there was this lady tonight who looks like a cross between sandra oh and regina ip. she's kinda talkative. worse, she sounded like a babaeng bakla. yaiks!
flashdance
so i had super fun tonight. couldn't stop smiling cause everything just so reminded me of that good old decade everyone wants to forget. it so reminded me of that ever-so-fun subject when friends reminisce about good old days.
the 80s.
the class title: flash back flash dance
the instructor's attire: big hair, fuschia leg warmers, fishnet stockings, gym attire so reminiscent of wonder woman
the warm up song: like a virgin by madonna, footloose by kenny loggins
the main song: flash dance (what a feeling) by irene cara
the cool down song: beat it by michael jackson
I FEEL SO AT HOME!!! I WANNA DO IT AGAIN!!!
i rest my case.
mtr thought for the day 2006.09.27
just a backgrounder. i spend about 25 minutes one-way everyday travelling on the mtr. and with a lot of time to kill, you definitely find things to stay preoccupied and amused. i notice a lot of things, and i've been sharing some of these thoughts (mostly rants) to some hk friends via sms. louise suggested that i blog these instead, so here's my very very first blogged thought:
i hate going to work at 7am. puro mga ador ang kasabay ko. puro mga ador ang nakikita ko. why are all cute and hunky guys at the 745am to 8am trains?!
season 3 is here!!!
got the chance to catch episode 1 of grey's anatomy season 3 ... and i must say, it's really one of the best-written series i've ever seen ... very distinct, very reflective and full of heart.
can't wait for episode 2 this week ... although for those with low EQ, it's now available on youtube. apparently ctv in canada inadvertently aired the wrong episode last week. heads must have rolled!
and here's the full grey's anatomy mtv for "how to save a life" by the fray.
postscript: yes, it's confirmed. someone screwed up and canada saw episode 2 instead of the premiere.
CTV sorry for Grey's Anatomy miscue
Grey's Anatomy gaffe angers fans
earthquake
rare earthquake shakes hong kong
really?! probably i was in transit when it happened. didn't feel a single bit of it.
office chaos
the past two weeks at work were just bad... bad may even be an understatement.
see, one of the powers that be (she's kim jong il) wanted more office space for her team because she's increasing headcount - again - to handle work that can actually be handled by half the team's current size.
onto our side of the floor she came, she saw and she conquered. so we've been stuck in the middle of an il-planned, ill-planned office renovation.
yes, we're working in the middle of a damn office construction.
we've been enduring the noise, the dust, the toxic substances and what other inconveniences for the past two weeks.
we've been experiencing breathing difficulties, allergy attacks, cough, headache and just plain discomfort. if we see the doctor now, i won't be surprised if half our lungs is filled with plaster, dust and mucuos.
not to mention the office environment is simply not conducive for work.
everything is in some form of disarray, and my workstation - since i had extra space - had been transformed as my team's temporary storage area.
our productivity has been awfully low. what could be finished within a couple of days in any regular day now takes a week - we just couldn't concentrate.
we've complained. and i personally sent a strongly worded email, which, i heard, struck sensitive nerves and ruffled some feathers - so i won't be surprised if i'm out of a job soon.
note - but i still standby what i said: legally we can complain to hk's labour department
so after all the drama, office admin tried to ease our pain for next week. they've provided us with garbage bags to screen our workstations and things from the last, and biggest, wave of construction they'll be doing this weekend.
so this is how our side of the office looks like now:
more photos here
i guess, better late than never. as for me, i need to start updating my resume.
nike rockstar workout
to say that i'm addicted to this fitness-dance program is an understatement. it's one of the things i really (and i mean, really) look forward to every weekend.
and just over the weekend, they had a global dance party. it was like one of those aerobics marathons that you get to see on tv. but only that this is meant to recap the past two programs - hiphop and sol - and to launch their latest program, bollywood.
i initially had second thoughts with attending. you know how iffy i get with large crowds. having been warned that they're expecting over 70 people to attend isn't really encouraging.
but i surely am glad i did attend. it was really fun. plus, i got to bring home a couple of gifts from nike - gym sacks - after joining the "dance challenge". all i had to do was to volunteer to do the routine in front of everyone.
but the fact that you do the routine together with other volunteers and an instructor - plus everyone else in the background - doesn't really make it a challenge. you just had to muster the courage to be seen - and maybe laughed at. but heck, it's all in the name of fun!
anyhow, tomorrow's a new work week. not something i really look forward to. the office will be a big construction zone - with all of us stuck right within it. oh well, in any case, in five days' time, the work week will be over, and it's time for another nike rockstar workout session!
