And the Garter Kept Going Higher...

... which was alright had I worn stockings and a longer dress.

Last Sunday, my dad's cousin tied the knot at the Fernwood Gardens, a greenhouse wedding hotspot somewhere in Visayas Avenue. A beautiful place, the reception is marked with beautiful lush plants and a symphonic man made waterfall creating an exotic, tropical atmosphere.

The itinerary of the night was pretty trimmed down and was a very intimate and simple gathering. I would've considered the whole reception well, before the elated emcee began calling single men and women up front for a little bachelor-bachelorette pageant. Not being a fan, I would've easily escaped ignored - but I feel that since we were seated closer to the front, I was doomed.

To select, the bachelor who can blow the smallest balloon will technically "win", while the rest would be eliminated (weak lungs!); while the bachelorettes would have to play musical chairs around the "winning" bachelor and the first ones to sit on his lap would be eliminated. (God knows how many times I tried, but the emcee just won't give me the credit I deserve).

To make the story short, I was the "privileged" girl who the bachelor, (who I cannot seem to remember the name, just that it starts with the letter J, i think) among three remaining girls, picked simply because I smelled better than the other two contestants. And the rest was history.



To end the game, the bachelor had to give me three kisses - mimicking wherever the groom kisses his bride. Forehead. Cheek. Neck. (The first two were fine, but the last was a bit, well..)

As prizes for being such a sport, they rewarded each of us with Starbucks gift certificates and an additional bouquet of flowers for me (which my brother happened to need the next day for school, talk about stroke of luck.)

I returned the garter to the bride though, as instructed by my aunt.. But my dad told me I should have kept it.

First Modeling Gimmick

I wouldn't have agreed had my boyfriend not given me a thumbs-up Go signal.

His sister owns an online shop in multiply called Pinay en Kikay and needed someone to model the clothes for her so her customers could visualize the fitting of the dress on an actual human, as compared to a mannequin.

Her online store sells a variety of fashion related products from Maxi dresses, Kimonos, Hair Bands, Belts and Accessories.

To be honest, I never really prided myself in having a good figure. I always thought of myself as chubby, being big-boned. My friends, who are also generally Asian, sport a slimmer and more petite body that I would often feel like the bloated little klutz. In addition, I never really had much of a flair in front of the camera - being tomboyish since high school, I've never got accustomed to doing vivacious poses, nor had I gained confidence in being such. To top it all, it was the first time I wore a tube top (or to be more specific, a strapless bra).



His sister was most supportive and helpful despite my amateur performance. I did try my best though, but it's apparent in the pictures that I still a lot yet to learn. Oh well.

My mom has always told me that my body required a bigger coverage and I am often accused of looking slutty or over the top for wearing anything slightly higher than the knee, or slightly lower than the collar bone, or anything that wraps and emphasized my bust line - it came to a point that I felt suffocated by my options. My mother would often buy me clothes that are always one to two sizes larger than I am, that my friends would often tease me for looking grandmotherly or pregnant. I understand she means well by her fashion choices, but it has been a great detriment to my self esteem and confidence.

I guess this may have also added to the anxiety and caution I felt during our modeling session. But I would like to express thanks to my boyfriend's sister and my boyfriend though for allowing me to experience it, at least once, for it had inspired me that I am not as limited with my clothing options. My friends, who have viewed the pictures mentioned that it did look flattering to my figure and I should try to explore my fashion choices more. By limiting myself to my regular wardrobe, I am also limiting my ability to express myself, my thoughts to others.

For modesty's sake, I begged her to chop my head off. I'm not yet that proud of myself.

21 Things Girls Don't Realize

A guy friend of mine uploaded this list in his multiply account. Although a little far fetched at some sections, I do believe that most of the claims are true. On the other hand, I am not really a guy to say. So, I'm throwing the question to you, do you believe in these claims? My comments are also below, italicized.

----------------------

1) Guys may be flirting around all day, but before they go to sleep, they always think about the girl they truly care about.
but i want to be the only one he flirts around and thinks about.

2) Guys are more emotional than you think, if they loved you at one point, it'll take them a lot longer then you think to let you go, and it hurts every second that they try.

3) Guys go crazy over a girl's smile.

4) A guy who likes you wants to be the only guy you talk to.

