Snowpiercer

 

The movie is definitely not for the faint of heart. Conchi & I watched it flinching and not looking at the screen a lot of times. haha... I don't know which exactly made me like the movie. I can't outright say that I didn't like it and yet I cannot pinpoint why I like it. So, well, maybe I do like it. hahaha :)

Ewan! Til the next movie :)

Wicked

I regretted not watching this in Singapore last year and I was really excited when they announced that the production will come to the Philippines. The day they started selling out the tickets last year, we immediately snag ourselves (Nikka, Ros, Lyn and I) tickets.

Adik lang, when the show started its run, feeling namin everyone has already watched it except us. Apparently, may mas excited pa kesa sa amin. :)

So, today.. hindi na kamit 'OTHERS'. We finally got to watch!

Simply put, the show was AMAZING. :) Worth the price that we paid. every single peso.

What would have made it more amazing? If it was Aaron Tveit who played Fiyero here... HAHAHA :)

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

I wish that I'm a movie buff... Sad to say, I only usually watch about 5 movies in a year. I guess I really am just more of a bookaholic and into tv series than movies. :/ But who knows, maybe this year would be different. :)

Anyways, I watched my first movie for the year. Since my friend is on a Chris Pine rush, we went on an impromptu movie date and saw, yes, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. I really enjoyed the movie - ma-aksyon in fairness. Natawa lang kami, superman si Jack Ryan! hahaha.... injured na, nabangga na sha ng naka-motorbike pero nakatayo parin! bibo! :) Still, enjoy parin naman.

And oh, Chris Pine has got one of the most amazing blue eyes I've seen. Saya siguro siya katitigan! :)

Ohana and Books

With us already scattered across the globe now, it's rare that we get to meet up and it's even harder for us to peak up at 10 when we do meet up (usually it's just half)... So, when Pols told us that she'll be in Manila, shempre opportunity for us to meet and catch up! It was fun since 10 of us made it this time! yeyyyy! Same old same old, kwentuhan galore... update on what has happened and what's currently happening in our lives :). Super precious ang mga ganitong moments talaga! :)

Me with the Bakasyunistang si Pols... ang mga maka-Jerry! LOLz :)

Napagusapan ang susunod na travel and this time, we'd like to go to Korea together next year! I'm really hoping that this will push through... riot eto! Ohana in Korea 2012! :).

On a side note, since I don't go often in Eastwood, opportunity narin to visit FullyBooked there. hahaha.. naka-3 din ako ah! :)

Another Trip to Singapore!

The secret to getting good rates on a Cebu Pac seat sale is to buy now, think later. LOL... It's a pretty slow Friday and I CebuPac tweeted about their 50% seat sale so I went to their site and checked out the rates. Nikka's just beside me and urged me to go and get tickets for us! After waiting for Roland's 'Yes' to the trip, we went ahead and bought our tickets for Dec 1-4! yey :).. This time, it's just gonna be the 4 of us: Nikka, Ros (she's coming with us this time! sure na daw. lol), Roland and myself. Too bad Joel and Sharon won't make it 'coz they're already going in Sept. Haha..

This is going to be my 4th time at the Lion City... The 1st was a day trip to meet and have dinner with friends. The 2nd was the 1st real trip again with Ate Gi. The 3rd trip was with Conchi. This time around, I'll be with my travel buddies from work. I'm already looking forward to visiting the Universal Studios (wala pa siya nung first 3 trips ko. haha)! Also hoping to see and ride the Singapore Flyer (sana naman!), eat chili crabs and probably do some shopping - malamang books and some fangirl stuff (hehe).. we'll see!

Singapore here I come! Again! :)

Transformers: Dark of the Moon Date

It's another movie date with Conchi and Kathy and this time, it's Transformers Dark of the Moon. :) As usual, Conchi and I met at Fullybooked, SM The Block. Yes, I did buy some books (Jaci Burton's The Perfect Play in Trade Paperback - my 3rd copy and Josephine Angelini's Starcrossed). We then went up and got our movie tickets. OA! ang haba ng pila! We even tried buying the tix online but the connection was so slow and so inabot narin kami na sa counter. There were a lot of available seats naman pala so keri lang. :) After getting the tix, we waited for Kathy and then had a late lunch at Tender Bob's (yum, pork chops!). During lunch we started our "copy sessions". LOL.. I'm back watching Asian dramas and this time around, I copied loads of Korean dramas.

