Friday 31 August 2012

The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem, almost too much to handle,When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy classAnd had some items in front of him.When the class began, wordlessly,He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jarand proceeded to fill it with golf balls..
He then asked the students, if the jar was full.They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and pouredthem into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.The pebbles rolled into the open Areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.Of course, the sand filled up everything else.He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectivelyfilling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed..
'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided,'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.The golf balls are the important things - family,children, health, Friends, and Favorite passions –Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, Your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.
The sand is everything else --The small stuff.
'If you put the sand into the jar first,' He continued,'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.The same goes for life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,You will never have room for the things that are important to you.
So...
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.Play With your children.Take time to get medical checkups.Take your partner out to dinner.
There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.
'Take care of the golf balls first --The things that really matter.Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled.'I'm glad you asked'.
It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.

Tuesday 28 August 2012

The Mistress: A Must Watch Movie This September


Star Cinema released the official poster for The Mistress, their latest mature film which marks Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz's 10th anniversary as a love team. One big and beautiful celebration, The Mistress will tackle a complicated love story of four people set to hit theaters September 12, 2012.

Sunday 26 August 2012

The Pencil and the Eraser

Excerpt from a text messages from a friend.

PENCIL: I am really sorry.

ERASER: for what?

PENCIL: I'm sorry because you get hurt because of me. Whenever I made a mistake, you're always there to erase it. But as you make my mistakes vanish, you lose a part of yourself. You get smaller and smaller each time.

ERASER: That's true. But I don't really mind. You see, I was made to do this. I was made to help you whenever you do something wrong. Even though one day, I know I'll be gone and you'll replace me with a new one, I'm actually happy with my job. So please, stop worrying. I hate seeing you sad.

Thursday 23 August 2012

So Long.. and Thanks

To be honest I haven't heard of him before. 
I don't know him. 
What I know is that people tend to splurge on superlatives when someone dies. 
But the flood of good words are enough to convince me that we have just lost a rare gem in Philippine politics.

A fellow Bicolano.
Dios Mabalos!


Wednesday 22 August 2012

Tom and Jerry

Papa forbids us to watch any TV channels that has “Parental Guidance” written on lower right of the screen (papa would point it to make certain there would be no misunderstanding on our part), so we would watch Cartoon Network with Bunny the Bunny (my trusted stuff toy with my pee all over it).

Tom and Jerry was my all time favorite cartoon TV shows. Since I was a kid, I was so obsessed with this two cartoon characters. I enjoyed watching Tom chasing Jerry and always admired Jerry on how he thinks of different ways to escape Tom's ensnare. This has been one of my past times when I was a kid and up to now. I was so struck by how Tom chased Jerry. Chasing Jerry could mean, Tom wants to eat Jerry whole or it could also be a way of revenge from Jerry's naughtiness and cleverness.

One thing I observed in the chase is that Jerry always wins.

In real life, chasing does happened. Like a real mouse and a cat chase scenario. The mouse mostly wins. I believe this is because the cat is running for his food while the mouse is running for his life. A person who is in need will do anything just to get and satisfy his/her cravings. A person who has a purpose will surely win.

    Purpose is more important than need.

    I've learned that we should live life not just with a need but more with a purpose. 

Looonnnngg Weekennndds

There's nothing like a long weekend
There was nothing like Saturday – unless it was the Saturday leading into the long weekend. That, of course, was all the Saturdays of your life rolled into one big shiny ball.

Saturday meant spending the day riding a bike, working out and goofing around instead of in a office. 

Monday 20 August 2012

Movie Mondays: My Amnesia Girl

As part of our dating routine, watching movies was always on our list. I remember the first movie that we've watched together (we’re not an item nor we’re not close, it’s just one of the spur of the moment that he invited me to watch movie with him). As a fan of John Lloyd Cruz, he already had a movie in his mind – THE AMNESIA GIRL.


The movie’s topic is a universal favorite, but especially close to the fatalistic hearts of the contemporary Filipino audience: finding true love in a random world. Do you ever wonder about the love of your life who might be crossing the street as you don’t notice because you’re too busy watching the traffic light? (Hmmm. This is potentially tragic. Next time I will try to watch both traffic light and pedestrians although I already spend an inordinate amount of time watching people on the street, wondering about their lives.)

