Friday Blues

So here I am at home on a Friday night. You’d think I’d be working  coz at 10 PM Philippine time, my day is just starting in Texas where I am virtually based.  But no, thanks to Smart Bro’s unstable connection, I have no work tonight, unless I go find a nice decent internet café that’s still open at this time of the night. And besides, it’s a Friday night. I guess the universe heard my plea for rest. You see, I got feverish last Wednesday evening, the same night I transferred my office to our bar, just so I’d feel more comfortable. Coz working in our bedroom can get boring after some time. Well, I guess I had too much fun and too much nicotine if I may add.  Plus at dawn, that part of our house can really get very cold.

Or maybe I just got subconsciously shocked at our spending last weekend coupled with the fact that I was awake for 44 continuous hours!!! After my shift last Friday, I didn’t sleep anymore until Sunday morning. We went to Gilmore and bought two  additional power pcs  and an ASUS eeepc 700 for my brother to help him set up this mini internet shop we have in mind for him, then I bought Peter ASUS eeepc 900 for our travels and gimmicks, then I had my PSP upgraded and loaded with tons of games. We spent a whopping 100k. So… fever. And though my fever has already gone down since then, I still have the cough, colds and headache that go with it. But no worries. I am healthy and I am healing. Tomorrow, I declare, Peter and I will watch the Eraserheads  Reunion Concert!  Woohoo!!!! Anybody wanna give us free tickets?

It doesn’t matter if they promoted such a big hype and some people got turned off by it. The things that matter  the most are the memories and feelings their songs bring me every time I hear them. I almost forget how much of a fan I was of them back in high school. Two of my ex-boyfriends actually gave me as gifts a record of their first album and their Circus album, respectively, only to be thrown into the fire when I surrendered them to our pastor together with my other “sinful” tapes (di pa uso cds , mp3s, mp4s nun). This was back in college when I joined Jesus is Lord Fellowship (a Born Again congregation). I guess I got too much in love with Eraserheads that it caused too much guilt in my heart. Thus, succumbing to “the will of God”. Of course now I know how stupid I was. Any tape, whether it’s that of a rock band or a religious group, when you back mask it, ugly words will always come out. Duh?!!! How gullible could I get?! I guess, more than I expected. Sigh. Tsk, tsk.

Anyway, so here I am typing away in word format which I will later post to my blog as soon as my ISP is up. Peter is at the Manila Peninsula with Jayvee and Phoebe right now. I hope they’re having tons of fun.  I’m okay  here though… just listening to Ultra Electro Magnetic Jam, a revival album of Eraserheads classics. Sigh.

And now I go and read my books and play with my PSP…. I must enjoy the fact that I have no work. Weeee!!!

Travelogue XXXIV: HONG KONG Day 2, Part III - Night River Cruise

I almost forgot about this part of our trip. So before I go ahead and share our wonderful Disney experience, let’s first take a cruise and see what Hong Kong is like at night.  For those who want a bit of a background about this trip, do read my previous posts:  Hong Kong Arrival, Hong Kong City Tour, Lantau Island, Big Budha and Po Lin Monastery.

Hong Kong is so much more vibrant and alive at night! It’s like a precious land of diamonds sparkling in the moonlight. Whether you’re single or all alone traversing its colorful and boisterous streets, you will never feel lonely. It’s so easy to explore  its surrounding municipalities and you will never get bored looking at all those wonderful sights. Just hail a cab, tell the driver your destination and in just a short moment, you’re there. Traffic is not so bad and pollution is unnoticeable.  For Pinoys who crave the Makati scene, Lan Kwai Fong is the place to be! It’s lined up with numerous bars and restaurants filled with friendly people, both tourists and residents, of various nationalities. It’s just so great!

It was a cold, cold night. Peter and I  booked a night-time cruise aboard the Star Ferry, plying between Hong Kong and Kowloon to enjoy its spectacular views from the river.We cruised around Victoria Harbour, passing by the  neon-lit red-light district of Wan Chai,  Causeway Bay typhoon shelter, Western District and Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade. On top of all that, the boat provided unlimited complimentary drinks! It would have been more awesome if our friends were with us. I don’t really drink much when it’s just the two of us. I’d rather stay sober just in case I get “lucky”. Mwehehehe.

