booyah for brekkie

Cheers for cheerios!

Good for the heart! 

I'm not such a breakfast person, more like brunch, but there are times when you gotta eat in the morn to jumpstart your work mode. So here we are.

Though I also love all-day breakfast places, probably because I like eating breakfast, well, anytime nga! The concept is a good one, a novel one. Pero hindi pala siya novelty na bigla na lang nawawala. May sisipot at sisipot diyan sa tabi-tabi na ganyang place, and that's somehow comforting.

I still remember the very first all-day breakfast concept place na nakainan ko sa buhay ko. Sa Ortigas 'yun, mid-to-late '90s, a place like that opened sa El Pueblo Real, walking distance near my film office. Comforting siya, ewan ko kung bakit, or probably nadala din ako sa design ng blue and yellow, the usual decor for day-and-night type of places. Then a similarly sunny-decor place also opened dun sa Brick Road area sa likod ng Sta. Lucia Mall sa Marcos Hi-way. I tried it once lang, because if you're a commuter, hella place to commute to, during the '90s and early 2000s that area. Kaya luz.

But it's good that, thanks to these ride apps like GrabCar and Uber, I can now go to places where usually mahirap mag-commute papunta, lalo na kung di mo feel sumakay ng jeep kahit malapit lang dahil haggard ang mga biyahe sa rutang 'yun. Like this one we saw along Mayor Gil Fernando Ave, or formerly A. Tuazon Ave., dito sa Marikina.

That's my sweetie entering the place excitedly.
She had danggit in her silog minus the egg
while I sampled their eggs benedict on a pandesal.
OMG sarap siya bes! [June 2017]

Matteo's is a good place to eat, chika a bit, then run. The decor ain't much, and it doesn't make you wanna linger for longer. Other brekkie-style places are like that kasi, but this one, no. But it serves its purpose well, and more importantly, the food is great!

Lucky to have a partner who loves discovering eateries with me, and who loves all-day brekkie places, too. Not much of a morning person kami pareho, but all-day brekkie places are patok sa amin. So yeah, good match, eh? :)

And all is well in the universe.

Sige lafang na muna kesh. Kape later. And dive to work. 

Good morning, folks. Be well.

Global village isolation

Sitting near a table where an elderly couple just concluded their meal, maybe minutes or half an hour ago, I can't tell. They had ramen, that I can tell. What I can also tell is the state of their relationship at the moment. Looks like they're in an emotional plateau, as they've been sitting there for a good 20 minutes already, not talking with each other, instead staring at their respective smartphones, scrolling away, adjusting their eyeglasses from time to time, eyebrows arched for better vision or maybe a stupid Facebook post reaction, not sure.

Why do I side stare? Because I can't help but compare us to them. We always have our smartphones with us, too. But we don't go for five, ten, twenty minutes of staring without interacting with the other, to share a thought about a stupid Facebook post, an interesting email, or just about anything under the sun. Three years and counting, and we never run out of thoughts to share with the other. More importantly, we don't run out of interest to connect with the other.

So no, relationship plateaus don't happen here. Not in our household. For in the trips we make together in life, we know how to stop, pause, and camp out when there are inclines. And then we continue, traveling, moving forward.

Forward, always.


And PS yea I ❤ salmon sashimi hihi. Missed me?

the (usual) calm before the (work) storm

Even the Catholic God rested on a Sunday, so methinks so shall I. Not that I'm a god, but oh you know what I mean.

But this is actually the calm before the next wave of work storm coming up for me this month. Halfway marker of the month now done, and we have just another half to conquer and finish many things that have started, continue those that are still ongoing, and make room for newer things that are falling onto my lap.

But first, a breather.

Sabi ng pinsan ko, memorya na daw nila ang iba't ibang hitsura 

ng tanawin sa labas ng bintana ko, dahil sa kaka-litrato ko 

dito at kaka-post. Hindi ko yata magagawang memoryahin ito, 

dahil sa araw-araw na pinapakita sa akin ng kalawakan, 

iba-iba pa rin ang aking nakikita. Depende lang siguro iyon 

sa lenteng gamit mo sa araw ng iyong paggising. 

Pero ang mas mahalaga, nagigising ka pa rin -- 

at namumulat na may nakikita.

Moments like today make me grateful that I have my own space, one I could truly call my own where I could retreat from the world after I've been exposed to it for a while. 

 And expose we did. This week, exposure was to a 

roomful of educators who want to learn more about 

other fields and improve their pedagogy. 

Also got a chance to hang out with old friends in the 

children's educ/lit field, in the process discovering 

new good places to eat.Gratis sharing, priceless learning.

Yes, I heart shrimp. Ever. Everrrrrrrrrrr.

Also got to hang out some more with my 

high school barkada. Letting them discover 

what our hometown now has to offer. 

And it indeed offers more. Our friendship is still kooky 

and comforting for me, actually, after all these years. 

Glad I feel that way.

Also a space where I could work from, where the creative juices continue to percolate, a space for brewing better thoughts. Lucky to have that in my life, and I am indeed thankful that this happened, this kind of security, at a time when I thought it was impossible. Yes, the universe guides you that way: unannounced blessings, just catch the manna from heaven, and we're all good. All very good.

The best decision I made in my life is to be independent 

and have a "room of my own" as Virginia Woolf called it. 

I've always believed her ever since; we all need that room, 

that space, that we could call our own. Glad I have mine.

Of course it's also well and good that my sanctuary is just a stone's throw away from small but necessary offerings modern civilization has to offer. Just experiencing small stuff that makes me happy makes my day. Yes, I am easy to please, I suppose. But maybe I am more of the type that appreciates all things big and small. So things are not lost on me, big or small gestures alike. 

