sugar momma

paulo on youtube

2008-07-28T17:29:00.000+10:00

twenty-seven

2008-07-24T19:59:00.000+10:00

yep. another year older but none the wiser.

this year, i pledge to:
1. be a better wife and mum
2. shop less
3. save
4. pursue makeup artistry
5. lose weight
6. quit smoking

taena, mga next-to-impossible itong goals ko. hehe.

---

As a birthday treat, I bought Jane Austen's six novels and hope to finish reading at least one before I turn twenty-eight. Pride and Prejudice is probably my favorite love story, and I am well aware that watching it on-screen is a lot easier than reading the book. But I'm sure that the book itself would be super satisfying.

I am FASCINATED by how, back in those days, people fall in love and get engaged immediately (without dating!)... how comparatively uncomplicated life was... how a woman with independent thought was considered unfortunate... and how the mere touch of a woman's naked hand can stir a man's emotions. Imagine a man saying "you pierce my soul" to the woman he loves... oh, I love period romances.

Aside from the books, I bought the BBC adaptations of all six stories, and I must say... Colin Firth (Mr. Darcy) has GOT TO BE the sexiest man alive.

And I love, love, love The Dark Knight. 5 stars for me. :-) Heath Ledger was fabulous in it, and I'm not saying that because he's dead. It was his best performance, and it's sad how they say his role as the Joker was the reason why he couldn't sleep at night, which was why he took his pill cocktail that caused his death. Hmmm.

See how extreme my taste in films is? I love period romances and dark action thrillers. Nothing in between. :D

earth to mars

2008-06-27T13:40:00.000+10:00

With my three not-to-be-missed shows - Grey's Anatomy, Brothers and Sisters, and Gossip Girl - off air, I had to look for another soap that can take my mind off 'em for a few months. Went to trusty DVD shop, and wadayaknow, the first season of Veronica Mars was on sale. I bought it and spent the past 24 hours watching Kristen Bell do her thang. The show was pretty interesting. I especially liked the scene where Veronica confronts the guy who she thought raped her during one of the rich kids' party. She was drugged so couldn't remember any of it except that she woke up in the guest room with her undies on the floor. Her detective skills led her to ex-love Duncan's door. He admitted they had sex but told her it wasn't rape, it was consensual.

Veronica (mega crying): If it was tender and loving, why did you leave me there alone?
Duncan: Because you're my sister! I still did it [have sex with you] even though mom told me [about you being my sister]... I loved you!

Talk about drama!!! Got my heart pumping double time! You'd think this was a really sick series, but it isn't. Turns out they're not related after all.

But what really got me was Logan Echolls, the messed-up rich kid stereotype who fed my penchant for baddies-turned-goodies. He's the witty devil, but he looks like an angel. Can you see how cute those cheeks are? He's adorable when he's with Veronica. My knees turn to Jell-O when he smiles. And in my heart, I know he's a good guy. He's just... misunderstood. Like Serena van der Woodsen. :-) He's far more interesting and better looking than Chuck Bass, that's for sure.

taksil!

2008-06-17T15:27:00.001+10:00

salawahan! may iba syang pamilya!

:-)

kikay kilay post

2008-06-12T15:55:00.000+10:00

I never thought I'd see the day when someone would tell me my "eyebrows are too thin".

So maybe I overplucked my overgrown eyebrows a few weeks ago. While I'm growing them back, I had them dyed brown so that when I fill them in with pencil/powder, they won't look too harsh compared to black.

That's all.

let's talk about...

2008-05-19T16:32:00.001+10:00

I have not been blogging for a while now. By blogging I mean not only posting photos but pouring out my heart and soul, unneccessarily broadcasting drama into the wonderful wonderful web. Not that I haven't had any crayola sessions or near-breakdown experiences these past months, because I have... but let's not talk about that.

Let's talk about how I discovered I'm good at something else other than what I do now. I always thought that if wasn't in I.T., I wouldn't be anywhere. Now, I found something I'm passionate about. Never mind that some people might find it mundane. At least I'm good at it. (More details on this in July - don't ask why!)

And that I am struggling financially? (Should I be blogging about this? Haha) Seriously. Contrary to what my mom and other people think, I don't get paid a lot. It's enough to get us through a whole month, but with my non-existent budgeting skills, it's really a challenge.

And that Paulo is turning 2 in a month?! It's crazy! Seemed like yesterday that I had this huge belly and swollen feet. Oh wait, I still have a huge belly! Grr. I'm planning on a pyjama party - not an all-nighter, just a costume party - but that idea seems to be a little shaky seeing that it's winter in June.

