Returning Home

6 long months....

I can't believe I've neglected my good old blog for that long. I promise to work on a new layout and revive this thing by next year. :)

Just So There'd Be An Update

this blog is considered officially neglected. :D i'll try to update from here onwards.

for the time being, i'm copying che's latest post.

Fifty Random Things That I Like
1. japanese street fashion - it's laid-back but stylish.

2. french fries - with mayonnaise! will always be my number 1 guilty pleasure. uh... make that number 2 because my number 1 will have to be...

3. chocolates - without nuts of course. favorites include meiji products, cadbury black forest, twix, tootsie roll, milky way. royce chocolates are goooood although expensive T_T

4. writing - this thing is a given, especially for those who really know me

5. bags - a girl can never have enough bags.

6. starbucks - java chip frap, green tea frap, chai tea latte, iced signature chocolate, mint tea, dark mocha frap, belgian waffle, cinnamon swirl. i like spending my alone time there. i happen to have a barista crush, too. hahaha

7. mandy moore - from way back. because she's pretty and nice and seems down-to-earth and she hasn't changed image even if her contemporaries already did.

8. shopping - who doesn't? it's not just about shopping for me, it's also shopping for ronnie that i enjoy :)

9. food tripping - i can be as glutton as i can be if i really want it especially if i am pms-ing. i love japanese and italian and mexican food! plus sweets and junk foods. hahaha

10. bumming around the house on a rainy day - what better way to spend one, right?

11. fruits basket - it's the first anime series that i saw in 2003. got me laughing and crying at the same time. i highly recommend it just because it's a touching anime and because of that, i am re-watching this since last week.

12. cafe breton's blueberries and cream crepe - speaking of crepes, i prefer the rolled up ones compared to the cone crepes.

13. black - on clothes these days and i really don't know why. then again, i also like

14. pastel colors - especially blue and pink and green and purple :)

15. wishing on a star - it's a habit i got back in college: there was a period when every time i hoped and prayed for something and i happen to go home at night, i'd look up and find the first star i see. proved to be a soothing experience.

16. watching the clouds - because there's something about the clouds' movement that calms me.

17. powerbooks - i can spend a whole day in there. it's a haven.

18. cerealicious and bubble tea - one offers yummy cereals, the other, yummy bubble tea with pearls. two places me and my sister discovered in The Block last year.

19. alone time - as much as i enjoy being with my friends, i also enjoy hanging around somewhere and eating alone (just no watching movies alone).

20. cinnamoroll - didn't grow up as a Sanrio fan but lately, i've developed a liking for this cute character. :)

21. House M.D. - one of the best series for me.

22. japanese/korean/hk inspired clothes - oversized shirts, mini dresses, chucks, high socks, shorts. i also like it that they don't have to be branded and expensive and mass produced.

23. Pacey - of Dawson's Creek. I actually fell in love with his character.

24. ballet flats - i'm a shoe addict but flats i really love.

25. korean movies - because they know how to entertain you first and then make you cry in the end. :)

26. essays - nothing beats a written work that lets you in on someone's inner thoughts and feelings.

27. Five Cows ice cream cakes - ice cream cakes' aren't usual here and their cakes are the best. recommended for sharing though.

28. japanese dolls - they're nice to look at and so i collect them. that and kokeshi dolls, too.

29. r&b - for the words and rhythm.

30. Chef to Go - i like watching cooking shows but this is my favorite (shows on Qtv 11 every Sunday). yes, i happen to find the chef cute.

31. sundays - because: it's church day, family day and slow jam night on wave 89.1 and magic 89.9 hehehe

32. colored pens and cute notebooks - inspires me more to write and write and write. sometimes, i just like buying and collecting them.

33. green tea ice cream - only FIC has this and in UP Diliman's Shopping Center, a scoop costs 20 bucks only when in malls, the price is doubled.

34. supermarkets - here or in hong kong. :) doesn't matter if there's something that i have to buy or not. just looking around the shelves (alone or with company, especially my mom) is a happy time for me.

