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2011 year end survey

2012-01-01T01:10:00.002+08:00

2011 year end survey

YEAR 6!!

1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?
--- Had to end a life I love to hate and hate to love. It was a bittersweet ending, I tell you.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
--- What was it again?

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
--- Not that I know of.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
--- Is blessed to be protected each day. None.

5. What countries did you visit?
--- Hong Kong, China, Indonesia and Turkey.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
--- Still travel, and REST!

7. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
--- The day I left home, September 5, 2011. It was one of the saddest.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
--- I haven't thought about it, really.

9. What was your biggest failure?
--- Haven't thought about it either.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
--- Perhaps getting sick while on tour in Turkey and last December.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
--- Couldn't think of any...

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
--- Someone close to my heart. I couldn't say her name though.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
--- Two people close to my heart. Couldn't write their name down.

14. Where did most of your money go?
--- FOOD! Diet starts TODAY!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
--- My trip to Bali and Turkey! Obviously, I wasn't excited to come home from China.

16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
--- Anything Mandopop! Perhaps SunYanZi, ZhangHuiMei, ZhangJie, LiangJingRu, YuKeWei, FIR and A-lin!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
--- Smarter!!

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
--- Fire spin!

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
--- Study and work! I need to just RELAX for a bit!

20. How did you spend the holidays?
--- I was in Manila when it was holiday in Beijing, and I was in Beijing when it was holiday in Manila! I am very happy to be home for Christmas! It was a breath of fresh air to see all the Christmas trees and parols all over the city again! It felt home.

21. Did you fall in love in 2011?
--- Hmmmm.....

22. How many one-night stands?
--- Hmmmm.....

23. What was your favorite TV program?
--- FeiChengWuRao and KuaiLeDaBenYing! I swear I haven't watched any English or Filipino shows for the longest time already!

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
--- Not that I know of! I wanna stay as positive as possible.

25. What was the best book you read?
--- I don't really read books. My favorite is Time Out Magazine!

26. What was your favorite film of this year?
--- There was this Hong Kong film I watched earlier... 72 Tenants of Prosperity (72家租客)! I'd watch it again if I have the time! It's the funniest, really!

27. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
--- Okay, I finally have to admit that I need to buy more "mature" and "fashionable" clothes and wear make up more often! There goes my fashion concept for 2012!

28 Whom did you miss?
--- I missed Manila when I was in Beijing. I miss Beijing now.

29. Who was the best new person you met?
--- Secret!

30. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.
--- Good things come to an end; at the end of the day, it's about how you deal with the aftermath that matters.

hello 2012

2012-01-01T01:02:00.001+08:00

CHEERS TO A FIERCE AND FABULOUS 2012!! I'm gonna own you, I swear!

(I know I haven't written anything for the past few weeks/months...!)

in turkey

2011-10-14T18:41:00.003+08:00

Doing life/work admin with the most amazing view in the world...

two weeks

2011-10-04T19:49:00.003+08:00

I must be really sad and depress during the past weeks that's why I haven't been blogging lately. I can't believe I'm finally home. Yeah, it just hit me NOW.

onion remember

2011-09-21T09:48:00.002+08:00

About a year ago before she left Beijing, my Thai friend Fern gave me this...

It's the best instant fried onion that I ever had!

I just need to post it so that I won't forget about its details!

more things that make me fat

2011-09-21T09:30:00.002+08:00

I have always been blogging about those soy based products I eat almost everyday... and this is one of them...

I remember the time when I couldn't find any of those dried tofu endorsed by 谢娜 XieNa, a very very popular TV host (someone like Toni Gonzaga in Philippine levels). I loved her dried tofu, not because it is being endorsed by her, but because they were really delicious. Heck, I didn't even know her when I first started buying her products!

So there was a time when I couldn't find any of them. Thus, I had to buy these...

Like the dried tofu that is being endorsed by XieNa, these come from 四川 SiChuan province as well. Although XieNa's is still a winner. She has those grilled dried tofu -barbecue flavor, baby!

things that are making me fat

2011-09-19T20:50:00.003+08:00

I have been going to the gym for about 2 weeks now... and it's HARD! I swear my body ached during my first two sessions, I couldn't even move!!

As written in my previous post, I fell in love with Pipino Vegetarian Restaurant's menu. The food was divine. I couldn't resist buying all their pastries!

It's been a guilty pleasure eating their cake (no photo), cupcakes and cookies! I feel so fat. I feel so bad.

It was like during the time I had this organic bar of chocolate from Bali, Indonesia, while I was still in Beijing, China. (Complicated, I know!)

It was divine, as well. Sharing was the last thing on my mind.

vrush

2011-09-16T19:05:00.002+08:00

I was in front of these standing brushes this afternoon....

and these CIA like brushes too...

and a whole lot more!

This girl doesn't even brush her hair often. Life can get so ironic.

from donating blood in china this 2011

2011-09-16T18:13:00.002+08:00

As blogged long ago, I donated blood last January and last month, when mom visited me and when I went back from a mini vacation in Manila. I was very much nourished then. Thus, was able to donate.

These were the goodies I received last January, they're so bongga giving away bags!

While this is what I received from donating blood last month...

A blanket!

It was when I discovered that the 冰红茶 BingHongCha or Red Iced Tea that their selling is same as Hong Kong's Vita! Who would have thought that the "unique" taste that Vita has can be bought in China, in 2 liter bottles! l!OL

pipino sarap

2011-09-15T17:34:00.003+08:00

Rach and I ate lunch at Pipino Vegetarian Restaurant today... I LOVE the ambiance! (I should have got their calling card!)

Super nice interior! I get like I was in kindergarten!! The best part about it is, their ONLY serve VEGAN food!!!

What could be more... appetizing than see a rack full of vegan pastries? Their fridge is the cutest too!!

They prepare and cook all their vegan food, including the ice cream!!!

I wonder how they decorated the place. I would love to live in a place like this, such an easy going atmosphere!

They also have a Starbucks-like menu!! (Although theirs is wayyy better than Starbucks' because they're vegan!!)

Rach ordered lasagna while I ordered veggie tempuras and some sushi. Although both the lasagna and tempuras are divine... the sushi didn't taste as good.

Cheers to more vegan restaurants in the Metro!!! Yey for me!!! (Just hope I won't get fatter though!)

Pipino Vegetarian Food by Pino

39 Malingap Street, Teachers Village

Quezon City

Tel. No. 441-1773

Open from 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

first wedding

2011-09-15T17:31:00.002+08:00

It was my first time to attend a wedding, for the longest time, last September 11, 2011. I made sure to attend the church ceremony (even if I'm alone) just because I want to feel that kilig factor again! The bride was sooooo beautiful. I was moved to see how happy and in love the couple are!

mid autumn festival the beijing way

2011-09-13T22:15:00.002+08:00

Bought some mooncakes before I left Beijing a week ago. In true Beijing tradition, 稻香村 DaoXiangCun sold these big mooncakes...

Can't imagine how big it is?

I took a photo of it beside my uncle's ugly phone!

I also bought a hopia and a small mooncake for grandma! The rabbits are so cute! (It's year of the rabbit this year.)

It's been a week since I arrived in Manila, and it's been a week that I've been telling everyone that I want to go back to Beijing already. Life...

longing

2011-09-09T21:14:00.003+08:00

It is sad to think that the new tenants to the apartment must be settling by now. The contract ended just yesterday, with my aunt paying all the utility bills in my behalf. I miss the apartment so much.

It's a good thing I left the place without worrying about what's left of the lease, I might have cried in front of everyone.

These are photos of my last days in the apartment, packing:

And this is what is left of the apartment before my aunt "disposed" everything:

Sorry, I couldn't help but think of the place I called home, for the last 2 years. I feel sad.

the second day of a new life

2011-09-06T22:57:00.004+08:00

How I wish I can blog about everything that had happened during the last 48 hours. It would be very emotional and dramatic. (I know right!)

The 2 years in Beijing was a very amazing experience. It was my decision to leave the country a year ago, and It's been very hard adjusting back to the life I had long before I lived there. I must admit that it saddens me to leave, but I figured, I'd be facing the same dilemma sooner or later -and it'll just be worse.

Everything that happened was from decisions I have made, and I don't regret any of it.

sleepy

2011-08-30T02:36:00.002+08:00

I honestly want to blog about the new Chinomusic I've been listening to... and some other stuff that suddenly slipped my mind. I guess I'm really pre-occupied with copying a month's worth of my Chinese diary and idoms (the ones which my tutor corrected already).

I'm going home (for good) in a few days, and I don't even know what to feel. It was a decision, I'm just not ready to face whatever lies ahead. I already took loads of photos of my apartment, I just don't know if I'll have enough courage to blog about it because I might feel very emotional. It's hard to leave a place which you call home.

强 qiang, strong

2011-08-26T23:35:00.002+08:00

My calligraphy teacher asked me to write an idiom... and one of the characters from the 4 word idiom is the word 强 qiang, strong.

I honestly thought I did a great job it writing the character... until...

I couldn't comment anymore. l!OL

where is home

2011-08-20T01:36:00.003+08:00

I suffered from depression during the latter part of June until the first few weeks of July. Since my tutor had to attend Korean Classes, I had free time. I felt really sad at that time that's why I chose studying this over another Chinese language course (I think I've had enough of it).

As they say, Chinese Calligraphy helps people become peaceful. I thought it was a chance to meditate in this busy city especially that I was depressed at that time. So I enrolled. I go to my Chinese Calligraphy Class every other day. I would wake up at 8.30am and would leave the house at 9 just to catch the busy going directly to the southern end of XueYuanLu, and walk for about 10 minutes to get to class.

I had fun, and thought I had my share of improvements... until I had to go home (to Manila) for my grandma's birthday party.

I swear I couldn't hold the brush properly anymore when I came back (August 18,2011)! (I'm now taking classes at 2.30pm.) My teacher tried to correct the way I'm holding it and even stared at it at 360 degrees, but he couldn't. It was just awkward. I knew there was something wrong, but I myself couldn't correct it. So I decided to take another class the next day and just try to be familiar with the art again.

Now, at least, I am close to being back to my regular programming! I have classes with my tutor everyday, calligraphy class every other day, stuff to layout, my Chinese Diary (to write and correct), etc.

I finally felt that I'm home.

instant ulam

2011-08-17T16:31:00.002+08:00

You have probably heard me blog about instant rice and instant noodles...

I've been wanting to eat those mock meat for days, where it is unavailable in Manila. So I bought some this morning, after my blood donation. Here is the first one I tried:

It is artificial beef, made from tofu! Well I initially thought it was like the ones I usually buy from the super market, bite size pieces in pack!

Apparently it's one BIG pack like ulam!

See, it's just one piece! It's like the other ones I buy before... the only difference is, it is not cold food and there is no need to put it in the fridge.

Well, it's okay. It's not as good as the ones I usually buy, but it's also not as bad as the ones I don't buy... but I guess I'd be better off buying the ones I usually buy since they taste better than this.

eight is my lucky number

2011-08-17T16:05:00.002+08:00

September 27, 2007 -DOH (PH) with sila Dom, Benj, Jojo and Corz. Can never forget donating with the boys! l!OL
February 15, 2008 -DOH (PH) all I can remember is that I was wearing my strawberry shortcake shirt, and my dad has his birthday party that night! l!OL
August 13, 2008 -DOH (PH) I honestly dont remember much.
January 22, 2009 -Red Cross (PH) would like to forget this experience.
August 12, 2009 -DOH (PH) my last blood donation as Lasallista!
April 20, 2010 -BJ Blood (CN) first time to donate blood in China!
January 26, 2011 -BJ Blood (CN) it was winterrrr.
August 17, 2011 -BJ Blood (CN) just 10 hours after I landed in Beijing. Sweet!

I just got back from Manila. I swear I become the extreme opposite of who I am whenever I take a vacation in Manila. I felt VERY VERY healthy. As in, I felt fat. It wasn't normal for me to eat 3 meals a day anymore, and it just makes me feel bloated whenever I don't stick to my diet.

I knew that I would be as HEALTHY as every going back to Beijing, that's why I immediately took the opportunity to try my luck in donating blood! (I wouldn't pass the blood test have I not went home! L!OL)

Look how "healthy" I am! And yes, I know that I have to start going to the gym already!

As tradition, I had some photos taken! Good thing the blood donation bus wasn't full and that the nurses were able to help me take photos! Yey!!

The usual routine...

This is what I love to take photos of whenever I donate blood. It's just interesting to see the blood being weighed while rocking it like a baby!

It didn't take long to donate 400ml of blood! I think it was even less than 10 minutes, promise!

I had an orange bandage after because the nurses knew I wanted to take photos of my blood bag!

It's soooo BIG and FAT!

And they look like lungs! L!OL

my first time as a bazaar tenant

2011-08-14T22:23:00.003+08:00

My mini vacation in the Philippines couldn't be any better because, after 4 months of selling Baguum, I was able to join a bazaar for the very first time -August 13, 2011!

I went out the whole day the day before the event, and Rach told me she'd fetch me at around 6am so I had to wake up EXTRA early to take a bath and prepare for the day! Little did I know, Rach was only frightening me so that I won't wake up late! She ended up fetching me at 6.30am!

Anyway, I was super tired during the event. I know how bad and un-toned my arms look like, and doing the demo the whole day just scares me more to go to the gym (although I HAVE to) when I come back on September (for good)!

Congratulations to Working Moms Magazine for another successful All About Babies Bazaar this year!

kimpura is alive

2011-08-14T22:18:00.003+08:00

My aunts invited me for dinner in Kimpura, Greenhills last August 12, 2011! I ate a lot during lunch so I just sat with them to chat!

Who would have thought that there are still lots of people eating in Kimpura after all these years? I never really noticed the restaurant until they invited me to join them!

(I'm just glad I'm vegetarian and was able to resist eating!)

it's the stay put factor

2011-08-10T22:17:00.003+08:00

I miss tying my hair into a ponytail!

The Goody Stay Put just keeps my hair stay in place throughout the day!

hatest and unhealthiest guilty pleasure

2011-08-08T18:50:00.002+08:00

Is to eat junk food! I tried staying away from junk foods until I saw the new packaging of Oishi's Pringles!

Being Filipino, I try to buy Oishi Products in China, instead of other brands, as much as possible. It took me 2 days to finish 3 cans! I don't know what to do with the last can... when I get back to Beijing! WAR ON (JUNK) FOOD!

two different packages

2011-08-08T18:24:00.003+08:00

Last July 30, 2011, I received 2 packages from my trusted TaoBao Online Sellers!

This should be the package with the fake DVDs...

because it's flat, and fake DVDs of Chinovelas usually only have 2 discs inside -unlike the original ones where they have 6-10 discs for the entire Chinovela.

I don't usually buy fake DVDs... but I planned to give them to my Hong Kong Grandma and I don't really know if she'll like it... so I just bought the cheap fake ones!

Oh, the second package is humongous!

This is from my trusted TaoBao Seller! He doesn't remember my name nor my address, but he knows I have bought from him a million times already!

I bought DVDs to be added to my collection!

and some "baon"! I was finally able to buy CDs of my favorite Chinese Singers!!!!

Hay... It made me perky! I put them all in the CD case that I bought on my first night in Manila! Addict!!!

nutri sari

2011-07-30T09:07:00.002+08:00

My Indonesian friend recommended me to buy a pack of Nutri Sari while I was grocery shopping in Indonesia. You know me, it's always a guilty pleasure to grocery shop!

I bought it last February. Since it was still cold in Beijing when I came back, I decided to wait until summer to enjoy it cold! I guess it was worth waiting because I loved the drink!

One sachet is for 250ml of drink. Although it's yummy, it still worries me how much artificial flavoring and coloring it has! The some of powder just won't melt away even after mixing it with water! Well at least there won't be a chance for me to bulk buy this powdered juice drink anytime in the future, although I would love to go back to Jakarta where shopping and food is better than Manila's!

a trip to the bookstore

2011-07-29T12:55:00.001+08:00

It just makes me happy seeing Beijing improve... in disciplining the people!

The last time I checked (and it was a long time ago), there weren't any signs of "No Eating" in subway stations. Heck, there would even be spilled food in the subway train!

If you haven't noticed how... much abandoned my blog is, I have been a bit pre-occupied for the past couple of days attending calligraphy classes, fixing my Chinese Diary and doing this project for the office.

Anyway, I went to the largest bookstore in Beijing to buy 《裸婚》 LuoHun, the novel where 《裸婚时代》 LuoHunShiDai (Chinovela) was based after my calligraphy class yesterday at XiDan. I had an online seller reserve a copy for me the day before, but I didn't quite like the service so I just decided to get a copy in the bookstore. Unfortunately, there weren't any copies left (as expected)... so I just bought these...

They are like stencils where you have to practice writing chinese characters on it everyday. As you'll notice, the each stencil have different writing styles. Some are in script, and some are in... ordinary form.

I bought all four sets because... I really want to write in Chinese Script. They're just beautiful. And the thing with the Chinese is, they'll know if you are cultured enough by just looking at how you write the characters. I, for one, am a foreigner. It would just be awesome to be able to be as immersed as I can, after living in Beijing for 2 full years.

