must. bring. bigger. luggage

i have just finished packing and surprise, surprise! i bought too many stuff that my luggage is stuffed. i had to literally sit on it just to zip it.

now, did they all fit? of course not. i have two extra bags excluding my laptop and purse. so tomorrow, imma have to charm my way at the airport. la la la!

my job here is done. i did what i came here to do. there's a chance that i might come back this Feb but that all depends if this other trip doesn't push through.

thank you Korea, you have been nice.

lost soul in seoul

it was bound to happen. i'm never good at directions. ask any of my friends and they'll agree. heck, i can even get lost inside an effin mall for crying out loud.

i woke up late thanks to Obama's inauguration hahaha! by the time i was ready, everybody else have already left that i was forced to fend for myself.

so i walked. and walked. across the streets. into the subway. out of the subway and onto the streets again. only to find out that i exited on the wrong side. surprise surprise!

not only was i late but i had to retrace my steps before i reached the office.

that being said however, i still am proud! i got to work. on foot. in the middle of winter. in Korea. by myself.

on blessings and simple joys

it's not even the end of the first month of the new year and blessings have come from left and right.

first off, i now own a house. well at least the title is in my name. my aunt sold it to us and immediately transferred the title even if the payment isn't full yet.

then there's this trip here in Korea where i got to taste my very first snowflake. really. i woke up friday to the most beautiful thing i've seen and the walk towards the office was the best walk ever. it was like magic.

next, i got a raise. not even a year in this team and my boss saw it fit to give me a raise. oh and an awesome performance bonus to boot. yeeha!

and then there's this possible trip somewhere far which my boss told me about a couple of days ago. it isn't super sure yet but i am excited.

life is good. even if it throws us back sometimes, it still has a way of makin it all better.

finally i can breathe

today i finally got the server working. yey!

as soon as the last of the test scripts were done and no error was encountered, i had to summon all my will not to jump and scream.

coming here, all i ever hoped was not to disappoint. i hope i didn't.

ps. remember that unexpected good news a few days ago? it might push through after all. another yey!

all shopped out

everyone who knows me knows how much i hate walking. really. it is not good for the shoes nor is it nice to my feet.
but walk, today, i did. and i mean WALK. all for the love of shopping.

well, street shopping that is. since i got here, i have yet to set foot on a real mall. why bother when all you need are just on the streets? from boots, to bags, to clothes and all the street food you can think of, they're all lined on the sidewalks.

the best part is that these street shops are just a good 10-15 minutes away from where i'm staying. and today, my mission was set - go to every nook and cranny of Insadong Art Street and the famous Myeong-dong night markets.

so i did. for 3 hours, i was walking. in shopping heaven.
minus the throngs of people pushing and shoving, it was fun. and i came back with these.

happiness! no more spending this week. i hope.

guess what happened today...

of course i HAD to take loads of pictures! too bad it lasted a few hours only.
tonight, the streets have cleared leaving only traces of the snowfall on the sidewalks and rooftops.
still, it was what i needed on an otherwise hell-ish day at work.

my 3 new bestfriends

Korea - Day 2

my first day at work turned out way better than i expected. the people were nice and i was on schedule (uber thanks to dave who i was constantly emailing).

it is still cold and there's a chance to snow in the next couple of days which i don't mind since we're planning to go skiing this weekend. goodluck with that. with my bella-ish clumsiness, i doubt if i can stand straight for 2 minutes hahaha! still, i'm excited. i don't care if i spend most of the time on my butt!

oh, and i bought a pair of tights from this super adorable elderly lady on the street.
that's it for now, i still have to prepare for tomorrow. the local DBA here wants to watch as i work. sort of a training in a way. again, i hope i don't disappoint. wish me luck.

ps. my nose bled just a bit today.

pps. i got an unexpected good news today. it isn't 100% sure yet but still, the thought that i'm being considered was enough for me to do cartwheels (if i knew how)

greetings from Korea

first off, i'm glad to inform everyone that we landed safe. service of Korean Airlines was super nice. apart from a few restless kids, the flight was uneventful and i was glad to have brought a book.

as the plane descended, i got my very first glimpse of snow capped mountains and the excitement towards my first winter grew. as soon as we went outside Incheon International airport, i got my first taste of the bitter cold which made the walk towards the parking lot seemed to take forever.

we got to Fraser Suites around 7. my room is uber fab. with free internet access which is nice since roaming isn't available. (april!!!!!!!)


we decided to brave the cold and walked the streets of Insadong. a good 5 minutes after, we agreed that it wasn't a very smart move.

it. was. freezing. really.

now i know why people don't like winter hahaha. my ears and toes are thawing as i type.

tomorrow is gonna be all business and my anxiety is increasing by the minute. i still have to review some notes and try not to disappoint the clients.

with that, i leave you with a picture i took after a walk in downtown Seoul.

ps. one thing i like about the cold, perpetual rosy cheeks! hahaha!

off to the land of telenovelas part 3

i just finished packing and for someone who hates it plus the fact that winter clothes are uber hard to pack, i think i did a pretty good job.

tomorrow, i'm off to cold cold Korea where the weather forecast for the next two weeks ranges from -2 to -10.
unlike my previous business trip, i'm as cool as a cucumber with this one. could be because i'm pretty confident this time around? or could it be the fact that it's winter and my excitement over it overpowers any work related anxiety? ok, so now i'm worried. hahahha!

in any case, i'm looking forward to this trip and i'm blocking any pre-mature worries from now on.

