This Blog is an outlet for the random thoughts of an amateur opinionator.
What's an opinionator?
An opinionator is somebody who has power without responsibility, and the ability to spout off on any subject without worrying too much about the consequences of what comes out of the mouth. All you need is an opinion and the opportunity to voice it.
TV is full of professional opinionators. The internet gives the amateur his chance.
> coFFee it iS
Author: aLmich
0 Comment
> Love letterS
Author: aLmich
> Love wHispeR
Author: aLmich
Whispers
by Liza Marie
As I lie here in your sleeping arms
I love looking into your heavenly eyes
> missiNg naTes
Author: aLmich
> inLove and siRa
Author: aLmich
I can be such a sucker for love.
I love falling in love, I love rolling in the mud that is the love not answered yet. Maybe, who knows. Maybe he will take me just the way I am. Maybe he won't mind if my kisses aren't what he figured they would be like. Maybe he won't mind if my jokes aren't that funny. Maybe he won't mind I'm not like all those guys he has ever looked at and dreamt about, all those guys I already feel jealous of.
I just hope I can hold him, bury my nose in his hair and slowly dance on the loveballads that make me smile like sira. Headphones and you, that's all I need to be happy right now.
> Love is baCk!
Author: aLmich
> i'M in LOve and LovinG iT!
Author: aLmich
> am i naZi?
Author: aLmich
> on thiS rainY daY
Author: aLmich
> Let me miNd my owN rainboW
Author: aLmich
> peT me
Author: aLmich
> afTer Long hiaTus
Author: aLmich
Stay tuned!
> hayskuL LiFe
Author: aLmich
Thought I’d share them with you guys… see if you can find me in the images… hahaha! You can probably see me sporting an eighties hairstyle and that oh so mangyan look on one of them… aarrrgghh!
> soLace
Author: aLmich
Everything you gain in life, be it knowledge… experience… or wisdom has a cost. A price to pay. Some even come at an expense much higher than others.
I value my relationships… relationships strengthened by trust through the course of time. Friendships … and I mean “true” friendships in particular are the ones hardest to come by. You may sometimes want to make yourself believe that most bonds are “keepers”. But such is not the case as I’ve learned the hard way.
It seems that when you think you’ve figured out the formula to being able to recognize a true and honest friendship, you suddenly fall flat on your face… and hit a dead end. Back to square one, Al!
I’d rather that someone come up to my face and tell me whatever he or she feels rather than avoid the confrontation and invite the confusion of hearsay. But more than anything else… it is most painful when a friend of so many years… a very trusted friend… one whom you’ve considered to be more like family… and someone whom you’ve helped out more than once in every capacity possible, deceives you… betrays you and backbites you just to save his/her skin.
As you can tell by going through this post, I am shooting at all directions… wandering aimlessly… going nowhere. That’s exactly where I am right now… nowhere… lost. Lost to the fact that someone can actually be so true and so false at the same time.
Ahh… such is life and all its twists and turns. How can such things can still hurt you while it's been years already?
As for you, my “two-faced, double-tongued” so-called friend for so many years… it was good knowing you then. I have found solace… knowing now what I didn’t know then… the “real you”.
I believe there’s a lesson to be learned here somewhere… I just know it. Maybe I’m just too hurt right now to be able to figure it out.
Maybe in time…
…in time.
> can'T we just Text it ouT?
Author: aLmich
Good thing no one consults me for the technological future.
To me, texting equalled a retreat into darkness. Telephones made people not present, present, through the ease of talking, voice, intonation and all that stuff that makes it feel like you have the person right with you. The only thing missing were visuals, which the Jetsons and Bell telephone assured us were just around the corner.
So what happened to the video phone?
It tumbled into outer "failed idea" darkness and instead, text messaging crawled from the murky depths... the next link in technological evolution.
But the middle aged among us all ask: why would someone go to the trouble of typing on tiny keys [with inscrutable letters], navigating the triple alphabet per button to convey what could be expressed in ten seconds directly, without waiting for a reply?
Apparently the answer to that question is: safe distance.
A Sunday Service at Makati Baptist Church before, tackled that this generation of freshmen is less confrontational than any they can remember. These kids avoid conflict and refuse to express what they need/want in person, directly, eye-to-eye. They've been raised in an era of diversity and tolerance and know that people with character ought not to judge. They know this not as a Sunday school lesson, but as the essential social rule that they must obey, or at least appear to obey.
Instant Messaging [first] and texting after it led to a way to communicate hard things: gossip, insults, praise, flirting, I love you, racism, homophobia, want to go out? and more. You could appear to be courteous, friendly, "not interested" and tolerant in person, but unleash that other side of self through typing. Somehow the dark side of each person's soul had an outlet... an accepted one that didn't tarnish your public reputation.
