Category: Movies

Culture, Movies, Reads, Technology

Every Time

leiza

Why is it that every time I have to go to work the next day, I am not tired in the least bit? Here goes my insomnia again. It’s so bad, I had to take a sleeping pill but I have to wait for 30 minutes for it to take effect. So here I am, before I find myself drooling on my keyboard. I also apologize in advance for randomness you might find in here. *grin*

I’m so excited, because either tomorrow or within 2 days’ time, I’ll be getting an Alienware PC. I’m still antsy about it being so expensive, but I’m 5 years due of getting a new one anyway and why not get one of the best? My investment better be worth it. (I hope.) That’s one of the things that’s keeping me awake right now.

A friend of mine, AKA Olorin The Grey, got me hooked on anime again. And, youtube.com got me hooked in looking for anime clips. One that caught my eye is the one called Mahou Sensei Negima, from the creator of Love Hina. So, for you anime lovers out there, check it out, though I must warn you that it is PG-14 — at least that’s how I would rate it.

Speaking of youtube.com, I put in Dani’s videos in there for your (friends and family) viewing pleasure. Just go to the site and search for leizakatrina (no spaces).

FFATI hosted a despedida (farewell party) Thursday night for one of our members that’s going back to the Philippines on assignment. She’ll be staying there for 18 months, on a U.S. salary, living in a condo in Makati, and she will have a chauffeur and a maid to boot. She’s soooo lucky! I’m so happy for her.

Luci, Dani and I watched the movie Jet Li’s Fearless Friday night. It made me cry. :( After the movie, we stopped by our usual hang-out in the mall — Barnes and Noble (we usually stay there and have a cup of java at their cafe). Since it was almost closing time, we ordered a couple of coffees to go and went home. It was so relaxing I asked Luci, “why can’t we stay like this forever?” *sigh*

Anyway, I think the sleeping pill is starting to kick in, so before I drop, I’ll say toodles.

Baby, Family, Movies, Ponderisms

Procrastination is a Bad Habit

leiza

I’ve been meaning to post something for some time now, but I’ve procrastinated. It’s a bad habit, I tell you. You start putting things off, and keep on doing it until it’s too late. Which reminds me – I need to start doing my taxes before it’s too late! :P

Anyways, here’s what’s been going on so far.

My maternal grandfather passed away the start of this month. As far as I could tell from folks that he has had medical problems since February. He wasn’t eating properly, which isn’t good for a diabetic, and he became weak. My aunt (my mom’s sister) didn’t want to leave Lolo (“grandfather” in Filipino) in his condition, I think, but she had to go to some sort of conference in Washington. She visited Dallas for a few days before going on to the conference. I heard the news from my brother’s sudden phone call on my cell phone at work. Such a shock. I then proceeded to call my mom (who was in church at the time with my aunt) and I couldn’t get a hold of them for an hour. I called my sister also to inform her about what happened and how my mom was unreachable. I got a little frustrated at some point, that I cried, coupled that with the shock of Lolo passing. Finally, my mom got the call and she started to work, so to speak. My aunt had to cut her trip short, and my mom had to get a flight home. They did the necrological services a few days later. I heard that they did a 21-gun salute, as Lolo was a retired Colonel in the military.

Good news on my last doctor’s check-up. My blood sugar is normal, not even borderline for diabetes, so very, very good news. Doc said that the baby is growing normally. And it’s such a surprise when she told me I’m already in my 28th week since March 7th. Wow, 2 more months and this baby will be coming to this world.

My sister Christinne mentioned something about births and deaths in the family. She remembered that when my paternal grandfather passed away, my sister gave birth to a son that very same year. She said that the case may be the same for my baby. A life after death, so to speak. Something to think about.

My dad from Rhode Island also visited us folks in Dallas at the end of February/start of March. It was nice to see him again after so long. I don’t even remember the last time I saw him last, me and my forgetful mind. He stayed at my sisters’ for a couple of days and spent some time with the grandchildren and he had the chance to see our house of 2 years finally and stayed there before going back. We even watched the movie, “Firewall” which was really good. Dad even got a chance to taste one of our most favorite beverages here in Dallas – Lolicup. :) Since my aunt was also here, we decided to have a family dinner before my aunt left the next day.

Too bad both visits were short-lived. I miss my family. :(

Luci’s back in Taipei this week for job training, and I’m missing him everyday. It’s a good thing I can keep busy for a while. We also pleasantly found out that we can call each other on the cell phone. I just hope that it doesn’t charge us too much, or hopefully, none at all, since we are on the same plan. We’ll see it on the next cell phone bill. For the meantime, we just try to keep the phone calls to 3 minutes minimum. Besides, he can check email everyday also (but, of course, it’s nothing compared to hearing his voice).

