Pinay's Eyes

Must Be The Clouds in My Eyes

2009-04-16T15:27:00.001-07:00

I don't know what's up with me these days... but I am easily moved by little things. I watched this video and I cried. This is a video of a widow making her necrological speech for her late husband. The speech was unlike any other... it was short and full of meaning. You gotta see it for yourself.

I Watched another video and tears can't stop falling. This is a video of Susan Boyle... who doesn't know her yet? She's the 47-almost-48 humble spinster that has captured the hearts of many by her stunning performance in Britain's got talent. A British version of American Idol. Her voice seems like it comes from heaven... the song I Dream The Dream from Les Miserables is a tear-provoking song already by itself, but with Susan Boyle's interpretation and his very, very humble appearance makes everything just stunning.

I watched this from a friend's facebook and I was sobbing right from the song started until the end. The latter is a video made as a tribute to Filipino Soldiers. Kawal means soldier, and Tatay means father; hence the title "Kawal ang Tatay Ko" says My Father is a Soldier. The lyrics is very heart warming and I felt a sudden pang in my heart... a mix of homesickness, nostalgia, pride for all Filipino soldiers and most especially remembering my father back in Manila. He's not a soldier though, but he's my father and he protects and serves and loves our family without condition... just like a soldier to his country. I miss my father! ... and again, writing this blog makes me sob! What's going on in the world!

I really don't know what's going on with me.. perhaps because I am missing my husband too much who's currently away because of work... or perhaps it's just that it'll be that time of the month soon! Oh for Pete's sake!

2009-03-27T04:45:00.001-07:00

Here is a to-do list from my old blog. Things that we need to do before moving in to our new apartment. I am happy that we can already cross-out some of them:

1. Finish painting one wall in the master's bedroom -- DONE

2. Apply for gas installation. Inquire for the dryer. -- DONE

3. Grocery shopping -- DONE but still need some more grocery shopping once we have actually moved in.

4. Install shower doors -- DONE!!

5. Install 6 more lighting fixtures -- DONE!!! (though, there are still more to be installed... but for now, we're stoppping on this.. some rooms will have bulbs discovered - new fashion trend )

6. Install mirrors in the bathroom -- still waiting for the mirror.

7. Sort things that will be placed in the storage room -- DONE... but things to sort out and keep in the storage room just seems growing in numbers, sigh.

7. Clean! Clean! Clean! -- still on-going.

We've done a lot... but there are also new to-dos ... things just keep on piling up. Time to create a new to-do list.

To Buy or Not to Buy

2009-03-26T02:59:00.000-07:00

It was priced at 545 euros before.... and now they are selling it at 199... This is perfect for our kitchen to put as mini kitchen Island... but we're short on budget for now.... what to do????

Shower Power

2009-03-25T02:51:00.000-07:00

We are targetting March 28 to move in to our new apartment but looks like this may be delayed. Gas installation is still pending and we only have 50/50 chance that this may be done by Thursday or Friday. What a spoiler.

At least this week, we'll have our 2 bathrooms ready for use. We have installed the shower glasses and they look really neat.

The bathroom downstairs.

This is the bathroom on the master's bedroom. It's still halfway done but for sure, today it'll be all ready for a hot shower power! Or not... no gas yet for the hot water! :-O

Made in PInas

2009-03-20T15:29:00.001-07:00

This is a napkin holder we found in a very good store that sells nice things for the home. Of course it is on sale at half the price. I fell in love with it the first time I saw it as I was really looking for a napkin holder. I really didn't know it was on sale the first time I saw it and liked it.... so it's just a wonderful bonus to see that it is on sale :-D

And what's best? It's made in the Philipppines! I was drawn more to it.

Here is another picture of it with the flower potholder that I bought together with it. The potholder is of the same design and of course made in the Philippines as well (and on sale!) Frugalicious!!!

Memories I've Been Photoshopping

2009-03-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

My latest project. I've been collecting new and old photos of my hubby and I, and our families.

I placed these photos on the wall by the stairs... the photos are arranged in a stair-like manner as well.

It's been fun seeing photos of us during our childhood days. Brings back so many good memories. Made me miss my family back in Manila :)

I still have about 4 or so frames to add on this collection. I ran out of those special nails to hang frames.

I am really happy with how it looks on our wall. I've been doing this project for quite some time now, photoshopping them to fit the size, to give the old photos better quality and/or to convert them to black and white or sepia. The hard work is all worth it.

Being frugal that I am, I just have to mention my added bonus and what made this project more enjoyable for me: We were able to buy the frames for half their price! Real steal! :-D

Exhausted

2009-03-11T04:25:00.001-07:00

I'm sooooo tired! Been taking care of things to prepare our new apartment for our move (which is very soon)... and I am just exhausted! Things are slowly falling into places but there's still a lot more to do! I want to keep going but my body's complaining already... tomorrow should be another day :)

Personification

2009-03-11T04:07:00.001-07:00

Oh Spring, I invoke you... please come here and grace us with your presence.

By the way, please do not forget to tag Summer along with you.. make sure she comes right after you!

For the Second Time

2009-03-07T12:01:00.000-08:00

From my old blog, I mentioned that we had to return a shelf that we bought online. It has some cracks on it that is obvious and can get worse so we asked for it to be changed. Today, they delivered us a new one... it took a while because the seller had to order it back from France and wait till it is delivered to their warehouse here in Spain.

At 8:30am this morning, I got a call from the delivery man that they will be arriving in an hour. That's too early for me on a weekend... then again, we'll finally get the shelf... another new furniture to fill up our new apartment :) That gives me strength to wake up early inspite the fact that I slept at 2:30am... (was stuck watching Moonlight and 30Rock - Moonlight is a good series but don't ask me why 30Rock...).

We're still in the (looong) process of moving our things in the new apartment and arranging them so this is stil empty.... but I just have to try and put something on it... like this DVD basket to see how it'll look on it... love it!

