Yummy Bulalo at Myrna's Bulalo Haus

Bulalo is considered by many Pinoys as their comfort food, and I proudly belong to the bulalo-eating crowd of our republic. During law school days, my friends and I frequent the bulalo spot popularly referred to as Bulalohan sa Ramirez after gossip and booze. I can never forget one so-so day in law school when my classmates and I went to Tagaytay just to savor the hot broth of bulalo even before our evening classes started.  Hmmm yeah, we're all guilty of truancy that day. Those were the days.

According to Wikipedia, comfort foods are familiar, simple foods that are usually home-cooked or eaten at informal restaurants. So my boyfriend and I went to Myrna's Bulalo Haus along Tomas Morato for its rumored delicious bulalo. The place was relatively small and cozy, but what caught our attention were the autographed white plates displayed in the walls. Guess who? Celebrities who had tasted Myrna's bulalo and fell in love with the dish. I have read somewhere along my research that the owner is a talent manager of homegrown singers (e.g. Josh Santana, OJ Mariano). Reading the short messages of appreciation by celebrities is a fun thing to do while waiting for your bulalo.

Bulalo family size, complete with bone marrow (utak), laman, litid and corn and good for 2-3 persons, costs Php 250 only. Their Bulalo Special, which can feed 5 persons (depending on your appetite), comes with tofu and quail eggs. Interesting, right?

 

See? Bulalo has brains. Dig in!

 

The remaining bulalo in the caldero after one cup of rice each. It's the tastiest bulalo I have tried, imagine that.  Huge servings too.

Myrna's beef mami. Really, we didn't order this. For some weird "huh?" moment or a case of poor hearing on the part of the food attendant, this mami ended on our table. LOL! It's yummy nonetheless.

 

Simot-plato gang. And yeah, in case you've noticed, we also ordered ginataang puso ng saging, one of my favorite veggie dishes.

  

The autographed plates on the walls of Myrna's

  

I had to take a close-up shot of Charice Pempengco's and Lito Camo's plates. Reason? I simply love raw Pinoy talent.

  

Punto por punto guy's plate for y'all!

After our sumptous yet sinful bulalo dinner, we decided to cross the famous traffic street of Tomas Morato to Thompson Square where Yoh-gurt Froz is located. Time for healthy dessert, yes.

Do your health a flavor! Plain frozen yogurt with New York cheesecake, kiwi and mango as toppings.

Why yogurt is good for health? This interesting poster seems to know all the healthy answers. Read if you wish. LOL!

Cheap Thrills in Life Series: Red Ribbon's Chocolate Heaven

First and foremost, I thank my BF for giving me this surprise treat on a Sunday lunch. Sunday lunch means eating home-cooked meals with people with whom I share the same genes. Everytime I ride the metro's only answer to speedy travel (read: MRT), I salivate at the sight of Red Ribbon's billboard showing its newest cake - Chocolate Heaven - near Robinson's Galleria Ortigas. I guess I raved too much about this cake so much so that my BF surprised me with it.

Just to complete my entry, I quoted below a quick info about Chocolate Heaven.

The new Chocolate Heaven promises a taste of heaven with its combination of four kinds of chocolate goodness. It is made with a layer of creamy chocolate mousse on a bed of moist fudgy brownie, enrobed with rich chocolate icing and topped with a generous serving of chocolate curls. This combination of chocolate brownie, chocolate mousse, chocolate icing and chocolate curls makes it Red Ribbon’s most chocolate-full and most yummy-full.

 Life's great!

Rafael Dave's 9th Birthday

Who would have thought that the little boy who brought instant joy to our family a few months ago just turned nine? Does this mean I'm already borderline in the birthing of a bundle of joy vis-a-vis mandatory age for prepping up a bun in the human oven? Beats me. All I know is, the little boy sprung from my brother Ivan who is two years younger (whew) than I am. And the little boy is fondly called "batang attorney" by my folks due to his opinionated character.