haze
if you think manila's air pollution is the worst worldwide, think again. hong kong's is much much worse.
today was another hazy, damn polluted day. and the mountains a couple of blocks away from my place is all blurred and gray.
the awful, hazy morning view outside my windows
the stuffy heat and super high humidity made things worse. so once again, my respiratory system has gone haywire.
and tomorrow, well, it'll still be the same. i absolutely hate it!!!
hallux valgus (bunion)
with much stress from running the treadmill, my foot's deformity has worsened - and has become a bit painful. so i had no other choice but to start wearing a splint at night to keep it from getting worse. it's quite uncomfortable but i think i'll manage.
Cause: Flatfeet, heredity, wearing shoe withnarrow toe box and high heel.
Problem: Painful feeling,bunion,inflammation of soft tissue.
Treatment: Can't be corrected apart from surgery; suitable footwear (No high heel and narrow toe box); arch support insol; Footcare accessories (Hallux Valgus splint, Toe spreader,Toe expander)
isn't it ironic?
everyone knows i'm not a morning person. but this whole week (which includes tomorrow as well), i find myself in the office before 8am to attend meetings. the only break i had was taking a half-day leave on monday morning to catch the live miss universe telecast.
speaking of miss universe. this year's program proved to be quite unpredictable. a lot of pageant favorites, including miss philippines, didn't make it to the semifinals - at a year when they actually upped the number of semifinalists to 20.
puerto rico won the title. but japan seems to have won hearts of more people. she has more charisma, and her response to the final question seemed totally candid and sincere. plus, with a name like kirara chibana, who wouldn't find you unique and interesting!
in any case, puerto rico, apart from being somewhat a deadringer of angelina jolie (minus lips, that is) had a very stunning gown. it's unique to say the least. loves it. apparently, it weighs 30 pounds and was quite warm. so at the post-show press conference, she collapsed.
at that moment, i bet, fans of miss japan were wishing puerto rico is deemed unable to complete her reign, is stripped of her crown, and the first runner-up - japan - assumes the title!
jamie cullum
it's past 1am on a weeknight. why am i still wide awake?
well, i just got home about half an hour ago. should have taken the airport express instead of the slow boat to china. shouldn't have minded the $60 fare. but that's a totally different issue.
anyhow, came back from the fantastic concert of jamie cullum. i must confess, i decided to watch the concert with a friend with a bit of hesitation.
you see, jamie cullum isn't one of those artists that i would kill just to see perform - unlike, say, john mayer. and apart from twentysomething, i haven't really listened much to his other two albums. so i felt a bit "unfamiliar" with a lot of his songs.
but it's been a while since i last saw a concert so what the heck. and i wasn't disappointed.
some say that his live performances are bad 'cause they're rough. but i must say, it's rough because it's raw - unpolished and without frills.
without a set playlist nor props - oh, and with a grande can of beer - jamie cullum was as raw as he can get. and it's something that i truly enjoyed. he improvised. he adlibed. he was hyper. he rocked - big time!
although the concert was at a large venue. he treated it as though he was just performing at a small lounge. he was intimate with his audience, and made sure we all enjoyed the concert.
so the "main" part of the show ended a little over an hour after the show started. but the best has yet to come. i actually felt his encore was the real concert.
while encores of other artists last for only one or two songs. his was i think three songs with loads of adlibs that stretched the encore to a good 20 minutes or more.
he just let loose. enjoyed the moment. made people stand up, get close to the stage (freaking security i bet), dance, and simply have fun.
it was sooo worth the money - and the exhausting trek to asiaworld expo and back.
screwed-up weather
the weather these past two weeks has been dreary! it sucks!
and it's starting to affect my mood sanity. i'm feeling awful and gloomy. i actually feel depressed.
being bogged down - almost - by flu (a bad sore throat is all that's left now) didn't help either.
bright sun-shiny days, where are you???
hell at work
... yes, things haven't been a breeze at work lately. i haven't even had the chance to tidy up my desk. it's just piles and piles of paper all over the place.
if you're thinking of organized chaos - no it's not.
it's been such a hell that, today, i got so frustrated i walked out on my boss. unfortunately, it happened right before i headed up to the canteen for lunch. so i had an awful meal as well. good thing i didn't suffer from indigestion.
tomorrow will be hell once again. training in the morning. ppt clean-up towards lunch. briefing early afternoon. approvals and what-nots in between.
then on wednesday, got to catch the first mtr train to be in the office before 7am - we're holding a one-day conference that day.
wish me luck!
tv thoughts
... i'm so glad danielle won top model 6. for a moment, i really thought they were going for joanie. but i felt danielle was more a top model than joanie. plus, she had super great locks during the final judging.
