one monday morning

i have never seen that much smoke billowing out of a building before. even my colleagues couldn't help themselves but peer at the window. i'm just glad it wasn't a terrorist attack. read more here.

on a break

i never had a manager ask me to use up my leaves before. most probably because when i was still working in Pinas, there were just so many gimiks with my barkada that 15 VLs and 15 SLs were just not enough. when i moved to Singapore, it was worse as i didn't have any SLs at all. i learned not to use up my VLs so quickly and instead reserve them for a good time to have a quick trip back home. so you can just imagine how pleased i am to be granted 28 days of VL in a year and unlimited SLs (which i don't want to use of course!). fast forward to 10 months later, i was surprised to find out that i had 25 VL days left. i completely forgot about them! being new to the firm, i didn't want to book any holidays as i felt that i needed to be in the office and learn more about the system we were supporting.

as a result of my poor planning, i now have to use up my VLs during the last two months of the year. so for the past three weeks or so, i've booked thursdays and fridays off. what did i do with my leaves? you got it right, during my off days, i woke up at around noon time, had lunch at around 2pm and watched criminal minds in nabolister.com! when i got bored watching my tv shows, i cleaned our flat, vacuumed the floor, dusted the cabinets or did the laundry. i feel so unproductive - there are so many things i want to do (like read my photography books or practice photography) but i end up doing things which aren't even on my list of things to do! argh!

oh, i hope tomorrow would be a fruitful day. W and i would be roaming london once again to check out new flats and houses for sale. wish us luck!

P - is for Pilates

i finally did it. i finally joined a pilates class. of course, i enrolled myself in the beginner's class. i had no illusions about my flexibility though friends have told me that pilates isn't as hard as yoga. i've been wanting to take pilates classes since...ahm...2003 (4 years ago?!!!) but something always got in the way (yeah, excuses)!. when i found out that our gym holds pilates classes twice a week (one for beginners and another for regular participants), i no longer had an excuse to say no! =D

i had my very first pilates work out last monday. afterwards, i told W that the excercises were pretty easy compared to the weight lifting i did a few days ago. i shouldn't have spoken too early coz when i woke up the following day, my body was aching. i was even supposed to head to the gym that day but i cancelled it instead. i feel pretty good though and i'm glad i gave pilates a try. i already signed up for the next class and i'm counting on making this a regular thing. classes are held on mondays at 1pm so i just hope that our applications wouldn't go mad on mondays so that i can go down to the 5th floor for a quick pilates work out. ;) i think i'm beginning to like this "healthy lifestyle" W and I are trying to adopt. ;)

abc...

thanks to erra for tagging me! ;) i don't usually do tag posts but what the heck, this seems fun! (for me at least!) besides, i think this site needs a bit of action =D poor blog, i have totally neglected it.

Instructions: Each player starts with 7 random habits/facts about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

Seven facts about me:

(1) if i don't watch it, i can get easily addicted to doing stuff. no, i don't mean substance abuse but rather habits like reading books or watching tv shows. when i start reading a book, i won't sleep until i finish it (even if i don't like it). and then, i'll pick up another and another - and before you know it, i've become an insomniac once again. my W always tells me to watch it and to try to control the addict in me!

(2) i love american tv shows just like any other girl. W says it's become an unhealthy obsession! =P if i watched a tv show from the very first season, i have to continue watching it even if it sucks. i've seen all these shows from season 1 onwards: charmed, buffy the vamipire slayer, sex & the city, veronica mars, arrested development, wonderfalls, csi, csi ny, csi miami, friends, prison break, heroes, ugly betty, supernatural, grey's anatomy, private practice, smallville, 24, numb3rs, desperate housewives, bionic woman, blood ties, studio 60 on the sunset strip, ghost whisperer.

(3) i can be very messy (my roommates over the years would attest to this) but that doesn't mean i don't like cleaning. W sometimes bans me from cleaning the house or vacuuming (my favorite chore) as i sometimes spend the entire weekend doing just that. it's just that when our flat is disorganized, i feel like my life is disorganized as well - so i have this compulsion to put everything into their proper order.

(4) if you let me, i can just sleep the entire day away. during my AC days, i remember sleeping for 22 hours straight!

(5) i can't sing worth a damn.

(6) when i was younger, i didn't have any interest in travelling at all. i would have to thank my friend joycy for introducing me to this lovely past time! ;) joyce, i can still remember that tragic day when we got "left by the plane" in boracay and hence had to spend another day in the island! =D she was also the one who convinced me to work abroad so that i could someday afford to see the world! ;)

(7) W says I am super vain. i beg to disagree. i'd like to think that there is just the right amount of vanity in me! =P hehehe

A - Age: 27
B - Band Listening To Right Now: chris daughtry (oops, can't make me name a band! i only listen to him these days!)
C - Career: IT Consultant
D - Drink or Smoke: drink (i've mellowed down, just half a bottle of wine per month! ;) or smoke (i've quit!)
E - Easiest Friends To Talk To: aside from W, that would be jen, ria, melo, joycy
G - Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms: gummy bears
H - Have a Boyfriend: nah, i'm married ;)
I - In love: always with my hunnie ;)
J - Junk Food You Like: doritos!
K - Kids: not now, maybe in a year or two? let's see!
L - Longest Ride Ever: manila to heathrow
N - Names For Your Future Kids: at this point, i really don't know!
O - One Wish You Have Now: i wish my parents and my brother would relocate to england! =D
P - Phobias: heights
Q - Favorite Quote: hmm, when i was a kid it used to be "try and try until you die!" hehe
R - Reasons To Smile: i know i am loved by God, my husband, my family & my friends! =) a lot of reasons to be happy and thankful for!
S - Sleeping Hours: around 6.5 to 7 hours daily
T - Time You Woke Up: 11am
U - Unknown Fact About You: i have an unhealthy obsession with the floor. i need to make it shine o brightly so that i can see my reflection on it! (exagg!)
V - Vegetable You Hate: ampalaya of course!
W - Worst Habit: i leave things opened all the time (this really bugs my hunnie) so sometimes i have to clean up after the spilled lotions, milk etc!
X - X-rays You’ve Had: chest, teeth, hand
Y - Yummy Foods: chilli crab
Z - Zodiac Sign: piesces