tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-351892602024-03-13T13:46:57.924+00:00MancypinoThe life and times of a Filipino in Manchester, UK.mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-37245361181764167792011-09-02T00:17:00.007+01:002011-09-02T01:34:38.398+01:00I Heart Manchester<a href="http://manchestermule.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/I-love-manchester.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 203px; height: 183px;" src="http://manchestermule.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/I-love-manchester.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>
<br />
<br />Can I still call myself a <span style="font-weight:bold;">MANCYPINO</span> (Mancunian Filipino) if I'm leaving Manchester to start a new life in London? I have been working my three-month notice for what seems like forever, and whilst October seemed so far away back when I gave my boss that white envelope with my brief but polite resignation letter on it, my departure from this great city is imminent. In three weeks, I shall leave this city I have called home for more than 12 years.
<br />
<br />As our possessions become reduced to boxes, I ponder how I'll miss Manchester. From the great shopping to my favourite Chinese restaurant, Happy Seasons (trust me, it's the best - I've tried loads of other restaurants), Manchester has welcomed me with open arms. Despite the constant rain, it's a brilliant city to live in. Mancunians are a proud people - and they're proud to be Mancunian.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What I'll miss about MCR:</span>
<br />
<br /><ul>
<br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;">The famous European Christmas Markets</span> - drinking mulled wine on a freezing cold winter's evening, munching on Bratwurst and buying too much cheese, this month-long market really brings the festive spirit to the city.</li>
<br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;">Half price dim sum in Tai Wu on Oxford Road</span> - char siu bao, congee, siu mai, prawn cheun fan. Sundays just wouldn't be the same without it!</li>
<br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;">Platt Fields and Heaton Parks</span> - I have enjoyed many a picnic and fun runs in the city's famous parks. I've been to a Diwali festival, bonfire night and open-air concerts here.</li>
<br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Northern Quarter</span> - from eclectic vintage shops to cool bars and cocktail joints, NQ is a great place to soak up the city's vibrant atmosphere</li>
<br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Curry Mile in Rusholme</span> - you can smell the lovely aroma of Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine from this street of eateries, shisha cafes and ice cream parlours. I have enjoyed many meals with family and friends here (and my fair share of dodgy tummy, too!)</li>
<br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;">Museum of Science and Industry</span> - as a tribute to the city's industrial heritage, this is a great museum for engineering type geeks, but has also loads of cool stuff for techy geeks like me! </li>
<br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;">Castlefield</span> - on the rare days where we get scorching hot weather, Castlefield has played host to many lazy Saturday barbecue get togethers with friends. It's where I met Chris Tarrant during a PR event for work, had a number of shindigs in Albert Shed, and countless eaving dos in Dukes.</li>
<br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;">Key103</span> - I can't imagine going through the rush hour traffic without Mike & Chelsea's daily banter. I love that they unashamedly play great cheesy pop and top 40 hits to wake me up before I've had a cuppa</li>
<br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;">MMU and Salford Uni</span> - these are the two places where I spent most of my days - at work. I have made many friends in both unis and have learned loads, too. I've had the best (and the worst) bosses during my time, and can honestly say I love working in Higher Education, even if the pay is pants.</li>
<br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;">Arndale Centre, The Shambles, Exchange Square, & the Trafford Centre</span> - I love to shop and these places have given me countless hours of retail therapy!</li>
<br /><li><span style="font-weight:bold;">King's Church</span> - filled with amazing people who love God and who desire to make Jesus famous (for the right reasons!). From the leadership to the wonderful friends I have made in this body of people, I have been blessed, supported, challenged and spurred on. </li>
<br /></ul>
<br />
<br />Of course there's more I can add to this list but these are the ones that come to mind as I write this. If you're a Mancunian, I salute you. You have a wonderful city, filled with warm and generous people. If you've stumbled upon this blog and have never been to Britain's second city, please give it a go - I promise you won't be disappointed.
<br />
<br />Manchester, I'll miss your humour, your steely determination, your quirky sense of style. It's not goodbye...but see you again soon. And I'll do my best to visit often.
