2010 Handbook

Quoting from Facebook, I thought this 2010 Handbook pretty much covered all the resolutions I wanted to make.

Health:

1. Drink plenty of water.

2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.

3. Eat more food that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.

5. Make time to pray.

6. Play more games.

7. Read more books than you did in 2009 .

8. Sit in silence for at least 10. minutes each day.

9. Sleep for 7 hours.

10. Take a 10-30 minute walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:

11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the

positive present moment.

13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.

14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.

16. Dream more while you are awake.

17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.

20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

23. Smile and laugh more.

24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:

25. Call your family often.

26. Each day give something good to others.

27. Forgive everyone for everything.

28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.

29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

30. What other people think of you is none of your business.

31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:

32. Do the right thing!

33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

34. GOD heals everything.

35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

37. The best is yet to come.

38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.

39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Last but not the least:

40. Please forward this to everyone you care about, I just did.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Season's Greetings

Wishing everyone a Wonderful and Blessed Holiday Season!

May your days be merry and filled with joy and love!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Get-Togethers

I love that Christmas gives me the opportunity to catch up with friends that I haven't seen in a while :)

Catching up with Jay!

And Alex :)

Jap Lunch with Connie :)

And after a yummy Mexican Dinner at Maya with Vhanya, Rhoda, Joyce and Nina.

I'm definitely looking forward to spending more time with friends and family this holiday season :)

Special Edition Floor Length Infinity Evening Gown

This is a sample of the infinity dress I'm thinking of giving my bridesmaids for the wedding.

It's a floor length, evening gown, with special gathers down the front, and extra long straps for more wrapping possibilities. And it uses 5 meters of gorgeous fabric!






I don't mean to toot my own horn but I love it!

First Shots.

Shots from today. Tomorrow is Nanang's (my grandma's) one year death anniversary. In preparation for tomorrow's activities, Dad and I went around doing errands.

I must say, a smaller camera is so much more wonderfully convenient to capture important, everyday moments.

IMG_0001

Flowers from Nanang's "suki"

Father and Daughter

We miss you, Nang.

Zubuchon, Cebu's Newest Lechon

On the menu for the Cebu Aspire Training Team Christmas Dinner:

Paella Negra

Pesto Pasta

Carbonara

Fresh Lumpia

Baked Scallops

and...

Zubuchon Lechon!

Nothing taste like the holidays like yummy yummy Cebu lechon!

I've heard a lot of good things about Zubuchon, the newest lechon (roast pig) station that just opened at the Banilad Town Center. Even before they opened their stall, they would already sell lechon on Sundays as part of the organiz market at BTC.

Photo courtesy of MarketManila.Com

These are the things that I have heard about Zubuchon. First, is that rumor has it, this is the lechon that Anthony Bourdain proclaimed as the "best roast pig in the world" on his show, No Reservations!

The second oomph factor of Zubuchon that I have heard is that their pigs are fed only chicos in the last few weeks before they are roasted. This gives the meat a different texture, it's not as fatty in some areas of the lechon, and it's not as dry in the normally dry areas of the meat either.

A few days ago, when I first chanced upon their stall, I was so excited, I bought a kilo to take home and eat with my sister. My comment on my first taste of Zubuchon lechon? Wow! This stuff is awesome! The skin tasted crispier and more crackly than other lechons and the meat would just melt in my mouth! It was an awesome experience, one that made Gerard really jealous.

So, for our Aspire Christmas dinner, we are having Zubuchon lechon! (Thank you Quennie!)I will post pics after the dinner (especially for Gerard's benefit.)

For now, Zubuchon offers delivery for orders 2 kilos and above. They also have pre-frozen lechon in case you'd like to buy some as pasalubong, or presents when you visit relatives and friends.

For more info on Zubuchon lechon, visit this link.

Here's to the first of many yummy Christmas dinners this year!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Just a quick post during my lunch break. I wanted to enumerate all the things I've got to look forward to this holiday season.

1. Aspire Training Team Christmas Dinner on Saturday! It's going to be a fun evening with great food and great friends. Zubuchon, squid ink paella, pesto pasta, and that's just for starters!
2. Going to Dumaguete this weekend and spending quality time with Mom and Dad (even if the reason is sad. We miss you, Nang.)
3. CIS grand reunion on December 17, Thursday, at Formo!
4. Two weeks off from work (even if it is unpaid :p) This gives me the opportunity to spend time with my family, catch up on wedding stuff, work on paper stuff, and maybe even ribbon stuff!)
5. Speaking of which, my ribbon printing machine is working! And I'm looking forward to tinkering around with it over the holidays. Personalized ribbons, here I come!
6. My new baby is arriving! I'm looking forward to capturing more moments and blogging more. Thank you, hun :)
7. Spending time with friends who are home for the holidays.
8. Celebrating my last Christmas a single girl with my family. I'm out to cherish this time and make the most out of it.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Leanne's Christmas Cards

My sister is a champion Christmas gifts wrapper. Every year, she has a special design or theme for her Christmas wrapping. One year it was brown paper with colorful berries and Christmas balls attached. Another year it was color coordinated gold wrappers with red ribbons.

This year, it's colorful straw bags or "bayongs" that she bought from the market.

And every year, I make her matching gift tags as well.

These are this year's designs.

I'll photograph a fully wrapped gift when she's finished wrapping one.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Wedding Ring Inscriptions

Last night, while driving home, I started to think about what Gerard and I would have engraved in our wedding rings. Originally, we wanted to do the fingerprint engraving, that is, engrave each other's fingerprints on the underside of our ring. However, it seems that the technology isn't available yet here in the Philippines. I thought it was a unique idea though!

So instead, we're each deciding on words to engrave in each other's ring.

These are some of our favorites:

"Gotcha!"

"Your love is better than chocolate."

"May the force be with you."

"A deal's a deal." (Taken from Courteny Cox and David Arquette rings)

"I will be here."

However, this is my personal favorite and what I'm leaning towards.

"Today I marry my friend. April 9, 2010"

I feel it to be very fitting, because more than anything, Gerard has always been my friend.

Now I just have to wait for what he'll place in my ring :).

The New Dream

I think it's time to give up my big camera and get something that doesn't feel like it weighs ten pounds. I think one of the major reasons I don't take that many photos anymore is the fact that my Carrie Camera is big and heavy.

I think this is my new dream, the Canon Powershot G11.

Maybe after the wedding :)

Bucket Lists: Travel

My travel bucket list:

1. Batanes
2. Sagada
3. Amanpulo, Palawan
4. Paris
5. London
6. Japan. Get good sushi.
7. Denver
8. Go back to Hong Kong. Eat dim sum there!
9. Italy. Pizza and Pasta!
10. Greece
11. Spain
12. ...
    

Bucket Lists: Things to See and Do

I'm a big fan of lists, especially "bucket lists" even before the movie came out.

So what is a "bucket list" exactly? Well, it's a list of things that one wants to do, accomplish, read, see, whatever before one "kicks the bucket."

I figure I'd have several bucket lists divided into several categories so I'll start with the easist for now, a list of things I would want to see and do, in my lifetime. I'm just going to label them for easy updating in the future.

So here's my Things to See and Do Bucket List.

1. Attend a hot air balloon festival (not necessarily ride in one though. I AM afraid of heights :p)
2. Write a book
3. Learn how to cook more dishes
4. Take more photos
5. Study again. Maybe literature this time.
6. See a Monet
7. Eat crepes in Paris
8. ...