A Quote From Meet Joe Black

Mia and I live for movie quotes. Especially her -- she'll quote everyone from Bridget Jones, to Maggie Cheung, to Maricel Soriano.

Here's one she shared earlier with me, from Meet Joe Black. I didn't really like the movie, but this quote is rather nice. If a little bit on the hopeless romantic side.

"Love is passion, obsession, someone you can't live without. If you don't start with that, what are you going to end up with? Fall head over heels. I say find someone you can love like crazy and who'll love you the same way back. And how do you find him? Forget your head and listen to your heart. I'm not hearing any heart. Run the risk, if you get hurt, you'll come back. Because, the truth is there is no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love - well, you haven't lived a life at all. You have to try. Because if you haven't tried, you haven't lived."


-- William Parrish (Anthony Hopkins)

BLESSED AMONG MEN

It's been a while since I've found myself with some free time to post in this blog. Writing can be so taxing, that I decided I'll just post my favorite photos, with a few choice words, just so this thing can have the semblance of being updated.

IT'S BEEN A WHOLE MONTH OF FRIENDS - THE OLD, NEW, THE UNEXPECTED!

1) BEST FRIEND # 1
Mia and I have been hanging around a lot with each other lately. It's funny, but we were never this close, even back in college when we'd get to see each other everday. You know how some people toss the word best friend around, and use it for every other friend they have? I use it only when referring to Mia :-)

2) FACULTY FRIENDS!
Rizal Faculty -- keeping each other sane, through moments when being proactive seems like the hardest thing on the planet.

3) REVENGE OF THE NERDS
When knowledge of pop culture make you seem cool, as opposed to weird.

4) THE INSPIRATION
Erika - whose life always makes me wish I could do more with my own.

"I had a blast as well. The city seemed to welcome you with an enchanted brand of magic that you needed at that time. It slapped you silly (shocked me slightly), and lulled you sweetly (surprised even me). I salute you today for your strength and self-possession. Love you!"
-E.

5) THE GIRLFRIEND
I never thought Sheryl and I would get to know each other the way we have. Thank you! It's been a blast :-) I will always remember the gayness and the beach trips and the endless Kim jokes and Aaron impersonations.

6) THE TIMELESS FRIENDS
How do you even start to thank friends whom you've known for more than a decade? My village friends who are the most honest, brutal, and of course, the most loyal and funniest as well.

I Do Not Love You

You can say what you want -- Neruda's overrated, he's pop poetry etc. etc. But try listening to this particular poem in your Ipod with Andy Garcia reciting it, and I'll bet -- you'll be quoting it too.

I Do Not Love You

by Pablo Neruda

I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.

I love you as the plant that never blooms
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love you because I know no other way

that this: where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

your voice over the wires came leaping

A Poem by e.e. cummings

your little voice
      		     Over the wires came leaping
and i felt suddenly
dizzy
     With the jostling and shouting of merry flowers
wee skipping high-heeled flames
courtesied before my eyes
                         or twinkling over to my side
Looked up
with impertinently exquisite faces
floating hands were laid upon me
I was whirled and tossed into delicious dancing
up
Up
with the pale important
                       stars and the Humorous
                                             moon
dear girl
How i was crazy how i cried when i heard
                                        over time
and tide and death
leaping
Sweetly
       your voice

Swimming Closer To You

The best thing about traveling is that it gives you perspective. When you're on a little speedboat, with miles and miles of sea embracing you on all sides, and gigantic limestone cliffs loom up ahead, and the sky is flung wide open above you, well, it's a splendid reminder that not everything is about you. You are not the center of the universe. There is something bigger and infinitely more to your life than your problems.

And just like that, all the cares that have hovered in your head just magically melt away.

I was lucky enough to be yanked out of my sadness just a couple of years back. You know how, in the movies, when the main character is depressed or in turmoil, they just throw everything away for a trip far, far away?

