One!

We're back at the scene of the crime!

I'm not talking about the recent Trillanes episode. I'm talking about my wedding. Lex and I checked in at the Manila Peninsula today to celebrate our 1st Year Church Wedding Anniversary and to avail our expired Neilsen's dinner buffet certificates =). My wish is for us to have more wonderful, happy and prosperous years and decades together. But my short-term wish is for us to have more free time to pick and choose our wedding pictures!! So we can have our wedding album already =(. It's just our luck that we saw our photographer Dino Lara (at the hotel lobby exactly one year later covering another wedding) to remind us of our gross oversight.

Anyway, Happy 1st Anniversary Honey! I love being married to you! Mwah!

Look at my fingers -- One!

We're baaack!

Lex and I are in Manilaaaa!!! There's nothing like a Pinoy Christmas, I tell you. It will be two weeks of good food and awesome times with family and friends. I hope it won't be over too soon. It's great to be back!

Our family Christmas Tree and literally hundreds of gifts

LVoe It!

Christmas came a little bit early for the Laguardia household this year....

And two of these are actually for me!!  Yahoo!  I'll let you know what I got soon.  I'm not supposed to open them yet ;). 

Oh, Christmas Tree!

One of the perks of working where I work...


Premium seats to the lighting of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree!

It was a very chilly night so we were thankful that we were able to watch the concert and the lighting ceremony from the comforts and warmth of my office.  Although we didn't have a clear view of the show, they did set up a huge projection screen that enabled us to watch.  The free food didn't hurt either ;).  We were allowed to bring our loved ones so they can watch as well.  There were kids running around and it was really nice to hear our normally quiet office ring with children's laughter.  Christmas season has arrived and I'm definitely ready for it!

Lazy...

I've just been lazy updating my blog these past few weeks. I've also been busy with work that I couldn't sneak an entry in the office anymore =(. It's just too bad that I have so many topics and events that I think deserve some space here. So let me write them down now, lest I totally forget about them...

- Watched Rachel Ray show live
- Rockefeller Tree Lighting - we had great view!
- Autumn in New York
- Radio City Hall Christmas Show
- First snow of the season
- My 2 year old Powerbook died on me =(
- Christmas Shopping
- We're going back to Manila for Christmas!!! =)

Happy Thanksgiving!

We cooked our first Thanksgiving turkey this past holiday. Thanks to Whole Foods! =) We just followed the cooking instructions that came with our turkey and voila... we have a delicious and juicy turkey in just under 3 hours. I feel that this is somehow a milestone for us, as part of making the U.S. and New York our home.

Oh and we even managed to squeeze through the crowd in the morning to catch a glimpse of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.

Mr. Potatohead

Icewine

Lex and my in-laws went to the Niagara Falls, Canada this past weekend. Without me because I have to work =(.

They brought me home some pasalubong. They bought some delicious Icewine. I'm no connoisseur, but this is one of the best dessert wines I've tasted. Maybe because it has a high sugar level than regular wines? =) What's unique about it is how it's made... they are made from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine. It is said that each frozen grape creates just one drop of Icewine. Explains why it's a bit pricey... $20 for a small bottle that could only fill a glass.

It's definitely a must try... perfect for the coming Thanksgiving holidays.

Subway Romance

New York is such a city of contrasts. I just posted earlier on how disillusioning love can be in the city and now I come across on something that is its polar opposite. I swear the story is straight out of a John Lloyd-Bea movie.

A guy named Patrick saw the girl of her dreams on the subway last week. For reasons unknown to me, he didn't approach her right then and there. Instead he created a website (also here) and enlisted the blog world to help him find her. He even drew a picture of her. More here.

And Patrick's such a cutie! Adorable dimples!

Someone has eventually identified the girl. And darn, she's gorgeous. Story on how she was found is here and here. Although, doesn't a flower behind a gal's left ear means she's already taken?

They went for coffee last night and went on "Good Morning, America" with Diane Sawyer and even made the news Friday morning. How's that for a New York love story?

What Happened to Love?

Just had to share this. The girl actually posted the ad in Craigslist and the response came from an investment banker in New York. The exchange has even been talked about in the NY Times.

*********************************************

Craigslist Meets WallStreet…

THIS APPEARED ON CRAIG’S LIST

What am I doing wrong?

