Worth reading

One of my favourite books of all time is Life's Little Instruction Book. It's a collection of to-do's which was put together by a parent who's child left home to like, go to war or college or some exotic country for fun. It came out in several volumes. I only have two and have been searching for the version that compiled all of it. We used to members of this book club thing but my brother told my Dad to cancel it because I was the only one ordering books. I learned a lot from Life's Little Instruction Book - like never get a beige car, always park on the very side because it will give you half the chance of the car's doors getting hit. This morning, I stumbled across this book called It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want To Be. It's a handbook of how to succeed in the world - a pocket 'bible' for the talented and timid to make the unthinkable thinkable and the impossible possible. The world's top advertising guru, Paul Arden, offers up his wisdom on issues as diverse as problem solving, responding to a brief, communicating, playing your cards right, making mistakes and creativity, all notions that can be applied to aspects of modern life. This book provides a unique insight into the world of advertising and is a quirky compilation of quotes, facts, pictures, wit and wisdom, packed into easy-to-digest, bite-sized spreads.

You must hate me

I really don't follow American Idol but started getting partially hooked when my US-based Tita came to visit and stopped all what she was doing whenever it would show on the telly. I was relieved that girl with the blonde streak got booted out. Same with that blonde country singer. Everything she sang seemed to have this (annoying) twang. Oh, and I also didn't like Ramiel - she acted like a loser in each episode. The contestants I enjoy watching the most are David Archuleta and David Cook. I'm not very fond of the rastaman and Brooke whatsherface. She's so fragile that I bet if Simon said "Boo!" to her, she would instantly faint from fright. I hate that she butchered Madonna's You Must Love Me. Sure, it was a sad song but she made it even more sad. It was a depressing performance. After watching it, I felt like going to a dark corner and sob. All night. What do you think?

All in a day's work

12 hour work days are a killer. Like yesterday when I almost croaked from fatigue and stress but was saved by Madonna. Her new track, Dance 2night, was on repeat in my head the entire day. I had to get up before 7am to collect a writer in an address in Makati that I was not familiar with. I was told the writer's personality was a force to reckon with and is different from all the "difficult" media I have come across. But when she sat on the front seat of my car, she was very calm. So calm that I felt really light making small talk with her on the way to UCC where we had breakfast. I dropped her off along with the photographer in the venue around 10am then rushed to Manila Hotel for an event I've been stressing over for the last couple of days. The event turned out okay except that I didn't have enough time to have a decent lunch because I had to be around when the client was being interviewed by a few TV crew, look for somebody's lost phone, and bid the guests goodbye, flash a smile, and hand them their giveaways which I wanted to make nenok (that's such a funny word). Well, if a bowl of salty mushroom soup is considered lunch, that's what I had. Oh, and countless glasses of water and iced tea. And Starbucks After Coffee Mints. I had lunch at Reyes Barbecue around 430pm. It was white meat but I hoovered it anyway from hunger. After I was done eating, I had to get back with the program and work on the things I missed out on doing the entire day. I was intending to treat myself to a milk shake before going home but suddenly became kuripot. Instead I chomped on three Moo Sandwiches when I got home a little past 7pm. It sort of reminds me of a Coney Island Eskimo Roll. That was one yummy cookie.

Madonna

Because I just love to share the good things in life..

Why wait till next week when you can get it NOW. On and on the beat goes

(Side) burning issue

I've always loved getting a haircut. I find the sound of scissors snipping away rather relaxing. I also like it when the barber sprays water on my hair and starts combing it. There are times I find myself trying to battle my drowsiness away. But I don't fall asleep on the chair. I read the newspaper or whatever magazine they have, that's what I do. I sit down, tell the barber how I want it to look, and let him do it. Last weekend was different. "It's up to you. Do what you want with it." I told Sonny, my regular barber. He's been snipping and styling my hair for about three years now. He knows how short I want it and what number to use if I wake up one morning and have the sudden urge to have my head shaved off. So it was with much trust that I gave him follicle freedom. When I looked up after reading PDI's Super (loved the story on Turkey!! I didn't know St. John was buried there), I didn't notice any difference - it was the usual length. He probably couldn't think of a new style, I thought. It was only till last night after brushing my teeth when I discovered that he did do something different. And no amount of hair gel, wax, or aquanet can make it not look that way. He styled my sideburns!! He gave me an animated character's side burns!! Gasp.

