Slow Me Down

AB introduced me to Emmy Rossum's music. I initially thought it was weird and sounded like it came from underground, galing sa ilalim ng lupa kumbaga. But after listening to it over and over and slowly understanding what the song is trying to say, I began to like it.

Pace of the world, I just wish I could stop it
Try to appear like I've got it together
I'm falling apart
Save me, somebody take my hand and lead me
Slow me down, don't let love pass me by
Just show me how
'Cause I'm ready to fall
Slow me down, don't let me live a lie
Before my life flies by
I need you to slow me down

The Blair Bitch Project

Yay! New Gossip Girl episode! Finally, after two long months...
To say that I hate Jenny Humphrey is an understatement. I loathe her. I knew right from the beginning that she's up to no good. She's a frickin' social climber and I hate social climbers. I'd say it's better to live within your means.

I'm still on Blair's side. I really thought for a while that Blair would be able to reclaim her "queen bee" status, but that Jenny was quick to retaliate. Too bad...

I usually like Blair's sense of fashion but not this time... maybe this has something to do with her going incognito.

I can't wait til next week. Here's the promo for next week's episode, Desperately Seeking Serena. Apparently, Serena's partner-in-crime during her girls-gone-wild days, Georgina Sparks, is back.

I love it.

The Yearbook

...yearbooks, actually. I was just going for a more dramatic effect.

Inspired by a Wonder Years episode with the same title, I decided to collate here my write-ups from my three yearbooks.

Before I proceed to the write-ups, I just would like to say that both my grade school and high school yearbooks are, well, crappy. Grade school yearbooks are supposed to be crappy but the high school annual should be good enough to make you want to look over it again and again and feel nostalgic. But sad to say, my high school annual, albeit 3 years in the making, was crappy as hell and didn't elicit feelings of nostalgia. I just can't bloody believe I waited 3 years for that crap! I browse through my sisters' yearbooks and wonder why mine wasn't nicely done. So suffice to say, my favorite was the college yearbook, aesthetically speaking, though I don't know 99% of the people there.

As to which write-up best fits me, you be the judge. So without further ado, here they are...

For grade school:
At home, her parents and sisters don't call her Valerie, but Joy. They think it suits her better than "Valerie." Joy means an exhilaration of spirits, a feeling of delight, happiness. That is what she is to them, to us, her classmates and to each and everyone whose lives she has touched. It is hard not to notice her smile that makes one remember the simpler pleasures in life: eating ice cream on a warm summer's day, singing favorite songs in the shower at the top of one's voice and giving a heartfelt hug at the end of the day.

For high school:
"Savage!" "Savage!" "Savage!" Everyone remembers me when they hear the word "savage" because I am an avid fan of this band, which could explain why I adore Australia.
Far from being savage, I am actually a friendly person that you cannot really know that at first sight. You need to get to know me better to understand what goes on in my mind. I have a great sense of adventure as my friends say.
A thousand words can describe me. A few of them are: I am truly, madly, deeply a person who could take you to the moon and back with my unearthly personality.

For college:
Charisma in a bottle. Hope in a smile. A wealth of words in one look. Amazingly has friends at every metaphorical port of call. Engaging. The next queen of talk. Can extract the deepest, darkest secrets within ten minutes. Charming. The proverbial flame that drew the moths. Either ageless beauty or forever childlike. The thin line between love and violence. Owner of the laugh that turned a million heads and shattered a thousand eardrums. Contracts selective amnesia on selected occasions.

Reaction Post on Wonder Years :P

Caveat: This is going to be long.

"I guess things never turn out exactly the way you planned, I knew they didn't with me. Still my dad used to say, traffic's traffic, you go where life takes you..."

(to wit I still don't know the answer...)

Finally, I've seen all the Wonder Years episodes! I really fell in love with it. Watching the series was somehow a nostalgic trip for me. I could somehow relate to it and actually think that it's pretty close to home that's why I cried like a baby at some episodes. Really tugs at the heartstrings... I preferred watching it alone kasi pag may kasama ako, hindi ako makapag-emote. Haha.

The show's recurring theme were that of family life with the Arnolds and Kevin and Winnie's relationship.

Paul Pfeiffer. Kevin Arnold. Winnie Cooper.

