What's the sense of having a Krispy Kreme kiosk in your office when it's closed during your working hours?

Why is fate messing with me just when I don't really want it to? Murphy's Law (Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.) always seems to apply to me. You see, I will be having my two-weeks vacation leave next week and I am planning to go out of town so yeah, I would be needing funds. Incidentally, today should have been one of the two happiest and most anticipated days in my workmonth - payday. I checked my Internet Banking last night just to see whether it has already credited my account and lo and behold! I got waaaay less than what I normally get (during you know, when things don't go wrong). I would take it in stride if only a couple thousand pesos is involved, but almost half of my salary has gone missing! I went to work today feeling so bad and learned that my officemates also experienced the same thing. I don't know when everything will  be sorted out, but I do hope they make sure it's done the soonest time possible as I have a vacation (and an Owl City concert - I'm keeping my fingers crossed!) to look forward to.

And seriously, I love being a girl, but I am not a big fan of periods. I mean, I know it's necessary for conception and continuation of the human race, but does it really have to involve menstrual cramps? It is very inconvenient as it is, but why does it have to hurt? x_x

This is the closest to sports I will ever be, methinks.

I am probably the most un-sporty girl I know. I love school, but I hated PE. In Elementary while my classmates played volleyball and basketball I play with the Barbies I have brought. If we are required to really play, I just stand there and wait for the balls to hit me. In High School I was probably the happiest girl in class when we were allowed to play Scrabble and were taught Dances instead of other sports. (Imagine playing Scrabble for PE, how lame LOL). In college I chose Social Dance, Arnis and Badminton for my required PE units. I would never be able to compete though; in these occasions I would prefer to be the spectator - a part of the audience, thankyouverymuch.

Yesterday my bestfriend Jerome invited me to watch him and his twin brother Jonas defend their title as Champion of the Navotas Mayor's Cup. I might have neglected to say it before; he is not just an awesome graphic artist (he designed my blog's header btw) and the best guy friend a girl could ever wish for, he is also an excellent badminton player. Together, he and his twin are a force to be reckoned with in Doubles. He is a leftie while Jonas is a rightie, so you know, they can easily cover the bases. So much are their skills when it comes to this sport that Babolat asked them to be their endorsers. So yeah, they have Babolat uniforms, rackets, even bags. Isn't that great? :D

Jonas and Jerome

Serrano brothers

working it in the badminton court :D

look at how toned their legs are!

In the years Jer and I have been bestfriends, this is the first time I saw them compete. I marveled at how fast, agile and strong they are! And I am so amazed at how fit they look and how toned their legs are!

They won against two other pairs, but lost to Edison and Jess (who coincidentally are also very close friends with them. Jess is also our classmate in high school.) in the last round. What happened yesterday was just the Eliminations. They have another game tonight, and the Finals will be on Saturday :) I'm hoping they win it again, that would be awesome! :)

stretching their muscles after the game

I seriously don't know anyone else who can do a bridge stand like that :D

After the game we all went to Steakside in Malabon for a celebratory(?) dinner. 

waiting for our food

It's always great to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones!

Krissy and Jerome

I missed Jess, we used to punch each other in the arms all the time in high school :D

At the risk of having an accident (gulp), we also had fun taking photos of ourselves using my camera's Self Timer in the drive home.

this is the most decent photo taken :D

Fun times! Now if only there is a way to have toned legs like theirs without exerting any effort. Dream on, Krissy :D

MMSM - For the love of mail and pleasant surprises

In this era of text messages, IMs, emails and tweets, it seems like we have already forgotten the art of writing letters. As opposed to composing a quick email or a short PM, creating a handwritten letter takes real effort. From choosing the right stationery and pen, to writing what you want to say and to making sure that you are able to get your point across using correct grammar and spelling (it's not like you can enable Spell Checker and/ or just press Backspace anytime, right?), and then sealing the envelope, everything is done meticulously and carefully. These days, letters have become a novelty.

I have always loved writing letters. The first letter I ever wrote was when I was in Kindergarten. The moment I learned how to string words into phrases and then sentences, I asked for the help of one of my aunts and composed a letter for my friend and classmate Joan. I will never forget what I wrote in my letter - I asked her why we have the same last name (Cruz), are we sisters separated at birth? :D

This love for writing letters did not cease. I remember writing letters for my classmates (even though we see each other at school everyday) and then posting them. You see, my father works for the Post Office so I didn't have any problems having them sent. If anything, I was even more encouraged, especially when I received letters from them as well. It even became more prevalent in high school. United in teenage angst and with teenage hormones rising, all of us sent each other notes and letters all the time. There were Valentine letters, Christmas letters, reconciliation letters, love letters, and my favorite - just because letters. I collected more letters in my senior year than the four years I was in college :D

