A few days ago, I whipped out my brand new wallet--which H bought on his trip abroad, after hearing me say that I needed one--and my husband smiled, saying, "I like buying you stuff." It was my turn to smile after seeing how happy he was to get his little gift...

Read about this beauty here.

Thanks to Dino, I got this 32-inch LG LH20 LCD TV at a really good price. H and I already had a TV but it was a tad too bulky for the living area, so it's found a place in our guest room. (We've banned the TV from our bedroom.) I offered to give him his much-coveted LCD TV as an early Christmas gift, and he gladly accepted. He did the research and decided on this sleek unit, which now stands shining in the living area. It's resting on a side table for now, so next up: a custom-made TV console!

"And you're the werewolf girl..."

Thanks to the folks at OK! Magazine (who, earlier this year, gave me a free courtside seat to see Kobe) for giving me a free ticket to the premiere of...

Woohoo! I intended to watch New Moon after the crowds had gone, but when the opportunity to see it first presented itself, I just couldn't let it pass me by.

A blurred pic of me and Coni from her mobile phone, taken outside the cinema

I am not a die-hard Twilight fan, but it's pretty cool that I got to watch it. So yay! And I must say, it was much better than the first. I like how they interpreted the book. There were a couple of cheesy scenes but whatevs. And it is totally a Jacob Show! I was indifferent before, but I am now officially on Team Jacob! Sigh.

That's the spirit! (Thrillah in Manila: Manila Spirits 2009)

To be honest, I didn't really want to join Spirits this year because it was quite pricey, and I figured that I had "been there, done that," and didn't need to repeat the experience. But I'm so glad my teammates convinced me to join! Even though I had a heartbreaker of a play that I'm still replaying in my head, it was an awesome tourney over all.

Reg par-tey

Oldies (Mundz, Mina, Dino, Cel, Kring, me), newbies (JM, Lloyd), and in-betweens (Yelle, Jacq, Jim). People were surprised to see me with a beer.

The registration party was held at Giligan's--free food and booze, but I didn't get to really enjoy it because I was stuck in a room for the captains' meeting. (Hmm, didn't I resign from this?) I was one of maybe three girls out of an entire room of male captains from all over the world. Thirty-two teams in all! Met a Korean guy from the team KUNT, a French guy based in Sri Lanka, a Pinay-looking girl from Guam...and the common complaint was the traffic! Welcome to Manila, y'all!

Day 1

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't utterly frustrated the first day. I really should work on my temper. We were all still feeling each other out because this version of the team hadn't really played together. I sorely missed the old members, but saw a lot of potential in the newbies. We're a work in progress. Again. Haha. Funny scenes:

A Mindanao team dressed up as fairies when they played against the Hong Kong Fairies! The boys were even skipping and doing jetes on the field when they came out!

Another Mindanao team teaching us to "bumba."

Z-Day Party

The theme: Z-Day. The costumes: zombies. The music: courtesy of a totally bitchin' band that played 90s rock music! (And Sherwin rapping to "Humanap Ka ng Panget." Hahaha.) The highlights: good food, free-flowing drinks, stage divers and body surfers...

Zombie killers spraying the zombies with booze from their water guns, a team full of zombified Elvises...

It amazed me how teams from abroad made an effort to pack costumes!

And a photo booth!

From baicapture.com. One of many many photos we took when we monopolized the photo booth!

Too bad we don't have the boys' photo with the Spotlight security guard! Classic!

Day 2

We finally won! I realized that, save for that heartbreaker point, I'm much more effective on D than on O. I had a lot more blocks than points last weekend. BUT I also realized that maybe it was a little easier for me to mark and defend since I didn't have to play with the usual speedy ones that I guard. No matter. My new objective is to work on my D. Which means I'm going to have to have to start running again.

The Finals and the After-Party

The finals were a bit of a snoozer, but oh well. Hung out with Peng (who didn't play) and Dindi, and played with a Ben Affleck-lookalike's daughter. Met Jim, an American dude from China--he ducked under my (er, Mundz's) umbrella and offered me a free beer in return. Woohoo! Peng calls him Wengweng. Haha. He's taller than me but there's something so lovably hobbit-like about him and his brother Joe (Dusk-til-Dawn candidate who wouldn't stop dancing). As we were talking, the bleachers behind me--filled with my teammates and sister team, Circus--chanted "Ger ger! Ger ger!" Real mature, guys. Haha.

With Jim (in black) aka Wengweng, who offered to, uh, rescue me should the beer bring about an allergy attack. The Warriors took a papparazzi shot of the two of us talking before they rushed forward and joined in.