White furnitures does add clarity in a room. It also gives a feeling that there are more space in the room so we are really loving our white furnitures :). That's hubby over there feeling cold... we still don't have heater installed but that's next on our list... it'll be crossed out from the list by next week.

I just had to post another picture of our tv module... it's of the same model as the shelf :) Also, the last time I post a picture of this, we don't have the TV yet... so I thought I'll post another one here :-D

I like pink... not

2009-03-07T08:21:00.000-08:00

Got a new mobile phone... it's free from the mobile provider that we have recently joined. Yes, we changed our mobile provider yet again. It has been just a couple of months since we changed from Movistar to Simyo. I've made this blog last January raving about Simyo. We are happy with it but we have to transfer because we need to change the internet connection as well and transferring will save us a lot with their combo promotion. So, much to our regret, we have to say bye to Simyo.

The new mobile provider we have is called R (pronounced as "e-re"). It's a Galician company dedicated to provide telephone, internet and cable connection. They are the only provider here that uses fiber optic for internet connection, hence the best quality that we can get.

They have provided new mobile units for both my husband and I for free, so it's good. I like the phone they gave me.... but it has pink and white. I am not into pink, therefore, I am not 100% convince with it... but since it's free, I can't complain.

Hubby likes it and told me "Sometimes you should be a little girly too!" - just to tease me. In general it's a good phone... thin and very light-weight... it's just the pink... oh well...

My husband got a free unit too. His is a classic Nokia but is already 3G. It's fairly thin and light-weight too and looks more professional. Pictures of it pasted below. One thing I like about it is its keypad. Gives a light feeling typing on it.

not bad I guess...

So pink! (nngh)

how it compares in my hand

failry thin

Los Almendros Be Ready For Us

2009-03-05T03:45:00.000-08:00

There's little time left before we finally move in to our new apartment. Everyday, we've been trying to accomplish little things to prepare our new home for D-day. It's hard to squeeze in things while we are both working as really, there's just a couple or so hours after work that we can spend to work for the apartment.

A couple more weeks and we'll be outta here :) then again, there are still a lot of work to do! Do I sense a tone of panic in me? Here's the list that we need to accomplish by this week and the next.

1. Finish painting one wall in the master's bedroom

2. Apply for gas installation. Inquire for the dryer.

3. Grocery shopping

4. Install shower doors

5. Install 6 more lighting fixtures

6. Install mirrors in the bathroom

7. Sort things that will be placed in the storage room

7. Clean! Clean! Clean!

That's all I can think of for now... that's already a long list... I know I am still missing some few things... gosh, now I am really starting to feel stressed! But happy.

Hubby a La Obra

2009-03-01T15:54:00.000-08:00

Today, hubby did the unthinkable... held a hammer, a nail, a screwdriver, a screw... and mount our new blinds for the window!! He actually did the main work installing our Roman blinds :) He was like the doctor operating a patient while I play the nurse giving him his necessary tools and wiping his sweat on the forehead. I felt ecstatic! :-D He impressed me to the highest level.

Installing the first blind

On to the last blind

Success!

Coffee Memory

2009-02-25T23:47:00.000-08:00

I miss my mama's coffee. Just nescafe and coffeemate. Nothing extravagant. It's just that she prepares it for me and many times it's our bonding moment as she prepares one for herself too...

Almost

2009-02-22T14:27:00.000-08:00

Far from perfect but getting there! Just few more retouches :-D

Saturday Work

2009-02-02T00:53:00.000-08:00

It was a very tiring day. I woke up earlier than I normally do on a weekend to go to our apartment and receive a couple of furnitures we ordered. It was a long walk from where we currently leave now... probably around 30mins walk. The delivery time was set to 10am. I arrived 15mins late so I called the contact person for the delivery and to my dismay, they told me they would be arriving around 1 or 1:30pm instead. What a pain. They could have called me before and inform me of the new time so I didn't have to wake up early!

Anyways, since I was already there and had nothing else to do, I thought I could start painting. I was having second thoughts about it... I really like to paint with hubby but he's sick so he had to stay on the bed. On the other hand, I really want to see how the paint would look like on the wall. I was dilly-dallying for a long while undecided of what to do. Hubby called me to see how things are going and I told him about the situation. Hubby suggested that since I am already in the downtown, I can probably check out the store to get the stool and glasses of wine we saw the other day that are on sale. I thought it was a good idea so I agreed and head out. Another disappointment. The stools are gone and the glasses of wine that were left have little damages on them... not worth to buy. So, with nothing else to do again, I continued shopping. I ended up buying some apparels for me :-D Now, that's a little consolation for the day that is not going quite well.

I went back to the apartment with hands full. It was ony a little bit past 12nn. More than an hour wait still. I started to stare at the wall that I am supposed to paint and contemplating hard if I should go for it or not.

I started to get bored waiting so finally, I decided to just paint. I prepared the things and rolled my sleeves up. We wanted the wall to painted dark red...but when I opened the can of paint, it was more of a pink than a red.... my eyeballs almost fell on the floor. I thought it'll get dark once it dried out on the wall so I still went for it. If it won't turn out good, we can just paint it over, no biggie (trying hard to convince myself it'll be ok). While painting, I didn't think it was going well. I wasn't liking what I am seeing... but what the heck, I still continued. Alas, it was already almost 2pm and I got a call from the delivery man... they finally arrived. I stopped painting and left the wall looking miserably.

Oh well, I'm sure we'll be able to fix that :-D The first wall we painted didn't look so well the first time we did it but after series of retouches, it was quite good (the power of positive thinking).

Time to meet the delivery men.

To my surprise, they didn't just deliver the furnitures, but they also assembled them. Both book shelf and the tv module were actually pre-assembled already although, they still had to attach some other small parts on the tv module. That was a relief. I thought we'll be doing all the hard work. The TV module is really pretty. I liked it a lot. The book shelf is also not bad, but it had some cracks on it so in the end, I asked for it to be changed. The company agreed so they took it back. Here's how the tv module looked. It is really lovely :)

Tomorrow, Roll the Sleeves Up!

