THE FISH TANK

the 17th

2011-11-18T08:48:00.002-05:00

incidentally i was happy yesterday. like really happy though i had some *bad vibes* moments. i was generally happy and continued to be until the time i slept.

thank you Universe, and thanks to some sweets in my life.

milk tea galore

2011-11-07T02:34:00.004-05:00

as much as I like living at the heart of Ortigas Center, I cant help but appreciate this fad that is called "milk tea" and how it has plagued my affluent Filipino-Chinese community in Greenhills. This Wilson Street stretch is now which I dub thee the "milk tea" stretch for you can find a couple of milk tea places. If my 4-days in the house memory serves me right, there are 5 milk tea places on this stretch and three more hiding around the adjacent streets.

to give you a background, I LOVE MILK TEA! my best memory of Hong Kong, circa '95, is being lost in one of those alleys with my family and eating mediocre noodles but drinking the best milk tea known to my young palate. i fell in love that first time, and since then milk tea has been my crazy drink next to bitter black coffee (stress buster drink) and Blue Moon draft (damn, I love you!).

as i type this blog, i am drinking a green tea yakult from one of the places on the stretch. I am thankful to these business owners they decided to place two out of five within walks reach from our building. in my 4-days inside the house rest, i went to both places and both have enjoyed it. so now, where am i headed? i'll try to compare these five (plus plus) places or maybe give some recommendations to anyone who wants to visit them.

(1) Bubble Tea- still my favorite place. I've tried almost every drink known to man (or lifted from the menu) from this place. may it be your cold bubble tea or the hot milk tea, you will really like it. I've recommended this place to a couple of people and they share my glee for this place. The taste exudes some sophistication as you can taste milk and tea in every sip. Just how I like 'em.

***favorite/s: Royal Milk Tea and Jasmine Milk Tea- Hot or Cold it doesnt matter, though I prefer both drinks hot and without the sweetener.

(2) Chatime- I havent tried the Chatime chain on this street but what could be the difference if you've tried Chatime in MOA and Galleria? For some reason I dont have much to say about Chatime except I really like their Taro Milk Tea. I've tried a couple of drinks there and its either too milky or too bland. I always get 50% sweetness level and the variation on taste on some drinks just doesn't do justice. Still Taro Milk Tea (which I got from MOA branch) was really the best Taro there is. There is TARO my friend. Something you just look forward to having when you order a Taro Milk Tea.

*** favorite: Taro Milk Tea- have I not said enough?

(3) DEC (Diao Eng Chay)- I believe they have one too. Its been a while that I went inside that place and bought a drink but I know they have one. Not as much variety as the other milk tea places as DEC is a Chinese deli and not a drink place. Either way, when you need a fix for milk tea or any drink or any food, this is a place to visit.

(4) Tea Tap Cafe- Located at the old site of FPJ for President meetings restaurant (aka. Barrio Fiesta in P. Guevarra), Tea Tap Cafe has given meaning to my life of being away from Ortigas. Why? Its a cafe! and it being a cafe is a good news for me since I can have a new place to hang out at or be alone or study or do some work. Seriously, I went in and I just wanted to spend an hour looking around. Its a great niche for all cafe lovers out there. Plus you come over for MILK TEA! I've only tried one milk tea so far and it was a good one. Matcha Green Milk Tea (however redundant that sounds) was good. Its all the right flavors, purely "matcha" for some weird reason (seriously i cannot justify what purely matcha means, but it tastes so great a Japanese tea to me). Then there's the food. I tried Takoyaki balls that was pretty soft than chewy for me but the taste was terrific than most I've tried. Now here's the other thing. They've got frozen yogurt too (courtesy of Simple Life) and it was wow! you get only one type of frozen yogurt (no fancy chocolate or vanilla or cheesecake), but the taste is simply in all the right places (for me at least). I dont like my yogurt too sweet or too sour, and this changed my palate in eating frozen yogurt. JUST RIGHT! plus the day that i visited them, they had their yogurts 50% off so instead of paying a 100 bucks for yogurt with choco morsels, i paid 50. *wide smiles*

*** favorite/s: Matcha Green Milk Tea and FROZEN YOGURT!!! (and the ambiance, and the cat accepting the tips. argh! too cute!!!)

(5) Share Tea- as i type this, I just finished my second Share Tea drink. My first one was the Green Tea Yakult. It was Ah-Mazing! I am having a hard time describing it, but to me an Ah-Mazing drink usually lets you into all the tastes that you need to get. i tasted that green tea taste and the yakult taste and to me thats all i need to get satisfied. My second drink is the Hokkaido Pearl Milk Tea. I found out as I typed this blog post that there are other places that has this drink but Share Tea has the description which made me try it. It said "milk tea with caramel and toffee" and as I tasted it, with less sugar of course, I can taste that caramel and toffee sweetness. yummy! Though I dont think I'd like to get another serving of Hokkaido for a while. I'm not too fond of sweet milk tea's. I like my milk tea to be a drink and not a dessert, so between the Yakult drink and the milk tea from Share Tea, I choose the Yakult drink right now. I will be back to try other drinks though.

*** favorite: Green Tea Yakult

Along that other street, there's Serenitea. Everyone knows Serenitea. It re-defined milk tea and started the "fad" of this new generation (one which strayed away from Zagu and Quickly, and made things a little expensive.) Serenitea can be the Starbucks of Milk Tea's (dis/agree with me?) but it does have good teas. I've not visited this place in over a year and the last time I remember ordering the Royal Milk Tea there. I liked it, but it tastes like any other Royal Milk Tea without the unusual kick to it. Being a fan of Bubble Tea, yes, I say I like Bubble Tea's Royal Milk Tea better than Serenitea's.

The other one I can think of is near my brother's school. Its called Pao-Pao (I forgot the other name before it) or the place where kids from Xavier and ICA go to to drink some tea and hang-out. They have relatively cheap drinks and food (perfect for these kids) and so the taste is one thats mediocre (talk about Quickly value). I dont have a fave drink though.

There's another one on another street before getting to Pao-Pao but that I haven't tried. Its also a small place with cheap drinks, and I'm not sure when I'll be able to try it.

There are other places with "just milk tea" like North Park and the Formosa Bakery (I heard they have one), then I think Taibun Bakery also has it, but they have it as just one of those drinks available. Needless to say, I haven't tried any of them.

So if you plan to visit me here at home, I can take you to all these places, but based on this post, I think you know where I'll take you. =)

$$$ I suddenly remembered that I didn't get to add the other tea place thats pretty popular to mankind (or some of us). Happy Lemon! though really i wouldnt want to count this as a purely tea place coz they have the "lemons" as their prime drink, but they too have milk teas and that rock salt cheese thingamajig (i havent seen that word in a long time). I've tried a couple of drinks such as the Malt Milk Tea, Roasted Milk Tea, Cocoa with Rock Salt & Cheese, Crispy Cocoa Milk Tea with Brown Sugar Jelly, but the best of them all is this one.... Lemon Honey with Seaweed Jelly! Make it a 1/4% sweet and explore the yummy-ness of Lemon with some honey and the taste of seaweed jelly. Its the most refreshing drink since mint cocoa.

***favorite: Lemon Honey with Seaweed Jelly

quick movie rating

2011-11-02T21:46:00.002-04:00

The Three Musketeers- swear i hardly remember anything except how King Louis XIII was a character! also how Orlando Bloom channeled his inner Johnny-Depp-is-a-pirate. (2/5)

Paranormal Activity 3- the invention was hilarious! and really, i just cant get to it that much. i still vote for the 1st PA as the better PA. (2/5)

Friends With Benefits- oh gosh! (3.5/5)

Fright Night- one silly movie! (2.5/5)

Horrible Bosses- its crazy! (3/5)

Real Steel- better than what i've expected. (3/5)

Crazy, Stupid, Love- it was the saddest, funnest, cutest movie on this list (4/5)

Abduction- this movie was quite a crazy thing to watch. (3/5)

Johnny English- one of those movies i enjoyed a lot coz you'll just be laughing from start to finish. (4/5)

Glee: The 3D Concert- JBiebs concert movie was still the better movie. but Frankenteen is sooo cute! (2.5/5)

No Other Woman- a Filipino movie. saw it twice. 'nuf said. (4.5/5)

Praybeyt Benjamin- another Filipino movie. funny but not in that Johnny English way. (3/5)

blogging

2011-11-02T21:15:00.002-04:00

i miss blogging. i was able to see a lot of movies but i just dont have the time to write them all down. i have to think about all those movies again.

blog-a-boo

2011-08-18T01:09:00.002-04:00

I've missed blogging. I've not written here in a long time and it seems I've lost touch to how you have to sound like in a blog. I remember how I like how I write on a blog but don't like my school essays. Now it seems like I like my twitter feeds more than the blog. Its the worst feeling because all you see are 140 characters and you're not sure if you've formed a senseless sentence or just a meaningless phrase.

I've got nothing against Twitter because its accessible and really easy to use. Plus I can read news faster than waiting for it to be printed on papers or be featured on nightly news. But it too is cryptic. Blog on the other hand has that free form that you can express in sentences, figures, and what not's what you've been thinking.

I just wanted to say that. In summary I just miss blogging. That is all.

Some quick movie shouts

2011-08-18T01:00:00.002-04:00

LARRY CROWNE- their community college looks really nice. wait, whats the story again? (2.5/5)

CAPTAIN AMERICA- gah! human torch really added some years here. (3/5)

HP 7.2- u know what to expect but those fight scenes were good. (3/5)

TRANSFORMERS 3- some more legs? and Patrick Dempsey, you'll hate his stupid character here. (2.5/5)

GREEN LANTERN- some abs... oh the movie? yeah. uhm... okay. (3/5)

X-Men First Class- dont get me started on this... (3/5)

Thor- i think i was able to give thoughts to this, but here's the rating (3/5)

Super 8- now there's something i really liked! (4/5)

I think I missed some other movies, but I really had to post this.

Work PR #3

2011-07-26T11:22:00.001-04:00

Solon thankful for inclusion of S&T in SONA

AGHAM Party-List Representative Angelo B. Palmones makes known his gratitude to President Aquino for his citation of the efforts of the Department of Science and Technology, his commendation of PAGASA's forecasting system, and prioritization of other science related issues in his 2011 State of the Nation Address (SONA).

"In behalf of the science community, I would like to thank President Aquino for making his support to science research and development clear during his SONA. He does not only take pride in the technologies that are being developed by our local scientists, but also recognizes the important role of S & T in the country’s economic development,” Palmones said.

He further added that this recognition is a positive message that serves as an inspiration to our scientists, researchers and inventors to come up with new discoveries and technologies that will benefit our fellowmen.

Cong. Palmones is the author of House Bill No. 3382 or the Financial Management Reforms Bill for government research and development which aims to support the scientists and researchers in the conduct of their studies. Another subject of the bill he authored, House Bill No. 3676 or the Expansion of the DOST Scholarship Program was mentioned in the SONA as well.

"I am pleased to hear the President mentioned this, and I hope his pronouncements on the expansion of science scholarships as one of his legislative priorities hastens the passage of the bill in this Congress," Palmones added.

As for the President's commendation of PAGASA's weather forecasting, Cong. Palmones hopes that his bill on PAGASA modernization (HB 1877) gets priority attention. It can be recalled that AGHAM Party-list has also launched the Consortium on Meteorology Education and Training (Project COMET) that gives way to the establishment of a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology course in colleges & universities to develop a new pool of weather forecasters in the country.

"This is a good sign for our science and technology workers. We hope that the legislative aims of AGHAM Party-list will continually be aligned with President Aquino's policies for science and technology because getting our act together will push forward our development goals." Palmones said.

Work PR# 2

2011-06-18T06:48:00.001-04:00

Office of Rep. Angelo B. Palmones (AGHAM Party-list)

Press Release

Solon Commends Successful Passage of Domestic Workers Treaty

AGHAM Party-list Representative Angelo B. Palmones commends the Department of Labor and Employment for their participation and great support in the recently concluded International Labor Organization’s Conference in Geneva, Switzerland.

The Conference delegates adopted last June 16, 2011 the Convention on Domestic Workers of 2011 by a 396 Yes votes, 16 No votes and 63 Abstentions. The importance in the adoption of this treaty is to set the standards on how to treat and care for the domestic household workers all over the world. In an interview, ILO Director General Juan Somavia calls the passage of the treaty as a historical move since this is the first time that the informal sector is being given significance.

“This is a great victory to our unsung Heroes, particularly the kasambahays overseas.” says Palmones. “Our overseas Filipino workers who work as household helpers sacrifice a lot in their personal liberties in search of better pay and income. Some of them have a great story to tell but there are a lot who suffer inhumane treatment from their foreign employers in hopes of taking a paycheck at the end of the month to send to their families here at home.”

The passage of this treaty also benefits our local domestic workers. It is to this matter that the AGHAM Representative also appeals to the leadership of the House Committee on Labor and Employment to immediately pass House Bill No. 4277 or the Magna Carta for Domestic Workers 2011. “The Bill seeks to institutionalize the work of our kasambahays by setting definite standards which will include their minimum wage, number of hours of work and the benefits that they can receive while being a household help.” Representative Palmones is a co-author of said legislative measure. (AGHAM/ Anne Mateo)

translate this please

2011-06-14T02:42:00.002-04:00

the work computer has the Google settings on Filipino and I cannot understand some of the words (really). so i was looking for a way to change the settings.

then this is what appears after using the HELP link...

