Survey Time

I'm not really bored, and I could do other, more useful things (like put up ads, for instance), but what the hell. Swiped from joey.

Name all the following brands or names of the things you have used/are using. Be honest, your friends will know if you're cheating!

[Shampoo and Conditioner]
I actually checked the shower stall for this, since I just use what's available. We have a near empty bottle of Pert Plus (shampoo), a quarter-full bottle of Tresseme (conditioner), and full bottles of Finesse (one shampoo, one conditioner).

[Bags]
I don't really buy a lot of bags. Right now I'm using an over-sized black GAP canvas bag that I bought last year. But I'm going to start using John's messenger bag tomorrow. No little girly bags for me, as my everyday job essentials include a digital camera, cords, thick binders, and a plethora of legal files.

[T-shirts]
In the summer I live in cheap wifebeater tanks, airy camis, and vintage-y T's. The rest of the year, I'm in random sweaters.

[Pants]
Hollister, Seven, Express, Earl, and brandless jeans from tiangges in Manila.

[Lotion]
Jergens shimmer, Vaseline Total Moisture.

[Shoes]
In the summer, brandless flip flops. The rest of the year, it's either calf-length black boots I bought in Flushing, or the knee-length black boots I also bought in Flushing. Occasionally, I also use a pair of sneakers I bought 2 years ago in Hong Kong. I'm in the market for new boots though... once I earn some money.

[Socks]
Old Navy and some really thick socks my mom bought in Hong Kong.

[Toothpaste]
Colgate and Crest.

[Facial cleanser]
Nivea white.

[Make-up]
I don't really wear my makeup, but I do love my Stila lip glaze, my tinted moisturizer from Oil of Olay, and my near empty tube of gel blush from herbench.

[Wallet]
You know I only started using a wallet in this country. Bass. It's a man's wallet, one of John's leftovers.

[Pens]
Whatever I find. Lots of Bics and office pens.

[Cellphone]
Nokia 36-something. It came free with the line.

[Underwear]
Oooh... I love my Victoria's Secret boyshorts. Also little lacey things from H&M. The rest are from when I went shopping with my mom in Manila.

[Watch]
I don't really wear a watch, but when I do, I use this cheap (but cool-looking) cuff watch I bought off the internet.

[Bedding/Pillow Case/Bed sheet]
Right now, I think we're using stuff from Ikea. And John just bought one of those memory foam pillows.

[Furniture]
Ikea. Cheap secondhand stuff from Craigslist.

[Caps]
Don't really wear caps except for brandless (yet again) beanies.

[Magazines]
Ohmygod, we have a ton of subscriptions, and I don't even know why. I never paid for any of them. Must be all John's doing. Anyway, we have Cosmopolitan, Writer's Chronicle, Ellegirl, Lucky, W, Maxim, Stuff, some gaming magazines, Rolling Stone, Forbes... I can't remember them all...

[Books]
Brand of books??? Umm... parang mali ata. Books don't have brands. Anyway, I'm a Creative Writing grad student so obviously, I have a TON of books. Suffice it to say that books are a major part of my mental diet.

[Chocolate]
I'm not listing my favorites, and I'm obviously not going to put in every single choclate I've ever eaten, as that's just impossible. So I'm just going to list the brands I've eaten the last 3 days plus the ones we have in the kitchen right this minute. Twix, snickers, chocolate mousse, swiss miss. In the kitchen: 2 cans of MacFarms Chocolate-covered Macadamia nuts, a box of Godiva, a box of Leonidas, a tin can of Trufettes de France.

[Candy]
Aren't chocolates candy? just mints, I guess. And cough drops.

[Medicine]
Advil Migraine, Tylenol, Advil liqu-igel.

[Popcorn]
Whatever popcorn they serve at the theater.

[Motor/bicycle]
The last bike I ever rode was a mountain bike and I don't know the brand.

[Cologne/Perfume]
Davidoff Cool Water, Bodyworks Raspberry Spray, Beach Smells.

[Swimwear]
Ohmygod, I love bikinis! In my closet right now I have Old Navy, H&M, Freeway, Nafnaf, Rampage, Aaron Chang, and Delia's.

[Jewelry]
I don't wear jewelry. And when I do, they're not the kind that would have actual brands.

[Sunglasses]
I haven't owned a pair of sunglasses in ages. The last pair I had were knockoffs from Greenbelt.

[Computer]
Acer Travelmate, Dell(office). My desktop is made from a hodgepodge of brands.

[Drink (Alcoholic)]
I'll just name the beers and things we have here at home: Gallo, Seagram's, Triple Sec, Gerogi, Castillo, Remy Red, Carlos Rossi, Chambord. Beers I've had lately: Rolling Rock, San Miguel, Corona, Stella, Amstel Light.

