bisiesto

may lagim nga bang dala ang ika-29 ng pebrero? kada apat na taon lang dumarating ito, kaya sabi ng iba may kung anong di maipaliwanag na kababalaghan ang nagaganap. maaaring suwerte sa iba, sa iba naman malas.

sa akin, mukhang malas. 'katapos lamang ng masarap na hamburger date namin sa brothers burger, may isang wala sa hulog na taong tumawag sa akin para lang magsabi na isumite ko ang isang bagay na dapat ay mayroon na sila.

wala akong maisip na maaaring gumawa ng wala sa katwirang bagay na tulad nito kundi ang isang kokey. kagagawan ito ng kokey. kokey na wala yatang plano sa buhay kundi pilitin ang buong mundong umangkop sa kanya. ipilit ang bawat naisin. walang galang sa oras ng iba, basta-basta ang sapilitang utos.

ahora es año bisiesto. leap year. sana'y katulad ng paglipas ng ika-29 ng pebrero, lumipas na rin ang kokey. bagamat muling babalik ang bisiesto sa 2016, apat na taon pa naman ang bibilangin. kung sakaling may kokey pa, malayo pa naman 'yun. ang mahalaga ngayon, mawala ito sa landas ko. gudnayt.

downton

i really need to see this mini-series! DL should be the way. please, please!

la streep

third oscar for la streep. what a long, long time waiting but it finally happened. i'm one of the millions who are very glad that they finally rewarded a tour de force performance from "the best of them all".

never mind that viola davis lost... this is meryl's day. if she can get plum roles (african american actresses winning oscars or get nominated rarely get a second wind... see halle berry, mo'nique, taraji p. henson, among others), viola will still get her due some day. viola might have been oscarred today had meryl won just one over the lucky sandra bullock for her portrayal as julia child in julie and julia. most oscarologists predicted that viola davis will walk away with the oscar but they forgot that meryl won the golden globes, BAFTA, as well as a host of critics awards. of course, the help is an ensemble, viola is arguably a supporting character to emma stone's, while streep's lady thatcher is the focal point of the iron lady.

a fourth oscar isn't far-fetched, especially as meryl is still going strong. august: osage county should be a good vehicle. her speech at this year's oscar was truly one for the ages. bravo, meryl!

"When they called my name I had this feeling I could hear half of America going 'OH nooooo, oh come on. why Her? Again?' You know? But whatever.

First, I'm going to thank Don because when you thank your husband at the end of the speech they play him out with the music and I want him to know that everything I value most in our lives you've given me. And now secondly, my other partner, 37 years ago my first play in NYC i met the great hairstylist and makeup artist Roy Helland and we worked together pretty continuously since the day we clapped eyes on each other. His first film with me was Sophie's Choice and all the way up to tonight when he won for his beautiful work on The Iron Lady thirty years later every single movie in between. And I just want to thank Roy but also I want to thank -- because I really understand I'll never be up here again -- I really want to thank all my colleagues, all my friends. I look out here and I see my life before my eyes. My old friends. My new friends.

Really this is such a great honor but the thing that counts the most with me is the friendship and the love and the sheer joy we have shared making movies together. My friends thank you, all of you, departed and here for this, you know, inexplicably wonderful career. Thank you so much. Thank you."

goerges

got a new tennis fave babe - julia goerges from germany. last year, she made quite an impression when she defeated wozniacki twice in a row during the claycourt season. she didn't do well in roland garros and from then on, had been quiet for the rest of 2011. this year, julia made it to the 4th round of the australian open and again defeated the overly defensive wozniacki in dubai to reach the final against agnieszka radwanska.

here's wishing for a more successful 2012, gorgeous goerges!

labada

lumipat ako sa makati para magtrabaho… at siyempre, kasama rito ang pangangailangang may kinalaman sa pananamit at lingguhang labada. noong una, inuuwi ko pa sa novaliches kada sabado ang mga labahin ko. bukod kasi sa libre't wala nang babayaran sa sabon at tubig, kakamayin pa ni aling iyeng ang paglalaba kaya mas ok para sa mga damit ko. pagbalik ko ng linggo ng gabi sa makati, plantsado na ang mga pamasok ko sa opisina.

nang tumagal-tagal na, natamad na akong bitbitin ang mga labahin ko at isakay ang mga ito sa mrt at fx pauwi ng novaliches. naghanap kami nila chukie, sands at charm ng palabahan sa banda ng macabulos. una naming nakita ang nasa malvar. mabango ang kanilang labada, maayos ang pagtutupi at di gaanong durog ang mga damit. pero iniistapleran nila ang mga etiketa ng damit para kilalanin ang mga damit. sa isang salita, pinaghahalu-halo nila ang mga ito at di isinasalang ayon sa kung sino ang may-ari lamang. may pagkakataon ding nastapleran ang isang kamiseta kong galing kay ate ne, hindi sa etiketa kundi sa bandang kwelyo. nabutas ito kaya pinabayaran ko ito sa kanila ng libreng plantsa't laba. pagkatapos nito, di na ako umulit sa laundryshop na ito sa malvar.

