happy christmas.......

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

just want to say happy holidays. enjoy sharing this time with your family and love ones......and try not to be part of the commercialization of this wonderful event.

rockefeller christmas tree....


our 2008 christmas tree...promise me that you will ALWAYS but real tree, not the plastic one.

do i look good in ugg????

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

for the past few years, i've resented buying boots for the fact that they are heavy and uncomfortable. the last time i bought one was 8/9 years ago. so everytime it snows, my co-workers ask me why wear a sneaker when a boots is more practical....which by the way is true. i guess i was just to stubborn to do so (and a typical characteristic of a taurus - my birth sign).

anyway, although i am not as stylish as i want to be, i do check every now and then what's hot and what's not. one of my favorite magazine to look at is this japanese men's magazine - men's non-no. ok, i don't read or speak japanese but i like looking at the picture.




back to my story, their november/december issue featured boots and other winter clothing......and guess what, i all of a sudden have the urge to buy one. so here i was looking for something hip and cool....but the only thing i could find was timberlands - very rugged and heavy. i was ready to give up when i stop by shoemania on Union Square (they had the sign 50% OFF on all stock actually that's why i went it) and found this kenneth cole boots. it was the style that i like and very very light. i was ready to buy one when they told me that they don't have my size. WHAT THE FLOCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After all this searching they don't have my size. i also tried searching online at the kenneth cole website but nada. i figured that buying boots wasn't meant to be.

so figuring that i should try one more time, i went to shoes.com. and guess what, they got my boots, my size, and free shipping (plus i got a 22% discount)......what a blessing. anyhow, the boots arrived a day before the winter storm came so i guess all the stars were aligned for me to get my boots.

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow............

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

the first sign of winter came through yesterday morning here in NYC. it was great that it started to snow after 9 am (avoiding any rush hour dilemma).


i took this picture about a block away from where i work during my lunch break (when the snow was really falling hard). i wanted to take more picture but the wind was just picking up and it was too unbearable for me. i like snow. i went to the snow capital of the US for college - buffalo (some people might beg to differ) so this is nothing to me. i drove once in a snow storm and boy it was an experience alright.

kids r us.........

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

random pix i took during this past week (thanxgiving and jo's b-day).......

nicky enjoying a piece of cake.....

this took me a few minutes to get all of you together.....

everyone just wants to blow the candle.....

and guess what, it always works for you guys.....

what's the deal yo.........

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

the weather since the beginning of last week has been below average. usually at this time of the year, the temprature should be in the 40's....not the 30's. i tried going out yesterday and damn, it was so brutal. with the wind factor, feels like it was in the teens.

anyway, last friday night, i decided to just go out and enjoy being single (well actually none of my friends want to go out). anyway, went to the bar/club around 6:30 (you might think it's early but during the winter months, this is already late) and start hitting the 2 for 1 happy hour. i know that i am not there to get wasted. i've learned my lesson a few years ago.....never again. happened only one time and that was enough for me to learn my lesson.

back to my story, so there i was sitting waiting for a phone/text from those i wanted to hangout with. ok, it was a last minute notice but i was hoping someone would be joining me. well guess what, i was out of luck. no one want to venture out the cold, or they already made plans, or that they are out of manhattan already. so there i was all by myself. sad....very very sad.

but don't feel bad for me...it's not that i was all by myself all night long...wink wink wink. that story is for some other time. let's not jinx it yet.

ta ta for now............

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

it's been two weeks since i started my new job. i like the change....A LOT....it's less stressful. anyway, i want to share to all of you the farewell email that I sent the week before i left. i got plenty of comments (not surprising there) and best of all, they say that the email was me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Subject: Ta ta for now.....

Dear friends and colleagues,

I looked at this screen for so long and yet I am at a loss of what to write. XXXX has been the best company I worked in so far… (well, actually this was my first job after college so nothing to compare yet) :) . But it is with a heavy heart that I will leave here…October 17 is my last day.

