❤ our 40th month ❤

It's December already! wow! Upon realization, I sent a text to E:

*Pasko na sinta ko*

E gamely replied:

*hanap-hanap kita*

I giggled like a teenager. I am completely and utterly smitten.

Yesterday was our 40th monthsary. Grateful it's a holiday, E and I had our lunch in Dahilayan. An hour and a half away for cool temperature and crispy pata. Since our destination is in the boondocks, i.e. less traffic, I put my driver's licence to good use. I manned the steering wheel while E  incessantly gave unsolicited directions (gear, turns, clearances). I know how to drive. He knows I know how to drive. But still, E is ever commanding and worrisome.

When i made a tight overtaking, E absentmindedly stepped on his imaginary brake. His nerves were all over the place! hahaha A joy to watch!

Our dinner was take-out KFC while watching Air Supply LIVE! Yep, they were in our city last night! Soon as I knew they're coming back here, I hauled E and bought us tickets, hahaha. I love their music. I have an Air Supply playlist in my iPod. Their lyrics I know by heart....and it's not like Beyonce and Bruno Mars ever come to our city!

I was belting their songs with them, clapping, shouting, swaying  with E, melting....I was in a happy place! ✿❤

tittle-tattling

E had just accepted a job offer as TERMINAL OPERATIONS HEAD from Gothong Southern (cargo side of the business). The offer is not all vanilla sky but he decided to take on this new challenge and left his position as OIC in an International Shipping Line. So from working in an International Container Terminal just 3 minutes from where he lives to working in a Domestic container terminal in the city 40 minutes away. The only upside is we get to go to work together(i work in the city) and home too if he's not tied up with work after 5.

I feel that he has this nagging feeling he might not have made the right decision switching companies. Salary is the same but cost is much higher working far from home. Although Gothong provides gas allowance (and a BB phone to boot), it's never enough. His mom just got him an SUV (Ford pick-up) on his 32nd birthday and it gargles gasoline like water. Gothong also has vessel operations 3x/week in contrast to 1x/week from his previous company. It would mean long hours at work and more to and from home trips. Gasoline issue again.

I kept encouraging him. Who knows, maybe after his probationary, better compensation (i.e. higher gasoline allowance) will be provided.

We went to work together this AM and after the hugging and kissing, soon as I got off his truck, my heart sinked. Later tonight he'll be leaving to Cebu for his training. I can only count in one hand the times we did not see each other for more than 2days. The longest was six weeks when I was working in Cebu. Even when he would go to Davao for their quarterly meeting, he won't be gone for over 2days. He would even sometimes tag me along.

We see each other every day and we do things together, from massages to shopping and even running small errands. We laugh and cry together, too. E and I are connected at the hip like that.

I am sad already. He will be in Cebu until the 18th. Although I will be joining him this weekend, I still feel miserable.

❀❀ price of pretty ❀❀

I'm in an unending quest of finding the right foundation. It's robbing me. They cost over 2,000 per bottle. A few years back, I was content with pharmaceutical brands like Maybelline, Revlon, and Loreal. I remember feeling superior then owning "branded" cosmetics. I can be naive, I know. I've seen the white light so I'm now more inclined to owning the real branded cosmetics like MAC, Smashbox, Nars, Shiseido, and Lancome.

My skin type is a bit special, that's why. I'm acidic and prone to hormonal acne. So it has to be TRUE (no false claims) non-comedogenic. I also buy shades one or two tones lighter than my skin tone because of my acidic skin. I have nooo idea what's the cause of that. Also, I have yellow-ish skin so most Smashbox foundations (I've tried 4 kinds) works well for me. But their products don't cope well with acid and their shades are sooo limited.

So far, Lancome Macqui Blanc is my better choice. It's made for Asian Skin. I wear this all day at work and it never cakes, though it fades just a tiny bit. No breakouts. The only disadvantage is that it's not as yellow-ish as Smashbox.

I haven't found my personal demi-god of all foundations yet. The search continues...I still have to try Shu Uemura, Laura Mercier, and Chanel. With all my might, I will afford them with my meager income. I'm ambitious (or vain?) like that.

game changers

Badminton wasn't exactly my forte until of late. I play, yes. But it was more for leisure than anything else. I had no intentions whatsoever of improving nor have enough care to own the right gear.

Not until i received these...my game changers!

I used to be content with my 100-peso badminton racket. I only realized lately that it's the culprit behind my shoulder joint dislocation. It's heavier than the acceptable weight. Imagine my cost every time my shoulder joint needs to be adjusted...Per visit to the chiropractor is 1,300 and i made several visits and add up the fees of the manghihilot. With that total I'd have bought a high-end racket.

