You’ve got Talent

(via)

Our company has a campaign about talents and stuff, I’m not really sure about the mechanics but from what my officemate told me you have to register your talent and share it with the rest of your colleagues. Initially, I thought it was all about singing and dancing or maybe even taking photos. But from what I’ve learned over lunch today, the scope of the talent search they were referring to goes far beyond that. Apparently, one of the talents registered is shopping around Amsterdam :D. Those people who want to subscribe to witness that talent first hand will be scheduled to go to Amsterdam sometime this week. I can’t discredit that, I do believe that is a talent. LOL!

After my colleague mentioned that, another of my lunch buddies faced me and this is how our discussion went.

Lunch buddy: Hey Christian, you should also register your talent!

Me: What talent is that talent that you’re suggesting I register?

Lunch buddy: Online shopping using the credit card of your Husband!

Toink! I couldn’t agree more, online shopping is a talent that needs to be honed constantly (to the utter delight of my honey, LOL), but I’m not ready to share that talent to everyone just yet. :D

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

In my mind, I have believed that two of the most important things in a relationship are fidelity and respect, maybe not as high on my list as love and devotion but would definitely be in my top five. I firmly believe that you cannot say that you love someone without being faithful or respectful of him.

Over the weekend, a friend of my invited me for lunch, she said that she needs to vent out her frustrations with his hubby. Being the dutiful friend, I obliged. From what I heard from all her stories, her main issue with her hubby is respect. It’s nothing major really, simple stuff that sometimes, when we get overly familiar with someone, we tend to ignore. I believe when it comes to respect, not just the grand gesture counts, actually I think with respect, the littlest of things add up to more.

Ok, I know she is a friend so I have a tendency to take her side but I just have to agree with her when she asked me if it’s too much to ask not to be ignored when she talks no matter how angry his husband is. I just feel that its common decency, when someone asks you a question, the most civilized thing to do is respond. No matter how angry you are, you simply don’t let go of your respect for the one you love.

I know that being with someone, no matter how much you love that person, is sometimes tough. When I got married, I knew that it will not be always a bed of roses. But no matter how tough it gets, both of you simply must make an effort, no matter how big of an effort it is, to not loose your love and respect, at the peak of a heated argument, for that person because in the end, when everything has calmed down, the regret of having disrespected the one you love will linger. I have a rule, when I fight with someone I love, I try to keep it clean, no matter how hard it is, I try to stick with the issue at hand and be level headed. Then again that’s just me.

Winter Wonderland

I have to say that we’ve been having a proper winter this year. In fact, I think this is the best winter we’ve ever had so far. Our first winter here, according to most people I have spoken with, was one of the worst winters they’ve had in this country in the sense that it was not cold enough to turn rain into snow but it was really cold because of the wind and there were lots of rain which made it all too gray and depressing. Last year, it was better, less rain, lower temperature. The canals were even frozen in some instances which didn’t happen at all in our first winter here. As I normally say, as long as it doesn’t rain which is normally coupled with strong winds, I don’t mind cold at all.



Now, this year is a totally different story. Since winter kicked in, we’ve had very less rain, temperature that ranges between 3 degrees to minus 13 degrees Celsius, snow, frozen canals (for quite a while now!), fields that are covered in pure white, clean frost which is really breathtaking. In fact last weekend, when we took our friends for their last tour of the city before they go back to Dubai, we saw a lot of people skating in the canals. How exciting!

Oh, and I remember a couple of weeks back, I wondered how long it would take before the pond just outside our office freezes, apparently not too long. I took a picture of the frozen pond with my mobile phone and I was surprised to notice something different with the artwork in the middle of the pond. Since people can now walk in the middle of the pond, some very nice, concerned people climbed up the ladder and draped the man on top of the artwork with a robe so that he will get cold (hehe), only thing is he’s wearing a pink robe for the rest of us to see the entire day… if he only has feelings, that artwork must be so embarrassed right now!
(frozen pond right outside our office... the artwork is quite small but the guy on top of the artwork is wearing pink robe)

Hopefully that the winter we’re having now is an indication that we’ll also have a great spring and summer ahead. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

The Zahir and Book Worm Tag

The past few days have been chaotic, both at home and at work. I had to tie up loose strings at work so that the beginning of next year will be all sound and smooth while doing all my Christmas shopping and wrapping and planning for Christmas Eve dinner. Don’t get me wrong, I love it! Actually when honey and I bought some gifts from the toy shop, they offered to wrap all the toys for us but I told the kind sales lady to just give me the wrapping paper of my choice and I’ll wrap it myself. I don’t know what it is about wrapping gifts that soothes me, it makes giving a gift to someone more fun aside from the fact that I want to make the gifts under our tree look uniform. I have been wanting to post several entries the past couple of days but unfortunately I just couldn’t find the time. That is the reason why I love this tag from Niko . It gives me that added push to squeeze in an entry and an opportunity to share my views about this recent book that I’ve read.

Here are the mechanics of the tag: (modified the rules a bit coz I found it confusing)

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence starting from the first complete sentence of the page.
4. Post the fifth sentence.
5. Don’t dig for your favorite book, the cool book or the intellectual one. Pick the closest.
6. Tag five people to do the same.

