My Cousin's Wedding ;)

so mimi and i met up for lunch earlier and she has a pleasant surprise for me, the wedding pictures! it was a fun yet solemn and intimate affair. i feel so honored to be given the chance to be part of this special occasion. and their family as well.

to nap and stella, congrats and best wishes. whenever the going gets a little tough, just remember, there's no Plan B. =D

we do look like we're cousins, don't you agree?

like mimi, she is like a sister to me now


with the lovely couple

and of course, the feeling bridesmaid =p

Random Wednesday Update

i'd give up cakes for the rest of my life just to have john lloyd look at me like that

as you may have noticed, i change layouts often. and yes, since i am no techie, i have to manually encode and put up my blog list everytime i change my template. i am quite patient like that. hahaha. i change layouts as often as possible because i get bored easily. and when i get bored, i can come up with a multitude of reasons why i need a different scenery. but surprisingly, i am not fickle-minded, which i think is a good thing because i know of several people who can't tolerate fickle-mindedness. hehehe.

now, i don't exactly know where this entry is leading to. all i know is that i need to write an update, because lately, i've only been posting 1 entry per week and my blog's getting lonely. it's not that i have a loyal following who peeks into kaithuninterrupted everyday but it's mainly for kaithuninterrupted itself, so it maintains its updated, perky, always-on-the-go image (charos!). however, life hasn't been that exciting as well, save for S and N's wedding last week where i volunteered my services as coordinator. the pictures aren't ready yet so i don't have anything to post. then yes, the previous entry saw my and chin's photoshoot (feeling model-modelan. haha) after little charlie's baptism.

so let's take another shot at it.

• i am still trying to lose weight, i am currently 106 lbs barefoot (must be all the eat outs i've been having for the past week, grrr). i know it's not good to take the easy way out but i am too lazy to diet and exercise. i think i'd die before turning 50 from all the calories and sugar i am feeding myself.

• i am excited to go tile-shopping. we found reasonably-priced tiles at some hardware in mambaling and i hope they still have enough stocks of the ones we want. i've been dishing out home improvement and care tips to a friend, sounding like an expert and laughing out loud because really, when you look at our house, you'd hardly believe anything i'd say.

• i've discovered cool, cute and easy-to-the-eyes blogs (read: they don't use high-faluting words to get their message across. it's just plain, straight english. mwehehe) and they're the ones i am stalking lately. there's this quirky young lady that i like simply because she dishes out practical make up advices like how to get rid of ugly undereye circles or how to make your skin flawless. plus, the brands she uses can be found here in the philippines and they're not that expensive as well.

• i have finally finished book 1 (Outlander) of Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. i am on the 2nd book already (Dragonfly in Amber) and the thrill is unending. one of my good friends, Y, is in the US now and i've asked her if she can get the last 3 books in the series for me since i doubt any of the bookstores here carry her books. i tried searching for them in ebay.ph but my sukis don't have them either. my books definitely would have a part in my last will and testament. i'd hate for them to rot in a boring and forgotten bookshelf somewhere.

• i'll be a (fairy) godmother again this saturday, and this time, to my cute two-month old niece, ysabelle. she's my second cousin's daughter. it's funny because this cousin, who's a lawyer here in cebu and shares the same last name with me (my maiden name, that is), has been in the city for 10 years. and in the five years that i've been here, our paths never, ever crossed. we've only met when his mom, upon learning that i am here in cebu, asked for my number and contacted me. the last time we've seen each other was i guess, 16 or more years ago. i am glad we've reunited, and of course, to know that i have a family here.
  

• i can't wait for saturday really. that day will change my life. hahaha.
  

Yes, We'd Rather Be In Front of It

mimi and i were talking the past weeks that among the supergirls, it seems that only i, she and chin, haven't caught the photography bug. i, for one, don't have that eye. and two, i can not afford the hobby. hahaha. i guess the best reason for not getting a camera and start clicking and shooting is that, we love to be in front of it than anything else. as i told mai, we are willing victims. hahaha.

so yesterday, chin and i laughed, pouted, and tried to seduce mai's bee. it was charlie's baptism slash photo op slash girl bonding. hurray for happy sundays.

i think mai was telling us to look surprised or to make chicka. she was laughing so hard when she took the photo. hahaha.

what was i thinking with this shot? hahaha.

with charlie (i took her out of the stroller because raf woke her up!), kara, chin and kiss

We Love Our Children, Slow Down

raf clowning around after our sunday night walking session

when we first saw this road signage a few months ago, my carpool-mates and i bursted out laughing. really, our neighbors think of the most hilarious stuff.