It was seeing them grow up right before my very eyes. It felt as if I knew them. It felt as if they were my neighbors or something. We saw them transform from cute little kids to not-so-cute adolescents. Paul's nose has gotten bigger. Winnie's jaw has become squarer. And Arnold's cute chipmunk cheeks suddenly didn't match his grown-up body.

Kevin and Winnie
We all know that during Kevin's childhood, Winnie played a significant part in his life. Almost all episodes that concentrated on Kevin and Winnie's relationship were the ones that made me cry or had a lasting impression on me. I guess it's obvious to say that Kevin liked Winnie more than Winnie liked him. Maiwan lang si Winnie ng sandali, may bago na agad (Moving, Heartbreak, Summer). Winnie had broken Kevin's heart too many times that I actually have begun to hate her. When Winnie broke up with Kevin, it felt as if my heart was broken, too. I hated Winnie for leading Kevin on, for taking him for granted cos she knew he'll always be there.

At 5'17"-- one of my favorite moments
You can't help but be on Kevin's side when you hear him say that Winnie's words cut his heart out.

Another one of my fave Kevin-Winnie episodes was The Accident.

"Winnie Cooper was part of me and I was part of her. And no matter what as long as we live, I knew I could never let her go."
-- Kevin Arnold, "The Accident"

I can't help but shed a tear every time I see this episode. Again, this episode proved how much Kevin liked Winnie, how much his feelings for her were unwavering. One of the best Wonder Years moment... with that scene... and that background music... *sigh*

Even up until the last episode, it was about Kevin and Winnie. As mentioned, Winnie played a very vital role in Kevin's growing up years. Maybe Winnie was Kevin's one true love... I don't know. I might be getting a little mushy over here... I somehow still hope that they would end up together, in a parallel universe. They didn't end up together although they remained good friends. Kevin married another woman. I don't know about Winnie. But we all knew that there was a time when his world revolved around hers.

"Once upon a time, there was a girl I knew who lived across the street, brown hair, brown eyes. When she smiled, I smiled. When she cried, I cried Every single thing that happened to me that mattered in some way had to do with her"
-- Kevin Arnold, "Independence Day"

The Arnolds
Another recurring theme, as I've mentioned, was the family life of the Arnolds. Some of the best episodes for me dealt with family life. Maybe because I can relate a little. Growing up in a middle-class family in the suburbs of Manila, there were some things in common. It actually amazed me how although this show was set in the 1960s, I could still relate to it. My daddy went to work everyday. My mommy wasn't exactly a homemaker, still isn't. And my sisters, I have 4, weren't exactly Karens and Waynes (buti na lang). Maybe it has something to do with family life in general.

Out of all the characters in Kevin's family, aside from Kevin, my favorite was Jack Arnold. Although he was quite a grouch, there were some times when you'll see that he's not that bad. I guess the pressure of having to provide for his family has taken a toll on him. I'm not making excuses for him since my dad had to provide for more and he was never a grouch. Pero basta lang... I almost shed a tear when Kevin said in the final episode that his father died. Nooo!

Norma Arnold... in a way that's how I want my mom to be, but I'm afraid my mom is no Norma. She's the total opposite of Norma but I am not complaining. Well, sometimes I do, but I guess if she's happier being a businesswoman, then so be it. Norma's actually Stepford Wife-ish. She happily did everything her family wants her to do and never complained.

Karen... I don't like Karen. I don't hate her either. I just don't like it when she breaks her father's heart. And I totally hate that Brightwing episode. According to Ycel, every time uuwi si Karen, may bago sa kanya. She went from a hippie high school student, to a working college girl who then cohabitated with her boyfriend, then became a wife and in the last episode, she was a mom-to-be.

And Wayne.. ang pinaka-consistent. His face didn't change. His height didn't either. Kevin even outgrew him. Haha. He served as the comic relief for the show. He's funny but in most parts, he's just plain annoying.

Top 10 Favorite Episodes
I loved almost all episodes. Of course, there were some episodes that weren't really memorable, but most were. And among of these wonder-ful episodes, I have my favorites among the favorites.

In the order they were shown...
1. My Father's Office
The first episode that I loved-loved. Daddy issues...

