Closure

It was totally unexpected. That mail you sent. The words cut through my heart and triggered what I hope were my final tears as far as we are concerned.

Thank you for the thoughtfulness of those two words. They made you the "better man" you probably don't believe yourself to be. Thank you for the honesty and the unmistakable sincerity. Thank you for having the guts to say it out loud despite thinking it to be at your expense. Because with it, you earned my respect.

I am sorry too that we didn't make it.

All the best.

Bloody Red!

This is my new baby: Lenovo's S10 Notebook. Amazingly red! Love red. And in a laptop? Fantastic. And the shade! Oh, what a sight to behold. Hehe. And yes, it wasn't the specs that did it. The color did. ;)

(Photo credit: Lenovo website. Too lazy to take my own pic. Hehe.)

I Love...

Today marks the start of a new label: the "ILOVE Series". The series will list things that capture my fancy the moment I write. Things I feel are worth being thankful for. ;)

I LOVE -
1. A hot shower after gym and/or badminton
2. Walking home from work
3. The cuteness of my colleagues' toddlers
4. Non-working holidays
5. Dancing like crazy

=)

Sweet

Credit: Paul Banday

A Measure of Artistry

I am no artist. But - as one who can at least appreciate an artist's work, I think I have just discovered one way I shall be judging any kind of artwork hereon: the way it moves me.

I have been aimlessly browsing Facebook tonight (can't sleep) and noticed my cousin's blog and photo sites. I couldn't believe my eyes when I explored his photos! His work is just amazing! So good, the pictures made me want to cry. For no reason at all. Weird. But I guess, that's how quality art should affect a viewer: it overwhelms.

Photo credit: Paul Banday

Photo title: Vanishing Point

The Taylor Chronicles: Codes

Another proof that Taylor Swift is not just your typical singer-guitarist-songwriter are the codes inserted in the lyric sheet of her albums. Yep, she is also goddamn smart.

It may be her idea, or that of her marketing team, but regardless whose it is, that additional feature is an irresistible lure to fans to buy the physical album despite the downloadable version (free or otherwise). No wonder her albums are multi-platinum!

Above is a sample lyric page of her second album (Fearless) and the song is Love Story. The codes are letters that are CAPITALIZED in the lyrics when they shouldn't be. Example (see the letters marked/encircled in the pic): we were both young when i first Saw you. "S" in "saw" is out of place, and that's the letter to look out for. The whole story: S-O-M-E-D-A-Y *** I-L-L ***F-I-N-D ***T-H-I-S. I can't be sure but I'm guessing that what she means is she hopes to find a love like the one in the song... someday.

Another sample:
*Song - Hey, Stephen
*Code - LOVE AND THEFT (Stephen, about whom she wrote the song, is a member of this band)

Itching to get a copy of the album now? =) =) =)

Only You

The reason why I have to be home by 8:30 is Only You. I can't believe ABS-CBN got this one so well. Perhaps it's a strong point of the network. Localizing Korean shows, I mean. My Girl was also a quality adaptation.

Only You stars Angel Locsin as Jillian, the down-on-her-luck aspiring chef who once lost everything to a man she fell in love with while on a cooking workshop in Korea. Sam Milby plays that man, TJ. Diether Ocampo completes the love triangle as Jonathan.

Usually, an ABS series would look so promising in the first few days of launching. Then my interest would eventually fade because in the quest for money (longer run), the writers screw up the story with so many complications, I tend to forget what the story is truly about. Sometimes, the plot touches on the ridiculous.

But not this one. Only You is a gem. So well acted. I think Angel plays her character way, way better here than she did on Lobo. Diether and Sam are also commendable. Especially Sam. The rest of the characters likewise click, as far as my viewing standards are concerned. I just hope for more "kilig" moments between Jillian and TJ though. These two deserve some truly happy moments after all they've gone through.

As proof of my fascination with the show, above is Jillian's supposedly amazing specialty as a chef - Talangkanin. It was advertised to be actually sold in one of the Korean restaurants here, so I hunted one down and tried it. It failed my expectations but still, I like the thrill of trying it out.;)

Boys Over Flowers

The Main Cast

"Boys over Flowers" is the Korean version of the then huge hit "Meteor Garden" which is, perhaps, Taiwan's most popular import to the country. The new version of the TV series continues its predecessor's addictive appeal. In a way, the story's a Pride and Prejudice adaptation. Rich boy and poor girl meet and initially hate each other to bits. But then they start seeing each other in a new light, and once they do, nothing else matters.

The Famed F4

I just love these boys. They are so adorable. Oh, Lee Min-ho. Those darn dimples. Ah.

Something's Cooking

I don't cook. Never was interested to. For me, the process is complicated; the time spent is just too long. I'd rather read, or surf the net, or watch TV.

How do I eat, you ask. One word: fastfood. Two words: eating out. Most of the time. For the rest, it's anything that no longer needs cooking.

But today is a different day. A milestone, I must say. Yep, after more than a year since I had a place of my own, I cooked.

You wonder what happened. What brought the change. I wonder too.

Perhaps, it's just part of getting older. Your preferences change. Your perspective change. Suddenly, the things that you never cared for before become interesting, or important.

I love it. The cooking. The change.

The Taylor Chronicles: Work

Music genius at work:

Tagaytay Highlands: Animal Farm

Local version of George Orwell's Animal Farm:

Birds of a feather...

Growing apart?

Love this shot...

...and this too

Tagaytay Highlands: Mountain Ride

These are the kind of ride mountains should have. ;)

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.