a not so lazy Sunday.

September 19, 2010 Sunday

**disclaimer: i stupidly deleted the pictures i took for today. so my food shots were lifted from websites and other pictures came from my phone camera.**

for some reason i woke up extra early today even if i turned in late the night before. instead of forcing myself to go back to sleep because its a Sunday, i headed to the kitchen to prepare today’s meals. i normally make my Sundays as my Cheat Day so i don’t usually prepare meals. but for some odd reason, i really felt like cooking today!

Breakfast: Grilled Cheese Sandwich Fingers

this is my second time to make this but this time i ate it right away. unlike my first time where it was already so soggy by the time i had it. so i was able to appreciate the crunchiness of this a lot better. here’s a re-post of the pic i took last September 9.

grilled cheese sandwich fingers

i paired this with a Yoplait Creamy Lite Yogurt in Mango flavor. i saw an ad for this in the recent Women’s Health magazine that i bought so i said i might as well give it a try. i like that this yogurt tastes more tangy and sour compared to my usual Nestle Fruit Selection Yogurt. i don’t normally check the nutrition chart at the back so i can’t compare notes on that. all i know is that this tastes a lot better compared to the Nestle ones. a bit pricier too at P36 a cup. i’ll be sure to buy more of this as soon as i run out of the Nestle ones we still have in the ref.

yoplait yogurt

Lunch: Mandarin Orange and Chicken Salad on Baguette

i copied this recipe from the Yummy website and found it very interesting. i’ve gotten quite bored with my usual cheese, lettuce, meat combo so this makes for a very interesting twist. plus, the recipe called for a baguette, not just the usual sliced bread. all in all, i’d say i love this sandwich. i missed out on 1 ingredient which is the heavy cream but i don’t think it would have made much difference anyway. and besides, that’s too fattening. to think there’s mayo already! here’s a pic i lifted off the Yummy website. i added slices of apple as my side dish for this too.

photo swiped from yummy.ph

Dinner: Oatmeal Chicken Nuggets

this is another recipe i copied from my Yummy Good To Go recipe book. and can i just say that i am so proud to have done this ALL BY MYSELF. from the cutting of the chicken to the frying to the plating. no yayas were around to help me out so i was all on my own. its too bad that i lacked 1 ingredient here, the powdered milk. but all in all i found this dish pretty OK lang. it needs a lot of improvement in terms of taste so i’ll work on this better next time. here’s the pic from the recipe book i used. mine looked so much darker than this one. i guess its because i used wheat flour instead of the regular all purpose flour. i made buttered corn and carrots as the side dish for this.

Oatmeal Chicken Nuggets

the recipe called for store-bought barbecue sauce to dip the nuggets in to so i used this Hunt’s Hickory Barbecue Sauce. i wanted to go for the organic one but it was way out of my budget. 😐

Barbecue Sauce

What i did:

since i was so amazingly early today i decided to drop by the BBabies Studio to check on an early photo session. later i went to the nearby waxing salon for my appointment (overshare to the max! hahahah!) then went back home to prepare lunch. after eating my lunch, i went back to the kitchen to prepare dinner. grabe akong gana to cook these days! what’s up with that??!!

later, i updated my wordpress then i took a nice long nap. by the time i woke up i was running late for mass with mdm Lau at Redemp. we caught up with each other there nalang kay we were SUPER LATE already. mga bad kaayo mi. hay.

and as per usual, after mass, mdm Lau and i headed to Ayala where we did another round of shopping. well, actually I shopped lang while mdm Lau tried on some clothes. i bought another top at For Me because it was too good of a deal to pass up. it was a very dainty button down top that was slashed half of its price. i couldn’t NOT leave without it even if i didn’t really need it. :p

for dinner Lauren and i headed over to Persian Palate (again!). i didn’t order anything aside from my Carrot Cookie because i brought with me my tupperware containing my oatmeal chicken nuggets + corn and carrots dinner. at least dba, i got to save on my dinner expenses. hahaha! i also took home with me 3 pieces of multi-grain bread from Persian. 🙂

mdm Lau and i were on a mission to cheer up our friend Jihannee so we headed over to her house for movie night. we haven’t done this in a long long time! i miss our movie nights! of course, what’s movie night without popcorn? here’s me and Lau proudly showing off our yummy butter-y salty popcorn.

