Thursday, March 30, 2006

this friend must have a feeling someone somewhere is not happy tonight

It's almost 12 midnight, I'm at a cafe near Chong Hua Hospital. Adjacent is the videoke room, where a friend is taking a rest to regain her consciousness. Nope, she did not knock herself out. Okay, a few bottles of Red Horse actually did it. With an empty stomach even pro drinkers would really feel the toll. She used to drink more than 2 bottles of beer before and could go home in one piece. But tonight she was puking all over. She almost slept with her puke. Hay!

I wish she'd be OK real soon, it's already late.

--

While this friend was romancing with her puke at the sink (yucky jud! hehe) I visited the Supreme Court's website to check on the results of the 2005 Bar exams. It took me several minutes to download the results, but I already knew before then that my friend/colleague did not make it. I still continued the task believing (and praying real hard) that her name was still somewhere in the cyberspace still to pop up in that site. That was a hopeless case, though. Passed or not, she is still my attorney. Hmp!

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Wednesday madness

I've missed the movies. Last time I watched one was over a month ago, I don't even remember what it was. ???

Another catching up to do. So last night, I grabbed some movies to quench that thirst for some comedies and horror (sadly, I've already seen almost everything that was in the racks. tsk tsk!). I picked these stuffs instead:



Adam Sandler and Chris Rock tandem, just great. I don't like football but this film is not everything about that game. It's about big black guys fighting against big white guys. I've nothing else to say.






Hilary Duff here is really cute, I mean, that sweet personalities we all love about in every up-and-coming big stars (like Britney when she hit it off with her Hit me baby one more time...and we were actually wrong to ever think she's sweet and wholesome and all when she started marrying everyone she met!). And with Hilary's case she did not marry anyone, though, but she completely changed since this 2003 film.

Second time to watch it. I actually forgot I've seen this already. Hay, old age!



Well, everyone seems to be growing up in this film, of course! Steve Martin is older and balder here. And Hilary, she's getting skinny! I saw her latest MTV and she was all limbs and clothes (even that is almost non-existent). Is she fasting or what?

Forget Hilary's slowly killing herself, this film is fun.

----

Next movie: Moments of Love. I think it's a good film. The trailer is promising. Old houses, old things...i like!

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

18 Tricks to Teach Your Body

Soothe a burn, cure a toothache, clear a stuffed nose...
(i got this from some website...link provided below)

1. If your throat tickles, scratch your ear.

Take that tickle in your throat; it's not worth gagging over. Here's a better way to scratch your itch: "When the nerves in the ear are stimulated, it creates a reflex in the throat that can cause a muscle spasm." This spasm relieves the tickle.

2. Experience supersonic hearing!

If you're stuck chatting up a mumbler at a cocktail party, lean in with your right ear. It's better than your left at following the rapid rhythms of speech, according to researchers at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. If, on the other hand, you're trying to identify that song playing softly in the elevator, turn your left ear toward the sound. The left ear is better at picking up music tones.

3. Overcome your most primal urge!

Need to pee? No bathroom nearby? Fantasize about Jessica Simpson. Thinking about sex preoccupies your brain, so you won't feel as much discomfort, says Larry Lipshultz, M.D., chief of male reproductive medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine. For best results, try Simpson's "These Boots Are Made for Walking" video.

4. Feel no pain!

German researchers have discovered that coughing during an injection can lessen the pain of the needle stick. The trick causes a sudden, temporary rise in pressure in the chest and spinal canal, inhibiting the pain-conducting structures of the spinal cord.

5. Clear your stuffed nose!

Forget Sudafed. An easier, quicker, and cheaper way to relieve sinus pressure is by alternately thrusting your tongue against the roof of your mouth, then pressing between your eyebrows with one finger. This causes the vomer bone, which runs through the nasal passages to the mouth, to rock back and forth. The motion loosens congestion; after 20 seconds, you'll feel your sinuses start to drain.