The highlight of the party: getting our pic taken with various ultimate superstars (e.g., Panoy of Dragons, members of champion team Black Flag) and random people from other teams, such as this white dude who, under his shirt, had taped nipples. Don't ask.

After about ten minutes of talking with us, he said, "Who ARE you guys?!" Hahaha.

Too bad Team Pilipinas didn't even make it to the finals. But everybody wins when the parties are rockin'!


My husband took our cam with him on his trip abroad, so all pics stolen from Kring, Ogee (Z-Day pics), and Jacq (last pic).

Three-month recap, the short version

Delinquent blogger = incredibly busy. The irony is that there is so much to blog about, so little time. I realized that I haven't even given a recap since August! I'd love to give a blow-by-blow, but I am so incredibly exhausted. Am typing this in bed after going home from work early--felt so sick and faint today, especially after a shoot in this blasted heat.

The last few months have been hot! And the sweat on my forehead proves it. Me and H at the bonfire for back-to-back UAAP champs, the Blue Eagles and Blue Eaglets.

So anyway, a short highlight reel, because even though it's long overdue, those months definitely deserve some blog space:

AUGUST
1. Lots of bridal showers. And a legendary girls' night out!
2. Increasing my alcohol threshold. Preparing for a wedding does that to ya! I was so stressed that I was drinking practically every night two weeks before my wedding. Not getting wasted though--just enough to calm my nerves. (Dude, if you and your fiance were still cutting out seating cards a few days before your wedding, you'd drink too.)
3. ...and while I was at it, I ended up hanging with celebrities. Strange. Was out with Lolo D a couple of times, who intro-ed me to his friends. Was baffled by a mind-blowing card trick by Angel's male best friend from the biz. Had a really weird, funny conversation with this famous male model. (Such a beautiful face. And the sign of a very handsome man: When other men think so too! H played basketball with him once, and my manly husband said, "Guapo talaga." Hahaha.) Had drinks with a sexy starlet. The most rockin' new people I got to meet were Mika and Amanda from Survivor Philippines: Palau. They were so cool and so incredibly nice!
4. The Dumaguete trip. It was awesome. I didn't really get to meet people from the provincial teams since I didn't play much, so it totally surprised me when a Dumags dude who was in town recognized me. He said hi first and said, "You're the newlywed, right?" Then he said something about remembering me because I kept drinking. Haha. Hey, people kept sending free drinks my way! What're you gonna do, right? I think it's an engaged thing. Everyone wants to wish you well by giving you a drink!

SEPTEMBER
Marrying the love of my life!

OCTOBER
1. Back-to-back champs, baby! Didn't get to watch the finals live, but we partied at the bonfire. Woohoo!
2, Media (over)exposure. I had taping for two different shows, and a radio tour around four stations. The TV segments were pretty lengthy too, not the teeny sound bites I used to give. I've got another taping tomorrow. And I have no idea what to wear.
3. Kit and Kris's wedding. The kids are finally married!
4. Settling into married life. And I am love-love-lovin' it!

Kitchen cuties

I normally feel a range of emotions when I (or we) make a big-ticket purchase: appliances (a ref and a washing machine, for example), furniture (dining table, sofa), soft furnishings (custom-made Roman shades...sigh, how I love our chocolate brown Roman shades!). There's happiness and relief, that we can check one thing off our list--and finally don't have to eat breakfast standing up because we actually have something to sit on. A bit of anxiety, because our wallets are so much lighter. (I'm a one-time-payment kind of gal. For some reason, I much prefer paying for things upfront, rather than in installments.) Pride and gratefulness, that I could actually afford to buy these things.

But when I buy stuff that I need for the house, and they're cheap and oh-so-adorable, the only emotion I feel is glee! The latest item that has brought me such pleasure:

A sweetheart of a potholder! Found this in Landmark, and if I remember right, it was less then P40 or P50. I had been meaning to buy a potholder because, given that I'm so clumsy, I don't trust myself to take things out of the oven with a kitchen towel. I also found this cutie:

At P29.75, I couldn't resist buying two!

But I was giddiest when I scored some fabulous placemats from Robinsons Department Store, bearing a very familiar print:

Marimekko at RDS? OK, so at P49.75 a placemat, this probably ain't the real deal, but I really couldn't resist! I originally intended to buy just two, after picking up some sensible black placemats. (Chargers would have been more elegant, but our everyday plates are square...and chargers are much pricier!) But the salesperson informed me that there were just four of these babies left, so I hoarded them! We use them every day; they sit beneath our plates as we eat breakfast. It's been nearly two months and they still make me smile. Such a cheery way to start the day!