Remember the last time i went to Baguio?
This time, it's with my sister......
at Wright Park
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and goofed around!
Anyways, Mabuhay ang Kalayaan! Mabuhay tayong lahat!
God save the Philippines ;)
And the shirt says.....
BIG brother Jonax
May you have many more birthdays to come. More people to share life and love with. More laughter and the good things life has to offer.
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Previously
Checked out Nicotina last Thursday before crashing at the Atrium. There was an office activity there and we were told that some of the participants had gone somewhere, hence excess servings of food. And that's free dinner for us! Yey!
outside... going in for the kill.
the crashers
(me not shown in picture. always the "putagrapher". hehehe!)
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Friday night was socials night of the DTTB Pre-dep people. Yeah, we were there, too!
the "kaladkarins" (because we're easy to tag along in any kind of trip)
the new batch of Doctors to the Barrios (ready for deployment to the far-flung doctorless areas of the country). Good luck guys!
found a new videoke partner. Don't worry Ted. You're still my favorite singing partner, though!
Hmm, made me remember the thing most Pinoys do when buying pants (jeans or otherwise). What most of us do (yes, I'm also one of "them") aside from checking out the pants size stated in the label, we hold up the the waist of the pants from both sides and try to fit it around our neck. I was once told that the circumference of the neck is proportionate to a person's waistline. Interesting!
So I tried researching for some more of the human body's surprising facts when it comes to proportionality. That's where Wikipedia comes in. What a cool source.
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Meanwhile, ate G invited some people at the office to have lunch at her place. It was fiesta in her neighborhood last Sunday and she had the excess ingredients cooked up for us (too bad I wasn't able to take pics of the sumptuous feast). Although I've already had lunch with Ted, we happily obliged to ate G's request and sampled among others the very delicious spaghetti, the yummy garden salad, the tasty squid, and the sweetened nata de coco for dessert. It was kinda an eat-and-run thing coz we had to be back at the office by 1PM.
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Back at the office, it rained hard yesterday just before closing time. Weather reports announced the first tropical storm that entered the Philippine area of responsibility was named Amang.
Typhoon Amang leaves RP
05/21/27 08:30 AM
Two days after being the first typhoon to enter Philippine territory this year, typhoon "Amang" (international codename: Yutu) left the country Sunday night, continuing to gather strength as it did so.
The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Amang was located 1,350 km east of Batanes as of 10 p.m. Sunday.
It said Amang now has a maximum sustained winds of 175 kph and gustiness of 210 kph, and was moving northeast at 22 kph.
Amang was expected to be 1,790 kms east northeast of Batanes by Monday night. - GMANews.TV
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I really am not a big fan of rain. Especially because when the rainy days come, it also rains inside our bathroom. And why is that? Well, nakakita na ba kayo ng alulod sa loob ng banyo?
The house where I live in is kind of an ancestral house which belongs to my grandparents. It was a large house subdivided to accommodate the number of families (us and my father's siblings' families) who either opted to stick with the oldies or just can't have a place of their own due to financial constraints.
Unfortunately, our bathroom space is located between two high structures. When it's raining heavily, most of the rainwater go through our kitchen roof then to the bathroom roof and ends up in the gutter down to our bathroom drain.
So year after year, when the rainy season comes, it frustrates me that i couldn't crap in there without getting wet. We had to resort to bringing an umbrella inside the bathroom so we could do our "dirty business."
More frustrating is the fact that we need a considerable amount of dough to solve that problem. And even if Mom and I put our savings (if there's any) together, it's still not enough to do some makeover for the house.
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But now that my sister is also working, my hopes are up that one day, we could do the much-needed overdue renovation to the old house, starting from the bathroom. Then perhaps, we could pick up from there. We've got plans for the house and I'm hoping that little by little, and with some help from sis, we could make it feel more cozy and homey. It may not look like a dream house, but then, that's a different story.
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With a little bit more of patience and hard work, one's dreams can come true.
Yes, sweetie, good things come to those who wait. Pana-panahon lang yan!
My mother's been complaining, "yun at yun na lang nakikita ko sa blog mo."
Sorry 'Ma. I haven't updated my blog due to the one or more of the following reasons:
1. I've been busy (kinda lame excuse, but i hope it works. hehe!). Bad blogger, bad!
I can't think of any more reasons. They may be lame excuses but they're true. Honest!
