Let There Be Light

This is what I want above my dining table.  I saw this on the web and I'm not sure of if I can find one in Manila. Sigh. 

Decorating Ideas from Blogs

I've recently stumbled upon the blog Decorno in search of decorating ideas for the house.  The writer is very opinionated which I like.  She presents very interesting ideas.  She loves white rooms and antiques and writes witty entries.  Sadly, she stopped blogging in April 2010. Sigh. Intersting read though.

Payless Manila is a Bit Shoeless

I hurried to the Payless flagship store at Festival Mall, Alabang just before closing time.  I was looking for silver heels to match my teal jumpsuit for a wedding.  I know a jumpsuit may not exactly be appropriate for a wedding but I styled it a bit to fit the occasion.  So the heels were critical.  To my dismay, Payless didn't have much choices for formal wear.  Most of the styles were for casual wear- flats, sneakers, etc.  Plus the styles available in my size were so few.  I remember seeing more choices back in the US.  Oh well, too much hype and PR.

People are People to the rescue.  They were on sale and had the silver bejewelled heels I was looking for.  I bought them for a steal for P600.  The store was on sale. Goody!  These shoes will definitely be a keeper.

A Belated 37th (Oops, 38th) Birthday Lunch

You must already know what happened during the day of my birthday.  I desperately needed a break during the weekend so Sittie and I went all the way to UP to have lunch at the Persian restaurant Khas.  To my surprise and disbelief, Sittie has never eaten here the entire time she was studying at UP.  To think that it's walking distance from our college.  The first time she set foot at Khas was quite recently so she was really psyched to eat here.  For my part, well, it brings back memories of my graduate years.

As you enter Khas, you'd think nothing has changed.  But I was wrong.  The floor is already tiled and the tables and chairs are more comfortable.  There was a definite upgrade to the place.  What surprised me was the addition of Korean dishes to the menu.

I really don't know why I ordered the ox brain because when it comes to ordering food I'm usually a creature of habit.  Back in the day, I would usually order the keema (ground beef with spices) because it's a complete meal already.  You know how it is when you're a student, you try to get the most bang out of your buck.  Today was different though.  I went with the seafood stir-fry while Sittie ordered the sizzling chicken.  The food didn't impress me that much (note to self- next time order the keema) but the sizzling chicken was ok especially if you consider the prices of the dishes here.  Food costs approximately P80 to P200 a dish.  Not bad at all.  Portions are good for 2 people, if you ask me.  But if you're really famished, you can well finish the entire dish all by yourself.

Overall, it was an enjoyable meal.  The perfect way to end a stressful work week.

Re-evaluating My Friends' List

If there's something I really dislike, it would be people who are sly.  I had first hand experience on my birthday. Well, goodbye to you.  You shall be kept at a distance.  And I thought you were a real friend.  At least I found out sooner than later.

The Manila Staging of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "CATS"

I was able to get 2 tickets to the dress rehearsal of CATS courtesy of my friend Sittie.  It's really good to have friends who are "well-connected".  If I were to purchase those tickets, it would cost me P7000 each.  The show opened with the director explaining what a dress rehearsal is.  He added that there may be some choreography- lifts and stunts- that may not be seen in the show to avoid injuring cast members.  Actually, looking back, it really didn't seem like it. The entire cast seemed to be giving it their all to please the Filipino audience.

I have to be honest.  I am not a fan of this musicale.  If it were not for the discounted tickets, I wouldn't have watched it at all.  Never mind if all the Manilenans and who's -who are watching.  I do laud the actors because they gave it their all.  Bravo to them.  But I didn't find the storyline interesting as the others I've seen.  The stage and costumes were amazing though and so was the choreography.

If you have loads of money to spend go try to catch it.

Belated Birthday Plans

Two days ago was my birthday.  Unfortunately something terribly wrong happened to one of my projects based in Cambodia.  Around 2500 documents were missing and no one knows how that happened.  It started on the eve of my birthday.  I had no recourse but to get help from my home office.   I was burning the skype lines with my boss and coordinating with our systems department to get back-up tapes of the database.  On the day of my birthday, the 28th, I was feeling nauseous the entire day and by the time the afternoon came, my eyes were puffy because of stress.  Upon checking the back-up files, I had to restore approximately 4000 plus documents and not 2500.  The entire process took me the entire day plus I've had to check with my team mate just to make sure I was doing the right thing.  Never thought this would happen to me but it did.  Things happen unexpectedly.  They catch us by surprise and we just have to deal with it- birthday or no birthday.

So for a belated birthday "celebration", this is what I have planned for the weekend:
1.  Go walking around UP (my alma mater),
2.  have lunch at Persian/Indian restaurant in campus,
3.  dessert at Bannapple along Katipunan and
4. go to The Spa at the Fort.

Can't wait for a quieter weekend.  Hope your weekends are going to be relaxing as well!

Cheers!