The lady gave me free pens... I just don't know where to use them. (I have my own pens at home which I only use for writing my Chinese Characters.) Besides, I think it's more economical to use pencil in practicing these characters.

I bought these instead.

Since they don't have the book that I originally planned to buy, I just bought 《蜗居》, where the Hit Chinovela was also based.

I also bought 鲁迅 LuXun's 《呐喊》, with some notes on the side! I planned to buy the book with now other additional texts but I guess it's wiser to buy LuXun's book with some explanations beside his short novels. He's novels are too complicated for me to handle! l!OL

After a trip to the bookstore, I got hungry for lunch so I decided to ditch Zara and H&M for Element Fresh Sanlitun. It was a shame that their Hummus' serving size became wayyyy small. It wasn't even funny. I should have taken a photo of it and compare the before and after. I wasn't satisfied at all.

After lunch, I started collecting free magazines for more inspirations! I just love how... expat friendly Beijing is!

(I should have taken a photo of the bookstore as well!)

家，N次方 Jia Family

2011-07-29T11:47:00.002+08:00

I started watching this Chinovela 家，N次方 Jia, NCiFang. I got a bit curious about it since its YouKu rating has a perfect score of 10! Aside from which, I know 2 of the actors in the Chinovela so it wasn't really hard being convinced to watch the series. The Chinovela is basically about 2 families becoming one. Both parents have been single/widowed with children.

I honestly had a gut feel how corny the story line is, but I just couldn't stop watching out of curiosity. I watched until I felt that it was slowly jumping the shark, and stayed because of them...

Model/actor 贺刚 HeGang was simply hot playing handsome rich kid in the Chinovela. He doesn't even have to say a word to be pretty like that! (Although he needs to improve his acting skills!)

...and then there is his love team, 王子文 WangZiWen. There is something about her that annoys and attracts (naaaliw) me at the same time. For one thing, she plays like a kid, and even a little bit childish for her age. The only thing that attracts me about her is the fact that she looks almost exactly like Mariel Rodriguez. Seriously.

Anyway, the Chinovela is completely corny. I already felt like vomiting halfway through it. I don't know think it's me not liking cheesy and mushy family dramas like Brothers and Sisters, but this one is really too much for me to even handle. I would understand that longing for a complete family is not easy for kids with single parents, but I don't think it's even realistic for their 4 children to fall in love with each other. Watching the Chinovela wasn't really a pleasant experience. I wouldn't buy a DVD copy of it if only I speak fluent Mandarin. It pains me to watch it again just to study whatever words they're using that I don't know yet! hayyy.

one last goodbye from a friend

2011-07-21T13:42:00.001+08:00

I'd always hate this period of time where everyone's saying their goodbyes, and I'd always hate the possibility of never seeing these wonderful people again.

a for apricot

2011-07-14T18:26:00.002+08:00

So I went to the -- Embassy two weeks ago for this travel medical insurance requirement (they really have a bad service). I was really confused on how to get one because the website didn't say where to get it. You just get it yourself -from the grave! I didn't have a choice but to go there only to see how strict the embassy is (unlike the New Zealand Visa Application Office, and Philippine and Indonesia Embassy). The gate has too much secured that visa applicants on that day need to line up outside instead of wait inside for their turn!

It was quite obvious how lost I was that a guy randomly asked me what I needed. He asked if I need a travel medical insurance too. As I was running out of choices, I negotiated with him and asked for his help. Fake or not, it's the only travel medical insurance I can get!

He accompanied me to their office and helped me apply for the travel medical insurance. It's around 240rmb for 10 days of insurance. Since it was around noon, the office wasn't busy at all. I asked if I can use their computer to reserve a slot online for interview this July. It's 300rmb IF I didn't let them take care of my travel medical insurance. I had mine done by them so they offered to do it for 50rmb. I didn't want to spend more so I chose to do it myself. I tried choosing dates this July but couldn't. I finally asked them to do it for me... turns out their schedule this July is full already. I had to wait until August to be interviewed!

To cut the long story short, I had to stay in their office for like an hour. And within that precious 60 minutes of my life, this guy who recruited me outside the embassy offered me food. I wouldn't say it's poisonous since they were eating it in front of me. I just didn't feel like taking it because he's a total stranger I just met in the streets of Beijing. I tried declining his offer politely but he insisted me to eat. It took him 3-4 times to convince me when I finally accepted it just to shut him off! l!Ol

Lo and behold, it was the BEST fruit I have ever tasted! (And I credit him for being extra friendly to me!) I have never tried it in my entire life. Perhaps we don't have it in the Philippines. Else, I'd ask my mom to buy it for me every season!

I didn't ask him what the fruit is called and tried searching it in the wet market I go to every week. Here's the photo of my fridge last week (July 3, 2011 to be exact)!

杏子 XingZi (but it's spoken term is Xingr), APRICOTS! I had a hunch the fruit that the guy gave me is an apricot, from the smell of it. I must say, what you smell from those scented bath scrubs is the exact smell of the real fruit when it's sweet. Unlike buying those expensive apricot scrubs you buy from malls, the real fruit is so cheap! it's only 10rmb for 1.5 kilos! The one on the pic is 13rmb and the loot I bought today costs 17rmb (2.5 kilos)! I'm bringing lots of it home!! I'm sure Dipe, shobe, mom and ama would love it!

裸婚时代 naked wedding

2011-07-13T10:03:00.002+08:00

So I got addicted to this new Chinovela called 裸婚时代 LuoHunShiDai or Naked Wedding. My Chinese friend recommended it to me during my finals week, since it is currently popular. I, for one, couldn't just ditch my exams and watch the Chinovela so I had to wait until it was over to watch it. You know me, I can't help but finish something once started. Unlike WoJu, it only took me 2 weeks to finish this 30 episode Chinovela. I vowed not to watch it repeatedly and just study the words AFTER watching the whole thing... so that I can get more affected with the story -like I plan to cry! l!OL

I started watching last June 30, 2011. The Chinovela probably ended around that time, because i reckon seeing some Weibos mentioning LuoHunShiDai. I didn't bother to read them though, I don't want to spoil it.

Anyway, here is the "trailer" (slash MTV Video) of the said Chinovela.

As you can see from the video, the Chinovela is starred by 文章 WenZhang, a very popular Chinese Actor. He played 小贝 XiaoBei in WoJu. I have admired his acting skills and his charm until now. He just impresses me in all his works. WenZhang is the only famous actor in the Chinovela. (Who cares though, he nailed it!)

So the story started with scenes showing how much in love 刘易阳 LiuYiYang and 童佳倩 TongJiaQian are. They have been in love for 8 years, from high school to life after college. It was a perfect relationship except that JiaQian's mom is against it because YiYang's can't afford to provide JiaQian a comfortable life. The couple have always been hiding from JiaQian's mom and would always find ways to be together... until JiaQian got pregnant and couldn't hide it from anyone anymore. As a couple in love, they were excited about the baby, but JiaQian's mom still wasn't. She tried talking JiaQian out of it, kept her Chinese ID and talked about aborting her grandchild just so JiaQian won't be able to marry YiYang and have a child with him. In the end, the young couple's love prevailed. They immediately got married after JiaQian's mom's "blessing" (because she was still against it) and JiaQian moved in to YiYang's family.

JiaQian came from a well off family, so it was hard for her to adjust to YiYang's family especially that they are living with YiYang's grandmother (i.e. VERY conservative). YiYang's mom and grandma gave her a hard time confiscating her make up kit and high heels just because it is "bad" for her pregnancy. They'd also say something about her spending habits whenever she goes shopping. Perhaps JiaQian is a shopaholic and is already married to their son/grandson, but it annoys me seeing them count money in front of her. Like JiaQian's mom being rude and mean to YiYang, YiYang's mom has been likewise.

It has been a tough marriage, and it got tougher when YiYang got arrested for drag racing. He doesn't gamble, but he needed the money to pay for JiaQian's hospital bills. That incident caused both sides of the family to fight over their small annoyances. JiaQian's mom complained that YiYang's parents didn't educate him enough, JiaQian complained about the in laws being too conservative, YiYang's mom complained about JiaQian's spending habits (which led YiYang to be in need of money and gamble), etc. JiaQian gave birth without YiYang beside her, and her relationship with YiYang didn't get any better.

YiYang lost his job and has used up all his savings. JiaQian, as his wife, got so worried and asked her dad to help YiYang land a job in their office. YiYang just couldn't accept it because it wasn't his field. He's not qualified at all. To make him accept the job offer, JiaQian deceived YiYang saying she doesn't have enough breast milk anymore and they need to buy lots of formula milk for their baby. Having no choice, YiYang promised JiaQian that he's take the job offer... until he found out that JiaQian deceived him. They filed a divorce after.

YiYang then was able to accept this offer by his office mate who was madly in love with him. Together with YiYang's best friend, they opened their own advertising firm, and from there, YiYang was able to develop his career and make money out of it. It was very civil for both YiYang and JiaQian (although it was obvious that they still have feelings for each other), but both their families are forcing them to get back together -especially JiaQian's mom. They are worried about the kid, and society has double standards for single moms like JiaQian. JiaQian couldn't care less and just let her mom convince her to remarry again... until she had a set up blind date with this old high school classmate who crushes her. It was "fate" as they say, so the guy, 杜毅 DuYi started courting JiaQian. JiaQian didn't really want to give in to the pressure until she realized that she needs a man to take care of the family. JiaQian accepted his proposal and the rest became unclear.

The last part was about YiYang trying to chase them before they get married in court (they don't have church wedding in China). It wasn't clear if JiaQian and DuYi already said their vows because the final scene only showed YiYang sitting on the floor heart broken and JiaQian finally appeared sitting beside him. They both looked at each other and laughed. That was THE end.

That's basically it... but it is really worth watching. I CRIED FIVE FRIGGIN TIMES! WenZhang really gets me. He's just an amazing actor.

There are loads of other story lines in the Chinovela but they're not worth mentioning anymore. I'd just like to acknowledge how gwapo DuYi is. I'd definitely choose him over LiuYiYang if I were only to chose between their looks. Honestly. I wonder why he hasn't got famous in China. He's really go far with his looks!

P.S. I'm buying its original DVD next week! Gotta stock up my DVD collection so that I'd have enough to watch in Manila!

forward and upward

2011-07-11T21:39:00.001+08:00

Dear Jenna, it is not worth thinking about. Don't let it bother you and stop being self centered. You better check into Vipassana before the year ends! Love, Me

the chinese version of youtube for lunch

2011-07-07T09:27:00.001+08:00

What I love about living in China is the free unlimited access to ALL TV Programs, you just have to disconnect your VPN and use the Chinese Internet Connection to watch!

I have started watching from Youku.com or Sohu.com (they're competitors) when I was still living in the dormitory, from 喜羊羊 XiYangYang to 婚姻保卫战 HunYinBaoWeiZhan. I'd watch everyday while eating my tofu for lunch! They were actually the ones that made me a Chinovela DVD Addict. I realized that I need to buy the DVD copies of whatever I want to watch, before I go home for good. I can't access their videos in Manila, so I really need to stock up before I finish all of them! I don't recommend buying Chinovelas in Hong Kong as they have been tampered with Cantonese Dubbing and subtitles are based on their Cantonese localization. Besides, I'm a half baked Beijinger. I vote for buying domestic products. l!OL

Anyway, this is what I have been watching for the past few weeks.

The show is called 非诚无扰 FeiChengWuRao, a "dating game". I'm honestly not sure what it's called. It's a show where there are 24 single female contestants looking for a boyfriend... and producers will invite single male contestants to introduce themselves and have these 24 ladies judge him. These 24 ladies can refuse him early on or while the male contestant's VTR is on play. The male contestant only has the right to choose which among the ladies he likes if and only if there are female contestants who are willing to be with him.

It's really hard to explain it, but the concept is somehow like that! Anyway it's kind of interesting to watch this show because... these 24 female contestants are said to be materialistic. I think they're just normal yuppies, but lots of people around me are describing them as materialistic. In any case, it's interesting because they are so frank! Who would have thought that the 21st century Chinese can openly ask male contestants questions like: "Since you like XinJiang Food, would you like to come home with me so I can cook for you?" or "I can't cook, can you cook for us -if ever?"

It's hardly believable.

Note: the foreigner in the photo speaks Chinese. Perhaps as... proficient as I am. The show actually has a couple of foreign contestants, mind you.

The other show I'm currently watching is a Chinovela. It's called 裸婚时代 LuoHunShiDai. It's about this two young adults who fell in love during high school despite being discouraged by their parents. After 8 years of "illegally" being together, the girl gets pregnant. Can't really write about the whole Chinovela now as I am still at episode 10 (out of 30). I promise to write about it once I finish it!

They've just finished airing it on TV. I couldn't be bothered waiting for it every night, so I just watch from Youku. It was actually a hit... because of it's realistic story line... and because of the main actor, 文章 WenZhang. He's XiaoBei in the Chinovela 蜗居 Woju. He's hot, and his acting skills just keep on getting better! My tutor told me that she saw an interview of him being played in the subway. I couldn't imagine him talk as himself, so I had to search his interview on Youku! Oh gosh, I can't even look at the talk show host (the Oprah of China). She's too thin, that I'd rather be fat! Anyway, I only found out that he's already married and has a kid from the interview. And guess what, he's married to this actress I liked BEFORE. She made me cry while watching an episode of her Chinovela last year! I can't believe they're together! WenZhang looks so young, too young for her even! (Is it just me, or am I just jealous?! L!OL)

i heart beijing

2011-07-01T13:54:00.000+08:00

Had to go to the German Embassy on short notice bec

And here was my route last June 29, 2011:

Home -> Take the Cab to the German Embassy -> apply for travel medical insurance -> walk to Sanlitun Village -> eat lunch at Element Fresh -> go shopping at the Village -> go home.

I just LOVE the stuff I bought from these wastelands!

A mouse pad of the Beijing Subway Map! It is also updated, with new subway lines... (unlike my real Beijing Maps!)

Another mouse pad of the Bus Route to TianAnMen!

A coin purse with... 1 Yuan!

A pencil box with another Yuan! This design might be... what the current one (MaoZeDong) replaced.

I got crazy over these handkerchiefs!

They all have patterns of the Beijing Map!

This is a map of Beijing Subway... and it's also updated!

So cute!

I couldn't choose which I like the most, so I bought lots of them!

Of different colors and patterns!

Don't you just love them?

Mom would KILL ME! l!OL

i heart shopping

2011-07-01T12:54:00.000+08:00

Went crazy shopping after my last final exam! HELL YEAH!

Here was my route shopping, last June 27, 2011:

Home -> walk to BLCU -> take the final exam -> walk to the subway station -> take the subway and switch subway trains -> shop at Joy City Mall, Xidan -> take the subway to TuanJieHu -> walk to Sanlitun Village -> eat LATE lunch at Element Fresh -> shop in the Village -> walk to Jenny Lou's -> take the cab going home.

Just outside school.

The WuDaoKou Cinema... is already rotting. l!OL

On my way to the subway station!

At Subway Line 13.

Super HASSLE line switch at XiZheMen Station. It takes FOREVER to get to the other line, I tell you!

At XiDan Subway Station.

On my way to Joy City Mall.

I looks A BIT like Hong Kong, don't you think?

New Apple Store in XiDan! I thought only SanLiTun has Apply Store.

Subway to SanLiTun.

Angry Birds popular in China? Probably so.

I thought they were playing some music inside the subway... turns out a beggar was singing!

Walk to the Village!

Love the Buildings...

Very colorful!

It's almost like I wasn't in Beijing whenever I go to Element Fresh!

One of my favorite sandwiches! FYI, those are tofu, not meat!

So lucky to get a hold of those Cath Kidston Charity Project Tees!

On my way to Jenny Lou's...

A Mediterranean Cafe beside Jenny Lou's. Oh how I miss eating Hummus! I just made pigil when I was in Element Fresh because the serving is too big!

My favorite MandoPop Singers!!

At Jenny Lou's, don't you think the Hello Panda is JUMBO?

My shopping bags!!!!

Mom is gonna kill me. l!OL

the ungrateful fan

2011-06-26T09:22:00.002+08:00

A friend of mine usually asks to pick a winner for her contests. I know because she would sometimes ask me. Anyway, she asked me to pick a winner for her regular online activity yesterday and gave me the pros and cons.

She honestly wanted to reward this newbie to encourage other newbies to participate. The newbie doesn't really finish the entire activity whenever she joins. She just picks the topics she likes and would leave the page whenever she feels like it. ALTHOUGH my friend thinks she's very interesting. She is married to a Russian and would share things about being married to one. How many Filos marry a Russian? Only a few. Besides, She has been seeing the "newbie" participate since the start of the month. She just couldn't reward her in the middle of the month, along with the others because it would be unfair. Also because she wasn't THAT active anymore during the time they announced the winners of the invites to this event. She eventually erased her name in the guest list.