2. Family Car
This is one episode I so can relate. My father's Mr-Fix-It. If it can be repaired, who needs a new one. That was the way it was before and it still is how things are now. When I was a kid, I remember having 3 cars, the gray turned midnight blue Toyota Royal Saloon, the silver Toyota Crown and the yellow turned red Mitsubishi Colt... but all were luma. I remember my father telling us that the Royal Saloon was considered as the Mercedes Benz of the Japanese. Yeah, right. I remember our car conking out once in awhile... in the middle of the road. Or course we wanted a new car, but we just can't afford it. After all they were raising five children. They were putting five children through school, an all-girls Catholic private school at that. I vividly remember when we bought the brand new Tamaraw FX back in 1996, the whole family was in the lobby of Toyota Ortigas, and we were so excited to ride it home- plastic and all- and that was way before FX was used as a public transportation. Until now we have Hot Mama (the FX) with us, still in good condition. And after that, we still haven't had any brand-new-car-purchases up until now but what matters is that whenever I don't feel like commuting, we have a car, and an FX and a van used as a school bus and a pick-up that is rarely used. ;)

3. Powers That Be

"Not all gifts are simple and some battles are fought out of love..."

Papa Arnold and Grandpa Arnold. An episode that authenticates the phenomenon called vicious cycle... meaning, you will become what you don't like most about your mother/father. A scary thought.

4. St. Valentines Day Massacre
Another one of those Kevin and Winnie episodes... Finally, Winnie admitted she liked Kevin.

5. Goodbye
The episode where Mr. Collins, the Math teacher, died. I cried like a baby on this one. Not that I can relate to this since I've never had a Math teacher who actually cared about her students. I hated Math and Math hated me back. Math teachers=Math. I hate Math. Ergo, I hate Math teachers.

6. Daddy's Little Girl

"... and maybe that's how it had to be... children leave and parents stay behind. Still some things are deeper than time and distance and your father will always be your father and he will always leave a light on for you."

I would like to consider myself as daddy's little girl... forever!

7. Heartbreak, Denial (since they're practically one long episode split into 2)
I hated Winnie in this episode! This was when she broke Kevin's heart, big time!

8. The Accident
Another of those Kevin-Winnie episodes... really heart-wrenching...

9. Graduation

"I went for a walk, traveled streets I once known, long ago... when life was simple... when life was new...I guess that's when I new the old days were gone. Things have changed and they will never be the same again."

Kevin's graduating from middle school. And Paul decided to go to prep school. Suddenly, Kevin felt as if the important people in his life were leaving him. Winnie didn't live across anymore. He and Paul won't be together in junior high. Kevin took a walk around the block and reminisced about the times when they were younger. When he, Paul and Winnie were still together.

"... but I guess change can't be stopped, no matter how you might wish otherwise."

10. Summer, Independence Day
Pues claro que sí... dito na nagkaalaman eh.. :)

"Things never turn out the way exactly you planned... Growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day you were in diapers, the next day you're gone. But the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul... I remember a place... a town.. a house.. like a lot of other houses. A yard like a lot of other yards. A street like a lot of other streets. And the thing is, after all these years, I still look back with wonder."

Questions
Who takes the family videos when all of them are in it?
What happened to Carla Heeley?

Etc.
The kids of The Wonder Years were the only childstars who grew up normal and were not total wrecks. Fred Savage (Kevin Arnold) graduated from Stanford University in 1999 with a degree in English. Josh Saviano (Paul Pfeiffer) majored in Political Science at Yale and graduated from Yeshiva's Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. And Danica McKellar (Winnie Cooper) graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with a BS in mathematics in June 1998.

Fyi: Becky Slater was played by Crystal McKellar, Danica's younger sister. She's now a lawyer in New York City.

This show definitely goes into my most prized possessions list. It's something I want my children to see... 20 years from now. Times might be different then but I know the same life lessons will be relevant.

10,000 BC

After filing my ITR at the mall (good thing the BIR has set up satellite branches at the mall), I decided to watch a flick. I was choosing among these three: Horton Hears a Who, Nim's Island and 10,000 BC.

10,000 BC won.