Time to watch the movie! I think this one was better than the 2nd installment (too long fight scenes >_<). I actually enjoyed it and really had some laughs during the movie. At in fairness, slightly cutie na si Shia LaBeouf.. I guess because may laman na siyang konti? hahhaa.. Of course, hotness si Josh Duhamel though I wish he had more scenes. :) Patrick Dempsey's character is a wimp. LOL. I really didn't like him there. The effects I think were kick-ass. I enjoyed the 3D though i think there were times that it was blurry. Nawawala yung sharpness.. or maybe it's because of the glasses? HAHAHA....

Till our next movie date! It seems like it's gonna be Captain America... Sino kaya mayaya to watch Harry Potter? :)

Pahabol, I managed to get pala Aly Carter's Uncommon Criminals at NBS in Annex. LOL..

And congratulations to the Azkals for winning against Sri-Lanka, 4-0! :).

X-Men First Class

Came back from another movie date with Conchi and Jerome. Conchi and I met up at FullyBooked (where else?), The Block, stayed there for a couple of minutes while waiting for Kathy... But we got hungry so we went to Annex and looked for a place to eat. We decided on Chinese food, so we again chose the President Tea House (this time hindi kami mashado nabusog...). Kathy met us there... So, after the late lunch, we headed back to The Block for X-Men First Class :). Really great movie. I had an awesome time watching and seeing Professor-X and Magneto before they were Professor-X and Magneto. A time when they were friends and are just Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsher. Seeing the other young mutants and showing off their powers to themselves were also fun. I really liked the balance of the movie - that it wasn't too cheesy and it wasn't too brutal or too much effects. :) I guess it's also a plus that I'm not a follower of the comics so I don't care much even if they changed details - big or not. Now, I kinda would like to read the comics and try to see the difference. haha...

Til the next movie date :)

March Meetup with Conchi and Kathy

For March, we decided to meetup in Megamall because Kathy has work at Megatrade Hall that day.

Anyways, Conchi and I met-up first and then we headed up at Megatrade to pick up Kathy. We had lunch somewhere at the Atrium wherein we got Chicken Marsala and Pasta...

After lunch, Kathy had to go back at Megatrade Hall, so it's just Conchi and me. The rest of the day was spent on bookstore hopping.. LOL... from NBS and Powerbooks in Megamall, then Powerbooks and Fullybooked Trinoma up to NBS Booksellers, NBS and Fullybooked at SM North.. yeah, 7 Bookstores! :)

Of course I was able to get some books!

- The Bodyguards: Tennessee by Martha Cecilia - A Tagalog series that I've been reading wayyy back. A new one was recently released so I got my copy!

- True Love and Other Disasters by Rachel Gibson

- Flat-Out Sexy by Erin McCarthy - I love this series and I'm really aiming to get myself hardcopies of the books!

- Hourglass by Claudia Gray - Success! I didn't think I'll still find a non-International copy of this here. But surprise surprise! Powerbooks had two copies and I grabbed one for myself (ang hirap pag-OC ka sa version!)

February Meetup with Conchi and Jerome

We were supposed to have our monthly meetups on the 1st Saturday of the month, but because of some unforseen reasons, we weren't able to meet as planned. Anyways, we decided to meet up this Saturday instead. Actually, Conchi just asked me yesterday if I'm up to meeting up and I said yes. LOL. I just txted Kathy this morning that I'll be at the Block and let me know if she'll be around so we could meet. :)

As usual, Conchi and I met up at FullyBooked. Of course, we'd browse around first and look for something good to buy. I've been wanting the 1st book of J.D. Robb's In Death series, Naked in Death and the boxset of the 1st 3 books from the series is available (it's been in the store for some time now.. hahaha), so I just got that :)

After Fullybooked, we headed to Tender Bob's for lunch. I was craving for some Potato Skins so I asked Conchi if we could have our lunch there. Pumayag naman siya.. so, aside from the Potato Skins, I got this.. yum yum!

After lunch, some kwentuhan and files copying, we went to SM Annex and just looked around. And Conchi shopped! LOL... It was her day that day and she was the one who bought more =D. We of course passed by NBS, and I just got this for myself

The Lady Most Likely by Julia Quinn, Eloisa James and Connie Brockway. I already have this in Kindle and have already read it but being a Julia Quinn fan that I am, I have to have a real copy ;).

After Conchi's shopping (hahaha), we went back at The Block and met up with Kathy at Bubble Tea. It's been ages since Conchi and I were there and I found myself craving for their Taro Milkshake!

