where the moon shines

Remember me posting about shopping for a cause?

Well, the transaction took awhile because my payment got delayed, and baby Hannah was in the hospital for two weeks, rendering her mom unable to work on my order. But the long wait was well worth it. Check me out with my bag:

It looks like a very simple bag, but I am sure it was challenging to make. I love it! It’s very comfy to the touch and quite roomy too. I tossed my camera in it (I mean Deena, not Pinky) and, I swear, it didn’t feel so heavy! I’ve always complained about my camera big being a bit on the heavy side when I have all my stuff in it. With this one though, it was just right.

If you’d like to find out what other designs they have for these bags, and how to order, go to Hannah Ysabelle’s Multiply page. Joan, her mom, makes these bags herself.

After almost a month of staying away from Trinoma, the boyfriend and I stepped into the mall again yesterday. We had two things in mind: lunch at Conti’s and grocery shopping for my SBD meals that he prepares for me.

Lunch was satisfying. He had lengua, while I had the American grilled spareribs. For starters, we ordered gambas with mushrooms. The meal was completed with a slice of Mango Bravo that we both shared.

From there, we headed inside the mall and walked around a bit. At the Activity Centre, there were cars and scooters on display, among other things. We checked out the Suzuki APV, which would be a nice family car. There was also the Suzuki Swift, a white one, that would be a great first car for just the two of us. But it wasn’t the four-wheeled cars that got my attention. It was the scooters.

First, my eyes were glued to the Kymco Like:

It’s cute, not too small, and has a compartment at the back.

A few steps away, my heart was captivated by the Yamaha Mio Fino:

It has that vintage feel to it, even when it’s actually brand new. The one on display was tinted in gold, but not a very bright one. It looked more brown to me than gold, but since the salesman said gold, then that it is.

Both scooters share the same price range but if I were really to consider buying a scooter, I’d probably go for the Fino.

What would I use a scooter for? To get to and from work, of course. I can potentially save some money in the long run, plus I wouldn’t have to wait for a cab anymore. We can also use it to go to the seminary, or to the groceries along E.Rod. But do I really really want to hop on a scooter? I’ve never been on one, so I’m not really sure. Besides, I can’t stand the pollution so I’m sure I won’t be using it much around major thoroughfares.

Still I really think it would be cool to have one. Besides, my brother and dad have been bugging me to get one since I started working at NCO. I just never really liked the idea of being on a scooter. Maybe that will change.

After the boyfriend bought a pair of jeans, we went down to the supermarket for our last errand of the day. We enjoyed grocery shopping for food that follows the SBD guidelines. Alfred will be cooking for me again this week.

We picked up something that’s not exactly SBD though. Two boxes of Guylian chocolates, La Trufflina. They were on the buy-one-take-one rack because they will be expiring in the next two months. So what. Haha.

La Trufflina is an irresistible combination of Belgian chocolate truffles with a smooth milk chocolate truffle filling. Each truffle is enrobed with the finest milk, white or dark Belgian chocolate and delicately sprinkled with fine chocolate flakes. An unparalleled chocolate dream.

It was a fun afternoon, even if we were exhausted a little since we both came from our work shifts. I also missed an NCO party yesterday because I was tired, and was also having stomach cramps due to dysmenorrhea. Ugh. Yes. Primolut N worked for me that I actually started bleeding again before the month ended. And I’ve been wearing maternity pads for a few days now. Ugh. Sorry, too much info!

She’s my Pink Dress, a Superheadz Super Fat Lens; reincarnation of the Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim. She is in fact, manufactured in the very same factory that the Vivs were made back in the day. She needs film to produce photos, no other attachments not even a battery needed. It’s just me and my Pinky, pointing and shooting from the hip.

She’s going to help me live my Lomo dreams. I won’t talk about lomo today, and I won’t be posting sample photos from the first roll of film we used up together. I’ll save that for my newbie photographer blog.

We picked up Pinky from the very homey shop of Oh! Shoot along Boni Serrano in Cubao. It wasn’t what I expected. I like the store, really. It was very artsy, accommodating, welcoming. None of those elements that sometimes made camera shops too mechanical. No intimidating gadgets, no SALE signs or prizes displayed all over. They didn’t even tag their items for a barcode scanner or what not. Instead, lomo prints were plastered on their walls. A comfy couch was at the center of the space, inviting one to sit back and checkout the books they had on the table. Too bad none of the elves in charge of the store were there to give us lomo tips or take our photo for their show-off. But the dude from downstairs was more than willing to take us up to the shop, and just hang out while we looked around and finally zoomed in on what we were there for. I went there with one purpose: to get the Pink Dress. I would have settled for the Black Devil or the blue one, but then I saw her and I knew she was mine. Sure there were other cameras calling my name, including the Blackbird Fly and the Digital Harinezumi, but I blocked them all out. I had to.

So now you’ve all met Pinky.

Have you tried playing it? Guitar Hero Metallica is ?! or should I say, it rocks!

I actually haven’t been doing much GH lately, but the boyfriend was kind enough to get me the game when he was out to get new ones for himself. Ain’t he sweet? And he lets me hog the PS2 just to enjoy it too. Another thing, you know those GH Arcade machines in the mall? He lets me play there too. I think he’s secretly proud of me, haha!

