ramblings, random musings, fascinations, rants, raves and revelations

Nates: 29-Jul-2008 5:06pm
Wer u? I’m with rain. Kape kami. Wanna join us?

That started it all. I haven’t got enough sleep yet but still, I pushed myself to go. With few bills in my pocket, I thought of stuffing myself first before I left the house. When I asked our Yaya what’s for dinner… “Wala pa Kuya, di pa ko nagluluto. May rice diyan at may spanish sardines sa may oven.” And then I thought “Hmm, ayaw ko ng sardinas ngayon” not expecting that I’ll be like one in few minutes time.

Paranoia strikes - “Naku baka isipin ng magbabasa, nagiinarte na naman ako. Ayoko lang muna ngayon ng sardinas. Pede na ba iyon?” I feel sorry for the poor sardine though; his life was cut short when he was caught and then stuffed into a can, never to swim again in the deep blue sea.

At least he had one advantage; he sure as hell was not in an elbow fight to get into that can.

The MRT has often been likened to a sardine can, with people stuffing themselves into a confined space in a desperate bid to beat the dreaded rush hour EDSA traffic. I am no stranger to the MRT, but today I had the singular experience of being carried into the MRT by a wave of crazed flesh vying for a comfortable place in the train.

I didn’t even have to walk; everybody was pushing and shoving as if the world was ending and that was the last ride to a better place. Hands and elbows and knees and toes were everywhere as people came in from all sides trying to fit into the small aperture offered by the train’s sliding doors.

It was all I could do to stop from screaming at the barbarians at the gates. A bomb threat right there and then would have landed me in jail for violating the HSA, but it would be well worth the satisfaction of seeing the frenzied crowd run and duck for cover.

It’s another annoying example of Filipinos’ tendency -obsession- to be the first in everything. It would be nice if that drove our people to excel in everything, but the unfortunate end result is a people that would choose to flirt with danger rather than wait a few minutes in line, or queue up in an orderly fashion, or wait their turn to cross, or stay in one road lane, or -you get the picture.

The sheer lack of discipline so prevalent in our society is extremely frustrating. We were talking about Singapore in class this morning, and I can’t help but wonder how much better this country could have been if a person the likes of Lee Kuan Yew held office at Malacanang.

Getting out of the train was just the opposite of getting in. I had to push my way out of the sea of bodies that just wouldn’t budge even to my repeated cries of “excuse me”. At the door was another wave of people jostling and pushing and shoving to get in, effectively hampering my exit.

I felt so bruised, all sweaty and stinky. Needless to say, I was already in a very evil mood by the time I got down to North Avenue Station station. The woman who cut into my line sure as hell didn’t help matters!

I was holding myself from freaking out when I have to be back to our meeting place twice because of incorrect information.

What more? we had a hard time deciding where to eat because everything seemed jampacked or if not, the place wasn’t smoker friendly.

When we have found one place that is of perfect location, mahal naman mga presyo nila. It’s not really as pricey as going to exclusive restaurants but I just don’t think it’s reasonable enough. Hefty servings may have been the reason but the place isn’t that good. My apologies to Heaven and Eggs Restaurant.

I won’t write anything more about the restaurant. I’ll just be thankful I was with friends. They’ve been my friends since young. We’ve been classmates since Kinder to High School and still maintaining to hold our friendship. True people who know each other inside and out. People who can rightfully claim - Kilala kita Al.

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This season’s PDA pales in comparison to last year’s but this guy, Van Pojas, is totally worth all the hustle-bustle. I totally dig for his boyish charm and of course, the cutesy cutesy voice. Gosh, really can’t fight this feeling any longer [har har har]. People might think it the other way but he just reminds me of my Z. So I have both Liezel and Van now to support.

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I have long been reading Harry Potter. I have avoided as much as I can to hear stories of how it ended. Thanks to Jc for lending me both the 6th and 7th book.

I know it’s quite late already. The mania has already faded but who cares? It took me a while to buckle down and write about my reaction to “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” I could have done it as soon as I finished it—I was still wide awake at that time—but I honestly couldn’t make up my mind on how I felt about it. I still can’t, actually, but July draws to a close and so does my Harry Potter month. At least I hope I don’t end up writing an epilogue later on.

After making making”tambay” at Kiko & Jc’s haven, I got home, ate lunch, and proceeded to bulldoze my way through the novel until 3ish AM.

Like I said, I am still undecided on how I feel about it. To make things easier, I will just pull out stuff from my head one by one. You can pour them all in the Pensieve when I’m done. I’m thinking about incorporating “pensieve” to my own blog domain.

I am sure most people have read the book by now, but just in case YOU have not read it, please do not proceed if you don’t want to know what happened.

Alright? You have been warned.

The Deathly Hallows: I am not too happy about that storyline. I was looking forward to seeing more of the Horcruxes so I was a bit annoyed that my attention was being drawn to yet another convoluted tale. I know, I know… it’s in the title of the book so I should not complain about it.

Ron hissing: What the hell was that? Granted that we can all mimic sounds and Ron displayed a talent for it, I still thought it was lame.

The Epilogue: Rather cheesy, in my opinion, but I guess the fans would have been very upset if she didn’t include it. I know some people who wanted at least another chapter full of updates. Puh-leez.