6. Fight fire without water!

Worried those wings will repeat on you tonight? "Sleep on your left side." Studies have shown that patients who sleep on their left sides are less likely to suffer from acid reflux. The esophagus and stomach connect at an angle. When you sleep on your right, the stomach is higher than the esophagus, allowing food and stomach acid to slide up your throat. When you're on your left, the stomach is lower than the esophagus, so gravity's in your favor.

7. Cure your toothache without opening your mouth!

Just rub ice on the back of your hand, on the V-shaped webbed area between your thumb and index finger. A Canadian study found that this technique reduces toothache pain by as much as 50 percent compared with using no ice. The nerve pathways at the base of that V stimulate an area of the brain that blocks pain signals from the face and hands.

8. Make burns disappear!

When you accidentally singe your finger on the stove, clean the skin and apply light pressure with the finger pads of your unmarred hand. Ice will relieve your pain more quickly, Dr. DeStefano says, but since the natural method brings the burned skin back to a normal temperature, the skin is less likely to blister.

9. Stop the world from spinning!

One too many drinks left you dizzy? Put your hand on something stable. The part of your ear responsible for balance—the cupula—floats in a fluid of the same density as blood. "As alcohol dilutes blood in the cupula, the cupula becomes less dense and rises," says Dr. Schaffer. This confuses your brain. The tactile input from a stable object gives the brain a second opinion, and you feel more in balance. Because the nerves in the hand are so sensitive, this works better than the conventional foot-on-the-floor wisdom.

10. Unstitch your side!

If you're like most people, when you run, you exhale as your right foot hits the ground. This puts downward pressure on your liver (which lives on your right side), which then tugs at the diaphragm and creates a side stitch, according to The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Men. The fix: Exhale as your left foot strikes the ground.

11. Stanch blood with a single finger!

Pinching your nose and leaning back is a great way to stop a nosebleed—if you don't mind choking on your own O positive. A more civil approach: Put some cotton on your upper gums—just behind that small dent below your nose—and press against it, hard. Most bleeds come from the front of the septum, the cartilage wall that divides the nose. Pressing here helps stop them.

12. Make your heart stand still!

Trying to quell first-date jitters? Blow on your thumb. The vagus nerve, which governs heart rate, can be controlled through breathing, says Ben Abo, an emergency medical-services specialist at the University of Pittsburgh. It'll get your heart rate back to normal.

13. Thaw your brain!

Too much Chipwich too fast will freeze the brains of lesser men. As for you, press your tongue flat against the roof of your mouth, covering as much as you can. "Since the nerves in the roof of your mouth get extremely cold, your body thinks your brain is freezing, too," says Abo. "In compensating, it overheats, causing an ice-cream headache." The more pressure you apply to the roof of your mouth, the faster your headache will subside.

14. Prevent near-sightedness!

Poor distance vision is rarely caused by genetics, says Anne Barber, O.D., an optometrist in Tacoma, Washington. "It's usually caused by near-point stress." In other words, staring at your computer screen for too long. So flex your way to 20/20 vision. Every few hours during the day, close your eyes, tense your body, take a deep breath, and, after a few seconds, release your breath and muscles at the same time. Tightening and releasing muscles such as the biceps and glutes can trick involuntary muscles—like the eyes—into relaxing as well.

15. Wake the dead!

If your hand falls asleep while you're driving or sitting in an odd position, rock your head from side to side. It'll painlessly banish your pins and needles in less than a minute, says Dr. DeStefano. A tingly hand or arm is often the result of compression in the bundle of nerves in your neck; loosening your neck muscles releases the pressure. Compressed nerves lower in the body govern the feet, so don't let your sleeping dogs lie. Stand up and walk around.

16. Impress your friends!

Next time you're at a party, try this trick: Have a person hold one arm straight out to the side, palm down, and instruct him to maintain this position. Then place two fingers on his wrist and push down. He'll resist. Now have him put one foot on a surface that's a half inch higher (a few magazines) and repeat. This time his arm will fold like a house of cards. By misaligning his hips, you've offset his spine. Your brain senses that the spine is vulnerable, so it shuts down the body's ability to resist.

