Because twitter and facebook are banned in China!
8-18-09 4:42PM – This is the second time today that I heard David Pomeranz’(?) Take Me To Your Heart. That song must be big here.
8-18-09 9:02PM - Oh my bad. Google said that song was by Michael Learns To Rock! Since when did MLTR start to sound like David Pomeranz?!
8-19-09 10:02PM - Download is so sloooooow...
8-19-09 10:44PM - Big hotel room is nice on the first day, but feels a tad too big and empty after a while. Nyay drama.
8-20-09 10:06PM - Shouldn’t be enjoying Mainland China’s version of Hana Yori Dango but I am!
8-20-09 11:23PM - I’m so tired of being alone, so hurry up and get here.
8-21-09 00:04AM – Hey, it’s my birthday!
8-21-09 11:35PM – Happy and thankful that my new officemates made me feel special on my birthday.
8-21-09 11:48PM – Still not ready to go to sleep. Let me try and make sense of the washing machine with operating buttons in Mandarin.
8-22-09 00:18AM – Yay! Washing machine’s working! Trial and error push button technique FTW! Goodness. I’m doing the laundry. For real.
8-22-09 9:25PM – Shanghai World Financial Center is OMG TALL. Understatement.
8-23-09 12:02PM – China also like Emilia’s Big, Big Girl. Well, I’m a small, small girl in a big, big city.
8-23-09 3:47PM – The skyscrapers are just so… wow. Wow. WOW. Too much Discovery Channel has made me a skyscraper geek.
8-24-09 10:08PM – Slow download is still slooooooow.
8-26-09 10:17AM – I just realized I haven’t read any newspapers since I got here.
8-27-09 2:16PM - Music is like an old, trusted friend that you can always rely on to make you feel better.
8-27-09 3:02PM - Fell in love with Arashi all over again!
8-27-09 3:35PM - Aww... Blue.
8-28-09 2:45PM - Is eating fig muffin. Now I know what fig tastes like. Yey! I’m having a Hana Yori Dango moment!
8-28-09 2:52PM - Must watch Hana Yori Dango again when I get back.
Showing posts with label my random ramblings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label my random ramblings. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Incomplete, Incoherent
These are some of my could-have-been blog entries; some are from way, way back, some from the not so distant past, and I just couldn’t finish any of these. Maybe I lost my thread of thought or I couldn’t write in a more satisfactory way, so these languished in the drafts section or in some piece of paper I couldn't throw away. I decided to post these in all its incomplete, incoherent glory.
***
The air is thick with the raucous sound of drunken laughter drifting from the neighbor store below through her open window. She hears without listening, oblivious to the outside voices intruding in her room. It’s a hot summer night, and she’s alone in her room, and with her thoughts.
***
I’m not good at discussing religion. I do less than what my religion expects me to, so that makes me less qualified to defend my own religion or to even criticize another.
On my way home last night, a teenage girl who looks like she’s no older than 18, asked the jeepney driver: “kuya, pwede po bang mangaral?”. When the driver said yes, she immediately started preaching. Most of the passengers looked ill at ease to be riding in the same jeepney as the young girl preaching about man’s sinfulness and excesses. I should say I must look ill at ease, too. I didn’t know whether I should take out my earphones out of courtesy (although I can still hear her even with the music blaring in my ears) and whether doing so would just call attention to the fact that I own something that might be considered “man’s excesses”. I didn’t take out the earphones but I tried to listen, but my mind was wandering: when was the last time I ever did something like this for my religion? Her preaching didn’t last more than 10 minutes, but at that short span, I felt a pang of jealousy and pity. Jealousy, because the girl has the devotion and willingness to do something for what she believed in. Pity, well, nobody in the jeepney was paying her any attention. Everyone was busy looking at the opposite direction and some even have little smirks on their faces.
Before she ended her speech, the girl handed out white envelopes to the passengers. Does it make me a bad person if I say that I felt disappointment when I saw those envelopes?
***
This is my loyal, trusted and very battered Nokia 6600 – and I’m about to, sniff, replace it. I say that with a really heavy heart. It’s like what I said before: a mobile phone, for some, might be a luxury, and for others, a necessity. For me, my phone is an extension of my personality.
***
I am going to bore you with a topic which, in the right hands, might be interesting, but because it’s me, is going to be long-winded and unintelligible. But I don’t have anyone to discuss this with, so I’m blogging about it.
If I could, I would ignore any and all news, especially concerning the global economy and financial markets, but because it’s part of my job, I HAVE to. And yes, I’ve been consuming some REALLY BAD news for almost six months now, with no end in sight and it’s hard not to be affected and get stressed over it.
Today I was doing additional reading on the Maddoff scandal. Bernard Maddoff was a former Nasdaq chairman and Wall Street market-maker who was recently charged with securities fraud. His business allegedly operated as a giant Ponzi scheme (or what we Pinoys termed as pyramid scam) which cost its investors losses to the tune of approximately 50 FREAKIN’ BILLION US DOLLARS. I don’t know about you, but to me that looks an awful lot of money to lose, and it’s not even his.
Reading the newspaper accounts, it’s not hard to imagine why people would trust Maddoff with their money. He’s not some shady guy who approaches you with a promise of double digit returns on your money; he was a former Nasdaq chairman for heaven’s sake! If I have money, I would have invested, too.
Good thing I don’t have that kind of money.
***
It’s time for Jela’s Rant For The Day, The One In Which She Tries To Be A Smartass And Rant At Someone Who Don’t Exactly Read Her Blog And, What Exactly Is The Point Of This Post?
Someone’s comment on the song “One of Us” by Joan Osbourne: “Ang stupid naman ng song na yan! God is one of us? Eh di hindi na siya God!”.
Exactly the point of the song! The song is inviting us to imagine how God would be if He's like us (“What if God was one of us?”). And anyway, the song is not a critique against God, but a song about His believers (at least that’s how I understood it). It’s simple, really: would we still worship God if He is just like us – imperfect, truly human? If we take away His mystery (“if God has a name, what would it be?...”; “if God has a face, what would it look like?...”), would we still believe?
***
Through this post I am going to bore you all by discussing something I watched on the National Geographic Channel.
I watched “Fight Science” last Saturday and it was both educational and entertaining for me. It was awesome the way they combined martial arts, motion-capture technology and biomechanics science to, in their words, “find out which discipline has the hardest hits, the fastest moves and the deadliest weapons”. Personally, I was too engrossed with the way they were beating the shit out of the crash test dummies to properly watch, but a lot of things stood out for me.
They have representatives from the various martial arts disciplines like boxing, muay thai, ju-jitsu, karate, taekwondo, kung fu and ninjitsu. My moment of ignorance came when a Filipino fighting technique, kali, was shown, and my reaction was “Huh? Never heard of it!”. I guess I was more familiar with the term arnis.
***
“Kung ikaw ang papipiliin, ano ang mas gusto mo: ang matsismis na bakla o ang matsismis na pumapatol sa bakla?”
That was a question posed to a contestant of a reality talent search competition. It just struck me as a really obnoxious question.
***
I know I’ve always said that given a choice, I’d rather be a man. Yet if there’s one thing about being female I’m thankful for, it’s that my sexuality is not questioned as much as most men’s are.
***
Time Waits For No Man
At certain points in our lives, we come to live for a particular year or event in our future. At least, that has been the case for me.
When I was about four or five years old, I was looking forward to being a doctor at the age of twenty five. For me, my life ends when I become a doctor at that age; I can’t imagine life beyond that.
When I was in elementary, I no longer wanted to be a doctor. I just can’t wait to reach college. When you’re in primary school, studying in college seemed to be the height of cool. For me, my life ends when I reach college; I can’t imagine life beyond that.
When I was twelve, a high school freshman and at the height of some silly infatuation, I can’t wait to reach the age of eighteen. At that age, I would be allowed to have a boyfriend and my crush at that time promised to wait until that day. For me, my life ends when I reach eighteen and can be with the one I love; I can’t imagine life beyond that.
***
Have you noticed how Viggo Mortensen gets hotter the filthier he gets?
***
You know, I have a reputation to protect. I am tough, bordering on the cynical. I’m a realist, damn it.
And yet, I always, always find myself sinking into the deepest pits of SHALLOW.
Boys. All because of boys.
Boys bring out my dark, superficial side.
***
Some people think I’m scared of dead people because when I go to wakes, I never approach the deceased’s casket. I don’t know if that is considered bad manners, which is why I’m not comfortable going to wakes.
The real reason is this: I don’t want my last memory of that person be of him/her lying down dead in his/her coffin.
***
Do you notice how it seemed like happiness is fleeting but grief is all-consuming?
***
The air is thick with the raucous sound of drunken laughter drifting from the neighbor store below through her open window. She hears without listening, oblivious to the outside voices intruding in her room. It’s a hot summer night, and she’s alone in her room, and with her thoughts.
***
I’m not good at discussing religion. I do less than what my religion expects me to, so that makes me less qualified to defend my own religion or to even criticize another.