Names of the children: Okay, why didn’t he name any of his kids Serius? Or is the other one James Serius?

The locket: It reminded me of the One Ring. Sorry, I can’t help it.

Death 1: I was shocked that Hedwig got the ax! It was necessary, though—they would have used him [her? I don’t remember] when they were camping around Britain. It was good that he was killed fast, though. It was cruel, but Rowling had to make a statement that nobody was safe. Well, at least she wanted us to feel that way.

Death 2: Fred, Fred, Fred. That pissed me off. She should have killed Molly instead.

Which brings me to Bellatrix: Why Molly?!?! I would have been more thrilled if Tonks [ah, she was already dead by then] or Lupin [ditto] did it. Her husband would have been a better choice as well.

I knew Lupin had to die at some point after he asked Harry to be the Godfather of his child. Stupid move, man.

Poor Creevey.

Did Fenrir Greyback bite Lavender Brown or was he about to when Trelawney stopped him? Did she turn into a werewolf or not? Hey, wouldn’t it have been cooler if Trewlaney killed Bellatrix? Hehehehehe.

Dobby: I never liked that character, but that was one of the deaths that I took hard. A bit sappy, but I felt so bad for him.

The Dursleys: I didn’t like the idea that Diddy liked Harry in the end. I wanted Harry to go to war irritated.

The Malfoys: The had to be redeemed, I figured, because J.K. was determined to have a very, very happy ending for the series. I hate that. It really didn’t make sense.

When Draco appeared in the Epilogue and she described him and said that he had a receding hairline, I thought—wow, he didn’t inherit his father’s lovely locks after all! Hehehehe.

The Elder Wand: I am still confused as to how Harry became the true master of the wand. He didn’t physically take it away from Draco! It was another wand, right? You mean if you take one then you get ownership of all of your opponent’s wands?

The Patronus spell: JK Rowling went crazy with that one. All of a sudden everybody was using it left and right. Too much, too much.

The Doe: I knew it was Snape’s! I knew he was good so who else would have been clandestinely helping Harry?

Snape: When Dumbledore said “Please” to him in HP6, I knew Albus was begging him to keep his end of the deal. He’s still my fave along with Serius.

Snape again: I didn’t like the whole chapter with the Pensieve. Couldn’t she have explained Snape’s story in another way? It sounded to me like an after-thought or a rushed job. And the “I love Lily” was already clear to me from Book 5. I was expecting more.

Lily’s eyes: Rowling said before in one of her interviews that it was important that other people noticed that Harry had his mother’s eyes because it would play a big part in the ending and the series. I guess it served as a reminder for Snape not to throttle Harry too much.

Dumbledore: There was too much Albus in this one. I thought I had seen the last of him in HP 6. I am not exactly a fan of his as you can see. Fine, she wanted to show that he was “human” and fallible, too. I still don’t like it.

I wanted more Voldy—past and present. More blood and gore! More soul splitting! hehehe. The snake coming out of that poor lady was cool, though.

I really wanted Hagrid to die. Why didn’t he die???

Tunnel to Hogwarts: To think poor Draco had to fix that stupid cabinet for one whole school year! I thought this was lame.

The camping scenes: I guess it was essential to let Harry, Ron, and Hermione bond, but it took them a ridiculously long time to get their act together. Zzzz… Why did she have to follow her “one school year” formula again? It reminded me of HP4—Barty Jr could have handed Harry over to Voldy at the beginning of the year. Did they have to wait for the stars to align or something? I guess I have to check the book.

Special appearances all around: Even Krum was there. I thought Lockheart was going to waltz in at some point. heh.

The locket, again: I remember asking a friend why it was not included in the HP5 movie. I thought it was a horcrux and I thought it was important that they show that Harry and co found it and threw it away.

Speaking of Horcruxes, I knew Harry was one, too, that was the reason why I was so convinced that he was going to die. He did… for a chapter. How disappointing. Lame, lame, lame. We got another “Dumbledore-Harry-heart-to-heart-talk” in the end. I really thought he was going to die.

Happy Ever After: I guess JK Rowling really didn’t want a tragedy in her hands. The series, no matter how dark and serious it got in the end, was still for kids. She wanted to give them a nice and clean ending. I wanted something else. Oh well…

Well… I can’t think of anything else to say. It’s funny how I’ve spent so much time mulling on this. I had a Harry Potter week!!! And to think I was such a lapse-fan of the series.

Anyways, all in all, I think that this book was tailor-made for the fans. I can’t help but wonder if JK would have written the series the same way if she didn’t have a very strong and imaginative and vocal fan base.

I still don’t know how I feel about it, though. Maybe I should just read it again.

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WARNING : Before you read this, make sure you have a fully developed brain to understand what I’m saying and why I’m saying it. So backoff pea-sized brain! If you don’t know the art of writing or blogging per se, don’t read one. I don’t want people reading my blog then use it against me. I hate to hear people making “parinigs and pahagings” because their brains couldn’t seem to grap the essence of writing.

This is my sanctuary, my place of thoughts. So if you don’t have what it takes to understand it, jump off the building. You’ll realized how stupid you are before you even hit the ground.

