uleblog

follow this link

2008-09-11T02:29:00.004+08:00

uleblog2 now exists.
click here

Happy New Year

2007-01-05T00:14:00.001+08:00

2007 is here, I shall start a new blog.

ulebbride:the limited edition

the chronicles continue: http://uleblog2.blogspot.com/

ouch

2006-12-13T11:13:00.000+08:00

i'm miserable. ow...the shingles sprouted on my scalp and the left side of my face. so no rubber faces and no sudden head movements.

ow. looking forward to the evening so i can take neurontin again.

ow.

shinglehood

2006-12-12T11:38:00.000+08:00

so christmas is here again. and i got shingles. bummer. it's a form of herpes. eekk... i have herpes. can't believe i blogged that. hahahahahha...not.

"Rash, Pain and ItchingShingles (herpes zoster) is a viral disease caused by the same virus that is responsible for chicken pox. It usually strikes people in their 60s who had chicken pox as children. The virus causes pain in the area of the inflamed nerves, followed by a red rash with small fluid-filled blisters. The pain caused by inflammation of the nerves can continue long after the rash has cleared. The antiviral drug acyclovir can speed the healing of the rash and reduce inflammation of the nerve endings if treatment is started early."

now i'm looking up shingles online. it's supposed to hit senior citizens mostly! hmmmm...my body is being a wiseass.

answer to faqs click here

Figures and Fans

2006-11-02T01:11:00.000+08:00

Eonline gossip with Kristin:
"Heroes: 14.74 million viewers. The super Heroes flew to new heights last night, raking in their highest numbers yet."

It's best watched with these companion graphic novelettes in between episodes. w/o the pdf's, you'll still be able to follow the story. but reading the pdf's will make you appreciate the tiny details and dialogues normally going unnoticed. CLICK HERE for pdf links

OMG. I'm officially a fan. click here for fan site.

Hooked

2006-10-25T23:35:00.000+08:00

I've officially become hooked. This series just aired the 5th episode, it's toooooooo addicting. Clever writing, dark wit you'll love.

More surprises if you visit the site *click here*. omg...watching the 5th ep. gotta gotta go!!!

Hollywood's Take

2006-10-19T01:41:00.000+08:00

click here for IMDB page

click here for trailer

I went to see The Departed last night. Brilliant film. Intense acting, classic Nicholson, LeoDiCaprio in all his vulnerable eyecandy glory. Mark Wahlberg with his trademark thug moves. Martin Sheen, Matt Damon mostly in their element. Everyone affecting Boston accents.

Very clever. Makes me want to watch the original Hongky version, Infernal Affairs with Andy Lau. Hong Kong's Mou gaan dou is a trilogy no less.

click here for IMDB page

click here for trailer

Milenya

2006-10-04T03:07:00.000+08:00

Photo courtesy: INQ7.net

Mid-last week, typhoon Milenya hit Metro Manila. Almost a week later, parts of Metro Manila is still experiencing its effects. Water pipes busted, electrical posts and lines down. I commend Meralco for all the work they have done and are still doing.

Everyone has a Milenya story or two to tell. Mine consisted of watching from the safety of our condo, as a couple of our “jumper village” neighbor’s roofs fly off so that I saw right into their living room. Sort of like a Dolphy movie. Only I’m sure it’s not that funny to our neighbors.

I did not get to work on time that day as I had to wait till my sister got home, then I asked her to drive me around the block to get to the office. Oh, the perils of showbiz…

That night, my sister and I decided to fetch Vivian and have dinner at Metro Café. It was a weird evening as there was a blackout. Not so much rain, but some funky wind patterns. Mostly, it was eerily silent even with people out and about. Branches were severed from trees, some trees were uprooted and blocked whole streets. It felt…I dunno, provincial. And kind of post disaster, too.

We finally got there only to find the whole 30ish foot tall sign of Jj’s and Metro leaning precariously against one of the walls in the parking lot. But well, they had a generator, so winner!!! Memorable dish is the palabok negra. Must have that again.

Finally, home that night meant a gas belching generator running most of the night at 4 flights down. It was ok because the weather was still cool, so we slept through the night anyway.

youtube

2006-10-02T00:54:00.000+08:00

once in a while, i think it would be ok to possibly have a kid if they were as cute and sassy as these...

random

2006-09-22T01:13:00.000+08:00

while bloghopping and linkfollowing, i saw this site. gorgeous. me likee. :)

i dream

2006-09-20T00:09:00.000+08:00

i cant remember the last time.

wouldn't it be lovely?

“Just DON’T THINK!”

2006-09-17T23:19:00.000+08:00

Last night was Steve’s birthday party. Sunday People members were there. And as usual talk turned to:

1 people leaving the country
2 people thinking of repatriating

3 pros and cons of being in the country
4 coping mechanisms

So I now live in a country better known internationally for its system of organized chaos, and its endless supply of nurses and maids. And if you listen to every other AngMo/Farang/GwaiLo/Afam out there venting his frustrations on the flights back to Manila, it’s a country of liars, cheaters, and thieves. Basically, a hopeless pit of doomed people.

Oh yeah, and we got sunshine in the Philippines most days of the year too. Har har.

Repatriating has been easy. I came back home in 2003 for various reasons, one of which was because I needed a place to lick my wounds without having to worry about my papers and whatnots.

That part was easy, but it gets a bit tricky when one gets confronted by the reality that inconvenience is THE way of life. From the smallest of things…you can trust third world sensibilities to mess it up.

GUARANTEED.

EVERY.

SINGLE.

BLEEPING.

TIME.

Coping strategies were discussed last night. The one that stood out the most (for me) was Gail's strategy.

She said: “Just don’t think.”

It’s so simple, and so elegant a solution it rendered me speechless. Just be. Just don’t think. Stay with the moment. And every damn Zen principle you want to dig up. Dig it up, live it, and you’d better friggin’ LOVE it.

I don’t read newspapers here. I don’t like news. I don’t watch TV. I don’t like tv news. So I really don’t think I think.

But how can you not feel certain emotions though, when you know everyday life does not have to be this way? It’s Broken. Corrupt. Dirty. Poverty abounds. Ugly.

It’s not even poetic, or charming in any way. It’s just BAD. We try not to think, we try not to look. But everyday, reality just keeps popping up and slaps us across the face, demanding that we feel dissatisfied.

So I guess the best advice would be: "just don't feel."

the quitter

2006-09-15T00:51:00.000+08:00

holding up better than i thought i would. and so is daddy j. we actually did cold turkey, anyone want my nicorette patches? teehee...(i feel so smug, i want to dropkick myself.)

great encouragement and helpful tips for me is quitnet.

My quitnet newsletter says:

Your Quit Date is:Thursday, July 20, 2006 at 12:00:00 AM
Time Smoke-Free:56 days, 4 hours, 49 minutes and 22 seconds
Cigarettes NOT smoked:1124
Lifetime Saved:8 days, 14 hours
Money Saved:Php4,200.00

normanelz

2006-09-10T13:31:00.000+08:00

normanelz photos and wedding pages are finally up! follow this link.

PAGING BOBOT...

2006-09-07T01:06:00.000+08:00

So Cedrich in NZ leaves comments on my blog. Think he's trying to contact me.

So...

hey BOBOT!!!!!...PPPPSSSSSSSTTTTT BBOOOBBBOOOOOOOOTTTTT!!! *wave wave wave* HOIST!!!

What's your email address??? mine's olivjooz@yahoo.com kumusta ka na dyan???

Wait. That's you naman diba???

peeling it off

2006-09-03T23:51:00.000+08:00

after roughly 2 years, i finally went to see vivian (dermatologist and friend) to get a face peel last saturday.

she saw some fine lines on my face...unmistakeable signs of aging. she promptly went on mission mode: search and destroy the evidence of time, neglect, smoking, and numerous unhealthy habits (that i am on my way of correcting, thank you.)

so after a week of morphing into a leatherfaced old lady, then to a human dna-shedding machine, my face has decided to simulate normalcy. it's still red at times, sometimes itchy and dry, but at least i ceased to look scary.

my skin is getting fixed, now for the other parts of me that need fixing...

reality check

2006-09-02T03:04:00.000+08:00

so far work has been a hearty mixture of fun, frustrations, boredom, amusement, and at times, bemusement.

i always make it a point to visit jona at the graphics department. she's my office reality check lady.

money is not bad, but it's not great either. the stuff i do is garbage, it's bad compositing you can't put in your showreel if you want to be taken seriously by a post house in the region.

i have come right out and asked tadi for assignments in motion graphics (once we finish canning the show i'm working on now), which is what i need for my reel.

some of my workmates "defend" their "turf" by insidious, relatively conniving means. acts of deviousness have become a mundane thing. it's sad to watch people waste so much energy and earn so much bad karma over something so oddly pedestrian and jologs.

but it's a living, and it's okay. it's not all bad. we (olive, uleb, lebs, olivia, viang, viats, and myself) have fun half the time...especially with the part when one of us starts a running commentary about the walking tabloid of a coworker in a nasal voice. that's good for another entry, though...

Smart Roadster

2006-08-30T23:22:00.000+08:00

I'm not a car person and i am so not into driving. And yet, this...

I want to have kids with this car. AIN'T LIFE STRANGE???

Lazy Me

2006-08-23T02:00:00.000+08:00

Just remembered today: "Oh right...I have a blog" for no particular reason.

So much has happened, and i was never able to blog about any of these:
1. the trip back to Singapore
2. More illnesses that clobbered my family's morale for a while
3. Nelson's wedding
4. Being Smokefree for more than a month
5. Finally returning to the gym
6. Refusing to get involved with office politics but getting dragged into it anyway
7. Calling out an officemate by wondering aloud whether it was childhood that messed her up
8. Coldplay's concert
9. getting back my ironing mojo
10. feeling helpless in the face of mortality
11. my brand new niece, alexia (still no teeth but already sassy)
12. snapping out of depression before i did damage to people around me
13. house (the tv series)
14. night shift vs. day shift
15. grey's anatomy

that's a good mix of trite and somewhat interesting topics, i think. now, if i can manage to blog about them...

hay naku.