me want popcorn!

and here’s Jihannee joining us.

trio!

tonight’s movie was called August Rush. i’ve never heard of it before but Jihannee said she heard some great stuff about it. i didn’t expect anything from the movie at all. little did i know that i was in for a surprise. 🙂

i ♥ this movie!

August Rush is said from the view point of an orphaned kid who had a gift for music. Evan/August Rush never stopped believing that his parents are out there looking for him. the movie is all about his journey from the orphanage, to the cruel streets of New York, to The Julliard School of Music, and finally to his parents. more than anything, the movie is about believing in one’s dreams and never giving up hope even in the darkest times. there was superb acting from the entire cast that included Robin Williams (who i loved in Mrs. Doubtfire), Terrence Howard (who i saw in the Oscar-winning movie Crash), Kerri Russel (Felicity! i miss this show), Jonathan Ryhs Meyers (who looks very familiar but i can’t seem to place where i last saw him) and of course, the kid, Freddie Highmore (who i last saw in the Willie Wonka movie). this movie also has a fantastic soundtrack which i just might download one of these days. throughout the movie i found myself reaching out for mdm Lau or shrieking my lungs out because i was so excited or so kilig. in the end we all agreed that we wanted the movie to go on and on and on. hay… suuuuuuuper love this movie. if i see an original DVD of this i just know i’m going to buy it. 🙂

so it was a lovely Sunday filled with a lot of the things/people i love: great food, shopping, and equally great friends. now it’s time to get ready for another long work week ahead.

the iMAX 3D experience

posted on my Tumblr on July 9, 2010

Meling & Me w/ our 3D Glasses

today was the grand launching of SM’s iMAX theater. this is Cebu City’s first time to have such a thing so it was a cause for celebration. i feel lucky to have been invited to this exclusive event so i made sure not to miss it. plus, i heard they were going to show Avatar , one of those movies in my lifetime that i probably will never forget about.

since the invite said “cocktail chic”, i wore a printed knee-length dress, heels (which i hardly ever wear), plus make up w/ dark blue-ish eye shadow. when i got to SM the party was already in full swing. the brilliant people of A-List PR & Advertising dolled up the space right outside what used to be SM Cinema 4 w/ a tent thingy, there was fab music at the background, plus a 3D light show.  i met up w/ my friend Meling, his brother and his wife, lined up at the buffet table and got myself some delish pica pica courtesy of Cafe Laguna.

when it was time to enter the theater i got super excited. iMAX for the first time! woooooot! the screen was HUUUUUUGE! i’ve never seen anything quite like it before. well, maybe when i was abroad but not here at home. Meling and i sat next to each other, donned our 3D glasses, and then the movie started.

oh my goodness. in some of the scenes from Avatar i felt like i could actually touch and feel those jellyfish thingies that floated on the screen. amazing. the images were so sharp, the sounds so clear, and all the scenes were so in your face (if you get what i mean). Avatar was indeed the perfect movie to launch the iMAX theater with. i left the movie house feeling like i was still in Home Tree.

right before we entered the theater i ran into one of SM’s marketing people who’s also a Michael Jackson fan and he said something about MJ’s This Is It to be shown in iMAX. i told him please please please! you should show it again! i’ll try to watch everyday even if it costs freakin’ p400 per show! please!!! LOL! i hope my pleading will work. imagine seeing a GIGANTIC Michael Jackson right infront of you. plus the music will be so loud and clear i’ll want to dance right there in the theater!

big thank you to my friend Cybill for inviting me! 😀

‘till my next iMAX movie! but before that i want to catch Toy Story in 3D first. anyone want to come with?

it’s tough being me.

