Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012

Ok, so I was reading last year’s year-ender post and my first post for 2011 and I realized that I got really blessed by God this 2011.

My 2011 year-ender post was a bit sad as I was trying to get over and move on from a really bad relationship. I was in a relationship with a guy who wasn’t into it and into me as much as I was into it and into him. What made it worse was that I was trying to make it work when he just gave up and started telling lies. When I found out about the lies, I finally couldn’t take it anymore and I just broke it up with him.

Enough about that. I’ve moved on from him. And starting this December, I thought I’d try to start to forgive him and myself for insisting on staying in that crappy relationship. It’s a work in progress that’ll spill over in 2012.

This whole 2011, I consciously didn’t try to date. I tried an online dating site but that didn’t work out. While I was an internet junkie, I was too lazy when it came to check my inbox. Plus, it didn’t help that the guys who messaged me were either way too old or weren’t my type. I didn’t try to date because I wanted to try being single for a while. Now that I’ve been single for a whole year, I might consider going back into the wading pool of dating.

Oh wait. I did go to ONE blind date set up by one of my friends. It was fun. The guy was nice. But there were just no sparks.

Also, this year, I think I was made to face a wrong decision that I made a few years ago. So, recently, I felt like I was moving on for the second time around from someone whom I really loved and I currently really miss. But I got to thinking about it and I realized that maybe I him more as a friend than as a lover/boyfriend. I don’t know if we could’ve lasted a long time. His schedule would’ve killed me and would’ve been the source of fights. Probably. Or we could’ve worked it out. Maybe. I don’t know. And so I just need to move on.

Work has been pretty interesting. Workmates have been fun and interesting to work with. I’ve become close to one more team mate aside from Charls. I’ve gotten a little wittier too. LOL. Or maybe C sets himself up too often and too much. I learned a lot. The learning process is a continuous process. And just when I think I got the hang of it, something happens and the learning starts all over again. At times, I’ve felt like I’ve made one step forward and two steps back. But I feel like I’ve learned from some of my mistakes and avoid them. Work-wise.

This year was also a good year for my relationships with my friends. There were some bumps along the way. There were times that I was upset or disappointed with some of them and I didn’t tell them about it. But I’m not perfect. I may have been overreacting at times or too sensitive about some things. And so I try to rationalize stuff to help me cope and get over my feelings immediately. Also, there were more good times than bad, like when I went to Singapore with two of my closest friends. That was a lot of fun.

Family life was good. Pretty much. It wasn’t all that smooth. But then it got better. And I am thankful to the Lord that my family is with me and we’re all still together. 2011 was a pretty peaceful year for us and so much better than the previous 5 or 6 years.

This year was a pretty good year for me. I got a lot of new things --- so much more than maybe last two or three years combined. I was able to afford more stuff, thanks to my well-paying job. This year, I got myself a new phone, some clothes, two pairs of branded jeans, five pairs of footwear, two bags, new underwear, an e-reader and a new TV.

The great Lord God has blessed me and family tremendously. He has given good health and love. And yes, a little bit of wealth through my job that I really like and almost love.

Thank You Lord for everything. May You continue to bless me, my family, my friends and their families with health, wealth, love and happiness in the coming 2012 and always.

Tomorrow, I will post my hopes and wishes for 2012.

For now dear readers, stalkers and blogwalkers, happy 2012.

Bruno Mars Sunday

I’m having a lazy Sunday. Well, a sentimental and lazy Sunday.

I wanted to listen to Bruno Mars’ Grenade. Then It Will Rain. Then The Lazy Song.

So, here’s all three videos for everyone who’s enjoying a sentimental and lazy Sunday.

 

 

iPod Touch vs Kindle Touch

So I’ve had my Kindle Touch for more than two weeks now and I must say I’m enjoying it so far.

But the screen refresh is still an issue for me. I might return it. Or not. It depends.

Anyway, I decided to write a short blog entry comparing my reading experience on the iPod Touch and my Kindle Touch.

Truth be told, what got me into the whole e-book reading experience was my iPod Touch. The iBooks app was pretty cool for me and I got to read maybe 4 or 5 books on my iPod Touch. I enjoyed it for a while. But it did give me eye strain. I experienced head ache some of the time so I would stop reading for an hour or two and then resume reading.

With the Kindle Touch, since it does read like paper, I don’t get the headaches as much. Not when the turning of the page works properly. When there’s a glitch and the Kindle refreshes the page every time, that’s when I get the headache. Probably because I find it annoying. Otherwise, I’m fine.

By the way, the Kindle Touch is only supposed to refresh the screen every 5 or 6 pages.

This is it for now. I’ll be going back to reading The Great Gatsby.

Inheritance: The Last Book from the Inheritance Cycle

I just read a book review right after deciding to write one and just before writing one. I’m afraid it might’ve clouded my thinking and thus producing a review a little less “epic” than what I was gunning for.

Image owned by Amazon.com

 

Okay. So what I wanted to initially say was that I enjoyed the book and it had such an effect on me that one day, I woke up worried/paranoid that someone was attacking my mind and I needed to sleep again to protect myself.

I enjoyed the book. I couldn’t put it (well, my Kindle) down for days. But it did have some flaws. A lot of the mysteries that were uncovered in the first three books remained unsolved and a lot more questions were raised in this book.

