Monday 29 December 2008

The Wedding

Haha, I now feel like my eyes' all puffy, with tears just on the brim...blame it on Nicholas Sparks' "The Wedding", haha.

It's the holidays, and what with all the parties being over and done with (there's only the big New Year party left), I've nothing to do but read, watch movies/dramas and sleep as late as I want as my friends whom I always hang around with are on homeleaves right now.

My day started at 2pm (the previous day ended at 5 am this morning though..haha), ate my sausage lunch whilst watching "Goong". I finally forced myself to take a bath so I could go out, catch the beautiful sunset (believe me, sunsets on a clear spring/autumn/winter here in Japan is truly breathtaking!), take my coats to the dry cleaners, take a stroll, look for sparklers/party poppers for our New Year party, and enjoy a cup of coffee after withdrawing some money from the ATM.

Wanting to have some privacy and to limit chancing upon somebody I know in Starbucks Kannai and to try out a new coffee flavor, I chose to stay at BadAss Coffee Shop. It turned out a good decision as the Hawaiian songs and later some Jack Johnson songs was relaxing and sooo sets the mood...to emote..hehe. The Kona cafe au lait laced with banana was somewhat weird; but it was sweet and it somehow fitted in with the mood.

Though I know, ideal guys could only be found on a Nicholas Sparks novel, still, I can't help but be melodramatic and be a hopeless romantic as I read the book. I started reading the book since the other night, but I just could not read it straight, as I find my eyes welling with tears every now and then. haha. There was this one part of the book where Wilson was recounting when he first realized he was falling in love with his girlfriend (who was to become his wife). Having read the last sentence of that chapter - "I knew what it meant to finally fall in love" - I have to stop reading and look up so as to keep the page from getting wet with a fallen tear. I had to look up to keep those darn tears at bay.

Having had finished my coffee (Can't afford to be sentimental in the coffee shop haha!), I left the coffee house and hopped my way home.

Maybe, my ideal man is still out there and that he just doesn't exist within the pages of a novel. Extra wait, Extraordinary, as a reading in Didache once said...

Wednesday 17 December 2008

brains, innards or....fish balls???

Limapuluh was easy to find surprisingly; it was situated inside a commercial square called La Place which somehow reminded us of Greenbelt. It was raining last Sunday hence it was just as good that we've reserved for a table at the dining room and not at the terrace. I like the ambiance at the bar area though (^^) but we were there for lunch so we've no choice but be in the dining area. As we weren't able to book for a table at a Michelin-starred resto, Kitty and I decided not to dress up. Hence we looked like maids (and our guy friends, like driver/boy helper hahaha) next to Zoey and Maj who were dressed fit to dine at L'auberge.

Having been frustrated with the Michelin-starred resto, we ordered the most expensive lunch set they had - which was still waaay cheaper (1/3?) than L'auberge or Quintessence or even Merveille. Among us, only Kitty and Zoey can read Japanese and hence we all didn't bother to look at the appetizers and entrees since it's a lunch set and the choices we have can only be either fish or meat for the main dish. Besides, the menu we found on the website were pretty safe (I don't eat liver/heart and the like) so order the set, we did.

As it turned out, you can't have a choice of your fish or meat. I mean, there's only a limited number of beef dishes and if they ran out of it already (as what happened to our guy friends' orders), you have no choice but to take the deer entree. Us girls chose fish but it was somewhat frustrating to learn that we could not have the certain dish we want; they can only give us 3 of this certain fish entree and the other one will have to make do with the other fish entree. Having no choice, we just said okay.

Water was readily served in a bottle on our table - it's free so there's no great-tasting water this time, like what we had in Vinoteca and Cicada. The Champagne we had was also just left to sit on our table - not cradled on a bowl like in Vinoteca and Cicada. We also miss the olive oil & wine dip in Vinoteca and the different olive oil choices in Cicada (you can choose among Californian, Spanish, Italian, Greek and French olive oils!).

My spirit was getting gloomier by the minute as it was really becoming evident that the restaurant we chose was not really that special. I mean the place was good actually and the bar was impressive but then the choice we had wasn't as special as location for our December fine dining.

My spirits somewhat rose though when they served our appetizers in front of us. The presentation was nicely done that I thought that it was living up to it's "French restaurant" claim.