Good luck to me then.

ar-THOR

2011-05-26T09:18:00.003-04:00

yes, you know what i mean.

ive not been much into Marvel and neither am I well versed, so the expectations were zero. i just wanted to get to watch this movie every girl, excuse me, everyone is raving about so i was there to enjoy the show, and boy did i enjoy it a lot.

no, not because of Thor and his manly physique. i wasnt drooling over that.

you know how much i loved Iron Man and how the latest Batman franchise (aka Nolan version) makes me want to watch it over and over again, but this movie was cute. the story was something any non-comic book fan would like to see, and a tired person like me would want to chill out watching. and this movie is like a chic flick, or a cheesy version of a comic book movie.

sorry fans out there, i really gotta say that.

i saw myself giggling to some of the scenes with Thor and Jane, and how Darcy drools over him, and how Darcy gets to know that other guy, that Thor friend guy, and how Thor's girl friend is kindda looking jealous. yes you know what i mean, some chic flick material there.

but then again where's the comic book material? oh yes, besides the characters and the mythology behind it theres the action scenes. thats quite enjoyable too, like the Thor and Loki, or friends of Thor and that "is that one of Stark's?" robot, or those Frost Giants... wait the Frost Giants have a T-Rex? ok, to move on.

I really didnt get to know Thor until I saw this movie. Thor was a god sent to Earth to find himself. He's too human that he blended right away with the New Mexico society. He was charming, yet he had one weakness, he's fixated with some things in his life. Being named King, his Father and Mother's approval, his people's applause and what strikes most, his hammer. He was fixated with the hammer that he didn't know why it was stuck on the rocks or anvil. Which reminds me why I used the title as such, "Ar-Thor". The hammer stuck on the anvil reminded me of my most loved character in the whole wide world, King Arthur and his Excalibur.

So wait, where am I headed? Nowhere actually, except to remind myself I saw this movie and I could use another viewing just for the giggles.

Rating: 3/5

Current Gas Price in Manila

2011-05-07T08:20:00.002-04:00

1 US gallon = 3.79 liters

Php 56 per liter - average price of unleaded gas in Manila

x 3.79 liters - volume per gallon

________________

Php 212.24 - total per gallon

/ Php 43 - exchange rate as of 5/6/2011

________________

$ 4.94 - per gallon

compared to $4.29 per gallon for regular unleaded in Long Island, NY.

I Know Better

2011-05-02T23:39:00.002-04:00

From: +63-933-2328792

Congratulations! U have won 300k Pesos+Fortuner car, ur Sim# as a homepartner last Feb.26,2011 for info:Call dis no:09332328792 Dir: Jay Flores of Phil:Com.Center

If I was desperate in life, I would've hurriedly dialed the number. Who doesn't like to get prizes? Who doesn't like to get 300k and a twin to our car? But because in each passing day I have received a similar text message or that South African widow email, I know how to deal with these stuff. I shrug it off my system.

This time, I decided to blog about it coz I Googled the info here. There's that "Jay Flores" and that "Phil:Com.Center" which seem to make this message quite legit. But before you hit the search button, here's my advice, read the message again.

(1) Think about Feb. 26, 2011. Did you ever join a contest recently that you had to leave your cellphone number? In my case it was a no-brainer since the number that this message landed on was my work number, and I never give out my work number when it is for anything personal (say raffles, signing up for memberships, etc.) For those who don't even watch shows that asks you to text in this keyword and send to this number, then you're probably off the hook as well. In case you're not in any of the previous no-brainer situations, I suggest do the next one.

(2) Is the grammar correct? "U have won 300k Pesos+Fortuner car, ur Sim# as a homepartner last Feb.26,2011" to correct: You won 300K and a Fortuner car in a (raffle) last 2/26/11. Your (sim?) phone number was picked as a homepartner... etc. A legitimate message from a legitimate company would proofread the messages that they deliver twice or thrice and it will not be in the hands of just one person but of several, even a team.

(3) I dont even watch game shows, how can I be a homepartner?

(4) Then enter Google. Type in any keyword from the message then hit search. There you will find out that you are not the only one these guys are trying to get money from. This site was a big help in explaining the modus operandi for these schemes: http://www.wazzupmanila.com/protect-yourself-from-fraudalent-promos/92/

(5) If you realized how bad that you fell for this thing only to find out that Google has the answer, then you should have your EQ checked.

My purpose here is to add exposure to these things. It is as bothering as someone sending you a message that this is their new "roaming" number and that they will be needing help to reload their prepaid credits. This is sickening and we as the public and consumers should expose these things and yes, report them to the authorities.

There are a lot of people out there who are desperate to get money or (in form of) prepaid credits from you, be warned, be aware. Report to the authorities as soon as you get these types of messages.

things from the not so distant past

2011-04-28T04:59:00.002-04:00

I've been digging up some of my stuff from when I was in Baltimore. I was trying to look for something else but ended up looking at my old stuff one by one, piece by piece. It was quite fun doing so. I actually am not done yet as I just started with it. I saw some baseball cards, movie tickets (a bunch of them in a small box), pictures, little notebooks, the like.

It was nice seeing them again and getting to think of all those things. The best thing about it is that most are still fresh in my mind. What I'd like to find next are those tickets to baseball games, that pre-season Ravens ticket (oh wait, i have it inside a book. never mind.), the US Open ticket (washed by the rain, though I have it in my external hard drive). Some things pretty much sum up my existence and those couple of papers or what not's, tell a story of my history and describes me in more ways than I know to describe myself.

Disappointing Emirates

2011-04-01T08:48:00.002-04:00

My Uncle together with the rest of the family just arrived from Turkey. The unpleasant news that came with it is that they cannot find my Uncle Jhun's luggage.

maybe it got stuck on the belt? wait for it.

Then after an hour, the family reported to us that they've reported the lost baggage and that it was left on the process.

They had a stopover in Dubai plus 3 hours delay, how dumb that it was left there given that ample time?

Then my aunt called again, no it wasnt left in Dubai, IT WAS LEFT IN TURKEY!!!!

FREAKING SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS?!? IN TURKEY???

dear Emirates, I am making this as a blog post because if you play something stupid here, then I've got the whole world looking at you. I will not stop posting here and on my other social networking sites unless my Uncle receives his baggage on time, and I'm giving a 24 hour ultimatum here. If in 24 hours we do not receive it, you've not seen the rest of my wrath here.

My first work PR

2011-03-30T05:26:00.002-04:00

This is the first PR for work that I wrote, so my dear readers, you can read the whole text here. =)

March 30, 2011
Press Statement on Execution of Three OFW's in China

The Filipino people are one in praying for the souls of the three OFW's who were executed today, March 30, 2011, in China, after the Supreme People's Court have finalized their decision to continue with the execution.

The three OFW's, namely Sally Ordinario- Villanueva, Ramon Credo and Elizabeth Batain, were convicted for smuggling illegal drugs in Xiamen province (Villanueva & Credo) and in Shenzhen (Batain). The death sentence was to be carried last month but was postponed due to the efforts made by the Philippine government, specifically by Vice- President Jejomar Binay, in asking the Chinese authorities to put on hold the execution.

Rep. Angelo B. Palmones of AGHAM Party-list, who is also a member of the Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs of the House of Representatives, appeals to the Filipino people to actively pray for the souls of our executed countrymen and their bereaved families. He states, “I strongly urge our government to exert all efforts to end this modus of using our fellow Filipinos as drug mules. In any way that we look at it, Villanueva, Credo and Batain were victims of their fate and victims of those who took advantage of their vulnerable situation by using them to smuggle heroin to China.”

“Our OFW's boost our economy by lending their skills to other countries who needs additional manpower in doing domestic or technical work. May this be the common and only norm, and not use them as means to transport smuggled items and illegal drugs.” he adds.

Crazy thing from last night

2011-03-26T22:49:00.000-04:00

Crazy thing happened on the road earlier while dad was driving. Some guys on motorcycles wanted to take advantage of the Earth Hour lights off & tried to play around us. They cut us on the road & when dad was trying to over take them, they sped up. So I told dad to distance himself then the guys slowed down as well. When I guess they felt we knew what they're trying to do, they sped up and made a U turn on the clearing. It's never safe on roads these days even in an exclusive village

Be safe on the road everyone.

Because I'm just scared that someone will take him away

2011-03-12T09:34:00.002-05:00

"Funny story from yesterday.

I bought new screen protector for 3GS. I usually put the protector myself but the guy insisted he'd do it for me. I handed it over but he wiped the screen loads of times that I was just looking at the phone the whole time. I'm panicking for some weird reason. Then he asked me abt apps. I said I didn't have it on jailbreak & he wanted to. But I said NO! I don't jailbreak my Macs. I panicked more when he said that. So he asked me why, I said I just don't. The real reason: it's like hurting a baby. Macs=babies. "

But I try to think about it and realize that the panic also comes from the fact that I don't lend my phone just to anyone, especially the iPhone. Though I've been having battery problems, I still love it.

And I'm using it as I type this blog post.

*** those on quotation were originally from tweets I uploaded this afternoon."

127 Hours

2011-02-19T06:34:00.003-05:00

Its been a while that I've looked forward to watching a movie. Not even Harry Potter 7.1 because I knew that I was bound to see it, it was like a tradition.

"127 Hours" stars James Franco and anyone who knows me knows how much I go gaga over him. He's such a good actor that he's a rare one in this breed. In his personal life even, say credentials, he is even much rare.

What about "127 Hours"? Being it has been reviewed by a lot of people now (ie: Seed)and it has gotten really good reviews, and there came a lot of synopsis and there's also that wiki page since its a true story, the movie was still an edge of the seat, must see movie. What makes it really good anyway?

I'd say that its been a while I've seen a movie that has all the elements that makes you love a movie. Add to the spice a cute actor, James Franco was just amazing here. Every move you can feel the pain he's going through, you can feel his emotions. It was pretty raw, and I loved watching him.

The cinematic value of the movie was really good. I'm not too good with describing but when you can feel the warmth of the sun, or the roughness of the rocks, or the paranoia to Scooby Doo, or the itchiness that the black ants cause, or the rush of rain water towards the crack, or the pain of cutting through your flesh, or drinking your piss... man, that is really intense then.

Everyone needs to watch this movie if you love movies. If "The Wrestler" made me clench to my chest at every move Mickey Rourke did, "127 Hours" makes you hide behind the gaps of your fingers wanting to not see it but then you're drawn to still look at it. In every aspect I just love it and I've got to see it again.

Prayer

2011-01-31T11:42:00.003-05:00

During the time I was in a religious turmoil I only had one prayer. Thank you. I always thanked Him for everything that happened in my life, whether it was good or bad, sad or joyful, big or small, I felt that everything was just something I should be thankful for and to also pay for the indebtedness of my soul for being a not complete Christian.

Then I became a follower again but this time I learned how to ask. I asked Him to light my life and my path to what is best for me. I still thanked Him as always but I asked and asked this time. I asked for a good job, I asked for enlightenment, I asked for good health for ms & my family, for a good relationship with my friends, to be driven away from temptations that my work may bring, to be kept safe from harm, to find "the right one" according to His plan. All these I ask and I'm supposed to be a believer again?

Sometimes though He tests your patience and let's you learn more. Watching "John Q" & "My Sister's Keeper" told me to ask and I shall receive it in His time, and in His will. I asked for a good man & He let's me see that there are wonderful things in life that I need to learn before it comes to me, if ever it really should come to me. And as what they say, there are three answers to your questions to God:

"YES",

"NO",

"NOT RIGHT NOW."

Little Fockers

2011-01-19T09:35:00.000-05:00

I went to see "Little Fockers" coz we were left with nothing else to catch on theatre. We didn't feel like watching Gullivers Travel & The Tourist is just not a movie I want to see after 2 days, so for a movie u quite expect what the outcome will be, we decided for this.

I've seen the two previous movies from this series and I'd say the excitement was all left on Meet The Parents. After that everything just went on crazy mode.

So you know that Little Fockers should have kids, and the story will be how the Fockers deal w/ their kids. But then that's just a premise. What really happened is that it was still the story of Gay Focker surviving on Jack Byrnes watch and how their differences create the conflict of the story, plus the other external characters like the crazy drug rep played by Jessica Alba & the whole Irish lineage/ Jewish faith thing. Oh and how can I forget Owen Wilson's character who still had hang-ups about his ex-girl-now-Mrs.Focker. Oh and throw in some Blythe Danner, Dustin Hoffman & Barbra Streisand then you've got a mix of characters. Yes.

I dunno what's special about it but Jack Byrnes uses an iMac to google Andi Garcia (Jessica Alba).

Anyway, I still can't figure out what I wanna share about it, but for those who just needs to watch something, I do recommend it too. It's like how I felt while watching The Tourist, I didn't expect anything so I was neither disappointed nor pleased with the movie.

