Hangout in Trinoma

Despite receiving some sad news earlier in the day, I still met up with Abi in Trinoma. After all, we've been planning this for days already...

Trying out Mango shades

Taking a breather after some serious walking

We had dinner at CYMA but Abi was not able to take shots of the food there. But we had dessert at Five Cows...

Presenting the Flaming Alaska

YUM-O!

Some more family pics from Cebu

Took from Queen's files

Happy family

Crazy Cuzzies

Another Waiting Game

As mentioned in my previous post, I still have a month free.

Good news: This may be my maximum time to bum around. Maybe I should take another vacation.

Bad news: The funds are slowly (but surely) drying up.

And it does not help that the credit card bills have not yet arrived.

The plan for the next month: Try to stretch remaining funds up to two months. And maybe do some studying.

But there MIGHT be a silver lining. I'm still waiting for THAT call. However, if that agency calls, would I be up to the job?

Something tells me that I'm not ready--YET.

So anyway, should I look for other possible government agencies? It seems that I was not shortlisted on my first two job applications.

My hope, if there's any, are the last two.

I cannot screw this up.

Another Reunion Entry

One of my grade school teachers passed away a few days ago. May she rest in peace.

Anyway, I saw some of my former teachers in the funeral mass. So it's a reunion of sorts for them. And I'm glad I was able to attend, since this teacher was once close to our family and probably played a big part of my childhood.

All kind and good words were stated in the testimonials.

Back to the teachers. I saw my Grade 3 adviser (significant time of my life because I transferred schools), some of my other teachers who still remember me in my skinny days and my Grade 6 adviser I mentioned in my earlier blog who is now the principal of the grade school department. I wish I could talk to them a little bit more but we had to leave after the mass.

So it ends here. I do hope that I still have an opportunity to see those teachers in their lifetime since some of them have already retired. It was really good to see them.

Application Update 3

Panel interview.

I think I have the best shot in this latest job application.

However, my neuro exam is scheduled on Sept. 2. So I have to wait for the results of the neuro in order to determine whether I'm mentally fit to work. Shucks.

So I still have a month free. That will also mean that I will have to save up a bit.

Havaianas Inventory and Wishlist Update

Inventory:
1. Rosa Branco
2. Christmas Greetings White
3. Style Pink/Light Blue
4. MYOH 2007
6. Small Flowers Pink
7. Strawberry Pink with White Logo
8. MYOH 2008
9. Laura Mercier (on pic) - I fell in love with this pair instantly. But it's white, so I can't wear this very often (considering what happened to my Rose pair).

Wishlist
1. Trish McEvoy - just because people say it's really really nice.

Career Talk

I enjoyed speaking with the high school kids.

And the best thing is... I got paid! Not much, but enough for me to go to the mall to chill.

Thank God it went well...

Application Update 2

Panel interview with four members of the panel and with almost all the applicant-lawyers.

I am crossing my fingers in this third job application.

Finding Our Savvy

Savvy, a children's book by Ingrid Law, is a tale centered on Mibs Beaumont, who recently just turned thirteen and is about to discover her "savvy", or a supernatural power inherent in her family.

From the Savvy website:
For generations, the Beaumont family has harbored a magical secret. They each possess a "savvy" — a special supernatural power that strikes when they turn thirteen. Grandpa Bomba moves mountains, her older brothers create hurricanes and spark electricity... and now it's the eve of Mibs's big day.

As if waiting weren't hard enough, the family gets scary news two days before Mibs's birthday: Poppa has been in a terrible accident. Mibs develops the singular mission to get to the hospital and prove that her new power can save her dad. So she sneaks onto a salesman's bus... only to find the bus heading in the opposite direction. Suddenly Mibs finds herself on an unforgettable odyssey that will force her to make sense of growing up — and of other people, who might also have a few secrets hidden just beneath the skin.

I blame it on Kathie Lee Gifford and the Today show for referring me to this wonderful read. And during the limited time that I have to devour the e-book (which was free for a limited period), I realized that Savvy is after all, a story about growing up and discovering what you're capable of.

I highly recommend Savvy to the kids and the kids at heart.

Workshop?

Since last year, I've invested more than I should in polymer clay jewelry. They're kinda hard to resist. Should I join a workshop? That seems to be the next step for me. Plus, I want to unleash my creative juices before I work again.

Ring from yummytrinkets.com

UPDATE: I just bought more polymer jewelry. :)

Epiphany

It took a friend to figure out my dilemma in my last workplace.

