A weird encounter, that was.

Last night, Kelvin and I went to watch The Wolverine.

As we were standing in line, I asked Honey to go to the ticket counter and check the next screening time.

A few seconds after Hon left, a group of young men came up to me and this guy in the middle started asking questions.

"Hi, manonood ka ba ng sine?" was his warm greeting. Hi, are you going to watch a movie?

I wanted to say "Nah, I'm just here to stand and think about elephants!" but since he asked very nicely, I simply said, "Yes." I was starting to get confused at that point.

His next question was, "What are you planning to watch?"

"The Wolverine" was my puzzled answer. I didn't know where this was going.

The young man was holding something in his hand, he held it up and said, "We have extra tickets e. Hindi dumating yung mga ibang kasama namin, so bigay ko na lang..." We have extra tickets, some of our friends didn't show up so I'm just gonna give...

As the guy was talking, I breathed a sigh of relief because I saw Hon causally strutting back to me, looking at the young men with a small cryptic smile. As he came closer, all I could say was, "Oh, Hon..."

When Hon was finally standing beside me, I looked back at the young man and asked again, "What was that again? You have extra tickets?"

One of the young men saw Kelvin and his eyes widened. The young man, who was talking to me started backing up and hurriedly said, "Oh, uh, yeah, some our friends didn't show up and we have extra tickets. Sayang naman e, so you can have these."

He then gave us the two tickets. Dumbfounded, I stood there; confused as to what was going on. I looked at Kelvin for an answer. He simply shrugged and said, "Okay."

After a second, my brain kicked in and I started to take out my purse to pay them. I realized they were selling the tickets to us. Upon seeing me taking my purse out, the young men started hurriedly walking away and said, "No, you don't have to pay us. Those are yours now. Bye!"

And we were left standing there, with two tickets to The Wolverine.

As we walked towards the cinema, I was raving to Honey as to how nice the young men were to give us their tickets for free. They were so sweet and nice!

Kelvin, the entire time, was just walking beside me, smiling and shaking his head. He had still had that small, mysterious smile on his face.

I stopped and asked, “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

And he said, “Hon, that was a set-up. That guy was hitting on you, and the rest of the guys with him were his wingmen.”

Surprised, I answered him back. “No, they were just being nice! Sayang nga naman ang ticket. Stop thinking like that about other people!”

He laughed again and said, “Trust me, I’ve participated in the same strategy before. They thought you were alone and that was his way of asking you out.”

Now I don’t really know their reason behind giving us the tickets but I couldn't bear to use the tickets without giving the young men something in return. To appease my conscience, I went and bought the young men bags of chips.

So there we were, Hon, me, and the young men in the cinema, enjoying the adventures of The Wolverine.

There's Something I Have to Tell You, Mama...

Hi, Mama.

I'd like to share something with you...

I thank God everyday.
I thank God every week.
I thank God every month.
And I thank God every year.

I thank God for your everyday text.
I thank God for your everyday greeting.
I thank God that you wait for me to get home everyday.
I thank God for your cooking.

I thank God for your hugs.
I thank God for your kisses.
I thank God that you cook my favorite food.
I thank God that you wash my clothes.

I thank God that you let me sleep late.
I thank God that you make me Milo.
I thank God for the sunny-side up eggs.
I thank God for your adobo.

I thank God that you still call me "Baby".
I thank God that He gave you to us.
I thank God that you are my mother.
I thank God that you are my best friend.
I thank God because you are my inspiration.

You taught me humility
You taught me love.
You taught me how to serve.
You taught me how to sacrifice.

You taught me how to be street-wise.
You taught me how to deal with people.
You taught me the value of patience.

You say I'm beautiful.
You say I'm smart.
You say I'm generous.
You say I'm loving.
You say I'm understanding.
You say I'm sweet.
You say I'm kind.
You say I'm funny.
Well guess what, Mama...

I am just a mirror...
Look at me and you are looking at you.
I am me because I am YOU.

You are beautiful.
You are  smart.
You are  generous.
You are  loving.
You are  understanding.
You are  sweet.
You are  kind.
You are  funny.

You are YOU.

Happy birthday, Mama.

I love you.

When Vanity Strikes -- New Make-Up!

I’m going to put it out there: I am not a beauty blogger (I'm not even a writer!); and I do not claim to be an authority when it comes to beauty or make-up.

