Harry Potter again

The last Harry Potter book I read was Order of the Phoenix. It was so-so. I think Prisoner of Azkaban is still the best, but Order did give more goosebump action. I bought the last 2 books for the sake of completing the collection. I attempted to read Deathly Hallows but couldn't find myself finishing it. It was then I realized that I was all Potter-ed out. I even didn't bother ripping the plastic off the Half Blood Prince. I guess that's what you get from reading one Potter book after another, then watching the movies in between. But after watching the trailer of the upcoming Harry Potter flick, I just might continue reading where I left of.

Project Run(a)way

I almost forgot to watch the local version of Project Runway last night. If it wasn't for Happy's text 30 minutes after 10pm, I would have gone straight to la la land and missed the show altogether. It was an entertaining pilot episode, but I wondered about a few things: 1) Why did the 51 year-old old lady bother joining when she knew it wasn't going to be just a walk in Rizal Park? The dress she made looked like something a girl from the province would wear if she came to Manila and wanted to "impress" the city's denizens. 2) Why did they cast designers who have been featured already in magazines? 3) Why did they cast Teresa Herrera to be the host? Couldn't they just have made Apples Aberin the host and got somebody else to be the Nina Garcia? 4) Why Jojie Lloren as the (ter)mentor? How does he feel that he doesn't get to judge while Rajo does? Why not cast Michael Salientes instead? 5) Why isn't the place of the designers as nice as the one in the US Project Runway? 6) Why didn't they cushion the runway? Every footstep could be heard. 7) Isn't there a better way of saying goodbye the way Heidi does? Teresa just said, "ingat!" And it even didn't sound heartfelt. 8) Why did Frederick Peralta wear his sunnies the entire time? 9) The challenge was to use every single piece of fabric and to not leave any leftovers (at least that's what Teresa said). One guy hoarded everything but only made a tiny dress. Where did he stuff the rest of his fabric? 10) Will they have a terno challenge and invite Imelda to judge?

Almost happy

I was almost delighted when I noticed the Philippine flag. Now I can download to my heart's content, I thought. But when I clicked on it, I didn't see the things I was expecting to greet me. What happened to all the music and TV shows? I don't like.

Photo fun

Try it out at Photofunia!

Party time

Yesterday, my cousin asked me if I remembered any of my birthday parties when I was younger. I told him I couldn't recall the event itself but remembered a few tiny details - like how I realized that the staple Justice League superheroes that were always on top of the heavily white frosted mocha chiffon cake were not made out of candy, as previously thought. How did I find out? I tried biting off the head of one of the characters and my taste buds weren't greeted by the sweet satisfaction of sugar. So much for that. Aside from the cake, there were also lots of balloons tied to those not-so-stable wooden chairs with plastic weave and lots of children's party spaghetti. And depending on who your mother was, your party could be themed. For my cousin Gabby's birthday (was it your birthday, Gabs?), it was a costume party. I came as an astronaut. I still remember the smell of that stupid plastic visor. The plastic wasn't exactly crystal clear enough so I always had to look up so I wouldn't bump anything or anyone. Anyway, my nephew celebrated his first birthday party at The Conservatory at the Manila Pen and it was different compared to the children's parties of yore. In true classic Steph style, she had the entire place dressed up for her only son's special day. She also had hosts for the kids (who were really cheerful) who played games with them and got Gymboree, too. Kids went home with Animaland plush toys which they personally chose. They even had a ritual on how to insert the "heart" of their new friend. You wish, turn around, jump, and kiss (and do all sorts of things). Matthew's cake didn't have any ceramic figurines on top but it was several cakes that looked like wooden blocks of letters.

Globetrotter

Around the world in 4 costume changes - Uvatar me!

Paris

Russia

London

New York

Spectacled

So this is how I look like if I wear glasses. Whatchuthink?

Finding flicks

There are some things in life that I'll never understand - why people would rather queue for a really long time than invest on an e-pass tag, why I'm the only one who was bothered all week with the stench of a dead rat underneath the escalator at the Paseo-Ayala underpass, and why I really like this movie.