On my way home last night, a teenage girl who looks like she’s no older than 18, asked the jeepney driver: “kuya, pwede po bang mangaral?”. When the driver said yes, she immediately started preaching. Most of the passengers looked ill at ease to be riding in the same jeepney as the young girl preaching about man’s sinfulness and excesses. I should say I must look ill at ease, too. I didn’t know whether I should take out my earphones out of courtesy (although I can still hear her even with the music blaring in my ears) and whether doing so would just call attention to the fact that I own something that might be considered “man’s excesses”. I didn’t take out the earphones but I tried to listen, but my mind was wandering: when was the last time I ever did something like this for my religion? Her preaching didn’t last more than 10 minutes, but at that short span, I felt a pang of jealousy and pity. Jealousy, because the girl has the devotion and willingness to do something for what she believed in. Pity, well, nobody in the jeepney was paying her any attention. Everyone was busy looking at the opposite direction and some even have little smirks on their faces.
Before she ended her speech, the girl handed out white envelopes to the passengers. Does it make me a bad person if I say that I felt disappointment when I saw those envelopes?
***
This is my loyal, trusted and very battered Nokia 6600 – and I’m about to, sniff, replace it. I say that with a really heavy heart. It’s like what I said before: a mobile phone, for some, might be a luxury, and for others, a necessity. For me, my phone is an extension of my personality.
***
I am going to bore you with a topic which, in the right hands, might be interesting, but because it’s me, is going to be long-winded and unintelligible. But I don’t have anyone to discuss this with, so I’m blogging about it.
If I could, I would ignore any and all news, especially concerning the global economy and financial markets, but because it’s part of my job, I HAVE to. And yes, I’ve been consuming some REALLY BAD news for almost six months now, with no end in sight and it’s hard not to be affected and get stressed over it.
Today I was doing additional reading on the Maddoff scandal. Bernard Maddoff was a former Nasdaq chairman and Wall Street market-maker who was recently charged with securities fraud. His business allegedly operated as a giant Ponzi scheme (or what we Pinoys termed as pyramid scam) which cost its investors losses to the tune of approximately 50 FREAKIN’ BILLION US DOLLARS. I don’t know about you, but to me that looks an awful lot of money to lose, and it’s not even his.
Reading the newspaper accounts, it’s not hard to imagine why people would trust Maddoff with their money. He’s not some shady guy who approaches you with a promise of double digit returns on your money; he was a former Nasdaq chairman for heaven’s sake! If I have money, I would have invested, too.
Good thing I don’t have that kind of money.
***
It’s time for Jela’s Rant For The Day, The One In Which She Tries To Be A Smartass And Rant At Someone Who Don’t Exactly Read Her Blog And, What Exactly Is The Point Of This Post?
Someone’s comment on the song “One of Us” by Joan Osbourne: “Ang stupid naman ng song na yan! God is one of us? Eh di hindi na siya God!”.
Exactly the point of the song! The song is inviting us to imagine how God would be if He's like us (“What if God was one of us?”). And anyway, the song is not a critique against God, but a song about His believers (at least that’s how I understood it). It’s simple, really: would we still worship God if He is just like us – imperfect, truly human? If we take away His mystery (“if God has a name, what would it be?...”; “if God has a face, what would it look like?...”), would we still believe?
***
Through this post I am going to bore you all by discussing something I watched on the National Geographic Channel.
I watched “Fight Science” last Saturday and it was both educational and entertaining for me. It was awesome the way they combined martial arts, motion-capture technology and biomechanics science to, in their words, “find out which discipline has the hardest hits, the fastest moves and the deadliest weapons”. Personally, I was too engrossed with the way they were beating the shit out of the crash test dummies to properly watch, but a lot of things stood out for me.
They have representatives from the various martial arts disciplines like boxing, muay thai, ju-jitsu, karate, taekwondo, kung fu and ninjitsu. My moment of ignorance came when a Filipino fighting technique, kali, was shown, and my reaction was “Huh? Never heard of it!”. I guess I was more familiar with the term arnis.
***
“Kung ikaw ang papipiliin, ano ang mas gusto mo: ang matsismis na bakla o ang matsismis na pumapatol sa bakla?”
That was a question posed to a contestant of a reality talent search competition. It just struck me as a really obnoxious question.
***
I know I’ve always said that given a choice, I’d rather be a man. Yet if there’s one thing about being female I’m thankful for, it’s that my sexuality is not questioned as much as most men’s are.
***
Time Waits For No Man
At certain points in our lives, we come to live for a particular year or event in our future. At least, that has been the case for me.
When I was about four or five years old, I was looking forward to being a doctor at the age of twenty five. For me, my life ends when I become a doctor at that age; I can’t imagine life beyond that.
When I was in elementary, I no longer wanted to be a doctor. I just can’t wait to reach college. When you’re in primary school, studying in college seemed to be the height of cool. For me, my life ends when I reach college; I can’t imagine life beyond that.
When I was twelve, a high school freshman and at the height of some silly infatuation, I can’t wait to reach the age of eighteen. At that age, I would be allowed to have a boyfriend and my crush at that time promised to wait until that day. For me, my life ends when I reach eighteen and can be with the one I love; I can’t imagine life beyond that.
***
Have you noticed how Viggo Mortensen gets hotter the filthier he gets?
***
You know, I have a reputation to protect. I am tough, bordering on the cynical. I’m a realist, damn it.
And yet, I always, always find myself sinking into the deepest pits of SHALLOW.
Boys. All because of boys.
Boys bring out my dark, superficial side.
***
Some people think I’m scared of dead people because when I go to wakes, I never approach the deceased’s casket. I don’t know if that is considered bad manners, which is why I’m not comfortable going to wakes.
The real reason is this: I don’t want my last memory of that person be of him/her lying down dead in his/her coffin.
***
Do you notice how it seemed like happiness is fleeting but grief is all-consuming?
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Easter Promises
I went to sleep today to a "Happy Easter!" text message. It was not so much as a very advance greeting but was more like me sleeping really, really late. Goodness, I was still awake by 5:30 this morning! (my reply to the text: "Happy Easter, too! Did you wake up really early or are you still trying to sleep like me?")
I finally managed to get a grade of A in Big Brain Academy after so many attempts to top my previous A minus grade. It was a bit disappointing, though, to go from having the brain of Pythagoras to having the brain of a movie critic. No offense to movie critics, who I'm pretty sure are really bright people, but I was expecting something like, I don't know, Newton? Certainly not Einstein but someone close. Makes me wonder if they just randomly assign brain types to your scores.
Anyway, Big Brain Academy was not what kept me awake until the following morning. After I beat my own score, I decided to replay some stages in Ninjatown where I didn't get the highest possible score. I'm... kind of a dork that way. The penultimate stage was still driving me nuts when I decided to check the time and realize that it's already 5 in the morning!
It took me probably 45 minutes to go to sleep. Then I had this spooky dream: I was out with friends and we were taking pictures. The problem was, my digicam shows a different background image for each shot I took! My friends were all in the picture, but the scenery changed to how the surrounding might have looked like about 50 years ago. Creepy! Do you have those moments that you are aware that you're dreaming and want to wake yourself up from that dream? So I had that moment, but I didn't wake up (not immediately, anyway). I decided to leave that place and go - to McDonald's! I was in line and there's a guy behind me who I felt was trying to look at my face. And then he made a pass on me which prompted me to splash his face with a cup of coke. The guy turned out to be an old crush of mine and I was kind of crying inside that his dream-self was a perv.
Then I woke up and it was only past 8 in the morning. Argh! I haven't been asleep for more than 3 hours! I woke up to more Easter greetings. One of the messages said: "It's morning again. Get up and wear a perfect smile! Embrace the day with sheer delight, and let us thank the Lord for an added life. Happy Easter!" This one made me grin and mutter a silent "thanks!" for another day. Then I promptly went back to sleep.
I woke up again for the second time today, about 3 hours later, and mutter another silent "thanks!" not just for an added day but for the privilege to wake up and to sleep any time I want to!
Sorry, this is such a random post. I have a weird morning today. Happy Easter everyone! :)
I finally managed to get a grade of A in Big Brain Academy after so many attempts to top my previous A minus grade. It was a bit disappointing, though, to go from having the brain of Pythagoras to having the brain of a movie critic. No offense to movie critics, who I'm pretty sure are really bright people, but I was expecting something like, I don't know, Newton? Certainly not Einstein but someone close. Makes me wonder if they just randomly assign brain types to your scores.
Anyway, Big Brain Academy was not what kept me awake until the following morning. After I beat my own score, I decided to replay some stages in Ninjatown where I didn't get the highest possible score. I'm... kind of a dork that way. The penultimate stage was still driving me nuts when I decided to check the time and realize that it's already 5 in the morning!
It took me probably 45 minutes to go to sleep. Then I had this spooky dream: I was out with friends and we were taking pictures. The problem was, my digicam shows a different background image for each shot I took! My friends were all in the picture, but the scenery changed to how the surrounding might have looked like about 50 years ago. Creepy! Do you have those moments that you are aware that you're dreaming and want to wake yourself up from that dream? So I had that moment, but I didn't wake up (not immediately, anyway). I decided to leave that place and go - to McDonald's! I was in line and there's a guy behind me who I felt was trying to look at my face. And then he made a pass on me which prompted me to splash his face with a cup of coke. The guy turned out to be an old crush of mine and I was kind of crying inside that his dream-self was a perv.
