May Calendar
Maria, Ina ng Banal na Puso ni Hesus
She is a caddie in one of the golf courses in Manila. She carries the heavy bag of the golfer and walks long miles every day through all the 18 holes. She has to make sure where the ball lands every thime tat she may not be reprimanded by her player. Rain or shine she has to stand by her player, a slave in the fairway.
The congregation that commissioned this painting chose her as the model for Mary because of her Filipina features and tanned skin, but I personally opted for her because she symbolizes Mary’s obidience. “May it be done to me according to Your word.” It is also Mary’s invitation for me thread not the mountainous path of Nazareth nor the undulating fairway, but the journey of constraint ‘yeses’ as I submit to the Father’s will.
– Joey Velasco
My Birthday Bash
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friends I have known for quite a long time who has been with me through thick and thin.
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former colleagues and friends I haven’t seen for quite a while but has been in constant communication.
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acquaintances and people I stumbled upon at some point or another.
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and most especially, my new found friends in the online world, blogosphere and YM alike, whom I haven’t met personally but have shared some sort of special bond and connection. I hope one day, I can meet each one of you and share some laughs over coffee.
The SMS, phone calls, YM messages, emails and blog comments you all sent me really made my day extra special. And so, from the bottom of my heart… THANK YOU, MY DEAR DARLING FRIENDS!!!
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As I said in one of my most recent posts, I’m really not expecting to have a grand celebration for my birthday this year. Since I have an upcoming beach vacay, I no longer planned any out-of-town trip. Besides I was way too busy at work so I really guessed that I would spend my day working. But I was wrong. I was dead wrong. Snippets of good things came pouring my way.
I have really given up hopes on filing for a birthday leave (yep, we have that kind of thing at work) so I was trying to finish a report last Thursday (April 23). Until, one of the department heads approached me and said, “Hey Winkie, I heard it’s your birthday tomorrow. Will you be on leave?” And so, I replied, “I don’t think I’m allowed to as I have to finish this before Monday. So I’d be here tomorrow working on this report.” She grabbed her cellphone and clicked her keypad. After a few minutes, she received a text message. And so she told me, “I just asked our boss to defer the report for next Monday so you could take the day off tomorrow. And he said, it’s ok to defer. So, you just enjoy your day tomorrow, ok?!” I was EXTREMELY pleased. I was like jumping up and down when I heard her say that. And I even blurted out, “I sooo love you, Ma’am!” *sipsip mode na yun*
On my special day (April 24), I woke up a bit earlier than usual. I knew I’m off for a very long day.
Afternoon Stroll & Snacks at Friday’s with Mommy, April & Potchie
I was thinking of spending the day with Mommy at the mall. But since Mommy and I miss my niece a lot, I decided to give my cousin a call and asked him if his youngest daughter (Potchie) could spend the day with me. As always, he instantly agreed and even asked his elder daughter slash my inaanak (April) to accompany the younger one to our house.
Since we ate some bland spaghetti (courtesy of my Mom) at home, we thought of watching a movie in Robinson’s Manila before we go for snacks. I wanted to watch 17 Again (pa-teenager mode) but Potchie wanted to watch T2, that local horror flick starred by Maricel Soriano. Since I’m not a horror film fan, I decided that we no longer watch movies and just have a short stroll instead. For starters, I treated them for some ice cream at Dairy Queen. Say nyo, pati Dairy Queen eh di pinatawad sa pikchuran!
Ice cream moments with Pothcie and April
Mag-tiyahing adik sa picture!
with Mommy naman (si Potchie, gusto laging kasama sa pic!)
At Fridays... pangarap kasing kumain ni Chuchai dyan!
Ang mga nagpalibre! Hehehe!
Group pic... at last! LOLz
With the Friday's crew
Happy birthday, Winkie!!!
So, what was my wish? Hmmm… I would rather keep it to myself for now. LOLz
Dinner at Dad’s with Jing and Beth
In our 18 years of friendship, it was my first time to celebrate my birthday with two of my best female buds. Our first-ever dine-out-Winkie’s-birthday bash was celebrated at Dad’s in Glorietta, Makati. Since Beth (far right in picture) wasn’t able to treat us out for her birthday last January (ang layo ng month di ba naman?), we just had a sort-of joint birthday celebration. LOLz
With best fem buds, Jing and Beth
We just spent roughly 3 hours for dinner, catching up chika, a little bit of tsismis and the usual things that we talk about. Although, it was a very short dinner, I really had a nice time with them… as I always do.
