my 10 simple pleasures in life would have to be the following:

1. corn / sweet corn. it's my ultimate comfort food!

2. james patterson book. i could devour the pages in just one night! he's just the best for me.

3. movies and tv. these are my easiest and most immediate form of relaxation.

4. salons and spas. every girl would agree!

5. cuddling next to my sister. i love to wake up early in the morning, transfer to her bed and lie beside her. i love my sister to bits and i would do anything to protect her.

6. being with ricky anytime of the day, everyday. he is my angel.

7. my best friends. finding them in manila and at a later part of my life is truly a blessing.

8. laughter. boy, do i love to laugh!

9. solitude. i am actually comfortable with and sometimes prefer being alone. alone and lonely, after all, are entirely different.

10. going home to bacolod. i actually love bacolod more now, now that i don't live there anymore. every vacation there is met with anticipation. i now appreciate everything about it that i used to take for granted. what and who i am now is because of bacolod. it's where i came from, and it's where i will go back to - that's where my heart is, because that's where my family is.

--------------------------------------------------------------

now that i have shared my simple pleasures in life, i would like to call on stage sharleen,
ghee and toni, accompanied by their dashing escort, owen.

posted by vina @ 11:02 PM            |


a superhero is in our midst

apparently, he just lives around the malate area. doesn't that make you feel better?

now we can roam the manila streets freely and confidently. our children will be safe. our tourists will be safe. WE WILL ALL BE SAFE.

it's just a matter of time till he reveals himself to us - for there is no shame in being a superhero, is there? we will forever be grateful to him, and we know we will always have someone to turn to when the police fail us.

if rumors are correct, his headquarters is along nakpil street in malate. spread the word...a superhero is here to save us! AND HIS NAME IS...



just press the buzzer to your left if you need help - and BUTTMAN will be there to save the day!


now, we can all sleep peacefully at night.

posted by vina @ 7:03 PM            |


GREAT. SINGAPORE. SALE.

if everything goes out as planned (meaning, funds are available), we're off to singapore sometime june for the Great Singapore Salewhich starts this 26th of May and ends on the 23rd of July.

the last time celine and i were there was 3 years ago, and every year after that, we could only wallow in self pity and longing. Mays and Julys of 2003-2005 have come and passed us by - are we to allow ourselves to be left out again?

the answer is a resounding "WE HOPE NOT!"

if and when we push through, i'll just worry about my pending credit card bill when i come back.

posted by vina @ 11:25 PM            |


you! get back to work!



darn!

this blogging thing is slowly eating up every inch of my office efficiency. this is what i get for having a computer all to myself - uhm, actually, facing a computer for 10 hours or more.

aaaah, the temptation of just logging in, blog-hopping and blogging away. gawd, i don't even check out my friendster account, yahoo/msn, nor eonline anymore. and i used to do that everyday! hell, i even hold my pee just to make sure that the photos are downloaded!

this is bad, verrrry, verrry bad...

and what will happen when i finally have that laptop? huh? tell me, what will happen? hmmm, what will happen.....?

oooooooh, i see a white light...there! in the distance! must go towards the light! must...goooooooo...laaaaight...

darn.darn.darn. maybe i should just get back to work.

posted by vina @ 3:01 PM            |


from bacolod with love

WAKE UP. vacation's over.

after 3 and 1/2 days of pure sloth and gluttony (no wrath for me peeps), including one night of sheer intoxication in hometown Bacolod, it's back to reality.

here, let me put it another way.

from this:

chicken inasal galore

to this:

i know! what a bummer, right?

weeeeell, good thing i have these to get me by...

Calea's to-die-for Blueberry Cheesecake - better than whatever it is you're thinking, hehe

and

Silay City's Ed Ideal Guapple Pie - Yummy with a capital Y

*sigh* yes, these will do - for a week or less, i guess

________________________________________________


Calea Blueberry Cheesecake: P 600.00

El Ideal Guapple Pie: P200.00

Gastronomic bliss, though temporary: Priceless!

posted by vina @ 1:56 PM            |


hell in a ziploc, heaven in a bracelet

i think i'm going to hell.

i'm eating off from my boss' cookie jar.

well, technically, it's not a jar. it's only a ziploc of cookies. cookies wrapped in plastic, enclosed in ziploc, given by someone just today.

i opened the ziploc, thinking he'd want some - but he declined since he said he's full. i got curious, took one, then two, and another, and another... even ran to the restroom where celine went and let her have one.