And that I'm officially addicted to Gossip Girl? I blame Ria. :-)

That's it for now. I'm watching Drawn Together. Kinda hard to blog and watch that show at the same time.

Toodles!

ultimate realist

2008-04-22T17:13:00.000+10:00

I saw Hannah's post about the personality quiz and decided to give it a try. Answering the questions were quite fun and I was surprised to see that the results were accurate. :-)

The question that made me think long and hard was (something like) "do you find Geometry easier than Algebra?" :-)

mr. cheeky at 21 months

2008-04-11T19:09:00.001+10:00

ex post

2008-04-07T16:44:00.000+10:00

I've had such traumatic break-ups. Really. Traumatic to the extent that the only way I could cope was to put every memory on the back of my mind. Honestly, I can not remember ANY good thing that happened over the course of the relationships, just the bad break-up.

But as they say, when God closes a door, he opens a window.

Not only am I stronger and happy and in a better relationship, I have more in my life because of those break-ups. The friends I gained are truly a blessing.

---

Hanep na intro. Ang gusto ko lang sana ikwento ay may bago akong kaibigan dito sa Melbourne. Ex ng ex ko. Oo, yung ex ko na yung ex niyang isa naging suuuuper close ko. Mag-vo-volt in na kami. Hehe.

longing

2008-04-07T16:10:00.000+10:00

Before anything else - Congratulations and best wishes to the newly weds, Rea and Ken! :-)

Nothing blog-worthy has happened in a while. Not even our move to the suburbs, which probably was the highlight of the past month.

Nothing blog-worthy, that is, until last night. Yesterday was my good friend Rea's wedding. She and I had been comparing wedding prep notes over the past year. Since she wasn't a December bride and therefore she got the services all the suppliers she wanted. For that, I envy her. Hehe.

But the part that was really really heart-wrenching was the fact that *almost* all my very close college friends were at her wedding. With my wedding just a few days before Christmas, most of my barkada couldn't make it because they were on holidays. Don't get me wrong, I didn't transform into a green-eyed monster. I turned into a home-sick uni girl.

Seriously, I became so nostalgic, I got dizzy. The practical part of me wants to stay in Australia, because let's face it, everything here is better. But the rest of me wants to go back to Manila - to be with my family and friends! Oh God, I miss them.

groupie

2008-04-07T16:03:00.000+10:00

Here's me, Melanie, Eva, birthday bakla Chie with Aussie Idol Dean Geyer at the Maroon 5 concert.

Eek! Fafaness!

barely breathing

2008-03-08T18:28:00.000+11:00

I stopped breathing last night.

It must have been because I was vividly dreaming I was underwater. Someone was probably trying to drown me and I was trying hard not to breathe. I woke up as I felt my lungs were about to burst. My chest hurt so bad and I was sucking air so hard.

I didn't think much about it last night but thinking about it now, I might have died! Worse, I might have died without saying "I love you" and "thank you" to those dearest to me.

So, to you (you know who you all are), even if I tell you this every day, or if I haven't told you enough... I love you and thank you for everything we've shared. :-)

i'm yours, heart and soul... i'm yours

2008-02-11T20:39:00.000+11:00

I'll get straight to the point: I love James McAvoy. I've recently seen him in Becoming Jane and honestly, I've never seen an actor with more fire and more passion. Because of him, I watched the movie and felt my heart break again the day after I first saw it. The only consolation I had was finding out (thanks to Wikipedia) that the story is not 100% true. And so, James is now high on my people-I-want-to-meet-before-I-die list.

what's up?

2008-01-23T20:32:00.000+11:00

I haven't been blogging lately. Probably because of the wedding or my 4-week holiday or my 3-week back-to-work adjustment... whatever. But here's my time to catch up. So, be warned, this will be a long post. :-)

manila, manila...

We went back home last December 7th and it was GREAT to see familiar faces. I made the most of my four-week stay and went out every night! I spent a lot of time with my family, especially my cousins. I met up with Pisay, UP and Retek friends. And of course, spent my last night at Red Box, singing my heart out with my most loyal and most loving friends. :-)

kong kong!

