You betcha

Finally...

Filipino food! 

Lechon kawali (don't forget the Mang Tomas lechon sauce!), pinakbet, sisig, chicken barbeque and  kilawin!

'Will definitely need to pound the pavement in January to burn calories!

 

Nothing beats...

Christmas in Pinas. 

Isang tulog na lang and I'm en route to the airport to fly back to Manila. 

I can feel and almost smell Christmas in Manila already. 

EXCITEEEEED!!!

To the Inner Circle: see you in a couple of days! 

Party na 'to!

Missing one of Manila's finest

I know I need my dose of Manila when I start to miss one of it's finest : GREAT FOOD. 


I've been around Southeast Asia a lot, but I can really claim that Manila is the ultimate enclave for the foodies by heart. 


I'm not talking about Filipino food alone. It's not a very Filo thing to admit this, but I do know that compared to our other Southeast Asian counterparts, Filo food will pale in comparison to the melange of flavors of Thailand and Malaysia. Although our adobo and kare-kare will definitely give some of their dishes a run for their money.


Now that I'm in Indonesia though and I've been to neighboring Singapore and Malaysia several times, I do know that Manila is the melting pot of all kinds of restaurants - both boasting of local and international cuisines. 


I'm missing out on the Mercato and night food markets. I have not been to the new fusion restaurants dotting High Street and the nooks and crannies of residential Makati. 


I. cannot. wait! 


The first thing I do when I land in Manila is to ask for lechon kawali with the classic Mang Tomas sauce.  


7 more days to go.

I heart December

First of December.

In Manila, Christmas songs would have been playing as early as September. In Indonesia, it's quite the contrary. 


But I love today! 


'Seems like December will be a great month for me. 
Time to feel the spirit, to hear Christmas songs. In 20 days, it's time for me to come home to the familiar, to the loving, to the comforting. 


It took me some time to realize it --- more than 3 decades at least --- but it's never too late.


I love December! 

It's time to be in Manila. 

HBD2M

Holiday Inn Baruna, Bali Indonesia:

Approximately an hour and 20 minutes before I turn another year older. 

Yes --- another year older, but probably none the wiser.

Yet I cannot complain with all of God and life's blessings. Mine has been showered with a lot of love, loyal friendships and meaningful relationships. 

Thank you, God, for another year. 


Universe, thank you for granting my wish.


Finally.

Pre-Phuket Thailand: when double-time is an understatement

A day before my Thailand trip and I have not even packed a single bikini. Or a toothbrush, even. This is quite unbecoming of me since I always, always pack early. I have a habit of fitting the clothes before I pack them to make sure everything is suitably paired. Thus, ample time is a necessity.

With the workload and my current targets, though --- good luck to that!

I'm nowhere near vacay mode and I'm still trying to close out a lot of items before I leave the office.

There is quite a grain of truth in one of the leadership and management tips that I read: vacationing is actually a must, not just for detoxification or de-stressing purposes. Vacays actually compel you to finish a significant amount of workload because you feel that you need to close milestones before you leave your office door and lock it --- for a couple of days, at least.

This morning, I got my team's revised strategy approved and I've delivered a set of UX guidelines. Not bad in a week's time!

Must leave the office early tonight - I gotta pack and get myself on vacay mode. Katathani Beach Resort beckons! That's my cue for the straw hat and pinacolada!

Hello Kitty eye candy

I am currently salivating over this Hello Kitty Polaroid Instax 25S:


Since patience isn't really one of my virtues (at tanggapin na natin na hindi talaga), I absolutely want to get this!

I'm hitting the beach next week so it would be really be awesome to have me Hello Kitty cam by that time.

Dear God --- sana may bumagsak from heaven na Hello Kitty Fuji Instax.

TGIF! : 20 Random Thoughts on an early Friday evening

1. Israel, you totally rocked my world! I love Israel!

2. Next trip in my head: Vatican, Rome.

3. I'm soooo looking forward to the weekend with my Mom and Tita Rose. Saan ko na namang parte ng Jakarta sila dadalahin ngayon?

