Goals

That was a reaaally looooong lunch. Kidding, postponed writing this post so that I could come up with more things to put in it. :)

List 2: Things to aim for in 2012

1. Savings. I have been working for awhile now and it's such a sad reality to realize I don't have much savings to speak of. So this year I'm making it a priority. I'm giving up that extra night I dine out, or that extra pair of shoes I don't really need. Instead, this year I'm going to prioritize putting away a fund to for my future. :)

***photo from the internet

2. Travel. I know, I know. Seems weird to place this as my second priority when in fact my first priority on this list is my goal to SAVE. But I am a firm believer in giving oneself the to opportunity to grow and be exposed to new things. I also believe that you don't have to spend a lot of money travelling as long as you have a plan and you stick with it. So next year, just as much as I'm devoted to saving I'm also going to work as hard to reward myself with travel. So if I travel that only gives me more reasons to save. :) Good enough logic for me.

3. Culture. When I went to visit my aunt in London she made me do 1 Cultural thing per day. That could be going to the theater, visiting a museum or whatever I could find that would teach me about the culture in London. Of course at that time I would begrudgingly go because all I wanted to do at that time was shop. Now I'm thankful for all the times I actually went. I loved the British Museum and all the cool stuff in there. I loved all except Jerry Springer the musicals I watched and was sorry I missed out on catching the ballet. I loved feeding the ducks although in the end I was horrified that they tried to attack me, it's nothing like you see in the movies. So this year, I'm making it a point to see more plays. Visit more museums. Explore new cultural places, I just need to do more research. heehee

***photo from the internet

4. Business. In 2012 I want to be able to start my own business even if it means working twice as hard as I'm used to. I want to be able to start something that I can share with my parents so that they have something they can work on too. I want to be able to do something that they can benefit from and something that we can share as a family. :)

***photo from the internet

And as if God wanted me to actually sit down and think about this, we tackled the same thing on our last day of training. We were asked to write down our goals and I wrote down a lot. Things to accomplish in the next few years. I should share some with you guys. I'll come up with another post for that. :)

We're down to the last day of the year. The day to go back and revisit all the things that went on in 2011 and to think what you would like to do in 2012. So my next list, New Years Resolutions! :) Here we go!!!

Gratitude

Since I'm in the office and most of my clients are on break I don't really have much to do. So I decided to make a few lists...

First List: Things/people I am thankful for:

1. My parents. Of course they're on top of my list. We didn't grow up rich, we grew up comfortable and that's more than I could ever ask for. I'm an adult now who has her own bills to pay and responsibilities to take care of but I still cannot say that I am ready to be responsible for another human being let alone a child. My brother and his wife recently had a baby and I can see that although they could not be happier it is indeed very hard. So I am always thankful for the fact that my parents were there when we were growing up. They made it a point to spend time with their children and to build relationships with us. Don't get me wrong, growing up I had those I-wan't-to-pull-my-hair-out moments with them too. But as you grow older, you realize that what your parents have been saying are right and well, you just wish you realized it sooner.

2. Family. Because just as I wrote in the blog before this. Family is love and with my huge family there's always enough love to go around. :)

My Barretto Family at our last Grand Reunion. Cant' wait for the next one.

3. My job. With today's economy everyone is struggling and yet I still manage to pay my bills and do what I want, within reason. I am thankful to have found a place where I am allowed to do be creative, meet new people and work on things I like. Add to that the fact that the people I work with are awesome and being around them is always fun.

Nuffies! :)

4. My friends. I love my friends because even if we don't see each other all the time the friendship is still the same. We pick up from where we left off as if no time has passed. We really are F.R.A.N.C.E (Friends Remain And Never Can End). :))

5. The kids. I love kids. They're adorable, they are super innocent most of the time and you can be a total kid when you're with them. This year we were blessed with Lucas. My oh-so-gwapo godson who is the eldest of my ahia. He's a total cutie and he's so pleasant to take care of until he starts crying for milk because he's a mellow baby. And then there's my goddaughter Fif. A total laughtrip. She's as naughty as her mother. She speaks her mind. Tells you what she wants, when she wants it. It may sound like she's a brat but she's also thoughful and sweet and super malambing. Those traits I think she took after me! :P What makes the babies even more fun? The fact that atchie Sofia loves little Lucas a lot. She keeps insisting to carry him despite the fact that he's about half her size. Isn't that adorable?