I think we’re already a bit drunk here…  

Here are the tour details for those who want to experience this romantic cruise with their loved ones…

 Tour Name: Harbour Night Cruise

 Itinerary: Cruise past Central, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, North Point, old Kai Tak airport, Hung Hom and Tsim Sha Tsui

 Language: English

Departure Time: Nightly

 Pick-up Points:  9:30pm - Kowloon Public Pier No.3, Tsim Sha Tsui9:45pm - Pier 9, Central

 Duration: Approx. 1.5 hrs

Tour Price: Adult : HK$320
Student / Senior aged 60+ / Child aged under 16 : HK$270
(For student/senior/child, please bring passport or other proof of age upon booking.)

 Booking:  - Tour Operator (Reservation Tel: 2207 7235 Fax: 2721 9155)
- Hotel Tour Desk
- HKTB Visitor Information & Services Centres

 Organised by: Watertours of Hong Kong Ltd

 Address: Rm 1023A, 10/F., Star House 3 Salisbury Road

 District: Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon

 Phone: +852 2926 3868

Fax: +852 2730 3031

E-mail: watertours@wingontravel.com 

Homepage: http://www.watertours.com.hk

 

Still Going Strong After Nine Years…

Despite the fact that we have been so busy lately that we’ve forgotten it was our 9th Anniversary last August 14 (and it was my Grand Papa’s birthday too!), we did manage to celebrate our wonderful nine years together. Of course it wasn’t always smooth sailing.  It wasn’t always this perfect. There used to be major fights the size of World War III  and hearts have been broken in the process. The closest of our friends witnessed these things so many times in the past and they have always been there to help us patch things up.  There were sleepless nights and petty quarrels, as well as paranoia and resentment thrown in here and there. The very flaws that run in the veins of our relationship were the very nourishment that brought us both to this blissful commitment we now have. Yes, we used to be so young and reckless…

It was a rainy and quite stormy weekend and we didn’t wanna go far. We remember Joel recommending to us a very romantic dning place nearby — Sky Lounge in Vivere Suites located here in Alabang.

I’m thinking it would be fun to hold a private pool party here next summer!

I remember back in 1999, when Peter professed his love for me for the very first time, I completely laughed my head off! You see, we’ve been like super close since 1995 (first year college). We were suicide and depression buddies (we used to get depressed a lot and we counseled each other like super psycho geeks). He was the “kuya” of our block and he was this wiz kid/ walking encyclopedia/walking dictionary of our batch. He was the only first year college student I know who can walk up to Ateneo professors and Jesuits as if they were his equals. He was just simply amazing! And whenever I’d have a fight wth my then boyfriend from UST,  I’d always run to him for support. And of course he’d always tell me to do the right thing like fix my relationship and be happy with my then BF. Who would’ve thought that this uber amazing guy would fall for the cutey/kikay/geeky/down-to-earth/emo teenage girl that was me back then? And the rest as they say, is history. 

It was very windy that I had to immediately drink my ‘not-so-hot-tea-anymore’

Lately, whenever I go take my shower, I’d think of our past…like analyze some facets of our relationship from the beginning, mostly thinking if we have really been happy and enjoyed our lives. We married so young (at the age of 24) and I don’t like to feel like we’ve missed out on our youth or something, especially now that I notice our circle of friends getting bigger and most of them are so young, single and fabulous. They live their lives as if it was their last, enjoying every moment and simply having fun! Were we like that too? So I went tripping back to memory lane. And despite my disbelief, this is what I found out:

 So many food, so little tummies…

We can do it baboo! We can eat all this grub! Popsy taught us well. Hehe.

Chicken Salad with Mango Pesto sauce, toast & french onion cream sauce

Oriental Seafood Noodles & Lengua Estofado

1999 - I was a Prep teacher at Ateneo then. It was my first job and my first experience to really earn some good money. Peter was then handling weddings & events. And I remember going to work almost every day with a hang over! Gosh, we did party every night until 3 in the morning! Yes. EVERY NIGHT!!! There was even a time when one of the parents of my students caught me partying in Shangri-la wearing a tiny form fitting dress that showed off my curves and because it was a chilly evening, it actually showed off more than that. We were both shocked! Good thing they didn’t say anything to the headmaster. Whew! 