But I'm putting all those behind now. I have this shiny new racket given to me with love! It's not the best but is nice enough for a beginner like me. This PHP2,000 racket is a big leap from my PHP100 racket. We had it strung to its maximum 20lbs. It's so light I no longer worry about straining my arms. It changed my game and my attitude towards the game. Plus, I got this new Nike frees. Again, given with love! E spoils me! We now play badminton every Wednesday and I'm determined to better myself every time.

vacation lag

I have endured countless meetings at work. During the first few, I was always pen-and-paper ready, poised for serious note-taking. I do the obligatory nods on key points and wrinkle my forehead as if comprehending something so complex. But today, I was just not up to my usual pretensions. I tried to blend into my chair and not attract any attention at all. I heard nothing and willing my eyes to stay open required Herculean effort. I missed my bed.

What i feel is like a vacation lag of sort. I had too much fun last weekend that going back to work today felt like a punishment. It's only Monday, whatever will happen in the next five(!!!) days? Oh my Lord!

☀ sunshine in a dress ☀

I bought this H&M flowy maxi dress in H&M Singapore. Cost me about SGD90. I love it too much I want to marry it!

~A fond memory~ When E and I started packing in SG, bound for home. Since I have more clothes, he helped me fold. All of a sudden he exclaimed, "unsa ni, kurtina?" He meant my maxi dress. We laughed so hard. He's so clueless!

When E and I were in Singapore, a huge chunk of our shopping allowance went to H&M. I've been dying to shop in an H&M store. Zara, Promod, and H&M are my goto brands. I used to be all Forever21 but i've grown out of it. It's cheap alright, but you would of course get what you paid for. Too flimsy. Except the accesories, though. Love them!

Georgina

Georgina, the new baby in our growing family.

We share the same birth day, April 14. I'm already looking forward to her 1st birthday. Free food for myself and my visitors, hahaha ツ

Every Sunday, the family gathers at home for dinner so we only get to see her once a week. We'd all hover around our little Georgina. Such a joy.

erstwhile

October 2008. My brother's civil wedding. With my sister.

Our 36th

It's our 36th month today. E and I didn't really make any eatout plan as we want our pockets to breathe. Oddly, his brother invited us to dinner with his girlfriend. Double date. A first. The relationship they have is not as open as ours so we're kind of glad that they're sort of coming out of their shells, at least to us.

I hope there will be more "bonding" moments like this one. I know it makes E one bit happier to have his brother finally opening up to him...and we're sensing she's going to be the sister-in-law soon :-)

learned by rote ツ

girl meets boy. girl breaks up with boy. girl cries over boy. girl forgets boy. girl meets another boy. everything is then repeated umpteen times without thought. it can be a pretty grim world.

epiphany. that's all we need. and i'd like to think that's what i got. it just feels so right this time.♥

superiority defined by beauty

take a room full of people. if you're attractive, you're greeted with an equal mix of curiousity, civility, and resignation. cusiousity from men, civility by some, and resignation from women.

women loathes other women they see as more attractive than they are. it's something stitched in our genes and cannot be warded off, however one pretends. fault-finding scrutinies will start boiling, some very vocal about it and most keep it to themselves. it has something to do with attractive women getting most number of backtakes, most number of ear-to-ear smiles, getting away with almost everything, and more importantly, being called and recalled beautiful.

if your face is nondescript, you're usually non-existent. "Joy, who?". you are then recalled only by the length of your hair and the purple tight-fitted jeans you wore ten years ago. "ah, kato nga Joy."

so if you are not cute, you might as well be clever. and that's hard to sport.

Perseverance

It's Sunday. I recently switched companies and my two days off has reduced to one day. It's not enough and working for six days is too long. But I contain all my complains as much as I can for as long as I can.

My boyfriend (he's been recently referring me his finacee, tickles me) inspires me to persevere. I would always remember the sacrifices he made for his work. He'd endure sleepless nights unappreciated by the boss and under-compensated. And I know it wasn't because he wants to keep his job or wants to earn OT hours or perhaps ladder up in the future...no, it wasn't all those. It's simply because that's who is.

Now his boss had been ousted and he's the new OIC.You truly reap what you sow. It's only a matter of time....AND perseverance.

I wish I'm more like him. I want to be more like him. So tomorrow is the start of another week. I feel a little off but I'm going to work.

Planning Singapore

When it comes to "going places", E, since time immemorial, has always been the passive one. I'm always the one constantly blabbering--kuya adto ta dadto, adto ta dani. I'm the curious and always on the go. Whenever I suggest a new adventure, he would sometimes look offended by my typical absurd and impossible suggestions. But most of the time, I can only see light bulbs glowing on top of his head, excitement from the prospect of experiencing something new.

November 2010.

We both wanted to go to Boracay and Palawan. Popular and touristy. We haven't been there and want to experience it together. Since Boracay is the more popular and we feel like everyone had been there but us, we decided it'll be our destination for 2011.

Oh, we always plan ahead like most practical people who do not have gazillions at their disposal. It gives us ample time to book cheaper plane tickets and accommodation, and at the same time plan our itinerary well to maximize our visit.

