The Warning by Hot Chip

The song that kept me sane even when the power is off, along with Panic! at the Disco. Thank God for iPods! Click away & enjoy!

Powered by Castpost

Il Mio Partito Di Compleanno

Pictures from the birthday dinner I had last Friday at Trinity Seaside Restaurant. Special thanks to the following (in order of arrival hehehe): Jen, Dayday, Pen, Jeng, Dines, Gabs, Ziella, Yong, Dolfo, Jo, Chard and Mark.

Jen bought me the new Red Ribbon cake with a single candle (told her that if ever they're gonna give me a cake for my birthday NO NUMBER CANDLE please for this year, arghh 27!!!)

With my girlfriends: 1.) With Jen (& Dolfo pala di girl hehehe), Dayday 2.) With Jen, Jeng, Pen & Dines 3.) MLA girls 4.) With Zie & Gabs

Ang cute na si Chard (can't help but post his pic) super concious sa camera kaya kung ano ano itsura.
Got this from Jen (love yah sis kahit nabuking kita & all). At sinong nagsabi na di effective ang di ko pagpopost ng wish list, hmm? I got what I want hehehe.And this from Klog & Dolfo, may lilac pa ngang clip eh di ko napiture-an. Thanks po sa lahat for coming, for spending time with me and for being my friends. Love ya all!

1.) With Chard & Jo (niloko pa ko ni Jo, nasa Cebu daw sya can't make it hmpft!) 2.) With Yong & Mark 3.) the long table we had 4.) in reverse

1.) With Zie & Gabs 2.) With Yong 3.) With Dines 4.) Group Pic uli

My highschool friends Mark & Yong - I'm so glad you made it boys lalo ka na Yong grabe 2 years!

7 Songs

List 7 songs you like, list them up and then tag other 7 people you know. Keep the game going!
I was tagged by Monique

1. Garvity by John Mayer
2. I Don’t Trust Myself With Loving You by John Mayer (yep enjoying my new Continuum CD thanks Jeng & Dolfo!)
3. Mr. Brightside by The Killers
4. You Give Me Something by James Morrison
5. Superhero by Rocksteddy (LSS ko lagi)
6. Only One by Yellowcard
7. Landslide by Smashing Pumpkins

And I'm tagging: Luchie, Mark, Jen, Cious, Kuya Berns, Kimmy & everyone else who wants to do this.

Thanks...

dinner at Cabalen with ma, Pa, Meng & Jen

Another birthday of mine ... thanks to everyone who remebered me yesterday on my day.....
Thanks to my bestfriend Luchie (love yah sweetie!!!) who sent these beautiful flowers for me...
Thanks to my generous niece Meng for these original shoes (o ayan as promised it's posted) muchas gracias!
Thanks to my parents for this longing chair, for telling me that I am still too young for a rocking chair... and to my sister for the batteries, without it these pictures would never be captured (got an expensive set of rechargeable batteries with charger from my hermana).

and for the greetings, thank you friends, thank you cousins, thanks sa lahat ng bumati (I won't mention names na you guys know who you are). God bless you all!

Palaweña

I was born in Palawan but was not that lucky enough to be able to explore the marvelous island. I was talking to my Mom over the phone one time asking her to describe how the place looks like. Ma with all her story telling ability described to me how beautiful Palawan is. I feel really unique being born there and there is this great desire within me to see the place now that I am a grown up. My family left the place (Pa’s into sales and was often thrown to places that needs uplifting – so was told by his superiors) when I was just 4 months old after living there for almost 2 years. So I ask Ma why don’t we go there, just you me & Pop on my birthday? And my parents agreed, I was so excited that we started planning the trip last June. And then last weekend, I went back to the place where I was conceived 27 years ago with the 2 important people responsible for it.

The planned trip got me really excited and while boarding the plane I can’t stop asking my folks on what to expect, where should we go etc. I was on a mission to track everything about my conception. I even asked my Ma to bring my baby pictures so that I can see the landmarks etc. and compare them with the current Palawan scene.