And I also decided to have an early dinner as well, so I got myself a Tomato and Basil Angelhair pasta with my milkshake...

We just hang around the place for a couple of hours, again, Conchi and I exchanging files, and all three of us talking just about anything. We are planning a trip to Camiguin by end of year. Conchi and I decided to just travel within the Philippines for now so Kathy can come with us :). Hopefully, there will be a airfare sale soon!

Ahhh... Being with friends is one of the best ways to spend the weekend :)

with Conchi... ganda ng hair nya!

Jerome and her strawberry green tea... Yaw nya magpicture with us.. LOL

With the FangirlAsia Family and Book shopping (again!)

It's FangirlAsia's last Open House Sale at Meeting Room 13, SMX Convention Centre. It'll be there last since they already have their office in Makati and they'll have their office open to everyone on Saturdays to fulfill fangirls' (and fanboys) collection! :) As always, I was there to help out. It's always fun and feels good to be with friends! I haven't seen Ate Gi since our Tagaytay trip last December (and we used to see each other almost every weekend!). Same goes to the rest of the FangirlAsia family - Dadi Butch, Kathyren/Jerome, Akee, Jules and Bea. And just recently, we have a new girl onboard the team, Duhbie! She's now our bunso, being two months younger than Bea.

It never ceases to amaze me that even if I've been quiet within the Asian fangirl world, the fangirl in me always surfaces out when I'm with Ate Gi and the rest. Hahaha. Must be all that merchandise all around us. I've not been long inside the Meeting Room and I found myself just staring at TK and the rest of SMAP while they were performing in their 2009 concert (or at least I think it was their 2009 concert). And then I found myself taking pics of stuff that I'd include in my wishlist (at least hindi ko binili pa.. wishlist muna!)

FTIsland's Asia Tour Photobook - Philippines is included here! may pic pa ng ulo ni Ate Gi. LOL

FTIsland's FT Time 2011 - saw Bea's copy.. it has an awesome calendar, planner and postcards

FTIsland's 2nd Compilation, TW - I had the first one of this, a gift from Ate Gi for my b-day last year. Dapat lang na meron ako nung 2nd!

FTIsland's Beautiful Journey, TW Version - It has a DVD! :)

I know! They're all FTIsland. What can I say? I'm a fan! :)

Anyways, one big surprise that I got was Kinki Kids' Family single. I kept asking Bea how much was the CD because it didn't have any price tag on it. Turned out, it's already mine! Wuhooo! It's a gift from Pin :) :). Ate Gi was just waiting for me to "claim" it. Hahaha

Thanks Pin! I love it! :)

Oh, this time around, I didn't hitch a ride with Dadi Butch and Ate Gi 'coz I wanted to go to MOA first and do some book shopping. LOL. We usually just go to Powerbooks when we are at MOA/SMX and I wanted to pass by Fullybooked and National Bookstore. So, I just decided to just go to SMX and meet them there. I didn't buy anything at Fullybooked. I manage to get one from NBS though.. haha! and 2 more from Powerbooks. 

I got:

Jennifer Crusie's The Cinderella Deal - my first on hand J. Crusie book! Hope it's good.

Michael Scott's The Necromancer, the 4th book of the "The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel" series - It's on sale!
Cynthia Hand's Unearthly - I have this on my To Buy list. I love the cover, though it reminds me of the Lauren Kate's Fallen series covers.

Oh, Powerbooks is on sale. 30% on selected books until the end of January. I think I'll be going back to Powerbooks soon to get the rest of the Vampire Academy series. Except for the last book, all others is only around 297 php! :)
 

Friday Night with Old Friends :)

Mae and I knew each other since we were in grade school. We met Jobert when we were in High School. And years after, we try to meet up every once in a while. And it was last year since we last met - too long if you ask me. And so with a Wallpost in FB, I got Mae to finally meet up with me for dinner. I txted Jobert if he wanted to join us and being the kaladkarin that he is (hahaha), he said yes. :)

We met up at 7pm at Trinoma and had dinner at Man Hann. Over some Spicy Spare Ribs, Soy Chicken and Beef Brocolli, we mainly updated each other with our lives. Taking about old friends, where they are now, etc. etc. It's just the usual talk that you get with friends you haven't seen for some time. In short, it was fun! :). Sometime later, we had to go since Job had to somewhere else to meet other friends. But before that, he brought us to National Bookstore and bought Mae and I a copy of I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore! Job and I are avid readers. Mae not so much (=p). She kept teasing us that we're freaks to still be able to read so much. And of course, she said that she will read the book and will keep us updated on what chapter she's already in etc. etc. Let's see if she follows through. haha..

