In a few days, my Gim is coming to visit me. ♥

I am so happy. I’ve missed him so much!

He is probably reading lipozene reviews right now, or all sorts of medical terms. I tried quizzing him a few times to help him study for the 2011 Physician boards, but I could barely go through a sentence without my tongue stumbling over the words!! All the -zene’s and -ily’s and -sty’s and oh what long words.

To Gim: I know you wish you were just lying carelessly on a beach somewhere right now – no studying to do – no thinking – no worrying – no stress – no pressure. God knows I feel the same.

But, this too shall pass! And I know you’ve studied your hardest and worked so hard – I pray you get your due. :) No promises, no pressure, sweetie. I will always love you whatever happens! :)

Everyone, please pray my Gim passes the boards! Nothing is sure in this world, and he needs all the help he can get! :)

Good luck Gim!!!!

My future car better be equipped with a car gps, that’s what I think! So I can use Google Maps! Because I’m the worst with directions…

Anyway, I was checking out some inexpensive cars, and hey look, there’s Foton in the Philippines! Foton is a Chinese brand of cars. They manufacture pick-ups and sedans that don’t even go beyond the Php1million mark. Thank God for China.

Foton Blizzard 2.8L 4×2 5speed MT

Engine: 4JB1
Type: 4cyl. In-line (OHV-Diesel, Direct Injection)
Disp: 2.8L
Max Torque: 172Nm/2200rpm
Front Suspension: Independent w/ Telescopic shocks
Rear Suspension: Semi elliptic leaf spring w/ two-way telescopic shocks
Dimensions LWH: 5160 x 1690 x 1615
Gross Vehicle Weight: 2370kg
Payload: 1000
Curb Weight: 1570

Foton Blizzard 2008-2009

Classification: Pick-Up
Engine: 2.8 OHV 8V I4
Fuel Type: Diesel
Transmission: 5-speed MT
Body Type: 4-door pick-up
Seating Capacity: 5
Airbags: none
Front Suspension: Independent, Double Wishbone
Rear Suspension: Rigid Axle, Semi-Elliptic Leaf Springs
Front Brakes: Vented Disc
Rear Brakes: Drum

Price: Php 625,000

Foton Midi Crossover

Changping District, Beijing–Foton Motor’s presence in the Philippine market will further expand as the local distributor of the Chinese car brand plans to launch the Midi in the second half of the year.

The Midi–which is essentially a crossover vehicle with the characteristics of an MPV and a sedan–comes in standard and lengthened versions. It is aimed at motorists who are looking for an affordable multipurpose vehicle, Foton Motor Philippines president Rommel Sytin told Manila-based journalists.

The standard version (4,288mm in length) can accommodate five passengers, while the lengthened variant (4,338mm in length) can seat seven. Both versions are 1,725mm wide and 1,768mm tall.

Foton Motor Philippines has not specified the variants that will be brought to the Philippines, but the current Midi lineup has 1.3-liter and 1.6-liter engine options.

The 1.3-liter variant produces a maximum output of 97.2hp and a torque of 108Nm, while the 1.6-liter variant registers 99.5hp and 134Nm. Foton said the Midi’s fuel consumption is 7.2 liters for every 100km.

The Midi’s basic features include sliding doors for passengers, double front airbags, ABS and EBD, and aluminum alloy wheel rims.

Foton Beiqi can be found in EDSA-Munoz.

See more of Foton Philippines cars!

My employer could take a few office decorating ideas from The Fort. Look at it, it’s so interesting! Yet at the same time, office-ish. Yes.

I took Gim there last November, and we did a lot of date-y things. Like roam around Bonifacio High Street taking pictures. Okay, I was actually the one taking pics and Gim the one doing all the posing. Tch. He said, because it was his first time, and the sun was going down, we should not waste time on me. LOL. Joke. He didn’t really say that. He just meant it, secretly, but I know everything he is thinking!!!

Good thing he is so cutesy I just let him.

The reason we actually went there was to pick up our tickets to watch Manny Pacquiao for his latest fight. Not not up close and personal. Up close and personal with THE BIG SCREEN! Hehe. We watched it at Cuneta Astrodome the following day. Thanks to Nuffnang! :)

Here are all HIS other pictures. Cutie Gim!

Guys, be careful of your laptops!

Watch this video of a laptop thief caught on CCTV at some fast-food joint in the Philippines. The victim left his laptop bag carelessly on the floor beside him and had no idea when a stranger sat near him and started pulling the bag away from the victim.

I personally know two friends who had their laptops stolen this way. And it was really devastating for both of them, good thing that their companies replaced their laptops free of charge. But what’s really sad is the years of data lost on the laptops.

So be extra careful. If at all possible, do NOT bring your laptops with you when you go out. And if you do, keep them close to you at all times. I always keep my laptop bag on my lap or on my back when I’m sitting down somewhere public. Hopefully I will never become a victim to such thievery!

