♥

How Many?

2011-10-07T12:00:00.000+08:00

I had this question in my head while I was on the road and on the way to the office recently. I was listening to a love song that just made me think of that question: out of all the relationships you’ve had, how many can you say that you have really, truly loved?

That seems cruel to ask. Of course we would like to be polite and say that we all loved each and every person we had a relationship with and that things just didn’t work out. But let’s be real here…we didn’t really love ALL of them right?

Maybe I’m insensitive but looking back, I have discovered that I can’t say that I loved every guy I had a relationship with – not that they were that many, in case you were asking. I think that if we think about it, the people we’ve had relationships with fall into certain categories:

Puppy Love – the boy/girlfriend when you were too young to know what love actually was about.

The Hot One – A cute guy or girl was interested and it was flattering, but you soon realized love and relationships can’t survive on looks and the initial excitement alone.

The Bad Boy/Bad Girl – Let’s face it, there’s an excitement to it, but they don’t last because love isn’t about the fantasy of changing someone, we should love by accepting people as they already are.

Sexual Attraction - Hey, I'm 34, I'm allowed to talk about this. This happens, let's not even deny it.

Just Because – Remember the time when everyone had a relationship and you didn’t? And someone just happened to be interested and you decided to settle? Yeah, I’m sure you know what I mean.

The Real Deal – that person who really made you feel and understand what love and relationships were and should be about.

Of all the relationships that I’ve had, I feel that there was only one person who I really, truly loved. But that’s all water under the bridge and we’ve both moved on, so don’t get any ideas that I still have a torch for the guy.

I wish I could say that every guy I’ve been in a relationship with was the real deal or that there was only one but that’s all been said and done – I have no regrets. I’ve learned from my mistakes and I have moved on. I just hope that the next guy I have a relationship with will be my last and that he’ll be the real deal and the one who is for keeps.

What about you? How many in your past can you say was the real deal?

New Music to Watch Out For

2011-10-06T12:00:00.000+08:00

I recently got an email from one of my favorite bloggers, Saab Magalona, inviting me to the album launch of the band Ernville. Unfortunately, I cannot make it but I would like to encourage everyone to go and check it out tonight at Robot Lounge and Resto along Makati Avenue.

For everyone I'm sure that the name Ernville doesn't ring a bell. Well my darlings the band was a semi-finalist of the 2005 Nescafe Soundskool Battle of the College Bands, where they won the texters choice award. According to the band's press kit, they rejoined the Nescafe competition (how's that for determination?) and made it to the grand finals in 2007.

The band, composed of Jim Bacarro, Ernest Aguila, Manny Tanglao and Cholo Hermosa, will be releasing their album titled "Greatest Hits" under Soupstar Music and this features their single "The Oracle," which has been part of the Myx Hit Chart.

Again, their album launch is TONIGHT at Robot Lounge and Resto and also features performances by Pedicab and Gaijin. Show starts at 8:30 PM so be there early!

Talent Show Reviews

2011-10-05T12:00:00.000+08:00

There seem to be a lot of talent shows on TV right now. I know that the episodes being aired of The Sing-Off and The Voice are from previous seasons but The X Factor US is new and up to date. These shows have lot of pros and cons, but I think they are all entertaining and make for a lot of good TV while American Idol is not on air. Well, not that AI has been exciting the past few seasons anyway (David Cook’s season is still my favorite).

The Sing-Off

I like the idea of a contest for groups that can showcase vocal talent but putting them on the line acapella. It’s not as easy as people might think. A group can be full of great singers but there is a certain type of timing needed and vocal harmonies and arrangements are very important parts of the package to make an acapella number click.

The season airing on Velvet right now is the first season and even if I do know who won, it’s still a good show to watch. It’s amazing what these groups can do with their voices. I get goosebumps listening to some of the groups sometimes.

I think it’s fitting that Nick Lachey is the host. 98 Degrees was one of those groups that had amazing vocal harmonies acapella. You need to listen to their version of She’s Out of My Life to understand what I mean. It was also good that they had Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men as a judge because that group was also one of the best in that field. Not quite sure why Nicole Scherzinger was chosen as a judge for this though (but yay for a Pinoy representing!). Ben Folds was someone I was skeptical about at first but when he opened his mouth all his comments were constructive, observant and helpful – it was like he was a vocal coach for all the groups in the competition with his constructive criticisms.

I’m looking forward to the latest season of this which has the group Kinfolk 9, which includes Filipina actress Antoinette Taus. Hope Velvet can air that one soon.

The X Factor US

I’ve only seen one episode and it’s just starting so I really don’t know what to make of it just yet. Judges-wise, I think the mix makes sense: music producers, singers/dancers. There is a mix of talent in this competition unlike that of The Voice (usually solo but some duos got included) or The Sing-Off (groups) so it makes complete sense to have a mix of judges/coaches in here. It’s also good to see Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell back together. I think these two were the ones who helped make American Idol entertaining and I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do for this new show.

The Voice

I LOVED the blind auditions. I think that it levels the playing field to do that. The whole showdown/sing-off parts made for entertaining TV as well (that version of Perfect by Team Cee Lo? WOW). I may know the results of the competition but I still look forward to watching it for all the performances. I went nuts for Dia Frampton's Coldplay cover and I also sang along to I’m The Only One when Beverly sang it.

Don’t even get me started on the judges. I’m happy with how hands-on they are with their groups and how they get to perform together to prove to the crowd why they were chosen to be judges. The performances with their groups are fun to watch too (especially that Team Blake version of This Love right in front of Adam Levine).

I love Christina Aguilera. She obviously gained weight but she owned it like crazy. She still looked sexy –I need to channel that vibe! Cee Lo is a bit of a ladies man but he is very entertaining and really knows what he’s talking about. Blake Shelton, on the other hand, is growing on me. I never thought I’d see a country singer who I’d consider sexy but now I’ve changed my mind. As for Adam Levine, oh man…I can’t stop staring at his lips when the camera is on him! He is so sexy! Drool-worthy, I tell you!

I know that locally we have a singing competition that has some similar elements to these contests but I haven’t had the chance to check it out yet. One thing I can say though is that it may be better to put it on a once a week cycle instead of a Monday to Friday thing. Personally I think that would make me sick of watching it – can someone spell overload?

The Sing-Off airs on Velvet every Wednesday at 7:30 PM. The X Factor US airs on Studio 23 Thursday and Friday nights. The Voice is on for two hours every Sunday at 8PM on AXN and replays Monday and Tuesday also at 8PM -- season finale is coming up so you'd better catch it while you can!

I Wanna, I Really Do...

2011-10-04T12:00:00.000+08:00

Kids. We have a lot of them in the family now that most of my siblings and cousins have married and have families of their own. In fact, come February next year I will even be officially a grandmother via my niece, who recently got married and is pregnant with their first child.

I have friends from school who have two or three kids already. Some of them have kids who are now in high school and some even have kids who are freshmen in college already. When I think about it, I know that it’s something that I want for myself as well. I want to have kids. I want to be a mother. I know that’s highly unlikely at the moment considering that I don’t even have a relationship at the moment and that I would really like to have a child after I’m married and not beforehand. I think I’ve waited long enough for the right guy for me to at least do it right, you know what I mean?

Sometimes I wonder when that will happen. Some friends have openly wondered if it will ever happen for me at all. I don’t. I believe in my heart that God would not put this longing for a family of my own in my heart if it is not part of His will for me. Who knows, I may pull a Khloe Kardashian and marry a guy I’ve only met for two weeks and then start a family. Anything can happen. With God ANYTHING is possible. He has a plan for me and I put my trust in that, even if I don’t understand it sometimes (not that I have to understand it all the time, I mean He is God after all, He knows me better than I know myself and knows what’s best). What I do know is that through the years I’ve learned about the kind of guy I would like to spend my life with and the kind of relationship I’d like to have that would be for keeps. I’m open to that in my life and I’m just waiting for God’s perfect time for it.

For now, I will just have to keep doting on the kids in my family. If how I deal with them is any indication, my kids will be spoiled rotten when I finally have them. Don’t know if that is a good or a bad thing though!

Contests Update

2011-10-03T12:00:00.000+08:00

Hello everyone! Just checking in to give an update on my little attempts to try to have a different life outside of my conservative, rural existence:

SM Plus Size Model Contest

If you read my previous post on this, you’d know that this was something I seriously considered. I decided to just face the fact that I’m overweight and that I should learn to love the body that I’ve got and not the body that I wish I still had. I thought the best way to do that was to attempt to join this contest that was started by SM Department Store.

Unfortunately when I got to the store, I tried on clothes from the brands that were to be modeled by the winner and found out that I am a Small from the plus size category. The contest required a 2L size at least. Oh well. That ended that dream real quick. I know I should be happy that I’m not considered as really plus sized (maybe more on chubby? I still fit in the regular lines as a large, apparently) but I was a little excited about the prospect of modeling and embracing my big self that I felt a little let down. But hey, there is no use fussing about something I have no control over so I’m cool with it now.

AXN Sony Style Co-Host Search

Now this was something that I really didn’t think I could even be considered for. I saw the ad and I made a video with my sister and her friend. Not only did the file keep on failing to upload, I also thought I did badly in it (read: I sucked). I ended up reshooting the video in an hour and sending it to AXN. I didn’t think any more about it until the day the Top 15 were announced and I was shocked to see myself on it.

Sadly, I did not make the Top 6 who got to formally audition in Singapore. I’m a bit gutted but I’m also very thankful that I was at least shortlisted considering that AXN got an overwhelming response to this competition. I also got a reasonable amount of votes with the help of family, friends and co-workers who were all more than willing to spend some time on the AXN Sony Style website to vote for me.

If there’s anything I could at least be grateful for that I realized from all this, it’s that I have a lot of people who love, care about me and support me. That, Charlie Sheen, is what WINNING is all about.

These Dreams

2011-10-02T12:00:00.000+08:00

These dreams go on when I close my eyes, every second of the night, I live another life…

I’ve had odd dreams before, but this is the first time in a while that it’s been vivid enough for me to remember the details of it. If you’ve been a reader of my old blogs, you’d probably remember me dreaming from back in my high school, college and early working days of this “mystery guy” in glasses. For my first time readers, in high school I dreamt I went to prom with the guy in glasses. I can’t see his face, I just remember him being taller than me and wearing glasses. In college, I dreamt of the same guy again, this time we brought home a new baby boy. During my early years as a fresh grad/new employee I had a dream of him again. It was always the same guy, taller than me with glasses and the same smell (perfume or soap, not quite sure). I once thought I met this guy for real back in ’03 but that sizzled and burned after a while so he’s probably not the guy (if he ever exists anyway).

But I digress. What I really wanted to talk about was a recent vivid dream I had. This is of a former flame: in my dream I ran into him at a supermarket and found out he had a son, a special child. We ended up talking and catching up with me holding the child’s hand while we walked. The kid even ran away at one point with me catching up with him and I decided to carry him in my arms so he wouldn’t let go.

That dream kept bugging me for days so I finally decided to look at a couple of dream analysis websites and this is what I discovered: the child in my dreams represents me and my inner child (as well as my creative side). As we all know our dreams are our subconscious’ way of telling us things we need to know and for me, my dream was telling me to hold on to my inner child and to not let it get away from me. Considering how frustrated I am with how serious life has been these past ten years and how I have not made use of my creative side as much as I would like, that interpretation made sense.

According to the same site that gave me the inner child interpretation, my former flame also represents something. The site said that the qualities that I saw in this guy are the qualities that I would like to find in myself. Again, this was something that makes complete sense considering how it was that guy that set the bar really high for me in terms of deciding on a future partner in life. I guess my subconscious is just saying, if that’s what you want, be prepared to be like that as well. As Iyanla Vanzant once said on The Oprah Winfrey Show, “Be the beloved.”

It’s interesting the things you can find on the internet sometimes right? My dream analysis gave me something to ponder on for the next few days.

I had another dream recently that had basketball player Chris Tiu in it. That did not make sense (I don’t even watch basketball or his TV show) and I couldn’t find any interpretation for it but I did stumble onto his blog and found this entry on chastity that I really liked and would like to share with all of you. I think it’s a very good read. You can check it out here.

The dreams I have are usually very weird (I blame my insane imagination for that one) but as soon as I wake up and get on with my day I tend to forget the details. Maybe I should start a dream diary; they might make for some really good concepts for my writing projects in the future. What do you think?

Every moment I’m awake, the further I’m away…

I Saw The Sign

2011-10-01T16:29:00.000+08:00

In the popular book The Secret, it said that you need to really put what you want into your thoughts at all times so that you can be focused and can see the signs that can point you to the direction that you want to go. I think that I have seen the sign (or the signs, to tell you all the truth) and I know what I have to do with my life.

I may or may not have mentioned it here in my blog but I have been considering leaving my job. I’ve said this more than once before but I believe that now more than ever is the right time to do so. I’ve chalked up a good ten years in this career and in this industry and I feel that it’s time for me to move on and try other things while I am still young and able to do so.

For the past few months I’ve had this longing to try and see if any of my writing projects/ideas can be turned into books or maybe even movies. I’ve also toyed with the idea of looking for another career where I could let my creative side out more instead of being always formal and business-like. One thing that I can’t get out of my mind is the idea of going to Singapore (where I have family and friends) and attempt to search for greener pastures there. After a decade in a rural setting, I could use the change.

It’s been difficult thinking of what I need to do considering that I am being offered a better position at my current place of work and I have another interesting proposal for a new job with another company (which is, sadly, in the same location – so much for a change of scenery if I take that). Both jobs offer better pay, of course, but more money, as they say, doesn’t necessarily buy you happiness or fulfillment. That’s something I really want right now. Besides, one of the jobs being offered requires me taking my MBA and like I mentioned before, it’s not really my thing. Don’t see how I’ll be happy if I’ll be doing something I DON’T want.

For the past few days I’ve been getting signs about what I need to do. I just keep getting this feeling in my gut that tells me it’s a sign and I’m not about to ignore these things. I was reading some tweets from my timeline and I came across a quote that basically said that we shouldn’t just be thinking of what we want to do, it’s better if we actually do something about it. I also got an email from a friend who voted for me on the Sony Style Co-Host search that said she was happy and proud of me making the shortlist, adding that there might be a career for me the other than my 8-5 office girl thing. I also recently talked about the changes in my career life with a friend who I haven’t seen in a year and he mentioned that he thought that I could be good at the job being offered to me because I had leadership qualities. I then read a tweet that to be a good leader you need to be able to serve and put others first. The good leader isn’t necessarily the person on top but the one who can serve the best for everyone concerned.

All those things got me to thinking and I have decided to turn down the offer of a promotion at my current job. I’ve weighed the options and I have decided that considering the circumstances (which would be too long to share on this blog), it would be what is best for the company considering that I am thinking of leaving. If I accept the responsibility it has to be something I know I can commit to for the long term and I cannot promise that. It would not be fair to the company if I took it half-heartedly. My mom would kill me for that but I think it’s for the best. That’s what a good leader would do: think of what’s best for everyone before him or herself. Other than all that, I have to be honest that it felt stifling to get the label of “future ____.” I didn’t like it at all. It didn’t feel right. That should count for something right?

As for the other job offer, I still have time to mull it over. I will stay with my job right now and weigh my options again when their final offer comes in. After all, I shouldn’t count my chickens before they hatch. I’ll just use this time to look into opportunities in Singapore and to wait for my doctor’s all-clear on the health department so that I can go. If I can finish some writing projects and have some positive developments on that end, even better.

Do I think that I’m making a mistake and that I’ll regret this later? I don’t think so. I got another sign about that to. I talked to this lovely woman from a top company in my industry and she told me, if it’s meant for you, no obstacle will stand in the way of you getting it. I think that even if I turn it down now, if it’s meant to be in the future it will find its way back to me one day. No regrets.

Bye Tiff

2011-09-23T21:02:00.000+08:00

Yesterday I got home to the sad news: one of our dogs, Tiffany, had died that afternoon.

I know it may seem like a petty (no pun intended) thing to some but I felt really bad about it. I still do...I mean, I wouldn't be blogging about it if I didn't still feel the loss.

According to my sister, her husband got to the house and wondered why Tiffany wasn't barking and welcoming him home the way she usually does. When he checked on her she was lying down and was not moving or breathing. She was dead.

When I left the house for work this morning I saw her empty little home near the gate. I guess my brother-in-law was cleaning it and getting ready to take it apart or something. I felt this little tug remembering that Tiffany was gone. I'd never hear her bark again. I'd never hear her howling at the Selecta cart when it passes by the house. I won't get to play with her when she's on her leash at our terrace when I come home.

I never thought or imagined myself getting this sad over a pet but I am. I'm gonna miss Tiffany.

Are You Kidding Me?

2011-09-21T12:00:00.000+08:00

I have been completely frustrated with the local media since last weekend. I can't believe that none of the local reporters have even mentioned the fact that Nikki Reed, most popularly known as Rosalie from the Twilight movies, is in town with her boyfriend Paul McDonald and the rest of the American Idol group who are in town for a concert for two nights, the last being tonight (and I am still disappointed that I can't go...again).

