Friday, August 11, 2006

Yipee.

Just a quick hello...
The results for NKOTB Round 1 at DSP are in and my "Key To My Heart" entry made it to the top 10!!!! Geeezzz...I'm so ecstatic..who wouldn't be? There are so so so many amazing and outrageous LOs out there that it would really be impossible for my entry to impress the judges' artistic and scrutinizing eyes. Now I'm going gaga with the prize they'll send me (a new kit)..can't wait!

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Round 2

Results for DSP's NKOTB5 Round 1 aren't in yet. So I absolutely got no idea how my entry fared among 99 entries..(asa pa ako, noh?). Anyway, Kristen sent today the instructions and the kits' coupon for Round 2 which I immediately downloaded. One thing I like about this NKOTB challenge is that you get to have free kits (usually cost around $3.99 on their digishop) for you to work on for each round. So kahit talo, panalo pa rin because of this freebies, di ba?

Here's my entry for Round 2 entitled The Magical Kiss:

NKOTB5-RND2ver1


Journalling reads: "It was not my lips you kissed but my soul...And when my lips meet thine, Thy very soul is wedded unto mine."
Software: Adobe Photoshop CS2
Fonts: Monotype Corsiva, Script MT Bold
Credits:
One Fine Day Kit by by Stacey Jewell Stahl
Moments Wordart by Tina Chambers
Floral Beauty Overlay by Kim Liddiard
Heart Doodles Overlay/Brush by Suzanne Walker
Windswept Stitch by Kim Liddiard
Wedding Kiss Quote by H.H. Boyesen

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On another hand, I got another excuse for not blogging lately. Our DSL connection here at home (Makati) has been screwing up lately. You're deeply immersed in your surfing thoughts..the next thing you know you're disconnected and could not reconnect even if you've shut down and restarted the pc. Kinabukasan ka na makakareconnect kaya good luck talaga. I already reported this to the PLDT DSL helpdesk, but to no avail, this keeps on recurring still.

Friday, August 04, 2006

CSE..passed!

As blogged the previous months and weeks, I took my Civil Service Examination yesterday via the Computer-Assisted System and boy, I'm still in cloud nine rejoicing..I passed the test..thank God!

With "lots" of butterflies in my sickening stomach, my hopes of passing went down the drain after the gruelling exam. I was quiet uneasy kasi di na ako sanay na nagte-test..it's been years na rin kasi since I graduated from college kaya I'm no longer used to pressure brought about by exams. I had lots of unsure answers and very wild guesses especially on the numerical reasoning (problem solving) and vocabulary. My efforts on reviewing the Philippine Constitution, Code of Conduct for Public Officials and Employees, Environmental Laws and Human Rights paid off. Marami akong sure answers dun. (So pardon na my absense in blogging ha? Hehe! Nagbunga naman eh.) Two hours of orientation plus the 3 hour exam that started late (10:am-1:00pm) definitely resulted to a growling hungry tummy. I tried eating my lunch but I just didn't have the appetite or even the energy to swallow some food out of tension and uneasiness. I just munched some sandwich and gulped my fave C2 drink. Sobrang kinakabahan ako and even psyched myself already that I'd fail the test.

We were told we could get the exam after an hour. But thanks to them, they tortured us more by making us to wait for 3 hours. Hay! But then...it's worth the wait naman. The examiner began distributing the results alphabetically. Results for those surnames starting with D were done and he was with Letter E already when I noticed my name was not called. So I waited longer until maubos na yung envelopes. The hall was near empty na of examinees and we were only 4 na lang na naiwan...all with questioning faces...asan ang envelopes namin? The examiner flashed a big smile. Yan pala, hinuli ang mga nakapasa. Surprisingly, out of 40+ examinees, there were only 6 who passed. I was delighted even more when I was informed I had the second to the highest score in the batch. Coolness talaga! Passing score, by the way, is 80%.

So there...with this, I'm now eligible to work for the government..and as I joked my dad, I'm now eligible to corrupt? :lolz:

Happy weekend everyone! :D

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Hooked..