Peter savors his food while enjoying a nice view of the city…

2000 - I was with Broline Internet in Makati and Peter & I started living together. We got a studio at Cityland 8 and Ayala was practically our living room. We partied at Jupiter and Glorietta on Friday and Saturday nights and usually hung out at Starbucks in 6750, meeting fabulous expats left and right. Several times they thought Peter was my pimp and I was his whore. That was effing hilarious! (It also gives me an idea for our Halloween costumes this year.)

Sky Lounge, me likey!

2001 - Peter and I were two of the first few hundred of people who pioneered in the call center business. I was a QMS (Quality Monitoring Specialist) at Etelecare and he was an escalation agent at Source One. Both were located in Eastwood and during our lunch breaks (at 12 midnight), we’d eat our “baon” at Macau Restaurant or Delifrance (which closed early at that time). So we set up their tables, light some insect repellant (a.k.a. katol) and bring in some candle light for romantic ambience. And when we’re not feeling very romantic, our lunch breaks were spent in Blue Onion by dancing with gorgeous strangers, showing off our dance moves on the ledge for a few minutes, and having beer before heading back to work. What fun times! But this was also the year we broke up for a month. He took care of his ailing mom as I partied with boys almost every night. I did some wild and stupid things and I missed Peter so bad.

We’ll come back here, we promise.

2002 - I got pirated by GSIS and Peter and I got married. His mom died of cancer (Mama, may you rest in peace) and after months of depression, we got back on track and started traveling all over. We became beach bums!

Dinner time at this authentic Italian Restaurant At Festival Mall.

Pizza Targini,  Ravioli Pasta, Crostinis with creamy garlic butter

2003-2007 -  We never stopped traveling, gimicking, and simply enjoying life. We had a taste of wild times like experimenting on illegal stuff, getting sexual & orgy propositions, etc. It was also at this time that we left Peter’s house in Bulacan and rented an apartment in QC where our friends found haven and comfort as we helped them deal with life’s surprises. It was a good life!

Coffee at Cravings… 

Latte, Devil’s food Cake & Cappuccino

2007-2008 - Life just kept getting better and we eventually found our permanent haven here in Alabang. Partying never stopped and traveling is still a very important part of our life. And as the blessings keep pouring in, we’ve learned to give more. I guess we were able to fill our respective cups after all those years and it’s now time to pass them on. Just yesterday, we doled out a hundred k in cash to buy my bro additional two power pcs for a mini internet shop we’re setting at my folks’ place, an eeepc 700 for his office and an eeepc 900 for our traveling. And we felt good.

 To cap the evening off, we caught the last full show of Wall-e.

Wall-E was a heartwarming tale of a robot who gained sentience and a personality who travels across the universe to hold the hand of someone he fell in love with. It’s lovely and you all should see it. It also handled some very hard core sci fi themes very well. Ever wonder if structures like the pyramids or stonehenge was created by aliens? Well, what if the human race as we know it now is actually decended from ancient homo sapiens who have conquered the stars? Then the supposed aliens aren’t exactly visitors. They’re just us…coming back home. 

Happy 9th Anniversary Baboo! After all these years, I’m still excited at the thought that I married you. *Mush*

Being Happy With Friends

Right after checking out the procedures at the Belo event for bloggers, we didn’t anymore head to Packo’s Grill for their dinner blow out. Peter and I went ahead to Fort Bonifacio to meet up with my very good friend Ninette. It’s been months since we last saw her. She just went a through a very challenging time the last few months and we are all just so glad that she is now cancer-free. You see, Ninette is  one of those really healthy people I know. She eats well, she goes to the gym regularly, she even dances and goes to church not just to attend mass but to do, you know, church stuff. She doesn’t smoke and when we go out, I’m usually the one who finishes off her drink for her. Then this kidney cancer happened. We were all blown away! She’s the first in her entire family and it was just so devastating. But Ninette is one brave woman! Thank God for leading her to a very good doctor, they were able to detect the tumor right away. Though this kind of illness is very rare, being stage II cancer, it’s still very much curable. So they took off the tumor together with the rest of her kidney to where it was attached and now, she’s like a brand new person! With just one very healthy kidney, she’s healthier, sexier and more gorgoeus than ever! Thank you God for giving her a brand new life. This event made her see  life in a different perspective and now, instead of mulling over depressing things (hindi naman talaga mawawala ang negative sa buhay natin eh), she now looks at her life as glass half full instead of glass half empty. Stress  has no place in her life now and life is more fabulous than ever!