I was blessed enough to be whisked away to Palawan, at the very time when I needed it most. And with my best friend, no less.

At first, I remember whining and complaining to Mia about the stupidest things, focusing yet again on myself, even though I was surrounded by such stunning scenery. I remember being so hung up with thoughts of the "dirty, numb angel boy," that all I wanted to do was sleep in the cottage, even as the day beckoned in all its glory.

But then I remember, the exact, precise moment, when everything just became OK. It started with the the short visit to the old Fort that fronted the sea. We were in the group that included Tourism Secretary Ace Durano, and this Japanese businessman who was interested in investing money to upgrade the Palawan airport.

Mia and I were laughing our heads off imagining that we'd try to impress the Jap dude with the little Nippongo we had learned in college.

"Shinbun desu ne?" (That's a newspaper, isn't it?)

or
"Neko desu wa?" (Is that a cat?)

"Iiye, enpitsu desu." (No, it's a pencil.)

Anyway, we finally boarded a double-deck boat back to the resort. We were sitting at the top seats, cocktails were being served, people were making small talk.

Mia and I we were in one corner, analyzing our troubled situations for the 657th time -- trying to make sense of why our lives were such a mess.

And then the sun began to set -- a blaze of orange, and red and all these brilliant crimson colors. The wind whipped our hair. The sea stretched for miles on end. We took a sip of the ice cold beer in our hands. And it was Just. So. Beautiful.

Like beautiful that it will take your breath away. So beautiful that you want to cry because you had no idea that anything could be that perfect.

And just like that. All our cares evaporated.

"Ok na 'to. Wala naman palang problema eh."

Hahaha.

That being said, Lord, I think I need to go away again.

Thank God sembreak is a couple of weeks away.


Time to hit the beach.

Dear Loser Ariane and Epal Allan

Was about to go to bed, but for some reason I thought I'd go online for a little bit. There were the usual updates from Multiply friends -- the Atenean ones posting about the Blue Eagle Bonfire. It was funny, an overwhelming number of them decided to comment on the Putik Patch, formerly known as Bellarmine Field. Mia and I didn't even bother to stay around long enough to

There were some emails from work, which I promptly deleted (haha just kidding), there were some updates on the sites I frequented -- postsecret.com, Cecile Zamora's blog, and some other useless trifles that I enjoy so much.

Finally, there was a message from two friends which sent me typing this blog -- from Ariane, who told me she was officially leaving on Oct. 22, and from Sheryl, who told me that Allan was also leaving soon.

I've been friends with Ariane and Allan since I was 17, which makes our friendship just one year short of a decade. The proximity has helped fuel and sustain it -- anytime we wanted to get together for a spaghetti afternoon, an all-night dvd marathon, family dinner, spur of the moment "inuman", they were always just a phone call and a couple of blocks away.

But now, well. New York and Dubai will not accommodate our little get-togethers so well. And I realized, it is the small things that I will miss over the next couple of months. Random phone calls. Biking and barbecue days. Tree-planting (!), Last minute lending of clothes, money, food, time, energy, advice and sanity. As Tom Cruise said in Vanilla Sky, "The little things... there's nothing bigger, is there?"

Coincidentally, my cousin from New York sent me over some songs from Fab Moretti's new band "Little Joy." The nicest one is called "Brand New Start," a sweet little track that is now the soundtrack to this entry.

So there. This is a Brand New Start, for both you, and for me as well. And for everyone whose lives intertwined with yours (this means you Sheryl).

Even though I regularly call you losers, "epal" and other similar terms of endearment, let me say for the record, I will miss you.

Music Knowledge

Fire and Ice

by Robert Frost


Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
....

Sigh

The seniors are taking up world literature and yesterday we discussed The Pillow Book, a journal by a lady-in-waiting during the Heian dynasty in Japan.

It's a precursor for a Japanese literary form called zuihitsu or “occasional writings.”

This one's my favorite.