There wasn't a problem awarding a winner of one of the major prizes during the middle of the month. In fact, they have been seeing her religiously participate even after she got her loot. My friend actually liked her, but the time has already come for her to choose the end-of-the-month winners. Again, she wanted to give the prize to this newbie, but she thought it will just disappoint the oldies because they worked harder. So she approached me contemplating about who to give the prize to. She has 5 minor prizes and 1 major prize to give, although she initially thought of just giving 1 minor prize. She then thought of giving the prize to an oldie, but most of the oldies are already veterans. They have already won! The next best option is just award this contestant, who lost her touch, but is active in posting photos and comments as always.

She thought, the contestant might have bought her products from illegal multiply sellers (who are ruining my friend's business) but at least she has brand loyalty. Besides, she cannot reward the old winners again. There must be a rotation, and she is the next "best" contestant -cringe! So she just awarded the contestant and was able to contact her.

Guess what the main concern of the contestant is, her two daughters! The contestant asked if my friend can give her 2 prizes for each of her daughters! THE NERVE. My friend actually thought of rewarding her since it is just a minor prize and the prize is considerably cheap, but for her to have the guts to request for another one? Can she even understand that she didn't represent two people in the contest, she entered the contest alone and by herself. It's like asking 2 million from a million dollar lottery just because she needs to renovate her two houses. The. Nerve.

What's worse is that my friend told me she hardly showed up after being awarded -even if she's been seen online. Yes she is a contest junkie, but can she even show some gratitude? Well me and my friend shouldn't expect anymore after receiving her request to double her prize. Money doesn't fall from trees and she should know that, honey.

2011/07/01 EDIT

The fan just asked if my friend's company can send her prize via courier... To think she just lives in the Metro. Enough said.

from bed weather to bad weather

2011-06-24T11:18:00.000+08:00

I was at home studying for my Ancient Chinese Finals when it started raining. I actually liked it because it doesn't rain often in Beijing. Rain, for Beijingers, is a rare commodity. Only in Beijing that I feel happy when it rains. Honest.

So it rained in Beijing yesterday, June 23, 2011, at around 5.30pm (?) I felt happy. I even Weibo'd about it! Little did I know that other parts of the capital are already experiencing this:

To be fair, my area wasn't gravely affected by the heavy rain. It didn't flood here, but it would be definitely be a different experience if I see these in actual, don't you think?

gone with ancient chinese

2011-06-24T11:16:00.001+08:00

So it rained yesterday (shall ppost photos in another entry). I was totally out of the loop as I was preparing for my 古代汉语考试 GuDai HanYu KaoShi, Ancient Chinese Exam.

Ancient Chinese is... Ancient Chinese. It's not history but ancient literature actually. Most of the scriptures are from Confucius and the like (and I had enough of them already!)

Here are my notes in class during the 1st half of the semester, aka the midterm exam coverage...

I honestly don't know how I passed the test (and it was considerably a high score). Lucky for all the Hs they can understand old Chinese Characters just because their mother language is just a rip off of Chinese. It's hard for people who are not exactly oriental, you know. And even if I am oriental by blood, I didn't grow up with these. So it's hard, at least for me.

I was too worried of my other final exams that I just crammed for this test and only studied the night before. Thus, didn't notice the bed weather.

I hate it when Chinese teachers make their students MEMORIZE their exact explanations. It's like all the things they're saying are divine enough to be memorized by their students. It's suffocating.

My Ancient Chinese Teacher is exactly like that. I had to write all his explanations sentence by sentence just so I would be able to memorize the stuff that come out of his mouth! It's ridiculous.

There were a handful of us during the start of the semester, like around 12? Or even more.

There were only 4 of us who took the test this morning. I am not kidding anyone.

I was able to finish second, just because I have no other way to improve my answers anymore! lO!L The first one to finish the test was a Hong Konger, and the teacher already finished checking the paper by the time I passed mine. Mind you, I passed my test paper 1 hour after the test started. I wasn't able to keep track of the time when my classmate submitted hers. Anyway she's from Hong Kong so obviously... she didn't have a hard time during the test, which is not a surprise for me that she got a 98!

I have no idea what grade I'm getting. I'll be happy if i pass!

horrible weather in beijing

2011-06-24T00:00:00.001+08:00

Got this picture from weibo.com...

I swear I didn't realize how bad the weather was until I saw this grar dude's photo/post on Facebook. It was a photo of the underground subway station getting flooded! I immediately went to my Weibo account and snooped around for some more photos. Lo and behold, Beijing indeed got flooded! I was too... "focused" (whatever that means) to study for my 古代汉语 GuDaiHanYu (Ancient Chinese) test on Friday that I didn't notice the weather outside anymore. To be fair, it wasn't flooded outside my apartment complex.

I'll post some more photos from the web tomorrow! Oh, and I promise you I'll be wearing my rain boots if it rains tomorrow morning. I gotta take the test at 8am!

i wanna cry

2011-06-20T17:28:00.002+08:00

I was just telling my tutor that... my maid smiled when I started playing songs of 孙燕姿 SunYanZi while she was cleaning the apartment. I LOVE her songs. I was addicted to them for a period of time, until i discovered 张惠妹 ZhangHuiMei. It was like I was listening to... the Kitchie Nadal of China. No joke, their music is almost the same and I LOVE IT. I wouldn't listen to Kitchie Nadal or Yeng Constantino just because I'm not a good Filipino, but I'd dare listen to ZhangHuiMei! Super niceee.

Then I told my tutor that I just saw ZhangHuiMei's billboard somewhere along the streets upon heading home. You know what she said? I thought it was an ad as I didn't bother to read it. She said it might be an ad about her concert next month! I searched it on the net and... look what I found!

A concert of SunYanZi, ZhangHuiMei, Karen Mok and some Hong Kong Singer (I didn't bother anymore)! AHHHHHHHh, I'm... I'm... I'm thinking of going... although I doubt I would. Ticket prices are INSANE:

看台: 180RMB, 280RMB, 380RMB, 480RMB, 680RMB

场地: 880RMB, 1280RMB, 1680RMB, 2011RMB

It might look... cheap but they're all in RMB so you have to convert it in peso, times seven please! I would LOVE to go... the only problem is... none of the people I know know the singers. I think I'm one of the few foreigners who listen to Chinomusic. Seriously. Sad.

getting the hang of those webcam photos

2011-06-19T15:33:00.002+08:00

I don't remember when I took these photos, exactly...

I love how... natural it is, nonetheless! l!OL

In other news, this is a book about those Ancient Chinese scriptures recorded from famous people like Confucious. My H Classmate owns it. He liking reading it... and would actually only attend our Ancient Chinese Classes while skip the others. I don't like him as much... simply because he's too arrogant. It is natural for him to understand most of the Chinese Characters because he's 100% oriental. He doesn't know how hard it is for us, especially the white ones, to know and understand these words randomly... thus he laughs at us whenever we screw up.

Dude, I don't need to be born and raised in your country to be in the same level as yours. I just need 2 years of crazy study. It would impress me if you learned English when you lived in the States before.

Sorry I couldn't help but dislike him. I'm happy he's not going to class anymore and I might never see him again. It was a wise decision not investing my time with these people.

100 years

2011-06-16T00:01:00.002+08:00

10607854 BS-AEC #DLSU100

Proud to have spent a part of my life in this institution.

AN1MO!

user friendly

2011-06-14T13:47:00.004+08:00

I've always been careful of the people around me. Throughout my 20 something years, I have met different kinds of people trying to use me -even the people I don't even know, just because they want to exploit me or my family for whatever reasons they have. It's sad to live in a world where you can't be yourself 100%, because you have to be smart about how to treat the people around you 24/7.

I'd like to think that I'm not stupid or naive to fall for these scums anymore. As for the old ones, I charge it to experience. I have benefited from them, even if at minimal, at the very least.

P.S. It's also sometimes amusing to see how thick these people's faces are. I'm not kidding.

i wanna get out of this joint

2011-06-13T23:43:00.005+08:00

I miss taking photos of myself using the webcam. This is me in the kitchen!

Don't be fooled. I'm at my fattest self ever since I've started to live in this apartment for a year and a half. I honestly don't know how to lose weight anymore. Whatever diet I'm doing doesn't work. I have eaten more the exactly a year ago, and yet I still lost weight. I'm even thinking of hitting the gym the minute i arrive in the Philies... it's just that, I was never a gym buddy. I hated the gym, and the gym hates me back. I'd rather go to yoga class, or at least pilates.

In other news, I am stressed. I'm not even studying THAT much anymore -compared to how I study during my C and E Class days. Ironically, I'd rather study THAT much than get into these responsibilities. I have never realized how much of a headache IT was as it pushes me to become resourceful and creative with what I only have. Sorry I can't disclose what I'm talking about exactly... but yeah, I sometimes wish I never got into these things. I'd really rather study.

By the way, I have watched this ChinoTVshow, 非诚无扰 FeiChengWuRao, the other day. Everyone in class has been talking about it, and all of my classmates apparently have watched it already. It's a dating game where... those material girls and lonely boys try to make a match. My classmates made a skit about it during the class activity they had last Friday -I'm too busy to join. The... show is honestly... interesting. I know I should be blogging about this in another separate entry, but what gives. I've only watched ONE episode, and I can't really say much about it... or even make enough comments for an entry.

And with that, I am planning to order a set of FeiChengWuRao DVDs and some Chinomusic CDs of some of my favorite Chinese Singers. The singers are not even from the mainland, mind you. I've been addicted to these Singaporean Chinese, Malaysian Chinese and Taiwanese Singers! It pains me to even notice that the Filipino Chinese has not produced even one Chinese Singer. It pains me more that Filo Chinese can't speak Mandarin anymore, unlike Sing and Malay Chinese. Okay, I'll wait for the CDs to arrive until I write a separate entry about it.

Perhaps it's becoming more and more obvious that I'm really addicted to everything and anything Modern Chinese, it's just that I don't have time to actually study it. More so write about it.

Here's my Final Exam Schedule in BLCU. I'd like to say that this is my FINAL Final Exam -at least for now. Wherever god will take me. I'm there.

the last drop of lemon

2011-06-12T14:25:00.002+08:00

I miss Hong Kong. I really do. I used to go to Hong Kong every year, not a year missed. I think this will be the first year I won't be spending a week or two in the city. I've been saving my Vita Lemon Tea (from Hong Kong) just so I can... drink it when I feel it. I had to drink it to day because it's already almost expired! I swear I forgot how it tastes like already, and I forgot how much I miss Hong Kong... until the first sip.

Cheesy much?! l!OL

for the love of money

2011-06-11T22:11:00.004+08:00

I have been receiving calls from the real estate agent handling my apartment. Since my contract's ending on September and school's almost over, my annoying agent keeps on asking me to show my apartment to possible future tenants. I have already told him since Aprica/May that I am not entertaining him in this matter simply because I myself is a very private person. Yes, even if I write in this blog, I still consider myself private. To his defense, he told me that he won't be bothering me anymore during the peak season if he has already found a new tenant, AND he told me that it is written in the contract that I need to show my apartment on the last month of my stay!

Is that so? I barely noticed it in the contact, at least it wasn't told to me by the landlord.

Here are the miss calls that I have received during the past weeks. His number is at the top and take note of the number of times he has called me in a span of how many days! (The other miss calls are from other annoying scums! I have learned not to answer calls from unknown numbers from Jojo -I miss you!)

Aside from receiving calls from him, he'd go to my apartment and try his luck for me to open the door! Well, my Chinomusic is always at low volume so... I don't think he hears it whenever he rings the doorbell! I try to act as if I'm not at home! l!OL

He came here twice or thrice. How DESPERATE!

And then when I replied to his text, for the first time because his 1st text was something about important, this is what he replies to me!

Orginal Text: 明天能看一下你的房子吗？请你帮我一下，要不就会让别人祖了，我就挣不到钱了。帮帮忙吧！

Translated Text: Can we take a look at your apartment tomorrow? Please help me, else it will be rented by another party where I won't be able to earn money. Help me!

Jenna's Chinese Summary: 中介人坚持我帮他的忙，让我把房子给别人看。难道我没说我比较隐私吗？已有一两个礼拜躲过他了。一直不接电话，不回短信，甚至房子门铃响时都不开门。。刚刚回他的短信发现这件事，本来以为他有什么重要的事情要跟我商量商量。原来该继续躲着他！烦死了。讨厌死了。

Jenna's English Reaction: Dude, haven't I already told you that I am NOT cooperating with you in this matter? My landlord or another agent must have found a new tenant already, so stop hallucinating that you can seal another deal first thing in the morning! Showing my apartment to a possible future tenant won't equate he'll actually rent my apartment. I'm not helping you "earn" money. For all I know, you've ripped me off a couple of times already... and I even have a hunch that it is not a small amount of money. I'm just letting it go because I always ask you to do things for me. PERIOD.

The Chinese summary and English reaction are not the same. The Chinese version is the summarized version of the situation (because I WeiBo'd it -140 limit characters)... and the English version is just... being me!

i wish you knew

2011-06-11T17:17:00.001+08:00

I'm tired of being your friend. I'm tired of listening to your whining and I'm tired of your negativity. It was never fun, FYI.

random scrandom

2011-06-10T23:21:00.002+08:00

This is me... two three days ago! I'm "shy" to pose by myself in front of the camera so I just made it "candid"! Ironic, huh? l!OL

Anyway, this week has been okay. Perhaps better than okay. We didn't have classes last Monday and today (Friday)! Love it. It was Dragon Boat Festival last Monday and my class had a presentation today. I didn't join and I'm not obliged to participate as an audience so it was a FREE DAY for me! L!OL

I promise to go to the grocery and buy some food. I miss eating my tofu!

teacher's board exercises goes "digital"

2011-06-05T21:08:00.003+08:00

Last Wednesday, my comprehension teacher unexpectedly wrote some exercises on the board. I was caught off guard and wasn't able to bring extra sheets of paper (I don't have a notebook). I would've copied it in class, but, again, I don't have anything to write on! So I just took a picture of whatever he wrote. Take note, I was seated on the LAST row. I think some of my classmates were staring at me surprised of how "lazy" I am to take notes! L!OL

I love my camera.

To tell you honestly, I HATE my comprehension teacher's notes. He's sooo... traditional? Everything is based on the book, and he always expects us to memorize all those useless words in the book. I say useless because we can't apply it in normal conversations. Mandarin has 2 kinds, the one spoken and the one only written in books. He wants us to memorize the later, which I don't think is useful for me -unless I write a novel or a research paper in Chinese!

I really don't like this term's set of teachers. I know I will write about them someday! l!OL

shanghaojia is good

2011-06-05T20:02:00.004+08:00

I have always been a fan of imported products... until I started living in Beijing. Why? Because I'm stingy. The Chinese Government discourages people to buy anything and everything imported that everything that is not China made are subject to HIGH taxes. Besides, a lot of Chinese products are actually of good quality, or at least they taste good.

There is a thing called 老字号 LaoZiHao in China, it is like... a status for old Chinese brands. It just means that it is of Chinese Heritage. All of them would come from the early ages, and even the emperors would consume them. By tradition, everyone would consume them as well, especially at this modern time. The Chinese have their own consumption habits, you know. They are... very sensitive to these.

Anyway, I LOVE the LaoZiHao's that I buy, from meds to food. I actually love Chinese made products. I know a lot of people (especially Filos) complain of having low quality Chinese products, but a lot of them are actually of good quality. It just depends on the price -the more expensive, the better the quality. Besides, EVERYTHING is made in China, even the ones that claim to be made in the US are actually from China.

So my point is, with a variety of options of what Chinese product I need to buy and with billions of billions of Chinese people who are as picky as I am, there will surely be good quality products that are available. Just because we live in China, doesn't me we don't deserve first class products. Poor quality Chinese made products are just a stereotype to those countries who are insecure of China's current economic progress. (Yes, you can say that I LOVE China. I won't kill you for that because I am proud of being Chinese.)

Ever since I cam to China, I rarely buy imported goods anymore. They're expensive, and it costs me so much just to go to Jenny Lou's or order in Taobao for taxi or shipping fee. The ONLY thing I am not stingy about is buying Oishi! I am still Pinoy (even at heart... a bit!) and I am proud that there is at least one brand that was able to penetrate and dominate the Chinese market. Every Chinese knows what 上好佳 ShangHaoJia (Oishi's Chinese name) is, all of them even think that it is actually a Chinese brand from a Chinese company! Soooo proud!

I honestly LOVE their chips! I think they have a wider variety sold in China, than in the Philippines... I love their rip-off version of Pringles, candies and marshmallows!

I miss eating Pringles, especially when I see tweets of them, but the local grocery near my unit doesn't sell Pringles... so I got used to buying Oishi's... until I fell in love with it! I have discovered that Oishi's Pringles line actually has more flavors... and they are cheaper!

Now I am liking their marshmallows. I don't think they're being sold in the Philippines though. It's a good thing that they aren't, and it's a good thing that it is not available in the local grocery near my unit (again!) because I would buy heaps of them if they do! I LOVE Oishi!!

P.S. I know I look like a caveman in the photo. Sorry about that! I'll TRY to post a decent photo next time!

P.P.S. I'll talk more about LaoZiHao's in another post.

bittersweet in the dragon boat

2011-06-04T19:50:00.005+08:00

I went shopping at 中关村 ZhongGuanCun today. I always liked shopping there because it is the nearest, and most of my favorite brands are there.

