Ageing gracefully

Meet Lola Nolly, she is the only living survivor amongst my late grandma's siblings from my mother side. I always make it a point to drop by her house and say a quick hello. I am always happy to see her. I used to "crash" in their house when I was job hunting in Manila some 16 years ago.

I was in elementary when during a family party I overheard one relative mentioned that the secret to her youthful look is due to religious usage of Chanel products. She reminds me of Japanese ladies who doesn't seem to have an inch of wrinkle showing at all. When we did our beso beso she still smelled fresh and that she still carry an air of elegance, which I think I don't stand the chance of gaining one. Would you believe that she is turning 90 next year? Our parting words were, that She hopes to still see me/us next time around when that would be I do not know.

Nice catch up

I had a chance to meet up with Gaylene, the last time we had a tete' a tete' was almost 4 years ago. We were classmates in high school. She is also a Nurse. What I admire about her is her dedication and work ethic. She has decided to stay in the Philippines and has made her mark in the Nursing field. We just basically discussed about life in general, reminisce about old times, about getting old err, rather mature and our hopes and aspirations for ourselves. We have so many things in common, could it be that because she is the same as me when it comes to Principles in life? We had to do the closing remarks at Red Ribbon, reluctantly got up we hoped

that the next time we see each other we shall be happily content in all corners of our life.

Something new

Now that I have tried such activities as ziplining and a bit of rock climbing, I kind of like the idea of being an adrenaline junkie. However, it also goes to show that I am indeed so unfit. When we finished venturing into the unknown crevices of the cave, I was panting and sweating like there was no tomorrow! I even had a bout of panic attack when at one point the guides told us we need to squeeze in to a tiny rugged hole in order to get through the other side and the other one was to go up stairless and use the rope as a handle. But boy did it feel good.

Now for the ziplining, I would say it is a 20 seconds of a free fall feeling. I was screaming from the word go till midpoint. It was a liberating experience!

Gem of Palawan

Meet Beth Gales, she was one of our tour guides when we explored Palawan. If only the rest of the Philippines promotes the way Puerto Princesa does it, perhaps we would have a better representation globally. Anyway going back to Beth, So I did a bit of enquiry about her, she has been doing this job for the past year, she used to be in the hotel business side. I could sense her passion and dedication and she truly believes in what they promote in Palawan, which is eco tourism. We met her on day one for the city tour, then again on day three for our Honda bay adventure. I was gobsmacked to find out that part of their job was to prepare our lunch at the beach. While we were busy snorkelling she was busy grilling pork barbeque, tuna fillets, king prawn and prepared salted eggs salad and aubergine, mum bought fresh blue crabs and requested for it to be steamed. We had a feast and everyone was happy with our picnic. I admired how they localised the system in order for each barangay to benefit from tourism industry. This is my first time to do this locally so I wonder if this kind of thing is also being done somewhere else. Next adventure: Bohol - TBA lol!

Nature at its best

last minute blip

So I went to Mac shop and had my password reset (Oo na umarya na naman ako!) when I got a call from my colleague who was getting nowhere in trying to find a missing client's folder. She was at her wits end. In the midst of our conversation regarding the missing folder, I had a sudden apparition and gut instinct that I must have had inadvertently picked it up amongst my folders and kept them in my locker( meaning it will be stuck there for a month and I will be totally screwed big time if I dont go back and try to find it myself!). I thought I bid farewell to work yesterday so I went back, Taddaah! Indeed I was right, the folder was merrily squeezed in amongst my belongings. I seriously need to chill, oh and that means when I arrive in Puerto Princessa by the beach, then could I really say I can truly have a proper sip of pina collada!

Now I can have a chillax! Well, Until OPODO ruined it BIG TIME!