<br />mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-61851897387087250202011-04-02T18:28:00.004+01:002011-04-02T18:40:51.699+01:00Out of My Comfort Zone<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHnbMAXkTNXhoy8lJWKFbA1CtKJcB1k6DsVT_XF7nBeHzV0U2xWOELHZ3GuY6LcmL59EeePlRNKqZEsVGm8gOqWQ90zTfAIPtY79YeYHCdpdulY5mtNEg4HQmhJGtXmfAndpu/s1600/IMG_4658.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHnbMAXkTNXhoy8lJWKFbA1CtKJcB1k6DsVT_XF7nBeHzV0U2xWOELHZ3GuY6LcmL59EeePlRNKqZEsVGm8gOqWQ90zTfAIPtY79YeYHCdpdulY5mtNEg4HQmhJGtXmfAndpu/s320/IMG_4658.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591040079554654930" /></a><br /><br />Today, I was in Prestwich town centre in the north of Manchester singing my lungs out with other friends from my church home group to declare God's goodness to the local community and to invite people to our Easter Concert entitled, Alive!<br /><br />It was a bit nippy, and there were a good few people milling about. I was nervous, like everyone was; we don't exactly make a habit of singing in public! But as we got going, people started watching us, a few approached us and thankfully, no one was rude to us. The Alive! concert we host each Easter is amazing and powerful opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and to demonstrate His love in a real and practical way.<br /><br />I'm excited to see what God will do on the 24th. I am expecting the unexpected!mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-36153187854068996462011-04-01T23:57:00.006+01:002011-04-02T00:42:01.698+01:00Spiralling Out Of ControlIn recent weeks, I have read articles, tweets and comments from social networking sites about Jan Jan, a child of six years old performing a 'macho' dance number for a noontime show in the Philippines called <a href="http://bit.ly/hJ0okd">Willing WIllie</a>. Naturally, there was outrage and public condemnation. And rightly so - the incident was blatantly child abuse, clear exploitation and should be unacceptable in any modern and evolved society. <br /><br />However, I find it bizarre how Filipinos reacted so violently over the incident when Philippine television is filled with programmes that exploit the poor, objectify women, and poke fun at those who are seen less important or less beautiful in society. You've got noontime entertainment shows that have scantily-clad women performing sensual dance routines, contestants in game shows that wear offensive or inappropriate clothing (I still remember an episode of Wowowee where a contestant wore a t-shirt with a huge swastika splashed across the front!) and drama shows that portray darker-skinned characters in a negative light.<br /><br />Until producers, TV hosts, artists and everyone in the entertainment industry change their mindset and deliver high quality, informative and non-sensationalist programming, you'll always have victims like Jan Jan, who, in his family's desperation for a cash prize that they would never get to earn even if they worked 24/7 for the rest of their lives, are exploited and abused.<br /><br />And unless government remains unable to provide its citizens with decent jobs paying decent wages, people will do whatever it takes to survive. Even if it means putting their nearest and dearest in perilous situations.mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-74272352309254336972010-05-11T16:27:00.004+01:002010-05-11T17:08:11.388+01:00Hang Up on the Hung ParliamentThe most exciting thing that's happened to me recently (apart from bagging the latest shoe purchase) is being given the opportunity to vote at the UK general elections on 6 May 2010. Now this isn’t the first time I have voted in the parliamentary elections, but it is the first time where the whole nation was riveted at the goings on in Westminster. The Press were so obviously backing their new golden boy, David Cameron of the Conservative Party, poor Gordon Brown of Labour couldn’t do anything right, and Nick Clegg’s Liberal Democrats, once seen as a non-entity was surging in the surveys due to his performance in the televised Leaders’ Debates (and eventually will have the ‘privilege’ of being the ‘king maker)’. <br /><br />On 06 May, we all voted – and despite all the television and news coverage we still couldn’t quite decide on one particular party to represent our nation to the world, thus we have a hung parliament. <br /><br />And while the nation waits in bated breath, I can’t help but be slightly worried at this disconcerting series of affairs. At first, I wanted to vote for the Liberal Democrats because their platform was the one that I thought would benefit hardworking people most – increase the income tax threshold to £10,000, smaller class sizes, the abolition of those stupid ID cards…it sounded really, erm, sound. The TV debates also proved that Mr Clegg can handle difficult questions under pressure, and I was more and more convinced that the Liberal Democrats were the real alternative. <br /><br />I found the Conservative manifesto shallow – the supposed marriage tax which provides tax relief to married couple will not, in my view place more value in marriages. If it did then it wouldn't give the same rights to the civil partnerships as they do to married couples. Their policy on immigration and the economy are flimsy at best, so they weren’t even on my radar. Normally a Labour voter, my view of them turned sour in recent months – what with the recent expenses scandal of top ministers while the country dipped deeply into recession…I was ready for a change.<br /><br />But as my husband said, ‘People keep on talking about change – but a change from what?’. It’s true the expenses scandal was unforgivable, but in reality, Mr Brown has gotten us out of the recession and was leading us further away from it. Inflation was low and so were interest rates, and his government has introduced a Australian-style points system to manage immigration. I liked the way he called Mrs Duffy a bigot – because that was what she was! And despite Jeremy Paxman’s annoying interview style and unfair accusations, Gordon Brown actually conducted himself well and articulated clearly his plans to continue the economic recovery of Britain in his one-to-one with him. What Brown lacks in charisma and stage presence he certainly makes up with economic knowledge and experience.<br /><br />So on polling day, I found myself changing my vote back to Labour. But it looks like it wasn’t going to be enough to make it the leading party. Mr Brown is stepping down as Labour leader, the Conservatives are putting the pressure on the Liberal Democrats to form a coalition with them. Today, after all the negotiations, Mr Clegg will make the all important decision – will it be Lib-Con or Lib-Lab? God help the United Kingdom if it happens to be the former. That is essentially Mr Clegg selling the nation’s soul to the devil.mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-77911221909987361052009-11-23T20:56:00.001+00:002009-11-23T20:59:11.904+00:00Fullness of LifeI find that when reading through the Old Testament, there are loads of scriptures that refer to the coming of Jesus, as well as the end times. For example, Isaiah writes:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, <br /> nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. <br /><br />He was despised and rejected by men, <br /> a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. <br /> Like one from whom men hide their faces <br /> he was despised, and we esteemed him not. <br /><br />Surely he took up our infirmities <br /> and carried our sorrows, <br /> yet we considered him stricken by God, <br /> smitten by him, and afflicted. <br /><br />But he was pierced for our transgressions, <br /> he was crushed for our iniquities; <br /> the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, <br /> and by his wounds we are healed. </span><br /><br />(Isaiah 53:2b-5)<br /><br />The more I read the Bible, the more I know that it is the true Word of God. Everything that was written in the Old Testament points to Jesus – His birth, His ministry, His life, death and His resurrection. And that He is the Christ, the Messiah.