While having our banchetto lunch earlier and with the neverending stories to be shared by one another, Abhi shared what Ron made her watch through YouTube. It was the “Ang Lihim ni Antonio” flick. Everybody turned so interested as we all tried to picture all it’s scenes in our minds. I have heard of this film before but never took time to watch it.

For whatsoever gift Abhi has, I got so curious and decided to watch it also. It was really one hell of an effort to view it through YouTube but it was nice and all anyway.

It’s the story of a gay 16-year old and the random events that happen in his life. First time actor Kenjie Garcia was okay and very brave. Brave that he had scenes where he had to literally touch another man’s penis and go full frontal for a masturbation scene. The story is really simple. That’s all there is to it. A falling out of friendship after drunken sex; coming out to another friend; living with a compassionate but broken mother; reaching out to an absentee father; and the arrival of a hunk uncle. The plots don’t exactly bleed into one another in a satisfying, cause-and-effect, or thematic fashion. Collectively, they paint a portrait of a coming of age that is incoherent, and maybe that’s the point.

The director really knows how to push beyond the boundaries. Unlike his previous film ]Ang lalake sa Parola], I felt his versatility as a director on this one. He used the “videocam” technique in almost the entire film. Some people are bothered by this style since the camera moves constantly but on the contrary, it gives a more dramatic effect, especially if you’re trying to get a more realistic approach. It was just right for this film.

The “uncle” played by Josh Ivy Morales [which of course immediately became my crush] wasn’t as bad as well with his piece, since it didn’t really require any major acting. I can presume that the reason why he was cast for this film, is because he had a past experience in doing porn [Manila nights]. So, I wasn’t really surprised when he had frontal erection scenes. These set-ups are not new from film maker Jose Altajeros, too bad if you decide to watch his movies in the cinema, these hard core scenes are deleted but you can always wait till it gets released in the video house. The VCD/DVD version will always have the director’s cut. My take with Jose’s films, when it comes to feeding your sexual appetite, he is the master! He knows how to get to the root of your sexual desire [homoerotic] and at the same time balance it with a good script, good acting and good directing skills. I guess, this is where we can draw the line between porn and film. These kind of movies aren’t new in the french cinema, but for a filipino audience, this movie can be considered extreme.

I got disturbed in the last part of the movie, I was there in my office [alam kong bawal sana but I can't help it] table totally awed by the scenes. I felt the anger, the trauma and the cursing “putang ina mo!!” That very same line played in my head while it is being delivered by Sharmaine. And on another note, the acapella version of “silent night” played in the background which made it more striking. Sharmaine Buencamino has always been a fine actress, if it wasn’t for her performance, this movie would have been a waste.

The movie’s main fault is that it doesn’t really make us care about any of this. Antonio is a walking empty shell. None of what he does, or what happens to him, seems to have any gravity. What keeps us watching is not that he’s interesting, but that the occurances are familiar to us as gay men who’ve been there before or at least heard stories about it. Sure, I giggled at the memory of wearing somebody’s used underwear on my face, but what was so special about that scenario, really? I got tired of scenes unfolding without distinctiveness or consequence. I stayed on my seat mainly because I already know uberstud Josh Ivan Morales will eventually flash his hefty manhood and that he will finally do it with cute newcomer Kenji Garcia. It was just a matter of when.

Talking about being naughty [hehehehehe].

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I’ve always been fascinated by this practice. As most people know, it is a tradition in many parts of the world to bake up a birthday cake for a friend or family member celebrating a birthday. Typically this cake is decorated nicely and topped with birthday candles, one for every year of the celebrant’s life. When the time comes to eat the cake, there is a tradition that the candles are lit and the birthday boy or girl makes a silent wish and then blows out the candles. If they are successful in their comedic [and sometimes spittled] extinguishing, it is said that the wish that they made will come true within the year.

Well, as with most things, there is more here than meets the eye. I was browsing some of my pictures when I saw those that were taken during Mhel’s birthday. It’s a funny picture with all of us helping her blow her birthday candles. It was then I asked - “What’s with the blowing”?

Good thing there’s always Google Loo to help me. It was something like this:

The blowing out of the candles on the birthday cake originated from an early tradition that believed that the smoke from the candles would take one’s wish or petition up to God.

Of course, such a tradition fits squarely within many other religious incense beliefs around the world, which we’ve briefly visited before here, here and here. The beliefs are that burning incense, a form of candle which often produces a fragrance or aroma, is a spiritual purificatory rite that has any number of benefits:

practical use [obscure odor, particularly in funerary ceremonies to cover the scent of decay]
chronological measurement
repel mosquitoes or other insects [Zen Buddhists use this technique when meditating]
indulgence for the sense of smell
sacrificial offering to deity
It is in this final sense that we find most usage in the Judeo-Christian tradition, and in the Bible. Our Bible Dictionary teaches:

The preparation of incense is described in Ex. 30:34-36; the duty of offering it twice daily fell upon the high priest (Ex. 30:7-8), but in the second temple the privilege was extended to all the priests, and the lot was cast each day to decide who should offer (Luke 1:9). Live coals were brought from the brazen altar of burnt offering, and placed on the golden altar of incense; then the priest to whom the lot had fallen entered alone into the Holy Place, carrying in a censer the incense, which he cast on the fire. Then, bowing reverently toward the Holy of Holies, he returned to the congregation, who were praying outside, and pronounced the blessing in Num. 6:24-26. The choir of Levites at once started to sing the daily psalms. On the Day of Atonement there was a special offering of incense. See Rev. 5:8; Rev. 8:3-4; cf. Ps. 141:2; Mal. 1:11.1

Such an offering of incense by the priests gathered around altars set before the veil in the tabernacle or temple was believed to carry the prayers of the Israelites as smoke up to the throne of God, such that they would be heard by Jehovah more effectively.

Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. (Ps. 141:2)

So there. At least we know now “what’s with the blow”.

Something to keep in mind the next time you are blowing out your birthday candles.

These photos were all from that day. Kulit no?

Again, Happy Birtday Mhel!!!
From :
Gay, Kate, Jill. Rhon, Agnes, Al, Cj, Joanne, Dior, Mia, Genie, Princess, Ryan, Aiah

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Waiting for calls to be monitored takes like forever. Everybody’s so busy… or at least trying to be. I have been holding myself from opening Adobe because they might use it again against me but I really can’t hold it any longer. What the heck!

So here’s the result of that struggle. I know some will think that I’m being sipsip or nagpapalakas again. Haller!!! di na kailangan. Ako na mismo si Malakas at si Maganda [har har har}. Talking about being Becky. Chot!

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I slept like a baby for 8 hours earlier. When my phone alarmed at 8 o’clock, I passed over the clutter in the kitchen and fell into the bed blacked out and heedless of the mess altogether. I was supposed to ask our Yaya to do the laundry but my eyes was wailing to catch up on sleep so I paid heed. I managed to force open my eyes to send a quick reply to my Z’s [I'll introduce him when the right time comes] text message then I pressed my head back into the pillows.

I don’t usually fall asleep within 5 minutes of lying down but earlier was one of those rare instances when my eyes just shut off involuntarily. It’s not that I’ve been deprived of sleep, it’s just that I’ve been feeling woozy in the night time especially at work lately and I sense some twinge around my neck that feels like swollen lymph nodes. I guess it’s cold symptoms.

I got out of bed to clean up. well, having to do the “head-of-the-family” chores myself is both the good and the not so good slice of being a “kuya” lifestyle but I don’t really fret. Actually, it’s exciting. Well, it’s not really the feeling of being responsible at last, it’s the self-discovery that’s more thrilling. Each day sweeps on like a journey to self-discovery. and I’m so pleased to see the other side of my quirky character unfolding, that is “AL-as-he-should-be” self.

It’s a Tuesday and I felt the “I-feel-like-being-nice-today” attitude. So, soon as I reached my office, I greeted everyone with a smile. One of my biggest accomplishment? I even talked to the “hiddenly-treacherous-guy”. I just feel like being nice. I know he’ll always be like that because the attitude makes him breathe but I guess I’ll just maintain my vigilance. And as my YM status says :

Simply ignore the bitchiness, and respond with a smile. He should be pitied, his life is miserable, and that is contagious, but love is also contagious, spread that instead!

More love people!

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While hurrying every office responsibility to be finished last Friday, I received a call from Nathan asking me to attend Joyce’s [high school friend] wedding. I immediately agreed for it has been a long time since I saw her and I just happened to be one of the Godfathers of his child. They’ve been married already but I guess they just wanna do it again for whatever reason I surely appreciate anyway.

I remembered wasting time the other week, chatting with friends, looking at celebrities captured in photos showing off their baby bumps and downloading music at home, I learned via friendster that a friend is getting married. There she was flashing that huge rock with stars in her eyes and I was very happy for her. I knew it was coming, they’ve been together forever.

Her engagement news followed my receipt of a card reminding me that one of my friend from my former company is getting married next month. I emailed her thanking her for the invite and she politely let me know that it was just a Save the Date - the actual invite would come later.

I know nothing about the wedding process, and that doesn’t bother me. I am just irritated that marriage seems to be the topic of all of the conversations around me lately. Another friend has been engaged for months, my cousin and her significant other eloped about a week ago [and decided to tell us after] and I have a feeling that a few more friends and relatives will be walking down the aisle sooner rather than later.

And as my circle of single friends continues to dwindle, I’m struggling to figure out who I will begin spending all my free time with. I’m beginning to think weddings are the lates trend - I just didn’t get the memo.

I don’t wanna burden myself with such thoughts though.

The day didn’t just end there, after the ceremony, Nates and I went to Quiapo for some DVD haggling. I guess I’ll be married to my DVDs first… at least for the moment.

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“Everything will come to pass.”
“You can do it, I believe in you!”
“We know you, we’re here for you.”

Those words are some of the most powerful we´ll ever hear and when they come from someone we respect and trust, they mean even more. They say that men are motivated by work successes and women by their men. While that exact statement might be a little off these days, it is true that we need another person to support us. No man is an island [sorry for the cliche].

My life has been in turmoil for these past weeks. I wanna take the opportunity to say sorry to all the people I may have wronged.

When your world seems disarrayed and everything is turning against you, it is definitely worth taking the time to find a friend who can support you in the endeavor. Some are strong enough to forge ahead and be successful anyway, but not everyone can do it. Most of us need encouragement when the chips are down and if you can`t find that at home, you`ll need it from a best friend or even a stranger.

