Inspired!

I read an article on the May issue of Vogue. Something about how the stars get their killer bods. Halle Berry was given the title "Best Body. Period." And Jessica Alba's abs were hailed the tightest. I was absolutely inspired!

I learned from the article that Halle Berry doesn't really kill herself with lengthy workouts at the gym. Just 30 minutes, 5x a week. Jessica Alba does the same thing. Her bod is just great all-over, thanks to 30 minutes of cardio (cross-trainer or treadmill) 5x a week. And the secret to her oh-so-tight abs? Crunches on a balance ball.

So, I have decided to do just that starting next week. I should get at least 30 minutes of cardio 5x a week. If I have time to spare, then I make it an hour, then a little work on the machines. I hope my willpower will be strong enough to keep me on this new resolution. I'm back to boxing, I do spinning at least 2x a week, and my sis Adie and I have started on a badminton routine every weekend. I need a little more strength to hit the gym almost everyday (just like my Honey - go baby!), even for just 30 minutes on the cross-trainer.

And I have decided to post my developments here! :) So that I'll have reason NOT to give up. Please don't expect me to get killer abs like Jessica Alba's. I can't do that. But I can work on my bulges and soft spots. I can't look perfect, but I believe I can make my bod look better than ever. Lord, sana wag ako tamarin! :)

Wish me luck!

Intensity 6 - The Wave Anniversary Celebration

Long overdue, i know. We celebrated Intensity 6 last March. Here are the pics!

Can you wear THIS in Eastwood? I DID!

The girls of Wave 89.1 - Jada, Pam, and moi! :)

With my buddy Jada. Cheers to friendship!

With Jada and Marv. Marv resigned na...aww. :( This guy's so much fun. We'll miss you!

With Graphics Designer Habs and Sales Director James clowing around in the background!

With Habs and James. Station Manager namin yung nanggugulo sa likod. Hehehe... Hey Garz!

With Pam, Chen of Warner Music Phils. and Christian Bautista. Papa Christian looks pagod na here.

A couple of friends smiling for the cam! Yey...nakahabol ang honey ko!

Picture-picture before the show starts. Jada, Gia, Jerome, me!, Garry, Sam (Marv's girlfriend) and Marv. Happy happy!

Pictures courtesy of Ate Vida, who has found greener pastures somewhere else but will always be part of our lives...naks! Many thanks Vida!

The shallow minds of men

We are currently looking for new jocks, not "newbies" but those who already have experience in radio. So this girl was interested. She applied and had a meeting with the management. She's been in radio for quite some time already. I knew her name but I haven't met her. Yesterday I had the chance to finally see the girl behind the famous voice. She was very pleasant, with very good english, a lovely voice and a friendly air around her.

So I asked if we were going to give her a try. The answer was NO. Why? Because she did not have that "x-factor." She wasn't attractive. She was FAT.

AND THIS ANGERS ME SO MUCH! The shallow minds of men!

Let me tell you a story.

Six years ago, when Joe D'Mango hired me, I was an incredibly plain-looking girl who did not turn heads or catch the attention of guys. I was fat. My waistline was 29 - 30. I did not wear jeans because they made me look fat. I wore long skirts that fell around my ankles. I wore cheap clothes that were definitely not fashionable. I did not have enough money to buy expensive perfume, or get a facial. My long hair was dry and not shiny. I couldn't even afford to get my nails done every week, so I did them myself.

I don't believe I was ugly, but I WAS DEFINITELY NOT BEAUTIFUL.

But Joe D'Mango hired me. He saw the potential in me. He heard it in my voice, the way I talked, the smooth sound of my english. I wasn't perfect, but I was worth hiring.

Six years after, I am the Assistant Station Manager, and I have a KBP Golden Dove Award to add to my list of achievements. My waistline is 26. I look a hundred times better than when I first walked in the Wave office. I'm not Angelina Jolie, but I sure as hell can make heads turn now.

My point is: WHAT THE F*CK DOES LOOKS HAVE TO DO WITH IT?