Good thing I haven’t brought this book back home, I left this book here in my office drawer after I’ve finished reading it on my way here. And the 5th sentence of page 56 reads:

“But the Zahir, about which I initially used to think with either irritation of affection, continued to grow in my soul”

This line is from Paulo Coelho’s The Zahir. This is the first book written by Paulo Coelho that I’ve read and I must say he is a great writer. I find his thoughts so profound and unconventional. I also feel that there is very less to be desired in his style of writing. One of my favorite dialogues in the book reads:

“Marie, let’s suppose that two firemen go into a forest to put out a small fire. Afterwards, when they emerge and go over to a stream, the face of one is all smeared with black, while the other man’s face is completely clean. My question is this: which of the two will wash his face.”
“That’s a silly question. The one with the dirty face of course.”
“No, the one with the dirty face will look at the other man and assume that he looks like him and vice-versa, the man with the clean face will see his colleague covered in grime and say to himself: I must be dirty too. I’d better have a wash.”

How brilliant is that! This book talks about true love but not in the mushy kind of way. To be honest, I’ve never seen love described in the same way it was written in the book. The only thing that I feel was off is how the novel ended. I just thought that after an entire novel of struggle and journey in search of the Zahir, to end up with nothing is not the way to go, but then that’s just me.

I am so looking forward to reading more of Paulo Coelho’s works, if this book is any indication of how brilliant his works are, I’m sure that it’s gonna be a blast.

Oh and by the way, as a tradition for tags in this blog, I would like to invite anyone reading who wants to join since this was quite a fun tag. BTW, don’t forget to tag back! Have Fun!

In Transit

(photo from flickr)
When honey and I were on vacation in Manila about two years ago, we spotted this cutesy neon pink travelling bag, immediately I told him that we have to buy it! I was already thinking of the convenience it would bring each time we travel. You see, before that, all our travelling bags were mostly black and you can just imagine my frustration at the end of a long haul flight, tired and sleepy and excited to get out of the airport, when I struggle to find the luggage that is mine simply because it looks like everyone else’s. I was also thinking that having a travelling bag that is the same as everyone else increases the risk of me loosing my things because someone else might take my bag by mistake. And when you are travelling a long way, the last thing that you want is to be inconvenienced and loose all your things. So I was happy with my trusted neon pink luggage, no more difficulty identifying which is mine from then on, I recognize my bag the moment the conveyor belt spats it out and I was convinced that from then on no lost luggage for me, until yesterday.

Honey picked up a friend from the airport last night who is visiting us for a couple of weeks. As I heard them enter the door, I immediately rushed to welcome our visitor. I was surprised that all he had with him is a back pack that is not even full, after all he’s staying with us until new year. That is when they told me that his luggage was lost. It is so inconvenient for him especially he is visiting at the full swing of winter and all his winter clothes are in the bag. And guess what all they gave him for this huge annoying incident is an emergency pack that contains what? A toothbrush, a toothpaste, and some other toiletries. Hello! Can these toiletries give him warmth as he steps outside where its 1 degree Celsius. I told him that he should have demanded that they at least buy him a winter jacket or gave him at least a change of clothes. So far, we still don’t know when his luggage will resurface. I really do hope that airlines, who charge you an arm and a leg by the way, would have a more sensible and concrete response to cases like this and not think that giving a customer an “emergency kit” is enough compensation for the inconvenience of a lost luggage.

This only goes to show that one can only be so cautious, there are several things that might happen that is way beyond our control. Thank God this has never happened to us before, and hopefully not in the future. I’m hoping that my cutesy neon pink bag is not only convenient when collecting our luggage at the conveyor belt but also a lucky bag that will not get lost. :-)

Sun kissed

I love it when we get a sunny day during winter. It doesn’t mean that it’s warmer but at least it’s bright and lively. Such is the case today and it perked up the start of my day instantly. I didn’t thought it would be coz it was raining last night and when I left this morning to go to the gym, I had to be very cautious as I walk coz some parts of the pavement were covered with ice and it was very slippery. Oh well, that’s typical Dutch weather.

While I was walking through the hall in the office, I couldn’t help but stare out the window, it was really beautiful out there, the sun was reflecting on the pond that was just outside, the trees were golden brown as the light trickles through the branches. As I look at the trees lined outside, I can’t help but be amazed, just a couple of weeks ago, all these trees were teeming with leaves but today, not one of them is left. I wonder how much longer we have to wait to see the pond turn into to ice this year.


We don’t get a lot of days like this during this time of the year in this part of the world, so I’m really very thankful for moments like this when the weather is lovely and I’m inspired to take a moment and appreciate the beauty that is around me.

Random Stuff

Ever since I got back from Singapore, things haven’t settled down yet adding to that is the fact that it took me a while to get back in synch with Amsterdam time. These are my excuses for not responding to Niko’s tag sooner. So today, I’m taking a breather from posting another Singapore entry and would like to share 8 random things about myself.

1) I’m all about purple, violet, indigo, lilac, lavender, anything that is in that shade really tickles my attention. Other people say that it’s a sad colour but I see them as elegant and sophisticated.

