Friday, October 30, 2009

...watch, shoot and eat...

can't help but listen to them
Joy's pose
the excited crowd
the boys finally arrived
getting ready to sign posters and CDs, then pose for pictures
Last Tuesday, Joy and I went to SM, to catch the group, LIBERA. We waited for almost an hour before they finally arrived. The scream of fans, mostly young people, was deafening. The boys were cute, no doubt. And I believe, it was mainly the reason that a lot of teenage girls were there in droves. Anyone who bought the group's CD or DVD at that time, was entitled to have it signed by the boys and took pictures of the group.

Joy and I took turns in taking photos of them, but it turned out, they were all blurred. The ones I posted here survived the unsteady hands of amateur photographers ( that's us). After almost an hour of standing, my legs were starting to hurt. We left and look for a place to eat. We went to Flavors of China. Finally, I was able to sit down. We ordered food then settled in our seats. I felt very tired. We could still hear the scream of fans in the background. I asked Joy, why we even bothered to come.

In the first place, I was the one, urging her that we should go and watch them. I was thinking that they may sing, even one song, but I was wrong. They were just there to sign whatever their fans handed to them and smile at the camera.

soup with quail eggs

fish and tofu

LIBERA's version of ENYA's Orinoco Flow






Tuesday, October 27, 2009

...when all is lost...have a little faith...


Mitch Albom's Life Lessons

By Mitch Albom

My new book, Have a Little Faith, is the story of an eight-year journey between two worlds—two men, two faiths, two communities. It begins with a dying request from my childhood rabbi, Albert Lewis. "Will you do my eulogy?" It stopped me in my tracks. I had never been asked this before. Not by anyone—let alone a religious leader. Who does a eulogy for the man who does eulogies?

His request plunges me back into the world of belief, a world I had left behind. I am drawn back to my childhood congregation and my old hometown—a suburban temple in southern New Jersey. At the same time, I am led to a poor, inner-city church in downtown Detroit—where I live now—with a hole in its roof where the rain and snow fall in. It is run by a former convict turned pastor, Henry Covington, who does his penance by taking care of the homeless.

This is a story about believing in something and the two very different men who taught me how. It took a long time to write. It took me to churches and synagogues, to the suburbs and the city, to the "us" versus "them" that divides faith around the world.

What I learned from my time with Henry, what I learned from all those visits with my beloved clergyman, who I called "the Reb," is the backbone of "Have A Little Faith."

"Faith is about doing. You are how you act, not just how you believe"

Now, the Reb didn't merely practice his rituals; he carved his daily life from them. If he wasn't praying, he was studying—a major part of his faith—or doing charity or visiting the sick. It made for a more predictable life, perhaps even a dull one by American standards. After all, we are conditioned to reject the "same old routine." We're supposed to keep things new, fresh. The Reb wasn't into fresh. He never took up fads. He didn't do Pilates, he didn't golf (someone gave him a single club once; it sat in his garage for years).

But there was something calming about his pious life, the way he puttered from one custom to the next; the way certain hours held certain acts.

He said: "My grandparents did these things. My parents, too. If I take the pattern and throw it out, what does that say about their lives? Or mine? From generation to generation, these rituals are how we remain…connected."

"We are a sacred community"

"When I was growing up in the Bronx," the Reb once told me, "everyone knew everyone. Our apartment building was like family. We watched out for one another.

"I remember once, as a boy, I was so hungry, and there was a fruit and vegetable truck parked by our building. I tried to bump against it, so an apple would fall into my hands. That way it wouldn't feel like stealing.

"Suddenly, I heard a voice from above yelling at me in Yiddish, ‘Albert, it is forbidden!' I jumped. I thought it was God."

Who was it? I asked.

"A lady who lived upstairs."

I laughed. Not quite God.

"No. But we were part of each other's lives. If someone was about to slip, someone else could catch him.

"That's the critical idea behind a congregation. We call it a Kehillah Kedoshah—a sacred community. We're losing that now. The suburbs have changed things. Everyone has a car. Everyone has a million things scheduled. How can you look out for your neighbor? You're lucky to get a family to sit down for a meal together."

