To make a very, very, VERY long story short, I finally had my spanking new 16GB 3G iPad in my grubby hands on the second of July, hooray! I know, I know. That’s almost a full month ago. You’d think I would’ve sent out baby shower invitations in my excitement, but these days, I’ve got very little time to blog, let alone throw a shower for a gadget. (Not that I really would, but you get the picture.)

But I digress. Everyone, meet Agrippa.

Isn’t he gorgeous? ♥♥♥

For anyone who might be wondering why I’ve named my iPad ‘Agrippa’, here’s a little history lesson. Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa was the best friend and son-in-law of the Roman Emperor Augustus, also known as Octavian, which, incidentally, is the moniker I’ve given my Macbook Pro. Aside from the this little bit of history, Agrippa also happens to be one of my favorite Romans because he’s absolutely brilliant and kinda sexy, for a dead guy. Methinks I couldn’t have chosen a more appropriate name for the iPad.

Moving on, Agrippa is everything I absolutely wanted and needed. I’m not going to go into an in-depth review because the iPad is one of those gadgets that have been reviewed to death. But to sum up my entire iPad experience, all I could say is: “Agrippa, where have you been all my life?”

Much like my first born, Octavian, Agrippa also needs to be outfitted and accessorized. And I’ve been shopping for this gadget even before he got here. Here’s what he has . . . so far:

1. Hot pink Audio-Technica Onto headphones.

I love Onto headphones. I already have a perfectly good pair of white ones that I’ve been using for months, but when I saw this limited edition hot pink pair in an HMV in Singapore, I just could not resist. (I mean really, they’re black and hot pink!)

This baby sat patiently at the back of my closet for almost 3 months, just waiting for Agrippa. I had to keep it out of sight; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to resist it that long.

2. Pink leather folio case, an eBay find.

I love this case, I really do. Mostly due to the pink that its pink perfectly matches the pink on the headphones. (How girly does that sound???) Also, it has this really soft suede interior that’s really nice to the touch.

My only gripe about it is that it opens at the bottom and the iPad tends to slide out somewhat. I don’t use it as much now because it gets a bit uncomfortable. I wish it opened at the side, like a book, which is why I’m now trying to convince The Husband, my shopping police, to let me buy this and/or this. Still, the pink is breaking my heart.

3. Glittery iPad hard back case.

Trust me, it glitters. Those little white dots are actually little crystals, while the black base is faux leather. I found this in an obscure little shop in Sham Shui Po in Hong Kong. The little old lady selling it won’t give me a discount, so I walked away, thinking that I’ll find it cheaper elsewhere (like everything else in Hong Kong). I didn’t, so I had to go back the next day, tail between my legs, to get it. Thankfully, said little old lady wasn’t there because it was her husband’s day to mind the shop, tee hee.

4. Red leather sleeve from Powerpee.

This is my newest acquisition. Because I’ve started using the pink case less and less, I needed a sleeve that would fit both the iPad and its sparkling back case for whenever I go out. I belong to the PhilMUG forums, and this guy, Powerpee (aka Perry), came highly recommended.

I love, love, LOOOOVE this leather manila air sleeve! It’s so classy and soft, and it even smells good! And it fits the iPad with the back case perfectly, too, so it’s everything I wanted. I’m so happy that he had a red one left. It matches the glittery black case to a tee.

(I opted for red because The Husband was starting to look a bit sick from all the pink stuff lying around the house. I had to show mercy on the poor man!)

5. Wrapsol.

It doesn’t show, but Agrippa is completely wrapped – both front and back – in Wrapsol. This was rather pricey and I nearly balked, but it’s absolutely necessary. Now I rest easy, knowing that Agrippa is completely protected from scratches and from me, in general. Tee hee.

6. Apps and Books from iBooks.

There’s only one thing I can say about these nifty little things that make Agrippa an even happier iPad: they’re going to send me to the poorhouse. Strangely enough, it’s the free ones that are driving me nuts, like Harbor Master HD, a bunch of classics from iBooks and my newest acquisition, the Diablo-like Underworlds. Kill me now, please?

And it doesn’t end there – yet. I’m still waiting for The Mother to get me a Camera Connection Kit from Canada (because they’re still overpriced on eBay). And hopefully, The Husband will let me get another purrty folio case that actually opens the right way this time.

But on the bright side, that’s my gadget fix for the year. At least, I like to think so.

It’s just that once again, I’ve got projects right up to my eyeballs. First, my boss decided to expand and throw a few (okay, a lot) more responsibilities my way. But who’s complaining? I love my job!

Then I helped my sister launch her new clothing label, Innuendo SWAGGER. Check out the FRESH collection here, if you haven’t already. The dresses and tops we launched this week are gorgeous! And because we don’t mass produce, you really won’t have to worry about running into someone wearing the same thing. That’s a good enough incentive, don’t you think?

And finally, we also launched another new project together, strictly for fun. We started a fashion blog, whoop-dee-doo! Check us out at Sistahs Stylistahs! Oh, and do be nice! I know we probably need a fat burner diet pill or two, but hey, we’re not half bad. Even if I do say so myself, tee hee.

So that (and spending endless hours tinkering with my new toy) is what I’ve been up to these days. Missed me? I hope so because I’ve definitely missed blogging!

- Posted using BlogPress from Agrippa, the iPad

Within the last 24 hours since she flew out of Cebu, I seemed to have developed an aversion to food. I’m hungry, but I don’t want to eat anything. In fact, the thought of food makes me slightly sick.

However, this does not mean that sadness is the best weight loss product. I can only stomach Macadamia and Caramel gelatos and tiramisus and Rockin’ Road Krushers right now. Evidently, my newfound distaste for food does not extend to sweets.