5) Giving a guy a hanging message like "You know what?..uh...nevermind.." would make him jump to a conclusion that is far from what you are thinking. And he'll assume he did something wrong and he'll obsess about it trying to figure it out.
so true. my boyfriends oober hates it whenever i do that to him.

6) If a guy tells you about his problems, he just needs someone to listen to him. You don't need to give advice.
same goes for me too, just listen and don't give me advice.

7) A usual act that proves that the guy likes you is when he teases you.

8) Guys love you more than you love them.

9) Guys use words like hot or cute to describe girls. They rarely use beautiful or gorgeous. If a guy uses that, he loves you or likes you a whole heck of a lot.
lately, i've realized that the more you try to use sophisticated and highly stylized words, it sometimes over exaggerates a compliment and would come out as insincere and trying hard.

10)If the guy does something stupid in front of the girl, he will think about it for the next couple days or until the next time he spends time with the girl.
and vice versa.

11)If a guy looks unusually calm and laid back, he is really thinking about something.

12) When a guy says he is going crazy about the girl, he really is really into the girl.

13)When a guy asks you to leave him alone, he's just actually saying, "Please come and listen to me."

14)If a guy starts to talk seriously, listen to him. It doesn't happen that often, so when it does, you know something is up.

15) When a guy looks at you for longer than a second, he's definitely thinking about something.

16) Guys really think that girls are strange and have unpredictable decisions and are confusing but somehow are drawn even more to them.

17)A guy would give the world to be able to read a girl's mind for a day.
reminds me of a mel gibson movie.

18)No guy can handle all his problems on his own. He's just too stubborn to admit it
pride, or what many call the male-ego.

19)Not all guys are rude. Just because ONE is RUDE doesn't mean he represents ALL of them.

20)When a guy sacrifices his sleep and health just to talk to you, he really likes you and wants to be with you as much as possible.
with this said, i feel special already. thank you hon.

21)Even if you dump a guy months ago and he loved you, he probably still does and if he had one wish it would be you to come back into his life.

My Pet Pup Addiction

I understand that I haven't been updating my blog lately and I believe everybody deserves an explanation as to why. The easiest answer was that I was busy, but of course I don't think that would suffice as an answer. There were quite a lot of new things that dawned upon me lately.

I'd elaborate in the succeeding posts, but the best answer as to why I wasn't able to update my blog is simple. It's Facebook. Mor specifically, it's the application called "Pet Pupz" where I can care for a dog of my own without the hassles of actually cleaning up after it or feeding it and taking it on walks. It's not as fulfilling as having an actual dog slobbering your hand with its smelly saliva, or having a companion that would loyally watch over you while you're concentrating at work - but I guess trying to have a virtual pet is just a cheap lazy way of pretending of owning a pet. And to add, it's far less annoying than a Tamagotchi.



To see my pet's page, click here.

P.S. His name is Xerxes - the man who wanted to be god, but turned out to be my dog.

My Top 12 Music for September

1. Glenn Lewis - Fall Again
2. Eric Benet - You're The Only One
3. Pussycat Dolls - Sway
4. Tori Amos - Murder He Says
5. Jordin Sparks - One Step at a Time
6. Michael Buble - Moondance
7. Nina Simone - Fly Me to the Moon
8. Jennifer Hudson - Spotlight
9. Kaycee Stroh - My Strongest Suit
10. Dean Martin - Baby, It's Cold Outside
11. Zombies - Time of the Season
12. Colbie Callait - The Little Things

Beijing Olympics 2008

Last night I was stoked, and right now I'm just plain old high. Anticipating the China Olympics, I was glued to the television since 7 in the evening.

The official starting time was 8:08pm on August 8, 2008 - A pretty lucky number considering the number of 8's in the schedule. A few minutes prior to 8, the astounding choreographed drums begin. A marvelous play of lights blinking in the dark stadium, with glints of blue and reds from the audience. This was followed by a series of firecrackers, succeeded by human sized fireflies glimmering as the Olympics symbol was lifted into the air, glittering in glory.

By the appointed time, a child begins to sing China's anthem - and to be honest, I nearly cried. This was succeeded by a series of beautifully choreographed light plays, wushu and the like. One of my favorites was a piano player and a child (who picked her nose in International Television), while a group of people with lights blinking from their costumes made a series of eye candies, ending with a dove - as to bringing to the message of hope, camaraderie and peace to the rest of the world.

