Nitong mga nakaraang araw ay madalas akong makatanggap ng mga jokes sa text na involved ang ilang malalaking pangalan. Kung minsan naman, ordinaryong pangalan na ginawan ng kalokohan! Ito ang ilan sa mga nakakatawa, nakakainis, at wala lang na name jokes:

few...lo Pascual (Piolo Pascual)

if...PJ (FPJ)

free shoes...Lara Quigaman (Precious Lara Quigaman)

many...Pacquiao (Manny Pacquiao)

anchor...tis Smith (Anne Curtis Smith)

in thing...Kabisote (Enteng Kabisote)

Elaine...Elaine, Elaine and naiba (alin, alin, alin ang naiba)

Minsan nakakatawa, minsan corny na...Sanchez! (Korina Sanchez)...hehehe!

 *Laughter is still the best medicine! So laugh out loud guys!

I was browsing Elle Girl Magazine and spotted a Hello Kitty ad. Since it's cute and I love cute stuff, I tried to open the site www.sanriotown.com to look for more cute stuff. That's how I found out about Hello Kitty's mail hosting service! Yup, as in yourname@hellokitty.com! I immediately created an account (it's free!) so friends, you may also email me at ivee23@hellokitty.com. Ang cute 'di ba? hehehe...ang babaw ko talaga! But it's really fun, promise. ganda ng layout eh. There are two other domains available in case you're not really a big fan of the charming feline: mymelody.com or kuririnmail.com (hindi ko rin alam kung sino o ano si kuririn).

Minsan na rin akong nahumaling kay Hello Kitty. I remember buying a hello kitty telephone na pinag-ipunan ko pa talaga nung bata-bata pa ako (ack! I sound old!). Naku-cute-an ako kasi pink eh. Ang wierd nga kasi galit talaga ako sa pusa, naiirita kasi ako sa kanila (sorry Sandz at sa iba pang mahilig sa pusa, 'di lang talaga ako mahilig sa hayop). Buy I really like THIS cat! hehe..I'm looking forward to buying more Hello Kitty stuff...meow!

Another thing that cheers me up is listening to house music. I love Bonnie Bailey! I never get tired of swinging to the tune of her hit Ever After, hehe...and she's gonna be here!

Big Fish presents TOKYO PROJECT with Bonnie Bailey on live vocals featuring the big hit track "Ever After" and DJ Mark Doyle. June 10, 2006 at the World Trade Center.

Lyrics:

Ever After

by Bonnie Bailey

Spent the day sorting out our (my, my mom's and my sister's) shoes, sandals and slippers and wooow! I never thought that we had that many footwear!

Hay, but like other girls, we will NEVER have enough shoes!...kaya din kami nag-sort para i-"dispose" na yung mga hindi na namin ginagamit so we can have more space for new ones, hehe.

Speaking of buying, I finally got the stuff that I bought from globestrutter.com (plugging nanaman) last Saturday! Everything was as 'pretty' as I have imagined them to be..

Aside from these online purchases, I also bought a sling bag (I have long been looking for one) and another cellphone trinket (cute hello kitty design). Hay, I know I (almost) swore not to go anywhere near Glorietta dahil sale at napaka raming tao, but since dun din naman talaga ang daan namin pauwi, tumingin-tingin na rin ako ng mga paninda, hehe.

Paul and I also met up with Mirla at Glorietta dahil nakipag-meet din pala sya sa mga college friends n'ya. And justas we were about to go to SM, I spotted Paul's sister so we all went home together. What a very small world..Oh, we also saw one of Paul's officemates at G3. Liit talaga ng mundo!

Work, work, work again tomorrow...

I remember when I was in kindergarten I wondered why I had such a weird name. It was difficult to spell and really sounded old. VIRGINIA MAE LONTOC JOHNSON. I had girl classmates whose names sounded "normal" like Hannah, Eunice and Mary Rose so I was really asking why I had to be named VIRGINIA MAE.