just a few days ago, a friend from the camera club casually told me over dinner that the reason why i still do not have a boyfriend is because i’m so suplada daw. i naturally tried to defend myself and told him well, you know, there was a time when i was not like this.

i could clearly remember back in the elementary and high school days i was one of those jolly kids. i had a laughter that made my teachers angry cuz i was loud and boisterous. up to this day if you ask my old friends to describe me they’d say i’m a cheerful, happy go lucky gal. too bad that started to change as i grew older. i can’t really pinpoint the exact year when the turn about started. my college classmates still referred to me as the girl who smiled a lot. maybe it was after graduation?

honestly, if somebody asked me today if i like the person that i’ve become, i would say NO in a heart beat. i have become so suplada, so negative, so frustrated about life most of the time that no one would consider me approachable. i’ve grown to be so different from the person i was 5 to ten years ago. nobody ever said growing up was easy. seeing the real world and knowing just how difficult it is to survive and stay afloat is enough to turn a previously jolly person into a witch. yes, witch, that’s me. i’m sure there are some people out there who’d call me that. it’s tough being me. on a daily basis, i am put in a position wherein i have to deliver bad news and i have to scream and get mad at people just to get things done.

sometimes i tell myself it’s all about perspective. maybe if i see the brighter side of things i’d look less suplada. maybe if i just change my attitude about certain issues then life wouldn’t be too difficult. i guess i need to try harder to be more mature about things, to not let one issue ruin my entire day and to not let one incident dictate how i should relate to other people. it’s not going to be an easy feat but i will have to try harder.

one thing i need to constantly remind myself is this: what won’t kill you will only make you stronger.

on a happier note, just a few thingies that put a smile to my face despite the everyday stressors that i have to deal with:

1.) Michael Jackson – yes, i am still in love with him and i still listen to his songs day in and day out. just one look at his bright beautiful smile is almost enough to melt all my troubles away. i’ve spent a small fortune already buying all his CDs and books yet still i’m hungry for anything MJ. just 6 days ’till the showing of his documentary movie This Is It. i really think i might bawl my eyes out in the movie house. haha 🙂 i love you MJ!

my precious love 🙂

2.) Glee –  i am officially addicted to this new TV show! Dich and i have gone Glee-crazy downloading every new episode that’s made available on torrents. haha! i love how the characters just suddenly burst into song, i love the arrangements and the vocals, the choreography, everything! this show rocks and i hope they stay on air for a long long time. oh, it doesn’t hurt that the main guy character is uber cute too!

Finn is the man!

3.) new puppies – our baby girl Kimi gave birth to her second litter 2 days ago and we welcomed three precious little puppies into the world. say hello to Russel, Ellie & Kevin! their names are inspired by the movie Up. hehe. 🙂 i know the picture sucks but i haven’t had time to take pictures of them yet. Kimi is doing such a good job taking care of her babies. surely we’re not keeping any of the pups so we only have about 2 months to bond with them before they go to their new owners.

4.) photo shoots – i’d say i have a love-hate relationship with this. there was a time i got so burned out by successive days of just taking pictures both on location and at the studio. i felt like all i ever did was shoot and edit shoot and edit shoot and edit. but when i come up with images like these i am reminded of the reason why i fell in love with photography in the first place. 2 of my favorite shots from Steve & Sherlin’s maternity portrait session. 🙂

excited parents to be

gorgeous at 8 months

i guess that’s about it for now. i will not talk about work or anything BB-related on this post. 🙂

i’ve been down in the dumps lately but i know i’ll manage. i mean, i have to because i have no other choice. life is a constant battle sometimes you lose and sometimes you win. that’s just the way it is.

p.s speaking about growing up, here’s one sure sign of age taking it’s toll on me. eyeglasses! haha! i only use them when i’m reading or when i’m on the computer. how do i look bespectacled?

me and my eyeglasses

singing & whatnot.

you so rock PS22!!

