My life in 2010

Wow. I can’t believe another year has ended. Everything feels so surreal as if the entire 365 days has just whizzed by. 2010 may not be too spectacular, but I consider myself to be blessed ten times over because I’m still in one piece and my loved ones are still with me.

I’ve been trying to remember what were some of the memorable stuff that happened to me this year (it’s not that much, so it’s not going to be a long list); I’d like to be grateful for a lot things, and you know it’s always a good thing to look back and be thankful and hope for good things to come. So here’s the list in no particular order:

Never too late for Christmas prezzies

Today has just been super. I got an extra day off, thanks to the leave I filed. That gave me the free time to drop by the post office to claim a parcel sent by a friend from the US. I was surprised to see a box waiting for me with the following stuff inside:

Awesome loot!

A blessed Christmas to all!

I may not be able to post as often, but I want to greet you all a happy Christmas! May you have a festive and meaningful celebration with your loved ones. I wish you all the joy and blessings in this special occasion. In a few days, we will be counting the last moments of 2011, and I hope to count all my blessings for the entire year. Thank you for reading this humble blog, albeit the sporadic updates. :D

THIS IS IT...PANCIT!

...and Darren Criss has just tweeted that he's on his way here (and is hoping to be served lumpia).

HOMG. This is iiiiiit!

I just have to ignore the fact that I wasn't able to get a meet & greet pass. Damn crazy kids who beat me to it. *grumble grumble*

Cannot wait for Christmas

Would you believe I want Christmas to fly by? I just want Decmeber 25 to be over because that means it will only be a few days until my sister flies back home. I haven't seen her in months, and this will be our first Christmas as a family without her. She'll only be in Manila for 6 days, which is kind of bitin, but it's better than not having her for the holidays at all. I really miss her a lot. (Urk. Yuck. Jologs. Hahaha!)

It's good that she's blogging often (which I can't say the same for my lazy bum self) so more or less I get updated about her life in SG (or more like the disasters in her life in SG). Can't wait for April too because I get to go there and see her make a total moron of herself in person. Hahahaha! I hope this trip pushes through. I've been pissed several times over with the cancelled business trip we were supposed to have last November.

Anyway, no point lamenting over the past. Can't wait 'til my sister comes home!

One of the most touching weddings I've ever witnessed

Weddings. It's like some hot new trend that almost everyone in my immediate circle of acquaintance is really getting into right now. From relatives to friends and former classmates, there's something special about seeing the people close to you finally settle down.

For someone who has attended a number of these events, it can get pretty typical, even if the entire program was engineered flawlessly. I feel somewhat detached from the entire thing, despite the fact that I'm physically present, eating the wedding cake and anxiously stepping away from the bouquet's landing direction. Needless to say, weddings these days are just colorful orchestrations of food, decors, flowers, and what everyone else is wearing.

I thought I was about to attend another one of those occasions when my friend, Fristine, invited me to her wedding last December 4. We were already informed beforehand that we were to sport the 1940s fashion, and needless to say, it was very frustrating. I researched about the clothes of that era and was taken aback by the glaring fact that dresses during those times highly emphasized women's tiny waists (which I obviously don't have). I was supposed to commission a seamstress to work on my dress, but there were some last minute setbacks, so I resorted to scouring the malls for a close replica. 

To cut the long story short, I was able to find a great dress at a bargain price, plus awesome shoes to go along with it. It somewhat felt like cosplaying all over again as I was more than just excited during the week of the wedding.

Thoughts on HP7 Part 1

This was taken around past 10AM in Trinoma's cinemas on the first weekend show of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1. 

Bloody insane.

It wasn't even the middle of the day and the lines just went forever. I got me and my cousin reserved tickets via SureSeats, but we still had to wait in line. We had an encounter with disgruntled idiots in the line & I'd rather not remember it. 

I don't want to launch into a treatise on what happened in the movie, but all I can say is that I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. I feel kinda frustrated with this kind of reaction, and I'm still debating on whether I watch it for a second time or forget about forking another 170 bucks and be in a limbo state of reaction again. 

David Yates, I expect you to make me bawl like a baby next year when Snape dies. Please make it worth my while.

