The Kookie Jar v. 2.0

Take Me To the Beach!!!

2008-07-17T21:26:00.007+08:00

I was wondering what post I should be sharing with you since I really don't know where to start talking about what I did in the past six months. Not to mention that I've been having the worst time trying to change my layout. That's the understatement of the year. I've even resorted to making my blog private for the past week because saying that it looked liked a mess when I tried to change it would not give justice to how messy it was. But I finally worked it out using my old template and changing the banner--my old banner is no longer showing because the old online storage closed shop. Big daym headache, if you ask me! I don't think I'll be changing my layout anytime soon again.

But as I've already mentioned in my first post back, I will try to spend even the littlest time I have available here in this space. But tell me, how in Hades can I find the time to drop in every other day or so when even my weekend breather gets spent on a whirlwind of impromptu activities with my friends? This month alone had me out of the house every Saturday night when that's usually when I do my online stuff.

July 5 had me going out for a videoke party with my housemates at Gimmick. That was one heck of a night! They finally forced the mic on me and lo, I didn't feel like like letting it go again. I felt like a rocker even though my score was the pits! Too bad for my friends because they had to listen to me belt out (a.k.a. murder) all my songs. But I guess it was okay since they did their share of killing. But the point was that we all had fun, fun, fun!!! Our night started out late since we went to watch a basketball game--our friendly neighborhood varsity team was playing. Then we had a dinner out--well, we were already "out" after the game. Then we were bound for Gimmick right after ten in the evening. It was Saturday so we didn't expect to get a booth (I can't say room!) right away. Unbelievably, we were browsing the songbook in 20 minutes. The night went on and on and on...until 3am. There were a lot of (old) songs I couldn't believe these people could sing! But I can't wait to do it again...*hums*

But last weekend was one giant adventure. We were planning to go beach camping up north and we had it all planned out last week. We had chosen a beach resort to go to and we had called ahead of time to know what their amenities are. WE HAD A LOT OF EXPECTATIONS! So imagine our ginormous disappointment when we got to said resort. Suffice it to say that we did not like it so we had no other choice but to look for somewhere else to camp. But we can't find somewhere else that we found satisfactory enough. So on we decided to just get to get to the next town from where we already were--where it's just a boat ride away to Malapascua.

Malapascua Island was in our shortlist the week that we planned this excursion. But the weather had been kinda unpredictable, we had to scratch it off our list since most of us were not very keen on making the crossing. But last Saturday forced us to make the decision to do just that.

Man oh man.

The island was great! I mean, considering that a major typhoon just passed through the general area a few weeks before destroying a lot of infrastructure (including beach resorts) in its wake, the place was still beautiful. Who doesn't like white sand must be mad. And I'm not! Really, last week's point was to go somewhere with white sand. And we weren't disappointed--with this destination, it's inconceivable. The five-hour bus ride and the thirty-minute boat ride became insignificant compared to the fun that we had there. Not to mention that we had very limited budget--and I didn't bring my ATM with me. But no matter, we had fun fun fun!

The moment we stepped into the island, a storm came in. And not just an ordinary storm, mind you. It was a one heck of a thunderous and lightning-full affair. I just can't bring myself to imagine if that storm hit while we were still out at sea. Scary, scary. And then we got into our impromptu rooms--recommended by the peeps we got our boat ride from. And then we had to prepare dinner...and then the lights went out. Heavy rain, thunder, lightning, and no lights in a strange island--it really seemed like a really bad B movie. Redundant, no? But is there any other? No wait, the only thing that was missing was Jeff Probst!

But then morning came and even though the sky was still a little overcast, I had a feeling that we are going to have a blast the entire time we planned to stay in the beach. And the morning was filled with laughter even though we woke up at five. That was really strange since the usual waking time of the most of of us is nine! Blame it all on adrenaline. But with our stomach full with a hearty breakfast, we headed for the beach with sunblock in tow (of course!). And no sooner than we had an hour's worth of sea-romping that we started on our lunch. Barbecue at the beach--wooh!

I didn 't feel like leaving at midday. But then a plan is a plan. And being there in the budget we were was certainly not going to be fun. Lesson learned--if you wanna go camping, bring lots of money because who knows if you decide to go to an island resort anyway? LOL!

Check out the slide I posted on YouTube from this adventure. Can't wait to get back and soak up more sun!

Who'd Have Thunk It?!

2008-06-27T23:07:00.002+08:00

Exactly.

After forty-eight years, I've decided to crawl out of the rock that I've been living in for the past several months and have decided to brave the world again. The blogging world that is. I have been swamped with work, work, work and work. Have I mentioned work yet? Daym! I thought I wasn't going to survive.

But ta-da!!! Here, I am.

I never thought I'd have the time again to visit the blogging jungle. First, I got moved to another line of business at work--if there was anyone busier than a bee, that was me. And then, I changed departments entirely. My first month there was a month of OTs--but weirdly enjoyable. Yeah, I won't trade this job for anything else--I never predicted that I'll be enjoying it this much. I'm prolly becoming crazy so don't mind me.

LOL! Sad to say, you can't. Because you're reading my blog! I just don't care if I'm doing it right. I know it feels damn good to be doing it again. Home sweet home. I just a have a feeling of being lost since I know that that there have a been a number of new things in Blogger that I've missed in the past several months. Poor me has a lot of catching up to do if I'm serious about doing this thing again. I don't even know if I know how to edit my blog layout anymore.

Honestly, I'm just testing the waters. Again. I know I don't have the time that I used to have--isn't it obvious from the six-month hiatus? But I missed blogging very much. If I have to do it once a month, so be it. But I just want to have a place to go to when I feel like ranting. Or shouting to the world that I'm uber happy. Or share with the my blogreaders (are there any left?) my fetish for drool-worthy hunks. What better way to vent my writing frustrations than those?

And what about my book blog? That had been left to gather dust in the past half year as well. I just checked and the layout is in a majorly bad way--will edit, will edit. Not to mention that I've been pretty bad at reading my books. I've been buying a lot but barely have the time them. They're just piling up in one corner waiting for me to spare them a little bit of what's left of my personal time. They're prolly thinking that I right now: "She doesn't have the time for us and now she wants to pick up on blogging again!"

But I will do my best to properly have "me time" again. Regardless of how short of a time that is. I should be having equal time to watch my fave shows, read my books, and type in a few words in here.

So yeah, see ya around.

DE: McDreamy And/Or McSteamy

2007-10-08T12:00:00.000+08:00

It would break my heart to choose so I'd say AND.

Well, the new fall season has descended upon us couch potatoes so on with all the marathon TV sessions. And what better way to kick it off with than to feature my two most favorite hotties from one of my most fave television drama--Grey's Anatomy. And it doesn't really take a genius to guess who the objects of my affection-slash-fantasies are.

I was all ready to marry him when he got dumped in Sweet Home Alabama but staring at Patrick Dempsey's Dr Derek Shepherd a.k.a. McDreamy is a whole new heaven. Wearing those blue scrubs doesn't help his hotness either. Another plus is his best friend: Dr Mark Sloan a.k.a. McSteamy--played by the uber sexy Eric Dane. It's a wonder the TV screen doesn't fog up every time he has a scene. And those eyes? Double hot damn, Rebecce Gayheart is one lucky mama.

GA's new season has started and although it feels weird to have some of the old faces gone, I'm going with the flow as long as the familiar McDreamyfication and McSteamyness are still there. As for the slide below, check it out with caution: it might get you hot, bothered or both. Or pregnant.

Until Thursday. Oh, be still my heart.

Movies In 1, 2, 3...

2007-10-04T12:00:00.000+08:00

I haven't exactly been very diligent about updating my blog--well, what's new?--but that's all because I'm busy with work, work, work; and between all that I had to squeeze in some movie and TV marathon sessions. I'm halfway through the first season of Heroes right now. But then that's a story for another day. I did manage to get in three movies in the past week. I know it wasn't much but with the lack of time, I think it was kind of a lot. So here's what I think.

Bride and Prejudice
First, I'm not a big fan of musicals but when I do become a fan of one, it practically borders the obsessive level. That's what happened to Moulin Rouge! and The Phantom of the Opera which are both still faves of mine until now. So I have been waiting for years to see this movie. Literally! I've been wanting to watch it since it came out and that was more than a couple of years ago. My expectations prolly mounted up over the years that when I got to finally see it, I was disappointed big time. Aishwarya Rai was beautiful in it as ever and Martin Henderson was okay at the best as Mr Darcy. But the movie won't warrant a second viewing. Ever.

Evan Almighty
If I don't get to finish this post that means I've been struck by lightning. Is it blasphemous to say that I enjoyed the trailer for this movie more than I enjoyed the entire film? Because that's what I did. Oh, I'm sure there were points that I did laugh about but the movie did drag on a bit. And what's more, the special effects weren't so special. Saving grace: The Man Morgan Freeman--I just love, love, love him. And I did like the aquarium scene.

Premonition
Now, we're talking serious business. This thriller saved the movie maniac in me from eternal boredom over the weekend. Sandra Bullock is da bomb! Her acting was so real you could practically touch her character. Not to mention that you wanted to be there so that you could help her solve the mystery of what was really happening. And the plot was amazing--it kept me guessing right until the very end! If this isn't in your list of must-see movies yet, do yourself a favor and add it in. Better yet, stop reading my blog and go see it now.

European Football Kicks Off

2007-09-24T12:08:00.000+08:00

Before you say anything, I know that European football started, as always, in August. My two favorite clubs are already in full gear to defend their respective domestic titles.

Real Madrid is putting on a show in Spain with their perfect record and their new signings proving how they are worth every cent on their fresh contracts. Things are going to be interesting with the addition of former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry to the line-up of rivals Barca--am not a big fan of the Frenchman but I do recognize his talents. Ninety per cent of moi still wish Becks in the Meringue whites--hmm, those were the days. While his first love (and mine!) Manchester United is no longer fumbling through their fixtures after a slow start to their season. Rivals Chelsea are definitely in the blues after the departure of The Special One last week. That was something of a twist very early on in the season although United did give him a going-away gift--a 3-0 loss in a penalty shootout in the Community Shield early in August.

But the UEFA Champions League started last week and for me, that always signalled a true start of everything football in Europe. The Champions League theme had always been a beautiful music to my ears and the pitch action always held special memories--Manchester United in '99 and Liverpool in '05, to name a couple.

While I'm fantasizing about my ultimate dream Final--Manchester United versus Real Madrid (in Wembley, if I'm really too deep into my dreaming)--both aforementioned clubs are definitely showing what kind of great stuff they're made of. Check out the results of Matchday One at midweek.

It was a Raul and Ruud show last Tuesday and it wasn't surprising, considering both are two of the meanest goal-scoring machines in this competition--Raul has scored so many I personally has stopped counting, while last Tuesday's was Ruud's 50th. It is a numbers game, y'all. And Cristiano Ronaldo scored the lone goal in the match against his old club last Wednesday. I'm not a huge fan of C-Ron but I do admire the kid's goal-scoring prowess (and did I say abs, anyone?)

I know it's very early on in the race but frankly, without Becks to cloud my judgment, I am very excited for new season for BOTH clubs. It's time to weave some magic into the pitch, showcase high-profile matches, and in true Kookie fashion, show me the nummies!!!

Love Notes, Part Two

2007-09-19T15:07:00.000+08:00

Another slow blogging week but I don't want another week to go with no posts in here. Here's the second article of the love notes post that I did several weeks back. Once again, I don't claim this as an original work of mine but I just wish to share this with you all. Please refer to the first post that I fondly titled "The Dance of Love" to see where I got this--which I have titled "Echoes of Our Hearts."

"Sometimes we close our eyes and just listen to the echoes of our hearts. We all fall in love and there are times that we love so much that we lose ourselves in our own emotions. More often than not, we wonder why there is love that grows and why there is love that grows cold. We would start the search for answers and try to find where love has gone wrong. But in the end, we find ourselves where we started. We cannot question love for it has its own reasons. Love will always be as it always has been--silent, mysterious, and deeply profound. Many of us believe that love is forever, that love never dies; only to be disillusioned in the end when we find our hands empty and our hearts longing. We mistakenly have looked at love as a need to be fulfilled. But love is only a gift to us. We should not hold it in our hands for we may never find the strength to let it go when it decides to leave. We should only embrace it's warmth and glow while it lasts. And then freely open our arms when it's time to say goodbye. When we fall in love with someone, we don't want that feeling to end for it's everything we are, everything we wanted to be. We pray that love will stay and grow in our hearts. But if it doesn't, then we should never let our lives be taken by it for life should not end where heartsaches begin. There's always a reason why we have to move on when we have to say goodbye to the feelings we wanted to stay forever. Let us not wave our hands with a heavy heart for love will have to set its wings free and find a place where it belongs. We may have lost it but then again, when we close our eyes and listen to the echoes of our hearts, we will yearn that feeling resounding silently forever. Then we'll know that who we have become because love will always stay. It will always be there, reminding us that we should be thankful and happy, not because we have lost love, but because for once in our lives that feeling lived in our hearts and made us happy."

Think about it.

Dreamboat Express: England National Football Squad

2007-09-16T21:23:00.000+08:00

I know I have been neglectful of my Dreamboat serial. It used to be a weekly thing and then it dwindled down to a biweekly post. But lookee here, it's now become a monthly! And we're midway through September and I haven't posted anything for this month yet. I swear I'm not gonna switch this into a yearly thing. That would mean a single dreamboat every year--now, that is a really, really sad thought.

And for the long overdue post, I'm doing the England national football squad for compensation. There's a lot of drool-worthy players in the line-up and I bet they're going to be compensation enough.

I know I've made it a point to not feature Becks here since he has his own serial. But out of respect of the former captain, I'm putting in at least one pic of him in this post. And then there are the repeat offenders: Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, and Alan Smith. Special mention goes to: current skipper John Terry, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Wes Brown, and keeper Paul Robinson.

Thank you, lads, for the two winning outings last week. We're definitely back in business!

You Think You Know Me?

2007-09-10T12:57:00.000+08:00

I'll let the picture say it all.

Vacay!!!

2007-09-01T17:42:00.000+08:00

Better late than never. I was too bushed during the past week to post an entry about my rather short vacay last weekend. I don't think it could even be called a vacation since I just finally braved it out to visit home on my meager two-day restday. Of course, there was no backing out from the plans since I'd already promised my Pops that I'd be visiting home before August ends plus a lot more people who had made plans so that we could meet up. After all, I hadn't been back home in months!

I knew I was going to be half-dead by the time the weekend was over, not to mention that I wouldn't be able to do any blogging. Dang! All my time was spent on travel time and then some more travel time. But I had decided to do it a few days before and I saw no sense in changing my plans so off I went. (My sister was able to tag along at the last minute after her application for leave got approved.)

We arrived home mid-afternoon last Saturday but I surrendered by around four and went to take a nap--working nights is the pits! I woke up at dinner time and caught up with Pops and my sisters (my other sister arrived while I was catching my [one hundred and] forty winks). Not to mention that I played with my babies--it felt good to know that Lee and Red hadn't forgotten li'l ole me. I'm not so forgettable, after all.

The mind was willing but the body could only take so much as the night wore on. My sister and I swapped books and I gobbled up some of her recommended local novelettes she was returning to a cousin during this trip. I managed to finish one book before I called it a night. A long day, if you would've asked me then.

I woke up early Sunday morning--nothing was gonna make me miss my puto-and-mango breakfast which I hadn't had since I was home last. And I was pretty psyched as well since I was meeting up with the fearsome twosome--Lee and Olive (who else?). But when Olive didn't return my messages, I decided to just go back to sleep. I woke up hours later, after lunchtime, with a million messages in my phone from Lee and Olive asking if we were still a go. This was one of the reasons why I couldn't cancel my trip home so I said yes, even if I know that we would only spending a few hours together. I knew even then that I wouldn't be able to check out our old university's Founders Week celebration. So after I did a little shopping for Pops, the three of us went to hang out at Hayahay and ate some pizza while enjoying the view of the beach from where we were. I had to scat home before six to catch the bus home and spend more time with the family. But not before we'd snapped picture of ourselves (joke of the day: Thank God for the rolls of tissue paper). LOL! I know what you're thinking but no, we just used it as our tripod. Quite original of us, really.

I capped Sunday off with the family plus two more novelettes before my beauty sleep since we were starting our trip back early. But in our usual style, we didn't get to leave until late morning and took the ferry around noon. We arrived back in the city mid-afternoon. I had to get a few winks before working the night shift again. Damned, it felt like it was one heck of a whirlwind weekend!

It was. But I never regretted it even if I can still feel the aftereffects even up to now. I just might do it again soon. But if I can, I'm putting in a leave application--I'd like to be home for more than a measly two days.

It's That Time Of The Year Again

2007-08-31T11:14:00.000+08:00

Ugh! I hate this part of this month. And to think that August happens to be my favorite month of the year. But there's no helping it...

...I will always miss you, Timmy, my friend.

(I could really hate you for doing what you did.) :o(

Living Goldenballs--Mastering the Art Of The Comeback

2007-08-20T14:47:00.000+08:00

Nothing surpised me more than when, in January of 2007, I heard the news that David Beckham had signed for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Flabbergasted. Saddened at the thought that he was leaving European football for American soccer. What disappointed me more was to know that this was already a done deal, that there was nothing that could be done for him to stay where he and his talents belong. There were talks that Real Madrid was renegotiating for a new contract; that he could be going home to England as clubs there were showing interest (not least of all was Tottenham, where his grandfather wanted him to play for when he was a kid). Even the news that some Italian clubs came sniffing was an improvement (Italian football doesn't have the best reputation after the match-fixing scandal and I still haven't gotten over neither the neat little stunt that Materazzi pulled in the WC'06 Finals nor that one Italian who slapped Becks at the back of the head in an England friendly years ago).

But they were talking about a US$250,000, five-year contract. I don't think that there could be any more of a done deal than that.

After the shock wore off, I followed more closely (if that's even possible) his last few months with glorious European football. I was over the moon when he got invited to play for European XI against Manchester United last March 13 as the Red Devils celebrated fifty years of European football competition. Injury might not have allowed him to play that evening in Old Trafford but his speech at half-time thanking the crowd for their support over the years was a presence well worth it. For me, what was more beautiful than the Red Devils' 4-3 rout of the European select was the standing ovation Becks got from the crowd who was welcoming a son home as well as saying goodbye to a bigger-than-life hero who started carving his name in sporting history as a sixteen-year old apprentice for their youth team.

And who could forget the all-too-funny Capello snub? Of course, it didn't start funnily at all. After learning of Becks' new Galaxy contract, Real Madrid Fabio Capello publicly announced that there wasn't room for him in the club anymore and that he would be sitting out all of the remaining matches of the season. But the being the soldier that he has always been, Becks continued to train with the squad even if he was relegated to attending the matches from the VIP box. But two consecutive losses later, Capello was forced to eat his words (plus a generous helping of humble pie) and recalled Beckham to the line-up. And what did he dish out on his first game back? A stunning goal in the 39th minute in the Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Real Sociedad on February 10.

In the sixteen matches that followed, the Meringues only suffered one loss, five draws, and ten wins. Becks was sidelined for a couple of weeks or so in March due to an ankle injury and I could never wholly credit his return from the Capello omission for the fabulous turnaround. But noone could also deny that Goldenballs was playing like a man possessed during his last few months with the Spanish giants. I was a fool to believe that he was going to leave Spain with nothing to show for for the four years he had stayed there. Well, maybe learning the language. But it did look bleak for the club by December of last year as they continued to languish behind Sevilla and Barcelona. The second half of the season told a different story though as the two clubs began to stumble. By May they were ahead of Barca by a point until June 10 when they drew against Real Zaragoza. I was about to go apoplectic until Barca drew their match as well a few minutes later.

