Brewed Thoughts

New Year's at Chinatown

2012-01-26T23:15:00.000+08:00

Having resolved to travel more this year, I joined Kat, along with some new-found friends from CouchSurfing Manila, to walk around Binondo, Chinatown last Monday for the Chinese New Year celebration. Binondo holds a special place in my childhood memories. My folks used to have an office at the BPI building where my siblings and I usually go after school. Binondo has changed in many ways, but there were still some areas that reminded me a lot of my childhood.

Everyone wanted a piece of the dragon. Even this little tyke.

Anyway, being that it was Chinese New Year, it wasn't surprising to see people wearing red shirts and converging near Binondo Church. Mind you, they came in droves. The media hogged most of the space with their huge vans and equipment, but it was quite a sight to see a variety of people, not just Pinoys, coming together in just one place. There were several groups who had their own walk tours, one of which was Ivan Dy's. The great thing about people in walk tours is that you don't have to worry about attracting unwanted attention on your belongings, particularly if you're lugging a DSLR on hand.

Pigging out

Our group started off towards Ongpin Street where we merged with the crowd to watch the lion/dragon dance. Being vertically challenged, I didn't get to see much of the dance (nor get any decent photos for that matter), but I did like the fact that there were no random fireworks explosions along the road (I get really jumpy over loud noises). There were fireworks of course, but they were usually lit after the dance in a controlled area. Some random folks also threw candy and other stuff to spectators, which got everyone scrambling to get their share.

Vegetarian food...yum!

We had an early lunch at the Quan Yun Chay Vegetarian Restaurant in Masangkay Street. Kat and I ordered stewed broccoli and a plateful of oyster cake while we talked with other CSers. Outside the street, other groups entertained passersby with their own fanfare of loud drums and fire-breathing tricks.

Sinong Papa P?

When we stepped out of the restaurant, I spotted the TV5 camera crew with no less than Jun Sabayton and Lourd De Veyra tagging along. I didn't think twice to chase after them and get my picture taken with two of the funniest guys in the Internet. Too bad I don't own the camera where we all got a group shot with the two. I only got a nice souvenir photo with Jun, but hey, that wasn't so bad. :)

After that, we headed off to Intramuros to Bahay Tsinoy...on foot!

The Museum of the Chinese in Philippine Life

I've been to Bahay Tsinoy for about three times, thanks to my history classes in college. I'm surprised to see that the place hasn't deteriorated at all over the course of years. Unlike the National Museum which fell into decay in just a few years, Bahay Tsinoy was just the way I remembered it. I guess it goes to show the disparity between public and privately-maintained institutions, but still, I can't help but feel disappointed at the state of the National Museum considering the fact that it's supposed to be the National Museum. Sigh.

Dioramas and wax figures at Bahay Tsinoy

We spent quite a lot of time in Bahay Tsinoy with the rest of the group joining the lantern making contest. At that time it was nearing 4pm and we had to get back to Binondo to go to the Seng Guan Temple. Despite the hours of rest, we still didn't want to go back the same route on foot, so we hijacked a jeepney in City Hall for a ride back to Chinatown.

More food!

We were soon famished when we got back to the crazy fanfare in downtown Binondo, so Marvin, our trusty guide, led us to Quick Stop where we stuffed ourselves once again with several orders of stir-fried noodles (lomi & misua noodles!) and fresh lumpia. I had iced coffee which was just awesome after being soaked in the afternoon heat. The coffee was slightly bitter, but the vanilla ice cream and sweetened coffee jelly was more than enough to balance the flavor. Not bad at all!

One of the Buddha images inside Seng Guan Temple

Our second to the last stop was the Seng Guan along Abad Santos. Marvin gave a crash course on how to pray with the incense and how prayers should be phrased. It was my first time inside a non-Catholic place of worship and I was a bit adamant to pray inside the temple. I have to admit I was more transfixed at the images of Buddha (they had several altars in all different levels) all adorned in light and flowers. The largest altar we saw was the one at the second floor which was just jaw-dropping. It wasn't as huge as the one I saw in Singapore's Chinatown, but it was still massive. You'd literally feel so small standing up front the image. I was in the same state of awe the first time I saw the Spoliarium.

The last stop to the entire tour was supposed to be in Tondo (to pig out yet again), but Kat and I begged off because it was already getting dark.

The CS Manila peeps

All in all, the experience was just awe-inspiring, humbling and fattening! My first Chinese New Year experience in no less than Chinatown went down on the book. Thanks to CS Manila for a great tour. Until next time!

The year of writing

2012-01-15T13:24:00.000+08:00

New Year foodie!

Happy 2012, everyone! It's been a great January so far and I've enjoyed the holidays with the family. I guess it's safe to say that I've put on a few pounds since all we did was just cook and eat. My sister took over the kitchen and she'd been baking all these awesome pastries ever since. I think she also outdid our mom with all the cooking she did.

Wipe Out on Figment.com

This month is already turning out to be promising. A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from Figment saying that one of my works for the Daily Themes challenge has been featured on their site and I've been over the moon since then. I haven't been uploading stuff on their site for ages, and my work suddenly gets good reviews! I'm thinking of developing it to a novel, assuming I get over these frequent bouts of procrastination. To those who've read the story and gave their comments, thanks a lot! :) For those who haven't, please take a moment to read it and let me know what you think.

2012 is the year for me to buckle down and get creative. Hope you guys have a productive one, too! :)

UPD Photo Walk

2011-12-31T12:13:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, Kat and I met up in UP Diliman for a photo walk where I saw her new toy, the Canon EOS Kiss. It felt great to be out of the house after many weeks and taking photos again. I'm beginning to get a hang of using my Nikon D3000 and I'm excited to organize a few shoots with friends sometime next year.

There wasn't much people in campus as it was a holiday and the eve of New Year's Eve. After two hours of walking and shooting, we went to Maginhawa St. in UP Village where we had an early dinner at Leona Art Restaurant. The place had a homey and relaxed ambiance, and I really loved the food. It was something that would've come out of my mom's kitchen (minus the pizza). I'd definitely come back for another visit, hopefully with my mom and sister.

That's it for this year's last blog post. Hopefully next year, I'd get to post more and keep this space up to date. In the meantime, Happy New Year to all! Have a safe and awesome celebration with your loved ones! See you all in 2012.

Post NaNo

2011-12-11T10:34:00.001+08:00

I've been putting off writing on this blog post-NaNoWriMo. I admit I've been too lazy to post anything after slugging it out for an entire month of 2k daily word quotas. Although I'm glad to say that I've reached my self-imposed 60k word count goal, but the story is far from over. Looking back at what I've written so far, I've made a few realizations:

My characters aren't as lovable as I originally perceived them to be.
Conflict has lost its steam and I have no idea how to write the ending.
The romance subplot seems forced.

Well, look at that. It looks like my inner editor has managed to get out of the cage without my knowledge and now she's looking over the crap I've written. B-e-a-utiful.

I'm going to give this thing a month before I actually get around to fix it. I might contemplate in joining NaNoFiMo or NaNoEdMo. Or perhaps both.

In other news, I have the most awesome post-birthday/Christmas gift ever. I have a Kindle Fire! I've been downloading ebooks like crazy and reading until the wee hours. Though I still love flipping books, I can finally relate how great it feels not to lug around a ginormous paperback. I am forever grateful for this awesome gift. :D

Funny how the holidays made me think of a lot of things I want to get for myself. I try not to think so much about it, but the compulsion to buy stuff is just so overwhelming. Although being cooped up at home works wonders in saving money, but when I do go out, I almost always spend stuff in one go. I guess I have to be more strict in my expenses.

I've also been browsing the Adopt a Plot thread in NaNoWriMo and I've been besieged by plot bunnies ever since. I'm thinking of taking up the challenge to submit a manuscript next year, so I need all the practice I can get. This year's novel showed I still need to polish my grammar and refine my plot. I need all the encouragement from myself because admittedly, I am my worst critic.

I still can't help but feel excited on yet another writing project. Let's do this!

On hiatus for NaNoWriMo

2011-10-31T11:38:00.001+08:00

Well, I haven't been posting much anyway. But for those who visit this space, I will be off to NaNoLand for the month of November and will be marooned there for 30 days, until at least I finish what I've set out to write.

See you at the end of the tunnel!

My 30th Name Day

2011-10-23T21:16:00.002+08:00

So yeah, this is a late birthday entry. I was sort of hoping it would be different from the previous years considering I've hit that point in my life where I'm in the "middle age" bracket. No use denying it, I mean, we're all going there and it just so happened I've already reached the first checkpoint.

Anyway, birthday was ok. I spent the day on therapy and it was the most awkward thing. Ever. Since I got in late (damned HMO approval took forever), the therapist assigned to me was busy and I got a male one. Imagine this guy rubbing the ultrasound gel thingee up my ass for 20 minutes.

I had no words.

Incidentally, male therapist and I had the same birthday. I got greets from everyone on the floor. It didn't help that male therapist was kinda cute too, but I was too embarrassed I had such a flabby ass to begin with.

After therapy, I went to Booksale to get myself a present, then I headed home. End of story.

I thought I had my birthday planned. I initially wanted to do some donating for PAWS, but I ran into some trouble financial-wise. Perhaps once I've settled in my new job, I can take that rain check.

I had less greetings this year, but it didn't really matter. I realized the people who really knew you would send warm wishes because they genuinely know you and wouldn't need to be reminded via Facebook.

All in all, I guess turning 30 isn't so bad, not when you've got a lot to be thankful for. :)

Photo from happy-pictures.net

Wake me up when November's over

2011-10-17T11:08:00.003+08:00

Plotting away

I look up the NaNo website and it says it's 14 days 'til November 1.

Wait...WHAT?!

I'm not yet finished with my chapter outlines. Please don't let it be November just yet.

Going through the book list

2011-09-28T11:15:00.004+08:00

So...I've been at my book backlog list and I've ticked two off the list. It feels a bit rewarding knowing that I've been getting back in the reading habit and I just want to share my thoughts on some of them.

Game of Thrones

I made a good decision of reading the book while tuning in to the series because my mind can't get a grip on the boatloads of characters mentioned. I'm glad that HBO stayed true to the story and whatever diversions made complemented the book in so many ways. I've already bought book 2 and I can't wait to finish it before season 2 starts.

Twenties Girl

I've always liked Sophie Kinsella's light, tongue-in-cheek humor to her stories, but I guess if you've read one Kinsella book, you've read them all. Seriously. I keep getting glimpses of Rebecca Bloomwood even if her main character has a different name and a different profession. The fact that the story has a meddling, pushover ghost for a supporting character threw the believable factor out the window. I read the entire thing in just one day, and thank God it was a fast read otherwise, it would've been like getting a tooth extraction just to get over reading the damn thing.

My Name is Memory

I haven't finished this one and it already feels like I've been reading this book for months. Honestly, I'm not even interested to find out if the girl will ever remember the guy. The story is too dragging and I find myself gagging every time the male character goes off in his monologues of self pity. It's like reading Twilight in slow mo.

I just hope the other books in my list have something better to offer, otherwise it will just be one long list after the other.

Or maybe I just need a Kindle. Hehehe.

Book images from respective sites in link

Goodbye, Amaya

2011-09-19T11:08:00.000+08:00

I've already stopped watching Amaya since two weeks ago. I couldn't bear to stomach the dragging episodes every night (I don't really watch it on TV so I didn't lose much sleep). I thought I'd be able to bear the horrible Marian Rivera acting and the seemingly Mara Clara-ish snail's pace scenes, but I finally said to hell with it. For all its hype and pomp, the so-called epicserye dragged forever before Marian could ever don that warrior's costume & chop the balls off the other cast members.

But as I hear it, Rajah Mangubat was FINALLY killed (took him forever to drop dead, I swear), and the stupid tagna was fulfilled. But not until after all the yakking and tear-jerking whatevers from gag-inducing Marian.

Sorry, I thought this show had promise with Ms. Suzette Doctolero at the writing helm. I was wrong. The show dragged longer than the epic Hinilawod and I was already choking with the sappiness of it all. I've had enough.

I'm just gonna bide my time and wait for Merlin Season 4 or Game of Thrones Season 2. That or I can just finish off my book backlog. Time well spent.

The 32nd Manila International Book Fair

2011-09-18T19:47:00.001+08:00

Wala lang. Magandang kuha.

This is my second time to attend the Manila Book Fair event and like the first experience, there wasn't that much, except only for the 20% sale on the National Bookstore booth. As an afterthought, I felt somewhat frustrated as it should have been labeled as "Manila International Academic Book Fair". Seriously. Most of the books were for students and academicians that I lost interest at the first 10 minutes of roaming around.

It would've been nice to see other bookstores and even publishers both local and foreign not just selling stuff, but also conducting pocket events for the reading and writing public. There was one reader-centric mini-event but that happened on a weekday. I felt like I spent more than an hour's time traveling to the end of the world and ended up being somewhat disappointed.

Ok, so I wasn't entirely disappointed. I got to buy A Clash of Kings on sale, and I got to have my book signed with Ambeth Ocampo. I didn't stick around for the author panel with Samantha Sotto (author of Before Ever After---one of the books I've been eyeing to buy), nor with another Lourd de Veyra book signing. I left the place after a complete sweep of the entire area with only one book purchase.

This saved my day.