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Anyway, even without new posts, my mom gets updates about me as I usually call her or she calls me. Hearing each other tell stories about our everyday lives is better than reading it from a blog. Sige, Tsiki, i-justify ang katamaran!
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I called mom last Sunday to greet her because it was Mothers' Day. I wished she was with us so I could give her a big, warm hug! But i hope the phonecall did the trick (no personalized cards again for this occasion).
Anyway, I've greeted all the mothers I know and I will greet them again...
Happy Mothers' Day to all you moms, inays, nanays, mamas out there!!! Pati na rin sugar mommy, hehehe!
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Anyway, yesterday was election day (Senatorial, Governors, City Officials). I wasn't really up to voting, but then, it's one of my rights as a citizen of my country. So I made some last-minute preparations and went to my poll precinct to exercise my right to vote.
As I was writing the names of the people who will hopefully lead towards the betterment of my city and my country, I was also praying that my countrymen will vote wisely.
Bumoto po sana tayo nang naaayon sa dikta ng konsyensya. Maging wais na botante, hindi bobo-tante.
I hope this election turns out to be different this time.
Keep on blaming myself
I should've eaten my pride
How can I convince you?
Is it a matter of time?
Many times I've hurt you with my foolish ways
Now I know I have to pay the price
Is there a way for you to turn around?
Turn around and come back baby
Baby can't you see?
It's been cold summer nights since we drifted apart
Cold summer nights since you walked out that door
Cold summer nights here on my own
I miss you babe and I need you here
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It rained hard yesterday just as I went out of the office to go home.
What the hell?! It's still summer, isn't it? Kasagsagan pa lang po ng tag-araw. What's with the downpour?
Who knows? The weatherman did not report any rainshowers for that day.
But there I was, braving the heavy rain and strong wind, armed with my not-so-sturdy 2-fold umbrella. After the usual inconveniences that go along rainy days (heavy traffic jam, flooding in the streets, and getting stranded for hours if you're not lucky enough), I got home safe, but a bit wet. My umbrella almost gave up on me.
Along the way, seeing some flooded streets, I suddenly felt a tug in my heart.
J would never let me walk on these floodwaters.
But he wasn't with me that night.
Maybe not anymore.
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closer view of the damage
Anyway, I'm going back to my aerobics-taebo session today at 8am. I'm looking forward to losing a little of these flabs in my body. I know it would take a great amount of time and effort, considering the extent to which my once not-so-hot-but-looking-okay body became im-so-not-fit-and-not-okay frame. But more than my wish for a leaner body, doing this exercise jumpstarts my working day and gives me another reason to be happy. (Exercise releases happy hormones)
But then i guess, being happy doesn't necessarily need a reason. Or does it?
Nah, just stay happy folks! And have a great day ahead.
Her husband worked for a steel fabricator. She augmented the family income by being a direct seller of cosmetics and a seamstress at home. Life gave her neither riches nor great opportunities. But she tried her best to give her children the important things they need. Her creative ways and ideas made sure that the family would not go hungry. Together with her husband, she never made the children feel that they were poor. But she neither gave them the idea that they were well-off. They just lived within their means.
Up to now, even if her eldest daughter is already working, she opted to stay and work there until her youngest son graduates from college.
I went through Valentine's Day as normal as I could, even if everywhere I turned it was like a "for-couples-only" day and those without a partner is an outsider. One colleague quipped "ang mga walang papa, i-firing squad sa Luneta."
Yup, once again I am a member of SMV (Samahang Malamig ang Valentine's)
But why should I sulk? I should get out there, there's work to do. Why wear black on V-day? It's so cliche. I should wear something bright and happy, put on makeup and NEVER. GET. CRANKY.
At this point in my existence I have resolved to face my demons one by one, tie up the loose ends dangling in my head and reconnect heartstrings that got cut for some reasons. Last quarter of last year I started with a friend of mine from highschool.
And once again this year, on Valentine's day, I filled my heart with peace as I chatted with a gradeschool classmate whom I was once close with, but eventually we drifted apart more than a decade ago.
