Yellow Eye Candy

I just can't help but blog about this. Sorry it would sound real petty but once in a while there are things (literally material things) that gives you that warm fuzzy feeling of happy-ness. 

I very rarely happens to me but when it does... it really does!

This is one of them. My yellow eye candy.  I am inlove with it and what's even better is that my loves (Hubby and Baby) gave it to me for Mother's Day. ❤

Isn't she lovely??? 😍

 :)

Dahon Dahon

I have been eating home made salad for dinner for the past week now. It usually has simple ingredients: spinach, lettuce, asian pears, honey roasted pecan nuts, and Italian dressing. Tonight I felt like adding grapes because we have a lot in the fridge left from Thanksgiving.

I am actually not eating salad for the sake of dieting but I have come to sincerely love eating salad this past year. It is an added bonus that this has become part of a healthier lifestyle for me.

I am just hoping (and praying) that I continue to love and explore eating these types of healthier foods. I have not in a million years thought of myself as a salad person. But now, I definitely am. :)

Counting Down

Lots of happenings, events, milestones to look forward to.

1. Count Down to a New Home
It's almost 4 years and originally we're supposed to be moving to a new location by now; looks like we're not. For the meantime, we're moving to a new house - inside the base. We are hoping for a more positive community experience there. Time for a reboot on this sort of mundane island life.

2. Count Down to my Birthday
My birthday is a week after Thanksgiving. So, Thanksgiving, then black Friday, then my Birthday. Enough said. :)

3. Countdown to Christmas
We're spending Christmas here but flying out to Manila right after. Then spending New Year's in Singapore. Reunion with my fam bam and meeting our new niece who's going to be born very very soon!

4. Countdown to the Big One
My son just celebrated his 6th month birthday. Which means... he's more than halfway to his first one! Gotta start the party planning! SO EXCITED!

Favorite Lunch Place

For a beautiful island, I find Guam weird in the sense that there are only such a few restaurants/cafes/bars that are located right beside the shore (think Boracay for a second and you'll know what I mean).

We have been passing by this small cafe named "Turé"  for at least 3 years but never got the chance to try it out. Thanks to my co-worker, who is a salad - sandwich lover, that I got to try the place out. The cafe is just 3 minutes drive from our office anyway so it was perfect!

This is what I call a lunch BREAK! Away from the computers, away from crowded places, no waiting in line to get seated or order your food. Just park, pick a seat, enjoy the sun, the breeze and the ocean view.

They play lounge/jazz music just enough for you to hear it but at the same time, you are still able to enjoy the sound of the waves.

It is so relaxing here, I forget that I am on lunch break and I still need to get back to at least 4 more hours of work. Haha.

My favorite on their menu - Fuji Apple Salad. I never knew I have salad-lover cell in me, but now I DO! This is also a typical scenario at how I spend lunch, whenever I have (or want to) spend it alone. Peaceful and quiet. I enjoy scribbling notes on my Starbucks (STARBUCKS! You are still no.1!) organizer, checking facebook and personal mails on my phone... RELAXATION.

Some might think that it will cost you more to get lunch from establishments like these compared to going to the mall food court, but here's how I see it:
1. The place is 3 minutes from work. You park, you walk for 10 seconds and you are there. The mall is at least 15 minutes away, then you still need to add another 5-10 minutes to find a parking space then order food, then carry your tray while scouting for a table to eat in. Another 15 minutes to go back to work so you have to eat fast!!!
2. Lunch here is around $7-$12, same price as when you go to the mall. The difference? Food here is fresh! Will be cooked when you order. The food court? Uhm. I doubt that.
3. I get unlimited water with lemon... for free.
4. There's free wifi too, if you need it. 
5. And the view? The peaceful experience? PRICELESS. So why would I go to the mall again?

I come here almost three times a week and I have to say I haven't been able to try all of what they can offer, I usually stick to what I always order. Other than salads, they also have amazing sandwiches, burgers, pasta, and a few that have rice too! Oh! Actually, they are famous for their desserts too, but I haven't tried it except for their Monkey Bread (which is like a cinnamon bread).

I have been telling them to widen their menu choices and just a few weeks ago, they did! I hope they continue to improve. Deep inside though, I wish they won't get too famous that they get over-crowded. Hehehe, what a selfish wish.