we were discussing that well, it's a road and not a playground so it's the parents' responsibility to look after their children playing outside. there were several instances already when we would pass by a two- or three-year old kid, running carelessly on the street while the mother or the yaya animatedly discusses the current economic condition with her neighbors. and when we would try to make the kids stay on the side by honking our horn, they would turn their heads and glare at us as if we don't have the right to drive through. it's annoying, to say the least. and then they put up this sign.

i only got to appreciate this road reminder a few days back, when i saw how rambunctious kids can get when they're having fun, despite a yaya's watchful eye. raf, for instance, rides his bike as fast as he can, with the helper helplessly in tow. my son is too hyper for his own good and yes, he doesn't really heed warnings because he is stubborn like that. it bothers me how his yaya cannot seem to have the "power" to make him follow her instructions but no, it doesn't bother me that he's too active. kids will be kids and i'd only worry when he starts getting too quiet and obedient. hahaha.

now, i've also seen how some motorists can get too ruthless when plying the streets. cars and motorcycles zoom in and out of our block like kings of the road themselves. non-too alert dogs get sideswept and tires leave skid marks on the cement. paranoid as i am, i'm glad somebody had the audacity (it still cracks me up until now, my apologies) and the concern to create that makeshift road block. the drivers may or may not heed it but for me, it's a great deal of showing care for the kids who start crowding the streets as early as 4pm. but i still stand by the fact that the road sign shouldn't be any mother's or helper's excuse on not taking care of their wards. no child should be allowed outside without any nanny and the best way of ensuring everyone's safety is to give your full attention to the task at hand. conversations and discussions are not prohibited but your son or daughter or alaga is more important than the buzz's latest chismis, yes?

i'm glad somebody is taking this social responsibility thing seriously. i'm proud of my neighbors. sometimes. =P

Yesterday, Valentine's Day

taken by Purple, my well, yes, purple SE K770i.
apparently, i still have to practice taking couple shots to
ensure both our faces fit the screen snugly

it wasn't a date date, but it was a date nonetheless. our first valentine's date in what, 3 years? no greetings were exchanged because v-day is just non-existent in our calendar like that. but we watched sitti's concert (thank again to globe!) and had a good time. oh, we had dinner at teriyaki boy (one of his favorites) and even had to bring the little boy and the yaya home before going back to the city for the concert.

i love sitti! it was my first time to see her perform and she didn't disappoint. and what's amazing was that lloyd zaragoza, jessa zaragoza's brother and sitti's guest last night, amused ppip. apparently, he passed my husband's standards. lloyd sings and dances well, in fairness, and he creates audience rapport a sam milby, i think, can never do. but no, i don't have pictures of the concert nor of the performers. i just cannot be bothered to take pictures when my sole purpose of going to a show is to watch and enjoy. hehehe.

all in all, our feb 14 09 wasn't that bad. hope you had fun too. :)

Contingency

now i know why these shoes are sitting patiently under my office desk...

...because yes, accidents do happen

Wishing Hard for Saturday Already

get togethers with friends help relieve the tension of a manic workweek

i've been terribly tired the past weeks. we had big shot visitors from the US so you can just imagine the preparation and yes, the stress! my boss and i heaved a big sigh of relief yesterday when the last of our visitors left and although it is so tempting to file for a sick leave today or tomorrow, we both can't because well, our meeting schedule dictates no.

i can't help it, the pressure's too much. there's the house renovation next week, the never-ending search for two nannies/helpers, plus my mother's condition. maybe i worry too much but whoever says managing a household is easy deserves a weeklong practicum in our home. and of course, on top of that is my career. although i am grateful that my work allows me to attend to personal matters when i need to. still, it's not easy taking care of three people who, yes, belong to the top management level. there's just very little room for mistakes.

it's so funny because since i am very exhausted lately, i've decided to skip tv-watching and subject raf to my "early to bed, early to rise" goal. i told him the other night that he has to get used to sleeping early because when he goes to school, he has to wake up early as well. no more crashing in anytime. so for two mornings in a row, he'd be up before i am awake and say, "i want to go to school now." things such as this help keep my sanity intact.

also, what makes the weekend very enticing is that i'll have time to snuggle under the covers with diana gabaldon's books. i'm still on the first book (mind you, all three books have 900++ pages, in small print!) and i can't wait to finish them. i am sometimes glad that raf has hobbies of his own now so i can also spend some me-time without feeling guilty. hahaha.

however

despite the rush, i am still feeling blessed because:

1. i have a job and i work 5 days a week.

2. my kids are healthy and doing well. i miss andi but i know she's in better hands with my mother than with us here, not having a good yaya and all.

