I just moved here . Feel free to visit me there for I won't be updating this blog anytime soon anymore. See you!

11 more days left 'til Santa comes climbing down chimneys again. Not exactly a fan of santa since my house doesn't have a chimney (only a fake one). I can't recall how I learned the hard truth about him, but I'm glad I wasn't traumatized. Funny how movies show kids who went ballistic upon knowing santa doesn't exist, and they make it such a big deal out of it, which makes it even funnier, as they show adults try to unbreak the already broken secret.

As for my Christmas-y spirit, the only time I actually felt it was when I was buying gifts for the people that mattered to me the most. Since I don't really earn much nowadays due to some financial problems that workplace is currently having (whoopsiedoo), I'm being cheap, so I only have a short list this year (I apologize to those who won't be getting any, but would you please accept my warm christmas-y hug instead? or would you rather a cookie?).

December (or even late November) also means frequent trips to coffee shops, particularly Starbucks, as they all provide the masses a free Starbucks planner, as long as the little Starbucks card they give would be filled up with little Starbucks stickers. How nice, isn't it? I was one of the many who got their 2007 planner, and imagine the amount of caffeine I got around December last year, which came to a halt come February, when they don't serve Peppermint mochas anymore which I came to be addicted with only on those months they serve it. Now, you must be thinking, I'm probably one of those addicted again to their coffee.

Err, I haven't been going to Starbucks for months. MONTHS, I tell you. With my own free will. Except on those occasions when I was asked to meet someone there and bought a drink just for the sake of, well, for my mouth not to dry up with all the talking.

Probably because, well, there are other coffee shops out there aside from Starbucks. Say, Coffee Bean, for instance, which I visit often whenever I'm in the mood for a hot moroccan mint. Also, there's this place called Bali Blends Cafe at Westgate, Indonesian-inspired coffee shop, where they serve Sumatra coffee, which I like as well. Not only do they serve coffee and tea concoctions, they have a wide variety of Indonesian food. If you're into food adventure, then you gotta check this place out.

But I do miss Starbucks and their peppermint mocha. I think that it's the only drink I willingly spend on, albeit the price. And only during the holidays.

Now, Seattle's Best Coffee cooked up freebies of their own. With only 20 stickers, compared with Starbucks' 24, you get a planner, a mug, a shirt, and other stuff that I failed to remember (ask anyone for the other stuff I didn't mention), and it's actually a good deal! I rarely go to Seattle's Best, and the only time I appreciate Seattle's is when Starbucks is jampacked. But with all the freebies, it's really hard to miss.

So now I'm thinking, since I don't have both cards to fill up, which coffee shop should I go for for the freebie/s? LOL!

Frankly, Starbucks is just overrated. They give a high price for a cup. It made me think of Tim Horton's and how I wish there's one over here in Manila.

Oh, and did you know Starbucks owns Seattle's as well? Tactic!

I had my hair cut last Wednesday, and it's not just any trim. I had it styled to a short bob, which had been my old hair style 10 years ago. It was a spur of the moment thing, since my friend asked me for a salon recommendation, I led her to the salon I have been going to for hair maintenance for quite some time now. My usual hairstylist wasn't there when I had the appointment, so we made do of the hairstylists available that day.

Let me just say this, that I'm quite an OC when it comes to whoever cuts my hair. When I was in high school, I often cried right after a haircut, only because I was never satisfied with the result, yet I go back to the same salon only to bring another bucket of tears on my way out. Thinking about it now makes me cringe with embarrassment as I never did like the different styles I experimented with my hair. Also for being so melodramatic back then. Or maybe I still am.

All I'm saying is, I like my bob, and I'm not sure if it were made by a true professional, but it looked like it was made professionally.

. . .

As for other news, I came across these links, and if I dare say, it almost got me teary-eyed this morning. It's pretty cool. Check them out.

Read this first:

The Proposal

then this:

The girl's side


... but only if you got time in your hands. Like me.

I've forgotten all about my colorsplash :(

As much as I'd like to take more lomo shots, nowadays I can't afford to have them developed, nor do I have the extra cash to buy a film. It sucks knowing that I've been burning more cash than saving every week, all due to the fact that I've been paying the remaining balance of my dear Macbook for 10 months now. But, whoopee, I only have 2 months left before I can truly say that it's 100% mine, Mine, MINE! So I make use of the digital camera for special occasions and long vacation breaks.

I don't know when I'd be able to feed my bank account with money again because after paying for the Mac, I'm kinda thinking of acquiring another major purchase, which is a DSLR, so tell me, when will the spending stop?? And I keep asking myself the same question whenever I think of buying an SLR ... would it turn into a good investment in the near future, since I already have a Mac to tinker with which would go hand in hand with the camera ...

. . .

My body is now in sync with the time zone and climate. But I still have a rough time sleeping at night, and since I got back here I wake up in the wee hours of the morning and fail to go back to dreamland.

For me to start the day right on a groggy state, I play Christmas songs driving to and from work for a cheery mood.

Speaking of Christmas, for my Christmas wish list, I only have one:

-- a DSLR, Canon preferably

Now, I'm not asking any one of you to buy me one, but if you're rich enough to shed some extra dough and spend it on my only wish list, then buy away.

I was able to watch Beowulf in 3D, and my gulay I certainly enjoyed watching the whole thing in 3D glasses. When Ed and I entered the cinema, the glasses were handed out, and I was kind of hesitating at first at what they were handing out because I was expecting the old school, red and blue lenses, paper kind of glasses I used to know when I was a kid of the 80's. Maaaaan I'm obsolete, haha! So it was fun watching the whole movie in 3D, even if the film itself was not so much of a blockbuster. If I saw it in 2D, I'd probably have a different review, heeh.

I'm back in Manila, all grumpy and lazy. Whoever comes to work happy and just right after a long vacation is nothing but a workaholic. I am like any ordinary worker who always prefer a vacation over work.

This jetlag I'm currently having is giving me a headache. And I thought I was immune to it.

Only 2 more days and I'll be flying back to Manila. As with all the times I travelled, I always feel sad knowing my vacation will soon end.

Since yesterday, I've been been rejecting mall trips and spending time here at my relatives' house. Shopping spree is over and I'm done with spending. There's nothing like a homely place to stay in on a cold day (well, everyday is a cold day here except on summer) and just lounge around and watch koreanovela all day. Haha! It makes me think of home and the people I left back home. I miss them and I can't wait to go home as well.

But as much as I'd want to stretch my stay here, I couldn't.

Dinner time...