Sunday, May 25, 2008
Tough
Lost my key - and the red lego brick key holder :( - when I went out to get a week's worth of grocery. Good news is I have a spare, bad news is it's inside semiHome together with my office keys. Since there's no other way to get inside, asked the help of neighbors to break the gate's lock.
It took 2 guys, a screwdriver, a hammer, 2 feet solid stainless rod, and a grinder. After an hour of loud metal to metal clashing and head-splitting whir of the grinder, neighbor's kids' shouts of "Suntukan na lang tayo, o!" "O sige, ako si Manny Pacquiao!" "Hindeeee! AKO si Manny Pacquiao," the gate finally opened.
Did they do it by cutting the hook of the lock? No. The little guy's so tough and burglar-proof that the neigbors ended up cutting the portion of the iron gate that's holding the lock. Yikes! Better start thinking of a good excuse so the landlord won't be too mad at me.Labels: musings
10:48 PM | 0 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
It's not you, it's the ball.
I have a love hate relationship with volleyball. I love it, it hates me.
It's funny I signed up for the company volleyball league when the only thing I'm really good at is making one bad miss after another during the crucial parts of the game. It's as if the balls destined to end up on the wrong side of the court, under the net, or the head of a poor by stander direct themselves to me. ;p
What makes things worse is I don't suffer alone for every lost point. Every missed ball makes me want to wish the tectonic plates would shift and the resulting huge crack on the earth's surface would swallow me alive just so I could escape the part where I have to apologize to my team for sucking.
"Sorry. The ball wasn't paying attention."
"The net got in the way!" *shrugs*
+++++++++++++
reading : ReadyMade Oct/Nov'07 ishLabels: musings
7:16 AM | 0 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Something's Cooking!
Breakfast | Sony DSC H-1
After more than 2 years of living alone, I finally bought kitchen stuff - a single burner electric stove, a pot and a pan. I'm still looking for the 'perfect' (read: multi-tasking, durable and cheap, but still nice-looking) kitchen-top oven.
So this is my first home-cooked meal, breakfast at 5pm, after waking up at 4:30 ;p Bacon and egg served with pastries I got from the supermarket. It tastes like barquillos but coated with a bit of sugar and lightly spiced with ginger. It's good. :) I don't think I have tasted anything similar before.
Today, breakfast. Tomorrow, fiesta!
++++++
The label of the pastry says it's a product of Korea - and I don't find this surprising. Over the last few years Koreans have started showing up everywhere in our islands, and since there's a demand, Korean products have also showed up. 7-11 even carries soju now. I'm not exactly sure what they're here for - I haven't asked my Korean officemates. A friend says some Koreans choose to migrate to our islands because of the cheaper cost of living. Others find the Baguio climate similar to their spring weather. There's a Korean-style condominium being built there now. Oh, and there are those who are staying here to study English as 2nd language. It's probably a combination of all these reasons.
I wonder when the uber cute guys on K-dramas will start flying in.Labels: daily photo, musings
10:30 AM | 0 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
Monday, February 18, 2008
Namdaemun
Easily one of my favorite trips *ever* is my Seoul, Korea trip back in 2006. A kind friend brought me and Je to popular tourist places, including Namdaemun. Before the trip, officemates who've been to Seoul recommend Namdaemun market for the cheap merchandise. A perfect souvenir spot for sock-wearing office workers like us. When we got there, what attracted me more than the cheap socks is Namdaemun gate.
Here's a pic I took of Namdaemun gate back in 2006. Named as No. 1 National Treasure, this 600yr old structure breathes history and culture.
This is Namdaemun gate now.
[photo courtesy of popseoul.com]
It burned down Sunday, Feb 10 pm. A 69-yr old man confessed putting this treasure on fire due to grief over a decade-old land dispute.
Sayang naman. :/ 10:35 PM | 0 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Too.Much.Energy
And no outlet. >_<
I feel like doing a lot today. Too much that I feel paralyzed coz I don't know which one to work on. Crazy.
Had a good start today. Got up without hitting the snooze button more than twice, started doing sun salutations to cure the back pains, did a bit of exercise and arrived at work within the grace period. Ha!