"This film version of the Isabel Allende novel, features a cast that includes Jeremy Irons, Meryl Streep, and Glenn Close. The story is a sweeping and brooding melodrama, spanning generations and filled with violence, revenge, and telekinesis. The tale begins in South America in 1926, when a young man, Esteban, falls in love with the daughter of a rich man, Rosa Del Valle. He vows to become rich enough to make her his wife and spends months of toil in the gold fields to earn enough money to do just that. Before the two marry, however, Rosa is killed by poison meant for her father. After the tragedy, Esteban moves to Trés Marias, an abandoned ranch, and spends 20 years of his life turning the ranch into a thriving estate, exploiting the labor of the poor who live off the land. When he returns to the city, he comes across Rosa's younger sister Clara, now a woman with telekinetic abilities. Clara took a vow of silence years before, but upon the arrival of Esteban, she speaks for the first time in years -- "You have come to propose marriage to me," she says. Esteban and Clara marry, and Esteban takes her back to the ranch, where they have a daughter, Blanca (Winona Ryder). Their daughter falls in love with the son of one of Esteban's foremen, a hot-headed revolutionary named Pedro (Antonio Banderas). Now, the country is in the throes of revolution. Esteban banishes his sister Ferula (Glenn Close) from the ranch, beats his wife, and rapes a peasant woman. The product of Esteban's rape grows into an angry young man who convinces Esteban to send him away to military school. When there is a military coup, the illegitimate son returns to Trés Marias with revenge and torture on his mind."

I've tried looking for the DVD of this everywhere - from HMV in Hong Kong, every video store I saw in London and Paris, Sanity in Melbourne, in Music 1 Greenbelt 3, and even in Ruins! It's as hard to find as Sesame Street's Follow that Bird, which by the way, I'd love to get a copy of. This movie is about Big Bird who ran away because nobody in Sesame Street was paying attention to him so he thought he wasn't needed, packed up, and left. I know it's very juvenile but the film is actually entertaining, especially when you get to see The Count drive his car and Ernie and Bert's legs!

LSS

Sometimes when you feel like your entire week is like a really long Monday, all you really need is some music to help keep your sanity in check. Listening to Kylie makes me want to fly back with my sister tomorrow to Melbourne, where its the dead of winter. Don't you think there's something wrong with her nose? Anyway, my other LSS for the week was Jennifer Hudson's Spotlight. I don't remember where I heard it. Maybe on the radio, the few times that I actually tune in to it.

The Love Guru

When the trailer is even better than the movie itself.

Cooking

This is for Joanna who added lemon and capers with her tuyo. For variety, you can also attempt to do this: Pasta With Tuyo (dried herring) Ingredients: pasta onions garlic tuyo tomatoes olive oil (you can use plain olive oil or the oil in the jar of tuyo) salt and pepper How to cook it: Cook the pasta according to package directions. Don't forget to add oil and salt when you boil the pasta. Drain and keep warm. While the pasta cooks, chop the onions, dice the tomatoes, peel and finely chop the garlic. Flake the tuyo or chop them if you want them to be almost invisible. Heat the oil in a sauce pan. Add the onions. Once you think they're turning translucent, toss in the garlic followed by the tomatoes. Then, add the tuyo. Season with salt and pepper, and cook for a few minutes or just until the vegetables start to soften. Throw in the pasta into the pan and mix, mix, mix. Eat. You can also forget about the tomatoes and use olives instead. or capers. or whatever you have in your fridge. Or you can also try doing what Anna does. She boils pasta, drains it, drizzles olive oil and adds cubes of cheese. If you have more time but want to keep it simple, you could also do what I do. Boil tomatoes (usually while boiling the pasta so I won't have to wash too many pans) in a pot. Once they're starting to resemble raisins, take it out, skin 'em, and take out the seeds. Drain the pasta and set aside. On a sauce pan, saute garlic. Once it starts to turn golden brown, add the tomatoes. Then the pasta. Season with salt and pepper.

What I hate with bookstores

Can they stick the price somewhere else and not on the book itself? After all, they do have those security thingamajigs by the entrance and exit anyway.

Bookworming

Books for me are like Café Bola’s Caramelized Spam, Pepsi, Holy Kettle Corn popcorn, and Chowking’s Chicharap – I can’t have enough of them. Whenever I chance upon a bookstore, I tend to get sucked into it and emerge a while after carrying a bag full of new books I know I will end up on my books-to-read pile. In the last five months, I’ve bought fifteen books that span different genres such as travel, non fiction, fiction, biography, children’s, and business. Given my lust for books, I have and will read just about anything, from the Classics, Oprah’s Book Club selections, bestsellers, to Pulitzers. Last weekend, I found myself in Rockwell and gravitated towards Fully Booked where I ended up buying 3 more books that will end up in that never dwindling pile. Ever since I read Da Vinci Code, I've had this preference for non-fiction books - if there's something factual and interesting about it, I'll buy it. Lately, I've been drawn to travel-themed books like those of Peter Mayle and Bill Bryson. Reading them is like traveling for free and all you need is a good imagination to be able to enjoy the trip. That's why when I saw this book on the shelf, I immediately got it.

"This is the concept behind a recent BBC TV series hosted by architect Cruickshank, who is also the guide in this companion book. He visits, in rapid-fire fashion, fantastic, if not entirely unexpected, places (Egypt's pyramids, the ruins of Peru, the Parthenon), documenting each with sometimes transcendent pictures, but much of the narration is bogged down by Cruickshank's complaints about speeding through the ruins and getting up for early flights to dash from one continent to the next."