It has been 18 months since I have been home. I am already anticipating the long haul cattle journey. This has been furtherly aggravated when Opodo texted me the other day saying there had been a major change with my flight details. As soon as I got home I immidiately tried to log-on to Macmate and see what this extremely vexing thing is all about. Surely there's a mistake somewher, well trying to convince myself. I must have been on "work mode" still because I tried logging on with my work password. And so, the battle begins in trying to get into my impenetrable fortress. For the nth time despite many attempts, my Mac turned its back on me, FFS it wouldnt let me in. I was so Frustrated and it was already almost 1 AM, I turned to Android, finally I saw that my connecting inbound flight from doha to heathrow will be over 12 and a half freaking HOURS. How the hell did this happen? I booked this as early as February. I thought I was going to have a burst aneurysm when I read this. I had to recheck, put my reading glasses on and then really stared at it for almost dunno 5 minutes. This is the most dreaded thing that I really really abhore! Ho ho ho Opodo hasn't heard the last of me yet, or is it Qatar Airways to blame?

Debutant's Party

We were invited to attend the debut of a colleague's daughter held yesterday somewhere in Golders Green. We were late but no one noticed, actually we were just right on time to queue for buffet meal. We were told the party started 2 hours ago, but hey, that is the beauty of Filipino Party, there was a constant comings and goings of well dressed people and one would hardly notice it if you are late, unless if you are entering through a grand staircase. It would have been lovely to stay longer but my mind was elsewhere, I was distracted with a lot of things in my mind. First there's my luggage to sort out, some last minute errands to attend to, loads of things to handover at work and the list could go on and on. I'm just justifying that am trying to get rid of this nagging ailment that I have and do blogging instead.

Well, hello Gina!

So I visited Birmingham once again after such a long time. I don't know, it seems that every time I come visit it is always short and sweet. My usual point of contact there is Gina who has been a good friend of mine. As far as I could recall we never had any misunderstanding on anything. As soon as she picked me up from the train station we didn't waste any time. Our conversation was like that of an express train, where not a single minute stalled and gossips and topics flowed smoothly like a stream. From issues on singleton (it seems so elusive for us, well, where art thou Romeo?!) to families, friends and on how we have grown and matured through these years. The one thing that I can say about her is that she has never lost her cool and, a very sleek driver I must say. She remains a fashionista with her uber chick flare and can be compared amongst the likes of the Calabasas girl in California. I have been forever convincing her to come visit London so I could share my side of the river. Muchos gracias senorita Madrid, you have been such a gracious host indeed!

Penthouse suite with a magnifique view

Living in London or in any lit metropolis has its perks. I was lucky enough to be tagged along by my gorgeous buddy Diane to a surprise birthday party and I have to say that the photography course simultaneously booked on this same date was worth postponing for, thanks sweetie! The ambiance of the place is superb (well, it was held in 12th floor PS of Grange Hotel) and admiring London Bridge that near while holding a glass of bubbly in the highest form of comfort is just simply divine. There were loads of peeps from different walks of life (good & friendly crowd), I sealed my face with semi permanent smize and went with the flow. The drinks and nik naks were flowing and I must not forget to mention that the cake (made by the chef who is amongst their close pal) just simply melted in my mouth, oooh the power of alcohol in that cake made me weak in the knees, it was so deliciously sinful!

Wish list

I have noticed that some bakers recommend having a stand whisk blender. It gives an outstanding result for cake icings and everything else. I still find it so hard to justify in buying this item which is equivalent to the usual price of a Gucci tote bag. Mind you kenwood and kitchen aid are head to head when it comes to price. I wonder if there is a genie somewhere who will give this to me on my birthday (high hopes)

. Here is to hoping for the best (tongue in cheek).

Calorificissimo mio!

I can't believe I ate this 3500 loads of sinfulicious cholesterol clogging dessert that even the 2 mile jaunt afterwards did not even make up for it. I wonder where my feet will lead me this

Sunday? I can't wait! errm, NOT!