But moving on, hoping the grass will be really greener is always on everyone's mind, I guess. So here I am writing this email to bid all of you "ta ta for now" in search of the greener pasture.

~~ To all my "peeps", you know how to reach me. (wink wink)

~~ To everyone else, say hi when you see me....and I’ll do the same. If I don’t remember who you are, please accept this now as my formal apology. Meeting more than 5,000++ applicants can be very daunting.

Thanks for the great learning experience – I am eternally grateful. ‘Till next time....

Mike

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Anyway, it's been a while since i last posted here so since it's November 1st, here are some pictures that I took a week ago when my aunt, her colleague, my mom, and I went to the Spring Grove Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. A very scary place even in the middle of the day......







As you can tell from the picture, the building is no longer used. There were signs of "Hazard" in most doors due to abestos. It's situated on a big compound but this building was very impossing. For any ghosthunters, this would be a dream place.....of course take your own risk of dying...not of fear but of chemicals....

I QUIT............

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

i finally did it. i officially handed my resignation to my boss today at 9 am. i need to give 4 weeks notice hence my official last day is on 10/17/08. it's a very long wait but i have no problem.

change is good. change will make me strong. change will set me free.

Headline NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

i am ready to go to bed soon but I just want to let you know that tomorrow is the start of something big............something new............and I have a feeling that it's for the BEST.

I will VOTE for............

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

i was hoping that i will not post anything about the 2008 presidential campaign but it is so hard not to mention it.....it's basically on tv, the web, and newspaper every single day.

ok, this coming election is very monumental....in a VERY BIG WAY. I get it, the first black presidential (with hilary clinton - as a female candidate during the democratic nomination) and a female vice-president candidate. two things that i expect to happen in the near future....not now.

anyway, i just registered to vote a few days ago. on the election form, it ask you your democratic, republican, etc........i chose undecided. i want to keep my options open. let's hear what they say.....

me, sleep, now....

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:



it's about quarter to eight right now (pm)....been working since 6:55 am - that's the time I arrive at work. actually, I've been up since 3:30 in the morning. i was flippin back and forth in the bed until 5:15 am (that's the time i set

the end of summer schedule.......

dear jo, dom, em, dyland, and nicky:

this past thursday was the last day of the official "summer schedule" at work. we (meaning my co-workers and i) believe that this is the last time it will happen. our boss will probably not approve it next year - just a hunch.

here are some great memories thanks to the summer schedule:

7.31.08 em and her seashell - jones beach


8.7.08 (from bottom to top) dom, nicky (staring), mei, and jo - bronx zoo


8.13.08 picture of an exotic bird taken by either dom or jo - bronx zoo


8.21.08 grandma gie and dom - museum of natural history


8.27.08 dom - ny botanical gardens

life is a beach.....

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

for the 2nd week in a row (during my summer schedule), we did something. the week before last, we (as in all of us) went to six flags hurricane harbor. we got there before they opened and we left basically close to the closing time. it was great. we don't normally do something like this so i can it was successful -- even though it cost me a lot of dough.....it was my plan so i paid for almost the whole thing. i know, what a nice uncle.

anyway, this past thursday, i got bored and since nothing was planned, i decided to go to jones beach. this time though, only you (em, dom, and emily) were around so not everyone came along....by the way, granda and tito rommel was there as well.

now i am not a beach person.....i am tan already, and after getting burnt from the previous week, i am basically roasted and ready to eat. but who cares, life is a total beach.

** jones beach by the way is where we all used to go during 4th of july. fishing ground is our spot and spend the whole day eating barbecue, hotdogs, and whatever is there to eat. when i say we, i meant auntie aning (my dad's cousin) and her family, tita tina and her family, and whoever is in NY at that time. yes, it's a whole crew.

em, granda, and jo........

em, granda, jo, and dom........

dom........

em, granda, and jo........

em, granda, jo, and dom........

dom........

it is summer alright...........