<br /><br />With Christmas fast approaching, no doubt there will be numerous nativity plays in schools, movies and TV shows on offer. But more than hearing about Jesus, finding out who Jesus really is, and how He is alive today and continues to change lives is what really matters. He certainly changed mine. I don’t know what life would be like if I didn’t know Him, and I wouldn’t even want to find out. All I know is, in Him I have fullness of life.mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-50691157990613606322009-06-30T15:23:00.001+01:002009-06-30T15:25:31.761+01:00The Heat Is OnIt's funny how I come from the tropics yet can't stand the heat. Britain is currently experiencing a heatwave. A British heatwave I hasten to add - that muggy, humid atmosphere and the distinct abscence of the sun.<br /><br />After a miserable winter, people should really be happy about that. Normally, it's nothing but rain and cold strong winds.<br /><br />In the office, there are 3 electric fans blowing hot air in full blast. I feel sticky, tired and lethargic. I want to go home and get under a cold and powerful shower. But alas, there is a lot to do. I'm trying not to think about the heat, but I can't concentrate. I want to take my clothes off and dip myself in a tub full of ice but I can't - not in a room full of geeks, anyhow. Won't be worth the effort! ;)<br /><br />Thank goodness for Wimbledon. My discomfort pales in comparison when you see the soaking crowd on Centre Court - and that's just the spectators, who are literally melting as Andy Murray gives it his all to the delight of the British contingent.<br /><br />Speaking of Wimbledon, I could murder some Kent strawberries and Cornish or Devon single cream....mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-16843546945763089022009-02-12T21:36:00.004+00:002009-02-12T22:12:08.397+00:00Oh, the drama!Well, I guess I can't complain. Today wasn't a fantastic day by any stretch of the imagination, but at least it wasn't a gawd-awful one, either. To relax, I'm watching a Filipino telenovella on YouTube while typing this, and despite the ridiculous story line, I feel compelled to watch it. Every night, I would look forward to watching the next far-fetched episode - it's escapism at its best.<div><br /></div><div>The story is the friendship between two men from opposite sides of the social spectrum - one who is dirt poor, and the other - filthy rich. They get along splendidly even if they don't have anything in common, apart from their name. They are both called David Garcia. I guess you know where this is going...</div><div><br /></div><div>It turns out that they are brothers. They share the same father, but different mothers. The philandering father had a one night stand with a prostitute and produced David the Dirt Poor. I don't know when exactly he met his now wife/partner, but the two of them have also produced a sprog, David, the Filthy Rich. And somehow, their paths cross...and so begins the twists and turns of this very unlikely story.</div><div><br /></div><div>The scriptwriting is contrived and the situations are hardly believable, and yet, so many people (including myself) watch it every day - at least 3000 of us. </div><div><br /></div><div>If there is one thing that I do realise about it is that I'm glad that it's only a fictional dramatisation. How tragic would it be if this situation happened to actual people.I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.</div>mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-54907483526874833532009-02-10T22:00:00.005+00:002009-02-10T22:25:01.858+00:00Over a year!I can't believe it's been almost a year since my last post! It's true what they say - it's easy to start a blog, but very hard to maintain. Even my husband's blog only has a single post, which, of course, makes me feel a tad better that I'm not as rubbish as he is when it comes to keeping my blog updated.<div><br /></div><div>The year started out OK - I have been quite busy with work and I suppose I should be grateful, judging by today's economic climate. Lately, however, I seem not to have the same energy and vigour as I used to. Perhaps it's the weather. After all, the snow storms of late have been awful and the cold and gale force winds have been relentless. </div><div><br /></div><div>Or maybe it's because I haven't had the chance to sleep very well. I've been catching up on years of not watching any Filipino movies or TV shows and so spend endless hours on <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">YouTube</span>, getting <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">'kilig'</span> with the assortment of soppy romance-themed shows between John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo (actually, to be honest, anything with John Lloyd in it is a plus in my book!), KC Concepcion and Richard Gutierrez, and the like.</div><div><br /></div><div>Whatever it is, I just can't seem to get motivated. I need to get my 'oomph' back. There's some very interesting projects in the pipeline which I really want to get my teeth into. All I need now is for this persistent cold to go away, and for me to stop watching Pinoy telenovellas til the we hours of the morning!</div><div><br /></div><div>And of course, I need to start ranting and raving on my blog again. So to you, my non-existent reader, hang on tight. Mancypino's back - at least for now.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-19563151277690244572008-02-24T17:15:00.004+00:002009-02-10T22:28:03.883+00:00A vicious cycle<span style="font-family:verdana;">I must admit, I don't always know what's going on in the country of my birth, the Philippines. As a matter of fact, it's my father-in-law (who's English) often rings me to tell me the latest government shenanigans or when a natural calamity hits the country.<br /><br />Most recently, I visited the <a href="http://www.inquirer.net/">Philippine Daily Inquirer</a> website to be greeted by news about the latest cry of the people for the ouster of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. A government official has testified before a Senate inquiry that Arroyo's husband Jose Miguel, and former elections chief Benjamin Abalos tried to get millions in kickbacks from a $339-million <a href="http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=120754">telecoms deal</a> with China's state-run firm ZTE.<br /><br />It amazes me how people easily forget the injustices the Filipino people experienced only 20 years ago. I was still a young girl when first People Power revolution took place, which ultimately ousted the Marcos's despicable dictatorship. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">And yet, just a little over 20 years later, the scions of this same corrupt family are in power once again. Maybe not taking the highest seat in the land, but the fact that they are in public service at all, when they obviously don’t have the public interest at heart, beggars belief.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The Filipino people are tired of fighting and are losing hope that the country will every change. But at the same time, they keep on electing the same thieves, goons and unqualified politicians whose only claim to power is in their ill-gotten wealth. It’s a vicious cycle.