Miss yah, Mare koh!

So last Saturday, I made it a point to see her. I know she now sleeps early and keeps a healthier lifestyle so at around 9pm, I texted her to see if she’s still awake. It turns out, she was! And without a moment’s hesitation, Peter and I rushed to pick her up. She lives near the Fort and good thing she was going out with her sister too. So we just decided to meet up at Cafeteria in Embassy for late dinner. We had salad and chicken. Still healthy, right? And instead of ordering something alcoholic for drinks, we had lychee and grape fruit shake instead. I can get used to this. No wonder all our alcoholic beverages at home are just gathering dust. Hehehe.

I swear, the dinosaurs looked so real! And they’re just made of paper mache! 

Anyway, it’s just so nice to see her and be with her. It’s nice to know that whatever happens, no matter how long you haven’t seen a friend, no matter how much you both grew as separate individuals in the last couple of months, when you see each other, the spark that made you click the first time is still there. I just love being with people like Ninette. She’s just so real and so warm. That night with her was spent talking about her ordeal, catching up on the latest happenings in our lives and just simply being together. We didn’t stay so late though. She had to head home to get a good night’s rest and Peter and I decided to meet up with Bim, Helga and Lauren at Spicy Fingers in Greenbelt. At 11pm, we brought her home and bid her good night. We plan to se each other again come September for some real hard core clubbing together with our other girlfriends. Can’t wait! Oh, Ate Rose, Anmarie, ano, game kayo?!

“Buti na lang mare, di tau nabuhay nung panahon ng mga dinos. Kundi, sayang ang beaty natin. Magmimistulang appetizer sa mga dambuhalang ito!

So off to Greenbelt we went. There, I was introduced with Luis Buenaventura who I bombarded with my usual questions (What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever done? Have you ever tried a threesome? How about an orgy?)… you know, the usual JEN QUESTIONS. Hehehe. Awkward… for him! But to me, it’s just my thing. Sorry to say, but it’s my quirk, forgive me. Hehehe. Then later on, I found out that he’s this social media innovation  guy who Peter used to tell me about. Gosh! He’s the  Syndeo Media guy pala! I thought he’s just this rich kid who bums and spends his money on girls and beer. Hindi pala! Hahaha! He had that aura though…. Parang cute boy hunk ang dating. Teehee.

Heniwey, for some reason, I didn’t drink much. I would have been drunk if the Bacardi drink they gave us did not taste like coke and sprite. Bah! But I had fun! Bim and the girls are always a fun group to be with. They are just so full of life and exciting adventures! I can never get tired of their banters, rants and raves. In a way, I see myself in them during my 20s. And I can’t wait to see them grow into such mature and wise individuals in the near future. Pressure ba? No really, just be yourself, guys. You’re all wonderful and amazing individuals just the way you are and I’m just honored to be there with you whenever I can.

“I’m THE MAN!”, said the chinese-lookin dude.

Our night ended in the early wee hours of dawn and Peter and I drove home happy and chirpy. What a way to spend our Saturday!

Belo Event for Bloggers

Peter and I would like to thank Mica for inviting us to this wonderful Belo event for bloggers. It opened our eyes to Dr. Vicki Belo’s  mission in life which is to help people who have concerns, both grave & simple,  with their physical appearance and in the process, provide them with the self-esteem and confidence they need to get more out of life and be the person they want to be. 