Heartbreaker

2006-06-07T00:52:00.000+08:00

My Tita Thelma and Tita Nelda are both here in Manila for some gall bladder procedure and vacation respectively. Both are staying at my cousin, Jinky’s.

My sister and I had dinner tonight with them, along with my cousin Chito, now happily married to his job at Quisumbing and Associates (or some law firm thing like that), and with Tita Helen (Jinky’s mom), and Jinky’s hubby, Doc.

It was a delicious meal and table conversation was fun. My dad’s side of the family…it is the first time I completely enjoyed them as individuals with fun quirks.

Some issues were raised about Etchel (Jinky’s brother). It was painful to hear about certain situations he is going through (and creating) right now.

It’s especially difficult to hear these things about my cousin. For 3 of our preteen to early teen years, he stayed in our home. We were like brother and sister of the same age, and my close friend. The first person I learned to apologize to. The first person who completely got my odd sense of humor. And the first person at that age who did not think poring over encyclopedias on Saturday afternoons was weird, but enjoyable.

Etch is witty, talented, had a mildly dry sense of humor, and is intelligent enough to get into PSHS.

He was my favorite cousin, still is, and I guess, always will be, no matter what he does and what they say.

He has always been a heartbreaker. But I never thought he’d break my heart too.

X3

2006-05-25T02:14:00.000+08:00

AW, Wolvie...in the final scene, when even your flesh was being blown away from your body, the top half of your costume gets torn off but the bottom half stays strictly on...WHY???!!!

Hmmmph LUGI.

Love the effects, Storm not so lame this time.

new life

2006-05-12T13:56:00.000+08:00

a month and a half old new place i call home.
a month and a half old new job i call work.
a month and a half old new routine i call life.

change is in the air. still adjusting, still modifying everything to suit my vision of what i may consider an ideal lifestyle for me in the meantime.

happy right now, and beginning to see certain wrinkles on the new ka-pamilyas. nobody is perfect.

"Hunger is our destiny, [and] faith [is] what we use to soothe its dreadful pang."

-Thomas H. Cook

packings sheets

2006-03-18T00:42:00.000+08:00

today was a day of packing stuff for our move. it's exciting to get ready for our new place. some old stuff (i.e.2 refs, airconditioner, the large printer) are to be sold.

there really are a lot of things to do. there's packing, sorting out stuff to bring, stuff to toss away, packing, and more packing. oh, did i mention packing? er...i'm such a packer. *lame joke*

in the midst of this craziness, ipe and eddie was able to get me some funtime over chicken wings and ginpo as we watched another sunset over manila bay.

we texted faith and got no response so we figured she must be asleep. we giggled, gossipped, planned a few stuff for nelson's wedding party this july. we also planned loosely to have the house warming party by july. by then, eddie and i figured we should be able to loose a few pounds not to look funny in swimsuits.

so back to packing.

finally catching good zzzz's

2006-03-17T00:16:00.000+08:00

last week march 10th, jerome checked into medical city to get his sleep apnoea corrected. the procedure required a 5 hour surgery and a 5-day stay in the hospital. as promised, i stayed in the hospital with him during this time and tried my best to take care of him.

post operation, i noticed the obvious absence of snoring, and his gasping for breath at night has significantly decreased to about 3 or 4 times a night (noticeable enough to wake me up).

he's still in some pain and can only eat soft and cold food, but things look very good for him. he feels better rested nowadays. he's recuperating nicely.

new home

2006-03-06T02:20:00.000+08:00

yesterday after noon, my sister and i decided to get the unit at el jardin across abs-cbn.

it's a one bedroom, 1 t&b 65-sq.m. condo unit with a garage, a tiny pool and tiny clubhouse. the ambience reminds me of a singaporean condo complex.

when we went to view it, despite the painters and carpenters still hard at work, along with the owner's stuff in boxes still lying around...the place had me at "hello".

the unit is a cheery pistachio colored, darling little place. we love it. but until we sign the dotted line for the lease, i still feel antsy.

new work, new place. soon new lifestyle if i quit smoking. really.

as for our budget, we crunched some numbers and got a bit wary. i NEED to get plenty of projects to make our monthly expenses. but figured if i'm so conveniently near (i can walk to work!!!) i may be able to snag a whole lot of plenty. heeheehee.

i'm keeping my fingers crossed.

forwarded email

2006-03-04T02:20:00.000+08:00

An email making the rounds that articulated my sentiments. From Mr.Bong Austero. Shoray!

"Dear Tita Cory, senators, congressmen, businessmen, media people, leftists, and all bleeding hearts out there,

I am angry. And I know that there are many out there who are angrier than I am for the same reason. And that reason is simple. I am sick and tired of all you guys claiming to speak for me and many Filipinos.

I feel like screaming every time you mouth words about fighting for my freedom and my rights, when you obviously are just thinking about yours. You tell me that the essence of democracy is providing every citizen the right to speak his or her mind and make his or her own informed judgments, but you yourselves do not respect my silence and the choices I and many others have made. In other words, your concept of democracy is limited to having your rights and your freedoms respected, at the expense of ours.

I am utterly flabbergasted that you still do not get it: we already responded to your calls, and our response has been very clear —we chose not to heed your calls to go to Edsa or to Fort Bonifacio not because we do not love our country or our freedoms or our rights, but precisely because we love our country even more. Because quite frankly, we are prepared to lose our freedoms and our rights just to move this country forward. You may think that is not correct, you can tell me all the dire warnings about the evils of authoritarian rule, but quite frankly all we see is your pathetic efforts to prop up your cause. You tell me that you are simply protecting my freedoms and my rights, but who told you to do that? I assure you that when I feel that my rights and my freedoms are at a peril, I will stand up and fight for them myself.

You tell us that GMA is not the right person to lead this country because she has done immoral acts. As someone who sees immorality being committed wantonly in many ways every day and by everyone (yes, including you), I may have become jaded. But you have not been able to offer me any viable alternative, while GMA has bent over backwards many times to accommodate you while continuing to work hard despite all the obstacles and the brickbats you have thrown her way. From where I sit, she is the one who has been working really hard to move this country forward while all of you have been so busy with one and only one thing: to make sure she does not succeed. So forgive me if I do not want to join you in your moral pissing contest. Forgive me if I have chosen to see things from another perspective.

You say she is the problem. I say, we are the problem; more to the point, I think you are a bigger problem than she is. Taking her out may solve part of the problem, but that leaves us with a bigger problem: you. That is right, you!

While I felt outraged that she called a Comelec official during the elections and that she may have rigged the elections, I have since then taken the higher moral ground and forgiven her. Yes, my dear bishops, I have done what you have told me to do since I was a child, which you say is the Christian and moral thing to do: forgive. Especially since she has asked for forgiveness and has tried to make amends for it. Erap certainly has not apologized and continues to be defiant, continuing to insult us every day with his protestations. Cory has not apologized for her incompetence but we have forgiven her just the same because like GMA, she has worked hard, after all.

I know you think that GMA's apology was not enough, or that she was insincere, or that that apology should not be the end of it, but please spare me the hypocrisy of telling me that you do so for the sake of protecting the moral fiber of society. The real reason is because you smell blood and want to go for the kill.

Well, I have news for you. I do not like her, too. I did not even vote for her. I voted for Raul Roco. But as much as I do not like her, I do not like you even more. I may not trust her, but guess what: I do not trust you even more.

You know why? Because all you do is whine and sabotage this country. You belittle every little progress we make; conveniently forgetting that it is not just GMA who has been working so hard to achieve them.

Every single day, we keep the faith burning in our hearts that this country will finally pull itself out of the mess and we work so hard to do that. Every little progress is the result of our collective effort, we who toil hard every day in our jobs. Yet, you persist in one and only thing: making GMA look bad in the eyes of the world and making sure that this country continues to suffer to prove your sorry point. In the process, you continue to destroy what we painstakingly try to build. So please do not be surprised that I do not share your cause. Do not be surprised that we have become contemptuous of your antics. You have moved heaven and earth to destroy her credibility, you have convened all kinds of fora and hearings and all you have done is test our patience to the core. For all your effort, you have only succeeded in dragging us further down. I say enough.

Don't get me wrong. I am not asking that we take immorality lying down, or that we let the President get away with anything illegal. But you have tried to prove your accusations all this time and you have not succeeded, so it is time to let things be. Besides, you are doing something immoral as well if not utterly unforgivable. The Magdalo soldiers are consorting with the communists—the same people who have been trying to kill democracy for years. Cory has been consorting with Erap and the Marcoses.

So please wake up and take a reality check. In the absence of true and genuine moral leadership, many of us have decided to cast our lot with the President, even if we do not like her. A flawed leader is better than scheming power-hungry fools who cannot even stand up for their convictions in the face of an impending arrest.

Your coup attempts and the denials that you have consequently made only underscored what we think is true: you are spineless and unreliable people whose only defense is to cry suppression when your ruse does not work. You are like bullies who taunt and provoke, but cry oppression when taken to task for your cruelty.

I would have respected you if you took the consequences of your actions like real heroes: calmly and responsibly instead of kicking and screaming and making lame excuses. You say you are willing to die for us, that you do all these things for the country and the Filipino, but you are not even willing to go to jail for us.

Come on, you really think we believe that you did not want to bring down the government when that is the one and only thing you have been trying to do in the last many months?