Korea, here i come.

PS. please be kind to me.

off to the land of telenovelas part 2

so excited that i bought me a new pair of boots and a spankin trench coat.

oohhh i love winter fashion!!!

off to the land of telenovelas

i finally got my visa today. it's official, i'm leaving for Korea next week for a business trip.

i. am. excited.

coincidence?

hearing this could not have come at a better time. seriously.

"dating is a numbers game. you get out there as much as you can and then see what works. the point is most of the time you will not find the right fit and sometimes it's the last person you think that makes you happy."

cheers for the new year

2008 is nearly over, a new one is about to begin. for some, the new year is a chance to forget and move on. for others, this brings a chance for a new life, a better life.

a new year is like a clean sheet, a new slate, a blank page where we can draw and paint and write to our hearts content.

so, as 2009 starts, let us all bring out our pencils and brushes and chisels and let us all carve and write and paint a better year.

cheers everyone!

this day, 3 years ago

so i slipped. i have just finished watching Titanic on HBO and darn it! much as i hate getting all cheesy and soft, i couldn't help it.

this day marks 3 years since the end of the worst relationship of my life my last break-up and i have not been in any relationship since. call it a lull, or a dry spell or the effects of getting bruised and battered over and over. call it whatever which way you want but it will only boil to one thing and one question alone. when is this lull going to end?

i mean, come on! it's been 3 effin years! what's up with the stall? seriously.

i am in no rush in any way but once in a while (read: after serious exposure to cheesy mush) i tend to bend and get a wee bit affected.

but, i'm calm now. i just needed to vent and now that i have, i shall get back to my normal bitchy self.

the sweetest thing

it is true when they say that the sweetest things come from the most unexpected people at the most unexpected time.

i lost my purse today. i went christmas shopping and completed my list. but as i was about to pay, i found out that my uber favorite purse was gone. in my entire life, this was the first time that it happened and to think i was ever so careful. my money, my cards, i was left with only my bag and my cel phone.

good thing my brother's girlfriend was with me so i was able to go home. shocked and unable to digest what just happened, we left the mall and set aside my shopping cart.

if it were just my money, i would be fine. but my brother asked me to buy his christmas list as well and his money too, was taken. ip called my besties and they were kind enough to help me block my card.

i was sobbing when i reached home and went straignt to my room.

an hour later, my brother came in and greeted me Merry Christmas. shopping bags in hand. he bought everything in my shopping cart. and i couldn't help but cry.

my brother did the sweetest thing. i lost his money and instead of telling me how stupid i was, he went ahead and made me feel better.

to the scumbag who stole my purse, i hope you had a need more than i. merry christmas to you.

ps. deeaye, thanks too for coming to my rescue and for the knock=off purse. oh and yes, alcohol makes everything ok :)

best all girl vacation ever

*click on the image to enlarge
my weekend at Punta de Uian was the best fun i've had in a long time and although the resort is quite far, it was very well worth it.

the beach was clean, the food was great EXCELLENT (see photos on the left), the staff was very efficient (props to Harvey and Jonathan and manong boatman who made sure we got to Capones Island and back safe and in one piece)

the best part probably is the sense of quiet and calm. which, at the end of each drinking session turned into a male bashing discussion hahaha! literature in hand being, "I Used to Miss Him But My Aim is Improving" and "The Bad Girls Guide to Getting What You Want. no, we don't hate men. in fact, we love them. we just didn't like who we had. seriously.

anyway, i had a blast with des and april and we will definitely do it again. soon. really really soon.

Punta de Uian

for 3 days and 2 nights...

i. can't. wait.

priceless

since my sister moved to her in-laws, i only get to see miguel once a week so i have to make do with pictures and videos like these...

Miguel @ 4 months 

The CPS Triangle, 20 years and counting

college days were my best school days. elementary was just blah and high school was spent with girls who, at the first glimpse of the male species, would go ga-ga. seriously.

i was blessed to have gone to a reputable school and joining this org made my stay in UP one of the best experience to date. college wouldn't have been the same without the wonderful people i've had the honor of spending 5 long years (yup, it took me that long loved UP so much i spent an extra year) with.

and so to you extraordinary brods and sisses, thank you. cheers to 20 fabulous years of fun and excellence.

see you all tomorrow! time to bring out the booze just like the old times!

Happy Anniversary!

teaser sent last May c/o Diet