The story goes lie this: when Apollo (John Lloyd Cruz) finds himself surrounded by friends who are beginning to settle down, he is faced with the possibility of finding his true love. It all boils down to one name: Irene. It must be fate then, when he once again sees Irene (Toni Gonzaga), his ex-girlfriend from three years ago with whom he had the best memories with. Apollo and Irene were a perfect couple, and were engaged to be married. It all ended at the altar when Apollo had a bout of cold feet and left Irene alone in the aisle.

Now, Irene pretends to have no recollection of Apollo, having acquired “amnesia” shortly after their separation. Apollo sees this as the perfect opportunity to pursue Irene again, and be able to undo all the mistakes he made in the past, by offering Irene the best memories she could ever have.
True love is difficult to resist, they learn. Just when they find themselves ready to commit to each other, the pains from the past catch up with them, challenging them to finally own up to the mistakes made and lies said, and eventually realize what it is to forgive and forget.

I can say it’s honestly cute in some places and cheesy in others. The dialogue is funny in certain parts. For mainstream rom coms, we do not dare hope for some kind of deeper artistic meaning or social commentary. We were watching My Amnesia Girl for sheer entertainment and a few moments of escape. Never mind about the wildly uneven cinematography and the glaringly awful sound of this movie, or the terrifically long montages, or the bad wig. It simply takes my breath away.

Sabi sa census may 11 milyon na tao sa Metro Manila. Paano mo malalaman na nahanap mo na yung taong para sa'yo? Maaring nakita mo na siya, pero yumuko ka para magsintas. Maaring nakatabi mo na siya, pero lumingon ka para tingnan ang traffic lights. Maaring nakasalubong mo na siya pero humarang yung pedicab.
May mga maswerteng tao na nahanap na yung taong para sa kanila. May mga tanong patuloy na naghahanap at may iba na sumuko na. Pero yung pinakamasaklap, eh yung na sayo na pinakawalan mo pa

Sunday 19 August 2012

A Letter to My Brother

MANILA, Philippines -- Today, August 18, 2012 is my brother's birthday. He’s the eldest male in the family. I can say that my brother and I have that "frienemies" kind of relationship when we were still kids. I believe our eleven months gap is the reason since we basically almost grew up together. We would fight over little things and not talk for weeks (yes weeks, nothing hold a grudge than my brother). But I love him nonetheless.

A Love Letter to My Brother

Dear Brother,

I don't get the chance to tell you how much you mean to me and how much I LOVE YOU. I always look up to you as my brother who is always there for me and for our two younger siblings. I hope you know how much I value the relationship we have. As always, I am still wondering how lucky I am to have a brother like you. I am thankful that God gave you to me. Every time I look back and reminisce the past, you can never erase the smile on my face. Why? Because of so many things. We are not that close when we were young, even as we grow older, we still have that gap. But what I can’t forget is that in our brief moments when there were only the two of us we were playmates and best friend, until two of our younger siblings came along. I would always remember the times mama always tends to dress us in matching shirt and short. I was a girl for heaven’s sake. I never could understand why our parents always cut my hair short and dress me up as a boy. However, it doesn't stop me from loving you as a brother. I can feel that you are always there. I may not see it but you are there. I can feel the love and care and the sincerity of your heart.

I want you to know that I am proud of you. What you achieved right now is something that I have been praying for. I am happy that you become a better person that God wants you to be. I know how proud our parents are because of that.

Brother, I haven't said this before and I regret for not telling this to you - IM SORRY. Sorry for in one way or another I failed you. I caused you so much pain in the past and inflict you with guilt. What happened in the past made me realized that blood is thicker than water. I also realized that my love to you as a brother will always comes first more than anything and I am willing to give up my own happiness and life for my brother. Nakakatawang balikan at isipin na ang nangyari sa atin noong nakaraan ay parang eksena sa isang pelikula. Hindi man naging maganda ang katapusan ng pelikula ngunit nananaliti pa ring matatag ang relasyon nating magkakapatid.