We love this country and we want peace and progress. Many among us do not give a f—k who sits at Malacañang because we will work hard and do our share to make things work. If you only do your jobs, the ones that we elected you to do, things would be a lot simpler and easier for every one.

The events during the weekend only proved one thing. You are more dangerous and a serious threat to this country than GMA is. We have seen what you are capable of doing—you are ready to burn this country and reduce everything to ashes just to prove your point. If there is something that we need protection from, it is protection from you."

house hunting, rallies, and job

2006-02-27T02:21:00.000+08:00

with the sinkhole in adriatico fixed, i still feel unsafe living in this building. *see entry*

we were planning on moving to qc anyway, so my sister and i decided to move out earlier than our planned q3 or q4 2006 exit.

so today, we drove around the scout streets, san juan and the new manila area for potential homes. we saw a lot that we liked but could not afford. our favorite was the oakridge townhouse that was selling for php22m. it was too big and outrageously expensive for us. but oh my heart...it was so beautiful.

we are also excited to fix a view date on tuesday for a megaworld property for rent near abs-cbn. i could practically walk to work!

we want to rent, but if there any good rent-to-own deals, we're gonna go for it.

getting home exhausted, i got a text from jerome asking me if i was home. seems the rallyists are at it again. i flipped on the tv and cussed for a full five minutes and started making dinner.

i fell asleep while watching csi, when i woke up, a show was addressing rumors floating about the government shutting down inquirer and abs-cbn. i cussed for five minutes again and went to the bathroom to get sick.

like every average filipino, i'm struggling to get my shit together. and these gadamitsanamabitsmuthapackas are not helping. so they would oust gloria, and if they do, de castro takes over, then they'll oust him too. and then?

so tuesday, we'll view our prospective place. tomorrow, i get my nbi clearance in taft avenue. i need it for my abs papers.

i will not be denied. gadamitsanamabitsmuthapacka!

edsa 404

2006-02-25T01:10:00.000+08:00

oh c'mon you guys...don't do this. i need to get my medical done in galleria asap. it's damn frustrating.

adriatico and elena

2006-02-24T13:34:00.000+08:00

yesterday, i was asked to pick up my medical stuff for pre-employment check-up. on the way home, i found out that the lrt was not working.

bummer. i was so tired and was looking forward to catch some zzz's. headed back to makati, not fun to take a jeep home, thought a bus would be better. got a text from pet asking if we were pushing through with gymtime in makati. i called her and asked if i could nap at her place instead, so i went. no gymtime i guess.

about 430ish i got a call from my sister on her way home. she said elena building was being evacuated. the crane in the construction site across the street was lopsided and at that time had crashed on a car. these construction guys have caused a portion of adriatico street to cave in.

i was distracted while looking for dresses with pet during mallrat time, all the while waiting for my sister's next call.

finally heard from my sister, urgently asking what valuables i wanted to keep. they have allowed her to go up make a quick sweep. but one trip was it. i requested passport, 2 envelopes containing my birth certificate and school records, jewelry box (my 6th grade graduation gift from mama was there!), and minipol-the-portable hard disk (my showreel is there!!!).

it was frustrating as pet and i tried hailing cabs that would not take me home, because, oh right...the traffic is bad---because they closed down adriatico.

another call from my sister confirmed that she was fine, the construction guys felled the crane right into their site and they've decided elena to be safe again. no casualties. whew.

it's time to move to qc. elena has housed my 20-something years. it's charming to live in an old 1943 building that once housed the us headquarters during war. really high ceilings, wonderful view of manila bay sunsets...bohemian as it is, i think those days are over. in my mid 30's, i want to live some place quiet, with cleaner air, a little closer to the earth, and my new job that hopefully starts on wednesday.

that was my non-adventure yesterday. my sister probably has the exciting part on her blog. *click link*

Idol

2006-02-23T00:59:00.000+08:00

Wednesday. TV night. American Idol's top 12 girls perform.

These 2 will probably get sent home next Thursday:

Heather Cox. Laringitis was a good excuse. Pretty face, though.

Stevie Scott. Classically trained. You can almost see her voice teachers cringeing as she performed.

Another Sunset

2006-02-14T18:13:00.000+08:00

A mug of coffee while looking out the Manila Bay Sunset, I watch a lone sailboat snake its way back to its dock.

I made a game of closing my eyes every 2 minutes so to better appreciate the fast changing colors and cloud formations.

This is one perfect moment. I'm content. The world is a good place. Life is beautiful when we stop and listen to its quiet moments once in a while.

Day 01

2006-02-08T16:17:00.000+08:00

A couple of sticks must not make me a smoker again. Egads.

Cigarette smoked: 2
Trigger 01:

Ew!!! The maid found on of my undies in a dormer’s pocket, obviously worn. UGH!!! It’s one of my M&S rose mix collection panties! That’s really gross…I have been missing other brassieres for the past year as well. Yuck!

My sister wondered if where this klepto comes from, it’s okay to share underwear. What a gross thing. She is known to have stolen other stuff from other dormers she has roomed with. It’s a bad bad thing.

Trigger 02:

Received a text from Leonard, I will be working with him should I get hired. It says “…medyo natulog results ng exam mo…due to recent events….” Aw. Hope to know real soon.

Solution: Learn how to deal with stress triggers better. I should try what the guys in the show COLD TURKEY is doing...

Ten Things for 2006

2006-02-07T01:40:00.000+08:00

The last entry I made was roughly10 weeks ago! Wish I could make the usual excuse of too much work. But this is not the case.

Went home for the holidays, back to Manila after New Year, and had Chinese food at Chinese New Year.

It’s been relatively okay for me, so I can’t complain. I’ve decided to pull my sh*t together.

My goals for this year are simple. I hope to make way for higher and better goals by next year.

Pursue a career in broadast design. Had my exam early this month, supposedly they want me to start on the 15th this month but with no interviews lined up, probably March would be a little more realistic.
Quit Smoking. Today is day 1. Lollipops can be your best friend.
Start running again. Step one, see item 2.
Be a size 5 or 6 again by June. After letting myself go the past year, I have a tall order; I need to shed 30 lbs of fat off my 5’7” frame. Been going to the gym a little more often now. Evening meals are just soup, usually with chunky veggies, and brunch is cereal with yogurt or a sandwich. I like the new changes. Note to self: add even more fiber into diet.
Stop drinking coffee. Green tea is my substitute. Did not have coffee today, a monster headache struck me down, Slept almost around the clock.
Move to QC. I need to make money first, see item 1.
Start saving. VERY HARD. My wish list is all the way to the 50’s in number.
Learn Belly Dancing. Every Friday, I catch the 4:30 class in the gym before I join the mind and body class.
Be updated with design trends in the region. Internet, here I come.
Be less selfish. I’m stumped.

Amidst all this, it’s good to waste a portion of your life by playing Generals on the computer, I’m a newbie who’s only played a total of maybe 10 hours. I’ll learn it.

One Year

2005-12-16T05:46:00.000+08:00

It was out first anniversary as a couple last Sunday. Jerome took me to dinner at Old Manila at the Penn. I had veal with wine and consumed almost half of the basket of bread. (Yummy…carbs be damned.) He had steak and prawns. It was fun to dress up for dinner.

So it has been a year of dates, nightly phone calls, and shallow humor.

It was difficult for me at first to imagine how we could sustain a relationship. He’s a left brain person, I’m right-brained. We don’t have too many things in common. We were both a novelty to each other at first.

Then he pointed out something many people I know sometimes overlook; we have the same values, and we have the same set of ideals. That's kind of hard to come by these days.

That may not be the most solid of foundations, but it’s sturdy and we have put in about 3 years of casual friendship (and secret crushes on each other *blush*) before we started dating, and well…fell in love. (Still reading? Heeheehee)

My pet name for Jerome is Daddy J. That’s because he seems so…er, responsible for everyone. If you meet him, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Daddy J. is going to visit with my family in CDO this December 26th (on his birthday). My brother has already booked that evening. I think him and the Friday Club are gonna get him drunk. Hahahaha…Oh boy.

I’m happy to go home with my sister, Vangie this year. I’ll be seeing my folks again. My brother, my sister-in-law, and my favorite almost-a-little-girl-but-still-a-rugrat Maxine. We’re also awaiting the arrival of Casting Khu (Unnamed baby, still casting.)

It will be a Merry Christmas.

just be

2005-12-09T16:44:00.000+08:00

went to nelz' blog and "just be" was playing in my itunes. thought it's appropriate for nelson's topic for his dec. 7th entry. decided to put in the lyrics.

to view music video, Click on link

Just Be - Featuring Kirsty Hawkshaw by DJ Tiesto

Artist: Kirsty Hawkshaw

Song: Just Be Me

Travel the world

Don't you come run away

From the person you are in your heart

You can be who you want to be

Make us believe in you

Keep all your light in the dark

Be searching for truth

You must look in the mirror

And make sense what you can see

Just be--

Just be

They say learning to love yourself

Is the first step that you take

When you want to be real

Flying on planes to exotic locations

Won't teach you how you really feel

Face up to the fact

That you are who you are

And nothing can change thatI believe

Just be--

Just be

Cause now I know

It's not so far

To where I go

That I am spared

It's inside me--

To just be

Just be

I was lost

And I'm still lost

But I feel so

Much better

Cause now I know

It's not so far

To where I go

That I am spared

It's inside me--

To just be

Just be

And flying on planes to exotic locations

Won't teach you how you really feel

Just be--

Just be

Maybe November

2005-12-05T01:00:00.000+08:00

The whole November felt like one long blurred week. There was no time to blog, although a lot of things were happening inside and outside my head.

Last month I was once more contacted by Imaginary Friends for a freelance gig to help out with digital effects for their entry to MMFF 2005, Enteng Kabisote 2. (Yes, you read it correctly, a sequel. LOL)

The month was long, and at the same time, too short. It felt right and natural to be doing compositing again. Jerome pointed out that I sounded happier. Thea pointed out that I was probably bored with print. My mom pointed out that I'd make more money.

