Monday Madness
1. Name 1 comedy movie you've seen.


2. Name 2 black and white films you remember seeing.
I hate the fact that are "colorizing" every single black and white movie - they lose their appeal!



3. Name 3 dramas you thought were worth watching.




4. Name 4 television shows you watch on a regular (or semi-regular) basis.





5. Name 5 things that, in your opinion, are advertised on television too frequently.

Toothpaste - too many flavors to choose from.

All those whitening products - let's face it we are Asians so why do you want to be fair??!

Shampoo - my hair will never be that straight besides I love my curls.

Dishwashing Detergents - I don't think I will wash that many dishes in my entire lifetime

Corned Beef - Come on, do you really believe that celebrities like Aga Muchlach, Boy Abunda and Kris Aquino eat corned beef every single day? I don't think so!

Guilty Pleasures
I did something, last night.
Something I haven't done in ages.
It felt good.
A nice stress reliever.
But.
This morning.
I woke up with a stiff neck and a sore back.
Hmmm, I figure it is just PMS.

Maybe not.
Who knows?

One of life's many mysteries.
Such as:
Why is the sky blue?
Why I only have first dates with guys?
Or why do I still get acne at my age?

Questions without any concrete answers.
Blistered contemplations of my blemished mind.

*Sighs*

Friday Fiver
3 x 5
1. What's the last item you mailed?
The renewal of my Time Magazine subscription.

2. Who has made you smile recently?
Karl, my drinking buddy.

3. What's the weather like outside?
It has stopped raining.

4. Do you consider youself a good judge of character?
I believe so, yes

5. What's your favorite photograph?
It is a picture of my family while we were visiting Israel/Palestine on a religious pilgrimage. It was taken on a wooden boat on the Sea of Gallilee, March 2000.

Yes, women are complicated!



Get over it, already! Hehehe :P

Lately I've been dreaming about ...
... Leaving on a jet plane ...



... Staying in hotels ...



... Visiting exotic temples ...




... Sailing on the deep blue sea ...



... Getting lost in the urbanity of a city ...




Then I wake up to realize it was merely a dream.
I must be hallucinating.
Too much cough syrup in my system.
I wish this wretched cough would go away!

Arghh =(

"Turning Japanese"
The day I turned 37, we had to go to the airport to fetch my sister who returned from Davao. Then, we all had lunch at a Japanese restaurant, Misato at the Metrowalk. We feasted on beef Teriyaki, Ebi Tempura, Tonkatsu, Yaki Udon, Grilled Salmon, assorted Sushi, Miso Soup.


Next, we went to Greenbelt 1 to watch a Japanese movie.
"Hidden Blade" is part of the ongoing CineManila international film festival. God granted my wish to allow the organizers to show a few of the films at the Ayala Cinemas.


We ended the day with a sumptuous dinner at the Seafood Club by Red Crab also located at Greenbelt 3. By then, we were all really exhausted from the long day so we skipped the picture taking part. So just imagine us munching on King crab paella with big yummy red crabs. Simply delicious!

My gifts
I wasn't really expecting anything this year.
So I was pleasantly surprised when I received these pressies from my wonderful parents and my adorable sister.
A book I've always wanted.


A choker & bracelet set from Davao for my green outfits.


A Fuchsia linen blouse.


My gratitude
"It's nice to wake up when you know
you're being loved by God,
you're being needed by your family and
you're being cherished by your friends."
I like to thank my real, blogger, online, imaginary friends who greeted me on my birthday:
Adam, Aoff, Arvin, Bebs, Carr, Collie, Donna, Dennis, Girlie, Karl, Joel, John, Manolet, Marian, Mark, Nick, Olive, Philippe, Pinky, Ruby, Selina and Toni.

Merci beaucoup, mucho gracias, maraming salamat, shokran jazeelan, thank you very much. =)

Happy birthday to me!!!

Memories light the corner of my mind.
Misty water color memories
Of the way we were.

Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind,
Smiles we gave to one another
For the way we were.


Can it be that it was all so simple then,
Or has time rewritten every line?
If we had the chance to do it all again,
Tell me? would we? could we?

Memories may be beautiful and yet,
What's too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget.
So it's the laughter
We will remember,
Whenever we remember
The way we were.
The way we were.



My first birthday



4 years old at the airport on our way to India for my father's first overseas posting





A charcoal portrait done by an artist along the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France 1998.

