Gift Ideas

The countdown is slowly nearing its end. Frenchguy and I, inspite of all the worries of the unknown are of course excited with this brandnew event in our lives. Just a few minor stuffs to prepare while I'm on maternity leave and we're ready.

We have been discussing what kind of gift we could give to our bébé for her arrival. A nice out-of-the-clinic outfit which she could pass on to the next generation? Hmm, baka imbes na matuwa ang next generation e maasar pa. A jewel? Hmm, both of us are not much into this fancy. Plant a tree? Ok, frenchguy will add another one in our garden this November. Hmm, that's all? Oh well, I guess our bébé deserves more than that.

Domaine de Faiveley, Nuits St Georges. The wine cellar of this castle could be visited, dégustation (wine tasting) and wine shopping are the main activity in this area.

Last Sunday, we went to the long coast of vineyards in Burgundy hoping to see live vendange (grape harvest). The deal was: if we cross one, we will buy bottles of wine from that same domaine harvested this year (which will be commercialized a year or two from now). The number of bottles will be in function of the actual birth date of our baby: FYI due date is programmed on November 24, that makes 24 bottles if she arrives on time.

The idea behind was to show to our bébé that she was there, watching the vendange behind maman's tummy. The bottle opening is not decided yet, but we're thinking of her first communion, not a bad idea, the wine is just the right age for the dégustation.

So where were we last Sunday? Our afternoon leisure drive brought us up to Nuits St Georges, Domaine de Faiveley. Click this link to know more. You might want to do the dégustation with us ;)

There was a festive ambiance around the area with the wine gatherers and of course, the nombreuse tourists from almost everywhere flocking around the area (there were even some japanese!). This lady was kind enough to pose for a photo for me. But of course, pahuhuli ba naman ang beauty ko hehe.

So there you go bébé, you will have your gift in two years time, a real Bourguignonne (Burgundy habitant)! Oh well, you're not obliged to finish all the bottles, you could share them with papa and maman hehe. A ta santé!

Buntis Updates

The past days had been too busy for me at work. Here's my to-do-list and proud to say that I'm more than halfway to the finish line.

- Complete technical and validation files for ongoing and future projects
- Submit closing documents for finished projects
- Submit SS file to the HR Dept for proper computation of my daily allowance during my maternity leave
- Submit updated Carte de Séjour at the HR Dept
- Inform everybody in my workgroup about my upcoming maternity leave and have my boss in Cc systematically on all email exchanges
- Transfer all ongoing and future projects to my substitute and train him/her. (S/he hasn't arrived yet. Darn! But good samaritan as I am, I told my boss that I could go back a day or two to finish the job)
- Complete my Declaration File (a file wherein we declare our daily activities - so starting next week, it reads Maternité..)
- Arrange files /Clean my table
- Clean my Inbox to prevent email clogging
- Inform my friends and family to direct their emails to my @yahoo.com account
- Bring home my laboratory gown and used socks hehe..
- Bring my laptop and phone to our secretary
- Bring home all personal stuffs in my drawer
- Etcetera

Now you understand why I was absent from the blogging world. But hey, I'll be back full time starting next week...see you guys!

Legend: in Red = Done
in Green = Work in Progress
in Blue = To Be Done

Rewards at Work

I have received an email from the big boss this morning, informing me and my immediate boss that my project last year will be nominated as Best New Product Project of the Year. How did I react to that? I of course forwarded the email to frenchguy boasting how the big bosses esteem my work. Yabang!

The fact that they thought about nominating my project is already a great compensation for me. Inspite of the technical difficulties we encountered at the start of the project, the final product is playing to my advantage. First, I had an exceptional incentive. Yep, euros! And then, I had a salary increase and that project was used as a means to justify those extra euros in my pocket. I have to add that due to this project, I was able to see my family more often last year (the project was implemented in the Philippines), I was able to dope my mileage giving me access to my airline's business lounge and finally, I was able to bloat my bank account with my travel incentives hehe.