Things That Arouse A Fond Memory of the Past

Dried hollyhock. The objects used during the Display of the Dolls. To find a piece of deep violet grape-colored material that has been pressed between the pages of a notebook.

It is a rainy day and one is feeling bored. To pass the time, one starts looking through some old papers. And then one comes across the letters of a man one used to love.

Last year's paper fan. A night with a clear moon.

Name That Tune

Pick out your 20-25 favorite songs.

Pick out a line from each (try not to use the chorus or title of the song). List them and see if people on your friends list can guess them. Once one is guessed correctly, strike it out


1) "I wouldn't change a thing now that you're here."


2) "We both have shiny happy fits of rage."


3) "I'm thinking it's a sign, that the freckles in our eyes are mirror images and when we kiss they're perfectly aligned."


4) "Sleight of had and twist of fate, on a bed of nails she makes me wait."


5) "She got a dark skinned friend look like Michael Jackson, got a dark skinned friend, look like Michael Jackson."


6) "And you bet I felt it."


7) "Baby you don't understand, our love lies lost but, you're still holding my hand."


8) I could drink a case of you, and still be on my feet.


9) "Darling don't you look fine."


10) "I see you frowning it's like looking down the barrel of a gun."


11) "No song that I can sing, but I can try for your heart."


12) "Minsan ay parang wala nang bukas, sa buhay natin, inuman sa magdamag, na para bang tayo's mauubusan."


13) "Come up to the spot looking extra fly. Till the day I die, Ima touch the sky"


14) "Sure I can accept that it's going nowhere, but one last time let's go there."


15) "And you turn to me like, a gull takes to the wind. I'd have jump, from my seat, I'd have danced like the queen of the eyesores, the rest of our lives would have fared well."


16) "I miss the typewriter in the basement, I miss making your room, a mess."


17) "I'm in the mood for you, or running away."


18) "That's sugarcane that tasted good, that's cinammon, that's Hollywood."


19) "I feel like this is the beginning, though I loved you for a million years."


20) "And you know it aches, and your heart it breaks, it can only take so much..."


21) "Oh May, do you wanna get married, or run away?"


22) "I know I got black eyes, but they burn, so brightly for her. Guess it's a blind kind of love."


24) "Still a little bit of your ghost, your weakness, still a little bit of your face, I haven't kissed."


25) "All we care about is talking, talking only me and you."

It's Official

I'm a Simon Pegg fan.

"Simon John Beckingham (born 14 February 1970), better known as Simon Pegg, is an award-winning English actor, comedian, writer, producer, stand-up comedian, and director. He is best known for his starring roles in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, and for the British sitcom Spaced." (wikipedia.com)

Funny how I came across his two movies in such a random manner. The first one was Shaun of the Dead of course.

That was some time back in 2005, while I was surfing channel's at P.'s. It reeled us in hook, line and sinker -- it's about this blue-collar worker named Shaun who is only recently just figuring out how to make things right in his life. But at such a bad timing, because, this epiphany of his just happens to coincide with the attack of the undead. So he's this hapless chap trying to sort things out with is girlfriend or his mom, while fending off bloodthirsty zombies at the same time.

Wry, absurd British humor, heavy references to pop culture, a bit of romance, and zombies! A romantic comedy with zombies. San ka pa? P. and I were were laughing our heads off, and asking each other over and over, "What is this movie?" Needless to say, we didn't even bother turning up for work that day.


Then, just the other night, I saw Simon Pegg again, while flipping through the movie channels. This time he's a straightlaced cop from London, who is transeferred to small town Sandford, where everybody is just nuts. Hahaha.