It is a busy street because it is like Hong Kong's MongKok -the mother hub of gadgets. There are also a share of foreigners around the place as there are lots of office buildings too. As far as I know, everyone (even the ones from outside Beijing) know where ZhongGuanCun.

When I got off the bus, I immediately saw a crowd waiting for the Dragon Dance! It was so authentic, well at least for me. I have always wondered how the Chinese perform since it would always be those skillful Filos performing in Manila.

It left me with goosebumps. I know Filos dance better than the Chinese, but this is something... so real for me. I have always felt very comfortable in Beijing. Of course, Manila is still where the heart is, but what I am saying is, I never felt so much different from the people around me in Beijing. My features are (almost) exactly like theirs, and my culture is (almost) exactly like theirs as well.

...but seeing REAL Chinese people perform such act reminded me that I am in a different country. I am actually a foreigner. And there are still a lot of things I have to learn about the Chinese culture I love.

I left after they finished performing outdoors, and just took a photo of them riding the escalator! l!OL

I went shopping for clothes immediately after. I called H&M and FCUK yesterday to ask if they are on sale since it is Dragon Boat Festival Weekend, and they both answered no. But I've been wanting to shop badly, so I still went to check out clothes anyway. I checked Mango, I didn't like the clothes. I checked FCUK, too expensive the clothes. I checked H&M, I picked a lot of clothes to try on.

Since it is a long weekend, there were heaps of people inside the store, all wanting to fit clothes. I have this habit of collect (a lot) and select (a few). I selected a lot of clothes to try on and patiently waited for my turn to fit in the fitting room. Upon nearing my turn, I saw this sign that customers can ONLY try on 7 pieces of clothing in once. I have a whole shopping bag of clothes to try on. I told the sales attendant (SA) to allow me to fit 7 first and leave the others with her. The SA told me that the line is too long already, but I told her that I am also a customer -she didn't say anything and told me to leave the bag with her. I was wishing I can fit the other clothes after the 1st batch, but I can line up again if I have to.

After fitting the 1st batch of clothes, I asked the SA to hand me over the shopping bag. She said they're all gone, and then I saw one of the pieces in my bag hung at their rack already! I swear I wanted to kill her! She could have told me that I can't leave my other picks with her! I, again, asked her where the clothes are after I left the fitting room and she said it is policy that one can only fit 7 clothes at a time. Hey, I'm not stupid! Isn't it the point of leaving the other clothes with you? And then she said that I have to go around the store again to pick the clothes! How on earth will I trace where I've been? They're too plenty, and it may be the last size already! I am so disappointed at the H&M's ZhongGuanCun branch that I am not going back there again to shop! I threw all the 7 clothes to the lady and left.

I hate this kind of Chinese people.

I've been falling in love with China these past few days, I guess it made me go back to reality about my love hate relationship with China.

2011/06/05 EDIT

You know I realized that there is NO WAY that I can get all my clothes even if I line up again. Who will hold the clothes that I have already fitted and want to buy? The SA won't help me at all! Is it because she thinks I am Asian (foreigner) that's why I don't have enough budget to purchase a truckload of clothes? I hate it when they belittle Asian Foreigners. Just because I'm not white, doesn't mean that I can't afford buying as much clothes as I want!

the cat that just got a name

2011-06-03T20:02:00.002+08:00

I was a self confessed "buting ting" addict. I would always go to Hobbes and Landes to buy these Qee Key Chains and just "display" them until they accumulate dusts! Anyway, I brought some and started to using them ever since I came to Beijing... If I remember it correctly, I started using it as soon as I got my "dorm key" two years ago.

Unfortunately, it got broken last Monday...

So sad as it is my FIRST useful key chain. I never brought keys with me, especially that I don't drive. (I don't see myself owning a car key anytime soon either!)

I don't think I have any other key chains left, and I couldn't let go of the Kitty...

I used the straw that was initially bought for me to tie my Balik Bayan Boxes!

...and thought of naming her "Ming Ming"! Shobe used to call cats Ming Ming when she was younger. I wonder where she got it. Nonetheless Ming Ming sounds cute, don't you think? L!OL

dictionary about pronunciations

2011-05-30T19:32:00.003+08:00

My 闽南话 MinNanHua or Hokkien has deteriorated ever since I came to Beijing to study Mandarin. Well, it's actually an overstatement since my MinNanHua isn't good to begin with.

So my Hong Konger Classmate brings this dictionary to school everyday...

It's a 国音粤音 GuoYin YueYin Dictionary, but it just means Mandarin Pronunciation Cantonese Pronunciation. It's a bit difficult translating it literally because the characters only mean Country-Tone-Cantonese-Tone.

I got a bit interested of the dictionary because bookstores might have Mandarin-Hokkien Dictionary Pronunciations as well! You know I have to at least learn the basics since... I'm surrounded by Filo Chinese in Manila. Besides, most of my relatives don't know how to speak Mandarin, they only speak Hokkien. It gets awkward when they talk to me in Hokkien and I reply in Mandarin -this already happened.

So I borrowed the book and took a photo of the contents! Can't even pronounce the Cantonese PinYin! (They have a different way of pronouncing words, like in Mandarin, Bo is pronounced as Po and vice versa!)

So do I or do I not buy a Mandarin Hokkien Pronunciation Dictionary? I was told that the grammar of some dialects are also different from Mandarin's!

lessons learned from facebook (part deux)

2011-05-28T19:46:00.005+08:00

I don't know if it is right for me to post this routine I live by as the Office Facebook Queen. I just couldn't help but write more about it because it has already become part of my daily activity in Beijing, and losing to a direct competitor is not an option. I don't think the competitors know who exactly is the one managing the page anyway, so here goes:

It is all about timing. Nobody goes online the whole day, thus make sure to put gaps on posts. If you have 3 posts for the day, you have make sure to separate them by posting in the morning, at lunch/midday and at night (so as not to spam it as well).
Again about timing, the messages you want to get across won't reach ALL of your fans. Try to repost small "ads" about the promotion or online activity just to let them know about it.
Since most brands have sale or promotion every month, post and repost them every week. Expect to still get inquiries on the 3rd or 4th repost. (In my case, I post them on Thursdays. I just think that most people plan their weekends on Thursdays, since it is the-almost-weekend-weekday.)
It's hard managing and making a page interactive when there's actually nothing to post on it. If you do have brands where you don't have anything to post AT ALL, come up with something to post at least 1 to 2 times week.
For brands that do not have any sale or promotion, try to post "fillers". These fillers would be links of articles related to the brand or "fun" questions that will at least make people aware that your fan page actually exists.
Delete your small reposts (the "ads", not the weekly promotion or sale reminder) to make your page look clean after a few hours. You don't want to spam your own page while encouraging fans not to spam it.
Whatever happened to the Philippine Literacy Rate. A lot of fans still do not read. Because of this, you HAVE to post photos. Try to make make them as clear as possible and make sure to resize them if they are small.
Patience is a virtue. You still HAVE to reply to those fans who don't know how to read. It is the least you can do to make your page interactive and make your post reach the "Top Posts" section in their own news feeds.
Don't expect fans to support your page all the way. There will always be fans who only visit your page to join a contest or ask questions.
On the other hand, you will be able to notice fanatics visiting your page everyday. Be thankful. They help the page look busy and interactive.

meet my new best friends

2011-05-26T22:56:00.005+08:00

I LOVE CHINESE FOOD. I never got tired of eating them... well there was this period when I preferred eating western food just because they're hard to find in my area. I wouldn't complain eating Chinese though. It's in the blood. I grew up with it!

As told in my old posts, it is easier to be vegan in China than in the Philippines. I would always have to lie to waiters that I am allergic to meat whenever I place my orders. I have to because they are usually insensitive to vegetarians' needs. They don't even know what exactly is meat. True story.

I have also mentioned in my previous posts that one of the things which made me appreciate my Chinese more are those tofu products that I have discovered in the super market over a year ago. China has a hundred or even a thousand kinds of dialects. The only thing they have in common are the Chinese Characters, may it be Simplified or Traditional. They are required to know the most basic Traditional Characters anyway. I want to say more about it, but I guess I'll just have to post another blog entry about my passion to study Chinese. L!OL

Anyway, I believe that these are the fruits of my labor (for studying Chinese)...

They are different kinds of tofu products. In Chinese, they are called 豆制品 DouZhiPin, which literraly means bean made products. Contrary to what my non sense uncle said, Chinese people indeed love eating anything made from beans. There would always be a section of DouZhiPins, may they be for breakfast, lunch, dinner, merienda or dessert! (红豆包 HongDouBao -red bean siopao, 绿豆潮糕 LvDouChaoGao -green bean powdered cake, 豆奶 DouNai -soy AND milk, 豆浆 DouJiang -soy milk, 豆腐干 DouFuGan -tofu jerky)

I wouldn't be able to discover them if not for my Chinese Characters. I think they're too common already that it is so normal for people to have one in their baskets for every time they visit the super market. I was told by my Beijinger friend that they are being used as side dish or as meat substitute to what they are cooking. Yes, you can directly eat them that's why I am a fan. I cannot cook at all.

So I started my diet right after I came back from GuangZhou, which was around a month ago. Since then on, I stopped buying my supply of mock meat. I cannot say I was tofu free because I was able to discover those tofu jerkies and the green bean powdered cake. Anyway, this mock meat was and is my all time favorite. Unfortunately, they always make me full. I would feel bloated whenever I indulge, because they're heavy and I don't usually eat THAT much anymore. I really can't help but eat a lot whenever I buy a box. So I have been mock meat free for 4 weeks, until today. I purposely bought these mock meats just to try if they are as good as the ones in boxes. I also thought of controlling my purchase of mock meats in disposable plastic boxes already. I hate throwing those disposable boxes right after I eat that I would always wash and reuse them. Now that I didn't have those "cravings" for mock meat in boxes anymore, I thought of trying the ones in plastic. They have a fewer variety but, hey, I have already graduated from the habit of eating mock meat in boxes for 4 weeks already so I'm not complaining!

They're good, even sa good as the ones in boxes! The yellow one with the biggest plastic has actually the same flavor as one of those in boxes. I tried it for lunch, yesterday!

I have yet to try the brown ones in the small green plastic but the red one is tastey! I tried it yesterday as well. It has the flavor of ASADO! (Was close to saying Adobo, bad Tagalog!) I'm trying the brown one today! The packaging says it is mock fish! We'll see.

Now these are my all time favorite. I have loved eating the big ones ever since. Before discovering that I can actually directly eat them, I would always put them in the hotpot I cook every day. They're tasty, just couldn't find the words to describe them!

The noodle looking ones are also a favorite. Old Chinese people eat them everyday, too. They are tofu skin that are cut into a noodle-like form. I would always buy the ones in boxes, until I found out that there's a different packaging version! (Yes, I'm for Mother Earth!)

Bad news for me is, I am not buying them again for a long time after I finish them. I am still on a strict diet. Although eating them does not "violate" rules of my diet, I still feel bloated whenever I eat them for lunch! I just can't right now. Maybe in a few weeks' time, but not now. I got inspired of going on a diet when I saw how thin 高圆圆 GaoYuanYuan is, and I get more inspired especially whenever I feel jealous of my Hong Kong Classmate's size zero! Kainggit lang kasi!!

the dweller

2011-05-26T18:55:00.003+08:00

AHHHHHH!! I CANNOT believe that 《蜗居》 -WoJu Dwelling Narrowness has a second season!! OMG. My teacher played the pilot episode of the first season this morning. I couldn't be bothered to watch the show again since I have already watched it a million times. Anyway, my classmate, apparently, is almost finished watching the show. She told me that there is a second season and she has a copy of it. I wasn't really sure if she's sure so I told her I'd check it at home. Lo and behold, THERE IS!!! OMG.

I texted my DVD supplier already because I AM WATCHING IT!! I'll lend it to my Hong Kong Grandma when I finish watching it too!! OMG.

movies watched recently

2011-05-22T18:43:00.006+08:00

I don't really like watching movies, but somehow I got hooked to watching Chinomovies lately. This is the movie I just finished watching a few minutes ago...

The movie is about... "everlasting love" and it's sooooo good. I cried and besides getting glued on the characters' love story, it made me love China more. I have this love-hate relationship with China, and this movie just made me fall in love with China all over again. Maybe because the movie is about kids born in the 80's, and I'm also born in the 80's. Anyway, the story is sooo good. The cinematography was also exceptional! I'm sorry I can't really explain how I feel towards the movie right now. I must be really affected by it! I promise to write about it again! I need to be composed. l!OL

These are the movies I watched during the weekend. I won't write much about them anymore... just because I didn't like most of them!

So-so Hong Kong movie, although there were some kilig parts. I can't say that i really liked it because all I keep on thinking about is Daniel Wu's hotness and GaoYuanYuan's super skinny body! In short, the movie just motivated me to SUPER diet. l!OL

Don't bother to watch this movie. I honestly think that Hong Kong produced movies are better than the mainland's! I slept in the middle of the movie. Don't ask.

Oh this movie is HILARIOUS! I promise you, Hong Kong Films are THE bomb! The storyline is typical, just another love story... but the way they act is totally outrageous! It's hard to explain how they do it. We usually say it is KuaZhuang in Chinese, exaggerating. Perhaps it is exaggerating but... it is funny exaggerating, not the annoying one! It also made me realize that films from Hong Kong are wayyyy better than the ones from the mainland, well at least when it's (romantic) comedy! Hong Kong Films always do better because they're more liberal, and the mainland thinks that Hong Kong doesn't really have culture or history that's why almost all their films are about gambling, drugs, sex, etc. Not that it's bad. They just don't have all the history part to show, unlike the mainland where you get to see movie houses with films about the 19th century OFTEN.

Mainland film. You bet I hated it. Not funny at all, even if it should be. The movie is like a rip off of the Hangover. Sorry can't say more because I stopped watching after 10 minutes! It was THAT bad.

chinovela addiction

2011-05-22T18:30:00.000+08:00

I LOVE buying DVDs online!

Since it is inconvenient for me to open my own account in www.taobao.com, I can only use it to search for products that I want and contact its seller. I have already bought heaps of DVDs before, so now I don't really have to find other "trust worthy" sellers in Beijing. (I only buy from Beijing sellers because courier is more expensive if I buy from a seller outside the city. The product is just the same so might as well save money on the courier!) I just go to www.douban.com, look and read reviews of new chinovelas or chinomovies and email my seller if they have stock!

Okay, my seller doesn't really know me? I have bought 4 times already, but he never seemed to remember who I am. So everytime I order, I still have to give him my address! I don't mind though, because I trust him already. I couldn't pay online so I would always have to transfer money to his account the next day, after I place my order, and wait for him to send them out!

It always makes me happy receiving my looties! I was surprised to get a free sample of this Chinese CD too -anything free is welcome!

I bought 4 sets of chinovelas!

《一不小心爱上你》, because the title is so kilig! I don't really know how to translate it directly though. According to Google, it means "Accidentally In Love with You". Hmmm... I think a better translation is "Carelessly Fell In Love with You", but it's just me! l!OL
《三国》, because I'm sooo interested to study Chinese History! I know the chinovela version wouldn't be as accurate as the textbooks, but I still think it's worth the watch! From what I can remember, it has over 90 episodes! I better prepare myself before I start watching. l!OL
《媳妇的美好时代》, because I saw good reviews from www.douban.com! I know, shallow.
《乡村爱情交响曲》, I saw good reviews about this series too....! The catch is, I was only able to find out that this chinovela is from 东北 (DongBei), from one of the North East Provinces of China! My Beijinger friend told me that the language used is not 100% Mandarin, but with a mix of their DongBei Dialect, ALTHOUGH she assured me that I would still be able to understand it! Also, according to her, this chinovela is hot! TV stations are currently airing it and everyone's watching!

I initially planned to watch this other chinovela I bought early this year 《手记》 but watched movies online instead, for some odd reasons! I guess these babies have to wait until I get home. I'm planning to buy music CDs soon, because I feel so bad listening to Adele, the XX, Amy Winehouse and KT Tunstall recently!

xièhuángtāngbāo

2011-05-22T11:54:00.005+08:00

Crab Roe Dumpling, might be the next best thing after XiaoLongBao. Just saying.

@sijennasy：转发微博。//@美食频道：这货是蟹黄汤包，这货是蟹黄汤包！！！！

chinomovie buff

2011-05-22T01:14:00.004+08:00

Just finished watching THREE movies today. Yes, this is how I rest from being sick! I shall blog about them in a few hours. Oh, and I'll also be blogging about the package I received today. I love buying DVDs! L!OL

P.S. I know this post should be for www.weibo.com/sijennasy, I love writing in my blog! L!OL

蜗居 dwelling narrowness

2011-05-20T02:35:00.011+08:00

I would always get my free copies of Time Out Beijing or the Beijinger whenever I go out. Me and my friends would treat them as bibles, and read each and every article on it religiously. One day in 2009, I came across this write up about a Chinese Television Series, 蜗居 (WuJu) or Dwelling Narrowness, being banned on national television for being so controversial (in the middle of the season). After that, it became

Anyhow, I was in A Class when I first tried watching the show from YouTube's Chinese rip off, YouKu. I understood it, but I didn't enjoy it that much. Perhaps my Chinese was still not good enough for me to easily appreciate these TV series. I stopped watching after the 1st episode, and thought about watching it again after I brush up my Chinese.