The deliberation will be at the end of this year. I of course hope to bag the title kesihodang magprepare pa ko ng pang Famas na message. Teka, I'm on maternity leave nga pala by that time. Ok lang, I'll just recite it infront of my bébé, pampatulog hehe..

I was tagged!

I was tagged, again??? Eherm, these blogfriends obviously want to know more about their blogfriends..mga tsismosa ba hehe. But since I generally write about me, my life and my points of view, it's just so easy to get to know me. So in case you haven't noticed or known yet, I'm generally a pro-environmentalist, a nature lover, ano fa nga ba, a proud Chemical Gingineer, a soon-to-be but already-super-duper-excited mom, inloved with my frenchguy, a struggling pinay in the wine capital of the world, a serious buff at work and a babaeng bakla all rolled into one..

I guess it would be interesting to read this and this to have a glimpse of me. Pero teka, you're asking 3 things you don't know yet? Hmmm, esep esep...So, vakletang Mildred, here you go baby:

THREE THINGS ABOUT ME THAT YOU DON'T KNOW YET:

1. I only work when I'm being paid. I hate household chores. As in! I hate cooking. As in ulit! So who does all those dirty jobs at home? Of course, my fave houseboy - frenchguy (the only thing I do with gusto is ironing and cleaning the toilet and bath hehe). And how do I survive when he's out of the country? Di po ako nagkakalat, that way, I won't have anything to clean up. I have stocks of ready-to-cook stuffs and a number of telephone numbers for express delivery hehe.

Oh well, I have to change this bad habit, especially now that I'll be a maman!

2. I can't sleep without my pillow. Mawala na si frenchguy sa tabi ko, wag lang ang unan ko hehe..so imagine our bed, surrounded by pillows. And that's for anytime and anywhere, be it on camping, on the plane (I ask the stewardess for extra pillows), on vacation (kasama namin pillow ko sa lahat ng bakasyon, nasa likod lagi ng car hehe).

Magbiro ka na sa lasing, wag lang sa bagong gising!

3. The number 12 signifies a lot to me. If I have to play lotto, for sure, I have this number on the list. It's my birth date, our anniversary date, and my rank on our batch of graduating class. Di po kami 12 lang sa buong batch, mas marami naman po dyan, 13 kami nun nyehehe...joke lang. We were more than 100, so it might not mean anything to you, but still, I was proud of it. Ang yabang ko nun hehe...

Er, do I have to tag somebody else? Don't want to designate anybody...just answer it folks if you think you haven't bared everything on your blog ;)

Home Déco: Need Advice

Frenchguy's out so I took this opportunity to indulge myself into decorating our house - well, just a minor change lang naman - our curtain. It's not at all my forté so if you could honestly give me your opinion, that will be greatly appreciated.

#1: Gray and Burgundy-colored double curtain. Disadvantage is that it partly hinders sunlight to enter into our living room.

#2: Brilliant orange curtain which is à la mode at the moment. It's very thin so it still allows sunlight to enter which is good for my plants. Disadvantage is that we could see through it when the lights are switched on (this door/window gives access to our garden).

Please vote. Thanks.

Vélo en Ville

Since my former post on the increasing oil prices, displays at the gasoline station nearby never ceased to augment. From 1.19€ per liter for Super Unleaded 95, it went up to 1.32€! Since beginning of this week, a little decrease in these prices has disappointed the French community rather than satisfy them. And who wouldn't, they decreased at an average of 3 cents per liter. Tatlong sentimo! Ngek!

So how do we cope up with this pocket-wrecking phenomenon? On the last post, I tackled the substitution of these gasolines by vegetable oils (biocarburants) which are more environment-friendly. Some automobile companies are starting to design some models which jive with the same objective - decrease fuel consumption, therefore save the planet. BMW for example exposed a hydrogen-powered engine while Toyota featured their fuel cell hybrid cars combining both electricity and gasoline. Click here for more info (in french).