Addtionally, flirting became a much lower risk endeavor. Saving face, much easier.
Texting also led to communicating with lots of people at once. No more were you forced to keep going with one person on the other end of the phone, enduring the awkward silence, deciphering what that long pause meant. If the IM conversation with one person peetered out, you had four more cooking along to replace it. If the texter suddenly had to climb into that orthodontist's chair, three more conversations were still demanding your attention.
I still remember two disgruntled dorm mates who sat directly across from each other in the same room texting angry messages over roommate problems until the landlady shouted: Stop! and required them to put down their phones and learn how to communicate what was bugging them in words, eye-to-eye. That's where it's gone. No one wants to appear angry in person. So they resort to texting instead. JB, my ex is really very good in texting and fights me like a soldier using his cellphone but cannot do so infront of my face. Unfortunately, I'm not the texter type.
I do respect that people at times plunge into texting like in a marathon. What I don't get is when people tend to send you all the quotes, group texts, watevas all at a time or every now and then. My cousin Grace texts me everyday in dozens! Forwarded messages of quotations, simple rants, simple expressions like sighs, boredoms, *he he he, hellos and all craps. I love the idea that she remembers me but she was doing that without considering if I might be sleeping or specially if I'm at work. I kept it to myself, just trying to understand her incessant texting but one day, I just exploded. I advised her not to include me na lang on her group texts muna kse bawal sa office or minsan natutulog ako. Nagalit siya. See? I don't turn off my phone because I don't wanna miss important messages or maybe if there's an emergency. Pero, yong tadtarin ka ng mga messages na di naman talaga sila gumawa at not really meant to converse? Come on.
Siguro wala kang magawa, bored, o mahilig lang talaga magtext pero hello! ako nagtatrabaho sa gabi, tulog sa araw... And you're texting like that? Consideration naman. Magigising ako pag natutulog or magtatago sa table kapag just to check my message pero ang laman eh "may 2 lalake, ilan ang paa?" *Grrrr... or "ei! who's awake? lolz, im outta here.." *Duh!
In our house, the only place you have "Globe" signal is outside or at our window, so imagine how many cellphones sit by the window. Tapos tutunog cellphone mo, babangon ka sa pagkakahiga, pag-check mo joke pala galing kay Mami Chu, after few minutes, toot toot, bangon ka ulit, "happy fekfek day" okay..., toot toot ulit, "Anak: tay, bakit po naririnig ko umuungol kagabi si Inday? Tatay: kase anak, kinain ko siya... " oh my siguro binangungot na kase di na alam kung natutulog pa siya or gising sa dami ng texts na puro jokes lang pala or forwarded *he he he. I love Mami Chu and I do appreciate the fact that when I asked her na tanggalin ako sa group messages eh naintinduhan niya. Pero yong pinsan ko? Well, may newborn baby siya at siguro nga bored diba? Haaayyyy....
Sana lang kasabay ng pagpindot sa keypads yong bilis ng ikot ng utak para naiintindihan naman nila kalagayan ng ibang tao no?
There are rules in texting. When I asked a friend to call me and closed with a period, she thought I was angry. I thought I was using proper punctuation. According to Johannah, periods mean you're bugged. Jb is also guilty on this. He doesn't know how punctuations are used.
A greeting without an exclamation point means that you're in a blue mood. All caps mean you're shouting.
Typing with misspellings has fallen into disrepute among upperclassmen in high school and college students. Abbreviations like "u r" and "LOL" are shunned because they're so junior high. These "near adults" pride themselves on spelling properly [and all the English teachers cheered!].
College kids will not answer their phones even when they hear them ring and have nothing else to do, but will text you back in the middle of class, a date, during a movie or while driving[!].
And those camera phones! DJ sends me photos when she shops for clothes to get my advice. Luke sends me photos of things that make him laugh. I send photos of the kids to Luke because he lives away.
I'm about the laziest text-er to ever inhabit a modern society. But I'm committed. The best thing about texting that I can see is that it's instant and brief. If I need that moment-by-moment touch but haven't got time for a long conversation, texting fills the bill.
Texting and camera phones. If you invested way back then, I'll bet you're rich. Next time you need technological foresight, ask me what I think, and do the opposite.
> wHo neeDs chaOs?
Author: aLmich
If that be the case, I have given birth to an entire universe of dancing stars. My life seems to be defined by chaos. But I have come to realize that I would not want it any other way. And perhaps chaos is not the right word to use, because it has such a negative connotation. It is really just change. Perpetual motion.
