Things that I've been addicted to lately:
1. Sophie Kinsella Books - my sister got all Sophie Kinsella books and I figured that she won't be able to finish anything so I started reading the series. I am on the 7th book currently and there are only 8 books, 5 from the shopaholic series and 3 others.
2. Vanity Alert - It is only right to take care of myself. I've been pampering myself lately - DIY of course! Just now, I had a bubble bath, mud pac and hot oil treatment. I just need to exercise to complete everything. :-P
3. Cooking - since my trip back from Spain/Portugal/Scotland, I slacked on cooking. I made pasta yesterday and Adobo today. I wonder what I can do for tom. Hmmmm.
I saw Harry Potter today. I like it although everyone thought that it wasn't as good as the previous films. It is true, it's dark but it made me want to read the book again - I haven't read the last 2.
Today, I learnt that my celebrity crush is gay. FML.How can I not spot the queer??? Do I need to join a gay training or something? :-P
Yesterday, I went to London for my friend's, Phil, Bday Celebration. Few things that I discovered last night:
a. The guy that I had a crush on is GAY. How can I not have gay vibes? This happened twice this year. Both guys that I had crush on are GAYS!
b. One of the people that I used to work with is getting married. I am sitting with girls so we goss most of the night.
c. I MISS THEM! :-P
I had a fab night with them! Me and Petal met up to have a head start drinks - we need our chatty hats on with the aid of alcohol. We both had double shots of vodka lemonade and lime and Midori with lemonade. We were warmed up when they arrive. Me and the girls caught up with office gossips and danced for about and hour before we left. I let loose this time! They must be shocked for seeing me dance for the first time. I loved every moment of last night! Shame I live in Reading cause I left before 12, what a party pooper! Was home just before 2AM (cause they only have the slow train available). Woke up with a bit of hangover this morning but happy with the memory of last night. :)
I was feeling down in the past week but God has been so good to me. He sent 3 sets of friends to cheer me up yesterday. :) I went to a quickie date with Donna and Darlene. We talk of our Go Ape plans - what to wear and what to do on the day. It was followed by an uber girly date with Maria which consists of shopping, gossiping and coffee. God! I love meeting her! She can last for hours with shopping and you can get a good opinion from her. Then a 3D film with Melay. I didn't realise til yesterday that it was my first time to see a film in 3D! I still have my migraines so my eyes had a hard time focusing on the screen. I must say, the 3D glasses that they handed are funky! Almost resembling a wayfarer one. Ice Age 3 was fun although I got a bit distracted by Barney Gumble sounding Mammoth Dad. After the film, we head to Edgar were we each had 2 balut eggs. Don't be grossed out! :P We chat some more and I was home by 12midnight. :)
I won't get beaten by my migraine! :PLast Wednesday, me, my sister, Rose and her son Joshua went to Grays Farm. It was my sister's first time to strawberry pick and my first time on raspberry. We don't grow raspberry in the Philippines so I was clueless how to pick them. It was surprisingly easy, you will know it's ripe when you can easily pull it.
Me and the Strawberry's that me and my sister picked. We finished everything the next day. :)
That's me picking Raspberry.
My newly purchased Zara High Heels. Got both for 66% off! Patience is truly a virtue. WARNING! The next statement is not for people who have cheese allergies: Yesterday, I went to Zara and felt sad. I realise that this is my last Zara sale. It would be expensive to buy Zara goodies back home and they don't do sale like here in the UK. Told you not for people with cheese allergies! :P
AND:
Saw the Proposal with my mum and my sister. It is a must see with girlfriends!
I am changing my blog access cause some of my friends who doesn't have a gmail account can't get in. Happy Reading Krishna! :P
It was raining on the second day so we decided to stay-in until our check out time.
I am a firm believer of this: If you want something and it is for you, things will be easy cause God will find a way.
