fabulous.

Okay, so I dont understand anything about the lyrics except for some english parts, this is a Korean girl group performing in the Philippines, I was mesmerized. How cute! ^^

I'm Filipino but have no trouble understanding Mariah Carey singing to her songs or Taylor Swift or watching those english movies because most people here do speak and understand english very well, but now I get a chance to know what it's like to be Korean or Japanese or Thai listening to music I dont understand but still like it. I'm now liking many songs that are Korean and Japanese not caring for the lyrics or if they are in Hollywood all I care is when they are entertaining and good quality.

cheers to music, it bridges us across language barriers!

at eleven

so the things that clamour my head bugging me like a child for more sweets are the pictures I promised you about the lights and decors I awed at every night...apparently I still manage to go over my regular hours at work that the huge, decorated tree I was so infatuated with would turn its lights off at around 11 p.m. leaving me disappointed and still hoping for it to come alive even after I've known it's really, really OFF by eleven, you know they might just turn it up just this time because I have my camera with me... but no such miracle ever ocurred in two succeeding nights that I stood at its base, mesmerized at how plenty the handmade stars were on that tree. Well maybe by December they will extend its "lit" hours...and oh what's that? ... my head talking to itself... another HUGE decorated tree across the road, whoa! equally tall and marvelous! Equally disappointing me at eleven! I should really call the Mayor about these things affecting my being patriotic and all that promotion I'm giving my BIG city to the world! tsk. tsk. it's so wrong to disappoint a tax paying citizen! Anyway, the hubby goes by saying "you can take photos of the ribbon wrapped tree-trunks along the road." It's lit overnight and not a tree is spared...hmmn.. yeah...those sparkly christmas balls too, remember those? you can't pluck them out so easily, you have to uproot the whole tree to get one! Plus, the police keeps a roving night patrol, so no luck on that either.

I have to maximize my time out everynight, that's the only time I breathe in natural air... as you know my life is tied to a project in India that just wont give me a bit of space to see the sun shine and do my rounds at the mall, I really need new shoes now. It's AC air day in and day out...*sigh* You know how thick my make-up is in the morning? ^^ It's enough to last the whole day so I don't need to re-touch! That's how tough the "battle field is" you have to wear long lasting make-up. Our Design Manager had just gotten a Doctor's certificate advising him to take a leave of absence for 2-3 weeks...he's got heart palpitations, yup! the project is winning us over...I mean winning over us! One by one our white flags are up in surrender, YOU WIN. My knees are bruised in prayer...please take your airport out of our hands because you don't like us anyway. I'm so looking forward to the day when we can all look back and laugh at this... haha. when.when.when. I try looking back ever so often, I don't want to miss the moment when the laughing starts! But for the instances that I turned around to see... we weren't laughing still.
Anyway, pay tribute to my efforts and the nights I spent missing the happily lit Christmas tree. I advise you to visit INDIA, once that beautiful new airport is built, I want you to run your palms to every glass window and metal claddings you see and be reminded of the person who whines about it on your shoulders almost everyday and that you gave comfort.

loud.