Of course the first couple of weeks was really busy due to wedding preps, but Herbie and I found time for ourselves in Hong Kong. It was supposed to be a pre-wedding "honeymoon" but, hehe, nothing happened! Wala man lang dookit session! (Too personal, sorry!) We were too tired at the end of the day to even cuddle. The first night, I planned to have a quick nap but ended up waking the next day with the same clothes I had on the previous day. The next night, I fell asleep on the bath tub and woke up 4 hours later. Good thing I didn't slip and drown! It was a great weekend nonetheless. Herb and I acted like young giddy couples. :-)

I took a lot of (good) photos at Disneyland but I haven't uploaded it yet, so I'll do it when Herbie comes back.

comes back?

Yeah, my husband decided to take a well-deserved 6-week extension of his holiday in Manila. So I'm here in Melbourne, all alone, feeling much like the OFW that I technically am. Everyone thinks of me as dalaga (single young lady) here, but really, I haven't even gone out much since I came back. I went out to see a couple of movies and an Aussie Open night. I'm off to Gold Coast this weekend then I vow to go out next week and maximize my so-called me-time.

tennis hotties

I went to my first live Australian Open match last night. It wasn't a full house, but the intensity was hard to describe. Defeaning grunts (screams) from Maria Sharapova, whose gorgeous legs seemed to stretch until forever. Full-on support for unseeded wonder, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Too bad he's not as good-looking as the other players (read: Safin and Hartfield) but he's got humility and a huuuge... talent. Hihi.

And so I've decided that Paulo will take up tennis when he's four. Or younger, if possible. He'll turn pro at 17 or 18 like Roger. He'll be the first Pinoy to get to the Aussie Open finals. Herbie and I, along with our Aussie posse (Tita Bev, Tita Chie, etc etc hahaha) will be there to cheer him on! I will be the greatest stage mother evaaah!

*Sigh* I know that it's just a matter of time before someone beats displaces Roger as the World's #1 tennis player, but I really hope it doesn't happen soon. I want to watch a live match before he retires!

moving out

I'm currently looking for a new apartment. The one we have now is fine, but the landlord increase the rent by fifty freaking dollars per week! I really don't think this unit is worth $325. And so Herb and I decided it would be better to move a bit farther from the city and invest that $50/week to furniture and, of course, a big HD TV. Hehe.

chillax

Like I said, I'm off to Gold Coast this Friday for a relaxing long weekend. We'll be spending all day Saturday at Surfer's Paradise and then Movie World on Sunday. Yay! Looking forward to it.

Tequilalalalalaaaaaaaaa...

p.s.

Paulo had his hair shaved off. He now looks like a kid from the streets of Pasay: bald, thin, dark, with sipon all over his face. No, I won't post a picture. hehe.

2008 aussie open hotties :-)

2008-01-23T17:49:00.000+11:00

here's the list of the papas, as found on the aus open webbie:

honorable mentions: Mikhail Youzhny (kamukha ni Chris O'Donnell) and Novac Djokovic
#10: Janko Tipsarevic
#9: Roger Federer (happy happy)
#8: Diego Hartfield (omg, eto ang papa kooo!)
#7: Marcos Baghdatis (cute sya, but i wouldn't say papa sya)
#6: Rafael Nadal (my mom loves him)
#5: Richard Gasquet
#4: Andy Roddick (papa ni bev, hmf)
#3: Tommy Haas (papa ng lahat)
#2: Marat Safin (OMG!!! MCSTEAMY!!!)
#1: James Blake (sana si safin na lang haha)

feeling ofw

2008-01-04T04:47:00.000+11:00

i'm back in melbourne, alone and missing my babies. sigh. i've started cleaning the apartment - which is a great feat since i found a DEAD pigeon on the terrace - just to kill time.

i hope 6 weeks fly by reeeeeeally fast.

---

something to make you smile

kasal kasalan

2007-12-25T02:15:00.000+11:00

hello from the philippines!!! :-)

i've been here for two weeks now but i've decided to delay blogging until after the wedding. the wedding was, by the way, super fun! stress-free thanks to jeng and her team! i'll make kwento ha, for the benefit of those who were not able to attend. :-)

i was probably the most relaxed bride ever. it might be because i was really confident that jeng will take care of everything. i slept at 3:30 a.m. going over some last-minute wedding details, and woke up at 4:30 a.m. to get ready for my hair and make-up session. buti na lang magaling si miss ej, kundi ngarag ang fezlak ko di buzz?!

the ceremony started about 15 minutes late, which was fine, but unfortunately, the delay caused the priest to rush the mass, which was not fine. kainis! nag-e-emote ako sa vows ko tapos sya tuloy tuloy lang. grr. oh, and yes, i cried on my wedding. i cried the moment they opened the doors of the church and i heard my "tunay na ligaya". i cried when my mom hugged me. herbie cried when he saw his nieces walking down the aisle. i cried again when i said my vows. sigh. i only made my vows half an hour before i went to sleep, but when i said them aloud, the emotions came flooding in. grabesh.

