Day 5 : Morning Sky

taken on the streets of Ginza, Tokyo

a christmas song like no other

everyone who knows me well, knows that Christmas songs don't actually give me the fuzzies.

i don't like them. except for a few that bring childhood memories when my dad would play tagalog songs early in the morning in time for the simbang gabi.

other songs i could care less.

this song, however, i find nice. really nice.
it's short, hopeful, meaningful and direct in a very catchy and not so christmassy melody. enjoy!

Maybe This Christmas - Rex Sexsmith

Day 4 : Leaves

last few days of autumn...

took this while on board the Mark Twain Riverboat Cruise at Tokyo Disneyland 

an open letter to love

dear love,

i miss you.

really, i do. it's been a long time since i've had you. don't you think it's about time you come to my life again?

i miss the cheesiness, the conversations, the joy and the complications you bring.

really. all the good and the bad that comes with having you in my life pales in comparison to not having you in it.

i have so much of you to give. more than enough to go around family and friends. i have plenty.

anyway, today is my birthday. i just thought i'd write you so you won't forget about me.
i'm not losing hope.  not just yet.

love, me :)

because it's my birthday

i got to wear a cute hat in the happiest place on earth :)

Tokyo Disneyland

Day 3 : Happiness

is uninterrupted online stream of the Philippine Azkals vs David Beckham's LA Galaxy while munching on some Nori :)

tokyo foodies

if there's one thing that i really really love in tokyo, it's the food. everything is oh so yum! here are a few photos i've managed to take before eating. enjoy!

** click on each photo for a better view

Sizzling seafood (scallops, squid, salmon and whelk)

sashimi platter

grilled tiger prawns

grilled squid tentacles

shabu-shabu

ramen

tendon

chocolate coated bananas

salisbury steak

edamame

okonomiyaki

egg soba

 i will try to take more pictures...if i can stop myself from eating them right away! hahahaha!

* burp *

Day 2 : Smile

birthdays away from home need not be sad...
i started my bday way too early this year..in the company of newfound friends, good food and a whole lot of shochu :)

Day 1 : Favorite Food

in all the places i've been to, no matter how much i loved and gushed over how good the food is, i always find myself craving for my mom's adobo.

zoom in on gratitude: 30 day photo challenge

so i got inspired by my dear friend sammy to embark on a 30day photo challenge.
what better way to end the year than a month filled with gratitude in time for the coming year :)

wish me luck!

hello kitty uggs

whoever said that ugg boots are ugly obviously did not see this...

now my feet can stay warm in style :)

on out of office auto-replies

this might be ironic since i just posted my happiness entry for the day but i need to rant...for just a bit.

dear email sender,

i'm currently in Tokyo for a project. my out of office reply specifically says, that i may not be able to reply to your emails and for urgent issues, you may reply to the rest of the team in Manila.

so, it won't help even  if you send an email needing for me to reply ASAP. and there is NO POINT for you to escalate since i AM NOT REQUIRED to attend to your every need.

out of office auto replies are meant to inform you that. read it. understand it.

kapish?

happiness is...

a good night's sleep. woohoo! finally!

slept at 10 and woke up at 6.

i now can tell the difference. i was uber energized the whole day :)

happiness is...

purefoods corned beef straight from the asian deli just across the office :)

happiness is...

blessings, albeit small and simple, are never trivial.

so, i'm gonna start with my happiness entries. because no matter how crappy and shitty my day is, there's always something that made me smile.

today, happiness is...

finding an asian store just across the office where there's lucky me pancit canton, purefoods corned beef and mama sita's afritada mix!

now i won't miss home cooked pinoy meals while i'm here in Tokyo. :)

it's been two months

and today is the first time i thought about him.

i miss him. i still miss him.

just when i thought i was doing better. too much for baby steps huh?

trick or treat 2011

for my nephew's first trick or treat, he came as tarzan...

last year, he was a scarecrow...

this year, he owned Jack Sparrow

my sister is genius. he made all of miguel's costumes! amazing  huh?

too bad i missed it though...

my first sakura sighting

it's the beginning of winter and sakura blossom usually in spring.

today, however, as we went inside the The Imperial Palace grounds, we were fortunate enough to see 2 sakura trees in bloom.

i almost died :)

must. learn. nihonggo. soon.

i love love love japanese food (my url isn't stoicsushi for nothing).  imagine my excitement and anticipation when i learned that i was gonna be assigned here in Tokyo for a couple of months! 

sushi. fresh, succulent melts in your mouth sushi.

ramen. rich, hearty. the kind that makes all booboos go away.

it's been a week and i have to say, everything i've eaten were all oh-so-yummy!

however, ordering them is a task. a long, frustrating yet funny task.

so, i shall learn the language. at least the more important ones. read -the ones that can help me order the food in the menu! hahahaha!

oh tokyo, you are one cool city. 

i can't wait to be friends with you :)

happiest birthday for my bestest friend ever

this is it! of all the pivotal events in your life, this, by far is the one i will never ever forget. it took all my energy not to shriek when you told me the good news.

you are going to have your happily ever after.

more than the bling, it's the thought that you are soon to say i do that gives me the chills.
you have found the one.

as shrek is to fiona and prince charming is to cinderella, you have found the one.

“Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can't-live-without-each-other love.” 

good things indeed come to those who wait. i am happy.

i love you. happy birthday :)

moshi moshi

so my trip to tokyo finally pushed through.

for the next 2 months, i will be eating all the sushi and ramen i could get hold of.

i'm excited.

the apartment is cozy. very cozy.

oh, and the tub almost gave me a heart attack! hello claustrophobia :D

but i'm not complaining.

i. love. my. job.

Fried brains anyone?

It's monday and my brain refuses to send signals for the rest of my body to function. Well, except for my fingers who are too stubborn to tweet and blog and update FB! Hahahha!

and so somebody kissed me

and i don't even know his name. hahahaha!

i was too drunk to even remember how he looked like! all i know is i was having the time of my life.

happy birthday to my dear friend nishy. your party was the bomb.

ps. it was more like lil pecks on the cheek. baka may kanin ako sa pisngi hahahha!

deleted

for the nth time, i decided to let himhim go. while i may have tried and failed several times in the past, i know i SHOULD  try again one last time.

last night, as i was on FB, i saw him. read his updates. lurked at his page.

and then it hit me. i felt like a friggin' teenage stalker. yaiks!

so i did what a normally sane, composed adult would do. i deleted him. 

one single click and he's gone. at least in all my social media.

the madness had to stop. 

baby steps. little tiny baby steps. makakarating din ako.

well rested

my sleeping habits are usually normal after a long trip abroad.  usual being 2 days of falling asleep long before the  late night news ends (or starts).

it's been 5 days. except for one night where i had to go to a wake, i've been sleeping like a baby. FOR 8 STRAIGHT HOURS! can i say i wanna jump and scream?

so, i won't break the spell. imma sleep early tonight.

could it be that all those tricks i did in Joburg are finally taking effect???

and so my wacka wacka journey ends

it's true what they say...there's no place like home..

in a few hours i shall bid Johannesburg a bittersweet farewell.....my home for the last 3 months.

i say bittersweet because i can't wait to go back to manila but at the same time, i know i will terribly miss the friends i've made while i'm here. South Afrikaans are wonderful people. gracious and polite and ever so friendly.

i wouldn't mind going back as i know there's still so much to see. more people to meet. a lot of things to explore.

so long Johannesburg. i will miss you. i can say i've grown and for that, i am thankful.

to all the shiny happy people i've met, maraming maraming salamat. my stay here was made extra special because you guys are around.

see you next year :)

last 2 nights in Joburg

I

CAN'T

WAIT

to the EX..ulit

seeing you still with her after all these years brought a smile on my face...

our break-up was not in vain.

you ended up happy and gotten your act together.

i'm proud of you. really.

mas maganda man ako sa kanya, masaya naman siya sa yo.

she had her happy ending and at the end of the day, that's what matters :)

to the EX

to the one who broke my heart,  the reason i've become the jaded person i am today, i'm happy to see that you are happy.

really.

PERO mas maganda pa rin ako sa kanya!

oh hindi ako bitter, honest lang.

but seriously, i'm glad you look happy.

5 days to go

so my trip to KL  got cancelled.

which means i will officially be home on the 21st.

I. CAN'T. WAIT.

5 days til...

...i see my family

...i eat my mom's adobo and sinigang

...manang takes over my laundry

5 days til i'm home.

6 days left in Johannesburg

   

and i have packed most of my stuff.

really.

bought my pasalubongs weeks ahead so i'm done shopping.

excited much?

crazy as a schedule can be

so i'm leaving joburg on the 20th.
will arrive in manila on the noon of the 21st.

and then i'm off to KL for another project on the 22nd for a few days.

which means i'll be officially home on the 26th!

woot woot!

heaven in a bottle

Lovoka

seriously. it is.
haven't tried the chocolate but the caramel is oh so yum!

one of the best that South Africa has to offer.

unconventionally moisturized

it's a known fact. winter doesn't do one's skin any good. AT ALL!

since my entire stay in Johannesburg will be the whole duration of winter, i had to find the perfect moisturizer. the regular ones just don't work.

vaseline aloe fresh hydrating was the best i could find.

or so i thought.

i read somewhere that it's good to use hair conditioner when shaving legs. i tried it and voila! it was perfect!
not only were my legs hairless, they were shiny and soft and smooth! without having to put on lotion.

so tonight, i thought why not use it all over while in the shower.

was i a happy camper. now i have skin as soft as a baby's bottom. who knew right? thestepfordwitch will be proud hehehe!

freedom day

today marks the time i stop to care. i'm done. and i'm so glad it finally came.


funny thing is, i actually feel a sense of freedom. 


