I was tagged by Rose.

The Rules:

I. Each blogger starts with ten random facts/habits about themselves.

II. Bloggers that are tagged need to write on their own blog about their ten things and post these rules.

III. At the end of your blog, you need to choose ten people to get tagged and list their names.

IV. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

10 random facts/ habits about me:


1.    I am not fond of eating fruits. We always have fruits at home but I rarely eat them. I love anything strawberry-flavored – strawberry shakes, strawberry ice cream, strawberry shortcakes, strawberries and cream frappucino – but I’m not fond of the fruit itself.
 
2.    Whenever I buy books, I sign my name at the upper right corner of the first page this way [ - ayen - ] and I put the date when I bought the book. This lets me know how long that book has been with me. I also don’t remove the tag price so that I know how much I bought the book.
 
3.    I currently want to own a pink vaio and a SLR camera.
 
4.    I am currently learning how to use Adobe Photoshop – and getting quite confused.
 
5.    I love surprises! (and I always ask for one, hahaha!)
 
6.    I love Coffee Bean’s chai tea latte, Starbucks’ caramel macchiato and Figaro’s Americano but I’ve stopped buying coffee unconsciously from these stores for several months already. Not because I really don’t want to, but because I find the coffee pricey (nagkukuripot!)
 
7.    I was teary-eyed while watching Sex and the City.
 
8.    I am good with directions. I can easily remember places I’ve been to. And for some weird reason, I am somehow clairvoyant. Whenever I go to new places, somehow I realize that I’ve already dreamt of that place.
 
9.    I’m a budget freak. I budget my expenses every payday, I already created a budget until December and I know my budget by heart (meaning I can recite them to you with details) :P
 
10.    I love toyo and calamansi. I can eat a heaping amount of rice when there’s toyo and calamansi.

I'm tagging:
Val
Allan
Markie
Mic
Joanne
Zarah
Diana
Rhea
raech
kate

A collection of my (mis)adventures at food and my own experiences cooking. I really am having fun writing for that blog and I hope I get to eat at more places and write about it. :)



http://purpletenshi.blogspot.com/
http://purpletenshi-recipes.blogspot.com/

    

I saw this at Ben's multiply. :)


68%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

hahaha 68% pa lang naman.

I'm helping my friend sell a few bags. These have never been used and all original.

Link: Rachel's multiply.

Just tell me if you're interested. :)

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’ve never done before?

- enroll in a culinary course

- take up a master’s degree

- parasailing

- stay out late until 3am (with permission from parents)

- involved myself in a relationship, broke up, and involved myself again in a relationship (the latter is definitely much, much better)

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I think for the most part I did. Except I guess for the saving again (uh oh!). Although I did spent much on studying again – I guess that’s good. Although I also spent so much on a seminar I was made to believe I need hahaha, and on gimiks. But I believe I’ve cut down on shopping and Starbucks expenses this year. :)

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

None

5. What countries did you visit?

Still none. Hopefully, I get to travel next year.

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?

Better time management, more time, more places to go to, more exciting things to do.

7. What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

August 26.

And I guess even February 22. As Joanne puts it, it’s strange how she remembers endings but not the beginnings. And she celebrates those ending as they are the beginnings of her freedom and a much better life. I guess it’s the same way for me.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Being promoted senior analyst. Joey told me during that time that even if I was feeling extremely down, God gives me blessing on other aspect of my life.

And I guess being out of my shell, going out more and doing more things.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I guess I won’t consider any of the things I did a failure.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Except for the usual case of astigmatism, I guess none.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Waaaah, I have no idea.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

            My brother. Hahaha.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Ebet.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Aha. School. And school. Invested on three pigs (something my dad made me do). Bills. Going out. Dinner. Argh, gimik. And oh, paid off almost 90% of credit card debt and I’m not using those again except for extreme emergencies. I’m aiming for financial freedom in 2008.  

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Salary increase. Places I visited this year. Studying.

16. What song will always remind you of 2007?

The papaya song. Hahaha.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

i. happier or sadder? Happier.
ii. thinner or fatter? Fatter!
iii. richer or poorer? Richer!!!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Extended my no-rice diet – I only managed to do it for a month.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Sleeping. And just being lazy. And obsessing with my multiply account.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

I spend it with my relatives at Pangasinan. That’s how my brother and I spend our Christmas. Only this year, we had a whole day trip to Baguio on the 24^th.

22. Did you fall in love in 2007?

Yesssssssssssss!!!!!!

23. How many one-night stands?

Um, none. Will I be allowed to do it next year? Hahaha.

