Yesterday --

During my tutor session with Kate and David, while I was discussing the concept of deja vu (which Kate had just experienced), we heard a loud crash. I thought something had landed on the roof or dropped to the floor somewhere so we ignored it.

It was Kate who realized that one of their windows was broken. It looked like a bullet hit the glass because there was a clean hole right through -- I immediately checked if one of us got hit. We noticed that there was no hole on the screen so, whatever it was, never got inside the house.

Outside, we found a rock nearby -- so we called the subdivision security to come and investigate the matter. He said it was most likely a slingshot from somewhere and it was probably accidental.



* * *

Buho Bakery --

I posted about this addicting bread a few months back but I was never able to talk about the bakery that makes it.

Yesterday, I had to mail something at the post office so I decided to drop by Buho Bakery to pick up some mini Pancho rolls.



Since it was early afternoon, the bakery itself was closed and you had to knock on this small window on the wall to make your order.


<-- it literally is a "hole" in the wall ^_^

It used to cost PhP1.00 per piece but now the price has gone up to PhP1.25

Some of you might be interested --

Banoffee, Banoffi, Banoffy --

However you spell it, I'm craving it.

The one they serve at Red Ribbon is okay and it temporarily satisfies the need. But I really want the one served at Banapple and I'm already trying to figure out how to get some the next time I'm in Manila.

I am thinking of making my own -- and I came across this.

The Completely True and Utter Story of Banoffi Pie by one of the guys who invented the Banoffee and here is his recipe.

I kinda like the graham cracker crust that is more commonly used as the base of the Banoffee.

I think banana is the fruit for 2008 (or it should be).

Earth Hour, Iloilo --

So, we turned off our lights at 8 last night.

At first, we were worried about Seth and the heat.

But, Seth didn't mind it and, in the end, neither did we.

We didn't even notice that the hour had passed. And it felt good to do it -- even though we seemed to have been the only ones who did.

Hairspray --

Mahar introduced me to the idea of a power song -- he made me listen to "Defying Gravity" from Wicked and that's how I discovered that musical.

I like the idea of having a power song -- during those times when I need that extra push (that extra bit of courage or confidence), I listen to one of them and it really does wonders!

Here's the latest addition to my list:

Big, Blonde And Beautiful
from "Hairspray"

Bring on that pecan pie
Pour some sugar on it
Sugar don't be shy
Scoop me up a mess
Of that chocolate swirl
Don't be stingy,
I'm a growing girl

I offer big love
With no apology
How can I deny the world
The most of me
I am not afraid
To throw my weight around
Pound by pound by pound

Because I'm
Big, blonde and beautiful
There is nothin' 'bout me
That's unsuitable

No one wants a meal
That only offers the least
When girl we're servin' up
The whole damn feast

Slice off a piece
Of that hogshead cheese
Then take a look inside
My book of recipes

Now, don't you sniff around
For something fluffy and light
I need a man who brings
A man-size appetite

I'll use a pinch of sugar
And a dash of spice
I'll let ya lick the spoon
Because it tastes so nice

I'll keep it in my oven
'Til it's good and hot
Keep on stirring 'til it hits the spot
Because I'm...

Big, blonde and beautiful
And Edna girl, you're lookin' so
Recruitable
Why sit in the bleachers
Timid and afraid
When Edna,
You can be your own parade!

They say that
Black is whack
And big ain't in
Well that's just bull

Cause ladies big is back
And as for black
It's beautiful

All shapes and sizes
Follow me
Who wants a twig
When you can have the whole tree

OMGOMGOMG! --

Blade of the Immortal the anime!!!!!!!!!

... I really should call it Mugen no Juunin.

I am so happy!!!!

I want to go to Japan and watch the first episode this April. >_<

More news here!

Post backlog part 1--

These are some things that I meant to write about but was never able to ... until now!

* * *

One of Johann's prized possessions --

... and another reason why we love used books stores.

This is supposed to be something Johann should post about but he is now a lapsed blogger so I will write about it for him.



When my husband was a "young lad" of 6 (I think he would use these words to describe himself), he read about a review about a fantasy novel written by a guy named Barry Hughart. The story instantly captivated him -- (yes, he was a geek even back then) because it was very rare for fantasy novels to be set in China and this novel claims to be the story of "an Ancient China that never was."

Sadly, he couldn't find a copy of the book back then and he made it his lifelong vow to locate a copy of this book.

The dream came true 20-something years later, when he found an almost-pristine copy in one of the used books sellers here in Iloilo.

Now, he and my sister have made another lifelong vow -- to save up and buy the rare and very expensive omnibus edition which collects the 3 novels.

An interesting exercise --

My friend, Nikka, posted on her blog the Top 100 songs of the year she was born and noted which songs she actually knew.

Here's the list for the Top 100 songs of 1978.
1. Shadow Dancing, Andy Gibb
2. Night Fever, Bee Gees
3. You Light Up My Life, Debby Boone
4. Stayin' Alive, Bee Gees
5. Kiss You All Over, Exile
6. How Deep Is Your Love, Bee Gees
7. Baby Come Back, Player
8. (Love Is) Thicker Than Water, Andy Gibb
9. Boogie Oogie Oogie, A Taste Of Honey
10. Three Times A Lady, Commodores
11. Grease, Frankie Valli <-- if this is the one from the musical then, yes
12. I Go Crazy, Paul Davis
13. You're The One That I Want, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
14. Emotion, Samantha Sang
15. Lay Down Sally, Eric Clapton
16. Miss You, Rolling Stones
17. Just The Way You Are, Billy Joel
18. With A Little Luck, Wings
19. If I Can't Have You, Yvonne Elliman
20. Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah), Chic
21. Feels So Good, Chuck Mangione
22. Hot Child In The City, Nick Gilder
23. Love Is Like Oxygen, Sweet
24. It's A Heartache, Bonnie Tyler
25. We Are The Champions/We Will Rock You, Queen
26. Baker Street, Gerry Rafferty
27. Can't Smile Without You, Barry Manilow
28. Too Much, Too Little, Too Late, Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams
29. Dance With Me, Peter Brown
30. Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad, Meat Loaf
31. Jack And Jill, Raydio
32. Take A Chance On Me, Abba
33. Sometimes When We Touch, Dan Hill
34. Last Dance, Donna Summer
35. Hopelessly Devoted To You, Olivia Newton-John
36. Hot Blooded, Foreigner
37. You're In My Heart, Rod Stewart
38. The Closer I Get To You, Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway
39. Dust In The Wind, Kansas
40. Magnet And Steel, Walter Egan
41. Short People, Randy Newman
42. Use Ta Be My Girl, O'Jays
43. Our Love, Natalie Cole
44. Love Will Find A Way, Pablo Cruise
45. An Everlasting Love, Andy Gibb
46. Love Is In The Air, John Paul Young
47. Goodbye Girl, David Gates
48. Slip Slidin' Away, Paul Simon
49. The Groove Line, Heatwave
50. Thunder Island, Jay Ferguson
51. Imaginary Lover, Atlanta Rhythm Section
52. Still The Same, Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
53. My Angel Baby, Toby Beau
54. Disco Inferno, Trammps
55. On Broadway, George Benson
56. Come Sail Away, Styx
57. Back In Love Again, L.T.D.
58. This Time I'm In It For Love, Player
59. You Belong To Me, Carly Simon
60. Here You Come Again, Dolly Parton
61. Blue Bayou, Linda Ronstadt
62. Peg, Steely Dan
63. You Needed Me, Anne Murray
64. Shame, Evelyn "Champagne" King
65. Reminiscing, Little River Band
66. Count On Me, Jefferson Starship
67. Baby Hold On, Eddie Money
68. Hey Deanie, Shaun Cassidy
69. Summer Nights, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-john
70. What's Your Name, Lynyrd Skynyrd
71. Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue, Crystal Gayle
72. Because The Night, Patti Smith
73. Every Kinda People, Robert Palmer
74. Copacabana, Barry Manilow
75. Always And Forever, Heatwave
76. You And I, Rick James
77. Serpentine Fire, Earth, Wind and Fire
78. Sentimental Lady, Bob Welch
79. Falling, LeBlanc and Carr
80. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, Santa Esmeralda
81. Bluer Than Blue, Michael Johnson
82. Running On Empty, Jackson Browne
83. Whenever I Call You "Friend", Kenny Loggins
84. Fool (If You Think It's Over), Chris Rea
85. Get Off, Foxy
86. Sweet Talking Woman, Electric Light Orchestra
87. Life's Been Good, Joe Walsh
88. I Love The Night Life, Alicia Bridges
89. You Can't Turn Me Off (In The Middle Of Turning Me On), High Inergy
90. It's So Easy, Linda Ronstadt
91. Native New Yorker, Odyssey
92. Flashlight, Parliament
93. Don't Look Back, Boston
94. Turn To Stone, Electric Light Orchestra
95. I Can't Stand The Rain, Eruption
96. Ebony Eyes, Bob Welch
97. The Name Of The Game, Abba
98. We're All Alone, Rita Coolidge
99. Hollywood Nights, Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band
100. Deacon Blues, Steely Dan

