oh, it's 09!

another new year. wow. i saw on tv that the year of the ox will be good for those born in the year of the monkey (that's me) so woohoo to that. i don't know what to expect this year but as usual, i remain optimistic. and thankful. first of all, for typing this blog with all ten fingers still intact. for all the leftover food that need to be munched on. for waking up each day knowing i'm still alive. for the barrage of text messages from friends knowing you're remembered. for work-related e-mails knowing that i still have a job. for the simple comforts in life that i tend to underestimate. 2008 has brought me so much memories that a whole year isn't enough to cramp them all in. i consider 2009 as a part 2 of my 2008 but with an additional challenge to upgrade myself. to be more patient, understanding and optimistic to whatever this year will bring for me. i will try to make my life more substantial looking from an outside-in perspective rather than inside-out. i will try to contribute as much as i can in order to be productive. and i will try harder this time.

may everyone's 2009 be filled with great memories and even greater lessons to learn. cheers!

she's the one

to the person...

who taught me respect above everything else...

who made me appreciate the simple things in life...

who remained strong amidst the turmoil...

who never judged me and said "i told you so" whenever i commit mistakes...

who understood me without having to explain...

who loves me unconditionally...

Happy Birthday Mommy!

I love you.

new love(s)

here is just a quick rundown of stuff recently seen/experienced/purchased:

dean and trent - affordable office and trendy casual wear located inside crossings department store at shangri-la mall. very interesting pieces. website also has a catalogue of their stocks and if you sign up, you can even order and have it delivered right at your doorstep.

pocari sweat - refreshing drink after a strenous physical activity. lightly flavored so hindi nakakasawa.

mandaya moore-orlis - not really sure if the blog posts are actually true or something that the writer cooked up. nevertheless they're hilarious.

trese - from the combined forces of writer budjette tan and artist kajo baldisimo, trese delves on the adventures of detective alexandra trese as she solves crimes of supernatural origin in manila.

davao tuna grill's sinuglaw - aside from their monster squid, i personally like their sinuglaw, a combination of grilled liempo (sinugba) and fish kinilaw.

nivea sport - body wash for hair and body. love the refreshing citrus scent.

japan 88 peso stores - interesting pieces for home and office all for 88 pesos (some are 55).

holiday

the thing about holidays is that you can never get enough of it. good thing is that for a few moments you get to leave your mundane life and become someone else. you forget the monotony of your daily activities and you become spontaneous. you get to clear your mind off distractions and make new realizations as you go along. that's what how my recent holiday was like.

my friends have been away for so long that meeting them was the greatest highlight of my vacation. totally beats talking to them online. it's like they never left. a lot of catching up has happened and i cherish every moment of it.

i got to know new folks as well: aston, michael, andre, jojo, leslie and patrick showed me how fun spontaneity can be, and that living a life with regret is one not worth spending.

a big take home from this brief experience was the realization that in order for you to get the things that you want and be truly happy, you need want it so bad because it will drive you to plan and work hard for it, no matter what it takes. you have to want it for the right reasons or else the drive will just wither in time.

i truly appreciate everyone for making my holiday something worth remembering.

things i love about the 80's

no matter how times have changed, technology has improved and trends have evolved, there is still a huge chunk in my heart that's dead set on the very colorful and interesting era - the 1980's. it's the period that's unique on its own and i'm very proud to be a part of it.

street games - do kids nowadays still play patintero, tumbang preso, luksong tinik, piko, sha-to? do you even see children playing outside their homes at all? the children in our village would convene on an empty lot every four in the afternoon to play. it was a great time to socialize and have an active body as well.

peak of pinoy talent - in my opinion, the 80's is the golden age of pinoy talent, whether it be in the field of music, tv or movies. joey albert, kuh ledesma, martin nievera would come up with original songs and became instant hit after hit after hit. there wasn't any room for revivals then and it was good.

funny comics - i always get a laugh reading lilit bulilit, niknok and bing bam at bung. we used to have a whole compilation of these comics because our parents found it a good way for us to read.

entertaining ads - who can ever forget the yc bikini brief jingle or where arthur's pants and barong is located? what about the theme song of the faces disco ad? everytime i would hear enya's "watermark" it would always remind me of the encarnacion bechaves ad. what about r.a. homevision? tacky...hilarious... i love it!