All together, to put it lightly, I'll give it a 2/5 coz it's just not that special for me but it's not something I don't want to just trash.

The Tourist

2011-01-13T02:38:00.003-05:00

I was supposed to have a meeting that got cancelled so to not waste my time in Trinoma I just went to watch The Tourist. Everyone talks about it so it was nice to just catch it. Ive not read any reviews on this movie and I'm not a fan of Jolie, but I still went to see it.

I missed the first 13 minutes coz I was late in buying the tix. I started with the part where Jolie and Depp checked in the hotel, some grande hotel even. I was struck with how visually stimulating that scene was. As they walked through the stairs to the suite, to Jolie picking up the coat, it pretty much felt like you were there. The move to the scene on the canals, to the bridge, to every brick that you see. It felt alive and you yearned to be there.

Storywise, its a different thing.

It was fast, too fast even, and I don't complain about that. It seemed like time moved fast you didn't realize it move. The problem for me with the story is how crazy it was going. Oh before I move on, this is a love story.

The story felt like i was watching "Duplicity" again but with a cheesier story. It aimed on being like Tony Gilroy where you don't know what's gonna happen next but instead we were still given the ending that we wanted. It didn't leave us hanging, but still I didn't like that coz it was still cheesy.

I dunno what I dislike about it, maybe coz I like Gilroy's movies that afterwards you end up looking at the directors name and realizing, it really isn't Tony Gilroy! But this is the same director of "The Lives of Others" an Oscar winner, a movie that i queued on my Netflix that I didn't get to watch.

Ah. Ok. That's why I don't know him that well. Basically it's a nice movie to watch so u can let the time pass by, but to really appreciate it you've got to be a fan of Jolie & Depp to really be into it.

As promised, "oh my freaking! I did see these movies!"

2011-01-12T09:11:00.001-05:00

I thought I'd never write this but I did, coz I got freaking jealous of Seed's list. I'm typing on a small keyboard so give me two minutes of your time just to read this.

I'll be listing all the movies I saw in 2010. I hope I do remember all of them. I'm doomed if I don't.

Anyway:
1) Valentines Day- saw it near VDay. It's no "Paris, Je' Taime" nor "He's just not that into you" but it has Jen Garner & baseball so I went to see it.
2) How To Train Your Dragon in 3D- I always forget that I've seen this movie. It's a fun movie visually but I've got a kid brother so u know why I had to see it. The kid brother got inspired to try his hand on making cartoons coz of this tho.
3) Iron Man 2- my love for Iron Man I got me to watching it. This compared to the previous one went mediocre.
4) Inception- I love Christopher Nolan so I had to go watch it. Makes sense right? I will not make a sensible review coz you'll find all my biases. Maybe.
5) Harry Potter 7.1- this is the ultimate tearjerker. I cried from scene 1 especially when Hermione had to erase traces of her on pictures. Too emotional. You can feel the tone of the story from that scene. Liked it a lot and can't wait for 7.2.

Yes, these I think are the only movies I saw. I may have forgotten something but lemme stick to these first. Overall, what I loved was "Inception", who wouldn't given that short list?

the year is near to a close

2010-12-15T09:48:00.002-05:00

its a week before Christmas and this is the time when we are all rushing to get our Christmas list done. unfortunately for me, I havent started one yet. I have gift ideas but I cannot figure out which to really give. I'd love to give everyone gifts but since getting my first paycheck, ive been saving for the rainy day, or in this case, im saving for 2012.

no, im not getting married.

im trying to save for another set of tuition and fees, thanks to graduate studies. this will be for real graduate studies. i still have to decide between law school or a masters course in either governance or politics, well those are all the options i have, and it is tough to think of. there are the career options open for either courses and the likelihood that i'll stick to what i really want. REALLY WANT is a debate right now as to WHAT THEY WANT. good to really ponder on for a long time.

so in the spirit of off-season (no work), i am given the chance to think of my future as a student again. as long as by this time next year, i should have taken entrance tests already, and that civil service exam by summer. oh, need to hit those books again i guess....

The Time That Has Passed Is Yet to be Revisited

2010-11-23T19:37:00.002-05:00

It hasn't been revisited.

Nah! I'm not really sure, but I think the least that I can do to not be fully indebted with my blog is just give ti a little time and write something on it. I've missed blogging for a long time, yet the lack of substance has offered me no choice but to avoid blogging until further notice.

And notice the use of the words "lack of substance", I am partly talking about mojitos and margaritas there.

My months have revolved from being self-centered to all-centered. I've been a human for everyone. Who knew it was a big responsibility? I'm not superwoman (oh no way!), but I've been much responsible for a lot of things than I could've imagined almost a year ago.

It's tough but I'm having quite some fun.

But you do realize that you want to turn back the clock and pick out the decision apart from what you've decided on. You start asking the different "what if's" and ask yourself, "would I have been better off that way?"

I never questioned my decisions, and I am happy to have decided the way I did and be on the shoes I'm wearing now. Yet there are times when you feel that there are gaps in your life that a professional career hasn't filled yet. There are questions in life yet to be answered, and there are places yet to be discovered.

At times I think I've made the wrong decision because I've given up on the me-centered life. In the midst of a hustle, its always nice to get back to having a quite fun loving life, a carefree life.

Yet I cannot live the always me-centered life. For one, its expensive and you need to live for the next day as well. Second, there's a need to grow up, and growing up involves leaving yourself and thinking about other people as well.

At present, I like the busy life. I get to spend time not thinking about me and just do what I have to do. Robots are designed that way, be busy. It's good sometimes because you get to make use of your youth at the service of others. You think of what you have to do the next day, and the next, and the following day. You think of it as not JUST the next day, but you get CHALLENGED that it is the next day.

Someone should start it

2010-10-16T08:42:00.000-04:00

In anything, someone should start something so all will hopefully follow suit. In this case I just found myself wondering

"where have all the blog conversations gone?"

Hi guys! =)

Blog Action Day 2010: Water

2010-10-15T09:16:00.003-04:00

There is too much water on Earth, yet all we need is enough to make us survive each day. But how do we gauge the amount of water that we need?

Let’s see.
We need water to drink, but it needs to be potable.
We need water to cleanse us, yet we need it to be clean and sanitized as well.
We need water to irrigate our lands so we can have rice and corn.
Water can also help us grow vegetables and other crops.
We need water to give to our animals that we can eat.
We need water to give to our animals that can be our pets.
We need water to run our hydroelectric power generating plants.
We need water to let our machines work well.

What else? There are other things that I know I’ve missed to mention still. Endless ways to use our water resource, yet what do we have that makes us have a limited amount to use these days?

Too bad…
That we still have factories that dump their waste on the nearby water area.
That we have illegal housing that use the rivers as their giant sanitary pool.
Those mining companies who refuse to follow rules and tend to contaminate our water system.
Those who do illegal types of fishing to get a truck load of fish.
Those who spend government money on any other construction project, forgetting that they need to build water facilities
that can supply water to irrigate fields, water for drinking, and water for cleaning ourselves and our homes.
Those who do not mind that they have leaks on their pipeline.
Those who just basically misuse water that are much accessible in our homes and those who pollute the water systems.

It’s a story that has the same effect but with different causes. It’s the story that has the same problem and there is only one general solution, and that is…

BE A STEWARD.

In a plane, flight attendants are called stewards because they take care of us; they attend to our needs. In the same manner, we should be stewards of our water systems, of our sources of potable and usable water. We should take care of those that are still usable, and rehabilitate and save those that need to be helped. That’s how stewards should do it.

Metro Manila is slowly realizing the value of water, yet there are those who continually misuse it. As against to African countries, there is a big need for people to survive by giving them water that can supply their thirsty bodies. They truly have realized the value of water in every angle of their lives.

If we can help them, let us do so. If we do not have the means to do so, we can be thankful of what we have then learn how to care and appreciate what we have. We need it in every way, don’t we want to share it with those who will inhabit our home after us?

PostSeason

2010-10-05T20:22:00.001-04:00

Orioles baseball season is over. Will miss waking up early just to monitor games and what not.

Orioles 2011... Buck train is coming!!!

*more thoughts next time*

retirement

2010-09-14T08:59:00.002-04:00

i have forced my shoes to an early retirement, i realized as i walked the crazy sidewalk in the middle of Ortigas beside EDSA that it has to retire before it breaks down and lose its wonderful life in infinite sadness.

for all the long walks, the short walks, the lazy walks, the fast walks.
for all the jeans, the work pants, the reds, blues, whites, blacks
for all the traveling around the streets of Manila, to crossing the lanes of Ortigas
the strolls around Baltimore City and running with the crowd in New York City
or the feel of walking high in DC.
from the malls to the halls of the lower house
and basically, just for all the stress that i gave you, thank you.

and now, as i set the shoes back on the rack, i welcome a new pair of black shoes. Crocs (registered trademark) is a good pair for my feet, especially when they're a little high. its level, its comfort is something i trust when i walk around a lot. in my job, i do walk around a lot, and using this pair would surely help me... hopefully.

i'll tell you more later updates about my new pair.

law... and order

2010-09-04T09:55:00.002-04:00

ive been hooked once more to Law and Order. Its fun watching them solve cases by piecing one event to another, one item to the other. its crazy.

then ive realized that this isnt coz i want to be a lawyer. Law and Order, White Collar, and even House is all about investigating. Trial and error and all those stuff. I wanted to be an investigative reporter originally, but growing up I took a lot of detour.

now im in legislative work, something ive been enjoying and learning to love more day by day. the thing about it is that i try to put it together with the investigative instincts that i like most. maybe its not even investigative instincts, its the whole connect the dots thing, or maybe its the whole creating logic to everything that happens. i think it even means the same to my previous phrase.

Every morning, I wake up extra early just to get to work. its not entirely coz of my slow poke tendency, or my inability to fix my stuff the night before, its because when i wake up, my TV is on, and when i bump into my favorite shows, i cannot move from where i am anymore. whether its about the law or the order, its a vague line, coz all i know is that i enjoy watching them and solving those cases with them.

the toy shop

2010-08-29T11:12:00.003-04:00

i went to the toy store with the family today. we were getting a gift for my cousin who's celebrating his birthday soon. as soon as i got into the store, i felt this familiar aura that never dies. i felt like a kid.

i strolled around the racks looking at the dolls they have, but i did that in passing. when i was a little kid, i surely have been a fan of those Barbie dolls and the like, but when I grew up, and had a baby brother, I was inclined to having those boy stuff. I've become the robots and cars kind of girl (though FYI: i had matchbox cars, a robot taller than Barbie, and R/C cars to name a few when i was young).

I got to the boys section of the store where the cars, action figures, robots, and those other new ones are. I saw some awesome Gundam figures I've not seen before (some of the boxes look much authentic and better than those we have at home), the Bey Blade toys and stadiums that have been revamped since seven years ago, and some other toys there. What caught me though are the huge boxes of Star Wars toys and a race car track from Hot Wheels which was a replica from that Toy Story scene when Buzz rode a matchbox car and went on a loop. It was awesome I wanted it. Then I saw an F1 Ferrari replica car. I've always been a sucker for that. die cast, 1:18 scale model of that cool red car. I wanted a whole collection of that ever since, like a whole glass case of that. it was on sale but i didnt get one coz it seemed like the windshield material they used was of poor quality. i think it was low class plastic. it didnt make the whole package. bummer.

so i have now some items on my toy shopping list. to get a VERY GOOD quality of die cast Ferrari, a Hot Wheels with Buzz Lightyear, that huge Star Wars box (that seems to have a universe), and order an Oriole Potato Head for me. That's just some of those I can think of right now...

PS: Saw the REAL Iron Man Potato Head. Thinking of getting one.... =D

Orioles baseball August 28, 2010

2010-08-28T00:49:00.003-04:00

Just heard that Bergy and the Orioles won again. Woohoo! I’d love to see one of his games soon.

It has been a struggle since he came back this season. Two (or three) trips back to AAA and having been the epitome of 2010 Trembley era Orioles has been what comprised him. Knowing that Bergy has had solid winning games, plus a a good run support from the rest of the team, makes me joyous and hopeful that this continues and does not get hindered by a ridiculously painful injury again such as last year’s.

Congratulations Bergy, keep it up! Hope you or Matusz can get a shut out soon. =)

In other news, Jonesy was supposed to be back today on the lineup but wasn’t. That hit from who ever that pitcher from White Sox was caused such pain to Jonesy and it’s a pain, as a fan to know he cannot play yet because of that. Remember last year? Around this time Jones had to be put on DL. We cannot have that again. We need healthy players especially a healthy Adam Jones.

Luke Scott was part of Bleacher Reports’ top 10 could be MVP’s for this season but do not get recognized. Luuuuke this season, for me, has not been too different from Luke last year. But I guess the homer jacking (no pun intended) Luke caught their eyes with that. Though I must reserve my other comments to myself because this is regarding Luke and it doesn't sound good. (FYI: LS was #8 & Ryan Zimmerman of the Nats was #7.)

Hope that Nolan Reimold gets back in shape. I miss him now. He’s still on AAA assignment I think. He’s one of those guys who I hope can turn this organization around. He was almost Rookie of the Year last year but cut short due to injury prevention rehab, so if that’s the case, this guy is someone we should really put our hopes to. Yeah? Yeah!

