boo hoo!

Image from www.concierge.com

These places are pretty interesting. I think I wanna drop by Easter Island and say hello to the moai there.

and another wave comes crashing

I like road trips. No, I love road trips. The whole experience of seeing the view along miles and miles of concrete road that merges with dirt roads; the unexplainable happiness I feel when stopping over a gas station at the expressway, meeting people from different walks of life whose souls are also yearning to escape from the chaos of urbanism; the laughter shared with friends when all of you are awake, or the silence that takes over when everyone, except the poor driver, is snoozing; the road trip playlist that you almost forgot to load in your mp3 player the night before (for me, Pure Shores by All Saints is always cool on the road, especially when you're hitting the beach).

Everything about going out of town is just wonderful. Just thinking about it right this moment makes me want to pack my bags and go to some place I can find solitude from the past month's crazy schedule. Yes, as predicted, I want to escape to Baguio again. I do not have to enumerate the reasons why because I've already written about my fascination and my love affair with the place a couple of times now.

Unfortunately, the long weekend has no out-of-town trip in store for me. I really wish there is one, even if it's just in Tagaytay. I do believe I deserve such a break. Non-stop shoots and inhumane deadlines, not to mention some emotional stress on the side, are taking their toll on my frail body. My circadian rhythm has been disrupted, and right now, I'm struggling to get it right back on track.

I really, really need a break. Francis, dear, can we plan a short escape and collect snow cherries from France*? Teehee.

*Snow Cherries from France by Tori Amos was playing while we were driving along a highway in Tagaytay when we celebrated our 7th anniversary. (This is a run-on sentence, I know.)

somebody tickle me

So Erap got a presidential pardon.

This must be the best joke there is in Philippine history.

But I'm not laughing. And for the record, this is the only joke I've heard that made me utterly mad and extremely frustrated.

I shall now weep for this country.

addicted to jef

Last Saturday night, I was Sandra Bullock and Francis was Keanu Reeves and we were in Speed. We were trying not to speed down, lest we’d overheat and get stuck in the middle of EDSA at past 12 in the morning.

A few hours before our mini adventure, we were on our way to Megamall to finally buy my new toy, an Acer Aspire 4710. We were already on Julia Vargas; just as we were to cross Meralco Avenue, Francis noticed that the heat meter was slowly going up. Funny, we were both in panic, as if a bomb was about to go off. Good thing we made it to Caltex without me having to push the car.

After consuming a drum-full of water, we were finally heading to Mega. And then it happened again—the meter was slowly pushing its way to the red bar. Good thing we still made it to the first parking lot level.

So anyway, after much trouble getting to Megamall, we finally arrived in one piece. Met up with Rein so he can help me inspect my purchase, proceeded to dinner at Cabalen’s after buying Jef (yes, I named my lappy toppy Jef in honor of Rein. *winks*), then headed to Starbucks to grab some caffeine and reformat Jef so we can install a new OS.

Then the most horrible thing happened. I saw this tiny red dot on the LCD. Plus, we had a hard time reformatting the lovely thing. So since we still had time to go back to Villman, we did. After threats from Rein, the people there finally agreed to have the unit replaced the following day. But they said at first that red dots are not bad for as long as there are only a minimum of three. But you can’t say that to an oc-oc.

So we had to still try and test Jef. It took a couple of hours to install programs and drivers into Jef (that’s why I had to sleep over Francis’ place). We also had a hard time figuring out why the WLAN driver from the Acer website won’t work. Turned out, we were installing the wrong driver. We figured it out in the end and we blame Acer website for the confusion. Harhar.

After much trouble, I opted not to have it replaced. Researching about red dots (they’re either dead or stuck pixels that often appear in LCDs due to manufacturing defect), I was convinced one dot would do no harm (Francis’ laptop has one, too), unless of course after a week or so, there’d be numerous dots spelling out A-C-E-R. So far, it’s still one, tiny red dot.

So there. I’m still reveling in Jef. I believe he’ll help me advance my writing career. Haha!

Many thanks to Rein and Francis. And Rein, in case you wanna see Jef (not my laptop), just let me know, I’d be happy to return the favor.

the silence in letting go

Through time, I have learned the value of not expecting much from people and circumstances. And that has done me good.

Still, I surprised myself with how gracefully I absorbed the not-so-good news: there is fierce competition. And I had the courage to face the fact that in this little "battle" I've involved myself in, I don't have the upper hand. In fact, I think I have little chances of winning.

You see, I've had enough of disappointments from expecting too much. Perhaps that's why sometimes, people find me a pessimist. But like I said earlier, being such does me well. I can expect and anticipate the worst-case scenario and run the many probable solutions in my head. At least by doing so, I'm prepared for the bad news.

Yet despite the preparation for things like that, one thing caught me unprepared. Not having the upper hand is fine with me; but not having a choice is something I never expected. That's something I forgot to anticipate for. And that is such a big blow for me.

Not having a choice is like being trapped inside this little steel box. And while you're inside having panic attacks, you see someone putting the lid back on. So you just wait for someone, or something, to remove that lid and let you out. You just wish that when your emancipation comes, you still have an ounce of strength and sanity left.