I poured my heart out and asked forgiveness for whatever hurt I might have caused her. She said there was nothing to ask forgiveness for, and if there was, she has long forgiven me. She also apologized if ever there were times she'd been mean. Know what? I've forgiven you a long time ago.
It was truly a liberating experience. Though we're miles apart and just communicating through computer, it was as if she was beside me again, still her bubbly self and recalling the things we did together in gradeschool.
I only wished we had that chance to sort things out nuon pa. But as they say, better late than never.
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A while ago in an orientation we were conducting, a colleague put me on the spot by announcing that I am currently single and available. One participant said "eh di malungkot ang Valentine's day mo kahapon?"
But my colleague quipped "hindi po. Ginawa niyang masaya."
Indeed, even without a significant other, I was happy on Valentine's Day.
I hope y'all had a happy one, too!
And to you, Mae. Salamat.
the extroverted introvert posing with the delicious Dennis Trillo
Sweet Potato Soup and Cellophane Noodles are among keys to good health.
Earth Lambs are like dancing daffodils, moving with kinetic exuberance and joy. Like all Lambs, these creatures are wonderful to socialize with, you just can't help loving their friendly ways and enthusiasm for living. They make lemonade out of lemons, velvet out of porcupines, and find serendipity everywhere. All their friends and colleagues get caught up with this passion. As you can imagine, they make the best of traveling companions. Earth Lambs are honorable in all their dealings; they roll up their sleeves and do whatever it is that must be done. They know true contentment because they can think of yesterday without regret and tomorrow without fear. Earth Lambs love good books and spend many happy hours seeking treasures in used bookstores. This serious nature also applies to their college years and careers, which they pursue with utmost dedication, hard work, and diligence. At some point in later life, they are rewarded with unexpected financial fortune. What a cozy twosome the Earth Lamb makes with a love partner. Relationships are filled with exquisite warmth, gentleness, and tenderness, with magical threads of sensuality taking them on beautiful carpet rides.
You may also check out your horoscope here.
Had dinner with the St. Lazarus Choir at Aristocrat. I didn't intend to stuff myself that night because I was once again subjecting myself to diet+workout to lose the flabs I have acquired over a couple of months. But our former chaplain, who is now based in the US, was in town so I figured: what's wrong with a night of kwentuhan over dinner with good friends?
I gave in. I just told myself, "well Tsiki, Thursday naman bukas. You'll be burning those calories at aerobics class tomorrow."
Thursday
I did burn those calories through one hour of aerobics and tae-bo. You folks might say "good for you." I even skipped the usual office merienda of cholesterol-laden fishballs, squidballs, chicken balls (gosh, what other kinds of balls will they think of next?) and opted to snack on some pears. Healthy diba?
Ayos na sana but nagkayayaan ang Training Girls to have dinner at Lola Ely's. It's a homey and charming place where everyone can just go and enjoy the food without burning a hole in their pockets. I swear, their chicken barbecue is worth the almost 10-minute walk to their place (located at the corner of Bambang and Felix Huertas Streets in Sta. Cruz) from our office. At least I get to burn a little more calories before devouring Lola Ely's heavenly specialty.
Another 10-minute walk to reach my jeepney terminal to go home. But leisurely done this time while talking with my supervisor. Non-work stuff. We split up at the corner of Oroquieta & Malabon Streets and I proceeded to walk the remaining 3 minutes to my terminal. All the way home, I was thinking....
Twice a week of aerobics/tae-bo class; twice a week (average) of 15 to 20-minute run on the treadmill; a weekend of doing chores. Not bad.
In the span of three years, I have never maintained my ideal weight for more than a month. It takes a lot of work for me to take off a few pounds, but it takes just a couple of days of impulse snacking (plus occasional heavy dinners) to gain it back (minsan doble pa!).
Next week, there will be no time for all of my workout sessions as I will be doing fieldwork. Too bad.
But then, there's always another day!
Last Saturday, my father ran out of ideas on what to cook for dinner. He thought that the porkchops he grilled for lunch would be enough for us until supper. I would have thought so, too, if not for my bro's bandmates who came to practice their songs for the school's Battle of the Bands. Syempre, we had to feed those kids, 'di ba?