nasumpungan naman namin ang isa pang laundryshop sa evangelista. maayos din ang laba rito, mabango at libre na ang hanger 'pag nagpaplantsa ka. puwede mo pang ibenta ulit sa kanila ang naipong mga hanger. pero pagkatapos ng ilang buwan lamang, nagsara ito. buti na lang nakilala namin si ate beth mula sa tita ni chukie. pumupunta siya sa bahay namin kada sabado para dito maglaba. siyempre isasampay niya rin ang mga damit bago siya umuwi. sa setup na ito, amin ang sabon at tubig, pakakainin pa namin siya ng tanghalian at sasakupin ang pamasahe niya papunta ng makati at pabalik ng mandaluyong. ok naman noong una, pero naging madalas ang di niya pagpunta at susulpot na lang kung kailan maisip. sinesante namin siya at nirekomenda naman ng tita ni chukie si ate josie. parehong setup ngunit mas mahusay kausap si ate josie. darating siya kung kailan ang napag-usapan, bagamat madalas ang kanyang pagbale. di rin siya mareklamo kahit sangkatutak ang nilalabhan niya.

mas ok talaga ang may pumupuntang labandera kaysa magpa-laundry. di agad naluluma ang mga damit at maging rubber shoes o kobre kama ay puwede mong ipadamay. 'yun nga lang, kayu-kayo na rin ang mag-iimpis at magtutupi ng mga nalabhan kapag tuyo na. problema rin ang sampayan dahil nakikisampay lang kami kina aling nila. lalo kapag umuulan… nagiging sampayan namin ang aming hagdanan at halos ang buong kabahayan.

nang lumipat ako sa fine home, di na maaaring pumunta si ate josie. wala kasing maayos na labahan at wala ring sasampayan kundi sa roofdeck. kaya bumalik ulit ako sa palabahan. 'yung unang dalawang nirekomenda ni kuya jun ay maayos sana maglaba. pero nawalan ako ng mga damit, lalo na 'yung pink na polo at artwork na t-shirt, bukod pa sa mga dalawang kabiyak ng medyas. nagpa-dry clean din ako ng barong ngunit tinanggal nila ang mga butones nito sa mga himelo at di na naibalik ang mga orig. kaya lumipat ako sa isang laundryshop sa kamagong. pero laging nakasimangot ang delivery boy nito kaya lipat ulit ako. ok na sana sa bagong ito. bagamat di gaanong mabango ang kanilang laba, wala namang problema sa kanilang serbisyo. puwede pa ngang "to follow" ang bayad kasi madalas kaysa hindi, nai-deliver na ang labada ko bago ko pa malaman kung magkano ang babayaran ko. pero nitong nakaraang linggo lamang, di nila kinuha ang labada ko gayong sabado pa lang ay sinabi ko na sa guard na ipapikap ito sa kanila. lunes ng gabi na pero di pa rin kinukuha at sabi pa ng bagong guard ng fine home, di raw ako kilala ng mga tao rito. nagkataon namang may bagong laundryshop daw na sumeserbisyo sa buong bilding. dahil sa kunsumi ko sa di pagkuha ng labada ko, sinubukan ko itong bago. maayos naman kausap si ate, mabango ang labada, mukhang di gaanong gusot ang mga damit at naka-innova sa pagde-deliver ng mga labada! sinubukan ko ring ipa-dry clean ang matagal ko nang di nagagamit na jacket. sana ok naman ang kahinatnan.

sa labanderya, basta maayos ang laba, mabango ang mga damit at di gaanong durog o gusot ang mga ito, ok na ako. mas lalong ok kung nakangiti ang mga tauhan at magiliw ang mga ito. pero siyempre, mahalaga rin na matanggap mo ito sa tamang oras… kundi wala kang maisusuot. maski sa anumang serbisyo, hanap lang naman natin lagi ay 'yung maayos, walang anumang bahid ng panlalamang o panlilinlang.

avenue q

rude

Whoever one is, and wherever one is, one is always in the wrong if one is rude. ~Maurice Baring

Life be not so short but that there is always time for courtesy. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength. ~Eric Hoffer

Good manners can replace morals. It may be years before anyone knows if what you are doing is right. But if what you are doing is nice, it will be immediately evident. ~P.J. O'Rourke

