Where I Screamed My Head Off

People are way too serious about death. I am serious about death. It hurts, it's unfair, it's scary as hell, it's despiteful, all that's true. But sometimes the only way to get through it is to recognize the ridiculous in the horrible. Because what will it all matter in a hundred years. Because life is silly. Because we're all just temporary. And because what else can you do.

I say a lot of times that while I am hopeful and a great believer of God’, I am also a realist. I don’t do fantasy or make-believe. I know cancer. Not all of it though but I know it’s alive and vicious, will go to remission for awhile but fired back at an instant.

So while I am at where I am at, I could use some breathing space, right?

So my house looked like this last Monday.

Meet the audience: a son, daughter, few nephews, nieces,
and a bunch of neighbors's kids. 

Me: What the hell is going on in there?

Kid: Ma, manood tayo ng Conjuring

Me: Is it okay?

Kid: ….

Me: **covers all the mirrors**

So I’m sitting there next to my little girl with pillow on her face. I even saw the beginning of it but I had to ask again and again if the ghost will appear yet. Now, normally my philosophy about everything concerning ghost movies is "If I can't see it, it's not my problem."

But of course, my older nephew leapt at the opportunity to regale us with the plot of the movie.

"Well, you see, they moved in that creepy house and that's where the dog would back all day. Before she will be discovered dead the next day. You can see where the tapping is heard, all because that’s where the killing happened..."

Half an hour later, we were all screaming. I think my uterus ruptured, or my eggs cracked. I don't know.

Once everyone was able to calm down and stop shrieking, after a few seconds of silence we would burst into screaming again.

Now I can't stop thinking about that cellar scene. It’s where the possessed Carolyn out to get the child and Patrick Wilson with his Elvis-like flip haircut and sideburns, is stuck in a hole saying his exorcism rites while Vera Farmiga’s Liberace-style collar ruffles is lulling her to think of their best time as a family.

So there.

I feel like I could be a good movie critic, though, because while other critics will give you intellectual point-by-point breakdowns on things like story arc and character development, I base my evaluations on emotional impact alone. Did I laugh? Did I cry? Did I sink into a near-death phasmophobia or extreme fear of ghosts and require six months of bi-weekly visits with a psychologist afterwards before I could sleep through the night again?

Oh I love you and hate you, Conjuring.

You scared the hell out me.

Putting His Dancing Shoes On

There’s a reason the area immediately inside the entrance to the supermarket is unoccupied some days. Ordinarily these are the spots where promotional items and bargains are placed. And if you’ve ever wondered why suddenly the sales people gathered around where they should be scattered every where in the grocery store, it’s not because the store managers are dingbats. Same reason why selling areas cannot be dance floors.

Did you ever experience buying at your local grocery and when you’re just about to pick up your eggs, you will be surprised by what looks like a half time show? After a split second you realized you’re watching a dance presentation. At first, you’ll ask why. But unfortunately the moment passes all too soon before you can make actual sense of it.

In fact the shoplifters had just left taking the whole entertainment center with them.

But really, the sellers and supermarket owners have studied us. They observed how we shop and now they’re using entertainment to boost our “dwell” time: the length of time we spend in a store.

Often people react in different ways. Some of the comments are:

• That’s amazing!.
• It’s a metaphor for the clash of civilizations, the collision of the traditional noisy, disordered palengke and the modern shopping experience as expressed by hips and butts bumping and flying around.
• Ano ba yan, may mga tao talagang walang magawa. (What the hell, some people have too much time on their hands.)
• Kulang sa pansin ang mga yan. Ibigay mo sa kin ang numbers nila at papansinin ko sila. Those guys clearly need attention. Give me their numbers, I’ll give them attention.)
• I wish I can dance that well.

But with a tiny bit of something that almost resembles the closest that I come between shame and pride, I posted his video here. Oh well Hubs could dabble as a dancer for extra cash.


Well danced, Hubs. Well danced.

If You Have a Date Then This One Is For You

Welcome to Valentines week my friends! where will you be on the fourteenth? Around this time, everyone is planning to go out and it made me think about those places where lovers normally frequented. While some places are definitely worth the trouble, others, not so much. Let me give you idea where to go and why these places are good or bad.



On the good list: The Rizal Park. Our national hero’s not only been immortalized by a penny but his park now becomes more majestic especially at night when it's glowing in light, it's free, and you don't have to stand in line to be there.