Joe D'Mango gave me a chance six years ago. And within that six years, I was not only able to improve myself professionally, I was able to improve how I look. Looks are superficial. It's goddamn easy to give yourself a physical overhaul. It doesn't happen overnight but you can turn yourself from ugly duckling to beautiful swan. But TALENT and SKILL? When you've got what it takes, that will make you stand out, no matter what size your jeans are.

I am so angered by all these shallow decisions being made by the men around me. I am so disappointed. One of these days I know karma will get them. I know that day will come, when the girl I'm talking about loses weight and turns into a supermodel-slash-superjock, she'll walk past the men who ignored her and make them eat her dust. Oh, I definitely want to be there to see that!

The Boutique Bed & Breakfast

My honey and I discovered heaven here on earth... in Tagaytay to be exact. The Boutique Bed & Breakfast. It's a haven made especially for couples. If your sense of vacation is finding relaxing escape within the walls of your hotel room, then this is the perfect place for you.

Upon check-in, we were greeted with warm smiles and cold glasses of iced tea. And while Alvin was busy paying for the bill, I was led to this little room of wonderful scents - you get to choose your toiletries! I got Milk & Honey shampoo and conditioner, Dry Skin Lotion, two kinds of soap - peppermint and rosemary with oats, and lavender for our room scent.



We were then led to our bedroom on the 2nd level. All rooms are named after different emotions that you feel when you're in-love. I Dream, I Escape, I Surrender, I Lust. We got I Dare.




And this was the very first thing that took my breath away as soon as we opened the door...



The bedroom was so beautiful, it left me speechless.





We were in awe. All I could say to Alvin was, "Honey...ang ganda!" So we took pictures of every possible angle, to show our friends this incredible place we found.



Syempre kami din nag-pose sa cam. :)



Another thing that caught my attention was the personalized welcome note on the desk. Na-touch naman ako because other hotels normally don't do this.



And the wonders of our bedroom doesn't stop there.



We had a wall-mounted LCD TV with superb speakers and subwoofer. Those with IPODs can plug-and-play whatever music they want. As for me and my beau, we were excited about their DVD Library. They had a wide selection of great titles. Absolutely no reason for you to leave your room anymore! Even if you went to Tagaytay for the the "view." Look at ours!



The view from our private terrace. Ganda noh?



Below our room is the hotel's restaurant, The Hawaiian Bar-B-Que. You absolutely MUST try their baby back ribs. Sarap!



That's what we had for dinner, which we enjoyed on our private terrace. Having dinner with the man you love, while gazing at the full moon, its magnificent glow reflected on the lake's silvery ripples. It was lovely and wonderfully romantic.



And at night, before we snuggled under the covers and watched movies 'til the wee hours of the morning, they brought us our evening treat - two steaming cups of native hot chocolate and a plate of churros. Heaven!

And the morning after...



Breakfast in bed.
One of the things that beckoned me to this hotel. Breakfast delievered to your bedroom at any time you wish. And I enjoyed it while gazing at the breath-taking view from outside my window.
Absolutely blissful.

This was our last weekend vacation because Alvin has a new (and horrible!) schedule at work. So we're both glad we spent it at The Boutique. It was worth the travel and every peso we spent.



THE BOUTIQUE BED & BREAKFAST
046-4131885
For those looking for a romantic getaway, I suggest you go here. If your man says it's too expensive, call it quits and look for someone who loves you enough to take you there. It's worth it. And YOU are worth it. :)

These are all the many changes in my life...

Hahaha. Such a cheesy title. But the song is running in my head right now as I write this. I'll be hosting the last batch of the AICS graduation events this month. Bacoor this time. I'm already dressed up for the 1pm affair, and it's only 8am.

**********

I've been promoted! From Creative Director to ASSISTANT STATION MANAGER! 'Stig! I think it's still in the process of sinking into my system. When Sir Joe (Joe D'Mango) announced it to us two weeks ago, it didn't really make a big impact on me. Maybe because I was still trying to absorb it all. Now, I'm starting to feel the pressure. And I know it's going to get even...well, better. Hehe. Trying to look at everything positively. I'm up for the challenge. I'm not that well-equipped, but I'm in and I'll do my very best to not disappoint.