A day late --

Johann and I celebrate two anniversaries -- the day we became a couple and the day we got married.

Yesterday, we celebrated the first one. Four years ago, while walking from Robinson's Galleria to The Podium, Johann asked me if I loved him enough to be his girlfriend and I said yes. In Podium, we bumped into his former boss and he introduced me thus: "This is Tin, she's new."

Happy 4, my crazy dear. ^_^

The Internet is for ... --

We were so excited to read about Citi Hardware stocking bamboo floor panels that we all got into the car and drove there.

They were really lovely but very expensive -- we were surprised to find out how much a "Green" house would potentially cost.

My sister started reading up on bamboo flooring and was a bit horrified to read about how ... fragile it is.

So, my dear, innocent sister decided to google these words "Narra" and "Hard" --

Guess what she found. O_O

My favorite day(s) in Manila --

I wrote about Seth's favorite day so I should write about mine --

I made three wonderful discoveries when I was in Manila -- Kopi Tiam, Banapple and the used bookstores in UP Palma Hall.

I have to thank my cousin, Dex and his mom for taking me and Seth to lunch at Kopi Tiam. Tita and Dex were great hosts -- they actually over-ordered just so we could get to taste as many of the dishes served at Kopi Tiam. When I think of their lechon macau and their kopi, my mouth waters. I miss it! >_<

My cousins also treated me to dinner -- we ended up at Il Pirata in Eastwood, which is an interesting restaurant concept: Pirate/Italian food. The pizza was delicious and I was very happy with the risotto but it was the after dinner treat that was even more amazing. We went to Banapple because my cousin is a big fan of cheesecake (like me) and she wanted me to try as many of the cheesecake varieties there. We ordered three slices of cake and took it home to their house (because Banapple was full) and tried each one. I was very surprised by how good the Banoffee tasted. I couldn't imagine bananas in a pie but this one actually worked! (I tried the one in Red Ribbon here in Iloilo ... I want Banapple! >_<)

I was back at Banapple a few days later to have dinner with two dear friends. This time, we were able to get a table and had dinner there. I hadn't seen these two in a long, long time and I've had very sporadic conversations with them over the years. Dinner was fun -- it felt like no time had passed and things were as they've always been. Banapple now holds one of my happiest memories.

For the last one, I have to thank E! for taking the time to bring me to UP Palma Hall. We browsed through books and I amused the shopkeeper because I was on the phone with Johann and I was listing down all the authors and titles that he might be interested in. What's interesting is that my visit to the UP Palma bookstalls was even more gratifying than my visits to the regular bookstores.

I really love used books. ^_^

If anyone is interested --

Better World Books has a promo in honor of International Women's Day -- get $5 off every $25 purchase.

Let me know if anyone's interested. I'll PM you the promo code. ^_^

It's only until the 15th, though --

* * *

Night/Day/Twilight Watch --

By some miracle, I was able to convince Johann to cull through his overwhelming collection of books. (I managed to get him to give up 10 books. It is a victory, people.)

We discovered an unread copy of Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko, which is the basis of the movie of the same title (a really big deal -- the first MASSIVELY successful Russian film).

I will digress here -- the director of the movie is the director of Wanted (based on a really cool comic book series by Mark Millar), which is James MacAvoy goodness.

Anyhoo, Johann and my sister just finished reading Night Watch and are now itching to get a copy of the two other books in the series. Luckily, Better World had them. And we got them at $5 less because of the promo.

It's not Elvis but --

I noticed that one of Seth's corn flakes was shaped like a heart so we took a picture of it.

Been a while --

The problem with traveling is that you have to put your life on hold while you go traipsing about wherever you are headed -- when you come back, you are greeted by a massive backlog of things to do.

Add to that all the photos from the trip and the laundry that you didn't do. ^_^

That's what I've been doing for the past week or two, I've been re-organizing my life and trying to get things running again. It's been hard finding the balance and I still haven't gotten into the groove of things again.

I make it sound like it's such a big deal when, in truth, I didn't really go very far -- I was just in Manila. (And it wasn't for a long time either. ^_^)

* * *

What I've been busy with --

I've been trawling through the magazine sections of Booksale looking for Bookmark, Geek, Dwell, Romantic Times Book Review, etc.

I've been in magazine mode lately. It thrills me to find a gem in the stash of magazines at Booksale. It's my way of being updated in what is happening in Pop culture land. ^_^

I've been watching *ahem* Gossip Girl, which reminds me Cruel Intentions and the first season of The OC (their best season, IMHO). ^_^

Johann found a copy of Wong Kar Wai's My Blueberry Nights and it is classic Wong Kar Wai. It actually reminds me a bit of Chungking Express.

I want to gush about this movie! It is so lovely and breathtaking!

I've been eating cookies. Pepperidge Farm Soft-Baked cookies are addicting. I love the Dark Chocolate Chunk! Yesterday, we got their White Chocolate Macadamia (soft baked) and their Dark Chocolate Pecan (crisp).

I think I like soft-baked cookies more than crisp cookies.

Just a thought --

It's interesting that HAVING a temper and LOSING your temper almost mean the same.

* * *

Juno! --

The word that comes to mind is "charming". Ellen Page was charming and perfect. The dialogue and songs were all amazing!

I want Johann and me to sing this --

Anyone Else But You by The Moldy Peaches

You're a part time lover and a full time friend
The monkey on you're back is the latest trend

I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

I kiss you on the brain in the shadow of a train
I kiss you all starry eyed, my body's swinging from side to side
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

Here is the church and here is the steeple
We sure are cute for two ugly people
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

The pebbles forgive me, the trees forgive me
So why can't, you forgive me?
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

I will find my nitch in your car
With my mp3 DVD rumple-packed guitar
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

Up up down down left right left right B A start
Just because we use cheats doesn't mean we're not smart
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

You are always trying to keep it real
I'm in love with how you feel
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

We both have shiny happy fits of rage
You want more fans, I want more stage
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

Don Quixote was a steel driving man. My name is Adam I'm your biggest fan
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

Squinched up your face and did a dance
You shook a little turd out of the bottom of your pants
I don't see what anyone can see, in anyone else
But you

Why I like used books --

I forgot to mention that I received my books from Betterworld and I've been reading Christopher Buckley for the past month now.

I was also able to mooch a really nice copy of Thank You For Smoking. So, to date, I have 5 Christopher Buckley books and I've read three of them.

1. No Way to Treat a First Lady
2. Thank You for Smoking
3. The White House Mess
4. Florence of Arabia
5. Wry Martinis

I'm on book #4 right now and I was so thrilled to find this:


It's Christopher Buckley's autograph~!