As dysfunctional as it may seem, post-production is a world that took a hold of me ten years ago.

I did try to do print for the past 2 years and six months, though. But as a medium, it's not as compelling for me as video or film. The huge degree of satisfaction that one gets from work was always missing in print. You go through the motions, and you hope it will be over soon. Then you hope you get older very very soon so you can retire and die.

This time, undeniably, and irrevocably, satisfaction was there. Mocking me, seducing me with sexy little smiles.

Maybe I'll make a comeback. Maybe I'll do broadcast design this time. No commercials. Maybe not. Maybe the whole world has just become one giant possibility again. Maybe the world is mine again.

dance off

2005-11-09T02:03:00.000+08:00

Euphemism

2005-11-04T02:56:00.000+08:00

Bataan, Corregidor

Best euphemism I heard in a while (Courtesy of Ron from IF):

"Kung niligawan ka nu'n,
Isuko mo na ang Bataan!
Isuko mo na rin ang buong Corregidor!
Gumawa na kayo ng Pilipino!"

English translation:

"If he asks to be your boyfriend,
Surrender Bataan!
Surrender the whole of Corregidor!
You guys go make a Filipino!"

Translation:

*Up to you*

88 luggage and legwarmers

2005-10-28T18:04:00.000+08:00

Ma is here for a visit. We decided to meet at Robinson’s Ermita after lunch today. She needed to augment her wardrobe for the colder weather she’ll soon enjoy in China.

My godmother, (who is also my aunt) was with her. The two sisters were easy to find. I found them in a shoe store beside McDonalds.

Since we haven’t seen one another a while, my mom starts with the usual greeting of looking for my waistline, and lamenting on its extinction for a full 5-10 minutes.

At this point, my aunt butts in and says that I looked better, because she thought I was too skinny before, and at least some meat on my cheeks made my complexion look better.

You see, this is how I know my aunt loves me. And I can also say that my concealer is a good buy.

We proceeded to go look out for my mom’s usual love…shoes. No luck today. So it was time for my mom’s other abnormal urge: luggage.

She has a rather unnatural relationship with suitcases. Whenever she leaves the country, she’d buy a suitcase, or a huge bag. But for her domestic trips, she lugs around a bunch of medium sized bags. So she’d fly to manila in little bags, and buy a suitcase here (usually a cheap one) to use when she flies out the country, and leave it with us after the trip, so she can use the little bags to fly back home…. See flow chart.

A lot of small bags

(From CDO to MNL)

new big suitcase

(MNL to China to MNL)
V

leave big suitcase with Vangie/Olive
V

a lot of small bags

(MNL to CDO)

My sister asked me to tell Ma that she can’t leave her luggage anymore this time, since we are running out of room. To which she replied that we were supposed to
a. give the old luggage to the maids
b. use them when we fly back to cdo then leave them there. (and I guess use paperbags to bring back our clothes to mnl, if we follow this logic)

She found one she felt was light enough, she had some doubts, but we managed to convince her into buying it since it seemed very sturdy and very pretty. Also figured she won’t leave it here if it was a bit more expensive than her usual.

Next item was socks. After looking through the sale bins, my mom has this brilliant idea. Ooohhhh….leg warmers. She makes me ask the sales girl about them. I pretended not to hear her, and suddenly found men’s briefs very interesting.

She makes me ask the sales girl again. I pretended not to hear her again. No no no no.

I WILL NOT ASK ABOUT LEGWARMERS!!! It is 2005, I am 34 years old, and Jane Fonda has retired. NO NO NO NO!!!

In desperation, I chose the no-fail technique: Oh look! Make-up sale!

That worked.

Then we ended up loitering around the factory outlets on the 4th floor. Our Finale was the Php88 store which my mom had a few discount coupons for. We had fun, my aunt and myself got make-up sponges, and a lot of other knickknacks that cost 88 pesos each.

It’s a good day.

brain type test

2005-10-26T14:01:00.000+08:00

which side are you? take the test here.

My results:

Your percentage score for the right brain is 39%.
Your percentage score for the left brain is 18%.

When a person is Right Brain Dominant, they are thought of as the dreamers, the artists, and the musicians of the world. Just because they are not as good with numbers and remembering facts does not mean that they are "dumber" than a left brain person. They just have their strength in different areas. They do have similar characteristics and they tend to hold similar occupations.
Above are just a few things associated with the right cerebral hemisphere of the brain. People who are right brain dominant are usually good with these things. Here is some more characteristics of a right-brained person.

Prefer rock music
Prefer visual instructions with examples
Good at sports
Good at art
Cat lovers
Enjoy clowning around
Can be hypnotized
Like to read fantasy and mystery stories
Can listen to music or TV while studying
Like to write fiction
Prefer group
Fun to dream about things that will probably never happen
Enjoy making up own drawings and images
Good at geometry
Like organizing things to show relation
Can memorize music
Occasionally absentminded
Like to act out stories
Enjoy interacting affectively with others
Think better when lying down
Become restless during long verbal explanations
Enjoy creative storytelling
Prefer to learn through free exploration
Good at recalling spatial imagery
Read for main details
Skilled in showing relationships between ideas
Preference for summarizing over outlining
Solve problems intuitively
Very Spontaneous and unpredictable
Dreamer
philosophical

Below is a list of occupations held by USUALLY held by a right-brained person. (There are always exceptions.)

Forest ranger
Wildlife manager
Beautician
Politician
Athlete
Artist
Craftsman
Actor/Actress

OOooooohhh...yes, wanna be a beautician...

Conclusions

2005-10-25T16:13:00.000+08:00

Last night, I joined Dan for dinner at the Golden Ship Shawarma Center down the street.

Eventually, talk turned to different things; existentialism, moral dilemma, and such fun topics to throw you off and on course.

So I related an incident which happened when I met a friend of Jerome’s.

Upon introduction, I whispered to Jerome that the guy (let’s call him Bob) looked like a guy I know named Bill (alias). The resemblance was uncanny. Especially since they both have features that are really strong and uncommon, to the point of being caricature-friendly.

Turns out Bob and Bill were brothers. So Bob asked how I knew his brother. I told him that I used to have a friend who was his officemate at X Company. Turns out he knew the girl I was talking about.

Quiet perceptive, I dunno, or maybe just sharp…he latched on to “used to have a friend”.

Bob: Used to have a friend? So you’re no longer friends? Nag-away kayo? (you fought)
Me: uh…yeah…*mentally scratching my head and wondering what i just said*

On my end, I felt awful to be meeting a high school friend of Jerome’s with a ready-made issue that was not so pleasant or even cute. Day-yum!

Dan assured me that it had to do with the fact that this guy knows the character of the girl enough to come up with this conclusion.

I would like to believe him. But somehow, it’s not a comforting thought, and slightly embarrassing that people can find a link between me and this infamous ex-friend.

But I also realise that if I said anything more, I'd appear defensive. If I said nothing, I'm a bit of an asshole.

I can't undo what just happened. I can't erase the fact that it appears to people that discontinuing my friendship with the said girl makes me a lesser person.

This can of worms makes me wince everytime I have to pore through the contents.

But I just realised that I'd rather let people (whose opinions won't kill me anyway) think that i'm a bit of an evil bitch than continue with the never-ending self-made dramas, patience-trying, back-stabbing and ultimately draining, unrewarding farce of a friendship with a person whose series of lies and manipulations eventually makes you realise that life is too short for drivel like that.

A Night in the Town

2005-10-23T01:35:00.000+08:00

In celebration of being able to wear regular sized clothes again (and losing weight without diet change, yay!), I attended a party Jerome’s company was throwing for a visiting brand principal last Friday night. They raffled off watches, I was off by just a number! Oh well…

I felt somewhat invincible and sort of pretty because I had on Superhero Eyelashes and smoky eye make-up. Drag Queen moment. *wave wave*

Poked my head through Embassy’s VIP room and saw a bunch of people standing around with drinks. So these are VIP’s. But that didn’t seem to mean Very Interesting Person. There was nothing going on. I sauntered back to the bar where Steve and Vica were camped out. I got some red wine and played the third wheel while chatting with them.

There were models with bits of garments wearing their newer watches. One guy had a live snake, a girl had a sea urchin-looking hairdo, another guy had a pair of live lobsters on his shoulders. Another girl had starfish on her head.

I met the guest of honor, and was a little amused as he seems to be figuring out why he was getting introduced to me. Somewhat blasé, I smiled back serenely in a happy cloud of red wine buzz.

Then I spotted Ditzy Diane. Upon receiving congratulations for their company’s merger, she whips out their calling card. She looked desperately happy to see me, hugging, kissing and asking me twice how Quttlefish is doing. I wondered what she was on.

She asked if I gained weight. I happily lied and said I did.

Deciding to keep my happy buzz, I reached for another glass of red wine and watched some blond Asian guy named Tim present their new watch endorsers.

It was fun to be wearing Superhero Lashes on a date with my Daddy J.

Shoe Eulogy

2005-10-22T17:47:00.000+08:00

After a lifetime of beautifully adorning my feet, and carrying my weight with grace and courage...last night, my rhinestone studded gold strappy heels passed on to shoe heaven.

This beauty and I had a great relationship.

We were together for my life’s most expensive dinner at Zinotti’s in Bangkok.
We walked and ran in KL’s Petronas towers.
We tried on a ridiculous fur coat in SG’s Chanel. That was a laugh. Pure Impostor moment.
We met Frank DuBarry together.
We were at my cousin Virra’s wedding.
We went to my friend Pinky’s wedding.
We had the best steak dinner in SG in a restaurant with servers in French maid’s uniforms.
We watched a private puppet show in Ubud, Bali.

