Half a Year

Before I even hit the 6-month mark of not posting in my 9 year old blog, I'll do one just now.

So Mr. Bocceli is engaged, it's been a month since I popped the question. I've been taking things calmly mostly because the date isn't until November of next year. We already have a rough list of things to do, suppliers to get, and people to invite so we're quite ahead of the timeline. My fiancee and I will most likely take things into full swing by October this year.

Viewing a few location options outside the island of Luzon in the next few months should be a blast. We're booked for Bacolod next weekend, then the front-runner the following weekend, and Boracay next month. August would be a rest month for traveling but September and October would be for checking out Marinduque and Cebu.

I never thought planning a wedding can be soooo exciting, for as long as I don't think about budgets. hahaha!

Bacolod next week would be fun considering a good number of our friends will be traveling with us. We would probably be around 18pax so I have a feeling reservations for restos would be a challenge. But, we always like a great challenge, and what's stopping us from enjoying all that food! For now...

Ciao bellas!

2 More Days

After today, I only have to deal with Friday. From then on, I won't have to see the four corners of my office for another two weeks. I can't wait.

Holiday plans start with a family get-together this Sunday. Lunch. The usual fan-fare. Yummy food and 5 more pounds. I promise to work out this Saturday. Pinkie swear.

That will then be followed with days of Zong performances. Joshua Tiu, Zong owner, has been such a gracious client and he should know we'll give his guests a good show. December 19-25, we would be performing in the different Zong branches, one branch per night.

After that week's worth of singing, I'm jetting off to Boracay to spend post Christmas weight-gain and joy with my friends. Fun-filled indeed!!! Can't wait...

Too lazy to post so thanks to Angelo for the topic

ELEVEN LAYERS


LAYER 1: BASICS
Name: Francis
Birth Date: 1978
Current Location: Dining area, my condo.

Hair Color: Brown

Righty/Lefty: Righty


LAYER 2: ON THE INSIDE.
Your fear: Death, huge spiders, and flying cockroaches
Your dream of the perfect date: An afternoon stroll at a piazza, dropping by a cafe to have coffee and gabbing out the passersby. Then off to dinner at a quaint restaurant getting wine and pasta. Then capping it off a cozy bar with some cocktails.


LAYER 3: YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND TOMORROW.
Your first thoughts waking up: FUDGE!! Monday!!!
Your bedtime: 11-12 but as long as I get my 6-7 hours of sleep.
Your most missed memory: The time when my voice was still good for singing high ranged songs.

LAYER 4: YOUR PICK.
Pepsi or Coke: Coke Zero
McDonald’s or Burger King: McDonalds
Single or Group Dates: Single.

Adidas or Nike: Adidas.

Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate.

Cappuccino or Coffee: Coffee but I can only do decaf now.


LAYER 5: DO YOU.


Smoke: Yeah, sadly.

Cuss: Yeahuh.
Take showers: Of course, sometimes baths too.
Have a crush: Of course.

Like school: If it were now, I probably would like school. I think it's best to do school once you've gone through it and applied what you've learned before. I would love to do lit classes to read and analyze more books.
Think you’re a health freak: Not yet.


WHAT HAPPENED TO LAYER 6??? -- honga no... where's layer 6?


LAYER 7: HAVE YOU EVER. 


Played a stripping game: Not really... sad.

Kissed the same sex: Yup, if it were the other question, yes.
Gotten beaten up: Yeah, by my cousin after I punched him in the eye. Hahaha.




LAYER 8: GETTING OLD.
Age you’re hoping to be married by: 35-40

Number of kids you’re planning on having: I'll be happy with 1


LAYER 9: IN A GIRL/GUY.


Best eye color: dark to light brown or blue
Hair color: dark brown or blonde
Short or long hair: Short and easy
Fat or fit: Doesn't matter...
Looks or personality: "what is essential is invisible to the eye"

Fun or serious: Can balance fun and serious.


LAYER 10: WHAT WERE YOU DOING.


1 MINUTE AGO: edited my answers to this crap.

1 HOUR AGO: Having coffee at Starbucks.

1 WEEK AGO: Was getting stressed out at work.


LAYER 11: FINISH THE SENTENCE. 


I FEEL: So Nice! 

I HATE: Liars and Players... they should all just die!

I HIDE: nothing from my closest friends.
I NEED: peace and stability.

I LOVE: Jason. :)

Monday Nights Have Never Been More Fun

Spent the evening with my best friends at Fridays gabbing over the usual fanfare. Now I'm quite sleepy after four glasses of mojitos. Have a good evening y'all.

Ciao bellas!

Weekend's Over and Now I Can't Wait for the Next Weekend

I just love weekends. I get to see my best friends in the whole wide world. This particular weekend was no exception. Starting with Friday night with Vina, Sarah and RP dropping over to discuss plans. To them, I'm so honored you chose me to co-host your reception.

Saturday was spent with my baby and friends. With a baptism and reception in the afternoon and drinks (unlimited margaritas) come early evening. It was one of those days that just seemed to have gone by mostly because you know you're with great company. We all had to go home early for early morning rehearsals come Sunday.

And so today started with gal pals + 1 male friend driving off to what seemed like a sunny day. With Starbucks for breakfast (thanks!) and a nice tune from Juris to get our masochistic cravings satisfied, we arrived at the rehearsal venue first. I almost thought we were going to be late.