...and in between work I gather my thoughts on things I could write about, I'm full of thoughts that hasn't been written in those times that I drowned myself with work...If you happen to want to visit India next year and land on the New Delhi International Airport, (Indira Gandhi International Airport) just think of the times I missed writing my life out! I swear this beautiful project wants to kill me by taking most of my time in a day just trying to make every square and lines, right. *sigh* It is trying to put me down and is winning actually...It's a very jealous project, it wont make me do grocery, laundry and quality time with the hubby. I'm stucked with a beautiful project that wont let me breathe, it even comes into my dream at night...India, i love you! You will get your airport on time and we wont charge you with our medical bills, stay put and relax! i love curry and the Taj Majal.
ack! I need a Paramore music to get me going, I need those loud, loud, loudness! Where's my metallica, I'm sure to have it somewhere! I'm dead tired. I aged in 2 weeks that I'm with the project! haha... yup, just two weeks and it's enough to make me want to re-think my life choices and career path! I love you, I hate you and I love you over again... but oftentimes, it's just hating the schedule but loving the project. Time is so cruel, why wont it drag itself when you need more of it?! I have "NEW MOON" to watch tomorrow at a semi-private theater where it is cozy and only 30-50 people are to watch... where are my tickets!!!! I don't have them yet and the premiere is tomorrow, my life is officially not happening for me at the moment...I'm running on auto-pilot mode again. Not thinking, just doing. I'm here but I'm really gone. I don't even know what the city looks like when there's still sun, I come to work in a sweater and slippers! No one cares, no one sees me anymore...but the good thing is: The GIANT Christmas tree down the road has been lit and I have it all to myself to enjoy, being out at the wee hours! No one else is there to stare up at it like it's the first time I've seen a decorated tree! It's a tree full of little colorful stars and a choir of angels at the bottom... it's Christmas! darn it, I don't have my camera with me but I will take photos for you, promise! ... and I wont, wont fail to mention that when you walk around, all tree trunks are wrapped in green and red ribbon. Big trees, small trees they are all wrapped-and I mean FULLY wrapped at the trunk while sparkly gold ribbons with shiny red and gold christmas balls droop on their branches. It's magical, it's like an enchanted forest when you walk into a section of landscaped trees and the Christmas balls where like teasing you to pluck them out! I don't know if others think of it that way, but I do want to pluck them out, it's too cute!

I'll let you know if I have any success plucking one out without getting arrested.

happy-nings

I've been out of the circuit for like god knows when and I haven't written anything in those times...sigh...yes, it's work. That's all I do with my time if I'm not blogging I'm at work!

Anyway, here's some good news...though I had missed it, The Katy Perry - "all for charity" concert, I still wanna share with you what this lovely lady and the band "Journey" did for my countrymen...(sounding very patriotic...eherm...) They did a concert with their entire net profit going to the Philippine National Red Cross for the typhoon victims! Brilliant, she is such a sweetheart, I never thought she'd care like that...knowing that she has that "diva-ish" flair about her in Hollywood, but she did and it was a hush.hush. she didn't gave that much interview about what she did and just showed up in a very dressed-down, ready to get to work attitude! But who can escape the press when you're someone like Katy Perry, so at least she got to promote the concert she was doing for charity by having that kind of exposure at the relief centers, where she handed down some supplies for the people. I like HERRRRR!^^ That's so nice of her...and after the concert she went clubbing and my friends were there to party with her while I....with my stupid schedule, was at WORK.

here are some clips:



^^ Thanks for dropping by, I swear I missed you!

xoxo
Sassy.

love.love.love

It's getting nearer and nearer!We used to think we'd have enough time to plan and look at options but now it's more like a rush... what are we going to do on our FIRST year anniversary!!! weeeeeeeeeeeee! Time flies sooo fast that we are turning one year! very happy and exciting! Actually, it's still this December but we've been looking forward to this since the day after we got married! haha... I guess the whole experience of planning and the gathering of people closest to us made us want more of this kind of event to happen. We'd be so glad to get married each year!^^ We could marry in so many ways here in the Philippines, having many tribes and traditions to follow, we could just get adopted in those tribes and be married in their rites, that'd be cool...or seriously speaking, we can have a Baptist ceremony too, Ramil my husband is a Baptist but we got married in Catholic ceremony 'cuz I am one. Anyway, that topic could make a whole new post so, I'd just stick to YES, we can plan a Bapist wedding too,right? He got so excited when I mentioned that we can actually do that!^^ Among traveling, spa resorts and party with friends, that is one of our choices on WHAT TO DO ON YOUR FIRST YEAR ANNIVERSARY?!

Anyway, you'll find out what we decide upon soon!

Sharing you some photos from our last years before the wedding!...at a theme park of course!