You see, I’ve waited for this book as soon as I finished reading Brisingr. Worth the wait? Yes. But it kind of looks like the whole thing was rushed and I am just a smidge disappointed that things ended the way they did. Although, I must admit, that whole fight scene with Galbatorix was satisfying, save for the fact that there was Dauthdaert. I think it should’ve maybe been Zar’roc or Brisingr who killed Shruikan.

Anyway, this book is a must read only if you’ve read the first three. Otherwise, you won’t get most of what’s in it.

The Kindle Touch: Good for Reading But Needs Improvement

This week, I also got the new Kindle Touch (yes, I got a lot of my online shopping items this week) and the amFilm Premium Screen Protector.

Since I marked it as a gift (for myself, obviously), it came in an unmarked box. And inside the box, was well, the box for the Kindle Touch (KT).

No, it didn’t come that way. I was too excited and immediately powered it up and I was only able to take some pictures after two days.

To be accurate, the one I got was the Kindle Touch with Special Offers. As you can see from the picture above, that’s how the ads are being displayed when the KT is in sleep mode.

When I took the picture, I took off the flash because there was glare from the flash. Yes, there’s glare. I haven’t tried reading under the sun but I did read by the window yesterday. It was perfect and I did feel like I was reading a book.

 

If you can see from my poorly taken picture, the display from my KT looks like as if it’s really ink on paper. The very small triangular thing on the upper right hand of the KT is for when you bookmark a page. What you do is you tap on the upper right hand and it automatically bookmarks a page for you. You can go reading another book or shop on the Kindle store. When you tap on the book that you bookmarked, it’ll go to the page you bookmarked. This whole bookmark thing, I found really clever. I used to do it with my own books – fold a small part of the page of the book I was reading so that it formed a triangle. I wasn’t fond of the real rectangular bookmarks with ribbons then and I’m not now. I also tried reading on my iPod Touch and when you bookmark that, a red bookmark thing appears. But this bookmark thing on the KT, I thought was cute and clever.

Anyway, the KT is NOT perfect. I have several concerns:

• The page refreshes! Every. Single. Time! In the three days I’ve owned the KT, there was a time that it didn’t do that. I don’t know what happened. I haven’t dropped it and no heavy pressure put on the KT to make it behave that way. I made sure to turn off the Page Refresh option but it still does it! It is an annoyance to me.
• I found that the KT isn’t as intuitive to the touch and I feel that it is a little slow. But that’s coming from someone who’s used to the intuitiveness and fast response of the iPod touch. But this is not to say that it’s not useful. I do like the tapping on the margin for page turns and I do like the convenience of tapping on a word to see the definition. I can’t imagine pushing on some buttons to get to a word.
• I wish there was something for adjusting the contrast/brightness. While I think that the display is clear, don’t get me wrong on this but I do think/wish that there was something for adjusting the contrast. I personally might’ve adjusted the contrast a tiny bit just to make the ink darker. But that’s just me.
• The Kindle Store is a little weird. So I saw an ad for the Best Books of 2011. I tap to it, right? It redirects me to a page that says that an email has been sent to me. I go to my email and click on the link. Then I check out the titles and see a book that I might be interested in. I go to my KT and click on the Shopping Cart icon. I type in the title of the book I’m interested in (The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan) and I was surprised to see that it didn’t come up in the search. Weird. Why advertise something that won’t come up in the search using the KT?

Overall, the KT delivers in it’s promise of being a great ebook reader. It does fast page turns, connects via wi-fi fairly quickly and easily and you can lose yourself reading (save for that annoying refresh thing that it does). But I think it can use a software upgrade to maybe fix the whole contrast thing and being able to find things in the Kindle Store.

Do I love it? Because I don’t like it refreshing every page, no. But I like it enough to give it a 4-star rating.

Shoe-pping Online with Shoe Room

I don’t like shoes a lot and I guess that’s the reason why I don’t have a lot of shoes. I stick to flats and sneakers and rarely do I go out in heels nowadays (but let me admit that I do miss going out and walking in high heels). When I go into the mall, I still gravitate towards high heels and rarely look at the flat shoes.

But Helga Weber blogged about Shoe Room and I was intrigued. The designs she picked and blogged about were super cute that I had to shamelessly copy them. Not all three that she got, just two.

I took some pics to show you what they look like:

This is silver with red lining.

 

An all black pair of shoes for when I go to the office.

Blue and red shoes for an outfit that doesn’t exist in my closet.

Finally, the shoes come in this reusable bag.

Shoes cost less than Php 400 each and shipping for all three shoes was Php 60.

To be honest, they fit perfectly but I haven’t been able to walk around them yet. And since I haven’t walked around in them yet, I’m hoping they’ll be comfortable for walks around the city.

Check out Shoe Room. Abby is really nice and accommodating.

RIP Steve Jobs

Due to complications from pancreatic cancer, Steve Jobs passed yesterday, October 5, 2011 at the young age of 56.

I was surprised to be really affected by the news of his death. I wasn’t expecting to be saddened this much. It’s almost as if a long-lost friend had died.

I owned the first two generations of the iPod Nano. I was given these and when I finally was able to afford to buy myself an iPod, I opted to go with the iPod Touch 4G.

