My Fonts folder in my PC, both at home and at work, is about 300MB. For a graphic designer and anyone else who NEEDS to have a lot of style in stock, that's probably small. But for everybody else, it IS big.

I sort of collect fonts so I have a lot of choices whenever my design-something bug bites me. As my good fugitive friend Qadaffy puts it, "It's cheap, and useful."

Anyway, that same friend shared this hilarious video to me, when we were talking about my fascination with fonts. Her better half, who shares my fondness over stylized alphabets, discovered it early this year.

Whitout further ado, I present you, The Font Conference.

Labels: fonts, friends, hobbies

I just noticed that my page rank dropped from 3 to zero. I think I know why. Crap.

Oh well, I think I know what to do bring back that precious page rank. Yeah, it's precious, especially for those who are trying to make extra money online. Ironically, I think that's one of the reasons why my PR dropped.

The show must go on.

*~_~*~_~*

I've been given a looooot of awards by some online friends. One them is Heidi, who gave me this award.


And Pat gave this to me.


Thanks, my dears! I really appreciate these kind gestures.

Labels: friends, tags

Senator Mon tagged me and "obliged" me to display my desktop for everyone to see. I'm at work right now and I decided to do a quick post on this because I sooooo love my desktop here.

Click on the image for a better view
I am one of the lucky few to be issued a 19-inch wide-screen LCD monitor, so my desktop is quite wide. I so love this particular picture of my son, which was taken last New Year's celebration.

I just realized that in majority of my favorite shots of him, he's wearing that striped brown romper. Useless trivia.

I won't be tagging anyone because I saw that most of my blogger friends have done this already. To those who haven't, feel free to grab this tag. Don't forget to let me know you've done it so I can take a look.

Labels: about me, friends, tags

The guys are organizing another round of newbie poker tournament by the end of the month. This time, they say, it's gonna be played like a real tournament. So what did we do last time? A kids' poker? :D

Anyway, they want me to play again. In fact, they're actually "requiring" all newbies who joined the first time to be part of the second tournament. And this time, the buy-in will be split between the pro and the newb "so that the newbie will feel how it is to play when you're own money is at stake." They say this will encourage the newbie might play more seriously. And they were looking at me when they said this.

They actually think that I didn't play my best last time. I don't know what makes them think that I'm really good with card games and I'm just playing terribly on purpose out of spite. It's not as if my pro partner is teaching me anything. During our briefing last tournament, when he was supposed to be teaching me some techniques, he said nothing but,"You can do this, I know you'll cream them. Pregnant women are lucky in gambling." Right.

I need a poker or a Casino Guide or something to help me through this. Oh wait, I'm probably on my way to the hospital delivery room by the time the tournament pushes through, so I don't need to join them anyway. Ha!

Labels: friends, sideline

My apologies to Heidi for the delayed posting of the awards she gave me. Thanks so much for these, dear! I am truly honored.
     

Thanks for regularly visiting my blog and for thinking I deserve such awards.

Labels: blogs, friends

My fugitive friend (who recently got engaged - congratulations to you, but who the hell is the unlucky guy? ) once called me a sellout. A SELLOUT.

I beg to disagree.

For argument's sake, let's try to define what sellout actually mean. Here's the definition by Dictionary.com:

sellout - noun

1. an act or instance of selling out.
2. an entertainment, as a show or athletic event, for which all the seats are sold.
3. Informal. a person who betrays a cause, organization, or the like; traitor.
4. Informal. a person who compromises his or her personal values, integrity, talent, or the like, for money or personal advancement.

Well, I'm definitely now a sold-out show, although I wish I could be one. And I've definitely, absolutely no cause organization to betray.

Am I a person who compromises his or her personal values, integrity, talent, or the like, for money or personal advancement? I don't think so. I may be making money here (not much so far, if I may add), but never have I said or done anything that is against my principles and beliefs.

My personal posts remains the same - personal. Even my paid posts are most of the time related to my personal experiences.

I'm just a little hurt that I am being branded with something that is far from the truth. I've worked hard to put this blog where it is right now. It hasn't reached the skies, but I'm doing what I can to bring it off the ground.

Now you're telling me I'm being too sensitive and it was just a joke? OF COURSE, I'M SENSITIVE! I'M PREGNANT, FOR PETE'S SAKE! I have all the rights and the excuses to be sensitive because I'm pregnant. Ha!

Labels: about me, friends

The guys from the Wednesday Group are such suckers for anything related to Marvel Universe and DC Comics, as well as less popular graphic novel outfits. We try to keep ourselves as updated as possible with regards to anything that has something to do with them superheroes.