Grub Review: Razon's

The sweltering heat made me crave for something really cold. So cold that it'd give me brain freeze. After I had my hair cut and walked out of People are People disappointed because the pair of patent shoes that I've been lusting had its leather more wrinkled than that a ninety year old who doesn't use Oil of Olay, I dragged my slightly sweating self to Razon's at the Town Center (one of my favourite malls) and finally try their halo halo that I've heard so much about. I've been meaning to try it for the longest time but either haven't had the drive to drive all the way to Greenbelt 1 from the condo when I'm in Makati on weekdays or forget that there was one at the Town Center when I'm in Alabang on weekends. A lot of old women had the same idea of enjoying their famous halo halo because there was a bunch of them waiting in line. Must be a field trip of Home for the Aged, I thought. When the lady at the start of the line paid and stepped aside after proudly flashing her senior citizen card, everyone else in front of me did. I almost lost it. Obviously, they all became Musketeers and queued up along with the payee. They should have thought of letting Payee do the ordering while they waited in the side. It was one of those count-to-ten moments. Anyway, I ordered mine to-go and added Pancit Luglug PLUS! too. There are two kinds of pancit luglug. One has enough while the other doesn't. When I got home, I hurriedly took the cover off and scooped the ice and milk and other sweet stuff into my mouth - and was rather disappointed. I couldn't taste what the big deal was. Sure, it wasn't very sweet. It wasn't bland either. It was just right. What I loved about it was that it didn't have any of the things I don't eat in halo halo like ube, kaong, and red mung beans. It had strips of macapuno, banana, a hint of langka, and leche flan which was so thick, I almost choked, and finely shaved ice. No chunks of ice at all. And I prefer it that way. The pancit luglug was tasteless. Or maybe my taste buds were just frozen from the halo halo. Razon's has branches in: Greenbelt 1 in front of O SM Megamall Food Court Trinoma Food Choices and in Guagua, Pampanga

Florentine flair

Aside from Venice and most recently Paris, Florence is one my favourite cities in the world. Unfortunately, I have never spent more than a day in it. In the last couple of times I've been to Florence, it was always for the day. And each time, I'd somehow end up at Sta. Maria del Fiore but never go up the third largest dome in the world. Instead, I'd make a bee line for the stationary shop near Piazza Signoria. I'd also never visit the Uffizi Gallery or walk in the Ponte Vecchio. So when I surfed into a BBC documentary that was sort of about Florence, I was all eyes and ears. It was really a documentary about Sandro Botticelli, one of the lesser known Italian artists of his time. Unfortunately, I caught the tail end of the show which focused on his Primavera. After the Medicis lost their power and influence in Florence, the painting was hung in one of their villas in Italy where it stayed for 4 centuries. When the last Medici died, it was donated to the City but was kept in storage for a super duper long time. It was only until the museum thought of honoring Florence's artists by decorating a hall with their work when the painting was finally hung for all the world to see. Pre-raphaelites studied it and made a big issue out of it that it was finally noticed by the artsy fartsy.

Botticelli's other work include:

The Madonna of the Magnificat, 1480

Adoration of the Magi, c 1475 The Calumny of Apelles, c 1490 Birth of Venus, c 1483

Just like other Italian renaissance artists, he died poor - his style of painting was ignored when another kind of style became the fad.

Music

You'll know I like something when I can't have enough of it. When I discovered Vans last year, I just had to buy lots of pairs in every design. Or till I was satisfied with having a pair in polka dots, skulls, plaid, dizzying black and white prints, and striped. When I discovered Sandy's, the food stall in Enterprise Center's Food Park, served really, really good tortang talong, I had it for lunch every Monday to Friday for about a month. So it was only but normal that when I first heard Sarah Mclachlan sound ethereal and gregorian chant-ish in her song, Silence, in the Bounce OST, I just had to snap copies of Delerium - the artist she worked with on the track. I totally loved how the different instruments were layered and it helped that I didn't know anybody who was familiar with them. Delerium is a band from Canada. Originally as a side project of the influential industrial music act, Front Line Assembly, their musical style has encompassed a broad range, including dark ethereal ambient, voiceless industrial soundscapes, and electronic pop music. They have collaborated with artists such as Leigh Nash (of Sixpence None the Richer), Matthew Sweet, the Medieval Baebes, and Jael. I think they're most popular track is Terra Firma, which was in the Tomb Raider OST. It was played in the scene where Lara was taking a sensual bath. When I got bored with them after listening to countless of their CDs which I only found in HMV, I discovered Conjure One - also a Canadian electronic music group led by Rhys Fulber who was also part of Front Line Assembly. Their first self titled CD was a fusion of electronic characteristics from Rhys' previous work and middle eastern influences. I LOVE this track by Sinead O'Connor. Okay, that was a crappy video and obviously not the official one. I got their second album, Extraordinary Ways, which I didn't find as great as the first but worth listening to anyway.

Race to the finish

Shoe shopping

My internet-less existence over the weekend led me to the mall where I was in search of black patent sneakers similar to those of Bryanboy. I asked him where he got it. "You wouldn't believe this but I got it in People are People! For only P999!" he said. He bought it two weeks before and that got me worried. Two weeks is a long time for something to still be on the shelf - especially if it was on sale. I remember seeing that pair on the shelf before but didn't feel the need for another pair until I realized recently that everyone is and has been sporting vans. Hmph. So there I was, walking around Mall of Asia in search of Wade which according to Kesler had nice shoes. And he was right. I saw this nice Oxford-looking pair but since it was the last one they had, I decided not to get it. Frustrated, I went and bought a red collared shirt at this other store, some hair products, then had two pairs of denims made in dark denim and baby blue at Defacto. I drove to Powerplant after and wondered what I was doing there after walking around for about 20 minutes. I couldn't stop thinking about the shoes at Wade so after lunch yesterday, I went back and got it. I also got this silver and white pair. The best part is, they only cost P1,599 each!