i am woman, hear me rawr!

I finally was able to fulfill a long-standing dream of mine, which is to take Bubba to Bonifacio High Street. I’ve always been hesitant to do so because he tends to pee on whatever bush or post he sees, which is typical since he’s a male dog. I’ve always used a poop bucket for him, so that’s never been a problem, but the peeing….well…

Anyway, last Sunday there was a Pet Club event hosted by Hobbes and Landes and I figured it would be the best time to take him. I was a little bit iffy because of the weather but I didn’t wanna dissapoint Bubba because he seemed excited about our trip. So I ended up going and I’m glad I did! He was smitten by this 10 month old lab named Misha! Besides that he got to play around with other dogs and also tried some agility training exercises, although he kinda got a bit nervous at first and had a bout of stage fright!

During the event I got to talk to the obedience and agitlity trainer, Domingo Juan, and he told me that despite Bubba’s age, he can still be trained to get rid of that peeing behavior. One way, he said, was to not feed and limit water intake the day before to the day i take him out. Also, behavior modification can help. I am quite interested in enrolling Bubba in his training classes but he requires 3-4 sessions a week, and I can’t commit to that schedule because of work.

After the tiring exercises, I treated Bubba and my brothers to Fridays. Of course we ordered ribs because of him!!!!

One thing I noticed, however, is despite how massive Bubba looks, he’s tiny compared to purebred labs

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Right at the heels of Eclipse, comes another movie that the whole world is waiting for: the final chapter of Harry Potter with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! While we still have to wait till November for the first of two movies that will determine Harry’s fate, here’s the official trailer to keep us all on our toes in the meantime!

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The latest installment of the Twilight saga, Eclipse, is set to open in under an hour!!! As I write this, droves of Twi-hards are lining up in various malls around the metro to be among the first to catch the first public screening of the long-awaited sequel.

Lucky for me, I was one of those who received an advanced screening pass by Ayala cinemas to the movie earlier this evening. I will be the first to admit that I’m not a big Twilight fan, particularly the book since I haven’t had time to read it, but the movies were always something I looked forward to. Compared to it’s prequels, I must say that Eclipse was truly the most engaging and exciting one for me. Whereas New Moon was a little boring for me, this was highly entertaining. I found myself laughing out loud a lot. And yes, Jacob, you are hotter than Edward Oh, and I think bot Rob Pattinson and Kristin Stewart, as well as Taylor Lautner, did much better jobs with their roles in this film!

Much as I enjoyed the film, I was still a little bitin, however, with Dakota Fanning’s role in Eclipse. The ending, as always, left me wanting more so I guess all I can end with is I can’t wait for Breaking Dawn.

Given that tomorrow is a holiday, I’m sure a lot of you would love to go catch the movie. I’m sure cinemas all over Manila will be packed!!! At least, after the 12 noon President Aquino inauguration I strongly suggest you pre-purchase tickets via www.sureseats.com so you don’t end up disappointed when you see the fully sold-out signs in the cinema windows.

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Today it dawned on me how quickly time flies. I figured I’ve lived about half my life now, right? And what do I have to show for it: a ginormous credit card bill.

NOT GOOD!!!

I have always been the type of girl who shops impulsively that does not worry much about tomorrow. I always think that there’s still a lot of time to save and plan for the future. Well, apparently I am so wrong about that! While talking with my colleagues earlier who were planning a trip abroad, they mentioned words like “savings”, “investments” and “bonds”…all of which I couldn’t relate to. I know what they mean, don’t get me wrong, but I never really made that a priority. So when I got home, I decided to take stock of my assets and liabilities, as well as to create a workable plan to get out of credit card debt and to start investing for my future. This included checking out various life insurance leads and business investments I can get involved in. This way I have something to count on when I reach the ripe old age of retirement.

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Yes!!! After one week of not only feeling flu-ish, but actually falling ill, I’m back. I still feel a bit woozy but at least I can get out of bed again

I hope to catch up with my pending blog posts and articles soon. But before that, let me say thanks to everyone who left me words of well-wishes and for the kindness everyone has shown Mwah!!!!

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I hate it when I feel flu-ish on a weekend. It isn’t fair

It all started yesterday when I woke up from my nap with a pounding headache. I chalked it up to the heat, or perhaps due to the hot and sweaty commute I endured the day before. It was so bad that I could barely keep my head on straight. To my credit, however, I was able to finish three whole articles yesterday.