Okay, I’m tired of beating around the bush. I’m a beautiful (spectacularly beautiful) 25 year old girl. I’m articulate and classy.I’m not from New York . I’m looking to get married to a guy who makes at least half a million a year. I know how that sounds, but keep in mind that a million a year is middle class in New York City, so I don’t think I’m overreaching at all.

Are there any guys who make 500K or more on this board? Any wives? Could you send me some tips? I dated a business man who makes average around 200 - 250. But that’s where I seem to hit a roadblock. 250,000 won’t get me to central park west. I know a woman in my yoga class who was married to an investment banker and lives in Tribeca, and she’s not as pretty as I am, nor is she a great genius. So what is she doing right? How do I get to her level?

Here are my questions specifically:
- Where do you single rich men hang out? Give me specifics- bars, restaurants, gyms
-What are you looking for in a mate? Be honest guys, you won’t hurt my feelings
-Is there an age range I should be targeting (I’m 25)?
- Why are some of the women living lavish lifestyles on the upper east side so plain? I’ve seen really ‘plain jane’ boring types who have nothing to offer married to incredibly wealthy guys. I’ve seen drop dead gorgeous girls in singles bars in the east village. What’s the story there?
- Jobs I should look out for? Everyone knows - lawyer, investment banker, doctor. How much do those guys really make? And where do they hang out? Where do the hedge fund guys hang out?
- How you decide marriage vs. just a girlfriend? I am looking for MARRIAGE ONLY
Please hold your insults - I’m putting myself out there in an honest way. Most beautiful women are superficial; at least I’m being up front about it. I wouldn’t be searching for these kind of guys if I wasn’t able to match them - in looks, culture, sophistication, and keeping a nice home and hearth.

THE ANSWER
Dear Pers-431649184:

I read your posting with great interest and have thought meaningfully about your dilemma. I offer the following analysis of your predicament. Firstly, I’m not wasting your time, I qualify as a guy who fits your bill; that is I make more than $500K per year. That said here’s how I see it.
Your offer, from the prospective of a guy like me, is plain and simple a crappy business deal. Here’s why. Cutting through all the B.S., what you suggest is a simple trade: you bring your looks to the party and I bring my money. Fine, simple. But here’s the rub, your looks will fade and my money will likely continue into perpetuity…in fact, it is very likely that my income increases but it is an absolute certainty that you won’t be getting any more beautiful!

So, in economic terms you are a depreciating asset and I am an earning asset. Not only are you a depreciating asset, your depreciation accelerates! Let me explain, you’re 25 now and will likely stay pretty hot for the next 5 years, but less so each year. Then the fade begins in earnest. By 35 stick a fork in you!

So in Wall Street terms, we would call you a trading position, not a buy and hold…hence the rub…marriage. It doesn’t make good business sense to “buy you” (which is what you’re asking) so I’d rather lease. In case you think I’m being cruel, I would say the following. If my money were to go away, so would you, so when your beauty fades I need an out. It’s as simple as that. So a deal that makes sense is dating, not marriage.

Separately, I was taught early in my career about efficient markets. So, I wonder why a girl as “articulate, classy and spectacularly beautiful”as you has been unable to find your sugar daddy. I find it hard to believe that if you are as gorgeous as you say you are that the $500K hasn’t found you, if not only for a tryout.

By the way, you could always find a way to make your own money and then we wouldn’t need to have this difficult conversation.

With all that said, I must say you’re going about it the right way.Classic “pump and dump.”I hope this is helpful, and if you want to enter into some sort of lease, let me know.

Car Lust

I think I want one of these....

In fire-engine red. The Smart Fortwo cars are coming to the US next year. I saw them when we visited London and Paris and I think they're too darn cute. They will be perfect for NY's tight parking spaces and congested streets. I just don't know how they will fare against our notorious taxi drivers though.

But first, I need to get a driver's license.

Lingo

Lex and I were laughing and having a mild argument the other day about something silly. It's about the word chorva. Yes, chorva. He insisted that it's something I completely made up. I argued that it's a real word being used back home. For the life of me, I couldn't tell him what it means. All I know is that it's real. So he whipped out his Blackberry and googled the word up. This is what we found out. Turns out I'm right ;).