Drinks at Gilligan’s with colleagues
Right after my Dad’s gig, I had to run and meet my colleagues who were simultaneously having a Friday night’s out at Gilligan’s, also in Makati, Glorietta 5 that is. Apparently, it was Eric’s (guy in glasses and black shirt) promotion treat for us. So, this isn’t my party at all. I was just invited. LOL.
With my colleagues and co-RCLs
With Eric, the master trader
With Joy, Dette, Linda, Jason and Eric
With the RCL boys: Henry, Jason, Eric and Allan
My co-RCLS
It was really my first time to go out drinking with these guys (although I did not drink as I wasn’t still feeling too well). It was fun being with them eventhough they talked most about NBA play-offs. I was like going “Duh, what the heck are you talking about???” But spending time with them was refreshing and it was a nice way to end my special day.
Such a fun day for me. And if you’d ask me what was the best gift I received for my birthday… it was this one:
I soooo love this bag!!!
It was from a very generous girl named Winkie!!! LOLz
BTW, did you notice my new hair cut??? LOL
Celebrity Birthdays on April 24
Today is trivia day. I’d like to share to you some of the famous personalities who are April 24 birthday celebrators.
Shirley McLain
April 24, 1936
Barbara Streisand
April 24, 1942
Cedric the Entertainer
April 24, 1964
Kelly Clarkson
April 24, 1982
Danny Gokey
April 24, 1984
Marlin Ada (a.k.a Chuvaness)
April 24, 19__
Winkie Argamaso
April 24, 1976
Back in each other’s arms… maybe not!
For 40 days and 40 nights, I chose to deter myself from the top 3 things that I like the most. That was my Lent promise for this year. And these are the things that I tried to abstain from:
Shopping !!!
Photo credit: asecondchanceresale.com
I am a girl. So, my name is synonymous to shopping! LOL.
I so love shopping. I would normally end up having shopping bags in my hands whenever I make a trip to the mall. I’m not much of an impulsive buyer though. I only buy what I need… I just need a lot of things. LOL! And I try to shop within my budget… sometimes! LOL again.
Seriously though, I really tried my very best to abstain from shopping. I even tried to stay away from the mall for quite some time so as not to get lured by those uber-enticing signs that make my knees go weak.
On the 21st day of my so-called shopping abstinence, I made a trip to the mall to pay my bills. And then wallah, there were red SALE signs plastered on every shopping window. The entire mall was on 50% off. Good heavens!!! I got weak on the knees. LOL! Too bad, I was with Mommy that time. My mom is such a bad influence on shopping. She would normally make me realize the savings I could get on those 50% marked down items. Ilang nanay ba ang kilala ninyong ganyan?! Hehehe! Since I love savings and I’m such an obedient duaghter, I easily gave in. LOL.
Sadly, I halfway failed on my shopping abstinence. So, sue me now! LOL!
Coke… my first love!!!
Photo credit: yosoyblog.blogspot.com
I started my Coke addiction some 3 years ago. Uhmm no, it’s 5 years ago. Ooops, I think it’s 10 years. Wait… 15 years ago. Eer, 20 years ago??? Geez, I really can’t remember. All I can remember is that I can’t have a single meal without this soda on my side. So, giving this up is something of a big deal for me.
Right from the start, I knew I would fail myself on this one. But guess what??? I freaking did it!!!! I survived 40 days and 40 nights without soda!!! Yipee!!!
But two nights ago (which is way past the 40-day period), I had my first sip of uhmmm… Coca-cola! Well, I really had no choice but to satisfy my thirst with soda because we ran out of mineral water in the fridge. But hey, I limited myself to just one glass. That, too, was an accomplishment because back in the days, I could finish 1 liter in just one sitting. LOL! I plan to continue this no-Coke madness as I have now learned the joys of drinking ice tea, fruit shakes and water. I know I could not totally abstain from my first love, Coca-cola… but I will do my best to limit and minimize my soda intake.
