Mouthfuls

Unbelievable is what people are these days. I mean, can you believe the fuss over Zubiri Kadiri's resignation from the Senate? People are calling him a moral hero forcryingoutloud! I know, right? What is the world coming to? He did not "give up" his post in defense of honor (WHAT HONOR?!!) or delicadeza (WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!!). This creature has no moral fiber whatsoever. What is commendable about him though is his survival instincts. He knew there's nowhere else to go--everybody who's everybody knows he cheated so he's saving face. That's what he's doing: he's merely saving face. And that is amazing shit. To think under pressure like that. To come up with a plan. To fool the willing fools who have the hypocrisy to diss Christopher Lao yet embrace Zubiri Kadiri's move. It's clear who's the noble father, by the way.
Unbelievable.

What better way to start the year than to create a life together, as man and wife in the eyes of God and in front of family and friends. On the second weekend of the first month of the year, I attended college friend Ivy's wedding at Lipa, Batangas. I must say, January is quite a great choice because of the weather and the timing. It's perfect for new beginnings.

Anyway, after the ceremony, guests were ushered to the Malarayat Golf and Country Club, just a few meters from the St. Therese of the Child Jesus Church. It was such a beautiful place that my other friends and I decided to do a little pictorial of our own as the bride and groom posed for photos at the hotel. What can I say, people are simply camera freaks these days. Check us out:


After the wedding, my beau and I headed to Laiya for a little R&R. We weren't able to celebrate the New Year together, so we made up for it with a trip to the beach. :-) Thanks to our friends for making suggestions, we were able to find a good resort that didn't burn gargantuan holes in our pocket.

Next time we'll be sure to try Aquatico or Palm Beach (they were fully booked that weekend). Or perhaps even Anilao. ;-)

There are so many things to look forward to this year, and so many surprises as well. May 2011 bring us more reasons to celebrate. Cheers!

I had a great day yesterday helping out at my man's feeding program for some very special kids. Check out some of the pics I took during the event. It really made me feel all warm inside seeing all these happy faces:




We are looking forward to bringing more joy to more people. We are very thankful for the opportunity to do something like this, and here's hoping and praying that God always helps us to become a blessing to others. Merry Christmas to all the kids and the kids-at-heart out there! :-)

Exhibit A:
Why did the Facebook page calling for Hubert Webb's acquittal include extensively the reasons for such, the very same nitty-gritty details that were included in the Supreme Court's ruling, just mere days before the same was to be announced?

Exhibit B:
Why did Inquirer and others know that the decision was to be released yesterday when announcements of court decisions are supposed to be kept discreet?

Exhibit C:
Why do news broadcasts seem actually pleased about the results and continue to highlight only the Webbs' side of the story?


Our prayers are with you, Mr. Lauro Vizconde. There is no justice on earth, especially when you live in the Philippines, but I know there is a God who will punish the wicked, who will make things right. The time will come when they shall have to face this God, and you shall have the justice you deserve.

Kadiri kayo, lahat kayo na kasabwat sa ruling. Nakakasuka. Pagdasal nyo na sana wala kayong mga anak at asawa na i-re-rape at i-ma-massacre ng mayayaman at konektadong mga adik. Kadiri.

It's been a year since Ondoy. Forgive me for sounding like a broken record, I know I've been telling people everywhere. But when you have seen death and destruction all around you and you were spared, I think that gives you impunity from silence. Which means I can talk about it as often as I want to, thanksverymuch.

Seriously, it's just that Ondoy really made an impact on my life -- on ours, J's and mine. We were just talking in the car earlier, and we agreed that we could actually categorize parts of our life together as pre-Ondoy and post-Ondoy. It's that major major.

I can't really put it into words. Trust me, I've tried and no sentence comes close to describing what I feel. Let's just say that before Ondoy, I was such a brat who liked to throw tantrums because of the pettiest things. And after Ondoy, I realized I'm not the center of the universe yet truly, so very thankfully, I am still one of the luckiest people in the planet. I finally saw how some things are just not worth it, and those that are should be fought for to the death.