And so I purchased a ticket and went in. I was the first person to enter the cinema and so I got to pick the best seat. I settled into my seat, took out my burger and opened my Mirinda and waited for the movie to start.

The movie was filled with narration. It somehow reminded me of a documentary on Discovery Channel. I also thought it was a pre-historic version of 300 (minus the man-boobs). It was a little dragging that I was quite surprised that I didn't fell asleep. Buti na rin kasi sayang naman ang P120. Camilla Belle was still a belle albeit she was muddied and dirty. Tic'Tic (Cliff Curtis) looked like Adnan Ghalib. And Affif Ben Badra, the warlord, really looked scary. All in all, I wouldn't say that I wasted my money on such a movie but I still wish I had seen Nim's Island instead. But who knows, if I watched Nim's Island I could have said "I should have watched 10,000 BC instead." Anyway, this movie is still so much better than the zombie movies Armida and I have seen. And It's also way better than 300.

Ji-Ji o Jay-Jay?

----> I want something like this.

And so earlier today, while strolling around the mall with Christmas, I tried my luck if I could find any design I like. While Christmas looked for purple tsinelas (flip-flops 'pag sosyal), I was on the lookout for shops that might carry Keds. Wala sa main mall. So we tried looking for it in the department store.

We asked where we can find Keds.

"Saan Keds niyo?"
"3rd level po ma'am."

Hinanap namin 3rd level. Walang 3rd level sa Midtown Wing. Apparently, the 3rd level was situated at the old building. When we reached the part of the department store which was situated at the old building, I saw shoes... and assumed that it's somewhere there. So we asked the sales staff again...

"May Keds po kayo?"
"Sa 3rd level po."

E di akyat kami sa 3rd level. And we found ourselves in the Kids Section.

Oo nga naman. May point sila dun.

Chongga Update

I arrived at the plaza around 5pm. When I passed by Chongga's lair, I saw that she was outside, talking loudly to a woman who I saw was with my girls when they entered the village gate. Still unsure where the loyalty of my girls lie, I asked them right away, right from the moment I opened the door, why Chongga was talking to that woman they were with earlier this afternoon.

And that's when they told me Chongga has declared war on us. Fine. Siya nauna.

She told one of my girls to relay this message to us:
Sabihin mo sa amo mo, mga bastos sila.
Bakit sila nagbababa ng presyo?
Bakit sila nagpro-promo?
At sabihin mo kay ****, p.i. niya!

Whoa! Andami nun ha. Pero sa totoo lang, natawa ako dun. As in. Sore loser. Asar-talo. Pikon. First, what the hell does she care if we launch a promo? It's called a strategy, my dear. And what the hell does she care if we adjust our operating hours?

Mommy told me not to be scared of her. I'm not. I just want to avoid conflict (and confrontations) as much as possible. 'Pag nagparinig daw, sumagot ako. Pero ayoko. I won't stoop down to her level. Asal-squatter siya. And I know better than that so... che!

xoxo

GG Update

10 days to go...
Apparently, it is Eric Van der Woodsen who would be the one coming out.

I think it's very misleading how they first portray his character as someone who's supposedly interested in Jenny Humphrey and then he turns out to be gay later on. Guys these days should come with a disclaimer saying that they might actually be gay.

Still, I'm happy it's not Dan Humphrey. Wahoo!

I wish we have something like this in Manila-- a well-maintained park, that is.

According to my older classmates in Spanish, the QC Parks & Wild Life was developed by the same guy who developed the Central Park in New York. Tanong ko... ano'ng nangyari? I guess we're never good preservers of anything. We weren't able to preserve the old buildings in Binondo. We weren't able to preserve the old houses in Sta. Mesa. When we get tired of the old stuff, we look for newer things and move on. We're such a bunch of lemmings... Mahilig makiuso.

Parks in Manila aren't really conducive to relaxation. First of all, it is frickin' hot. Like 37ºC hot. Plus, it also reeks human piss. The Filipino males were raised to believe that it is okay to just take a leak anywhere.

I really hope that we Filipinos will learn how to take care of what we have.