The olympics theme song was once again rendered by Sarah Brightman (my all-time favorite singer), together with Liu Huan. A simple melodic piece with a very simple yet powerful message. This time, I really bawled, it was so beautiful at the same time I was shrieking in totally ecstacy. People who've seen me in that state surely would think I lost it. To see Sarah's previous Olympics performance with Jose Carreras, click here.

So proud to be Chinese!!!

David A.'s First Single

I was just innocently surfing the web, when I stumbled into this "jewel".

David Archuleta, a runner up in the latest American Idol season, has just released his first single, Crush.

Though there doesn't seem to be anything hysterically orgasmic about the song, and somehow seems to be reminiscent of his many pop interpretations during his AI days, it's still a fairly good listen. I'm still completely in favor of David Cook.. I'm biased, so sue me.

Oh and btw, if I'm not mistaken, Rock Mafia records, the company responsible for Miley Cyrus' new CD, will be taking David A's first album under its wing. Try to search for it online for more (correct) info.

Anyway, still interested in David A's song? Here it is..

Disney's Princess and the Frog

I am anticipating this one, coming 2009.

This will be Disney's first attempt to model an African American princess, named Tiana. As I've read, the movie caused quite a stir because of stereotypes attached to the race of the primary protagonist. Initially, she was meant to be named Maddie and was supposed to be a chambermaid, but due to allegations that Disney was being racist, Disney made major revisions in the story.

There was a YouTube member nagging how Disney had exaggerated her features by giving her fat lips and a blessed behind. I don't believe there is anything wrong with that, artists would just have to give in to a few personal biases to be truthful. It's not real that all Disney Princesses should look like a cartoon Barbie Doll. I just think they try to stick to what seems a viable way of imparting the concept..like they gave Mulan a relatively flat chest and chinky eyes (which is really a Chinese thing, Asians aren't as busty as their European counterparts).

On the other hand, it could also be an African-American thing which I do not fully comprehend. As a personal opinion though, I really think Tiana looks pretty and she seems like a charming addition to the Disney family.

I Got My Proof

I just got my graduation diploma today via mail.

I'm so overwhelmed I don't even want to open it. We were informed that it's the first batch of diplomas to carry the hologram logo of our alma mater and that is enough reason for me to go ga-ga over the paraphernalia. There is also a souvenir version of the transcript of records.

Having graduated a double degree course, I have two diplomas! I'm so happy.. :D haha

Finally... legal, tangible proof.

Can't Wait for WOFEX

I am psyched about WOFEX 2008.

What is WOFEX?
It's an annual event "dubbed as the Ultimated Food Show Experience". This year, it will once again be held at the World Trade Center starting August 6 to August 9. There are new and innovative products and food-related inventions in the said exhibit, not to mention countless free food tasting.

The Ultimate Tip
Last year, my boyfriend and I went on the first day and bought a box of treats. By the last day, my mom and I returned to the same stall and they were selling it "Buy one, Take one". Learn from my experience - wait until the last day, but be early because somebody else might take advantage of the deals and exhaust all the stocks before you do.

Online Diva

I was tagged by walkonred. Thank you.

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The button is a Flair created by Litzie.

Rule:

1. Post the button in your blog.
2. Please link back the person that gave the button to you.
3. If you have more than one blog, please post this to all of your blogs so your other blogs can be listed to the master list too.
4. You need to pass the button to at least 4 people that you think are also divas in any way.
5. Come back here and leave your post url so you can be added to the master list and help increase our rankings.
6. Please add to the list below a reason why you love being online all the time.

Online Divas:
1. All Merging in the Path of My Life
2. My Big Picture
3. Walk on Red with Me
4. Supah MaMa Wannabe
5. The Stories of a Now SAHM
6. When Mom Speaks
7. Kathycot Cooking With a Twist
8. Home Sweet Blahhhs

Reasons why I am an Online Diva:
I don't really know, maybe it's because I'm fairly adept with the internet and enjoy spending my time doing things online.

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I am tagging all of my online friends. You know you're an online diva.

Curried Chicken Salad

My aunt from England gave me a recipe called "Curried Chicken Salad" which she downloaded from Delia Online. She told me it was relatively easy to prepare and that it could be modified to suit my dad, who happens to be a vegetarian. My aunt also did some tweaking and substituting in the recipe which delivered an equally tasty and flavorful treat.