IT IS THAT DELICIOUS.

and now, i'm casting a glance at the ziploc again.

but in the meantime, let me just share with you my (other) cause of excitement - i'm going home to bacolod tomorrow!

oh goody! i'll be with ricky, who hasn't been back there since 2004. we actually don't have any itinerary - i guess we'll just eat. and eat. have one night at north and cafe brazh. and drink. and eat.

i'll also be bringing mine and my sister's mothers' day gift for mama.

hehe, in case you don't know what that is, it's a wrist. my sister's fat wrist, to be exact.

oh, you mean the other thing?

it's a bracelet of/with various photos. we had it made by Cubes at Robinson's Ermita. that's the gift we're going to give our mama. aaaaaw, we hope she'd love it.


hmmm, now come to think of it...

there is still a chance i might be going to heaven!

(glances at the ziploc...slowly reaches towards it...)

posted by vina @ 6:35 PM            |


it's a sin, asin

i got this interesting quiz from snglguy.

boo hoo - sloth is my deadliest sin??? wrath second?

do i sound like i'm full of wrath you piece of sh*t???

erm, not you, snglguy.


Greed:Low
Gluttony:Medium
Wrath:High
Sloth:High
Envy:Very Low
Lust:Low
Pride:Medium



Discover Your Sins - Click Here

posted by vina @ 7:25 PM            |


a moment of weakness

People, I beg for your indulgence.
Just let me be...

Even just for a moment...let me dream...

Be still, my heart. Bask in silent awe.

O wandering eyes,

STOP

right

there.

Dammit! Time's up!

I'm wide awake now.

(Thank you to Rickey for the Derek Ramsey picture. Thank you to Derek's and Zanjoe's parents for their genes. Thank you, Derek and Zanjoe, THANK.YOU.)

posted by vina @ 4:55 PM            |


have some zzzzzzzz

CNN had an interesting special last saturday. entitled Sleep and hosted by Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the show delved on sleep disorders and sleeplessness with common remedies, on the effects of lack of sleep on our emotional, mental and physical health, on the dangers of fatigue, and yes, even on dreams.

the show only further reinforced that we should all have 6 to 8 hours average sleep for us to be "effective" in our regular chores and activities. but we all know that, don't we? less than 6 to 8 hours sleeping time and we encounter bouts of drowsiness throughout the day, slower thinking, passive behavior...yadidadida.

for drowsy driving on the other hand, blasting the radio volume up or opening the window is actually not the answer to combatting sleepiness, the experts say. the best thing to do is find a place to...noooo, not drink coffee, but to have a nap, like 30 minutes to 1 hour. once up, don't drive immediately just yet. wait for another 20 to 30 minutes till you're fully awake - you can have that coffee, wash your face, or maybe even slap yourself. just give your body enough time to readjust itself first, and off you may go.

if you want to know if you're wanting of sleep, here's a test: in a dark and quiet room, sit on a comfortable couch or chair for 10 to 15 minutes. if you are able to slip into a sleeping mode within this short period of time, then boy, you are one sleep-deprived person!

incidentally, while watching the program, i informed my dear friend Celine, she being quite narcoleptic, and her husband an insomniac. she tried to catch its replay on sunday.

tried, because while watching the show, she fell asleep.

posted by vina @ 2:45 PM            |


thursday crying marathon

last night, as it was raining, tears were free-flowing as well. no, no, nothing tragic happened. i was just my usual cry-baby self while watching my dose of Thursday TV specials.

Ricky could only mutter his usual "Aaw honey, you're crying" line upon seeing my tears trickling down my cheeks while watching the Ghost Whisperer on Studio 23.

in last night's episode, Jennifer Love Hewitt's characted helped out a young boy (the ghost), who did not know he had been dead for a year due to a train accident. eventually, through Jennifer's help, he was able to "talk" with his mom and was reassured that he would never be lonely (in heaven) since he will be with his grandma and his pet turtle, Tabby. the boy, after a year of wandering and wondering, finally crossed over.

after the Ghost Whisperer, i switched to Crime/Suspense for Cold Case, another Jerry Bruckheimer masterpiece which i have been following for three weeks now. i'm a sucker for forensic/medical/criminal suspense/drama shows, and so i'm a sucker for this show, as well (along with CSI, Law & Order, etc). i think this one has more heart because it really goes into the varied emotions of the characters. every episode also closes with a popular 80's or 90's song, which i find very unique.