Or... a better solution... I hope Guam maximizes their beautiful oceanfronts and encourage more of these types of establishments.

The Smaller the Better

The pen point, that is! :P

It is probably the architect in me, but I have been very particular with the kinds of pens I use. It reminds me of an episode from H.I.M.Y.M. where it took Ted a week (or weeks) trying to figure out his official Mosbius Designs pen.

Now that I have my new Starbucks planner (and I have vowed to actually write on the pages of a planner this year!), I have been searching for it's perfect pen. One in red and one in black.

The Pilot G-Tec pen 0.3mm has always been my number 1 favorite since college days. Too bad I forgot to buy some back when I was in the Philippines. I searched the whole island of Guam and as expected, they don't have it here.

I did find a Pentel Slicci 0.3mm pen, which was good enough... UNTIL...

I was browsing eBay and found out that there is such as thing as a Pilot G-Tec 0.25mm Pen! I couldn't resist but order them! I know it will cost at lesat three times it's actual price in the Philippines, but what the heck, I WANT THEM NOW!!!

And so here they are... they write so FINE, yes, literally, fine, 0.25mm fine. Haha!


P.S. I don't care what you think, I love my pens! :P

Happy Thank You More Please

Another addition to my favorite 'must-own-bluray' list of movies...

HAPPY THANK YOU MORE PLEASE


It was written, directed and starred by How I Met Your Mother's lead actor Josh Radnor. The screenplay was fantastic, the plot is so appropriately balanced with drama, reality and humor, that not one minute is wasted.

I especially love the soundtrack! All songs written and performed by an indie singer from NY, Jaymay. I am so... buying (ahem, downloading?) her songs.

If you loved Juno, Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, 300 Days of Summer, and of course How I Met Your Mother, then you will surely love this movie as well!

LASIK

Realization of the Day:

My LASIK eye surgery was the most expensive and uncomfortable 15 minutes of my life but is well worth every second and centavo spent. I shall post the video of the surgery soon! Hehehe... :P

The world is too beautiful to not be seen as clear and colorful as it really is.

Three for Three

Two weeks ago, I went to the post office and mailed 3 of the same item to 3 different recipients.

That was around past noon so my stomach was already growling with hunger. I was in such a hurry since I still need to go grab lunch and drive back to work.

So before I faint with hunger, I quickly wrote the shipping addresses on three separate USPS labels and just stuck the shipping labels on the each of the three boxes randomly.

When I got home, I remembered I have printed a personalized greeting cards inside each of the boxes! So I starting stomping (yes, literally) thinking that the recipients will get the gift but with the wrong name card. SO STUPID.

A few minutes ago, I received emails that ALL THREE RECIPIENTS got their cards RIGHT!!!
I stuck the right address label to all three boxes!!! THREE FOR THREE! What are the odds of that!?

Now, they are saying I should be a perfect companion to Vegas. Since I can't go to Vegas today, I shall buy me a LOTTO ticket while all my stars are still aligned.

Stars, keep it steady.
Stay... stay... hold it...

Rhythm of Love

This is my happy happy joy joy song lately.

This song makes me feel loved inside out that I want to ask my husband to renew our vows, plan another wedding and use this song on our official wedding AVP. Hahahaha!




My head is stuck in the clouds
She begs me to come down
Says "Boy quit foolin' around"
I told her "I love the view from up here

The warm sun and wind in my ear
We'll watch the world from above
As it turns to the rhythm of love"
We may only have tonight

But till the morning sun you're mine all mine
Play the Music low and sway to the rhythm of love

My heart beats like a drum
A guitar string to the strum
A beautiful song to be sung

She's got blue eyes deep like the sea
That roll back when she's laughing at me
She rises up like the tide
The moment her lips meet mine

We may only have tonight
But till the morning sun you're mine all mine
Play the Music low and sway to the rhythm of love

When the moon is low
We can dance in slow motion
And all your tears will subside
All your tears will dry

And long after I've gone
You'll still be humming along
And I will keep you in my mind
The way you make love so fine

We may only have tonight
But till the morning sun you're mine all mine
Play the music low and sway to the rhythm of love

20 Ways to Get Good Karma

Taken from The Dalai Lama:

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

3. Follow the three R’s:
- Respect for self,
- Respect for others and
- Responsibility for all your actions.

4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship.