  

A late call to Estrel's Caramel Cake proved to be a blessing. They were fully booked and I have to find a child-friendly cake under time pressure. Two hours away from the birthday lunch made me decide to enter Red Ribbon. Tiramisu Meltdown didn't disappoint us. It was too good and the kid loved it to the last smudge of icing.

 

Photo courtesy: BF. Gracias!

 

Gracias to Ang Tunay na Pansit Malabon (Timog branch) and CCME Homemade Stuff (Dr. Lazcano corner Tomas Morato Streets). And thanks to our ref in which our favorite fruit salad sought shelter.

 

Happy, happy birthday to our future pilot!

Dear John

"Dear John," the letter read. And with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives changed forever.

A friend once told me that Nicholas Sparks' novels are inclined to be very emotional and tear-jerking. And so I absent-mindedly followed the advice since I don't want to deal with heavy dramas. This was sometime in law school when my thick books were considered priority above others. I have watched, however, two films adaptations of Nicholas Sparks' novel of the same name: Message in a Bottle & A Walk To Remember. The guy must be filthy rich for having six of his novels turned into films, namely, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Nights in Rodanthe, Dear John (gotcha) and The Last Song (expected to be released in March 2010). My research also tells me that two more books are already in the process of being made into movies: True Believer (2011) and The Lucky One (2012).

First things first.

According to Wikipedia, a "Dear John letter" is a letter written to a husband or boyfriend to inform him their relationship is over, usually because the author has found another lover. Dear John Letters are often written out of an inability or unwillingness to inform the man in person. The reverse situation, in which someone writes to his wife or girlfriend to break off the relationship, is referred to as a "Dear Jane letter."

The definition itself is suggestive of a weepy tale. Sigh. But still, I prodded my boyfriend that we should watch it. After all, the movie was reported to topple off the gigantic Avatar after reigning in the cinemas for seven weeks. 

At first, I really expected that the movie will make me cry. Unfortunately or fortunately, it did not. Maybe I was holding on too much to be swept away with the breakup scene and how the lovers' lives have changed. The movie speaks of the most basic consideration in a relationship - communication - and the very importance of the same. It can make or break a relationship, needless to say. Keeping in touch across the miles is the most crucial part in an LDR.

It's basically a soldier-meets-true-love story. John Tyree and Savannah Curtis* were a lovely pair from the start. They both fell in love in a short period in what seems to be a laid-back town in South Carolina. John was on leave from the Special Forces while Savannah was on a spring break from college. Their happy moments were cut short and LDR came into play. Sending letters to each other was the only cure for loneliness. Then the most controversial Dear John letter fell in the hands of John. Complications set in and a surprising twist happened. Hearts of moviegoers were wretched. Okay, mine was slightly wretched too. However, true love seemed to prevail after all. The last scene shows John and Savannah locked in an embrace, a scene which makes the "Dear John letter" vanished into the wind.

*Amanda Seyfried also stars in an upcoming movie Letters to Juliet. Hmmm, I see a trend here.

Nancy Drew: America's Favorite Sleuth & Mine Too!

If there's one thing I'm candidly pleased about my younger years, then it's my being a big Nancy Drew fan. Oh yes, I have read all the 56 volumes of  The Nancy Drew Mysteries Classic Hardcover Series - from The Secret of the Old Clock to The Thirteenth Pearl. I started sometime in Grade 4, patiently asking the school librarian when will the next hardcover be available. I was that persistent to ask and wait back then. When I reached sophomore high, I checked off all the titles in the list! Then the Nancy Drew Case Files paperbacks became more popular.

 As a pre-teen, I looked up to Nancy Drew as my role model. This daring heroine is ever brave in every face of danger and unafraid to be both feminine and smart. And now, I find this very nostalgic to write an entry about my favorite sleuth. When I was looking for some worthy reads in Booksale, I found this book and bought the same off the bat. The illustrations of the book and the sprinkles of  trivia throughout were more than enough to bring me back to the childhood days spent reading Nancy books.