Then I woke up and it was only past 8 in the morning. Argh! I haven't been asleep for more than 3 hours! I woke up to more Easter greetings. One of the messages said: "It's morning again. Get up and wear a perfect smile! Embrace the day with sheer delight, and let us thank the Lord for an added life. Happy Easter!" This one made me grin and mutter a silent "thanks!" for another day. Then I promptly went back to sleep.
I woke up again for the second time today, about 3 hours later, and mutter another silent "thanks!" not just for an added day but for the privilege to wake up and to sleep any time I want to!
Sorry, this is such a random post. I have a weird morning today. Happy Easter everyone! :)
Friday, April 3, 2009
Enter Sandman
Hush little baby, dont say a word
And never mind that noise you heard
It's just the beast under your bed,
In your closet, in your head
Enter Sandman - Metallica
I love watching horror flicks. Although I prefer psychological thrillers, I can also watch slasher and splatter films. But just because I like watching scary movies doesn't mean I'm made of sterner stuff! A lot of things scare me shitless: spiders, waking up in a dark room, Pennywise the clown, Dementors, Pacquiao becoming President. Here are some of the things that scared me as a kid:
1. Chucky
Yes, that movie about the homicidal doll. Its recent incarnations are more of a parody of the original movie and horror genre, but the first film? Scared the crap out of me as a kid. Someone thought it was a great idea to feature this movie in a film showing for GRADE SCHOOL students. I was in Grade 2 that time and everyone in the morning classes were assembled in the school quadrangle. We had no idea what movie we would be watching, just delighted to be pulled out from our classes. And then the scarefest started. The worst part I remember was that the lights were turned off but there were little patches of sunlight streaming through the slits in the school gates and the effect was eerie. I couldn’t even squirm properly because of all the kids Indian-sit-ed on the ground. But there’s nothing more terrifying to a seven year old than the thought of a doll come to life and who would kill just about anybody – and especially its kid owner!
2. Panday
My family watched the movie the night before we’re scheduled to go to the province for a vacation. Great, just great. What better way to precede a visit to the rural countryside than the sight of a white lady gliding across a field chasing after a very scared Lando. I refused to walk on the pilapil and insisted that I be carried for fear of being snatched by a creature hiding in the shallow rice field. My grandma’s bahay kubo reminded me of the house where the white lady lived, so naturally I slept very well (not). To this day, that white lady and Lizardo’s maniacal laugh still make my skin crawl.
3. Lucila Lalu
Erap used to host this show called Hotline sa Trese. One time they featured the case of Lucila Lalu. In the late 60’s(or 70’s?), Lucila was murdered and her body parts chopped and scattered all over the metro. Yes, that show is a very appropriate viewing experience for a grade school student. When the program was over, my mom asked my brother to go to our aunt’s house a few blocks away to get something. My brother, the brave little boy he was, told me to go with him. I, the sweet and obedient sister I was, went with him. On the way to our aunt’s house, he kept muttering “andyan na ang ulo ni Lucila Lalu!” in this annoyingly scary deep voice! So each time he did that, I would say the same thing back… and increase my walking speed. And my brother would do the same thing! The whole time we were doing this scare tactic I was fully and terrifyingly aware how DARK and almost deserted the street was, and thought that random thrash cans and scattered objects we passed by were perfect places to hide Lucila Lalu’s head! Until now, headless and dismembered corpses makes me want to run away and hide.
4. Spiders
If you ever wonder why I’m scared of spiders, here’s why. One time a toy (I forgot what it was, probably a jackstone ball) rolled under a drawer. I tried to retrieve it by reaching in under the drawer through a hole that’s small enough for my arm to fit in. I couldn’t peep through the hole when I put my arm, so I blindly swiped my hands around under the drawer to find the toy. As I was doing this, SOMETHING suddenly crawled on my hands all the way to my elbow! Before I could even remove my arm from under the drawer, that spider crawled out of the hole, pass my elbow and into my shoulder! I was screaming and wriggling my arms like crazy trying to stop that thing from crawling to my face! Those who say that there’s nothing to fear but fear itself, well, dear sirs, I beg to differ. There’s nothing more terrifying in this world than a spindly many-legged creature crawling in your skin… excuse me while I curl myself into a fetal position and try to block the memories of that day.
What are your childhood nightmare fuels?
And never mind that noise you heard
It's just the beast under your bed,
In your closet, in your head
Enter Sandman - Metallica
I love watching horror flicks. Although I prefer psychological thrillers, I can also watch slasher and splatter films. But just because I like watching scary movies doesn't mean I'm made of sterner stuff! A lot of things scare me shitless: spiders, waking up in a dark room, Pennywise the clown, Dementors, Pacquiao becoming President. Here are some of the things that scared me as a kid:
1. Chucky
Yes, that movie about the homicidal doll. Its recent incarnations are more of a parody of the original movie and horror genre, but the first film? Scared the crap out of me as a kid. Someone thought it was a great idea to feature this movie in a film showing for GRADE SCHOOL students. I was in Grade 2 that time and everyone in the morning classes were assembled in the school quadrangle. We had no idea what movie we would be watching, just delighted to be pulled out from our classes. And then the scarefest started. The worst part I remember was that the lights were turned off but there were little patches of sunlight streaming through the slits in the school gates and the effect was eerie. I couldn’t even squirm properly because of all the kids Indian-sit-ed on the ground. But there’s nothing more terrifying to a seven year old than the thought of a doll come to life and who would kill just about anybody – and especially its kid owner!
2. Panday
My family watched the movie the night before we’re scheduled to go to the province for a vacation. Great, just great. What better way to precede a visit to the rural countryside than the sight of a white lady gliding across a field chasing after a very scared Lando. I refused to walk on the pilapil and insisted that I be carried for fear of being snatched by a creature hiding in the shallow rice field. My grandma’s bahay kubo reminded me of the house where the white lady lived, so naturally I slept very well (not). To this day, that white lady and Lizardo’s maniacal laugh still make my skin crawl.
3. Lucila Lalu
Erap used to host this show called Hotline sa Trese. One time they featured the case of Lucila Lalu. In the late 60’s(or 70’s?), Lucila was murdered and her body parts chopped and scattered all over the metro. Yes, that show is a very appropriate viewing experience for a grade school student. When the program was over, my mom asked my brother to go to our aunt’s house a few blocks away to get something. My brother, the brave little boy he was, told me to go with him. I, the sweet and obedient sister I was, went with him. On the way to our aunt’s house, he kept muttering “andyan na ang ulo ni Lucila Lalu!” in this annoyingly scary deep voice! So each time he did that, I would say the same thing back… and increase my walking speed. And my brother would do the same thing! The whole time we were doing this scare tactic I was fully and terrifyingly aware how DARK and almost deserted the street was, and thought that random thrash cans and scattered objects we passed by were perfect places to hide Lucila Lalu’s head! Until now, headless and dismembered corpses makes me want to run away and hide.
4. Spiders
If you ever wonder why I’m scared of spiders, here’s why. One time a toy (I forgot what it was, probably a jackstone ball) rolled under a drawer. I tried to retrieve it by reaching in under the drawer through a hole that’s small enough for my arm to fit in. I couldn’t peep through the hole when I put my arm, so I blindly swiped my hands around under the drawer to find the toy. As I was doing this, SOMETHING suddenly crawled on my hands all the way to my elbow! Before I could even remove my arm from under the drawer, that spider crawled out of the hole, pass my elbow and into my shoulder! I was screaming and wriggling my arms like crazy trying to stop that thing from crawling to my face! Those who say that there’s nothing to fear but fear itself, well, dear sirs, I beg to differ. There’s nothing more terrifying in this world than a spindly many-legged creature crawling in your skin… excuse me while I curl myself into a fetal position and try to block the memories of that day.
What are your childhood nightmare fuels?
Thursday, January 8, 2009
The sooner you fall behind, the more time you will have to catch up...
I’ve been cleaning up my emails and files (personal and work-related) since Tuesday. It was tedious work because… well, I’ve been too lazy to delete stuffs that I had accumulated so much emails and files.
I started with the personal emails and files. My friends and I had this habit of turning our emails into pseudo-YMs and being the lazy person that I am, most of the messages are still stored in my personal folder. It was both fun and sad to go through each messages before deleting as I reminisce about those topics that we talked about.
Another fun moment was reading stuffs I previously wrote, especially those unfinished drafts of blog entries that I did not post or abandoned entirely, for one reason or another.
This one made me go “aaww…”
Screw my rule of not going out with a guy to watch a movie. If he asks me to watch “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”, I am going to say YES. And he’ll be my boyfriend na. Hahaha…
That is, assuming we get past the “ngitian pag nagkasalubong” stage that we are in now. Also, assuming that he does like me and I do like him back, because I doubt whether I like him enough right now.