... finally did a five-episode grey's anatomy marathon tonight. and i must say, the finale's the best so far. yes, i think it's better than the superbowl episode. the final hour may have been a bit of a stretch, and at first it did seem anti-climactic (at that moment, i wished they ended it on episode 27), but as the final hour progressed, i remained glued to the tube. i can't wait for season 3.
... also caught the season finale of how i met your mother. and i just loved it! shed some tears every now and then, but that's just me whenever i watch romantic comedies. and oh by the way, have i mentioned that josh radnor is hot - at least in my books hahaha
... next week, i'll begin my will and grace final season marathon!
thoughts: may 15
what a difference a couple of days make. what a difference a face-to-face chat makes.
was upset over the weekend. and until this morning, i was carrying my usual grumpy-cranky morning look - with a tinge of sadness though.
but being around with people you enjoy being with, getting buried under a pile of work, and an all-important face-to-face conversation really cleared up the whole mess. now, we're cool.
*****
had to spend a good 30 minutes - at the very least - tonight to get an estimate on how much the damage will be. and to look for the best way to declare my income to lessen the impact even by just a couple thousand dollars.
now i've done my homework, i just have to fill-up the tax return to get an official final assessment.
*****
finale time! am really looking forward to the finales of grey's anatomy (part 1 is out, part 2 out tomorrow), will and grace, and how i met your mother.who will be america's next top model for cycle 6? will it be danielle, joanie or arrogant jade? i sense it'll be joanie.
who will be the fifth american idol? elliot, taylor or katharine. i don't know. i don't care. papa chris is out anyways.
weekend thoughts
it's the third straight saturday that i started early. wish they really move the rockstar workout to a later time. but i guess, the high that i get from the class is really so worth effort.
*****
was quite upset on saturday. i was really looking forward to something since midweek but, in the end, it fell through.now, i still am a bit upset - and sad. and according to a friend that i met up for dinner tonight, it is really apparent in my eyes.
but i'm gradually cooling down. just needs time.
*****
it may sound weird, but i spent a good hour or so midnight last night assembling a bedside table that i got from ikea. i guess, it was a way of helping me cope with being upset. stress release maybe?everything was a breeze until it came to installing it to the bed. i was lying on the floor and pushing up - as if i'm repairing the underside of the car. it wasn't perfect, but i think i did a pretty satisfactory job.
*****
earlier today, i got tired of my usual weekend homecooked lunch fare (read, mix-match something only mark can eat). didn't feel like doing take-away either. so i experimented and tried cooking chicken hula courtesy of the del monte kitchenomics website.encountered a couple of bumps along the way. recipe called for carrots and saba. got carrots from the grocery but couldn't seem to find the peeler so back to the ref it went.
and apparently "emperor bananas" aren't saba. so when i fried it, i ended up having gooey bananas that taste awful so i just dumped them.
anyhow, here's the result.
not as good as what's on the website, but i'm okay with how it turned out.
vegetative state
maybe i'm dead stressed. but i've been in a vegetative state the past two long weekends. don't know why, but my energy level have been awfully low.
maybe it's my body trying to conserve calories as a result of skipping a couple of dinners, changing my diet (either veggies or oatmeals only after gym), and increasing my cardio workouts. but i just feel awfully tired.
on friday, after heading for a noon appointment in central and catching mi3 mid-afternoon, i suddenly found myself tired and lacking of energy. so while the rest of the gang went on to do some shopping and dinner, i opted to head home and rest - at 6pm.
yesterday was fairly better. again, it was a relatively early start. headed to the gym at noon to attend the nike rockstar workout hiphop - i'm now quite obsessed with joining dance classes (and so looking forward to the upcoming nike rockstar workout sol).
after running an errand in the afternoon, i again found myself running low on energy. so i headed home, and took a short nap while waiting for my laundry to finish.
that was a much needed nap for the night's activity. it was ivy's house warming party at dbay.
the night started well around 8pm-ish...
soy and i in the kitchen (i suddenly became the "designated florist" for the night)
the hk crew
another photo of the hk crew
... but later in the night, after a couple of shots and drinks, people are bound to do crazy things ...
gary and i just goofing off
jane-y and i doing new york-new york kicks to the sound of paul anka (sorry legs got cut-off)
... including taking photos of body parts just for fun ...