Picking up where we left off with this. 

Stronger and more focused. 

One day at a time.

Again, feeling very lucky to have that occasional bonding of camaraderie with like-minded individuals. My ex-advocate chef friend got this idea of the older generations just coming together and hanging around in their resto. And it's turning out to be a great idea that I look forward to attending every month. Sometimes it's just nice to kick back, relax, eat, chat, drink and smoke with people in your immediate soul vicinity. Also good to reconnect with old acquaintances that sometimes turn out to surprise you in some ways. And it's also a good way to meet new people and to just relax with all of their stories and laughter engulfing you. It's a kind of recharge that a writer like me truly enjoys. I don't know, it's hard to explain, but yes, it is that: a recharging.

 Sigarilyas, mani, kuwento at tawanan, Silverbelles edition. 

And now, batteries are all set. This is the calm before the work storm. When tomorrow comes, things will start speeding up again. I couldn't be happier. I could never be more grateful. As a good friend said last night, this is just the natural order of things, the beginning of more manna, as they told me last month. I'm glad there are a few good souls out there who still offer perspectives during times when mine seem defective. Balance is aligned again, thanks to their help.

Tomorrow is another day. Be thankful for today. I know I am. And tomorrow, I will be, again.

And still, continue to experiment. 

See how things fit you, beks. Word.

 

Nalintikan na, Nobyembre!

Kamusta namang salubungin ka ng sinat sa pinakahuling araw ng Oktubre at itinawid ka sa mga unang araw ng Nobyembre? At siyempre pa, ang unang instinct sa paggaling ay tumayo at... magsulat. So here we are.

Actually, nung isang araw pa ako kating-kati magsulat. Hindi lumilipas ang isang araw na wala man lang kasi akong sinusulat somewhere kasi. Ganyan talaga ka-hardwired ang utak ko sa kamay ko at nais nitong maglabas ng mga bagay-bagay sa papel, sa kuwaderno, sa laptop, saanman. Kaya para tumitig sa mga bagay na iyan at mahilo at maghanap ng pagpikit, parang medyo pinapatay mo na rin ako 'pag ganyan. Ang pagsusulat sa akin ay paghinga. Ang pagsusulat ay trabaho din, oo, pero ang pagsusulat ay pahinga rin. Kaya parusa itong nakaraang dalawang araw na wala man lang akong naisulat kahit man lang sa journal entries ko; date at lugar pa lang ang naisusulat ko, nahilo na ako, kaya wit! Luzvaldez lola mo. Kaya eto, the moment na naramdaman kong parang puwede na ulit, arriba na at tipa tipa na ulit 'pag may time.

Pero siyang tunay, nalintikan nga yata ako. Ewan kung bakit. Bihira akong magkalagnat at bihirang mag-breakdown ng bongga (o katiting) ang katawan ko kaya nakakapanibago na makaramdam nito muli. No, I don't think it's a sign that I should "slow down" or "take it easy" or any shiz like that. Matagal na naman akong retired sa "life in the fast lane" chenes na 'yan, dati pa, mula nang nag-goodbye na 'ko sa mainstream media stuff. Since I went freelance again lately, my time and stuff are more manageable na naman actually, since I create and follow my own routine. Maliban na nga lang if may mga babagsak na prescheduled gigs sa lap ko, like the last four days of last month. Not too heavy naman pero ewan ko ba at tinamaan pa rin ako. Kung kelan pa naman bakasyon sa buong Pilipinas, saka naman nagbakasyon sa sinat ang katawan ko hayst. Oh well papel.

But I'm grateful nonetheless. As always, the universe provides, in more ways than one. And I'm glad October came. Dami ring ganap. Dami ring nahanap. At dami ring nabubuong bagong pangarap.

So silip-silip na lang din 'pag may time. Di muna bobongga ng bongz sa salita. Baka mabinat pa eh. Biswal-biswal na lang din muna ang pagkukuwento, para mas makulay.

At maraming salamat pa rin sa mga nariyan at nakikisabay. 

Ayan at muli na naman kaming sumabak ng aking mga pogi at rumaket galore sa isa na namang gender army training. I am liking these gigs for the challenge and variety it offers my life lately, sa totoo lang. Of course the cash, too, but that goes without saying pek. Tuwa naman si wifey Nona ko at pitik-pitik na naman kami together.

Um, bago may magselos dyan, si Nona ang aking Canon 7D cam, ayt? Nililinaw lang hehe.

Happy to meet up with old friends and co-workers pati, and intersecting them with new ones. After ten thousand years, nagkita ulit kami ng old friend from showbiz days Che who opened a new resto sa Timog. Atak kayo dito mga beks! Sarap ang foodie.

Naki-event event din kami sa isang hotel anniv event ng isang friend na nage-event-event ba. Basta.

Sobrang happy to have my lesbian feminist pastora superfriend K meet up with my current "prospect" for lack of a better term eheheh basta. Bilang alam ni pastora ang historical complexity ng aking recent past eklavu, masaya na naganap itu. Siya nawa.

And dates are becoming convenient "excuses" to tick off my foodie places to visit list of choices, one by one hehe. Also accidentally discovering new ones pa in the process. Nom.

Yung may nadiskubre akong favorite coffice place lately, dahil sa kaka-stalk sa isang someone sa may Pioneer branch hehe. Di ko knows na pinsan-in-law ko pala ang may hawak ng buong architectural design kyeme ng coffeeshop, as it turns out. Gujab! Sana magtayo ng branch sa Marikina though pls pls pls pls. Bet ko ang ca phe viet flavors teh!

Tapos ngayon ko pa naisipang i-activate ang bayad nang balik-alindog membership. Tepok, thy name is Bayli. Define torture.