"When you come to the end, that's where God begins"

I once asked the Reb how he knew God existed. When he asked me to first make the case against Him, I argued that we live in a world where your genes can be mapped, where your cells can be copied, where your face can be altered. We have science to tell us of the earth's creation; rocket probes explore the universe. The sun is no longer a mystery. Why, in such a place, where the once-great mysteries have been solved, does anyone still believe in God or Jesus or Allah or a Supreme Being of any kind? Haven't we outgrown it?

He leaned in. "Now. My turn. Look, if you say that science will eventually prove there is no God, on that I must differ. No matter how small they take it back, to a tadpole, to an atom, there is always something they can't explain, something that created it all at the end of the search.

"And no matter how far they try to go the other way—to extend life, play around with the genes, clone this, clone that, live to one hundred and fifty—at some point, life is over. And then what happens? When life comes to an end?"

He leaned back. He smiled.

"When you come to the end, that's where God begins."

"Judge not"

When I first met Henry Covington, he was wearing a white t-shirt and perspiring from his forehead. He weighed over 400 pounds and when he shook my hand, I said to myself, "If this is a Man of God, I'm the man in the moon." But he had turned his life over to God on a night he thought he would be murdered. When he survived to the next morning, he began walking in a new direction.

Henry shared a lot of his past with me, and while there was a part of me that admired his honesty, there was another that felt his laundry list of bad behavior should somehow disqualify him from the pulpit.

I was wrong.

"I am an awful person," he had confessed to me. "The things I have done in my life, they can never be erased. That may not be who I am now, but it's who I was."

"I deserve hell," he whispered. "The things I've done, God would be justified. God is not mocked. What you sow, you reap."

But, Henry, all the good you do here—

"No." He shook his head. "You can't work your way into heaven. Anytime you try and justify yourself with works, you disqualify yourself with works. What I do here, every day, for the rest of my life, is only my way of saying, ‘Lord, regardless of what eternity holds for me, let me give something back to you. I know it don't even no scorecard. But let me make something of my life before I go?.?..And then, Lord, I'm at your mercy.'?"

I realized something that night after we talked: that I am neither better nor smarter, only luckier. And I should be ashamed of thinking I knew everything, because you can know the whole world and still feel lost in it. So many people are in pain—no matter how smart or accomplished—they cry, they yearn, they hurt. But instead of looking down on things, they look up, which is where I should have been looking, too. Because when the world quiets to the sound of your own breathing, we all want the same things: comfort, love, and a peaceful heart.

Maybe the first half of his life he did worse than most, and maybe the second half he did better. But that night was the last time I questioned how much Henry Covington's past should shadow his future. Scripture says, "Judge not." But God had the right to, and Henry lived with that every day. It was enough.

"Be satisfied. Be grateful"

"Having more does not keep you from wanting more," the Reb once explained. "And if you always want more—to be richer, more beautiful, more well known—you are missing the bigger picture, and I can tell you from experience, happiness will never come."

So, have you solved the secret of happiness?

"I believe so," he answered me.

"Yes. Ready?"

Ready.

"Be satisfied."

That's it?

"Be grateful."

That's it?

"For what you have. For the love you receive. And for what God has given you."

That's it?

He looked me in the eye. Then he sighed deeply.

"That's it."

Since reading Tuesdays with Morrie, I am hooked. Though I have not read yet Mitch Albom's latest, Have A Little Faith, I'm sure that when I finally get to in , I am in again for another dose of reality check about my life in general. I found this article in the Beliefnet website and I decided to post it here verbatim. Or you can check out the site and read it from there. Whatever suits you..:-)



...of books and notebooks...

Thought it would be fun to share my intense joy of finally getting my hands on the book which I look forward to reading. Since I started blogging, I develop this keen interest on learning more about improving my blog. I have several sites I regularly visits, to read about posts on various subjects, ranging from writing good content to developing traffic ( I tell you, this is good traffic ) on your blog and such other stuff. So in one of my usual prowl on the web, I chance upon a site which mentioned about this book, The Huffington Post- Complete Guide to Blogging. It is available in Amazon.