On the bad list: The Quezon City Circle. Okay, what is this thing supposed to be? How does a really tall, skinny, 3-vertical structure honoring Manuel Quezon? Did anyone ask him about this design? Maybe he would have liked a nice statue with him on the horse instead. And am I the only one who looks at this structure and wants to play an areal game of ring toss? On the plus side, it makes a good place for flying characters to zoom around as they try to evade each other.



On the good list: The Manila Ocean Park. You get to learn interesting stuff, covet precious gems, see frightening looking fish that lurk in the dark parts of the ocean--something for everyone. Plus, again it's a good place to set a scene for underwater wedding proposal, with large stingray looming above you.



On the creepy list: Any museum that has mummies. I mean, there's something unsettling about seeing shriveled dead people from thousands of years ago laid out in front of you like they were treasures. Inside an open casket or an open jar, or standing with pieces of bones chained inside a see-through box like the one in National Museum. If I ever inherit an antiquity, the last thing I want is a mummy. Shriveled dead people don't go with most people's home decor and there are just so many things you can prop up in your living room. A nice vase, I would take.



On the good list: Break water at the back of The Mall of Asia. Open seas are beautiful, peaceful, and make for good background for Prenup video. Nothing is more relaxing than enjoying the waves especially if you taught of seeing them aboard a rented yacht.



On the bad list: The Mall of Asia. What do you have if you combined the SM Mega Mall concept with Greenbelt's upscale ambiance plus the crowd at Divisoria? This place. It housed at least 200,000 people at peak hours. This huge crowd and the main entrances and pedestrian/ cat walks are really far from the nearest van and bus terminals. That many people could have been there but the reports may have forgotten to account that about 100,000 of those people were lost in MOA’s overpopulated complex and just wound up there and barely get out there alive.



On the good and the bad list simultaneously: Makati Shopping District. The travel magazine says that 15 million people visit a year, and I believe them as there were at least that many people standing in line in front of me when I pay at the Cashier. I love the new Glorietta, their new boutiques, the interior decorations, and the outdoor landscape in Greenbelt--I mean, if they aren’t awesome, I don’t know what to call them.

But sorry Mr Ayala and Mr Sy,your malls are as jampacked as MOA when there is a holiday. You may end up at food court if you want a quick lunch or dinner. However, there are also a lot of buffet restaurants you can wait for if you have the time. I might ask Hubs to bring me to Yakimix if we have the chance, Valentine’s day or not.

Well, I could go on but I still have a lot of things on my plate right now. I hope you all have the loveliest V-day on Thursday!

Of Sunshine and Liebster Awards

As much of a tell-all person I have become since I started blogging, answering questions quite excite me now. And it doubly stimulates me if I will be the one to ask you. I remember when I was just starting blogging, I could have adjusted myself with silent reading, and get through the normal phenomena of checking stats, and agonizing over numbers of followers and counting the comments.

But then I realized blogging thrives in a give and take relationship. It has to be two-way. I realized that I might be denying you good people of hearing about who could bee the best literary genius this world could ever have (please don’t fire gun at me. We are all narcissistic people in some way, you know.) But really I am very thankful to you my readers--especially those of you have read this far.

*anaconda hugs to you all*



My special thanks to Buzz Lightyear for the Liebster award and Genskie for the Sunshine award. Sorry Genskie this is kinda late. But thanks nevertheless. I love the awards!

And to continue these awards to fly around the blogsphere, I am passing them both to these people who shed tears and blood to write their posts. They are:

1. Arvin of Chateau de Archievener 
2. Jon of JonDmur;
3. Kotz of Isip Ko Lang 
4. Pao of Life N Canvas 
5. Gracie of Gracie's Network 
6. Ellen Marie of The Impeccable Sophist 
7. Sarah of Not On My Own Anymore 
8. Direk Alecx of Blog-ags and Tsugugs
9. Diosa of Sense and Sensibility
10. Margj of Between You and Me

But wait! there’s rule to follow.

• Each person must list 11 things about themselves. 
• Answer the 11 questions that the tagger has set for you PLUS you MUST create 11 questions of your own for the 11 people you will nominate with this award. 
• Choose up to 11 bloggers linking them to your post. Go to their page and inform them of the nomination. Absolutely NO tags back. 
• Remember to ONLY tag bloggers with less than 200 followers. 