Happy Weekend Everyone!!!

xoxo
Sassy.

halloween newbie

We don't celebrate Halloween ever! I mean never as of yet. I don't call a few isolated celebrations to be a real Halloween season...but we're getting there, don't worry kids we will have Halloween within your lifetime!^^ What we have is "Todos Los Santos" or All Saints Day on Nov. 1 and All Souls Day on Nov. 2, where people spend time going to cemeteries, lighting candles, and bringing flowers for our beloved dead, usually just a quiet time for prayer and family reunion. I don't have anything against these things that I wanted to have a halloween ball or anything loud and rid of the solemn tradition, but what I want is to make these holidays less SPOOKY. It's a holiday for our beloved dead and not for the evil things that lurk in the dark or the paranormal things that give me chills. Maybe a "Halloween Party" could at least make the celebration light and less scary... even if the whole idea of Halloween is to scare, the stillness and smell of burning wax- from the candles scare me more ...and you can add the tales of ghosts and the unseen forces being told on TV documentaries! great. I now feel very uncomfortable, I don't like the dark and scary stuff, BUT maybe... if there'll be a hundred Edward Cullens out there in the dark and I'm Bella, I'd be happy to have Halloween all year round! har.har.har.

====
'Good thing, it's beginning...the whole Halloween Trick or Treat-ing is happening, little by little we will have our kids be doing this, instead of being outrightly spooked without the drama... at least they will be observing the old tradition while adopting a new one and wont be treating these holidays as "plain" scary as I do!

====
Anyway, here are some photos of my hubby's FIRST Halloween ever! Lucky him, he went to the US just in time for the Halloween last two-oh-oh-seven (2007!) yikes. Oh sshh... no one's too old for Halloween! I'm so jealous!






boo!
Sassy.

BIG wedding that I was not in.

So how is this related to my daily life being able to watch a wedding on the news yesterday...hmmnn...well it was said to be the wedding of the year as it befits royalty. A wedding between a senator and a tv journalist/news anchor. I don't know if it's really the wedding I want if I were a celebrity or royalty at all...you know the BIG crowd, the non stop flashing of cameras, shrieking fans, I don't know if I'd ever fit into that scene anyway, I'd be a total obsessive-compulsive mess! But there they are radiant, smiling, teary-eyed and owning the moment as if nothing else matters than meeting eye to eye down the longest aisle I've ever seen (so far) at the Santo Domingo Church. The theme was classic Filipino where the ladies wore traditional "Filipiniana" (Fi-li-pin-ya-na) dresses with butterfly sleeves and the men wore Barong Tagalogs, an embroidered, off-white, long-sleeved-collared shirt made of weaved pineapple fibers. Classic, very elegant and now I wished my wedding was Filipino themed...arrgghhh...it seemed so posh.

old picture of women in Filipiniana and men in Barong

Korina Sanchez is the bride and Senator Mar Roxas is the groom...hmmnn...now if you can remember me doing a post about Mar Roxas he is the supposed to be presidential candidate that gave way for a much popular candidate who is Noynoy Aquino...what's interesting is Noynoy Aquino is Korina's ex-boyfriend whom they made into a godfather in the wedding...haha...Noynoy is not even that old and is single. ^^

oh well... their fates are intertwined in so many, many ways you can read them in my older post.

here's the wedding on the news:

PS. I just learned that her florist was the same with the florist of my friend who wed in my last post. ^^

xoxo
Sassy loves weddings.

age of consequence

You know, when it's not better it's good. We don't want to think the worst though it is the worst this morning ever to hit the northern provinces of the Philippines. It's not over yet, Parma the typhoon that went away came back to stay for days...that's so weird for a typhoon to do but yes it did happen and it wanted to sweep off whatever is on its path very "thoroughly" leaving more than the damages Typhoon Ketsana caused. Yup, our miracle was short lived, but people are not losing hope. God is with us in this most difficult times, as people have not lost initiative in helping each other.

Manila and the nearby provinces are recovering good, it's the Northern Provinces this time that's been badly damaged and is submerged in deep, murky waters. WE ARE ONCE AGAIN APPEALING for your PRAYERS. That there'll be no more casualties adding up to statistics, we have accepted our fate that properties and land doesn't belong to us but borrowed from nature. Everyone is accountable for mother nature's wrath, small island countries like ours are the most vulnerable to Earth's abnormal rising of water levels brought about by too much heat in the atmosphere.

This isn't a WARNING...

"We are at the age of consequence"

===
Some beautiful photos of Philippines' Provinces of the North.