Europe is basically pro-environment. You could see this mentality in every corner of their little villages. From waste segregation to depriving themselves from air-conditioning to reduce consumption. Plastic bags are not given anymore for shoppers in big supermarkets, you have to bring your own bag or basket. Oil prices are astronomical to dissuade consumers from using their cars too often. Tax deductions are even given to those who buy clean cars or those which emit less C02 (Liquified Petroleum Gas for France or GPL). Bikes are widely used in the Netherlands and Belgium, and now here in France.

In Lyon, they launched a vélo en ville program (city biking) wherein a commuter could take a bike anywhere and leave it anywhere. Isn't that cool? In fact, the city made available for the public a number of bike stations where commuters could take, leave and pay rentals all in one. It's so easy to use, with an access card, you could roam the city as much as you want.

Why didn't they implement this brilliant idea when I was still living there? Think about the practicality of it. You don't have to buy your own bike, buy your own lock and find a parking space, or bring your car everytime and of course pay for the parking space, or wait for the bus, or the tramway, or the underground train! Imagine how my life could have been so much easier in this strike-prone country!

Décue

Madame,

Après étude de votre droit à la prime de naissance, nous vous informons que vous ne pouvez pas en bénéficier.

Votre Caisse d'Allocations Familiales

Madame,

After study of your right to the birth premium, we inform you that you cannot profit from it.

Your Family Allocations Bureau

Okidoki, not only we don't have the right on the monthly allowance for my bébé, we won't have the birth premium too! Isn't that considered a gift for every newborn child, so why the heck they have to fix a revenu bareme for each household? Kawawa naman ang bébé ko, baka lahat ng magiging katropa nya sa maternity clinic e me regalo galing sa gobyerno, sya wala :(. Ano kaya at fill-up-an ko lahat ng advertisement from different companies who promise to send their free trial products sa maternity clinic for the D Day para naman me maiuwi kaming regalo hehe..sayang din yun ha..

Actually, I try to stay zen but I find it a bit unfair. The bareme is just irrealistic...o sya, I won't elaborate anymore, sabi ko nga, I'll stay zen...before I sound frenchy..

For info:
Birth Premium given at 7th month of pregnancy = 808.31€
Monthly Allowance from birth to 3 yrs = 161.66€

What will I do with her.. Part II

As expected, nothing has been done when I arrived. Since what I explained to her yesterday represented just a part of what I wanted to accomplish today, I prepared a complete launching plan with step by step procedures and sent it to her last night before going home. FYI, she has a fixed schedule so she finishes at 3:30pm everyday which means that I have to synchronize accordingly. On the other hand, she arrives early (and the machine restarts automatically). What I actually expect from her is to launch my trials when she arrives, just after her daily machine and process verification so I could have preliminary results and react accordingly within the day. One production cycle is an hour and twenty minutes, so imagine, I have my first result at around 10am already (since she always waits for me), before I even realize, she has to pack her things up and go home! Darn!

Here's the scenario today:

Before even starting my PC: Ringgggggggg!!!! (I guess she's checking my parking slot to know what time I arrive)

Moi: Oui, j'arrive! - Yep, I'm coming! (I knew it was her, salamat sa caller ID!)

Arriving at the pilot plant (hinihingal pa ko nyan!):

Elle: Ohlala, j'ai plein de boulot aujourd'hui. Je vais jamais finir. Je dois faire ça et ça...blahdiblahblah - Oh my, I have loads of work today. I will never finish. I have to do this and that..etc etc (problema mo na yun, try to organize better kaya).

Moi: Hmm. As-tu imprimé le programme que je t'ai envoyé hier? - Have you printed the launching plan I sent to you yesterday? (obvious ba na wala akong pakialam. nasanay na kasi ako sa endless reklamo nya)

Elle: Ben, non. Je n'ai pas de temps, comment veux-tu? Je n'ai pas arrêté de courir partout depuis mon arrivée - No. I practically had no time since I arrived, I've been running everywhere. (e kung bawasan mo kaya kakareklamo para smoother ang trabaho mo?)

