no accounting for...

there's really no accounting for stupidity. i'm sorry, but on the latest "amazing race", rob (my least favorite reality TV person) kept asking: "What's a gnome?" duh!!!
i remember last season (or was it season before last), at least two teams kept asking: "What's a scarab?" really, now!
these people!

worth the wait

i just realized it's worth waiting for the man who
holds the door open for you,
smiles at you with twinkling eyes,
carries your heavy bags,
hates stereotypes and the typical,
compliments you effortlessly,
fascinates and amazes you every time,
tells you to take care going home...
because patience never runs out
nor will he.

on the way to antipolo

family went to antipolo sunday. interestingly, it has become a feverish obsession for all of us to spot funny signs--it's contagious! here are some we saw. enjoy it as much as we did!:D


what is this movie? who the heck is pekto??


near antipolo cathedral


spot all the funny parts of this!


mwahaha!:D

new, new, new

there's something so liberating about having your hair chopped off. so i got a new haircut last night. another one of my spontaneous decisions that proved to be wise and not foolish.
the night didn't start well, as i was a victim of the LRT going *kerplonk!* so i had to muscle my way to a jeepney ride. there were SO MANY people along the stretch of taft trying to get a ride home during rush hour. not a pretty sight.
so i was late for my appointment. and tired. and sleepy. and very hungry. thankfully, they fed me. wahey! and i had a fruitful meeting.
so on my way home, just a block from where i usually alight from the jeep to get to a trike that will get me to my doorstep, i saw that a new neighborhood parlor that was offering dirt cheap haircuts was still open. it took me just 3 seconds to decide to alight from the jeepney right there and try my luck. there were few people inside, due to the lateness of the hour. but they said they were still open, so in a matter of 10, maybe 15 minutes, i went from bogged down with 5 lbs. (give or take a few) of hair that had a life of its own, to feeling lighter, freer with my shorter (though not ridiculously so) hair. it really feels great.
i love how your hair feels perfect for 24 to 48 hrs. after a haircut. hopefully, it will stay behaved for the next few months.


happy with my "gaan ng feeling" hair

quotes again

"You can never compete with something in the past, with memory. We love what we can't have. And we can't have what we love."

"Love is a matter of timing. It's no good meeting the right person too soon or too late."

--Wong Kar Wai

pet peeves

ok, let me rant for a bit.
when you say you serve fast food, it does not mean that you spend TEN MINUTES preparing the food when there's no other customer around and there are several staff members standing around and chatting anyway.
also, no, it's not ok to make me wait FIVE MINUTES for chicken nuggets or SEVEN MINUTES for fish fillet, when you purport to be serving fastfood. by the very virtue of the name, it's supposed to be (yes, pointing out the obvious) FAST. ergo, turo-turo is fastfood, carinderia is fastfood, isaw and fishballs and kikiam and taho are fastfood. mcdonald's and jollibee are not.:X