Last weekend, Jc, I and Ralf braved the sputtering rain, made our way to Coffee Nook and spilled all our emotions. Two buckets of beer, sisig, coffee, sinigang, steak and the ambiance loosened everything that has been bothering us. Each one’s words of encouragement made us stronger and happy in the course of life we’re taking. Thank you guys. Some people may have thought they know everything about me and so made them feel they can easily judge but I feel so blessed to know that you will always be there. You’ve seen everything about me, you know what I have, what I can and what I’m capable of.

Words are powerful. Encourage someone, get a little encouragement and everybody wins!

PS- I guess the rain and the overflowing emotions didn’t successfully outrun our humor. We even managed to take pictures and act like nothing burdened us.

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It has been a very busy weekend for me. We moved in to our new place, settled our neverending bills, and got so tied up with household chores. I received SMS from my childhood friend “Eugene” inviting for a birthday celebration. I then extended the message to all of our batch mates and promised my presence. I received several messages also from friends but chose JC, Kiko and Ralf’s invitation instead.

We then agreed that it will be a “Wanted” day and chose to eat grilled food from World Chicken before the movie started. This will be about the movie first as I intend to post another one for the “World Chicken”.

It would be understandable to be leery of an action thriller that opens portentously with the words “A thousand years ago …” and then goes on to tell of an ancient “clan of weavers” who formed a murderous fraternity.

But this kind of inadvertent humor is combined with an intentionally snarky attitude and dark comedy to make Wanted more enjoyable than it ought to be. Much of the entertainment value comes from jaw-dropping stunts and explosive action sequences, which are high-octane fun. Yes, bullets bend, blood spews, cars crash and bodies are punched, stabbed and shot up. But the look of the film, as directed by Russian-born filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov [”Day Watch”], is highly inventive, even though the plot is inane and some of the dialogue is decidedly awkward or clichéd. We were in high spirits and enjoyed the action so much that we almost didn’t care if we caused disturbance to others watching it [sorry].

“Wanted”, like the Matrix movies, has a stylized visual panache. Bullets from different directions move in slow motion and clash in midair, and a gunman leaps through a mirrored glass window, shattering it into brilliant shards while shooting relentlessly, suspended between building roofs.
Angelina Jolie is a sultry sight to behold, effortlessly pulling off outlandish and extreme maneuvers. In the scenic countryside of the Czech Republic, she jumps a boxy car into a moving train, where it lodges itself in one of the cabins, atop the seats. She also pulls a variation of an Evel Knievel stunt and catapults the sports car she’s driving over several police cruisers and a bus, firing off rounds at her target all the while.

The focus of the plot is on twentysomething accounting manager Wesley Gibson [James McAvoy, who projects an engaging anti-hero quality]. He spends most of his day in an office cubicle, quaking in fear of his obnoxious boss and popping pills to ease his panic attacks. Although he is aware that his sleazy girlfriend is cheating on him with his best friend, Wesley is such an emotional slacker that he doesn’t bother to confront them. But after being recruited by the weaver clan/assassination club, suddenly he finds he has the right stuff to shoot the wings off a fly.

Jolie and Morgan Freeman are key members of this weaving clan, toiling in a cloistered Chicago textile factory that looks like a Gothic castle.
Sure, their real trade is cloth, but they dabble in the killing business as well, carrying out the assignments designated by “Fate.”

Freeman sermonizes about the Loom of Fate, another of those chortle-inducing features. Apparently, when looked at under a microscope, weavings contain critical missed stitches that create a binary code spelling out the name of assassination targets. How refreshingly low-tech.

“Wanted” is silly and far-fetched. And if it didn’t back up its ridiculous plot with spellbinding visceral energy, it would have been a dismal failure.

Uh well, the fact that we were talking about it even after watching only goes to show that it made an impact for movie addicts like us. Next? We’ll be watching “Journey to the Center of the Earth” at iMax, MOA. Can’t wait.

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This special place has been inviting more and more visitors. Most of them are to view all of my Charice Pempengco’s entries or because of my Anawangin posts. I have received negative comments from people who had bad experiences of the place but I guess our group understood that the place [having P150 only as entrance fee] promised nothing of the regular beach resort convenience [that means : no lifeguard, no concrete establishments, no bars, no hotel accomodation, etc ]. And since there are more pictures I’d like to post, here’s another one.

Aside from my Sagada trip wherein cellphone signal dies down around 10pm [their curfew time], I can’t believe that I spent two days and one night in a place devoid of any necessities [and what more, conveniences] offered by the modern world. And damn, I do declare: Lou, Ryan, Beto, Ivan, Joanne and Mia will forever be my friends and that Anawangin Cove was LOVELY. Sure, I had my little dramas “I miss my bed, I want a massage, I want flushing toilets and a proper shower, I want fried chicken, I want a chocolate milkshake, I want to go back home and blog, I miss blogging moments, but all in all, we fared pretty well.

Oh no, that’s an understatement. If there’s anything we learned about ourselves this escapade, it’s that surviving in the wilderness on a remote island [with no electricity, no running water, no cellular reception, and no fresh-off-the-deep-fryer KFC chicken] skills? we have them and we have an Ivan and Joanne to guide us through. And I shit you not when I say we had to gather wood for fire [eventhough we have butane burners]. As Lou said, while we were dragging the firewood from the beach back to our tents: How primitive. I shit you not, too, when I say that it took all of us to cook a pot of rice. Everyone was there lying and waiting for our food to be ready for devouring.