Wala, gusto ko lang ng may kangitian hahaha…
What’s funny was the line I bolded because as it turns out, I do like him enough! Enough that even a year after learning he’s very much married already, I still feel kilig when I see him. *bangs head against the wall*
Then I did something stupid and embarrassing with my work emails. You see, my outlook settings is such that even after reading an email, it will not be marked as “read”. So, I was mass deleting emails from 2006 and 2007 when an officemate called me to say something like “Whoa! You flooded my inbox with tons and tons of ‘deleted without being read’ receipts from you!” Even my boss called my attention because he received the same notifications! Darn it! So now I make sure that I mark everything as read before deleting anything.
Next stop – my yahoo account. Ever since Yahoo had that unlimited mail space I have not deleted most of the emails I received! The problem is that whenever I’m looking for an old email, I have to trawl through other useless stuffs before I find what I was looking for.
Obviously, my goal for this year is to be organized. It’s not really my strongest point but at least I’m trying!
I started with the personal emails and files. My friends and I had this habit of turning our emails into pseudo-YMs and being the lazy person that I am, most of the messages are still stored in my personal folder. It was both fun and sad to go through each messages before deleting as I reminisce about those topics that we talked about.
Another fun moment was reading stuffs I previously wrote, especially those unfinished drafts of blog entries that I did not post or abandoned entirely, for one reason or another.
This one made me go “aaww…”
Screw my rule of not going out with a guy to watch a movie. If he asks me to watch “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”, I am going to say YES. And he’ll be my boyfriend na. Hahaha…
That is, assuming we get past the “ngitian pag nagkasalubong” stage that we are in now. Also, assuming that he does like me and I do like him back, because I doubt whether I like him enough right now.
Wala, gusto ko lang ng may kangitian hahaha…
What’s funny was the line I bolded because as it turns out, I do like him enough! Enough that even a year after learning he’s very much married already, I still feel kilig when I see him. *bangs head against the wall*
Then I did something stupid and embarrassing with my work emails. You see, my outlook settings is such that even after reading an email, it will not be marked as “read”. So, I was mass deleting emails from 2006 and 2007 when an officemate called me to say something like “Whoa! You flooded my inbox with tons and tons of ‘deleted without being read’ receipts from you!” Even my boss called my attention because he received the same notifications! Darn it! So now I make sure that I mark everything as read before deleting anything.
Next stop – my yahoo account. Ever since Yahoo had that unlimited mail space I have not deleted most of the emails I received! The problem is that whenever I’m looking for an old email, I have to trawl through other useless stuffs before I find what I was looking for.
Obviously, my goal for this year is to be organized. It’s not really my strongest point but at least I’m trying!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Do Not Want
I'm not excited to be back at the office. The problem with long vacation is that it takes a long time for my body and mind to let go of its slacker status. Not to mention that I still find myself alive, alert, awake and enthusiastic at ungodly hours. And the weather is making matters worse by giving me more incentive to stay and curl up in bed and snuggle against my fave pillow. Who wants to take a cold bath at six in the morning?
Anyway.
As you can see, there's been changes in my blog. This is still underslow construction so please excuse the abysmal layout and ignore the "read more..." link because it's not yet working properly.
I'm not... happy with changing my blog address and title. My blog title, especially, since I always thought it described well the contents of this blog. "Incredibly Shallow" worked nicely with my other blog but I'm not sure if it's the right one for this, but for now, it stays.
I'm staying, too, for now. So please bear with me as I make changes here and there. :)
Anyway.
As you can see, there's been changes in my blog. This is still under
I'm not... happy with changing my blog address and title. My blog title, especially, since I always thought it described well the contents of this blog. "Incredibly Shallow" worked nicely with my other blog but I'm not sure if it's the right one for this, but for now, it stays.
I'm staying, too, for now. So please bear with me as I make changes here and there. :)
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Whatever Yaya, Christmas Na!
I just got home from work - the long vacation in our country officially begins now!
It was kind of lonely walking in Makati carrying around too much stuffs. My friends were either on leave or went home early so I felt a bit alone and sad. But I realize - how often do I see an almost deserted Ayala Avenue with no harassed corporate slaves in sight? The traffic was surprisingly light and by the time I got home, I feel a lot better. Hey, it's Christmas! That should be reason enough to feel happy and thankful. :)
It was kind of lonely walking in Makati carrying around too much stuffs. My friends were either on leave or went home early so I felt a bit alone and sad. But I realize - how often do I see an almost deserted Ayala Avenue with no harassed corporate slaves in sight? The traffic was surprisingly light and by the time I got home, I feel a lot better. Hey, it's Christmas! That should be reason enough to feel happy and thankful. :)
This post is brought to you by Arashi:
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Catfight
My youngest brother and I are arguing over the gender of our kitten. He says it’s a he, and I believed him at first. Then a few nights ago, I accidentally saw our kitten with our tomcat and they’re, uh, doing the deed. Well, it looked like they’re doing it because the tomcat is on the kitten’s top and is biting on the latter’s nape (okay, I know you probably don’t want to read about cats having sex any more than I wanted to have seen what I saw but bear with me. I need to justfiy myself here!). I tried to shoo both away from each other but the cats ignored me. In hindsight, I think I didn’t shoo enough because I was afraid that the cats would angrily swipe at me for interrupting them.
So the next morning, I told my brother and my mom about it. My mom was shocked but my brother just scoffed at me.
“Lalaki yun”, he stated matter-of-factly.
“Eh ano yung nakita ko?!!”
“Baka tinuturuan lang.”
“Baka gay yung pusa.”
You don’t need to know who said what.
So the next morning, I told my brother and my mom about it. My mom was shocked but my brother just scoffed at me.
“Lalaki yun”, he stated matter-of-factly.
“Eh ano yung nakita ko?!!”
“Baka tinuturuan lang.”
“Baka gay yung pusa.”
You don’t need to know who said what.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
The Freedom-I-Love-Freedom Post
Drumroll please.
Ladies and gentlemen, today is the start of my 8-day vacation leave. That's about 13 days without work! Yeah baby! I don't have to go back to the office until December 2!
(And what a way to start the vacation by going to bedlast night this morning at around 3a.m.)
After not taking any vacation leave for more than 2 months, my chance to unwind has finally come. I don't have plans of going out of town - my vacation is going to be a one big slackfest! I'll catch up on movies, TV series, jdramas (of course), Arashi shows (This is a losing battle, I tell you. I don't think I could ever catch up. But who says I can't try?), books (still too many!), games (my DS lite is begging for a new owner who will pay her more attention), blogging (like, haha), job-hunting (sshh!), and sleep, dude, SLEEP.
And now I realize, my 8-day vacation may not be enough.
It's really hard to find their so-called "balanced" life. There never seems to be enough time for everything - I want to have time for myself, time for my family, time for my friends, time to search for my long lost love (yeah right), time to make my mark in this world (naks). I don't know if I'm wrong for wanting to do a lot of things, and then worry that I'm not really doing anything substantive. But hey, nothing wrong with doing what makes me happy, right?
I haven't discussed my favorite season yet. Aside from tormenting my officemates with sappy Tagalog Christmas songs they want to kill me already, I'm yet to do anything Christmas-related. I haven't listed down yet my annual Christmas wish list! As usual, the list would probably consist mostly of books and downright expensive items that would put the WISH! in wish list. But if anyone would insist on giving me an Arashi photobook this Christmas, then I just have to accept it.
There's always the intangibles in our wish list - like good health for me and my love ones, sound mind and spirit, new experiences, world peace, an end to the economic recession, and someone I can say "I'm Yours" to on Valentine's Day (Ngek, intangible ba yun?! O eh ano! It's my godforsaken right to be loved, loved, loved.).
But I'm getting ahead of myself. For now I'll just enjoy this much anticipated break. Do you think my mom will allow me to watch Red Horse Musiklaban featuring SEPULTURA? Damn I want to go.
Ladies and gentlemen, today is the start of my 8-day vacation leave. That's about 13 days without work! Yeah baby! I don't have to go back to the office until December 2!
(And what a way to start the vacation by going to bed
After not taking any vacation leave for more than 2 months, my chance to unwind has finally come. I don't have plans of going out of town - my vacation is going to be a one big slackfest! I'll catch up on movies, TV series, jdramas (of course), Arashi shows (This is a losing battle, I tell you. I don't think I could ever catch up. But who says I can't try?), books (still too many!), games (my DS lite is begging for a new owner who will pay her more attention), blogging (like, haha), job-hunting (sshh!), and sleep, dude, SLEEP.
And now I realize, my 8-day vacation may not be enough.
It's really hard to find their so-called "balanced" life. There never seems to be enough time for everything - I want to have time for myself, time for my family, time for my friends, time to search for my long lost love (yeah right), time to make my mark in this world (naks). I don't know if I'm wrong for wanting to do a lot of things, and then worry that I'm not really doing anything substantive. But hey, nothing wrong with doing what makes me happy, right?
I haven't discussed my favorite season yet. Aside from tormenting my officemates with sappy Tagalog Christmas songs they want to kill me already, I'm yet to do anything Christmas-related. I haven't listed down yet my annual Christmas wish list! As usual, the list would probably consist mostly of books and downright expensive items that would put the WISH! in wish list. But if anyone would insist on giving me an Arashi photobook this Christmas, then I just have to accept it.
