28th

(Deep breath...) Oh-kay. I really don't know how to start this one... but I really want to apologize first (to my imaginary readers! hehe) for not being consistent and not being able to update my blogs (I have two) often. I know I've promise a gazillion times that I will frequently write but I just couldn't find time and inspiration.

Time- I have found this a couple of weeks ago, actually, when I lost two other jobs. But time alone isn't much of a help without inspiration. That's just me maybe, I don't know about you guys. Having plenty of time but without inspiration, I'd just be procrastinating.

or maybe... yeah... I'm just downright LAZY! pffft!

So... here goes...

It's my 28th birthday (although the date here says Oct.22nd, western time zone I guess). Nothing special. No party or celebration whatsoever. But I do have plans to have dinner with a couple of friends this weekend. Just plain dinner at a resto. No drinking or partying or anything like that. I don't know why I feel this way, but I feel really old now.

I've been telling myself this for years and I will tell myself again: "Maeka, be more productive this year. The time is now to reach for your dreams." I'm taking bigger steps now. I hope it's not too late for me.

Actually, I couldn't ask for more this year. Our new house in Lancaster Estates was finally endorsed; I became a crazy cat lady (we adopted 3 kittens a few months ago); I got new eyeglasses (thank God! my old one lasted 3 years!); and I was interviewed by Marc Logan (although the supposed show never made it on TV, LOL!); etc...  It rained blessings! I really couldn't ask for more! Well maybe just a little more like being debt free...? >.<

Call me shallow, but I look forward to birthday greetings on my Facebook wall/timeline every year. A Japanese Facebook friend of mine greeted me as early as two days ago. One of my closest friends in high school greeted me yesterday. But today, on the day of my birthday, Bry greeted me first. I was just expecting a simple 'Happy Birthday' greeting from him on my timeline. I mean I just didn't expect him to exert more effort than that. But he surprised me.

I had two drops of tears ran down my cheeks... and I've never felt more loved, more blessed, more inspired!  My heart pounded as if wanting to get out of my body. It's true that love must be shown thru actions or deeds, but it suddenly struck me how important it is to hear (or read, in this case) sweet words from your loved-ones too. I just... MELTED!

Then I probed as to how he wrote such a beautiful message because I just wanted to make sure these words really came from his heart and not just copied anywhere! Haha! I know it sounds like I was underestimating him, but no. In the earlier stages of our relationship, we used to write each other love notes all the time so I know he has this talent to write stuff that would make girls fall head over heels. Then for no apparent reason, it abruptly stopped. Anyway, his birthday message kinda triggered me not only to revive our exchanging of love notes but also to blog today.

And I'm hoping it doesn't stop here. I'm inspired to write more! I'll definitely try to blog more tonight. :)

My Recent Trip

NO.

I don't mean 'trip' like a journey or excursion for pleasure but the other meaning of 'trip' which is to catch one's foot on something and stumble or fall.

That TRIP. >.<

On my way to work one evening last week, I was running a little late that's why I was kinda walking really fast from Shaw boulevard going to EDSA so I can get aboard a bus that will take me to Ayala. As I was approaching the loading zone (in front of Starmall), I failed to notice the elevated part of the sidewalk... so I tripped and went flying into the road. Then it was like that scene from 'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time' wherein I felt as if time slowed down. I was thinking that I was going to fall flat on my face and that a bus might run me over. To my surprise, I landed on both feet in a somewhat squatting position... Thank goodness there weren't any moving buses close by because it's a loading zone. Of course I still felt embarrassed but what the hell, I'm safe. Aboard a bus, I was analyzing what had just happened because I wasn't hurt (no scratches or whatsoever) and had somehow done an amazing leap like that... then I suddenly came to realize one thing...

I am indeed... A CAT!

My First Tattoo

After going to the Dutdutan Tattoo Convention last year with Bry, I promised myself to get inked before my 27th birthday. Promise---BROKEN. >.<

But this is one of the many crazy things I really wanna do in my existence ('Crazy' because I know most relatives of mine and some people close to me strongly disagree with it. And I think my Dad doesn't know yet but there's a 70% chance he will disown me once he finds out >.<). So I decided (yet again) to get it done this year, 5 months before my 28th birthday.