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

it's hot.......it's very very hot (well actually more of humid). it's like 90% humid this past week. as i type this blog right now, i am sweating like sheat. i have the ceiling fan on but it's no help all. i just want to take off all my clothes and soak in the bathtub.

well you'll probably wondering what i've been up too lately. well i am enjoying playing my nintendo wii. love the tennis and bowling games. i'm already a professional in both event. how about the wii fit? still thinking if i should venture going to that long line again.........still thinking.

i am a tvholic and not afraid to admit it. here's some of the shows i am watching this season just to a few (and in no particular order):

- i survive a japanese game show (abc)
- flippin out (bravo)
- dealist catch (discovery channel)
- my life on the d-list (bravo)
- ghost hunters international (sci-fi)
- jon & kate plus 8 (tlc)
- food challenges (food network)
- so you think you can dance (fox)

i also like to surf youtube. new things to find....and to end this blog, I present to you a new find.....Leslie Feist on Sesame Street.

to wii or not to wii...........or maybe a mac

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

for the past year now, i'm trying to convince myself of buying a macbook. i purchased a pc about two years ago and it's been serving it's purpose..i have no complaint. i feel like i should get a laptop just for my personal use and something i can carry when i travel. but do i really need another computer when i basically spend most of my time at work in front of a computer and that laptop tends to get outdated faster than a pc.

after so much decision making, i decided to buy a nintendo wii instead - my very first game console that i bought - i had an x-box (gift by "the x"). i got it last wednesday and the plan was to buy the wii fit afterwards.

anyway, the day after buying the wii on my way to work, i figured that since i am early to work, i would venture out the "line" in nintendo world at rockefeller center. by the time i got there, there's about 50 people online already....and we are talking about 6:45 am. i figured that i might get lucky so instead of going straight to work, i would try my luck. i was told by those around me that they give out arm bands (which means you'll get a wii fit) around 8:30. that's good for me since work actually starts at 9 and this gives me enough time to go to work if i don't get the band.

so after 2 1/2 hours of waiting, they started handing out the bands.......question: did i get it?? as much as i want to say yes, i didn't get one. they only handed out about 40. what a bummer!!!!!!!!! the guy in front of me cursed while walking away while i on the other hand just walked away.

would i venture out again for the wii fit? i don't want to say no but who knows. if i wait a few more months, maybe i won't have to wait in line.

i love paris in the springtime, i love paris in the fall....

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

reading the story on ccn travel edition about the changing of the jewish quarter in paris makes me sad. i know that it's inevitable but changes is always hard to accept especially if it something that you don't want to change.

my first trip to paris was back in 2002. i stayed at this boutique hotel in the heart of the marais district - a few blocks away from notre dam and literally a walking distance to the louvre museum. it was also the same hotel that my mom, sister, and nieces stayed back in 2004. it was home away from home. friendly people and a great surrounding.

what is wrong with me?????

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

for the second straight weekend, i declined an invitation to go out. last week was a bithday party. this weekend was a christening - that I was to be one of the godparent. this is also the 2nd year in which I have no plans of going anywhere for the summer - no travelling. do i see a pattern here? i hope not.

my dream girl....

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

i was checking my usual websites when the title from CNN "Overweight nude to set art world record" caught my eye.


Benefits Supervisor Sleeping
- By Lucian Freud (born 1922), grandson of Sigmund Freud
- Painted in 1995
- Predicted to become the most expensive painting by a living artist sold at auction

more or less of an excuse.........

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

what happened to me for the past month and a half? well nothing really. just got tired of blogging. didn't have the urge to write something. i do check emails, youtube videos, and other blogs. but i am just too lazy to update this thing.

anyway, i turned 32 last week. yes, a year older and should be a year wiser....but how come i don't feel like it. i feel like i am still in my teens. maybe it's because i am always surrounded by you guys.....i know cartoon network, nickelodeon, disney channel, and anime network by heart. this is probably the reason why i wanted to have a children's party for my birthday celebration. hhhmmmm.... or maybe I am just trying to deny that I am turning ancient??

bored bored bored..............

