STUPID INSOMNIA

Please let me sleep.

It's been Night of the Living Dead for me the past 2 weeks. My boss has received too many "___ , I'm sorry I couldn't sleep last night and I (honestly) lost track of time." text messages two hours past my official sign-in. Really.

I go to bed at around 10pm (ooops, it's now 11!) but am still wide awake by 3am. I'm not really tired even if I've only been getting 3-hr sleeps, but it IS mentally tiring and not to mention, frustrating, to lie in bed for hours and finally drift to a shallow slumber just when the roosters start to crow. Sometimes I think their crows have become my personal lullabies.

hit me baby one more time

Since me and my friends think we're all terrific singers (yeah! bwahaha!), we scheduled another RedBox session last weekend.

I cannot imagine how 4 hours can fly so fast. One minute we were just entering our song selections, the next minute the insufferable boy poked his head in to tell us our time was up. And as always, I felt that there was something missing. You know the feeling that you want more, that you could have done more, or done something better. Hay.

I really hope I could just let loose everytime we go to RedBox. We always get so excited when we make all these plans and then the night before, I have this vague dreams of what I will sing, of what I'll do with the songs (feeling ko nasa Philippine Idol ako, kebs mo), and then when I'm actually there with the mic, I just clam up.

It didn't help that my friends picked a song (okay, to let you on in a secret, we have this weird schemes when we go to RedBox. The thing last week was "let's pre-choose our songs then compare it against each other and strike off all common songs and steal one song from each other." Don't ask what our scheme was the previous time. Then we have this "portion" where the three other people will pick songs for you - mala-Audience Choice. Most of the time, we pick songs that are so not the forte of the singer and oftentimes, completely different from his image, tsk tsk.) that was so.... me. Mellow, not at all bouncy, not at all Dirrrty (hahaha, sorry Jen!). C'mon guys, you're the only hope I have left so I have an excuse to sing on top of a table and do nasty stuff! Gimme a challenge! You know I won't pick Dirrrty-type of songs all by myself, because I might chicken out! I need a double-dare kind of thing so I won't back out.

I also realize that I'm the same person I am in RedBox in real life. I always dream of doing more adventurous stuff, but when it's actually there, I still go back to the good-ol'-boring-me. I wish I could grab more opportunities where I can just leave my hair down and let the wind take me anywhere. I know one day I'll be presented with such an opportunity, and I dearly hope I have the courage to grab it.

In the meantime, please please, let me do a Britney song next time!

oh MAGNI, you came and you gave without taking.. (BOO, Bom! too much RedBox!)

Jela is quite an influence, because I cannot stand rock music but she's got me hooked on RockStar Supernova.

I play favorites, of course. I like: Ryan, Storm, and Magni. I happen to think Dilana's very talented, but her attitude in tonight's show bugged me. I don't think Toby has the voice that Supernova would want (although they let him sing with them tonight so maybe I'm not the best judge of that), and Lukas is just plain arrogant.

On to my favorites.

Ryan. He's the dark horse. There's also something very needy about him, it's his eyes probably, that makes me want to cheer him on every time.

Storm. I didn't like her last week because of the "I Will Survive" thingie, but I'm beginning to love her every minute. Aside from her bizaare name (Storm Large is her real name), man, does she have guts! She usually ends up with the songs that nobody wants to sing, and when asked about it, she nonchalantly answers "I'm not scared of singing anything" and then totally brings it! I also love her willingness to give up songs even if it's detrimental to her, just because she's grown to love the people she's with. She's also extremely pretty - she reminds me of Victoria from Amazing Race, whom I just saw earlier on Fear Factor but more on that on another post I guess.

Magni. Animal appeal *bow* I don't know if it's just because he's bald, but he is hot. And it didn't help that he offered his shirt for Patrice to wipe the blood (I think it was blood) off her lips earlier. Huhu. Some people can't do the I-only-got-one-name thingie and get away with it, but it definitely works on him. Plus he can sing (or rock), so what's not to love, right? Loved his version of "Fire" earlier, and from the looks of it, Tommy Lee agrees with me.

Magni was this close to being eliminated earlier *sniff*. If he's part of the Bottom 3 yet again next week, *sniff*, I think it's his turn to go. Supernova does listen to their fans =( So please vote for him!

