We're off
Tomorrow we are off to celebrate my everdearest mother's birthday.
It's a milestone!
She's turning the big 70 on May 30, Wednesday.
We don't need passports.
We are not hopping on a plane.
The destination is within driving range.
It is just a short out of town trip.
But we are excited, nonetheless.

A bientot! =)

Another thank you note
Hi someone (who shall still remain nameless),

As usual I had a great time, yet again.
The petite halo halo wasn't our first choice but rather than going all the way to SM Mall of Asia, Chow King at Megamall will do, for now. I'm glad you didn't mind when I picked out all the langka from my bowl and transferred it to your bowl. You know I hate jack fruit.
I'm sorry to hear that the sound system at the cinema gave you a headache after we watched "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." Frankly the film was confusing because too much was going on perhaps it's because I hardly remember Pirates part 2. But Jack Sparrow is still such a hoot to watch. He cracks me up with his shenanigans.
Dinner at Max's Fried Chicken was yummy. Yes I don't eat the wings part of the chicken, I know I tend to waste food, my bad.
I thank thee for sharing a cab with me, dropping me off at my place even if it is way out of your route. You really don't have to do that, you know? I'm a big girl well not big big but ok I will stop whining.
One thing though, I sincerely wish you would let me pay for something, anything when we go out on dates. I hate to have to 'argue' with you when it's time to settle the bill. Hopefully you will compromise the next time we go out again. I sincerely hope there is a next time. I had fun! =)

Cheers,
Daphs

Tutti Fruitti

There is this certain period in my early childhood which seems like a distant and very blurry memory. The time from my birth till I was about 4 years old. The time when we lived in a two storey tiny apartment in Manuguit Street somewhere within the deep bowels of Manila. The time when both my parents were still working together at a certain agency of the government. The time when I was a precocious yet cute child with a funny page boy haircut, a bulging tummy who insisted on carrying a handbag when we went out during weekends. It was also the time when (according to my mother) I ate a lot of local fruits. But as I mentioned earlier I honestly don't have a vivid memory of those good old days.

Since we came home for good in 2001, I've been rediscovering my love for some of our local fruits. I've always had a sweet addiction with the Saging (Banana), the Pinya (Pineapple) and of course the Mangga (Mango). I love them. Through some flashback episodes, I've adjusted my sensitive palette to eating Lanzones, Sineguelas (Spanish Plum) and Sinkamas. They now count among my favorite local fruits. There are always abundant supply of these fruits in my kitchen when they are in season.

On the other hand, I don't like Atis (Custard Apple). Even if my mother insists that as a child I used to devour them, greedily. I must have probably swallowed one of its seeds so I've blocked out any happy memory of savoring this very seedy local fruit. Oh please don't get me started on Langka (Jack Fruit), I can't stand its taste. So much so that whenever I eat Halo Halo I purposely take this fruit out before I indulge in this summery treat. I was inspired to write this post while munching on a few crunchy Sineguelas on this rainy Friday evening. =)

Rough Draft
The problem with being too dependent on the computer for practically everything - one forgets how to write legibly with a pen and paper. Mid afternoon yesterday, the whole condo experienced a sudden brownout. I found myself in a dark room, sweating like crazy in the midst of composing a review. Thus I was forced to grab a pen and paper to write a draft of my film review of "Fracture" while it was still fresh in my clouded mind. The thriller starring Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling about a seemingly perfect murder. No, it isn't a medical drama because someone.who.shall.remain.nameless. jokingly asked if the film was being sponsored by an orthopedic hospital. Yes, he's funny that way! =)
Anyway, there I was jotting down some points on paper, sitting in my sister's office (which is far brighter with natural sunlight), fanning myself with a big abaniko fan, dripping buckets of sweat - then it occurred to me - wow my thoughts about the film free flowed effortlessly and poured out in writing. In fact I also wrote this post by hand on another piece of paper. Yes, I was on a roll!

Never mind that I couldn't decipher my own handwriting afterwards. Never mind that my left hand was numb from furiously fanning myself. Never mind that the paper got stained with my salty sweat. It was a revelation to me. Wow! I could actually write clearly with nothing but the sound of the noisy generator from the building, the light breeze from the window and my mind totally devoid of any distractions.
After an hour of misery, the electricity returned so I dashed into the shower to refresh myself. Then I switched the radio on, its volume full blast because it was too freaking quiet for my sanity.