For the inner comic book geek in me, I got Xmen: Phoenix Warsong. It's the last book of the Dark Phoenix Saga. They didn't have the prequel, Endsong. It's a 5-part comic that is about the Phoenix force. Read more about it here. I don't want to get too geeky but it's a really interesting comic book and the artwork is impressive. I used to collect all sorts of Marvel comic books and trading cards when I was much younger until I realized it wasn't too practical. The other book was about "one grump's search for the happiest places in the world."

"Weiner set out on a yearlong quest to find the world's unheralded happy places. Having worked for years as an NPR foreign correspondent, he'd gone to many obscure spots, but usually to report bad news or terrible tragedies. Now he'd travel to countries like Iceland, Bhutan, Qatar, Holland, Switzerland, Thailand and India to try to figure out why residents tell positive psychology researchers that they're actually quite happy."

Give it 2 me NOW

I didn't like this song at first because it sounded funny but just like any other song nowadays, it kinda grew on me. to the left, to the right, to the left to the right..

Denim

I love The Sartorialist. When I'm in doubt on what to wear, I check it and get ideas on how to wear which and with what. It's a good thing it's warmer in Europe now or else having to look at winter frock will just be useless. I was browsing his blog earlier and this pair of pants caught my eye. I think I'll head to Defacto next week to have them make me a pair like it. No, not the white one. And not the dark blue one. There you go. The eye popping blue pair. I actually have a pair in baby blue but it's been tricky wearing it lately because the fit has turned R-rated. Anyway, I love Defacto jeans. They're comfy, they get the size right, and it's just in Mile Long. No need to trod on over after Rockwell to get a decent pair of denims made. I first read about them in Gino de la Paz's column in Supreme. I was meaning to visit the store (they only open at 3pm!) for the longest time but finally managed to after a couple of months. I now have 7 pairs: 3 dark denims, 1 red, 1 white, 1 grey, and 1 baby blue. In other denim news, Bryanboy blogged about Cecile and Ino collaborating for Viktor Jeans. That should be a fun and interesting collection. I've always thought Cecile has great taste when it comes to style. Apparently, the collection is no more. Hmph. Interesting concept though.

About to keel over

In life, there are some material things I cannot live without: 1. mobile phone 2. money 3. food 4. car 5. laptop I'm afraid I will be near death soon because the charger of my laptop just broke. One of the prongs decided to part ways with the mother ship when it was left in the socket when I unplugged the darn thing. I never knew the adapter was this dirty till now. Anyway, this mishap means having to make a few adjustments over the weekend: - no blogging - no plurking - no checking of Facebook, Friendster (yes, I still do), and Multiply - no chatting with friends overseas - no surfing the net - no watching DVDs while in bed - no downloading of new songs - no burning of CDs for the car At least until I get a new part.

Christmas gift

Dear Santa, I've been a very good boy so far this year. I hope you give me the toy I've always wanted. I'm not very particular with how you send it. I don't even mind if your elves don't bother wrapping it with fancy paper or put a huge red bow on it. I promise I'll take real good care of it and share it with my brother, when I'm not using it on weekdays and weekends, I promise to cherish it forever and ever. Love, A

Shoo fly

I think flies have a sweet tooth too, like me. Because I saw swarms of them in Krispy Kreme 20 minutes ago when I went to buy my what looks like to be my weekly dose of strawberry filled donuts. They were everywhere. The bugs, not the strawberry filled donuts. They were hovering above the customers, landing on the donuts on the shelf, and some were even inside the display. Some could have flown inside the kitchen, but I'll really never know that because I was busy keeping myself from drooling while staring at the beeeeaaaayyyooootttiiifful sight of donuts before me. I won't be surprised if some of them got trapped inside a donut. Hopefully not the ones I bought. Scary.

Oh my stars

Is this the universe's way of telling me that it's time for an upgrade? C-Class avantgarde? Or an SLK?

SUPREME Widget

Baking for dummies

I used to like cookies. I even paid a friend to make me a whole jar and hid it from my brother and sister. I thought my friend's cookies were spectacular until I discovered that it wasn't her recipe. It was Pillsbury's. So much for that. It was only until my recent trip to Melbourne that my liking for cookies was rekindled, thanks to the nibblers and cookies my sister would bring home from Mrs Fields. I have since been having constant cravings for them. That craving hit me again this afternoon while I was nonchalantly walking around town center in search for something to buy. I asked Speedy G if it was cheaper to buy from Mrs Fields or bake my own. "Just bake your own," he said. So with beginner (almost zero) baking skills, what's a guy to do? Buy an easy-to-bake cookie mix! Luckily, I found this in Makati Supermart. How easy can it get?

add two tablespoons of water (the box said no more, no less)

mix it until it becomes dough

roll it into balls and space an inch and a half apart from each other. No need to grease the pan. Bake it at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

This was the finished product - thirty minutes after. When I took it out when it hit the eighth minute, it was still soft so I left it to to bake some more. When I took it out again, it was still soft. But just like anything I attempt to prepare in the kitchen, I ate it anyway. It was crunchy on the outside but very moist (read: raw) in the inside.