A few months after, my Hong Kong Grandma recommended me the same TV series and told me she and her friends were addicted to it. After a couple of months, I asked her to buy me a DVD copy of the series in Hong Kong. I know I can watch it again for free in YouKu, but I was already preparing to go home (for good). YouKu, where ALL TV Series are legally streamed for free, is not available outside China. You know how obsessive compulsive I am that I need to study words and phrases I am unfamiliar with in movies and TV series that I watch. It would be frustrating not to have my own copy at home. She bought me a copy. I tried it last December during my short Christmas Holiday in Manila and got disappointed. Because it was bought in Hong Kong, they had dubbed the language into Cantonese, sacrificing the sound quality of the Mandarin Version. To top it off, the subtitles were not only in Traditional Chinese, but are also according to the Cantonese Translation. You can say that China is a BIG continent. Each province, no matter how close they are to another, have their own dialect and way of speaking, even if the characters are all the same. I gave up watching and bought my own Beijing copy right after I came back from Manila.

Lo and behold, I got addicted.

So the story is about a fresh grad named HaiPing, who moved to the city for a better future. She and her then boyfriend SuChen lived together until they got married and got pregnant. Their initial plan was to buy an apartment before having a kid. So weeks after giving birth, HaiPing's mom suggested her to bring baby back to their province where grandma can take care of baby while HaiPing and SuChen can raise enough money for their own apartment.

Enters HaiPing's younger sister HaiZao. Their mom didn't want her to move in the city at first, but HaiPing encouraged her to. HaiZao listens to her sister more than to her mom. Anyway, she stayed in the dorm during college and lived with HaiPing after graduation until she found a job and a boyfriend, XiaoBei.

XiaoBei and HaiZao were a perfect couple. She loved her and his world revolved around her. Everything was so perfect, until HaiPing visited her daughter back home. Her daughter barely recognized her anymore (i.e. common case of Pinoy OFWs). It made her so determined to buy her own apartment that she asked SuChen to borrow from his side and HaiZao borrow from XiaoBei (does anyone really do that?). SuChen came from a poor family, so his parents obviously couldn't lend them money. XiaoBei, on the other hand, has other plans. HaiPing was asking too much. XiaoBei and HaiZao plan to get married and buy their own apartment the following year. Nobody really wanted to help them.

HaiPing's demand eventually led SuChen to borrow from usury behind HaiPing's back, and HaiZao was forced to borrow from her office's business partner, who is also attracted to her. His name is SongSiMing, a secretary of the governor. (Take note he is the right hand man of whoever is the most powerful in the city/province.)

Events eventually led SuChen open Pandora's Box and reveal that the money he got wasn't from his mom's but from usury. HaiPing went ballistic and threatened a divorce. HaiZao being the younger sister tried to ask help from XiaoBei. XiaoBei really couldn't lend all his savings to something he's unsure of, so he declined again. I guess HaiZao really wanted to please HaiPing for the life she owes her big sister. She went back to SongSiMing and borrowed the whole amount SuChen lent from the usury.

SongSiMing already got smitten by HaiZao that one night, after drinking too much from a dinner party, he raped HaiZao. I don't know if it's just me who considers it rape. HaiZao resisted at first, but she eventually gave in because she thought she owes him a huge amount of money. She kind of expected him to treat her such way anyway -as told. After sending HaiZao home, HaiZao rushed to the bathroom and asked for sanitary napkins from XiaoBei because of her period. SongSiMing, on the other hand, thought that he was the first, seeing blood stains on his car seat the next day.

HaiZao then hated SongSiMing, but SongSiMing was able to win her back. From what I can remember, HaiZao was longing for his presence already. Anyhow, they started having an extra marital affair. SongSiMing would leave his family and follow HaiZao wherever she goes. HaiZao would tell XiaoBei that she has to entertain clients or work until late at night.

Nobody really noticed about the affair until SongSiMing intentionally answered XiaoBei's call during their Chinese New Year Escapade. SongSiMing, believing he was HaiZao's first, thought that HaiZao should break up with XiaoBei because no man wants to share his woman with somebody else. The wicked SongSiMing also presented HaiZao to all his high school classmates, including his wife's best friend, when they attended a class reunion during the said trip.

SongSiMing's wife confronted HaiZao, and XiaoBei caught them in their love nest. SongSiMing's wife wanted a divorce, but SongSiMing rejected the idea. I was told that politicians in China cannot divorce their wives. It's not that it's illegal, it's just that the Chinese people really give importance to reputation and it wouldn't look good on them. As opposed to SongSiMing's wife, XiaoBei couldn't leave HaiZao. He loved her so much that he was willing to give her another chance -with the condition of her breaking up with SongSiMing and never seeing him again.

But as we all know, relationships cannot be built the same way before it was destroyed. XiaoBei treated HaiZao badly -harrassed and raped her. Though she wasn't happy of the relationship anymore, HaiZao couldn't leave XiaoBei because of guilt. We all knew the relationship wasn't gonna last. XiaoBei finally broke up with HaiZao after reading a text message sent by SongSiMing a while ago.

This part really disappointed me. HaiZao fled to SongSiMing's arms the minute she and XiaoBei broke up. Whatever happened to grieving? I think HaiZao's the kind of girl who can't live without a guy beside her. At least she's the type of girl whom I don't really like, the ones who don't have anything better to do buy act like a princess. Anyway, HaiZao and SongSiMing started living together.... and even got her pregnant.

HaiZao wanted to abort the child, but SongSiMing made her keep it. SongSiMing would really treat her like a queen until one day, he left her with a huge amount of money and never showed up again. Upon learning that more than half of the family fortune went to the concubine, SongSiMing's wife visited HaiZao at their love nest and attacked her. The pregnant HaiZao was then rushed to the hospital half dead.

Upon learning this news, SongSiMing, who was still madly in love with HaiZao, left his conference and drove to the hospital. The Chinese Government was already been investigating SongSiMing's activities, and the smart SongSiMing knew about that already; Hence avoided HaiZao. So the investigating body chased SongSiMing thinking that he's running away. The only thing that was giving him hope was a family with HaiZao and their baby boy. SongSiMing's friend suddenly called in the middle of the chase and told him that the baby died and they need to cut HaiZao's uterus to save her.

SongSiMing hit himself to a truck.

Jenna's thoughts:

I have asked a couple of Chinese friends if HaiZao and XiaoBei sleep together during the time they lived together, because the couple looks so innocent and the director never showed any scenes where they slept together. They do, but I believe otherwise. I think HaiZao and XiaoBei are an extremely innocent couple, that's why HaiZao longed for SongSiMing's presence. XiaoBei and HaiZao's relationship wasn't exciting enough for HaiZao to be satisfied and contented. Besides, the director did not clarify if indeed XiaoBei and HaiZao sleep together. For all we know SongSiMing is really HaiZao's first. It is possible, you know.

P.S. There was a sub story about the government (under the care of SongSiMing) asking some poor residents to move out. One of them was HaiPing's landlord, which also forced HaiPing to buy her own apartment, and one of them was the Li Family. I honestly didn't know what their role was about during the first few episodes. They were neighbors with HaiPing, but their role wasn't clear enough when they were introduced. So... it made me think that SongSiMing and the household where Li Grandma's Daughter in Law works are friends, and it is where the daughter in law (and eventually the Li Family) will find out about SongSiMing and HaiZao's relationship. Apparently, their storyline was about poor families refusing to move out and are demanding more money in exchange for their land. Li Grandma died in the middle of the demolition, which gave authorities lead about SongSiMing's corruption.

Now I'm off to watch new Chinovelas and Chinese Movies while waiting for my new DVDs to arrive! Excited. l!OL

2011/05/26 ERRATUM

My teacher said it was totally banned. As in they stopped airing WoJu in the middle of the season!

new class sched

2011-05-19T23:54:00.002+08:00

They suddenly changed our class schedule after the midterm exams, and I don't like it.

For documentation purposes only.

the vicks chronicles

2011-05-19T17:28:00.005+08:00

Since my Chinese program is only short term, lots of my friends here in Beijing only stay for at least 6 months. During my 1st semester, I was classmates with around 4 Filos (A Class). 2 of them continued for another semester and the other half left right after the semester ended. Among those 2 who left was a pharmacist and I was lucky enough to get her loot, because it included a bottle of Vicks -which is not sold anywhere in China.

Aside from low temperatures during winter, I never really had any serious sickness. I always thought I'm lucky, because I've been seeing my classmates of different nationalities getting sick every week ever since I got here two years ago. I never touched my moms Filo meds or any of the other meds my friends gave me until they expire for me to throw them away.

Until one day in C Class, my Australian Friend got terribly sick that I lent her the bottle of Vicks. It cured her. It made wonders that I unconsciously included it in my travel kit when I was packing for my New Zealand Trip. I didn't use it for the winter in New Zealand was nothing compared to Beijing, I didn't get sick at all. My new found friends in Meditation Camp got sick though, so I played hero and, again, lent them the bottle of Vicks. If I remember it correctly, I was able to lend it to a French and an Indian. Last semester in E Class, a Korean Classmate and a Chinese Friend missed a week's worth of class because of the aweful weather. I lent them the bottle and it again made miracles. (Apparently, Vicks isn't sold in Korea as well.)

I thought health was on my side until I got sick a week ago. It started with the horrible weather AND pollution. It was so windy and all the dessert sands from Inner Mongolia just flew all over the place that no one was safe from inhaling those yellow gold dusts. I felt uncomfortable since Wednesday, but still went to class until Friday. I remember complaining about the weather to my Indonesian Classmate then, and he advised me to drink lots of water. I did, but the weather was so dry. Not only was my nose stuffy and my throat itchy, my skin mouth and throat got dry too.

I was on house arrest for 4 days. I got scared to leave the apartment for the fear of inhaling all the pollution around me. I only left the house for an hour Last Tuesday for grocery shopping because I don't wanna rot inside the apartment and I really had nothing else to eat as my fridge was already empty. I know I missed so much from skipping 8 hours worth of class already so I forced myself to go to class yesterday.

I think it was obvious that I was really sick because my voice changed, my table was full of tissue and a bottle of Vicks was beside me. I was coughing and sneezing really hard all throughout the class that my Spanish Classmate (F Class) randomly told me about the Vicks Myth. He said that he has once tried putting Vicks on his feet before he slept to cure his colds. I asked him if it worked, he said he felt better.

I guess I'm desperate to get rid of these colds and sore throat that I'd try anything. I tried it last night and I had a good night's sleep, to the point where I was late for class because I wasn't able to get up early! The myth apparently started from a chain mail, and my friend only got it from his mom.

I'm still rubbing some Vicks magic on my feet tonight. I'm already in love with it. Hope to get well SOON.

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2011-05-19T13:32:00.002+08:00

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lessons learned from facebook

2011-05-17T22:10:00.010+08:00

I started being daddy's Facebook police by accident last year because I hated the way the office is doing it. I took over for the sake of my OCness and ended up handling all 4 of my dad's brands' pages. And I'm also handling Baguum's. So here are things I learned from being an FB police over less than six months:

Yes, a lot of people don't know how to manage a fan page. More so the difference between a fan page and an individual account.
Small businesses end up opening an individual account just because it is harder to invite people to "like" their page than "personally" send them a friend request.
Unless you are of Starbucks or Toms "cool and fashionable", or your brand is in the middle of a very critical situation, you're gonna have a hard time having people "like" your fan page.
A fan page is dead when you don't have anything to post. It must be kept busy or at least updated every 1-2 weeks. Fans "like" it when you post something informative about your products; but they "like" it more when you post something beyond product information.
It will help to hold online contests in your fan page. There are heaps of suckers for those. (A friend from an advertising agency shared to me that a fan page only needs at least 300 fans to start an online contest.)
You'll get surprised of how many people go online during office hours. It'll make you wonder how bad the unemployment rate in the Philippines is.
Speaking of unemployment, perhaps most of them depend on Facebook to make a living? It's shocking to see contestants hire "photo likers" just to win the most number of "likes" in the contest. Contestants get obsessed with their "likes" even if the number of "likes" is just a small percentage in the criteria.
Most contestants send their payments to "photo likers" via GCash. I saw some of "photo likers" charge 18-20 GCash money for 15 "likes".
"Photo likers" would either create new individual (dummy) accounts or (dummy) fan pages to like the contestants' entries. In order to know whether or not the "photo liker" did his part of the bargain, the contestant or the "photo liker" would write a comment on the entry for the photo liker to "like" the comment after "liking" the entry.
Other contestants would "like" other entries and comment on each of them to "like" their entry back. Others would go fan page hopping and post on other fan pages (spam), to the extent of inviting strangers or foreigners, to "like" their entry. Hence, I have made all my fan pages only accessible in the Philippines.
Most contestants belong to the same "barkada". You'll be shocked to see that all your contestants actually know each other and are contest junkies.
It will amaze you to see many people, contestant or not, complain about other contestants who have hired "photo likers". It will make you wonder how much time they have on their hands to "investigate" contestants in the cyber world.
It gets a hell lot uglier when you base everything in the number of likes. It will also sadden you to see how rude people are. People whom you don't expect to react in certain way will disappoint you. They, apparently, don't have class.
Prepare yourself to see the number of "unlikes" increase after you contest. The number might not be as great as the number of "likes" you had during the contest, but you have to take note that these "unlikers" are REAL people.
You cannot announce anything that you cannot deliver in the contest. You HAVE to fulfill the exact promises you made. Some ungrateful winners still don't get contented with the prizes you give them. They'll ask for more. I tell you, they're just trying their luck. Don't give in. And, do not expect the winner to support your fan page all the way. They'll stop visiting your page after they claim their prizes.
The point of having online contests is to have more REAL fans "like" your page. If it will just help the "photo liker" live another day, then don't bother holding a contest. You'll only end up having 10 real fans out of 10,000.
By the way, fans choose their prizes. They won't join unless the prizes are worth the trouble.

the first of 21

2011-05-17T15:41:00.002+08:00

They say it take 21 days to break or form a habit. I have already added a countdown widget in my blog so as to know how far I can go. Yes, I have been eating a lot during the past few months. I have gained 5 lbs. since the winter break and I haven't lost any of it. My goal from losing 10 lbs. went back to losing 15 lbs.

So it takes 21 days to break a habit. I giving up snacking and eating after 2pm. Yes, I have gave up eating dinner since forever but I haven't learned to give up snacking or eating merienda. So that's what I'm working on now. I have done it a year ago without any cheat days, mind you, but I can't seem to go back to how it was anymore! I'm craving for something to eat as of this moment. L!OL

revive

2011-05-16T21:43:00.002+08:00

I have been blogging since 2005. I started in Xanga and then moved to Blogger about half a year (?) later. Since I've been MIA in my blog since I started living in Beijing, I thought of reviving it now. I have changed its layout and put some "labels" in posts. I've already labeled recent posts and my old Beijing posts. I don't think I will label my posts before Beijing though, they're too plenty! I guess this is another way to start anew and rebuild my blog. Hay...

where is the monkey in the business

2011-05-16T16:55:00.003+08:00

I have been planning to update my resume since last year. The thing is, I don't have the time... or perhaps I'm just lazy to start something that will take forever. First, I have to put ALL the activities that I have been doing in China. Then, I have to translate each and every one of them. The problem is, I have know idea how to translate scientific or fixed words. It's a different world in China. They have their own culture far different from the western world.

Anyway, here's a glimpse of a current project. I've done this before but never blogged about it because I never thought it's formal enough to be called a business.

Besides, I'm just helping friends.

Enough of that, I don't wanna give too much information.

So when I went to GuangZhou a month ago, I noticed that there are a lot of Chinese words that are not written in Simplified form, like it's a mix of both Simplified and Traditional. I asked my tutor about it but she has no idea. All she said was, because the pronunciation of words are different per dialect, and you have to type in the pinyin (in mandarin) in order to write the Chinese words in the computer, they just type the pinyin according to the way they pronounce it using their dialects. They don't care if they've typed the wrong Chinese character anymore. The people around them get it anyway.

So this person wrote me a letter regarding the stuff she sent over. I have noticed that she used Traditional Chinese Characters. I shall decode it when I feel like it. Thank gawd I still remember SOME of my Traditional Chinese Characters from ICA! l!OL

from 湖南

2011-05-16T13:31:00.000+08:00

A Beijinger friend gave me some of these snacks from HuNan. It took me WEEKS before trying them, just because I didn't feel like trying them then. Lo and behold, they are DIVINE. It was a good thing I took photos BEFORE snacking them!

These are... peanuts? They're like those Buchi (?) Desserts in those Chinese Restaurants in Manila, only harder and smaller. They're yummy.

She also gave me these... which until now, I'm still unsure if it was a good thing or a bad thing trying them.