Farewell, my beautiful and elegant friend. Rest in peace.

Is it...?

2005-10-20T14:23:00.000+08:00

Oh Hey look, it's Julia! "Dreamgirl" by Dave Matthews Band.

Music Video Codes by VideoCodeZone.com

Classic

2005-10-19T07:36:00.000+08:00

CLICK *HERE* for VIDEO

With my new fascination for streamed music videos, i've been playing and searching for songs. Found one of the old vids, this was (and still is) my all time favorite.

Testing...

2005-10-18T01:06:00.000+08:00

Music Video Codes by VideoCodeZone.com

tomkat's baby

2005-10-07T16:47:00.000+08:00

hahahahahahhahahahahhahahahahah and ha.

this is a photo from conan o'brien's "if they mated".

tom and katie are expecting. see link

My Sister's Posse

2005-10-04T21:00:00.000+08:00

Twisted Sisters

Last night, I slept over at Oakwood with my sister and her posse. It was probably the deepest and most restful sleep I had in months. It was quiet, and the ground did not shake every 10 minutes from drilling and there was no construction banging away 24/7.

Real sleep is awesome.

My sister’s other sisters are in town. Leila and Gigi are here for a much awaited girlfriends’ reunion and a Boracay holiday. These two, like my sister, were the first UP coeds I have seen in action before I began my freshman year in Diliman. Needless to say, they defined fun, cool, and sensible for me most of my college life.

Gigi at one time was also our roommate here at Elena. She’s always fun and girly. Our times then were a little bit like clips from the movie The Sweetest Thing. She’s like the big sister I can talk and giggle with when it came to X-rated stuff. I’m also happy to know that the great love of her life has found her. I also got to feel up her new C-cups. They look fabulous.

Leila on the other hand, I only heard stories of, and by the time I got to know her, she had married, and is already a mom. She the first person I knew who makes motherhood/marriage look cool and easy without being smug about it. She reminds oneself that being a married lady and having kids is not the end of the world like I once thought it was (well…bad feedback from my too-early-married friends). She’s one person whose soothing aura makes you feel still and peaceful.

Sensible would be my Achi. She has a good head on her shoulders like nobody else’s I know of. I don’t need to read the papers (okay, so it’s because I’m lazy…) she always knows the current events. She had just passed the exam to start her classes in Medical transcription October 10th. I am excited for her to begin her new career.

I learned an important lesson last night: A good toothbrush is all you need to be happy.

Rant and Rave

2005-09-27T00:30:00.000+08:00

Last Sunday, i joined my sister at the ICanServe fundraiser in Shangri-la Hotel. It was a whole day affair and it must have been quite a good diversion for the wan-su girls (Bibet's loving term for One-suso/one-breasted. Many of the breast ca survivors have had mastectomy).

It was a celebration of life, love, thanksgiving, and remembering that, cancer or not, we have to learn to value our time and our lives. I was able to get a free consultation with a doctor, and asked her to show me how to do a self-breast exam.

Celebs and regular women shared their stories, their triumphs, fears, and above all, hope.

One of the convention highlights was survivors giving testimonies. The hall was full, so I went to view her testimony at the first floor. When I got down there, Maritoni F. was still talking, there was not a dry eye in the room.

Next came my sister's badminton friend, I had just met her and quite naturally, interested in what she had to share.

Anyone who can relate to a life where you make enough money, but little extras would be a luxury, had his or her attention to the 2 screens. Every eye was close to shedding tears, as she painfully related how her kids were scared, and confused when sometime after her chemotherapy, they found some new cells...

Then some woman goes up to the TV monitors and killed the sound. RUDENESS!!!

There must have been 40 people watching and listening. Naturally, I got curious and went to see why someone switched off the audio. Turns out, some pashmeina-wearing-political-has-been-of-a-joke was getting someone to shoot a video footage/interview.

What. The. Fuck.

What message could this biotch possibly give to anybody that could be more interesting than this remarkable person on screen, who is a living, breathing example of what a person should be? A REAL, DECENT, HONEST, STRONG PERSON EMBRACING LIFE! Butting heads with a bad bad thing called cancer. Kicking the ass of despair.

Would some goddamned greedy, opportunistic, famewhore who’s capitalizing on this fundraiser have a message so compelling that it should supersede the speaker in its importance?

That's Loren legarda for you everyone. Your typical effing political lame-duck who does not know when to call it quits. If she had a story, why was she not asked to speak along with the other Celebs? She was just there, showing her face, she stayed for what? 45 minutes? PUH-LEEEEZE!!!

Whew...okay, on a more positive note, you can make a difference too. see calendar below.

___________________________________________________________________

The calendar sells at Php100 apiece. Every cent raised through the selling of this calendar will be for the I Can Serve Foundation. Photos by Nelz Agustin and Norman Gludovatz. Order Here.

viva brazil!!!

2005-09-24T05:05:00.000+08:00

after reading mavic's blog, and following the link to jong's... i say the age of enlightenment has arrived. personally love this treatment. girls go get it. boys, proceed with caution. see helpful how-to's. more helpful stuff.

JD

2005-09-22T02:24:00.000+08:00

AAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

*insert thong toss here*

Jehdyboy is the new INXS frontman. Hottie...

who's hot?

2005-09-20T00:13:00.000+08:00

Yahoo screams: Who's Hotter?
"Buzz is always movin'. While Matt's searches are on the rise, Ben's have bottomed out. "
Gee...I guess people would rather look at Matt's squinty face than look at Ben's pubic-hair-infested face...

Crimson Room

2005-09-15T15:41:00.000+08:00

Sunday posted a link that got me stuck in the room. Try it out*click here*. It's fun and frustrating at the same time. See if you can get out. HEhehehe...still on the safe. All these numbers...grrrrrrr....

mig and pepe

2005-09-14T02:07:00.000+08:00

mig ayesa and pepe smith...related?

rockstar:inxs

2005-09-13T01:14:00.000+08:00

I first realised that I'm an INXS fan when I bought their Greatest hits album about a year or so after Michael Hutchence *click link* passed away.

I realised the songs were all familiar and they always struck something in me. Fast forward to 2005. Rockstar:INXS *click link* on tv.

The fun part about reality TV is to have favorites, and get involved. You'll think about contestants you would vote for, the one you feel would leave the show next, etc. My personal favorite is Marty Casey *click link*. He's talented, and you see him grow in the show.

But something about Marty...while his talent is obvious, and you know he's bound for serious stardom... he just needs to get his earnestness across via his own band, I think. But maybe not INXS.

But in fairness ha? J.D. Fortune *click link* is, in my opinion, most suitable to be the INXS frontman. His personality may rub a lot of people the wrong way, but hello...it's not a beauty contest and he's not trying to be Mr. Congeniality. He's also talented, a great performer, and also very pretty. :) Love his original allegedly Strangest Party-sounding song, Pretty Vegas.

Suzie Mc Niel *click link* is very...well...Canadian-nice. But onstage, she rocks. She gives us a glimpse of possibilities the INXS might be able to explore, should she get the job. A strong performer, she's the only female left of the final 4.

Mig Ayesa *click link* is the 4th finalist/candidate/performer. Okay, this guy is really your classic nice guy, courteous, gets by with some talent and some niceness. But when the occassion calls for it, he does deliver. But the other 3 seriously can outsing and outrock him onstage any day. Maybe this week, he'll get by again and not land in the bottom 3.

And then, there's this conspiracy theory going on. *click here* try to read the comments too. *hyuk hyuk hyuk*

Let's see if there's any truth to this conpiracy theory. Guess we'll find out next week. Would probably watch this week if I wake up 9:30 AM this wednesday... so that means I probably won't, i'll just catch the primetime airing.

Michael Hutchence (photo byHarry Borden taken inParis march 1997)
22 January 1960 – 22 November 1997 *click here*

me and god

2005-09-11T05:12:00.000+08:00

You are a Self-Discoverer

You're not religious, but you've created your own kind of spirituality.
Introspective and thoughtful, you tend to look inward for the divine.
You are distrusting of all forms of organized religion.
You especially dislike religious gurus and leaders, who you feel are charlatans.

What's Your Religious Philosophy?

*click link*

the underwear oracle

2005-09-10T10:07:00.000+08:00

What Your Underwear Says About You

You tend to buy new underwear instead of doing laundry.

You're comfortable in your own skin - and don't care to impress anyone.

The Underwear Oracle

fortune cookie

2005-09-08T18:43:00.000+08:00

Your Fortune Is

Man who jump off cliff, jump to conclusion.

The Wacky Fortune Cookie Generator

ho-hum

2005-09-08T15:35:00.000+08:00

these days i find it more interesting to read stuff other people post in their blogs than to blog my stuff. ho-hum.

must not complain though. last time i wanted huge changes, i got them. got retrenched, moved countries, broke up with some guy, changed careers, picked up my old bad habit for cancer sticks, hexed 11 people, and sold half of what i owned. all in a matter of 6 months. that was exhausting.

let's see...do i want change that might take me another 26 months to recover from again? er...not entirely sure.

Wish You Were Here

2005-09-02T06:10:00.000+08:00

So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell,
blue skies from pain.
Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?
And did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?
How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have you found?
The same old fears.
Wish you were here.

Laughter Inducing Medicine

2005-08-25T02:30:00.000+08:00

Dinner with my sister, Vangie at Mr. Choi's was fun, we planned to make some changes with our eating habits (yet again) while sharing a huge portion of crispy-fried seafood noodles.

Something in that dish triggered my allergies, and I experienced itchiness on my nose. It felt like all the pores on my nose were asking to be scratched.

On the way home, in our building elevator, my sister suggested I take her antihistamine, VIRLIX.

Say what???

VIRLIX.

