Captain America: The First Avengers

a Chris Evans starrer

This is another movie treat from Dubs :)

We had Slammers Burgers for take-out food and though the burgers were tasty, it was messy. During the movie I had to run to the washroom to wash off the icky stuff on my hands. I thought it was ketchup but it was mayo after all.

I'm not having Slammers Burgers again inside the movie house. I do miss the yummy popcorn at Gateway.

seats 9 and 10

Overall, the movie isn't outstanding. Hayley Atwell does look pretty as Peggy Carter. And of course, Chris Evans is hot. Whew!

Hayley Atwell

Peggy Carter

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II

we got lucky! first day screening of HP 7 part II!

Dubs was having a hard time deciding when to watch the movie. We were losing hope that we could ever get tickets for a Friday night movie or for over the weekend. Almost all SM IMAX Cinemas were booked for the weekend and reservations for the following week were not yet available. 

It was a surprise when Dubs came Thursday night at the book fair while we were just texting. He was asking me to check online for seat locations at a 3D Cinema in SM Megamall. Turns out that a scalper approached him for movie tickets. 

From first to last, I read HP by borrowing from friends.
I acquired my own set  last quarter of 2010.

We went to see Mr. Scalper and check if we can use the Dub's gcs which he meant to use for buying cinema tickets. Without further prodding, Mr. Scalper agreed to give us the two movie tickets in exchange for Php 500 worth of gcs.

A "bittersweet" movie. It's sad to see the HP movie franchise come to an end. Dubs and I were nostalgic and kept talking about when we first came across the book and the time it was adapted in film. I guess we both cannot believe that time flew by that fast. The entire Harry Potter experience after all was intertwined with our high school, college, and young adult lives.

a family friend shows us her HP outfit;
she's part of a group called Hogwarts Philippines.

It's sad to see the movie come to an end. It's that same feeling I get every time I watch the last few episodes of Friends Season 10. The Harry Potter movie series certainly made my imaginings a thousand times more vivid. 

Childhood Hero

she was in pink from head to toe :)

The other day Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago came by at the 15^th Philippine Academic Book Fair. It only took a few seconds for Almacious to convince me that it was certainly okay to have a photograph taken with her. (Okay, Mr. Services did me a lot of convincing, too. And, thanks to Sir A for taking the photo.)

Posing in front of the camera usually makes me feel self-conscious but I would like to think that I usually step up when the occasion calls for it. Last Saturday, July 16 at the SM Megamall was certainly one of those occasions and I’m glad I stepped up to it.

You see, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago was one of my childhood icons. I think that to my young mind she was an epitome of what a woman should be: feisty, eloquent, and intelligent; and that she is a lawyer and an Ilongga were also my other reasons for liking her.

In 1992, I remember my lola asking me who I want to be when I grow up and I said I want to be like Miriam Santiago. I can barely recall lola’s exact reply but it was clear that she disapproved of my choice of a hero.

Fast forward to nineteen years later, I realize that I have not grown to be a true fan of my childhood hero. I could not tell for sure if it was because of lola’s opinion or if that idol thing was something that I simply outgrew as a kid.

Still, fact remains that she is my childhood hero. Yay! Now I have a photo with her. Now, someone please get me Vince “The Prince” Hizon =)  

Banyo Disenyo

Finally, I have (partly!) enacted on my design idea for our little bathroom! It cost me Php 181.25 to do this project: frames, photo printing, and mounting tape expense.

resort or beach photos inside the bathroom

The idea here is to display photos that were taken from our individual trips. Since three people share the room, each should have one photo. I had two specific considerations for the photos. First, that it shows us swimming and second, that it showcases natural beauty. The challenge was that candid shots of us swimming were very hard to find and that those 'swimming' photos were not all nature photos. So I settled with these:

The Ayu Spa, Punta Bulata (Sipalay, Negros Occidental) 

Puting Buhangin aka Lukang Beach (Pagbilao, Quezon)

Club Manila East (Taytay, Rizal)

Overall, I'm contented with the mix of photos. Lil bro Ansaw liked it and he couldn't wait for his photo to be included. He's also helping me find a photo for Dongrr. I couldn't gauge Smartin's reaction but I hope he secretly does like it. As for S and J, I'll probably have a better grasp of their response when they get back next year :)

my canvas awaits (aka the other bathroom wall) :)

The Day I Learned Ad Hominem

oh, here's another clever attempt.

thank you for teaching me ad hominem and for confirming that i understand the concept. coz i deliberately said those words to invoke ad hominem when you made me realize that you only have prejudices, emotions, or special interests but NOT intellect or reason.

