Learning the basics

Last Tuesday, we attended a Capoeira class at Gasolina bar. I was with other 4 Filipinos and we are all beginners. Actually, capoeira is scheduled every Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 8pm. The time is so perfect right after work. Plus, the cost for each class is just $2. Kaya carry na davah!!

Before we joined the class, we went there first just to check what's happening. When Oliver and I went there, our friend Malcolm was already taking the class. He's been a capoeira artist for more than a year now. When we saw the class, almost everyone were wearing capoeira shirts. Like capoeira france, kampuchea, US etc... Ay!! Mga advanced na sila!! SO mejo na-intimidate kami ni Oliver at nagdalwang isip to join. Sabi nila, when you're a good dancer, mas madali sayo ang capoeira. Pero hinde!! Hinde!! Napatunayan ko yan last Tuesday.

We arrived at Gasolina almost quarter to 7. So the class already started stretching. Kami ni Oliver, change clothes agad! Kebs na magkakitaan kami ng katawan!! Wala naman malisya!! Then join na kami. Everything seemed fine until the basic capoeira was demonstrated to us. It's called "ginga". After the basics, we were taught with simple kicks at defense. At ang rule ay dapat di magbebend ang leg. Masakit at mahirap! Lalo na when you have to move along with a beat. I thought mahirap na ang kick na iyan. Pero hinde!! Our instructor (Xavier) asked us to do a cartwheel at handstand. WWWHHHHAAATTT!? Gusto ko na mag back out at umuwi pero sabi nga ni Xavier, the way to learn is to always train and practice. Ang ending, ginawa ko ang cartwheel. Every round, mas humihirap kasi he really want us to do the handstand. Naman!! I can't master that in one session kuya!! Kaloka until we did the "roda". We were formed in a circle singing and playing instruments while pairs are sparring in the center. O davah!! First time namin tapos labanan agad!! So the beginners like me were paired up with the advanced students. And the whole time that I made mistakes, I would laughed at myself. Pero yung mga kasama namin eh serious. Windang!!

After two days, "ang sakit ng katawan ko!!" Kahit mag change ng shirt eh nahihirapan ako! Siyet!! Didn't know na ganito katindi ang effect when in fact I've been going to the gym for more than a month now. Kaya today, di ako aattend ng class kasi baka di rin ako makasipa. I need to revive my energy!! Pero I would still continue to learn capoeira in the coming weeks.

Kaing Pinoy

It has been months since we last ate at a Filipino Restaurant here in Cambodia. The Bamboo Restaurant which was located near our house has closed down. Di ko knows why pero sayang. Kasi it's the only place we know na cheap at may masarap na crispy pata, lumpiang sariwa ang lechon kawali.

Sa bahay, we would cook Adobo and sinigang kasi mejo yun lang ang carry namin lutuin. And I think I've mastered how to cook adobo dahil ilang beses na ko nagluluto dito, although pag weekend lang naman. Pag weekdays, we normally go out dahil sa pagod sa work, wala na time and energy to cook. Especially after going to gym or capoiera class, bagsak na katawan ko.

Ngayon, there's this Bistro Lorenzo that also serves Filipino cuisuine. Trip trip lang naman kasi sawa na kami sa western, thai, khmer, vietnamese and french cuisine. So for lunch, we went to Bistro Lorenzo. At dahil miss na namin ang pinoy food, super order kami ng Grilled Tilapia, Kare-Kare and Pork Cracklings. Mejo 20 minutos lang naman kami nag-intay pero it was worth it. Kahit konti ang laman ng Kare-Kare, winner naman ang sauce at bagoong nito. I almost finished my 1 cup of rice dahil dun. Then, the porck cracklings was served with suka+sili+bawang na sawsawan. Panalo!!! Kebs na sa highblood!! Then to top it all, ang tilapia ay mapanlinlang. OA as in OVER sa laki!! First time ko makakita ng ganung tilapia ever. Sa sobrang laki, we just ate yung 1 side ng Tilapia. Ganun ka-OA!! I wish I had my camera for proof.