4. Patience is a virtue that I should really try to practice.

5. I'm crossing fingers, keeping the faith, trusting in God on that next big thing!

6. Shoulda, woulda, coulda: it was nice having this lunch time conversation with Ryan Bulan. Ryan, despite the what-could-have-beens, we ended up getting the things we wanted, anyway. In their own versions, so to speak.

7. I miss my high school friends. Must-do: pencil in get-together when I go home in May.

8. Strangely and despite Bali being nearby, I miss Boracay.

9. Ning, hindi ka ganon kaganda. Believe me. You are not THAT hot.

10. When there are limited options, what's pwede na can be premium. Talk about settling!

11. Hong Kong in July sounds like a fantabulous idea!

12. Eh kelan na ang Siem Reap, Cambodia?

13. I'm so glad Evelyn is my friend.

14. I know a play when I sense one. I know a game when I see one. No, I'm not playing it.

15. Tired. This whole week was just sooooo tiring. But it was also fulfilling.

16. Lucky star: I have undiscovered gems in my team. Woohoo!!!

17. From Before Sunrise: "So am I just a dumb American who momentarily decorates your blank canvas?" I loooove it! But whoever speaks like that now?

18. One of my fab gay friends is getting married. To a girl. Baskeeeeet? Why oh why kalamay?

19. Dubai Duty Free is so cheap. Thinking of saving up and getting a Rolex there. 400 USD is a BIG diff!

20. I'm so blessed. God, sorry for the bitching. Thanks for the bounty.

Happy weekend!

And then there was 5...

'Can't help it. I just gotta have 'em.

Five Kokeshis and counting...

13 hours...and counting

I've been in the office for 13 hours now. 'Got here at quarter before 7 this morning, armed with my decaffeinated Starbucks cafe' mocha, non-fat, no whipped cream.

'Had this mega early meeting on portal strategies.

I gotta say --- this day rocked, though. It flew by so fast and I barely noticed the time.

I guess that really happens when you love what you're doing. Time doesn't matter. It stands still.

My work does have pain points --- semi-bosses that can be a pain in the ***, the long hours, the ever-dynamic industry.

But there are a lot of things I love about it as well.

I love what I'm doing. I'm glad I was given a choice to do what I want --- usability engineering and UI design.

I love my boss. She totally rocks! She delivers. I love her success story. When I grow up, I want to be like her. Really!

I'm glad I won personal friends at work.

I can feel the pang of migraine about to hit me --- but at the end of the day, I know I did my job and I friggin' did it oh-so-well.

Work pride. Lovely work pride. Hahaha.

Kokeshi, kokeshi, kokeshi

Prior to the Kimmidoll craze, Kokeshi dolls have been around for over 150 years already.

Originally from Northern Honshu, Kokeshi dolls are hand-made from wood, with an enlarged head, a simple trunk and no hands. The bottom portion of the dolls is signed by the artist.


This evening, I had dinner with Tim and Mads at Taman Anggrek. While walking towards the Chinese restaurant, I bumped into these lovely Kokeshi dolls.

And I want them ALL!!!



Unlike the Kimmidolls, the dolls I saw were of different shapes and sizes. Damn, I wanted to hoard but what's the fun in collecting if I buy everything in one sweep? 'Didn't help that I only had 200 rups in my wallet and the rest were USD. Whatta timing that I couldn't find a money changer!

So I contented myself with buying a set - the cutest of the lot.


Brace yourself Taman Anggrek - I'm definitely coming back next weekend for a few more Kokeshis. Not to mention there's a lot of great stores there for quality Batiks, socks and tights, a gigantic GNC outlet and Hello Kitty!!!

Paging Gemma and friends --- help in building the Kokeshi collection! Gemma --- you're first when you go to Hello Kitty country!

Da Funk: Ovah and Out

(Random musings on a Friday afternoon when I need to SPACE OUT)

‘Didn’t realize when I blogged last time that it was actually V-Day. Vlack Day, in Gemma’s world. Hahaha.

