Not From the Peanut Gallery

Canada Day 2011 - Stratford , Ontario

2011-07-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

This free scrapbook created with Smilebox

6/26/11

2011-07-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

A scrapbooking design by Smilebox

Zoe and Bella - future bffs

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This free digital scrapbook made with Smilebox

Season Finales and Shows to look forward to

2010-09-09T07:32:00.000-07:00

If the current teasers are anything to go on , the new NBC show The Event promises to be a truly exciting show. The 'event' seems to imply an impending invasion or attack on the President and the White House , the country , the world (? ) . By whom , we yet have to see . I suspect this is one of those alien invasion type shows , but I could be wrong. There is one heart pounding scene where a jet plane was approaching and crashing on the White House grounds and the first family was being whisked away to safety. Where the inspiration came , we very well know. It is scary. But nothing made my heart skip some beats than the scene where the Sean Walker character was trying to go back to his cabin on a cruise ship and his magnetic key doesn't work . He knocks on the door and calls for his girlfriend but there is no answer. He goes to the concierge and asks for a new key. Somebody else was registered as occupant of the cabin and there is no record of him or his girlfriend being on board at all. He calls his girlfriend's cellphone and all he gets is a message that the number is not in service. It reminded me of the Jodi Foster movie Flightplan where she lost her little girl on the plane and it seemed like none of the other passengers and crew saw the girl being on board with her .

The plot of this new show which premieres on the 20th is so mysterious it makes me want to see it. Hopefully, it won't be another letdown like some of the shows that start out with a bang but after an episode or two get boring and predictable and simply peter out . The show Warehouse 13 was far from predictable , but it was really boring. Tony and I watched the first season and parts of the second season of the show 24 , until the plots got so fantastic to be believable. The fella Jack Bauer has more lives than a cat. We stopped watching.

We can hardly wait however , for the new season of NCIS , Miami CSI , The Mentalist , Chuck , Modern Family , The Office and Grey's Anatomy to start sometime this month.

It would be interesting to see who among the cast of CSI will be left standing and alive after the biological attack / poison gas (? ) in the lab. Will Horatio ditch his shades this time? And oh , how we miss Abby and all the others of NCIS. Will DiNozzo and Ziva make a go at it and become a couple ? I doubt it will ever happen cause it is one of the thrill factors of the show , the tension and attraction between these two characters and how they banter and poke at each other, ( no pun ). It should be interesting to see what will happen this season. One thing for sure , though, we would really hate it if any one of the main characters were to die or were to leave the show . We love Ducky, Gibbs, Abby, DiNozzo , McGee , Ziva and even Ducky's assistant.

And what will the crazy characters of The Office be up to this time? Can hardly wait. We heard that Michael's former ladylove Holly will be back to the Scranton location of Dunder Mifflin Co. We know from previous episodes that Michael is still not over her . Now that they will be working together again , is there a possible reconciliation? It seems like we can't get enough of Steve Carrel's talent these days . We have been catching some of The Office reruns on TV, and gone out to see his movies in the theater these past couple of months . We have watched Date Night ( with uber funny girl Tina Fey ) , Dinner for Shmucks , and in the 3D animation Despicable Me.

Next week is the week of season finales . I am keeping my fingers crossed that America will vote for Prince Poppycock in America's Got Talent . As much as I adore the angelic face and amazingly talented Jackie Ivancho like the rest of the world , I believe that Prince Poppycock deserves to win and to star in his own show in Vegas and really , anywhere ! He is entertainment personified . He is THE show. So conquer them all , your highness!

Also ending next week is the first season showing of Bachelor Pad. This show is my dose of smut . After the fiasco that was the Vienna and Jake hookup , I swore to myself I won't be watching anymore trash shows . Hey, I was happy for Vienna and Jake when I thought that they really did find love in each other . When they danced to Jeffrey Osborne's On the Wings of Love , I celebrated them and the 'pure' love they found. Sigh....Check...Reality check....It was actually over before it even began.

So I didn't even attempt watching Bachelor Pad's first episode. Nor the second. But somewhere in between seeing Gia crying because she was getting disgusted at all the making out that's happening in house and Wes serenading her with the same love song he sang to Jillian 2 seasons ago , I was hooked. Gotta see the show I thought. I can't say I am not happy about Tenley of the little girl voice and Kiptyn becoming a couple . They are both like-able and their hearts were broken in 2 different seasons of The Bachelor and Bachelorette. I am a sucker for stories of finding love after a heartbreak. And if the online spoilers are to be believed , they win the contest and end up together. We will soon find out.

Whatever shows tickle your fancy , have a great TV season everyone!

You might want to check out :

The Event

Prince Poppycock

Jackie Evancho

The American , a review ( sort of )

2010-09-06T13:38:00.000-07:00

The latest George Clooney outing - The American , may be lording it over in the tills but , for me it has been a bit of a disappointment . Tony and I watched it over the weekend after we have seen the exciting trailer and heard some pretty good reviews. We were thinking that since it is an 'assassin' movie , it would be as action packed and thrilling as a Bourne movie. Sadly, it isn't and not even by half. I thought for sure after the opening scene , where Clooney's character ends up killing 3 people including the girl he was in bed with just hours before , that it was going to be a 'sitting on the edge of my seat , heart-palpitating , hand-covering my face ' experience. Well, I tell you , after that initial scene, the rest of the movie went slow mo as slow mo can get. George drinking coffee in a restaurant....George using the payphone ....George having a bad dream.......hey , wait- here's a perk--- George going to a bordello and meeting Clara , a perfect specimen of womanly beauty. Yeah, yeah, there is nudity here ( actually , a lot ). And hey, here's another perk- ladies actually get to see George's behind ! ( At last!) I've watched a million and one Clooney movies, which , by the way , I loved - Up in the Air, Syriana,Michael Clayton ,etc.etc. and this is the first time I've been treated to such sight. Quite picturesque too , was the Italian mountain village location.

In the movie, George Clooney is a cold blooded gun for hire who's having second thoughts about his profession and who wanted out after one last assignment. His boss agreed to let him go in a 'quiet' way. And that's where trouble begins.

The American is a contemplative thriller , that's how the critics call it. I don't think I am a big fan of this genre. I will take a well made action thriller anytime. Tony actually enjoyed the movie, however.

One little highlight of the Sunday movie date was the woman a seat away from me who kept mumbling angrily and was ticked off with the sound of popcorn munching in the theater. She approached a family one level down and across the aisle and told the boy who was just enjoying his popcorn to 'f----off! ' I was shocked with the audacity and the nerve of this woman. After the movie, the boy's dad calmly approached the woman and said : " I don't appreciate you telling my son to f_ _ off! If you like quiet , why don't you stay home and watch movie in your living room! You are a piece of work! You are rude. " When she was called rude , the woman just said " I know! ".

For a 'proper' review of the movie , check what my favorite movie reviewer and critic Roger Ebert has to say , and see why he gave the movie a respectable 4-stars .

Thursday 13 , Revisited

2010-07-15T07:19:00.000-07:00

With a handful of my blogger friends taking to writing again , I thought it's time to resume my blogging as well , big copycat that I am. I have been doing some cyber hopping these past few days to catch up on my favorite blogs, most of which I haven't had the chance to visit in a while. Boy, a lot has changed since the last time I've been 'here'. Philippines has a new President. A very much admired blogger friend and favorite scrabble opponent came up with a book that anybody who's read it absolutely loved. Another blogger friend became a first time dad ( Attaboy , Zherwin!). Still another became a first time mom. The list could go on and on. Changes, changes - the only thing in the world that are constant. ( teheeee, wasn't that a smart thing to say? :))

On my end, there's been changes as well. And coz it's Thursday and the Thursday 13 meme has always been a fun thing to do, I would like to share with you the " wassups with me" and some random thoughts in a true Thursday 13 form.

1. I'm done with the refresher courses ! ( uh,oww , I hope I didn't jinx it , since I still am awaiting my official grade on one subject.) 40 comprehension assignments and 13 Final exams later , I wait. Is it the board exams next or ???

2. Another nephew to love! I am so smitten with my brother's 6 month-old son Jude Francis that he became my official FB profile pic! All the better to show him off my dears!

3. A new favorite book! Annamanila's 'In Another Dress ' is compilation of selected stories and essays written in graceful Annamanila style. Straight-faced or quirky , proud or a little self-deprecatory , ecstatic or brooding , Annamanila is all too human. To read her is to love her.

4. Ironman II . I've always liked Robert Downey Jr. and any movie that he makes, me luvs. I liked the first Ironman movie better than this one though. I don't know why. Scarlett Johanssen rocked in this one . What a kick ass character !

5. Grey's Anatomy. If only they do away with too much mating and merry-go -round relationships , it would still be enjoyable to watch! Having said that, I still look forward to the next season , which perhaps could be the last? I read somewhere that Ellen Pompeo , who plays Dr. Meredith Grey is not renewing her contract after next season . Without Dr. Grey, what's the show gonna be called? ANATOMY? I do think that the most interesting character in the show though is Dr. Yang played by Sandra Oh. If she is gone , might as well pack up the set!

6. MODERN FAMILY. LOVE this show! As is always the case with me, the show should have been running for at least a year before I accidentally catch part of an episode and realize that it is darn good and feel bad for the good laughs that I've been missing all this time . The characters are all so funny . I am so new to the show that I have yet to be on first- name basis with them. Like I was with Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer.

7. Valentine in Vegas. My first impression of Vegas from the air- how it looked like a giant christmas tree with all the lights! Arriving at night afforded us that breathtaking view. Seeing slot machines even at the airport amused me. Playing the slots while waiting for your flight isn't such a bad idea. Or while waiting for your ride to the hotel. ( no, not a good idea! ) .

8. The Grand Canyon. MAGNIFICENT !

9.Zumanity. Oh, what a night, oh, what a show!

10. The Rat Pack Show at The Plaza Hotel and Casino. Good steak dinner and amazing Frank Sinatra , Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. impersonators/ performers. They sound and look like the real deal.

11. Pinoy Food. All the Pinoys in Vegas. As soon as we left the airport , our cousins took us to-------JOLLIBEE! What is it about the chicken joy and the jollibee gravy that make them so good? Chicken is chicken is chicken. How come, it tasted better than chicken from say, McDo or Swiss Chalet? Could it be a matter of mind-conditioning , and anything that connects you to home seems to taste better, smell yummier? The Jollibee restaurant in Vegas is on the same building as Chowking, Red Ribbon and Seafood City and it felt like being back in the Philippines for a moment. Between bites, I discreetly watched my kababayans in the other tables and mused about things. Where do these people work? Do they miss the Philippines? Do they care about the upcoming elections ( at that time, the elections was coming up in about three months time. )Will there be a Lani Misalucha sighting?

12. Nanay Gloria. An all-you-can eat place in Vegas, where I had my fill of nilaga, tinola, prinito , ginataan , bbq pinoy style , and the many foods I missed. Definitely a place to go back to next time we are in town.

13. Facebook. A phenomenon. In much the same way that the 'video killed the radio star' , I thought Facebook is killing the blogger. For isn't it much simpler to write down your thoughts as soon as you think of them in a short shout-out form and know that your friends would read them than to compose a long drawn out prose? And does anybody visit blogs anymore? If you want to know how someone is doing , or what someone thinks these days , all you have to do is open her facebook page. Sometime I do think , blogging is such a hassle and time consuming . But when I read some of my past entries on this blog and got reminded of certain things and events in the past , like meeting up with blog friends for the first time, watching an enjoyable concert , going some place , or what I said about my mother on her birthday -- they bring back the memories and the sentiments , much like reading a diary can, and I am glad , I wrote.

HAPPY THURSDAY everyone!

2010-07-14T11:49:00.001-07:00

tweak...tweak..tweak...

Peeking @ Home

2010-04-29T10:29:00.001-07:00

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I Wanna...

2010-03-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

I wanna say 'hello' to spring but it seems like she is shy to come out from behind the curtain of gloom. I wanna touch her hand and see her break in a smile that warms my soul . But she is not ready to come bursting in the room . She is so tentative, reluctant, inching in just a little step at a time.

Come on Miss Spring , this is not the time to be bashful.

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Vegas Getaway 2010

2010-02-20T19:01:00.000-08:00

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It's That time of year....

2009-12-13T15:33:00.000-08:00

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Flickr

2009-12-13T13:31:00.001-08:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Unconscious Mutterings # 7

2009-06-05T11:12:00.000-07:00

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Nursery :: rhyme
2. Side effect :: medicines
3. Heart to heart ::talk
4. Try ::again
5. Hog ::Hug
6. Symptom ::-atic
7. Collide ::our worlds
8. Fury ::hell hath...
9. Incorporated ::Monsters INC.
10. Summer ::Wind..

Unconscious Mutterings # (5? 6? )

2009-05-25T11:43:00.000-07:00

it has been a while since I played this, I forgot what 'edition' it is. I do need a little bit of fun today, so here goes:

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Lisa :: Change the spelling to Lizza- that would be my dearest friend!
2. Hope :: ...springs eternal, a phrase I 'hear' from Annamanila
3. Irene :: hey, that's my great grand mother's name, pretty name!
4. Tony :: double hey, that's my dearest hubby's name.
5. Anna ::Manila (sigh,if only I write half as well as she does)
6. Dolly ::Ann Carvajal ;-)
7. Laura ::Brannigan
8. Debbie ::Rumorh
9. Wilson ::Malicdem
10. Paula ::Abdul

"Free association is described as a "psychonanalytic procedure in which a person is encouraged to give free rein to his or her thoughts and feelings, verbalizing whatever comes into the mind without monitoring its content." Over time, this technique is supposed to help bring forth repressed thoughts and feelings that the person can then work through to gain a better sense of self.