There were a few things I had to consider but unlike other first timers, pain is the least of my worries (I've already given birth for goodness sake!). The idea of  REGRET was what bothered me the most. I didn't wanna feel regretful so I was very careful in choosing the design and the part of my body to put it on. Doing research helped me a lot. Other than Bry, I even talked to some people who've already gone under the needle just to know what to expect at my first tattoo session. I went looking for a tattoo artist with a good reputation on the internet to make sure that I get the best experience and that I don't end up sick with blood borne diseases (e.g. tetanus, hepatitis B, hepatitis A, etc.) and skin infections (e.g. granuloma). Another thing I needed to consider was how much it would cost me. I was not willing to pay too much. Originally, I wasn't really planning on getting a big one right away so my budget for a 2x2 colored tattoo was 1,500Php. 

I also did some soul searching to come up with my own design 'coz I don't ever wanna see my tattoo design on another person's body that's why I made sure it will be unique. So here was my original 2x2 design...

 A cat paw print symbolizes my love for animals...  3 symbols on top (digital pads) are our zodiac signs, left to right: Sagittarius (Ash), Scorpio (me), Libra (Bry)... then below (metacarpal pad) is the Chinese character for Ox (1985- me and Bry's birthyear)...

On the night of May 22nd I was lucky enough to come across this page on Sulit.com.ph and I was impressed by the guy's work. Moreover, he had a promo going  on called 'May Madness' wherein he would only be charging 500Php for any tattoo design up to the size of 3x5 for his first 50 customers for the month of May. I contacted him the following morning and was easily able to get an appointment for me and Bry. By that time, I thought of changing my design because of the promo - I might as well get a bigger one. I started thinking about getting a 'dream catcher' instead. But then again, I didn't want my original design to go to waste. So I decided to put these two designs together and I came up with this final design: 

Bry acceded with my design and I with his. We had them printed and we were all set. Came the morning of May 25th. Bry and I both just finished work and we haven't had any sleep yet but we went straight to Mad Ink Tattoo Shop in Parang, Marikina for our 11AM appointment. I was having mixed emotions. It was like being excited and nervous at the same time. To get rid of that weird feeling, I had originally planned on getting myself drunk before the session but I found out just in time doing that would lead to excess bleeding during the process. So I just calmed myself down on the way there. The place was not difficult to find and the tattoo artist was very professional and accommodating (even served us ice cold Coca-Cola). 

Okay, I know you wanna see the pictures... Here they are:

Here's me before the session     ===========================>>>>>

ALL SMILES!

From Left to Right: 1) Mr.Rizaldy Panganiban, our tattoo artist, preparing; 2) my plain right upper arm; 3) moistening the area for pattern transfer; 4) pattern successfully transferred

Here's me after the session     ===========================>>>>>

Still... ALL SMILES!

Okay... Bryan's turn...

From Left to Right: 1) Mr.Rizaldy Panganiban, our tattoo artist, preparing; 2) pattern successfully transferred; 3) needles doing their job  

So there.

I just feel compelled to let you know one thing.... YES, IT DOES HURT during the first minute. After that your skin goes numb and you wouldn't really feel much. Did I bleed? Nope. Neither did Bry. I think that will depend on your tattoo artist. I love our overall experience with Mr.Rizaldy Panganiban. He works fast, very efficient and  I would not have second thoughts going back to him for a second tattoo ;)

Check some of his work on Facebook (click here). I highly recommend him. ^_^

Pizza-making with Ashlee Jade

Last weekend, we took Ashlee Jade to the ER because several red spots/rashes suddenly appeared throughout her body. The diagnosis: chicken pox... which meant missing school for an entire week (or two) and not being able to join the field trip tomorrow. :(

Some blisters visible on her face

Still, she managed to stay happy and preoccupied despite being stuck at home. Fortunately, she is one creative child and could keep herself busy the whole day. Last week, my mom's friend sent us one big box of goodies from California (filled with shoes, hair and skin care products, designer perfumes, clothes and a box of chocolates) and Ashlee begged my mom for the large box! She used some colored papers, glue, crayons, and markers to decorate her box (she said it's her house LOL!). A couple of days ago, she made me and Bryan heart-shaped cards. Earlier today, she turned one of her shoe boxes into a miniature bus for her barbie dolls . I also recently discovered a pencil case she had made some days before. Then my mom even brought her home a paper clay art kit this evening. So you could just imagine the big grin on my daughter's face when my mom handed her the kit (it's her first time to try it out).

