David Cook Rocks

I know I'm a week late. Should've posted this a week ago. Got too busy to update my blog.

During the Mariah Carey week, David sang his own version of Always Be My Baby. His performance is my favorite, so far! It only proves I am a true blue rock fan.

Bravo David!

Kids Say the Funniest Things!

My co-worker Apol sent me this forwarded e-mail. I was shaking my head out of amusement. You'll find out why shortly. The statements brought a smile to my face this morning. I badly needed that lately!

Pay special attention to the wording and spelling. If you know the Bible, even a little, you'll find this hilarious! It comes from a Catholic Elementary school test. Kids were asked questions about the old and new testaments. The following statements about the Bible were written by children. They have not been retouched nor corrected (i.e. incorrect spelling has been left in).

1. In the first book of the bible, Guinessis. God got tired of creating the world so he took the sabbath off.
2. Adam and Eve were created from an Apple tree. Noah's wife was called Joan of Ark. Noah built an ark and the animals came on in pears.
3. Lots wife was a pillar of salt during the day, but a ball of fire during the night.
4. The Jews were a proud people and throughout history they had trouble with unsympathetic Genitals.
5. Sampson was a strong man who let himself be led astray by a Jezebel like Delilah.
6. Samson slayed the Philistines with the axe of the Apostles.
7. Moses led the Jews to the Red sea where they made unleavened bread which is bread without any ingredients.
8. The Egyptians were all drowned in the dessert. Afterwards, Moses went up to Mount Cyanide to get the ten ammendments.
9. The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat the apple.
10. The seventh Commandment is thou shalt not admit adultery.
11. Moses died before he ever reached Canada. Then Joshua led the Hebrews in the battle of Geritol.
12. The greates miricle in the bible is when Joshua told his son to stand still and he obeyed him.
13. David was a Hebrew king who was skilled at playing the liar. He fought the Finkelsteins, a race of people who lived in bibical times.
14. Solomon, one of Davids sons, had 300 wives and 700 porcupines.
15. When Mary heard she was the mother of Jesus, she sang the Magna Carta.
16. When the three wise guys from the east side arrived, they found Jesus in the manager.
17. Jesus was born because Mary had an immaculate contraption.
18. St. John the blacksmith dumped water on his head.
19. Jesus enunciated the Golden Rule, which says to do unto others before they do one to you. He also explained, a man doth not live by sweat alone.
20. It was a miricle when Jesus rose from the dead and managed to get the tombstone off the entrance.
21. The people who followed the lord were called the 12 decibels.
22. The epistels were the wives of the apostals.
23. One of the oppossums was St. Matthew who was also a taxi man.
24. St. Paul cavorted to Christianity, he preached holy acrimony, which is another name for marraige.
25. Christians have only one spouse. This is called monotony.

A Tough Week(s) Ahead

Thank God for a great weekend of meeting friends, shopping for things I don't need but wanted, and hanging out with Jed. I was all cheerful and excited to work that I mentally listed down the tasks I need to do for today at the car on m way to work. Then my disposition changed as soon as it hit how much work I needed to finish by Thursday.

My sister-in-law, Arra, is graduating from college this Friday so I requested for time-off. Oh I welcome this time-off!! I so would need a relaxed weekend before I head off to Singapore on Monday. Too many tasks, so little time.

Oh... Singapore. I was excited at first -- I researched on restaurants to go to, contacted friends I hope to see, listing down shops I will visit. It is a business trip. Canada has a pavilion at Food & Hotel Asia and agrifood officers from the region need to babysit the exhibitors and match these companies with potential buyers from each market in ASEAN. Yes, I've done this before. It should be easy.

And then reality hits me, this trip would be different because:

1. I will be away from my husband for seven freaking days.

2. My boss will follow me in Singapore. (Think Miranda Priestly)

I would rather stay home. Oh I can just feel I will be doing a lot of retail therapy. Can't wait to get this trip over and done.

La Senza Opens its Door to the Philippines Soon!

It's confirmed!

The very first La Senza store in Bonifacio High Street will open its doors to the Filipino public on April 23!! Now, that's less than a week. It's great news as I've been holding off buying lingerie hoping to wait for the Canadian store to open. Now I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Suyen Corp. (Bench) will keep La Senza prices similar to its prices in Canada and Malaysia -- affordable!