Let’s just see how long can I go on with this one. 😛
Starbucks… Mocha Frap Venti!!!
Photo credit: Winkie’s camphone
I developed the habit of drinking Starbucks after a night’s out slash dinner with friends or simple I-crave-for-Mocha-Frap-becuase-my-lunch-was-way-too-bland. And this translates to 3 to 4 times a week trip to a Starbucks shop.
My Starbucks abstinence was somewhat of an easy task for me since I have already done this last year. I had the same Lent abstinence promise in 2008. And yes, I succeeded.
How about this year? Did I surpass the ordeal? The answer is YES. I did it again!
As I said, it’s a bit too easy to veer away from this scrumptuous tasting coffee… simply because it is freaking expensive. The price slash savings I could get from this encouraged me more not to step in any of those inviting Starbucks shops. And as of this writing, I still haven’t grabbed a single cup of Starbucks coffee. Don’t you want to congratulate me for this? LOL.
But hey, I have an upcoming event a couple of days from now. So, I guess I will have the chance to get a sip of my ever fave Mocha Frap…. venti please!!!
That rollercoaster feeling
I’m experiencing some sort of rollercoaster life now, physically and emotionally.
I called in sick today from work because I felt something different last night. It was my first time to suffer from vertigo and I have spent my last 20 hours with this very uneasy feeling. Kinda freaky actually. I felt severe dizziness that I can’t stand still. I felt I was floating and everything around me was moving. Vertigo vertigo pa eh in short para lang akong lasing! LOL. I’m a little well now as I was able to reach my lappy on this table. Well, I wish I’d be completely ok tomorrow as I have a very important presentation. Else, I might get booted out from work. *knocks on wood*
I’m likewise having a bit of an emotional rollercoaster feeling right now. Yesterday, I posted “sad and perplexed” in my YM status. My being upset was a bit too petty while my being perplexed is a bit too normal these days. I’m not sure if I can blog out this feeling of sadness and confusion, so I decided to repost an entry (again — mejo mabenta ang repost eh! hehehe!) which I think comes close to the feeling I’m experiencing right now. Here is the entry I did some two years back entitled Dreams! Dreams! Dreams!:
Today I’m writing about dreams… defined as a series of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations occurring involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Nice definition huh?! Thanks to dictionary.com, hehehe!
My mom and I share the same bedroom. But since I’m not comfortable having a “katabi” on my sleep, we don’t share bed together. Our beds are located far apart each other. The other night, I was still watching TV when I heard my mom murmuring words while asleep. I immediately woke her up because I heard her crying. She was having a bad dream. As soon as she woke up, she asked me if we could transfer to our ‘sala’ as she feels her dreams would recur if she’d go back to sleep in her bed.
Well, to cut the long story short, I gave in to Mommy’s request… but I ended up having a bad dream. Lumipat yata sa akin yung omen ng bad dreams nya! Hehehe! My dream that night wasn’t actually a nightmare as it was a usual dream for me. My dreams are kinda strange and keep on recurring like a cycle… with different scenarios and cast, eer persons involved pala! Hehehe!
These are my “usual” dreams:
(1) I would always dream of falling from the upper most part of our stairs. Don’t worry, mababa lang bahay namin so I won’t get hurt that bad… at sarado na yung hagdan ngayon! Hahaha! Anyhow, I don’t usually see myself hit the floor… madalas napuputol yung dream and would transpire into another scenario. This dream usually occurs before I completely go to sleep… others put it as “half-asleep”.
(2) I would always dream of being chased, attacked or hunted by a person. The attacker varies from friends to relatives to unknown persons… and the weirdest of all, monsters and aliens! In my dream, I would always feel frightened, scared and too afraid to get caught. I don’t usually get caught though because I know that I was only dreaming… so I would always make it a point to wake up before anything bad happens. Whenever I tell Mommy about this, she would always laugh at me and say, “Ayan, ang hilig mo kasi manuod ng kung anu-anong palabas! Pati tuloy sa panaginip mo eh may aliens!”