Just found out that BriBob and the words “day to day” has been put together again. Hope he gets better soon too. I miss watching him. He’s always been the guy I look forward to seeing during baseball games! Aaah… B-Rob. September is fast approaching with two series against the Yankees. I want to see my boys play during these games, hoping that I will be able to watch them since my ESPN *L*O*V*E*S* the Yankees and YES Network. With that premise, I do hope to get to catch some Orioles baseball under Buck “Yeah!” Showalter during these times.

I’m writing all these coz I want to. I need to write something about baseball. That’s all to it. Oh and of course, when they get to the World Series, I have something on my journal that I can look back to.

and i killed your bubble

2010-08-14T13:10:00.003-04:00

"whats so special about it?"

oops... wrong words.

ok, so here's what happened. i've been doing older sister duties to the young boy and i was pretty tired since its late at night, and i had to repeat myself to him just for him to understand the point that his lessons have been wanting to point out, and we've been doing it for the last five hours, and i thought he has been reading his handout since this morning, and just to tell you bluntly, i've not been satisfied.

and this is the kid who just turned into a teeny yesterday. and he is making a big deal out of it.

i told him thru his birthday card that i cannot remember if i made a big deal out of being a teenager during my time. for one, it seemed like the same like last month and even yesterday, and second, now i remember what was different, it was taking charge as an older sister since he came to our lives when i hit thirteen.

and thinking about it, yes i did mature, but he kept me acting and knowing what it is to be a kid. but now, i just popped the bubble by telling him, what is so special about reaching your teenage years? seriously, what gives it that big difference?

teenage years makes us pretend that we know things when we don't. it makes us deceive ourselves into taking in charge of ourselves when we know that we're only in charge of some of our domestic needs like changing our sheets but not paying for the electricity that gets the sheets cleaned. its just not the way it is.

but there's also the fact that later on in our lives we know why things turned out that way because we look back and remember that our teenage years became our foundation to who we are at present. i mean, anything in life is like that for me. anything that i encounter is part of a continuous trial and error process, an experiment, and i get to learn more at each step.

so kid, if you read this, remember that to just enjoy your life and what you have at present, but not to forget that what you do at present builds up your future. c'est la vie!

Baseball Philippines

2010-07-22T13:08:00.001-04:00

I was chilling out at home on a Thursday afternoon after I started the day early with a breakfast meeting. I wasn't feeling too well also when I got home and I ended up laying around with the remote control on my hand. I usually don't watch local channels except when I know that something I usually watch is on, but this time I was happy I did stumble onto this channel. They were showing the Baseball Philippines Finals Series between my home Manila and another city Cebu. It was the airing of a game that happened last Tuesday and they were showing pretty much the important innings. Manila Team won the game and it was evident on the second inning why it ended that way.

I started watching during the bottom of the 2nd inning where the game was tied at 3 runs, 1 on first base who was hit by a pitch, and the batter has been getting pitches that has almost came in close contact to his shoulder. Then the pitcher from Cebu team pitched again, a pitch that had relatively slow speed that hit the batter on his shoulder. I don't know what type of pitch he used, but it seemed like a change up that gone wrong. That pitcher obviously didn't have command of the ball. The next plays were like the worst one can imagine. 2 men on base. Man on 2B gets to steal 3rd. Batter gets to drive a single that gets an RBI, him safe on 1B, but the other guy out on 2nd. Another batter comes on the plate, gets to drive a low single but because of an error by the catcher, 1B gets to steal up to 3B. Batter on the plate and he drives an RBI making Manila earn 5 runs total in 2 innings. That was the only time that the Cebu team decided to change their pitcher after all the damage has been done. It was quite funny, if you can imagine what I wrote.

The next inning they showed was the 5th inning. The Cebu team was absolutely in a rut with their pitching. Their batting was quite okay though, except for that guy who swung at a VERY LOW pitch. Seriously, I think that guy wanted out. There was one also where the umpire first called it a "ball" but even on my view, it was really a strike. I ended up shouting at my TV screen just as they announced that there was a change on that previous call and it was really a strike. It was sad that these guys seem to have little idea how important their job is. The other innings were uneventful including the part where no one made any hits or had any runs, though I believe there was another error during the 7th inning. After the 7th inning, I fell asleep.

Though it seems as if I have been disappointed, I am actually excited to have seen a game. I imagine that my next move will be to watch their games live, but I have to find out how this whole shebang goes. Baseball isn't too popular in the Philippines and this league is definitely small compared to basketball or some other sport. The stadium where they were holding the game is a 40 minute drive from my place, so I can just see myself driving there soon. Watching the game on TV also made me want to get involve with the baseball scene here too, and by involvement is to help the sport be known and be supported more, amongst which, by the Philippine Sports Commission. I want to help these players who are striving to show their talent in one of the most unpopular sport around here, to continue their dream of pioneering in this field. I want to help out Filipinos to continue their love for the sport that I fell in love with too.

It seems too big of a dream but its never wrong to be hopeful. It takes small steps to reach a wonderful goal like this and if it entails hard work then I'd be up for it. Somehow I'm trying to figure out how to start getting to the association handling this (properly called "Baseball Philippines"), and if I should start with constant tweeting, blogging, and putting them on my friends list on Facebook, then I surely have done some steps to get to the goal. Its never too late to start a dream when that dream entails you to help more people you can imagine of helping.

Chris Tillman

2010-07-11T10:49:00.001-04:00

With last night's win against Cliff Lee and the Texas Rangers, Chris Tillman and the Orioles have made me so proud because they emerged against guys whose averages are mostly around the .300's. Tillman also gets his first win of the season after a see-saw of bad starts or silent bats. But with an almost no hitter and almost complete game for Tillman, the whole hoopla still surrounded Cliff Lee who has been recently acquired from the Mariners less than 48 hours before game time. With Lee's seemingly "bad" start, commentators (ie: ESPN's Baseball Tonight) still pointed at how Lee's presence in the Rangers clubhouse became a way for the bullpen to have their break. Silly!

But I am not here to bash them some more, I, as an Orioles fan would like to look at another point instead. Chris Tillman and how he manages to spoil the fun for home team fans. If last night's game at the Rangers Ballpark was all about Cliff Lee's start and how I can imagine most fans must be crazy the whole time about this, I look back at Chris Tillman starting during their Sept 11, 2009 game at the Yankees Stadium. It was the night that everyone went to see Derek Jeter break Lou Gehrig's hits record, and lots of fans came their way just to see it. It was all about Jeter that night, and even after a rain delay of about more than an hour, no one retreated and stayed until a final word was out about how the weather should affect the game (I should know, I was there!). After a memorable 1st inning (to us near foul pole coz A.Rod hit his homer and I wished the ball landed on my lap), and after Jeter just hit 2722 on his 2nd at bat, the Orioles supported Tillman's strong innings (though the 4 Yankee runs that night came from his outing) with 7 runs towards the sixth, and 3 more the rest of the night. It felt great! It felt great to be an Orioles fan on the midst of a sea of Yankees fans (I was the only Oriole fan on my section), plus during the 6th inning rally, I watched the game on the lower section nearest to field level (after getting some snacks), and cheered loudly while a burly Yankee guy shouted "who's that cheering?" which freaked me out but I laughed to myself at how brave I was to cheer for them besides being alone (note: there were 6 guys in between me and burly Yankee guy). The game ended at around 1 AM and a WIN for Tillman.

These wins are indeed memorable as we get to cherish how this young team is still a source for enjoyment and hope that the clubhouse will be picking up pieces and soon bring back the magic that should have been there the whole time. How will we know that we've managed to emerge from the slump? Get runs to earn wins to earn standings to earn our time during Baseball Tonight, after that we can all be proud and say, "Y'all just suck it!"

Good luck always Orioles team and fans. May the magic and force be always with y'all.

(Thanks to MLB At Bat Gameday for some recall.)

Links to: O's @ Yankees 091109 and 9/11/09 @ Yankee Stadium

my unsolicited opinion on an issue

2010-07-06T11:34:00.002-04:00

i posted this on my Twitter using Twitlonger and since this is a blog post in itself, it needs to be posted here too. this is my view about Bro. Armin Luistro, currently appointed as the Education secretary and former President of the De La Salle University system, my alma mater. Anyone who knows me that I've not always been supportive of what Bro. Armin has supported, but in this case, I understand his reaction with the issue. It might not have been a favorable reaction to media men, but it doesn't mean that he isn't right in reacting that way.

"Not coz I'm a La Sallian, I'm giving reason out of Bro. Armin's action during his media interview on his first day on the job. But I think it isn't right that Bro. Armin should be singled out, or persecuted, for his blunt reaction when asked by the media for his comment re: sex education. He shared his thoughts to the media, and to all of us, because for him who comes from both the academe and the Church, it isnt right that we try to witness two factors of society clash into each other and enjoy the fight going on. Bro. Armin, being from both sectors, is left to understand each side and each point that needs to be understood and evaluated in order to know how to execute a move and finalize a decision on the issue. The media might have seen this part of the interview as overbearing and snobbish, yet they've forgotten that before this, they were able to speak to him in a nice manner."

sleep

2010-07-05T05:27:00.004-04:00

its 530pm on a Monday and I realized that I slept most of the day. i know i fell asleep at around 12 midnight last night after sipping some wine from the work party, then came home to drink my usual vitamins and then added the antihistamine. then i realized it was 9am. But that didnt stop there, coz next i realized it was 10am. wow! how did that happen? guess i fell asleep again. between 10 to 1045 i still had naps, until my mom called me and told me she was going to my grandma's. i didnt go with her but that was a cue that i have to wake up too. so some things in between (ie: check emails, watch TV, read tweets, post tweets, shower), at 12nn i was out of the door to the mall across my building to eat lunch. i felt like having spaghetti, due mainly to me celebrating my Uncle's birthday (noodles for long life they say), then I ate, met up with my mom for a bit, she had me run some errands for her, then I got a huge cup of coffee (thanks CBTL), then I was back inside my pad at 230pm.

then by 3pm, I was sleeping again and just woke up not too long ago.

right now, i feel like i just carried a luggage on my eyes. i still cant open it properly. this feeling cant absolutely be right. it feels really weird. I've never felt like a log in my whole life until now. a worthless log even. i guess im thankful that today our group didnt have an office yet or else i would've started my day way early. at least right now i can take a break, sleep, and do my homeworks when my stubborn eyes have cooperated with me. but it doesnt say that i dont feel like sh*t coz of this. when these things happen, u just feel like uve lost a chunk of ur life and unable to get it back.

or maybe to compensate for lost hours, i gotta stay awake the whole night. lets see how that goes then.

Moon River

2010-06-24T20:50:00.000-04:00

I was watching Sex and the City last week and they showed this episode ("I love New York"). I saw this scene and liked it. I've loved the song before, but with this scene, it just made me cry.

2010-06-10T08:13:00.001-04:00

http://extranet.laboratoires-thea.fr/home.php

6/4/10 O's game

2010-06-05T09:41:00.000-04:00

This was taken from the email message I sent my friend. It quite summarizes my thoughts after a losing game against the Red Sox where they had 11 runs and the Orioles had nothing. Under Juan Samuel's management, I did not expect a grandeur turn out yet I did not see an egg of runs to come up. This was a disgruntled team, and as Brittany Ghiroli tweet last night, "The Orioles are not playing inspired baseball.".

Here's what I've got to say about their game:

When u mentioned about the lack of philosophy, I went back to what I just wrote on my blog. The players are like a bunch of kids looking for an uncle with an iron fist who they can listen to. It seems like they've not been acting like a team these days. It seems like they've been acting on their own, doing whatever they can whether they eff up or not, and just say sorry and I'll do better next time the next day. It's sad. It's a sad routine even.

I hope Juan Samuel taking charge plus Drafts coming close plus trades getting near will get them to shape up and show what they got. If they can't work as a team they just have to do what's right on their own accord. Like kids, just compete against each other if they can't compete against another team.

I love the Orioles, but the losing streak has got to end. We need another winning streak. Not too long ago we took pride in nabbing a series from the Red Sox. Whatever the Red Sox's reason is for losing that time, its all their problem. What's important is we pick up the pieces from last nights game and take it as a reminder to work harder, if not hard enough, to survive and win the next two games against them. Afterwards, we have to bring those lessons to win future games. Learning is an endless cycle, and its never too late to learn from their mistakes. Given the credentials that Juan Samuel has, I hope that he gets to point out the mistakes and know how to work it out. Its never too late to turn things around.

If we cannot win a game, at least we have to prove to them and ourselves that the game was worth it and we did give them a good run. We didnt give it to them on a silver platter, but they worked hard to earn it.

Dave Trembley, Goodbye

2010-06-04T12:37:00.001-04:00

To start with, 3 years ago, the Orioles wasn’t doing great anymore, yet this is the season we have most been bad. Last season, where I concentrated much on watching the Orioles, it was a rollercoaster ride for the team, but this year, besides unforeseen problems such as players going to DL almost every week, the Orioles have reached the floor of the basement, the worst record in MLB this season.