But right before the Spanish season capped off, another big surprise came about. England coach Steve McClaren recalled Becks to the national squad. I couldn't be more happier. After disappointing performances, losses, and with the qualification for Euro 2008 in jeopardy, he had no other choice. He couldn't deny either that the former captain was playing his best football in years for his club. He started in the England friendly with Brazil on June 2. In typical style, a Beckham free-kick found current captain John Terry to score in. The match ended 1-1 but it showed a much more improved national line-up. Not to mention a country grateful for a certain midfielder's return, apparent during the player introductions when his name was answered by cheers from the filled-to-capacity, newly built Wembley Stadium. What's more, he later provided two assists in England's 3-0 win against Estonia a few days later.

Then June 17, 2007 came--and what a day to remember. It was a sudden death situation between the greatest club rivals in Spanish football. SkySports actually had both matches on their screen. Barca's match finished a few minutes early and they had a great win. But somehow Real Madrid played better that night after being a goal down at half-time. They were two goals up by the 83rd minute and all they had to do was play defense for the next few minutes. What had been in question the entire season held off the Mallorca attack until the last whistle. The celebrations afterwards--the fireworks and the lights held up by the fans in the usually floodlit Estadio Bernabeu was a stunning sight to say the least. They weren't just celebrating the return of the trophy to Madrid, but also paying tribute to two heroes that wouldn't be returning in the next season. Brazilian Roberto Carlos had been a Meringue for what seemed like forever and had been a permanent fixture in the team since I started following them in 1998. And then there was Becks--who had only played for the club for four years and yet, won many of the hearts of one of the harshest fans in Spanish football. The sight of them both draped in their respective national flags, hugging each other, will always a favorite memory of mine. What was more bittersweet was the picture all four Beckham boys made while celebrations were going on on the pitch. Becks left Spain a hero after all. (While Cappello got the boot a week or so later. Boo hoo!)

Barely a month had passed since celebrating with the Spanish campeones in Las Cibeles, draping the goddess with the Spanish flag and partying until morning, our little bee flew across the pond to join his new club, er, team. The Beckhams' arrival in the States could not be described to be less than a media circus. It was ridiculous as the week before his July 13 unveiling proved to be a slow sports news week. It boggles the mind that people who hadn't seen him play yet are suddenly in like with him, ready to worship in the altar of the Beckham brand. I've been there and still am a Beckhamist through and through. But unlike the majority of his new adoring American public, I know an offside when I see one. (Note that I said majority.) I'm not saying it's bad but I hope they see him more on a different angle and get past their infatuation with his face or his body (I, for one, am sure it's not the voice!). God knows, I've been working on that for the past ten years I've followed this bloke's life and career. In the process, I have come to love the sport he plays for what it is. He is in the US to be an ambassador of the game, to promote the game's popularity in a country already filled with great sports. I hope people give him a real chance to do just that.

All the fanfare aside, it was a slow going as he made the transition from being a Galactico to being one of the Galaxy. He was training with the team but the ankle injury he had been nursing since March kept him in the sidelines. He played a few minutes when the Galaxy hosted Chelsea (thanks for spoiling the party, JT). Then people got antsy as he sat out most of the next LA games. Critics were frothing at the mouth at how the Goldenballs was overpaid and overhyped. He apologized to the fans and later gifted those who patiently wait when he showed just how to bend it in the 18th minute as well as provided the assist for a Landon Donovan goal in their 2-0 win over DC United in the SuperLiga 2007 semis last August 14--this, of course, was after long-time Galaxy captain Donovan ceded the captaincy to Becks. He also had three assists in his long-delayed MLS debut game three days later. He does know the best way to shut those critics up! A little more cooperation (defense, perhaps?) from the rest of the Galaxy would be dearly appreciated.

I don't think he would lose his edge and, especially not his talents, on the pitch from less than competitive football. The man was born and bred for the game. In spite of his injury, he's still officially on duty for August 22nd's friendly against Germany. Many have surmised that he would be having difficulties keeping his place in the national squad again if he continues to play halfway around the world. No offense to the footy in America but I'm not fantastical enough to believe that it would ever come up to par with their top-flight European equivalent. Didn't Real Madrid rout their All-Star team summer of last year? I have to say though that Mr Beckham have triumphed over the worst of critics during the past several months. Let's see how he proves his critics wrong this time around.

After all, the Beckham show never disappointments.

Becoming Jane

2007-08-20T13:57:00.000+08:00

If there's a will there's a way. Since I saw no indication of this film being shown here some time in the near future, I had to resort to watching it online. Sorry. *winces* But when (please, not if) they do show this movie in our theaters, trust me to be there lining up for a ticket.

Because I love this movie. Very much.

Becoming Jane tells the story of what would become Jane Austen's inspiration for some of the greatest love stories in English literature. (*Someday my Mr Darcy will come*la da da da*) And why her characters deserve such happy endings.

Having come from a untitled family, Jane's mother was desperate to marry her off to someone who could provide for her. But Jane wanted more, wanted to marry for love, and just about refused any man's attentions. Until Thomas Lefroy came to her life. They hadn't exactly started their acquaintance in the best of terms. But it wasn't long before they found themselves in love with each other.

Tom was nephew to a judge and was in London to study law. he lived on his uncle's allowance so he saw it only fit to ask for his permission to marry Jane. But before he could make clear of his plans, the judge read a letter (from one of Jane's spurned suitors in the country) of how the couple "behaved" when Tom was visiting the country. The judge never gave sanction for a between them.

Jane had no choice but to return home. But just when she learned that Tom was engaged to be married to someone else, he came back and asked her that they elope--that they could make a modest living even without his uncle's help. Then when they were on their way to Scotland, Jane found a letter from his mother thanking him for sending money back home in Ireland from his already stretched allowance. That stopped Jane short, thinking that she could never live with what their plans would do to Tom's family as he finds work and still have to support them. Jane's father had once told her that nothing could break a spirit as poverty could. Jane and Tom might be in love now but she reasoned out that that love could dwindle away amongst the struggle they were about to encounter.

What would have happened if Jane didn't leave Tom in that inn? Could she have written Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice if they'd married and she had to work for a living aside from her writing?

I think that what she did wasn't the bravest thing. But it was definitely most selfless as she thought of the situation of others above her own happiness. Not a lot of people can do that. And I may not be a fan of sad endings but that last scene was as close to a happy-ever-after as I could get from their story: Jane and Tom saw each other again many years later, with her already a famous writer and him a successful lawyer, with a daughter who was an avid fan of her work--and was named Jane.

No need to say that I cried watching this movie--their parting at the inn was heartbreaking. Anne Hathaway gave a great performance as Jane Austen, giving us a preview of what she can do with more mature roles. And James McAvoy as Tom Lefroy was more endearing than his already-endearing stint as Mr Tumnus. You don't wanna know how many times I've replayed that "I am yours, heart and soul" scene over and over again. And that kiss in the trail? Oh, sigh city.

Sweet 25

2007-08-18T20:14:00.000+08:00

Whoever said that 16 is the only age deserving of the adjective sweet was wrong. My 25th year on this beautiful earth started and have been sweet so far in the past week. Let's just hope that it stays that way--or if not, get even sweeter as the year wears on.

My mobile got busy a couple of minutes into Sunday as friends started to send in messages of greetings. And then there were all the calls--most of them came in before two in the morning. Oh, my friends only know me too well. I'd say the day started pretty much the right way. And when I woke up at around seven in the morning, there were a gazillion messages on my phone waiting to be acknowledged. After I sent in my thank you's, I went to church--which was an even bigger event than my actual birthday was to people who really know me, heretic that I am.

One snag of the day was when I came back from church and found most of my housemates still fast asleep. Helloer, people! We have a lunch date to go to! We ended up going to the restaurant a few minutes before twelve--not a better part of the day because I didn't have breakfast at all. But we, all fourteen of us who went, pretty much endured it. After all, we were lunching at Casa Verde, on their (in)famous baby back ribs. An hour or so, an extra rice, and two glasses of iced tea later, we were all in our photo op mode. Of course, that doesn't mean that we were waiting for our table al fresco-style, we didn't grab the opportunity to click away. What are we, crazy? We capped off the day with a little malling--and more displays of our camera whore-ness. We had a pretty quite Sunday evening--it was Tiffany's birthday and I don't think she can ever tolerate alcohol binging sometime in the near future.

And of course, the day continued on with more messages from friends--even those I hadn't seen in a few years. The fact that I have had the same number since 2001 helped. I received text messages wishing me a happy belated birthday as late as Monday evening. Whew! I didn't know I had these many friends (not counting the amnesiac ones!). Of course, I was touched to the bone. We had mini-celebrations during the week: we had chocolate ice cream in the middle of the week for those who weren't able to go last Sunday. Ice cream at 0830 hours? Sinful! And then we had a little dinner with an officemate who had her birthday just the other day and I brought my Hawaiian spare ribs--which was the big hit of the night! Tiffany, it seems, can cook, too.

A week down and counting, and my 25th year is in a bid to be a sweet year. Thanks, peeps, so very much!!! :o)

First Thought At 25

2007-08-11T23:56:00.000+08:00

Do I flee or surrender? Some question it is when I've no choice but to surrender. Sigh.

I'm now a few minutes after turning 25 (ugh!) and still can't believe that I've lived a quarter of a century--I feel too useless for humanity. I know I haven't done my part in this world.

And I feel my friends' teasing comments about my lack of a love life to the bone. Of course I never thought I'd be single at 25. But then, here it is. I know a man doesn't complete a woman's life but it won't hurt if you pimp some my way. Hahaha! My life's wanting to be complicated. Hell, yeah!

P.S.
It had been a slow blogging week so please bear with this post.

P.P.S.
If you can't provide me a boytoy, I also accept canned goods, rice, chocolates, books, and, of course, a lot of love!!!

Dreamboat Express: Woods, Donald, Scott

2007-08-06T17:15:00.000+08:00

Whenever I admit to other people that I watch an occasional golf game on TV, they look shocked as if I'm making a lame joke. Just like peeps at home think I've gone crazier than usual when I actually watch a game--crazier since I already watch too much ESPN as it is. Obviously, I don't give a shiznit what people think because here I am making the same admission.

I don't know why people can't believe that I actually like, or even understand, the game. Prolly because it doesn't have much of a "view" compared to the other sports I follow and especially since most golfers are middle aged. But it's actually kinda cool to keep score--what's crazy is that this is the only sport wherein the player with the smallest score wins. And if you really don't have a single golfing bone in your body you prolly won't appreciate how sexy a hole in one is!

But me being me, my most fave golfers don't happen to be middle aged--or God forbid, have an expanding middle. Although I do know who Jack Nicklaus and saw him play in his farewell Open Championship a few years back. Who comes up to par now? Brand new papa Tiger Woods (if his game doesn't do it for you, his pic with his cub will surely do you in), Luke Donald (it's the Anglophile in me), and Adam Scott (Aussie manjoyment).

What's Cooking

2007-08-04T18:11:00.000+08:00

I was just browsing around and then bloghopping a li'l bit when I stumbled on this neat piece of news. I am still not over the Harry Potter mania (and I don't think I'll ever be ) so I hope you'd pardon me for posting another related on dit. Well, I found out that not-so-little Daniel Radcliffe is going to star in a TV movie later this year in a drama called My Boy Jack. It's about the story of how the son of author Rudyard Kipling goes MIA during World War I. Jack Kipling had been rejected by the army because of poor eyesight but his father pulled strings so that his son could enlist. From the looks of this picture, Dan looks set to play 17-year old marvelously when the film comes out in November. And it's great to have him foray into more adult roles and not get stuck in the Harry Potter stereotype.

*******

But for now, I'll settle for this piece of news: Backstreet's back! I thought they were gone for good last year but I thought wrong. And I don't care what people think of them and if whether they're too old to be making music together--which is crap thinking. You can never be too old to make beautiful music and this fellas here are good at it. Unlike some other boybands that sprouted out of the woodwork during the boyband craze, this is one of the rare groups who actually knew what they are doing. And they continue to do so--as they set to release "Inconsolable" in late August. Too bad the group is sans Kev this time around (check out the symbolic empty shoes in that pic--I chose this edited pic for emphasis and for laughs--but of course the official photo doesn't have the danged thing).

(Supposed) Feel-Good Movies

2007-08-04T15:26:00.000+08:00

I may have been a negligent blogger lately but the movie maniac in me haven't been left wanting in the past couple of weeks or so. And I actually had the chance to finally watch three of the movies that I've been wanting to see for months.

Because I Said So

I was expecting big things from this movie. I mean, what do you expect when you have Diane Keaton, Mandy Moore, Piper Graham, and Lauren Graham in one movie, right? But the movie turned out to be one big MEH. The character of a meddling mother could be a novelty but the way Ms Keaton's character went to extremes to find the perfect man for her daughter just scared the heck outta me. Trust me, I know the feeling of having the people around me feel more desperate than I am about my love life. Or my lack of it. And then there was Ms Moore's character--stringing two men along will never ever be classy. And sleeping with two men while waiting to see who the right and better man will never be a stylish thing.

Catch And Release
It's always to nice to have the chance to see Jen Garner not play the superspy or the superhero. So I took the chance to see this the first time I had. And once again, I found the film wanting. Jen was A-okay and found that Kevin Smith (of the Silent Bob fame) can actually talk. But then Timothy Olyphant's acting kept me wincing the entire flick. I know a lot of people actually liked this movie but I don't think there could ever be a happy-ever-after for this plot: fiance dies and months later (or was it just mere weeks?), girl falls in love with one of her ex's best friends only to find out that the the other best friend was also in love with her from the very start...blah blah blah.

Aquamarine

After watching the last two films, I was quite hesitant to watch this movie. I may not have watched a lot of mermaid movies but I think I might have seen one too many. But Tiff told me to just go ahead and see it--a third bad movie couldn't kill me. And thank God for it because I actually liked this. Who would have thought a mermaid flick could actually present a more realistic take on love and friendship? This film showed that love doesn't always happen at first, or even at fifth, sight; and that it happens out of growing together and knowing each other. And more importantly, that it takes more than distance to end a friendship. Watching Jojo and Emma Roberts onscreen made me wish I was young again and have them for my best friends.

Surviving Last Weekend

2007-07-24T15:28:00.000+08:00

Barely.

I had less than ten hours of sleep the entire weekend, haven't recovered yet, am still way past groggy right now but I have to make this post--or post the review on HP7. We went to a wake last Saturday night and came home around 5AM. And I couldn't sleep on Sunday because Harry Potter was calling my name and wanted to be read. "Accio book!" (or was it "Accio Kookie!") and there I was zapping through the pages until the epilogue--Nineteen Years Later. Hmm. (Smiling like an idiot right now.)

Apparate to my book blog for what I have to say about the book.

Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix

2007-07-18T14:46:00.000+08:00

Lemme just say that I wasn't over the moon after I've seen this movie. I guess it was okay but I had such high expectations about it that after I did see it, it barely came up to par. But that's prolly also because of the fact that The Goblet of Fire was such a tough act to follow. 'Nuff said about that.

The movie did live up to what it promoted: "The rebellion begins." So that was mainly the focus of the entire movie. Well, of course, that was exactly what the book was all about. But there was more to it than that though and I felt that the movie didn't quite capture everything it was supposed to. But then again, we'd prolly be at the movie house the entire day. And, of course, we have to consider directorial styles as well.

The special effects were great. There wasn't a lot used as per the usual HP movie but whatever was employed were seamlessly done. From the practice sessions with the D.A., to the fight scene between the Deatheaters and the members of the Order, to the not-so-subtle encounter between Professor Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort--amazing all!

The cast. Whew! Talk about seeing them all grow up on screen. If I didn't know any better I'd swear they weren't the kids in at least the first two movies. How they've grown! Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville (this boy is tall), Ginny, Seamus, Lee, Feorge and Gred (LOL!)...even Dudders, Draco and his cohorts. I have always said that Sirius Black was one of my most fave characters in the entire series but now that he's gone, I think I'm having a fondness for Professor Snape. (Yep, he's grown on me. Wicked! I really liked the scene when Harry was being interrogated by Umbridge and he told Snape that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had Padfoot; and Snape had his usual deadpan expression on his face. LOL!) I hate me for that but there's just no helping it. Although I will give my opinion again after I've read TDH.

As for the new characters, Imelda Staunton played Professor "Hem Hem" Umbridge very effectively to make me hate so much pink in one frame. Ugh! And can Helena Bonham Carter get any more demented than in her role as Bellatrix Lestrange? Evanna Lynch may have been the perfect girl to play Luna Lovegood but the breathy voice really just freaked me out.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that this was a great movie (in comparison to the earlier installments) but it was, nevertheless, good enough. Better than other movies out there right now. And they did the trademark HP ending that will leave you wanting for more--until the next movie in, what, a couple of years? Waiting is never my strongest suit.

Uber Pissed!

2007-07-15T22:56:00.000+08:00

Well, I was pretty excited to post my review of the latest Harry Potter movie when I saw that my template header is no longer working. WTF! If it had been another template I would have been okay with it. As it turned out, it was one of the best templates I've ever used--or found online. Shame. Utter shame. So I had to update the layout tonight when I would have been doing something else entirely.

This will have to do until I find something better--if I can find something else, that is, since it's oh so hard to find good--not to mention properly working--XML layouts out there. I will have to post the movie review tomorrow...but I'm so excited about the release of The Deathly Hallows that I had to redo the look of my book blog as well. Since I was at it, I might as well do both.

Love Notes, Part One

2007-07-08T18:43:00.000+08:00

Due to the rainy weather the past week, my brain has become too tired to contrive putting two thoughts together. Hence, I have nothing to blog about. Either that, or talk about the blasted weather itself. I have promised myself to be a better blogger, especially now that I do have spare time. Problem is that I really don't have anything original to say. Well, I did do a book review. I guess my brain power is only up to there only this weekend.

So to prevent from blank-posting my blog today, I'll just share some love notes with you, the first of two. I dunno whom to credit though because when a friend of mine shared these with me years and years ago, it was in audio format--and with zero credits either. I loved them too much though that I just had to transcribe them.

Here is the first one--I'll do the other one later. Any editing and transcription errors are my own. I've personally titled this "The Dance of Love."

There were two hearts who met in a dance. The moment was magical, there was a sweet song playing, there was harmony, and soon, love in the air. They fell in love and they started to building castles in their dreams and promised forever with all certainty. But somewhere in the midst of the fun, they got lost in the dance. Something went wrong but they can never do anything. They were just drifting away, their fortress falling apart. There were so many questions but no one had an answer.

When we truly love someone, we give our best and let that person see the pureness of our intention. But sometimes that person makes us cry and hurts us for the wrong reason. That someone must have loved us but he has not loved us enough to make him stand for what he truly felt. Now we are faced with the seemingly impossible task of forgetting. We have burdened ourselves long enough but we still can't get out of this emotional trap. Let us try to remember that the more we forget someone we love, the more painful letting go will become. Sometimes we never have to take that person out of our hearts at all for he will always be there, no matter how hard we try to drive him away. It isn't his presence that makes this difficult; it is out stubbornness to accept our destiny that aligns forgetting next to impossible. We keep a cold face but deep in our hearts there is still that lingering hope for a reconciliation.

Somehow, we still believe we can rekindle small embers and relight the fire that once burned in our hearts. These thoughts give us hope. But it also breeds the seeds of loneliness and despair. The only way to accept is to forget. And the only way to move on is look ahead, and let the footprints of the past be blown by the wind of time. Only then can our hearts find a partner in the dance of love and hopefully, never get lost again.

July 4th Is The Day

2007-07-04T16:26:00.000+08:00

For Americans the day mean something else. For a Beckhamist like me, it has an entirely different meaning. Let the video do the explaining.

Dreamboat Express: The Young'Uns Of C.S.I.

2007-07-03T16:26:00.000+08:00

I have been pretty busy lately that I have been neglecting my dreamboat serial. So since today is the start of a new blogging year, I'm going to make some changes in the serial and just do a feature every two weeks. And this time around, I will be more diligent in posting them on time like I said I was gonna do every Sunday. THIS feature is even being done on a Tuesday so that just tells you how that worries my OC tendencies.