After about 30minutes na lafangan, mejo nafi-feel na namin ang effect ng cholesterol. So, we ordered the famous Leche Flan!! We just ordered one kasi baka OA din sa laki. In fairness, winner din ang Leche Flan. At wala ng tatalo pa sa kainang pinoy na may TFC habang kumakain!!

At dahil sa nangyari, inaantok na ako.

HAIRlalu 101

My hair has been my asset for the longest time. Wow Kapal! Pero I can say that I'm so lucky to have a long straight hair that wold pass for a hair commercial shot. Like below!

But when I went back home, mukha daw akong katulong sabi ni JAO!! DI naman siya sobrang honest! So I decided to cut my hair into this.

Pero kahit na bago na ang hair ko, I luvit!! WHy? Thanks to Sunsilk Black Shine. Mas lalong naging kaakit-akit at madulas ang hair ko. Well actually, I never had a hard time in choosing my shampoo. I can say that almost all brands work for my hair. Di naman kasi maarte ang hair ko. Simpleng straight hair lang siya. And even if I try to make it curly, may sariling buhay at bumabalik siya into its natural form in a matter of 2-3 hours. Davah!! Mejo makulita lang siya sa ganun.

Before, I was using Sunsilk (violet). Kasi may honey chuva and it smells really good. But I think about 3 weeks ago, we were required to attend the Unilever Carnival at Prey Veng (about 2 and a half hour drive from the city). Dahil required, we went there. The trip was a little bumpy dahil sa ginagawang road somewhere, but the rest is okay. We arrived in time for lunch. At nandun na ang aming beloved officemates. So, kami ay nag-sarili ng table and here we are:

After ng lafang, fly na to the carnival!! Hala!! Di pa pala tapos mag set up. So, we waited for about 2 hours then open na ang mga booth. And there we saw the Sunsilk booth. May free hair check up. Kahiya man, but they saw that my scalp was full of dirt. Kadiri!! Afraid yung scalp ko when I saw it sa monitor. After the check up, they advised me to use Sunsilk Black and Shine. At dahil masunurin ako, buy naman ako agad pagbalik ko sa city. It works! Gosh! Dami nakakapansin! CHOS!! anyway, it was a fun experience. more pics @ http://www.karenmarquez@multiply.com/

new life..new beginning..new etc...

hay..sa dami ng ginagawa ko at kabusyhan sa mundo, di ko namalayan that I've been working with Bassac for 1 month already. And I can't believe that for the past month, dami kong na-accomplish.

• 2 TVC projects for 2 clients
• 1 photo shoot
• project costings
• meeting my clients (kinda 8 lahat)
• chumika at naging GRO sa clients
• Work on a comparative review
• Did presentations/ proposals
• ma-lurky sa media industry sa Cambodge
• Met our strat planner na sobrang ina-admire ko

hay..pero wala pa kong reklamo..kasi, in addition to work related activities, eto pa ang pinagkaka-abalahan ko ngayon:

• mag-gym
• jumackson kay thai client-- para ma-approve lahat ng projects namin (hahaha!)
• jumackson kay cutie resto manager
• mag-enroll sa capoiera class sa Thursday

YES!! Sabi kasi ng client namin, madami daw cute don. Hahaha! SO it's also a good avenue to meet new people. Davah!! Widen your horizons!! Echos!!

My Celebrity Look-alikes

http://www.myheritage.com

not a very good day

sa sobrang busy sa work ever, at mejo ngayon lang ako may time huminga, i decided to write. When I opened my blog, biglang umeksena ang client thru email so I had to do something. Dahil mejo pinahihirapan kami ng client, di ko namalayan na uwian na. So I packed my stuff, grabbed my bag, made my last wiwi before going home then biglang jumulan!! Heavy rains ito!! I asked my friends kung feel na nila umuwi at sumabay sakin with the driver. Dahil may tinatapos pa sila, kebs pa sila uuwi. SO fly na ako downstairs only to find out na jumapan na ang drivam without me knowing. ABA!! I was trying to call him pero cannot be reached ang fonelya. Lech!! At dahil jan, eto ako ngayon, sinusulat ang mga nangyari. Kaloka!!

Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. Echos!! At least I have no excuse not to write.

Almost three weeks na ko in my new job. So far, okay naman. Di naman masyado new ang work but new and bigger responsibilities. Dagdagan pa ng pressure to prove myself in 2 months under probation. With my team, everything is doing well. Ngarag nga lang ako kasi I had to know everything that's happening. With 7 clients to manage, goodluck naman!! In my previous job, I remember that I had about 1,500 emails for almost 1 year. Now, for 3 weeks, I have 494 and still counting. Sana di mag-crash ang laptop ko sa tons of information that I need to save. Now I'm thinking of buying an external hard drive or else...

Dahil sa busyness sa work, I haven't had the time to write emails, blogs, chat with friends and even call my family. My ged! 2 days ago, my sister called me up. Bakit daw di ako tumatawag sa bahay. ABA!! Alam nya! Therefore, nagchika si mother. At ayun nga! Yesterday, I got a call from my mom asking how I was. Kasi deadma daw ako sa mga text nya tapos di pa daw ako tumatawag. Nahiya naman ako bigla! Honestly, Im not getting messages from her recently.Di ako tumatawag? YES. dahil WIZ sa oras. When I go home after work, blagadag na sa bed until makatulog. Pag weekend, relax lang sa bahay at nagpapakalunod sa panunuod ng DVDs. Kanina, when I saw my brother online at wala naman ako masyado ginagawa, I told him that I'll call sa Saturday. hay...sana naman noh!!

Dinner under a BLUE MOON

Yesterday was a blue moon. When they say its full moon, people become crazy. What more in a blue moon? Thanks to my astrology updates everyday, I learned that blue moon is characterized by heightened emotions and that during this time, unusual things happen-- soooo, anything is possible. Since yesterday was my first time to consciously celebrate blue moon, we went out for dinner.

My Filipino clique and Australian friend and ECD, Paul decided to meet up at Metro. When we arrived, we immediately ordered our favorite dishes like Shitake mushrooms, crispy short pork ribs, ginger soy grilled fish and shrimp and fruit salad. For drinks, we had our regular favorites like Malibu Orange, Vodka Sprite, Mojito and Espresso Martini. While waiting for our food, tinawagan namin si badette na Mikey. Aba! Ang tagal sumagot!! Nang marinig ko na ang girley voice nya...

"Where ka?"

"Nasa banyo badette!! Nagshe-shave ng head! Bakit?"

"Dinner tayo! Blue Moon ngayon!"

"O cge, i'll take a bath lang."

So wait kami kay ateng. Hanggang dumating na ang mga fudalung. Kasabay nito ay dumating na rin si kuya Oliver. We started enjoying the food on the table, but we can’t help to talk about the effects of blue moon to us.

"So, what happened to you?"

"Wala. "

"Ako, kahit ngarag sa work, happy naman! Baka masyado kong dinidibdib ang Blue Moon effect."

"Ikaw Anne?"

"Ha?! Wala."

Mukhang pagod si Anne. Or lost sha ? Ayun siguro ang Blue Moon effect. Maan on the other hand, got 2 weird but good phone calls.

Our conversations went in circles to the point na nagbabarahan na ang mga tao. Below the belt na hiritan at sumbatan. And after each hirit--"IT MUST BE THE BLUE MOON" then everyone would laugh. Our table was the loudest in the bar. People were looking at us whenever we laugh in tears and give each other high fives. I hope they would think 'IT MUST BE THE BLUE MOON".

with Mikey and Maan

with Maan while waiting for D' Others

Maan, Anne and Oly

My Brother, My Sister and Me

My sister sent me her recent pics from the US. Gosh! Parang nakikita ko resemblance namin!