Chinese people LOVE eating anything made of tofu. As you may recall, I've fell in love with those tofu made mock meat already. These, on the other hand, are tofu jerkys, and they are tasteful too!

It was a shame that the local grocery near my apartment don't sell these treats. Instead, they have those tofu jerkies from SiChuan -which is not as good as these. I buy them online... but I've been so lazy to find sellers online and go to the bank to deposit the payment anymore. At least I'm not gaining any tofu jerky weight, yes?

house arrest

2011-05-16T13:02:00.003+08:00

Still sick! I've already drank 1/2th of my 5 gallon water since Last Friday AND I've already finished 1 roll of kitchen (tissue) paper.

It was so hard to sleep with a clogged nose at night, and it doesn't help having a dry mouth. I felt like I was dehydrated already.

I haven't gone anywhere since Last Friday, and I HAVE to get well tonight so that I can already go to school tomorrow. I don't want to miss my Ancient Chinese Literature Class tomorrow, and I HAVE to buy food already. Believe me when I say that my fridge doesn't have anything inside it.

new blog design

2011-05-15T19:50:00.002+08:00

YES! I'm starting anew! I've changed my layout and from now on, I promise to write correctly (with the commas, apostrophes and capital letters) and will be posting larger sizes for my photos! Cheers! L!OL -->yes, I'm not letting go of THE l!OL

still sick

2011-05-15T09:03:00.001+08:00

i cant believe it's not getting any better! i already drank more than 4 liters of water yesterday! i dont know what to do anymore. argh!

one month and two days

2011-05-14T22:15:00.008+08:00

it has been one month and two days since the last time i have written in my blog. sadness. whatever my reasons are, i think, the best way to put it is... i dont really have much to post. or if i do, i CANNOT post them at all. now that... i have actually started writing again at this moment, i think it's best for me to just write "what's up" in bullet points. yeah, that's "what's up".

i have been handling the office's facebook fan pages. yes, im the "admin" so i might be the one replying to your posts or comments if it doesnt involve anything technical. (will post more about it in another entry. god, i have lotsa things to say about it!)
ive been sick. really. as far as i can remember, i have never got sick in the 5 years that i became vegetarian until last january. this "aunt" of mine greeted me and i got "usog". it was days before my birthday. thank gawd my mom was with me here as i suffered from LBM for dayssss, i tell you. as stupid it is to believe, i was cured with a massage.
so im sick, and the culprit must be beijing's most disgusting environment ever. it's like im living in a dump! i swear i couldn't breathe properly in the streets because i keep on thinking that the air around me contains those fine dusts/sands from inner mongolia. im not exaggerating. i got sick from all the icky stuff that went inside my nose that got me colds and a sore throat.
had midterm exams two weeks ago. it was BAD, i tell you. i just came back from guangzhou the day before the comprehension exam so i got a low grade! grar. anyway i passed in speaking and ancient chinese, but missed the listening exam! my teacher said it's okay though, she'll do something about it (because i told her that if there is no way i'd get the certificate then i won't take any of the other tests anymore). i can't believe i missed the test though. i can't believe i wrote the wrong time in my planner! double grar!
my ancient chinese teacher was actually surprised that i passed his test. i know he doesn't really like me... or at least belittles me. so anyway, i dont think he expected me to take the test because 2 of his favorite students didnt. well i was actually surprised i passed it and had a good score because i really didnt study as much anymore. after the midterm exams, my teacher doesnt treat me like "garbage" anymore. at least i dont feel small in his class anymore.
regarding my speaking teacher. i hate her. i dont hate hate her. i just hate her class, her aura and her teaching method. everyone has been complaining that...

our topics are boring because theyre solely based on the book.
she'll use half of the time allotted for one topic just so she can talk by herself and make us listen to her rubbish
she plays favorites, her favorite is this australian chinese who i think doesnt even need to go to school anymore because she's fluent already -believe me, she is
i hated her midterm exam because it is very subjective. she gave me a mediocre grade for not composing my thoughts very well even if she said that my ideas were rich and brilliant. on the other hand, she gave the australian girl a ninety something just because she's the favorite and fluent even if ideas were lacking! unfair.

there i go again for hating my H classmates. sorry i cannot say the exact nationality in this blog because i know people will, again, react!
i didnt join the free field trip my class had weeks ago. yes it's free and yes it's a field trip outside beijing. same reasons as last semester. i dont want to get close with my classmates and deal with all of their dramas later. also, i dont want to hassle anyone for my kaartehan. im vegan and i dont like staying in dirty hotels. that's me, sorry.
i have started using weibo now, instead of twitter. well, i still use twitter but only if i need to say something to my friends. like i update my weibo of the things happening to me and only use twitter if i need to message my friends. i'd eventually shut down my twitter account... just dunno when. i honestly like weibo more than twitter. the features are wayyyyyy better. like i dont have to use other applications like plixi or twitpic to post pics, because weibo itself supports it. the retweeting and replying system is also far better.
another thing why i like weibo better is my "sense of privacy". yes i have limited my twitter friends to 20 somthing because im very private, but even if my weibo account is set to public, i still feel that it has privacy. for one thing, i only have 1 fan. another thing is that nobody in the philippines can really read chinese. yeah, it's privacy for me!
im planning to travel next year. --- ------ 2012! i dont wanna say it here in my blog because i dont wanna jinx it just yet! i have always thought of travelling with a kipling backpack with me, just like lindsay lohan during her trip/documentary to india.
so i plan to go somewhere far next year. initially i thought of going to thailand before the year ends, just to meditate and meet up with my thai friends. IF visa permits (because i have to apply for a US visa), i would definitely go!
some things have been haunting me in random occasions. i think that i have not gotten over what happened last year because of pride. my pride is hurt until now. i need acceptance and to learn how to forgive those who have hurt me. i really need to take a meditation course again. i would love to take a 10-15 day course.
me and rach started selling baguum last month. for a product without a strong marketing backup (we dont have budget), im contented with what we were able to earn during the first month of our operations. i hope we will be able to exceed it this month though, because i really think it has potential.
oh, btw. i have a feeling that the karl edward bazaar will be gone in a year's time. it's not the "in" place anymore, unlike what it was years ago. so even if... the foot traffic wasn't that great during the karl edward bazaar, i think that baguum faired well enough to break even and earn a bit more. so i think baguum really has potential.
i also have this other "business". i cant disclose what it is exactly... but i just want to say to my client that iniipit mo ko. i wouldnt have helped you if i knew that you will leave me hanging. i dont want my "reputation" to be tarnished, you know. now this person keeps on emailing and calling me na. what do i tell her? nakakainis, it is not about the money anymore.
oh there is also this guy i dont like, but can't disclose the details! JOJO honey, i'll tell you about it when i get back to manila! it's the continuation of what i told you before. bumulaga bigla e!

well that's about it. i'll post more when i feel like it. i hope i recover soon. i dont wanna go to school feeling dead on monday. as a matter of fact, i should have went out today but i got scared of making my colds and sore throat worse! well at least i was able to study study study and feel fulfilled. i forgot how much i miss studying new words already. parang i felt like i was in my 1st few months in beijing when i had no other responsibilities other than studying!

hopeless cook

2011-04-12T20:20:00.002+08:00

IF you know me and you know me well, you'd know that i am not used to eating oily foods. and... i am the most boring foodie in the world! l!OL

anyway since i live far from my mom and yaya, i HAVE to cook by myself. but i refuse to. i always tell my dad that i would rather study than cook. i would rather work than cook. bottom line is, I DONT LIKE TO COOK.

my kitchen doesnt have salt or any other condiments and my cooking oil is only given to me by my thai friend who left a year ago. i have never touched it since then. i am happy with my DouZhiPin and sandwiches!

so yday, when i went to the market to buy fruits, i thought of buying corn and potatoes for snacks! i got a bit jealous of my korean classmate eating potato in school that i asked her how to cook it! steam lang pala... 30 minutes daw!

i steamed a potato and a corn today...

but since i got busyyyyy....

i forgot to add water again to the pot!!

OMG!!! my apartment smells like... smoke na!!!

so much for being anak ni sunnex. hayyy.

lloyda lim for baguum

2011-04-10T22:12:00.002+08:00

Mommy and Fashion Blogger Lloyda Lim of Fashionista Fortune Cookie shares her discovery about the newest BULK FREE STORAGE technology that has reached Philippine shores!

For more information, please visit us at http://www.facebook.com/Baguum or email us at Baguum@Gmail.com

i dont usually celebrate my birthdays with a cake

2011-03-30T20:17:00.001+08:00

in fairrr, i kinda miss the whole singing the happy birthday song and blowing the candles thing during birthdays!

BUY ME a birthday cake on my birthday. i want LOADS of CANDLES on it. preferably according to my age. although i dont count my age anymore. i barely remember it -seriously.

spotted in beijing: bumper bummer

2011-03-25T20:14:00.000+08:00

on my way home from school...

it's baguum time

2011-03-25T16:27:00.001+08:00

i know ive been super MIA lately. here's the reason why!!

please support me and poisonberry's project!!

i wanna cut my hair

2011-03-12T20:27:00.003+08:00

since ive been researching stuff for the fanpages, ive been seeing loads of health and beauty articles. one of them has a picture of an asian wearing a bob. gosh i miss my short hair na. i want to curly my hair before, but after seeing the bob, i kinda want to cut it super short na.

taken last february 15, 2011

the last time i went to the salon last febraury, i told philippe to just trim it... because i want a long hair. ive been experimenting with my hair since college, you see. ive had wavy, layered, bob, shoulder length, etc. i think... it's about time to grow it and just see how it goes! but after seeing the pictures from the internet, parang i want to cut it na. good thing i only trust philippe for my hair! i have to wait after 6 months before he cuts it again. i wonder if my mood will change by then...

because i am a chinovela addict

2011-03-08T20:01:00.001+08:00

ever since i came back to beijing, i have been watching chinovelas! remember i made a vow not to watch or listen to any english movies/series or music since last year? this is the result of it -chinovela addiction! in fair, maganda!! l!OL

so anyway, i thought of "collecting" my chinovela DVDs so i went online and ordered some CD cases! i ordered 2 big boxes and 2 small cases. look what i got...

i didnt expect the package would be THAT big!! i wasnt able to receive it since i was in class. made instructions to the courier to deliver it to the real estate agency in my apartment complex!

and i thank gawd that the seller put some plastic bubbles around the products because... they're kinda fragile! i was actually worried about getting them with cracks!

and i SUPER love them! i am thinking of ordering more, in case i'd go crazy again and buy a truck load of DVDs!! heyyy, it's my ONLY current guilty pleasure right nowwww!

busy mode in beijing

2011-03-03T19:54:00.001+08:00

FEBRUARY 20, 2011.

hayyy money talks talaga. i received loads of texts from the real estate agent, tutor, etc. the minute i arrived in beijing! it doesnt help to have time for self at all after leaving the chaotic manila. lO!L i just hate it when i have to do errands.

FEBRUARY 22, 2011.

enrolled. and remitted money to the dvd seller. i bought 蜗居 and 手机. ill write about 蜗居 later. super addicted to it na!!

FEBRUARY 24, 2011.

okayyy i got lazy to take the placement test since i thought there's no point narin naman! i was in E last semester. there is no other level i can go to other than F! l!OL i slept.

FEBRUARY 28, 2011.

1st day of school

unlike the other semesters, i can totally understand what they were talking about na!! remember my 1st day in C class? the sad thing about F is that we only have 1 F class. five of my old classmates are still my classmates, not that i dont like them, i just want to meet new people!

ive been super busy na ever since class started. i have tutor MWF (i cut it down to 3 days nalang), plenty of assignments for 综合, 口语 and 古文. other than those, i write a chinese journal and practice 10 different chinese idioms everyday. i also try to study this other book's vocabulary and copy the chinese edited version of my chinese journal after the tutor corrects it! intense!!

addicted to woju

2011-02-27T20:06:00.000+08:00

FEBRUARY 22-23, 2011.

i reserved DVDs online before enrolling. since i hate going out, i made sure i'd be able to transfer money to the seller's bank account on the day of enrollment (feb 22). i received this the next day...

i ordered 2 dvd: 蜗居 and 手锯!

i have watched the 1st episode of WoJu 2 years ago... then i got lazy. my grandma from hongkong was telling me about it until i finally asked her to buy a copy for me in hong kong. i tried to watch it in manila, butttt the quality wasnt good. the copy has 2 languages to choose from, mandarin and cantonese. the original version's quality (in mandarin) got sacrificed because of the dubbing, and the subtitle is also in hong kong chinese. well they have simplified and traditional chinese characters in the settings, but the way that it's being said is in hong kong chinese version. you know chinese people from different places dont have the same speaking habits. im just not used to hong kong and taiwan chinese.

im super addicted to this series na!! ive been writing about this in my chinese journal. you know the story and the characters are sooo irritating that it will make you addicted to it!! l!OL l!OL l!L

i usually watch this in the afternoon, or before i sleep. i love it when i have chinese food and chinovela for lunch!!

busy mode in manila

2011-02-23T19:23:00.000+08:00

FEBRUARY 10

was super busy in manila when i got back from bali. i arrived early in the morning, i didnt sleep much. the minute i got home, i unpacked and checked the fan page because we were running a contest in aprica during that time. i didnt expect it would be a success! i also had to email suppliers for my stuff because their spring break is over and they're all back in the office na. after lunch, i went to the office to meet up with the aprica/avent staff. waited a little bit and attended the chefs on parade with mum and dad. we stayed there for a few hours and left around 6pm. met up with my beijing friends in omakase morato for dinner! grabe, was super tired. it was the first time i fell asleep writing my chinese idioms and journal! i wasnt able to finish at all!!

FEBRUARY 11

dad's birthday party in the office! i dunno how the day went na... basta we celebrated dad's party in the office. too bad it rained in the middle of the party kaya they moved from rooftop to the other floor. sorry im not familiar with our office!!

FEBRUARY 12

lunch with my blockmatesssssss!!! pero 4 lang kami, me, tiff, maj and cha!! boo. i super miss sila chim and corz na. after lunch at CPK, went na straight to highstreet and studied at coffee bean. jojo fetched me and we ate dinner at this thai restaurant! sarapppp!! after highstreet, dropped by eastwood to meet up with my other blockmates! it was ian's and max's birthday blowout! too bad i left early because i have a meeting the next day!

FEBRUARY 13

confidential meeting at high street. ohhh, and i was able to drop by mechanto too!! i super love mechanto na. i was able to buy vegan chocolate cake!! anyway, after the meeting i went to valle verde to meet up with my PZ family! bitin because there were only a few who were there (that i know) and i had to go to morato because dad treated the clan at romulo's cafe!

FEBRUARY 14

two meetings. the other one is confidential and the other one is with the avent staff!

FEBRUARY 15

haircut by philippe!! i love going to his salon, even if i just go there twice or thrice a year!!

FEBRUARY 16

went to medical city for derma. oh shux, things have changed na talaga noh. i didnt expect medical city would be THAT nice!!
had dinner with JR and frankie at lugang!! super nice restaurant as well! manila's improving!!

FEBRUARY 17

confidential meeting. dentist in the afternoon!

FEBRUARY 18

aprica media launch

FEBRUARY 19

aprica launch

FEBRUARY 20

BACK IN THE JING!

got dragged into the aprica launch

2011-02-21T18:55:00.001+08:00

FEBRUARY 18-19, 2011.

i really wanted to go come back to beijing EARLIER. as in 3-5 days after my trip to indonesia... but because i have to apply for a new visa, i had to wait until the 17th to freely come back. anddd... since the day after that was the Aprica (strollers) media launch already, my dad insisted i stay. he said... the launch is once in a lifetime. OKAYYY i stayed. and he dragged me to the media launch.

after the media launch, i accompanied him and his foreign visitors to MOA, where they had a store check....

the next day, before attending the formal launch at the power plant mall, my family and the guests met at shangrila hotel to eat brunch -summer palace!! anyway, the launch started at around 3.

i honestly dont know what my role is in the launch... because the online contest is already finished (ive been managing all the facebook accounts of my dad's business).

i guess my role as the facebook police made me take loadsss of pictures in the event so that i can post something on facebook!

so 2 days before the launch, my dad and the BM told me to invite tessa valdes to the event. i couldnt be happier she showed up!! I LOVE TESSA PRIETO VALDES. she raffled off the 2 strollers!!

after the launch, me, dad, shobe and the guests went to... bonifacio high street and ate at kabisera. just because we have foreign guests. ive been telling my dad to bring the guests to chinese restaurants... but conservative dad is sooo scared they might not like filo food and keep on bringing them to chinese restaurants. heyyy, it's not like the chinese restaurants in the philies is good, NOT AT ALL. it's not like we're in hong kong where food is close to divinity.

before eating dinner, i took them to market market. it's so weird their other distributors dont bring them to those places as well (just like dad)! they just hoarded filo delicacies! they bought dried mangoes (duh), banana chips, shrimp flakes, mango puree and a lot more! super kawawa shobe's yaya because i made her carry the plastic bags!

after dinner, dad and my uncle took them to ROX. dad was tired already so he made me entertain nalang the guests... you know it was my last day in manila, i made sure i'd go to the midnight mechanto before i wait for another 6 months!! the foreign guests ate this...

it's so funny because there werent a lot for foreigners in mechanto at that time. and me, being the tour guide introduced balut to them!! the japanese guest happily ate it. the guest from hong kong got envious and tried it as well!!