Right. A start of a new blogging year, as I've said. So I guess it's only right that we kick it off with a feature on multiple hot guys. My pal Olive had been asking for a feature of our dear CSI: New York character Danny Messner (played by Carmine Giovinazzo). I think I will just do that in the future. But for now, I'll just have to do a post of all the hot guys in the shows that make crime-solving hotter than usual. Enjoy!

My First Blogiversary!

2007-07-03T15:42:00.000+08:00

Time flies pretty fast and the next thing I know is I've been blogging and yammering here for a full year. LOL!

I have posted just about anything about my life that I wanna share with the rest of the world--although I admit I haven't improved on being how open I am about my personal life. I'm sure that would make for some pretty good reading. But what the heck, even if I did write about my life it just would sound so far fetched that it would be hard to believe that it's my life instead of a TV soap and I don't think you'd need more drama in your life.

So here I am, one year and counting. Thanks for the peeps who keep dropping by--you helped me save lots (including my sanity) as I don't think I need a therapist. What do I need that for when I have a blog?

Transformers

2007-07-02T15:59:00.000+08:00

Who would have thought that for someone who didn't know who or what Optimus Prime is, I would enjoy this film so much? Honestly, I just went to see it because I loved the trailer. Unlike the guy friends I went along with to watch Transformers last night, I wasn't singing the anime version's soundtrack all the way to the theater (and back!).

And boy, did I have fun or what! It was well worth the money I spent to watch it. I really felt blind going into the theater because I didn't know a thing about the cartoon version. I'm not exactly big on animation films, and especially nothing about robots for Pete's sake. But then I was impressed by the trailer when I first saw it and I was thinking of seeing if I have the time. But what the heck, when it arrived in the theaters last week, I just had to make time to see it.

I don't regret it one bit. Nuh uh. Of course, it didn't help my cause any since I practically worhip at the altar of Michael Bay--his Armageddon happens to be my all-time fave movie. So there. And yeah, I'm one of the few who saw Pearl Harbor more than once and will probably see it again. I think a new film from him would hardly disappont me. And then there's producer Steven Spielberg. One of the best there is although I was disappointed by that last alien movie he did with that short guy (don't ask me who). But he pretty much earned my respect once again after this effort to a point that I want my own pet Transformer in my backyard. That just is, I don't have one. A backyard, I mean.
Oh, and did I mention that Josh Duhamel and Tyrese AND Amaury Nolasco was in the film, too? (Yes, Lee, Sucre is in the picture!) Yey! But it's really hard to consider who the real winner of this film was--except for the studio, that is, once they're done counting how much the box office earning will be. Just about everything clicked the right way for this movie--it had all the right comedic wise-ass comments thrown in plus a little teeny-bopper romance. And then some really funny robots--watch them try to hide themselves when Sam first brought them home. Absurd! Bay also did his trademark speech scenes (Jon Voight as the Secretary of Defense) and those slow-mo takes he shoots in each film he does. And he happens to worship in the altar of big action sequences as well so it goes without saying that there's a plenty big explosive moments in the entire film. Love it!

Right. I have decided who the real winner in the film is--Bumblebee. I want a Bumblebee of my own. Really. If there ever was a scoundrel of a robot, it's a Bumblebee in all his glory. That stunt he pulled when Sam was trying to impress his crush Mikaela (played by the hot Megan Fox) was something else. Up until now, I still can't get the song "Baby, Come Back" outta my head. LOL! You have to see it because I wouldn't be able to do it justice if I try to narrate it .

So for those who haven't seen the movie, hie yourself to the theater nearest you, like, now!

Girl Power Is On...Again!

2007-06-30T14:43:00.000+08:00

I have to let the news sink in for a few days before I could make an honest reaction to the news of the Spice Girls getting back together. At least a farewell tour with all FIVE of them. And it's only now that I'm actually glad that they are. I never got on the caravan that was the Spice Girls mania all those years ago, only becoming a fan of the group after I saw their concert in Istanbul on TV--that was supposed to be the opening show of their world tour. But then Geri jumped ship and that was that.

And now I'm actually gonna witness their comeback, even if it is being staged as their farewell tour. But better that than nothing else. And this was a long time coming indeed. All five of them have changed over the years and I can't wait to see what kind of production they're going to put out there. I'm sure it won't be anything like that concert in Istanbul. LOL! Excited does not even begin to describe the way I feel about this thing. And check out this beautiful pic of when they announced their reunion a few days past. Very cool, mature, and chic. Nothing like the girls who graced music videos a decade ago.

And check out their reunion promo video here. :o)

And Since Everyone Is Doing It...

2007-06-28T18:26:00.000+08:00

I've had my blog rated, too. And here is the verdict:

Really now. Apparently, I mentioned the word SHIT thrice (four now!) and the word sexy one time too many. Damn!

Have your blog rated here.

Dreamboat Express: Alex Rodriguez

2007-06-28T16:42:00.000+08:00

I've been in a daze for the past week since that burglary in our place that I neglected to post a dreamboat last Sunday. Unforgivable. And to think that I was quite excited to feature Alex Rodriguez, the first A-Rod in sports. (The second one being Andy Roddick. Already featured, of course.)

When I first knew of him, he was playing for the Seattle Mariners. But I didn't even notice his multi-million move to the Texas Rangers, the biggest in baseball history. All I know was that he was best buds with THE Jeter Derek. But the superstar status didn't help the Rangers any. It was only when he moved to the Bronx that his star has shone the brightest. He is currently having the season of his life...which would become better if they could go on top of their division--which had better be soon. But first things first, the All-Stars is just around the corner and currently A-Rod leads voting. This is my props for the man.

Burgled!

2007-06-21T16:38:00.000+08:00

Just when I thought my life couldn't get any worse, it actually did. Dammit!

Thinking that these things only happen to other people is a crazy idea. Thankfully, I and my family had never been victims of muggings or robbery. And in my case, that's saying a lot since I have worked jobs with crazy hours and I always use public transpo. But lo and behold, my sister and I had just become victims of burglary last Tuesday in a place we thought was safe enough--the "secure" apartment we are currently staying.

It happened last Tuesday and since I was working the morning shift, I didn't find out until around noontime when I checked my messages. The effing asshole got my sis' phone and handbag and my jewelry box. Shit shit shit!

It's not so much about the monetary value of the stuff that got stolen that I'm crazy about but the fact that the things inside it had more sentimental value than the swiper's pathetic life has. My jewelry cum music box alone was a gift from my second grade teacher when I graduated from college. The pieces of jewelry in it were gifts from family including a gold watch I'v had since I was ten. Plus knick knacks I got from vacations and--this is what I'm most freaked out about--a Becks keychain that was a gift from one of sisters' friends. I wasn't even using it 'cause I was afraid of losing it. Grrr!

And it wasn't only us. Three other room in our building got hit, too. Two rooms actually had sleeping people in them. And we found out later in the day from the police that four other apartment buildings got burgled on as well. I hate these people and now understand why the general public condones the vigilante killings of known criminals in the past few years.

I'm just glad noone got hurt amoung our housemates, especially my sister who saw an unknown man when she came out of our room, who saw her locking up our room real good. That must have been the guilty shithead who took advantage of the fact that noone was obviously in our room.

I can rant all day but I won't give him the satisfaction of affecting our lives anymore than he already did. He can shove the things he stole up his ass. All I want is the chance to slap the daylights out of him and kick his balls up his throat. If I can't have that, I'll settle for him and everyone who benefited from their MO to die a slow and painful death. That's all.

Campeones At Last After Four Years

2007-06-18T17:24:00.000+08:00

I wasn't able to watch the game last night--nor heard who won the title, Real or Barca, up until I sat in front of the computer right about now. Butterflies in my stomach, shaking hands...I was so scared of finding out that Becks' last hurrah would just end up in nothing.

Who would have thought at the start of the second half of the season that Real Madrid would gather enough momentum to bring back the Primera title back home? And that they would steal it right under the nose of powerhouse Barcelona. Although right about this moment, Barca doesn't look like such a powerhouse now, do they?

But the La Liga title is back in the Bernabeu where it belongs. After four barren years, David Beckham has finally won a silverware in Madrid whites even after a very turbulent final season with the club plagued with injury worries and being snubbed by coach Fabio Capello after his big signing with LA Galaxy early this year. But Becks was instrumental in the club's comeback in the second half of the season. Now, before he moves to the U.S., he has something to finally show for his five years with the Merengues. Not to mention that he won the title on Fathers' Day. What a day to celebrate with his sons!

And I'm extremely happy for the entire team as well especially for Real oldtimers Raul, Roberto Carlos, Iker Casillas and Guti. With the loss of Ronaldo in mid-season, everything seemed so, well, lost. But if there's one way Real knew how to do, it's to win something in style--they definitely achieved that this season with a final-day decider last night. A send-off to beat all send-offs for Becks from the rest of the team. It was a joy to watch videos of the club celebrating in Las Cibeles after the match--that sight was a long time coming.

Thank you, guys, you definitely showed the Beckham boys--all four of them--a good time!

And Since It's Father's Day...

2007-06-17T18:43:00.000+08:00

To all the fathers who got blown by the wind here in my bloggie, I wish you a very happy father's day. And to fathers of all ye, readers, please greet your greats pops a very happy birthday from moi.

I'm so freakin' shallow 'cause the whole point of this damn post is this list that Victoria's Secret released last month--their "What Is Sexy?" list. Do tell me if you agree or if you don't about their choices. Here it is.

Sexiest Actress - Jessica Alba (I've no problem with that. She is hot!)

Sexiest Actor - Eric Dane (I want more McSteamy! Check out that hot pic. YUM!)

Sexiest Beach Body - Matthew McConaughey (Sure, but I think Ryan Reynolds has a better bod.)

Sexiest Male Musician - Justin Timberlake (Rowena will agree with this, hands down.)

Sexiest Female Musician - Carrie Underwood (Never mind that she won over Bo 'cause she is really pretty cool.)

Sexiest Female Athlete - Danica Patrick (The girl can drive so she has my props.)

Sexiest Male Athlete - Derek Jeter (Could be. But for someone who's a sucker for athletes, it'd be hard for me decide who comes second to Becks. LOL!)

Sexiest Mom - Kate Hudson (I don't think I'd vote for her for this category although I like her as an actress.)

Sexiest Dad - David Beckham (*grin*Yeah! He's the sexiest everything!*grin*)

Sexiest Couple - Jay-Z and Beyonce (Hmm. Okay.)

Sexiest Trendsetting Style - Sienna Miller (Really? I'm not exactly aware of that.)

Sexiest Smile - Josh Duhamel (I love this guy--and now his smile, too.)

Sexiest Eyes - Adrian Grenier (If I can vote for Becks for Sexiest Athlete for his second 'award' then I think I will vote Eric Dane for this category, too.)

Sexiest Legs - Cameron Diaz (I guess VS can't vote for their own and make Giselle win, huh?)

Sexiest Lips - Jennifer Hudson (What?! No Angie?)

Sexiest Cast - Grey’s Anatomy (Ditto!)

Sexiest City - Las Vegas (What happened to Paris?)

Dreamboat Express: Tony Parker

2007-06-17T17:49:00.000+08:00

And the rest of the San Antonio Spurs.

And their long season has finally come to fruition. And I'm sure Tony Parker had felt that time more than anyone--wasn't there a no-sex rule for him during the playoffs? I know I read that somewhere so don't go a-smirking on me, fella. LOL!

I love, love, love it that the Spurs won against the Cavs--in a four-game sweep nonetheless! Not that I hate the Cavs but I knew right from the start that the Spurs is the better team. Oh, I'd love to have the underdog win but in this case, I just wasn't feeling the so-called underdog. And I love a team who knows how to play like a team, not like some one-man show. That's why I wanted to do a team feature here for the first time in the serial. But we all know Tony Parker is getting married next month so this will be the last time I can make a salute to him as a bachelor.

And why not? Heck, he definitely deserves it after a fantastic showing in the Finals and becoming the first European-born player to win the Finals MVP. It's the year of the Europeans, isn't it? First, Dirk. Now, Tony. Wow! Basketball has finally become an international game.

Three Summer Movies Down

2007-06-14T15:58:00.000+08:00

And a helluva lot more left to watch.

Why can't they just spread out the great ones during the entire year? Why do most good movies have to come out at around the same time? And then we'd be lucky to have at least one or two stray good ones the rest of the year. Not to mention that it's difficult to schedule them all in the space of just a few months. And damn if I can seriously review them all of them together except for these quickie ones I'm about to do. Shame!

Spiderman 3

Who'd have thought that I'd finally get myself to the cinemas and watch a Spidey film? I never did bother with the first two but since someone gave away free tickets, why not?

And I didn't regret it. Although I doubt if it will make it to my most fave films, it was actually a nice movie. Okay. It was great. (Or maybe that's just the free ticket talking.) Seriously, I quite enjoyed the whole thing. At least Peter wasn't his ultra-good boy self during the entire length of the film. I had a good laugh during his Fall-Out-Boy transformation. That was definitely a high point.

And then there's James Oh-La-La Franco. He thankfully had a bigger role in this story. Unfortunately, that led him to him getting killed right at the end. Party pooper! This had better be the last Spidey film 'cause it just wouldn't be right without his character in it. (No matter that he had assholeish tendencies.)

Plus: I love Topher Grace especially now I know that he could play the evil villain. Wicked! And let's not forget Bryce Dallas Howard who was hot in her blond mane--very far from her blind character in The Village or the chlorine-soaked creature in Lady in the Water.

Pirates Of The Carribbean: At World's End

Ahoy there, matey!

Wow! I mean, double-effing-wow! Director Gore Verbinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer hit the prefect note for this final installment in their Pirates trilogy and mixed in just about every thing needed to make a blockbuster--action, adventure, fantasy, comedy, and oh, romance.

Keira Knightley was awesome once again as [Captain/King(?)] Elizabeth Swann. I must confess that I trooped to watch this because two hours or so to ogle Orland Bloom's Will Turner could definitely be a fixer-upper for any bad week. It was that and more. Orli's just too-too--too sexy, too hot, too damn sexy (worth to say that twice at the very least).

And I think that Johnny Depp deserves an Oscar win this time around for his superb performance of CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow. Hell, yeah! Nobody could've played the whacked-out pirate to perfection and Mr Depp did that in a way that it's hard to believe that Jack as being just a character. No one can certainly pull off making him look adorably cute trying to pull a ship on dry land.

Upside: Almost three hours of running time was quite enough time to cap off the entire saga. And I wasn't even surprised by the post-credits ending. I'm on to you, Mr Bruckheimer. (Just so you know, you didn't fool me one bit.)

Downside: See upside. Too much screentime to realize that Orli and Keira made for bad pirates. Baby-butt smooth skin just doesn't do it if you're supposed to be under the sun all day long, not to mention all that ocean air. But meh, don't mind me. LOL!

Fantastic 4: The Rise Of The Silver Surfer

I'm not one for comic books but I do enjoy its movie equivalents. I was kinda skeptical to see this since, as I've just seen Spiderman, the Silver Surfer just looked liked the Green Goblin in silver duds. On another note, I felt obliged to watch it on the big screen since I did watch the first one on it, too.

After Pirates' butt-numbing three-hour run, this seemed like a thirty-minute TV soap. But it was surprisingly good. Ioan Gruffud didn't look like the guy chasing puppies in 102 Dalmatians and Chris Evans didn't resemble at all like the stupid jock in Not Another Teen Movie. They've come a long way. Jessica Alba still looked good even if the blond hair wasn't really her and I was just thankful to see Michael Chiklis at least twice in the entire movie, to know that it was still him behind all that, uhm, rock.

But nobody can steal the thunder of the Silver Surfer (voiced by Laurence Fishburne) himself. He puts surfer dudes like Kelly Slater to shame and he makes me wish I knew how to skimboard at the very least.

Unlike the previous two movies here, this is definitely not the last part of the series (nor the last time we see Johnny in a towel, I hope). Dr Von Doom is obviously still alive and kicking although that thought doesn't worry me half as much as the thought of our planet about to be swallowed whole by some unknown cosmic force while I was doing something mundane, e.g. watching a movie or blogging.

*******

UNINTENTIONALLY MISSED: The Last Mimzy. I was quite intrigued by the trailer when I saw it but it only showed for one week and I didn't get the chance to see it. I still don't know if that was a good thing or what. So if anyone had seen the movie, your thoughts about it will definitely be appreciated.

INTENTIONALLY MISSED: Oceans' 13. I didn't really warm up to Ocean's 12 so I wasn't inclined to see this on the big screen. I guess I'll just watch this at home but there's no way I'm not gonna see it. I'm not ca-razy!!! We're talking Clooney, Pitt, Damon--and then there's that freaky Pacino guy this time around.

WILL NEVER MISS: Transformers; Ratatouille; Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix.

Flame on!

Dreamboat Express: Rafael Nadal

2007-06-10T17:34:00.000+08:00

After two weeks of play, the 2007 French Open comes to a close tonight. Whoever it is that's gonna win the trophy this year doesn't really matter since I've already picked out my winner between the two finalists.

The fact alone that he's practically the only one that can defeat the seemingly unbeatable world number one, Roger Federer, makes him hot stuff. He's also the record holder for the longest winning streak on a single surface (clay, of all surfaces for Pete's sake!) with 81 wins. And that he was only 20 at the time he achieved this is really something. The kid only turned 21 last Sunday but his accolades is already of legend status--personally, his ability to outplay Federer on clay being THE highpoint. And the fact that he's a huge Real Madrid supporter is not to be forgotten. I just hope though that he doesn't get too tied to his ability to being a dominant player on just one surface and work to master all of them. He did manage to reach the finals of Wimbledon last year, only to be defeated by who-else-but-the-world-number-one-again, but there's no other way than up after that. I think he'd be the only player in the tour right now who can hoist that French Open trophy then the Wimbledon trophy...and maybe, the US Open trophy...and then the Aussie Open after that...in those crazy capri pants--and almost convince us that they look good!

So will he make it for the third straight year in Roland Garros tonight? Let's just hope so because I'm not the biggest fan of the alternative. Vamos, Rafa!

England 3-0 Estonia

2007-06-07T14:44:00.000+08:00

That scoreline is damned wonderful to look at.

The blokes are back on a roll. Although they do still have a lot of work to do to go on top of their group standings for next year's European Championships as they currently sit fourth in Group E with 14 points. The good thing is that they are only a win and three points behind group leaders Croatia with only 5 matches to go. I just hope that they continue to be in form as they have been in their latest two games. That draw against Brazil last week pretty much put back the confidence into the team as they faced the Estonian team last night and pretty much demolished their opponents. The best thing that took place last night aside from the winning result was the first international competitive appearance since the World Cup last year of three of my fave players--Becks, Joe Cole and Michael Owen. My man set up the two of the three goals of the night--that's three assists from the four goals England had scored since his return. And damn if that Joe Cole goal in the 37th minute wasn't blazingly hot. What an amazing solo effort! Then there was the magnificant pass from Becks to man-tower Peter Crouch in the 54th. And then another in the 62nd for Michael Owen to put into the net. Yes, it might have been a Beckham pass but I was actually more excited by the fact that Owen made a perfect finish. I terribly miss this guy and my heart broke for him when he got injured early on in Germany last year.

Seems like the blokes are in back in above-par winning form and will be ensured of their place in the finals next year in no time. What a productive night in Tallinn this game was. Can't wait for the next fixture against current group second placers Israel. Feels like September is a lifetime away!

*******

We David Beckham fans all know that last April he got a Prison Break-inspired two-foot long tattoo inked on his entire right arm. But then look at what I stumbled on today:
I jokingly say that he only knows how to make boys but if or when he manages to ink his left arm for a daughter, that's when I'll truly believe that this man can do anything. Kewl!

What I've Been Up To Lately

2007-06-07T12:44:00.000+08:00

The busy schedule at work never seems to end so obviously we're still at it--but I'm trying not to kill myself by cutting myself some slack during my rest days. There's a current stop in the "production line" for the wedding invites that I've been doing. I'm just a few pieces short of the total number but I ran out of the fabric ribbon that I've been using and the bride-to-be is having a hard time finding the exact same thing. But we will be back in production in no time, I'm sure.

