New Year's Resolutions 2012 Part 3

This is a third of a series of articles on my New Year's Resolutions this year -

#7 Adapt the evolving technology more.  Find out how the new Iphone 4 could be helpful to the business and to my blogging.  Last year, I got a new camera which was very handy for my blogs and for the concerts I covered!  Panalo!!  This year, I might start downloading movies instead of buying the actual DVD!

#8  No more planetromeo and no more rent boys. I did a lot of crazy things last year and I was lucky I escaped unscathed but I don't know this year.  So better stop doing crazy things, otherwise, I may not get lucky next time!!  There are enough good boys around me and I should be satisfied with it!

New Year's Resolutions 2012 Part 2

This is a continuation of my list of resolutions.  I have done #'s 1 and 2 already -

#3 Remember people's names!! It's getting crazier I tell you.  It's like I have a little Alzheimer's already!  So now, everytime someone is introduced to me, I will consciously repeat his or her name again and use it again, so that I won't forget it!!  It's ridiculous that I could remember inane and unimportant facts, and then forget people's names!!

#4  Change movie day to Thursday instead of the usual Tuesday.  That way, I get first dibs into hot new movies and make the review immediately.

#5  Limit sugar intake.  Try not to drink Coke and eat sweets.  Instead, replace them with a fruit.  This is really hard to do so I will just have to consciously do it everytime I eat!  Alvin has actually warned me about the bad things that fat people suffer when they have both cholesterol and high sugar in their blood!  So I was warned and I have to do something about it!

#6  Stop eating outside everyday.  Since I have to save my money, one way to do it is to stop eating outside everyday.  I should just eat what is cooked at home.  Another thing is to stop eating popcorn and brownies while watching movies!  That's both eliminating sugar and salt from my diet.  Just bring water and drink it instead!!

There's actually a third set of resolutions!

New Year's Resolutions 2012 Part 1

It's been almost six hours since the new year was ushered in and here I am still making my New Year's resolutions.  Oh well, here's what I have come up with -

#1  Put God back in my life again.  Well, He has never disappeared actually, but since my mass-going has been on and off again lately, I think it's time to put Him back at the #1 thing to do in the day.  So starting on Monday, I should be able to attend the lunch mass at St. Paul's Church and try to make it in a regular basis.  I really have to make a paradigm shift on this and make it seem like I'm visiting Papa instead, everyday, just to talk to Him.  That way, it would be easier to comply, rather than thinking of it as a chore.  Remember to turn on the alarm clock OR sleep at 4AM instead.  The latter sounds more doable!

#2  Spend the bulk of the time in running the business and in blogging.  I am saying this because I did feel kinda sidetracked last year when I was taking my Spanish and French classes simultaneously.  I was soooo busy I had almost no time to write - so my blog earnings suffered - and sometimes my customer service too!

So this year, I have decided to put all my classes in the evenings only (for French) and Saturdays for my Spanish and German.  Yeah, I know it's crazy but I think I can handle one more language!!

There's actually more so click here for the second set!

Revisiting My New Year's Resolutions of 2009

 Like most people, I love making resolutions.  It keeps me at my toes and allows me to constantly reinvent my life.  Anyhow, here were my resolutions in 2009!  And frankly, I've done all of them already! That's primarily the reason why I had made so many new friends these past three years - I just got out of my shell and really built relationships with many people!! Hurrah!! Now, I'm making a list of my resolutions for 2012 - coming up!


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I am one of those people who make a list every year. It is a good habit actually because I write it in a Batman notebook my brother gave me in 2001. Since then, I have been writing it there every year, along with my goals of the year, and it has been a lot of fun reading it throughout these 7 years. This year is no different. One thing new though, is that I am blogging about it too. Works this way as it keeps a record of my thoughts of what to change in me every year, till the year I stop writing.