Local media can't be blamed that it wasn't announced that she was with the group that arrived over the weekend but I'd think that GMA, in an interview with the AI gang in this video clip, would have at least recognized and acknowledged the fact that Nikki was RIGHT THERE with them. You can see her in the mirror while Thia is being interviewed and while Paul is sitting and waiting to try eating balut.

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;This page requires a higher version browser&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

I know Nikki looks different outside of her Rosalie look but still, if you're a reporter on the local showbiz beat, you should do your homework and know that Paul is engaged to Nikki and that Nikki is right there with you backstage while you're making Paul eat balut.

I find it really cool that Nikki ended up with Paul. I always thought Nikki was a good actress and I was really impressed to find out she co-wrote a movie at 13. For her to end up with my AI favorite was just really cute. To be honest, when I found out that she flew in with Paul I had to tweet him to say that I wanted to meet her more than see him. It's crazy, but it's true!

I hope someone interviews or at least mentions that she's here WHILE THEY ARE ALL STILL HERE. Seriously, local showbiz media is too obsessed with scandals and such that they miss out on the good stuff. It's not everyday that someone from Twilight will be in town you know!

**Blogger's Note: As of this post I was informed that GMA finally interviewed her for Chika Minute on 24 Oras. Thanks GMA!

20 Men I’d Marry

2011-09-20T12:00:00.000+08:00

There was a trending topic on Twitter about the 20 Men that female tweeps would like to marry. I didn’t list down all twenty there because I didn’t have that much guys in mind but now that I have a complete list, I thought I’d rather share it on my blog than on Twitter.

Here are the guys on my list and why I chose them (in no particular order):

Sean Faris – Look at him. Just look at him! That is all.
Seeley Booth – Everything about this TV character’s disposition is so marriage-worthy.
Bryan Greenberg –I love that he’s in Hollywood but he’s low-key and not full of himself. I love that he’s into music and that he seems to be a down to earth kind of guy.
David Cook – On AI, he showed that he was a sensitive guy who loves his family. I like that about him.
Milo Ventimiglia – He’s just so beautiful. I like that he’s doing his own thing and he’s quirky and such. He’s like the bad-boy looking guy who really isn’t (I mean really, what bad boy would be vegan right?).
Nate Burkey – My friend once said I will end up with a tall dark and handsome guy, If I could picture him, that mental picture would be of Nate, toothy grin and all
Josh Groban – The dorky side + the amazing singer that he is. *Sigh*
Zachary Levi – I love this nerd and I love that he’s not ashamed to be one (ditto being a Christian). That and the fact that he has a lovely singing voice. I’d marry him any day.
JC Chasez – My first love (haha). Singer, songwriter, amazing dancer, certified dork. Here’s a guy with a beautiful (albeit sometimes dirty) mind.
Jonathan Perez – Also known as Legacy. Love the way he dances. Love the body. Love the outlook in life. Super cool guy if you ask me.
Jesse Spencer – Watching him with the fiddle when he plays with Band on TV never fails to make me swoon.
Ian Somerhalder – I love a man with substance. He’s one of the few ones in Hollywood I think who can go to the legislative bodies and talk about his causes (environment and animal welfare) and make complete sense. Nina Dobrev is one lucky girl.
Shane West – I fell for him on A Walk to Remember and I was a fan of his punk days. I like that he’s not your stereotype good looking guy but he has that appeal that you just can’t get over. He’s got a bad boy look but based on his tweets, he seems to be a softie on the inside.
Van Ness Wu - I love how passionate he is about his faith. I would love to marry a man like that!
Ian Harding – Have you seen Pretty Little Liars? Have you seen how dorky he is on Twitvids?? Watch and you will understand why he is on my list!
Xian Lim – He’s a bit dorky but cute. He’s a musician and he’s good looking. Do I need to explain further?
Nick Jonas - I know, I know, cougar much? I just think he's mature for his age and he seems to be a smart guy. It doesn't hurt that he's a good songwriter too.
Chris Pine - Look at those eyes! I like that he seems really grounded and charming based on interviews of him that I've seen. He can be funny too.
Ben Barnes - I love his accent. And I just love his pretty face.
Daniel Henney – He’s the reason why I named my blog Clare Henney – OF COURSE I’d want to marry him!

If I could sum up the kind of guy I'd like to marry based on that list, it would be that he's good looking, musically inclined, passionate about his faith/God, dorky/nerdy and smart. He's sensitive, close to his family, low-key kind of guy with a good set of morals. He also looks tough but he's a softie on the inside.

Does anyone know if a guy like that exists???

Oh...and to my friends wondering why a certain local boy isn't on this list, I still have a beef with my "diet police" (tampo, if you will) because he unfollowed (but has recently followed again) me on Twitter. But yeah, he should be on that list because he's sensitive, funny and a bit of a dork too.

1 Kilogram

2011-09-19T12:00:00.000+08:00

It was just as I had expected. I gained weight after one month of treatment for my thyroid condition (plus there's the fact that my diet police unfollowed me on Twitter *sniff*). My doctor told me to expect the weight gain but I didn’t think it would be this bad. I had a feeling during the week that I had gained weight but never went on the scale (because that would just be depressing) – I think the fact that my skinny jeans didn’t fit anymore was enough proof of that.

I’m supposed to take my meds for four more months. If I don’t take extra precautions I could balloon even more by December. I don’t want that. I was on my way to losing the extra weight when I was diagnosed with my thyroid problem and now I'm gaining the weight back. That's not good. I know my metabolism is bad as it is so I need to help push it further along in the right direction.

One thing I’m considering is going back to yoga, but I know that wouldn’t be enough. Being careful with what I eat is already a given but I think I need to do more physically to get in shape. 30 Day Shred again? Maybe. Treadmill daily? Seems likely.

To my friends and readers who have had thyroid conditions (as this seems to be more common than I thought), what did you do to lose or maintain your weight at the height of your problem? I need help!

The Lost Valentine

2011-09-18T12:00:00.000+08:00

A made for TV movie, The Lost Valentine is a film based on the book The Last Valentine by James Michael Pratt. I caught it on TV recently and, hopeless romantic that I am, I watched it until the end.

I think it helps that the lead actors are all familiar: Betty White, who I’ve watched since her Golden Girls days, Jennifer Love Hewitt (I was a huge fan of Ghost Whisperer) and Sean Faris (from the movie Never Back Down).

The movie is the story of Caroline Thomas, an old woman who goes to the train station every Valentine’s Day hoping that one day, her Naval Officer husband who was missing in action during the second World War would come back home to her. Her story is covered by a news correspondent named Susan, who later falls in love with Caroline’s grandson Lucas.

I fell in love with the story of how Caroline and her husband fell in love and married because they felt love was something that you should not walk away from. I loved how she never gave up on her love until the very end. It was bittersweet to watch the scene where the body of Caroline’s husband finally arrives at the train station. I was crying like crazy when I saw that.

Another thing about the movie that appealed to me was that it was sort of a period movie because of the flashbacks. I sometimes think I’m an old soul because I enjoy watching films and listening to music from older times so I really enjoyed those parts. I loved that the used Dream a Little Dream by Doris Day – I’ve always loved that song.

The way Caroline loved her husband made me wonder if I could love like that – not giving up until the very end. I also wondered if I could find my own Lucas, a good guy who I can fall in love with.

Somewhere out there is my lost valentine…at least I’m hoping he’s out there. What do you guys think?

Triple Chocolate Roll Review

2011-09-17T17:33:00.000+08:00

For the past couple of weeks since the commercial for this started to air I have been craving for Red Ribbon’s Triple Chocolate Roll. Finally, after all the craving, I got to try it on my sister’s birthday!

I’m not much of a chocolate lover but I loved this cake. I loved how it had the sweet mixed with the bitter qualities of chocolate. Being a “triple” as the name suggests the cake is very rich in flavor. At the end I thought it was a bit too rich in flavor because it’s not the type you’d want a second slice of because one slice filled you up already.

The price they mention in the commercial, as it turns out, is only for half a roll. The whole roll cost me around P300+, which was practically a whole cake where the price is concerned. Not that I am complaining though, I thought it was worth it anyway.

What’s In My Bag

2011-09-12T12:00:00.000+08:00

Last night I was getting my bag ready for work and I thought, “What the heck, let’s do a bag contents post!”
More often than not, I have a big bag with me wherever I go. I’m a big girl and small dainty bags just don’t work well with me. It also helps to have a big bag because I love bringing a lot of things with me when I’m out.

Here’s the bag I had today:

It’s a red Guess bag. I’m hoping it’s faux animal skin because I’m not comfortable with the idea that it’s from a dead animal.

Now that you know what my bag looks like, here’s a look at what’s in it:

Like I said, I bring a lot of things with me so let me break down what I have in this bag in batches.

My first batch is this:

I have my Samsung Galaxy S II, a pink cellphone case, charger for my phone (because I use it going on Twitter so much I run out during the day so I charge it when I have the chance), an Imation 8GB flash drive (just in case I need it), some pens, a highlighter, a notepad (again, just in case…sometimes I have writing ideas when I’m out so I like having something handy to write my ideas down on), a rosary from Lourdes (a gift from my mom) and a set of keys for all the drawers assigned to me at the office.

Some more stuff I have here:

I bring headphones instead of earphones because they say it’s better/healthier for your ears than those ear buds. I also have some Watson’s wipes, Kotex Luxe sanitary napkins, a pocket mirror, my thyroid medicine, Listerine (it’s one of those days where I know I won’t have time to brush my teeth after lunch so this is the best I can do), my Canon Ixus (in that blue case) and a Bath and Body Works vanilla scented cologne (because I’m allergic to perfume).

Next is my kikay kit (actually a reused airline travel kit), my Liz Claiborne wallet (a gift from my brother) along with a coins container (again, a reused item – an old container of mints) and my work IDs.

Lastly, I have here the contents of my kikay kit:

I don’t really need much in terms of makeup so all I have is a Nivea lip balm, a Mary Kay coral lipstick, Ever Bilena powder, Marionnaud Kabuki brush, a tiny case of Avon blush, dental floss, Doublemint mint candy, travel brush, ponytail holder, some hairpins, my prescription/medicine and an atomizer of alcohol (because I am OC about germs).

They say that what's in a person's bag can say a lot about that person. I wonder what my bag says about me?

More MBA Issues

2011-09-11T20:06:00.000+08:00

My mom, who has been living with her mom for the past couple of months now, came for a visit to catch up. She asked me about my plans for work and she, along with the rest of the world, started to tell me to take my MBA. I told her it just wasn’t possible. For one thing I live way too far from any decent university and two, I just can’t afford it right now. In between my responsibilities to my family and the bills that are waiting to be paid, there just isn’t any money for me to pay for an MBA education. It’s funny how my mom tells me to take my MBA and assume I have money to pay for it. The way she talked about it you’d think I had money coming out of my ears or something.

Yes, maybe it is an excuse and if I really wanted to I could do something about it. As they say in Tagalog, “pag ayaw maraming dahilan, pag gusto nakakagawa ng paraan.” That’s the thing I guess. I don’t want to make an effort because it’s something that my heart just isn’t into. If I really, truly wanted this, I’d most likely take on a loan just to be able to get it but as I see it, the payback just isn’t worth the effort for me. I’d be frustrated throughout the whole thing because I’m just forced to do it and I hate doing things half-baked.

Can someone tell me why it is an absolute necessity to have that MBA thing to get ahead at the office? I mean, considering how some people are still lacking in business skills after getting their MBA, just how much is it worth compared to someone who has applied his/her experience and used it to learn straight from the workplace where business is actually practiced?

It’s still a big question mark where I’ll end up in a year or so. With this MBA thing hanging over my head I’m not sure where I will end up by then.

Dreaming of Cebu

2011-09-10T16:34:00.000+08:00

If there’s one place that I have visited in the country that I would love to go back to, it’s Cebu. I’ve been there three (or four) times and I have always had fond memories to take home with me from every single visit. I loved the places to see, the food to eat and the hotels that I have called home for days at a time.

It has always been a dream of mine to take my entire family to Cebu for a vacation and I’m thinking of doing this next year when I turn 35 (yes, I am going to be 35…whew! I can’t believe it myself!) I’d like for us to go to a resort there for a few days to relax and unwind, take in the sights, go on an island hopping tour and all that.

Unfortunately, taking the entire family for the 3 days, 2 nights trip would cost me at least 50K in hotel fees and airfare alone. It’s going to be a nightmare on my budget and I don’t know if I can afford that by my birthday month.

Oh well, it’s still months away so I still have time to save up. If I don’t have enough, there’s no harm in moving the trip to a few months later anyway. It doesn’t matter when the trip will be; I just want it to happen eventually. I think my family has gone through way too much stress and we all need the break.

Cebu, get ready for us – we will definitely be there soon!

MBA (My Big Aversion)

2011-09-07T15:16:00.000+08:00

These days, the term MBA has been ringing in my ears like crazy and in a way that is even worse than having LSS.

For the past ten years I have been working as an Administrative Officer for a water utility company. I have been doing this job because it is the most convenient thing to do – it’s close to home, cost of living in this rural environment is very low compared to working in the city and it is a job that pays the bills. I have had several offers in the past few years but I have opted to stick to this one because, as a friend told me, I am hesitant to leave my comfort zone. I think that hesitation has finally reached its breaking point.

A promotion is in the air. I could either go up one spot on the work ladder or actually skip a spot and get the top honcho position. I don’t know if I want either of the two.

I know it sounds crazy for me to complain about how things have stayed the same for me for the past decade and now complain just because things are changing but not in the way that I would have wanted but I can’t help it. If I go up one spot, my superior takes the top post. I could play it safe as her assistant but I know it will not be easy since we clash a lot about the way we do our thing at the office. If I skip and become top honcho over her, it would be incredibly awkward to move past her and I’m sure the clashing of ideas would be far worse because I went up over her. Plus, getting the top spot would mean that I am required to take my MBA, something I have NEVER wanted to do. I never wanted it but sadly enough, I just might need it.

Here’s the thing: I took my business course because it’s something my parents wanted me to do. I’ve always considered myself to be a creative soul and so my degree of choice was in Liberal Arts. I compromised with the parents by taking BOTH Liberal Arts and a business course that had a creative side (Marketing). I ended up in the career path I’m in because I can do the job well – but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s what I am passionate about or what I’d really want to do for the rest of my life.

To be honest, I’d rather take my Master’s Degree in something more on the Liberal Arts side and not in Business. I know I’d do well because it’s something I’m interested in and passionate about. I don’t know how well I’d fare with the MBA thing since I only do this business thing to pay the bills.

Don't get me wrong, I am grateful for this job because it has given me the opportunity to travel, get to know so many great people and have experiences I never thought I'd have. It has helped me support myself and my family these past ten years. I just don't feel that it is the best thing for me to do for the rest of my life. To be fair, I have looked into the whole MBA options thing online and more than anything, it reaffirmed my lack of interest in the whole thing because as I was reading it I just wasn't excited about it. It felt like something I HAD to do not something I WANTED. That is a very telling sign in my opinion.

I’ve been seriously thinking of looking into other options like moving to another country to work or quitting this job (because of that MBA thing and the complications the promotion has between me and my superior) and taking the other work opportunity that is currently being offered to me. The words resign and quit, along with the term MBA have been in my head for days…I think I need to take some time off to think about this and toss my thoughts around with my friends and see what that can do.

I’ve always wanted to quit and be a writer. I’m just not sure if that would pay the bills. If there’s one thing I’m passionate about it’s that. If I didn’t have a family that depends on me for some semblance of financial stability I would quit and be a starving artist (of sorts). I wish I could quit and start with the business I’ve always wanted to work on. I wish the decision could be easy but it’s not.

I said this once before and I’ll say it again (and again, and again, and again…): I don’t know where I will be by 2012. I just hope it will be the right place for me.

80s Classic

2011-09-06T12:00:00.000+08:00

While on my way home from a trip to the mall, the bus that I was on started playing some 80s music, including this classic OPM track from a movie from Viva Films:

You’ve Got the Power, sung by Randy Santiago, Gino Padilla and Juan Miguel Salvador is a personal favourite of mine because I thought it was such a positive and feel-good track from back in the day. I also love it because it is one of the songs from the movie Ninja Kids.

Ninja Kids starred the popular teens of the time: JC Bonnin, Ramon Christopher Gutierrez, Ricky Rivero, Dennis Da Silva, Herbert Bautista, Keno and the late Francis Magalona. A pre-Miss Saigon Lea Salonga is also a part of this all-star cast.

It’s a campy type of movie – I think it was the local cinema’s answer to the popular Karate Kid movies of the time that also rode on the popularity of the cast (members of which were from the 80s hit Bagets movies). The movie told the story of a group of teenagers who lose their way in the forest and discovers a ninja master who trains them to help find his magical sword so that they can keep it out of the hands of an evil ninja.