my leg as foreground
my shoes and jane-y's shoes
... after a night of just chilling-out, we caught the 2am ferry back to "civilization". and i finally got home around 4am.
today was just spent vegetating here at home - although i took an hour or so this afternoon to practice the rockstar workout hiphop routine (told you i'm obsessed). we're putting together part 1 and 2 of the choreography on saturday.
and for the first time in months, i fell asleep while watching tv earlier tonight!
this whole "running low on energy" thing is really getting weird.
kontrobersyal
i got the chance to watch last friday's episode of kontrobersyal on puerto galera.
to say that i'm disturbed is an understatement. i'm totally upset.
you see, the episode's first feature was an expose about gays having public sex in an area along the white beach they call "jurassic".
okay, i understand some people may find such acts disgusting (i don't) - so i don't blame them for coming out with an "expose" about this.
but as the segment progressed, what was a simple "expose" became a stupid and shallow moralism on being gay. hypocrites!
hiding behind a psychologist and a professor, the people behind the segement tried to advocate a demented - and shall i say, very malicious - view on gays and gay sexual conduct.
they said that there is something wrong with being gay. that engaging in gay public sex and/or orgies is plain immaturity. and that anyone feeling homosexual attraction should seek professional help to change it, because it's only a stage, and it's bad if one gets stuck in that stage.
FUCKING HELL - this is total bullshit!
fact is, gays just like ordinary men, have a biological urge for sex. some choose to act on it, others choose to repress it, while others are just plain naive and unaware.
fact is, being gay is not a just a stage. it's a totality of being. we just are (excuse my philosophical allusion) - and there's nothing wrong with it. besides, there's nothing wrong with being at peace with yourself and feeling free.
NEWS FLASH: pinoy society has just regressed 65,000 decades back to the dark ages!
these kinds of highly irresponsible messages and misinformation breed more intolerance towards gays.
rather than make closeted gays come out, or at the very least make them feel more comfortable about themselves and accept themselves, they are further driven into the closet.
rather than make people understand more about gays, and make them more accepting of people like us and our colorful lifestyle - love for the fine things in life, fashion and shopping included - we are further stigmatized and/or ostracized.
SHAME on the writers and producers of kontrobersyal! and most especially, shame on boy abunda for allowing himself to be used by these holier-than-thou fuckwits!
security update
holy microsoft freaks! i was wondering why my browser seemed to be acting up lately. i thought my antivirus didn't work or a spyware was causing all the problems.
apparently, these weren't the culprits.
it's microsoft.
a couple of days ago, i installed microsoft's monthly security patches, which included this patch for internet explorer.
with this patch, activate all activex controls first before you can use its functionality. so flash banners and other embedded dynamic web content won't automatically work. you have to click on them twice - first to activate the damn thing, then second to click on the link.
i can't understand what the whole reason was about. some licensing or lawsuit microsoft is facing i read. but all i know is that it's a bummer in terms of user-friendliness.
besides, it screwed up my pluck rss reader. i did think the pluck software got corrupted or something. but it wasn't. all i had to do is download a patch to make it work again - and hopefully it will.
it's show time!
okay, so i'm not exactly passionate about my company. i gag and puke at the mere thought of professing loyalty to it.
but, i must say, after seeing the setup of our largest-ever and very first trade show in hk, i'm really really excited.
the venue, asiaworld expo - literally just a stone's throw away from the hk airport - is simply massive. i won't be surprised if it's just as big as the airport.
in fact, it took us at least 2 minutes just to get from the east wing to the west wing (normal walking speed if i may add). and with large column-less exhibition halls, the possibilities for signage, onsite marketing and booth setup are just endless.
and on top of a fantastic venue is a huge exhibition - featuring almost 2,000 booths. all we are now praying for is a large buyer turnout to make everyone's effort really really worth it.
so whereas before, i was trying my best to avoid visiting the show during the easter holidays, i'm now very much anticipating a morning trip tomorrow - to the other end of hk - just to see how things turnout.
now, i only have to worry about where to get at least a foot massage afterwards - my legs hurt!
cut sleeve boys
... seems like a very very hilarious gay movie!
SYNOPSIS: MEL and ASH are two british chinese gay men who studied and drink lychee martinis together.After attending the funeral of GAVIN, a closet case from their university days, they startexamining the crow’s feet on their faces and questioning the meaning of the labels in theirwardrobes.