3. we have enough to have our house semi-renovated. it's not much but at least, it will be more child-friendly and safer.

4. i have titas who love their sister-in-law and are willing to fight her battles.

5. my sisters are finally trying to be more responsible in taking care of our mother.

6. i have friends who are my support system.

7. i might have a long vacation and bonding time with my family come march and april.

8. there are problems but still, all is well. :)

Inhale, Exhale

you know, it's not my mother's fault you had a very bad childhood thus this towering insecurity. it's not her fault either that you've grown into this flat-nosed loser with badly-shaped legs. and it's definitely not her fault that you had to do somebody else's laundry (my family's laundry, in fact) just to get your husband in a reputable firm. if he had the balls and enough diskarte, he wouldn't let his wife be some family's errand girl for his law career to take off.

so why are you dumping all of your frustrations on my mother? oh, because perhaps she lives the life you once dreamed for yourself? but she has a daughter who got pregnant even before marriage! would you want that? she doesn't have a son who backbreakingly works abroad just to send her mother capricious gifts and you actually have! and cmon, you have more expensive vehicles! so why the hate?

i won't try to understand your purpose and your actions. i don't have time for that. i will just pray that someday, life will give me enough lemons so i can squirt them all on your eyes. hahaha. my mother will scold me for this so let me rephrase. i hope someday, you'd realize your mistake (preferably on your deathbed) and ask even just an ounce of forgiveness for everything you've done against all your enemies. ah, too angelic. let me try for the third time. i hope someday, my mother would have the strength to come up to you while you're reciting your tirades against her and blurt, "it's not my fault your life's laden with insecurities but i cannot be your dumping ground forever," then slap her hard on one cheek, so hard her head would fall off. that's more like it. hahaha.

i am sorry to be posting all this raging posts but i can't help it. i have to release all this negative vibes since i cannot go home to negros armed with a good, sharp bolo to face this monster.

Happy 1st Monthsary East West!

to those who don't know it yet, east west has opened at IT park last january 10. mimi and i were so excited when we learned that it has been resurrected because really, their mango sushi crepe is to die for! we were among those who have grieved when their ayala branch closed because east west has always been one of our favorite hang outs.

the store's still on "settling down" mode. they're still finalizing their menus - deciding which dishes to revive, which ones need to be added, etc. aside from the crepe, i've always loved their potato joes with the ceasar's dip and strawberry shake. mimi and i visited them yesterday and we had, guess what, spaghetti bolognese, sisig, hungarian nibblers and mango sushi crepe. we were so full we can hardly stand! hahaha. we also had fun talking with F and F, as they were very open to ideas and suggestions. i just hope they bring back my PJ's ceasar's dip!

visit east west at the ground floor of the walk, IT park, right beside casa verde.

p.s.: this is not a paid ad. :)

Watch Out

i am proud to say that i have slowly learned to curb my anger but there are just things and situations that get to me. i just get raging mad when some people try to hurt my family - most especially my mother. that is something that i just can't let go and forget. and perhaps, if my mother is the bungangera and pakialamera type who just tries to meddle into others' business, it wouldn't be such a big deal. but she is not. my mother is not the very buotan type, no. she's feisty when need be BUT wala guid gamo not unless the issue involves her kids already. but even if she's already attacked personally, she wouldn't fight back. she wouldn't talk back. that's how peace-loving she is. so what do her daughters do when some old, ugly witch tries to stress her out, a few days after she left the hospital? no, i'll say this again, we don't do catfights.

we pray, for the soul of this soon-to-be food of termites and worms who just can't shut her mouth up. again, i am amazed at how envy can consume one's self and make her forget her dignity and self-respect. because honestly, what dignified and self-respecting woman would go from table to table and gossip about how her own car is more expensive than her officemate's?

gosh. there's no rest and peace for the envious and wicked.

Scandalized

my sister called me last saturday to report that her name was plastered in one of their school's restroom door. beside it is a not-so flattering adjective. she wasn't fuming mad when we talked, we were actually laughing so hard. we were joking that perhaps, the "suspect" doesn't have the guts to "confront" her thus, resorted to name-calling. ah ah is known to be feisty and a "terror" both in the school and in the dorm so it's quite understandable how nobody would want to collide head-on with her. isn't posting your enemy's name in the restroom CR so...1990s? hahaha.

last year, we almost sued a 19-year old single mother when she harrassed our youngest sister by texting her lewd messages. apparently, her ex-bf (the father of her baby) was texting alexis and now she thought that my sister would date him, therefore abandoning her completely. as if! he wasn't handsome to begin with so why would my sister even think of dating him? honestly. second, we don't accept recycled nor used goods. hahaha. besides, they weren't together in the first place so her anger and madness was really displaced.