the reception was fine, medyo nalipasan lang kami (pati ibang guests) ng gutom kasi around 2 pm na nagstart. but it was fun, really. the buchi-eating contest for the girls was great! mejo luto lang yung beer-drinking contest for the guys kasi i knew na si babes ang mananalo dahil labiduds nya yung nanalo sa girls. grr.

yumi's cupcakes were super duper delicious. nurture spa's food was excellent. the place looked lovely. everyone loved our first dance (kahit maputi na ang buhok ko) hehe.

i'll post my supplier ratings and photos at www.herbieandfaye.com soon.

a million thanks to jeng - you are da bomb! hugs to everyone who helped with and attended the wedding. :-)

spice

2007-12-03T23:13:00.000+11:00

yiiippeeeee!!! i just found out that due to public demand, the spice girls have extended their london tour, which means they had to reschedule their sydney show, which means a higher possibility of me getting to watch it!!! yay!!!

ready?

2007-11-29T22:37:00.000+11:00

that's me! :-)

blossoms

2007-11-20T21:33:00.000+11:00

lovely photo courtesy of portia. :-)

drunk-blogging

2007-11-10T02:14:00.000+11:00

I have a confession to make: I am a drunk-dialler. It's pathetic, I know, but I honestly couldn't control it when I'm wasted. And it's not like I call up ex-boyfriends or could-be-boyfriends. I just call friends and tell them how much I miss them. I think it's usually triggered by something I remember them by. For example, there was a night a got really drunk at a club at Tagaytay. They were playing "Tuloy Pa Rin" by Side A and I called up Herbie because he used to play that song often on his guitar. He later told me he couldn't understand a word I was saying and told his then-girlfriend that I rang him to greet her a happy birthday.

And now I've just drunk-texted. I'm not sure if I mean what I said to that person. I'll wait til my head clears up tomorrow and decide whether I...

---

I miss my friends. I miss friends who are truly, undeniably 100% there when I need them. I miss friends who are honest. Most of all, I miss friends who know and love me.

---

This is the first time I've been this drunk since... er, the red box scandal.

And who better to blame for my disposition than the birthday girl, Cherry. MWAH! --- that's saying I had FUN tonight. :-)

i can't wait to fall in love with you...

2007-11-07T00:09:00.000+11:00

you can't wait to fall in love with me :-)

I saw Justin tonight. Unbelievably sexy. My date was good-looking and charming like hell, but I didn't mind him at all, because I was so busy taking Justin in. He was sooo good, I swear, I think I had an orgasm in my seat. Hahaha.

the guy not taken

2007-11-06T18:09:00.000+11:00

I recently finished “The Guy Not Taken” by Jennifer Weiner, a book which has easily climbed its way on to the top of my favorites list. Over the years, I came to realize that I’m more into not-so-happy stories – midway between sappy and sickeningly sweet to cruel and depressing – which is probably why I like the book so much. It’s amazing how a sober story can be written in a humorous manner.

The book is a compilation of short stories, each one I willingly drunk in like it was Mint Chocolate Bailey’s. Every story is different but they’re all the same at what I see as an attempt to decrease the discontent of each main character’s (or anyone’s for that matter, as I believe that no one is truly satisfied) life. The book doesn’t say “be happy with what you’ve got” but it shows in a witty and funny way the realization of dreams and the brighter side of things (so unlike “The Alchemist” which I didn’t get at all – apologies to those who do). After reading the book, I felt so… real.

So I say get out and buy this book. I’ll lend you mine if you promise to give it back soon, as I’m sure I’ll want to read it again.

wedding woes

2007-11-01T01:04:00.000+11:00

posted at w@w:

Haller!

I've always found reading this forum helpful and enjoyable. Recent events have inspired me to contribute. I know we all love horror stories so I'm very sure you will all be entertained by my kwento. :)

Not much has happened since January when I started planning my December wedding. See, I've had a civil ceremony in 2005, and now we want to do the whole church shebang. I've had no worries as all my bookings have been trouble-free, thanks to my brilliant wedding planner, Jeng. (Uy, plug yun a. Pwede ba? Email me if you want to know more about her. I swear she's excellent. Affordable pa!)