It was my dad who wanted to name me Virginia because he said he had this promise to his grandma's sister, Lola Virginia Lee, that he would name his first daughter after her.

Actually, I was lucky my mom intervened and added "Mae" to my name, to make it sound younger.

Still another mystery to me back then was why everybody in the house called my Ivee instead of Virginia or Mae. I found the 'connection' in the letter V, but still it was, uh, ilogical.

Then just recently (well, not very recently. When I was in college) I found out that my nickname was given to me by Papa Ely, me maternal grand father. I never had the chance to ask him why though. He had already died when I found Out. Anyway, I am very thankful to him for saving me from being called Virgie or any other, er, distracting nicknames.

*Since I never had the chance to choose my name (who has?), I made a list of names that I would like to give my future daughter/s.

Note: I'M NOT PREGNANT AND NOT PLANNING TO BE ANYTIME SOON. NEITHER DO I HAVE IMMEDIATE PLANS OF GETTING MARRIED. I made this just for fun

Solene Mari

Simone

Selene

Veronique

Veronika

Vernice

Julianne

Alexis

Nicole

Chloe

Raven

Phoebe

These are just some of the names that I've thought of for girls. I prefer to give them one name only (except for Solene Mari), since two names are hardly utilized. I mean, pag tinatawag ka naman, isang pangalan lang or nickname 'di ba? So why have two names?

As for the boys...maybe next time!

...for my phone! Haha! Since napagana ko na yung bluetooth usb adapter ko, addict nanaman ako sa pag-download! themes, mp3 tones (actually ako lang nag-cut ng mga ito. oo, may mp3 cutter ako para 'di naman masyadong malaki ang files sa cellphone, hehe..), wallpapers...waahh! I just can't stop my self! I downloaded hed kandi themes, hello kitty themes, winnie the pooh, care bears, powerpuff girls, garfield, movie themes, and I'm looking for Audrey Hepburn themes now (may alam ba kayong site?)...hay, hindi nanaman ako matitigil nito! hehe...

Looong weekend kaya masaya nanaman ang mga tao. Gotta get lots of sleep! I've been feeling really dizzy lately at para daw akong may sakit dahil palagi akong puyat.And I also promised Paul na hindi na ako magpupuyat, tsaka pinapagalitan na rin ako ng mommy ko, hehe..Hmm, I think I'll start getting some now ...

Yep. That’s what I’m trying to do now. Reinvent myself. My current fashion isn’t really as colorful as my blog so now I’m trying to do a little overhaul by adding color to my otherwise boring mode. I’ve started accessorizing (I managed to organize all my accessories: earrings, bracelets, rings, necklaces) and I also bought some tops in “papansin” colors. Not too loud, but bright colors like yellow.

Sadyang may nga babae na kahit anong lamon pa ang gawin ay hindi nadaragdagan and timbang at bilbil. Wish ko lang na ganoon din ang problema ko 'di ba para hindi na ako napo-frustrate nang ganito!

YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO

I would like to congratulate myself for resisting the temptation to go to the mall today. Since I'm scheduled to leave for Naga on Thursday, I figured I have to control myself from spending the meager amount of money that I have now...so that I could splurge on pasalubong and native bags, haha!

It's father's day today and this occasion doesn't really excite me that much. In fact it makes me feel a little sad because we can't actually celebrate it since my dad's away.  We all miss him and we look forward to the day that he doesn't need to go away anymore. He is a great dad, a good example to us, his children, a good provider, a loving husband, and a very responsible man. We are very, very lucky to have him as our daddy. HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DAD! We love you so much!

 It's manic Monday again tomorrow. Hope to start this week right.

Since I didn't go to the mall today, I did some more "productive" stuff like organize our DVDs/VCDs and load alternative songs (my first love) to my shuffle (I would like to thank Jun for the mp3 cd for this, hehe).