That's an admirable goal, but for the purposes of this excercise, we're just hoping to have a little fun with the technique. Each week I'll post ten words to which you can respond to with the first thing that comes to mind. "

Visit Unconscious Mutterings.

blogging from my email

2009-04-17T08:26:00.001-07:00

This is way cool. Being able to blog straight from the email. Just gotta test it.
Hrmmm..Mike test..mike test.

Gina

Not From the Peanut Gallery
The Bears and the Beads

..and more mosaic

2009-03-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

Mosaic- Another Way to Enjoy your Pictures

2009-03-10T05:33:00.000-07:00

If you were like me, or worse, you would have tons of pictures taken with your digital cam just sitting in files on your pc. I've come across a program where you can enjoy them without spending a fortune on printing. And it is a fun way to do it too. Visit AndreaMosaic and you will know what I mean. It is a free downloadable program with tutorial. Using a main picture as the 'canvas' for all the other pixelated images , here's my first work which I had printed like a poster on a 10x14 photo paper at the printing shop . How cool is that?

All The Best in 2009 !

2009-01-02T07:57:00.000-08:00

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Merry Christmas

2008-12-21T08:20:00.000-08:00

Girly Comments & Graphics

Heaven Needed Another Gardener

2008-11-26T06:20:00.000-08:00

So long, Dad .

Memes Back to Back and A Blog Break

2008-11-19T04:40:00.000-08:00

With the first 2 modules arriving in the mail yesterday from the Canadian Society of Medical Laboratory Science (CSMLS)for my continuing education courses, I am officially a student once again! This will require a lot of reading and (gasp!) memorizing and no less than a 100 % commitment.

Last night , I scanned the pages of the first module and all at once I was bombarded with the terms and nomenclature that were once familiar , but have long been forgotten. Tongue-twisters like Micrococcaceae, schleiferi sub species coagulans, stomatococcus mucilaginosus are back with a vengeance. I even have to look up what saprophytic means , and it's supposed to be one basic term. Oh, my, I have a long road ahead of me, haven't I?

Therefore, I vowed to myself, for me to be able to succeed in completing my 13 subjects and passing them within the time frame given me, I have to temporarily give up my one true joy (naks!)- blogging.

I think I still need to bloghop though because after all, I still need to 'hear' about things that matter- your joys, sorrows, triumphs,friendships,discoveries,adventures, lessons learned etc.etc.etc.etc.

So yes, I will still be visiting your blogs folks! I may not come up with coherent and sensible comments, so most likely than not, I will just savor your entries while rubbing my chin and nodding my head.

But before I hunker down with my books, let me do a couple of fun memes.

First , the tag from Leah.

Here's the rule:

Click copy/paste, type in your answers and tag four people in your lists! Don’t forget to change my answers to the questions with that of yours.

1. Four places I go over and over

workplace (in the mall), workplace, workplace, workplace.

2. Four people who e-mails me regularly

sisters-in law 1. Cathy 2. Carmen 3. Gina with some really hilarious forwarded emails and videos and 4. my cousin Jinjin
3. Four of my favorite places to eat?

my mother-in-law's kitchen and cooking, Red Lobster, China King, home.

4. Four places you’d rather be? .

Especially in the cold winter months, I yearn to be -home in the Philippines, any beach in the Phils., Florida, any of my cousins' or friends' home in the Philippines! (Can you tell, I'm kind of homesick?)

5. Four TV shows I could watch over and over.

Sex and the City, Grey's Anatomy, Family Guy, Friends (reruns)

6. Four lucky winners ( of this tag..)

If you (yes, you!) haven't done this meme yet, you should do it ;-) Let me know if/when you did it so I can check it out. Deal?

Then, the tag from Pining - The Alphabet Questions Tag.

A. Attached or single? Attached.
B. Best friend? My Nonoy.
C. Cake or pie? Ooohhh, tough. Ok, cake.
D. Day of choice? Saturday.
E. Essential item? toothbrush.
F. Favorite color? reds, pinks and some shades of blue.
G. Gummy bears or worms? neither.Give me peanut M&M's instead?
H. Hometown? Samar, Philippines.
I. Favorite indulgence? Laura Secord French mint chocolate
J. January or July? July.
K. Kids? Kiddycat.
L. Life isn’t complete without? LOVE.
M. Marriage date? April 6 some years ago
N. Number of magazine subscriptions: none.
O. Oranges or apples? both.
P. Phobias? Disorderly drunks.
Q. Quotes? Failure will not overtake you if your determination to succeed is strong enough. (from The Greatest Salesman In the World by Og Mandino)
R. Reasons to smile? a surprise treat , an act of kindness, meeting up with friends, vacations,a Scrabble win.
S. Season of choice? Spring.
T. Tag 5 people. Leah, Annamanila,Chesca,Angelo,Jessica.
U. Unknown fact about me? I can't swim. But I can recognize most mahjong tiles by touch ;P . That kind of balances it out, lol. ( Coincidentally, we sometimes call mahjong -swimming, because of the act of wading through the tiles when shuffling.)
V. Vegetable? squash. (ginataang kalabasa dish with shrimp paste)
W. Worst habit? procrastinating.
X. X-ray or ultrasound? x-ray.
Y. Your favorite foods? shrimp dishes, crabs, pork stew, fried chicken AND always with rice.
Z. Zodiac sign? Cancer.

(* girl reading image found on the web.)

Speedtest

2008-11-13T20:16:00.000-08:00

Not too shabby, eh?

152 points, so you achieved position 653776 of 1102147 on the ranking list

You type 258 characters per minute
You have 45 correct words and
you have 6 wrong words

45 words

Typingtest

Is My Blog Really Uber?!

2008-11-11T21:16:00.001-08:00

Just when I thought that I am past caring about blog awards and not getting them ;-P (well, come on, the last one was what, last year?), here comes one that is unexpected and sweet. Thank you Mariz!

Reading (and re-reading) all the 'qualifiers' for a blog to be uber amazing--- I can only guess that I probably , somehow make you smile. Do I? Do I? But again, thank you Mariz.

And now comes the tough part. Who to pass it to. I say that, everyone in my blogroll - The Mind Spas- deserves to get one.

These blogs talk to me, move me, inspire me, make me smile/laugh/cry. So to you, you and you, this award goes.

Uber (synonym to Super) Amazing Blog Award is a blog award given to sites who:
* inspires you
* makes you smile and laugh
* or maybe gives amazing information
* a great read
* has an amazing design
* and any other reasons you can think of that makes them uber amazing!

The rules of this award are:

* Put the logo on your blog or post.
* Nominate at least 5 blogs (can be more) that for you are Uber Amazing!
* Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog.
* Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from.

The Pink Sisterhood Meme

2008-11-11T21:05:00.000-08:00

I did the meme here.

Sarcasm ( Another Bingo Word!)

2008-10-25T21:22:00.000-07:00

Scrabble opponent (SO): Well, someone had to have decent letters.
Me: I am actually finding it sooo tough trying to use them.
SO : Aw. Tsk. Try using iinueai.
Me : Oh, yes. I guess that's tougher.
SO : Much better now. aeeeeouoiuuoiuoinnna.

( I made a bingo word-EQUATES)

SO : tsk.
Me : I know...sorry...seems like the distribution isnt fair.
SO : oh , really?
Me : Hopefully, you're luckier next time.
SO: gee, I didn't notice.

(SO resigns. Junemaiden wins the game)

* read the rest of the text exchange below.

Tsk.tsk..what sarcasm. And it is supposed to be a friendly game. Competitive, yes, but it should never be antagonistic. How many times have I experienced a losing streak - like 6 or 7 successive losses- and felt like throwing those darn lousy virtual tiles into the air? Countless. And on those occasions, I almost believed that the whole online scrabble site is rigged and is always siding with any opponent of mine. Those are the times when I almost swore off playing online scrabble and save myself the aggravation. Only to turn back into an enthusiastic scrabbler again when I got a little bit luckier.

Never, ever though have I been snarky or sarcastic when I'm on the losing end. Much less, been boastful or too proud whenever I won. Unfortunately, there are some who are the exact opposite. Fortunately, most of my encounters are with gracious and friendly players who make online scrabbling one worthwhile and enjoyable activity.

As for the poor sport- tsk.tsk.tsk.

Unconscious Mutterings # 5

2008-10-09T06:55:00.000-07:00

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Zoo :: Manila Zoo, the first zoo that I have been to
2. Neighborhood ::playmates
3. Salute ::CAT- Citizens Army Training
4. Immortality ::undefeated
5. Dominion ::Bank
6. Rhonda ::clothes line - a buyer in our company
7. Parties ::fun!fun!fun!
8. Prince of Darkness ::computer game
9. Garbage ::filthy
10. Standard ::in chemistry- std. against test.

Visit Unconscious Mutterings to play this meme.

Summer Highlights ( Part 2 )

2008-10-02T19:54:00.000-07:00

Meeting fellow bloggers and online friends Angelo and Leah, along with her family for a date at the Royal Ontario Museum in August was another summer highlight. It marked the day that our online friendship bridged into the offline realm. Besides seeing the faces ,and hearing the voices behind the writings, it was nice to discover that they are as wonderful in person as they are in their blogs. It was a day of pleasant discoveries, warmth, fun and laughter. Definitely a red letter day in my calendar!

But this has got to be the highlight of highlights of my summer, a spectacular capper to the season - watching two super talents perform live in concert in Toronto! Dubbed as Asia's Nightingale and The New Siren of the Strip (Vegas),respectively, Regine Velasquez and Lani Misalucha held the audience under their spell.

From their opening number right to the encore, they delivered and sustained a performance that's nothing short of magnificent. They made people laugh from their bantering, move some to tears with their soulful renditions, transported homesick 'kababayans' with their repertoire of Original Pilipino Music and gave everyone an unforgettable and magical night of music.

One of my most favorite parts of the show was when Lani brought the house down with her headbanging rendition of 'Laklak' right after the ethereal 'Nessun Dorma'. It was priceless. I was humming the darn tune all the way home and all through the week.

After the concert, Tony and I met up with Leah, her sister Leila, and cousin Michelle at the lobby (we were not seated together) where the two performers accommodated their many fans for autograph signing. Since the 3 girls were able to get a copy each of the playbill, they had something for the stars to autograph . I totally forgot about our concert tickets! I was one starstruck fan just watching in the sidelines while Lani and Regine autographed away. Heck, I was even thrilled to see Regine's dad and if my hunch was right, that was her mom sitting behind her. I heard some people saying ' Cacai is there behind that post.' (Cacai,btw, is Regine's sister) Wow, too many 'sikats' in one night,eh?

After Leah and company obtained THE autographs, the five of us left the Roy Thomson Hall to look for the nearest coffee shop for some 'catching up' and a recap of the night's show. Besides, the drivers need a caffeine boost for the drive home.

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Summer Highlights ( Part 1 )

2008-10-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

October almost took me by surprise. Summer came and went and September was a blur. The leaves on the trees have turned to varying shades of yellow and orange before they would inevitably fall to the ground in a few weeks. My in-laws' garden is almost bare save for a few melanzana (eggplants). Most of the summer bounty were either consumed or preserved in jars for the winter. In my mother-in-law's cantina , one would see a few rows of jarred tomato sauce, peaches, pears, eggplants preserved like our very own local 'achara'. There would be a fair amount of ziploc-bagged dried basil, oregano,mint, parsley and other herbs in her freezer. And the big glass 'damajans' of grape wine are fermenting and settling in the cellar , ready to be bottled in a few months or so. And then ready to be tasted and enjoyed by summertime. These are my markers for summer's end.

We haven't done any traveling this year unlike the previous summers. And for being a season of picnics and barbecues, we have only gone to a measly two. It seemed like the past few months have been spent mostly on work and work, and work.

So when something out of the routine came up, we welcomed it with excitement and exhilaration. Like the week in July when our two favorite cousins came for a short vacation with us. We took them to the scenic Niagara Falls, and the quaint town of Niagara-on-the Lake , where we browsed the many different specialty and souvenir shops. Within Brantford, we took them to the Alexander Graham Bell Homestead and the historic Mohawk Chapel. We went antiquing. We went to a few restaurants. We visited some relatives in Pickering. And most of all, our cousins got to sample the famous homemade cooking of my mother-in-law, and experience the Italian brand of hospitality.

But it was the time spent in our little apartment, doing some cooking, eating, tutti-frutti shaking , singing, Playstation-ing, talking,laughing, pillow-talking that was most memorable.

It was on the 4th morning since they arrived,when my cousins woke up to an increasingly limp, running- out- of air inflatable bed in the living room, and they had to move to the sofa. We suspected that naughty little Bella somehow managed to poke a teeny hole in the thing. That day, we tried our best to repair it by putting electrical tape over the hole, but it only allowed the poor guests an hour of peaceful slumber before they get swallowed in the middle of the queen size bed again.

Mercifully, they got invited for an overnight stay at another cousin's house the day before they had to leave back to Florida. They were spared from another uncomfortable night.

The last time I talked with them on the phone, I bragged about our new sofabed.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

The Main Event

2008-09-22T11:58:00.000-07:00

Today, I'm still feeling high from last night.

While I'm trying to gather my thoughts , I am sharing with you these...

She Says, I Think # 4 (Unconscious Mutterings)

2008-09-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Cut the crap :: Honestly?
2. Scent ::Perfume
3. Vanishing ::Ghost
4. Wetness ::Lubrication ;-P
5. Cheap ::Disposable anything
6. Badges ::Honor
7. Puppy ::CUTE!
8. Problem solver ::fixer
9. Gambling ::addict
10. Sophia ::my closest cousin

Visit Unconscious Mutterings to join this weekly meme.

Hole in the Wall (The Human Tetris)

2008-09-12T04:05:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you laughed so hard until you cried?

For me, it was just last night while watching this crazy game show.

