I'm starting to get ticked off at how blogger totally messes up my layout. I fixed the previous entry neatly in rows and after I clicked on publish, it transforms everything into one large mess of words. That's pretty much the reason why I stopped blogging for a while because it was all too frustrating. I'm contemplating migrating content to another blog (I still have to figure out how to do that). Any suggestions?

The 5 Stages Of Pain After Being Unfollowed

There’s a pain you feel when someone unfollows you on Twitter. Like a breaking up pain. A quiet dumping. Ha! Quiet dumping. We all feel it. It’s like that song Everybody Hurts by REM. Play that in your mind while you read this. If you’ve just been unfollowed by someone and you’re hurting, I’ll pilot you through the five stages of your hilarious pain. . Discovery. Months ago, Melrose Place’s Lisa Rinna began following me. Tremendous news, indeed. When this occurred I went to brag to hundreds of my friends. Fine. Just my mom. What Reena? Is that your girlfriend? Where did she follow you to? Our house? This is why I don’t tell my mom anything anymore. I was very excited to send my first tweet that Lisa Rinna would surely see. Moments after, I refreshed Lisa Rinna’s page. I was unfollowed. After one tweet. This discovery made me realize something. Even in 140 characters or less, Lisa Rinna can’t stand me. 2. Denial. Evan Williams, CEO of Twitter also tasted the twitter goods and decided it wasn’t for him. I know this because I would refresh Evan Williams page each day to make sure he was still following me. You probably shouldn’t have said that. That’s where I am emotionally. There. One day I realized EW wasn’t following me anymore. But you know what I did in my mind? I pretended he still was. You probably shouldn’t have said that either. If I don’t believe it happened, it didn’t happen. 3. The Passive-Aggressive Desperate Plea To Be Refollowed Veiled Under A Thin Cloak Of Sarcasm. Hey, why the unfollow? Did I hit a nerve with my last tweet lol. I’ve done this too. The horrible “lol” at the end just makes it worse. 4. Devastating Insecurity. People on Twitter all share a common bond. We’re all insecure messes. It’s because we’ve been unfollowed. It makes us unsure. Hey guys, sorry I tweet too much! Hey guys, sorry if you’re offended by this Tremendous News article. He’s such a pig. We disclaim everything. And after you’ve been unfollowed, you start to question what you tweet. Should I tweet the link to Read Write Web or the link to Mashable? Fuck. I can’t make another mistake. You become just a hollow shell of your nerdy self. Hilarious. 5. Acceptance. Finally, after some time repairing your emoticons, you realize you don’t give a shit. You were unfollowed. You’ll be unfollowed again. But there’s always new people who will buy into you. Who will want to discover your electrical body. It’s like a train. People will get off, people will get on. But you just have to keep moving forward. There you have it. The five stages of pain after being unfollowed. Send this to anyone who is coping with the hurt. Or, unfollow someone and then send this article to them. That’s balls. You can follow me and then immediately unfollow me on Twitter here.

I scream

Anyone who knows me knows that I have an intense sweet tooth. Muscovado rocks, condensed milk on toast, chocolate cupcakes, pies, milkshakes, cookies - I'd have it all the time if I could but my belly won't let me. So you could imagine how my taste buds went all hip hip hooray when I got a text from Tina Lagdameo saying that Coney Island (the ice cream brand of my childhood) is back as Go Nuts Ice Cream. She didn't say which flavours are available but if you'd like to order, you can ring 845 4909 and ask for a list of what they have. It is also available at 2278 Magnolia St, Dasmarinas Village, Makati.