Among things that we have to consider is how a manager handles his team. A team does not work from one person alone, yet an effective manager should affect his team positively. With some of the top players on DL (Brian Roberts to be exact), and top players beginning to be underperformers, it is a sad tale where someone has to stand up and be accountable for these losses. As much to Mr. Trembley’s disappointment, it boils down to his role as the chief, as the head of the team who they should be listening to. As much as it seems to us that the team has gone awry like little kids against their uncle, there is a need for an uncle with a better fist--- fist made of alloy where it is hard in its composition yet light to look at. Though we have not heard of any person from the clubhouse who has spoken ill of him (except maybe Melvin Mora towards the end of 2009 season, or the seemingly ill remark by David Hernandez when he was demoted to clean-up position), the lack of a strong leadership hand seems to be questionable still.

The last couple of weeks, I did lobby for Trembley to be fired. It is after he’s been making bad decisions for the team. These bad decisions, to us fans, caused a lot in the outcome of games. Take for example May 27, 2010, Orioles vs Athletics game. Game is scoring 5-2 in favor of the Orioles. Jason Berken, with a 1.50 ERA, was sent to throw on the 8th inning against a batter. Then he was taken out and replaced by Mark Hendrickson, a seasoned pitcher with a 5.47 ERA. But we all know that Berken is a better pitcher than Hendrickson. Not only because of the ERA, but Berken can take us out of a jam like that. Instead, Hendrickson was in the game and caused the Athletics to overturn the game. His reason for this decision, Berken does not pitch too well with lefties. Oh kay???

It seems to me that it is indeed time to go. The end was seen since April when the season has just begun. This season is still a losing season, and a management change is not a saving grace that happens overnight, yet we need someone to show some light and inspiration, and shove the guys to their hands and knees and prove that the theory of the sleeping giant is within them. As much as Trembley was inspired to turn things around by honing our prospects to great players, our great players on the field has turned into a bunch of bench players waiting for their turn when they’ll get called up. What needs to be done is prove to each of them that they are playing beasts needed to hit those balls hard out of the fields if they must, and pitch as efficiently as they could and should.

A fan believes in her team that they can do it. They can work together into doing something great, to earn runs, to earn wins, to earn respect as what is and has been due them since then. This is Birdland, and we believe that Birdland deserves to have the dignity it should have. Like in a baseball game, we need to call the bullpen for help, and when the clean up is jammed, someone has to replace him on the mound and continue the clean up, until it reaches the end of the game for a win.

For now, Trembley is seen as a bad pitcher from the bullpen, and hopefully Juan Samuel will clean up the jam and get us out of the inning. Hopefully too, we win on each time he “pitches” for us, as much as he can, as long as he can.

Writing

2010-05-04T10:32:00.002-04:00

I've been wanting to write coz I surely miss it, yet what can I write about?

Honestly, I have three drafts and maybe a dozen other things to write about. My aim was to put up another blog site just to detail my rants and cheers to the Orioles but that never progressed due to (gasp!) lack of time. Yes, as much as I am "unemployed", I do not have enough time to deal with all the things I want to deal with. Why is it always like that? Coz when you are unemployed, you are everyones errand girl, you are everyones slave, you hear everyone say "can i ask you a favor?" (and you end up saying, "sure!").

I'm not ranting on those things really, its just that my hopes to put up a new blog was put on the side. I ended up throwing 140 characters (spaces included) on Twitter every 15 seconds. Sometimes, due to time difference, I end up sleeping during live games. Somehow I failed on my aim to practice my writing by pouring my heart out on something I like to do. Its tough being me (a reason that we always hear, right?).

Yet I have been doing writing lessons for kids these days. Wait, change kids to young adults. Its summertime and besides the need to polish my brothers writing, I wanted to gauge my cousins as well. Weeks ago, I asked them to write down five songs that they really like, and later on revealed to them the task at hand. They were fearful when they heard that they had to write. Write a three paragraph review of each song that they picked. I thought it was awesome, they thought otherwise. So I subjected five kids into writing without their permission? What happened afterwards is a nice study/ observation/ experiment for either behavior specialists or psychologists.

The youngest was the only one to accomplish five essays on the prescribed time period. My brother submitted his completed work three days after the prescribed time. My girl cousin finished the first essay right away, the second essay was submitted a day after the needed submission time, and essays 3 to 5 are not yet submitted. My two other cousins did not do anything, sadly.

It is such a hard task to impose writing to kids these days. With all the information on their hands, they do not make use of it by using their minds to analyze information and pour out their opinions about these. They pour out their energy using the internet as a means to play computer games, watch episodes of their favorite shows, and use social networking sites to know what the latest scoop on AI, on show business, or whats the latest emo song. It is tough being older and not seeing them spend their time doodling on paper, reading love stories or detective stories, writing phrases then sentences then essays. It is hard that they do not know how to properly express themselves in writing.

Writing for me is the best means to express oneself, and I do admit that I do get the moods too when writing. In numerous occasion I feel that anything I write does not make sense. It seems like I lack the complete thought or I was not able to equip my essay with words that makes itself understandable to the reader. I too encounter times when I do not feel like I am writing the way I should or that I lack the level of writing that I have put on myself. I always wish to be better, I wish to always improve my writing. But how do I even find out that I want to improve my writing?

BY WRITING, what else?

One of the tips in writing that I kept on telling them was that to know and improve how you write, you must write. There is no other way to know these things but to do it. You have to keep on doing it and have someone read it so you'll know how you fare. Later on you'll get the knack on writing and end up editing your own work because you have practiced it repeatedly. Writing is a trial and error process. Even the best writings can be improved by supplying better words or re-phrasing, whenever the need is there. Not only you exercise your writing skills but you exercise your brain, language skills, analytical skills.

It seems like a dead end task when they don't take things seriously as you do, but I am not giving up. I will think of ways to make them write, to let them understand that polishing their writing skills is important to do now than have their teachers criticize them. Oh Lord have mercy! Please shine the light on them.

Bergy

2010-04-20T02:21:00.002-04:00

Bergy's been disappointing. I miss Bergy from last year. Today, amongst his faults from his last couple of starts, Bergy gave up 7Runs on the 3rd inning. What can we do about this?

Here are the posts I made about him last year. I miss praising him, cheering for him, and considering him as the next best thing in the Orioles organization.

http://margeeboo.blogspot.com/2009/07/os-7-royals-3.html

http://margeeboo.blogspot.com/2009/10/brad-bergesen.html

I miss baseball

2010-04-20T01:48:00.002-04:00

I do miss baseball, but most importantly, I miss the W's.

No, I don't have a different baseball team right now.

W's stand for Wins, and I miss the feeling of winning. The Orioles games have been making me and everyone else cry. We haven't encountered a lot of wins, and we crave each one of them. When the O's win, we savor them (savor 2 wins out of 14 games, thats great). How I wish we can be like last year at least, but we're worse than last year. The Astros at least have 3 wins now. The Mets have 5 wins (a lil better off than us), the Pirates have 7 wins (for crying out loud). The Orioles, Ive got to say, is at the slumpiest I can imagine. oh have mercy!

We dont have a star closer to blame right now. We don't have a highest paid player to blame even. We have to point it to a collective reason why there are no wins. We have limited pitching power, we have problems with our batters. No one can drive themselves back to the home plate even, and I dont even know for what reason this is happening.

Before the end of last season, we had a start to the "new" Trembley approach. Is this still part of it, coz even last season, that Trembley approach didn't work. That was the time we had a 12 game losing streak. Don't we get a trend to this?

I miss Bergesen, Reimold, Scott, Markakis, and Jones. If they can even be the slightest of themselves last year, that would be really nice. But this is not the Bergesen we knew from May-July 2009. This is not the Reimold we saw who was running for Rookie of the Year last season. This is not the Scott before All-Stars. This is not Markakis who had the eagle eye and can bat with sure power. This is not the Golden Glove/ All-Star CF Jones. This is a messed up team who seemed to come from the minors, and we are the worst in MLB rankings right now.

Besides these, our problem lies with us earning more injuries and players on DL. Roberts, Tejada, Pie, and even Gonzo all are out of shape at present. This is what's contributing to the great Orioles fall. Its the saddest song that we'll ever hear all season.

We've just begun but it is giving all concerned the desperation and anxiety to at least do something good, something better. Is it a curse? I hope not. Is it a type of mismanagement? Maybe. Is it a feeling of being crapped out or intimidated? I hope not. It's just begun and unless the Orioles do something to get things better, this season will be a LONG season.

Cocktales

2010-04-16T08:09:00.010-04:00

I'm an absolute sucker for desserts and drinks, and this time, it has brought me to the perfect place to get it. "Cocktales" is located at the fifth floor of the SM Megamall Atrium, in Mandaluyong City. It was recommended by a couple of lifestyle shows and websites, and after walking around the nearby Megatrade Hall for a business fair, "Cocktales" was the best place to hang out and satisfy your curiosity.

It was a small space for a hang out place, yet it was designed to be posh and a little fancy. The mall provides free wifi and the signal is pretty good at that area. You walk up to the counter and you are offered a menu of their items. There are pastas, sandwiches, and warm plate snacks. Then of course their main items: Desserts and Drinks.

Drinks vary from Hot Drinks and Cold Drinks. Cold drinks are further categorized between stirred and shaken. Since I am trying this place alone, I decided to order a drink and a dessert. And so they say "STRESSED is DESSERTS spelled backwards.", and I was utterly stressed with what to order. I flipped the menu several times and landed on the most interesting ingredient: LYCHEE. Thus I ordered a Vanilla Lychee Margarita.

SO they thought that I was not looking for a "drink". When choosing your cold drinks, you can also opt to have a "virgin" or spiked, and at 230pm, they thought I would want my drink without any alcohol. But by the looks of it, you would think that taking out the alcohol would be a good choice anyway. Vanilla flavor, milk, lychee, and lychee extract mixed with crushed ice. As much as I enjoyed the drink, I realized that my second order was not necessary. For one, The margarita had a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the middle, and second, mixing milk to it, thus creating a thick consistency makes it eligible to be a dessert by itself. Saying that, I would say yes that I did order a dessert, and its called Mango Bananarama.

picture courtesy of Cocktales' website The lady asked me if I wanted the dessert to be shared, and since I'm alone, I said no (of course!). Mango Bananarama is a mix of mango slices, banana slices, tapioca balls, and rice balls on crushed ice with milk also. It was truly wonderful to the taste, except its not good when you previously downed a margarita. What I did was to have it wrapped instead, and went on to go around the mall. After two hours, I got to taste it with its ice melted and mixing with the rest of the mixture. The fruits and chewy balls were still delectable though, and the amount of dessert was not good for only one person! Thus I was able to bring home some.

Price wasn't too bad for a working middle class, yet other people might be held back with going into this dimly lit with nice modern furniture place. Also, the location was pretty secluded for a new place like this. Though on second thought, if you want to chill out anyway, would you go to a crowded location. My other problem though was the service staff. The smallest table that they have was beside the counter, and so that's the spot I chose to sit down and write some notes from the business fair. Every moment that they can, they ladies were singing loudly some tunes and talking to each other about their personal lives. The girl on the cashier was singing a song while assisting getting a customers change while the customer was in front of her. Call me conservative, but I think that's not how you entertain us.

Overall, because of what they can offer, I am certainly going back to this place. Next week maybe I can head out here again after a sumptuous lunch, but that is another story for me to tell next time.

For more information, you can visit their website http://cocktales.multiply.com/

How To Train Your Dragon

2010-03-31T11:41:00.001-04:00

How To Train Your Dragon in 3D (Dreamworks)

4.5/5

We saw the 3D version coz after watching Avatar, my brother has immersed himself into researching about 3D animation. It wasn't my type of movie really as it didn't fancy my senses ever since I saw the trailer. Everyone who've seen it tweeted that they liked it a lot, and given that this is one of the rare occasions that my dad is watching with us, who am I to demand another movie?

So it got me. It got me because the 3D animation was really superb. The characters were doll-like, with hairs that looked like yarns but their skin is like human-flesh. The plants were really green and the waters were like ones you'll see on the sea. It was not completely life like since this is a kids movie, yet the background left you in awe, appreciating the art produced by the film.

The story was cute. It was full of heart since you'll see here that not all Vikings are scary warriors. Hiccup is the main character who is your uncharacteristic Viking, yet in the end he is a hero on his own right. The main character and his characteristics are not only seen thru him as a person but also thru the dragon that he got to befriend. Called by those who don't know him as the scariest dragon- the Night Fury, Toothless became the dragon counterpart of Hiccup as being the oddest kind within their group. They became fond of each other and grew to know each others lives in some ways. The advantage though of Hiccup was that he got to get a girl and Toothless didn't have a girl dragon.

Its a family movie, much recommended to those who are thinking of watching it. It's fun and if you are into 3D movies, you'll surely love this.

Game today

2010-03-25T16:20:00.002-04:00

If the Orioles were drinking today, they just downed the Yankees.

Orioles 8- Yankees 0

Must love Bergesen really. Hope floats!!

Hello

2010-03-19T20:40:00.002-04:00

The most I can do in this blog is say hello and ask you all how have you been?

phew!