So I shared with Papa's dilemma while rummaging the fridge for whatever foodstuff I could salvage -- eggs, hotdogs, green bell peppers, shallots, unopenned sachets of hot sauce from the othe night's pizza -- and then I thought, "this is a job for the stir-fry queen."
These days, you gotta make the most out of what is available and within reach. I can still hear my highschool economics teacher saying "dapat kayo maging MAPAMARAAN!" Resourcefulness is the key.
So without much resistance from dad (after a lot of convincing done), I donned my imaginary apron and proceeded to whip up another ulam my dad never thought I could possibly cook.
I'm still thinking of a name to call this dish. Any suggestions?
"..do you know, where you're goin' to..."
my friend's reaction to this pic made my day.
As always, he makes me feel like the prettiest girl in the world.
Yup, i'm back on track.
= = =
One of my friends is also back. Back to the office and to the welcoming arms of the Carmelites (foodtrip group). I hope he stays for the month so we could celebrate his upcoming birthday with the group.
It was a night of music, laughter, and a lot of drinking. January 13, a day before my sister's birthday, I was at the office checking up on Dad who's at home working up a storm with the pica-pica (finger foods). I was anxious about how things would turn out. After all, it's not just another birthday celebration where we eat, sing with the videoke and get ourselves drunk till the wee hours of the morning. Somehow, I wanted Tet's birthday to be something different. And different it turned out to be!
cousin Francis, the boys' tanggero for the night
In my head, I pictured a scene with candlelights, small tables with chairs, cool January breeze and acoustic music under the stars. So I asked my younger brother to bring his friends along to play some music for us. Cousins who live far away will be coming over and I figured it would be nice to showcase the talent of my bro and his friends.
Tropang Generoso
Eleandre Basino Buendia 
with Eva and Marj after the Christmas Party of the Sectoral Management and Coordination Team
the staff of Health Human Resource Development Bureau with Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III (we won best group costume here)
the winning lantern
the other entries....
more pics on next post!
I love taking pictures. They may not be great shots, but i treasure the memories that come with it. I take pictures of nature, of happy days, of special occasions, of vacations, of trips, more trips, or of people having fun--anything at all that evoked within me an indescribable feeling. The pictures I take make me feel lucky and grateful to be alive and to witness those things around me. And that gives me a sense of fulfillment, something that nobody can take away from me.
| You Should Be a Musician |
 |
Tsiki & Eva
ang mga dalagang gala
your shot, my shot (at Bell Church)
Confession:
I haven't been to Baguio City before. Ever. So when i started working in my present job and the cashflow has been coming in quite steadily, i promised myself i would go there someday.
Perhaps the stars were properly aligned when, one day, Eva asked me to come with her to Baguio (also called the City of Pines) for the weekend. She said i don't have to worry about lodging, just the busfare and my other incidental expenses. So i gave in. Besides, i really wanted to get away, for many many reasons. I needed an escape.
We left Manila on Friday night. Arrived at the transient house by 4:00 am, Saturday. Slept through the cold and then headed to the city proper by 10:00 am.
The Itinerary:
Saturday
Sunday
Of course, a weekend getaway is not the same without some pictures. And a lot of camwhoring.
what better way to beat the cold: Gran Matador brandy (with pineapple as chaser). Serve with grilled blue marlin, oysters and mussels. Yum!
seen at SM Baguio (sounds familiar?)
one of the many dragons that line up the passage to Bell Church
Me and Eva got to roam around, bought some stuff for pasalubong and some quality ukays for ourselves. How much damage, if you may ask? Php 1,500. All of it.
Thank you very much to Dr. Ed and Monica for accomodating us and bearing with my singing voice during the videoke night and Shanchai's birthday celebration. Sa uulitin po!
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Mom in Hongkong, when she got the pictures, e-mailed me: "why do you keep wearing that yellow jacket on your trips? i sent you a lot of jackets and coats for you to use. not just that yellow jacket."
Tsiki said: "it's my lucky jacket. it's the only jacket that fits me well. besides my companion won't be having a hard time looking for me if i get lost in the crowd."
If I could only see her, she would have laughed at my reply and said "chi-sin!."
...of the papercut!
There's never a training/workshop where i end up scratchless. Geesh!
Had another papercut yesterday at the Orientation of Sourcebooks held at Robinsdale Hotel. Sorry, no picture here, so as not to gross out.