And like any geek, I cringe every time somebody calls it the “iTouch”.

I never hesitated buying my iPod Touch. I thought it was cool. I could read books, watch movies and listen to music – everything I like doing. I use my iPod touch every day during work. Music kept me awake whenever I felt sleepy. Or when I didn’t feel like talking at work since having the iPod plugged in your ears basically says “I’m a loner and I don’t want to socialize”.

While I loaded music videos and movies onto my iPod touch, I never really watched them. I felt I’d rather spend the time listening to music. My music library grows everyday and I hope to fill it up with more songs through the years.

Without the genius of Steve Jobs and his team, the world would’ve never experienced the simple pleasure of having portable music. Yes, we had the Walkman back in the day but it was an effort just to lug cassette tapes and/or cds around.

Steve Jobs once said that design “is not just what it looks like and looks like. Design is how it works”. Truly, Steve Jobs was a wonderful designer by integrating sleek looks and functionality in almost all of Apple’s products. His genius and creativity is now evident is present in almost all of latest gadgets. Steve Jobs helped shape our modern world. For this, we are thankful.

Steve Jobs, you will be truly missed.

The All New Kindle

When I first logged onto Amazon today (yes, I log on quite a few times in one day), I was surprised to see a letter. I quickly scanned through it and was excited to learn about the all new Kindle Touch.

Yes! A Kindle that has a touch screen instead of the keyboard. I’ve been hoping Amazon would release one. But Amazon didn’t only launch just a Kindle Touch. They also launched Kindle Fire, a Kindle Touch with Color, something I’ve also been hoping for because I’d really like Kindle to have because I want to see book covers in color instead of just black and white.

From the looks of it, Kindle Fire will have the same capabilities of other tablets already in the market – the iPad, the Galaxy tab or the Playbook. It’ll have apps and media playback. It boasts of cloud storage, something I’m not quite sure if it’s available on the other tablets.

I’m quite excited for reviewers to get their hands on these new Kindles. From the reviews, I’ll decide if I’ll get just the Kindle Touch or go ahead with the Kindle Fire.

Your thoughts?

Remembering 9/11/2001

Thank God my family and I were nowhere near New York and Washington DC on that fateful day, September 11, 2001.

I remember that night vividly. I was sitting around in my dorm when George, my landlord said in a rather casual tone “World War III na” (World War III is happening now). I was alarmed and we immediately switched the TV to news.

And there it was, the scariest thing I ever saw: the first of the twin towers on fire, smoke and fire everywhere. Commentators were narrating that an airplane had crashed into the twin towers and that it was a terrorist attack.

Moments later, we were horrified to see a second plane crash into the second tower.

My dorm mates and I were staring at the TV stupidly. We were all kinds of scared. We watched in horror as we saw the first tower crumble down, shortly followed by the second tower.

I remember praying for the lives lost and for the people who were determined to rescue lives. I remember panicking inside and thinking about what I had read in the bible and wondered if this was really the start of WWIII. After all, everyone knew that the great country of America would not take this attack sitting down.

Indeed they did not.

Almost 3,000 lives lost. Families broken. Dreams shattered. Parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, fiances and fiancees, sons and daughters, friends and loved ones lost.

Luckily, more than 3,000 heroes emerged. Yes, these are the men and women who saved other lives in the midst of danger. Yes, these are also the men and women who stood up to against terrorism. And these are also the people who helped the bereaved and grief-stricken survive.

September 11, 2001 was the worst day and the best day of mankind --- so far. It was the worst as we have seen effects of extremism and the suffering and violence and evil that comes with it. It was the best day because on that day, we showed what we as members of the human race, are capable of. We are capable of great acts of love and courage and kindness and bravery and heroism.

#Wewillneverforget

Something Borrowed, Something Blue

I spent a few days and a weekend with Emily Griffin’s “Something Borrowed” and “Something Blue”. What made me read these books? I had just finished watching “Something Borrowed”, a movie that came out earlier this year.

As what it usually is, the book is better than the movie. No surprise there. The movie did have some nice quirks to it but not enough to compare it to the book. The book was well-written but had some dragging moments. Despite these dragging moments the book, it was infinitely more entertaining than the movie. I wish the movie was more faithful to the book. Now that I think about it, I hardly recognize the book after seeing the movie. Ethan wasn’t supposed to be that prominent of a figure in the movie. He wasn’t in love with Rachel at all. Claire wasn’t this crazy girl who was in love with Ethan. Somehow, Dex and Marcus wasn’t as annoying in the book. Darcy was likable in the movie but very annoying in the book. The confrontation scene was all wrong too. It might’ve been way better if they stuck with the book version.

The movie version keeps all the significant moments intact but I wish the scriptwriters found the perfect balance between movie writing and the book.

“Something Blue” for me is far more entertaining than Something Borrowed. I actually chuckled at one point. This is the book where Darcy realizes she’s been shallow and where she begins to mature and actually know what love is. Something Borrowed created the perfect back story for Something Blue. It’s definitely a better read. Funnier. More heartwarming. Ingredients to the perfect chick-lit.

My recommendation: Read the book, then watch the film and then read Something Blue.

Here’s the trailer for Something Borrowed, out on DVD since August 16, 2011.