Anawangin Cove is, hands down, one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever been to. The landscape is amazing and something I’ve never seen before [probably because I tend to stick to tried-and-tested vacation destinations]: mountains, a gorgeous beach, pine trees, a river, a lake, foliage, chickens [seriously, chickens at a beach??], and the clearest moonlit night sky. It all sounds cheesy until you get there, so shut up, asshole.

Unfortunately, everyone had the brilliant idea of going there the same weekend as us. The place was substantially peopled, not really much to our annoyance [because we’re not that greedy and we particularly embraced the idea of sharing two toilets with strangers ], but it was an all right crowd. I guess. It’s not like we had a choice.

It is also worth saying that although we had with us several bottles of alcohol and one drunken master and a drama princesito, this camping trip earns the Most Sober Fun I’ve Ever Had My Whole OWC Life award. Two thumbs up! Manood kayo!

And yes! That coconuter written on the sand was inspired by the coconuter himself.

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Since it was planned to watch Hancock at MOA, We [Kiko, Jc and I] took time to visit Seaside first. The place looked so inviting that we lost no time in going there and it was there where we had a fabulous dinner.

Seaside Macapagal takes on the Filipino concept of “dampa” in cleaner and much better surroundings plus the “lansa” of course. It’s composed of individual establishments in one complex where you are supposed to shop for fresh seafood in the wet market then have it weighed and cooked in the adjoining restaurant. You can choose to dine indoors or al fresco, while listening to a musical band. In the evenings, the landscaped gardens can be a romantic setting for your dinner date, if only those families out with their kids weren’t too noisy [ugh!].

In the fresh market, you can have all the seafood your heart desires like lapu-lapu, maya-maya, salmon, tuna, scallops, squid, bivalves and the like. Meat and vegetables are also sold in neighboring stalls.

The three of us settled at Aling Mahsya’s and ordered for grilled squid, baked mussels in garlic and cheese, shrimp tempura and sinigang na maya maya. We were even saying that “Sana kasama natin si Ralf” because our total expenses for buying all the food and having it cooked as well as the drinks amounted to almost P1,600 [less than $30] for three persons and the foods were really hefty. This is definitely cheaper than if we had dined in a hotel. We also enjoyed the restaurant’s staffs because of their gay antics. We called them “beau-coneras” as they seem to join gay pageants the way they act and move.

With the proliferation of “Dampa Style” eateries, I find this to be the best in terms of orderliness and cleanliness. You can call it “bourgeois mentality” but thankfully, this place is out of the easy reach by the common masses in terms of distance and location. I am not even sure if there are jeeps that ply a route passing by this place. Some friends tell me there are. Anyway…

Like in many of those dampa eateries proliferating in the metropolis, you will find just every kind of seafood that you’d like to have. There are even those that you thought are not available in the Philippines or not at all existing as creatures from the sea! Shrimps, prawns of all sizes and colors are aplenty. Yes, I never thought they come in different colors! Some are yellowish, some are black-and-white, some are the normal brownish gray and yet some are pinkish gray! Crabs. Oh crabs! Yes there are the “alimango”, the “alimasag” and other weird-looking crabs. Yet the vendors and the restaurant owners will tell you how delectable those are.

Don’t think though that only seafood can be found here. Many of the stalls are awash with fruits and vegetables to go with your “fresh catch” from the sea! And, while waiting for your food to cook, you can browse through the many other stalls that sell music CDs, movie DVDs, PC games and applications – all of the pirated kind of course.

Parking is ample in this place – then again you’ll have a little bit of time looking for a slot during weekend evenings. Oh, while all of them restaurants have piped in music or TV sets to entertain you, some of them even have live bands playing different genres!

Well, after all, aside from this place being by the shores of Manila Bay, what is the difference to other dampa eateries? As I said earlier, its just a bit cleaner, less crowded. Yes too, and a bit more expensive. But that’s a bit more to pay for taking care of your sanity!

Seaside Macapagal Blvd. [near the Mall of Asia] is highly recommended for those family get-togethers and giving your balikbayan/foreigner friends the fresh seafood market experience. No wonder, the place is always full!

And since I decided to make this blog more informative, from now on I’ll be trying to post here also the contact information of each of the place I visit. I’ll also try to provide the same for my previous posts.

I’m sorry for forgetting to give credits to whom it was due. Highlighted parts were from this site = http://philippinetravelnotes.blogspot.com/2007/06/dampa-macapagal-boulevard.html

Seaside Paluto Restaurants & Market - Macapagal Branch

Macapagal Boulevard
Pasay City
Philippines

info@seasideph.com
phone: 5561779
fax: 5561778
cel: 09209625215/09189281270

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While easing the boredom of a Saturday with JC, checking friendster and some blog entries, YM-ing Ed and two “7-11 big gulps” to drown ourselves with, I came across Kiko’s blog. We were stunned by an embedded video he featured. It’s the international release for what used to be a “Richard Guttierez - Angel Locsin - Iza Calsado” horror film - Sigaw.