If Not Vegas, Then Toronto

2008-09-04T08:28:00.000-07:00

It was only much later , after the multiplex cassettes were replaced in popularity by the video karaoke and later on , with the compact Magic Mike that I learned that it could have been Lani Misalucha's voice that was on my tapes. She was the Barbara Streisand. The Sharon Cuneta. Kuh. Whitney. Hers could have been the voice that I would listen to for guidance if I wasn't too sure of the lyrics or the melody and liked to sing the song anyway. It must have been her vocals too that I muted when I didn't want to hear anybody else' voice but mine while belting out a mastered song. Remember those tapes? The ones that come in sets of 2 or 4 and contain a million and one songs? ;-) You know, the ones that wannabe divas sing along to until the household and the neighbors beg for deliverance ?

My point, by the way, is that Lani Misalucha has a vocal range so versatile and powerful that she couldn't possibly stay behind the limelight forever. She was in her 30's when she broke into the Philippine music scene and show business in the early or mid '90s and sang her way into many a people's heart. She definitely captured my admiration when I first heard her sing on TV.

A couple of years after I've lived abroad, I heard that she migrated to the USA, particularly Las Vegas where she teamed up with the Society of Seven for a series of shows. Their shows have become main attractions and Lani's fantastic vocal impersonations of popular artists like Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston and even Britney Spears (among others) have gotten raves and perhaps earned Celine Dion's audience . Lani herself, in an interview talked about the time when somebody supposedly saw Celine come in discreetly and sat in the back row to watch the performance. I wonder what she thought. Did she enjoy the impersonation of her, complete with facial contortion, the signature shhh pronunciation of the letter 's', and the requisite high notes?

Since early last year, we were talking about visiting Las Vegas for sightseeing, a little bit of slot-playing, and most importantly watching the show. We ended up going someplace else, which was still fun, mind you. This year, it's out of the question, with our Bella and with work, we couldn't possibly go anywhere beyond driving distance.

But how could we have missed the show when they came in Toronto earlier this year? We simply didn't get wind of it! We could just boink our heads.

But NOT this time, no sir! It was lucky that I read the Philippine Inquirer when I did and read Lani's interview. SHE is coming to town! Right there and then, we ordered our tickets. It may not be her Vegas act, but we are very excited nonetheless. We can hardly wait to finally see her live!

The following video is a MUST SEE . She does a mean Celine, Diana Ross, Britney, Christina Aguillera (?),Liza Minelli ,a Sarah Brightman. Ohh, she's a hoot!

Duel of the Divas

2008-08-25T19:46:00.000-07:00

WHOOOOO! We've got tickets to the September 21 concert of our favorite artists Regine Velasquez and Lani Misalucha at the Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. A few years ago, we have watched Regine in her The Songbird and The Songwriter show with Ogie Alcasid and they were very good. Regine really wowed everyone in the audience with her vocal prowess and we thought, we would not mind watching her again.

And what do you know, she is coming to town again! And this time around, she will be with another singer that we really admire. To see and listen to the amazing Lani Misalucha live will be a dream come true. I hope she will include this one in her repertoire.

See you soon Lani and Regine!

Michael Lee -Chin Crystal

2008-08-08T19:29:00.000-07:00

Lightly drag your mouse over the image, and see what happens.

Friendship Day

2008-08-06T18:46:00.000-07:00

We couldn't have chosen a better date- Sunday, August 3, National Friendship Day. Since last year, Leah and I have hinted at a possible meet-up , but just have never gotten around to setting a date. Although we both live in Ontario, there is a good 2 hour drive separating us. And then there is the matter of schedules and weather. But just when it seemed like we are not ever going to meet outside of cyberspace , the occasion arose. A long weekend when Tony and I , and Leah and her hubby are all off from work. And what do you know, another blogger that Leah and I both admire for his interesting blogs and beautiful photography agreed to meet with us too. In fact, Angelo was the first to arrive at the ROM (where we all agreed to meet),and when Tony and I arrived just before 11 a.m. , he was already at the ticket line. I instantly recognized him from his photos, and he , me. I knew he was a tall guy, but at 5'6" myself, I didn't expect to crane my neck to look up at him while we talked. He is such a friendly guy, warm and like-able.

Leah and family arrived last. It's like meeting an old friend. Having visited each others' blogs for almost 2 years, and the occasional online chatting and scrabble, she is no stranger at all. It's fun to find out that we are of the same height (we are, aren't we Leah?)And it is a pleasure to meet A, Leah's reserved but friendly hubby and their smart and adorable daughter.

We thought it best to grab a bite before exploring the different exhibits at the ROM and set out to find a restaurant nearby. Over bento boxes, chirashi, sushi and miso soup, we 'caught up' on each others' lives. And then it was time to head back and find out what the museum has in store for us.

I had so much fun looking at the many different exhibits and taking pictures of them and of my companions.

5 hours later, notwithstanding my slightly sore feet, I felt so much more intellectually and culturally enriched, and so much luckier having met my wonderful online friends.

Make a Smilebox photobook

A Computer Poem for those over 30

2008-07-17T07:52:00.000-07:00

This got me laughing today.

A computer was something on TV
From a science fiction show of note
A window was something you hated to clean
And ram was the cousin of a goat.

Meg was the name of my girlfriend
And gig was a job for the nights
Now they all mean different things
And that really mega bytes.

An application was for employment
A program was a TV show
A cursor used profanity
A keyboard was a piano.

Memory was something that you lost with age
A CD was a bank account
And if you had a 3-inch floppy
You hoped nobody found out.

Compress was something you did to the garbage
Not something you did to a file
And if you unzipped anything in public
You'd be in jail for a while.

Log on was adding wood to the fire
Hard drive was a long trip on the road
A mouse pad was where a mouse lived
And a backup happened to your commode.

Cut you did with a pocketknife
Paste you did with glue
A web was a spider's home
And a virus was the flu.

I'll stick to my pad and paper
And the memory in my head
No one's been killed in a computer crash
But it makes their face turn red!

Author unknown

She Says , I Think (# 3)

2008-07-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

1. Loneliness ::homesickness
2. Traffic ::Manila
3. Chaos ::rock music
4. Burp ::I say excuse me!
5. 500 ::Ninoy Aquino
6. Movie ::fun
7. Coma ::my cousin Lil
8. Bark ::tree
9. Stare ::I try not to
10. Angelina ::Jolie (always in the news)

Visit Unconscious Mutterings to join this weekly meme.

JUNEmoon ( A Birthday Tag)

2008-07-03T17:29:00.000-07:00

Rules:
* 1.Determine your birthday month and get a word that rhymes with it or you can affix to it. Caps lock your birth month (ex: MAYday! JUNE dune, APRILicious, JULYvely, AUGUST pocus, parched MARCH…). Be unique.
* 2.Your birth month plus the word affixed or rhymed shall become the tag’s title in your case.
* 3.Get your birthday and add the digits involved. Example, if your birthday falls on the 25th of July, add 2 and 5 you get 7.
* 4.Whatever is the sum, write a list of the MATERIAL gifts you wish to receive, the number of which shall correspond to the sum of your birthday. For example, applying the case above (in rule number 3), you will write seven (7) things you wish to receive.
* 5.After your wish list, put your name and birthday in the Bloggers’ Birthday Directory, with a link to your blog/s. Note: when you add your birthday, please place it in a way that the dates appear chronological (January, February… 1, 2, 3)
* 6.Pass this tag meme by tagging as many people as you want.

Name: Gina
Birthday: June 26
Calculation: 2 + 6 = 8 (yipeeee, I get to make 8 'material' wishes!)

MY WISHLIST:

1. a beach house
2. a house on a hill
3. a house in the farm ( could be one and the same as #2)
4. a few dogs ( chihuahua , shihtzu, labs,spaniel )
5. plane ticket to the Philippines for a long vacation
6. a closet-full of beautiful new shoes and purses
7. a whole new wardrobe
8. a curio cabinet with a big collection of vintage Josef figurines

I can dream and wish, can't I? After all, as they say, wishes are free. Before I blew the candles on my birthday cake last week, though, I made just a single wish.

Bloggers’ Birthday Directory:
February 20 - Caryl February 23 - Jammy March 7 - Mari March 29 - Rachel May 3 - Vannie May 8 - joanjoyce May 27 – Zang Caesar September 30 - Mckhoii October 22 - MommyBa December 18 - JoshuaOngYS December 19 - Alpha December 20 - Suzanne ROWENA-March 18, ME- June 26, PUT YOUR BIRTHDAY HERE

I tag Leah, Pining, Len , Jo , Mel and Jessica. Only when you get the chance girls!

Movies, Movies and Movies (Thursday 13 # 26)

2008-06-26T02:00:00.000-07:00

1. One movie that made you laugh: Borat. This is a movie you'd either enjoy immensely or be disgusted with a passion.

2. One movie that made you cry: Since I tend to cry at the drop of a hat, this is tough. The most recent one - Dan in Real Life . There's that one little scene there when he was talking with his 3 'rebellious' daughters that was quite touching.

3. One movie you loved when you were a child: ET.

4. One movie you've seen more than once: You've Got Mail. I luvvv this movie.

5. One movie you loved, but were embarrassed to admit it: Not loved , but would have been embarrassed if I were caught watching it then (18 or so years ago)- a 'pene' movie ( the local parlance for an all-out pornographic movie)with 10 other girls from the dormitory. We watched it in a seedy moviehouse in downtown Cebu.

6. One movie you hated:The Truth About Charlie. I got lost somewhere in the twists and turns of the story, that I didn't care anymore to know the truth about him and didn't bother finishing it.

7. One movie that scared you: The Changeling, from a long time ago and not to be confused with 2 other newer movies with the same title. I watched it maybe 20 years ago, and I remembered how it sent shivers down my spine. It was a story of a haunted house with one little secret room.

8. One movie that bored you: Serendipity.
Ho-hohum!

9. One movie that made you happy: Hairspray.

10. One movie that made you miserable: Philadelphia (Tom Hanks)

11. One movie you thought would be great, but it wasn’t: Ocean's 12

12. One movie you weren't brave enough to see: Schindler's List
We rented the dvd, and returned it unwatched. I knew it will depress me.

13. One movie character you've fallen in love with: Julia Roberts' character in Pretty Woman

Happy Thirteening everyone!

(this T13 is a 'tag' from Jessica)

Related posts:
Movie Buff and Critic Me
Hand Me A Tissue Please

Yuwie!

2008-06-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

Has anybody heard of Yuwie!? No, it's not one of Donald Duck's nephews.
It is another network/ social site like Friendster and MySpace that I stumbled upon today. What sets it apart from the others is you are supposed to earn revenue from clicks on your page. Their tag line: Yuwie, where it pays to socialize.

After doing some reading, I decided to give it a try and signed up. The thing I've noticed is the amount of ads each time you open a page in the site. But I guess, that's where the money comes from- from the advertisers. The good thing is, they are not the irksome pop-up windows that I sometimes encounter in some websites and I could just easily ignore and skip them if I wanted to.

But hey, if any of you want to give it a try, why don't you click on the icon below and let's see if we can really make money out of it. Maybe enough so we can treat ourselves to some ice cream!

(Update: I decided to delete my account on YUWIE! The reason: just because)

She Says, I Think ( #2)

2008-06-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

( this is the sight that greeted me on our balcony the other day, can you make out the faint rainbow?)

"Free association is described as a "psychonanalytic procedure in which a person is encouraged to give free rein to his or her thoughts and feelings, verbalizing whatever comes into the mind without monitoring its content." Over time, this technique is supposed to help bring forth repressed thoughts and feelings that the person can then work through to gain a better sense of self."

1. Goodbye :: tears

2. Cage :: trapped

3. Buddy :: fun

4. Magic words :: Magic Mike

5. Library :: bookworms

6. Fall in love :: dreamer ( ....don't fall in love with a dreamer...lyrics to a song)

7. Tense ::uneasy

8. Work! :: money

9. Empty :: plate

10. Heat wave :: summer

Visit Unconscious Mutterings if you want to join in this fun weekly meme.

A Hope and A Prayer

2008-06-24T04:32:00.000-07:00

It seems like the glimmer of hope in finding more survivors from the ferry tragedy in the Philippines is slowly fading. The underwater search and rescue people only saw bodies inside the sunken ship and no sign of life.

It is heartbreaking to see images of families grieving for their lost loved ones. It is difficult to even contemplate what they are going through.

Feeling powerless, all I could do is pray.

Monday's Child

2008-06-20T10:26:00.000-07:00

Grabbed another fun idea from Leah!

1. Purchase :: clothes

2. Squeaky clean :: make the bathtub

3. Blended :: choir voices

4. Wednesday :: ...wednesday's child is full of woe... (Mother Goose poem)

5. Function :: bodily

6. Look down :: toes

7. July? :: guests

8. Raspberry :: in-laws' backyard

9. Assertive :: not me

10. Cracker :: fire

Visit Unconscious Mutterings if you want to join this weekly game!

Monday's Child is Fair of Face (by Mother Goose)

Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go.
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
But the child born on the Sabbath Day,
Is fair and wise and good and gay.

In looking for this poem, I stumbled on 'What day of the week were you born on ' calculator.

I was born on a Monday. That explains it. ;-)

Wish List (Thursday 13 # 25)

2008-06-19T08:57:00.000-07:00

I've been oooh-ing and aaah-ing and drooling over these beautiful and delicate Josef Originals figurines on Ebay these past few weeks. I've tried bidding on a couple of them but unfortunately was outbid. On one of them , I was outbid by just 50 cents! It sold for US $ 17.50 + shipping.

I might just get lucky one day and be able to run away with a very good deal. Or I might be even luckier and find them at the flea market or in one of the antique shops around the area at a much cheaper price.

