My High(s) and Low(s) for 2008

Tomorrow will be the start of the last quarter of 2008. whew! time really flies so so fast, i feel like cramming , i still have things to accomplish before the year end, i have 3 more months anyway, cram cram.

People are in Christmas mode already, im hearing Christmas songs everywhere and the early morning breeze smells like simbang gabi (puto bumbong and bibingka madness)

I made a partial list of my HIGH(s) and LOW(s) this year and i want to share it with you.

January

- The Jump Start - Last new year my dad had a heart attack. what a start of the year! I experienced the longest 30mins of my life in the hospital, it's like eternity. Thank Good Lord, he recovered so fast

February

- The Mental relapse - i dont remember anything significant here.

March

- The Catching up - catching up for the lost times here and there, with my family, relatives and friends

April

- Surprised! - My friend's wedding announcement came as a shock to us, april fools day eh? the weeding happened two weeks after the date of their announcement. a church weeding with only two weeks preparation, would you believe that? but it happened and went well, nothing is impossible for the people in love.

May

- The Crossroad - traffic lights got me blinded. Why crossroad? i wish i can share.

June

- Making memories (but still in the cross road)
A. Travel - my first out of the country trip, a trip to Singapore, fun, fun, fun
B. Bunch of despididas for my best friend

July

- Traffic lights restored. Seeing a new hope with 20x20 vision.

August

- New born - In the absence of my safety net, I gave birth to myminiheart, my new baby - my blog. Thanks to all who welcomed me in the blog world, you know who you are, i found comfort in your warm comments. I thank my friend claire and my best friend boy who i forced to read and comment on my blog... luv you guys.

September

- My birth month, (age ain't nothing but a number) thanks to generous people in my life, thanks for the gifts specially the gift of love.

October
I made it to UP School of Industrial Relations. Im going back to school.

November
Start of classes.

and December - thinking positively. Everything will be fine. Claimed!

I Thank GOD for where i been, who i met, what happened and what I become. My best teacher - experience. Cheers!

What is your high and low this year? care to share?

If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. Meister Eckhart

missing mode

Sisterhood of the traveling pants 2 ( i love america ferrera and alexis bledel) made me miss my friends, we were separated by distance because of priorities and responsibilities but nevertheless we find time to keep in touch, miss you terribly guys.

speaking of missing, i found this picture of my grandparents (my dad's parents) this is the oldest picture i have. I miss my lola, sad i wasnt able to meet my lolo, he died 6yrs before i was born.

No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth. ~Robert Southey

wall climbing - final update

Fun fun fun, that’s how I describe what we experienced wall climbing last night.We came there by 5:30 after office, good thing there are no other climbers, so we have all the time. After signing up the blah blah thing, comes the orientation, (how to use the belay device, harness, etc etc)

sorry to spoil you guys but I didnt maket it…when i saw how high the walls, im freaking back out, the girls were convincing me, thanks but no thanks, but wait, I did the toughest job.. belaying.. manually operate the belay device that holds the rope, it is a tandem between the climber and the belayer,(takes two to tango) the safety of the climber lies on the hand of the belayer, it requires presence of mind, never ever let go of the rope, scary, the climber should trust the belayer.. before i forget, here are climbing terms you need to know when climbing: climbing, climb on, tension(loosen the rope), slack(tighten the rope), down and let go...

never let go of the rope

presence of mind
and a sore hands

here are the highlights

no fear
ain't no wall high enough
when you successfully climbed 2 walls

We had fun, (you'll burn 600 cal. per hour) tip: if you want to try this, go on a thursday night, it's the ladies night, 50% off.

power up girls

after burning calories, we replace it with a big dinner...at tiendisitas, yey!

wall climbing - a glimpse

it's raining so hard, that must be Nina(typhoon), i guess. i'm tired and cold, so i'll just give you peek... and i'm off to bed, details to follow...

save the day, save your hair

Our hair, indeed is our crowning glory, we girls care so much about it. For the past few days I had been reading blogs complaining about dry hair/bad hair day and the entire hair catastrophe. We all had shares of hair troubles, only few have been blessed with the perfect crowning glory (kainggit) and often times we end up to “wash and wear” style so as not to spend hours fixing, very time consuming. My hair is too thick and sometimes during my not so lucky days (too often) I just tied it especially during summer. I tried everything, been to different hair salon(expensive), used different over the counter hair treatment products but nothing beats the wonder of being chemical free, those that are available in our kitchen - it did wonders on my (used to be) dry/damaged hair, it just require a little patience- no sacrifice, no beauty.

here are some tips that i gladly share with you, tried and proven effective for me, all natural and inexpensive.

1. mayonnaise magic which by the way worked successfully with Odette. Yahoo! mayo saves the day.