I say all these just to excuse the fact that I have not been posting as often as I would like [plus the fact that our Globe broadband has been in chaos for almost 2 weeks now] and I expect that will be the case for the next month or so. You see…
1) I'm starting to get used to my new campaign - Superpages.com;
2) I have a good feeling that I'll meet someone today or maybe the next's;
3) I started learning again the art of Photoshop and have committed myself to immersing myself in the experience as much as possible;
4) I have to research and write a humongous paper for a friend and because I want it to be super-duper scholarly and impressive I might need to spend a little bit of time of it.
That said, I am really looking forward to all of the events listed above. The Superpages thing, which one would think would be the most planned-out decision on the list [because it's the most dreaded and avoided], is actually quite spur of the moment. But then again I have always made life-altering decisions that way. I will be obsessed for days about whether to buy blue drapes or brown drapes but I will tack up for buying the next thing I laid my eyes on with hardly a moment’s quibble. I ordered my new cellphone last week although I still have one without further consideration to my expenses and debts. Some might say that is tad impulsive. Yeah, I know they will be right [been through a lot of these].
But my life has changed so much over the last year. My focus has changed. I moved to a new apartment with friends thinking that I “needed” to live somewhere else. That I “needed” a cute new place with lots of character. I was going through an identity crises - who is this single ME? This "divorcee"? Who am I? As with most processes, I focused first on outwardly expressions. I felt compelled to move as a way to express all of the changes going on in my life at the time. I had an intense need to redefine. On my own terms. I needed to be out of the place I shared with my cousin for quite sometime, out of the campaign I used to love. Out of the neighborhood, of the "MX" team. I would have even moved out of the city if an opportunity came [Baguio?].
Things change.
I was making a lot more money than I am now and I had an ex who's pissing me now. I'm in a new home in the middle of everything. Location. Location. Location. Friends.
Things change.
I might be in a new set of people, befriending everyone, kissing everyone who wanted it... sometimes I feel so "new" and "OP" but that gave me my life back. My ex decided he no longer wanted to be "nice" and that oh so perfect-bait guy and that he did not really mind falling into the category of “deadbeat ex.”
And most importantly I changed. I realized now that I don't really need to stick to some of my friends just to be hurt. That friends really go and go against you. I realized, I don't need to be that martyr just to be happy. And I will be much less stressed out if I can save at least every month in living expenses.
So here I go, downsizing my outward life in an attempt to create more inward harmony.
It feels good to let go of material things. There is real power in the act of surrender.
Things change-D.
> PMS
Author: aLmich
Oh God.
I can feel it starting.
I wrote about him before. Through my "snoring" post. That Mr. Dubai thing.
The whole please-strike-me-dead feeling, which makes me think that dealing with the onset of PMS *[Post Mr. Dubai Syndrome], with the depression and wild mood swings and whatnots, is a walk in the park compared to all these office craps that I go through everyday. I mean, on a good month, all I feel is being safe, happy and away from too-pressuring- work and that bitchy whore sa office. But this? This makes me feel like I'm going through heroin withdrawal.
And to make matters worse, punyeta sa lamig ang office namin *[sirang thermostat? o balat kalabaw talaga ang mga tao?].
I can feel in my bones that I'm going to wind up one of those old broads who has arthritis one day. And I'm feeling so fucking cold that I can't seem to stop shaking --- which just makes me seem jittery and high.
Okay.
Think about something else.
Um... I'm sneak-reading "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey sa net sa office. God. I've never done drugs, but I get what he's going through. Lucky me. I get to go through this every night at work without having to abuse drugs or alcohol. My work just do this to me... and it makes me feel intensely sorry for myself.
And earlier, someone made abot this "Donate Your Kidney" fliers. Whaaattt? Early morn, tired from work, naglalakad sa Ortigas -- eto matatanggap kong invitation? Man, I need a fuck! *[pun may be intended]
> snOring eXcuSe
Author: aLmich
How romantic to be seen sleeping like that, I thought to myself, a young ME at the time. How beguiling.
I imagined that if anyone saw me sleeping, it would be like a lilting aphrodiasic. Sweet, lovely ME and his gentle slumber. They would be powerless under this magical spell.
Slowly, over time, reality bitch-slapped me.
First, I came to know that I sleep with my mouth open at times and I mean "at times" lang. Blame it on allergies, but I'm primarily a mouth breather. My gagong friends from college took a picture of me sleeping on an airplane flight to Cebu and the sight of my open-mouthed stupor made me gag a little.
Second, while sharing a log cabin with 7-8 other "alternative" Baguio friends during a wilderness experience in 2006, a friend joked that someone was sawing logs.
Ahem.
That was apparently me.
And ohhh, of course that Sagada trip with Bitoy, Au, Emman and Rain confirmed that I really do the "train-chug-thing" at times.
The shock of learning that I snored- and this, the first time I was hearing of such an unME thing [remember, I am a maarte man when it comes to sleeping behavior?] sank a small corner of my self view buoy. A snorer! Gah! How uncouth.