Our latest discovery is the new trailer for Marvel Enterprises' movie rendition of Iron Man. The damn trailer sent shivers down my spine I can hardly contain my anticipation of the film. So far, Robert Downey Jr. looks great as Tony Stark, but that is yet to be seen. Let's hope he plays the part well.

i have high hopes for this film because Jon Favreau is my personal favorite. I'm crossing my fingers.

Without further ado, here's the new Iron Man trailer, fresh from IGN.com.

Labels: friends, iron man, movies

This is a long-overdue post. Remember the newbie poker tournament some friends were working on? Well, it finally happened last weekend.

Despite all the help I got from friends, my poker pro partner, and even the Online Casinos that I visited, I lost the tournament. And it's not because of lack of understanding (although that sort of part of the reason), but more because of lack of comfort and too much pressure that my pro partner (and the rest of the guys) put on me.

You see, most of them were rooting for me because of my gambling background. No, I'm not a gambler in its fullest sense, but I used to "own" my brothers whenever we play another card game, "Tong-its" in Filipino, I dunno what it's called in English.

Anyway, the pressure got to me. I was doubting every move and decision I make. My bluffing was so terribly lame. Even I wouldn't buy my own act.

One thing I learned is that, to win a poker game, you need to have self confidence. Lots of it. I'm talking endless, unwavering supply of self confidence. Nobody will buy your bluffs if you yourself won't believe what you are bluffing about. If you waste your time questioning every single move or decision you make, you're better off playing Lucky 9 with the kids.

Oh well, I didn't lose money or anything. I was able to brush off all the trash talking with humor and smart-aleck comebacks, so I guess it's not that big a deal.

So much for trying something new.

Labels: friends, sideline

I remembered somebody asking me if I have tried online gambling. That was about a year ago. When I said no, she looked at me as if I just threw up all over her couch. She told me that I'm so not "in" with the new things on the cyberspace.

I have an argument, an objection is more like it, and I was ready for a night-long discussion about my awareness of the new and "hot" stuff on the internet, but I've never seen her so eager and enthusiastic to be finally showing me something on the internet that I let it pass by. She's not really into technology and modern age innovations so I gave in and let her show me her new addiction.

Online Casinos.

She showed me a lot of online gambling websites. She doesn't necessarily play on all of them, but she sure has an "informed" opinion of what's a good online casino and what's not.

Apparently, there are websites like Mi Casino Portal that provide information about online casinos available on the internet. They have reviews of these sites and descriptions of what features and bonuses those gambling sites offer.

Casinos on the internet are not exactly new to my ear, but the way my friend told me everything she knew about them, I felt like I've never heard of playing cards at all. I see ads of these online casinos left and right, and I actually ignored them and considered them as spam advertisements. It is only recently when I myself needed some information about poker that I found these casino review sites helpful for someone who are in dire need of gambling information.

I thank them not only for the information they offer, but also for giving my friend something to keep herself busy with other than bug me with her chaotic lovelife. :)

Labels: friends, sideline

Got this tag from Heidi. Here's the rule.

I have randomly selected 7 of you below to be tagged and I hope that you will similarly publish this post in your blog. You will have to tag 7 other bloggers and just keep adding on to the list. (Do not replace, just keep on adding! Yes we hope it will be a long list!)

It's real easy! Tag others and see your Technorati Authority increase exponentially! The benefits of Viral Linking:
- One of the fastest ways to see your technorati authority explode! - Increase your Google PageRank fast- Attract large volume of new traffic to your site- Build your community- Make new friends!

The Strategist Notebook Link Addiction Ardour of the Heart When Life Becomes a Book The Malaysian Life Yogatta.com What goes under the sun Roshidan's Cyber Station Sasha says Arts of Physics And the legend lives My View, My Life! GBex,Reaching out the other side of world Butchay Idealpinkrose Thinking Out Loud CHISMIS Winged Words Ambushed Thoughts.

Grab the tag, anyone wants more blog traffic! It's for everyone!

Labels: friends, tags

Okay, here's the deal.

I'm definitely gonna try out one of the Online Casinos available on the net to learn how to play poker. I need to learn poker, and I need to learn fast.

Why?

Because there are rumors going around that the guys who have their regular poker nights will hold a poker tournament at the office. Thing is, the only ones who can join are those who haven't played a single real-life poker in their lives. And only ten individuals can join.