Tomorrow I'm gonna return the DVDs that I never had enough  encouragement to watch. Hay, sorry Gel pero hindi talaga ako interested na malaman ang "katotohanan" sa Matrix eh..hehe. But thanks anyway.

Gotta get some sleep.

I used to be a technophobe. I remember when I was in elementary (and in high school) I was afraid even just to touch the keyboard of the school's pc. I hated our computer subjects, not because of the instructors (well, sometimes it's just because of the instructor) but because I was afraid I might mess up the computers and be asked to pay for it. I was afraid to try learning how to use the pc because for me then it was already very, very high-tech (take note, we were using Lotus 1-2-3 and Wordstar) and therefore, only the very intelligent people can really understand how it works.

Ack! I have been eating a lot of Pringles and Boy Bawang again lately. (Read: SODIUM = BLOATING). And last night I ate lechon manok with lotsa rice for dinner! Actually I was choosing between KFC's Asian salad, which would have been a less sinful choice, and Auntie Anne's pretzels but I was triumphant in resisting the urge to stop walking and grab "something to eat" on my way home. 

sa wakas! Sobrang na-homesick kasi ako sa Bicol kahit na three days lang naman yun. Ewan ko ba, day one palang uwing-uwi na ako! On my first night I had to sleep in a hotel ALONE pa dahil ayaw ni  na sya ang mag-stay dun. Nakakatakot kaya! I slept at around 4 a.m. na dahil hindi talaga ako makatulog kahit na pagod na pagod sa biyahe.

I missed Paul sooo much! The trip would have been fun kung kasama sya. Too bad hindi pwede yun, huhu..

Anyway, wala naman akong masyadong ginawa bukod sa sumama sa motorcade (for the branch anniversary) at syempre pa, kumain nang kumain!

On the second day of our stay kasama ko na si  sa hotel kaya ayun, mahimbing na ang tulog ko. Nakapamili rin ako ng pasalubong pero syempre puro pilinuts parin, iba-ibang luto lang. May caramelized, sugar-coated at tart. I tried to control myself pero hindi ko rin nakaya at bumili rin ako ng bag, hehe. Pero isa lang dahil nag-titipid ako.

I wasn't really in the mood to take pictures but I managed to pose for some para naman may souvenir kahit papaano:

That mountain behind me is Mt. Isarog. Tanaw din dito ang Mayon (sa other side) pero masyadong cloudy that day kaya di na visible.

Obviously this pic was taken sa loob ng banyo, hehe. Wala lang akong magawa nito.

Hay, I seriously need to get some sleep! I feel so tired from that trip. Parang ayaw ko nga munang pumasok bukas pero hindi pwede eh.

Oh well, I just hope that this week turns out better.

 

So does this saying mean Cris Martin of Cold Play, who is also the husband of Gwyneth Paltrow, Natalie Portman, model Isabel Roces, Richard Gere and my officemate Jun are all walking vegetables? Of course I'm kidding.

I myself have though (and am still seriously thinking) about going vegetarian (maybe just semi-vegetarian) but I'm not really sure if I can adapt to that kind of lifestyle. My interest was roused when I was proofreading an article about Isabel Roces, the Angelina Jolie look-alike, and her strong advocacy against animal cruelty. She posed for an ad for PETA or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (where she was covered in nothing but red chili peppers), which asserted how dedicated she is when it comes to fighting for animal rights.

According to her (well, this might preempt the article a little) it's actually easy to be a vegetarian these days since vegetarian food is readily available almost anywhere now. Veggie meat or glutten meat can be bought at supermarkets and vegetarian restaurants are springing everywhere. But I beg to disagree with this claim because there will always be instances when a vegetarian will find it difficult to look for anything that he's allowed to eat.

For example, when he gets invited to parties (except of course if it's a gathering for vegetarians) chances are 95% of the food in the menu will contain meat or egg. He will then end up eating salad all night, minus the dressing, and skipping the main course and the desert (if it's leche flan or anything with egg).

