Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium



Natalie Portman, Zach Mills, Dustin Hoffman

The magic dies when you stop believing it. That's what I understand about the film.

mad man

"Trillanes, comrades holed up at Makati hotel." That's the banner story of inquirer.net, as of this blogging. For those who haven't had the chance to watch the live coverage of this new stunt of Trillanes, well, the guy along with his minions walked out of their trial today and marched through the streets of Makati calling for the ouster of GMA. Wow! I wish everything was that easy. The easy way out, I mean. Well, Trillanes has been known for that for years.

Anyway, is he mad? The President was here yesterday for a Christmas party with the media. By the looks of her face, she was really tired. The bagyo, the earthquake, the impeachment raps, all hurled to her. And she's only, how tall is she? I'm quite taller than the President, and I can't even take the little problematic situation we have at home, that for a number of times in the last few weeks I've been thinking of quitting (by quitting, I mean, being independent). And here, this person, with her size and age, has to bear all the burdens that these people of Trillanes mind will like to hurl at her everytime the opportunity arises because she "continues to violate the Constitution of the Philippines repeatedly.” We still have that department that takes care of all our grievances like allegations and things like that. But Trillanes might have missed that important fact. Or he would not be doing this easy way out thing over and over again. But the fact that he was elected as a legislator should have given him at least an idea that everything should be placed in the right perspective first, bec change doesn't happen overnight. That if we want a new president, we vote for him/her. We don't always oust whoever sits in that post, bec that makes me mad as well. I might as well be walking out. lol!

the balikbayan

JUST before noon when I got here at the office, a workmate/friend announced that Lando is coming back. Another workmate echoed her announcement. So I checked inquirer.com, and voila! "Lando’ to reenter RP as ‘Mina’ exits." He sure likes it here, nagbalikbayan, eh. Mayta naay pasalubong nga maayo. lol! Anyway, have a grand time, dhong!

the noselift job

i had my nasal bridge lacerated Friday night. and i now look like some material for a comedy show. bec i really look funny with this piece of bandage (that one friend described as something "murag pantyliner," pweh!) plastered between my eyes. so fuck that bading who inflicted this laceration on my face! fuck him! don't ask me how it happened, i'm still not over it.

last night, i spent more than 3 hours at a public hospital, went home past 12mn, to get a medial certificate to be used as a proof in filing a criminal complaint against that bading. bwisit, i never wanted to make matters worse, but the certificate may come in handy if i finally decide to file a case against him. right now, i just want him crucified, that's all. no way can i forgive him yet, bec in the first place i didn't do anything to him, i don't even know him! i may be bad, but i really don't think i deserve this shit.

movies...

BEOWULF

Starring: Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie

It's action-packed. It's best watched in the movies. And oh, the bods. But I heard, Ray Winstone's body in this 3-D flick is a far cry from his real one. Now, that's what you call the magic of technology.



BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE

Agnes Bruckner, Vivian Hugh Dancy

Agnes Bruckner's role in this film (she's a werewolf) is something to die for. The fly-run scenes are really good. Hell, yes, I want to fly too. lol!



KNOCKED UP

Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl

Just a bit funny. And the story is ordinary, even predictable. I watched it bec there was no other better movie then, pfft! But that's Izzie there.



ENCHANTED

Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey

Dr. McDreamy is dancing in this movie, my god! Hahah...Still, he is cute doing it. As for Amy Adams, uhm, I would prefer someone more beautiful for her character. Because this is fantasy, and they're giving us not only a less pretty character playing Cinderella or Snow White's (or is it?) character, but also an ordinary looking (not to mention stupid) girl. I don't know much about this Amy Adams though, and I'm bad. Well, at least the ticket was free. He-he!




