Home sweet home!

The Philippine Airlines flight left Melbourne later than expected – but of course it’s PAL -  pal aging late! Two days before I left Melb, I was so sick and having migraines… i thought I wouldn’t be able to get on the plane. But I managed.  Eight hours or so later, we’ve landed and all i wanted for breakfast was Jollibee or tapsilog. Mum and bro were tired – traveled from Isabela to Manila overnight – and wanted to have a nap so we crashed at a friend’s place first. Had a quick visit at SM Mall of Asia and then on to the hotel. Then off to another mall then back to the hotel. In between I think I had eaten the following:

• tapsilog at Jollibee
• Chippy, kopiko candy, cornik
• crispy pansit canton, halo-halo & lariat at Chowking
• pansit luglug, okoy, puto bumbong, bibingka & iced tea at Mangan
• fish balls, siomai & gulaman at Robinson’s food mall

Cricky!!! I have to fit in that dress for my cousin’s wedding. I love every bite of all the above so I wouldn’t really care much – for now. Meanwhile, bro is now getting ready to go out and visit the bars of Malate. So will be off soon – to have San Miguel beer and some pulutan.

Syriana – Highly recommended movie

Last night I watched George Clooney’s movie Syriana on Channel 9. (I’m a Channel 7 fan though but this is tennis season and I’m no fan of tennis.) The movie is excellent – only for the fact that it deals with serious ramifications of world politics. It is loosely adapted from Robert Baer’s See No Evil. The movie is about the petroleum industry and how the mighty US has, once again, attempted to control world politics. The ramifications of this of course affect all facets – including economic, legal, and most importantly social. After I’ve watched it – I said to PG ‘I hate corporations!’ and he reminded me that I work for one. So I qualified that saying ‘multinational corporations’; the company I work only operates nationally.

Back to the movie – the story parallel that of Bush, Sr (actually the Bush’s clan) and the former US VP Dick Cheney and their ‘alleged’ involvement over the war in Afghanistan (the movie highlighted the Emir in Beirut in Lebanon). It is not right to generalise but what I take from the movie was that there will always be the bad and the good in every race in the world. The greedy business Americans who just want to protect their wealth and status and so will plot strategies to keep that – at all cost! (“Americans love to drill holes in other people’s countries” – Prince Nasir Al-Subaai said in the movie.) However, there are also those who uphold the universal right to freedom and humanity and they are the normal, hard working offshore Americans and die as ‘casualties’ of world politics. The movie showed lavish lifestyles of the Arab – they are indeed loaded. In the movie, it showed two brothers who are significantly different in outlook – I quite like the good Arab of course. I liked it and when he said to Bryan (Matt Damon), the energy analyst, that he wants to re-build his country with the right foundations… that of free enterprise, liberate women…

But what has strucked me most is the rant that Danny Dalton (a Washington attorney) had to another attorney when he said:

Some trust fund prosecutor, got off-message at Yale thinks he’s gonna run this up the flagpole? Make a name for himself? Maybe get elected some two-bit congressman from nowhere, with the result that Russia or China can suddenly start having, at our expense, all the advantages we enjoy here? No, I tell you. No, sir! Corruption charges! Corruption? Corruption is government intrusion into market efficiencies in the form of regulations. That’s Milton Friedman. He got a goddamn Nobel Prize. We have laws against it precisely so we can get away with it. Corruption is our protection. Corruption keeps us safe and warm. Corruption is why you and I are prancing around in here instead of fighting over scraps of meat out in the streets. Corruption is why we win.

 With that on regulation – so true and of course I know, I work in that area!!!

Happy new year to Isay!

Photo from my MacBook

I know I’m so late for the Western new year and still early for the Chinese new year… I’m actually just planning to write anything right now on my blog as I can see that it hasn’t been updated for ages. Which means that I have been really busy – that I don’t have the time to update it. However, it doesn’t mean that I’m not busy now – this time, it’s more to have a break from doing school assignments. Law school is painful!!! It was exciting in the class during lectures and discussion as I get to participate and share my opinions, but writing a very long research paper – sometimes on the driest subject matter – is not fun at all. Although I must say, I’m learning so much. See – I’m just rumbling…

It’s Sunday wee hours and I’m supposed to be on my bed by now. But I’m sure I’d be kicking myself if I don’t continue with the writing… I can hear next door tv is still on and I’m sure PG is already asleep, with Louis and Phoebe. I always say, tv is PG’s sleeping pill. Jamie & Pepper are with me – albeit both napping. I see them sleep and I want to join them already.

Back to the blog – I will not ever promise to keep my blog updated. As – who knows – when I’ll have time to do it. Although having said that, I have been updating my facebook every hour since Saturday morning. It’s my therapy. That’s sad. I feel sad having said that. Oh – I’m sure tomorrow it will be different.

Wish List: Handbags

But of course!!! I love handbags and I have a few in mind that I would love to have.

1. Hermes – The Birkin in black

2. Ralph Lauren – The Ricky in croc leather brown

3. Chanel classic quilted bag in black

4. Louis Vuitton Alma GM in Monogram Vernis in Pomme D A’mour

5.

