The truth is, I could live without watching any of Manny Pacquiao’s matches. I would rather enjoy the traffic free streets of the city (although today was the exception, or so I hear), but when your entire family stays home for the Live show via Pay-Per-View, you stay put.
Oh yes you stay put lest you miss out on this:
Three generations – Grandpa (my Daddy), Amir (aka Beloved Prince), and Vlad (aka brother bear, or Amir’s Daddy). This was before the match started and we were patiently watching the undercard. Or just hanging out. Or singing and dancing to whatever Amir was singing or dancing to.
And then when Pacquiao was finally being introduced to the crowd, Amir had quickly changed into his Manny P shirt, but refused to pose for pictures:
Oh he was playing with us. His dad placed him in front of the TV and he just kept laughing! He then posed with his hand raised showing Number 1, but he was right next to me and I couldn’t get his arm in with the photo.
Though Amir wasn’t watching so much as looking at the TV from time to time, he sure knew how to cheer on with the rest of us – he echoed most every “Oi!,” “Sige pa!” “Go, go, go, Manny!” At the end of the match – he celebrated too. “He’s a winner!”
It was so cute. Haha.
So what I’m trying to say is that, boxing fan or not, I’d still stay home to see the match if it meant bonding time with the family. And I still couldn’t get through a match without thinking of my grandfather who was the certified boxing fan.
We are booked for a trip to Cagayan De Oro (and Camiguin!) in February next year. Thanks to Cebu Pacific’s Piso Fare promotion, everyJuan can fly! 🙂
CebPac promotional banner from http://www.cebupacificair.com/
The seat sale is still on going. Heard about it at work yesterday morning and I kept getting kicked out, server errors are common when so many people try to get cheap flights. I don’t always luck out with these things so I figured I’d try when everyone else had the pickings. 1AM apparently is a good time, and since flight dates are January to June 2014, there’s still plenty of available flights.
I had a nice time today at Ace Water Spa. Spent the afternoon with birthday girl Charisse, a dear friend from work.
Entrance to the water spa is PhP550.00 for adults and PhP250.00 for kids below four feet. It’s good for four full hours of fun. We probably lasted only three hours though. Next time, we intend to do a full hour at the lap pool. Today, I only did about four laps. I really feel like my body needs to do this regularly.
Going there without first having lunch was probably a bad idea. We were so hungry before our time ended. It also made for a big late lunch:
I had Salisbury Steak while Cha had the Ace Club Sandwich. Yummy, and fairly priced too.
Like I said, I feel like my body needs this regularly. As in two to three times a week. Haha! We’re officially on voucher watch, hoping CashCashPinoy or Metrodeal would have deals again soon, like this one. I’m also thinking of getting their Privilege Card, it costs PhP 999 and entitles the holder to a 10% discount to the spa and lounge (good for a year, and renewable without a fee!). It comes with 12 vouchers too that can be used until end of this year; there are buy 1 take 1 coupons, and buy 2 get 1 free as well. I think it’s a good deal and I just might get myself one. Today we used my buy one get one voucher from my Belle De Jour planner 🙂
Anyway, that’s how I spent the last precious hours of my weekend. In a few hours, I’m back to the grind. I did, however, have a very fun Fourth of July and a movie date on the 5th. More on that soon. 🙂 How’s your weekend?
This is pretty much what I have in front of me everyday at work: my planner (it has a lot more writing on it now, hehe), two pens (I always have a green one handy for our audits), and my PC. Beyond my computer monitor my rowdy bunch (team) is spread out in front of me. Last night, they lined up to dance to Psy’s Gentleman. Hilarious!
It didn’t feel like a heavy week. Lots of catching up, and re-familiarizing myself with day to day processes. It was genuinely nice to be back. By the end of the week (Friday morning for me), I was excited to get to sleep in again. Haha! Also, it was the boyfriend’s birthday on Saturday (6/8) so I was really looking forward to that. The only downside is that the boyfriend and I have very different schedules now. Our rest days are mismatched. I am sleeping when he gets home. We didn’t see each other the entire day Thursday. But we more than made up for it this weekend, I think. Although it didn’t feel much of a weekend for me. I needed one more day (doesn’t everybody else?)!
