i haven't blogged in ages!
a few days ago, my family and i arrived from a trip to Russia and Dubai, which we took during the Holy Week. it was weird experiencing 2 extremely different weather conditions in one trip. we were freezing in Moscow & St. Petersburg, then feeling the scorching heat in Dubai. but it was fun...one of the best trip i've had in years. i'm glad we got to explore some "exotic" locations.
of course, the only way to show how much fun we had during our trip is to post some pictures. but right now, i'm too lazy to upload from our digicam so maybe i'll do that in the next post.
March is coming to an end tomorrow and before we know it, we have another month to contend with. i can't believe how time flies so fast but i guess there's nothing much we can do about it, eh?
work is still work. it sure as hell feels like work everyday. not that i stopped trying to have fun, though. i try to squeeze in some occassional laughter and "chika sessions" with officemates from time to time but when you really look at it...it's all just work. just a job. and i guess i'm so glad i'm learning to have a life outside of work. i just wish i had more to look forward to. i have a feeling i should be trying something new this year.
What? Yes? :)
- back from the (former) USSR
-
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=91.6)
rinatots- March 30th, 2008
- going to Russia
-
- rinatots
- March 14th, 2008
finally...some time off from work! going on a week-long holiday to Russia (with a short stopover in Dubai) with my family. i've been looking forward to this trip for so long. actually, i'm looking forward to a lot of things...hopefully they will work out. :)
i hope you all have a pleasant Holy Week. :)
- cute quiz
-
- rinatots
- February 6th, 2008
You are the moment when the last bell rings and school lets out for the day. You are resistant to schedules and obligations, so you love feeling like you're in control of your life again. You are the very moment when the second hand hits the 12, and the halls fill with noise and motion. Even if your after-school time is packed with activities, lessons, or a job, somehow, you just feel freer in the late afternoon than you do earlier in the day. Maybe it's all that blue sky and afternoon sunshine? Nah -- even on rainy days, 3:15 is always a beautiful time.
- i'm still here
-
- rinatots
- January 20th, 2008
despite my laziness to update this blog...i would still like to make my presence felt. i've been busy with work lately, or at least i'm trying to be busy. it's a struggle to keep things interesting with the work that i do but i think i'm getting there. it may not be the best thing to do right now but...a job is a job and i guess i have to put up with it until something better comes along. whenever that may be, i just don't know. :P
so to keep my mind off the usual reflections on said job/career, i try to distract myself with little things like drinking coffee, window-shopping, watching movies and reading books. just recently i finished reading Mario Puzo's "The Godfather" and i was amazed by the novel. i think it's even better than the film. in fact, i'd like to watch "The Godfather trilogy" again, just for kicks.
speaking of films that i've watched recently...i saw "Sweeney Todd" and "The Heartbreak Kid" this weekend. both are interesting films and are a must-see if you want to be entertained. :)
i really wish there were more weekends. i'd like to escape sometimes.
- hoping for a great 2008 :)
-
- rinatots
- January 1st, 2008
Happy New Year, everyone! :) i was looking through past blog entries and realized i've always had a year-end entry but last night (Dec 31, 2007) i think i was just too lazy to blog. the year-end celebrations were a bit more "subdued" this year, but i still got a glimpse of a wonderful fireworks display from outside our window come midnight. oh well.
i'm just thankful for another year. i don't know how to sum up everything that happened in 2007....there were the certain "career highs and lows" but looking back, i think it was a good year for me to learn new things and meet new people, and to improve on existing relationships with friends and loved ones.
i'm really hoping that 2008 will be much better for me. i want to focus more on certain goals and just..."try harder" when it comes to everything in my life. :)
i think this song totally sums up what i want to happen in 2008. it's from the soundtrack of "Serendipity"...one of my all-time favorite movies:
This Year
Chantal Kreviazuk
This year, is gonna be incredible
This year, is gonna be the one
All the planets are lining up for me
This year, I'm gonna have fun
This year, I'll paint my masterpiece
This year, I'll be recognized
I can feel like I'll fall in love for real
This year, this year
January, I'll learn to fly
February, love's gonna find me
March, April, May, I'll get carried away
Oh, oh...
This year, I'll reach the pinnacle
This year, I'll get to the top
People will ask where she gets that energy
This year, I'm never gonna stop
January, I'll learn to fly
February, love's gonna find me
March, April, May, I'll get carried away
Oh, oh, oh, oh...
This year, is gonna be incredible
This year, is gonna be the one
All the planets are lining up for me
This year, I'm gonna have fun
I'm gonna have fun
Just watch me now
This year
This year
This year
- Merry Christmas!