Thankfully I had already finished my drafts, by then.

Phew!

Quoi de Neuf? (What's new?)

How do I expect to reach my 1000th post within this year if I don't blog every day, right?

Silly me.

I can always blame this humid weather. My melted brain cells cannot function well, but I won't.
I can wink and say I've been out dating someone.who.shall.remain.nameless, every day. But unfortunately, I'm not. So let's just move along and not gossip, OK?
I could probably shift the blame to CTU. The Counter Terrorist Unit which has been invading my TV set every night via my ehem bootleg copy of the entire series "24". I'm currently up to my eyeballs and totally engrossed in season 4. I still got 2 adrenaline rush seasons to go. But that isn't a valid excuse either, it merely proves I'm such a couch potato head.
Plans are afloat though for my mother's grand celebration of her 70th birthday next week but I don't want to post about that right now. Heh!

So what excuse can I come up with?
None, really.
This is just my thinking out loud nonsensical post for today. =)

Certain Truths
These facts I know to be true:
Today is Thursday May 17, 2007.
It is 10:53 am Manila time.
This is my 829th post.
My current theme song is Edwin McCain's "These are the Moments".
I also know if someone sculpted the image seen below in this humid tropical nation, it would melt faster than you can sing "ice, ice, baby"!



The rest well it all remains a mystery.
One big question mark or rather several question marks (???)
Yet we still get up each morning to face the "what?", "why?", "how?" and "when?" with a big smile.
At least I know, I do.
Do you?

Happy Mother's Day, Mom
She doesn't read my blog nor does she look like she did in this picture and hey neither do I but she is still the best mother ever to me and my sister. =)

A thank you note
Dear someone, (who shall remain nameless)

Before this day ends,
I just want to say thanks.
Thanks for hearing Mass with me.
Thanks for watching Spidey 3 with me.
Thanks for the dinner at Teriyaki Boy.
Thanks for the ride home.
Thanks for being you.
But most of all, thank you God
for blessing me with such happiness.

Sincerely yours,
Daphs

P.S.
I'm really grateful but dear Lord grant me the strength to face whatever challenges I might encounter.


P.P.S
I actually liked "SpiderMan 3" contrary to the mostly bad reviews it got from the general public and critics alike.

A Self Deprecating Post

I've always envied women who don't take much effort to look presentable. The type who hop out of bed every morning looking like they belong in the pages of some glamorous magazine. The very magazine who advocates that long straight black hair, porcelain skin and a svelte figure constitutes 'the perfect' female. Of course, that is debatable because we (the not so lucky ones) get defensive and say that 'Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder' or 'What matters is inner beauty'.

My point is I'm the complete opposite of these fair maidens.
I'm short with thick wavy hair. I have blemishes on my skin. I have very active sweat glands. I don't wear sleeveless shirts to expose my flabby arms. My waistline is in a race to reach my bust size which isn't much by the way in terms of inches and cup size. I have cellulite bearing hips and the tiniest feet ever for a 30 something Asian female on this side of the Pacific.

When I was growing up my mother never made me eat veggies. She let me play out in the sun without wearing any sunblock. She would bathe me then tie my fuzzy hair in a tight wet ponytail. She let me eat all the candies. She didn't teach me how to put make up because she didn't use them herself. She was more concerned with feeding my intellect by making us read books and magazines. She exposed us to other cultures by traveling to neighboring countries. She was more the practical type of person instead of the vain and capricious kind. Hey I'm not blaming my mother for my 'flaws', alright?

Honestly all these 'flaws' don't bother me. It is only when other people point them out when I actually notice how averagely plain my appearance is. Guys I've gone on first dates with in the distant past would comment about my height or lack of it. Every time I go to the salon for my hair trim, an assortment of boisterous gay people would nag me about straightening my hair or taming my wild eyebrows. One of them even went as far as tactlessly saying "You have the eyebrows of a monkey". His.who.wants.to.be.a.her exact words (in the vernacular) was "Naku Ma'am kilay ninyo parang unggoy". Ladies in facial centers would cajole me to go for their skin whitening facials, their algae body scrubs to lighten my skin color and a whole assortment of skin/body treatments. Then of course there are the countless relatives who most of the time have made snide remarks or given me friendly reminders about my ballooning weight, my vanishing waistline and my ticking biological clock.