"Josef Originals ceramics were designed by Muriel Joseph George. The first pieces were made in California from 1945 to 1962. They were then manufactured in Japan. The company was sold to George Good in 1982 and he continued to make Josef Originals until 1985. The company was then sold to Southland Corporation. The name is now owned by Applause, and the Birthday Girl series is still being made."

I much prefer the earliest Josefs than the ones that were manufactured in later years. They are simply adorable.

Happy Thirteening everyone!

Visit the T13 hub if you'd like to join in this weekly meme.

(Except for the last one,all the other 13 images were 'borrowed without permission' from current ebay listings)

Fathers' Day '08

2008-06-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

SUCCESS!!!

2008-06-15T18:26:00.000-07:00

can't resist tasting 1!

beauties!

oy, hala puto!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday's Feast # 9

2008-06-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

Keep Your Eye Upon the Donut (Optimist's Creed)

'Twixt optimist and pessimist
The difference is droll;
The optimist the doughnut sees -
The pessimist the hole.'

"As you ramble through Life, Brother,
Whatever be your goal.
Keep your eye upon the doughnut,
And not upon the hole."

Appetizer

Do you consider yourself to be an optimist or a pessimist?

Most of the time I try to abide by the creed above, so I can say I'm 75% optimist. The 25%..well, you know, sometimes it couldn't be helped. ;-)

Soup

What is your favorite color of ink to write
with?

Black.

Salad

How often do you get a manicure or pedicure? Do you do them yourself or go to a salon and pay for them?

I don't get manicures. And I do my own pedicure every 2 weeks.

Main Course

Have you ever won anything online? If so, what was it?

Nope.Maybe soon.

Dessert

In which room in your house do you keep your home computer?

The living room. And the bedroom.

Visit the Friday's Feast hub.

(donut image taken from the internet)

Revelation

2008-06-12T09:38:00.000-07:00

Revelations:

1. I admit I am (was) not familiar with the Journey band.

2. Although I have heard of the song 'Open Arms' and really , really liked it, I didn't know what group/who sang it.

3. My interest was peaked when I've heard that the group invited a Filipino talent to be their lead vocalist.

4. And that they found him through youtube.

5. I didn't know before that the hubby is a fan of the group and likes their songs.

6. His favorite was Don't Stop Believin'

7. He was amazed with the uncanny resemblance of Arnel Pineda's powerful voice to the group's past lead singer Steve Perry.

8. I am now a fan.

9. Big fan.

10. That is why I'd like to win a free Journey Revelation cd/dvd that blogberk Mitsuru is so generously raffling off every month (2 per month)from June to December.

11. Although restrictions apply, blogberks may twist his arm to be included in the draw.

12. And altho' I'd rather that there are only a few entrants to the draw so that I'd have better odds at winning one, I would want everybody to have a chance.

13. Visit his blog. Or this for details.

Wishing you luck everyone!

A Tag For A Cause

2008-06-10T09:02:00.000-07:00

At no other time has the bane of breast cancer hit closer to home than when we lost one of our own to it earlier this year. At what is supposed to be the prime of her life, my beautiful, mild-mannered,loving and lovable sister-in-law Aileen lost the fight.

What exactly causes breast cancer is not yet known. But there are some factors that predisposes one to get it at some point in her/his lifetime. The risk factors include :

1. Gender- Being a woman is the main risk of getting breast cancer. Altho' men get the disease, it is about a 100 x more common in women.

2. Age - The chance to get it gets higher as we get older.

3. Genetic Risk Factor-About 5% to 10% of breast cancers are linked to gene mutation.

4. Family History

Those are some risk factors that cannot be changed. There are also factors that we might have control over like our lifestyles and diet. It goes without saying, that the healthier the lifestyle , the healthier we will (ought to) be. If we avoid alcohol,exercise regularly, maintain a healthy body weight , we are decreasing the risk of getting it.

The stats are alarming. In the US alone, 182,460 women will be found to have invasive breast cancer in 2008. And the forecast is grim - 40,480 women will die of it this year. Very scary to contemplate even without adding the rest of the world's female population.

On the up side, " Right now there are about two and a half million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

The chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer some time during her life is about 1 in 8. The chance of dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 35. Breast cancer death rates are going down. This is probably the result of finding the cancer earlier and improved treatment."

(Source: American Cancer Society)

EARLY DETECTION is the number 1 way to fight breast cancer.

The excerpt below was copied from blogfriend Mariz.

Facts you need to know about Breast Cancer:
• The first sign of breast cancer usually shows up on a woman's mammogram before it can be felt or any other symptoms are present.
• Risks for breast cancer include a family history, atypical hyperplasia, delaying pregnancy until after age 30 or never becoming pregnant, early menstruation (before age 12), late menopause (after age 55), current use or use in the last ten years of oral contraceptives, and daily consumption of alcohol.
• Early detection of breast cancer, through monthly breast self-exam and particularly yearly mammography after age 40, offers the best chance for survival.
• Ninety-six percent of women who find and treat breast cancer early will be cancer-free after five years.
• Over eighty percent of breast lumps are not cancerous, but benign such as fibrocystic breast disease.
• You are never too young to develop breast cancer! Breast Self-Exam should begin by the age of twenty.

(Resources: American Cancer Society National Cancer Institute Komen Foundation)

You can help save lives of many women by spreading the word about The Breast Cancer Site and clicking on the pink button many times as you can. If The Breast Cancer Site receives 8 million clicks on the pink button in June, their premier sponsor -Bare Necessities- will donate $10,000 for more free mammograms. CLICK the pink button today!

The Breast Cancer Site

Let's do our share in the fight against breast cancer. All it takes is one little click (or more). You can also help spread the word and tell people of the site. Feel free to copy and paste parts of this entry. People, let's give some lovin' and hugs!

One Tiny Stitch At a Time

2008-06-04T15:13:00.000-07:00

One Tiny Stitch At A Time.

A new blog dedicated to my bearmaking and other crafting projects.

Do visit.

But before popping over there, please put your hands together for Tony "Ogie Alcasid" G. And watch out for a HUGE fan of his making a cameo appearance. A big round of applause, ladies and gentlemen!!!!! ( you have to turn your speakers on for this )

Giving Some Bling Lovin'

2008-06-02T07:31:00.000-07:00

You must luvvv me! Thank you Leah for this pretty yellow rose of friendship!

In gratitude to my online friends who give me a little bit of their precious time by visiting my blog and 'lending me an ear', and at the same time , being so gracious when I visit their 'homes' in the blogosphere, I've decided to break the bank and splurge on these pretty baubles =)...Instead of just 5, I've decided to give out 10.(Yes, 10! I do feel extra generous today .)

So here's something for you:

Girly Comments & Graphics

For making the Blogosphere a Cozy Place to Be...

Leah, Annamanila,Chesca,Pining,Rowena,Len,Mariz,Verns ..
And Zherwin, as you can see, this is a girl's bracelet, so you could probably re-gift it to Lyn. (hehehe). Same with you, Reo, perhaps save it for some lucky girl. =)

I hope you keep this meme going and give some lovin' to 5 of your blogger friends ... You can get the cute glitter icons here or here.

.

Iron Man, A Short 'Review'

2008-05-31T21:11:00.000-07:00

It's been almost 2 weeks since we watched the movie Iron Man, so this rave is sort of delayed. Just the same, I would still want to holler - IRON MAN, YOU ROCK!

Unlike Tony, I am not familiar with this Marvel character. So I didn't have any high expectations with it. I was sure it wouldn't be as thrilling to watch as the other Marvel-based movies like Spiderman , Fantastic 4 or X-Men. How sorely mistaken I was. For it was one of the most exciting action movies that I have watched in a while.

Besides the cool gadgets and the general premise of the movie, what made me like it very much was the fact that it is Robert Downey Jr. who plays the lead character Tony Stark aka Iron Man. I have had a big crush on this enigmatic guy since I've first seen him on the romantic comedy 'Only You' with Marisa Tomei many years ago. Oooh, those eyes!

For a guy who's got loads of talent and charisma, it was unfortunate that he wasn't so prudent in how he conducted his personal life and had his share of brushes with the law. Although he made a lot of other movies, the only other time that I've seen him after that movie was in a Wesley Snipes starrer where he played villain. He almost became a has-been before his star truly shined.

So I'm really happy that he's back on track and doing movies. He is damn good and did justice to the Tony Spark character.

Don't even get me started with the adorable Gwyneth Paltrow who plays his secretary Pepper Potts. She is so good in every role she does, and this one is no exception.

Aw, come on, just watch the movie if you haven't yet, will you? I swear, you'll LIKE it!

My, How You Have Grown!

2008-05-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

If you've been visiting my blog for a while now, you probably know that I am inclined to ramble on and on about our little darling Bella. Talk your ears off, and yes, cause you eyestrain from posting pics of her every now and again. Well, what can I do? I am one proud momma!

Since we got her, she has become my main photography subject. Never mind that it's difficult to make her sit or lie still or say 'cheese' to the camera. And when I do manage to get her looking at me, she ends up having redeyes in the pictures.

Yesterday , was one of those days when I bugged her , and with camera in hand kept clicking away. If she could only talk , she would have told me to ' Eff off! I'm trying to rest here!' She managed to make a little complaining 'meowwww.'

Here are some of her latest pictures . Beauty , isn't she?

In this picture, I fixed her red eyes , and she ended up with black ones instead of her natural blue.

You can also edit your favorite pictures and have fun with them in this site. Thanks to blogger Mariz for sharing her cool find.

Oh, by the way, have I told you that Bella has her own blog? You can visit her here.

Hand Me A Tissue Please! (Thursday 13 No. 23)

2008-05-22T08:36:00.000-07:00

In my college yearbook, I described myself as a big cry baby. 17 years later, I could still say the same. Not that I expected to change because I knew that it is just the way I am. But somehow I hoped that as I age I would have more control over the waterworks switch. For it does embarrass me sometimes when I get all emotional and my eyes start tearing up specially when I am in a public place. It`s not as bad when I am at home and watching a comedy movie with just a little heart-tugging scene in it and Tony catches me sniffling and my eyes all red. .
" Aren't you watching In Her Shoes ? ", he asked. Or one night when I was watching Dancing With the Stars and the beautiful Marlee Matlin and her partner were dancing the Viennese Waltz to the song She's Always A Woman.

Tell me that one isn't touchingly beautiful.

My T13 list today are movies/TV shows which had me reaching out for the box of tissue.

1.) In Her Shoes- Shirley McLaine, Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette. I forgot which scenes drew out the tears , but it was a good movie. I guess, it was that part where Cameron learned how to read (she has dyslexia) with the encouragement of an elderly patient of the retirement home where she works. Oh, and that one where she read poetry at her sister`s wedding.

2.) Dan In Real Life- with talented Steve Carrell. When he was talking with his 3 daughters towards the end of the movie.

3.) Casper - I`ve watched this movie years ago, but that scene where Casper `materialized` into his physical self (played by the cute Devon Sawa)and danced with Christina Ricci. Remember the song, Remember Me This Way ? That scene.

4.)Grey`s Anatomy - that heartrending scene on the finale of Season 2 when the heart transplant guy that Katherine Heigl fell in love with dies.

5.)Tanging Yaman - An award-winning Filipino film which tackles familial relationships,loyalty,love,differences, sickness in the family,etc. This movie made me cry from start to finish. Needless to say, I came out of the movie house all puffy eyed.

6.) Dancing With the Stars - you know which I`m talking about

7.) Ghost (1990) - Whoopi Goldberg, Demi Moore, and Patrick Swayze. You probably got the idea by now- anything that has death and ghost in it make me cry.

8.) Titanic- Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslet.

9.) Boys on the Side - I love that part where Whoopi Goldberg sang Carpenters` Superstar

10.) Seabiscuit- Tobey Maguire .

11.) Men of Honor - Cuba Gooding,Robert De Niro. It`s the biopic of Carl Brashear, who overcame racism and became the US Navy`s first African- American master deep-sea salvage diver.

12.) KingKong- I cried when he died.

13.) C`e Posta Per Te - ( You`ve Got Mail) An Italian reality show where people write in about broken relationships hoping that the host or the show will be able to help them resolve the conflict or issues . The people involved meet and try to sort things out and end up , either resolving their differences and reconciling , or refusing to settle matters and leaving them as they are. I was able to watch some episodes on the nights we visited my in-laws, and we all watched the show. Even if I don`t understand most of what the people are saying, I grasp the gist of the matter with the help of 3 very willing and enthusiastic translators.

What about you, any movie or show that made you reach for a hanky or the tissues?

My previous T13 entry.
Visit the T13 hub.

Afternoon Delight

2008-05-18T10:52:00.000-07:00

What better way to spend a nice weekend afternoon than being in the company of good friends catching up over a glass of spiked coffee and a lot of good food. Some video games. An episode of Eat Bulaga on TV. A 'stroll' in their little balcony garden with an enviably incredible view of the lake. Sunset. And a lot of singing well into the wee hours.

Truly, an afternoon of delight!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Thursday 13 # 22 ( The Jealous Blogger)

2008-05-14T20:15:00.000-07:00

Has it really been 6 months since I wrote a Thursday 13 entry? I checked the archive and realized that the last T13 post was in November last year. At last, an inspiration for a post! And believe me I badly need an idea for a post.Anything. I was starting to get fed up with the image of my unkempt dresser everytime I open my internet browser and my homepage opens. Since my blog is my homepage, I am reminded each time that I go on the internet that I haven't written anything in a while.

And it's not for lack of trying either. For how many times have I attempted to write something and absolutely nothing comes to mind. I just sit here staring at the screen. The other day, for instance, I wanted to write a piece about how I've recently taken stock of my blog and how I want it to have a direction. How I wanted it to become a little bit more substantive and relevant. Perhaps, a little more helpful and inspiring. Or informative. Even exciting. I admit, I'm sometimes (oftentimes,actually) guilty of being envious of some blogs which are all these and more!