During the tournament night, each newbie will have "pro" partner. Lots will be drawn to determine who goes with who. The pro have 30mins to teach the newbie the basics of the game. Then there's one trial game, no stakes, no buy-ins, but no bending of rules. This is one game that the pros can do full "coaching" to their newbies. After the trial game, the real gambling begins. Pros can still coach their newbies, but only to a certain level to be determined and finalized on tournament night.

There are a lot at stake, at least for the pros: honor, dignity, and of course, money. :)

One of the pros, who's been bugging me endlessly to join them on their poker night, is convincing me to join the tournament. He said it's gonna be fun, and I have nothing to lose because the newbies won't be spending anything. All the buy-ins and stakes will be shouldered by the pros, but the winnings will definitely be split 50/50 between the partners.

I'm actually considering it. He's right, I have nothing to lose, and it's definitely gonna be fun learning something new AND hearing the pros trash talk each other is an absolute bonus.

Labels: friends, games, sideline

Before I forget, lemme greet my partner-in-crime, soul mate, and sister in spirit, ROSELLE, a very HABBERDAY!


As I mentioned in this post Roselle is one of the women who "showed me, in my young, innocent age of 18, how fucked up life can be and helped me grow up into a strong woman who can face life's cracks like a man."


And I quote her self-description:

SHALA - (noun) incorrigible, evil, uptight, moody, ultrasensitive, super jealous, shopaholic loud woman full of drama and exaggeration.
- (noun) funny, thoughtful, respectul, trusting, sweet, down-to-earth beautiful woman who excels in life with her confidence, her talents, her abilities, her wisdom, her knowledge, her achievements, her family and her love of God.
- (pang.) maldita, demonyita, walang buhay, sumpungin, matampuhin, selosa, tamang "h", mahilig mamili ng kakikayan at lahat ng kaya ng "plastic" at "paper", maingay na babaeng puno ng arte at kalabisan sa mundo.
- (pang.) mapagpatawang mapag-alalang magalang na mapagkakatiwalaang malambing na walang selang magandang babaeng nagtatagumpay sa buhay sa pamamagitan ng kanyang kumpyansa sa sarili, mga kakayanan, mga diskarte, mga kaalaman, mga katalinuhan, mga pagtatagumpay, pamilya at ang pagmamahal sa Diyos.

I can't complain with the blessings our Creator has showered me. God has gifted me with 4 very handsome boys, 1 very spoiled and beautiful princess Chloe, a very obsessed and very loving partner, and very few loyal and beautiful friends.

Indeed, she's all that, and more.

Cheers to you, Teng! Here are the birthday cakes that I'm "bringing" on the 26th.



And here's the star of the bunch! I'm sure you'll love this.

Labels: friends

I recently transferred to a new department in our company. Actually, the company I'm "leaving" is a subsidiary of the company I'm "moving to," so I'm literally going to the mother ship.

Anyway, the mother ship had it's very first "Post" Christmas party cum "mini" sportsfest last night at SM Bowling Center Mall of Asia. I didn't join the bowling "tournament" for obvious reasons.

After the bowling tournament, we had dinner at Italianni's. It was a fun night, all in all. Although the mother ship and the subsidiary share office at the same floor of the same building, and we're not really strangers to each other, it was still great to bond with a new group of people.

Alas, I have chosen to be discreet about my corporate slave professional life, and as much as I want to share the pictures taken that night, this is the only one I can post:

This reminds me of Janeane Garofalo's character in Mystery Men

I'd like to have one of those, even if I don't bowl. That would make a great conversation piece around the house. Heck, I'd even put it in my office table if I could buy it.

Anyhoo, a friend who's based in Canada went home recently. Good thing SM MOA was part of their itinerary that night or else I wouldn't have the chance to see her again. So I met up with her and her Canadian husband for a brief hi and hello while the bowling tournament was ongoing. Of course, we took a couple of pics.

International quality native bags behind international beauties Jezz and me.


With Jezz's husband, Craig. Oh lookie! A very pregnant me!


After dinner, I went back to the office, along with several officemates, because Mr. Frost was waiting for me there. We got back at the office a little past 11PM, but Mr. Frost wasn't bored. It was Guitar Hero III night at the office and he was having so much fun reliving his rock band days. I would have tried it myself, but I was afraid we won't go home at all if I get my hands on those guitars. That's another story, though.

Labels: about me, entertainment, friends, frosts, games

Tuesday, January 15

I got a lot of new stuff.

And got reprimanded by Zaero. I was still thanking Myla for the planner she gave to me, but apparently, it was from Zaero. Honest mistake, really, as Myla was the one who handed me the planner. Thanks so much, anyway, Zaero.

Back to the new stuff that I got...