And I'd love it if you could get Dave Navarro to please, please, wear a shirt under his jacket. His cleavage disturbs me.

I missed this one..

This is the first monthsary that he got to greeting me first. I really, really forgot about it =( So not me... I have a fever though, so that should excuse me, right?

Happy 76th Monthsary! =) Uwi ka na!

warning: superficial post ahead

I like attention.

There. It's difficult to admit it.

Don't get me wrong. I don't suffer from ADHD (or whatever it's called) nor do I want the spotlight to be always on me. On the contrary: 1) I hate it when my dad fusses over me all the time, 2) I prefer to be part of the production team rather than be one of the actors, 3) I don't like being picked to talk in front of a crowd (never mind if it's a church or a school or a committee of sorts). If you happen to come across pictures of me when I was young and performing in front of a whole lot of people (my Kindergarten teachers thought I was talented. Yuck.), you'll notice that I'm never smiling, or if ever I was smiling, it's more of a I-have-to-do-this-my-teacher-and-my-mom-are-looking smile. Pilit, kumbaga.

You know that girl who walks around with no care in the world but who's just jaw-dropping gorgeous that everyone (boys and girls alike, including me) turns to stare? Sometimes I wish I can be that girl, other times, I think I'll pass - because it is extra attention. But it won't hurt if I catch a person or two taking an extra look, right? C'mon, everybody, and I mean everybody, has that *secret* fantasy.

It's also probably why I got highlights. My hair is a bit blah - no curls, just plain ramrod straight that can never be a conversation piece - so I thought I'll add splashes of color so that I'd get noticed a little better. But my stupid stylist (just kidding, he's actually very good) thought, let's put the highlights in places where it can't be seen, unless I want to be flipping my hair to the opposite side every now and then (think Cameron Diaz in There's Something About Mary when she had Ben Stiller's thing on her hair) and catching outrageous looks from passers-by. Or let's have you buy a spotlight that you can shine on your head for the highlights to be obvious. Just great.

To clarify, I like attention but not extra attention. I want to stand out but not so much so that everyone's looking at me as if I was a specimen under a microscope. I want 2nd glances but not lingering stares. That about sums it up.

... rocked my world

I was browsing through some forums in GirlTalk and read a lot of good feedback about Vienna Teng. My curiosity got the better of me, so I downloaded some of her songs. IS SHE GOOD! Her songs sound very much like those of Sarah McLachlan (In the Arms of Angels and Adia come quickly to mind) and some say, Tori Amos. I don't have a single Tori Amos in my playlist, so I really can't compare them, but anyhoo.

Apparently, she has released 3 albums already. I'm sure her albums are one of those gathering dust at the back of music stores, considering Pinoys' general taste in music. We'd rather listen to covers than try to discover real geniuses who bring something new and intelligent to the music scene. We'd rather troop to MYMP concerts (I liked them when they started, but really, their sound gets a bit old after some time, don't you think? And do they really call themselves musicians?) than listen to something new for a change.

I'm getting a bit side-tracked here. My point is: download Vienna's songs! Try Lullaby for a Stormy Night, Eric's Song, and Gravity. Harbor, based on feedback, is good too but I have yet to hear it. You may or may not like her, but she sure rocked my Monday night! =)

the start of something new..

My 3 supervisors (Unit Head, Department Head, and CFO) already signed/approved my resignation letter, which officially signalled the start of my 30-day notice. I should be doing cartwheels now since I've done nothing but complain, but surprisingly, I’m a bit sad. Sad is not good, because it makes me re-evaluate my options, re-think if I really want to leave, if I can still take my letter back.

Seeing our CFO’s signature just seemed so final. It’s as if I turned the "last" page of my childhood storybook expecting 10 pages more, but the hard cardboard back cover is all I get. It’s so ironic, because when they were trying to convince me that AIG is still the way to go, I kept on rolling my eyes (not in front of them, of course), but when they finally let me go, alarm bells started ringing in my head.

More than being supervisors, I would like to think that they’ve become my friends as well, even though we definitely don't belong to the same generation, and it’s the friendship that’s a bit hard to let go of. Then there’s the nagging question inside your head whether you’ll find supervisors as nice as them in your next company.