17. Breathe underwater!

If you're dying to retrieve that quarter from the bottom of the pool, take several short breaths first—essentially, hyperventilate. When you're underwater, it's not a lack of oxygen that makes you desperate for a breath; it's the buildup of carbon dioxide, which makes your blood acidic, which signals your brain that somethin' ain't right. "When you hyperventilate, the influx of oxygen lowers blood acidity," says Jonathan Armbruster, Ph.D., an associate professor of biology at Auburn University. "This tricks your brain into thinking it has more oxygen." It'll buy you up to 10 seconds.

18. Read minds!

Your own! "If you're giving a speech the next day, review it before falling asleep," says Candi Heimgartner, an instructor of biological sciences at the University of Idaho. Since most memory consolidation happens during sleep, anything you read right before bed is more likely to be encoded as long-term memory.

http://health.msn.com/menshealth/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100119940

Saturday, March 25, 2006

ADHD or not, it's fun!

This week was really full for me. I’m exhausted from waking up very early in the morning for three consecutive days already. Just this morning I was out of bed at 8 for a 10am presscon. Had to have an hour travel time allowance.

And since I’m already talking let me talk more…

There was not actually a presscon at a coffee shop where media people met. It was just an early lunch for them (us) before they’d be brought to the venue of Eat Bulaga (Cebu Sports Complex).

GMA is really a good host.

We were at the backstage 30 minutes before the show kicked off. And while waiting for the stars, GMA entertainment chuvanesses (those in charge of taking care of all of us) had us booked for interviews with Jennylyn, Mark, Yasmin, Rainier, Angel Locsin and Dennis Trillo.

Interviewed them all. Plus Michael V, Anjo, Janno, Allan K, and Ruby.

But the place was very hot! We stayed under the huge tent with a huge fan infront of us, still the heat was deadly. Staying out of the tent even for a few minutes would really be exposing yourself to heatstroke. But we had to see the opening of the show, everyone was there.

Then we went out for our late lunch (haha! Two lunches in a day. Ang bil-bil!).

In Bigby’s, for myself, I ordered Food Trip Platter (?) which contained of fries, three small cuts of sweet and sour chicken, three medium-size breaded chicken strips, and three pizzadillas (twice as big as that in Greenwich). No rice but it was everything I needed for lunch (I already had pizza during our early lunch), and coke, for course!

While we were all busy with our food, a kid (of about 8) went to one of the GMA entertainment chuvanesses’ side and grabbed his coke, and I heard him say “Can I have your drink?” to the GMA guy and before the latter could say a thing he was already slurping the entire liquid. We were just watching the kid thinking he was a friend of this GMA guy. But he was not! Then the kid went around us and took the bag of one of the reporters and examined its contents. We were waiting for his family to take him but there was none which prompted us to ask for the waiters to pull him out from our table.

The kid could be suffering from ADHD, for all we know. But where were his parents/guardians? We tried to look for anyone who could be with him that day through the resto’s glass walls but the kid was just bouncing from one resto to another. Strange! Stranger was when he really talked in straight English while he acted like a street beggar yet his attire was far from it! My first encounter of an ADHD person, I'm sorry.

I don’t know what really happened to the people inside that place. After that incident with the ADHD kid a group of four teens ordered a big bowl of ice cream of various flavors.

Everyone from our table had his eyes fixed for a long time on this group’s order. OMG! Ice cream. It was so beautifully done, with the cones on top of the many scoops of ice cream. Hay! Each of us wanted to try that ADHD kid’s act and tell to this group: “Can I have a bite of your ice cream?”

Oh, I’d say mine would be “multiple bites.”

But this group, all boys, after having their fill toyed with what remained of that big bowl. Sayang! Nuon pwede na sad tang molangoy kay nahilis na ang ice cream. Hahaha!

GMA, whatta reception you gave us. Main news reporters don’t get this type of treatment that was why I was really amazed by it all. Before going home they gave us a bag each. The bag contained of one CD of Moments of Love movie soundtrack and National Bookstore gift certificates (Harry Potter, here I come!). And a Majika wand, that blinks in the dark (it’s really cute).