Looking back the movie’s special effects cannot compare to the effects of today but it was still an enjoyable movie nevertheless. I liked how each of the guys had their own type of character that distinguished them from the rest and how the movie used music to help make the movie even more entertaining. From what I remember Ramon Christopher was the one who loved to eat, Francis Magalona was the break dancer, Herbert Bautista the funny nerd, JC Bonnin the fitness buff, etc. I actually like this movie more than the Bagets movies; I thought this was a lot more fun to watch. It didn’t hurt that I had such a crush on Herbert Bautista back in the day (yes, I had a thing for nerds!).

My favourite scene in the movie would have to be the end part where all the white ninjas (JC Bonnin and company) take off their masks as they give the evil ninja their final attack. I can’t explain why I like that part; I just think that’s the best part of it ever. Well, that and the end where they attempt to fight the giant with their powers and discover they don’t have it anymore.

I wish they could do a remake of this. I’d love to see it retold with the modern effects of today – Elmo Magalona could take the place of his dad on this one (makes me sad to think that he’s gone but still, Elmo would be PERFECT to take his place). More than Bagets or any other old local movie, I think this would be the better remake!

While I was surfing for more info on the movie for this post, I was also surprised to discover that the movie was released on VHS as Ninja Kids: Phantom Force and dubbed in several languages. How cool is that?

I really want a copy of this movie. If anyone can tell me where I could buy a copy, please let me know!

Confused, Bothered and Bewildered

2011-09-05T12:00:00.000+08:00

Mutual Understanding. It’s Complicated. Open Relationship. Friends with Benefits. Seeing each other but no commitment. No Strings Attached.

I don’t know about you guys but all these “definitions” of “relationships” are big question marks to me. I’m befuddled to be perfectly honest. People might tell me that I’m simply being conservative and I’d have to be in the situation to understand but I really don’t get it – all of it.

Maybe I just see things too much in the black and white (so to speak). To me it’s either you’re a couple or you’re not. It’s as simple as that. Why do we have to make things harder than they’re supposed to be by coming up with all these terms and placing ourselves and our relationships in the context of these definitions?

Why should a relationship be “complicated”? I’ve heard people say this when they are in a relationship with someone who is “in the middle of breaking up with someone” or that other person is “not ready to be open with the relationship yet.” Seriously, if that person is in a DEFINED and SOLID COMMITMENT WITH ANOTHER person, why get in that complicated relationship in the first place?

If a person loves you and cares enough about you, that person should do everything it takes to make sure that he or she can show the same amount of commitment you’re willing to give. Let us not be martyrs…we live in the new millennium and we still treat ourselves like emotional crap. We deserve better than that.

Speaking of deserving better, I think the same goes for those with “mutual understandings.” People who say they are in an open relationship or are seeing each other with no commitment also fall into this category. Why see someone and have a “relationship” with someone if they are free to see someone else? Why tell each other that you love and care about each other but not be able to commit? Isn’t that what relationships are about?

Being someone who has experienced the whole MU thing I think we continue to make excuses for ourselves because of a fear of being alone and the false hope that one day, there will be a commitment. Like I said, it’s either you are or you aren’t. There should not be a fine line in between. Yes, you can date and see people and get to know someone but I think that somewhere down the line, you need to decide if you can commit or not.

The biggest and most befuddling concept for me would still have to be the whole “friends with benefits” thing. You’re not in a commitment but you can have sex with each other, no strings attached. I do not get that. I will not apologize for being conservative by this modern and liberated world’s standards but I just do not agree with this. I think we make light of this form of intimacy by having it not mean anything but the satisfaction of our physical urges with people we don’t even have an intimate relationship with. Sex is not just sex. It is not just physical. I don’t understand how people can do this and have no sense of emotional attachment whatsoever with the other person. To me that act of sex is a commitment in itself, which is why I don’t understand how casually people treat it these days with these FWBs and one night stands and such.

Before I hear the riot act from people who are not as befuddled as I am, I’m not saying that none of these relationships end up in happy and life-long relationships; I’m just saying that these are not for me and I have seen my fair share of these things that did not work out.

I know I know…people will say that I am only bitter because I am not in a relationship and that’s why I pick on all these “relationships.” But here’s the thing: I am single because I REFUSE to settle for relationships that do not involve any commitment. I will happily pass on the heartache that I’ve seen people go through because they want a commitment but the other party refuses to do so, ergo settling for the relationships that I just mentioned in this post.

If there is a guy out there who will get to know me and who I will get to know and fall for; if that guy will make the effort to show me that he can commit to me, then I will have a relationship. Till that time comes, I will continue to watch and be perplexed as the rest of the world dabbles in all these “relationships.”

Good luck to all of us who are still in search for love. I hope we all find it.

The Getaway

2011-08-31T12:00:00.000+08:00

The word VACATION keeps popping into my head these days.

I want to go on a vacation but there's so much to do at the office and I don't think my boss would let me go unless I told him it was a medical emergency. Sure, they allow me to be absent sometimes but it's only one day at a time -- I haven't had week-long breaks in a long time.

The recent long weekend would have been perfect for a vacation. Unfortunately, I have a family gathering to attend to and that means that I can't go anywhere without disappointing my relatives with my absence from that gathering.

I wonder when I could go on my break. I'd love to go to a hotel/resort...somewhere private where I could walk around on my own and just have time to think, meditate, write and just do nothing. The peace and quiet will do wonders after all the stressful moments that work and family responsibilities have given me.

I would love to go back to Cebu. My stay at the Shang in Mactan was perfect back then -- a place like that would be a great R&R thing for me. Bohol is another ideal spot. Even Tagaytay doesn't sound so bad if I can't go far either.

I don't want to go tourist-ish for my vacay, I just want to relax...I can't seem to do that at home when my workplace is only less than ten minutes away.

Does anyone have a place they can recommend for a peaceful, relaxing, stress-free vacation? Leave me a message and let me know!

Should I?

2011-08-29T12:00:00.000+08:00

I was walking out of the mall when I saw this ad by the door:

I know I've gained weight through the years and my thyroid drama has made losing it harder so I thought, instead of working it off, why not own it instead?

The rules say that you need to have a size 2L from their line to qualify -- not sure if I fit into that category but I guess it wouldn't hurt to see for myself if I do. I still qualify age-wise so that might be a good sign that I should give it a shot...it's not like I have anything to lose if I give it a try.

Be a model and travel to three different countries? Who wouldn't want that? I really should consider this before the deadline on September 4th.

What do you all think?

The Search

2011-08-28T12:00:00.000+08:00

It's both a confusing and a eureka moment at the same time.

So many things are on the brink of change. At work, my boss is retiring so I will, along with my superior, be moving up the corporate ladder. In the middle of all this pending change, I have also been offered another job. It's still based in the same area, but there's that promise of something new since it's a different company and will have a different style from what I'm used to. I've also thought of working abroad, to go and search for other opportunities there, particularly in Singapore.

As I've mentioned in previous entries, I've also been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism -- I've had thyroid problems in the past and I've gotten better but now it's back again. It's not life-threatening but it is a change because I need to have better eating habits and be more disciplined health-wise.

I feel like I'm at the crossroads of my life and I need to make the right decisions at this age. My health has made me even more determined to live my life to the full, to make decisions based on what will make me happy and what would make God happy and not what people expect from me or what people think should be the best for me.

I feel like career-wise, I need to make a choice. Make the transition when my boss retires by staying at my current workplace and get my raise but slowly shift to early retirement so I can go after the things that I want...one of those things is to be a writer. To write my novel and film scripts. Maybe even become a successful blogger. I guess that's why I tried out for the Sony Style hosting thing -- I want to explore the things I've wanted to do but never did. Ditto with the SM model search.

While the other job is interesting pay-wise and work opportunities-wise, it is a career path that is not for me. I want to do something that makes me happy for a change and I really, truly want to go on my search for that. Life is too short to waste it on things the way I have all these years. Just because I can do the job doesn't mean it's what makes me happy. I'd like to find the path which will be both for me, to have happiness AND job success at the same time. I REALLY NEED THAT RIGHT NOW.

Wish me luck.

The Pinoy Concepts Taken Too Far

2011-08-27T12:00:00.000+08:00

There are a lot of things about being Filipino that I like/love. The sense of family, the bayanihan thing, our faith...during moments of struggle and weakness, these are things that make us shine and help us to rise above our troubles.

In spite of the good traits, there are some that I think are often taken a little too far. Here are a couple of those traits:

Pakikisama - I think that the trait of pakikisama can be a good thing. It's when people work together and do their best to get along to be able to work/live together or just to do things together in general. While it's good to have that kind of compromise, some take it too far. Either you just become such a doormat so that you won't rock the boat and make sure the relationship goes well or you become the person who abuses that. Sometimes we tend to expect too much from others because of this and it becomes a form of peer pressure that is taken way out of context of what pakikisama should be about.

I think that as much as we can be united, we are also individuals. We need to respect that we cannot agree all the time and there are some moments when we need to "agree to disagree." I've seen people who ended up feeling pressured because the majority claims that one person lacks "pakikisama" just because they believe in something else.

I think a compromise is just that, a compromise. It should not be forced on people.

Utang na Loob - Translated in English as debt of gratitude. Yet another trait that can be good but can get bad at the same time.

I like it that Filipinos repay the kindness done to them. They may not do the exact same thing but an act of kindness to them is given a similar act of kindness in return when the opportunity is given to them.

What I hate about this is when this is taken too far. When one act of kindness becomes a lifetime of paying it back. When people always mention that act of kindness to get something in return and a single act of kindness in return is ever enough.

It is a pet peeve for me when people are like that. I believe that if you do something good for a person, you do it out of the goodness of your heart. You do not do this to expect anything in return. If you do, that isn't really an act of kindness. It's the same with claiming payback in perpetuity. It really defeats the purpose of it being about gratitude when it becomes abusive. I'd rather people just believe in paying it forward instead of just being about a debt of gratitude. I think it's better that way.

Again, I am not against all the good traits that we Filipinos have. I just don't agree with them when they are taken too far. Feel free to mention other traits that are often abused if I forgot any.

Physique 57

2011-08-26T12:00:00.000+08:00

I've tried so many types of workouts in the past ten years. I've tried dance, yoga, pilates, aerobics, hip hop abs, taebo, 30 Day Shred...the list goes on and on. All these workouts have been, thankfully, good for me in the sense that they all helped me lose weight but I just couldn't stick to any of them for long. I guess I get bored easily and end up stopping my workouts altogether.

The one method that I enjoyed doing the most though would have to be yoga. Unfortunately it's not something that can really make you lose weight as fast as the other workouts so I was hoping to find something similar to yoga that would be more effective. It's not easy to find a good workout that can help me achieve my goals and not be too stressful or straining for me. I've been hoping to find something that won't make me bored of it too fast and would be effective.

I heard about Physique 57 from the promotional material on newspapers about the Plana Forma classes in Manila and I looked it up. I've read that many celebrities are using it to firm up better with a combination of pilates, yoga and dance and I think that's exactly the kind of workout I'm looking for.

Unfortunately, I can't take Plana Forma because it's in Manila and way too far. I've been trying to get a copy of the Physique 57 workout DVDs but I haven't found any in the malls.

Does anyone know where I can find these DVDs? Are there any other equipment that I'd need to do the workouts on these videos? I'd really like to know from anyone familiar with this. Help!

It's All About the Smell

2011-08-25T12:00:00.000+08:00

I am addicted to aromatherapy thingamabobbers (I just had to say that...JC Chasez fans would get what I mean).

I absolutely hate those pine tree and aerosol air fresheners for cars but I LOVE scented oils for burners and scented candles. I tried scented incense but they make too much of a mess for me and those air purifiers just didn't do it for me either. Another thing I've tried are scented oil diffusers -- I love them but they run out too fast and I'm not quite sure if they're worth it since they run out easily for me.

During a recent trip to the grocery store I found a new scented thing to try: Renuzit scented odor neutralizers/air fresheners. It's a cone thing that has scented gels in the container. It's adjustable and comes in various scents -- I opted for the lavender one to use in my room.

Guess what? It's not bad! For Php 89.75, it does a good job making my room smell like lavender and the scent isn't too light nor too overpowering. The fact that you can adjust the cone to give off as much scent as you prefer is a plus.

I managed to convince people at work to buy some for the office. Everyone has been raving about how good the office smells because of it. We have two cones in opposite corners of the room and it does a great job of giving off a scent that is just right!

If any of you are aromatherapy lovers like me, you need to give this a try. I might opt for this more than scented candles and oils because I don't have to burn anything for the scent and it will probably last way longer than them as well.

SIMS 3 Craving

2011-08-24T12:00:00.000+08:00

For so many days now I've been thinking of getting a copy of The Sims 3 again. I used to be so addicted to it when we had it on our desktop computer but we lost our copy and we had to reformat our hard drive a year ago so I've been SIMS-free for a while now.

Part of me wants a new copy but another part of me wants to just forget about. The thing with me and that game is that it's the one thing that can keep me on a computer forever. I literally do not notice time pass when I'm playing that game. It makes me so unproductive when I'm home but it's just so much fun!

I like that there's so much you can do with this version of the game. You can do more with what your SIMs look like and what they can do and with the homes and everything and if you're OC like I am that means you can take forever trying to make the SIMS world you've made as close to perfect as you want!

I've been so tempted to get a new copy but I also found out that they've come out with a new version : SIMS Medieval. You can make castles and your SIMs are knights, princesses and all that jazz...it's another tempting game and I bet I can go nuts with that one as well. It makes wanting my SIMS fix confusing.

What should I get? SIMS 3 or Medieval? Should I even get this game at all considering that I want to finish several writing projects before the year ends?

Someone needs to help me make a decision!

I am Number Four

2011-08-23T12:00:00.000+08:00

Remember when I posted about submitting an audition video for the co-host search for the AXN Asia TV show Sony Style?

Well, the results came out and I'm in the Top 15!!!

I remembered that it was the day for the results but things got busy at the office that I completely forgot until I glanced at my calendar around 5-ish. I had second thoughts about checking the site out because I felt that there was probably such a big talent pool that my last-minute video probably didn't make it. When I finally decided to click the site, I breathed in and just said, "Lord, let your will be done."

Everyone at the office was surprised to hear me give out a scream of excitement when I saw myself on the screen. I was going nuts! I couldn't believe it! I still can't actually but I'm happy that I was part of those considered!

I'd really like to ask everyone now for help. Please vote for me on the AXN Sony Style Search Page! Visit the page and then click the fourth from the left, top row, the girl in blue. The name is Clare and I'm from the Philippines. Click the vote button to cast your vote for me!

If you're wondering about the post title, it's because I am number four -- contestant number four that is.

It would mean so much for me to be able to get this shot. I hope that you can all help me. I may be the oldest in the competition and I may not have the ideal body type compared to some of the other girls but I think I can do a good job with this hosting thing!

I'd appreciate your help, please spread the word to vote for me!!! I think you can only vote once, but someone told me you can vote more than that. I guess you have to do something with your web settings...but I'm not sure if those votes will be considered valid so I don't know what to do about that.

Anyway, I just hope you all vote for me! Thanks in advance!!!

Last Will and Testament

2011-08-22T12:00:00.000+08:00

I recently found a template for a Last Will and Testament and tried to fill it up.

Sounds crazy and morbid, but I have been curious about it since I've heard of so many people who have died before their time or who have died suddenly who did not have the chance to tell people what needs to be done once they have passed away.

When I was filling up my version of a Last Will and Testament, I was surprised to realize that there are so many things I would want to say and that there are parts of my life -- friends included -- that my family do not know about. Things like this would help them to do so. It could help them know more about me if I made this -- that was the thought that came to mind while I was filling it up.

Another thing I realized was how unimportant all my material belongings actually are. As I typed them all up and stated which should go with whom, it made me realize how much more temporary these things are in our lives and how these things should not be what we value in this life because we can't take it with us when we move on to the next life.

Have any of you ever considered making your own Last Will and Testament? I know it seems morbid but then it's just like insurance -- you know death will happen inevitably so we get for when the time comes (we just don't know when). This is something that we should prepare for like insurance I think.

Yes, I am weird, I know that. But still...anyone else out there willing to try this?

Hormonal

2011-08-21T18:55:00.000+08:00

Like I mentioned in a previous entry, I've been having thyroid issues. While they are not life-threatening in any way, it does make my hormones go haywire. The best word for it is that I am hormonal these days. I'm moody, my skin is breaking out and my weight has been harder to control.

The whole moody part I can deal with. I mean, I feel like I get pissed off easier now but being the type of person I am, I keep these things to myself and people around me hardly notice. It's the weight and the skin thing that's harder to control.

I thought that people with hyperthyroidism usually lose weight? I feel like I'm gaining -- much like when I had hypo. That is irritating for me because I've been trying to lose weight for the longest time. Tough part right now is that it's harder to deal with because with my thyroid condition I think this is really out of my control. I need to normalize my thyroid levels to make some sort of progress in the weight department.

As for the skin thing, I have been breaking out a lot and if you know me personally you'd know that I hardly do and people usually like my skin. Lately, I just feel like I'm desperate need of a facial -- or a major diamond peel.