And so began my self-consciousness over my unconsciousness.
During any collaborative sleep session, "Did I snore?" Sometimes the answer was good. Sometimes not so much. I wondered what made the difference. What made for a snoring day and what made for a dignified silence. Unmedicated allergies, yep. Alcohol, yep. Extreme fatigue, yep. Back sleeping, yep!
One night, I had to share a tiny call room with an intimidating male/crush/officemate/at Winsource during system down time and the awkwardness and self-consciousness of it all nearly killed me. I ouldn't really sleep than plus the fact na binabangungot ako palagi dun sa sleeping quarter na yon. In the morning, I asked nervously if I snored. He said, "You were quiet as a mouse." Sweet Relief! Glee!
But of course, I've been with him for quite sometime din. He's a light sleeper who must have NO SOUND. I mean, like NONE. I try not to be too hurt when I wake up at night to find him stuffing a 3rd pillow over his ear. And that's on top of his industrial-grade ear plugs.
And, apparently, getting sick is the worst thing that can happen to my upper airways and it got pretty bad last go-around. Hell of a stuff I'm sure, but also that extra neck and throat mass probably didn't help matters.
I'm going nowhere here... I hope you can still relate. I don't know if I'm missing HIM or I just want "snoring" be my blog. Hell yeah, I just miss him. Nasa Dubai na siya with her GF. [*hurts... terribly]. Mariaanneeeee! <-- she's our witness... Maybe I need ENT surgery or a Cardio o Cardiac ba? *rain, which is which?
> tayO'y mag-TIPID
Author: aLmich
Having so, It made me realize that I just need a little adjustment on my time schedules. That maybe, I just need to wake up and prep to work a little bit early than usual so I can still find an FXtaxi that is Megamall bound [my office is located nearby anyway]. And that I should try getting used to small walks even at night. So there I was.
Unfortunately, when I hopped in to one last night, It was just so full and there was only 1 seat at the back that was unoccupied. Next to me was this so uneasy/fat ass "jock"- *[feeling cool na paalogalog ng ulo kasabay ang mga taba niya sa katawan at leeg] who didnt seem to care he's just too big para sumabay pa sa tiyempo ng ipod niya while I was there siksik na siksik na sa sulok. And there also this guy who sat infront of me who totally stank of weed. Like, I felt like I was getting high on the fumes coming off his clothes.
But you know what surprised me?
When a seat beside him opened up, he tapped me lightly on the arm and asked me if I wanted to take it. I looked at him --- really looked at him --- and was startled to find he was really, very good looking in that scruffy, unwashed way. He had beautiful blue eyes and sharp features. His hair was kind of dirty and unkempt, but he was good looking.
I had my headphones on. I couldn't hear him. But I shook my head and said it was okay. He kept telling me that it was no bother 'cause he's dropping off nearby anyway. I resisted but somehow
That was kinda nice. At least diba? may pakialam siya sa dillema ko.
I wanted to write that down in a bid to release my memories in here.
> jusT pLayiN
Author: aLmich
> hoW are yOu on a FridaY?
Author: aLmich
"It's a Friday!"
I found that my life was pretty good. I have an awesome family. A job I love. Friends. Leisure time. Hobbies. I had a good life. The things in my days that were negative were fleeting. After some light research, I found that amongst time with family, time working, time sleeping, and general crappyness, most of my day was good. Very little was that bad. Okay, so most days are good days.
Most days on that scale are pretty good. I have a good life filled with good days.
The real point is that I am reminded by my own response every time I say it.
> whaT's on a TuesdaY?
Author: aLmich
It has caused me to realize that we often take advantage of time. We either waste it in front of the t.v. because we are "tired" or we simply put off having dinner with friends or that old officemates for the next week when suddenly next week is no longer there.
I have discovered this while trying to sift through all of my "stuff". It looks like a tornado has gone through our room. I've got piles for goodwill, garage sale, garbage, storage and then finally "payatas" pile of laundry! In reality the only things I've accomplished since I moved to our new place is my self. I wish I hadn't put off going through this stuff 2 months ago when I had enough time in the day!
All of these while trying to have dinner and/or drinks with every friend and family member that I care about. Since I've accomplished good friendship with people, I can tell you it's more people than you'd think. I've eaten out so much in the past month I look like an overstuffed pig. And working out? Forget about it - where's the time?
Oh, and try using the " i have dyspepsia" - excuse on a Tuesday night while you should be out there working. And what do you call that time you sneak yourself into "ministop" for 3 bottles of San Mig super dry? You definitely drink more when you are weepy, I've discovered. For the record, I do not recommend drinking a bottle of wine on a Tuesday night unless you are on vacation. All this while still holding a job. Oh, life has been interesting...