I told her it sounds like a name of an 80's primadonna parlorista.

VIRLIX.

In Cagayan de Oro, back in the 80's, we had some pretty good hairdstylists. Pretty talented bunch too. All of the popular primadonna-types are guys who wore makeup and use feminine names. Don't get me wrong, I'm a confessed faghag/fruitfly/queerdear since I was yea high... *gesture palm downwards against hip*

The names...Bridgette, Chana, Abba, Vhoyette, Boyeth, and of course my personal favorite--Marife.

VIRLIX.

I was telling Vange that it "...sounds nothing like medicine. It sounds like person born in a rural area, named after his parents, Virgie and...er..."

"ALIX?" she offered.

back to blogging

2005-08-23T22:15:00.000+08:00

yay.

now i can blog again, thanks to a better internet connection. lately been spending quality time with my new toy, limewire. i'm 3 episodes away from completing alias season4.

also been going gaga over downloading kid loco. ;)

Stitches and Burns

2005-08-03T15:58:00.000+08:00

The Game: Take the last word of every line, translate/decode it into a Singlish sentence and make some sense out of it.

People say that I'm a fool
Well I don't know
At least I found out
what it takes to be strong
I was dreaming all day long
A drifting cloud
With eyes wide open
I would choose not to see

Now I don't want
to see you anymore
Don't want to be the one
to play your game
Not even if you smile
your sweetest smile
Not even if you beg me
darling please

Say good morning to the world
I hope you like it
take good care of all those
things that we have
I've been looking for a way
for to long now
seems like everything
must come to an end

Time after time
nothing that I can do
Knowing your ways
and loving your ways
But not getting through at all
Day after day
leaving the past behind
Coming to terms
with stitches and burns
Learning to fly again

Second Hand

2005-08-02T23:26:00.000+08:00

Eck...my sister sent me this...okay i will quit.
I WILL QUIT. I WILL QUIT.

Tagged by Mavic

2005-07-30T03:01:00.000+08:00

Got tagged by Mavic, since i've done the other list, i'll just do this one. (Click links too!)

The rule is: what are the things you enjoy, even when no one around you wants to go out and play. What lowers your stress/blood pressure/anxiety level? Make a list, post it to your journal… and then tag 5 friends and ask them to post it to theirs.

Watch a Movie. Recommended: Gateway with the lazyboys
Shopping
Pretend-shopping with a theme in mind Recommended: Bad English-Rich Cebuana Taitai in GB4
Go to the gym

Chill out by the beach/pool

Get all dressed up and pretty for a lovely dinner in a lovely restaurant. Recommended: Any place that serves Ribs, then eat with your hands. Whew.
Do my groceries Recommended: Deli section

Curl up with a good book in a café. Recommended: Starbucks @ Holland Village in SG, Malate Pension Garden.

Explore curio shops
Try out all modes of transportation around a strange city. Highly recommended: Bangkok

Walk in the park. Warning: Non-applicable in Manila
Get pampered in a beauty parlor

Go for a foot massage Recommended in Malate: Blue Moon.

I now tag:

Pet
Achi
Dario
Nelz
McVie

Road trip

2005-07-30T02:22:00.000+08:00

Friday last week, Pet and I went on a semi- road trip. We were in Mexico, Pampangga to do a client call.

promising

NLEX has turned into Luzon’s best highway I know of. Now privatized, it’s well-maintained, clean, convenient, and a joy to be in. Getting to Angeles City to meet up with Sigfred took us about an hour, with stops, and getting lost in Ageless included. Then we went to the client’s house that I had earlier mistaken for a clubhouse in a certain subdivision in Mexico.

toll

On the drive back, we took photos of the darkening sky while singing the theme song for The Apprentice.

OLIVE: *off-key* Munnymunnymunny---*pause*
PET: *on the wheel* MAH-NEH!

rearview

ominous

It’s been awhile since I had a road trip with Pet. So it was fun. Only wish Nels was here too.

I bought a map of Luzon which I plan to log my road trips on at the back. So far, it’s got one entry.

Maxine

2005-07-26T22:46:00.000+08:00

swingmaxine

It was a Martian day for me, (term courtesy of Eddie) but since I wanted to see my favorite rugrat, Maxine very much, I went with my sister to babysit the little one for a couple of hours.

My 2 year old niece loves music, and likes to sing. She does a cute impression of Carlo Santana. She’d close her eyes, scrunch up her face, and bow her head while holding her mouth in a little O, shaking her head from side to side.

Her sentences have become complete and complex. At one point, I laid down for a while and closed my eyes, she went:

Maxine: What’s diko (Chinese term for 2nd auntie) doing?
Vange: She’s sleeping.
Maxine: …because?…
Vange: She’s tired.
Maxine: …to?…*face a big question mark*
Vange: …

The little energizer bunny is a bit hard to capture on camera, she loves to move around while singing, and her little inquisitive mind needs answers right away. She’s only 2 years old and tall for her age.

She’s growing up so fast, she’ll be breaking hearts in no time.

John Cusack

2005-07-21T19:02:00.000+08:00

This is why we love John Cusack.

It all began here.

A regular face in the 80’s teen movies, he used to play the girly-giggle-inducing sensitive sweetheart onscreen.

To date, this guy would count as my longest running onscreen crush. Big fan.*raising hand and waving arm frantically*

In Sweet Sering’s book, Wander Girl, she mentions him as her perennial major crush. (It was uncanny to read a book that seemed to be loosely based on my life. But I digress.)

Now he has a new movie with Diane Lane.

Anyway, here’s my little John Cusack Gallery. :)

Psst

Three

2005-07-18T02:28:00.000+08:00

Got this little quiz from McVie's blog, obvious bang I'm in an experience drought?

Three names you go by:
1. Olive
2. Uleb
3. Olivia

Three screen names you have had:
1. olivjooz
2. Uleb
3. oily

Three physical things you like about yourself:
1. height
2. hair
3. butt (heeheeheehee...my grandma was proud that her girl-grandkids had them)

Three physical things you don’t like about yourself:
1. love handles
2. eyebags
3. arms (jiggly!!!)

Three parts of your heritage:
1. Chinese
2. Chinese
3. supposedly my mom’s grandma was a nonya hahaha

Three things that scare you:
1. earthquakes!!!!!
2. meeting my guy’s folks
3. hopelessness

Three of your everyday essentials:
1. coffee
2. celphone
3. water

Three of your favorite musical artists:
1. Madonna
2. Sara McLachlan
3. U2

Three of your favorite songs:
1. cherish by madonna
2. happy days are here again by maxie priest
3. kissing by bliss

Three things you want in a relationship:
1. mutual trust
2. love
3. mutual respect

Three lies and truths in no particular order

LIES:
1. I’m comfortable with my body
2. I’m cool if you are
3. I hate all children

TRUTHS:
1. I’m an escapist
2. I like to have milk with a hint of coffee more than the other way around
3. I adore my 2 year old niece Maxine.

Three physical things that appeal to you:
1. very beautiful hands on a guy (go figure)
2. lips
3. 5 o’clock shadow

Three of your favorite hobbies:
1. books
2. yoga
3. photoshop (ya, I know I’m such a geek)

Three things you want to do really badly now:
1. drink cherry coke
2. take a shower (INIT!!!)
3. travel in some country I’ve never been to

Three careers you’re considering/you’ve considered:
1. sculpture/pottery
2. interior design
3. yoga

Three places you want to go on vacation:
1. maldives
2. bohol
3. nz or bc to see nelz

Three kid’s names you like:
1. Maxine (gave it to my niece na)
2. Tyler (as in Tyler Dundren in Fight Club, and Steve Tyler)
3. Thomas

Three things you want to do before you die:
1. Have a home by the beach
2. Enjoy Italy with Nelson and Pet
3. Go to a U2 concert

Three ways that you are stereotypically a boy:
1. I don’t like getting nagged at.
2. I like video games.
3. I don’t like to discuss why I’m angry when I’m still angry.

Three ways that you are stereotypically a girl:
1. I love makeup.
2. I love shoes.
3. I dislike any sport that make your arms assymetrical.

People I would like to see take this quiz:
1. my sister
2. nels
3. pet

Resonance

2005-07-15T03:57:00.000+08:00

Sometimes, when we least expect it, we find little gems that remind us of what is important.

Yesterday was a pleasant surprise, I joined the 8PM progressive yoga class offered by Fitness First. The yogi is Diane, a pretty redhead whose aura shines with clear brightness.

Expecting the usual 50 minute Hatha Yoga, I stumbled upon a REAL Yogi’s class. She reads off her notes in a charming accent I cannot place, but the message and lessons of yoga were pure and precious.

It bridged a gap that I was looking to fill in my 7-year on and off yoga practice.

Lessons I love:

1- We all operate in resonance with the cosmos. The big plan. We are all microcosms of the universe. The human body is a microcosmos.
2- The human body/mind/spirit is like a radio, tuning in to the frequencies that it is picking up. It’s up to us to boost up our consciousness, or to tune it out.
3- Specific functions of each chakra help us tune into the one frequency we want to be in.
4- The 7th chakra. The one that helps us feel detachment to the lowly earthly things. It is the gateway to receiving the grace of Life.

Overall, it was a beautiful set of teachings I have been dabbling with, but have never found guidance until now.

Taking the Edge off

2005-07-09T03:30:00.000+08:00

Plans went awry tonight. Jerome, Steve and I were supposed to meet Vichelli and Jo (who's visiting from NZ). But due to whatever their conflict was, we had to call it off.

Daddy J and I went out anyway. He saw that I was obviously upset, so to relax, we decided to go to TimeZone to play some insanely violent video game. He knows this calms me down. Any game that involves shooting and martial arts always soothes me.

The thing that did the trick was Soul Calibur 2. As Faith puts it: "That's the NICE."