There’s also the question of whether or not the next job waiting for me is as good as my present job – in terms of responsibilities. Truth be told, although I complain a lot, I love working. I like being productive. I like the feeling that someone is depending on you. I like the feeling that you’re trusted to make accurate reports and decisions. I don’t like not having anything to do for even half or even a quarter of my day. I do welcome a little break every now and then especially if it comes after up-to-my-eyeballs deadlines, but in all honesty, I love my job, as well as the pressure and the overtime that come with it (and don’t get me started on the people I work with or else I might just beg my supervisors to take me back, yeck!).

But I guess I really won’t know what I truly want if I don’t make my move now. 2 years from now or even a year from now, I’ll be too immersed in Finance that nobody, in their right minds, would accept me for, say, a Marketing position. I believe I’m at that stage where I know enough about Finance that I can confidently look any interviewer in the eye and say “I am worth P100K every month.” -- just kidding about the amount, just empathically trying to get my point across – I am confident about my worth, because I know I’ve worked my balls off the past 2 years. On the other hand, I am also young enough to be trained in another field where my true passion probably lies.

I’m still sad though = (

But I’m also excited about the start of something new.

worth visiting

Because I still don't have the luxury to travel as much as I want, I only have local (eh, GMA area only) places I must insist you go visit even once in your life.

1) Simple Pleasures - Greenbelt 3 - Must-tries are their Foot Spa (P550 for 1hour) and Back Massage (P375 for 20mins, if I'm not mistaken). Their Foot Spa is the best I've tried (which reminds me, if you read somewhere that you have to try the Foot Spa in a salon called Philosophy, don't go rushing there. Trust me. It's way below par than Simple Pleasures' and it's more expensive too.), I almost fell asleep. My seatmate, who was a complete stranger, kept on saying that it's "Thai na Thai," and I am inclined to believe him because he's based almost 8mos in a year in Thailand. After my foot spa, one of the attendants was kind enough to offer me a 5-min trial of the back massage, which I happily said yes to because my back was killing me that time. After just 5 minutes, all the knots were gone! And the more amazing thing is, it wasn't a full body massage where you have to take your clothes off and all that fuss - they just let me sit backwards in a massage chair (the chair looked like a gym equipment but there's a hole where your face should be - I'm not very good in descriptions, am I?), prod my back, and ta-da, magic! Best to call them up for appointments because they're usually booked solid (7574212 to 13). If you're lucky (or not), you might catch Karylle and DingDong there. Oh, and they also sell unique accessories and clothes.

2) Seryna and Kikufuji - near Don Bosco/Makati Cinema Square - You know those row of Japanese restaurants near Makati Cinema Square? I haven't eaten in all of them, but so far, Seryna and Kikufuji are grrrreaatt! For P250, you get a bowl of soup, a main meal (with side dishes, vegetables, a whole lotta rice, and of course, Japanese delicacies), and dessert. It's authentic Japanese (but I must say, their Tonkatsu is much like Tokyo Tokyo's din, except that their version is more "clean-tasting" if you know what I mean. Must be the Japanese way of cooking.). Try their tamago! It's just like scrambled egg but sweeter, basta. Imelda Marcos usually eats in Kikufuji =)

3) Tony Romas - Alabang/Glorietta - Hands-down, the best baby-back ribs and calamari in town. And their house bread is just so delicious, we usually ask for 2 more loaves (hehe).

4) Getaway Spa - Sct Albano, QC - A good 2-hr travel from my house but worth it! It's cheaper than The Spa, and I am tempted to say that the massages are better (there I said it).

5) Tiendesitas - Pasig - Everything's there! From furnitures to clothes to accessories to house decors to food to pets, you name it, they have it! It's always fun to go there, because unlike in other tiangges where the stalls usually just offer the same old products, Tiendesitas offers a lot of variety at lower prices too. They also have a lot of food stalls - you have to try the bibingka and puto bumbong there (I forgot the name of the stall, but it's just one stall selling these) and avocado shake (with milk). They also have pet shows once in a while. Oh, and they have live bands too during weekends, I think. It's difficult to go there if you're just commuting, but since they're putting up a big SM right beside it, trust Henry Sy to think of ways to get his market to SM (thus, to Tiendesitas too!).