New Life. New Post.

The last post on this blog was on the 27th of November 2007! It has been ages indeed since I last updated this blog. Lately – translate to a couple of months ago – I have been thinking of updating my blog as a way to keep track of my life and to make it easier for me to update family and friends. However, I’m such a procrastinator that I never find the time to do so.

Also, I wanted to update my blog so I have an excuse to update my WISH LIST. It is amasing how having a Wish List or a Vision Board works. I remember putting up my vision board in early 2004 and three years later, 90% of what I have put up on that board came true!!! The universe does give. Amen to that!

I say New Life, New Post because I do believe that I have changed so much since 2007. A lot has happened since then… all good and bad, but moreso it’s been a wonderful ride.

It’s Tuesday night and not much to see on TV hence it’s normally my surf night. It’s very cold today – I was going to do some yoga in my wiifit, but it is just cold! So I decided to vege out and surf. That’s when I thought I should start with a new Wish List.

Bulgari

Of the jewelry for women, I prefer rings more than earrings or necklaces. I do have a few brand favourites and models. In the Bulgari line I like the Astrale ring. I prefer this ring in metal form without the bling, and in gold. The Astrale in 18 kt yellow gold has a curved shield shape. The ring is very comfortable to wear because of the movable anchorage of the shield to the shank.

The Astrale in white gold is stunning though as it has pavé diamonds. It features a central branded element within precious circles of pavé diamonds. A beautiful piece indeed!

Gucci Indy Handbag

It’s this time of the year that I should be thinking of a new wish list. I do think I need (want) a new handbag. A particular bag I’ve been looking at is Gucci’s Indy bag. The Indy Bag is a rigid frame style purse featuring a strap inspired by the steering wheels of traditional racing cars. It’s got a single handle, detachable shoulder strap, engraved gucci script logo, tassels with bamboo detail, metal plates, studs, inside zip pocket, and mobile phone pocket. The Fall Winter 07 08 collection has got different variants of this Indy bag.

I had a quick look at the Gucci shop in Collins Street and the Indy is really lovely; except it’s a very heavy handbag. With nothing in it, it’s already heavy due to the metal plates. Although there is another variant that has got leather instead of the metal brass, I still think that the Indy with the hardware is more stylish. I had a look at this model (shown below) but I still prefer a solid colour.

I wanted to check the red one but alas the Collins shop didn’t have them. I think the Indy in red is pretty!

The beige/ebony in GG fabric is not that bad though. What’s unique about this one is the patchwork Gucci crest logo in front. Plus the hardware is in light gold (I do prefer gold than silver!).

Just an observation – service in the shop was terrible! The sales lady was so sloppy handling the handbags she acted like she was selling a $10 PVC bag! When she was showing me the bag, she didn’t care if parts of it hit the glass countertop. It’s a different feel from my experience shopping in the LV store across the road. I know it’s just a handbag, but it is a frickin’ expensive bag. And it’s too pretty to treat it like a cheap one.

Island Living!

I’m currently loving the India Hicks Island Living collection in Crabtree & Evelyn. I normally just buy their hand recovery and hand therapy products for hubby. About a couple of months ago I had to go back to their shop in Chadstone and buy the hand creams. At that time India Hick’s new line was just about the be launched so I was given a tiny sachet to sample. The following weekend I went back and bought the cologne, the body scrub, and shower gel. I do love to layer the products.

The packaging is also great as it’s very simple and yet very elegant – neutral coloured box, serif font (all caps) evokes traditional feel.

The scent does capture island living – soft blend of spider lily, citruses, orange blossom, tropical fruits, night-blooming jasmine, green palms and sea air accords.

Time in the shower has never been the same since – the scent from the body polish just fill the room and it always feel like summer/spring. This is a multi-tasking body polish – cleanses, retexturises, and moisturises. There’s no need to put on lotion after shower as the creamy foaming cleanser does moisturise the skin. Makes you not rinse too much as you would want the scent to linger… longer.

On alternate days I use the shower gel; parabens ad SLS free and it’s another divine product!

The following products will be added onto my Christmas 07 wish list:

Body cream ($44.95)

Bath salt ($49.95)

Casuarinas large poured candle ($114.95)

Hello!

I decided to re-design and resurrect my old blog as I honestly missed writing. There’s not a lot of time I can allocate for updating this but I promise I will try- really hard. The last entry on this was in July 2006! It’s now November 2007 – it has taken me more than a year to finally start blogging again.

To give you an update (hey Knoizki I know you’re waiting for this!) of what has happened in the last year or so, here’s the highlight:
(1) renovated the house (will post before and after photos later), and
(2) changed jobs within the same company
Not much you may say but these two “events” have definitely kept me very busy. Whilst going through the renovation, I was also busy with a new job! It was insane for sometime especially when we decided to stay and live in the house whilst being renovated. Top that with four demanding pets and it tested our relationship – on a daily basis.

But I’m back to blogging – which means I have time to spare these days. I know I should be organising and sorting the storage (the old office is still stuffed with “things”) but it’s more fun to be online.

So hello again and hope to have a new entry soon.