Same kinetic camera pacing, same absurd British humor, same sidekick (Nick Frost), the same ensemble cast of idiots who say the stupidest things ("I've always wanted to be a policeman-officer."), same heavy referencing of pop culture (this time it's cop movies like Bad Boys and Point Break) and the same ridiculous plot -- a series of murders in a small town, that everybody just attributes to accidents. It's so funny how Simon Pegg's character is so ready to tear his hair off, so frustrated that he's the only sane person around. (Reminds me of Mugatu's line in Zoolander "The man has only one look, for Christ's sake! Blue Steel? Ferrari? Le Tigra? They're the same face! Doesn't anybody notice this? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!")


Hayy. Funny. Eto pa! The best news I've heard in the longest time.

Will Ferrell To Play Drunk, Naked Watson To Sacha Baron Cohen's Sherlock

If you've been longing for a re-pairing of rival NASCAR champions Ricky Bobby and Jean Girard, only this time in something a little more fog-enshrouded, well, then, hold on to your pipes: It was announced today that Sacha Baron Cohen and Will Ferrell will star in the working-titled Sherlock: Elementary Deductions For Solving Puzzling Murders Throughout Queen Victoria's London in a Deerslayer Hat—an updating of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic mysteries. From Variety.com:

Columbia Pictures has set an untitled comedy that will star Sacha Baron Cohen as master detective Sherlock Holmes and Will Ferrell as Watson, his crime-solving partner.

Etan Cohen ("Tropic Thunder") is writing the script, and Judd Apatow and Jimmy Miller will produce.

Ahlavett! :-P

The Pacquiao Fight, And Then Some.

This isn't really about the fight, it's old news by now anyway, and all the highlights have probably been the topic of lunchroom discussions yesterday. The 9th round knock-out. The Kevin Garnett/Sam Cassel photo op.Manny's interview answers delivered in English which never fails to bring great joy to his fans.

It's about the Philippine National anthem which was sung minutes before the fight. Nothing special about the rendition (who's Nicole Angela anyway?) -- it was just that, two lines from the lyrics caught my attention.

"Buhay ay langit sa piling mo."


and "Ang mamatay ng dahil sa 'yo."

Wow. Blew me away like no other. I had no idea our national anthem was so, romantic. Maybe because it's in Tagalog, and you know how, when it's in Tagalog, it's just somehow more "damang-dama" and "tagus sa puso."

Aren't you just bowled over by the fact that the writers who penned the words to Lupang Hinirang were absolutely rhapsodic about our country? When today, everything about the Philippine -- the leaders, the traffic, the movies, the cops, the attitude, seems like one huge joke. Or fodder for jokes, here and abroad.

In their time, it was "buhay ay langit sa piling mo." And "ang mamatay ng dahil sa 'yo." Life is paradise in your arms. To die, because of you.

Pare namaaaan. Panalo.

Hahaha. Is it because I'm from Manila? Do people from, other parts of the Philippines -- Palawan, or Cebu or Batanes, or, sige na nga, Davao, have an inkling of what possessed Jose Palma to pen such a beautiful love song?

Jump In With Both Feet!

Gray or Blue by Jaymay

I feel so helpless now, my guitar is not around
And I'm struggling with the xylophone to make these feelings sound
And I'm remembering you singing and bringing you to life
And It's raining out the window and today it looks like night

You haven't written to me in a week I'm wondering why that is
Are you too nervous to be lovers, friendships ruined with just one kiss
I watched you very closely I saw you look away
Your eyes are either gray or blue I'm never close enough to say

But your sweatshirt says it all with the hood over your face
I can't keep staring at your mouth without wondering how it tastes
I'm with another boy; he's asleep, I'm wide awake
And he tried to win my heart, but it's taken time

I know the shape of your hands because I watch them when you talk
And I know the shape of your body 'cause I watch it when you walk
And I want to know it all but I'm giving you the lead
So go on, go on and take it, don't fake it, shake it

Don't second guess your feelings you were right from the start
And I notice she's your lover, but she's nowhere near your heart
This city is for strangers, like the sky is for the stars
But I think it's very dangerous if we do not take whats ours

And I'm winning you with words because I have no other way
I'd love to look into your face without your eyes turning away
Last night I watched you sing because a person has to try
And I walked home in the rain because a person cannot lie

How Come Nobody Told Me This?