I dreamed about this so many times, knowing in the back of my mind that I would probably never actually make a big deal out of it, because the great value of being a bookworm instilled in me by my mother pulses through me too prominently. With this, I thank Nancy Drew for all the values she had managed to instill in my young mind back then, save for my very own blunders. LOL!

Do You Find This Sexy?

In Pinoyspeak, I guess this is a runaway winner for nosebleed category. I got this from my law school buddy/ex- housemate's notes in Facebook. It's said to be written by Thomas Urquhart (or Urchard, 1611-c. 1660).

Thus for a while their eloquence was mute, and all they spoke was but with the eye and hand, yet so persuasively, by vertue of the intermutual unlimitedness of their visotactil sensation, that each part and portion of the persons of either was obvious to the sight and touch of the persons of both; the visuriency of either, by ushering the tacturiency of both, made the attrectation of both consequent to the inspection of either. Here it was that passion was active, and action passive, they both being overcome by other, and each the conquerour. To speak of her hirquitalliency at the elevation of the pole of his microcosme, or of his luxuriousness to erect a gnomon on her horizontal dyal, will perhaps be held by some to be expressions full of obscoeness, and offensive to the purity of chaste ears; yet seeing she was to be his wife, and that she could not be such without consummation of marriage, which signifieth the same thing in effect, it may be thought, as definitiones logicae verificantur in rebus, if the exerced act be lawful, that the diction which suppones it, can be of no greater transgression, unless you would call it a solaecisme, or that vice in grammar which imports the copulating of the masculine with the feminine gender.

Some Scottish eh? I wonder how people back then would find this arousing. LOL!

I'm Blogging About: Animal Crackers

Blame this and, yeah, this. I am now fascinated with shapes and any interesting likeness of palate pleasers. And more weirdly though, I think I'm now more inclined to browse supermarket shelves. Why? I think it's part of my life rewind and to pay tribute to the simple little joys that showered my life. So there.

Animal crackers for now. And these ain't Barnum's. I hope to see Barnum's next time, so I'll just settle with  Ginbis Party Animals from Japan, folks.

  

Wikipedia tells us that "Animal crackers are crackers in the shapes of animals, some brands of which are sweetened. These are usually animals one would see at the zoo or circus, including lions, tigers, bears, and elephants. There is debate about whether or not animal crackers are actually crackers or cookies. They resemble crackers due to the way they are made, with layered dough, but the use of sweetened dough gives them the cookie taste and consistency." Wow!

Trivial pursuit: According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2010 is the Year of a Golden Tiger, which begins on February 14, 2010 and ends on February 2, 2011. 

 

 

I'm gonna shape up for the next batch of shapes! LOL!

Off to the Eighth Wonder of the World

Yesterday, a law school buddy called to inform me of our friend's wedding. The wedding will be held in Ifugao on March 14, 2010, and it will be a traditional Ifugao wedding of some sort. Of course, I made an imaginary bull's eye on my calendar. Know what? I'm *insert any adjective pertaining to extreme excitement*!!!

Aside from Mayon Volcano of Bicol and Chocolate Hills of Bohol (check), the Banaue Rice Terraces of Ifugao is one of our country's tourists spots which I really want to take a good view of. Way back in grade school, these rice terraces were a familiar spot in Sibika at Kultura textbooks. Or was it Heograpiya? OMG, am I that ancient?

To keep my excitement burning, I want to post a snap shot of the Eighth Wonder of the World here. I'm a bit surprised to know that the Statue of Liberty in the Big Apple is also an Eighth Wonder of the World.

According to Wikipedia, "Eighth Wonder of the World is a term sometimes used to describe things in comparison to the Seven Wonders of the World, the widely-known list of seven remarkable constructions of classical antiquity." For a complete list, click here.