Anyway, we're grateful that the medicine prescribed was really effective and those nasty liquid-filled blisters did not increase in numbers (not more than 15). Ashlee is so active, it's as if she's not sick at all!

Sick or not, she always deserves a cuddle

We found ourselves giving her more special attention and spending more time with her because of her condition. And when she announced that she wanted to make pizza (her favorite snack), my mom immediately got her everything she needed: cheese, tomato sauce, ham, mushrooms, a bag of little pizza crusts (little as in bite size), and pineapple tidbits. Ashlee then scheduled the activity on Monday (October 1st) for our afternoon snack.

We realized my mom bought the wrong kind of cheese (it won't melt) so Bryan ended up manually shredding the cheese by a fork while I cut the ham into strips and Ashlee did the rest. She first spread tomato sauce on each pizza crust... added the ham, then the mushrooms, then the pineapples... and she finally sprinkled shredded cheese on them.

 Ashlee decided to make just six because we were still too full from lunch and my mom left for a sudden appointment. She carefully placed them in the oven toaster.

After 10 minutes.... TADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! Mini Hawaiian pizzas!

Okay.. Yeah, I know... the cheese on top kinda got burnt... and Ashlee was slightly frustrated. It was my fault. She specifically instructed me to set the oven to 7 minutes and I didn't listen to her and I did ten... so.... BUT I assured her that it was MY fault and that she did a great job! And the smile was back on her face. :)

And we enjoyed the pizza... we didn't really notice the burnt cheese.. Or maybe we just ignored it!

YUM!!!

Maroon 5 Concert

It all started with this Tanduay Ice Red Mirage bottle...

I used it as props in a video entry I made for a Maroon 5 contest on RisingStars (an online videoke website) sponsored by Tanduay Ice. To make the story about the contest short, my entry won 2nd place which earned me two tickets to the Maroon 5 concert.

So to give you an idea... here's what I look like in the video =====================>>>>>>>>>

I look funny, I know! But I did it anyway...
'cos I really really wanna see Maroon 5... so... yeah... and if you wanna see the actual video, click here.

Okay, moving on...

Look at that monitor above us. It has the prices of the tickets... quite expensive... and they're SOLD OUT! So If I didn't win the contest, there's just no way we'd be able to see the concert.

The concert was on a Tuesday, a work day. So Bry and I had to miss work that night (our boss was really pissed! HAHA... and we just had a closed door meeting with him a few hours ago regarding that... but that's another story, and don't worry, we didn't lose our jobs! HEHE!) The concert starts at 8PM according to the promotional posters but we were told to be at the Araneta Coliseum by 5PM because we had to meet with the other winners, the people from Tanduay Ice Asia Brewery, and Ms. Denise (RisingStars admin) to claim our tickets. When we arrived at the meeting place, the line was already long but I easily spotted Sam Mangubat who won first place (check out his video entry here, he's on YouTube too!) so we chatted for almost about more than an hour until Ms.Denise arrived. And here's our group picture:

Holding on to the tickets!

But we still could not go inside the coliseum and we had to wait for the people from Tanduay Ice Asia Brewery (one of the major sponsors of the concert) because we need to go in at the same time with the other winners of their other promos. So while waiting for them, Ms.Denise treated us to a lovely dinner at Kangaroo Jack. By that time, Sam's companion, Jun, arrived (he's responsible for Sam's victory as he was the one who promoted his video everywhere!) We all had a plate of sizzling chicken barbecue (I burnt some of my taste buds because I was so eager to take a bite) and raspberry iced tea...

After dinner, we still had to wait for about half an hour before those people from Tanduay Ice Asia Brewery finally showed up together with the other winners of their other promos. Several more minutes and we all found ourselves making it to one of the gates of the coliseum. It was almost 9PM. We all decided to drain our bladders first before going inside the coliseum because we would not want to be missing any part of the show. Besides, it was going to be really difficult with the amount of people there.

Before the concert: 

Video here

Around past 9PM... Maroon 5 started performing!!!

LEFT: Spotlight on Adam / RIGHT: OMG! He's pointing right at me! LOL!

Videos here, here, and here

Okay, I know that the photos and videos above aren't that great. The camera was busted.. couldn't Zoom in. I don't know why they turned out as if we were too far because our spot was really nice and we could clearly see the stage and all the little movements that the members of the band were making.

