Double yay!
(1). Leo Oracion is/was the first Filipino climber who made it to the summit of Mt Everest.

Alright so regardless of who made it first or which TV network sponsored which climbers - we should just be thankful Oracion made it safely to the top of that treacherous mountain. Now our flag is flapping away in the chilly air of Mt. Everest. Bravo!

(2). The "Da Vinci Code" has been given a R18 rating. It would be shown without cuts here in the Philippines.

So after much debate over whether the film should be banned or not, the Philippines would see it on May 19 when it premieres worldwide. I figure I will catch it during its 2nd week run at the theaters when it would be less crowded. I don't have to jostle for some elbow space. Nothing irritates me more than bad manners displayed by people in cinema theaters. Talking loudly during movies, the distraction from the bright glare of cell phones and worse someone actually talking on their phones while watching the movie. I don't know why they can't just switch it off for 2 hours. Is it imperative to be "connected" all the time?

Anyways I hope the movie won't be a disappointment. I have enough faith in Ron Howard's flawless direction. Although my sister and I did pick Kurt Russell for the role of Robert Langdon and Julie Delphy for the Sophie Neveu role. Something we always do (that is cast actors in roles) after we finish reading novels.

By the way, how do you pronounce Silas?
Is it .... "C-las" or "Sigh-las"?
Me, I say the latter.

Q & A
1. First name? Daphne.
2. Were you named after anyone? Daphne du Maurier, the English author of "Rebecca", "The Birds" and "Jamaica Inn" among other novels.
3. Do you wish on stars? No.
4. When did you last cry? 2 weeks ago.
5. Do you like your handwriting? No.
6. What is your favorite lunch meat? Spam.
7. When is your birthday? October 19.
8. What is your most embarrassing cd? "Menudo".
9. If you were another person would you be friends with you? Yes, I'm a good listener.
10. Do you have a journal? This is my online journal.
11. Would you pose nude for an art class? No.
12. Would you bungee jump? Heck, no.
13. What is your favorite cereal? Not into cereals.
14. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? No.
15. Do you think that you are strong? I'm rather stoic and detached.
16. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Chocolate.
17. Shoe Size? Really small.
18. Red or pink? Red.
19. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? I'm lazy.
20. Who do you miss the most? No one.
21. Do you want everyone you send this to to send it back? n/a.
22. What color pants and shoes are you wearing? Jeans and flats.
23. Last thing you ate? Nasi Goreng and oyster omelette at Penang Hill, Edsa Shangri-la Mall.
24. What are you listening to right now? "Afterglow" by INXS.
25. If you were a crayon what color would you be? Blue!
26. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? My Mom.
27. Fingers or toes? Fingers.
28. The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? His smile.
29. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes.
30. Favorite Drink? Diet Coke.
31. Favorite Sport? I'm not into sports.
32. Hair Color? Black as a raven.
33. Favorite office supply item? Stapler.
34. Do you wear contacts? Yes!
35. Favorite Food? Japanese.
36. Last Movie You Watched? "Poseidon".
37. Favorite Day Of The Year? My birthday.
38. Scary Movies Or Happy Endings? A somewhat realistic happy ending.
39. Summer or winter? Winter.
40. Hugs or Kisses? Hugs!
41. Favorite dessert? Ice cream.
42. What's On Your Mouse Pad? It is a plain dark brown leather mouse pad, a giveway from some hotel.
43. What Did You Watch Last night on TV? "Lost" on AXN.
44. Favorite Smells? Perfumes.
45. Favorite Sounds? Wind chimes.
46. Stones or Beatles? Beatles.
47. Where's the furthest you've been from home? Rome, Italy when I was still living in Dubai.
48. What books are you reading? "The Sun also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway.

Ten Things
List up to ten (10) things you want to say to ten (10) different people. Do not state who these people are. Do not confirm or deny any 'comment speculation'.

01. Happy Mother's Day!

02. You will be such a groovy 'young' grandmother.

03. Advanced Happy Birthday.

04. Why are you ignoring my emails?

05. I'm not rich, stop borrowing money from me.

06. I sincerely hope I'm *not* the reason why you refused that job offer.

07. You need to shape up and get things moving!

08. Reading your blog makes me smile.

09. Please don't let family squabbles bring you down.

10. You broke my heart but I still love you.

Beauty and Madness
I woke up this morning to the sound of the howling winds smashing against my window. The gloomy skies, the intermittent rain from the storm "Caloy" casting a chilly air all over Metro Manila. A welcome respite from the summer heat, this pleasantly wet, cuddly weather.