My last papercut was a couple of months ago at the Health Sector Introductory Course in Tagaytay. After the 4-day training, i ended up with band-aids on almost all of my fingers. That was the worst. Ever.
Has my skin become that sensitive? Wehehe! *sigh*
'til next training!
and yup, i'm a sucker for quizzes, too!
i thought my element is fire. turns out it's earth. :)
| Your Element Is Earth |
 Well grounded, you are able to be realistic and rationalize.On the inside, you have a hard core. It's tough to phase you. You are super productive, and you are able to think anything through.Focused and super charged, your instincts are a good guide for your next step. |
hmm, i'm equal with David Blaine ;)
and i've always fantasized about being an undercover agent. hehehe ;)
| Your Aura is Orange |
 The purpose of your life: testing limits - both physical and mental... and then telling people about it. Famous oranges include: Timothy Leary, David Blaine, Tony Hawk, Carey Hart Careers for you to try: Snowboarder, Circus Performer, Undercover Agent |
i knew it! i have always loved summer. who doesn't?
| You Belong in Summer |
 |
Last Friday, the Lunch-Out Tropa tried the "pizza-all-you-can-eat" at Greenwich for P99/person. Just add P30 for bottomless Coke.
So much hype about the promo. Turned out they served only hawaiian and pepperoni. AND the service was soooooo slow.
what's taking the pizza so long?
that's how slow the service was. Tsari fell asleep waiting for the pizza :)
PAST PICTURES
For some reason, i can't seem to place these pics in my previous post. Here are previous pics of the Lunch-Out Tropa last month with Jerry the cyberdude.
this bunch sure was hungry ;)
that's Jerry with a smileThe not-so recent things that happened between the last post and this post :)
EUREKA!
The search is over for me, thanks to Jerry the cyberdude. I have found Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in D major. I heard this piece a couple of years ago while watching a televised public appearance of England’s Royal Family (I think it was Princess Di’s funeral).
Since then, I have been searching for it, hunting record bars to buy a CD of it. I even thought it was part of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. So when I chanced upon a sale in one of the record bars I frequented, I headed straight to the Classical Section to look for the piece. Alas, they don’t have a sampler so I had to buy all 4 CDs (Strauss, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky) to listen to them at home.
To my dismay, the sound I was looking for wasn’t there. Buti na lang sale.
Fast forward to year 2006. I was passing by the virtual library in the office when I heard the music I have been searching for. I went inside, and the rest, as they say, is history.
LUNCH OUT BUDDIES
Yet another boring menu from the canteen. Xerox ang pagkain, as what one colleague says. Same food almost everyday. So one day I decided to break away and tried hanging with 2 of my officemates whom I haven’t spent much lunchtime with. Turns out the duo usually takes lunch out, going around the vicinity to eat in different karinderias and turo-turo for variety. I decided to give it a try.
But that day, the duo and me tagged along with Jerry to go to the mall for lunch. Okay, maybe I’ll have a taste of those karinderia food next time.
HEALTHY BUDDIES
Since my promotion last year, I haven’t had much time and energy for exercise. I had been confined to being an 8-hour (sometimes 10-hour) desk-bum. Eventually, I had been experiencing a lot of pains and been calling in sick almost every other month. Manny, my officemate, commute and beer buddy has also the same situation. So when our birth month came (both born on August) we took advantage of the employees’ free annual medical checkup and had ourselves checked.
After finding out that our uric acid is high, we agreed to undergo a fitness regimen for good. Though I have been eating healthy foods and checking on my diet, Doc said it should be complemented with physical activity. In addition to exercise, the doctor also advised us to adopt the low purine diet and avoid (if possible or if will is strong enough) alcohol, as we are going to re-check after 2 months to evaluate if we should go on medication.
So I made a comeback to my morning aerobics-taebo-dance sessions every Tuesday and Thursday at the DOH Gymnasium. The first day of my comeback left me sore. I have to say I got rusty and had difficulty with the moves. Well, there’s always the first time.
The following week, another officemate suggested we try out the mini-gym in the compound. Manny and I welcomed the suggestion. Manny will lift some weights while I’ll try the treadmill.
Because we need to be healthy :)