(note to myself: oh bugger, i have to double check that ad hominem definition sometime, Ilda might have spouted those definition straight from wiki and if so, that definition needs to be validated. wiki can be so unrealiable sometimes.)

the "intellectual volley" was fun until i realized that you wont engage in an educated argument and you're just haphazardly throwing your preconceived notions around and claim it is "what matters." wow, i honestly feel you should get over yourself. but hey, i wont burst your bubble anymore after this last one.

good thing though not all Filipinos think the way you do. sabi nga teacher ko sa La Salle "Dont take everything hook, line, and sinker." Sabi naman ng professor ko sa UP "Be critical and look at things in a multi-disciplinary perspective." there's hope for me, coz they still teach these at school!

in parting, cess is a 25 year old well-educated Filipina who despite the adversities and struggles of the present society still believes that the Filipinos can be critical thinkers who not only see one-side of the picture, see not just one-act but has the capacity to understand the entire scenario. and that capacity to understand social phenomenon coupled with compassion is something that she tries to apply when she interacts with people. people from all walks of life be it mayor, sheriff, squatters, or even plain narrow-minded people. she tries to appeal to reason but if reasoning wont work she can freely butt out.

good night all delusional beings reading this. i'm delusional myself for trying to understand you and for trying to uncover depth or dimension to extract substance. there was none. what a surprise.

p.s. i was about to include the link so you can get context of what the blah i'm talking about. but i decided otherwise. but on the otherhand here it is http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2011/07/law-and-order-philippine-style/comment-page-1/#comment-5703...better you think for yourself and get those bolts and nuts grinding...

SIDCOR Sunday Market at the ETON Centris

My second time at the SIDCOR Sunday Market.

Ang mag-iloy :)

Ansaw tried their Paella Negra. He says it was muy delicioso! 

This sir here is cooking the Paella Negra.

A spicy balut dish from the booth next to Casa Paco.

Lengua, a dish that now reminds me of Prof. Helen :)

Are we tv-watching babies?

potpot is our boob-tube :)

Are we a generation that can be described as 'tv-watching babies' and does that even mean anything somewhere? Me and my friends opine a lot about getting senseless stuff on local television channels. We honestly feel that there's talent aplenty laying around untapped. Better stories, better actors, better execution. The Filipino movie and tv-watching public are diverse and some do have discriminating tastes. I do not have figures to support my theory - is there a study that tells us about the Filipino Viewing Perception?, share it to me and I'd like to get informed - but if I were to speak for myself and some people I know, we do have discriminating tastes. We do watch Filipino shows and movies and we want quality ones if we are to spend our money for it. Sometimes having just beautiful people can replace overall good content but that does not create continued patronage.

Please, tv and movie producers whoever you are, please please just give me something more than just pretty faces.

PS. I do agree with Jose Javier Reyes when he wrote about Amaya and 100 Days to Heaven as good news on tv these days.    

One little two little three Basket Cases

An unannounced visit with five packs of Goldilocks cake slices.

Then a barrage of nutty outbursts, laughs, two mugs of coffee, cakes, love burger, and a shrink hunt.

Visitor's big question: Shall I go see a shrink?

>> I guess I don't need one. I know shit what they're going to tell me anyway. They'll probably suggest some drug (rattles of in medical lingo) or maybe recommend religion. <<

That certainly was a memorable office visit and an amusingly disturbing end to a week.

Truly such a basket case huh ^_^

A thing or two about relationships

If only wisdom comes before experience, many would have been spared of indecisions, heartaches, and regrets.

---

Found myself unable to sleep despite shutting my mind from random thoughts, taking several deep breaths, and doing a mild stretch. I figured milk would help and so I went to the fridge to check. Milk smelled funny. Just my luck. Maybe its just the smell of milk around the lid, so I still poured whatever's left from the milk carton into a mug and took a sip. Yuck! Yup, milk's stale. I still tried to get some zzzzzs but gave up trying after several minutes. Maybe I'll take a walk when the sun's up or get to work really early. But that's something I can do before sunrise and I still have plenty of time to kill. Thank the heavens for laptop and internet.

Two significant things done.

First, just e-mailed a reply to one of my best girl friends who's overseas. She sent me a text about nine days back and she was concerned with something about work and her boss. I couldn't reply through text and so e-mail's my last resort to reach her. I wonder how she's doing at work now and really hoping that she's okay. Being physically apart lessens my ability to make her feel assured that I've got her back. I can only hope she knew I was in the listening end.

