Celebrating Happiness: 11th Month

This was the reason I only attended the San Mig Coffee Mixers Fans’ Day and begged off the presscon.

J and I celebrated our 11th month together or what I coined as ‘Happiness’. Celebrating with him took precedence especially since he was away for two weeks after being assigned in Cebu.

Ours was just a simple dinner in MOA. It was supposedly a cruise dinner in Manila Bay but I wasnt able to reserve early enough to get us a seat. Anyweis, we had dinner at Pizzeria Aveneto where we ordered pasta and pizza. I used to like Aveneto but that night was a disappointment.

We stayed there for a little while while catching up. J didnt want to have coffee so after some time we decided to just go home.

happiness : )

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Test of Faith

Early Monday morning last weekwhen my week seemed to start off and stay dim, I decided to still be happy and positive.

As soon I got in the office someone said ‘something’ that made me feel albeit fleetingly that my day was starting not as I hoped and believed it would. And then I realized that I couldn’t lose to the temptation and shifted my perspective again to positivity.

It was a indeed test of faith! And I wanted to believed I passed it!

faith

29 Ways to Stay Creative

I chanced upon this list in facebook last week and got inspired. It is a list of 29 ways to stay creative. Since I am writing this blog, I need to be on top of my field as to topics and ideas I can share with you. So I am sharing this as my online reminder to be aggresive and active in enhancing myself. I am also printing this and inserting this in my daily planner so I will also be reminded.

House Hunting

One of my dreams is to give Mom her own house, or atleast to live in a place of our own.

This year, though, I was more serious in achieving this dream.  I started to include this in my prayers.  I am claiming I will receive it.

But to achieve this dream, I need to act now.  And I was also pressured somehow.

I always receive text message advising of housing projects but if the price is not right, I ignore them.

Last Wednesday, I again received one of those messages about Arezzo Place and the premium stated in the text was only PhP7k and the area was in Pasig.

I googled it and learned that it was a project of Phinma Properties.  I didnt know much about Phinma but I knew that they were one of those reliable developers.

I was motivated by this picture in their site:

for Php5,604/month, I would get really interested!!!

So I told Mom about it the same night and scheduled visiting it over the weekend.

So yesterday, Mom and I, accompanied by J, went to the area. We went inside their Sales office and was entertained by Walter.  Before  explaining to us the computation and discussing about the project, he showed us the turnover unit.  For me it was larger than the usual studio type as it was a 30-sqm unit compared to the 20+ sqm by other developers.  And then he showed us the model unit!  And we were seriously interested.  Their model unit was designed beautifully.  And with that space we get to have a bedroom, a kitchen, living room and dining area/counter.

The unit that we wanted though was computed at more that PhP8k/month.  And we felt it was reasonable.

There were only two setbacks: one was it was located in the area of Pasig easily flooded and even though Walter reiterated that the project was higher that the road, I was thinking that the roads wouldnt be passable.  The second one was the City of Pasig was also constructing a church and cemetery/columbary across the project.

model units design from Phinma’s official site

After we decided to pass by another housing project near my warehouse, The Hampton Garden.  Its location was along main roads, definitely in a flood-free area but their model units were interesting.  There was no laundry area, only drying cage at the top of every building, I was turned off by the bathroom being elevated and the reply to me was because of the pipes, and other pipes were visible in the ceiling of the units.

But then you cant have it all.

Anyways, what I really wanted to say was I enjoyed looking at those two projects and talking about payment schemes.  I felt that I was atleast one step nearer to my goal.  Plus talking with them gave you more ideas on how to negotiate, what questions to ask, what data you need.

Will have to canvass more and I’m hoping I get’d to start within this year.  God willing.  : )

 

Listography: My Life’s Wish List

Yesterday, I was browsing my friend Ryah’s old blog to look for a certain book’s title and came across her Listography entry.

Today I signed up and created my very own list.

And here is my life’s long and lifetime and ultimate dreams.

* to give Mom her own house and lot
* to travel the world
* to be a loving and devoted Wife and a doting and caring Mother
* to be a thoughtful sister to Shobe and Doms and a generous Tita to Yui
* to be a President of the Republic of the Philippines
* to be crowned Ms. Universe
* to write and publish my own books
* to be a lawyer
* to learn how to swim
* to scuba dive and snorkel
* to be a photographer
* to be an event planner and coordinator
* to own a chill out place
* to live in a beach house
* to own a resort
* to own a resthouse in Tagaytay, Batangas and Bohol
* to be a broadcast journalist for GMA 7 or CNN
* to write my own column for the Lifestyle section of the Philippine Star
* to establish my name as a brand of its own
* to have an interactive and earning blogsite
* to wear a two-piece swimsuit
* to win a Pulitzer and a Peabody awards
* to own an apartment in New York
* to spend Christmas and New Year holidays in NY
* to wed at the Vatican and be blessed by the Pope himself
* to spend Valentines with J in Paris
* to be a multilingual
* to learn how to bake
* to learn how to concoct drinks
* to learn how to cook adobo
* to own an original Louis Vuitton Damier Neverfull & Damier Speedy

I am hoping and praying that I’d accomplish most if not all of them.