The art side

Once upon a time there was a dude name Jose who wanted to become a painter. But his Chief Financier aka The Mother pretty much had Jose on a tight leash. So tight that when she told him to fuck art and become an eye doctor instead so he can do something about her wonky eye, he did. Maybe because he's a mama's boy that way. So he took up Medicine and went through all the bloody processes of becoming one. Then one fine day, he met two artists named Hidalgo and Luna. He loved hanging out with them so much that they became the three stooges. Now, Hidalgo and Luna being artists and all - joined this "Who can paint the biggest artwork contest." Both aestheticians (say it slowly) created huge masterpieces which brought honor to their home country because Luna won Gold for his work entitled Spolarium which showed dead/dying/pretending to be dying gladiators being dragged with Romans watching was an allegory for the bad ways the Conyos were treating Filipinos. In other news, Hidalgo bagged the Silver award (boy, was he pissed) for uh, his painting. To celebrate their victory (and a reason to get piss ass drunk), they threw a totally fetching party which was well attended by the 15 (or 50) Filipinos in the Spanish hood, including BFF Jose. Because he wanted to give honor to his homies, he went on stage and said a speech (I bet he really wanted a slice of the limelight) which sounded like a political campaign. Jose went on and on and on and one about his friends' winning in a European contest and how wonderful it is to finally be at the same level of artistic greatness ...zzzz... Anyway, after his FAMAS-deserving speech, he was still all fired up on Nationalism and shnazz like that that it inspired him to sit down and write several best selling novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. When Jose went back home to Las Islas Filipinas, he put together a group of like-minded crazies which included the P10 bill guy, Apolinario Mabini and Emilio Aguinaldo. And the rest is well, Philippine History. That's what I learned when a couple of bored friends and I hit the National Museum for a lil cultural appreciation. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to appreciate at the Nat except for the gallery on the 1st floor and 3rd floor. I had always wanted to go back ever since I went there for a field trip when I was in Elementary. I intended to see the stuffed animals but didn't see any but bones of a tarsier, chicken, carabao, manatee, monkey, and baby sperm whale. There ain't much to see in there but a trip down to the REAL Manila is still worth the drive The museum is open from Wednesday to Sunday, 1030 am to 430 pm. Admissions is FREE.

Vacay

Get your credit cards and time deposits ready.

Christmas Present(s)

You know you've reached Christmas maturity when it takes you roughly 3 hours before you open your presents. And when you finally do, you don't rip the wrapper apart like the Tasmanian Devil on heat. Instead, you put all your gifts in two piles: one for envelopes that may contain cash, a check, or a GC/s and another that obviously resemble packages. You start off by reaching out for the package pile, read the card, make mental note of who gave it, and slowly open the package. This goes on till the last package has been unveiled and set aside. Next are the envelopes which you carefully lift the sticker off the paper and take a peek into its monetary value and start thinking what book/clothing item you could probably use it on as soon as the mall opens, which could be later. Or tomorrow, depending where you prefer to exercise your new purchasing power. Then you get the items you wish to use already like, say those desk valet things, fill it up and set it on your bedside. You could also get that lavender pouch and stick it in your drawers (its always sock vs underwear. I went for the latter. TMI?), or with fragrant soap in hand, stash it in the drawer that will not smell like lavender. You return and sit in front of your pile and give a smile of contentment. "Ahh, these are seriously practical presents," you say to yourself. You grab your new piece of retail consultation, crawl into bed, blog about your gift giving experience, then when you're done, reach out for the book you've been telling yourself to finish by the end of the year and actually read it. You glance at the time and notice its *gasp* 3:31 am and realize that you must go to bed or else your skin will revolt at your staying up late. And you do as soon as you hit Publish Post. How did you Christmas go?

Air Travel

I’m traveling. And I’ve already learned a valuable lesson.

Traveling sucks ass.

After traveling a lot in my former “employed” life, I’ll share with you a few people everyone meets while traveling.

1. The Guy With The Disgusting Socks.

It’s not very often that you’re asked to remove your shoes in a public place, so it’s always exciting to judge the people you travel with based entirely on their socks.

Like this dude I saw with these gross-ass holes in his socks. Foot-fat bursting through fabric, unable to remain contained. A toenail greeting the open air. Hair, all over.

Who’s doing that guy?

I need to know.

2. The Only Chick Following Along During The Safety Procedures.

When the flight attendants play the CD that discuss all the safety procedures, they ask you to pull out your safety card and follow along.

Most people respond by zoning out into a coma.

But there’s one chick who actually follows along. I’ve always wanted her to get all outraged. At least that would be exciting.