2) My first home away from home is in Dubai. I’ve lived there for two years and I found it to be a great city to get to live in. I have lots of fond memories of this city, I have friends still living there and I would want to come back and visit one of these days.

3) I’m completely useless when it comes to directions (haha). Honey’s always worried if I need to travel by myself coz he knows that I’m not good when it comes to navigating in a new place. Surprisingly, in spite of my freakishly short term memory when it comes to directions, I have never been lost, I always manage to find my way, thank God.

4) Honey and I collect DVDs, I would sometimes deliberately side step a DVD shop coz I know that I would end up buying more DVDs than I would manage to watch. In our collection of DVDs, my favourites would be Friends (entire collection), Alley McBeal (entire collection), Ever After, Harry Potter (all the sequels), among others. There are also a couple of DVDs in our collection that I haven’t watched.

5) I love, love, love to shop BUT contrary to what other people think, I am not at all brand conscious, in fact, I find great satisfaction each time that I score an outfit, or a pair of shoes, or a bag that is of very good quality and at very reasonable prices. Honey’s never afraid to let me loose inside a shopping mall coz he knows I’m a very reasonable buyer. (Haha)

6) I never dreamed of being a CPA, when I was a kid I wanted to be a journalist and a lawyer but when I was already applying for college, my papa encouraged me to take accountancy instead telling me that it’s the most reasonable platform to launch a career in law. However, after passing the board exams, my intentions of furthering my studies in the field of law was clouded by my intent to establish an audit career.

7) Looking back on my college days, the activities that I miss the most would have to be basketball and debate. I was a part of the women’s basketball team and have been actively participating in debate competitions in and out of the campus during my entire college life. Both of these activities trigger a rush of adrenaline that I sorely miss.

8) If I have to choose the next city that I want honey to take me to, that would have to be Venice, Italy (Honey… hint, hint!). I have always loved Italian food, apart from that this city, in my view, is one of the most romantic cities in the world and it has always been a dream to go there.

I had fun responding to this tag, thanks Niko, it’s not everyday that you get an opportunity to reveal some tidbits about yourself.

Now, I’m tagging anyone of you who is interested to share some trivia about yourself.

The rules:

1 - Each participant starts with eight random fact/habits about themselves.
2 - People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3 - At the end of your blog post, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their name.
4 - Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged and to read your blog.

And another small thing, if you decide to participate, I would love for you to link back here in the comments section so that I could learn a little bit more about you!

Special Day.... Tough Day...

As far as I can remember, I have always looked forward to this particular day of the year, October 28. Most often than not, even days before, I would be emerged in deep thoughts, planning a surprise I can conjure simply to make this day extra special. I even remember, when I was still in elementary, I would start saving money a couple of months ahead so that I am able to make this day more extravagant. Then when I lived abroad, there were even times when I specifically nominated to go back home just so I can be in Manila for this particular day, sans all the rain that would meet me there. My heart fills with so much fondness by merely looking back at how we spent this day in the past. Unfortunately, this year is enormously different from previous years, not because it has become less special or less memorable. This day, for me, simply became difficult.

Today is the day that my mom was supposed to celebrate her 63rd birthday. As early as the beginning of this year, I was already thinking of ways to celebrate it. I was thinking that maybe this year, I could bring her hear to Amsterdam so that she could see our place or maybe bring her to Hong Kong so she can meet some relatives living there or simply make arrangements so that she can visit a province in the Philippines that she has never been to before. I had so many plans on how to make this day extra special for her.... And it is difficult for me to know that none of them will ever materialize. It pains me that this special day, a day that had always been filled with joy, now evokes a pinch to the heart.

This day, no doubt, is truly special for me. The happiness that normally fills me on this day may be smeared by a gut wrenching pain of missing my mom but still this day is her day and I will try my very best to remember her during her happiest moments.

Happy Birthday Ma, I miss you and I will love you with all my heart… till the end.

Kreativ Blogger: Intricate Thoughts' very 1st award

I just received a comment (which was unfortunately lost somewhere in cyberspace) from Tina of Everything but the Kitchen Sink which refers me back to her blog saying that something awaits me there. To my surprise, she has awarded me with the Kreativ Blogger award. Thanks Tina, it's heart warming to know that other people do appreciate my posts and I'm glad you enjoyed the entries here.

Now, the award has several rules:

* The winner may put the logo on his or her blog.
* Put a link to the person you got the award from.
* Nominate five blogs.
* Put links to the blogs.
* Leave a message to the nominees.

After some consideration, I have decided to nominate the following blogs:

1. Pulse - a blog that features movies, travels and restaurants among others. A treasure chest of great finds and provides a very entertaining read.

2. Wifely Steps - a hodge podge of interesting topics that piques various interests.

3. Niko's Blog - blog entries can't get any more real than this, she tackles true to life ups and downs of a young married couple's life and it doesn't hurt that her baby's pictures are so cute.

4) Sari-saring kulay - fun to read, very informative and provides a glimpse of a culture that i have always found so fascinating.

5) No Special Effects - I'm quite sure this blog is so used to receiving awards and stuff, funny and witty posts, great recipes, amazing pictures. what more can you ask for?