Yung kumu-quota na ako ulit ng one live musical gig watching monthly. Last month, sina Aiza at Charice ang chuva namin. Itong Tres Marias, semi-biglaan naman, all in the name of Lolita Carbon fangirling again lol.

Pareng Bob, sana naman may woman no cry na this time, ha. Pls lang.

Anyway, mukhang hindi naman hehe... Simpleng people-watching mode while yosi-ing tambay with chikahan sa Starbuko momentz masaya na kami.

Pero may jealous face daw ako. At eto pala 'yun. Hmm you learn something new everyday, beks.

Arriba na lang ng arriba, beks. As always. Sige lang Nobyembre, pagalingin mo na ako... sa mga kailangan pang gumaling sa akin. Gorabelles.

Happy Sunday, folks.

sentimentality slippage #007

Yes, I admit, I miss (eating) ice cream.

Cold Stoning with my sister somewhere in San Francisco
(California, USA / March 2010)

Ah, so many flavors, so little time! Chos.

And the winner is... me!

And I was able to rationalize why. I think. Read about it here in my travel+foodie blog Lamyerda.

sentimentality slippage #004

For some strange reason, I miss eating chocolates lately.

See? It's your fault. Chos.

I'm doomed.

See, I already stopped having sweet cravings like this. For years. But lately, as I go back to the rush of media writing work, I seem to be looking for such sweets as I write. I guess more than coffee, this works for me now. Hm. So I guess the usual stock of Hershey's plain chocolate bars will once again be visible in my fridge, just like before. Hm.

I'm doomed. Or my thighs are. And belly. Frak.

But why is this sentimental? I guess I also miss the times when I hung out with my mom and younger sis at home as we split one whole bar of chocolate during the '80s. See, during those days, you can't just buy any US-made chocolate bar anywhere. We get our supply at vending machines inside the US base in Clarkfield, Pampanga where my father worked for a couple of years. When I was ten, I learned what a nickel, dime and quarter means, and I loved using them in vending machines that spit out such chocolate bars. Yeah, I miss those moments.

Ah, Three Musketeers. I miss those as well. I am so doomed. Grocery this weekend. Hm.

sunday semi-sunrise musings over orange breakfast

it's eight minutes before nine in the morning of a sunday as i type this. and this is extraordinary given my circumstances.

i am so not a morning person but since i moved into this condo of mine more than a year ago, i find myself being more active in the morning, especially with my writing. be it journaling, my weekly column or scriptwriting chore and other writing things, i find the cool breeze of the morning invigorating my writing senses. and i like that a lot.

but today is different. i woke up by six or so, mainly because my girlfriend has a big day today and she has to wake up early to go. and it felt like a nice morning to work out, something i've been meaning to do again since the start of this year. i usually walk around marikina sports park which is less than five minutes away from my condo, and i thought i'd check it out and see if i could do that today.

i began my workout by dressing up properly and doing some sitting. yes, zen type of meditation sitting, also known as zendo. two months ago, i began joining the zen center sitting meditations there at provident village. i didn't know that place was there and yet i've known provident all my life, or since our relatives moved there when i was small and we visited them a lot. i was supposed to start on their beginner's module but i became busy that month and so i had to postpone the further sessions. i plan to join them at the next round, but it's sad that the zen center was one of the places devastated by ondoy. now they do the sitting somewhere else, and i did mine here at home first.

it was a good sit, enough to pump me up to walk. but alas, i could not do that at the sports park, still. a third of the middle greenery part is still occupied by tents that housed displaced families from the ondoy onslaught. i saw several morning joggers and walkers trying to get a feel of the sports park inside, from the outside. i actually saw a pair of walkers coming out of the park as i arrived there at the sides outside. i guess it's still not back to normal for some of us here in marikina. i wonder what will happen to those evacuees. i hope they get their lives back on track the soonest. i saw a lot of children there, and it's just not right to have those kids live like that. but what to do? it has been a month since the ondoy tragedy and yet many lives all over are still derailed. a colleague was right -- just what "normal" do we go back to after that? there's no answer for that yet.

so like the other joggers and walkers, i opted to walk around outside the sports park and along the streets near the market area and around. it was a good chance for me to check out our usual haunts, whether they are operational already or still shut down. i also passed some places where i discovered stuff, like a place that sold those tanned puto thingies i bought before, which i could also buy at the market. but this place seemed to be the source of the puto, so i bought it there. that was cool.

all in all, it took me at least an hour to walk all around the bayan area. and i ended up at the market, at the side where the fruits were sold. since i still owe my girlfriend some fruits pasalubong from last week, i thought of buying some now for her, so that when she comes home later, she'll have some fresh stuff to munch on. we've been munching on artificial snacks and processed food all week, since we went on a grocery shopping spree last monday. we didn't buy fruits and veggies because we weren't sure of our stay-home hours this week, but next week we already know, so there. trying out a grapefruit as i type this, along with the tanned mini-puto rounds with a sliver of cheese on top, and the 15-peso market carinderya spaghetti i have grown to love -- hence the orange breakfast.

more of our grocery shopping adventure and other grocery woes during ondoy are narrated here at leaflens karinderya. that's my new blog project, a narration of buhay-pinas and foodie stuff with photos. i've been meaning to try wordpress kasi dati pa pero cumbersome for a not-so-techie like me. kaya nung nagkaroon ng another option (from .org to .com nila) i tried it na. i mean to blog more these days actually, because that's one of the things i miss the most -- writing about stuff and having people read them. nakakatuwa nga na may followers na ang blog na ito officially. thanks for reading folks. and please feel free to comment. dialogue exchange is what i encourage in my blogs, too.