FUN NIGHTT!

P.S. i went to ghills to meet up with kyla and rach and the other. went home at around 2.30am, packed and waited for my flight! i didnt sleep anymore!!

spotted in indonesia: stuff i saw in the streets of bali

2011-02-18T18:17:00.001+08:00

FEBRUARY 4-10, 2011.

spotted in indonesia: "water" et al

2011-02-17T21:48:00.000+08:00

FEBRUARY 4-12, 2011.

i love the bear brand little tykes and how they're displayed!

how come they have those sexy cola bottles? as in for anorexia levels ang packaging! they're sooo cute. i would have bought for shobe but i got worried my luggage would get overweight!

the ones i drink in manila are still better!

THE BEST ICED JASMINE TEA!! AND IT'S SOLD IN McDONALDS!!

how come they have more imported stuff than we do?

spotted in indonesia: instant noodles et al

2011-02-15T21:33:00.001+08:00

FEBRUARY 4-12, 2011.

because indonesian instant noodles are, by far, THE BEST!

is it obvious that i LOVE taking pictures in the grocery store? i love grocery shopping! it's the most guiltless kind of shopping there is!

spotted in indonesia: junk food et al

2011-02-13T21:24:00.001+08:00

FEBRUARY 4-12, 2011.

because i heart eating junk food!

jack and jill piattos

native delicacies

indo junk food overload

halo republik indonesia (part cinq)

2011-02-12T22:58:00.001+08:00

i barely remember what exactly happened... just posting the pictures! i think i blogged too much everyday during the trip though! l!OL

FEBRUARY 8, 2011

1. spa
2. GWK

3. water sport
a. flying fish

b. parasail

c. turtle island

FEBRUARY 9, 2011

1. hotel

2. walk around

3. airport

4. jakarta
5. house of haizi
6. grocery
7. indo fooddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd

TOUCHDOWN MANILA!

halo republik indonesia (part quatre)

2011-02-07T22:56:00.001+08:00

FEBRUARY 7, 2011

we started the day in taman ayun temple. there are heaps of hindu temples here, but not all of them are open for the public. and although some temples are public, we cannot go inside them unlike some mosques where we can just wear their costumes and appreciate the culture. im not complaining though, just saying. to my indonesian friend, it was just like any other temple... however i really appreciate the beauty of it. the huts around the temple are so natural. a city girl like me needs a dose of natural beauty, you know! L!OL afterwhich, the driver took us again to another fruit planation. everything here is sooo balinese that we dont actually know the difference of what each plantation offer us! i guess the only difference there are the prices of each and every tea and coffee they have. oh and the packaging. i swore to myself that im not buying stuff for my uncle anymore until i found some bali flower natural oil massage and burning oil

we kinda started the day late (at least later than yesterday's) and i ate a lot (not my normal diet) in the breakfast buffet so i again skipped lunch and just watched my friend eat! well, i "inspected" what's in the buffet before i made a decision to pass and, what do you know, i saw a sunnex coffee pot! i thought of posting it in the facebook fanpage kaya i had the waitress pose with it as proof that i found it in bali... although indonesians look soooooo similar to filos. oh well. l!OL

beside the restaurant was the ulun danu temple. how i wish my friend cares more about my pictures! the architecture is amazing. thus, my photos in bali would be as amazing IF and ONLY IF my friend took them properly! l!OL

the last temple we went to was the tanah lot temple. it's a temple in the middle of the sea, although it's just a stone throw away from the shore. lO!L anyway, we couldnt go inside so the only souvenir i have is the picture. i tried spinning there because i forgot to bring down my poi when we went to the 1st 2 temples but my friend cut me off the picture while i was spinning. the pictures were either missing my legs or only half of my body was taken even if i was spinning flags or ribbons. FAIL. i really wish he'll take better photos. i'll die.

we ended the day eating my lunch+dinner in this greek restaurant because my friend knows i love eating hummus! l!OL well i thought we shouldnt have eaten anymore since i dont really get hungry easily when travelling and my friend who's not even hungry ate more than i did. element fresh's hummus is also better than the one we ate a while ago so i probably wont go back to the restaurant to eat anymore. so after that, we rested for a bit in the hotel and then walked around kuta and bought some snacks for tomorrow (took heaps of pictures of the junk we bought for future reference!) i wonder how bad the dark side of bali is... we were offered some magic mushrooms while walking along the streets! my friend obviously doesnt know what those are until i told him what they mean. well it was kinda late already (everything closes at 11pm) so we got scared for our lives and went back to the hotel to rest again! l!OL

we started the day early yesterday and ended late late last night. i slept at around 4am. i told my friend we should rest today since we're all tired. even the driver had to buy red bull for lacking some sleep! besides, my friend's ankle is in pain. anyway, we're going to get some massage and spa tomorrow morning and then visit some temples again in the afternoon!!

halo republik indonesia (part trois)

2011-02-06T19:08:00.001+08:00

FEBRUARY 6, 2011

started the day watching the barong dance. it's kind of the same with the chinese lion dance, the only difference they have is the story. the chinese one would always have the usual dance where they get the angpaos from places where it's hung. this balinese lion dance, on the other hand, has a story that we couldnt really understand. i've read the summary of it, but couldnt exactly understand what it really meant. the story's complicated with all the battes and the romanticism in it.

after watching the barong dance, we were taken to this fruit plantation where this animal called lawa produces the most expensive coffee bean from poo-ing. the process is also so gross and complicated that it actually made the coffee beans expensive. they said it's the most expensive coffee bean in the world. what gives?! l!OL

the driver then accompanied us to the rice terraces. i spun poi!! at least played with my flags! im posting the photos in the PZ fan page for travel poi-tography! l!OL i wonder if the banawe rice terraces look the same. i mean, theyre both rice terraces but is the one in the philippines as green and healthy as what i saw here in bali?! i hope so. the next place we went to is some place to see the mountain view. the driver took us to this restaurant that has a spectacular location and view.... but the problem is, it was too foggy for us to actually see anything "spectacular". my friend ate in the balinese buffet while i skipped lunch and just tried to at least enjoy the view while listening and guessing what language and nationality the other tourists where! L!OL

after the late lunch, we went to see a temple. FINALLY!!! the temple was beautiful. it was my first time to see such a beauty!! i've been to lots of temples in china and thailand already, but i have never seen a temple where people go to the river and just pray in front of a tomb. a person i met somewhere along the way said that most balinese are hindus, however they have a different version of their hinduism. i love diversity! and i dont think i should even have to say how much i heart the architecture!

during the time we were in the temple, my camera's battery started showed warnings that it's almost becoming empty. SAD. you know i would take THOUSANDS of photos if and only if i have my camera with me. it was a bit of a pity that i didnt bring my dSLR, although i thought i'd hate bringing such heavy equipment with me all the time while tired travelling. so at least i have my compact camera... but it's showing signs that i HAVE to change it already. besides, it's almost 2 years old already -which means it's time to change.

anyway, i finally ran out of battery when we reached the elephant cave. i desperately wanted to get some photos for remembrance so i had my friend take photos with his blackberry! BADDD pixels! the architecture is so beautiful that i had to ask some other tourist a favor of taking a photo of me in the elephant cave and email the picture to me afterward. my friend told me there's a chance she wont email me the picture, but at least i get a small possibility to get real photos in places that i should have photos in!

we kinda finished early so the driver took us to a souvenir shop where i HAD to buy all the balinese incense and aroma therapy essential oil whatsoever for my uncle. im sure he'll love it! i bought him lawa coffee, massage oil, burning oil and some incense. im sooo excited for him to receive them!! lO!L

for the finale, we watched a fire dance. let's put it this way it was like watching the beijing opera. we finished the day checking in this 5 star hotel that my friend's mum booked! i do not blame them for having expensive rates, similar to the ones that we're used to liek mandarin oriental or shangrila. but you know, i REALLY do love my friend's cousin's girlfriend who owns the hotel and gave us 50% discount!! im sooooo gonna take a photos of the hotel before i leave bali, fo' sho!! how lucky is lucky?! jennuh equals lucky!! l!OL

halo republik indonesia (part deux)

2011-02-05T18:51:00.000+08:00

FEBRUARY 5, 2011
i dont remember the exact details of what happened in the morning. i can only remember that from the hotel, we took the cab, left jakarta for bali and then met the driver that we hired for our whole bali trip.

since it was drizzling, he just took us to sheltered places like the batik, gold & silver and wood carving shops! i say they're just normal. i only found interest in the batik shop where i bought a scarf for grandma. BUTTTT on the way to those places, the architecture of all the houses and shops here in bali just blew me away. THEY. ARE. SO. BEAUTIFUL. imagine hundreds of stone carvings of different buddhist gods being sold along the streets! i know it's not their intention have them all messed up, but the way it was disorderly just makes it more natural! the driver didnt take us to stone carving places, but i had to ask him to stop at a store where there are loads of them just to take photos with them!

after visiting those sites, the driver recommended us to go to the bird park already since it wasnt raining anymore. the parrots were beautiful. in fact, everything there were beautiful. i am scared of birds, but i had to stop and take photos with them just because they were tame even if they were free from cages! i am happy that i went, even if im so afraid it will poo on my head. l!OL the reptile farm beside it was okay, although it's my first time to see how slimmey snakes crawl. elkk! L!OL

ohhhh, the last site we visited was the worst. if bali isnt THIS beautiful then i would have left the island and went straight to manila! the driver took us to the monkey forest. you know, this place in bali called ubud is know for this monkey forest. i wonder why! grar. well, when we entered the place, i got a bit scared that all the monkeys were free jumping around the area. the only thing that calmed me down was seeing other tourists feeding them and taking photos with them. it shouldnt be THAT bad, so i took photos beside the monkeys too. after some shots, me and my friend began walking around again... until some stupid monkey just attacked me! it went to my sling bag and just swung around! it was soooooo bad i had to take off my sling bag and have him jump off it! gawdddd that was so bad i had to leave the place immediately. as in traumatized. to make it worse, when we were on the exit area waiting for the driver to fetch us, another friggin monkey attacked me!! as in it kinda grabbed my arm because he wanted the wet tissue that i was holding! afraid na talaga! im sure im not going back to any of those monkey places anymore or else im gonna cry na!!

the last place we went to before checking in the hotel was this balinese indian vegetarian restaurant. if only my camera has power i would have taken a picture of the stuff we ate. it was goooood... and it also looks gooooood!! L!OL we had to check in the hotel at around 5pm because it started to rain again. hayyy... i wish it wont rain the next day because i wanna enjoy bali as it is!

P.S. im seeing a double chin. im gettin fatter. l!OL

halo republik indonesia

2011-02-04T18:21:00.001+08:00

FEBRUARY 4, 2011
took the earliest flight to jakarta indonesia via philippine airlines! lookie the wheelchair marathon NAIA is trying to pull off as we wait for our gate to be open!

we had a 20min stop over at singapore though. you know, even if i had only spent 20mins in changi airport, i missed singapore! it's like... the only asian country which is 1st world! i dont imagine myself in india or in cambodia having free internet in the airport. honestly, not that im discriminating. nevertheless, i never realized i'd miss singapore AT ALL. my friends would always invite me to go there, and i would always decline thinking the place would just never become funner. i wouldnt know if singapore's much better now that it has universal studio, all i know is that i miss singapore lah! l!OL

after i got off the plane and went through customs and immigration in jakarta, i got a bit lost. my friend's supposed to wait for me in the arrival area but he's LATE! indonesians dont really speak english, even if theyre already working in airports... so i just gave my friend a call to pick me up at the exit area. we both dont know where i am exactly so i had to ask some security guard to talk to him in bahasa. the guard passed the phone to this phoeny looking guy. i got worried as he looked like some untrustworthy person but i had no choice but to lend him my phone anymore as the security guard deliberately passed it to him! after he gave instructions to my friend, i asked where the money changer is. i didnt expect him to follow me, but he did. i felt so uncomfortable even if he's just sitting in the lounge area "waiting" for me. after changing my USD to IDR, i went outside where everyone is. i thought that if this guy harms me, at least lots of people will be able to see it! anyway, when my friend finally arrived, the guy immediately approached my friend and started talking bahasa to him. i obviously didnt understand them but i had a hunch that he's into something bad. AND THEN i saw my friend getting cash from his wallet to give the phoeny looking guy. apparently he is a "police"... and he asked some tip for cigarettes from my friend because "he took care of me". i dont wanna comment about this anymore. please!

my friend took me then to this delicious vegetarian restaurant where we ate mock fish, mock chicken, mock tempura and vegetarian mie goreng!! i just had to try the mie goreng, after eating all those instant mie gorengs in beijing... i know i HAVE to eat the real thing, at least the vegetarian one! L!OL my friend got a bit lost going to the city... he kinda missed some turns so it took us a while to get to the mall. but you know, it was worth it!! the grand indonesia shopping center is just the bomb! it is wayyyyyy better than any mall in manila, and it's one notch higher than the biggest shopping mall in hong kong! i swear i can just live in that place!

lastly, my friend dropped me off the hotel where i had my dad's secretary book for me! our flight to bali the next day is at 6am, so we really have to get some rest early. i had him stay in the other half of my room's twin bed so that he wont have to take the taxi to my hotel anymore early in the morning.

in changi airport singapore

2011-02-04T11:11:00.001+08:00

ahhh dont have my credit card with me because... i dont know where it is!! good luck nalang on my budget. im boarding for jakarta na... i hope i'll be able to blog again when i get to indonesiaaaaaaaaaa. L!OL

2011 january (part deux)

2011-01-30T07:59:00.002+08:00

JANUARY 25, 2011
we were seriously trying not to eat anymore that's why we both just decided to pack my stuff and eat in WDK. i bought my usual douzhipin and she ate in yippin (fastfood).

JANUARY 26, 2011
mum and i went again to SLT and ate at element fresh. afterwhich, went to WFJ to buy some books. remember when i was denied of donating blood twice last december? i was able to donate blood na!! thank gawd.

after some shopping, mum and i met up with my uncle and his wife for dinner. i felt a bit sick when we got home.

JANUARY 27, 2011
sick the whole day! i never felt more sick in my entire life talaga. i was so weak mum and i just went to walmart and the market to make last minute pabilis. i didnt feel any better even if it was just a 2 hour trip near the apartment. i couldve barfed.

JANUARY 28, 2011
went home to manila sick. it was a friday so i was just able to read home at night. i was soooo sick i had to call the manhihilot to try to heal me. he told me i got semi-voodoo'd, nausog. he said someone hungry and tired greeted me that's why i got so sick. i felt sooo much better after he massaged me! one of my most memorable birthdays EVER!

JANUARY 29, 2011
met up with kyla and rach at the grand baby company fair. it was my birthday so i had to treat them... i dont wanna be unlucky the whole year, you know! l!OL

IN OTHER NEWS
i got really busy in manila. dont even ask!

2011 january

2011-01-25T07:59:00.003+08:00

JANUARY 15, 2011
my PZ friend came to beijing! went around and visited the juggling shop owned and operated by an italian and a german! i fetched my friend at wangfujing and saw the blood donation bus... i just knew i had to take a photo of it! wala lang. l!OL

JANUARY 21, 2011
it was my mum's first day in beijing... since i dont really have lots of vegetarian friends, i had my mum accompany me to this vegetarian restaurant magazine food critics are talking about. the food was delicious. i want to go back!!!

after lunch, mum and i went to the office where i worked. please dont ask anything about it anymore. lO!L

JANUARY 22, 2011
mum and i ate at this thai restaurant me and my friends always go to... hayyy eating is happiness. lO!L afterwhich, went to the mall to buy shobe's prezies and then went to the the place before heading home! it was one of the happiest days in january where i got to buy clothes from FCUK at 60% off! what got better is that when you reach a certain amount on your purchase, you get minus 400rmb in your bill! i swear i have to go on major diet again to be able to wear those clothes!! lurv.

JANUARY 23, 2011
mum lurv'd haidilao hotpot! i shall brind dad there if and when he visits me, which i doubt will ever happen. l!OL we went to ZGC afterwards to buy dad's pabilis!

JANUARY 24, 2011
we have been eating and eating the whole time mum was in beijing so we just decided to eat light at the ikea canteen... which didnt exactly happen. we were so tired in the zoo market that i over ordered food when we got to ikea. fail.

spotted along the streets in beijing

2011-01-16T00:54:00.003+08:00

i lurv how china mobile changes the design of their prepaid cards everytime there's an occasion! right now, since the year of the rabbit is almost near, they launched the year of the rabbit prepaid cards. you know ICBC also launched ATM cards with the guangzhou east asian games mascots a few months back!

so, do i gamble and try to break my ATM card just so i have a chance to get those bunny cards? i was born year of the rabbit anyways! L!OL

oh btw, 喜羊羊 has a new movie! and it's about the year of the rabbit!!

sooooooooo cute! i wanna watch!!