I solely plan our itinerary and E will just have to "approve" it. Convenient for me as I like doing things my way. If he's not comfortable about something, I can be persuasive :) So anyhow, a few weeks later E suggested we go to Palawan first. He told me about his brother's jaunt there and how it's more "virgin" than Boracay. I immediately agreed to it, not an iota of complain as I only truly care about spending time alone with him.

December 2010.

Over our dinner date in Countryside Steakhouse, I told E that why not go to a southeast Asian country instead. His reaction wasn't pleasant. It's as if I'm talking gibberish or what I just suggested is plain preposterous.

Did I say I can be persuasive? Oh, I did?

So by mid-dinner we were already choosing between Hong Kong, Thailand, and Singapore. I had been to Hong Kong so choosing it defeats the "experiencing something new" idea. Thailand is Philippines-ish. Singapore won.

January 2011.

By then I already had a budget plan in place after thoroughly exploiting the Internet for possible cost and exchange rates. No, I detest hiring travel agencies. Spoils the adventure. We had also agreed on a date. September 10-13, after E received his work forecast for the year. Our budget was over 60k, excluding shopping allowances. A bit higher than most but hey, we never like scrimping on food :-)

February 2011.

Booked our tickets. I'd been in the lookout for seat sales since December. It was Chinese New Year and purchased our CGY-MNL-CGY for less than PHP400. Less than a hundred per way per person. PHP99 to be exact. E's brother (who so kindly drove us to the airport and sooo kindly fetched us when we got back) would joke, "naa ba moy bangko ana inyong ticket?" It is super cheap he can't believe it. Our MNL-SIN-MNL is PHP2,300 per way per person.

March 2011.

Booked our hostel near Clarke Quay. A private room. I'm self-discovering SG through the Internet and did not bother asking my friends who now live and work in SG. Did not even tell them. Our time is too limited we have no room for "get togethers". But we did manage to have a quick lunch with E's college friends somewhere in Bugis.

So armed with SG's MRT route map, I chose a hostel close to an MRT station and also to the destinations featured in our itinerary. Speaking of itinerary, it was inspired by Filipino bloggers who shared their own online. I personalized it to suit our preferences. We're not big with history and religion. So no Raffles and temples for us. Ours was centered on food and everything touristy (hey, it's our first visit so naturally..)

April 2011.

The saving continues...

September 10.

Tantananaaaaan....

HELLO SINGAPORE!

**E would say, only I can make him do thins he never imagined he can do before.

that ooomph!

I just would like to share my most fondest (redundant, yes) memory to date.

It was Valentine's day this year. E and I spent it in Dakak Park & Beach Resort. We share a mutual love for the resort for reasons we can't quite point ourselves....perhaps it's the isolation? the white sand? the proximity? Although many might not agree with the latter. It is after all a 9-hour bus ride away :-)

Anyhow....February 14. Dinner at the resort's restaurant by the beach. I wore this flow-y maxi dress that made me feel like I'm a Greek goddess. The food, the ambiance, the wait staffs who tucked flowers in my ear, the table-hopping serenade...they all made me melt. Right after dinner, E and I went up the deck of their Pirate's bar. It's a ship-shaped bar of sort. There's a lonesome acoustic guitarist/singer entertaining no one but himself. Yep! Solo, no audience whatsoever. About this time most of the guests had been ferried to Fantasyland, an amusement park much like Enchanted Kingdom. So it's almost like we had the resort to ourselves! Ain't that lovely?

We bought cocktails. Relaxed, calm, loving...were our feelings. The weather was good...we had the moon and the stars and an acoustic one-man-band solely entertaining the both of us.

Then...

E surprised me by asking me to dance. I mean, he's not the kind to just randomly do things like that. He's reserved and always too embarrassed to do anything that attracts attention. So I actually just replied with a smile. I thought he's kidding.

No, he wasn't kidding. He stood and asked for my hand in the most gallant manner. haha. I stood, still not believing it's happening. The last thing I noticed was the song changed to Unchained Melody and the eyes of some of the wait staffs from the restaurant below.

We danced. Our first real dance. My first real dance. I almost want to cry. I'm too inlove.

Then we goofed for a bit and sat down after about two songs.

So yeah, that did it. I wished the night never ended. The night almost did not end :-)

blog traffic

It's amazing what a broken heart can do to your writing passion. I reviewed the posts of my other private blog...posts from many, many moons ago. I'm overwhelmed by how much I was able to convey my "feelings" into words. No happy thoughts there, though. It's sad, melodramatic, and, well, a bit bitter. I had to hide them as I no longer see them fit. I find comfort in putting them in my past, un-revisited.

This I came to understand over the years...when a woman is full of sorrows, her blog receives traffic!

reload

i'm back from slumber. been to the moon and back. i'll start with my kuris-kuris here again. putting my thoughts into words gives me, um, serenity. either it'll be read or not, it helps to put my words into, er, words. what am i saying? ugh. i'll try again tomorrow.