Anyway, I'd suggest you head on over to PJ's post about the movie because she's a lot more articulate in writing about it than I am. 

The zombies...they're coming...

Every end of October, the office holds a contest for the best team workstation decors for Halloween. We usually have this Trick or Treat event for the kids at the end of the month, thus the need to spruce up the place for the occasion. And this year's theme is a no brainer...Plants vs. Zombies. 

Traversing the mall for intergalactic soul-searching

Do not mind the title, I was just fibbing. :p

So yeah, I went to the mall after mailing some postcards & other swap items for Postcrossing. I initially wanted to have a look around for some cheap canvass bags & flats, but my fickle-minded feet brought me to Book Sale instead. I spent over an hour browsing through second hand books, but I ended up buying a Php 10 back issue of a book review magazine.

Then I ended up going to the Peanut Butter Company. I was quite curious to try it out when I first read it in an online review, but backed out when I saw the price. A while ago, I was feeling suicidal in burning cash over food, so I walked in the store before I had any reservations.

Elvis & coffee

I ordered the Elvis the King sandwich (P155) and coffee (P45). Sandwich wasn't so bad, but the coffee was awesome. I can't believe I cinched the sweetness right when I just randomly poured the sugar right in! But the thing is, I like my coffee piping hot. This one, though, wasn't just hot enough. I could drink it bottoms up without batting an eyelash.

I ended my solo mall sojourns when I got a text from work saying that I had to email some files. Great.

***

Oh and here's some random graffiti at the supermarket's public restroom:


It reads: "Ang inidoro inuupuan di inaapakan hayop ka ba?"

I wouldn't even bother translating this.

I wasn't able to take a picture of it, but there was a response which read: "Sige, ikaw umupo ka. Try mo."

LMAO.

Birthday SEx (Sinangag Express)

Today has started really great: heard mass & had breakfast at Pancake House c/o the dad. I'm still somewhat sleepy due to the influx of text messages since late last night, but today, I feel extra, extra special. It's as if a heavenly spotlight is shining down on me haha! (Jologs, emf.)

Thank you to every friend, classmate, gamer, colleague and to everyone else whom I've known since then for the warmest greetings. I feel really blessed to spend more years in your company. :)

Many happy returns as well to my birthday-mate, Elise Estrella. :D

And now, imma go have that birthday SEx. Hehehe.

Did I say that I LOVE notebooks?

Well, now you know.

I have this crazy obsession for notebooks. It's one of the first things I look for when I enter a bookstore (aside from books, that is). Even if I know that I may not be able to write on every single page, I just loooove burning money in buying notebooks that will just probably collect dust in my bookshelf.

But then again, you'd never know when you'll need one, right? Right.

And don't even get me started on the quirky looking ones. Especially this particular treasure:

My officemate brought along his copy last Friday & there was only one thing that flashed in my mind: I just have to get my hands on one. Who ever thought that slumbooks were the stuff of our grade school memories? This one's a lot better & funny too. It would be a blast to get your friends to sign in. Or pati sa crush, pwede din. He. He. He.

My sister got me the NaNoWriMo Noveling Journal as well as the other NaNo loot I wanted. Yay! I will be getting them on December when she comes home for the holidays.

And on that note, I just want to say that I finally made up my mind not to join this year's novel race. There's simply too much on my plate & I don't want to ruin 2 years of successive wins only to lose this year. I will most probably hang out in the forums to lurk and steal plots. I still have a manuscript to finish & will spend most of my free time working on it. Maybe I'll work on the plot for next year's NaNo. Or not.

T minus 3 days to doomsday. Ugh. Do not want to get old.

Postcards galore!

I did say I was going to blog about the postcards I've received for the past 2 weeks. I just love receiving these great stuff in the mail...I keep on getting surprised with the quality of cards I receive from all over the world. If you haven't signed up for a Postcrossing account, I suggest you get there right now. This is such a worthwhile hobby that I don't mind spending a few bucks over.

A tribute to Teacher Macy

The best years of my life are the ones I spent within the school walls. It's kind of ironic to be saying this when back during those years, I couldn't wait to graduate from a life of perpetual quizzes, exams, term papers & projects. But when you've experienced what it's like to toil for your everyday expenses, you'd wish you were back in school worrying about project deadlines instead of stretching your budget to pay for next month's bills.