2. the extra virgin olive oil wonder (confirmed as Best Cardiac Prevention Choice)- any brand will do. To apply, same as other hot oil treatment products. You can also use it as a body scrub when mix with brown sugar, you can see a big difference after, it makes your skin super smooth (sobra). You can even use it on your face, just don’t put too much pressure.

3. Eggs (hair omelet- lol) – egg yolk for the hair and the egg white for your face, put it like a face mask.

goodbye ponytail, goodbye bad hair day!

wall climbing - update

here comes tomorrow, our wall climbing sched, i been battling with my self if i want to go, my body is still sore from the weekend "total body burn" (hip hop abs) workout.. ache ache..excuses ...

will i go or not?.. it depends on my body mood when i wake up tomorrow.. but the truth is i'm petrified.. of heights, whew!

bahala na.. lavagals, please don't get mad at me, i know i was the one who initiated this...peace!

today's in a nutshell

Loving people means giving them the freedom to be who they choose to be and where they choose to be.

Love is allowing people to be in your life out of choice.

to the real me..meet me up close

i had my hair permed at menage salon five months ago, i wanted to experiment on my hair style since i find my straight hair a little bit boring, i been wearing same hair style for many years...me in curl

but no matter how you camouflage your self, came a time that you still want to see the old you, the real you - meng i'm so back! the new-old me.back to my old self (up close)

i miss me.. which is better? me in curl or the natural me? hmmm..

Today's in a nutshell

On Forgiveness

"Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it." - Mark Twain

down to the last two chapters of Follow your heart, these statements caught me:

"if a hurricane floods your basement, do you say: "I'll never forgive the weather?

"when we forgive ourselves, we stop criticising other people."

"How do you love someone? Try substituting the word acceptance. Total acceptance is unconditional love."

have a nice sunday

Hand Bag Meme

this is from rachel...

Here are the rules:

1.. Dump the contents of your handbag in a pile
2. Take a photo of your handbag and the contents
3. Be brave and explain to your fellow bloggers what lurks inside the handbag.
4. Tag others who might want to embarrass themselves
5. Answer these questions:




Describe the contents of your handbag.
1. Wallet
2. Coin purse
3. cellphone
4. ipod nano
5. umbrella (i never leave without it)
6. my USBs
7. rosary
8. kikay pouch/make up kit
8. office keys
9. notebook
10. the pepper spray for self defense which my sister gave to me recently
11. camera

What's the most important thing in your handbag?
My wallet because it has my identification cards and credit cards. (me too)

What's the most embarrassing thing in your handbag?
none

What's the smallest thing in your handbag?
USB

Is there anything illegal in your handbag?
none

girls loves bags, that is one of my fashion fetishes (next to shoes) i change bag thrice a week, depending on my mood and my outfit and often i forgot my keys.. (argh)

now, i'm tagging every girl with huge fetish for bags..

recipe for personality

i saw this from ria (im loving her blog) and what's really funny? it's for you to find out, try it:)

The Recipe For myminiheart

3 parts Understanding 2 parts Sass 1 part Sexiness Splash of Ingenuity Finish off with a little umbrella and straw

What's the Recipe for Your Personality?

wall climbing

my officemates and I planned to go wall climbing next week at Power Up pasig, if ever, it would be my very first wall climb, wheew! im having a cold feet and butterflies in my stomach just thinking of it. I want to know if i already beat my fear of heights, hehe bahala na si batman.

Power Up pasig (silver city near tiendisitas) according to the website i've read is the ultimate climbing gym in the Philippines featuring two fully textured climbing panel lead walls with a three meter ceiling! A bouldering cave, two children's beginners walls (try ko na lang kaya yong pambata, coward) and ten other walls for climbers at all levels. For one session it cost P240 (with gadgets) for 3 hrs including the orientation.

photo credit: Tan-Torres

while browsing infos about wall climbing, i came across this tips from womanclimbing.com

Top Sport Climber Michelle Hurni's Tips For Women Climbers

(Note: Michelle has been climbing for 17 years, and has been on the US Climbing Team for 7 of those years. Her "Beyond the Basics" clinic has been taught to hundreds of women across the United States for the past seven years. During 1999 she was ranked her highest, #1, in the US in difficulty climbing. She is the director of the US Climbing Team Junior Pro Camps (1998 - 2000). She was also a member of the US Climbing Team (1993-1999).

Tip #1: Quiet Climbing.

When climbing outdoors or in, you should always strive to climb as quietly as possible with your feet. Whenever you move a foot from one hold to another, be sure to watch it carefully until it is set on the next foothold. This will prevent your feet from slipping off small holds and you will gain confidence in your footwork. If you hear your feet touch the hold, you know you were not in control!