The Etymology of Chorva

Chorva lang ng chorva! Hehe =)

First Day

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope we'll be able to catch the West Village Halloween parade later. It's supposed to be really fun and over-the-top.

Anyway, today is my first day as a permanent employee. Yep, that's right I have been converted to a permanent employee by the client that I'm working for right now. After 2 years of being a consultant (a year of which was in Singapore), I can finally say that I'm a part of an organization. I can finally get full benefits, bonuses, a little job security, career progression and ofcourse no more agent pay cuts. A very good deal from whatever angle you look at it =). I just need to work harder and prove my worth more.

So for my first day, I wore a very special dress. It's made by my mom (thanks mom!). Inspired by this Zac Posen dress.

Compliments

I was having a particularly stressful day in the office. A lady passed by me and complimented me on my outfit. She said that she has been noticing me in the office because I wear nice clothes. I relaxed a bit and thought that the day wasn't too bad after all.

I was walking alone in Hell's Kitchen feeling gloomy and sticky. It was drizzling, I didn't have an umbrella and I'm having a bad hair day. A decent looking man came up to me and said that he didn't mean to be bold but he thinks I have nice legs(?!?) and that I looked cute. I wasn't even wearing shorts or a skirt at that time. I was wearing cropped pants with the hem falling way below my knees. He didn't stick around or tried to engage me in a conversation. If he did, I would have been creeped out. After saying his piece, he just walked past me and soon disappeared from sight. I walked with a little spring on my step afterwards.

It's amazing how powerful such small and simple words can be. If those strangers were able to pay me a compliment, I'd like to be able to do the same too. I can start with those people close to me and work my way to complimenting total strangers. If I can make someone's day a little bit better, it would be so worth it because knowing I made a difference will definitely make my day.

So who have you complimented today?

The secret is out.

Click here.

Stressed but Blessed

I have been in so much stress this past month. Much of it is because I had to make a difficult decision in my career. I am extremely thankful though that I was given those opportunities and choices in the first place. But really, life just isn't simple. And living and working in New York magnifies everything a hundred fold.

Now, it's just a waiting game. Those who know me know that I'm no good in waiting. I'm just too impatient. Oh well, there's nothing I can do about it right now but hope that the gamble I took pays off in the end.

Here were the highlights of September for me. Just wanted to post them here so they won't be forgotten.

Sesame Place with friends.

With Big Bird

Joren having fun

Frog exhibit at AMNH

If you look closely, you would see 6 frogs in the pic. Eww!

Great food and restaurants

With Rommel and Lanie at The Sea Grill.

At The Odeon. I got incredibly tipsy that night.

Touring the Financial District with friends.

Girls giving homage to Hermes.

Last but not the least, bought myself an LV Epi Alma! Look at the big smile on my face. Hehe =)

Columbus Day

Lex and I wanted to escape the hustle and bustle of the city for the Columbus Day weekend. We haven't been to upstate New York so we searched for a great place in the Catskills area. We were captivated by the website pictures of the Mohonk Mountain House so we wanted to stay overnight there. Unfortunately, an overnight stay in this hotel is waaay above our budget ($650 a night!). But luckily for us, they open their doors to guests for lunch as well. Lunch includes use of their hiking trails, grounds and lake. It is more than enough for us so we just looked for a cheap hotel nearby.

The whole area is so unbelievably beautiful, especially now that the leaves have started to change color. We had so much fun that we promised ourselves that we'll save up in order to stay overnight in the hotel. Here are some of our pictures. Our pictures don't show it but the whole place is packed with tourists.

View of the Mountain House from the opposite hiking trail

The Mountain House from the lake

View of the lake from the trails

Us

Hiking Trail

One of the many rest stops on the hiking trail

Lex enjoying the boat ride

More pictures here.

Look who made it to the NYTimes...

Read here...

Here's one exciting game to watch. The LaSalle dude who made the last shot looked so smug and confident. I wish I was the one who told him his shot didn't make it. Haha.