Completed urgent work tasks, then headed home before 7, excited on what I could do with the rest of my time. Start on the Ink catalog entry? Browse illustrated books and online galleries for inspiration? Sketch? Start painting on the pieces that Eloi ordered?
After 2 hrs, Im still sitting in front of my laptop, uninterested and uninspired. Waaah!Labels: musings
9:00 PM | 0 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
2007, in summary
Got excited over:
+ Trips. Not all successful, but new places mean new things to learn, new food to try, more things to see. Made my first overseas trip alone this year. Exciting!
+ BIYAHE, the traveling travel journals exhibits. First exhibit outside the Ang INK annual thing. Launched at Chocolate Kiss Cafe in Roces QC., and it made its first stop at Baguio. Thanks to Biyahe, I rubbed elbows and shook the hands of The Kidlat Tahimik.
+ Giclee print repros of my artworks. First time to sell a print to a total stranger. Sold a few to some of my friends too. (yayy, friends!)
+ Meeting Heather Champ at the manila leg of flickr tour.
Frowned on:
+ *Those* pounds. Those pounds attracted some new friends too. >_<
+ Back pains. :(
Spent precious moolah on:
+ Local trips. Overseas trips made this year were all expense paid, which was the best part of the trip. ;p
+ HP 500 notebook. Nightly companion. Good friend.
+ An investment worth 12K pesos which I wish I never made. >_<
+ Tele conversion lens which was 3x more expensive than my mini ref. ;p
+ Tons of magazines. Real Simple, ReadyMade, Blueprint, Oprah, Craft.
Spent loooong hours on:
+ Korean telenovela/movie marathons. I heart Jewel in the Palace. Lovers in Paris made me laugh and *kilig.*
+ Browsing magazines more often than reading actual content. ;p
+ Evil internet. ;p Got connected in Oct. Never slept early since.
+ Traffic. Ugh. All officials decided to rehab the roads and bridges at the same time. The 15-minute commute from work turned to 2 hours on bad days.
(Notice how 'work' did not eat too much of time? It's coz I don't get over time pay now. So everyday I pack my bag at 6 and just tell myself I'll finish work at home. Who am I kidding? ;p)
Went to:
+ Sagada, Apr 2007. Love the weather and the Sagada kids. Food prices were surprisingly high. My legs suffered at the Sumaging cave but it was difintely worth visiting.
+ Taiwan, May 2007. Not much to say. >_<
+ Baguio, Oct 2007. I've been to Baguio several times but this is my first trip that is not restricted by a tight sked. (Hello, college plant tour!) Most of my stay was spent at Bliss Cafe where we held the exhibit. Met some great souls (did I mention Kidlat Tahimik?) and an adorable pet named Dimsum.
+ Shanghai, Nov 2007. Thanks to XJL, my Chinese tour guide/ work mate, was able to see majority of Shanghai's sights and taste great treats and purchase souveniers at super great prices. Galing mag-haggle!
2008 commits: trips! better investments on time, moolah, friends. healthier living. (And this is from someone who have stayed til 4am 3 days in a row first week of january to complete Coffee Prince. *kiliiiig* ;p)Labels: musings
6:12 PM | 0 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
Sunday, December 02, 2007
This is why I'm not in Show Business
My short stint as a director/ script writer/ coordinator/ talent manager/ producer/ bitch lady started Nov 12 and ended Dec 2. Except for the bitch lady part, coz I've been one for the longest time and I'm still one at this very moment.
Our group placed 3rd at the departmental presentation held at our plant's Christmas party. Wow, third! I should be proud, except only 3 departments competed. If there had been 24 we have probably placed 24th. Yayy. More than half of the cash prize goes to gown rental (not mine) and costume fee (not mine). If I hear any bad comment on how poorly our presentation was managed I'm going to grab the speaker's arm, and pull his armpit hair one by one until it's bald. Don't test me. My tweezers are ready.
In other news, Tentay and Donita made my evening. I laughed so hard that our impending loss didn't matter. I'm just saying that of course, don't let me fool you. Back to T and D, they were so funny! They're very spontaneous with their jokes.And Super Talented. Donita sang an Aegis duet. Alone.