Anyhoo, for those who are back to check for updates on my weight loss diet, things are still going well. The Sexy Chef wasn’t able to deliver food for today because of the systemic blackout everyone in Luzon encountered yesterday due to Typhoon Basyang. But you know what? That wasn’t a problem for me. I had plenty of food left over from the previous day (it was due to my messed up body clock) that I had enough until lunch. After work, I had some shopping to do and bills to pay so we headed out to the mall. There, we had a nice lunch at Kenny Rogers where I had the Hi-Protein meal minus rice and drink. I still took some pictures, but I’m in a rush just now so you’ve got to come back tomorrow for those.

I am excited to share though, that I got myself another phone! I’ve got the new S phone from My|Phone. It’s a girly phone really, with Swarovski Zirconia for buttons and a Qwerty keypad. I took a photo, also to be shared tomorrow. It’s still cheap, and I have a buyer for my two-month old My|Phone so I’m not really spending much. I swear, this is the last time I’m switching phones at least for a year unless someone else gives me one.

I also, brace yourselves for this, got to buy myself a dress to wear for my friend’s wedding! This is a big thing, believe me. I haven’t been able to squeeze into a decent dress in a very long time. I’ve attended four weddings in the past year and had to settle for nice tops with my slacks when I really wanted to dress up and be all girly. We were both surprised actually, the boyfriend and I. Haha. But there, I’m not so sure I’ll be posting photos of myself wearing that. I might just keep that private for awhile.

So there. I really am in a rush so sorry if there are grammar errors on this post! No time to reread

Catch you all later!

Tomorrow I will start on a brand new journey. I have talked about weight issues and my plans to lose weight countless times on this blog. I’ve already lost track of how many times I’ve started out on a diet and exercise plan only to see it fizzle out weeks, or days later (maybe even mere hours!).  I hope this is the last time I’ll ever have to say that I’m on a diet.

While I was out checking out ballpens and notebooks at the mall today, I received a call from The Sexy Chef confirming delivery of my Day 1 SouthBeach Diet Phase One meals tomorrow afternoon. I asked though if there was a possibility to squeeze me in today, not really expecting a yes. The lady called me back a few minutes later and said yes, they’d be able to schedule me for today after all. Just a little over an hour ago, I finally received a full day’s meals which I will actually consume tomorrow. That’s how the system goes: they deliver food scheduled to be enjoyed the day after.

Receiving the first delivery also means that I have given myself an (expensive) advanced happy birthday gift. I paid for two-weeks worth of SBD Phase One meals today. My bank account suffered a huge loss, but I hope that it means big gains for my health and well-being.

The photo doesn’t really give you an idea of how the food tastes. I’m sure it’s yummy. I don’t know yet, I’ll only start eating them tonight (breakfast at midnight). But it really is a complete set already: breakfast, lunch, dinner, two snacks and even gelato for dessert. I will probably swap lunch for breakfast though, I’m not comfortable bringing soup to work as baon. I hope that doesn’t mess things up for the diet. I’m sure it won’t.

They also handed me info on SBD and a list of foods to avoid, and a list of food to enjoy while on Phase One of the diet. It’s advised to eat only the food they supply, but they also gave a few suggestions on what to munch on or  take in case there are hunger pangs in between meals. It will probably be coffee with low-fat milk and sugar substitute for me.

Aside from buying ballpens and a notebook (to accompany me in my new journey) at the mall this afternoon, I was actually there to buy comfortable clothes to exercise in. I bought a few shirts and a couple of stretch pants.

You see, my dad has kindly volunteered to walk with me. He’s going to change his walking schedule just to make sure that I do have some exercise each day. He’s probably more determined than I am to make this work. I am thankful for that of course. I haven’t decided yet what the best time for walking is, given my schedule. I’ll probably start with the Orbitrac the first few days and then go walking with that starting next week. We’ll see.

Perhaps now that I’ve put my money where my mouth is, now that I’m spending my own hard earned money, I will actually do what it takes to see the journey through. I’ve made an investment on my health.

I did sneak in some non-health related shopping today though. I bought this cute pair of Grendha Jelly Slips:

Believe me, the photo does not do it justice. This pair was just so cute. It comes in violet and red too, but I’m not too bold as to get those. I need this pair! All my kikay shoes have given up on me. I think I’m too much weight for them to carry for so long. Haha.

For those who read yesterday’s post and are thinking about helping out those babies, please go ahead and check out the links from the post. You may order your Breathe Hope bracelets directly from Mommy Tet, or the rosaries and bags from Hannah’s Multiply site. Speaking of bags, I was disappointed at not being allowed to use my own reusable shopping tote bag earlier. The bagger said that they are required to use the SM plastic bags. Not so bad I guess, since they are biodegradable. Still…

Oh, I stumbled on a site that sells portable oxygen concentrator, it got me wondering if those types will work for Baby Jon, or if they may be cheaper. They just look so portable and maybe with one like those on the site, they’d be able to take Jon for pasyal.