I am saddened by the fact that I lost all the letters sent to me from when I was young up until year 2001, when a big fire razed our house down together with all our belongings. It is never too late to begin collecting them again, though. I have saved every letter (and every note passed in class, plus Post-Its from when I was in college) after that in a big box of memories, and whenever I get sad and PMS-y I just dig through that box and read away.

some of my most treasured notes and letters

the guestbook I made for my Pink Positive-themed birthday party last year

I had my guests write a letter for me inside. Mwahaha narcissist much? :D

I also have a couple of notebooks and an open journal where I ask my friends to write in. I tell them it's better for me to hear my eulogy now in case I won't be able to go to my funeral and listen to them say good things about me LOL!

And of course, I am happy that my blogfriends have shared this forgotten art with me (even though it is just too easy to just leave a note in each others' blogs. Ü)

Postcard from Nashe^ and Christmas cards from Kym and Nikolett!

A very pretty apron and handwritten note by Meream

This deserves a separate blog entry; the only reason that has kept me from blogging it before now is because I haven't cooked a single recipe yet wearing this, as I still don't know how to cook anything besides noodles until now x_x

And, when I arrived at my parents' house this afternoon, this was waiting for me:

a package from Ireland! Ejannz oh Ejannz! :D

I opened it, and I was sooo touched I shed a single tear (did I ever tell you I am a big crybaby? I even cried while watching Pink Panther x_x).

A sweet, sweet postcard, Irish chocolates, and a keyring with a clover (which is super perfect as I always accidentally forget my keys)

Thank you so much Ejann! You have made my day week (as I have been feeling an overdue case of PMS)! :D

P.S. Let it be known that I do not oppose Facebook and all these methods of instant communication that modern times has brought. Fast, easy and reliable (and cheap!), what's not to like? I am just saying it's always a pleasant surprise to receive a handwritten note (and a bit more special than if receiving their digital counterparts) and I am sure you all agree with me. :)

Fact: I work with the most awesome people.

I have barely had enough sleep as I slept at 4:30am today and then woke up at 8:30am. Where did I come from? From our team building last night. Jessica asked yesterday, what exactly do we do at team buildings? Basically, we eat, drink (at least they do as I don't drink. Boo.) and bond over lots of stories. Sometimes we also do karaoke nights. Before, we used to go out of town or go swimming but because we now have different rest days, it is not practical to go somewhere far so these days we just resort to eating out or holding it at a team member's house. 

Yesterday we held it at Sasha's house. We are given monthly team building funds by HSBC to spend for these events, what we do is save it until it accumulates so we can spend more. Plus, some of the best agents in our team received their Deferred Cash Incentive last week so they also chipped in. As expected, we had lots of food and drinks  last night! We had grilled pork, grilled fish, shang hai, pork and chicken adobo, ensalada, spaghetti, roast chicken, ice cream and cake! They also had an endless supply of beer and vodka.

I wasn't able to take a photo of everything though, but here's the yummy choco mousse

I was feeling hormonal last night so this was perfect :D

Frank, Mich, Ali and Dane

some of my favorite people in HSBC :)

the quintessential Krissy and Dane pic nyahaha

Frank labeled us as the team's David and Victoria Beckham lol

I wore the same white eyelet dress and tie-up belt that I wore 

in my Tagaytay trip last December plus my new gladiator sandals

Everyone, I'd like you to meet our line manager and immediate supervisor, TL Jimmy. Judging on first impressions alone, you can easily dismiss him as someone who is up to no good (especially now that he sports that hairstyle as well haha) but once you get to know him, he really knows how to manage a team. He cares for all of us and patterns his approach to each team member's distinct personality. When problems arise, he does not take sides and instead listens to each offended party. He can easily make you laugh with his antics and jokes, but he knows when it's time to be serious. He is a rockstar. :)

He is our team's biggest fan and staunchest supporter :)

We ate at the dining room on the 1st floor of the house, and they drank at the rooftop. After the nth drink my guy teammates removed their shirts because they said it was getting warm o.0 I will spare you their topless photos though, but I will show you this:

I seriously don't know what caption to put :D

(I can imagine you smirking and Ejann going "Krissy oh Krissy" again though :D)

You know how when everyone's drunk they get really talkative? My teammates are the same, it was a riot! TL Jimmy gave us a small lecture about life, and then asked all of us what we think of him. After we all said our piece he then proceeded to tell us what he thinks of us. (I was given the titles Ms. Fashionista and Ms. Opinionated :D) Sure, we've had lots of other team buildings before, but last night was different. It was a night full of food, drinks, realizations and revelations, one I will never forget for a long, long time. :) 