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In contrast, anytime a politician in Britain gets associated with any wrong doing, the press and the people are quick to get to the bottom of the allegation and if found guilty, put enough pressure on the erring minister or government official so they have no choice but to swiftly resign, shamed publicly by their crime.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Not so with Filipino politicians. They will hang on to power with every shred of will they can muster, intimidating, bribing, and even killing people in the process. These people make a career out of public service, and get their equally corrupt gang of spouses, children, in-laws, and household help to replace them when their terms of office come to a close. Well, charity begins at home, right?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Until people are made accountable, punished, put in prison for their crimes, and are barred from taking up any position of public office in the future, in a few year’s time, the Filipino people will be once again taking to the streets, trying to throw out yet another politician, whom they elected only a few years before.</span>mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-39650952633908822432007-11-22T10:14:00.001+00:002009-02-10T22:27:18.223+00:00Absolute Rubbish!<span style="font-family:verdana;">Now, before I start, can I just say that I am under no illusions that my taste in TV (and in films and music for that matter) falls somewhere between awfully cheesy and positively dreadful. Just one glance at the contents of my iPod will get you to agree. I have everything from Britney Spears, S Club 7, Barry Manilow…all the way to the Masters of Cheese, Westlife.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">But my husband is something else. A self-proclaimed music and film aficionado/guru, he looks down at my music and DVD collection with contempt and disdain. And yet, for all his snooty-nosed musings, he watches 2 TV shows that I think are worse than all my easy listening CDs combined.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">As I type this, I am subjected to yet another rubbish episode of ‘</span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.mastersofscifi.com/">Masters of Science Fiction</a><span style="font-family:verdana;">’. I’ve never seen anything so utterly cringe-worthy in my entire life! These one-hour shows every Thursday evening on </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.bravo.co.uk/">Bravo</a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> (need I say more?!?!) have the most ill-conceived, badly written and painfully shambolic scripts I have seen since Mission to Mars (don't even get me started on that one!).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Tonight’s episode is about a scientist who has developed these silver bird machines, who are supposed to uphold the delicate balance of the earth. So, like miniature Robocops, these creatures fly around the earth stinging the bad people with laser-like powers. And of course, just to add a bit of a twist (if you can call it that), the birds turn bad and go on a stinging spree.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Total and utter rubbish! Even my youngest niece can come up with a better story than that! Worse of all, my other half actually acknowledges that the show is crap, yet every week, we sit together and watch something even worse than Big Brother or I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">To top it all off, Sundays are dedicated to another </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.bravo.co.uk/">Bravo</a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> TV masterpiece – ‘</span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.dogthebountyhunter.com/">Dog The Bounty Hunter</a><span style="font-family:verdana;">’. A whole day of this pretend cop and his family of equally dodgy characters is almost impossible to avoid. Dog (yep, that’s his name) owns a bail bonds company in Hawaii, and when a criminal goes on a runner, he finds them and brings them to justice – with a twist! He gets all gooey and gives unsolicited advice for these hardened criminals to mend their ways. Aaww shucks!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I think I’ll be sticking to listening to my cheese this weekend. No, I don’t think – I know.</span>mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-42285049744893232912007-09-08T12:39:00.000+01:002007-11-23T09:34:20.209+00:00Will the real Jo Malone Please Stand Up!<p style="font-family: verdana;"></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"><span style=";font-size:100%;" >There has been a lot of brouhaha about Philippine lifestyle columnist Malu Fernandez. Her recently penned article in People Asia and The Manila Standard has generated so much outrage and outcry from OFWs the world over due to her racist, discriminatory and tasteless comments. Much has been said about the article, including blog sites asking for her resignation.<br /><br />In Malu's article entitled, "<a href="http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=goodLife2_april16_2007%20">Are you a stinky linky? Or do you smell like a divine divalicious babe?</a>" (16 April 2007) she goes on a tirade of her awful experience of flying coach class on her way back from a holiday in Greece.<br /><br />As a person and individual, she has every right to pen articles to express her misguided and delusional opinions. Mind you, If I could afford it, I too would fly Business or First Class all the time, but alas, not all of us are fortunate to have Ms Fernandez's hefty bank account.<br /><br />However, I was terribly irked when someone who thinks of herself as a woman of the world starts talking utter rubbish! As a Jo Malone scent wearer, I was irritated when she wrote, and I quote,<br /><br /></span></div><p style="font-family: verdana;"></p><blockquote style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">"...and oldest friend Samantha Eduque got me into Jo Malone and I haven’t stopped buying his scents."<br /><br /></span></blockquote> <p style="font-family: verdana;"></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: verdana;"><span style=";font-size:100%;" >Jo Malone is a woman, for Ms Fernandez's information. Surely someone as up her own back side as Ms Fernandez would know that. Any journalist/writer worth their salt would've done a bit of research. That's what Google is for. Maybe she should go to one of Jo Malone's stores here in the UK to get a bit of education (only if she can fly First Class, of course!)<p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-size:100%;" ><br />It's a shame that Ms Fernandez is more interested in making pretentious and derogatory comments about people who keep the Philippine economy afloat than getting her facts straight. It's a good thing she only writes about frivolous topics like perfume and travel. God forbid she ever gets an assignment on real life, hard-hitting news.</span><br /></div><br /></span></div><p style="font-family: verdana;"></p>mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-62511106684671071352007-08-26T23:10:00.000+01:002007-09-08T02:36:08.256+01:00A Weekend With The Kids<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">I've been spending the last of the Bank Holiday weekend in Northampton with my friend, Joy, her partner and kids. It's a long drive from Manchester where I live, but I wanted to make the trip as we don't see each other very often. The weather has been glorious, and the local park we went to spend the afternoon was choc-a-block with families picnicking, screaming children and the strong smell of barbecued food was making me hungry.