RED

This is my third glass of red for the week. Well, anything good for the heart is good for me too. I wanted my usual Merlot or Pinot Grigio unfortunately these were not available in John Lewis Brasserie, so instead I settled for Rioja too which is quite smooth. Mind you even the chips that should have gone with the Angus beef burger is not even available. However it is the company that counts the most. It was good to catch up with someone very dear indeed.

Play School

It has been a while since I have indulged myself into this type of fun with a bunch of strangers (from the united Colors of Benetton) who happen to have the same hobby. We exchanged bits of info about ourselves and family and, admired each others creation. Having a glass of wine with free top up definitely made it more entertaining and the atmosphere was so relaxed. I have a learned a bit but I expected more, I guess. Apparently my 2 siblings who're on the other side of the world are also attending the cake deco class as I type this, I bet theirs is more advance!

Foodylicious!

Unpretentiously good! It even went well with Merlot.

What a let down!!!

So my colleague and I managed to leave the fortress and see what this show called London Death Trap is all about. We were made to wait at the queue, had the back of our hands stamped "groupon will infect you, Death Trap" and were mistaken to be tourist (swear we did not look that touristy though). Ok I have to admit because of the hype that we put ourselves in, we had higher expectations. Only 10 people were made to enter and we were unfortunate enough to be amongst the tourist crowd. On cue we screamed at the first instance, but that is mainly it. The rest is just like a very quick 7 minutes walk in the park. By the time we reached the end we were like temporarily confused and asking ourselves "is that it?" Boy I would not pay for the full price, cause it's not worth it. It was sooo lame and the woman kept shouting keep your hands down! what was that all about.
Anyway it was a good thing there were so many places to choose from, when it came for chow time. Now that was more fun.

Manic Monday

I had to wear my invisible superwoman cloak on certain Mondays. As you can see, these were my food that should have been consumed before I finished the day. My client was sweet enough to remember that Cinnamon pastry roll is my fave breaky. By the time 6PM came I had enough energy left and ate that yummylicious coffee cake given by Shella, that's din-dins for me!

Miss Red

This is Pat, as you can see she loves anything Red. I rest my case. Safe journey Sis and hopefully you won't forget any of your hand carry.

Airport

My mom told me that I was only a toddler when I had my first flight via Philippine Airlines (Domestic), back then this was the only eagle patrolling the Philippine sky, unlike now. As far as I can recall as a youngster, airports gave me a different high. It has this different ambiance and I would always wonder about the comings and goings of this herd of travellers and everyone seemed happy, no matter how early the flight was. I liked to people watch even at a young age. Back then majority were really well dressed it's as if flying commands for one to dress & impress, and that was only for domestic, what more for international flights my little mind would wonder. It was always a big deal for me whenever we'd be flying (Manila-Mindoro) especially during boarding time. I was fascinated with flying from A and then several hours later would touched down to Airport B.
Now, eons later and many airports journeyed on, being in the airport still gives me a kind of "happy" feeling, I have to say except for long haul journeys and connecting flights. The traveller nowadays are more grumpy, complex and have more issues to deal with (when will this 100 mls restriction go away. I mean seriously!) Oh and yes, only those who are with the Gods wear Tux and branded track suits, don't mind us in the cattle class we are just doing fine (grits teeth)

Gorylicious!

Lately I seem to be getting hooked in watching this in the "box". I am the type of person that you would not want to sit beside with when watching horror films. I easily get startled and would emit that deafening alto scream, believe me some friends could attest to this. This series is no different which is why I lurve it, and watching it home alone definitely hypes it up! Thank Goddess these zombies don't follow me in my dreams!

and it's not even high season for transport delays yet.

Yesterday I was caught in the middle of severe delays in victoria line. We were made to disembark from the train and had to wait at the platform. The tannoy then instructed us to get on to the opposite platform. Again we were like sitting ducks! The profuse apology was grating on my nerves because we had been waiting for almost 15 minutes! And to add insult to injury, we were again asked to disembark and cross the platform. Some kind of trip to Jerusalem eh?
So, I thought today would be better. Well, well on my way home the overground train was at a standstill from the H.H Platform due to power failure. It would normally take me good 14 mins journey to get to H.I. but this time it was 45 mins snail pace, a turtle would have a overtaken us without a care in the world. Well, times like this, all I had to do was rest my head and do my usual power snooze.
If this keep on happening, the idea of getting a car would would be on my "to buy" list.