Pardon my blog lagging and mood swings. As I said on my last entry, got plenty of entries on my mind but the "conscious" side in me can't just find the "right" way to blog it and yeah, sige na nga, nakakatamad lately hehe!

Anyway, while I idle with my blog, I found myself hooked once again with digiscrapping. I just joined an online contest at DSP called "New Kids on the Block 5" exclusively for first-time digiscrappers. Got my dose of CCs (constructive criticisms) already on the forum and I just love how they convey their thoughts and comments..definitely helpful in honing a newbie's digiscrapping skills. The girls do have the "eye" even for the smallest details. Grabe!

Here's my entry: for Version 1 (first attempt), Version 2 (better), Version 3 (best, so far). I'd love to hear your CCs,too and wanna know how do you think I'd fare on week 1. :) The contest, by the way, will run for 3 weeks this August each with different themes and challenges. :)

NKOTB5 entry

Title: Key To My Heart (Version 2)
Digiscrapped by: Mai
Credits: Welcome Kit (Captivate Capture Create) by Laura Bauvin
Metal Rimmed Tag (Tag Set) by Laura Bauvin
Gold Staple element from Swirlicious Set by Samara Gugler
Font: Fiolex Girls
Software: Adobe Photoshop CS2

Sunday, July 30, 2006

Rainy Season Vacay...

Day 1 - July 20, 2006
Paul and I, together with our HS barkada Leia, Genil & JR, set out on a not-so-bright-sun-shiny day but nevertheless with clear Metro Manila skies on our Day 1 for our "Bora sa tag-ulan" trip. We arrived at the Manila Domestic Airport at about past 12 pm...quite a bit early for our 3:30 PM flight but overestimating the travel time from QC to Pasay is way better than finding ourselves stuck in a traffic jam and messing up our check-in time, isn't it? The airport check-in lobby was not really crowded as it's a lean season for travelling but I just noticed that Cebu Pacific qeues are always filled up. Well, I bet, with the same reasons that we have, it must be their lean season Php 10 promo they launched beginning of this year. In spite of the long qeues of domestic travellers, we were able to check in without much hassle and then the, "long-waiting" begins.

waiting at the pre-departure area of MIAWe glued our asses on the Pre-departure area seats for two hours waiting for our flight 5J-343 bound to Kalibo hubby and mewhich is scheduled to leave at 3:30 PM. The flight monitoring clock on TV has already ticked at 3:30 PM and yehey! we weren't called yet to board the plane. And I thought, PAL lang ang "Plane Always Late"? We boarded the plane around 4 PM na yata.

flying over cloudy skiesAnyway, the flight was smooth naman all throughout the trip. The skies were clear pero mostly thick clouds blocked the view below. We were given C2 drinks and Cream-O choco cookies minutes after take-off. The flight took us more or less 50 minutes but didn't notice or didn't bore us as the crew entertained us with a Bring Me Game. I could have won a Cebu Pacific bag if I was able to pull out agad my cellphone charger from my bag. Sayang. Buti pa si JR..he won a bag as he was able to swiftly put up the Safety Instruction Card tucked in front of him.


JR (on my right side), me and hubby*Leia & Genil*camwhore couples aboard the plane
C2 and Choco Cream-O*cream-o proof on JR's teeth*Bring Me Game winner


touch down - kalibo airport runwayWe arrived at the Kalibo airport at about 5:10 in the afternoon. Aklan skies then were confusing. Welcome to Kalibo AirportOn one part, clouds weren't inviting, in fact, it looked like rains will pour any moment while on the other side, the sunny part seemed a bright welcome for us. We set out immediately and hopped in the van that would bring us to the Caticlan port. The 2-hour trip from Kalibo to Caticlan made me a bit nauseous as we drove on a mountainous-long-and-winding roads. me, JR (still proud of his prize), Leia & GenilManong driver was driving fast and was accelerating madly kahit na zigzag ang daan. Grrr! Nakakaba talaga kasi the sun has set na, it was dark tapos the rains poured hard na rin. Oh well, siguro on manong driver's mind, he wants us to reach the port asap as delikado rin to sail out in the dark (pertaining to our banca transfer from caticlan to the bora island). Pero naman, I almost puked out talaga sa hilo. I didn't anticipate this as we flew via Seair (which directly lands at Caticlan airport, thus, with a shorter travel time) the first time Paul and I went to Bora last December.