(3) I would always dream of being naked in the midst of a crowd. There are some scenarios though that I would be forced to get naked… like those taking-a-bath-before-going-to-work scenes. Weird part of this dream is that I always take a bath with a set of people watching me. This dream naman would usually occur in the morning, a few minutes (or hours, I guess!) before I wake up. Then I would realize na I’m still lying in my bed… akala ko ready for work na ako! Kaya hayun, late na naman for work! Hehehe!
These dreams are bothering me for quite a while now. I have been checking dream interpretations in the net in order to have a better understanding why these dreams have been recurring. Most of the sites I visited said that my dreams are considered as the most common ones. And here are the basic interpretations of my so-called ‘usual dreams’:
Falling Dream. (1) Falling is an indication of insecurities, instabilities and anxiety. The dreamer is feeling overwhelmed and out of control in some situation in his/her walking life. (2) It also often reflect a sense of failure or inferiority in some circumstances or situation. It may be the fear from falling in one’s job/school, loss of status or failure in love.
Chase Dream. (1) It often stems from feelings of anxiety in the dreamer’s walking life. (2) It may represent one’s way of coping with fears, stress or various situations in life. Instead of confronting the situation, the dreamer is running away or avoiding it.
Naked Dream. (1) Nudity symbolizes a variety of things depending on one’s real life situations. Becoming mortified at the realization that the dreamer is walking around naked in public, is often a reflection of one’s vulnerability or shamefulness. (2) Nudity also symbolizes being caught off guard.
They say that dreams are manifestations of our inner desires… things that are long-kept in our subconscious minds. I do believe that some of the interpretations are applicable to me. The words “insecurities”, “fears” and “vulnerability” are so very true for me.
Some of you may not realize this but I have my share of “insecurities” on a lot of things… may it be physical aspect or personal achievements. I sometimes wish I had more than what I have now. Please don’t get me wrong, I am sooooo much thankful for all my blessings in life but the real world somehow makes me feel that sometimes my bests are not good enough. A friend once told me that I need to avoid comparing myself with other people because there will always be someone better than me. Well, he doesn’t have to remind me… I know that for a fact. I guess my experiences have contributed a lot on this “insecurities” as I have always been in competitive environments… I feel I’m just an Average Joe in the midst of Einstein- and Bill Gates-wannabes. Well, to confirm this claim, you better check out how intelligent all my HS classmates are!
I don’t usually discuss my “fears” to friends… not even to the closest ones. I feel that discussing things like these will only weaken me or show my weak side. Well, even the most powerful persons on the planet have fears of their own. Mine are rather similar to most people I know. I have ‘fears of losing a loved one’… may it be death or just mere separation. Well, I guess it’s only but human-nature to want to spend our entire lifetime with the ones we love. There are other people I know who fear of losing their loved ones because they are overly-dependent on them. I’d like to think that this one doesn’t apply for me. I also have ‘fears of getting hurt’ because I usually get devasted when I get hurt… main reason why I don’t indulge myself on falling in love. I have my share of hurt and pain in the past and I know how it feels like to be in that not-so-pleasant situtation. It’s a truly devastating feeling… and I’ve been there for years. And now that I am somehow out of that situation, I’d rather prevent myself from experiencing the same thing again. I have some other fears but I intend to keep them to myself as they are rather nakakihiya to share. Some of you might not believe me anyways
Despite my strong personality, I think I’m really a “vulnerable” person most especially in my downtime… in my lowest moment! Yes I know, we all try to be strong for ourselves. But I remember this one time when I sought a friend’s help because I could no longer bear the pain I was feeling. This too is a rare moment for me as I don’t easily seek help from other people… most especially when it’s heart-related. My friend was really surprised to see how emotionally broken I was. But she saved me some pride and maintained a very light conversation… too light that she didn’t let a single tear fell off my lonely eyes.
I’m so sorry if my writing today transpired into a dragging confession. My initial intention was to share these weird dreams of mine and hopefully help those who are experiencing the same thing… help them analyze things and better understand what they are going through.
And for those of you who wished me to get well – both physically and emotionally (you know who you are guys!), thanks so much from the bottom of my heart!