All parties (and bonding moments) come to an end though. By 11PM, TL Jimmy and Watcher were too drunk to go home so they slept over at Sasha's. I also slept over at her house mainly because our two former teammates - Asther and Ruther - who already transfered to other departments are supposed to come after they end their shifts at 1am. I took a very short nap and was woken when they arrived where we again, bonded over food :D

Ruther and my housemate Asther

Ruther also used to share our previous apartment with us two

Ruther, Sasha's nephew Andrei and Sasha

Ruther went home at around 4am, and Ar, Sasha and I managed to sleep at around 4:30am. I woke up at 8:30am, and went straight home here to my parents' house. Tomorrow, I go to work again. :)

For my parting words, I'd like to tell you a little bit something more about my workmates. One thing that I can say about my team, we certainly know how to have fun. Even when faced at times with some impossible-to-please customers, our targets are constantly being changed, and we sometimes get a call with out-of-this-world concerns that is enough to single-handedly meet one's stress quota for the week, we still make it a point to laugh about it. Even when some egos clash and there are inevitable fights, everything is sorted out on the same day. If not, then it will be fixed on the same work-week. I admit though, there is someone in the team that I have never spoken to voluntarily because of an issue we had in the past but at least we are civil towards each other and respect each other's differences. And even when Dane and I had our big falling out where I did not speak to him for 5 months (September 2008 - February 2009), we were civil and prevented any dramatic scenes worthy of an Oscar nomination.

What TL Jimmy said is right: years from now, even when all of us have gone on to our separate paths, we will still carry the memories of our being together in one team. No one will be forgotten as each one has left his/ her own unique mark where he/ she can be remembered by. I read somewhere that you cannot stay long in a job where you do not like the people you work with. Let it be known that I really did not intend to stay here, but I did because I am happy with them and couldn't imagine working where they won't be there with me anymore. I have said before and I will never get tired of saying this: I am and will forever be grateful that they are the ones I shared my first job with.

Here Comes Puck

Want to know a secret?

I totally love Puck! Portrayed by Mark Spalling, Noah Puckerman is the bad boy-with-a-soft side hottie in one of the best shows ever - Glee! Finn was my favorite in the first couple of episodes, but Puck totally stole my heart in the succeeding ones. I mean, how could you not love him after watching and hearing him croon?

He makes my heart melt :)

He gets my female hormones humming! :D

And that mohawk? He totally rocks it!

See what I mean? See? See?? :D

So what's the point of this post aside from the fact I am going Crazy Krissy again?

The point is, Dane got the same hairstyle as Puck's today! I have been trying to convince him for the last couple of weeks to no avail, but today he finally agreed to it (with help from our manager, TL Jimmy haha). I'll let the pics do the talking. :)

on our way to Bench Fix - UP Technohub branch

that's Dane and TL Jimmy

on the chair, having second thoughts? :D

too late to back out now!

The result?

I joked that I developed a sudden crush for him, the hairstylists laughed :D

that's me in the mirror's reflection, wearing the white shirtdress

Now I feel like I need a hair makeover haha!

This was supposed to be an outfit post but TL Jimmy butted in :D

I love my white shirtdress, silver belt with multi-colored holes, and apple green wedges (which coincidentally was Dane's birthday gift for me in 2008).

He said if he didn't like it he will have his hair cut again after two days. Well, turns out he loves it! :D So, did you like it? Let me know! :D

I hope you all have a happy and fabulous week!

Valentine Weekend

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!!

♥♥

I hope you all enjoyed your Valentine and Chinese New Year weekend! How did it go? Yes, I am snoopy, I would love to know all about it! :D

Yesterday (13 February 2010) after work, Dane and I went to TriNoma. (Let it be known that this is not a date though,  it is just two friends going out for some good food. Right.) It was our first time to be in TriNoma together as he hates the mall for some reason. He said it is too crowded, the layout's terrible, and the parking lot is awful. 

Here is how the mall looks like from outside

via Google Image search

Garden

via Google Image search

Unlike him though, I like this mall. They have a wide range of shops and restaurants, and you can score really good deals in Landmark! But yeah, I agree with Dane. It is too crowded, the layout's terrible, and the parking lot is awful.

Anyway, after much prodding I finally convinced him to go there instead because one of my favorite restaurants ever is there - Bigoli.

via Google Image search

Bigoli is an Italian fastfood (but certainly  not as laidback a place as say McDonald's or KFC; the ambience is a bit more flair-y), much like Sbarro. It was my bestfriend Jerome who first brought me here. After that first time, I made it a point to convince other people to try it :D I'm so happy I got Dane to eat here - he loved it! 