Tip #2: Relax!

Any time you tense up while climbing, you will overgrip the holds, stop breathing, and use more energy. To avoid this, relax as much as possible on the rock. I like to take a deep breath right before I make a clip, insuring that I am relaxed to make the clip, and at the same time getting much needed oxygen to my muscles. Relaxing you shoulders and neck will help to prevent injury to the tendons in your arms and hands. Straighten out your arms when you are looking around for foot or hand holds and you will find your whole body relaxing.

Tip #3: Think Positive!

Whether you know the grade of the route you are on or not, it is important to believe you can do the climb. If you believe the climb is within your ability, you will fight harder and not give up as easily. On the opposite hand, if you know the climb is over your ability level, you will have a tendency to give up easier, or saying "take" instead of pushing through one more move. Go at a climb with the attitude of "I can do this" and you will have a higher success rate.

Tip #4: Push, don't Pull.

If you imagine yourself getting tired, what is the first thing you do? Typically, you start to pull harder through moves, using your lower body less efficiently. When you hear someone say "Pull!", you should train yourself to think "Push!". Which muscles are stronger --the biceps or the quadriceps? Legs are stronger by a long shot, so using them will help save those arms for the more delicate movements. Anytime you are making a move on the rock, think "Push to the next move" and what body part kicks in? The legs, of course.

Tip #5. Hips are for pushing.

Why were women given a different set of hips than men? It certainly wasn't for childbearing -- it was for climbing! Women were given hips that work well for climbing. As you are making a move, arch your back and push into the wall with your hips. This movement forces your legs to do the work, instead of your arms. It also holds your lower body close to the wall, putting the weight on your feet. If you use the "backstep" or "drop knee" when climbing, arch your back as you push through the move and you will find the weight goes onto your legs and you do not need to pull with your arms as much.

Hope these tips will work for me. I need a lot of courage, stamina and courage, courage or else i will just watch them reach the top, coward me.. huhu or we'll just go badminton. Wish me luck!

Please vote Heart of Rachel in the Philippine Blog Awards 2

I would like to congratulate Rachel for being nominated in the Philippine Blog Awards 2 (click the link to find out the mechanics). I'm sad that I'm not qualified voter since i just started blogging last month so i promise to make this campaign post for her.

To all our fellow bloggers, please visit her blog Heart of Rachel and find out for your self why she deserve to be nominated. If you believe in her, please cast your vote now.

Thank you in advance. And good luck rachel.

lucky love charm

An officemate lend a copy of the romantic comedy movie Good Luck Chuck. Here's the synopsis from rotten tomatoes "It is a story of successful dentist cursed with the affliction of having the women he dates fall in love with the next guy they meet. After a 1985 flashback reveals how, as a child, Charlie came to be hexed, the film finds the grown bachelor taking advantage of his predicament. Because he's never really loved any of the women he's dated, it doesn't hurt much when they leave. But when rumors start circulating that sleeping with Charlie is a lucky love charm, Charlie's popularity reaches new heights that even he, an experienced ladies' man, cannot keep up with. A string of women eager to sleep with him and they all find true love immediately afterwards."

My question is, if Charlie, a lucky love charm is real and you are single would you be one of the women dying to sleep with him if it means finding the right one? Hmmm.. what do you think?

Meme: Chores I Hate Most

Since I cant gather my thoughts, i'll just do this meme:

Got this from rowena (thanks for sylvannas recipe).

there are 3 things i hate doing : ironing, cleaning dining table and clothes folding.

but to those who enjoy doing the folding, Id like to share this video (fyi):

so simple, in just 2 seconds, viola!

now im tagging all domestic divas out there.

disorganize

I really wanted to write about so many things but i cant organize my thoughts and i'm in a state of mixed emotions, so to save you from headache i decided to write out of nothing and leave this thought instead:

in a nutshell

"there's such a thing as trying too hard..
you've got to sing like you don't need the money -
love like you'll never get hurt -
you've got to dance like nobody's watching -
it's got to come from the heart if you want it to work."

enjoy the rest of your weekend. ciao

My birthday wishes

"Our birthdays are feathers in the broad wing of time."
Jean Paul Richter

Whew! I’ll be celebrating my birthday in two weeks.

What are my wishes?
I’ve already granted my self material gifts for my birthday,

I. Here are my advance gifts to myself:

1. A four day leisure trip to Singapore (shopping, shopping)
2. a sony cybershot digicam
3. apple Ipod nano
4. clothes

That would be enough for me. But I am accepting gifts for those who are generous (lol)

II. For my intangible wishes:

1. love, love and love (wish to find the right one)
2. good health for my me and my family specially my parents
3. world peace
4. success of our company
5. more friends
6. to be qualified for Maters of Industrial Relations in UP, I really want to go back to school
7. people will start caring for our mother earth
8. more jobs for Filipinos

III. My birthday resolutions

1. be thrifty
2. quit procrastination
3. loose weight

Wee, Quite a long list!