last night, closing song was Madonna's Live to Tell - a woman with alzheimer's disease had a husband who was murdered sometime in 1996. initially, the re-opened case leaned towards the son as a suspect, who was just 16 years old when his father died. eventually, he revealed during interrogation, that it was his mother. she was physically abusing him and his father, and they always feared her. on that particular night, out of jealousy, she beat him up to death with a golf club, with the son helplessly watching and weeping for his father. the son loved and lost his father - but that did not mean that he did not love his mother as well. one could not just turn his mother in, could he?

after Cold Case, it was time for the main event. i tuned in to ABC 5 for - drum roll please - American Idol.

oh yes, i cried. i cried because i saw paula abdul cry. i cried because i saw simon's expression of shock. i cried because i heard the audience gasp in disbelief. i cried while watching the farewell video with the song-of-the-moment "Bad Day" as background music.

i cried because it shouldn't have been him. it shouldn't have been Chris Daughtry.

but i know, i'll see and hear him around soon. i'm looking forward to that - that, and Taylor Hicks in the finals.

posted by vina @ 5:51 PM            |


beijing connection - the lowdown

it's been more than a month now since my trip to beijing. now, i'm ready to talk.

in my original post last april, i didn't sound like i enjoyed the trip. well, i did naman, but not as much as the whole group did in shanghai. shanghai was a blast! though it was below 12 degrees celsius when we got there and we were freezing our butts off the whole time, all we did was shop, shop, shop! shanghai is absolutely shopping heaven - next to bangkok! ooooh, bangkok! would looooove to go back there. we stayed in amarri watergate hotel and the tiangge was just beside it! and the food! oh, the food...

er, back to beijing.

it wasn't that cold when we went there (think 18-20 degrees celsius), but it sure was a tad windy. the month of march is supposed to usher in spring, but i guess spring in beijing means dust-blowing, smog-enveloping season. majority in the group eventually ended up with (skin) allergy. fortunately, i was in the minority.

after arriving at the Peking airport, we had our super-late lunch at a...taraaa! chinese restaurant. then, we went straight to business. first up was a tour of the Forbidden City and the Tiananmen Square.



it was in Forbidden City that we had our first taste (no pun intended) and smell of the great beijing toilet. for us girls, it was a test of our "shooting", squatting and breath-holding skills. YES, THEY OBVIOUSLY STILL SQUAT OUT THERE. AND YES, THEIR TOILETS STUNK - BIG TIME.

it was nighttime when we arrived at marco polo. after checking in (and making sure the toilet was of "international" standard), we decided to survey the neighborhood (read: check out possible shopping locations). it turned to be not so promising. good thing there was haagen dazs.

we were off to the Great Wall of Badaling in the morning. i wanted so, so much to reach the top. my spirit was willing but my knees were yelling "hell, no!" so i channelled my remaining energy to posing for the camera.

after another late lunch at a....taraaa! chinese restaurant, we proceeded to beijing's main shopping district, equivalent to hongkong's nathan road, but nothing like hongkong's nathan road.

after dinner at a...taraaa! chinese restaurant, we rushed to the Red Theater to watch the History of Kung-Fu play. we arrived Filipino time.


morning of day 3 was for the Panda Zoo and the Summer Palace. the panda is being cooed at by that group of people on the left. come on, you all know how a panda looks like!

by afternoon and after lunch at a...taraaa! chinese restaurant, our tour guide, Peter, finally gave us what we wanted - well, sort of. we finally went to two different tiangge locations, flaunted our tawaran talent while continuing to hone our "shooting" and squatting skills at the toilets. but with, ehem, shenzhen and shanghai shopping markets already on our belts, we found the beijing markets paling in comparison.

we capped our last night off with our final meal at a...you know what.

looking back, it wasn't horrible a vacation, even with the traumatic toilet experience. a vacation is still a vacation, yes? but i hope against hope that wherever our next trip will be, it won't be another chinese food territory. hmmmm, korean or vietnamese sound (and taste) waaaaaaay better.

posted by vina @ 5:49 PM            |


regular exercise

shit.

as of today, monday, the 8th of may, i weigh 121 lbs.

