Family First

i just finished watching "Ang Tanging Ina Nyong Lahat." although i consider the first installment to be the funniest, i find this movie to be entertaining. for some reason i missed watching filipino movies. hay.

anyways, i just like how, in spite of the political setting, this movie did not at all dwell on politics. instead, it chose to highlight the filipino family and values. come to think of it, isn't that the right place to foster change? instilling good morals, values and ways within the family is, for me, a more efficient way to bring about change rather than relying on the government or politics per se. yun lang.

Unbelievable!

i was just washing the dishes from lunch when i saw this guy stealing someone else's laundry! can you believe that? to top it all, it's either a hanky or a pair of granny panties that he took with a stick. a classic panunungkit.

too bad i was not able to take a photo. sayang

Cannot Be

if equal affections can not be, let the more loving one be me

The Crowd

looking at the crowd i realized that there's a vast world out there, that i am just one of the many mere spectators and that the world does not revolve around me. it is humbling. really.

Recent Tunes

lately i've just been listening to these songs:

Eric Benet's Still With You
Ray LaMontagne's Let It Be Me
James Morrison's version of It's Too Late
Ne-Yo's Mad

and the Chicken Dance

Twilight

i know, i know. i'm waaay too late to post something about the hyped movie that is Twilight. i admit that i'm one of those who liked the movie. but more than the plot, i liked the cars and the Cullen's house more.

see the pics below:

photo credit: arch daily

such a beautiful architecture wouldn't you agree?

The Wheelers

this is another movie entry. i just finished watching Revolutionary Road starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. this is one draining movie. read on.







Those who were waiting for the romantic reunion of TITANIC's Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet may be surprised by what they find in REVOLUTIONARY ROAD. The movie begins with a sweet scene where... Those who were waiting for the romantic reunion of TITANIC's Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet may be surprised by what they find in REVOLUTIONARY ROAD. The movie begins with a sweet scene where Frank (DiCaprio) and April (Winslet) meet at a party, but the rest of this drama based on Richard Yates's novel is devoted to watching the destruction of their marriage and their selves in 1950s suburbia. Frank works at a job he hates in New York City, then commutes home to two children and a wife who feels none of them belong in their cookie-cutter town. Their realtor (a fine Kathy Bates) recognizes their specialness and introduces them to her mentally unstable son (BUG's Michael Shannon, in another good, unhinged performance) in an effort to establish some normalcy for the man. However, Frank and April's marriage is not as perfect as it seems to the outside world, and the audience gets to witness their downfall. With its commentary on conformity and finding identity, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD bears more than a passing resemblance in both theme and tone to the TV series MAD MEN and director Sam Mendes's previous film AMERICAN BEAUTY. The characters here may live in a polite age where men wear ties and hats and women clean the house in skirts and heels, but the dialogue often enters brutal territory. Less capable actors wouldn't have been able to capture the volatile chemistry between Frank and April, but DiCaprio and Winslet are as wonderful at uttering sweet nothings as they are at tearing each other apart with verbal barbs. Mendes, directing his wife, Winslet, for the first time, is a perfect match for the source novel's lack of sentimentality and its wry commentary on life in the 1950s that still resonates half a century later. from RottenTomatoes

like what i said, this is one emotionally-draining movie. it makes you ponder if happiness is really that elusive or even perhaps only an illusion? come to think of it, when you get the things that you thought you want, is everything supposed to end there? it's human nature to crave more but it's also true that one can't have it all. where do you draw the line? some may say contentment. others though, say that the day you stop wanting is the day you stop living. my own two cents worth? you never really know. someday it will just hit you that even though you still want to do a lot of things and achieve more, deep within you already have this tranquil and assuring feeling. a sense that although another step forward is surely welcome, all in all you can honestly say that you're already at peace with where you are standing. the only thing that you want to do now is just chill and enjoy the view.

