Fare Thee Well

I had a strange (for me) dream last night. I dreamt of my uncle who recently passed away, standing in sunlight, looking as I remember him from when I was a child. He appeared to be talking to a group of people then he turns to us (I can't assume I was the only one he was looking at) and says, "O lalakad na ko. Masaya na ulit." (OK, I'm going. Things are happy again). Then I woke up.

Now you'll tell me that it doesn't seem like a strange scene but for me it is. Here's why:

1. I am no medium. I am a child of two scientists who taught me to be logical. I will never say that ghosts, fairies, magic, and things of endless wonder do not exist (keeping an open and hopeful mind, especially toward magic). I know however that I have never had a gift to speak to the dead. I'm quite happy to keep it that way.
2. I was never very close to this particular uncle. While some of his children are my favorite cousins and friends for life, he was never one I really got to know. I never spent much time with him and truly didn't know him as well as I could have. So it makes no sense that he would come see me rather than his own kids.
3. I have never sat down with him or had a conversation with him that felt like that scene. That tells me it was not a memory.
4. I usually don't remember what I dream about except for snippets of one or two really nice ones.

Curious as to whether it might be a true dream, I called my dad and described my dream to him. I asked him if it sounded like something my uncle (dad's brother) would say or do. He told me no, it isn't. A part of me felt relieved since ghosts are not high on my list of things I want to experience. A part of me felt sad that it wasn't because I would have liked to be able to give this message to his family (if it was true) and hope it provides comfort.

Perhaps this dream is nothing more than wishful thinking. Maybe it is nothing more than a hope that my uncle is happy and healthy on the other side. It could be truly nothing more than a dream. Whatever it is, I feel compelled to write this and I hope that it gives comfort.

RIP, Uncle Rene.

Hacked, Cracked, Whacked!

Sometime ago my website and my twitter account got hacked. I couldn't figure out why my account became so interesting to these spanish speaking people nor why I suddenly had strange posts. I ended up having to change my password and having to tell everyone it wasn't me posting all those things. I also lost a lot of my posts; which unfortunately, I cannot recreate.

Today, I was doing some research online and stumbled upon my username and an old password. Holy #$%@! Really?!  Did I become a celebrity when I wasn't looking? LOL!

It's seriously freaky! I've seen a number of TV episodes where identity theft happens and now we have shows like CSI Cyber to show us more of the criminal uses of the net. Never thought anyone would want to hack any of my accounts or website though.

When I asked a friend good at computers, he answered he once hacked something just because he could. Perhaps that is how all hackers think? They do it just because they can. So sad for the victims.

Time to change all my passwords...again!

Travel: Tagaytay

It has been a couple of years since I've been to Tagaytay and it's a place I definitely wanted my kids to have a memorable experience, especially since we don't often go out of town. I asked for suggestions from friends who have been there recently, one of whom pointed me in the direction of  the blog of Anton Diaz, Our Awesome Planet, which was truly useful.

After going through the guides provided and reading a bunch of articles, I opted to bring my family to Cliffhouse Inn for lunch. We used Waze to get us there - which sadly didn't go to the correct place; first time Waze has failed me. Thankfully, locals are friendly and we weren't too far off from the place.

Once we arrived at the Cliffhouse Inn, my family went straight for the viewing deck,  It was wide and not crowded at all. Lots of chairs had thoughtfully been provided so that visitors could really enjoy the view of the lake within a lake within a volcano.  Though the rocking chairs were meant (most likely) for senior citizens, all of us enjoyed sitting in them. Those who chose to eat at Fire Grill or Buon Giorno could stay at tables overlooking Taal.

The sun wasn't high yet when we arrived so most of my attempts to capture the beauty of taal ended up misty looking. The weather was cool and really refreshing. Truly glad to have gotten away from the heat of the city.

 The Cliffhouse Inn actually had 6 restaurants for us to choose from. We opted to go for Platito where the portions are not served on saucers, in spite of the name. Foodwise, nothing fantastic but the servers were great.

We then finished off our meal by having some dessert at Fruits in Cream, which was conveniently right beside Platito. PISTACHIO!!!

When we were kids, we used to go horseback riding so we went to check out Residence Inn but decided against it. The stench was just too much. he kids weren't interested to even go in.