cartoons - i always adored voltron lion force over voltez five. i was so amazed how these robotic lions (which i thought were just tigers because they didn't have manes) would come from various locations and converge and form the voltron force. i also thought that the little kid was a girl because he was wearing what seemed like headband. i also anticipate astro boy every saturday morning as he battles out evil giant robots out to harm his city. there's also gummy bears where these cute adorable uhm... bears get hyper as they drink this certain potion. who would even miss care bears and rainbow brite in all it's colorful (and gay) glory?

music - 80's music made it's mark and is still being heard up to now. our lips are sealed? not a hilary duff original, people. the beat that you hear in rihanna's SOS? that's tainted love by soft cell (not by pussycat dolls, please). lately, there have been a lot music now that used 80's music as reference. i wonder if somebody would remake designer music by lipps inc.?

old-fashioned - i'm not talking about the clothes (well, not just yet). people then are less lazy i suppose. people memorized phone numbers, they send hand written mails or send telegrams and people have the patience to wait.

fashion - legwarmers, chuck taylor, leather jacket, one piece glove, aqua net, miami vice look, punky brewster look. pretty interesting (and embarrassing) fashion trends.

the 80's is still very much present in today's world one way or another. it just goes to show how great the 80's was and that it is always here to stay.

LSS - I don't know why

last night i kept tossing and turning in my bed and this song kept playing in my head for no apparent reason. it suddenly reminded me of an episode in MEDIUM where patricia arquette kept hearing Gloria Gaynor's "I WILL SURVIVE."

i just had to blog it hoping that when the time that i look back at this, i might actually make some sense out of my strange night.

Kylie Minogue - Put Yourself In My Place

I can't take this situation
It's making me feel so blue
One moment you walked into my life
And now
You're saying that we're through

I hear that you're in love now
Baby, don't know what to say
I can't believe that I still feel this way
I hear that you're in love now
Baby, don't know what to say
Let the falling decide
You won't be mine
Put yourself in my place

You know something will come around
You're gonna put yourself
(Put yourself) in my place
When your lovers bring you down
And there no-one else around
You're gonna put yourself
(Put yourself) in my place

There's no rhyme or reason
(Rhyme or reason)
That keeps me playing along
(That keeps me playing along)
I guess, that I'll just keep on believing
Inside you love will;
Know right from wrong

You know something will come around
You're gonna put yourself
(Put yourself) in my place
When your lovers bring you down
And there no-one else around
You're gonna put yourself
(Put yourself) in my place

My guy

Let me tell you about the most important guy in my life: My dad.

I can honestly say that I never really know my Dad that well. Bits and pieces of his life would just come from conversation with with relatives. He enjoys talking but does not talk much about his life. So I would just share some things about him through my own experiences.

My dad came from a big family. During the Japanese time, it wasn't such a great idea. He had a difficult time as a kid but learned to make the most of it. He did odd jobs to help him finish school and get a decent job.

I was very attached to my dad when I was young. I would recall crying every morning when I wake up and he's already on his way out of the house. So the helper would make it a point that I wake up a little later to avoid that kind of drama.

He's very attentive to our studies. I even got used to asking him every question in my homework and writing his responses verbatim. Sometimes I would complain that he has very lengthy responses to very short and simple questions.

He is a patient man. I can only recall a few times that I got spanked or even scolded by him (hmm.. probably my mom did that most of the time). As a silent moral teacher, we siblings learned to be responsible for our own actions.

Like most fathers, he is a good provider to his family. At some point, I even misconstrued that his work was more important than his own family. But the truth is, he spends most of his time at work in order to provide us with a comfortable life.

My father experienced some rough times before retirement. Because of some problems at work, he got into a phase of depression. I got a call from a hospital near our home that our father was there, injured. When we rushed in to get him, I was surprised that he was drunk. He was holding on to me, crying and apologizing over and over. I have never seen my dad in such low spirit. I realized that he too also needs us, the way we need him.

As a retired government employee, my dad is already enjoying the fruits of his labor. He enjoys spending time at home: doing some gardening, carpentry, looking after our pets, browsing the internet. He has the tendency to be makulit at times for lack of something to do. Since all his children are already living in separate homes, he would always anticipate weekends as a time for us to be together again.

Whenever I feel sad about not having everything I want, my home would always remind me that I have everything I ever needed. My dad included.

Happy Father's Day!!!