Chocolate Cake, Anyone?

It's my mom's birthday tomorrow. Someone gifted her with a yummy chocolate cake. Sad to say, her diet does not allow chocolate. And I'm diabetic. So we had to look for somebody to "donate" the cake to. It turned out to be my sister. We just left a slice for my son.

Having diabetes, I have learned to say no to a lot of sweet stuff. But not all the time, he he. Like I get to eat halo-halo from time to time.

Cannot Afford to be Lazy/Looking Good

Now, I cannot afford to be lazy. Because I am swamped with work. I have a taste test report to finish, an FGD guide to do, immersion activities to conceptualize, statistical tables to type, and workshop materials to make. This is a working Holy Week. But I will make time to pray of course. I may not go out to engage in Holy Week activities but I shall meditate and reflect. Watch appropriate shows on TV, as well.

People are saying I'm looking good mainly because my skin looks great. Thanks to Pond's White Beauty products and Dove Moisturizing Soap!

Not in the Mood/Mr. Right

I don't know why but I'm just not in the mood this day. I could have done some productive work but I didn't. I just kept sleeping, checked my inbox, and played online scrabble. What's wrong with me? It's just one of those days.

Oh well, the day isn't over yet. I think I will do some work before it's sleeping time again. I am glad I am not regularly employed. I can be sooooh lazy.

I just read an article in Yahoo on 5 Ways to Tell if He is Mr. Right. The mere fact that the title caught my attention is indicative that yours truly is still longing, dreaming, pining for that Special Someone. Incurable romantic, that's what I am.

For those interested in the article, here it is in full:

Think your Mr. Next has the potential to be Mr. Right? Before you leap without looking, take an honest inventory. See how many of the following five essential traits he possesses.

Dating Trait #1: He listens to you

The best way to know if Mr. Next is interested in (and worthyof) being a candidate for Mr. Right? He listens to you. You'll know he's listening when he shows genuine concern, consistently remembers things you've told him (your birthday, favorite food, best friend's name, etc.), and offers emotional support in honest and thoughtful ways.

Dating Trait #2: He connects with you easily

We've all been in those relationships that take W-O-R-K (and suck the life force out of us in the process). When a relationship works on its own, it feels effortless, easy, and fluid. You don't have to force anything, forgive anyone, or turn a blind eye to red flags or gut-twisters. Instead, you communicate and collaborate with comfort, compatibility, and undeniable chemistry. If and when you experience this kind of interaction, you are on to something really special.

Dating Trait #3: He wants the real you

So often, women feel the need to sacrifice some part of themselves to make a relationship work. In the right relationship, there's no need. You don't have to hide, tone down, or apologize for any aspect of you or your fabulous life. With the right partner, you're not only able to be yourself, but you're better able to be the best version of your most authentic self -- no compromises needed.

Dating Trait #4: He's trustworthy

A relationship without trust is doomed from the start.

A relationship without trust is doomed from the start. But a relationship with abundant trust? A fabulous foundation for real and lasting love! Built over time, trust is based on the simple belief system that your partner has your best interests at heart and will never intentionally hurt you (and vice versa). If and when you discover that Mr. Next is 100 percent trustworthy, you'll have no trouble giving your heart to him. In return, he'll most likely give you his heart and pave the way for a lasting, loving relationship to unfold.

Dating Trait #5: He enriches your life
In the wrong relationship, your partner tears you to emotional shreds, brings you down, and in general drains your energy. In the right relationship, he enriches your life, inspires you to be your best self, and brings a sense of peace and possibility to you. You'll know Mr. Next is enriching your life if and when he encourages and supports you professionally, personally, and spiritually. And when he does, he may just be Mr. Right!

Does your Mr. Next possess all five qualities? If so, congratulations! You have done your homework, chosen wisely, and are now well positioned for relationship success.

If not, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back into the dating pool with a clearer understanding of who you want to date. Remember, finding your life partner isn't always easy, but by being clear, honoring yourself, and acting accordingly, you'll cut down on wasted time with Mr. Wrong and Mr. Next, and ultimately make room for Mr. Right.

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What say you?

Party Time

Yesterday, I attended the 50th birthday party of my friend, Bangy. He is also a member of Kappa Pi Pi, my barkada in college. Andy fetched me.

Just as we arrived, it was time for earth hour so they turned off the lights and lit the candles. Food was from Tokyo Tokyo.

There were some games. How well do you know Bangy? List items starting with "B" that describes or have something to do with Bangy. Both games, our table won. We had seaweed and chocolates as prizes.