We ate Italian Chicken with Italian Rice, Baked Ziti, Cheesy Pizza, and Turtle Cheesecake. I wasn't able to take photos of everything because I was too embarrassed to whip out my camera but I managed to stealthily take this snappie:

topped with choco chips and I-don't-know-what-kind-of-nuts

Everything was super yummy! I was too full I didn't want to get up haha!

After we ate we went ahead to do some chores (i.e look for a radio for his Mom) Told 'ya it's not a date :D

parked in the not-so-good parking lot :D

We drove to Monumento, got stuck in traffic jams (where he got a bit grumpy) and just joked around (so his mood got much better). While in his car, we listened to a local radio station (note: one of life's pleasant surprises is hearing one of my favorite songs being played on the radio as opposed to hearing it in my Music Player where it is saved.)  and got a kick out of hearing jingles for Enchanted Kingdom. Was fate mocking us? (If you didn't know, we were supposed to go to Enchanted Kingdom yesterday had I not been required to go to work. Ah work, you suck sometimes. Except during paydays. I love you during paydays :D)

We went to two other malls in Monumento but the search for a radio proved futile. He took me home and I got to my parents' house at around 8PM. :)

Today - Valentine's Day, Chinese New Year and my Dad's birthday  - is reserved for family. My Mom cooked one of her most delicious recipes - stuffed squid - and we brought them to my relatives's house in Malabon. There were also lots of yummy food there (I bought Red Ribbon's Halo-Halo cake) and I stuffed my face full :D

preparing to leave :D

strappy sandals, I love!

This is my family:

They are my most loved people in the whole world!

My brother Ken, my father Valentino, my mother Belinda, my sister Kyla, and me

♥♥

How was your weekend? I hope you had a great one! (And if not, well, there are more weekends to go :D)

Have a fabulous week ahead!

Plans for VDay?

First of all I would like to thank you for your well wishes in my previous post. My Mom told me that my Grandpa is feeling better now and should be out of the hospital soon. :)

A short shout-out before we go to the main point of this post, Survivor: Heroes vs Villains starts today in my side of the world! Timeslot (10PM) sucks though as I have to wake up early tomorrow. Maybe in the next weeks I'll just watch via Youtube, but now I don't want to miss the pilot episode. If you don't know, Survivor is one of my favorite TV shows ever. I am not a big fan of reality TV per se but I have always had a soft spot for Survivor and have followed each season religiously. For their 20th season offering, they have brought the most loved heroes and most hated villains from the past 19 seasons. It sucks that my favorite Ozzy was not included in the lineup, but I will still watch it. Time check: 9:22PM. 38 minutes to go! Can't wait!

On to my post :)

So, the day after tomorrow will already be (as if you didn't know already teehee) Valentine's Day! Any plans yet? I know most of us would just like to avoid the big crowds (expected since the day fell on a weekend) and most people have dismissed the day as a big money-making venture for greeting card companies, chocolatiers and flower shops but come on, you must feel (even just a wee-bit) excited for the day. After all, you don't have to be part of a relationship to enjoy it! I am not part of a relationship (I must reiterate that Dane is not my boyfriend since no one believed me in this post) but I am willing to wear my heart on my sleeves and just feel sappy and cheesy the whole month. Yes, because February is the love month! :D

Sidenote: When I was in high school, girls in our class were asked to bring chocolates while the boys brought flowers. In homeroom, halves of hearts will be distributed where the name of a part of a famous couple will be written and then you have to go find the match of your "heart". So for example, you picked Jasmine, you have to find your Aladdin. You give him your chocs, he gives you the flowers, and you become "dates" for the day. We always got a kick out of the pairs that were matched. It was so much fun! I hope finding the other half of your heart is just as easy as picking from a lot of halves. :D

Let's go back to the main post, shall we? :)

Today I wore this:

This black/ fuchsia off-shoulder corset top is one of my favorites

I am also wearing a silver bracelet with a big heart charm because Krissy is cheesy like that :D

What are your plans for Sunday? I am so glad I don't have work that day, my VL was approved! Dane and I were supposed to go to Enchanted Kingdom tomorrow but because I have to go to work, we would have arrived there by 5pm. Not a good idea if you are going to a theme park with lots and lots of rides :( So plans for that were scrapped and moved to next month. We made other plans, but what we finally agreed on is to eat at one of my favorite restaurants. We were also supposed to watch Dear John, but meh, maybe next week when the theaters aren't as packed. After eating he will take me home to my parents'. I have to be there on Sunday as it is my Papa's birthday. Sounds like a good plan. So what are yours? :)

sweeeeet

from xkcd

Whether you'll be part of the crowds or be at home, whether you are single or part of a couple, and whether you are cheesy or hate all things sappy, I wish you all enjoy the day!

Remember:

Indeed

from Tumblr

Spread the love!! ♥♥