You all know what we went through last year. It was crrrrrraaaaaaazy. At the time, I remember J's mom being so shaken by what happened, materially speaking. They had lost decades' worth of memories, of things bought with blood, sweat and tears. It was heartbreaking. And everywhere around us there were people who lost so much more. Family and friends who were there to support us helped ease the suffering, and we will never forget the kindness. But it was the realization that we made it safe and sound, that we were blessed, that really kept us going.

Earlier tonight we had a thanksgiving dinner at the in-laws'. A bit from J's prayer was quite on target: "We claim Your promises and Your plans, Lord, for there is a reason why You saved us then."

I am looking forward to those things. To the wonders of life that I have yet to see, to the unique purpose I have yet to serve.

Have a blessed Sunday, everyone. Kudos to all of us who were hit by Ondoy, especially to those who were made heroes by the tragedy (rest in peace to those who didn't make it alive) and those who, like me, are ordinary and nothing yet got to live to tell the tale.

A message to the heavens:



With much love and gratitude from:

Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem are married! Can a Hollywood couple be more perfect? Best wishes, you beautiful, talented people. :-)

Check out more info about the hush-hush affair here.

(I'm on the way to a friend's birthday bash. We haven't seen each other in 15 years, so you can just imagine how excited and nervous I am. Hope the traffic eases up here in C5 asap. I love WiFi but this is insane.)

First off, I would like to apologize for not updating for sooooooo long. I've been really busy, accepting new clients, entertaining family and friends, and going on mini getaways. I've already posted new albums (although they're all for contacts only), but I wanted to tell you all about the beautiful Sunday I had.

We went to Pangasinan, home of the world-renowned Hundred Islands. From the resort where we're staying (shoutout to J's imported relatives for their generosity), we took a boat (three boats, actually, since there were more than 10 of us) at six in the morning. This would take us to the small islands, which are in fact corals that had been left exposed to the sun and wind centuries ago, hardening over time to extend inland and become islets spread around the Lingayen Gulf, considered one of the ancient seas.

Here are some photos of that lovely tour:

Such a beautiful morning

The calm after the storm

Into the unknown

To date, only three islands are open to tourists: Marcos, Quezon, and Children's Islands

Take to heart what the sign says and help preserve this tourist spot: Take nothing, leave nothing!

The bat cave -- for real

It is believed that the islands have been around for about two million years. Wow. Thank you so much to the in-laws for taking me along; I feel very privileged to have seen these ancient natural wonders up close. :-)

Group shots, more solo shots, and nature shots here. I'd love to see more of the Philippines in the coming months. :-) In the meantime, I promise to try to keep this blog alive.

Because I have needs.

Because I am weak.

Because I want what's forbidden.

After two years of abstinence, I finally gave in to my deepest, darkest desires.

I wanted to list down more things I'm thankful for, but I don't want to jinx stuff and somehow I always end up doing just that when I don't keep my big mouth shut. So let's just say that life's gooooood, the best is yet to come, and we are infinitely grateful for everything.

That said, allow me a few seconds to digress: Holy sh*t, I am four years away from hitting antiquity!

Okay, again, for all the blessings, thank You. And special mention to this lovely weather we've been having. Waking up to nothing but sleepy clouds is just so perfect for Your little sloth here on earth. I really appreciate the fact that the air is so cool, I can actually feel a breeze dancing around, and there's no longer a need to shower endlessly and wallow in sunblock. You are the greatest.

Above are photos taken during the first-ever super fun Philippine Clayfest, held on May 15 to 16 at the Beadlady's shop at Cubao Expo :-)

Burned serious holes in my pocket, but at least I know I'll be looking good with all the fab finds I got from the event, tee hee. Happy to have met passionate artists who are committed to their craft and to building a strong polymer clay community in the country. Sa uulitin!

It doesn't take much to chase miracles, but to make them happen you need to be prepared for extraordinary measures.