Ilocos Norte

Ilocos Norte

Laoag, Ilocos Norte

Baguio (Bag-yo)

Baguio
Pangasinan (Pan-ga-si-nan)
Pangasinan
Baguio
Vigan, Ilocos Norte
Banaue Rice Terraces (Ba-na-we)

We don't want all these to perish with bad, crazy weathers.

'Love each other, plant more trees!

xoxo,

Sassy.

=============================

mabuhay

the small city we left for the BIG one.

We're up north once again to the BIG city where my husband and I created a life away from everything we knew, grew up with and fond of. Everything is just the way we expected, busy streets, ongoing traffic, gigantic billboards, the buzz of a busy CITY life, 24-hours non stop.

WE arrived yesterday to a happy warm weather at 10:16 am exactly as the Pilot says we'd land. How convenient, 45 minutes of flight from my province to Manila. You know we used to take an overnight travel by bus for almost 13 hours with just two 20 minute break to stretch and eat at stop overs, we like the old fashioned way of coming and going by the BUS... but! that was when we were 'younger' - energetic and crazy for long road trips, especially when sitting side by side and cuddling all throughout the 13-hour ride not feeling any bigger hassle than just lining up for the comfort rooms. Well, at 28 we are past that phase if there's an easier way to anything, we'd be using that regardless how much we pay for comfort! Indeed it was worth it, I felt super nothing like when we take the bus that I felt like I had a 12-round boxing match with Pacquiao the next day, we even went to work minutes after we arrived! ... ^^ haha well...Sorry if I'm sounding like a person from Mars who hasn't heard of the Wright Brothers ever inventing this bulky, winged vehicle that flies. Actually, it's not my first time to travel by air, I've been to some parts of the world and back aboard the biggest aircraft there is... but my experience of leaving my hometown to the BIG city that took only 45 minutes by flight means a lot to me more than any of those other flights I took...it means that I am just that close to my roots and that I didn't get emotional of leaving the neighborhood I grew up with compared to how I'd be able to think and wallow for the rest of the 13 hour ride...the quick flight wont even let me gather my thoughts! It was too fast of a ride that I'm still beaming with happiness as my parents drove us to the airport and kissed us both goodbye and 'till we meet again.^^

A reckoning, that we must take this fast flight off the soil that makes us weaker ... maybe not weaker but SOFTER. You know, it's a different world out here in the BIG city.

Snapshots: Tokyo - Part 1

----------
Photos that haven't seen the light of day since 2006!^^
Location: Tokyo, Japan

a day in the life of me.

So there I was in my most unflattering look for the site...literally clothed not "dressed" like a guy...I cannot be in my posh-iest outfit as you know being in a construction site is not the most glamorous thing! BUT, after this "technical" stuff, we will all go back to this same site for viewing in business outfits as if this never happened!

a gloomy rainy day to make things become a bigger challenge...mud on my shoes, mud on my shirt...err, *hubby's* shirt, and mud on my pants...
my boss and I,discussing numbers and halves of numbers, the panels were perfectly aligned at this stage, bravo! ... I'm still wondering at that time how I was able to climb up the scaffolding when it's slippery and I'm too coward for heights!
with my team mate doing some affirmations...he's a good guy, easy to work with, never complains and talks in a low-soft voice, who wouldn't like that! He never argues with me!^^

view of the unfinished product! It's a mock-up of what the actual facade of the building will look like.
some notes from the big boss!

...AND wrap up! Bring on the next day! :)

let's recharge!

Isn't this FUN??? I wanna go jump around the corridors of my apartment, waving my arms and singing after this video.

happy!

Hobby project 001: DONE!

I made bookmarks for my friends and gave it to them yesterday. I had fun making them and they were thrilled to receive it as presents! (it's just because, for no occasion.)^^ I named each after their names and color "coordinated" them with their personalities!

Here they are:


CHERYL

CHERYL

IRISH

IRISH

FLORDELIZA

FLORDELIZA

politics 2010

Election fever for 2010 is revving up! How odd are these scenarios, it seem to have happened before ... in history, NOT! the election itself as it happens every 6 years since 1986. I'm referring to Manuel "Mar" Roxas II , a senator who opted to decline from the Presidential race to give way to his fellow party aspirant Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III , also a senator adhering to the "call of the masses". I know, Noynoy is still in some sort of a religious retreat, asking for guidance and confidence through fervent prayer as being the strongest, possible standard bearer for the Liberal Party and if he wins, Presidency is a much daunting task.