I watched Across the Universe after everyone has raved about it but nobody ever told me about this bit -- in the middle of the film while the main characters Jude and Lucy are in this psychedelic party -- out comes a swaggering, moustached guy in blue shades, and I'm thinking, Man this guy looks so much like Bono. But the voice is wrong and the wrinkles are wrong.

And then he sings, "I am the Walrus" and, that voice, that swagger, those hand gestures and then there is no doubt in my mind.

What do you know. His first acting job.

Bono Plays Doctor in 'Across the Universe'

Posted Sep 13th 2007 2:00PM by Melissa Olund
Filed under: News, Video, Movies

The groovy dude in the picture isn't just any mustachioed hippie with a fringe jacket and a psychedelic bus. It's none other than Bono, playing the role of "Dr. Robert" in the upcoming musical 'Across the Universe' (Sept. 14).

Bono's character in the film was based on Jack Kerouac muse Neal Cassady. "We studied film of him and the way he worked, and it's almost like he wanted to be a rock star," Bono said of Cassady. "He has all these jerky moves, a lot of self-confidence, always plays to the women in the room. For my first acting role, I thought this would be interesting and a little bit special."

'Across the Universe' is director Julie Taymor's brainchild, mixing an original story set in the 1960s with a soundtrack of 33 Beatles

songs. One of these songs is 'I Am the Walrus,' which Bono performs as the merry Dr. Robert.http://www.spinner.com/2007/09/13/bono-plays-doctor-in-across-the-universe/

How Can A Train Be Lost When It's On Tracks?

I usually stop writing/blogging, when things in my life happen that are too overwhelming, too urgent and too immediate, that any attempts to put it down in writing will result in rambling.

Not that this would necessarily make more sense now. I just felt the need to begin with a disclaimer, in case this does come off as rambling.

Last weekend, I went on a retreat. Not just any retreat -- the retreat to end all retreats, haha. Days With The Lord, which I have forever been hearing about from friends like Mela and Alvin, and, back in college, Kyla.

I now kind of understand why I wasn't able to go to Days when I was in high school or college. Mostly, I wasn't ready. And I probably would taken a flippant attitude about the weekend -- would probably have shed a couple of tears, spent the next three to four days in a haze of holiness and then moved on with worldly ways.



But because it happened now, at this particular point in my life, with the upheavals (as I'd like to call them) of the past couple of years, I am in a particularly conducive state to experience God's love, in a profound manner, and also, I think I'm in a particularly better state, to respond to it.

I've always been intrigued about people like Erika (who chose to give up her posh life in Manila to teach indigenous people in Mindanao) or Bono (who, we all know has a messianic complex about saving the world's poor).

They're not like the rest of us (me), who flail around like rag dolls, bouyed by every change in our lives. They have spark and relentlessness.

I now have an inkling of what drives their passion, and conviction, what makes them purposeful, unapologetic and fearless.



It's the sureness of God's love.

I know why they are engaged and concerned. It's the sureness of the God's love, the profound feeling of God's love -- which compels them to respond to it in a huge way.

Not that I plan to become a missionary or volunteer for the Peace Corps or anything radical like that.

In my life, it's the simple things that need work on -- family, especially my troubled brother, and my role as
daughter and big sister. I've been exhausting all my energies trying to be a better writer, or teacher or friend, a better pop culture consumer (haha), that

I've been neglecting my family for what seems like forever.





Maybe I'd feel compelled to save the world in time. Right now, I feel like a character in a Wes Anderson film. Like Royal Tenenbaum or Francis Whitman -- the family member that comes back and tries, in a bumbling, stumbling fashion, to set things right.

What Are Your Top Oscar Moments?