[Drink (Non-alcoholic)]
In the fridge: Mug Cream Soda, Pepsi Vanilla, Tropical Fruit Punch, Krasdale Apple juice. Recently had: Swiss Miss, Mocha Frap, coke, Nestea Iced Tea, 7up, Sprite, Dr. Pepper.

[Soap]
Green Tea bodywash from Spa Collections. Palmolive liquid hand soap.

[Automobile]
Well I used to own a red Mistubishi Lancer. Now I just drive John's Saturn. In the Philippines my family own a Starex, Benz, Opel, Nissan, and a Chevy truck.

[Fuel/Gasoline]
Ummm... Haven't bought gas in 2 years.

[Restaurant]
Okay, I'm just going to enumerate the places I've been to in the last month: Laifood (Taiwanese place in Flushing -- super fab porkchops), hotpot place in Flushing, Fried Dumpling in Chinatown, Tako (sushi!), Minado, Green Papaya, Au bon Pan, Vietnamese place in Brooklyn, Yoshinoya, Ihawan in Roosevelt, and the pizza place across the street.

[Dessert]
my cheesecake (hehe), flan from Phil-am Grocery place, krispy kreme original glazed.

[Coffee]
Vanilla Bean Frappuccino

[Printer]
Dell (work), Epson (at home).

I SUCK.

Just in case anyone's interested, here's a sample of the properties I'm trying to rent out. I have luxury buildings, cheap railroads, hip walk-ups, cool brownstones, and everything in between! Right now I have some really awesome deals on great apartments in TriBeCa, Chelsea, the Village (both east and west) and Gramercy. Plus I have no fee and low fee apartments all over Manhattan as well. If you know anyone who might be interested, do steer them my way. I'm authorized to show any property on my company's website, even if it's under another agent's name.

Anyway. One week on the job and I haven't earned a penny!

The other newbies have already closed at least one deal and I have closed a total of ZERO. I absolutely suck.

And it's not because I haven't been working my ass off, I can tell you that. I've been running around the city like a headless chicken, but for some reason, the clients just aren't liking the places I've been showing them. They're either too expensive (even though everything I show is within the price range they specified), too small (welcome to New York, babe,) or too far from the trains (this is New York! if you can't afford a cab, use your FEET, for pete's sake!).

Maybe I'm doing something wrong here and I just don't know what. Or maybe I just really suck.

Ugh.

A JOB

I now have a semi-real job.

Boys and girls, I am a state-licensed Real Estate Agent, ready to help you with all your New York property needs. I do rentals and sales all over Manhattan and some places in Queens and Brooklyn. We have great deals on some truly amazing apartments. Agh. If I could only afford to live in some of the places I've seen (pictures coming soon, hehe). Roofdecks, sun-drenched lofts, phenomenal views. $5000 price tags.

My firm is SDB Residential. We've got a lot of exclusives in some of the best buildings in the city. (If you're going to use them, please remember to go through me.)

So boys and girls, do drop me line for all your real estate issues. I live to serve. Plus I promise to limit the mandatory sales spiel to under 20 seconds. I probably hate hearing it more than you do anyway.

So that's what I've been doing for the past two weeks. I went to Real Estate School, got my education requriements, passed the State exam, did the requisite training, and now here I am.

A little info on the job: I got interested in the whole Real Estate thing when I found out that Agents are independent contractors, making me legally self-employed. Thaht means I can write off a ton of stuff on my taxes. I also get to set my own hours and all that stuff. Plus a thing I really like is I'm not chained to a desk all the time. The downside ofcourse, is it's all commission-based. But then again, most of the time you get what you put in, so if you work hard, you shouldn't be too worried.

Anyway that's all. I've learned that an office job is not for me. Let's see what this one has in store.

btw

So excited for the Hitchhicker's guide movie. Been such a major fan of Douglas N. Adams for ages. Even took out a membership with ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha. And if you guys noctied, one of the VERY first few entris of this blog was about DNA.

So excited. If you haven't read anything by him, please do. He's so funny, in such a smart brit way.

Hello

Hello, people. I've been busy lately, so sorry I haven't updated. I'll tell you more about why I've been busy next Thursday or Friday. I don't want to jinx it. Baka maudlot.

Randomness. Actually, the more I go through my asnwers, the more I'm surprised by how honest my answers are. Not a single attempt at snideness or sarcasm. Whoop dee doo.

Seven things that scare you:
1. RATS
2. Other RODENTS (although I'm learning to tolerate squirrels)
3. become an UTTER and COMPLETE Failure
4. Extreme Poverty
5. Turning into a petty, shallow, materialistic bitch
6. Becoming STUPID
7. dying unfulfilled, thereby making my life pointless (at least to me).