Thank heavens there’s the Hong Kong trip to forcibly pull me out of this funk in 3 days. Being sad – and hungry – is a pain.

Mum, you are missed. I love you.♥♥♥

This was me in Ocean Park back in October 2007:

Yes, I’m in a pumpkin!

Good God, was I skinny! At the moment, I’m going to need to bring out ‘em weight loss products again, if I am going to rock all the outfits I’ve bought . . . so far. Oh, well.

So the countdown begins today. And it’s a bit of a catch-22 because I’m also counting down to something that’ll happen a few days before the Hongkong trip that I’m dreading. On the one hand, I’m wishing time will hurry up somewhat so I can go a’traveling again, but on the other, I’m wishing it won’t! It really is a freakin’ emotional roller coaster, and I’m starting to feel a tad bipolar.

How about you? Have you ever felt this conflicted before?

Still, it was a good day. I got a lot of work done, I went to yoga class, and I did something that I’ve been meaning to do for a long, long time: I made up with my grandparents. I’m not going to go into the nitty-gritty right now because I really, really just want to put the whole thing behind me, but to make a long story short, I was disowned (pretty much) nearly 3 years ago. I was the favorite grandchild, being the eldest, and I guess they had high expectations for me. I suppose it was a bit of a nasty blow to them that I didn’t grow up the way they wanted me to, but then, I had to live my own life. And I didn’t turn out so bad, didn’t I?

Anyhow, I’m not one to bear grudges, and really, life is too short to be estranged from the people you love, so today, on my grandma’s birthday, my sister and I paid them a visit with my nephew in tow. They’ve never seen Xabier before, and I must say he made a handy ice breaker. I had a nice, long cry, too – something I didn’t really expect.

Grandma and I, Exactly 3 years ago, the day before I moved to Thailand

My relationship from my grandparents now is still a long way from what it was before, but I’m cool with that. I’ve extended the olive branch (gosh, how Roman does that sound?), and it feels so darned good. That’s one less thing weighing on my conscience, one less thing to keep me awake at night. Who knew swallowing one’s pride could feel so good?

That’s just something I needed to get off my chest, while I took a break from writing about cheap insurance companies.

Everything I am, I owe it all to you.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mum! Know that you are loved. Always. ♥♥♥

I looooove this outfit! And it’s thrifted, too!

To sum it up, the city was lovely, most of the people and most of the food were rather horrid, the cabbies were loopy, the shopping was expensive, the giraffes were L-O-V-E, and Universal Studios was the icing on the cake. Yes, just two days in Singapore was absolutely insane, and I’m glad I got to experience that epic insanity with The Family.

My only decent Universal Studios globe-thingy photo.

And yes, we’re already planning our next trip back.

For more Singapore photos, see them here or here.

I was going to blog about it tonight, but I’m still a heartbroken at the moment. I spent the past couple of hours or so post-processing and uploading the photos I took and we were about to get started on The Husband’s camera, when – brace yourself! – not a single file will open. Not. A. Single. One. Why does this break my heart? Well, because most photos taken of me were in that camera, that’s why!

I honestly do not know whether I should be sad, mad, or both. (Chin says both, by the way.) Mostly, however, I just want to die. It’s a lot like knowing the secret of how to get rid of blackheads for good and completely forgetting about it, or winning the freakin’ lottery and finding out that you’ve lost the winning ticket. It’s so depressing. Now I know why some people blow their brains out.

Sigh. I’m waiting for The Mother and The Little Sister to sort out the pictures they took. Here’s hoping that there’s a decent picture or two of myself and The Husband on there somewhere, preferably in each of the places we were in. Hell, even a really bad one of my sunburned and peeling arms is preferable to nothing. Right now, I’d settle for one that would show that I was actually there.

That, and a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Karamel Sutra. Oh, wait, there’s one in the fridge!

I initially planned on wearing the cute, backless top that I thrifted a couple of weeks ago, but I had to reconsider. I seemed to have developed some sort of allergic reaction to the silica on sand, and my back is hideous. I planned to get acne treatment, but I just didn’t have the time.

Also, I planned on wearing the top with these really cool leggings that The Mother got from Promod, but The Husband took one look at me and freaked out. The man loathes leggings. He said that although it looked good on me, it still reminded him too much of Essex Girls (the English equivalent of Jersey Girls). And because he is from Essex, I’m inclined to believe him.

I did, however, pick up this really adorable ‘cat’ shirt from my schoolmate, Psyche’s shop.

Photo Credit: Psyche Castillon

Even with all the clothes I’m taking, however, I seem to be the only one in The Family without luggage to check in. I’ve long since given up trying to figure out why people can’t pack as well as I do. *smug*

I used to spend a lot of time at the hotel ages and ages ago, and it was exactly how I remembered it: pink, cozy, and, umm, did I mention pink? The P1500-per-person Day Splash package included unlimited use of the beach (duh), pool, sun beds, towels, and showers, as well as a free buffet lunch at the Vanilla Beach Cafe and tea at the lobby. The predominantly seafood buffet didn’t quite work for me because I hate seafood, but my salmon-crazy companions were in a frenzy. Plus, this more than made up for it:

We spent the whole day swimming, eating, swimming some more, and eating some more – in that order. The Husband and I snorkeled, naturally. We only had one life vest (renting was too expensive), but I discovered I can actually swim fairly well without one, as long as I know that it’s fairly safe to do so. I was proud about that.

But the real treat was definitely seeing my nephew, Xabier, happy. He’s such a water baby! He couldn’t get enough of the water, and his smiles and giggles were infectious. He’s such a darling, our little boy.

Yes, it was definitely one of those perfect days that you can’t help but wish would go on and on forever.