2009-01-30T14:45:00.000-08:00

It'll be tomorrow! The TV module and the book shelf will be delivered. I am thrilled! Tomorrow is the say for the big work too... paint one wall of the master's bedroom. But hubby's sick :( :( :( and tomorrow, I will be going to the apartment to receive the delivery alone :(

I have been so anxious about tomorrow as I have already pictured our apartment to be a little bit more equiped, more decorated and more habitable after we do all the things that we planned to do for tomorrow. If I can only go there everyday and spend the whole day to plan and decorate and admire it, I'd be doing that!! Now, it looks like we'll not be able to do any of those.... Or mabye, the plan can just change a bit... instead of hubby and I doing those together, perhaps I can do them alone... paint the wall, assemble the tv module and book shelf, check a few more things here and there.... oh darn.

Yummy Chocolate

2009-01-30T00:53:00.000-08:00

So, we've painted one wall in the living room. It wasn't tough but at the beginning we felt like we are painting with different shades... we got a bit worried. It was fun bonding moment though, with hubby and my father-in-law. Yes, my father-in-law helped us. He was being bossy as usual to us.. and I was being bossy to Manuel :-D. Poor hubby. I kept criticizing and laughing at his work... he is not used to it at all. But hey, in the end, he did a good job. Later on, he is getting used to it more and more and felt pretty confident re-touching the paint! He was unstoppable!

Then when everything else has dried and after we did some little retouching, I think it's a nice piece of work :)

2 Down, 1 to Go

2009-01-29T23:41:00.000-08:00

They're here! 2 of the furnitures we ordered - Book Shelf and the TV module - will be here tomorrow. It was earlier than expected and so that was a pleasant surprise :)

So, saturday will be a busy day for us as we have also planned on painting one wall in our bedroom. Then assemble the furnitures... wish us luck it might be tough :)

Pay only what you consume... now that makes sense!

2009-01-16T14:25:00.000-08:00

From the time I moved in here to Spain, I've changed mobile provider twice. I always move with my husband. We always make sure we use the same provider. My very first is Vodafone to which we got so disappointed because our points were expired just like that without proper notification. We have been saving our points for quite some time to get a free phone... but with just a blink of the eye, the points expired and the supposed free phone vanished to thin air. It could be our fault as well for not remembering the expiration date BUT why expire in the first place???? Those are points you earned for being loyal to the provider... but the company itself is not loyal to the subscriber by implementing this point expiration date scam!

So goodbye Vodafone. We moved to Movistar and I even got a better deal with my monthly minimum rate. I also got a nice phone with a good price deal. But like many other providers, I have to sign a contract that i'd stay with them for a minimum of 18months. No biggie. I just really want to get away from Vodafone for stealing my points!

After a while, I realized most of the times, I am actually paying more than what I normally use my phone for. I don't call many people and yet sometimes, my bill is more than the minimum. The bill I get from Movistar (via their web page) is not even clear to describe what I have used my phone for so I don't really understand where that bigger than expected bill is coming from.

It has been a while since we have heard of this new mobile provider in Spain. The TV commercial promises a lot but we didn't really pay much attention to it. Until the time that we started to get unhappy about our then-current provider. We studied their policies and checked people's review about it and it does seem promising.

No monthly minimum. Zero. You pay what you use. If you don't call at all for the whole month, you don't pay anything at all. Sounds good? Yes. The rate of call is lowest compared to any other mobile provider. One rate for calling to landlines, to the same provider, and to a different provider - at any time of the day. Convincing? Yes. There's more. The company wouldn't force anyone to stay with them for x number of months... you can leave anytime without any fine. The thing is you would need to have an open-line phone to be able to use their sim. But that's not a real problem... with a small amount of money, you can have your phone unlocked. Luckily enough, hubby and I have old unlocked mobile phone.. they are already old enough but functional.. so for now, they will do :)

So we made the decision and changed to Simyo. It's a fairly young telephone company here in Spain but with all the things they offer, they defy everything that was set by other bigger mobile providers that just confuse and fool subscribers by paying more than they should pay for.

We'll see for now how it would go for Simyo... so far so good... we are getting the right coverage and good call quality. I hope that this kind of service to people will continue. Sometimes things that are too good like this goes away becuase of pressure from giant companies... I hope not.

Buying Furnitures

2009-01-16T04:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, husband and I endulged ourselves with buying furnitures.... over the internet. It is time to buy more furnitures, hoping to have all the basics to be completed before we move in to the new apartment. As i've said, we have been taking it slowly trying to check everything and everywhere for discounts and good deals. Many of the best deals we find are from the internet. For the conventionals, it is kind of hard to buy furnitures from the internet as you are not able to see how is it really. They may look pretty on the picture but can be a lot different in reality.

I always browse in the internet for furnitures basically to get ideas on how to decorate our apartment. I'd find lots of good offers and lots of really pretty pieces. But I always have doubts whether they'd be as good as in the picture. We found one online store for furnitures that has really nice styles fit for the overall theme we'd like to put in our new home. The site is not really what I can call offering the best price (since it is still a bit pricey for me - for someone as frugal as me) but design-wise and price.. it's a good deal (especially seeing other modern furnitures around, this one has a competitive pricing). We bought a couple of floor lamp from this site and it turned out to be divine! We sooo loved it! Here's a picture of it from the same site:

We got so happy about it that we wanted the furniture for the tv and the bed from the same site but then we wanted to wait a more bit to see if they'll put them on sale... anyways we weren't in a hurry yet. It'll be about 5 more months before we move in to our new apartment.

In the meantime, we just continue to browse the internet and visit different stores. Yesterday though, we saw this great offer from another site and we both fell in love with some furnitures they offer. This is the first time we'll be buying something from this online store so I am a bit hesitant. But hubby is so intense that he really believes it's the best offer we can get and that he really loves the style of the furnitures. The furnitures are composed of the tv module, a cabinet buffet, and a book shelf. Due to husband's passion and convincing power, I gave in and we bought the furnitures. There is a catch though... the delivery of the furnitures will take a while... I will be anxious to see them for a while! Argh!