Yesterday, I finally get to hold it. I was ecstatic and smelled it, as I turn pages. And just this morning, I finished covering it with plastic. Mansfield Park has to be put on hold again or I could read them alternately. Whatever. :-)

a sample page
Another thing that somehow manage to get my " I want to have this" craving in motion is a Moleskin notebook. Again, I learned about this particular notebook on the Internet. Then later on, I found out that National Bookstore, just recently, offered this product to the public here. When I went to SM yesterday, I proceeded to National Bookstore and checked it out. Lo and behold, the notebooks were enclosed in cabinets with glass sliding doors. I did not bother to ask the lady in charge if I could take a look at it. The notebooks and planners were tiny. There were large ones too. The price ranges from P400-P2,650. That got me, scratching my nape, obscurely. Joy pointed out that it's impractical to shell out that much for just a notebook. Yes, I could only nod in agreement. But then if it's up to me and if money is not an issue, I will get one for myself. Ah, the life of a destitute wannabe writer.....
Will I ever get to hold it?


Sunday, October 25, 2009

...on chick flicks and New York...

I've watch "Made of Honor" more than a couple of times. I'm not really a fan of chick films which deals about "love" and everything in between. I made an exception for this movie. The story was not so sappy for my taste and besides there's this one scene that never fails to remind me about Chinese food. Plus, it was filmed in New York City ( my favorite city).

Tom and Hannah are best friends. And when Hannah is about to say "I do", Tom has a change of heart and barge in. :-)

"Sex and the City" movie was shown last night in HBO and I ended staying up late. No, it was not the "sex" thing that prompted me to watch it but the location it was filmed. Again, in New York City. Now, that is something.

The women are parading in their designer outfits with matching designer bags and footwear. For all those fashion gung hos, I guess this movie is for you, especially if you want to drool over those outfits, shoes and bags in a myriad of colors and styles, plus sexual innuendos on the side. What could you ask more?


Sunday, October 18, 2009

...Sunday food trip...

I could just not let this pass..yum..yum...
what's left of the Empress Roll after I dig in
Siomai with Quail Eggs ( the eggs were gone in a flash :-D )
this time, I opted for the Yang Chow Fried Rice
I have this quirk thing of watching a movie ( I especially like ) over and over again, to the point that I'd already memorize some of the dialogues. Weird huh. So, the subject of my obsession at the moment is the chick flick "Made of Honor". I guess you probably heard about this movie or watched it already.

For one thing, the movie was entirely filmed in New York City, except for those other scenes which showed Scotland. I'm not sure if it was really filmed there on location.

Anyway, there was one scene in the movie where the characters, were having lunch at a Chinese restaurant. As they went through the motions of ordering their food from the cart that went around the place, I was hit with the sudden craving of siomai, steam rice, egg roll...just typing all these evoke my gustatory experience yesterday.

For lunch, we decided to go to Harbor City in Ayala. I have been to that place but I find it too noisy for such a crowded place of eating. When we went there yesterday, we had to wait for a few minutes to be seated. The inside was full of lunch time crowd, abuzz with life and of course, the mouth-watering smell of food. Finally, we were able to go inside, sat on our table and place our order. I give the menu a cursory glance then place my order.chicken feet ( I prefer the breast part though )

After the sumptuous lunch, we proceeded to walk around the mall, for a while, waiting for the time. We did not go there to have just lunch since Joy had some tasks to do too. I went to NBS and browsed over some books.

Since it was not yet time, we went to MyJoy for our afternoon snacks ( now you have some inkling as to why I'm FAT). I had Halo-halo and french fries. Just love eating....

another of my favorite ( I have lots of favorite when it comes to food)
love their French Fries ( way better than those from....)

Till my next food trip...:-)
And mind you, this post is not really about the movie...



