fine

with a lot on my plate, i hope that...

i'd need all the numeros. (",)

not-dat-in2-u

Gigi: Girls are taught a lot of stuff growing up. If a guy punches you he likes you. Never try to trim your own bangs and someday you will meet a wonderful guy and get your very own happy ending. Every movie we see, Every story we're told implores us to wait for it, the third act twist, the unexpected declaration of love, the exception to the rule. But sometimes we're so focused on finding our happy ending we don't learn how to read the signs. How to tell from the ones who want us and the ones who don't, the ones who will stay and the ones who will leave. And maybe a happy ending doesn't include a guy, maybe... it's you, on your own, picking up the pieces and starting over, freeing yourself up for something better in the future. Maybe the happy ending is... just... moving on. Or maybe the happy ending is this, knowing after all the unreturned phone calls, broken-hearts, through the blunders and misread signals, through all the pain and embarrassment you never gave up hope.

formulaic ensemble about finding the one and misreading human behavior and reaction, he's just not that into you boasted of some of the hollywood rom-com's staple: aniston, barrymore, affleck, cooper, as well as more capable actors such as connelly, johansson and goodwin. i've seen my fair share of romcoms but this one just doesn't compare to love actually or 500 days of summer. when i said formulaic, it is what it is. you already know that gigi will end up with alex even if he wasn't attracted with her at all; after beth dumps him because he didn't want to get married, neil eventually came back and did that kneeling position, asked her to get married; mary, who dates online, finally meets her date face-to-face; janine, who's blaming herself for the failure of her marriage with ben, finally decides to seek divorce and of course, ben, the cheating husband, was also dumped by anna, even if there was an obvious connection, while anna chose not to go into a serious relationship, probably out of guilt from cavorting with a married man and wanted to pursue a career in singing.

while doing late night cooking and finishing weekend cleaning, i watched this movie over at hbo... just an alternative to regular pinoy tv programming. next flick please!

cloverfield

talk about a dizzying experience, cloverfield took the blair witch project route in telling a story of new york city being under a monster attack. nothing much was said about what was the monster all about, the movie just showed the destruction of manhattan and the critters that were literally coming out of the "monstah"... all of which were the background for a love story. yes... another love story, that of a young couple on the brink of break-up and that so-called moving on after a vague journey between friendship and love. since all blair witch project characters died, all cloverfield main characters also died, leaving just the recorded video of what happened that almost 24-hour ordeal.

Rob Hawkins: Still filming?
Hud: Yeah, people are gonna want to know... how it all went down.
Rob Hawkins: Well, you can just tell them how it all went down, Hud.
Hud: No, that wouldn't work. People need to see this, you know? It's gonna be important. People are going to watch this.
Hud: Okay, just to be clear here, our options are: die here, die in the tunnels, or die in the streets. That pretty much it?
Lily Ford: Do you guys know what it is, out there? Do you know what that thing is?
Lead Soldier: There ain't nobody telling me. Whatever it is, it's winning.

just another one of those movies you want to see... if you don't have anything to do at all.

battle

the 1206 gang had a blast last friday. the reason? battle of the brains, aydisi style! hehehehe!

joseph, our quizmaster, divided the office into two teams. team winner included duy, mabel, angel, chorvs and myself, while team loser had adeb, mylene, emma, alice and kuya allan. categories were showbiz, history, english and lit, math, science and general information.

true to most aydisi filepens games, there were a lot of quashing on how the teams will be divided, the manner of answering the questions, time limits, and so on. but finally, we started. our team won, 39 - 29 (not sure about the score, hehehe!). although only bragging rights were at stake, the game was ultra competitive! mylene dragged her teammates, chorvs screamed our answers, alice's sandals gave up, duy and adeb fought over the chair... lots of tawanan, kantiyawan! among all the categories, showbiz was the hit, while energy dies down when the question is either math or science.

we should do this again! after that, i had a hearty dinner with ate pops. (",)

swat

tampulan ng tukso't pangungutya ngayon ang kapulisan ng pilipinas dahil sa palpak na paghawak at madugong kinahinatnan ng hostage drama sa luneta nitong lunes.