Moi: Ca tombe bien. J'ai imprimé 2 exemplaires pour toi. - Great! I printed 2 copies for you (pang asar ba hehe)

Elle: (after looking briefly on it) Ohlala, c'est très compliqué. Je ne comprends rien. Ca fait beaucoup. On va jamais finir. Hé, n'oublies pas, je dois partir à 15h30, et avant ça, il faut que je fasse ça et ça..blahdiblahblah - Oh my, it's too complicated. I don't understand anything. That's too much, we will never finish. Don't forget that I have to leave at 3:30pm and before that, I have to do this and that.. (di pa nya nababasa yung planning ha, puro na sya reklamo!).

Moi: Attends. Ecoutes-moi d'abord - Wait. Listen first...and so I explained to her patiently while she endlessly butted in para ano pa? e di magreklamo! I was at my explosion limit, honestly.

After a long debate, she finally started to work. Ang itsura ko nyan, maiyak iyak sa asar! Kung nasa pinas lang ako nito, no questions asked, trabaho na kaagad ang mga alagad ko. Maam pa tawag sa kin kahit di ako titser.

Di pa sya tapos. After she's done with her work (actually, she only have to prepare and launch the specimens, then wait till the end of the cycle, that simple!), she started to ignite me again.

Elle: Ca se peut que tous ce qu'on fait donnera rien. Pourquoi on ne remet pas la configuration initiale de la machine? De toute façon, ce produit là ne représent presque rien dans le volume global. - All we do right now might not result into anything. Why don't we work at the original configuration? Anyway, this product represents almost nothing in the global volume.

Naku muntik na talaga akong sumabog, bigla syang naging kuto sa paningin ko na gusto kong tirisin! I won't elaborate anymore on how I explained to her as it's too technical and it involves the strategy of the company. Pero sa totoo lang, I just realized that she doesn't even know why she's working in our department - our goals and objectives. We're not in a production setting where we have the same process the whole day, where everything is already defined. Here, we do developments, we propose solutions, we work on new products, we define what will be implemented on production...so we do trials and experiments to attain results. It's not a monotonous job....

By the way, she's from one of our production sites. But after a year of being with us, do you really think she hasn't adapted yet?...

And by the way part II, I'm from production too...from pinas and proud of it!

What will I do with her..

I arrived early today, expecting I already have results from the trials I am conducting since the beginning of this week. But just like yesterday, I've got nothing!

Do you think I've got problems on anticipation and planning?

In fact, after the definition of the feasibility plan with other partners such as R&D and Quality Dept, I normally prepare the terrain by checking all the materials necessary for my trials. That would mean purchasing the specimens from the Central Dept, preparing/ordering all the chemicals needed, adjusting the machine according to the process required and preparing the launching plan with the pilot plant*.

Last week, I already adjusted the machine and provided the plan to the operator incharged so she could prepare the specimens and launch them early yesterday. Hélas, I arrived at 9am yesterday without nothing launched. Her reasons was that she was alone with the machine, that she just cannot leave, and she had no specimens prepared. Didn't I give her the plan last week so she could prepare everything come Tuesday? Or ok, she had no time last week, but isn't it more logical to prepare the specimens prior to starting the machine? Hmp! If she will remain as organized as that, I will never finish this validation before my maternity leave!

Unfortunately, the results yesterday weren't as I've expected. There were more problems than I thought. But no panic, I quickly geared up to plan B. So before leaving yesterday, I explained to her the program for today while she jotted down everything on her notebook.

Today, I arrived at past 8:30am with nothing waiting for me. She's got every element to start with but she nevertheless waited for me. I haven't even started my computer and my phone was already ringing. I'm fluent in french and I'm sure she understood every single detail but she just cannot work independently. What will I do with her? (I avoid comparing the working attitude between my country and my adoptive country as working culture is different, and they don't really appreciate it - I learned my lessons!).

To avoid excessive exercise between my office and the pilot plant (they're on separate buildings, both on first floor), I brought my laptop and my portable phone with me and stayed with her the whole time. I know her, if I stay in my office, she will make my phone explode by asking questions non stop and eventually ask me to see her!