I feel like I'm having those bad hair days -- only it's for everything about me. So not good. Hopefully the medicine that my doctor prescribed can get me back to normal soon. Keeping my fingers crossed on that one.

Moving Moment

2011-08-20T18:55:00.000+08:00

A friend of mine from Twitter shared this from Oprah's Legends Ball (?) and I was just moved by the whole event.

This video shows a gathering of various celebrities -- legends, as the event said -- and in this part of the activity Oprah invited everyone to give praise to God and it led to a moment where several singers gave impromptu testimonials in song about how God has changed their lives.

To be honest, the video gave me goosebumps and made me teary-eyed when I first saw it. You could really feel God's presence in that moment and you could feel that everyone was moved by what was happening. I wish we could have more things like that happen in our lives -- for everyone to feel God's presence and move according to that.

Can you name all the celebrities in this video? There were too many for me to count! It was amazing!

My Wild 30s

2011-08-19T12:00:00.000+08:00

I got the title from one of the tags from a tweet of Nikita actor Devon Sawa. I thought it was funny that he was talking about a quiet and relatively normal evening and added that tag. I know how he feels because I pretty much think the same way about my 30s. It's definitely not as wild as my life used to be when I was younger.

Back in the day, in my early 20s, my idea of fun used to be partying with my friends, drinking and all that. These days, I prefer quiet times at home watching TV or a movie. I rarely go out to watch a movie and wait for it to come out on DVD. If I do go out, my idea of fun now is coffee or lunch/dinner with friends chatting and catching up. Partying, drinking are things of the past for me. I just don't find them as fun as they used to be.

An adventure to me these days would be to try to cook or bake something I've never tried before. Or travel to a quiet spot to just have some "me time" so I can have time to think and just try to remember how it feels to be me without all the responsibilities I have in my life.

People might say that I'm growing up to be a boring person but I have to say that I actually like it. If you told me I'd be like this when I was 22 I'd probably say no. Growing older and having the life experiences that I've had so far has definitely changed me and my outlook in life. It's not as exciting as I thought it would be but I am not complaining. In my 30s, this is as wild as I can get and I am just fine with it.

Is It Creepy That I Like These Shows?

2011-08-18T16:28:00.000+08:00

I may not look like the type but I enjoy watching detective shows, the whodunit types that are usually getting creepier by the minute.

One of those programs is Law and Order. I like all the versions...the regular one, Criminal Intent, Special Victims, even Los Angeles (too bad that got cancelled).

There's something fascinating about shows like this that I just can't explain. Maybe I have this side of me that wants to be a detective of sorts and channel my inner Nancy Drew or something but I don't know if that's the only reason why I want to watch these things.

Another show that I am hooked on is Criminal Minds. I like this more than the Law and Order ones because I love how their characters have grown through the years and how I've grown to like them since I first started to watch them. I love how cooky but crazy smart Garcia is. Ditto with Reed. And don't even get me started on how the words "baby girl" have become equated as a term of endearment since I watched the show (I guess only one who is familiar with the characters will get what I mean).

Then, of course, there is my favorite, Bones. I used to love the CSI programs but now I'm more into Bones than CSI. I've always liked how they can tackle serious issues and yet be able to put in their own brand of humor into the story and mix it up with drama. I love that like Criminal Minds, they have such lovable characters that grow on you that just make you want to watch the show more.

Sometimes, when I watch these shows feature episodes having scenes revolving around dead bodies on autopsy tables or watching decaying remains being studied, I wonder why I like these programs.

Is there a psychological reason why I like them? I really need to understand this!

NCIS Love

2011-08-17T12:00:00.000+08:00

This has got to be one of my all-time favorite shows on TV.

After all these years, I have come to consider the cast of the show as a pseudo-family for me. I love how diverse the characters are and how I've grown to love and enjoy watching them from one episode to another. I like watching how their characters grow, progress and mature. I like how McGee has grown into his own after being the Proby and how Tony, in spite of everything that he has gone through, is still the movie-freak and funny guy that he has been from the start.

I love how Abby never seems to age and how affectionate Gibbs is to her (I envy that, I really do). I love how the show keeps going and never has an episode that drags on for no reason. Everything is new, everything is exciting. I hope that they keep it that way for more episodes and more seasons to come.

One thing that I wish they can come up with is a book or a special just for the rules that Gibbs has. There are so many that have been mentioned on the show and if you were to track them all down there are still some numbers whose equivalent rules have not yet been mentioned on the show. I'd love to watch a show with the complete list...or maybe have a serial killer obsessed with Gibbs' rules.

With so many shows that have gone on as long as they have ending already, I feel bad thinking that the show could end anytime soon. I wouldn't want that, not yet anyway. Maybe after a 10th season? Or longer?

Oh well, a girl can dream right?

Funny Signs

2011-08-16T12:00:00.000+08:00

It's crazy how many funny signs are out there, especially here in the Philippines. I don't know how many times I've spotted them but there have been more than I can count with my hand. It's too bad that I have not been able to take photos of all of them but here are some that I do have:

This one was a ROFL moment for me. We were discussing at work that we needed OPEN and CLOSED signs for our door because people still kept coming in after office hours or during lunch breaks.

My superior, in her not-so-superior glory, had this sign made. I wonder who exactly she's close to. I love how the word CLOSE is right smack center and in all caps. I pointed out the mistake and although it would have been easy to paint a D after the word CLOSE, she didn't have it done and had us buy one of those signs you can flip over from National Bookstore instead. Hilarious!

Here's another sign, this time from a vacant lot on one of the main roads that we pass through regularly for work. It says: NO TRISPASSING. PRVITE PROPETY (with the R under an arrow between E and T).

I don't know about you guys, but this seems like a text shortcut gone wrong with a mix of spelling errors included. And I guess they finished painting before they realized that they forgot the R in the word PROPERTY so they decided to add that tiny arrow to say that this was included in the word.

Now this one reminds me of a blog entry from Lourd De Veyra, which was also a part of his book, This is a Crazy Planets.

The painted on sign (right by a Globe Telecom tower) says: Bawal Umihi D2! Putol t*t*! (I'm sure you get what the asterisk is for). Note also the arrow indicating just where it is not allowed to pee (not that anyone should pee in a public place like that in the first place).

Lourd De Veyra said it best in his blog:

The fact that it even exists is troubling.

It presupposes that in the said area someone has previously committed a horrible crime against the civilized world. Equally disturbing is the possible degree of frequency involved. It means that colonic discharges might be a common occurrence. Once -- forgivable. But two or more? "I've had it with these mutherfuckers!" we can only imagine the angry proprietor storming out of the house with a can of spray paint in hand.

This brings me to my last photo.

Why does a sign like this even exist? To have the tree with a sign (in the first person) asking that it not be watered? Why? Does someone keep on watering it without permission (if yes, why)? And how did the tree even cut a part of itself to make the paper so it could write the sign (OK, so I'm not serious about that but you get what I mean right)?

Hay...as Lourd De Veyra's blog title suggests, This is a Crazy Planets!

Nikita

2011-08-15T12:00:00.000+08:00

I never really watched La Femme Nikita so I don't know if this is based on that one but I do love this version (if it is a version of that TV series). Actually, it wasn't Maggie Q that sold me on this one: when someone said that Shane West is a part of the show, I knew I just had to watch it.

To be honest, I don't know much about Maggie Q except that she's the ex of my future (?!) husband Daniel Henney. I saw her once on this show where she was talking to a bunch of models from all over Asia and I thought that she seemed to be a cool and fun person to hang out with. All that aside, I think that she is perfect as Nikita: there's this air about her that makes you feel like she really is a trained assassin out to seek revenge. She's got that emotional wall up the comes down when she encounters people she empathizes with. She's also really amazing with her action sequences. Very few celebrities can say that they can do the stunts on their own. Even with a stunt double, you can tell that she knows what she's doing.

I've been watching the show on both ETC and Warner TV (just be sure that I catch up if I miss an episode) and I'm liking it so far. I like watching Shane West go all action man when the situation calls for it. Lyndsy Fonseca, who plays Nikita's protege on the show, is not bad either. I was also surprised to see a bulked up Devon Sawa in this one as well. It just keeps getting better and better as far as casting is concerned (speaking of which, has anyone noticed that Melinda Clarke doesn't seem to age at all?).

I know the first season of the show is over in the US and that they're already shooting the second season but I am still enjoying every episode of this show's first season. I don't even want to look at the episode guides because I don't want to spoil the viewing experience. I hope that this is a show that lasts a while...six seasons or more like Alias I hope. This is such a good replacement for that old favorite of mine. Mikita (Michael and Nikita, Shane West and Maggie Q's characters) is a good replacement for my love for the Sydney-Michael tandem from Alias.

Nikita is on every Monday at 8PM on Warner TV and on Tuesdays on ETC also at 8PM.

Photo Source: Entertainment Wallpaper

Lie To Me

2011-08-14T12:00:00.000+08:00

I finally got to finish the Korean drama Lie to Me starring my favorite, Yoon Eun Hye.

The story of the drama is about two people who lied about being married because it had benefits for them both and they end up falling in love with each other.

The story is simple and when I think about it, a white lie that gets blown out of proportion can happen. I'm just not sure if a rich and popular bachelor like that would ever go with the scheme the way the guy in the story did.

As usual, Yoon Eun Hye is very lovable in this show and she has her cute and funny moments that people love watching her in. As for the leading man, Kang Ji Hwan, he does come off as handsome and conflicted as his character should be but I think he fails when it comes to having comedic moments. I think he tries too hard to be funny and that's why he failed to be funny.

I wasn't too happy with the way that the story ended. I felt like they were forced to end the story because it was going on too long already. That whole finding herself part near the end in Jeju Island felt dragging and kind of brought down the story a bit. I wish they could have made a more exciting, less cheesy ending. But that's the thing with rom-coms lately: they find it hard to come up with a winning ending.

I hope that Yoon Eun Hye can come up with a new drama again soon. I'd love to see her do another rom-com...or maybe a full-on drama. It would be interesting to see her do that.

Photo Source: Han Cinema

What to Blog?

2011-08-13T12:00:00.000+08:00

Lately I've been wondering about what to blog.

Part of me wants to write about some of the things going on in my life but I've been hesitant about getting too personal in this blog so I'm not sure if I'll do that.

I blog about the things I'm interested in but lately I've become really bored blogging about these things. I am still interested in movies, TV, books, etc. but I feel like I'm getting tired of writing about it.

I don't know where I want to take this blog and what I'd really want for it to be about and to stand for. I've been having long gaps between posts sometimes because I've been thinking about that. I may have been on a roll lately but I'm not sure how long that will last.

Maybe it's because I'm really interested in finishing the novel and scripts that I've been toying with that has made me lose interest. Maybe I've just run out of things to say. I don't know. It's just a little sad that I've gotten to this point just when I got myself my own domain.

Any suggestions on what to do with this blog? I'm stumped.

See Your Doctor!

2011-08-12T12:00:00.000+08:00

If there's one thing that so many of us take for granted, it's a visit to our doctor(s).

I'm guilty of that. I always say that I don't have the time, I feel fine, it's too much trouble, etc. Thing is, this is something that we need to make a priority at least once every year. Otherwise, we just might regret it.

I recently visited my doctor because I got dizzy one weekend and ended up finding out that my thyroid problem, which was deemed cured more than five years ago, was back and needed to be treated. My cousin, who had a similar problem, told me before that I needed to have myself checked at least once a year because this is a problem that can be easily solved but can also come back just as easily if I don't take the necessary precautions. I didn't listen to her but thankfully, we caught the problem fairly early as my thyroid levels are not too far from normal.

I now have to take several medications: one that's thrice a day and two before going to sleep. It's a hassle and I think that's why people don't like going to the doctor because you tend to spend so much and have so much to think about (I had four tests done to me in the span of a week apart from the visits to the doctor) but I think we need to realize that it's something that has to be done. We've only got one life to live. We need to take care of it as much as we can. Delaying it will not solve the problem and will only make things worse if we know and feel that we're not completely healthy.

Remember, once a year visits to the doctor won't hurt -- but risking your life to avoid it will.

Living the Dream

2011-08-11T12:00:00.000+08:00

This was such good news.

When I read about the story of Samantha Sotto and how she got her book, Before Ever After published by a major company in the US, I was sincerely happy for her. I think that her achievement is an amazing thing. She’s living the dream – my dream.

Since I knew how to read and write, the one thing that I wanted to be was to be a writer. I used to write short stories onto my elementary school pad papers and on our old PC (black screen, green font and all). To this day, I have a ton of story outlines that are waiting to be written that I dream of converting into an actual book (or movie or TV show, whatever applies).

While I know that Ms. Sotto is probably not the first Filipino who got her book published internationally, I still envy her. I want too! More than any achievement I can get in the job I have now, getting the opportunity that she has had would be the best thing that can happen to me.

One of my goals this year is to finish one of my writing projects and try to get it published as well. If not, maybe I could do it myself. Either way, I’d like to have it distributed to other people and see how far I can take this dream. I know it won’t be easy but it’s something that I want to try. I think that there’s nothing to lose with trying. The worse thing to do is to not do anything at all with this dream. Hopefully, this year can be the start of me acting on this dream.

I’m looking forward to reading the book Before Ever After to try and see why Samantha Sotto got the opportunity that she had…maybe I can learn something from it.

Here’s the trailer for the book…enjoy!

Catching Up on My Reading

2011-08-10T12:00:00.000+08:00

2011 for me is the year that I catch up with my reading. I have so many books on my reading list (and I keep adding to that every single time a new interesting one pops up)! I know that if I don’t start reading I’m never going to finish!

I think I’ve made the right decision to start reading again. I missed the feeling of reading and not wanting to put it down until you’ve finished. I love being able to use my imagination again to picture things as they are happening in the books that I read.

So far, I’ve read eight books. That’s a book a month when I think about it, but I actually had months when I read more than one book and months when I just didn’t have the time to read any. I have this feeling that I will have more than 12 books read by the end of the year because there’s so many books I’m really excited to start reading and I have been making the effort to have reading time at least once a week. I’d like to be able to catch up on the books that I’ve been hearing about from my friends. Hopefully I can read this whole Game of Thrones thing sometime this year.

I’m currently reading Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy. I know, it’s not exactly a current book but for some reason I was just so drawn to it and I’ve been reading it for some time now. It’s not an easy read because the language is really deep and you need to really think about it and take it in before you move to the next page. It's a challenging read, I am not going to lie about that. Still, I think I'll give this a shot.

If there are any good books you’d like to recommend, please feel free to comment and add it to my ever-growing reading list.

Photo Source: On This Side of Town

Think Before You Click!

2011-08-09T12:00:00.000+08:00

I love this new campaign by GMA 7 encouraging people to become more responsible online.

When I was new to the net and blogging, I was a victim of online bullying. I had anonymous people who would judge me and my blog. These people make scathing comments that just kept popping up again and again even if I deleted them. I may not have known these people but the things that have been said still hurt and it really affected me.

In this day and age where everyone is online and social media has been what it is today, people have more and more opportunities to become online bullies or make rash judgments on people and events. We need to remember to think before we post anything. We need to be sure of what we are saying before we say it. Considering how easy it is to go online these days, I think we should at least surf for more info online before we judge. We also need to think the implications of our actions – just because we delete something it doesn’t mean it’s deleted forever. We need to be more responsible in terms of our online activities.

Here’s what GMA has to say about the campaign:

THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK

When you post something online, there are at least two truths.

1. The web is written in permanent ink, once you post there is no way to take it back.

2. Everything has an effect. It can build up and it can also destroy.

So, as part of GMA News’ campaign to promote the responsible use of social media we ask that before you post anything, think before you click.

It’s good when we use the net to rally each other for a good cause but this is different. Sometimes it’s just too easy to go with crowd and make some comments about people who make mistakes in their lives that they can’t take back. It’s easy to be cruel when we can’t see the people we’re hurting face to face. It’s easy when we don’t know them personally. But if it happens to you or someone you love, I’m telling you it hurts like crazy.

I’m not saying that we should not be honest about our opinions or anything like that. What I’m saying is that there is always a way to say things that would not be as cruel. We just need to be more responsible and we need to, as GMA says, think before we click.

Photo Source: GMA News

Sony Style In Search of Co-Hosts

2011-08-08T12:00:00.000+08:00

Sony Style is one of the shows that I enjoy watching on AXN Asia. I’m a closet gadget geek – you won’t be able to tell by looking at me but I love reading up on the latest technology and gadgets. Whatever gadgets I own I make sure to read up about them before I made my purchase and I read up to make sure that I know how it works and how I can take care of them properly.

I like that Sony Style is made up of several short but informative segments and is a good mix of gadget news, entertainment features and lifestyle trends. I like the host, Oli Pettigrew as well. The no-nonsense and casual way that he hosts the show makes it easy for ordinary people like me to relate to what is being presented. It’s like you’re talking to a friend about the latest on everything.