***Photo from Coley

6. The bu. Of course I save the best for last because I'm cheesy like that. We've been together a few months short of a decade and I still wake up to the thought that I couldn't have been blessed with someone better. Bring on the cheese. I never like making decisions without first consulting with the bu. It's because he always balances me. He makes me see things from a different perspective. He challenges my decisions when he thinks I'm being stupid or stubborn or most of the time both. He supports me when he knows I want to something but am too scared to try. In the end, he's the perfect yin to my yang. ahahahaha...gross I threw up in my mouth a little Seriously though, I am lucky to have found someone who knows me enough to know what I need be it support, love, understanding or a big bonk on the head. :)

List no. 2 coming up after I have a quick lunch! :))

Happy Christmas!

I've been meaning to write a post for the longest time but every time I start something I keep thinking I have nothing to write and so I put it off again. But then again, I have so many things to share, about me, about my family and about the fact that Christmas is absolutely my most favorite time of the year. A testament to the wonderful childhood I had. :)

Growing up Christmas was all about presents. Lots and lots of presents. I come from a huge family and I have never been short of awesome presents from the coolest toys to the nicest outfits. Christmas presents were abundant. Christmas angpao's were abundant as well. :D It has always been an established tradition. Christmas and New Years Eve was reserved for my mother's side of the family. Christmas and New Years Day was reserved for my dad's side of the family. A perfect set-up.

Meet my mom's side of the family.

***photo from Coley

I grew up with cousins. I was never short of playmates to run around and play pretend with and now we have two babies in the family. Love. :D

Meet my dad's side of the family.

Most of my relatives are already in the States so there's only a few of us but the celebrations are never dull. We always start off with a great meal and the best dessert and finish off with presents. How can my Christmas get any better than that? That's when I realized I am becoming a grown up. Although I still love getting loads of presents (which I must say were awesome this year? Yay family) I love being around these people the best. Christmas is all about Family and love. So I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas this year and an even better coming New Year. :) Will post about that next. :)

Razorback is back! October 28, 2011. Music Museum! See you there.

Razorback is Back with a new album!!!

I promised my friend I'd help him get the word out. In exchange he's introducing me to Basti. ahahaha...I'm sold!

I'm not much of a fan of music that you can't really sing and dance to. Yeah, yeah, I'm a music sell out. Kinda. hahaha...But I remember this band being one of the best during their heyday. So hearing they're making a come back! Good enough for me to help spread the word! We need more good music.

What education should really be like...

I love kids. They're the most adorable creatures on Earth and I honestly believe that they are the only reason why the world can still be a happy place. Try for one day to view the world through the eyes of a child and you will be in awe. They see everything as something new and wonderful. Something to get excited over. Children see the world the way God intended us to see it. As a place filled with life, laughter and love.

I taught preschool for a couple of years and being with those kids changed me a lot. I am now more patient and am not easily angered. I try to look at the glass half full instead of half empty. I try to be more positive and I try to remember that you have to look at things from a different perspective. Life is beautiful just the way God intended it to be.

Which bring me to the reason why I decided to write a post. I was watching the news last night when I heard about this teacher who abused his student by embarrassing him infront of everybody. When I read about it more I learned more about the case and I can't help but feel angry. Not just angry, frustrated, irritated, furious. Why? Because how dare he call himself an educator if this is how he treats his students.



This is a child. Yes he is an young adult, yes he knows what he is doing. Yes he is aware of right and wrong and yes he should be punished for what he did. But you, being his teacher, it is your responsibility to aid him in wanting to become a better person. It is not your place to abuse him or maltreat him. It is not your place to make him suffer. You are an IDIOT. Nay, you are worse. I am so mad.

I know people can say I do not know the whole story and this boy may have deserved it. I beg to disagree. I am not going to agree to the fact that the boy deserved this kind of punishment. Yes, I do believe that he should be told off because he hurt someone, whether it was justified or not, but this is not the way to do it. My parents always told me, you can't right a wrong with another wrong. That's just making matters worse.

So this teacher doesn't deserve to be a teacher anymore. He doesn't deserve to be near kids unless he learns that this is not the way to treat any human being. I'm sorry if I'm getting all riled up. It is just something I feel VERY strongly about. If that's not obvious already, hehe. :)

I pray for a better world for all of us. We just have to learn to treat one another the way we want to be treated. With respect, love and happiness. Kids don't hold grudges and neither should we. :)

Giving Care Divas a go.

Last Saturday I finally got to watch Care Divas and boy was I pleasantly surprised. I will get back to that in awhile.