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">Over the weekend, I've had the opportunity to do a bit of babysitting. Oh my goodness, it is totally shattering! The constant running around, telling off, trying to appease a moody kid...I don't know how millions and billions of parents all over the world do it. From tantrums to tucking into bed, every activity is a battle needing to be won.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">In all the chaos, my friend eased in her role of mother as if it's the most natural thing in the world. And I really admire her, and mothers like her for such patience...and love. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">I honestly don't know how I would cope. Being so used to a life without children to look after, the concept of looking after such precious souls is alien to me. And yet when I do the occasional babysitting duties for friends and see how precocious, full of wonder and innocent children are, I get a glimpse of what mothers must feel for their kids.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;">I may have the freedom of being able to do what I want, when I want, but I'm only too acutely aware that I'm missing out on a whole other world my friend Joy is fortunate enough to live in.</span></span></div>mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-81104006241578980552007-08-16T22:59:00.000+01:002007-09-08T02:42:26.667+01:00Old Friends, New Friends<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: lucida grande;font-size:100%;" >Today, my hubby and I said our goodbyes to one of our very good friends. </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: lucida grande;font-size:100%;" >As she made her way to Terminal 2 of Manchester International Airport, we wave sadly at her, knowing it may be some time before we see her again.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: lucida grande;font-size:100%;" >I've become used to this scene. It seems that one by one, our friends are moving on to pastures new. They take on new jobs, go home to their own country, and sometimes we simply lose touch. </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: lucida grande;font-size:100%;" >At first, it was heart-breaking. Saying goodbye is never easy, and even with the best of intentions, you tend to lose touch, except perhaps during special occasions like birthdays and Christmas. Then after a while, you meet new people and develop new friendships, and one day, they too will move on elsewhere. It's the Circle of Life.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: lucida grande;font-size:100%;" >Sometimes I think, is everyone else moving on but me? I've been here a decade now and I've seen countless people come and go. I sometimes wonder what it would be like for me to move on, get another job in another city or even another country. I get excited just thinking about it and daydream of my 'new life'.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: lucida grande;font-size:100%;" >However, no matter how many times I think about it, I know this is where my life is - with my husband, in our humble abode, in Manchester. It's making a difference in this city, making a positive contribution in my local community and be a familiar face to Filipinos who have made Manchester home, if only for a few years as they pursue Masters and PhD degrees.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: lucida grande;font-size:100%;" >One day, I know I will retire to my homeland where I will enjoy the gorgeous white sand beaches, gloriously warm sunshine and gastronomic fares familiar to me. But until then, it's Manchester for me. And I'm going to make the most of what this city has to offer.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><br /></div>mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-88524263016088689532007-07-19T10:41:00.000+01:002007-09-08T02:43:34.400+01:00Nettles and Old Wives' Tales<div style="font-family: lucida grande; text-align: justify;font-family:verdana;" ><span style="font-size:100%;">I've recently come back from this year's <a href="http://http//www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/workshops/webmaster-2007/">Institutional Web Management Workshop</a> held at <a href="http://www.york.ac.uk/">University of York</a>.<br /><br />As from previous years, the event was excellent. There were old and new faces, good topics for discussion and it was a great event all around.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: lucida grande; text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: lucida grande; text-align: justify;font-family:lucida grande;" ><span style="font-size:100%;">But if there's something I took away with me, it's that the best way to avoid getting stung by nettles is to grab them with full force and gusto. WHAT?!? I said the same myself in between fits of giggles. I almost gagged on my pizza!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: lucida grande; text-align: justify;font-family:lucida grande;" > </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: lucida grande; text-align: justify;font-family:lucida grande;" ><span style="font-size:100%;">Sitting in <a href="http://la-vecchia-scuola.co.uk/">La Vecchia Scuola</a>, a lovely Italian restaurant near the York Minster with the Manchester contingent, Keith from Salford regaled us with a tale of a time when his brother told him that the best way not to get stung by nettles is to grab a great bunch of them at the same time. According to Keith's brother, it works. Ouch! Either that or he was seriously winding Keith up. And no, I won't be trying grabbing onto nettles anytime soon.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: lucida grande; text-align: justify;" face="lucida grande"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: lucida grande; text-align: justify;" face="lucida grande"><span style="font-size:100%;">Which brings me to the point of this blog. What old wives' tales have your dearly beloved tried to convince you was real, or something you practice today? Things like 'not eating bread crusts will give you curly hair' or 'If your left ear itches, someone is speaking ill of you'. Duh! Do people still believe in these things? If so, why on earth?<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />Answers on a postcard, please.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: lucida grande; text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: lucida grande; text-align: justify;"> </div>mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-84320181399184181802007-07-14T00:24:00.000+01:002007-09-08T02:45:07.167+01:00Facebook Mania<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: lucida grande;font-size:100%;" >It's amazing what a few years can achieve. I still vividly remember the summer of 1995. That was the first time I had internet access at home. And since then, the internet has featured significantly in my life. It has made me new friends, communicate quickly across continents, it's given me a career, but most importantly, the internet was instrumental in meeting my husband.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: lucida grande;font-size:100%;" >For those who are being born in the noughties, the internet has always existed. They don't know of a time when people relied on fax machines to communicate with people overseas, or to wholly rely on the travel agents at the high street to book holidays. Nowadays, it's incomprehensible not to be on the World Wide Web in one shape or form.