dear jo, em, dom, dylan, and nicky:

was feeling bored today. sky is gray and it seems like it was going to rain. rather than staying in the house again, i decided to take the bus to go to queens. went to main street flushing just to walk around and see what is new. bought some pastry @ fay dah. went back homw in less than half an hour. good trip....for a very very slow day.

i can't take this anymore........

dear jo, dom, em, dyland, and nicky:

woke up this morning with a stiff neck. been having some problems with my pillow falling and bascially making my head in an ackward position while i sleep. see, i sleep with two pillows. it might not be ergonomic but who cares, it helps me sleep. anyhow, the pillow underneath keeps falling and leaving me with only one. i tried getting a much bigger and thicker pillow but it just does not help me. i still like two pillows. now i a suffering and i am not happy.

anyway, i just got your grandma her 2nd cell phone. since she barely use it, i bought the at&t go phone. no contracts and less expensive.

Janina San Miguel is my new IDOL......

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

the end of the world is coming sooner than expected.

first, there was 2007 Miss Teen South Carolina:


then, there's 2008 binibining pilipinas, Janine San Miguel:


my reactions: what the #*%*&??? then ROLF. then calling everyone i know. then watch it again. then laughing out loud.

i know i should be embarrassed since she is from my home country but damn, what is going on. and here's the worst - she actually won one of the top prize. she will be heading to the miss world contest. what were the judges thinking...or should i say not thinking.

oh how i love by coronitas............

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

it's been over a week since i posted my last blog. i've been hittin the gym pretty hard lately (yeah right!!!!!!!! - being sarcastic here). we'll since i can't go to the gym early in the morning, the only solution is to go after work.....which means after 5 pm. but i don't exactly go to the gym after work. i usually go around 6:30 since that's when the gyms becomes less crowded. i actually went there one time last week at around 6 pm and guess what, no treadmills/elliptical machine available. so i just walked out and went back to the office to wait for 6:30 pm.

anyway, gel and i decided to meet after work again. she was with her sister (precy) who is going to a party but just decided to hangout with us for a while. gel suggested to go to this tapas bar in the east village. i was up for anything so i just said go ahead.

as soon as we went to the place, i finally realized that i've been here before. it was in the 2000 when my and my volleyball teammate had a team party in this bar. i remember it vividly since this was the place where my my former team captain kissed one of my teammates (and by the way, my team captain was married -- not to the teammate). scandalous.

anyway, the place is called xunta. the place is very small. so you can actually listen to the conversation of the people next to you. in any case, we ordered a bucket of coronitas. it's basically the smaller version of the regular coronas. like the lady sittin right next to us, "that is so cute, it's like the drink that you order on the plane"....giggle everywhere. just to let you guys know, it's way much bigger that the drinks on the plane. it's just cute to see a smaller version of corona.

we didn't drink much since the snow begins to come down pretty hard. we don't want to get caught in a snow storm so we left pretty early. before headin home, we stop by venieros to buy some miniature puff pastry...and coffee for gel.

what are you doin' here.......

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

i should not be here right now typing this blog. i was suppose to be at the gym taking this spin 101 class. i am not new to spinning but the last time (which was also my first one) i took it, i walked out after the first 5 minutes. it was brutal and i was in pain the whole week. yes yes, i know that sounds i'm out of shape. who can blame me? i am not into physical exertion. anyway, if i haven't told you yet, i am back in the gym. cost me a lot of money but i am looking at the future outcome....not there's any.

anyhow, like i said, i should be at the gym right now. but as you can tell, i am not. i have this hangover from drinking last night. it's not as bad as it sounds but i woke up late and my head is just "spinning" a bit. geli and i decided to meet up after work and grab a drink. since i was hungry, i told her that i want to eat first. she recommend going to st. marks area again but i told her that i (we) need a new scenery. so i suggested the west village area.....down the hatch bar.