Once

some good things come out of bad circumstances. a couple of days ago when my computer was busted, i was forced to watch some of the DVDs that i bought months ago. i've just been keeping them unopened as most of the time i'm busy with the tv shows (Californication, Fringe, The Big Bang Theory, Brothers and Sisters, Grey's Anatomy and yes, Lipstick Jungle hahaha) and movies that i download.

one movie i really liked...Once

read the synopsis here

basically, i liked it because the story is very simple but yet universal. the movie is devoid of any mainstream spectacle which makes it a breathe of fresh air from commercial films. also to be noted is how the leads, both of whom are really musicians and not actors by the way, were very effective in delivering the depth of their character's idiosyncrasies. and oh, the music is good too. i've yet to download the soundtrack but i'm guessing that the songs from this movie will be a staple in my playlist for sometime.

this movie slightly rekindled my being a frustrated musician. but i have to come to terms that some things are just not meant to be eh....as difficult as it is to accept! hahaha

Offline (my computer is busted and hirap to use my ipod)

could this be because of the mercury retrograde thingy?

update:

prior to this, my 2-month old training watch conked out on me for no apparent reason.  good thing is, it's still under warranty.  i had my housemate bring it back to the store as he is currently in manila and have it checked.  hopefully i won't be needing to pay extra or something like that.

Oh, To the M, To the G!

just when i thought that Palm has already entered the domain of the has-beens, it let out a red-hot new multi-touch smartphone powered by their own webOS. at the 2009 CES, palm released the Pre, their new flagship smartphone.

see the initial review and more pictures here.

this is one phone to watch out for. and no, i don't consider this an iphone-killer. the Palm Pre is in a totally different league.

a fitting upgrade from my pro

Unfair Treatment

i'm guilty. i sometimes have this tendency to quickly judge and draw out a negative conclusion.

i woke up somewhat pissed. i don't have an alarm clock and all i use to wake me up in the morning is my mobile phone. this morning i almost woke up late (like that is strange?! hahaha) because my alarm didn't go off except for the phone's subtle vibration. luckily, in my tossing and turning, i checked my phone and saw that i was already 30 minutes late from the time i was suppose to wake up! crappy right? nakakainis!

another incident with my phone. see, when i leave my phone idle for two hours it will automatically lock and ask for a password. i don't have a very good memory so i keep mine short (no, i mean the password!). then one night after dinner, i was keying-in my code but the phone would not unlock. wtf?! i'm only allowed 10 attempts then it will be restored to the factory setting, thereby erasing all my contacts, notes, tasks, calendar entries and emails. so as expected, after the 10th attempt, no luck. it restarted with a clean slate.

ano ba yan? i paid xx amount of hard-earned money (hahaha) for a piece of crap that instead of making my life easier is giving me a hard time.

then these happened:

during lunch, i realized that i had it on vibrate mode since yesterday afternoon. hence, the vibration instead of the alarm.

i also just realized that my code is 121212 instead of just 1212. no wonder i was unable to unlock my phone.

and no, these are not signs of aging!! pfft!

Relieving Publicly

i've always been a visual kind of person. i tend to like anything that looks nice may it be a shirt, a gadget, a diecast model, a lamp or even a doormat! needless to say i've grown a penchant for mostly modern and chic-looking stuff that i sometimes choose form over function.

so it will not come as a surprise that i also like beautiful and visually arresting architechture. like this.

the following pictures of a structure are another example:

yes ladies and gentlemen, you guessed it right. the above is a public restroom located in Chuo-ku, Osaka, Japan. if we have toilets like this, i'd gladly do my deed publicly. in a public restroom, i mean.