Last year I got this gift from my sister (she is desperate finding my true love)

just hang on there dear sister, im working on it (lol)

today's in a nutshell

For the world to treat you well
you have to treat yourself well.

How can you feel
like a mover and shaker
when you have a wholes
in your underwear?

google image tag

I got this from Ria

Here's how

a) Answer the question below, do a Google Image search with your answer, take a picture from the 1st page of results, do it with minimal words of explanation; and
b) Tag 5 people to do the same once you’ve finished answering every question.

1. The age you’ll be on your next birthday:

i'll be having my next bday on 27th.hapi bday to me.

2. Place you want to travel to: around the world


3. Your favorite place:

beach at the back of our house in Quezon

4. Your favorite food:

nuts and chocolates even if i have allergies :)

5. Your favorite pet: None sorry, i have allergy on feathers

6. Favorite color combination:

bluegreen

7. Favorite piece of clothing:

jeans and shirt

8. Your all time favorite songs : I'm into POP and R & B (sorry cant find image)

9. Favorite TV show : CSI (vegas), Big Bang Theory, Sex and the city, Gossip Girl

10. First name of your significant other/crush:


11. Which town do you live in:


12. Your screen name/nickname


13. Your first job:

admin assistant in an ISP

14. Your dream job:

i want to be a psychologist

15. One bad habit that you have:

say no to procrastination

16. worst fear:

people dying

17. Things you'd like to do before you die :

travel anywhere in the world

18. first thing you'll buy if you get $1,000,000

glass house with swimming pool

19. Your husband/wife:

i want to have a perfect husband if there is such a thing called perfect

20. What present would you like for your next birthday?:

to finish Masters of Industrial Relations in UP

ok here comes the tag, since im new to blog world, anyone can have it if you have free time.

Gratitude

I would like to thank people, who appreciates my blog, when I made this blog I never expected that some people will like it. At first I did not put my URL to google search engine because I thought that im not ready to go public yet but now it feels so good when people appreciate your thoughts and you get great comments in return.

I want to express my huge gratitude to these few people:

I gave this heart to you

To Odette, who is an inspiration of this blog and her wonderful love story. I am a grateful heart too.
To Pia, I really wish you well, thanks for loving my blog (eat, pray, love)
To Jenny, thanks for the help and for spreading love blog
To Ria, hope you’ll find your passion soon

Thank you guys. Cheers to a new cyber friendship!

May God Bless you all.

Tsk Tsk .. Manila in flood again..

Since we moved to Pasig three years ago, last night was the first time I saw our place in flood. For the past 3 years many storms hit Manila, most of them are super typhoons but never leave our area in doused. Last night was not even a typhoon, it just rain so hard with thunder and lightning. I left the office at 7pm. When we reached the lobby of our building that’s the only time we learned that the rain was so terrible, my officemate and I decided to go since the lobby are full of smoking bystanders and we choose to get wet rather than caught an asthma due to smoke.

When I reached the tricycle station in our area around 8pm, I was surprised that there are no line ups of tricycle but a line of stranded commuters. I was wondering what was going on, it never occur to me that there's flood (whatsoever) because I never experience a flood in our area before.

After 10mins of waiting I was finally got a ride, that’s when I found out that we are in flood and I heard from the driver that earlier the flood is knee level. I saw a lot of plastics floating in the dark and smelly water (eww) nonetheless the kids are happily playing in the water as if they were in the ocean (where are your parents?)

When I saw litters floating, I suspected that the cause of flood is the clogged drainage. Maybe litters accumulated and clogged the passageway. It can be caused by those who don’t dispose their garbage properly.

I couldn't help but wonder, are people becoming too rude and irresponsible to their surroundings? When are we going to take to care of our environment? I’m not an environment expert and I am once guilty of being careless to my surroundings especially when I was a kid but I realized the damage I contributed to the destruction of our environment. It is a no-brainer to figure out how to take care of it. We know how, we just don’t have the discipline.

Thoughts to ponder: When are we going to learn the lesson? When we are all drowned?

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to all who are celebrating their birthday today.

Happy birthday Mama Mary, thank you for all the favors I have received through your intercession. Your prayers are all powerful.

Hail Holy Queen.

Spread the blog love

Thanks jenny for this blog tag..

(Pls. don't remove) Credits: Elements/Paper by Dani Mogstad/ Layout by JennyL

Rules:
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