Excuse me, but you just said in case of water landing, we’d have to exit through the side safety doors. I don’t see that in figure 2C. The doors illustrated in figure 2C look like front doors to me. I’m sorry. Did we all just wake up this morning to a world where front doors are suddenly renamed side doors?

Yeah. That’s right.

Correct yourself.

3. The One Guy Who Needs To Play With That Jet Fan Thing Next To The Courtesy Light.

What is that thing? A fan? How is that going to help you sir? How. There’s no amount of adjusting that will change the setting from “crap-air blowing in your face.”

4. That Dude Who Needs To Tell You What His Favorite Airports Are So He Can Show Off That He Travels.

This place is OK but it’s nothing like terminal D at DFW. That’s a well-designed terminal.

Really.

The best Starbucks I’ve ever been to is in Concourse H at O’Hare. Nothing beats it.

Oh no way.

Concourse A in Hartsfield has a great little pizza place. You should try it sometime.

You know this dude’s the only jerkoff at his work that will accept all travel assignments. Everyone else has a life, family, friends, anything. Not this guy.

He needs to affirm his self-worth to strangers by giving them his terminal rankings.

5. The Guy Who Thinks “Zone 4″ Means Something.

On most boarding passes, you’ll find a little stamp that tells you what “zone” you’re in. If it doesn’t say “First Class” it doesn’t mean shit. The zones are just ways they call people up to board the plane.

You always see one guy who will line up to board immediately.

Then be told he can’t board.

Then look at his boarding pass.

See his zone.

And never embrace the gripping reality of being poor.

You’re in Zone 4, bitch. Accept it like the rest of us.

6. The Dude Who’s Still Upset You Don’t Get Food On Your Flight.

He’s still talking about the days when you got a full meal and hot towels.

Why would you even want that shit, sir? It tastes like drywall.

7. That One Annoying-Ass Kid.

Every time you travel, there’s always one kid. Always one shithead kid you can’t believe can just run around screaming and yelling with his parents just sitting there doing absolutely nothing because you know they grew up as shitheads and probably raised by another bunch of shitheads and then finally the kid farts in my tea.

Yes.

Farts in my tea.

[From Tremendousnews]

Hey little Johnny from Jersey!

Go fuck yourself.

8. The One Guy Who Needs To Recline His Chair Immediately.

Oh, did that 1 inch recline help you, sir? Are you comfortable? Does it feel like you’re at home, kicking back watching the game?

Because you’re an idiot.

9. The Flight Attendant Who’s Really Nice To You On The Plane But Then You See Her In Baggage Claim And She Pretends That She Doesn’t Know You.

What are they, strippers?

10. The People Who Clap When The Plane Lands.

It’s not a Broadway production, dummies. He’s landing the plane. That’s what’s supposed to happen.

Spam-alot

Yes, curiosity does kill the cat. But in this case, it killed my Twitter account. I clicked on a link a friend had posted that said "Want More Followers?" and being the twitter whore that I am I did and got hundreds of people that I was suddenly following. It wasn't a pretty sight. I had to unfollow every single one and even had to block the persistent ones until I couldn't take it anymore and just killed my account. So now it's back, same ol' random shnazz. So if you need comedic relief or find useless information, well, useful (because you'll never know when you might need to tell someone that you know what the most unhealthy food ever are), search alexeivllaraza.

WTF

Pssstt

The fashion and music industries have "banded" together to continue the giving. "Hoy, hoy, Ondoy!" is a concert event organized by a couple of concerned civilians from the different industries of fashion, music, multi-media and real estate to continue relief efforts from the youth sector for the victims of typhoon Ondoy. "This event is for all the volunteers and the victims. We know these are trying times, that's why we should continue to inspire each other," says one of the organizers.

A minimum of donation 100PHP will serve as entrance fee for a full night's concert at the NBC Tent at the Fort, which will also serve as drop off point for donations and relief goods all day till midnight. Fashion designers have a corner where their clothes--from Rajo Laurel, Dennis Lustico, Patrice Ramos-Diaz, Charina Sarte and Rhett Eala--will be auctioned off to interested bidders. Thai Airways willl also auction off airline tickets all for charity. Embassy will serve bar. Artists have joined the cause, too. Team Manila will set up a booth with specially designed posters while Revo Naval will set up an art installation and give out limited edition "change for change" Peace, Love and Revolution stickers.