There's always the intangibles in our wish list - like good health for me and my love ones, sound mind and spirit, new experiences, world peace, an end to the economic recession, and someone I can say "I'm Yours" to on Valentine's Day (Ngek, intangible ba yun?! O eh ano! It's my godforsaken right to be loved, loved, loved.).
But I'm getting ahead of myself. For now I'll just enjoy this much anticipated break. Do you think my mom will allow me to watch Red Horse Musiklaban featuring SEPULTURA? Damn I want to go.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Random Nutty Mutterings
I had my hair cut last Monday. It looked nice after a blow dry but two days after, may mga tikwas na uli! I’m not complaining, though; I like my hair now. I was advised against having a short haircut because it will make me look fatter but what the heck. I worn my hair long for quite some time already and while it made me look older, I thought that I also look boring. Well, now you know I’d rather look fat than boring. Ha.
***
I don’t like writing business communications. You would think that being a corporate slave this long I had mastered how to communicate efficiently. It’s not that I suck at writing business letters or emails, sometimes I just don’t like how I “sound” in those forms of communications, if you know what I mean. The way I write in my blog approximates how I speak in person (mouthy, rambling and incoherent), and that’s something that I can’t do in the corporate world (or I would have been fired a long time ago!).
Of course, over the years I’ve developed some pet peeves with regards to business correspondences I read. I understand that one has to use polite words to show respect, but too much use - “We respectfully would like to request to kindly please blah blah blah…” - is icky. Also – “As per our discussion…” – I think “As discussed…” or “Per our discussion…” would suffice. Then there’s – “Please advice.” when what the sender actually mean was “Please advise.”.
I also have a problem with “not unless”. Unless I’m wrong, I take it that some use this phrase to mean “except” or “but”, in which case, hindi ba dapat “unless” lang? Doesn’t the “not” negate the “unless? What do you think, grammar people?
***
Yesterday I was pissed off. Now I’m just sad.
I’ve known that kind of people all my life. You would call them sycophants or kiss-ass, but I prefer the Tagalog word sipsip. I want to believe that the sipsips of the world never really bothered me. In the grand scheme of things, what does it matter if the difference between being the third grade first honor and second honor student was a dress given as a Christmas gift? What does it matter if you reluctantly lose a few bucks so that your class can give roses to your terror Law professor on Valentine’s Day? I’ve learned to accept that being an honor student or getting good grades wasn’t always merit-based. Maybe in the real world, my work would actually matter.
Then later in life you will meet a more evolved form of sipsips and it’s really, really frustrating that not only do they get away from kissing other people’s ass, they also get ahead of everyone else. What does it matter if on their way to the top they also manage to kick others down?
Life is so unfair, and it sucks to be at the receiving end of that.
***
You know you’re in trouble when your 7-year old nephew is now asking you if you already have a boyfriend. Gadamnit.
***
I don’t like writing business communications. You would think that being a corporate slave this long I had mastered how to communicate efficiently. It’s not that I suck at writing business letters or emails, sometimes I just don’t like how I “sound” in those forms of communications, if you know what I mean. The way I write in my blog approximates how I speak in person (mouthy, rambling and incoherent), and that’s something that I can’t do in the corporate world (or I would have been fired a long time ago!).
Of course, over the years I’ve developed some pet peeves with regards to business correspondences I read. I understand that one has to use polite words to show respect, but too much use - “We respectfully would like to request to kindly please blah blah blah…” - is icky. Also – “As per our discussion…” – I think “As discussed…” or “Per our discussion…” would suffice. Then there’s – “Please advice.” when what the sender actually mean was “Please advise.”.
I also have a problem with “not unless”. Unless I’m wrong, I take it that some use this phrase to mean “except” or “but”, in which case, hindi ba dapat “unless” lang? Doesn’t the “not” negate the “unless? What do you think, grammar people?
***
Yesterday I was pissed off. Now I’m just sad.
I’ve known that kind of people all my life. You would call them sycophants or kiss-ass, but I prefer the Tagalog word sipsip. I want to believe that the sipsips of the world never really bothered me. In the grand scheme of things, what does it matter if the difference between being the third grade first honor and second honor student was a dress given as a Christmas gift? What does it matter if you reluctantly lose a few bucks so that your class can give roses to your terror Law professor on Valentine’s Day? I’ve learned to accept that being an honor student or getting good grades wasn’t always merit-based. Maybe in the real world, my work would actually matter.
Then later in life you will meet a more evolved form of sipsips and it’s really, really frustrating that not only do they get away from kissing other people’s ass, they also get ahead of everyone else. What does it matter if on their way to the top they also manage to kick others down?
Life is so unfair, and it sucks to be at the receiving end of that.
***
You know you’re in trouble when your 7-year old nephew is now asking you if you already have a boyfriend. Gadamnit.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Happiness Might Be Fleeting, But Damn I'm Happy!
Best. Damn. News. Ever.
My certification exam has been moved from September 2 to third week of October.
*cue loud shrieks of joy and relief*
This news couldn’t come at a better time because I’m so high strung right now. My quiet desperation from the previous weeks was abruptly turned into a full blown panic mode this week when I realized that I’m running out of time.
Only 2 weeks left to study!
300+ pages to go!
When I met with fellow examinees last Tuesday, my nerves just about reached its limits.
They have notes!
They have effin’ index cards!
I only managed to sleep through the section on what constitutes material information!
So now, I can rest my neurotic self and just enjoy the long weekends! Of course, I won’t be stopping with my review (swear), but now I have more breathing room and I can study without the pressure breathing down my neck.
So wish me luck! Or more aptly, wish me self-discipline and motivation!
***
In other news – oh yeah, I haven’t told yet the story behind my little accident.
I totally wish that the reason behind my injury was something fascinating or awe-inspiring, but noooo, it’s plain clumsiness. My right ring finger got caught in a van’s sliding door as I was closing it. Ouch.
But dude, dit it hurt! My jeepney ride after that accident was the nastiest ever. I was puffing my cheeks and pursing my lips to keep myself from crying because it was just so painful and I can see the blood trapped behind my fingernails and it’s grossing me out. I can’t wait to get home but the ride just seemed too slow.
I had my right hand x-rayed last Monday since my finger is still swollen. The good news is that I have no broken or dislocated bones. The bad news is that there’s a wound behind my fingernail. Even if the thought of having my fingernail removed is a bit disconcerting, I want to have a surgery to remove the blood clot. My mom is opposed to the idea and assures me that my fingernail will eventually go back to its normal appearance. I’m undecided; right now I’m leaning towards the surgery but o m g missing fingernail!
Everyone thinks it’s a good thing that I’m left handed, but since I spend most of my time in front of the computer it hardly matters. It’s hard to type, especially on the numeric keypad that I use a lot. It’s also hard to do other things, like shampoo my hair or carry a tray. Being the clumsy that I am, I manage to bump my swollen finger in every surface available!
I’m probably going to spend my birthday with one fingernail missing, but I can’t complain. There are other things to be thankful for, right? Besides, injuring my right ring finger made me appreciate what I can do with two useful hands. Best not to take anything for granted!
My certification exam has been moved from September 2 to third week of October.
*cue loud shrieks of joy and relief*
This news couldn’t come at a better time because I’m so high strung right now. My quiet desperation from the previous weeks was abruptly turned into a full blown panic mode this week when I realized that I’m running out of time.
Only 2 weeks left to study!
300+ pages to go!
When I met with fellow examinees last Tuesday, my nerves just about reached its limits.
They have notes!
They have effin’ index cards!
I only managed to sleep through the section on what constitutes material information!
So now, I can rest my neurotic self and just enjoy the long weekends! Of course, I won’t be stopping with my review (swear), but now I have more breathing room and I can study without the pressure breathing down my neck.
So wish me luck! Or more aptly, wish me self-discipline and motivation!
***
In other news – oh yeah, I haven’t told yet the story behind my little accident.
I totally wish that the reason behind my injury was something fascinating or awe-inspiring, but noooo, it’s plain clumsiness. My right ring finger got caught in a van’s sliding door as I was closing it. Ouch.
But dude, dit it hurt! My jeepney ride after that accident was the nastiest ever. I was puffing my cheeks and pursing my lips to keep myself from crying because it was just so painful and I can see the blood trapped behind my fingernails and it’s grossing me out. I can’t wait to get home but the ride just seemed too slow.
I had my right hand x-rayed last Monday since my finger is still swollen. The good news is that I have no broken or dislocated bones. The bad news is that there’s a wound behind my fingernail. Even if the thought of having my fingernail removed is a bit disconcerting, I want to have a surgery to remove the blood clot. My mom is opposed to the idea and assures me that my fingernail will eventually go back to its normal appearance. I’m undecided; right now I’m leaning towards the surgery but o m g missing fingernail!
Everyone thinks it’s a good thing that I’m left handed, but since I spend most of my time in front of the computer it hardly matters. It’s hard to type, especially on the numeric keypad that I use a lot. It’s also hard to do other things, like shampoo my hair or carry a tray. Being the clumsy that I am, I manage to bump my swollen finger in every surface available!