Here are some of mine:

1) When Jon Stewart brought Marketa Irglova (Best Song, Falling Slowly) back to the stage to complete her abruptly cut acceptance speech.




"The fact that we're standing here tonight, the fact that we're able to hold this, it's just proof that no matter how far out your dreams are, it's possible," Irglova said during take two. "And, you know, fair play to those who dare to dream, and don't give up. This song was written from the perspective of hope, and hope, at the end of the day, connects us all, no matter how different we are."

Well worth it, don't you think?


2) Marion Cotillard Winning Best Actress

Because everybody predicted that Julie Christie would get it, and because it is Cotillard who deserved it.



3) Charlie Chaplin and Cary Grant Montage Moment

One of the things I always look forward to in the Oscars are the montages. The sight of so many screen legends -- shining their brightest, or regal in their twilight of years -- always gets to me and I get a lump in my throat. This year's slices of an elderly, tearful Cary Grant and Chaplin, emotional after his exile and homecoming to an honorary Oscar were the money shots.



4) The Superbad Face-Off

"No, I like Dame Judi Dench. I think she's great. I just always felt that I gave more off a Halle Berry vibe."





5) Periscope and Binoculars Montage

As my friend Pawee would say, "It's just Silly Fun."


6) Javier Bardem's Acceptance Speech

The heartfelt one to his mom in Spanish. I don't know what he said, but it sure sounded eloquent.

ScarJo Versus Natalie P. Round 2

I think this is the photo Mundi was referring to in her comment on my previous post on Multiply. High Class fasyonista versus High School Prom Prinsesa. Haha.





I rest my case.

ScarJo Versus Natalie P.

Hollywood starlets face off! Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman are both starring in the movie, The Other Boleyn Girl -- about scheming sisters Anne and Mary, who pursue the King of England for power and love, respectively.



(A tabloid's caption of the two actresses goes like this -- Scarlett, Natalie and the Johanssons)

This promises to be a very entertaining movie for me, on so many different levels. Hahaha. I'm trying to decide though, who I like better between the two. The Harvard grad or the Hollywood harlot?

I'm biased. I like Natalie because she's beautiful AND intelligent, AND she seems like a sweet, self-possessed girl, AND she can speak five languages.

What else does Scarlett have to offer? I mean aside from her very perky set of "Johanssons"?

Psycho Killer For Real?

I was at Janine's send-off party last Friday at La Cabane -- this lounge-y, resto-bar in Makati. So we were hanging with Chad and Anne and Janine, talking about Juno and Cloverfield when I received this text, from my dad, my sister and my neighbor.

"Psycho-serial killer-rapist on the loose in Rizal. Dennis Garcia is a former marine who knocks on victim's doors, forces entry and then kills and rapes them. He is doing this as vengeance for what happened to his murdered daughter. He looks like Julius Babao. Please be careful"


Of course what we commented on was the phrasing ("Isn't that kind of judgmental, to assume that he's psychotic? What if he's sociopath and not a psycho?") and the fact that he apparently looks like Julius Babao.

Can Comm majors not focus on the issue? There's a killer on the loose in our area. I actually saw his photos posted near our subdivision's gates.


Could it be true? A real serial killer in the Philippines?

Waiting for Atonement

When asked what he wanted moviegoers to feel after watching Atonement, James McAvoy, who stars as Robbie Turner said,

"I want them to feel devastated."

And if they did the movie right -- if it's successful in capturing even half of what the novel is, then people should expect to feel nothing less.

Dizzy

Why Women Aren't Funny

There is an article (Why Women Aren't Funny) in the new Vanity Fair that discusses what I have known for a long time.

I think, it's not that they're not funny -- women are funniest when they don't mean to be? Like what I blogged about -- when my grandma asks these rude questions point black without realizing she's being offensive.

When women try to be funny -- it's the stupidest, crassest humor on earth. I've met a lot of the kindest, goodnatured, loveable women, who are also the unfunniest people on earth.