on the way to bar, we stopped at this random restaurant called Kingswood. It was about 7:15 pm so the place semi-empty. we were seated on the front window area (which was kewl by the way) but next to this two wall street type guys who just doesn't know when to stop talking. anyway, the ambiance was nice and food was great. we order steamed mussel for starter. it was ok but i had better. for main course, gel ordered their famous Ruby's Bronte Burger and i the roasted chicken. for drinks, we settled for a bottle of pinot noir. now, since we ordered a bottle of wine that cost us more than we normally spend for a drink, we decided that we'll just have dinner and not go drinking afterwards......what can i say, NYC is not a cheap place to eat or drink.

anyhow, by the time we left the restaurant (that was about 9 or so), the place was already packed. the two over the top wall street guys was still there (which gel and i agreed that they should stop the yapping foreplay and just get a room). gel and i parted ways on christopher street. gel on her way to see her boyfriend and i on my way home.

the return.....

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

you're probably wondering what happened to uncle allan for the past month. well nothing much. went back to the Philippines as i said for 3 weeks. didn't do anything exciting except go to the gym in the mornin, walk around the malls, eat tasty filipino foods, and sleep. all my plans of going to vigan, cedu, davao, and hong kong didn't materialized.....i blame this on your granda. JUST KIDDIN. i guess i got too comfortable in manila that i decided to stay. it was the first time that i stayed at home....i usually stay in a hotel (which was silly of me to do since we have a house there).

anyway, after coming back from my vacation, the jetlag was pretty bad that i've basically been sleeping most of the time. waking up at three in the morning, working from 9 to 5, and then just go to bed again. so that was basically what i've been doing.

in regards to my new year resolutions, as i said, your tita janet and i joined a local gym in the philippines for a month (since we have nothing else to do). the gym was inside the mall so basically after the workout, it's mall time.

i also met someone (resolution # 2)....but as i write this email, we both understood that it's better for us to be just friends....it still fall in my resolution.

on a lighter note, i fell in love with a song which i was told (and confirmed by google) was an old song...about 2 years ago. i heard it the first day that i arrived in manila. i didn't realized it would be the theme of my vacation. you might say too dramatic of me but what can i say, i am a sucker for love songs. hopefully you enjoy it because i did.

Rainbow by SouthBorder


Lyrics:
Fallin' out, fallin' in
Nothing's sure in this world no, no
Breakin' out, breakin' in
Never knowin' what lies ahead
We can really never tell it all no, no, no
Say goodbye, say hello
To a lover or friend
Sometimes we never could understand
Why some things begin then just end
We can really never tell it all no, no, no

But oh, can't you see
That no matter what happens
Life goes on and on
So baby, just/please smile
Coz im always around you
And ill make you see how beautiful
Life is for you and me

Refrain

Take a little time baby
See the butterflies color's
Listen to the birds that were sent
To sing for me and you
Can you feel me
This is such a wonderful place to be
Even if there is pain now
Everything would be all right
For as long as the world still turns
There will be night and day
Can you hear me
There's a rainbow always after the rain

Ohh, whoa

Hittin' high, hittin' low
Win or lose you should go, yeah yeah
Getting warm, getting cold
Weather could be so good or bad
But baby this is life now don't get mad no, no, no

Coz oh, cant you see
That no matter what happens
Life goes on and on
So baby, please smile
Coz im always around you
And ill make you see how beautiful
Life is for you and me

Ref

Life's full of challenges
Not all the time we get what we want
But don't despair my dear coz I know now
You'll take each trial and you'll make it through the storm
Coz you're strong my faith in you is clear
So ill say once again this worlds wonderful and
Let us celebrate life that's so beautiful, so beautiful
Ohhhh

Ref

bakasyonista............

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

in about an hour and a half, granda and i are heading to the airport to go back to the philippines. i wish you are all coming but like tita janet said, it's way too expensive to go back home.

i definitely will miss you but no worries, will be back soon like it was just a one day trip.

later.

oh yes!!!!!! oh yes!!!!!!!!!!! ooooooohhhhhhh yyyyyeeeeesssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

ok, i can finally say why i haven't written that much during the past month and a half. i've been doing some extra work lately @ bloomingdales as a sales associate. yesterday was my last day since i was only seasonal. yes, i was a sales person during the busy disgusting holiday season. don't think that i did it because i need the money.....believe me, it wasn't at all since the pay wasn't that good in comparison to working until 10 pm (after working 9 am to 5 pm in my regular job). why did i do it? well i have two reasons why.