The Twilight Saga

Finally I have finished reading the Twilight Series (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn). Initially, I wasn’t interested in reading the series coz I was concerned about the piles of books lying on my “to read” shelf but when I chanced upon the saga in one of my trips to the bookstore, I got curious upon reading a quote from USA today at the back of BD saying “Move over Harry Potter”. Is it really that good? What pushed me over the edge of my curiosity was the fact that books two and three were actually out of stock from all the bookstores that I passed, hmm, it must really be that good. My probing brain got the better of me and I gave in and bought Twilight and Breaking Dawn thinking that at least I already have two out of four and I’ll be going to Greece in a few days maybe I could find the other books there.

I rummaged through the pages of the first book immediately after arriving home and I was instantly hooked. Seriously, I couldn’t peel my eyes off from the leaves of the book in spite of the lateness of the hour. I managed to finish Twilight overnight and I can’t help but feel so frustrated that I don’t have the second book. It took every ounce of my patience to keep away from reading Breaking Dawn thinking that I would ruin the excitement, curiosity and thrill that build up after reading the very engaging Twilight.

Luckily, while strolling along the streets of Plaka in Athens, Greece, we passed by a huge shop that sells a wide selection of books. I finally got my hands on New Moon and Eclipse at a lower price even. I was torn between curling up in the hotel room and read the next books and hauling my self out of bed to explore a new city…. Dilemma, dilemma, dilemma. I managed to reach a compromise with myself, since we toured Athens the entire day, I was able to satiate my yearning for a couple of pages from the next books during those times when we sit idly to rest. That’s how addictive the Twilight Saga is.

The entire series is truly engaging to say the least. The way Stephanie Meyer portrayed the love story between Bella and Edward was really brilliant, readers would get captivated by the forbidden love between the lead roles. Later on in the series, the readers would be treated with a love struggle between Bella, Edward and Jacob. Truly, the saga is riveting, but is it really better than the Harry Potter series? As fascinating as the series is, I still think that the HP series was better written, had richer plots and would keep you more on the edge of your seat.

The Twilight series has its ups and downs, in my view. Some of the books in the series are better than others. Although I am still torn on what I think of the last book, I still think that the entire saga is definitely a must read.

To my honey on our special day!

Seven years it’s been since you and I started a journey together. I wouldn’t have thought that that faithful day seven years ago would be the beginning of a love so true, a love so strong. Through the years, we laughed a lot, we had our share of tears, we had our days of triumph and our days of defeat but most importantly through it all we had our love.

Each day when I wake up with you beside me, I feel overwhelmed and can’t help but believe that God must think that I have done something so good to deserve someone like you. I am grateful for your patience every single day, for your respect and pride in the things that I do, for your unfailing trust, for your genuine kindness, for your constant faith. I am thankful for so many other things that you are that I find no words good enough to describe. Above all, I am thankful that you found me worthy enough for your love and your affection. Thank you honey, for all that you are and for all that you do.

Honey, I am not sure if you know this but you have filled my life with so much color that everything just looks brighter, more vivid, much better. You have always been my silver lining in a gray horizon, my hope when everything seems to crumble. You have given me a kind of happiness that not only fills my being it overflows. You are my peace when the world seems to be nothing else but chaos. You are my inspiration when all ideas seem to run out. You are not only my husband, you are my lover, my best friend, my confidante, my partner, my equal, my better half. I still can’t thank God enough for the gift of you in my life.

Seven years with you flew by so quickly, it’s like it was only yesterday and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you, to grow old together I imagine myself all crinkled and white haired and hunched and blurry eyed but still holding your hand and laughing at your corny jokes and still so very contented just sitting next to you. Honey, you are all I ever wanted, even before I knew what I really wanted. With you in my life I know that the future will be bright.

I guess what I’m trying to say is thank you for loving me and for the opportunity to love you back and for the promise of a future with you that looks really hopeful. I will forever thank God for you!

I love you so much honey, I know you know that and happy 2nd wedding (7th) anniversary and many, many, many more to come. Really looking forward to it!

My Hero!

“For the honor of Grayskull… I am She-ra.”



I can’t help but grin as I recall these more famous lines from one of my all time favorite superheroes, She-ra. I am even having flashbacks of the game I used to play with my sister where we would wield out fake swords and battle some of our friends, pretending that both of us were She-ra. Ohh, I could only remember the vases and figurines we broke as we made our living room a mock-battlefield, those were good times!

Who wouldn’t adore She-ra, a typical young princess who can merely sit all day in the splendor and comfort of her castle but instead volunteered to protect her beloved Etheria. Even at a very young age, I appreciated how she didn’t allow herself to be overshadowed by the image of her superhero twin brother and became an equal, if not even more. She was also the epitome of a great woman. She can be as soft spoken and feminine in every way but can transform into a strong and ingenious protector without loosing her femininity. The plot of the series also leaves very less to be desired. In the midst of all the action, Princess Adora still gets to have a love life and has an admirer in Bow and a love interest in Sea Hawk. There is also the transformation of an ordinary horse, Spirit, into a fascinating unicorn, Swift Wind, who becomes She-ra’s faithful ally. And of course, what superhero story is complete without a nemesis, Hordak, the leader of the evil Horde.