Donita got his name for being a Donita Rose look alike. So there, another gay who's much prettier and sexier than me. Waaah!
+++++++++++++
reading : Sony DSC-H1 Tele conversion lens manual.
feeling : Tiiiiiiiired.
hearing : Donita's Aegi's song in my head. LSS ito.Labels: musings
8:46 PM | 4 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
{The Non-Expert} How to Say I Love You
"Question: I need 100 ways to say “I love you” to my girlfriend. We made a bet last night that I couldn’t come up with 100 and I can’t lose! Help me pa-pa-pa-pa-please non-expert. —Rod
Answer: Here’s the way to say “I love you”: rarely. To say it a hundred ways is to cheapen a pure sentiment; to place a bet with your girlfriend on your ability to do just that is to participate in a culture that has commoditized affection and thrown it into the remainder bin; and to ask someone else to come up with your hundred ways represents love at its nadir—pure romantic sloth. Why not deep-fry a bag of candy hearts and toss them on the rug for her to eat? That’s the (1) first suggestion.
Then there are the twee ways to say it: (2) with freshly cut flowers, assuming she is not a flower; (3) with a bust made of fudge; (4) with wee spaniels; (5) through blinking tears; (6) whispered to her hearing aid; (7) inscribed into her lawn with gasoline; (8) tattooed on your taint; (9) while she sleeps and you stand outside the window."
Read the remaining 91 ways here. The funniest thing I've read over the past 5 days. Before that, I actually can't remember what reading material made me laugh recently. Non-reading, it's definitely Bo Sanchez's and Hugh Grant's brand of humor.
Link fetched from dooce.comLabels: musings
8:52 PM | 1 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
Monday, November 26, 2007
Strike Three
Missed. (a.k.a. The things I looked forward to for weeks. Sudden change of plans and the typhoon and the lack of comm'n erased all the planning. *cries*)
+ Shanti's first solo exhibit at Bliss Cafe, Nov 25
+ Sunrise Art Festival at Baguio, Nov 23-25. :\
+ Ang Ink + Canvas' Book launch for The Boy Who Touched Heaven, this evening at Serendra.
+ Neil Gaiman in Fullybooked, Nov 24.
Caught
+ Bo Sanchez's 1Hr talk at our company, Nov 22. - Inspiring and funny. Been reading his columns / books and this was the first time I got to watch him talk live. *starstruck* :D
+ 2008 Strategic planning at Tagaytay, Nov 23. I wish we stopped for Hydrangeas and pinya!
+ 3 bars of Toblerone, prize for the Battle Cry contest. Not my entry. All 3 bars gone after 1 hr staff meeting this am.
+ Music & Lyrics, 16 Blocks, The Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy.. Great. Great. OK.
+++++++++++++
reading : Blueprint Magazine back issue
feeling : Sleep deprived, still
hearing : Tokyo Drift theme by Teriyaki BoyzLabels: musings
10:35 PM | 0 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Shanghai Baby
kgt_333: looks like the Taiwan fiasco was limited to.. Taiwan.
All the hoping and praying worked ;] Got to see more than Pudong Airport, Sheraton Hotel and ATC. And no greeedy drivers, too! Thanks to kgt & lara, kind souls who picked me up from my place and brought me safely to PAL C2 Terminal at Sunday 4am, and v.v. Wednesday night at 9pm.
Blurry in Shanghai | Sony DSC-h1
Day 1: Stalls/Shops outside YuYuan Garden + Divisoria-looking malls + Crab! + Nanjing Road & People's Square
So there I was, taking photos of the aged, arched roofs of *YuYuan Garden* just to find out later that they're not at all aged. ;p Arched, yes. The shops / buildings were added just recently. (The real) YuYuan Garden is a smaller structure at the center of all the stores / restuarants, waiting to show its ancient charm to anyone willing to pay ~200 pesos. Since my tour guide wasn't willing, a solo visit was mentally scheduled for Day 4. ;)
November to February are THE crab months. Yummy. There's nothing else to say really.Went inside all the malls along Nanjing Road in search for The 2008 Journal and some brush pens. Unfruitful search, but a good excuse to visit all the malls ;p and to later sit and watch all the lights blinking and shining restlessly.
