birthday greets

happy birthday mamuy! aka rosario (RIP)

happy birthday aya! (aka rio rossa)

that's where aya got her name, rio rossa... from rosario. even though mamuy is not here with us anymore, her memories will always live in our hearts.. at times when i really miss her, i talk to her before going to bed. im the eldest grandchild and so i have the most moments with her.

i recall there are mornings in obrero where mamuy would prepare coffee for me coz i wouldnt drink hot choco. the coffee is too hot though so she had to cool it down by pouring it in a large bowl, stir it and blowing on it, and finally transfer it again to the cup. it was just perfect. smooth, creamy, rich taste of coffee with milk. hehehe when our family moved out, we would regularly visit obrero and have lunch/dinner there. on some nights, i would persuade mamuy to cook sinigang sa santol. i didnt know anyone else who cooks sinigang this way. it still has the sour taste and a bit of sweetness to balance the soup. just plain comfort food. =) everytime i would go back to hongkong, she would have this pabaon for me. i had to refuse though to maintain some pride. hahaha but now, mamuy, if you can hear me.. i won't be shy, embarassed anymore.. anything left for me? hahaha

if mamuy was here, i would've gone home and celebrated her birthday with her, with or without a party. every year, coz of mama's nagging, i see to it that im home. now, im thankful she got me to do that. i guess the only regret was not being able to talk to her in her final days. i thought then, that she would come out of whatever she's feeling, like she always does.

~~~ REST IN PEACE, TITA CORY ~~~

BBQ @ shek O

we took time out one night to go for BBQ in shek O. from the office, it's around 30ish minutes travel as we have to go to shau kei wan first then board the bus from there. too bad for me; i had to go to chai wan mtr and realized that there's no bus to shek o in that area. it was a hot summer night so we prepared to be mausukan from the grilling food.

BBQ in honor of our guests.. mara and mheann (ooppss, not in this picture yet.)

meat, meat all meat bbq selection. ohh, didnt know there was cuttlefish ball (i got there late na kase)

migs just couldn't stand the heat... obviously! hehehehe

us, enjoying BBQ.. for a change.. (from the usual steamed, pan/fried, soupy chinese lunch)

playtime with migs... if his folks were not there, i would've made him sakal hehehe

migs likes to take pictures with his gurls... he even called us to pose around him. hahaha

maraaaa, we'll see you again. soon! and mheann, hang in there! hehehe

how to go to shek O beach:

1. take the mtr and alight at shau kei wan station.
2. proceed to exit A2, if i'm not mistaken.
3. take the mini bus to shek 0.

this will cost you 9hkd.

i compared myself with mama at around my age. hmm.. she's already married, has her own family with one kid (yep, that's me), own house, stable job which she sees herself growing old in. Fast forward ... as for me, I'm the complete opposite. it's just reasonable to panic, right?! hahaha i'm mostly worried actually, about the "own house" thing. mama would always inject that topic every time. a job.. well i think i can work on that.. married, own family.. yeah i can work on it too. i guess. hahaha it just seems that however much i try to save, it still wont be enough to live comfortably in pinas - meaning, i can still live even by bumming around for a few months. great plan, eh? i need to engage in some business. if only, our kada's five-year plan is still feasible, i would've pursued it with them.

dinner @ crystal jade la mian xiao long bao

we ate at crystal jade, a shanghainese restaurant in world trade center causeway bay. it was a packed night so we had to wait in line for a party of 8. some pictures to remember the night. too bad, no food pictures coz i was too engrossed eating. hahaha

here are the early birds... hehehe

the kids are playing.. not too keen on eating this kind of food.. well, they liked it eventually hahaha

here are the yayas... day off so we just had to treat ourselves..

enjoying mamma mia gelato in the upper floor of the building. good ice cream la!

good food, good company.. twas a good night.

the day after yesterday

i ended yesterday on a not-so-good note. i overate, or lack thereof, i think. i had to go straight to the toilet to do my thing. that wasn't enough though. 3am, i was awaken by a stabbing pain in my stomach. and continued on till 6am. i remember thinking to myself, and praying that it will only last for that time. i was a bit cold though the aircon is not on. the menial air from the fan doesnt really give me any comfort either. lots of things immediately entered my mind. i didnt want to be THAT sick to rush myself to the hospital. i even thought that if i would be discharged, then i have to take care of EVERYTHING, from fixing my things, to the payment. hahaha overacting, la! but that is what will happen. i thought that those times, i called in sick at work finally bounced back on me. tsk tsk tsk! my thoughts are really wayyy overboard.. i know. when im not well, i think of a LOT of things. i even think, that i might die already.