Adele – Someone Like You

Tonight, a BBM contact was listening to Adele and I could see what he was listening to. So out of curiosity, I checked out Adele’s discography.

“Someone Like You” was the most interesting title to me and so I went to a site that could play the song for me.

Listening to the lyrics reminded me of my great love so far.

I was asked by a new girl friend last Friday night if I ever really thought of us (him and me) getting married some day. I answered truthfully and said that it did come up in the conversations we had then. I did like the idea but I don’t think I could’ve married him.

I didn’t believe then that he was the best match for me, hence our break up. Plus, thinking about it now, it wouldn’t have worked out anyway. I know myself. I’m secretly a workaholic but lazy at the same time. I’m thinking that I couldn’t have possibly fit him in with the life I had after graduation.

I had gone to Phoenix One where I met some of the most talented people I know. I wasn’t even able to finish the two year course because I went to the US for a couple of months. When I came back, I was expecting to go to the US again within the year so I decided to work in the BPO industry while waiting. I worked nights since I had to work US hours. What was supposed to be a few months working the night shift ended after four years and two companies.

I loved the night shift for a short while but I was tired all the time. I really can’t see how we could’ve fit each other into a schedule, especially now that I know that he works in the BPO industry as well. We probably wouldn’t have the same rest days, hence we couldn’t really spend time together.

I work days now. He still works at night. Knowing myself, we probably would’ve broken up sometime in the last three years. And I’m not just saying this to console myself. I know it. Because he tried really hard to keep us together but I wanted to do nothing after work. I still don’t want to do anything after work except Friday nights.

In the end, he is with the best girl for him because she gave him what I couldn’t or wouldn’t.

This realization, my friends, is what I can call closure.

What pops out most from Adele’s song? This part right here:

“Never mind, I’ll find someone like you. I wish nothing but the best for you two”.

And it IS over for me.

Suits

Suits, a new USA Network series starring Gabriel Macht (Because I Said So) and Patrick J. Adams.

Gabriel Macht plays Harvey Specter, a hotshot undefeated lawyer and senior partner at the Pearson Hardman firm takes on a talented and smart new associate Mike Ross played by Patrick J. Adams.

I am seriously loving this new series. The episode airs Thursday nights at 10 pm.

The episodes are cleverly written, full of wit, sarcasm and charm.

Currently, it’s six episodes in and will run until the season finale to be aired on September 8, 2011.

Really hoping it’ll come back really soon for a 22 episode Season 2. :)

Best Meal of The Week

If you’re like me and you just LOVE Chinese food, I highly recommend the following restaurants in no particular order:

• Mongkok (you can read my review of the resto here)
• HapChan
• Gloria Maris
• Super Bowl of China

Best meal of the week came from Super Bowl of China. :)

My family and I first ate together at Super Bowl of China just last week before seeing the “It’s Complicated: A Valentine Concert in July” by Jose Mari Chan and The Company (wonderful concert by the way) at the SMX Convention Center. I’d always gone to this resto with other friends but never with my parents.

My dad brought home some food from Super Bowl of China last night. Imagine my delight. He got us the following:

(pictures taken from Super Bowl of China website)

Yang Chow Fried Rice

Eggplant with Minced Pork Hot and Spicy

Steamed Fish Fillet with Garlic

Deep Fried Cuttlefish with Spicy Salt

You guys reading this, I’m telling you. The combination of these dishes, it was like an orgasm in my mouth. And you know what? We ate these unheated. And it’s been sitting in our kitchen table for at least 2 hours before we ate it. Add to that maybe an hour for traveling from the SM Mall of Asia to our home. It was THAT good.

By the way, if you order food for dining in or to go, you get a pair of coupons that you can use on your next visit. I don’t know how long this promo goes on but we’ve gotten it twice and the it’s the same pair. You get a coupon for free Yang Chow fried rice for a minimum order of P750 on your next visit. You also get another coupon for P200 off your next delivery bill for a minimum order of P1000. Fabulous marketing strategy, I must say. :)

Battlestar Galactica: Cylon

This is one of the best rides in Universal Studios Singapore.

If you’re visiting, I highly recommend that you go on this ride. In the meantime, here’s a first person view of the ride:

The Avengers Official Trailer

It’s basically nothing. But it’s the first one. I’m sure the succeeding trailers will be awesome.

 

Who else is excited??

I miss the days when I had nothing to write about yet I had a lot of blog entries.

Compare that to having a lot to write about and yet having no time to write.

Tragedy.

Singapore for the Weekend

So I went with two of my closest friends (Carla and Royce) to Singapore recently for the weekend. We had so much fun. At least I did. But I think they had more fun than I did since they got to experience the night life at Clark Quay.

But before I share what happened in Singapore, I just want to acknowledge God’s blessings on me and my friends for letting us take this Singapore trip. There are people who can’t afford a weekend in Singapore while there are some people who can afford a weekend but don’t go due to time constraints. My friends and I could afford it and we had the time to do it too so I just want to thank God for it.