MAGNIFICO

Jiro Manio, Lorna Tolentino, Albert Martinez

This is definitely my favoritest Pinoy movie. I watched it a month ago, and almost got dehydrated. The soft side of me got me then, so sensya na. This is really the best Filipino film I've seen so far. And I can go on saying so many best scenes in it, di nalang ko kay makahilak nya sab mo. lol!

the sPiceGirls

And they are so back! I wish for good na ni. I heard too that Victoria Beckham will be guesting Ugly Betty anytime soon. Wow!

celebrating bagyo the Talisaynon way

Cebuanos were really surprised by typhoon Lando's arrival around 4pm yesterday. No one was prepared for it, not even Pag-asa. Yeah, what kind of a weather forecasting method are they using there that they failed to predict the upcoming storm?, you may ask. Ambot! Because while Lando was wreaking havoc in the different parts of my province I was in a mall watching Beowulf. It was only from some friends' text messages that I learnt that something was going on outside. But had I known, the mall would be the last place I'd be in that very moment. Bec I'd surely be at home enjoying a mug of hot chocolate there, or watching the fierce sways of the trees from my window. Then after the storm, maglaruy-laroy sa kasilinganan, samtang magtamak-tamak sa baha, like what is a common scene in barangay Poblacion after a bagyo. I remember, when I was younger, at night after a bagyo, bec there's no electricity yet, everyone in the neighborhood, kids and adults, would go out of the house to talk about what they just experienced. While we, the younger ones, would gather at some neighbor's lantay to talk about our childhood memories or laugh at someone's stupid jokes. So probinsya!

But last night was different, when I went home after the movie, it was around 8PM, the street was deserted. Well, the power was restored by then, and most probably, my neighbors, including my childhood friends, were inside their own homes watching a TV show. Even if I had the power to cut the power again, so those guys would come out and tell me each of their stories of the typhoon, I still would not do it. Bec I also had my own fave TV show to watch too. It was Grey's Anatomy last night. I understand we've all grown up, and it was already gone.

Ormoc City in 20 minutes

It's like going there to buy its famous moron (choc-flavored budbod), then back to Cebu with it. LOL! Actually, we weren't able to bring home some moron, bec we were all itching to see and enjoy the place before we leave back to Cebu, and when we came back to where it's sold, it's already gone. I just bought a box of cheese sticks (?), I forgot the name, for P60, instead.

Anyway, it was still fun doing it that way, with no itinerary and all, and with the time fast ticking while we were at it (plus, the rain sabotaging it all). So what we did, we commissioned a trike driver to take us to the island's famous stops (not really famous the way we have the Magellan's Cross here in Cebu, but at least, for some souvenir photos. LOL) nearest to the pier. And two minutes before our scheduled departure to Cebu, we were back at the pier.

Now, the pics.

A monument of the whatever war. (I didn't have the luxury of time to read the inscriptions.)

Photos: (L-R) Our AE and Weesam 7 in the background, another AE and our ride (LOL!), the bridge.

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And here's the 3-yr-old cute passenger Emma.

shy.

10 mins later, nibangka na og estorya. she told us namatay na kuno iyang parents, kay "ang awto nabungi." weeeh...(nakumutan nuon. hehehhe)

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More of Ormoc: (L-R) the Megadome, the badjao-like kids at the pier, the St. Peter statue, and the plaza.

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The Doggie and the AE

(a story)

This is Lucy Torres' house.

This is the dog.

The dog there, and the AE also there.

AE: Pagdali, dhay...pagdali...

Doggie: Eew, bisdak! Ambisyosa!

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Some more photos: (L-R)) Camotes Is., the St. Peter's church, balay sa pati.

To Weesam Express, thanks for taking us there, and back (in time to do the real job. LOL!)

at 23

Aldrin Cabua (1983-2007)

This photo was taken last Sept 16 at a parade that kicked off the celebration of the PF week. He was one of the dancers then. A few days later, he was rushed to the hospital for severe stomach pains that could be traced to excessive alcoholic drinking. And from there he was found to have stage four cancer of the liver. Stage four cancer means you are already counting your days. He never went back to the office after that, although he'd been telling our boss and officemates that he'd be back "next week." No one told him that he was dying. At dawn of Nov 11, at the age of 23, he finally went away. Vaya con dios, Aldrin.

PS: A prayer for this guy, please.

the couch potato is back

Grey's Anatomy. It's on fourth season now (thank God, Studio 23 is
catching up!), and there's that same touch again that never fails to amaze me, I'm talking about the witty punch lines, and the humorous trio of Meredith, Izzie and Christina (although this one here most of the time doesn't have any idea she is already funny even if she is being seriously serious. I love her!) I was caught up in that scene at the hospital's canteen wherein Izzie was all prepped to fight the
approaching Dr. Callie, complete with all the details where she removed her shoes and everything that would be detrimental to the coming match--but damnit! George's wife did not come to see her to give her it. Or Izzie would sure turn into a pulp. If you've seen Sara Ramirez already (the Dr. Callie Torres-O'Malley), then you know what I mean. Grey's is aired over Studio 23 every Monday following Mo Twister's Kabarkada Break the Bank.