Let me first say that I am thankful that I'm one of those people lucky enough to have grown up with both my parents. I've met a lot of people, especially in college, who had parents or some times both parents work abroad just so they could make a living and support their families. I guess I never really realized what that meant because I grew up surrounded by girls who were well off and who never had to be in that position. Entering college and meeting different types of people, it was a culture shock to say the least. But I won't get into that right now.

Care Divas is a play with an amazing story. You get to see what goes on in other countries. What the people who work there have to go through and how hard it is to have to slave away and make the most out of whatever you can just so you can support your family back home. A definite eye opener. I am now more aware of how hard it is.

The beauty of it though is that you also get to see that well, instead of just focusing on the hardships they instead focus on the things that are beautiful. Like building relationships, with the people they care for, with other Filipinos who are there for the same reason, with locals who might or might not be there to treat them right. They also build another life for themselves. A life that allows them to be creative and gives them an outlet to let off some steam. They survive and yet they do it with laughter and love. Something very evident in every Filipino. The ability to smile in any situation.

Care Divas was a story that revolved around 5 care takers, Kayla, Chelsea, Jonee, Thalia and Shai. All of them homosexuals. In the world where we live in, they are the ones that have to go through life fighting. They always have to strive to be accepted. It is reality and thankfully the world is slowly coming around to where they are. At least that's what I would like to think.

I have actually been postponing writing this because I really didn't know what to say about Care Divas. From an audience's point of view, I would have to say that the production numbers still needed a bit of work. I'm not claiming to be an expert or anything, just an honest opinion. Some of the songs were off key and the boys didn't really blend so well but I think part of it was cause they didn't have monitors so they couldn't really hear themselves well against everybody else. But, this only happened at some parts of the show and not the entire thing so it wasn't all that bad.

On a diferent note, I was impressed with the cast. There was all of 10 people on the cast and aside from the 4 main characters only 2 other cast members performed solo roles. The others kept doubling roles. The guy who played the patient was the most entertaining one. He was amazing. :)

So if you were going to ask me if Care Divas is a show worth watching, I would definitely say YES! Not because my friend is one of the 10 people in the cast, although that might have something to do with it, but because it has a nice story to tell. That and it was hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing the entire time.

Us with Dago because we promised that if he got us tickets we would all act like fangirls for him. hahaha

Dago who played Faraj with our friend Rockie who is...hehe, you'd have to ask them

So if you find yourself asking what's there to do on the weekend, why don't you drive yourself over to PETA Theater in Quezon City and go educate yourself while you have a good time.

Soul Surfer

I've always been a frustrated surfer. Ever since I can remember I would describe myself as a water baby. I have memories of the being on the beach every summer with family and that would be the highlight of year. I loved playing in the sand and basking in the sun. When I got a little older I loved burning tanning myself. :)

Then a few years ago I started servicing a surf brand, Aloha Boardsports. Now let me get this straight, I was already interested in the sport before servicing the brand but at that time the thought of traveling by myself was a bit daunting. Yes, I was a sheltered child, blame my parents and at that time it was still quite expensive to go on a surf trip. So imagine the excitement I felt when I was going to be given the opportunity to actually get to know these guys and work with them up close. It was exciting to say the least. :)

This was their original logo which they recently changed to become a little bit more sophisticated...

Anyway, so there. I've established the fact that I'm a frustrated surfer who still wants to learn and who still wants to give it a go despite the fact that I haven't been on a board for the loooooongest time. It will most certainly be interesting.

So my friends from my old office are surfer wannabes like me. They love the sand, sea and the surf like I do and we have constant plans to go out of town together. Unfortunately none of these plans have actually pushed through. It has become frustrating actually. But, we all agreed to see this movie together. Movie date night! I'm so excited. So I'm sharing with you guys the preview so you can be excited with me!:) Enjoy!

Take me to Cirque Du Soleil! Varekai in Manila

I've always been enthralled by the performance arts. I love dance, acrobatics, theatrics, musicals, ballet...anything that involves a stage and performers. :) My best memories of London were all the shows that I was able to see. They were all amazing, well except maybe perhaps for Jerry Springer the Musical. Don't ask.

So imagine my excitement when a good friend of mine told me that Cirque Du Soleil was coming to Manila. I had the privilege to have found out about it before it was going to come out to the press. I was excited but I had to keep it in because it was top secret. That was perhaps the hardest thing I've had to do recently. Ok, that's a little over dramatic but I was excited! :)

Cirque Du Soleil was going to be in MANILA! :)

Then the news came out and all the details. It was even more exciting. I was in a meeting in Sofitel on the night of the press launch in Manila Hotel and trust me, I wanted to fly to Manila Hotel just to catch the sample performance. Sadly I wasn't able to go. If you were my friend you would have wanted to kill me, hahaha, I kept bugging her for tickets and discounts and information.