sa pagtaya ng mga eksperto sa ganitong mga insidente, bigo ang pangkat ng manila police district (MPD) sa maraming aspeto. una, walang naging maayos na negosyador at lalo pa itong pinalala ng hayaan ng MPD na maging bahagi ng negosasyon ang kapatid ni rolando mendoza. dahil pulis din ang nang-hostage, tila urong-sulong ang kapulisan ni mayor lim kung paano makikipag-negosasyon kay mendoza, marahil dahil na rin sa damdaming-lapit at kasama nila ito nang matagal sa serbisyo. bigo rin ang kapulisan na magtalaga ng sapat na kontrol sa naglipanang mga miron sa paligid ng grandstand at maging ang pagsawata sa labis-labis na pag-cover ng media sa mga pangyayari. naging mitsa ng krisis ang pagdakip sa kapatid ni mendoza, na napapanood ang lahat ng kaganapan sa TV sa loob ng bus. umalingawngaw ang putok ng armalayt dahil dito. at ano ang ginawa ng mga pulis? sige-sigeng sinugod ang bus, nang walang anupamang pagbabalak ng maiging taktika... parang aawat lang sa nag-aaway na magkakapitbahay! bagamat nagsanay pa pala ang mga pulis ng makailang ulit sa likod ng grandstand bago pa lumapit sa bus, palpak ang mga kagamitan nilang dala-dala sa eksena ng krimen: simpleng maso na di mabasag-basag ang salamin ng bus; maikling lubid na napatid nang hinatak na ng mobil; walang mga pangmukhang pananggalang sa teargas; marami sa kanila ay di nakasuot ng bulletproof vest; walang panggabi at pangmadilim na mga teleskopyo upang masino ang mga tao sa loob ng bus at kung nasaang bahagi ng bus si mendoza; at huli na nang kanilang matanto na maaari pala nilang buksan ang emergency door sa bandang likuran ng bus. nang makatakas ang tsuper ng bus at nagsisigaw na patay na ang lahat ng bihag, nataranta ang mga pulis at umatake na. sabi sa radyo, lumala pa ang sitwasyon nang dagli-dagling umatras ang swat team at lumabas muli ng bus nang magpaputok si mendoza sa direksyon ng emergency door.

mas iigting sana ang tapang ng mga miyembro ng swat sa pagkwitis sa nag-aamok kung alam nilang may sapat silang kakayahan at kagamitan sa pagsawata kay mendoza... ngunit tila pangsimpleng mga adik-adik at away mag-asawa lamang ang alam nilang resolbahin. maging ang interpol ng hong kong ay sangkot na sa imbestigasyon, kaya naman wala sanang anupamang pagtatakip sa kakulangan, kamalian at kabiguan ng mga pulis sa nangyari. unang dapat sagutin ay kung paanong namatay ang mga turista - dahil ba sa putok ng baril ni mendoza o mula sa labas ng bus. sapat na ang kahihiyang dala ng isang may-hinanakit na pulis na bumihag at pumrenda sa mga inosenteng turista at sa nautas na mga buhay dahil sa palpak na mga taktika ng mga pulis. di na dapat pa itong madagdagan ng kahihiyan ng cover up at tiwaling pagtalakay at paglalahad ng resulta ng imbestigasyon.

mula sa twitter at facebook, "major major" na rin ang mga katatawanang ukol sa palpak na swat ng dapat sana ay manila's finest. special weapons and tactics ang totoong ibig sabihin ng SWAT. ngunit dahil sa tunggak na pagresolba sa krisis, heto na ang mga bagong kahulugan ng swat ng bansa:

Sugod! Wait. Atras Tayo.
Seriously Without Any Tactics.
Sorry. Wala Akong Training.
Sorry, We Aren't Trained.
Sugod. Wait. Atras. Tago.
Sana, 'Wag Akong Tamaan.
Stupid With Aquino Team.
Shortage of Weapons and Tactics.
Super Slow Acting Turtle.
Sledgehammer Whacking Assault Team.
Sir, Wait And Take a break.
Super Walang Alam Tactics.
Sh**! Wait, Atras Tayo.

hostage

this account of a survivor of the bloody quirino grandstand hostage crisis last monday is circulating around the net. i hope that with this, authorities have learned their lessons and handle future incidents with the skills needed to save lives. sadly, the philippines always figure in global news for wrong reasons. while we have some pacquiaos, efrens or venuses, there are those rolando mendozas, inept policemen, corrupt politicos and politicked (wo)man of justice, all of whom put the country to shame. tsk, tsk...

DISCLAIMER: Accuracy NOT verified.

Mr. Mendoza was already upset even before he saw on television what the policemen did to his brother. The other tourists who remained inside the bus were complaining. Wei Ji Jiang wanted to go to the bathroom. Dao Chi Yu was hungry and the rest were just groaning and whining like they have forgotten that our lives rest in Mr. Mendoza's hands.