I am extraordinarily excited!

Need I Say More?

This blog was born out of my boredom stage in the corporate world, and as I continue to document my daily musings in my personal space, challenges from left and right came to disturb my peace.

We all know that the corporate world is a diverse community. We all came from diferent backgrounds, grew up in different households, ate different kinds of food, experienced different struggles and problems. All these molded us to be our own unique and distinct selves co-mingling with all types of personalities. An individual's personality is not without imperfections or quirks. One popular personality quirk known as superiority complex can be evident in some people. Some know how to hide it, control it or simply forget about it. Some, however, choose to cling to this annoying quirk as if their worth depends on it. My opinion? They are downright pathetic to the core.

Let's be definite on this through Wikipedia's help.

"The term 'superiority complex', in everyday usage, refers to an overly high opinion of oneself; in psychology, it refers to the unrealistic and exaggerated belief that one is better than others."

I know several individuals who "fit to a tee" to the definition. They have an overly high opinion of themselves, and that characteristic can really be annoying if done repeatedly. Yes, you may think that you're bright enough but please, do not be too vain about it. Instead, keep it to yourself. Do not ever, ever, ever think that you will always be on the top of the heap; otherwise, I will just reecho my first opinion. You are downright pathetic. Think again, for Christ's sakes!

"Those exhibiting the superiority complex have a self-image of supremacy versus those with inferiority complexes; who may project their feelings of inferiority onto others who threaten their facade of superiority."

Again, it will only appear as a rehash of my first observation if I blabber some more. I stand by what I previously said.

"Those with superiority complexes may garner a negative image in those around them, as they are not concerned with the opinions of others about themselves."

I am a ringside witness to this. Inasmuch as I try to tolerate this kind of people and try to understand them as well, my tolerance has limits. Most often than not, other people's observations and my first impression would match. I think I should try paying attention to my gut feel. Negativity is such a heavy emotion. Besides, who would want to mingle with people who suddenly weigh heavy in your eyes and mind, people who think less of you and belittle your capacity without them knowing you first? No one.

"Those with a superiority complex may speak as if they are all-knowing and better than others. But ultimately they do not care if others think so or not, and will not care if others tell them so. They simply won't listen to, and don't care about, those who disagree."

"Know-It-All" type of people is such a pain in the ass. As often discussed in self-help books, these people had actually experienced some hang-ups in life and, as a result, they have low regard of themselves. In order to escape from reality, these people will assert themselves so strongly to others to the point of being a "know-it-all" just to keep their hang-ups under wraps. Yes, most of us experienced some lowest point, but again, it is a matter of seeing the big picture. I therefore conclude that superiority complex sufferers are close-minded, if not horrendously insensitive.

"Behaviors related to this in a superiority complex may include an exaggerated opinion of one’s worth and abilities, unrealistically high expectations in goals and achievements for oneself and others, persistent attempts to correct others (regardless of whether or not they are actually correct), a tendency to discredit others' opinions and over-forcefulness aimed at dominating those considered as weaker or less important."

Bingo! Need I say more?

 

Actually, when I encounter superiority complex sufferers, I try my very best to really, really, really understand them and know where they are coming from. Instead of hating them and adding to the negative energy which already envelops their whole being, I pray. I pray that they will simply shut the H-E-double-hockey-sticks up as a favor to themselves.

Affirmations for Good Luck

Below is a very timely piece I found in my 2001 diary, and I think this is pretty much appropriate for these trying times. I think I imported this from Art Borjal's column in The Philippine Star.

Every day in every way, I am getting luckier and luckier.

Every day in every way, I am getting more and more blessed.

Every day in every way, I am getting more and more fortunate.

Every day in every way, I am getting more and more favored.

Every day in every way, I am getting more and better chances and prospects.

Every day in every way, I am getting better and better at recognizing good opportunities.

Every day in every way, Lady Luck smiles at me.

Every day in every way, good fortune comes my way.