The week ended at a high note. I got the chance to visit the UP Gym again. Sadly it’s not because I’d gone all fit and sporty (I wish!), but because I went to support our account’s basketball team for the company sportsfest. Our boys won all three games they were scheduled for!
Gladiators!
These boys were really amazing. Most of them had shifts on Friday night. Then they had to play three games, with one-hour intervals in between. And they went on to win each one.
3-1 win!
Next week’s game will be a tough one. I hear we’ll be up against the team with no loss record yet. Hopefully, my friends and I get to show our support again, along with a lot more others. Speaking of friends, these girls kept me company:
Hanging out with these two were among the things I missed while I was recovering. But when we weren’t teasing each other or bashing the other team like die-hard hooligans fans would, they were making an attempt at playing volleyball:
The initial plan was that Cha and I would walk around the Acad Oval before the games, to exercise. But I didn’t wake up until 12 noon that day, just as the first whistle was blown for the team’s first game. After the game wasn’t an option because it would have made me late for the boyfriend’s birthday gig. It would have been a nice day to fasten the bikes on a yakima rack and pedal around campus, perhaps another day.
So there, I had a good first week back at work and things seem to be just getting better. 🙂 Oh and people were either just being very nice to me, or I must have really lost weight. 🙂
Since I saw their campaign on Kickstarter, I’ve thought often about the Ricefield Collective. They’re doing something that really amazes me. They are promoting their craft, teaching women, and also providing them with a means to take charge of their lives. Cool beans!
I wasn’t able to support them in Kickstarter, but I talked about them to my parents and the boyfriend, and I would have told friends about them if I wasn’t in the hospital when I learned of them. Hehe. I need their kind of passion in my life. Deep down in my soul I know I want to be a creative, and to be one while helping other people in a very concrete way, that would be the dream job for me.
Then CraftMNL posted about Ricefield Co’s KickStarter campaign, and setting up a class with them. I knew I wanted to be in that class! I would love the chance to just be in the same room as these women, AND I also really wanted to learn to knit. I almost missed the class, I signed up only two days before the May 11 class, as soon as I saw the schedule up on CraftMNL’s workshop page.
Soon as I sent in my registration, I flashed back to the Amigurumi class I attended at their workshop in December 2012 (where I learned to make this). My next thought was: I won’t be able to climb those steps to the second floor workshop without assistance! Good thing the afternoon class was held on the first floor, no risk for injury. 🙂
Alfred had work until just before lunch time Saturday, and again the next evening, so asking him to come along was out of the question. The task of taking me to and from Makati was left on my parents. I was so glad when they said yes! I really am a spoiled old baby, haha! I was joined by three young girls in my class, and our instructor Anna from the Ricefield Collective flew in from the UK just a few days prior.
We got a printed canvas bag, DK yarn enough for the project, lovely new knitting needles, and all the stuff needed to complete our finger puppets.
It seemed so simple but I made mistakes and my stitches didn’t look perfect at all, haha!
But I learned how to cast on, cast off, and on again. And enough moves to finish my Tarsier finger puppets when I got home:
Anna mentioned that as they were campaigning for Knit4Life and the Ricefield Collective they used finger puppets because they were fun, and also it can be used as you show the K sign with your fingers. Since making this one, I made another one in a smaller size, and an even smaller one for little Amir. It’s not a puppet to him though, more like cozies for tickle fingers – to use for tickling grandma and grandma! I can imagine they’re good for taking selfies sporting a peace sign too, but I haven’t got around to do that. 😉
I am looking forward to more knit and crochet projects, but right now I’m still working on my ripple blanket. Meanwhile, Ricefield Co is up on the mountains of Banaue working with women on their handmade knit products. You can follow them on their adventures via Twitter – @knit4life, and Instagram – @weknit4life
No More Hurting People
Speaking of peace, I came across this campaign on Indiegogo today:
A lot of us wept for little Martin Richard, the youngest victim of the Boston bombing last month. This group is raising funds by producing shirts printed with Martin’s peace artwork from school. 30% of the proceeds will help the Richard family, while 70% is for One Fund Boston. This is a really good way to spread Martin’s message of peace, and also help the victims stay strong.