So here’s what happened:

• Tickets: I got my plane tickets from Cebu Pacific who, at the time, was offering the lowest ticket price. I chose to pay for a specific seat going to Singapore (P100). I paid around P7950 in total. Don’t forget the terminal fee (P1620) and another fee that I forgot what it was for (P750).
• Taxi: I arrived at the Budget Terminal of Singapore at around 1 am. I had to go to Terminal 2 in Singapore from the Budget Terminal to meet up with Carla before going to the hotel where Royce was checked in. The bus going to the “main” terminal was free. It arrives every ten minutes, I was told. The trip was maybe 10 minutes short. After meeting with Carla, we took a taxi going to Little India. The entire trip cost $69.80 SGD. I was told that was pretty normal because taxi fares after midnight is calculated this way: Regular Fare + 50% of Regular Fare + Night Differential + $3 SGD.
• The Hotel: We stayed in Hotel Aspinals in Little India. The room was neat. The bathroom was really small but I’m happy to report that it didn’t clog. The hotel fee included breakfast for two. Let me warn you: eat your breakfast somewhere else.

Mustafa Center was right across the Hotel and we bought some chips and bread and some jam because we were pretty hungry. We got red wine at the nearby 711. We got bottled water too which cost a little over $1 SGD. We drank the wine and slept at around 5 am. Woke up at 10 am, got ready and headed on to Universal Studios.

• Cable Car: We took the MRT to Harbour Front and walked around and decided to take the Cable Car ride ($24 SGD for a one way ticket and $26 SGD for a roundtrip ticket) to Sentosa. We walked all the way to Universal Studios which was a pretty long walk.
• Universal Studios: I committed the mistake of just purchasing the Express Passes ($48 SGD for one) for the three of us thinking it would be cheaper that way. When we got there, we were told that we needed to buy the regular tickets and that the Express Passes were an additional service. We all decided to just buy the regular tickets. We did the following:
• Revenge of The Mummy (must!)
• Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure
• Lunch at Marty’s Casa Del Wild
• Canopy Flyer
• Shrek 4D Adventure (must!)
• Enchanted Airways
• Battlestar Galactica: Cylon (must!)
• Battlestar Galactica: Human (must!)
• Monster Rock

We ended up leaving the park a little past 7 PM and took our cable car ride home.

Carla and Royce went to Clark Quay for some nightlife and I opted to stay at the hotel because I was so tired from all the walking we did.

Sunday morning, we woke up pretty late and had lunch at a nearby Chinese stall. We then went to Sim Lim, the place where they had the Merlion, had ice cream, then to Lucky Plaza, Chinatown and then to Clark Quay for dinner. We headed on back to the hotel to get our bags by 8pm and we were at the airport by 9:30 pm.

Useful tips for Travelling to Singapore:

• If you plan on doing a lot of walking, wear the most comfortable pair of slippers or sneakers that you have.
• Change your money for at least $200 SGD ($1 USD is equal to $1.20 SGD as of writing). Believe me, you’ll need it for transportation, food and shopping.
• Book your hotel early.
• Go to Clark Quay. They have excellent food choices. They had like a tent full of food stalls for relatively affordable prices.

That’s it! :)

Planned next stop: Hong Kong with Carla and Royce. :)

My First Time…

I’ve been wanting to do it for at least a year now. But I held off and tried to distract myself away from the temptation. It was dangerous, possibly addicting and so I tried my best to avoid it until I couldn’t hold off any longer. It was satisfying. Very satisfying.

Two words: online shopping.

Got to experience online shopping with Amazon.com for the first time. And I have to say the experience was a pleasant one.

What made me do it?

Well, remember my post about Sweet Valley Confidential (here and here)? Reading that e-book made me want to revisit the books I missed and loved. So I got me four books:

And since I also wanted to start exercising, I got me these dvds:

 

Regretting that boot camp DVD (the one on top), loving the 5 Day Get Fit Mix (right) and thinking I must have been crazy to buy a Jillian Michaels work out. It will probably be the death of me. Yes, I’ll look great but I’ll be a dead sexy person. LOL.

And so far, these dvds remain untouched and unused. I only watched the work outs but never did them myself.

Had these goodies delivered to a US address and then had Johnny Air Philippines ship them here for me. While I thought the service fee was a little expensive (a $20 consolidation fee was charged because the books came from different vendors on Amazon.com), the service was good and it came earlier than expected. It came four days after I gave my go signal to have it shipped.

Will I use Johnny Air Cargo again? Yes.

Will I be buying stuff from Amazon.com again? I’m trying not to or I’ll risk maxing out my credit card. :)

What I Have Been Doing?

It’s been more than a month since I last posted a blog entry and a lot has happened since then: TV series got renewed and cancelled, met Thor and the first class of X-Men, saw Jack Sparrow again, a new gadget and an adventure.

I’ll try to write the whole day today since I can’t do anything except write. I’m sick and I thank God dengue has been ruled out.

Posts will probably be hours or minutes in interval. Can’t say. I don’t know yet if I’m inspired or not.

But are ya ready? :)

Birthday Blues

In a few hours, I will be turning 28.

And I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately.

I’ve always said I won’t get past age 30. I don’t know why I said that in the past but that’s just how I feel anyway. I’ve asked the Lord that if He should take my life away, it should be on my birthday.

So. 28. Big number.

I want a REALLY GREAT birthday tomorrow. Something I haven’t had for the past few years. Last year, I did spend it with friends but looking back, I’m not sure if they had fun. Hell, I didn’t have fun because I was with an abusive boyfriend. I think I drank way too much too fast and I was asleep before anyone had gotten a buzz.