i think this is the start of a lot of starting things in my life. so many negativity has surrounded me this past semester in school and in other places as well, and i plan to shake off those negativity by doing new stuff and reactivating doing old stuff i love doing as well, such as writing here. i was just a bit saddened by those negativity since last wednesday, and i've already ranted about that to my closest friends. and now, i decide to leave all those behind, and leave this whole week -- and the whole bad semester -- behind. life's too short to focus on people whose main objective in life is to destroy people around them. my heart bleeds for them, they who have no happy hearts to begin with. i do not want to end up like them.

more adventures next time.

and thanks once again for reading, and for asking about my well-being and safety during these troubled times. be well, all.

what we have here is a failure to communicate

since i was cooped up here at home since i woke up today, i grabbed the opportunity to go out when goldstar needed to go to the grocery. since we prefer walking a little before sundown, we decided to go to krung thai for dinner na rin.

at buti na lang doon kami kumain para masarap. the old authentic krung thai sa palengke ng bayan, marikina ay abot-tanaw lang din sa bagong bukas na bellini's. since we still have an unfulfilled amici's gelato craving from two weeks ago, we decided to hop to bellini's to check if they have gelato. i remember pizza and pasta dishes lang kasi, never bothered to look at the dessert plate.

so we stepped in and were greeted the italian way. a waitress handed us a menu, and i browsed without sitting down.

SEQ. 1. INT. BELLINI'S MARIKINA - NIGHT.

pumasok si leaflens at goldstar sa bellini's. sinalubong sila ng waitress matapos sila batiin ng italyanong may-ari ng "good evening" sa italian.

me: meron ba kayong gelati?

siya: gelati? (parang di niya knows)

me: (realizing na na-pluralize, e di gawing singular!) i mean, gelato. may gelato kayo?

siya: (opens menu at the last page) ito po, sa desserts namin, iyan lahat ang gelato.

but all leaflens saw was a page-full of desserts. it said "gelato cakes."

me: ah hindi, ang gusto namin gelato lang. yung ice cream lang. meron ba kayongg ganun lang?

siya: (turo ulit sa dessert page) yan po lahat ang gelato namin.

me: no, i mean, yung ice cream lang. meron ba kayong hindi cake.

siya: (lost na) hindi cake...?

me: oo, yung ice cream lang. yung gelato lang.

siya: (turo ulit sa dessert page, especially the title page "gelato cakes") yan po lahat ang gelato namin. gelato-based lahat yan.

me: ummm... hindi, yung hindi nga cake. yung ice cream lang.

siya: (lost lalo) hindi cake...?

me: yes, yung ice cream nga lang. gelato lang.

siya: (turo ulit sa dessert page, again with that emphasis on the "gelato cakes") yan po lahat ang gelato namin. gelato-based lahat yan.

shiyet, naka-loop lang ang aleng ito. nubah!

me: hindi, ang gusto nga namin, yung ice cream lang. hindi cake. may ice cream lang kayo?

hindi ko na binanggit ang "gelato" dahil baka mag-loop na naman ang replicant na ito. konti na lang, bladerunner narrative na ito, i swear. twinkly rin ang eyes ni ati, parang yung mata nung lady replicant cyborg.

siya: iyan lang po ang meron kami, yung cake.

me: a, hindi nga cake ang gusto namin. so cake lang ang meron kayo?

siya: opo.

me: so wala kayong ice cream lang?

siya: w-wala po.

finally! it dawned on her. o baka tumalon na ang loop ng cd niya sa next track... so before that happened...

me: ah okay. sige di bale na lang. gelato lang ang gusto namin. hindi cake.

at bago pa man siya mag-playback ng loop ulit upon hearing "gelato," binirahan na ng layas nina leaflens at goldstar.

END OF DREAM SEQUENCE


siya. next time na lang ang piktyur sa tabi ng leaning tower of pisa. kapag nagka-craving na ko sa italian food, with complete tolerance sa replicant waitresses.

labo.

buti na lang hapi sa krung thai.

i still want my gelato!!!!!!!

Manila Times article: film review of VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA

this is a film review that came out today at the manila times newspaper. read the online version here.

it has been ages since i wrote a film review, for a publication. i've been writing informal ones on my blogs but i really dig writing one for official purposes, like this publication. i used to have a film review column at the now defunct localvibe.com (late 90s-early 2000s) and i immensely enjoyed that gig. that continued with herword.com, an affiliate of businessworld newspaper sometime in early 2000s. yun na ata ang last.

and now, this. and in a newspaper again at that, hindi lang sa online. kakatuwa hehe :) when i was the entertainment editor of the now defunct pinoy times newspaper (early 2000s), i also made special columns to print my film reviews, na kinatuwa naman ng mga nag-iimbita sa akin for the press preview dahil i call them as i see them (in short, kung pangets, chugi and justify. kung ganderz, praise and justify). i was actually glad to discover that some in the entertainment press enjoy honesty like that.

sana mag-dire-diretso na ito if ever. this is the gig i don't mind na delayed ang tf hahaha! kasi i get to watch films on the big screen, in advance pati. at puwede pa ako magsama ng friend hehe :) winner!