He needs that discernment to decide whether to run or not, as this opportunity is being brought to him through people's initiative. Signature campaigns are being held in support of him, he is the "people's" choice for a candidate. If he lack funds, he need not worry ... a large blue bin is brought in front of his home where people drop their "love" letters, some with small bag of coins. Whatever amount is donated, it is a "GIFT" for his campaign to push through whenever he's decided to run.

Campaign all over the Philippines is estimated to reach 1 Billion pesos, people are willing to help if Noynoy doesn't have enough ... who has 1 Billion pesos anyway?!!! Oh I know one ... ^^ another Presidentiable, who has invested loads of cash for infomercials which air on TV for months now, he is the self-made man/senator Manuel "Manny" Villar Jr. who wont stop at nothing, he has an outstanding background in business and is a viable candidate too. However, having spent Millions of pesos for his media promotions, somehow intimidates the viewers *slash* the voting public rather than impressing them. It is quite "scary" to realize that he has spent Millions already when the campaign period hasn't started yet! It might be sending the wrong message that he "desperately" wants the POWER rather than being a true public SERVANT.

Anyway, no one knows what drives someone to RUN for the Presidency, it's the WEIGHT of the whole nation on your shoulders!!! From the Country's loan to the World Bank down to the earnings of the common Filipino is YOUR problem. I don't need to become a President or a Politician to help my country, but yes! we do need a leader. A good one. One that will LEAD the country with a clean conscience. I do believe that those whom the people entrusted their votes to are really the good and deserving ones, but we JUST don't know what goes on while being seated at the Congress or the Senate or at the Palace that eventually, you'll notice that some will purely enjoy basking into POWER's will. POWER, it deceives without control.

Now, where is the odd part between Mar Roxas and Noynoy Aquino?

Aaahh...Mar Roxas is the son of a former senator who also poised for the Presidency in the 70's but gave way to the more popular and highly publicized Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. for his attacks on the tyrannies of the government then, he is the father of Noynoy.

So you see? How history repeated itself not only in Political moves but also for the people involved. They were the sons of the men who's done this decision before. But hopefully now, this decision will succeed, as the election of the 70's that supposedly put Noynoy's father into Presidency did not happen. He was assassinated before he could see Democracy again.

On a "light" note, these two men (the sons) have one common denominator... TV news anchor/broadcast journalist, Korina Sanchez. She is now the fiance of Mar Roxas but was a girlfriend of Noynoy Aquino in early 2000. ^^

Well, it's all in the twist of fate. Who knew that these guys would one day be up against each other for the Presidency, Noynoy was never in the surveys, he was never planning to become a Presidential candidate in 2010, he rose into fame when his mother, the Democracy icon Cory Aquino passed away that people has "zoomed" in, into the role of the Aquino family over the years in Philippine History. It's not hard to believe that he could be the next President or that we could rely on him, as his records in public service is straight and speaks for itself, but he must find the VOICE... he must be willing to accept the challenge as "fate" has already intervened in the whole process. Anyway, there's no rush... he has 8 mos. to decide! ^^

haha. 8 mos.

ladida...

I wore my "classy-fab" new blouse today at work, paired it with wicked RED pointy heels! WICKED!!! 'Hope I could have new outfits everyday and feel grand!^^ I don't want to go through my closet anymore and wear same old, same old stuff... like the ones I've been wearing for years! I need wardrobe overhaul ... seriously needing one! Like I don't want to wear an outfit TWICE!


brat.


deluded brat.

crafty *cookie*

That's what my friends call me now. Every weekend I come up with something to bring to the office, "preferrably" edible! It started just 2 weeks ago that I made waffles (darn! I didn't take pictures ... nevermind, it was not gourmet anyway, it had burns and fringed edges, as the waffles were over done!) ^^ heck, I'm a newbie at waffles. Remember the Polvoron? That too was a project for my office buds, it tasted perfect but the wrapping was NOT even CLOSE to how it's supposed to look like. A polvoron is wrapped in a certain way but I can't manage to do the same (I'm a newbie at Polvoron too!) we laughed it off, "nevermind the wrapping!!! " ... And so again, I'm gonna do "maja blanca"... a dessert made of milk, cornstarch, some coco milk and corn kernels...I'm a "newbie" too at this and haven't tried making one my whole life, but since this is one of my favorite desserts in the world, I'm gonna be brave and learn how to do it. (We have life insurances, don't worry!!!)