Going under ground

I've always been fascinated with cemeteries. Some years ago, I planned to go to New Orleans to check out their famous "cities of the dead" - Lafayette, St. Louis, and Metairie but I skipped that plan and went on a ten-day tour of Europe instead. The dead can wait, I figured. Since there was nothing else to do in Majayjay and we couldn't watch any DVD because the player suddenly refused to show anything on screen after we changed a single setting the night before, I decided to check out (my sister tagged along) the only underground cemetery in the country in Nagcarlan. I've always wanted to visit Nagcarlan's famed cemetery . The first time I attempted to with my cousins, it was closed, even if there was a sign that showed its operating hours and we were clearly there not on its off day. It was a relief to see that it was open when we went. Nagcarlan's underground cemetery was a working cemetery from 1845 to 1981 until it was declared a national historic uhm, place. According to the almost-toothless lady who have us the 411 on the cemetery, there are about 36 niches with the oldest niche dating back all the way to........ .... 1908. I was about to tell her, "Huwwwwaaattt??? 1908??? That's NOT old!" She didn't explain the whereabouts of the niches all the way from 1845. I think it was because I interrupted her spiel to ask about the oldest niche so her train of thought was derailed. When it finally went back on track, she said that the lawn in front still had tombs under, which they didn't bother touching because it didn't have any markings. She said it was only those with markings that were moved to the niches located outside the chapel. I was surprised when we went one flight down - that there wasn't much to see. "This is it??" I asked my sister, who looked bored and annoyed that I was taking one too many photos. Sure it had faded frescoes on the wall and the ceiling but really, it was just that one room that had an empty altar, cracked floor tiles, and about 5 occupied niches with the rest all empty. It was rather disappointing. The underground cemetery was said to be used as a meeting place of the katipuneros during the Spanish era. So I was thinking, either the Spanish must've been really stupid that they didn't notice anyone plotting against the gobernadorcillo just one flight down from the street level or there were really winding tunnels and long halls of tombs that existed but were boarded up and sealed from the public. Darn.

Man's best friend

What do you do when you channel surf into the Hallmark channel and see Oprah bawling her eyes out on national TV? You watch and see why. The episode was about dogs. And she became sentimental when she remembered her cocker spaniel, Sofie, who went to dog heaven a couple of months ago. "I was on my way to work when I saw this billboard," she said. The billboard was about dogs who are in Puppy Mills, awful places where dogs are forced to mate like rabbits so the breeders can continue selling them to pet stores. Someone went undercover and did an expose showing the disturbing living conditions of the dogs. Scary, right? Anyway, I couldn't stand watching the entire show because I was getting affected with how the dogs were being treated. It made me want to go home and hug the dogs. I've always loved dogs - but only the large breed. Although I find some tiny breeds cute - if they don't bark and jump around too much. Milko was the best dog we ever had. The vet said Milko thought he was human. I trained him so well not to pee or crap inside the house that whenever he did when nobody was around to let him out, he'd run to the kitchen and hide from me because he knew I was going to scold him. Sometimes, he'd even lie down and not get up so I'd have to literally drag him to the spot where he did the deed. When we were renovating the Alabang house, we had to make him stay with the vet because they didn't allow big dogs in the condo. He came to visit us one afternoon then had a seizure when he left because he thought we were giving him away. He was immobile for a couple of days but managed to lift his head and even tried to stand when he saw me. One night, I told him everything was going to be okay and that he could go if he wanted to. The next morning, he followed my orders. We have since, welcomed new dogs into our household.

Telling Munich that the pool is not a scary place to be in.

I adopted Munich from a friend's sister who was leaving for Canada. His name was originally Primo but I changed it to Munich to keep with the M-Names of the labs

Telling Mikka J(unior) to be a good girl.

Taking a dip with Mikka J. Now, she'd go into the pool by herself and swims a few laps Mueller's first swimming lesson

Mikka Girl and the Pug family: Maggie, Petunia, and Cooper Cooper has bad breath, Petunia sleeps all day, and Maggie easily gets startled.

After that Oprah episode, I was thinking of doing something but for PAWS but when I checked the website, they didn't have any volunteer programs listed. Oh well.