7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

8. Spend some time alone every day.

9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.

10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.

12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.

14. Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.

15. Be gentle with the earth.

16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.

17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

19. If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.

20. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

You're Not You When You're Hungry

Today is Day 1 of my new nutrition plan, a healthy, no carb diet to help me lose the inches on the unwanted areas.

I had blueberry protein milk shake for breakfast, had almonds for snack, turkey breast and salad (yum yum!) for lunch, roast beef cold cuts for snack, and finally a grilled cod with asparagus on the side for dinner. Then tea before sleep. :)

Everything in the nutrition plan is so delicious. I just have one problem: I AM VERY HUNGRY RIGHT NOW.

I know I am just adjusting to this new diet and tomorrow my body will probably feel more inclined to not eating the usual eggs or cereals in the morning, rice and meat for lunch, and another set of rice and meat for dinner, will unlimited junk food as in between snacks.

I still have 2 more hours before dinnertime and all I can take is lots of water until then. I can almost feel myself slowly turning grouchy as the hour passes by, which made me remember the funny Snickers commercials on TV.

Demmet, I want some chocolates right now. :(

Betty White:



Diva:

Donate Your Hair!

I have been keeping my hair long for probably more than 7 years already. I've been wanting a new look but was not bold enough to make drastic decisions. So for the past months, while planning for the wedding, I was also planning to change my look after it. I heard about hair donations from TV (ahem, Jolina Magdangal) but didn't know where or how to donate. Then I googled about it and found LOCKS OF LOVE. I read through the page and I was very surprised it was that easy!

You just need to follow the instructions on how you should tie your hair first before cutting at least 10 inches off of it. Then mail it.

I had my hair cut in Manila and unfortunately, the hairdressers there weren't aware of such donations. I had to instruct them how to tie my hair and how to cut it. A girlscout that I am, I even bought a piece of paper to guide them as to how long they should cut it.

Going out of the salon, I felt really light, literally and figuratively. I was already imagining how many wigs they can do with my long, straight, black, silky hair. Hahaha! It takes getting used to this hair. My husband sometimes stares at me, he says I look exactly the same as in High School. Hahaha!

For those who are planning on changing their look, this would be the best way! And probably your best excuse! :)

For those who would like to donate, try to take care of your hair now. You don't want to donate unhealthy hair, do you? It feels really great to do something good, and for so little effort too. If only I can donate more often. I won't mind. :P

CyberShopping: A Whole New (Addicting) World to Explore

The only item I buy online are my contact lens, and that’s just because I have no other choice but to do so.

Most of the shops I like, such as Walmart, Target, etc., don’t ship here to the island of Guam. If you’ve been reading my blog, you’ll know that it’s been a challenge for us finding basic necessities here – at a reasonable price.

This morning, my co-worker told me a few websites that do ship here; And one of them is Forever21! OH-MY-GOODNESS! Such happiness! I was so happy to discover this new world! Finally, summer dresses for less than $12.00! Shirts that are less than $10.00! What a happy me! The only thing bothering me though is I can’t try it on first, but what the heck! I can always return it for free if I want to.

What a wonderful new world! I’ve been browsing through the websites for hours now and I am scaring myself, as scared as my upcoming pay check. =P

I Want To Ride My Bicycle

Meet our newest toys (and dream come true)…

Hihihihi.

I’ve been planning a surprise gift for my husband and this bike was supposedly it. We all know though, that plans are almost always not realized. Yesterday, we were driving home from lunch and I was contemplating whether or not to tell him about the ‘biggest’ bike shop here in the island. I figured, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise anyway since he could always check our credit card activity online. So right then and there, we decided to check it out and told him to pick his bike – 1 month earlier from his birth day.

Of course we had to buy me a bike too. Ahem, happy birthday to me too. Hihihihi.

We would have wanted to have different designs but this was really the best one we like and is within budget. Giant Upland SE mountain bike - Model 2010.

The sun was already setting by the time the bike was assembled, tested, and all that. We went home and parked the bikes inside our extra room. We agreed to take it for a ride first thing in the morning.