When I look back on those years, I cannot help but recall this one teacher during my sophomore year in high school who made such an impact in my life. I wouldn't be what I am now if it weren't for her.

More postcards!

But the thing is, it's 11PM and I don't want to lug the huge scanner just to scan some of the stuff I've received. All I can say is that I'm thrilled over the roof that I've gotten some new postcards from Postcrossing, as well as the loot I've amassed through private swaps.

Monday suddenly had some semblance of meaning to me. Haha!

I will be scanning them this weekend, so prepare yourself when I go kill your browsers.

***

In other news, I didn't get any writing done today. Shit. Damn forums.

Do want!

My birthday's coming up *ladieffingda* and I'm salivating over these beauties:

So even if I'm not entirely sure to join this year, I still want these noveling trinkets. I really, really do. Tamaan na ang dapat tamaan. LMAO.

Although I've been meaning to ask...how come the NaNo peeps from the Office of Letters & Light haven't thought of having a notebook merchandise? I've been meaning to get an official NaNo shirt too. But it's always been designed with the noveling year, and it sort of makes it old after...what...2 months? Not practical if you ask me.

More NaNo goodies at the OLL store.

WTF am I doing?

It was a trap. I knew it!

But how could I resist? I read Tina's email containing news of a refreshed NaNo website and forum was just too good to pass up! The prospect of trolling the NaNoWriMo forum was just as seductive as a topless Zanjoe Marudo (yuck, ang jologs! LMAO). I knew that the freaking button would register me as an "official participant", but I still clicked it! Unggghh...

But seriously, I am still considering whether to join this year's race or not. I cannot even begin to fathom the work I have right now, not to mention this manuscript that I'm currently writing. But dammit, just thinking about the mayhem, word wars, forum trolling while killing time at work, writing meet-ups...I need that! Trust me, it's not fun to just lock yourself up in your room and write. I've already spent months holed up at home and refusing social invites just to get some writing done.

Ok. So if I join this year, I have a half-baked plot. I will just shoot myself on the foot if I dived into this insanity without any clear direction. I will be wasting days working on a crap plot, letting the momentum of the current manuscript dry up in my brain.

Wait...why am I explaining this to myself? I thought I've already decided not to join?

Unggghh...I hate bring a Libra! I swear to God this indecisiveness will be the death of me.

The black pussy

I got inspired by Fristine's blog entry on her twin gingers, so I decided to write something about our resident black pussy, Mimiw.

Temporomandibular joint disorder

For the past 2 years or so, I've been feeling a lot of discomfort in my nape & shoulder muscles. I initially thought I was just stressed in my previous work because I usually kept long hours in the office. I thought it was just a simple muscle pain. I've tried going to a spa (sosyal eh) to have it massaged...I even went to a hospital for therapy, but the pain remained persistent.

I was totally oblivious to it since I thought it was just a product of the strain of working long hours, but that was until I started hearing clicking sounds whenever I open & close my mouth. It wasn't until I went to the dentist to have my teeth cleaned when she pointed out that I had TMJ or Temporomandibular joint disorder. During the process, I couldn't open my mouth wide for a long period of time because I experienced that one time when I did that and I thought my jaws wouldn't close no matter how hard I tried. Needless to say, I didn't get my teeth cleaned that thoroughly because of that.

The grossest thing to ever happen to your jaw

I consulted a friend who was a dentist and also sought the opinion of another one and confirmed that I really had TMJ. I was supposed to get some x-rays and eventually an occlusal splint. Thing is, those things cost a lot and money isn't exactly an abundant resource right now. It sucks, but I may have to live with the discomfort, perhaps at least until I've saved a few bucks to get those things done.

My only worry is that I don't know if getting a splint will eliminate the discomfort. The orthodontist says that I may have to get some braces to correct the malalignment of the teeth, but I dunno. I'm a bit adamant to fork over such an exorbitant amount that's not going to permanently get rid of this discomfort.

My first check

I know it's stupid, but I just want this milestone to go down in my personal history!

Actually, I don't have anything else to blog. Harhar.

Truth be told, the pay ain't that bad. I was actually expecting a lower amount. Anyway, this money goes straight to my savings.