My officemate Jun, who has been a zen vegetarian (which means he also can't eat garlic and onion) since he was 9, hardly eats during office parties. Once he had to ask the caterer to cook a vegetarian meal especially for him. He's a super strict vegetarian that he can't even use a fork that has touched meat!

Anyway, It's kinda amazing that he started being a vegetarian at an early age because normally kids and teens hate eating anything green and leafy. But I think there are many vegetarians who really start going vegetarian at an early age, like Isabel Roces, who last ate meat when she was 15.

But I guess it would really be easier to adapt to such lifestyle when you start at an early age since it would still be easy to adjust to the new eating habit. When you're already in your 20s it's much harder to "turn away from sin" because by this time you have already been exposed to the delight that pizza, burger, steak and lechon bring.

There are, I think, several reasons why people turn vegetarian. One is seeing how an animal is slaughtered, or witnessing any other form of cruelty to animals as in the case of Natalie Portman. She was then only eight years old when she saw doctors demonstrating laser surgery on a chicken.

Of course when you see steak on you plate, which seems to invite you to take a bite, it becomes hard to resist because all you know is that before it got to your plate it's just a piece of raw meat brought from the market. But once you see what really happens before that piece of meat reaches the market, you might also start swearing not to eat pork or any kind of meat again in your life.

Some, even when they still haven't seen an animal being slaughtered, decide to go on an eternal meatless diet simply because of their love and respect for animals, like the members of PETA. Actually they are not just vegetarians but vegans, which means they also do not use anything that has an animal component.

I remember hearing news on the radio about Beyonce Knowles' surprise date with some PETA members. We all know that the former Destiny's Child member loves adorning herself with clothes made up of real fur. These PETA members have long been wanting to talk to her to give her a piece of their minds but Ms. Knowles refuses to meet with them.

The group had their chance when they emerged as the winning bidder on an online auction for a date with the star. You can imagine the shock on Beyonce's face, which was supposedly caught on tape, when she learned that she was actually on a date with the PETA members.

Then there are vegetarians who turned away from eating meat for health reasons. Eating only veggies and fruits have a lot of benefits like, of course, good health, good skin, proper blood circulation and low risk of getting any disease, which all equal to a happy and almost worry-free disposition in life.

Then again, there are some who refuse to eat meat because of their religious beliefs, like the Buddhists, whose perfect example (and I mean gorgeously perfect) is Richard Gere, and members of the Seventh Day Adventist church.

But whatever the reason may be, going vegetarian is not an overnight thing. You have to have dedication and determination if you really want to keep up with this kind of lifestyle because as far as I'm concerned, it is not easy to stop eating what you have gotten used to. It requires great courage and discipline. But if you have this natural love for animals plus the conviction to fight for their rights, then it wouldn't be difficult to commit to this way of life at all.

This blogthings thing actually helps me rediscover myself...well, sort of. Minsan kasi sobrang nonsense naman, pero masaya parin!

 

Your Love Element Is Fire

In love, you are a true listener and totally present. For you, love is all about feeling more alive than you've ever felt. You attract others with your joy and passion. Your flirting style is defined by your strong ability to communicate. Fun and play are the cornerstones of your love life. And while your flame may burn too brightly, it's part of your appeal. You connect best with: Wood Avoid: Water You and another Fire element: will likely burn out quickly

What Element Is Your Love?

Your Inner European is French!

Smart and sophisticated. You have the best of everything - at least, *you* think so.

Who's Your Inner European?

You are 67% Gemini

How Gemini Are You?

You Are a Total Girlie Girl

You love looking good, and wooing men with your womanly ways. You're so feminine, men are in awe of you ... which is a very good thing.

How Girlie Are You?

Pag wala na talagang magawa, ganito ang nangyayari...hehehe. more to come!