All proceeds from the ticket sales, auction and bar will go to the Philippine National Red Cross and other chosen charities.

The Final Roster for “Hoy, Hoy, Ondoy” - in order of appearance are Paraluman, Us-2 Evil-0, 6CycleMind, Mayonnaise, Dice & K9/ Mobbstarr, Zach and The Actionpact, Cueshe, Imago, Angulo, Kastigo, SinoSikat?, Southern Grass, Hilera, Blue Jean Junkies featuring Jaime Wilson, Session Road, The Philippine All Stars, Hale, Camerawalls, Miguel Escueta, The Blue Rats, Johnny Alegre, Noli Aurillo & Emee Fortuno, DRT, Joey Ayala, Kjwan, Pedicab, Peryodiko and Sandwich.

Guest celebrities and personalities will take turns hosting while others will talk about climate change and how all of us should act now. "We are doing this in the spirit of bayanihan. We should continue giving, continue living. Ituloy natin ang pagtulong, Pilipino!" Everyone is invited.

Star support

So that typhoon totally sucked. It not only foiled my plans last Saturday, it totally messed up everybody else's lives too. I was on my way somewhere when I was caught in the intersection of ayala-paseo. I spied a BMW M5 being pushed on the other side of the street across Stock Exchange so I decided not to even bother force my lil ol' B through the murky water. I tried to pass the other end of Paseo where McD's is but when I got there, a Camry was already being pushed by like, 5 men. Scared of being stalled, I reversed and parked in Greenbelt and spent a couple of hours aimlessly walking around the mall. Surprisingly, I didn't buy anything. Obviously, nobody was prepared to get wet and wild. Who knew that amount of rainfall can turn areas into Waterworld? And thanks to Twitter and Facebook, I knew what was happening out there while I was chugging glass after glass of Black Gulaman because that was the only thing I had loads of in the condo. Oh, and chili oil and god knows I won't touch that. The amount of concern is indeed overwhelming and it's great that everyone is doing their part in helping out - even celebrities! I heard Christine Reyes was saved by Richard Gutierrez who was on a speedboat (uh, ookkkaayy...), Jericho surfed to save (his arms must hurt from all that paddling), and Kim Chiu's ka-love team braved the flood and swam, pointed, stood on a wall, and swam some more. I wonder if all this compassion will continue even when everyone's high and dry.

Grub review: Johnny Rockets

There's something about diners that is very comforting. It could be because you get this friendly neighborhood feeling where you can ask the matronly waitress what the special is or ask for a cup of coffee. You won't find that in Johnny Rockets. We've been looking forward to it for months and after dining there, it was more of a raket than a blast. Burger patties were thin and half cooked. Bread tasted like it was a day old. Lights too bright. Music too loud. Service halts when certain songs are played because practically the entire staff burst into a song and dance routine. With price points that range from P250-P400 for the burgers, salads, shakes, and dessert, you're better off going to Stackers where they are more affordable. Houston, we have a problem. Johnny Rockets is located at Eastwood Mall.

Treinta

In about 48 hours, you'll be turning 30. I know you've been looking forward to it since you turned, uh, 29. You're probably not as excited as you thought you'd be, at least the turning a year older part. I know it's the roadtrip that's getting you all riled up. Why else would you still be wide awake at 12:27am when you know you have to be up at 5:30am to skip the city for what will be one of the best 4 day weekends everrrrrr?

No, really, why are you still up?

Are you contemplating about becoming older? What the weather will be like? Why does Ocean Adventure have to charge that much to swim with the dolphins and whales? What you have to pack?

Look, being 30 - although quite a nice and solid number - is an age you shouldn't be afraid of. Think of it as starting over. Or realizing that you really have to get your act together. There's no point in putting yourself down because really, in all the 29 years, you've learned more than the idiots who surround you.

You’ve learned that as you’ve gotten older, you've become more comfortable in your own skin. And when you aren't there's nothing a KI injection at Belo can't fix.

You’ve learned that doing the right thing, means doing the right thing by your standards, not someone else’s. Which also translates to: You.just.dont.care - and sometimes, that's a good thing.