Now to plot for the 3rd manuscript...

Music and words

My playlist

PJ's post on music and writing made me think about the stuff that's on my playlist as well. I can only write what I usually write on weekends, and there's just so much distraction (like the internet) that's craving for my attention that I don't know if I can still get myself to write without my thoughts traveling elsewhere.

I usually have a particular song that's on repeat mode depending on the mood and the scene in the story that I'm writing. So far, these songs have been a favorite for the past few weeks:

Switchfoot - Only Hope


Lifehouse - Storm


John Mayer - Love Song for No One

I couldn't get to embed the YT vid for the Backstreet Boys' song "Drowning" which just sucks 'coz I've been playing it straight for days.

Yeah, so I'm being sentimental.

I can haz postcards!

I dunno what happened but my mom just handed me a bunch of stuff that came through our mail. Turns out they were the postcards I've been waiting since forever! Hahaha! The Postcrossing cards were mixed with those that I got from private swaps, & I was just floored by the sheer number.

Okay, they weren't a lot, but since they're overdue for weeks, I was just too happy to see them. =D

Here are the cards I got from Postcrossing (the one that had registration codes):

Porto San Giorgio in Italy sent by Maria

Postcard from the State of Ohio sent by Anje

Aren't we having fun! card from Yannie of the Netherlands

And here are the awesome cards I got via private trade:

Statue of Amenhotep III from the Museum of Luxor

Central Park, NYC

Quebec houses & Chateau Frontenac

Royal Castle Neuschwanstein in Germany

Mauri Kunnas illustration

3D Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince

I'm expecting more cards which I hope will arrive this month. I'm really excited because I was finally able to trade several from my stash for 2 cards of Tokyo Tower! I'm on a postcard roll.

Thanks, Postcrossing! :)

P.S.: Sorry for the crappy images. I just used the camera on my phone; was too lazy to scan them. =3

Postcards etc.

I'm officially addicted to postcards and Postcrossing.com. Lately I've been seeing myself going in and out of National Bookstore buying postcards by the dozen. Ever since discovering Postcrossing through Elise Estrella, I've been immersing myself in card swaps, traveling notebooks and lotteries at the forums. I've already sent 8 cards as of this writing, 3 of which have already reached their destination. So far, I have yet to receive my postcards.

I've been worried as of late because I haven't been getting any cards for the past month. I know our local post can be quite inefficient, but seriously...pati ba naman postcards eh pagkaka-interesan pa?

Lorns told me to just keep cool and not wait for it because the element of surprise is what makes the exchange enjoyable. I dunno...I'm just anxious as hell. Why is it taking this long for a bunch of cards to arrive? Hrrrr.

Anyway, I'm having a roll exchanging local postcards with other people from all over the world. I'm really psyched to receive the Harry Potter, Korean cats and Buckingham Palace cards in my mail. Though I wonder how many months I'll have to wait for that.

Still, I'd give an arm and leg if I can get postcards of the following:

Alhambra Palace (Granada, Spain)
Tokyo Tower
Ludlow Castle (Shropshire, England)
Greenwich Palace (London, UK)
Taj Mahal
Tower of London
Winnipeg, Canada (thank you AVPM)
Jeju Island (Korea)

I Heart Froyo

When you're really determined to cut back on the amount of calories you eat everyday, it's very difficult to veer away from temptation. Personally, it takes quite an effort to say no to sweets, chips & practically everything else because I have to keep in mind that I can't burn all those calories with my very limited activity. But if I have to indulge in my sweet tooth once in a while, I'd rather gorge on frozen yogurt, or for the sosi peepz, "fro-yo".

What really sucks is that although there have been a lot of these joints that have mushroomed since Red Mango, the price for a cupful is close to highway robbery. That's why I was more than just psyched when I spotted this quaint fro-yo place in Teacher's Village in QC.


Unlike its sosi counterparts, I Heart Froyo is as Spartan as can be. The place isn't adorned with fancy furniture, nor do they use extravagant dishes where they serve the yogurt. The place was just decorated with a bit of color and a few whimsical stuff, but it was more like a local hangout joint than a convening place for the rich and fashionable.