BTW, here are the questions I was obliged to answer:

1. How do you find time for blogging? I do it every other day. Begin writing on the first night and finish it off on the second night.
2. If you could travel back in time in a time machine what would be the top three times/places you'd visit? First, around 3 or 2 BC in Jerusalem to see Jesus Second, sometime 3000BC to AD313 to check Zeus and company and third,1884, year Jose Rizal wrote Noli Me Tangere.
3. What is the coolest thing you have ever built or constructed? A dried black pigeon perching on a branch. Feathers falling off. For biology class.
4. What is one historical story in your family that you are most proud of? Mother lives to tell how she witnessed the World War 2. She recounted digging a hole in the ground and came out only to get relief goods. I am proud of it. She witnessed what I only read from the book.
5.  Do you like to cook or bake? No to both. Tried making this no-baked cereal bars last christmas, but it turned out like a slob of Elmer’s glue.
6. Have you ever found any interesting old artifact or something antique ? None. I loathe them. They smell like old cabinet. 
7. Do you have any pets? None.  
8. Do you ever have a commonly recurring dream? None. My dreams are often random. 
9. Who would be your top 5 people from the past you would like to meet?
   1.My husband. I’ll tease him that we’ll end up together in the future.
   2.My ex. To plot a good revenge he’ll never forget.
   3.My father. Ask him why he had done the things he had done.
   4.Robby Rosa- the lead singer of Menudo. I thought I will be married to him.
   5.My self. To tell her to go ahead and leave worries and insecurities behind because you are amazing, and are going to live a good life.
    
10. You won a huge amount of money in a lottery, you give your family half of the money. The other half you have to give away. What would be your top 3 ways to dispose the money? 1.Give to local charities. 2.Donate to impoverished countries 3.Pay off the country’s loan to World Bank. 
11. Favorite movie?  Fireproof.

Of course, here's my own set of eleven questions you need to answer.

1. What side of the bed do you sleep on? 
2. Do you believe in ghosts? 
3. If you could only watch one movie for the rest of your life what would it be? 
4. If you could only read one author until the end of time who would it be? 
5. Would you rather serve a week in prison or try and survive for a year alone in a jungle? 
6. How old are you? 
7. If you were on death row, what would your last meal be? 
8. What would you want to be written on your tombstone? 
9. If anyone in the room could be your slave for a day, who would it be and what would they have to do? 
10. What was the last thing you said to someone? 
11. If you had to choose between a millions bucks and being able to fly, which would you choose?

Let's Take Away Those Monday Blues

As I read from Francis Kong's blog (feel free to click the link found down below at the left side): the wishbone will never replace the backbone says Will Henry. But to live life with joy, always be conscious that you too have a funnybone. I say with the war happening in Algeria?, or the rob-out in Atimonan? or the Manong Driver who kept on spitting every 10 seconds and his saliva flew through the window all over you, yes you could use some humor.

Don’t grow tired of finding comedy even in littlest thing. After all life is what you make it. Don’t turn sour each day. Think young, there’s a big difference between laughing and being laughed at.

Here are people I found hilariously funny in their own genre.

1. Jessica Zafra- not a professional comedian, but a professional writer. She writes well and I like her for being both witty and funny.
   

   “If you're on a plane and the person in front of you starts slowly tilting to one side, it means he's letting out a fart. Take cover!”

   
   
   
2. Jon Santos- one of the few local comedians that I think deserves to be on this list. His impersonations of local celebrities and politicians are hilarious. Although he is not a "purist" stand-up comedian since he wears costumes, he is a complete performer and actually writes his own materials. 

“Pag una pa lang kayo nagkita, court of first instance ‘yon. ‘Pag nagandahan na kayo sa isa’t isa that is court of appeal. ‘Pag todo todong kayo na that is already the supreme court. Pero ‘pag sobra na kayong close, eh, ibang court na ‘yon, Victoria’s Court.”


3. Vice Ganda- a stand up gay comedian, once featured at Readers Digest Asia for being one of the best Filipino humorists. I find him funny, although offensive at times.
   
   Sumakay siya ng jeep na walang laman papuntang palengke)
   Vice: Manong bayad po.
   Manong1: Ilan ‘to?
   Vice: Ay manong dalawa yan, nakakahiya kasi sayo, kahit ako lang mag-isa
   sakay mo, dalawa na ibabayad ko,
   libre na kita kahit sayo ‘tong jeep.
   (Bababa na sya)
   Vice: Manong, para.
   Manong: Bababa ka na?
   Vice: Ay hindi manong, sasakay ako. Sasakay ako ulit, dun naman ako sa bubong, mas presko kasi dun.
   
   
   
4. Bob Ong- a skilful Pinoy writer, who like Jessica Zafra, both witty and smart in his writing style. Until now he hides in his pseudonym and has never appeared at any book launching, not even his own, nor on TV.