With devine intervention, everything ran smoothly as I wished and in function of today's result, I then again explained to her the program for tomorrow...and I'm sure, I will arrive again tomorrow with no results..nakakabaog na sya! Di tuloy ako makapag bloghop, kainis! (hehe, isipin daw ba ang blogging!).

Opps, by the way, it's not discrimination, she's like that with everybody else..

*Pilot Plant - a place where we do trials and experiments simulating industrial conditions. Most engineering schools provide such platform for students to conduct their experiments.

Folklorique Dijon

The whole weekend was totally animated in Dijon. As it was frenchguy's birthday last Friday, we decided to while away our time outside, just like the old times. Downtown Dijon was packed with young students due to an open-air concert offered by France Bleu Bourgogne to celebrate the school opening. Yes dudes, back to school! The noise was unbearable (are we getting old?) so we decided to scout a restaurant far from these party people. And the choice was just fantastic. We didn't even notice it before considering we lived just nearby.

Saturday was family day. Oh, actually, we just stayed at home the whole day, doing household chores. Hehe, is that family day for you too? That night, we were invited at a friend's house for dinner..to celebrate frenchguy's birthday!

Yesterday, Sunday, we decided to go out to attend the fêtes de la vigne and to watch the parade of all the countries invited in Dijon to showcase their folklore. I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves (if only I could equally capture the ambiance..)

Burgundy, France

Brittany, France

Bulgaria

Ukraine

Poland

Slovakia

Serbie and Montenegro

Italy

Portugal

Israel

India

Futuna Island

Sakha Republic

Brazil - the star of the parade!

It was a 32°C afternoon, so imagine those europeans with their national costumes! Good thing there were these hot Brazilians to change the atmosphere. Whoa!

Work and Pregnancy

When I was in college, everybody in my entourage told me that I was leading my life into a man's world. More so when I continued with chemistry, my mom particularly, already predicted that I'll have a lung cancer or other complications and will die at an early age. No, she's no Nostradamus, just a trying-hard-mom trying to dissuade her daughter from an unknown risk. I even remember contradicting my mom 'you wanted an engineer in the family, right?'...just to learn that this dream wasn't destined for me. Oh well...those arguments had no impact on me anyway, I nevertheless traced my path into this man's world full of complications!

My job consists mainly of projects at a global scale which requires a lot of time. A product which you buy in a supermarket doesn't arrive there alone in a second, obvious right? It normally passes through a long strategic pathway: marketing (to study market demand) - research - development - industrialisation - production - marketing (distribution). My world evolves around that blue-colored jobs.

Funny how it looks easy writing it that way, just a portion of a somewhat simple task. In fact, I do a part of development in collaboration with our R&D team which could extend from few months to infinity. After the development, we head straight on the industrialisation phase where we check its feasibility. A tough job. Profitability, industrial viability, and market acceptability are being studied here. My technical and economic prowess are being squeezed hard at this point. And would you believe that there are products which don't even see their light because of such and such? Whew! If everything is ok tho, the project will be deployed on site for mass production where my role is to implement the new process which includes defining the machine, the working parameters, the capacity, etc etc down to training the people so they could work on their own.

Interesting job, right? So what's the incidence on me being pregnant?

Chemicals - I wouldn't risk my baby's health, no matter what the cost. Bad thing is that, I work with chemicals. Not directly of course, but small doses at longer periods of exposure is just as dangerous. So I try to work 'from a distance', I prepare all the planning and let other people work for me (which is the case even at normal periods anyway), but I love analysing problems and final results myself - close to my subject! Anyway, I obliged myself to be a bit distant for awhile.. for the sake of my bébé.

Travels - it is clearly written in my job contract that 30% of my time will be spent on travels. That's part of my job. Techno transfers, especially when it involves chemicals, requires a minimum of hands-on implementation and training. If I were busy accumulating mileage last year, for a change, I never took the plane since the beginning of this year. Beginning to miss it!