Reason # 1: i am always trying to do something new and exciting. i applied without any experience and thought i will never get it. but guess what....i got it. a few years ago, i applied to be a waiter (again without any prior experience) and still managed to get hired (the restaurant by the way was 66, owned by the famous restaurantuer Jean-George). i want to say that i've been there, done that.

Reason # 2: DISCOUNTS!!!! DISCOUNTS!!! need i say more.

this is not pasta.......

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

we celebrated cheryl's (my co-worker) baby shower today @ work. i (or should I say) my mom contributed "pansit" (lo mein type) for the event. i know that they like it since i've been bringing the same thing almost everytime we have an event. in any case, the CEO of the company joined us. we are that close to him so it wasn't a suprise. but i was surprise by the comment he said to me.....and i qoute:

"Mike, tell your mom that she did an excellent job on the lo mein. Tell her that it was only thing that I ate".

WOW!!!! Is that a good thing or what!

We'll i told my mom about it and she was glad that my CEO and my co-workers like it. Should I say, you go GIRL!!!.

i need to buy a glove.......

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

going outside today was not fun. it's very very cold. from what i heard on the news, tomorrow will be much worst.

after work, i was suppose to go to the levi's store to return a pair of jeans that i bought two days ago. i originally thought it was on sale but it wasn't (false advertisement). i purchased a similar pair two before then @ macy's and it was 50 percent off. so i refuse to pay a full price when i can get it much less. but anyway, i was planning to do that but i decided to go to bestbuy to buy a new camera. i found one earlier last month at the same store but in thier SoHo store, not in 5th ave. they don't have so i went to the circuit city next door. YEAH!!!!!!!!! they have it on the display. after making a final decision of buying it, i was told that it was sold out. what a bummer.

anyhow, i decided to walk around and look for a glove. yes, i need a glove. my original fendi glove was either stolen or i drop it somewhere. so i am walking in the cold without any gloves. i feel so naked....and not to mention flippin cold.

I NEED TO GET A GLOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

stuck in 2007.......but looking forward to 2008

dear jo, dom, em, dylan, and nicky:

the first blog of the year.....what to write??? hhmmm.....oh, now I know.

yesterday afternoon while i wait in line to go inside the abercrombie store in 5th avenue (yes, i will admit i was tempted to see if they have anything on sale), i called my friend emily to see if she is planning to do anything for new year's eve. she told me that she was heading home and do nothing at all. i was planning to do the same thing. i asked her if she wants to do something like go to a bar/club to welcome the new year but she had to go home to take care of her baby (she got a puppy for christmas from her boyfriend)....she can hangout for a bit but had to go home early. I asked what time and she told me about 4 pm. WHAT?? do i really want to have a drink at 4 in the afternoon and head back home before 6 pm and already wasted. I DON'T THINK SO. she slept last years during new years eve and i on the other hand was in the airport headin for my vacation......so skipping this year is not a biggie.

ok, i've never done this before so i am crossing all my fingers and toes for this to work....NEW YEARS RESOLUTION:
1. go to the gym - i paid my annual membership since 1997 but i've been to the gym only 50 times.
2. find someone (can be a friend or a special someone) - i'm fed up with the drama in my life. i think i can write a tele-novela with my life story. this one though might be already in the works (YES!!!!!!!!!!!) NO JINX PLEASE............
3. get a new car - this is very easy to do but living in NYC, i don't see the necessity of having one.....and i refuse to be the chauffer again. done that for years and was happy when there was no car.
4. continue blogging - i enjoy doing this. keeps my friends and families all over world informed.......of course about me.
4. learn how to play the guitar - this is the one thing that i am not sure if I will be able to do. but hey, there's another year next year.