.....not your regular Rye bread.....

I texted Rye at noon time to say that I was sooo bored. So we decided to have an impromptu at Leicester square after work. That's how it is with us, no hoo ha excuses or drama, just straight to the point. I was famished and so was he. I pointed Kowloon Restaurant, he wanted Young Cheng. I insisted I want to eat tons of prawn swimming in salt & msg (well, I managed about a dozen). He graciously gave way to my hearts' desire. We were busy scoffing, it was like going on a hectic lunch break. The service was lousy, it wasn't like that last time I went with Pat, must be the effects of recession. With this in mind a unanimous decision was made that we ain't going back to this place EVER again.
Then off for a cuppa at his flat as we were both bloated (I think mine was more of an indigestion, my tummy seemed so sensitive lately). I thought he'd prep'd me some tea, all the while it was a weak coffee! And in between our giggles some "girly" secrets were shared and sealed(zipped).
I will miss this zany moments with Rye. The days are numbered. Your absence will be greatly felt by yours truly!

1/11/11 -Thadeus

Extreme thirst woke me up at dawn and to my great vexation I had to get up and gulp a mouthful of H20, otherwise it would be futile slumber. The idea was to get down from my room and, into the kitchen in total darkness and let my instinct lead on. I usually do that but for some reason I stopped midway and turn the lights on. Today is the day of the DEAD, I don't think I'd risk bumping into something that shouldn't be there. Times like this I am really good at self consternation. Had I not witnessed and felt this "third being" or those from another dimension on several occasion in the past, I would just have shrugged it off.
Back to bed and it's warmth I instinctively checked my CP, which I normally don't. It brings good news! I received a text from my brother that he is now the proud father to his lil bundle of Joy. Second baby boy in the family born Nov 1 (interesting date indeed!). It will be good to see another little one in a months' time.
There goes the time it is now 5 AM, don't think I could get back for a decent keep, I might as well get up and be fruitful.

Timeless

I had been chatting on my mobile with an old friend, thankfully this time we managed to have a decent and lengthy conversation amidst the hustle and bustle that Oxford circus brings. The last time we saw each other was over 2 years ago. She is endearingly sweet and has never wavered her demeanor in life. We have a lot of catching up to do. I hope that our plans to meet up will soon materialise. I am however entirely reliant to my colleague for her to give up her annual leave for me (fingers crossed) on that particular date, in the meantime it is a waiting game until Friday am afraid. It will also be grand to see old faces from QE in case I get to attend the 11th Anniversary of our group.

Ageing

The last time I saw my reading glasses was a month ago prior to Milan trip. Had I not been feeling its devoidness in my daily existence, I would not have even bothered to look for it. I could no longer manage the discomfort it brings every time I am in front of the computer without my reading glasses. I don't know if am the only one who experiences this, sometimes I look for lost things everywhere, in vain, I could not find it. It is like someone (?ghost?) is toying with me. I was even worried that I might have lost it. It would cost me another several hundred bucks to get a new one which is the last thing I'd spend on especially with the expensive holiday season inevitably looming. Well, it took me almost a week before it chose to be found. Ironically it was inside one of my G bag. I was happy to be reunited with it.
I hope dementia is not yet knocking on my door

.

Who would believe that we are in a state of recession?

I did a bit of window shopping after my useless one to one Apol appointment. I went around to usual shops in oxford circus. Lo and behold I saw this stand. I patronise this brand, however I was slightly disappointed that their new silver sterling jewelries were distinctively similar to that of Tiffany's designs! Hmmmn hands down, I would without a doubt go for the T. They are not a pioneer for nuffing naught methinks.