We got our US Visa Approved! We haven't got our Passports back yet but it will be delivered in 3-5 working days. We hope for a 10 year visit visa. :)
Thank you God for blessing me with so much this year! My Euro Tour will be completed next month.
We didn't do much on the last day. I don't think we have enough energy left. We had our last breakfast with Lloyd and was supposed to go out and sight see afterwards but me and Melay bailed out. We were feeling very weak. Jack on the other hand left to sight see. Salute Papa Jack! :)
We didn't have much to do. We wanted to do souvenier shopping but ended up drinking coffee. We had 2 hours left to kill so Jack suggested that we should take the number 28 tram. I thought it would take us to our hotel but it stopped to the Jardin Estrela. Photos from below were taken from that Garden.
Travelling from the Hotel to the Airport went smoothly. We were fifth in queue on the Easy Jet Lane and was able to check-in without any hassle. We got back to the UK safely but was slapped by the great british summer on the face. We only encountered problem on our train to Reading. Saturday was the same day as the Oasis concert so the train was packed! We didn't even have space to move. At one point, an idiotic passenger decided to randomly attack people. He headbutted the guy in front of me and he hit me in the breast. I wasn't in the mood to fight so I just shut down. The trip is still eventful towards the end. :)
We all woke up late the next day. We were supposed to go to Grand Via to check the place but noone is capable to wake up early after a drunken night out. I was woken up by my thirst at 9AM. I left the hotel with my bloodshot eyes and hurried to the first store that I saw. I've never been so dehydrated in my entire life!!! Yes, to the point that I will leave the hotel in my sleeping clothes. That is def a first for me. :P I completely forgot about the mini bar. Hahaha!
We arrive to Lisbon that afternoon. I've never seen so much tiled walls in my life. I remember pointing out to Lloyd that the tiled walls remind me of Philippine Toilets. No offence to people of Lisbon. I didn't know that tiled walls and tiles in general is their thing. I must say, Lisbon have a very relaxed atmosphere to it. Very provincial. We drop our things as soon as we left the hotel and went to the first restaurant that we saw. We had Italian food btw. :P
This is my breakinng the rule photo. I had to have a good shot. It was fun being in the fountain. The water is knee deep and cold. 
This photo was taken outside the Bull Fighting arena. Animal Rights group protesting. People are actually taking photos with them.
Inside the bull fighting arena. We didn't plan to watch the bull fight. We saw the ad and went for it. We were lucky cause they show Bull Fights every Thursday in the months of May to Sept and we were there Thursday. Things would have been different if we arrive on a Friday. We have to pay 30 Euros for 6 rounds. It was the Matadors 25th anniversary btw and they have a special Spaniard Matador guest. In Portugal, they don't kill bulls. They torture them slowly hence the animal rights group outside.
We wanted to take photos of the group and we found this deserted bar.
Strike a pose! :) We went to the first bar that we saw. It was called Hawaii and was full of fruity men. They were very muscular with body hugging shirts. While Lloyd was dancing he made sure that he won't make any eye contacts. Actually, one guy started to dance on his side and high fived him after a song. Signs!!! There was a funny guy who followed me where ever I go. It was funny. He wasn't good looking though. Things will be different if he was hot! I still have my standards eventhough I'm on holiday. :P
SIGHT SEEING:
We didn't do much the previous night so we had enough energy to wake up early the next day. Markus wanted to have a proper Spanish Omelette breakfast but we didn't successfully locate one that sells in Spain. :P We ended up eating in Museo del Jamon in Plaza Mayor this time. It was a big franchise in Madrid we assumed as they had 3 in our location. Markus left after breakfast to go shopping as he needed to replace his lugguage. It has given up on him on the Fourth day on our way to Pamplona. The guy missed all the sight seeing and photo opportunities. Ehehe! I couldn't tell which places we've been unless I have the map with me. My memory isn't as sharp as I think it is. Anyway:
I found Hugh Laurie everywhere. He must be famous in Spain.