你想什么就是什么

2011-01-12T22:27:00.003+08:00

studying in a school where all foreigners go, i can say that i am familiar with the different nationalities living in beijing already. during my first semester, i met wonderful people... at least that was my first impression. as months went by, i have noticed their true colors. of course, you wouldnt say a thing at first because you are not aware for how these nationalities are, but the more you get to know them, the more you would be able to distinguish their characters.
i have noticed this nationality H's bahavior is as early as 2009. after having bad experiences with them during my 1st semester, i tried to avoid them during the 2nd. i thought, i have my indo and thai friends anyway. but during this semester (my 3rd), i felt that i was being too close minded about them. besides, im already in the advance level. MAYBE they are more mature than the ones in the basic since they have gotten this far in learning their chinese. i sat beside an H, and in front of me was a Y. i know for a fact that im anti social in beijing, but before i went home for christmas (2010), i felt that the two already became my closest. i have totally changed my impression to the H's...
until one day, our oral teacher told us that we have to do a survey report and have to work with 3-4 people. from the moment i heard the requirement, i had my mind set to have them both as my groupmates. but apparently, my Y classmate is also close with another H. let's just call my close friend H1 and that other H as H2. i didnt mind at all...

we started working JANUARY 9 (sunday). i was supposed to treat H1 and Y to this posh thai place near the village (serve the people) but they said it's a waste of time going there to just eat. they said H2 is also busy so it's better to follow the schedule they arranged, 12.30pm. i had to meet with my landlord at 3.30pm. so i sat with them, and talked about how we're gonna do our research paper. first and foremost, we have to formulate the survey. as an econ major, i have formulated a couple of surveys already. this shouldnt be THAT hard. in fact, i dont think non-econ majors would see this as a task. im sure every university students in manila have done some research work that requires them to survey people. so there, we were doing the questions already... well at least they have some ideas for the questions, but they dont know how to start it. well, since job hunt is our topic, i suggested them to ask simple questions first like when do survey respondents start finding jobs, what their objective is, requirements for work, etc. at first, they wanted to use very difficult chinese words (shakespeare levels), but i told them it's not logical. people in our school are learning chinese. for the most part, they wont be able to understand whatever's written. besides, in doing surveys, you have to use simplest way to make respondents understand what you're saying. at around 2.45pm, i told them i have to leave already and we should talk about the other tasks, quick! so i told them to finish the questionnaire and send it to me so that i can translate it to english. the Y girl sent it to me after negotiating with the landlord, but i only saw it at around 6.30pm. i knew i had to finish translating it asap since she told me she plans to print it at around 8pm. i sent it at 7.30pm and thought everything's okay already.
the next day, JANUARY 10 (monday), we met in class and i noticed that H1 and Y were absent. we were supposed to survey people during the breaks, but since she wasnt there we had to wait for the questionnaires. she arrived during the 3rd class. i knew we're gonna have to talk about our tasks after class, so i postponed my tutor from 1 to 3pm. after class, we walked to the canteen to eat and have more survey respondents answer our survey. my teacher actually told us that 25 survey respondents are enough, but since H2 didnt think so, we still had to make people in the canteen answer it. when we arrived in the canteen, i told them since we couldnt find a table, we might as well use the time to make people waiting for vacant tables answer our survey. they were embarrassed. in fact H2 even suggested us to eat first and survey people afterwards. i thought, why would we do that? shouldnt we survey people first and talk about the results and tasks while eating? it's more efficient. she followed my advice anyway and we were able to finish it with 44 survey respondents. after eating, we talked about the parts that we were supposed to do. i told them in making research papers, the simplest one is just to write the introduction, body (which includes the background and the results) and the conclusion. it is as simple as that. now, how do we write the body then? they are chinese majors, they admittedly told me that they would be having a hard time analysing the results. i voluntarily told them i'd do it. so i was thinking that they'd be doing the introduction and the background. since im analyzing, i'd be doing the results and conclusion. it was as clear as that. but the problem is, they have never written any reports like this. so i suggested them to just write about china, since we are in china. it's not really practical to write about our own countries since we're just from 3 countries and every country has different employment cultures. for instance, we filipinos dont really give importance to TOEFL and HSK since everyone can speak english, and what's more important in chinese companies is hookien （闽南话）; but in korea, they would kill to get a high grade in those 2 tests. after telling them that, i told them that they would just need to research on the topic and theyre all good. it really shouldnt be hard. in fact, they can even just summarize some newspaper article. for god's sake, this course is just a certificate program. and they dont even care about the certificate as much as i do. well, H2 didnt want to research, so she said that they'll just think of a way to write it. also, she doesnt believe they have to research because she just wants to write her thoughts. in her country, she gets high grades in research papers with her own opinions. i didnt say a word anymore since it's not my part, and i dont wanna argue with them. so not worth it. before i left the canteen to meet up with my tutor, i asked them to send me the results and told them that i can do the analysis that night and send it to them before they sleep. we should be good to go.
after tutor, i checked my inbox and saw the way they counted the results...

i obviously had to change it. it took me quite a while to finish it because of my technical stupidity and sent it at around 8pm. the problem is, i couldnt segregate the answers. take for example the respondents' age. i didnt know how i am gonna range them, that's why i called up Y and she told me we can discuss about it the next day. i havent taken a bath yet and i havent reviewed for the finals the next day, so it was a bit of a relief for me not to do the whole thing that night. the next day JANUARY 11 (tuesday), i asked H1 if they have done the background already. she said they havent and are waiting for my analysis. i told her the background should be different from the analysis. the stuff we put in the background are the facts from other research materials. if they just accepted my suggestion to write about china, then they just have to write about china's present situation. what's the difference between the background of the study and the analysis IF they background of the study will just be based on the analysis? there is no point. H1 couldnt say anything, so she just said she'll ask the others.
after class, the 3 of them approached me in the classroom. H2 confronted me and said, she got mad at what i've done with the survey results. they spent 6 hours doing the introduction, body and the results the day before, only to see my effortless contribution. i told her i couldnt start the analysis because they didnt tell me the age range. H2 told me i should have asked them, and i told them Y said we'll just talk about it the next day. even if it's one point against her, she brought up the topic of me not having time to do things with them. honey, at this day and age, everything can be done miles away from the office. i didnt wanna argue with them anymore. i just said, i made time already. i have time now, so they'll just have to tell me what they want me to do and i'll do it immediately. i arranged my tutor to 3pm because i knew i would be working with them. when i arrived Y's dormitory, i was surprised that H2 is already smiling. in fact, she even offered me a sandwich (it was lunch time and we went straight there). before i started my analysis, asked them to let me see their works. H2 told me they spent 6 hours doing the introduction and background of the study. 6 hours? they must have written a novel. BUT when they opened the file, i only saw one paragraph for the introduction, and none for the background of the study. i was surprised they werent able to do anything more than a paragraph so i asked them why they havent started it. H2 said, they didnt know how to start it. she blamed me for not being there. i told her, you know, i was suggesting you to write about the situation in china to make it simpler, but you didnt want to research. i totally shut up during the meeting in the canteen because she kept on rejecting my thoughts. apparently, when i left the canteen, they werent able to think of a way to do it that's why they just thought of following what i said -write about china. since they dont really know how to write papers, it took them 6 hours to think of things to write about. in those 6 hours, they werent able to think of any. thus, they werent able to produce anything other than the 1 paragraph of introduction. since i was there already, even if i didnt wanna help them with their part anymore, i led them to write about the basics. writing about china's employment situation would need us to talk about the unemployment rate, minimum wage, the hottest major/course in universities, benefits, etc. while me and Y were doing the analysis (i talk, she types), H1 and H2 both took turns in researching... because they wanted to do everything together (talk about concentration, productivity and efficiency!) anyway, after i analysed, i told them that putting the graphs and numbers will be easy already. all they have to do is just make my analysis formal and change the estimations into percentages/numbers. before i left, H2 made a comment and said that what we are doing that day should have been what we have done the day before. i really told them i thought they had it all good because they kept on refusing my suggestions. and told them i dont wanna bother to tell them what to do anymore since they do not listen at all.

today JANUARY 12 (wednesday). i went to Y's dormitory after our finals and set my tutor to 2pm. i already told them making chinese stuff formal is my weakness, so there is no use for me to stay with them and watch them change stuff. i took the liberty to volunteer making the graphs, it's easy. i sent the graphs an hour after and ate lunch. after eating lunch, i received a text from Y telling me that i have to go back to her dorm and be with them because theyre changing A LOT of stuff in my analysis OR ELSE theyre kicking me out of the group! i kept my cool and went straight to the dorm. apparently H2 (the bitchiest one) saw a mistake in one of my works. one point against me. so while correcting my grammar in my analysis, they thought of putting ALL the numbers in the analysis, even the insignificant ones. they even suggested me to correct the last part of my analysis. but you know, i told them that it would be pointless for me to correct myself since i already think that what i did is enough already. after saying that, they made me write the conclusion part. i quietly borrowed H1's laptop and started writing. i really thought i shouldnt be in somebody else's dormitory and use somebody else's laptop just to write my piece, but they were telling me that they might have questions to me. while writing, i encountered problem's with H1's laptop. her MSword program shuts off whenever i write some chinese sentences. i, again, suggested if i can just write it at home since im more familiar with my laptop. H2 said i CANNOT. she said 你让我们怎么办呢？(how are we gonna deal with that you're up to?). i then asked her the same question, because then and there i really dont know what to do. i told them i couldnt bring my laptop since it has problems (i lied!) and H1's laptop is having problems too. H2 suggested me to borrow someone else's laptop. WOW. i told her that i dont know anyone willing to lend his or her laptop, besides i hated the idea. she then thought of borrowing our class president's laptop. luckily, our class president was willing enough to lend us his. the guy told us to get it at his dorm's lobby. the other dorm's kinda far away, and i didnt want to bother myself bothering other people, so i asked H1 to get it. she's not really doing anything. i mean, i can use her laptop for that period of time she's getting the laptop. H1 didnt want to. Y asked H2 what to do, H2 said "whoever doesnt have a laptop should be the one borrowing it". i didnt want to argue with her anymore so i just took off. i went back and smoothly did the conclusion... until i wanted to some digits for me to be able to finish it. it was just a conclusion, i dont think i should put all the numbers to the content, one statistic is okay already. anyway, H2 brought up the topic that i SHOULD put stats in the conclusion, that's why i should have waited for them to finish the analysis.

to end the story short, after she finished changing my analysis, she confronted me AGAIN and told me that the three of them are disappointed at me (说实话，我们仨对你很失望）. i said, i too was disappointed （我也是）. they never thought that my work ethics will be that way. i said, if i knew their work ethics are not the same as mine then i wouldnt join their group （我不知道我们的工作态度不一样，我早点知道的话，我不要参加你们了）. she asked me what i mean by "not the same", was it about working together in one room the whole day （你有什么意思说我们的工作态度不一样？是不在一起做吗？）? i said yes （是）. and then she said Y originally wanted to report, but because of me, she's not taking it anymore. H1 will also not report anymore because of me. she didnt like it when i asked her to get the laptop. i told them, i honestly wanted to do it at home. it wasnt my idea to borrow from another person a laptop, so i really dont wanna go all the way to the other dorm just to borrow it. and then H2 said she TOO is not taking the test anymore -blaming me. i didnt wanna argue with them anymore so i just told them that i'd let them think what they want to think （你想什么就是什么） and let them say what they want to say （你要说什么就说什么）. and then H2 brought up the topic about me making a face when i saw what their 2 paragraph background of the study. it was like she was saying they were hurt because they spent the whole day doing it only to see me make face. honestly, the background of the study shouldnt be as short as 2 paragraphs. they think 2 paragraphs is enough when i dont, but i didnt say a word. i just took the opportunity to show them how unsatisfied i am about their productivity. for goodness sake, they dont need to make it super formal. again, it is just a report in our oral class, not comprehension class. the main focus of this test is how we report it, not how we write it. they thought i was rude when i "criticized" them for their writing by making face. and then i told them i was really surprised because writing 2 paragraphs shouldnt took so much time. besides, they should really do some research work! H2 then told me that i should have been there ALL the time because it's really hard to correct and make the stuff formal. i honestly, from the bottom of my heart, told them there is really no point because it is my weakness. i would be useless wasting my time there （我的书面语的水平真的很差，我真的在这个方面没有用）. then H2 told me i have no right to ask them to research since i basically didnt do any research work. i told them, my research material is the survey results. my analysis is solely based on the statistics from the survey, so what do i have to research? and then when she has nothing to say anymore, she told me they should not even send me the stuff we did already -i dont have the files. but then i said, it would not be fair. because i contributed ideas to the questionnaire, the background of the study was my idea and the analysis was also mine! she didnt say a word after that and just said that in this case, i should be the one thankful for their help （你应该感激我们）. she sarcastically ended the argument by saying that i have a SUPERB attitude （你的态度太了不起了！） -how ironic! again, i only said that i'll let them think what they want to think. i dont wanna argue with them anymore.

i was already fixing my stuff and waited for Y to email me the stuff i wrote this afternoon. while keeping myself busy, H2 called H1 (she left when i was borrowing the laptop). i guess it's the H way to talk about a person AND mention her name in front of her. i didnt mind though. like what i have always said to them, i'll let them think whatever they want to think and i'll let them say whatever they want to say. it's so not worth it arguing with them.

the 2nd best thing god has created

2011-01-08T00:50:00.003+08:00

(i am the first best thing he created. KIDDING!! L!OL)

i cannot believe im getting more and more addicted to this mock chicken patties!! they're sooooo good. they REALLY taste like real chicken. it's guiltless eating these! i can eat them everyday.

2010 year end survey

2010-12-31T19:21:00.000+08:00

2010 year end survey

YEAR 5!! didn't realize 5 years na pala blog ko. YEY!! L!OL

1. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?
--- everything i did in NZ! sky dive, bungee jump, sky jump, zorb, free fly, etc!

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
--- apply the chinese i learn in the book to the outside world! NERDDD. i just regret spending my 2nd semester with a tutor who apparently doesnt know how to teach!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
--- none!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
--- thank goodness, none!

5. What countries did you visit?
--- hong kong, china, new zealand.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
--- TRAVELLLLL or at least roam around beijing!

7. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
--- i forgot the date already... but im sure i remembered the "moment"! KEZO!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
--- getting to advance chinese level!

9. What was your biggest failure?
--- being stupid in days that i SHOULD be smart.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
--- in beijing: fainted twice and had the worst stomach ache ever (acidity, i barfed)!

11. What was the best thing you bought?
--- sweet potato chips from the market i go to in BJ. everyone in the family (as in pati relatives) love it na!!
oh, and those plastic bags i put my clothes in... secret muna!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
--- obviously it's me!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
--- this guy in school who processes admissions. super bad.

14. Where did most of your money go?
--- i was super kuripot. i dont think my money went anywhere aside from food and my short trips outside manila and beijing!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
--- going to advance chinese level. oo na, nerd! and of course, going to new zealand!

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?
--- anything from the XX and florence + the machine!!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
--- fatter!! i hate it when i lose my diet. hayyy.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
--- poi. honestly, i kinda abandoned poi na... i always think about it, but i really dont have time practicing it anymore.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
--- count money?

20. How did you spend the holidays?
--- what holidays? i went to hong kong and new zealand. oh, i also went home for my self-proclaimed christmas break!

21. Did you fall in love in 2010?
--- secrettttt.

22. How many one-night stands?
--- mmmm.

23. What was your favorite TV program?
--- xiyangyang, hunyinbaoweizhan, jiayouernv. i promised myself not to watch any english shows starting this semester e. you know naman my favorites, but theyre all in english!

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
--- who do i hate?

25. What was the best book you read?
--- i dont really read books. maybe the textbooks i used in studying?

26. What was your favorite film of this year?
--- none. oh shoot, i havent even watched harry potter yet. i know, im a loser.

27. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?
--- nobody cares what you're wearing when it's winter. winter extended until spring in beijing. went to new zealand and hong kong on their winter. now im experiencing winter again in beijing.

28 Whom did you miss?
--- YOU. l!OL all of my friends.

29. Who was the best new person you met?
--- i didnt really meet friends of keeps this year. honestly, it's hard to make real friends when you're in my school. everyone leaves after 6 months. even if i didnt make new friends, im thankful that my friends are enough for me to be happy! KEZO.

30. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.
--- you can only rely on yourself.

christmas in manila 2010

2010-12-29T00:13:00.001+08:00

it has only been 2 weeks since i left manila. i miss it. and these are the things i hate letting go:

1. hotel food -although edsa shangrila's summer palace's service is ALMOST pissing me off already. their service never improves.

2. planet zips -thank's to sensei's xmas gift! the glow balls are fanamazing!

3. being spoiled -shobe knows i lurv eating those british gummy bears!!

4. christmas until from november until january -enough said!!

5. MY FRIENDSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!

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in other news, i also found goody stay put rip-offs in watsons. elkkkkkk. (i know right!)

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and, sending me off to the airport was the only time my mom knew about not having to print plane tickets bought online!

it's the digital age na, mum.