BUT...not so soon! I'm still tied up with this "crocheting" project I was on...Actually, I'm just learning how it's done but I bought lots of yarn in different colors already! ^^ I later realized that I don't need that many colors! It takes longer rounds to shift on another color when I want to! Unless, I'm making a "rainbow pattern" that I could change color on every row of chain!!! ^^ oh well, the typical me, always wanting to get advanced at something, always wanting to get ahead at something ... that I'm too excited to even start at the bottom!!! :P baaaadddd...I have too many crafts in hand right now, that my travel scrap book is not even moving a page for a year and I've already been to 2 countries! That's how bad my focus is at doing crafts! I shift and shift to my heart's content because I find every crafting project enjoyable! I don't even care if the results of my "crafty" hands aren't the same as the sample photos, I consider my own output as a craft with my own "twist" to it! ^^ yeah, that's what it is! A craft with a "twist".

Anyway, I'm new to being a wife, I didn't know that this new role will instinctively put me into crocheting and cooking! ... All I ever know is to shop for whenever I need something, I don't have to actually make it myself! But this time, little by little I know my life is being updated to a "new" version. A version of calmness, patience, of pastels and sweet smiles...'Hopefully more kindness and charm...

...and maturity. ^^

your favorite season begins here first!

Time flies is such a cliche. I've heard my first Christmas song today on my way to work. For the season...season? oh well, we love to go over the top on everything around here, that we have the longest Christmas season ever! Starts from the beginning of the -ber months, September and runs up to February the next year! Ain't that long?!!! ...and Grand! We love Christmas, that's why. Little by little Christmas decorations will be put up on the streets, tiny golden lights that blink in sync around shrubs and trees, huge, colorful "Parols" (colorful lanterns) hanging on every lamp post and the malls, yeah the MALLS will be filled with the season's festive mood, SALE!SALE!SALE! is in the air! ^^

yay!

There'd been hints of "Christmas" as of last night, when we came around a steaming "Puto Bumbong" while strolling the busy streets of Pasig, we noticed a whistling sound and realized that it's Puto Bumbong!!! Purple sticky rice, stuffed in a bamboo shoot to steam... when done, the "puto bumbong" is shaken off the bamboo shoot and is topped with shredded young coconut and sugar, folded into a banana leaf for wrapping...mmmnn... yummy!!! Husband asked me if I want some but I said "NO!" We're breaking traditions here! This is too early for Puto Bumbong, they can't be making Puto Bumbong just yet, but there they are already making some and it's just August 31 yesterday! phew! I guess some people are little too excited than me! I still refused to have some, it's meant to be eaten by December especially after the "Simbang Gabi" ... (nine nights/dawn of novena prayers for your Christmas wishes), it's one of those traditions that I grew up with, but if others want to have them as early as September they're NOT breaking the law, it's just the whole wonderful meaning and memory attached to it that's being broken! You can't give away Christmas cards in March, that's what it's like... and I'm just a sentimental fool, that's why!!! ^^

Anyway, we do so many things about this season that's why we have it as soon as the -ber months come. We just love festivities! We just love making reasons to gather and eat! To bring out the lights and outdo our neighbors with the grandest decors! haha...

So,The season have started from where I am and you're certainly invited to join! ^^

Traditional Parol made of bamboo sticks and colorful paper

A modern, parol with programmed lights made of Capiz Shells and wire

Puto Bumbong (is prepared only within the Christmas Season)

Simbang Gabi, (nine nights/dawn of novena mass, Dec.16-Dec.24)

P.S.
Not to worry, we still have time to celebrate Holloween in between all of these!!!