As for the yoghurt, it's not as fine or firm as that of its high end counterparts, but it's not that bad either. The texture is a bit softer and there's a slightest tinge of sourness to it.

I bought two large cups (PHP 70), one for myself and my cousin, and paid an additional PHP 15 each for toppings of graham & choco mallows. You can also opt to buy it in small cone (PHP 35) or in a regular cup (PHP 55). You can choose from an array of toppings at PHP 15 (oreo, graham, chocnut, choco chip cookie, choco mallows, apple, cinnamon, kiwi, mango & blueberries). For PHP 20, you can get toppings of gummi bears, M&Ms, almonds and Nerds on your fro-yo.

It's reasonably priced considering the stuff is importerd from Australia & Italy, not to mention the equipment needed to store the yoghurt at the right temperature.


Frozen yoghurt is the healthier option if you're craving for ice cream or sweets in general and I'd definitely recommend I Heart Froyo to the health conscious as well as to those who are on the lookout for the more budget-friendly variety.


I Heart Froyo is located at 44M B Magiting St., Teachers Village, Quezon City. Store hours is from Monday to Saturday (11am to 11pm) and Sunday (11am to 9pm). Email iheartfroyocorp@gmail.com for more inquiries.

I keep trash on my desktop

Found this random thing lying around my desktop while cleaning my hard drive.


I wonder if some people feel the oddity of it all
Of being uncomfortably close, fidgety, distraught
It's only a matter of three paces at most
But it feels as if I can almost grasp it at arm's length

Strange.

It seems as if I could almost see it
My sense of sight and feeling twice as receptive
The ears half straining to hear the catch in the voice
My mind keeping the skin from being all over the place

Weird.

Somehow I don't know if this is all just me
I fear to turn around and see indifference
Or worse if those eyes will see straight past
Without a word or recognition

Nobody gives a damn.

So why should I?

Or should I?


Wow. How long has it been since I last wrote a poem?

Thoughts on pictures

Pleasant weekend, everyone. :)

Team Carnival: My best blog post

Finally, I get to participate in another Team Carnival blog challenge, this time for the best blog post I've written. This blog isn't really that old enough for me to backtrack on the best stuff I've written thus far (heck, I haven't been posting regularly for weeks already), but if there was one entry I enjoyed writing, it had to be the Potipot summer getaway in Zambales.

This entry takes me back to my Livejournal years when I would write about anything & everything without fail. I most especially enjoyed writing about my frequent out of town trips from my previous travel writing jobs, and writing about this trip to Zambales with friends was all the more enjoyable because it was something personal. What's even better was that I took a fairly good amount of photos throughout the entire duration of the trip. It was also the time where I first met Fristine, although we've been corresponding many times via Plurk.

I've probably said several times over that I've been having difficulty blogging religiously with the advent of micro-blogging & Facebook. But with great experiences like this with close friends, it's almost impossible to not blog about it.

What's in a bag?

I was supposed to get this done for Rotch's Ten Geek Girls, Ten Handbags post, but I was only able to download the file from my camera just now, so Rotch...really sorry for missing your deadline. D:

I keep a small bag where I can conveniently stuff it in my laptop backpack whenever I bring home this bajeezus-heavy contraption. I'm not used to having small bags and I'm not used to trimming down its contents to the barest essentials. What you're seeing is really as essential as I can get. Back when I lugged around a medium-sized bag, I was never without a book and all the other paraphernalia (like billing statements, scratch papers, pencil case, wet tissues, etc.) that I couldn't live without. Now I just have to make sure I have something to do if I have to wait in long queues or something to wipe my ass with in case nature calls in the most unexpected places.

Top 10 Alodia Facts

1. Alodia spelled backwards is aIDOLa.
2. There is already an ongoing patent application for Alodia's trademark pose: the heart hand.
3. Even scrubbed free of makeup and wearing only a cheesecloth, Alodia is still the stuff of every fantard's wet dream.
4. Fantards can fap all they want, but they can never shag Alodia.
5. All you have to do is fall under the categories of an old geezer, wannabe photographers with bad grammar & lecherous sex maniac with a title of "VP for some whatchamacallit Internet organization" in order to get close to the queen of cosplay. You must also have a blog in honor of Her Royal Awesomeness.
6. Only Alodia can turn a wake for a dead relative into a photo op.
7. Alodia is averse to cosplaying on bikinis. But she cosplayed as Amaha Masane from Witchblade with her melons jutting out.
8. Only Alodia needs the protection of a dozen bouncers on steroids in an anime con in case of any assassination attempts.
9. It isn't Alodia's fault that the Chinese online game she endorsed didn't get the mileage it needed. They dressed her up too conservatively.
10. Alodia cosplays as a box from Metal Gear Solid and she will still get mobbed by perverts cosplaying as photographers.