I’m probably going to spend my birthday with one fingernail missing, but I can’t complain. There are other things to be thankful for, right? Besides, injuring my right ring finger made me appreciate what I can do with two useful hands. Best not to take anything for granted!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
I'll Never Let You Go
Since I left my iPod at the office last night, I tuned in to my mobile phone’s radio today on the way to work. It’s been a long while since I last listened to Chico and Del and dude! how I miss their Top Tens! The topic today was “Top Ten Things That Are Hard To Let Go”. It was a good topic because the answers were pretty diverse, but there are two replies that I really like.
The first answer that I absolutely can relate to is, of course, Harry Potter. I know! I just can’t let go of Harry Potter! More than a year since book 7 was released and sometimes I still can’t believe that the wait for the end was actually over. Like most fans, I’m still hoping against hope that Jo would write more about the boy wizard. I’m crossing my fingers that The Tales of Beedle The Bard will be available here, otherwise, I have some power-begging to do so that my friend abroad will buy me one!
The second answer I like had something to do with scent. The sender (I forgot whether it’s a he or a she. For simplicity let’s assume it’s a he.), said that he find it hard to let go after every dates, because the scent of his girlfriend still lingers. It’s totally aawww… and something I can relate to. There’s this scent that always remind me of someone, and each time I catch that same scent from another, it hits me hard and reminds me how much I miss this person.
Oopps… someone’s getting mushy!
And yeah, I think I need to tune in to radio more!
P.S.
I meant to post something yesterday, but I’m not sure whether I really want to share it so I saved it in my drafts. Maybe one day I’ll just change my mind about it hehehe… I just want to say that despite the current pressures in my life, I found one thing that’s making me really happy now. I don’t know if I should be, but what the heck, I just am!
The first answer that I absolutely can relate to is, of course, Harry Potter. I know! I just can’t let go of Harry Potter! More than a year since book 7 was released and sometimes I still can’t believe that the wait for the end was actually over. Like most fans, I’m still hoping against hope that Jo would write more about the boy wizard. I’m crossing my fingers that The Tales of Beedle The Bard will be available here, otherwise, I have some power-begging to do so that my friend abroad will buy me one!
The second answer I like had something to do with scent. The sender (I forgot whether it’s a he or a she. For simplicity let’s assume it’s a he.), said that he find it hard to let go after every dates, because the scent of his girlfriend still lingers. It’s totally aawww… and something I can relate to. There’s this scent that always remind me of someone, and each time I catch that same scent from another, it hits me hard and reminds me how much I miss this person.
Oopps… someone’s getting mushy!
And yeah, I think I need to tune in to radio more!
P.S.
I meant to post something yesterday, but I’m not sure whether I really want to share it so I saved it in my drafts. Maybe one day I’ll just change my mind about it hehehe… I just want to say that despite the current pressures in my life, I found one thing that’s making me really happy now. I don’t know if I should be, but what the heck, I just am!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Pop Deficient
While watching Jesse McCartney’s new vid on MTV at Grilla:
Me: Mas gwapo siya kay Nick ng Backstreet Boys.
Officemate: Bakit magka-age ba sila?
Me: Mas matanda si Nick. Kapatid niya yan di ba?
Officemate: Hindi ba si Aaron Carter yung kapatid ni Nick?
Me: Ha? Iba ba yun? Ay oo nga Carter nga pala apelyido ni Nick!
***
While browsing ONTD, one entry has the mug shot of a woman with the caption " Which celebrity’s mom got arrested?" The clue to the answer was “I want candy”. My initial thought was: “OMG? Mandy Moore’s mom?!”
Then I click the link, and the correct answer, of course, was Aaron Carter’s mom.
FAIL.
***
Since I already mentioned ONTD, can I just say I really enjoy browsing through that LJ community? It's raison d' etre is celebrity gossip, sure, but I found it less malicious than, say, PerezHilton, because it's a community and the topics are not subject to any author's bias. The comments are really wacky and the members are bat-shit crazy, especially when there's a current fad. When the news about Christian Bale's alleged assaulting of his own mother and sister broke, there were "I Believe in Christian Bale" comments even in news that had nothing to do with Christian Bale! (the "I Believe..." was the slogan of Harvey Dent in TDK)
Another recent series of funny comments was with regards to Michelle Williams' close relationship with one of Heath's closest friend. One commenter likened Michelle to Cho, saying that he is Harry to Michelle's Cho after Cedric died. It was immediately followed by comments quoting the conversation among the trio in OoTP when Hermione was explaining to the cluless Harry and Ron what Cho was probably going though! It went like this:
Comment 1: Well, obviously, she's feeling sad, because of Cedric dying. Then she's feeling confused because she liked Cedric and now she likes Harry and she can't work out who she like best.
Comment 2: One can't feel all that and not explode
Comment 3: Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon...
It's Harry Potter, what can I say? :)
Me: Mas gwapo siya kay Nick ng Backstreet Boys.
Officemate: Bakit magka-age ba sila?
Me: Mas matanda si Nick. Kapatid niya yan di ba?
Officemate: Hindi ba si Aaron Carter yung kapatid ni Nick?
Me: Ha? Iba ba yun? Ay oo nga Carter nga pala apelyido ni Nick!
***
While browsing ONTD, one entry has the mug shot of a woman with the caption " Which celebrity’s mom got arrested?" The clue to the answer was “I want candy”. My initial thought was: “OMG? Mandy Moore’s mom?!”
Then I click the link, and the correct answer, of course, was Aaron Carter’s mom.
FAIL.
***
Since I already mentioned ONTD, can I just say I really enjoy browsing through that LJ community? It's raison d' etre is celebrity gossip, sure, but I found it less malicious than, say, PerezHilton, because it's a community and the topics are not subject to any author's bias. The comments are really wacky and the members are bat-shit crazy, especially when there's a current fad. When the news about Christian Bale's alleged assaulting of his own mother and sister broke, there were "I Believe in Christian Bale" comments even in news that had nothing to do with Christian Bale! (the "I Believe..." was the slogan of Harvey Dent in TDK)
Another recent series of funny comments was with regards to Michelle Williams' close relationship with one of Heath's closest friend. One commenter likened Michelle to Cho, saying that he is Harry to Michelle's Cho after Cedric died. It was immediately followed by comments quoting the conversation among the trio in OoTP when Hermione was explaining to the cluless Harry and Ron what Cho was probably going though! It went like this:
Comment 1: Well, obviously, she's feeling sad, because of Cedric dying. Then she's feeling confused because she liked Cedric and now she likes Harry and she can't work out who she like best.
Comment 2: One can't feel all that and not explode
Comment 3: Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon...
It's Harry Potter, what can I say? :)
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Don't Fade Away, Cat
One of our cats died today and OhMyGosh I never thought I'd ever feel sad over a pet's death but I am.
We call her "Iyak" because she always meow noisily whenever we call her attention. She's old by cat standards; I always maintained that she's the mother of all the remaining cats. My mom found her this morning; I still gave her food last night. I want to think that she died in her sleep and her death wasn't painful.
We first adopted a stray cat when I was in primary school. He wasn't particularly pretty but he's friendly and he goes back to our house because my grandfather always give him food. Soon, he moved in and rarely venture out. Our cats are like that - maybe because we feed them well that they don't find the need to have a nighttime stroll in the neighborhood to scrounge for food. I remember that I have to bring a cat to our school for a Science report and I have to stuff the cat in my bulky backpack because he's scared of the new environment and was thrashing all over.
Iyak is sort of a second generation cat. There was a period when all of our cats moved out from the house. My youngest brother was the one to adopt her this time. She's pretty and cuddly, but has a temper. Sometimes she'll let us scratch her belly but more often she would hiss her disapproval at the slightest contact. Her death was a bit jarring because it was the first time that a cat died in our home. Our previous cats just disappear when they get old. We like to think that when a cat didn't go back to us, they chose to die (peacefully, we hope) someplace else.
I hope that Iyak is happy in their Cat Heaven and that she won't be as moody as she was while alive. I hope that she has lots of food to eat there and I hope she won't be choosy there. Your cat friends are missing you already here.
We call her "Iyak" because she always meow noisily whenever we call her attention. She's old by cat standards; I always maintained that she's the mother of all the remaining cats. My mom found her this morning; I still gave her food last night. I want to think that she died in her sleep and her death wasn't painful.
We first adopted a stray cat when I was in primary school. He wasn't particularly pretty but he's friendly and he goes back to our house because my grandfather always give him food. Soon, he moved in and rarely venture out. Our cats are like that - maybe because we feed them well that they don't find the need to have a nighttime stroll in the neighborhood to scrounge for food. I remember that I have to bring a cat to our school for a Science report and I have to stuff the cat in my bulky backpack because he's scared of the new environment and was thrashing all over.
Iyak is sort of a second generation cat. There was a period when all of our cats moved out from the house. My youngest brother was the one to adopt her this time. She's pretty and cuddly, but has a temper. Sometimes she'll let us scratch her belly but more often she would hiss her disapproval at the slightest contact. Her death was a bit jarring because it was the first time that a cat died in our home. Our previous cats just disappear when they get old. We like to think that when a cat didn't go back to us, they chose to die (peacefully, we hope) someplace else.
