Tagaytay Highlands: More Country View

Tagaytay Highlands: DreamHouse

Someday, I'm going to have a vacation house like this one.

Tagaytay Highlands: Country Club

Loved swimming in this pool

Enjoyed breakfast with this view
Didn't even mind that the place was flooded! =)

Tagaytay Highlands: The Wedding

Went up Tagaytay Highlands yesterday to witness two lives become one. Kirby and Jane, best wishes!

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Amazing! I wasn't much into the film because I didn't think Wolverine could live up to the quality of the X-Men trilogy. But I was wrong. The movie was a B-L-A-S-T!

Thinking of You, Katy Perry

Comparisons are easily done once you've had a taste of perfection. Like an apple hanging from a tree, I picked the ripest one. I still got the seed. // You said move one, where do I go. I guess second best is all I will know. // Cause when I'm with him, I am thinking of you, thinking of you. What you would do if you were the one who was spending the night. Oh I wish that I was looking into your eyes.

Postcard from Julia

I dropped by my mailbox today and found myself very, very pleasantly surprised. Among the mails was Julia's promised postcard from her vacation in Florida! I couldn't stop smiling a happy smile and grinning a grateful grin. In short, Jewels, your card made my day.

Gosh, it's been so long since I last got one. With the internet now, postcards by post are a scarcity. Thanks much, Jewels. So thoughtful of you. =)

Saturday Morning

The smell of good coffee, a bowl of cereal I actually like, the feel of a damp morning (rain in summer!), the chance to surf the web, the inspiration from reading Jewel's entries and being led to this amazing photostream, and finally finding this:

is such bliss. ;)

GG Post

I just love, love, love (!) this:

The Taylor Chronicles: Winner

I am glad that Taylor won "Album of the Year" at the 2009 ACM Awards.

There are so many reasons why Fearless is THE album of the year for me personally (well, so far and more likely even up to December). I am tempted to name each reason but I think each deserves a distinct post. Let this one be for "experience".

Fearless is a collection of songs that grows on you. It makes you learn to love it, at your own pace. At least that's how the journey was with me.

I started with the first track and album title "Fearless". I couldn't get it off my head. And I especially like the line "you take my hand and drag me headfirst" . I just can't believe Taylor thought of that. Headfirst. What a scene it creates in my head (like the guy pulling her hair?). =)

Soon enough, I began to really like the rest of the songs except "Hey, Stephen", "Breathe" and "Tell Me Why". "Except" Hey Stephen because after a few plays, it became my number one fave in the entire album (so it's more than just "really like"). The beat is just so swayable. It remains to this day as my ringtone.

"Breathe" was second to my least liked track at the beginning. But I can't remember now why I did not like it. "Tell Me Why" was the last one I learned to love but once I did, it sealed my affection for the entire album.

Unlike other albums that just seem to want to feature a couple of hits and let the other tracks be forgettable, Fearless is a winner because each song is meant to be a delight. All of Fearless' songs are lovable, in the 'verb' sense of the word. You will learn to love them, probably not all at once, but as the experience with the album continues, each song kinda takes its moment with you.

Susan Boyle and Other Coffeetable Talk

The temperature has become too hot, it drove me off the house and into this cafe. And of course, what is cooling off without the traditional invasion of the most out-of-sight corner and surfing the net without caring how long? =)

Gist. I was talking to a friend last night and I think I never really got a grip of my true circumstances until she blew these words: Doj, you are in deep shit. The last two words are not part of my everyday vocabulary and the slang is evidence of her residence abroad. But more than the fascination with the sentence itself, I am fascinated at how well she figured out what I was talking about. Vals, you smart **ss. ;) (I meant "LAss". Whatever were you thinking? I don't speak adult words, goddamnit.)

Expletives. I have lately been in awe about how people so easily use expletives. In particular, I refer to expletives that are not in my original language. I am in awe because lately, when I tried using them, they did not seem fit. They were just words, not cuss ones. Even if I said them, there was no malice. Just practice of the use of the words in a sentence. Hehe. I am rambling, I know. Darn.