Zeroing In On Things

in the tradition of new year's resolutions, i have listed several aspects of my life that i want to improve on, or shall i say continue to improve on?

health. this should be on top of everybody's list. as of late, i haven't been doing much to better this aspect. i'm not sick or anything (or am i? hahaha). i just want to get into shape and continue my disrupted regimen.

relationships. this is one aspect i'm guilty of overlooking. i need to get in touch with my family and friends more often. i sometimes forget to catch up with them.

career. need to get more trainings and broaden my skills to get more out of the opportunities that will come my way

finances. who doesn't want an improved financial state? this one i really have to work on...after these:

music helps me get by, so it is just right for me to invest on a good pair of earphones

being on-time is a must. this will help me....i think




since memories are priceless, i need another help to enable me in capturing new ones

Looking Back

being the last day of the year, i can't help but evaluate how i fared against my resolutions or simply my own personal to-do list. though not completely accomplished, looking back at my game plan for 2008, i see that i have carried out a few. better than nothing eh?

but seriously, i have to double my efforts to make up for what i failed to bring about this past year. last january i said that i was looking forward to what's ahead. true enough, i was not disappointed as a lot of good things have happened.

more than '08 though, i'm all the more charged to face '09. no specific reason/s yet. but i'm sure as hell thrilled to unravel what's in store for me this coming year. so to 2009.....

bring it on!!

Missing

christmas seasons never fail to bring a melancholic feeling. the cold breeze always bring a hint of this funk that comes from missing home.

i miss my family.

i miss my cousins and our ktv sessions.

i miss my nephews and nieces. especially when their faces light up when they see me...carrying something for them! hahaha

i miss my grandma. as difficult as she can get, i still miss her...and her cooking.

i miss my friends.

i miss my hs buddies. as ma fan as they can get, they're a funny bunch.

i miss all my previous colleagues. different groups but just as fun.

i miss the food.

i miss halo-halo.

i miss palabok.

i miss bibingka.

i miss jollibee.

i miss cupcakes by sonja.

i miss the cheesy shawarma under the ayala mrt station (dunno if it's still there).

i miss amici.

i miss my lola's laing and tsokolate on christmas eve.

i miss manila.

i miss the metro's christmas rush.

i miss the traffic (in a weird way, i do)

i miss how everyone is extra nice to each other during christmas.

but most of all, i miss you

On Taking A Break

after a couple of weeks hiatus from blogging, i'm back. i just took a long overdue break, reconnected with old friends and made new ones. it's always nice to take time-out from everything and just relax. eventhough my island trip didn't push through because of uncooperative weather, i had FUN.

at least i'll have new memories that will help me get through this bitch of a winter! hahaha

peace out.

The Biting Cold

this is how the weather forecast for today looks like.

and sometimes these are the mornings i wake up to:

so, am i crazy for wanting to just crawl back into bed and hide under the blanket the ENTIRE day?!

Alone and Lonely?

do you find yourself without a dancing partner these days? fret not for the Sony Rolly is here.

along with the cool gadgets you don't really need, this mp3 player has built-in stereo speakers, lights and sensors that enables it to dance smoothly with the tune or beat that it is playing. now how cool is that?

see it in action here, here and here.

You're My First, My Last, My Everything

by Barry White. that's one of the songs that i've been listening to a lot lately. here are the others:

Let's Stay Together - Al Green

The Man Who Can't Be Moved - The Script

I'm Yours - Jason Mraz

Make It Mine - Jason Mraz

Chariot - Gavin DeGraw

Creep - Damien Rice's version

Fall Again - Glenn Lewis

Still With You - Eric Benet

The Park - Feist

Unforgettable - Jack & Karen's version (of Will & Grace)

and since sandali na lang Christmas na:

Grown Up Christmas List - Michael Buble

The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Diana Krall

and believe it or not:

Ave Maria - Josh Groban

Cool Stuff You Don't Really Need

here are some random stuff that are interesting but you don't really need (like the Lumie Light Therapy Alarm Clock) :


a mini fireplace. think of it as a burner, only more chic

a pool table. not the sport, but a literally swimming pool-inspired frosted glass table.

i know, i know. unnecessary but just the same, these are in-your-face cool stuff.