1.) I'm jealous of S. for her witty and funny posts about motherhood and family life in Alaska,

2.) Of A., for her ability to write so smartly about her experiences being transplanted from a 'happening place' Manila to a slower paced ,but no less interesting life somewhere in France. She writes about culture shock, stereotypes,racial discrimination and the like and how she rose above all these and how she managed to fit in and find her own niche. She also writes occasionally about her garden and more recently, her little works of art.

3.)Of MC or AM, for her wit and wisdom. Her blog is a treasure trove of counsel ranging from the mundane like tips on how to best enjoy 'ukay-ukay' (rummaging/rummage sale)to more cerebral concerns like business and entrepreneurship. In between, she writes poignantly on family, friendships,motherhood,grandmotherhood,retirement. Occasionally, she talks about politics and religion. Her poetry is touching and sweet. Since, as we say, life gets in the way of blogging, she doesn't blog as often as we'd like her to, every blog entry is something to be looked forward to.

4.) Of C. , for her short but smart blogs. Sometimes they are so short that she makes the font gigantic to make it seem substantial. They are always interesting nonetheless.Her Mothers' Day entry was thought provoking. (horrid,horrid, second hand smoke!) In all her entries, her vivacity always shines through. Also, I admit, I'm jealous of those perfect chompers and beautiful smile (and not to mention, the biceps of your looker of a husband). Oh,darn, now I really gave it away!

5.) Of A., for the beautiful images in his blog. He's got one sophisticated toy there for taking absolutely breathtaking pictures. For his travels and adventures. For his conquering the highest peak in Asia very recently.

6.) Of T., for her very educational,informative and oftentimes funny blogs. She allows us a little peak into her married life, her cooking (or lack of it)
,her family, her travels,her life as an expat and a foreign service officer in Cambodia. She has become an 'advisor' of sorts to those who are planning to reside in that country and those who are interested to work with the Foreign Service. She has become so good at these, that there is a clamor among her regular blog visitors for her to have a like a 'Dear Abby' or 'Dear Ate Helen' column.

7.) Of P., for her ability to come up with interesting blogs. Be it talking about 'Labor Day' =P , her 2 beautiful sons, family outings,recipes for a sinful pancake,dealing with a difficult customer service rep, bad internet,etc.etc.. They are constantly funny, and always a pleasure to read.

8.) Of V., who is on a loongggggggggggggggggggg blog hiatus , but her writing style is excellent and absorbing that I regularly still visit her blog , each time hoping for that NEW entry. I enjoyed reading each and every blog she wrote, and from the looks of it, everyone does too.

9.) Of L., for her beautiful posts. Visiting her blog is like being welcomed into a lovely and cozy home. She always seems to discover fun stuff to do like doing Virtual Drawing,Fun Quizzes,Superfun Memes. Although ,she doesn't frequently write about her little princess, when she does, you feel the love,the tenderness and the pride . I loved her posts ,too about her Tatay and her Mom. Those,along with all the other blog entries.

10.) Of R., whose Friendster blog has touched a lot of expats and gained a wide following of readers ,me included. She writes about her travels,and travails. Her strength and courage in dealing with a recently diagnosed illness is inspiring and empowering.

11.) Of Z., for his entries on his mountaineering and beachbumming =P,and being in love...And they come with his amazing photography. The pictures he takes of the love of his life are beautiful.

12.) Of R., for her precious entries on her lovely kids. When you read her blog, it's like reading a heartwarming journal on family life and motherhood. I couldn't help but admire her for her success in homeschooling her kids. She shares useful tips on budgeting and the like .I enjoy visiting her blog regularly.

13.)Of SM , for being such an inspiration for how I want my blog to be. Writing from experience and with wisdom, with zest and with purpose.

So you see, the green-eyed monster is really working big time on me...Oh, how I wish, my blog would be half as good as yours. Having, said that , I feel lucky that I discovered your blogs where I learn and get inspiration.

Spring Cleaning

2008-04-26T11:47:00.000-07:00

With all my complaining about spring not coming soon enough, you would think that now that it's finally here I would be all too happy. After all, everything about spring could only be good. Now we could open our windows and let the nice refreshing breeze in , enjoy the warm glorious sunshine, see every plant wake up from their winter slumber- oh,those teeny buds on trees that you know would soon morph into shiny green leaves. And how about those pink and yellow crocuses freshly sprouted from the soil in my mother-in-law's backyard!?

And about the clothing- no more donning cumbersome layered outfits to keep warm. Winter jackets,sweaters, mitts, scarves have all been put away. Although, if we were to believe in the weather forecast, we might have to take them out again in the early part of next week. They say, it's going to snow! Whatever...

And the shoes- welcome back open-toes and pedicures! In this regard, I've had an early start. As soon as the appropriate weather came, I made my toes presentable and pretty with bright red nail polish. I say , they deserved it after months and months of being 'hidden' in closed constricting shoes. Hello world!

Hah, everything spring is good. Until we talk about the cleaning. Since we have a modest-sized apartment , there really isn't so much space to clean ( and mind you, we do try to keep it tidy all the time). In our household, the rule - a place for everything, everything in it's place holds true. Until you open my dresser! For you see, unlike my better half who borders on being OC when it comes to keeping his clothes and personal effects (shirts,socks,underwear neatly, uniformly folded), I am quite the opposite. If you're cruel, you would call me a slob. If you're otherwise, you may say- I'm more relaxed and laid back in my wardrobe storage style.

However, in honor of the spring and what it means- fresh start and new beginnings, I decided to do a major overhaul of my closet. After much debating with myself, I ended up with half of the contents either gone down the garbage chute, or the donation box. Gone down the chute were holey socks, cut-off pants, unmentionables with the garters kind of droopy,and more unmentionables which are no longer my size! (yes, I grew not cupwise, but girth-wise). Some clothes that are still good but which I haven't found myself wearing in the last year or so went into the donation box.

And getting inspiration from a picture I've seen in book, in stead of those fancy containers,I've put shoe boxes into my drawer where I arranged underwear,socks and hosiery,silk scarves,and belts separately. It should be easier for me now to find stuff instead of rummaging through the whole drawer before I find what I wanted.

The whole process of cleaning and weeding-out simply tuckered me out. It's one of my least favorite things to do. But the end result is all worth it, I guess.

I'm soooo tired.. I had to relax.. I had to blog.

Goodbye, Aileen

2008-04-10T19:54:00.000-07:00

The beloved bride of 7 years of my youngest brother Jun.

A beautiful soul. 1973 - 2008

" She has passed from our midst
in her springtime, she flew
to that land where the wings
of the soul are unfurled
and now, like a star, beyond
evening's cold dew
looks radiantly down on the
tears of the world"

Bear Fridge Magnets

2008-03-26T17:43:00.000-07:00

Before I even learned how to sew miniature adult collectible bears , my earliest bear projects were bear fridge magnets as they were/are fairly easy to make. I got the pattern for the bear from a bear making book. It was originally for a brooch or pin , and I simply made a bigger version and instead of putting a pin in the back , I opted for a piece of magnet . And that's how my bear fridge magnets came to be. They made for cute little presents for family and friends.

Besides easy-to-be-had materials, they are really quite fun to make.

MATERIALS

* 7 square inch cloth ( I prefer denim as it doesn't easily fray )
* smaller piece of lighter color fabric for the face/ a felt-like material called Martex
* fabric marker ( I use ballpen!)
* sharp scissors
* needle and thread/ fabric glue if you prefer not to sew
* stuffing/polyester fill/ cotton
* 2 black beads for the eyes
* black or dark brown DMC thread to embroider the nose
Optional: colorful seed beads/ lace/ ribbons/etc. to 'dress-up' the bear

How to make

Prepare the pattern pieces. Place the pieces on your fabric, mark them, and cut out two of the body pattern pieces. Mark the openings on the sides of the pieces.Cut out the marked circular shape on the face of one body piece.

Cut the circular face insert using a lighter color cloth. Sew the darts on that piece.After you've made the darts, attach the face insert into the body piece with the circular hole. It serves as a muzzle.Either glue or hand stitch using ladder stitch.

You can now sew the 2 main parts together. I chose to simplify the procedure by just showing the stitches (no turning the pieces inside out). Stuff your bear with a filling of your choice. Add the eyes. Embroider the mouth and nose. Hand sew the side opening closed with a ladder stitch.

Sew on beads, lace, etc.

Glue on a piece of magnet in the back.

Say hello to your first bear fridge magnet!

Coconut Flan

2008-03-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

It took double the required 20 to 25 minutes baking time before I was sure that the flan was solid enough to take out of the oven. I knew I should have been more accurate with the milk measurement instead of simply putting the whole canful into the mix. But it was a lesson learned and thankfully, it turned out. My coconut flan got raves when we had it for dessert at the family Easter dinner. Alongside the scrumptious looking Sicilian canollis , I'm proud to say, it held its own.

The recipe for the Coconut Flan

COCONUT FLAN
(Makes 24 individual servings)

¾ cup sugar
2 tbsp water
1 can (15 oz) cream of coconut
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
6 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla

1. Heat oven to 325 F .
2. In heavy saucepan over low heat, combine sugar and water; swirl as sugar melts.
3. Increase heat to medium, continue cooking until sugar turns an amber color.
4. Divide caramel among 24 2-oz ramekin; swirl to coat bottom.
5. Whisk together cream of coconut ,condensed and evaporated milk, eggs and vanilla. Divide among ramekins.
6. Place them in large roasting pan, fill pan halfway with hot water.
7. Bake 20-25 mins. Or until set in center. Cool to room temperature, cover with plastic and refrigerate until cool before serving.

Happy Baking!

Spring Fever ( Did Wiarton Willy Lie?)

2008-03-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure about the word . Last night, on our drive home from a brief visit to my in-laws, Tony and I were talking about the weather and how long drawn-out the winter has been. This time last year, the weather was rather nice and there's barely any snow on the ground. In comparison, right at this moment , there are snow banks on the side of the road that are at least a couple of feet high resulting from the heavy snowstorm that hammered the region on the weekend. It would take at least another 2 weeks or so for them to thaw out, that is if we don't get another doozy of a snowfall again. The Ontario groundhog ( the official prognosticator of how soon or not soon the spring would come) was wrong when its shadow foretold of early spring. So we said to ourselves, he better not get out of his hiding place because most people are getting sick of the winter and might not take too kindly to be 'lied' to. Then the word--- spring fever. The word I heard often enough, but the meaning of- I really am not quite sure.

I've always thought of it as a condition (more like a mood) arising from experiencing prolonged winter, and almost synonymous to cabin fever. Does one have spring fever when he's sick of the gloomy winter and can hardly wait for springtime , or is it something that one feels at springtime ? This is what answers.com say:

n. A feeling of restlessness, excitement, or laziness brought on by the coming of spring.

It's all the aswer I got. And to confound me some more, the page challenges my smarts and has these two questions to tackle- 1. Why do you get spring fever? 2. Is spring fever a real illness?

Seriously now, I don't have time for this. All I think about is for springtime to
come real soon.

By the way--- Meet Wiarton Willy.

New Blog

2008-03-11T20:37:00.001-07:00

Blogging runs in the family. Now it's not just Tony and I who blog. Even Bella caught the blogging bug. Read her first entry here.

LOL!

2008-03-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

Friday's Feast # 8

2008-02-29T04:13:00.000-08:00

Appetizer

Who was the last person you hugged?

Hubby of course.This is one of those rare times when I get up early and see Tony off to work. The reason being- our Bella cries every morning and stays pitifully by the door when her daddy leaves for work .I then get up to pick her and play with her for a bit until she settles.

Soup

Share a beauty or grooming trick or tip with us.

This one I wished that I learned sooner. Spritzing my hairbrush with anti-frizz hairspray before brushing my hair. I'm sure it's not just me ( or is it?), but whenever I brush my hair , instead of fixing it, the friction between the brush and my hair just makes every strand stand up in a really funny way. When I'm not going anywhere, I'd rather that my hair be free of too much grooming product. Thus, spraying on the brush instead of directly on my hair is a much better option.

Salad

What does the color yellow make you think of?

Springtime! It never arrives soon enough!

Main Course

If you were to make your living as a photographer, what subject would your pictures revolve around?

Nature.

Dessert

What was the longest book you ever read?

I would say Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. I don't think it is that much longer from some other books that I've read, but it is the feeling I got while reading, I wanted to finish the book so badly just so I won't be privy to Anna Karenina's mental anguish anymore. Her jumping on to the oncoming train was almost a relief,even to me.
I did love the book though.

Have a great weekend everyone...

Visit Friday's Feast.

From The Archive- My 5 Favorite Posts

2008-02-25T09:41:00.000-08:00

(The following post is in Filipino)

Kung hindi lang si Misyel isa sa mga paborito kong bloggers dahil sa magaling magsulat, parang magkaharap lang kayong nagkwekwentuhan sa style ng pagba-blag niya, hindi ko papatulan itong meme na ito! Aba, pinahahalukay ba naman ang blog archive ko para hanapin ang lima (5) sa pinakapaborito kong entries. Ang laking trabaho niyan ha. Kailangan kong tingnan lahat ng 100 plus kong sinulat simula noong 2006. Pero sige na nga, ito na ang lima.

1. Tungkol sa Pamily =)- A T(r)oe Story Ito ay tungkol sa toe ni Tony,hehe. Hindi pala, ito ay sinulat ko para kay Papa sa birthday niya.

2. Tungkol sa Frends - Yayyy, wala yata akong nakita na tungkol sa frends ko! Para namang wala akong kaibigan nito,ano? Kaya ito nalang dahil galing naman itong e-mail sa kaibigan ko,at talaga namang natawa ako!

3. Tungkol sa Akin- Interview ni Annamanila sa akin.Read here.

4. Something I love/like daw. Of course, si Tweety!

5. Ah, Basta! - Pick ko lang na gusto kong entry. Ito.

O , kayo naman. Attention people on my blogroll. Okay lang i-tag kayong lahat? Sige na. Nag-enjoy din naman ako sa paghalukay sa 'baul' ko , dahil ang dami ko na ring nakalimutan na past entries na binasa ko ulit.

Let us know kung ginawa ninyo itong meme na ito.

What Time of Day Are YOU?

2008-02-22T08:45:00.000-08:00

It's 11:48 am and I am enjoying my morning coffee. Took this little quiz in between sips.

You are 10:02 a.m.

You are breakfasty, like a pile of pancakes on a Sunday morning that have just the right amount of syrup, so every bite is sweet perfection and not a soppy mess. You are a glass of orange juice that's cool, refreshing, and not overly pulpy. You are the time of day that's just right for turning the pages of a newspaper, flipping through channels, or clicking around online to get a sense of how the world changed during the night. You don't want to stumble sleepily through life, so you make a real effort to wake your brain up and get it thinking. You feel inspired to accomplish things (whether it's checking something off your to-do list or changing the world), but there's plenty of time for making things happen later in the day. First, pancakes.

Choooo Chooo Love Train

2008-02-14T08:25:00.000-08:00

A tag from Leah.

Cut and paste the following starting here.

I have randomly selected 5 of you below to be tagged and I hope that you will similarly publish this post in your blog. You will have to tag 5 other bloggers and just keep adding on to the list. (Do not replace, just keep on adding! Yes we hope it will be a long list!

It's real easy! Tag others and see your Technorati Authority increase exponentially! The benefits of Viral Linking:

One of the fastest ways to see your technorati authority explode!
- Increase your Google PageRank fast
- Attract large volume of new traffic to your site
- Build your community
- Make new friends!

The Strategist Notebook, Link Addiction, Ardour of the Heart, When Life Becomes a Book, The Malaysian Life, Yogatta.com, What goes under the sun, Roshidan's Cyber Station, Sasha says, Arts of Physics, And the legend lives, My View, My Life, A Simple Life, Juliana RW, The Callalily Space, Petra, Summer in Blue, Confessions of an Army Wife, Bless' Sanctuary, Happy Life, Living @ Evergreen State, La Place de Cherie, Chez Francine, Le bric a brac de Cherie, Little Peanut, Pea in a Pod, The Creative In Me, Me and Mine, Me and my Two Boys, My Life is Peachy, Chat, My Happy Place, Raising Sandy, I am Dzoi, Snapshots of Life, My BIG Picture, Welcome To My World, Hannah, Michellie, Lisa, Ris, Scotty's Princess, What Women REALLY Think, Not Much More Than This, Jayedee , Jenn, Beth, Christie , Marla, Cailin, Simone, FlipFlopMom, Katrina , Gill's Jottings , Work of the Poet, Wakela, Modern Day Goddess, Livin With Me, Writing in Faith , Maiylah's Snippets, Soulful Thoughts of Rachel, REPAH, My Little Moments, Missy Misyel, Mga Muni-muni, Gina ,you are next ..........

I tag the following if you haven't done this yet.

Islander Aryo, Rowena, Mitsuru,Zherwin, and Cheska.

Computer Screen Cleaner

2008-02-13T13:48:00.000-08:00

I'm constantly facing the pc, so I like it to be really clean and dust-free. I'm so glad this guy has been helping me keep it that way.

I Wish You Love

2008-02-13T08:05:00.000-08:00

Wishing you all LOVE,and lotsss of it!
Have a Happy Valentine!

pop ups?

2008-02-04T19:11:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago , I installed some Bravenet features like traffic/stat counter and the Traffic Exchange Program. I sort of tried the latter to see if it would help bring more traffic to my site. As most of you who frequently visit my blog know, I am into PayPerPost (PPP) and the only way I could get my hands into those lucrative opportunities only available to more popular blogs is to be popular myself. Whooooo. Tall order. Thus, the reason for installing that Traffic Exchange Program. The only thing that kind of bothered me is the window that pops up . So I uninstalled the code. Now, I'm thinking of re-installing it and trying to see if it would do the same thing. Dear guests, I need your feedback regarding this thing. Did you get the pop-up? Does it bug you as it does me? Pray tell. My decision to keep it or not will be based on what you,my valued readers think.

Update today 02/05/2008

I got sick of the pop-ups myself so I got rid of the code. Good riddance,bugger pop-ups!

Web Hosting Choice (this is a paid post)

2008-02-02T20:40:00.000-08:00

I've always wondered what advantages or perks I would enjoy if I have my own domain instead of just availing of free bandwidth use on Blogger and other free hosting sites. And should I decide to one day get a domain, which among the numerous web hosting providers would be best in addressing all my specific needs, and still be well within my budget ?

If you have similar questions in mind, then you should visit web hosting choice . They have a learning area where they explain the basics of webhosting . Their focus is to come up with a searchable directory where you can find hosting plans suitable for small personal websites or bigger e-commerce websites.

Let web hosting choice help you make the right and the smartest decision.

web hosting choice

Please read my Disclosure Policy here.

Friday's Feast # 7

2008-02-01T13:30:00.000-08:00

Appetizer
What is your favorite kind of cereal?

I've grown up having steaming pandesal (bread)and coffee with milk for breakfast. The pandesal being bought fresh everyday at the neighborhood bakery, and I would spread it with the perennial Star Margarine or when it's my parents' payday, we would have something more special like Peanut Butter , Guava Jelly, or Cheeze Whiz. Ah, those were the days. But I digress. Favorite cereal you say? It would have to be Kellogs Muslix Almond Raisin .

Soup
When was the last time you purchased something for your home, what was it, and in which room did it go?

A cherrywood-finish console table which we got from Walmart last week and it is in our foyer.

Salad
What is the funniest commercial you’ve ever seen?

Wow, I can't even remember a particular one. And to think that when I see a sister-in-law, we always talk about funny tv commercials.Hmmmm.. Okay, maybe not the funniest I've ever seen, but this one cracks me up when I see it. It's the Future Shop commercial where two women were at the Future shop , totally absorbed with a romantic scene on a giant-screen tv. The heroine who looks like a high-ranking military officer was passionately telling this guy (looking like a subordinate) words to this effect:" I may be a tough cookie (or something), but with you ..." and finishes her ardent words in Spanish! Turns out, the 2 guys at the shop were goofing around with the tv's remote and testing the language setting feature. They knew they were in trouble when they saw the expression on the girls' faces.

Main Course
Make up a name for a company by using a spice and an animal (example: Cinnamon Monkey).

This should be an easy one. How about Zebra Paprika? (it does have name recall potential ,doesn't it?)

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I haven’t ______ since ______.

I haven't made spring rolls since last year.

*About the Feast*
While our questions may sometimes be related to food, the main idea here is to feed your mind by asking thought-provoking, mind-stimulating questions.

Each Friday when you visit this meme, you will find 5 enticing courses for your mind to gobble up:

Appetizer
- a quick, tasty morsel to get you started

Soup
- smooth and warm to soothe your mind

Salad
- a nutritious blend of "veggies"

Main Course
- a hearty portion that is sure to satisfy

Dessert
- light concoction for your sweet tooth

Visit Friday's Feast hub.

And oh, by the way, that scrumptious looking food at the top, that was our dinner earlier. In my dialect, we call it 'humba'. It is basically pork ribs cooked and simmered in Sprite (yes, the soda), and soya sauce with bayleaves, pepper corn, salt to taste, a spoonful of sugar, garlic and peanuts. YUMMMMMY.

It was a Comedy?!?

2008-01-31T08:31:00.000-08:00

Left with no good programs to watch on TV- no thanks to the writers' strike (is it still on?), with no new episodes of our fave shows like Grey's Anatomy, NCIS, CSI, etc.etc., and kind of tired watching reruns of Seinfeld and Everybody Loves Raymund , we decided to make it a 'movie night' Friday night last week. Tony picked 'Shoot 'Em Up ' from the nearby dvd rental shop . With Clive Owen in it ( really liked him in Derailed with Jennifer Aniston), we were sure it was going to be a real good kickass action flick. Just what we needed for a relatively ho-hum week. The opening scene of the movie promised of exciting things to come. A pregnant woman being chased by a suspicious looking guy in a deserted alley. Just one look at the guy and you would know he is up to no good. And Clive, sitting on the the sidewalk bench, enjoying his very healthy snack of a carrot suspected just that. The girl gets cornered. Man takes out gun. Was about to blow the girl's brain out. (oooh, I should have warned you that there is going to be some graphic violence in my blog today,sorry.) But wait, Clive comes to the rescue and saves her. Phewwwww. Close call. Now, do you really think I'm going to be such a spoiler and tell you what will happen next? Sorry, can't do that. You will have to watch the movie yourself.

This much I can say though, this movie has an exceptional plot - an organ harvest project gone awry, a very 'high-tech kind of gun' trafficking, a presidential wannabe siding with the bad guys.And it has Clive Owen. His accent - oh,mylord! Even though, in this movie you would almost think he wants to be Bugs Bunny, he meant business. Just see what he did to the bad guys. Paul Giamatti's character is so obnoxious you would really want to see the last of him in the movie. Monica Bellucci reminds me of Rufa Mae Quinto, and provided the eye candy aspect of the movie. She has a fantastic bed scene with Clive , and by fantastic , I mean FANTASTIC.

Other FANTASTIC scenes include aerial gunfight, 'one man vs an army , one man winning', and other scenes which escape me at the moment.

By far , the most enjoyable part of the movie is the last scene where a group of armed men tried to rob the diner where Monica works as a waitress. This part convinced me that the movie was an attempt at comedy , packaged as an action movie.

Over all, it was okay and it sure did make our Friday night much less ho-hum.

I, Gina

2008-01-29T10:19:00.000-08:00

Being the copycat that I am, I did this after I've seen it on Rowena's blog today, and from SexyMom's blog a couple of weeks or so ago.

What Gina Means

You are deeply philosophical and thoughtful. You tend to analyze every aspect of your life.

You are intuitive, brilliant, and quite introverted. You value your time alone.

Often times, you are grumpy with other people. You don't appreciate them trying to interfere in your affairs.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.

You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.

You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people.

You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts.

You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.

You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.

You have the classic "Type A" personality.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Looks Like Art to Me

2008-01-15T07:46:00.000-08:00

Besides seeing friends and classmates again after a long summer break, toting a new school bag (usually with something cute painted on it), donning new clothes and shoes, one thing I loved about the start of every school year was having brand spanking new notebooks. I just loved the way they are so neat. I would write oh, so neatly and carefully all the lessons and homeworks we had. If there were any erasures at all, they were done carefully,as well. Until .... the third week and onwards, I would start making doodles and drawings on the pages. My favorite things to draw were woman faces and I would even put little bubble dialogues the way they do it in comic books.Thus, school lessons and my 'art' share equal space in every school notebook I had. You would have thought that I would be a comics illustrator someday. Or maybe a cartoonist. But my drawings didn't evolve into something extraordinary other than simple doodles. Awww, too bad! And I didn't pick up a pencil and try to draw for years and years. But when I did, it's way cool! For this time, I used a virtual pencil. Thanks to Leah , I came across this site.

Try going to the site and unleash the artist in you. Then leave us a link to your drawing so we can check it out.

Massage Chairs

2008-01-14T07:50:00.000-08:00

Body aches and pains are no fun at all. I know of family and friends who suffer from chronic back aches and when they have an episode, their enjoyment of things and life in general is apparently diminished. It becomes a challenge to function normally or even to live through the day. For these sufferers, regular visits to the chiropractor and massage therapists become a must. Muscle relaxants and painkillers become daily staple.

There is also the rest of the population who feels the ordinary aches related to work. People such as me who is on my feet for 8 hours when I do the long shift. People with desk jobs who hunch over their work for hours. Other working people. If you were to ask me, we all need to be pampered after a hard day's work. We should get regular therapeutic and relaxing massages and chiropractic care.

That is why there is Human Touch.For comfort and well-being, they have come up with Massage Chairs which use the most advanced robotic massage technology and systems. By analyzing the treatments used by leading massage therapists, chiropractors and physicians, and applying decades of experience as the world leader in massage technology, Human Touch engineers have developed the most advanced Robotic Massage® systems ever devised. Every Human Touch massage chair expertly replicate the hands and techniques of expert massage professionals. Here is what it can do:

• Amazingly human-like massage that replicates the rolling, kneading, compression and percussion techniques of massage professionals
• A full-body massage that follows the contours of your spine and body from neck to foot
• Unique three-dimension movements provide maximum relief to sore, tight muscles
• Multiple automatic programs that allow you to customize massage area, intensity and techniques used
• Intuitive controls that put you in command of your massage experience

It's like having a massage therapist/professional without having to book for appointments, and enjoying the benefits in the comforts of your own home. Cool.

Toot,Toot Goes My Horn

2008-01-11T05:48:00.000-08:00

Hear me brag here.

That's a Wrap!

2007-12-31T19:41:00.000-08:00

As we await for the clock to reach the midnight hour so we can bid a final adieu to the year 2007 in this part of the world, and greet the brand new year with a cheery "hello!", I did 'my rounds' of my favorite blogs to see how everyone was doing. On visiting your blogs , I still couldn't help but feel fortunate and thankful for having found your blogs. Every story,experience,idea,opinion,and picture you shared has in some way affected me in a positive way. They made me think. They encouraged. They inspired.They taught a lesson or two. They enriched.

As I reflect on things that I should be thankful for this year, discovering blogging and all you wonderful fellow bloggers would be in the list.