Birthday, Gifts and Wishes
Exactly a week from now, I will turn a year older. I don’t mind anymore being tagged as “wala na sa kalendaryo“. Nasa thermometer pa kaya ako noh?! Hehehe!
Last year, I celebrated my big day at the City of Pines. I’m sensing that it’ll be way too simple this year. If worse comes to worst, I might celebrate my day inside the four corners of my cubicle at work. There’s too much piled on my desk and I need to meet loads and loads and loads of deadlines. *sigh*
Two days back, my Mom handed me an envelope. I guess it was a birthday card from AMO-PDM (Archdiocese of Manila Office – Persons with Disability Ministry). And I was right, it was indeed from AMO. That was the ministry I mentioned in a past entry where I studied sign language and voluteered for the deaf. They never failed to send me a greeting card before my special day.
Whenever I get a card from them, I feel both happy and sad. This simple thought makes me really happy. Am just sad because, I haven’t been able to spare some of my time for the volunteer work that I used to do for them. Hope I can pay them a short visit anytime soon.
There’s one other thing that makes me excited now. My closest female bud and high school classmate, who is in CA, just told me that she’s coming to Manila end of this month to attend her brother’s wedding. And guess what she’s giving me for my bday?
Of course, not the girl! The swimsuit, that is. Yep, she just bought this sexy and skimpy Victoria’s Secret bikini for me. Yey, I can wear this in Boracay next month!!! Let’s just see if I’ll look a little like that model in the pic. My daily sit-ups don’t seem to be working for my fat tummy. LOL!
So, what else do I want for my bday?
Well, I didn’t get some of the items from my Christmas wishlist last year, so I’ll still stick with them.
Chocolate brown will do
Small tumbler, please!
I'll be needing these soon!
Levis 593, let's talk about the size on SMS, LOL!
I really love this one!
And here’s one more that I really really like to have:
For the photo-addict in me. LOL!
But if I can’t have that beauty, I’ll try to live with this one:
Birthday celebration in HK Disneyland!!!
This is just my wishlist. I don’t think I will get to own all these items lest I buy them for myself. And even that HK trip that I have been dying to take is way too impossible to happen next week. Bakit ba, di naman masama mag-wish di ba?
But you know the greatest wish I want for my birthday? Just a dinner date or beach vacay with someone very special to me. That too, is a bit impossible to happen. (Paging _ _ _ _ _ _!!!)
With or without these gifts, I know my day will be darn special.
Tweety Bird turns 60
Earlier today, a colleague forwarded me an email entitled “Tweety Bird Turns 60 This Week”. I instantly got interested so I opened it immediately. It then got me more curious if Tweety Bird is indeed 60 years old. So I googled my way to check out the facts. And this is what I got from wikipedia.com:
Tweety (also known as Tweety Bird and Tweety Pie) is a fictional character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated cartoons. Tweety’s popularity, like that of The Tasmanian Devil, actually grew in the years following the dissolution of the Looney Tunes cartoons. The name “Tweety” is a play on words, as it originally meant “Sweetie”, along with “tweet” being a typical English onomatopoeia for the sounds of birds. Tweety has appeared in 48 cartoons.
Despite the widespread speculation that Tweety was female, he is and has always been a male character, something that he often has confirmed in The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries. On the other hand, his species is ambiguous; although originally and often portrayed as a young canary, he is also frequently called a rare and valuable “Tweetybird” as a plot device, and once called “The only living specimen”. Moreover, the title song suggests that it is a Canary. His shape more closely suggests that of a baby bird, which in fact is what he was during his early appearances. The yellow feathers were added but otherwise he retained the baby-bird shape.
Tweety is, for the most part, a good-natured character happily spending life in his cage or a nest. However, when a cat or other adversary threatens him, he can become downright malicious and devious, even kicking his enemy when he’s down. In many of Tweety’s appearances the bird is shown accompanying his owner, Granny.
Obviously, wikipedia’s post did not give me the info that I needed. So I again googled, clicked on the next item and found another info from cartoonspot.net:
Bob Clampett created the character that would become Tweety in the 1942 short A Tale of Two Kitties, sitting him against two hungry cats named Babbit and Catstello (based on the famous comedians Abbott and Costello). On the original model sheet, Tweety was named Orson (which was also the name of a bird character from an earlier Clampett cartoon Wacky Blackouts.