I received the package of the Bailey breast milk storage that I bought from eBay. I got it for $9.99 for a lot of 4oz bottles, and you could just imagine how I felt when, after a week, the seller repriced the item to $3.99. I bought two sets so that's about $12 that I could have saved if I waited several days more before hitting that "Buy It Now!" button. If I only knew.

Anyway, I like the bottles. I'm stocking up on breast milk containers for when I've given birth already. I plan to breastfeed Baby Frost #2, like I did with Issen, but I want to do so longer. Issen was purely breastfed (direct feeding and expressed milk) for only about 5 months. My milk supply dwindled around that time and I wasn't producing enough milk for the little boy's growing appetite, but that's another story. So we had him on mixed feeding (with formula) until I got pregnant on his 8th month and I had to stop breastfeeding altogether.

Another stuff that I got was the Olay Total Effects cream and cleanser set I ordered from a friend. I called her up Monday to order one set for me and another cream for my mom. I told her I'd deposit the payment the next day, Tuesday, but I was surprised to get an SMS from her later that (Monday) afternoon telling me that the items have been shipped! Indeed, I got the items today and I'm so very happy.

In gratitude, I went around the office bringing the products and practically peddled them to my officemates. I got several orders from the ladies and I informed my friend right away. I still have to bug a couple of guys who told me they're thinking of ordering as well to give as gifts. I'm still getting orders this day and I'm so happy to be able to help my friend.

Shameless plug: If you are interested with Olay Total Effects with REALLY BIG discount, I can assure you it's the real thing. Just shoot me a message and we'll have you as smooth as La Greta.

Anyway, I also got my Unionbank EON card. This baby will allow me to withdraw the Paypal funds I've earned (and haven't spent yet ) for the past couple of months. I have no plans of cashing them out, actually, as I intend to use them to purchase a new breast pump (am yet to decide whether to get a battery-operated or electric one, but that's another story ). But since this card serves as debit and credit card, I can do online shopping again on sites that require a credit card.

Senator GM Tristan and I applied for the card online, though on different times, so we went together to the bank to pick up our cards. As it turned out, our cards ended up on two different branches, so after GM T got his, we walked to the other branch to get mine.

One of these days, I'll post the details of my application and the processes I went through to help those who are either at a loss on acquiring this baby or met a dead end on their quest to utilize their recently acquired EON.

*~_~*~_~*~_~*

That was one busy day. Now will you forgive me for not being able to post it on the day that all of these happened?

Thank you very much.

Labels: about me, friends, great finds

... friend/officemate Myla giving me a Starbucks 2008 Planner. I'm not really a planner person but the anniversary edition of Starbucks' planner is just so adorable I wanted one so badly.

Myla actually gave one to Mr. Frost last week. I kept on bugging him to give the planner to me but he won't budge. I was asking people here at the office if they can recommend a annulment lawyer (jokingly, of course). When they asked why, I answered, "I'm filing for annulment on the grounds that he won't give me his Starbucks planner."

And that night, Myla gave me my own planner, just so I won't divorce her boss. I so love being Mr. Frost's wife.

I know most of you probably have already seen how the Starbucks 2008 Planner looks like, but I can't help but post a pic here. I actually went crazy and took a loooot of pictures of the planner in all angles, but you'll be thankful that I had the sense to post just this one pic :



Thanks Myla! You made one pregnant woman very happy.

Alas, when we got home at a little before 9PM, Issen was still awake. He gave me one good fight against sleeping and drained me of all my energy. I actually had one of my pregnancy blues episodes during this time and I got sooooo close to snapping and screaming at the innocent little boy. Good thing I was able to control my hormones and kept my "nice mommy" image for Issen.

I can't imagine the trauma Issen will get if his nice and playful "Mom" lost her marbles and suddenly screamed at him for reasons he can't even begin to understand. And I can't forgive myself if Issen did get traumatized because of me.

But my night didn't end when Issen finally fell asleep a few minutes before midnight. I was unable to sleep due to forces beyond my control and the description of those forces, just one particular noise actually, can be found in this previous post.

Labels: friends, frosts, Issen

Got tagged by Liz. (Thanks, sis! Good luck on your party planning! )

1. I love to eat: anything that Mr. Frost cooked. He's really a better cook than I am.
2. I hate to eat: something that I'm not craving for at that very moment.
3. I love to go: window-shopping (or actual shopping, if I have the money ) for baby stuff and graphic novels.
4. I hate to go: somewhere that would take me more than an hour to reach. (At least now, at my current state of pregnancy)
5. I love it when: my family spends quality time in bed upon waking up
6. I hate it when: my feet get wet because of the rain, especially when I'm not at home.
7. I love to see: Paris! (Please, Lord, let me see Paris before I die. )
8. I hate to see: the look on Mr. Frost's face whenever he finds something that would be a great addition to his collection, but we can't buy at the very moment. It really breaks my heart.
9. I love to hear: Mr. Frost's and Sikei's goodnight "sing" ritual before going to bed
10. I hate to hear: songs of "bands" I hate.