---

Back to work (that was not the real work yet). At the office, it was our Lifestyle Editor's birthday and she gave the newsroom a whole lechon baboy. Sus!

Friday, March 24, 2006

look stars! and some alien


Jodybon (TF's PR writer), Jasmin Trias, alien

Yez. taken sometime in 1963 when Jasmin was here to do a concert, which alien watched only on the last part as she waz somewhere trapped in a conversation she could not just leave.

Uy! That Jodybon, although he works for the Star Group of Companies, is definitely not a star. Nor is that alien! Now shut up!

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

The Err

Now I’ve got a passport. First stop? Cebu del Norte! Haha! Hongkong hopefully.

---

I was riding in a PUJ on my way home last night. Across me was a man, of legal age, looking for something from his handbag, which was obviously a girly one. Hala snatcher! I thought. But what he fished out was a wedding ring. Slipped it back to his ring finger. Ingun ana diay na! Hmm…

---

Another jeepney ride. A foreigner, above 50, big built (very big actually), was possessively resting his big hand on the shoulder of his Filipina girlfriend (20 something), who was obviously uneasy with the situation. Then the girl gave the P20 bill to the driver for their fare. Girl returned the change to the foreigner. If Pinays make patol to these old foreign nationals most of the time (if not all) it is because of the money (i'm not against it). But this girl seemed to get nothing from her foreign guy, who took the loose change from her and place them in his pitaka, a small national bookstore plastic bag. Ngeee..

---

Last week a colleague/friend was asked by her editor to cover a “boxing” presscon in Waterfront. This colleague was surprised she did not get an invitation of such early on. Before going to the place, she verified if there was indeed a presscon going on in that place. Yes, there was…a presscon on VACCINE! Nyahaha

Sunday, March 19, 2006

if Gringo had a blog

Vatski. This nickie has been associated with me since college (although only those closest to me know about it).

I started using it during a time when a group of 10 including myself was tasked to do an investigative report...and we picked to "investigate" the activities inside the movie houses (in the downtown area of this city), which reportedly showed x-rated films and allowed sex (and the like) inside.

And since we did not want our real names be known (who knows, our parents might be somewhere inside, too. patay!) while inside we decided to have code names, each.

Since then members of that group, who became my friends, still call me vatski, and I still call them their respective nickies.

Recently, I was asked to co-write a weekly column for Banat News (a tabloid/TF's sistah). This is actually like playing (the usual banter we have in the newsroom is now being published, and with pay, haha!), although with words. Our task here is to "debate" (the tabloid-ish way) on issues (we pick whatever we like), relevant and mostly non-sense, surrounding the two giant TV networks ABS-CBN and GMA.

I get to defend the Kapuso Network (of course!) while Gary Lao fights for the rival channel.

We also allow our readers to react/comment on our topic. Their comments are published together with the next week's column.

Imagine the comments we get every Monday (the day the column comes out). Some non-sense (what can u expect!) while most are really mean. I am really glad I use Vatski for this column or I'd be dead by now. Haha! Really, more than once Gary (I don't publish my number) received text messages from readers (mostly avid fans of ABS) expressing their disgust on me. I hit badly on ABS and I don't care, that's my job and I love it.

Well anyway, here are some of those text messages...

topic (two weeks ago): Wowowee's re-airing (in that column I expressed my vehement opposition to the said move).

Oo! Ibalik C Willie. Kana c Vatski pakit-a ko ana kay bukbukon ko na. Hinawayon.

Hoy wla nay utok si vatski ka klaro sa tinuood nga number one ang wowowee nagkataon lng jud naay stampede. Pangutana bsan knsa kng knsay no. 1 sa tanan?


topic (last week): sexbomb's no show in Eat Bulaga (I took it as a misunderstanding that would soon be patched up)

Ayaw hulipi ang sxbomb dancers oi, kay cute and sexy pa cla. Ang angayan hulipan kanang dakog baba nga c Vatski!