And so, the email was wrong! If Tweety Bird is really celebrating his birthday this week, he should be 67 years old. Imagine that, Tweety must really be an old haggard by now.
Well, here’s the lovable Tweety Bird as we know him…
And here is how he looks like now…
Kawawa naman, parang candidate na sya for Andok’s… hehehe!
I’m Shoppin’ Men
I was online with a friend some nights back. Our conversation led to my standards on men. So, I told my him that I have already blogged about it sometime in 2007. I no longer listed my guy qualification but instead sent him the url of my entry entitled On My Being Single and Having High Standards (daw!). Conversation then transpired to him doing shopping for his wife. It again reminded me of past entry I wrote in the same year. It’s an analogy between shopping and men. I posted it when I was still blogging in Friendster so I would like to repost the entry and share it to my “now” readers.
Here goes…
I am a self-confessed mallrat. I really don’t know why malls keep me relaxed even if it entail endless strolls which later on give me an I-can-no-longer-walk-coz-my-feet-are-too-numb feeling. It really helps me unwind from my busy life at work. Every Friday afternoon, I would always rush from work as soon as my computer clock hits 5:30 pm. People can expect to see me strolling my way to the nearest mall. And most of the time, I am alone as I want to spend this special mall-day-of-the-week with my lonesome self and perfectly execute my stroll-til-you-drop window shopping activity without any guilt. There are times though that I tag a friend or officemate along… para naman may kasama akong mapagod sa paglalakwasta sa Glorietta! Hehehe!
My weekends are almost always spent at the malls basically for the following:
- Shop (I don’t buy too expensive items though!)
- Grocery (I do this every other weekend a.k.a. after-payday weekend)
- Dine out (if there are something to celebrate for or Mommy is just too lazy to cook)
- Meet up with friends (most of the time at Starbucks, where else???)
- Watch movies (I used to be a full-time movie addict but now, I watch highly-rated films only)
- And my no. 1 classic habit… window shopping!!!
Well, we all know that shopping and men really don’t blend that much. I have known a lot of men who accompany their women to the malls. But they would always end up sitting on the sofa of every shoe and clothes store. Very seldom do I find men who are willing to help out women to browse tons of garments scattered around those famous only-for-girls stores during a mallwide sale. I guess, men really think that shopping is such a ‘girly’ activity that could and would never be part of their oh-so-manly intrests… unless they are the ones who tagged us to shop for those all-similar-looking rubber shoes, hard-to-understand-why-they-buy-such-thing car accessories and I-actually-don’t-need-but-just-want-to-upgrade gadgets and the worst place that they could drag us in… Handyman or Ace Hardware, where else?!
Whenever we are at the malls, we see signs or identify items depending on their status. There are these usual ’shopping signs’ that we don’t pay much attention to. But for me, they don’t simply go unnoticed. Despite this unmatched notion about shopping and men, I thought of a funny correlation between the two. Let us individually decode them now…
- New Arrivals. I relate these items to flavor-of-the-month kind of guys. They are considered as the “in” thing for the season or more popularly known as ‘fad’. Guys who would last for 6 months to 1 year (Rough estimate only, huh?! Hehehe!). Girls usually take the new-arrivals-kind-of-guys only for fun… and are usually replaced when there’s another set of “new arrivals” coming their way, thus, making the current beau obsolete. Eeerrr, that’s bad huh?!
- Display Items. These are the “almost perfect” items we see in every display window. They are considered best of the best. The most attractive and highly-saleable product any store could offer. And if they were gadgets, they are the ones with the highest specs. Just like men, they are the nice-to-have kind of beau… but are too irritatingly perfect! Other women are lucky to have these “display item” kind of guys. They don’t work for me though as I don’t go for guys like them. I would rather pass on and stay away from them as they would only emphasize my imperfections. Display-item-kind-of-guys are not definitely in my league!