... now Johann and I have to change our names to Kerry and Susan. ^_^

My favorite is still No Way to Treat a First Lady. Florence of Arabia is really funny. ^_^

We also got a copy of Irving Stone's Passions of the Mind -- his take on Sigmund Freud.

We received a library copy and it still has the old library record. ^_^



I like that my books have a story. ^_^

Happy Valentine's Day! --

You know it's Valentine's Day when the yaya comes in the room at 530 in the morning and she's wearing perfume. ^_^

A lot of things are happening in Iloilo this Valentine's Day -- there's the Christian Bautista concert and the Ogie Alcasid concert. Many of the big restaurants have advertised their Valentine's Day offerings.

I'm really not sure where we are going later -- maybe we'll just catch a movie (Jumper is showing and Hayden Christensen looks really cute.) or maybe just get some ribs from Bourbon Street and eat it at home with Seth and my sister.

Found this photo --

This was when we went to Singapore to watch the PCK the Musical.

* * *

Iloilo is interesting --



Every time we pass this, Johann always comments about how strange and out of place it is.

Happy thoughts (and some not-so-happy) --

If I were superstitious, I would say that the events of the last 5 days were the last hurrah of the Year of the Fire Pig.

Seth had his worst bout with his allergies last Wednesday which led to an unplanned trip to his doctor. That evening, he had a 39.4-degree fever and chills.

On that same day, I woke up with an enormous lump in my throat and a terrible pain in my lungs. I went the work as usual and had difficulty getting through the day because I had chills and I couldn't really breathe very well.

It was, unfortunately, the pulmonologist's day off so I had to suffer through the night. (Well, I really didn't suffer because I was out cold by 7 am. Woken up at 8 to be told that my son had a fever. Was delirious and dead to the world after that.)

The next day, the doctor told me I had Upper Respiratory Tract Infection and gave me meds.

The Year of the Earth Rat is already looking better -- Monday is a non-working holiday for us. When my student asked me if I was happy about that piece of news, I told him that I was extremely happy and thankful that I would get a chance to rest.

* * *

This is kimbap --



It annoys our friends when Johann calls it sushi because they are different. Kimbap is cut thinner than sushi and it is most often rolled with the seaweed- (kim) side out. (I was going to say "always" but I realized that my experience of Korean cuisine is very limited and there may be variations that have the rice side out.)



One of our Korean tenants (a mom) made a big batch yesterday and gave some to us. It is incredibly addicting! Last night, I couldn't resist sneaking to the fridge and grabbing some before going to bed.

My mom mentioned how much we love kimchi and the Korean mom also gave us some. I'm excited to try it. (Although, in my mind, nothing would beat Ceri's kimchi. ^_^)

Two words --

Watch "Weeds"

*
*
*

Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky-tacky,
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes, all the same.

There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.

And the people in the houses
All went to the university,
Where they were put in boxes,
And they came out all the same.

And there's doctors and there's lawyers
And business executives, A
nd they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.

And they all play on the golf-course,
And drink their Martinis dry,
And they all have pretty children,
And the children go to school.
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university,
Where they are put in boxes
And they come out all the same.

And the boys go into business,
And marry, and raise a family,
In boxes made of ticky-tacky,
And they all look just the same.

There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky-tacky
And they all look just the same.
- theme song from "Weeds"

More music from Weeds here. Check out the many, many fun versions of "Little Boxes" (including one by Billy Bob Thornton O_o and Regina Spektor)

Crazy about Kimchi --

I used to hate the smell of Kimchi -- and it annoyed me that Johann would insist on buying a bottle every time we were doing the grocery in Manila.

The obnoxious habit followed him here to Iloilo. When my youngest brother was here, they went into this Kimchi-eating frenzy --

I didn't understand the appeal -- until a week ago when our Korean mom gave us some of her homemade Kimchi.

She took a certificate course in cooking when she was still living in Korea and she loves to experiment and create (what she calls) "original recipes."

And now I am a convert and addicted to the stuff.

* * *

From an amazing website called Poketo --

I accidentally stumbled upon this website when I was searching for a wallet. (I am still searching.)

Poketo -- it's an amazing online store which sells really funky products.

They've gathered a group of young artists to design wallets, bags and tshirts for them and each item is a limited series.

We got Johann a Rama Hughes wallet for his birthday.



It's an incredibly minimalist wallet. The slots are all made of clear vinyl (or is it PVC?) and it folds flat. Each wallet comes with a certificate (because they actually become collector's items) and a button.





When I showed Johann the website, he actually had a hard time choosing a wallet because there were a lot of very nice designs. He eventually settled on this one because of the robot theme.

Are you a Geek? --

I found another back issue of Geek Monthly at Booksale and it contained the First Annual Geek Reader's Quiz --

I thought it was really cool so I've typed it up here for everyone else's reading enjoyment. (Yes, I am geek enough to do something like this. ^_^)

Yes or No:

1. Does your ATM PIN number in any way reference Star Trek?

2. Do you think Blu-ray is better than HD DVD?

3. Do you think HD DVD is better than Blu-ray?

4. Do you spend more than 5 minutes a week contemplating if you need to upgrade your RAM?

5. Do you own an iPhone?

6. Do you refuse to own an iPhone because you're a PC guy and hell will freeze over before you buy a Mac, and although an iPhone isn't a Mac it's made by Apple and that's just too close for comfort?

7. At a car dealership do you ask about Bluetooth, Navigation and MP3 jacks, but not about horsepower, air bags or anti-lock brakes?

8. Have you ever said the names Captain Picard and Captain Kirk in the same sentence?

9. Does it bother you that George Lucas has ever altered anything?

10. Do you feel that Uwe Boll must be stopped?

11. Have you ever gone 24 hours without sleep because you just needed to reach the next level?

12. Have you ever asked someone "what server do they play on"?

13. Have you ever had an argument about "DPS"?

14. Have you ever hacked your Tivo?

15. Have you seen checks and cash but don't use them?

16. Are you not sure if a Terabyte of storage is enough?

17. Have you ever read a novelization of any movie?

18. Have you ever typed any of the following: ROFL, LOL, OMFG, STFU or PWNED?

19. Have you ever replaced all previous 4-letter expletives with "noob"?

20. Do you know who Mark Altman is?

21. Have you ever used the word "replicant" in a conversation?

22. Have you ever said "There can be only one" fully expecting that anyone hearing you would understand the reference?

23. Do you think Empire was the best of the three movies? (If you don't know what this means, you are 100% Geek free. No need to continue.)

24. Do you know what a Zentradi Warship is?

25. Has a video game review ever made you mad?

26. When asked who is hotter: Lara Croft or Jessica Biel, do you need a moment to think?

27. Have you ever looked down on fans of V with derision?

28. Have you ever opened your computer without a tech support technician on the phone?

29. Have you ever spent more than $50 on a toy ... for yourself?

30. Do you purchase all beverages based upon their caffeine content?

31. Have you ever camped out overnight for movie tickets?

32. Do you own dice with more than 6 sides?

33. Do you think it's important for all personal electronics to have a holster?

34. Have you ever actually contructed anything designed by Alton Brown on Food TV's Good Eats?

35. Have you ever upgraded the firmware on your cell phone?

36. Have you ever modified the registry on your computer?

37. Is your computer liquid cooled?

38. Are your political views influenced by South Park?

39. Are you certain that "The Truth is Out There", but you're long past caring?

40. Have you ever used a Magic Eight Ball as a decision-making tool?

41. Do you own more than one version of Army of Darkness on DVD?

42. Have you ever owned a watch with a calculator built in to it?

43. Have you ever attempted a William Shatner impersonation?

44. Do your favorite shows almost always require a letter writing campaign to keep them alive?

45. Do you get annoyed when people suggest anything animated is automatically intended for children?

46. Do you feel the X-Men movies would have been better if Wolverine's costume just had more yellow?

47. Have you ever gone out in public in a costume on evenings other than Halloween?

48. Can you finish this sentence: "The odds of successfully navigating an asteroid field are ___ to 1."

49. Have you ever wondered why the Six Million Dollar Man had cross-hairs in his bionic eye?

50. Have you ever recommended an internet porn site to a friend?

*
*
*

Scoring:

0-10: Don't worry, you're not a geek. You clearly picked up this magazine at a hair salon or doctor's office and are in the process of putting it down.