Crazy stuff on the internet

I found this old entry in one of my defunct blogs, and it's so disgusting and funny that I thought I might share with you. :)

Mga salitang nangyayari sa araw araw na pamumuhay pero baka hindi nyo alam ang tawag.

BAKTOL - ang ikatlong lebel ng mabahong amoy sa kili-kili. Ang baktol ay kapareho ng amoy ng nabubulok na bayabas. Ito'y dumidikit sa damit at humahalo sa pawis, madalas na naamoy tuwing registration sa school, sa elevator, jeep o FX at sa LRT/MRT.

KUKURIKAPO - ito ang libag sa ilalim ng boobs, madalas na namumuo dahil sa labis na baby powder na inilalagay sa katawan. Maari ding mamuo kung hindi tlga naliligo o naghihilod ang isang babae. Ang kukurikapo ay mas madalas mamuo sa mga babaeng malalaki ang future.

MULMUL - buhok sa gitna ng isang nunal. Mahirap ipaliwanag kung bakit nagkakaroon ng MULMUL ang isang nunal subalit hindi tlga eto naaalis kahit bunutin pa ito, maliban na lamang kung ipa laser ito.

BURNIK - taeng sumabit sa buhok sa puwet, madalas nararanasan ng mga taong nagti-tissue lamang pagkatapos tumae, ang BURNIK ay mahirap alisin, lalo na kapag natuyo na ito. Ipinapayo sa mga may mga BURNIK na maligo na lamang upang ito'y maalis.

ALPOMBRA - kasuotan sa paa na kadalasang makikitang suot ng mga tindero ng yosi sa quiapo. Ito'y makipot na kasuotan ng paa, at manipis na swelas, mistulang sandalyas ito ng babae pero kadalasang suot ng mga lalaki, available in blue, red, green etc.

BAKOKANG - higanteng peklat, itoy madalas na dulot ng mga sugat na malaki na hindi ginagamitan ng sebo de macho habang natutuyo.imbes na normal na balat ang nakatakip sa bakokang, itoy mayroong makintab na balat na takip.

AGIHAP - libag na dumikit sa panty o brief. nabubuo ang AGIHAP kung ang panty o brief ay suot-suot na nang hindi bumababa sa tatlong araw at kapag tinapon ang panty o brief sa dingding, ito ay hindi mahuhulog pagkat dumikit na ng kusa sa dingding.

DUKIT - ito ang amoy na nakukuha kung kinamot mo ang pwet mo at may sumamang amoy tae.

SPONGKLONG - ito'y isang bagong wikaan na nangangahulugan isang estupidong tao.

LAPONGGA - ito'y kahintulad sa laplapan o kaya sa lamasan.

WENEKLEK - ito ang buhok sa utong, na kadalasang nakikita sa mga tambay sa kanto na laging nakahubad. Meron din ang babae nito.

BAKTUNG - pinaikling salita ng BAKAT-UTONG.

BAKTI - bakat panty.

ASOGUE - buhok sa kilikili.

BARNAKOL - maitim na libag sa batok na naipon sa matagal na panahon

BULTOKACHI - tubig na tumalsik sa pwet kapag nalaglag ang isang malaking tae. Naramdaman ito kasi tumalsik sa pisngi ng pwet ang tubig sa toilet bowl.

BUTUTOY - etits ng bata.

JABARR - pawis ng katawan

KALAMANTUTAY - mabahong pangalan.

McARTHUR - taeng bumabalik after mong i-flush.

