Ice Carvings

While my trip to Cebu was the more exciting part of last month's adventures, it was the various notes i cribbed during countless hours at the airport that provided a couple of insights to life at the waiting lane. Here are some. Delays The word "delayed" strikes up a terror in your heart when uttered under two occasions: The first one is when your casual girlfriend uses the word to describe her state out of the blue and matter-of-fact. The second one is when you've made sure you got to the airport on time, checked in your luggage early, and then sat down all eager to board your plane and get the hell away from (or toward) your destination. To hear the word "delay" at the airport gives you an inexplicable sense of sadness and disappointment. Through no fault of your own, your travel time is significantly bumped up in minutes or hours. And you earn extra time pondering if taking this flight was a good idea after all. I guess that's the reason: delays give

(note: I was hemming and hawing and itching to write a reaction to malu fernandez that wouldn't include any dissertations to her appearance -- in the spirit of fair and balanced blogging of course, but thousands have beaten me to the punch. If you have no idea who the Diva from Dubai is, please read up even if it's a bit too late. You might be an OFW sooner than you think... I decided to write about a different, more pressing topic altogether. As for divalicious malu, let blogger anton de leon illuminate you instead. ) ---------- This post is dedicated to Cris Anthony Mendez , another senseless victim that shouldn't have been one. I have few complaints about my college alma mater, but there are few experiences that stood out in my mind during my four years of stay. During my third year, i was constantly asked by new friends on what fraternity i belonged to. Since i swore my undying fealty to no one, nor do i have plans to do so, i told them so. 9 times out of 10 the lac

Recently, SM Megamall began promoting the upcoming blockbuster "The Sinking of Japan." They bet on this baby so big, that they plastered the posters in between escalator rides. (sorry i can't find an english version, so this will have to do:) Anyways, the marketing guys (whether SM's or the film distributor) wasn't exactly content with the title "The Sinking of Japan." So, some wise guy decided to put a sticker on the top right portion of each poster proudly proclaiming that this movie is the "The Number One movie in Japan!" So, if you're like me who likes wandering aimlessly at malls, and upon riding the escalator you chance upon this row of posters, what would you think? THE SINKING OF JAPAN THE NUMBER ONE MOVIE IN JAPAN Can't help but imagine a whole theater slowly sinking into the abyss while the Japanese continue watching and applauding. Some marketing guys should be fired and put out of their misery.

Harry Potter mania has once again reawakened in the form of a new movie and the upcoming final book. Unfortunately, the first salvo was a dud. We went to see the movie last Saturday and was it a clunker! HP 5 was a dizzyingly fast-paced movie, and the production seemed based on cliff notes rather than the actual tale. That's why it presented viewers with a Catch-22 dilemma: If you have read the entire HP series, you'll know that watching HP and the OotP is like reading the book in fast-forward mode. Some important scenes were glossed over, and some entirely reinterpreted. This wasn't supposed to be like this. harry was supposed to be an angry young man in this episode, but what we see borders more on confused, which the audience readily relates to from the opening credits till the copyright notice. For those who braved the movie yet haven't picked up the book, the movie won't make much sense. I'll even stop trying to explain. -- I hope for everybody's sake t

I was standing outside the house in a rare moment of catching my breath from the crazy weeks past. It so happened that i glanced at the some of my neighbor's house. The building code in my community expressly states conformity in terms of structure, but since the complex is more than 2 decades old, there were some noticeable changes in some of the houses. i noticed that metal bars were placed in the windows of the house just across the corner, heavy ones at that. now, in some other place in Manila, that would have been common, but in this relatively peaceful place that we have, it struck me as an oddity. While security is not really a strong suit, we have enough guards patrolling the area and residents fairly know each other by faces, I have been lax from time to time but nothing bad has ever happened. So why the heavy windows? Looking carefully, i realized that the windows have been enlarged in this house, and that it serves as a mini-balcony of sorts. It also made me realize that