It was a disappointment though that throughout the years, a lot of superhero-movies were created out of animated series but She-ra’s adventures never made it to the silver screen. Superhero flicks have sprung from left and right, some have become classics while others are more easily forgotten. I have grown up and watched a lot of these superhero movies and if I were to choose among all of them most probably I would have to go with the Christopher Reeve-starrer, Superman. Since this was the first superhero movie that I have ever seen, I can’t help but be awed by the plot and the struggles that Superman went through and although he was perfect in every way, he still has weaknesses. Consequently, if I were to choose a superhero movie that I liked the least, I would have to go for Daredevil, although I love Ben Afleck, that movie just didn’t gel well with me for some reason and maybe that would make him my least favorite superhero.



The coolest thing about being a superhero is having abilities to do things that a normal human being cannot, may it be because of super powers or technological advancement. Whatever the reason maybe, I think that one of the main reasons why we so love to watch and admire these super humans is because of their powers. Having to think of it, if there is one super power that I would so like to have, that would be the power to fly. Imagine how much I can save from all the airline tickets if I could fly and transport myself and my honey to a place that we would want to go to. Sorry, I know that is for personal gain (selfish, selfish selfish!!!) but I would also volunteer to transport relief goods to far off areas to make up for it!!! Haha.

This is an entry to EmDy’s Superhero Contest

Star

Junfer and I love, love, love amusement parks and carnivals. We get this surge of excitement every time we see the lights, the stalls and the little games. Over the years, we have collected tons and tons of humongous stuffed animals from different carnivals that Junfer and I have been to. I even remember, the very first night that Junfer and I arrived in Amsterdam (October 26, 2006), there was a fair in the middle of Damrak Square and we immediately joined in the festivities. We saw Junfer’s favorite game and he immediately gave it a shot. Guess what he won a huge stuffed dog on his first try. Over our one week stay at the hotel close to this fair, we went back one more time and Junfer got another huge stuffed toy. We also had a couple of fluffy toys from Dubai while we were still living there. We normally name these stuffed toys after the places where we got them from so the two huge stuffed tigers we got from Dubai were named Safa and Park (from Safa Park, in Dubai). Each time we go to a fair, carnival or kermis, I would almost always assume that I will be going home with at least one big stuffed toy, that is if we are in any amusement park or fair outside the Philippines.

Philippine-amusement parks are in a different ball game altogether. Folks facilitating mini games mean serious business. It seems like if you want to give their stall a try, you really have to prove that you want the prize. I’m not kidding, trying to get a prize from the Philippine counterpart of these mini games is like passing through the eye of a sewing needle. Junfer have tried hundreds, even thousands of times in the past, but he was unsuccessful. He managed hundreds of little (minute if I may say) stuffed toys, a couple of medium sized ones but never, never, never the big prize, until our last visit in Star City.

It was my niece’s son’s birthday (I think that would make him my grandson OMG!!!) and after the turmoil that we have been through the past couple of days before that, an invitation to go to Star City was more than welcome to take our minds of it all. When I was younger, Star City and other carnivals are normally open only during the Christmas season (except for Fiesta Carnival in Cubao which was opened all year round). Although, if I remember it correctly, when Enchanted Kingdom opened, Star City followed suit and opened the complex for a longer period within the year.

Junfer is not very fond of rides so we just tried a couple of the amusement park rides and we focused on the mini games that abound the entire complex. We spent hundreds of pesos buying the tokens that were to be paid to the mini games but all we manage to get were small and mini toys. And just when we were about to give up, pack up our stuff and leave with our heads bowed down low in defeat, Junfer spotted this stall. The challenge was to shoot a small basket ball into an equally tiny hoop at approximately free throw line-distance. You only get a chance per token and if you manage to shoot a ball once, you will get the small price, twice then you will receive the medium sized toy, third and you will be bringing home a large toy and finally, if you manage to make the fourth consecutive shot you are given a jumbo toy. As exciting as it looked, Junfer caved in and gave it a try, he managed to make the first shot, to which I was not at all worried about, Junfer is a very good ball player after all. He also managed to make the second and then again the third shot, that was when I got a tad bit nervous because he was so close to the price and everyone knows the crucial shot in every game is the most difficult to make. I didn’t even make any sound and just continued watching him as he attempted to make the final shot. I leapt off my feet and started jumping up and down the moment he managed to sink in the final shot. Hey, this is Manila after all and winning the Jumbo toy is an achievement in itself, regardless of the fact that we might have bought an even bigger stuffed toy from all the tokens that we have spent. Hehe. After grabbing the prize, another employee from Star City took Junfer’s details and when we asked why, he said Junfer is not allowed to play and win another jumbo stuffed toy in this game again for an entire month so they have to keep his records. How strange is that rule.


So there he is, Star (of course named after Star City), our very first jumbo stuffed toy from a Philippine-amusement park. All my nieces and nephews (and grandkids) wanted the toy but I realized that I cannot give it to anyone of them else all hell will break loose so I decided to keep Star for myself. We did have a lot of fun in Star City, maybe next time we will win another jumbo toy.