That’s it so far. I hope I didn’t forget anything. If I do, I’ll make sure to post it the next time. :)

Family, Me, Movies, News, TV

Things That Make You Busy

leiza

Darn it. I’m alive! :P I guess I’ll just put the gists here:

– We’re planning to adopt two of my nieces. Hope that goes well.
– Playing NexusTK again. Blame Jamie. Of course, now she left me there to play MS. Bleh.
– I finished the Korean soap opera Full House season DVD in 3 days. It was good! Just too many thinking poses, though.
– My cousin told me to buy a Korean movie called “My Sassy Girl.” She said that even guys cry at this one, so I can’t wait to see it. Maybe Lucien will cry. :P

That’s about it, I guess. It’s not long I know. Sorry.

Adventure!, Blah, Family, Movies, Trips, TV

Slacking, As Usual

leiza

Sorry for not updating since Day 6. I did mention that it was going to be busy.

As some of you are already aware, I’m back in the U.S…arrived last Monday. Technically, I was back in the U.S. last Sunday (in NY), but didn’t get back to Dallas till Monday. During the last couple of days of the trip, I caught some sort of bug, and I didn’t succumb to it totally until the day I got home. Since then, I’ve been under the weather and in bed, sleeping it off. Right now, back at work, I’m still not feeling up to par, but getting there.

I guess, right now, I’ll give a gist of what happened the remainder of my trip:

Day 7 & 8 – That night we did a bunch of rehearsing for the upcoming event. It was also getting together days with other relatives. Can you believe there are 40 of us in all in the immediate family? It boggles the mind.

Day 9 – We had a one-day family outing to a place called Villa Escudero. It was an old plantation that they made into a resort park. It was interesting also to find an old church in there filled with different antiques. They even had an old love letter written in the deepest Tagalog I have ever read. They could’ve done better as far as preservation of the artifacts (some of the old pictures were deteriorating). The place also had a restaurant where you could dip your feet in the water while you eat. A nearby waterfall was also a treat, for both children and adults.

Day 10 through 13 – Luci, my mom, my nephew Jorvin and I went to Banaue (also known as Banawe) to see the famous Rice Terraces, the 8th Wonder of the World. The hotel we stayed in overlooked the terraces and it’s always an amazing sight especially when you see them first thing in the morning. I was quite disappointed with the weather, though. Being in the mountains, we were told it would be a lot cooler than Manila, but it wasn’t even cool enough to give me a chill.

Also, I had the misfortune of tripping and grazing my knee before the trip, so my movements were limited though I did go up and down one of the cave sites we went to in Sagada, another town we went to for their famous hanging coffins. This picture was the exact place we went to. The way down was treacherous and you really have to use both hands to climb up and down most times. Of course, I had trouble but, I’m proud to say, I managed to do it.

Day 14 & 15 – Back to work for the event. This time, we went to a recording studio to record most of the songs we needed for the big day. It was also a chance to have all of my siblings, nephews, nieces, etc. together in an album full of Filipino folk songs and ballads.

Day 16 & 17 – I don’t know what we did during these days, but I do know that ever since I came back from Banaue, I was hooked to a local telenovela or soap opera called Full House. Actually, it’s a Korean soap opera, dubbed in Tagalog. :P My sibs keep laughing at me because of this, but I can’t help it because the story is so good. :) I even went and bought the complete season VCD of another Korean soap opera dubbed in Tagalog called Endless Love. I’m also waiting till the Full House one has come out with its complete season VCD so I can buy it. I even asked my sister back in the Philippines to let me know when it comes out. I laugh at myself by doing this, but I can’t help it, hehehehe.

Day 18 – Day before the big day. We finally get our outfits for the event, but still needed a little alteration on part of it. There was a little melodrama that went on that I can’t share since I don’t know most of the story (must be the soap operas I’ve been watching! :P), but later on, everything was okay.

Day 19 – Finally, the big day! I think I spent most of the time on my feet than sitting down as we did a lot of performing and other stuff for our grandparents. I hope they loved every minute of it. :) By the end of the day, I was dead beat, but then it was also the last day before we left for home, so almost all the sibs spent the night at our hotel room until we left for the morning. My sister Jeanne did a very touching speech followed by a likewise touching prayer.

Day 20 – That morning was the day we left for the airport. My other sister Leke and hubby already went ahead of us since they had an earlier flight.

That’s about it. Also some tidbits that went on during the trip: had some work done on my teeth, bought some contacts before the big day came, Luci lost his eyeglasses in Banaue so we had to get another pair made, watched Star Wars (of course!), I got together with a couple of my bestest friends in New York (Luke and Gayle) and had a short jamming session, and so on. I also learned that my mom and my sister Leke caught the bug also on their return to Dallas, so I wasn’t alone. Just wish it didn’t happen, though, because now I’m feeling tired all the time. Just hope I get better the next few days.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed my somewhat summarized version of my trip to the Philippines. It still left me hanging, though. 3 weeks is too short of a stay. Oh well, someday, Luci and I will be back.

Movies, Slumming, Work Drama

Events and Movies

leiza

Last week was interesting (my last week pertains to Wed-Fri, hee).