11-20: You're not a geek, but you may have relatives or spouses who have imposed their interests on you enough that you've picked up a few basics.

21-30: You're getting into geekdom, but you may be too old to trust computers or too young to recommend internet porn sites yet.

31-40: You're getting there, but you may have enough residual shame about being a Trekkie (Ok fine ... Trekker) that you lied about a few of the questions.

41-49: You call yourself a geek? How could you have gotten this far and not gotten every one of these questions right? Go to your room!

50: Welcome, friend.

A proper post --

We were able to find a copy of Atonement -- it's a beautiful, beautiful film and deserves all the buzz that it is getting.

It's based on the novel by Ian McEwan and is Joe Wright's "follow-up" movie to "Pride and Prejudice." I think this is the movie that will establish Keira Knightley as a "serious" actress. James McAvoy is amazing as Robbie Turner -- a man who is always caught between two worlds and the actress playing Briony is intense with her freaky blue eyes. O_O

Now I want to find a copy of the book. ^_^

* * *

No trips to the cinema for Johann and Tin --

We were really looking forward to watching National Treasure: Book of Secrets but we still haven't seen it. ~sigh~

It's been a series of sickness in our house -- first, Seth and then, Johann ... (and now I have a tickle in my throat) ~sigh~

We did get to see Bee Movie last week. I enjoyed it but I thought Matthew Broderick's character was underused.

I just hope they don't pull out the movies on Wednesday.

* * *

The most FUN birthday present --

This is what we got in the mail --



It came with a note from my youngest brother, explaining that he had planned to send us 30 bags of chips (to mark our 30th birthday) -- different flavors but he could only fit 20 in the box.

It's INSANE! He even labeled them -- we were really bouncing as we inspected each bag.

Here are some of the unique flavors --


Steak!


Bacon and Eggs!


Tonkatsu!


Snow Cheese!


Bonito and Plum!

This is one of the reasons why he couldn't fit all 30 bags.



This is the collector's edition of Ged's War Chronicles -- the first project of Hayao Miyazaki's son.

Joy and Jubilation! ^_^

A Tribute to Stan Lee --

Stan The Man

The artwork is amazing! ^_^

I am doing a somersault and a backflip in my head --

One of our Korean friends, Phoebe, recently returned from her 6-month stay in Australia. She gave us a copy of Australia Home Beautiful (an amazing interior design magazine) and 3 packs of this:



Snack packs of Nutella with its own spoon!!!

Yes, I have opened one and ate it straight from the pack.

Glorious!~

* * *

Internet gone wonky --

We are subscribed with Globe Broadband and, apparently, there was a Visayas- and Mindanao-wide problem that started last Monday. One of the lines in Roxas got disconnected and it affected our internet connection.

What I love about Globe is that they are honest. When I called their 171, the guy I spoke to had a carefully-prepared speech explaining the problem (admitting it was their fault) and their estimated repair time.

He told me within 4 days and he was right.

Book your tickets, pack your bags --

Here is a calendar of events and holidays in the Philippines (Thank you to Our Awesome Planet ^_^)

I would love to go and watch the World Pyro Olympics, which starts on February 16 -- but I can't seem to fit it in my travel schedule (and budget). T_T

Interesting gadgets --

Stumbled upon this website and discovered this really nifty gadget --

It's a puncher for seaweed! You could use the cut-up seaweed to decorate onigiri! Cute~

And this one is perfect for Manga lovers!

So cute!!! --

I didn't know Tokidoki had its own website --

The t-shirts are especially cute!

The birthday post --

We kicked off the birthday weekend with dinner at Rai Rai Ken. We had Seth along and he got his first taste of chasyu ramen. We'd been craving Japanese food for quite a while now and it was made worse by Anthony Bourdain's little tour of Japan. (I want Okonomiyaki! >_<)

On Saturday, Johann and I took Seth swimming at the clubhouse of Puerto Real (a subdivision near Jaro) -- Seth really enjoyed swimming and didn't mind that it was very cold. The driver said he could hear Seth laughing.

Sunday was the big day -- Johann and I got the morning off and went to Robinson's to visit Booksale. We splurged on books and magazines and went away with a bagful of really good finds. I found a copy of Frances Mayes' Bella Tuscany for PhP77 and Johann discovered a new magazine (that came with a CD of really cool songs) for PhP110.

I found an interesting book on Japanese culture for my brother for PhP15 --

We spent a total of PhP500 at Booksale and went away very happy. ^_^

On our way home, we stopped by Bo's Coffee in SM Delgado and treated ourselves to a cup each. ^_^ While waiting, I went to SM Supermarket and bought some grapes for Seth.

As 30th birthdays go, this one was a no-frills/no-fuss celebration. We got a birthday cake --



We got the strangest birthday greetings -- one was from the staff of Mercury Drug. We were there picking up my mom's prescription and, apparently, your birthday is recorded on the Suki Card, so they greeted us. We also got a birthday greeting from Globe on our cellphones. ^_^

* * *

New bag! --

I've been looking for a good-sized bag for work -- something that I could carry a book and the rest of my things in.

I found this in SM.



It's the perfect size plus I like how bright and lively it is. ^_^

* * *

I still want --

A new wallet.

* * *

Currently reading --

The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory

In a recent article, Jessice Zafra listed 31 books that she wants to read before 2008 ends. Here's my list (so far):
The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley
The Penguin Book of Food and Drink by Paul Levy
Citizen Girl by by Emma Mclaughlin and Nicola Krauss
Bella Tuscany by Frances Mayes

... I should have a list of 30 books, in keeping with my age. Will update this when I get the rest of my books. ^_^

Last post of the year! Lists part 4 --

Movies I'm looking forward to in 2008 --
1. National Treasure: Book of Secrets
2. The Dark Knight
3. Wanted <-- James Mcavoy is the actor du jour for the year. He's everywhere -- Atonement, Wanted, Becoming Jane ... I loved him when he played Leto in Children of Dune. =^_^=
4. Iron Man
5. Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince

Here's the Top 10 for Yahoo.

Things I am looking forward to in 2008 --
1. Trip to Manila (dunno when though)
2. Trip to Cebu (dunno when as well)
3. Books arriving from Betterworld (Hello, Christopher Buckley! ^_^)
4. Maybe Singapore with Seth
5. My birthday
... also Seth's 2nd birthday and Boracay (dunno when...again)

Happy 2008 everyone! ^_^

Lists part 3 --

Best Gifts received in 2007 --
1. Seth ^_^
2. A copy of Freakonomics given to me by Johann and my sister
3. A piece of paper that contains my name and Johann's ^_^
4. (post-Christmas) Lunch at Days Hotel with Johann and my sister
5. A Bailey's gift set with a shaker!

... also, the gift of really good friends who, despite the distance, lends a hand in a pinch. (And come up with such wonderful surprises ^_^)

... the most unique gift I got was from my youngest brother -- he gave me a kimono! I don't know how to wear it but it hangs rather nicely beside Johann's shirts. ^_^

Things I miss in Manila --
1. Starbucks a block away from my place
2. Tropicana orange juice (Lots of Pulp)
3. Bookstores T_T
4. Massages at Natural Spa
5. My friends T_T

... also riding the jeepney to UP, riding the LRT2 to Gateway, walking around Ateneo ...