We passed Sky Ranch on our way to Residence Inn and the kids decided they wanted to go, so that became the next stop. I actually wanted to go in but my LP wasn't in the mood. I opted to stay at Uncle Cheffy's with the grown-ups (sob!) while the kids got to have fun  inside. I did notice the 2 huge LOVE structures set against the far wall from the entrance. Instant smile on my face as those made me think of Skip Beat. While it is no amazing amusement park (compared to say Disneyland), the kids had a blast and that's what matters.

Pasalubong is a must for us Filipinos so last stop was Lou Mar's where we got some buko  pies and caramel tarts. Something I loved at this shop was that the attendants were very quick to respond. I thought there was a long line.  Turned out it was a single group. most of whom were still browsing. With the help of the attendant, we were done shopping in less than 15 minutes.

I wish we had time to go to Ilog Maria and Antonio's but due to schedule conflicts, I had to leave that for our next Tagaytay trip. I'm looking forward to it!

Old Articles Found

I was doing some research and wondered if any of my old articles were anywhere to be found. They say once on the net, always on the net so I got curious. Could some of my old work still be online?

A quick  google search turned up a links to my existing blogs (yey!). A number of links to pointed to forums and reposts, most of which I didn't participate in but somehow got linked to (still good). There were  a number of similar usernames though not mine. A handful were domain hosting sites.  Then I found the link to the Newspaper Blog with articles I wrote in 2006.

Posts by Ginny:

• Janjucetus, T-Rex of the Sea
• Charm School
• Chat Across Messengers
• Barbie Dolls Up for Auction
• A Shower of Stars

Brings back memories of my early days as a blogger as well as the feeling of, "I wrote that?" Hunting for more of my old articles and waiting to see if I'll find any treasure while I'm at it.

Britney Cyrus with Pitbull?

I can't help it.  I saw this picture and thought Britney Spears meets Miley Cyrus! This was taken from the 2011 AMA.

The outfit looks so much like the Toxic body suit in a different shade. The scene makes me think VMA with Pitbull instead of Robyn Thicke. 

Print Crazy

We finally got a new printer. Naturally it has to be tested so that we know if we need to send it back and get a new one. Whatever shall I do? Answer: print picture collages.

I made 2 custom designs for my tumbler, printed some stuff for my daughter, created some labels for my boys. Trying not to go crazy and paper the house with prints.  I love the picture quality!

Back to Working Out

So I finally did it. I finally stopped giving myself excuses and started working out again. I am thankful that Curves is near enough now. I really hate having to go far though even as it is, I still have to drive over there and park which I would have preferred to avoid (additional ouches to the pocket ).

Discovered I am not as bad off as I thought. My weight was lower than I expected. My BMI still came out in the normal range though higher than I would like. Let's not talk about the measurements since those would make any woman cry. Seriously not rushing but looking forward to the results being an improved me.

If you look in this gym, you'll see a bunch of workout machines in a circle separated by square workout boards. They look easy, and they are easy if I was more fit. After half a circuit I knew my face was very red, I was very tired and the only thing that kept me going was the fact that my workout buddy was my daughter and I really didn't want to look like a total wimp. The best part was the cool down.

I found that I am still very flexible but my strength and stamina is nowhere near what I hoped. I have a long way to go but at least I have started.

Things to love about going to Curves:

• It's a gym for women only - I love that!
• the only mirrors are in the dressing room
• The setup is friendly - working out in a circle rather than what it is in most gyms is great!
• Mostly machines - you still get a workout but not using only your own strength
• The workout is only 30 minutes + cool down
• You always have a trainer every workout without any additional fees to pay

Things I dislike about going to Curves:

• It's in the mall which means I have to pay for parking each time and the gas.
• The circuit is a total of only 30 minutes so I feel like a rabbit jumping in and out of the stations
• I wish I could get more comfy in the machine before I have to jump to the next but I guess that's the point.
• No hair dryer. You have to bring your own - but I can live with that.

For those thinking of checking it out, 

Address: 4th Flr, Eastwood City Walk 2, Eastwood City, 1100 Quezon City, Philippines (Cinema Level). 

Phone numbers: 5849841 09177377835 09212093322. 

They are open from 7am to 9pm but they close midday (way too hot to workout) to do some cleaning. 

You can come in for an assessment - that means no workout. Best to call ahead and set an appointment.

If you decide to start working out here, there is a one time service fee (their version f a lifetime membership fee which is reasonable) and a monthly fee.