lurve movies

being a movie maniac, it was inevitable that i would make a list about my favorite movies. but because constraining myself is not really my style, it's no use making this a "top 10 list of my favorite movies of all time" because i just know i'll end up coming back and editing it over and over again. so let me start with some light stuff first. here are some of my favorite love stories.
1. Before Sunrise & Before Sunset
(must be taken as a unit, bec. one enriches the other)
the writing is wonderful, the acting is exceptional, and the direction is seamless
2. While You Were Sleeping
bec. of the story and bec. of bill pullman
3. Kiss My Act
i can completely relate to this... and it's aspirational
4. Love and Other Catastrophes
i can relate to the film references and there's something about her list
5. Bed of Roses
again, i can relate
6. Some Kind of Wonderful
i don't have a guy best friend, but i love mary stuart masterson (again!)'s character, esp. when she says "i'd rather be alone for the right (reasons)"
7. Moulin Rouge
it's not just a love story, but a musical extravaganza! baz luhrmann is a genius. ewan is gorgeous and so talented. and of course, yes, nicole is too.
8. Chances Are
Robert Downey Jr. is perfect! (well, if you discount the miniscule drug dependence issue) *sigh*
9. When Harry Met Sally
it's smart, it's witty, and it's got lots of heart
10. You've Got Mail
"...for as long as we both shall live"
11. Sleepless in Seattle
bill pullman is here too!:)
12. Never Been Kissed
love drew. love, love, love michael vartan! adore that scene on the ferris wheel
13. Breakfast at Tiffany's
george peppard is so dapper, and audrey hepburn is delightful.
14. Sabrina
the original, with bogey. bec. at some point, every girl dreams of being swept off her feet by an older, worldly man ;)
15. Only You
saw this with my closest cousins--again and again and again. aside from the fact that RDJ is, as always, the perfect leading man, marisa tomei's romantic character is infectious!
16. Kate and Leopold
hugh jackman is just lovely. and at some point, every girl dreams of being swept off her feet by a true gentleman--never mind if it requires time travel.
17. Love Actually
there are so many scenes and lines i love in this movie:
when the best friend (mark?) of keira knightley's husband comes to her door with placards to proclaim his undying love for her
colin firth: "it's the happiest part of my day, driving you"; girl: "it's the saddest part of my day leaving you"
colin firth's character actually studied portuguese to profess his love for the girl!
18. Adam's Heart/Untamed Heart
marisa tomei and christian slater are so intense. well, christian slater is always so intense. *sigh*
19. Bridget Jones's Diary
mostly because of colin firth. and also bec. i can relate. (except for the part where she has to choose between 2 guys)
20. La Strada
not simply a love story, but it is so beautiful, and the song is so haunting.
21. Chungking Express
wong kar wai impressed me way back in college when i first saw this film. recently saw it again, and it still pinches my heart, makes me nod my head in agreement, and sing along to "california dreamin'".
22. Love on a Diet
doesn't matter that andy lau only transforms into his gorgeous self in the last few scenes. it's so touching!
23. My Sassy Girl
ji-hyun jun is so pretty and so convincing in thishilarious and touching film.
24. Il Mare
ji-hyun jun once again stars in this painfully beautiful love story that makes you wish you were part of it.
25. Needing You
if i had a boss that's exactly like andy lau...*deep sigh* this movie is just so sweet.
this list is by no means comprehensive. feel free to tell me about your own favorites!

Glückwünsche, Benedict XVI!

we have a new pope. yehey! this is the first time i've been "witness" to such an activity, and i'm glad that it was fulfilled quickly and decisively.
cardinal joseph ratzinger is in his seventies, but i do hope he can fulfill many years as pope. i like that he chose the name benedict, for st. benedict (ora et labora). and he's german. that's very good news about my european "adopted" country. (no, they're not aware of that. hehe!) there hasn't been a german pope for centuries. and this is just another of the wonderful things happening to deutschland.


new pope with JP II

"i'm seventeen"

"age ain't nothing but a number". check out how you fare in the quiz below.

You Are 17 Years Old

17 Under 12: You are a kid at heart. You still have an optimistic life view - and you look at the world with awe. 13-19: You are a teenager at heart. You question authority and are still trying to find your place in this world. 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. 30-39: You are a thirtysomething at heart. You've had a taste of success and true love, but you want more! 40+: You are a mature adult. You've been through most of the ups and downs of life already. Now you get to sit back and relax.

What Age Do You Act?

funny!!!

last saturday, the trio went on another of our adventures. and for sure, found something amusing, as always...

we're even more dangerous with a digicam, as you can see! oh, and if you want a closer look at that...

donuts...donuts...donuts...

i spotted this at one of the departments in the office the other day:


and of course, couldn't contain my curiosity whether there was already a store in manila. but, as it turns out, someone had just come back from the US and brought the donuts, complete with those little hats. the things we pinoys do...
i haven't tasted krispy kremes myself, but dennis (being the only person who's been to the US that i've bothered to ask about it) says "don't believe the hype" and that go nuts is still better. it's a good thing sonee brought some to the office. i've been craving them for so long!

go nuts should send me lifetime supply of donuts for this advertising!;D

LSS again

this song has been playing in my head for days now:
love moves in mysterious ways
choose whichever version you prefer--julia fordham's, nina's, or MYMP's. doesn't matter.
there it goes again. hmm...

made in korea

we had dinner with this korean guy last night who's just been here 2 months. he's studying english for work. at first, we felt kinda weird, not knowing what to talk to him about. he's an accountant from seoul, and needs to master english for work. having just finished the CDs of "full house", we started spouting korean words and sentences.
thank goodness for korean pop culture! we were soon talking about actors and actresses, movies, music, TV shows, and food. see, dad, all the hours spent marathoning paid off!;)
we asked him if he knew sandara park, and if she's pretty by korean standards. if you're a fan, sorry, he says she's not!
for fans of "my sassy girl", he said that many korean girls have that attitude these days. hmm...
btw, i learned what my name should be when i go to korea: mi. that means beautiful.