Let me share with you a quick tidbit about me. When I was young I wanted to become a performer. A ballerina and a gymnast actually. They were so graceful and they moved with such command of their art. They were so amazing to watch. But my father refused. He said I would develop huge legs. I'm serious. On hindsight I would have loved the experience but I don't think I would have had the patience and discipline to become a ballerina or gymnast.

See, that's another reason why I love the performance arts. I mean look at them, they're all very dedicated to their craft. You can't do things like that half baked. It won't have the same effect and it will just end up sloppy. From what I hear the Cirque people are crazy disciplined. Their routines and their maintenance, a normal person would break. I mean look at this...

Aren't they amazing. I can't wait! I have tickets to see the dress rehearsals. Exciting! :) haha

Bullies

I used to be a preschool teacher. A really strict one at that and one thing I did not tolerate was bullying in the classroom.

Bullies are often misunderstood. Maybe it's a form of acting out for the injustice in their lives. Maybe they felt unloved growing up. Maybe they felt like no one understood them, or maybe at one point in their lives they were bullied too.

I have run into a lot of bullies in my life. Some bullies aren't your typical macho all in your face type of bully. Some pretend to be nice while making you feel like you need to do what they said or something bad will happen. Others pretend to be your friend or confidante but then they sway you towards doing what they want or else the relationship ends there...

I think we all have the potential to be bullies. Everyone has, at one point in their lives, said something bad about someone else. That's human nature, to rant, to vent when someone upsets you. But I think we all need to be more sensitive to one another. I was talking to a friend awhile ago and the conversation turned to someone acting like an a** because he felt misunderstood. That's when I realized that we all have been there. We've all been misunderstood, we've all been unheard, we've all felt inadequate. But being a grown up means being able to live with the fact that well, that's how life really is and how we react to it is the only thing we can control. So every time someone upsets you. Take a step back and think twice about what you're about to do. Bullying should never be tolerated.

moving...

I haven't been on this blog for the longest time! :) Moving to tumblr. See you there!

ria-de-janeiro.tumblr.com

LOVE

In my facebook page I described myself as someone In love with love. I'm a complete romantic. Old school, knees getting weak, hands getting clammy, heart beating til you can't control it kind of romantic. I love being in love and I'm lucky enough to be with someone who loves me the same way I love him.

So after a long time of being together, I thought it would be a good time to make a post that was dedicated to the love of my life. :) Since it's valentines and the whole word (except for the cynics) is celebrating love with me, I can be mushy. :) Ok, more mushy than I already am.

When we were in college, the bu asked me to write his yearbook description. I don't remember every exact word I wrote but back then he was the silent type. I described him as the silent yet deep kind of person. If you know him the way I do, you would know that the bu is like that. On most occasions he barely says a word but his reaction, his comments, they always make me think.

The past few years I've been debating with myself as to what exactly I want to do with my life. I took all the wrong turns, I took all the detours, I took all the possible routes. In the end, he was there.

In the past I did an event for a candy company, it was to remind people to say thank you. A simple phrase yet at that time, taken for granted. So during that campaign I had to come up with a list of people to thank. The list was long. I had a lot of important people in my life and all of them had to be thanked. But the bu, he was the most special. The bu taught me a lot of things. We grew up together. We made mistakes, we hurt each other. In the end, through all the growing pains, we're still madly in love. And that's something I hope never to take for granted.

He's my silver lining in every dark cloud. He's the ear I can turn to, who listens to me whine patiently over and over and over again (and trust me, I whine A LOT). He's the cool head that will tell me to stop, step back take a look at the situation and react. He's the logic in my emotions. He's the one who holds my hand when I need to take that giant leap of faith knowing I don't know where I'm going but I have to go. He's the one who supports me and every crazy idea I have. He's the one who says stop when I'm spinning out of control. The bu, he's my pillar. He's God's gift to me and for that I am thankful. He is my strength. My inspiration. My support system. My bestfriend.

Bu, I'm mushy and you know that. hahaha...so thank you, for the best 9 years of my life. You are, and will always be, my one true love. :) I love you.

Back to the kitchen

Finally managed to cook again today! :-) Made Ground Beef Stroganoff served on top of Buttered Rice.