There was an audio-visual presentation of Bangy's wedding. And another one of Bangy through the years.

People greeted Bangy and told a few anecdotes about him.

There were two cakes. One huge one with the letter B and one tall one from Conti's.

I reached home past 12 already.

I'm not used to sleeping late so I was not able to attend the graduation party of my best friend's son. I wasn't feeling well. Or I simply was too sleepy.

Eating Out Again

Tonight, I went out with Jobert. First we went to Bagoong Club. Our second time to be there. He is on a diet so he did not eat rice and no meat. We shared the laing. He ate tuna belly. I ate binagoongan special and garlic rice. He had calamansi juice and I had my usual Coke Zero. We talked about confidential stuff. Ha ha. Since it's confidential, I cannot repeat the conversation here.

Jobert was about to bring me home when he said he is still too early for his next appointment. So we decided to go to Bellini's. He ordered red wine, I had Coke Zero, and we ate an appetizer with eggplant, tomatoes and cheese. (I didn't bother getting the name.)

When we were in the basement of the condo, Jobert's celphone was acting up so we had to fix the problem first. When everything was okay, I went down and said goodbye.

My dear friend Jobert. Hope he finds the love of his life.

Earthquake

Late this morning, I had another client meeting. It was held in Shakey's. We ordered bunch of lunch. It was just a short meeting because my client had to go to another meeting elsewhere.

Upon arriving at the condo, I just took my medicines and went to sleep. Then at about 1:30 pm, we felt an earthquake. My first earthquake while on the 25th floor of a building! Nothing scary though because it did not last a minute. Whew!

I slept some more.

Then, since I learned that a new project came in, I worked on it right away. I finished writing the report except for the conclusions.

Back to Work

I had to wake up early today for a client meeting. I took a cab to my client's place and we discussed some projects. We took an early lunch of tonkatsu and sinigang. Dessert was peaches and oranges.

I was brought home. I just took my medicines and immediately went to sleep.

Upon waking, I worked on the new project right away.

As I write this, I have just taken a bath. I feel fresh and clean!

For dinner, I'm having Jollibee burger steak, fries and Coke Zero.

Batangas Trip

Yesterday up to today, I was in Batangas to visit friends who are staying in the Shell housing compound. I was with Luz and Malou.

Luz fetched me and we fetched Malou in the Shell gas station. We brought chichiria and mineral water. We also take-out McDonald's food.

When we reached Mayette's and Andrew's place, we had lunch of baked macaroni.

After some talking, we went to Mt. Carmel Church in Lipa City hoping to hear mass. Turns out that they no longer have a 4 pm mass. So we went to Batangas City to hear mass at the Santissimo Trinidad Church for the 6 pm mass. At last! I was able to attend mass and receive communion.

Back to the house, we had dinner of Hainese Chicken and fish with sauce and embutido.

After dinner, there was still some more chatting and then taking of baths. We were given rosaries by Andrew. I had a hard time falling asleep and if ever, sleep was light.

The following day, we had breakfast. I ate longganisa, scrambled rice and steamed rice. The others had bread and bread filling.

I checked my inbox.

While the others continued chatting, I took a nap.

We watched the video of their eldest daughter's debut.

For lunch, we went to SM Yellow Cab. We had tomato cream soup, chicken carbonara, two kinds of pizza and softdrinks. We had FIC for dessert.

Then back to the road to return home.

So, I'm now home. Home sweet home!

Ballet and Japanese Food

Yesterday, I watched two of my nieces perform ballet. They were very good! (Of course, I'm biased. Proud Tita!)

Then, we went to Teriyaki Boy along Katipunan. Food consisted of: tuna and salmon sashimi, sukiyaki, hagedashi tofu, chicken teriyaki, ebi tempura, rice. Food trip! No softdrinks, just water.

Today and yesterday, I worked on a project. I finished the report on time because tomorrow and tuesday, I will be in Batangas to visit friends with some friends. Yehey! Short vacation.

Two Lunches

Mom was in the hospital. I had no money. Didn't know how to cook. I texted two friends but both were too far. I was hungry and I had to drink my medicines. So, I just ate Skyflakes with tomato dip. I sliced a star apple but saw a worm in it. Yuk.

When Mom arrived home, she brought yang chow, fish fillet and pancit canton. Yehey.

An Ordinary Day

Still no work today. But the good thing is that it's my son's day off. And he did not have to leave the condo for bible study. He just left awhile to go to the gym downstairs.

He showed me his farm in Farmville. He has three mansions already. And his farm is large. Currently, he is growing flowers.