Thank you ,thank you!

I am just about ready to say a little prayer now, and rest assured you will be in it too!

By the way, I will be writing future posts in my other blog . But don't change the link just yet. Every now and again, I will still be blogging here. For now, I'm just a kind of taken with the clean fuss-free lines of my other site. And I simply adore my header there. Do visit.

Just a few minutes now, and we wrap up 2007! Cheers to you all!

Mean Rabbit

2007-12-29T06:55:00.000-08:00

Photo Hunt #2 - SMALL

2007-12-14T07:23:00.000-08:00

This week's Photo Hunt theme is small. It shouldn't be a problem at all looking for a suitable photo. The problem is, having such a big selection, I am not sure which one I will post. You see, I like making miniature animals and yes, taking lots of pics of them!
In the picture is Hoppy- a really small bunny. He now lives in France with his 'bunny&bearmommy'/collector. I wonder if he now could speak fluent French?

PhotoHunt

Make Me a Winner

2007-12-13T19:41:00.000-08:00

My blogfriend Leah is holding a fun contest that might make me (or probably you,yes you!) some cold hard cash! =)
All you need to do is check out her site and maybe say- 'hello'. Come on, Go!

Holiday Greetings!

2007-12-13T12:02:00.001-08:00

Make a scrapbook!

Photo hunt # 1 - RED

2007-12-02T09:48:00.000-08:00

I've decided to join in the PhotoHunt And this week the theme is Red.

We decided to skip with the Christmas tree this Christmas. And it is mainly because of our playful,rambunctious, and very curious little Bella. For her, everything is a toy. We thought that our Christmas tree and all the ornaments wouldn't stand a chance with her. And what about the wires for the tree lights? If you have watched that hilariously crazy movie Christmas Vacation (with Chevy Chase), where the cat was electrocuted playing with the tree lights, you would know where our fear comes from.

And so, we are sticking to the most minimal of holiday decorating. Just a few ornaments here and there. A bowlful of Christmas balls as a table centerpiece, and this time , instead of the balls hanging on a tree, they are hanging on our window. I tied them in a nice gold ribbon and positioned them strategically where they can reflect the sun's rays on the days it decides to peek out at wintertime. Don't you agree they are pretty?

Thursday 13 # 21

2007-11-29T08:52:00.000-08:00

Has it been 2 months already since I last made a T13 list?
My, how the days zip by so fast! And so much has happened since that last T13 entry.
You know what they say about Life happening while you're busy making other plans..

13 Important things/events/facts/thoughts of the past weeks.

1. The passing of an uncle in October. Just a month shy from his 80th birthday this month, our dear Tito Reking joined His Creator and his beloved wife, Aunty Hayde who passed away one year ago. He was a very respectable man, smart and witty. Since he was my Papa's eldest sibling- everybody looked up to him and heeded his advices. And what sound advices he gave,after all he had lots of practice as a presiding judge in many a court sessions.

2. Tito Reking and Aunty Hayde were the only sponsors in our civil wedding in 2001.

3. He gave Tony a nickname- Tony Mussarraf because of the latter's propensity for finding all food delicious and saying "Masarap!" (Delicious!)

4. Although death is sometimes like a thief in the night, it is comforting to 'know' (to believe)that there is still life after death and the soul doesn't simply cease to exist.

5.This December 4th will be my 5th year anniversary with the company I'm working for. I got to choose from the catalog of 5-year anniversary gifts sometime last month. There is a choice of gold jewelries,Swiss knife,a Bulova watch and Tasco Binoculars. My pick : the binoculars! Now, we get to see faraway farms, the beautiful trees and homes, and the highway from our balcony. And yes, the beautiful full moon in all its splendor.

6. Yesterday made one week since Tony had laparoscopic surgery for gall bladder. Quite unbelievable how quick the procedure seemed to be.It was a day surgery- checked in at 8:45 am.He went under at around 10:45, the surgeon came out to see me and to assure me that everything went well at 11:30. By 2 P.M. we were on a taxi home.All in a morning's work! And to think that an organ has been taken out.

7. Thankfully, our patient is recuperating fast and mending quite nicely. =)

8. We adopted Bella 2 weeks ago. She has been a a real sweetheart and a source of joy!

9. We discovered that a good way to train/discipline a kitten is by using a water squirt. She used to come on our dining table while we were eating to smell our food. One little squirt without scaring her too much, and she learned her lesson. Now she just peeks from under the chair and leaves us alone at dinnertime.

10.In one of my previous posts, I said I wanted to understand & speak Italian. Been trying harder.

11.I opened my online store on Etsy. It's called The Bears and The Beads. I have sold 3 of my miniature creations so far.

12.Winter has finally arrived. I can't say I was thrilled. But it hasn't really been bad.

13.In a couple of days, it's going to be the BIG month! Let me be the first to greet you all a very Merry Christmas!

Bloghopping Break

2007-11-20T12:27:00.000-08:00

This morning, Bella has been extra affectionate and craved attention. While I was on the pc, doing some blog hopping and commenting, she leaped into my lap,stepped into the keyboard and did some typing of her own! She stepped into some F keys- the functions of which are still a mystery to me- and I got scripts like, "would you like to turn on/off autocursor ?". Ngiiiiii. How the heck would I know? Better ask her!

I had to stop bloghopping for a while and watched her do her antics in front of the pc. Then a thought- hey, I wonder what she will do when I turn this screensaver?

Daddy's Girl

2007-11-19T11:24:00.000-08:00

It was love at first sight! And here I was, I didn't really believe in such a thing.
But it was different when I first laid eyes on her. So adorable .So exotic.
With her soft white fur ,little pointy brown ears , little feet with soft brown tips,long light brown tail,and a dark brown nose, she was all cuteness.
Her eyes are a very lovely shade of baby blue with irises that change color depending on the light.Sometimes they appear grey, sometimes grey with a hint of pink. If my mother saw her, she would say that Bella looks like she rubbed her nose against the bottom of a dirty cooking pot!
Bella means beautiful in Italian.Thus, the name. My mother-in-law suggested Bianchi because of her white color. But for us, Bella is an apter name.
Bella is a purebred chocolate tortiepoint Siamese kitten. Sometimes I think she gets tired of us watching her every move and spoiling her. We are so crazy about her.But isn't it true with every doting parent? Yes, we have become parents- Tony & I. Doting cat parents!

This is the e-card we sent to Bella's tita & tito in florida.

Make a slide show, scrapbook or ecard

Lost in Translation

2007-11-05T08:06:00.000-08:00

Pardon? Pardon me? Sorry? Say it again? A more socially graceful way of asking somebody to repeat what he/she just said. Try saying WHAT???? here, and they would think you're kind of hard of hearing or lacking refinement. For me, gone are the days when I could just say my native Waray/Bisaya terse-sounding Nanu? (the exact same word as WHAT?) when I wanted clarification and nobody would think less of me.Just imagine the reaction of a customer if she comes in looking for something specific in the store and proceeds to describe it,and here I am, kind of not getting it,and blurting What??? That would really turn the person off. Oh, it would.The right-est thing to do would be to put a well-intoned "Pardon me?" accompanied with a kindly and sortofapologetic smile. It means ye, oh, hard of hearing didn't hear it well, and it's not because she is vague.

But what if the person is your mother-in-law who you are very fond of, who loves a good chat , but who is most comfortable talking in her native tongue and when she attempts to speak in English, you only understand half of what she is saying? You see, this is my dilemma. I would love Mom (as I call her) to just talk in her beautiful Italian language, if only I could understand it.There were many times when we were visiting and her 'paisano'(someone who comes from the same country or town, kababayan)would come over at their home and they would talk happily away in their own dialect.Not that I minded. Well, actually I do. I would have liked more to join in the conversation instead of just sitting there , sipping tea or coffee and nibbling on all the cookies! For what else can I do? In fairness to them, they would sometimes ask if it's okay with me if they talked in their dialect, and really, I'd rather they do , than hear them laboring to find the English word for every Italian in their head. It would be like me, feeling so frustrated when I am angry and I can't find the exact words to express the anger, because in my head I think in my native Bisaya. For how will I say, #%#^$&%^((&)&_*)%%%$^^#@%^$&%*(&(&)_*_(+(+(+*(&^&%&^$# with as much venom? Almost impossible ,really.

I am not a total ignoramus when it comes to the Italian language though. In fact I've blogged about the phrases I know and understand here.
I am even familiar with some of the most commonly used gestures for sentiments like 'go to hell' and 'what the f_ _ k??'. I will let this guy show you more.

Seriously now, Italian is a very beautiful language and it would be a real shame if I didn't learn it. So from now on, I will make it a point to learn a new word or phrase everyday. Time to get serious, or I will forever be the one who gets to eat all the cookies in the plate at teatime.

Friday's Feast # 6

2007-10-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

Appetizer
If you were a dog, what breed would you be, and why?

Wow, tough one! I would like to say Shih- Tzu since I find them so cuddly & cute , or a yorkie, but nah, I don't think it's me. And I am less nervous-looking than a chihuahua ( I don't know why they shake so much?), so that's not me either. Oh, I know, I'd be a quiet & sedate-looking golden lab when it's not in a playful mood. You picture her face?

And talking about dogs- I just finished my latest needlefelted creation, a shih-tzu!

Soup
What does the color purple make you think of?

My favorite ice cream flavor which is purple yam (ube!) Now that's truly YUMMM!

Salad
Approximately how long does it take you to get ready each morning?

Long...... Even if I had to go to work in the morning, I still take time to go online, check email, visit some favorite sites. After which, I breeze through my toilette.

Main Course
How many cousins do you have, and are you close to them?

Sure, I'd give you an idea of how MANY. Just first cousins alone- 38! I am close to most of them. I have countless second & third cousins, some of whom I haven't met.

Dessert

Take your initials (first, middle, last) and come up with something else those letters could stand for. (Example: SFO = Sweet Funny Otter)

This should be fun. GTG Giggly Teen Girl (?) NOT! Gorgeous Tall Girl (?) Perhaps!
Great Thinker Girl (?) Whoooo, I kind of like that!
Oh, well whatever. All I know is now I'm GTG (good to go).

Going Full Steam Ahead with Etsy

2007-10-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

"Let me tell you 'bout the birds and the bees
And the flowers and the trees
The moon up above
And a thing called love.." (from the song)

My version:
Let me tell you 'bout The Bears & The Beads,lalalalalla....Lallalaalala.Lalalalalla.

Forgive me,my dears I'm so being very silly here. Could be the excitement of finally getting around to setting up my own online shop on Etsy.Notice the picture widget on my sidebar? Those are the initial offerings in my store. Please do take a peek.

Etsy is the place to buy and sell all things handmade. So if you have artistic and creative inclinations and are quite crafty with your hands like Apol, or are patient like me =P , you could maybe try trading on Etsy your own creations.

Now, if you could just excuse the brand new Manager of The Bears & The Beads, she's got store- minding to do. *0*

A Glimpse of Home

2007-10-06T19:25:00.000-07:00

The poignant picture of my home 'borrowed' from fellow blogger Dennis Villegas. This picture captures part of the Calbayog shoreline. Everytime I look at it, I remember the feeling of elation and excitement everytime I went home to Samar from Cebu City where I attended university in the '80's. First that little speck of an island an hour away from reaching port. Then getting closer and closer. I first spot the belfry of the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral, the white-painted City Hall, other smaller buildings, the nipa huts lining the shore, the outriggers that carry passengers from Calbayog to nearby islands and vice versa. I remember getting excited as soon as I see familiar faces of people meeting friends and family arriving at port. And my impatience to get home and be with family and enjoy a home-cooked meal.

I was tagged by Rowena and Pining to show my desktop.

I'd like to ask everybody in my blogroll who hasn't been tagged yet - if you would be so kind to show us yours. I'm curious. Allowing us a peek at your own desktop would really be fun.

( Upon receiving this tag, immediately perform a screen capture of your desktop. It is best that no icons be deleted before the screen capture so as to add to the element of fun. You can do a screen capture by Going to your desktop and pressing the Print Scrn key (located on the right side of the F12 key). Open a graphics program (like Picture Manager, Paint, or Photoshop) and do a Paste (CTRL + V). If you wish, you can “edit” the image, before saving it.)

Friday's Feast # 5

2007-09-28T09:32:00.000-07:00

Appetizer
How are you today?

Just OK.

Soup
Name 3 television shows you watch on a regular basis.

If my work schedule permits it, I’d love NOT to miss Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS, and Two & a Half Men

Salad
What’s the scariest weather situation you’ve experienced?

That would be Typhoon Signal # 3 (almost 4) back in the Philippines many years ago. That was the strongest meanest typhoon I’ve ever witnessed in my whole life! We had this nice , cozy bahay-kubo that was standing on “stilts” in the river (native house) in the back of our home that got swept away by the raging waters. Fortunately, we were able to save some of things that were in there. The bahay-kubo was our favorite hang-out with visiting friends, and my father’s favorite fishing spot- and it was gone. The brighter side- it could have been worse.

Main Course
If you could wake up tomorrow morning in another country, where would you want to be?

Obviously, Philippines, my Philippines!

Dessert
What do you usually wear to sleep?

My oldest most comfortable clothes/shirts. =P

*About the Feast*
While our questions may sometimes be related to food, the main idea here is to feed your mind by asking thought-provoking, mind-stimulating questions.

Each Friday when you visit this meme, you will find 5 enticing courses for your mind to gobble up:

Appetizer
- a quick, tasty morsel to get you started

Soup
- smooth and warm to soothe your mind

Salad
- a nutritious blend of "veggies"

Main Course
- a hearty portion that is sure to satisfy

Dessert
- light concoction for your sweet tooth

Ho-hum and Being Ramdom

2007-09-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

1. The title- I can't do better than that today. Mental creativity was affected by the just concluded double defeat suffered from online Scrabble. To borrow a line from my opponent last night- ' The Scrabble Fairy is not being nice to me today.' I didn't know that there is a scrabble fairy, but next time I play, I have to make it a point of summoning her presence.