Ate the vegetables first. Nice. Took a forkful of the thingy on the middle our plates whilst asking each other "what's this?". The crunchy part was nice. And then I saw an intestine-like shape on my food and said "is this brain?". But we rationalized that it's unlikely to be brain since it's too big a serving and hence should be more expensive. I was still poking my food and just ate the crunchy parts and all the while saying "masarap naman dba??" until Maj commented that it seems I was not really convincing them of the taste but that I was saying it as like a mantra..to help me get through eating it; which I still didn't finish by the way. When finally the main dish was served, we asked the waiter what was the appetizer. Said it was "Shirako" and gestured to say that it was part of a fish's entrails; making me relieved I didn't eat the entire thing. I had two glasses of champagne, had my main dish, had a strong coffee with uber chocolatey chocolate cake and yet the taste still lingered. Even when we were already having karaoke 3 hours later, the taste still lingered.

Later that evening, Kitty sent us this link for us to learn what Shirako is.
http://nymag.com/restaurants/features/25585/

Blech!
Who would have thought that a "rare treat" such as sperm er, cod milt would be served us that lunch??! We asked for something memorable for our dine out and we sure did get it hahahaha..

Thursday 11 December 2008

December fine dining reservation hullabaloo

It's my turn to arrange our fine-dining experience for this month and it being December, we all agreed we can have it on a more special restaurant albeit, a bit more expensive one. Having had Italian, Mediterranean and Mexican in the last three months, we thought of going French this time. And, as we've been having strings of parties since the beginning of December, we had no other option but to have this month's "dinner" to lunch. Hence, I took the temerity to look up Michelin starred French restos around Tokyo as lunch set menus are usually a lot cheaper than dinner.

In no way was I prepared though with the reservations hullabaloo...

I asked Kitty, Maj and Zoey to choose between L' Auberge, Mervielle, and Nouvelle Ere.
L' Auberge (
http://www.hiramatsu.co.jp/eng/restaurants/aubergedelill-tokyo/) has been our first choice as its main branch in Alsace, France has been rated 3-stars for 41 consecutive years! It opened its first "branch" in Japan last May and has been rated since as Michelin 1 star resto in Japan. We found ourselves racking our wardrobes, thinking about suitable outfits (even thinking of shopping for clothes!) fit to enter the resto's double doors at the top of a large staircase. haha. I even looked up in the internet how to correctly pronounce the lunch set that we were planning to have; though I was having some trepidations that what if, wine/champagne is not yet included on the set?? I just assured myself though that we can always order a Moet et Chandon Champagne. Safe huh? hehe.

Merveille (
http://www.eatpia.com/merveille/index.html) was our second close choice as it's more homey than L'Auberge and cheaper by maybe 1k yen..=P And as Zoey put it, we can eat at our element here.

Nouvelle Ere (
http://www.augoutdujour-group.com/no/index.html) was awarded by Tokyo Michelin Guide 2008 one star as well but somehow it took the back stage in our selection process.

When finally I've confirmed the number of attendees in this month's dinner (we decided to invite our guy friends on this usually-girls-night-out event since it's a special month anyways), I called up L'Auberge, with the intent of asking as well the proper dress code in their resto. Hence, I was not prepared when I was told that they were fully booked already, both Sunday and Saturday for the whole month of December, both lunch and dinner.

Called up Merveille. Fully booked as well although they have a vacant table this Sunday - which is not our option since we couldn't have a late night out on a Sunday. Nouvelle Ere, same reply. Called up Au Gout du Jour (
http://www.augoutdujour-group.com/au/index.html) as well, but again, the same "sorry, fully booked reply".

Undaunted, I looked up more French restos and fell in love with Quintessence (
http://www.quintessence.jp/english/concept.html), a 3-star Tokyo Michelin guide awardee.

I gave my friends other alternatives as well so I also suggested Joel Robuchon (
http://www.robuchon.jp/ebisu/robuchon.html) and Bistrot D'artemis (http://www.bento.com/rev/2655.html).

Of course, Quintessence won with Bistrot D'artemis in second.

For reservations, you can only call Quintessence at 9:30~11am and 3:30~5pm. I couldn't even get through!!!! Their hotline was really hot..always busy...=( I tried calling minutes before and after the designated time but I got a recorded answer that they only receive calls for reservation at so and so hours..

Already saddened, I called up Bistro D'artemis but got the same sad reply. Even expensive Joel Robuchon was fully booked as well!