Think positively. Talk positively. Don’t project negativity. This resolution came to the fore after a friend of mine and I had coffee last night. During the course of our conversation, he suddenly said to me, “Ang nega mo naman.” Nega for negative. It really caught me offguard. I always thought I was the most optimistic person that I can be, but I realized, after reviewing our conversation last night, that there were three instances in the conversation where I said cynical and negative things. I won’t mention them here anymore as they are of a personal matter, but it did project a sense of negativity and cynicism, which sometimes envelopes my way of thinking. Even my best friend scolds me for it. Sometimes, I just can’t help it. So this year, I will channel my thoughts and words into more positively so that I project it in my conversations with people and in my work, most importantly.

Not to play the victim anymore. Be more assertive. Sometimes, because I have this inherent habit of not being assertive enough to say no, some people treat me like a doormat. Do this, do that, I want this, I want that. And I do all their requests, unmindful if it’s too dyahe na for me. Interestingly, Christmas year, I decided to just be more assertive and say no to things that I am not interested in doing and I wasn’t worried if the other person will like me more or not. I couldn’t care less. I was really overworked and tired, physically and mentally, and I think, just choosing the projects I know I can deliver properly, made more sense to me. It’s not a popularity contest anyway, and I realized also that some people will always treat me as a doormat because I allow them too. So after saying no, to several different instances, I felt more in control of my life and not get too worried whether I hurt their feelings or not.

Adopt new technology with an open mind. It is really urgent this year, as I have evaded using camera phones for so long, but now that I am designing clothes and seeing people wearing my clothes, and wanting souvenir photos of them, the camera phone becomes the easiest way to document those. I have a very poor history of adopting new technology, which is quite ironic because 95% of my income actually happens online. So this year, I will open my mind to all new technology available and not be such a technophobe. I should have the curious heart and eye of a teenager, ever on the lookout for the gadget. Anyway, in my case, I always look at the ROI of all the things I buy right now. It can be monetary ROI or emotional ROI.

Consciously buy Philippine-made goods. It’s a habit I have started this year, and which I hope to expand more this year to more goods and services. Frankly, it’s tough to shake the colonial make-up of my mind, but I am doing it one step at a time, to be more appreciative of our own products and really support them by buying them.

I will be reviewing this list again by Holy Week so let’s see how I do. I haven’t listed anymore those things which have become integrated into my daily habits so I’m happy that this checklist forces me to make these resolutions become real daily habits.

My New Year's Resolutions of 2009!!

I am one of those people who make a list every year. It is a good habit actually because I write it in a Batman notebook my brother gave me in 2001. Since then, I have been writing it there every year, along with my goals of the year, and it has been a lot of fun reading it throughout these 7 years. This year is no different. One thing new though, is that I am blogging about it too. Works this way as it keeps a record of my thoughts of what to change in me every year, till the year I stop writing.

Think positively. Talk positively. Don’t project negativity. This resolution came to the fore after a friend of mine and I had coffee last night. During the course of our conversation, he suddenly said to me, “Ang nega mo naman.” Nega for negative. It really caught me offguard. I always thought I was the most optimistic person that I can be, but I realized, after reviewing our conversation last night, that there were three instances in the conversation where I said cynical and negative things. I won’t mention them here anymore as they are of a personal matter, but it did project a sense of negativity and cynicism, which sometimes envelopes my way of thinking. Even my best friend scolds me for it. Sometimes, I just can’t help it. So this year, I will channel my thoughts and words into more positively so that I project it in my conversations with people and in my work, most importantly.

Not to play the victim anymore. Be more assertive. Sometimes, because I have this inherent habit of not being assertive enough to say no, some people treat me like a doormat. Do this, do that, I want this, I want that. And I do all their requests, unmindful if it’s too dyahe na for me. Interestingly, Christmas year, I decided to just be more assertive and say no to things that I am not interested in doing and I wasn’t worried if the other person will like me more or not. I couldn’t care less. I was really overworked and tired, physically and mentally, and I think, just choosing the projects I know I can deliver properly, made more sense to me. It’s not a popularity contest anyway, and I realized also that some people will always treat me as a doormat because I allow them too. So after saying no, to several different instances, I felt more in control of my life and not get too worried whether I hurt their feelings or not.