Every day in every way, I am getting better and better at creating my own good luck, realizing that only I can help myself build my own fortune and fulfill my own destiny.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

I never thought I would find this novel an interesting read. For one, I bought this on sale which made me doubt the quality of its plot. But I was never the type who would judge a novel by how a writer moves within the plot. Everytime I read a book, I have two grand expectations:

1. I expect the writer to write in an interesting manner (crisp and smart writing, that is) without compromising the main goal of the plot; and 
2. I expect the writer to eventually inspire me via his/her writing style and the superbness of the novel's message.

With her bestseller novel The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd fulfilled my parameters.

Her writing style is admirable I was inspired until the last page of the novel. As I leaf  through the pages, the element of surprise was constantly there. The story was set in South Carolina in 1964, but Kidd managed to strike a balance between country style writing* and the contemporary stuff. And of course, the bees! It was very creative of Kidd to let these honey makers contribute so much to the story. I have not seen the film version but, come hell or high water, I will.

And with # 2, the message was crystal clear. No matter where or how you search for or understand your own biological mother, you can always find one in strangers. The sense of belonging respects no color or race. I think the classic issue of racial discrimination only plays a supporting role in this novel. Plus, the fact that Lilly Owens (14-year-old strong girl) is undergoing the usual enemies of adolescence only makes the novel a page-turner.

*If there's country music, then let there be country style writing too. LOL!

Tuesday Meme Express: Pacman's Vitwater Line

Every Tuesday, The Daily Meme suggests the readers to write a thought provoking meme in honor of the Meme express. On my way to work, I chanced upon a thought-provoking albeit amusing line of our Pambansang Kamao in his Vitwater billboard. Funny, right?

Vitwater and I share a somewhat memorable moment. You know, Vitwater was part of my four (4) Sunday kits last September 2008. Despite the fact that its color made me hesitant to go "bottom's up", I willingly brought a bottle to face the biggest mental battle in my life. So that's the amusing part. And now let's tackle the thought-provoking part. For a few enchanting seconds, I became challenged. With Pacman's face plastered on it and some parallelism*, I think this is part of my baby steps to box** all the imaginary demons along my way and pursue my dream. 

*I dunno what it is really. Peace!

**With the right attitude serving as my gloves

I'm Blogging About: Fruit Shaped Jelly Drink!

 Banana, strawberry, orange, grape and mango shaped jelly drinks

One of the best things about blogging is the freedom from any form of constraint. With this blog, I get to ramble anything about my life especially my cheap thrills. It might be something that is only funny or amusing  to me or simply mundane. 

On my way home, I found this Easy Open Fruit Shape Jelly Jelly (yup, this word was repeated!) Drink at a local drugstore slash convenience store. My original plan was to look for the generic-shaped Jellyace but, for some weird reason, they seemed to be elusive nowadays. Was it just me or it's not that popular anymore? Hahaha! Anyway, these cute fruit-shaped jelly drinks really amused my infantile self. 

As always, I'm looking forward to more fruit inspired shapes from Knotsberry Farm.*

* Oh no, not the theme park and the fruit jam maker. Check the spelling.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

I had the chance of watching this movie last Saturday in Gateway Mall with my brothers Jobo & Popo and nephew Dave.

But before that, allow me to rave about something lucky. In line with the celebration of  HVD, the Gateway Cinemas came up with some pick-a-prize promo. Two (2) tickets will entitle the ticket holder to pick a prize. Since we have four (4) tickets, we're entitled to pick two prizes. Popo, who proudly claimed that he's a lucky guy, volunteered to fish whatever prize in the bowl. (Fact: He was born on March 8, 1988, and "8" is said to be a lucky number in the Chinese domain.) It was also the eve of KHFC last Saturday, so after a unanimous vote, we let him pick the prize in bowl # 1. True enough, he was able to win two (2) Dairy Queen GCs for (cue suspense music) two Dilly Bars! He's a lucky guy indeed!