I may not always tell you but I hope you know how special you are to me, how much I appreciate the friendship between us and how many times I feel proud to have you, such a kind generous brother.

And today, I hope you know all the good things I wish for you and all the love that in my heart for one very special brother. Thank You!

Have a Blessed Birthday Brother!!!

Always,

Big Sister

Thursday 16 August 2012

Kitchen Duties

“I should spend a lot time in the kitchen and master at least ten dishes”, this is my mantra for the past few days. I’ve been spending a lot of time browsing through the internet for recipes, sadly I haven’t the gumption to do any cooking.

JR urges me to cook, he even pressed me to go to their kitchen whenever I’m at his place, and watch his mom cooks for the family. Even his Dad was clamoring for me to learn how to cook JR favorite meal. Before the year is out, I must learn to satisfy his stomach, and hopefully I will be able to carry out my plans.

The following are usual dishes that bring home cooked meals to another level:
  1. Tinolang Manok
  2. Sinigang na Baboy/Hipon
  3. Salad
  4. Liempo (Grilled)
  5. Kare-Kare
Next time, I’ll post pictures with me cooking and their recipes. Wish me luck!

Wednesday 15 August 2012

A Little Love

A little love that slowly grows and growsNot one that comes and goesThat's all I want from youA sunny day with hopes up to the skyA kiss and no goodbyeThat's what I want from youDon't let me down or show me that you careRemember when you give you also get to shareDon't let me down I have no time to waitTomorrow might not comewhen dreamers dream too late
I was browsing through my things when I found this lyric. The song was one of the many songs that made impact in my life. I come across this song while I was still in my grade school years (don’t remember which). All I remember of this song is that I copied it from one of my grade school books and have it memorize all because I thought it was a nice “poem”. I have this habit of listing all my favorite lines, poems, and quotes on a scrap of paper then have it transferred to a thick bound notebook, I still do. Only difference is that I was busier today that I have no time to finish what I started, but hey it’s a lifetime project. Mama was the one who taught me how to sing the song. She heard me one afternoon reciting this song while manning our store (we have a grocery back then). Mama said I have a sentimental heart because of my affinity to this kind of song. You can’t fault me when I’m idealistic enough for my own good. I am a completely opposite of my mother. Mama was realistic and practical. Not that I wasn’t realistic and practical, in fact, when the need for it arises, I was the most realistic person that you’ll find around.  It’s just that I’m also the kind of girl that still believes in fairytales and happily ever after. I read romance novel for relaxation, I enjoys scented candles and I would like to receive flowers (though I kept on insisting that I didn’t want one), and I’ve yet to receive it from someone.

The reason why I want to share with you this song because years ago, I also dreamt of my own Prince Charming (we’re not into Shrek stage yet, it was always Prince Charming). I would imagine what he would look like, but at a young age the Prince Charming that pops in my mind were always in multicolor cartoons (the kind that you see in Disney i.e. Snow White, Cinderella), not flesh and blood. As I grew older, I witness my friends getting their heart broken, though I never experience getting my heart broken before, I became prejudiced when it comes to relationships. Oh, I have my share of disappointment with boys but I never experience getting my heart broken. Maybe because, I was practical enough to know that I was not yet ready for such relationship. I would tell myself, when I’m ready for such thing, he would be the one for me.

By the way, the title of the song is called “A Friend’s Plea”. 

Tuesday 14 August 2012

Movie Monday: Compilations of Horror Movies I've Watched

I'm a huge fan of horror movies, but I haven't the courage to watch it alone. 

Below are the compilations of horror movies I've watched at cinema.

Dalaw (December 25, 2010)



This movie is about a woman who was in an abusive relationship which came to an end when her husband dies in a car accident due to an argument the two of them were having in the car at the time. The woman was now free of her husband in terms of his actual physical presence in her life. However, for a time, she was haunted by him --or thought that she was-- because she "saw things". 