It has been years since I've played Soul Edge (Soul Calibur's early incarnation. I loved TAKI because she's a wild wild chick.) I played until we used up the load in the card that Jerome got. And DAMN! I was winning. :)

All that hostility came in handy. I feel so much better now.

you!

2005-07-08T16:36:00.000+08:00

Dear Twat,

So you want to play it like that? OK.

Here's my signature with my dna on it. *SPIT*
Watch your back. *evil laughter escalating*

Out and Lost

2005-07-07T02:53:00.000+08:00

I'm out of words, but lost in thought. Got a forwarded site from a friend. It's from Steve Jobs' speech for Stanford U's Commencement Ceremony.

Click Here

War Of The Worlds

2005-06-29T02:05:00.000+08:00

splbrg_chiklet

Happy that this is a Speilberg Film. Not a Tom Cruise Flick. HEeheeheehee...not too fond of him with the chicklet-implants.

The effects are great. It brings back memories of childhood awe when they first showed Close Encounters. It's that feeling.

song

2005-06-24T03:50:00.000+08:00

Liking this song from NIP/TUCK soundtrack. i'm in Dario mode. No reason other than masarap pakinggan.

PRIDE

Syntax

Its made up of lonely moments
there was always a moment there when I knew
you always gave installments
always knew you concentrated and grew

And I believe in reinvention
do you believe that life is holding the clue?
Take away all the lonely moments
give me full communication with you

Your smile shine a little light, alright
don’t hide, shine a little light
Give up on your pride

Do you believe in reinvention?
do you believe that life is holding the clue?
any way to face the silence
any way to face the pain that kills you

your smile shine a little light, alright
don’t hide, shine a little light
give up on your pride

give up on your pride, the moment's gone
give up on your smile, life is long
so I seen a bad dream, that you were gone
I got bitten on the soul, my blood will run

give up on your pride, the moment's gone
give up on your smile, life is long
so I seen I bad dream, you were gone
you're bitter and cold, my blood will run

GWAPOH!!!

tagged by dario

2005-06-23T03:22:00.000+08:00

dario tagged me. i choose to deviate from the topic. ok lang ba yun? one blogspot nalang that i like.

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

my secret? with an ex, i chanted in my head sometimes: "the food you cook tastes like your personality--bland."

quitting

2005-06-08T13:02:00.000+08:00

Since moving back to the Philippines in 2003, a habit thought to have been long since kicked, came back.

Cigarettes have been making me and the air about me stinky. Since my sister have been diagnosed with breast cancer last December, all through her operation, chemotherapy, and soon her radiotherapy, I've been pushing myself to quit.

So maybe joining Fitness First will help. Starting the 15th of this month, it's gymtime.

Even bought one of them meds too.

No nicotine patches available here. Crappy third world country...

New Day

2005-06-07T08:38:00.000+08:00

How does it feel when right in the middle of an entertaining dream, you suddenly find yourself fully and irrevocably awake?

8:40 AM, and you are alert as you can get. Go figure. Not a morning person, not on Hydroxycut, not on Mahwang-related, or any other Protein stack concoction.

When you feel incredibly lucid, you sometimes delude yourself into thinking you have a purpose for at least one day.

So we search for it.

Ummm…

…

Birds: *chirp chirp chirp*

I’m still searching for a purpose.

…

Oh... okay…just another day. C**p.

Star Wars pick-up lines

2005-05-25T21:59:00.000+08:00

Tee hee.

Olive's Star Wars Pickup Line

"In time, you will call me.....Master."

What's Your Star Wars Pickup Line?

also try

The Amazing Yoda Sex Line Generator

1st grade

2005-05-24T18:35:00.000+08:00

Those pesky forwarded emails can also be interesting sometimes. This is a rather old one but it’s still fun to read. Enjoy.

A first grade teacher collected well-known proverbs. She gave eachChild in her class the first half of a proverb and asked them to come up with the remainder of the proverb. It's hard to believe these were actually done by first graders. Their insight may surprise you. While reading these keep in mind that these are first graders.....6-years-old, because the last one is a classic!

1. Better to be safe than......................punch a 5th grader.
2. Strike while the............................bug is close.
3. It's always darkest before..................Daylight Saving Time.
4. Never underestimate the power of............termites.
5. You can lead a horse to water but...........how?
6. Don't bite the hand that....................looks dirty.
7. No news is..................................impossible.
8. A miss is as good as a......................Mr.
9. You can't teach an old dog new..............math.
10. If you lie down with dogs, you'll...........stink in the morning.
11. Love all, trust.............................me.
12. The pen is mightier than the................pigs.
13. An idle mind is.............................the best way to relax.
14. Happy the bride who.........................gets all the presents.
15. Where's there is smoke there is ................ pollution.
16. A penny saved is............................not much.
17. Two's company, three's......................the Musketeers.
18. Don't put off till tomorrow what............you put on to go to bed.
19. Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and.........you have to blow your nose.
20. There are none so blind as..................Stevie Wonder.
21. Children should be seen and not.............spanked or grounded.
22. If at first you don't succeed...............get new batteries.
23. You get out of something only what you...........see in the picture on the box.
24. When the blind leadeth the blind............get out of the way.
And the favourite:
25. Better late than............................pregnant

My personal favorite:
Don’t judge a man until you walk a mile in his shoes, because if he gets mad at you, you are a mile away and you have his shoes.

4-letter word

2005-05-15T22:49:00.000+08:00

SALE is a four-letter word.

Robinson's Place in Ermita is across the street. They are having a mid-month, weekend sale. I was able to get the 2 pretty skirts i've been eyeing for the past month, one 25% and the other 50% off. (Yay!!!)

Sister got some pants, a pair of pretty but sensible shoes, and a few sleeping tops (she got a couple of those for me too).

Yesterday, though, the Alpha Male Project continues. Daddy J got into it with gusto. bought what he claims will be his 5-year-supply of clothes. I even made him get a pair of cargo shorts. Heeheehee...totally fun.

Smile!

2005-05-13T01:05:00.000+08:00

Weener!

2005-05-12T23:19:00.000+08:00

Was at HingeMedia to help out with the Sony mag today. Dario points me to this blog called Chona in the City.

It's totally hysterical. Love it. Weener talaga!

It's a shame Chona seemed to have ceased making new entries. Her site seems to have a really good following.

Click here to see!

41

2005-05-11T13:17:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, my folks celebrated their 41 year wedding anniversary. My mother called so we greeted her, then when I greeted my father, he gave a sheepish laugh, then went "heeeheeeheeeheee...I forgot, you know..."

My folks have been with each other so long. I know they have had so many hard times, and some relatively bad times. But I also know they have had good ones.

The image I like to keep in my head is this: one sembreak, I slept in their room and woke up a bit early because I heard hushed voices. It was my folks talking. The were still lying in bed talking and playing with each other's fingers. The sun was still low by the hills. I went back to sleep with a smile on my lips.

Happy 41st Ma + Pa!

Hilo

2005-05-11T13:09:00.000+08:00

heheheheheh

alam ko over na to...

blink

2005-05-10T02:36:00.000+08:00

thought i'll test this thing with my kiddie picture. heeheehee...

Blog-o-matic

2005-05-09T22:25:00.000+08:00

Dario has a blog. migraine boy *Inggit, daming extras.*

Ryan has a blog. Boredom is the greatest motivator.

Volts has a blog. Volts V.

Erwin has a blog. Meisterfiles.

Mitch has a blog. Bagulbul.

Thanks to friendster, we can now peek into each other's mental panties.

Now if only i could figure out how to get that animated thing going...

Honda/Thunder

2005-05-02T13:17:00.000+08:00

NENG!

Tom Cruise over Josh Hartnett/Chris Klien? Ineng! Pwede???!!!
Mahonda na po yan. He's all teeth na mukhang chiclets!
GISING!

Countdown

2005-04-26T17:48:00.000+08:00

In every person’s life, one goes through a period when all aspects of one’s life are tied together by a series of countdowns. Here is a list that I am currently living with:

Countdown to…

Number of days to the weekend- 4

Number of days to Faith’s birthday – 8

Number of pounds to be removed from any scale I step on – 20

Number of days to the great gym comeback- 50

Number of days left to indulging my nicotine addiction- 3

Number of my sister’s chemo sessions left –2

Number of months before I muster the courage to hit the beach- 5

Number of weeks to Quttlefish 2nd birthday- 10

Number of dress sizes I need to shrink down from- 6

Number of floors left to the building across the street before it gets flattened- 13

Number of marbles left in my head- 1 ½

Hair traffic

2005-04-25T03:30:00.000+08:00

Saturday saw the beginning of Jerome's Makeover. Something I fondly call the Alpha Male Project. Mind you, Jerome's great the way he is, but we are reaching to fulfill his full hottie-potential.

We got off to a good start at Ipe's in Laguna. Even though we got there REALLY late due to the traffic and an unscheduled stop at Lex Media (to fix some files for Swing Mag that went berserk). On the way, traffic in Laguna was barely crawling, but we battled on. Missed Ipe's street by several meters, but sige...Fight!

My Daddy J now sports a barbershop-wedge free hairstyle. Well styled by Ipe, he looks more relaxed with better-shaped hair that conforms to his hair growth patterns, while making him look more his age, and at the same time flattering his features.

Today, we got him off gel and right into wax. He went to stand as godfather to one of his friends' kids and got no reaction from anyone. Hmmmm...He said he brushed his hair. Probably need to teach him to do the jzuging thing with his fingers.

Odd

2005-04-22T09:57:00.000+08:00

Today my folks fly back to the province after my dad's recovery from angioplasty. They've been here for two weeks, I've seen them four times. They were here in time for my sister's birthday last April 9. With a deadline, I did not bother see them on mine.