Thursday, February 19, 2009

FILM REVIEW

‘Living la vida loca,’ Woody Allen style

A review of Vicky Cristina Barcelona

By Libay Linsangan Cantor Contributor Trust Woody Allen to fall in love with a city and cinematically immortalize its charm via the quirky citizens that inhabit or visit them. Over the years, he has done that several times with his beloved New York, ranging from classics such as Manhattan, Annie Hall, and Bullets Over Broadway. And now, he does it for Spain, particularly Barcelona, and the quaint city of Oviedo in Asturias, with his latest opus Vicky Cristina Barcelona. For avid Allen fans, you won’t be disappointed with this change in scenery, and locale. The usual elements of his films—the ones we’ve grown accustomed to, and love dearly—are all here: An uptight New Yorker (Vicky, played by Rebecca Hall) with a “bland” partner (her fiancé Doug, played by Chris Messina), a more laidback/free-spirited New York soul/artist (Cristina, played by Scarlett Johansson), and the sexually charged individual that stirs up a hornet’s nest of a situation (Juan Antonio, played by Javier Bardem, the dashing Spanish artist that befriends and beds the two girl friends), plus a neurotic-slash-quixotic character that is just there to “mess” things up some more, albeit philosophically, gracefully, artfully or just plain crazily (the lovely Penélope Cruz who plays passionate Maria Elena, the ex-wife and artist colleague of Juan Antonio). With these character types alone, it’s easy to imagine how things begin and what happens next as the vacationing American girls meet the dapper Spaniard. Vicky is attracted to Juan Antonio and has a one night stand with him, before she gets married. After she gets married, Cristina ends up spending the rest of her summer living with Juan Antonio. Cristina has him all to herself, until he takes in Maria Elena to take care of her after her failed suicide attempt. The three share more than the house, so to speak. I’ll leave it up to you to discover what they discover for themselves. As with other Allen narratives, this one sets up the mood familiarly, guides you to a witty journey, and leads you to hang on to your seats for the exciting conclusion/s. While the artists’ tempers and personal temperaments fly high, their interactions are not that harsh or hard to take in, thanks to the wonderful sceneries where Allen takes us. He shows us Catalan-born Antonio Gaudí’s breathtaking architectural genius in Barcelona, the main subject of study of Vicky (this New Yorker is doing her graduate thesis on Catalan identity—go figure!). He shows us the main streets and side streets full of fruits, flowers, goods, shops and everything you can imagine of romantic Barcelona as seen through the eyes of Cristina and her developing sensibilities as a photographer. We hear haunting melodies played on Spanish guitar as it teams up with the wine, the greenery and the balmy ambience of Oviedo to set up the sparkling sexual attraction—and its obvious copulating conclusion—between hot Juan Antonio and quirkily pretty Vicky. With this film, it’s obvious that the neurotic New Yorker we have come to love in Allen has relaxed, taken a vacation, and fell in love with a place that made his wit sharper than ever. Sharp, but not scathing, and that is a fascinating change—a welcome one. After seeing this film, you will have the urge to hop on a plane and fly to Barcelona, to see things for yourself, and hope to capture one of the storylines that Allen served in this wonderful film.

what did the banana say to the banana?

voice over from the imaginary PA system:

"welcome to the daily procrastination exercise of bayli leaflens. please fasten whatever needs fastening in your life. char."

BANANA ADVENTURE

what did the nanay banana say to the baby banana?

nanay: baba.
anak: bababa na?
nanay: baba na, banana!

:P

munch for thought

share ko lang what chef billy king of le souffle is saying about eating healthy, not eating healthy food. well, medyo na rin, pero not exactly. magkaiba iyon e. basta. he makes sense.

article over here.

i learned a new word from it: julienne. sabi sa dictionary, to slice into thin strips about the size of matchsticks. wow, may ganun palang term sa hiwa na iyon. julienne.

use in a sentence: i want to julienne my ex's face who hasn't paid her 6,000+ debt to me up to this very day.

ayuz.

okay sleep na. nyt!

streetfood, feedback, starsighs

my friend ly in new york sent this street vendors award thingie.

sarap. one reason to walk around the world: sample street food fare. nagutom tuloy ako dito a. gusto ko ng felafel, shawarma at lamb. kainiz.

kaya lang, walang pinoy? hm, baka restos and corner places ang kainang pinoy sa nooyawk, hindi street vendor type... although it's about time may maglako ng bananacue, pritong lumpia with suka at kamote chenes sa bilao anywhere in the world, no? parang yung mga nagkalat sa campus. ang dami lang nila. fishball kaya?

i remember when i was in bangkok, inikot namin ng friends ko ang banglamphu(sp?) area to check out khao sarn road (where THE BEACH was partly shot) and the paikot na rambutri road doon kung saan nagkalat ang street chenes nightlife. sarap! bawat mahintuan yata namin sinasampolan ko ang inihaw streetfood hehe. may hepa shots naman ako so safe hehehe. at masarap siya kasi! except for that parang pritong ipis thing na kulay red. iyon tinitigan lang namin, before we decided to check out an ice cream parlor there.

yum.

too bad i wasn't able to do that in delhi. ngekngoks kasi yung mga conference organizer at di man lang kami na-city tour chenes. kulang sila sa spirit of tourism chenes. well, i'd love to go back there in india and do that. maybe sometime soon. siguro somewhere in the south of india naman para mas vegetarian ang fare. gusto ko lang sa north kasi maraming lamb dishes.

i heart street food.

*

feedbacking.

hi trisha! thanks for the comment. i googled barlaya too and found don's blog. took a peek at yours, too. ingat! keep in touch. may multiply din ako. add me up!

yoshke, tama ba? oo nakapag-comment na pala ko dati sa yo. di mo lang nabasa. daan ka lang ulit when you're around. ingat!

i agree with you kee, di magfa-fly itong no smoking sa diliman hehehehe. napapayosi tuloy ako...

pash, thanks for stopping by. will wait for your next film. sige, challenge yan ha, try not to be too talkative hahaha! ingat!