Adopt new technology with an open mind. It is really urgent this year, as I have evaded using camera phones for so long, but now that I am designing clothes and seeing people wearing my clothes, and wanting souvenir photos of them, the camera phone becomes the easiest way to document those. I have a very poor history of adopting new technology, which is quite ironic because 95% of my income actually happens online. So this year, I will open my mind to all new technology available and not be such a technophobe. I should have the curious heart and eye of a teenager, ever on the lookout for the gadget. Anyway, in my case, I always look at the ROI of all the things I buy right now. It can be monetary ROI or emotional ROI.

Consciously buy Philippine-made goods. It’s a habit I have started this year, and which I hope to expand more this year to more goods and services. Frankly, it’s tough to shake the colonial make-up of my mind, but I am doing it one step at a time, to be more appreciative of our own products and really support them by buying them.

I will be reviewing this list again by Holy Week so let’s see how I do. I haven’t listed anymore those things which have become integrated into my daily habits so I’m happy that this checklist forces me to make these resolutions become real daily habits.

My New Year Greeting to Everyone!

It's almost five hours into 2012 yet since the New Year still has to circle the globe, here's my greeting for everyone -

(I borrowed this from the column of Francis Kong of the Philippine Star)

May you have

        Enough success to keep you eager,
        Enough failures to keep you humble,
        Enough joy to share with others,
        Enough trials to keep you strong,
        Enough hope to keep you happy,
        Enough faith to banish depression,
        Enough friends to give you comfort,
        Enough determination to make each day better than yesterday.

(I took out the last portion since I want this message to be addressed to all my non-Catholic or non-Christian friends too!)

Tried the Yellow Cab Taxis in Cebu

For the past few years that I've been going back and forth to Cebu, I would normally take the airport taxi, which is white in color and would have a fixed rate depending on the destination.  This time around though, in my recent Cebu trip, I decided to take the yellow taxi, which they said would use the meter!  I thought, well, why not!  Well, sad to say, it's just as expensive as the white airport taxi.  I still shelled out 300 bucks for my fare to Marriott Hotel.  I guess now, it's fifty pesos more expensive than my fare three years ago.  Inflation, of course. 

But the service is good and they do carry your bags.  Also, be sure to BRING THE EXACT AMOUNT or have one hundreds so that if your bill can be rounded off to it, you will have no problems. THE DRIVERS PRETEND TO HAVE NO CHANGE.  I wasn't feeling too generous that time anyway, so my fare read 285 pesos, so I just gave him 300 pesos.  If he had change, maybe I would've given him a 100 peso tip, just to check if he's not maro!

Hotel Review: Marriott Hotel Cebu Ups the Ante

my king size bed - lovett!

yes, there is a lounging chair beside the window, which you could use for reading, I just hung my wet towels and clothes here hahaha

love that design on my bed head board!

an unintrusive abstract on the wall

my bedside table, love the lamp and that snaky thingy lamp for reading!

a view of my room

my bathroom mirror and wash basin!

it's a rainforest shower pour moi!

look Ma, les toiletries sont complete!

was never able to use these glasses though....

the gorgeous capiz lamps in the bathroom!

they have an iron and a safe!! parfait!

flat screen and Skycable!

all my bottled water during my four day stay was free!!

I love my work area - just plug in the internet plug and surf you go!!

a beautiful mirror facing me while I worked

my view!!

my front view!!

I was actually surprised when people commented when I posted my hotel room pics in FB.  Well, Vic and I usually stay in hotels like Marriott when we travel, for the simple reason that in our age, we have certain demand for our rooms and I do prefer to sleep in comfort.  Yes, I can travel cowboy style but really, I'd still prefer comfort above everything.  And we do usually stay at the Marriott when we go to Cebu since the Ayala Center is beside it.

Well, I haven't stayed here for the past three years and frankly, I'm impressed by the renovations in the room and the bathroom.  Everything is divine, as in everything!! My only suggestion is for them to place an Ipod dock since almost everyone I know has an Apple product and we do need to charge these things and we also want to play our songs instead of just watching TV.  Well, just a suggestion.  Otherwise, I loved my stay here and will definitely stay here again next time soon!