family far away

just received a photo of practically all my relatives (my dad's parents, brothers and sisters, and their children) in the States, from a cruise they took on the occasion of my grandparents' wedding anniversary.
weird. some of them, i don't even know. it's really strange how families have evolved. these people who i'm bound by blood, some of them, i wouldn't even know if i bumped into them on the street (IF they ever made it all the way here, or even more improbable, i made it all the way there). whereas there are people here, who i'm not connected to by blood, but by invisible, but stronger bonds.
but it still gives me a sense of... affinity, i guess. and it's interesting to see people i haven't seen in pictures for a while. how my ninong has taken on a "bohemian look", how my tito now has white hair, how my lolo is looking dapper as ever, how my lola is looking healthy, how my ninang is looking happy, how my debutante cousin looks a lot like my sister, how my older cousin looks so grown-up and no longer lanky, how my younger cousins all look so tall. and how i'm missing having cousins and titos and titas here.

most important character

in tagaytay, they have this "character of the month" that they encourage people to practise. like, patience or courtesy. i thought about it, and i've decided that for me, the most important is honesty. i try to be honest in everything, and i'd like people to be honest to me. especially about the most important things. experience has made me value the harsh blow of honesty to the gentler, but ultimately more painful slice of delusion.

lines on instant replay in my head

keep hearing these lines from that song in my head:

there's this somebody i'm longing to see
i hope that he
turns out to be
someone who'll watch over me...

last goodbye and a birthday

yesterday was a day for goodbyes.
it was the last goodbye for pope john paul II. EDSA shrine brought out vestments he used during the Mass he said at UST when he was here for world youth day 10 yrs. ago. (Wow, it's been that long???) good thing i was able to take a picture of it.



also said goodbye to someone who i hope, instead of being our last meeting, will commence more meetings sometime soon.

i went to play badminton for the first time in 11 yrs. last night. it was a birthday celebration of my friend, coco, from school. i was a bit nervous at first, not having even held a racket for that long period of time. and when it was all the rage, i didn't want to be accused of "going with the fad". but for you, coco, i finally tried badminton again. it wasn't bad at all. i had fun, and might even play again soon.

chocolate cake with cherries on top!:)

yes, i really played the game!

buses and signs

i almost got in trouble for taking this photo. come on, isn't it a free country? how can we NOT take photos of signs that make the traffic bearable?


spot this bus!!!

hanging out at the gas station--laughing your ass off!

who said refueling wasn't fun? i found two hilarious signs while getting "gassed-up" yesterday with my dad and my sister.


2-in-1: the "flammable" thing is just sad...the "no sitting" is sadist, i think;)


photo by my dad. he's got an eye, that one!:D
we had to think about this one for a while. in case it would make sense in ANY situation. our conclusion: NOT!

"be cool" is cool

after a considerable amount of time, i went to watch a movie in a theatre last night. we were debating over seeing "hitch" or "constantine", then dennis suggested "hitch" nalang daw. but when we got there, we found that "be cool" was showing already. i didn't know anything about the movie, except that i thought the trailer was funny, and that it had uma thurman, vince vaughn, and of course, john travolta!



it's a funny movie, that's ironic, self-reflexive, and self-aware. there are a lot of cameos from musicians and actors and sports celebs alike. count 'em: black eyed peas, fred durst, aerosmith, sergio mendez, the LA lakers, seth green. when danny devito came onscreen, that's when i recalled "get shorty", which i absolutely loved. and it just later dawned on me that this was a sequel. because, really, it's long overdue. there's a lot of smart dialogue and funny situations. i'm so glad we watched it.
uma thurman and john travolta oozed onscreen. (though i couldn't help but miss the prettier, in my opinion, rene russo.) vince vaughn's character is really funny as a white guy trying to act like a black guy. and the rock as a gay bodyguard actor-wannabe is hilarious! i guess he can afford to kiss wrestling goodbye. all the performances were excellent. and i love christina milian, so i appreciated her performance as well.
that was a great movie-watching experience, really.

words

words i hate hearing:
"There's nothing we can do, that's the way it is."

words i hate saying:
"Puwede na 'yan!"

crazy about quotes 4

yehey! i found the quotes for "before sunrise"!!!

Celine: Isn't everything we do in life a way to be loved a little more?

Celine: Well, who says relationships have to last forever?

Jesse: I know happy couples...but I think they lie to each other!