After work on Tuesday night, I went to get Lucien from work for an hour “lunch”. After that, we came back and Lucien mentioned that they were getting a shipment of live horses going to the Philippines. He asked if I wanted to stay and see the horses off, and of course, I said yes. It wasn’t long and the horse exporters came in. I learned that the horses were going to have someone escort them to Manila.

I went to meet them, and I met Connie, the escort. She hasn’t been to the Philippines at all, so she started asking me what to expect from there. I told her some tidbits and things that she might like to do, or food she might like to eat. After conversing with her for so long, it’s so cool to know I’ve found a new friend. Lucien and I stayed with her as long as we could, but it was nearing 7am (Lucien was off the clock already and I was getting tired), so we left. I hope she had a good time.

Wednesday and Thursday were a little blurry because I don’t remember too much from these days. We did sort a few things around the house, but that’s all I can remember.

Friday, Luci and I went to do the early voting thing (my first time ever to vote for this country), and we went to see the movies:

– A Lot Like Love
– Kung Fu Hustle
– The Pacifier
– Miss Congeniality 2
– The Interpreter

They were all good, but I can’t see anything as saying which was my favorite of this bunch. I can’t believe we watched all of these movies in a row. Well, we rarely get to watch movies often, so we try to watch what we can. I’m surprised, though, that I didn’t get a headache (which I usually get when watching at least 4 movies in a row), but it was all good.

Family, Movies, Work Drama

Oh, yeah, and Movies.

leiza

Yeah, I forgot to mention that it was my 4th church wedding anniversary last Thursday. Sorry.

Nothing important, though. Luci and I just hung around the house and watched movies, though Friday, we had another movie night: watched 4 movies, including Constantine. Don’t ask me how it went, because I can’t tell you if I liked it or not. The cinema I was in apparently had the audio so low, I could barely hear what the characters were talking about. Good effects, though.

Another movie, Hitch, is so cute. Luci and I were actually at the edge of the seat watching it. Of course, another moron was talking on the cell phone during one part of the movie. I wasn’t so annoyed but a few people in the back kept shushing the lady. Not that it stopped her (she kept right on talking).

Work wise, I heard the days I was off were disastrous. Someone (she) put in the wrong tapes for the wrong tape drives. Ouch. Poor someone (her). I’m just glad I wasn’t there, whew.

Getting ready to go to my home country is pretty exciting. I can’t wait to go back.

Yeah, that’s it.

Family, Gaming, Movies, Work Drama

Avoidance

leiza

I think I’ve been avoiding blogs like the plague, lately. Most times, it’s hard to find the time to sit down and write about everything that has been going on with me lately. On the other hand, I’m just lazy.

So, lately, I’ve been working weekends. I know some of you may say, “Poor Leiza. Can’t enjoy weekends anymore.” Hey, I don’t mind. Rather this than just spend 2 days off. With me working weekends, I get weekend and evening differentials added to my salary, plus 3 days off. How’s that for ‘Poor Leiza’? :)

I kinda surprised myself for not spending time on the computer the three days I was off. I did get addicted to playing on the Playstation. Lucien was the one playing Puzzle Pirates on the PC, teehee.

We did watch some movies, though. About 3 of them, and I think the best one I saw was Ice Cube’s ‘Are We There Yet?’. It’s really scary thinking what two kids can do to wreck up your car. I know I babysat one of my sister’s sons and even that one was a handful. I always ask my sister how she handles 4 kids, have a job, and still be organized at home? I hope if that happens to me, I have the same energy as she does.

That’s it for now. Later. :)

Food, Movies, Reads

Sushi, Books and Movies

leiza

I’ve been on a sushi craze the past week. Lucien knew I loved it so much he bought me a Sushi Book & Kit from Half-Price Books. I might try it one of these days.

Bought more books. And more books. It’s really nice how many books you can buy for 20 bucks.

Watched Lemony Snicket last night. Eh, it’s not as good as I thought it was, but at least they went by the book. Just wasn’t sure about the train incident, though.

Sorry, can’t think up of more updates, so I guess this is it.

Family, Food, Movies

A Date

leiza

Had a pretty cool day yesterday. Luci and I went to grab some sushi and watched a movie. Oh yeah, find some more Christmas gifts. It was a good date, one I haven’t had in a long time.

Well, we were going to this Japanese restaurant we loved at first taste, but unfortunately, they were closed for the day. However, we saw another a couple of blocks from the first one we went to, but didn’t open until 5:30pm for dinner (it was 2:40pm already). So, we decided to spend the 3 hours doing something else.

First, we went and bought a couple of pressies for family and then we went to see a movie. Since I’ve almost watched everything, we decided on the newest movie we haven’t seen yet: Ocean’s 12. It was great! It’s just sad that not a lot of people don’t get the movie. I, for one, caught the plot, but the only thing I’m wondering is: who is the 12th one, Julia or Catherine? That was a little unclear.

Well, gotta get back to work. But first, gotta order some Thai food. :)