BE
I recently became a member of blog explosion.
Just for kicks.
To relieve my overwhelming state of boredom lately.
Now that the Spanish Film Festival is over.
And my assignment center is closed for this month.
I have more free time.
To just park my butt in front of the computer.
Blog hop. Chat. Browse. Download mp3s.
You get the lazy picture.
It is fascinating to discover a whole world of blogs out there.
Some are boring. Others are too technical.
Yet others are really interesting.

My 3 favorites, so far are:
1. An internet romance - This is so sweet! Me want one too :D
2. Dating tips - I learned a few tricks from this site.
3. The discerning cineaste - I love to read movie reviews.

Enjoy! =)

And so it goes ...

That my sister just left for Davao - but hopefully will be back here just in time for my birthday!

That Daniel Craig is the new James Bond! Hmm I don't know what to make of that for now. I have to admit I grew up watching James Bond flicks. Mostly starring Roger Moore. They were quite the novelty back then with all those futuristic gadgets, bad ass villains and curvaceous Bond girls. But nowadays with modern technology, those films lost their appeal. I think I didn't watch a single Pierce Brosnan as 007 movie. Even though I am one of his biggest fans since Remington Steele days. But let's see what Daniel Craig has to offer, at least give him a fair chance to prove himself.

That Katie Holmes is carrying Tom Cruise's baby. Owwws? And all this time I thought he was simply impotent. I guess not!

That I have yet to watch any of the foreign films currently showing at CineManila. I am just not in the mood to haul my big behind all the way to Manila and venture into unfamiliar malls. I am still hoping they will feature a few films at SM Megamall.

That I watched a total of 10 movies at the Spanish Film Festival which concludes today. My favorite is "All about my mother". Pedro Almodovar is a genius!

That in my infinite boredom plus the fact that I am now alone in this loft with a million things to do (but am too lazy to do it right now) - decided to give this blog a new look, yet again! Teehee! =)

Threesome
Name 3 schools you went to:
1. Holy Child Auxilium (New Delhi, India)
2. Ecole de Saint Joseph (Brussels, Belgium)
3. UST (Manila, Philippines)

Name 3 favorite vacation spots:
1. Paris, France
2. Florence, Italy
3. Tagaytay City, Philippines

Name 3 favorite fastfood chains:
1. Jollibee
2. Burger King
3. McDonald's

Name 3 usual things found in your wallet:
1. Money
2. Credit cards
3. Pocket Calendar

Name 3 favorite hang-outs:
1. Movie theaters
2. Bookstores
3. Figaro

Name 3 favorite sports:
(to watch, since I'm not into sports, ok)
1. Tennis
2. Soccer
3. Gymnastics

Name 3 things you should be doing right now:
1. Sleeping
2. Dreaming
3. Snoring away

Name 3 most valuable MATERIAL possessions:
Aside from life's basics
1. Mobile phone
2. Computer
3. Digicam

Name 3 things you are addicted to:
1. Internet
2. Chocolates
3. Books

Name 3 career choices:
1. Interpreter
2. Interior designer
3. Animator

Name 3 main goals in 2006:
1. Travel
2. Travel
3. Travel

Name 3 plans for next week:
1. Nothing
2. Nada
3. Zilch

Name 3 favorite drinks:
1. Water
2. Diet Coke
3. Margaritas

Name 3 childhood superheroes:
1. Candy
2. Goldorak
3. Heidi

Name 3 favorite highschool friends:
(I have no freaking idea where they are now)
1. Aurea
2. Maybelle
3. Mayette

Name 3 favorite movies:
1. City of Angels
2. Amelie
3. Before Sunset

Name 3 favorite colors:
1. Blue
2. Orange
3. Brown

Name 3 brand of clothes that you like:
1. G2000
2. Kamiseta
3. Lhasa

Name 3 crushes:
1. Johnny Depp
2. Edward Burns
3. Jon Stewart

Name 3 last song syndrome LSS:
1. Blind - Lifehouse
2. Sunday Morning - Maroon 5
3. Inside and Out - Feist's version of the BeeGees hit

My current theme song

Blind by Lifehouse
I was young but I wasn't naive
I watched helpless as
he turned around to leave
And still I have the pain I have to carry
A past so deep that even
you could not bury if you tried

After all this time
I never thought we'd be here
Never thought we'd be here
When my love for you was blind
But I couldn't make you see it
Couldn't make you see it
That I loved you more
than you'll ever know
A part of me died when I let you go

I would fall asleep
Only in hopes of dreaming
That everything would be
like it was before
But nights like this
it seems are slowly fleeting
They disappear as reality
is crashing to the floor

After all this time
I never thought we'd be here
Never thought we'd be here
When my love for you was blind
But I couldn't make you see it
Couldn't make you see it
That I loved you more
than you'll ever know
A part of me died when I let you go

After all this time
Would you ever wanna leave it
Maybe you could not believe it
That my love for you is blind
But I couldn't make you see it
Couldn't make you see it
That I loved you more
than you will ever know
A part of me died when I let you go
And I loved you more
than you'll ever know
A part of me died when I let you go

Shucks!
My favorite team on the Amazing Race: family edition got eliminated! Hmm why does it seem like they would just be traveling within the United States? Strange!