that morning at work, i felt a little better but easy on the food intake. i still have pains but praying it to go away so i dont have to take any meds. i went home and didnt really ate much. the next day, i felt the pain growing more frequent. i decided to go to the doctor during lunch hour. i took the meds he gave (but not all of them haha). i was told to avoid oily foods and rice. fineee. the next day, i felt lighter. still no rice. i was missing my meds , not taking them on time. it wasn't on purpose. i would've taken sick leave, but opted not to. the pain is still there, and the involuntary churning sound in my stomach. i was given this meds for gas. lolz. im still trying to make pakiramdam my body.. so no alcohol for me. haha

harry potter and the half blood prince

9:50am. i watched the first showing of harry potter 6. it was a 15-minute walk, so i was kinda confident of getting up late.. but of course.. i didnt took notice of the time.. and then, my friends were already calling me up, and i was still at home! yaiksss! i didnt wanna miss out on any scene, especially the beginning.. also, i wanted to watch the trailers.. hehehe anyways, i just did a brisk walk knowing, still i would be late. i saw a bus, and i just boarded it and alighted at the next stop. thankfully, that saved me from being really late for the movie. hehe we proceeded to our seats.. row C, 3 rows from the screen.. uhm, too near eh? right.. that's what we get from buying tickets the night before.

the movie

hmm, i really don't know what to say.. i havent read the book. so some scenes, story flow, i wasn't able to understand. i didnt get why professor snape is the half blood prince and the movie merely mentioned it once. reading the book will suffice my queries, i believe. the characters really have grown.. outgrowing harry even! hermoine is simply beautiful. ron's bigger built earned him a rightful spot in quidditch. malfoy appears more brusque than before. and harry.. i still see him as the little kid with that mark on his forehead from book 1. hehehe even so, i am biased, i am a still a fan. i can't wait for the next movie to come out! hopefully, by that time, i have read all the books. hahaha

after movie chillax

the movie lasted more than 2 hours so we had lunch in cityplaza, and i ate the cheesy tonkatsu. yum yum! we headed to pacific coffee to (finally) hold our "coffee cum wifi" experience. for the longest time.. we've been planning on doing this. go to a coffee shop, bring our notebooks and hangout. good thing, we have coupons so it's a buy 1 take 1 cold treats for us! yehey! too bad, i had to purchase my wi-fi. but all good, 20hkd for 1 whole day. hehehe we we're doing our own thing, while the kids, play around the wide area. it was a chillax moment. gotta do it next time, before the coupon expires hahaha

facebook: message of the day

Ria got a message that on this day, God wants her to know...

... that every little part of you is magical.

Yes, even the parts that hurt, even the ones that are feeling disease right now. It's alright to love what is in pain. More than alright, that's exactly where your love is needed the most. So why not touch that part that hurts and smile at it, at yourself through it, and whisper: ''I love you.''

i got this message from facebook.. just coincidental with my previous post. i haven't actually said "i love you" to myself. i show my love in different ways - by giving myself gifts. hahaha in this way, though, my wallet is hurting.

magic - here, there, everywhere

harry potter and the half blood prince is now showing! though i haven't completed the book, i am a fan of the movie and the story. i just love it. i love magic. (but i can't really say i'm fond of watching magicians) it brings me to a different world where endless possibilities can happen. as a kid, i enjoyed watching "okay ka, fairy ko". don't you just love ina magenta whenever she criticized the "tagalupa"?

it's happening

i AM gaining weight. i feel it. no thanks to the rice i eat in the evening, the sweets i indulge in for dessert, the in-between snacks i thought were harmless. actually, i don't mind gaining a bit. i don't want to get overboard with adding a few pounds so i SHOULD slow down. else, i wouldn't fit in my clothes, again. hahaha i recalled before, after a few months of staying here in hk, i got really bloated. as in! hahaha i gained 20lbs! whatda?!?! i know.. right?!?! my friends were surprised, i should say. mama, however, said it looks good on me. mothers! haha seriously, it came to a point that i get tired easily and my feet couldn't carry me for long walks. but most of all, my clothes just won't fit right. hahaha

what worked for me

when i finally realized how big i got, i decided to cut down my carbo intake. i ate banana and a cup of oatmeal for dinner. i jogged around Victoria park a few times. i even enrolled in fitness first. it wan't a drastic weight loss. i went through phases. i would receive comments from friends and family that 'Oh, that's already enough', or 'lose a bit more', etc. but ultimately, i know that the satisfaction of how i look, feel should come from me. what matters is being happy with oneself inspite of what others think.