If I kiss you where it's sore If I kiss you where it's sore Will you feel better, better, better Will you feel anything at all Will you feel better, better, better Will you feel anything at all Born like sisters to this world In a town where blood ties are only blood If you never say your name out loud to anyone They can never ever call you by it If I kiss you where it's sore If I kiss you where it's sore Will you feel better, better, better Will you feel anything at all Will you feel better, better, better Will you feel anything at all You're getting sadder, getting sadder, getting sadder, getting sadder And I don't understand, and I don't understand - Regina Spektor, "Better" For the third straight week, Nel still hasn't warmed up to her new job. Which is partly understandable considering she spent the last ten years at the same office. However, her idea of sadness is a bit unnerving. And i have limited exposure to things like that because i

i got this rare insight from the endless barrage of hilarity/inanity at one of my YahooGroups subscriptions (thanks Lu-Ann!). While i do not actually long to put these words to the test at present, I am nevertheless intrigued by the truth behind the cynicism. Enough of the intro. Closing Cycles One always has to know when a stage comes to an end. If we insist on staying longer than the necessary time, we lose the happiness and the meaning of the other stages we have to go through. Closing cycles, shutting doors, ending chapters - whatever name we give it, what matters is to leave in the past the moments of life that have finished. Did you lose your job? Has a loving relationship come to an end? Did you leave your parents’ house? Gone to live abroad? Has a long-lasting friendship ended all of a sudden? You can spend a long time wondering why this has happened. You can tell yourself you won’t take another step until you find out why certain things that were so important and so solid in

As of May, i remain hopeful that the local Adidas stores should be carrying anything that has the word "Kings" on it. As the official outfitter of the NBA, they have a number of team-specific goodies that i would snap up in a heartbeat. Since they have a large prsence here, i was hoping they'd carry a number of goods that featured my favorite team. I started asking around February, and so far, i snagged a single black shirt with a modest Kings logo at the center. the shirt's ok, but considering that the jerseys, sweatshirts, practice Ts, and tanks carry the more popular teams: dallas, chicago, boston, cleveland, the hated lakers, i feel alone in my devotion to Sacramento's baskteball club. Then came great news, i left my number at a few outlets so that they can contact me whenever a new shipment with Kings gear arrives. This particular friendly one from Megamall called the other night to excitedly inform me that he was able to get a Kings superstar collection shoe

"Tito, swimming na tayo." The whole time we were at Palawan, these four words would always wake me first thing in the morning. My niece, who i believe is more fairy than human has managed to do something no alarm clock can do: wake me up with a smile. Despite her request, we had to do away with swimming at the resort pool. The borrowed Expedition just arrived, and we all needed to shower, dress up, stuff the luggage, and eat before we embark on a long road trip. Puerto Princesa is smack down in the middle of Palawan, and our vacation lies somewhere north, hence a 4 hour drive is in the works. And this is not the same as driving via SLEX to Laguna. 1/3 of the journey is smooth road, 1/3 is unpaved road, and the remainder is composed of rickety bridges and dirt trails. Lots of trees, lots of farmland, and lots and lots of soil. Luckily, my brother managed to get ahold of a big vehicle like this Ford, so the bumpiness was reduced. A lot. But not enough for my nephew to chuck

(note: instead of adding a new entry, i just decided to update this piece. What??? do you need further explanation?) i never imagined me saying this, but i thought that after Boracay, summer was officially over for me. Although i have had the gracious opportunity to visit three beaches in one month - Puerto Galera, Matabungkay, and Boracay, plus a side trip to Tagaytay, nothing prepared me for the final leg: We went to Palawan! Not just Palawan, Palawan mind you - but a free stay at Club Noah, courtesy of my generous and South Luzon assigned brother. So who's complaining? We're only paying for our plane fare but we got to stay at Club Noah for 2 days (the remaining 2 we spent at Puerto Princesa and traveling). Here i was, my tattoo not even completely faded, yet back on terminal 2 to grab a quick flight to Puerto. The kids were with us this, as well as my brother and his wife, so this promised to be a different trip. Plus, the 2 elder girls, Mikee and Eina, having an airline mo

So much for going to Bora during the weekend. it's only tuesday and now i'm swamped with work with schedules until October. Good thing everything i'm doing has "beer" written all over it. Thanks to the people at Marketing, who thought it was time i went with them and write about what i saw, i was able to see what the fuss was all about. Man, it was better than advertised, and you while i dreaded seeing the expected overflow crowd and too many structures, it wasn't as bothersome as i thought. The sea and the sand and the sun is more than enough to overlook these trifles. Apart from work, we spent our free time sitting idly in front of the beach, drinking beer or sampling the island fruit shakes. The hotel we stayed in offered a great view, (but you'd really be thick if you chose to spend your hours in your hotel room) and even then, there was no shortage of getting a good view - anywhere! Simply go down to the powdery white sand of a beach and walk left o

