After the Storm Santi

Mama cooked spaghetti because she was worried like hell. She heard rattling roofs and so did I. She was awake the whole morning while I slept on the storm. When I woke up, it was over. Nothing like sleep to escape disasters, zombie attacks, nuclear war, etc.

Now it's Halloween and I have no dvds to watch! I am going to catch up on Grey's Anatomy and maybe play boxing on Wii because I've been eating quiet a lot lately. I wonder though why I am staying thin when I should be bloating like a boat already. My last weigh in was 48 kilograms or 96lbs. Maybe fever burns a lot of calories too?

Anyway, happy eating on a rainy cloudy day! Yummy!

Under the Weather

Lately, I have been getting sickly - from stomach problems to fever and now I have fever + colds. Someone told me I must be feigning sickness to avoid certain things but really, do you know how hard it is to be sick? Loss of appetite, chills, and worrying if you have cancer or whatever. It's not something fun to fake.

I think I got stressed last night from trying to work some things, career-wise but I just had to let it go. Wouldn't want to repeat history and I am really seeking work-life balance which is not easy to find. Yet, I am learning to manage myself and proud to know what I can or cannot handle. It's not easy to say NO but now I can.


Frozen Siopao from Fat and Thin and Lucky Me Jiampong

More than anything else, I want to tell you about how I love siopao (again). This is the perfect comfort food for someone like me who is sick in terms of health, and kinda getting sick of life as well. Don't get me wrong but lately, I see things and places and they are all the same to me. Even activities I loved attending, I had to let go this week. I just can't force myself when I am not in the mood. But for Siopao - I'm always in the mood for!

Thank God I have found my fingers tapping and blogging again. For awhile back, I also did not have the mood to blog or write. It's just a phase, 3 months from now I am older again.

Dibi Divisoria

I am excited to go to divisoria today, walk a mile and get hungry so I can eat at one of the Chinese restos. I want siopao and mami!

Things to buy:

1. Lots of hopia and tikoy roll to match my coffee and tea
2. Materials for making a bib necklace
3. Or just buy a bib necklace if i find one
4. More cocktail rings! sana meron
5. Black pullover shirt
6. Laptop skin
7. Metallic skirt
8. Loose shirts

That's all I can think about, I don't want to come home with lots of garbage I will not use. Excited!!!! Will also buy dvds I can watch while sitting on hopia.

Tito Emboy and Tita Cora Gimik Day 2

Shopping Date


Me with Tita Cora


SM 3 Day Sale Shoppers

This is their second gimik day but was also their last day in Manila :( I brought Tito Emboy to one of my favorite spas where he enjoyed an aromatic relaxing whole body massage.

After that, we met Mama and Tita Cora who just bought Audrey's and Alfred's spanking brand new Nokia phones!


Searching for a meal



Then off to a quick lunch at Max's, balikbayan's favorite restaurant.


Nyeee

That day was also the second day of the SM mall-wide sale and it was chaos everywhere. Tito Emboy was finally saturated with the sight of many pinoys ahahaha



Before they went to the airport, they waited for Tita Aurora from Imus who was bearing danggits for them to bring.


everyone with tita aurora from imus

I wish we had more time, for a moment I forgot all worries while they were here. Now it is just us again :( I went with the couple to the airport and wished I could just fly with them! We'll miss you and hope to see all of you soon!

Tito Emboy's Gimik Day Photos

Boni Highstreet


Tito Emboy's day out instant itinerary: Glorietta 5, Glorietta 4, SM Makati, Bonifacio Highstreet, Serendra, Market Market and Harbour Square with Tita Cora ( all just in 5 hours!)



With Jollibee in Glorietta 4




At the new Glorietta 5


With Elvis at TGI Friday's


Chelsea @ Serendra


Mama with Tito Emboy


Window Shopping


At Harbour Square




Libreng Tikim at Market Market

During Typhoon Ondoy - Sagip Kapamilya Efforts

Cheryl Cosim originally uploaded by LopezLink

It has been around 2 weeks already after the typhoon Ondoy has battered most of the cities in Metro Manila. I remember how every twitter updates were marked with #ondoy, re-twittering rescue updates and call for donations/volunteers. For a moment I was thankful for how technology could save lives and bring people together. Although, I wished that there was no need for a disaster just for us to show brotherhood as a nation.


Kris Aquino, Fr Tito Caluag, Tina Monzon-Palma and Piolo Pascual originally uploaded by LopezLink

Right now, rarely do I encounter tweets or Facebook updates about the disasters - both Ondoy and Pepeng. I am wondering if it's the Filipino's nature of forgetfullness in action. At one point, everyone was active then as days passed but floods have not receded, people's attentions started to wane.

Fortunately there are still NGO's that have not forgotten. I could only do so much as to remind people personally how people from the north are suffering, some still on their roofs and some buried in landslides. One NGO is Sagip Kapamilya of the Lopez Group where my mom came from. She encouraged me and my sister to join the volunteer efforts during the first few days but surprisingly, thousands of volunteers have emerged before us. My mom said, this is how people react towards an organization they can trust. No offense to the government but many donors would rather hand their donations to Sagip Kapamilya or Red Cross who is equally active in saving people's lives and morales.

Watching the news last night, I was happy to see how ABS-CBN's Sagip Kapamilya has penetrated the north which includes Benguet and Pangasinan to give out relief goods and rescue some flood victims. Hopefully, more people will be inspired with these efforts and not just be active during the peak hours of calamities when everyone is still talking about it.

If you want to know more on how to continue helping and other news from the Lopez Group, become a fan of their Facebook page. You can also join the forum and discuss about Celebrities in Sagip Kapamilya Rescue Operations.

Over and Done!

Hello earthlings, my dreaded day is finally over. I like raffle draws but not competition, it makes me feel really awkward and I am paranoid someone is always watching my reaction to things. Especially a lot of old nemesis, when I say old - I mean really old for my age.

StyleandRelax.net was a finalist for this year's Philippine Blog Awards. I was excited for the awards night to be with other fashion bloggers and none of us really expected to win. Dhon and I just wanted everything like to be over because we were both feeling awkward. We clapped for all the finalists including our own fashion blogs and our forecasted blog won. We met the winner for the Fashion Blog of the Year after the event and I felt great that at least we all know each other and clearly - there is no issue that others can draw from our own little fashion world except that all of us are blessed with beautiful faces, yes.

Surely, the event was fun but also drained me and my silver ruffles. I had to bring friends along to a nearby "tapsilogan" in Timog. Right now, sorry but I prefer cheap diners as in no airconditioning, siomai siopao mami places. I am thrilled at how much you can fill yourself up with a hundred pesos and leave with a wide satisfied smile (and waist).

Finally I have the means to go around and shop! You can have women but your money is mine! woot! I saw his plurk this morning and someone has been incessantly replying with "hi po..." like eeeew. What the? another poser who wants to attend events? good luck dear!

I love how this blog is going back to its roots, real and unfiltered words from my brain.

Breakfast

Early bird

The duo beat me to the kitchen, I haven't slept but they were already up and about as early as 4am x.x Quickly I pulled out the coffee maker and served Starbucks coffee beans to Tito Emboy and Tita Cora had her vegemite and cereals in tow.


Early love birds

Mornings had never been so alive and active!



Served: Scrambled eggs, sausages with herbs, hotdogs, bread from French Baker, and whole wheat pandesal.

Australia + Cavite

Teary-eyed actually, it's so surreal they are here! They are the next best thing to Anya, Joni and Vincent.

Tito Emboy, Tita Cora, Mama, and Little Yeyey

Liza said "Ate Lace, ang weird para akong nasa big brother na may swap with Australian edition" ahahaha. Finally! Tito Emboy and Tita Cora has reached our place. I started preparing everything as early as 5pm. I wanted everything perfect that I was worried all throughout dinner. Like I said no TV Patrol on TV please while eating, and I asked everyone to have their dinners all at the same time. Happily and thank God, everyone was cooperative. I am usually not OC with visitors especially with relatives but the Ancayan's are a different story. Like I never knew we had them cool relatives that I can actually talk to and hang out with. Super cool.

Here is the humble fiesta we prepared:

I am the only person missing because I took this photo.

And their favorite was the Laing and Atchara as side dish.

The couple looked like they had a good flight. They brought loads of cheese and chocolates, my sister also sent us the clothes we accidentally left in Australia. I wish my sister squeezed in something from Sports Girl (ahihihi) next time nalang :p

I served them Crema de Fruta and tea to finish off everything.

The usual chikahan while digesting the dinner that was

When I received the bag of clothes, the first thing I did was smell them. I have this keen sense of smell, and I attach scents with different places and people. Like, my Lolo's place smells like an old cabinet (aparador) and Melbourne smells like fabric softener and baby powder. However, I didn't pick up any scents from the clothes, Liza said they were dirty! Someone didn't bother to wash them :p

Yeyey and Didi had fun talking about their complicated family tree. Don't ask about mine!

Mama led the couple to Liza's room which we have perfectly turned into a comfy "hotel room" for the duo. We talked for around3 hours more and we let both of them sleep already. I dearly wish we had more time. There's still tomorrow morning and I have prepared danish breads and pastries for them to enjoy.

Be Our Guest! Tito Emboy & Tita Cora in Manila

Two towels with L'occitane bath products

They haven't arrived but all of us are excited to welcome Tito Emboy and Tita Cora from Australia. I just came home from SM to get final details ready for their room. I went with Yeyey and while we were shopping for food and more, I told her stories of how well the couple and their entire family treated us in Cragieburn.

Yeyey enjoying the mini cart and shopping

2 bottles of fresh mineral water

Now it is our turn and we want their quick stay to be as comfy and delicious! :) Yeyey and Mama are gonna heat up the grill soon and I'll be tossing greens on the salad bowl too. Goldilocks products are ready as well including pancit malabon and the famous Crema de Fruta. I've been coordinating with my sister Joni in Melbourne up until this afternoon.

His & Hers

I wanted to get kakanin as an addition for their breakfast but it's no longer available :( Here's hoping they will have a great time. Photos of the table spread and more later.

P.S. I've finally got a new wrist brace for my right hand! Thank you Yeyey for your donation but I'm paying up soon :p

I Can't Sleep! Missing Anya so much

Anya and Me

I just can't sleep tonight because I am excited to go shopping, grab new sunnies and that animal cocktail ring I spotted somewhere :D Looks like not much is going on these days because of the disaster. Honestly, I am getting bored but know I shouldn't be.

Anya's birthday

I was just looking at Anya's photos and I am so frustrated with a capital F. She's grown up so tall, maybe she is at the peak of her growth. Was my last trip to Melbourne also the last time I could still carry her and give her piggy back rides? Lord have mercy.

She's growing up fast, her face looks different and not so baby-ish anymore. Yet I still vividly remember waiting at the delivery room, all giddy and sleepless, nervous and excited. That cocktail of emotion is priceless. When I tell Anya of stories when she was still little, she couldn't remember them anymore. It would be a different story if I was with her all along retelling all my personal accounts of her tantrums and our afternoon naps turned into a game of "who falls asleep first". Usually it was me who fell asleep first before Anya, so much for babysitting.

Sometimes I hate it that we can't simply have everything and I hate more how people have to transfer countries in order to have a good life. Anya is way better off in Australia where everything is accessible and organized. No I wouldn't want her strolling in Manila with her wheelchair only to find bumply ramps or no ramps at all. Writing this makes me grow a lump in my throat. I hate missing memories and not being able to share them with the most important persons in my life like a) my older sister b) anya and c) tamahome. Letter B being the most important, I think Anya and I have so many things in common, God forbid.

Anya's first time to see a computer?

When Anya grows up I am afraid she wouldn't know me at all. She'd only know me as a far relative stuck in the third world.

Anya blowing my birthday cake


Bahay Kubo


Anya's first drawing and first photos in Melbourne

In this blog post, I thought they were just in Australia for a vacation