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: lucida grande;font-size:100%;" >In recent years, we've seen the rise of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0">Web 2.0</a> applications. Social networking sites, mash-ups and of course, blogging sites are rife in today's web experience. It took me a while to get blogging (partly because my life isn't all that exciting so I struggle to find something to blog about regularly!), but I have since discovered <a href="http://www.facebook.com/">Facebook</a>, and like hundreds of thousands of people, I am hooked.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: lucida grande;font-size:100%;" >I don't know what the big thing about Facebook is, really. Much like other social networking sites like <a href="http://www.myspace.com/">My Space</a> and <a href="http://www.friendster.com/">Friendster</a>, Facebook lets you add and search for friends, send messages, join groups and just mess about, really. If you look at it objectively, there's nothing special about Facebook, and yet it is the fastest growing social networking site in the UK.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: lucida grande;font-size:100%;" >Why is this? Maybe it's a combination of all the things you can do whilst on it. I love it when my 'Friends' list grows, when people write on my 'wall', and when someone sends me a random 'gift'. It's the feeling of community, of belonging somewhere, of knowing that someone out there considers you a friend, and realising that you can re-kindle long lost friendships.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: lucida grande;font-size:100%;" >In today's 'instant' culture and impersonal encounters, websites like Facebook allow its subscribers to simulate what we used to do before the internet - interact with each other face to face. And for someone like me who has lost touch with friends because I emigrated to the UK, Facebook is very welcome indeed.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><br /></div>mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-49236035101052895052007-06-23T00:26:00.000+01:002007-09-08T02:51:27.140+01:00Recapturing My Youth<p style="text-align: justify;font-family:lucida grande;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Last weekend, the husband and I trekked down to <st1:city st="on">London</st1:city> to 'big it up with the kids' at the <a href="http://www.wirelessfestival.co.uk/">O2 Wireless Festival</a> in <st1:place st="on">Hyde Park</st1:place>. We've been planning this for months - booked our tickets, accommodation and topped up our Oyster cards, ready for some quality music and great atmosphere.<br /><br />So alas, we arrive. Filled with anticipation, we queued with the throng of people already gathered in front of us. There was lively chatter, everyone excited and waiting patiently to get in through the gates. And only a few minutes later, we were in!<br /><br />From afar, you could hear high pitched shrieks coming from those brave enough to go on the amusement rides. Husband and I look at each other and decide we're actually quite chicken and give the rides a miss. Looking further on, there are food stalls littered across the perimeter of the park selling substandard yet over-priced nosh, and an assortment of booths selling everything from medicines to official merchandise.<br /><br />First thing we do is head for the O2 Blueroom, a special section of the park where O2 customers (like myself) get to chill out, relax, have a drink, watch bands play, but most of all, have clean toilet facilities with running water - the Holy Grail in these kinds of events. Husband plonks himself comfortably on a big white leather sofa, while I go to the bar and get us some drinks.<br /><br />And just as we were settling down, the heavens open. And it pours down like there's no tomorrow. Like sad and lonely people, we sat glued to our soaking wet sofa as we got absolutely drenched. Everywhere you looked, people were either running for cover or creating makeshift raincoats out of carrier bags. The rest, just like us, just sat in the rain, eating soggy sandwiches from Sainsburys. We were having so much fun - and it was only 2pm.<br /><br />When the rain eventually stopped, the husband and I looked at the schedule for the day, agreed to only go to the coolest, hippest, must-see acts and so made a beeline for the XFM tent. As we squeezed ourselves in, the smell of sweat, stale beer and even staler weed engulfed our nostrils.<br /><br />Looking like a sardine tin overflowing with fish suffering from Attention Deficit Disorder, the tent was buzzing with pocked-marked teens, uber-cool yuppies and size 0 WAG-types who spend too much time in the tanning salon. We made our way (with much struggle) to get as close to the stage as possible, and as we got to about the fourth row from the front, I was gutted. I felt positively geriatric being surrounded by a sea of kids who looked like they were just born as I entered uni. All of a sudden, my youth seemed like a million years away.<br /><br />The excitement reached boiling point as Calvin Harris entered the stage. The atmosphere was positively electric - this was going to be ace! But as the first song started, I found myself being kneed, trampled upon, shoved, poked and absolutely violated. Haven't any of these people ever heard of personal space?! Halfway though the second song, I simply had enough and the lovely husband (who by the way, didn't look any better) took pity on me and led me to the back, where the more sensible crowd milled about, enjoying the music without being assaulted. Even as Digitalism rocked the tent after Calvin, we decided we liked the music without being subject to actual bodily harm. After two hours, we had enough of the XFM tent and retreated to the O2 Blueroom. Back to comfortable seats, clean loos, and ice cold beer. Bliss!</span> </p><div style="font-family: lucida grande; text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="font-family: lucida grande; text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:lucida grande;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p>The best was saved for last. When <a href="http://www.daftpunk.com/">Daft Punk</a> came on stage, the sea of humanity went absolutely wild. There were thousands of people, as far as the eye can see dancing their cares away. From their classics ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger’ and ‘Around The World’, to their newest release, ‘Human After All’, the crowd was not disappointed. <span style=""> </span>The sea of humanity before us was a sight to behold and it was impossible not let all inhibitions go. Even the husband showed signs of moving to the beat, and he doesn’t dance at all! </span></p><div style="font-family: lucida grande; text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:lucida grande;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style="font-family: lucida grande; text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:lucida grande;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">At the end of it all, we were tired, hungry, and smelt positively awful. Half my toenails were dead and both looked worse for wear. And yet, we both agreed that it was one of the best things we’ve ever done together. As we made our way back to the hotel, we started making plans for the future…O2 Wireless Festival 2008 – One More Time.</span></p>mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-70524202110485504012007-06-04T19:15:00.000+01:002007-06-23T00:34:47.382+01:00It's My Way Or The Highway<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Sometimes, I really think I am the cow from hell. While you probably will not come up with the same conclusion when you see just how angelic my features are (*cough*), if you knew the things that go around my head, you'll probably agree with me.