Feel free to grab the tag!

Labels: friends, frosts, tags

A friend gave me a call a while ago and asked me if I could help her. She has cousins coming from abroad and they want to go around see all the sights the country is famous for. My friend, who doesn't enjoy being a tour guide even for her relatives, asked me if I could go with her and her cousins.

I can't tell if she was kidding or not. I'm almost in my third trimester of pregnancy, for goodness' sake! And she knows that, as she bugging me just last week suggesting names for the baby.

According to her, the places she's planning to bring her cousins to are all pregnant- and baby-safe, like the beach and other sceneries. Yeah, they're all safe for me if I don't have to travel at least 2 hours by plane and at least 5 hours by land to reach any of those destinations. The only places in her list that are in town are Casinos and clubs, both of which they plan to go to in the wee hours of the morning.

I have nothing against any of the places she mentioned, but I certainly wish her invitation came about two years ago, when I wasn't pregnant nor have a toddler to take care of. It would have been a great adventure, but alas, the opportunity came a little too late.

Oh well, maybe next time. Or if she can wait for at least six more months and she's willing to shoulder my expenses, including accommodation, fare, food, and other miscellaneous expenses for me, my husband, my two sons (by that time I would have given birth already), and at least one baby sitter.

Needless to say, I politely declined and wished her luck.

Labels: friends, sideline

We had our company Christmas party last December 18, 2007 at Bagaberde Grill and Bar at the CCP Complex, Pasay City.

The organizing committee implemented an 80's theme. I looked for something in my closet but the things I found didn't fit my pregnant belly anymore. So, I just borrowed my mom's black leggings, put on my long brown blouse, bought some accessories from Landmark, and the result is a walking sprinked chocolate excuse of a pregnant woman.

The pose here is so NOT me. Everybody's saying I look so kikay (girly) here.


I had a real great time at the party. Aside from the bands that performed (man, my officemates are soooo talented!), I most especially enjoyed the speech of one of our top executives, our Gameboss. As usual, the speech was very inspiring and motivating. No company function is complete without the Gameboss' very moving talk. Actually, it's like listening to a stand up comedian but wherever you are, whatever function or event is being held, he makes you wanna go back to the office and work your ass off and you actually feel good about it. That's how motivating his words are.

Anyway, his speech was immediately followed by the performance of band that is already part of our family, Kamikazee. And it was so weird that Baby Frost #2 was going crazy and moving all around inside my tummy while the band was playing. After their performance, I went in Bagaberde's "holding" room for bands and good thing Patrick (our company's official band "supplier" for events) was a good friend of mine that I was able to get a photo op with the band. Here I am sharing the band with Marjo and CJ.



They guys were a riot. Our conversation while I was in the room was really hilarious, but I can't share it with you, lest I take the risk of being banned for "not wholesome" content.

Part of it, though, was Patrick informing the band that I also had my picture taken with them back in September 2006 during one of our major events. I was pregnant then with Issen. A funny coincidence that I'm pregnant again now that our paths crossed again. You could just imagine the band's reactions, most especially Jay, the vocalist. None of them is wholesome.

Another funny thing was the guys took turns touching my tummy lightly, then Baby Frost #2 said hi to them by moving wildly. The guys were surprised and made various comments on what they think the baby is trying to say.

By the way, here's my picture with Jay and Jomal (the guitarist) back in 2006.

And that's Pam in her pre-Zhen Zhou era.


Anyway, another highlight of the party was the announcement of the Employee of the Year awardees. In the previous years, only one employee is given the award, across all departments. Each department has a nominee, though. And Mr. Frost has always been his department's nominee (Product Development in 2005 and Marketing in 2006). This year, they gave one award for each department, and I'm so proud to announce that Mr. Frost bagged the Employee of the Year Award for Marketing 2007. Yey! Way to go, Daddy!

I'll post the awarding pic as soon as I get it. I was taking pictures for our Marketing Director's camera that time because he had to go up on stage. Good thing too, or else Mr. Frost wouldn't have a pic of that proud moment.

Labels: about me, celebrities, christmas, entertainment, friends, frosts