A friend reintroduces her to her first love whose heart she broke when she entered into a marriage of convenience with an abusive man. At this point, the "haunting" she experienced after his death have ceased and it now seems she was completely free to start a new relationship. Eventually they get married --but not uneventfully, since something happens. Later she and her child (a boy) move into her new husband's home where he lives with his mother (something her new mother-in-law had insisted on). Things begin to happen, starting with the woman's son, who is seeing and experiencing things. It shortly becomes clear that the haunting has restarted; a fact the woman assumes to be the result of her deceased former husband's displeasure with her new marriage. 




Bulong (February 2, 2011) 




The film starts in a church where a centipede-like demon is crawling at the walls. The protagonist Conan really wanted to get Ellen, the girl he liked and so he asked his friend on how to achieve his wish. His friend said that there was a rumor that if you whisper your wish to a dead body, the soul of that body would help you. So he sought the help of Oprah who is also a friend. He whispered to the corpse his wish that she would fall in love with him, but the first one was a failure because the corpse became deaf before it died. Conan went home in disappointment but at the same time an old woman was hit by a car, he whispered his wish. The next day while at work, Conan was met by Ellen in a romantic manner and it seems that his wish had worked. But suddenly the old woman that was killed bgan to haunt him and wanted him to repay the request that he made to her. He found out that the woman was a witch and she wants to ask forgiveness to a girl to whom she used hex She needs Conan to make her drink that is made out of holy water and a part of the old woman's body. Conan and Oprah traveled to Bohol where the girl lives and is attacked by demons during the trip. They finally arrived at the girl's house before being attacked by the centipede-like demon, the girl finally drank the liquid and broke the spell that was cast upon her. The old woman stopped haunting Conan.

The Healing (July 25, 2012)


The Healing has all the earmarks of a fairly typical Filipino horror movie. It takes some element of our local folklore (in this case, faith healers) and brings it to horrific ends. But the movie turns out to be much more than that. Though it stalls the action a little too much, the film is still undeniably fun. It cleverly works in a bit of humor within all the grisly action, and adds a plethora of stylistic touches to make everything feel just a little bit different. 

Seth's father Odong is not able to walk because of a stroke so Seth brought her father to Manang Elsa, a faith healer, to heal the sickness of his father. It was Odong's turn to be healed and Manang Elsa touched him. She prescribed some herbal for his medication to take. When they were leaving the place, someone fainted inside and was immediately brought inside the house. Seth and his father went home. Seth's housemaid Alma has a small party and Seth was tired so she went to her room and slept. But before she slept, she was surprised by the crow flying in her house.

The next day, she did not saw her father in the house and surprised that she saw his father walking around. Seth's son, Jed visited her and was amazed of his grandfather and ask for help because his half-sister Cookie has a renal disease called Glomerulonephritis and wants to bring him to the healer. Seth did not want him to help because if something bad happens, she will be the one to be blamed. But Jed pleaded so Seth agreed but with a condition that she will not go with them and her parents won't know about she have done. When Seth arrived home, she saw that there was a party going on on her house. She saw her friends and his father was eating meat and drinks alcohol which is bad for his health. His friend Ding, a policeman, asks for Seth's help because he has a skin disease called psoriasis and wants to become healed. Her maid, Alma also came to her because she cannot pass the health examination to go to Dubai because she also has a skin disease on her foot.Three others were also begging for Seth to take them to the healer because they want to be cured too. It was Chona, a woman who suffered Goiter, Greta, a woman who was mumps in her breast and Kakay, a girl who cannot see. They went to the town of the healer and was informed that Manang Elsa, refused to cure people because she was sick. But Seth begged the healer so Manang Elsa let them in and cured them.