Pastry Bin

I was surprised to see our wedding cake posted in Blissful Wedding's blog entry for Pastry Bin. We highly recommend them! Here's more about Pastry Bin from our wedding website:

"What more can I say about the cake maker for the stars? This lady (PenkChing) does not need any introduction. Her cakes are works of art! And as what my coordinator also said, her cake would definitely be the second most photographed aspect of the wedding (next to the couple ofcourse). Despite being the leader in her field, she remains super down to earth. That I think is one of the main reasons why she is so successful."

My Mamy's Clothing Line

Just sharing a post from my sister's multipy. All the clothes that my sister is wearing were made by my mom! She's super talented talaga! She just took a 3 month dress making course and she was able to make these hip and professional-looking clothes. I'm rushing to send my measurements so she can make some pieces for me too =).

Here's a sample. Nakiki-extra lang yung brother ko sa pictorial. Hehe.

La Salle Spelling!

With all the hoopla surrounding this season's UAAP, a little bit of humor is in order...


Go Ateneo! Hehe.

Hell Explained by a Chemistry Student

Just thought I'd share... =)

The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry midterm.

The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well :

Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat) ?

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.

One student, however, wrote the following:

First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today.

Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.

This gives two possibilities:

1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.

2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.

So which is it?

If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, "It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you," and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct......leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting "Oh my God."

THIS STUDENT RECEIVED AN A+.

Starstruck

Kakainis!!! Why does Lex have to be the only one to see her?!?

Coming out of the elevator, Lex's jaw dropped when he came face to face with the beauteous and leggy Cameron Diaz! She was filming at the lobby of our apartment building for the movie What Happens in Vegas. Wouldn't you be star struck as well?? Ibang level na 'to! Ako nga e na star struck nung na-meet ko si Jolina and Marvin when they were filming last year for the teleserye I Luv NY. Kay Cameron pa? Baka himatayin ata ako. Hehe.

Here are Lex's paparazzi shots. Where was his SLR when he needed it?!? Photos were taken using his phone's camera.

"What Happens in Vegas" director chairs in our mailroom

Cameron Diaz with an unidentified male.

I hope they won't edit out the scenes they took on our building. It would be fun seeing a place so familiar in the big screen.

Post ko na rin ito para fun =).

New Toy!

I bought myself one of these...



The new iPod Nano! It was time to retire my ancient and bulky mini. I got the red one ofcourse. It's so small, thin and very cool looking.

What's great about this is that it can now play videos. Now I can watch our Onsite (and show the vid to anyone willing to watch, hehe) anytime and anywhere I want.

Shoot 'Em Up!

This movie was the first time we watched something that we don't have a clue what it is about. I don't even know who's starring. We just had dinner at The Sea Grill with our friends Lanie and Rommel and we all decided to catch a movie in Time Square. Shoot 'Em Up sounds intriguing and Lanie said she heard someone say it was good. So we went ahead, not expecting too much.



The short 87 min. film was shallow, cartoony (think Bugs Bunny), unrealistic, unoriginal (John Woo and Quentin Tarantino like), corny even... but I LOVE IT!!!! All of us had the best time watching. To be honest, I think that was the only movie that I can seriously say that I have laughed and shouted out loud. And I wasn't the only one doing so. The film is starring Clive Owen (Sin City, The Inside Man), Monica Belluci (Matrix, Passion of Christ) and Paul Giamatti (Lady in the Water, Sideways). Clive Owen is perfect as the enigmatic Mr. Smith. I won't be devulging too much of the plot here as there really isn't any plot to devulge. Just go and watch the movie, don't expect too much, and you'll be taken for a ride.

Shake Shack

Can I say that I just died and went to burger heaven?


After so many people have recommended this joint to us, we finally went to Shake Shack in Madison Square Park to give it a try. When we arrived, there was a long line at the counter. We didn't mind the wait as the weather was really nice and a jazz band was playing live.

Shake Shack

I must say that their burgers and shakes lived up to the hype. The meat was very juicy and tasty. The milk shake very creamy (and ofcourse fattening). Lex ordered the Double Stack burger which had the regular beef patty plus a crisp-fried portobello mushroom with melted cheese inside. I'm getting hungry just by describing it!

Yummy burgers

So for great American and comfort food dining, this is one of the best places to go. And besides, you might bump into someone you haven't seen for a long time. Like I did when I bumped into Pat. He was an officemate from my old company in Manila. I haven't seen him for almost 3 years. He's visiting NY for the weekend.