Pwd mo ask Vatski, y man permi nmo dau2n ang abs-cbn? Unsa man diay sala sa abs nmo, db wala man, so ders no reason para masuko ka.

Waaah...Haha! You can kill me now.

http://www.philstar.com/philstar/banat200603202901.htm

Friday, March 17, 2006

steps in applying for a passport:

nah, i'm giving steps kuno when I had mine processed almost hassle free. but at least i tried to be as cooperative as anyone, who was asking special favors, could be.

well anyway, this may be of help to the republic of the Philippines.

1. call any of the DFA employees first to ask all the necessary requirements including the fees (don't believe if they tell you it's P500 'coz it's not!). and get this employee's name for assistance when you finally get to the DFA office.

2. be sure that your pictures (passport size) have that "durable" quality to last 5 years (i got that from DFA 7 assistant director who told me to get a new set of pictures. grrr)

3. bring extra money in case they'd ask you to change your pictures downstairs (P100 for 5 copies). yeah, they have their own studio there too. enterprising!

4. be patient. this is a very busy office, with practically hundreds or even thousands of applicants come here everyday. but don't worry as the processing is smooth and efficient (i'd like to believe so).

5. wait. i mean go home after you shall have paid P750 (for regular) or more than that for overtime processing, and come back on the day specified in your receipt.



6. say your thank you's to the people who have helped you saved a couple of weeks of waiting in line (like in my case)

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

destination Bohol

When a friend/workmate asked if I wanted to go with her in Bohol I immediately packed my bags and withdrew all what was left of my meager savings.

I switched day off to Tuesday (from Sunday) as it was this friend's day off. But we left Cebu Monday afternoon after submitting our stories that we gathered very early that morning.

It was all travel. Kapoy but since we were there we had to do the most of that short stay (one and a half days).

In going to this friend's place we had to ride a tricycle to get us to the terminal of the PUJs that'd take us to Dimiao town which was over an hour away from Tagbilaran City. It was actually like going to Bogo or someplace north of my province, with the sea on your right side and the mountain on the other.

Finally, after what seemed like a trip to Hongkong (onboard a jeepney) we disembarked.

I was really glad the place where we stayed for two nights was so comforting. Comforting I say as when we were about to sleep, that was after enjoying the sea breeze while lounging at the back of her house, we were treated to a massage by the "attendants," this friend's helpers. hmmmmm...

The next day the field trip began. It was ala Amazing Race as we always fought against foreigners for bus seats, rode motorcyles for hire (habal-habal) and PUJs, and ate live worms (in my wildest dreams) just to see the cute tarsiers, and take a peak at their world renowned Chocolate Hills.

Exhausting (physically and financially) but fun. After visiting all the places and sites (mentioned below) we stopped over at Bohol Tropics Resort for a halo-halo. That was in Tagbilaran City, almost 2 hours away from Carmen town, where we came from to se the Chocolate Hills. The relaxing ambience of the resort and the refreshment were more than enough to compensate for the long trip and the achy muscles.

---


The chocolate hills. When I was an inch small, my brain then was yet non-existent, I thought these hills were really chocolates. And when my brain was finally installed, thank You, I realized chocolates couldn't stand under the sunlight for so long without melting so they could not be real chocs. Real chocs are in Duty Free.



You have to climb the 204 or so steps to get a great glimpse of this wonder. The climb is not easy just be sure not to walk very fast or you find yourself catching your breath, which can be just a step or so behind you.




This is the top view. From here you see the entire place dotted with chocolate hills nga di makaon.




Tarsier. Adorable just like the gremlins. It's something you want to put in your bag and go home with it.




Mini Rice Terraces. Something that keeps you awake while traveling. This long stretch of rice field, just similar to the rice teraces in Banaue, is in the side of the road.