Thanks again Jobert for the book! This makes My TBR List count 230!

After Job left, Mae and I just decided to head home. Since she's the one with the car, hinatid nya ko :). When we arrived home, my mom and siblings were at the gates, so Mae decided to go down and greet them. My family were really glad to have her come visit again. Since it's been a really long time that they've seen her! :) And so, Mae stayed for awhile and chatted with the whole fam.

It was a great night! And Mae promised that she'll be back for my birthday. Haha.. I really hope that we could meet up regularly from now on. It's always awesome to be with old friends :).

Saturday Afternoon with Friends

Conchi, Kathy and I would usually meetup occasionally just to relax, eat and have fun together. Though during the last few meet-ups, it's just Conchi and me. Si Kathy biglang nawawala :). Before 2010 ended, Conchi and I scheduled a meet-up for the 8th of Jan. We contacted Kathy and asked if she could come. She has plans already but we txted her again and she still came with us. Yey!

At 1pm, Conchi and I met up at Fullybooked, The Block (our usual place). Of course, before we headed out for our late lunch (which we still didn't know where), we had to browse around the bookstore. Conchi got 2 books for herself and I got 1, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. I saw this posted by Fullybooked in FB and decided to try it out. It's about Clay Jensen finding a box of tapes made by Hannah Baker who committed suicide. The tapes explains the 13 reasons why she decided to kill herself. Interesting huh? :)

After Fullybooked, we met up with Kathy and headed to Annex to look for food. We ended up having a late lunch at the President's Tea House, a Chinese resto. Pretty ok food - we had seafood fried rice, seafood pancit canton, mapo tofu, beef broccoli and some dimsum. We didn't get to take pretty good pics of the food (forgot, again! =p).

Here's Conchi and myself, photo courtesy of Kathy. haha

After our lunch, Kathy went back to The Block to meet with her clients i think. Conchi and I headed to the WorldVision booth to do our goal for the day. I've been wanting to sponsor a child since 2010 but never got around to it until now.

Yeah, i sponsor a child! :) Happy!

Next stop is at NBS Booksellers. I was so happy that I was able to find the books that I like. 1st is the William and Kate book by Christopher Andersen. I guess it's because all of the historical romance reading that I am now very much interested with Royalty. :) Another book that I got that's a great surprise is The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan in paperback. Hoooraayyyyyyy!! I've waited for a long time for this. You see, my copies of the Percy Jackson books are all in paperback and being OC, I wanted the last book to be in paperback as well. Tiis ito! And when I saw it at Booksellers, I grabbed myself a copy. I even asked when it arrived (LOL) and the girl said that it just arrived today. Lucky! I'm pretty amazed that National releases books earlier than Fullybooked or Powerbooks these days.

Here are all the books I got today!

After our (or my) bookshopping, Conchi and I found ourselves inside the Apple store. We just wanted to look around (promise!). And after I've been debating whether to get an iPad or a Samsung Galaxy Tab, I finally got myself a new toy - an iPod Touch! LOL... Di kami pwede magsama ni Conchi, BI kami sa isa't isa. She also got herself one. HAHAHA.. There were only 2 64gb left and it's a sign! so bili na kami. Next thing we know, we're heading to the accessories section and choosing our casings. LOL :) As of now, I'm happily downloading and adding apps. Wala pa ngang songs! And we still have yet to try out Face Time.

Happy with our purchases, we headed to Caffe Ti-Amo and tried out their coffee and waffle gelato. Yum! There, we waited for Kathy to show up again. While waiting, we started our file exchange. hahaha! I got some new series to watch - Without a Trace, Big Bang Theory and House. And of course, when Kathy arrived, kwentuhan to the max parin. :)

Oh, and before I forget, I got this really awesome shirt from Conchi. It's from their own company creation. Nice noh? Thanks Conchi! :)

Today was really a day spent well with great friends! We've made it a pact to meet-up every 1st Saturday of the month (at the least).

Dex and Laarni - To Forever

What better way to start the year? - a Wedding! :)

Dex and Laarni are college sweethearts.. and after 9 years, they finally decided to tie the knot this 2nd of January 2011 at the Gazebo Royale in Quezon City.

Not to be left out, I played dress up and went with Gbert, Rain and Roche to witness their union.

Best Wishes to Mr. and Mrs. Dexter Apo!

Cheers to your new life together as husband and wife :)