It was already dark na talaga when we reached the port. We were about to board the bangka when a real bad luck struck the Boracay Virgin, Leia. first pit stop for LeiaShe stepped on a rusting nail that pierced her heels twice. Blood drooled on her foot profusely as she was grimacing in pain. First pit stop we hanged out on the Boracay Island? the hospital! She opted to be shot with the anti-tetanus medicines. Siyempre naman, if you could've seen the rusting nail, katakot talaga. Medyo nagswell nga and as per the doctor, medyo deep daw ang laceration kaya ganun. And there goes our first adventure on the island.

We then checked in at Hey Jude Hotel at Station 2 located near D'Mall and D'Talipapa. It was already 9 am and we heard our tummies growling madly hehe! Di pa pala kami nagdidinner. just checked in at Hey Jude HotelWe brought some canned goods for our meals (para makatipid) but then we were that hungry and we wanted to eat asap. We then hurriedly scouted for CHEAP eateries sprawled near Hey Jude but since it's pretty late and most were about to close, their leftovers weren't inviting and kahit na siguro cheap siya, sayang lang ang money. It's good that we spotted an Andok's resto around the corner. I feasted on a Php 37+ worth of their breaded porkchop with rice while Paul stuffed himself with two barbeque sticks at Php 15 each. Oh ha? Tipid di ba? What a catch! Sarap pa. Oh well, for those of you who have gone to Bora, you'll agree with me na such a pain on the pockets pag dining time di ba sa sobrang expensive ng foods dun. Siyempre kungbaga, tourist price: ice cream at Php 100? California Maki at Php 250? Solo full meals at Php 250-300? hay! ginto ang pagkain dun. Actually, we set out on this vacation with one clear agreement and goal: to enjoy in a super dooper tipid mode. :D

Day 2 - July 21, 2006
We find stuffing ourselves with our free Hey Jude breakfasts: Tapsilog, Tocilog, Longsilog, American breakfast, early morning of our Day 2. breakfast at Hey JudeAfterwhich, we changed into our swimwears and approached the beach. Hmmm, the skies were a bit cloudy but nevertheless fine naman. Good enough for the skin..hindi iitim wheee! A bit windy thus, with the semi-gigantic waves. We strolled along the shoreline first and headed to station 1. At siyempre, the camwhores in us kicked in:


with a sandcastle*braving the waves*macho daw?*JR with his imaginary girlfriend daw*Bora waves
me & hubby*the grotto at station 1*my baby*50 sandy toes*heads down
solo ko naman*JR & hubby*JR, me, Leia and Genil*Leia and Genil*my hubby


We then braved the waves and swam. Kainis biglang uminit ng husto. The scorching heat burnt my skin in an instant waah! tan lines agad.

breakfast at Hey JudeWe headed back to our room and readied ourselves for lunch. Guess where we ate? Andok's ulit! Waaah! cholesterol warning. This time we feasted on a half chicken and liempo. Hala, cholesterol talaga. Tsk tsk bad!