Susan. I'm not really extremely impressed about her singing itself. I think it's the combination of her circumstances and her singing that make her performance stellar at Britain's Got Talent (hello, Simon). She's 47, unemployed, never been married, never been kissed and looks more like a stage mom than star material. But her attitude is admirable, her talent great and her guts amazing (courage!). I wish I could directly put the video here but embedding is a prob. So, here's the link instead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXX_gMFeWlc.

I know you can't wait to see it. ;)

View from the Top

In a country of more than 7,000 islands, the scenic piece in the above photo which I took from my window seat on my flight home last Thursday should no longer be that much of a wonder. But for one who would usually take the earliest or latest flights (that is, either the sun is not yet up or no longer there), this view was an awesome one. Glad to have taken a snapshot of it.

And oh, happy easter everyone! =)

Glacial

The term "glacial" came into my consciousness courtesy of Meryl Streep's line in "The Devil Wear's Prada". It was what she used to ironically describe how slow Anne Hathaway's character was moving in one scene.

Now, as I sit at the airport waiting for my flight home, I am reminded of the word again. My laptop simply was booting at a glacial pace, long enough to run for about 30 minutes (with one reboot). If I were at home, I may not mind as much as I do now but hey, this is a dang public place and I unfortunately am seated at the front row and anyone who happens to notice would know that my laptop has become Jurassic. Argh.

That stressful event aside, I am so looking forward to going home.

Fearless

Saw Green Cricket's latest post today and oh, how her insight struck a cord. I totally believe in what she pointed out. Indeed, despite the fear, we should still learn to rise past it.

Now, if I can only live that insight...

Un-Clutter

Yesterday, Saturday, I went back to the office solely to clean up my work area. It's something I've been thinking to do for the longest time but never really got the chance to execute. I knew that if I didn't do it then, it'll be deferred on and on.

So, I ended up piling 3 reams worth of bond paper scratch, 2 filled garbage bags, 3 plastic garbage containers full of more trash and a work area I can now breathe more freely in, so to speak.

Today, Sunday, I finally got to clean up the veranda which I completely ignored for weeks. Also did major cleaning in the house, which led to two worn shoes joining tomorrow's garbage truck, among others.

What's with all the cleaning?

I guess it's symbolic as much as literal. There seems to be a lot of stuff in my life that I need to re-arrange...un-clutter. The challenge is deciding which ones will go to trash and which ones will be kept.

Walking in the Sun

It felt quite good to leave the office today while the sun was still out. I hope it'll be that way from now on. But...I'm just dreaming.

--------------------

Last Saturday, I and my training classmates went to an institution that take care of senior citizens, as part of our batch's outreach project. The home for the aged was actually not just that because it also takes care of homeless and orphaned children. Below is a photo I took while we were on our way to the institution's activity center:




What struck me most about this scene is the use of a bared chair seat as hoop for the ball. It is sad for an obvious reason, i.e., the lack of a basketball facility where these children can enjoy real basketball (not sure if there is a court in other parts of the institution). Apart from this implication, however, I must say that this very scene is a show of tremendous creativity. What a brilliant idea to minic a basket hoop!

Soulmate

Looks like this song no longer applies to N.B. -



"Soulmate" is one of the tracks in Natasha Bedingfield's album titled "Pocketful of Sunshine". In the song, a woman wonders whether there are really soulmates because she can't seem to find one. Well, apparently, Natasha can't perfectly relate to it now because she has already found her mate. Of course, I can't know whether he is her soul's mate but I think, Natasha is the kind of woman who won't settle for anything less.


Here's the People Magazine report: Natasha Bedingfield is married

I wish her happiness. Don't forget to make more music, N.B.!

Pride and Prejudice

I have been running through this BBC series since last night. And I love, love, love it!!!

Hot Cold Case

Cold Case is a new addition to my fave show list. It deals with crime investigation but unlike other shows on the subject (e.g., my ultimate fave CSI), it tackles cases that have long been shelved unsolved. What's amazing about the show is how well it blends the events of the present with that of the past: seamless and realistic.

Great Buys

I had a couple of "a-ha" shopping moments yesterday. You know, those moments when you see something in a store and your heart suddenly skips a beat...