Me-->Stephen-->The Strokes

How could I not know that I am related to someone who knows The Strokes? Who interviewed The Strokes?




We had dinner at my tito's house yesterday, and I was introduced to Steven -- my 26-year old second cousin who is half-Pinoy and half-Jew.

We talked about writing and journalism, since he used to work for a publication in Manhattan.

And if I hadn't asked, he wouldn't have bothered to mention that the magazine is actually SPIN magazine, and that he worked there in 2003 -- the year that The Strokes was named BAND OF THE YEAR.

I was getting a mild heart attack. First-hand anecdotes about Nick Valensi and Julian Casablancas.

"So. Are they nice?" my question came out like a squeak.

Intelligent. Well-read. Could go on and on about their favorite books and movies. Steven said that he didn't get to talk to them about their music much, concerned as he was, less with being a journalist, but more with being their friend.

And then Steven goes, "I'm surprised. You're the first person in the Philippines I've talked to that knows them. So what other music do you listen to?"

Off the top of my head, and because I've been listening to them the past couple of days, I said "Moldy Peaches."

He almost choked, "The Moldy Peaches? The duo that sing just like they're talking? The Moldy Peaches?"

I go why?

"They're obscure even for New York"

Hah. Hipster. Hehehe.

He told me that Kimya Dawson, one-half of the Moldy Peaches duo, used to be his friend's baby sitter. Weird hair and all.

From Davos To You

Bono, co-founder of (RED); Bill Gates, founder and Chairman of Microsoft; and Michael Dell, founder and Chairman of Dell; together at the World Economic Forum announce that Dell and Microsoft are joining (RED) to help fight AIDS in Africa, with the introduction of a series of Dell (PRODUCT) RED personal computers powered by Windows Vista Ultimate (PRODUCT) RED.

from http://www.joinred.com/

Juno Is Love

I'm now completely sold on the movie Juno, and I haven't even seen it.
And the reason is that the Moldy Peaches' "Anyone Else But You" is the theme.



You're a part time lover and a full time friend
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

Davao : The Top 9

1) Let's see -- the first time I flew to Davao, I was by myself. The second time was a whirldwind weekend with my best friend. The third time? With my cousin M, her parents, her sister Icy and my lola. From a secret sojourn, to a crazy, heady girl-bonding trip, to an official, family event. Here is my cousin M, we are on our way to Eden Nature Park, and it's pretty much all smiles from here onward.


2) Swinging By - the crazy-swing-thing was the highlight of my Eden experience.


3) They got to go fishing at Eden, but I was "kapuy" from the long trek to find the waterfall. I hate hiking but I always end up doing it on trips. I don't see the point really. You can't enjoy the view because you're too busy trying not to slip or fall, and the upward climbs make me gasp and leave my knees weak. Hehe. I'm such a Debbie Downer.



4) We stayed at the Waterfront Insular Hotel, which beats Marco Polo any day, for its rugged,relaxed vibe.


5) I love my lola. She's one of those people from the old world when politically correct had not been invented yet. "Bakit ang taba mo na?" "Bobo ang mga tauhan mo." "Diba patay na asawa mo?" ("Ha? Hindi, nasa farm lang.")

6) M's boyfriend owns the legendary Molave restaurant located behind the Ateneo de Davao. And boy did we eat a lot. Every two hours we'd be stuffing ourselves with Davao's finest food. The Molave's greaseless chicken, tuna and crispy buntot at MarinaTuna, goto and arrozcaldo at the famous Dencia's, and pizza at Pizzaiolo.

7) A lazy Sunday afternoon at the beach. One of the things I marvel about Davao is that the beach, is just 30 minutes away from the city! Imagine having that option to go to the beach every single day.


8) She's crazy and silly , she wants me to dress up as a wood nymph for her grand day. She's also one of my two favorite reasons for going to Davao.