The World has met San Miguel Beer

I feel really strange to be writing this. For starters, I am not fond of drinking alcohol, more so beers, I just find them too bitter for my sweet tooth. However, during lunch with several of my colleagues B, R and D (all of us were of different nationalities), they started discussing one of their favorite topics, alcohol. B who is Bulgarian asked R if they have a national beer, similar to the ones Bulgaria has, Kemenitza. R said that they do have a national beer of their own (the name has totally evaded me). And of course we all know the leading beer here in Amsterdam, Heineken. So I thought I might as well mention the most famous beer in our country. I told them that the last time we went to Barcelona, I was actually surprised that they were serving San Miguel Beer which is the number one beer in the Philippines. R, who I know to be a liberal drinker (to the brink of being an alcoholic – KIDDING!!!), said that he likes San Mig a lot and always thought that it’s a Spanish beer. He also said that he drinks San Mig occasionally here in Amsterdam as well. When I told R that San Mig is in fact from Manila, he couldn’t believe it, he even told me that he will check the label the next time he has a bottle of San Miguel.

After hearing that from R, two things came to mind. 1st, I never realized that San Miguel beer was that popular, I always thought that it is readily available in Southeast Asia and USA but not in several countries here in Europe. 2nd, San Miguel beer with its name sounding as Spanish as a name can get, is becoming popular for being a Spanish beer.

I just can’t wait to give R the “I told you so look” once he realizes that San Mig is indeed from Manila. Although I personally couldn’t attest due to my aversion for alcohols, but from what I have observed, San Miguel is one of the many fine products the Philippines has produced. I really do think that San Miguel has a lot of potential and can grab bigger success with the proper global marketing.

As for me, I may have tried San Miguel beer once or twice in my entire life and found that like any other alcohol drink, it doesn’t suit my taste, this still doesn’t make me any less proud that the San Miguel I have known my entire life is known and loved by the world.

Plurking

I was blog hopping the other day when I chanced upon this entry about Plurk.What on earth is Plurk? Well it is “A really snazzy site that allows you to showcase the events that make up your life, and follow the events of the people that matter to you, in deliciously digestible short messages called plurks.” With a name like that, who will not be intrigued? I gave in, satisfied my curiosity and created my very own Plurk account. Look how cute that message board is.

It’s quite a cool concept where members can send out messages on timelines, earn karma which will enable one to have access to more perks available in the site while getting connected to families and friends. Me thinks, Plurk and me will go a really long way. Plurk away guys! Click hereand be my Plurk friend.

The Dreaded Balut

Over lunch yesterday, my Singaporean colleague all of a sudden asked me if I eat balut. I was surprised, so I asked her why. She said that she watched a program from the Discovery Channel called Bizarre Foods (or something to that effect), a show that features various bizarre viands from all over the globe and in the previous episode the host of the show went over to the Philippines and feasted on snakes, crickets and of course balut, among other things. Being Asian, as she is, she is quite used to seeing people eating snakes or insects and she became curious about balut. She asked me if balut was like the Filipino version of the century egg. When I told her that it’s nothing like a century egg, she explained what she meant. She was asking if balut was like the century egg in the sense that we Filipinos eat and actually like balut simply because we have grown up with it similar with her liking century eggs (although a lot of people wouldn’t eat it) because she grew up with it. Thinking about it, maybe she is right, a lot of Filipinos actually love balut and have eaten it since they were young. Come to think of it, if we Filipinos were not so accustomed to eating balut, are we really gonna like it or are we gonna eat it at all?

Today, while having lunch, another Dutch colleague of mine who lived in Manila for four years some 30 years ago during her teenager years asked me how my vacation was. She started telling about her fond memories of the Philippines and how she liked her stay and would want to come back again soon just to see how everything has changed now. She vividly recollects how she studied in an American School where she had loads of fun. She remembers different kinds of food that she ate and liked a lot. Then all of a sudden she said “I loved almost all the food I have eaten in Manila although I don’t remember what they are called, but one thing is for sure, I hate balut (!), although I do love the corn on a cob which was also sold by the Balut vendor”. Then a Bulgarian colleague who was also having lunch with us said she remembered that eating balut was one of the challenges given to the Amazing Race contestants and no one could eat it. Astonishing huh! My colleague actually forgot the names of all the food that she actually liked when she was living in Manila but her aversion to balut remained with her!

Personally, I have never eaten the undeveloped duck embryo inside the balut (which is the main reason why other people wouldn’t dare to eat the stuff). I do sip the watery thingy inside the balut and have eaten the yellow part on some occasion but I could never bring myself to eat the little duck inside a membrane, I just couldn’t. Although, I have always wondered why we Filipinos seem so fond of eating balut and could chew and swallow that unborn duckling without even batting an eyelash. And just because of balut, the rest of the world might be thinking that the Filipinos are one tough race! HAHA!!

Lunch @ Penang Hill

Two of my most frequented blogs have very different reviews of Penang Hill, Dr. EmDy was rather impressed with the food as well as the service of their Shangri La branch while PinoyCook promises not to go back at all to their Promenade Greenhills branch. I became curious as to how a restaurant could be given two very opposing reviews and swore that if given the chance, I would try it out myself.