Seven things you like the most:
1. Books.
2. being in a really, really good class (NERD!)
3. nice, picturesque Pinoy beach in early or late summer (and bikinis)
4. handmade/homemade/creative gifts.
5. spontaneous weekend trips with my family (I've got the most delicious little memories)
6. spontaneous inuman/bonding sessions with friends (hay, all those midnight texts)
7. boisterous, noisy, chaotic get-togethers. Especially the ones that involve scrumptious dinners.

Seven important things in your room:
1. computer (and printer)
2. collection of other writerly paraphernalia (#10 enevelopes, stamps, checks, reams of paper, lots of ink cartridges, stapler, soft binders/slide folders, boxes, manila and priority mail envelopes, pens, pencils, dictionary...)
3. book of the moment
4. comforter
5. lamp
6. clothes
7. mirror

Seven random facts about you:
1. I prefer taking the stairs over the elevator if I can help it
2. I have a bikini collection
3. I'm messy.
4. I have two birthmarks on my back (their kind of fading though)
5. My zodiac sign is Aquarius
6. I don't eat olives
7. I'm the oldest of four kids

Seven things you can do:
1. Wiggle my ears
2. proofread
3. bake a cheesecake
4. walk from Chelsea in Manhattan to Astoria in Queens (did it during the blackout)
5. spend a whole day doing asbolutely zilch
6. drive a stick
7. drink more liquid (water, soda, juice, etc) than most people I know

Seven Things You Can't Do:
1. splits, back handsprings, headstands...
2. live in a cave by myself
3. touch a rat
4. arrange my hair in anything more elaborate than a standard ponytail
5. live in any dinky little town in Vermont for an extended period of time -- anything over 10 days
6. be a runway model
7. be a New York City cop

Seven songs you've been listening to this week:
1. Awake by Dashboard Confessional
2. 32 Flavors by Ani Difranco (more for the girls, I guess)
3. Superhero by Ani Difranco
4. Tonight and the rest of my life by Nina Gordon
5. Comfort in your Strangess by Cynthia Alexander
6. Thorn in my Pride by Black Crowes
7. some hiphoppy songs (streets, subway)

Seven things you make a note of when you're on a date/crushing on someone
1. height (yeah, I'm petty that way, I know)
2. brains
3. how he dreses (again, shallowness)
4. music/books he's into
5. how he speaks/expresses himself
6. what he orders from the bar
7. how often he asks for my opinion

Seven things you say the most:
1. Hay naku John - obviously only to John
2. You're such a butt/puet - mostly just to John
3. you know what I'm saying?
4. Are you serious?/Seriously
5. I don't care either way/it's up to you/whatever you want (in Manila this would have been "bahala ka")
6. Stupid stupid.
7. dumbass.

The day in pictures

Image-heavy. You have been warned.


Started with dinner, of course (yum)...

at our new favorite dingy little Chinese place -- a dinner for two for $5.50! That includes 3 orders of dumplings, an order of hot and sour soup, and 2 cans of soda.

Then we passed a concert right in the train station

Then up the Observatory deck of the Empire State Building to marvel at the view.

Just me...

my friends...

and John.

We looked at the buildings...

the cars...

even the fuzzy lights in our eyes.

Good ole New York, New York.

The End.

cakey goodness and other things

Boys and girls, here's another thing to do when boredom strikes: point your browsers to www.purpleprose.com. It's not the best literature in the world, but it's not bad either. We have an Emmy-Award winnning director, a Pushcart Prize recipient, and a bunch of published and soon-to-be-published authors (mostly by Simon & Schuster and Random House).

Anyway, I'm in it, so if you've been wondering about the things I write... well there you go. My little monthly column-of-sorts will feature my novel-in-progress as it actually progresses. Something like that. I'm such a slut for self-induced public humiliation, aren't I?

BTW, the cake actually tastes pretty good. Sort of like a crema de fruta, but with a yellow cake base. Plus the base was really moist and scrumptious. It's a good thing I held back on the sugar or else it might have been too sweet though. The fruits in the filling and the topping really did their thing. Yummy.

Jobless and broke. If I were a regular person, I'd be depressed by now. Good thing I'm hopelessly optimistic.

Wahahaha

I made a cake today. It looks so weird, like a cake sandwich. Haha. John says it looks like a monster pancake.






It's so funny-looking! I hope it at least tastes decent. It's an experiment, as you can probably tell. I used plain a yellow cake and cut it to make two layers. Slathered the middle with cream and topped with preserved peaches. Did the same on top. Then I had extra batter, so I decided to make a big, thin biscuit-y thing and put that on top. Cream and peaches there too. Now it looks like an exploded ball of cream.