I really hope and pray that they'd turn out really good and worth every euro we spent for them. The online store offers a 7 days satisfaction period, though... which is good enough, I guess. We can return the furnitures if we didn't ilke them... but that will just be hassle. Oh well, happy thoughts, happy thoughts!

Here are the pictures of the furnitures we just bought... I'd like to post it here so I can look at them from time to time and admire it and be more anxious waiting for them! :-D

The TV module

The book shelf... and the cabinet buffet

Ingenious?

2009-01-14T14:33:00.000-08:00

We have recently brought our own apartment in Spain. Slowly, we have been buying furnitures and home appliances. Can I just emphasize the word slowly? Yes, we are taking it slowly due to budget restrictions :-D but we are getting there! It is a very nice feeling. Going to different furniture stores, browsing different magazines and the internet for ideas, etc.

It is also a sweet and exciting bonding moment with hubby. He's very opinionated with the types and design of furnitures... very hands on hubby which I really like.

As I was browsing a catalog of one famous furniture store in the US, I got inspired with an idea of using books as the center table in the living room. I told hubby about it. Though he said that it is not a bad idea, I didn't see him very thrilled about it. You know how guys are... they are very visual.. so just by telling him "perhaps we can use books as our center table" he wasn't really able to picture it and imagine how it would look like in our living room.

So one day, I told him I'd just try it and there's really nothing to lose. I started to gather some books one by one putting them on the floor forming a rectangular shape. Hubby helped gather books but as he watch while the books are piling up, I still didn't see him very convince. He didn't disagree nor contradict about it either.

The more that the books piled and formed a table-like shape, hubby started to get a better picture of it and seemed to dig it. And since we didn't have enough book available, the book-composed-center-table didn't completely finish. So hubby's eyes started to light up - but of course, smart hubby got a better idea, a better idea to his advantage - This is his chance to complete his book and MANGA collections. That's going to be an expense that is not ncluded in our budget but since it will be for the center table project I came up with, it is now a necessity. And besides, we'll be saving a lot instead of buying a real center table. That's hubby's line with a sing-song tone and eyes twinkling.

After two days, I was able to find some more books that we had kept somewhere else... and they completed the table!! (That wouldn't stop hubby from completing his collections, though... oh well, I'm giving in for dear hubby :) ) So, without further ado, here's the completed book-composed-center-table!

That's sweet hubby over there. Here's the semi lateral view of the "table"

And the top view

I'd like to put a better compliment for this. Perhaps a big bowl or a nice tray. For now, that will do :-D

Giddy

2009-01-14T03:47:00.000-08:00

Warning: Cheesy story ahead.

My husband and I work on the same consulting company but I normally work from home. Yesterday, I went to the office to work. I was seated where I can see my husband working, facing me. Not too far but not too near though. From time to time, he would be sending me messages like "You're very pretty" across the corporate messenger. He'd make me feel giddy and smile like a high school student. I'd get disconcentrated from work a little bit but being the professional as I am, I am still able to do my work excellently (ahem).

We exchange messages in between work and here's the part of our conversation I liked most:

Translation:

me: You have nice forehead

hubby: Well, yours is better :)

me: You have cute nose

hubby: Well, yours is cuter

me: You have pretty eyebrows

hubby: Well yours are prettier

me: You have eyes that look at me and give me tickles in the tummy

hubby: :-) !

hubby: Well with yours, they make me go crazy

me: You have lips that kiss me and weakens my knees

hubby: Your lips warm me up inside and makes me tremble in a good way

me: :-) !!

hubby: :-) !

I know, I know it IS cheesy. But you can't help a wife from enjoying this kind of conversation a lot. Being married for 2 years (yeah, still recently married :-D ), I so love my husband for being sweet and just knows how to make me feel giddy *blush* *blush*

Lucid Dreaming for a Minute

2009-01-12T13:29:00.000-08:00

I did it last night. I had a series of dreams and woke up in the middle of the night. For a moment I had a hard time sleeping again but then it was just for a short moment. When I finally fell asleep, I feel like I was just half awake... I know my body`s position in the bed lying in my back arms on the side. I started dreaming. I was walking on a barren street when suddenly it dawned to me... I am dreaming, I am in a dream. I tried to look for something odd around but since I was just on a barren street, the only thing I can fix my eyes on was the wall. I looked at the wall and it started to look like it was moving, throbbing. I told myself I am definitely in a dream. The moment I realized that, a dog suddenly came running towards me - at that moment, I am still not able to control my dreaming but knowing that I am in a dreaming, I started to take control.

I tried to levitate... I was slowly levitating but it was too slow, the dog is coming nearer and nearer... I told myself, I can do this, I can fly. I started to levitate more and I tried to move my feet like riding a bicycle. Both my feet started to float including my legs part but my whole body cannot seem to follow. I made a complete revolution with my legs going over my head and then go back down. I felt heightened and told myself, just a little more. Just when I got so excited, I suddenly opened my eyes and lost everything.

I was warned by this. Not to get too excited to wake myself up. And yet, I fell on it. But then again, I was happy. That's a big step for me already. The past few nights, I have been trying to develop my skill of remembering my dreams. I believe I am slowly getting there. I might take some steps back but I won't give up :)

First Try on Getting Conscious About Dreaming

2009-01-08T23:49:00.001-08:00

Last night, I tried to get conscious about me dreaming and trying to remember it. Being able to remember what you have dreamt is the first step to Lucid dreaming. I believe I had 3 phases of dream as much as I can remember. I woke up on the first part of it. And I tried to form keywords in my mind that will help me remember it later on my normal waking hours...I should have scribbled them on a notepad but I was too sleepy and lazy to do it. Besides, I would have to get up and get a pen and paper to do that - I should have prepared and put it on my night table.