Huff! Either people in this part of the world are French crazy or it's cause we are in recession that people only go fine dining for lunch or there just are hundreds of "ladies-who-dine" or it's just that time of the year when people would like to get together and spend more than usual..huhu..

This evening, I called up the revolving restaurant in Hotel New Otani (
http://www.newotani.co.jp/en/tokyo/restaurant/sky/) and for the umpteenth time, got the "sorry we're fully booked" reply. I looked up My Humble House (http://www.mhht.jp/) which were among our choices last October (Cicada won that time) but they're only open for Dinner, no lunch. I read in Metropolis that this is fast becoming as a favorite together with Cicada in Hiroo (our favorite so far!!!^_^) and Legato in Shibuya. Hence I looked up and called Legato (http://www.legato-tokyo.jp/en/shibuya/home/welcome). But they dont serve lunch on saturday and sunday.

Phew!!! I've looked up a number of restos and came to like a couple or two of them, only to be disappointed..sniff..

We finally settled on Limapuluh (
http://www.englishok.jp/shops/limapuluh/) where finally there's some available space for us. Zoey said this is Indonesian for 50. An article in Metropolis (http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/592/bars.asp) told us there's lots of "eye candys" here. Haha. Hope we'll get that bargain and enjoy real good food and service as well.

One good thing to note though. We need not shop for new wardrobe. haha.

And oh yeah!! I just remembered. Originally, we actually planned to have this month's night out as a Cirque du Soleil (
http://www.zed.co.jp/home_en.php?skip=1) experience. However, when I inquired for ticket availability a couple of weeks ago, I was informed that weekend performances for December and January are already fully booked.

Tough, huh! =P

Sunday 9 November 2008

Fonda de la Madrugada

http://www.fonda-m.com/space.html

This month's Dinner was organized by Maj (referred to her before as Flounder) and with an almost unanimous votation, the mexican theme won.

If you're in Japan and you're looking for an entirely different atmosphere from your usual everyday japanese atmosphere, I must say this resto's one of those places to go. Though situated in the midst of Harajuku, it felt like we were transported to an entirely different country as we made our way deeper into Harajuku's underground. Yep, the place was sprawled underground Omotesando's busy street; with two floors of authentic Mexican atmosphere (at least as compared to what I've seen on TV haha). Food was good (though Cicada's was better) but it took us 3 looong hours to finish the course we had..haha. Servings were so big we are seriously considering not eating tomorrow. It's not only the servings though..it's the number of dishes as well. Like, usually, in your dinner course, you only have 1 or 2 appetizers right? But with the dinner course they had, we have 3 big servings of appetizers. Plus a soup with some rice on it. Plus three kinds of main dishes. Plus 2 kinds of desserts. Good thing the mint tea we had somehow helped us digest some of what we ate in the last 3 hours. haha. It wasn't enough though and that we have to go to another cafe just so we can have another tea, to help us digest some of the food we ate. haha. I must admit, if not only for the shoes I was wearing, I would like to walk my way home. =P

The place is interesting...posh yet squatter-like, haha (we were thinking if the couple on the table next to us were TV personalities or the girl at least, a model). But it does give you a Mexican feel. Complete with a group of guys serenading you with Mexican songs. Their Volare was good!! While we were racking our brains though on what song to request, we were reminded of J Lo's and Marc Anthony's "No Me Ames"..beautiful beautiful song....Just learned this evening though that No Me Ames either means "Dont Love Me" or "You Don't Love Me".

Anyways, it's my turn next month!! Hmm...I'd like it to be extra special as it's gonna be our Christmas dinner of some sort. Have no idea yet though on what theme it'll gonna be..

----------------
(No Me Ames translation..)

Tell me why you're crying...
Of happiness.
And why are you drowning?f
or loneliness
Tell me why you take my hands so strongly,
and let yourthoughts carry you away

I love you so much
And why is that?
Crazy stubborn person,
stop doubting it any longer
Even though in the future there will be a huge wall
I'm not afraid, I want to fall in love

Dont love me, because you think that
I may appear different
You dont think its right
For us to see time go by together?

