I have this blogging block again. Nothing really substantial jumping out at me. I could write about this whole political hullaballoo happening. But then again, I don't really care. My boss calls me apathy in motion. So shoot me. I could also write about NFS Most Wanted, but you guys will probably not care about me beating #7 on the blacklist. Or me being lucky enough to get almost all of their pink slips (that's 6 out of 9 cars to be precise). I could also write about wanting this LOMO camera, and how Chips finds it so impractical while I find it rather amusing (driven by envy because one of my good friends has one). Of course that amusement comes at a pricetag of $200. Demmit.

I know money can't buy happiness. It can't solve problems (in a just and good way, at least). But a little more of it won't really hurt.

Okay. I'm just being bitter.

It came, it went, it... just went. This supposed week of hearts was just a week of pain. Almost a third of the day I spent outside of the office with clients. Then I go back to the office, devoid of braincells, to cram all the paperwork and email-reading into what remained of the day. On a side note, I hate that our workplace isn't mobile. As we watch our clients type away their pending reports and check emails while a seminar trudges on, we stare into oblivion and scribble on our yellow pads. Total and utter argh-worthy.

So, what were our plans to unwind during Valentine's? Nothing. I already told Chips not to expect that I'd be out early. Too many things to rush. If ever, we'd just postpone the celebration to the weekend. So yah, the highly romanced day went by just like any other inhumanly evil day at work, with an extra dash of death wishing.

Here's the kicker. I actually spent Valentine's dinner with our clients. And none of them were Pinoy. I was the one and only tagalog-speaking body there (literally). Sigh. See, I never really amazed myself with the presence of this special love day. But it's different when you're spending it with people you don't exactly love.

So Chips and I just contented ourselves with a cup of tea after my extended job order. Although it was just for over an hour, it was enough. We made each other laugh. We had a yummy banana cream pie too. We basically just sincerely enjoyed each other's company. No flowery surprises. No frilly gifts. No mushy serenades. Just simple being-together.

You really don't need a special day to celebrate love. The celebration lies in every moment you feel complete because of someone's mere presence.

I got a hefty dose of hell the past few days. A lot of multi-tasking going on. I came so close to not getting two major projects submitted on time. That's like a bye-bye career move. I think that Chinese horoscope has something going for it. It did say that this year won't be very favorable. So far, so true.

And then I come home to NFS. The most cost effective method I have encountered so far for de-stressing. I haven't bought any shoes. Nor any clothes. The newest item I have for this week is a pair of tweezers that cost me just 99 bucks.

Okay, let's status check: I have entered the blacklist top 10. I have stolen a Lexus, a Mazda RX-8, and I have just managed to get a Porsche. The stategy? Let Chips do all the bounty hunting, the lap knockouts and the drag races (in other words, the harder things). I relegate my skills to beautifying the car when the heat is up, circuit races and those clock-in things. I feel that it's just fair. Haha.

She's purdy, ain't she?

I woke up with a splitting headache this morning. Aside from that, my shoulders hurt. That part around the nape of my neck? Yah, that's splitting too. And to top it all off, my right hand hurts. Specifically my index, middle and ring fingers. Now what could have possibly caused all this? The man in me obsessively trying to win in Need for Speed Most Wanted.

Well, like I'm any good. It took me ages before I could even qualify to race against the #15 guy on the blacklist. I also need to learn how to evade the police better. Demmit. And I lost almost all my money shopping for beautifying car parts (now there's the woman in me). Now my Chevy Cobalt is hot pink, donning a white flame with orange outlines on either side. That's as far as descriptive accuracy gets for me with cars. Since this is the woman in me talking, the rest of the car parts are just... alien. I do know that I bought a body kit that makes the car look fat and low. It also has one of those spoiler things that stick out the back. And I also know that I got it 20" rims in a beautiful color of light gold. Oh and I didn't forget to buy stuff for the inside - some Pro engine thingamajiggies, nitrous oxide, and this thing that improves suspension. Guys, just kill me. Haha.

So that's what I did for five hours yesterday. Very productive, I think.

At long last, I get to post about our Baguio extravaganza! The cool breeze and the fresh pine air was absolutely refreshing. Exactly what I needed to the knots of stress out of my body. I swear, there's something about the cool climate that makes eating more enjoyable. And of course, there's ukay-ukay. The haven for cheap vintage finds and great deals. It was just... mind-blowing. So much so that I spent well over 3,000 Php! And they were all just gorgeous. Can I just be a professional ukay-er?

I so wanna go back and bring Chips. I sure hope he can stand this kind of shopping. Hehe. For all of you planning to go, and who love ukay, here are the two must-go spots (at least in my book):

Inside the Bayanihan Center:

Views from the car, on the way home.