Good thing I'm just so happy and thankful that I have Ate Erlynn, Roan and the rest of the gang sa bahay. Masaya. Parang bahay-bahayan. Whew!
So the purpose of my rampage? Don't put things off. Before you know it, a life change will come your way and you'll be left holding a bottle of wine and an empty box with your hair on fire!
> baby ALEXANDER on the way...
Author: aLmich
> mY madOnna
Author: aLmich
Another week starts tomorrow. I'm a little bit pressured because of the new campaign I'll be calling for. I've tried calling for Verizon before but that was like 3 years ago already and so many changes already took place.
It’s going to be a long day and there’s a lot to do tomorrow and I know I should be going to sleep but I can’t seem to. There’s just so much going on in my head and I need to unload before I go to sleep so here goes nothing...
I caught a documentary [I think] of Madonna’s latest concert tour. Man, I miss watching Madonna! I’ve been a fan since I was a little child… dancing and singing along to her music, copying her moves and her look at the back of our front door. Minus of course the ripped stockings and rubber bracelets and everything!
Madonna may not be the best singer out there and her music has changed a lot throughout the years [which is probably why I’m not that obsessed with her anymore… my tastes have changed] but I can still say that she is one of — if not the best — performers out there. Even for her age, she can outshine a lot of those younger ones in terms of performances — the energy, production, choreography…Madonna’s a pro at it, that’s for sure. I’ve loved her shows [although I have not had the honor of seeing them live]. Di nakakasawa.
The thing I loved about seeing Madonna again on TV was that I realized how much she has changed and grown... not just as an artist but as a person. I mean she’s wife and mother now, who would’ve thought back then that it would actually happen?
One of the things I admire about Madonna is that she continuously reinvents herself. She changes and grows everytime people see her. I like that she pushes the envelope with every change that she makes with herself. She’s not afraid to challenge the norms and step out of her [and everyone else’s] comfort zones to grow into her own or to be able to search for who she is and who she’s supposed to be.
I wish I could be as brave to challenge what’s generally accepted to see what is best for me and discover to the fullest who I really am. This woman seems to live on the mantra “No regrets.” I try to live on the same way of thinking but from time to time I still have things that make me back off from doing things I really want to do.
OK, I’m rambling and I’m not sure if I’m making any sense. This whole train of thought seemed alright when I was on my way home after watching Fantastic 4, but now I'm not so sure.
> FantastiC ME
Author: aLmich
Sorry for being a little non existent here throughout this week. I have been so tied up at work and I've been coming home and wanting to just chill. I just had a hard time adjusting to my new work sked and of course new campaign [Superpages.com]. Now, things have seemed to calm down and I'm ready for the week ahead or am I?I spent the afternoon watching Fantastic 4 : Rise of the Silver Surfer with Migz at SM Centerpoint. The movie started off well, the opening scene was cool; it was in outer space, the scene slowly glided past planets until it came up to what seems to be a world breaking up, slowly, with bursts of gigantic explosions protruding out of its surface; the planet then went dark and died.
PLOT
The Silver Surfer, a herald of Galactus – The world Devourer, swoops into earth on an excavation expedition with the intent to preparing the world for consumption by his master; and where ever the Silver Surfer goes, the world destroyer is not too far behind, off in the distant bringing with it death and destruction. Our heroes are defeated on their first meeting with the Silver Surfer; with some valuable information provided to them by their arch nemesis DOOM they succeed in capturing him on the second attempt, and the prisoner is turned over to the army. Realizing the DOOM has just used everyone to get what he really wanted, the Silver surf board which was the source of the Silver Surfer’s power; the team helped the surfer to escape and retrieve his board before he then goes out and does a kamikaze and destroys Galactus, his master along with himself, thereby saving the world.
The acting was lame; everyone was just full of themselves. The movie plot was very weak, a battle between good and evil; a misguided convert that saves the day in the end; a wedding that has been postponed several times; a super heroe losing his cool and powers when he need it the most; and finally, the writers should have known, Galactus is too big an adversary to be used in a movie this short.
I liked the special effects though, and some of the laughs but it was not enough to justify going to see it in the cinema.
It was Ok, not great.
Good thing they have Chris Evans [*yuM]
> quiaPo sundaY
Author: aLmich
> my TOOTH faiRy
Author: aLmich
Yeah, so the evil tooth fairy took my tooth yesterday and when I felt under my pillow this morning, nothing. All he left me with is a swollen face [again] and an insatiable hunger. I'm allowed nothing but pudding or yoghurt today and *woo hoo!, tomorrow I get to have warm soft food like a bowl of noodles or oatmeal. Wait, I see I'm allowed a can of fruit cocktail. Huh? When were these instructions written, in 1950?
