The Gift of Friends...

I am sick and in bed for almost 4 days now with a flu. I can't blame the influenza vaccine that I had a few months ago because I know that the less hours of sleep that I have and working double shifts were the culprit why I am tucked in bed right now. I had a wake up call from my Honey this morning to make sure that I get up and take my medications and have something to eat. If not from his call, i could still be lying in bed till now. That made my day! He's feeling quite guilty not being able to do anything for me in times like this. "It's ok hon, i understand.". I suddenly remembered that Kuya Nelson (from BM Express) will be coming this morning to get Robert's air freight baggage. I have to pack mine too the other day thinking that i might go well over my baggage limit when I leave for Manila next time. Robert also sent me an sms from Thailand saying that it's quite humid in Bangkok and asking me about his baggage. Instead of sending him an sms back, i decided to call him up and ask him how he's enjoying Bangkok. He said he can't keep up with the endless shopping, day and night! He still needs to explore the temples this afternoon. He sensed, from the sound of my voice, that I am still sick and told me to go to the hospital. "What? Hospital?!" I am too lazy to even get up and go to the nearby medical clinic. Jonathan rang me as well asking how I am and asked me if I wanted him to cook for me. (hiya naman ako pero kahit lugaw lang sabi ko ok na....hehehe!). I told him that I'm still not feeling well and asked him if he could buy me something for my cough (coz it seems that lemsip is not doing anything). He said he needs to go to the gym and then to church first before he can come and visit me so he then requested Edgar to drive all the way from Point Cook and grab some medications and "lomi" from the filo shop in Laverton. He (Jonathan) promised that he would come here later and cook something for me. How can you be so blessed with friends like that? I can't complain really. So Edgar din come and I had the "lomi" just in time as well as my cough medication. It was good of him to drive from West to East and then go back West again for his work in the PM. Jonathan called me up that he's going to cook "arroz caldo" and sleep over here tonight. I then invited Aileen as well but unfortunately she was invited beforehand by another friend for a bible study. So Jonathan came about 7ish and cooked "arroz caldo". He made a really huge pot for me...how sweet...we even called up Michelle in the Philippines. I feel much better now. Thanks for the gift of friends.

Havaianas (ah-vai-yah-nas)

When I went for a holiday in the Philippines last year, i've noticed that many are wearing thongs. Thongs? Stylish thongs as they call it. It doesn't matter if you are wearing jeans, skirts, shorts... Havaianas are made in Brazil and quite comfortable. It does cost a fortune. Quite classy and "IN" when you see everyone wearing it. Price ranges from Pph800 up to Pph1,500 a pair especially when the swarovski limited edition came out. I've even noticed mum wearing it. I have to buy 5 pairs when I went home thinking that "medyo makikiuso rin ako". But when I came back here in Melbourne, I couldn't really fit into the crowd. A lot of them are wearing stilletos with jeans, flat shoes and runners. Seldom you could see anyone wearing thongs (even in summer!) because here in Melbourne it tends to cool down in the afternoon in summertime. So, I still have 3 pairs that I haven't worn and still sitting in the cupboard. But they do sell havaianas here as well, in Jetty Surf Shops. It costs between AU$19.95 to AU$24.95 a pair. I remembered Rnie gave me a pair of green havaianas for Xmas in 2005. I still have it Rnie! I have to tell Jonathan when he went to the Philippines in December. He got himself a pair as well. "Havaginas" as he calls it...(mind the pronunciation!).

How it all began---

Havaianas were first created in the 1960’s with a Japanese sandal (called the Zori) as inspiration for the design. The designers were so fascinated by the relaxed island culture of Hawaii that they named the flip-flops Havaianas (pronounced as ah-vai-yah-nas), which is Portuguese for Hawaiians. For decades, Havaianas have been a Brazilian staple. From the Amazon natives to the stylish elite of Rio and Sao Paulo, just about every Brazilian sports these flip-flops. Sao Paulo Alpargatas, the company that designs, manufactures and markets the famous flip-flops, increasingly created various styles of Havaianas and the appeal of the brand rapidly spread beyond Brazilian borders. Since their introduction over 40 years ago, at least 2 billion pairs of Havaianas have been produced, enough to encircle the globe 50 times if lined up heel to toe. The flip-flops are now available throughout the United States, Europe, South America, Australia, Africa and Asia. The brand has a huge following, from celebrities, athletes and models to average citizens. Around the world, Havaianas are top of the list for those looking for fashionable, functional and fun flip-flops. Havaianas were launched in the Philippines in 2003. Since then, the brand has transformed local perception of flip-flops. These practical accessories are no longer confined to the home or beach. They are proudly worn anywhere and everywhere. Paired with everything from bikinis and board shorts to jeans and skirts and even matched with dressier pieces, Havaianas are now a wardrobe essential. (Courtesy of Havaianas Philippines)