11 years later...

These pictures were taken last week on Carissa's birthday at the Hudson Hotel (cool hotel, by the way). They were my high school and grade school classmates back in San Beda Alabang. When people ask how we all met, it always amazes them that we've known each other for more than a decade. We really don't know what life has in store for us and I'm just thankful that I have crossed paths with these guys again. Here's to spending more NY times with them!

With Carissa, Au and Rina. Rina migrated to the US when we were in 3rd grade.

With Yuri (also a HS classmate) and Au. They were HS sweethearts and now married!

US Open 2007

Thanks to my cyber friend Michelle, Lex and I were able to score discounted tickets to the opening night of the US Open in Flushing, Queens. Watching a tennis match is on our list of to-do's for this summer so even though it was a week night, we still went ahead. The night was clear and beautiful. We could feel the excitement in the stadium. It was also our first time to watch a professional match, so we were pretty stoked =).

It was an added bonus that the Williams sisters were playing that night. The sisters won their respective games but not without any challenge from their opponents. Especially from Angelique Kerber(Germany), who played against Serena Williams.

I definitely can see myself watching more of these games. Being a spectator in the stadium is a totally different experience as compared to watching it from the telly. So hopefully we can watch again before the season ends. There were a couple of celeb sightings too. Mayor Bloomberg, Janet Jackson, Aretha Franklin and Christie Brinkley were there!

Frenemies

This article is an interesting read. Most of us women have what they call a "frenemy". They actually coined a term that would best describe this phenomenon (friend and enemy). I'm sure we have had such relationships before, especially in highschool. What amazes me though is that this seem to only occur in women and not in men. I guess we are just more emotional and expect a lot more in our women friends. That's why there's more room for betrayal and disappointment.

Also, can we call our husbands or bfs our frenemies as well? Don't we have a love-hate relationship with them too? =)

What are your thoughts?

Read here.

Happy Birthday, Kaisy!

Happy Birthday to my sister, Kaisy! We miss you! We'll see you soon. =)

Long Overdue: Quebec City!

If you're planning to go to Montreal, Quebec City is something that you shouldn't miss. Better yet, spend more time in Quebec than in Montreal! UNESCO didn't recognize the city as a world heritage treasure for nothing. Quebec is, I think, the closest thing to Europe that you can get in North America. It's so very French!

The best way to get to Quebec (if you're coming from Montreal) is by bus. This is highly recommended if you drove to Montreal. Riding the bus can save you time and energy especially if you have the whole day devoted to sight-seeing. We checked in at the Hilton Quebec which has a very convenient location as it is within steps to Old Quebec.

Right outside our hotel is the National Assembly of Quebec. The imposing and beautiful building is where Quebec's laws and bills are passed. The Inuksuk (Canada's Inuit indigenous people's symbol) was the one who greeted us on our way to the site.

The Inuksuk

The facade of the building and landscaping is very beautiful as well.

We then moved our way to Old Quebec. Entering the town is like stepping back in time. Very charming and picturesque. We thoroughly enjoyed walking through the area.

Shops and restaurants lined the streets

Cobblestone streets and quaint little houses

The colorful murals

All roads in Old Quebec lead to Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac. It's a five-star hotel and Quebec's most famous and historical landmark. Queen Elizabeth once stayed here =). I heard standard rooms go for $500 a night. It has a great view of St. Lawrence river and some parts of the city from the boardwalk.

But what I think is the highlight of our Old Quebec tour is stumbling upon Quartier Petit Champlain. Quartier Petit Champlain is one of the best shopping districts I have found in all of our travels. I say this even though it is the oldest commercial district in North America and is devoid of any of the well-known commercial brands. There were so many options here of what to buy as souvenirs... from chocolates, local art, wood carvings and all the possible trinkets you can think of. This area would even be more charming during winter when the streets are covered with snow, lights and Christmas trees. Definitely enough reason to come back.

Oh and have I mentioned food? Au petit Coin Breton serves the best crepes ever!! Well worth the 1 hour wait we had to do just to be seated.

We only had this day to explore Quebec and there is still so much more to see. We're planning on coming back... on winter months this time for a totally different experience.

Quebec at night

More Quebec pictures here.