The hostage taker, as you know him was really nice. He treated us okay and even let the elders and the children leave the bus. He said your policemen treated him unfairly. He was a policeman too and was accused of doing something he had no knowledge of. But your government didn't listen so he used us to get everyone's attention.

Things would have never turned for the worst if he didn't see how his family was dragged out of their house and taken into custody. He was watching the news all the time as we huddled around each other behind the bus. He shouted some words in your language then started shooting in the air. A girl about my age started screaming. Mr. Mendoza demanded her to stop but she didn't understand English. God, he had to slash her neck with a knife just to put her to rest. Her boyfriend who tried to hit him was shot in the head.

Tension was rising. You can see in his face how scared and confused he was. The bus driver ran away leaving him alone with strangers from a distant land. I can see him walking across the aisle, sometimes pointing his machine gun to one of the tourists. But he tried his best not to hurt us, especially those who really cooperate.

I guess its in your nature not to inflict pain on others unless it was necessary or when madness corrupts your head. I remember him saying that he will free us before sundown and implored us to forget everything when we return home. But his words don't matter now. The policemen were trying to force their way in, while we all lied down to shield ourselves from bullets. Mister Mendoza blindly shoots at his enemies which I think kept them from rescuing us. I hear sobs under the chairs. Some were even shouting the names of their loved ones even when the air merely eat their words. Kevin Tang tried to escape when the glass door was was shattered, but one shot and he slumped on the floor with blood gushing from his mouth.

Heavy rain pitter-pattered on the rooftop. In old Chinese saying, it means an end to a struggle. Finally, somebody was able to open the escape hatch at the back of the bus. Freedom. But I knew Mister Mendoza was still alive. I knew he was just waiting for a chance to strike back at his enemies. So I told those around me not to escape. Let the authorities come for us instead. Then there was gunfire. He was firing at his enemies with a machine gun. Those who were at the escape hatch fled abandoning us once again. It's like a nightmare with no end and to wake up means a certain death. Then somebody from outside the bus threw a canister. It forced out a black smoke that is so painful to the eyes and putrid smelling to the nose. People started screaming. We cannot breathe. Some ran in front of the bus but Mister Mendoza warned them of stray bullets. It was too late. One was hit on the head, the other was hit on the shoulders. Bullets were now flying. Its like the authorities thought we were all dead. Mister Mendoza finally admits his mistake and said sorry to everyone, dead or alive. He then ran towards the front of the bus where he would meet his maker. As he passed by my chair with bullets whistling overhead, I clutched my hand on the velvet curtain and wrapped it around my face. All I could think of was to stay alive - for my child who is waiting for me back in Xinjang. I know I will survive,

I will come home.


Bang Lu Min
Survivor,Quirino Bloodbath

major

word (s) for the day:

major, major - adj. greater greater in number, quantity, or extent. e.g. major major problem (by Ms. Venus Raj).

- retweeted from mhy roldan. still an achievement for the country 'though... especially after the bloody end to the luneta hostage crisis.

caliraya

august 14-15.

caliraya, lumban, laguna.

aircon jeep.

family day.

duplex.

double deckers.

all buffet meals.

slide pinoy.

earthball soccer.

plakda si madam.

no zorb ball.

night swimming.

sleep.

inuman.

"ta... ta..." - biboy.

jejemon convention.

pictorial, lots of it.

iskargu lunch at calauan.

frutasan at los banos.

dragon fruit, avocado, rambutan.

time off work.

"i d-on't c-are".

thanks to production and pardon.

amphi-bus

mukhang kailangan na ng ganitong bus sa pilipinas, lalo na't heto na ang malalakas na bagyo...

takot

kunwari'y pinakikinggan ang sasabihin ng iba.
palilitawin na tinitimbang ang bawat mungkahi ng mga tao.

may paimbabaw na paglimi sa bawat salitang nakalimbag.
ngunit ang totoo, malaon nang napagpasyahan ang mga bagay-bagay.

wala nang silid sa anupamang suhestyon.

dahil sa sandaling suriin ulit ang isyu...

lilitaw ang takot ng maykapangyarihan na lumabas na may mali sa kanilang desisyon.

at mapahiya sa karamihan ng tao.

ano bang nakapanghihilakbot sa pag-amin ng maling interpretasyon sa mga bagay-bagay?

wala.

iba na ang pangulo. natural, mag-iiba ang ilan sa mga patakaran.

mahirap bang intindihin 'yun?

mabawasan sana ng hangin ng kapangyarihan ang paputok nang ulo.

landa

Col. Hans Landa: [to Perrier LaPardite] What a tremendously hostile world that a rat must endure. Yet not only does he survive, he thrives. Because our little foe has an instinct for survival and preservation second to none.