On hindsight, I think I should have just slept off the migraine instead.

This morning, I awoke with a sore throat and the usual allergic rhinitis symptoms: itchy and puffy eyes, runny nose, and bouts of sneezing. I felt a bit better after a warm bath, a whiff of my inhaler and a few squirts of nasal spray for allergy relief, but I was still a bit lethargic and woozy. Lucky for me I only had preschool classes today and no lecture at the university! I made it home early and tried to rest, but the heat kept getting to me.

I hope I get better by tomorrow.

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I came within a hair’s breath of not showing up at the premiere of the animated film Toy Story 3. For one, it was going to be shown at the IMAX Theater or SM North Edsa, the farthest mall possible from my place. Secondly, I was coding today. Also, I had a research meeting at 4 pm at DLSU and it was the first day of preschool classes. I wasn’t really feeling very well either, in fact, I had to be absent in my first college class because my morning class wore me out. Add to this the fact that I was missing someone I know better than to miss (wa-paw!)

In short: I was overwhelmed and stumped with all the things going on around me.

However, after some convincing, I decided to go (thanks Flow ) and by golly, I’m sure glad I did. I needed a good cry this morning and a good cry I got

It was great to see the old friends we grew up with, Buzz and Woody. It’s been about ten years (give or take) since we last saw Andy playing with his toys and since then, he has grown up and is now at the throes of his new adventure: college life. Given that he is off to this new world, his toys have been relegated to the toy chest, left alone gathering dust. As a last ditch attempt, Woody and the gang try to get Andy to notice them but to no avail. The question  now is what happens to them when Andy’s gone?

I’ll leave that question unanswered for now, but suffice it to say I more than enjoyed the movie, I loved it. It now ranks among my all-time favorite movies, alongside it’s prequels. It was a good blend of laughter and charm blended with heart-warming nostalgia that is bound to leave you on a trip down to memory lane. Just like the second installment of the series, Toy Story 3 left me in tears and with that familiar ache in my heart, but in a good way

Although some old faces were missing, such as Bo Peep, there were a whole bunch of toys which made the movie so much more fun. My favorite one is this one because it reminded me of a toy I actually once had

Toy Story 3 is definitely a fun-filled adventure that you shouldn’t miss! I enjoyed seeing it in 3D and I couldn’t help but think about how far technology has come since the first Toy Story movie. I love how the pictures are so much more clear and crisp and the effects definitely add more to the viewing experience. It was also the first time I got to try out SM North’s IMAX theater and as I understand, it’s the biggest 3D screen in the Philippines.

As for me, whether 3D or not Toy Story 3 made me very happy today It sure was worth the effort I made to commute to and from and to and from SM North (yes, to and from, to and from talaga!)

Toy Story 3 opens tomorrow, June 17.

Photo Credits: Walt Disney Studios

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Photo by stuartpilbrow “089/365 Money…What Money” by c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved

The other day, my good friend T and I were talking about money matters and how it’s so hard to really save up for a rainy day. After taking stock, I realized I spend a bulk of my money on two things: food and gadgets. To make matters worse, not only am I spend-thrifty, I tend to be impulsive about it. At times, when I know I have money coming my way, I already plan where to spend it, even if I am not holding it yet. Tsk tsk.

After our discussion, I decided that it’s time to make some changes with regards to my spending habits. I know this should have been done a long time ago, when I was younger, but I guess it’s not too late to start. After all, I’m not getting younger, right? If I don’t do this, what’s gonna happen to me in the future, especially since I have to fend for myself. Also, I have to think about the possibility of having my own family. While I know I have some social security benefits and insurance claims to expect for the future, it definitely will not be enough for a long time.

Here are some things I will be doing in the next few months to save for the future:

1. Limit beverage purchases. I spend WAAAAY to much on this: sodas, iced teas, coffee….To be able to do this, I will be bringing a water bottle with me more regularly.
2. Stop with the excess food purchases, such as ice cream, chips and chocolates. Not only will this help me save, it can also help me in my goal to be a Fat Girl No More!
3. Minimize gas expenses by planning out my schedule better. Same thing with parking. I hate having to pay the extra Php 10 for exceeding the allotted hours, especially if this is just by a few minutes.
4. I will also think twice before buying something!!! To be able to be sure to do this, I will leave my credit card at home!!!

That’s about it for now. Do you have any other suggestions for my savings?

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