2. After several months of being unproductive in my bearmaking , I finally finished 1 little bear which I started roughly six months ago. Something that takes me a day or 2 to make, now took me 6 months. I am happy to 'meet' the completed charming little guy I named Hayden.

3. While doing a little bit of summer-and-just-before-autumn cleaning this week (by the way, it's the first day of autumn today!) and in the process of throwing away some stuff, I rediscovered a whole bag of unfinished craft projects that my sis-in-law Carmen gave me last year. With it came a charming card that said :

" ...hope all is well and that you are not working too hard. Well, I heard that you are a little bored or at least your hands need to be creating new and wondrous things.While I cleaned up my basement , I came across some unfinished projects which I am sure you will enjoy. Unfortunately, they are mainly Christmas but the most challenging one you will find is Santa going over a village. It is my favorite and I have tried several times & given up. I am sure with your special hands once completed, it will be beautiful. Please enjoy them and I am sure you will love doing them. Love, your sister-in-law, C."

Thanks so much Carmen! After almost a year, I was finally able to dig into them. Looking at the Santa cross-stitch which you have started, I know it's going to be lovely. Give me another two years, and I could probably boast of a finished project.
The paper angels would have to go,though. However, I am pleased to announce that I did a splendid job on the snowmen ! It was at first tough, sorting out through all the patterns and materials and it is a good thing ,that you made sure of marking the cut patterns because I was able to successfully piece them all together.

4. The making of the 3 snowpeople in pictures:

First, my work corner/ dining table and all my mess:

And say Hello to the Three Snowmen!

5. This is my 100th post! Have I really blogged that much? I have my camera to thank for churning out fairly presentable images that I could post when I couldn't come up with things to blog about. So that kind of helped. Then I do have my reliable email inbox to get all those silly jokes from. Then, there is Payperpost as well, for which I have blogged 5 , maybe 6 times (and yes, will continue to do so once in a while). And not to forget- Thursday 13 and Friday's Feast!

6. I have gotten 3 notable recognitions/awards that I feel deeply honored to receive from no less than Pining, Verna and Annamanila. They are the Rockin' Girl Blogger Awards from Annamanila & Pining, and the Thoughtful Blogger Award from Verna.
And like what Annamanila said when she received the many blogging awards herself : " I pin the medals on the lapel of my heart." Yes, that's what I did. And on the occasion of my 100th post , I will proudly display those awards in my blog.

7. I thank all my fellow bloggers / blog visitors for making blogging a worthwhile endeavor and for doing your share in fostering friendship and goodwill . In our own little way, we have become ambassadors of peace and friendship. You have all become my friends!

8. I change the title of this post from 'ho-hum and being random' to ' Hurray! and being random.

" My Grown-Up Christmas List"

2007-09-21T20:07:00.000-07:00

"No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
Every man would have a friend
That right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grown-up Christmas list."

Yes, these are in my list. And then some. For Christmas, I wouldn't mind receiving something bought from my favorite online stores . Perhaps , I should give hubby a little nudge to check out Pottery Barn deals or probably Lenox coupon codes. I will tell him to check out online coupons at CouponChief.

I've checked out the online Gap store and saw some nice pairs of men's pajamas that I thought Tony might like. He likes pj's so much he might just be lucky enough and get a new pair as a birthday or a Christmas present.

How about you guys? Have you started your list yet? Maybe you'd like to get good deals? You check out CouponChief.com to see if they have discount coupons for your favorite online stores. Most likely they will. CouponChief.com is a wholly owned subsidiary of Coupon Chief, Inc. At Coupon Chief, they strive to provide a one stop coupon deal and discount resource for the Web site visitors. They gear to give unparalleled online customer support by providing up to date coupon codes and promotional deals and discounts.

Just remembered... I have to check The Body Shop as well.

A "Sad Tale" (From the Inbox)

2007-09-19T05:42:00.000-07:00

I get a good dose of funnies in my inbox. This one just about cracked me up. Enjoy this one folks!

A woman brings a very limp duck into a veterinary surgery. As she lays the duck on the examination table the vet pulls out his stethoscope and listens to the duck's chest for signs of life.

After a few moments the vet shakes his head and turns to the woman and says sadly, "I'm sorry but the duck has passed away." The distressed owner wails, "Are you sure?"

"Yes of course I'm sure. The duck is dead," he replies. "How can you be so sure?" she protests. "I mean you haven't done any testing - he might be in a coma or something."

The vet rolls his eyes and leaves the room. He returns with a black Labrador. As the duck's owner looks in amazement, the dog stands on his hind legs, puts his front paws on the examination table and sniffs the duck from top to bottom.

He then looks at the vet and with sad eyes shakes his head. The vet pats the dog on the head and takes him out and returns a few moments later with a cat.

The cat jumps up on the table and also sniffs the duck from its beak to its tail at the back end and back again. The cat sits and shakes it s head and meows softly, jumps down from the examination table and strolls out of the examination room. The vet looks at the woman and says, "I am sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck."

The vet turns to his computer terminal and after hitting a few keys a bill is printed off, which he hands to the woman. The duck's owner, still in shock, takes the bill. "£450!" she
cries."£450 just to tell me my duck is dead?"

The vet shrugs. "If you had accepted my word for it, the bill would have been only £30. But with the lab report and the cat scan - it all adds up."

Movie Buff & Critic Me (Thursday 13, # 20)

2007-09-06T07:48:00.000-07:00

When we went visiting cousins in Florida last month, we were able to squeeze in a little bit of touring around the newly built , fully-furnished, ready-for-occupancy (and that time,still unsold) model homes in the upscale area of Bellalago. We went to 5 or 6 different houses and gawked at the luxurious rooms and furnishings, all the while saying - "THIS is insane!" ,"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!", or "S_ _ T!" ;) But nothing drew a collective gasp and childlike excitement (not even the infinity pool off the master bedroom patio)as when we saw the home theater in the last 'home' that we ventured to. All 5 of us excitedly took our place in the soft ultrasuede recliners and pretended that we were the lucky occupants of that house. That's when I couldn't stop the ugly green monster rearing in my head, and thought: Life is unfair. Why, why, why? Okay, I'm being melodramatic here. But let me show you that room and I'm sure you'll agree that life should be fairer and that everybody should have a room like that . All the better to enjoy the good movies in the privacy of one's own home.

Going forward...
My T13 this week is a list of the last 13 movies I've watched this year and what I think about them. From the most recent.

1.) Blades of Glory - Will Ferrell, John Heder. Will Ferrell's brand of comedy is insanely funny and he never fails to make me laugh. If you just want a good laugh and not too much thinking, this is the movie for you.

2.) The Bourne Ultimatum- I needn't say more, but I would. We watched this in the theater, and if I had a tub of popcorn, I probably would have spilled them all over the place. Got me all charged with adrenaline.

3.) Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix- I've seen more exciting Harry Potter movies. I got a kick though seeing the main characters all grown up. Where did the time go?

4.) Hairspray - Just when I thought that one of my favorite actresses is done making movies, I see her. Michelle Pfieffer is good as a villain. John Travolta as the mom Edna Turnblad was a delight ! The girl Nicole Blonsky has a cute face . And that Zach guy had our teen twin nieces gushing, "AWww, he is cute!" Yes, we were being indulgent aunt-uncle, we took them to see the movie , and we were so glad we did. We simply enjoyed it, and if the cheer from the audience is any indication, the movie was of the extremely feel-good genre and had put a smile on everyone's face and had me humming all the way home . This might be a bit presumptive , but maybe because John Travolta's Edna got me all giggly , Tony is ready to hand him an Oscar come awards time. Kidding aside, both of us agree that his effective potrayal of a woman might just earn him one.

5.)) You've Got Mail - on TV. I've seen it probably 4 times and still enjoy it. I love Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan together.

6.) Dreamgirls - on DVD. I enjoyed the costumes and the songs. Jennifer Hudson can sing and act.

7.) Spiderman 3- Spidey is spidey, but what's with the eyeliner?

8.) The Truth About Charlie- on DVD. Now this is a movie where I was ready to 'slash my wrist' ( sorry Malu F.) . The movie lost me after its millionth twist. I didn't finish it, and had to go for a walk to recover. Too bad, I like most of Mark Wahlberg movies.

9.) Breach - on DVD , based on a true story of an FBI agent who exposed a traitor in the organization. Ryan Philippe is good here.

10.) Shooter- a real kick-ass movie. All the bad guys get it from Mark Wahlberg's character. A movie to watch if you feel like you're ready to kill somebody. This movie might just kind of diffuse (defuse?) all that anger.

11.) The Holiday - It has Cameron Diaz so it's good ;)

12.) The Illusionist- Ed Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel. Spellbinding.

13.) Pirates of the Carribean:At World's End - only the big screen will do. Who doesn't love Captain Jack Sparrow and his posse of colorful characters?

And the movies I'm looking forward to watching include Mr. Bean's Holiday, Knocked Up (with Katherine Heigl of Greys Anatomy fame),and Shrek 3.

See related post.

Summer's Bounty

2007-08-31T09:46:00.000-07:00

If you've been reading my blog for sometime you would have already known that if there is one thing I love complaining about, it is the winter. However, there is time enough for that. Right now, we are still enjoying the glorious and warm days of summer (even if they sometimes get stiflingly hot)and all it's bounties. Let me take you to my in-laws' backyard and show you what we have been enjoying lately.

The Singer Thanks the Inventor

2007-08-18T06:45:00.000-07:00

Di ba ako'y tao lang na nadadarang at natutukso rin..Maiaalis mo ba sa'kin na matutunan kang mahalin..sa bawat sandaling hiram natinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.

I was belting out in my best Zsazsa and keeping my fingers crossed that I wouldn't make piyok (voice crack?), I sang the high notes at the top of my lungs. How my boardmates must have covered their ears with a pillow to drown my voice out, and surely must have wished that there will be a brown-out (power outage) para matigil lang ako sa kangangawa (just so I'd shut up).

Did I care? Hindi ah (Nah!). I was caught up in my own (singing) world ,unmindful of all the suffering I must have been causing to those who are within earshot (nay,shouting distance). Betcha by golly , how I loved my karaoke! After Hiram, I enthusiastically continued on to Sino Ang Tunay na Baliw , Doon Lang, Dito Ba, and the rest of the album.

I had my first Karaoke system back in 1990. I remember Papa visiting my younger brother and me in Cebu where we were attending college( me on my intership year ) then, and we persuaded him to buy us a Karaoke. We went to a downtown electronics store ( there were no malls yet in Cebu that time) and after browsing around for a bit, we picked the most handsome looking black tower Akai (?) Karaoke. With it came the microphone and a free OPM Minus One. What a good investment that was. We made very good and frequent use of it and that was the start of a fruitful singing career. (kidding,doh.) But really, I noticed my voice improving and getting more range. Hitting some high notes required less effort and it did help somewhat that just by adjusting some knobs on the machine you can make your voice sound much much better. You can amp up the echo feature and make your voice sound more powerful. O di ba, cool?

My little brother (not so little really, he's actually 36)also developed his singing voice with the help of this little magical black box. He went on to joining the college choir,joined and won some solo competitions, serenaded his girlfriend on her coming-out party, offered homage to newlyweds and even 50th (also 60th?) wedding anniversary celebrants in our family with his 'signature' wedding songs - The Nearness of You,You (the Basil Valdes song),and Misty (?). Lately, I learned that he also does the Psalms occasionally at Mass. O, di ba he's gone places?

Yours truly, ay hindi rin pahuhuli (Not to be outdone). My turn to shine came when I did a duet with Tony at my brother's wedding reception. We sang the ever popular 'You' of the Carpenters, for which I would have backed out were it not for the insistence of hubby. " Come on, we practiced for days", he said. And that was our first and only public performance together, our maiden vow. We are still waiting for more wedding invites for an encore performance. ;)

After that first Karaoke, we upgraded to newer models through the years. After the Minus One in the Karaoke , came the Multiplex, then the videoke, then the Magic Mic in 2001.I believe we were the first ones of people I know that had this latest gizmo. I remember being so amazed with that Magic Mic - so compact but containing more than 800 songs! And later on, with another microchip, another 800 songs were added to the collection. Click,click,click and you can sing away until you get hoarse.

With the arrival of new family members through the years too, there were more people to share in the fun of singing. In-laws, nephews, nieces,cousins,cousins' kids,friends... Doing the Karaoke is always a nice capper for a day of fun. After the food at parties, Karaoke is enjoyed together with the chatting and catching up among friends and family getting together. Everybody gets his/her turn to sing .And beware, when the mic gets in my hand, it does tend to get stuck there and you have to pry it loose.

When you go to a Filipino party, the odds of you finding out that it is another Sing-along, Karaoke, or Videoke session is high. It is the party. It has become the norm. And what could be better than enjoying camarederie & having fun trying to outdo,upstage and outscore each other among friends? It's almost like most Pinoys were born with mics in their hands, who cares about being born with a silver spoon in his mouth,anyway?

So it was no surprise (well, in fact, a very pleasant one) to learn that the inventor of the Karaoke is a Filipino. No, it's not the Japanese that first came up with it like what most everyone thinks. Today, I came across the blog of Antonio Joaquin titled Bert Del Rosario is Karaoke Inventor when I visited his site from SexyMom's blog.

What a very thrilling discovery ,indeed. Every Karaoke-loving singer has a Filipino to thank ,for coming up with this wonderful invention. It's a Filipino who started it all. A testament to the Pinoy's talent and ingenuity.