I’m not a fan of V-Day – not that I’m love-allergic. It’s quite the contrary, actually. It’s just that it’s too commercialized and it puts too much pressure on the single peeps.

Love should be an everyday thing. Mush, mush, I knooooow. So what do you need V-day for?

On da funk, I’m over it. It was probably hormonal or the lack of sugar because of me diet. I’m back to my usual chirpy self.

Happiness is a choice. This weekend, I choose the happy, chirpy path.

TGIF, peeps!

Bitch is soooo back!!!

Due to popular demand and constructive critique (aka the tandem of Jovan and Gemma), Bitch, please just got a face lift! The besties thought the old template was blah.

It's long overdue. The feedback was given around Christmas time but I never got around doing it, until now. I figured, might as well do it --- my writing has been stalled. Damn you, Facebook!

Moving on...

Shall we open the New Year with the latest addition to ze bag collection?

Ta-daaaaah!!!


I got me-self a new Louis Vuitton Trouville. I've been salivating over this for several weeks already! It's a very sensible bag - gazillions of pockets and gargantuan space - enough to fit my iPad!

I am officially declaring a self-imposed ban on visiting the LV flagship store in Plaza Indonesia.

Happy new year to Moi, indeed.

*wide, wide grin*

And the winner is...

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg is names Time's Person of the Year.

Hats off to the guy who revolutionized social networking.

2 words: awesome and inspiring!

Lola by Marc Jacobs

I'm soooooo loving this scent right now.

I discovered it when I was in Hong Kong.

I can't stop thinking about and smelling the scent!!!

Hahaha.

It smells creamy, powdery and sexy at the same time.

My type of scent.

Makes me happy every morning. =)

December 2010

Woah. Time just flew. Yep, just like that.

December na!!!

Unlike Manila, Christmas carols in Jakarta only start to play in malls by first of December. I heard the first Christmas carols last night when I was shopping for some cosmetics and Christmas gifts for friends.

I miss the Christmas spirit in Manila that starts as the 'ber months come in. Being in a Muslim country made me miss it all the more --- considering I'm really not a Christmas person.

My Christmas loot came in very early, though. Finally, I got my most favorite gadget-toy. 6 months ko ng pinag-iinitan. My much-coveted precious is finally mine!!!

Thank you, Mr. R. Claus. =)

I'm loving it. I haven't jailbroken it, though, and I'm not sure if I wanna do that. I don't mind paying the premium for the apps that I like. Besides, there are a lot of free cool apps, too. I've got 2 pages of apps already and most of them are free.

Already finished Plants versus Zombies in my computer last year but the game is so addicting --- I actually purchased it for my iPad. At 5 dollars a pop. Hahaha. Okay lang. Masaya naman.

Random thought: I can't wait to go home for the holidays. I miss Manila. I miss my friends. I miss December in my hometown.

Universe, align with me. Let this December rock. Totally!

Pagod + Fulfilled = Rockin' TGIF

I launched my baby already.

Have not eaten lunch to prepare for ze preso and the trip for the Mobile Asia Congress next week.

For that, I shall bawi tonight!

Go Decanter!!!

Work hard, play harder!

Saturday fun machine

Redundant, redundant, redundant.

I know --- I sound like a broken record already.

This whole week has been TIRING!!! But I happily ended the weekday with a Go! for my portal launch. And it's HUUUUUUGE! I'm loving it.

Last night, I met VinceDiy for dinner at Lara Djonggrang. He's here in Jakarta for conference. It's nice to touch base with friends outside Manila.

Tonight, Evelyn is hosting a birthday dinner party for Moi and Jen. The Bitches are baaaaack!!!

Madame Landlady

I just became an official homeowner. =)

My condo unit at Sofia Bellevue, Capitol Hills has just been turned over to Moi.

Yes - that is my real door.

I'm thinking of renting it out while I'm here in Jakarta. At least, the investment is paying for itself.

Happy. Achieve na achieve!