Promises for 2008 --
1. Lose weight
2. Read more books
3. Travel more
4. Save more
5. Say "yes" as often as possible

Lists part 2 --

Happy Thoughts for 2007 --
1. Seth and Johann, My sibs and my parents
2. The trip to Cebu last February
3. Betterworld.com and a Credit Card
4. Singapore, August 2007 ^_^
5. Days Hotel Saturday Buffet

... also Bourbon Street Baby Back Ribs and a good cup of coffee

Discoveries for 2007 --
1. Chicken Steam Rice!!! <-- ohmigod! So amazing! We had it for Christmas lunch and I am seriously thinking about ordering it again for New Year
2. Dental Health is important
3. GCash is very convenient.
4. Coons cheese is delicious and makes very good grilled cheese sandwiches.
5. Betterworld.com

Life-changing experiences --
1. Seth's First Birthday
2. Buying books on Ebay.ph
3. Getting a post-paid plan from Globe
4. Getting elected (ICCHSAA)
5. A piece of paper that contains my name and Johann's ^_^

Places in Iloilo --
1. Bourbon Street
2. Booksale-SM and Booksale-Robinson's
3. R & F's room -- with Seth and Pia there ^_^
4. National Bookstore
5. Anywhere Seth is ^_^

Places Elsewhere --
1. Trinoma
2. Rustan's Fresh in Katipunan
3. Sebastian's Ice Cream Station in Podium
4. Fully Booked at The Fort <-- I've never been there but I know it is a happy place...
5. Anywhere Seth is ^_^

Lists part 1--

I normally do this earlier but I haven't been feeling well --

5 Favorite Books for 2007 --
1. I Don't Know How She Does It: The Life of Kate Reddy, Working Mother by Allison Pearson
2. Pay the Piper: A Rock 'n' Roll Fairy Tale by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple
3. No Way to Treat A First Lady by Christopher Buckley
4. Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
5. A Cook's Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal by Anthony Bourdain

5 TV Series for 2007 --
1. Heroes!!!
2. Las Vegas
3. Gilmore Girls <-- haven't blogged about Season 7
4. Entourage
5. Grey's Anatomy
... also House, Boston Legal and The Starter Wife

5 Songs for 2007 --
1. Mr Brightside by The Killers
2. Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol
3. 9 Crimes by Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan
4. Beautiful Day by U2
5. These Days by Nico

5 Movies for 2007 --
1. 300
2. Thank You For Smoking
3. Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix
4. Ratatouille
5. Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End
... also Hot Fuzz

5 Movies I want to watch --
1. Once
2. Lust, Caution
3. Juno
4. Children of Men
5. Letters from Iwo Jima <-- have a copy but haven't gotten around to watching it yet
... also Waitress, Sicko and Wordplay

5 Comic Book Series for 2007 --
1. Daredevil
2. Batman and Son story arc by Grant Morrison
3. Mouse Guard
4. The Umbrella Academy
5. Fables

... to be continued ^_^

Merry Merry! --

Lookie what we got in the mail! --

The latest copy of Read! It really made our day!

* * *

More on books --

My youngest bro pointed me to this online bookstore -- Better World Books. They have a great mission statement -- they want to promote literacy and are a green company.

They sell used and new books and their prices are very good.

The absolute best part? $2.97 shipping WORLDWIDE.

I already have all of Christopher Buckley's books in my shopping cart. Will be placing my order after the 25th. Whee~

Konting kwento part 1--

Kwento #1: A tale of two offices --

Johann and I are trying to fix our finances. We've done the adult thing and invested some in mutual funds, some in stocks and the rest in a nice decent-interest-earning bank account.

It's the end of the year so we are reviewing our meager savings (it is small, but we are proud of it ^_^) -- and making decisions about what to do next year.

Our mutual funds have earned a pretty good interest so we decided to redeem the interest so we could invest it in other things.

We have two mutual fund accounts -- one is with Philam and one is with Sunlife. I dealt with Philam first -- I called their local office here and they gave me instructions on how I could make the redemption. I went to their office one afternoon -- it was around 3 pm. I asked the guard in the building which one is the PAMI office and he pointed me to the second floor. When I entered the office, I told the first person I saw what I wanted to do. She gave me a form, asked to see my mutual fund certificate and two IDs (my SSS and my old Ateneo ID). After she had reviewed everything, she told me to come back in a week because they needed to process the paperwork. (It would have been faster had I opted to have the funds transferred directly to a bank account but I opted to get a check instead.) While I was there, I asked the girl about Philam's new products and she explained some to me and made recommendations. When I left the building, I checked my watch -- it was 3:30 pm.

In about 5 days, I get a call informing me that my check was ready to be picked up. I went there, showed them my ID and my stock certificate and I got my check.

Last Friday, Johann and I skipped work in the morning so we could go to the Sun Life office. When I entered their office, I asked the guard where I should go. He kept asking me who my agent was and that I should deal with him/her directly. I explained my situation and he gave me a blank stare. Eventually, they sent me to their second floor office. When I got to the second floor, I approached the teller and told her what I wanted to do. She also asked me who my agent was so I had to explain my situation a second time. She finally understood what I wanted to do and sent me back downstairs again. Before I left the second floor, I asked her to inform their guard and whoever else needed to be informed that my business was with the ground floor. (I didn't want to be pingpong-ed back and forth.)

Back downstairs we went -- a nice lady attended to me. She told me I needed to fill out a form but I had to wait a bit because the forms were upstairs and they were sending someone down to hand it over. After a few minutes, I filled out the form. She asked me for two IDs so I gave her my SSS and my old Ateneo ID. She told me that my Ateneo ID was not a valid form of identification because it expired in 2006. She asked me if I had any other ID that had my name, my picture and my signature on it. I told her that I only had my passport but it was at home. So I asked for their fax number and told them I would fax it as soon as I got home. (I had to submit everything before 12 otherwise it would be processed the next business day, which would be on the 26th.)

We arrived at their office at 10, we left at 11 and we still hadn't concluded our transaction.

So I went home, made a photocopy of my passport and tried to fax it. The number they gave me was busy. I tried several times after and it was still busy. So I waited about 10 minutes (it was already 11:30) and was finally able to connect and fax it over. I called to confirm that they had received it. They asked me to re-fax it because the words "Republika ng Pilipinas/The Republic of the Philippines" weren't clear --

I was already annoyed at this point -- their office system was inefficient and not customer-friendly. It annoyed me even more that they asked me to re-fax it for such a small niggle. But I re-faxed it anyway. I got another call, asking me to make a clearer copy. So I asked them what it was that they wanted -- if they had wanted proof that I was who I said I was and that the name, face and signature matched then they should have accepted my Ateneo ID. If what they wanted was a name, face, signature and indication that that form of identification wasn't expired then the copy of my passport should be sufficient because all of those were clear.

I had to fax the copy yet again. I guess the third copy was acceptable already because they didn't call back.

I'm glad they are being thorough and I appreciate it because I know they won't just give out anyone's payments without checking first -- but I honestly felt that what they were asking was beyond reasonable. I'm lucky that I live very near their office and that I have a car (and a fax machine) at my disposal. Imagine some poor Joe/Jane riding how many jeepneys only to be told that she brought the "wrong" requirements and having to come back.

Yes, I read ads --

And I'm glad I do --

I stumbled upon this really nice one by Shell while reading Wired --



Say No to No --

Isn't it high time someone got negative about negativity?
Yes it is.
Look around. The world is full of things that, according to nay-sayers, should never have happened.
"Impossible."
"Impractical."
"No."
And yet "yes."
Yes, continents have been found.
Yes, men have played golf on the moon.
Yes, straw is being turned into biofuel to power cars.
Yes, yes, yes.
What does it take to turn no into yes?
Curiosity. An open mind. A willingness to take risks.
And, when the problem seems most insoluble, when the challenge is hardest, when everyone else is shaking their heads, to say: let's go.


Ganda no? I think this will be my mantra for next year. ^_^ (Except with Seth -- who will hear the word "no" a million and a half times more in the next few years. ^_^)

Turning 30 --

In twenty days, Johann and I are turning 30. It's a strange number and I can't quite wrap my head around it --

I am not afraid of getting older. It's the number that boggles my mind because it starts with "thir-" --

I'm babbling.