2010-02-11T09:42:00.005-05:00

woohoo! i was able to pretty much accomplish part of what i was doing. i was trying to make this work website via blogger. truthfully, i didnt want to use blogger since blogger is for blogging, not for business websites, but i ended up getting angry with the other free sites. oh well. so it was nice to play around blogspot once more and found out that there are a lot of things that they added to the site. after working on it, i am now thinking of giving a new look to Fish Tank. you'll see the changes in the next couple of days, or weeks depending on how busy i am with the other things that i have to do. for now, check out the blog/website that i just finished:

http://jboschkuchen.blogspot.com/

I still have problems with it as I cannot remember how to resize it automatically like how I do it with Fish Tank, and how I can get rid of the blog post footer. the one with the "Atom" or anything that looks odd on the pages. I just really want to change some other things in the site still, but for now, I'm pretty satisfied with this (so is my boss, thank you).

btw, i noticed earlier also that there are changes with the blogger CSS templates that I think it isn't written as how it was before. i dunno really how you call it, but comparing it to Fish Tank's template, its pretty different.

Lunch

2010-02-09T01:17:00.002-05:00

I know no one cares, but I want to post my lunch menu here.

(1) Curry Katsudon
(2) Shake Roll (salmon)
(3) slice of pudding bread with vanilla sauce
(4) bottle of water
(5) cafe au lait

I'm working and I have all these food in front of me. Add to that a pad paper, a notebook, and a PC laptop.

Happy Happy Things

2010-02-08T21:08:00.006-05:00

Reader,

I would like to apologize for the rants that I've been making. Life isnt miserable, but sometimes, you end up taking note of the bad things.

There are wonderful things thats happening also.

(1) I found a very good service staff already on my cafe/ restaurant trips. They are from a small cafe on the 4th floor of the Galleria called, Ms. Polly's. She was able to convince me to order some cake, though I was starving myself (aka diet). She was really courteous also and was serving us properly. I would like to commend her.

(2) Spring Festival at The ShangriLa until I dont know when. I shouldve watched it last Saturday instead of getting bored and looking for other things to do. movies were interesting, I just cant remember what were the ones i liked to watch. will watch as soon as i can

(3) there's a mini-park two blocks from me. beside the park are coffee shops and a gelato place. awesome! too bad i was jogging that time. where i live is a business district, and even residential condominiums had offices. in each building, there's a food place. when u jog around food places, thats meant for you to only think of food. what is worse is when u pass by the pandesal place and smell fresh pandesal at 4 in the afternoon. how good is that? i love this place!

(4) we went to Tagaytay and found this site:

how exciting! we'll see a house here in hopefully three years. yay!

(5) i am a bum who has 3 jobs right now. awesome!

There are things that make u love life a lot, things that make u cherish and enjoy each thing that happens also. I am slowly finding mine thank God! hope u find ur good vibes too.

-fish tank-

Looking for a new space

2010-02-08T11:09:00.002-05:00

I have a wonderful life but there are people who make it suck.

(1) neighbors- they suck. or most of them do. stupid, careless, insensitive. they suck.
(2) those people who are screaming hell on the streets at 12midnight. im freaking working on my big ideas, and most people are asleep. its their third wave of their freaking screaming, oh wait fourth. eff them. really eff them. they should get a more decent life.

why are people so effing insensitive. some more, i will consider saying the F word really. maybe id like to scream at them from the 25th floor. damn them.

rants for today: service staff

2010-02-04T02:28:00.002-05:00

(1) i started going to the gym the other day. i was an energizer bunny and i was in high spirits. since its my re-enrollment in that gym, i have 3 free PT sessions so that they can give me a program. i didnt make a schedule ahead of time so i made an appointment for the following day. they asked me if it will be my first time to go to the gym, and i chuckled saying, "its my first time in a long time." i must admit, last time i was in that gym was almost 5 years ago (Dec 05 was the last one, i believe). then they looked at each other and gave that annoying smirk that meant like, "man! she's not been here in a long time. that's why." that look actually pissed me off. that wasn't the first time anyone on that gym did that. a few weeks back, another lady staffer did the same thing after i told them when my last visit to that gym was. annoying.

(2) i went to this nice japanese place to get myself some lunch. it was in a quiet side of the mall, the food has always been good, and the price is affordable. so i went in and there were 4 tables occupied. each table had some company, and i was rather alone. the server took 2 minutes before she handed the menu to me, and she looked and sounded rather annoyed that i was alone, that i asked what the contents of a Nabeyaki Udon is, and that i didnt order any drinks. but come to think about it, my meal ended up with 225 pesos, a good sum for a place like that and for eating alone. besides the Nabeyaki Udon, i had a very good Salmon Temaki. the Salmon Temaki itself is 100pesos already. what more is she asking for? i was thinking. my udon came and the other lady, the pregnant one, almost slid the bowl on my table. i just closed my eyes and thank the heavens that it didnt spill on me and that i have patience. the only nice person in that place was the manager. she was courteous and friendly.

(3) i went to get some desserts for home. it was after the usual break time/ rush hour in fast food. i wanted to take home some cake slices because i missed black forest and sylvannas, and i wanted to try that white forest cake. so i ordered from the lady who, even before i came up to the register, was asking her manager to teach her some things on computing something (or whatever). the lady on the register was nice, the manager gave an annoyed look when i had to take some of their time so that i can place my order. it was too apparent as he wasnt even happy that there was someone wanting to buy from them. he did the same thing with the two other customers after me.

its so good that i get to sleep (even if it isnt such good sleep), i get to wake up, i get to be happy. i dont want to be like any of those people. i hope that i may be given a lot of patience or if not, then a calm spirit to voice out the problems when it needs to be addressed.

Avatar again...

2010-01-24T10:23:00.002-05:00

so yeah, i at last got to watch Avatar again. with a caramel macchiatto and a big bag of popcorn, i journeyed to Pandora with "JakeSully" once more. this time in a downgraded version. 3D only, not IMAX. bad? wasn't expecting it to be bad really, but i was headed for something worse.

so i sat there with my goggles. i know i cannot feel like im trapped inside the ship with the earthlings, but man! i felt like in a pirated 3D version of the movie. for one thing, i cannot get into the 3D experience when i can see all the pixels, lines, and shadows of it being 3D. its like that 3D ride in Ocean Park circa 95. u can see the images chasing you but the "real life" experience of watching this movie, in all the glory that it should be giving, wasnt given justice. i blame right now the lighting. bad lighting on the screen or is it the projector that caused this movie to suck. it seems to be on negative contrast that u miss out on the beautiful blue Na'vi creatures, or the green-ness of the trees, or the bright lights that light up Neytiri and Jake's path, man! missed that, and everyone else in that theater cannot appreciate the whole hoolabaloo on this movie because of that projection. caused me 3Advils and a freakin headache still. darn it.

otherwise tho, this movie experience was good also coz my brother was as amazed as i am, and he was quiet (and he helped me finish that popcorn which i never thought would be done).

PS: there was this scene in the middle of the movie that i laughed because there was something rather odd or funny that popped out on the background. unless i get to remember and describe what it was, i shall never be able to tell u right now what it is. =D

random talking updated

2010-01-18T09:03:00.002-05:00

hello world!

i am alive and kicking. yeah! its been a week and a half since i left the land of the free, and ive been feeling like its been forever. time has been slow and ive been gaining weight. ugh! or thats how i feel it to be. my clothes dont say it but my whole body feels like it. i feel like im in this state of calm that i dont really want and need. the only calm i need is passing out after shots. SHOTS!!!

ok. calm down. thats the deprived fish talking.

things have been too calm that ive been to the salon twice in one week, have had 4 massages the past 10 days, and i will be having my dermatology appointment this week. what have i been doing? geez! the past 10 days also included cooking breakfast at 430 am, sleeping at 10pm, and taking a shower for an hour complete with body scrubs, exfoliators, and hair treatments. for the next 48hours, i cannot wash my hair (major ugh!) because my hair has all these harmful chemicals to make it straight and black. u should see my hair, its too nice i cant believe it.

im jobless at this point. bummer. and i have to pay 3K for a cellphone bill that ive accumulated for 10days? wtf? Php1,768 is for Value Added Tax. Php 800 ++ for being stupid and going overboard with my internet bill. i need to hold off tweeting then. efffff!!!

i missed two Ravens games though the last crucial one was a bummer. i will be missing the Orioles fan fest. i will not see Brad Bergesen who might be written in my stars. who knows, right?

my weekends have been bummers. my parents are on my tail too much. bummmmmmmerrrrr. this is getting tiring.

the only positive note is that my brother is as tall as me and we've been poking each other on the side tickling each other. he's the reason i am here.... i think.

smiles everyone, and when u raise your glass and say cheers, think of me. i wanted to drink with u, u know. =D

--- fish tank---

Screen shot Weather Forecast Widget

2010-01-11T20:39:00.001-05:00

Screen shot Weather Forecast Widget, originally uploaded by Margeeboo.

Might be the first time the widget failed me.

TRH: Talking Random Here

2010-01-06T00:58:00.005-05:00

Browser and I were tweeting about going back to archives trying to dig up when was the first time I showed up to comment on his blog or something. I said early 2007, coz thats when I had my macbook, and thats when I became an active blogger again (Again, since I had a blog site on blogger and friendster before this) actually, that's around the time that The Fish Tank blog was born. Wait, actually Fish Tank blog was born late 2006 but not became too active until early 07. if you look back on archives, I think Fish Tank was hyperactive around that time (hyperactive just like me right now).

I'm wide awake. I feel like falling asleep but I dont want to because I'm afraid I'll miss something or I'll forget doing something. I hate that feeling. I hate that feeling also that when I dug up some more junk, I found that I almost left my only living watch that I've not used in a long time. WTF? I almost left my Technomarine!!!

I hate this feeling also. I have runny nose. I never felt like sick or anything. I think whatever my eyes dont want to show, it was going to my nose. sick.

"What, in life, does not deserve celebrating?"

2009-12-31T12:13:00.001-05:00

End of the year movie review

(1) Watchmen- best adaptation. Minus the love making scene's background (scene would’ve been better if it kept the same background as that of the graphic novel) and the giant squid, Watchmen has got to be the best graphic novel adaptation for this year.

(2) I Love You, Man- there are a couple of comedies that I did enjoy but this one stands out. Not only because of Paul Rudd, but because it was the man love movie that a girl like me liked a lot.

(3) Star Trek- I don’t know anyone who didn't like this movie, and I too liked it. Out of the sci-fi franchises released this year, and the last couple of years maybe, Star Trek has got to be the stand out when it comes to the round about of elements you want in a movie. I still call it “like eating buffet, you get what you want.”

(4) The Men Who Stare at Goats- I liked this movie for the simple reason that it didn't try hard to be funny, it was already funny the way it is. Though wait a second? Is it just the funny that makes it stand out? Nope. it was the mystery of the validity that this movie is establishing. US Army and ESP don't match at times, but it was like flower power over again and LSD, plus Barney's song for torture.

(5) Paranormal Activity- besides the gross old lady scene in Drag Me
To Hell, Paranormal Activity is the scary that delivers scary. There's something with reality and handheld cameras that we bite to that we fall into that path of fear when it starts rolling some scary shots. It was actually kind of not scary at first, like telling u a story of Rumplestiltskin. But it picks up when the girl meets the elf and then he promises to help her in exchange of her first born. But when he starts harassing her, you know it was scary and she is in deep trouble. Add to that that she might be cursed with a radar that the elf gets her detected anywhere she is. Unfortunately, paranormal activity's story does sound like that but in a scarier way.

(6) 500 Days of Summer- another movie that made most people who liked it cry, but throughout the movie I was laughing. It's the movie about my life that I never expected anyone to explain it to me in that way. Really.

(7) Ponyo- the joy of old school animation comes to the big screen with Ponyo. It was the joy of seeing cartoons but not with a classic feel to the story that kids will understand right away. I think kids will end up scratching their heads thinking what the story is really about.

(8) Public Enemies- it was the greatest candy of warfare, or something like that, this year. I'm not a guns person, but this movie tells you that beneath guns and crossfire are the emotions and life of people behind it.

(9) Avatar- a movie that I still can't figure out how to express my feelings about it. I liked the whole digital imagery, graphics, what not. Story wise it is a little basic yet different. It's weird to explain it that way really but that's how it is. I like the movie element still to make it to my list.

(10) Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince- I’ve always enjoyed watching Harry Potter movies, yet this will be special. If not for this movie, I wouldn’t have the motivation to start reading Harry Potter. At last! That’s I guess my gauge on how good this movie was.

Special mentions
(1) The Fantastic Mr. Fox- characterization was surreal.
(2) Inglorious Basterds- Cast= check! Story= check! Fun= check!
(3) District 9- those shrimps….
(4) A Serious Man- It still makes me wonder, and be curious about the Jewish way of life
(5) Duplicity- owe it to my affinity to Tony Gilroy and Clive Owen (even The International is on debate).

Dear Blog Reader...