if only the 'harry potter' magic can do wonders for this kind of dilemma.

jdrama: zettai kareshi

zettai kareshi (absolute boyfriend) is a jdrama recommended by my friend and is also on top of the list in mysoju.com. it's about a robot lover who came into riiko's life. this created a triangle with riiko's boss, soshi. can a machine really give your heart's desires? here's a song from the series. "okaeri" is the song by ayaka, who coincidentally is now the wife of soshi. awwww

okaeri, for me is a song that basically tells us that home is where your heart is. it's always nice to feel at home, right? to know that you belong and you are loved.

i can't wait to be home.

up and about: MTR lift

shot in tuen mun station of the MTR (red line, i think)

i gotta feeling..

that tonight's gonna be a good night.. and i think it was. i thought i already lost touch with a friend. after years of just ignoring each other, we came to realize that we're both too cautious of what the other would say, how one would react. it feels good talking, bonding. it's as if we never parted.

random musings

>> if you lie to yourself, you will lose what you truly value.

>> to a sailboat that doesnt know where to go, any wind will do.

>> obstacles are put in the way to see that what we want are worth fighting for

>> time you enjoyed wasting is not wasted

7-8-9 = 30

yeppp, today is july 8 2009.

7-8-9.

happy anniversary to mama and papa! 30 years.. and more!

it felt like yesterday when they renewed their vows on their 25th year. my siblings, aunts and uncles TRIED to plan an impromptu renewal of wedding vows in an intimate setting - with close relatives and few friends. didn't realize it turned out to be quite a reunion of their own wedding 25 years ago. we contacted their ninongs, ninangs and entourage. it was simply nostalgic.. uhm, not for me of course.

my wish.. more years together.. maintain the sweetness in spite of the petite fights here and there.. ok?!?!

*hugs*

parting time

a friend will go back home after trying to find some work here in hk. it's not easy. i don't blame him if he does. better even, in some ways. if ever it will be my time to leave, i know i will miss this place.

--> i will miss having the room to myself. yep, i still share a room, technically, with my sister. but she's also abroad so if and when i go home, it's all mine. but since we're both away, april stays there.. i think.

--> i will miss slacking to my heart's content. hahaha

--> i will miss hui lau shan.. and other hk desserts. theirs is mostly fruit-inspired. those mini cakes, fruit or tea-based quenchers are enough to follow through lunch or dinner.

--> i will miss maple, in and out, update, in fashion, h&m, zara (cheaper here). i find solace with them. nyahahaha

ehhhh... STOP. it's always nice to go back home. guess i'll just cross the bridge when i get there.

oh my, it's july

time really flies soooo fast. it's already the second half of the year and looking back.. i wonder what i have done in my life. it's not even the time for making new year's resolutions or making plans for the year ahead, but i just had to stop and assess what has happened in the past months. hmmm... ninuninuniii... hmm.. i came up with nothing?!?! lolz. well, in fairness, some plans came through. some are left hanging.. waiting to be started. tsk tsk. some decisions are in progress, needing more consultation. all in all, what can you understand?? nothing, still? sigh. looks like stalling, eh? waiting for something to happen. i maybe babbling out nonsense here.. but this is my therapy. keeps me sane, keeps me focused still on why im holding on.

ohh, happy anniv to moi! 4 years in hk...already.

our journey to sai kung

for the july 1 holiday, we opted to go to sai kung to get away from the usual crowded places in the island. however, a lot of people were there, especially it's a day off. i guess we just have to settle for some scenery, apart from the usual buildings, crowded streets in the city.

to get there, we met in tiu keng leng station of the tseung kwan o line of the mtr. it's 2 stations away from quarry bay crossing the victoria harbor. we boarded bus 792M traveling around 40 minutes to sai kung public pier. it was sooo hot arriving at the place. fortunately, the breeze kept us cool while having picnic lunch in the playground nearby. while the kids run around to play, the adults ate, rest, made chika to the max. hahaha it was a hearty meal, with adobo in tow and the famous almond chews from ate caryl. yummy!

after the kids finished playing, (uhm, will they ever? haha) we rode the boat to kiu tsui beach. it was 20hkd round trip for a 20-minute ride. not knowing what is in store there, we just went. though we didnt really plan on going for a swim, seeing that the beach area is occupied with dogs (and their owners), it was a good decision for us. hehehe as in, the dogs were swimming there... and i wouldnt like to be there with them. hehe just let them be.. and enjoy. we looked for a cool spot to bum around.. and eat of course. it feels nice to trifle away time without caring for anything else but the cool breeze touching your face, the leaves of the trees shading you from the sun's heat, the sight of the calm waves and the beach bodies. (haha) we left the beach around 5.30ish and cozied up in one of the restos and had a late afternoon tea.

