Monday, December 24, 2007
Merry Christmas!
Before I forget, I would like to greet everyone a merry merry Christmas and a much better blessed new year to come! This year has been great for me and my family in all aspects I can think of- there were more ups than downs and I am glad and grateful with what has been going on (looks like our family is expanding......). I hope you have had a good one as well. Cheers!!!
Gone Baby Gone
Just learned last night that our Doberman-Rottweiler dog Ranza (short for Esperanza) passed away already one month ago. Do not really know the reason why my parents kept it a secret for a long time although her death was kind of expected. She had a big tumor on her breast for at least half a year more likely because she has had approximately 2 dozen breastsucking puppies. She was supposed to have an operation with American veterinarian volunteers some time ago but since she arrived late -our other dogs got some rabbies shots first- she missed the chance. :(
Will definitely miss her. She was a kind, intelligent, and loyal friend. And now we are left with three dogs who think and act like humans and not guard dogs.
Will definitely miss her. She was a kind, intelligent, and loyal friend. And now we are left with three dogs who think and act like humans and not guard dogs.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
L'Opera
We had relatives from Cebu coming for my cousin's wedding tonight. After fetching them from the airport yesterday, we had lunch at an Italian restaurant in the Fort, the same block as the Embassy. The place was recommended by a friend because the day before, I was panicking where to take the guests. Since there are so many places here worth trying, my friend gave me a short list of restos. L'Opera was the perfect choice. I read some great reviews on the internet and coming from my favorite and trusted bloggers Anton, Lori (of dessertcomesfirst), and MM, I knew the choice would not disappoint me.
The place was beautiful. Very warm and cozy. Perfect for dates, I am sure. We sat at the corner. (See pictures taken by Lori here http://www.dessertcomesfirst.com/?p=308. By the way, the table shown was where we exactly ate).
Moving on. For a group of five plus a kid, we ordered two Trittico della casa (choice of three pastas, six in all). I loved the ones with duck, clams, different types of cheeses, and truffle sauce. They had so many pastas to choose from that I am sure the waiter got confused as my sister and I changed our orders every time we see something we liked trying. We also had L'Opera pizza which was served with a generous amount of cheese. For the main course, we ordered Tagliata ol manzo -beef was very tender!
The food was more than enough for us all although the kid preferred Filipino style spaghett she is used to eating at fast food chains.
Overall, L'Opera is highly recommended. :) Although a bit pricey, it is worth it with the quality of dishes you get.
More pictures: http://fireflyzephyr.livejournal.com/tag/the+fort
The place was beautiful. Very warm and cozy. Perfect for dates, I am sure. We sat at the corner. (See pictures taken by Lori here http://www.dessertcomesfirst.com/?p=308. By the way, the table shown was where we exactly ate).
Moving on. For a group of five plus a kid, we ordered two Trittico della casa (choice of three pastas, six in all). I loved the ones with duck, clams, different types of cheeses, and truffle sauce. They had so many pastas to choose from that I am sure the waiter got confused as my sister and I changed our orders every time we see something we liked trying. We also had L'Opera pizza which was served with a generous amount of cheese. For the main course, we ordered Tagliata ol manzo -beef was very tender!
The food was more than enough for us all although the kid preferred Filipino style spaghett she is used to eating at fast food chains.
Overall, L'Opera is highly recommended. :) Although a bit pricey, it is worth it with the quality of dishes you get.
More pictures: http://fireflyzephyr.livejournal.com/tag/the+fort
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Enchanting...
I watched The Enchanted today with my younger sister. At first, I was hesitant to see it because I thought it was another kiddie film, did not have a good story and was just relying on Mcdreamy's charms to capture its audience. But then, on its second week at the cinemas, and without other films to watch (have seen The Golden Compass which was not as good as expected, do not like serious films like Elizabeth), my sister and I bought tickets and seated ourselves on the last few rows of the theater to get the full screen view.
Admittedly, I liked the film. It is a fairy tale for children and adults alike with a romantic-musical-comedy theme. I had a good laugh when Giselle cleaned Robert's house with the help of all sorts of animals and insects, how she uses any cloth (i.e. curtains) she could get her hands on for her dress, and the park scene where everybody was singing and dancing along. Robert's daughter was also cute and lovable (who used her daddy's credit card for 'emergeny' shopping). The turning point was when the prince sang but Giselle failed to sing the duet with him- a sign showing she found her true love in someone else. Definitely recommended.
Extended
I changed my flight date to Albay yesterday from December 20 to December 25.
Initially, the plan was just to attend our company Christmas party on the 19th then go home to the province the next day. But then, our party got moved because of the Peninsula incident (changed venue to the Intercontinental as well). Since I was so sad that I could not attend that plus other parties after the 20th including my cousin's wedding and have been thinking about what I am about to miss everyday, I decided to move my flight to Christmas day and shorten my vacation (yes, I am still going to work even if I am on leave already since I am here anyway and this is despite my work leaves expiring next year).
I am so sure this would be worth it! :)
Initially, the plan was just to attend our company Christmas party on the 19th then go home to the province the next day. But then, our party got moved because of the Peninsula incident (changed venue to the Intercontinental as well). Since I was so sad that I could not attend that plus other parties after the 20th including my cousin's wedding and have been thinking about what I am about to miss everyday, I decided to move my flight to Christmas day and shorten my vacation (yes, I am still going to work even if I am on leave already since I am here anyway and this is despite my work leaves expiring next year).