Here's the setlist... The band played a total of 24 songs including intro/outro covers and medleys.

1. They started off with Payphone (no rap version). I really love this song. The entire crowd went wild and started singing with the band. It was difficult to hear Adam's voice. Yep, that's how loud we were!
2.  Makes Me Wonder; using Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough (Michael Jackson cover) as intro
3. Lucky Strike
4. Then came Sunday Morning and once again the crowd was singing along.
5. If I Never See Your Face Again (album version, minus Rihanna)
6. Wipe your Eyes
7. Won't Go Home Without You. I sooo love this song too! Everybody was singing.
8. Harder To Breathe; using Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites (Skrillex cover) as intro
9. Wake Up Call
10. One More Night
11. Hands All Over
12. Then comes my favorite Maroon 5 song, Misery (also the song I used in the contest). Halfway through the song, Adam introduced the band members. I think of all the people there excluding Adam, I SANG THE LOUDEST. I was literally shouting and I felt like my lungs were about to collapse! LOL. My throat is still so sore 'til now...
13. And another favorite of mine, This Love, was supposedly the last song. Adam decided to show off by doing a guitar solo of Don't Forget Me (Red Hot Chili Peppers cover) as outro

But of course WE WANTED MORE! So then came the encore...

14. Seven Nation Army (The White Stripes cover)
15. An accoustic performance of She Will Be Loved; Adam dedicating this to all the ladies in the house :)
16. Then Adam showed off again by rapping during Stereo Hearts (Gym Class Heroes cover)
17. Daylight
18. The band also played a medley of Don't You Want Me (The Human League cover) and Sexy Back (Justin Timberlake cover).
19. And to wrap up the show, they did Moves Like Jagger; using Gangnam Style (PSY cover) as intro... we actually thought that they were going to play the entire "Gangnam Song" or at least see them dance to it. We would have gone crazy because of excitement if they did!

So... there! WE HAD A GREAT TIME! It was my first time (as well as Bryan's) to watch a concert by an international artist. We will never forget this experience... Again, I just wanna mention that we're so grateful to RisingStars Philippines and Tanduay Ice.

Oh by the way, look at these cool photos... not edited! Just glow stick magic!

Looks like lightning/electricity (left); looks like butterflies (center); looks like musical notes (right)

RHEA

Guys, meet RHEA...

 

She is one of the Zoobles. Zoobles? Undeniably cute but... what are they?

***************************************

At my age, I'm still very fond of toys. For several years, I made attempts to collect a specific kind of toy... mostly little cute ones that aren't very expensive. I would start off by buying a couple. Then  I would buy a couple more on my next return to the toy store...  and... that's about it. It ends there. LOL! So I guess what I wanted to say is that I was always unsuccessful when it comes to collecting toys or just about anything... books, pens, stamps... Name it, I failed in it! Sad isn't it? I'm hopeless...

Anyway... this past weekend, my daughter showed me and Bry a brand new toy that my mom got her (my mom spoils her sooo much, I know! ). With it's size, at first we thought that it was just another Happy Meal toy... but she demonstrated what it can do... and we found it really cute!!! So I asked her what it is and she showed me the piece of carton that went with the toy... it says ZOOBLES: SPRING TO LIFE.

According to the official website Zoobles.com, Zoobles are collectable, colorful characters that 'pop' open when placed on their magnetized 'Happitat' (habitat). There are hundreds of Zoobles to collect from the nine Zoobles lands. So by using Rhea (Zoobles #352 from the land Jungleopolis), let me and Ashlee demonstrate how Zoobles "spring to life" (Bry took these photos using my Corby phone)...

So this first photo shows Rhea sleeping in her tree 'Happitat'

1. Remove sleeping Rhea from its tree 'Happitat'... 2. Put her on top of the tree (magnetized area)... 3. Watch her 'Spring to Life!'

Watch her curl back to sleep (into a ball) when you carefully push her head down...

 And you can even watch your Zooble dance by turning the wheel/knob found on the side of the happitat (actually attached to the magnet inside making the Zooble go in circles... thus, the dancing effect!)

I dunno really... but maybe I'm just really immature that's why I like this toy so much... HAHA! But since Ashlee, Bryan and my mom really like it as well, I am thinking of buying more. It's going to be like a family project... our family's collection!