One Inspiring Friday

I blame it on the recent Idol Gives Back. I watched QTV’s airing last night, and suddenly, I was humming to the tune of their finale song, Shout to the Lord. I don’t remember a time when a Christian song had that impact on me. I immediately Google’d for an MP3 of the Idol’s rendition but it was sold only on iTunes and coming from the Philippines I am not allowed to purchase yet (there’s that hope that it will happen soon!). My resourcefulness led me to Michael W. Smith’s version, which will do while I wait for the Idol’s version to be available elsewhere.

Lyrics Shout To The Lord lyrics

Call me weird, but I did feel like raising my hands in the air and loudly singing along with it. Then I remembered I am in the office and could not do that.

Also this morning, Carol forwarded me a PowerPoint presentation on Warren Buffet. I may have heard who he is, but I never read up on him. And I should have!

In that short presentation, his life and advices moved me. I copied and pasted the presentation so it is easier to share in this entry. It would be a great waste if I will not find a way to share Warren Buffet’s wisdom.

-------------------------------------------------
There was a one hour interview on CNBC with Warren Buffet, the second richest man who has donated $31 billion to charity.

Following are some very interesting aspects of his life:

• He bought a small farm at age 14 with savings from delivering newspapers.

• He bought his first share at age 11 and he now regrets that he started too late!

Things were very cheap that time
Encourage your children to invest
One could have bought many things with little savings
Encourage your children to start some kind of business

• He still lives in the same small 3-bedroom house in mid-town Omaha , that he bought after he got married 50 years ago. He says that he has everything he needs in that house. His house does not have a wall or a fence.

Don't buy more than what you "really need" and encourage your children to do and think the same

• He drives his own car everywhere and does not have a driver or security people around him.

You are what you are

• He never travels by private jet, although he owns the world's largest private jet company.

Always think how you can accomplish things economically

• His company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns 63 companies. He writes only one letter each year to the CEOs of these companies, giving them goals for the year. He never holds meetings or calls them on a regular basis.

Assign the right people to the right jobs

• He has given his CEO's only two rules.

Rule number 1: do not lose any of your share holder's money.
Rule number 2: Do not forget rule number 1.

Set goals and make sure people focus on them

• He does not socialize with the high society crowd. His past time after he gets home is to make himself some pop corn and watch Television.

Don't try to show off, just be your self and do what you enjoy doing

• Warren Buffet does not carry a cell phone, nor has a computer on his desk.

• Bill Gates, the world's richest man met him for the first time only 5 years ago. Bill Gates did not think he had anything in common with Warren Buffet. So he had scheduled his meeting only for half hour. But when Gates met him, the meeting lasted for ten hours and Bill Gates became a devotee of Warren Buffet.

His advice to young people:
"Stay away from credit cards (bank loans) and invest in yourself and Remember:

1. Money doesn't create man but it is the man who created money.
2. Live your life as simple as you are.
3. Don't do what others say, just listen to them, but do what you feel good.
4. Don't go on brand name; just wear those things in which you feel comfortable.
5. Don't waste your money on unnecessary things; just spend on them who really in need rather.
6. After all it's your life then why give chance to others to rule our life."
   

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Just last month, Forbes’ Magazine ranked him the richest person this year – a title held by Bill Gates for thirteen years! I was pleased to learn that this influential man is from Omaha, Nebraska, where our dear friends Rob and Samantha are off to.

I am inspired with Mr. Buffet’s philosophies in life on frugality and philanthropy. I absolutely do not see the need to live extravagantly and be spending much on material things. There is nothing wrong with living simply. It does not demean me to be taking the public transportation. In fact, it humbles me. I do prefer the mass transport system to a taxi as I find it more unsafe being alone with a taxi driver. I never went for branded items, and I do prefer those clothes with no brand at all, as long the quality is good. I hate clothes with big logos on them. I am all for buying Filipino to help the Philippine economy.

And yes I will practice giving more, especially to those in need. There is a saying that the Lord will give back whatever we give away, even more. That’s a comforting thought but then that should not be the sole reason why we would be compelled to give.

Well, have an inspiring weekend everyone.

I can’t wait to start with mine!