My LG Limited Edition Prada Mobile Phone

Since I already confessed my compulsive spending attitude, I decided to change from having NOKIA handsets for years into having a more classy type mobile phone. As I was walking pass Swanston Street in the city, I saw this limited edition LG Prada mobile phone at Tele-Choice Optus Shop. Wow, black! So sophisticated and stylish. It's got touch screen capability and it has its own case included in the box. This collaboration that LG made with Prada was indeed a luxury. Hmmm, will I buy it or not? Let me see... I have to enquire about it first and let me see the deal that they have to offer. They are offering it to me for an outright price of AU$500. What? Hmmm....too much for me i guess. So I have to say, "what if I buy it for $400 CASH?". They have to sort of talk amongst themselves and started to key in figures in their abacus-calculator to check if they can agree to my offer or not. The verdict??? SOLD.

SONY VAIO

I have always dreamt of having a laptop eversince. I always end up having and owning a second hand PC for some reason. I thought I might as well grab the privilege of nurses of claiming one laptop a year. So I went around looking for a really good deal. I don't know much about computers but all I want is speed, capacity and physical features. I went to JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks, Dick Smith, Harvey Norman and Myer. The all look alright. I even considered Dell due to the range of colors they have now but I've heard that it wasn't really good. Since I have a Sony pink camera, I thought of going to Sony Central to check the Sony Vaio Pink Laptop to match it up. Wow! Soooo cute! They even have a promo of free case if you purchased before the end of May. I did have a second thought that if i buy the pink, its so weird if Anthony has to use it especially during his presentations (so bading!). So I have to check the other colors. Blue is stunning as well. So I opted for the blue then. It's metallic blue and quite stylish anyway. I guess when you are married, you sort of think about your partner not just yourself. I like pink so much but blue was the second choice. Its good because its got a built in camera and wireless capability. It costs AU$1,899.00, not bad if i can claim it thru tax. I just subscribed for a wireless broadband and bought myself a wireless printer. Now, I'm still trying to learn how to manipulate the screen cursor without a mouse :-).

Souvenir Fridge Magnets...

Let's me see..how many have I got?.. Well, to many to count really. Practically, I need a new and bigger fridge to accomodate further fridge magnets. I'm still awaiting for Rnie's Bali souvenir fridge magnet next month, and Ninong Bob's promise of a fridge this December. Hopefully the one with an ice dispenser (sige na Ninong!). Whenever I go overseas, I make it a point to grab one. Since my friends knew that I collect them, they don't forget buying me one during their trips.

I've got fridge magnets from Thailand (Bangkok & Phuket), Malaysia, China, Singapore and HongKong when Anthony & I went there for our southeast asian escapades.

Ninong Buddy & Ninang Jot gave me a Disneyland and New Zealand fridge magnets during their overseas holiday.

Thanks to Ate Nadine who bought me SF, London, Bahrain, Berlin & Holland fridge magnets.

Aileen gave another New Zealand fridge magnet as well as from Surfers Paradise.

Betchay gave me one from Port Campbell.

I got the following from my Australian trips throughout the years:
-Melbourne (OZ open, Flinders St Station, Observation Deck, Lion King Commonwealth Games)
-Mt. Buller, Puffing Billy, Sovereign Hill, Penguin Parade
-Great Ocean Road, Port Campbell, Bells Beach, London Bridge, Apollo Bay
-Point Napean, Foster, Sorrento, Queenscliff
-Wodonga-Albury, Bendigo, Beechworth, Benalla, Wagga-wagga, Swan Hill
-Seymour, Hollbrook, Kallista, Heathcote
-Sydney, Blue Mountains, Manley Beach
-Brisbane, Gold Coast, Surfers Paradise, Sunshine Coast, Australia Zoo, Sanctuary Cove, Glasshouse Mountain
-Spirit of Tasmania, Hobart, Wineglass Bay, Port Arthur, Davenport, Salamanca Market, Launceston

Syempre, I have to grab some when I went to the Philippines....Tagaytay City and Manila.