For dinner, he cooked macaroni with cheese. Ha ha. He himself said it's good more for a side dish.

My mom has to have her kidney stone removed tomorrow. And she has a cyst on her kidney. Poor mom!

So what did I do today? Slept, took a bath, checked my inbox, listened to bible reflection, attended Internet mass, read Internet news, colored my coloring book, and prayed the rosary. Oh well, some days are more exciting than others.

Seven Pounds

No, I did not lose seven pounds (how I wish!). That's the title of the movie I watched yesterday, starring Will Smith. Interesting, nice movie. Very touching. Some parts were a bit boring though because I did not know the real story till the end. It's one of those movies you replay in your mind as you go to sleep.

No work today. So I just ate, slept, checked my inbox, listened to bible reflections, attended Internet mass, read Internet news, played online scrabble. What a life!

Fireproof

I watched a DVD yesterday entitled "Fireproof"...from the creators of "Facing the Giants". It's about a firefighter whose marriage is on the rocks. His father gives him a 40-day love diary. Each day, he was to carry out a deed for his wife. Predictably, the couple reconcile and reaffirm their love in the end. Nice movie but I much prefer "Facing the Giants".

I'm now watching "Love on Line" starring Vic Sotto. A typical Pinoy romantic comedy. Corny.

Puntastic

I love puns. A friend of mine recently emailed to me several puns and I had a good laugh. Let me share them with you:

1. The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was
Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.

2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island,
but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.

3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.

4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra
class, because it was a weapon of math disruption.

5. The butcher backed into the meat grinder
And got a little behind in his work.

6. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll
still be stationery.

7. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was
cited for littering.

8. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would
result in Linoleum Blownapart.

9. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

10. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.

11. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall.
The police are looking into it.

12. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

13. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the
hallway. One hat said to the other: 'You stay
here; I'll go on a head.'

14. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger.
Then it hit me.

15. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said:
'Keep off the Grass.'

16. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken
to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned
to ask how he was, a nurse said 'No change yet.'

17. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.

19. The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison
was a small medium at large.

20. The man who survived mustard gas and pepper
spray is now a seasoned veteran.

21. A backward poet writes inverse.

22. In a democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism
it's your count that votes.

23. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.

24. Don't join dangerous cults: Practice safe sects !

25. A crowded elevator smells different to a midget.

Thanks, Greg!

Another Working Sunday

I do have a strange schedule. On weekdays, I find myself not working. And on weekends, I oftentimes work. Ha ha. But I enjoy just writing reports in front of the computer.

Today, I did just that. Instead of watching Pacquiao win over some other poor guy, I finished writing a report.

For lunch, I ate longganisa, pancit, and a spicy concoction of string beans, pusit and tahong. Tastes good! Tonight, I expect to eat longganisa and pancit again and inihaw na baboy.

But I loooong to go back to Bagoong Club. Oh no, I must be a food addict already.

Prawns

I had prawns (cooked in olive oil and vinegar) for lunch and dinner today. Delicious!

I transferred a report from Powerpoint to Word file. Took a while but I was able to do it. Hope Client will be happy with the report so that we would get paid already.

I will just have to work on my other report tomorrow.

A Day of Rest

I had no work today. So I just kept sleeping.

I helped mom cut vegetables for lunch.

I checked my inbox. It is somebody's birthday.

What to do, what to do?

I think I shall work on my book/s.

Three Places in One Day

Yesterday, I went to three places with Jobert.

First was Sushi-Ya in Libis. I ordered my favorite sukiyaki! Yehey! I ate three bowls of it ha ha.


Then, we went to Conspiracy in Visayas. It had an art exhibit of women artists. We drank (he San Mig Light, me Coke Zero) and ate nachos with dip. We composed a poem entitled, "Thinking of You".

When I think of you, I have only tender words to say
An image in my heart that bewilders my beloved soul
You are a friend I shall always cherish
Like the sun that shines its beautiful rays

Thank you for the many times you made me laugh
And helping me to open up my life’s concerns
Where would I be now without you, my friend?
Moments of happiness would never be enough

How I miss the moments we shared together
Hands that touch make life so timeless
Just remembering you brings warmth to my heart
The oneness of friendship that lasts forever

I feel so blessed to have met someone like you
True to the heart bringing awe to us both
You will always be in my thoughts wherever I may be
Seeing you again brings a rebirth to a life anew

You are God’s special gift to me
Heaven’s blessing that conveys the meaning of love
May the Lord grant you peace and happiness
A life of gladness that makes you feel free

*poetry by Nimia Gamo (purple lines) and Jobert Abiva (blue lines)

Lastly, we went to Bagoong Club. We ordered binagoongan, inihaw na pusit and garlic rice. Food trip!