Wikipedia describes Dr. Victoria G. Belo as the  “popularly known Dr. Vicki Belo, who is a renowned cosmetic surgeon in the Philippines. She is famous for having performed dermatological services on high-profile members of Philippine showbiz, politics, high-society” 

Dr. Vicki Belo and Peter aka Adam Mordo

Unbeknownst to many (inlcuding myself up until last Saturday, Aug. 16), Vicki Belo grew up feeling ugly because she was overweight and had realy bad acne. Because of that, she experienced being treated very unfairly in the past. It was a truly a blessing that she had very loving parents, who not only adopted her and treated her as their own, but also motivated her to become the fine doctor she is today. She finished her undergraduate degree in BS Psychology in UP and later on pursued her desire to be a cosmetic surgeon. With a strong resolve to help people, she pursued her passion all over the world, finding the best practices and technological innovations not only for sugical cosmetic procedures but most especially for non-surgical cosmetic procedures. 

 With my fellow bloggers, Mica (who invited us to this event) and Jayvee Fernandez

But Dr. Belo’s dreams did not stop there. Inspired by her dad’s (lawyer Enrique Belo) mission to help others in need, the young doctor finally found the path that she was passionately yearning for and that is to spread beauty not only to those who can afford it, but most especially to those who can’t. And that was how the Ike and Nena Belo Foundation came to be. The foundation supports poor kids and adults alike who have skin abnormalities and deformities. It’s good to know that a portion of the money from Belo’s richer, paying clientelle actually goes to a good cause.

 With Man-Blog’s Fritz Tentativa

I was actually impressed by the pretty doctor’s life story. I knew I read it somewhere before (in OK magazine , I think when they featured her beautiful house given by her ex-hubby Atom Henares )  but hearing it from Vicki herself was definitely way more inspiring! I almost teared up just hearing her every word and feeling her energy.  And to top it all off, her gorgeous boyfriend Dr. Hayden Kho was actually that night’s speaker who spoke so passionately about her girlfriend’s company and acheivements. And the most famous quote for that night was: “A millimeter of scar in the face is a kilometer of scar in the heart.” Double wow! It’s so true! We all went through high school, right? And with our raging hormones and all, it was so easy to be acne-prone. And it can be very disheartening and emotionally debilitating even. I was one of those girls who used to shy away from people just because I had skin problems. But thanks to the fact that I studied in an exclusive school for girls and my time was always spent studying, I didn’t have the time nor energy to mull over this disaster which was my skin. I had more pressing matters to think about like my scholarship, my life, etc. But still, it didn’t help that I had zits, acne, skin asthma, etc. You name it, I probably had it. So thanks to people like Dr. Vicki Belo, skin problems these days are so much more manageable and easy to eradicate. How lucky are we to be living in the same era as she is! No wonder more and more beautiful people abound these days as evidenced by all these new reality celebrity shows, vanity multimedia ads and beauty blogs.

Taking a peek at one of the procedures…

While Peter was brave enough to try the ICE MASK

 Mas gumuwapo na ba?

Now, let’s get to the technical side of things. Attending that evening’s event made me quite familiar with their tools and machines. After all, they reiterated several times during the talk that 80% of their procedures are non-surgical. Meaning, it’s way less expensive and even way less scary. Now, I can actually picture myself going there, looking over their menu as if I’m just ordering some delectable dish from a well-known restaurant and voila — I get out of the place more beautiful and vibrant just like Vicki Belo! For more informtaion, head over to Sophie’s blog at beautynomics. They sure got all their notes right. Hehehe.

L: Visia which will give you a clearer view of all your skin problems.

R: Rays of Inara which promotes anti-aging, anti-acne and anti-oiliness among its many benefits

power peeling to reveal younger, healthier skin 

The event ended with a nice dinner blow out at Packo’s Grill. Peter and I didn’t go there anymore coz I was craving for some food from Embassy Cafeteria over at The Fort where we met with my very good friend Ninette (details on my next post. Who again said that a blogger event is a blogger feeding event? Oh, Aileen Apollo. How so not true! And she should know better. She’s Google’s Country Manager here for God’s sakes!) Anyway, thanks again, Mica. I sure will try some of their procedures soon. I think  I’ll start with Thermage. It is “the only non-invasive treatment that delivers tighter skin, renewed facial contours and healthier collagen after a single treatment. (Collagen is the building block that provides structure to your skin).” So folks, when do you wanna visit Belo next? See yah!