happiness is...

finally finding the style of shoes you've always wanted, then having the sales staff say: "last pair na po ito in your size, at naka-20 percent off pa po ito!" sweeeet! :)
_

lately it's been all about work

we're still in the process of getting our groove over at tambayan tv, but i'm happy to say we're making progress. most of my time is spent at the station, but i'm not complaining because i'm learning a lot handling the online tv. it's been about a week since the launch at a-venue:

my shoes & accessory were courtesy of annej :)


the souvenir photo

one of the highlights so far is getting to feature the lovely ms. agot isidro, whom laila interviewed on her program:

the 90s it girl, still super pretty in her 40s :)

i was super starstruck! :D back when we were in high school, my sister and i were such big agot fans. we had a cassette (!) of her album, and we'd play it all the time and sing along because we knew the words by heart. even the inlay was super worn out! also, it was because of agot that i learned to love white shirts (as in white tees, not the frilly, dressy type) because she spoke about it in cosmo :) ow in her 40s, she still super beautiful. and she proudly shared that she's never had botox injections ever. idol!

laila & i with agot. i was super giddy hehehe

on a sadder note, we've bid goodbye to one of our djs, reggie valdez. he will no longer go on-air, but he's still very much a part of radio as he's with the special projects group. to mark his last day as a dj, and to end things on a somewhat happy note, we had a photo session:

reggie in white, his pastor-like outfit hehe :)

wacky! wacky!

all the best to you reg :)
_

so what have i been up to?

eto, laman ng tambayan! :P

our station recently underwent a major change, and i am super psyched to be at the forefront of it. we are now tambayan 101.9, with new djs, tandems and segments for the listeners. i'm now back to doing the news, though this time on an afternoon sked. i have to admit: i miss having a program and getting to chika with my partner martin d and the callers. but it's all good, as i have something new to occupy my time: i have been given a break as producer for the station's online TV component! woohoo! find our baby here :)

while i've done TV work before, it's quite a challenge mainly because i now have to concern myself with some technical stuff. it's quite a nosebleed sometimes hehe :) but it's an awesome learning experience.

apart from the rebranding and TV component, the station's also getting into HD radio. two formats will be introduced: a top 40 station, and an easy listening one.

apart from all that, we've also come up with an album of the station's number 1 songs for the past 12 years, as interpreted by today's hottest acts like 6 cycle mind, aiza seguerra, eric santos, and moonstar 88.

zenzationalzzz diba!

that's me in the middle, bluegreen dress, long hair, and about 12 lbs lighter hehe :D the station is going to be featured on ASAP later, watch if you can!

_

in the words of penny lane, you are home.

there was no electricity yesterday morning and so to entertain myself, i watched almost famous on my ipod for the nth time. like many others who have seen this cameron crowe film, my favorite is the tiny dancer scene:

i love it because it perfectly encapsulates the essence of music for me - its power to somehow make things better when your life's all awry. like when you're in a bad mood, then a song plays... you start by tapping your fingers to the rhythm, then you sway your head from side to side... until you finally give in and sing along as loud as you can! and then, somehow, it just lifts your spirits up :)

*

by noon we were at eastwood where we caught a screening of this is it. i totally enjoyed it! michael jackson was really such an amazing, talented, kind man. at 50, he was still rockin' all those dance moves! it's really sad that he passed away and didn't get to do what would've been such an amazing concert. good thing they came up with the idea of turning it into a movie - as such fans, not just in the concert stops, but all over the world, were still able to experience it somehow. the people who worked with mj for this concert are truly lucky - lalo na yung dalawang pinoy. imagine, dancing/designing for the king of pop! wow :)

i sang and danced in my seat while watching. only a few of us inside the cinema dared to do that. others remained still and quiet, which just didn't seem right to me hehe :) got me thinking how it would've been so awesome if the screening was held in a place with no seats and a party-like ambiance - where people could dance and sing and cheer their hearts out as a tribute to the king of pop. that would've been so much fun :)
_

it's my inaanak aj's second birthday tomorrow and to celebrate, his parents are throwing a party for kids whose families were devastated by ondoy. these are families still in an evacuation site, and whose lives have been turned upside down. his dad wanted the kids to be able to have fun, as they are most likely still reeling from the turn of events.

since marami na kong utang sa inaanak ko (hehe), i volunteered to prepare loot bags for the kids. i went shopping yesterday, and went home with chocolates, cookies, visors and stickers.

preparing 30+ loot bags is an easy task... but i have to admit, at one point i actually had to fight the urge to open a choco mucho for myself hehehe. pasensya na, i'm PMSing and was craving like crazy :D

anyways. doing this brought back memories of vounteering for gawad kalinga and sagip kapamilya, which i hope to be able to do again. it may seem like all's okay now, just because it hasn't been raining as much, but there is still a lot to do. life isn't back to normal yet for many people, and they need all the help they can get.

just in case there are still people reading this blog, do help out please. volunteer if you have time, donate if you have resources, and/or bridge information if you have access. take better care of nature while you're at it: opt for reusable shopping bags to limit plastic use and do not litter. makinig tayo sa mmda: maliit na basura, ibulsa pansamantala! :)
_

"don't explain. your friends don't need explanations. your enemies won't believe in you."

(quoting coelho, via his twitter)
_

turning 30

i had mixed emotions about turning 30. maybe it's because the last couple of years that i was in my twenties turned out to be such a rollercoaster ride in many aspects - work, love, family matters. i was at a place far from where i thought i would be at this age. days leading to my birthday became a time of reflection and realizations.

one thing i realized? i am still very blessed, and i have a lot to be thankful for. sure i don't have some of the luxuries i used to enjoy, but i'm getting back on my feet. material things are very easy to acquire. the non-tangible things, a.k.a. the more important ones, are what i have in my possession and for that i am grateful.

i am grateful i have my friends.

bernadine, sherilyn and i had a triple birthday celebration at krokodile grill in shangri-la. we capped the night by having wine at barcino, where we enjoyed our drinks with cheese and deli. it ws a sunday night and people at bar were pretty mellow. our group stood out with our non-stop stories and loud laughter! :) annej has the pictures and i hope to share some here soon.

i don't belong to a huge circle of friends but i'm happy with the ones i have because they are a genuine group of people.

i am grateful for my sister.

when i was making plans for the big 3-0, one thing i knew was that i wanted to spend it with my sister. and she did a helluva job overseeing things for me. from research to reservations, she took care of it all. in indonesia we got to see awesome sights - my favorite of which is the prambanan, which really took my breath away.

we ate buffet everyday, but the best one of all is the one at satoo, where we spent the eve of my birthday. not only was the food yum, i also got a birthday treat! the waiters brought out a special dessert platter, with candles bearing the scary numbers 3 and 0, hehe :) the waiters also sang to me both in english and bahasa indonesia!

mastermind for this was my sister, along with rocel. thank you so much 'te! not just for the birthday treat, but for everything. i love you!

for pictures, you know the drill :)

i am grateful because i have what really matters.

what i went through the past year was really something. in the process i've gained, i've lost. thankfully, i have what really matters: strength, love... these are the real treasures. like i said, material things are easy to acquire.

i have goals and i have plans. but one can never really plan for everything right? because life may have its own agenda, and it's probably one that's best or meant for you. the way to go about it, i guess, is to just live your life however way it feels right, but be open to accidentally making fortunate discoveries along the way. it's serendipity, and it's a beautiful thing.

_