Okay, back to the main premise. The film completely reminds me of the famous Harry Potter. You know, a seemingly outcast kid who had an absentee father (HP, however, is orphaned on both sides.) got the biggest surprise when he learned he possessed magical powers. Fantasy stuff in the big screen. Plus, a great reference to Greek mythology was there, and it was enough to keep me wide awake all throughout. And Percy Jackson (PJ for brevity) lived in the Big Apple - a bonus  for me! PJ has Poseidon as his father, so that makes him a demi-god. He can control anything H20. Poor innocent PJ was tagged as the lightning thief by the great Zeus. Zeus told Poseidon that the lightning bolt must be returned to Mount Olympus before the summer solstice (10 days if I'm not mistaken), otherwise a great war will happen.

And boom! The next thing I saw, Pierce Brosnan (the handsomest James Bond I ever know) was on a wheelchair (posing as PJ's Latin teacher) and later a centaur* named Chiron (Camp Half-Blood's resident trainer). It got me thinking, "What have they done to my Pierce?" So PJ was sent to Camp Half-Blood after he witnessed his mother vanished in the hands of a minotaur** which, I think, was portrayed in a substandard animation. And a series of adventure ensued with his two companions Grover (PJ's protector/satyr***) and Annabeth (daughter of Athena). Goal: To get the three pearls which will be their return ticket from the scary underworld to reality. Said pearls are scattered in three states in the US of A.

The trio went on three major adventures for the, yes, pearls. Childhood adventure/ fantasy for y'all!

1. A trip to a statue (?!) garden somewhere in New Jersey. Here, they encountered the evil Medusa. Uma Thurman was so convincing with all the almost real snakes in her head. I love the part where PJ used his iPod as his rear view mirror to escape Medusa's spell. Yes, they got the first pearl.
2. Trip to Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee. The music capital of the world. I suddenly remember my Uncle Jimmy who is based there. The trio is supposed to get the pearl from the crown of the giant statue of Athena. After battling with some multiple-headed monster (I forgot the Greek name. Sorry.), they got the pearl.
3. Trip to a hotel casino in, where else but, Las Vegas, Nevada. After munching lotus flowers, the trio was left in a trance and were trapped in the casino for five days. A fatherly whisper from Poseidon brought PJ to reality and the trio successfully got the last pearl.

Then off to the underworld where Hades reigns supreme. The underworld was creepy, just like I had imagined in Greek mythology lessons in high school. PJ finally saw his mother. They used the three pearls as return tickets to reality. Grover, however, chose to stay in favor of PJ's mother. He had some flirty moments with Persephone who was being held captive as Hades' wife.

And so on and so forth. PJ battled with Luke, son of Hermes, who turned out to be the true lightning thief. Then PJ and Annabeth (she looks more like a goddess than her mom Athena) went to Mount Olympus. Here's the amusing part: So Mount Olympus is just way above the Empire State Building? PJ finally met his father and had a talk with the latter.

Then it's back to Camp Half-Blood where PJ and Annabeth will further undergo more training as demi-gods. PJ is now more confident to approach Annabeth. A hesitant loveteam at first.

The end.

And I better end this rambling. Despite some forgivable lapses, I'm looking forward to a sequel, actually.

*part human and part horse 

**a creature with the head of a bull on the body of a man

***a troop of male companions of Pan and Dionysus that roamed the woods and mountains. In mythology they are often associated with sex drive and vase-painters often portrayed them with perpetual erections.

Music Monday: Random 10

An officemate blogger sent me this link. I'm supposed to list down 10 songs that were on my weekend playlist.

1. Seasons of Love (from "Rent")
2. Light A Candle  (also from "Rent")
3. Fireflies by Owl City
4. Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson
5. So Long Sweet Summer by Dashboard Confessional
6. Bottle It Up by Sara Bareilles
7. I'd Still Say Yes by Freestyle (Jinky Vidal's version, that is)
8. Need You Now by Lady Antebellum
9. La Vie Boheme (again, from "Rent")
10. Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus

Truly, a meme a day keeps the boredom away!