Overall, the experience was somewhat uneventful. If I had my way of putting together an event like this, I'd get all book stores, publishing houses, artists and writers in one roof. I'd probably die happy with such a book/writing event. I suddenly remembered the Read or Die Con and that didn't turn out so bad. It was purely a reader convention with not so much books, but I had so much fun interacting with people. I wonder when we'll have that kind of event again.

Subspace Coffee: Still beyond my galaxy

2011-09-18T00:09:00.000+08:00

I first heard about Subspace Coffee from a blog entry and I was immediately intrigued. Being a coffee and food junkie, I had to check out the place, so I hauled the only two people I can count on for spur-of-the-moment rendezvouz for a Friday evening gimik.

I love hole-in-the-wall coffee shops and restaurants, and this place is no different. Subspace Coffee, located along Emerald Avenue, a stone's throw away from Strata 100 and Robinson's Galleria. We got there around past 7pm and the place was jam-packed with office workers who had the same idea of hanging out after a long and strenuous work week.

The place was designed to look quirky and avante garde. The first thing we noticed were these chairs hung upside down in the ceiling, Kpop posters and jeepney signs on the granite walls along with furniture that I reaaaallly liked. But despite all the nifty decorations and interiors, it was too cramped for my taste. The initial excitement somewhat died halfway when we had to squeeze through the little spaces until we got our seats in some cramped up corner. It would've been really nice if the place was spacious enough, though I liked the ambiance nonetheless.

Microwaved carbonara

Spam Honey Mustard sandwich

While the three of us pretended to ignore the silent film showing of Bleach projected on the wall, we ordered some drinks and food. Again, the excitement went down another notch with the rather expensively-priced menu. I ordered an 8oz Purple Potato Latte (P125) and a Spam Honey Mustard sandwich (P100). My friends ordered a cold Peanut Butter Latte, Iced Green Tea, Carbonara and Corned Beef Mushroom sandwich. I was equally disappointed with the quality of the food (the sandwiches could have been toasted at the very least) given the price. I suppose since the place didn't have a kitchen to begin with, there's really not much they can do. We haven't tried the cakes, though. My purple latte tasted a bit too sweet, but I guess it was ok. It was a quirky attempt to reinvent a common drink, so there's a redeeming factor so to speak.

Purple Potato Latte--the only thing that saved it all.

The experience wasn't that disastrous despite a few disappointments. I realized that a nice looking joint doesn't necessarily mean great food. I guess the place needs to gain more mileage for it to expand and develop their menu, but they do have a good base of clientele within the area. Probably that could jumpstart the cafe into further improvements in the coming months.

The things about language that piss me off online

2011-09-11T22:10:00.000+08:00

I'm almost always online everyday, and there are times when I encounter annoying people who bastardize both the English and Filipino languages. It's bad enough some people think they're "bilingual" when they can't even spell or punctuate the words even if they died trying, but all these variations to save on character space is just abhorrent. I would always grit my teeth and control the urge to punch someone who types/posts in these lines:

Nanaman / nalang. It's na naman / na lang. Get it right.
Super *insert adjective here* (e.g.: super thankful, super sorry, super galing)
Using the word "epic" to denote something awesome, great, amazing

Spelling "ako" as "aq" (or any form of jejespeak for that matter)
Wait lang (pwede namang sabihing "sandali lang")

What even drives me to commit homicide is the fact that some people have the gall to abbreviate words when they've got a perfectly functioning keyboard at their disposal. Sadly, I encounter a lot of this at work.

Disclaimer: I do not proclaim myself as ultimately without flaw in grammar and syntax. It doesn't mean that even if the other person can understand the bastardized language you're posting online, doesn't mean you should go ahead and mangle the damned thing.

Fangasm on Visprint's WIT

2011-09-11T21:18:00.000+08:00

I think it's bad that there are less and less people who read, but it's even worse knowing that our local authors and publishers do not get the support they need from the very few reading public. Personally, I like reading Philippine fiction, particularly subjects that interest me such as folklore, history and the paranormal. Although I'm not exactly well-read when it comes to the works of the more prolific Filipino authors, I'm a big fan of some of Visprint Inc.'s titles, some of which were just surprise discoveries in my countless forages in bookshops.

When I learned Visprint was staging the first author-writer meet-up of sorts, I grabbed at the chance to meet my favorite authors, Karen Francisco and G.M. Coronel and have my books signed in the process. They had a talk block session on the fantasy/horror genre which I also signed up for, but I also registered for the other talks that afternoon just to satisfy the curiosity to meet the other authors.

Funny man, Manix Abrera, talks about Kikomachine.

One of the first sessions I was able to attend was on the komiks panel, particularly on Manix Abrera's segment. The author and creator of Kikomachine comics was as hilarious in person as his characters. It's amazing how observant these people are and how they're able to poke fun of our weird Filipino habits and nuances.

Horror/fantasy panel (from top: Karen Francisco for Naermyth, Karl De Mesa for News of the Shaman, and G.M. Coronel for Tragic Theater)

When the fantasy/horror panel came up, I was really starstruck seeing Karen & Sir Bart talk about their novels, their research and the painstaking efforts they went through to come up with such amazing novels. The entire amount of research and world-building for Naermyth was overwhelming for me. I'm planning a story along the same genre and frankly I'm scared that I may not have enough info to get confident enough to work on this project. Still, it was pretty much amazing how I was able to get some tips from Karen's talk which I hope will help me tide over November unscathed.

Meeting Karen & Sir Bart in the flesh was, needless to say, a humbling experience. I was particularly amazed at how non-assuming Bart Coronel was. I'd have never known this seemingly quiet, simple man had no formal training on writing. I was behaving like a fantard when both of them recognized me by name as I usually stalked them on Facebook and Twitter. When I got my books signed, it was like Lourd de Veyra all over again--that sweet, fangasm feeling of seeing and talking to your writing gods up close.

Visprint authors and artists

I really think local publishers should do more than just book signings. With so many challenges confronting the local publishing scenes, there should be more interactions such as these between publishers, authors and readers. I'm glad Visprint is one of those who take these matters to heart.

P.S.: To the few people who read this humble blog, I urge you to check out other titles under Visprint. For those who've read Naermyth and Tragic Theater, well, Karen mentioned she's 75% done with book 2, and Tomb Keeper, the prequel & sequel to Tragic Theater, will be out by Halloween! I hope there's another book signing event for that. :D

See you in next year's WIT!

Something random

2011-08-28T17:41:00.001+08:00

I have a strong feeling I'm one of those people who'll just get stuck at home during the four-day weekend. Pathetic, I know.

So...I have a couple of things that I hope will tide me over until at least the boredom settles in.

We finally have internet at home. Sun Broadband. Nasty stuff. The damned thing takes two minutes to load a single page. I can't even decently buffer a single YouTube video. I can't believe I'm going to get stuck with this crappy connection for two years.

Currently watching Game of Thrones and I'm loving it. Reading the book wasn't as painful as I thought it would be, and the series is helping me get a clear picture of who's who in the story. I saw a couple of familiar actors from 300, Harry Potter and Troy.

I have a new phone, though I still have to jailbreak the damn thing. Does anyone know where I can get a my|phone fixed for open line?

Another new manuscript to build, and I'm already writhing from procrastination.

Sleep. This weather is just perfect for it.

In other news, I still haven't received a damned Pottermore email. Dang it.

I've also been thinking about signing up for a Tumblr account. I wish Blogger had an active community and a reblogging function for those who are too lazy to post their own content. /heh

And the list just keeps getting longer

2011-08-21T09:28:00.001+08:00

I have this bad habit of buying new books while I still have boatloads of other publications to read. In this list:

~~George R.R. Martin - A Game of Thrones~~
Elizabeth Gilbert - Eat, Pray, Love
~~Sophie Kinsella - Twenties Girl~~
Ann Brashares - My Name is Memory
Philippa Gregory - The Virgin's Lover & The Other Queen
Jeanne Kalogridis - The Borgia Bride
George R.R. Martin - A Clash of Kings

Somehow, it feels like this is a good problem, don't you think? :)

A day with the Lourd

2011-08-20T23:12:00.004+08:00

The thing about living in the city is that you can never get around anywhere without shelling out some money. This is the reason why I rarely go out on weekends (as in rarely). This week, however, was an exception; it's not everyday you get to meet one of your idols in the flesh.

The Best of This is a Crazy Planets Book Signing event happened at National Book Store in Trinoma just this afternoon. The place was packed even before the appointed time of the program. I managed to squeeze my way into the crowd and grab a spot near the stage where I eagerly awaited the guy who stirred quite a crowd with his thought-provoking sentiments about the Filipino idiosyncracy.

I remember my first (virtual) encounter with the Lourd. I don't really watch local TV, and I only knew about The Word of the Lourd when an episode video clip popped in my Facebook timeline when it was shared by one of my friends. From then on, I kept on tuning in to their FB page for the latest videos of The Word of the Lourd. The man is unquestionably smart (four-time Palanca awardee ba naman?!), and he disses our weird Filipino ways with so much finesse that even the Jejemons worship him. I became an instant fan ever since.

Anyway, I finally saw him lingering behind the massive tarp and I had to control the urge to squeal. Hahaha. I felt like a high school student with her first crush.

When Lourd came up onstage and read one article from his book, man, I have to say I can literally listen to his voice all day. Nevermind the cuss words in between the witty quips...the voice was just...well...let's just say, "Boses pa lang, ulam na."

It was grateful I didn't have to wait for such a long time before I got my book (and a friend's) signed. When I got up front and he signed my book, he made a few comments that went something like this:

Lourd: Wow, may cover na ha. (He's referring to my book wrapped in plastic cover.)
Me: Ah, matagal ko na kasing nabili yan.
Lourd: San mo nabili?
Me: Ah, sa National din.
Lourd: So, Anne, ano'ng ginagawa mo?
Me: Sa marketing...ng compressor ng aircon.
Lourd: Wow!

...and that's the story to the dedication in the book.

The long lines seemed to go on forever, even way past the two hour event. I still snuck in the book store and he was still signing books, still enthusiastically meeting his fans, saying, "Gusto ko lamang ipagpaalam na hindi po ako si Bob Ong."

Thanks, Lourd. Wasak ang araw na 'to. Mabuhay ka!

A quick Pottermore survey

2011-08-08T00:00:00.001+08:00

Pottermore name:

ShieldHeart84

What Hogwarts House do you think it SOUNDS like:

Sounds all Hufflepuff-y to me.

What Hogwarts House do you WANT to be in:

Ravenclaw.

Does the username relate to you at all (why/why not):

The fact that it sounds fruity & gay, I don't think so. (I don't even know what possessed me to choose this username. What was I thinking?!)

What kind of wand would you wish to get:

Any kind of wood is fine, but do they happen to have angel feather as a wand core?

Pure Blood/Half Blood/Muggle Born:

Half-blood. Just because.

Which day 1-7 did you get into Pottermore:

I think it was on the 3rd day.

Cat, Rat, Owl, or Toad:

Owl for mail, cat for a pet!

Expecto Patronum! What is your patronus shape and why:

A tarsier. So there'd be no denying who's a Pinoy wizard.

Oh no! You’ve found a boggart! What does it look like:

A ghost.

Riddikulus! Now what does it look like:

Robert Pattinson. LMAO.

Would you rather be an Animagus or a Metamorphmagus and why:

Metamorphmagus because it's something innate. Animagi are boring as they can only change into animals.

If you taught yourself to be an Animagus, what animal would best suit you and why:

An eagle or a hawk. I've always wanted to know what it feels like to fly.

I had a near-anxiety attack...

2011-08-02T19:04:00.001+08:00

Credits to Kat for the screenshot

...when I couldn't find the blasted magic quill to get myself registered for Pottermore. Kat & I have been waiting the entire day for the clue, refreshing the page every 30 minutes or so since this morning (adik talaga, LOL). I was so anxious because the site would probably close in the next hour and a half and I was nowhere to finding the damn quill.

So, thank you, Kat, for saving my sanity.

And now I've registered as ShieldHeart84. Hell to the YES!

Can't wait to get sorted. :D

HP7 part 2: The end is nigh

2011-07-15T23:54:00.001+08:00

Finally, after a year of waiting, I was able to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Waiting for the hours to pass on a work day tested my emotional quotient to the limit. I was able to reserve a seat online, but I didn't take my chances and bolted out the door when my shift ended.

I arrived at the cinema two hours before the screen time. Surprisingly, the lines weren't that long. I had to check if I was at the right place. I was expecting mayhem similar to last year's screening, but I was incredulously grinning like an idiot when I finally bought my ticket in less than two minutes.

Butterbeer cupcakes!

I killed the time going to bookstores and met with a friend who saved me some of the butterbeer cupcakes he baked. It was perfect timing that he too watched the first show in the same mall so I was able to goad him into saving a few pieces of the stuff he made. It was pretty good; it definitely saved me the effort of buying snacks to eat at the movies (I'm such a cheapskate haha!).

The money I spent on the 3D version of the movie was well spent. At first, I felt my eyes adjust wearily to the images, but I got the hang of it. The images didn't leap out of the screen, unlike the first time I tried watching a 3D short flick in Universal Studios in Singapore, but there were some instances when certain projections seemed life-like. I was particularly thankful that the audience was civilized and there was less noise and ruckus.