Mel, an aging scene queen with the ego of Norma Desmond, believes life is a beauty pageant with him always the winner. He rejects the love of Todd, a provincial boy from the Welsh valleys who moves to London to be with him, in favour of quick-fix Botox sex to fight his insecurities. But how long can he sashay down the catwalk when his eye bags are bigger than his Gucci bags? And who is going to be waiting at the end of the rainbow when there is no place like home?
Ash is tired of the jaded gay scene where steroid bodies and the Atkin’s diet are the only offerings on the menu and all the macho posing only reveals a Farah Fawcett in the bedroom. He meets Diane (a.k.a Dan) a transexual from their college days with a butch, sexy and straight looking ex army boyfriend, Ross. Ash decides the only way for him to find a real man is to click on those Jimmy Choo’s. Will his foray into the wonderland of tranny burrows and tranny chasers bring him his dream man?
Not to be upstaged, the dead but not forgotten Gavin has a posthumous secret up his leg of mutton sleeves waiting to explode!
With witty one liners, underground drag club, sex in public toilet and an all male production of the Miss Pacific Rim Beauty Pageant, CUT SLEEVE BOYS is a quirky stir fried journey of self discovery and ultimately, a makeover of the British Chinese gay experience.
view the TRAILER here.
special exclusive hk screening on april 22nd. g magazine is giving away some free tickets, joined the raffle. hope i win!
ritual humiliation
so what have i been up to lately?
as mentioned in a previous post, it's been a very busy week. apart from work, i had been having dinner appointments on each and every night from monday to thursday, then tonight, and i've got one more left on sunday night.
friday night was our company's annual dinner. nothing special - just a typical multi-course chinese meal. well not really. of course, since it's a company dinner, there has to be a raffle draw and games.
yes, the game. it was awful. if there was a word (or two) to describe it, that would be "ritual humiliation". why so? it involves shouting off the top of your lungs (well, theoretically that was what they wanted us to do) "i love [our company name]!!!"
see i couldn't even type it up! working for a selfish overbearing company enough, but to kiss-ass-ly declare that you actually love this selfish overbearing company, it's just too much. never! not even in the afterlife.
then tonight (well early morning), just as i got home, i caught the final segments of the cnn talk asia interview with the ceo of our arch nemesis in china - alibaba.com's jack ma. and i can't help but compare them with our own ceo. and i must say, i would gladly exchange our ceo for jack ma.
why? because i saw the sincerity in him. i saw that he's not your regular business person who doesn't care about employee's mental and psychological well-being. i saw that he is a true person with a good heart. i saw that he inspires people and doesn't have to blugeon them to action.
and our ceo, well, sad to say, is the opposite. he is just about business. he deals with everyone as a cold-hearted bitch that sees his employees as mere numbers, statistics and percentages. he doesn't really care about anyone else as long as what he wants is followed - no matter how illogical and absurd they are.
case in point, our taxi design that's like a pig's dinner Vs. alibaba.com's taxi design that's short sweet and direct to the point.
so rather than breeding happy employees who are inspired to do their best because they really love and are loyal to the company they work for, he - and the people around him - end up stirring truckloads of discontent and frustration throughout the ranks. and we have seen good people come and go because of this.
so why am i still with this company? i don't know. but i'm starting to find it hard to work for a company whose principles and work ethics i don't subscribe to.
dvd wishlist
gosh, my post title sounds sooo corporate. blech!
anyhow, just a few minutes ago i had the urge to check out amazon. and boy, i now regret doing so.
loads of new and upcoming releases that i certainly am looking forward to:
• grey's anatomy - season 1 - released
• queer as folk - final (fifth) season - out may 9
• boston legal - season 1 - out may 9
• scrubs - season 3 - out may 9
now where my trusty credit card ... yay!
27
today i turn 27 with mixed emotions.
on one hand i'm really excited and very much looking forward to my birthday. i'm turning a year older and hopefully much wiser.
but on the other, i'm feeling quite anxious and scared ... don't know why, though.
all i know is that this will be a very very significant year for me. in what way? i've got no clue, but i've always felt this way about my 27th birthday.
so how do i sum up the past 27 years of my life? i think i shall say, bittersweet.
it's been great and rewarding, yet boring and uneventful. sometimes painful and frustrating. and most of the times, reflective and philosophical.
some things about me have changed.
i've gone from being a loner to being more sociable, to still being detached at times. from being cold and mechanical to being more emotional and warm-er. and from being cautious and goody-two-shoes to being unreserved (i see people agreeing) and, of course, evil.
but still some things remained the same.
i still dream of big things. i still am very o.c. i still love to have some drama in my life. i'm still scared shits of uncertainty. and i still fear of being rejected.