However, the evil tooth fairy's agent --my oral surgeon-- did give me a prescription for Codeine so that tells you what kind of pain was involved. Now here's something you would have thought I'd have learned by now: Never read the paperwork that comes with your prescription or you will make yourself nuts...or, in my case, even more nuts.
"Codeine can cause drowsiness or hyperactivity".
Okay. Which is it, then? Even in my worst [and much younger] partying days, I only indulged in things of a hyperactive nature for a brief time. A few episodes of my heart skipping a beat and imagined trips to the emergency room where I'd be instantly arrested was enough for me.
Now those drowsy drugs...*mmm... but I suffer from insomnia and natural hyperactivity so that's why they used to appeal to me but these days a SanMig Super Dry and dinner is all I really need.
Oh God...dinner.
> paanO kita iLa-LOVE pioLO?
Author: aLmich
I can’t help but laugh whenever I remember how that line was delivered by the hilarious Eugene Domingo in the Regine-Piolo film - Paano Kita Iibigin.
I had the chance to watch the film earlier with rOan and her haniku,and darren. I have to be honest in saying that I wasn’t quite sure if I would like the movie. I have liked a Regine movie here and there but I was a bit skeptical about the teamup [even if they were effective on TV before]. Lucky me, it was a movie that was worth watching when you're waiting for your newly extracted tooth's pain be gone — and I’m not just saying that because I got to watch it for free. I think everything just came too short and fast... Seems like it was supposed to be a 6 hour movie shrunk to a 2.5 hour scene. Thanks to some selected parts like :
Piolo himself. For too long, he's been playing the goody-goody knight-in-shining-armor role. But here, he goes the bad boy route with his motorcycle boots and 3-day stubble. And it's not just the look—there were several scenes in the movie wherein Piolo was actually believable as an overbearing manyakis who attempts to seduce the sweet Regine—now that's something for the ladies.
In her "most daring" role ever, Regine frolics on the beach with her leading man in a two-piece bikini. Add to that a love scene that might just be the most graphic and visually enticing love scene the two stars have ever made in their careers. Seriously though, Regine has never appeared in a bad film [and this film is not an exception]. She seems to know what works for her, and in a genre where the tendency to go over-the-top is tempting, she plays it just right every single time.
The movie, from the first scene to the last, immediately and unabashedly aims for the heart. And if its overflow of sentimentality doesn't kill you, Eugene Domingo's scene-stealing performance will.
My favorite line [as said by both Eugene Domingo and Piolo Pascual] was such a riot. And I now love hearing the words “God is good” because it reminds me of the movie. And then there’s the “durian” line over breakfast with the daing with "mapulang hasang" parinig and the “pakibatukan ako” scene. *hehehe… I won’t go into detail for the benefit of those who haven’t seen the film yet.
To sum up, here’s what I think of this film:
Eugene Domingo – Hilarious!
Regine — Kaiingit.
Iya – Ouch! That hurt!
The kid who plays Liam — adorable.
Jet Pangan — Who knew? *hehehe!
Piolo – *sigh - akin ka nalang...
All in all [sum up na yan ha!] from our place to the movie house = mabahong taxi, salesman na walang alam, makupad na Wendys crew, di kagandahang movie, kending hubad memory and rOan'g nagmama-Regine and as always papa-ble MY PIOLO!!!
> tOoth toooT....
Author: aLmich
“Yet a day comes when a man notices or says that he is thirty. Thus he asserts his youth. But simultaneously he situates himself in relation to time. He takes his place in it. He admits that he stands at a certain point on a curve that he acknowledges having to travel to its end. He belongs to time, and by the horror that seizes him, he recognizes his worst enemy.”
Anyway, thinking of these things a few weeks ago, I went in to have a crown placed on my molar. It was then that the dentist notified me the tooth could not be saved, and would have to be extracted. I scheduled the extraction, and two days before the extraction, a piece of the tooth broke off. Sometimes a dream is just a dream.
The extraction earlier this day was rather painful and bloody. Nagsinungaling kse ako, told the dentist that I've been on mefenamic for 5 days already. I just can't bear the pain anymore. It was really painful, I even thought of backing out.The roots of the teeth were determined to stay embedded in my jawbone, and the tooth broke into more pieces while being extracted.Now,I'm nursing a hole in my mouth, living on a liquid diet. When the jawbone heals in a few months, I’ll be installing an implant. Already I crave solid food, and am planning a trip to Baguio in a few weeks where I intend to binge at Volante, another Solibao meal and of course Kaffeeklatsch. Turnip cakes, pork dumplings; what could be better?
> tooTh acHe
Author: aLmich
>Oh, and the tooth ache always happens at night where you can find no refuge for relief, to ensure maximum pain, and remind you to go to the bloody dentist more often!
>Vodka, rubbed onto the infected gum/teeth is a God-send for pain relief. It lasts almost 3 hours and it’ll let you get some measure of rest at night.