After going home,Seth saw her father with a young woman named Kelly dressed as an anime. Seth thinks that her father thinks too childish after he was cured. The next day, everyone was happy because their sickness had gone away except for Cookie who had a fever and was brought to the hospital. Val, Cookie's father and Seth's divorced husband, knew that Seth is the one who brought his daughter to the healer but he was amazed when he saw Cookie well and was brought out of the hospital. During the anniversary of Ding and his wife, Seth saw Chona and she asked her to go to the anniversary but Chona just smiled and walked away. After the anniversary, Seth saw Chona dead after killing herself with a pierced glass in her neck. At the funeral, the husband of Chona told Seth that Chona saw a crow in her dreams before she died. It was like the crow that Seth saw in her house. The people who also got healed saw a crow in their dreams. Seth also realized that she saw Chona yesterday but her husband told that Chona was just in the house. Later on, Seth saw Greta in her house while stretching her long neck so Seth followed her. While Greta was smoking, she saw her doppleganger and got inside of her. She killed her husband but she also killed herself afterwards by tying her neck into a rope. The next day, Seth went on a grocery store and saw Ding walked past her. Seth phoned Ding trying to warn him. Ding is in a raid, and when he opened one of the rooms, his doppelganger got him and he began shooting everyone, one of the police shot him dead.

Meanwhile Alma panicked knowing that she would be the next target. After the horrifying consequences, Seth asked her father if he saw a crow in his dreams but his father thought that he did not see a crow instead he had wet dreams.Seth decided to confront Manang Elsa about this. She went back to the healer to find Manang Elsa already dead after being killed by Dario, the man who fainted and died due to a heart-attack. Manang Elsa unknowingly "cured" the dead, which should not be done because the life that was used to revive him will take away the lives of the people that Manang Elsa cured after him. The people cured after Dario will die by joining the doppleganger and itself and attempt to do suicide. One night Seth was trapped in a traffic jam and startled to see Alma get off the van. Knowing that this is not the real Alma, Seth phoned Alma and warn her that her doppelganger is on its way to her. Alma didn't believe Seth, unit it reached her. The now possessed Alma killed some of her dorm mates and eventually burned herself. Afraid for her daughter's life, Cita (Kakay's mom) brought her to a Chinese temple to be guarded by their relative monks. Seth saw Kakay's doppelganger and warned Cita, however, Kakay was lost during the dragon dance and her doppelganger got into her. Kakay killed the praying monks and committed suicide by jumping off the roof. Seth was being haunted by the people who got killed and blamed her for their death because Seth is the key who brought them to the healer. She also saw Kakay's soul crying to her and Seth took pity on her. Since all of them had died, there is only one left and it is Cookie, her stepdaughter. She took Cookie to her house and put on CCTV cameras to see the doppleganger of Cookie so they will know when it will possess her.To end the curse, Seth went to the jail to see Dario and she decided to bring him a food that is poisoned. Dario told her that he is not the real Dario and he just possessed his body after Manang Elsa cured him. Seth took pity because she could not kill a person so she took the food and threw it away. When she got to the house,she saw the doppleganger of Cookie thinking it already possessed Cookie, killed her by shocking her with a toaster and she vanished away. Seth was brought to the hospital because her arm got stabbed by Cookie's doppleganger with a knife. She saw Cookie alive with Jed and he said that they saw Cookie's doppleganger so they ran away. Thinking that Seth killed Cookie's doppleganger, she let Cookie back in her house. Surprisingly, Cookie saw her doppleganger again in her house so she ran away but her doppleganger run fast and possessed inside of her. The possessed Cookie went to Seth's house and brought her a cake for being thankful to her. Thinking that Cookie will cut the cake, she stabbed Seth's other arm again instead so Seth ran away since she cannot use her both arms to fight.Jed went to the house and took Cookie away but Jed's doppleganger strangled Seth in her neck. While Dario was saying prayers to the Devil, Melchor, Manang Elsa's husband, shot him three times. On the first shot, Jed's doppleganger disappeared. On the second shot, Cookie fainted and her doppleganger got away. And on the third shot Dario fell on the ground and is already dead. The policemen put their guns to Melchor but he put his gun down because he already killed Dario which he had wanted for revenge for killing his wife. Seth, Jed and Cookie is now saved from the curse. They woke up Cookie to see if she is still alive and Cookie surprisingly opened her eyes.