I do have this stubborn non conformist streak of character inherent in me. The more people insist I rebond my hair, tame my eyebrows, praise about their Havaianas obsession or malign a certain film to bits and pieces, I make a conscious effort to take the opposite stance. So for argument's sake, so far I haven't had my hair straightened permanently, my eyebrows still look like a jungle, I don't own a single pair of those expensive slippers flip flops (well, they don't fit me anyway!) and I always try to keep my film reviews as balanced as a scale (I am a Libra, after all) would allow.

The thing is I have tried (key word 'tried) to compromise on certain beautifying methods to enhance my plain appearance. My biggest indulgence is wearing contact lenses. But that is only when I go out in public. Otherwise I look like Larry King sans the suspenders. On certain occasions, I straighten my hair using a hot hair iron. Even though I end up sweating up a storm in this stifling humidity. The amount of time I spend working on my hair depends on the circumstances. I once took 3 hours to flatten my hair for a very lousy date. Eeeps why I bothered to even waste 10 minutes of consumed electricity for that guy is beyond me. It didn't even matter, the minute I stepped out on that stifling July evening, my hair immediately curled up like a pig's tail. I go for the upper lip waxing every few months to avoid looking like a hairy chimp. I sometimes indulge in a full body massage even though I don't like people touching my bare skin. I now use sunblock whenever I would be out in the sun for long periods of time. I do my own pedicure and my favorite color is bright red. So I've learned to be more conscious of my appearance even though it took me almost 30 years to get into the groove.

But at the end of the day when I'm back in my ratty house clothes, with my thick hair up on my head with a hair clip, my thick glasses falling down my nose and I'm sitting in a lotus position with my fat folding like an accordion over my tummy, I smile and tell myself reassuringly "Daph, your best defense mechanism (kuno) is your charming wit so don't be too hard on yourself, woman!"

You all agree, right? =)

Shameless Plugging
Remember that post I wrote last week with that meaningful quote, the one dated April 24, 2007?
OK I'll wait while you scroll down to that entry.
Read it?
Well apropos the first part of the quote which states:
"The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do" ...

I figure this statement explains it all.

Daphne Laura: Film reviewer - is a certified former diplobrat who has lived in 5 different countries. She has curbed her wanderlust tendencies and is now based in Manila where she works on a freelance basis. A well traveled, voracious reader, her main passion is to watch movies. Her quest to continuously explore different cultures is fulfilled through the art of cinema. She doesn't mind reading subtitles and makes it a point to catch a few foreign languages films once in a while or if and when they make it to her neck of the woods.

Yay! I am part of a new website which features mostly independent movies. So far I've written 3 reviews for them.

The Science of Sleep
THE MOVIE-FANATIC - Monday, 07 May 2007
© THE MOVIE-FANATIC

Days of Glory
THE MOVIE-FANATIC - Monday, 07 May 2007
© THE MOVIE-FANATIC

SherryBaby
THE MOVIE-FANATIC - Monday, 07 May 2007
© THE MOVIE-FANATIC

So the first half of the 3 part mystery has been divulged.
Yes it has 3 parts, go figure! =)
As for the next 2 parts of the quote well it is still a major work in progress, so to speak. I'm still charming my way in and I'm still saving up, respectively.

Abangan!

Let's exercise!
From my inbox:
I just came across this exercise suggested for active adults to build muscle strength in the shoulders. It seems so easy, so I thought I'd pass it on post it on my blog. The article suggested doing it three days a week. And even though you may not be an active adult, I still recommend you try this!

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side. With a 5-lb potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can.

Try to reach a full minute, then relax.

Each day, you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer. After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato sacks. Then 50-lb potato sacks, then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb potato sack in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute.

(I'm at this level).

After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each of the sacks.

Tagaytay (Feb. 2007)
I'll always equate the quaint volcano city Tagaytay with

calm serene surroundings


great view (Mt Makiling taken from the Palace in the Sky)


sumptuous food galore

and

taking a deep breath to suck my tummy in as I smile for the camera