Celine: If there's any kind of magic in this world, it must be in the attempt of understanding someone, sharing something. I know, it's almost impossible to succeed, but... who cares, really? The answer must be in the attempt.

crazy about quotes 3

today's your lucky day, i'm on a roll.:)
i have a few quotes from "dream for an insomniac" that i love. huh?? i know, i know, few people have heard of it. and really, it was a bad movie. makenzie astin and ione skye could have done much better. but the one-liners are great.

"There are too many mediocre things in this world to deal with, love shouldn't have to be one of them."

"Anything other than mad, passionate love is just a waste of time."

"There is no chance at all. We are all trapped by a singular fate. No one ever finds the one."

"I am going to circumnavigate his soul until he is surrounded on all sides by my love."

"Choices are like connecting highways. They all take you to the same place. Some just take longer to get there."

crazy about quotes 2

since i'm on mushy mode, allow me to post my favorite romantic CSI quote (if you watched the episode--sorry, don't remember which one exactly, but i remember the scene--you'll know how wonderfully grissom said it):

Sara: Since when are you interested in beauty?
Gil: Since I met you.

ooohhh...

crazy about quotes

i love the movies. i live and breathe the ideas and one-liners (or entire conversations) in movies. in the movies, everything is possible. the dashing, perfect guy falls in love with the plain, unadorned girl --and sometimes, without her even going through a major physical transformation!
so i was going through imdb.com last night, and found, thankfully, that some of my favorite quotes were there. here are a couple from "before sunset" (movie of our lives)...

Celine: The concept is absurd. The idea that we can only be complete with another person is evil!

Celine: I see it in the people that do the real work, and what's sad in a way is that the people that are the most giving, hardworking, and capable of making this world better, usually don't have the ego and ambition to be a leader.

Celine: I guess when you're young, you just believe they'll be many people with whom you'll connect with. Later in life, you realize it only happens a few times.

Jesse: Life's hard. It's supposed to be. If we didn't suffer, we'd never learn anything.

Jesse: When I was younger, I was healthier, but I was, uh, whacked with insecurity, you know? Now I'm older and my problems are deeper, but I'm more equipped to handle them.

Jesse: In the months heading up to my wedding, I was thinking of you.

my ma's birthday

family drove up to tagaytay for the weekend. saturday was my mom's birthday. she's 54, but doesn't look it. must be because of her beautiful, obedient, smart daughter. hehe! (that's me, in case you were wondering)
we passed santi's and i decided i wanted to eat there. and everyone was in favor of it. (especially since it was going to be my treat anyway)
we had sausages, chicken, pasta, and yummy fresh fruit juices.
then, dessert came for my mom, with a candle and a birthday song pa from the staff.
she seemed pretty happy. i'm glad.


"haaappyyy biiirthdayyy tooo youuu!"


mama's yummy carrot cake


a full family is always a happpy family

tagaytay weekends are great!

about avril

someone said that he's not a fan of avril. just said we liked her lyrics... they spoke to us. for him, and others who haven't really read her lyrics, here are just some...

from HAPPY ENDING
Let's talk this over
It's not like we're dead
Was it something I did?
Was it something You said?
Don't leave me hanging
In a city so dead
Held up so high
On such a breakable thread

You were all the things I thought I knew
And I thought we could be

[Chorus:]
You were everything, everything that I wanted
We were meant to be, supposed to be, but we lost it
And all of the memories, so close to me, just fade away
All this time you were pretending
So much for my happy ending

from I'M WITH YOU
It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Wont you take me by the hand
take me somewhere new
I dont know who you are
but I... I'm with you

from DON'T TELL ME
You held my hand and walked me home, I know
Why you gave me that kiss it was something like this it made me go ooh ohh
You wiped my tears, got rid of all my fears, why did you have to go?
Guess it wasn't enough to take up some of my love
Guys are so hard to trust
Did I not tell you that I'm not like that girl?
The one who gives it all away

[Chorus:]
Did you think that I was gonna give it up to you, this time?
Did you think that it was somethin I was gonna do and cry?
Don't try to tell me what to do,
Dont try to tell me what to say,
You're better off that way

from THINGS I'LL NEVER SAY
(Cause) I’m feeling nervous
Trying to be so perfect
Cause I know you’re worth it
You’re worth it
Yeah

[Chorus]
If I could say what I want to say
I'd say I wanna blow you... away
Be with you every night
Am I squeezing you too tight
If I could say what I want to see
I want to see you go down
On one knee
Marry me today
Yes, I’m wishing my life away
With these things I’ll never say

from ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY
Somebody rip my heart out
And leave me here to bleed
Is it enough to die?
Somebody save my life
I'd rather be anything but ordinary please

