off to Singapore for some RnR

my 3 wks here in Jakarta is up. can't say i won't miss it. not saying i want to stay. suffice to say that it's been a pleasure being here. sans the bombing incidents and the uber crazy motorists that is.

the project we implemented was a success. there were a few kinks along the way as expected but it all ended pretty well.

tomorrow, i'm off for a few days of RnR in Singapore. time to party and have me some Singapore sling baby!

on hotel arrest

due to the bombings here in Jakarta this morning, we were asked to leave the office early. that being said, we were advised to stay in for the rest of the weekend.

the blasts happened far from where we're staying and we weren't even aware until friends and family started asking if we were ok. a quick google search confirmed everything.

naturally, i got a bit scared. who wouldn't? right?

so we are putting ourselves on hotel arrest. until everything normalizes that is.

homesick much?

so i'm back in Jakarta. the trip was uneventful. or was it? not sure since i had wine. lots of it so i slept thru most of the trip.

i'm staying in the same hotel. the only difference is that now, i'm on the preferred guests floor. naks!

one thing i noticed though, whenever i go abroad either on business or otherwise, it's always the first night that gets to me the most. no matter how fab my room is, i always get a bit homesicky on the first night.

i know i should have gotten used to it by now but i haven't. as they say, the first time is almost always the toughest time. i'm sure tomorrow imma be normal.

1 day. 20 days to go.

if and when i need a good pick me upper

all i do is look at this uber adorable baby boy.

he turned one last week and now can call me na-nang(ninang). he is able to walk a few steps by himself and has learned how to mimic the sound of his lolo's snore among other things.

life simply is more fun since he was born and for times when i feel the need for a smile, all i do is look at him and all worries are thrown out the window in a snap.

off to Jakarta. again.

not excited. not the least bit.
i'm not ready for another nasi goreng frenzy. nor am i ready to leave my nephew who is now uber kulit. i will miss the Harry Potter screening in Manila. not to mention my mom's bday on the 20th.
plus, that thing that didn't happen still gets to me. i know, i know. my time will come. still, i'm not happy.
the only upside is that i get to visit friends and relatives in Singapore on my way back.
so there. i'll be packing my bags again and leaving on a jetplane.

can't have everything

i was expecting something to happen at work. it didn't. now i'm a bit disheartened. can't help it. i worked hard. i know i did.

at the end of the day however, it wasn't enough.

fire...

must

NOT

play

with

it.

manila-sg-jakarta-sg-manila-camsur-manila

i have been on six different airplanes for the last 3 wks. to say i'm exhausted is an understatement. to say i didn't have fun is a complete and utter lie.

after coming home from jakarta last thursday, i barely had the time to unpack because i had to pack another set of clothes. this time, for my Camsur trip the following day.

the CWC trip was long planned and i almost didn't make it. if the jakarta trip didn't go on schedule, i would've missed the fun that is CWC.

no, i didn't do the wakeboard thingy. yes, i'm such a loser.

i did however get got myself a spankin tattoo. yes, it's henna. hahaha!
we stayed in one of the trailers which was ok albeit the not so squeaky clean shower room. most of our days were spent in the cabanas anyway where we ate and drank and ate and drank to our belly's content.

okay, maybe next time, i will try the cables. maybe.

one week down, another to go

work
one reason i didn't mind coming back to Jakarta is the fact that my colleagues here are nice. so far, everything has gone according to plan. we are even a bit ahead of schedule which is such a relief since i have a scheduled CamSur trip the day after i fly back to Manila. hopefully everything goes well next week.

food
i've been here for just a little over a week and while i love love love Indonesian food, i'm at the verge of almost gagging at the thought of another nasi goreng or bacon or waffle. don't get me wrong. i know i raved about the uber delish breakfast buffet at the hotel and the local dishes and i still think they're good but having them every single day for 8 days straight kinda spoils the palate.
note to self: must.eat.adobo.when.i.get.back!

home
i missed my sister's birthday last monday and i'm gonna miss Father's Day tomorrow. my brother had to undergo a minor surgery and i so so so miss my nephew. that being said, i can't wait to go home. and eat my mom's adobo :D

one week down, another to go.
and i'm coming back here in July.

deep fried baby what????

imagine my shock when i saw this in the menu!
naturally i had to ask if they really eat baby gold fishes here. turned out that the menu meant, baby fish fried to a golden crisp.
whew!

from Jakarta with love

greetings from the land of nasi goreng! as with my previous trip here, i'm staying Hotel Le Meridien where the breakfast buffet is to die for and the service is superb. the only downside is that internet isn't free.