"Ang pag-ibig parang imburnal...nakakatakot mahulog... at kapag nahulog ka, it's either by accident or talagang tanga ka.."

The world is already full of bitter, boring, selfish, serious looking individuals.

So why not change it one joke at time?

If You Don’t Know Then You’ll Never Understand

While many of you cram to look for soft and hairy, or excited to dance Gangnam Style at your office Christmas parties, you are lucky, people!

We don’t have Christmas party.

So contrary to the year after last year where we are asked to dress up like in the 70’s like you see in the picture below.

I miss this psychedelic, spotted, Gina silk costume already. You see, I don’t mind wearing shower curtain some days.

The pleasant feeling stays and the memories linger even after so many years. I now enjoy parties, which I don’t when I was a kid. I was embarrassed at the time but luckily I outgrew being self-conscious of my klutziness and find it hilarious now.

Parties bring people together, in one room, eating and drinking, and sharing stories that never end. My officemates still laugh when they remember my legs wrapped in fishnet stocking looking like a Chinese Ham. But despite of all the shame of looking like K-Pop star gone mad, I enjoyed every minute of it.

Not that I take pleasure in being laughed at. I am just so “game” for anything fun. Clean fun, though. I have realized that sometimes you got to seize the moment and have a good time. That instead of clamming up in one corner, why not mix with people, enjoy their company and tick each other’s funny bones.

But then I realized, its not only parties, not even food and drinks that bring people together. It’s really more the friendship and closeness that build up throughout all of the years of working together.

So with or without office parties?

It's the time to make your own party.

With some of your nicest officemates, few burgers and fries, and a Magic Sing? BOOM!

=====

*Okay, may be it’s not that bad. Many government agencies have also called off their Christmas parties this year.

• The Office of the President

• The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council

• Armed Forces of the Philippines

• Philippine National Police

• Department of Education, Culture and Sports

They are donating the funds to assistance for victims of typhoon “Pablo.”

Shopping Guide List For Her

Wondering what to give your wife or girlfriend this holiday? This is why I’ve decided to create my Shopper’s Guide List of what to buy for your female love ones. I am sorry to tell you all that no, this does not guarantee your girlfriends/ wives will love you more. Until my husband still takes me for Atilla the Hun occasionally, you’re all on your own.

Okay so lets down to business. The first thing on my list is inspired by my latest obsession.



The Diet Plate. This is great for ladies who watch their food intakes. The plan is to guide you with accurate portion of carbohydrate and protein foods to facilitate weight loss and maintenance. It can be used just like an ordinary dinner plate. You can eat everything inside the whole plate and not feel guilty. However, the little tagline says you only use one plate. Seriously, if you will have 3 diet plates bursting with steaks, chops and barbeques at the brim this really spoils the idea. Okay?

Foldable Hunter Boots. Good for fashion conscious slash germ-fighting women. This is different from the ones you see in palengke. This is a lot sosy, as they say. Why? Because the late Princess Diana used it before. That's why. This is great in hot pink because pink makes everything cuter. Besides a pair of this will save you from flood-related illnesses. So habagat-friendly.



BDJ Beauty Box. Perfect for young and older ladies alike with incessant need for perfect eye brow. Surprise her with BDJ online subscription and discover why the most dolled up girl in the office is always aware of the latest trend in fashion and know why her lips shape like fish and burning in red. This may astound the husband because her wife can become Ann Curtis over night.



Dismember-me Plush Zombie. For stressed wives who cannot vent their frustrations. The interest in zombies just never dies, does it? Well, if you're tired of being pushed around by the zombies at home, work, gym, school, store, or wherever, take out your frustration on this sucker. Pull him apart. Remove his brain. Give him a taste of his own medicine! Grrr!



ZombieSmarts Desk Calendar. Can be given for stay-at-home Mom or practically any ladies who has someone in the family she wanted to give a heart attack. But more than that, this simple little desk calendar could help you avoid becoming another cerebellum-munching member of the walking dead with its "grisly facts about the history, habits, and hungers of the living dead. Daily you will learn how to combat a zombie invasion". Not to be taken lightly..

So, there you have it, folks: a short and simple list of all of my suggested Christmas gifts for all the ladies.

What do you think?

First on My Wish List

As you know, this blog has ushered you, my beautiful friends, into a holiday sense of way. Oh how I love Christmas, no matter how stressful and nerve-racking it can be. It always delights us into something only a child in heart can appreciate and relate with.