I feel an incredible need to mark the occasion with something big --

An unexpected Christmas gift --

I got this in the mail last Friday --





It's from one of my Bookmooch friends (I only have 3 friends -- hahaha!).

She included a bookplate for me -- I've never received bookplates, ever -- so now I am trying to decide which on my books deserves this very rare gift. I might stick it on my copy of Possession. ^_^

* * *

Did you know? --

Hayao Miyazaki's son created an animated movie based on Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea stories. The Japanese title is Ged's War Chronicles and the Japanese version has English subtitles!

There's a special edition of the movie available on Amazon Japan. I think I want...

Currently craving --

Ever since my dad brought some home (leftovers from their meetings), I've been craving these --



We call it "tiren-tiren" -- I was going to add that it translates to "train" (which is what it looks like) but Ilonggos don't actually call a train "tiren" --

"Tiren-tiren" actually translates to "follow follow" --

This particularl tiren-tiren is from Tibiao Bakery. I love the crusty exterior and the sweet (not caramel but caramel-esque) filling.





The filling reminds me of pastel but not as sweet and not as custard-y.



One time, the driver and I actually had a conversation regarding bread. These days, the quality of bread (in general) has improved a lot. Bread is no longer just a pang-sawsaw sa kape or Milo but has taken on a leading role in an Ilonggo's daily food repertoire.

What I like best about bread here in Iloilo is that it is still very affordable. One tiren-tiren costs PhP10.00

On the other hand, I'm also happy that old favorites are still being preserved. The Pandesal ni Paa, which is over 100 years old has managed to keep its original recipe.

* * *

Rub-a-dub-dub. Thanks for the grub. --

Raf and Florie recently treated us to Bourbon Street in Smallville. We had been hearing a lot of good things about that restaurant and were very excited to try it. Their bestseller is their ribs, which is very good.

A few days ago, we decided to order some ribs for take-out so my sister could try some. (She wasn't able to go with us because she had a cough and we were afraid of infecting the children.)

The ribs come in two sizes -- half (which they say is good for 2 people) for PhP265 and the full (which we ordered with Raf and Florie and we still had extras) for PhP400++



We also ordered their sliders -- 3 mini burgers, which were so yummy!



Total cost for 3 people = PhP390. ^_^

Update --

So, I got my old phone fixed and I was able to transfer all of my important stuff to my new phone. (My contact numbers, my photos, etc.) The only thing I couldn't transfer was my calendar of appointments --

Here's my new phone -- I got the Sony Ericsson W710i in purple. When the guy at the store showed me their stock -- the little purple thing, I fell hard and got it immediately. ^_^



* * *

Internet problems --

We had some internet problems last weekend and couldn't access some websites, including my blog.

The problem has been solved (thanks to my sister) and I can merrily blog again. ^_^

* * *

Weekend books-shopping --

Aside from Booksale, there is another bargain book place in Robinson's Place and we went there last Sunday with Seth.

It's more difficult to browse through their books because it is just stacked on several tables and shelves and are several books deep.

Johann was really determined to go through their inventory because their book are really cheap. (Plus, they seem to have a pretty good stash of Fantasy/Sci-fi stuff.) He found a really quirky book --



I managed to find a copy of Irving Stone's Immortal Wife for my sister. My sister and I are big fans of Irving Stone and it is a lifelong dream to collect all of his published works --

So far, we have:
The Agony and The Ecstasy <-- story of Michelangelo
Lust for Life <-- story of Vincent Van Gogh
The Origin <-- story of Charles Darwin (found in Booksale)
Men to Match My Mountains <-- story of the American West (found in Booksale)
Sailor on Horseback <-- story of Jack London (found in Booksale)
Immortal Wife <-- story of Jessie Hart Fremont (found in bargain book place)

We would really like to find a copy of Depths of Glory (Camille Pissarro) and Passions of the Mind (Sigmund Freud).

I remember being introduced to Irving Stone -- our first book was The Agony and The Ecstasy -- I couldn't finish reading it but sister kept encouraging me to finish it. She even printed a chart (listing the Medici), a timeline and some random notes on how to tackle the book.

For weeks, that sheet of bond paper was folded and unfolded several times as I tracked my progress.

My sister and I share an interest in reading fictional accounts on the lives of famous painters/artists. One of our favorites is Naked Came I, a novel of Auguste Rodin by David Weiss which we read in a Reader's Digest Condensed book.

* * *

Christmas Wish List Update --

The trouble with thinking about it too early is being able to cross out most of the things before Christmas even comes. ^_^;;;

1. LeSportSac deluxe everyday bag or classic hobo
2. New cellphone <-- this shows up on my list every year and I never get one

3. New pair of glasses <-- I might get one earlier than December
4. Giordano Skinny Polo <-- in as many colors as possible. This is part of my "mom uniform" ^_^
5. A pair of nice fitting jeans <-- my hubby bought me a pair when we were in Manila! ^_^
6. Mike Gayle's latest book <-- I don't regret not getting the copy in Singapore. It's the large paperback version and was too expensive

A new addition:
7. A new wallet <-- mine is so ratty na! I've been converted to those big checkbook wallets and I'm looking for a nice one

A funny thing happened on the way to SM --

I've been busy the past few weeks and I haven't been able to adjust my schedule to handle all the extra stuff that I've been doing.

Today, I finally had the afternoon off so I decided to bring Seth with me to SM to buy some supplies -- paper, etc.

As I was closing the door to the car, I heard a thump -- my bag got caught in the door. I didn't think much of it so we proceeded to SM. On the way, I pulled out my phone to check for messages and got a blank screen --

The "small" accident with the door broke the screen of my phone!

I have been planning to buy a new phone for myself but I didn't expect something like this to be the impetus. (Again, waffling.)

Here's the sad part of this whole thing -- apparently, a lot of my numbers hadn't been saved to my SIM. I discovered this when I transferred my SIM to Johann's phone --

*sniff*

I've lost everyone's contact information!

*sniff*

I have a lunch appointment tomorrow and I don't know how to contact my friend to confirm! Bleh.

If anyone plans to text me anytime soon, please identify yourself first.

My hubby is a --

We finally found Johann's one-true magazine (the magazine that fits his personality) --

We stumbled upon it in Booksale and he bought it because it had an article about World of Warcraft.

We loved the magazine so much, we went back to Booksale the next day and were able to find another issue.

Random --

Today was a good day --

I was able to visit the Booksale branch in Robinson's Place and found some cheap magazines. On my way out, I bought some donuts (Bavarian!) and ate it in the car while reading one of my new magazines.

Seth was so active this afternoon so I decided to bring him along when we fetched Johann from work. Then we went to SM City to get dinner from David's Tea House (asado congee for me and my sister, plain congee for Seth and beef brisket rice for Johann). While waiting, we decided to go down to Booksale. My hubby was nice enough to let me browse while he played with Seth in the nearby coin-operated rides.

At Booksale, the shop attendant was talking to me about some magazines and pointing out titles that I might be interested in. I mentioned that Seth was in this month's issue of Yummy so she took one out, opened it and looked for the page. You could see that she was excited about it. (That made me smile.)

We put up the Christmas tree today and Seth was thoroughly fascinated by it. He didn't eat much of his congee and opted to mill around the tree, touching every ornament in sight. I was planning to "talk" to him about looking but not touching because I was worried that he might ruin some of the decorations -- I was relieved that I didn't have to. He seemed to know that the tree was something to be careful about.

I've been indulging myself by reading "mom" books -- the first one was The Nanny Diaries and the second one was I Don't Know How She Does It: The Life of Kate Reddy, Working Mother. It amazes me how much of parenthood is universal and there were times when I felt I was reading pages from my own life. The second book made me cranky with indignation (my sister says she gets a similar feeling when she reads Dilbert) the whole of last week which made me a pain to be around. (We now have 3 pints and a half-gallon tub of ice cream in the fridge. <-- Ice cream is happy food.)