Dont love me, I understand
the lie that it would be
If your love, I don't deserve,
dont love me, just stay another day

Dont love me, because I am lost,
Because I changed the world,
Because its destiny
Because it can't be,
We both are like a mirror,
And you would be my own reflection

Don't love me, you would be dying
Within a war full of regrets,
dont love me to be on this
Earth, I would like to throw your enormous love
for the blue of the sky
I dont know what to say to you, that's the truth
When people want to, they know how to hurt

You and I will depart, they would not move,
But in this sky dont leave me alone
Dont leave me, dont leave me, dont listen to me
If I say to you "dont love me"
Dont let me.
Do not disable my heart with that
"Dont love me"

Dont love me,
I'm begging you,
leave me with my bitterness
You know well, that I can't,
that its useless,
That I will always love you

Dont love me,
because I would make you suffer
with this heart of mine
that was filled with a thousand winters.
Dont love me,
so that way you can forget of your gray days.

I want you to love me,
just to love me
Dont love me, you and I will fly,
With with the other,
and we will always be together
This love is like the sun
that comes out after the storm
Like 2 comets on the same path

-----
ang kulit din nila ano??? mahal naman pala isa't isa bat sinasabi pang wag mo ko mahalin???haha

Wednesday 5 November 2008

Petroleum Refining Conference

Got my first experience in attending an international professional conference today. And it was a curious experience as I got to learn the latest in petroleum upgrading and some of the latest concerns in our field. What was actually more of a challenge for me was to interact with the different learned professionals and talk/interact with them on a professional level whilst devouring my sushi.

Was so happy though that for once, nobody considered me a "young girl" and conversed with me on an equal level and listened as well to what I have to say, albeit they did most of the talking while I did much of the asking haha.

Was surprised though that they remembered me from earlier (I always thought people would easily forget my face..hehe). And was happy with one of the presentor's reaction (and my boss' at that, hehe) to my question to him earlier during the conference; hence paving for a longer professional discussion when later we talked during dinner.

Well, for some, my experience today might be just the usual everyday affair for them. But still, i'm gonna note this as this was my first time. And i'm gonna note this cause for the first time, i'm not a "young girl/lady" anymore.

I was reminded though with today's lectures that there's soooo much that i'm yet to learn about my field.

Anyways, i hope tomorrow's gonna be just as great, or better.

Thursday 23 October 2008

happy thing

10 hours ago....

some happy thing please
some happy news
something to make me smile from the inside,
from the coldness inside of me,
spreading outward till all marvel with the radiance of my smile.

happiness, where have you gone to?

come back, come back.
i so need you.

2 hours ago....

will this be happiness' harbinger?
i so hope so.
i so pray so.

Sunday 19 October 2008

Here's to the Night (by Eve 6)

So denied, so I lied
Are you the now or never kind?
In a day and a day love
I'm gonna be gone for good again
Are you willing to be had?
Are you cool with just tonight?
Here's a toast to all those who hear me all too well
Here's to the nights we felt alive
Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry
Here's to goodbye tomorrow's gonna come too soon
Put your name on the line
Along with place and time
Want to stay, not to go, I want to ditch the logical
Here's a toast to all those who hear me all too well
Here's to the nights we felt alive
Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry
Here's to goodbye tomorrow's gonna come too soon
All my time is froze in motion
Can't I stay an hour or two or more
Don't let me let you go
Don't let me let you go
Here's a toast to all those who hear me all too well
Here's to the nights we felt alive
Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry
Here's to goodbye, tomorrow's gonna come too soon
Too soon
Here's to the nights we felt alive
Here's to the tears you knew you'd cry
Here's to goodbye tomorrow's gonna come too soon

Thursday 16 October 2008

heartstrings...

...my heart feels so sad i can almost feel it crying.
shedding tears by the buckets that
it's threatening to overflow through my tear ducts...

Sunday 5 October 2008

Cicada

Just got back from our monthly posh dinners. Aileen, Maha, Kat and I started this posh tradition just last month and albeit expensive though this tradition may be, i'm finding myself looking forward to this monthly treat we have.

Last September, we went Italian at Vinotica in posh Roponggi Area. That being our first time, we didn't realize we need to make a reservation to have the best places in the resto. Hence, we found ourselves being seated in front of the kitchen. But mind you, as the place was posh, it wasn't really as bad as it might seem. Food and wine there was great though there's just one thing you have to keep in mind before eating there: serving is so measly you shouldn't be ravenously hungry and should have had a bite before going there. haha. Else, you'll find yourself scrimping the last morsel of the pricey food they have. That was also our first experience of buying a bottle of very pricey water at 500 yen per 500ml. hahaha.