the whole process of going to the police to initially report the girl and her cohorts (her friends even talked to my mother, saying really nasty things about my sister. ill-bred ones, i tell you), plus saving all those text messages, and finally meeting with the respective girls' (they were from various schools) college deans was grueling. at first, the girls thought everything was a bluff (we had a lawyer). then when face-off day finally came, they were crying and begging for forgiveness. i guess they never really thought that our family would take it seriously. but hell, the girl (let's name her I), was telling my sister that she'd go to their dorm and embarass her in front of her dormmates. nobody does that to any of us. my parents were bent on suing but our lawyer adviced that a court hearing might be traumatic for my sister as she's only 18! so we initially settled for a public apology and an affidavit from all the girls involved. in the end, they apologized to my sister and my mother and eventually, all haluballo died down.

this is not new to us. i guess that's what happens when you're pretty, smart, and happy with your life. it doesn't matter if you're rich or not. but as long as they see you are contented and has lots of friends and can afford a car and to live in an aircon room complete with a ref and all the comforts of your own room, some people turn green.

i am saying this in defense of my sisters because first and foremost, they are my sisters. i'd pull all the hair out of anybody who tries to hurt them. second, i know them. yes they can be loud, yes they can be arrogant but hey, we can afford it. my parents can afford it so i don't see any problem with that. third, i know them well enough to know that they wouldn't start anything with anybody because we are too well-bred to start a catfight. only ugly, uncivilized people do that. we have a mother who taught us good manners. fourth, they are too busy thinking of ways to extort extra funds from our nanay to do anything immoral and against the law of our parents. hahaha.

i guess we've learned which battles are worthy of a good fight. and besides, why give these envious monsters the satisfaction of getting back at them? the best revenge would be to just shrug our shoulders, pout our pretty lips and continue being dyosas. it's funny isn't it, how some people would go at great lengths to show their insecurity? writing my sister's name on the restroom cr wouldn't make you gorgeous, my dear. you're only helping her become more popular. and tough. but the next time you do it, i'll make sure i'll flush you down the toilet - from the roots of your unrebonded, dead hair to the tips of your unmanicured toes.

Lovin' Ukay

okay.  so i didn't exactly shop less as i have mentioned in one of my first posts for the year but i actually saved more.  how come, you ask?  it's because i've been buying stuff from thrift shops aka ukay ukay shops!  yes, i actually do wear ukay ukay items, believe it or not.  hahaha.  my love for these "vintage" treasures started when my mother bought several blouses and pants for me.  she has this friend who visits her and brings pre-selected and washed ukay items - blouses, pants, skirts, jackets and even children's clothes.  what amazed me was the quality of these clothes.  they look almost brand new and even prettier than those found in some shops in the mall.  plus, wala kay kapareho!  hahaha. it's such a nightmare to walk around the mall or in the office and bump into somebody who wears the same blouse, in the same color! 

since i didn't buy anything last december, i was planning to buy at least 3 blouses or dresses for officewear for the 1st quarter.  call it an excuse but my work demands that i wear something presentable everyday, even if i am in jeans.  i don't really do the slacks and blazer combo but i'm more of the just-blouse-and-jeans or just-dress-paired-with-flats girl.  i wear skirts and high heels at least once a week though.  i know of various ukay shops uptown but lately, i've only visited two stores and they're in raintree. on my first trip there two weeks ago, i found three blouses - one priced at P150 and two at P80.00.  and believe me, you wouldn't know those stuff were ukay-bought.  hahaha.  

i wasn't planning to go back until march or april but yesterday, out of boredom, i asked my tita who's here in cebu to get some docs from PRC, if she'd want to do ukay ukay.  of course she wanted to!  so we trooped to raintree and went out with 3 plastic bagful of stuff.  i bought blouses for my nanay and sisters and four items for me.  all items were priced either P150 or P180, kinda expensive by ukay ukay standards, but all were "new arrivals" and i reckon we were among the first ones to browse through the stuff because there were lots of pretty good ones.  the next time i'd go vintage clothes-buying, i'm thinking of visiting this shop across cebu doc. a friend says they have good items as well.  

i guess it's not bad to spend P500 on 5 or 6 or 7 blouses, is it?  i used to spend P1000 on one blouse or skirt alone!  maybe when you have the money to spend, it's all right to splurge on branded clothes.  but if you're dirt poor like me yet still wants to don fashionable outfits, the ukay ukay shop is the best place to go to. 

Two Five from Facebook

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it is because I want to know more about you.