*

i like my star readings today, so apt:

Taurus (Apr 20 - May 20)

You may have unrealistic expectations about what you hope to accomplish at work. As much as you should be cautious about anything that seems disarmingly good, there's no need to be overly negative, either. Disaster is not looming around the next corner as long as you remain practical now.

General Daily Overview

The Moon enters lovely Libra at 7:31 am EDT, where she can make almost anything appear sweeter. Today this tendency is exaggerated as the Sun creates a crunchy quincunx with fanciful Neptune, challenging us to find the truth. We may trust our fantasies more than reality, even when confronted with the facts -- for they, too, can be bent out of shape by our illusions. This isn't, however, about denial; it's about using our minds to create the future.

magandang reminder to self yan.

*

more later. don't want to comment on the big news of the day. let's wait what happens first... nuninuninu...

new supply

pareho kami ng topak ng kapatid ko minsan kaya eto pinapadalhan niya ko ng mga chenes mula istets:


ayuz! yung old supply color purple. kadiri kasi ang una kong natikman e vomit. tapos pepper. asar.










hm meron din kayang chocolate frogs?





yuck yung bagong flavor, pickle!









la lang.

seven random things about me

okay tutal na-tag ako mi marninay sa multiply, post ko na rin dito ang sagot ko.

eto.

----
dahil na-tag ako ni marninay, eto nah.

Instructions: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

hmm random pala ha... nakakainiz kayoh may PG-13 akong ka-multiply! kaya di puwede ang r18 stuff hahaha! heniweyz...

1.[to make gaya the pcd] i love having *beep* and i can *beep* even if i just met the person. and i can also *beep* without falling for the person. you better *beep*ing believe it. i just hope the person i *beep* will also reciprocate that way, that the person can *beep* me without falling for me. even if that is *beep*ing hard. harharharhar. chosssssss.

2. i love surfing even if i really can't swim. yes, i am living proof that one can surf without learning how to swim. ayaw kasi maniwala ng iba dyan na puwede yun e.

3. i sometimes write brilliant pieces when under the influence of something that alters the state of my mind. hindi exag ito pramis.

4. i am an emotional and social smoker. meaning, pag nakakainom ako, mas nae-enganyo mag-smoke. kapag emotionally disturbed ako, napapa-smoke din ako.

5. my favorite fruits are santol, strawberry and mangosteen. my favorite veggies are carrots, talong and cabbage. hm, saan ba balong ang kamatis? bet ko rin yun. my favorite ice cream flavor is anything coffee/mocha-oriented. and if richie rich can have his own mcdonald's at home, i'd like to have my own baskin robbins and seattle's best coffee. i can eat tuna sashimi and mild tomato salsa--separate or together--to no end. yes i have strange food combinations, too. i can also dip the sashimi into the garlic mayo sauce thing na sauce ng shawarma. ay men you gotta try that, delish sya pramis.

6. i could be obsessive compulsive about eating. meaning if i tried one good dish in a resto, i stick to it and reorder it and reorder it whenever i revisit the place, without trying the other dishes at all. come hell or high water i will go to that resto if the craving for that certain dish comes. ganun din sa ibang cravings -- if i gotta have it, i gotta have it and eat it. sampol: i used to drive from proj2qc to malate at 1130pm if i get a craving for penguin cafe's lamb chops during the late '90s. yes ganon ka-obsessive.

7. i am still trying to figure out if, to some degree, i am a "down with love" girl. in reference to the movie of renee zellweger and ewan mcgregor. i'd like to believe i am, though.

-----
okay i'm tagging the people who are always online at may patience (i assume) to answer stuff like this...basically the engkantadas! hehehe. and others.

tag!

asan? asan? asaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan???????

sorry but this piqued my interest and i have to react to it:

Artists Have More Sexual Partners, U.K. Survey Hints

A survey of 425 British men and women found that creative people have more sexual partners. [talaga? saan? saan? saan?]

Researchers at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and the Open University asked participants about their artistic skills and their history of sexual encounters since the age of 18.

Professional artists and poets reported sleeping with twice as many partners as other adults sampled. [ay oo tru yan talagang ang mga po-wettttsssss na yannnn...hehehe. punyeta bat ba kas ko fictionist eh linshak]

Daniel Nettle, a psychology professor at the University of Newcastle's School of Biology, said two factors may explain the findings.

"Creative people are often considered to be very attractive and get lots of attention as a result," he said. "They tend to be charismatic and produce art and poetry that grabs people's interest." [e di ba rockstars ganun din? hm..]

Alternatively "it could also be that very creative types lead a bohemian lifestyle and tend to act on more sexual impulses and opportunities, often purely for experience's sake, than the average person would," he said. [tru ka jan, ati. will try anything once, for experience!]

"Moreover, it's common to find that this sexual behavior is tolerated in creative people. Partners, even long-term ones, are less likely to expect loyalty and fidelity from them." [pakiulit nga yun????? LESS LIKELY TO EXPECT LOYALTY AND FIDELITY... totooh ba tohhhhh??? not in 'pinasssss!]

According to the survey, professional artists and poets had between four to ten sexual partners, on average, compared to three partners for nonartists. [ano yan, per night, per month, per year...or in their lifetime? again ati, depende sa lokasyonnnnnnnn]

 

hehe apec ako ah. hahahahah. must be tigang nah hahahahahahaa. chos.

someone in an artists' egroup posted the link kaya ko nabasa to. 2005 survey pa ito pero i guess keri pa rin siya. read the whole thingie here .

weird lang. i think this all depends pa rin on the location. tama pa rin ang sabi ni ALFIE. kaya gusto ko nang pumunta sa new york, as in now nah! hehe. was chatting with a dear friend last week and how i envied her location. man, she was just two blocks or so away from 2 lesbian bars! what a 'hood! wanna be there! men, kelan magkakaroon ng ganyan dito????? asa pa ko noh. hay.... location. location. relocate? heheh. hmm lemme think...