The Philippine taxi rate is going up this year. The Philippine National Taxi Operators Association has long been petitioning for an adjustment in the taxi rates, and it has finally been approved by the LTFRB.

So the new flagdown rate is P40 pesos, an increase of ten pesos. And for every extra 250 meters, you pay P3 pesos (it used to be P2.50). BUT – note that this is only applicable if your taxi can issue out a receipt. If it doesn’t have a receipt printer, you should still be charged the old rate. Good news for people who can reimburse taxi expenses!

My daily taxi rate to the office is P50. P30 flagdown, and P20 for an extra 2 kilometers. Now I guess I’ll be paying about P70. :( Time to take the jeepney!

Lantaka by the Sea

We got caught in the rain while joyriding through the streets of Zamboanga. We were about to drop by Paseo del Mar, but it was full of Sunday folks. So we decided on Lantaka by the Sea instead, even though the rates were considerably higher, the solitude and quiet would be well worth it.

And a good decision, too, since mere minutes after settling in our cozy little hut, the rain started pouring by the buckets.

We ordered Pasta Marisco (seafood pasta) to share, Choros de Chocolate (bread with chocolate) for dessert, a Cookies and Cream frappe for me, and two San Miguel Lights for him.

Spent the evening just taking photos, eating good and having fun, until the rain let up and we were able to head home.

Getting caught in the rain always leads to fun times when I’m with Gimmi. :)

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In the building where I live, you get someone to do it for you.

Coming home from work today, it was so frustrating. I realized upon reaching my condo unit that I had forgotten my keys inside! I called my roommate Christian, who always came home early to go to the gym, except he informed me he was currently out of town! (What a great roommate that makes me, huh.)

I called Jose, my other roommate, but I knew he often came home late, and alas, he said he’d be home by 8:30. It was only 6pm. Rare moment that I got to come home so early. (Normally, I finish work around 9 to 10pm.)

I didn’t want to wait around so I went and visited the admin office and asked if they could open my door. I had visions of a brawny security guard smashing down my door with his boots, or forcibly breaking open the doorknob. Something entertainingly disastrous and violent.

The secretary picked up the phone and called someone, after she heard my problem. She told me to talk to the person on the end of the line, to negotiate the cost. We haggled. Five hundred per lock was the first offer. I had two and simply could not spend that much. He relented and said five hundred for both locks. Relieved I had slashed 50% off the price, I agreed and put down the receiver. Then the secretary gave me this flat look like she thought I was a stupid, stupid tenant — then called the guy back and haggled it down to 400.

“Will he destroy my locks?” I asked sadly, thinking of how much it would cost me to replace all my locks. Waiting two hours for my roommate to arrive was starting to get a lot more attractive.

“No. We have the master lock,” she declared with a bland look on her face, like she had done this many times over. “He’ll be here in 10 minutes. Don’t fret, he has got a motorcycle.” How efficient, I thought, though a bit puzzled why they had to hire a third party. Must be a specialist.

And then a stupid bit later, miffed that they had a master key. So anybody could just come into my condo??? Although I was wont to say this publicly, as I was there asking them to break in. Wouldn’t I sound just so uppity.

The guy finally arrived, and we were escorted by security to my door. Whereupon he bent down on the floor, took out some pieces of wire and tin… and picked both my locks with ease, in under 10 minutes. Master lock, indeed. Dumbly, I handed him my money, he grinned widely and was escorted out by security.

Somehow I think I will have trouble sleeping tonight…

Zesto Wrappers

What can you do with leftover plastic wrappers, the wasteful by-products of an industrialized generation?

Burn them? Bury them? Throw them into space?

You’d be surprised. Zesto does none of these. Instead, Zesto Corporation donates all their (clean but) excess doy pack materials to Gawad Kalinga, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing shelter and livelihood to financially-challenged Filipinos. In turn, GK produces beautifully woven bags from these donated scraps right in their local chapter in GK Sunshineville, BF Resort Village, Las Piñas City, Philippines.

Their product include woven handbags, laptop bags, lunch bags, envelope bags, purses, bed mats, coasters, table tops, place mats, picture frames, storage cases and more.

Last week, I and my fellow bloggers, in coordination with Nuffnang and sponsored by HSBC, got the chance to personally visit GK Sunshineville.

We met up at Starbucks Bonifacio High Street early Saturday, and rode a van towards GK Sunshineville. It was half an hour’s ride away from Makati, and upon getting there, we immediately saw the GKers hard at work weaving strips of doy pack, sewing up bags, making envelops and creating all sorts of wonderful knick knacks.

Project Director Bong Ragojos and the GK Beneficiaries

We met Brother Bong, the project director for the Gawad Kalinga Bayong ng Kabuhayan livelihood project. (Bayong in Filipino means large bag. Bayong ng kabuhayan means livelihood bags.)