TE QUIERO, Y SIEMPRE ESTARE AQUI

I love love love this song. So much.
I first heard this song after watching the movie, The Holiday. I waited for the movie's credits so I'll know what is the title of the song and who sang it- Paul McCartney. I didn't get the song title. I searched for it on the net. It wasn't included in the movie's OST. And so I wasn't able to download the song. Incomplete information.

And after 48 years... I was watching HBO and The Lakehouse trailer was showing and I heard this nice, familiar song. I hurriedly searched for the movie's OST on the net... found the pertinent information... downloaded it... and there begins my love affair with the song.

I never even liked The Lakehouse. I like the original version, Il Mare, the Korean one. But this song made me want to watch the American version again.

The song makes me fall in love with.... love.

This Never Happened Before- Paul McCartney
The Lakehouse OST

Efficascent oil at katinko

Mommy's sick. Separation anxiety. After my daddy's week-long stay here, he went back to the province to tend to things. As she was feeling under the weather, she asked us for efficascent oil and katinko or tiger balm, but we just ran out of both. She asked us to buy efficascent oil and katinko from the grocery.

When we came back from the grocery...
Mommy: Nakabili na kayo ng katinko?
me: Opo.. eto o..
Mommy: hindi 'to yun... gusto ko mentholated
me: mentholated yan ma.. lahat naman ng katinko mentholated
Mommy: hindi, iba 'to eh.. gusto ko yung parang sa inyo..
me: ano? yung efficascent oil? eto...
Mommy: hindi ito.. gusto ko menthol..
me: menthol yan.. lahat naman ng efficascent oil menthol eh
Mommy: hindi.. iba 'to eh..

Tapos sumimangot na siya. While I went out of the room to avoid further arguments.

Katinko: menthol+ camphor; Efficascent oil: camphor + menthol

Bratty mommy.

Malu-bye

Sheet.

Ramiele's going home! And that's is not good news. Now there won't be any reason to watch the show. Sad.

And I blame the genre for the night- country music! Boring country music.

another one of those friggin'

fotek

Abs is done with school... law school, to be exact. So rissa and i and abs met up last night, had dinner and did some catching up. not much catching up to do din kasi rissa had dinner just last month when i helped her check her students' exam papers. with abs naman, nothing much din... she was mostly preoccupied with studying for law school finals to actually have something exciting happen.

ayun. most of the time, we're laughing about things. the dinner was yummy, although expensive. we ate at mong kok and had lemon chicken (mi favorito!), beef & broccoli, hakao and yang chow. for the same price, i could have all those and more at wai ying. haaay.. keri na rin. i was craving for fic strawberry ice cream pero 'di umabot. the stores and stalls were closing na and i had to run to mercury drug to get my stuff i left at the baggage counter. abs suggested haagen-dazs... no, thanks. for a measly scoop of green tea ice cream, i won't pay 150 frickin' pesos. two reasons: 1) i'd rather have mocha frap (venti pa) and 2) green tea tastes like grass.

so i was out having a good time with friends and then i went home then...

BAM!

Bad news hit... one of the better-skilled manicuristas is leaving the nail spa to work as an order taker somewhere. fine. Bad trip lang kasi i have to look for a replacement... soon! and i need someone as good as her or else we'll lose our customers to the competition. foootek. diba? I need nail technicians, please!!!

And now I can't sleep. Why can't I live in peace like this?

How, how, de carabao....

*** GG Spoiler***

Who is Nate kissing?
Is he back with Blair? Jenny, perhaps? I don't think it's Serena since she's soooo in love with Dan.

pictures from JustJared

Wha... Vanessa???
How did this happen? I'm dying to find out.

In the books, it was supposed to be Nate and Jenny. But I see that the tv series has deviated from it. Interesting... I can't wait til April 21... nuninuninu

And according to JustJared, one of the male characters will be outed! Apparently, it is not a new character. Could it be Dan? My Dan? Nooooooo!!! Sa book kasi naging gay ata siya, although this is towards the end na ata. I'm not sure, but that's what I heard. I just wish that the creators of this series would deviate from that storyline as well. Please, let my Dan be a real man.... through and through. Parang 'di ko na ma-take kung mala-Darren Hayes din ito. Please lang. Tama na ang mga uri nila 'no!

Basta, basta.... I'm so excited for the the new GG episodes to air. Only 20 days to go...