I am so sure this would be worth it! :)
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Officially Christmas
It is the second day of December, 23 more to Christmas day.
I love Christmas- so much food, so many parties and events. I love the weather and I also love the fact that everyone are in the spirit of giving. Have you noticed? The most special part of course are family and friends' get togethers.
The other day, my sister and I went to the grocery to buy the usual one-month food supply. The place was packed and we had to wait for at least 30 minutes to the counter. In our house, it is that time when the kitchen is so busy with all the cooking and baking. Food is a bit overwhelming and it is hard to follow a strict diet because it is difficult to turn down all the yummy food.
Is there such a thing called the Christmas traffic? They should probably coin that term. It has been as busy as ever on the streets and in the malls. Everyone seems to be carrying their shopping and grocery bags and snaking their way through the crowd.
Expect busier days ahead! Merry Christmas all!
Image from http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/ambient/?ptp_photo_id=467953
I love Christmas- so much food, so many parties and events. I love the weather and I also love the fact that everyone are in the spirit of giving. Have you noticed? The most special part of course are family and friends' get togethers.
The other day, my sister and I went to the grocery to buy the usual one-month food supply. The place was packed and we had to wait for at least 30 minutes to the counter. In our house, it is that time when the kitchen is so busy with all the cooking and baking. Food is a bit overwhelming and it is hard to follow a strict diet because it is difficult to turn down all the yummy food.
Is there such a thing called the Christmas traffic? They should probably coin that term. It has been as busy as ever on the streets and in the malls. Everyone seems to be carrying their shopping and grocery bags and snaking their way through the crowd.
Expect busier days ahead! Merry Christmas all!
Image from http://pictopia.com/perl/ptp/ambient/?ptp_photo_id=467953
Saturday, December 1, 2007
The Wizard of Oz 2.0
The Tin Man, a six hour fantasy mini series, is airing on the Sci-Fi Channel in December. A modern Wizard of Oz complete with the original cast the Lion, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Toto, the Good and Wicked Witch, and don't forget our oh-so-beloved character Dorothy- a motorcycle riding waitress here-a different story with slightly different characters but of the same heart. Truly, aspiced-up version on one of our childhood favorites.
Image from and related link:http://edition.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/11/30/apontv.tinman.ap/index.html
Is My Life at Risk?
Although I do not imagine myself to stay on my current job in the long run(2 years at most), I was a bit alarmed after I read an article in CNN linking night job with increasing the risk of cancer.
First of all, I work as a Business Process Analyst for Management Reporting in Citibank for the North America region. Given that, for month-end reporting on the first few business days of the month, we have to work on a night shift to meet our internal clients' demands.
Anyway, from what I read, it seems that there are more recent evidence showing that men/women are more likely to develop prostate/breast cancer from working in a graveyard shift.
Why? One factor is that working on an opposite shift disrupts the body clock and melatonin, a cancer suppressant, is usually produced overnight. Working overnight also lowers the immune system's defense.
It is interesting to learn that melatonin is produced in the dark so people who work on these shifts are advised to sleep in a dark room when they get off work during the day to keep the body from the risk of cancer.
Related link:http://edition.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/11/29/night.shift.cancer.ap/index.html
First of all, I work as a Business Process Analyst for Management Reporting in Citibank for the North America region. Given that, for month-end reporting on the first few business days of the month, we have to work on a night shift to meet our internal clients' demands.
Anyway, from what I read, it seems that there are more recent evidence showing that men/women are more likely to develop prostate/breast cancer from working in a graveyard shift.
Why? One factor is that working on an opposite shift disrupts the body clock and melatonin, a cancer suppressant, is usually produced overnight. Working overnight also lowers the immune system's defense.
It is interesting to learn that melatonin is produced in the dark so people who work on these shifts are advised to sleep in a dark room when they get off work during the day to keep the body from the risk of cancer.
Related link:http://edition.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/11/29/night.shift.cancer.ap/index.html
Music Makes the People Come Together...Yeah!
I love music.
See...my blog title comes from Gwen Stefani's popular song Hollaback Girl. She is one of my favorite artists (alongside Kelly Clarkson, Rihanna, Fergie among others) because of her unique style in singing and for giving the audience fresh tracks each and every time.
I am the type to have a favorite song of the moment. It was Beautiful Girl, then Umbrella, Big Girls Don't Cry and so on. And now, I am singing Baby Love, Clumsy, Jenny, and Hate that I Love You.
Must admit I am not a good singer. I only imagine myself to be. Haha. Still. I love singing to my favorite tunes. It makes me feel better and have a lighter mood. It helps removes stress and anger and makes me feel and think more positive. I am honestly a little off sometimes, but everything's relative right?
See...my blog title comes from Gwen Stefani's popular song Hollaback Girl. She is one of my favorite artists (alongside Kelly Clarkson, Rihanna, Fergie among others) because of her unique style in singing and for giving the audience fresh tracks each and every time.
I am the type to have a favorite song of the moment. It was Beautiful Girl, then Umbrella, Big Girls Don't Cry and so on. And now, I am singing Baby Love, Clumsy, Jenny, and Hate that I Love You.
Must admit I am not a good singer. I only imagine myself to be. Haha. Still. I love singing to my favorite tunes. It makes me feel better and have a lighter mood. It helps removes stress and anger and makes me feel and think more positive. I am honestly a little off sometimes, but everything's relative right?
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