Yes, I know. I’m supposed to write happy thoughts about our last vacation while my skin voluntarily flakes off from my recent bout with sunburn. I’m supposed to write about happy thoughts that began with a bus ride from hell crammed with assorted characters, ranging from the Euro lover of Asian-looking women, to the solo scratchy weirdo, to hardcore members of the Brokeback Mountain fans club, who suddenly decided to anoint a wall in Batangas with callings from nature: Then, I’m supposed to write happy thoughts about fighting your way into the passenger terminal on Batangas City, where everybody and his mother decided to spend Holy Week. About crawling in the midst of the horde while I lug around 2 huge gym bags which Nel deemed less than enough for a 3 days at the beach. Next, I’m supposed to write happy thoughts about the one-hour plus boat ride on something totally made of wood, where we greet choppy waves out to impersonally maim us. On disembarking, we were greeted by establishmen

In the tradition of movies such "300," "Platoon," and "The Full Monty," the boys from our group were selected to help out in cases of emergencies like a fire. As boys, playing firemen and cops were high on my to-do list, and getting at least an hour off real work was just icing. Part of the privilege was being issued badges like "Floor Chief," "Assistant Floor Chief," and "Search and Rescue." Mine was something a bit more obscure -- "Fire Response" and my primary duty was to grab hold of the extinguishers and spray it at the source. Me. Yeah, right... When the fire drill was announced later, i guess we were more than prepared. We managed to get everyone out of our floor and herd them to the waiting area. Then, the whole fire team turned around and realized how complicated things were: Judging from the reaction of the womenfolk we "saved" earlier, I'm just glad Fire Prevention Month is over.

Man, it's burning out there. And it's about to get hotter. Why risk getting baked in the sun? Here's a practical summer don't list: 1. No lunch out unless necessary. Like free. buffet. and Edsa Shang Heat. otherwise, no. 2. Refuse invites for sidewalk coffee. Even if it's iced latte. 3. Stop walking over to the bank/atm every so often. 4. Ignore requests for outside meetings. If they want you so bad, have them fax the contract. 5. Do not accept payments/trade/ebay auctions that require pickups. For 50 bucks you can have anything shipped by LBC. 6. Temporary cessation of al fresco steak dining in favor of well-ventilated combo plates. Like Chili's. And they have valet. Alternatively, here's my To-Do List: 1. Schedule field work at 8 am or 4 pm. Or else get an OJT. 2. Eat more Razon's halo halo (have someone else buy). 3. Explore online banking. 4. Do your research on the web. 5. Drinks lots of cold beer. Dehydration is a serious thing. 6. Actually use you

probably the only decent thing to come out of Grey's Anatomy is this song "How to Save A Life" by The Fray. Now now, a lot of people would beg to differ that GA is a great series. I already talked about this before and i just don't like the concept. It's nice and most people will love it. I just don't. I stopped viewing middle of season 2. nel hasn't forgiven me for it. But i did manage to convert her to Heroes. Step one you say we need to talk He walks you say sit down it's just a talk He smiles politely back at you You stare politely right on through Some sort of window to your right As he goes left and you stay right Between the lines of fear and blame And you begin to wonder why you came How often do we invite people "for a talk" when the reality is you just want to say something and that nothing the other party can say will change your mind? In all honesty, most of the time, we should ask others "Can you listen?" Let him know t

And the wise man say I don't want to hear you voice And the thin man say I don't want to hear your voice And they're cursing me, and they won't let me be And there's nothing to say, and there's nothing to do. Stop Whispering, start shouting Stop Whispering, start... And the feeling is, that there's something wrong'Cause I can't find the words and I can't find the songs. - Radiohead, "Stop Whispering" Sigh! Im having a vicious attack of the writer's block. Sooner or later, i gotta start shouting. I've been working on this article for over 3 days and nothing's coming to my head. My head is already in vacation mode, a full two weeks before we embark on our annual trip. I can't wait to finally get back to snorkeling. But my physical body is still chained to the office and its implied responsibilities. Free me , o starfish!