-
- rinatots
- December 25th, 2007
Happy Holidays, everyone! :) just a few pictures from Christmas parties i've gone to this month. :)
me, Stef and Jacq at the BDO Treasury Christmas Party (Dec. 7, 2007)
with the girls at the annual Beach Christmas party at Mickey's (Dec. 15, 2007)
the Alarilla cousins at the Meycauayan, Bulacan house (Dec. 23, 2007)
- blast from the past
-
- rinatots
- December 8th, 2007
oh wow...i haven't had a decent blog post in a month? whoa.
anyway...i don't know if you guys have heard of the website FutureMe.org. it's a site that allows you to send an email to yourself which will arrive at a specified time in the future...like, a year from now. i completely forgot about the website until i received something that i wrote to myself a year ago...December 5, 2006 to be exact. here's what it says:
Dear Rina,
somehow, as you were composing this letter a year ago, you were going through some sort of quarter-life crisis. the crisis was mainly career-related. it seemed as if you were stuck in a situation that you can't get out of due to the lack of options.
a year ago, you would've contemplated resigning from the present job you were holding to look for greener pastures elsewhere. i don't know. maybe you've found those greener pastures, or maybe you're still stuck working for the same company.
for the first time in your life, you were unsure. you thought you had it all figured out but apparently, plans can change. there was a time when you weren't being yourself. you'd skip work just to avoid certain dreaded feelings and responsibilities, when you've never even skipped school in your entire life if you weren't sick. that's alarming behavior for the likes of you.
i just hope that when you remember all of that hoopla from last year, you will realize how foolish it all was. maybe you can just laugh it off and chalk it up to experience. maybe you are a much stronger person than you were before, and i do hope that happens.
don't be afraid of change. change may be difficult but in the end, it's all for the best.
count your blessings. don't be tempted to wallow in self-pity like i did. you are surrounded by a family who loves you and friends who support you constantly. nothing can ever beat that.
try to find a glimmer of hope and happiness in every day. sometimes it's the little things that can make a difference. we just refuse to see it that way.
when you read this, i hope you're happy and content. hope this finds you well. :)
**************************************************
i can't describe exactly how i felt after reading something from my "past self". after a year, i got to thinking...am i still the same person i was as before? did things change? did things improve? or am i still stuck in the same boat? so many questions but i don't want to bother with the answers right now.
on the other hand, it's nice to know how insightful i was back then. i'm thinking of sending another email to my "future self" again soon.
- birthday girl
-
- rinatots
- November 8th, 2007
i'm 23 as of yesterday. thank you for all the greetings and for everyone who remembered and made the day extra special for me. :)
i didn't go on a "birthday leave" yesterday...it was business as usual for me, and besides, i'm allowed to file the birthday leave on any day of this month. plenty of time for that.:) i'm just surprised that a lot of my officemates remembered my birthday...the BDO Treasury people in Ortigas, the EPCIB traders in Makati and some of the BDO/EPCIB branch managers too. thanks guys! :)
i also had a great lunch at Racks (El Pueblo) with my girlfriends who were in the Ortigas area. it was great seeing them again...it made my birthday much more memorable. :)
many thanks to my parents who bought food from Conti's for my birthday dinner at home. yumyum! :)
here's to another year of blessings. thanks everyone. :)
- and another week went by...
-
- rinatots
- October 29th, 2007
...and i still haven't blogged as much. i can't believe i'm just breezing past the events that happened the past week. oh well...maybe i've been too busy checking out Facebook. :P
anyway, it's great to have another long weekend. i spent Saturday morning with Mom at the clinic. she accompanied me to the doctor for a check-up so i could finally get rid of the cough and cold i've had for a week. as usual, the doctor prescribed these heavy-duty antibiotics that are bound to cure you fast but leave you drowsy in the process. oh well. i guess the long weekend's the best time to make up for all the hours of sleep i lost when i got sick.
Saturday evening was spent with Martin. we decided to avoid traffic and stick to the Greenhills area. had dinner at Racks. the food is good but their service still leaves much to be desired. ho-hum. i hppe they improve on it soon.
Sunday lunch...we headed off to Chili's for more good food. Ralph used the 15% discount coupon i gave him last week and we ended up with two more coupons at the end of the meal. looks like we're going to have lunch/dinner at Chili's more often. :P
today i accompanied my parents on a shopping trip to Rustan (Shangri-la). Dad said he was pretty stressed out for the past week and he needed some form of "retail therapy". i definitely agree with him. woohoo! so all i did was follow my parents around while Dad scouted for the perfect pair of shoes....and ended up buying three pairs for himself. oh and Mom bought me a new blazer that i can wear to work so i can stop borrowing her old 80's/early-90's coat. thanks, Mom. :)
tomorrow it's back to work for me...i have a long to-do list waiting for me on my office desk but i think i'll accomplish everything as soon as possible. i'm just hoping tomorrow won't be too stressful. :P
- blog-free week
-
- rinatots
- October 23rd, 2007
i can't believe i went through a week without blogging about my first out-of-town trip for work (i went to Angeles City, Pampanga), or that awful incident that occurred last Friday at Glorietta 2. i guess i haven't really found the time to sit down and gather my thoughts.
oh and i must say...this whole Facebook thing is quite addicting. i didn't think i'd join the bandwagon until Martin told me he did. so guys...if you have Facebook, add me up. i'd be so happy. :P
work has been pretty uneventful lately.