i've been cooped up in a world where a day starts and ends with all the stress of thinking about him.  
all the what ifs, could've beens and all the drama that IS him.


or i could have been in an uber long bangunot that i just had to wake up.


just like that. 


and as nightmares go, the bad things just stopped the moment i opened my eyes.


just like that. 


i am back. with a smile on my face. 


salamat universe.

chasing pavements

I've made up my mind,
Don't need to think it over
If I'm wrong, I am right
Don't need to look no further,
This ain't lust, I know this is love

But, if I tell the world I'll never say enough
'cause it was not said to you
And that's exactly what I need to do If I end up with you

Should I give up,
Or should I just keep chasin' pavements?
Even if it leads nowhere
Or would it be a waste
Even if I knew my place
Should I leave it there

an email for myself

almost 3 years ago, when my bestfriend was having one of "those days", i sent her this email. 

now, i'm borrowing it and sending to myself. because yes, i need it. badly.

"we are works of art. we are not done yet.

we still have to undergo pains but when we're done, we will be priceless and fab.

da vinci did not finish the mona lisa in one day.

i believe we will have our time. you and i.

it would be a complete and utter disgust to the whole humankind kung hindi.
darating din yun.
darating din sya.
in the meantime,
we have beaches to conquer, wines to drink, boys to have fun with and uber fab friends who will pick us up or untog our ulo when we get lost."

minor setback and a bounce

i had the worst blues attack last week. i mean yuck! lasted for 3 days which was even more yuck.

but it's over. i've managed to shake it off. i'm sorta back to "normal".

in less than a month, i will be going back to manila. familiar place. familiar people. home.

===

in other news, my boss in manila called yesterday to tell me that another team is poaching me. she didn'nt want me to move but said that it's a step up in the corporate ladder and that she wanted me to know my options. and since she put it that way, i said yes to the move. with the promise to transition until a suitable replacement for my current post is identified.

so there, effective Aug. 1, i shall leave the umbrella of the boss i've loved for 5 yrs. it's bittersweet since she's the one who gave me a break. she's my mentor and i love her dearly. but that's life. you just gotta roll with it.

and hell imma rolling :)

the man who changed South Africa

Nelson Mandela Square

ok, so it's really not him. but still :)

ps. i wanna visit the apartheid museum before i leave.

meow

the other side of the bed

i'm one of those people who find comfort in sleeping alone. at least most of the time. and why won't i? all the pillows are mine. no one snores. and there's more room to move.

but then there are nights when i long to have someone on that side of the bed.

a friend once told me, you shouldn't take both sides of the bed, otherwise no one will share it with you.

well i haven't been using that side of the bed for a FRIGGIN LONG TIME.  too long that i found a dent on my side! so now i wanna sleep on that other side because the cushion is much softer and nicer!

which made me think. if that side was meant for whoever he is, and now that i wanna take his side...will he take my old side of the bed or insist on taking what was originally his? hahaha!

i'm not making sense. so what. i'm alone in my room. on a beautiful sunday afternoon. with nothing else to do but blab! so there, that's my bitching for this week.

song in my head. thoughts in my mind.

So I won't let you close enough to hurt me
No, I won't ask you, you to just desert me
I can't give you, what you think you give me
It's time to say goodbye to turning tables
To turning tables



Turning Tables lyrics

distance

that's what we have.

it would be better if its about miles.

but it isn't.

that's what makes it sad. really sad.  

because it's too cold to go out...

we brought the bar in my room...cheers!

daddy's little girl (repost)

Five years ago, i wrote this for my dad on his birthday. 

I'm reposting this now because nothing has changed.  He remains to be the best father, my first love.

Happy Father's Day Papa.

May God continue to bless us with your gift of life, laughter and love in the years to come.

=======

i never thought that writing about my dad would be this difficult! i have so much to say and yet i couldn't find the right words.

i always get emotional whenever i talk about him and today is no exception. i am after all his little girl. being the eldest of 3, when i was young, papa would always tell me that i was his first love. and indeed i was. he just didn't know he was mine as well.

papa tells the funniest jokes. his stories and pranks bring sunshine on every one in the room with him and just makes everybody's day.

papa has the most caring hands. when one of us is sick, he is the first person to get up and look after us. he would stay by our bedside and wouldn't sleep until he knows we're feeling better.

papa has the gentlest voice. his words never failed to soothe and give us comfort especially when we were at our lowest. his sensitivity is a gift as he always knows when to say the right words

papa has the most beautiful soul i've ever come across. he doesn't see the bad but sees the good in people and things. he has the biggest heart, his love is unconditional. he gives without expecting any in return.

papa has the simplest of joys and each time something nice comes along he is always grateful.

i wish i could be even half the person he is.

all that i am now, i owe to him. he is a blessing. he is an angel. he's my inspiration. he is my friend and he is the best father in the world.

i may not always say it but i know he knows that i love him.

happy father's papa!