February 14: Hot Air Balloon Fiesta & Barasoain Church

I have been very curious of hot air balloons. I wonder if all the actors in adventure films (e.g. Indiana Jones, The Mummy) actually took a ride on those giant balloons during shooting scenes. I wonder if they have handy parachutes in case trouble finds them or an evil flying creature will peck on the balloon and off they fall to rocky cliffs. Down, down, down. Pffft. Disaster. But no, scary things were set aside. My curiosity finally got its wish yesterday! My boyfriend and I went to see the last day of the 15th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Clark Freeport Zone (formerly Clark Air Base) in Angeles City. 

We woke up at 2am and quickly proceeded to the Five Star bus terminal in Cubao. Mind you, it was really tough waking up that early, but I cannot afford to leave my wish unfulfilled. The bus left at exactly 3am, arrived at the Dau bus terminal at 4am, took a jeep to Clark main gate and took another jeep to the venue. The line to the ticket booth was already long that it took us almost 20 minutes to finally get the tickets. The crowd is majorly composed of urban young. Tickets were priced at Php 150 each.

As expected, a large crowd was formed in the area reserved for the spectators around 5 am. SLR camera users seemed to multiply all of a sudden. Of course, there are still a few digicam users around, myself included. Then a small airplane was seen hovering above and it dropped three flying thingies.

 

It's a bird, it's a plane! Nah. It's the skydiver flag jump portion by the Philippine Air Force. Amazing! The national anthem was then played while the Philippine flag became clearer in view. Simply awesome! 

In the take-off area, there were already partially inflated hot air balloons. One will not immediately appreciate the view, but the feeling of excitement to see the balloons up, up and away was there!

 

The hot air balloons came in different colors and shapes. I bet every child at heart will really say it was a feast for the eyes. The fun part was seeing the transformation of the hot air balloons: from being flat-dead on the ground, growing bigger every minute until finally achieving its final shape and up to the air. I learned from a quick detour to Wikipedia that a hot air balloon is partially inflated with cold air from a gas-powered fan, before the propane burners are used for final inflation.

 

These are common shaped hot air balloons preparing to take flight. That's Mount Arayat on the background, a potentially active stratovolcano and considered as a mystical mountain and the legendary home of the diwata Mariang Sinukuan. I cannot remember well my Filipino folklore 101 on this but I can still remember very well our family outing at the Mount Arayat National Park years ago. It was my first dip in a swimming pool in the island of Luzon, beat that.

  

These are the two of the most interesting hot air balloons that day. It's quite amusing to see the turtle's untied shoelaces and the smiley faced sun.

                                                        

These are the brave paragliders. They kept on hovering noisily above our heads which reminded me of jurassic electric fans. Hahaha!

                                          

Ebun-Ibon festival paticipants

 

A colorful hearts day to y'all!

 

I never grew tired watching these three balloons. They are certainly amazing!

  

Up, up and away!

 

Spot me!

The historical Barasoain Church in Malolos City

* Noypi, ikaw ba 'to? I'm fond of abbrevs lately.

Tooth Fairy: Magic Is Getting Some Muscle

(N.B. This is actually an overdue post. It has been filed as draft [photo only] for almost two weeks and I think it's best to blog about this ASAP. ~ The Authoress)

In all aspects, The Tooth Fairy seems to be a no-brainer movie. It's a movie which would enable you to munch on popcorn as many as you want or to even send a quick reply to a friend's SMS without getting lost in the story line. Ooops, the SMS part depends, however, on how you respect the term: movie etiquette.

Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a. The Rock) reminds me of Vin Diesel in another no-brainer movie The Pacifier. Why, you may ask? Muscles, the rebellious yet cute kids and some boring, wholesome romance with the leading lady. These three factors really hold some truth that Hollywood sometimes recycles movie plots to the point of becoming too achingly familiar.