So I dozed off again. After a while, I started dreaming again. I know I was dreaming but again, as all of the times I actually knew I was dreaming, I didn't try to control it. I just watched the dream the whole time. While I was actually on it, my other self which is the one dreaming is just like one of the spectators watching a movie.

The second dream I had was a scene in a house which I can't remember what place exactly. I have a feeling that it is in the Philippipnes. The people I was talking to are people that are familiar to me but I can't really pinpoint who exactly they are. One elderly woman seems like one of the elderly woman I met in Chicago. A Filipina whom somehow became a friend of mine. I helped her set up her wifi connection at home etc. In my dream, she was paying me for something or asking me to pay something in her behalf. Other things happened and I talked to other people but after a while, she came up to me again and asked me if she can get half of the money she gave me because she needs it.

I believe my younger sister was in there too... something tells me that the elderly woman I mentioned was her godmother. Then on another scene, I was having shower. Some other things happened but I suddenly woke up again worried about the time. I looked at the clock and it's not yet time for work. So I tried to doze off again.

I had another dream I am sure of it. But as soon as the alarm clock rang(time to work), I jerked off and scrambled for the alarm clock to stop it. There I lost memory of my last dream.

How could it be that during the time I am dreaming I have vivid images of it and that I am somehow conscious that I am dreaming. But once I wake suddenly, my mind would completely lose memory of it?

I'd have to try again tonight. I'd try to keep a note beside my bed so I can scribble something when I suddenly wake up in the middle of the night with a dream...

Dreams

2009-01-08T03:15:00.000-08:00

I often dream a lot while sleeping and most of the times, I remember them vividly. Perhaps I don't remember all of it but I do remember fragmentes of it. Lately, I have been having extremely weird dreams. Dreams that doesn't make sense at all. I guess that's why they are called dreams. But in any case, I can't help but wonder about those dreams. And lately, I have been feeling like as if I never slept at all nor rested in my sleep. As I have been dreaming a lot with so many things happening in my dreams, I felt like I didn't sleep at all. It makes me feel a lot sleepy in the morning.

I started to read about dreams and meanings of it but later on, I got frustrated about the interpretations of dreams I have reading over the internet. I feel like many of them are just pure perceptions of the person trying to "interpret" the meaning of the dreams and can't really be applied to what I have been dreaming.

Then I came upon articles on Lucid dreams. It says "lucid dreaming is simply dreaming while being aware you are dreaming.". It got my curiousity. It got me to thinking, could I have been lucid dreaming and wasn't just aware of it? I remember a lot of times that I know I am dreaming and I tried to control it to my advantage. Especially when scary things happen or I felt to be in danger in my dream. I somehow able to control it but not completely.

This site talks about lucid dream. It is really an interesting phenomena of a state of mind and control over it. The site has listed the benefit of lucid dreaming but I can't relate to it much... but I do know that it got my attention and I want to get to it. They said it is not a short and easy process... but I guess it's worth a try.

From now on, I will try to remember my dreams and perhaps journal it if I can... that is, if I don't get lazy to scribble what I just dreams right after waking up from it :-D That is a difficult task for me, for the kind of person and sleeper that I am... but I will try.

Remembering dreams is the first step to lucid dreaming, that's what they say.

Lost Yoga

2009-01-08T03:02:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since the last time I practiced yoga. It's tough not to have the right place to do it and not to have the time. I know, I know those are lousy excuses... what I really need is determination.

I'll get back to yoga, I promise.

itouch Reveal

2008-10-03T16:03:00.000-07:00

Amor mio! I'm sure you'll going to like this. I was so excited when I asked the hotel reception if I got a package today and they said yes. I knew it'll be the itouch... and itouch, it is!!!! I really hoped you were here on its reveal and unpacking of it... but you were always in my mind while I was taking all these pictures... and the whole process just made me miss you soooo much!

Now, enjoy these pictures :)

Box just picked from the hotel reception and brought to the room.

The package label - back part of the box

Box opened - there goes itouch all wrapped up in a bun

itouch still warm and cozy in its white wrap

Hello you!

itouch ready to come out

Love the feeling in the my hand... can't wait till I hold the itouch itself

itouch - standing proud and bright!

itouch it says!

The back....

Now this is really getting exciting... I am about to liberate itouch from its hard case.

Peeling the plastic seal off!

Finally coming out...

itouch face-off!

Watch out world, I'm coming out!

It got some nice, sweet birthmark at the back love, love, love that!

itouch quickstart

Accessories that comes with the package... earphones, usb cable, something like a cradle adaptor (as I guessed) and that little black roll near my thumb is a cleaning cloth for the ipod.

Surprisingly, itouch is already fully charged when it was shipped... but it has to be tested so I installed itunes in my work laptop (thought that is a no-no with our corporate policy... I'll just uninstall it later ), and wired it to itunes!

It's commanding me to connect it to itunes!

Ready for some actions....

While choosing some music to be transferred to it for a test, it went to like a standby mode... time is Spanish time!!! (I can almost here you, baby, saying "It's a sign!" haha!)

itouch in action! Jewel singing! I was listening to it with its built in speaker... cool thing!

And that ends the itouch reveal.

I hope you liked it, hon!

I love you so much! And I am definitely missing you a lot!

Too Hard!

2008-10-02T15:47:00.000-07:00

I'll get to this, I promise!

I Can't Give Up

2008-10-01T15:11:00.000-07:00

Much to my regret, I've had a few set backs with my yoga practices. I felt tired the past couple of days and as I encounter more difficult poses, I felt I was losing my motivation on doing more yoga.

I have just finished Krishna class lesson 4 on my DS (struggled a lot with lesson 3 and haven't perfected some of the difficult poses in there) and I felt a little bit defeated. I finished lesson 4 but with even more struggles than lesson 3 - not to mention that on lesson 2, I was not able to do Banyan Tree pose at all. In short, I am already getting too many frustrations not being able to properly do the poses correctly.