Restaurant Review: Sunburst Chicken Ayala Terraces Cebu

The entrance to the resto

their 2-piece chicken

Anyone who grew up in Cebu in the 80s would be familiar with Sunburst chicken!  When I was in high school this was one of the preferred places to eat!! You have to remember that in the early 80s, Jollibee and McDo were not that ubiquitous yet, and were not considered 'class' places to eat for a celebration.

Fast forward almost thirty years later and the first resto I wanted to try out in my recent Cebu vaycay was, well, Sunburst! I bumped into my cousins late afternoon Wednesday and I coaxed them to join me for an early dinner treat.  They just had clubhouse sandwiches while I had their version of a 2-piece chicken.  Well, sad to say, the chicken was really bland and not tasty at all.  T'was a bit of a disappointment really since Sunburst chicken is considered "homegrown" food for many Cebuanos - and we have wonderful memories of the food.  Not this time though.  Maybe I should try their branch at SM City Cebu next time.

Restaurant Review: Cyma at Ayala Terraces

angel hair pomodoro

the resto at the Ayala Terraces Cebu

Interestingly, the only restaurant that let me down in my Cebu trip is Cyma, mainly because I found their angel hair pomodoro there to be a bit soggy.  Considering that they charge the same arm and leg price as here in Manila, I did feel sore about it, especially also that my friend Meo treated me and my other friend, Buggy there - and I did choose Cyma since I was craving for pomodoro that night. Big mistake!! I should've just chosen another home-grown Cebu resto!

Restaurant Review: The Tinder Box in Banilad, Cebu

that's where we actually sat!! you see those two framed photos hanged vertically?  well, there!!

this is how the place looks from the outside, and at night - the same time we went there!

this is exactly what we ate!! YUM YUM!!

Another must place you have to go when you dine in Cebu is the Tinder Box.  My friend, Meo, told me that this place has been there for a long time already, practically an institution, but well, I think it was my first time there, and the first time for me to sample their food too!  You can actually choose the wine, and we chose something from Chile, medium priced, at about 900 pesos thereabouts and well, I'm no wine connoisseur but it was the perfect companion to the cold cuts and cheese plate we ordered!!  We practically cleaned out the plate!!

Restaurant Review: Moon Cafe at the Ayala Terraces in Cebu

quesadilla

spare ribs - A MUST TO ALL MEATLOVERS!

grilled tangigue - A MUST FOR ALL FISH LOVERS!

the scene inside the resto that Wednesday night - t'was packed!!

the whirling fans that definitely provided some cool to the customers!

Moi avec ma cousine et sa epouse!

Anyone who loves spare ribs should try the spare ribs of the Moon Cafe at the Ayala Terraces Cebu.  It's tender, delicious and the servings are huge vis-a-vis the price!!  Imagine, I ordered quesadilla, a burrito, then my cousins ordered tangigue and spare ribs, plus two bottomless iced teas and calamansi juice and three cups of plain rice - and our bill DID NOT EVEN REACH 900 pesos!!!

In Manila, the spare ribs alone WOULD BE 900 pesos!!  I love Cebu hahaha!!

Anyhow, try to skip the Mexican food, you can get better tasting Mexican food here but do try the spare ribs and tangigue and maybe the rest of their Pinoy food menu!! It was just really MALINAMNAM!!  And REASONABLY PRICED!

The Impressive and Expansively Glittering Ayala Terraces in Cebu

All these photos were taken at midnight already after I had dinner with my cousins last Wednesday, December 28, 2011.  I dare you say that this Ayala mall is actually the best of all the Ayala malls.  I just love the garden and the flowing mini-waterfalls and how they zoned everything from electronics to sportswear, to restaurants.  Good job to the people of Ayala malls!

By the way, I was in Cebu 2008 and I was really surprised to see that everything has been finished already when I returned there last week!