After an early lunch, I tinkered and tweaked this new template for my blog. I want to keep it clean and simple with emphasis on the content not on the design. Not that I post about heavy, relevant social issues but still ... You know what I mean.

After a really cold shower because I don't have a water heater, it was time to head over to Gateway Mall in Cubao. A Teriyaki Boy dinner had me and my sister full to the brim before we made our way to the Araneta Coliseum. Just in time for the Fra Lippo Lippi concert. It featured just one member, Per Sorensen of the Norwegian duo who were quite famous in the 80s. They named their band after an Italian monk, a character in a Robert Browning poem.



He started his repertoire with the hit "The Distance between Us" dressed in an all black outfit. His voice still sounding the same as it did almost 20 years ago. His band was composed of local session musicians, one tall Norwegian guitar player, an American keyboard player and two local back up singers. He sang a total of 17 songs, among them their well known hits such as "Later", "Everytime I see you", "Angel", "Light and Shade", "Shouldn't have to be like that" and "Beauty and Madness". Their success as a band stems from their simple lyrics and catchy melodies. Their songs are timeless. If you grew up in the 80s you can easily identify with their whimsical songs. The concert was quite pleasant, the 'mature' crowd responded enthusiastically to his performance, his songs brought back fond memories. A raging stormy night notwithstanding, it was worth every single cent if only to go back in time when life was rather fancy free. No rising gasoline prices, no cellphones, no Internet to distract our short attention span. Yes, the good old days! =)


"Later"
How could you come with me
when you knew all along that you had to go
How could you watch me sleep so close to you
pretending not to know
How could you memorize my name
and forget who I am
How could you think you're still the same
believing I can

It's too late to start pretending
It's too late for a new beginning
Later than the sunset, later than the rain
Later than never to love you again

How could you ask for more with an innocent smile
trusting me to stay
How could you close the door and leave me here
supposing I'm ok
How could you break down my disguise
and uncover my fears
How could you look into my eyes
ignoring my tears

"We're caught in a trap, I can't walk out because I love you too much, baby"
"Suspicious Minds" is my all time favorite Elvis Presley song.
I love Elvis Presley!
I grew up listening to his hits.
I even had the King's poster in my bedroom. Teehee! =)
It was nostalgic for me to hear his songs for this week's theme on American Idol.
Chris Daughtry did his version of this song.
But he didn't sound as good as JD Fortune (now lead singer of INXS) who performed it on Rockstar: INXS, last year.
But I'm just glad I heard "Suspicious Minds" again.
Well, America didn't agree, Chris was voted out this week.
Shocking huh?
Oh well!
We really don't know how this whole voting works.

I sometimes wonder if the results are rigged, you have no way of knowing the exact percentage of votes per contestant.

You just have to take Ryan Seacrest's word for it.



Fare well Chris Daughtry.
Thanks for gracing American Idol with your booming voice and your mesmerizing presence!

Questions I sometimes ask myself in the wee hours of the morning

Why oh why is it soooo very very hot in this land of 7,107 islands?

Do pigs really sweat a lot?

What would I give my mother for her birthday? (this is only valid during this merry month of May)

How do I reply to an email of a dear friend who has marital woes without peppering every other sentence with "I told you so!"?

Is Brad and Angelina's child going to be a boy or a girl?

Which book in my accumulated backlog of novels should I read next?

Am I too argumentative for my own sake?

Why won't I stop sneezing even after I've overdosed on Zyrtec?

Lastly.

How come I am still wide awake at this unholy hour?

See you at the movies!
I found this interesting concept at Toni's blog.
I had to reach deep into my memory warehouse to come up with this list. Believe me, I've watched a LOT of films over the years. But these are (a few) of my favorite movies!.
These 3 films couldn't be located at the website.
1. "Gilles Wife" => a Belgian film.
2. "5 x 2" => a Francois Ozon movie.
3. "Yentl" => directed by Barbra Streisand.



Create your own Movie List @ HotFreeLayouts!

Daily Grind
New month so I'm back to my routine.
That is "trying" to finish all my assignments in this heat infested little hole I call my work station.
Tedious boring work, I tell ya but heck I got bills to pay.
Mostly I'm in my zombie mode.
I wake up going "what day is it today? Wednesday? Oh wait it's already Thursday ... Merde!"
At least a life altering 'crisis' was averted.
So that's reassuring, for now.
It gave me freaking ulcers.
I got my gastric juices flowing which resulted in really painful stomach spasms attacks. Big Ouch!
Thank God for herbal tea.
I can just imagine how cranky I will be this month once my PMS session kicks in.
That would be a blast! NOT!

What is the real purpose of this post?
Nothing really.
I needed to gripe, gripe and gripe some more.

The End!