Tonight's dinner was organized by Kat. And having had our lessons learned from before, we made our reservations and hence got one of the best seats in the place. And goodness the food there is great!! Cicada is Mediterranean style by the way hence, they have Spanish, Greek, Italian and some other Mediterranean selections. Serving is of right quantity as well so we went home quite satisfied even with the amount we paid for it. Water was much pricier this time at 800 yen per bottle haha but believe me, it's the best tasting water i've ever tasted. I've never would have imagined that I could decipher differences in water but yes one could and with the water we ordered, it was so smooth you can actually feel its texture run through your mouth, to your throat, to your stomach. Haha, okay i'm exaggerating a bit. But. It. Was. Good. So good we were kidding that we shouldn't be surprised if it costs the same with either of the two bottles of wine we ordered (had Spanish White wine and Sparkling Wine this time).

And as usual, like last month, after dinner, we headed to Starbucks to chat a bit more, and well, to split up the payment for our dinner which was paid, like last time, by Aileen.

Sooo looking forward for our next posh monthly dinner! I wish though it'll be the dinner package with Cirque de Soliel..hehe..

ps
I had my second session on armpit laser. And believe me, there really is a marked difference. Haha.

Saturday 13 September 2008

Fragile Things

As big a fan as I am of Neil Gaiman, i'm reading his "Fragile Things" now the way I'd eat my favorite dish, savor it to the last morsel and eat it at a slow, painstaking pace. I was having fun reading his introductions on each of the short stories included in the book when I came towards the end of his introductions.

Mr. Neil Gaiman, please allow me to quote your book as thus:

"As I write this now, it occurs to me that the peculiarity of most things we think of as fragile is how tough they truly are. There were tricks we did with eggs as children, to show how they were, in reality, tiny load-bearing marble halls; while the beat of the wings of a butterfly in the right place, we are told, can create a hurricane across the ocean. Hearts may break, but hearts are the toughest of muscles, able to pump for a lifetime, seventy times a minute, and scarcely falter along the way. Even dreams, the most delicate and intangible of things, can prove remarkably difficult to kill."

Yes, hearts may easily break but it's strength lies on how it can move on after having dealt with a smattering blow...

Friday 12 September 2008

Lovers in Japan (Coldplay)

Nice song from ColdPlay's latest album, "Viva La Vida"

yes, one day, the sun will come out...

------------
Lovers
Keep on the road you're on
Runners
Until the race is run
Soldiers
You've got to soldier on
Sometimes
Even the right is wrong

They are turning my head out
To see what I'm all about
Keeping my head down
To see what it feels like now
But I have no doubt
One day we're gonna get out

Tonight
Maybe we're gonna run
Dreaming
Of the Osaka sun
Ohhhh
Ohh, ohh
Dreaming
Of when the morning comes

They are turning my head out
To see what I'm all about
Keeping my head down
To see what it feels like now
But I have no doubt
One day the sun will come out
...

Saturday 23 August 2008

Original Thoughts

Was reading Paulo Coelho's latest, "Brida", when I came to a page where Brida was expressing her thoughts on how people grow up distancing themselves from fairy tales, even when knowing what immense joy it brought them in their childhood. And she decided that perhaps people, as they grew up, where not contented with feeling joy. This, she catalogued in her diary as a 'creative' thought.

And so I took a pause and thought of some "original" ideas (or so I think...) I had before and I believe that I may not have recorded them in any of my diaries or blogs (now I wonder where all my diaries are..hehe..). What if I get to forget about them?

I thought of a conversation I had with Bevs during our project dinner last May and how she laughed at my apparently original ideas..or at least that's what she thinks they are...

So from hence on, I will try to record some of those one liners and thoughts which I think I may have thought off by myself. Should you read this and think that it's not as original as I thought, please feel free to comment ^_^. But then again, I could rebut that you just got the idea from me. =P

Hmmm..let's see...

When being teased with a guy and I don't like the guy for myself but wouldn't want to appear too haughty by rejecting him (though the guy is not around) even if it seems he's a good catch, I always say "MU kami...MU kami na hindi namin gusto isa't isa. haha".

Then there was this question Bevs asked me ~ Isn't it embarrassing if a guy knows you feel for him? My instant reply: Well, wouldn't it be such a waste if you did feel something but then the guy thinks that you don't even have an iota of feelings for him??