With Mama & Papa at the Hotel's garden

I was lucky to have searched a wonderful hotel via the Internet. Puerto Pension is in Malvar Street, just 10 minutes away from Puerto Princesa Airport and 5 minutes away from the pier.The view from the hotel’s 4th floor restaurant is really spectacular. Food is great, people are wonderful. Special mention to the restaurant guys who have been really helpful with a lot of information… Jay & Jake thanks.

Upon arriving at Puerto Princesa Pop started looking and tracking the old friends they had 20 plus years ago. Luckily Pop was able to contact his former driver, one of my Godmothers (the only living God parent I have). Mama with Ninang Norma

Day 1 for Papa was all gala & fun already while it was shopping spree for Ma & me. The evening was the reunion. I was able to meet my Ninang Norma and my kinakapatids. Capitol's signage and the altar of the cathedral where I was baptized

We strolled along the city that evening, the city tour was great because our old family friends who happens to be locals were very accommodating and each offered a lot of good information about the city.

Mama & Papa posing at the museum's 17 meters croc, this was the largest wild crocodile captured in Palawan (its skin was hanged on the museum's wall)

The next day was the tour of the Crocodile farm in Irawan, more driving (up to Mitra’s residence, beach & Penal Colony – malayo di na kame umabot).

with Mama & Papa at the Crocodile Farm's entrance

Crocs!!!!

We had lunch at Bilao’t Palayok – a great seafood restaurant with a cozy native ambiance. I love their food. A whole bilao of different seafoods costs P650 only. Sobrang sulit. Tuesday was our trip back home, sigh I had a real nice time too bad it’s time to go home. I was so happy I went to the place where I was born on the 27th marking of my life.

Anyone But D

I'm glad he won, I was hoping Magni would (yep was actually praying for a miracle) but it was really unexpected. I love Lukas, good thing he won. Better him than Bitchy D (but she's soooo good too and at some point during the competition I was hoping she'd emerged as the winner). I guess this would mean that my Wed & Thurs nights will be back to the way it used to be.

Chantal Kreviazuk - Time

My Birthday Song....

Time, where did you go?

Why did you leave me here alone?

Wait, don't go so fast

I'm missing the moments as they pass

Now I've looked in the mirror and the worlds getting clearer

So wait for me this time

I'm down I'm down on my knees

I'm begging for all your sympathy

But you (I'm just an illusion)

you don't seem to care (I wish that I could)

You humble people everywhere (I don't mean to hurt you)

Now I've looked in the mirror and the worlds getting clearer

I'll take what you give me.

Please know that I'm learning

So wait for me this time

I should've know better

I shouldn't have wasted those days

And afternoons and mornings

I threw them all away

Now this is my time

I'm going to make this moment mine.

(I shouldn't have wasted those days)

I'll take what you give me.

Please know that I'm learning

I've looked in the mirror

My world's getting clearer

So wait for me this time

... my loneliness is killing me? ...

Move over Britney Spears. I have stolen this from one of the links found at my bestfriend Luchie's site:

"when crucial needs aren't met (like companionship) they make us look to God in a way that satisfied people will never be able to imitate. Somehow God allows loneliness in our lives to drive us home. Its is a very painful journey, but the pain urges one to continue walking. If the journey were not painful, one would be tempted to stop - and slow down along the way. Indeed, loneliness may be very beautiful afterall"

Come to think of it, o di ba? God has His amazing ways of loving us.

Wish List

Time of the year, a week before my birthday… friends are already bombarding me with questions as to what gift I want to receive (hehehe, most esp Jen, Gabs & Sar). Ngayon pa lang po ay nagpapasalamat na ako sa inyong mga regalo and I would like everyone to know that it is not necessary, your greetings are enough and would be very much appreciated.

Every year when my friends would ask me what I want for my birthday (it’s actually one of my 2 favorite time of the year, syempre the other is Christmas time) I would let them know without any hesitation the gifts I want. Even my family is aware of this ritual, you don’t just give Juanna a gift, you have to give her what she specifically asked for. I would think very carefully about the material things or even favors that I want to ask and I get them, all the time. That is how loved I am and I am very grateful. I am so blessed, that people around me – my family & friends, would really make sure I get the things I wanted. And this year a lot would think that the same routine will take place. Kaya sorry to disappoint you sister Jenny, I am not posting my wish list for this year. Although my sister & my niece already asked for my approval on what they would give me, it still doesn’t count that I insisted on getting those stuff (o sige na nga aamin ako nirequest ko yun pero super noon pa!!!).