*******

Olive came for a visit. Yey!

And I fell in love with her green Adidas bag. (I heart Adidas so, Liv, take note: I want.) She and her sister came for a one-day shopping extravaganza (no other way to describe it) and we met after work. Check out this pic of me (that's my fat, ugly mug right in the middle!) with my bestest friends, Lee Ann and Olivia, taken at Dessert Factory. Along with the good-for-ambiance-bad-for-picture-taking lighting, they serve the best brain-numbing chocolate cakes I've ever had. I'm sorry, Liv, but I have to tell the world this: Lee and I give our props to you for consuming the one serving of the infamous, nosebleed-inducing Achocolypse Now! that we couldn't finish together in a previous outing. Hahaha!

*******

Food trip. Ugh! That seems to be the order of the day every-effing-day whether I'm with my officemates or my housemates. I admit, I am an emotional eater so this is what happens every day after a tiring day at work. But WTF! that is such a lame excuse for not fitting into some of my jeans and shorts. And I've just added to my gastronomic crimes yesterday's outing to the beach for an officemate's birthday party. I'm now a little heavier and a shade darker than when I was on Tuesday.

*******

I lost my marbles.

There's no other explanation for binging on the game of Sudoku. As I've repeatedly mentioned, I'm uber-busy from work, not to mention uber-stressed. But do I relax the first chance I get free time? No, I start a game of Sudoku. Am I crazy or am I crazy? But then again, the game itself might have made me lose my marbles. After all, I'm doing the Insane level these days. I'm sure that's indicative of something.

Dreamboat Express: Steven Gerrard

2007-06-03T15:37:00.000+08:00

Honestly, I really couldn't say that Stevie G here is hot hot because he does look like one of my cousins and that just wouldn't be right. LOL! But there are times that I just couldn't help myself--the guy looks just too damned cute at times.

Anyway, I wanna feature him right now while he is still a one hot bachelor--he's tying the knot with long-term girlfriend Alex Curran on June 15. Sowee, ladies. And besides, he was Man of the Match in England's international friendly with Brazil on June 1st so I think the props is just right. He has been my favorite Liverpool Red ever since Michael Owen left the club but only because he plays great football and was able to establish leadership for the squad. Not to mention that he has led the team to European club glory in 2005 in one of the most memorable Finals match in Champions League history--coming back from a 0-3 deficit from halftime and winning the trophy in penalties. Whew! I remember giving up during the break in that match and I still feel bad for not believing more in the team.

So here's a salute back to this amazing Liverpool captain.

Number 7 Is Back!!!!

2007-06-02T16:26:00.000+08:00

And what a comeback it was.

(Imagine me doing my crazy happy dance!)

David Beckham made his return to the England squad with a vengeance in the national side's 1-1 draw in their exhibition match against the samba boys of Brazil. I'd say that his performance was gleaming--just like the brand new Wembley stadium. And who'd have thought we're ever gonna see him again in an England shirt in Wembley again--if at all? Yes, it was a draw but I still get a silly grin on my face whenever I see and remember Becks's free kick that led to John Terry's goal in the 68th. It was great seeing the old cap'n efforts being converted by the new one. It doesn't matter (well, maybe it does) that Brazil got an equalizer at the last minute but it sure was heck fun to watch Becks make his golden passes on the Wembley pitch again.

Let's admit it, he's not going to make the team an instant success--he can't do it singlehandedly. The rest of the team have to pull their weight if they want to have a real chance at qualifying for Euro 2008. But we have to acknowledge that his presence just might be the presence they need to do just that. And if his winning form in that exhibition match last night against Brazil is exhibit A, then they're pretty much on their way to having a wonderful showing in thier next few matches. I just hoped that a certain person *ahem* McClaren *ahem* could have seen this way before last week.

Becks's return is not the only of note in this match. Alan Smith and Michael Owen is back in the ranks again and I hope this time injuries stay far, far away from the blokes.

Did I say yet that I'm happy? Damn right I am. Who wouldn't be? And it looked like I wasn't the only one who's ecstatic about his return--if the cheers during the introduction and the ovation he got at Wembley when he got subbed in the 77th were something to go by, then I think England's Golden Boy is officially back. Last night was a crucial match regardless of the fact that it was just a friendly. Now I'm looking forward to the Euro qualifiers against Estonia in midweek.

I just think that that peroxide overdose is working. LOL! You go, Becks!

England Recall

2007-05-27T19:43:00.001+08:00

First of all: Humble pie, anyone?

God, I just can't seem to stop laughing at Steve McClaren. Man, oh, man. Either he gets Becks' (sexy) butt back in the England squad or risk losing another match with his so-called first picks and then lose his post as England manager. Poor guy. I'm sure he's having a healthy dose of humble these days together with all the words he has said about Becks not being worthy of playing in the national squad--just "a pretty face" whose shirts he'd buy. Well, bully for you.
He shouldn't have had snobbed the man in the first place. Now look where he is now: in a very tight spot with matches to win so that they could qualify for Euro 2008. Doesn't he think this move might already be too late? I hope Becks can help get the team back together though--he did play a better World Cup last year than more than half of the squad but since he was captain then, people didn't really see that.

I did my happy jig as soon as I found out about this news. I was as happy as I could be for Becks--while Tiff was as happy as she could be imagining McClaren choking on some humble pie as he made this decision. Tee-hee!

Dreamboat Express: Double Header

2007-05-27T18:23:00.000+08:00

I hate not doing what I'm supposed to do and I know that I missed posting a feature last Sunday for DE so I'm gonna do a double header today.

So first, I'm sticking with who I was supposed to feature last time--Mr Dirk Nowitzki. Huh! I dunno if I even really like him (hotness-wise) but my Pops think he's an awesome player so I guess that makes him something of a hottie--my Pops happens to be my basketball authority. And did I say that he won the regular season MVP for the '06-'07 season Tuesday last week? He's the first European-born player to get the award and rightly so. He'd been playing fantastic basketball in the past few years and he finally got a reward for all his hard work for the Mavs.

And also, this feature is for my friend Jules--who adores this guy.

*******

And for the second feature: Marat Safin. This Russian power server is one of my fave tennis players--although by checking my previous (and I'm sure the future) DE posts you can tell that I have a lot. I dunno why but I think he plays hot tennis--like his hot self. I remember the Aussie Open finals in 2005 and I pretty much could say that he made his name in that match. Too bad though that injury had plagued what could have been a fruitful career.

So it's the clay season once again in the tennis tour--the French Open is finally underway today--and I hope he does a good showing. In fact, I hope he does a good showing for the entire tour this year.

Selfishly enough, this feature is for moi (feeling the French vibe, eh?)--'cause I adore this guy.

Excuses And What-Nots

2007-05-27T17:23:00.000+08:00

My only excuse for getting back to my old way of being a bad blogger is that, really, I have no excuse. NotAnExcuse # 1) The busier-than-usual workweeks I've had in the past couple of weeks; and NotAnExcuse # 2) The even busier "rest" days in between. I feel tired just thinking about what happened during the past couple of weeks. I must admit though that it was a different kind of tired. Physically tired, yes. But the mental muscles had had great exercise so I really couldn't complain.

Weddings Everywhere

Am I the only one not getting married these days?

Holly girl is. Lucky her. NO! Lucky MM.

A friend of mine from high school also got married last Saturday--which I felt bad for not being able to attend because I found out at the last minute and couldn't get leave from work anymore.

And then I have an officemate who's getting married in October--and I've volunteered my services in helping with the wedding invites. Up until I saw the finished products, I didn't know I had all that creativity in me. I guess it's enough to say that I was danged proud of my self. LOL!

Eff Me If Wrong

My friends at work used to have a crush in our office we have nicknamed Eff (but not this politely) MeIfI'mWrong. But then he was transferred to another site--but that was after we found out that he was a total jerk. So right now we are back to being surrounded by gloriously open gay guys in the office. I'm not saying that they aren't fun to be with--the complete opposite, in fact--but really, wouldn't it be MORE FUN to actually look forward to seeing your own Mr EffMeIfI'mWrong when one has to go to work?

Trebler's 8th Anniversary

Funny how time goes by so quickly. This weekend marks the 8th anniversary of when Manchester United won the unique Treble in 1999. I can still remember it clearly like it was yesterday. But, oh boy, that was one heck of a wonderful football season. It was great watching the young boys of Old Trafford come of age and win trophy after trophy--and achieve what has gotta be the penultimate prize in club football.

*******

Speaking Manchester United memories, I can't help but think about my old pal Tim, who also happened to be a huge fan of the club. It's things like these that remind me of him and how I try not to think that every May he was supposed to turn a year older--although he would always remain 25.

Miss you very much, Timmy. Everyday.

Duped!

2007-05-16T21:13:00.000+08:00

I'm ashamed to admit that I have been, indeed, duped.

I was rearranging my online-stored Beckham photo albums when I stumbled on one of the pics that looked all too familiar. WTF! And so I backtracked to my Dreamboat Express feature on Wentworth Miller and bam! There it was.

So I took the pic out of the slide and put something else in. It offends me to even post it again so I'm not going to. Scroll down and you'd know what picture I mean. So to all those who drooled on that pic, sorry. That ain't good ole Wentworth in that shot.

Here's the real deal:
Proof is in the Guardian Angel and Brooklyn tats on his back. This pic was published years ago in a book.

I love Wentworth Miller still but for the whoever genius who did the editing: You've just been found out!

Dreamboat Express: Blake Lewis

2007-05-14T22:56:00.000+08:00

It's American Idol Finale week. Finale-ly.

And I can barely sit still.

I waited for months for this to arrive and now I'm a nervous wreck. Sheesh, I need for Blake Lewis to win. Need it like I do oxygen. I'm just head over heels about this guy. But then he's such a cool performer so that wasn't totally unexpected. I know I haven't been as vigilant about this season like I have been in the past but I did my share of Blake-loving. And I have been trailing Blake's performances week in and week out.

His rendition of "Time Of The Season" still remains my most fave so far and "You Give Love A Bad Name" comes in a close second. I haven't had enough of playing those on YouTube. And that doesn't mean I don't check out his other performances at least once. I am such a hopeless Blaker case.

I just hope he gets to win because he deserves to--there has been noone like him in the six Idol seasons yet. But if not, well there had been a lot of seasons that the buying American public had proven the voting American public wrong. (Daughtry, anyone?)

Am keeping my fingers crossed.

When Tiffany Says So

2007-05-14T19:45:00.000+08:00

"Have you seen Spiderman 3 yet? Uh-huh. But tell me, what's really the effing fuss about this film, eh?"

That's Tiffany for you.

Admittedly, I have been intrigued about this third Spidey installment since I saw the first (short-cut) version trailer months ago. But the thought of catching it on big screen never stuck as a capital idea. After all, I didn't watch the first two in the cinemas. A fact that I'm not remorseful about after I did get the chance to see them.

"Right. So why bother."

Tiffany again.

And she's right, as usual. Well, most of the time. And we both agree that our idea of a real summer blockbuster has Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom strutting their sexy stuff on screen.

But who, you ask, is Tiffany? In short, she's my alter ego. LOL! A poor excuse for one, that's for damn sure.

When one acts weirdly enough--liking one thing one time and hating it the next, it can be quite mind boggling. I don't think I've a problem about multiple personalities but I'd like to think of Tiff as my (crazy biyatch) voice of reason. Although if I (you) would really look at it, she's my excuse for being crazy, corny, crazily corny and, most of the time, just plain biyatchy. She gobbles up WWE and Mad TV like mad, and can't suffer men who think they're chocolate coated almonds. (Although come to think of it, who can?)

I'm not stereotyping the Tiffanys of the world though. Let's just make that clear now. Only because when I started liking the idea of having my "alter ego" (when I was in my teens), I was reading a young adult fiction book with a cheerleader character who did all these bitchy stuff just to snag HottestGuyInSchool. Her name was Tiffany and long story short, I ended up loving hating her--and the name eventually stuck.

Poor Tiff really takes all the blame for my nastier side. Some of the time, she's my cynical voice. But most of the time, I love her as my "logical" voice ("Damn, girl! You're eating way too much carbo-rich food!") But she's Tiff so I rearely listen. And then she can also be so over the top, it's practically a hoot.

So when she says: "Really. Going to the cinemas is a waste of time and money even if we watch Pirates... Better spend your dosh on those damn romance novels you so love to read."

I just have to tell her: "Logical voice or not, I'm having the final say on this. We are watching Pirates...even if I have to drag you to it."

Poor girl. She doesn't have a choice now, does she?

And she didn't have a choice when I dragged her to watch Spidey slink around in his spandex for the third and last time (and so they say). She couldn't very well complain if someone was giving away free tickets.

Music & Lyrics

2007-05-11T18:44:00.000+08:00

I was excited to watch this movie because I was curious as to how the nearly fifty Hugh Grant would look and sound when singing. We all know he can dance, right? (Remember Love, Actually?) He came out and did it with taste, as always. No wonder I love his movies--and it's not just because of the British accent either. Add the eternally lovable Drew Barrymore to the equation and I knew it was going to be one heck of a feel-good movie. And it assuredly didn't disappoint me.

It started funnily enough with clips of Alex Fletcher's (Grant) '80s group. I can't explain it but there's just something about new wave that tickles my funny bone. And I love the concept of their concept--to feature a member of a former famous boygroup that topped the charts twenty years ago. I know VH1 and countless many reality shows do it these days. But then reality reality shows and cable TV weren't part of my vocabulary twenty years ago so I couldn't relate. This movie entitles me to see of what's to come not too many years from now of my former boygroup heroes. LOL!

So Alex will endeavor to write a song for the current pop sensation Cora Corman (Haley Bennett)--a cross-breed between Britney Spears and, well, Britney Spears (in her better years, I might add). But even enlisting the help of someone working for Hallmark didn't work out until Sophie Fisher (Barrymore) came into the picture. Well, she just came in to water Alex's house plants, really.

The next thing they knew he was putting music to Sophie's words. (That was after they highlighted Alex's age by showing Sophie's much older sister, played by Kristen Johnston, as a big fan of Alex's old group.) Okay, so they were working greatly enough to finish the song before the deadline--until such time the tantric Cora wanted to put a Hindi twist to the song. When Sophie asked for the song to remain as it is, arrangement-wise, Cora demanded the ending to be changed. It just wasn't working for her.

But Sophie felt that the song was already complete and Alex insisted they still change it, wanting to ensure his comeback by giving in to Cora's whims, so Sophie walked. When showtime came, she was assailed by hurt just like when an ex-boyfriend wrote a eventual bookseller based on a "fictional" budding writer when only Alex's name was announced as the songwriter of the winning song during Cora's tour opening concert.

But all's well that ends well. It was an entirely different song--which proved that Alex still has the songwriting touch. And when the time came for their song to be performed, it remained originally the way they wrote it. (And I had to laugh out loud because Cora still managed to do her signature wiggle while performing a ballad. LOL!)

And did I mention that I'm crazy about the song? Who wouldn't be if it ran something along:

"All I wanna do is find my way back into love..."

Dreamboat Express: Jonny Wilkinson

2007-05-06T21:56:00.000+08:00

Honestly, I have never been a big fan of rugby. I don't think I'll ever be a big fan of rugby. But it still gives me goosebumps whenever I remember watching the game live on TV the evening England won the Rugby World Cup in 2003. Being the sportsfan that I am, any big global event such as this always catch my attention. Never mind that I have never watched an entire rugby game before that night. But all throughout the tourney, England was proving their critics wrong left and right; and worked more and more on proving their fans right--that they could be the greatest in rugby nation and be the first Northern Hemisphere country to bring home the WC trophy.

And who better to catch my attention than fly-half (don't me ask what that position does) Jonny Wilkinson. He had been kicking goals his way during the finals and practically led the entire squad in lifting that trophy. I hated the feeling of having to wonder if they'll win it or not as they get to extra time. But thinking that the game might go into that direction, Mr Wilkinson kicked in a drop goal (huh! now I know what that is) and gave his country the win.

You see, I'm not just a sucker for the hot ones. I'm into the hot ones that really leave their mark in their sport. But no thanks to injury, I really miss this guy from the international stage making a sensation of himself. *Sigh*

Edit, Edit, Edit

2007-05-06T20:47:00.000+08:00

I have been using this blog template for over five months now (sheesh!) and I still love it. I would hate to change it but I just might for variety reasons. But, crap, looking for the right template is a tedious job--it took me weeks to find and settle on this one. But I have a feeling people might be getting (quite?) bored with this look (but as I've said, not me!). So I'm gonna start hunting for one now. Even if I'm gonna be dead on my feet when I do.

But for now, I'm adding a little something in the sidebar. I'm featuring Pinoy music videos, courtesy of YouTube (where else?). I know it's as corny as they come but I rarely like anything in the Filipino entertainment industry. This is a testament that I actually do. And when I do, I tend to go terminally gaga about it. So, yeah. Check it out.

HBD To My Most Favorite Serial Hottie

2007-05-02T17:38:00.000+08:00

It's that time of year again...although this time around I just can't get it out of my mind that David Beckham is getting older. It just seems so unlikely and, besides, that would make me what now? Aight, don't answer that.

But I am thankful that since the more than eight years that I've been a fan, I have been witness to lot of changes in his life in that "short" span of time. But everything goes back to God and I'm very thankful that in spite of all the challenges Becks has to overcome, he still remains an iconic person. And even with all the trash that has been written and said about him, he still has the respect of the people that matters--his peers.

So as he turns a year older today, I wish him all the best--especially with his move to LA in August--as he continues to carve his name in sporting history. (Although better watch out on the next tonsorial move 'cause I'm not too keen on the peroxide overload right now, boyo! LOL!)

Happy, happy birthday, Becks!!!

Dreamboat Express: Michael Owen

2007-04-29T20:50:00.000+08:00

For me, there is no striker more golden than Michael Owen. I know, I know. There are some out there that might be better than him. But the height of Owen-mania was also the height of Beckham-mania so I guess that explains my fascination of him. And of course, he was the other half of England's Twin Towers--the other half being Becks--during the peak of their tandem as the biggest stars in the England national squad. For that, he will always have my respect. Before he was plagued by injuries, he was the national side's vice-captain. Some might argue that he deserved better--I won't argue with that. He scored some of the best goals of his time and I'll always admire him for those achievements.

He has played in some of the world's best football clubs--Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Newcastle. Unfortunately enough, injury has delayed his making of more history as he continues his illustrious career. I hope that he gets well soon and go back into playing top-flight footy again.

The Return Of The Bad Blogger

2007-04-29T20:09:00.000+08:00

I hope.

I know sometimes I just suddenly stop blogging and it would seem like I have dropped off the face of the Earth. Most of the time I do feel that way because I feel lost if I won't be able to blog every few days or so. Or read other blogs for that matter.

These last couple of weeks had been very busy for me. I haven't had the energy to put a couple of sentences together to call it a "serious" blog post. But I tried. See previous post for example. Thank God it was a Dreamboat Express feature and all I needed to do was post some pics. But as you can see (or read) from the intro text, it was obviously a bad blogging day (or week!).

But from this day on, I promise to be a better blogger and refuse to allow my work to stress me out of my mind. That way I can spare some time to actually put in worthwhile blog stuff.

At least, I will do my best to do so.

Dreamboat Express: James Blake

2007-04-22T21:03:00.000+08:00

As you might might have noticed, I haven't been a very good blogger lately. I'm just too darned busy with office stuff that I barely have time for anything else--not even for precious reading. What a bummer!

But what the heck, I'm NOT too tired to totally skip or even delay for another day today's Dreamboat feature. After all, it's gonna be a James Blake week so I see no reason not to do it on time. And I don't love James Blake for nothing:

Totally delish print model. Once voted Sexiest Athlete of the Year by People magazine. Zoster survivor. Harvard grad. One-time US men's tennis #1. Member of the US Davis Cup team since 2001. Amazing tennis pro. Currently the world's #8 best player.