*

i just discovered the wonderful wonderful world of  couscous cooking! sarafff! so flexible siya! at more manageable than rice. okay, may bago na kong carbo-like. goodbye kanin. later pasta. mas bet yung organic type kesa sa regular ones, altho mas matigas yung regular ones. pero mas bet ko ang texture ng organic. yum.

i so love santi's. dami kong nadidiskubre lagi. next up, the non-msg seasoning mix chuvaloos. and of course, camembert!

speaking of explorations, i really wanna explore the mediterranean cuisine more. greco-med to be exact. kaya gusto ko ring pumunta ng greece e. sarap. pero kung may grocery na ganito ang tinda dito, pakitimbrehan mo naman ako o. pliz! 

holeydaze r hir agen and all that jazz

you just have to love the cool intellectual media advocate misfits at adbusters.org for coming up with a new campaign that FITS my holeydaze mood.

 

Adbusters Newsletter #35: Reclaim the Season

------------------------------------

WWW.ADBUSTERS.ORG

------------------------------------

Dear Jammers and Cultural Creatives, 

If you celebrate Christmas, you likely don't need any reminders that it's just around the corner. You are also probably well aware of how stressed-out, hyped-up, dumbed-down, and just downright expensive the "holidays" have become. Nevertheless, we thought we'd take a moment to remind you that it doesn't really need to be this way.

All it takes is a few simple changes -- less presents, less decorations, shorter "to-do" lists, and a wee bit more good old-fashioned craftiness -- to bring a new rhythm, purpose and spirit to one of the world's chief cultural rituals, now warped beyond recognition. Consider it a long-term cultural project for the those seeking a little consumer sanity, a way to rescue our shared traditions from corporate interests and those who confuse big sales with real cultural meaning.

Of course, re-inventing tradition is not the type of thing that happens overnight. But that doesn't mean we can't start right away. If you need a bit of inspiration, check out our new BNXmas headquarters at www.adbusters.org. We have ideas for holiday actions like "The Jesus Walk," links to extensive web resources, plus downloadable posters, cards, and gift exemption vouchers to give to your friends and family.

Like-minded people worldwide have already posted their plans for a less materialist, more meaningful holiday. Once you've had a chance to see what everyone else is up to, go ahead and share your own thoughts and plans via the web form. And if you have spare second during this busy time of year, be sure to forward this year's press release (below) to your local media and absolutely anyone else that might be interested in what we're trying to accomplish.

Good luck and all the best in the new year.

Cheers,

The BNXmas Team

P.S. Email us at with your BNXmas posters and photos, and we'll try our best to feature them on the site.

---------------------

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HAVE LESS, LIVE MORE: BUY NOTHING CHRISTMAS

RECLAIMING THE SEASON: Those of us who shiver at the thought of hour-long line-ups and $5 gift tags finally have something to rejoice about over the holidays: fed-up citizens and social activists from across the world are inviting everyone to take part in Buy Nothing Christmas.

Inspired by the international successes of Buy Nothing Day, and disgusted with the personal debt, spiritual emptiness, and ecological damage that the holiday season now entails, writers and activists began to heavily promote the idea of a downshifted Christmas in the late nineties. Since then, the idea has been taken up by individuals, community groups, churches, and schools in at least a dozen countries, with strongest support in Canada, the USA, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Despite the name, the Buy Nothing Christmas campaign is not really about refusing to spend a dime over the holiday season. It’s about taking a deep breath and deciding to opt out of the hype, the overcrowded malls, and the stressful to-do lists. It’s about reminding ourselves to really think about what we are buying, why we are buying it, and whether we really need it at all.

“First and foremost, it’s about restoring authenticity to one of the world’s great religious and secular traditions,” said Kalle Lasn, editor-in-chief of Adbusters magazine and long-time advocate of holiday restraint. “Christmas has been warped beyond recognition by commercial forces. It’s about time we took it back.”

Most participants will still exchange gifts, but will opt for recycled, homemade, locally produced, or fair-trade items. Some will excuse themselves from gift-giving altogether, and focus instead on valuable time with family and friends, on charitable works, and on rediscovering older, non-commercial holiday traditions as they also invent a few new ones.

Throughout the month of December, activism-minded participants will be taking two of these new traditions to their local malls and commercial districts. Groups of meditating Santas – dubbed “Zenta Clauses” – are offering stressed-out shoppers free soup, coffee, and a place to rest their aching feet as they take a break from buying. This year, they will be joined for the first time by slow-moving activists in robes and Jesus masks, who will be asking their fellow shoppers one all-important question: “What would Jesus buy?”

For more information and media interviews contact

MEDIA LIAISON: Clara Kuoch

TELEPHONE NUMBER: 604-736-9401 EMAIL: clara@adbusters.org

Editor’s Notes

[1] For more information on Adbusters, Buy Nothing Day, and Buy Nothing Christmas, and to read comments submitted by hundreds of people on how they are going to reduce their holiday consumption, visit www.adbusters.org.

[2] For a Christian perspective on the idea, and for tips on how to celebrate a Buy Nothing Christmas, visit www.buynothingchristmas.org

[3] Shopping and consumption facts: * Consumer polls from the last several years peg the per capita holiday spending average in the U.S. at around $800 - $1000, with consumer debt growing twice as fast as wages. * Annual per capita consumption in the U.S. has risen 45 per cent in the last 20 years. * Although people today are, on average, four-and-a-half times richer than our great-grandparents were at the turn of the century, Americans report feeling “significantly less well off” than in 1958. * A 2003 article in New Scientist featured research suggesting that the more consumer goods you have the more you think you need to make you happy. Happiness through consumption is always out of reach (New Scientist, 4th October 2003, Vol.180, Issue 2415, p44. Available online after registering at: www.newscientist.co.uk).