Mid-afternoon, it started to rain. At siyempre pa, since takot kami sa sunburn, we grabbed the opportunity to swim minus the sun. Ang cool tignan kasi ang dami ding nagsilabasan para magswim sa tag-ulan. At dahil windy nga, lakas ng waves and much to our enjoyment as it overpowered us (kahit na sabayan namin). Lagi kaming "burado". Literally dragged sa shoreline kaya masakit ang katawan after. haha! We no longer captured our "burado" moments dahil one, mukha kaming tanga hehe! and second, umuulan nga so mababasa lang ang cam. :p

We got up and went back to our room just in time for our dinner. Since the aftertaste of liempo and chicken lingered still onto our tongues, we decided to search for a new one. With aching muscles, we didn't have the energy to wander far away pa kaya we landed on a resto near andok's. I tried their sisig rice topping turned out na super spicy pala. I have high tolerance on spicy foods pero niyay! I gulped so much water to pacify it and naumay ako agad. Paul wasn't satisfied either, he ordered asado rice toppings and he was given 4 pieces of meat na puro taba. Oh well, since we're all hungry, we just swallowed what we ordered and agreed di na mauulit dito.

We went back to our room and watched how Purefoods emerged as the PBA Champs against Red Bull. I am not a PBA fan pero I rooted for Purefoods..bakit? wala lang. Takot ako kay hubby eh. He hates Enrico Villanueva of Red Bull kasi. Quoting Leia, may "poot" (matinding galit) everytime Paul comments on Enrico's arrogance. Buti na nga lang at nagchampion ang Purefoods kundi, baka may nagwala sa room namin. :)

Day 3 - July 22, 2006
Paul and I woke up with rumbling and aching stomachs. Naah, hindi sa gutom. Paul got LBM and for him ewan ko ba kung bakit, this automatically means lalagnatin siya. After a few hours, may fever na nga siya. I, on the other hand, still could taste the sisig and it was not a good one. We were about to go boating and islandhopping sana this day pero Paul and I begged off. Later, I threw up what I ate for breakfast. As for our companions, ok naman sila. I figured it must have been the sisig we ate. I shared some of my sisig to Paul kaya pati siya nadamay. Hay! Food poisoned on day 3..tsk tsk tsk! We stayed at the hotel the whole afternoon while they went snorkling and island hopping. Oh well, oks lang, we have tried it naman na the first time we went kaya oks lang to pass muna. Sayang nga lang ang photo opportunities. haha! Here are some of the pics of their islandhopping adventure:

JR being attacked by a starfish?*the trio enjoying without us (huhu!)*cave*mini-bangkas

I felt better in the evening pero si Paul still burning hot with fever. We stayed in the hotel and just killed time chit-chatting, reminiscing HS days, tuksuhan and chikahan and everything while we watched HBO's House of Wax. Genil and JR went to Pier 1 midnight to experience Bora gimik weekend nights while the three of us stayed and dozed off.

Day 4 - July 23, 2006:
After eating breakfast, we went to the beach for our last dip. Waves were bigger and stronger and we were easily wiped out again, much to our delight. Hours later we headed to the hotel and started packing. We toured briskly the souvenir shops and bought necklaces and bracelets for my mom-in-law and sis-in-law before eating our lunch. For the last time, still had it at Andok's hehe! We were fetched at 12:30 pm for our 4:55 flight at Kalibo. The banca, van and bus transfers from Caticlan to Kalibo were more comfy this time. And siyempre pa, we lounged for two hours at the airport as we waited for our plane.

goodbye kalibo*at the Kalibo pre-departure area**

We were informed later that our flight will be delayed for a few minutes as the flights coming from Manila were all behind schedule due to the bad weather in Manila (typhoon Glenda about to hit Luzon). This was the day when non-stop rains poured and flooded some parts of Metro Manila. Hearing this, we braced ourselves with possible heart-pumping turbulences up there. Truly, there were some but notwithstanding the heavy rains here in the metro, we landed safely naman.
So there goes our "Boracay vacation sa tag-ulan". Enjoyed. Sunburnt. "Nailed". Food poisoned....FUN! FUN! FUN!
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So there goes my "utang" kwento and pics. Sorry if it took me the whole week to finish this entry. Well, aside from waiting for my friends to upload their bora pics, I wasn't in high spirits too, to blog lately. I have several thoughts in my mind to chronicle here but the more "conscious" side in me urged and opted me not to. Basta...basta..basta. :( :( :(