Soon to come in December....Bora, Cebu, CDO, Iligan, Davao and Bantayan Island (hopefully they will have some. I'm sure in Bora though).

US and Canada, next year???

My First Performance At CENTRO...

It was a typical Saturday night.The "barkada" after hearing the 6pm vigil mass at St. Francis Church in the city, decided to eat out ("sa walang kamatayang NAM LOONG").We were with our new found friend ALOIS and our visiting friend, ROY. We then decided to go to "CENTRO" which is a "Filo-Karaoke Cafe" in Footscray. There is an entrance fee of AU$10, but the $5 of which is consumable. They do serve filipino food varieties such as "lechon kawali", "crispy pata", "chicharong bituka", "halo-halo", etc. My Ninang Jot and Ninong Buddy also went there. The set-up was sort of the typical "over-28's" feel. The sound system and lights were truly high tech and fully equipped with "sound-proof" gadgets. Of course, almost 90% of the crowd were filos. It was a good feeling coz everyone's so game to go to the stage to either "sing"or "dance". Definitely no pretentions. It doesn't matter if you're not in tune, someone will back you up! How's that!Of course, ROY had a few reps but I only had ONE (the more senti one). Here's a preview of it.

It was only me and Roy who had the guts to go in front and sing, while Aileen & Robert only stood in between sets and dance.

I saw "Mutya" which is a classmate of mine @ VUT during my first year of Nursing. She is looking stunning as ever. We also saw "Jhong" which seems to be "under a spell" and couldn't control himself.

We were expecting Ninong Bob as well, but he was, I guess, got hooked with the pokie machines at Crown...hahaha!

Apart from the spluge of filo foods (2 halo-halos, lechon kawali, crispy pata, chicharong bituka and 2 bottles of smirnoff double black), we did have a good time.

Long Drive @ Swan Hill...

We went for a long drive to Swan Hill Wednesday last week. We have to leave early to catch the early sunrise. I was with my good friends Jonathan, Robert and Edgar. Too bad Aileen can't come coz she has to work. Anyway, I took this SONY laptop with me so I could start blogging. Thanks pala to Robert who set up my blogger/gmail account. This trip was sort of our last long drive with Robert before he leaves Melbourne. We have to stop by Bendigo to have breakfast. The first time I had Breakfast Benedict! I think I still prefer the traditional egg and bacon on toast...with tomato sauce! Anyway, off we go again. We had lunch at the Murray Downs Golf Club.We opted for the Aussie meal..Steak! Nicely cooked, well done! At the city centre, we have to pass by a local tattslotto outlet to try our luck for the saturday tattslotto. We shared a ticket and hope to try our luck and win the jackpot. Of course, cant leave the shop without asking..."Do you have a souvenir fridge magnet?". The fridge magnets they have wasn't flashy, but I have no choice but to get one with "Swan Hill" on it. I am an obsessed fridge magnet collector. Anyway, off we go again. I have to also try the digital camera I bought for Anthony from Ebay. Saved me $200 compared to if I have to buy it over at Sony Central. I bought him a 10.1 megapixel sony camera T300 series...touch screen, smile shutter and 3.5" lcd screen. Quite advanced.

Robert gave each one of us a copy of Damien Leith's album, "Catch the Wind". It became "the album" of our long drive to Swan Hill.

On our way back, we passed by Andrew Peace winery at Murray Valley for wine tasting. We met the owner George, quite hilarious kinda person. He gave me a really good deal with the crouchen reisling. I bought 5 boxes of 12 bottles per box for just $450. If I'm going to buy it in Melbourne, it would have cost me twice the price (I think!). I'm going to use that wine for the toast on my church wedding in December. Crouchen Reisling is a sweet variety of white wine which will be just perfect to the crowd at my wedding because majority of them are not wine drinkers anyway. Although I love the Brown Brothers brand or crouchen reisling, too bad I can't go and visit Milawa before December. Also, he even gave us a cap each and extra wine to take home with us. Good deal, wasn't it?

We had dinner at Bendigo, at the famous "CLOGS" pizza restaurant. I have to recommend it to my dear friends because it was my second time dining there. The first time was when Betchay (my previous housemate) and I went for a long drive in 2005. Of course, I didn't go for the gnocci which Betchay and I had before and we then decided to go for the Spaghetti Marinara and Pepperoni Pizza. YUM! Still unsatisfied, we had Banana Brulee' at the next door cafe.

It was a good trip. Funny how Robert saw this "full moon" and we couldn't take a photo of it... ('di nya mahabol...!) :-)