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!