To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on you profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type 25 random things, tag 25 people in right corner of app, then click publish.

im posting here what i have posted in my facebook account. yes, kaith has invaded facebook already. =p

***

1. i have a very volatile temper. although these days, it takes so much to get me all worked up. this temper i got from my mother who, despite her sweetness and motherly candor, turns into a raging madwoman (i swear!) whenever we irk her. i don't like myself when i am mad, and neither would you. i tear and throw and lash at anything and anyone who gets in my way. i once tore a whole book to release my anger.

2. i never mastered the art of drawing and sewing. it makes me frustrated, being unable to come up even with a decent stick man when i have to but i guess, my other skills have compensated for this inability.

3. my parents wanted me to take up accountancy as my pre-law course. i never had the heart to tell them i just hate numbers so what i did, i flunked the math subject and aced the english part in my entrance exams at one of the universities in the province. then i explained to them that you know, i don't want to take up a course where my intelligence (kintahay), skills and abilities would be compromised. that's how i ended taking up masscom instead. hehehe.

4. i earned my masscom degree from silliman university. my mother was at first hesitant to let me go there but with the help of my godmother and godsiblings, she said "yes" and even accompanied me on my first trip to dumaguete.

5. when i got in dumaguete, the only bisaya words i know were "asa" and "unsa."

6. i am sociable but i kinda filter the people who i allow into my circle. sure, i've lots of acquaintances but they're just that - acquaintances.

7. i never liked barbie dolls. the ones my father bought for me were just displayed in a glass shelf. however, i used to have this rag doll whom i named lyka. i don't know what happened to her but all i can remember was she got lost or something and i kept crying and looking for her.

8. i still get stage fright until now, countless declamation and oratorical and extemporaneous speeches after.

9. i never had a playmate growing up which maybe explains my atrocious and amazing superiority complex in my younger years (i told you, it all boils down to childhood).

10. speaking of superiority complex, i even cried once after losing in an essay writing contest (and it was my first loss so really, how painful can it get?) not only because i lost, but because i lost to somebody who i never thought could win against me (she was from another smaller public school). me and my huge ego. hahaha.

11. somebody very close to me has proven that not all good-looking guys are dumb. hahaha.

12. i can say that i am very patient and tolerant with my friends and family but once puno na ang salop, don't expect any niceties from me. i can be evil as well.

13. some people don't like me because i can get too loud, too flambouyant, too mean for them. well, they're too boring for me. hahaha.

14. my right eye is bigger than my left. one of my younger sisters also have the same oddity.

15. i don't have straight legs. it seems that a pound of muscle protrudes from the sides of my knees. the only thing i guess that distracts anybody from noticing it is that i have fairly slim calves.

16. i love bathrooms! except for those dingy and yucky ones of course. i clean our bathroom myself every week. i scrub, disinfect and wipe every tile and corner. i don't like feetmarks on the floor so i am thinking of getting a rubber mat for the dry portion of our bathroom, where the toilet is located. we'll be having our own bathroom in the master's bedroom of our house where i'll put my walk in closet and maybe, a tub. i just like the feeling of being in a bathroom. it's usually cooler there and uh, more serene? hahaha. i guess, this "bathroom fetish" also stems from the fact that i love taking baths as well.

17. i don't have any interior decorating talent and that makes my mother frustrated. i hate it when we have to spend hours in the furnishing and housewares section of the mall so she can buy stuff and other whatchacamaliits to adorn our home.

18. i loooove eating! most of my bonding time with friends almost always include sumptuous overflowing food.

19. i am more known as alveel to elementary and high school friends and schoolmates. i am kaith or kikay to family and close and online friends.

20. when people ask for my favorite color, the default answer would have to be purple. then pink. on uncreative days, i'd say white. but really, i stopped having a favorite color when i reached college.

21. when i arrive in the office, the first thing i open as soon as my computer starts is my business email. then my personal email. then my favorite persons' blogs. i start replying to my business emails when i'm done reading blogs. ssssh...

22. i'd want to lose 10 pounds before i turn 27. and i'd especially want to reduce my waistline to at least 25. i am nearing size 29 now. isn't it tragic?

23. i'm getting better at budgeting but i know i still have a lot to learn, especially on the restraining part. hahaha.

24. one day i'd want to have a library slash entertainment space at home, as big as our space would allow. then i'd put in a couch or a sofa bed in there so it will be our exclusive space when we want to read or just relax. but of course, it's either you go for the books or you go for the dvds. no watching movies in there while i am reading!

25. i am very blessed. it's just that sometimes, i fail to be grateful. but i am working on it.

there, 25 somethings about me. it took me 6 hours to finish this list! whew!