Friday, October 16, 2009

...the sandwich and me...


So what's with me and peanut butter? Actually, none. Add in a banana to make it merrier. :-) For the longest time, I've been eating bananas and slathered peanut butter on my bread from time to time but not together. Get my gist? Hope so.

So, as usual, I woke up early today. I read several chapters on The Associate before I had my first cup of instant coffee. I planned to work out a sweat this morning but the lure of the book overpowers me. After three chapters, I decided to turn my attention to the computer. I checked my emails, then my blog and then had another cup of coffee. I ignored the first onset of hunger but after a few minutes, I gave in. I was thinking of having the usual bowl of oatmeal then I remembered something.

I made myself a sandwich. Not the typical sandwich. I placed two slices of wheat bread in the toaster, while waiting, I sliced up a half of a banana. Afterward, I spread a generous amount of peanut butter on one slice of bread, then meticulously arranged several pieces of the sliced fruit.

Anyway, before I begun munching on it, I took several photos ( just for keeps ). My mouth waters just by looking at it and when I finally took a bite...I was so taken by it. The play of of the sliced banana and peanut butter, coupled with the texture of the bread, in my mouth is, as Dora would exclaimed happily, "yum...yum...yum... delicioso..." :-)

...i'm this kind of book...

From my constant browsing on the Internet, I found this cool site The Blue Pyramid . I decided to take the quiz, just for kicks.:-)




You're Adventures of Huckleberry Finn!

by Mark Twain

With an affinity for floating down the river, you see things in black
and white. The world is strange and new to you and the more you learn about it, the less
it makes sense. You probably speak with an accent and others have a hard time
understanding you and an even harder time taking you seriously. Nevertheless, your
adventurous spirit is admirable. You really like straw hats.



Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

...some hobby, eh?...

waiting
Lately, I've been beset with this insatiable "bug" ( no, not the kind that will make you sneeze and all ) and had me waking up way early in the morning, just to attend to it.

I'm always reading any chance I get. It feels like someone is going to check up on me and take note of how many books I read. Hope I don't sound crazy or something.

So, anyway, I'm reading another John Grisham novel, right now. Then I still have two other novels of Dan Brown waiting for my attention. I will get to them, as soon as I'm done with "The Associate".

Aside from my readings, I still manage to sneak some time to watch a movie, either on cable TV or on the net. I have a VCD of Mulan though I already watch it. I plan to watch it again, with AJ, Mokang and JR, when I visits them ( soon, hopefully ). Then , of course, update my blog, on the side.
currently reading


serve the purpose when I'm in need of a caffeine fix, ASAP

Friday, October 9, 2009

...it's Saturday, I'm in "love"...


For most people, Saturday mornings are reason enough to lounge in bed longer than usual. It is during this time that some would like to catch up on their sleep and wake up later in the day.

Not me. My Saturday mornings are the same with any day of the week. I set my cell phone's alarm same time if I go out for a run. Like this morning, I woke up long before my alarm buzz off. I took a shower at once then dressed. Minutes later, I was already basking in the familiar smell of instant coffee ( my first mug, actually ), wafting around my room. I positioned myself on the chair and began turning pages of the latest book I'm into, John Grisham's The Appeal. That's how crazy I am when it comes to my reading. I woke up early on purpose just to read. One hour into my reading, I had my second mug of coffee. Another of my addiction.

After a while, my stomach growls, a signal for me, to start thinking about breakfast. I chance upon a site about preparing Instant Quaker Oats with various toppings ( yum). So, I decided to give a try this morning.

The taste and texture is quite different since I'm used to having my oatmeal with just Milo. It is good, though. I had fun, preparing it, considering my mediocre skills in the kitchen..:-)

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

...click...



I'm picky when it comes to what movies to watch. But then, anything from Adam Sandler, is an exception. I had no second thoughts about watching "Click" for the first time. I expected it to be downright funny but it also turned out be an eye-opener for me.

The scene above strike a chord within me. I've always been hard at myself for not reaching out to my father while he was still alive and watching that particular scene just makes me cry.