>Have understanding friends who’ll take care of you and fuss over you not to mention, do the errand of buying "dolfenal" for you.
>Brush, floss and see your dentist more often.
Arrraaayyyy!!!
> can'T sLeep
Author: aLmich
I think I’ll go read now.
I wish I could sleep.
> rOan's insTeaD
Author: aLmich
Somewhere between sleep and consciousness, I became aware of the bustle of activity downstairs... the unmistakable laugh,the aroma. The smell of ginisang tahong and pinipritong isda wafted through the window and assailed my scent buds and I knew it was time to get up.
It was ariel and roan getting busy preparing dinner, with khar amplifying the supposed to be simple and not that loud chat *hehehe
I was supposed to create a blog about the night's happening but due to roan's pamimilit, I'm posting hers.
Love? it must be. I'd rather not make anymore comment.
> LosinG a frIend : PersOnaL 9/11s
Author: aLmich
Note: this post will be written in two parts-- will start today and the next will be after everything is settled. Relatively sober, after deciding that even though this verges on kind of personal, and not necessarily very funny, I'm not going to throw it out. I'm going to make myself finish it, and that's where we begin...I'm writing this post at 11:18 on a Thursday morning. This marks two firsts in my blogging history. Number one, it's the first time I've ever posted this early [considering my work shift], and number two, it's the first time I've ever written something about losing a friend.
So why this departure from the norm? Well, because last night when I was out, my friends and I talked about a very personal matter. A very personal matter that I want to share with you right now. So you can just imagine how we were trying to defy the Embassy crowd. While everybody's enjoying and oulsating with the lights and the sounds the bar offers, we're on serious talk. Whew! We talked about our personal 9/11s.
Right now you may be wondering what a personal 9/11 is. Maybe. However, if you've experienced one, you know. Everybody who's ever been in love... or more specifically, everybody who's ever loved and lost... has been through a personal 9/11. It's the moment when everything changes forever. The moment that there's no coming back from. The moment where you lose faith, you're hit hard and you're reeling. Wondering how you got to that point and what could possibly come next. It's the worst feeling in the world. Well, it's one of them.
Now, I don't want to mislead. I think I need to be a little more specific as to what I'm talking about. I'm not talking about the moment in a relationship when you realize things aren't going to work. That moment's not nearly as devastating. And I'm not talking about the actual breakup either. Even that's easier to deal with. I'm talking about what happens when you lose a FRIEND YOU THOUGHT A TRUE FRIEND that you fully trusted.
Not every friendship leads to this type of moment. Thank god. Although I lost this 1 now as he joined the last 1 that I unregrettably lost. Even if you've been lucky enough to have more than one great friendship in your lifetime, there's still that one that you always come back to. That one that pops up in your head time and time again. No matter how much time passes or no matter how much you think you've grown. There they are. That's the one who's responsible for your personal 9/11. That's the one who committed a jihad against your heart, which is not only cruel, but also one hell of a Country song title.
The nice thing about these moments is that there's not a gender bias. It can happen to men, it can happen to women. The only difference is that if you lose your friend assaulting you or you simply lost him/her because he found new people to be with. Tomatoes, tomatoes. It's all the same.
Me, my first personal 9/11 came almost 2 years ago. In a bitchy form. And yes, I was really hurt. In fact, I pulled off a rare personal 9/11 trifecta-- it started at her gossips, climaxed with a friend informing me what she was doing to betray me, and the denoument involved an awkward cup of coffee in a very public place full of tears. If only I would have had those schematics back in '05, maybe this whole thing could have been avoided. But probably not.
Because you can't avoid it. It's bigger than you. Even if everything points to it being a bad idea-- your gut, your friends, that crazy little thing called "logic"-- it doesn't matter. I have to accept it that some people are created from hell, bitchy and witchy. It's the grown up equivalent to -
"evil comes in beautiful package ; good face, boobs, hair etc... but all the same evil"
Far removed from that night-- both in time and emotionally, I know it was a good thing. It is a good thing. It gives you that closure that a breakup doesn't. I remember listening to the radio one night riding a cab to Ortigas, where the DJ said "friends are made up of people who care about each other and some who pretends to care the same". Which is totally true. We do. That is, until you have that personal 9/11 moment. That's when your pass gets denied. Done. Thanks for playing. But unlike other friendships, when you're talking about that IMPORTANT one, this is how it has to end. Or it won't end. There's a reason they're important.
It is important because this time aound, what I feel is that I was betrayed yet I don't wanna react. I don't want to entertain the negative thoughts. But still, I lost him and he joined her. I'm hurting because I sacrificed for him. He knows my dilemma and yet he added to the fire. Now, I'll be gone, it's aching but I know I can get through this. It's a consolation knowing that my TRUE friends are just waiting to be recognized once again.
