Another Shopaholic

I was on my usual blog hopping mode when I saw a post from The Wifey Diaries about another book from my favorite chic lit, The Shopoholic Series. Oh boy, I really got so excited!!

I love this book because sometimes I can really relate to Becky Bloomwood (minus the financial credit card problems) on her love for shopping. I mean most girls I know does too. I can really walk around the mall all day without being tired and I can hop from one boutique to another which really annoys my otherwise normally patient husband. Hahaha! Can't wait til September for the book launch!! I wonder if reservations are now available at Powerbooks....

Photo Loco

I love looking at various pictures since I've always been a fan of photography. Digital or Analogue, it doesn't matter. Growing up, I've told myself that I'll buy the newest camera model and take photography lessons.

I can still remember my first camera, a Fuji 110 Film Format Camera. When I was in grade school, I always make sure that I have it with me during our field trip or school activities. In high school, I've started using an Olympus 135 film format camera. As usual, I always have it with me during various occasions. During college, I became a fan of camera phones. You can say that I was sort of the unofficial photographer of my different barkada, hence, I wasn't included in some of our group pics. =) When digital cameras came to the scene, I pleaded with my parents to buy one for our family (read: for me) but it took a lot of time and persuasion before they bought me one. Then along came the DSLR - everything I've ever wanted in a camera. Or so I thought.

During our wedding preps, I became obsessed with wedding photography. It was during this time when I discovered lomography. It's not something high tech. Lomography actually uses film cameras and emphasizes casual and snapshot photography.

I bought my first lomo camera in ebay, a Holga 120N with flash, for I think about Php1800 (about $39.13). My first roll of film was a disaster but it didn't stop me from buying more films. Thankfully, I got the shots and looks that I wanted. Practice indeed makes perfect. It was lomo love! I forgot I've wanted a DLSR camera. Lomo cameras are more exciting! You never know what you'll gonna get. It gives me great pride knowing that these pictures are good just the way it is and are not digitally enhanced or "photoshoped." Another good thing about this is that lomo cameras are definitely way cheaper than their digital counterparts. Camera films and developing, on the other hand, costs a lot in the long run. A 120 film (12 shots) cost more or less Php200 (about $4.35) each and to develop it would be about Php135-150 (about $2.93-$3.26) through Digiprint. That's why I asked my husband to get me a Diana mini camera with flash since it uses 135 films which means cheaper films and more shots.

I could just go on and on about my new found love on lomography. So much that I created a blog dedicated to lomo pics at

http://mylomolove.blogspot.com/. But don't get me wrong, part of me still adores digital photography. I must admit that I still use my digicam as a backup just in case my lomo pictures doesn't turn out the way I wanted them to be. I still want to get myself a DLSR but not as much as I wanted to get more film cameras.

Much Ado About Everything

Oh boy. It's been more than a month since I updated my blog, and a lot had happened since my last entry. Some were funny, few were just plain nonsense, and one was almost heartbreaking. I guess I was just preoccupied with a lot things that I almost forgot about my favorite free therapy: Blogging.

Anyway, I've been busy with these things:

• Cafe World. I've only discovered this nice game a few weeks ago and I've been hooked eversince! It's therapeutic to watch my "waiters" serve my "dishes."
  

• Princess Hours. OMG! I'm not really a fan of Koreanovelas but I so love this series! I started to like it when I saw a rerun last year on channel 23 but it wasn't until I watched the beginning of the series on Animax that I really got obsessed! I was able to finish all episodes on youtube, watched it 3 times and still want more!!! Any other Koreanovelas I should watch?



• The Notebook. I loved the book. This is how I want my marriage to be (minus the illness) -- long lasting. As for the movie, I didn't enjoy the adaptation but Rachel McAdam's clothes are an eye candy! I really love vintage clothes. I bought the DVD and fell in love again.



• Cross stitch. I used to do a lot of cross stitching when I was in high school. I stumbled upon a thread in Girltalk which made me remeber how I enjoyed this craft. Thanks also to a Gtalker who agreed to scan some of my favorite wedding pictures for a cross stitch pattern, I may have to start my project soon.



• Big Fight =(. My husband and I had a really big fight so I was a bit down for a few days. Good thing all is great again for us. Yay!


• Yoga. I had the most annoying back pain few days ago and I realized that I really haven't been taking care of my body. I badly need an exercise but I don't want a very straining one. I've been researching about yoga and being flexible and all, I feel this might really work for me. I'm serious about this. Will be posting once I enroll in a yoga class.