2009-12-31T06:38:00.003-05:00

Dear Blog Reader,

If you may have noticed I don't write here too much. You can dig me up on Twitter. That's where I've been hanging out. I also think that by this coming year, I won't be able to blog as much, so be warned. I might be wrong, but right now, that's what I think it will be. Don't say I didn't tell you.

Oh yes, originally I started this post to tell you that I don't have a list of movies for 2009 yet. Wait until the end of the day. I will try to post it. Don't expect a decade list of anything though, I may not do it. Not yet.

Yours Truly,
Fish Tank

What 2009 Meant to Me

2009-12-31T06:35:00.001-05:00

2009 has been a roller coaster of events for me. It was coincidental that 2009 was the year I was 25, that even before I turned exactly 25 I felt like it already. Those times I kept thinking to myself, what is it really to be 25?

2009 was when I tried to fall in love, and failed. I think I fell in love with myself more.

2009 was when I spent a whole lot of hours being cheer-ful. I was cheering for my Orioles and Ravens a lot.

2009 was when I was 25. As what Britney Spears would sing, "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman". Maybe actually I am a girl who enjoyed life a lot, and a woman who took charge and be responsible of herself.

2009... I had 3 phones. My phone last year got replaced coz it was broken. My replacement pretended it was lost. The replacement#2 is alive but had just lost its back cover. I'm getting an iPhone soon 2010. Weeh!

2009 I have numerous books. Trying to collect all Harry Potter at the same time was one of the reasons (I haven't got 5 &6 yet). Now, it is being shipped to the Philippines arriving on February.

2009 I had iTunes download galore! Every quarter, I had at least $50 spent on iTunes.

2009 was when I watched more TV shows than I usually would. Who would've thought I still watched TV? Thanks to Lost, HIMYM, White Collar, Community, The Office, and of course my guilty pleasure called Glee, for being a part of my TV and internet life (coz I watched most of them on the net). Thanks to MLB, NFL, and tennis for having The Orioles (plus Mets and Yankees), the Ravens, and Roger Federer in my life.

2009 was when I proved to be a sports nut. Orioles @ Camden Yards= 12 games. Orioles @ Yankee Stadium= 1. Mets @ Shea Stadium=1. Orioles @ Nationals Stadium=1. US Open=1.

2009 was when I didn't really look forward too a lot of movies, neither read reviews, but then showed up in the theater a lot. I was either disappointed or happy about some movies.

2009... I dont know how to describe it more.

2010 will be different, a whole lot different you may say, but I will forever cherish 2009.

and 2009, I was emo. hihihi!

future? what future?

2009-12-28T02:42:00.003-05:00

i just had one of the most irritating IM's with a friend. ive not talked to her in a while and she asks me why im going back home. i tell her why, and she asks me repeatedly, "are u serious?" or "would u even want to vote for him?" i told her what i was honestly thinking, but i was getting really pissed. then she asks me why im doing this? do i want to be a politician? or to be a president? I said, no, but i'd like to be an appointed official in the future. and she asks, like who? and im like thinking, am i not being appointed so i just have to fit the bill? but later on i thought, i should just get this whole conversation out of my face really. so i replied "dude, i dont need to think about that right now. and thats what im trying to get into (career field). if i want to be selfish, i will do things to make myself get into it and do what i want." she only said OK and didnt talk to me again. I did make my point I guess.

what irritates me is that she wanted me to tell her what my future is and she gives me a judgmental rebuttal. what the heck? for one, I am not telling u what my future is, I am telling u what I want my future will be. Those are my goals im trying to lay out, get that?

oh and its 3am. that makes me not want to talk to u all the more.

Journals

2009-12-20T11:41:00.002-05:00

Before I got my Macbook, I was in the mercy of notebooks that has all the stories and thoughts of me back in '06. Thoughts on being in a "strange" place, of missing home, of what I have been doing, of what I want to do, of the last movie I saw, the CD im listening to, so on and so forth. These made me think of how different I have become after all those months (I'd like to say months since years are shorter). What does make people different anyway? That I have to figure out still.

Would you believe that I have three notebooks just for 2006? I'm just throwing that fact.

It's fun reading these things again though. I still have some of my writings back like 10 years ago too, and its fun to read because besides pointing out the differences, you get to know yourself more and the progression in your life (besides the progression in grammar). Its funny though how some of my thoughts are quite the same. Like the little schoolgirl giggles that I do when I write, it still is funny when I read it. It's like reading the a book from the Love Story series.

That's why I keep journals. Handwritten journals, as opposed to blogs allow you to scribble your thoughts as well. Just throw in random words and your curse words, and you're good to go. With blogs, you think about the other people who will be reading it. Handwritten journals are the real you because you are more carefree to write and write down what you are thinking.

I still have a journal, I just don't get to write much on them as I used to. I should start doing that again.

And the countdown begins...

2009-12-06T13:56:00.004-05:00

its 31 days before another chapter in my life ends and a new one begins. i sound too cheesy here, but that is the truth. its not that 2010 is the new millennium, or that the number 6 has been instrumental in some of my pivotal moments (because almost 4 years ago, on 3/6/06, is when i started the chapter of the one that im just closing)... it just happened that way.

i cant believe thats how long it was yet it seems like yesterday. or maybe it wasnt really long ago, it wasnt ancient, yet time just moves fast giving us new things to learn, new stuff to deal with, and it just makes us grow and hopefully gain wisdom at each step. its just how life takes us, and we have to deal with it with open arms, open minds, and open hearts. (i love the seeming logic in what im writing, or the subtle philosophy, but i should go ahead and write).

when i come to think about things, i tell myself that i can sales-pitch myself for a good career/project proposal. i can get loans with the words i say, yet deep in me there's still this little voice that says, "i dunno what you're up to, chicken, but i think your words are vague." and that is true. as much as i try to make myself confident that i know what im doing, that im sure what i want, there's always this dark force that makes you doubt if you're even going to make it. im not sure if i have to blame Gemini for this thinking, but thats just how i am. i feel confident on one hand, and i feel anxious about tomorrow on the other. please tell me im normal.

its like that show i was watching though told me. maybe you've just put yourself too much on that pedestal, you've put that bar high that you want to achieve something to be competitive, but at the same time you beat yourself up when u dont feel like you've measured up. maybe sometimes you've got to take it easy and enjoy what life has to give. lets see how i'll put that into practice then.

ranting

2009-11-30T10:35:00.002-05:00

I know my mom would hate this posted up here, but i just want to write it down because for me, i know im right in thinking this way.

Club moderators are part of the school system. 80% of club moderators are teachers for regular academic subjects also. Now, teachers usually have bulletins given to them, or regular meetings that tell them what activities are happening around a certain period. These things are given to them in advance. When teachers are tenured, they get to that routine and note down the common events that are happening in a calendar year.

These things happened in my private school before, where I went to school for 11 years. I am sure its the same thing, if not supposedly better, in my brother's school which is a private school also.

As club members, it is the duty of the student to inform the teachers if there is any conflict in their schedule with club meetings. If in any case you were not able to tell them ahead of time, club moderators are to me, usually approachable, that you can go to them and tell them politely, "I'm sorry I was out the last time because there was an event for my section." Period. That's it. No if's, but's, whatsoever. That stops there. The usual reaction I get before was "oh yes, I've heard." or a smile. I don't know with other teachers, but I had a pretty good experience I guess.

And mom, I have not changed for the worst, I think. I only want to speak out what I'm thinking. I don't think it is wrong to tell that teacher that whatever he does that is improper is really improper. Someone gets reprimanded whenever needed, but not when it is pointless or without merit. and Art class? Art should be enjoyed, not feared. And teachers should create a way to invite students to enjoy and appreciate art and know its value to life, and not for it to just be an obligatory part of their curriculum.

iPhone is a bad-ass

2009-11-27T09:42:00.001-05:00

you got it right! iPhone is a bad-ass. just look at this one.

though that is one scary iPhone. not kid-friendly i may say.

The Real "The Office"?

2009-11-25T17:39:00.004-05:00

so there comes in a guy wearing his polo and tie. he introduces himself as the sales representative for our area on office supplies. so he chats up with my co-worker while i do my stuff, and then i heard my co-worker say, "oh my you are tall!" and a guy comes in wearing a jacket. he's tall and lanky, and i wanted to laugh. the first thing that came to my mind was...

"are you Jim Halpert?"

i swear, he looked like he ripped Jim Halpert, and the manager looked like he ripped Michael Scott.

The ball collection

2009-11-24T12:46:00.001-05:00

The ball collection, originally uploaded by Margeeboo.

The ball collection

I've Cast My Vote. Have You?

2009-11-18T08:32:00.003-05:00

Vote for Best Defense Player

Click the link to vote for Best Defensive Player for 2009. Either Adam Jones or Melvin Mora. Guess who I picked. =)

You can also vote for your picks on the other categories such as Hitter and Moment. (i voted for D. J. *wink, wink*)

Really now?

2009-11-16T23:32:00.001-05:00

Really now?, originally uploaded by Margeeboo.

Really now?

This is for the spontaneity

2009-11-15T12:28:00.001-05:00

This is for the spontaneity, originally uploaded by Margeeboo.

Let me tell you about my Friday the 13th story. I thought I had things planned out and I am good to go to enjoy NYC, but terribly, thats not what it ended up being. For one, it is the nth time I'm in NY this year that its raining. That weather likes me a lot, its like nature's formula. Second is a nice hotel room. I ended up having a nice hotel room, indeed, just that I wasn't ready to really spend for it. But not everything about last Friday was bad. I shall say, I have to go back to what my title is about.

On a Friday night urge to turn my misadventures around, I conquered my earlier Brooklyn fears (which has the same fears as going to Harlem), and braved going to The Knitting Factory at 9pm. That's what I was there for, to catch Ciudad on their last show in NY, and see my friend too. I was out the hotel doors when I thought of doing that, so without a camera at hand (for one), I took a subway and a cab going to the show. It was like the perfect queue, coz when I entered the venue thru a large door, I saw on stage Ciudad singing. I was least to say, starstruck. I felt gleeful afterwards coz I was thinking, "I did make it!!!" that would've bummed me a lot if I didn't get to hear them, right? to this time, I cant remember how many songs they sang since I got to the venue, but all that matters is that they sang "Dessie Belle" and "Dance Lessons" from "Is That Ciudad? (Yes, Son Its Me)". There were other bands too who played after Ciudad, like the ones on this picture. They're called +/- (and its not an error sign or a CSS mess up there). Plus-slash-Minus is a NY based band, and I've got to say, I loved listening to them too. Versus was another NY based band that's been on the scene for years, and they played well too.

What's fun also, besides getting myself to rock to beats again (yes, I did miss that Manila), is getting to hang out with my friend until what, 4am? It was great to see her and I cannot stop laughing at myself at how admittedly lame I was after being introduced. Just imagine a mix between a fan and a friend, and which ruled what was a complete question. Lets just say I was stupid and lame, really.

Thanks Ciudad and other bands for a great show. I wish I was able to catch every single show you had, but Baltimore is still far. Maybe pretty soon in Manila? We'll see.

What a great dessert!

2009-10-31T00:23:00.001-04:00

What a great dessert!, originally uploaded by Margeeboo.

a chocolate martini is the best dessert EVER!

im emo. leave me alone.

2009-10-25T23:22:00.002-04:00

(you were warned. if you read beyond this, dont hold it against me).

oh darn what was i thinking? this was my second failed attempt to write something heartfelt yet here i go again my angst is blown by the wind of winding words because of writing down a warning note on top of this post. *sigh!*

what i wanted to say really was this... i live for the future and not for the past. every little thing i do at present builds for my future. i dont regret decisions that ive made, and i dont hold back decisions for the future because of someone or somebody else. i work to a better future because of me and no one else.

thank you.

Glee Episode 8

2009-10-24T23:20:00.003-04:00

ive watched this episode alone like 5 times already, 4 times today. I cant get enough of it!!! these two videos are from Episode 8, and im like a teenie screaming how hot these two guys are...

Matthew Morrison dancing here is really H-O-T. he isn't really "my guy" (coz that title goes to Cory Monteith) but this made me really giggly here. (plus there was also this vid on YouTube where Matthew was in New York with glasses and a Mets baseball cap!!!)

Mark Salling singing with a guitar? H-O-T! what more can i say? (I hope Cory gets to sing with a guitar too some time).

one day i was watching TV...

2009-10-23T09:28:00.003-04:00

one day i was watching TV with Izzy. I was watching one of the Yankees vs Angels game that day. I was rooting for the "red" team, the Angels, but when Jeter was on the plate, I cheered... "Jeter! Jeter!"
Izzy looked at me and asked, "why did u call him cheater?"

i laughed! LoL!

Photos of...

2009-10-21T22:00:00.003-04:00

so i checked my Flickr today and saw a new bright yellow "new" on the Your Friends and Family area. its called the "Photos of" link. i usually dont tell you anything about Flickr, but i laughed as soon as i saw this. This was exactly what i was thinking some three or four weeks ago. you know when you get to tag friends on Facebook and then it gets linked to them? this is how this works too. its not that i want it, this is actually the exact thoughts in my mind weeks ago:

"good thing Flickr hasnt submitted to the social networking gig on tagging. dreadful."

and now, Flickr failed me. oh well.