- Stock Items. These are the “replicas” of the aforementioned display items. But prior to purchase, we need to try them on and check if they fit well or look good on us. We need to thoroughly scrutinize them before we make our trip to the cashier. And if you see some damages, don’t worry because there will always be this 7-day return-and-exchange policy… and in the case of actual relationships, we call it as “break-up”. Hehehe.
- On Sale Items. I love discounts. Sale promotions are like kryptonites for me. I get things at lower prices. They give me so much savings. And they allow me to buy more things! There are actually 3 reasons why items are sold on discounted prices: (1) there is an on-going mallwide sale, thus, all regular items are marked down at 5% to 10%, (2) a particular store is having an end-of-season sale with price cuts from 50% to 70%, and (3) there is a clearance or everything-must-go sale where discounts are pegged at more than 80%… simply because the store is closing down! Ouch! But at any rate, these are the ‘bestest’ finds. These, on the other hand, are correlated to all-in-one-package kind of guys. They possess the man-of-my-dreams characteristics which truly gives great value for our money! Sana lang uso rin ang ‘buy 1 take 1′ for these kinds of guys! Hehehe!
- Sold Items. Whenever I see “sold out” tags on items that I really like, I would always end up saying, “Sayang, I should have bought that thing last week!” I associate these “sold out” items to the so-called “married men”. These are the guys who could have passed my standards (Although I would always deny that I have standards on men, hehehe!) but are unfortunately taken or owned by some lucky women. Single girls like me can only admire them from afar and wish that “manufacturers” will someday make something of the same kind… or better yet, an upgraded version! Hehehe! A female friend of mine once entered my bedroom and commented that I have nice taste on furnitures (Ooops, I’m not bragging huh?!). I think my furnitures are rather simple and easy-on-the-eye. I jokingly replied to my friend, “Ay sorry ka, nabili ko na yan! Not for sale!” This again can relate to those “sold out” items. I think that these same words are uttered by wives/women whose husbands/men are still very “papable” despite their “attached” or “committed” status.
But don’t fret just yet! There’s one more type of item that I will not miss out. These are outside-the-mall shopping alternatives and actually offer greater value for money. We call them by the name of “ukay-ukay”… short for “halukay-halukay”! Hehehe! Honestly, I don’t really enter ukay shops here in Manila as I find it rather nakakahiya to be found inside such stores. But whenever I am in Baguio, almost 50% of my time is spent in “ukay-ukay”. Here’s a little trivia: Baguio locals are not familiar with the term “ukay-ukay” since it is more popularly known there as “wag-wagan”.
Anyhow, here is my special correlation-con-explanation of ukay and men:
- Ukay Finds. There are a great variety of items found in an ukay shop. Ultra-obsolete things, but others would coin them as ‘vintage items’. Overly-used shoes, bags and clothes… one more use and to Payatas dumpsite they go! There are a lot of really ‘good finds’ in ukay shops though… most especially those slightly-used items which can be mistakenly identified as brand new but was dumped by the owner just because they are so-last-season. Ukay session is such a time-gruelling experience. You have to dig deeper and look harder in order to find that “one” good find. I then relate these items to guys who were dumped or abandoned by some women for one reason or another. On-the-rebound, separated or divorced guys would perfectly fit the bill. As I said, one just has to look a little harder in order to realize that these guys are “such good finds” as well. So as the sayng goes: “One woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure”. There’s just one downside though… these men always come with excess baggage! Well, we just have to live with it! Hehehe!
For me, purchasing a “good find” is somewhat of an accomplishment as I usually spend much time browsing and canvassing for items before I buy them. I also have this very strange habit of hopping from one mall to another just to buy a specific item that I really like… the main reason why I term this hobby as “mall tour”! Call me meticulous, but I would rather exhaust all my energies to buy the “it” item than spend sleepless nights for the rest of my life thinking, “Sayang, wala na… I really should have bought that thing last week!”
I don’t have to explain my last paragraph… I will let you do the analysis on this one!
My Easter Weekend
“Hi Winkie! Andito kami ngayon sa Antipolo. Punta ka. Dito tayo mag-Easter Vigil.” I got that message last Saturday from an older lady friend.
I replied with, “Sige po, punta ako. Sama ko si Mommy. Uwi ko lang po sandali itong ginrocery ko.”