And if you are a reader of this blog, you will know that we live in a semi-complete, 2-story structure, with open holes and unpainted walls and a comfort room that‘s all toilet bowl. No vanity, no shower, frosted glass or that stainless towel bar or that glittery mirror over bowl.

Really, how can a person possibly decorate a” dump”?

But then I saw this!

Oh how I love, love, love the idea...beautiful ceramic tiles printed with digital images. For some reason this is exactly what I want to have. Out of wit and imagination, I already visualized it to be filled with images possibly of birds or trees or may be inspiring words to live by, or may even family photos. I wonder how many poems, blogs, plans, castles in the sky will crop up in mind while seated on the porcelain pot. Nasty to think, but accept that sometimes we become our most productive when we are attending to the calls of Mother Nature. Our imaginations fly away, as well as thoughts and introspection about life and we often leave the bathroom already with answers to world peace.

Don't you think so?

How I Feel in Photos

Here are great pictures made by Joel Robinson, a famous photograper in the online community. Take a peek at his whimsical abstractions of the reading experience and the joy of books. You can visit his website, Boy Wonder's Photostream at Flickr here.

So imaginative, so visual.


                      The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, 
                      a feeling, a way of looking at things – that you’d thought special, particular to you. 
                     And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you’ve never met, may even 
                     someone long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out, and taken yours.

On Wants and Needs

It’s difficult to have a new house. Your old things no longer look desirable.

So the lists are starting to come in.

“Ma, let’s have Wi-Tribe” (P1,000)

“Or cable?” (P600)

“I want cable!”

“Mahal, we really should replace that table.” (P2,000) “What we really need for the new house is for the boy to have his own bed” (P3,000). “I need new school shoes” (P500). “Also, hub’s health insurance” (P 1,000). “And Yana’s nanny ” (P1,000). Church’s Building Fund is due! (P1,000) “The credit chard is billing us P1,200 for the membership." (P1,200) “What do you mean our portion of the electric bill is P1,500!? (P1,500)

Sigh.

I know we are not alone here. The "I wants" are always part of the expenses. The "I needs" are part of life.

Funny enough, I am not worried.

Stressed, yes. Worried, no. Because I can always ignore the wants and just focus on the needs.

I know there will always be ways to overcome financial problems. We just came out from a very big financial responsibility, and I thought we wouldn’t be able to do it. My greatest fear is to stop the construction halfway. I was not prepared but through my family’s unconditional support and high optimism, yes we’re able to finish the house construction and live in it comfortably at the very least. By “finish” I mean the kitchen sink and toilet bowl were already in place, and with running water and tiled floor. Forget about the windows because we covered the holes with plywood.

But the debt is still a debt, right?

So we need a plan.

If we cut everything to the bone, we could pay off our loans half by next year. But that would mean no eating in restaurants, no movies, no cable, no Wi-Tribe, no additional gadgets, or major purchases all year.

Gulp.

And more importantly, giving 10% of our income, even if it looks like a stupid thing to do when you are trying to get out of debt, could be the smartest thing we could ever do. Although we were really trying our best to squeeze it in our budget, we became unfaithful these last three months. I say, we failed to handle it perfectly.

But we could do that. We will do that -- if we have to.

With debts or without debts.

He should always be part of our lives, much more our finances. Budgeting, borrowing and debt, saving, tithing and other financial topics are important, but our attitude about money is more important. Once our way of thinking about money lines up with God’s, it’s much easier to tackle the practical matters.

Need I say more?

I So Love This!

I am so happy to know that I have been given this award April this year.

Now I know how to be in Oscars.

I want to thank Buzzlightyear for giving me this honor. It was very kind of you.

As a rule, if you receive it you have to:

• thank the blogger who sends you the award and add a link to her/his blog

• write 7 random things about yourself

• give the award to other bloggers you love and tell them.

Please visit Buzz Lightyear’s blog site here

And for some stuff about me, not only 7 but see my bucketlist of what I am and what I am not.

Lastly, I am passing this award to the following:

Between You And Me

Black Swamp Cornucopia

My Life’s Journey

Pinay Daily Ramblings

Ropcorn.com

Tabulyogang

Unrivalled Solace

You all deserve it!

Little People

Happy first day of March everybody! As we are leaving the love month, let's welcome the summer months with these cute Little People.















Aren't they amazing?

Pinterest Friday Finds

Another prints from Pinterest. I thought these posters are genius. They speak your mind and your heart. If you dig slightly beneath those words, raw but real feelings emerge to the surface.







They leave bittersweet feelings, but very real, very true.
Don't you think so?