Faith told me this was odd. I didn't agree, silently noting that it's called being professional. A deadline is a deadline.

Last Friday, I realized there IS something odd about my relationship with my parents. I'm uncomfortable around them.

Maybe it's also because I couldn't communicate well with them, especially with the mother. My mother set up a house rule when we were kids that we are to speak to the parents in Chinese, and Tagalog amongst us siblings. Chinese translates to a pre-schooler-vocabulary for me. As a result, I only speak to her about the most mundane things. Pa---I grew up knowing I was never in his radar, so now everytime he pays me any attention, it feels as if some of my space is being breached.

Wednesday, I went to see my folks in Makati. They stay with my Aunt (Ma's sister) when they visit.

At my parents' not-really-constant and not-too-subtle prodding, I figured it was a convenient way to have them meet Jerome. So I asked him to pick me up at my aunt's, for a quick and easy getaway.

The whole time Jerome (who, unlike me, always does well with the parents-litmus-test) was easy and doing great around my dad. I was a wreck, I was eager to split and run.

Okay, so maybe in theory, it's normal for parents to want to meet their child's boyfriend/girlfriend. But in practice, in the terms defined by my relationship and history with my parents, I WAS EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE. Not to mention weirded out by the sudden interest my folks are showing.

Jerome saw my can of worms. Those are issues for me. I've always swept them under the carpet. Hoping never to have to deal with those again when I moved away. Guess you can't run away forever.

birthday blues

2005-04-16T04:09:00.000+08:00

spent most of yesterday making the deadline for swing magazine's 2nd issue. it was over-all a sort of fun birthday. i got a monster-sized bouquet of roses (little over 3 feet!) with matching balloons from boyfriend, daddy j. he had to work too. ah well...

it was really funny to see faith's reaction to the bouquet, she even took pictures.

for lunch my ate bought me birthday noodles from wah yuen. yum!

as a special treat, got a call from nelson. talked to norman too. :) they asked me when i'm moving to vancouver. hahahaa...sweet people. i miss nels.

haven't been blogging lately due to all the work with swing. hay naku. printer's by monday. can't wait.

immortality. mortality, names

2005-04-07T05:01:00.000+08:00

Pope john Paul 2 has passed on to the afterlife. Our former roommate Kura's Mom also passed on. Both looked peaceful in death.

I am once more contemplating my own mortality, and just mortality in general. Is there really an afterlife? Will I reconcile with my religion's teachings about the afterlife when my time comes? Will I go peacefully with that precise knowledge that faith brings?

When Trixie passed away in 1997, I was so distraught at the thought that I did not know where she was that night. I did not know if an afterlife awaits. It was the most terrifying time.

It's 2005. I am not wiser. My faith is just as weak. A huge part of me wants to believe. But I don't know why scepticism gets to me.

As usual when no answers come, I tend to go the opposite way and breathe a bit by doing something completely silly.

So went to blogthings and saw a new test. heeheeheehee...Escapist. Chickenshit. Coward.

This name generator was a lot of fun.

Olivia Tan Khu's Aliases

Your movie star name: Almond Cake King

Your fashion designer name is Olivia Vatican

Your socialite name is Biatang Amsterdam

Your fly girl / guy name is O Khu

Your detective name is Monkey Kong Hua

Your barfly name is Chocolate Vodka Seven

Your soap opera name is Tan Venus

Your rock star name is Melty Kiss Bullet

Your star wars name is Oliles Khujoh

Your punk rock band name is The Mellow Flying Saucer

The Amazing Meganame Generator

desperate west wing

2005-03-30T03:04:00.000+08:00

Holy Week saw me straddling 2 tv series. Desperate Housewives and West Wing. Both are being watched in marathon mode.

take the test

west wing

Both series' first seasons have been consumed and appreciated. Right now, my sister and I are doing WW's 2nd season. Desperately waiting for DH's 2nd season.

A night at Forbest

2005-03-19T02:48:00.000+08:00

On a Friday night, with Jerome sick at home, and me unable to go see him to play nurse (okay there's a thought...), Frankie(not his real name), Karen, Faith and I decided to go out. Catch up on each other’s lives, loves, and laughs.

We headed out at first to Robinsons’ Midnight Sale to get my sister some cool bandannas she can use when she plays badminton. (Yes, she’s playing again…whee!)

We went to old standby, Alda’s. But soon we realized it was a night for beer and not coffee. So we moved to one of the semi-jologs joints near Nakpil called Forbest Grill. Great place for cheap beer. (30 pesos lang!)

We made Frankie recount his circumcision story, as according to Karen, it was one of the best she’s heard about circumcisions.

So there was Frankie, at the tender age of 11-almost-12 years old, accompanied by baby brother Gerald(not his real name) at the hospital.

Frankie: Hey Gerald, sige contest tayo…let’s see who finishes first.
Gerald: okay, kuya.

Doctors come in. And proceeded to administer local anesthesia to the 2 youngsters.

F: *thinking* OOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWW.
F: *out loud* ow…

Curious, little Frankie looked at what the doctor was doing…the good doctor was cutting out the foreskin…okay, halfway there…

Enter nurse.

Nurse: Doctor, there’s a long distance call for you.

D: *looking apologetic* I guess I have to take that call…

Doctor Leaves.

F: *looking up the ceiling*
Clock: tick tock tick tock

Gerald’s doctor finishes with him.

G: *beaming* Kuya, I’m done.

Clock: tick tock tick tock

F: *feels anesthesia fading…he’s beginning to feel the pain*
F:*thinking* …ow…where’s that doctor…???

Clock: tick tock tick tock

Suddenly a bunch of pretty interns enter the room.

Pretty Intern # 1: Oh, how cute, he’s getting circumcised!

Doctor returns at this point.

D: I’m so sorry, son. I had to take that call…
F: *sweat beginning to form on his forehead by now* ok d-d-doc.
D: Son, has the anesthesia worn off? I can give you another shot.
F: No thanks doc. J-just finish it.

PI #1: Can I observe this procedure? *plants her feet*

F: *Praying* Oh dear God, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don’t let me get an erection right now.

Then it was over. Home.

Lola: Oh hi boys, I made you some skirts! *holding out matching skirts she had sewn using old drapery fabric*

F: …ow…

We were laughing so hard. It was a great evening.

volunteerism

2005-03-12T15:24:00.000+08:00

sis went to an eyeball party for her e-group yesterday, icanserve.

i made her volunteer my design services for the organization. admittedly, this is a litle bit of a selfish move. because for the first time since my achi got diagnosed with breast c.a., i can do something i am 100% sure about for a change.

just making their nametags for the party, i stopped feeling helpless for a couple of blissful hours. i was proactive. it's quite a rush.

Bliss in Manila

2005-02-28T02:30:00.000+08:00

Click here for Bliss Site

Label: Music for Dreams

Category: Downbeat.

Bliss is a group with Danish/African/Swiss (I think) members whose music (click here to listen samples) is produced under an indie label.

Some of their songs are classic staples in the underground-ambient scene. They're coming to Manila. We're on the map. Yay...

But you get the feeling it could partially be due to the 2nd Venue they picked. Tee hee...

Bliss Philippine Tourplan 2005.

The Fort (Manila) Philippines 30.march 2005
Boracay Island Philippines 2.april 2005

One of my favorite tracks:

Kissing

See Video

The red light of the sun

Slowly descending

The sky is all I see

It´s never ending
We could fly

You and I

On a cloud

Kissing

The wind plays with the leaves
The weather turns colder
But as long as we believe
Love doesn´t get older
We could fly
You and I
On a cloud
Kissing

On a journey of the heart
There´s so much to see
And when the sky is dark
You´ll be right here
Right here with me

Kissing

Hair

2005-02-23T15:23:00.000+08:00

hair

Sis has had one chemo-treatment almost 3 weeks ago.
she'll be getting her second one next week on March 3.

Yesterday, she started to get bothered by her itchy scalp.
Hair fell out when she scratched her head.

She has a few hats in different colors just for this period.
Later this afternoon, we shall get her more hats.

Early this month, she went to see this vulture wig-maker in San Juan.
She made another visit to a sweet couple (wife is a cancer survivor as well)
who make wigs. Upon their advice, since she'll have roughtly 4 months of chemo,
she decided to just be bald and beautiful.

If people are bothered by her hair's appearance/disappearance, she has 3 words for them:
DEAL WITH IT.

As tribute to this new temporary phase in her life,
Hre are lyrics from the musical Hair.
Something to look forward to when we grow back her crowning glory.

“Let it fly in the breeze
And get caught in the trees
Give a home to the fleas in my hair
A home for fleas
A hive for bees
A nest for birds
There ain't no words
For the beauty, the splendor, the wonder
Of my...

Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair…”

another era

2005-02-18T14:49:00.000+08:00

You Belong in 1968

1968

If you scored...
1950 - 1959: You're fun loving, romantic, and more than a little innocent. See you at the drive in!
1960 - 1969: You are a free spirit with a huge heart. Love, peace, and happiness rule - oh, and drugs too.
1970 - 1979: Bold and brash, you take life by the horns. Whether you're partying or protesting, you give it your all!
1980 - 1989: Wild, over the top, and just a little bit cheesy. You're colorful at night - and successful during the day.
1990 - 1999: With you anything goes! You're grunge one day, ghetto fabulous the next. It's all good!

What Year Do You Belong In?

Doozers

2005-02-18T14:20:00.000+08:00

Across the street from where I live, they are knocking down the old Manila Midtown Ramada Hotel.

24/7 I get too hear banging, drilling, clanging and somethimes feel vibrations/earthquake type rocking.

They seem to have been doing this forever... they remind me of the Doozers in Fraggle Rock.

doozers

There will be motion in the stillness as there is music in the silence.

~Cantus, Fraggle Rock