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Showing posts from October, 2006
Mangibang-bansa Isang beses pa lang ako naka-abroad. 'Yun pa'y may isang dekada na ang nakalipas. Kasama ko no'n ang una kong kasintahan (or UK for short, kahit Onaks siya) at sa Bangkoks kami napadpad. Actually, nauna siya sa Bangkoks. Sumunod ako. Siyempre, pagdating ko sa paliparan ng Bangkoks, natungaw na lang ako dahil bukod sa first time ko sa ibang bansa ay mag-isa pa ako. Kaya ako, kunwari na lang na sanay akong mag-abroad para hindi mabiktima ng strange elements. Walk na lang nang walk, sundan na lang ang mga tao kung saan-saan na nakataas-noo. Pagdating ko sa lobby, hayun, nakangiti si UK sa akin. "You look like a lost puppy dog." Kyut, 'di ba? Smile na lang ako. Tutal, all-expense paid. Hindi na ako sumama kay UK sa Bali the following year dahil siya ulit 'yung magbabayad at nahiya naman ako. Magmula noon, never ko nang binigyan ng pansin ang paga-abroad. Dahil bukod sa tamad ako pagdating sa page-empake, may lihim akong irrational fear of flyin
Age Freeze I haven't been feeling well since Eid' Fitr. I attribute it to the sudden shifts in the weather. I think I'm becoming more sensitive to climate changes. (Parang si Storm, heheheh.) At least, I haven't been wheezing, which is what normally happens when there's a shift. Accomplishing the Real Age test, I found out that my body's "older" than my chronological age of 35, thanks mostly to my smoking. But those who read my blog regularly would know that I've settled on 26 as my "fantasy" age, or the age I've chosen to be...forever! (Cue lightning and thunder.) So I've been 26 since the turn of the century, and I'll be turning 26 on my next birthday. Despite the little changes I've been noticing in my body--thinning hair, wrinkles on the forehead, an incidental joint ache and memory lapses--I feel intact. What they say is true...age is but a number. Just choose one you want to be, and live it, yet allowing your matu
Komikon 2006 Congratulations to the organizers of this year's Komikon! Next year, please! I arrived at the UP Bahay ng Alumni a little past three in the afternoon. After paying 50 bucks and getting my arm stamped at the entrance, I stepped into the venue and smiled. It looked like there were more people compared to last year. The superstars and the usual suspects were there. Chatted with Ed Tadeo, Wilson Tortosa, Taga-Ilog, Lyndon Gregorio, Tobie Abad, Marco Dimaano; said hello to Ryan Orosco, Ariel Atienza, Jac Ting Lim, Ryan Toledo, etc. etc. There were new comics from Gerry Alanguilan, Gilbert Monsanto, the Kubori Kikiam team, Budjette Tan, Nautilus Comics, and other indie groups. Because I had arrived late and had to take my post, I wasn't able to get a lot of what was available nor make the rounds. (If I failed to to mention others, so so sorry.) To those who gave me freebies (you know who you are), you guys are too sweet--thank you. I didn't expect to sign a lot of b
Think Positive! Just think of wonderful, positive, life-affirming thoughts today, particularly around 5:10 pm. There's a bit of an advisory circulating on the Web and through text messages that today, the 17th, is a "cosmic trigger event." If you believe in that whole philosophy of interconnectedness, the universal intelligence, or even the Matrix, you might want to participate. The advisory says that this trigger event involves an amplification of thoughts and desires--a million fold, it says--and it's one of many trigger events between now and 2013. But whether or not you do believe in this, just think positive, compassionate, loving, prosperous and peaceful thoughts anyway, everyday. World peace, global harmony, everyone getting along, those sorta things. Or, if you want it more personal, healthy relationships, wealth and abundance, peace of mind, enlightening calm, genuine compassion. Not only will you help keep the universal intelligence harmonious, you'll a
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Couldn't resist... A Few Good Men A calendar like this could easily have come out of the offices of Playgirl or Instinct to play on fantasies involving men in uniform. But while the strategy is accurate, the brains behind this project have life-saving intentions. The hunk on the cover of America's Heroes Reconnaissance Marines 2007 calendar is a real soldier, and so are the other featured "models," all taking part in a fund-raiser for Freedom Is Not Free . The non-profit organization seeks to aid soldiers physically or mentally affected by war, as well as their families. Come to think of it, maybe a local government organization can pick up on this idea and make one featuring our own men in uniform. A team of pro stylists and photogs can pitch in gratis , and the finished product can be sold locally and online. Fund haul guaranteed: there's a global market for images of ripped Pacific Islanders.