My memory bank allows some deposits, to wit:

1. Julie Andrews. Her portrayal of Lily, the head fairy, reminds me of her portrayal of Queen Clarisse Renaldi in Princess Diaries 1 & 2. She seems to remain regal and poised over the years.
2. The tooth fairy weapons ( e.g. Shrinking Paste, Invisible Spray, Amnesia Dust, Cat Away, and mints that makes people bark like a dog). I'm wondering whether our country's folklore has a counterpart for this.
3. The "dream crusher" scenario. I had a sinking feeling when Derek Thompson (The Rock's character) said to the kids that "there's no such thing as dreams". It's a good thing emotional bailout scenes soon followed.

As a general rule, I am not a big fan of surprises, but such rule admits of an exception -  Hollywood movie plots.

What's Yours?

When I know nothing else, I know that I can answer random Qs.

Your cell phone? Practically defunct

Your hair? Used to be jet black, now corn husk dry

Your father? My knight in shining armor

Your favorite food? Spaghetti with meatballs and lots of cheese

Your dream last night? I was too busy sleeping I forgot what it was.

Your favorite drink? Del Monte Fit 'n Right Four Seasons

Your dream/goal? one of them = to go to Texas this year

What room you are in? Living room

Your hobby? Reading 

Your fear? Losing my loved ones

Where do you see yourself in six years? Still in urban zone as a lawyer/happy wife/lifestyle columnist with 2 healthy kids

Where were you last night? Home sweet apartment

Something that you aren't? A snake

Muffins? Corn

Wish list item? RT ticket to DFW

Where did you grow up? City of Golden Friendship

Last thing you did? Read Mo Twister's entertaining blog

What are you wearing? Jim jams

Your TV? Nope, not mine. It's folks'.

Your pets? Never had one.

Friends? They make my life so bitchin' fantastic.

Your life? A miracle.

Your mood? Fantabulously excited for some jetsettin'

Missing somone? Yeah.

Vehicle? I have to learn driving first.

Something you aren't wearing? Fishnet stockings

Your favorite store? Powerbooks

Your favorite color? Purple or pink

When was the last time you laughed? A few minutes ago

Last time you cried? 2 moonlit nights ago

Your best friends? Well-rounded and awesome individuals

One place you to go over and over again? the Big Apple, Gotham, the City that Never Sleeps, the Empire City, the Modern Gomorrah, NYC

Facebook? Love-hate relationship

Favorite place? Bohol

Whew! That was a bit reminiscent of those quizzes we used to do in senior high, but it's fun nonetheless.

Word Wrap a.k.a. Lunatic Charm

So some words kept on running to and fro my eyes. They came from various sources on my left, my right, above - everywhere. And then I thought it's better to compile the same and make a poem. This time it's very stream of consciousness, first-drafty type writing. There are times I feel all these mysterious words and have all these confusing thoughts bouncing around inside my brain, and the only way I can think to relieve myself is to jam it all out through my fingers. And click. Sort of like creative Tourette's or something. Whatevah.*

Pop goes the weasel on

The mermaid chair

Sent items made an exit;

ViewSonic them and

Return to list of posts.

Mickey Mouse,

save now!

Ready, coach!

Miranda warnings?

Restart later.

Required workhours per day,

Streets, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, public grounds,

Select.

Is this correct?

My account?

Help!

Monetize.

Search favorites;

Reply to all;

Type a contact to find

For follow up

Large mail, unread mail, junk E-mail,

Mail!

Snag it!

By category,

By company,

By follow-up flag.

Briefing stopped;

Open a shared calendar;

Meet now

For kids.

Motion to extend time.

Show time as: Free.

Post options.

(We) I value what you think.

*I cannot believe I wrote this. Incomprehensible? No. I call this as lunatic charm. Hahaha!