Tell me, how can I not love this guy?

P.S.

And check out these pics of my two most fave tennis guys. Are they hot or are they hot, eh?

Dreamboat Express: Derek Jeter

2007-04-15T18:46:00.000+08:00

It's mid-April and that means that the baseball season is just starting to make some noise. That also means that there's only one logical choice for today's Dreamboat Express feature.

I'd say I love the New York Yankees for their history--and the crazy rivalry with the Boston Red Sox. But maybe it's all really because of Derek Jeter. Players came and went in the past decade and yet Number 2 remains. Suffice it to say that NYC has become Jeter town.

And I don't think only mere mortals like me are the only ones who think him awesome. He has a list of celebrity ex-girlfriends a mile long that proves just how extremely likable he really he is. And he's not a bad shortstop either--he happens to be the only player in MLB history to manage bagging the All-Star MVP and regular season MVP all in one year. That about pings Captain Clutch's hotness to the max!

Movie Marathon

2007-04-15T17:50:00.000+08:00

The Devil Wears Prada
I apologize to the big fans of this film but I just didn't like it. Story-wise, it was meh. Although I have to admit that it was a technically very well done movie but other than that, it left wondering what the hype was all about. And, oh yeah, the clothes--and Emily Blunt--weren't bad either.

Night At The Museum
I never thought I'd ever enjoy a kids' movie at the current movie mode I'm in until this one. I really enjoyed this whole thing. I liked the entire concept of things in a museum coming alive at night. Museums are cool enough without that thought. The dinosaur [skeleton] was a dear! LOL!

The Lake House
So Keanu Reeve and Sandra Bullock have amazing on-screen chemistry. But this movie turned out pretty ordinary to me. It could be romantic but I just don't think that it worked for me that the lead characters could meet up--or not--depending on the convenience of the story.

Poseidon
I still remember seeing the old version when I was a kid. But it took me quite some time to watch this. Being someone who doesn't know how to swim, I was afraid I'd feel claustrophobic watching all that water come in. And I did. But imagining myself drowning in Josh Lucas' baby blues helped. And Emmy Rossum is such a cutie!

Blood & Chocolate
Good one. It can never aspire to be the greatest movie or the even the greatest werewolf movie ever. But it managed to keep me awake. I'll have Hugh Dancy in chocolate any day.

Apocalypto
If there's a movie I regretted not seeing on the big screen, it's this one. I love this Mel Gibson creation. In fact, I love all his directorial creations. Gory but nice. Gore that is essential to the film is really something. As for the chase scene--wow!

Step Up
I can never use enough of and Channing Tatum in one sentence. And I don't think I'll ever tire of watching this dance film--and of Chan shaking his sexy ass. Jenna Dewan is one lucky girl.

House Of Flying Daggers

I was ecstatic to finally see this film after my sister sang praises for it months ago. Damn, but this film made me believe in love as if I'm a teenager all over again. Love the visual effects and the play of colors in the entire length of the film. I must admit, it (loving the flick) was pretty predictable since I haven't hated any Ziyi Zhang movies. And Takeshi Kaneshiro proved that I could actually term a (how do I say this without sounding offensive?) chinky-eyed person cute.

Dreamboat Express: Wentworth Miller

2007-04-08T23:43:00.000+08:00

I was planning on letting another athlete ride on my Dreamboat Express this week. Just like the usual. But I was just talking (well, text messaging really) my best bud Olive right before I started blogging tonight and she was just professing her love for Wentworth Miller that I've decided to do him (pun intended) instead. But only because I love him, too. And that I haven't seen Olive in a while. And that I haven't given a birthday present in her last birthday (and the last...and the last). But really, why need an excuse?

I told her earlier that I could easily picture her frothing at the mouth just by reading her messages. I don't know how she'd react if she'll see this post. Froth some more? Understandable. Wentworth is obviously drool-worthy. I'm deaf to anyone who says otherwise.

And there's no need to do an intro for Mr Miller. If you hadn't heard of him or his little show, tell me. I'd love to hear how your trip from Pluto went. So to have a break from monotonous office life, here he is in all his glory: Liv, do not faint...or loose you, uhm, undergarments! LOL! (I did that, too, the first time I saw these damned pics.)

A Long Weekend And Easter

2007-04-08T21:54:00.000+08:00

As I've mentioned in an earlier post, we were supposed to go to an office team-building last Friday. Of course, that's just a euphemism to get to totally wasted with office buddies--which others achieved even before arriving at our destination.

Wet blanket that I am, I was not able to make up my mind whether to go or not until I was actually on my way with some of my office mates. I was braced on not enjoying the excursion that I am still surprised up to now at how much I did enjoy it. Very much.

We went to Blue Reef Resort, which is comparatively smaller than most. But considering the fact that it's still part of the city, it was quite clean and great in a way I never expected it to be. We went there straight from the office on Friday until around seven in the morning on Saturday. It was a rainy Saturday morning and the planned sunrise pic I was planning to post here with this entry went down the drain fast.

One humongous thing that had me doubting about going was the fact fact that someone in the office and somebody else are having an affair--and extramarital affairs just don't seat well with me. At all. I guess it doesn't with decent folks. But what irritated me more is the fact that some people tolerated it as if it's an okay thing. My skin practically crawled at the blatant PDA but then again, they can live their lives any damn way they want. I just hoped it didn't involved hurting some other people in the process.

But most of my office mates proved to be A-okay company and that made up for my disgust at that other thing. Three of the guys knew how to palm read so I had mine read thrice--they came up with three related readings that had some harsh truths in 'em and some stuff in the future that I look so forward to.

And the food? Mmm-hmm. It was great--obviously, I munched my way into the morning. Watching the tide come in during dinner was a sure stress buster. And our cottage(s) was by the slides so it was fun to watch the kids and the kids-at-heart slide down the half-pipes. Not to mention that my belly ached so much laughter.

I couldn't have spent a better Friday evening or Saturday morning. I actually look forward to the next time I spend quality camaraderie time with my office mates outside of company time and rules. And, of course, without the personal issues. Can't wait for that to happen!

--o0o--

I wish everyone a very Happy Easter Sunday and I hope everyone gets to live the true meaning of what today really means. And, of course, enjoy it at the very least.

Dreamboat Express: Dave Mirra

2007-04-01T19:08:00.000+08:00

Men who excel in their fields are major turn-ons. If one happens to have the most gold (or any other) medals in X Games history, then we're talking major turn-on.

That's Dave Mirra for me. His bike stunts were what started me on my X Games fanaticism. It might have have evolved to boards, blades or motorbikes over the years but then I always come back to the bikes. But then that's prolly because bikes are the only ones I know how to ride in the aforementioned.

The Miracle Boy had been injured over the past nine years or so but he still manages to come out on top and prove that he's still someone to be reckoned with. And yeah, he has grown, uhm, healthier in the past few years but so what, he's still the man.

Terminal LSD

2007-04-01T17:45:00.000+08:00

Oh, and by the way, we at the house have been singing "Not Pretty Enough" by Kasey Chambers practically non-stop. It's as tacky as they come so I really don't know why we do it. But it can be so apropos at times so it really couldn't be helped. Suffice it to say that it has been on mind a lot. It might even be in my mind even when I'm asleep. I'm that sick of Last Song Syndrome. LOL!

And the video was even tackier than the song so instead of inserting it here, I found a couple of tribute clips I found on YouTube that will do instead. I'm really confused on which is the best one so I'm posting both-- a Phantom of the Opera tribute, and then clips of Hermione and Ron (oh, young love). I think they gave the song some cred.

P.S.
Speaking of songs, I'm doing away with my song blog SongGeist. I have been so busy lately that I barely have time to seriously blog. Besides, it has become a have-to blog and I don't want not to be spontaneous about it. So I think it's time to bid it cheerio, ta-ta, adios!

And this is not even An April Fool's Day stunt...

April Madness

2007-04-01T15:56:00.000+08:00

Summer is finally here and I'm the only soul not happy about it. I hate too much sun because I burn easily. And yet I'm already counted in on some beach outings--the earliest one is this weekend, which is an office affair. I'm still confused why I said yes to that.

And my friend Lee had been nagging me that we and some friends get together for a real trip to the beach sometime this month or in May. I didn't say yes to that but we did a time checking out some serious beachwear yesterday at the mall. I did tell her that if I gathered enough courage to wear the ones we did like, I want her to promise not disown me as a friend.

Speaking of yesterday, damn!, my feet still hurt. Lee and I went browsing at the mall for the goodies we're planning to get come the mall-wide sale in two weeks' time. Books, shoes, jeans, movies--you name it. Time to whip out the plastic!

That's my therapy because I'm sorely missing my housemates. School is out so most of them have gone home for the summer--or up until the Holy Week is over at the very least. Our place is lacking some life right now even if some of us who are still here are trying to be our very noisy best. But it just isn't the same. Especially since ghost sightings at work had been topic of the week. Loitering in the hallways at our boarding house (BH) has become a no-no for me.

I miss my girls. I have strongly bonded with them (most of us are the youngest in our respective families) over the past several weeks. We had been doing movie marathons especially before they left, when we did some serious crushing on Channing Tatum (again!). I look forward for them to start the next school year so that we can check out the latest flicks with hot hunks in 'em.

Aight. I'm gonna stop now before I start bawling.

Boybands Suck! (part 2)

2007-03-26T17:51:00.000+08:00

Sorry. I just love that title so much I had to use it again.

This sudden nostalgia for boybands of years gone by is no thanks to my pal Lee Ann. It has been our tradition to greet each other during birthdays of our favorite boyband members. Two weekends ago happened to be Steo's (formerly of Irish group Boyzone) birthday and I was so bushed that I'd forgotten all about it. And Lee had to remind me about the occasion through a text message--which got a smile from me. It's been a decade since boyband madness and we're still at it, even if our taste in music has evolved (thankfully) over the years.

It took me quite sometime to come up with a list of boybands I've known in the past, just to see if I could come up with one and prolly think back of the songs that made them in one small way or another--or not. LOL! I actually came up with several of them.

CDB--I know they were Aussies and they did covers of "Let Us Groove" and "Get Down On It." I can't remember their names but I know that CDB stood for Create, Dream, and Believe.

World's Apart--I can't remember their faces and never knew their names. But I do remember their single "Baby, Come Back" and its music video set on a beach with four (or was it five?) young men in it.

Take 5--I didn't know their names, can't remember their faces--and it's no wonder since I prolly just saw the video of their remake of "The Tide Is High" less than five times.

Bed and Breakfast--I drew a blank on this group. But I remember their single "If you Were Mine" 'cause Lee had their record and we used to listen to listen to it a million and a half years ago in high school.

OTT--It meant Over the Top--just like how I don't remember them at all. I had to trust Lee when she said they did a cover of "All Out Of Love." Aight.

CITA--Or Caught In The Act. Just like the others, there are no names or faces that come to mind--but I do remember hearing one of the members became a boyfriend of another boygroup member. And I liked their single "Let This Love Begin."

No Mercy--There were three Latino guys in this group and I still like their songs "When I Die" and My Promise To You" up until now.

3T--MJ's nephews. I loved "Anything" (thank God for YouTube) and I happen to remember their faces, just not all their names.

911--Three British guys and the lead vocalist was named Lee. I remember the butterflies in their "The Day We Found Love" vid.

Plus One--An American fivesome that started out as a gospel group. I can recall their faces but never bothered to know their names (I was just about done with boybands when they came out, that's why) although I do know most of the lyrics to "Last Flight Out."

Point Break--I really liked their last single "You" but I also remember having the most irritating time checking the Web about this group--the search results keep on giving me Point Break the movie. (Hmm, come to think of it. It might have been pre-Google era.)

Damage--They were five British guys but I only remember Jade 'cause he's hot (and the on-again, off-again beau of Baby Spice--and now the father of her child, too). They did one of my all-time faves, "Forever."

A1--A British foursome that released a lot of singles. I loved their single "One more Try"

Human Nature--The Aussie foursome who sang in the Sydney Olympics. I think. I liked the Hugh Dancy-lookalike in the group and I loved "Wishes," "Don't Say Goodbye" and "Eternal Flame."

And then there were those who lasted more than their first single.

5ive--A British group that burst into the scene with the upbeat "Slam Dunk The Funk" but my favorite work by them are two ballads: "Until The Time Is Through" and "Closer To Me."

98 Degrees--I prolly wouldn't have liked this group if I didn't hear "Invisible Man"--totally love that song. But totally hated the video for it--too much of a rip-off of Take That's "Back For Good." You can't convince me that it wasn't.

East Seventeen (E17)--An old British group foursome that I came to know when they released their greatest hits album. Their music was disco pop--which was prolly wouldn't sell in mainstream music today. But I still love listening to that record because it was so reminiscent of the '90s. "Stay Another Day" is still a personal hit.

Code Red--For singing "This Is Our Song," I'll always like this group. They did release some other singles but they all paled in comparison to their debut effort.

Westlife--The first reason why I really liked this group was that Ronan Keating co-managed them when they were still starting out. Then they became this huge pop phenomena (except in the US, as usual) and I got tired of them. Although I did enjoy the war of words between their fans and A1's. Funny that.

Blue--This group was a victim of my boyband withdrawal. It took quite some time before I really started listening to their music. I loved their uptempo ballads and they were hot, hot, hot! So, why not?

N'Sync--I was already in love with a number of groups when I heard of them. Had that not been the case, it would have been so easy to become a true blue N'Sync fan. But that doesn't mean I didn't go gaga about them or their songs or their dance routines, not to mention those wonderful live production numbers.

Backstreet Boys--One memory that stands out in my mind was not being able to sleep the night before I bought their first album. That just proved how crazy I was about this group. I used to tune in to MTV just to wait for their vids to come on. AJ, Howie, Kevin, Brian, Nick. That about summed it all.

Boyzone--I still don't get it why I was so freakingly gaga about these five Irish lads. But there it was (is?). From their debut album to their greatest hits album to their post-group ballad collection--I could sing all of their songs, word for word, at one time in the past. I'd probably stumble through some parts in some songs these days but I'd still be okay. BZ for me was the best boygroup after the bestest group there was, Take That.

So, you see, boybands suck big time. They made us fall in love with them (in my case, at least) and the next moment, they just go poof! And some members turn out to be gay. Bad. But I don't give a damn. They're something to keep in my mental archive that's for sure and I'm not ashamed to say that I was once a boyband groupie.

How about ya? Have you ever been terminally crazy about a specific group? Can you recall some groups that came and went in the boyband caravan?

Dreamboat Express: Andy Roddick

2007-03-25T22:14:00.001+08:00

I don't think this guy needs an introduction. I could just start posting his pics and you'd understand why he's worthy of being in the Dreamboat Express.

I first heard of Andy Roddick right after he started playing pro tennis. He was dubbed as one of the future stars of American tennis. And he didn't disappoint his public. Although his résumé could be a lot better, he is still a force to be reckoned with in the sport. You don't want to get in the way of his aces, believe me.

Having had dated Mandy Moore is something to be added in his non-tennis résumé. That hug that they shared right after he won his first US Open in '03 was a sight to remember. And now rumors abuzz that he's dating Maria Sharapova. I've no problems with that--they make a handsome couple.

The French Open is just a month or so away and I hope he gets farther than he has ever been in past tournaments. I don't ask for a lot but a picture of him winning the Wimbledon or another US Open will be something for my mental archive. I think it's high time for him to win another Grand Slam. Don't you think?

Dreamboat Express: Alan Smith

2007-03-18T20:21:00.000+08:00

:Hmm. This was no hardship to decide on who to feature on this week's Dreamboat Express.

Alan Smith (October 20, 1980) caught my eye when he was still playing for Leeds United. And I don't mean that because he looks so damn cute. He also happens to be an excellent footballer, too! But I truly became a fan of his when he came to play for Manchester United and then played with Becks in the England national squad. Honestly? I'm not a big fan of bleached hair but I have not seen him in another hair color so I really can't compare.

Unfortunately for him, he broke his leg early last year. That injury led for him to miss the World Cup in Germany last summer and that just broke my heart for him. It was going to be his first WC and I really thought that he was a force in the team. He spent the better part of the year recuperating from that fracture and has since been playing regular footy with ManUtd's reserve team for their reserve matches. He did play the full 90 minutes in the ManUtd Jubilee match last week so I'm sure sir Alex will be putting him back in the regular starting line-up soon. Alan is fighting for that spot and I hope that he will also be playing in the national squad again as soon as he can. He's a young a talent that England--and whatever club he'll be playing for--can use in the years to come.

The Hottest Songs When I Turned 18

2007-03-17T19:14:00.000+08:00

I got this from the usual suspect, Dee, but my brain has been in deep-fry mode lately that I'd forgotten that I had started a post on this, let alone publish it.

The core idea is to post the top songs of 2000, the year I turned 18 (as posted on popculturemadness.com). But since this post is kinda late, I'm doing it a bit differently. I'm putting the songs I liked then and even up to now in bold, the songs I liked then but not anymore in italics, and the ones I never liked or never even heard of (because that's practically the same) in regular text. And Dee did only the top 10 songs but here, I'm gonna do 25. Proof that I've got nothing else to blog about right now--except for editing some stuff in my older posts, e.g. the Living Goldenballs posts.

1. Who Let The Dogs Out - Baha Men
2. Oops! I Did It Again - Britney Spears
3. Larger Than Life - Backstreet Boys
4. The Real Slim Shady - Eminem
5. Say My Name - Destiny's Child
6. Party Up - DMX
7. It's Gonna Be Me - N*Sync
8. With Arms Wide Open - Creed
9. Thong Song - SisqO
10. Graduation - Vitamin C
11. Bye Bye Bye - N*Sync
12. Jumpin' Jumpin' - Destiny's Child
13. I Turn To You - Christina Aguilera
14. Try Again - Aaliyah
15. Only God Knows Why - Kid Rock
16. She Bangs - Ricky Martin
17. Lucky - Britney Spears
18. The Bad Touch - Bloodhound Gang
19. Faded - Soul Decision
20. Come On Over - Christina Aguilera
21. Pinch Me - Barenaked Ladies
22. I Wanna Know - Joe
23. Back Here - BBMak
24. Country Grammar - Nelly
25. It Wasn't Me - Shaggy with Ricardo Ducent

Looking at the list, it seems like I had some really tacky picks. And I think no less tackier than now. LOL! And I'm gonna pick out my most favorite in the lot. And that would be: Graduation by Vitamin C. I know. It's a cheesy song. But that's the truth. Reality does bite, huh?

Red Devils 4, Europe XI 3

2007-03-14T22:39:00.000+08:00

So the Red Devils of northern England did triumph over some of Europe's finest footballers in their Jubilee match. Yey! These guys are good and just as David Beckham said in his interview with MUTV last week, it feels like the United squad of 2006-2007 are following in the steps of the squad of 1998-1999 and is gonna win another Treble.

Here are the squad members for the Jubilee match:

MANCHESTER UNITED
Kuszczak, Neville (captain), Brown, Heinze, Richardson, Ronaldo, Scholes, Giggs, Park, Rooney, Smith
Subs: Heaton, Carrick, Dong, O'Shea, Eagles, Andrew Cole (guest)

EUROPE XI
Canizares, Zambrotta, Ayala, Materazzi, Abidal, Mancini, Pirlo, Gattuso, Malouda, Ibrahimovic, Larsson (captain)
Subs: Coupet, Campo, Stefanovic, Christanval, Kallstrom, Gerrard, Fowler, Carragher, Stelios, Diouf, Zenden

I found this clip on YouTube and I guess I'll have to settle for this 'cause I doubt if that exhibition match will ever be aired here. So...

It broke my heart when I found out that Becks got injured last week and that he wouldn't be able to play in ManUtd's Jubilee match after all. Not only was he missing this all-important game, he also missed last week's UEFA Champions League match--where coach Steve McClaren was supposed to watch his game and current form, and reconsider him for the national squad in this month's Euro qualifiers. But it seemed as if bad luck will sideline him until around the middle of April. And I hope that's it. Or maybe this is just a sign that he really can't bid farewell to Old Trafford yet because he'll be going back to play. Hmm, let me dream a little, will ya?