Hmmm...well, I hope they're original ones...that and some others which I'll try to remember or come up with and try to blog next time. =)

Wednesday 20 August 2008

quiet place

Last spring, when the country was heavenly what with the sakura in full bloom, I found this quiet little park just a block away from our apartment. Surrounded by ginko and sakura trees, there was a small slide, some teeny weeny seesaw-equivalent contraption with a panda's face and best of all, a swing. Albeit there's just one (no chance for "couple swings"), it somehow made my quiet place perfect. Swinging to and fro, I watched as the sakura flew around me as the wind blew.

Aaahhh, heavenly. And as the wind blew and the sakura swirled about and around, I raised my face skyward, smiled, and thought of happy things...and things that I longed for, things I wished for...

I enjoyed hanging out there so much that I caught a cold (it was still quite chilly) hahaha.

This evening, to sweat out bad feelings that are yet again starting to creep on me and to shake away the sleepiness that I'd surely feel tomorrow at the office if I won't exercise or take alcohol (haha!), I convinced myself to jog after having dinner at my place. Was almost tempted to stay at home to watch the Synchronized swimming at the Beijing Olympics on TV but just thinking of the heavy dinner I had made me haul myself up from my comfortable covers (yes, I was lying on the bed as I watched tv since I need to peek under the keyboard to actually see my monitor..hahaha).

From Bandobashi, I crossed the market, and chose streets and alleys, those lighted ones at least, where I was least likely to cross paths with people from the office (I had on, real skimpy shorts you see..haha). On to Yoshinocho and then finally round the oval tracks of Maita Park. I was looking forward to a culmination of my exercises at the swings in the Maita Park but the swings were crowded hence I decided to wind down my exercise at my quiet place which I haven't visited for quite a while now.

And it was a good decision. I smiled as I sat on (my) swing and looked up at the colorful japanese lanterns that people hung around the park for the summer festivities; colorful lanters with japanese characters on them, and probably with wishes on them. As I started my swing session, a japanese family started their mini-hanabi as well. Ototo, Okasan, Otosan, Obasan and Ojisan (and even doggie) lighted one sparkler after another. Yellow, red, green, blue...it caught fire, died down. And as they lighted one firework after another, I stared, mesmerized with the light, the corners of my lips a bit upturned as in my heart, I felt happy things..things I longed for, things I wished for...

Earlier, thoughts of how eventually, you'd be alone or thoughts of how friendships might wane kept on creeping unto me as I had my jog. But I tried to shake it off, tried to smile as I put one foot forward on a steady rythmn, as I listened to some happy music on my IPod. Tried to sweat those negative vibes out.

And somehow, right there at the park, the small flame the sparklers made gave me a sense of hope. And as the kid complained how hot the end of his sticks were, somehow, I sensed the warmth in my heart, stoking the coldness and loneliness away...

Tuesday 5 August 2008

Travel Bug Goes Extreme Sports

~just reposting here the article I wrote for our department's quarterly newsletter about the Canyoning and Rafting experience I had last July 5 and 6 at Fox Canyons, Minakami~

My friends and I initially planned to have a weekend rafting experience. But as the slot we got for rafting was only on a Sunday morning, we were forced to look up another activity as filler for our Saturday afternoon and hence booked for a canyoning activity - a hybrid sport that combines swimming and rock climbing with the thrills of rappelling and rafting (without the
raft!). Canyoning websites were not a help on my nerves though and I almost got cold feet as I donned on my double wetsuits, life vest and helmet. I can only gulp and heave a deep breathe as I (tried to) prepared myself from what lay ahead of me. And what happened was far beyond what I imagined.


The first few tasks of dodging boulders and stone chutes as we swam with hands stretched in front of us (to keep our elbows from hitting the rocks) were real easy and not enough to prepare me from the slider waterfall. At the top of the 20m waterfall, our guides oriented us that once we get into the whirlpool below, we should not try to stand but keep our feet up, stay on our backs in the water, and use the force of the water to walk across the wall below. Okay, now try keeping
that in mind with jarring nerves and giant butterflies on your stomach. But there’s no way but down and so down I must go. I was lowered by a rope attached to my carabiner in my harness for a couple of meters until I felt like I was one with the waterfall. And then wham! The next thing I knew, I was without a rope, hurtling down the waterfall into the whirlpool below. The “Wall Walk” later was real cool!!

The big slide was not the finale though as we still have to summon the risktakers deep within us as we coursed through yet more canyons and waterfalls in different positions. There’s the Abyss (“hands up, push off the ledge on the far side”), Superman-style (sliding on your belly with the
water, headfirst) or Goodbye-world-style (not the official name but just tagged by friends since you’re sliding on your back with the water, headfirst, with nary an idea where you’re heading
– which, by the way, is my favorite).