Last night, I tried to do lesson 4 again. Nothing has changed... I am still struggling with many of the poses. But as I diligently and slowly try to practice the poses, I've come to realization that I haven't been really applying the lessons in yoga in my life.. more so, in my yoga practice itself.

I have forgotten the important message by Master Yogi from the Naga Class - the first class - that "In yoga, there is no success nor failure, and no good nor bad. You can only make yoga your own by being true to yourself. Don't try to show off, and don't push yourself too hard."

I have been pushing myself hard and I so wanted to do the poses exactly how I see the yogini in the DS is doing it... and so the past couple of days, I felt so tired and was pushed to my limits but not really getting what I want to achieve. I've been looking for a big change too soon... expecting too much of myself. That's not the principles of yoga at all

In yoga, no effort is wasted at all... not even if you have already practiced a pose so many times and yet, you still can't seem to do it... you just keep on trying. You might not be able to perfect the pose...ever... but along the way, you still get so much from it...

Namaste.

I Opened My Heart to Yoga

2008-09-20T16:36:00.000-07:00

After finishing the first class of yoga through the Let's Yoga in my DS, I have started feeling the real benefit I am getting from yoga. Doing the poses I've learned over and over again, helps a lot... I feel it in my mind and in my body. The more I am looking forward to learning more and more different postures and can't wait to learn more difficult ones.

But in yoga, you have to have patience. Being anxious is not in the vocabulary. Besides, while learning yoga, patience is just one of the virtues one would learn.

Today, I did the second lesson on Krishna Class. I was introduced to a more complex poses that requires more energy and flexibility as well as balance. It's focus is to be able to open your chest.

According to Master Yogi:
"This means focusing on your chest muscles as you lengthen the spine and expand the entire chest. By opening the chest, your posture and balance will improve. Open your heart to yoga and every little thing is going to be all "

After the 18minutes lesson, I felt so good that I wanted more. But I stopped because I know I am just a beginner and I wouldn't want to push myself hard. I am already feeling the muscles in my back already worked out (but relaxed at the same time). Tomorrow I can do more for sure :)

I'd probably repeat this lesson since I had a hard time balancing myself doing the Lord of the Dance Pose (image above).

While writing this jounal, I am still feeling how my chest has opened allowing me to breathe better. I know I will be sleeping good tonight.

"An asana practiced is an asana gained".
Namaste.

Yoga is Difficult Before it is Easy

2008-09-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

NAGA Class: Lesson 1
8minutes

When I started this lesson, the first position was ankle rotation... easy peasy. But the next position is foot to forward bend. It's a standing position where you'd need to bend so low that you'd be asked to touch the knees with your forehead... I can't even touch my toes without bending my knees! What a disaster. Good thing this doesn't mean I can't do yoga. I just don't have to push it... just try to do the position as near to ideal as possible.

Here's what Master Yogi said about it:
"Don't worry. In yoga, there's no success or failure, and no good or bad. You can only make yoga your own by being true to yourself. Don't try to show off, and don't push yourself too hard."

Here's the basic principle of yoga that should always be kept in mind:
1. Move slowly
2. Breathe deeply
3. Work at your own pace.

Hand-held Yoga

2008-09-20T15:17:00.000-07:00

My hubby loves video games. He has a wide collection of different consoles and games. I love games too, especially when I was young but never had good chance to really indulge myself with this affection. When I married hubby, he introduced me to many more different gaming experience. One of the most I love is the Nintendo DS. He always like that I'd try different games. When he showed me this new game for Nintendo DS, my initial reaction is that "This is joke". Why wouldn't I think that.. the game is actually not a game... it's about learning Yoga.

Who's going to learn yoga on this piece of handheld video game console? There goes my ever patient hubby telling me to just try it. I've heard a lot about yoga and thought it'd be good for my aching back. I have scioliosis and is always suffering from back pain. I've read somewhere that yoga is really good for people with back problems. So ok, I tried the game a.k.a lesson. I thought at least I'd have a glimpse of yoga and even if the game wouldn't be that good, then if I like yoga then I'd find some other ways to learn and practice yoga. It was a surprise for me. I actually liked it. But it was not easy at all. The simplest positions made me lose my balance or gives me cramps all over. I am so not fit! I am a non-exercising person and I hate going to the gym... so I thought this is going to be VERY difficult. I hate exercising but yoga doesn't feel exercising to me at all. Inspite of the tremendous effort that I have to do with each position, I am liking it and I am getting relaxed with each lesson. And as a side note, Mater Yogi the yoga master in the game is a funny guy. With the next yoga journal I'd be writing, I'll include some of his funny anecdotes.

By starting this yoga journal, I am officially committing myself to yoga. I really hope that I'd find time and place everyday to practice different positions even for a few minutes.

So as a neophyte yogini, I'd say, Let's Yoga!

Weekend Birthday

2008-09-02T21:48:00.000-07:00

Aug 30 - it was a fine weekend to celebrate hubby's bday.

We double celebrated it with my upcoming birthday (way too advance) since I won't be here on my birthday. We're not really too open about our ages, are we? :-D

Cheesy as it may, I made these dark chocolate espresso cookies for hubby

Mayoyo is his nickname at home... don't ask me why :)
I made a mess on that one piece over there...

And to celebrate the rest of the day, we hit the beach and soaked in the sun...

Cookie Rookie

2008-07-19T11:02:00.000-07:00

My first baking attempt!

Apple cinnamon cookies :) Thanks to the cookie mix I bought... the first cookie-baking experience was no-sweat. All I had to do is add butter, bit of water and knead, knead and knead. Ok, I guess that's cheating... hey, didn't I say I'm a just a rookie?

Hey Shorty

2008-07-19T09:41:00.000-07:00

Got tired of my hair and one day, some out-of-this-world spirit took over me and lent me the guts to take the chance.

I've always wanted a short hair... I dreamed of it... I envy girls who can do it and look good on it... but I never dared to try again after that one horrible experience back in my college days. After that, I thought short hair is just not for me... my hair is not designed for that.