But I'm just glad that he was able to go there and speak to the people at halftime. And for him to be received by the Manchester United fans so warmly after leaving in '03 gives me a warm feeling. That means he had left his mark on this legend-field club.

300

2007-03-14T22:01:00.000+08:00

Damn the critics. I almost didn't see this movie. But since I've been waiting for this film since November, there was no way I'm gonna miss it.

And I'm glad that I did see it. I didn't enjoy Sin City but this Frank Miller creation really got me going. LOL!

The sight of half-naked men during the entire freakin' movie was really something to remember. So I'm sure to get a copy of the film as soon as I can so that I won't have to do with just remembering. Hell, no.

But the whole thing was a great movie experience. The visual effects were amazing and the comic-book feel to it only added to the appeal of the film. Gerard Butler, as King "Tonight we dine in hell" Leonidas, may not win an Oscar for his performance here but I really think he did his role exceeding well.

As for those metal-clashing, blood-splattering, head-rolling scenes--sheesh, I didn't know I'm such a warfreak of sorts--I really enjoyed those. I never thought they were morbid. Rather, I thought they were brilliantly done. And that hard metal soundtrack during those battle scenes? That did me in when I was watching the trailers but hearing it and putting it together with the rest of the film was out of this world.

One thing that put me off, at times, was the narrator. It was unnecessary in some parts, I think. But since it was part of the graphic novel thingie (LOL! forgive me), it has to be in it. But it never detracted charm from the movie. And most of the film did leave some great impressions. One of my most favorite scenes was the Persian arrow shower (so what if I wanna call it that?), when the Spartans stayed underneath their shields for protection and warfreaks that they were, they started laughing because they were really enjoying the thrill of being in battle. Another one would be the scene right before that--when they terminated the Persians when they first faced each other. Amazing choreography. Seeing the phalanx formation (albeit altered for movie purposes according to the director to "look cool") was actually quite nice--I've often wondered what it really looked like in action since world history high school. Now I have a vague idea.

Awesome in three characters: 3-0-0. I highly recommend it.

ON A SIDENOTE
One of the main reasons why I was so excited to see 300 was knowing Rodrigo Santoro was gonna be in it. Although now I regretted not researching on that further. Because I still have not reconciled this:

...from this:

Maybe not ever.

But I guess that's what movie magic is all about.

Dreamboat Express: Kimi Raikkonen

2007-03-11T18:45:00.000+08:00

One of my bestest friends, Olive, likes this guy enough to mention him much too much during our lengthy phone conversations. Those talks led to my recent interest on Formula 1 racing. And just last week, I found out that an officemate of mine is also a huge fan of the Iceman (October 17, 1979). Shayne is the demure-type that I last expected to be an F1 fan. That taught me a lesson on stereotyping.

So I'm dedicating this Dreamboat Express ride to those two lovely ladies--Olive and Shayne. I don't care what they say about Kimi's height either. I'm short so I've no problems with that issue. But he definitely more than makes up for that in the looks department.

The new F1 season is starting this weekend at the Melbourne GP and I'm definitely looking forward to that. Not to mention that Kimster will be now in the Ferrari red suit. (Yey! I can finally cheer for the same team and driver.) I'll miss him in his silver suit with McClaren-Mercedes but he'll do in the red as well. Come March 18, it'll be hubba hubba time.

March 13: It's A Date

2007-03-06T18:03:00.000+08:00

I've been psyched about this thing for weeks now and now that it's only a a little more than a week away, I can barely think about something else.

March 13 is, of course, Manchester United's Jubilee match against Europe's XI--to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a united Europe and United's 50 years in European footballing competition. And guess who got invited to play with the Europe squad and come back to Old Trafford? Sure, David Beckham had been back a number of times to play at Old Trafford since leaving United. But those times were when he was still captain of England and playing for national pride. This time around though will be club football. Sort of. This will be the first time he'll be playing his old club. And I'm sure it was not a difficulty to decide whether he got to be invited for this match or not. He was, after all, undeniable one of the most beloved adopted sons of Manchester, even a one-time Mancunian of the Year honoree.

Yay! My Becks is coming home.

To say I'm so excited is a major undestatement. ManUnited may be playing club football on exhibition day but check out this international squad they'll be playing: Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Ronaldinho, Carles Puyol, Lilian Thuram and Gianluca Zambrotta just to name a few. And the squad will be coached by no less than 2006 World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi. It'll be fun to watch them play against Sir Alex Ferguson's Red Devils!

Hard for a football, a ManUnited, and a Becks fan not to be all excited about it!

Dreamboat Express: Now Boarding

2007-03-04T20:17:00.001+08:00

I was just rearranging some of my stuff when I found a list I made a couple of years or so ago and which I thought I'd accidentally lost--a list of my favorite cutie patooties. I felt like shouting: Eureka!

LOL!

So I decided to make it into a regular post thingie, a sort of rip-off of Dee's Eye Candy of the Week feature. And since she does one heck of a job featuring those drool-worthy thespians (and then some), I'm gonna stick to what majority of the list contains--athletes--although there'll be an occasional non-athlete by profession for variety.

And why Dreamboat Express? If you know Mitchell Wyatt you'd know the answer to that.

I wanted to feature Becks now--it actually said on the top of the list: "Becks is exempt!" It's just like me to have avoided lumping him with all the other mere but nevertheless blistering hot hunks in the list. He does have his own label in this blog, evidence of my rabid obsession. I can probably wait until his birthday to feature him.

I've decided to officially kick this off next Sunday--am having a hard time to pick who to feature first. Just something to end--or start--or your week right. But just for fun, I'm gonna post some pics of Brooklyn Beckham--not in the list but my youngest cutie patootie nonetheless and mini-Becks in more ways than one. He's turning eight today and that means that I've been a fan of dad's for a little more than nine years now. Whew! Amazing how time flies.

Happy birthday, big guy!

Till next week. Cheerio!

My Favorite Royals

2007-02-27T22:48:00.000+08:00

I was in the mood to read and since historicals are all I can stomach right now, I have to steer clear of my novels to avoid temptation--I gave up historicals for Lent, that's why. But then I saw the Feb issue of OK! mag and since it's gonna be March in a few days, I decided to finish reading it. That's when I remembered that I've been meaning to blog about my most fave royals weeks ago--OK! Philippines featured real fairy tales of commoner women marrying into royalty.

Royalty is, of course, one of my favorite topics. I've no other choice since the women in my family are into it. But there were actually times in the past when my interest in the matter begun to wain. And then something interesting happens, say, a royal wedding covered live by international television. Not to mentioned that it is continually reinforced by those damn romance novels I can't seem to live without.

It's not the British royals that I'm so in like with for the past few years now. Admittedly, they're the most popular and the young princes are quite cute in their own way plus the fact that Princess Diana was everyone's favorite royal at home. But through the years I've gone through my British, Monegasque, and Spanish royalty phases. Duh! Like there really should be phases. But that's me.

But for a number of years now, I've been in love with the Norwegian royals. The love story of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit is too good to be true that it's practically taken right out of my romance novels. I don't wanna create a muck on what their real love story is so try checking it out here and here. It's so unbelievable how human they really are. I mean, royalty has been, and is continually being viewed as, something altogther different with customs and traditions that cannot be breached. But with the advent of modern young royals taking commoners as their spouses, it has taken itself into a whole new direction for what's set in future. And the story of Haakon and Mette-Marit is a prime example of that. Imagine a single mother being swept off her feet by a crown prince--that doesn't happen in real life, only in mushy paperbacks. But it has heppened to them and their beautiful family is just a joy to look at. Fairy tales do come true.

And check this clip I stumbled on on YouTube especially since I don't wanna paste all the lovely pics I found on the couple. I'm more than ready to fall in love.

How about you? Do you have any favorites among the blue-blooded people of the world? How did they become to be your faves?

Feeder's Feeling The Moment

2007-02-22T17:55:00.000+08:00

So y'all know that I'm crazy about, terminally gaga, absolutely bonkers about my man David Beckham. And it was thanks to him that I got to know this song.

Well, one of his fans actually. I frequently check YouTube for Becks' latest clips and the latest fan tribute videos. So I stumbled on this really good one and for the first time since I can remember, the background music actually took my notice while I was checking out this Becks vid.

God, how I love this song! This is surely one for the books. Feeder did one heck of a job putting this song together and I feel cheated for not knowing the track when it first came out at around the middle of last year. And it turned out to be part of the second volume of the OTH soundtrack, too--because I have not followed the show that much anymore so it definitely felt an oops moment. So, so cheated.

I love it even more when songs have "real" stories behind them--adds more character. And not just to romanticize it but because for all of us who have lost a loved one at one point or another in our lives, songs like this actually matter.

Oh, sheesh! I'm such a masochist--I always fall for this type of song and break heart just a little bit more.

But here it is anyway. And I'm still loving it.

The Sleeping Dictionary

2007-02-19T17:54:00.000+08:00

I saw this ancient film (it came out in 2003 so why not?) on cable and liked it instantly. I was pretty intrigued by the title and the fact that I never heard of it in 2003. But obviously it was a direct-to-DVD film.

Sleeping dictionaries were, well, what their name suggested. It was the 1930s and the British was making headway in colonizing Sarawak in Malaysia. For the foreigners to be able to communicate with the locals and learn their customs right away, a "sleeping dictionary" was given in to their disposal. These were local women that could speak English. I'd say it was more convenient in more ways than the reasons I gave. Because the sleeping thing? That was added into the equation to hasten the learning process of the colonizers in learning the local stuff. Selima (Jessica Alba) was the sleeping dictionary given to John Truscott (Hugh Dancy). But English gentleman that he was John refused to touch the beautiful local who he later found out was half-British, a daughter of a Briton and his sleeping dictionary.

But Selima's constant presence in John's temporary jungle home only meant that he was gonna fall in love with her sooner or later. It happened sooner and then they were spending their nights together and talking about an impossible future together. Because the British does not allow marriage between one of their own and a sleeping dictionary.

Life only only became more difficult for the couple when it became clear that John's superior, Henry Bullard(Bob Hoskins), and his wife, Aggie, had other plans for the promising young man--they want him to marry their daughter Cecil (Emily Mortimer). But John adamantly refused and was only too willing to let the world know that he loved his sleeping dictionary and that he intended to marry her instead. That was where he went wrong because Selima's life was threatened if they pushed through with it. Faced with that, John left Sarawak and eventually married Cecil in London a year later.

And here's an Addison catch: I could not hate Cecil. She was in love with John already and was only too determined to have him fall in love with her knowing that he was already in love with someone on the other side of the world. And John honestly put enough into their marriage to make it wok. Then duty came a-calling and they had to go back to Sarawak. Cecil didn't pitch fits but was rather excited to work as a teacher in the local school. Thank God for that because I didn't want to start hating her then.

But when they got back to Sarawak, John got two surprises: Selima had married a young tribe warrior and had a son. But the kid had blue eyes and too much fair skin not to be John's kid. John still loved Selima but when he started spending time with her again it was to know his son. But Selima's husband read it the wrong way and attempted to slit John's throat one night. In so doing he bagged himself an execution.

It was amidst the trial for Selima's husband's crime that John learned that Henry was really Selima's father and that she was really Cecil's half-sister. And that Aggie had stayed in Srawak all these years not out of duty to her country or to her husband but to keep him from being with his sleeping dictionary, Selima's mother.

And then Cecil told John he was letting John go. Their relationship had nowhere to go seeing how John still loved his local beauty. She admitted that she could never make him love her as much as he loved her sister. And besides she suspected she was pregnant with his child and for her, that was enough. John helped Selima's husband escape from prison and would be running away with Selima and their son. But that was after Henry--and Cecil--finally acknowledged their relationship with Selima. (See why I liked Cecil's character so much?)

The story ended with John and his family living in a tribe that was outside the British control. Or at least somewhere they could stay safe and stop looking over their shoulders--especially since Aggie was determined not give John his happy ending.

The movie made for good TV although I still think that: what if Cecil was really pregnant? What would the kid think? Why did daddy leave and went with another family? But I think with the depth of John's character would not allow any children of his to grow without knowing him. And wasn't it on Grey's Anatomy where I heard that being with someone who can't love you back is far too lonelier than being alone? Although I wanna think that Cecil was able to find her happy ever after, too.

Unveiling The New Looks

2007-02-16T17:37:00.000+08:00

Finally.

I was finally able to revamp the layouts for my other two blogs. Now I don't have to think about it for another few months. Sloth that I am. But I was glad to find these templates. It wasn't easy but it sure was a lot easier than if I did them myself from scratch. Hmm, I certainly need to study Mailyn's tutorials. That way I can come up with something green-ish whenever I feel like changing templates. But till then, all I can do is search the 'Net about the free ready-to-use ones.

Bookabulary looks like this now (yay! a fairy) ...

...while Songgeist looks like this (gotta love the man with the guitar.)

10 Weird Things About Me

2007-02-16T17:21:00.000+08:00

It's a good thing I didn't do that thing about six weird things about moi. So I'm glad to do this instead. Although I have to admit that I had a tough time making this list. I already consider myself altogether weird so it was kinda difficult to pick out the weird weird from all the rest.

1) I don't like talking about myself but I do love blogging and there's no avoiding talking about me in this place so I'm doing the best not to be so 'shy' anymore.

2) I'm a list monster. Stuff like movies I've seen, new songs I've heard, and Manchester United and Real Madrid goals just to name a few. And there's no saving them somewhere in computer files. Nope. I need to write them all down.

3) I hate warm drinks even during cold weather. But I only drink cold water when there's no other choice.

4) I'm more prone to strike up a conversation with someone whom I have a lesser chance of seeing again.

5) As far back as I can remember, I dream the same dream every time I have a (high) fever--me lying down on the floor, too sick to get up as a giant rock rolls towards me. Not a fun dream at all.

6) That my favorite color is green but most of my stuff are blue. (Maybe I'm in denial. Watya think?)

7) Karaoke is not my thing. Oh, I don't mind people hearing me sing but, please, take the mic far, far away from me.

8) Not wanting to have kids of my own or even getting married when up until I was 20 all ever wanted to be the best homemaker there ever was.

9) I cry about a lot of things but rarely about my life.

10) That I managed to finish this list since I had half a mind to just do five and then link you up to my Five Truthful Thingamajiggies to come up with ten.

Aight. Now I'm supposed to tag ten people but it seems like everyone and everyone in their blogrolls have done this but if YOU haven't done this, feel free to let us know ten teeny weird things about ya.

Here's For My Ladies

2007-02-14T23:20:00.000+08:00

I know I've said Hearts Day is way overrated but since I've had nothing to blog about for the past week or so, I'll use it as an excuse to post something here although I've been busy updating the template for my book blog--check out the new look here. Unfortunately, I can't take credit for it. I have a long way to go about CSS and stuff.

But this one's for the ladies who frequent here, regardless of how you feel about the opccassion. As one of my friends text messaged me earlier today:

My wish for us this Valentine's Day is that we will continue to endure the hardships of being attractive to men and the complexities of resisting them!

It's The Love Month!

2007-02-02T15:17:00.000+08:00

So what if I've been loveless since my last lifetime? Well, not really. But it sure does feel like it. That doesn't stop me from feeling all the love this month. This post though is not for me to gush about it because I'm sure the entire blogosphere and the rest of the world will do it for me. Instead, I'm gonna post some love-worthy pics. If you've seen them, well, you just gotta have to look at them again.

(Always) First and (almost) foremost is David Beckham. Of course. I just totally adore this new shot of him as Sleeping Beauty's Prince Phillip. It's an Annie Leibovitz shot for her "Year of a Million Dreams" collection starring Disney movie characters and she did a good one of him again--I loved her Becks spread in the July 2004 issue of Vanity Fair. I have been humming "Someday My Prince Will Come" ever since I've seen this pic. I know it's the wrong film but it's apropos nonetheless.

Now, how about this? I'm pretty sure y'all have seen it since it created quite a stir when it first came out. But, blimey, the kid can make one heck of a photo, eh? I feel like such a degenerate when I think of his pictures (yes, there's more than one) as hot and/or sexy. It's hard to think of him as not Harry Potter but pictures like this help remind me that there is a Daniel Radcliffe behind the character. But, hot damn! What a beautiful bod behind those Hogwarts robes! Don't you think so?

And as if it's not sexy enough to put either of these two in frames, they had to add some sexy white horseflesh in them. Are they trying to kill us or what?

Before I end this post, lemme share to you this local advert for this year's Lovapalooza event. I think it's really kinda cool. Sponsors and organizers in 2003 only sought to set the world record in the most number of kissing couples in one area at one time (I think that's the parameter, but I'm not exactly sure). Not only did they succeed, they helped in creating a new tradition for the whole country. Now on its fourth year, Lovapalooza aims to strengthen it tradition with both the young and the young at heart.

A For Adorable...Not!

2007-01-29T16:54:00.000+08:00

A - Available/Single? - Single...but waiting for Becks to take me.

B - Best Friend? - With an S. Lee Ann and Olivia.

C - Cake or Pie? Pie. Although cakes can get interesting sometimes, nothing beats even the most boring pie.

D - Drink Of Choice? Iced tea or pineapple juice.

E – Essential Item You Use Everyday? Gotta have my aloe lotion everyday--morning and night. And I don't go out without wearing the ring my mother gave me years ago--I feel naked without it.

F - Favourite Colour? Green, green, and more green.

G - Gummy Bears Or Worms? Neither really. I'm a chocoholic and that's it.

H - Hometown? - Tanjay City, the Phils.

I - Indulgence? Romance books...and t-shirts.

J - January Or February? February--only 28 or 29 days of work but the salary is still good for the whole month.

K - Kids & Their Names? None.

L - Life Is Incomplete Without? My family.

M - Marriage date? As soon as I find myself a groom.

N - Number Of Siblings? Two sisters that are twins.

O - Oranges Or Apples? Oranges, especially those cute little Mandarin ones.

P - Phobias/Fears? Snakes/Failure.

Q - Favourite Quote? "Love is always patient and kind. It is never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited. It is never rude or selfish. It does not take offense and is not resentful." (Stole it right from Dylan, from whom I stole this whole thing. LOL!)

R - Reason to Smile? When I do a good deed without realizing it until after everything's all said and done...and not just bloghop but also do Neopets at work. Hahaha!

S - Season? Since we only have two here, I'd say the dry season--I love summer.

T - Tag people? Anyone who hasn't done this.

U - Unknown Fact About Me? That I'm on the hunt for Mr Right. (Believe at your own peril. LOL!)

V - Vegetable you don't like? Okra. Need I say more?

W - Worst Habit? I can be a real sloth when I want to.

X - X-rays You've Had? The chest ones during general physicals.

Y - Your Favourite Food? Pasta. Obviously, I walk right into the calorie-overload trap.

Z – Zodiac Sign? Leo.

I Haven't Keeled Over (Yet)!

2007-01-26T12:55:00.000+08:00

Although it did seem like I just dropped off the face of the Earth.

I only posted one pathetic post in the last few weeks and I haven't bloghopped as much as I'd like to. Blame it on too much slothing about after the Holidays. But if you had the kind of Internet connection I had, you wouldn't be doing doing too much surfing either. If at all. Especially because Blogger just doesn't run on whatever bandwidth that's available. And since connections had been bad (and I use the term loosely) ever since the strong quake that hit Taiwan a few weeks back, I wasn't inclined to do much more than check my e-mails.

But the connections have been pretty much up to speed for a couple of days now so I don't wanna waste anymore time while I try to post some stuff as well as make up for the lost bloghopping days.

On top of my online to-do's before the month is out is to change the layouts of my other two blogs. I'll do that ASAP. I had been browsing for templates these last weeks since Blogger wouldn't run on the worse-than-crap speeds I'd been having.

But here's an online to-do I'd like to have an opinion on before I go ahead with it:

Should I or shouldn't I open a MySpace account?