Btw, this is a work in progress and will update it when I think of new ones.  : )

Loving Myself

I came across these in Facebook, grabbed them and posted them in my own wall and now I am sharing these with you.

A great reminder and mantra for myself.

also from the same fan page

grabbed from fan page Lessons Learned In Life

A Yearly Purchase

For the past couple or so years I had always took advantage of the annual sale of National Bookstore.  Every now and then, when I pass by an outlet, I would tell myself that I’d buy books when they are already on sale.

I dont get to read books as much as I used to for the last year.  I felt there were more things to attend to than reading.  Yes, I still have unread copies that I bought in the past year, a couple were lent to me by a friend but as always in this past year..I didnt have time.

Although I have to say that I finished two e-books in the past months.  They were The Wedding and The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks.  I happen to chance upon it while searching for free games to download in my phone actually and I was able to finish them because I read them while on line, waiting, and on my daily trips to and from the office.

Anyways so last Wednesday (fortunately the promo was extended!), I bought three books.  I still have a few titles in mind but Im considering my budget..but I super tempted to purchase more since I need to wait for a year again for the sale.  And because I intend to catch up on my reading.

just came across this book..said to be inspiring..plus i loved regina brett’s first book, God Never Blinks

read this book from Shervel’s blog, not yet a Mom but I am a Mama’s princess..

from one of my fave authors..released last year

Travel Diaries: My Bangkok Birthday Trip – Day 5

Perhaps because I slept early the night before and because I still needed to pack my things and ‘purchases’, I woke up early and rose immediately.

We took a bath and ate our breakfast.  After breakfast we got our things and left it at Caloy’s room so we could check-out.  We then went to the mall for the final last minute shopping.  At about noon we then went to the airport.  We took the Airport City Link once again.

Because the check-in counter was still closed we had our lunch after learning and confirming that there was no terminal fees to be paid.  We had a simple rice and breaded porkchop.

We ate and walked luxuriously thinking actually that we were still early.  Since  we still had money left that we saved for the terminal fee, we decided to buy chocolates at Duty Free.  While still choosing when we heard our flight’s last call!  We were literally running.  We were the last to check-in our boarding passes!

After five days and four nights in Bangkok ‘celebrating’ my birthday, I bid farewell to Amazing Thailand!

P.S.  I’ll defintely be back! : )

Travel Diaries: My Bangkok Birthday Trip – Day 4

We all woke up early for our whole day trip.  Though we would be going to only two in my list, we were all quite excited.

We were a group of a little over ten people.  There was also one Filipino couple.

We were picked-up at the hotel about seven in the morning.  After us, two couples were likewise picked-up.

We went straight to Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, about an hour away from the city.  We were brought to the terminal and from there we cruised the river going to the floating using a ‘bigger’ boat.  At the market, though, we needed to take a smaller boat since the passage was narrow.  But the additional cost was not part of the package.  We paid, if I remember correctly, 150Baht for each person.

The ride took about 20 minutes only, give and take, and depending whether you would haggle in every stop you take.  Candy&Jonnie bought some wall paintings for their new home while Caloy bought soup soup.

The second stop was where you can feed and ride the elephants.  Unfortunately, I wasnt able to do either.

Third stop the Cobra Show.  I wasnt fun as you all very know of snakes but I was willing to see the show..had the entrance fee been included in the ‘package’.  Seeming nothing interesting, we enjoyed ourselves posing for the camera.

The last stop in the morning was a factory of their wooden crafts.  Since we werent buying anything, we just relieved ourselves and sat their patiently waiting for the others.

We were all excited to the buffet lunch included in the package.  But it us a while to reach the venue.  When we got there we were a little disappointed with the limited choices in the menu and the taste of the food as well.  The lunch by the way was at the resto located at the Samphran Elephant Ground and Zoo.

Finally, the elephant and crocodile shows!  We still got excited with the shows.

And then I finally had my interaction with the elephants!!!

The last stop was the cultural show at the Rose Garden Riverside.  Here you’d get the learn the cultures of Thailand.

After the show we went back to the hotel.  After refreshing ourselves, we went to our ‘fave’ mall for some last minute shopping.  And dinner!

We were supposed to go out but I fell asleep.  Was really tired so it was only Caloy, Candy and Jonnie who went out for drinks.