24. What was your favorite TV program?

Grey’s Anatomy!!! (Alias ended this year )

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

None

26. What was the best book you read?

The last installment of the Harry Potter series. I fell in line as early as 7am for that book and it was even captured by ABSCBN. A lot of people I know saw me and teased me about it. So embarrassing! Hahaha.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

The Fight Song by The Appleseed Cast – John introduced this song to me

28. What did you want and got?

As mushy and cheesy as this may sound – someone I can be with, and I’m really just happy right now.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?

Stardust!

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

24 and had several celebrations.  But on the day itself – I went bowling at MOA with E.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

A fat savings account. And a trip to Singapore or HongKong. 

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?

Definitely got better.

34. What kept you sane?

Definitely time spent with friends. During the time when I was depressed, my friends definitely kept me sane. It felt wonderful to feel so loved.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

None really. Will Syrius Black count?

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

The endless corruption. Though, I was really struck by the farmers from Bukidnon who had to walk for 2 months just to reach Malacanang. Sobrang naantig talaga ako dun.

37. Who did you miss?

I’m constantly missing friends. With hectic skeds, it’s really difficult to schedule get-togethers. But I guess I miss my BPI friends most (especially Cher)

38. Who was the best new person you met?

Ervin.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007:

Live life and be happy.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

            There's gotta be more to life, than chasing down every temporary high to satisfy me. :)

I love collecting recipes and cookbooks. As a kid, I collected those Del Monte labels with free recipes inside as well as the free pamphlets of recipes from supermarkets. I still have all of those even if some may consider them junk. Hehehe.  Now as an earning individual I moved past free recipes to buying my very own cookbooks and food magazines. My latest addiction is Summit Media’s Yummy magazine (Zarah and Joanne would be giving me a year subscription of the magazine next year. Yay!). I bought the December issue last November 30 and to my surprise – it came with a Goldilocks journal and Del Monte calendar for 2008. Those two fell from the magazine to the floor as I was browsing through the issue. The Goldilocks journal has just the enough space to write daily schedules and things-to-do while the Del Monte calendar has recipes per month – that one I love. I love planners too so I really appreciated those freebies. I guess I don’t have to buy the ‘papemelroti’ calendar (which I always buy) for this year.

 

As well, I completed my Starbucks stickers and I’m now the proud owner of the 2008 Starbucks Planner. Hooray! J Although, I’m not that excited with this year’s design. I really like the 2007 planner because it had a lot of space per day for me to write on. Since 2005, I’ve been collecting their planners. I only missed 2006 because it was the time I left my job and couldn’t afford going to Starbucks. Their journal actually serves as my diary as I really make it a point to write things that happen to me everyday (my catharsis). Note: 2007 had been one heck of a year for me. I have to thank though those people who made my Starbucks planner possible - those who were generous enough to give me their stickers: 7 from Ervin and his friends, 5 stickers from Val, 2 from Kate and 1 from Josie.

 No more reason not to get organized and miss any dates for next year.

 

I've been listening to this song non-stop. The song was also featured at the movie "Stardust' which I unexpectedly loved. I'm still reading the book though. Enjoy the video! :)

I was really struck and saddened by this story.

from: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/topstories/topstories/view_article.php?article_id=99479

DAVAO CITY, Philippines -- A 12-year-old girl, who became despondent over her family’s poverty, hanged herself inside their makeshift house a day after her father told her he could not give her the P100 she needed for a school project.

Using a thin nylon rope, 12-year-old Mariannet Amper hanged herself in the afternoon of November 2. She was a sixth grader at the Maa Central Elementary School.

Her father, Isabelo, 49, who was out of job as a construction worker, said Mariannet asked him for P100 which she needed for school projects, on the night of November 1. He told his daughter that he did not have the money yet but he would ask his wife if she could get some money for her. The morning after, however, he was able to get a P1,000 cash advance for a construction work on a downtown chapel.

By the time he got home, Mariannet already lay dead.

"Duda nako nga tungod ni sa kalisod namo (I suspect that she did it because of our situation)," Isabelo said.

Going through Mariannet's things, her parents saw her school "talaarawan" or diary.

In her October 5 entry, Mariannet wrote: "Parang isang buwan na kaming absent. Hindi na kasi nakin (sic) binibilang ang absent ko. Hindi ko namalayan na malapit na pala ang Pasko." [It feels as if we’ve been absent for a month. They’re not counting my absences anymore. I just realized that Christmas is just around the corner.]

Isabelo recalled that in that week, Mariannet skipped school as they did not have money for her food and transportation allowance.

"We did not have any money and I didn't want Mariannet and her younger brother (Reynald) to walk to school," he said in Bisaya.

But Isabelo clarified that Mariannet was absent for only three days. "For her, three days was like one month," he said.