Ugly Betty. It was only last Tuesday that I was able to catch the
freshest episode of this show. It's on its second season already; I've never even gotten to see the rest of the first because there's no cable connection at home, and there's no more pirated DVD of it in the bangketa. The story is not that complicated anyway, it's a comedy so it's just all about laughing out loud. And laughing out loud was all I did last Tuesday. I'm actually still not over that scene where Betty,
who was in a middle of a meeting, in her goal to reach a plate of cookies at a nearby table, tripped her chair to that side causing the entire table of cookies and biscuits flying in all direction. And while everyone in the meeting was shocked at what just happened (while Betty was trying to collect all the scattered biscuits from the floor), Marc, the gay character of the show, broke, yet again, one of
his witty punch lines like this one: "Don't worry, Betty, they hardly
noticed it." And picked a piece of donut that landed on his side of the
table, and casually threw it away. Oh, Betty, you are a winner! Please, we should watch it together (if you too don't have a cable at
home) at 9:30pm every Tuesday, still in Studio 23.

Kabarkada Break The Bank. I've been watching this game show for four straight nights already. Nah, not that I like it. It's just the only
thing that's on TV, while waiting for Grey's and Betty (for Mondays
and Tuesdays, respectively), which is actually the only "better" thing to watch
after the primetime newscasts, bec I'm sorry, I don't watch telenovelas, which for me are so full of crap! So this Mo Twister-hosted show, that I think is a spin-off of Kapamilya, Deal or No Deal of Kris Aquino (ABS-CBN), though the "smaller" version, is like the only "sound" that's played on my once green TV while I'm
reading the papers. The only time that I was actually hooked by it, I wasn't even waiting for a better show that time, was the other night. It was Asia Agcaoili's dancing to the tune of Sean Kingston's Beautiful Girls that really got me. The funny thing was when she’s at it, she oftentimes forgot that she was hosting a live game show. For several times, she failed to answer Banker’s calls bec she was totally engrossed to her dancing. She’s really cute. LOL! I watched the show last night, and dull Mo was back again. Cripes!

That’s all. But if there’s anymore show that’s really funny and good, suggestions are accepted. Ayaw lang nang naa sa cable, kay we don’t have that in my place, pobre! Thank you.

manila from the bird's eyeview

Metro Manila at 7AM of Nov 8. Crowded.

subic during the night

Subic is more than three hours away from the buzzling streets of Metro Manila. I was there to take these shots, and come back with a cold. No, I'm not complaining. ;)

mall of asia, a quick tour

Before we went back home, we had less than 2 hours to see the Mall of Asia. It was like joining the Amazing Race here: took some snaps here, and ran for the next stop, dined for a few mins there, and talked with old friends for the rest of the remaining time. Out of curiousity, I visited Imax, and just watched it. That was all I could do for the moment, never had the chance to see Beowulf that was currently showing in this mega theater bec there was no more time. a real big TSK for that!

Well, anyway, what I've seen inside the mall.

And finally, home.

Cebu at 5:30pm of Nov 10, several miles up.

camiguin adventure, the next level (photos from the oct6-8 visit)

Note: Camera is a disposable instamatic with 27 shots, and like all the instamatic ones, it cannot be zoomed in nor out. Hence, the photos are not as vivid as I'd like them to be. We'll hopefully have a better one next time. Manulis sa tah!

Ladies and gentlemen, ako, err, the island's SUNKEN CEMETERY!

The cross. One of the few pieces left intact after over 100 years since the eruption of Mt. Vulcan Daan. Even before seeing Quija I was already obsessed by the sunken cemetery, and it escalated after watching the film. The film was largely shot in Camiguin, and exposed a good part of this cemetery. That underwater scene of Judy Ann Santos where she is seen retrieving a sack that contains the remains of a dead girl that has been left there by her twin sister to rot intensified it all. And this part here, as I was told by my dive buddy, is actually where that scene was shot. But, I was still disappointed. I bought a disposable camera to be used for this site (I did not even care then if this was our only stopover for the entire trip) thinking there was more to it than just rubbles and this cross. Gadako man lang ang huna-huna gud! Pfft!