END/

 

emphasis mine.

for the longest time, i've been searching for ways on how to put my dislike for this season. the points raised above hit it on the spot, so to speak.  saka gusto ko yung graphics work nila, as always hehe.

well, eto na naman ang inyong friendly neighborhood scrooge speaking. well, i can forgive revelers of this holiday kasi there are a few payoffs i like, like they give gifts even if it's not your birthday and you're not expecting to get any from these certain people, and then there are parties with nice food and drinks where you can chat a bit with people you like to chat with and ignore the ones you dislike -- and win something in a raffle or two along the way.

the last week of classes saw two nice parties in school. the annual "bakit may bayad ang attendance" CMC xmas party had the always absent monbau as the xmas committee chair who thought up a "CMC idol" magic sing contest. well, syempre hands down dapat na nanalo doon ay si mam gigi of upfi dahil hello siya ang ms. savarin lounge singer of the century ano. pero syempre the crowd was all mass-oriented chenelyn and gave it to some dude from admin. and hm, kumakanta pala si atty marichu ng, er, mandy moore songs! at least young ang heart ang lolah. ay, as an aside, habang kumakanta pala ng "paper roses" si mam g ay nag-cage dancing ek kami sa gilid, pero syempre dahil mas ako ang nakatayo, nakita ako and now, i am officially known in the cmc world as "the cage dancer." bow.

sarap lang ng party dahil may nag-order ng pritchon, yung pritong lechon (hm, come to think of it, hindi ba double deads na ang style na ito? but i digress). actually, yun lang ang sinigaw ng crowd "raffle at kainan nah!" in unison ever. e well, they can't go wrong with that. two of my favorite things as a taurus gel: eating good food and having nice thingies.

well, sulit naman ang payment ko kasi nanalo ako sa raffle hehe. ewan ko ba pero madalas e swerte ako sa mga raffle-raffle na yan. i won an electric fan. later, mam gigi also won an electric fan. and then i overheard doc nic saying "eh kasi mahahangin daw tayong mga taga-film! hahahah!" hahahah true ka jan lola. funny yun ever. okei, kalimutan muna ang semi-vegetarian fare para sa pritchon. masarap sha in fairnez.

tapos the day after that, upfi xmas party naman. actually it's more of a xmas lunch which was started last year by anne our insti director. tama nga naman para meron ka pang hapon at gabi to digest the food. hay to die for ang handa, ang isa sa paborito kong lengua!!!! er, semi-vegemode aside na naman, nilafesh ko lang itich sobrah. dedma sa ibang handa. hay nakuh i can focus that way about food ya know. sobra lang... pero after da eating binge, tangna lumobo na naman ang di dapat lumobo sa akin kaya waaah back to kambing mode na naman ako at vegetarian forever, which means tambay na naman ako ng likha diwa. sayang, ang layo na kasi ng greens sa aking lugar eh. mas bet ko pa naman yun kesa sa likha.. not so much because of the food but because of some past history my former org had with da place. sabi nga ni frozone sa episode kahapon, da nerrrrrrv.

speaking of, ANYBODY KNOW OF ANY VEGETARIAN/SEMI-VEGETARIAN EATING PLACES IN THE METRO, QC AREA PREFERABLY?  E ME LEAFLENS AT GMAIL PO.

as for the gifts, the usual suspects brought their goodie bags and handed the people there some give-aways. mukhang poor lang yata this year dahil unlike last year, walang raffle gifts chuva. but i don't really mind.

hm, ano pa ba ginawa namin? wala, as usual, like most pinoys, nag-magic singing na naman sila dun while i just stuck to cage dancing. kaya relate ako kay HAPPY FEET, e, kasi i can't sing in a country full of songers but i can dance the heck out of them hehe. sayawan na lang! ano!

tapos nun ngang sabado of that week, LOVELY DAY xmas party naman dun sa wonder island resort sa laguna kung saan nag-shoot ng very first ep for next year kami. it was supposed to be an overnight thing pero marami ring umuwi at sumama na ko (see previous post about this na lang), but not after partaking of the very inviting hotsprings pools there and the "yehey friendly sa semi-vegemode" fudams nung gabi like inihaw na talong, fish and chicken. saraf! nagkaroon tuloy ako ng one-week craving sa bangus belly. buti na lang the neighborhood carinderia carries that in their inihaw fare -- at mas mura pa sa crispy bangus belly ng jollibee na harang naman ang portion kung mega-tomjones ka.

i guess that's the last xmas party i'll be attending this year. pasko na bukas e so wa na no. new year party? nah, pagod na kong pag-party ng talagang party you know what i mean? mukhang na-reorient at na-reprogram ko na talaga ang lifestyle mode ko. buti naman. well, nakatulong ang walang alak sa sistema hehe. hay...

so quiet mode lang ngayon. saka i've been enjoying talking really long walks lately while plugged in to some upbeat music. sabi nga ng friend ko, may sarili akong mundo in doing that. i guess that's what i'm really trying to achieve/create/enhance. nakakasawa na kasi itong mundong ito minsan e. we need an alternative planet. hm, i just wish i wasn't nearly flat footed. argh. oh well. the new shoes will do the trick. yea yea did some shopping na rin pero long overdue naman ito, at saka necessity, not luxury. iba yun e. saka maraming sale this time of year kaya take advantage na diba? kaya ang saya!

so, as the zen santa would say...

HOPPY HOLEYDAZE, PLANET!