On October 14, Mariannet wrote in her diary: "Hindi kami nakapagsimba dahil wala kaming pamasahe at nilalagnat pa ang aking tatay kaya nanglaba na lang kami ng aking nanay." [We were not able to hear mass because we did not have fare money and my dad was sick with fever. So, my mom and I just washed clothes.]

Along with her diary, the Ampers also discovered a letter Mariannet wrote for the GMA 7 television program "Wish Ko Lang [I just Wish]."

"Gusto ko po sana magkaroon ng bagong sapatos at bag at hanapbuhay para sa nanay at tatay ko. Wala kasing hanapbuhay ang tatay at nagpa-extra extra lamang ang aking nanay sa paglalaba," she said in her "Wish Ko Lang" letter. [I wish for new shoes, a bag and jobs for my mother and father. My dad does not have a job and my mom just gets laundry jobs.]

"Gusto ko na makatapos ako sa pag-aaral at gustong-gusto ko na makabili ng bagong bike," she added. [I would like to finish my schooling and I would like very much to buy a new bike.]

That letter, apparently written while Mariannet was still 11 years old, was never sent to "Wish Ko Lang."

"We never knew that our daughter had dreams for us," Isabelo said.

Isabelo's wife, Magdalena, works part-time "repacking" odong and misua in a nearby factory, earning at least P50 a day. She also does laundry jobs on the side, receiving P100 to P150.

Isabelo, on the other hand, is in and out of work.

"I'm already old, no one would want to hire me," he said.

The Ampers live in a hillside community at the back of the Yñiguez Subdivision in Maa District. They do not have electricity and water supply.

Of the seven children, only Mariannet and Reynald are left with their parents as most are grown up and have families of their own.

Even with only two children left to feed, the Ampers still have a hard time surviving.

A neighbor said that even in this "mostly poor" neighborhood, the Ampers were being discriminated against.

"Ayaw makipaglaro ng ibang bata sa kanila dahil madudungis daw sila," the neighbor said. [The other kids do not want to play with them because they’re dirty.]

"Mahirap na nga sila, ni-reject pa ng ibang kapitbahay," she added. [They’re poor and they’re rejected by their neighbors.]

Gawd, can someone convince me to work??? I’ve been in the office for 30 minutes already and I’ve just been blogging and checking my multiply account (and now I’m writing this post. LOL) It’s a Saturday and I feel so lazy. I just came to the office to catch up on some Aussie work. They’ve been piling up and I don’t want to be behind in analyzing those companies. Sometimes the things that need to be done are just overwhelming. Those days where I can just watch youtube are really gone.

 

School had been keeping up with work. On Tuesdays, I commute to Taft for my validating exams. Wednesdays are for my Info Mgmt class. I supposed at first that I can rest for the rest of the weekdays but then again, I proved wrong. The rest of the days had to be squeezed for group meetings on case studies. The amount of activities is just overwhelming. But then again, I’ve been enjoying every minute of this experience so far. It feels so good to be back at school and feel the structure of it again. To be taught and be involved in discussions are both humbling and challenging. Hahaha, here comes my geeky side. Earlier at another class, we discussed the labor practices and CSR of Wal-Mart. We were divided in different groups and I was just amazed with the diversity of approaches to the case. One group pointed out the fall of share prices. Shame on me for not researching about it considering that I work at ISS. Hahaha. And I’ve met new people and that’s always an experience I enjoy. I love dealing with new and various people and talking to them. I guess I really just have to adjust with the sked. After all, I still have my Saturdays. Hahaha. J

 

Next week, we’ll be interviewing applicants for the team. (Anyone who wants to be in the field of research, you can email me your resume– haha, shameless plug). And it’ll be the Canada proxy season soon. Plus, Kate will be leaving for a month. Hmm, looks like my October and November will just spell b-u-s-y. But then again, I’ll take on this challenge. After all, I’m enjoying my life now more than ever. :)

 

 

 

 

Tagged by: Joanne (I bet she's overwhelmed by work again)
Tagging: val, adda, rhea, diana (mga laging nagchecheck ng multiply), janice, anna (though nasa US siya), marge and well, any one alse who wants to answer this.

Each player of this game starts with 6 weird things about you. People who get tagged need to write a list of their own 6 weird things as well as state the rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says you are tagged in their comments and tell them to read your blog

Six *more or less weird* things you probably didn't know about me...

1. I am an extremely paranoid person. Hmm, let me count the times: It all started when I thought I was accused of plagiarism in college and got so worried that I'd be kicked out of the program. Then I'd get paranoid over nonsensical things like being sued by Microsoft for not using original products, not passing the La Sallel exam (like, hello!!!) and some other senseless things.