Really scary, yes indeed! Dangerous? During canyoning, it sure feels that way. But looking back, I think at some point, our guides may well have been exaggerating what for them is like an
everyday simple task. We were equipped with proper gears and guides are everywhere in every obstacle – one gives instructions, another secures you in your harness or helps you get positioned in your slide and yet another waits for you down below should you have difficulty swimming your way to “safety”.

Rafting the following day was an easier feat after the canyoning we had. But mind you, with the churning water tossing your raft around, and trying to keep yourself inside the raft whilst trying to paddle still needs some daredevil spirit. And yet again, the key here are the right gears and skilled guides.

Should I do it again, given the chance? You bet! Come join me! =P


Thursday 1 May 2008

Realize

my latest song craze.

Realize by Colbie Caillat
(and the video's uber cute too!! i was half afraid it'll end up as yet another "could have been". good thing it's not. *-* )

Take time to realize,
That your warmth is
Crashing down on in.
Take time to realize,
That I am on your side
Didn't I, Didn't I tell you.

But I can't spell it out for you,
No it's never gonna be that simple
No I can't spell it out for you

If you just realize what I just realized,
Then we'd be perfect for each other
and we'll never find another
Just realized what I just realized
we'd never have to wonder
if we missed out on each other now.

Take time to realize Oh-oh
I'm on your side
didn't I, didn't I tell you.
Take time to realize
This all can pass you by
Didn't I tell you

But I can't spell it out for you,
no it's never gonna be that simple
no I can't spell it out for you.

If you just realized what I just realized
then we'd be perfect for each other
then we'd never find another
Just realized what I just realized
we'd never have to wonder
if we missed out on each other now.

It's not always the same
no it's never the same
if you don't feel it too.
If you meet me half way
If you would meet me half way.
It could be the same for you.

If you just realize what I just realized
then we'd be perfect for each other
then we'd never find another
Just realize what I just realized
we'd never have to wonder
Just realize what I just realized
If you just realize what I just realized

missed out on each other now
missed out on each other now

realize realize realize realize oh-oh

Wednesday 30 April 2008

no regrets

It was not a total waste of time and emotion after all, I think. I did learn some lessons and I did realize i'm a bit better now in handling my emotions and trying to get over it.

It was fun. We had fun. So I still am thanking you.

Grey's Anatomy, Season 1, episode 6

After much salestalk from Kitty and Zoey, I finally tried watching Grey's Anatomy.

And I got hooked! Fortunately, I was able to muster enough self-discipline and make use of today's holiday to force myself to clean up my house (finally!), cook myself lunch and dinner and do some work for the Optimizer in between episodes. Anyways, this episode is probably one of my favorites so far. (i'm still into the 1st episode of season 2)

And Meredith says....

"I don’t know why we have to put things off. But if I had to guess, I think it has a lot to do with fear – fear of failure, fear of pain, fear of rejection. Sometimes, the fear of just making a decision. Because what if you’re wrong? What if you’re making a mistake you cant undo? Whatever it is we’re afraid of, one thing holds true – that by the time the pain of not doing a thing gets worse than the fear of doing it, it could feel like we’re carrying around a giant tumor. He who hesitates is lost.

We sweep today’s possibility under tomorrow’s rug until we can't anymore; until we finally understand for ourselves, that knowing is better than wondering. That waking is better than sleeping. And that even the biggest failure, even the worst, most intractable mistake beats the hell out of never trying."

Tuesday 29 April 2008

So Close - Analyzed

I was lying in bed facedown as I listened to So Close play in my laptop for the umpteenth time. And I wonder how it could be that when I first heard it, I almost brushed it off and now when after seeing the movie, I just couldn't get enough of it.

I could only think of this. That anybody, who has stood so close with the one they love (or falling in love with) and yet be so far in getting their love realized (let alone letting that other know about how you feel!) could really feel for the song.

Just as how Giselle felt as she watched Robert dance with Nancy when only moments ago, it was she who was in his arms.

So Close, yet so far.

Albeit though, what's so addicting with this song is that despite this bittersweet feeling, there's still that budding hope that you'll be so close to reaching that happy end, to realizing that dream, to having his arms around you.

That you'll go so far as you get so close.

Monday 28 April 2008

So Close

yet another video blog..