A photo frame. This is what I was talking about in my previous post (camiguin adventure vol. 1). One of the few left standing, after the 1871 blast. The owner of this marker could still be underneath...The harshness of the sea has spared this one, so it’s possible that the dead—if it is really buried down under—could still be there. And if it was interred near the time when this place was sunk—it is also possible that it still appears like it just died. The salty seawater could do tricks like that, and this one, our supposed example here, could well prove it, but we need to unearth it first. So, shall we?

Nitso. All covered with corals and weeds now. But still, it is spooky. The darkness that surrounds it might be causing it, or when you realize that although it does not resemble the regular grave anymore it is very possible that the owner’s remains are still inside it. There were only two of us venturing in this part—my dive buddy and I--while the rest were doing their own thing several meters away. The buddy, who is about 14, I think, is a quick swimmer, that on more than one occasion he left me to get to the next site, while I was still taking snaps (or being consumed by my disappointment…). When I realized I was already alone, and could see my own two feet still dangling near the very area where there could still be bones down there for all I know, I almost did a somersault. I just don’t have the proper bones for it, so I just killed the boy. Well, almost.
That rectangular-shaped object on the bottom is another grave.

This one too.

There's not much on this part. But several meters away, I gathered from our boatmen-friends, have more nice sights to offer. There's even the big cross there, the one that used to mark the cemetery. But that one was destroyed by a typhoon sometime in the past. If you are standing at a platfom where the new cross marker is you can see 10-15 meters away the old cross lying in a shallow portion of the sea. What prevented me from going there is the fact that we had to cross a deep part for us to get there, plus, more coral-decorated graves could be along the way. And they could be scarier than the ones I've already seen, I don't know, and there was no life vest to hang on to basin unya makuyapan ko. LOL!

The ruins near the new cross. Slabs of gravestones, broken pieces of the cross, et cetera.

Nipahuway sa kalinaw. We are actually standing on the ruins.

***The Mantigue Island now

The drop-off part of Mantigue Island’s marine sanctuary. I just don’t know though if the local government of Camigiun is protecting the area as what should be done to every reef declared as a marine protected area. It is actually evident here, and even in the sunken cemetery, that dynamite fishing is still being practiced. According to the locals I’ve talked to, the sea that surrounds the Camigiun island is considered an “aquarium” because of its schools of fishes that live here. It is just so sad to see pieces of broken corals being washed off to the shores when it should have been great to see them alive and being inhabited by these schools of fishes, not where they are now, and definitely not in some resort’s concrete floors being made as decoration, like what Paras Resort has done.

There are so many fishes in this part, the cam just did not see them. I really need to rob a bank soon. See those little creatures? The big ones are already gone. The locals' main livelihood is fishing, and they don't care where they do it.

The deep blue sea...

...and me!

End of report.

King Tut unveiled

me, the certified scuba diver

If you can't believe it, neither can I. I could not even believe my ears, or my eyes, when I read the text message from my diving instructor informing me that my ID has arrived. It was yesterday, unmindful of the rain, I quickly went to his place—which is just a bike away from mine--just to get the proof of my being a certified diver. (insert "yay! yay!" here) And there it was, in a very small brown envelope enough to fit the ordinary-sized ID was my license (there is also a certificate in a separate envelope, see pic below). And did it feel good? It sure did! I’m still feeling the high, honestly. Yeah, me the dakilang mabaw, bow!

So how did I get it? Of course, I took the lessons. It was two weeks ago, for 2 straight days I woke up early in the morning to attend the classes, it was really bad for my work schedules since it was around this time when I was moved to another assignment, which unluckily required me to get there before noontime. It was really a full schedule on my part.

All lessons during the first day were accomplished in the swimming pool. It was back to square one for me since I’ve done this part twice already. But I had to do it, as it was already the formal lesson, and also to build my confidence before going down to the bottom of the ocean, which we did on the following day.