This place obviously has a happy lively vibe.
11:08 AM | 0 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
Friday, November 02, 2007
Connected!
Finally gave in and called Sixto, The SmartBro Agent, and applied for internet services at my semiHome. Tonight, it will be celebrating it's 1st week(anni)versary and so far, all I can say is : I should have done this earlier. *shakes head*
One downside is that I'm getting way much less sleep than before. My eyebags are the size of Luzon. Sleep has been traded for:
- IM exchanges with pinoyIrish, lorna bebe, Kit, Tiff!!, Crughmie, my cousin Amy, Chekla
- flickr uploads
- (long overdue) website organizing and a little tweaking here and there. Unified most of my site blogs into one and added archive browsing by labels which made more sense. 'Have also removed "read.words," which should have been a repository for, well, words *rolls eyes* and which has been "under construction" for years. Changed it to "view.maps" where I intend to track my travels. It's now still "under construction." Sus.Labels: musings
9:00 PM | 0 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Soon!
Soon!
Lately, weekends and forced leaves are being spent on the following:
+ catching up on sleep
+ hating the fact that sleeping ate too much of my free time (But i still love you, Sleep.)
+ working on my pieces for an upcoming exhibit called 'Biyahe.' :D Wait, why did i say 'working'? It's not work. Work is no fun, while painting /drawing /illustrating (and sleeping) are some of favorite things to do.
+ explaining to Ama why I can't stay at Malolos for the nth weekend because of the exhibit pieces
+ ignoring the very obvious fact that my apartment needs cleaning
+ looking for my gum eraser, pen knife, brush pen, brown triplus fineliner pen in my obviously messy apartment
So, yayy! I'm excited that there are new art pieces. Technically, it's art *piece* coz I have finished 1 out of 4, and the concept for 2 of them are still on a cloud floating way over my head. I think I need more sleep.Labels: musings
10:01 PM | 0 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
Friday, June 08, 2007
No Victory Over Taiwan
It did not happen.
It is much too painful embarassing to admit. ;p
Did I really ride the plane to Taiwan just to come back 4 days later with nothing but memories of hotel breakfasts, duty-free-bought souvenirs, and the most annoying 2-hr cab trip from airport to apartment? No Taipei 101. No night market shopping. No culture-immersion.
No. Pictures.
Ugh.
At the very least, there were free authentic Taiwanese dinners. Our hosts went out of their way and took us for dinner despite the hectic work week. Surprising thing: the food did not even come close to the Chinese meals I am used to having. I find the Pinoy versions tastier, although almost everything tastes the same. I just realized that after eating over 10 varieties of dishes in 1 sitting on my first real dinner there. (My fake dinner is a tasty street food – squid morsel wrapped in minced veggie / flour mixture). Each dish brought an interesting feel to my soy sauce-hungry taste buds.
What is left to say about my first overseas travel alone? I learned that I should ask for flight schedules that would give me more time to enjoy the trip. I learned that I should start looking for other options for travelling back safely to my apartment without having too pay 800% more than the regular cab fare.
So there, learnings that are totally non-Taiwan-related. ;p 10:03 PM | 0 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Grateful journal, Jan 3 2006
Peonies are so pretty and graceful and strong and bold all at the same time. I haven't seen one in real life, though. 3:37 PM | 0 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Starting a paper trail
It feels good to leave thoughts as permanent ink marks on paper instead of pixels on screen. It's more... tangible. Looking at other people's journals, I realized how much art energy and creative chances and thoughts and ideas and time I've been wasting. This year i'll be keeping a *real* one, and I'll be starting with a Grateful Journal. Only feel good entries will be allowed. :)
But then there's this magnificent guy. Seeing his journals is like getting grabbed on the shoulders and shaken mercilessly! Makes me want to turn off the tv and draw away. Maybe after 63 years of journal-ing I'll be half as good as him...
(I can only wish.) 11:06 PM | 0 thought{s} flew from the keyboard