I would've been okay, actually, had it not been for not having a viable option--a way out. Maybe there is, but I just refuse to tread that road, knowing it'll only lead me farther away from what I want. And this box I'm in right now is enough to make me lose hope.

I just wish the lid will be put away soon. Before it's too late.

mandy moore-ing

Because I'm finally done with my Gensan article for Masigasig, I'm treating myself to one of my girl crushes, Mandy Moore (the "treating" part doesn't sound right, though. Oh well...). I guess her choice of not baring her skin just to sell albums made me admire her. (I forgive her my-lips-have-their-own-lives-apart-from-the-rest-of-my-body days; she's improved a lot now.)

Last weekend, I stumbled upon the latest video of her latest single from her latest album, "Wild Hope". Found the MTV cute. Man, I wonder how many outfits the stylist had to think of for that video! Top choices would be: Mandy wearing a belted, white, knee-length dress with boots as she's climbing a ladder (there's actually 2 Mandys); then she in a long, white dress with vest (following that white dress-boots ensemble); then the succeeding one where she's in a hippie top, bandana, and jeans; and lastly, Mandy in a long, red dress climbing another ladder. Now those are four inspirations for four days of not knowing what to wear! Perfect!

So anyway, here's the video.



I just wish "Wild Hope" will be released here soon. Anyway, as a bonus, found another video of her where she covers Rihanna's Umbrella. I didn't like the song when I first heard it (Rihanna's version, that is), but I guess it just grew on me. But I like Mandy's version better (forget Marie Digby!).

just 'cause i'm feelin' lazy to work

Got this from Aia.

[1] Whats your middle name?
Mislang
[2] Would you rather get 1,12 or 24 roses?
One black rose.
[3] How big is your bed?
Big enough for me and all the mess. Hahaha!
[4] What are you listening to right now?
Tattooed on my mind is playing in my head right now.
[5] What are the last 4 digits in your cell phone number?
9981
[6] What was the last thing you ate?
A cupcake that tastes like lemon.
[7] Last person you hugged?
Online, my boyfriend Francis. In person, it's Moks, my former officemate who's now with Summit (so that makes her my current officemate).
[8] How is the weather right now?
Cool.
[9] Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?
Francis.
[10] What is the first thing you notice in the opposite sex?
Face and hands. I'm attracted to dainty hands.
[11] Favorite type of Food?
Chinese, Filipino, Italian, Korean (but no kimchi, please)
[12] Do you want children?
Yes! Two.
[13] Do you drink?
No.
[14] Ever get so drunk you don't remember the entire night?
Nuh-uh.
[15] Hair color?
Jet black.
[16] Eye color?
Dark brown.
[17] Do you wear contacts/glasses?
Yes, both.
[18] Favorite holiday?
Christmas!!!
[19] Favorite season?
Summer. And drizzling days.
[20] Have you ever cried over a girl/boy?
Uhm, yes.
[21] Last Movie you Watched?
I Know Who Killed Me.
[22] What books are you reading?
Right now, it's Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose. I have yet to get back to reading it.
[23] Piercings?
Just ears.
[24] Favorite Movie?
Death Note, Death Note: The Last Name, Transformers, of course, Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Matrix, Kill Bill, Charlie's Angels, Finding Nemo, Jurassic Park, Signs, Beauty and the Beast, Never Been Kissed, 50 First Dates, The Passion of the Christ, Serendipity, Dead Poets Society, Big Fish, Finding Forrester, Mr. Holand's Opus, My Sassy Girl (the non-Tagalized version)........
[25] Favorite college football Team?
Next question, please.
[26] What were you doing before filling this out?
Surfing the net/procrastinating.
[27] Any pets?
2 dogs and a pair of parakeet.
[28] Dogs or cats?
Doggies!
[29] Favorite Flower?
Mums and tulips.
[30] Have you ever loved someone?
Oooh, yes.
[31] Who would you like to see right now?
Francis. And my grandma.
[33] Do you like to travel by train?
By bus.
[34] Right-handed or Left-handed?
Right. But I want to be ambidextrous.
[35] If you could go to any place right now where would you go?
London. Cavite. Baguio. All at the same time.
[36] Are you missing someone?
Huhuhu. Yes...
[37] Do you have a tattoo?
Nadah.
[38] Do you still watch cartoons on Saturday mornings?
Not anymore, but I want to.
[39] Are you hiding something from someone?
Hmmm...maybe?
[41] What is the wallpaper on your cell phone?
A picture of Francis on both phones.
[42] Did you get enough sleep last night?
I guess. Finally!
[44] What do you have handy at your bedside?
My mobile phone and my Bible. And many books. Hahaha!
[45] What makes you unique?
I can be very eccentric...
[46] Are you afraid of the dark?
Not that much.
[47] Favorite song?
As of the moment, that would be Sober by Kelly Clarkson and that one kilig/sad song (Korean) from Full House. But Do-As Infinity songs never fail to pick me up (Do-As is a now defunct Japanese band).
[48] What are you afraid of?
Failing. And dying in the sea or of asthma.
[49] Are you a giver or taker?
Both. But being a giver makes me feel fuzzy. Teehee!
[50] what are your nicknames?
Shine, Sun, Sunskie, Skie