If you are one of hundreds of thousands of Filipinos “sick of Philippine politics,” and “getting tired of being Filipino,” here is something to shout about.

Director Yam Laranas’s film Sigaw [internationally released as The Echo] has been drawing raves in Hollywood after producer Roy Lee watched the movie and confessed: “I found myself jumping at certain scenes and I have seen many other horror movies where that never happens.”

You’ll appreciate that quote more if you know who Roy Lee is. He’s the hot Hollywood producer who brought Japanese horror movies The Ring, The Grudge and Dark Water to Hollywood and turned them into critically acclaimed, international box office hits. Right now, Roy Lee is executive producing The Departed starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Matt Damon, and directed by Martin Scorcese.

How Roy Lee discovered Yam and Sigaw is fast becoming the stuff of legend in filmmaking circles. It is absolute proof of the power of good word of mouth. Roy heard about Sigaw from someone who watched it and loved it and knew other people who saw Sigaw and were raving about it as well.

Without a single centavo spent on Marketing and PR, Sigaw outlived the hype and hysteria of the 2004 Metro Manila Film Festival where it quietly cultivated a cult-like following.

If you have been able to watch the original version, you would see the twist they made for the new version. This time The story of Sigaw revolves around a young ex-con who moves into an old apartment building, only to learn his neighbor is an abusive police officer who savagely beats his wife and daughter. When the ex-con tries to intervene, he becomes trapped in a curse.

Yam - the Filipino filmmaker got his wish with a screening of the movie at the Hall Theatre on July 17 at 7:15 p.m. He will be on hand to present his 90-minute thriller, which stars Jesse Bradford as Bobby, Iza Calzado [who reprises her role], Amelia Warner, Kevin Durand, Louise Linton, Carlos Leon and Pruitt Taylor Vince.

This is something we can all be proud of isn’t it?

[*damn! i can't post the video trailer... ill post it another time]

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I’m just posting this for my cousin’s friendster… I’ll be deleting this soon as she grabbed her pics : )

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Joanne sent this earlier and I can’t help but to share it with you guys. You may have known me through my posts that I’m not a believer of love [or in denial] but I won’t take the inspiration this might give you. Be in love.

An incredible love story has come out of China recently and managed to touch the world.. It is a story of a man and an older woman who ran off to live and love each other in peace for over half a century.

The 70-year-old Chinese man who hand-carved over 6,000 stairs up a mountain for his 80-year-old wife has passed away in the cave which has been the couple’s home for the last 50 years. Over 50 years ago, Liu Guojiang a 19 year-old boy, fell in love with a 29 year-old widowed mother named Xu Chaoqin…

In a twist worthy of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, friends and relatives criticized the relationship because of the age difference and the fact that Xu already had children.
At that time, it was unacceptable and immoral for a young man to love an older woman.. To avoid the market gossip and the scorn of their communities, the couple decided to elope and lived in a cave in Jiangjin County in Southern ChongQing Municipality .

In the beginning, life was harsh as hey had nothing, no electricity or even food. They had to eat grass and roots they found in the mountain, and Liu made a kerosene lamp that they used to light up their lives.

Xu felt that she had tied Liu down and repeatedly asked him, ‘Are you regretful? Liu always replied, ‘As long as we are industrious, life will improve..’

In the second year of living in the mountain, Liu began and continued for over 50 years, to hand-carve the steps so that his wife could get down the mountain easily.

Half a century later in 2001, a group of adventurers were exploring the forest and were surprised to find the elderly couple and the over 6,000 hand-carved steps. Liu MingSheng, one of their seven children said, ‘My parents loved each other so much, they have lived in seclusion for over 50 years and never been apart a single day. He hand carved more than 6,000 steps over the years for my mother’s convenience, although she doesn’t go down the mountain that much.’

The couple had lived in peace for over 50 years until last week. Liu, now 72 years, returned from his daily farm work and collapsed. Xu sat and prayed with her husband as he passed away in her arms. So in love with Xu, was Liu, that no one was able to release the grip he had on his wife’s hand even after he had passed away.

‘You promised me you’ll take care of me, you’ll always be with me until the day I died, now you left before me, how am I going to live without you?’

Xu spent days softly repeating this sentence and touching her husband’s black coffin with tears rolling down her cheeks.

In 2006, their story became one of the top 10 love stories from China , collected by the Chinese Women Weekly. The local government has decided to preserve the love ladder and the place they lived as a museum, so this love story can live forever.

Uh well, I guess it’s not the right time for me to comment.

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Have you experienced planning to go somewhere and when the time comes you feel half hearted? Visiting Caleruega wasn’t the main reason we hied off to Batangas, it was Joanne’s birthday. I was still nursing a flu then but since she’s really a treasured friend, I made no excuse. It was a night of singing, drinking and food binge-ing. Funny thing, it was raining cats and dogs outside but we didn’t care.

After two days of non-stop raining, it was time again to go back to the reality of Manila. Joanne, being so nice, decided to take me to a tour first. It was then I realized I almost missed the beauty of the place. Caleruega is just walking distance from their house. On our way, we passed by Evercrest and the Chapel on the Hill. It is owned by the Don Bosco fathers.

Rather than words, I’ll put in these pictures. The place is so laid out that it inspires prayer.