Anyway, I've taken the liberty to enumerate my thoughts about the movie (because I can't organize my thoughts coherently), so if you haven't watched it and are averse to spoilers, then I suggest you skip this part.

It's all her fault.

The movie was instantaneously set in grim and in foreboding manner. I hardly noticed the one year break when the first few scenes flashed before my eyes. It's as if I hadn't waited that long for this part---it was like the scenes were interwoven seamlessly. Everyone in the audience watched the scenes unfold with bated breaths and there was nary a sound. David Yates set the mood strong---no background music, just sharp and succinct dialogues. How much more suspenseful can you get?

Some of the scenes in the book I was expecting to kick ass didn't turn out the way I thought it would. The Battle of Hogwarts scene when Mrs. Weasley retaliated at Bellatrix with the epic lines, "Not my daughter, you bitch!" was uneventful. George, Tonks and Lupin's deaths were just the same.
WTF happened to the Harry x Ginny chemistry? Oh, I forgot. THERE WAS NONE. Remember that kiss in the trailer? That only lasted for just three seconds compared to the Ron-Hermione kiss at the Chamber of Secrets.
Neville was as totally awesome in the movie as he was in the book.
Snape's back story = WIN. Alan Rickman is my Jesus. The scene when Snape cradled Lily's lifeless body will haunt me until the day I die.
Screw James Potter, the most lackluster character in the entire series. I hate the man with a vengeance. The funny thing is he's fictional. And he's dead.
I totally felt the hair on my arms stand to an end when McGonagall brought to life the suits of armors. The scene with Flitwick and the other professors casting protective enchantments on Hogwarts chilled my blood. Freaking epic scene.
Ginny and Hermione didn't look like they've aged after 19 years. Ginny looked like she was in her mother's clothes dressing up in front of the mirror. Hermione still had the sharp face of a teenager. Daddy Harry looked like he had prostate cancer. Ron was the most believable, potbelly and all.

I may have mixed feelings in this last installment of the movie, but one thing's for sure: I will have to watch it again...preferably two more times. I can never have enough of those scenes of Snape. The man is a god.

Happy Birthday, Postcrossing!

2011-07-14T11:45:00.001+08:00

Ever since joining Postcrossing last year, I've been surprised countless times when I get something in my mail. Oftentimes, these little surprises arrive at the perfect time, i.e., after a peevish day at work or during an uneventful, lackluster day. Regardless if it was only just a postcard or several pages of letters from my pen friends, I'm always delighted at the prospect of receiving interesting images, stamps and packages from all over the world.

Postcrossing revived my fascination for snail mail and the promise of making new friends. In fact, I've gotten back to collecting stamps, a hobby which I took up in high school but had to give up shortly. Aside from stamps, I also enjoy collecting bookmarks, coffee (at first I didn't believe there were other flavors aside from the ones locally available) and letter sets. I even got around to make my own envelopes for trade with other envelope art makers.

As a travel bug with little to no financial capability to mount an expedition around the world, postcards are my own way of seeing and touring various countries. The stories written in these cards show a different side to these places, as well as the people who sent them. It's very heartwarming to receive genuine well wishes from people even if you haven't seen them in person. Perhaps its this natural love and fascination of different cultures that inevitably bind individuals regardless of their background.

I'd like to invite everyone to join this fun hobby of sharing and learning many things from people across the globe. Let's bring back the joy of sending snail mail as we tell our own stories. I'm pretty sure you will appreciate the surprises you'll receive in your mailbox once you get the hang of it.

Photo from: Postcrossing

Envelope art

2011-06-25T15:39:00.001+08:00

Postcrossing has opened a whole slew of collections for me. Aside from the usual postcards and stamps, I've enjoyed getting back to the art of snail mailing and writing to penpals. It feels just like high school all over again. The idea of receiving a long letter or even just a simple, but warm greeting on a postcard drives the pains of stress away.

One of the many things I've discovered in the Postcrossing forums and in a Facebook group on Penpalling & Letters has something to do with envelope or mail art. A lot of creative forumers have posted their own envelope designs and I was quite inspired that I decided to decorate my envelopes too.

Envelope art from Postcrossing forumers

I never really bothered to do anything artsy on the envelopes I send to my penpals and people I swap with. I use a typical white baronial envelope and I just make it a point to use stamps when I mail them. My first try at designing was rather lackluster. I fumbled with the colors and my early attempts to draw something on the envelopes turned out to be an ugly disaster.

First attempt

I figured that I'm not really cut out to draw anything, so I settled for magazines and worked on some cut-outs using colorful, glossy pages.

My second attempt looked promising and I found myself making some more, sometimes using the pages itself to make an entire envelope. It felt therapeutic to do something with your hands, and I found myself enjoying the task as I listened to some David Eddings audio books.

Some of my recent works

I was able to make 11 envelopes today and I hope to swap them for other people's mail art. Perhaps as I get used to this little project, I'd be able to come up with some of my own designs instead of just using magazine pages. That means I have to stock up on some art and crafting supplies.

I feel immensely proud of myself today. :)

Weekend at Lucban and Liliw

2011-06-20T15:46:00.003+08:00

You know what they say about plans not materializing if you think about it too much. But since it was the long weekend, a couple of my co-workers and I boarded the next bus to Lucena in Quezon province for an overnight shindig. The trip felt like it went on forever. I guess if it were not for the company of friends (and the Pawn of Prophecy audio book in my iPod), I'd have probably died of boredom. We stayed at my co-worker's family residence in Lucban, arriving past 1am. It was raining when we got there and for the first time since the unbearable Manila heat, I felt the biting cold reminiscent of Christmas. I fell asleep the minute my head touched the pillow.

Noah's Ark

We got out of the bed very early, had a filling breakfast of sinangag, Lucban's famous longganisa and last night's chilled avocado. Our first agenda for the day was to go to the grotto, Kamay ni Hesus Shrine. I particularly enjoyed the tricycle ride going there---the air was cold and crisp, and there was nothing but farm fields and coconut trees along the way.

The shrine, located on the slopes of Mt. Banahaw, has a church where renowned healing priest, Fr. Joey Faller, is the parish priest. A stage was being set up near the church grounds and there were many people milling around. Apparently it was Fr. Joey's birthday that day, and the parish thought to celebrate it with a concert of some sort and some other performance.

Offering candles & prayers

Kamay ni Hesus is actually a 292-step hill that features life-size figures of the Stations of the Cross along the way. The 50-foot statue of Jesus can be found at the top. We weren't able to make our own way up the hill as we weren't dressed appropriately (we wore shorts that day), so we just went around the vicinity, particularly in the Garden of Eden.

The temptation of Adam and Eve

Like a bunch of kids, we were taken by surprise when we saw a huge ark at the far end of the garden. There were also statues of animals as well as effigies of famous biblical persona such as Adam and Eve, Moses and Michael the Archangel. There was also a small hill with other life-sized statues of the mysteries of the Holy Rosary with the image of the Immaculate Concepcion at the top overlooking the street below.

The garden and other areas were well kept, though sadly, it looked more like an amusement park than a solemn place.

After saying our prayers and lighting candles, we made our way to the town proper where we hitched a ride going to Majayjay in Laguna, then ultimately to our destination in Liliw. I was once again amazed at how simple life in the province was. The long journey made me contemplate on a lot of things and despite the strains of travel, I felt the stress leave my body in every intake of fresh air.

The drama of weddings

Before we made a mad dash to the shops in Liliw, we first said a few prayers at the St. John the Baptist Church (Lilio Church). As luck would have it, there was a wedding being held and I was able to snap a few photos. After a short word of thanks for our safe journey, we all went to attack the shops for some major shopping.

Nothing but shoes at Liliw, Laguna

Most of the shoes were fashioned in the latest trend these days, which were mostly espadrilles and imitations of Sanuk and Toms canvas shoes. It took me a while and I had to scour the entire street before finally settling down on a pair of aquamarine platform sandals and some leather slippers for my dad & brothers. After the shopping, we ate a quick lunch at Mang Pabling's before heading back to Majayjay and then to Lucban.

Happy little campers

Of course, no trip would not be complete without buying pasalubong. I bought apas, uraro cookies, turones de mani, polvoron de leche and longganisa. The place was filled with the smoky aroma of longganisa dangling overhead. There's also a small window where you can see how the stuff is prepared before being sold.

Mmmm...mmmm...

We had to cut short our trip as we needed to get on the next bus back to Manila. The road back home was twice more nerve-wracking as I particularly needed to beat the clock. Nonetheless, I truly enjoyed the weekend sojourn, no matter how short it was. I'm always thankful to be given an opportunity to travel, much more with good friends.

More Lucban-Liliw photos

Amaya First Impressions

2011-05-31T08:52:00.001+08:00

After Encantadia, I found no other reason to rush back home at the end of the day and watch some sensible show on TV. But after six years, it looks like there's something worthwhile to watch in primetime, and that's GMA's topbilled epicserye, Amaya.

Marian Rivera as Amaya

Gardo Versoza as Rajah Mangubat

I had initial qualms about some of the cast members, among other things, but I didn't want to hold judgment when I haven't seen the first few episodes. But last night's pilot episode was just phenomenal that I was raving about it in Facebook and Plurk.

Machete's back!

Needless to say, I was impressed with the way production designer Rodell Cruz and costume designer Gino Gonzales put together such an elaborate civilization of long ago. But if there were any scene stealers in the show, I have to give props to Gardo Versoza as Rajah Mangubat. The man who I thought to be a "has been" sort of stepped out from his glory days in Seiko Films and came back to the limelight, Machete style. He was so unlike the last fantasy series he starred in where he was the tame and two-dimensional Haring Agat (Atlantika). In Amaya, not only did he achieve his buff bod that made him the Sexiest Man in Asia, I think he was one of the cast members who really looked and played the part.

Gina Alajar as Dian Lamitan

Irma Adlawan as Mantal

Although the rest of the cast did their acting part, they paled in comparison to the thespic prowess of veterans such as Gina Alajar and Irma Adlawan. Their acting was believable, genuine and crisp that they overshadowed the likes of Lani Mercado and Ayen Munji-Laurel. I hope director Mac Alejandre pushes his artists more. I may not be a seasoned actor, but I know scripted acting when I see one. Let's just hope the other stars who have yet to appear on the show play their part well.

I urge all viewers to also do their research take what they see on TV with a grain of salt. The show may have had help from historians (albeit as reported they got two UP historians on board...I dunno if that suffices for thorough research), it pays to also know your history and pay attention to the story more than the stars that portray the characters. I think GMA is well on the road to educate its viewers, with Encantadia as probably its most successful series to date. I hope and pray that Amaya will follow suit.

Photos from Amaya Facebook fanpage

Happy birthday, little brother!

2011-05-22T23:51:00.000+08:00

Cereal prawns


Mother's seafood pasta

Face to face with "The Rock"

2011-05-21T23:47:00.007+08:00

Thanks to a voucher discount, I was able to go to Corregidor with a couple of friends a few weeks ago. Needless to say, in all my wishlist of places to go to, this little island was probably not in the top list. I was just expecting the usual artifacts as seen in pictures, but I was totally not prepared with what I saw and experienced.

It was like being swept off your feet for the very first time. Pardon the cheesy line and the gag-inducing sappiness, but this was my immediate impression when the Sun Cruises ferry boat docked in the island's small port. It was just past 9AM when we got there and ironically, the sun wasn't that scorching. The wind was cool and refreshing; I think the pleasant weather got us all in an excited mood.

For most of us who still remember bits and pieces of history during the second World War, Corregidor was the focal point for Manila's naval defense. It's hard to believe that this tiny, tadpole-shaped island was Manila's focal point for naval defense. Yet, you'd see traces of that history as artillery batteries consisting of coastal guns, mortars, bomb shelters and cartridge rooms still stand to this day.

While we roamed around the island in tranvia buses, I was mentally picturing what life was back in the days when the island was a sprawling military fortress. Looking at the ruins of the soldier hostels and barracks gave me goosebumps just imagining what kind of life it was back in the war. The place had all the amenities anyone could ask for---swimming pool, a golf course, cinema---but I'm sure those people must've been paranoid at some point, knowing their lives were easy prey during the war.

Then and now: Military barracks

It likewise boggled the mind how a place that was pretty much washed up by the blood of many seemed so serene and eerie at the same time. The place seemed indifferent to the tourists' noise. I can't begin to describe what it felt like, but perhaps if I wasn't in a tour group, I would've probably just sat there and watched the ruins all day. In some ways I've been humbled and amazed to see it all.

Which brings me to the point of this post: whoever's in charge of the island's tourism ought to tell visitors to exercise some restraint when going around the area, particularly in monuments, ruins and burial places. I dunno if it was just bad luck that we've been saddled with the most rowdy Pinoys where the words "camera whores" were one hell of an understatement.

Bullets once rained on this place.

Pissed off didn't even come close to describe what it felt like being on the same bus with a bunch of jologs tourists who kept on snapping pictures even in pitch black situations in the Malinta Tunnel. Or in the ammunition room where a group of inconsiderate idiots nearly destroyed my ears with their screaming.

To the tourists: Corregidor is a sacred place. People died there. Don't ride on the batteries as if you were riding a godforsaken pony. At least have the decency to reduce horseplay to a minimum and respect other tourists who want to enjoy the trip for what it's worth.

Ten feet high Japanese Buddha statue at the Japanese memorial site.

Sorry about that. Thinking about inconsiderate tourists set my teeth on the edge.

My friends and I are planning to return to Corregidor, this time, for an overnight experience. Though I don't particularly relish ghost hunting, I guess close encounters with the supernatural kind beats the hell out of breathing the same air with idiots.

This wasn't the original Spanish lighthouse, but this was the same spot where it once stood.

And now for some tips:

Research. You'll never know if you're going to get saddled with a tour guide who tells fiction rather than facts. Which brings me to another point: don't believe everything your tour guide says. If you're unsure of the information, go back to your books or research elsewhere.

To hell with courtesies. If a rowdy bunch of tourists behave like a bunch of Bieber fanatics, tell it straight to their faces to shut their pie holes. Otherwise, you might pop an artery.

If you can go for an overnight stay, do it. You'll just be amazed how many interesting sites you'll miss in the day tour.

Be considerate of other tourists. We of all people should practice proper decorum not because there are foreign tourists, but to respect for those who died there.

They used to watch movies here.

Compassion for the cat killer...wut?

2011-05-14T23:24:00.000+08:00

By now, some of you have gotten wind of the latest news to hit us all in the face. I may probably be a little bit over-emotional on this, but I'd just like to say that the guy's punishment is way too nice for words.

I've read a blog entry saying that people should be more compassionate towards the guy who insanely beat the living crap out of a defenseless animal. While we all agree that this dude is crazy and needs professional help, I think we're way beyond compassion. Shoot me now for saying that he should've served jail time, not to mention that he should be expelled from UP.

Yeah, yeah, I've had enough crap about people saying "let he who has no sin be the one to cast the first stone" drama. Thing is, we are never going to move forward if we're all babying law offenders. Sure, all of us are sinners, but do we all go around killing random things that come our way? Do we suddenly just shoot the people that piss us off just because we feel like it?

We are never going to move forward as a nation if we cannot even execute the law to its maximum force. It's the only way we can stop delusional people from breaking the law. We need an iron fist to ram the law down our throats.

I just find the discussions on vegetarianism hilarious.

P.S.: This is just my opinion. If you have any problems, create your own blog and let loose there.

P.P.S.: This rant is not just about the cat killer, but to law breakers in general.

Omnom Singapore

2011-05-08T22:36:00.005+08:00

Singaporean hawker center

If there was one thing I did mostly while I was in Singapore last Holy Week, it was about stuffing my face senseless with food. I probably committed a grave offense to the Catholic faith by not fasting on a holy occasion, but that trip may as well be my last opportunity to go there, so I hope the dude upstairs will let this pass.

A word of advice for the adventurous gourmand: You should pack garterized shorts or pants because you're most likely to gain several pounds. It's so easy to look for a particular food or cuisine in SG, unlike in good 'ol Pinas where you have to traverse seven mountains and swim the deepest ocean to satisfy your craving. When you've got great food within reach, it's very likely that you're going to be gaining calories instead of burning them.

Ironically, there's only one place in SG where you can get Pinoy food...and it's not even authentic. The hawker center at the Marina Bay Sands called Rasapura Masters serves a variety of international cuisine, among which is Filipino food. My sister said their Pinoy food is rather bland and all. I didn't get to sample it myself, though. I mean, it totally defeats the purpose of going there and then end up eating our kind of grub.

My first taste of Singaporean curry.

Thing is, the very first food I sampled in SG was this Singaporean chicken curry at the airport. I didn't get to eat anything during the flight, so I was pretty much ravenous when I got there. My sister took me to Wang's where I ordered this rather spicy curry. It was probably the closest thing to heaven that I tasted on an empty stomach.

Note that objectivity ends when you're being overruled by extreme hunger.

Breakfast of champion

There was this hawker center near my sister's flat where I "officially" sampled some local grub. I ordered lemon chicken and what seemed to me like chopsuey. I had trouble communicating with the woman selling beverages, though. She had this stern look on her face as she asked me a strange question: "wandering?"

I thought the woman must be so inept in the English language that she asked me why I was wandering about the place (I must've looked like a clueless tourist), but when she asked me again, I told her I didn't understand. Then it finally dawned on me that she was probably asking me "one drink?" or "wanna drink?". I ordered their local kopi and walked away.

How's that for a first day blooper?

Coffee or kopi?

Singaporean coffee is unlike any I've ever tasted. It's not the same with the brewed type I'm used to, probably because they use condensed milk as sweetener. I read online that kopi, as they call it, is toasted with sugar & butter and the beans are coated in caramel sugar. This is probably the reason why their coffee has a natural sweet flavor to it even without the sugar. Being such a fan of strong, brewed coffee, I was surprised that I hit it off with Singaporean kopi quite well.

There are different ways to order kopi:

    Kopi: Coffee with condensed milk
    Kopi-O: Coffee without milk and only sugar
    Kopi-C: Coffee with evaporated milk
    Kopi-gau: Coffee (strong brew)
    Kopi-po: Coffee (weak brew)
    Kopi-C-kosong: Coffee with evaporated milk and no sugar
    Kopi-O-kosong: Coffee without sugar or milk
    Kopi-O-kosong-gau: A strong brew of coffee without sugar or milk
    Kopi-bing or Kopi-ice or Kopi-Peng: Coffee with milk, sugar and ice
    Kopi-xiu-dai: Coffee with less sugar
    Kopi-gah-dai: Coffee with extra sweetened milk
    Kopi-Di-Lo: All coffee, no water

Source: Angryangmo.com

I just order the usual "kopi" thing & never bothered trying out all the other variants. I guess I was just too scared to try after that language barrier mishap at the beverage station.

Chinese & Malay grub

Ayam Penyet

What I love about pigging out in Singapore is that it feels like you went around the world and back. While hanging out in Funan Digitalife Mall, my sister treated me to a Malay dish called Ayam Penyet. Sounds funny, but it tasted really good. I'm not sure if it's roasted, but I'm pretty sure it's not fried. It's topped with chicken floss and had this super spicy sauce that would burn your lips off. I'm a big fan of spicy food, but even just a little dollop of the sauce brought the hot to the dish several notches. It was one of those filling meals where I finished a big cup of rice without even flinching.

I forgot the name of this Chinese dimsum D:

I also sampled a Chinese dimsum in the same hawker center. The name escapes me, but I do remember that it tasted pretty ok. It was like eating gyudon with less filling, flavored only by the semi-sweet soy sauce.

Popiah (taken from my sis)

Speaking of Chinese dishes, I also tried out popiah, or the Singaporean version of spring rolls. The filling is made of turnips and bean sprouts, with the same sweet sauce we're used to have. I was pretty much stuffed with just one serving, so I washed it all down with a nice hot cup of teh o.

Cereal prawns

Best. Drink. Ever.

My officemate told me that I had to try out Singapore's cereal prawns, and that's what I stuffed myself senseless in Chinatown. Coupled with Sambal kangkong, I once again finished this ginormous serving of rice. The cereal prawn breading was somewhat spicy and there were hints of sweetness to it as well. I washed down all that heat with this amazing coffee-based drink with ice cream. Oh my God. Just reliving this meal makes me shudder how many pounds I packed on this trip.

Indian & Arab grub

Hello, Village Curry.

I thought six days was more than enough time to cover a lot of ground when it comes to foodtrip, but I thought wrong. My sister and I made a quick stopover to Little India for some of their local food.

Chapati with subji made of cabbage

Chapati, or unleavened flatbread, was my initiation to Indian cuisine. We went to this restaurant called Village Curry that looked more like our local carinderia than anything else. I found myself looking over a display of what looked like viands (ulam) that I thought we were having rice or something. I was quite surprised when the Indian folks handed over our ulam, plus what seemed to me was pita bread.

I later on found out that what I thought was the ulam was actually called subji, or what Indians use as meat or vegetable fillings for the chapati. I forgot the exact names of the subjis we got, but I really liked the spicy menudo-looking variant. It was a good thing I finished the entire thing before I found out it was actually lamb meat (not to worry, lamb tasted like pork. I just don't like finding out what animal I ate as I'm particularly adverse to eating liver, intestine, goat & rabbits for that matter).

Still on the subject of bread, we also pigged out on real pita bread and hummus at a Mediterranean restaurant in Arab Street. Their version of pita was a lot thicker and a lot more filling. I absolutely loved their hot lemon tea that came with this really dainty teapot.

What can I say? Singapore is absolutely the best place to ruin your so-called diet. No wonder my sister takes more photos of her food than herself. There's just a lot of delicious stuff to eat and I don't think I've scratched the surface. One thing's for sure though---I'm definitely coming back, if only for the food.

Other SG-related posts:

The Singapore Overview from a First Time Noob

The Singapore overview from a first time noob

2011-05-02T00:11:00.002+08:00

Hello, Changi.

Singapore is awesome.

That just about sums up my very first impression when I landed in Changi Airport last week. This was my second trip abroad and needless to say, it was probably the best experience I ever had.

The trip was long since booked November of 2009---a product of my frustration when our supposed business trip to HK was re-scheduled and inevitably canceled. In a bout of peevishness, I checked out the rates at Jetstar, contacted my sister and planned the whole shebang. It was a stroke of good thinking because I was already feeling the tell-tale signs of burn out.

I stayed with my sister for the entire six day duration of my trip. Within those days, I pigged out, walked around, went to the famous local haunts, pigged out and walked some more. It's a long story to tell, so I'm going to write several blog posts about it. I'm just going to get this overview post over and done with.

What I'm going to enumerate / blabber about are my personal rants and raves about Singapore. As a first time visitor, I've been overwhelmed by a lot of observations and insights about the place, so let's get started.

1. Transportation system. I'm a total noob when it comes to navigating in unknown places. In fact, I almost got lost in Changi Airport when I went about looking for my luggage. I was overwhelmed by the fact that SG's transportation system was somewhat convoluted (that's coming from a person who can't understand SG's bus routing system), and I was almost apprehensive to go around the city on my own.

Then there was the MRT. Thank the gods! The train map was easy enough to follow since the entire thing just went around SG, plus I had this nifty map where all the interesting places were noted down. It became easy for me to follow the map and go places because the train stations were strategically placed. I didn't dare try riding a bus on my own, though. Getting lost in a foreign country got the better of my so-called adventurous streak.

The MRT station

2. The MRT. Air-conditioned. Walkalators. That and the fact that people weren't crammed inside the train like a bunch of sardines. What else can I say? The MRT is a gift from God.

3. Public restrooms. Remember the paid restrooms in malls in the Philippines? That's what SG public restrooms look like. Unbelievable. All the faucets are working, there's always soap, toilet paper and hand dryers. They smell pleasant, too. No wonder it's a normal thing for people to do their private business in public restrooms without breaking a sweat.

4. No security peepz checking your bags. At first, I was looking for signs of security guards all over the place because I was so used to bag inspection here in the Philippines. None of that shit is implemented because everyone, not just law enforcers, are always on the lookout. I didn't have to worry about keeping my bag close to me. Heck, I totally looked like a dumb tourist, but no one took advantage! It was a big relief as I was mostly going around by myself.

Hawker center

5. Food. This is probably why I love SG most of all: you can eat almost any kind of food at a reasonable price (if you know where to look). My favorite place to eat are at hawker centers because the food is as cheap as it gets, not to mention you get to eat local cuisine at its best. You can also get local coffee and tea there for less than a dollar.

I'm still wondering what's that glass triangle doing there?

6. Buildings & other structures. I'm no architect or designer, but I really liked SG's buildings. I figured SG had an eye for beautiful shapes because the buildings seemed like works of architectural art to me. The ArtScience Museum, helix bridge and the Henderson wave were just some of the amazing structures that took my breath away. Except of course for the Marina Sands which looked like a huge boat on stilts.

I don't think these guys are here to get in shape.

7. Parks. It's very easy to keep in shape when you're in SG because the place is teeming with well-kept parks and nature trails that are great for hiking. If you don't want to go out of your way to visit parks, you can walk around almost anywhere without fear of being mugged. The streets are spacious, well lit, and cars don't emit clouds of smoke. Community centers are also strategically placed so it's very easy to rent a court for a game of squash or badminton, or for any kind of sport for that matter.

One badass huge mall. I didn't get to buy anything here, though.

8. Malls. They are just everywhere. Seriously. I'm not exactly a mall rat, but the place comes in handy when you want to shop for stuff. What's great about the malls in SG is that they don't look anything like the ugly edifices of SM malls.

Great souvenirs can be bought at Chinatown.

Little India brightens up at night.

9. Ethnic centers. With a large concentration of Chinese & Indians in the country, SG's Chinatown and Little India are the best places to shop for knick-knacks and sample the authentic Chinese and Indian cuisine. SG is very much a multi-racial country, so it's not just the Chinese & the Indians---you get to see a little bit of the entire world in just one country.

10. Post offices. I like mailing postcards to friends while I'm traveling & having post offices in strategic places is a godsend.

Now that I got the good parts out of the way, it's time to get a low down on the ugly ones.

1. Language barrier. I cannot understand Singaporeans when they speak. What's worse is that some of the old people who you happen to have the bad luck to ask a question, would either frown or look at you like you've sprouted antlers or something. It's funny because SG gets a lot of foreigners on a daily basis and yet their English is deplorable as shit.

2. Spoiled curry-smelling armpits. I think I don't have to elaborate on this.

We were expecting real VG paintings, but what the hell...

3. Museums. SG museums may be as high-tech as ever, but it totally sucks that most of their exhibitions are replicas or just mere audio-visual presentations. I personally like our National Museum because we have the authentic artifacts in display, and that our exhibitions are a lot more rich and detailed simply because we have the exact artifacts of our history.

I was really frustrated with this because I paid serious money in the hope that I'd be seeing the real thing. I have an entire story to tell, particularly when we saw the Van Gogh exhibit at the ArtScience Museum in Marina Sands Bay.

Books Kinokuniya at Ngee Ann City Mall

4. Bookstores. For all the malls scattered all over the country, I find it hard to believe that SG has a small number of book stores. My best bet was Kinokuniya, but I wasn't able to buy anything because the books were expensive shit.

I think I ran out of stuff to rant about. Haha. I guess it shows that SG is more on the plus points to me. I'm still reeling from the trip hangover, and I'll take advantage of it so I can write the succeeding posts with a lot more enthusiasm.

T Minus 2 Days

2011-04-15T21:15:00.000+08:00

Dizz izz iiiit!

My first travel shindig this year! It's been so long since I last packed my bags and slept in someplace different. I think the last time was when I went to Zambales to Kat's place with Fris and Lorna and it's been like forever. As in.

I've been reading some stuff online as well as asking friends for good places to visit there and it's been an overload of information. I'd like to try everything and go everywhere, but I don't want to overplan. I like being surprised by the places I visit, and hopefully, I make the most out of the number of days over there with the sister. I freaking deserve this holiday. Damn straight.

Thai noodles & mom's cooking

2011-04-10T23:05:00.000+08:00

St. Francis Square in Ortigas has always been our favorite go-to place every Friday for lunch. Not only does the place offer a lot of great buys, they also have a food joint that offers a wide variety of stuff to choose from.

I usually frequent this store that probably has the best tasting, feel-good Asian noodles that's not as expensive as Phobac or Pho Hoa. Sen Lek offers Thai noodles that are just as filling and comforting as its expensive counterparts. You can choose from 4 variants of garnishes (wanton, meatballs, beef or mixed), but the broth, veggies and flavors are just one and the same.

What's great about Sen Lek is that your noodles are served piping hot, and you have the option of tweaking some of the flavors, particularly the chili and garlic. I've experienced tasting a noodle bowl with a mean chili zing and one that's really garlicky. Last Friday I had both flavors held in check and it was just a perfect!

Sen Lek's Thai noodles are priced reasonably at 70 bucks tops for the mixed bowl and 50 bucks for the wanton bowl. The other variants come in just a 5-10 peso difference, so it's still within the budget.

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Still on the subject of food, mom cooked pansit for lunch today in lieu of their wedding anniversary last April 9. If there's one thing I can't say no to, it has to be my mother's cooking. Sarap!

BTT: Visual

2011-04-07T22:26:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since I did a Booking Through Thursday meme.

My shelf...circa 2007.

So … the books that you own (however many there may be) … do you display them proudly right there in plain sight for all the world to see? (At least the world that comes into your living room.) Or do you keep them tucked away in your office or bedroom or library or closet or someplace less “public?”

As much as I'd like to display my books in plain sight, we don't have any of those nifty bookshelves. Nonetheless, I prefer my books neatly stashed away in the bookshelf in my room, preferably padlocked. My brothers have this nasty habit of going through my stuff without permission. They sometimes they tend to pluck my books out of order, or worse, dump them in their own dirty shelves to be forgotten. The nastiest thing one of my brothers did was to grab a David Eddings book from my shelf (all my Eddings series are arranged chronologically, btw) and denied that he even took it. When I went snooping around his stuff, I found the missing book underneath a pile of dirt in their cabinet. I was on the verge of severing our sibling ties right then and there.

I may not be a neat freak in most of my things, but when it comes to my books, I'm a real freak. I should say that my book collection is probably the first thing I'll save if our house is on fire.

Day 2 of iBlog 7: Chillaxin' & Learning

2011-04-03T22:16:00.000+08:00

I was hoping for a bigger crowd the following day, but it turned out that it was more or less the same number of people as the previous. I was also hoping to see some blogger friends, but it looked like everyone else had earlier plans, so only my friend Chad was there, along with my officemates for round 2 of the iBlog Summit.

Trolls. Do not feed them.

I actually enjoyed day 2 of the event, simply because there were a lot more useful tips and suggestions on how to optimize blogs to drive traffic, etc. The topics discussed were something I could personally use for my own blog, and if need be, venture into a possibility of gaining something else. Inasmuch as I'd like to receive extra income from blogging, it's not something I'm looking into the next few months. However, the event spurred some talks between me and Chad, as well as with Kat and Ching, about the possibility of collaborating.

I'm really bad at maintaining several blogs, but the idea of contributing stories and articles on an already established site seemed promising. I'm quite excited to get things started and use what I've learned in iBlog to help jumpstart our plans and fan the flames of great ideas.

Step U.P. bazaar

We also attended the bazaar at the Bahay ng Alumni around lunch just to stretch our legs and shake the sleepiness off. It was a good idea to take a walk and check out what's on sale--there were just loads of awesome stuff that I wanted to buy for myself. But before I went buying random things, I immediately scoured the place to look for the one thing I've been wanting to get my hands on.

Leather-bound journals for sale

I've been wanting to buy the journals made by Enan and Nadja of Alunsina Handbound Books. I first knew about their business in Facebook, and since I practically love collecting notebooks, I just had to get myself one.

I spent about 10 minutes or so just browsing the stuff they had. I had a difficult time which design to choose because they were all lovely. I originally wanted the plum journal with buckle, but the texture didn't quite appeal to me. I also loved the brown journals with the Celtic symbols, but in the end, I opted for the pink journal because I really liked the feel of the leather on my hands. I can't wait to start writing on it!

The Step U.P. bazaar also featured a lot of people selling cute and nifty accessories from polymer clay earrings and pendants to cute hats, stone art and bags. Secondhand books, antique items and clothes were also up for grabs. The place didn't have that much sellers, but the quality and diversity of the products for sale were more than enough that you really need to spend some time in each stall if you want to browse for some really awesome stuff.

Yummy polymer clay accessories

I want that Angry Bird hat

Butter pecan latte. One of the best coffee flavors I've ever tasted.

Focus, teh. Focus!

Yesterday's event for both iBlog7 and the Step U.P. bazaar was quite a nice break from the monotony of my weekends. It was the right mix of fun and learning with friends; I could get used to weekends like this.

Day 1 of iBlog7: Missed Expectations

2011-04-01T20:54:00.001+08:00

This is my second year to attend the iBlog Summit and this year's a lot more awesome because I'm with some colleagues from work. Wanna know what's even more kickass? There was nary a sign of the resident douchebag, which was somewhat eerie to the point that the emcee had to ask why he was missing in action.

Like last year's installment, day 1 of the summit was about blogging for businesses. However, I felt that the previous topics of iBlog 6 were a lot more relevant to me from a business perspective. While I highly enjoyed the talks of Carlo Ople and Howie Severino, it seemed like the discussions centered more on how bloggers can make a living out of blogging. I was kinda looking for more tips and useful insights on blogging from a business vantage point. I wanted to know how blogging was viewed by corporations and marketing agencies and how, like it was said in the iBlog website, businesses tap blogs to leverage products & services. I just felt like most of the topics discussed would be of relevance to people who will be attending tomorrow. I did learn a lot of things, but I just felt like some of my expectations weren't met to some degree.

Howie Severino's talk, taken by my feeble camera phone

Nonetheless, day 1 held a lot of promise with all the take away learnings we had, not to mention some goodies on the side. I actually thought I would end up winning nothing from the raffle, but I did manage to win a shirt. Later on at home, I found out the size was too large for my frame. Too bad, I really liked the color and all.

I'm already looking forward to tomorrow's talk! It's going to be more exciting with more people participating, and hopefully, I'd get to win something again. :)

Churp Churp: Not exactly a Twitter clone

2011-03-22T21:04:00.001+08:00

I love social media. It's a great way to get in touch with old and new friends, know about a lot of interesting information and even bag great deals while you're at it. I'm even going to say the most passe catch phrase: it's revolutionizing the way we communicate. Even the person most adverse to technology will either get curious about it or will probably create their own social media account (case in point: parents in Facebook).

There's just so many things that I'm learning about this revolutionary information sharing tool (I'm just gonna rub the term for good measure, lol) that I find myself signing up for accounts in most of the up-and-coming platforms. I encountered Churp Churp linked as a status message in one of my friend's IM account. Since I have a pathetic emotional quotient, naturally, I clicked the link, thinking that it was probably a local clone of Twitter.

Not exactly.

Churp Churp is a "social sharing site" where it makes us of people who own social media accounts to post content in behalf of an advertiser.

Spread the love and share the latest rewards and news to your friends and followers. Pick a campaign you'd like to share on, get your personal link, and share the news on any of your social media platforms. Get rewarded from your total clicks. Most importantly, we strongly encourage you NOT to spam and mislead your friends when sharing. - taken from the official site

Compared to other social marketing strategies of businesses these days, this looks pretty nifty because content is "personalized" for the benefit of the user's network of friends.

I personally hate content that's obviously reeking in hard sell marketing spin. Assuming that Churpers (what they call them users. I know. Weird stuff.) actually take the time to personalize their messages before hitting the send button, people with low EQs such as myself (and a natural penchant for nosing around stuff) will most probably click whatever link is indicated.

I'm guessing this method of content posting will soon take off to great heights, especially with advertisers being deloaded the burden of coming up with catchy words that will inevitably be ignored because it screams a-d-v-e-r-t-i-s-e-m-e-n-t. Although Churp Churp has this ad disclaimer in every endorsed post, but still, content that's been seasoned with marketing BS leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

I'm thinking of giving this a shot to see how effective it is (and earn a quick buck too). Don't worry about me posting unwanted ads masked as a blog entry...unless of course it piques my interest as well and warrants a massive show and tell session with everyone I know in the social media universe. Hehe.

The Pinoy way to chirp. #phchurpchurp

Image taken from Hot Blog

Spayed

2011-03-20T22:05:00.000+08:00

Yeah, our black pussy went under the knife yesterday. It's been a long time coming actually, but thankfully we were able to have the funds to get her spayed. She was in her "season" that week, and her cries seemed like she was in pain or something. I just couldn't bear to see her in that state.

That day, I decided to canvass on the entire damages. There was this vet clinic near our place and it was the first one I inquired regarding cost. I did most of the inquiries over the phone as I had work on weekdays, and frankly speaking, I was ticked off by the way my inquiry was handled. The people working in the clinic seemed detached and couldn't care less about me and my pet. It was because of this call I decided to look for other pet-friendly clinics. I called up CARA Welfare, Animal House and a nearby clinic along Visayas Avenue. Among all of them, I liked the last one because the vet was really nice and accommodating. She really set my worries at ease as an owner doing this to their pet for the first time. Thing is, the accommodation rate was really pricey.

We originally intended to have Minggay confined at the clinic after her surgery because my mom was too busy doing house work to watch over a delicately-operated animal. CARA had this service, but the place was too far, not to mention they don't have clinic services on weekends. I was running out of options, so I ended up swallowing my pride and going to the vet-clinic-with-bitch-doctors-from-hell.

Leaving Minggay at the vet's was kinda heartbreaking. She didn't budge an inch when I transferred her from the carrier to the cage, and she had that scared look in her eyes. I kept calling the place several times to inquire if they already performed the operation, but she didn't go under the knife until probably before 6PM that day. I don't know if I was overreacting or what, but I had to curb my irritation at the people there. The poor animal had not eaten anything since 8AM and they only operated on her past 5PM. I was so anxious, I was ready to take a scalpel at them myself.

Oh and remember the original plan of having her confined post surgery? The idiots called at home to ask if I can take Minggay home because she was too hostile for them. Her meds were to be given orally and they said they couldn't do that if the animal was really unfriendly. I can't believe these people called themselves veterinarians. In the end, I took her back home.

I was surprised to find her already awake. She was hissing at me like I was one of them idiot doctors. It took me forever to coax her out of the cage and get her back to the carrier. At home, she was all groggy, but she wanted to walk around. We were all fragile on her because she kept tumbling on her feet. I guess she didn't want to be anywhere else to recuperate other than home. Now that's a comforting thought.

I'm looking forward to the next two weeks. Hopefully, she'll be back to her usual self by then.

That's her gobbling her food day 1 after operation.

WIP: The Descendants

2011-03-14T00:00:00.002+08:00

When Jake realized where they were headed, he started panicking. Big time. "Oh no no no," he muttered under his breath, clutched the dashboard and held on for dear life.

Caleb shook his head. "Stop being such a wuss. You're the one who wanted to join me on this mission, so you're going to have to suck it up, princess." His eyes roamed around the vicinity, looking for anything unusual. He parked the car right underneath the street sign that said "Balete Drive".

"Yeah, I did. But you never told me what the mission's about. Hell, for all I know, you'd want me to gank some manananggal or beat the living daylights out of some dwende or something."

Caleb snorted. "Manananggals? Please. You know as well as I do those creatures do not exist at all. Well, at least not in this day and age. You're lucky they aren't, otherwise, I might have to ask you to do it."

"Can't we just do this some other day? You know I don't like ghosts. Why does it always have to be about ghosts?"

Caleb eyed his friend dangerously. He knew how exasperating Jake could be when the mission involved the walking dead, but he wasn't just about to abandon the assignment. Sinag already told them it was either now or never. They were at a race against time and he'd be damned if he let Jake sabotage this one shot opportunity.

Sinag, their trusty seer-slash-prophet, told him he would find his companions in the occurence of a supernatural event. Of course, he would have to kill whatever eerie creature stood in his way before a companion would be revealed. It pissed Caleb knowing that he cannot fulfill the prophecy on his own. He hated working with a team. And although he had Jake tagging along since forever, he still didn't like putting up with the idea of a Fellowship of the Ring bullcrap.

"Even if you do insist on this I-can-do-this-on-my-own-I-don't-need-a-team idea, you're never going to be successful. The gods have foretold this already and it's useless going against something that's already preordained."

God, even Sinag's irritating sermons were beginning to seep into his consciousness. He much preferred her voice when the diwata Sariya speaks through her. Albeit it was a lot creepy knowing the deity's human manifestation was that of an age-old woman who was almost always at Sinag's side.

Jake whined some more on the perils of dealing with a cranky spirit at the height of their powers that night. Caleb was just about to throttle him when a silver Honda CR-V sped past the block. He blinked and then saw the flash of a white dress up the road. "She's here. Shut up and just let me do my job."

Caleb turned on the ignition and followed the SUV, ignorant of the sudden chill brought about by the night air.

I wrote this in a burst of sudden inspiration. It's been marinating in my head for a couple of months now and this is the first time I've actually committed this project on something tangible. It's still a work in progress and there's still a lot of research and plotting to be done, but I'm hoping for the best. I hope I can see through the end of this ambitious project.

Obsessed on the Supernatural

2011-03-06T23:15:00.002+08:00

I can't believe I've been putting off writing about Supernatural in this space. I mean, I've been living, dreaming and eating SPN for a couple of weeks already. I blame the entire show for this ginormous writing and reading backlog, which I have no plans of getting started on until at least I've reached the latest episode in Season 6 (I've already started on a couple of episodes in Season 5).

I've learned about the series through an officemate who's been losing sleep on weekdays watching season marathons. The first episode was really freaky, but thanks to certain elements named Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, the show got me hook, line and sinker.

What I really like about the show (aside from Dean / Jensen) is how they've seamlessly integrated myths and mysteries into one seamless, kickass, breathtaking (no, I'm not referring to Dean / Jensen, but he comes close) series that would leave you wanting for more. Sure, there are times I get so spooked that I keep wondering why I'm always watching this at night when the spook factor kicks the notch several levels higher, but luckily, I haven't been getting any nightmares about demons and stuff.

Aside from the scary freak fest, suprisingly, the bulk of the story actually rests on the drama factor: the concept of family and brotherhood and how brothers Sam and Dean would do practically anything for each other (I smell gay love). I've lost count how many buckets I cried during the finale for Seasons 1 & 2.

I'm not going to deny the fact that Jensen Ackles dethroned Ben Barnes off my hot guys to worship altar, not to mention that Castiel (Misha Collins) and his unholy sense of humor is growing on me fast.

SPN is somewhat becoming an insane obsession for me. I get freaked out / geeky passing crossroads, been thinking of getting that pentagram thingee tattooed on me, buying SPN magazine (which costs both my arms and legs, btw), heck, even befriending Ed Zeddmore on Twitter (and getting major LSS on the Ghostfacers theme song). I am such a nutcase.

The good thing about this weird obsession is that my creative juices have been gushing out like a broken faucet. I've been meaning to write a story on local folklore, and SPN's been giving me insights, particularly on characters and scenes and stuff. I just love it.

There are times when I just want to rant after watching an episode, but my friends will probably think I've lost my marbles. I say you better watch Supernatural if you don't want to miss half your life.

Seriously.

Images from
scificool.com
astrodramastical

Death in the family

2011-03-06T21:49:00.001+08:00

It feels really weird to be writing about something as morbid as death. Yet we all know that like it or not, we're all going to face the final curtain at one point in time. It still feels alien to me, though. Luckily, we don't have many deaths in the family and I feel blessed ten times over knowing that my family is safe and in good spirits. I guess I haven't entertained the thought of getting into that "point in time", more so for my folks. I've gotten used to a close-knit family that the idea of any one of us kicking the bucket seems unacceptable, even preposterous.

Just this Friday, my father's brother (or Tatang as we call him), passed away. He suffered from kidney failure for a couple of years and recently, he had pneumonia followed by the collapse of one of his lungs. I'm not really that close as in "close" to Tatang, but when we're talking about my dad's side of the family, we're already as close as it is. So I never really thought this would be the year my uncle would lose the battle against his illness.

Truth be told, I am somewhat glad that it's finally over. I saw all the pain he went through when he was sick---the countless dialysis sessions, that horrible blown up vein on his arm (where they insert a ginormous needle for the procedure), the slump in his body---he was a far cry from the uncle I knew when I was a kid. I knew he was in so much pain that I felt a certain relief when it was over. Don't get me wrong, the unusual space he left was so palpable that I really can't believe he's gone. But I guess the feeling of relief was more evident. I'd like to think he's in a better place right now where the pains he felt in his earthly body are now just a thing of the past.

There's also a feeling of regret in a sense that I wish my parents took us more often to see Tatang's family when we were little. I wish I'd gotten to know more about him, my aunt (who also passed away, ironically, due to the same illness) and my cousins. We only knew each other by names and faces, not really so much on our personalities and stuff. I really feel bad that all I know about Tatang is that he looks so much like my dad, they can pass off as twins.

If ever I have my own family and kids, I'd make sure they'll know about their relatives, heck, I'll even organize a yearly family reunion if need be. That's the stuff that's missing in mine: we don't know each other all that well. I don't want my own kids growing up not personally knowing their relatives or develop indifference to them.

We may not have spent that much time together, but I do hope he's in a better place, happy and content. I wouldn't mind tales from the other side from him, but that would probably freak me out.

Say hello to the big guy upstairs for me, Tatang. Save some coffee for me when I get there.

Food, food, food at the 10th Phil. Food Expo

2011-02-27T23:30:00.001+08:00

Going to expos is one of the things I miss about being in the media. I remember back in the days when I was attending all these events, and it brings a lot of good memories. Back then, all I had to do was flash my media badge and I'd get free entrance not to mention a bag of goodies too.

Well yeah, getting free stuff was awesome, but I guess going to an expo as a nobody does have its perks too, that is, I don't have to go around the place, interviewing people and committing the entire set-up to memory just so I can write a decent article. When I went yesterday to the 10th Philippine Food Expo, I was in no pressure at all. I was free to roam around, try out some free samples and just enjoy the event to my heart's content.

Green tea drinks in various flavors

Tacklings! Yummy ones. Good stuff.

Theo & Philo chocos. Expensive mojo, but the packaging is really nice.

I guess what made the experience even better was that I was with friends (Kat, Lorna & Geo). For the first time in my life, I dragged my ass off my bed on a Saturday all the way to Pasay just for this. I was supposed to go with my mom, but something came up so I had to go on my own. Despite the long travel, it was still worth the while (I'd never thought I'd say this given the fact that I HATE traveling to Manila).

Kat and I met up in Buendia before going to the World Trade Center. The place didn't have that much people around 12nn, so it wasn't hot or congested. We went around booths, sampling the food and drinks. I noticed several booths that sold Alamid coffee (you know, the coffee made from civet cat poop) which cost quite a handful. Lorna and I gravitated towards any booth that sold coffee and sampled whatever variant they had on hand. It was a shame they weren't sampling Alamid. I know I'd have taken the dive to have a taste of expensive crap.

Colorful flavored lambanog

Morons. They taste good. NOT

I didn't buy a lot of stuff, but I hauled quite a heavy bag at the end of the day. I managed to get my hands on some Korean udon noodles, a bag of tahong chips (which nobody at home liked to eat, btw), Suman sa Lihiya (the suman texture and coco jam was just to die for...I wish I bought more of it), herbal coffee & hot choco, pomodoro tinapa, and a bunch of chicken stuff (longganisa, hotdog and embutido). All in all, it was good purchase, but it didn't leave a huge hole in my wallet.

Ah well, as I always say, there's nothing wrong splurging money on food. It's when you gain the pounds that really suck.

A close encounter with Tony Hidalgo

2011-02-20T13:28:00.003+08:00

Ok, I was apparently the last to hear the news about the passing of Antonio Hidalgo. For those who may not know him, Sir Tony was a prolific writer and head honcho of Milflores Publishing. Among many other things, he was the husband of a well-known professor in UP Diliman, Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo.

I was reading today's newspaper when I saw a tributary article for him. It came as a shock to me, although I got wind of the news a few weeks ago that he was hospitalized. I don't know Sir Tony that well; in fact, I don't even know if he remembered we even met 8 years ago. So what's the fuss?

I was then a fledgling journalist for BusinessWorld (circa 2003) when I was assigned to do a feature story on cockfighting as a special piece for our upcoming travel magazine. I can't remember how I came to research about Sir Tony's connections with sabong, but I did and I found myself knocking on his doorstep one afternoon in his house in Greenhills. I remember the place being too dark and brooding and filled with books in almost all corners. I sort of imagined what it would be like to have folks like the Hidalgos who were intellectual, prolific and considered as celebrities in the academe. I met the old man who was quite as robust as any man in his early 30s.

I remembered shaking to my skivvies when I interviewed him. Heck, I didn't even know anything about sabong, nor can I be considered the intellectual type to be able to talk at least within his level of genius. Nevertheless, Sir Tony was like a patient teacher who explained to me the nuances of cockfighting and his apparent love for the sport. He even gave me two complimentary copies of his books on the subject, signed with well wishes.

We may not have talked long, nor did I visit him again after that, but I still felt the profound sadness of his passing. He was one of those few people who left a mark on me, despite the brief meeting we had. True enough, one of his dedications was about a short, but meaningful note on pursuing writing against all odds.

It was a privilege to know the great man that was Antonio A. Hidalgo. Until our next interview, Sir Tony.

Card for today: The Lovers

2011-02-20T00:16:00.000+08:00

Haha. How lucky can I get? I pulled out The Lovers card today, and it couldn't be more than appropriate after the talk I attended on sex and singlehood with Lorna, Fris and Kat. The meaning that resounded most of all was about tough choices / burning questions / personal beliefs. The discussion raised a few reactions on my end (i.e., on how people were so quick to jump the gun on the media, statistics about x percentage of people with failed relationships and those engaged in premarital sex, etc., etc...), some of which were stuff that I really didn't agree personally. Still, it was a worthwhile event to attend...food was great, people were awesome & I got to spend time away from my otherwise boring routine.

Ah well, I still have a long way to go on this new thing I've picked up. I'm still boggled how I picked a card that sort of summarized the event that happened today. Awesome.

Yes, finally, I got myself a deck. Although it's not the Rider-Waite I've been obsessing about for weeks, the Royal Tarot ain't that bad, though it will be a challenge to decipher the meaning of the minor arcana with only images of objects. I'm still a WIP, so let's see where this will take me.

Image from hawkscry.org

Project 365: Places, food & more randomity

2011-02-07T00:15:00.004+08:00

Can't believe I've been so lazy to post any Project 365 photos lately. It's such a chore to download, clean & upload photos (I do this weekly & I'm still such a lazy ass). I wonder if I can survive this thing without procrastination getting the better of me.

Okay, okay. On with the photos! I got 2 week's worth, btw. :)

Feb 6: I love my Plurk layout. I think I'll just go wipe my drool for the meantime. :3


Feb 5: My former Plurk layout. It needed a new skin. Thank God for Flickr Plurk templates.

Feb 4: Wheat bread tuna sandwich at the French Baker. Worth the 100+ bucks. Very filling.


Feb 3: Bakers Fresh is a newly-opened store in Shangri-La Mall. It's a sinful place to be. Take the coffee and choco bun for example. Sinful, I say.

Feb 2: Amber's Pancit Puti. A bit too garlic-y for my taste, but when you're as hungry as hell, wapakels!

Feb 1: This is all Abbee's fault. I blame her for this unnatural obsession over the tarot. I'd feed myself to Aragog's children for this book. D:

Jan 31: Saw this awesome store at the 4th level of SM Megamall that sells lots of cool, antique stuff. I nearly wept when I saw these batshit old stamps & postcards. They're pretty expensive (P2 each for the stamps, P50 for the postcards. WHAT?!).

Jan 30: Elephant chocolates from Thailand. Didn't eat them 'coz they came from the bane of my existence.

Jan 29: San Nicolas de Tolentino's church altar. This was taken prior to the 6AM mass. Yes, that's how insane my folks are.

Jan 28: Met up with a few friends in TriNoma. Being such book geeks, we always congregate in bookstores.


Jan 27: I love these polaroid cat postcards given to me by my sister.

Jan 26: This was taken in the MRT on my way home. It feels weird taking a sneak photo when so many people are looking.


Jan 25: Obviously I didn't have any decent subject & the day was already ending, hence, a random photo of a meeting.

Jan 24: Taken around 6:30AM while walking on my way to the office. I should be given an award for coming 4 hours before my shift.

The deplorable state of the English language in the Philippines (and other weaboo insanities)

2011-01-30T22:16:00.000+08:00

If you've seen the storm brewing in one of the pages I commented on Facebook, then I don't need any superfluous introductions. If you haven't, you're missing half your life. I just find it funny that it's already been 3 days since that post and people haven't moved on. Is the event really that groundbreaking? Will it solve the country's multi-billion dollar financial debt? Will it feed the entire lot of Filipinos?

I dunno if I'm to be amused or if I need to feel pity towards kids these days who can't write simple English to save their sorry behinds. Frankly speaking, I'm not insulted because I was called a bitch and a whole slew of other names. What's insulting was that these kids couldn't even hurl a single decent and coherent ignominy without making the grammar Nazis writhe in agony. I was cringing half the time I was reading their futile attempts to make me feel peeved.

I really don't give a flying batshit about their stupid event, nor do I feel a single iota of remorse for calling their event stupid. What bothers me is that these kids waste their time & energy organizing questionable events that aren't even well thought of. Seriously...minors cosplaying in a bar? Paid freebies? 350 bucks worth of tickets? Holy apeshit, Batman!

What's even worse is that they don't even give a crap about grammar & punctuation. I don't even know if I'm going to laugh my ass off or offer a prayer for their lost souls. At this rate, the Philippines is going to the dogs. Believe it.

You want to speak Nihonggo? BE A KATANA!

Thank the gods I've weaned myself of anything remotely weaboo-ish.

Project 365: Stuff & other randomity

2011-01-23T17:12:00.001+08:00

I don't think if you've noticed how boring my life is just by looking at the pictures I've taken for Project 365. If it's not stuff taken within an arm's reach from my desk in the office, it's probably something random at home. But you know what's fun about this project?

Who the eff cares? As long as I take pictures everyday, I'm happy. It's like a step away from procrastination. Trust me, it's not easy fighting it, not when you have so many distractions vying to get your attention.

This is what this week's photos are all about: random stuff. Funny how I manage to create a theme when there's really nothing thematic about it at all.

Jan 16: Bought this feng shui bracelet from my boss's suki in Binondo. The colored beads are actually semi-precious stones representing certain elements (ex.: wisdom, focus, career, money, etc.). You can actually opt to choose a particular color depending on the element you want to highlight, but I chose to have all colors para sulit naman, 'di ba?

Jan 17: This is, by far, the most delicious instant hot choco I've ever tasted, like, ever. Go buy some.

Jan 18: A kind soul from England sent me this awesome package for the Postcrossing other items tag I joined a month ago. I loooove the chocolate peppermint coffee & the orange mandarin tea. This is probably the most amazing stuff I've ever received in my mail. Sign up in Postcrossing & join the fun!

Jan 19: Won this cute tote bag from the Meg Magazine Facebook promo.

Jan 20: Now this is what I call random. The day was already nearing its end when I realized I haven't taken a photo of anything. So I just snapped a photo of my laptop screen while I was checking out the latest Powerbooks newsletter. The Poetry Nights event sounded interesting, but it's on a weekday, so no can do.

Jan 21: Who could ever resist a look like that?

Jan 22: This is my first ever postcard from Japan! This is the Toshogu Yomeimon temple in Nikko City, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Jan 23: This is the 2nd time I've watched Inception, & it never fails to turn my brain into a complicated knot. If it's any consolation, I'd watch it for a gazillion times just to see Eames/Tom Hardy kick ass.

I wrote this back in college

2011-01-22T22:55:00.004+08:00

Last Night

tears fall to a
silent mirth
a breath of fire that
scalds your skin
a flock of crows
on your windowsill

drowning your scream

I browsed through my old notebooks and found some very old poetry written during my 2nd year in college. It was back at that time when I discovered the school paper and the English Literary section and its eccentric, goth girl editor. I guess she's influenced me quite enough to write a lot of morbid stuff in my youth.

"Out there"

2011-01-16T22:05:00.000+08:00

I realize that I've been spending most of my weekends at home and less "out there". There are times when I'd rather be at home than go out so I can catch up on long hours of sleep & devote my time to writing, but when you're not getting any younger, you really should be "out there" with your friends or probably just with yourself. I realize that I haven't been getting much of that (laziness is a major culprit as well).

I've scoped out some events happening nearby and these are what I compiled:

Feb 5 - GK Enchanted Farms visit @ Angat, Bulacan

I'm really thinking of joining here. The participation fee's not so bad (P310 for those riding the transpo at the main office), plus the food's covered! I'd really like to see how Human Heart Nature manufactures its products & how they provide livelihood to the people. Note to self: reserve a slot next week!

Feb 21 - Stamp Collecting Seminar @ PhilPost office

I saw this announcement when I went to the post office yesterday. Seems promising (only P100 participation fee with kit). It might be nice if I can properly pursue this hobby (I've already got a couple of Netherlands & Indonesia stamps), but that would mean shelling out money. I might give this a go nonetheless.

Feb ?? - Binondo Plurk Fiesta

Err, Fristine, is this a go? Hehehe.

Volunteering at PAWS

Seriously considering this over Hands on Manila. I need it for a story I'm writing. Hehehe.

Yun pa lang. Hahaha. 'Kala nyo marami, noh? Ugh. Do you guys know any events that are ok to join in? I need to get myself "out there".

Project 365: Grub & a few interesting stuff

2011-01-15T19:56:00.001+08:00

So far, so good. Taking photos on a daily basis is slowly getting in my daily routine. I should keep this up. :)

This week's Project 365 is pretty interesting. I took a lot of food photos (don't expect anything decent as I have to live with my cellphone camera) and have been to 2 different places in Manila. You know, maybe taking pics with my cellphone ain't that bad. It's inconspicuous, though the only bad side is that it takes crappy photos under bad lighting.

Anyway, let's get on with the show!

Jan 10: Dad brought this home from Cagayan de Oro. I had to send him a reminder not to forget to buy a box. I loooove Vjandep Pastel! It's even awesome with Kopiko (black variant) coffee!

Jan 11: I still love coffee, but I'm trying to get into tea drinking. This one is a Chrysanthemum Pu-Erh tea given to me by my boss, a tea enthusiast. What I liked about this flavor is that it wasn't so bitter when left to soak in the water (unlike Lipton's Yellow Label tea which tastes ugggh.)

Jan 12: New hair, finally! Goodbye, curly fugly hair & hello to my layered, rebonded locks! Don't mind the face because I took this pic around 7am (yes, I'm that early at work).

Jan 13: Has anyone tried these Kruffins & Pull-Aparts from Krispy Kreme? They look absolutely delish (and sinful too)!

Jan 14: Sweldo day. Officemates & I wanted to burn our stress away by gorging on crepes. Not actually a good shot, but I did my best to make it look presentable at the very least since the photo was too yellow for its own good.

Jan 15: I just had to take 2 photos today! First one is the interior of the Philippine Postal Corporation, with its lovely art deco interiors; second is the interior of Binondo Church where I gatecrashed into a wedding. Haha! Major okray lang sa hot pink motif. >:)

Neighbors and karaoke at an ungodly hour

2011-01-12T22:19:00.000+08:00

Ugh. The neighbors are at it again. Seriously, can we please have a law that prohibits caterwauling over the karaoke machine from 10PM onwards? My mom said these guys have been at it since this morning. How can anyone not run out of shit to sing for the entire bloody day? I swear to God, I'm on a killing spree right now. There should be SOME way to shut these people up! It's already late in the evening & they're just blaring away. Ugh...

Project 365: All things geeky & cute

2011-01-10T01:18:00.001+08:00

Jan 7: Stuff to do. It just never ends, does it?

Jan 8: Featuring my nifty NaNoWriMo noveling pen & my recent read, Naermyth.

Jan 9: She's snobby when she's not in heat. That's our Minggay.

Jan 10: My entry to Roch's meme: Christmas gifts from Japan

A leap of faith + date with self

2011-01-08T22:50:00.000+08:00

I’ve been meaning to work on this project since last year, but when you’re always procrastinating, you can never get anything done. I still don’t think that I can complete 365 photos in 365 days, but who says I can’t give it a shot?

Apart from giving myself a swift kick in the ass, what makes this challenge more difficult is the fact that I’m going to be using a lousy 2MP camera phone that takes sucky pictures. I figured having a camera phone is a lot more handy since I do bring it with me all the time (this is just a lousy excuse as I haven’t gotten my digicam fixed in ages).

Let's just hope I can get myself out of the procrastination rut and see through this challenge for an entire year. Lezz gow, sago!

*****

I spent the first Friday of 2011 out on a date...with myself. The goal: watch either RPG: Metanoia or Rosario before they get phased out of the cinemas. I wasn't sure whether MMFF movies would still be around this weekend, so I thought to grab my last chance to watch these flicks. After all the good reviews I've been hearing about Metanoia, I finally resigned to watch it with a heavy heart (I wanted to watch Rosario initially, but as much as I love period films, I was scared that I was going to get ticked off with Jennylyn Mercado because a friend said the first part of the movie was like seeing Miaka on drugs).

I got to SM North, bought a ticket and a tub of popcorn and made it just in time! I was pretty psyched because it was going to be my first time watching a 3D movie. I was even tempted not to return the 3D glasses for remembrance. Haha!

I watched the last full show of the movie (around 9PM), but the movie house literally crawled with kids. I mean, it's nice that parents brought their kids to watch a great movie, but it's not practical to let them stay up at such a late hour. I'm not talking about the 10+ years old kids...I'm referring to the 5+ year old ones! Jeez! You can't expect young ones to sit for more than an hour at such a late night. I had to grit my teeth when the little devils ran around the place, talking in high pitched voices in the middle of the show. What were these parents thinking?

Enough flak. Here's just my general thoughts about the movie:

Inasmuch as I already saw through the whole plot in the middle of the story, I admit that there were times when I was caught offguard by a few punchlines. That's already a milestone in itself if you know how deplorable local movies are plot-wise.

Love, love, loooove the moral lesson. Yun lang, I think the tweens will relate to these more than the younger ones. This age bracket is more into MMORPGs. That's the reason why I think the movie's wasted on little kids who will just probably prance around the movie house, irritating a lot of moviegoers.

I also love the fact that there were more grownups in the crowd. And despite the late hour and the date since the movie was first shown, the place was still packed with viewers! I just love it when a movie cuts across age and lifestyles.

Although this was supposed to be a movie on the pervasive entertainment of MMOs, there wasn't much detail on that part. I think this movie would've been perfect to show parents & the older crowd about the kids' fascination on computer games & how it's not as detrimental to a child's life as some paranoid folks think it is. Coming from a person who previously worked in the industry, the movie lacked a bit of convincing pull on that aspect.

I found the character of this kid who was flirtatious as hell WEIRD.

It would've been nice if the movie featured the different types of Pinoy online gamers (ex.: scammers, PK addicts, raiders, noobs, looters, mamaws, etc.).

The hypnotism thingamajig part of the movie was weird. Sure, it may be an allegory to the fact that games can get addictive to the point that a player may forgo sleep & food, but it still felt weird to me.

Nonetheless, I liked the overall feel of the movie. I'm not gonna go gaga over it, but it was still a feel-good watch. I wonder if I'll feel the same if I watched Rosario.

My life in 2010

2010-12-31T16:12:00.000+08:00

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:

Blogging

I can’t believe that I’ve more or less kept this blog alive despite my procrastinating ways and my busy schedule (feeling sosyal?). I keep on saying that blogging these days is such a chore, unlike before when I can write 1-2 posts in a day. It’s just great to know that this blog will be turning a year old in April. I hope I can keep it up.

Roadtrip

I went to Candelaria, Zambales with Kat, Fristine and Lorna on a much-needed R&R. It really feels great to travel with friends and just let loose. I hope I can travel again next year...in Batanes, perhaps?

Writing
There’s a lot that’s happened to me writing-wise. I wrote two novellas that are due to be published next year (and got paid for it, too), joined JulNoWriMo (but didn’t win), skipped NaNoWriMo (had to suffer from withdrawal symptoms after), and met new writer-friends.

Postcrossing

I got into postcard sending/collecting, thanks to Lorna. The hobby may be a bit draining on the wallet, but it’s worthwhile to find small surprises in my mail once in a while.

New friends

Aside from meeting the writers from my publisher, I also met great friends this year, starting off with Fristine, who I initially got to know via Plurk. Then there was Den and Kim. It’s funny how I’ve only known these people for a short while, yet I feel as if I’m already very close to them.

Human Heart Nature

I found out about these awesome and affordable organic products through Fris and Lorna, and I’m just amazed at how my life changed. I became more aware of the stuff that I put on my body and I grew conscious about being more environment-friendly. Those close to me know how much of a cheapskate I am, but I surely didn’t mind spending a few bucks for great products that also provides livelihood for other people.

Fris’s Wedding

This event goes down in my book for the most memorable happening ever. Words can’t even begin to describe how epic this wedding was, and it wasn’t even the grandiose/flamboyant type of weddings that I’ve attended.

Grabbed from Kat

Darren Criss

The supermegafoxyawesomehot Harry Freakin’ Potter visited Manila for two days of fun and music. I can’t recall the last time I was flabbergasted over some celebrity, and I was really glad I took the effort to see him despite not being able to meet and greet him personally. It’s great to know that most of the people who came to see him were more Starkid fans than Glee. I feel several times proud that we first got to know Darren as the “Jesse McCartney douche” before he even got to become Blaine the gay dude. What a perfect way to cap off the year.

I'm already excited on what 2011 has in store for me. Here's to a fun and totally awesome New Year for all of us!

Never too late for Christmas prezzies

2010-12-28T22:21:00.001+08:00

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!

Can you believe this Mokona plushie may be smaller than the ones sold in Comic Alley, but it's got a bigger ass? Hehehe. I think the Mokona variant sold here is the one that's seen on Tsubasa. I don't like the talking Mokona there, so I'm pretty happy with this.

My growing collection of MKR plushies

Also, my sister's home! Yay! She brought quite a lot of great stuff for my mom, dad and bros. She finally brought home this:

It's never too early to plot for next year's mayhem.

Honestly speaking, I dunno if I will use the pen & notebook. They're too pretty! I've already used the mug (coffee tasted better with the NaNo mug haha!), & it's pretty awesome since the ceramic is quite thick (and heavy too). And dig this: she also borrowed a Nikon D3000 DSLR!!! I was so ready to piss in my pants when she mentioned that she forgot the battery charger back in SG. I'm like...What. The. Hell. Ugggh.

Kinda sucks that I have to go back to work tomorrow, but it's only just for a few days. I'm glad my sister's back home even for a few days. Hopefully we'd get some girl bonding done with the mother. :D

A blessed Christmas to all!

2010-12-25T21:55:00.000+08:00

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!

2010-12-20T09:27:00.000+08:00

...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

2010-12-16T09:45:00.000+08:00

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

2010-12-15T23:32:00.001+08:00

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.

Gathering of close friends

Fristine already mentioned that the ceremony at the Filipinas Heritage Library was going to be a family affair. I racked my brains thinking where were they supposed to hold the ceremonial part of the wedding in a library. I don't know how they did it, but they did.

Anyway, some of the bride's friends (myself included) attended part 2 of the wedding, which included a guided tour of Ayala Museum and dinner at Travel Cafe in Greenbelt 5. This unusual program already broke the mold of the typical wedding in my book. The reception wasn't even orthodox to begin with: there was no presidential table to separate the couple from the guests, no traditional wedding games and what not. It was just a plain and simple gathering of closests friends over good Pinoy food.

One of the things that really struck me was the deep-seated bonds of friendship the guests had for both the bride and groom. Such ties were laid out in the open and I felt honored in the deepest sense to be considered as a good friend, when in fact I only knew Fris via Plurk and Alvin when Fris introduced him to us after our Zambales trip. For a while, I thought what was I doing in such a solemn event when I only became friends with them for just a couple of months? Still, it was a touching and tear-jerking experience to hear everyone's account of their most memorable moments with either Fris or Alvin. It's quite difficult to elaborate your thoughts when you've got a rock lodged in your throat.

To Fristine and Alvin, thank you guys for such an extraordinary experience. I wasn't just a spectator in the next chapter of your lives–it felt as if I was really living it. I truly admire you both for the love you have for our country and the love you have for each other. You bless us all by just being your friends.

Congratulations and best wishes!

Photos by Yvie, Kim & Ces

Thoughts on HP7 Part 1

2010-11-23T10:24:00.004+08:00

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...

2010-10-31T12:41:00.002+08:00

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.

Our team had a couple of new faces who were all gung-ho to make sure we win in the contest. We are, after all, considered to be the "creative group". So we pitched in a couple of bucks to buy some supplies for this shindig. Some of my teammates had it all thought up (complete with a floor plan and all), and I was of very little help. I was caught in between subsequent meetings that the only thing I did was to paint a couple of cherry bombs and that squash plant. Painting was therapeutic, though my coloring skills weren't up to par with my teammates who knew better.

Zombies in the office

The following day, I was surprised to see our workstation semi-decorated already. There were plastic strings dangling from the A/C vent, balloon zombies and pea shooters! Our place was really looking cutesy-nasty and I had a feeling we had this contest in the bag!

There was also a costume contest (for kids & adults), but I wasn't feeling up for it. I did dress up as a normal zombie with the brown coat, tie and jeans...but I was missing a zombie look. Then I remembered PJ who earlier blogged about buying a zombie hat (and got stared at), so I asked if she can lend me the loot or probably have it rented. Well, she struck a better deal—she sold the hat to me at a lesser price than what she originally paid for! I r tats! T^T

We had a lot of fun taking bazillions of photos with our nicely decorated stations. Some of my officemates got some face paint to add to the spook factor. Not to sound like a braggart and all, but I really do think our effort was the best there was. It was only a matter of time before we were awarded the top prize. We were all joking about how our decor was going the be a shoo-in winner, but we still whooped for joy when it was formally announced.

I'm already thinking that if we're to have a decorating contest again this Christmas, we're going to load the big guns. Hahaha. How's that for competition?

Traversing the mall for intergalactic soul-searching

2010-10-22T23:22:00.008+08:00

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)

2010-10-20T13:20:00.000+08:00

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?

2010-10-17T21:31:00.004+08:00

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!

2010-10-09T19:45:00.006+08:00

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.

Stuff I received via random draw at Postcrossing:

Museu da Inconfidencia, Brazil

Schwarzwald, Germany

from Finland

The postcard below is probably the best one I've received since I joined. I thought at first that it was just a regular postcard, but when I read the sender's message, I realized that this was a photo she took! And check out her handwriting...

Postcards I received via private swap:

Maple Story ad card from Malaysia

Kitteh card! Check out the stamps that came with it.

Llanthony Priory from UK

The Acropolis from Athens, Greece

Holland's windmills

Jetoy card from Korea

Wooden clogs from Holland

A self-made birthday postcard sent by Valerie from Singapore :D

Buddha from Borobudur, Indonesia

Princess Maria Romanov from Russia

One of the old French postcards sent to me from the US. This card dates back from the year 1910, hence the very soft & fragile state of the paper.

A tribute to Teacher Macy

2010-10-05T11:51:00.005+08:00

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.

Macy Louise Acdol was my English teacher in my 2nd year in high school. I was a new student and I was just about as tight-lipped as a clam. To cover for my inept social skills, I gravitated towards books and penned my pathetic attempts to write a Sweet Dreams-style story at the back of my unused school notebooks. When our class went to our very first overnight retreat, Teacher Macy approached me and mentioned that we were to give a card as a token of appreciation to our retreat master. She asked if I could be the one to write the class dedication and read it during the last session.

That was probably the first time I wrote anything for the public to see/hear. I remember having really fugly grammar back then, but Teacher Macy acknowledged that I had it in me to write...stuff (I didn't dare call myself a writer back then due to my grammar skills that would make you shit bricks). I can't remember exactly what she said, but it was something to the extent of continuing what I've started and that the piece I wrote was truly profound.

I guess her words stuck to me quite deeply because since then, I never stopped writing. Even when I was thinking of a course to enroll in college, I wanted to study something that had to do with writing. Even if I didn't get the course I originally wanted, my first job was all about writing. Heck, I can say from that moment, writing became everything to me.

It took my teacher's very simple and encouraging words to give me the direction that fuels my existence to this day. And for that, I can never be thankful enough.

Cheers to Teacher Macy and to the rest of the teachers all over the world! Thank you for being an influential part of our lives. Happy World Teacher's Day!

Do want!

2010-10-03T14:08:00.004+08:00

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?

2010-10-02T23:00:00.003+08:00

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

2010-09-26T20:06:00.004+08:00

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

Actually, she has about about 4 variations to her name, depending on the person calling her:

Mom - Miminggay, Meow-meow, Minggay
Me - Mingming

My brothers & cousin call on her by making some weird meowing sounds too. If you happen to be in the house, it's kinda funny how we all make cat-like sounds just to get her attention. Although, I don't exactly know why everyone just started calling her "Minggay", but I do remember back when I was a kid when everyone else in our apartment compound called a stray cat "Menggay". Perhaps the name stuck without our knowing.

I actually wanted to name her as Luna, because she looks uncannily like this cat, sans the color of her eyes:

So, should I let her cosplay already? XD

Anyway, Mimiw is not actually my cat, but my sister's. I think she got her from one of her friends, & almost everyone in my sister's immediate circle knows that she's really fond of cats. I was actually against the idea of getting another pet because we already had 2 dogs to begin with. But then again, being the hard-headed bitch that she was, my sister went ahead & got the cat anyway.

The good thing about Mimiw is that she came to us already potty trained. I didn't really like cleaning dog poop, & I wasn't exactly thrilled to be cleaning cat shit either. Thankfully, we didn't have to worry about that. The bad thing is that cat litter & cat food is mother effin' expensive.

When Mimiw isn't in one of her bitchy moods, she can be quite cute. Everyday when I get home from work, I'd always find her at the door waiting for me. Thing is, the place isn't always lit, so there were a couple of times when I nearly stepped on her because she blends so well in the dark. Most of the time, she can be really temperamental. I think it's because of the fact that we haven't gotten her spayed yet. If you haven't seen a female cat in heat, trust me, you wouldn't want to know.

I really think we should have the cat altered when my sister comes home from the holidays. I am kinda jealous of Fristine's boys because they're so well groomed. I admit that I still have a lot to learn in taking care of felines, but I hope Mimiw can stick around for a longer while so we can all enjoy having this capricious ball of fluff around.

Temporomandibular joint disorder

2010-09-25T21:16:00.004+08:00

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

2010-09-19T20:38:00.007+08:00

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

2010-09-12T20:34:00.004+08:00

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!

2010-09-11T15:36:00.012+08:00

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.

2010-08-30T12:11:00.003+08:00

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

2010-08-30T10:36:00.000+08:00

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

2010-08-26T18:56:00.002+08:00

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

2010-08-08T18:24:00.003+08:00

Pleasant weekend, everyone. :)

Team Carnival: My best blog post

2010-08-08T13:26:00.002+08:00

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?

2010-08-07T18:11:00.007+08:00

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

2010-07-21T09:34:00.000+08:00

Alodia spelled backwards is aIDOLa.
There is already an ongoing patent application for Alodia's trademark pose: the heart hand.
Even scrubbed free of makeup and wearing only a cheesecloth, Alodia is still the stuff of every fantard's wet dream.
Fantards can fap all they want, but they can never shag Alodia.
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.
Only Alodia can turn a wake for a dead relative into a photo op.
Alodia is averse to cosplaying on bikinis. But she cosplayed as Amaha Masane from Witchblade with her melons jutting out.
Only Alodia needs the protection of a dozen bouncers on steroids in an anime con in case of any assassination attempts.
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.
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

2010-07-18T10:46:00.003+08:00

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

2010-07-17T01:39:00.006+08:00

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!

2010-07-05T22:22:00.007+08:00

THISISTHEFRICKINGESTAWESOMESTCOOLESTSHIRT
INTHEWHOLEWIDEFRICKINGUNIVERSE.

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

BTT: Disappointment

2010-07-03T13:26:00.002+08:00

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

2010-06-28T10:01:00.006+08:00

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

1. Finally done with ordering the proof copy of my NaNo 2009 novel in CreateSpace. After much revisions in both interior and book cover, I managed to get everything approved before the discount code ended this month. I feel half elated and disappointed—elated because I'm getting a hard copy of the novel I've slaved away for almost a year, and disappointed because I was only able to edit the manuscript only once. There are still a lot of errors in the copy that I'm not even that confident enough for anyone else to read it (apart from my immediate circle of friends who I know won't burn me down for the apparent lapse in grammar). This is what I get for procrastinating.

Prior to getting the nod from CreateSpace, I had to revert to the pre-made book covers they have available. It kinda sucks to know that I had to badger certain people just to help me iron out the kinks in my poorly-designed cover, only to find out I had to revise it in the end.

Out with the old...

In with the new

But what the hey...the cover I submitted wasn't half as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, it's even better than the one I designed. Yeah, sucks to have noob Photoshop skills. D:

2. July is coming. I haven't finished plotting out the chapter summaries. I know, I'm in major shit trouble.

3. The Tudors has finally ended. I watched the last episode via video streaming and I still haven't gotten over the fact that the series is over. The final scene showed the iconic portrait of Henry VIII by Hans Holbein...with Jonathan Rhys Meyer's face superimposed on it. Looks weird to me on several levels.

See how utterly WRONG this is?

Showtime's going to launch another historical drama next year called The Borgias starring Jeremy Irons. Dunno if I'm going to watch it. Still heartbroken with The Tudors (it's stupid, I know).

JulNoWriMo

2010-06-21T09:15:00.007+08:00

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.

I have a lot of thing going for this July venture. If it turns successful, I can make money out of it. If not, well, at least I tried. I just need something to kick me really hard so I can finally scratch something off the bucket list.

The thing is, the more I'm prepping myself for a plot, character studies and all that shet, I find myself thinking more and more about my plot for NaNoWriMo. I keep on encountering ideas, people and places that would make for a great scene, but I know I have to focus on July. Heck, I don't even know if I can breeze through JulNoWriMo when I have a beginning and an end, but no middle. I can almost hear the alarm bells ringing in my head.

I just have to psych myself to keep things going and not panic.

But can I just freak out for a few minutes? July is less than 2 weeks away.

Shit.