By Project Basis - that would mean I should involve myself from Day 1 to D Day. So in consequence, no new projects for 2005, otherwise, I won't be able to follow the evolution of my new project. Unfortunately, all of my current projects are starting to reactivate now, few weeks before my maternity leave! I'm currently busy as a bee! Whew!

All that rolled into one reads: DANGEROUS FOR PREGNANT WOMEN!

Fête de la Vigne

The still timid color-changing of the leaves at the park and around the area announces another season - the coming of autumn! September promises a festive ambiance in Côte d'Or - the harvest time where viticuleurs (wine growers) stick to their old tradition by harvesting their grapes manually!

What's remarkable in this region is the long coast of vineyards where Burgundy wines are extracted and aged to perfection. In fact, the autumn color of these vineyards reflects the name of the region: Côte d'Or. Côte which means Coast and Or which means Gold (the color of the grapevine during autumn). Some oldies even consider that the name came from the fact that this region is a haven, a gold mine for viticulteurs, which isn't faux after all. And who wouldn't? You could buy the best and the most expensive wine here.

The 1st day of September opens the much-awaited Fête de la Vigne (Wine Festival) in Côte d'Or. Every year, the region offers the biggest international cultural show. A batch of representatives from all over the world come to this region ready to showcase their folklore to bag a recognition. This year, representatives from Brazil will surely fire up the ambiance in the avenues of Dijon. Other delegations are from Italy, Serbie and Montenegro, Ukraine, Sakha Republic, Greece, Slovakia, India, Israel and Bulgaria.

Tracking back, Fidji Island made the Dijonnais scream with enthusiasm year 2003, Africa hit the road with powerful energy (and kilikili power!!) as they paraded last year. 2002 was my first Fête de la Vigne, and what's so special is that, we had a delegation from the Philippines. Honestly, at first, it was a lousy parade. While everybody was dancing in the streets, the Pinoys were walking leisurely while singing Bayan Ko accompanied by their guitars. And then, infront of the jury, they started singing Douce France. Oh well, I was thinking, f***, that's not even our folksong! But hey, after a while I started to hear everybody singing the same song...so who cares hehe..after all, we're karaoke champions, right?

That night, I invited frenchguy to watch the championship (participants are already preselected) and was surprised to learn that the Philippines were among the contestants...Ano pa nga ba? Of course, we got the first place and the audience's favorite category (sipsip, kumanta ba naman in french hehe)..laban ka?

This Saturday, the streets of Dijon will surely be busy with cultural delegations from France and all over the world. That would mean: FIESTA! Sunday promises a long queue of dégustation (wine tasting) of non other than the best wines of Burgundy (on the list are 1er Cru and Grand Cru!) and a parade of all the representative countries just before the show where the best among the bests will be selected. So if you haven't booked anything for this weekend, consider Dijon and remember, I'm just a click away.

On Aquagym and French Bureaucracy

Here's an excerpt of my discussion with my gynecologist G after my routine monthly check-up (last month):

G: Do you have any other questions or worries?
Moi: Actually, I start to worry about the upcoming delivery. I'm not at all sportive and I worry that I'll be having a hard time on the D Day. What prenatal exercises do you suggest?
G: If you're into water sports, aquagym is a good way to tone up abdominal muscles and to lessen back pains. I highly suggest that you try it.
Moi: Oh well, that effectively sounds like a good exercise.
G: (Preparing the ordonnance paper). Do you experience back pains?
Moi: Hmmm, no. Well, I should say not yet.
G: It will be reimbursed by the Social Security if so.
Moi: Errr, ok, I have backaches then (grinning).

Here's the catch. My now Physical Therapist is none other than...tadan...my gynecologist' husband! Isn't that a great way to make the business turning? Anyways, I've got no complains, I have aquagym courses for free, that's not negligible. I just found it funny how I got it no charge. Me, who wanted to get more out of what I give to the government ;). So once a week, I have a rendez-vous with my PT with other expectant mothers in a heated 32°C pool. Un, deux, trois...whew, kinda tonic, but I start to appreciate it a lot. Little simple gestures which compresses and decompresses my abdominal muscles, keeping my baby active inside at the same time...