• Weddings. They say June is a month for weddings (but our wedding coordinator told me that December is now the peak season for weddings) so I can't help but reminisce about our rocking vintage wedding and of course visit wedding blogs. With this, I got more and more excited to get the copy of our wedding video and photo album.
  

Nice huh? I guess I do have a lot of free time. I've been doing nothing since my husband and I have different schedules. I only get to see him for 3 hours daily so I really need to keep myself busy away from boredom and loneliness.

Yikes! Thirty!

I woke up and realized I'm thirty now. Wow, really? Coz, I feel like I'm still in my teens.

Oh well! Good thing, I'm happy with my life and I don't look my age anyway (that's according to new people I met). Since I wasn't able to file a leave for my birthday, on the day itself, we celebrated the typical style: lunch out, movies, shop, and visit my parent's home. My niccolo also gave me a present, my 2nd lomo camera: a diana mini! Yey! I couldn't be happier! Perfect timing for my post birthday trip to Batangas.

Due to a miscommunication between me and the reservations person, we almost didn't secure a spot in Acuatico Beach Resort in Laiya, San Juan, Batangas. We finalize our booking on May 14 for an overnight accommodation to one of their Alta Vista rooms (hotel type for 6,300/night), which is the only available room left. I've been hearing great feedback from my office mate and other girltalkers so I decided that since our Coron trip was busted and Vivere Azure is expensive, we might as well try this place. Besides, I've also seen pictures from my sister in law's FB account from their trip last year and I must say, the infinity pool is quite impressive.

It took us 3 hours from Alabang to Batangas to reach the resort. We weren't lost. Thanks to the direction/map my friend, Steph, lend me. The first thing my niccolo did was to go to our room and sleep while I went and explore the resort on my own. Talk about vacation! The view from inside and outside the resort is nice! Perfect for a relaxing day. Looking at some of our pics, one may get confuse on where exactly does the pool ends and the where the beach begins.

The infinity pool was really great but the rooms were too small, I must say. Our bed was almost touching the front door, it is that small. I should have book them earlier, I should have gotten the Casa de Playa room which they said is for honeymooners/couples.

If I was a bit disappointed with the rooms, the food, on the other hand, were delicious! Pricey but really yummy! The husband of course ordered buffet meal and seems like he was floating in heaven, while I only ordered a la carte meals since I'm not really in buffet these days (read: on a diet).

My new camera was busy the whole trip, I think I used that it more fequently than my digicam. That's why I have limited pictures to share. In my opinion, I think Acuatico is really better during lean season. You'll have more privacy and you'll really feel relax. It just happen that my birthday falls during summer so people are really crowding various resorts and beaches in the Philippines. I can't get beautiful pictures of the pool since kids and their toys where everywhere. We enjoyed watching them play but we also want to swim! So I asked my husband to just wake up early in the morning to enjoy the swimming at the pool. We had to take advantage of the quiet time while most of the resort guests were sleeping.

Hay... Everything good must come to an end. Husband was insisting that we extend our stay but I didn't bring enough moolah with me so we had to go back the next day. It was a great choice, as what he said. Acuatico has captured my husband's heart!

iVote

I was excited to vote yesterday since this will be the first automated elections in the Philippines. While in the office, I kept on checking Facebook on my mobile for my friends' reaction or just anything about the election. Their status worried me because I don't want to wait for 3 hours in the sun waiting for my turn to vote. So I was expecting the worst when I went home after lunch in Las Pinas to vote. I felt relieved when I was able to finish voting in less than 15 minutes!

It was a different story in Muntinlupa, where I accompanied my husband to vote as well. The people in charge were sooo disorganized! Although the queue is short, the volunteers, poll watchers, etc, didn't have a clue where the line begins or what's the next step. Anyway, he might have finished everything after more than 30 minutes. Still pretty fast compare to others' 3 hours.

Today, as I read newspapers and watch the news, I felt sooo disappointed. I didn't vote for Noynoy Aquino, but I guess I'm half expecting that he'll turn out to be number one. But Erap in the number two spot?! C'mon! A convicted plunderer? What is wrong with us Filipinos? Are my countrymen really that stupid? Or are they just blinded by Erap's charm. Oh well, atleast Noy Noy is winning.

**photo taken from yahoo news

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/slideshow/photo//100510/ids_photos_wl/r3532419544.jpg/