Home, Sweet Home
Day 1 is all about sharing stories over endless nibbling of food, taking photos and hearty laughter. It’s rediscovering the things we enjoy doing most, like doing the grocery lists together, planning the menu, lazing around in the bedroom…and yes, nibbling. We’re a family of nibblers. We like to snack anytime of the day, and night, and midnight snacks are a must.
It’s also a day of extended naps and sleepless nights.
And we can’t wait for Day 2.
Welcome home, Papcy and Mamcy!
Uncategorized | Comment (0)10 Reasons Why I Like 500 Days of Summer
Finally I got the chance to see this film, and frankly it’s not something you will rave about. Well, let me take that back. In my opinion, based on personal experiences, it’s a film that will make you look at love from a different perspective. The more I think about it, the more I see the truth in it.
We often hear about the stereotype that men are afraid to commit, while women are all about romance and fairy tales. Well, this film tries to depict something different. It is indeed a store about love, and not a sappy love story.
I’ll keep it simple. Here are 10 reasons why I ended up liking 500 Days of Summer, in random order.
1. Tom has a striking resemblance to Health Ledger. It’s a wonderful feeling to watch him onscreen.
2. Tom is an architect, and he writes greeting cards. I’m such a fan of greeting cards, and anything artsy. He wrote in one card, “I Love Us” — sweet.
3. Tom has a dance scene which inspired me to never stop dancing. Check my Facebook page where I shared a video clip.
4. Summer’s bangs take me back in time when I was still called “Brenda” — from Brenda Walsh of Beverly Hills 90210 and NOT “Brendamage” ok? 
5. Summer is a cool name. I had a puppy named Summer. May she rest in peace.
6. Summer exudes this “casual” air — I like that.
7. When Summer sings in the elevator, that’s cute. Not a care in the world.
8. The ending is realistic. You do not always get what you want, but life goes on.
9. Movie soundtrack is good.
10. I watched this film for free.
Movie | Comment (0)I Should Be Sleeping, I Know
It’s way past midnight yet here I am again depriving myself of precious zzzzz’s. I’ve been barely sleeping this week, so my mind is unfortunately not that sharp. But then again, there’s always time to sneak in a few clicks to write a short note here. Probably just to unwind, or to make myself really sleepy.
Today I learned that it’s complicated to swap cars. Yup, that’s my lesson for the day. You see — Rufus (and now, Megan) has transformed from a sedan to a trailer, I could actually live there. There’s food, drink, clothes, my overnight toiletries bag, a pair of sneakers, a portable DVD, music CD’s, pillows, reading and writing materials, my trusty roadmap, hmmm, just about my basic needs.
Now imagine switching cars. And transferring all your stuffs. Tough, girl. Tough.
Commitment
Somebody once told me that I could never commit to something. It was such a serious conversation that it made me think, “Is it true?”
If you have seen the movie “Julia and Julie”, then imagine me as Julie. Frankly, I totally relate to her character as the accidental writer who wanted to do something worthwhile. In my case, I never labeled myself as a writer until I started seeing my work published. And then I stopped. There were many distractions along the way, some imaginary, others real ones. I wanted to do a lot of things, too many that 24 hours in a day seem not enough.
Then I thought, why not publish myself online? That’s when I began my own website, Pinoy Food Writer.
And then there’s this dream of writing my own book.
This is where commitment comes in. I knew exactly what was keeping me away from that dream. It’s an ugly monster called procrastination. And many people are suffering from this lifestyle sickness.
Many people begin, but not everyone is able to finish.
As for me, I began and will end this day writing. Tomorrow is another day.
Above photo taken from Bill Mullins’ Weblog.
An Unexpected Miracle
With so many things happening all over my world, I needed this moment to recollect my thoughts and weed out whatever is unnecessarily eating up mind space.
Last night as I was driving (read: crawling) along C5, I opted to listen to Easy Rock 96.3 instead of getting more typhoon updates from any AM station.As usual, I sang along as I tapped the steering wheel to the beat of the music. My logical mind told me that Pepeng is packed with strong winds, thus I needed to secure my home by placing tape on all glass panels and moving stuffs to the second floor in case of flood.
What if they shut off power tonight? Well, we have a couple of flashlights ready.
What if floodwater enters the house again? The place is all wet anyway.
What can we eat? Hmm, there are some canned goods in the trunk.
But I’m hungry now! I’ve been stuck here for more than an hour! Oh, there’s a guy selling Tempura (the junk food, not the real ones!). Kuya, pabili po!
Good thing I allowed my creative mind to rule over. Instead of worrying, I ended up calm and even enjoying the drive back home. Music has indeed this amazing effect on the human spirit.
Then suddenly there was this strong urge to talk to someone. At that moment, there was no one else in the car but me. No carpool-mates, no hitchers, nobody. I turned off the radio, and there was awkward silence.
But there was this gentle tugging inside me. A soundless voice that invited me to pray and stop worrying. An invisible hand comforting me beyond the effect of music.
That’s when I began to pray the Rosary, a very beautiful and powerful prayer for those who truly believe in it.
And as the rain poured, I cried like a lost child finding her way home once again.
Simple but real miracles. They still happen.
When The Clown Cries
Right in the middle of nowhere, an idea touched me: I was born to make people happy. And why not? Through the years I feel this natural knack for putting people at ease, making them comfortable even during the first conversation, treating them as if long lost friends.
But reality knocks me down — even clowns need to shed off their smiles once in a while. To nurse their own wounds, and feel the inevitable pain that goes with it.
And I am one proud and silly clown.
Uncategorized | Comment (0)Quiet Storm
There’s something about the rain that enchants me. While some people may find this weather bothersome, I find it the perfect time to drench one’s self in ideas and reflections, whether they be trickling like a drizzle or howling like a angry storm.
It leads me to discover sentiments I never had before, and to rekindle old ones. It drives me crazy and keeps me sane at the same time. It makes you write words like “rebirth” and “rehab”. It tugs your heat and makes you fall in love again.
Uncategorized | Comment (0)Pause
Today was a day of pause for me, a time to recollect my thoughts and sort them out, putting them in boxes with the labels: “urgent”, “something to learn from” and “things to ponder on next time”.
It was also a time to let my body recover from all the activities I’ve been engaging in. I realized I’m not that unstoppable after all. There are limitations I must accept, and mistakes to remedy.
…and some mistakes are very costly.
Uncategorized | Comment (0)Another random thought
I found myself walking towards that familiar place, as if some force was leading me to it. There was nothing resisting in me that time, something almost involuntary.
It’s been a while since I poured out my heart to someone like that. There was a mixture of emotions, and although I didn’t really talk at all I was certain somebody was listening to me.
Some of my questions are still unanswered but all I asked for was a little bit of help until the next round.
Uncategorized | Comment (0)Sleepy Me
For some reason I had to wake up early today — 6:30am! And since Rufus needs some rest, I had to take public transportation to Makati. My patience was put to the test when the jeepney driver kept on stopping at every corner to get more passengers. Well, he’s in control, not me. He could do whatever he wanted, it was his jeep anyway.
The same thing happened in the bus. There was nothing I could do. Everybody seemed to be out in the streets trying to get to work.
I am so sleepy I can’t write anymore.
Flickr Photo Credit: onkel_wart
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