Last night, out of boredom more than anything else, I watched Extraordinary Measures without great expectations -- and I was beautifully surprised. The movie, which is based on a true story, showcases two entirely different men who want the same thing. John Crowley is a skillful biotech executive who is a father of two children suffering from Pompe, one of the most horrible genetic diseases out there. Bob Stonehill is an eccentric scientist who has been working for a decade on a brilliant but poorly funded enzyme theory, the goal of which is to treat Pompe.

Brendan Fraser in a drama is something that doesn't fancy me. He has failed me many a time in this, but his performance in this particular movie deserves merit. His eyes just speak to you. He displays a passion that you can actually believe in and that makes you root for him not because it's always heartbreaking when kids are involved, but because he makes you feel as tired as he looks, that there is no way things can't end happily for a guy like him who is doing everything humanly possible to prevent his children from dying.

Harrison Ford is a treat. I had the biggest crush on him growing up, and seeing him looking so old in this film adds to his charm, I must say. You know you can always count on him to give you something good. He doesn't pan out or make obstrussive appearances on-cam -- he acts. Brendan decidedly gets more screentime here but whenever Harrison is around, you're sure to feel a powerful presence. Ironically, he's at his best in the scenes that didn't require him to come off strong.

Speaking of scenes, what I loved about the film is that it invests in small, quiet scenes that encapsulate the most striking of human emotions -- fear, pity, desperation, betrayal, hope, and compassion. And the actors deliver, even Keri Russell and the rest of the supporting cast. Plus, the lines are short and satisfyingly crushing.

It doesn't matter whether you have kids with Pompe. It doesn't even matter if you have kids at all. And I don't know whether Extraordinary Measures flopped in the box office or raked in the millions, whether the critics loved it or damned it to hell. In a world where those who care enough to really do something are rare, this is the kind of movie people should see.

Find out more about the Crowleys and Pompe here.

Nothing but blue skies

 

Goin' banana!

 

One big happy family :-)

 

Above are some collages I made of photos from the PEPI Family Day celebration in Dakak. (if you're a contact, you can find the complete album here. Multiply's resolution for collages suck.) I'll also be adding more pics to the other summer album, the one with Naawan and Tinago photos, in a few minutes.

I can't think straight with this humidity and I don't want to turn on the aircon just yet -- Meralco is ruthless this season. I guess I'll just stalk old Multiply favorites for a while.

I seriously cannot wait for it to rain cats and dogs. The sticky heat has stubbornly glued these wise words on my brain:

'Di bale ng tamad, 'di naman pagod.

Can you believe some people were born dumb enough to suggest that the reason why I'm mad about the elections is because my candidate did not win? That I should just "get over it" and not care? Yes, some people are that hopelessly stupid. (I mean, of course that's why I'm mad -- because majority of the Filipinos treated this as a popularity contest. And I'm entitled not to get over it now or ever, thankyouverymuch.)

And some people don't have brains at all for believing in Chiz Escudero (youngest trapo)'s Noy-Bi campaign.

Kadire.

Heartbreak, no matter what the cause, always hurts.

Heartbreak, caused by patriotic love, is always tragic.

As of this moment, Gibo Teodoro, youngest presidential bet in the country's first-ever automated elections, is holding a press conference, purportedly to concede to and relay support for Noynoy Aquino, unofficial winner of the race.

What is it that a Filipino wants from a leader?

Definitely someone who is not corrupt. It's become a cliche, but with GMA at the helm for almost a decade, it's also a non-negotiable. 

Experience.
Skill.
Brains.

Integrity.

Capability and a proven track record.

Then why is Gibo Teodoro way down in the polls and out of the running?

There are a million things going on in my mind right now, a million things I want to express but can't. There are no words with which I can paint the picture of a mess I am at this very moment. There are no words with which I can tell you how sorry I am, how very sorry I am to see things turn out this way.

With a broken heart I pray that God won't let me turn into an embittered, indifferent fool. And with a purple thumb -- the proudest purple thumb you can find -- I thank Gibo for showing me a kind of man I know this country won't see again for a very long time.