Realization:

Grabe. Ang layo na pala ng narating ko. I started sa Wave as just "someone who pitches in for everyone else" - words from my boss when he introduced me during one of our events. I only had very, very few friends in the station back then. For some reason, most of the girls hated me. Now I'm thinking maybe some of them felt it or something - that someday I was gonna be their boss. I wasn't made to be a subordinate. My dad trained me to be a manager. And so I guess people saw that in me, especially the ones who were in-charge before. I guess that explains it.

Now, at 28, I am their boss, next to Garry who's promoted from Programming Director to Station Manager. Grabe noh? Ang bilis. Sabi nga ni Caress of MCA - "young blood" na ang nagma-manage ng station. I hope it's for the better. I hope that Garry and I - being young and all - will be able to make Wave the station that is envied by all, THE frequency to listen to.

**********

Honey and I celebrated our 7th anniversary this month. Wow... 7 years of being together. No on-and-offs in between. 7 wonderful years of loving and caring and enjoying life side by side.

Love you sweetheart! Cheers to 7 years...and a lifetime of love!

**********

I'm featured on Fliptunes! Check it out! http://www.fliptunes.net

Blessing!

We had a big mother's-side family reunion during the Holy week break. It was so big that there were more unfamiliar faces than familiar ones. But we had a good time. Especially my mom, who haven't seen them for ages.

One of our lolas said to my dad: ang swerte mo naman, ang ganda ng pamilya mo.

That's probably one of the best compliments one can ever receive. You have a beautiful family. And indeed we are. Not just literally. We really do have a great family. And during the holy week break, I realized how just how big a blessing that is, absolutely priceless, and a lifetime of thank-you prayers can never be enough.





Thank you God for showing me how great Your love is through my family.

Happy Happy!

Had my belated birthday bash at work. Treated everyone to lunch. As always, the delicious food was ordered from Leonardo's Lechon, c/o my Ninang Marilou. We had a blast!
Syempre my Honey was my special guest!


Daming food! D' best talaga ang Leonardo's!


Che, Pam, Jingle, George, Owa, me and webmaster Habs behind.


With my buddy Jada and darling Iza who doesn't want to smile... :)

Habs and my Honey - 'stig!
Me and my Partna Rye! Di pa lasing yan...


Fun + food + friends = good times! Rodel standing behind me. Thanks for the bday cake dear! :)

With Gerric Yo and Station Manager #2 James!

Smile Iza! Ayaw pa din. :)

Happy happy indeed! Thank you Lord for wonderful friends and people who care!

Almost 30...

It's my birthday on the 28th. And I'm turning 28. Almost 30. Ang tanda ko na. But I don't really feel old. Only when I'm surrounded by the young, drunken crowd in Eastwood. Hehehe..

There are so many things I wish for. More money. A flat tummy. More rakets. Something new and exciting in my life.

But then again, I think it's much more rewarding to stop and reflect on the blessings I already have. A wonderful family. A man who loves me like crazy. Great, great friends. A good job with a good pay. Nice things. God has been good to me. And on my birthday, I want to thank Him, for always taking good care of me.

Pero kung pwede pang pumayat ng konti, Lord, birthday gift mo na sa akin yun. :) Donate ko na lang yung bilbil ko sa less fortunate. Hehehe...

Happy birthday to me!

The new me!

I have decided to change my look.



Voila! I had Ms. Cherry Reyes of Essensuals Toni & Guy Crowne Plaza to chop off my long tresses and give me a chic and incredibly low maintenance bob. I LOVE it!

For the longest time I wore my hair long. But I always tie it up anyway, so it doesn't make any sense to me anymore. And I sooo look like a manang! Enough is enough!

So from this look...



...to this...



...I think the short do makes for a much more exciting me. :)

Europe 2010

Cheers to...

...cuss words and laughter...
...phone sex and Europe in 2010...




...friendships meant to last for life!