Right after the initial screening for my Lasik eye surgery which was in the 5th level of the Shangri La Mall, I remembered Penang Hill and so I recommended the place to honey who was so hungry he couldn’t summon enough strength to make any other suggestions so we headed over the ledge and had a very late lunch.

There was no one else inside the restaurant as it was almost 4pm when we went there. The staff was very attentive and was very enthusiastic when asked about their specialties and their best sellers. We decided go with the staff’s recommendations and ordered their braised beef, roasted chicken, sautéed shrimp, bagoong fried rice and garlic fried rice with bottomless iced teas and lemonades. The staff waiting on us said that our order was enough for five persons but we decided to keep the menu just in case, after all, I was with four very hungry men hehe.

The sautéed shrimp was ok but nothing to rave about while the braised beef was fork tender and flavorful but was salty even for honey who likes his food a wee bit on the salty side so it means the beef was really salty. The roasted chicken, on the other hand, was a big hit. It was roasted to golden brown perfection, succulent and juicy inside with a little crisp on the skin outside. There were three condiments that accompanied the roasted chicken but I liked the reddish sauce the best, it was spicy with a tinge of sweetness and tang, just the right condiment for a great roast. The service was excellent, the staff attending us refilled our bottomless drinks without being asked and removed plates immediately after they were no longer required. We ordered just enough for us, although there were still some of the beef and shrimp left at the end of the meal, needless to say the chicken was all consumed.




It was a satisfying meal altogether, not to mention quite inexpensive. If asked if we’ll be coming back, definitely, if only to taste their roasted chicken again and maybe try some of their dumplings as well.

This is my kind of strike (or is it?!?)

One of the things I have always admired about the Netherlands is how efficient the public transport is. The trains and busses arrive and leave on time (in most cases) allowing passengers to efficiently plan their schedule, which is by far a huge improvement from the public transport I grew up with in Manila where the LRT, busses, jeeps and more recently, MRT and FXs do not follow any semblance of time frame. Ever since we moved to our new home, I have never been more comfortable with commuting my way to the office and back since our place is a minute walk away from the bus station.

Connexxion is the largest public transport bus company in the Netherlands and their bus drivers have staged a nationwide campaign for better salary packages (thought that only happens in the Philippines but for higher fares, guess not), they called it a bus strike, although when they started their campaign, which was even before we went on holidays, I thought it was not appropriate to call it a strike because all the busses were still running on schedule and they demonstrated their protests by giving free rides to all passengers. I thought that this was very kind and wise of the drivers since by doing so will be detrimental to the earnings of the bus company without being a hassle to the public. However, when we arrived last Tuesday from our two-and-a-half-week-holiday from Manila, on our way home from the airport, we realized that strike was still on going.

My daily commute only involves busses and so you could just imagine my frustration when I have learned that they were on still strike on my first day back to work come Monday, and this time they mean strike for there will be no busses running the entire day and for who knows how long this strike will go on. My honey dropped me off to work and picked me up from the office yesterday (my very first day back at work) which was all good but he has to work late today and I have to craft my own way back home taking the train and walking from the station to our place. Ooohhh, I am not very fond of taking the train not for anything else but for fear of the unknown. You see I am not very familiar with the routes and stops and platforms and what-have-yous of taking the train, coupled with the fact that I am a typical gal, I am not good with maps, in fact I immediately get intimidated with a prospect of using a map whenever I travel, more so alone, and in my own little mind I think that maps were made by men to confuse women haha.

I really do hope that this strike ends soonish so that I could go back to my old comfortable commuting routine which suits me just fine.

20/25 Vision thanks to Lasik Surgery

I have worn eyeglasses and contact lenses as long as I can remember, more specifically ever since I was in the 1st grade. I recall, I was the tallest girl in the class and so the teacher has placed me in a sit at the back of the 1st row. That was the time I realized that I was having some trouble following the lessons because I can’t see anything the teacher was writing in the blackboard. That was when my mom scheduled my first ever trip to the optometrist. Although I was doing fine with glasses/contact lenses, all the optometrist that I have visited pointed out that due to my very high astigmatism, the grade of my eyeglasses and contact lenses was never enough to give me 20/20 vision and is just enough to make me see until the 4th line of the eye chart (or whatever that is called) so even though I have glasses and contact lenses, I still requested my teachers/professors to put me at the front row of the class. Ever since, me and my eyeglasses and contact lenses have battled through elementary, high school and college quite well.

Lasik (laser assisted-in-situ keratomileusis) surgery was something that I have been looking at for quite sometime now but I just feel queasy by the mere thought of someone poking my eyes and I was a bit terrified about the results (although I know that these fears were unfounded). What if I go blind or something, better to have blurred eyesight than none at all. However when we moved to the Netherlands, I have known a few people who have undergone the surgery and have assured me that the results are very satisfactory and the risks are minimal.