He, with the help of his wife, voluntarily manages the Bayong project, as part of  his responsibilities towards Couples for Christ (CFC). The men and women of Gawad Kalinga Sunshineville choose to work for the Bayong project, as most of them are unemployed and with children.

I asked the women how many bags they produce in a day, and they said that on average, they could finish 5-7 each. They are paid about 7 pesos per bag they create. Each bag sells for about Php200-300. (But more when sold via retailers.)

Bayong ng Kabuhayan Samples

Here are sampler bayongs from the Bayong project. Lovely, aren’t they? From afar, you can’t even see that they’re made out of Zesto materials.

The generic silver bags are Bayong’s best seller. They’re a hit locally. Interestingly, foreigners and Filipinos overseas prefer those that show the Zesto labels. I completely understand. Who wants to walk around carrying a bag that matches your buddy’s snack? However, a local product is certainly something unique abroad. :-)

I was enamored with the silver bag as well, but I’m not a fan of the handbag. I wanted a laptop bag, but the one they currently had on display had a black strap. I wanted the earthy brown strap they used for the other bags. They were only too happy to oblige, except that they couldn’t find a long enough strap to hold my laptop bag. :-( Aw. However, they said they could do it, I’d just have to follow up. GK Sunshineville, I’m holding you to your promise! ;-)

If you are interested in purchasing these bags, they do accept orders and even customizations. You can contact Mr. Bong Ragojos via mobile phone 63.2.9173907861/63.2.9196120202 or email him at ljragojos2002@yahoo.com.

My thanks goes out to Nuffnang, especially Patty, for inviting us to this event, and Abby, for buying us lunch. Thanks to Gawad Kalinga as well for giving me a bag! (More on the next post!)

To see more photos of the trip, see the gallery below.

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These days, when I think of Astoria Regency in Zamboanga City, I think of swimming. :) With my going back and forth Manila-Zamboanga, it’s been awhile since I was able to take a nice long dip in a swimming pool.

I miss those days. I am at a crossroad. Tomorrow I am supposed to return to Manila. (I just came back home for four days, to attend my boyfriend Gim’s graduation. He’s a doctor now! Photos of that soon.)

However, all I want to do is stay here, with him. Because he really makes me happy. Wish I could steal him away for a long long cruise, where we can forget all our troubles, drink and eat and be merry, and smile all the time. I want to just keep him and be with him for always.

But, the rainy days always come. And I have to give up being with him, again. I’m not sure for how long this time. I am at a crossroad.

I will just have to keep looking at photos of summer and happier times. And hope the rains pass quickly.

Easter Sunday, the day before I came back to Manila, Gim and I decided to visit Golf Beach, on a whim. Not to bathe; I don’t think I can ever bathe in less than white sand beaches (Dakak spoiled me). But rather just to enjoy the last few tendrils of sun. I don’t even have photos: it was much too dark.

After ten minutes of standing around near the water, we mounted Bastian (the bike) and left. But not before touring the entire beach, so we headed deeper into Golf.

At the end of the road, we saw this:

A new restaurant! What a surprise! And so pretty! Instantly I was saddened we hadn’t gone there earlier. It would have been a spectacular sunset.

Gim and I decided to have dinner there. It was very peaceful, we had the place to ourselves, as you can see in the photos below. I didn’t have a tripod so I had to set my camera on the table to get the photos (thus the awkward angles).

There wasn’t much beach, but there was a small park, and an exquisite tree parked on top of a hill, filled with sparkling lights. That was really the one thing that made the park beautiful, that tree.

Random aside: did you know that apricots came from Apricot trees? I thought they came from bushes! (It’s like how some people think pineapples come from trees, but don’t.)

I will return there, soon, to take more photos in better lighting. And in sunset! Oh I am so excited to return there on a sunset! These photos of mine do not do the tree justice.

Having the place to ourselves, Gim and I photowhored away. Much of it is blurry since we had to hold our breaths for ten seconds at least per photo. And one time, the waitress was coming with our food so I left my post midfreeze (that’s the one where I turned into a ghost).

The food was great! We ordered beef tapa with onions, it was so good, I loved it! We also ordered camaron rebosao (sugar roasted shrimp) but it was not available so we had to do with crispy shrimp, which was okay, not terrific. And of course, the requisite garlic rice (which was yum).

I apologize if the photos are a bit unfocused. We were too hungry to wait for the perfect take. :)

All in all, it was a very fun day. Gim and I had some heavy stuff to sort out so it was a good thing the place was clear of guests. We’re good now, though. :P

Here’s a bonus photo of the pretty tree. I tried my best to hold my breath while taking the photo, but it came out blurred anyway. Still you can see the potential. :)