i still look forward to more years of fun and laughter - and tears na rin. i do wish to spend more time with family and friends. i want to meet new people and build some lasting friendships. in one way or another, i hope i could touch more people ... errr i mean, i hope i could touch more people's lives.
and i remain very much hopeful that someday i'll end my quest and finally be with a lifelong partner.
in the end, i am optimistic. and i guess, that is the most important thing in life.
p.s. thank you all for being a part of those 27 years
busy weekend - part 2
baby shower at tai tam tuk reservoir
had an early start yet again today. this time, it's for an outdoor barbeque baby shower for a pinoy colleague.
had to wake up early to make sure me and two of my other pinoy colleagues have enough time to drop by park n shop to buy drinks, ice, chips and other stuff we needed - and get to the barbeque site as early as possible to get things started.
the weather wasn't the best for an outdoor activity. it was very much overcast, damp, with on and off drizzle. it was cool though. but we had loads of fun, laughter and food, nonetheless.
of course, for any barbeque, it's always a challenge to start the fire. and we weren't spared. it took at least 15 minutes and 5 people to actually get the fire started.
for some weird reason, we feel charcoals in hk are of such a "high quality" and so packed that they dont' catch fire easily. good when you're trying to prevent the grocery from burning down, but bad when it's the single most important thing to get a barbeque started.
so we had a feast. there were i think about 10 dishes ranging from salads to pancit to barbequed meats and homemade cakes. there were so much food that we had to take a lot of leftovers home.
after lunch, we had to scamper to the nearest gazeebo (just about 10 steps away). it rained. but was a perfect cue for the "games" and the "gifts" part of the baby shower.
by 430pm, we called it a day and went our separate ways. some went straight home, some hoped make it to hear mass, others met up with friends, and i managed to squeeze in a couple of hours at the gym - with all the food i had, i really really can't skip gym.
it's been a very busy weekend - with early starts, but loads of fun. tomorrow ushers in my birthday week, and so far, weeknights are proving to be quite hectic. tiring as the schedule may seem, i don't mind, i know i'll have lots of fun anyways.
(photos from the barbeque to follow)
busy weekend - part 1
my first trip to discovery bay
this weekend is proving to be a very very busy one. today (or yesterday to be exact), soy, franco, peanuts and i helped out ivy move out of her flat in south horizons to move to "expat central" discovery bay.
it was kinda challenging because she, just like us who have tried moving flats before her, fell into the trap of just packing (millions of) stuff in small boxes or large plastic bags - which meant having to take several tedious trips from the flat to the van.
to make things more complicated was the fact that the van was parked on the street beside the complex - which meant we had to bring all the stuff down to the podium, then shifting them down a flight of stairs (2 or 3 floors high) then round the bend before getting to the van.
so what was initially meant to be a 30-minute loading took an hour-and-a-half to finish.
after a 1-hour drive, we finally arrived in discovery bay in lantau island (it's the same island where the airport is). this time, unloading the stuff and bringing them up to her new home was much more a breeze.
at past 1pm, we headed over a few blocks away to gia's place, where she gracefully hosted a homecooked lunch for all of us - plus fellow dbay crew chinky.
then after lunch, the pinoy in all of us kicked in and we had a videoke session. we were actually having a blast - well, at least until the magic mic's battery gave up (and we couldn't find any other battery that works; had there been one, we would have continued singing).
and by 5pm-ish, we were back at ivy's place again acting like the fab five helping her unpack and set her place up - but actually ended up harrassing her and spoiling her "peace and quiet" (we thinks).
anyways, by 6pm, we were all tired and decided to head back to the city where we all went our separate ways to retire.
well, except me. i had an impromptu dinner date followed by a drink afterwards.
it was a pretty packed day today. and tomorrow will be another one. more kwento tomorrow, but for now, here are pics from today's activities.
the hk crew in gia's place
the hk crew on our way back to ivy's place
some of the hk crew gone mental
gia, me and jane-y
peanuts and i
that's me and gia's toy (is it a gecko or a lizard?)
screwed up holidays (part 2)
well, it's confirmed. bading si rustom (yeeeesh, that's sooooo passé) ...
... i got my (e)ticket already and i'm set to fly home for a short break ...
so i'm taking the last flight out on april 4th, and returning on april 9th. it's just a five/four-day stay in manila, but a break nonetheless - for the following week will be hell.
i sense that i won't be having a full easter holiday given that our first trade show in hk will be opening that weekend, and there are some related stuff that i got dragged into yesterday.
oh well!