Johann and I are currently addicted to Pokemon: Ruby (GBA) --

Give One, Get One --

One Laptop Per Child

Yes, they accept international donations (but you will need to provide a US/Canada address).

Why? Why not? ^_^ --

Why Not? -- Inspiring Filipino Ingenuity -- Stumbled upon it through Our Awesome Planet.

A Waste of Time --

My hair is a mess -- I decided to change the part of my hair and it's all tikwas plus I haven't had a haircut in over 3 months. I should've gotten a haircut while I was in Manila but I wanted to get my hair cut together with my sister.

We've had very little success finding someone who can cut our hair properly here in Iloilo and we thought we had finally found one --

The salon is called Stretch and the guy with the magic hands is called Pepoy (he owns the place) -- he came highly recommended by my OB who regularly has her hair cut by him and I've always liked the result.

I tried him out -- made the appointment and showed up on time. I noticed he was very chatty with his other customers but, when it was my turn, he switched on his bluetooth and started talking to some other person while he was cutting my hair. I didn't really mind -- I'm not good with small talk and my hair was cut very nicely.

When it was my sister's turn to get a haircut, I convinced her to try him out. We made the appointment and went there during our scheduled time -- we had to wait 30 minutes before he cut our hair. I wasn't very happy with the way he cut my hair that second time but my sister's hair turned out beautifully. During my second visit, the bluetooth was switched on again.

Flash forward to yesterday -- I called last Saturday to ask about his schedule for the week. I was informed by the receptionist that his only appointment in the afternoon was for a trial make-up at 1:30 so I asked to make an appointment at 3. On the day of the appointment, I called at 2 to confirm the appointment and to ask if we can come in earlier (in case the trial make-up finished early) and the receptionist told me that 3 would be the perfect time.

We arrived there at 10 minutes to 3 and I saw Pepoy cutting someone's hair -- I thought that he had finished his trial make-up and we were next so we decided to wait. I was surprised to see that, after he finished with the one haircut, he proceeded to do 2 more. I approached the receptionist and asked about my schedule. The receptionist told me that the trial make-up started late and these were clients who had earlier schedules.

So we waited until he finished the 2 other customers. (By then it was already 3:45.) I asked the receptionist again when our turn would come and she assured us we were next.

At 4:15, my sister told me to cancel our appointment -- she said it wasn't fair to still give him business after the shabby treatment we got.

I had anticipated some delay, which is why I informed Seth's yaya that we would be back at 5 but I never expected to be kept waiting for an hour and fifteen minutes for nothing.

Leaving the place, my sister and I reflected on the entire experience -- going to a a beauty salon is supposed to be a feel-good moment -- you come out of it feeling like a shiny new penny. Yesterday, we felt even more tarnished than when we came in.

When we arrived home, my dad noticed our lack of haircuts and we told him what happened. He asked us if we had rescheduled and we told him, no -- never.

My sister and I may be just two people and he would probably never feel the loss of our business but we would rather take that business where it is appreciated.

Back! --

We arrived from Manila yesterday.

There are so many stories to share (mostly Seth-related) but this is my favorite --

Johann indulged me one evening and cancelled our scheduled our movie date so I could go to National Bookstore-Cubao to have another go at finding the bargain books. When we entered National Bookstore, Johann told me he had a good feeling about this visit and he said that we were bound to find something good.

True enough, after about an hour of browsing, he came up to me and showed me a copy of Anthony Bourdain's Gone Bamboo. It is the find of the month for us. ^_^

This trip was mostly about books (in contrast to our Singapore trip) -- I bought a total of 3 blouses (one for me and two for my sister) and a pair of jeans. We were able to find really cheap books -- mostly in the bargain bins of the various bookstores.

I am still obsessing over Christopher Buckley and wasn't able to find any of his books (either on sale or full price).

I did help Johann find a really good (new) comic book series titled The Umbrella Academy written by Gerard Way (who is, apparently, a member of My Chemical Romance O_0). It was the cover art that made me pick up the title and, it was only after that we realized that James Jean did the covers! ^_^

I wasn't really able to meet up with anyone because our schedules revolved around Seth (sorry everyone! maybe next year? ^_^) but I was really, really glad we brought him (and the yaya) along. Without him, I would never have been able to experience this --

Bookmooch: An Interesting Concept --

Char pointed out Bookmooch to me quite a while back. I checked it out but didn't sign up for it.

We're currently taking stock of all of our things and we are hopelessly overrun by Johann's books (also my books -- but my books are stored neatly while his books are EVERYWHERE O_O). I don't mind having a lot of books but many of his books are the type he reads once/twice and then sets aside forever.

So I finally signed up for Bookmooch in the hopes of getting rid of some of his books and getting some harder-to-find ones from other people.

Here is our (mostly Johann's) inventory.

The system is interesting -- every time you give a book away, you get points which you can use to ask for books from people. The catch is, you have to pay to ship your books. Sending a paperback to the US runs to about PhP288++ so that's basically the "cost" of whichever book you are mooching from others. (You can, of course, choose to restrict yourself to sending only within the Philippines. ^_^)

The best thing about Bookmooch is the selection of books you find from all over the world -- it really is an excellent opportunity to get those out-of-print/hard-to-find/uber-expensive-to-buy-in-the-Philippines books.

(Wow, I sound like a testimony from a Bookmooch ad. O_O)

* * *

Movie Date --

Last night, Johann and I watched No Reservations at SM City-Iloilo. I really enjoyed the movie. I loved the food aspect as well as the "human drama" involved in a kitchen.

Plus, Aaron Eckhart is such a cutie! I love him! >_<

I discovered that ice cream is very good movie theater food. We had dinner before the movie so we got ice cream sundaes from Jollibee to cleanse our palates.

For some strange reason --

I've been wanting to eat ensaymada -- it started when my mom brought back some mongo ensaymada a few days ago. That's the first time I've eaten ensaymada in a long while --

And then the next day, I dragged Seth and my sister to Tinapayan (very good bakery) in Atrium and bought ube ensaymada and cheese ensaymada.

We were at Atrium and I was resisting the urge to buy more ensaymada. We bought pandesal instead.

Now I wish I had ensaymada!

Girl in Hyacinth Blue --

I now understand why Susan Vreeland is a medyo big deal. While I wasn't so impressed with her Artemisia, I was blown away by Girl in Hyacinth Blue -- her "first" novel.

When I first heard about Girl in Hyacinth Blue, I thought it was just riding on the success of Girl with a Pearl Earring (the whole Vermeer connection) but Vreeland's novel is very, very different.

It was very bold of Vreeland to create a painting and to attribute it to Vermeer. It is a simple painting, described as that of a girl looking out of a window but the painting has a very complicated history which is explored in Vreeland's novel.

The novel begins in the "now" where the owner of the painting shows it to his friend and the question of its authenticity and author are asked. Is it really a Vermeer? How/Where did you get it?

And so it began -- with each succeeding chapter, we are taken further and further into the painting's history and we get a glimpse of how each of the painting's owners viewed her -- the Nazi who "saved" it from Hitler's Department for the Appropriation of Household Effects; the Nazi's son trying to reconcile the two halves of the painting's story: his father's part in the atrocities and the beauty of the painting; the man who bought it to remember his first and only love (and his wife who thought it was his anniversary present to her); the daughter who posed for the painting, etc.

It brings about another question -- what is the purpose of Art? Vreeland provides different answers to this question -- ranging from purely commercial to deeply personal but the common theme in all the chapters is that Art is valuable.

One of the central questions of the story is whether the painting is an authentic Vermeer because it was never signed. I think it makes a wonderful point about Art -- does the artist really matter or is the work itself enough? Will the work be valued less if it weren't a Vermeer? Vreeland explores this question in the chapter "Hyacinth Blues" --

"There is no signature. If there was any chance those papers said a van Mieris, I'd give you two hundred guilders, but for only a Vermeer, phugh."