Loboc museum. This is just great! There were a lot of old pieces of religious icons, paintings, and other stuffs. The church building itself was so grand. The frescoed ceilings magnificent (even with the flakes hanging all over), the altar's architectural design was extraordinary (not just all carved and varnished old wood but with some glitters of gold paint or real gold, I don't know, we already left the tour guide at this juncture), everything was just peaceful and beautiful. And since our guide was already lost somewhere we went "upstairs" using the rickety stairs and saw that forbidden area, the attic littered with broken antique furnitures and bats' popo. After that tour my hands (which could not be kept from touching articles with "hands off please" signs) smelt like different, old wood or something polluted. No problem, alcohol was handy.



There was also the Damiao Church. Old and smelly and uncared for. Very sad for this century-old structure.

As timed, before Kim Sam Soon we were back in this friend's white house.

The next day (today), very early in the morning, we went back to Cebu to work and get paid. It's payday, thank You.

Friday, March 10, 2006

Virused!

for the last weeks i've been receiving mails with attachments from friends. the first time i got one of course i clicked to see what that attachment was. and voila! computer virus! ow? i told the sender/friend i could not open whatever he was sending me. and the next day "he" sent it back. the same attachment. the same "virused" attachment that, of course, my computer refused to open. so i deleted it, the heck with what this friend was trying to send.

then another friend send "another" mail but with practically similar attachment. gara na ning ila dah! grrr.

this is still going on even until today. but i learned my lesson: never open this type of mail again! i don't know what it'll do to the computer but it sure aint good.

as of now i don't understand who actually does it? i mean my friends could not have possibly sent those things!!! what for?!!!

for all i know (i still have to ask them diay) they may have been receiving the same type of mails from me. uy, di jud! i am not guilty. then who?

----

pizza! pizza! pizza!

yesterday my lunch (suppposedly) was a slice of pizza, chicken, pasta, etc. (from shakey's) courtesy of caecent noot-magsumbol. yummy! but i had a terrible hyperacidity since that morning (bec i breakfasted! imagine that!!!) so my appetite was kinda nowhere near me. even with that yummy pizza! grrr.

and today, our assistant news ed's birthday. haha! i did not know he was also a pizza lover. i was really surprised when two big boxes of JCA pizza and three mega liters of coke came into view..and gone in seconds! editorial people, they really know how to eat pizza-with their hands and mouths. hahaha!

thanks to my merciful God my insides were a lot better now. i consumed almost two slices (if you've seen what JCA pizza pies are like then you know what i mean).

----

hyperacidity

it makes me want to puke. i don't want to puke bec the puke's smell makes me puke and i will sure puke even more if i start puking.

really!

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Who let the dogs out

I’ve been in front of the computer since way before 12. I got here very early as I was expecting to have lunch with my friends/workmates/neighbors (in barangay Siaw) but they weren’t here yet when I arrived so I had to wait. Thank God I wasn’t that hungry pa.

I checked my mails, posted a blog. Before 2pm I submitted my sked...then chatted with my online buddies.

Then 3p came and my lunchmates were still not home (how we love the newsroom!). So they were in some press conferences I was told and I was ALONE in the office. Okay, caecent and some editors were in some corner of the office but they could not be my lunchmates. They already had their meals, eons ago!

I would kill myself literally if I'd continue to wait for nothing so I went downstairs and grabbed some pizza (yeah, Mom’s pizza- the nearest and the cheapest), a bottle of coke, peanuts, and some bread (to be partnered with my coffee later on in life). No more rice at this hour. Honestly, I could live well without rice, just give me more pizza, pasta and sandwiches and waffles and everything nga lamian (yum!) and I'd still be sanely me.

It was almost an hour ago and I’m still starving (can't afford to stuff my tummy more food as it'll get upset easily). The food was long gone, of course, and my editors killed my two stories, which means I can go home and sleep and eat or do whatever I want with my time. But I don’t like going home yet, not when the sun is still up (kay vampire ako!) so I’m back with surfing and chatting and downloading books (wooooh).