35. being in hong kong - i can be on my own there. plus i can go home anytime and still feel safe. also brings good memories to me when i'm there.

36. Ichiban - japanese resto that happens to be ronnie's discovery and favorite. why not? when it offers good japanese food at affordable prices. :)

37. channel surfing - a bad habit for others but it works for me. i have short attention span and so during commercial breaks, i like jumping from one channel to another hehe.

38. double deck buses - i like car rides, not so much on bus rides. but if the buses are like those in hong kong, i'd have to say otherwise.

39. staying up late - because it's peaceful. if only i don't have to pay and have my face full of pimples, i'd be doing this every day. then again, it's not healthy i know.

40. contemporary lit books - they're deep, serious, and realistic.

41. watching basketball games - i'm not a sporty person that's why i end up just being a viewer. i used to be updated with pba and nba but lately, not so much anymore. i try to keep up though.

42. reading the newspaper - as much as it's full of bad news, there's the need to be informed and be aware. plus, there's always the lifestyle section that one can enjoy.

43. a walk to remember - the only movie i remember having watched a dozen times in one year. :p

44. Christmas - best season for me.

45. reflexive games - i'm not a gamer and the only games i really enjoy are those that challenges my reflexes.

46. jdrama - since they're normally fast-paced (some series have only 9 episodes).

47. ruffles - most liked potato chips.

48. scrabble - started playing this way back in elementary and i'd play with my dad and my sister.

49. college days - i had the best time of my life in college. enough said. :)

50. kulit moments with ronnie - :)

Awaiting...

Ajisen Ramen was introduced to me by ronnie. He said he discovered this ramen joint in ShenZhen before and loved their Seafood Fried Rice. He found out that there were branches in HK as well and so far, it's one of those Japanese restos in HK that he favored (together with Yoshinoya and Ichiban, the last being his number 1 as of the moment).

l-r: feb 2007 @ ajisen causeway, july 2007 @ ajisen shenzhen (there's ronnie's seafood rice :p which isn't available in ajisen hk branches)

Just recently, while we, together with our officemates were checking out the newly built Midtown Wing of Robinsons Place Ermita, we were surprised to see an Ajisen Soon To Open banner somewhere in the 2nd or 3rd floor. This wouldn't be the first branch in the Philippines though as we learned September last year that there's a branch in Alabang Town Center already. Then again, going to ATC just to eat there would be inconvenient for us. At least this time, it'll just be a few minutes walk from our office. :)

~ o 0 o ~ o 0 o ~ o 0 o ~ o 0 o ~ o 0 o ~

Another resto that ronnie introduced was Ruby Tuesday. He first talked about it when he and two bosses had dinner there. When I went on a trip to HK first quarter of last year, he then brought me there for the Chocolate Shortcake (super yummy!). In September last year, we went there with another friend/officemate for the same dessert. :D We only know of one branch and it's not that near to where we are staying that is why we get to visit the place only once in a while. Besides the fact that prices don't come in cheap.

our favorite

If our eyes weren't playing tricks on us, ronnie and I saw a Soon To Open banner as well in TriNoMa around December last year. I haven't checked if it's open already or if there will really be a Ruby Tuesday branch there, but hey, just like with Ajisen, it's a welcome surprise. :)

I'm actually psyched for these two to open just because those happen to hold pretty good memories for me. :)

Rekindled

I started learning the Japanese language around 2004. Since then, it was an on and off study. And for almost a year, I thought I'd stay away from it already. There's not much people to converse with as a practice, so I said why pursue it? Around November last year, me and sister found a flyer in UP offering Japanese language courses starting January the next year. And yes, it made me excited in an instant. Soon after, I asked my close buddy if she also wanted to study and she said yes!