but vina darling, how could you possibly not weigh 121 lbs? where do you suppose all those pasta and ice cream you've been shoving down your throat went?

i know i have to do something about this. SOMETHING. like, ek...ekkks...exer...exercise? whew. that didn't come out easily, did it?

when i was still in bacolod, i used to take up tennis (badminton wasn't that crazily popular then), did aerobics, and went to the gym. haha. not all at the same time, though. yes, that's just about it.

here in manila, my exercise regimen consists of shopping or window shopping, whichever is applicable, or general cleaning in my unit - and even these are not regular activities.

wait a minute! regular...regular...HEY! i get it! regular exercise is the magic phrase! geez, no wonder i'm not burning fat.

i know just what to do now.

regular shopping/window shopping coming right up!

posted by vina @ 4:56 PM            |


Dermalogica promo

GOOD NEWS for Dermalogica loyalists and for the curious lot:

Rustan's Dermalogica clinics in Makati and Shangri-La Plaza (EDSA) are offering 35% discount on the facial treatments, for Monday to Wednesday, until May 17, 2006! I think this is the first time they offered such a promo and there is nooooo way you could just let this pass by! fortunately for me, i was informed over the weekend. with May 1 (Monday) being a holiday, it was just perfect timing.

i have been frequenting the makati clinic for almost two years already ever since my boss gave me starter kits and other sample products. whether it be for my obligatory facials or just pampering body scrub or massage, Dermalogica offers nothing but the best. from its face mapping for customized treatments/appropriate products to the well trained attendants, wouldn't you want only what's best and right to be slathered on your body, or more importantly, your face?

surprisingly, the rates for the treatments, even the products, are easy on the wallet, considering its track record.

don't lose any time now. call 812-5099 for Makati and 637-1745 for Shangri-la Plaza for your booking. NOW NA!

posted by vina @ 6:26 PM            |


the search is on for the best pistachio ice cream/gelato

ever since i tasted this heavenly pistachio gelato in kowloon last year (near our hotel, Knutsford), i prrrrromised to myself that i would make pistachio my favorite ice cream/gelato flavor - of course, my problem is, i had to find the best tasting brand available in manila.

so far, i've already tried the ice cream versions of Fruits in Ice Cream (FIC), Selecta and Arce Dairy. of the three, Arce Dairy came out the winner - i can ALMOST taste the pistachio flavor, plus real nuts abound!


next on my list for tasting is Yellow Cab's gelato.

i am also setting my eyes (and preparing my wallet) for Ben & Jerry's ice cream, which costs P300.00 for just one freaking pint in rustan's. and, if that green colored gelato i saw in Amici di Don Bosco when we ate there last week is pistachio, i'd include that, too!

good luck to me!

posted by vina @ 3:29 PM            |


F*****G CEBU PACIFIC!

daaaaaaamn you Cebu Pacific! i've been trying to call your reservations office since yesterday and couldn't get effing through!!!!! morning, afternoon, evening, couldn't get through!!!!

i hate you! i hate you! I HATE YOU!

Cebu Pacific, the New Filipino Time, you say???? a lot of wasted filipino time, that is!!!!

ooooooooh, if only i don't have 50% off (ahem...) from your fare, i wouldn't even bother!!!! aaaaahhhhhh!!!!

daaaaaaaamn yooooooooou!!!!!!

posted by vina @ 10:32 AM            |


Filipino kid in Canada punished for eating etiquette

i came across teacher sol's post last week, regarding a young Filipino student in Canada who was punished by his school lunch monitor and his principal for not eating properly (phrase mine). by "not eating properly", it refers to our Filipino table etiquette of using spoon and fork when eating.

it's really disturbing, to think that this is happening in a school, in a country that's supposed to be 1st world and home to various race and culture.

inasmuch as we are outraged by the racism, i hope that from our end, we do not also discriminate other people. after all, discrimination goes beyond race.

posted by vina @ 2:23 PM            |


Toni's Ref Door Project

goody! i'm joining toni's Ref Door Project. But it's more like Unfinished/Ongoing Project in my case, since there's nothing much on it. this ref came with the unit i'm renting. still, that does not explain why there's nothing much on it! (hmmm, maybe it's just reflective of my love for minimalist designs!)

these are the pictures of my family (and some soul food to help keep my feet on the ground!).

my day begins and ends with these people i hold closest to my heart - no matter the distance.

posted by vina @ 11:58 AM            |