"anatomy" rules
Eonline reports: "Grey's Anatomy" Still on Super High
yes, you have to catch the fantastic super bowl episodes. they're billed as the best episodes of grey's anatomy ever. and i must agree.
the story was unpredictable, the acting was intense, and kyle chandler guest stars!
aliw!!! galing-galing!!!
quit
found some time saturday night to squeeze in a trip to the cinema to watch brokeback mountain - finally.
"i wish i knew how to quit you!" may be one of the film's most popular dialogues. but this particular line is also closest to home. and tonight this exact sentiment struck even closer.
i was already warned "no expectations = no dissappointment" but i did and still do. so i end up feeling down and unhappy.
i'm writing this with some heaviness inside. rationally i shouldn't be feeling this way since there's really no logical basis to start with. but reality is, i feel quite upset.
i guess, if you really put your heart and mind on someone, you start to hope and expect - especially when you see that there's a connection and you enjoy each moment. unfortunately, things -sometimes - don't usually go your way, and it does lead to disappointment.
i guess, this is all a product of naivete, maybe immaturity. but i just can't help it, i wish i know how to take things slow, i wish i know to take things less seriously, i wish i know how to quit you.
screwed up holiday
okay okay okay, i do miss people back home and i wanted to spend my birthday with them. yes, i'm turning 27 on the 27th.
so i have this grand plan of simply spending a weekend with peeps back home - my folks and my closest friends. just an intimate time together to chat and have food, drinks and lots of laughter. as an added bonus, lhasyus just gave birth (congrats!!!) and i want to catch up on her.
but things fell through.
i confirmed my bookings in early march - usual battle plan, fly out friday night the 24th then back to hk on tuesday night or wednesday night. ticket deadline was march 6. but i was in shanghai on the 6th, busy with iic and the launch party (more kwento in my next post). so i totally forgot about the automatic cancellation.
friday, i called my agent to confirm and get the ticket issued. she informed me that all outbound flights for that weekend are full. hayop, lahat ata ng pinoy sa hk e may kamag-anak na gagraduate! so i had to look for alternatives.
one option was to fly out first thing on saturday morning (well, it's actually 11am). i got a confirmed seat on that flight, but i have to make sure this is ok with my parents, especially since they are among the people i wanted to be with.
and then i found out my dad can't be in manila on the 27th - he's now based in tarlac helping out with my tito's piggery business. he has to hold the fort while my tito's on a business trip until april 5th.
so there, plan b didn't work out either. so finally, plan c. i've decided to fly out on april 4th instead and stay until the 9th. but murphy's law was very much at work. apparently, all flights in april until easter are already fully booked.
then there was a glimmer of hope. after checking further, i found out that all seats under the cheaper 14-day fare class are booked, but then there were available seats on the 30-day booking class, which are pricier by only hk$200. so i booked myself and had confirmed seats.
there, so my itinerary is hkg-mnl april 4, mnl-hkg april 9. hopefully, things will go smoothly from this point on. updates to come next week.
good riddance!
finally, the cocky narcissistic bastard gedeon mckiney is out of AI5!!! i must admit, he is a very very good singer and performer, but he's just too egotistical and arrogant for my liking. good riddance!
anyways, this year's finalists are such a good bunch with lots of talented singers that it's hard to really root for one. but if i were to choose one guy and one girl, i'd definitely put my money on chris daughtry and mandisa. kebs ace young!!!
moving
my cute next door neighbor has just moved out. i assume he and his wife, who's very much with child, needs a bigger place to raise their soon-to-be born baby. there goes one nice neighbor!
anyways, seems like some things are moving too fast. a week or two after hearing about our big boss being forcibly moved to shenzhen, instead of hk, we learned that our hk chief rep is also moving to the dump across the border.
and i'm not liking this
the likelihood of being shifted to the dump as well is growing by the minute.
and, again, i'm not liking this
so i spent an hour or so this morning just rummaging through jobsdb.com for other opportunities here in hk. i absolutely wouldn't want to be based in the dump. i might stick it out for a couple of months just to turnover work, but that's it. and i definitely have to remain based in hk period.
maybe this is an opportunity for me to go back to my "roots" - of going back to journalism and production. bloomberg, cnn and starnews have their headquarters here, there must be opportunities with them.
but i've got issues with moving to another job
bulk of my 6 year professional experience is with marketing (or what may resemble as marketing). and that's my current line of work. most of these news outfits are looking for people with professional experience in the field - and i just don't have that.
then there's compensation. i don't think i'll be able to get roughly the same pay scale for a relatively new and totally different line of work in a new company. and going down in terms of position and pay seems like a bad career move.
this company has held me hostage that my options are to either stick it out or retire.
a career re-direction at this point feels weird. the thought of starting again from scratch just isn't sitting well with me. plus, i've been with this company since grad. and i don't know what else to expect out there. i haven't had any experience changing jobs.
i'm just at a loss ...
countdown
stumbled upon these two interesting countdowns ... read on, enjoy, and hope it brings back *sweet* memories!