Anyway, I celebrate my birthdays with my parents (usually a lunch or a dinner) then have a party with my friends the nearest weekend to my birthday. This year, though, I’m not sure if I want the party with friends.

I’m having a crisis and it’s something that I would very much like to write about here but I can’t since it’s too personal.

So let’s focus on my hopes for my birthday:

• I hope to go to Santorini, Greece. Mostly for the scenery but I’m also hoping to be swept off my feet by an impossibly gorgeous straight man who is also sweet and kind and smart. Yes, I read way too much romance novels and watch way too many romantic movies.
• I hope to win big money in the lottery if and when I do buy a ticket.
• I really would like to get a gift-wrapped present. Something that was bought while thinking of me, just for me. You know? I haven’t gotten one on my birthday for the last couple of years. It’s always been cash from my parents and good cheer from my friends.
• World peace. Really. Sincerely. World peace.

28. I keep coming back to the number.

Sometimes, I think my twenties life could be made on to a chick-lit book. Only if I knew how it would end first. I really would love a happy ending.

So I’m 28, right? I am pretty happy with my job. It’s almost ideal. I’ve got a few trusted friends. Relationship with my parents are okay. Some would say we’re close but we have our moments as a family.

But sometimes I think what if I died? Or what if I was gone? How would things be different? Would I be missed? Will things be better or worse for some people if I hadn’t existed? I guess the main question is “What is my impact in this world?”

And “Will I always be alone?”

Yes, sometimes I feel lonely even if I am not alone. I’ve been single for four years (how about we don’t count the last one with whom I wasted almost two years) and like anyone else, I just really want to be with “The One” (cue music: dun dun dunnnnnnnnn). [While reading, please make sure to pause slightly longer than usual before “The One”. Thanks!]

Gah! Is this what aging feels like? Very emotional and very..ugh…something.

I think I may be undergoing quarter life crisis. My thoughts reminded me of the following poem:

The Quarter-Life Crisis
by unknown

It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are a lot of things about yourself that you didn't know and may or may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you do not realize is that they are realizing that too and are not really cold or catty or mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.

You look at your job. It is not even close to what you thought you would be doing or maybe you are looking for one and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and are scared.

You miss the comforts of college, of groups, of socializing with the same people on a constant basis. But then you realize that maybe they weren't so great after all.

You are beginning to understand yourself and what you want and do not want. Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging a bit more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and add things to your list of what is acceptable and what is not. You are insecure and then secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you or you lay in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough to get to know better. You love someone but maybe love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you are not a bad person.

One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap and getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision.

You worry about loans and money and the future and making a life for yourself and while wining the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out.

 

I really would like to end this post on a positive note. So I thought Katy Perry would help me out a bit. The song has great encouraging lyrics and well, frankly, I think this song should be played by anyone every time things get too depressing.

 

 

Here’s to hoping I’ll get a great 28th birthday! Cheers! :)

Wonderings on Sweet Valley Confidential

Sweet Valley Confidential.

I couldn't get over Elizabeth and Bruce. In the end, Elizabeth comes out the winner since she gets what Jessica wanted then: a gorgeous and rich guy who absolutely loves her.

But I personally would've preferred it to have been Elizabeth and Todd forever.

Anyway, I was wondering about the following:

• Why Amy Sutton was not mentioned at all?
• Why they renamed Lila's father from George to Richard Fowler?
• Why Lila did not seem to have taken on an active role in being Jessica's best friend? Wasn't she supposed to have become more mature in Sweet Valley University?
• Why is it that some parts of the book, especially Jessica's language and the way she speaks, seem to be written by a teenager and not of a woman?

Let me know your thoughts.

Sweet Valley Confidential: Like Catching Up With Old Friends

(This post is going to be full of spoilers. So if you don’t want any spoilers, I suggest that you leave this page and then come back AFTER you’ve read the book).

I got my hands on a copy of Sweet Valley Confidential and couldn’t wait to start reading.

I must admit that before starting the novel, I had read spoilers and I wasn’t happy.

In my mind, it should always be Elizabeth Wakefield and Todd Wilkins. Forever. Jessica, Elizabeth’s younger (by four minutes) twin, didn’t fit in with Todd. I was an Elizabeth-Todd fangirl since they started to be an item in Sweet Valley Twins. As I got older, I started reading Sweet Valley High and still rooted for them. I remember feeling heartbroken with Elizabeth as Todd moved away to Vermont. I remember being excited when Todd came back from Vermont. I remember feeling happy when Elizabeth broke up with Jeffrey French to be back with Todd.

And since Todd and Liz also broke up in Sweet Valley University, I didn’t feel like reading more into the series. I think I stopped reading after SS Heartbreak.

Plus, I think the writers destroyed me then. I had always been able to relate more with Elizabeth than Jessica and wanted my own Todd Wilkins, preferably with his SVH description: good looking and in love with Elizabeth.

So to read Sweet Valley Confidential and find out that they’re not together anymore didn’t make any sense. At first.

But as the story progressed, it dawned on me that giving Elizabeth and Todd a happy ending would’ve been boring and expected. Whereas surprising readers with a Jessica-Todd pairing will probably be more exciting to write and intriguing to read.