I hope that Iyak is happy in their Cat Heaven and that she won't be as moody as she was while alive. I hope that she has lots of food to eat there and I hope she won't be choosy there. Your cat friends are missing you already here.
Why So Serious?
Well, why not?
Funny is overrated. The one who laughs the hardest is the one who has the most pain to hide. Or something.
Better take some things seriously. Like me, for example.
Or maybe not.
***
Okay, that's not really my (full) entry for "Why So Serious". This WSS business, of course, was inspired by The Dark Knight. Mark, Jen and I had this idea after watching the movie to blog about anything and title it "Why So Serious?". Since Saturday I managed to form vague ideas that more or less ties in with the WSS tag but I always lose my thread of thought. The first two lines above is my most recent idea, but I can't follow it through, so I decided to complete this post with another... well, incomplete ramblings that I wrote sometime in April.
Why be too serious about this, right, Mark and Jen? :)
***
I was caught by surprise when someone said to me: “Alam mo ikaw, pare-pareho yung taste mo sa movies at books, ayaw mo ng happy ending!”. It prompted a surprise reaction from me as well: “Hindi naman kasi realistic ang happy endings!”. The next comment came immediately: “Ang pessimistic naman!”.
Crap.
I've always thought of myself as an optimistic and romantic person. Okay, so maybe the optimistic and romantic me is also a little cynical, matter-of-fact-ish, and unsentimental, but still. They say I’m pessimistic and don’t like happy endings like it’s such a bad thing!
It’s not that I don’t like happy endings per se, but I think that, sometimes, happy endings don’t work. When I said that “hindi realistic ang happy endings” I don’t mean that life doesn’t give us opportunities for happy endings, and therefore, fiction should reflect that. Life affords us happy endings, too, but not the and-they-lived-happily-ever-after kind of happy ending.
I don’t like endings where everything is resolved too conveniently. I don't like it when movies or books employ deus ex machina to resolve conflicts. It's such a cop-out. After all the drama and angst that the bida went through, I think he/she deserves more than a filthy rich, long lost relative to make it right.
***
Didn't I say it's an incomplete rambling? Anyway, this post seriously needs Nurse Joker!
Funny is overrated. The one who laughs the hardest is the one who has the most pain to hide. Or something.
Better take some things seriously. Like me, for example.
Or maybe not.
***
Okay, that's not really my (full) entry for "Why So Serious". This WSS business, of course, was inspired by The Dark Knight. Mark, Jen and I had this idea after watching the movie to blog about anything and title it "Why So Serious?". Since Saturday I managed to form vague ideas that more or less ties in with the WSS tag but I always lose my thread of thought. The first two lines above is my most recent idea, but I can't follow it through, so I decided to complete this post with another... well, incomplete ramblings that I wrote sometime in April.
Why be too serious about this, right, Mark and Jen? :)
***
I was caught by surprise when someone said to me: “Alam mo ikaw, pare-pareho yung taste mo sa movies at books, ayaw mo ng happy ending!”. It prompted a surprise reaction from me as well: “Hindi naman kasi realistic ang happy endings!”. The next comment came immediately: “Ang pessimistic naman!”.
Crap.
I've always thought of myself as an optimistic and romantic person. Okay, so maybe the optimistic and romantic me is also a little cynical, matter-of-fact-ish, and unsentimental, but still. They say I’m pessimistic and don’t like happy endings like it’s such a bad thing!
It’s not that I don’t like happy endings per se, but I think that, sometimes, happy endings don’t work. When I said that “hindi realistic ang happy endings” I don’t mean that life doesn’t give us opportunities for happy endings, and therefore, fiction should reflect that. Life affords us happy endings, too, but not the and-they-lived-happily-ever-after kind of happy ending.
I don’t like endings where everything is resolved too conveniently. I don't like it when movies or books employ deus ex machina to resolve conflicts. It's such a cop-out. After all the drama and angst that the bida went through, I think he/she deserves more than a filthy rich, long lost relative to make it right.
***
Didn't I say it's an incomplete rambling? Anyway, this post seriously needs Nurse Joker!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Of Fickleness, LSS and Fanfics
Define fickle:
It is when you see a pair of lovers holding hands while walking and the guy was kissing the back of his girlfriend’s hands, and your first thought was “Aww, how sweet”, followed immediately by “Damn, if my future boyfriend ever do that to me in public, I swear I’m gonna punch him in the guts”.
There’s an awesome cover of George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” that I’ve been listening to for the past three weeks or so. It’s a live version by Ben Folds and Rufus Wainwright and the cover is sort of stalker-y and raw and really nice to listen to. I’ve been playing it in the office for a week and it’s my officemates’ current LSS – and they’re hating me for it! Bwahahaha!
Me thinks that the way to conquer the world is to spread my addictions.
Anyway, here's a vid of the song. The quality isn't that great but you can definitely hear the awesomeness of the song!
It is when you see a pair of lovers holding hands while walking and the guy was kissing the back of his girlfriend’s hands, and your first thought was “Aww, how sweet”, followed immediately by “Damn, if my future boyfriend ever do that to me in public, I swear I’m gonna punch him in the guts”.
***
There’s an awesome cover of George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” that I’ve been listening to for the past three weeks or so. It’s a live version by Ben Folds and Rufus Wainwright and the cover is sort of stalker-y and raw and really nice to listen to. I’ve been playing it in the office for a week and it’s my officemates’ current LSS – and they’re hating me for it! Bwahahaha!
Me thinks that the way to conquer the world is to spread my addictions.
Anyway, here's a vid of the song. The quality isn't that great but you can definitely hear the awesomeness of the song!
***
After almost 2 years of forsaking fanfiction, I am now again stalking the internet for my fic fix! I’m not going to mention from which fandom I’m getting my fanfics (although you probably already have a good idea), but I just want to say I’m pleasantly surprised at the quality of most fanfics I’ve read. The characters stay true to the canon and the stories are well written that you can imagine it being part of the original. Even if I have the urge to write my own fanfic, I don’t think I can write anything as good as the stories out there.
Anyway, I don't want to read too much fanfics because some are just so good they sort of distort the version of the original story for me!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Curse You!
Apparently, if my blog was a movie, it would be rated R:
I can understand why the cuss words would make my blog unsuitable for children, but “death”? Whatever. I still think that the rating is incorrect because my blog is not for mature audiences, what with all the juvenile ramblings going on in these pages.
Anyway, I tend to curse a lot here, but I don’t have such a potty mouth in real life (excepting the times when I watch basketball). Lately though, I find myself saying “putcha” a lot. Is that such a bad thing?
Back in grade school, I was admonished by my teacher in front of the class when she heard me say “gago” (most of my not-so-happy childhood memories happened when I transferred to another school when I got accelerated, but that’s another story). She kept on saying how disappointing my conduct was and how cursing is not proper for someone about to become a lady (I was 10 years old, what do I care about “becoming a lady”?!). The injustice of her words, to my young and impressionable mind, was stinging. It’s not as if I’m the only girl or student in the school who curses; I was just unlucky to get caught! Reading between the lines, what my teacher was really trying to say is that it’s not an excuse that I’m studying in a public school or that I live in Tondo, I should never, ever, cuss. The reprimand worked. I no longer said “bad words”.
Enter high school – and my world was turned upside down. Here I was, the freshman recently graduated from a public school in Tondo, about to start her high school in a Catholic university with new classmates who came from other private, Catholic schools – and one of the first people she encountered was a junior shouting “putang ina!” at the top of her lungs! Welcome to the world of kolehiyalas!
After that, I relaxed quite a bit when it comes to cuss words. I even learned a few minced oaths along the way. It didn’t even bother me when the friends of my crush were disappointed to hear me say “ulol”. But it still bothers me a bit that I shock some people whenever they hear me mutter profanities. Maybe it’s a poor justification when I say that other people cuss, too, but it’s true. So why should it be bad for me and not for others? And it’s not as if I’m directing the cuss words to a specific person.
For me, cursing is just another way of expressing myself. Who gives a shit anyway?
OnePlusYou Quizzes and Widgets
The rating was arrived at because of the presence of these words: death, hell, fucking, sex.I can understand why the cuss words would make my blog unsuitable for children, but “death”? Whatever. I still think that the rating is incorrect because my blog is not for mature audiences, what with all the juvenile ramblings going on in these pages.
Anyway, I tend to curse a lot here, but I don’t have such a potty mouth in real life (excepting the times when I watch basketball). Lately though, I find myself saying “putcha” a lot. Is that such a bad thing?
Back in grade school, I was admonished by my teacher in front of the class when she heard me say “gago” (most of my not-so-happy childhood memories happened when I transferred to another school when I got accelerated, but that’s another story). She kept on saying how disappointing my conduct was and how cursing is not proper for someone about to become a lady (I was 10 years old, what do I care about “becoming a lady”?!). The injustice of her words, to my young and impressionable mind, was stinging. It’s not as if I’m the only girl or student in the school who curses; I was just unlucky to get caught! Reading between the lines, what my teacher was really trying to say is that it’s not an excuse that I’m studying in a public school or that I live in Tondo, I should never, ever, cuss. The reprimand worked. I no longer said “bad words”.