She thinks that those who worked with the company for quite some time sensed that I will not be working there for very long. Apparently, age groups and seniority (I'm not talking about the food chain) are very big factors to determine whether I will be happy in a workplace.

Shucks, I didn't know. I was kept in the dark for so long. I didn't have that kind of situation with my last two jobs.

S**t sila.

My friend warned me though that I will encounter the same situation in the future, especially when I'm surrounded by "senior people" who have their own thing going on.

Except that I think I know what to do. That I will just work and try not to care anymore. All in a day's work.

I pray that I will not lose my mind and heart as I begin my legal career, being part of my life's journey.

Peanut Butter Kisses

Hershey's Kisses filled with Peanut Butter = HAPPINESS

I just couldn't get enough of these chocolates. Of course they tasted like Reese's cups but like the classic kisses, I could not break away from them until they're gone. And they're almost gone. Anyway, these kisses were given by a neighbor intended as a pasalubong, but for me, as a treat for a job well done (BAR). Yum!

Application Update

I think I did well on my second lawyer exam, except when I got to the law part (the last two sets). Oh well...

I had to get employment certificate to process this application. Hmph!

Gisele Bundchen's Fab Footwear

Wishlist Alert!!!

G2B Limited Edition Ipanema Sandals

http://www.ipanemagiselebundchen.com.br/

Another Q&A

1. Four jobs I have held:

1. Administrative Assistant
2. Editor
3. Case Digest Specialist
4. Any lawyer job (hopefully soon)

2. Four movies I could watch over and over:

1. Sound of Music
2. Somewhere in Time
3. Centerstage
4. Staying Alive

3. Four things you always take with you:

1. Cellphone
2. Wallet
3. Lipgloss
4. Ipod

4. Four TV shows I like:

1. Pushing Daisies
2. House
3. Sex and the City (the movie rocked!)
4. Today Show (ok, this is a news program, but I love their feature stories, as well as the banter between the anchors)

5. Four people who email me regularly:

1. Auntie Isa
2. Papa
3. Tita Nancy, for lector skeds
4. Amazon.com

6. Four favorite foods:

1. Chicken
2. Pasta
3. Cake/Ice Cream
4. Chocolate

7. Four places I’d rather be:

1. Bedroom
2. Any not-so-crowded mall
3. Any swimming pool or beach in the summer
4. Church, only on Sundays though

8. Four places on my vacation list:

1. New York
2. Europe
3. Thailand
4. Boracay

9. Four things I love to do in my free time:

1. Surf the net
2. Watch TV
3. Go malling
4. Read pocketbooks

10. Four things you might hate about me:

1. I'm serious, most of the time.
2. I can be annoying sometimes.
3. I crave for silence.
4. I am not the most organized person.

11. Four things you might love about me:

1. I'm a loyal friend.
2. Failure cannot stop me from achieving my goals.
3. I love food!
4. I'm an American Idol fan.

12. Four people I would like to meet:

1. Brad Pitt!!! And all other papable celebrities
2. Matt Lauer (but will probably talk to Meredith Vieira instead)
3. Ellen Degeneres
4. Joey Albert (long time fan)

13. Four questions I am always asked:

1. Kelan ka magkakaboyfriend/magpapakasal? - What if kung ayaw ko? (note: mas lalong ayaw ko ng girlfriend!!! hehe)
2. Anong grade ng salamin mo? - Di ko na alam eh... nasanay na lang ako.
3. Pang-ilang take mo na sa bar? - P****** I**!!! Anong paki niyo? Believe me, most of the people who ask me this question are NOT lawyers.
4. Saan ka nag-work ngayon? - Wala pa eh, ineenjoy ko pa ang aking pagkakapasa...

14. Four outfits and accessories you couldn’t resist:

1. Any pink top
2. Necklaces!
3. Cutie Bags
4. Havaianas

15. Four descriptions of your personality:

1. Simple
2. Quiet
3. Naive, sometimes
4. Unassuming

Pink Tote Bag

Target's Xhilaration Rope Tote Bag in pink.

UPDATE: Just got the bag. It's nice and I could really use it...

Seven

Seven of Nine, a Borg played by the wonderful Jeri Ryan, was my fave character in Star Trek: Voyager. Her character made me fall in love with the series years ago. I even followed Jeri's career, like when she appeared in post-Voyager shows like Boston Public and Shark. I heard she got married and has a new baby girl.