Practically the same lessons were taught on the second day, but this time in the open sea, actually 30 feet below. Been there, done that, yeah. But still, I almost freaked out when I started my descend. Because I deflated my BCD (Buoyancy Control Device), or the vest where everything is attached to it, at once…that I went down quickly when it should have been a slow-motion activity. So I was attacked by the pressure, that I experienced mask squeeze that my eyes were close to popping out from their sockets, and my left ear started to hurt, which later on hurt like it was going to explode (a first in my many dives) that I had to stop, and contemplate of going back to the surface to correct everything. But when my instructor asked if I was “okay” (doing the hand sign, of course) I pointed my left ear, which means there’s trouble in that part. I tried the equalizing technique, went up a few feet to do it, as advised, but everytime I went down again, the pain would come back. But after a few minutes of doing the same exercise a few more times, the ear pressure disappeared. The same happened with the mask squeeze that during the first few minutes I was feeling it, it was really hurting not only my eye sockets but also all over my face where the mask's edges had touched. I just learnt a few days ago from a workmate—who is also a scuba diving instructor, that a Japanese guy had died three weeks ago after diving in Gilutongan. According to him, the guy’s eyes were actually out of their sockets when his body was recovered, most probably bec of the pressure. Can you imagine that??? But it could be because he went down to as far as 97 meters! It registered in his dive computer. My god! That’s about 290 feet. He might have emptied his tank before he could even resurface, we don’t know. But Jesus Christ, you don’t dive that deep, and unaccompanied.

So back to the lesson. On the third and final day, which is all about surviving the worst case scenarios, like, running out of air, emergency ascending, etc. But I had a very important assignment that day, that I missed it. There were three of us in that lesson, one was a 21-year old and the other was her father. So sweet! =) And it was only she and the dad who finished the lesson, diving 60 feet, they even reached 70 ft, I was told. All those time they were doing it, I was sitting at a session hall, bored to death.

But they still give me my ID despite my not completing the course, I still have to do it, though. Hopefully this Monday, and I’m not holding my breath. What’s scary about Lagundi, seriously, is its almost lack of visibility, that you have to be closer to the floor for you to see the marine lives there, otherwise all that’s before you are what they call particulates or what to me are “dusts” in the water. In here also are the jellyfish that never fail to see me, and further scar me for life. If I had my way and money, I would prefer doing deep dives in white sandy ocean floors like that in Pescador where you can already see what’s there even while you’re still in the surface. But, just take away the infamous white tip shark there, and drop-offs, if you can, hahaha!

The license, by the way, is not expensive, if you may ask. This is actually the reason why I was lured into getting one. It is right that famous names, like, PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) ask P10,000-P18,000 for the lessons. But CMAS, it is an international name in the scuba diving world, yes, but is here to give a very fair price to all those who’d like to join their team. I’m stingy, and here, I got a CMAS license! ;)


PS. I had to change the photo, alright. Bec halloween is already over. :P

just two of the world's spookiest places

i was supposed to post today photos of Camiguin's sunken cemetery, the one i took from underwater, but i still have to develop the film, my bad. so maybe, just maybe, they will be available for next year's halloween special.

this post here however is inspired (aka kinopya) by TF's Nov. 1 ish. the paper has actually published today the photos and stories of these two scariest places in the world in view of today's halloween celebration. and in my try to scare my readers (LOL!), i made my own version here, photos lang, bec they sure make a lot of sense that my non-sense writing skills. anyway, like i always say, enjoy...

This is the Catacombs of Paris.

Here you can see tunnels being converted into a mass tomb of which thousands, or probably millions, of century-old bones are kept.

Yeah, more human bones. Femurs, skulls all over the place. There are more here (just click for the tour).

and of course, Dracula's castle.

PS: I can go all day wandering around cemeteries reading the names of the dead and the year they died (the oldest i've seen was a tombstone of a person who died in the late 1800's, around the time Rizal met his death too), but i don't think i'll go to the Catacombs of Paris. There are just sooo many exposed bones there, thank you nalang. But it's without a doubt, Dracula's castle would be the first stop i'd make if i'd be given a chance to visit Transylvania. Bec first, the count fascinates me so much that i want to meet him in person soon, and lastly, i love castles. So here's to the dream!