Hahaha!Ngayon ko lang aamiin, but I can say that she looks good or should I say better. Even though ngarag sa work, I bet mas marami siyang time and resources to enjoy life more, which she actually deserves. Good thing she realizes that now, kahit mejo late.

Growing up in a brood of 3, and being a middle child,was difficult. I must admit, I think middle child syndrome does exist. I have been trying to deny this fact for I know I had no problems being one. But looking back the years when I was in grade school till high school, I saw the bigger picture.

Of course I don't want to rant on these things here for I know that my parents never intended me to feel alone. Right now, if somebody would ask me if i had a happy childhood, I would gladly say YES.Buti na lang siguro our age gap is so close (1-2 yrs) so when we were kids and even when we grew up, we had almost the same perspectives in life. I can't say that the three of us are close. We do talk about our work including the pressures and the good things about it. Social affairs, wala masyado. Or maybe there really has nothing to talk about. Personality wise, Im totally different from my ate. Maybe this is what God wants us to be kasi our differences complements each other.

If I were to describe us, I can say that my sister is the typical good daughter--good grades, no vices, successful job,--- in short, no criminal background. I am the semi-good but loving daughter--- good grades din, adventurous, risky,lukaret at bakla. Si brother naman ay ang rebelde---passing grades, pasaway, pahirap, responsible na ngayon at spoiled. I can't blame my younger brother kasi sha ang bunso. More so, only guy. Unlike me, he gets new stuff while I get hand me downs from my sister. Buti na lang when we grow up, nag iba na ang body shape namin so I get to have my own clothes.

When we started working and living apart from each other, I felt that our relationship became much stronger. We're closer in terms of our personal lives. We update and call each other. More than that, we learned to appreciate one another more. We support each other's decisions and also ask and give advices. These are the things we don't normally or often do back at home. If only our dad is watching us, (I bet he is), I know he'll be very proud of us.

Time and distance may be hard for us, but I know, by keeping the communication and the love and bond, we can surpass anything. Emails and pictures also help.

Three of US, on our way back to Manila

In Grey's Name

Watching a TV series has become my habit. When I was younger, and there's no cable channels yet, tagalog soap operas kept me locked in on the tube from afternoon till around 9pm. Thanks to modern technology and human influence, my reason for lying in bed while my TV is on has not been brought only by tagalog teleseryes..but english TV series too.

A lot of TV series have gone by. As a kid, I used to watch Full House. When I stepped into my teens, Beverly Hills 90210 caught my eye. Now, in my mid-20s, Im terribly hooked up with Heroes and GREY's ANATOMY. Not to mention, teleseryes still make my day.

More than the characters, its the script that's so well written that makes a series worth watching. That's how I felt for Grey's Anatomy. Or maybe, just because that in some instances I can relate to the stories. Whatever the case is, I am definitely sure that they have numerous winning moments and lines that can be used and remembered. The drama and complications of life, worse than a disease.

During the King's birthday, my girlfriends Maan and Anne Marie and I drove to Sihanoukville. We are having a GIRL's Weekend Trip. Yebah! We checked in a beach front hotel thinking that their cable TV has star world. But NO!! Literally NO!! How can we watch Grey's Anatomy the next day? But we can't ruin our weekend with that, right? So.....

We hang out at Ocheateal beach. It was neither bad nor good. Aside from eating seafood, which we all love to do, we just stayed under the sun but didn't swim. At the end of the day, when we planned on going out to a Ladyboy's Night party, we ended up trapped in our beds and eating chips and chocolate at midnight.

The next day, after realizing that we didn't have a decent dinner the night before, we went to another seafood restaurant. Driving to the place, we remembered that it was Grey's Anatomy night and its the season finale. " We have to find a place with STAR WORLD". And so, we passed by Sokha Hotel--4 Star Hotel in Sihanoukville. Right after lunch, we went to the hotel and checked for available rooms. Luckily, they have standard rooms at the annex hotel. We didn't mind the price but asked "do you have Star WORLD in your TV?" Of course, what do you expect? They don't know or dont even care about it. I was trying to be discreet about this but a hotel visitor who was checking out heard my inquiry and told me "YES, there's STAR WORLD". "Thanks" was all I can say. In 5 minutes, we paid for a night stay and went back to our other hotel, packed our things and checked out. We were so excited.