When I saw the commercial for the search for three guest hosts for the show, I immediately asked my sister for help to make a video. I really want to be a part of the show and I would love to be able to see all the gadgets featured on the show up close and be able to try them myself. Unfortunately, the video did not turn out as well as I had expected. I felt that it did not capture my personality. If any, it felt like a different person was on the video. As much as I would like to make a new one, I have no time to do it anymore because of the deadline. I already waited for my sister to make the video and have it edited and I have no time left.

I’m forced to send the video that I am not too happy about because I have no choice. Oh well. I’m just going to keep my fingers crossed that I still have a shot. If God wants me to be part of this, I’m sure I’ll still get the job. If not, well then I guess God has other plans for me.

One thing is for sure though: I need a career change. I’ve never been more excited about anything like this in a long time. It reminds me of the saying that we should do what we love so that it wouldn’t feel like work. I LOVED the idea of this other world/career. I think that means that what I currently do isn’t the right one for me.

Took me long enough to figure that one out.

Photo Source: Sony Singapore

Rain

2011-08-07T12:00:00.000+08:00

I love the rain. I love waking up to a rainy morning and just curling up in bed a few extra minutes. I love how I don’t need a fan or air-conditioning on days when it’s rainy. I love the weather when it’s rainy. It just puts me in a calmer and ultimately better mood. It’s better than summer for me.

My friends have often commented that they feel sad when the weather is dark and gloomy. I feel the same when it’s all sunny and hot. Is that weird?

Still, it makes me sad when I hear about people dying because of massive flooding and from rain-related disease. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

I like the weather that comes with the rain – if we could have the weather all day with a bit of rain here and there, I would be happy with that.

Hmm, maybe I’m just not made for the tropical weather. I need to go to gloomier parts of the world – Europe perhaps?

I’ll leave you all with a song that I always seem to hum in my head when it’s raining. After all these years I think this song is still cool.

I Need to Understand, Seriously!

2011-08-06T12:00:00.000+08:00

I just don’t understand it.

In the past four years that I have lived in the neighborhood that we do now, I have been baffled by the concept of people singing on a videoke DURING a wake.

Being from a provincial town I’m not at all surprised that wakes are held at the homes of the deceased. I’m not even surprised that there are people who gamble during these things. What really gets to me is all this videoke singing.

Imagine this: your dearly departed inside the house and in a coffin. Outside, people are gambling at one table and there are visitors on another making small talk. AND, right smack by the front door, there is a videoke machine with people gathered around while someone sings an uncomfortably enthusiastic version of Totoy Bibo.

Just this year, two people have died right next door (both were old and sick, no epidemic to worry about) and on both occasions, there has been a videoke machine that is constantly being used to “entertain” the guests up to the wee hours of the morning. Tough part is, my bedroom window is the one closest to their home, so I get the same amount of “entertainment.” It drives me crazy but what can I do? Everyone here seems to think this is a normal thing so there isn’t anyone to actually complain to.

I just don’t get how you could let people sing and have fun while you’re in mourning. I know some people say you shouldn’t be sad when someone dies because they move on to a better place but this is just ridiculous and goes too far. I don’t think anyone can blame me for wondering especially when you hear whoever is singing asking people to clap for them. Don’t even get me started on how insensitive it is for the neighbors to have the videoke on at full blast until 3 AM every single day of the usually two-week wake.

I have had enough various versions of We are the World, Nilunok ko Ang Lahat, Totoy Bibo and all those other Pinoy jukebox songs. I know Makati has rules on this already. I wish our town could catch up.

Pet Peeve

2011-08-05T21:51:00.000+08:00

If there’s one thing that really gets on my nerves, it’s how the collection agents of credit card companies treat cardholders like me.

I often get calls regarding my card payments. While I do pay my bills on time, “on time” usually isn’t as on time as my card companies would want them. Apparently when you pay on the due date, your payment comes in late by their standards. This is because the banks or payment centers you make your card payments to end up posted two to seven days after. This can be frustrating because although these payment centers tell me that the payments will be posted as made on the day when you paid for them, they usually don’t. More often than not, because of this setup, you’d have a collection agent constantly calling you and demanding payment even if you had paid already and were only waiting for it to be posted.

One thing I hate about these agents is that they talk down on you. They deny it even if the tone is obvious in their voice. They act like you’re running away from your debts and even if you tell them that you’ve paid, they ask for your payment information like they doubt that you are telling the truth. I’m sure that they are required to ask you for the information but they also have to ask for it nicely and not like they’re daring you to prove that you are paying your bills on time. I almost never lose my cool but when it comes to these people, I just cannot help myself.

Case in point: last month the card company’s collection agent called me to again tell me that I have not made my minimum due payment and that I need to pay before the end of the banking day. I told her that I have paid and she demanded (I say demand because of the tone of the person speaking to me) that I give the complete info for my payment. I told her that I do not have my receipt with me and she says that I should make my payment that day – which got to me because she was obviously implying that I was lying to her. That pissed me off that I lost my cool talking to her. I told her to check her records again and she again told me to make payment.

Later that day I decided to call the collection agency again because the woman told me to call when I made my payment. This time a man answered and told me that I did not have anything on their record that said I had not paid. I told the person on the other line what the woman told me and he apologized. I’m guessing my payment was posted late again and the woman was premature in berating me for being such a bad client.

If there’s one thing that this experience taught me it’s that credit cards are bad news. As soon as I’ve paid my installment fees I am closing my card account. I’d do it now but apparently they have additional (and pricey) fees for paying your installment in full (which does not make sense to me) so I need to wait to finish the cycle before I can close the card.

After all this, I really don’t want to have anything to do with credit cards. I’ll keep one for emergencies but that’s about it.

If you’re thinking about getting a card, my advice would be to use cash instead. It’s not a necessity. Don’t get caught in the vicious cycle!

Photo Source: Credit Card Venue

The Glee Project

2011-08-03T12:00:00.000+08:00

A reality-based spinoff of the popular TV show, The Glee Project is a reality competition where 12 contenders go through various singing, dancing and acting workshops to eventually become the winner -- who will be a part of the next season's cast.

To be honest, I don't really follow the show religiously. I check it out and if it catches my interest I'd watch the whole thing. If not I just switch the channel. For the most part I didn't care for the start of the show because I didn't like some of the contenders but now that they are down to five, it has gotten interesting. You can tell that the remaining contestants are really feeling the pressure now and that they're taking their performances up a notch or two to make sure they stand out and make it till the end of the show. At this point it's still anyone's game and you can see that they are trying their best to be the perfect fit for the show.

One contestant who caught my eye from the start was Cameron Mitchell. It was his voice that stuck out for me from the very beginning. When he stood up for what he believed in as a Christian, I also admired him for that. I like that he had the strength of character to give up all the fame and fortune that came with the competition because he wanted to take a stand and not go against what he believed in. It's too bad that he left the show considering how much Ryan Murphy likes him but I believe that this kid has a promising future after the show. He's got the voice, he's got the talent in songwriting and he has character. I'm sure we'll all hear from him again in the near future.

Who do I think will win this? I'm not sure. I just know I don't want Alex or Lyndsay to win. They have the tendency to overact and that irritates me. Samuel could win because he's completely different from the pack and just has this confidence and intensity that would be good for Glee. Damian's also interesting (in the "new Finn" sort of way as Ryan Murphy put it) but Hannah is promising too. I'd be happy with any of the three. I'm not as emotionally invested in these kids as I used to when I used to watch earlier seasons of American Idol.

Do any of you watch The Glee Project? What do you think?

Photo Source: Brain Sugar, Broadway World

What Happens Now

2011-08-02T12:12:00.000+08:00

Yes, the Azkals lost to Kuwait.

Yes, we lost our chance at the World Cup -- for now.

What happens to the Azkals now?

As sad as I am that the Azkals lost to Kuwait in the World Cup Qualifiers, I am not that disappointed. Kuwait was obviously the more experienced team and they used it to their advantage. I wasn't surprised that they won but I did hope and pray that our boys could deliver a miracle and help the country move further up in the qualifiers.

I know some people have already lost their interest in the team because of the loss but I think those are people who were only following because it has become a popular thing to root for the Azkals. For others, I believe that they are looking forward to better things for the team. On my end, I think that this is just the beginning for Philippine Football. I think the Azkals have gone a long way in terms of bringing the sport to the consciousness of Pinoys in the country and this is just the first step in solidifying the place of football in Philippine culture.

I heard that the team will be playing friendly matches with other Asian teams and of course there's still the AFC Challenge Cup and the SEA Games to look forward to. There's also news of having regular broadcasts for the Philippine UFL that would keep everyone's interest in the sport going while the Azkals are out of the limelight.

And, if reports are to be believed, there is even a possibility of a match with an all-star Zidane-led team (wow!) in the near future. I guess that will be the NBA vs PBA of football...I hope it does push through, I'd love to watch that!

Having watched and appreciated the sport since my college days, I would love for football to be around on a long-term basis in the country. The Azkals may not have made it to the next World Cup but I hope that they can make this the beginning of a more promising future for Philippine football.

Photo Source: I-Movie Channel

Pretty Little Liars

2011-08-01T12:00:00.000+08:00

I’ve always had this hesitation to watch movies or TV shows that are based on books. There’s a part of me that is worried that the movie or TV program will not do justice to the book or I could end up liking what I watch and end up hating the book.

When I first heard of Pretty Little Liars, I wanted to read the book first. I discovered that PLL is actually a series of books (some of which have not even been released yet according to Wikipedia). Unfortunately, I was not able to find a copy of the first few books and ETC started showing a Season 1 marathon every Saturday, which helped me get up to speed when they started airing Season 2. Oh well, beggars couldn’t be choosers so TV before the books became the natural choice.

I found myself being hooked to the show. I got curious about this “A” who kept tormenting the girls and how that one person was able to make the four lead character’s lives a living hell. I guess that’s the thing about secrets…they can really make you crazy especially if someone is using them against you.

I love that the series features some familiar faces like Lucy Hale (Bionic Woman, Privileged), Ashley Benson (Bring it On), Laura Leighton (Melrose Place), Chad Lowe (Melrose Place, 24), Janel Parrish (Bratz the Movie), Andrea Parker (The Pretender, Less than Perfect) and Holly Marie Combs (Picket Fences, Charmed). I especially love that many of the actors are active on Twitter and I get to see some behind the scenes photos and videos while they make the show from their accounts like this one from Lucy Hale and Ian Harding:

Let me get to my point: I love the show. It has me glued from start to finish – especially the finish because they always show something creepy/mysterious that A does just when the characters think that things are going OK. The fashion/styling is also really good. They have their own look, which I actually like a lot.

I also find the characters, no matter how crazy things get in their lives, relatable. Except for the murders are creepy things happening these girls are going through the same thing most young girls do: dealing with family problems, weight issues, boys, peer pressure, self-discovery…I get that. I went through that too. I guess that’s what makes me root for the girls after everything they go through in the show.

One thing that I didn’t have in my youth though was an Ezra Fitz (Ian Harding) – how beautiful is that guy? Seriously, I think he is just so easy on the eyes, I look forward to seeing him on the show when I can. Now that Aria (Lucy Hale) also has Jason Di Laurentis (Drew Van Acker) in the picture it just got even more interesting. Two lovely guys falling for one girl…if she didn’t have that A problem I’d want to be in Aria’s shoes right now.

Speaking of handsome guys, there’s also Caleb (Tyler Blackburn) and Wren (Julian Morris). Caleb is involved with Hanna (Ashley Benzo) while Wren was involved with Spencer (Troian Bellisario). I’m not really that into Toby (Keegan Allen) but a lot of girls do…I guess he’s good looking but just not my type.

I’ve had the chance to read the first book of the series and read up on the storyline and I have to say that the book is a bit different from the show. However, I think the changes were made in a good way and do not ruin the story completely. For one thing, the characters on the show don’t physically look like how they’re described in the books and that’s not a big deal. How Ezra and Toby’s characters end up in the books are also different from the TV show (which I think is because of how both guys have developed a fan base which would of course make the producers want them to stay on in the show). I have no problem with it. I think that the TV series actually improves the books to make it good for TV.

My best Pretty Little Liars TV moment right now would have to be that kiss between Ezra and Aria. It makes me sigh when I watch it!

I am looking forward to more moments that will make me sigh – maybe between Aria and Jason or Spencer and Wren (sorry Toby fans, I’m Team Wren when it comes to Spencer). I would also love more old show references like this:

Check out 0:37…I think that is a slight Piper move on Holly Marie Combs’ part. I remember her replying “That could be arranged” to a fan that tweeted that it would be nice to see a little Piper move from her on the show. Was that it? I was very happy to see that!

The 2nd Season of Pretty Little Liars is still on-going…it’s on every Friday night (8PM) on ETC and has a rerun every Monday at 9PM. ETC has match-airing, which means they air the episodes the same week it was on in the US. I love that about ETC! More shows with match airing please!

Me vs Eyebrows

2011-07-19T12:00:00.000+08:00

My superior has eyebrows.

No, wait. Let me rephrase that: My superior has penciled-in eyebrows. Too penciled in for her own good. I want to run through her brow line and wipe it off with facial wipes. Every single time I have to look at her I have to mentally concentrate on a serious topic to stop me from staring at her eyebrows. Think Austin Powers in Gold Member when he had that mole dilemma, only I still manage enough self-control not to say or do anything obvious.

Half a day to go. All I can think of here in my little corner of the office are ideas on how to subtly tell my superior that darkly penciled brows are never going to be good to look at -- unless you are really going for the Frieda Kahlo look. Dark brows that don't even slightly match your hair color on a barely powdered and pale face does not a stylish look make, especially for someone gunning to be the head honcho of a small corporation.

Those eyebrows are driving me crazy --- it's like they were penciled in with eyeliner and not a brow pencil. I think that makeup manufacturers should make a clear distinction between the two so that people won't make a mistake on where to use them.

My goodness, every time I look at them I see something new. Reminds me of how people tend to picture all sorts of shapes and figures when they stare up at the clouds. Right now they seem like two chocolate hills. This morning they looked like the top arches of the McDonald's logo. I feel bad about thinking this way but I just can't help it.

I think we need a seminar on the proper application of makeup here at the office. If people are going to put on makeup, they have to at least do it right or not do it at all.

Impulse Buy

2011-07-07T14:40:00.000+08:00

You know how some women often resort to retail therapy when under stressful situations? You can count me in as one of those women. Only thing is, instead of buying clothes, I have the nasty habit of buying gadgets.

I've been under a lot of stress lately and the only thing cheering me up has been watching Yoon Eun Hye in the Korean drama (or should I say romantic comedy) Lie to Me. I've been channeling Gong Ah Jung's character for a while now. When she cut her hair, I cut mine as well and colored it the same way.

Throughout the whole series, you can also catch her using the Samsung Galaxy S II, which I have been wanting to have for a while now after my other phone died on me.

Finally, after a prolonged period of merely wanting, I bought the phone (or should I say loaned it since I didn't put out any cash for it just yet, it's on installment!). It will take a while for me to get used to it considering how thin it is and how my big fingers are a big challenge to the phone's touchscreen feature.

Part of me is thinking that I will regret the buy in the future since it is a bit expensive but a part of me is also thinking that it's worth it -- I've been working so hard and I've been under so much stress and I need to reward myself for all the hard work (even if it means a dent in my wallet on the installment payments later). Just looking at it reminds me of Gong Ah Jung and Lie to Me and that makes me smile a bit (play Lovin' Ice Cream song here please).

One thing that irks me though are people who are judging me for my impulse buy, like my money could have been put to better use. Are single 30-somethings like me not allowed to have something to be happy about?

Hay...when it's me vs. the world, I can never win.

Seriously?

2011-07-05T23:05:00.000+08:00

The latest commercials that have been coming out featuring popular celebrities have me chuckling and wondering how much they were paid to make ads like that. I mean, they do have images to protect and they're just made to look really funny in the commercials...the only valid reason I could think of for them to allow this to happen would be a very sizable amount money for the endorsement.

Take Sharon Cuneta for example. Most (if not all) of the people who have seen the ad were surprised that she agreed to do an ad like this:

Next up, Congresswoman Lucy Torres-Gomez. The latest detergent commercial reminds me of the movie Ember, just with a funny looking appearance by the beautiful legislator/celebrity in ridiculous sunglasses. The one shown here is a different version but with a similar concept. I think the intent and the idea was good but for her stature, I don't think she should have done this. Quite the step down from the commercial that brought her and her husband together if you ask me.

Lately, after watching the latest matches of the Azkals, I discovered this new commercial featuring the Younghusband brothers and the rest of the Azkals from Silver Swan.

"Eating with your hands, ew, so primitive!" That and the part where the Azkals pretend to be surprised with the way Phil was eating were hilarious when I first watched it. Can't blame the guys for striking the iron while it's hot as the saying goes but I think the Cortal commercial was the more decent one compared to this.

Let's not forget the commercial featuring James Younghusband. All I could think of when I was watching this was how they got him to agree to doing this considering how reserved this guy seems to be.

