T.G.I.F.

Thank God it's Friday! This week has been quite long considering that Monday was a holiday and took a leave from work in Wednesday! I'm really happy for it to end.

To end the week, one of my best friends, Dambie and I went to watch a movie in Eastwood. It's a welcome change from the crappy Galleria cinemas. Ticket price is just the same. The seats are much better, the sound system is also good and the screen is newer in Eastwood. This is also the first time for us to watch a movie, just the two of us, after a long time.

I've forgotten how Eastwood plays a lot of trailers before showing the feature film. In fact, I almost forgot what movie we were supposed to be watching by the time the trailers ended. Hehehe.

We watched "My Super Ex-Girlfriend". The movie was ok... I think that I liked the trailers better especially the one for Ghostrider! Can't wait to see it!

After that I had chai tea latte in Coffee bean. It's been quite awhile since I ordered Chai tea in coffee bean. I've been ordering Double Vanilla Ceylon tea lately!

I also got my Shu Uemura discount card as well as some of the stuff that I asked my friend to by in Hongkong. Shu is 20% cheaper in Hongkong! So, I saved some money there. Yeah!

Well, that's just about how I ended the week. Not bad, huh?

My Favorite Things

When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad... I simply remember my favorite things... and then I don't feel, so bad.

The sound of music is one of my favorite movies. I used to play it over and over and not get tired of it. It's probably because of the beautiful sceneries that it painted and the utterly optimistic songs that it played. Hey, I'm a cheerful person so it's but natural for me to love songs and movies that are happy cheery.

Since I'm already in la-la land and any motivation to work today has already flown out the window, I figured that it would be nice to give my brain a much needed exercise (i.e. blogging) . My mood is also not that good today so I think writing about my favorite things will definitely be helpful to lighten up my mood.

And these are a few of my favorite things:

vanilla ice cream, vanilla panna cotta, vanilla... almost anything vanilla (i don't like the lotions and beauty stuff made of vanilla though... these beans are made for eating!!!)

rich chocolate ganache, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies... chocolatetruffles, dark chocolates (have you noticed that my mind is full of foodstuff?)

gray skies that signal rain... (no, not the typhoons, i don't like rains which bring destruction, slight drizzling is okay! it's also cool how the rainbow shows up after it rains)

fluff ball puppies (as long as they don't smell... generally, puppies smell like milk--- umm ummm makes me feel hungry)

wooden grand pianos and vintage guitars (what can i say, i'm a frustrated musician, i need to take my frustrations out elsewhere)

hanging out with real close friends....(chai tea latte!)

having a sleep over with my best friend, Tanya (my oldest friend too! we've been really good friends for almost 20 years... our friendship even lasted longer than some marriages *tee hee* )

hot roasted chicken, chinese dumplings, warm almond soup and sweet black sesame soup (hmmm... food again, that's how much i love food huh)

smooth sheets, warm blankets and cool, soft pillows (i also like to sleep)

nice smell of books and a cup of fragrant hot tea

whee whee whee sushi! (i'm trying to cut down because of the thing about the worms... but i can't get worms by writing about it =D)

a good massage

a nice haircut (i like having my hair cut!)


and a warm shower (you can't make me get out!)

ahhh, cozy! feels like i'm home already! hehe

Beijing once more...

I can't believe that it has already been 4 years since I've lived in Beijing. I used to look at Beijing with the eyes of an innocent newly-grad. Now, I'm seeing it with the eyes of someone more experienced with the ways of the world.

When I studied in Beijing, I was open to the idea of living and working in this place. I love places which are culturally rich which is probably also why I prefer Beijing to Shanghai. I didn't seem to mind the really crowded buses, though I prefer to ride the taxi or to walk if given the preference. In fact, I did just that on a few occassions when the buses were fully
packed during the winter. The walk was long and tedious, probably from Ayala to Ortigas, but it gave me the opportunity to take in the sights which I normally took for granted.

Whenever I walked along the streets, I imagined what it was like for the local Beijing people to live there and tried to imagine what life was like for their ancestors. Being there was like going back in time and I loved it. I also went to the Summer Palace whenever I had the free time to smell the flowers. The guihua is so fragrant, it's almost addicting. Visiting hidden temples were also a delight for me back then.

Right now, I felt an overwhelming sadness when I went back there. The hutongs that I've once enjoyed seeing were practically turned into tourist spots (I guess that globalization is unleashing the businessman in everyone). Buildings are being constructed here and there. There are still a lot of trees but the nature parks are not as abundant as before. The sky was gray with pollution and it didn't help that it was dusty (it has always been dusty there). There are no more hidden temples or tourist places. Tourists are almost everywhere. The Summer Palace is under renovation. I don't know what it would look like after they renovate it but I hope that it would still retain its old beauty. I can even say that I'm glad that clumsy me fell of the XiangShan mountain... just for the heck of it because I don't know if I'll ever be able to reach the peak again. Tourists are flocking the mountain and it's ridiculous. Not only are they fighting for space to reach the top but they're also fighting for oxygen. I swear, thin air and crowding is not funny. The only thing that I appreciate is probably Silk Street. Silk Street used to be stalls lined up near the embassy road. When it's hot, it's very hot and when it's cold, it's really cold. Now, they've turned it into a shopping complex. It's now a building but they still call it Silk Street.

For a lot of people putting a stop to these kinds of developments is anti-progressive, for me it's preserving history, culture and probably a piece of ourselves.

And the Oscar goes to... the COCKROACH

One of the most disgusting insects for me is, the cockroach. They are ugly, dirty and they stink like hell. Some of them can fly too... and when they do that, they can make you run around in circles. One more ability that they have, which most of us are unaware of, is their great acting ability. You got it, the little devils are great actors and if they're any better, they could be in the running for the academy awards. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes. One minute they're dead and the next thing you know, they're gone. They should've been given the lead roles for Gone in 60 Seconds.

Visiting my Homestay

Mama, Papa and Emiko! You could tell that they are a close knit family! Mama takes care of the house, Papa goes to work and Emiko makes everyone happy!














The family with the "adopted" one! I'm glad to be a part of their family even if it's for just a short time. Do I really fit in?














The girls!!!