Dance on TV

Admittedly, I've never been a good dancer. I've never been a dancer, period. I was the one who always lagged behind in PE during folk dance lessons and I totally sucked at an aerobics class trial for the gym my officemates and I planned to sign up for. Nevertheless, this didn't bog me down in appreciating those who can really whip it up on the dance floor.

I remember the first time I watched So You Think You Can Dance on cable TV and I was instantly hooked. They showed reruns of Season 3 (the one where Sabra Johnson won), and I thoroughly enjoyed the contestants' performances of various dance genres. I scoured the stores for some DVDs of the succeeding seasons, but I was only able to watch the entirety of Seasons 5 & 6. Anyway, YouTube was there to give me brief glimpses of some of the best performances in several seasons, and here are my favorites:

Neil Haskell & Lacey Schwimmer
Contemporary
Time by Billy Porter

This dance number was choreographed by one of my favorite mentors in the show, Mia Michaels. It was her personal story about her dad, and I just bawled after watching it. As Nigel Lythgoe succinctly put it, the performance was about "breaking away from all technique and just dance as if no one was watching". Brilliant piece from Mia.

Kupono Aweau & Kayla Radomski
Contemporary
Gravity by Sara Bareilles

Again, another Mia Michaels masterpiece, this time, about addiction. It's just so haunting that I'll let the video speak for itself.

Joshua Allen & Katee Shean
Hip Hop
No Air by Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown

I was only able to watch this upon the recommendation of Elise Estrella, and I have to say that this piece really knocked my socks off. Napoleon & Tabitha (NappyTabs) are also my favorite choreographers in the show & I just love their take on relationships in the form of dance. This is truly awesome stuff.

Legacy Perez & Ellenore Scott
Contemporary
Machine Gun by Portishead

Although I'm not a fan of Travis Wall, I really loved this piece because it was outright dangerous to execute (jumping over a table & doing your dance moves on top of it is a very risky business), not to mention that it showed the best of Legacy & Ellenore.

THE MOST EPIC SHIRT EVER!

THISISTHEFRICKINGESTAWESOMESTCOOLESTSHIRT
INTHEWHOLEWIDEFRICKINGUNIVERSE.

Thank you, T-Tees. You're the best a fangirl can get. :D

BTT: Disappointment

Name a book or author that you truly wanted to love but left you disappointed. (And, of course, explain why.)

I've never been a big fan of the Lord of the Rings books by Tolkien. The movies, yes. Books, hell no.

I tried reading The Hobbit, but I got epically bored after a few pages in Chapter 1. Perhaps I found Tolkien's wavelength totally different from mine, or I'm just probably stupid. I dunno...the way he described Middle Earth was just too detailed that I found my brain sleeping half the time I was reading.

I guess the Tolkien brand of fantasy just isn't my kind of fantasy.

A list of random stuff

I just needed to update this space, so I hope you won't mind the mindless rambling. I tend to do that a lot.

JulNoWriMo

I know right.

I have a lot of articles to write for PC, and here I go signing up for a crazy WriMo for July. I think I have suicidal tendencies.

TV tropes

As my first post for Team Carnival (topic c/o Didi of The canDishh Tales), allow me to unhinge my brain to tell you about 2 of my most favorite TV series.

BTT: Signatures

Do signed copies excite you? Tempt you? Delight you? Or does it not matter to you?

Are you kidding me? Of course it matters! My books become more "valuable" if I have them signed by the authors. Heck, when I browse online for books, it's just staggering how much signed books cost and how people are willing to fork over their entire wallet just to get their hands on a copy *coughneilgaimanbookscough*.

Just think about it: when these authors pass on, their works become a collector's item, sorta like action figures and hard-to-find comics that tend to cost an an arm and leg. And mind you, these not even signed.

Now it made me regret why David Eddings had to pass on when I haven't even gotten my books signed by him.



Pic credits from Avalon.ph

Diabetes

My mom has it.

I'm not entirely sure of her type level, but I do know that she's in the very early stages...meaning it can still be prevented from worsening through medication and proper diet. Her last medical check-up showed that her sugar level was indeed high, & there's really a need for her to seriously watch what she eats.

Rinse & repeat

Ok, so I just finished editing last year's manuscript, which means I've been delayed for 6 months. That roughly gives me less than 5 months to work on another plot for this year's November novel writing.