There can be no defence like elaborate courtesy. ~E.V. Lucas

gastos

malaki nga ba ang mawawala? o nagkukuripot lang? puwede rin namang umiisteytment? o di kaya'y nalula nga lang talaga sa laki ng nagastos.

ano ba 'yung ilang dadaanin kumpara sa naiimajin kong gastusin sa ibang bansa? ni wala na nga halos halaga ang piso kapag kinonvert mo sa pera ng mga karatig-bansa nito eh. kaya di ko mawari kung ano ang malaking bruhaha sa gastusing ito. bawat buwan, abunado muna ang bawat indibidwal. kaakibat nito ang di naman kailangang stres na dala ng pag-aabono gayong dapat ay sinasagot na ng kumpanya ang paroo't parito at maski ang papatse-patseng gastos. pero dahil nga gayon na ang nakagawian, o di sige na nga… payag na ang lahat. pero di na makatarungan kapag busisiiin ng todo at hindi payagan ang pagbabayad ng regalo sa isang taong naglingkod naman ng maayos. masahol pa rito, atrasado ang pagbusisi ng dalawang buwan kaya puwedeng di na ako mabayaran sa mga gastusing ito. peste.

anu't anuman, ang gastos ay gastos. bayaran ang bawat aytem. simple.

mcgonagall

this scene from last year's harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2 is certainly one of my all-time favorites from the movie franchise. badass professor minerva mcgonagall versus headmaster snape! wish it was longer in the movie. the other video is also of the same scene from the movie, but from a video game.

severus snape: now, should anyone, student or staff, attempt to aid mr. potter, they will be punished in a manner consistent with the severity of their transgression. furthermore, any person found to have knowledge of these events, who fails to come forward, will be treated as equally guilty.

harry potter: [to snape] tell them how it happened that night. how you looked him in the eyes, a man who trusted you, and killed him!

minerva mcgonagall: [to snape] coward!

ivanovic

lumuntian ulit.

ivanovic.
mahusay. enjoyed it.
gracious slavic.
Иван. Iван.
nawawala na ang di magandang pakiramdam.
kain pa tayo ng mangga.
natatalo naman ang tabachingching na si bartoli si paris.
pero nanalo ulit si hantuchova sa pattaya.
got what i wanted.
really good.
next time ulit.
ďakujem... thank you in slovak.

R. Eusebio

mula san antonio village sa makati, di dapat lalagpas ng 120 pesos ang pagsakay ng taxi, papuntang bonifacio global city. sobrang matrapik na sa jupiter kapag sumampa ng 120 ang pamasahe ko. saulado ko na ang patak ng metro dahil sa araw-araw kong halos na pagtataxi papasok sa malayong opisina namin.

pero nitong araw na ito, 141.50 pumatak ang metro! karaniwang bigat lang naman ng trapik ang mayroon ng hapong ito kaya nakapagtatakang 141.5 ang kailangan kong bayaran. sobrang bilis ng patak ng metro ng taksing ito. nang sabihin ko sa drayber na masyado yatang mabilis ang patak ng metro niya, may resibo naman daw na ibibigay. di porke may resibong ibibigay, maaari nang manlamang sa kapwa. mga pilipino talaga.

may mga drayber ng taxi na talagang kawatan, kaya't dapat na iwasan ang mga ito. isa na rito ang r. eusebio taxi na may plakang UVA-598. mai-report nga ito sa LTFRB.

frenchies

unfounded and absurd. this is the latest barrage of unsavory remarks about rafa nadal and the whole of spanish sports on doping allegations.



i don't know if it's a case of deep jealousy over spain's successes in various sports or frustrations over french athletes not winning any major tournaments in any sports or just plain and long standing dislike between neighbors. but it seems like the french media and some high profile names like yannick noah are continually raising negative ruckus about spanish sports in its entirety. while alberto contador was stripped of his 2010 titles, this doesn't mean that rafa and the rest of successful athletes from spain are winning because of doping.

granting that the above clip is a joke... but this is completely distasteful and absurd. please frenchies, junk your unfounded remarks and move on. maybe in 10 years, you'll start winning some... especially as you've actively recruited asian (mostly chinese) athletes to join your fold. laugh at your sporting failures and not dismember other country's successes through unfounded and silly generalizations.

rafa's no junkie. period.

M hotel

in december last year, i was booked in M hotel anson road. while i requested for an early check in, the front desk said that the room was not yet ready and actually said that i should wait for over an hour. i wasn't in the mood to argue with these menacing filipina front desk staff so i unnaturally obliged. anyway, this was just a quick trip, i told myself that it shouldn't matter much. i walked all the way to maxwell center and had some quick snack instead.

end of january, i was again booked in M hotel. i completely forgot about what happened in december and thinking that this time should be ok. upon checking in, i inquired if i'll be earning loyalty points during this stay. i was told by the receptionist that no points will be awarded from my weeklong stay since i'm not going to pay for this stay myself and the company will pay. no more energy to argue, i just said that it was interesting… coz in starwood hotels, SPG cardholders do get the points even if the company is paying for the stay.