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">On Sunday, the other half kindly volunteered to mow our back garden. Yippee, I say to myself, at least I don't have to deal with that. Now I can concentrate on other things, like slobbing away in front of the telly, while His Royal Highness slaves away with the Flymo.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">But as I sat down to watch the Coronation Street omnibus, I couldn't relax. My mind and my body were being drawn to the back garden. I tried to resist it for all of two minutes, and as I headed out of the house, I couldn't help but sigh - it looked like a 6-year old was let loose in my backyard. It was like a disaster at the hairdressers!</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">When HRH finally 'finished' the job, I thanked him for his efforts, but deep inside, I was itching to get the mower and strimmer to do the job all over again! Call me an ungrateful so-and-so, but there's a certain way I like things done. And if someone (and this is not just HRH) can't do it in the way I'd like to have something done, I'd rather do it myself, thank you very much!</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Am I mean? Am I ungrateful? I can't help it sometimes, it's just the way I am. Because even in the most simple of things, I want things done well. An OK job is just not good enough.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Mohammed Ali once said: 'If I were a garbage man, I want to be the best garbage man there is.' - or something to that effect. I think the same principle should hold true to everyone.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Then again, maybe that's me expecting too much.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">PS. And to clarify (before HRH gives me the cold shoulder), the other half is great with washing up and DIY. So see, he does have some redeeming factors.</span></span><br /><br /></div>mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-33762352530910879602007-05-28T20:29:00.000+01:002007-06-23T00:36:32.677+01:00Enough of Big Brother<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">It's that time of the year again - Blooming Big Brother. Now on its eight season, this series promises to be more bizarre and mind-numbing than ever. Even after the scandal that beset the previous celebrity version of the of the show, </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.channel4.com/bigbrother/">Big Brother</a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> has maintained a loyal (if erratic) following.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">For the life of me, I don't know why people spend hours and hours watching people do nothing. At least with a normal TV show, there's a plot, a developed storyline and interesting characters. With this kind of reality TV, where there is no goal apart from winning the prize money at whatever the cost, it all seems totally pointless.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">This year, we have an all-famale house, and the last I hear, they're going to introduce a man into the picture. Wow, great! How very exciting indeed.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Unfortunately for me, everyone I come in contact with is watching the show. It's in the papers, on telly, in people's conversation, it's even on </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://mmu.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2259901219">Facebook</a><span style="font-family:verdana;">! I guess I'll just have to grin and bear it for the next 12 weeks. But if anyone comes over to me to have a natter - they'll have to talk to the hand!</span></span></div>mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-83015423007146915472007-04-29T22:12:00.000+01:002007-06-23T00:38:29.325+01:00Big Decisions<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Now before you get carried away, I must admit that the decision I have to come to is not life-changing. It's not about whether which route I need to take to lessen my carbon footprint, or whether I need to switch careers. Nevertheless, the decision I make is VERY important to me.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Want to know what it is? It's a choice between:</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">a top of the range Apple MacBook</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi290_IV9KXlAaclN2yWfMT_VggmKQqYa2oVqe0XKa7rssU3G7dJpOg79RBt6Gc217eLOdaM40OgWAB0-_PL7enSWWwveyyHq7s_N61HGsdYcXLBF2S9sFKugpwGb_rPGm6NsBl/s1600-h/macbook.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 209px; height: 131px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi290_IV9KXlAaclN2yWfMT_VggmKQqYa2oVqe0XKa7rssU3G7dJpOg79RBt6Gc217eLOdaM40OgWAB0-_PL7enSWWwveyyHq7s_N61HGsdYcXLBF2S9sFKugpwGb_rPGm6NsBl/s320/macbook.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5058969265806623090" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">or the Louis Vuitton Segur MM Bag with matching wallet</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="font-family: verdana;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_DXbaSaMGwg634mQJlZhmWblunSkBJb69azlp8Th61kHswHPZNiskjxed_Gi9lGoH8ROyF98zex2dd1jSr37v7IMu3FKySGNG7HkcpH2BhaIiVMHwpl3UWihKDCUEbyhscn3/s1600-h/segurmm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_DXbaSaMGwg634mQJlZhmWblunSkBJb69azlp8Th61kHswHPZNiskjxed_Gi9lGoH8ROyF98zex2dd1jSr37v7IMu3FKySGNG7HkcpH2BhaIiVMHwpl3UWihKDCUEbyhscn3/s200/segurmm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5058970807699882386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">For the techies among you, the MacBook wins hands down. For you, there is no question. However, if you are a fashionista follower, if you are one of those who wish they could have Colleen McLaughlin's handbag collection, know what it's like to get an exquisitely beautiful (if sinfully expensive) handbag like the Louis Vuitton Epi leather.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">What about if you're like me - a half and half? A techie who doesn't look like one, a WAG without the size 0 wardrobe nor the footballer partner?</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">If only I could get them both, my problem will be solved. But my bank account (or Mr Mancypino for that matter) will not allow such frivolous expenses. It'll have to be one or the other.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">I'm stumped!</span></span></div>mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-12267637061531120652007-04-12T13:25:00.001+01:002007-06-23T00:40:27.001+01:00Is That Summer I Feel?<div style="text-align: justify;" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Today, I cheered as I saw a wasp come into my office through the window beside my desk. I never thought I'd be so happy to see these otherwise annoying and dangerously deadly creatures, but eyeballing similar flying creatures can only mean one thing - summer's on its way! After many months of sniffles and thick coats, dark and dreary skies and the occasional snow storm, the welcoming scent of freshly cut grass and the sun shining brightly is well overdue!</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I strimmed, mowed and raked our Amazon Forest of a back garden, and now it's nice a trimmed, ready for some lawnfeed. Perfect for some summer entertaining! Here's looking forward to a nice, long, hot summer. I'm sure I will regret saying that two months down the line when I'm roasting in the heat, wishing for winter to come and praying for the snow to come and rescue me from the sweltering weather.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Oh well, we're never happy with what we have, are we?