Rehearsals went by smoothly with no major problems. Afterwards, the weather seemed ominous. The moment we got to our vehicles, two were already submerged in foot-deep water. The only recourse was for us to just drive off and have lunch to come back for the cars hoping the rain would stop and the water to subside. Had lunch at Mister Kebab in West Avenue so I immediately had shawarma (two of them). Yummy! The moment we were ready to head back to my friends' cars, the downpour continued. My car-mates and I were able to head back to my condo after over an hour of being on the road. Thank God for my baby and my other friend who knew their way through route options.

Got home safely but later on found out that one of my friends who had her car stuck under flood water ended up having to scoop out water from inside her car (with the help of a few others). Wish we were there to have helped out. Had we known sooner we could have done something, anything. Glad to know now though that she is home now and safe.

Dang weekend y'all. Hope you are safe and comfy in your own homes. For now...

Ciao bellas!

Saturday night and I'm drinking

Sweetness. Enjoying the evening with friends drinking unlimited margaritas here at Friday's in Bonifacio High Street. An early night cap so to speak. I don't think need to eat dinner anymore after a buffet at Dad's c/o Iker's baptism reception.

Sunday should be fun coz we have a full morning of choir rehearsal. I wonder if we will be able to finish the entire repertoire for our August "concert" in Bacolod. Right Wilma?

I can't wait to get home though. My baby is sick so I know I also need to be by his side at least to help him get some rest. I hope he gets better tomorrow. For now...

Ciao bellas!

DFA and Courtesy Lanes

Just got back from my trip to the DFA to have my passport renewed. Thank goodness for the kind folks at the Office of Consular Affairs, I was able to do all of it in an hour. I just have to wait for 2 weeks to get my new passport. What's good is since my current passport isn't supposed to be "expired" until October of this year, they gave it back to me un-cancelled yet so I can use it for potential emergency trips with in the 2 weeks of issuing the new one.

I also like the new location for renewing passports because it was close to S&R so had late lunch there munching on pizza and ice cream. Yum. Anyway, the new building for passport applications is much more modernized. I remember having to go through the hassle of lining up when they were still in that old DFA building near the Cuneta Astrodome. This new building looks more like an airport than anything else. It's also fully airconditioned so I don't recall ever breaking a sweat. Kudos to the DFA for making it a little more convenient for us to get our badges for travelling.

I'm anxiously awaiting 8PM later because a few friends will be dropping by for some dinner and drinks. 'Til then, I'll just go through the rest of my day.

Ciao bellas!

On to Friday. Weekend it is

So the week is coming to a close for me. I don't have to go to work tomorrow to fix my passport at the DFA. Hopefully I get the assistance I was told I would get. Got all the forms I need and the latest photo checked. Wish me luck.

One of the main reasons I need to get the passport thing done is of course to have the flexibility to travel. I might have to fly to India in a few weeks to check on new operations there. I am actually excited mostly due to the fact that I have never been to India. With the time I have I'm hoping to at least see some sights.

My job has been tiresome but the travel has been quite exciting. Two trips to Singapore and one to Moscow, I can't complain. After India I hope I'll get a chance to fly to Europe again, especially London. I've never been there, oddly enough. Maybe even squeeze in Chile next year. Crossed fingers.

Going back to the subject, a hectic weekend awaits starting with a meeting with friends tomorrow for wedding plans. They want to have some consultation time with me. It's actually flattering that they consider my opinions on how to go about certain things with their wedding.

Off to Saturday's barong adventure which should be a helluva time. Choosing fabric and design for barongs we will be using for another friends' wedding this August. Thing is we are hoping that all the guys from the choir would get the same design at least so we will finally have an actual costume for performances.

On that note, Coro weekend this Saturday and Sunday as well. Iker, my god daughter's new brother, will be baptized on Saturday so we have a small party then. Sunday will be for choir practice early in the morning just so we will have time for fun in the afternoon.

So yes, I do have a life outside of work. Shouldn't we all.

Ciao bellas!

Top 12 Finalists for a Global Photo Competition

News broke out like wildfire at work when it was announced that I was one of 12 Finalists in our Global Photo Competition with over a thousand entries all over the world. I am already quite happy with that but of course, who wouldn't want to win the whole thing right?

The photo I submitted is quite simple and very Filipino. The theme was "Bayanihan" and it showed 4 of my colleagues from work carrying/pushing a "banka" out of the water into the sand. The shot was taken in Puerto Princesa, Palawan last summer where we did an over night trip to.

I'm crossing my fingers that we get a good showing with the votes. Doing a lot of lobbying now and even emailed global Managing Directors to get their support. We have 2 weeks to lobby. Wish us/me luck.

Ciao Bellas!

That was a fast Wednesday

What seemed like a long day, just now, is winding down to a close. Had my typical day at work with no major activities. Mostly operational or standard tasks needing to be completed. Had a decent lunch at Pizza Hut with my colleagues.

Left a little past six in the evening to grab a bite in Glorietta before catching The Sorcerer Apprentice. No a bad movie considering I just saw Inception a couple of days back. Nicolas Cage is coming back very well. He's getting the right roles and seems to be generally successful with them.

Looking forward to seeing why The Last Airbender got an 8% on rottentomatoes.com. Hehehe.

Have a good evening y'all. Sweet dreams.

Ciao bellas!