So we did. We went out before 7:00 AM and biked from our condo to the nearby campus. Since I only know how to ride a cruiser bike, I knew nothing about the technicalities of bike riding. It was my first time to try out bike gears and was also almost bothered by how high the seat should be (so as not to injure your, ahem, long legs). 30 seconds after riding the bike, I immediately realized the importance of those gears and that high seat. Can’t help but chant “wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii” ala Pong Pagong as we pass by the ocean and mountain views:

The “wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii” turned into frequent short breaths after almost an hour of pedaling; especially since the road going home is uphill. My knees were already shaking by the time we got home. It’s worth it though; we’ll do it again tomorrow. :)

Beach Jam

In connection to my previous blog entry, I am posting this song, Falling by Iration.

One of my favorite local songs. They are into Reggae music here. Makes sense though, when you have the Pacific Ocean on your right and the Philippine Sea on your left, thus the beachy sound. Makes you want to grab a ripe mango shake, wear your sunglasses, and relax by the sunset.

Love this one:

falling - Iration

Lumayo ka man sa Laklak

Ito ang top songs sa countdown ng Megamixx 101.9, the one and only Pinoy Radio Station in Guam.
They have corny jokes, tacky voice-over commercials, gossipy DJs, and of course, the pinoy music. Nevertheless, we still find them entertaining and it's the closest we can get to the sound of home.

Lumayo Ka Man Sa Laklak - Moymoy Palaboy

I give you 10 stars for kuwela points, though. :P Ang lakas dumikit nito sa LSS brain cells ko.
Ito, masakit sa tiyan. Ay, hindi ko ata kayang tapusing pakinggan yung buong kanta:


Ito pa, ito pa, goshness. Na-LSS ako dito one time. Hindi masayang experience. Hahaha.


Ito kaya ay epekto ng "globalization?" =P

Beach Jam

In connection to my previous blog entry, I am posting this song, Falling by Iration.

One of my favorite local songs. They are into Reggae music here. Makes sense though, when you have the Pacific Ocean on your right and the Philippine Sea on your left, thus the beachy sound. Makes you want to grab a ripe mango shake, wear your sunglasses, and relax by the sunset.

Love this one:

falling - Iration

Something About the Moon (Again)

The moon is unusually big here, it was impossible to resist the photo op. Although the moon shows the same face wherever we would like to see it; I guess the moon’s orbit is not a perfect circle, it is definitely closer in this side of the earth than from where I grew up. So therefore, the moon revolves around earth in a spherical orbit. Okay, enough of the nerd in me. Wehehe! =P

~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~.:.~
Taken on September 16, 2008 from our porch.

Strengths Finder

As part of an office initiative, I took the 40-minute StrengthsFinder online exercise that will supposedly help you determine your innate strengths. Here are the results:

1. Connectedness
Things happen for a reason. You are sure of it. You are sure of it because in your soul you know that we are all connected. Yes, we are individuals, responsible for our own judgments and in possession of our own free will, but nonetheless we are part of something larger.

2. Individualization
Your Individualization theme leads you to be intrigued by the unique qualities of each person. You are impatient with generalizations or "types" because you don't want to obscure what is special and distinct about each person. Instead, you focus on the differences between individuals.

3. Arranger
You are a conductor. When faced with a complex situation involving many factors, you enjoy managing all of the variables, aligning and realigning them until you are sure you have arranged them in the most productive configuration possible. In your mind there is nothing special about what you are doing. You are simply trying to figure out the best way to get things done. But others, lacking this theme, will be in awe of your ability.

4. Harmony
You look for areas of agreement. In your view there is little to be gained from conflict and friction, so you seek to hold them to a minimum. When you know that the people around you hold differing views, you try to find the common ground. You try to steer them away from confrontation and toward harmony.

5. Empathy
You can sense the emotions of those around you. You can feel what they are feeling as though their feelings are your own. Intuitively, you are able to see the world through their eyes and share their perspective. You do not necessarily agree with each person's perspective.

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Wow! I couldn't agree more. Amazing!!!

Red

"Red is the Color of Love"
Happy Hearts Day to All!

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Happy Red Hot Hearts Day to Everyone!