that being said, i won't be going online as often as i usually do.

so there. i'm just checkin in to say i've landed safe and my tummy is full :)

when buying luggages

make sure to test the combination lock before leaving the store.

otherwise, you will end up trying out all possible combinations until you get the right one.

now, if after the first few tries, you are able to get the right combination, good for you. if not, you might end up spending precious time trying to unlock when you could've spent that time actually putting clothes inside that friggin luggage!

or you could just start packing early so you won't freak out when the stupid lock won't open using the default 0-0-0 combination hours before your flight.

procrastinating

i'm leaving in 2 days (if my visa arrives tomorrow that is) and i have yet to pack.
i bought new luggage and it's still in it's package from the store.

at any rate, one thing i know for sure is that i won't be having the same problem i had in Korea coz i got me a bigger luggage. a spankin red one from samsonite.

now, if i can only bring myself to get some clothes in the luggage, then i'll be good.

what everyone doesn't know is...

Cherries

i can make a knot of cherry stems using my tongue in just a few seconds.

now what does that make of me? hmn.

an even redder red

remember when i thought blondes had all the fun?

or when i got so obsessed with red?

well now, the obsession still holds as i have gone even redder.

take your pick!

butterflies in my stomach

the past couple of weeks fell very well on my favor. guy from work and i have been bumping into each other a lot. talking to him is easier now. even managed a few jokes which both made us laugh. o-ha!

i don't know what happened but he seem to now feel at ease around me as well. last week, he made a bet with me that whoever loses will treat the other to lunch. well he won. which meant i have to treat him. i haven't. i know. i'm a dork.

but what can i do? the butterflies in my stomach are just wiggling too much. plus, i'm not even sure if the bet was for real or just his way of saying something for lack of anything to say. paranoid much?

sigh.

if i hear another careless whisper...

i swear i am so gonna go out of my way and hurt someone. ok, maybe not hurt hurt but for crying out loud!!!! tama naaaaa!!

fab new find : The Reading Room @ Cubao Expo

after months of raving about Cubao Expo, april finally took me there last night. she was in the mood for some artsy fartsy stuff and she needed inspiration to fuel her creative juices.

so off we went to what i later discovered as probably one of the coolest thing in Philippine retail. Cubao Expo's Artists Fair which featured local artists, designers & musicians was one hell of an event. the street was lined with paintings, indie films, shirts, jewelry, all of which uniquely expressed each artist's individual style.

it was crazy. the good kind of crazy and i loved everything about it. the smell, the sight, the sound. it was like UP days all over again, minus the pressure of school and grades. of course, it didn't hurt that you could shop while holding a bottle of beer. cool huh?!

best part of the night was this quaint but chic store called The Reading Room which features products from local designers and artists. from dresses, to jewelry, to bag organizers, umbrellas, dresses, organic products, head massagers, one is sure to find something that is worth buying at a price that will not break your wallet. love love love everything in it and i'm definitely going back.

who knew that a night of uncensored art can be so much fun! i was never an artsy fartsy girl. but last night was a blast. there was a certain something in the air which i bet only happens when artists get together. a sense of freedom and sheer coolness if i may say so.

congrats to the organizers! can't wait for the next one.

i have a secret

LG Secret (KF750)

and i can't wait to tell everyone about it!

i've been wanting to buy a new phone since forever. was even lusting over the white Nokia E71 for months. so when a friend offered to sell me her brand new secret, i jumped right in and bought it.

yey!

sunday confessions: dork yet again

i have a thing. a gift, if i may say so.

you see, i say what i want, when i want, to whomever i want. call it frankness or honesty or sheer guts and ballsy, i could care less. i just am. i'm not one to shy away from saying something that is true. regardless. some have even called me a bitch. do i care? did i care? not the least bit. in fact, if being a bitch meant staying true, than hail to all dem bitches in the world ;)

BUT. yes, there's a but. a huge buge but.

you see, all those talk about frankness and honesty and guts and balls? they don't come when it counts. at least not around guys i like. and i mean, really really like. friends know this about me. the bitch leaves the door every single time i'm with a guy i like. seriously. my mind turns blank. i get tingles which results in involuntary shivers that make my voice crack while i say useless, pathetic, what-was-i-thinking-dorklike comments. argh!

now, i would understand and it would be more acceptable had it happened back in the days. you know, back when i still had a unibrow and i have yet to discover make-up and when my wardrobe staple was a pair of shorts and a tshirt and the new kids on the block was the happening boy band group. but to have it happen again at this stage in my life? wtf????

this. has. got. to. stop!