Yez! Thanks to fellow promdi clare. Haha! And rugby boy II for helping me how to “extract” RAR files. I’ve downloaded 10 books of CJ Lewis, Robert Ludlum, Anne Rice, RL Stine, etc. Yes, there are JK Rowling’s, too, but I’ve read all of HP books so kevs muna. I hope to read them all within this year. Nah, with my eyesight ambot lang ani ron.

And then entered the jontis and the feeling buntis. Hmp! They sure had their lunch in Waterfront while I was alone in this lonely room :P But they are buntis so I understand. Halu mga bayot! :D

movies, anythin'


The Green Mile (based from Stephen King's novel)

I only had the opportunity to watch it last Monday. been aiming to grab a good movie or two for my weekend movie treat (well, for this week kay Monday-had to switch day off). i got this one from my friend's collection.

Okay, the movie was great! I'm sure everyone has watched it already. but whatever...

Here, Tom Hanks was really a great actor, can't wait to see him in Da Vinci Code movie (let's pray this will be more exciting than the book) and that big black guy Michael Clarke Duncan who played the healer, John Coffey, was really big (hehe). I was actually surprised to see some magic in the movie when it was supposed to tell tales about the lives of those in the death row. But of course that was a wrong notion.

It is about miracles...that they happen everyday if John Coffey is around. John Coffey died in the movie, but I'm sure there are many John Coffeys down there who are touching lives. They may have touch yours, you just don't realize it ;)

....


War of the Worlds

I was really glad I did not waste hard-earned money to watch this film in the movietheater. It was all what sci-fis are all about. And some non-sense destruction of the "worlds."

I'm not a fan of sci-fi flicks... just can't relate them. I think this movie is a trash.

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

And the Oscar goes to...


Crash

This is really a good movie. Here you'll see how the black people in America have continuously suffered because of the color they have. And how that sufferings have made most of them cruel...It's a sterotypical story of racial discrimination, of a life deprived of liberty... but it nevertheless a story that touches base.
Starring my ate Sandra Bullock, Brendan Fraser, Matt Dillon (nominee for Best Supporting Actor), Ludacris, among many others...

It was also awarded as Best Original screenplay and Best Film Editing.

----


Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line)

I haven't watched the film but based on the trailer, where she displayed that oh-so-lovely-voice of her in a song duet with that guy (?), I think, it's good. It's my ate Reese :P dapat lang!

Let's just hope she'd still do more Legally Blonde type of films. I don't think I will like her in drama roles. But still, she's my ate. What about some horror there ate Reese? hmm...

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Jewel in the Philippines


that's Jang-Geum (Lee Young-Ae), the Jewel in the Palace.



Kapitan Min Jung-ho, Jang-Geum's savior, and the love of her life. hay!


Lady Han-ang palangga ni Jang-geum. Her mom's bestfriend.



Geum-young. Karibal sa Kusina ni Jang-geum. She defeated her there but not in the heart of papa Kapitan, who only has eyes for the sweet bida. Naaa..


The malditang Lady Choi. Geum-young's kontrabidang iyaan! I can't wait to see her buried alive.

YES! I'm hooked with this one. I'm guilty. I'm happy.

Friday, March 03, 2006

Can you dance? i can dive

Underwater adventure. Kayaking. Bungee jumping. Sky diving. Dancing. Sex. Yeah I want to try all that. Oh, omit the last one I’m too busy for that :P

But I can always escape from work to try on something like sky diving. Haha! Just kidding! We don’t have that here, yet.

Okay, I tried scuba diving. This morning, I woke up very early to be in Lagundi Reef, that’s in barangay Poblacion, Talisay City (a trisikad ride from my place).

Yes! We have that diving spot there too. The city is actually doing its best to promote the site to become a tourist attraction.

A 10 minute boat ride would get you there. Very near. And the dive's depth is about 15 meters, very ideal for starters like me.

It was my first time to dive. No diving lesssons as it was an “emergency dive.” The invitation came only yesterday afternoon. And since I had been eager to try I grabbed the opportunity.

But of course, I was taught some basics before I went down. Things such as be calm, press your nose and swallow to get the air out through your ears (that is if your ears are already starting to hurt), breathe with your mouth (of course! as the breathing aparatus is attached to it), among many others. But the very basic rule is DON’T PANIC.