From baby piggy bank

2009-10-21T01:26:00.001-04:00

From baby piggy bank, originally uploaded by Margeeboo.

before i lay myself to sleep, i at last took off my work clothes and put on my jammies. i found this inside my pocket, a purple wooden butterfly from a three year old kid today from work. i smile and realize why i like what ive been doing. these little kids are such darlings that they take out the worries and the stress from your day (even if the parents of other kids are such snobs).

Baby Piggy Bank, that's what I call her right now. I started to see her in the office when she was a tiny little peanut. She was born on my birth month, and her age is the length of time ive been in the office. So i literally saw her grow up. The time she started walking, started talking, and started talking clearly. Then just recently she went to the office and told my coworker that she was a piggy bank because she swallowed a penny. oh how cute that was when she said that! and today she graced my day by jumping up and down the hallway, excited to see us, and then she was brave to take her needle, though she cried a bit. she said goodbye still and asked her grandma, "could i wash my hands?" after seeing the sink. awww... how cute.

there are other kids who are darlings like her. there are boys and girls who give you hugs, even teenage boys who give you a hug after they get their vaccines. little girls who want to stay with you and "help" you out with your work, or adolescents who just tickle your funny bones by telling you some silly story or two. and how can i forget those moms who tell me im calm, or who tell their kids, "look at Ms. Margaux, she's still smiling right now." or those who understand and defend you with your work without asking them too. I thank God I've met them all. =D

After 13 innings, the Yankees go to the World Series

2009-10-18T10:52:00.002-04:00

This post has nothing to do with that, or maybe just the headache that I woke up to this morning. I didn't get to wait until 13 inning, but by the 10th, u knew it was gonna happen. Anyway, didn't I say I'm not going to talk about them? (cheers: Derek Jeter, Woohoo! *j/k!*)

I'm blogging because I had two weird dreams last night. I think I got dehydrated that's why I had those dreams. They're weird.
First, setting was my elementary school. There's an event and I was invited together with a writer friend. But then this guy is with me too. And my mom was there too. Then the event had a special guest. That politician that I truly hate. As much as I want to diss this politician, it isn't a proper forum for that. But then he turns to me and talks to me about my fleece jacket. Damn it! He's talking non-sense. I turn around and gracefully excused myself, and my writer friend talks to him instead. The guy and I toured my school, and I showed him my old classroom. Then bodyguards of that politician were looking for us coz we're invited for dinner and I decline. They don't like that reply. We ran off.

Which gets me to dream #2.

We rode a car with my friends. Ended up at this park going to my old neighborhood. A guy with a katana sword slashes mad anyone he sees. Crazy. Then I was afraid he was going to run to our van and just go mad. It then he hurts this guy who then gets a hold of the sword and does some crazy self defense and gets to kill the other guy with that sword. Like Kill Bill, open wounds and loads of blood. Ah crazy.

I can't believe I have crazy dreams like that.

my fave "Glee" version so far...

2009-10-11T11:08:00.000-04:00

"Single Ladies" on Glee

2009-10-08T22:42:00.002-04:00

i forgot that they did this on one of the episodes. i think it was on episode 4.

and their QB has also the jersey number 5. =D

"Which Oriole have you booed longer and louder than anyone else?"

2009-10-07T08:09:00.002-04:00

read: The First Timers by Roch Kubatko

i was reading this article lazily this "early" morning until i hit that magical line. among the names he mentioned, plus a whole lot more, "Which Orioles have you booed longer and louder than anyone else?"

i laughed.

after reading this, there was one name that came to mind. Felix Pie (pronounced as peeeyey). i am so guilty of being disappointed at Pie around May, June, and July, that every time he stood on the plate, i felt that it was bad news. I mean, there were really times that it was bad news, especially since when he is on plate, it means that Adam Jones isnt playing, and often, it makes me sad. Pie wasn't terrible. there were times during these months when i actually liked seeing him run also coz when he runs, he is like a little kid with a lithe body. but in 8/14/09 he hit a cycle that turned everyone festive and hopeful that Pie can do something for the team (or am i speaking for myself as a hopeful fan?).

there were other players, pitchers to be exact, that makes me cringe every time they make it to the mound. there's Jim Johnson, Matt Albers, Chris Ray, and Rich Hill. they sadly make up the general facade of the bullpen and its sad when there are other pitchers like Brad Bergesen, Jason Berken, David Hernandez, and Koji Uehara who can make things happen in this team (of course, Jeremy Guthrie still is a given).

There are a lot of players im looking forward to still see in the next season, and others who you'd like to come back too (if thats possible, Huff?--- though that Michael Aubrey can actually play!). either way, the wish of a crazy, hopeful fan is that next year, they can be in the post season.

Brad Bergesen

2009-10-07T00:34:00.002-04:00

Orioles @ Nationals, originally uploaded by Margeeboo.

since the season is over for the Orioles, i feel like i still have a hang-over. i think ive not been alone in feeling that way, coz there are a whole lot who still savor this almost 100 loss season to its fine points. what makes me miss most are some of the players who i didnt get to see until the end of the run. one of which is my bet for pitching, Brad Bergesen. last July, after a batted ball hit him on the left shin that placed him in such pain and a DL after which. when this happened, it made me absolutely sad, because just around that time when i really got into being a fan of Brad, more than any other pitcher in the roster. if all rookie pitchers were like how Brad does it, then i know now what it means for the Orioles to have hope.

This picture though was taken when i wasnt supporting Brad yet. My pitcher that time was still J. Guth, plus Brad was relatively new in the rotation that he was limping in his performance. In this game, i was disappointed with him after he gave up runs in the 5th inning, but come to think about it, this dude also can hit! as i look back at the game day summary, i remember how this rook managed to have a hit at his three times on the plate.

all im saying is this, i support Brad Bergesen. please come back healthy and strong in 2010. =D

ADD: READ--- Brad Bergesen Season Review

A little burger is enough

2009-10-05T20:22:00.001-04:00

A little burger is enough, originally uploaded by Margeeboo.

A little burger is enough

O's @ Yankees 091109

2009-10-04T21:09:00.001-04:00

O's @ Yankees 091109, originally uploaded by Margeeboo.

Just posting this because I CANNOT BELIEVE I NEVER POSTED THIS!!! there's not a lot of pictures (5 decent ones to be exact), because i took videos instead. This was the night when Jeter went past Gehrig, and I since I was there in a sea of Yankees fans, I got into the vibe of cheering for Jeter ON THAT POINT ALONE (or add that i prefer him than A.Rod). BUT the brave souled Oriole soaked on the rain, was cheering for her mighty Orioles even if the burly drunk guys standing beside her before she left was threatening that person who cheered when the Orioles made a run (that guy who was 6 guys away from me didnt know that the only girl standing there was the one who cheered. =D)

end of the night (@ 115am i think), was an Oriole win. 10-4

Did he look my way?

2009-10-04T20:48:00.001-04:00

O's vs Blue Jays 100409, originally uploaded by Margeeboo.

We went to the last two games of the Orioles season for 2009, and both games were fantastic! Not only coz we won both games, also because you see that there is hope in this team after all. I'm not saying this to invite all of you to watch them next season, but I saw that IF some people pick up the slack, then really, they can do it.

I am not also sure if it is because it's the end of the season, but the magic and vibe is really different.

And!!! Due to VERY GOOD SEATS, thank you, I had better pictures too than last night. I'm so happy to look at pictures I took of Brian Roberts because some of them are so candid, it made me giggle.

Missing Number 8

2009-10-04T20:35:00.001-04:00

O's vs Blue Jays 100309, originally uploaded by Margeeboo.

DSC00042

2009-10-04T17:17:00.001-04:00

DSC00042, originally uploaded by Margeeboo.

Goood seats

2009-10-04T13:55:00.001-04:00

Goood seats, originally uploaded by Margeeboo.

Goood seats

Huff signed this ball. When he was an Or

2009-10-03T19:00:00.001-04:00

Huff signed this ball. When he was an Or, originally uploaded by Margeeboo.

Huff signed this ball. When he was an Oriole.

Waiting for tonight

2009-10-03T17:00:00.001-04:00

Waiting for tonight, originally uploaded by Margeeboo.

Waiting for tonight

unlucky 13 (and others)

2009-09-30T23:06:00.005-04:00

damn it! The Orioles have been banking on losses now. as if the whole season's losses wasn't enough, they are running out of fuel and is one day short for a complete two week streak lost. how awesome? blech! its like they took a break before the real break, especially the pitching pool (the starters and the bullpen). they are making me... sad. its really nothing new considering the performance the whole season, but to have continuous losses under the new "Trembley approach", i think abracadabra didn't do that magic. ah shux! ah suck! on to the weekend! i'll just get my keg.

other news, if you haven't known this yet, then i dont want you outdated, but i am an official GLEEK. what is a 'gleek'? its a term some person coined for crazy fans (ahem, like me) of this new Fox show called "Glee". i got into it last week, wherein i spent 4 hours (or less) watching the first four episodes in Hulu that made me sleep at 430am (so calculate what time i actually started). its about a school teacher who's an alum of this public school, who was also a former member of a glee club. But when the school was about to axe the glee club, he took over it and tried his best to win the approval of his colleagues and the popularity of the group with the student body. His mission, besides getting more members, is to win the regionals. aaah! its a breath of fresh air against the common 'mature' shows, reality shows, and Gossip Girl. now while waiting for my other shows, i have something to look forward to (on Wednesday nights at 9pm. check your local listings too, and Hulu).

in a more serious tone, if you're a Filipino or know Filipinos, then you have heard of the great flood that surrounded Metro Manila, Philippines over the weekend. it was really bad as i cannot believe what had just happened to the whole area. it was surrounded with water in every street and highway, and people struggled to save their lives and some of what they have. it was awful. it was an awful sight that i felt bad for everyone. that is why in any possible way, i have been helping out some people who have used social networking site Facebook, and site Twitter in disseminating information about relief operations and any help that can be extended. a lot of people need help right now. food, clothing, basic needs, money, clean potable water. all these are still needed by a lot of families displaced by this tragic misfortune. so if you need information on how you can extend your help, here's a very helpful site: http://superbianca.blogspot.com (thanks to Bianca Gonzalez for compiling them). If there are other questions, or if you're looking for other sites to check out about this, you may ask me thru email or twitter: margeemateo. Here's a link also that you can access that has an overview of what happened some 5 days ago, http://www.techpinas.com/2009/09/typhoon-ondoy-video-footages-and-news.html

alright! i guess im not indebted in this blog now. until the next time i have the urge to write this much. =)

Baby shower #1

2009-09-26T15:31:00.001-04:00

Baby shower #1, originally uploaded by Margeeboo.

Baby shower #1

when "my boy" seems to be such a failure... or he is!

2009-09-17T10:19:00.002-04:00

read: jj-isnt-doing-ok

after the rain delay, it gave game watchers a thrill last night to see if the Orioles would still win it after JJ allowed a Zobrist home run. of course, that really isn't such a thrill at 11pm, when you should be sleeping at this time, and a tie on the 9th isnt the best thing either. good thing Matt Wieters wanted to catch some sleep so he saves the day and homered too, or else we're in for a game up to 1:10am like last Friday.

JJ, oh JJ! i was hoping he would emerge as the next Sherrill (how's Sherrill doing now, in LAD?) but he is failing me. on second thought, i knew that him being the closer (aka new Sherrill) was such a bad idea.

dose of this weekend

2009-09-14T02:42:00.002-04:00

this weekend, the world saw two meltdowns that will forever sting two peoples lives.

(1) Serena Williams
(2) Kanye West

im not going to comment more about these two "happenings" but ive been having a fun time reading comments about these two, especially the angry comments against Kanye. these are two trending topics you can look up on Twitter, so read up and know what i mean. =)

This is it!

2009-09-12T12:04:00.001-04:00

This is it!, originally uploaded by Margeeboo.

This is it!

From the US Open

2009-09-12T01:17:00.001-04:00

From the US Open, originally uploaded by Margeeboo.

From the US Open

and this is who's playing tomorrow...

2009-09-10T23:52:00.002-04:00

someone suckered in

2009-09-10T13:29:00.002-04:00

Wasted caramel

2009-09-09T17:24:00.001-04:00

Wasted caramel, originally uploaded by Margeeboo.

Wasted caramel

going through the comment boards

2009-09-09T16:47:00.000-04:00

it does feel like it, you know.

i dunno who's wrong, maybe it is me

2009-09-09T00:12:00.002-04:00

i was trying this flickr to twitter photo posting for dinosaur phones. unlike having the iphone app Twitterfon (that lets u post directly to Twitterpic with a tap of the button), flickr to twitter has steps where u have to send this text message to this number, then follow this step so u can set it up like this. its such a caveman approach really. driving me nuts earlier. so yeah, i tried with a pic in my phone but it ended up here on my blog! well that works too though. i mean if i cannot tweet my sports escapades this weekend, then i guess i have to blog it directly! sounds fun? extra!

FW: Lets test this. Flickr to twitter.

2009-09-08T13:16:00.001-04:00

FW: Lets test this. Flickr to twitter., originally uploaded by Margeeboo.

Lets test this. Flickr to twitter.