Wala munang blag-blag. Dami gawa. *Blag!*
Booky It's nice to get a few books now and then, though most of the time I buy non-fiction or reference books. I like buying references because I'm into that whole learning and re-learning something new each day, even if I don't go through the books I get from cover to cover. A couple of months ago, I bought three books from Amazon, all references. If I had bought them off-the-shelf, I would've forked out more. It was the first time I used the online service and everything went smoothly. The moment I received mailed notification a month after I placed my order, I took a tricycle in my freshly-woken and unbathed state to the Marikina Post Office, just behind the City Hall. I haven't gotten the chance to study the books I got because of my sked, but at least they're within reach in case I feel like browsing. When I consider a reference that's particularly pricey, I ask myself if I would pay the same amount for a seminar that covered the same topic, or if I cou
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Real Living October 2006: The Shopping Issue In the October issue of Real Living : We talk about bathrooms: our first bathroom makeover, and three bathroom styles you can adopt; We talk about photo displays: six new ways of showcasing your most-cherished photos; We talk about our choice inkjet printers; We talk about setting up a fright-night movie party; And more! Buy na! Now na!
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Budjette Tan's Alexandra Trese Art by someone... click on image to enlarge Read all about her here . Budjette can be found here .
American Betty Yo Soy Betty La Fea was a semi-regular watch for me (with mom and the maids) when it aired here, only because it came out in the mornings. Because of the lightning speed at which telenovelas dish out subplots, I never got into it story-wise, but the onscreen chemistry of Ana Maria Orozco and really cute Jorge Enrique Abello made the deal worth it. A Columbian production, Yo Soy Betty La Fea enamoured Latin American audiences in 1999 as it took beauty-challenged and slightly bumbling Betty through the glamorous yet cutthroat world of high fashion magazine publishing, replete with intrigue as any self-respecting telenovela would have. If this concept sounds familiar, well, The Devil Wears Prada was published four years later. So Salma Hayek takes this highly infectious soap and remakes it into Ugly Betty starring America Ferrera, along with Vanessa Williams and Gina Gershon. It looks like U.S. audiences are warming up to the idea , giving ABC something to smile about.
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I don't know who owns this Multiply account , but I got the picture below from there. I hope the owner won't mind. This shot was taken in Sta. Ana. I'm assuming this is the location for the final battle sequences. That white-haired woman in the center is supposed to be Pops Fernandez in her "battle gown," which was modified from the book to make it more decent for a PG-13 audience. As for the Amazonsiats, it looks like the production wanted them to be more like "planet women" than ersatz fashionistas, though I can't seem to tell for sure who is whom. Vilma S's staff looks cool from this distance, though I wonder about her gold hair. Ah, well... Comment at will! :-)
Space Tourism While Anousheh Ansari isn't really an ordinary woman, being able to fork out US$20million for a 10-day space trip, she describes her recently-concluded zero-g adventure the way your friend might describe a first kiss. Her blog tells all, including why having toes is particularly important and what space smells like, in a very casual and inspiring style. With her accomplishments as a businesswoman, plus having been recently thrust into the limelight, product endorsements are sure to come. Being the first woman space tourist, this Iranian-American is quite pretty at 40. She could be a spokeswoman for Velcro, lip-gloss, shampoo... or insurance. However, by 2008 or 2009, your dreams of space travel can be fulfilled. Your US$200,000 can get you on a 2.5-hour space trip courtesy of Virgin Galactic. (It sounds so... Jetsons!) Okay, so it's not a trip in the strictest sense, more like a commute. And the weightless experience may just be a few minutes, afterwhich you'