I didn't think so. You don't like them. You don't really know why you don't like them. All you know is you find them repulsive.

I'm aware what tremendous feats human beings are capable of once they abandon dignity.

I love rumors! Facts can be so misleading, where rumors, true or false, are often revealing.

i finally saw inglourious basterds last night. with 20 pesos worth (victoria, laguna rate!) of rambutan keeping me company, i had a great time watching this tarantino film, which was nominated for best film in this year's oscars. although brad pitt on it was bit of a stretch, the rest of the actors acted a great ensemble, highlighted by winning the best performance by a cast in sag awards. although there were scenes that were dragging such as the scenes with hitler on it, what kept me glued is the pivotal and oscar-ed performance of christoph waltz. his hans landa is at once charming but cunning and heartless nazi war criminal, whose intent is far from the fuhrer's ultimate goal of 1,000 year empire. his was more of individual ambition of contending a better future for himself after the war is over. the movie as a whole was a showcase of the director's sensibility that the nazis should have faced a swifter end, complete with the same amount of atrocities against the german people.

this film's brash attempt at exploring a different take on history makes for a great entertainment. although to me, tarantino should have at least kept a little bit of historical accuracy, his nuthead of creating an alternative end to world war II turned out fine. as stephanie zacharek puts it, "He may be nuts. But he's a nut who cares."

sanitarium

last sunday, i chanced upon sanitarium's light 'n' tasty berry in shopwise. i wasn't solved to the idea of buying this at first coz it's pricey, but since there were not much choices aside from kellogg's, i settled for this one. unlike in landmark makati, where a whole bunch of imported cereals are available, shopwise only have the usual. anyway.

for two nights already, i didn't have rice for dinner. i only had this cereal with milk and one santol. today for lunch, i only had 1 serving of rice. the thing is, i don't feel hungry most of the time when i started having cereals for breakfast a week ago. and i think this is good and should continue.

now, i just need to have some fruits and i'm ok. (",)

frigga

lakeside trip tomorrow! much-needed space off work. (",)

barya

bakit ba laging galit ang mga drayber ng pampublikong sasakyan kapag wala kang barya? di ba sila dapat ang laging may barya? lalo na't 20 pesos naman ang ibabayad sa kanila.

sa araw-araw na ginawa ng Diyos, araw-araw din ang pasada ng mga damuhong drayber ng traysikel, kaya't dapat ay may handang panukli na. tipikal sa pinoy, sila mismo ayaw din nilang magbitbit ng sangkatutak na barya ngunit kapag naman bahagi ng hanapbuhay mo, dapat ay handa na ang mga ito. hindi 'yung sisinghal pa sa mga mananakay kapag wala silang maisukli na tila ipinamumukha sa pasahero na may utang na loob sa kanila ang mga ito. may mga hirit pa na, "di mo sinabi na wala kang barya n'ung sumakay ka". aba, aalalahanin mo pa bang sabihin sa kanya na wala kang barya kung umaambon na at ang nais mo ay makarating agad sa destinasyon nang di ka mamarkahang huli sa oras ng trabaho? lalo na't isisiksik mo pa ang sarili mo sa kakarampot na espasyo ng traysikel gayong 20 pesos ang pamasahe. marami sa kanila ay di na nga nagsisipagbayad ng buwis (maliban sa 12% evat), ngunit may gana pa ring magmalaki at ipamukha sa mga pasahero na kasalanan nila ang kawalan ng barya sa umaga. kung tutuusin, dapat nga'y di nila pasayarin ang mga gulong ng traysikel nila sa kalsadang nagawa dahil sa buwis na ibinabayad ng mga kawaning katulad ko kapag di sila nag-iintrega ng anumang taripa sa gobyerno.

kung tunay kang responsableng serbisyador, alam mo dapat ang tungkulin mong magbigay ng kaukulang serbisyo sa konsyumer, bahagi nito ay ang pagbibigay ng sapat na sukli at maging ang paghanap ng mas maliliit na halaga ng salapi sa sandaling wala kang barya.