Again. I'd have to deliberate on this further. After all, I have deleted two accounts in the last three years already. I got pretty bored with having the same friends in both my Myspace and Friedster networks; and since I had Friendster first, it was only natural that I keep it. I gotta admit it's not as good as MySpace but it's definitely improving. And there's that loyalty thing again. So I thought that if ever I open another MySpace account, I've to make sure that my friend list there isn't the identical to my Friendster's. So anyone who wouldn't mind an invite, please, stand up. I'd love to have more than two in that (new) list. LOL!

It's a good feeling to be back! And I haven't even posted my thoughts on the latest about Becks. I did tell Dee that I envy her. (Totally, girl.) The word is mum for now but here's something for Beckham fans who found their way here. It's really an old clip, done prior to Germany 2006 but if you haven't seen it then you'll have a definite laugh. I'm such a lazybutt to check out what the title of the show was but obviously it's a rip off of Punk'd. Enjoy!

Mastering Procastination

2007-01-09T15:26:00.000+08:00

...or something like it. Or maybe it was just as attack of a blogging slump. Hence, my absence. Not that there wasn't anything to blog about, only that I just wasn't up to putting words together to form a cohesive thought. But I refuse to be sucked into a blackhole so I decided I gotta drop by sometime and get my ass back into bloglandia. So I guess sometime is now. Although I'm not up to all out bloghopping yet.

Yeah, there were another year and here's another one. (I admit the slump might still have been an aftereffect of the Holidays hungover--even if I didn't have a drop of alcohol during the celebrations!) I had a wonderful Holidays and the best thing about it was actually meeting up with old friends.

One was right before Christmas. I met up with my friend Ristie and her boyfriend--Ristie and I have been friends since we were twelve and the last time we saw each other was in 2003, when we graduated from college. And we also met up with Jake another classmate from high school and whom I last saw around Holiday season in 1999. Lee Ann, my best friend who I meet up as much as our scheds will allow, and Jan, the Starbucks monster, completed our party of six. It would have been a bigger crowd had we planned it in advance but it was a last-minute plan for a weekend lunch date if there was one. But we had the best time while having lunch as we talk about what everyone's busy with these days. And then Jan dragged us off to Starbucks. His treat. Yey! And there we had an even better time reminiscing about high school and wondering what out tenth-year anniversary reunion in two years time would be like. That was one fun afternoon!

And another afternoon to remember was when I met up my two bestest friends in the world, Lee Ann and Olivia, on the 23rd of December. I had ball in that little get-together, too! This time the food was on Olive and she couldn't even finish her spaghetti carbonarra. And I couldn't finish my mushroom pizza. But who better to bail us out than Lee. All three of us have always been good eaters, that much I can tell you. My stomach ached from the food as much as from so much laughter. We talked about a lot of things (which couldn't be helped since we have been friends for more than ten years now) ranging from Lee's woes of not wanting to go back to grad school in the next semester to, what's new?, Hollywood gossip (at which Olive had to shake her head and roll her eyes at us). Oh, it felt wonderful to be home and be among old friends again! This was my first Christmas in Oriental Negros in three years and I haven't been home in as many years. Being home rocked!

Happy New Year!

2006-12-30T13:49:00.000+08:00

I can't believe the year is coming to an end--and what a year it has been! A lot of things had happened, some I (or any sane person) didn't want to happen but nevertheless, I am thankful for them. I strongly believe that all life experiences are meant to make us better persons. And I have never been one for New Year resolutions and I'm not gonna start now. That doesn't mean I don't aim for something year after year but I make my so-called resolutions because I want to be better and what time of the year it is is really of no consequence.

But a new year is beginning and I hope everyone reading this will start 2007 right. And I (and my family) wish everyone (and their families) countless blessings, good health, more laughter and all the best this coming new year and beyond.

Cheers!

Merry, Merry Chrimbo!!!

2006-12-23T15:34:00.000+08:00

Once again it's that time of year again when the air is Christmas cool, when Christmas lights rival the twinkling in the heavens. Not to mention that it's the time when you wish you did your Christmas shopping earlier than, say, today. And it's the time for homecoming, gift-giving, family gatherings, get-togethers with friends both old and new. There are too many activities lined up and I'm all excited about all of them.

And since, I saw every one posting their won top five most fave Christmas songs, I'm gonna share you mine. All five, of course, are very dear to me--ballad-lover that I am. So here's the list (just click on the links for the lyrics):

A Perfect Christmas by Jose Mari Chan
Christmas Time by the Backstreet Boys
This Gift by 98 Degrees
It's Christmas All Over The World by Sheena Easton
The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole

Everyone who regularly visits this space are prolly too busy already with the Holiday preparations to check it out but still, I wanna wish every one of you a very, very happy Holidays. May you, guys, have all the blessings you deserve and want; all good cheer and even better health for you and your entire family.

(A Rant and) My All-Time Favorite Music Vids

2006-12-15T17:11:00.000+08:00

I'm messing around with YouTube before my annoyance get the better of me. Why? Because the layouts for my other blogs are not always working with Firefox and I hate it. And I hate the thought of changing them--especially with my book blog because I love it like no other. So I'm gonna ask you a teeny-weeny favor: If you are a Firefox user, please tell me if, when you go to my other blogs, does Bookabulary look like this?

And does SongGeist look like this?

With IE, there are no problems but I'd rather use layouts that are cross-browser friendly. I'd really appreciate the feedback, guys. Thanks a bunch!!!

So as I was saying, I was messing around with YouTube. And I found Take That's "Babe" video and so the main reason for this post. I didn't find this video when I first checked for it. But then, that was months and months ago--that was prolly at the end of last year. So here is the music that sends me to cloud nine whenever I see it. It was 1993 and it was the dawn of boyband mania so please pardon the cheese. Well, I happen to like the non-edible kind of cheese so you'll definitely see more of it as you go along the list. As to the whys of how this list came to be, read here.

(2) This I Promise You by N'Sync
(3) Goodbye by the Spice Girls
(4) Coming Home Now by Boyzone
(5) I Don't Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith
(6) Thinking of You (Drive Myself Crazy) by N'Sync
(7) Graduation (Friends Forever) by Vitamin C
(8) There You'll Be by Faith Hill
(9) Leaving on a Jet Plane by Chantal Kreviazuk
(10) Let Love Lead the Way by the Spice Girl

Hiatus No More

2006-12-13T10:02:00.000+08:00

I'm back from where I was hiding just so that Jazz will read the long post I left a week or so ago before I went poof! LOL!

Nah. I just couldn't let another day pass without posting so here I am again in all my boring glory. Okay, what were the noteworthy things (at least, for me) that happened in the past week or so?

--My sister and I finally moved to a new place. It's just a room, albeit a huge one. It's practically a place for our stuff and a place to sleep since we're both rarely home. It's in a new building and it's clean. But most importantly, since it's a new place (we're the first tenants for our room) there are [still] no ghost stories bandied about as is prevalent practically in every apartment complex, dormitory, lodging house, etc. in every corner of the country.

--James and Tyler won! Woohoo! I was just so effing happy to see those two be the first to step on the mat to win The Amazing Race X. Finally, a pair I have been rooting for from the very beginning won the race and it felt (feels!) good. Dang! I confess there had been times when I thought they were not gonna make it to the next leg but the editing was purely mah-velous (I can already foresee another Emmy for the production team). As I had hoped, The Models didn't get distracted by The Blondes. Hell, they annihilated them. Those girls were scary/competitive but also gave the word sneaky a whole new meaning. All in all, it was one of the best seasons ever!

--Babies, babies, babies! My cousin gave birth to a baby boy last December 6 and I will definitely see the new addition during the Holidays. And then a good friend of mine also gave birth to a baby boy last December 9 and if everything goes according to plan, a girlfriend of mine and I are visiting the new mother and child later today. Babies still scare me but as long as they're not mine, I'll be fine.

--Becks scored a goal over the weekend--and started the match, too. Unfortunately, they still went down to Sevilla 1-2 but as usual, I feel neutral when this particular case happens. I'm not a fan of Sevilla--it just so happened that that's my family name. Hahaha! But really, Real Madrid still need more wins to keep their title hopes alive. And I hope that Becks's previous thigh strain is gone so he can continue to be in Real's starting XI. Although he'll be sitting out this weekend's match because of his fifth yellow, he already made history as the Englishman with the most Spanish experience since the match against Sevilla was his 104th La Liga appearance. That, of course, came after he made history when he made his 100th appearance in the Champions League joining an elite club of three with fellow Galacticos, Raul (104) and Roberto Carlos (102). Kudos!

Aight, enough recap. On to the next post...er, blog. Whatever.

Cheerio!

While I Was Cleaning My Email Inbox...

2006-12-01T05:05:00.000+08:00

...I accidentally stumbled on this forwarded message f/piled among the what-seemed-to-be gazillions of mail in my inbox. My best friend Lee Ann sent it to me a number of weeks ago and since I barely open forwarded mail, I was never able to read it.

Lemme just say that I cleaned my freakin' inbox (well, one of them since I do have three addies for different purposes) today 'cause I have a feeling I that I'll be quite busy within the next few days, maybe a week or so. I wanted to at least trim down the size of my inbox even if it's irrelevant because we are in the gigabyte era already. Or simply to file away whatever messages worth keeping. In short, I hate the sight of those mail in bold that clearly shout "You haven't read me yet!"

As I've mentioned, I might be quite busy in the next week or so so I there's half a guarantee that that I won't be able to blog much. Comment, maybe; post, I doubt it. So I left posts in all my three blogs and I hope that it'll be good enough for the duration. But I'll sure be back as soon as I can.

So back to what I found in my inbox. It's actually an article from the Philippine Daily Inquirer's very famous Youngblood section. I know the youth are not very keen on reading the newspaper but it's more likely that they know of Youngblood. Suffice it to say that it is already an institution as it has become representative of the young people in voicing everything from their political views to their personal stories.

This inbox find is no different. Read on:

By SC.

Today, I will attend an execution: my own. I will watch it with both eyes open and I will not cry. I will not break down just because the man I have loved since forever will marry someone else. I will watch him promise himself to a woman who will never love him like I have. I will watch them bind themselves to a vow I should have taken.

I have loved Oliver almost all my life. I have known him since I saved his six-year-old hide from a bully named Ricardo who wanted to rid him of his two yellowed front teeth. I was five at the time, but having grown with five older brothers and a hellion of a sister, 'Totoy Cardo' was a piece of cake.

Oliver was so overcome with embarrassment at having a girl to protect his scrawny neck that from that time on he made it a point to be the rescuer,not the rescued. As time passed, muscles filled out this lanky frame and those two front teeth began to sparkle. He combs his hair, and he takes a bath daily now. In short, he has become a fine specimen of manhood.

The best part is, he lived up to his promise: he became my self-appointed guardian (well, I don't know if that's the best or the worst part). He was just always there, sticking to me like glue. It used to drive me nuts that he never let me out of his sight.

When I was 12, I ran from the infirmary on my way home. I had found out in the most humiliating way that I had become a woman: there was a big red stain on the back portion of my skirt. The jeers and the taunts followed me through the school corridors. Oliver dashed after me and offered to accompany me home. I declined, of course. He seemed to understand my discomfiture and promised to drop later with the things left in school. When I reached home I was told that I needed to jump three times on the stairs (which I did) and to wash my face with my blood (which I didn't do). Oliver dropped by in the afternoon, sporting a black eye and a bruise on his arm. When I asked him what happened, he said he had walked into a closed door. I believed him. But a few days later, minus the dysmennorhea, I found out that Oliver got into fisticuffs because some guy made a disgusting remark about me.

Nobody had ever fought for me before that. And when you're 12 and discussing in class how King Arthur and fairest of them all, Lancelot, fought for Guinevere's love, you tend to get ideas. I loved Oliver then.

When we were in high school and I found out that the school's heartthrob and one of my most ardent suitors, Richard, was involved with a bustier girl, it was to Oliver that I ran. When I didn't graduate as valedictorian and I got so drunk, it was Oliver who took me home. He didn't even mind that I barfed all over his dad's car (which he borrowed without permission).

When I decided to go to UP and he went to Ateneo, we celebrated by partying. When I lost my mom in a car accident, he took care of everything.

When my dad followed my mom less than a year later after a heart attack, he was there again.

By this time he was an appendage of my life. He used to check out the guys I came to know. Nobody dared to get serious with me--not when Oliver had a black belt. I didn't know how to define our relationship. I didn't know what we were. We definitely were more than friends, better even than best friends. It was like we were a couple, but formally not one. We did all the things that couples did like hang out and neck but always stopped when things got too hot. Since we never defined what we meant to each other we never said "I love you" or whatever serious couples told each other.

As a result, I remained a chaste princess while my prince caroused and sowed wild oats, but still had the energy to monitor my movements I didn't mind. After all, I was so sure we'd end up together. I always thought that in the end, it would be us. I loved him. I managed to convince myself that he loved me (what else could it be?). Little did I know that love doesn't conquer all, it only conquers the weak.

I didn't think he'd be so stupid as to get a girl pregnant on the same night they met at a party. I didn't think he'd be so stupid as to forget to use some form of contraception. After all, he had given me a lecture on safe sex. And I didn't think he'd be so stupid as to marry the girl. But maybe I forgot that after all he was a man, and men have been known to be stupid about these things. Their brain is located in a region other than between the ears.

What could I do? Kicking him in the groin and punching him in the eye seemed like a good idea then. Don't blame me; he was the one who enrolled me in a self-defense course. But I did not feel better. Seeing him bent over in pain only made me angrier. I wasted my life for this lousy excuse of a man? I could not believe it!

I wanted nothing more than to run to him and beg him to wake me up from the stupid dream. I wanted him to take me some place where we didn't know anybody. No pain, no memory, no humiliation. I wanted to just forget it ever happened but since I flunked in the School for Martyrs, I couldn't, for the life of me pretend, it didn't happen. I couldn't pretend he didn't hurt me.

I couldn't pretend everything was fine and dandy and exactly the way it was before. We didn't talk for a month. For both of us who were practically inseparable, that was like an eternity. I ducked into corners whenever I would see him. I wouldn't take his calls. I wouldn't see him. And for some time hate was my reason for getting up in the morning, for breathing, for living. Hate and I became good friends.

"God brings men into deep waters, not to drown them but to cleanse them," somebody once wrote. I didn't want to be cleansed. I just wanted to drown in pain and misery and utter desolation. I wanted to wallow in the dark and deep pit of despair. I know a thousand and one cliches that say this can be a blessing and that I should be thankful. But thankful is the last thing I'm feeling right now. I've always thought that there are three kinds of women: those who break, those who mend and those who are broken themselves. Before this hit me, I assumed that I belonged to the first or second category. Now I know I'm in the third--so hurt and broken up inside. My grandmother used to say that there is nothing you can do about pain when it gives you a silly grin except grin right back. All I could manage was a wry smile, a killer headache and the worst hangover the day before his wedding. Evidence of that is the disgusting sight of mashed potatoes and barbecue, thrown up not three meters away from where I was lying prostrate on the floor and the awful stench of cigarette on my hair. Frankly I don't want to go.

I want to wallow in misery in my messy room, crying, retching and stinking, surrounded with Michael Learns to Rock (whose songs are dedicated to the broken-hearted) CDs. But I have to go and attend the wedding. I have to bathe and prepare and put on that atrocious peach (it's not even my color!) gown.

I'm not doing it for the groom, my one true friend and love, Oliver. Neither am I doing it for the bride, my younger sister, Sandra, who needs me. I'm doing it for my unborn niece who has the great fortune of having me as her aunt. Call me stupid, but I've always known my place. If it isn't beside the man I was destined to marry, if it isn't behind my sister, who will take his name, wear his ring and bear him a child, then it must be with my niece, cradled close to my heart so that she will know both of our love.

30 Random Questions

2006-11-30T23:53:00.000+08:00

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?
>> Get some serious sleep, girl!

2. How much cash do you have on you?
>> 300 pesosesoses! and some change.

3. What's a word that rhymes with "DOOR"?
>> Whore. *sniggers*

4. What's your favorite planet?
>> Neptune...that's the blue one, right?

5. Who is the fourth person on your missed call list on your cell phone?
>> My best pal Olive.

6. What is your favorite ring on your phone?
>> The Scientist by Coldplay.

7. What shirt are you wearing?
>> A yellow one.

8. Do you "label" yourself?
>> Umm, yeah...a lot of things actually e.g. underachiever and extroverted misanthrope.

9. Name the brand of your shoes you're currently wearing?
>> I have on a pair of Islander flip-flops.

10. Bright or dark Room?
>> Bright...so I can read, read, read!

11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you?
>> I haven't seen her in more than a year and I really miss her.

13. What were you doing at midnight last night?
>> It's questions like this that makes my day. LOL!

14. What did your last text message you received on your cell say?
>> magslippers tang tanan! slippers day! wahahaha! bsta mkta ang eslifer lay karsonesay! ha! (Awww, the things we do for office theme days. Hahaha!)

15. Where is your nearest 7-11?
>> Believe it or not, we don't a freakin' 7-11 here.

16. What's a word that you say a lot?
>> Sh!t.

17.Who told you he/she loved you last?
>> Well, it's an office staple expression so I guess it was one of my officemates.

18. Last furry thing you touched?
>> My best gal Red.

19. How many drugs have you done in the last three days?
>> Only one, for upset stomach.

20. How many rolls of film do you need developed?
>> Duh! Have you heard of the word digicam?

21. Favorite age you have been so far?
>> 16...don't ask me why.

22. Your worst enemy?
>> Me, myself and I.

23. What is your current desktop picture?
>> Nothin'.

24. What was the last thing you said to someone?
>> I can't do this. I only had three hours of sleep.

25. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly what would it be?
>> A million bucks can make me fly.

26. Do you like someone?
>> Do you mean like like? Or like like?

27. The last song you listened to?
>> Leave the Pieces by The Wreckers (it's in my head and it's not leaving--but I'm not complaining).

28. What are your favorite colors?
>> Green, blue and more green.

29. What kind of pet do you want?
>> Only the ones I already have--Red and Lee
30. From whom did you get this survey?
>> Yowee over at Sunseeker.

Checklist For The Week

2006-11-25T21:29:00.000+08:00

Whew! What a week it has been. Busy? Hmm, maybe I was. Aight, I was busy checking out where to find free Blogger layouts for this blog. So, yeah, it was a busy week. LOL!

Mission 1: Change blog layout.
Status: Done. I didn't know that looking for the right blog layout can actually cause migraines. Well, maybe it was just me since I made a career out of it. But you really can't blame me since I have been meaning to change this blog's layout for a long time so I just wanna do it right. And it's hard to find the right layout for someone as picky as me--I need a green and/or blue one. Oh, not just one but I needed to have a few so that I can have choices! But everything's good now since I have found a few that'll last me a year--if I use each of them for a few months.

Mission 2: Switch to Beta Blogger.
Status: Done. Well, I just gotta do it. I trusted Blogger to have straightened out all the kinks for the Beta format and not mess up with my existing blogs. I mean, the switch invitation had become more conspicuous on the dashboard than from before so I guess they're pretty confident that everything's well now. And I love the labeling feature so I'm glad that I did it.

Mission 3: Find an apartment.
Status: Done. My sister and I have finally found one...or two or three. But we still have next week to make a final decision on which one to choose. I'm confused as ever and I hope we make the right choice by the first of December.

Mission 4: Change 100 Random Things #35.
Status: Done. LOL! In the chaos of doing missions one to three, I actually managed to find time to do this. And did I say what a week it has been yet? It definitely was. I just felt the need to actually say this because I don't want anyone reading the old post and think I was lying.

Mission 5: Review at least 2 books.
Status: Pending. If I can't do it today, I promise to do it first thing next week. I'm in a review slump but believe me, I haven't stopped reading books.

The Da Vinci Code

2006-11-25T00:23:00.000+08:00

Finally! I was able to see the film and I'm glad that I did. More likely because I really wanted to have my say about it. But mostly because I really, really loved the book.