Second, searched for my ex of roughly three years on facebook. No, I'm not hankering for my ex who happens to be my first boyfriend and whom I've shared roughly four years with. I honestly feel that I'm in a healthy place for maybe a year now. The search for ex was to gauge my reaction on seeing his photos with his wife. One of my closest guy friends found out about ex's new civil status on facebook. Exactly when close guy friend found out about it, I'm not sure. He shared the info just a few nights ago when we we're talking relationship matters. He only told me about it after asking a hypothetical question: would you still talk to ex if the later initiates contact? Since the time I found out about the deal breaker, my answer has always been NO. I never wanted to speak to ex again even though he tried communicating. I was firm about not wanting to speak to him and to not even bother explaining why. (I did vent out on his pal who also became a good friend.) He made attempts to communicate but his intentions weren't clear to me. I loved him so much and I couldn't take any explanation with a clear mind. I knew that if I let my defenses down, he could easily win me back or crush me into pieces. My options are tiresome at its best, and numbingly heartbreaking at its worst. Back then, I knew I was at peace with letting go because I was tired of the work that the relationship required. So tired that to even think about working on an amicable ending was torture enough. Who knew that being stubborn, angry, tired, and confused all at the same time can be a recipe for letting go?  

 What I felt when I saw the photo? There's still that heady feeling and that indescribable warmth that goes through me. It's really less intense as three years back. I looked at it again just now and I can now shrug it off. Contrary to what close guy friend said, ex's new built suits him and the wife has a cute smile. I guess, I'm just happy he didn't marry the dealbreaker, and with all sincerity (and certainty) I wish him a solid married life. It will be a hell lot of work to keep it together and I wish them all the best.  

Food trip at Ilocos Norte

TOWN OF SAN NICOLAS

Enjoy a yummy and very filling empanada at Bolo's Empanada and special miki at Nana Lina's Tapsihan. They are right beside each other and the building that houses these eateries is just on the other side of San Nicolas church.

Bolo's Empanada

freshly made empanadas

empanadas are really filling at Php 35 and Php 25

Nana Lina's Tapsihan

Special Miki (with egg) at Php 30, without egg at Php 20

CITY OF LAOAG

Saramsam Ylocano Restaurant had an unassuming exterior but inside it had a cozy and spacious atmosphere. In the restaurant menu it said Saramsam means informal and constant eating; suggesting a fun atmosphere of friends getting together to eat and enjoy each other's company. The food was great and we certainly had a good time there.

restaurant facade

Saramsam dinner

8-inch Poque-poque pizza, Php 160

Chili Oil and Bagoong Sauce to complete the Saramsam pasta

Saramsam pasta, a delightful mix of flavors, Php 120

Chorizo Laoag pasta, Php 125

Tuna pasta, Php 105

Baraniw (wild basil) Iced Tea, tall glass at Php 40

TOWN OF PAOAY

A perfect sidetrip when visiting Paoay Church is the Herencia restaurant which is just right across the churchyard. They also serve empanadas and other popular Ilocano dishes but we did not really have a big appetite that time so we only tried the Pinakbet pizza. Next time, I'll try the Dinuguan pizza.

Herencia restaurant 

salad

Pinakbet pizza

no caffeine, rice coffee

We were on an official trip in Laoag and went to Paoay for the weekend. We were accommodated by a close family friend of my colleague. They were very welcoming and even drove us around town to sight see.

On my first night, I had a really wonderful dinner of Tinolang Manok. They used home grown, organic chicken which made a lot of difference in the flavor. We also had a side dish of boiled corn, freshly picked from their lot. Hands down this was my most memorable meal for this trip.

Trip date: 25-30 January 2011
Also see blog on Paoay Sand Dunes, and Paoay Church.

Sand Dunes at Paoay

sand

sand

and more sand

at the Sand dunes

in Paoay, Ilocos Norte

our host

and us

view from top

a small patch of pine trees

halfway through the climb

view from top, other side

long coastline

but not for swimming

just like the Arab dessert in the movies

a shed among the pine trees

some of the few trees around

the trusty vehicle that brought us around Paoay

There are several bus companies that can take you to Ilocos Norte. Going there we took Fariñas bus and on our way back to Manila, Florida bus.

Trip date: 30 January 2011

See also Paoay Church