6) Kerastase Institute by ESA - 6750, Makati - More popularly known as ESA Salon. Aside from having very skilled stylists, ESA brags about the ESA Experience. The place is very big, with different areas for treatments, hairstyling, body treatments such as waxing, and hand and foot services. I went there just this afternoon and I can't wait to go back! Although I'd rather keep mum about how much I spent for a clump of hair, it was truly an experience. I spent around 4hours there, but I didn't notice the time. If you're going for a treatment, they're going to analyze your scalp and hair first so you can really see up close in a PC monitor how your scalp and hair look like (pretty scary if you think you have scalp problems, but no worries, the scalp/hair expert there is very very nice), and they'll recommend a treatment that's appropriate for you.

If you're just going for a cut (I, as well dozens of other GirlTalkers, highly-recommend Joey), that's fine too. What I like about them is they don't hard-sell - they'll suggest, sure, but if you say no, they won't push it. And the stylists listen. They won't cut your hair without consulting you, and they'll talk you through it.

In addition, all their attendants (whether it's the one blow-drying your hair or the one overseeing your treatment) give mean massages (I hope you get Jomel and/or Carlo)! They rival even the attendants in Simple Pleasures =) My back doesn't creak (yes, it does that) anymore and all the little bumps (aka lamig) are gone. If you think about it, I managed to save what I would have spent for either a simple back masasge or a full-blown body massage.

They also have to-die-for chairs! For treatments, you have a regular chair plus another chair where you can stretch your legs (I don't know how it's called). And and, if they're going to wash off the treatment already, you get to sit in their Lazy Boys that actually have remote controls (you know the brown chair of Joey in FRIENDS?)! So so so nice!

For appointments, call 8190886.

*sorry for the long narrative.. *

7) Conti's - BF Paranaque - Famous for their Chocolate Cake and Mango Bravo (drool).

8) PowerPlant - Rockwell, Makati - I usually don't shop here because most of their shops are high-end, but I love going here for a) their cinemas - couples' chairs! Plus it's squeaky-clean, b) LifeStyle Section - their independent shops offer unique styles at reasonable prices, and c) Fully-Booked - when I'm tired of Powerbooks' selection.

9) Bo's Coffee Club - Glorietta 4 - When the usual Starbucks Mocha Frappe just won't do, I go for their Chocolate Freeze. The place is a wee bit small, but you can just sip your drink while walking around, right?

10) Red Box - Greenbelt 3 - Need I say more? Plush chairs + probably the widest selection of songs possibly known to mankind! Avail of their 3-7pm package so that it won't break your budget all that much.

11) Mall of Asia - Roxas Blvd - The infamous mall with the P200MM globe in front of it. I am still not sure if it's the biggest mall in Asia (I actually still need a bit more convincing that it's bigger than MegaMall), but it is indeed big! Shops here are bigger than the average. The glass walls! The view of Manila Bay (eek!)! IMAX! Director's Club! Freakin' cold airconditioning though. And what is up with the parking lot and the elevators? But still, Mall of Asia is Mall of Asia. Don't forget to drop by nearby Blue Wave for your food fix!

12) Ruins - BF Paranaque - Not as inviting as Tiendesitas, but it's still a treat to go here. Best known for pirated DVDs (oooopps).

13) Good to Go - Greenbelt walkway - They sell mostly all kinds of chocolate and candy! I managed to grab a dark chocolate version of my favorite Maltesers (the milk chocolate version is way better though), which I had no idea even existed. They also sell Tootsie Roll, which brings back lotsa childhood memories.

14) National Sports Grill and Chili's - Greenbelt/Greenhills - Both restaurants specialize in American food so it's best to go here as a group because their servings are BIG. Try the Chicken Tenders, Prawns, and Nachos in Chili's and Chicken Parmesan, Fries, and Calamari in NSG. They usually have tie-ups with various credit cards so it's advisable to ask your server what promos they currently have.

15) Beauty Bar - Alabang/Greenbelt/Podium/PowerPlant/Baguio - More than a dozen brands are here so you'll surely go out a happy shopper! Try Philosophy's 3-in-1 Body Wash/Shampoo/Conditioner - they're "flavored" (I have Chocolate Chip Cookies!)! Imagine coming out of the shower smelling like Lemon Sherbet, Strawberry Shortcake, Vanilla Ice Cream, Pinacolada, etc! I also love their Earth Therapeutics line.