ever since i sat down and read eric schlosser's book Fast Food Nation , i have developed an unhealthy appreciation (read: addiction) for McDonald's french fries. Unfortunately, the book's contents are not designed to make you love french fries, or any other fast food for that matter. From start to finish, it provides painstaking detail on how fast food giants seemingly made people fat, kept small-scale suppliers poor and disorganized, made workers unhappy and/or sick, and made vegetarians unknowingly eat animal products. If all those were true (and the author does make a convincing case by doing the research), does it make you think twice before ordering a Happy Meal? Some excerpts from the book: "The taste of McDonald's French fries, for example, has long been praised by customers, competitors and even food critics. James Beard, the legendary American gourmet, loved McDonald's fries. Their distinctive taste does not stem from the type of potatoes that McDonald

spent the last two hours fixing this blog, most of it for removing the anonymous comments that think your blog is that good then link you to their sites that offer everything from dental plans to aircraft-grade aluminum. The resulting effort boosted my hit counter, which in a fit of unintended foresight, i reset to 1400 prior to the activity. sadly, the best and most flattering comments were from these idiots. i would even be doubly-pleased and retain them if only they actually read the contents.

Much as i would like, things don't always work out as you plan them to. I got the inspiration to write an article for the San Miguel Beermen, a perennial PBA powerhouse and my de facto team despite having abandoned the local basketball association in happy pursuit of the Sacramento Kings. Looking for something to do, it seemed like a good idea to feature a team of 15 grown men and their coach who get paid to play ball. With a new coach and with him, a new philosophy, it might just work... The philosophy was remarkably simple, and Coach Chot Reyes was far calmer than he was during the frenzied 90s. He espoused the concept of Heart Work, where the Beermen had to examine their motivation for playing. He acknowledges that individual talent and skill can bring one so far to the PBA, but what happens next - whether you content yourself playing for pay or perenially figure in championship matches - is up to what your heart desires. Maybe i'm making it a bit more romantic than it seems

Dearest Nel, Despite your expectations, I have failed you as a romantic. I don’t write love letters anymore. I won you over by writing you thousands of words of sweet nothings, and you kept them all and wanted more. Nowadays, however, I only send you messages via email, and the subject is most likely something that starts with “FWD: FWD: FWD: THIS IS REALLY FUNNY!” I am a lousy dinner companion. While you enjoy flowing conversation over a nice candlelit dinner with soft music as background, years of being with me have dampened your expectations. At present, I am more excited with the prospect of timing the pizza delivery guy and hoping that he arrives after 31 minutes. In case we do go out, I often embarrass you by ordering something spicy and end up red-faced and sweaty. I am insufferable when watching videos. You envision a quiet evening watching classics like “A Love Affair,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” and “Notting Hill.” I eagerly occupy half the sofa and scan with the remote for s

i tried ego-surfing earlier today and upon seeing the very few lines that legitimized my claim to cyberspace, i relaized that some of the magazine articles i contributed over the years are in danger of being deleted for reasons of old age. This is why i resolved that as soon as i encounter an old work, i shall reproduce it here. this entry was entirely lifted from a previous submission to the Manila Bulletin. http://www.weddingsatwork.com/culture_barong.shtml For purposes of archive, and the fact that i enjoyed writing this last year, im posting it here. i don't suppose the folks at MB, good friend charlene included, would mind. It's notlike i ripped it off right? Back to Barong (A Buyer's Guide to Barong Tagalog) taken from the Jul. 15, 2006 edition of " About Weddings ," The Manila Bulletin 's wedding supplement. Most women have always dreamed about getting married in a church ceremony. While very charming, the only drawback to this is that it requires a mal

Or is it speaketh? Anyway, whatever it is, i did too soon my last blog. less than 24 hours after i hit the publish button, i was summoned to the post office by a small letter informing me that i have a package to pick up. needless to say, i did so first thing in the morning (around 10 am actually, stupid coding day made me wait), and nel could see me grinning from the post office window back to the car as i lovingly carried my tear-proof package from the States. I opened it quickly, and nel had to remind me to get back to work, and i can't carry the four jerseys with me as she wants to have it laundered first, being 2nd hand clothing from the States. She wagged a finger at me and mumbled something about anthrax, or worse, B.O. Once she gets in that mood, no point arguing, so i swung the wheel and tried to forget. It's laundry day tomorrow anyway. And i did try to get myself busy. So much that i bought a Kings Ron Artest action figure when i saw it displayed at Toy Kingdom. Thr

it's almost a month since i won four used sacramento kings jerseys at ebay, but i have yet to receive them. i feel a bit worried for my hard-earned money, yet i remain hopeful. they would be a nice addition to my collection, and even better, would reaffirm my distrust in online, nonpersonal transactions. i don't have a problem trading locally, as i have done quite a few, but this is my first attempt at international ebay. i do hope they come quick.