But then a week ago, I just said what the heck.. I gotta try it again and if it turns out that bad once again, I'll just wear a hat or a cap or whatever.

And of course, hubby supported me about it and even encouraged me and the best is that, he promised to love me still whatever happens afterwards :-D

After the did was done, I wasn't that thrilled to the max... it looked different on me... and I fear that the following day, it'll be all curly and unmanageable. Then again, I guess it's not that bad... what I like the most is that it's easier to comb, easier to shampoo and dry... and it's perfect for summer :)

So.................. here's the new me! (with hubby).

Click here for bigger size

La Obra

2008-07-12T04:44:00.000-07:00

Been thinking on what use can I do with our old magazines at home. I was finding it like a big waste if I just throw them out.

I started to roll pieces of magazine papers and suddenly inspiration hit me and made this original trash can.

Nothing really that great but husband liked it so now I lilke it too :-D

Eurocopa 2008 - España vs Italia

2008-06-23T03:48:00.000-07:00

130 minutos de sufrimiento... 130 minutos de nervios... 130 minutos de espectaculo...
130 minutes of suffering... 130 minutes of nervousness... 130 minutes of great performance...

Al final, España lo hizó! Por fin, ha ganado contra Italia. Fue maravilloso.

In the end, Spain did it! At last, Spain won over Italia. It was marvelous.

Casillas paró dos goles de Italia y Fabregas marcó el cuarto gol de penálti de España.
Casillas blocked 2 goals by Italy and Fabregas marked the fourth goal of Spain.

Y con eso, ya es definitivo. ¡¡¡España ya esta en semi-finales!!!!
With that, it's definite. Spain is now in semifinals!!!!

Manuel y yo casi nos dio un infarto mientras estan en penalties.
Manuel and I almost fainted while they are doing the penalties

¡Pero todo merece la pena!
But everything is worth it!

¡O-leee, ole, ole, ole!
yeyeyeyye!

foto ariba: Iker Casillas - ¡el mejor portero en el mundo! ¡¡¡guapo!!!
foto de: http://www.sportsya.com/

Bagoong at Talong

2008-06-12T20:47:00.000-07:00

(*singing*)Reunited... and it feels so good (*stopped singing*) ... mmm... mmm good!

Bagoong! After almost 3 yrs, at long last nakakain ulit ako ng bagoong... at syempre may talong aaatt.. kanen! (hello Tegs!)

Special thanks to Anna for the 2 bottles of barrio fiesta bagoong she bought for me when I was in Ohio :-D

The most wonderful part is I get to enjoy my bagoong and talong with my asawa! Yes, ladies and gentlemen... ang asawa kong ispanggol ay kumakain ng bagoong! Bagoong at talong at kanen!.. sarap na sarap naman sya diba?

Tanong, ako ba nagluto? Of course! Binagoongang baboy! Bow!

Fights on Flights

2008-06-04T04:46:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have been jinxed with my flights. Getting delayed, losing connecting flights... waiting for the next flight overnight...

The worst was yesterday. It was same old thing... first flight got delayed so I missed all my connecting flights and they had to rebook me, but no more same flights for the day so I had to stay in a hotel for the night and come back the following day. I'd need to be in the airport at noon while the actual flight is at 6pm... why? due to luggage hassles and what else, you tell me. But what made it worst is how the people from this mediocre ariline treated the passengers. Good customer service is not in their measly vocabulary. They talk and look at you like it is your fault you missed your flight. The don't feel sorry that you lost their flight and you're all tired running around the airport carrying your things - not to mention all worried and stressed because one would probably miss an important meeting at work or with clients.

They are probably tired already from their all day work - you know, seated on the counter in front of the dusty computer typing flight numbers and complaints. But hey, we all are tired... and they are being paid for that job.... while us, THE passengers paid for our flight tickets and getting all hassled up running around the airport because the airline got delayed. I guess we at least deserve a sympathetic smile and a sorry, don't we?

This has happened to me with other airlines... BUT with US Airways, by far is the worst. Made worst with the staff's long faces, eyes-rolling and i-dont-care-what's-you're-problem tone.

No One Leaves a Friend Without a Farewell

2008-06-02T17:46:00.000-07:00

That's a phrase from novena pamphlet I saw from the Church last Sunday. Nagsimba ako with other Filipinos here in Ohio. Last Sunday ko na dito and I thought mejo tugma ang phrase.

Pabalik na ako ulit... after 5 weeks, tapos na ang temporary assignment ko dito sa bansa ng mga gringgo (yan ang tawag ng mga Mexicano sa mga Americano). Sa wakas makikita ko na ulit ang asawa ko. Excited na excited na! Hindi na nga makatulog . Pero bigla ko narealize mamimiss ko ang mga pinoy na nakilala ko dito... pati na rin yung ibang nasyon na nakawork ko at nakilala along the way... pero iba pa rin talaga ang pinoy.

Bilib ako talaga sa pinoy pagdating sa hospitality at pag-asikaso ng kapwa pinoy nami-meet nila sa ibang bansa. Mahirap ang malayo sa family lalo na sa asawa ng matagal... but having friends around you, especially pinoys, makes it a little bit easier. Nakilala ko ang mga pinoy dito sa Ohio through friends of friends. Galing ng koneksyong pinoy talaga. Iba-iba ang age nila, iba-ibang katayuan sa buhay, iba-ibang prinsipyo sa buhay... but they welcomed me with both arms and would even check on me from time to time kung ok lang ba ako. Ang sarap makinig ng mga kwento nila sa buhay, struggles in life, funny experiences.... they get to touch my life. I don't think I have expressed to them well enough how thankful I am to have met them.

Naisip ko tuloy, sa dami na ng mga taong nakikilala ko along the way on different places and circumstances, parang ang hirap na to keep in touch with all of them. Syempre gusto ko lagi makumusta silang lahat and let them know that I don't forget about them and that I am looking forward to seeing them again... pero madalas hindi na kaya ng oras eh.