This is just a prelim list, I'll add more in the future =) Hopefully, I'll get to list down places all over the Philippines and across Asia as well in a year or so =)

September 4, 2006 - 8:00pm

Mark your calendars. I'll be in Araneta, hopefully within touching distance of Shane, Mark, Nick, and Kian - collectively known as Westlife.

Okaaay, so they're not the hottest artists in the music scene right now but still. I AM SO EXCITED! I got Patron tickets! Wee! Tickets are selling fast so you better get yours before it's too late. It's quite expensive though - I got mine for P4.5K and I'm in row P already =( That's quite far, I think. Anyway, tickets are selling like pancakes but you should see how Wrestling tickets sell! I cannot, for the life of me, imagine why people would shell out P10K to watch a bunch of overage and too-muscular men make scripted moves (sorry Ma'am Jela! Peace!). I even saw a 50-yr old mom buy a P10K Patron ticket as a gift to her son =( Kawawa naman, she kept on changing her mind because it was too expensive. Gusto ko ngang kausapin na wag na po yan, Westlife na lang (actually, when she overheard me buying tickets, she asked me when the concert was - hmm, planning to buy a ticket for her daughter? What a generous mom!).

Back to Westlife. I hope they sing tracks from their very 1st album. I think it's the 1st real CD I actually ever bought. And I hope Simon Cowell's there to cheer on his boys. And I hope my camera decides to function properly that night so I can get decent shots.

Ano Mark, gawa na tayo placards?!

Mahal maging babae!

For the past month or so, I've been pressuring my friends to accompany me have my eyebrows (waxed or thread-ed) and eyelashes (permed) done. And finally! Okay, I wasn't able to do it with my supposed partners (we're tired of seeing each other's faces 5x a week so meeting up on a Saturday is just too much! Ha! Just kidding!), but I still had fun with my HS friends! It was one of those spur of the moment things, and it's one of those rare times when I think it's really best to just go with the flow and not make plans.

So anyway. I've been sporting my new eyelashes for around a week. Hee-hee. I love it! It beats curling it every single day. The curl is still a bit OA, especially if I put mascara (which the attendant said is a must if I want the curl to last 2mos), but I still love it! Never mind that my dad keeps ribbing me about it - arte-arte mo kasi.

The eyebrows is another story. I decided to have them thread-ed to get rid of even the tiniest hairs. DID IT HURT! I couldn't stop the tears =( I was told that the pain becomes more bearable after each visit, so I'm looking forward to that.

Then tomorrow, I'm going to have my first ever hair treatment. I don't know what specific treatment yet, but yes, I haven't even had hot oil before. I'm also going to have my hair cut! And I'm also thinking of having highlights. I never thought I'd see the day that I'd say that, but I guess I'm up for small changes to match the other (major) change I'm making in my life right now (more on that in another post).

Adding all that up, I'd be set back by around P4K? All in two weeks?! Oh, vanity! And I haven't even included the spa package I've been dying to avail =( And the facials =(

But on the brighter side, I won a Shu Uemura gift set from Marie Claire! =) I won a lip gloss, an eyeshadow, a color mousse, and a nail polish. Okay, so the shades are a little out there (the nail polish is orange - I don't use nail polish and my mom won't use it so I'm just gonna have to sell it =( ) but still! I get to have a new lip gloss (which is soooo nice!) and an eyeshadow. And to think this is my first time to win something out of sheer luck! So now I'm itching to join all magazine promos, i.e. letter of the month, answers to their survey questions, etc.

Ang hirap maging babae! But I do know a couple of guys who are more vain than me so.... (hehe, just trying to convince myself that all my expenses are okay).

I had dinner with Kaye last night. Never mind that I last saw her probably a year ago during our HS Reunion - she's still one of my best friends. She's one of those friends whom I may not see all the time but when we do find the time to catch up, it's as if we've never been apart at all. I treasure friends like that, because they're almost one in a million.

I remember our conversations before when we were still studying - na kapag tiga-Las Pinas ka, a "night-out" for you is dinner with friends (at a restaurant or at home) and then just talking about anything until the wee hours of the morning. How adventurous are we?! Hehe. Funny, but I do have more fun that way. It's dirt-cheap and you get to be surrounded by wonderful people. Bring me to Embassy and I might just sit down and drink mineral water all night long.

Back to Kaye - you're still gonna treat me to Sukob right?! Haha! Don't tell me pinanood mo na?! Till nex time! I love you! =)