I really hope these celebrities were paid well for these ads. I think they're hilarious and have recall but I am not quite sure if this actually HELPS them in terms of public image, you know what I mean?

The Smurfs Movie

2011-07-04T12:00:00.000+08:00

I am so excited about this one!

I was a fan of the cartoon when I was a little girl and I was very happy to find out that there was going to be a movie version that had animation mixed with real-life characters. I think this is going to be a fun movie to watch, especially if it's in 3D.

It stars Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother, Doogie Howser, MD) along with a star-studded cast voicing the animated characters, led by Katy Perry as Smurfette.

According to IMDB, in this movie the Smurfs are chased out of their village and the magical world and end up in New York and they are trying to find their way home as the evil wizard Gargamel tracks them down.

Apart from the previously mentioned members of the cast, the movie also features the voices of SNL actors Kenan Thompson, BJ Novak and Fred Armisen. Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader host Jeff Foxworthy gives his voice to one of the Smurfs, along with George Lopez, Alan Cumming and Wolfgang Puck (yes, THE Wolfgang Puck). Sofia Vergara is in the movie as well, along with Jayma Mays from Glee.

The movie will be shown in August 2011 in the US. Hmmm, I wonder when this will be shown here in the Philippines? Can't wait!

Safeguard Has a Guy Scent?

2011-07-03T12:00:00.000+08:00

I was talking to my mother and my cousin today and they were talking about how Safeguard soap has a guy's scent. I was very surprised about that because I've been using Safeguard for years and I never really thought that it smelled like a guy -- then again I am single and do not come in close proximity of the male species enough to smell them so who am I to say that it doesn't?

Yes, Safeguard is not the most feminine/girly type of soap out there but I have been a loyal user for more than a decade now. I know it's not sexy for a grown woman to be using such a generic-type of soap but I've always been very OC about germs and such that I have stuck to Safeguard because it makes me feel really clean after using it. I don't even use the scented ones -- just the white and the extra-strength (?) one in the dark blue box.

After my mom and my cousin's comments about the scent of this soap being manly I'm now left to wonder if I have been smelling like a guy all these years. If I have been, that's not good!

Anyone out there care to comment on Safeguard's scent?

Photo Source: Jaya Intl.

Puma Mode

2011-07-02T23:31:00.000+08:00

I refuse to use the word cougar because I remember that Demi Moore once said she was too young to be called one. And I think it was another celebrity older than me who said that she preferred the term puma (I think it was Eva Longoria).

When the Jonas Brothers came out and my niece became completely gaga for them, the first one I noticed was Nick Jonas. He seemed to be the most talented of the three and after watching him in several interviews, he just seems to be such a mature young man. I remember saying that if there's any one of the Jo Bros I can go out with it would be Nick but then at my age that probably won't happen --- or would it?

I recently found out that Nick is dating Aussie singer Delta Goodrem. He's 18, she's 26! I know, that's still a bit far from my age but STILL -- he is dating and OLDER woman! Woohoo for all the pumas of the world!

Being single at this age has lessened my chances of finding a man in the same age bracket who is still single -- which is why many single women in their 30s end up dating younger guys. I wouldn't mind dating a younger guy as long as he's mature enough and won't mind dating someone older than him.

Nick, if you ever break up with Delta, I'm just here OK?

Photo Source: Just Jared Jr.

In an Alternate Universe

2011-07-01T12:30:00.000+08:00

If I could do anything else with my life right now I would like to be a writer. I would like to write books like Meg Cabot and Nicholas Sparks and see them become movies or TV shows in the future. I would like to stay in the comfort of my home wearing my most worn-out, most comfortable clothes while I write my literary babies. I would like to work on my own time and not feel the stress of the 8 to 5 workday that I have right now.

Whenever I see the characters Richard Castle and Temperance Brennan on TV talk about their books, I feel a bit of envy because I want to do that. I want to be like that. I have no intention of writing to win awards, to be thought of as profound or whatever...I just want to do what I love and get paid to do it.

Yes, I have a good-paying job right now and it pays the bills. I may have a stable and high enough standing in the workplace and people may think highly of my work but it just doesn't feel enough because this isn't what I dreamed of doing for the rest of my life. Just because I can do the job well that doesn't mean that I love it.

If I can have the opportunity to do so, I'd love to take a break from work and take some time away to be able to write. Some place where the office can't call and where work and home responsibilities won't take me away from my goal of writing something good.

I hope that one day I can get away from this rat race and just write. I hope one day it won't be just some alternate universe in my brain that lets me do that. I'd be really happy if I can come out with a best-selling book one day. That would be a bigger achievement to me anything else I've ever done.

Liquid Diet Rut

2011-06-30T22:02:00.000+08:00

I knew that I was doing it completely wrong but I did it anyway.

I went on a self-imposed liquid diet today. It was on a whim and I didn't really do any research on it. All I did was decide that I would not eat anything solid and that I'd stay away from soda.

This morning I had my coffee and then some soup. This was followed by even more soup for lunch and 250 ml of juice. By the time the day was over I felt weak already because I wasn't used to eating so little when I had a packed work day. Someone needs to remind me to do this when all I have to do is sit at home all day.

This "diet" lasted until 6PM, when I gave in to have a small portion of light pasta that my sister made. Hopefully that didn't waste the entire day's efforts. At the very least I have stuck to my minimum calorie intake for the day so I think that's good.

I plan on doing this all over again tomorrow. Hopefully I won't faint on anyone or anything like that. I don't recommend this to anyone, it's just something I feel like doing and I'm pretty sure you need a doctor to make sure you do it right.

I've read a lot about how liquid diets can help with weight loss. I just hope that this will help me lose some of the weight that just keeps hanging there and refuses to let go.

If anyone out there knows more about liquid diets than I do please feel free to share your experiences and tips on it!

Philippines to the World Cup!

2011-06-29T12:00:00.000+08:00

Today is the day that I've been waiting for! The Philippine Azkals will be taking on Sri Lanka in Colombo for the first of two matches for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifiers this afternoon and I am looking forward to watching them play their hearts out to move closer to the World Cup!

I've been watching the World Cup for as long as I can remember and to have our own team inch closer and closer to being part of it is very exciting for me. I hope and pray that the Azkals make history as the first Philippine team to make it to the World Cup!

People have asked me why I am an Azkals fan and why I'm not a fan of the Philippine Volcanoes (the rugby team). While I admit that the Volcanoes is composed of talented players who win international tournaments, I know zilch about rugby. The players are also a bit too scary for me. Not that they aren't good-looking guys because they are but I find them a bit on the "bulky" side, hence my scary comment. I don't really know what more to say about that.

But I digress. This post is all about the Azkals. I hope they win today! I will be rushing home to watch the game, which will be aired LIVE on Studio 23 starting 5:30 PM. Hopefully I will be watching their match on July 3rd at Rizal Memorial as well.

Good luck Azkals!

Photo Source: Inquirer

The Dark Side

2011-06-29T11:04:00.002+08:00

I believe humanity was born from conflict. Maybe that's why in all of us lives a dark side. Some of us embrace it. Some have no choice. The rest of us fight it.

-- Penelope Garcia

The show Criminal Minds always has quotes that are thought-provoking. This quote is no exception.

I think that we all have moments where we are tempted to a dark side but not everyone embraces it (and I hope that people don't really). It's a struggle to do what's right, but it's always better not to go to that dark side (why did I feel like Yoda when I typed that?). That's what makes us human, that we know and recognize right from wrong and struggle to live by what is right.

Another YEH Drama To the Philippines!

2011-06-28T21:00:00.000+08:00

Filipino fans of Korean actress Yoon Eun Hye have reason to be happy now that a local TV company has bought rights to air her latest drama, Lie to Me.

A huge part of me is hoping that it isn't ABS-CBN because they bought her previous drama My Fair Lady and they haven't aired it yet. I've been viewing the episodes online but it hasn't been easy without subtitles. Besides, watching it on TV is still the better experience.

It's too bad that Eun Hye has been hesitant about visiting the country because both ABS-CBN and GMA have aired her shows and she doesn't want to be exclusive for just one station if she does come over since both stations made her popular in the country. It would have been nice to see her promote one of her shows here.

I'm really excited about Lie to Me because I like the role she plays in this one better. I like Eun Hye more as the nice, girl next door type rather than the sophisticated and snobby role she had in My Fair Lady. It's just too bad Eun Hye hasn't been paired with anyone I've liked for a while now. For me her best partner will always be Gong Yoo (Coffee Prince). Hope they can have a new show together!

I loved Eun Hye so much in this one that my hairstyles were patterned around the ones she had in this show: I cut my hair to the style in the photo posted here last February. When she cut her hair, I (coincidentally) wanted to have a haircut of my own and patterned it after hers as well. I'm a fan, so I think that's not surprising anymore that I did that!

Can't wait to watch this on local TV!!!

Photo Source: Asian Popcorn

Green Bags

2011-06-27T22:44:00.000+08:00

I've always been the type of person who has concern for the environment. I'm the person who fusses if someone in the car wants to throw trash outside the window and who'd throw those toll receipts while in a running vehicle. I fuss over people who burn their trash (to the point of tweeting the DENR when I spot one, hahaha) and really look for ways to be more environment-friendly.

When the concept of using "green bags" for shopping started in the country I breathed a sigh of relief because I've wanted to use the bags I got from my mom for so long but the people at the stores wouldn't let me. When the government started encouraging it I started bringing my bags with me when I had to shop. Funny thing is, even with the green bags for sale at the malls and such, it was still rare for shoppers to actually use them because it still puzzled salespeople when I ask to put my purchases in my bags. I find it weird that they have to stop and ask their supervisor first before they let me do that.

As much as I appreciate that malls like SM have their green bags and their biodegradable plastic bags, I still have a few issues with them. I find the green bags too small. Those wide ones may look spacious but they can't really fit much in. For a commuter like me that's an issue. I don't like the shoulder bag type too, it's much more difficult to carry around if it's full because you keep on hitting people with it. The ones pictured here are much better, they're more similar to the typical plastic shopping bags that malls usually have. I just worry about how sturdy these bags are because they seem so flimsy.

The biodegradable bags, while I am happy that they are indeed biodegradable (I've seen one that I've kept in a closet degrade on its own), I got pissed using them when I had a heavy purchase and the bag tore as I was walking out the mall. I commute, so that was a big deal to me.

I read on Twitter that some shopping centers will stop using plastic completely. I think that is a big step in the right direction. I just hope that they could inform shoppers well in advance so that they wouldn't be caught without bags to put their purchases in and that they'd let the shoppers choose the types of bags they want to use (I find the canvass bag from Healthy Options big and strong enough for basic shopping, I recommend that).

What do you all think of green bags? Do you use them?

Photo Source: Trends and Spots

Blog Improvement

2011-06-27T11:43:00.007+08:00

To those of you who know me and have known of my blog journey since 2003, you know that I have the tendency to move from one blog URL to another and from one blog service to another. Because of that, some of my regular readers have come and gone and I know that I am to blame for that, which is why I've made a decision to make my blog better and do what I can to keep myself in one spot so people can find me.

At first I just wanted to stay in this blog and improve on it but I got tempted to move to wordpress a bit because of their post a day challenge but this time I think I'm going to stick to blogger. One thing I'm going to do to make sure that I stick to blogger is to get my own domain through Google and Blogger -- if I paid for a year, at least I can be sure that I'd stick to it for at least a year right?

So far, the new domain is still a work in progress. I'm still trying to tweak a few things here and there with the theme and features but I'm pretty sure it will be all good by July. I hope you can all stop by then.

Here's the new blog: Clare Henney

Me, a Chef? Not Really!

2011-06-26T12:00:00.000+08:00

I don’t cook…much. Here’s the thing: I can cook but I’d rather not go through all the trouble that goes with it. When I’m in the mood, I do prepare a meal or dessert but that doesn’t happen very often.

The thing about cooking that turns me off, apart from the fact that it can be a lot of work, is that my OC tendencies mean that I like following recipes to the letter. If I don’t have a certain ingredient, I’m hesitant to use a substitute. I like following the measurements as indicated, even if my family tells me that it’s better to wing it than measuring everything.

So far I’ve tried making Korean kimbap and pajeon, Paula Deen’s Drunken Chicken, Nori Pasta, Haianese Chicken, Gising Gising, Bibingka and an Oreo Cheesecake, among other things. I’ve had hits and misses but for the most part I’ve been doing alright in the cooking department considering that I rarely do so.

Lately, with all the tweets that my friends on Twitter have posted about cupcakes I am seriously considering giving this a shot (as you may all know from my previous post). The show DC Cupcakes is also doing a lot to influence me in the cupcakes department. This is getting to be a serious interest because it has gotten to the point of me canvassing for an oven and a mixer at the mall.

If I manage to scrape up enough to buy the things I need to start baking, I think I’m going to be making my own cupcakes within the next couple of months. I don’t know how good it would turn out but considering that I’ll be spending a lot of money to make it happen it better be worth it.

For now though, I will stick to my tried and tested recipes, like the one that I learned from my aunt more than a decade ago. I call it seaweed pasta because it has nori in it. Why am I sharing it? It's because it's the easiest thing to do in the world and even an idiot can do it!

Note: The amount of each ingredient is up to you. If you want it to be vegan, skip the crab meat. If you want more meat, try mixing in some grilled chicken bits too!

Ingredients:
Angel Hair Pasta
Crab Meat, chopped
Dried Seaweed, cut into small pieces
Fresh Basil, chopped
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Grated Cheese (whatever kind you prefer)
Toasted Sesame Seeds

Directions:

Step 1: Cook pasta

Step 2: Mix everything else and you're good to go!

Produce Good Fruit

2011-06-26T08:21:00.005+08:00

Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

-- Matthew 3:8

The Sunday Bible quote of the day for me is all about doing good in our lives. If we believe in God and truly repent, we need to produce good fruit and become better people. The only way we can show that we believe and repent is by doing that. It's not easy when we find it hard to discern right from wrong these days but it's something we need to do.

Happy Sunday!

That Black Blouse Thing

2011-06-25T12:00:00.000+08:00

For this post, I will admit to a childhood secret: I used to be a fan of Snooky Serna, particularly of the time when she came out in the movie Blusang Itim with Richard Gomez (who I also loved back in the day).

I loved the Cinderella story of the poor girl who wasn't pretty enough and yet still ended up with her "prince." There may be some differences in the story but it's still Cinderella. Difference is that instead of a fairy godmother transforming her and having that transformation last only till midnight, Jessa can transform for as long as she wants as long as she wears the black blouse (hence the title, Blusang Itim).

Naturally, when GMA 7 said that they were going to do a TV remake of the movie, I became interested. Unfortunately they turned this into an afternoon drama so I don't get to watch it as much as I would like to. I've only seen two or three episodes so far during days when I couldn't go to work As far as I can tell, the story has changed from the movie version.

The TV Jessa is not just ugly, she's disfigured. In this remake Jessa was switched at birth and separated from her birth parents and grows up getting involved in the local fashion world and gets re-acquainted with the boy she met as a child, Angelo.

Considering that the lead actors (Kylie Padilla and Frank Magalona) are both newcomers, I know that I shouldn't expect much from them and I'm glad that I didn't. They both need to work on their delivery, they sound like they're reciting sometimes or say things in monotone. I'm not quite sure if they have chemistry either.

In spite of the newbie acting, I'd still like to know how the story of this version will turn out. Like I said, I'm a fan of the original so this is a sentimental favorite.

Who knows, the acting may improve as the show goes...practice makes perfect (I hope). Too bad that I can't watch it.

Photo Source: TV Series Craze, Pelikula Atbp.

Kindness of Strangers

2011-06-25T09:12:00.001+08:00

Sometimes when I have a bad day, I just can't seem to get myself out of my bad mood. Thankfully, God sends over random people to help make my day feel lighter.

There's something to be said about the kindness of strangers. They are people you don't know and ergo they will not benefit by helping you feel better so I appreciate it whenever they do, especially when they have no idea that they are doing that for you.

I remember being in Cebu and being in a long line at a checkout counter. I was running late and really tired and I was alone in a city that I was in for the first time. The lady in front of me must have sensed my frustration and offered to help me get ahead in line (because I had only one item) and I did get to the cashier ahead of other people. I was so grateful for that.

Another time I was having a bad day that culminated in me waiting at a store for my purchase. There was a lady beside me and we got into some small talk about life, family and the little mistakes we make sometimes. It was just a short conversation, but I appreciated having someone to talk to that day who had a ready smile and a listening ear. That was such a blessing.

I'm very grateful that have encountered such people in my life. I only hope that I have been the same way for others as well.

Photo Source: How To Make Small Talk

Kooky, Crazy, Addictive

2011-06-24T12:00:00.000+08:00

I am such a sucker for reality shows. I love watching them and "pretending" they are real. I say pretend because I bet that these people get to edit things out that they don't want the public to know and that these people are different without the cameras around -- I mean, who wouldn't have the natural tendency just to try to be, look or act better if you know the rest of the world is watching right?