Little things like this - meeting new friends and sharing simple, heartwarming things with them - makes life sweeter. Makes me smile

I am not saying farewell, though. Kasi malamang bumalik pa ako dito ulit. At kahit hindi na, I am still looking forward to keeping in touch with them. Walang kalimutan dapat.

Kaya sa mga pinoy na nakilala ko dito - Salamat po! Hanggang sa muling pagkikita.

Hasta la vista, baby!

The Evil, The Good and The Bad

2008-05-04T13:08:00.000-07:00

Anxious

2008-04-08T08:01:00.000-07:00

Been busy with work and my own thoughts

Got too many things to look forward to.
I'm anxious.

For Good

2007-09-05T10:57:00.000-07:00

It's so nice to see once again a friend so dear, after long years of not seeing, not talking for a while and not hearing much from each other.

The sound of laughter is just as crisp as always. The jokes and teasings are as usual never ending. Even In the middle of serious talks, giggles are still inevitable.

Three and a half days are not enough to catch up… but it’s more than enough to feel that the friendship would never turn bland.

Dia Especial

2007-08-29T13:45:00.000-07:00

Maligayang Bati...

Maligaya, maligaya, maligayang bati! :)

Cumpleaños feliz...

Te deseo, mucho!

Cumpleaños, feliz!!!

Ya sabes cuanto te quiero! Nos veremos pronto y asi, nos queremos mas!!! :-D

How In the World....

2007-08-26T15:06:00.000-07:00

Ano ito...
photo taken from cultofmac.com

Nature In-Love

2007-08-25T17:44:00.000-07:00

Something I saw along the walkway while I was walking going to the office one early morning. I just had to go back and take a picture of it. Leaves that have fallen from the tree and rain caused the dirt to gather around each leaf forming a shadow-like effect on each of them. Imagine a whole perhaps 5-meters part of a walkway with this kind of design printed on it. It's a nice art by nature, I thought.

Later on, when I uploaded the photo in my laptop and had the chance to really appreciate it, I noticed the leaves actually formed a heart shape... I smiled... and started singing "Love is in the air...".

Yeah, I'm sappy now. Who cares? I don't. I like it.

Tough Cookie

2007-08-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

This is for a friend of mine who is one tough cookie. She’s been going through a lot these days and I just can’t help thinking about her. I worry about her but a part of me tells me she’ll do just fine. Sure, things are quite hard to deal with right now, too many things to consider, too many things to decide on… things to lose, people to worry about… but I know, amidst all these… she’ll come up standing... tougher than ever.

I can never give her reasons why ugly things should happen as my mind can only understand as much, but I can assure her that there’s always someone up there who’s Hand is right behind her back to cushion her every time she’d fall.

To my friend, keep fighting… never stop believing that things will get better… find comfort with your family, they’ll always have the best intention for you. But in the end, I know you know that above everything, you know better than anyone else, so keep the faith, keep your head up, keep your mind clear and then follow your heart. Your heart is just as good as your clear mind… so don’t haste. Cry if you must…slump on the floor if it gets too heavy. That’s not a sign of weakness… doesn’t mean you can’t stand back again. You can… and when you do, you’ll be ready for just about anything life can throw at you.

For my tough cookie, here’s to you! :-)

picture taken from: http://www.betterphoto.com/

Away

2007-07-31T15:10:00.000-07:00

Empty bed.

Toss and turn.

Tears shed.

Only you I yearn.

The Mii that is not Me

2007-07-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

This is a Mii! It's on Wii! But this is not me... It's hubby! :)

Duh... that sounds corny. Well, you can't blame a girl for trying...

This is my hubby's Mii and I do think it does look like him! Especially around the eyes. It was a whole lot of fun when he was creating this... making sure it's a little bit chubby like him. The fun gets more fun when his sister added a nice little touch that definitely says this is my hubby... it's that small mole under the right eye... it's covered a little bit by the glasses but I swear, it's there.

So there's my hubby's Mii!

This Mii is Me

2007-07-19T05:46:00.001-07:00

This is me... my Mii I created in Wii :-)

Doesn't look much like me, does it? Oh well, that's the closest I could get.

It has my features though... flat nose... thin lips...big eyes.. wavy hair... yep, that's me alright!

Anyone out there playing Wii online? Let's be friends!

San Juan

2007-06-26T04:13:00.000-07:00

Habang sa Pinas ay Nagbabasaan....

Dito naman sa Espanya ay....

... nag-aapuyan?

Opo, dito sa Espanya, imbes na maghagisan ng tubig sa isa't - isa... hindi, hindi naghahagisan ng apoy... tumatalon lang naman sa apoy. Kakaibang tradisyon... pero interesting. Kwento ko ng konti ang tradisyon na to. On the night of San Juan's feast - when it is said to be the shortest night of the year - people believe that spirits are running around the earth and making bonfires or what they call "las hogueras" will keep those bad spirits away. Yung iba naman, para daw panglaban sa mga bruha at malinis ang taong tumatalon sa apoy.

Isa pa sa kilalang tradisyon dito ay maglagay ng mga iba't-ibang bulaklak at hierbas de San Juan sa isang planggan na puno ng tubig. Kinabukasan ng umaga, kailangan maghilamos ka gamit ang tubig sa plangganang puno ng flowers :-) Parang ganito....

at ganito....

Sabi nila, this is done to attract love... syempre ginawa namin yan mag-asawa hehe para mas mapalibutan pa daw kami ng loooveee :-D

Particularly here in Ferrol (where we live), they also have this tradition called La Sardinada. Where neighbors grill sardinas on the street and people can buy a euro or euro and a half for 3 pieces - plus drinks :). Sometimes it's also free for certain neighborhood associations.

So, anong relate nyang lahat kay San Juan? Yan ang tanong ko. The traditions they have are more of pagan than catholic... but they do those things in celebration of the feast of San Juan. At least sa Pinas... tubig = agua bendita = baptism = St. John.. relate na relate diba?

Para sa asawa ko

2007-03-18T11:49:00.001-07:00