As soon as we got our new hotel keys, we rushed to our room and immediately turned on the TV and searched for STAR WORLD. And what did we find? NOTHING. NADA. AT MIEN. WALA. waaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!! We paid $xx amount for a night and there's no star world? No Grey's Anatomy? Does the main hotel's cable TV has Star World? AHA!! We rushed off to the hotel lobby and cafe, checked their TV but still there's no Star World.

A bit, well not just a bit dissapointed. I just want to kill the guy who told me that there's Star World but he already left. We can't do anything about it. We just agreed on enjoying our last night there coz we all know that we deserve a decent relaxation, even if it costs us an arm and leg.

We had wine at the pool, had dinner at the hotel lobby with 1 round of cocktails and girl's talk the whole time. IT WAS FUN!!

As soon as we arrived the city, we bought a full DVD series of Grey's Anatomy, watched it with wine on our hands.

As another season closes, another weekend passed by. I hope our next all girl's weekend would be better.

Random Thoughts Version 3

After a week of emotional trauma (OA ang term!!), I have realized things that I hope to remember for the rest of my life.

1. Being nice to other people all the time is not a guarantee that they would treat you the same way.

2. Life can be unfair sometimes.

3. Once a BRAT, always a BRAT.

4. Girlfriends are better than alcohol.

5. You can't be scared all your life.

6. Facing and accepting reality can be a drama.

7. Every decision you take is a risk.

8. Sometimes, it's better not to care at all.

9. Don't think too much of what other people would say about you, as long as your conscience is clear.

10. It's okay to get mad.

There's no other way to go through life but to go through it (whether easy or difficult) and move on.

Prompted by Iggy's post na sinundan ni Jao..i think i should follow the blog trend. CHOS!! Sa lahat ng gulo na nangyayari sa life ko ngayon, ano pa bang mas maganda but to think of my top 10 GUYS THAT MAKE ME arrrrghhh but unfortunately, i only have 7.

7) Orlando Bloom na kahit na gawing elf eh super gorgeous pa din...who could resist that look?

6) Paul Walker-- isn't he siiiiizzzzzzzzzzliiiiinnnngggggggg HOOOOOOOTT!?

5) Heath Ledger--his sweet rock, suave attitude in the movie Ten Things I Hate About You and First Knight made me realize the HEAT(h) beneath his name

4) Matthew Goode-- winner ang accent and his role in the movie Imagine Me and You (where his wife fell in love with a lesbian) Kaloka!!

3) Patrick Dempsey-- Mr. McDreamy of Meredith Grey. Rarely would you see a neurosurgeon as sexy as this guy.

2) Elijah Wood-- those attractive eyes and boyish sexy stance...mmmm...

1) Joshua Jackson-- first time i saw him in the movie Mighty Ducks, i knew he has the IT. Damn that devilish look and acting talent that immensely won him millions of praises.

Reviewing my list, obviously all of them have super gorgeous killing eyes. So I have to admit ..they got me at their first glance. eeewww!!

Actually, I have another one on my list but I know it'll be a sin to post his pic. But I have several pics to prove that he should be in the list. Hahaha!!

Song lingering in my mind : "Pangarap ka na lang ba, o magiging katotohanan ba..."

Girls Night Out

YES!! im back to the real world and what else should a single, newly cut and refreshed, independent woman must do in PP?

AHA!! Girls' Night out with Maan and Anne Marie! After finding out that Snowys and Pontoon are closed, we decided to go to Metro. That was the best decision ever!! I had Blue Margarita while Anne Marie had Mango Sling and Maan had Malibu Orange. To end it all, Ponlok (bartender) gave us 1 shot each of NO NAME. Yes! It was his new concoction! Tasted like cough syrup and it took me 5 minutes to finish it all up! And I had to drink water in between. Im so lame!!!