Imagine expectant mothers floating with their bloating tummies..great site..get the picture hehe..

Another great bonus with each session is the 15 minute jet massage which soothes my back muscles. Last Tuesday was my 3rd session and I was more comfortable in the water, I had more equilibrium and moved with much ease..can't wait for the next session next week.

Inspite of that, tho, I still have occasional back pains..

The Four Aces

Uso yata ang tagging ngayon...

Agring, here's my 4 aces, don't know if it's the winning lot, but if I were with my friends playing tong its, sigurado, makakapitik na naman ako ng ilong/tenga nito hehe...

APAT NA PINAKADAKILANG PILIPINO:
1. Dr. Jose Rizal - sige nga, sino pa ang gustong magpabaril sa luneta?
2. Ninoy Aquino - kung hindi dahil sa kanya, malamang under martial law pa rin tayo, nanay ko po!
3. My Dad - sipag nyan, kung hindi dahil sa kanya, wala ako sa kinalalagyan ko ngayon.
4. My Mom - partner in crime ni daddy, sya yung wonderful lady behind every success of my dad and all of her kids.

APAT NA PILIPINONG HINAHANGAAN MO SA ANUMANG LARANGAN:
1. My Dad - for obvious reasons
2. My Mom - for obvious reasons
3. Ate Clarice - my sis, kahit di ako ganun ka-showy, I guess she knows how i appreciate her a lot.
4. Ate Carmen - yung kapitbahay namin, she's just so real, a natural kind-hearted individual who gives without expecting anything in return. sana lahat ng tao tulad nya.

APAT NA MAGAGANDANG LUGAR SA PILIPINAS NA NARATING MO:
1. Palawan
2. Hundred Islands
3. Anilao
4. Puerto Galera

APAT NA LUGAR SA PILIPINAS NA GUSTO MONG MAPUNTAHAN
1. Bohol
2. Boracay
3. Ilocos
4. Cebu

APAT NA BAGAY NA PAG-NAKIKITA MO NAALALA MO ANG PILIPINAS:
1. My old pictures
2. Mango
3. Knorr Sinigang Mix
4. Kangkong

APAT NA PUTAHENG PILIPINONG PABORITO MO:
1. Pinakbet
2. Adobong Pusit
3. Paksiw na Tilapia or Bangus
4. Daing na Bangus for breakfast

APAT NA SALITANG PILIPINO NA KAILANGAN MO NG TALASALITAAN PAG IYONG NARINIG:
1. Ngek, ano ibig sabihin nito?

APAT NA KANTANG PILIPINONG GUSTO MONG MARINIG:
1. Mga kanta ni Ely Buendia
2. Mga kanta ng Side A
3. Say that you love me by Martin Nievera
4. Mga kanta ng Freestyle

APAT NA MATATAMIS NA SALITANG O KATAGANG PILIPINO:
1. Mahal
2. Labs
3. Darleng (gamit kadalasan ng mga tindera sa palengke)
4. Jokla (hehe)

APAT NA APELYIDO NA PAG IYONG NARINIG NAKAKATIYAK KANG SILA AY PINOY:
1. Laquindanum (ilokano yan hehe)
2. Moselina (di yan italiano, di rin espanyol, tagalog syempre hehe)
3. de la Cruz (lalo na kung ang pangalan ay Juan)
4. Susa (di Susi or Suso ha)

APAT NA PANGALANG PINOY NA AYAW MONG IPANGALAN SA IYONG ANAK:
1. Luningning
2. Liwanag
3. Halina
4. Habagat

APAT NA LARONG PILIPINO NA NALARO MO NA NG BATA KA PA:
1. Langit Lupa
2. Jackstone
3. Shatong
4. Patintero

APAT NA BAGAY NA AYAW MO SA PILIPINAS:
1. Big gap between the rich and the poor, too much imbalance
2. Almost everything is expensive, as if everything is based on the salary of the rich people and those working abroad
3. Too high cost of education and less employment opportunity after college
4. Payabangan palagi, puro naman utang

APAT NA BAGAY NA GUSTO MO SA PILIPINAS:
1. Andun lahat ng family and friends ko.
2. We could still smile inspite of all the problems surrounding us.
3. Temperature ng dagat, pwedeng dive kaagad, unlike dito.
4. Pwedeng magprito ng tuyo na walang maaasar na kapitbahay.