Anyway, I don't watch all the reality shows because some of them are a little boring for me but lately I have been watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians (and their spinoff shows) and Married to Rock. I just find these shows really addictive.

I like watching the Kardashians, I think they're a bit of a crazy family but they seem to have a lot of love for each other. I also like that this is a reality show where the leads are not your typical white, blonde girls. After years of watching Paris Hilton trying the simple life and Jessica Simpson being a newlywed in their reality shows, it's nice to watch this show about the Kardashian family for a change.

Another show that I can't stop myself from watching is Married to Rock. At first I found myself thinking that this would be a boring show about some rock bimbos but I was wrong. Etty Farrell strikes me as someone smart. AJ Celi seems to be a normal girl compared to the stereotypical rocker girlfriend. Ditto with Susan, seems alright too.

Josie, on the other hand, does come off as a bit of the blonde bimbo stereotype but she does seem kind of sweet (who wouldn't be if you're obsessed with Hello Kitty?).

I don't know what it is about reality shows, but I really enjoy watching them. I guess for the most part it's just nice to know that celebrities have the same problems and things that they deal with that we ordinary folk do. Yes, they can have more glamorous lives but they are just human like the rest of us. I like that!

Photo Source: I Love TV Series, TV Junky

Such an Adorable Kid!

2011-06-23T12:00:00.000+08:00

I'm not much of a local TV fan these days but lately I've been hooked to the ABS-CBN show 100 Days. It's the story of a woman being given a second chance on earth to do good to the people she had done wrong to, with the twist being she has to do it in the form of a young girl.

It's a simple plot and I have a feeling it's been done before but the way that it's been executed so far has been entertaining and has made me follow the show. I think a lot of the credit for making the show as successful as it is would have to go to Xyriel Manabat, the little girl who plays the new version of Connie Reyes on her second chance on earth.

Where did they find this girl? She is so good! I love how she plays an old person in a little girl's body. She is so convincing and so adorable that I can't help but love this kid!

I know this little girl has had some other shows before but she really just shines in this one. Part of me doesn't even want the show's plot to be just for 100 days because that would mean that the show will have a definite end and I just want to keep on watching this one.

Photo Source: PH Stars

Contour, Contour, Contour!

2011-06-22T12:00:00.000+08:00

There's one word that I think about when I see Connie Sison on TV: contouring.

The first time I saw her on TV on GMA 7 I used to wonder what was wrong with what I was seeing. I know she's a beautiful woman and that she does her job well but I thought there was something wrong and I just couldn't put my finger on it. I finally realized what was wrong when my mom blurted out that her makeup reminds her of clown makeup. That was it!

I remember an episode of the now-defunct QTV show The Sweet Life where former beauty queen/model Abbygale Arenas did a video instructional on the importance of contouring when putting on makeup. I wish Connie Sison (or her makeup artist) watched that show.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not the best person to talk to when it comes to makeup. I have my makeup days and I have my totally devoid of makeup days -- and I have more of the latter than the former. I can't do the whole contouring thing right but I do try. I see the point of doing that instead of just one even cake of makeup all over my face that produces that clown-like look.

I'm normally not much of a critic but I couldn't help but comment on Connie Sison's makeup because I think she should do something about it. After all, she is paid to be on national TV so it's natural that she should do her best to look good. Nothing against her personally, but I just think she should do something about that.

Photo Source: Cool Ambo

The Difference Between Bones and Booth

2011-06-22T11:08:00.004+08:00

I believe in what I can hear, taste, see, touch, and measure. You believe in what you feel.

-- Temperance Brennan

*Sigh* I love these two. I'm such a big fan of the show Bones and I am so in love with the two lead characters.

Brennan and Booth are complete opposites but they get along so well in spite of their differences. I think that's what makes them work -- Brennan is the logical one and Booth is the emotional one. She's the brains, he's the heart. Put them together and they're just perfect.

Sometimes I can relate to Brennan more than Booth in terms of being practical. I guess that's because I've been more like Booth most of my life and I've learned that sometimes you need to use your head more than you do your heart. Hopefully I have a healthy balance of the two though.

Cupcake Madness

2011-06-21T12:00:00.000+08:00

Thanks to my friends Raissa, Aya and Ayeza, I now want to do one thing: bake the perfect cupcake.

These girls have been talking a lot about cupcakes and baking online that I can't help but want to try it myself. Our oven needs to be repaired and I think I need some new items for the kitchen to be able to bake properly but this is something that I still want to do. I've actually looked into getting the oven repaired and I've even gone to the mall to see if I can afford a new one. This is something that I'm determined to do before the year ends.

It doesn't help that I've been hooked to the show DC Cupcakes on Star World lately. I love how beautiful the cupcakes they make are. I'm sure that those things are as good as they look. I want to be able to make cupcakes like that!

My nephew had a bunch of cupcakes during his baptism and I remember back then that I would love to make something like that. I wish there was a website that can teach me how to do it step by step so that I can learn about this cupcake thing online. I wish there was a show that could teach me how.

Knowing me I'd probably end up making disaster cupcakes on my first couple of tries but I'm hoping that I can get to the Georgetown Cupcakes level eventually. I just need to find the right recipes and buy the right equipment to get started (we are zero in the baking department at home). I already have a pretty long list of things I'd like to buy before I get started. I hope I can find the time to do my shopping for this sooner rather than later.

I'll try to update this blog on my cupcake adventures as soon as I get started. Wish me luck!

Any cupcake recipes you think I should try? Leave me a message and let me know!

Photo Source: Topic Den

It's a Hair Thing

2011-06-20T16:00:00.000+08:00

My new hair (and no, that's not me)

I have always been fickle with my hair. I grow it long and then I cut it really short. I lighten it with color and then darken it again. Last year, I promised myself that I won't color my hair again and cut my hair short to cut off the colored hair. I also promised myself that I'd grown my hair and keep it long and natural this year. Because of the summer heat and stress from work (among other things), I was not able to keep my promise.

I can't speak for all women out there but I think it's a girl thing to do something with one's hair when you're stressed out. I recently cut my long hair to a short bob and lightened it again after months of frustration with the heat and with all the things I needed to do at work. I felt really bad about cutting my hair because I have kept it long for a while now but I just didn't want to be bothered with it anymore. The short hair makes it easier for me to work because I don't have to keep it away from my face all the time. I don't have to take so long to dry and style my hair and to be honest, I don't even have to comb my hair as much anymore either. I'm very happy with it. I love the color too -- it make me look healthier for some reason (I suppose having dark hair and a pale face really didn't do me justice so colored is the way to go).

Still, I do miss having long hair. I miss the girly-ness of it. I've been thinking of maybe getting wigs or clip-on extensions so I can keep my hair short and still get to do the long-haired thing when I feel like it. I've looked into several online stores offering this but I'm still undecided on which "brand" to get this from. I'd really like to look at the pieces personally before I make a decision to see if it is easy to put on and if the hair looks as natural as possible. I'd like to see if they have colors that will match my newly colored hair too (so far all their products are for dark hair in the photos on their websites).

Which two brands am I referring to? Tokyo Posh and Lynelle Hair. Both have shops online that I've looked into but as I said, I'd want to see their products personally before I make a purchase. I find it interesting that they say it's like real hair (or is it actually real hair?) and that you can wash/shampoo it like regular hair. They both have different styles to choose from and I have particular styles that I like already, I'm just not sure if it would be a good buy since it's not something that I really need. It's more of a want so I'm not sure if I should make the purchase.

Has anyone out there tried clip on extensions or wigs to change their look? What do you think about it?

Photo Source: Hair.ph, Yoon Eun Hye Net

Art Project

2011-06-20T11:43:00.022+08:00

If there was one goal that I didn't expect to accomplish this year, it would probably be this: making an art project that I could display around the house.

I was expecting to paint something I could frame and put up on the wall but my art project turned out to be something else: the restoration of a statue of the Virgin Mary (Nuestra Sra Del Biglang Awa, as it said underneath it) that we have around the house.

The Mary statue belonged to my father, who got it from his mother. Both of them have already passed away. I was walking downstairs one weekend and found myself looking at this old plaster statue that was held together by masking tape and rugby (which I assume to be my late father's doing). I just had this urge to fix it so I spent the day taking out the tape and rugby and glued the entire thing back together, making a paper towel mâché with elmer's glue to cover major gaps and holes in the statue. I then painted over it (because the paint was faded and patchy) and made it look new. My mom was really happy to see it looking brand-new (especially since with all the restoration I discovered that it was made in August 1959!).

If there's one thing that I realized from the experience, it's that I enjoy doing art work and projects like that. I liked getting my hands dirty doing things like that and coming up with the results that I did. I hope I can do more art projects in the future. I need to find the time for it again soon!

Being Practical

2011-06-19T12:00:00.000+08:00

My father used to love photography. When I was little I remember watching him carefully clean his SLR camera (Olympus) and I looked on in fascination as he placed it on his tripod to take photos of the family during special occasions. He had more than one camera and more than one type of lens. I distinctly remember a telephoto lens that was longer than my arm! I had no idea when and where he used it but I know he loved it. I used to tell myself that when I grew up, I’d want to try photography myself.

When I entered college, I initially took Communication Arts so that I could learn more about photography. As luck would have it I had to shift to a different course and I ended up not taking any photography classes at all. I was still determined to give it a shot but I decided it was something I could still learn and get into once I graduated and had a job of my own.

By the time I was working, the whole digital photo thing started to become more popular. I managed to save enough to buy my own DSLR camera and bought a lot of books on photography to give my childhood dream a shot. The good thing about this digital era is that it’s made photography less expensive for a newbie like me. I could review the photos before I had them printed so there was no worry of wasting money on film and developing costs. I love the quality of photos produced by DSLR cameras compared to ordinary point and shoot ones but I have to admit, if you don’t take things like composition and lighting into consideration, you can still take bad pictures no matter what camera you use.

Last year I sold my DSLR. Why? Because I was starting to see that everybody had one to the point that it was practically a must-have accessory. That’s a big turn-off for me. If everyone’s into something like that I tend to go the other way. That’s just the way I am, no offense to the people who got into this thing when it became popular.

Lately I have fallen in love with my Canon Ixus. It’s a point and shoot but it does take good photos (and videos in HD). I’ve also realized that while some people may brush off any good photos that I can take with my camera because it’s not a DSLR, I don’t care. If I can take photos that look good and make me happy, I’m OK with that.

Photo Source: Photography Business Tips

Don't Be Greedy

2011-06-19T08:21:00.006+08:00

Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

-- Luke 12:15

In these days where there is always something new to want: new clothes, shoes, gadgets and whatnot, we sometimes forget that our life should not be about the material things that we own. Just because everyone wants it that doesn't mean that we need it. We have to be able to discern our needs from our wants because it might make us lose focus on the more important things in life like relationships and time spent with others which can sometimes be taken away by our obsession with these material things.

This is something I'm trying to control with myself these days. I used to be all about having the latest gadgets and now I'm trying to keep myself from becoming too obsessed with acquiring them. Before I make a purchase I think several times before buying anything. So far, I haven't bought any new gadget in the past year...that's quite the achievement for me if you know me personally. I hope I can keep this up because I think it's actually been good for me to have self-restraint where shopping for gadgets is concerned.

I hope you can all reflect on this quote. Have a blessed Sunday!

Sweet Inspiration

2011-06-18T14:24:00.002+08:00

For my gratitude post this week, I want to share my gratitude for inspiration.

Yes, inspiration. For a writer/blogger like me, inspiration is something that's needed to write all the posts that I have in this blog (AND in my Wordpress one). Without inspiration, this blog will just be an empty and boring space.

I don't know how it happens and I don't know why I get them but I am grateful that I see the world in a different light sometimes because its makes me notice things that inspire me to write about them and give me ideas about topics to write about in my blog or in my personal journal (yes, in spite of the regular posts here I still write elsewhere!) or when I sketch/draw or take photographs.

I think most creatives call this "inspiration" their muse. It makes me think of invisible fairies like Tinkerbell sprinkling pixie dust of inspiration on me when it happens. I love that I still get inspiration in my life to release the creative side in me. It gives me something positive to look forward to and it helps to keep me positive as well.

Pricey, Pricey, Pricey!

2011-06-18T12:00:00.000+08:00

I was walking around the mall one day and I found myself standing in front of Toy Kingdom. I normally don’t go in there because I don’t have kids of my own and I’m not exactly in the toy-playing stage anymore but for some reason, I just found myself going in to see what types of toys kids are crazy about these days.

Toys back then and toys now are still pretty much the same but with one glaring difference: the price tags.

When I saw the price of a Barbie doll, I was surprised because I can still remember the time that my mom bought me one and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t that expensive! Ditto with Legos and board games! I wasn’t that surprised about the Playstation, Xbox and Wii because they’re a bit on the techie side but I was really shocked about the other toys. Even small stuffed toys or dolls are in the thousand peso range!

Part of me wondered if I could afford to have kids with toys being priced the way they are these days. They are just too pricey! I’d have to tell my future kids to just read books instead because they’re more affordable than toys. I’d probably block the cable channels for kids too because all the cartoons have toys that kids would want to buy. I’d probably make sure my kids also stay away from Toy Kingdom, because it would break my heart for them to see all those toys and not be able to afford buying them.

I hope that I can have enough saved for those really nice toys when I have kids of my own. I’d love for my kids to enjoy the same things I did when I was a child.

Photo Source: Compare Store Prices, Country Living, Games Gear Live, Mental Floss, Slice of Sci Fi, Uno Rules

Miss Fix-It

2011-06-17T12:00:00.000+08:00

A little bit of trivia: I like tinkering with stuff and figuring how things work. If I can fix things on my own without bringing it to a repairman, I will try to do it myself.

My parents told me that it’s something that I’ve been into since I was in pre-school. They used to catch me tinkering with our betamax player (unplugged, of course), trying to figure out what goes in inside the machine when I put a tape in. These days I don’t really have time to tinker with appliances and such during my free time but when the situation calls for it, I still channel my inner MacGyver to try and fix things.

I’ve been known to take apart an electric fan to clean it up to the motor part. I’ve taken apart a paper shredder to clear away stuck paper between the blades. I’ve even taken apart my point and shoot camera to take out a speck of dust that managed to get in between the LCD screen and the cover. I’m not afraid of taking a screwdriver and taking stuff apart – as long as I remember what went where I know I can put everything back together again.

It’s not always appliances that I take apart or fix. My mom recently gave me a couple of rosaries to fix. The rosaries both had broken chains and beads that weren’t set anymore. Thanks to a childhood where I hung out with a monk making similar rosaries (long story…it’s for a completely different post), I managed to fix and make the rosaries good as new. You wouldn’t even think that anything happened to them in the first place. I was pretty proud of that. After all, it’s been a couple of decades since I last made a rosary.

My best fix-it project by far however is not for a gadget/appliance/rosary: it’s an old statue from the 50s of the Virgin Mary that my father owned. It was from his mother and it’s been old and faded and broken – all that held it together was a strip of masking tape and a telltale stripe of rugby. After years of neglect, I glued and patched the statue and repainted it to cover up the parts that were chipped (which was practically all over, as you can see in the photo). My mom was very happy with the result.

I'm not completely satisfied with the finished product because I only worked with poster paint. I think using acrylics would have been better and would have given a different effect with the coloring. I think it still needs more on the contouring department for the clothing part of the statue. If I get the chance I just might redo it one day but for now, it's good enough and is on display in our living room.

I think this is a trait that I got from my father. I don’t really mind because I enjoy doing it and figuring things out when I can. I know it’s not a girly thing to do but I like it anyway.

One of my goals for the year is to paint something good enough to be put on display...I think I accomplished that with this restoration project! Yay!

Happy Centennial DLSU!

2011-06-16T12:00:00.000+08:00

100 years ago today, De La Salle College opened its doors and became the very first La Salle school in the Philippines.

DLSU was the place where I was privileged to have my college education. So many fond memories from my youth were during my stay at La Salle. I have learned so much from that university both inside the classroom and out of it. I will always be proud that I have matured into the person that I am now because of the experiences and education that I gained during my college years.

So many activities will be held at DLSU Taft today in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the La Salle Brothers in the Philippines. I really wish I could be there and take part in it. It would have been a great opportunity to see what the university looks like today (I've heard how much the campus has changed but I haven't seen it yet) and maybe see some friends who are going to be there to celebrate.

For DLSU alumni like me who cannot make it today, major events will be streamed online at the DLSU website. Other activities will also be aired on a later date and details of that will be posted on the DLSU Centennial site.

Something kept ringing in my head that reminded me of what today is so let me end this post with those two phrases that all DLSU alumni are familiar with:

Live Jesus in our hearts, forever!

Animo La Salle!

Photo Source: Unfathomable Delirium

Bring Them Back to Late Night!

2011-06-15T12:00:00.000+08:00

Whatever happened to late night talk shows? I remember when I was younger that Martin Nievera and Edu Manzano both had talk shows that I used to enjoy watching even if they were really late at night. For a time these shows were popular but for some reason they just disappeared. These days I think Jojo Alejar has his own talk show on TV 5 (is it still airing? I’m not so sure…) but that’s just about it.