I may not look like one but I am shallow (di nga?), shallow in 2 different perspectives. Shallow in it’s real essence cos I know I’ve been blabbing a lot of things in this blog that shows my love for things that are not really important in life take for example material things, things I bought, things I got, things I would love to have, movies I have seen, DVDs I have seen, places I’ve been to, places I would love to go to, food I have tasted, etc. I have very minimal entries about world peace, the environment, poverty & hunger in other places and other issues that needs contemplation and are worth writing for. I have more posts about my emotions and the anger I had, how I got pissed and how I hate the rain. So this Shallow Anne have been here in the cyberspace for more than a year, with more than 3000 visits but still nothing really important surfaced as an entry. Then view my being shallow in its opposite perspective, mababaw lang ako cos these things makes me happy. I know that 90% of the world’s population is having difficulties in different aspects of their lives, I am proud to say that I belong to this 90%. I have problems too, I am worried for a lot of innumerable things about my family, my friends, my job, my country and heck even about Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. So what if I don’t voice it out, that doesn’t mean I don’t care.

You guys will still read a lot about the stuff I always write until I ran out of anything shallow to share. You will still read about these things in this tabloid, some would think that nothing ever change, it has been the same writing style & topics since day one but I assure you, this is about the real me. No pretenses, no non-sense, no fake whatsoever, just me.

So in the spirit of being real at 27, no wish list for this year. Anything from you guys would be the best, I am positive about it. Don’t think I will not like it, eto nga at di ko pa narereceive eh excited na ako. I love surprises! I don’t have a high EQ kaya guys, surprise me with anything you will give. Surprise me by not giving anything at all (eto kaplastikan hehehe cos I will not just be surprised I’ll be shocked).

Being shallow is not at all that bad, anything will make me happy – any little thing. I know, because the best things in life are free.

Kalat

Anyone wondering how my desk looks like especially every month's end? Well it's report week and here's my office clutter (di pwedeng mawala ang lotion & petroleum jelly sa tabi ko hehehe):

More clutter:

Even me, I looked like a scruffy junkie, hehehe basurang basura. Di na nagsusuklay and wearing shirts like this on weekdays not just weekends (I'm actually wearing this shirt today - miss ko na USTe).

Finds at the Bookfair

Went with Jo & Jen to the International Bookfair held at WTC last weekend. As always nawindang na naman ako. I was truly overwhelmed by my emotions around a LOT of good books. Warm & fuzzy feeling hehehe, I can go on around the exhibit halls forever.

Books I got at the fair (Holy Blood Holy Grail and Secrets of the Angels and Demons are actually for Marco - can't wait to see you na rin!!! Nahahawa na ako sa excitement mo)

And this one is my personal favorite:

I am just glad I went with Jo & Jen - we all have passion for books kahit na iba iba kame ng likes and genre na gusto. The night was culminated with a late dinner at Heaven & Eggs (sa wakas nakakain na rin ako dito) and some more shopping at Glorietta. I am sure both Jo & Jen were happy with their finds at the mall. Jen & I bought 2 bags each (saya talaga!!! ganda sa Tomato) and Jo (mas matagal pang pumili sa amin) was able to buy a couple of shirts for himself and a birthday gift for his niece.

Crashing can be Fun

Actually I didn't really crashed the Convergys Alabang Family Day yesterday at ATC, I was in fact invited more than a week ago but being in a place where you only know 5 people can be fun pala. Well for starters I was able to watch Eric's performance which was good. Then I was able to feast my eyes on a lot of people - call center guys & gals. Pormahan, ingles-an, at cute ng mga kids nila.

The Stage - Eric while performing - Eric uli (wasn't able to get a good shot, I just ultra zoomed my camera cos' I don't want to get up & go near the stage) - Opet (Eric's bro) & Princess

I think it's cool to belong to a really big company, you'll have the good times of oparties like this one where prizes and food are over flowing. May popcorn, cotton candy & face painting pa! And si Red TGIS was there popping & bursting the balloons hehehe.

Thanks again Eric, I had fun.