This photo was taken in Palacio Real overlooking Madrid this time. We have to pay 8.50 Euros to get in and Free for EU Citizens on Wednesdays if they have ID with them. Jack who is a resident of Holland didn't have his ID with him so he had to pay.
As we have testosterons with us, we went to visit the Real Madrid Stadium for 15 Euros. With that, you can see everything including the shower rooms. They were replacing the grass when we visited. Talk about bad timing. Jack and Markus took photos on do not enter zones.
FLAMENCO BALLET:
While on queue to get into Palacio Real, we were given a flyer regarding Flamenco Ballet. Opportunities keep on slapping us on the face and we just keep on saying yes to it. We took the 9PM Flamenco Ballet Performance. It was for 15 Euros only for an hour and 40 minutes performance without break. The music is live as well. Good value for money I say. The boys, keeping in line with breaking the rules tradition took canned drinks with them and took photos while the performance was going on. They weren't the only ones taking photos. The asian guy who was sitting infront of us took photos shamelessly. Below is the shameless photo as proof. :P
THE GREAT SHERRY BAR:
Markus has been telling us about the old bar that sold Sherry eversince we got to Spain. As with the Filo Tradition, we took photo of the bar just before we got in. We asked a random guy to take photo of us. We said "foto senior" and the guy turned out to be an American. :P We weren't allowed to take photos of the bar inside so we snuck in photos whenever we get the chance. With our drunkenness,we even ask the owner to take few photos with us. He didn't even smile, not even once. We finished 4 bottles of Sherry between the 5 of us and were smashed. The boys bought me and Melay a rose and we took photos similar to one below. I didn't know how loud we were but as I remember, people were actually looking at us. I had diarrhea the next day from eating too much fingerfood. After the Sherry bar, we move to another bar but I didn't successfully got in. I got ID'd! I get ID'd even in Spain. We found another bar and got 1 or 2 jugs of Sangria, I can't remember now, but left at 2AM closing time. On our way back, Jack was taking photos of himself in the rubbish bin. Next thing you knew, I was on one. They weren't able to take photos on the first time so they put me again and took photos. Passerby's called us Americans. Are they known for Rubbish Bin acts? Please tell me now. We were loud when we reach the Hotel and the concierge warned us that he is gonna call the police if we don't control our noise. The craziness didn't end there. Jack took photos of himself with my undies in his head. What a crazy night! Oh btw, Sherry doesn't give me allergies! :)
We didn't do much on our first night in Madrid. All I can remember was, our Hotel is in the shopping district and right beside the Zara and we went to Museo del Jamon for dinner. I have a funny story about the dinner. We were served by an old lady for dinner. Everytime we order, she shows us the size and makes sure that we know what we ordered. We first asked for bread and she showed us how big the bread is. We ordered Sangria and she once again showed how big the serving is. We later finished 2 jugs of Sangria. My friend Jack ordered callos and she made sure that he knows what he was ordering. Melay and Markus asked for Paella and was told that it took 40 minutes to cook. They were okay with it and she made sure that they were okay with 40 minutes. We were taking the mickey at the end of the first order. She was both funny and scary. She had our orders right though. :)
This photo was taken while we were looking for the Sherry Bar. Melay was drunk then. :P We weren't able to find the bar that night.
We plan to wake up early the next day so we can see Barcelona's old town. As usual, our plans failed. We left the hotel with 1.5 hours left to sight see. We made full use of the 1.5 hours and was able to see most of the old town. I also saw Zara everywhere. :P
This arch reminds me of Oxford Arch only this one is more detailed. No offense to Oxfordshire residents.
At the Pamplona Kick Off Party. As a tradition, attendees are supposed to wear white with red scarf and belt. We bought the belt after this photo was taken and the jacket after an hour. It was 17 degrees cold in Pamplona. I thought it was warm all over Spain but I was wrong! :P We ate a 5 Euro baguette for dinner. It was labelled bad baguette the next day. We tried all sorts of drinks that night, Kalimotx which is a combination of wine and coke.