And the reason I didn't watch it when it was in the cinemas was because I was afraid my opinion of it would be affected by the critiques of others. Some said that it was okay, some said it didn't come up to par. To top it off, there was too much to-do about it and I was pretty sure my opinion would be affected by that alone--I know from experience that 80% of films with huge promotional works usually fall short of expectations. So, I decided to wait. And the moment I found this at the video shop, I wasted no time to watch it.

It was a good movie, even a great one. It even felt like I hadn't read the book because it still surprised me in some parts. *Snickers* That's probably because I told myself to totally forget the book and just watch the movie version as a totally separate entity. That way, I wouldn't end up comparing each frame to each page. Thankfully, it worked for me. Although I admit that Tom Hanks is one of the greatest actors to ever walk this Earth, I am not one of his biggest followers. But I loved his Dr. Robert Langdon. Some people said that the character came out aloof. I say: He pulled off a distant persona and yet still made Langdon likeable. Aloofness is probably some people's twisted interpretation of the character's stoicism. And Hanks did a two-thumbs-up job! Audrey Tautou was great, too. I think she's just too cute though for her role. I mean, she was too cute to look like an agent and a cryptographer, even an amateur one. But I'm sure that added to the allure of her character.

Now, there was Sir Ian McKellen as Sir Leigh Teabing. He did an excellent job--as usual. If one hasn't read the book or hasn't had any idea as to who his character really was, one wouldn't really know what he was up to. I was somehow confused as to how to react to his latest character though. Being Gandalf in the LOTR trilogy, he will always have my almost-worshipful admiration. But the last movie I've seen of him was X-Men 3: The Last Stand--and I always thought Magneto funny. Blame the barmy costume! And Paul Bettany made one heck of a scary Silas. The character was already scary in the book so seeing him do all the scary stuff on the screen was freaky.

So no, the movie wasn't okay. It was amazing! Although I don't wanna talk about the plot since it was controversial enough. But I have to say that I love, love the idea. And if its prequel Angels and Demons does get produced, I definitely will watch it on the big screen. After all, I loved it even more than the Code itself.

Pacman Fever--It Ain't Over!

2006-11-22T21:59:00.000+08:00

I may pride myself with being a sports aficionada but I have never been a big fan of boxing. Fact is, I still am not. But I have become a fan of Manny Pacquiao and I haven't missed any of his recent matches yet--especially all three against Mexican Eric Morales. Last weekend was no different.

I intended to write about the event a few days back, before matchday. But I changed my mind, thinking that the Pacman fever will be over and done with in a few days. I should have known then that that wouldn't be the case. Days before the big day, all I heard on the commute home was: "...yada, yada, yada...Pacquiao...blah, blah, blah...Sunday...yada, yada...Morales...bet on...blah, blah...knockout...hmm...on round what...yada..." Now, four days after the fight (well, technically, it has only been three days since in Philippine time), it's still all people can talk about. People can't just seem to stop talking about it. I really couldn't blame them. After all, it puts a smile on their faces in a way talking about the Philippine economy or politics could and would never do.

So on Sunday noon (Saturday night, Vegas time), Pacman once again put the Philippines on the map. Hmm, more like, he cemented its place on the boxing map. I felt so proud of him; of showing that hard work, determination and showing a lot of heart do pay off. He might not be a household name to non-hardcore boxing followers (that's usually the case reserved for the heavyweight class boxers) but he is already a big name on the boxing world. And that's long way from the rising star I first saw fight way, way back when I was in college. He could barely speak Tagalog then--his native tongue being Cebuano/Visaya, like yours truly. Now, he speaks English. Hot diggity damn! Understandably, he doesn't speak flawless English but at least, he learned it. Unlike Morales, who hasn't bothered. Why not learn the language when the US is just over the fence, amigo? I don't get it.

Last Sunday started well and good. I was supposed to apartment-hunt for the better part of the day but there's no way I'm gonna miss the fight so I went home just in time to have an early lunch with my sister before plopping down in front of the TV. But the undercard fights seemed to take forever so my sister decided to apartment-hunt instead and asked to be text messaged on the match's result. But, of course, she shouldn't have had left so soon.Because, oops! to all who bet on Morales or spent good money to watch him finally down Pacquiao, the whole thing was over a few seconds short of three complete rounds. When El Terible went down for the third time, I couldn't help but feel bad for him. But what the heck, that was what he got for having a big mouth. At least, he is no longer spouting about making this into a four-match saga. But he did make good money from this fight. (While our neighbor lost PhP80,000 for betting on him. Granted, it's not much in dollars. But it's not pocket change either.)

But everything was worth it for everyone who was on the Pacman's side. I watched the thing thrice! Thank God for PPV though because with the delayed telecasts from the other two channels that covered the event, the commercial breaks were the main event.

There are still news shorts about what happened Saturday night in Las Vegas. And more are still coming when the Philippines' Pambansang Kamao (National Fist) comes home later this week. I can already imagine what the reception of his return would be like--or maybe not. Or maybe so--gauging from the larger-than-life personality he has become. If his fight night practically cleared the traffic off both Philippine highways and back roads; hosted thousands of Pinoys in cinemas around the country; brought together Filipino communities abroad--then yes, you can imagine what the homecoming of this latest sporting hero will be like.

I absolutely hope he remains the down-to-earth, almost-shy, always-funny celebrity like he has always been--totally unaffected by his celebrity status, in fact. And I hope he doesn't get mixed up with politics like what the gossip mill has said in the last few months. I just am not a huge fan of the celebrity-turned-politician cliche. It disappoints 99% of the time.

For now, props to Pacman. God always blesses those who never asks for anything for themselves but for what they can give to others. Thanks for making the country proud, for giving the country an opportunity to have something to be proud of in the first place. Kudos!

33 Choo-Choo Questions

2006-11-15T20:12:00.000+08:00

1. single or taken?
-single...

2.Do you have a crush on anyone?
-yes...or I wouldn't be me...

3. Do they know?
-no...and no...:o)

4. Do you flirt a lot?
-when I feel like it...

5. Who was your best relationship with?
-the one I also had the worst relationship with so let's not talk about it

6. Do cheaters deserve a second chance?
-no...I believe that leopards don't change their stripes

7. Serious or Fun-loving?
-very fun-loving

8. Humor or Romance?
-humor and romance

9. Dark or light hair?
-dark

10.Shorter or taller than you?
-taller, of course

11. Do you kiss strangers?
-no...but i just might...we'll never know what I will be up to

12. Do you hug strangers?
-no, hugs are more special than random kisses

13.How long was your longest relationship?
-uhm...

14. Do you believe in kissing when you are not together yet?
-"No," said the prude--who just might kiss strangers!

15. Do you think about the opposite sex a lot?
-yes...and what I'd like to with/to them...LOL!

16. Have you ever slept at a friend of the opposite sex's house?
-yes, when we went on vacation to their place...and I've had male housemates before

17. Do you tell your friends they are hot?
-can't remember that I did

18. Would you rather have a sweet, clever guy/ girl or a wild one?
-a sweet and clever guy with a wild side

19. Have you ever liked someone a lot (and they knew it) who didn't like you back?
-yes, when I was in high school...and it was bad

20. Do you feel comfortable with joking with your friends who are the opposite sex?
-of course...I'm one of the guys

21.Chocolates or flowers?
-chocolates...tell me, what would I do with flowers?

22. Have you ever been in the friends-with-benefits situation?
-uhm...again

23. Teddy Bear or Card?
-teddy bear

24. Would it be sweet or annoying if someone of the opposite sex called just to say hi?
-as long as they don't call while I'm sleeping

25. Ever felt like your Girlfriend/boyfriend didn't like you?
-no

26. Ever been cheated on?
-yes!

27. Ever done the cheating?
-no

28. Ever cried over a break up?
-not yet, haven't found someone really worth the effort

29. Ever kissed or hugged your girlfriend/boyfriend in front of a teacher and got in trouble?
-nope

30. Do you believe in miracles?
-yes, 'cause I believe in God

31. Is it easy for you to get over people who were special to you?
-no...I'm not fickle

32. Have you ever made a birthday wish or blew on a dandelion on a relationship?
-birthday, yes; dandelion, no

33. Have you ever had a broken heart?
-no, otherwise I'd be dead...and I wouldn't go near Dr Burke right now to fix it if I had one (yeah, I know I'm not answering the question)

Blogging and Me p.2

2006-11-15T20:00:00.000+08:00

1. What makes you visit a blog? It could either be that the blog was a blog search result or I found the blog on someone else's blogroll.

2. What makes you come back to it? Most of the time it's common interests that keep me coming back for more. If we watch the same shows, dig the same movies, listen to the same music, read the same books, like the same sport, etc. then it's guaranteed that I'm gonna go back. The rest of the time, it's the tone or style of writing that keeps me interested. We might not have a lot of common grounds to cover, but if the blogger's writing style is something I could connect with then it's sometimes enough to keep me interested.

3. Do you read the archives of a new blog you find? Or of ones you visit frequently? Maybe if I have a lot of time in my hands I will. Because I really want to in some cases whenever I get uber-excited about the blog.

4. Do you comment on all blogs you read? Or only some? What makes you comment or not? I don't post a comment just because I have read a certain article. I post comments on articles I can relate to and when I'm pretty confident that I'm right in saying something in the first place.

5. Do you like it when someone responds to your comment with one of their own, or do you not care? It's always nice when someone replies to my comments but if they don't, it would be fine. It's not the end of the world.

6. How often does a blog need to update for you to keep visiting? A few days? Once a week? Once every couple of weeks? I am the wrong person to ask that question because I myself only update my blog whenever I can. So I think I'm really not in the position to say how often it has to be updated for it to be interesting. As long as it's updated regularly and great articles keep on popping every time, that'll absolutely be fine with me.

Five Truthful Thingamajiggies

2006-11-05T17:06:00.000+08:00

Got this from Dee last week , I think, but forgot to post it right then.

1. I have a big fear of big medicine tablets. It's because I have a history of not being able to swallow them right away causing me to puke most of the time. The sight of those 'gigantic' paracetamol, etc. tablets just makes me sicker. Whenever I feel like I'm coming down with something, I'm more worried of having to take meds than with what I'm really sick with. I'd rather have an injection shot any day.

2. I hate unlimited text messaging. I'm probably the only person who feels that way. Having my mobile inbox forty messages or so full of forwarded quotes or jokes does not make me a happy person. And that frequently happens when my friends go "unli." I might hate getting these messages but once they are in my inbox and I will start to like them, I won't be deleting them unless I've written them down in my "txt msg ntebuk." So when I don't have the time to write them all down, my inbox do get overcrowded.

3. I have the tendency to hate a person at first glance. I think it's a natural thing, if not for all then for most people. There are times when I first get to meet a person and would dislike him/her right away even before he/she has said or done anything. I'm sorry, that's just the way I am. I tried to tone it down lately but there really is no helping it. And no matter how well I get to know them better later on, 90% of the time my first impressions of them stick.

4. I have OCD. Well, I have not been officially diagnosed but having it doesn't really make one stupid so I know I have it. Have you read number 2 in this list? Or how about counting how many brushstrokes my hair gets? Or how about counting toothbrush strokes? Having my sneaker shoelaces on in a specific way? I could list down more stuff but it won't help the fact that I have it. I tried to stop anything that just seemed whacked out--like the hairbrush strokes. But then I just sort of start doing some things and all I can say is...here we go again.

5. I'm a loyal person and I think it sucks. Don't you think so? There are times when I just get tired of something (or someone!) but is too loyal to unlove them. I have stopped following the local basketball league since I was in high school but I still feel happy whenever I hear that my fave team before has a won a game, even if I no longer have any idea who the players in it are. Or I get irritated whenever someone bad mouths my old workplace, even if I quit my job there. God, I am such a nutcase!

John Tucker Must Die

2006-11-05T14:55:00.000+08:00

When I thought I was over teeny-booper flicks, films such as She's the Man changed my mind. But then I see something like John Tucker Must Die and I wish I'd stuck to war movies instead.

I expected a lot out of this movie because I used to really, really like Jesse Metcalfe. I thought he was smoking hot before his (what seemed to be waxed) eyebrows got to me. And I love Sophia Bush--I think she's the (hands down) cutest and most likable "Brooke" on the face of the Earth. That said, I expected big from this film. I dunno about y'all but the whole thing just fell flat. I'm probably getting cynical in my old age (24 is old, right?) but the time I spent watching this one was overflowing with unappreciated sophomoric humor. Needless to say, I didn't like that.

When I first heard of what the gist of the film was, I was intrigued. Who wouldn't want to get back on hoo-hoos anyway? But going to extreme lengths and spending too much time and effort to do just that is not anywhere in my priority list. Forget the dumbass and move on with your life, girl!

So no, I don't recommend you watch it unless you're me at 12--in which case, you'll definitely have a laugh. If you must see it though, wait till it's on cable. Please.

Hinder's Lips Of An Angel

2006-10-29T17:19:00.000+08:00

...rocks like nothing else on radio in a long while. Every time I hear this song, it feels like I'm on cloud nine and hanging out with the angels. I absolutely adore this song! Just check out the lyrics and you'll know what I mean. That is, if you hadn't heard of the song. And a lot of people seems to think so, too. After all, this single has been number one in my favorite local radio station for the past five weeks already. I have not seen the video, dunno if there is one. Not that I've seen that much TV as I wanted to lately. But I did find a live performance clip on YouTube (duh! where else can I find it?). Sorry about the little problems about the audio but here it is. Enjoy!

P.S. I might be too early but if I don't greet y'all now, then I'd be late--'cause Gods knows when I will be able to blog again. So...

It's A Long Week...end

2006-10-23T19:34:00.000+08:00

The Ramadan holiday on the 24th is a national holiday but our office is observing it today. And that's why I'm able to blog today--even if I really, really need to sleep. But I can't go to sleep knowing that I haven't blogged in a week. Not good for my blogging psyche. Not good at all.

Although I had all the chances to sleep yesterday but I didn't take them. Because I have to have my Grey's Anatomy season two marathon on DVD. And I'm going back to it as soon as I'm done here. So I guess that really doesn't give me the right to whine about lacking sleep, huh? So what. I'm a happy, happy sleepless person.

And I promise to read more than one book this week so that I can review more than one book over at Bookabulary at the end of this week. I just wasn't into reading the previous week. So sorry about that. Let's just hope that I do a better job this week--even if I'm going to be busy putting together a Halloween costume for our office fun day on Saturday.

I was thinking of doing Peyton's costume in OTH's Halloween ep last season until a colleague of mine said she's doing doing it. At least now I know I really don't have to shell out on something only not to get best costume--because I found out late last week that I got picked to be in the judging committee. Still, any suggestions, peeps?

And October 22 turned out to be one heck of a red-letter day. Here's why:

And there had been talks that Becks will get his CBE and become a Knight in 2007. Sir David Beckham? Freaky but definitely cool!

But I can't help slipping into mourning mode these days. I found out that The David Beckham Page s is shutting down come October 31. I didn't see it coming and disappointed doesn't cover enough of what I feel. It has been my constant go-to about Becks stuff since I was in college and I can't imagine it not being online in a few days time. Now, I'm going numb. So before I go catatonic, I better go back to Mer-Der watch (so that I can pretend that everything's fine and that McDreamy isn't being as ass in the current season).

Red-Letter Day

2006-10-15T18:40:00.000+08:00

October is not turning out to be a very good month. It's halfway done but I really can't wait for it to be over though. The New York Yankees had a very short postseason for the second straight year that I'm already imagining some very visible changes come spring training. And yeah, that pretty much means my baseball season was cut short, too.

And even if I'm stinking mad at McClaren for leaving Becks out of England's national squad, I was still sad when they lost to Croatia 2-0 in midweek. It wasn't a very nice news to get in the middle of the week--or for any England fan. Even those who hate McClaren. Oh yeah, I said that already.

But wait, there's more!

It's not okay that the Yankees are gone but I do have a red-letter day to look forward to this month.

OCTOBER 22

That's a week from today and I can't wait. The footy nut in me just goes gaga thinking about the sporting itinerary for that day:

Manchester United vs. Liverpool
Real Madrid vs. Barcelona

My fingers are crossed for the best possible results for that day. ManUtd won 3-1 against Wigan last night--coming from behind, no less. And Real Madrid lost to freakin' Getafe 1-0. That pissed me off...Becks did start but got subbed after an hour...and Ronaldo got red-carded. Argh! That's the latest on Real, Dee. And yeah, Becks will be staying there for another two years.

The Return of the Comeback

2006-10-01T19:24:00.000+08:00

I'm so bushed! I had my first week of training for my new job last week and it felt like it was never gonna end. Oh, well...

But I'm not so tired as to forget that it's already October. In my book that means baseball playoffs. The New York Yankees won their division for the 9th consecutive time and I only hope that the team will be able to go to the World Series this year--and win it. What's more, it would be something if there will be a Subway series because the NY Mets are smoking hot this season. My fingers are crossed!

But when I say return of the comeback, I really meant it is time again for Real Madrid to produce some magic. They won last week's match with Real Betis one-nil. And then had a brilliant five-one win over Dynamo Kiev midweek in the Champions League. I hope the winning run will continue because I'm really getting tired of Barcelona being the dominant club in La Liga. This is Real's third attempt to come back and reclaim the domestic title that I personally think belongs in the Bernabeu. They lost to Valencia in the 2003-2004 season and to Barca in the last two. And I pray that the 2006-2007 season will be our season because I want to hear "reigning champions" and Real Madrid in one sentence again. I hope they'll be able to deliver tonight in the Madrid derby against Atletico and work out their problems in defense. AND I hope Becks gets a start because he's been playing as a sub lately even with his brilliants performances. Wake up, Capello!

Gotta catch up on my reading so I'm gonna leave it here. I really hope I'd be able to drop by more often in the next few weeks, as soon as I've adjusted to my new schedule. So sorry, you guys. But I'll be seeing you around.

Cheerio!

Failure To Launch

2006-09-23T20:33:00.000+08:00

I was never a fan of Sex and the City and the few times I watched some of its eps were solely to kill time. So I really had my doubts if I would last this entire movie without getting bored because as you can tell, I am not exactly a fan of SJP--that's me versus the entire world.

But I really enjoyed this film. I was surprised at how much. Well, not really. Was Bradley Cooper reason enough? For me, he was. But it wasn't just him, it was the whole package that blew me away.

Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker) was hired by Tripp's (Matthew McConaughey) parents in a bid to make him want to move out of their house. Apparently, failure to launch is when a guy fails to flee the coop well past after they were supposed to. Obviously, Tripp's parents were not happy about the situation. It was really an intriguing concept because in Filipino culture, parents try to "hold on" to their kids for as long as possible. Some even want them not to move out even after they get married. Not that I approves of that but that's just how it goes. I say Paula's job was one of a kind--pretending to be in a relationship with guys who had failed to launch up to the point when they want to move out and live on their own. Without them knowing, she was actually helping them build their self-esteem and self-confidence as well. I think this was really a tough job.

And when she had to work on someone as hot and charming as Tripp, the job just got tougher. This time around, she went beyond what was supposed to do--and slept with the subject. In the clients' home. Awkward!

So they fell in love. Unfortunately, she was found out by one of his friends, Ace (Justin Bartha) and hell broke loose. (Computer genius Ace's romance with Paula's cynical and jaded best friend Kit (Zooey Deschanel) was fun to watch.) But then their friends realized that they were made for each other, so they worked to have them in one room. Trapped that way, Paula opted to explain her part while Tripp listened. Of course, when one was tied down to a chair with his mouth taped, what else can one do but listen?

Lemme just say though that what happened to Matthew McConaughey's character was probably also due to his mother's part in babying him. Doing his laundry and breakfasts at that age? C'mon. I've done my own laundry since I was 11 and although I'm still living at home, no one in our house has ever been waited hand and foot like that. That has helped a lot during those times I had to live in boarding houses when school, and then work, required me to.

Failure to Launch was a beautifully made picture about friendship and unexpected love. If you haven't seen it, you really ought to. Soon.