But I did. Twice when we were starting to descend I signaled at my instructor, as I was running out of breath. The second time I cowed I told him my mask was blurry (I was actually scared thinking that I'd run out of breath while underwater.)

Then on the third try, my instructor Alfie pulled me downwards and I was like “unya ra!” but he never listened. Waaaahh...! A few minutes down there I saw nothing. Very blurry. Then he signaled we should go back.

I later on found out we were on a very deep part of the sea already. The strong current brought us several meters from the sanctuary. So we had to be brought back there via the motorized boat.

The “trip” back there was not easy. Divers had to anchor themselves to the boats as it would take time if they had to climb back to them and jump back again. So as I was one of the “divers” I did just that. With that heavy weights (to bring me down so I wouldn’t float) was tugging me downward that I was sinking. My entire body excpept for my head was in the water already while two of the master divers had to pull me up.

Bahala na! So I asked if I could get back to the boat. They had to agree as they saw me in that very awkward situation. But since I felt more uneasy going back to the boat with all the exhaustion and all I asked if they should just get that weights from my waist. And when they did I was like “Yo!”

Then I was floating in the sea enjoing that “trip” while our rubber boat brought us back to the sanctuary.

All prepared. After the tries I made up my mind to do it once and for all and go home and sleep and blog it.

Then I dived. And OH MY GOD! The place underneath us was very nice. the corals as large as tables. They actually call them table-sized corals. The schools of fish. There were blue, stripes, and red. Everything. I was prepared to see Titanic. But there was none of course. Minutes after we went up and I was smiling and all.

Hehehe. Diver na 'ko! :P

Thursday, March 02, 2006

sit still! i'm only talking.

I’m for Presidential Proclamation 1017 (PROCLAMATION DECLARING A STATE OF NATIONAL EMERGENCY). It might be an “overkill” considering that only Metro Manila needed that security blanket as it was ONLY in that place where people were on their hots to oust the president.

So GMA was jumpy. We could not fault her for acting such as there were already a number of foiled coup attempts, things that if left to blossom might result to a big-time coup and uproot her from Malacanan.

Yes, I am saying I don’t want her out just yet. As simple as that.

As a long-time resident of this country, I’ve seen so much already. I was very small when Marcos was ousted. I may have no recognition of what was my surrounding during his rule the older members of my family, history books, and my favorite Marcos files, have told me what it was like to live in that era of atrocities and injustice. I don’t like that to happen again.

Then there was Estrada. Leadership was a complete stranger to him like women and booze were his constant company. I guess there were already enough character assassination against the masa’s Erap, I would just reserve mine. He deserves more than what he’s been through right now.

Two down. And I’m sure there will be next. The opposition camp will make sure of that, and since it is GMA who is sitting in that most coveted seat, she is the latest target.

GMA. She allegedly rigged the votes in the last elections. Phoned Garci to allegedly do that. That jueteng scandal. Etcetera.

Okay, if she cheated to win the presidency, so what? I know cheating is not good. You go to hell if you do that. But, we sure would be in hell had FPJ been in her seat these days, that is if he’d last that long.

My point is GMA was right whe she said she was our “last best hope.”

I voted for Roco, but since he lost I respected the majority’s decision (not actually the majority).

Almost two years after that election, GMA has been doing her best. She doesn’t deserve our scorns.

If we allow those “bastards” to have their way then who would replace her? Noli de Castro? Constitutional alright. But, can we afford to lose another president again? As I’m sure he would meet the same fate as his predecessor.

That emergency rule is different from Martial Rule. As I see it it is a protection from further devastation those bastards have been doing to GMA’s government, and to the country in general.

You talk of its unconstitutionality. The heck! So long as we have peace and harmony in this land, I don’t care if they’re unconstitutional as well, damn the laws.

Damn the people who tells us they pray for peace but wittingly invite war. Damn this piece of blog I don’t know how to end. Damn!