The movie suffers from a very common horror movie complaint. The characters are entirely too passive about serious problems. The characters figure out the connection between violent events and the healing quickly enough, but it takes them forever to do anything about it. Movies tend to need characters to be active, trying to solve their problems with whatever resources are available to them. Having said that, the movie does a great job of surrounding the central conflict with interesting little details. There’s a funny, subversive edge to the way the community is written, and a genuinely crushing dilemma complicating the eventual solution. 



The film isn’t afraid to get a little goofy, offsetting the violence and darkness with tinges of humor. What could’ve been generic horror movie stuff is enlivened by a slight satirical bent that takes to task the very concept of healing. And the film thrives on its relationships, building real stakes out of few well-placed lines of dialogue. The production looks quite accomplished, and the film makes room for quite a few stylistic touches. Most noticeably, the film marks its movements by having the characters dress in the same color. It’s not entirely clear what the point of it is, but it does make the film more visually interesting. 

The Healing could a little tighter. The characters spend too much time not doing anything about their predicament, which makes it feel like they’re just courting danger. But if one can overlook that little wrinkle, the movie is just a whole lot of fun. It has an inspired sense of self, a personality beyond what we’ve come to expect in every horror feature.

Soon I Won't Be Twenty Two Anymore


Wednesday 8 August 2012

Wordless Wednesday


Red Alert

‘Tis the seasons of typhoons and flooding in Metro Manila.

Yesterday happens to be the worst flooding in our area. According to the residents, it was the first time that our area has flooded. Not surprising, considering the non-stop rains brought by hanging habagat. Classes were suspended on all levels. No work for public and private institutions. Some of the places in Metro Manila experience electricity outages (ours happen at 1pm in the afternoon).

I spent the day reading all the books I could get my hands of. I don’t care much for the dark, I thought, there’s flashlights and candles. I was steep in the murders and mayhems. I also took some pictures. As I’m writing this, it was still raining. Work and classes were suspended. And electricity was back. 




























Monday 6 August 2012

The Man and His Dog

I had a great time watching (and taking pictures) of Labsie and his dog, Jazzy, this weekend. It was a great experience. I keep on clicking my camera looking for an angle and trying to execute a perfect shot. I just want to capture the moments that shows the bond of loyalty. Sadly, I haven't mastered it yet.

Jazzy, according to Labsie is a very talented dog. Honestly, I just find her cute and intimidating (a contrasting personalities). Everytime Lasbie, Jazzy and I went for a walk, I always keep a healthy distance from her, due to the fact that she will easily knocked me off, as you can see she's huge and I was miniscule (not that mini, mind you!).

Looking through Jazzy's eyes


Jazzy

Playing Fetch

Look that way
I want to share with you the "Ten Canine Commandments"


Thursday 2 August 2012

Rainy Days and a Wedding

I love the Rain.
It hides your true feelings. It allows you to dance like a kid. It makes a good romantic background. The cold weather makes you feel alive. The shape it forms as it hits the ground unleashes your creativity.The pitter-patter sound it creates can mean anything.. and everything.
It’s been raining a lot these past few months with books as my constant companion. Most of the books I’ve read were of romance genre and it suits my mood for the moment. These past few days (or it is months?), I’ve been looking for a way to describe what relationship is all about. Those books speak of love, commitments, and compromise. Being in a relationship myself, I can tell that we have love, commitments, and compromise (oh by the way, add communication to the mix). As a girl, I can’t help but sigh at the fairy tale endings one associated with reading or watching that involves a girl and a boy who fell in love and they live ever happily after (it makes me think what king of happily ever after was in store for me).

I attended a wedding a few days ago and it was a novelty experience for me. First, it’s my first time attending a wedding that isn't a typical Chinese weddings (Chinese weddings in the Philippines were usually held in hotel and they served, of course, Chinese dishes one at a time); Second, I attended the wedding without a member of my family. The wedding was a simple one but not plain. It was held at FernwoodGardens, and it makes me think of a wedding in the middle of the forest. It was truly magical. For the time being, I get to witness two people, two strangers, exchange vows to seal the “deal of the lifetime”. And in that moment I find myself unable to describe the moment. It was simply indescribable.  

To the newlywed, Congratulations and Best Wishes! 

A little blurry, I don't have a decent shot of myself.