Enter high school – and my world was turned upside down. Here I was, the freshman recently graduated from a public school in Tondo, about to start her high school in a Catholic university with new classmates who came from other private, Catholic schools – and one of the first people she encountered was a junior shouting “putang ina!” at the top of her lungs! Welcome to the world of kolehiyalas!
After that, I relaxed quite a bit when it comes to cuss words. I even learned a few minced oaths along the way. It didn’t even bother me when the friends of my crush were disappointed to hear me say “ulol”. But it still bothers me a bit that I shock some people whenever they hear me mutter profanities. Maybe it’s a poor justification when I say that other people cuss, too, but it’s true. So why should it be bad for me and not for others? And it’s not as if I’m directing the cuss words to a specific person.
For me, cursing is just another way of expressing myself. Who gives a shit anyway?
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Please Don't Worry 'Bout Me, I'm Fine
I just need to ask:
Why is EVERYONE ELSE allowed to blog about how hurt, heartbroken, depressed and BITTER they are over their break ups, but when I blogged about my own heartache (and I wasn’t even bitter!) and infrequently at that, I got called on and was told to MOVE ON more than a year after the fact?!
(Maybe this post might be misunderstood and misconstrued, but I don't care. Pucha blog ko kaya ‘to no!)
Anyway, I’m not really angry. I say all those things in mock anger. I was in a bloghopping mode today and I find it rather amusing that all the blogs I visited contained rantings about those fine creatures they lovingly call “ex” (Invariably adjectivize as asshole, jerk, two-timing, liar, etc. etc.).
Most of the blogs were specifically created as a result of the breakup. After a while, it got a bit tiring to read their stuffs because how many ways can you say you’re hurt and not become redundant? We know. We get it. The grief is unconquerable (my word; I so want to use that!), you know you have to forget and let go but you just can’t, the memories are overflowing, every tiny little thing reminds you of him, you’re so sick of love songs so sad and low, so why can’t you turn off the radio? I mean it. WE GET IT.
More interesting were the comments – and there are a lot! Does that mean mas mabenta ang mga blog na tungkol sa break ups? Maybe I should re-assess my blog… Not. Again, I just need to ask – why didn’t I get any comments from my so called friends when I was writing those stuffs?! I mean, comments like “don’t worry Jela, we’ll kill him for you” would have been helpful. But alas, nothing. You left me on my own!
Okay, I kid.
On a serious note, if there’s one thing I learned from my own heartbreak, it’s that different people have different ways of dealing with breakups. One can be whiny or pathetic or mean-spirited, one will do or attempt to do anything just to dull the pain. But don’t let your need to vent out override your good sense. Don’t write or share anything that’s too personal or that can be use against you. It’s okay to feel hurt, but that’s not an excuse to do something stupid.
No pain is too great or too deep that it can’t be healed by time and by the love of another human being. As the cliché goes, nothing lasts forever and this, too, shall pass. Trust me, one day you’ll look back at those nightmarish days and just have a big laugh about how pathetic you’ve been.
Kaya pag me nagsabi sa yo ng “MOVE ON, GIRL!”, wag mo pansinin. Sapakin mo na lang, mas masaya pa.
Why is EVERYONE ELSE allowed to blog about how hurt, heartbroken, depressed and BITTER they are over their break ups, but when I blogged about my own heartache (and I wasn’t even bitter!) and infrequently at that, I got called on and was told to MOVE ON more than a year after the fact?!
(Maybe this post might be misunderstood and misconstrued, but I don't care. Pucha blog ko kaya ‘to no!)
Anyway, I’m not really angry. I say all those things in mock anger. I was in a bloghopping mode today and I find it rather amusing that all the blogs I visited contained rantings about those fine creatures they lovingly call “ex” (Invariably adjectivize as asshole, jerk, two-timing, liar, etc. etc.).
Most of the blogs were specifically created as a result of the breakup. After a while, it got a bit tiring to read their stuffs because how many ways can you say you’re hurt and not become redundant? We know. We get it. The grief is unconquerable (my word; I so want to use that!), you know you have to forget and let go but you just can’t, the memories are overflowing, every tiny little thing reminds you of him, you’re so sick of love songs so sad and low, so why can’t you turn off the radio? I mean it. WE GET IT.
More interesting were the comments – and there are a lot! Does that mean mas mabenta ang mga blog na tungkol sa break ups? Maybe I should re-assess my blog… Not. Again, I just need to ask – why didn’t I get any comments from my so called friends when I was writing those stuffs?! I mean, comments like “don’t worry Jela, we’ll kill him for you” would have been helpful. But alas, nothing. You left me on my own!
Okay, I kid.
On a serious note, if there’s one thing I learned from my own heartbreak, it’s that different people have different ways of dealing with breakups. One can be whiny or pathetic or mean-spirited, one will do or attempt to do anything just to dull the pain. But don’t let your need to vent out override your good sense. Don’t write or share anything that’s too personal or that can be use against you. It’s okay to feel hurt, but that’s not an excuse to do something stupid.
No pain is too great or too deep that it can’t be healed by time and by the love of another human being. As the cliché goes, nothing lasts forever and this, too, shall pass. Trust me, one day you’ll look back at those nightmarish days and just have a big laugh about how pathetic you’ve been.
Kaya pag me nagsabi sa yo ng “MOVE ON, GIRL!”, wag mo pansinin. Sapakin mo na lang, mas masaya pa.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Have A Break, Minus The KitKat
I'm taking my break from my new personal "project". I didn't realize it would be this tedious and daunting! Well, I think taking screencaps is daunting - this is the first time I'm doing this.
Yes, the "project" is a new blog. But I'm not yet prepared to talk in detail about it or to link to that site because it's faaar from ready. I've been toying with this idea for so long and it's only now that I got the desperate desire to see it through. I'm crossing my fingers that I can have the site up the soonest! But damn, the things I wanted to do to this site is tiring.
This will still be my main blog but I hope you'll like my other blog!
Back to making screencaps haay...
Yes, the "project" is a new blog. But I'm not yet prepared to talk in detail about it or to link to that site because it's faaar from ready. I've been toying with this idea for so long and it's only now that I got the desperate desire to see it through. I'm crossing my fingers that I can have the site up the soonest! But damn, the things I wanted to do to this site is tiring.
This will still be my main blog but I hope you'll like my other blog!
Back to making screencaps haay...
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Make Me Remember...
When I was watching Hana Yori Dango, I was half wishing that the series won’t include an amnesia plot. Alas, my wish wasn’t granted. Thankfully, the plot was only one episode long and in this case, Domyouji Tsukasa only had partial memory loss – the only thing he couldn’t remember, conveniently enough, was the person he loved the most in the world, Makino Tsukushi! I really can’t help but roll my eyes at the way writers use memory loss to complicate the plot. Still, this was an improvement over Meteor Garden which ran that annoying and overlong plot for almost one season!
But the plot made me remember a question that’s been nagging me with regards to Dao Ming Si’s amnesia. I couldn’t put into meaningful words my thoughts on the matter. And then, Makino said it for me (or at least, the translation of Makino’s words said it for me):
Can we really forget the one we love? And if we forget them, and meet them again, is it logical to expect that we still fall in love with the same person? I haven’t seen MG 2 in its entirety (as I’ve said, I didn’t like the plot device used) but if I remember correctly, even if Dao remembered bits about San Cai, he still chose Yesha. In HYD, Domyouji initially hated Tsukushi on sight (which is still in keeping with his character because they started out hating each other) but he still was instinctively drawn to and puzzled by her.
But those were only fiction. Despite the memory loss, the leads expectedly still end up together, happily ever after. How will it be in real life? Can we completely lose our memories of the person we love? Conversely, can we instinctively recognize again that person in spite losing our memories?
Forget amnesia. For those who believe in reincarnation and being in love with the same person in our various lifetimes, if we come face to face with that person, will our guts know that person is The One?
I don’t know if I make sense or if raised valid questions. I may be overanalyzing again!
But the plot made me remember a question that’s been nagging me with regards to Dao Ming Si’s amnesia. I couldn’t put into meaningful words my thoughts on the matter. And then, Makino said it for me (or at least, the translation of Makino’s words said it for me):
“I was betting even with his memory loss… that he would choose me again. I had some weird ideas… but I was wrong… I was too conceited, huh?”
Can we really forget the one we love? And if we forget them, and meet them again, is it logical to expect that we still fall in love with the same person? I haven’t seen MG 2 in its entirety (as I’ve said, I didn’t like the plot device used) but if I remember correctly, even if Dao remembered bits about San Cai, he still chose Yesha. In HYD, Domyouji initially hated Tsukushi on sight (which is still in keeping with his character because they started out hating each other) but he still was instinctively drawn to and puzzled by her.
But those were only fiction. Despite the memory loss, the leads expectedly still end up together, happily ever after. How will it be in real life? Can we completely lose our memories of the person we love? Conversely, can we instinctively recognize again that person in spite losing our memories?
Forget amnesia. For those who believe in reincarnation and being in love with the same person in our various lifetimes, if we come face to face with that person, will our guts know that person is The One?
I don’t know if I make sense or if raised valid questions. I may be overanalyzing again!
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