The movie pointed something very important to me. Many years ago, I had always wish my life was different...that my father was someone other than the man he was at that time. I had wish that somehow I did not have to grovel to have something I want. Somewhere along the way, I have put the blame on my father.

At least in the movie, Adam's character has that universal remote and he still get to replay that last time he saw his father.

I can never turn back the time. It was already too late when I realized that in some ways, I am like my father. And it's sad that I have no way of making it up to him no matter how much I desperately wanted to....

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

...the lost symbol...


After more than a week's worth of burying myself in the story, I was finally able to finish reading Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol. I devoted the early hours of the morning for reading so I won't get distracted by the all the "noise" around me.

I had a great time reading it. It felt like I was watching a movie. But then, film adaptation somehow fails to satisfy me. As always, the movie turn out to be different from the book it is based on. Well, it is expected, I believe it is not possible to fit a hundred pages worth of storyline to a more than two hours of action on the big screen. It's up to the film director and producers, I suppose, to still convey the real plot and subject to the moviegoers. On the other hand, if this book will be adapted into film, then I will be incline to watch it too, if only to pick on the deviations.

I was entertained while reading The Lost Symbol. I don't like writing a book review because I think, I don't know how to write one, without just relating what the book is all about.

So, anyway, if you're up to being challenged and regaled about Freemasonry, Ancient Mysteries, and Noetic Science, then I suggest you give The Lost Symbol a try...:-)

Monday, October 5, 2009

...108 things you didn't know about me...

I come across this blog with a post entitled "101 things you didn't know about me". I have a "25 things you didn't know about me" list on Facebook.

It's quite tedious coming up a list of things other people don't know about you (besides I think they really don’t care). But just for fun, I decided to come up with this. I was tempted to follow the 101 list but to add some personal flair in it, I make it 108. Wonder where I get that number?

1. When all is said and done, my family is all I ever have.

2. I'm a foodie. I just love to eat. FOOD is my weakness.

3. I'm a morning person. I'm used to getting out of bed before the sun is up. I'm usually up and about at 4 in the morning.

4. I regret not knowing my father that well before it was too late.

5. Sometimes, I miss my grandmother.

6. My favorite girls: AJ and Mokang

7. I drink occasionally but not to the point of getting so inebriated except for that one time when I ended spending the night at a friend's place. That was my first encounter with tequila.

8. Whenever I enter any Starbucks coffee shop, I always sing "Heaven...I'm in Heaven" but only in my mind. I just love the smell of coffee and I'm hopelessly addicted to caffeine.

9. I always dream of going to New York City someday. Hope that someday is not that far-off.

10. Scrapbooking is where I unleash my so-called creative side.

11. Lately I find myself interested in photography. I take pictures mostly of my nieces and of anything that strikes my fancy.

12. I like early morning shower.

13. I like the lead character in the BONES TV show, Dr. Temperance Brennan. I wish I am as intelligent as her.

14. I'm the T-shirt, jeans and sneakers type. No frilly, tight-fitting stuff for me.

15. If I have the means to splurge then it will be on BOOKS. I go nuts over them. My favorite place in the mall is the bookstores.

16. I'm very particular with time.

17. I used to do kickboxing and sprained my right hand and left foot in the process. Those were the days....

18. I'm a homebody and only go out when I really need to. I'm not much of a party-goer.

19. Sometimes, I can be indifferent and sarcastic.

20. I love to watch movies (a horror flick is not for me though).

21. I like to watch the sunrise and sunset. Clear blue skies during good weather.

22. I'm also into music. I listen to whatever that suits me. I like Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.