She SMS-ed me back, “Ayan! Teka, punta kami ng bayan ngayon. Bilhan ko kayo ni Mommy mo ng ice cream.”
“Wow, ice cream! Ang sarap!!! Am so touched, Tita. Will go there in a while. See you later.” That was my last reply.
Well, two years back, I posted an entry entitled Going Back to my Old Haven. It was about a retreat house in Antipolo that I used to frequent back in the days. And last weekend, I went back to be part of the Easter Vigil with some people very close to my heart.
When I was in high school, I was part of a youth organization called Kabataang Lingkod ni Maria, more popularly known in its acronym, KLM. I was one of the youth leaders then. It was my own little way to serve God, the Church and the youth. And that lady who texted me was a teacher from a school in Laguna as a formator, otherwise known as ‘animator’.
Without batting an eyelash, I said YES to that invite. Took my Mom along and we travelled to Tahanang Nasaret in Antipolo.
Participating in the Easter Vigil Mass at Tahanang Nasaret is not new to me and my mom. We were always invited, uhm expected (I think this is a more fitting term) to celebrate Easter there. And even on other occasions like birthdays, ordination receptions, send-off parties and just about anything. I was always there. I really find comfort just being in that sweet serene place.
But as years went by and life gone way too busy, I gradually failed to allot some of my precious time. And I really can’t remember the last time I celebrated Easter in Tahanang Nasaret. Maybe 4 years ago. Or maybe more.
Easter Sunday is celebrated in such a many special ways there. So, it was really a heart-pumping event for me to go back to that place. Last Sunday’s celebration was a bit too plain and simple as compared those in the past. Just the blessing of the Pascal Candle and a concelebrated mass. But it didnt matter. The most important thing was the celebration of our Lord’s ressurection.
I’ll just let the pics tell you what transpired in that Easter Vigil. Pardon the photos, I forgot to bring my digicam. These were just taken my not-so-high-tech camphone.
Blessing of the Flame
Blessing of the Pascal Candle
Fr. Mark as the main celebrant
Concelebrated Mass with Frs. Mike, Randy and Lawrence
Just like any other Easter Vigil mass, it was a bit too long than an ordinary Sunday mass. And as always, we were asked to proceed to the center garden for a fun activity. What else… but the Easter Egg hunting! And as always again, I wasn’t able to find a single one. I’m really bad at that!
Since it was already an hour past 12 mid-night, Fr. Lawrence (OA sa kulit ang pari na itech!) asked us to spend the night there and just head back home the following morning. Since I missed the placed a lot, I again said YES. (Ang dali kong mag-yes noh?!) It then gave me the opportunity to check out the entire garden. There have been a lot of changes since my last visit. It was way too finished now. And here are my shots:
Center Garden (a shot from the Retreat House)
My two "moms" at the Center Garden
The Retreat House (a shot from the Center Garden)
Stations of the Cross
Clausura
Pathway back to the Center Garden
The Reception Area
The Swimming Pool 🙂
Do I still need to explain further why I like going here and miss this place a lot?
So, that was my Easter Weekend 🙂
Easter Sunday: I Will Sing Forever
I Will Sing Forever
Music and lyrics by Fr. Manoling Francisco, S.J.
Performed by Bukas Palad Minsitry
I will sing forever of Your love, O Lord
I will celebrate the wonder of Your name
For the word that You speak is a song of forgiveness
And a song of gentle mercy and of peace
Let us wake at the morning and be filled with Your love
And sing songs of praise all our days
For Your love is as high as the heavens above us
And Your faithfulness as certain as the dawn
I will sing forever of Your love, O Lord
I will celebrate the wonder of Your name
For the word that You speak is a song of forgiveness
And a song of gentle mercy and of peace
I will sing forever of Your love, O Lord
For You are my refuge and my strength
You fill the world with Your life-giving spirit
That speaks Your word
Your word of mercy and of peace
And I will sing forever of Your love, O Lord
Yes I will sing forever of Your love, O Lord
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May the risen Lord shower you and your family
with much love, hope and joy!
Happy Easter everyone!!!
A Quick Peek into Winkie's World 