Finally, I have discussed with my honey and we have decided that it’s best that I undergo the procedure when we come back in Manila for our holidays. I have done some research online and found several well-reputed eye centers that offer the procedure, I have decided to inquire with Asian Eye Institute and American Eye Center through their websites. Both websites promise a response within 48 hours however only American Eye Center delivered an answer to my query. I tried to inquire again with the Asian Eye Institute but still no response. I also asked my mom to inquire with both the eye centers through phone and she commented that American Eye Institute is more accommodating. Finally, I decided to entrust my eyes with American Eye Center, I assume that if they are very accommodating with their clients online, how much more if they’ll be performing a procedure on you.

I had my initial tests on the 12th of May and the moment I have passed the screening, we immediately scheduled the surgery on the 19th of May. Even during the screening, the doctor already told me that due to my very high astigmatism, the best-corrected visual acuity that can be achieved through the operation was 20/25, which was more than fine with me. I was asked to arrive at the American Eye Center in Shangri La at 1:30 pm so that I could undergo further retina tests, among others. At exactly 3:45 I was inside the operating room with at least six others waiting for our turn to be placed under the humongous laser machine thingy that will eventually give us a brighter vision. Dr. Jack Arroyo performed the surgery on me. The actual procedure only lasted for approximately 15 minutes for both the eyes so before I knew it, it was my turn. As I lay on the operating table, my heart was pounding so hard I was worried that my eye would pop out of their sockets. It was so quick, I remember following Dr. Arroyo’s instruction to focus on the red blinking light at the center of the machine, there were moments when the light was blurry, sometime it was clear still again sometime it was not even there but I was still asked to focus on it. I didn’t feel a thing although I remember having a weird feeling around my lashes a split second while the procedure was being done. I think I held my breath the entire time. After a couple of minutes, which was like forever to my oh so nervous heart, the doctor finally placed the flap on my left eye (my right eye was already flapped right after it was done) and said that I did great. Whew, what a relief!

I was guided to sit at the waiting room just right outside the operating room and asked to wait for a little over 15 minutes, right after that, the flaps were removed and an attendant asked me to open my eyes so that she could drop some antibiotics over it. After the antibiotics were dropped, another doctor examined my eyes and said that everything looks great. I was escorted into yet another waiting room outside where my honey was waiting for me. The attendant gave him all the instructions, to which I was not paying attention to, about all the medications and instructions on what to do and what not to do. I had tears trickling down my cheeks for the next couple of hours. In spite of that, I can already see an improvement in my vision, I just can’t keep my eyes open for a long time coz tears are flowing harder and my eyes couldn’t take too much light. What did I do when I got home? I slept it off.

The following morning, I removed the protective glasses from my eyes and realized that I had a clear vision, one that I have never had before with contact lenses or glasses. I went back to the American Eye Center at 9am for my check up and the doctor confirmed that the operation was successful and I have now a 20/25 vision, which was in line with our expectation. In fact, on my 1st week check up which was last 26th of May, a day before we went back here in Amsterdam, the doctor was quite impressed with the result, she said that in fact, with my very high astigmatism prior to the operation, normally the best vision would be around 20/40 which was a blessing for me of course.

Thanks to all the doctors and staff of the American Eye Center for taking care of my eyes and for their warm and very professional approach in doing it.

Word for the Week: Festive

Picture from Wikipedia.

As far as I know, Holland is one of those countries with the least number of Public Holidays celebrated within the year (only 8-9 public holidays in a year). However, when it rains, it pours. True enough we celebrated two holidays last week: Queen’s Day (Koninginnedag) on the 29th of April and Ascension day celebrated on the 1st of May. Between the two, Queen’s day is the more festive event. This day commemorates the birthday of the Queen of the Netherlands and is supposed to be a day of national unity and togetherness. (according to Wikipedia). For us commoners, what makes it so festive is the “freemarket” (vrijmarkt) where people would lay out all sorts of things and sell it for very insignificant amounts. From what I have observed, these people who sell stuff on the streets during this day doesn’t do it for the money at all, this “freemarket” is done just for the fun of it. As for me and Junfer, it was so much fun to roam around the streets laid with all sorts of merchandise and finding a great bargain. As they say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

We started our stroll quite late this year at around 11am because the weather was unpredictable. I think the weather also discouraged a lot of people from participating in the “freemarket” because there are fewer stalls this year compared to last year. However, in spite of the fewer stalls, the goods for sale where as varied as anyone could possibly imagine, from kitchen wares, old plates and wine glasses to old printers, golf clubs, paintings, clothes and so much more. In the end, the weather cooperated and we made a great purchase. We chanced upon this antique bronze art piece from a very nice old man that is to be hanged on the wall which goes so well with my curtains bought for only €5. Sweet deal.

Another thing that I look forward to during Queen’s day is the “Kermis”. This is like a small amusement park set up in various corners of the city where there are rides, games, and various food stalls. I normally expect at least 2 new big stuffed toys from Junfer when there is a “Kermis” around. Junfer scored 4 new stuffed toys this week from our ever favorite game, the name of which I don’t know but let me just describe it. This is the game where a number of cans are arranged in a pyramid and the player would have to topple all of them using three balls. He is so good at it seriously that he scored my first big stuffed toy this week on his first try. Amazing.

Queen’s day is one holiday I would always look forward to. Maybe next time we’ll also decide to sell our old stuff on the “freemarket”.