APAT NA BAGAY NA GAGAWIN MO KUNG IKAW ANG PANGULO NG PILIPINAS:
1. Patalsikin lahat ng nakaupo sa gobyerno at palitan ng mga blogfriends ko, hehe. of course yung mga conscientious at me malasakit talaga sa bayan at medyo me background sa economy.
2. Invite more investors to create jobs for the madlang people and at the same time, encourage job and profit generating businesses - something which will create value.
3. Clean the Philippines to incite local and foreign tourists in visiting our 7,001 islands. (from basura and terrorism - you want independence? go and get it bros and leave the other surviving filipinos alone! common tao na lang lagi ang biktima!)
4. Teka, iboto nyo muna kaya ako!

APAT NA ALAS NA AKING NAPILING TAGAYAN:
Sorry na lang, I'll keep my aces, aba, winning cards ko to, bat ko naman ipapasa hehe... makapitik na nga ng tenga..

The Evolution of Man: Explained!

Experiment #1: The Evolution of Man

1. Tadpole
2. Frog
3. Prince Charming
4. Royal Pain

Objective: A kikay blogfriend of mine, Bel requested yours truly to dissect this latest discovery about the somewhat evolution of man. The purpose of which is to better understand and justify their behaviour.

Observations:
1. Up to stage 2, they followed a normal evolution.
2. Stage 3 shows an extraordinary transformation. After hours of research, it has been found that a princess was behind this drastic change. The poor frog catched the attention of a beautiful kind-hearted princess who decided to adopt him. According to legend, after an innocent kiss, the ugly frog became a stunning prince charming...
3. The legend was of course, dissected and redissected to be able to understand this amazing phenomenon. Here are some explainations:
3a. In modern days, the kiss was actually just a representation of the great efforts done by the princess to make her man palatable - a prince charming at that! Efforts include (the list was long, i just included a portion of it):
3ai. cooking for him
3aii. dressing him up (choosing the right colors, design, etc), this includes ironing too.
3aiii. doing the grocery for him
3aiv. encouraging him when he's down, teaching him to believe in himself
3av. teaching him good manners and right conduct
4. The evolution was almost perfect, except that at stage 4, an irreversible reaction to a certain virus has attacked the prince - he wanted to be the king of the world.

Conclusion: A frog is still a frog. (hehe, t'aime bébé).

Suggestion: When he reaches stage 4, find another frog .. or better yet, when you find a frog, make a good adobo out of it ... kokak!

Book Même

I thought I could get away with this one, but Sweetie Bokski just tagged me. Okidoki, I'm a bit of a bookwork too anyway...

What's in a book?

When i was a kid, it's more of a fascination for me to find amazing discoveries thru a book. Now, it's more of a secret door for me to escape the real world and play different roles thru different personages.

Number of books on the shelves:

Not a lot. I normally pass my books on to my friends. Now that I read books written in French, I send some interesting lots to my mexican friend (former classmate in french language course)...the rests, I'm planning to sell them at the bookstore, or give them at the municipal library. I don't like keeping them on the shelves, aalikabukin lang.Those that I own or bought:
All the books on my shelf.

Last few books that I bought:

2 books by Dan Brown, 3 books by Robert Ludlum, 3 books by Tom Clancy and one by John Grisham.

Book that I'm reading now:

Nothing. I'm reading magazines about pregnancy, parenting, baby nurturing stuffs and the like...

Last few books read:

I just finished Le Secret Halidon by Robert Ludlum. Thinking about starting another one once on maternity leave.