</span><br /><br /></span></div>mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-45648155038655299462007-03-30T16:21:00.001+01:002007-06-23T00:41:13.802+01:00That Friday Feeling<div style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify;" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><span style="font-size:100%;">I don't know why, but I <i>can't</i> get motivated today. I feel like staying at home, in my most tatty, faded yet comfortable jim jams and veg out. Just writing this simple blog is taking every single bit of energy I can muster - and I'm even sitting down! It might be the weather, or it may be the fact that I have been going out after work practically every night this week. Not a good idea when you're getting on a bit like me.<br /><br /><br />I have quickly realised that I'm no longer in my 20's where partying 7 nights a week was normal. It seems that all those years of partying has taken its toll now that I am in my 30's. I can just about keep awake for last orders in my local pub. Gone are the days when I start the night out by having a few drinks in the pub/bar, then go off dancing the night away in a really cool club. The only club I go to now is my local bingo club - and even then I am pushed to stay past 9pm!<br /><br /><br />Oh the joys of life. When we're young, we struggle so hard to be grown up. Now that I'm heading towards 'the middle ages', I remember fondly the careless adventures of my youth. That's human nature, I suppose. Always looking for something you don't have.<br /><br /><br /></span></div>mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-64549977675594252392007-03-27T22:06:00.000+01:002007-06-23T00:43:23.282+01:00The Curse of Battlestar Galactica<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">It’s another Tuesday night and once again, I have been relegated to the bedroom, while my other half sits in the living room, surround sound on full force, watching what I consider to be his mistress - <a href="http://www.battlestargalactica.com/index.htm">Battlestar Galactica</a>. For one hour, I am not allowed to wander down the stairs or say a word lest his majesty be terribly irate. And so I sit up here, surfing the net, listening to cheesy songs as I wait for those 60 long minutes to lapse til I can move freely around my own home.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Perverse it may seem, but I believe that it’s healthy for married couples to have time alone - so if that means I am banished to the top of the tower, as it were, I guess that’s a small price to pay for years of married bliss.</span></span></div>mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-10339397132088167082007-03-20T17:30:00.000+00:002007-03-27T21:20:04.097+01:00I think I've been Englified<div style="font-family: verdana;" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="">Today, I experienced the weirdest thing - I didn't feel like eating rice. </span><br /><span style=""><br />For a Filipino, this is almost an impossibility. Case in point: I have a Filipino friend who has been living in the UK for almost 7 years and she still eats rice everyday. She's never had a Sunday Roast (which is a shame, really - something I intend to rectify sharphish!) and pretty much eats Pinoy food everyday.</span><br /><span style=""><br />I, on the other hand, have the best of both worlds. I enjoy a regular helping of Filipino cuisine, but at the same time, I also eat Mexican, Italian, Swedish, Spanish and of course, British food on a regular basis. My husband and I love good food and eating out is one of our passions.</span><span style=""><br /><br />But no matter what exotic cuisine I may pop into my big gob, I still manage to squeeze freshly boiled rice (the white one - you know, the one that's bad for you!) into my regular diet.</span><br /><span style=""><br />However, in recent days, my desire to eat rice has been laclustre at best. I've started craving for potatoes. In all shapes and kinds. Chips, crisps, boiled, fried, oven baked, roasted, mashed...Even the other half is starting to wonder, when one evening, he suggested we have </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kare-kare">Kare Kare</a><span style="">. And for the first time in my 30+ years on God's good earth, I didn't feel like Filipino food, or any food that you ate rice with for that matter.</span><br /><span style=""><br />I told him I wanted a chip butty. He almost fainted. Is there something wrong with me?</span><br /><br /><br /></span></div>mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-39116986794825206562007-02-20T17:49:00.000+00:002007-02-21T17:55:33.571+00:00The Magic Number<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The number 8 is significant in particular cultures because it symbolises luck and prosperity. Although I don't ascribe to such baseless superstitions nowadays, I did when I was younger. Silly old me actually believed that if I had the number 8 in my chat handle, car registration or username, that good luck will follow me wherever I went. How naive I was then! Now I know that there's no such thing as luck - if you want prosperity and success, you'll have to work for it. And no amount of number 8s will change that reality.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">I'm focussing on the number 8 because today, my husband and I celebrate 8 years of married bliss. Well, the fact that we haven't strangled each other all this time is a major achievement! Kidding aside, however, I know that I am very fortunate to have found someone who has willingly shared his life with me - and quite frankly, actually doesn't mind sharing my life with him at all!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">In a world where marriages come and go, where divorce seems to be the norm (government and think-tank statistics tell us this) and infidelity seems somehow acceptable, I'm grateful for the partnership I have with my other half. It's not a walk in the park, mind you. As a matter of fact, marriage is the biggest commitment I have ever made in my life. It's the reason I left the comforts and familiarity of my homeland and everything that comes with it. But what dividends I gained in return! I can't imagine a life different from what I have now - well, maybe with the exception of adding more to my designer handbag collection, but apart from that, I'm sorted, thank you very much.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here's looking forward to 8 more years and 8 more after that and 8 more...</span></span>mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35189260.post-56182960803145492572007-01-13T10:04:00.000+00:002007-01-16T10:05:30.330+00:00January Blues<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">All the turkey's been eaten and presents have been opened. Credit cards are charged to the max and everyone's back in work. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">January sucks, doesn't it? Instead of an introduction, it's more of an anti-climax. January reminds me of that awful film 'Mission to Mars'. The first hour and a half was exciting, much like the buzz we all get when Christmas is coming up. Then, Gary Sinise ruins it all by deciding he wanted to be with the aliens and live happily ever after. That's what January's like - the month that ruins Christmas.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Everyone's skint, the weather is atrocious (as I look out the window writing this, the wind is howling and it's pouring down in flood-like proportions), and everyone's poorly. My office building is filled with people sniffling, coughing, heaving. Workstations look like mini chemists, filled with an assortment of over the counter medication.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">I wish it was February. </span></span>mancypinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09304486734468956099noreply@blogger.com0