Conversation was both heavy and light. Can't repeat most of it though. He he.

Baths and Halo-halo

It's so hot these days. That's why I appreciate airconditioning, cold cold water, taking a bath and eating halo-halo. It's a good thing the restaurant downstairs sells halo-halo for merienda. Yehey!

I finished revising two reports. I hope to get paid within the week for four projects.

I don't know but I seem to be obsessed with sukiyaki. Can't take my mind off it. I also crave for Bagoong Club food. Oh when will I eat there again?

I tried watching "Bucket List" online but I just got frustrated. I think I will just settle for another movie.

Japanese Food!

I waited for an hour for my friend, Rexy. She promised to treat me out for my birthday (a belated treat).

It was well worth the wait! We went to Teriyaki Boy at Gateway. We ordered sukiyaki, hagedashi tofu, tuna sashimi, chicken teriyaki, and ebi tempura. When the waiter said "2 Gohan" I asked, what's Gohan? It meant rice. Ha ha.

Food trip! I texted mom to ask what she wanted. She said either chicken teriyaki or ebi tempura. So we ordered ebi tempura for her.

Rexy brought me home and even up to our condo. How kind of her! I feel so blessed to have such generous friends.

Today, I worked on three reports. All are quite easy.

Forgiveness

Today, I attended first friday mass. I feel so blessed that our condo offers first friday mass! Moreover, I was able to go to Confession. Thank God!

I re-watched "Facing the Giants" and still kept crying. Some movies are really so touching, you can't help but cry.

I am re-reading "The Purpose-Driven Life" by Rick Warren but as he suggested, I am reading it one chapter per day.

Massaging Feet

Last night, I massaged my mom's feet. It was a small act of love but she enjoyed it immensely. I'm glad to have done it.




Today, I just wrote a topline report. Yesterday, I cleared another report. Little jobs. Still work nevertheless.

My mom and son went to the grocery today. I got my supply of shampoo, sanitary napkin, tissue paper, and Pond's facial wash/cream.

Silence...Bagoong...and More

The other day I watched "Silence of the Lambs". My friend texted me with "Hello, Clarice". I texted back with "Huh?". He said "Famous line in the movie you're watching. Duh". Ha ha. Duh. I heard the line towards the end of the movie.

No wonder Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins won Academy awards for their performance. The movie won three other Oscars - best director, best writing, and best picture.

When I asked my son if he has seen the movie, he said "No". No wonder. It was produced way back in 1991 - he was only 3 years old!

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Last night, I went out with friends. It was Rica's birthday last Sunday and she treated us to Bagoong Club. Ronald, Noel, Kune and Adolf went. There also three co-workshoppers in a playwriting workshop under Nestor Torre in 2004.

Food was delicious as usual - adobo with kangkong, pinakbet, binagoongan, special bagoong club friend rice, sinigang, munggo with bulalo, etc. They ordered dessert but I refrained from eating because the leche flan and custard were both rich and sweet.

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I got into thinking...What if I reprint my first two books which did very well except that my publisher is rather "small time" they could not print many copies at a time? I shall ask for friends to be my co-publishers.

Also, I am already lining up my future books - "Turning Gold", "I Love Humor and More", "Fit for God" and maybe, just maybe "I Ain't Crazy (...Just a Little Cracked!) and "Mission: Possible!". Ha ha. Fickle minded me!

Am considering going into self-publishing. I have the time. I have friends. And I stand to earn more.

I want to be best-selling author in National Bookstore and other bookstores nationwide. I also want to sell my books abroad. Ambitious of me but I can dream, can't I?

Here's a beautiful quote:

"If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing."
—Benjamin Franklin

Why not both?

88 Minutes and More

Yesterday, I watched a suspense movie entitled "88 Minutes", starring Al Pacino. He is a professor used as an expert in court to try serial rapists and killers. One day he receives a call in his celphone with a man saying he has 88 minutes to live.




What would you do if you knew you had 88 minutes to live? Me, I would go to Confession right away and say I love you and thank you to as many people as I could. Then, I would prepare for heaven! (How presumptious of me but I believe in God's love!)

I also watched two episodes of Shake, Rattle and Roll - "Poso" and "Aquarium" but I found them rather corny.

I worked on a report today. Easy.