 

2. Fear. I cannot lean or let my back rest on the rocking chair. I fear that the rocking chair may not support my weight and pull me backwards.

 

3. I enjoy budgeting (even if I love spending my money as well). Every payday, I write my expenses and those things that I'd possibly spend for. I keep a notebook for that. Once while waiting for my professor for a validating exam, I was scribbling notes on my finances. In fact, I already have a budget outlined for Christmas expenses. hahaha.

 

4. I can order the same food in a restaurant for a loooooong time. Beef Tapa at Pancake House, Tofu Steak at Teriyaki Boi, Sourbill at The Kitchen, original recipe thigh part at KFC, spaghetti, mashed potatoes and Ranch Barbecue sauce at World Chicken - yuck, zarah, I've only ordered something different from World Chicken once. Way back in college, Zarah, Joanne and I only ate at Country Style for about two semesters. And as I can remember, I've always ordered the same things.

 

5. I'm not fond of chocolates. I can, not eat chocolate. Whenever someone gives me chocolate, either I'll give it to my brother or it'll just end up melted in my bag.

 

6. I reach a really happy state when I'm grocery shopping. I pass by every aisle of the grocery. I love checking the poultry, meat and fresh goods section. I have a silly smile plastered on my face as I stare at the various herbs in the vegetable section. I get excited with the different types of oil, vinegar and soy sauce that I get to discover. My imagination runs wild with the possible dishes that can be cooked. I just love, love, love shopping for food.

*a break from such a busy day at work (perhaps, busy is such an understatement). I miss those times when I just blog the whole day. haaay. Thanks to Joanne, for keeping my mind off some things. hahaha. :)

 

 

My Lakbayan grade is D!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out atLakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

Got this from anna's multiply. Haha, I guess I need to see more of the Philippines. :)

Zarah and I passed by Glorietta yesterday and we were laughing at people who were watching this. Sabi namin, jologs naman nila. They don't have anything better to do on May 1 than to troop and fill the malls. But then I ended up watching this last night with high school friends as we had an impromput get together. All cinemas of SM were showing this. The movie was so hyped, if you'd ask me (and I'm a Spiderman/Tobey Maguire fan for that matter) Well, I won't be posting any spoilers. And I don't have time either for a review so saka na yun. :) To think, I also said  yes to Raech that we'll watch this at IMAX. Parang di ko na feel, hahaha. :)

 

Got this from Anna's blog. A break from the proxy work. :) I'll always find the time to blog anyway. :)

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. senior research analyst
2. phone banker
3. soux chef
4. undercover agent

Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. My Best Friend’s Wedding     
2. Matrix
3. Love Actually
4. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

Four places I have lived:
1. Santolan, Pasig        
2. Caniogan, Pasig
3. Candelaria, Quezon
4. CIA office J

Four TV shows I love(d) to watch: (in no particular order)
1. Gilmore Girls
2. Grey’s Anatomy        
3. Alias
4. Sex and the City

Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Baguio         
2. Benguet
3. Quezon, Pangasinan (palagi! Haha)
4. Pampanga, Bulacan, Laguna, Subic, Tagaytay etc.

Four websites I visit daily:
1. My blog
2. My multiply account
3. My friendster account (sana di ako vain eh  noh?)
4. Globeinvestor.com hehe J (But I really check this everyday)

 

. . . I usually visit blogs of KC Concepcion, Ala Paredes, Jim Paredes, Anton - The awesome planet, and those who recently won the Phil blog awards :)

Four of my favorite foods:
1. pork sinigang (and I can’t think of anything else)
2. coffee - I know this is a drink but lately I’ve been loving caramel frappucino (thanks joey!) and Café Americano (introduced to me by Zarah)
3. my dad’s caldereta
4. watermelon shake (haha! Drink uli) J

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. beach . . basking under the sun
2. at my Culinary class (or at a very grand kitchen and cooking)
3. Bohol (or Hong Kong Disneyland)
4. home J

 

Now that that's done, I am going to tag...
1. Joanne
2. Cheri
3. Janice
4. you!

 

This last quick-fix tool is more likely to appeal to women. Men call it complaining, but I call it debriefing and letting go. My friend and colleague, humorist Loretta LaRoche, calls it Power Whining. To practice it, call a friend and tell her that you're stressed and just need 2 minutes or so to unload. Her job is just to listen without interrupting. When you're done, reciprocate. When both of you are finished, wrap up with a 1-minute monologue each, describing the things for which you're most grateful.

 

It's this last bit that helps put everything into perspective by reminding you to be grateful for all the many things that aren't stressing you out. Like, perhaps, the fact that your house didn't really burn down and that you have someone you love who loves you.

 

. . . sent to me by Raech. After all, she's my partner when it comes to this. :P