i first found out about PS22 through Perez Hilton around late last year. in that clip they sang Flying Dutchman by Tori Amos and i immediately fell in love. i shared the clip to MJ and soon she got so hooked that she youtubed them almost every morning, downloaded the lyrics to all their songs, and sang wholeheartedly with them. every now and then i still search PS22 up on You Tube to hear their latest song. This morning i heard this song entitled Landslide by Fleetwood Mac. Just look at each kids’ expressions as they sing. *sigh* i can only imagine my music teacher in high school (hi miss jumawan!). she’d kill for students who sang like these kids! hahaha! well, maybe if we had a super cool teacher like PS22’s music teacher we would have looked forward to music class like it was recess time too. :p

well, honestly, i liked music class despite our lousy teacher. i never found it that difficult to sing or memorize lyrics. not that i had the best voice. during group singing i’d always get either a 7 or 8 while my classmates with the likes of Mimi and Edisa would consistently get 10s. that didn’t stop me from liking music class. i remember there was this one time during graduation practice when i was up on the risers with the rest of my classmates singing our graduation song. there was one point when i really really felt the lyrics, really felt what they meant, and well, i guess for the first time, i really sang from my heart. suddenly, miss jumawan stopped playing the piano and said,
“everyone, i want you to stop and look at michelle when she sings. you should all be like her. sing from the heart and really feel the song!”
ooooomigod. that was mega embarrassing! wahahaha!!! i wanted to melt to the ground in disappear. i could still hear the giggles from my classmates up to now. eeew!
now that i’m older though, i still looooooove singing. any karaoke session is enough to cheer me up and give me energy to get through an entire week of work. and my god, when i sing, i really do sing. as in with the expressions, the gestures, the works. my favorite singing buddies can attest to that! haha! :p i treat every karaoke session like it’s my own concert. i almost feel sorry for the other people in the room because they never get to have a chance with the microphone except when i take a bathroom break. wahahahaha!!!! 😀

how i would love to belong to a nice choir like PS22. 🙂 if you’re reading this and you haven’t heard of them yet, search them up in You Tube now.

on other news, it’s mid week once again and i have to say it’s been quite a productive week. i’m almost done with phase one of selecting photos for my website’s gallery. phase 2 to be done maybe over the weekend. then i have to work on my rates, product shots for my photo products, etc. i’ve finished doing the rounds of online campaign for BB’s father’s day ads. oh, and i’ve gone back to the gym too! day 2 was today and somebody commented that it looks like i lost a bit of weight. but that’s impossible! i’ve been on gym hiatus for like 2 and a half weeks! maybe it was the shirt that i wore. instead of wearing the usual big ratty t-shirt, James lent me his dri-fit shirt that’s a tad too small for him. so the fit was just right for me. one of the trainers also said, “lalaki man d.i kaayo ka ug lawas! ummmm!!!! sure na!! actually, all my efforts tonight went to waste because after i finished packing up, MJ called and told me to join her, James, and Bon at Roma Mia in I.T Park. She wanted to try out their eat all you can pizza and pasta. so i ate all that i could which was A LOT considering that i just came from the gym and was really really hungry. 😐 what a waste!

tomorrow’s another day that means we’re closer to the weekend! my saturday’s going to be quite slow but on sunday i have a photo coverage. sucks that i have to work on my rest day but it’s ok, at least i get to earn some dough! i need to save up for the upcoming Banaue-Baguio-Sagada trip with Ilene, Anya, and Lauren. 🙂 weeeee!!! oh, plus the trip to Ozamiz with my camera club friends to swim with the dolphins too! darn. my means of living so cannot support my lifestyle.