To walk within the lines
Would make my life so boring
I want to know that I
Have been to the extreme
So knock me off my feet
Come on now give it to me
Anything to make me feel alive

overdue avril posting

pardon me for posting about the wonderful time i had at avril's concert days after the event. too much stress and deadlines. but i'm so glad that i had that night to have fun with my friends. it just washed all the stress away.
first off, i rode the fort bus to market! market! to meet my friends. on the bus, i already noticed a lot of young people dressed in black, girls in miniskirts, guys in baggy pants, some with body piercings, one in dreadlocks. when the bus conductor announced "ok, everyone going to the concert!" all of the skater boys and girls alighted. i felt so relieved that i didn't have to alight with that group. i would've looked like their straight-laced babysitter.


amazing fountain

it was my first time at market! market! and i liked how it's enormous, but not intimidating. i took a few minutes appreciating the fountains. i love fountains, and i love the "show" there.


real sunflower for sale at the market! NICE!!!!
i then proceeded to chi chi rico, where i saw the most amazing dragonfly jewelry. cecilia had told me about it. and melanie helped me pick out a fabulous dragonfly ring.
melanie introduced me to mitch and ana of "the rock". we went to teriyaki boy for dinner, where i had, as always, gyudon. funny thing happened there. we were talking about a whole range of topics (from terror bosses to being single), including korean telenovelas. then, a little girl, around 10 yrs. old, whose table was adjacent to ours, approaches our table and asks if we're fans of kpop. then, she proceeds to tell us which groups she likes, and chatting as if she were our age! after the conversation, she just thanked us, and caught up to her parents who were waiting by the door. the only thing i could say when she left was: "we still look like we're in college, right?" because, c'mon! that was just bordering on pathetic if we looked like sad women who could only talk about juvenile things.
neway, cecilia texted me that she was going home and not going to the station. we decided to ask her to join us for the concert, ready to try to persuade her. but as it turns out, she immediately consented. great friend!!!



cecilia joined us at teriyaki boy, where we chatted until 9 pm. by then, we figured, maybe simple plan was done playing, and we could catch avril performing. of course, someone had to ask: "what if avril came on first?" NOOOO!!!


we walked just a short distance to the venue. the weather was nice--not too cold, not humid either. when we got to the venue, we went to the ticket booth to get a ticket for cecilia. meantime, we heard a song by the gin blossoms playing. we asked the ticket attendant whether the show had started. she said simple plan just finished, and it was avril's turn in 10 minutes. perfect timing! (sorry, pau, can't fulfill your request re simple plan. however, read on and you'll find something interesting)


we found a good place to spread our sarong on the grass, with a good view of the stage. we just had enough time to make kwento a bit more, then avril was on. we were on our feet immediately, and then, we saw it, her hair really was all blond. we agreed we didn't like the hair. but then, she started singing. here are the songs she sang: (i may have made a mistake along the way, pls. bear with me)
Take Me Away
Happy Ending
Let It Go
Unwanted
I Always Get What I Want
Things I'll Never Say
Who Knows
I'm With You
Losing Grip
Together (avril played the piano)
Forgotten (played the piano for one part)
Tomorrow (on guitar)
Nobody's Home
Mobile
Don't Tell Me
Sk8er Boi
Song #2 by Blur (avril played the drums here. we think the guy who sang is from simple plan)
Complicated


It was a very satisfying experience for us because I knew 95% of the songs she sang. (I'm the biggest Avril fan among the trio.) We felt so liberated jumping around, singing at the top of our voices, shouting and clapping. I'm glad she sang a lot of songs that I like, just missed two: Why and Anything But Ordinary.
As we were walking to Shell where melanie's sister was picking us up, we were overwhelmed by how many very young kids--as in, some were around 7 or 8, accompanied by their parents--attended the concert. but, as nona pointed out, she knew people much older who watched it too.
i now officially love the fort open field as a concert venue. (last time we were there was during the boyz2men concert) and i'm going back to market! market!
it was a very fine day indeed.

sad day

i'm very sad today. pope john paul II, who i never met, but hold very dear to my heart, has left this world. of course, i should be happy that he is with God and has left this world that is wrought with pain and suffering. but i feel very sad because he is the pope that i grew up with, and i admire him completely, and love him very much. he brought so many people closer to God, and mended the relationship of the Church with other sectors as well. and i know that he was admired by so many people, Catholics and non-Catholics alike.