Elizabeth said it perfectly. If she and Todd had gotten married, it would’ve taken a great tragedy to break them up. And if that tragedy didn’t happen, their love would have faded away, slowly and eventually.

Yes, Steven is gay, though I honestly would’ve preferred him not to be written that way. I have nothing against gays but Steven is Steven and I just think the writers could’ve done more with him than just have him being gay.

I don’t remember Aaron Dallas being described before as having heterochromia.

Who the hell is Richard Fowler??? Lila’s dad is GEORGE Fowler. And how come Lila seemed to be not-so-fashionable anymore?

Why does Jessica have an annoying voice in this book? She’s overused “so” many times. It’s like the part was written by a teenager! Women who are supposed to be twenty-seven don’t talk that way. Elizabeth doesn’t. So shouldn’t Jessica.

Too bad Winston Egbert died.

Elizabeth and Bruce being together at the end of the book reminded me of the story of Alice Robertson (the twins’ mom) and Henry Patman in “The Wakefield Legacy”.

The book ends with a round up of other characters present in the Sweet Valley High series like Cara Walker, Dee Dee Gordon, Robin Wilson, Bill Chase, Jeffrey French among others. You somehow get a feeling of closure but still end up wanting more only to see if the nth marriage (how many times did she really get married before marrying Todd?) of Jessica to Todd goes well or will he end up pining for Elizabeth in the future? How will the relationship of Elizabeth and Bruce play out?

Reading the book makes me want reread “The Wakefields of Sweet Valley” and “The Wakefield Legacy”. There’s something in those two books that made Francine Pascal and her team decide that it should be Jess and Todd in the end.

Knowing myself, I’ll probably end up reading more and getting the books I missed in the series. I just hope the books are readily available in the bookstores.

Funny Guy Mikey Bustos on Filipino Stuff

Okay, for those of you who don’t know who Mikey Bustos is, he’s the Filipino-Canadian guy who makes fun of the things that is distinctly Filipino (if I may say so myself). The good thing here are the jokes are not offensive even if he’s making fun of a certain group of people.

Oh, and by the way, he also sings well and was a contestant in Canadian Idol.

Here are some of my favorite videos of him:

Some are a bit corny, I admit. But most of it are pretty funny.

I’ve arranged them in a chronological order according to the time they’ve been uploaded. :)

Enjoy!

 

 

I Miss My UPLB life

I had no responsibility other than to pass my subjects.

UPLB's environment is so laid back and relaxed. I remember everything was affordable. My allowance always went to requirements and booze and food.

My best years were my junior and senior years. I had a boyfriend who loved me very much, I had a great set of friends and I had more freedom. My landlady had died and soon after, my dorm wasn’t so strict with the rules anymore. I came and went as I pleased. I lived in my boyfriend’s apartment and would only come home to the dorm if or when we had a fight.

I suppose this was when my “alcoholism” started. But don’t take me seriously. I’m a social drinker and I only allow myself to get drunk if and only if I’m comfortable with the people I drink with. Besides, getting drunk then wasn’t a problem. Boyfriend would come pick me up wherever I was to bring me home. But I would usually be drunk at boyfriend’s place since our common friends would meet at his place.

I miss college life because I felt like I had money even if I didn’t have money. Everything was damn affordable.

I miss college life because I got to choose what time my day would start each semester. I was always cancelling classes that would start at 7 or 8 am and would always opt for classes that started at 9 am at the earliest. Back then, I didn’t have the realities of life that I have now. I didn’t have responsibilities. I could skip classes and sleep if I didn’t feel like going to class as long as I knew I could still pass the class and I hadn’t used up the maximum days for absences. I could show up to class drunk, smelling like a chico and no one would care. Try that in the office and see if you won’t get talked about behind your back. Try skipping a day of work and you end up with more work when you get back.

My last sem consisted of three subjects and I had classes twice a week only. I remember my friends and I would start drinking after lunch on either a Tuesday or a Wednesday and then again on a Thursday or whenever we felt like it.

Sigh. College was so much fun. I wish I could go back to college with my friends.

I definitely would trade my stressful work days for stressful thesis or exams weeks. Gladly. I would trade in my car for long walks with friends. I would give up my OT time and pay for time to eat proven and/or isaw with friends over at the Raymundo gate. I miss having Doner Durum for breakfast, Ihaw Express for lunch and that sweet little tapsilog place near Ihaw Express that we used to call “Hell’s Kitchen” for dinner.

This is probably not making sense to most people. But my rant is over.

I miss UPLB life.

 

 

Rango

I got bored. But great animation and great voice talent.

The Adjustment Bureau

A pretty simple concept made complicated.

I didn’t like it despite having heard positive reviews about it. Maybe I because I was expecting more action…like maybe “Bourne Identity” but instead got a complicated love story.

Anyway, that’s just me.

 

Avalon High

Average tween movie.

The twist surprised me a little.

The King’s Speech

Based on a true story.

Deserves all the awards it got. The story was great, the cinematography superb, the actors moving.

Colin Firth did a good job in acting the parts where the King stuttered. Great, great movie.

Watch it.

Toughest Place To Be…

Manila, Philippines.

It can be tough to be here, especially when you’re poor. But then again, it’s tough to be anywhere especially when you’re poor.