Blondie Engrid and his new friend, Pros, arrived a little late. Thanks to Pros and his fone for these pics. Looking forward on Friday for another druken night!!

FIRST EVER BIRTHDAY NI KAREN in Cambodge

Turning 26 wasn't so bad...especially if you're here in Cambodge

YEAH! True enough!! Despite the loneliness that haunted me before my special day [ missin my family and friends back home], I can say that I had a blast on my birthday. Define blast...a..a...a BLAST in whatever form!! yeehaa!!

Thought my bday would just be ordinary--dinner and gimik with friends. But NO!!

March1 around 11pm
Came home after our send off dinner for Chat and 1 round of drink at Salt Lounge. While putting my nightly facial regimen, someone knocked at my door and tada!!! I was surprised by my friends [Maan, Engrid, Oliver, Michelle and Anne Marie] with balloons, flowers, cake, pansit, ice cream and siomai. WAAAAAHHH!! Caught in my pantulog! KEBS!!

March 2
Maan old me to go home early. Thought we're going to a bar. I reached home almost 8pm and when I opened the door, I saw backpacks in the sala and Maan, Mikey and Anne Marie were there. "San ang lakad? Aba!" They just said, "pack your things and let's eat." Confused at lurky, di ko alam kung ano ipa-pack ko. SO they said, "we are going to the beach and that's it. No more questions. The driver is waiting." ABA! Nag-hire ns van ang mga badette! After ten minutes, Engrid and Oliver arrived. SO mejo masaya pero kulang. Si jackson di man lang nagtetext! At lalo na ang closest friends ko sa Pinas, di nagpaparamdam!! MGa WALANGHIYA!!

After dinner, fly na to the unknown. Sabi ni Maan, she has to buy bread so we had to stop by at Cafe Fresco. Yun pala, susunduin namin si jackson. Yun na!! What happened? ETO...

UWIAN NA!!

Yehey! That's all I could say.

I've been waiting for months- or 11 months and 2 weeks to be exact-- to go back to my home- Philippine Islands.

I believe everything is all set. Got my things packed a week ago and already bought stuff for my family and friends about a month ago. How does that sound? hahaha!

Doing my own countdown till our plane will touchdown in NAIA, I'm still kinda busy with work. But compared to last week, this week is better. Im trying to finish whatever pending projects I have and delegate urgent matters needed for the next 2 weeks to my colleague. At the same time, I drafted a tentative schedule in preparation for my 2-week vacation. Is that weird or what? Am I really living up to my title as a planner?

Main reason why I wanted a schedule is for me to make sure that my vacation is maximized to the highest level at para sure na masa-sight ko lahat ng taong gusto kong makita (friends man o jackson). That's it pansit! Wala ng iba! So far, my schedule is bombarded with 98s gathering which starts on Sunday (the day that I will arrive) until the Bora invasion.

Usapang BORA na rin lang, I was really surprised to get 21 emails about the BORA trip set next Friday (30th). Even though 6 lang kaming mga badette na jajapan sa beach capital ng Pilipinas, I know it'll be so much fun. This summer getaway is kinda a yearly thing for us. Every year, pataas ng pataas ang level ng summer escapades namin. Back in college, pansol at miramonte beauties kami. But when we started working, siyempre mas tumaas ang standards namin. Hahaha! We've been to Puerto Galera and La Luz. And this year, WE ARE ALL LOOKING FORWARD TO BORA!! Even though I've been there before (with my family), iba pa rin if you're wiht friends. You are allowed to do the craziest things ever. Jackson, swimmning, shopping, massage, habulan sa beach, poker, lafang to death, inuman, maghubaran at magbastusan. At ang pinaka-importante sa lahat, bukanegan at picturan!!! IM SURE!! Our natural modelo instincts will just show in our pics.

sooooooooooonnn, the pics will be uploaded in this blog or my flickr account. But for now, reminisce the past summer escapades...

Puertahan sa Galera

Rampahan sa La Luz