Look Who's Back: New Kids on the Block

Long before Back Street Boys, there was NKOTB or New Kids on the Block. I had been a HUGE fan way back in high school. My favorite then was Jordan Knight. My room in Bulacan used to be filled with posters, magazines, books, cassette tapes and VHS videos of them. I thank my parents for being very supportive when I went through the NKOTB phase. I traded my high school prom to watch their only concert in the Philippines. My mother dragged my brother to watch it with me. Poor guy as he had to endure my screams during the concert and for paying his concert tickets from his savings. I know it was the last place he would rather be then.

My high school friend, Samantha, was also a fan. I think she was a bigger fan than me. Most of our classmates that time would remember us as big fans of this group. And it was through her blog entry that I learned that NKOTB is back. I was very impressed with their group photo now. I agree with Sam that all five of them aged well. They never looked this good!

Group photo from People.Com. Taken when they guested in the Today show.

I still know the lyrics of their songs by heart. It’s probably the right time to load their songs in my iPod and start reminiscing of the good ol’ times.

No More Beer for Me

Last night, my boss and I took out a business contact for drinks. I used to drink a lot when I was younger – you name it, beer, vodka, tequila, anything with alcohol. I can drink as much as I could without getting “drunk”. I would still be sober and would remember what I had done. There were no embarrassing stories to share; no “what was I thinking?” moments.

Over the years, my tolerance for alcoholic drinks diminished. I do not enjoy drinking as much as before, especially if it involves work. I also developed a taste for wines. Wine (red wine that is) is supposed to be healthier. And I would not have to worry about beer belly. (This is actually one of the major reasons why I gave up drinking beer.) I am killing myself to lose weight through exercise and diet (a bit of - as I totally love to eat!) so there is no need to add beer belly to that. So no more beers for me!

What I truly enjoy now are a couple of glasses of good wine, great food to go with the wine and engaging company. On special days, Jed and I love a good bottle of wine - a Merlot for Jed and a Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc for me. Sometimes when we need to unwind, we would treat ourselves to a Bailey’s drink that he prepared.

Times had changed; I do not go out with the purpose of drinking only. At work-related receptions, I could hardly finish a second glass. I would otherwise be guzzling on fruit juices or water.

Yesterday, I tried light beer again after years of not having it. I struggled with the second bottle. One would have been enough for me. The red wine is a different story. I could not remember how many glasses I had. Though still very sober, I had gotten super sleepy. That is the problem with a boss and business contacts who drink, they expect you to drink with them. I better work on politely saying no when the offer comes to drink more.

Did I suddenly become “KJ”? I probably am to others. But it is my personal choice to go easy on alcohol. It could also be that I have reached the age where my top priority is to live a healthier life. There are practices that I used to enjoy before which do not appeal to me now. Well, beer and excessive drinking made that list.

Dinner is Saved (and Served)!

There are days when I get swamped with errands and household chores (pressing my clothes takes an entire evening) and I can no longer cook a special dinner for Jed and myself.

Well, what happens?

We order take-out!!

There are two take-out menus pasted at the back of my planner. These menus are from our two favorite take-out places:

• Piquant in RCBC Plaza

This restaurant only serves healthy meals. When I am feeling special, I eat in Piquant. Guaranteed delicious healthy food. While the regular menu prices are a bit pricey, their take-out toppings are cheap! The price ranges from Php 65 - Php 75. Instead of the usual white rice, Piquant uses brown rice. The first time I brought four orders home, Jed and I finished them all. Each take out meal turned out very tasty and filling.

The different takeout toppings are:

1. grilled chicken teriyaki
2. spicy tuna
3. seafood curry
4. chop suey rice
5. chop suey rice with chicken
6. adobo
7. sweet and sour meatballs

Piquant is at the Podium 3 of RCBC Plaza. Phone: (632) 7293452

• Sandy's Pizza

Of course, the #1 favorite take-out food is still PIZZA. While we may have tried ordering from several pizza places, our recent favorite are pizzas from Sandy's Pizza.

The owner, Sandy Arellano, happens to be my college roommate. I was very happy to learn of her new business venture. My first order was out of curiosity. Then her pizzas passed the taste buds of Jed & I, we found ourselves ordering again.

We even ate the pizza side by side another pizza from an established pizza parlor, and Sandy's pizza won our hearts (and stomachs).

Sandy's incorporated local ingredients which resulted in very interesting pizza flavors -- Garlic Tuyo in Oil (very very good!), Garlic Chorizo, and White Pizza (with Kesong Puti). All yummy!