Background info: We - me, hubby and baby - are currently based in Melbourne. Last December we went back to Manila and decided to do our church thing this year. My mother-in-law offered to pay for the gown and dresses and she introduced us to a couturier (her distant relative). Gregg (may or may not be his real name) was big in the late 80's, or at least he thought he was. I personally wanted to be a Veluz bride, but since MIL was paying for the dresses, and she said Gregg was good, so I said yes. I gave him the design I wanted for my gown. Before April I sent him the designs I wanted for the entourage and the moms/titas.

I should've known he was trouble from the start. We originally agreed on a 100K budget for the gown + 6 ento + 2 moms + 3 fgs. That's quite expensive considering my close friend who's getting married soon got someone else do hers for 70K (gown + 14 dresses). Around March, Gregg asked Jeng to tell me to if it was possible to increase the budget to 150K so that dresses will be "bongga"! I said no, because I didn't want bongga, I wanted simple. So he went on to tell my mom that I was too simple (ie, plain).

Come May, Jeng sent me swatches of fabric and I chose the one I wanted but instead of white, I specified off-white. When Jeng asked Gregg to show her a sample of the off-white fabric, Gregg said he already bought the white fabric for my gown, even though we repeatedly told him I wanted off-white.

I saw tiny glimmer of hope when one of my bridesmaids told me she had her first fitting and she was quite happy with the dress. She said it was "different" and that she never wore that kind of dress before.

Hope was absolutely gone when I spoke to Jeng a couple of nights ago. She said she was shocked when she saw the dress. It was DIFFERENT from the design I showed Gregg. I got the design from Vera Wang's maids cocktail collection. It's a spaghetti-strap crossover number with a fit-and-flare tea-length bubble skirt. We specified that it was going to be a 2-piece ensemble, so that the bridesmaids can wear the top or the skirt in any other event. It was supposed to be satin, but Gregg suggested he could do it in chiffon. He must have changed his mind, because he proceeded to change the design WITHOUT CONSULTING either Jeng or me, because "pangit ang bagsak" ng chiffon skirt dun sa design na gusto ko. Jeng sent me a picture and I almost died!

So there was a lot of talk between me and Jeng, me and my husband, my husband and his mom. We all decided that I should buy my wedding dress here in Melbourne, for my own peace of mind.

Yesterday, I called up Gregg and even before I got to say "kumusta po?" he went on and on and on about the original design being "ugly" and that I should not worry because he doesn't do ugly. I told him that I didn't have doubts about his skill, I would have just appreciated if he told us about his plans before he changed the design. After all, I am the customer. At the end of the call, I said that I will have Jeng and one of my bridesmaids to drop by on Wednesday (today) so they could fit the dress and send me a picture. Then I'll think about what to do next from there.

So Jeng went there this afternoon, and told him that I wanted to stick to the original design. He didn't believe her when she said it was a Vera Wang! Gregg even had the gall to give Jeng an ultimatum, saying that if we wanted him to re-do the dresses using the original design, we should look for another couturier. Jeng also told him that I was already stressed and I was thinking of buying my gown here. That, I think, pissed him off, and then he said that I should buy the dress here. In fact I should buy all the ento's dresses here! I know we've offended him (pero heller, ka-offend offend naman) - but it should not be about my gown kasi it's already November and he has not even started making it yet!

Malapit na matapos ang kwento, I swear!

A few hours ago Jeng showed me a picture of my bridesmaid wearing the dress. QUE HORROR! Instead of looking sexy and elegant, it looked childish. My bridesmaid looked like a flower girl. Instead of a two-piece ensemble, he made it to a one-piece dress. The crossover top was too high and cut across her boob, instead of going under it. The skirt was balloon-y/tulip instead of fit-and-flare. It was knee-length instead of tea-length. All in all - even if the dress was on sale for P200, I will never buy it. Nakakahiyang ilakad sa altar!

So, Jeng and I decided we'll have to terminate his services. We haven't formally notified him, but I'm sure he knows it na.

Worst 20K we ever spent.

So I'm now looking for a good dressmaker, a professional one, who can do the ento and mommies dresses in less than 7 weeks. Help? :)

wala lang

2007-10-26T14:11:00.001+10:00

Without loved ones we've known for a long time, living in a foreign country can seem a bit daunting. To cope, we learn to rely on fellow Filipinos for company, comfort, friendship and love. The bond gets stronger with every get-together, every heart break, every journey, and every memory of home. Somewhere along the way, we begin to care deeply for each other, and the mere thought of one having to leave can become unbearable.

Wala lang. Sana mabasa niya to. Sino ba naman ako para pigilan siya, pero sana, hindi na niya maisip na umalis. :)