condo window shopping

back then, i never really approved of my mom's job. especially when real estate was in the slumps, i've always thought that her job cost her more than it gave -- between the cost of gas to tour prospective buyers who only bought like 1% of the time, and her constant urge to feed every broker under her. thank God that the real estate industry is picking up now, and at a good time too, since my mom really gets to earn for herself since my sisters and i have already graduated.

today, my mom and i went condo-window shopping. i finally thought it was time that i curb my laboy-like-hell lifestyle and think of putting that hard-earned money into something more beneficial. we cruised around and scrutinized model units, floor plans, and cost projections. looking for your future home can really put your priorities into perspective -- you'll realize what you're looking for, what you want and what you can't live without. a lot of what i saw were really nice, but i've narrowed down my choices to a high-rise condo or a mid-rise unit, both in taguig. i must say, the DMCI projects are really spacious and homey, considering that they're in the middle-class price range. condo-window shopping can be an icebreaker for today's yuppie; i'd recommend giving it a try. =)

afterwards, my mom and i even put our heads together to think of my game plan on how to pay for all of it. yes, this kaladkarin will have to trade in her flip-flops for some good old office shoes and face real world words like interests, monthly balance payments, mortgages and fees. eeek. oh well, even if when the time comes, i have to bear with blank walls, blank floors, and a whole lot of stress, i know it'll all be worth it. =)

groove@hp pictorial

it was a saturday well spent --- spent being the operative word.

dancing was something i discovered i liked late during the college years. fortunately, post-college, i still had the chance to join a dance interest group at work, and it was certainly a whole new experience. last saturday, groove@hp and shutters@hp (the HP photography interest group) hooked up for a pictorial. whee!

i'll never heckle anyone in ANTM again; what they were asked to do was hard, man! i've officially confirmed that i have no talent at posing. nyahaha. having to dance while trying hopelessly to look decent for the camera was hard enough; add to that the people from the full-court bball game nearby who were racking their brains, wondering what the heck we were doing.

but don't get me wrong, i definitely loved that i got to be part of this. it's definitely another item checked off from my life's to-do list (well, one thing was to be in a formal pictorial. the other unexpected item was to be in a 'wet-and-wild' pictorial. haha.) it was an outing + mid-day alchemy + hazing for the Chiara the newbie = total bonding experience for groove@hp (and shutters too! thanks paul, allan and gabby for the awesome pics!)

kaladkarin goes to palawan

getaways during long weekends have almost become mandatory, but hey, after what we put ourselves through at work, we deserve it.

obviously everyone had the same idea for the 'araw ng kagitingan' weekend. at 7 am, the airport was jampacked; we even bumped into our boss! several hours later, we landed at palawan and the getaway commenced.

there's certainly a lot of things that made this trip memorable:
- the awesome snorkeling at Honda Bay! a few steps from the shore was all it took to be surrounded by schools of fish. i wish i read on corals and marine life first; i feel there's so much more to appreciate if i did that first. it was also my first time to plunge without a life vest. yep, i'm officially over the fear of the depths. whee!
- manong's bat-jokes at the underground river:
* bakit laging tulog ang bat sa umaga? kasi BATugan siya
* anong tawag sa paniking mababa ang lipad? lo-BAT
* (while Alex was holding the flashlight to see the rock formations) "Itapat mo diyan sa taas. Kaliwa pa, di, kaliwa pa. Yan, yan. Kita niyo yan? Bato yan."
- Mang Pepito's lunch spread at Pandan Island -- stuffed pusit, shrimp with garlic, grilled lapu-lapu... yum! (Add to that the spread at Bilao't Palayok, Badjao's seaside resto... remind me why i came back home again? =p)
- the giant jellyfish at Sabang Beach... holy crap, it was the biggest live jellyfish i've ever seen. and poked. and took a picture with. =p
- Taboo and charades til you dropped. And of course, Alex's rendition of Bambi... let's do the Bambi dance!!

Definitely, Palawan has not seen the last of us yet. Our guide, Mang Pepito told us of other spots to see aside from Puerto Princesa, and this kaladkarin can't wait for the next Palawan invasion. If you want an awesome Palawan adventure for your own, you can reach Mang Pepito at +63919-6423107 and he'll hook you up.(yan Mang Pepito ha, plinug na kita. =p)

thanks wes, mich, james & geebs for the pics!