So when I saw Jim Paredes tweet about this show, I had to check it out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thoughts:

There were funny parts. It’s very funny to me when foreigners are so amazed/stressed at something that’s become so ordinary to Filipinos, i.e., the traffic and the “crazy drivers”. I think foreigners (especially the ones who come from first world countries) are so sheltered that they don’t know anything else.

Anyway, this was an eye opener for me too. Made me thankful for the blessings I get and how and where I was born. Josh West told Rogelio that if he were born here in the Philippines, he’d probably end up in a situation similar to Rogelio, working 12 hours a day, 6 days a week and still poor.

But as you can see, Rogelio and his family are a resilient bunch of people, like most Filipinos are. Pinoys, well most Pinoys make do of what we have. We’re mostly eternally hopeful people. We’re hardworking. Honest. Welcoming. Adaptive. Resilient. Tough.

We have to be tough in order to survive this tough world.

I was happy about Josh’s experience. He got to be a little more aware of the world. He better be damn thankful for what he has. And by the way, he does have a good heart. In the last bit, the narrator mentioned something about Josh organizing a run with proceeds going to Rogelio and his family.

To Josh West: great job on the jeep, man. I’m so proud of you.  

 

 

Music Monday: My Chemical Romance: Sing

First heard this song on Glee. I thought their version was great but it made me want to hear the original.

Glad I looked it up on Youtube. Here’s My Chemical Romance and the Glee cover:

Great song, ain’t it? Loved the lyrics, loved the music.

I like both versions but I can’t decide which I like better.

My Valentine Girls

Honestly, the movie isn’t worth seeing on the big screen.

The movie’s composed of three episodes and they weren’t as creative as I thought they would be.

First episode was with Richard and Rhian Ramos. It was something like “Just Like Heaven” with a twist. This was the best story in my opinion.

Second episode was the worst, granted that I didn’t like Solenn Heusaff then and now. Her acting was the worst. She has the potential but her dramatic scenes with Lovi Poe were not good. At all.

Third episode was with Eugene Domingo and the funniest of the three.

 

The Princess and the Frog

This Disney animated movie features its first black/African-American princess. Yay for Disney!

But I think the movie’s not as great as the classics like “The Little Mermaid” or “Beauty and the Beast”.

I thought “Tangled” was way better than this movie. But you gotta appreciate the moral lessons in this movie. There were a lot. More than what I got from “Tangled” and probably just as much as what the classics had.

Anika Noni Rose voices Tiana while Oprah Winfrey lends her voice to Eudora, Tiana’s mom. I gotta say Eudora didn’t sound like Oprah.

 

Gulliver’s Travels

It’s not LOL inducing as I thought it would be. It’s cute, made me smile in some parts, but a little boring overall.

Let me put it this way: good thing I didn’t see this at the cinema.

By the way, this is movie number 17 out of Project 260.

Hachiko: A Dog’s Tale

I’ve always loved dogs. I had my first dog when I was 6 years old. I didn’t know then and I don’t know now what breed it was and I didn’t really care. My first dog was perfect: cute, cuddly and furry. She was loyal too. She would chase us whenever my parents and I had to go somewhere. Thankfully, she would get to go home safely. I don’t remember when she died but she got really sick and I cried buckets when she died. My favorite memory of her was when I was crying and she stayed by my side licking my tears away.

I can still name all the dogs I had (all 7 of them) and remember how they all died. I think I’ll name my next dog Hachiko (who will hopefully be either a Belgian Malinois, or a Japanese Akita or Rhodesian Ridgeback) in the hopes that he/she will be as loyal as his/her namesake.

The movie reminded me of my first dog and how I will always be a dog-person. :)

 

Bandslam

15/260

I thought it was okay.

Vanessa Hudgens was good. :)

Now that I’ve seen this, I can see the physical appearance in Aly Michalka then and now. I’m almost certain she had implants done and maybe had her nose changed too, though I’m not sure. There’s just something different about her face in “Bandslam” and the one that she has now in “Hellcats” and I can’t quite put my finger on it.

This one has a nice soundtrack.

 

Glee Superbowl Episode

How awesome was this episode or what??

I thought it was funny. Karovsky (am I spelling this correctly?) was so cute while dancing and who knew he could move!?!

Rachel was funny looking, looking all too eager about playing football. Sue was hilarious.

Mike Chang was so adorable being so concerned about Tina.

And…

Finn and Quinn kissed?? Now that’s a cliffhanger. :)

Aw man. If only I had screenshots…

Oh, and it was kind of a nice surprise to hear the Philippines mentioned again in Glee (referring to the Dancing Inmates’ performance of “Thriller”).

Loved, loved this episode of Glee.

(and I wonder who else has noticed that this is the first time I’ve blogged about an episode since I got a job? :) )

 

Letters to Juliet

14/260

I thought this was cute.

And of course, I could relate. :)

And hopefully, I get that chance to find my own true love.

In other news, I had a weird dream. I attended a reunion of some sort and after seeing someone off and walking back to the party, my foot got run over by a delivery truck who had lost control of its brakes. In my dream, I was calling someone about my Medicard and then while I was doing that, an ex was calling me and I wasn’t happy that he was calling. Then I woke up.