this is life.

MJ's music

most of michael jackson's tunes are loved by many. the more famous, "thriller", "beat it" , "man in the mirror", "billie jean" are simply adored by fans.

of the lesser popular songs, my faves would be:

• "heal the world" -- my environment-friendly and karaoke-fave song. my take on hoping for a better world.
• "the way you make me feel" -- i loved it when it was used as a dance tune in the movie, "Centerstage"
• "wanna be startin something" -- remake by Akon
• "smooth criminal" -- =)

i didnt know he sang :::
==> "human nature" which kyla had revived.
==> "don't stop till you get enough" and "rock with you"
hahaha i know! pathetic!

i may not be an avid fan.. but i know that his "thriller" music video is just creative, innovative and unique. his moves in "billie jean" simply stellared him to star status making girls swoon over him. he may be gone too soon, but we are still fortunate that he left us his music which will live on in the hearts and minds of generations from hereon.

"michael"

went to kuya j's housewarming one block away from my place. i took it upon myself to bring dessert and make arrangements with the priest. this is actually the second time i contacted father midas. i felt at ease with him.. everyone does in the parish, i believe. he's the parish priest in St. Joseph's Church in central where a lot of Filipinos attend mass. he's an SVD priest - the congregation of St arnold janssen. and of course, our patron in my alma mater - holy spirit. hehehe (ayun, kaya pala... feeling close!) i have always wondered what it would be like to have a priest as a mentor. maybe, i would be closer to God? maybe i would have someone to pray for me? maybe he can give me words of wisdom when my mind is full of crap. hahaha

da King of pOp
news of michael jackson's death still flood the www. all over , you will find the articles, videos reminiscing the life of the king of pop. as MJ once said, “I hope people will look at me also as a person and not just as a personality.” it's such a humble wish for people of great stature. once you reach a point where everyone looks up to you.. somehow you seem to lose that sense of self --- that of being just you, without the adornments of fame and fortune.

***have you noticed some of the great names in history are named michael -- jackson, jordan, schumacher, scofield. hahaha

new macbook pro...

there's a new and improved macbook in the market! the difference with what i bought: it's cheaper, it has SD slot and firewire port, battery life is improved. arghhh. why couldn't i have waited??? why does mac do this in such a short span of time?? i know the difference may not be so obvious but the fact remains that i could have gotten all this, if i only waited for a few months. i pacify myself by thinking that i wont be really using the SD and firewire port. the battery life should be fine. cheaper... uhm, lets not go into that.

goodbye, jacko!

news of michael jackson's death circulated all over this morning. i got mine via SMS. of course i had to double check it on the internet. true enough, the sad news is just sudden, overwhelming. im not a very big fan but i appreciate his songs. his music has really huge following.. same goes with his personal life. i guess, it will be more emo for me whenever i sing "heal the world" in karaoke. hehehe

Boys over flowers: scenes, semi-spoilers

i will soon finish watching boys over flowers (again).  i could go on and on raving about the series:

new caledonia - where they went on a vacation and junpyo professed his love for jandi on board a helicopter overlooking a heart-shaped grassfield... awww he looked like a lovesick puppy happily expecting recognition from his loved one. 

macau - jandi followed junpyo in macau after not hearing from him for months.  she found him but things didn't go well for them.  jandi still braved the wall junpyo put up for himself to fence out his friends.  still, jihoo made ways for them to patch things, even warning junpyo that he won't stand back anymore if he continues to ignore jandi.  

i admired how jihoo stood by jandi.  though it pains knowing that the girl he likes.. likes his bestfriend, it didn't hinder him from caring for jandi.  all the more, he wanted to protect her and be there whenever he needs her.  it's the classic case of unrequited love.  things could've been simple if only jandi can teach her heart to love.  oh, my.. such complications! enough with it. 

loathe her!

i simply hate the girl junpyo met in the hospital.  so much that i didnt bother getting her name. hehehe she's more evil than his wicked mother! hahaha she's like the devil in disguise - pretending to be jandi's friend, when what she wanted was junpyo... for herself.  what a sly one. 

worse than being hated

... being forgotten.. - amnesia.

did you notice that junpyo looks sooo like dao ming si.  but of course, i like junpyo better...