23. I took a course in college to be a bean counter but I don't work as one.

24. I'm afraid of thunderstorms.

25. "I'm wary of relationships." - Dr. Temperance Brennan

26. I am conservative. I still believe that couples should only consummate their relationship after marriage.

27. I realized that this does not hold true anymore nowadays.

28. During my elementary years, I dreamed about becoming an astronaut.

29. In high school, I thought about working as a Walt Disney animator.

30. I took and failed in the CPA board exam four times.

31. I finally recognize that giving up does not necessarily mean surrendering.

32. I don't like to watch Tagalog teleseryes on TV.

33. I prefer foreign films and TV shows.

34. I've been in only one relationship. I got into it just to see how it felt to be in one.

35. I really don't comprehend what LOVE is and why there is so much hype about it.

36. I don't like going to hospitals.

37. Watching House on TV made me think how cool it is to be a doctor.

38. I am boring.

39. If it’s up to me, I'd rather be alone all the time.

40. I find it annoying when people are nosy.

41. I'm into running.

42. The longest distance I've run in a race was 10K.

43. I am shy.

44. That is the reason I don't have many friends.

45. Someone made a comment that I am autistic.

46. Sometimes, I think that it's hard to be different.

47. I did not cry when we laid our father to rest.

48. It was only days later, when I could finally be alone.

49. I don't see myself getting married.

50. Luckily, I'm not expected to.

51. I can sleep while sitting especially if I'm too exhausted.

52. I hoard books.

53. My usual breakfast, either a bowl of cold cereal or oatmeal.

54. I always try to cry in private.

55. Someone told me I'm smart but until now, I'm still looking proof of that.

56. I don't wear shorts.

57. I don't have a single dress in my wardrobe.

58. I make up excuses to avoid meeting new people.

59. I wish I can pretend to be outgoing and interesting.

60. I'm always broke.

61. I can easily fall for people who are nice to me.

62. I'm not religious.

63. I wonder why some people choose not to believe in God.

64. At some point during my fascination of John Grisham's novels, I was entertaining the idea of taking up law.

65. I named my nephew, Tristan, after the name of the male lead character in the movie "Stardust."

66. I can't cook.

67. I prefer to do my own laundry.

68. My bedroom is messy.

69. I like singing Dora's song, "We did it!”

70. I have only two brothers.

71. I was very nervous when I rode on a plane for the second time.

72. I don't know how to swim.

73. I've read all seven books in the Harry Potter series.

74. I drooled over the display of washboard abs in the movie "300".

75. I'm a fan of Lea Salonga.

76. I hoard coffee mugs.

77. I perspire a lot.

78. I like watching National Geographic's Air Crash Investigation.

79. For a time, I was a fan of Guns n' Roses.

80. I like ice cream.

81. I plan to have a children’s party for my birthday.

82. My favorite cartoon characters, Pooh and Kung Fu panda.

83. I don't carry a purse or a bag when I go out.

84. I've read all four books in the Twilight saga.

85. For me, the late Kurt Cobain epitomizes cool and grunge-look.

86. I think Philippine politics sucks.

87. I'm wary of people who talks a lot.

88. If I'm meant to be in love, I'd like to fall for someone like Booth.

89. I like collecting wristwatches. Though at the present, I have only six.

90. I seldom get angry but when I do....

91. I like reading Housisms. I even quote some of them. Here's a sample. "I'm physically incapable of being polite."-House

92. I have discovered that peanut butter and banana is a perfect combo.

93. I like tofu.

94. I believe having children is a very huge responsibility.

95. I don't wear high heels.

96. I'm afraid to speak in front of an audience.

97. I like anonymity.

98. I am thinking of cooking breakfast for my folks at home. (It’s still a plan, though)

99. I grow up surrounded with a lot of children.

100. I like listening to Dies Irae.

101. Whenever I listen to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, it seems that time stands still.

102. I am halfway to reading all five novels of Dan Brown.

103. I feel suffocated when I’m in the midst of a huge crowd.

104. I like running a lot even though I run very slowly.

105. I plan to run in a marathon before I reached the age of 40 (God willing).

106. My younger siblings give me the nickname “panda” after they saw the movie Kung Fu Panda.

107. I got very nervous the first time I held a Nikon SLR camera. Another dream: Nikon D90 camera.

108. It took me days to finally complete this list. Whew!!