BTT: The Long & Short of It

Which do you prefer? Short stories? Or full-length novels?

I guess it depends on the story for me. There are some short stories that have a finality to it, thus making it an enjoyable read. But there are some that really call for a more fleshed out storytelling. There are times when I'm in the mood to read a one-shot story, as well as moments when I just want to curl up for hours reading on full-length novel.

But you know what? I've noticed a personal trend that I favor full-length stories, even if I barely have time to read them. I find myself buying novels instead of books of short stories, but if there are really good books on the latter, I also buy it. Thing is, I don't always finish reading it. :p

The list of epic randomness

One of my great failings as a Libran is that I have a very fickle mind as well as the inordinate tendency to do a lot of things. What sucks is that while I have a ton of ideas swimming in my head, I either do nothing about it, or I do something, but abandon it mid-way. I'm not sure if anyone's ever experienced the same thing, and it just drives me crazy just thinking about it.

A summer weekend in Zambales

This is a long overdue post, so I might as well get started with it. :)

On blogging

I'm really disappointed with myself. It seems that I can't blog regularly unlike years before when microblogging was unheard of. I have a lot of blog entries in mind, but little time to write them all down. I guess with Plurk & Facebook, I get instant replies to my posts, unlike the conventional blog writing where I have to slave a lot of hours to write & place eye-catching pictures to make an entry interesting.

Election 2010 outtakes

Welcome to hell hole, where everything is turbo-broiled.

Today didn't start out right for me. For one, I was dragged out of bed early because my dad didn't want to meet the huge crowd of voters, not to mention that I forgot to bring an ID (went back home for that) fan, water or anything that would help pass the time while waiting in line at Precinct 3210B in Tandang Sora Elementary School. Needless to say, I went to battle without proper ammo. Good thing I didn't flip my lid and went hysterical.

Shounen manga for the non-shounen

Hajime no Ippo manga cover

For the past few weeks, I've been the most unproductive now that I've been reading manga scanlations. I'm not actually a huge fan of manga and I'm pretty much picky at some of the titles I manage to read. Having said that, who would've thought I'd get hooked on reading shounen manga?

What's a girl supposed to do?

I got home from my friend's event (Saleng: Bonfires for Peace MANILA) about an hour ago, mostly because my mom has been texting me to no end to already get my ass home. It kinda sucks because I was really enjoying the evening and the performances along with my friends who I rarely get to see.

I really cannot understand why my parents have issues with me going out once in a while to unwind from work. Am I not entitled to take a break from the usual office-home routine that I've been doing since the dawn of time? Am I not entitled to socialize once in a while? Jeez, I'm already what...28 years old...and I can't enjoy a simple evening with friends. The funny thing is, I only live, like, 10 minutes away from the venue. Sheesh.

I was more than embarrassed to tell my friend that I had to leave. I feel like I'm such a kill joy ruining the evening and a major loser for living such a sheltered no-socializing-until-you're-40-BS.

Talk about Middle Ages in the 21st century. =_=

About Me

Anne Plaza has a degree in Psychology, but has actively pursued a career in writing as a reporter and online editor. Aside from writing, she loves reading contemporary romance, fantasy, and historical fiction. She also collects stamps and postcards, and enjoys traveling. Anne is based in Quezon City, Philippines.



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Blog Roll

Photo taken from Sphere Blog

Please show some love by visiting these blogs by my awesome friends. :)

• Kimmyscapes
• Lakapati
• PJ Goes Pop!
• Strangely Out of Place
• The Elisean Plains
• The Reimaru Files
• Piece of Mind
• Magnetic-rose.net
• Everyday Zizi
• Extra Seksi
• Tangerine Lullaby

Disclosure Policy

This policy is valid from 25 January 2011

This blog does not accept any form of advertising, sponsorship, or paid insertions. We write for our own purposes. However, we may be influenced by our background, occupation, religion, political affiliation or experience.

The owner(s) of this blog will never receive compensation in any way from this blog.

The owner(s) of this blog is not compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owners. If we claim or appear to be experts on a certain topic or product or service area, we will only endorse products or services that we believe, based on our expertise, are worthy of such endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.

This blog does contain content which might present a conflict of interest. This content will always be identified.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org/