This photo was taken before the fireworks display. During the display, everyone was seated and were sitting silently. One couple was standing, taking videos and was crucified by the crowd. They didn't care though. At the end, rubbish was thrown at them. It was harsh. I had fun watching the fireworks. I've always loved fireworks display. I was clapping and ooohhh-ing while watching the display. :) I tried standing to take photos but boo-ed by the crowd. Hahaha!
I love Jesus of Pamplona. Can you spot him? This guy kept us entertained before the bull run started. He was happy eating his Doritos. Actually, our boys joined the bull run. We were strategically positioned in the middle of the race but was shoved by the police as we were standing on the reserved section. The funny thing is, I had two fights to secure that spot.
Fight One: With a drunk Mexican guy. Mind you, everyone is sleep deprived, tired and drunk. We were standing in our chosen spot when the guy sat in our section. I said, excuse me, this is our spot. He just looked at us. I was pissed cause he wasn't listening so I repeated myself. He said fuck off so I said fuck off back. His friend asked him to move and was very apologetic. The guy didn't stop and spoke in Spanish. He asked where I was from but I didn't answer him. He ask, are you Canadian or American? Too bad I can speak 5 languages he said, you can only speak English so I spoke in Tagalog with Melay. He said, poor language. He obviously haven't heard of tagalog. More abuse followed so I move to a spot nearby and he said, I won. What an asshole!
Fight Two: With a drunk spaced out guy. This is a brief encounter actually. We were standing on our new spot when he positioned himself to where we are. (we were behind the fence btw) He blocked Melay's spot and no matter how we spoke with him, we only get spaced out response. It was hard so we both move, again.
This is the bull run crowd. After we were shoved off by the police, we found a spot at the end of the bull run. We didn't see much. We didn't even see the bulls. All we can see were people running and heard 2 gun shots. The boys finished the race safely and one Spanish guy was gored by the bull the next day. He later died. We took the train to Madrid the same day.
Janno Gibbs. Taken from afar. Can't be arsed to move closer to the stage. :P Didn't take photos of Arnel Ignacio. 
We, girls, always find time to beautify ourselves. Donna doesn't know how so Doris took over. :P
The famous 8 metre hedge in Royal Botanic Garden.
The glasshouse.
This photo was taken outside the Edinburgh Castle. The place was packed! It was the same day as the Duran Duran Concert. We didn't go inside the castle though. We don't want to spend money on it. Living in the UK, I've seen so many castles and to be honest, I am over it now.
Inside the Tartan Factory. Good thing the tour inside is free! I took a photo like this and all my jealous girlfriends followed. Just kidding!
Whisky Museum. We wonder why people who goes inside leave after 5 minutes. We knew the answer when we get to the reception - you have to pay £11 for entrance and tour and we are not up for it! We have better things to do with our time.
£1 donation per photo. We put in £1 alright but in copper.
We found this park while we are looking for our Hotel. I think the park is called west ___ gardens. I am not being helpful aren't I?
This is just one side of the Hotel Room. Can you see how huge our flat screen telly is? On both sides were Donna and Darlene's bed and we got a huge bed between me and Doris. Not your average hotel room, high ceilings, sitting room, cabinets and treasure chests! 5 star it is!
That's the castle on the background and the castle like city.
The fascade that Doris was expecting. :P
Over-looking the City of Edinburgh. Photo taken in Calton Hill.
Anything for good photo. Donna helped me so I can get to this thing. She is a good friend. She knows that I have to have a good photo.
This high!
Random Spanish Boys. We asked them to take photos of us and Donna asked them to take photos with us.
Modelling my new dress. :) They call me Miss Curtain on this trip cause everything that I own resembles a curtain. 
This photo was over looking the city of Lisbon. We had a relaxing dinner that night. We had Sangria and good food. We reviewed the past week's events. No crazy night out. Markus left earlier that day and Lloyd will leave early the next day. :)
.JPG)