I dont really eat meat but I have learned to cook it because my whole family loves eating it. So it was a small accomplishment to have been able to make something that was good enough to eat and I must say they seemed to like it basing it on the fact that they had seconds. :-D

So must think of more recipes to cook soon! :-) until then, toodles!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Fox International Channel and Selecta Gold Series present Cool Decadence

This is the first time in my entire life that I worked through the Christmas holidays. It took a lot of adjustment and if I have to be honest, it wasn't my cup of tea. But, it was also the first time in my entire life for me to stage an event in Boracay. I have to say, that was an accomplishment and I couldn't have done it without the team. :)

I had to fly to Boracay on the last flight out of Seair. It was delayed so lo and behold, we got to the island at 12 midnight and managed to finish dinner and a quick meeting at 2 am. Preparations for the day started with an early meeting with the client followed by a full day of ingress and invite distribution. I must say, this was the first time I have been to Boracay and only managed to see Epic, where the event was taking place, and d'mall which was the drop off point since we weren't staying beachfront. I missed seeing the other places and visiting the usual eating stops the bu and I have when we're there. It was a good thing I had the card for Real Coffee that I was able to order my food to take home. Weee, so the trip wasn't such a bust after all.

I would share more photos once I get them. The event was a success. There were so many people and in the end, despite the rain, we were packed. It was awesome. And again,I must stress the fact that I couldn't have done it without the team. So thanks guys, you are the awesomest. :)

Happy New Year, from my wonderful Family

Our family loves playing dress up each NYE and we always have a theme. This year it was a Benjamin Button New Years for us. :)

Spreading some holiday cheer! Happy New Year everybody!

Welcoming 2011

Since a lot of my friends have started to post and think of their New Year’s Resolutions, I thought I would jump in and do the same. But first of, let me start by listing down some of the things I am thankful for this past year.
1. Family. My life would not be as crazy, as colorful, as fun or as loud as it is now without these people. I am blessed to have the family that I have. In our own little way, we make the world a happier place to be. :)
2. The bu. We’ve been through our own ups and downs but in the end I realized that what we have is the best thing in my life. We’ve grown up and I’m happy to say I’ve never been more in love. Yes, cheesy. I am completely enamored with the bu. He makes me a better version of me. :)
3. My kada. Since graduating high school I have not been able to spend as much time with my barkada. Understandable since we all went to different schools. So in 2010 we decided we would make the effort. Hence the Wednesday group was formed. Although I do admit it has lessened recently due to the fact that I have tons of work, we’ve managed to stay more connected through out the year. These girls are the people I trust with my deepest darkest secrets and I thank God for them. :)
4. New work. I am thankful for my old company. I learned a lot from them. But I am also thankful that I moved companies. I am learning new things as well. :) It’s in the same field but completely different. :)
5. New friends. With the new company came the most wonderful friends. Although I’m just starting to get to know some of the people in the company, I’m happy to say I’ve found some great new friends. :) And for that I am thankful. It always makes things easier to bare when you have someone to share it with.
6. Health. I’m thankful for the fact that my whole family is happy, healthy and wise. :)
There are more things I am thankful for but I’ve written the most important. I have to think of the most important things I want to be able to do or change in 2011….
1. This year I’m prioritizing my time. Ok, sounds vague but for anyone who works in my industry, the service industry, you’d understand that my time is rarely too short to me time. So this year, I’m prioritizing what matters most to me. Spending time with the people I love and doing the things I love.
2. In relation to that, this year I’m taking more trips. I have always loved the beach and Baguio and in 2010 I missed those opportunities. So this year I’m making the time.
3. This year I’m going to learn to spend less. I spend too much on things I don’t need so this year I’m going to change that.
4. This year I’m going to save more.
5. This year I’m going to work hard but party harder. I am working too hard not to enjoy myself more. So this year that’s going to change. :)
6. Read more. I miss reading books. I am thankful to have been able to squeeze in a few books recently, all thanks to the fact that they’re loaded on my itouch, so this year I’m reading more.
7. This year I’ll spend more time with my family. Especially during weekends I am not busy.
8. This year I’m going to eat healthier and exercise more. My family doesn’t really have the best health history. I need to start early.
There should be more but half of my brain is already ready to sleep. :) So that’s it for tonight. Wish me luck. :)
Happy 2011 everyone. And may we all stick to the resolutions we’ve made.

Cooking...

I miss cooking. I haven't had time since I started working again. So as part of my NY resolution, I'm going to start making time for me. So I've decided to cook something this weekend. Problem is I don't know what to cook.

Any suggestions? :-)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone