Resident Nutty

2012 travel log

2012-01-30T22:18:00.000+08:00

2012 was supposed to be my “big save year” since I’ll be spending a lot in 2013, but hell, when the seat-sale comes a-callin’ and you have awesome friends who are willing to go with you at a drop of a hat, how can you resist? And a couple of mini-trips in between...

Thank you, 2011!

2011-12-31T18:48:00.003+08:00

They say good things come to those who wait, and while I feel that I'm getting ahead of myself this time, I'm extremely optimistic given the blessings that 2011 has brought. While 2010 forced me to come to grips on what I want to do in my life, 2011 more or less got the ball rolling. And like I said before, I'm a natural planner, and this year hopefully marked the foundation of those plans. Though the future is still uncertain, I'm intensely optimistic and happy about the year that was and what 2012 will bring.

Wealth is...wealth
This is the year when I had some decent financial planning laid out. More or less I was compelled to do so because of the new "projects" I have that require some serious financing. Suffice to say, 2012 and 2013 will be the time when I'll go back to poverty since I'll be spending 90% of what I'm saving so far. Though the latter part of the year was not good from an economic standpoint (my stocks are definitely hurting! should stop second-guessing next time), hopefully the returns are better this year.

Two jobs in one year, yeah you read it right
My career, though not aimless, appears to be on a winding path. I ended last year with a job and though things didn't go as I've thought, I still learned a lot and made great friends along the way. My new job, at last, fits what I'm envisioning for myself ever since I finished grad school. My new co-workers are also a blast and I'm lucky that I get to work with such talented people. Hopefully the next years point to more stability in terms of work.

Tripping
While I didn't have a lot of trips this year (because of the "saving" mode), they are still memorable nonetheless. Our Korea trip in February didn't push through, but that extra money helped me to buy more stuff for myself, hehe. Ended the year with an awesome Vietnam-Cambodia trip, which is a feast for the eyes (both the sights AND the people, hehe) that I feel that I have to come back for more.

Relationships
This year brought me a lot of old and new friendships that I'll always treasure. I had a blast going out almost every weekend with my friends, doing whatever activity that catches our fancy, sharing our various obsessions and introducing new ones. There are a lot (and I mean A LOT) of emotional milestones this year (not just on my end) and I'm glad that I have these wonderful set of people to share them with. I'm also thankful for all the new friends that I got to meet, from work to those I randomly meet during my adventures. Thank you for bringing that additional spice in my life.

And so I end my 2011 post with a whole ton of gratitude for all the blessings the Lord has given me, my family, and friends. I can't remember the last time when I am THIS excited about the coming year. Here's to an even more awesome 2012! Cheers!

meet bummie

2011-11-27T11:12:00.003+08:00

I've been known to really milk my gadgets for all they're worth, so I rarely buy any gadgets fresh from its release date. Case in point: Hyde is almost 3 years old (that's OLD in laptop years), and my ipod is still a first generation iPod Classic which I bought, uh sixyears ago (and the screen protector is still intact, mind you). So as long as it serves its purpose (even though Hyde crashes once in a while and my ipod doesn't sync videos and sometimes doesn't play the whole song, heh) I'll stick to it until it dies on me.

But then, that epic korean session happened and I really felt like a throwback from the 80s oohhing and aahing over Ica's S2 and Ris' Ipad. And so, I'll do anything to satisfy my kdrama obsession. I thought buying Won Bin (my ever trusty hard drive chock-full of kramas) early this year is enough, but I just HAD to buy this:

bummie, beside the just-downed Very Berry crepe (c/o Tokyo Cafe) that always makes my day. also used a Dal Ja's Spring artwork as my wallpaper.

It's a Samsung Galaxy S Wifi 5.0, relatively cheap considering its features. I took this picture using my mom's own wifi 5 (which she uses like a glorified brickgame). And it's now proving to be a really BIG distraction.

dal ja's spring...four years after

2011-10-24T16:16:00.003+08:00

I blame this on my recent bizarre dream with the ever adorable Lee Min Ki on it (he wasn't adorable in my dream, but still, hihi), but I find myself digging up videos and reading recaps of Dal Ja's Spring over the net. Blame it on my uber long house arrest due to sore eyes.

Four years after this series originally aired, it is still one of the best kdramas in the list. Well-acted, highly relatable (cmon, it's a 33yr old successful office girl with a hyperactive imagination), realistically (sort of, thematically it is) romantic, and has one of the most well-written kdrama leads in my opinion. Imagine my annoyance when I dug through my kdrama stash and can't find my copy. Oh well, hopefully there's still one available out there.

Sharing one of the good videos I found out there, so happy that there are still those who are making tribute mvs to them until today.

And one of the best discoveries because of this lazy afternoon session:

spare tire - the one who steps in when a hole punctures her life

me and Laruku part 2!!!

2011-10-19T13:14:00.001+08:00

I was so elated when I found out a few months ago that L'arc~en~Ciel will go on a world tour again!

Now we have the actual concert dates, seems like I'm going to the Hong Kong leg again because it's slated for March (where I'm planning to go to Korea w/ friends). I was planning to go to the Bangkok concert before in order to squeeze in some sightseeing (never been there), but it's on a March weekday.

So Hong Kong again it seems! Will be flying just for the weekend for the concert (hopefully the tickets are still not expensive and I chance upon a seat sale) and do some shopping and sightseeing with the rest of the time. Had to prepare again for some praying and sweating while booking concert seats online. Can't wait!

twenty-sevuuuhhhnnn!!!

2011-06-22T22:11:00.003+08:00

So I'm 27 today (that's still mid-20's right?) and I'm closing the day thon-ing some videos and responding to greetings (thank you guys!)

Uploading 50 Cent's In Da Club just because this is IMO the birthday song of our generation (heehee), plus it's been a LONG time since my friends and I had a SERIOUS clubbing session, and because my officemate has been playing this song the whole morning.

Cheers!

my kdrama is still NOT in the safety zone...

2011-06-16T20:38:00.005+08:00

I think the two best korean dramas for 2011 are in my lovely hard drive right now. While I don't want to make a worship post about Best Love (aka Greatest Love) and City Hunter yet (both are still ongoing in Korea), I just want to make a post about my random raves about both:

BEST LOVE (Episode 12 as of this writing)

- the Hong Sisters did it again!!!
- I LOVE IU's "Hold My Hand" song and G.Na's "Because You're Mine"...emote na to!
- G Dragon's "Heartbreaker" will never be the same again
- wow. Pil Joo. wow. wow.
- wow. Dokko Jin. wow. wow. tattoos. wow.
- wow. Lee Seung Gi cameo. wow. wow. awesome.
- Cha Seung Won's teary eyes...gets me everytime
- Ding Dong!

CITY HUNTER (Episode 6 as of this writing)

- what can i say? LEE MIN HOT! enough said
- awesome chemistry
- best Lee Min Ho character to date
- everything looks beautiful in this drama...what camera did they use? i feel like i'm watching a movie
- trenchcoats!
- did i mention Lee Min Ho was hot?
- pink pants + spoon = defeat bad guys

Can't I Love You? (Dream High OST)

2011-04-04T20:29:00.004+08:00

Just finished watching Dream High, technically the first drama I've started and finished in 2011 (since I started Secret Garden last year). Can't believe I managed to finish this series first than My Princess, heehee.

This is my favorite song from the OST...hmmm can't say I can relate but in my alternate universe, I'll just say I can LOL. This first video is the acapella version sung by Sam Dong (Kim Soo Hyun, gawd I love him!) and Pil Sook (IU), which I think is better than the original (how I wish they also made a studio version with them!) Jason's (Wooyoung) reactions are HILARIOUS.

This is the studio version with 2AM's Changmin and Jinwoon, with a lot of cute scenes of the main love triangle.

Younha - I Like You

2011-03-12T10:02:00.002+08:00

I love Younha and I LOVE this song! If ever I would make a short screenplay (or one-act play), I want to make one based on this song :)

Credit: subbedalbums (YouTube)

Motto for the year!

2011-03-03T23:13:00.004+08:00

Ugh, the last blog entry I had was the end-year post! And it's already March! Had a hectic 3 months (and counting) on work, extra projects, and hanging out with friends! Here's to more craziness...!

I was having a rotten time since I was down with the flu and all ALONE (NOT fun at all in this case!) in Davao to do fieldwork for my research project two weeks ago. I was feeling miserable eating my substandard free breakfast at the hotel when I saw this poster in their dining room:

I don't know if this is an insult to Lady Justice but this will DEFINITELY be my motto for 2011! Time to self-motivate! Must stop with the typical ISTJ makeup of visions of doom and catastrophic tendencies! Not to mention that this poster had me reminiscing when we had that strawberry-flavored shisha...

2010 is done!

2010-12-31T22:00:00.009+08:00

2010 is the extension of my year of limbo that was 2009, but thankfully I got stabilized and just "let things flow and pray a lot" early in the year. Note to self: Do not resign in a job unless you have another one on the way, even if you are already itching to get out. Nevertheless, the past 12 months of relative freedom from corporate bondage allowed me more time to explore my various interests and got to know more about myself (and others!) and have a clearer perspective of my future.

HALLYU-much?
I'm a big Korean culture fan since high school but it definitely kicked into high gear (at least in the kpop sense) due to SOMEONE's obsession taking new heights. After much prodding, I went with my friends to the Super Junior concert (seriously, I only have two eyes, how can I devote them equally among 12 guys?). Also enrolled in Kpop dance classes which is the only physical outlet I have despite the amount of free time that I have.
AND we finally booked a trip to Korea in 2011 which I can't wait to plan for. Got heavily involved with MELONA, and converted everyone regarding this heaven-on-a-stick. I also managed to build up my kdrama inventory, which is relatively more interesting compared to previous years. Became thoroughly obsessed with KBS World, particularly 1N2D.

Plane-hopping
More free time means more trips! Went to Bacolod three times this year to visit my brother and relatives. My Bali trip also pushed through, after agonizing periods of number crunching to check if I can pay my travel debts within the year. I'm so glad I didn't miss this trip (had to yet make a formal entry about it *sheepish*). We went to three countries in nine days, with me sporting just one North Face backpack. Bonded a lot with my friends...good times.

Letters
What I did 60% of the time is to just be a freelance writer. I'm blessed that I still have gained an income source while I trudge through the murky waters of job hunting. I managed to meet new people and at the same time, bring me back to my "love" *cough* of research writing. Finally I was able to close the year with another job that I can potentially love.

The rest of the time was devoted to catching up on my reading my stack of books, hehe. I even managed to surprise my friend with a gift while treasure hunting in NBS' old stockpile. Finally got to read Mockingjay and also started on the Libba Bray series (please, i hope I get to finish the third one).

Plans
Despite my profession, I've never really got to seriously planning about the future (read: the stuff that I can control). This year allowed me to do so, to be more conscious of my money and the investments that I make. Though things may change from what I plan, I'm at a much directed place now compared to before.
And so I conclude my 2010 year-end post by thanking all the important people in my life, and for supporting me during in what seemed to be my lull months. I'm forever grateful for the support, the tolerance(!), the patience, and for being my sounding boards whenever I need one.

Medical report: my kdrama heart as of 2010

2010-12-28T19:15:00.025+08:00

I feel somewhat compelled to rush in a couple of quick reviews of all the Korean dramas that I’ve watched for this year because this year was mostly AWESOME for my kdrama heart. The last time I felt so fulfilled in the kdrama scene sense was in 2007 (the year of Dal Ja Spring and Coffee Prince) and since some of you know that I relatively had more free time this year compared to the past, I’ve been downloading and watching away any kdrama that catches my fancy. So here’s a mini-review of the kdramas that I’ve watched this year (by date of airing):

Still, Marry Me
Viewing experience: Kim Bum in a rom-com as a noona killer? Count me in! My bias to this guy and the pseudo-Sex and the City vibe of this series made me eagerly reach out for the next episode at once.
Pros: If you’re a Kim Bum fan (which I am), especially an old Kim Bum fan (hear hear!), this show is for you. The lead pairing is as adorable and as real (despite the crazy situational setups) in terms of emotions as you can get. The friendship among the three girl leads is top notch, and you won’t be surprised that my favorite out of the three is Bu-Ki. This drama made me more appreciative of my girlfriends (as if I don’t appreciate them enough already!). One of the best and underrated rom-com for this year.
Cons: Kind of weirded out with the additional love line of Sang Woo and Sang Mi, and I don’t particularly care for their love story at all. Although this love line definitely lends its own take into the big “age issue” that this series treats very well. Anyway, I just think that having your ex-boyfriend currently going out with your current boyfriend’s mom is a bizarre setup.
Verdict: Great series to just watch while curled up in your bed surrounded with comfort food (preferably a goguma among them).

Cinderella’s Sister
Viewing experience: Wasn’t planning to watch this series, but my kdrama-loving friend told me to give it a try. I knew this series is tending on the angst territory but I was totally enthralled with the first four episodes. But then it went downhill when they all grew up and people just don’t speak what they REALLY feel. Thankfully (or not), I had enough time to finish the rest of the 16 episodes after that.
Pros: Superb acting by Moon Geun Young, Kim Gab Soo, and Lee Mi Sook (OMG she was AMAZING as the mother! I’m not worthy!!!). And I FINALLY get to see why my friend adores Chun Jung Myung (kind of slow on that one, dang, his smile KILLS me…too bad he frowns like 80% of the time). Oh, and a great OST song by Yesung of Super Junior.
Cons: After episode 7-ish there really is no major progression in terms of the plot. I mean this is the series that got me interested in tasting my first ever cup of makgeolli, but the business aspect dynamics could’ve been more intense (although the rival boss dude was HOT). And man, Chun Jung Myung’s character just STARES like 70% of the time! I preferred the time when he was less jaded (first few episodes) and that the viewer can understand why he’s the only one who can bring out that ice-encased heart of Eun Jo. Too much angst going in circles. Such a waste of what could have been.
Verdict: Watch the first five episodes just for the awesome acting skills and story potential. I can tell you what happens in the rest in less than five minutes.

Personal Taste
Viewing experience: Highly anticipated series for me because of Lee Min Ho and Sohn Ye Jin. I was not as manic about it as I expected. But it could’ve been worse, hehe.
Pros: The lead pair chemistry is just lovely. Sohn Ye Jin is absolutely endearing to the core, too bad her character was kind of bland towards the end (I blame the makeover, there’s something about permed hair, hehe). Lee Min Ho was great eye candy and his fashion sense is very trendy. Also love the side characters, even the crazy ones. Oh, and the skinship was great, haha. That “game over” scene totally got me floored. Ryu Seung Ryong (Doo Bin) was also the shining light in this series, playing the closet gay gallery directory with such sensitivity and empathy.
Cons: The editing was the worst, I wanted to hurl my laptop at that last scene in Episode 8 (seriously, no amount of logic can justify that part). The sound editing was also distracting. And the ending was a bit half-baked, with a lot of the loose ends tied up to hastily with no adequate justification. If I didn’t love the main pair I might’ve ditched this series. Oh, and I was expecting Lee Min Ho to act gay in order to pretend one, which sadly didn’t happen.
Verdict: Watch it if you’re a Lee Min Ho and/or a Sohn Ye Jin fan. Or if you like pretend-gay setups. Or pretty traditional Korean houses.

My Girlfriend is a Gumiho
Viewing experience: At the edge of my seat and giddy with excitement at the end of every episode. So happy that the subbing group is fast in doing this one.
Pros: I have this HUGE bias on Lee Seung Gi so I’m sold with this series from the start. The bumbling beta-male is a great fit with him. And he definitely made me cry towards the end of the drama (drat these guys who look splendid when their eyes are brimming with tears!) But the jewel in this series is definitely Shi Min Ah with her sweet portrayal of the gumiho. The main couple grabbed my attention in every scene that they are in, that I don’t care how weird some of the decisions may be or how stock characters the 2nd leads are. I really can’t get enough of the hoi-hoi couple, and I always get hungry when Mi Ho is hungry LOL. The OST too is pretty whimsical and fits the drama well. Another Hong sisters hit in my book. *finger guns*
Cons: Some tolerance may be needed when it comes to the side characters. The love line between the action school director and Dae Woong’s aunt was funny and cute at first but I grew tired of them midway.
Verdict: Must watch for anyone who wants a cute romcom tinged with fantasy elements

Playful Kiss
Viewing experience: Struggled through this one. I liked It Started with a Kiss but didn’t watch every episode with bated breath as this coincided with a couple of good dramas. Only got to finish this one at the end of the year.
Pros: Uh, Kim Hyun Joong has improved? Hehehe, well the girl lead is more endearing and easier to empathize with compared to the Taiwanese version (Ariel Lin’s portrayal drove me nuts). Cute visuals.
Cons: As a Goong fan, I don’t get why the same PD had to replicate the bear scenes again with this one. Even the color scheme of this series is similar to Goong’s. Anyway, I just can’t shake off the similarities. The pace is kind of slow for me, as we’re as usual boggled with why stone-faced Seung Jo won’t admit to his feelings already.
Verdict: Hmmm, I guess watch this if you have nothing to watch anymore and don’t want to think about anything.

Sungkyunkwan Scandal
Viewing experience: This is my pleasant surprise series for this year, as I was not initially planning to pick this one up because of the sageuk treatment. But due to the favorable reviews and that I don’t have anything to watch (not to keen on continuing Playful Kiss during that time), I succumbed. And I’m glad I did.
Pros: The Jalgeum Quartet is the best thing that’s going on for this series. Every member of the group was amazing in his own right. Micky was surprisingly good for an idol-turned-actor. Park Min Young held her ground. Yoo Ah In was drop dead hot and brooding and has cute hiccups. Soong Joong Ki just about killed me with his twirls. The Guhro-Yeorim bromance is up there with the Frodo-Sam pairing, hehe. The setups were carefully laid and I can definitely feel the tension between the lead pairing (before it was revealed that Daemul was a girl). The stare-fest from the lead pairing was awesome.
Cons: Slightly unsatisfying ending. All the fun was actually before the “OMG he’s a she” moment in my opinion. The last few episodes were unsatisfying in terms of resolution both for the situation conflicts and the characters themselves.
Verdict: Watch this to have an unhealthy bout of fangirling for all the characters. This makes me wish for a Guhro-Yeorim bromance spinoff series. Or at least have one CF starring both characters, hehe.

Mary Stayed Out All Night
Viewing experience: Actual product didn’t meet up to how excited I was when I first heard about this series. Trudging along the series (not done yet) and in no rush to watch the remaining episodes.
Pros: Total eye candy from Jang Geun Suk, despite making him look like a she. The cuteness of Jang Geun Suk and Moon Geun Young knows no bounds.
Cons: Unfocused writing and weird characterizations and motivations from the side characters. Sorely underutilized talents from the main leads. So much potential wasted *sigh* and I hear that there will be bizarre situations to come.
Verdict: Maybe just watch this if you’re a fan of either of the main leads. But then again, just watch their better works.

Secret Garden
Viewing experience: I can’t get enough of this series (so far!) I wasn’t particularly excited about it during the pre-prod days, but dang, I’m addicted. This series is still ongoing so I’m holding out my final verdict.
Pros: AMAZING AMAZING chemistry from Ha Ji Won and Hyun Bin. I can dedicate a whole series just about their chemistry. Interesting characterizations about the main leads which keeps you on your toes and glued to the screen on what they’re going to do next. Heartfelt OST that tugs at the heart. Stunning cinematography with a fast-paced, witty dialogue. And it’s chockfull of sizzling bickering which is my kind of dynamic.
Cons: One might get disturbed on how thin Hyun Bin looks here. Also, the not-so-veiled hints of a “sickness” or something is still keeping me wary from giving my whole heart into this series. And this is the same writer who gave us Lovers in Paris. So yeah, consider us warned.
Verdict: As long as the writer doesn’t go berserk and gives us a surprise disease from someone and he/she dies as a result, this will be a highly recommended kdrama for me.

That’s it for my kdrama rundown. I was planning to include Coffee House, Baker King Kim Tak Gu, I am Legend, and Runaway but they are all either not watched religiously on my end (just caught some episodes in KBS World) and some I abandoned after watching a few episodes. Whew! I hope 2011 may as well give us great kdramas, it will be the time of musical kdramas during the first part. Particularly excited for What’s Up. My pick for drama of the year will be My Girlfriend is a Gumiho with a possibility of giving way to Secret Garden if the latter keeps up its awesomeness for its last six episodes.

my kdrama heart is congested...

2010-11-27T22:15:00.004+08:00

Just when I was bemoaning the fact that I didn't have enough time to withdraw from My GF is a Gumiho, here I am again, bemoaning the fact that I won't be able to have a decent withdrawal period from Sungkyunkwan Scandal. I blame all of this to Secret Garden.

This drama already piqued my interest with the Hyun Bin - Ha Ji Won pairing. I LOVE Hyun Bin in My Name is Kim Sam Soon and I LOVE Ha Ji Won in everything. I wasn't so keen with the body-swap premise of the series but thank you scriptwriter for not rushing us to that and let us get to know the characters. And what characters they are! And the TENSION just about kills me everytime! Love it!

And, oh my, who the heck owns the property that Hyun Bin is living in? Does he own the whole mountain?!?!

Don't you want this as your backyard?

And have a freaking DOCK over a lush pond at the back of your house (with matching lily ponds and willows?!?!)

Where you can sit down, gaze at the stars, and do whatever you want?

my kind of scandal!

2010-11-09T16:16:00.004+08:00

I'm kind of apologetic towards My Girlfriend is Gumiho since I haven't withdrawn enough for the series when another epic one totally pulled the rug from under me. This happened after watching the former drama and trying to pick out the next one (since Playful Kiss subs are taking a while)...I decided to go with Sungkyunkwan Scandal, and boy, am I glad I watched this one!

I don't watch sageuk dramas for the main reason that they're pretty long and too serious for my taste. But hey, they said it's a fusion sageuk, a gender-bending one (though not original, I would like one that's nicely pulled off), has Song Joong Ki (whom my friend ADORES) as one of the cast members, and only 20 episodes. And here I am, two months later, totally in love with the Jalgeum Quartet and wishing for more.

Regarding the cast, I just KNEW that there's something about Micky Yoochun eversince their first MV (haha college pa ko nun!)...six years later, I'm glad that he succeeded in this project (one of the better idol/actor transitions). Park Min Young was amazing especially with her low voice and the long dialogue! Yoo Ah In requires my deepest bow of apology since I was mad at him for being Kim So Eun's partner in The Man Who Can't Marry (because she only belongs to Kim Bum! I'm petty like that). Man, this guy OWNED his character! And that hair! How I wish that was his hair in real life! And finally, Song Joong Ki showed his natural ability to make women (and men?) of all ages fall in love with him (coz he's the boss of all of them!)

The locations were absolutely stunning, and VERY picturesque. Seriously, who wouldn't want to get hugged by the man of your dreams in this setting?

Or talk to your servant with beautiful rays of the sun filtering just outside your dorm room?

The chemistry of the cast is great and it shows in the series. I wished that they extended to one more episode because a lot of the subplots are really hastily finished. Nevertheless, I love this series and it's definitely one of the good ones for this year. The abundance of bromance in this drama is enough to get me glued.

Here's one of my favorite fanvids of Moon Jae Shin (Yoo Ah In) and one of my favorite songs in the OST (Too Love - Junsu), too bad he didn't get the girl (never even had the chance to proclaim his feelings! tsk tsk), but I guess Yong Ha will always be there to lessen the pain, hehe.

for the love of nora roberts!

2010-11-04T15:00:00.005+08:00

Wow, yesterday was definitely a day of frustration and anxiety just because the last book of Nora Roberts' Bride Quartet series is already out. Rissee and I were astonished that the last book was already available in Powerbooks last week (when we know that it'll be available in the US on Nov. 2), and it surely made us more antsy (that's what we get for choosing not to spend and just wait for the e-book).

I was already annoyed last Tues (Nov.2) when it's still not available online, but I guess with the US time, I have to give more leeway to the pirates, hehe. Lo and behold, Nov. 3 comes, I went to take a bath and came back to two missed calls, one text message, and a blog entry from Rissee that IT has arrived and she sent it to my email.

That was 11:00am, Nov. 2...fast forward to 5 hours later, and I still cannot go online due to a faulty internet connection (darn ye, evil internet gods!) I'm so depressed that I read the first three books (the memorable parts), ate two servings of ice cream in the process (comfort eating's my middle name), and recharged the PDA that Ris' lent to me so that I'm all set. By 4:30pm, I cannot take it anymore and called my mother to retrieve the file in my inbox so that I'm sure that I will read it that night. This resulted to a futile 5-minute call with no results since she swore that she downloaded the file but didn't know where it was saved. Oh well.

Finally by 5pm, I got an internet connection! I downloaded the file at once in case the internet goes wonky again. Did some usual internet stuff, saved the e-book in my memory card, and I'm all game.

But then, to my horror, the PDA reset-ed (is that a word?) itself and I cannot freaking find MSReader! I downloaded the installer online (2 mobile PC versions since I don't know what to use) and sent it to the PDA via bluetooth. Alas, the PDA won't install the program and I had to call Rissee for help. This was 6:21pm already (sigh!).

So from the crazy call I had, I learned that I have to install the ActiveSync software (which is in a CD) and do all these steps in order to have MSReader in my PDA. I'm like, no way, I survived reading in the laptop, I'll do it again. Nothing can delay this thing anymore! Except having dinner first...

After eating, I realized that since my mom's bringing my laptop, I have to pack it before they leave the house the next day. Argh! So I still have to install ActiveSync! I installed it (took me 20 minutes just to find the box and cd) and GAH! It's not supported by Windows Vista! I want to scream already and it's already past 8, no way I can finish this book by that day. So I went online and downloaded something that's supported by Vista that can be linked to the PDA. I started reading the book by 8:30 in my laptop while it's installing the software.

By 9pm, I'm happy and into my zen state as I read the rest of the book. Stopped at 2am because the PDA got all wonky and won't load the next page (buti na lang di cliffhanger). I have to go to Makati this morning and brought the PDA with me and thankfully it worked again, so I was able to finish the book by 1pm.

So that's it, as you said Rissee, Murphy's Law talaga. I want to mention in this entry why this book is highly anticipated (and a background on the book itself) but this post is already pretty long. Next time then.

my boyfriend is Lee Seung Gi --- i wish!

2010-10-12T18:12:00.005+08:00

I've been a negligent kdrama addict for the past years by not updating my Top 5 Korean Dramas list. It's just that everytime I decide to update the list, I see another potential list-maker in the works and so held it off.

As I mentioned, the roster of dramas for this year is GREAT. And despite the awesomeness that is Kim Bum and Lee Min Ho in their respective series, I have to give my award for this year (so far, I'm still thinking that Jang Geun Seok will make me eat my words with Mary Stayed Out All Night) to Lee Seung Gi in My Girlfriend is a Gumiho.

My Girlfriend is a Gumiho features Cha Dae Woong (Lee Seung Gi) who is a college student and at the same time enters a drama school to fulfill his dreams of being an action star. He accidentally releases a gumiho (a nine-tailed fox, played by Shin Min Ah) who ends up following him.

This series totally blew me with the cuteness. The chemistry is great (props to Shin Min Ah, totally awesome performance) and I love the writing (Hong Sisters, you did it again!). Lee Seung Gi's character was so loveable (classic case when beta-male leads work!) especially when the plot points demand him to basically grow up. Also I think Lee Seung Gi has one of the greatest trying-hard-not-to-cry faces out there, hehe.

Definitely this series will be in my top 5, must start updating my list (geez, Coffee Prince wasn't even included then!).

il ban --- eeee!!!

2010-10-06T08:46:00.006+08:00

For the past two months, I've been thoroughly OBSESSED with KBS2's 1N2D. Out of all the variety shows I've watched in KBS World (I don't know since when that channel has been in my cable...hay, sayang ang oras), this has definitely stuck. I make it a point to watch the new episodes every Friday night and the rerun every Sunday. Also in the process of watching past episodes (thank God for fansubbers!)

The concept of the show is to present the various sights in Korea (mostly in a 1N/2D timespan) and at the same time, being a variety show, they had to do certain challenges given to them by the staff. These challenges involve winning certain meals (yes, sometimes they don't get to eat dinner at all), getting allowance money, who has to sleep outside, even to determining who among them will be left behind and figure out how to go to their base camp. For more info, click here.

I love the fraternity among the members, it's obvious that all of them have different personalities but they all balance each other out. And since I'm a travel freak, this makes me all the more antsy to go to South Korea. Well, the Philippines is also a prime location for this type of show, but let's just say that variety Korean-style is hard to pull off.

Btw, I want a version of this pic with my travel buddies!

Actually, I just made this entry to post two new songs, ugh, haba ng intro. Here's one of my favorite songs which was featured in the South Korea Coastline Trip (3N/4D). I love the montage, makes me wonder why I didn't do this during the 10-days/3-countries trip I had with my friends last May. The song is Nation's Love Song (Remix) by Jang Geun Yi (feat. MC Mong & Yuri). The montage starts at 0:54.

And I'm still boggled by Koreans' fascination with trot music, but hey, they can be catchy. Here's the iconic presentation by the 1N2D guys, Park Sang Chul's Mujokon (this is now my wake-up alarm, hehe).

It's not hard to see why this show is still strong after three years and dominating the ratings. Variety jeongshin! Il ban --- ee!!!

romance novel recommendations!

2010-09-03T11:10:00.000+08:00

I put that exclamation point to emphasize the level of excitement about this post. I didn't need further prodding from my friend to make a post similar to hers. As you may (or may not) know, I love romance novels. I guess at 26 years old I should've been on my way to graduating from this genre, but heck no (I would probably read them until I'm old and have poor eyesight). I tried to jack up my ante and read more serious fare, but yeah, you'll be amazed at how fast I finish a romance novel versus a lauded fiction book (I'm looking at you John-Steinbeck-book-stuck-at-chapter-two-since-3-yrs-ago). Who was I kidding when I thought I can stock up on Oprah's Book Club books? So yeah, I'm one of those escapist readers, and a good romance novel will be welcome with open arms anytime.

So here's a list of my favorite and recommended romance novels (dedicated to you Ris!), based on no objective criteria whatsoever. Some of these books were read years ago, so I'm not sure if it would make my list if I re-read them again.

Based on no particular order. Spoilers ahead.

1. Kingdom of Dreams (Judith McNaught) - I've read the latter Westmoreland books (Whitney, My Love and Until You) before reading this one, which is about the 1st Duke of Claymore, Royce. You get warring families, an adorable burly warrior lord (I cried buckets when Royce was letting himself get beaten up by Jennifer's family), and supporting characters that you love to love and love to hate. The extended version of Whitney, My Love paid homage to this couple and even though it was less than a paragraph, I found myself tearing up because it made me realize that by that time, Royce and Jennifer were already dead (Clayton was already the 13th Duke of Claymore). Yes, that's how much I love this couple.

Side note: I'm getting antsy because the release date of this book keeps getting pushed back. I'm still on the hunt on who will be the next Judith McNaught...other romance writers are good, but no one can beat her so far (in terms of historical romances).

2. Chesapeake Bay Saga (Nora Roberts) - this definitely takes the cake out of all the books (and there are a lot) of Nora Roberts (4 books, Quinn brothers). If there's one thing that Roberts is good at, it's portraying family relationships that makes you wish you were part of that family. This is the first time I cried in a romance novel not because of the love storyline. All the brothers are so engaging to read about, I can't pick a favorite among the four. The romance aspect of the four brothers is also nice, but it's the bond of the brothers (and their parents, in a sense) that carries this series.

3. The Prize (Julie Garwood) - my favorite Julie Garwood novel. An easy-read (with huge font, I think I finished this in a day) with a big and lovable hero and a larger-than-life heroine who spaces out during lectures (haha i love this girl!). Seriously, how can one not fall in love with a big hulking guy carving a lopsided queen chess piece in the middle of the night because some idiot threw his wife's favorite chess piece in the fire? I love the continuous banter between both characters, with Royce deluding himself that his wife can see sense through his lectures, hehe. And I just realized that this is another Royce...hmm....I sense a pattern...

4. Highland Velvet (Jude Deveraux) - it's mostly a hit or miss between me and Jude Deveraux but this is my favorite book of hers. This is the second of the Velvet series. The series itself is an interesting read but can be too depressing in the latter two books (too many unfortunate events!) I guess you have to read the first book (Velvet Promise) to understand the second one, which is still fine (it's just that Gavin is just stupid at times). Anyway, I like spunky heroines and Bronwyn is one of my favorites (although too stubborn, c'mon Stephen is doing his best to be "Scottish" for you!). The whole series is still a recommended read, if not only for the last part of the 4th book (Velvet Angel) when the four wives used their respective "abilities" to save their husbands (remembering how much I LOL-ed when Stephen almost had a heart attack when he saw his wife dangling upside down with her face smack into his prison window)!

5. Double Standards (Judith McNaught) - I know most people prefer Paradise or even Perfect as their favorite McNaught contemporary romance, but I remembered (this was in HS, so I guess a re-read is in order) reading this (after Paradise and Perfect) and told myself that this is my favorite contemporary novel of hers. I think it's about the being-doomed-right-from-the-start premise that made me intrigued to find out how they're going to get through it. I remembered reading the novel and being emotionally spent right after (but loving it). At the very least, whenever the name Nick Sinclair is mentioned, I still get this fluttery feeling (even though I can barely remember the details of the book). For that reason, I'm putting this book on my list.

Some short-reads (meaning less than 300pgs) that I also love:

1. My Hero (Debbie Macomber) - An easy-read, I remembered loving this book before and then re-reading it a few days ago. The re-read opened my eyes to some snicker-inducing moments, but I love the book nonetheless. The stalker-themed scenarios at the beginning did not even put me off from this book (I guess it's one of those things that is cute in fiction but creepy in reality). The heroine is relatable and talks about her journey to write romance novels, so I guess that's enough to make me like this book. The book made me venture to other Macomber works, which I kind of regretted (or maybe I just purchased the wrong set of books from her portfolio).

2. The MacGregor Brides - JuliaxCullum(Nora Roberts) - the entire MacGregors series is an entertaining read, but Julia and Cullum's story is my favorite based on the number of times I re-read them. Another effortless read (as with most of the MacGregor books), this book supports my love for hate-at-first-sight-with-matching-tension type of books.

I thought this list would be longer but I really wracked my brain to think of more books and came up short. Granted, I like a lot of other books (you can't go wrong with McNaught, and most of Garwood and Roberts) but this is my gut-list so to speak if you ask me what I would recommend. I have also tried other authors (Deveraux, Lindsey, Dodd, Quick, James, Kane, Phillips, Goodman, Barnett...too many to mention) which have some good works but did not make a loyal fan out of me.

Okay, time to look up for the backlist of some of these authors online.

*The cover art of the books in this post art the editions in which I've first read them (made me bit sentimental hehe), except for the Chesapeake Bay Saga (since I can't find a picture that has all 4 books in it)

presenting...Duke Philip of Bavaria

2010-07-15T18:27:00.004+08:00

I finished watching season 3 of The Tudors and I just can't get over the Duke Philip of Bavaria-Princess Mary pairing! This series really has cast some fine-looking actors (not to mention the period clothing which jacks up the appeal!)

Too bad Duke Philip (Colin O'Donoghue...you're officially on my fangirl list...and you're Irish! that's PERFECT!) was only there for one episode. I totally forgot about Charles Brandon (played by Henry Cavill) for a moment, hihihi.

Colin O'Donoghue (Philip, Duke of Bavaria) and Sarah Bolger (Princess Mary Tudor)

I heart Melona

2010-07-13T21:26:00.002+08:00

In one of my Korean-themed hangouts – Korean meaning going to Etude House, eating in a Korean restaurant, and talk about Korean entertainment news – one of my friends introduced me to the BEST KOREAN DISCOVERY to date since Won Bin’s eyes and Kim Bum’s smile: the MELONA. It is a melon-flavored ice-creamstick that’s so creamy, I can hear angels exulting in my head at first bite. I can’t believe that I only knew about it this year, given that I’m an ice cream hoarder. Nonetheless, consider me a Melona addict:

Whenever I’m in the area, I have to buy a piece before going home

Other Melona flavors (and a coffee-flavored one by the same manufacturer)…the melon is still the best

Melona has a funny sentimental value to me too as it was tied with a certain “experience” with my friends that day. What happens in the Korean grocery, stays in the Korean grocery, hehe

My first Melona purchase was a bit expensive – Php36 – located in the Korean grocery just behind UA&P. If that grocery was there during my college days, I would’ve eaten Melona everyday, hehehe. My friends found a grocery near Galleria that sells it for Php25. My cousin and I also found it at ShinMart (Makati) also for Php25, which is now my favorite Korean grocery because of the variety of Korean goods. And you can get five Melonas for Php100 in ShinMart! My eyes literally bugged out when the cashier told me that.

Now I’m wondering why I haven’t seen any character eat a Melona in a Korean drama…maybe I would’ve known about it earlier if they did. Either way, I’m glad that I’ve eaten a Melona…this is the start of a VERY long friendship.

twenty wha------

2010-06-22T21:36:00.005+08:00

Instead of bemoaning that I'm already 26 (hence, closer and closer to the "late twenties" territory) or even becoming melancholic and have a how-life-has-passed-me-by post, I just decided to have a list random-but-sort-of-related-to-birthday stuff that I just want to post.

My fourth birthday (just shot it from my photo album, hence the blurriness). Initially picked a picture from my third birthday but my mom suddenly popped out of nowhere and told me to pick this one (stage mom much? it's only a blog).

BIRTHDAY RANDOM LIST:
1. My mom waded through the flood on the way to the hospital when I was about to come out. Good thing she didn't have me at that instant, I might get washed away and picked up by some random person (ala Moses sans the nice woven basket).
2. For the past 26 years, there were only two times that it didn't rain: on my 7th and 18th birthday --- those were the days when I prayed REALLY hard, didn't care about the rest of my birthdays.
3. A volcano erupted on one of my birthdays in high school. I tried to google to find out which one it was to no avail. All I remember is that it was (surprisingly) only cloudy that day and then in a split second it's like Armageddon. A lot of paper plates got lost that day.
4. I share the same birthday as Lee Min Ho and Jung Yong Hwa. Amazing timing, mom.
5. I almost got hit by a car on my 24th birthday. As in Edward-Cullen-close that I had to slap the idiot's car to stop it (as if I have the strength to REALLY stop one, good thing he heard my shout and my hand hitting his car).
6. The first time I watched While You Were Sleeping was on HBO on my birthday. Still remains to be one of my favorite movies.
7. If I was born on June 21 instead of June 22, all of us (older sister, me, and younger brother) would be exactly 2 years, 2 months, and 2 days apart from each other. Yes guys, I spoiled it by wanting to make a grander entrance.
8. One of my worst birthdays I think was in senior college where I had to write a lot of assignments and papers and only got to seriously finish at 10:30pm...an hour and a half left to "celebrate".
9. 90% of the time, my best friend forgets to greet me on my birthday. And 100% of those times, I don't even mind one bit. Weird. (That's how understanding I am of people taking up med)
10. One of my most memorable birthdays was in high school when my best friend organized a scavenger hunt (maybe that's why I don't mind the previous listed item) and I have to pick up random notes scattered in school. And I had to get all 16 (I think it was my 16th bday) notes before class starts. Talk about pressure.
11. According to bday legend, my dad got excited when he saw me at the nursery that he gave and signed my name, WITHOUT MY MOM'S KNOWLEDGE (she was sleeping at that time). If my mom had her way, I'll be Gladys Mae (since she's Fanny and my sister's Joy...kamusta naman).

I think that's it...I think I may be forgetting some stuff but oh well....and it's almost 10:30PM, which is the time I was born. Thank you to all the people who are always there for me, let's continue to live our life to the fullest!

EDIT: I don't know what's wrong with my timestamps (note to self: investigate!) but it's close to 10:30PM i swear.

alcoholic ice cream hearts

2010-05-31T20:47:00.005+08:00

My food trip to Elfav Ice Creamery was over two months ago, goes to show how lazy I am in uploading my blog. Well, I am a certified ice cream addict, I can eat a whole pint in one sitting (tried it in college, gave me a serious brain freeze) and would not feel guilty about it one bit.

Imagine to my surprise that here I am, a girl in the South, and didn't know that an ice cream parlor selling alcoholic ice cream is less than 20 minutes away from where I live. I saw their ad on TV and begged my mom to drop by the store asap.

So we went to Elfav Ice Creamery around two weeks after I watched that ad. The place was very "summery", just like how most ice cream and yogurt stores look like. The stark difference advertised before is that this store has board games spread in the area. Too bad when I went there I only saw a chess set, I was expecting them to still have Snakes and Ladders and Games of the Generals as was reported by other bloggers years ago.

I went straight to buying the alcoholic ice cream, presenting the beer (L) and tequila rose (R) ice cream:

As expected, I liked the tequila rose more, but the beer ice cream was also great. The beer ice cream already smelled like beer (to my mom's disgust hehe) before I tasted it, and the nuts in the ice cream made me feel like I'm getting a complete inuman with pulutan feel after every bite. The tequila rose was great because, I swear, I felt the kick of tequila (or whatever it is) as the ice cream melts in my mouth.

My mom, of course, opted for a non-alcoholic ice cream. She went for the turones de casuy flavor, which was one of the store's bestsellers. I think it tasted good also, although my tongue's pretty dulled already from having two scoops of alcoholic ice cream, hehe.

I can't wait to go back here again since I haven't tried their Bailey's ice cream yet (which I bet will taste good...in principle). They also have a Yakult-flavored one which definitely has my name written all over it.

the pound hug myth

2010-03-24T21:11:00.005+08:00

It seems that there must be some truth to this pound-hug myth which has been a running joke between me and a friend (you know who you are and I bet you're already grinning by now). This traces its roots to an incident last year when a guy was approaching me and I had a mental panic attack that he might make beso (haha ang conyo) to me, to think that we're not even close. So in that split second when I had to make a decision, I suddenly took the lead and POUND-HUGGED him, much to the hilarity of my friends who witnessed the incident.

I was trying to justify my act when the story was related again to my other friends, to which one guy friend looked at me as if I was crazy. Okay fine, only guys do the pound hug. But hey, I did a fist bump with another guy before and the Obamas also famously did the move. And according to this picture, it has a lesser risk of swine flu contraction (haha).

Okay, so I thought it was just one of those unique moments that I'll laugh about again in n years. I'm even glad that the said friend in the first paragraph also had an almost-pound-hug incident herself (so see, it happens). But lo and behold, I almost had the same defensive instinct tonight at a dinner party. Guy (who I wasn't expecting to be at the party, not my crush, but he is cute) suddenly arrives to our table (my parents and I are eating there with his family) and made beso to my parents. Mental panic attack on my head and I had this very weird URGE to pound hug him! I'm like what the heck are you thinking? Thankfully, I didn't do that. I think it was an embarrassing encounter for both of us (since we're just acquaintances even though we played when we were children) and I just muttered a "Hey..." (without meeting his eyes, yeah, I'm a coward), and he responded by patting (or did he just tapped it?) me on my shoulders. Okay, that was a weird response but oh well at least nothing embarrassing happened throughout the whole night.

So yeah, I don't know why I wrote this in my public blog, but yeah...

trip to Sonya's

2010-03-03T09:46:00.008+08:00

I'm a big meat (and potatoes?) type of girl, but it's also nice to change my diet (temporarily) now and then. So when my brother was here during Christmas vacation, Mom wanted us to go to Sonya's Garden (which no one except her has been to) for a little "immersion" with nature.

I kind of cringed at the thought of eating a lot of plants for lunch (and being powerless in ordering what you want, you eat whatever they give to you), but it wasn't a bad experience. I tasted some of the salad, stuffed myself with the mushroom patte (which was AMAZING) on bread, and being a white sauce girl, ate a lot of carbonara. And I'm elated that they have chocolate cake for dessert (I thought that the banana fritters were it) --- so much was my happiness that my mom and dad gave me their cake since they're too full from the salad (which I graciously took from them). Not bad for Php600 per person especially if you're hungry (they'll give you food and drink refills until you surrender and ask for the next course).

Some photo highlights:

Various spreads on bread (just the thought of it gives me gastronomic delight)

The salad (only ate a small portion of the greens, and then lots of mangoes, nuts, egg, and croutons, LOL)

Argh, I didn't take a photo of the pasta (red and white sauce are available, but I favor the white sauce --- the thickest version I've eaten so far, which works for me). Moving on...

My attempt at having a "product shot" - dalandan juice (my fave!), Arugula(?) tea (not a fan of tea but this was SO good!), and a random flower that one of the workers gave me (and my cousin and my mom, in case you get any ideas). My brother and I dared each other to eat the flower, tasted like the flowers of an aratyllis (don't ask how I know).

DESSERT!

I like taking photos of tree branches with the sky as the backdrop

I want this in my future flat...very Zen...

And insert this picture of a hydrangea...my favorite flower!

still, marry me, kim bum

2010-02-20T20:11:00.006+08:00

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

I don't regularly put up a post for Valentines Day (and it's a bit late now don't you think?), but after a four-episode marathon of Still, Marry Me, I had my fill of Kim Bum madness once again (read: LOVE...blurry connection to Valentines starting now). I had to say, this is the BEST role he has so far. I might be biased since I'm a fan of his but dang, how can you resist a business student and who at the same time fronts a popular indie band? The aggressive yet easy charm (just imagine how he manages THAT) way that he approaches Shin Young (the lead girl) slays me everytime. So, who could blame her? What 10-year age difference?

And then as I watch towards the end of ep. 8, I see THIS:

As an anime addict, this sent me OVER the moon...imagine me having a Sakura crush on Yukito or *gasp* he's THIS close to reminding me of Kadaj in Advent Children, bad ass that he is.

So continue on being your perfect self Kim Bum aka Ha Min Jae, you're making this noona VERY happy.

And here he is brushing his teeth and still looks hot doing it. Just sayin'...

nuts and seeds

2010-02-09T18:40:00.004+08:00

My mom's recent problem with gout (which turned out not to be gout after all) and my new manicure didn't deter me from eating a lot of this:

That's an assortment of nuts (almonds, peanuts, macadamia, pistachios, and other stuff that I can't name) and squash seeds in one package (c/o my mom's officemate). I love nuts and seeds, even used the phrase as the name of my editorial column in our High School paper. So don't be surprised if I have gout when I get old.

"i have dreamed"

2010-01-29T13:54:00.004+08:00

I was browsing in the record bar this afternoon and I happened to come across a copy of The American President. I remembered loving this movie n years ago because, well, it's a romantic and classy movie (how can you go wrong with Annette Bening?). Given that, I suddenly remembered that iconic scene of the state dinner wherein Michael Douglas and Annette Bening danced and LOVING whatever song that is being played in the background. N months (or years?) later, I watched The King and I in HBO and I heard that song again! Since this was in the '90s, I can't remember using the internet to find out what the song is (I remembered having sucky search engines then).

So, thank you Google, YouTube, and that serendipitous trip in Music One (which jogged my memory), I finally found that song after a decade...it's entitled "I Have Dreamed" from the musical King and I. Too bad I can't find the exact cut of the animated version for the song, but here is part of the animated feature which has the song starting at 5:31...

And here's the score played in The American President (I think this could also be a fitting music for a wedding, hehe)

2010 shaping up to be GREAT to my korean heart

2010-01-25T12:12:00.011+08:00

Most, if not all, know that I've been a Korean entertainment addict since the end of High School (hallyu wave and all...) and I must say, this year is forming itself to be an AMAZING year for my korean fangirl heart...

There are two korean dramas (one already running, another to be shown in April) that I'm very excited about. The typical way that I determine if a show is worth watching to my taste is that it's a romantic comedy, has an interesting premise, can at the very least tolerate the leads, and feedback from my fellow kdrama friends and javabeans. And here are the two (so far) that I have to watch:

Still, Marry Me (The Woman Who Still Wants to Marry) - I wasn't a fan of noona-dongsaeng pairings before (~~though My Name Is Kim Sam Soon made me a semi-fan~~ gosh, how can I forget? Dal Ja's Spring MADE me a fan, it was so convincing, the age hardly mattered), but heck, the fact that Kim Bum is the male lead and 90% of my Korean crushes (including him) are younger than I will make this series a must-watch. The change in the hairstyle of Kim Bum also works, in the sense that he looks older.

Personal Taste - I just realized that the two dramas I'm excited for both feature F4 members, LOL. Anyway, this stars my same-birthday-guy Lee Min Ho and OMG *drumroll* Sohn Ye Jin! I mean, I was already excited for the Lee Min Ho part but throw in Sohn Ye Jin (lead of The Classic, which is still my favorite Korean romantic movie to date) to the mix, this is ACTING HEAVEN for me! And c'mon who would pass up Lee Min Ho acting as a gay guy? This is another noona-dongsaeng pairing, and was initially planned for the return of Goong's Yoon Eun Hye and Joo Ji Hoon (too bad that didn't work out, but oh well).

Now, for Korean celebrities going here, I'm most excited over the news that Jang Geun Seok is coming to promote his series, You're Beautiful (which is my favorite drama of 2009...note to self: must revise top 5 kdramas asap). Must brush up on my stalking skills, was successful when Kwon Sang Woo and Kim Bum came so third time's the charm!

And then, also the fact that Super Junior is having a concert here in April is another cause to celebrate (although I'm sure SOMEONE is WAY more excited than I am). I wasn't planning to watch this concert, since I only have a crush on one (out of the 13) guys, but heck, peer pressure and seeing Hee Chul go crazy got me caving in...

So that's just the news for January 2010, I'm excited how the rest of the year will pan out...

recreating Boys Before Flowers

2010-01-19T18:34:00.021+08:00

One of the things that I was excited about in our trip to Macau is that I get to do a scavenger hunt on the shooting locations that they did in the Korean version of Boys Before Flowers. Without further ado, here are the hits and misses from our hunt, with the original screencap at the left and our attempt to recreate (or at least, strike a pose that won't let other people think we've gone nuts) the scene.

HITS

Click on each image to clearly view the picture and comments.

Airport. You already got a shot of at least recreating one scene the moment you're in Macau. This is my "estimate" of where Jun Pyo was standing when he confronted Jandi and Jihoo. (Was tempted to do the amazing crying scene but there are a lot of people around)

Senado Square. If you don't have much time to go around Macau, going to Senado Square is already a jackpot venue to see most of the filming locations. We went there since I know that the St. Paul Ruins are there, but I was surprised that they also used the location to represent all the streets of Macau (hence I almost screamed when I saw that egg tart stand).

Sidestreet where Jandi and Jaekyung walked around. Only realized that we passed through this when I rewatched that episode. *awesome*

The main square where Jihoo and that street musician played using the latter's guitar. This is the main area to enter Senado square.

St. Paul Ruins - the structure itself is great. Eds and I tried to let go of the umbrellas to really capture the scene but the weather (and the steps) are too hot.

Who would've known that the egg tart stand was just in Senado Square? I didn't imagine that we'll find the exact stall in Macau but it already identified itself as THE stall and used it for added marketing.
The Venetian. Used as the setting of Jun Pyo's hotel venture in Macau, there are definitely a lot of photo-op opportunities here. Though I would like to recreate more scenes in the hotel we're either too tired or the place was barred from picture-taking.

These are our first photos outside the Venetian, we're just too excited at this time, I think it took us 20 minutes before finally entering the hotel

This is where Jihoo and Jandi were waiting before they leave for the airport (which was delayed due to Jihoo's Chinese friend entering the scene)

Overlooking the gambling floor of the hotel. Actually an attendant reprimanded me from taking this picture (I think it's forbidden to take a picture of the gambling area), which was weird since I was focusing on the ceiling and there are a lot of other tourists not far from me also taking the same pictures.

This is the post-break up scene where Jandi was getting all sad. Suddenly shot this when I saw the underwear store, LOL.

AND of course, here's the bridge used for the break-up scene. Take note there are a lot of bridges over the area, so we really made sure we got the correct bridge and tried to make our respective poses even though there are a lot of people passing by.

MISSES

So here are the misses, wherein we saw the location but we weren't able to take a picture due to various reasons.

Gondola dude --> I have this twisted hope that I'll see this guy in the hotel. But when we went there, there's only one Caucasian guy while the rest of the boatmen suspiciously look like Filipinos, hehe.

Other white dude --> I saw a handful of performers in the area but I didn't get to see this guy, which was too bad since I really want to replicate this picture.

Zaia --> We also got to watch the Zaia performance of Cirque du Soleil, which Jandi and Jihoo also watched. Unfortunately, cameras are not allowed inside the theater.

Mask Store --> This was my biggest frustration of all! We saw the actual shop (thank God for Eds' sharp eyes! I lost hope finding it since the hotel was huge). You can just imagine my inner squee when I saw the actual mask that Yi Jung (Kim Bum) wore in this scene. Sadly, pictures are not allowed (I suggest you practice using your camera phone and pretend you're texting, hehe)

Oh, but here's a mask that Daene took in another store (not the store used in the series). I think it's also prohibited to take this one but the masks are just so pretty...

There are other locations in Macau used in the series but we only had one full day in the area, and most of it was devoted to watching Daene's bungee jump at Macau Tower and Zaia at the Venetian. Hopefully if I come back again I'll get to go to the other spots :D

what the google algorithm will yield

2010-01-19T11:49:00.003+08:00

I was (slightly) bored the other day and I decided to google my name in the internet (admit it, you've done it once or twice in your life). From past experience, I know that I wouldn't have a Wesley Gibson experience when he searched himself on the internet. I was expecting almost the same results as before (that is, social networking results or mentions in my friends' blogs). But imagine, to my surprise, when I typed in my full name, it yielded this (click on the image for a clearer picture):

I totally forgot how many hardbound copies of my thesis I submitted to my thesis adviser (was it seven?), and I don't recall that one of them would be in the National Library for crying out loud. Well, actually it's standard procedure to put theses in the National Library...I just think it's absolutely cool (sorry, geek outburst) to have a work of your own in the National Library of all places. I recall researching at the National Library before, although the experience itself wasn't as productive as I thought it would be. But hey, I think (?) this calls for a celebration! LOL

Now, if I unexpectedly found SOMEONE quoting my work in their research, I believe I would first ascend to heaven, go back to earth, and ask what the hell was the person thinking...

Macau-HK Trip: When the 'Sorry Sorry' Madness Began - Hong Kong Leg

2010-01-13T12:45:00.011+08:00

From Macau, we took a boat ride to Hong Kong. I chose the farther port to land in relative to our hostel since it's nearer the MTR station (gotta love their efficient MTR). We went straight to the hostel in Mongkok where I also stayed the year before. It was a strategic place, given that my companions are notorious shoppers. Just remembered plopping into that bed that night, since we just arrived from Macau and we want to have an early start the day after.

Weirdly enough, we ate at a nearby McDo for breakfast. Though I'm much into getting "localized" for the trip, there's still a novelty in eating in a fast food place since there is still a difference. We went to Wong Tai Sin temple, since we all agreed to visit at least one temple in the trip, and it's the most accessible via MTR. Given that we had so much fun when we were visiting different temples in Kota Kinabalu, I knew we were also going to have fun here. I'm not sure if we were allowed to burn incense since we're of different religion, but we didn't dare try since we might do something wrong in the process hehe. The picturesque garden behind the temple is also a welcoming sight given that it's right in the middle of the metropolis.

From the temple, we went straight to Causeway Bay to grab lunch and do some shopping. Landed again in Times Square just like the year before and went through the different side streets to spot anything that we can buy. True to form, my two companions bought clothes almost immediately, LOL. I spotted a Kiki Ippatsu toy and didn't buy it (ugh I should have bought that toy! This is what I get from hanging too close to my money). After which, we all were tired from the heat (damn you weather!) that we decided to split up. Daene went back to Mongkok to rest and do her own sightseeing while Eds and I went to Central to squeeze in more shopping before we collapse. Eds and I were both proud to have landed in Central and just depended on her friend's directions on where to spot the bargain stores. Suffice to say, Eds had a shopping spree.

When we went back to Mongkok, I took a nap. That's a MILESTONE for me to take a nap in the middle of a trip, I always felt that I should do something more productive (other than taking a break? hehe) to make the trip more worthwhile. But hey, sleeping and eating the leftover egg tarts we bought from Macau gave me energy. I almost dragged my feet outside to have dinner and continue the shopping around Mongkok. I'm so glad that my two friends are expert bargainers. The 'walking away' move always works, with the vendors relenting to our price in the end. We slept early again since we cannot move our feet anymore.

The next day, we went to Disneyland, where I got to relish more time in the place as opposed to the frantic pace I did the last time I went there. As expected, my gung-ho companions forced me to ride Space Mountain (I really hate rollercoasters, or any ride akin to that) AND THOSE HELLISH TEACUPS!!! Kill me now, I'll never let Eds take the wheel on those teacups ever again! Forget the fact that I have motion sickness, the whole experience was pure hell for me and pure glee for them. We're the only teacup who is turning at warped speed (I'm exaggerating but it sure felt like it) and to different directions...and we look like lunatics since we're the only ones screaming (me screaming at Eds, them just plain screaming out of happiness) in that ride.

That's me praying to God
We also got to have a picture with four Disney princesses that morning in just less than 10 minutes. We came across Sleeping Beauty and Belle while they are walking towards their designated post (so we were their first customers HAHAHA! I still remember us running towards them and waving our hands to catch their attention) and not too far from them is the post for Snow White and Cinderella. Since I got to have a picture with Mulan the previous year, I have completed my roster. Also got to have a picture with Winnie the Pooh, who eluded me when I went there before.

Dear makers of Disneyland, why oh why don't you have a Prince Charming in your castle huh? I thought this is the place where all dreams come true?!?! Are you afraid that we'll judge him? BWAHAHAHAHA

From Disneyland, we went straight to the port to go back to Macau. Then used the free bus via Venetian (well hello again Venetian!) and landed in the airport, where we took our customary BBF pics once again. The flight was close to midnight, and it was comforting to cap off the trip by spending it on a bowl of noodles at an almost empty airport with your two close friends and talk just about anything we can think about.

So for the reason behind the title, Eds (regrettably?) developed this habit of singing Sorry Sorry by Super Junior whenever she says "sorry" to us during the trip. And being the other Kpop fan in the group, I thought that was enough. Apparently, Daene caught on the bug and simply put, we've created a monster.

More pictures here

Macau-HK Trip: When the 'Sorry Sorry' Madness Began - Macau Leg

2010-01-13T11:15:00.011+08:00

Gah! Finally, here I am, going to write about the Macau-HK trip I went to with the rest of the default girls on August 2009. This trip was mainly done in order to watch Cirque du Soleil (Zaia) at the Venetian and also to finally make Daene do that bungee jump. We then decided to make a side trip to Hong Kong since we're near anyway and my friends haven't been there yet.

Being tasked as the itinerary-maker (again, let's just say that I thrive on schedules), I tried to squeeze as much as I can for the four-day trip. Sad to say I'm having trouble getting info on the public transportation routes in Macau (HK was a breeze based from my previous HK trip), good to know that Macau is a pretty small place and the cab rates are decent.

Since we arrived in Macau in the evening, we got settled and looked for some place to eat. Since it's already close to midnight at that time, we landed at a convenience store and bought noodles (we're really accustomed to the backpacker lifestyle by now). Also get to do some photo-op with the European-themed streets (gotta love the lamp posts...and people who are still hanging out at 1am). We stayed at a hotel this time (very few hostels in Macau, ugh) and warned Daene and Eds to relish the big bed since we're going to live in a shoebox in Hong Kong.

The next day, we decided to roam around the area near our hotel, in the off-chance that we might stumble upon something tourist-y. Well we came across a park (nye!) then we left the hotel to get the first free bus to the Venetian (where we stashed our bags before we went sightseeing). You gotta love those free buses.

First stop is Daene's bungee jump, which I purposely put at the top of the list so that it's over and done with, hehe. First time I saw Daene sweating a lot due to nervousness LOL (even demanded that we hug her since it might be the last time, haha). It was freaking hot that day, which we didn't expect given that time of the year, Eds and I waited at the landing area (thank God there's a shaded area nearby). Since we were a bit groggy from the heat, we didn't get to record Daene's initial jump (should've told the personnel to warn us). But seeing the whole thing was F-U-N! Too bad Daene didn't swear (was expecting her to).

We then went to Senado Square to do some sightseeing. Since most of the tourist locations can be found there, we were already satisfied with that part of that day. Especially from the fact that we're sweating buckets and there are a lot of people around, we walked as much as we can and stop periodically whenever one of us gets a headache. All of us bought identical umbrellas (lost my umbrella at the airport! Ugh) since we seriously cannot take the heat. The main focus of the day was to get a lot of Boys Before Flowers-inspired pictures (~~which I'll expound on in another post~~ which you can view here), since there are two episodes in the series shot in Macau. Since Eds and I are crazy over BBF, trying to look for the shooting locations is already a given (and with much success).

Then, we went back to the Venetian, which is a splendor in itself for our backpacking sensibilities. Relished the air condition, took a lot of pictures, and went to the food court to sleep (it was only 4pm at that time but the fatigue was too much). We hung out until it's time to watch Zaia which is at 6pm. The performance was amazing, definitely worth the money considering we bought the cheapest tickets but still get to see everything on stage. My favorite was the contortionist pair hahaha. Oh and also that girl in the music booth who played a ton of wind instruments throughout the performance.

After the performance, we hurried to the ticket booth nearby to buy tickets for the boat to Hong Kong. The boat ride was very comfortable, with me hounding my friends, showing them a map of HK for our route to the hostel, and also watch the BBF interviews shown in the TV sets in the boat (I guess BBF really boosted the number of tourists).

More pics here. Will post my entry for the Hong Kong leg, BBF pics, and the explanation for the blog title soon.

TRAVEL NOTES: just a spur-of-the-moment thing, I'll be posting travel notes in some trips (like this one). These are actually notes in my small travel notebook where I keep track of my thoughts or events in the trip that I might forget later on. I'll be posting this randomly if the notes aren't too private :)

it's the end of another year...2009 year-end post

2009-12-31T18:40:00.014+08:00

No one's more surprised than I that I am now writing an end-of-the-year post. The laziness bug is out there again, and I just woke up from a short nap that I feel I must have if I were to stay awake this midnight (and not get all cranky come the first day of the new year). But here I am, waiting for the annual street party dinner to start, and typing away.

2009 is kind of a weird year for me. If you asked me right now how I fared for the year, I would answer instinctively that it has been a so-so, bordering on the bad, year, compared to what I was hoping or how I was feeling the year before that. But now as I try to look back on what I've experienced, I can now characterize it to a case of The Good, The Bad, and The Weird.

The Good
If there's one thing I'm vastly happy about the year, it's that I had the most diverse travel experiences yet. The flight bookings came in early in the year, and the plans were actualized starting mid-year till the end of the 3rd quarter. It started with a trip to Coron, was an overdue trip for me and Daene. The travel group was mixed, with friends in HS and College in the mix and I must say it turned out pretty well given the varied swimming skills of the five girls. I want to go back there again just to go to Barracuda Lake and of course swim in the Twin Lagoon once again. The year ended with an impromptu (but well executed!) trip to Anawagin Cove in Zambales. Though I know that I'm relatively more outdoorsy traveler than most, I just realized in this trip that without modern day comforts (i.e. tv and cellphone at the very least), I get easily bored. Nonetheless, here's to going back there and attempting to do the 5-hour hike instead of the boat ride!

When I finally resigned from the latest job, another three trips further capped the this-is-me-trying-to-reconnect-with-myself phase I experienced. Starting from my trip to Bacolod, where I visited my brother for his birthday and also got to catch up with my relatives whom I haven't seen for nine years. This is then followed only a week later by a trip to Macau and Hong Kong. I'm looking for my pictures of the trip online (still haven't gone around to blogging about it) but I can't seem to find them. Oh well, this trip was also special, going to Macau to watch my friend go bungee, watch Cirque du Soleil, and recreate all the scenes from Boys Before Flowers, and then going on to Hong Kong trying to do all the stuff that I wasn't able to do last year. My favorite trip I think of the year is when we went to Boracay, which is just pure relaxation at its finest. Won't expound on that. Also was able to go on little road trips courtesy of my friends who can't seem to sit still and always want to go somewhere.

It was another fun year of fangirling for me, highlight of which is getting to see Kim Bum in the flesh. Now, there are only a few Korean stars that I'm willing to go the extra mile to see and he was one of them. I'm superbly happy that I have another friend equally as crazy as I am and we saw him up close. Series highlights of the year for me is watching Boys Before Flowers, You're Beautiful, and the anime version of Nodame Cantabile. Though I would want to fangirl more, I think this deserves a separate post entirely.

The Bad
Well not exactly bad, but this is the year that I turned 25 and I experienced probably a very bad case of quarter-life crisis. I've never done a lot of self-evaluation as I did this year. Work life was an intense challenge for me this year and though I managed to handle it as best as I could, it made me think about certain decisions that I've made for the past few years. Okay that's it, this is kind of the cloud that has been hovering over me for the entire year (and hopefully not spillover for the next year).

The Weird
What's weird about this year, especially since I've spent the last quarter of it unemployed, is that I realize to a certain extent what my limits are and how I process things as they come. I and my friends are also having a lot of weird realizations lately, but maybe it's because we're at that stage that we're supposed to be mature young adults and we're now contrasting our present selves with who we were before.

Also went to two weddings this year, both of which are to the weddings to really close friends. I guess we can also categorize my love life into the weird, eh? Sa akin na lang yun, haha.

So that's it, my haphazardly-typed end-of-the-year post. Didn't even make a draft for such an important post, hehe. Happy New Year everyone, and may 2010 be an awesome year for all of us.

Merry Christmas 2009!!!

2009-12-25T02:11:00.003+08:00

Wow, it's another Christmas! I feel kind of weird that I haven't gone to any company Christmas party for two years straight now. Oh well, here's to hoping that on my next job, I can at least show up for the company Christmas party, LOL.

Different Christmas plans this time around since we'll be spending it outside the house on the day itself (before, we usually go to relatives at Christmas Eve or after Christmas day). So I guess, my usual Christmas movie/series marathons will be put on hold for now.

My ultimate Christmas movie (uncontested as of now) is still While You Were Sleeping. I'm a sucker for bouquets of poinsettias, snow globes of your dream country (Scotland's IT for me --- for my future boyfriend's reference), and of course, Bill Pullman's lopsided smile... *sigh*

So here's part of the score in the movie's OST entitled Riverside Walk, this instrumental instantly puts me into a melancholic Christmas mood... just imagine the Christmas lights along Ayala, pwede na yun hehe

Merry Christmas everyone!

resurfacing (yet again)

2009-12-15T19:52:00.006+08:00

I swear, if my blog was a person, he/she would've condemned me by now. I'm a bit surprised that I let go of my blog for so long to think that I'm still unemployed (big surprise there). But since my current freelance job is on hiatus and will resume in a few weeks, I have no excuse not to write more here.

My last post was October 1, today is December 15. And some people know this about me: October-November are Twilight months. So yes, that's what I'll blame my lack of blog posts at.

In retrospect, preparations for the promotions of The Twilight Saga: New Moon is less hectic than last year's, mainly because we've learned our lesson last year to not overexert and just focus on things that will be of most use to us (TCP). Since I rarely talk (nor post) about my TCP exploits outside of those involved in it, I'll just gloss over what happened related to this in the past two months.

Sam Bradley in Manila

Sam Bradley (co-author of 'Never Think' in the Twilight OST) could possibly be the closest celebrity connected to Twilight that will land in our shores, so we got a rare opportunity to interview him in an episode of Danag Podcast. It was a fun interview (and the succeeding days watching his mall shows), and my English skills were REALLY stretched to the limit LOL. We also gave him a barrel man which was quite cheeky of us but was greatly appreciated, hehe.

TCP Events

October and November were also filled with meetings with various partners for the promotion of The Twilight Saga: New Moon. For TCP, we hosted a screening at the first day of regular screening. Also conducted several discussions on behalf of Powerbooks and a launch party for Warner Music Philippines.

It was fun to have to be in the less busy mode when it came to the fandom, and yet able to meet again old and new Twilighters for these events. Minami and I are almost joined to the hip for these two months since we both have the most flexible schedules among the admins (not to mention, a guesting in Unang Hirit, which I won't post here haha).

So that's the Twilight-related "work" I've been doing for the past two months. Hopefully I get to post within this month on the other stuff that's on my mind. Won't make promises though, I think ever since I resigned my previous job, I've been lazy like crazy.

The sands of time…

2009-10-01T10:37:00.005+08:00

My trip to Boracay is the last leg (yes, I skipped my Macau-HK trip blog entry, will do it soon) of my heck-I’m-unemployed-and-I-need-to-destress vacation, and it surely was the best way to conclude this burgeoning need to relax and put all problems in the backburner.

Granted, it’s a too good to be true trip for the three of us. My two friends were both experiencing hellish weeks at work prior to the trip and I already lack sleep from squeezing in all the deliverables in my freelance job so that I’ll have less things to worry about in the trip (still brought a laptop though, but I won’t rant about that). Again it was too good to be true – the relocation of our flight from Caticlan to Kalibo gave us the opportunity to rebook the tickets for free so that it’ll fit the long weekend, my friend managed to hook us up with AWESOME (and I mean AWESOME) lodgings for free (Station 1 no less!), arrangements were made for us as if we’re billionaires, and lo and behold, there was no rain at all (given the devastation that Ondoy brought merely 4 days later, that was a freaking close call!).

Nothing prepared me when we got out of our resort and see the Boracay shoreline—now I realize why my two friends were adamant that it must not rain for me to fully enjoy it. Out of the three of us, I was the newbie in the place and frankly Boracay was not in my top to-go list in the country because it’s mostly known as a party beach (I prefer my water-related trips to be full of water sports and nature jaunts). Though I love to party, I won’t spend that much to go to a congested beach only to do that. But since it’s non-peak, there are only a few people walking along the shore, heck I was sorely tempted roll around the sand right then and there (possibly in a dress with a Temptation Island bent on it…must decide which beauty queen contestant I’ll portray though). Some highlights of our trip:

· Getting the secluded pool all to ourselves. My friend and I reminisced the time we went to Corregidor and swam in the pool despite the fact that there are frogs in the area (only screamed and got out of the pool when we saw one frog wading towards us then). We were hearing croaks near the cascade pool, thankfully no frog came wading in this time around.

· Getting to eat chori burger (mom chastised me when she saw the pics, I might get hepatitis LOL). Also getting a kick out of singing “Sorry Sorry” by Super Junior (this was our “theme song” during Macau) but making it “Chori Chori” since we’re acclimating.

· Meeting my grade school busmate in Boracay! The heck! He and I counted the years and it’s around 13 years since we last met. To think that his place and my grandmother’s place (where we used to live before, hence the busmate deal) is just less than 30 steps away in Makati, it’s kind of ironic that we met there of all places. Got to catch up and try to remember the people that we should commonly know about. Thank God for facebook!

· Our non-drunk state. Though we accepted the possibility of getting drunk, fortunately (or not) we didn’t. I blame the fact that we ate too much in the buffet (hence full stomach and scared of vomiting) and the locals (can’t believe I called them natives, LOL) and foreigners were a sight to behold in the dance floor so I spent most of the time watching them and smiling while shaking my head. We left before 1am when we conceded that Single Ladies might not play that night after all.

· Water activities – got to sail (feeling mayaman talaga) and also parasail! Can’t forget the sight when all the men got up to assist us into the parasailing dock, we’re like, what the---? (customer services at its finest?)Parasailing is not that scary after all if you do not look right beneath you, or if the boat guy does not yank the parasailing rope when you’re high up in the air (in fairness, highlight din yun).

And the best part is, we got to rest and relax, with no sense of time (and itinerary—my trip buddies know how manic I am on itineraries) and we got to spend 4 days thinking about…well, nothing at all. I’ve been suffering from Bora withdrawal since then and because this trip was so enjoyable, we are now hesitant to plan any Bora trip that won’t meet up to it (there goes our money, guys). Here’s what I know: I’ll never go to Bora (unless for free?) if it’s peak season. I can’t stand seeing that shoreline being cluttered with people.

On our way home, my friend told me suddenly that the only way we see each other for the past few months is in the airport, which is amusing to say the least.

Links!!!

More photos here. Check out my friend’s travel blog since she’s one of my friends who went on the trip and she has better pictures and better insights to our trips than I do. We stayed at Seawind Resort where we had a fabulous time.

whatever happened to...

2009-09-02T11:52:00.004+08:00

Max Elliott Slade?!?

Just a random thought...I think he was my first celebrity crush (well, that I still remember) when I saw him in 3 Ninjas as Colt (rented it out in betamax!). I thought we're meant to be since his color is blue and that's my favorite color (haiz, my young, unspoiled, shallow thoughts!). Anyway, I almost mooned over him in his appearance in Apollo 13 when I cannot believe my eyes that he resurfaced LOL.

So now, he's out of the spotlight, but I have to say he has "aged" well...reminds me of Andrew McCarthy

changes...

2009-08-24T22:45:00.009+08:00

Now I’m back from my trip to Negros...and what an eye-opener it has been! It is during this trip that it hit me that the last time I’ve been back to the province has been nine years, and that’s when my grandfather passed away. When my grandmother passed away five years later, I cannot get away from school so it’s only my mom who went home. And when my brother and mom went to visit two years ago, I was knee-deep in my thesis and have to be left behind.

We went there this long weekend to celebrate my brother’s birthday (my bro’s currently studying there – or what I termed as his “exile” phase LOL), and though I have noticed a lot of changes in him it’s not my story to tell. All I can say is, in this trip I saw a lot of changes – which made me both happy and sad at the same time.

I didn’t expect that pang of longing when I went back and found that most of the places that have sentimental value to me have changed. The side of our family home has lost most of its bushes which was a very good place to hide while playing hide-and-seek (or dyan-dyanay --> crap, I hoped I spelled that right). I went to my grand-aunt and uncle’s place and found the house was already cemented as opposed to the much cooler (as in malamig) hut with the chicken coop underneath the floor where I used to hide and also play tag with the geese and ducks. I’m amazed at how much my younger cousins have grown…especially the youngest one since it’s the first time I saw him and he’s now 8 years old. I remembered the times when I was young and cringe whenever I get paraded around older relatives whom I don’t know and they all say how much I’ve grown—now I try to pull myself from saying the exact same thing to my younger relatives LOL.

But at the same time, I’m happy about the fact that I get to visit at this point in my life (read: quarter-life) and also view things in a different light, see things that would have gone unnoticed to my sixteen year-old eyes. The mere sunlight bouncing off to highlight the green hues of the palay fields and see the endless sugarcane fields (which caused me countless of cuts when I was young) now excite me. I fell in love with the driveway going to the Sagasa cemetery (to visit my grandparents) with the palay fields on both sides and no one in sight. I was also glad that I was able to visit my grandparents at last.

So there, I hope I can go back again and enjoy the trip at a more sedate pace…well actually I slept a lot during this trip because the hot weather is killing me. But the continuous sunlight provided a lot for opportunities for good lighting in photos! For sure I’ll be back in a couple of years for my bro’s graduation.

***

On a different note, I was supposed to use this trip also as material to enter a contest in the History Channel. At first I was skeptical about taking it on—for one, my TV skills are not tested and I know that there are more people fit for TV than I (although quoting Raj, I hope that “the camera loves me and I, it”), and the 3-minute film on a little-known but interesting history about your hometown entails a great deal of research.

But then I realized that what better time to enter when I’m about to go back to my province and I'm unemployed? My other home is Makati and the fact that it’s now urbanized doesn’t make great panoramic shots in the first place. I asked my cousin and she told me that twins were buried in our barangay’s cemetery before and since then most of the people who are buried there have deaths occurring in twos—that is, two people dying near each other’s date of death (sometimes for unexpected reasons) and being buried in that cemetery. I decided to run with the material. Sadly, the project has been aborted since my uncle was unable to locate the tombstones of pairs with the “weird” deaths. I’m trying to at least get 3 interesting pair of deaths and so far the one close to my lolo’s death is just what I have (the rest are due to sickness). This guy died four days after my lolo due to a knife wound during a hold-up in Manila and was buried in the same cemetery as my lolo’s. Other interesting deaths (e.g. one who slept, fell off the platform, then died instantly) do not have ample time to find out who their partners are, while others (i.e. those who were struck by lightning) do not have labeled tombstones (defeats the purpose if we don’t support the dates). So there, sad to leave this project behind but at least I got an interesting story to last in my head.

More pictures here.

nowhere to go but Up!

2009-08-19T14:23:00.005+08:00

Warning: Spoilers ahead

I'll be embarking on my "trip-series" starting tomorrow to my province in Negros Occidental to visit my brother (followed by Macau-HK and Boracay separated only by a week) so before I leave the comforts of home, I decided to watch Up, and watching it alone did not stop me from watching this film (I'm actually quite used to watching in the cinema alone actually).

Get ready for the waterworks from the get-go, I tried to contain my tears at the beginning but I just got a headache so I let them flow. The characters are just so loveable, doesn't matter if they're in the good or bad side (c'mon, my favorite character is Alpha, the mean Doberman with the sissy voice --- I really LOL the moment he talked). The voice actors are also great especially those who got to do Carl and Russell (wow, Russell's voice really fits the visual!). The story is very simple with plenty of hilarious moments so it's both child and adult friendly. An enjoyable comedy-adventure animated film with a lot of heart, I would not mind going for another run with this one.

Also, just how cute is the short film (Partly Cloudy) just before the movie? I mean clouds are cute in general --- they're big and fluffy and you want to eat them coz they look like cotton candy --- but the film really amped up the cute clouds to another level!

Von Trapp family revisited

2009-07-27T14:01:00.003+08:00

my cousin sent me a picture of the Von Trapp children 40 years later...this made me reminisce about my (and our family's?) obsession with The Sound of Music YEARS ago LOL...use the numbers as reference :D

i really love Angela Cartwright's eyes...can't get over it hehehe

one tall iced vanilla dark roast coffe jelly caffe latte for mabelle...

2009-07-11T17:31:00.005+08:00

it's a mouthful...but it's GOOD!!!

quarter life

2009-06-20T20:10:00.003+08:00

whoooo....im nearing quarter life na! just want to put this out coz i doubt that i'll get to blog on my birthday....geesh 25 years...*mulls*

come undone...

2009-05-16T20:58:00.004+08:00

i've been an avid fan of Matchbox Twenty ever since...well, ever since they've first appeared in MTV, hahaha. just realized lately that i've been playing their songs a lot on my iPod and they have unofficially become my playlist about work. i'm hung up on "Mad Season" again, and despite it being a love song, i've come to twist the lyrics to my current situation (mad season talaga):

Mad Season

I feel stupid - but I know it won't last for long
I've been guessing - and I coulda been guessin' wrong
You don't know me now
I kinda thought that you should somehow
Does that whole mad season got ya down?

Well I feel stupid, but it's something that comes and goes
I've been changin' - I think it's funny how no one knows
We don't talk about the little things that we do without
When that whole mad season comes around

So why you gotta stand there
Looking like the answer now?
It seems to me you'd come around
I need you now
Do you think you can cope?
You figured me out - that I'm lost and I'm hopeless
I'm bleeding and broken, though I've never spoken
I come undone in this mad season

I feel stupid, but I think I been catchin' on
I feel ugly, but I know I still turn you on
You've grown colder now, torn apart, angry, turned around
Will that whole mad season knock you down?

So are you gonna stand there
Are you gonna help me out?
We need to be together now
I need you now
Do you think you can cope?
You figured me out - that I'm lost and I'm hopeless
I'm bleeding and broken, though I've never spoken
I come undone in this mad season

And now I'm cryin'
Isn't that what you want?
And I'm tryin' to live my life on my own
But I won't, no,
At times I do believe I am strong
So someone tell me why, why, why
Do I, I, I feel stupid
And I come undone
And I come undone

I need you now
Do you think you can cope?
You figured me out - that I'm lost and I'm hopeless
I'm bleeding and broken though I've never spoken

Well I need you now
Do you think you can cope?
You figured me out - I'm a child and I'm hopeless
I'm bleeding and broken though I've never spoken
I come undone
I come undone in this mad season

In this mad season
It's been a mad season
Been a mad season

SoEul - CF for Anycall (Bodyguard)

2009-04-11T21:49:00.004+08:00

I have yet to make my post regarding my three-month (make that close to four-month) obsession with Kkotboda Namja (Korean version of Boys Before Flowers), and consequently redo my Top 5 Korean Drama list. Have to collect my thoughts...

Meanwhile, here's Anycall's CF featuring Kim Bum (Yi Jung) and Kim So Eun (Ga Eul) of BBF. Super cute CF and can even be treated as a spin-off to their love story (btw, thank God they gave a good ending to these two, I'll kill myself if it ended just like the two earlier adaptations). I wished there weren't any drawings on the screen so that I can freely pretend that it's part of BBF, haha. AIlways been a GaJung (or as the netizens tagged, it's SoEul...and they are Soeulmates nyehehehe) shipper from the very start. I hope they have a series wherein they are th leads and Kim Bum has a (almost) similar role (minus the emo-ness) and look hot as he naturally is...LOL

Man, Korean CFs are really celebrity-driven...and Anycall's in the thick of it (not complaining here)...been a fan of Anycall's CFs since the Lee Hyori and Eric Muhn days (I remembered my fangirling moments in college when they put Kwon Sang Woo in the next installment of that Anycall CF haha). I'm so happy they did not call this video Anyguard (just like Anymotion, AnyBand, Anystar)...that would just be too much LOL

let's just pretend i punched a werewolf....

2009-04-08T22:31:00.004+08:00

...instead of Jacob though, that werewolf could be Paul (Alex Meraz *drool*)

*taken the moment i got home...as of this moment, the two bigger wounds have turned to an ungodly shade of purple, and as i just realized, there's also a blood clot under the nail of my middle finger, haha*

it was a long day at work...and it's Holy Wednesday at that...I decided to still go by the gym just to relieve some stress.... lo and behold while I was in the treadmill, my ipod fell from where i anchored it. and the embodiment of stupidity called Mabelle did not even think to stop the treadmill to catch/retrieve it...instead, she was trying to catch it while running...nice...

so now, even my hand is aching as i type this but i just had to document it. i even continued running as if nothing happened after i got dragged by the ramp and even though my hand is bleeding and my two legs are in pain...at least my legs did not get scratched because i was wearing jogging pants....but man, i can already feel the bruises

at least there are only a few of us and my face got spared...but here's to not going to gym during Wednesday evening!

Happy Birthday TCP!!!

2009-04-01T20:33:00.004+08:00

Whoa it's TCP's 1st birthday! I'm happy that the site and the community is still up and running for about a year. To think that I really thought Daene was crazy about starting this in the first place (we really have no chance dude if it weren't for Minami and Meann). So here's a big thank you to all the people I've met and all the fun stuff that I've learned and enjoyed because of this whole experience.

1. First off, to Daene, Meann, and Minami: thanks for putting up with my craziness and accompanying me in the cyberworld while i work...i still remember our gchat sessions...especially the SHAVING part! hahahaha
2. To Echo, Rome, Gary, Paul, Tobbie, Caz, Paolo, and Ronald...thanks for the continued support and for lending your talents to TCP :D
3. To all the other TCP-ers you guys rock!

Here's to more Twilight years!

An Ode to the Aah-No Trio

2009-03-02T21:57:00.003+08:00

Night out last Saturday was one of the most fun and "eventful" ladies night out so far. Frumbie, Q-bop, and Thiris went out to celebrate a couple of things: promotion, birthday, and (just because we want to have another reason for the remaining poor girl) doing work for 3 people that past week. It’s hard to give a blow-by-blow account of what happened (much as this person wants to), so here’s a disjointed recap of “the night”:

1. Going to Fez for after-the-musicale dinner and drinks, c/o Q-bop. Frumbie and Q-bop announced that they want to get drunk. Great music at Fez conditioned the trio (or at least Frumbie and Q-bop, Thiris was sleepy…but was not sleepy for long) to go clubbing.

2. Lazy as the trio are, they hailed a taxi to go to a nearby bar just around 2-3 blocks away. Ride took less than 2 minutes.

3. Trio went to Piedra, sadly one of the few “happening” clubs in Makati(/Taguig)…recession much? Trio were happy that the place is packed. *scene at the entrance*

Big guy bouncer/security dude at entrance: Ilan kayo?
Thiris (with matching megawatt smile and hair projection): Three *holding up three fingers at the same time*
Big guy: Sige pasok na lang kayo na libre….okay lang?
Trio: *astonished faces, with their luck, this should have NEVER happened…but it did!*

4. Trio are in high spirits (free entrance, what the heck, that’s enough cause for celebration). Notable scenes in Piedra:
• Frumbie getting stuck (Thiris and Q-bop didn’t realize she got stuck) by the bar to wait for her change and suddenly got flanked by two huge guys who were ordering their own drinks. Frumbie looks like a loser who went to a bar alone and who would just hit on anyone.
• Boy/s who were hitting on Q-bop, haha, I swear they’re just fetuses…poor boys…
• Thiris seeing her *gasp* terror HS teacher in Piedra…Thiris and Frumbie doing some major blocking ala musicale the whole night so that they won’t bump into each other
• Thiris’ conversation with one of the fetus:

Fetus A: *after hearing that it’s her birthday* So, how old are you?
Thiris: Twelve
(this is really begging for a Twilight meadow scene hahhaah)

• Thiris and Q-bop having bionic eyes….spotting cute guys for miles and miles
• Frumbie losing her tipsy state once she saw a girl puke in the CR

5. And this deserves a number of its own, the much revered COCKBLOCK! Nice going Q-bop! Frumbie trying hard not to laugh at the scene that has the makings of a Spanish telenovela while Thiris good-naturedly still answering the questions of the hurt and recently-cockblocked Fetus B. No more details possible…the moment will forever be ingrained to the gawd-i-love-this-night minds of the Aah-no Trio.

6. Finally, what summed up the night: Single Ladies was played at around 1:30 AM…and the Aahno-Trio just went on a bubble of its own making, unknowingly brushing off BOTH the cockblocker/s and the fetuses. Q-bop doing a 180 to face the other two, who were painstakingly trying to mimic Beyonce’s dance moves. In the end, that single scene summed up the single-life mantra they are harping about in Fez.

Notably, the Trio acted in varied ways that night:
Q-bop: ever the conversationalist, never running out of friendly words to say, being polite all around
Frumbie: not looking at anyone straight in the eye in case they get “ideas”, silently laughing in her mind and thinking that all events have the makings of a telenovela
Thiris: just happily dancing, dancer that she is, not caring how the evening might turn out...since, technically it’s just dancing

time check

2009-02-20T02:42:00.002+08:00

2:43 AM

Where I am: office

:(
.
.
.
.
but at least this time I KNOW that I'll be working til the wee hours of the morning

M is for....

2009-02-17T22:52:00.004+08:00

Got tagged by Jeric so I'm doing this! Hahaha

Rules: It's harder than it looks! Copy to your own note, erase my answers, enter yours, and tag 10 people. Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following questions. They have to be real. . .nothing made up! If the person before you had the same first initial, you must use different answers. You cannot use any word twice and you can't use your name for the boy/girl name question.

1. What is your name: Mabellene

2. A four Letter Word: More

3. A boy's Name: Mario

4. A girl's Name: Megan

5. An occupation: Miner

6. A color: Maize (hahaha reminisce on the 100+ crayolas)

7. Something you wear: Make-up (pwede ba yun?)

8. A food: Macaroni

9. Something found in the bathroom: Mouthwash

10. A place: Macau (haha kakatapos ko lang ng ep13 eh, nasa Macau sila)

11. A reason for being late: Morning sickness

12. Something you shout: More! (pag concert heheh)

13. A movie title: Maid in Manhattan

14. Something you drink: Margarita!

15. A musical group: Muse

16. An animal: Mouse

17. A street name: Malvar

18. A type of car: Mercedez (type ba yun?)

19. A song title: Maneater

20. A verb: Maul

"sorta" Valentines post

2009-02-15T14:42:00.007+08:00

okay, no introspective love-related post this time around (although when i backtracked my blog, the last one was in 2006! just when i thought i had a tradition of posting a valentines entry). just random stuff during the weekend:

February 13:

too many people walking around paseo and ayala with flowers
another "malas" day at work (friday the 13th din, which should've warned me)
had fun crashing at Ica's place: played rockband til 230AM with 5 singles and a couple (and happy that the couple didn't get too sentimental! hehe). first time to play guitar hero, so addicting *dance revo experience kicking in*

February 14

woke up before lunch at Ica's (talked until 4am, persuading her to hurry and watch Boys Before Flowers)
watched Love and Marriage (a Korean series I borrowed), which I think is appropriate
ate a very satisfying dinner (two kinds of pasta + baked tahong! yeah!)

we didn't get to do our traditional Valentine's night out (of course the single people go out together) this year...but hopefully i meet up with the gals (and guys) next week. the best Valentines night out so far was in 2007. my multiply album was in private for this but i just HAD to post this particular pic:

to the people who were with me during that night: we're insane! hahaha

also i just HAD to post this pic of Yi Jung and Ga Eul from BBF *sigh*

25 Random Things About Me:

2009-02-09T20:38:00.007+08:00

Since Daene tagged me regarding this and I had this unusually light day at work, why not? Apparently it's been going around in Facebook (although I don't usually check mine, mostly I just approve friend requests hehe):

25 Random Things About Me

1. I accidentally swallowed a mentos when I was in prep and didn’t eat a mint mentos for my entire grade school year.

2. I’m addicted to nuts and seeds (hence my column name when I was writing for the school paper in HS). Favorite: pistachios and squash seeds (dragon sid all the way)

3. I had this bishounen (for anime) obsession my entire HS year—I’m known by my HS friends as the girl who likes 2D men.

4. I can rap in Nihonggo—well actually, I just liked this one song in Taiho Shichauzo’s OST that has a rap part in it, and I sing/rap to it (in the confines of my room…alone…)

5. My favorite sport is table tennis and I loved it the moment I played it – my sister taught it to me and I played nonstop from 8pm to 2am that first day.

6. No matter how tired I am when I get home, I still have time to sort the TCP twilight pins, hehehe.

7. We presented a spoof of “Spice Up Your Life” for our Music class in 2nd year HS and I’m sporty spice (with matching kick in the air)

8. I can say the tongue-twister “Peter Piper” perfectly.

9. I know ‘Sound of Music’ by heart and I pretended to be Julie Andrews while she was singing “I Have Confidence” while walking through the CSA covered courts.

10. There was a time that I thought being able to drink Cali Shandy was cool (haha, THOSE were the days!)

11. I LOVE L’arc~en~Ciel… and they’re the only ones who can spark my inner Rockstar.

12. I named my gun (before you fret, it’s a pathetic M1 I use in ACP training) Aoshi (after RK’s Shinomori Aoshi), my violin Lei (as in Hua Ze Lei, MG), and my laptop Hyde (of Laruku).

13. I’m a big romance novel addict, McNaught and Garwood ruled the past 10 years of my life.

14. …and as a casualty of romance novels (historical and regency ones mostly), I had a Scottish what-could-they-be-wearing-under-those-kilts? phase. Oh, I also want to own a castle.

15. I want to go to Japan even just to frolic under the cherry blossoms

16. When I was young, my siblings along with our cousins made this “group” and we would perform songs and dance at our relative’s parties and weddings (yeah, nauuuto pa kami nun)

17. I was a squadron commander in HS

18. I just want to have ONE picture that looks like the Wuthering Heights cover

19. Hydraengas --- I want those flowers at my wedding (yeah, wala pa ngang groom may flowers na ko hehe)

20. I mourned for a day when Wowow was pulled out from cable (no, not because of the porn) since they have all the updated animes and their movies are earlier than HBO or Star Movies

21. I usually have weird dreams, i.e. St. Augustine (as a statue, not even the person) going up our makopa tree

22. I hate having my picture taken when I was young. Almost all of my childhood pictures are of me crying (ngayon na ko bumabawi)

23. My videoke playlist: Superwoman (Karyn Whtie), Total Eclipse of the Heart, Luha (Aegis)

24. My mom ran over my foot with our car before…and she got mad at me for being in the way!

25. I want to be an accomplished musician but I’m just plain lazy…much to the frustration of Lei just sitting at the corner of my room.

this week...

2009-02-06T20:51:00.004+08:00

ugh, last week was another bad work week. seriously, if they don't find another RA soon, I'll really threaten to quit and mean it...my boss and teammates were sympathetic, but that doesn't change the fact that i just worked more than 10 hrs every freaking day for this past week

my boss (earlier): hey, ano, patay ka na ba?
ako (munching on my nth strawberry sugus for my continued sanity): as if may oras pa kong mamatay!

***

due to this unwelcomed derailment of my entire schedule last week, i wasn't able to watch my beloved Jun Pyo as scheduled! oohhh jun pyo, eto na ko!

***

now reading Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist as recommended by Daene. hahaha, profanities every other word, but im loving it nonetheless

***

and since today is a resounding TGIF for me, i'm currently eating my latest comfort food...burnt cheese.. as in i slice cheese wedges and pop it in the microwave... some of it might be carcinogenic but what the heck...

colorgenics

2009-01-27T22:30:00.004+08:00

Eds told me to try ColorGenics and this is what came out for me, which was super spot on based on what i felt last week:

You are feeling exhausted, worn out, drained. You feel that far too much is being asked of you but you still want to overcome these difficulties and establish yourself despite the effect such an effort seems to have on you. You are a proud person, assertive most of the time, but at this particular moment you are acting as if you have become resigned to the situation. What you need is some tender loving care - a gentle pat on the head (or maybe a 'kick-up-the backside') and then you'll be raring to go.

Being a somewhat gentle, emotional and sensitive person, you are at this time experiencing a considerable amount of tension. What you really need is someone who can be close to you and to listen to what you have to say.

In spite of all the opposition, you are insisting that your goals are realistic but circumstances are forcing you to compromise. You are not very happy with this situation but there is little that you can do about it. You have very strict standards which you try to apply to everyone who enters your sphere of influence.

You are experiencing extreme frustration at this point of time, trying to achieve security and peace of mind, but whatever you seem to do doesn't effect the situation. You are worn out and your energy is being seriously depleted. You may be experiencing what is known as 'heartache' - both mentally and physically. You are a listener and you listen and respond to everything that is going on around you. You feel that all that life has to offer should be within your grasp and you would like to participate in every part of it but the situation is such that every door seems to be closed to you. You just can't understand why that is. But it is - and what's more you feel powerless to change it.

Overwork - be it mental stress or physical strain, you are completely worn out and this depleted vitality has created an intolerance for any further stimulation. You feel disappointed with your obvious lack of energy and powerless to do anything about it. You are angry with yourself and this frustration shows. You are contradictory and argumentative and feel helpless to change the situation at this time. Take a break - even if it is only for a few days - allow yourself to breath, to unwind - you'll feel much better for it. Then trust and let go.

yeah, as if i can take a break...LOL...pero okay na, i think i got that pat on the head already...

my new laptop!!!

2009-01-18T17:48:00.006+08:00

meet Hyde...who will be my partner for as long as he wants it to be...hahaha

i'm still customizing him...kinda frustrating i still can't access the internet in our house using the broadband...once that happens, todo download na to! hahaha

can i just say, i hate Vista! yun lang.

Korean Hana Yori Dango (Boys over Flowers, Meteor Garden) = another excuse to randomly drool

2009-01-11T15:29:00.006+08:00

okay, so Eds and I literally swooned once we found out yesterday that there are already subs available for Kkotboda Namja aka the Korean Version of Hana Yori Dango (Meteor Garden for Taiwan)! As I said before, I'm so excited for this drama once it was announced that KBS2 is going to do it. So far, episodes 1 and 2 do not disappoint! OMG, major fangirling moment na naman ito!

Although the first two episodes are still almost the same as the other adaptations, the pacing was a bit faster on this one, which is a blessing for me who have watched all the adaptations (including the anime). What I love about this adaptation is that from the start you get so drawn in to Gu Jun Pyo (Lee Min Ho, you're awesome...that head swivel in Ep2 in the airplane was just CLASSIC!) and you're already rooting for him to be with Jan Di (Gu Hye Sun) right from the start. With the Taiwanese and Japanese versions, I'm already biased towards Hua Ze Lei/Hanazawa Rui at the start and then the lead guy just grew on me. But with this one, not to take anything away from Ji Hoo (Kim Hyun Joong) since he is so pretty hahaha especially all his smiling parts, but we get to see a more "reactive" lead guy this time and it's so endearing...hay...

And also, omg, Kim Bum you're so cute, I am now convinced as regards your appeal (especially to Ica, haha). I'm hoping that the Korean adaptation would give more meat his side love story with Jan Di's friend because they look cute together (sige na, ibahin nyo na yung original plan for their love story, fanservice naman dyan!). Bitin ang Taiwanese version (cute pa naman ni Rainie Yang and the then less fat Ken Zhu, hahaha) at halos naging psychotic yung Japanese version. So please, sana, mas full-fledged ang love story nila.

Here's to another round of obssession na naman, I do hope the fansubbers have a lot of free time so that the subs are up at the earliest time possible, like what they did for Coffee Prince *crosses fingers*

Goodbye 2008!!!

2008-12-31T21:04:00.005+08:00

I remembered at the start of 2008, I was chatting to my friends (particularly Eds) that there’s something about this year…and while that might have implied that there might be some “progress” regarding my static love life, not that I was expecting it (as Kit wisely put it, nag-order na ko, kaso out of stock!), this year steered me to a whole different direction, one that I didn’t expect but grateful for. So here are some highlights of the year that was…

Jetsetter?!?!
I love to travel and one of the best things from having a steady income is that I don’t need to ask my parents’ permission and money to go on my planned trips. I had a blast with all my travel buddies (you know who you are) and I hope we have more trips in 2009!
• Hong Kong (Day 1&2 and 3&4): this was the most notable since I got to go there to watch my beloved L’arc~en~Ciel. Hay it was a full circle moment for me since I was fairly obsessed with this band since I was in high school.
• Snorkeling spree – went to Puerto Galera and Dive and Trek, Batangas with the gals for leisure partying (if there’s such a thing) and snorkeling…have to buy an underwater camera sometime.
• Kota Kinabalu (Day 1&2, Day 3&4) – hay I had an awesome time with my friends on this one. Highlight was of course getting lost in Mt. Kinabalu, wahahhaha.
• Road trips – couple of road trips (indebted to Daene’s car!) marked the year, like the maiden voyage (I swear guys, ang dami nating nadaanan ng araw na yun!) and that trip to Tagaytay for my birthday

Target for 2009: Avail that Osaka promo fare from Cebu Pacific…!!!

Major fangirling
I really had some serious fangirling moments this year… Edward Cullen, James McAvoy (the whole image of him towards the end of Penelope was soooo dreamy), Cam Gigandet (won’t expound on that, the Danag episodes are enough to incriminate me), Wu Chun (Ics, why do you have to be in China when he came here?!?! Buti na lang hindi si Mike He!)…and fine, let’s throw Prinsipe Leonard and Shinomori Aoshi in the bunch. Dang, listing the links made me sweat already…

Twilight
Hay, what would my year be without Daene pushing me to read this book? It probably won’t be as interesting as it would be otherwise. This has certainly expanded my social network and became my ultimate creative outlet (as Meann would put it) for this year. I’m so happy the four of us (you know who you are) clicked at the onset and made my experience with TCP as thrilling as it could be. Here’s to 2009!!!

Personal milestones
Daene and I were joking that we always share glasses of Weizen whenever we achieve a milestone, and we really drank a couple of glasses, hehehe. I resigned at my first job and got another one (where I’ll start next week *nervous*), which is a pretty big move for me since I do not easily adapt to new situations. Nevertheless, I will really miss all my friends in my first job, they’re the most entertaining group of people and going through all the stress (and boredom?) was bearable because of them.

I also got a couple of personal dramas, but that was due to my imagination again so I’ll just keep them to myself and laugh about it occasionally, hehe. My lolo also passed away this year which is a big blow to my family…may he rest in peace.

So there, pretty brief recap of 2008…this year was one of the busiest I had so far but I’m not complaining. I’m so happy that this year has allowed me to try a lot of new things…to which I appreciated given that I’m THIS close to the impending quarter life crisis (25 y/o in 2009!!!). Thank you again for all the people who spiced up this year for me and here’s to being 25 (gasp!) in 2009!

FANTASY! O-M-G!!!

2008-12-28T22:36:00.005+08:00

this pic MADE my day!!!! whoooo, thanks Leia for the pic! as in sakto pa talaga, ben barnes and cam gigandet side by side!!! is it me or did it get warmer all of a sudden?

meann, ano game, kailangan nating mag-Mega agad!

Merry Christmas!!!

2008-12-25T19:34:00.004+08:00

Meri Krismasu minna-san!!! It has been a hectic few days leading up to Christmas, bitin tuloy yung usually prep time ko for the holiday itself. And this is the first time that I haven't seriously shopped for gifts! *toink* have to shop tom....

P.S. already have a new laptop! pero di pa ko makainternet using that argh...have to gear up for my usual end-of-the-year post :)

“With our luck…” Kota Kinabalu Day 3&4

2008-12-12T21:31:00.007+08:00

Day 3: November 30 – Mount Kinabalu….

We then ventured off to Kinabalu Park, which was not part of the original itinerary but we still went through with it since it adds more to the nature trip experience. Saw a jaw-dropping view of Mt. Kinabalu on our way there (when I go back, climbing that mountain will be on my list). And as lucky as we are, we got lost! Hahaha, here are snippets of our conversation:

11:00 am: SHADDAN THE DRIVER: the trek should just be around 45 mins
US: okay! *ventures off, supplies tally: 3 cameras, 1 bottle of water, 5 sunglasses, yun lang*

12:00 pm: ME: okay guys, park headquarters daw 8 mins
US: yehey!

12:50 pm: SOME OF US: uh, i think we're lost...
CARM: oh no, may blood...

1:00 pm: ME: OMG people!!! we're lost!!! please help us!
FOREIGNER BACKPACKER AND NATIVE GUIDE: *crickets*

1:15pm: ME: sige, ako muna, mukhang slippery....whoa, shet ang sakit ng puwet ko!

1:20: DAENE: i'm about to fall flat on my face and you're worried about my camera!??!?!?!?!??!

1:20pm and 30 seconds: DAENE: i'm about to be impaled and you're worried about my camera!??!?!??!

1:30pm: EDS: i can see the road!!!
US: yehey!
DAENE: (looking at my pants) oopsie i got a poopsie!!!
ME: no jokes while climbing steep rocks!!!

I’m proud of everyone coz no one had a drama moment and we all managed to come back in one piece. It was exhilarating to say the least. If you ask me the highlight of the trip, it would definitely be this one. Sure we got lost, saw too much trees that even I, a nature lover, soon got sick of, but it was still great, haha. We gave our driver (Shaddan) a heart attack and a native really thinks that we are crazy and stupid tourists now. Thank god the next part is the hot springs so we got to rest. We did not do a canopy walk anymore because we already had too much of the greenery (imagine a 45 min trek that became 2.5 hrs).

The trip back was so Forks-y since it was sooooo cold, and we did this weird game about who we prefer to go into a tub with (oh so ano na, 50Cent o Nelly? Yogi or Winnie the Pooh? Shaider or Masked Rider Black?) We got back at night then we ventured off to buy dinner…I bought a shrimp mee goreng and 10 sticks of lamb and chicken satay…grabe, todo pigging out. We then crashed in an Irish pub that Daene spotted the night before. Had a pint of Kilkeny (it was good!) and basically hang out and watched soccer.

Day 4: December 1 – Last day! City tour + Monsopiad

Last day, we went to the tallest building (I think) in Sabah then went to the city mosque (which was better viewed at night). Then we went to Puh Poh Tze Temple (camwhoring galore, hehehe) and the entrance lang of the Sabah museum (since we’re low on cash). We then went to Monsopiad Cultural Village and got a treat when Eds got to dance onstage and Daene became the warrior princess (thank god she was able to pop the balloon using the blow dart!). I want to buy that skull memorabilia but it was too expensive, argh.

Oh, I also bought a Kokeshi doll in the trip…can’t find a Malaysian doll, hehehe

With our luck, we got dropped off the wrong airport…hay, so it was 40 minutes of intense brooding as we find ways to call our driver to go back and transfer terminals. Super great trip, I hope I have more in the coming years (Osaka cebu pac promo, I’m looking at you)…have to have more money hehehe.

* pictures from Day 3 and Day 4 :)

“With our luck…”: Kota Kinabalu Day 1&2

2008-12-10T19:47:00.010+08:00

Haven’t posted long entries lately, I’m now on a blogging backlog, now’s the start of the blogging recovery period.

Some general observations during my Kota Kinabalu trip:

1. Pay travel tax first before checking in.

2. The Malaysians really look like us most of the time. And they are definitely warmer to tourists than I expected.

3. I really cannot do a Discovery Travel and Living documentary on Asian food. I’m THAT averse to eating spicy food so help me.

4. No lost in translation moments. 60% of the people we met are Filipinos (coming from Mindanao). I felt like we just went to a random island in the Philippines when I got there.

Day 1: November 28

Once again, a big thanks to Cebu Pacific for the cheap airfare. This is my second international flight this year and is less planned compared to my Hong Kong trip. I was so busy during November that I did the itinerary and costing (that’s just the OC travel person in me talking) just a few days before the actual trip.

Carm almost did not make it to the flight. Eds, Daene, Dale (my brother — I get to say that phrase a number of times during my trip), and I had a panic moment while waiting for our flight. But in true Cebu Pac fashion, the flight was delayed and Carm made it 30 mins before the “planned” take-off. Also traded stories with the people (juicy ones, hehe) since we haven’t seen each other for a while. We also drew theories from the “party of 3” idea…well we’re disillusioned, no party of 3 exists (it’s a party of four) and that’s as far as we would like to go, haha.

We stayed at Lavender Lodge for this trip and I got a 2/2 from scoring value-for-money accommodations. The place was spacious and the people are so friendly (big shout out to Daniel and the staff!), and it was great that my “tripmates” are even more sociable than I am so they did the talking most of the time. We asked their opinion regarding our itinerary and they offered alternatives and arranged for our transportation (apparently, public transpo there is not reliable so though it tweaked my budget a bit, it was worth it).

Dropped by a nearby mall to grab dinner and that’s when we realized that there are a lot of Filipinos around. There was a short brownout while we’re eating (welcome to Kota Kinabalu!) which was a bit scary given that we’re in the basement of a mall that we don’t know about hehehe. I ordered a coke float and the ice cream was surprisingly chocolate instead of vanilla…weird, but it tasted great, hehe.

Day 2: November 29 – Beach and Twilight

It’s Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park Day! This is the primary reason why we went to Kota Kinabalu in the first place – to soak in the sun. Luck was on our side (at least in this sense) and the day was sunny. Daniel said that it was raining the day before we arrived so seeing the sun was a big sigh of relief.

We did the three-island-hop. Went first to the Mamutik island which for me was the best out of the three islands as they have better fishes, great sand, less people. Daene, Dale, and I snorkeled and found the same culprits Daene and I saw in Dive and Trek. They were trailing us (probably trying to gauge if we have food), too bad we don’t have an underwater camera. We then went to Manukan which was the most popular I think and it has the most people. It’s mostly perfect for the “tampisaw” experience…I mostly just ate and listened to my ipod (reflection time) since the fishes were a bit scarce. The we went to Sapi Island where we saw a komodo dragon (I think) and Eds had a Koreanovela moment, too bad it wasn’t documented.

We ate at a nearby restaurant that Daniel recommended…that curry lhaksa and beef rendang was freaking spicy…I’m so happy I ordered a different dish, hehehe. Eds, Dale and I watched Twilight with Malay subs…vampire in Malay is Pontianak. Sorry I just HAVE to say that because I was having a hard time containing my laughter at that moment.

* pictures from Day 1 and 2

please don't stop the music...

2008-12-09T22:39:00.003+08:00

added an i-pod listing at the sidebar... ang cool kasi nung kay Daene at Eds, hahaha

the telenovela ended today...

2008-12-08T22:13:00.003+08:00

...and now we go back to regular programming...

in fairness, i was amused for the past 2 weeks ;)

effects of having a hyperactive imagination...

2008-12-02T23:07:00.002+08:00

i was THIS close to actually stalking the guy....argh....

this too shall pass...come thursday....

be still, my fangirl heart....

2008-10-29T20:07:00.005+08:00

i haven't blogged on how much i ADORE Cam Gigandet (who's playing James in Twilight), but you'll pretty much get the idea when you hear me on the Danag podcast.

and then i came across this pic from LA Times' Twilight Stars: Then and Now

all i can say is: well done, Cam, WELL DONE *matching slow clap*

Postcards for Stephenie Project - Pinoy Twilighters Show Your Support!

2008-10-03T21:04:00.006+08:00

Reposted from the TCP blog:

We are calling on all Pinoy Twilighters to showcase your creativity and show your support and appreciation for Stephenie Meyer! Create your own homemade postcard with a message to Stephenie, send it to us, and we'll include it in the Postcard Book that we will send to her. Our goal is to collect 108 Postcards by November 2, so we'll need everyone's support. :)

Click on the icon in the sidebar for more details. I really hope we get to reach the target.

Currently stressed since we're kind of in limbo still regarding the promos for the movie...hope it all irons out by next week. Not to mention other projects by TCP! Hehehe

medical problem...NOT!

2008-09-20T12:00:00.003+08:00

i've been having a lot of "episodes" lately, maybe it's just the melodramatic person in me that i've suddenly been interpreting them as spells that hint of a lurking dangerous disease (did i mention that i harbor this notion of having an accident just to feel what it's like to be in a hospital bed and people doting over me, i know, im THAT twisted)

and squashing my melodramatic hopes came the verdict: it's just a freaking TENSION headache *sigh* as if i'm not contented enough, i even went to the opthalmologist to see if it's my eyes causing the headaches and severe nausea that i've been experiencing. then again *another sigh* my right eye is weak but technically i'm still 20-20 so i don't need glasses. i know i should be rejoicing that it's virtually nothing and i just have to handle stress better and sleep more...but chalk it up to my flair for drama *having an Anne Shirley moment right here*

so the doctor advised me to stay away from: chocolates.caffeine.cheese .... all that's missing is i sing the line, "these are a few of my favorite things" right after she said it.

grade school: full-circle moments

2008-09-07T14:00:00.009+08:00

a lot has happened and sadly i don't have much time to blog about every single thing, hehehe. i had two sort of full-circle moments, deemed them as such because they are memorable experiences in grade school and just got reminded on them recently...

Aoshi Shinomori: not fangirling again...i think...
Minami and I were chatting a few weeks ago and we suddenly got into Rurouni Kenshin mode...this anime in particular has a special place in my anime obsession, since it's probably the first one that i really got into and it paved the way to my Laruku obsession (which i won't go through at length here hehe). I mentioned to her that I've read this fanfic before (haven't read one in a while) on my favorite RK character, Aoshi Shinomori, and his supposed love interest, Misao, and how I really loved it but sadly I didn't get to finish it. And surprises of surpises, Minami knew that fanfic! Imagine, I don't even remember the title of the fanfic, and this was almost 10 years ago! Kinda surreal, I remembered reading it (we're still living in Makati then) and really got emotional over it. And I'm going to go through the same experience again since Minami managed to find it online!

So now, I can't get over Tin Mandigma's Of Love and Honor, and I was surprised that it was written by a Filipino (well I was in grade school then, didn't even bother to research the author, shucks). Sadly, memory served me right and she wasn't able to finish it :( hay oh well, still loving the fact that I get to get back to it again (and just imagine how it would've ended, hehe)

Third Eye Blind: i think i played it once in my Walkman...
Got to watch 3eb at Oktoberfest last Saturday and it was a blast!!! I won't start ranting on how the event was slightly (well, not slightly) mismanaged and how I imagined a dozen of bad things happening to me and my friends that night. This is the most that I've toiled just to watch that band, I was willing to give up and sue San Miguel in case they don't give me my refund, but thank god someone let us go through gate and we even managed to secure a good spot...which we wouldn't probably have gotten if we managed to enter the usual way, hahah

I liked 3EB but I wasn't that much of a fan compared to the company I'm with that night...and now consider me a convert. I still had a hard time juxtaposing the present Stephan Jenkins on stage and that version of him in their Semi-Charmed Life music video, and I don't get his concert choreo but hell, he can do what he wants. They played A LOT of songs, I really got my money's worth (although I wasn't thinking the same thing 30 minutes before they played). And I really get a kick out of reminiscing how young we were when they hit it big, and those old music videos that we got to watch the first time before because cable was the "wave of the future" back then, hahaha. They played some new songs for their upcoming 4th album and they were great!

Cinderella Overload!!!

2008-08-17T16:29:00.005+08:00

The past two weeks have been Cinderella-filled: first, I FINALLY found online videos of Cinderella (Cinderella Monogatari), the animated series I first saw over a decade ago in ABS-CBN, and second, watched Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Cinderella at CCP.

Prinsipe Leonard!!!
I’ve posted the Japanese opening sequence of Cinderella in my multiply account over a year ago, since I and my college friends suddenly got on reminiscing the old cartoon shows and Cinderella came up. Surprisingly, random people have been commenting on the video, also sharing their love of the series and finally, someone copied the one shown on TV again and I got to watch the whole series. Prinsipe Leonard is LOVE! Got to give credit to ABS-CBN, they dubbed the series pretty well, my mastery of Filipino got challenged and Leonard’s voice is a dream! I love his blue gray eyes (if you wouldn’t have noticed yet, gorgeous 2-D men are my weaknesses). Leonard really has his Edward Cullen moments, as Edell pointed out, “Hindi ka ba nasaktan? Kahit galos wala ka?”

It’s kind of sad that the network skipped a few shows, especially episode 22 where that KISS (or was it an almost kiss? Hard to tell) happened. Argh! But this is better than nothing. I especially love Leonard’s big reveal to that he is a prince, hahaha, with matching slow-mo pa of the swirling cape. Haaayyy…

Are you the sweet invention of a lover’s dream?
Ice and I watched Cinderella starring Lea Salonga last Friday, this is my fourth time watching Lea perform in a musical and I can say that it seems that she’s never changed, her voice still gives me goosebumps. We were bummed out that they ran out of souvenir programs, argh, have to find a way to buy them. I was wondering why the songs were so familiar at first then I remembered that these were also used in that Cinderella adaptation by Brandy and Paolo Montalban, hahaha. Anyway, I LOVE the songs, the actors (especially the stepsisters! I mean I love Lea and all but these girls stole the show for me), the costumes (especially the wedding!!!), and that CARRIAGE! Talk about a WOW factor. My favorite songs (the same ones that got my attention when I watched the Brandy version) was Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful? (love the line: Are you the sweet invention of a lover’s dream? Or are you really as wonderful as you seem?) and Stepsisters’ Lament (what IS the matter with the men? Ditto, stepsisters!)

I actually found myself in a moment while I was watching the play that I was chuckling over how cheesy Cinderella and the Prince sound like in the garden during the ball. And then a horrifying moment when I thought to myself that I might be becoming a cynical bitch over it, haha. Either way, I got to accept the Prince’s lilting voice (it really sounds like when James Marsden did the prince in Enchanted) and the sweeping lines…and got over the whole thing when the last sequence in the garden (when it was revealed who Cinderella was) showed me a hilarious side to the pairing (panalo yung, “Halt! I command you!” “But why?” “I don’t know”). Also love the way they somehow modernized the tale, with the King talking about interest rates (THAT was good), and the Prince employing the secret service to locate Cinderella.

Breaking Dawn Pre-Launch Party!!!

2008-08-03T19:25:00.009+08:00

This is probably one of the rewarding nights of my life, hahaha...I barely got to work the past two weeks for this events (priorities? haha) but it was all worth it. Daene and I a few months ago were constantly talking about such an event and thank God He created Meann and Sheila for we would not be able to accomplish much without them.

We held the Breaking Dawn Pre-Launch Party on August 2 at Powerbooks. Thanks so much for Powerbooks and Hachette for collaborating with us. It was pure adrenalin rush, it was such a blur...there are SO MANY people....I mean, I expected a lot, but I didn't visualize this many...too bad for those people who were expecting a peaceful session of reading at Powerbooks, hehe. Still can't get over the screaming girls (and boys? haha), I kind of lost my hearing for a while (and I doubt that I had a decent interview, which btw, dapat si Daene na, I suck at interviews, because of the noise). I'm so happy to meet other Twilighters, especially fellow TCP members.

Went home with a sore throat (from talking to all those people), sore shoulders, suffering feet...yeah the list goes on. Again, it was all worth it, seeing all of them revel in something we all love. Thanks so much to my fellow TCP admins, and to all of our friends who rescued us literally.

Other pics

hopefully my last bout of fangirling

2008-07-15T20:02:00.005+08:00

Again I just have to post about this…imagine my frustration when I just found out that Wu Chun is going to Manila and then finding out a few hours later that he is already here! Argh, this is what I get for not frequenting the local TV channels…

He is one of my (well, our, including Grace and Ica) Taiwanese hot guys…love him when he did Hana Kimi (I always get angry when he has a romantic scene with Ella) and moreso when he did Romantic Princess… I was fairly obsessed with him two years ago and he helped me keep sane during my thesis. Granted I’m still not impressed with his acting style but this is where the shallowness comes…he’s just plain HOT. Yun lang.

So frustrating that I only get to watch him and Calvin in the ABS-CBN shows…imagine my utter elation when they can’t think of any celebrity in the network that they think is pretty, haha. Ica is also still in China so we don’t have the resources to do what we did when Kwon Sang Woo went here: stalk.

I don’t think I’ll be as aggressive as other fangirls, but I won’t promise that I won’t scream when I saw him…hay…

Have to be more alert now…if Mike He slips through my fingers I will hit myself on the head…

i just have to post about you

2008-07-11T20:27:00.003+08:00

coz you are my current obsession...

hay, i love Scottish men (who wouldn't if you've read THAT much medieval romance novels?) but i never found a live, breathing Scot to be my reference for these...until now

James McAvoy... been doing a marathon of his movies...can't get enough of his superb acting (so subtle yet so profound) and undeniable charm, and damn those blue eyes! you can take on any character and make it appealing. hope you can do a regular romantic comedy and turn me into pudding once more

Another Westmoreland? faints

2008-07-06T22:45:00.003+08:00

I think I just died and gone to heaven...been updating myself on the romance novel scene (well actually just looking into Judith McNaught and Julie Garwood news) and found the most exciting news to date... McNaught is releasing a new book with a Westmoreland hero on it!

Title of the book: Can't Take my Eyes Off of You

might as well kill me now, I'm so excited for this book. i think my authors a turning a leaf eh? First, Julie Garwood suddenly pulls a fast one and publishes a historical romance novel (Shadow Music), although the reviews are not that stellar (going to read it to see for myself, but i've been on a Julie Garwood hiatus for so long i would probably read any historical that she does as superb, will post about it soon) and now Judith McNaught is resurrecting one of my fave families!!! argh, i swear im going to be dreaming about Royce Westmoreland any night soon...

apparently this info has been out since last year but the release date is always changing (thank God i didn't discover it then or else the wait would be agony) kind of sucks that this is a contemporary novel, but hell, as long as it's not the romantic suspense contemporary type that JM has been doing in the recent years, i would definitely read this one (well actually i don't care, haven't been excited for a Mcnaught novel for a long time)

and people in her forum are saying that this guy (name is Clay Westmoreland - so im assuming he came from the ClaytonxWhitney line) has two brothers! what a cruel marketing ploy you publishers! u're playing on my weaknesses!!!

hmmm...might as well re-read my Westmoreland novels....

presenting...the biography channel

2008-07-03T20:48:00.003+08:00

my friends pointed out to me that I'm really becoming more and more like Miranda Hobbes in SATC... our cable (Cablelink, Pque Cable) is one of the less usual cables but they do air out some interesting channels. got bummed when Wowow was cut out (not for reasons YOU might think! haha) since they're up-to-date with the anime and even air movies earlier than HBO and other movie channels. it's the nerd/history buff in me that got all excited when the History Channel finally was shown a few months and now i have a new channel to obsess on...

The Biography Channel...real.life.stories....that's their tagline, btw, hehe. this is the reason why i didn't get much sleep lately, this is like E! True Holywood Stories, only broader, which makes me happier. in all fairness, the pieces are relatively recent from what i expected, and i even find myself being interested in people that i naturally won't be interested in (e.g. kylie minogue). so far, i love the fact that they did a piece on Rob Thomas and Michelle Kwan (although she's not my favorite skater, hehe). I even got to watch a piece on the Gucci dynasty! i do hope this channel stays on for a long time...

okay gtg, they're doing a piece on the Onasis dynasty, hehe

my Hyde draws a dream...

2008-06-15T13:52:00.005+08:00

okay, the title is my flimsy attempt to connect my dream of Hyde (frontman of L'arc~en~Ciel) to one of the band's beautiful songs (My Heart Draws a Dream). anyway, had this very weird dream about Hyde (it's actually the first time i've dreamt of anything related to Laruku...hmmm...)

somehow i was in a Laruku concert being held in daytime, but i was backstage (i don't know what i was doing backstage, but at that moment is still feel like a fan, so i doubt i was part of the concert production...maybe i won a meet and greet thing.) anyway, it was an open-air concert, but the stage was shaded. suddenly, while they were playing, sprinklers overhead the stage suddenly came on to put a faint rain/misty feel while performing (which is weird, god forbid they don't do that, and their instruments will be damaged). and then i was surprised that the audience were all wet, i just then realized that it was actually raining hard and people were all scrambling (which is not realistic, if im in a laruku concert, i'll be willing to get pneumonia just to hear them, okay stop with the obsession) to grab cover.

next thing i knew someone told me to go through this narrow railing, and i just agreed to go...and then hyde just showed up alongside me, walking very fast (i assumed he wants to go backstage and dry up), and then i just called him, and he looks at me, and then my brain went *shit* since i don't know what to say next with my barely recognizable nihonggo ability.... i said "sumimasen" which means im sorry in a formal manner, maybe i'm saying sorry coz im delaying him from drying up. i told him (in nihonggo, mind you) that i really liked the band...and then he said thank you (in nihonggo again), and then i proceeded on asking if the concert was postponed or delayed due to the rain (although i can't remember how i said this, since i only know the japanese word for concert and rain), and then he answered in a stream of nihonggo that i can't understand hehe (by this time we were both soaked), and i told him to stop, then apologize again, and explained to him that im not Japanese, and that im Filipino so i can't understand fully (delivered this in passable nihonggo), and suggested to him if we can converse in English instead.

and this is when the weirdness begins...

so he spoke in English, and i didn't get what he was saying, but the gist of it was the concert is over due to the rain, and then he spoke again of other things in a serious tone (forgot what it is) and then i stopped him again, since i can't understand his english (damn, im a demanding fan, i surely wont act like this if it was real) and asked him if he can write what he's saying down on paper (since it sounded important). he then wrote (magical paper and pen appear) but i can see that he's having a hard time writing in English (in reality, hyde took some english training, and he also went to London, so i don't know the extent of his english ability) so i stopped him again and explained to him (in nihonggo) that why won't he write in hiragana and katakana since i can read it and just have it translated.

so he then wrote in japanese and suddenly he went by my side (heart palpitation overload na to) and then SANG what he wrote, pointing the characters as he sang it. and what makes it weird is that what he wrote meant something like there is war happening, but it's okay since there is a swimming pool.

HUH?

so there, it ended that way, with a note of confusion, remember this is a weird, and a highly unrealistic dream, since there's no way Hyde would write something as ridiculous as that.

although i kind of relish the fact that i may have inspired him suddenly to write a song (albeit a weird one), maybe i read the paper wrongly since we're still under the rain...the characters might be blotted by then

L’arc~en~Ciel – my HK experience (L’7~Trans ASIA via PARIS~)

2008-06-03T19:19:00.006+08:00

Finally, the day I’ve waited for two months has passed – May 24, 2008 – Laruku’s first concert in HK, which was relatively cheap and therefore a big yay! for me. Finally went to Asia World Expo to watch my favorite band perform live onstage. Now, on fangirl mode:

The concert was a BLAST (insert all other possible superlatives J )!!! It’s a good thing that I’m as prepared as I could be…mastered the reported set list (although it was not fully followed but that’s okay) and watched (and re-watched) as many of the past Laruku concerts, even observing the choreo of the audience (don’t want to be left out). It was a surreal experience, there are times during the concert that I can’t believe that I’m really watching them, and then I’ll shift my focus on the screen on the side and see Hyde’s face and then it’ll hit me. It was pure adrenaline for two hours, I spouted of lyrics which I hoped were right but don’t care eitherway.

Thank God I didn’t cry, or else I’ll be a wreck…although I really thought I would cry before I even left for HK. When I heard the opening notes for Get Out from the Shell and THEN saw their silhouettes, my eyes suddenly filled up…shet, silhouette pa lang yun…and then I just covered my face for a brief moment to stop them from spilling out. Then I realized that I would really succumb to tears if I suddenly get emo while they’re playing, so I consciously tried not to get all melancholy while watching them.

Also got to meet a friend from the Twilight group (sa HK pa nagkita! Haha) and other Filipinos who love the band. It was so great! I spent a lot from the merchandise but I don’t care…too bad they ran out of the free fan from the Kiss album…Hyde was hot there.

General highlights:

Now I realize that the right arm movement choreography was no fake, people really do it in their concerts…then I discovered that their fingers move when making the forward motion instead of being tight-fisted…crap I can’t explain it well here. Where did they get that much energy? I mean I’m pumped up during the concert but I can’t make my right arm do that motion for a whole song…nangalay talaga ako, hehe

I love the impromptu audience wave during the intermission, hehe. And I think we all did it more than 10 times from opposite directions, with the whole arena clapping after each successful wave is done…I don’t think that’s possible in a concert in the Philippines, hehe

I really lost my dignity for two hours, well it was slightly dark and no one knew me so I guess it was a clear enough chance for me to go crazy.

HYDE is HOT!!!

Song highlights:

Get Out from the Shell – this is a great opening for the whole concert, and I remembered this song since I saw it used in a commercial for a car years ago. I wasn’t a fan then, but I already recognized the name of the band due to Rurouni Kenshin. Kind of a full circle moment right from the start.

Driver’s High – second song and will always be a staple in any Laruku concert…one of my favorite songs…and I was really on a high and so happy when all the fans jumped and screamed during Crash! And Flash! parts, hehehe. Of course I jumped (and screamed) with them and was a bit happy that those in the arena are familiar with the concert choreo (that’s what I use to term them)

My Heart Draws a Dream – this is my latest LSS from the Kiss album and I always get goosebumps from this one. I said to myself when I first heard this song (knowing that they will perform it) that this is the other song that will potentially reduce me to tears (aside from their last song in the list, Anata). True enough, my eyes filled up again when they sang this, especially when they let the audience sing the line: yume wo egaku yo…of course I sang with them, waving my right hand to the beat, got all emo but still did not cry. My favorite was the ending part because it reminded me of the ending part of Fourth Avenue Café.

Revelation – I love this song because of the slightly metal rock slant to it, and I love the audience participation again, especially when Hyde made us jump a couple of times. I was pretending I was Yukihiro the whole time although I knew that I sucked at playing the drums when I tried it before.

Stay Away – one of my favorite songs…I would have to say that when I heard this song I really confirmed that I’m a Laruku fan. And they did it in Formation A (I think) wherein each member gets to sing a part of the song so it was so cool…I almost hoped Hyde would dance like he did in the music video.

Honey – My bro’s favorite song…this song was memorable during the concert because the dude who was standing at my back was just steady throughout the concert but got really hyper and sang a lot during this song…so I guess that’s his favorite, hehe.

Link – another recent LSS from Kiss album…I expected that there’s going to be a clapping sequence like in their music video but I guess it’s not that widespread since a few people did the clapping part (including me, hehe)

Anata – wow I love this song, this is on of my favorite ballads of Laruku (next to White Feathers which is still my favorite Laruku song, and Hitomi no Juunin) and I’m glad they sang it instead of Pieces (which I thought they would sing) since I’m more familiar with the former and therefore I easily sang the song. Again, when they let the audience sing the chorus my face crumpled again, letting myself be in emo mode (coz then I just suddenly realized that this could be the ONLY time I’ll get to see them live), but thankfully did not cry. But my hands were shaking so much…

Band highlights:

Crap I really love this band! I don’t know what their image is in Japan, but I really love their work. And these guys are almost in their 40’s! I love it!

Hyde – where do I start? The moment I saw him I was so stoked (rarely used that word) that he’s sporting my most favorite hairstyle of his…and the bangs! He was so cute when he was really struggling with his Cantonese MC, and what’s really great is that he really tried to perfect it. Hay, he really has charisma, there’s no way to say it fully, he definitely has this pull (over my heart? Haha) And his movements! I won’t elaborate or else you’ll think I’m sick…but he’s…wow…(is it obvious that I love him?)…and his voice…grabe, yun lang! You could really feel his emotion on every song, with every gesture that he does. I was planning to write longer about him in this, but then again, it’s really hard to express it in paper. Did I mention that he was hot?

Ken – he’s my second fave member of the band since he made the music for White Feathers hehehe. I love it when he threw his paper (containing his MC script) out of frustration since he cannot pronounce the words correctly. He’s such a rebel, hehe

Tetsu – and his trademark banana! The moment he emerged from the side stage for his MC, bringing a banana, I suddenly shouted, “Tetsu! BANANA!” which actually sounds weird if taken out of context. Asa pa ko na umabot sa kin yung saging di ba? And he was really moving a lot on stage, really glad that I get to see his concert moves recreated live (as opposed to watching them on tv)

Yukihiro – I also love this guy and his reserved manner, man he kicks ass on the drums!

So there, that is my first (and hopefully not last) Laruku experience…I do hope I will have another chance to watch them, but I was already glad with this one since I already eliminated all hope before that I will get to watch them live. I’m really happy that the organizers priced the tickets the way it was, it is of great help for people like me. I was still shocked after the concert, I kept kicking (even two days after the concert and I was already in Manila) and asking myself, “did I really get watch them live?”. I laid down all of my merchandise and watched their 15^th anniversary dvd the moment I got home and suddenly got all emo again.

Note: I have a travel log which I immediately filled out 30 minutes after the concert (I was still in the arena)…I can’t believe the stuff I put in there, hehe

HK Trip Day 3&4: "Please mind the gap"

2008-05-28T21:09:00.007+08:00

tThe last two days of the trip are more nostalgic than the first two...but of course, day 3 is the Laruku concert, the ONLY reason why I went to Hong Kong in the first place. I'm reserving my Laruku rants in another entry (because some might not be able to handle me in fangirl mode, haha). So here's what happened for the last two days:

Day 3: Lantau (HK Disneyland and Asia World Expo)
Woke up that day surprisingly not as sore as I thought I would be, given the torture that I encountered yesterday. My first thought when woke up, "shet, this is it, i can't believe it". I was so groggy on our way to breakfast (we spotted a KFC around the area and trying to look for it), but my excitement is already starting when Tim is singing the opening lines to "Stay Away"...it's a good thing the Balmater sisters didn't get annoyed, although I warned them that I might probably wake them up and cost them a good night's sleep once I get back from the concert since I would probably rant.

Went to Disneyland! We all reverted to our childhood selves (asal bata talaga I swear). I really believe that our generation is the Disney generation (although I might get disproved on this). We split into two groups (Tim and I, Balmater sisters) since Tim and I have to breeze through Disneyland in order to go to the concert hall early and not run out of concert merchandise. In all fairness, it was still a blast! We got to see most of the shows (Lion King was great! I sang through the whole show) and took a lot of pictures (although I doubt they would compare to the amount of pictures Rosemae has, hehe). Still got tired from all that walking but at least you get occupied from looking all around you that you don't feel it. I really loved the It's a Small World, which is basically just the song sung by dolls in different languages. But damn, the dolls were so nice! I wasn't a girly girl when I was young but I would love to take all of those dolls home with me. Alice (in Wonderland) was such a trooper and consented to join me in my "vaca" pose. She was so in character I ended up executing a curtsy after shot (wtf?).

Did some wardrobe change after (concert outfit!), then asked the guest relations of the park for cheaper directions to Asia World Expo for the concert. He gave us a cheaper alternative but he didn't tell us we would emerge from the Tung Chung station with a mall that has a lot of factory outlets inside! Thankfully I was able to restrain myself, hopefully I can get back to that mall. Went to the mall's food court and bought chicken wings on rice noodles (we didn't stop to eat in Disneyland). Used a fork on this one because it will take me til Christmas if I try eating with chopsticks.

<---Laruku time---featured on my next entry--->

Went back to the hostel exceedingly exhausted, was able to catch the sisters still awake since they just came back 30 mins ago from when I returned (all that shopping I guess hehe). Roxy and I chatted til 3am talking about our days, mainly of our conspiracy theory regarding Disneyland. Seriously, I really think they are on happy pills.

Day 4: Last day - Mongkok and Lantau (HKG)
Last day of the trip! We grabbed a quick breakfast at KFC again, since we really liked their breakfast meals the day before. Then we dragged our bags around to the MTR to catch the Airport Express. It was a great experience, bitin sobra. The ideal situation would probably be a 4d/3n trip, booking the first flight out and last flight in. I had so little time to shop and we weren't able to maximize some of our stops. We didn't get to eat at the Maid Cafe at Causeway Bay, or grab a more upscale dinner at Tsim Sha Tsui (which we were planning to do). I didn't even get to eat the street food! I never thought that I would really like the place (since I generally prefer to travel to more exotic areas), but I really want to go back...sa may New Territories naman! Haha

more pics here

HK Trip Day 1&2: “Relax! Please Don’t Rush!”

2008-05-26T21:58:00.009+08:00

At last the day has arrived! I have waited for this day for two months since I’ve discovered that L’arc~en~Ciel is finally having a concert that I can afford and does not require me to get a Visa! Finally went to Hong Kong with Rox, Rozelle, Rosemae (the Balmater sisters), and Tim, my fellow Laruku friend. It was a blast! Some main points and observations about the whole trip before I go to details:

1. It’s probably a bad idea to have my first international trip to a newly-industrialized country. I almost damned my own country the moment I stepped out of the airport.

2. Disclaimer first: I’m not a racist, but Hong Kong definitely has a smell to it, hehe. The moment we stepped on Mongkok, it smells like MSG (probably from the noodles?). I won’t go into the other smells, for all I know, we also smell in their perspective.

3. I did not see any single person who is really obese, and I think I know why. It’s from all that walking! I never walked so much in a single trip my entire life! I should’ve worked out had I known this would happen.

4. If you look like a Hong Kong native (which apparently I and the Balmater sisters do), greet a person in English before anything else. This is not to waste your or the person’s saliva.

5. Don’t make a tight shopping schedule, there’s a 90% chance you won’t be able to follow it.

6. I WANT TO GO BACK!!!

Now for some details of Day 1 (May 22) and Day 2 (May 23):

Day 1: Airport and Mongkok

Since I’m the unofficial designated planner, I went into Hong Kong more or else with a map on my mind. We don’t want to take out a map in the middle of HK since we’ll look like tourists, but I think we still look like tourists from all that camwhoring. It’s my first time in the NAIA and it literally sucks, it’s a good thing I’m excited enough to overcome the irritation. I braced myself for HK airport since I heard it’s one of the best in the world so yeah, I think it’s one of the best hehe.

Took a bus ride, obviously went to the top deck and sat in front for the ultimate bus experience. Major thrill from the initial speedy driving of the driver, but he soon slowed down, which bummed me and Roxy out, crazy drivers that we are. If there’s one thing I like about HK it’s very tourist-friendly, all signs are there and the transport system is very efficient. Got dropped off at the MTR Mongkok station where Jacky Chan (I’m not kidding, that’s his name) picked us up, although I think it’s his son, to direct us to our hostel. I was overwhelmed the moment we are walking through Mongkok, it was night time and the lights are so bright! And then I saw the people (and cute guys!) in funky hairdos, and loved the place at sight, since I think this might be the closest that I could get to something like Shibuya.

Got in the hostel which was small but super clean as the reviews pointed out. It was already late but we set out to orient our surroundings and get a feel of the prices in Mongkok, hehe. We attempted to try the street food but we chickened out. Went back and slept since we have a full (and tiring) schedule for the next day.

Day 2: Hong Kong Island, Tsim Sha Tsui, and Mongkok (Again)

Got a full day planned for Friday, grabbed breakfast at a nearby McDo, which has a different menu, and luckily was understood by the cashiers. Note: Surprisingly, cashiers in HK are old as opposed to in the Philippines, I wonder why. Finally got a taste of their MTR, which was super efficient. I almost hoped that we get copies of the free newspaper just to pretend that we’re natives, because all of the passengers are just reading and it’s just us who are talking. Got to Central with no worries in order to go to the Peak, which is the highest point in HK. I heard it’s better at night but we simply had no time to do so. Central for me is like a more upscale version of Makati CBD…the typical cars that I saw are Benz and it’s the first time I saw a Rolls Royce showroom, hehehe. Want a way to know if you’re really in an industrialized country? Seeing a homeless guy talking on his cellphone! We’re tempted to take a picture of him but he wasn’t in his post (probably had better things to do) when we went the same way back. The Peak was nice, you get a good view of HK and it’s breezy.

Then we went to Ocean Park, and it was blazing hot, I have to take out my umbrella. The whole experience was a real work out since it was on a mountain, and we have no time to rest because of the schedule I made. Got to see a lot of Filipinos too. Best part for me was the Atoll Reef since it reinforced my snorkeling passion and diving dreams. But the fishes were so big, could they get THAT big? Also went aboard the cable car, which scared the living shit out of me, I think I’m really altophobic, although my friends only realized I was a bit concerned when they saw my grip on the seat, hehe.

We then went to Causeway Bay for some shopping and so that Tim and I could get our concert tickets. Nothing could explain the moment we got our tickets…it’s surreal (and I’m going to have a lot of surreal moments when Laruku is concerned). Tim and I then walked around for some shopping (sadly I was only to buy so little, and Page One doesn’t have a Chinese or Japanese version of Twilight! Argh). We were supposed to have a snack with the Balmater sisters at the Maid Café but we don’t have time for the light show, which starts at 8pm at Tsim Sha Tsui…maybe next time, hehe.

Went to Tsim Sha Tsui to watch the light show, which was interesting but sadly the music was not that loud so I didn’t get to experience the whole thing. Interesting enough, a guy wearing only red pekpek shorts went running by us (jogging?) at Avenue of Stars, hehehe. Grabbed a snack from a nearby vending machine since I still didn’t have dinner. We’re supposed to have dinner at TST but we haven’t encountered a dining place (that could be affordable) from all that walking so we gave up and decided to go back to Mongkok. Also saw this girl coming from behind who was running at warped speed (no kidding)…next thing we knew, she was on the next block not five seconds after passing us.

But on our way to the station, we suddenly found ourselves in Sogo, which is having a sale! So yeah, an unexpected bout of shopping ensued. I ate an Okonomiyaki, which was great for me since I never tried one and it’s the one Mizuki eats in Hana Kimi, hehe. I love eating the okonomiyaki, although I’m not an expert on chopsticks so I wasn’t able to eat as fast as I would want to. Then shopped around, Roxy snapped at a salesperson from Converse (ang bagal kasi eh!). Then we painstakingly went back to Mongkok (by then my lower back all the way to my toes was aching and screaming for help.

Momentarily dropped by the hostel to change footwear, I went ahead of the Balmater sisters for another round of shopping in Mongkok since I want my shopping over and done with (I won’t have any chances anymore for shopping in the next two days unlike the Balmaters and Tim). Met Tim at the hostel entrance but soon separated since he also has particular shops to go to and I don’t want to amble around because my legs are literally giving up on me. In fairness, I got some of the shopping done (what the HECK was I thinking when I made a 20-item shopping list?). So there I was walking alone (my mom would kill me if she had known) in the middle of Mongkok…got a bit emo because of the concert tom and of the fact that I’m alone (even for the time being) in a foreign land (small taste of indepence hehe). There was a point on the way back that I really felt that I would literally crumple in the middle of the road because of my legs (and my lower back—I felt that I was too young to have arthritis though). And was praying all the way to the hostel (I can’t expect that a good-looking Chinese guy would help me if ever I faint, I couldn’t ever get THAT lucky). Note: Bring a lot of painkillers next time. Shoulder where I anchored my shoulder bag also hurt like hell.

more pics here

what sickness?!?! i have to start my countdown!!!

2008-05-16T22:05:00.003+08:00

just got well from German measles...i swear my body's pretty much screwed up lately...I've even cancelled an outing for fear that something might happen which will make my HK trip less fun...but anyway...

waaaahhhhh a few days more to HK!!! just a week when i'll see my beloved Laruku!!! i really can't contain myself, haha. weeeeeeeeee!!!!!!

by the end of this trip i suspect i'll go broke for a while, i think it's inevitable...

speaking of other trips, i'm gonna do another snorkeling trip in Batangas the weekend after HK weekend (i hope it doesn't rain!)...and we just booked flights to Kota Kinabalu! all of these Cebu Pacific promos are making me reach the poverty line

Edward Cullen is the new Mr. Darcy (well for me anyway…)

2008-05-05T08:04:00.004+08:00

It’s about high time that I write something about my recent obsession, which hopefully would fade in time (as most of my obsessions usually do) since it’s seriously not healthy…seriously…

Daene told me about this book called Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and how she’s interested in reading it, and I was like, “yeah sure, go ahead and let me know how it goes” (this knowing that her taste in books and mine don’t usually meet). It was vacation during Holy Week, and Daene’s texting like crazy telling me that I just HAVE to read this book (and that she can’t help feeling all gushy about it, it’s already driving her insane), and e-mailed me a copy of the book since she couldn’t possibly wait to see me and then wait a few days for me to finish it before talking about it. So anyway, fine, I read the book anyway…

Upon reading the first few chapters of the book, I was again texting Daene, and telling her, somewhat accusingly, “this is a young adult book, isn’t it?” Haha. This is what I get for reading something with an only “it’s about vampires” as a background and someone telling me she’s all mushy about it when in fact she hasn’t read a lot of romance books (and believe me, I have). But, somehow, I got on the Twilight zone (pardon the pun) and soon appreciated it for all its teen love angst. Just got me reminiscing when I watched Underworld and I really thought that being a vampire is so cool. Well, being a vampire is definitely cool in this book. What really hit the nail for me in this book was when I found out that this book is going to be made into a movie and Robert Pattinson’s playing Edward Cullen, the vampire hero of the book. And I, to put it succinctly, am hooked.

As of now, I’ve read the other two books of the series, New Moon and Eclipse. Granted, I’m still hooked to the series as ever, although my usually obsession now runs with the movie. Maybe it’s because I’m really all in for the action in the second half of Twilight, and of course visualizing how Edward could be in the widescreen. Nonetheless, I’m all for Edward Cullen being in my list of ideal men, even head to head with Mr. Darcy (and that’s already saying A LOT about the fellow). Or maybe Edward is the teenage (well technically not since he’s more than a hundred years old) version of Mr. Darcy (well, why not? Meyer mentions Pride and Prejudice in her series so there could be a character reference). The overall plot so far is definitely gripping, although there are a few lulls for me (is it obvious that I want every page to be eventful?). Upon finishing the third book, I’m totally in love with Edward, and I’m kind of not liking Bella, hehehe. I mean I’m all for character flaws, but crap, sometimes I can’t handle the indecision. Edward also has some characters in a guy that I don’t like, the possessiveness for one, but damn, if it’s him, I’m game for anything. He’s an intense guy, that’s for sure. He makes me gooey sometimes it makes me sick.

Hence, this obsession, although I expect it would lie low for a while, will probably run through August, when Breaking Dawn comes up and until December, when the movie will be shown. As of now, I’m trying to do some serious withdrawal techniques, i.e. watching other romantic series, reading other romance novels that don’t deal with creatures, getting immersed with my HK trip to tide me through the coming months. Good luck to me.

* to drive home the point of obsession, my friend put up the Twilight Coven Philippines, aimed to serve all Filipino Twilight fans out there. So please drop by if you have time!!! (link also located at the sidebar)

* my brother FINALLY finished the new look of my blog…although he says it’s a work in progress, so yeah, I’m celebrating this new look with this Twilight entry. Thanks Dale for finishing this :)

all systems go!!!

2008-04-06T14:12:00.003+08:00

concert ticket: check
airplane ticket: check
hostel: check
itineray: almost check

had a tense 5 hours last tuesday just to get the concert ticket, it wasn't the one i got, but at the end of the day i was just glad that i'll be able to see my beloved Laruku...

i'm sooooo ready...Hong Kong... here i come!

make that two tickets...

2008-04-01T20:34:00.002+08:00

found out that ABS-CBN will be doing a version of My Girl with Kim Chiu playing Lee Da Hae's role...

bring on the pain wouldn't you?!?!

One-way ticket to disaster?

2008-03-23T17:04:00.004+08:00

I was lounging at my couch, watching the Voltes V Movie in GMA (I know there’s better programming out there but I was feeling nostalgic for a while and getting a kick out of the deep Filipino words that the dubbers were using) and I got the chance to finally see the teaser for Hana Kimi (which was a great Japanese drama, and weirdly enough I wasn’t feeling proprietary and was glad that the drama will be shared to the rest of the country)… so there I was, minding my own business on Black Saturday…

then out came this teaser on how GMA was successful in producing a Tagalized (Pinoy-ed?) version of a Mexican drama (ahem, if you’ve been living under a rock, it’s MariMar), and how it’s going to undergo another feat…

then I heard the all-too familiar beat of the catchy song by Clazziquai and I had this “wtf?!?” expression on my face afterward when I digested the message…GMA is doing an adaptation of My Name is Kim Sam Soon?!?! (another wtf?!? might be in order)…

okay, though the drama admittedly got huge ratings in Korea and I deduced for GMA itself, I’m skeptical about this undertaking, but I guess would not fault GMA for re-doing a tried and tested formula. But shit, I might sound like a purist drama addict, but can’t the butchering of Asian dramas stop at poor dubbing? Why do an adaptation? Can’t the writers think of material that could be patterned after Asian drama plots but not actually adapting them?

If there’s one thing that the teaser was effective in is it definitely piqued my curiosity, and I spent the past few hours trying to think who the cast will be (coz I think finding a Kapuso actress to fit Kim Sun Ah would take most out of their time). I can’t think of a fitting Sam Soon right now, much less do Hyun Bin, but what the hell. I was thinking that Heart Evangelista looks like and could pull off doing Ryeo Won’s character, but fat chance of THAT happening, hehe. And the biggest question of all, WHO WOULD PLAY DANIEL HENNEY?!?! Seriously?!?! (I was thinking Marc Nelson might do the job well, don’t know much of his acting ability but Daniel Henney himself wasn’t much of an actor when he did KSS)

oh well, as of now, I’m still willing to keep an open mind and watch the drama even if just for the chance to further criticize it. KSS is not in my top Korean drama list, but I’ve raved about it before and after that. I just have to look at the bright side…at least they didn’t pick Full House (although could GMA afford it? Hehe), or better yet, do a Meteor Garden remake.

I don’t know if GMA is joining the bandwagon of adapting other country’s dramas, which is what Taiwan, Japan, and Korea are doing… and I honestly don’t think we can compete equally. I was re-watching Dal Ja’s Spring ironically the other day and was wondering why Filipino dramas are not trying the modern drama formula, and less of the fantasy or the tearjerkers that’s been there. Maybe it’s not our niche? Either way, I’m happy with watching my dramas online.

Anyway, I wish good luck to GMA in this, as I’m more of a Kapuso than a Kapamilya as of now. And the network is enlisting good Asian dramas so far (although I have no idea why they would include Witch Yoo Hee to that roster (saw the teaser also that day), I just hope they air it in the afternoon, hehehe). I even fantasized on being a researcher for GMA program development in this aspect. C’mon GMA, you get an Asian drama aficionado and economist rolled into one, what more can you ask for? Hehehe

politician in my bathroom...

2008-03-15T21:33:00.003+08:00

just arrived at home after a grueling commute from Mandaluyong...forced to board an ordinary bus since i wasn't able to see an airconditioned one...stuck in Bicutan intersection for 40 mins due to crappy jeepney driver (in front of my bus) and crappier traffic policemen...did i also say that i was in Mandaluyong for an invigorating bout of table tennis?... in other words, i'm TIRED and STINKING by the time I got home

dropped my gym bag at my room, went to the dining area to drink before i take a bath, and whoa! Cong. Roilo Golez, Rep of the 2nd District of Pque, Deputy Minority Floor Leader, stood there, shook my hand, and asked where the bathroom is...(ironically we're both wearing violet, which was his signature color apparently)

so there, my least shining moment up close with a politician, he was there since he was a guest of honor in the induction of officers in our neighborhood association, of which my dad is currently the president. that explains his presence in our house (which was a few steps away from the actual induction area) and reason for my fervent prayer that our CR was clean.

now i get a kick out of knowing that a deputy minority floor leader took a piss on our humble throne, bwehehehhe

as if we can't get enough of this...

2008-03-08T12:12:00.008+08:00

just received word that *gasp* there will be another Hana Yori Dango in the works in KOREAN! wahaha. So, it seems that we're having a cycle here:

superbly crafted Japanese manga --> Taiwanese drama version --> Japanese drama version --> Korean drama version

and no one would be happier with this setup than me, a lowly person who maintains sanity through watching these series. I'm excited on the Korean's take on the highly successful manga. And they DO make superb dramas (if you haven't noticed). I hope they have good cast, oh hell, i hope they cast a DESERVING person for Hanazawa Rui (Hua Ze Lei in Meteor Garden) or else I'll be fronting the picket lines.

so i'm guessing having a Korean version of Hana Kimi would not be far-fetched?

i didn't believe it could be possible but...

2008-02-16T18:52:00.006+08:00

L'arc en Ciel is coming to HK!!!

L'arc en Ciel Tour 2008

this has GOT to be one of the highlights of my year!!! waaaahhhh I have to go...once in a lifetime chance, and the tickets are cheaper than what I expected. it's now or never!!! this is one of my BIGGEST wishes in life!!! shux, can't contain the excitement!!! i think...or better yet...i KNOW i'm going to cry in this concert...especially if they sing White Feathers (although I doubt it, but I can hope can't I?)

as of now...

2008-01-27T20:55:00.002+08:00

ganun pa rin...self-induced drama? ah what the heck, my life's been pretty static for a few years so what the hell, bring it on! nadagdagan pa nga eh, but am i complaining? hahaha hopefully i don't sound like it

this is one of the benefits of having friends, they're the ones who u can rant on to instead of the people who you really want to rant on, hmmm, hopefully im making sense. thank you friends!!! hehehe

yeah...

2008-01-15T07:58:00.002+08:00

there would come a time when i'll look back to this day and tell myself, "what the HELL was i thinking?!?"

but as of now, it's just all self-induced drama...

Knowing the Age: Does it Count?

2008-01-09T07:57:00.002+08:00

It took a prodding from my good friend Edell and not personal circumstances (‘cause I know what you’re thinking now Daene!) to write another entry on relationships. Granted, I veer away from such topics because, though how much I wanted to be one, I’m not exactly what you would call a relationship guru (experience-wise that is). Nonetheless, this seems to be a recurring topic among my friends lately and so I think it’s high time that I use this for my serious entry (last time was two years ago! Btw, re-reading the entry I made before would be of help in digesting this present one).

Think about it…
At one point in a relationship, this matter can definitely be an issue. For sure, it can be sensationalized and magnified that not even the other, supposedly more important, aspects of the relationship garnered much attention. It is even one of the first things that you ask when you meet a person for the first time, let alone someone of the opposite sex. Hell, there’s even a dating show currently airing in TV that revolves around the theme. It is that age-old question: Does age matter?

Let’s get this out of the way…
Yes, we know fundamentally that in the end, love does not choose age, yada yada yada (I’m speaking gibberish due to the risk of sounding mushy). That, I believe, would HAVE to be the ultimate conclusion for any approach to this matter. And it is for this reason that I would like to state it first and discuss other, not equally as substantial but possibly more entertaining, things.

And those are…
Let’s face it, age to some degree matters in a relationship. First, there’s that biological clock thing that we women cannot avoid. And then, there’s that issue which is most of the time my justification for not getting involved with a younger guy and that is the level of maturity. Some (scientists?) say that women mature faster than men…and although I may come across as biased (feminist?), I find that to be true…okay, MOST of the time true. There are definitely exceptions to that rule, but so far I only see them in my Korean dramas (so what does THAT imply? I’m willing to be single for a decade if God would assure me that I would end up with a Kang Tae Bong!). And lastly, we can’t all be Demi Moores and there could only be ONE Ashton Kutcher. ‘Nuff said.

I would only talk about older women getting involved with younger men since it, through the course of societal evolution (if there’s such a term, but you get my drift), steers from the norm (and I think it’s waaayyyy more interesting than talking about women who get involved with men who are too old for them). I must admit, I still belong to that group of women who still envisions The One (same usage as my entry then) as someone who is older than I with the same level of maturity as I have. I usually ask my friends when it comes to this topic, “what’s your age range?” and my friends all have different answers with varying reasons. And since age is relative, one’s definition of younger will be different to the next person. So my age range? +5 -1…and believe me, some even have a steeper range than I do. And sorry for sounding too restrictive but given that a female has an age range in mind: On the onset, would you even start getting involved with someone out of your age range?

And of course, my own answer would be it depends, case in point: the stranger’s dilemma. Though previously I talked about the stranger’s dilemma on the physical level, it can also be related to the age attribute. If you ask me point blank if you can set me up with a younger man out of my age range and he’s a stranger, I would flat-out say no, unless there’s already a certain level of attraction (physically or just plain instinct) to the young stranger. That is why women initially get jealous when Demi snagged Ashton, or when Samantha Jones snagged Smith Jerrod, before even delving into the age issue.

On the other hand, what if the out-of-range male is a friend? Then the age range can be compromised, hence the vision is again compromised. And how far (in terms of age differential) would the compromise be? Then it depends on the male friend’s other attributes to make the age really just a number.

I once saw a TV show where one person said, “The best accessory a woman could have is a younger man.” And at that time, I laughed my head off. I could have just said at that time that the day that I would even CONSIDER getting involved with a guy too young for my taste would be the day when Jinggoy Estrada gets a Best Actor Award…

…but then again, stranger things have happened.

bye 2007!!!

2007-12-31T17:04:00.001+08:00

ok, im here now with my end-of-the-year post...hahaha what can i say? this year really marks the transition from school to the workplace, and there are a great deal many changes, but im also glad for some that remain unchanged...

as expected the first half of the year is the most stressful, nerve-wracking, and emotional months that i've undergone, all thanks to my thesis and all those people (not gonna mention them though) who made it worse, hehehe. nonetheless, the end was bittersweet, i finally got my master's degree (and maintained my cum laude *phew*) and i again didn't cry in my graduation. hay, weird talaga, i cry easily when i watch dramatic stuff but when it comes to the actual emotional moments, i rarely do.

so at last i said goodbye to my second home for 5 years... i can't say that i'll miss the school itself, but i'll miss my barkada, my iep friends, and all the hangouts that hosted a lot of memories for the past five years

what followed next are a few months of laziness and job hunting...i soon grew tired of the whole applying process, and i'm glad that i get to watch FABULOUS asian dramas to tide me over (these asian dramas are also my saving grace during thesis)...soon enough i thankful got employed...here's to taxes!

i guess the topmost thing that made me grateful to have a job is that now i have money to spend any freaking way i want! therefore: more night outs, buy some gadgets, go out of town (corregidor, cagayan de oro and camiguin!!! here's to adding more next year!) and go to concerts (sugarfree, beyonce, akon.... maroon 5 naman next year!) and i plan to engage in more for 2008. as for my financial plan...well, let's plan that when i get regularized, bwehehehhe

a glaring realization that seem to resound this year (and i bet will also be the same for 2008) is the fact that im getting OLD (i know, 23 really isn't THAT old, i can just imagine the 33-year old me strangling the 23 year old me). i don't know why...argh...is this because of the fact that im still single? hahahahhaa. basta...i am now more sensitive to noise, can't keep up with all-night marathons, paying bills (well it's about time, hehehe), one of my friends getting married....waaahhhh basta i feel OLD!!! best recourse? a YOUNGER guy!!! hahaha, don't quote me on that

before i get way out of hand, just want to say that this year is pretty good to me despite the suicidal academic months...i got a good job, my mom got promoted, and my friends are as crazy as ever!!! here's to getting older in 2008!!!