The price is around 350 pesos each. Uh oh! For me, that's not really cheap... I guess we can't have all of 'em (there's like more than 300 of them, haha!) Let's all just see how far we can go with this. Stay tuned because when we get a new one, I'll be blogging about it of course!

My HAIR and I

For a very long time, this was what I used to look like...

...and now I'm totally missing my long straight locks.

When I broke up with my daughter's real father last year (May 16, 2011), I wanted so bad to cut my hair. I dunno why but many of us girls feel that way. It's as if a new hairstyle would give us a new life, a new beginning. It's like for us, we show the world that we have finally moved on when we sport a new look.

But for me, it was no drastic change. I took little baby steps. 

BANGS

It happened one night... I don't remember exactly what was going on inside my head. Maybe I was going crazy that time. I just suddenly had an idea to cut my own hair... to have BANGS! So I ended up looking like this:

So I was "BANGS GIRL" for a couple of months. Now, I can say (and I am sure) that it was that  hairstyle that suits me the best. But I didn't know that then. I continued experimenting. By that time I have quitted my job as an online English tutor and got hired by an international software company.

BOB

wearing a fedora hat with my bob

By the end of July last year, my  bangs have grown and I started going out with Bryan (my current boyfriend who I'm going to marry next year ^_^). To celebrate my new love life, I felt that it was time for another hairstyle. I decided to cut my own hair... again! It took me quite a couple of hours to decide how to cut my hair. But those nasty split ends helped me made up my mind. After a few snips of the scissors...BOOM! I had a BOB!

I thought I was happy with it... but no. It only took me less than a week to realize that. I wanted to cut my hair again... and that's when Bryan interfered. He advised me forced me to get a proper haircut from a professional hairstylist. He has some amazing convincing powers so I obliged. It was a weeknight and we had to go to work (we work for the same company) but I was having a hair emergency, HEHE! In just a couple of hours before our shift started, I found myself in a hair salon called Hairspray Spa and Salon inside our subdivision just near our home. So there was no turning back. I wanted my hair really short. I wanted to look like Halle Berry in that James Bond movie. And the hairstylist started doing his own magic! TADAAAAAAAAAH!

If I wasn't wearing a dress or girly clothes, I kinda looked like a boy. I even used the men's toilet a couple of times and got away with it. LOL!

I was truly grateful that Bryan had convinced me to go to the salon for that particular haircut. If it wasn't for him stopping me from cutting my own hair again, I would have gone bald! HAHA! I was loving my new look. I've always wanted to look boyish... and it finally happened that night so we decided to celebrate by drinking a few bottles of beer before heading to the office. I felt great working that night because of the tipsiness... just kidding! I meant I felt great because of the hair! LOL (but seriously, I really felt good while working that night and I strongly believe that it was because of the alcohol in my system. You oughtta try it too, just for the experience...HEHEHE).

I did enjoy my short hairdo for a few months... wash and wear! Works well for a lazy me. But of course hair is hair and it has to grow. Before I knew it, my hair was almost reaching my shoulders again and I started looking like this:

 

in the office with my newly dyed hair

A couple more months passed and I could finally tie my hair into a ponytail again. But I'm still pretty bored with it. So one fine Sunday, as my daughter and I were staying at Bryan's family's residence in Pureza for the weekend, I made up my mind to go on a trip to the nearest hair salon there - CUT Salon and Spa (Teresa - Stop and Shop branch). Their services are really affordable and got my hair dyed for only 290 pesos (that applies to any length) and I chose the color ash blonde. I even managed to convince Bryan to also have his hair dyed (he originally just wanted a haircut) and I chose the color copper brown for him. And because my daughter is too young to get her hair dyed, we just had her get hot oil treatment for her hair so she can join in the fun too! Now my hair looks like this:

Still I can't wait for my hair to grow longer. I wanted to have my long locks back. But I'm opting for the wavy look this time. Long hair can easily be styled. Here are some of the cool stuff I used to do with my long hair:

PIGTAILS (for sunny days), TIGHT BUN (for sports, physical activities), BOHEMIAN LOOK (for gigs and night outs)

wearing assorted hats (like caps, beanies, and cartoon character headgears) looks awesome with long hair

... and I'm really missing all of the above! Come on hair! You can grow faster than that! :P