So it was a pleasant surprise when I saw this life-size doll a few months ago at a comic book event held in Fully-Booked at Boni High Street. Selling for P16,000.00 lang naman. Here's Seven in all her glory...



With her comrades


I do miss Voyager. I actually bought a Seven of Nine ornament and it's still one of my prized possessions.

Oh, Mamma!

The music of 70's group ABBA comes to life in Mamma Mia!, a film based on the hit musical.



From Wikipedia:
Mamma Mia! uses the music of ABBA to tell the story of Sophie Sheridan (Amanda Seyfried), a 20-year-old American girl who's ready to marry her fiancé Sky (Dominic Cooper), but wants to learn the identity of her father so he can give her away at the wedding. Reading her mother Donna's (Meryl Streep) diary, she brings three men, Sam Carmichael (Pierce Brosnan), an American architect; Harry Bright (Colin Firth), a British banker; and Bill Anderson (Stellan Skarsgård), a Swedish novelist, to the Greek island they visited over two decades ago.

Meryl Streep is a genius. I cannot believe that this fifty-something year old actor could sing and dance and is so good at it. Amanda Seyfried is also a revelation, graduating from her Plastics role in Mean Girls to become America's new sweetheart. I love her and I love her voice as well. Pierce Brosnan is okay as one of the dads but has NO chemistry with Meryl. And Colin Firth is so adorable although I did not really like how his character turned out in the film.

And oh, I love the Greek scenery the best.

UPDATE: I have gotten hold of the soundtrack. The layering of voices that made ABBA so famous does not quite work with the present cast, but there are still some interesting cuts. Here are some of my faves:
1. The Winner Takes It All (Meryl Streep) - Oh, the emotions running through this song! Truly a winner...
2. Mamma Mia (Meryl Streep) - Imagine all those stunts Meryl did...
3. Dancing Queen (Cast) - Still the Abba classic we knew and loved.
4. Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)(Cast) - Can't get this song out of my head...
5. Thank You For The Music (Amanda Seyfried)- I love Amanda's fresh and raw take on this song. The only song in the soundtrack with only the piano as accompaniment. And the one I love the best.

Oh Gad.

That how I think I did in my first exam in my pursuit for a lawyer job. The exam, however, gave me a little practice as a new member of the Bar.

Saks Fifth Havaianas Update

So I promised myself that I should not buy Havaianas anymore for the time being. I had a hard time picking one of the Saks Limited Edition pairs anyway.

NOT!!!

The Reasons:
1. These limited pairs are on sale for the time being for half of its regular price. A $9 price tag for each pair is a dream for every Havie out there.
2. Somebody in Multiply offered a reasonable price for each pair. Come to think of it, even if I have to pay for the regular price of the Havs, it takes away the pain of paying exorbitant shipping costs.
3. I have the budget, anyway, and might not have this chance again of securing limited pairs. (Yeah, right.)
4. Besides, this is for charity anyway. (Shucks.)

So which pair did I choose?

THIS ONE!!!


From the Saks Fifth Avenue website:
Big kisses cover these fun favorites designed by Laura Mercier to benefit charity: water. $1 from each purchase, up to $200,000, will be donated to this non-profit initiative established to bring clean water and basic sanitation into impoverished communities.

I chose Laura Mercier because I know I could wear it all season. The other two Havs are also nice, but as I said in my previous entry, I'm not really a blue person... Baka sermon na maabutan ko kay Mama.

Can't wait to get my Laura Havs...

Scrapbook Memories

Cebu 2008

First Scrapblog

Oath Taking and Signing

Job Hunting Update

I'm going the government route. After three brief stints in the private sector, I would like to try for a lawyer position in the government this time. Maybe, I'll have more success with the public sector. Who knows? I was hesitant at first but apparently a lot of agencies are in need of lawyers. So there.

I realized that my reasons for leaving the companies I've worked with before revolved around my decision to pursue the law career--the first job because I entered law school, the second because I was anticipating for the bar results, and the third one because I already passed the bar. While these were very legitimate reasons, I also felt that they were also my scapegoats as to the real reason why I really left--because I did not like the work, ultimately. Does this make me a bad employee? Does my not-so impressive work experience signal a red light to my future employer? I hope not.

I see this job hunting a fresh start from the storm. So I'm on a clean slate. Thank God.

New Rose-y Finds

The Fondant Cake Slice


and Satin Ballet Flats


Oh I love them so...

Cake necklace by yummytrinkets.com
Ballet Flats by ichigoshoes.multiply.com