’till here. hope ya’ll are having a great week so far. 🙂

p.s. i just saw the New Moon trailer. and i swear, i drooled at the sight of Jacob. i’m so giddy with excitement for the movie!

ode to a lazy sunday.

got up at around lunch time today, ate my brunch of 2 sausages on a bun with ketchup and grated cheese while channel surfing, watched the movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona on my portable dvd player, played with the baby doggies, watched Leona Lewis‘ past performances on You Tube, dinner of pancit canton and burger patty, read some chapters on my new book The Duetwent to SM to help some guys from the camera club with setting up the exhibit venue for tomorrow. and that’s how my sunday went.

i’ve made it a point to make this sunday one of those blank days wherein i don’t have to think about BB and i don’t have to dress up or go out for whatever reason. january has been an awfully busy month that i haven’t really had the time to sit back and spend some quality ME time. hehe. so today i was able to do just that. 🙂 can i just say that i loved Vicky Cristina Barcelona? aaaaaaah! especially that part where Penelope Cruz’ character said you have chronic dissatisfaction! to Scarlet Johansen’s character. it’s true you know? we humans we are chronically wanting something, our needs and wants are insatiable. i think that’s what the movie is about. all the characters were constantly looking for something they thought they needed in their lives, they sought for love, passion, and satisfaction, only to find out that well, they can never really be happy because in the first place they don’t know what it is that they exactly need. the film was also all about not being able to have everything that we want in life. sometimes we just have to make a choice and in every decision that we make there are always trade offs. with the beautiful city of Barcelona, Spain as the backdrop of the movie plus the melodic strings of a Spanish guitar playing in the background, the witty lines, the out of this world characters, stellar performances by an award winning cast, this is surely one movie that will be hard to forget. *sigh* passionate kaayo ang love scene between Javier Bardem and ScarJo’s characters. whew! suuuuuuuper hot!!!!!

i also spent the rest of the afternoon looking at Leona Lewis clips on You Tube. ever since i heard her new song Run i’ve been so obsessed with it. i’ve almost memorized the lyrics and it’s been stuck in my head for almost three days now. upon researching about the song i came upon several You Tube clips of her performances on the British show X Factor. and wow… can i say maka yabag iyang ka maayo? shet. this girl’s amazing. she even sang many of Mariah Carey‘s songs better! no wonder Simon Cowell, the most hard to please judge on American Idol is very proud of her. i love Leona Lewis na!!!! i absolutely sure that she’ll be staying in the music scene for a very very long time. i’m a big fan, Leona!!!! 😀

on a recent visit to the floating bookstore the MV Doulos dich and i bought so many paperbacks nga tag 4 for 300. amazing ang ka barato. i even saw a hard bound version of the book Same Sweet Girls for only 100! omg!!! i bought that book at National Bookstore for more than p500! arrrggghh! who would have thought naa ra da.i na makit-an sa MV Doulos? hahaha! i finished reading one of the books by Lisa Samson called Tiger Lillie last night. it was a sad yet funny story and it made for good light reading. i always love reading chick literature especially those set in small town America. right now i’m on my second book called The Duet and so far i’m liking it. i want to go back pa to MV Doulos to get more cheapo books. hehe 😀 although most of their books are about faith and religion i was really surprised to find these novels on their ‘specialty books’ section. these books still revolve around faith, God, about different religious sects in the US but the good thing is they’re not preachy at all. hooray for MV Doulos!

tomorrow’s the start of another long busy week. i seriously have to get my ass back in the gym. di nako palabot kay si james grabe na ka dako ug gi lose. i don’t want to end up as the only fat person in my family. haha! pressure na talaga itu! i i don’t care if i have to be at the gym in the middle of the day. bahala na.. i’ll just leave my work with my staff. basta kay shet.. kelangan najud ko mag gym. and of course, i have to stop eating Gelatissimo. ooooomg. lisod kaayo i-give up. this gelato is different from the other’s i’ve tried before and it’s the latest craze that hit Cebu. i’m in love with this gelato’s rich yet light creamy texture and it’s delicious flavors. my personal favorites are PIstachio and Macadamia Caramel. oooohh sooooo yummmmmmmy! but i honestly have to stop na. swear di na ni pwede. dich and i had our 2 scoops last night at Ayala Terraces but that has got to be my last 2 scoops in like a month. waaaaaaaaaah! good luck kaayo to me!!!

’till here. hope ya’ll had a great weekend!