I wish they could bring back the whole talk show scene in local TV. I loved how Martin and Edu were very witty, funny and entertaining as they interviewed their various guests on a whole range of topics. I liked that their talk shows were not gossip shows. They reminded me of the talk shows in the US. Both guys did not come from standup comedy like most of the late night show hosts in the US but I think both can hold their own in the late-night hosting department.

Watching Edu Manzano on Unang Hirit on GMA 7 reminded me of how much I enjoyed watching him talk on his late night show from many years ago. It also made me wonder where Martin Nievera is right now and why their respective TV stations can’t give them similar shows today. Is the local late night talk show scene just not going to work anymore? I think it’s sad if that’s the case because I really wish we could graduate from all the gossip shows that we’re bombarded with today. I think we need less gossip and more talk.

Here's a sample of the late night local talk show from way back, Martin Late at Night. I couldn't find one for Edu Manzano's talk shows so this is all I can share:

If ABS-CBN and GMA 7 can bring Edu and Martin back to late night or at least launch new talents who can bring this back I’d really love it!

Photo Source: Showbiz Portal

Light and Darkness

2011-06-15T11:13:00.002+08:00

In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present.

-- Francis Bacon

This reminds me of a quote from the Bible about having trying times. Sometimes we need to go through dark times to become better people. I think that this quote is about that as well.

You cannot shine bright if it's already bright in the first place. But in the dark, or in trying times, that is the only time that you can truly show your character and who you are as a person. I think that the best way to show who you are is to shine during the dark moments, during the trials in our life. It's a given that we are all good people during the good times but who we are during the bad -- well, that's when we can really prove what we're made of.

Bookworm

2011-06-14T12:00:00.000+08:00

If there’s one thing that people remember about me from my childhood days, it’s that I’m a bookworm. I love books. I love reading and being entertained by books and the stories they tell. I used to start reading in the morning and by the time the sun is setting people would have to remind me to turn on the light because I literally cannot get up to do it myself unless I cannot see anything at all anymore.

When I was a kid I was hooked to the Choose Your Own Adventure and Nancy Drew books. As I grew up, I liked the Sweet Valley and Sweet Dreams series of books. These all inspired me and made me want to be a writer. I remember that I used to write a lot of stories back then in my notebooks because I was inspired by the books that I was reading at the time.

I think I had a sort of falling out of reading books for a while when I was busy in school and with work but lately I have been back to reading more often. This year I’ve even made a promise to myself that I would read at least one book a month and so far, these are the books that I have read for the year:

The Woman of Rome (Alberto Moravia) – The story of a young woman who started off as a model for painters and later became a prostitute to fulfill her dreams of a better life. I didn’t really like the story much. Not to say that it’s a bad book, maybe it’s not just my kind of story.

The Witch of Portobello (Paulo Coelho) – The story of a woman through the eyes of the many people who knew her. For me it was a story of how we can be different people to each and every person that we know or have met. I liked how the story was presented to the reader, moving from one point of view to another. Not the best book by Coelho but it was a good read.

A Whole New Mind (Daniel Pink) – This isn’t really a novel but a book encouraging people to use both our left and right brain, something that the writer says is necessary for today’s world. It’s an interesting read with exercises and recommendations of websites to check out that can help understand the concepts explained in the book.

Beastly (Alex Flinn) – I haven’t seen the movie, but the book is merely a modern retelling of the classic fairy tale. I found myself imagining the actors in the movie but from what I’ve heard from people who have seen the film I think I like the book more than the movie.

I Am Number Four (James Frey and Jobie Hughes) – Another book turned into a movie. Again, I liked the book more than the movie. I liked this book so much that I wasn’t able to put it down when I started it. I actually finished the book in one sitting (and it’s a pretty thick book). I was able to watch the movie and I was a little disappointed that there were a lot changes from the way the story was in the book.

The Guardian (Nicholas Sparks) – I’m still in the middle of reading this and I’m not sure what I think about it yet. I heard it’s different from the Nicholas Sparks books I’ve loved like A Walk to Remember and The Notebook so I’m looking forward to finishing this one. Hope I’m not disappointed,

Hopefully, when I get my Kindle (whenever that is) I can read more books because I can bring so many books at one go with just the small and thin Kindle in my bag. There’s no excuse about not having the books easily accessible since I can now order the books online and have it downloaded onto the Kindle when that happens.

So far, I have half of the quota of books to read done. I plan on reading more than twelve if I can this year. I’m really looking forward to getting at least one new Meg Cabot book on my list, along with all the other books I own but haven’t read yet like Blessed John Paul II’s Crossing the Threshold of Hope and the Dalai Lama’s A Good Heart. I also want to read Let the Great World Spin, which was recommended by Oprah Winfrey on her website a while back. My mom gave me a couple of new books as well and I plan on reading them too.

I hope that I can have enough time to read everything soon. I really need to turn off the TV more often.

If anyone has any book recommendations, please feel free to leave me a comment and tell me about it!

Photo Source: Fantastic Fiction, Bartman905, Amazon UK, Lytherus, Neoseeker, Fanpop

Maybelline BB Cream

2011-06-13T12:00:00.000+08:00

If there’s one beauty product that I find really useful it’s Maybelline BB Cream. I’ve read about BB creams online and how they help to lighten blemishes so I decided to try it. Maybelline’s is the most affordable of all the BB creams I’ve found and I think that it’s worth the money.

I was originally after the BB cream because of the anti-blemish benefits but I was happy to find out that Maybelline’s BB cream also had moisturizers and sunscreen (SPF 26). Not only that, it covers my blemishes and is good as a makeup base. Actually, it’s even good on its own. When I don’t feel like putting on makeup I just put it on and some lip balm and I’m good to go.

The cool thing about the BB cream is that you don’t need that much to cover up. One small tube of Maybelline’s BB cream lasts me more than a couple of months even if I use it daily. It’s very effective as a moisturizer because it doesn’t feel too oily on my face the way some moisturizers do and it keeps my face hydrated. I like that it really does help lighten blemishes and pimple scars too. I had this nasty pimple scar on the bridge of my nose and it was only after using the BB cream for a couple of months that it actually faded.

I’d love to try the other BB creams out there, particularly the ones from Korea because I hear that they’re even better. For now though, with my budget I have to stick to Maybelline because it still gives me the results that I want at an affordable price.

Photo Source: Get Prettified

Selca Shots

2011-06-13T11:43:00.010+08:00

I have to admit, out of all my goals this is probably the one that doesn't make much sense. Still, it is a bit hard to follow.

Like I've said before, I have this self-esteem issue where I am not confident when I have my picture taken. People may say that they don't see it and they might not see any problem with it but when I look at my face in pictures I'm just not that happy about myself as people might think -- which is why I've taken it upon myself to take self-cam (selca) photos of myself to try to get myself used to being confident in pictures and just to feel better about myself. It's definitely easier said than done.

Read more »

Changing the Stereotype

2011-06-12T12:00:00.000+08:00

Ladies Man. Heartbreaker. Suave and sexy.

Matthew Bomer, Neil Patrick Harris and Jonathan Groff have all played guys like that on TV. All of them are openly gay. I never thought I’d see the day that I’d watch an openly gay man play characters usually reserved for straight men. Gone are the days that openly gay male actors like Rupert Everett can only play gay roles or men who are not too masculine. I find it fascinating that the game has changed in that department -- even Everett plays straight roles now!

On one end, I am happy that these gay actors get to do jobs that normally would not be given to them as openly gay men. However, I am not happy that I usually end up crushing on them and then feel bad later that the female of the species has lost a chance on such a good-looking guy because he plays for the same team.

I have to hand it to these guys: even if I know they are gay I am still very much convinced they are straight when they play the part – especially Matthew Bomer, who is just way too sexy as a straight guy for me to believe that he’s gay when I first heard about it!

These guys have really changed the image of what a gay man is. They are not all flamboyant or interested in looking like women. Some of them, like these guys, can actually look and act straight. If they weren’t open about their sexuality I don’t think I would have known that they were gay. From what I’ve read online both Matthew and Neil have partners and both have adopted children. Jonathan might be a little young for that but I’m willing to bet it’s something he would do if he had a partner and was mature enough to do so.

Will this ever happen in the local entertainment industry? Wouldn’t it be interesting if the actors in the Philippines who are gay came out of the closet and continued to do the straight roles they do today? Realistically speaking, that’s probably not going to happen anytime soon but it would be exciting if it did.

Photo Source: MMA Forum, Gabriel G Photo, Orlando News Center

Do Not Trust in What Cannot Save

2011-06-12T10:16:00.002+08:00

Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.

-- Psalm 146:3-4

In this day and age of celebrities, so many of us put so much trust in everything that these celebrities do and say. We mimic them in a way because we admire them so much.

This Bible quote reminds us that we should not put too much hope and trust in people just like us. Like everyone else, they will die and they will leave this earth and every hope that we pinned on them will be gone. We should put our trust in God because what He promises us is what lasts forever.

Yay Cavitex!

2011-06-11T12:00:00.000+08:00

8S9PNHCHK3RK
Going to the Metro is one of the things that I hate the most. For one, it takes too long just to get out of where I’m from to Coastal Road just so I could get to the city. Being in the Metro itself is even more frustrating because of the impossible traffic.

One of the things that I am grateful for is Macapagal Boulevard, which makes it easy for me to avoid traffic at Roxas Boulevard when I have to be at the Metro. These days, Macapagal combined with the new Cavite Expressway (aka Cavitex) has made things even better. Getting to Coastal Road from Cavite and back is much faster and more convenient with Cavitex.

I love how Cavitex has cut my travel time significantly since it was opened. It usually takes me an entire day to get to the city and back to the office. Normally I’d have to leave very early and I still get home pretty late in the afternoon or early evening. These days I can leave late in the morning and still get back before 5PM. Sure, the Cavitex toll costs P58.00 and that’s apart from the toll at Coastal Road which costs an additional P22.00 but I think it’s worth the speed and convenience that it has given me. Combine that with the toll-free C5 and the shortcuts through the Fort area in Taguig to get to the north and I’m one happy camper on the road these days.

On one end, it's good to have this new road because it makes travel time to Metro Manila faster for both private and public vehicles but on another it also makes it difficult for people who have to go to Bacoor, Cavite because most public vehicles lately opt to skip their town because of Cavitex. I've heard that people who commute have recently found it difficult to go to Bacoor and back because of it. It can still be done, but it is harder now more than ever.

The situation kind of reminds me of Radiator Springs in the movie Cars. When the new road was built, people started skipping their town. I'm sure the municipality of Bacoor won't allow that to happen so I hope they can do something so that people won't be discouraged from going to their town because of the recent route public vehicle have started to take due to the Cavitex.

Oh well, we can’t have it all I guess.

The Beauty of Snail Mail

2011-06-11T09:12:00.003+08:00

Today I want to share to you all how grateful I am of snail mail.

I love calling it snail mail because it takes forever for letters to get to you. Still, it is a very great thing to receive (as long as they are not bills of course). In this day and age of computers and the internet and all the various means that people can get connected, the simple postal mail service is slowly being forgotten.

I have to say though, it's still something that I love to receive. I'm very happy whenever I get hand-written letters or cards sent in the mail. I love how these people who I know and get in touch with through other means make the effort to write and send something by post. That still feels more personal than email for me.

To all the friends who have sent me cards and letters through the mail, I know you know who you are. Thank you so much for the gesture. I really, truly appreciate it. I hope one day I can do the same for all of you. My handwriting sucks, but I'm struggling to get it to a more readable state to send some mail over. I don't know when, but I hope I can send something soon.

Photo Source: Design Distributors

He Found His Angel

2011-06-10T12:00:00.000+08:00

One afternoon while I was flipping channels I came across this documentary on the Take That reunion. It was a real reunion because it also included my favorite, Robbie Williams.

I was never a Take That fan. I was a Robbie Williams fan first, that was when he left the band and went solo. I’ve always thought that he is a brilliant songwriter and a great singer/performer but I’ve also always considered him to be a tortured soul of sorts. It’s always like this guy is missing something in his life and his reported drinking and drugs is proof of that.

When I was watching the documentary I found out that Robbie Williams got married. I thought that was a good thing and I figured that having a partner in life might be the thing that would turn this guy’s life around. Maybe the lost boy finally found his way home.

A few months later I found a magazine that featured Robbie’s wedding to Ayda Field. From the article I learned that this woman was the reason for the positive changes in Robbie William’s life and as a fan I am sincerely very happy for him. As much as I enjoyed the music that he wrote and performed during his tortured years, I would not wish the sadness that he apparently had on anyone. I think that the guy is still an amazing performer and artist and the positive change in his life would only make him a better singer.

I’m glad that Robbie found his angel. I look forward to new songs from him now that he has his wife by his side. I heard he wrote a lot of new songs for his reunion with the rest of Take That. I can’t wait to hear them!

Home TV Shopper

2011-06-09T12:00:00.000+08:00

I hate Home TV Shopping channels. There’s just something about the items they sell and the way that they present them that just draws me in sometimes. No matter how silly the product may sound, I find myself watching and curious enough to want to pick up the phone and order one to see if it does work.

How curious was I? I’ve tried the Sauna Belt (burned my skin), the Ab Rocket (if all you want to do is sit-ups then I guess it’s OK) and the Vibra Belt (I felt like my eyeballs were going to pop off from all that shaking). After my failed experiences with the products I’ve gotten you’d think that I’d be wary of the items being sold on those channels but guess what? They’ve still got me curious!

Every time I see the infomercials for the Dirt Bullet, I want to try it even if we don’t even use a vacuum cleaner at home. I want to try their Paint Zoom even if I have no plans of painting anything. Even those food processors, knives and steamers seem attractive enough for me to buy even if I have no need for them. If I had no self-control whatsoever I bet I would have tried every single thing they sell there. Right now I’m even tempted to buy the Instyler and their portable sauna – those two I can use but they are both expensive. I’m not sure if the price is worth the risk since I have no idea if they actually work.

Those infomercials can be so interesting when you’re having a boring day and you’re just lying in bed watching TV. Good thing I don’t keep my phone close when that happens because I don’t want to be doing some heavy duty shopping for the things they sell there. These days as a precaution I’ve decided to block the Home Shopping channels on my TV. After my nasty experiences with Home Shopping items, I have to be more careful. I don’t want to be tempted again by things I don’t actually need or want.

Photo Source: CSN Stores, Chris Sports, Deliver at Your Doorstep, Iecent

One Year

2011-06-08T20:00:00.000+08:00

It's finally here. It's exactly one year since my father passed away. I've often wondered why I don't cry as much as the rest of my family does because he's gone -- I always thought it was because I had that emotional side of me turned off since he died. Today however, I finally gave in.

My cousin celebrated mass at our home and he asked me to read the Bible passage for the mass. I didn't expect to but I cried when I read the part where there will be no more death and that God will wipe away the tears from our eyes...it took a lot from me to compose myself and finish reading in front of the 20 or more people in attendance. It was both sad and comforting at the same time to read that Bible passage. God sure has a way of pulling your heartstrings when you least expect it.

It was good to see family and friends after such a long time, I just wish that it were under different circumstances. It would have been different if the family was complete. With my father gone it never will.

Sometimes I find myself wondering if there would come a time that I would forget the sound of my father's voice. I worry sometimes that I would forget the sound of his singing voice. That sounds weird considering that my father loved to sing. I guess we took it for granted that he'd always be around and never got him to record anything. Hopefully a recording or two will turn up from one of his friends. That would be such a good treat for the family.

My dad was like Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up. Even at his age he was always the playful one who was more mischievous than all of his kids combined. I'll always miss him. I wonder what it would have been like to watch him grow old, to see the look on his face when he (finally) walks me down the aisle and to see him be a grandfather to my (future) kids. Sadly, that's all I can do now -- wonder. I'll never know because it will never happen.

I was watching an episode of Bones last night and the conversation of the lead characters about the death of the character Vincent reminded me of my father:

Well, if there was a God, he would have let Vincent stay here with us.

That's not how it works.

I can never bring my father back and I can forever wish that things should have been different but I know that's not how it works. All I can do now is cherish whatever memories I have of my father and hope that they're enough.

To those of you who still have fathers, cherish them and love them as much as you can. As the saying goes, you don't know what you've got till it's gone.

When You Choose Evil

2011-06-08T11:14:00.003+08:00

No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks.

-- Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

This made me think about how good people sometimes end up on the wrong side of the tracks. Sometimes people do wrong not because they want to do wrong, but because they feel it's a means to an end to find the happiness that they are looking for.

Sometimes people think there is no more hope and they feel that they need to give in to evil in order to find happiness in terms of financial security and things like that. As we say in Tagalog, "kapit sa patalim."

Thing is, I think we shouldn't give in. We can't say, I'll be bad now to get what I want and be good after. We need to hang on to good. The path may not be easy, but in the end, everything will be alright eventually. We just need to have faith and hold on to God and His promise that He will never let us down.