M hotel is an average but functional one. not too many amenities to speak of, but its strategic location is its best come on. located close to our singapore office and a short walk to tanjong pagar MRT station, taxi drivers won't have difficult time finding it. the hotel offers comfortable bed, excellent internet connection and has a very nice housekeeping staff. telephone operator is also friendly and was always very quick in addressing any of my concerns. although the room is small, it was also comfortable. the shower area is even smaller of course, a big caucasian man would have difficult time negotiating his way inside the stall. cable TV only has few channels worth looking. not much choices in café 2000's breakfast menu, but it was ok. as long as you have some rice, noodles, bacon, egg, cereals and fruits, i'm ok. of course, it could still be improved.

but M hotel really needs to work on their front desk staff. again, i don't know if it's an asian thing but they seem to be more accommodating to guests who are white and in formal suits. during my first stay in december, i overheard from the other counter that the white man had made some requests and the front desk staff made arrangements for him. but nothing was made to accommodate my request of early check in when my company's admin already requested for this prior to my stay. this last trip, without even checking, the front desk staff just said that there won't be any points for me. although i got an email from their front desk manager just now, saying that the points were already awarded to me, the unnecessary disappointment could have been prevented if the front desk staff were more accommodating and do not have any ounce of discriminatory slant. any positive points of the hotel were completely negated by the poor service of the front desk crew, which would make you think twice (or thrice) before actually staying again in this hotel.

most probably next time, it would be the boutique hotels around the area rather than M.

moneyball

i've got zero knowledge about baseball. i don't even know the basics about scoring. but i've been working in a research and consulting firm since time immemorial, (i'd like to believe) i know pretty much how to look at data and actually make sense of it. so when i got to see moneyball, with brad pitt in his finest form since 12 monkeys, the dodgy (at least to me) subject of baseball became altogether interesting.

according to sony pictures, moneyball is a movie for anybody who has ever dreamed of taking on the system. brad pitt stars as billy beane, the general manager of the oakland A's and the guy who assembles the team, who has an epiphany: all of baseball's conventional wisdom is wrong. forced to reinvent his team on a tight budget, beane will have to outsmart the richer clubs. the onetime jock teams with ivy league grad peter brand (jonah hill) in an unlikely partnership, recruiting bargain players that the scouts call flawed, but all of whom have an ability to get on base, score runs, and win games. it's more than baseball, it's a revolution - one that challenges old school traditions and puts beane in the crosshairs of those who say he's tearing out the heart and soul of the game.

what's interesting about moneyball is its two pronged success. it was able to put in an entertaining but academic and almost nerdy account of how statistics actually and directly translated to performance and financial success of the team, as well as how strategy and implementation actually came together to bring fruition to an otherwise stupid measure of assembling a team made up of not-so-good or has-been players. on the other hand, moneyball also has something for the cinematic diehards… but it was just the right amount of inevitable gushiness. pitt's beane was heading to a life in baseball without any concrete achievements. beane failed as a professional athlete and then turned into a scout and then became an underperforming general manager. with his team-up with peter brand, he was able to redeem himself and essentially became an modernizer of how team managers look at the game of baseball. it was easy to get engrossed and just focus on beane's failed marriage and include some sappy tearjerkers courtesy of the scenes with his daughter. good thing, the movie didn't have any of those. it was both fun and deadpan at the same time.

while jonah hill was effective in being "jonah hill", his onscreen partnership with brad pitt was sensational, thanks to pitt's multifaceted and driven performance, without any histrionics or aid of special effects. while the movie may be talky, steve zaillian and aaron sorkin's script was intelligent and engaging. moneyball's straight-faced, blunt and candid slant was novel compared to your archetypal underdog tales. absent were stirring orations, over-the-top background music or even overly dramatic scenes in the diamond… but even the simplest phone call in this movie was actually made exciting.

intelligent, riveting and entertaining, moneyball really hit the home run.

panget

Questions sa mga candidates ng Binibining Ugly:

1. Sino ang dapat sisihin sa kalagayan mo ngayon?

2. N'ung nag-evolve tayo from ape to man, at what point ka nagpaiwan?

3. Kung ipapapatay lahat ng panget ngayon, sa'n ka magtatago?

4. Kasalanan ba'ng maging panget? Bakit? Kung oo, humingi ka ng tawad.

5. Is it safe to assume na lahat ng pictures mo ay wacky?

6. Kung pagdating ng 2013, puro panget na lang ang matitira, ano'ng plano nyo?