I did not expect to find this DVD. I've been wanting the Pride and Prejudice BBC series but thought that since it's a British show, it won't be sold in the country. Thus, finding this DVD was a complete surprise (wasn't looking for it). The other two Austen classics are a welcome bonus. Amazing, amazing!


The phone camera does not do this sweetie justice. Yes...sweet. This watch is a darling. I really, really like it. Love the design, the green color of the bracelet, and the way the green and the brown are intertwined to form the bracelet. It's waterproof and with indiglo. It feels like it was designed for me. ;)

24

Just yesterday, I couldn't find anything to be thankful for and consequently blog about. Amazing how situations drastically change in just 24 hours.

Jewels - from neighboring Red Otter - broke the ice. Her words greeted my day with a smile.

Then, there's the dinner with friends early this evening, a joint birthday celeb by Tiotio and Leslie. It was great to meet and chat with old college friends, and their other halves, and offspring (Nathan) who won my affection when he readily sat on my lap and sweetly hugged me goodbye. Thanks, Tio and Les, cheers to you both! =)

After dinner, there was the chance to hear, even just for a bit, these guys sing live. Journey is in the country and was having a concert at the MOA field and so, their performance could be heard the moment we stepped out of the dinner place.


And finally, there is Facebook which reconnected me with a number of freshman college classmates who, despite Friendster, I haven't really talked to for the longest time.

Looking forward to more great finds tomorrow. Goodnight, blogworld. ;)

Wonder

What does it mean when you can't seem to find anything in a day that you strongly feel grateful for? Your mind knows that you are blessed, perhaps even more than you deserve, and yet, nothing special comes to mind.

Am I running out of great finds?

I doubt it. But today, though, I'm not in a state of mind to go find one. ):

The Taylor Chronicles: Arrival

As I have told sometime ago (The Taylor Chronicles: Search), I scoured local record stores for months last year just to look for Taylor's CDs. To disappointing results, that is. Her music was not carried in the country. Sad, sad.

So, imagine my surprise when this greeted the entrance of Glorietta's Music One this afternoon:
About time! Well, with local MTV and variety shows already playing "Love Story", I must admit I kinda expected the CDs to finally come over anytime soon (only the second album, "Fearless", was being sold though). Still, the sight of the display still caught me off-guard.

Once the surprise settled, came the envitable question. Did I rush to have my colleague buy me the CDs in the U.S.? If I had more patience, could have I bought for much less here?

One look at the cover kinda told me I did okay. The U.S. version had the real, original cover. Although I also like the cover of this one, I like the original better:

Another look at the song content cemented my position: I did great. The local version has three more songs from the first album (Our Song, Should Have Said No, Teardrops on my Guitar) but none of the extra videos. ;) I don't know what the lyric sheet looks like but I have already come to a conclusion. I did not regret getting myself the U.S. version. I love the CD to pieces. ;)

That is not to say that I'm not happy that Taylor has finally come to town. I am. She deserves to be heard here. In fact, I bought a copy of the local version. It was the best gift I could think of for my friend Popo's (belated) birthday.

Last I heard, she loves the CD. :)

Revenge of the Sick

I feel like I've been offline for so long (despite that little note I wanted to put in days ago)! Ah, I'm going to make up for lost time. ;)

First off, I'm not completely well. Still have some cough. But at least, no more of the shivers. And as I said a post ago, I value my health more now than a week ago. ;)

Second, DON'T watch this movie. Or maybe it was just me and Popo. We both didn't like it. Gross, flat, disconnected, forced, pathetic. I couldn't wait for it to end.



Third, what a pleasant surprise to hear from someone you thought you'd never hear from again! =)

Fourth, I somehow feel that change has come. For me personally. In a big, intangible way. Maybe, I'm growing up after all. Life is taking such a different turn. Ah, perspective.

And fifth, I've started reading Robert Ludlum's "The Bourne Identity". It's been days but I haven't even got through half the book. It's not the book, I must say. There are just so many other things to do.

In Sickness and In Health

Have missed a lot these past few days. A wedding. A birthday party. The chance to purchase plane tickets home. And a lot more.

Got sick. Fever.

If there's a good thing coming off it, it's the reminder to good ol' me that good health matters.