You’ve learned that you don’t have to settle. Unless you're buying something you like and its only available in an okay-colour so you get that anyway for the sake of finally getting it.

You’ve learned that trust is one of the most significant aspects of any relationship. And to lose it, usually means losing the relationship.

You've learned to accept the fact that you are worthy of significant relationships and you don't have to click "self destruct" mode when things get intense.

You've learned how to compromise. Yeah, you learned that when you watched that flick with Nick Nolte and the really ugly brat. Didn't his love interest drive an SL500? Hhmm..

You’ve learned that you're capable of independence. And at the same time learned that its such an expensive thing, this independence mumbo jumbo.

You've learned that sometimes, one's past (blog, former self, etc) doesn't matter. You can always reset the timer.

You’ve learned that it's not the number of friends that you have but the kind of friends you keep that matters.

You've learned to be more practical. Unfortunately, it looks like it's going to be that way for a long time so you can kiss buying that LV Tadao goodbye. You've taught yourself to drive like Miss Daisy cause being a Speed Racer is so juvenile. Plus, it's an expensive experience when things get pot holed. At some point, the little things shouldn't really bother you and you actually don't let it. You've also realized that vitamins are good for you. You have a sudden liking for yoghurt when you never did before. So you see, the life you've lived so far ain't all that bad. If you didn't go through all that, then you would've been more different person. Besides, 30 is the new 20.

A star is born

There are millions of people trying to get noticed on the Web, with everything from blogs to podcasts to videos. So with the huge glut of material out there, how do amateurs get attention -- let alone become bona fide online stars? How, for instance, did an Arizona woman by the ID “Grammar Girl” giving grammar advice get to be one of the most popular podcasts on iTunes? And how do independent video series like "Ask a Ninja" or "LonelyGirl15" draw hundreds of thousands of online viewers for each episode? It turns out that success in the new-media world depends on a lot of the same things as in the old-media universe – talent, timing, good looks, and entertainment value.

Although lacking talent and good looks but oozing with entertainment value is the latest spectacle to hit the video circuit scene, Jessa Bell. An almost toothless singing sensation who was recently was put on the spotlight (with the help other gurlettes aka gay friends) when they recorded her singing songs like Umbrella (her version, Anim na Umbrella), Crazy For You, and Flo Rida's Low.

Que ora es?

I think clock design has always been overlooked so its refreshing to come across those that have interesting designs and features.

Last month, I spied a clock that projects the time on the wall. Available at Dwell in Eastwood, Oregon Scientific's Daylight Projection Clock displays the time and temperature on any flat surface in any lighting condition, automatically adjusting its built-in projector (which you can swivel) depending on how bright it is in a room.

In addition to precise atomic time and indoor and outdoor temperature, the clock sports an infrared motion sensor to snooze your alarm with only a wave of your hand. Class.

Aside from nifty clocks, Dwell also has luxe home furnishings, kitchen appliances, and lighting fixtures.

Dwell is located at the ground floor of Grand Palazzo Condominium, Eastwood City, Libis, Quezon City. Tel. 6671226, 6671266

Wedding wow

I'm sure its going to be a marriage filled with laughter.

Watch me

I've always been a sucker for collaborations.

Pinoy Designers + Ayala Mall Eco bags. Snickers + Krispy Kreme. Y3 + Adidas. Alexander McQueen + Puma. (You + Me haha)

Now I want this Rolex from Colette, my favourite store on Earth.

Made by aftermarket modifier Bamford & Sons, this Submariner timepiece was applied with black PVD (whatever that is) and other colour enhancements. The seconds hand is in black while the hours are in white, obviously. If you want this, it's going to cost you 1,000 Euros. Not bad for a Rolex, I think.

Only available at Colette. Rue St. Honore, Paris.

Kia's got soul

It's got a sunroof! And the speakers light up! What more could you ask for?

Mall musical

It's sort of sad that the theater scene in Manila isn't as alive as that of Broadway and the West End.

If people don't watch plays, maybe they should take the plays to the people.

Repertory or Trumpets might want to do this when they promote their productions.