9) Davao always leaves me dazed and happy and heady. And I always leave a part of me behind as I fly back home.

Didn't I Say We Were Going All Out For This?

Team Harajuku Wins!

It's been a hectic week

-- with projects and deadlines and classes piling up.

But I'm past the halfway mark, and today, Thursday, is Sharpening the Saw day. If you know The Seven Habits (and here in school, it's one of our bibles), it's our favorite habit.

"If you’re overworking yourself and your productivity begins to fall off, common wisdom says to take a break, maybe even go on vacation."

1. Exercise
2. Improve your diet
3. Educate yourself (read, listen to audio programs, attend a seminar)
4. Learn a new skill
5. Join a club
6. Meditate
7. Write in your journal
8. Have a deep conversation with someone
9. Set some new goals or review/update your old goals
10. Organize your home or office
11. Go out on a date
12. Clear out a bunch of little tasks that you’ve been putting off

The besssssst.

Today we are "sharpening the saw" by browsing through the wonderfully entertaining pictures of Harajuku girls and boys on the net.

Because -- and I'm giddy about this -- our monthly Thanksgiving party's theme this January is "fashion show." Reedley Fashion Week, if you will.

Each group has been tasked to come up with their theme, music and clothes for the Friday party. And in the grand tradition of Reedley competitiveness, we decided to "career" this little project.

And our group, in an especially inspired move, decided to go sashaying down the catwalk, Harajuku style.

I first came to know about Harajuku when I was still working for Mabuhay magazine. We had a feature on Tokyo, and our editor insisted on a sidebar featuring the different districts in Tokyo.

Like Manila, where we have -- Quezon City, Pasig, Makati, in, Tokyo they have -- Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza, Roppongi and others. Each district has its own personality.

But it's not like Manila, where each "district" is just a variation of the other -- Makati is a more upper scale version of Ortigas etc. Their districts are like brothas and sistas from different mothas. Hahaha.

They're very different and wayward and attractive in their own ways. Like I know Shinjuku is the luxe hotels/shopping district, while, Roppongi is the nightlife/expat area.


But the most interesting by far, fashion-wise, is Harajuku.

It's like the Teen Capital of Tokyo because of the very screaming fasyon statements that their teens parade around in, when they hang out in the streets.

According th WikiHow -- Harajuku is very slippery to define and categorize since it is by its very nature, a rebellion against cookie-cutter couture.

But there are some threads running through their threads (hehe). Some loose categories are as follows:

• Gothic Lolita involves wearing gothic, feminine and elegant clothes, to the extent that you look like a living Victorian doll

• 
  Japanese punks, inspired by the punk movement that began in London in the 70s, magnify rebelliousness with over-the-top clothes, accessories, makeup, and piercings.

• 
  Cosplay entails dressing up like your favorite cartoon/anime or computer game character.

• 
  Decora style favors bright colors, flamboyance and accessories from head to toe. You decorate yourself with plastic toys and jewelry, and it's not uncommon to have so many that you can hear them click together when the person moves.

• 
  Kawaii (literally translating from Japanese to "cute") places an emphasis on childlike playfulness--anime characters, ruffles, pastel colors, toys, and so on.

http://www.wikihow.com/Dress-Harajuku-Style


We've managed it so that each Harajuku style is duly represented. And we've compiled our music already -- a mixture of Gwen Stefani and System of a Down and Teriyaki Boyz.

It's so competitive that we have to hold covert meetings since we share the same work spaces with members of the opposing teams. We drop false leads by talking about whips and leather so that an eavesdropper will think we have an S & M theme. We even have "Polaroids" of our "models" wearing their designated outfits.

I think this is part of why teaching high school has been such a fun ride. The dressing up, the talent competitions, choral recitations.

When you organize events in the corporate world -- you have so many things to think about. The stakes are higher. There are clients to please and customers to cater to.

But here, it feels like playing dress-up with your siblings. You did it because it was fun.