According to her, Curried Chicken Salad could also be called as the "Coronation Chicken", which was initially prepared for the royal banquet of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Below is my aunt's slightly modified recipe of Delia's Curried Chicken Salad.

1 level tablespoon curry paste (or 2 dining spoon curry powder)
2 medium ready to eat roast chicken (or 2 lb cooked leftover turkey or chicken)
3 oz. (75 g.) whole blanched almonds (or chopped nuts)
5 fl oz (150 ml) mayonnaise (better with caramelized onions)
3 fl oz (75 ml) natural yoghurt
2 tbsp mango chutney, with any bits of mango finely chopped
3 oz (75 g) raisins
3 oz (75 g) dried ready to eat apricots, quartered
1 bunch spring onions, sliced thinly, including the green parts
1 x 120 g bag baby leaf salad
1 tablespoon fresh coriander leaves, to garnish
salt and freshly milled black pepepr

Preheat oven and toast almonds for 8 minutes. (Just as long as it doesn't burn up, it's fine) Let them cool for a couple of minutes, then roughly chop them.

Strip the meat from the poultry, discarding the skin and bones. Cut the meat into bite sized pieces and place them in a mixing bowl.

In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, yoghurt, curry paste and mango chutney.
Pour the sauce over the chicken.

Next, add the raisins, apricots, 3/4 of the salad onions and about 2/3 of the almonds. Mix everything together throughly, taste and season, cover and chill until needed.

When ready to serve, place the salad leaves in the base of a serving dish and spoon the chicken over the top, heaping it up to give it some height.

Scatter the reserved salad onions and almonds and the coriander leaves on the top.

(Note: Rather than making the mixture into a salad, we also toasted some bread and treated it as a filling; it was equally good.)

I Don't Like You Mommy

I found this clip in YouTube and completely adored it.

Shoe Size Tag

I was tagged by Maicel, thank you. :D

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What’s your shoe size? Are your feet the same size as your mom’s feet? How about your sister’s feet? Can you borrow shoes from each other?

My current shoe size is 8 and a half for ladies, and a size 6 for males. Being Chinese, my grandparents would often make fun of me because of its large size. They blamed it on the fact that I didn't wear closed shoes often enough which caused my feet to swell to such a magnanimous size. My grandma, aunts and even cousins sport a size 5 to 6.

This being the case, it's much difficult to find a fitting pair for me whenever we travel to other Asian countries as most shoes, especially the gorgeous ones, are designed for smaller feet.

My mom has big feet though, but she's a size 10 so her shoes would often fall off my feet whenever I would try them on. My younger sister, on the other hand, seems to wear a smaller size than I do. Both my mom and sister's feet are wide since they wear slippers more often (according to my grandparents) so having slimmer feet makes it difficult for me to wear either. :(

Post a picture of your latest shoe buy.

This is a pair from Bandolino, which my mom and I bought a couple of months ago. I was doing my job interviews almost everyday back in May that my business shoes finally gave in, compelling us to purchase a new pair. Ironically, I never got to use it as one of my target companies accepted my application.

Jenny and Belle
SAHMdom and Beyond
The Journey Continues…
Mommy Talks
The Shopaholic in Me
A Sweet Taste Of Life
Motherhood in a Nutshell
Home Sweet Blahhhs...
{Your Blog Here}

Tag the number of women of your shoe size, i.e. size 5 = tag 5 friends. Don’t forget to drop a line in this blog when you’re done.

What are your sizes?

Sheng, Carol, Maricel, Madelyn, Ner, Liz, Jenn, Pretty Me.

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My Top 12 Music for August

* For the last song, I would just like to clarify that I'm not siding with any candidate; it's just that I can't help it, it's really a catchy tune.

1. Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love
2. The Honey Sisters - Cry Baby
3. Michael Giacchino - Speed Racer
4. Isley Brothers - Summer Breeze
5. Aliya Parcs - Seasons of Love
6. Jaheim - Never
7. Mary J. Blige - Just Fine
8. Police - De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
9. Regina Spektor - The Call
10. Joss Stone - Super Duper Love
11. Elton John and LeAnn Rimes - Written In the Stars
12. Obama Girl - I Got A Crush on Obama