Caleruega, on the other hand, is well known for weddings. In fact, the movie “Sukob” was shot there. Owned by the Dominicans, it houses retreatants and there were quite a number around. It is a very relaxing place with koi pond, elevated walkway and hanging bridge to boot.

Rising tall and majestic in the highest point of Caleruega is the Transfiguration Chapel. Its facade is a reproduction of the original chapel in Caleruega, Spain…

hence the stained glass design below:

On the left is the prophet Elijah, the middle, Jesus, and the right, Moses with the two tablets of stone.

On the way to Caleruega were a number of houses and townhouses, a few of them looking like they had seen better days. I felt sad looking at them, among them is this…

There were also new townhouses with nary a caretaker nor security guard. What a pity if they don’t take care of it.

CALERUEGA-PHILIPPINES
Brgy. Kaylaway, Batulao,
Nadugbu, Batangas

mail: caleruega_philippines@yahoo.com

Contact Numbers:
09212709890
Ask for:
Ms. Jackie
Ms. Melda
Ms. Cristalle

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Link

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Racism is rampant in some countries. I just don’t understand. While we all give our best “whatevers” to people of different race we tend to be treated like we don’t belong in this world. I hate the thought of being treated “unfairly”. I know it has existed throughout human history. It may be defined as the hatred of one person by another — or the belief that another person is less than human — because of skin color, language, customs, place of birth or any factor that supposedly reveals the basic nature of that person. It has influenced wars, slavery, the formation of nations, and legal codes.

The same goes with intimidations on social class, education and gender. What’s the problem people? Whoever says that social classes are things of the past needs to get their illusions shattered.

I wikipedia-d this… Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions [or stratification] between individuals or groups in societies or cultures. Usually individuals are grouped into classes based on their economic positions and similar political and economic interests within the stratification system.

Just go to a nearest BPI branch, and one counter is clearly labeled “Preferred banking clients.” Yes, if you are not rich enough, you are not a preferred banking client, and you cannot line up in that counter.

I am no communist, but I just want to disillusion people about this Enchanted Kingdom.

PS: I paid my BPI bill at this BPI branch, and took me an hour just to pay a five-hundred peso credit card bill.

“We’ll take you farther.” Errrrr. It should be “We’ll waste your time.” More appropos, I guess.

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I go to gym. I do cardio exercises. I trek, I roam around in my dopie, I walk and even walks the walk of life.

I have nothing against walking, the sun, and walking under the sun. It’s something I actually enjoy doing provided the right circumstances, the right setting, the right people and provided that I won’t have to do it on a regular basis [and with my lifestyle— I don’t]. But walking under the sun, IN THE CITY, in LONG SLEEVED POLO after a nine-hour shift at work just irritates the shittles out of me — especially when it could’ve been easily avoided if only the people around me weren’t such idiots.

[On my way home yesterday, I took the bus because I feel so tired to just thinking of MRT stairs. A woman got on the bus somewhere in the Crossing area and sat next to me — no, squeezed her sticky self next to me, even though we were occupying a three-seater. We were to get off at the same place: Boni, and it was CRUCIAL for us to get off right there because the bus was taking the fast lane and the next stop would offset me by [I'm guessing] more than a hundred meters.

We were seated near the back of the bus and she took her time to get up and move when the bus was ALREADY AT OUR STOP. I had already stood up and was nudging her slightly [she was in my way]— a signal that she should hurry her ass down the exit because unlike her, I have to be somewhere. She didn’t. And so we I miss my stop and am inconvenienced. [*Unnecessary anger]

Walking through EDSA isn’t my number one most hated thing in the world [that honor belongs to gaining weight] but it comes in pretty close. It’s a scorching Tuesday afternoon and the diseased masses of Boni move as if they were going for a Sunday stroll in the park, seemingly unbothered by the vehicular fumes. Sometimes, they’re also unmindful of other people and act as if they own the fucking city and block the way. Oh look, stairs, perfect!; let me stop RIGHTHERE and send someone a message on my phone. Who the hell cares if I’m a goddamn obstruction— I don’t.

You know what else I hate? Groups of people who stand around by the entrance or the exit and discuss where to go next or whatever. MOVE TO THE GODDAMN SIDE AND LET PEOPLE THROUGH.

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I’d like to post something and let everyone know that I had a happy day. As I started to type in my happy thoughts, I felt [using all my senses] something not right. I then decided to stop and have this instead.

Uh well, I guess there’ll be time to post a happy thought.

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We all know Manila. The stress of daily living, the traffic, the heat, the neverending rants.

As far back as the summer started, I’ve been wanting to get away from the city even for a brief respite from the doldrums of commuting to and from work, the usual thing you do day in and day out that sometimes makes you wonder of living into a groundhog day the moment you wake up eyes staring at the ceiling wishing you had a terrible case of hangover just to feel different this time.

I was really excited for what awaits us in our roadtrip to Zambales. Nothing beats travelling with your friends, it’s like you get to know them even more, bond with them more or do and see stuffs you won’t normally get by hanging out in the city.

We went there first not knowing what to expect. All we know? we’re up for an exciting adventure…
To make the story short, I’ll just shift to a photo blog in detailing the rest this escapade.

I already have posted some Anawangin - Capones entries before. You can check it here and here. Enjoy reading !

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