I wrapped the painting again and left without a word more, took it to a second dealer and said it was a van Mieris.

"Are you sure it's not a Vermeer?"

"I'm certain."

Near the end of the novel, Vreeland reveals that it is a Vermeer but, by then, it doesn't matter anymore. For me, the painting has come alive and has become very real before this revelation. What this does is add yet another dimension to the painting -- why did Vermeer "paint" it? What were his circumstances when he "painted" it? In the chapter, "Still Life" we see Vermeer the painter but also Vermeer the man. While his works are beautiful, his life was a constant struggle with poverty, society and his family.

Vreeland's novel is a thought-provoking exploration of Art. She invites her readers to engage in a moment of quite contemplation, as though one was viewing a painting and not a novel -- and to ask the questions the novel presents.

"Why does the world need another painting of a woman alone in a room? Or a hundred more paintings?"

"The world doesn't know all that it needs yet..."

My copy of the book has a reader's guide at the back and one of the points for discussion is how we imagine the Girl in Hyacinth Blue. I searched the Internet for the covers of the book and here they are:

The cover that I have

Another cover

A guy actually painted his version of it ^_^

Interesting --

October 20 (today) is National Thank You Day in the Philippines.

Found at Robinson's Supermarket --

Dream Cacao Plus Lotte Choco Pie =





I tried one today and it was yummy but, then, Lotte Choco Pie is yummy as it is.

* * *

This is how small Iloilo is --

and why I am one of the few people who actually buy books from National Bookstore here:

Yesterday, Johann and I watched Shoot Em Up. After the movie, we decided to walk around SM. While walking around, we bumped into one of the managers of National Bookstore and she recognized me and said hello.

Now, this isn't the first time that has happened. When Gabby was in Iloilo, I was telling her that I'm a bit chummy na with a manager of Natio. While going up the elevator, said manager was on her way down. She saw me and said hello -- Gabby was so surprised. ^_^

* * *

More on books --

I think I visit the Booksale branches too often. Yesterday, we decided to swing by the SM branch for a quick look at their stock and the cashier approached me and told me that they have a new stock of paperbacks in their Robinson's branch.

I like this development -- maybe I can work my way into having them weed out the authors I like and setting them aside for me. (Crossing my fingers. ^_^)

For sale or for trade --

We have a "used" copy of Animal Crossing: Wild World for DS which we aren't playing so we've decided to put it up for sale.





We bought it because it got very good reviews and is a very playable game but neither Johann or I have that kind of time or dedication to play it (with WOW and Seth and books, etc).

We're selling our copy for PhP1200.

OR if you have DS games which you aren't playing with anymore, we also welcome trades. ^_^

For reviews and more information about Animal Crossing, clickety click!

More pics from Wicked Japan ^_^ --

Loot! --

Johann and I were able to sell his old DS (handed down from my brothers) so we asked my youngest brother to get a used DS Lite for us in Japan. We were able to get this one. ^_^



It's second hand but the Japanese are very careful with their things and this one still looks new. ^_^

I also asked my brother to get me this 2008 pocket planner for 2008 in red.



When my youngest brother finally sent the package, I was a little surprised that he was secretive about the contents of the package. He just told me it contained the DS and some "stuff" --

Imagine my delight when I saw what he sent to us --



Two shirts from Wicked (the musical), some file folders and the programme. He watched it a few weeks ago. (He almost didn't because it was very expensive -- but we encouraged him to watch it because it was a chance of a lifetime.) The show was in Japanese and he said it was really nice.

We browsed through the pictures and the actors are sooo cute! >_< It's like live-action chibi. =^_^=



(We will scan more pictures of this and will post them later. ^_^)

He also sent me some copies of Metropolis -- an English-language magazine published weekly and distributed for free in Tokyo.



Yesterday was a happy day. ^_^

* * *

Curious --

I never imagined a candy to have such a name.

They must think I'm crazy --

Last Sunday, I woke up with a monstrous migraine -- I really didn't think much of it because I slept late the night before.

But as the day progressed and after a tablet of Biogesic didn't do anything, I started to see it as a more serious problem.

The next day, I went to an optical shop to have my glasses fixed because they were tilting one way (Seth grabbed them) and to have my eyes checked.

After the check-up, the doctor told me that my grade had gone up by 25, which is very low. He suggested that I wait a week to see if the migraine would go away.

When I told the shop assistant that I would not be buying glasses that day, she had this look on her face -- surprise, disappointment, and maybe even irritation that I had wasted her time.

Tuesday, I still had a migraine so I decided to go back to the optical shop to get a new pair made. When I arrived and asked for my record, a different shop assistant looked for it and couldn't find it so she asked me to take the eye test again. It was a different doctor and was more thorough --

The result was different. Only the grade of my right eye went up (by 25) and I also had astigmatism in that eye.

Now, here's something you should know about me: I'm very good at spending for little things but, when it comes to the big things, I waffle and waffle until Johann or my sister decide for me.

I saw this as an opportunity to waffle so I told the doctor I would be back on Saturday during his shift to take the eye test again -- just to confirm the latest result.

I walked out of the store, leaving another shop assistant with the glasses that I picked out but hadn't bought.

On my way out, I realized that the people at that optical shop must think I'm some crazy woman/compulsive eye test taker --

* * *

Booksale Iloilo --

Last weekend, SM City-Iloilo had its 3-day sale. We didn't have work last Friday so we decided to go early in the morning. We paid our bills and stopped by Booksale, which is (seriously) the only place in Iloilo to get decent books (our National Bookstore branches sell mostly school and office supplies).

When I went in, there were three sisters there and between them was a stack of books -- the mother lode. They were all the romance titles that I've been looking for --

And they had gotten to it first.

I was quietly and discreetly moving about them, hoping they would leave one or two books but they didn't.

They took the stack and went straight to the counter.

I was able to buy some books -- and, in hindsight, I realized I didn't have enough money to buy the stack of books those sisters bought.

The next day, we decided to go to Booksale in Robinson's --

They didn't get a restock because that week's shipment was all diverted to SM City (where there was a sale) --

I found a really good copy of Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl and Johann was able to find a hardcover version of Jonathan Carroll's White Apples.

When I went to SM on Tuesday (*points to entry above*), I stopped by Booksale again. They were putting new books on their shelves -- mostly hardcovers and coffee table books. I was told by the shop assistant that they didn't get a lot of new paperbacks.

I was able to find a copy of Susan Vreeland's Girl in Hyacinth Blue, which I bought. ^_^

* * *

I meant to blog about this earlier but I kept forgetting --

What happened to National Bookstore-Cubao?

It was one of our stops when we were in Manila last month. It went through a massive renovation (which I knew about) but I was surprised to see that the layout had changed drastically.

We went directly to the 4th floor, which used to hold the "bargain" books but were surprised to see that they weren't there anymore.

~Glee!~

I got a phone call yesterday from the owner of Sebastian's Ice Cream --

I won the GRAND PRIZE for their Podium branch raffle!!!

It means I get a year's supply of ice cream from Sebastian's!!!

Glee~!!!

(I had to restrain myself -- I wanted to type in all caps and pepper this entry with exclamation points galore!!!)

I've only won twice in my entire life and both of them good ones --

The first time was for the Fully Booked promo and I got a copy of Jamie Oliver's cookbook.

This is the second time. I couldn't believe it at first so I asked the owner to email me the details --

You have won a year's supply of free ice cream from Sebastian's, consisting of one pint of the flavor of your choice (from the current display) every week for one year.


After I found out yesterday, I was jumping up and down. I wanted to call everyone I knew and text everyone of my amazing windfall.

... when I told my dad, he said that I should move back to Manila for a year just to enjoy the ice cream. I am seriously tempted. ^_^

I am a happy Tin. ^_^