grimace

Grimace - Grimace is a large, purple character who was first introduced in November 1971 as the "Evil Grimace". In his first two appearances, he was depicted with two pairs of arms with which to steal milkshakes and sodas. "Evil" was soon dropped from his moniker, and he was reintroduced in 1972 as one of the good guys. In 1974, he was redesigned, going from two pairs of arms to the single pair he has today. His role continued to grow, and by the mid 1970s, he was a major character in McDonaldland. Commercials and merchandise generally portray Grimace as a well-meaning simpleton whose clumsy antics provide a comic foil to Ronald McDonald. The character was retained after the streamlining of the characters in the 1980s, and soon details of Grimace's background and family life began to emerge. His Uncle O'Grimacey first appeared in 1986 [see below] and would visit only one month per year, around St. Patrick's Day, bringing Shamrock Shakes. Additional family were revealed in a McDonaldland VHS tape "The Legend of Grimace Island": He has an unnamed mom, an unnamed dad, a grandma named "Winky", a great, great grandma named Jenny Grimace, and a might be brothers with "King Gonga", who is the king of all Grimaces. In "Grimace's Oddysey", Grimace is portrayed as a ham radio enthusiast who uses a homemade transmitter made from a colander. Grimace's physical appearance is difficult to describe, even for the other denizens of McDonaldland. Ronald says Grimace has his mother's eyes, while Birdie says he has his father's prominent chin, and Hamburglar jokingly says he has his Grandma Winky's fat ankles. Despite his massive girth, Grimace took ballet classes. Grimace was played by Terri Casille and voiced by Frank Welker in the commercials and by Kevin Michael Richardson in "The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald."

last wednesday, i turned a new leaf in my life, big 3-0 = 3 decades of existence! and had a grimace party! out of maternal encouragement from tita jo, i hurriedly called mcdo greenbelt to ask for details. not until 2 pm of august 3 have i made the reservation for the kainan. but of course, i already made some quick texts to some friends and tita made sure that all of our family will come.

4th of august, it was raining as usual. i can't remember the last time i celebrated my birthday when the customary rains didn't come. not that i'm complaining but i was a bit worried that not a lot of people will be able to come, especially as this was dinner time, made even more complicated with rush hour traffic and the usual hazard of commuting manila-style. and if not a lot of people would come, i'd still have to pay for 30 pax. good thing that my whole family (minus kuya bob's brood) came, together with my college friends pops and aby (and LA), ex-idc'ers such as daddy r, lei, det, cathy, zel, plus the current set of 1206 gang. ate joy did the intro, said a short prayer before doing the longest "happy birthday" and bring me. we had dinner, mcchicken spaghetti meal, some fries and sundae. jessa did two more games - dunk the plastic cup and arrange yourselves. grimace then entered the grimace room for some quick pics. the mascot just stood there, did nothing at all. but i guess it was his purple presence that immediately set the kiddie and happy (meal) mood.

the highlight i think was the personal (as in one by one) messages from all of my party guests, ala debutante! and only ate joy can do that. i thought that after 2 more games, the party would already be done and we might have coffee instead. but we had it. papa started with his birthday wish that i have my own family soon; tita said something in english, apparently thanking me, hehehe!; ate ne complained about traveling all the way to makati and eating only burger; ate she was emo... but more of looking back message; ate joy talked about my being kalbo; and liezl... oh, what did she say again?! hehehe. after bunso liz, all of my friends had short messages. to sum it up, according to them... i'm direct, masungit and no more. hehehe! aby gave me a book, dad gave me ref magnets, ate joy bought me lacoste perfume, det treated us to coffee after dinner and mcdonald's provided a pair of gloves with baseball ball. thanks!

i had a good time. i did see some of my friends giddying to play some silly kiddie games, laughing and generally riding along the grimace party mood. my family made the effort of going to makati, even papa who's not a big fan of public commute. best, it was i think a celebration of life, full of blessings and continued blessings... salamat sa Maykapal. i'm glad that i took to tita's suggestion.

another 3 decades... or even more! (",)

61

61 na si papa!

punong abala si tita.

sa capri ang kainan.

may caldereta.

may pancit at cake.

may lechong manok at ginataang adidas.

may coke.

daming lootbags ni ate joy.

pawis na pawis ang mga bata sa katatakbo.

daming kuwento.

di nakarating sila ate ne.

di pa rin 'syado nagsalita si papa, hehehe.

pero mas masigla siya kesa dati.

hapi bertdey, 'pa.

mahal ka namin.

treinta

masaya.

maulan.

may party hats.

may spaghetti at chicken.

may sundae at fries.

madamdamin.

maingay.

maraming kuwento.

may mga bata.

may bata sa puso.

may palaro.

maraming piktyur.

may grimace.

ma-pamilya.

may isa-isang mensahe.

may kapihan.

masaya.

salamat.

salamat sa lahat ng dumating at nakisaya.

salamat po sa lahat ng pagpapala!