We've been attending classes in UP Diliman thrice a week for almost a month now. Tuesdays and Thursdays, I leave the office at 4:30pm for my 6-8 class (she attends Mondays and Wednesdays on the other hand :/). Saturday classes are scheduled 9-11am for us both (but we're still not on the same class). So far, it makes me think that it was a good idea for us to sign up because 1. we get to spend more time with each other now, 2. i have someone to practice with now, 3. i get to meet new people, 4. i can appreciate jpop and jdramas better, and 5. makes me live that part where i want to be a student once again. lol.

music albums "bucho" lent me

~ o 0 o ~ o 0 o ~ o 0 o ~ o 0 o ~ o 0 o ~

I collect DVDs (not originals, just to be honest). But because I am aware of many movies are coming out every month, I know I wouldn't be able to save any if I go buy everything. And so I decided to limit my collection to Asian movies only (Korean, Japanese and Chinese to be exact). I used to buy somewhere in Makati when I was still working in that area. When I moved to another company, I wasn't able to buy from there anymore. Sometimes I'd buy in HK instead when I'm there. There, sometimes I'd settle for VCDs especially if they don't have a DVD for a certain movie that I really like and which, I'm sure I won't find here.

And then lately, since my sister started working in Makati and has recently discovered the same place where I used to purchase, it would seem that our collection would continue to grow once again. :D

Recent buys are as follows (they're mostly romance comedy just because she's a sucker for that):
1. 200 Pounds Beauty (I've seen this one in HK with ronnie and billy already but we have to have a copy still).
2. Daisy
3. The All-Powerful Romance a.k.a. The Strongest Romance
4. Seducing Mr. Perfect
5. I'm a Cyborg, But That's Ok
6. Too Beautiful To Lie

DS Mania

A year ago, i was still bent on purchasing a PSP. I remember chatting with a friend about this when he told me to get an NDS Light instead because it seemed like it matched my personality better than the other one. I had to research and check out the difference between those two as well as the games available for each one. I later found out that some people think that DS is for kids while the other is not. If that's what my friend meant when he suggested DS for me, I can only guess. :p

Eventually, I decided that I'm getting a DS. Why? Cause the unit had pastel colors that I liked and I thought the games were cuter and more fun than those for PSP. I was eyeing a pink one before just because it looked girly. And then an officemate, the first one who had a DS in the office, bought a white one and made me rethink of getting a light-colored DS. I ended up with the idea that black is better. When I was about to buy the unit, ronnie decided to surprise me by giving me one. :D Couldn't get any happier, I tell you.

I bought a case to protect the unit itself. Thinking that I wanted my DS to stand out, I asked ronnie to draw something for me so that I could put it on the cover. Fortunately, he indulged. :) It looked good with a green silicon cover before and since I changed the silicon cover to white at the start of the year, some of my friend officemates were joking ronnie to draw a new one to match the new cover, lol. let's see if he gets the hint.

Anyway, the first few games I played were Mario Kart, Cooking Mama and Trauma Center - all among the list of best DS games. I discovered Diner Dash for DS which became the first game I got to finish. Early on, there were only two of us playing against each other in Mario Kart (the game can have 8 players race against each other). Later on, one officemate after another bought their own units as well. Thus, around September last year, me and 7 other officemates were able to compete against each other. Imagine that.

mario kart session in watami, hk (addict talaga!)

For a time, the craze waned.

And then, during Christmas vacation, I tried my hands on playing Ouendan, a Japanese rhythm game. Ronnie and first DS-owner officemate were crazy with the game while I, cannot even finish 1/4 of a song. I wanted to challenge myself that I downloaded Ouendan 2 (because ronnie finished ouendan1 already) and found myself hooked! I downloaded Elite Beat Agents (English version of the above mentioned game) as well, just out of curiosity. And what can I say, Ouendan is still waaaaaay cooler than EBA.

Recently, we're now having Ouendan sessions instead of Mario Kart sessions (only downside is that Ouendan allows a maximum of 4 players only :s). These sessions have become bonding moments for us officemates plus it helps me not lose interest with my toy. I don't know how long this'll keep up, I guess I'll just enjoy this for now.

ouendan session in the office

Mall Rat

Aside from the fact that December was such a busy month, it also happens to be the month that I found myself inside the mall almost 50% of the time. I've just went through my planner and here's what I meant:

I'll probably need time away from any mall for January, methinks.