Do I regret my personal 9/11? Yes and no. Looking back, I wish I wasn't that careless standing by him. While the event was completely necessary, I wish I would have handled myself a little better. I think that sometimes, but then I realize No. That's impossible. That's not what it's about. When you decide to make that jump you can't expect to control anything as you're falling to the ground. You just have to hope that it doesn't hurt too much when you land.
And even if it does, guess what. That's not going to stop you from getting back on that edge again if you have the opportunity.
Some people never learn.
Some friends are created just that.
> 3 piNoy reaSons
Author: aLmich
Earlier this day, I was startled by rOan's tili. I was sleeping like a log when this thing happened. Of course na-buwiset ako. She was watching Game Ka Na Ba? And since I can't go back to sleep na, I decided to get out of bed. Wowowee started. As usual, I was then glued. The program's host - Willie acknowledged the TFC subscribers and blurted out...
"Akala natin masarap buhay sa Amerika, di natin alam naghihirap din sila doon, ang mga kababayan natin".
I never thought I’d be asked and I’d be answering this meme, “3 Reasons Why It Feels Great to be Pinoy”. To think that, almost everyday of our lives, we come up with reasons to put Filipinos down, from the worst traffic in EDSA to the red tape in government. At first I thought it would have been easier if the question was “3 Reasons Why Being Filipino Sucks”. That’s a pessimist for you. But lately I’ve learned I must look on the brighter side of things more often [because I’m getting older]. No use living life down and out.
Three Reasons Why It Feels Great To Be Pinoy
1 We tend to be more compassionate and loving towards our elderly than our Western brothers. This is true. We live as extended families: mother, father, the in-laws, siblings, nieces and nephews, grandparents, and the househelp all in the same house. We just don’t seem to entertain the idea that we’ll let our old parents or grandparents live on their own in a house where nobody can take care of their needs. More often than not, we’d rather invite them to our own home, suffer the extra hungry mouths to feed and to take care of and the occasional [or frequent] fights with the spouse or the in-laws regarding them, than to spend countless nights thinking if they’re all right living alone in the house, if they’ve eaten well, or if the house is still intact and not burned down to the ground because Grandpa forgot to turn off the stove or put out the candle. To leave our old parents under the care of nursing homes is not an idea we entertain. For as long as we have the means and the energy, we’d rather take care of them rather than pay strangers to take care of them for us.
This is often not the case in the West. At the age of eighteen, the young adult leaves home, work on one, two, or three jobs, earning money so that he could study, and settle on his own, single or married. What happens to his parents? Parents, finding the nest empty because all of their sons/daughters have already fled, live out their lives as if they never had children at all. Kids aren’t expected that they ought to care for their parents. When they get too old to take care of themselves, either they enroll themselves in nursing homes or the kids do it for them.
I do not criticize Westerners for doing such things. It’s their culture and it’s their way of life. But it’s not something that I think I’d do. I’d rather take care of my own folks, be it that they drive me crazy most of the time. And I don’t expect my future kids to be taking care of me when I grow old. But it would be an easier and happier life if I were to grow old with all my little grandchildren around me than spending it in a nursing home.
2 We are a poor country, but still we can smile. We may be poor, unlike our Asian neighbors like Singapore and Japan. But, at least, despite the poverty, we remain, generally, a happy people. Unlike those rich countries, where people can spend all they want for what they want and still they feel unhappy and depressed. I think this trait of the Filipinos is a measure of strength, as long as we don’t overdo it. How to overdo it? Lose your job and get drunk every afternoon and every night while your children starve. I’ve seen some folks like that here in my town. I see that their houses are almost in shambles, and yet they spend every afternoon out of their little shanties, their rickety table spread out with bottles and bottles of gin and pulutan, which I don’t know how they were able to acquire since they are jobless, and laughing and cajoling with their drunken friends while their poor wives are at wits’ end trying to find food for the kids. But I hope they’re just a minority. I still want to believe that majority of our people are hardworking despite being poor.
3 We can be transplanted anywhere without losing our Pinoy identity. How do I know? Plant a pinoy in the United States and after some time, you’ll see that pinoy happily living, comfortable with eating Uncle Sam’s food or donning the American accent to fit in his surroundings. And yet when he’s in his own clique of kapwa pinoys, he’s still the same Pedro who left the Philippines. Plant a pinoy in Germany and he’d soon look, talk, and walk like a German [or close enough to be able to blend in]. Yet when he comes home, he’d still be cooking his adobo. My point is, when we do leave our country and get to live somewhere, we may undergo changes because we have to survive in that place but still, we keep in ourselves our distinct Pinoy traits.
Can't imagine my parents being away for such reasons... Mahal ko sila masyado para balewalain.