Subtitles
I've been totally immersed with the Spanish film festival.
I've been watching one movie almost daily.
It makes me forget my troubles.
Today, the CineManila film festival begins.



Kaya lang, the movies are showing at SM Manila, SM San Lazaro and Robinson's Manila (Ermita).
Places which are totally out of my way!

Kainis!

Sunday Morning
Maroon 5

Sunday morning, rain is falling
Steal some covers, share some skin
Clouds are shrouding us
in moments unforgettable
You twist to fit the mold that I am in
But things just get so crazy
Living life gets hard to do
And I would gladly hit the road,
get up and go if I knew
That someday it would lead me back to you
That someday it would lead me back to you

That may be all I need
In darkness, she is all I see
Come and rest your bones with me
Driving slow on Sunday morning
And I never want to leave

Fingers trace your every outline
Paint a picture with my hands
Back and forth we sway
like branches in a storm
Change the weather still
together when it ends

That may be all I need
In darkness she is all I see
Come and rest your bones with me
Driving slow on Sunday morning
And I never want to leave

But things just get so crazy,
living life gets hard to do
Sunday morning, rain is falling
and I'm calling out to you
Singing someday it'll bring me back to you
Find a way to bring myself back home to you

And you may not know
That may be all I need
In darkness she is all I see
Oh, come and rest your bones with me
Driving slow, driving slow
(all I need, all I see)
oh yeah yeah oh yeah yeah
oh yeah yeah (bones with me)
I'm a flower in your hair
yeah yeah, yeah yeah

Ever since
I uploaded this picture on my Friendster profile.



I have been receiving messages from many guys.
Although the attention is flattering, I don't really relish it.
The whole bunch includes guys half my age, weirdos, perverts and DOM types.

Yikes, ewwwww icky really!

I figure it is best I revert back to the old picture.



Maybe not!
My twisted sense of amusement prevails!
I'll keep the picture on.

For now.

In two weeks time
I will be adding another year to my age.
On the 19th to be exact.
Thanks to all who've wished me in advance.
I appreciate it. =)
Age for me is just a number.
For the past 4 years, I've noticed that I feel calmer once October begins.
No more freaking out about getting older.
This year I am just keeping a low profile.
No out of town trips. No party.
Not really expecting anything at all.
But it doesn't mean I won't be happy.
In fact, I've always been a 'birthday' girl.
I love waking up on the 19th of October, every year.
With a big smile, the sun shining amidst blue skies. Ready to commence a new year.
Hopeful promises, desires and wishes.

On another note, someone I met just recently celebrates his natal day, today.
Even though deep in my heart, I feel it is fated that we finally meet. I just have a strange feeling about it. But I rather not expound on it too much.
Happy Birthday M =)

Ten on Tuesday

10 Best Movies You've Seen Lately
1) Sideways
2) Phantom of the Opera
3) Hotel Rwanda
4) 5 x 2 (French)
5) Strip Search (HBO Original film)
6) Wicker Park
7) Crash
8) Manderlay (Lars von Trier)
9) Gilles' Wife (Belgian)
10) Closer

For this list, I rummaged through my movies Blog. I chose 10 movies within the January - September 2005 time period.

Monday Madness
1. What's on your computer desk?
My computer, speakers, Canon Printer, bottles of water, a desk calendar, Cds, bills, glue, pens, things for my hair, Cloud 9, hand lotion, chewing gums, nail polish - yes it is a mess!

2. What does your computer desktop background look like?



3. What's on your agenda for the upcoming week?
Work, watch movies at the Spanish film festival, errands,pay bills, house chores, hear First Friday mass, meet up with a friend if our sked eases up a bit.

To my sister
My 'ate' even if you are younger than me.
My chauffeur/bodyguard/alalay.
My strength.
My rock.
My soul.
My everything.

Happy Birthday!

I Love you!
Mucho hugs and kissos =)

My quote for this whole month
[My Birthday Month]

"Always think of one happy thought each morning. Once a happy thought gets started, you can't help but feel warm hearted the rest of the day!" =)

 

February 2005, Tagaytay City