Enchanted's "So Close"..

fell in love with it..

Friday 18 April 2008

rantings

Relationships are funny. Falling in love is funny. So funny it could jerk out tears out of them ducts.

Two people could be talking face to face and yet still have some miscommunication. The same two people could be talking of one and the same subject and yet one could have no idea as to what the other is trying to say. Person # 1 could be saying one thing but Person #2 could be hearing another thing depending on what he wants to hear. Person # 1 could be saying one thing and yet feel the opposite of what he's saying. Person # 1 could be saying what he truly means to say but Person # 2 wanted to believe that Person # 1 was just saying the exact opposite of what he feels. Person # 1 may really feel one thing but then just lacks the courage to voice it out or act it out. Person # 1 may just be seeing things differently from how things really are. Person # 1 may have really seen the real thing but is just convincing himself it's not the real deal. Person # 1 may have really seen the real thing but is just so not interested to pry on that real deal. This hurts.

Or. One could look one thing and yet really feel differently. I've been told of this a number of times already...I have an expressive face and yet sometimes what's written on my face is so just not what I feel.

OK, back to rantings.

When do you draw the line of liking someone and loving someone?

Loving someone and letting that someone know about how you feel even though it may be a one-way street, is like standing naked in front of that other person. It's like you're stripping yourself bare and making yourself vulnerable in front of that other person. If only you could choose right. Fall for the right one. One who would understand how you feel.

And, is there any manual and on job training of loving someone? Just so you know what to do and what to say? Just so you know when to sail on? Just so you know how to make him feel loved? Just so you know how NOT to make him feel unloved or worse smothered with your love.

Do you have to give up feeling for someone even though you really haven't confirmed with that person yet how that person feels for you? Well, I guess, it only sums up to two: either you go and stand naked in front of that special person or you can just walk away knowing that you might be giving up something that could really be beautiful...

Monday 14 April 2008

twists of fate

Whew! The day's been definitely full of twists and turns; one that's emotion-filled and would leave your head reeling and murky.

As my next forecasted project's schedule is still not fixed, it was decided that I have to go back to Manila for the mean time and be back here in Japan when we need to start the new project. This, if you can imagine, would create a big hassle and much complication for an overseas assignee especially when your hometown is an hour and half plane ride away from your workplace in Manila and that the possible interval between projects could only be one week. Coupled with this crazy arrangement was that my final workload in my current project is one which I find to be always a challenge everytime I get to design it. These made me really apprehensive as to what would be the best course of action. But what's weighing things down really is the fact that I'll be saying goodbye to those which I've grown fond of over the past year...

But fortunately, news travels fast and thanks to friends who helped in my adoption advertisements (^_^), I was transferred to another project which would serve as my transition project. An answered prayer, hopefully. =)

Anyways, today's hubbub ended with a yakitori dinner with Nagano-san, Kitty and Keitaro. My fave "Amo" (level with SL nga pala) advised us that we should take care of those younger than us and try to help mold them into being better Process engineers. Whew, a tall order it is as i've yet to scale a number of "mountains" to be a good Process engineer myself. But I sure do hope that even in my own small way, I could help with the molding..*_*

Thursday 10 April 2008

floating

For the first time since January, I was busy with work today. I was trying to hurry and get the P&IDs done so I could send them to our Manila office this evening and go home as early as I can as I haven't been able to start packing yet.

Around 8, I was nearly done with the finishing touches when BA pulled the chair of the desk beside me and told me that he has a big surprise for me.

Our additional unit got cancelled.

It seemed that both competing contractors' schedule proposal didn't fit with the Client's EPC plans so the additional unit would just have to be done FEED-EPC wise in three-months' time when the final contractor has been decided already.

Hence, leaving me a floating engineer for now. I wonder what lies for me come Monday. woohoo quite scary. Will I be going back to Pinas in a few weeks' time?

Oh well, for now though, I just have to enjoy my friends' company on our Kansai Area trip. So looking forward to this one....

Tuesday 1 April 2008

on sakura

Much as I tried to wake up early to have a leisurely stroll at sakura-dori in MM21 (and perhaps have a quick bite whilst seated beneath one of them sakura trees), I was only able to go out my flat at 8:40am. But it's not too bad I think since it's a few minutes earlier than usual. Hence, I still had my morning walk at Sakura dori.

Ooooohmmmm!! sakura! i so love them. They feel almost like heaven (for me at least).