I do like make-up, though. :)

As I have written in one of my blogs, I had enrolled in a make-up class last year through CashCashPinoy. In the class, my good friend Joyce and I learned the basics of applying make-up. Since then, I have been practicing and watching different video tutorials on YouTube.

I still suck at applying eyeshadow (LOL) but I’m quite good at drawing my eyebrows on! I’ve gotten a lot of compliments from friends and colleagues, with one even asking if my eyebrows were tattooed on! :) And just to clear things up, NO, they are not.

Last week, I got my new make-up paraphernalia and I used them for the first time yesterday. Let me share to you the pieces that I used. I’m not big on brands, so I’ll use anything as long as I get good results and I don’t break out.

Here are the products that I used:

1. Foundation: MAC Cream Foundation (1,400PHP)

I chose the sheer undertone because I didn’t want to look too made up. Like a lot of ladies would say, you could never go wrong with MAC.

2. (NEW)Foundation Powder: AVON Smooth Minerals Foundation (M108 Light Ochre, 469PHP)

Shake, swirl, and blend. Voila! The container is small and lightweight (6g) it doesn’t take up much space in my bag. It’s so easy to put on it just takes me seconds!

3. Eyebrows: Ever Bilena Matte Eyeshadow Duo (125PHP)

With the help of a couple of eyebrow brushes, I was able to create a pair of nicely shaped eyebrows.

If you'd like to follow my footsteps, here are the things that you will need: Angled Brow Brush and Eyebrow Brush

And now you're ready! How was I able to end up with these sharply defined eyebrows? Look at the pictures below!

First things first, you need to know where to start and where to end. You may use the image below as your guide in finding out where your REAL eyebrows should start, arch and end:

And now you're ready!

photocredit: www.beautylish.com



 4. (NEW)Mascarra: AVON Super Schock Max (600PHP)

I have been using Maybelline Mascarra for the longest time and this was the first time that I used AVON's Super Shock Max Mascarra. I must say I was not disappointed! I love the fine bristles of the brush that kept my lashes from clumping together, giving my lashes a fuller and thicker effect. Even my lower lashes are screaming bloody HELLO!

5. (NEW) Blush: Maybelline Light Rose Blush (a gift from my trainee); thanks, Net!)

I just love my new soft pink blush! The blush gave my cheeks a natural looking flush; and it also has a shimmer effect that gave my cheeks a dewy glow. Spell SUNKISSED!

6. Lips: Maybelline New York [Lip] Smooth Color and Care (Cherry 95PHP)

And here is my go-to lip gloss! IfI don't have time to put make-up on, I just make sure to swipe this magic tube to give my lips an instant tint and gloss. For yesterday's look, I was gunning for a no-make-up look, that's why I used a lip gloss and not my usual light pink lipstick.

Here's a before and after:

Iba talaga nagagawa ng make-up at lighting no?

What about you? Do you have any recent beauty finds?



Color me Overwhelmed - Birthday Week

Disclaimer: This post was written in haste because I'm about to run some errands but I wanted to make sure that I blog about my week So, please forgive my structure and lack of coherence.

It is my birthday week, and today is just Thursday but things are coming along pretty well - well being an understatement.

I would like to share with you the things that have reminded me of how blessed and lucky I am. Today's blog is about gratitude!

1. My family

We started the day by stopping by the Lipa Cathedral. It has always been a tradition in our family to stop by a church and pray on one's birthday. It's just too bad that Ate can't be with us. But I'm glad that she called me on my birthday morning. :) Thanks, Ate. I miss you.

MY family and I had a quick lunch at Chowking; I didn't have much time because I had work that day. Boy, was I full! I just love Chowking's Fried Chicken and Pancit Canton.

When I got to work, I got a birthday surprise!

2. The Aegis Foundation Training Team

Thank you, Katie memst, for the picture!

And yes, it really was a surprise. I was expecting a number of birthday greetings, but not a birthday cake! And my teammates sang for me, too! We are in the pantry, it was so touching and so awkward that other employees from different tables were singing happy birthday too! LOL. The cake was so sinfully chocolatey I had eaten two slices. Best of all, Shelly did not just smell the chocolate cake, she ate 2 slices of it! 

3. The boyfriend

After blowing out my FT Birthday candles, I was off to my baby! Kelvin picked me up from work, and as soon as we got into the car, I was handed yet another birthday surprise! A 16gb micro SD card! Yipee! I have always lamented on my 4gb memory card and that I only had 4 applications on my phone. So honey got me a new memory card so I can download all the apps and songs that I want! And of course, it did not end there... Hon and I had dinner at Shakey's, where we stuffed ourselves with pizza, calamari, fish, and fries! 

These are the quiet moments that I treasure with honey. I thank God for these moments where we can just sit, be with each other, and tell each other how our days had gone.

4. Birthday surprises from new friends 

Yesterday was an unforgettable day. The moment I stepped in the office, I was greeted with two birthday gifts from my trainees, Nette and Grace. What were those? My two favorite things in the world: Make up and Chicken Adobo!

I'd like to say thanks to Nette for the lipstick and blush; and to Grace for the delightful adobo! Gifts from the heart are the best gifts in the world.

And I thought that was it. No it wasn't! After the phone simulation activity when I let my trainees back into the training room, I noticed that none of my trainees were sitting down and they were all looking at me with expectant expressions. When I stopped what I was doing and asked them, there came a box, filled with red velvet cupcakes, with another round of birthday song! 

My birthday week just just keeps getting better and better! But it still didn't end there. Yesterday, Honey stayed home because he was sick. Because I wanted to share my happiness and birthday surprises with him, I went to his house and shared my gifts (except for the make up, of course) with him and his family. 

And there was yet another surprise.

5. Birthday goodies from dear Joma and Joyce

I'm not sure what the goodies were called, but they sure were yummy! The best part, the handwritten note from the couple! I'm not sure if people are aware but I am a sucker for handwritten notes. The gesture was very sweet and very thoughtful. I miss you, you awesome couple!

6. Honey's family

After a round of birthday greetings, we sat at the table and had a taste of mouth watering food. Here is a picture of me before I stuffed myself with Tita Kila's scrumptious (salmon) pie and fish, and Jami's impressively delicious spaghetti. *burp*

I am always grateful that Honey's family has always been welcoming and caring to me. I have been living alone in Manila for more than six years, but I have always considered their family as a second family, with their sweet pasalubong, home cooked meals, and hours of stories with everyone.

And so there you are, my birthday week!

I hope you had fun reading about my week!

How is your week coming along?

Daddy's Advice

When I was thirteen, there was this boy who decided he didn't like my guts and hit the back of my head with his plastic envelope (filled with his books and notebooks). The boy, fearing my wrath, managed to avoid me for almost a month. 

The next time I saw him, we were on the same school service on the way home. As soon as the jeep stopped at its first destination, I stood up and punched him right in the face. As he cried out and put his hands to his face, I heard a woman scream at me. Oops, unfortunately, the boy's mother saw the whole thing.

Needless to say, my mom and dad had to talk to the boy's parents and apologize. Mama was so furious, she spent a good 2-hour lecture on me. Daddy - as usual -  didn't say a single word. 

As soon as mom left the room, I went up to dad and said, "Nauna naman sya, Daddy e. Gumanti lang ako." He started it, Dad. I just got even.

And Daddy looked down at me and said, "Ikaw kasi e, mananapak ka na lang sa harap pa ng nanay nya. Sa susunod, siguraduhin mo wala yung magulang." This one's on you; you just had to punch him in front of his mother. Next time, make sure the parents are not around.

Greatest advice ever!

June 10, 2013

Gradeschool Graduation: March 1998

Capping Ceremony, 2005

What about you? What's the best advice you dad has ever given to you?

A Love Story in the year 2008

Sometime in 2008...

Part I

It was a sunny morning; the young man started his day just like any other day. From his home in Paco, he took the public transportation to his office in Quezon City. He arrived at work at nine in the morning and went on with his daily tasks.

For months and months this was how the young man lived his day. In the late afternoon, he would leave the office and travel to Pasay to pick his girlfriend up and take her to work. Every evening at seven, the young man would pick his girlfriend up from her house, take her to dinner, and then drop her off at her office in Makati at ten.

You see, the young man worked during the day, and his girlfriend worked during the night. During the day, he would be working while the young woman was sleeping. Their schedules did not match so he made sure to make time for her everyday; even if he had to be in four cities every day.

So each day, this young man travelled from Paco to Quezon City, to Pasay, and then to Makati – just so he could spend time with the young woman. Every day presented the same schedule: arrive at work at nine, leave the office at six, pick the young woman up at seven, and then drop her off at work at ten.

But today was a different day; because the young man decided to surprise his girlfriend. His girlfriend was a hopeless romantic and he knew how much she loved surprises; so he decided to leave the office earlier than usual so that he could show up in her house unannounced and surprise her.

So, off the young man went; he got on the train and smiled all the way to Pasay while imagining the surprise on his girlfriend’s face when he shows up in her house.

At around six in the evening, the young man arrived on his girlfriend’s doorstep with a big, excited grin on his face. He knew that at six in the evening, the young woman was just about to wake up and prepare for work. And so he called for her to open the door and let him in. He called, and called, and called.

There was no answer. There was no one home.

Part II

It was a sunny morning; the young woman started this day just like any other day. From her office in Makati, she took the public transportation on her way to her home to Pasay. She arrived at her house at eight in the morning and went up to her bedroom to sleep.

For months and months, this was how the young woman lived her morning. In the late afternoon, she would wake up, prepare herself for work and wait for her boyfriend to pick her up and take her to work. Every evening at seven, her boyfriend would pick her up from her house, take her to dinner, and then drop her off at her office in Makati at ten.

You see, the young woman worked during the night, and her boyfriend worked during the day. Their relationship was a little complicated because they were not like other regular couples who would work during the day and go out at night. She would be working throughout the night, while the young man was sleeping. Their schedules did not match, and she loved that her boyfriend made sure to make time for her everyday; even if it meant he had to be in four cities every day.

So each day, this young woman would thank the heavens that a wonderful young man would travel from Paco to Quezon City, to Pasay, and then to Makati – just so he could spend time with her. And so, each day witnessed this schedule: get home and sleep at eight, wake up at six, meet her boyfriend at seven, and then work at ten.

But today was a different day; because the young woman decided to surprise her boyfriend. The young woman was a hopeless romantic and her boyfriend had a knack for surprising her all the time; so she decided to turn the tables by surprising him instead. She decided to wake up early so that she could surprise her boyfriend and show up in his office at six, which was the time when he would usually get off from work.

So, off the young woman went; she got on the train and smiled all the way to Quezon City while imagining the surprise on her boyfriend’s face when she shows up in his office.

At around six in the evening the young woman arrived at her boyfriend’s office building with a big, excited grin on her face. She knew that at six, the young man was just about to leave work. She waited, and waited, and waited.

For a few long minutes, she did not see the young man that she was waiting for.

And then her mobile phone rang.

Part III

The young woman looked down on her phone and realized that it was her boyfriend calling.

With a big smile, she pressed the ‘call’ button and answered, “Hello, baby!”

“Where are you?!” the young man bellowed from the other line.

“On the street, walking,” was the young woman’s cryptic reply. She was trying not to laugh and keep the mystery in her voice.

Now enraged, the young man shouted, “What?! I wanted to surprise you. I’m here at your house and you’re not here! You should be sleeping. Where are you?!”

After a stunned second, the young woman replied, “I’m at your office; I wanted to surprise you so I came here to pick you up!”

It took the couple a number of seconds to recover from their shock, and the young woman ended up laughing her heart out. Her body was shaking from her laughter and her heart was melting from pure love.

The Adventures of an Interviewer

“Tell me about yourself.”

Here is a statement that I have repeated numerously these past few months.

Since late last year, I have been screening applicants for one of the accounts in the company that I’m working in. I’ve got to say that an interviewer’s job is freaking arduous!!!

But an interviewer’s job is kind of hilarious too! You see nervous applicants, interviewees who stumble into the interview rooms, applicants whose hands are trembling so much they literally drop everything, and interviewees sweating bullets while waiting for their turn.

But what takes the cake are the actual interviews where you hear the most sidesplitting answers from applicants.

Here are my Top 10 answers.

Please note that most of the answers came from the applicants that I have interviewed and one came from a friend who has had her share of amusing interviews.

I

Interviewer:       What do you do for fun?

Applicant:            Oh, you know. I like hanging friends.

(I felt like running after hearing this.)

II

Interviewer:       What do you do for fun?

Applicant:            I like playing with my kids and sleeping with them.

(Should I alert the authorities?)

III

Interviewer:       What do you consider as your biggest weakness?

Applicant:            Sometimes I overdue myself.

(Not even sure what this meant.)

IV

Interviewer:       What do you usually do when you encounter conflicts with other people?

Applicant:            I’m calm down.

(Can’t it be up?)

V

Interviewer:       What are your strengths that you can contribute to this company?

Applicant:            I’m an easy learner; I learn easily.

VI

Interviewer:       Tell me about yourself.

Applicant:            I live with my father. I don’t live with my mother. I grew up without sawing her face.

(I think I just spoke to another murderer.)

VII

Interviewer:       What are your strengths that you can contribute to this company?

Applicant:            I can do a lot of things at the same time.  That’s how multi-tasking I am.

(Right, you are.)

VIII

Interviewer:       Hello, I’ll be you interviewer for today; I’ll be asking you some questions about yourself.

Applicant:            (Nervously) Ma’am, please don’t make me hard.

(Thankfully, I was not the interviewer. I would have run for the hills.)

IX

Interviewer:       What brings you to Manila?

Applicant:            I can’t able to have a job in Leyte.

(I wonder why.)

X

Interviewer:       Please tell me about yourself.

Applicant:            I’m lived in with my husband; we’re not married.

(No, we most definitely are not.)

Hilarious, eh?

Care to share your adventures at work?

The Xin Wang Experience

I am officially a Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe fan.

I love Chinese food and am a sucker for noodles and soup. I first had my Xin Wang experience a few months ago and had a taste of their Seafood Noodle Soup. Ever since that day, I am hooked on Xin Wang.

Prepare for uncontrollable drooling tendencies, dear readers!

Here is Xin Wang, located at the back of the mall, right beside IMAX:

Once inside, one is greeted by the courteous staff, who will immediately seat you at the couch. Here are some shots of the interior of the cafe:

Nice, isn't it?

Here is the menu:

Glorious, isn't it?

Now, on to the food, mi amigos!

Luncheon Meat 'N Mushroom Cream Sauce Spaghetti for P215

We were treated to a delicious serving of creamy spaghetti with generous strips of luncheon meat and different kinds of mushroom.The pasta was perfect, and the cream sauce was just plain delectable. I will definitely order one of these again!

Seafood Egg Hor Fun for P230

The seafood lover in me just couldn't resist this mouth-watering platter of seafood goodness! At two-hundred thirty pesos, the dish boasts of a mix of shrimp, squid, fish, and another type of seafood that my hungry mind couldn't identify. I was not very happy with the noodles, though. It was a little too soggy and bland for my taste. But overall, I was quite happy with the dish.

Pork Chop 'N Egg Papaya Soup Bee Hon for P220

Want a slice of pork chop in a big (and I mean BIG) bowl of bee hon soup? Then this one will definitely fit the bill. At two hundred twenty pesos, the soup is just heavenly filled to he brim with bee hon and a big slice of pork chop right in the middle. Top it off with hard boiled egg and bits of REAL papaya, one is in for a big surprise. My pork chop was a little hard though, I wish they could have cut it into little bite size pieces. But the soup totally compensated for the meat!

Noodles Macau Style for P195

Here is a dry noodle dish fit for luncheon meat lovers! For 195 pesos a plate, experience the goodness of dry noodles topped with bits of corn, carrots, egg, and peas! Yum!

Now on the the beverages!

Mango Ice blended for P70

Iced Milk Tea Float for P95

A favorite of mine! Iced Milk Tea in an aluminum glass (gives new meaning to cold drinks!) topped with vanilla ice cream!

And the best but definitely not the least, the Xin Wang Special Mango Snow Ice!

Xin Wang Special Mango Snow Ice for P135

A bowl of ice goodness! A volcano of ice goodness! Here is an ice volcano with mango ice cream on top; and on the side you will see bits of real mango, mango syrup and mango jelly, and on the bottom: milky goodness! This is, by far, my favorite summer dessert! Mmm mmm mmm!

I have vowed to myself that I will keep going to Xin Wang until I have tasted everything on their menu! And I mean all 250 dishes on the menu! :)

Go check out Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe at the Mall of Asia!

Location: Ground Floor, North Wing, SM Mall of Asia (next to IMAX Theater), 1300 Pasay City, Philippines

Click here for the Xin Wang Facebook Page!

Contact Number:  8227518

Website: http://www.xinwang.com.ph/

What about you? Have you found a new go-to restaurant?