Top 15 one-hit-wonders of the '90s
15. Semisonic, "Closing Time"
14. Deadeye Dick, "New Age Girl"
13. 69 Boyz, "Tootsie Roll"
12. Tag Team, "Whoop There It Is"
11. Deep Blue Something, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and The Rembrandt's "I'll be There for You"
10. Snow, "Informer"
9. Edwyn Collins, "A Girl Like You"
8. Lou Vega, "Mambo No. 5"
7. Joan Osborne, "One of Us"
6. 4PM, "Sukiyaki"
5. Chumbawamba, "Thubthumping"
4. Marcy Playground, "Sex and Candy"
3. Los del Rio, "Macarena"
2. Apache Indian, "Oh Carolina"
1. 4 Non Blondes, "What's Up"
VH1's 40 Most Awesomely Bad Love Songs
40. Hero - Enrique Iglesias
39. Is This Love - Whitesnake
38. Joanna - Kool & The Gang
37. God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You - N'SYNC
36. You're The Inspiration - Chicago
35. The Search Is Over - Survivor
34. Get Here - Oleta Adams
33. Truly, Madly, Deeply - Savage Garden
32. When You Close Your Eyes - Night Ranger
31. Heaven - Warrant
30. Suddenly - Billy Ocean
29. You Got It All - The Jets
28. Endless Nights - Eddie Money
27. Eternal Flame - The Bangles
26. All My Life - K-Ci & Jojo
25. Love Of A Lifetime - Firehouse
24. I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) - Meatloaf
23. Rosanna - Toto
22. I Get Weak - Belinda Carlisle
21. When I See You Smile - Bad English
20. Oh Sherrie - Steve Perry
19. All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You - Heart
18. High Enough - Damn Yankees
17. As Long As You Love Me - Backstreet Boys
16. I Drove All Night - Celine Dion
15. All For Love - Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, Sting
14. I'll Be Loving You (Forever) - New Kids On The Block
13. The Flame - Cheap Trick
12. Sometimes - Britney Spears
11. To Be With You - Mr. Big
10. I'll Make Love To You - Boyz II Men
9. Hold On To The Nights - Richard Marx
8. I Need A Girl (Part 1) - P. Diddy & Usher
7. Love Somebody - Rick Springfield
6. Key Largo - Bertie Higgins
5. How Can We Be Lovers If We Can't Be Friends - Michael Bolton
4. Tonight I Celebrate My Love - Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack
3. I Adore Mi Amor - Color Me Badd
2. Even The Nights Are Better - Air Supply
1. Truly - Lionel Ritchie
vday scrooge on the loose
i must admit, i can't stand v-day like i can't stand someone playing with his cellphone ringtones. see, i can't even say it straight. let me try again, vah-lhen-taynnssss dehhhy...
lovers crowding the malls - hhpssp - on a fierce battle to get the last seat at the restaurant, shelling out tons of cash for something they can actually do on a regular day with less stress, less hassle - and less cash.
i actually wanted to shoot dead the first couple i see smooching at the subway. gosh, couples are out in droves today. at 1030pm, the mtr was dead full of them - in various intensities of pda. i'm glad none of them were smooching - unlike last year.
i don't hate vday because i haven't had a really decent one since birth. i just feel vday is way too romanticised! way too commercialized! way too overrated! all the cheesiness, all the mush, all the drama! it's just too much! yech!
so vday suckers, enjoy the hype that is vday. for tomorrow, everything will be forgotten and life goes back to where it was the day before - back to normal. mwahahahaha!
(just a footnote: the irony of it all is that today, in my mailbox was a "thank you for the christmas card" note from my relatives in the u.s. ... and it's in a vday greeting card!!!)
2006 grammy faves
the more i look at the nominees for major categories, the more i get this eerie feeling that, thanks to the magic of jermaine dupri, mariah might just bag a number of major awards.
another guy to watch out for would be john legend. every now and then, a new artist grabs the spotlight away from the veterans. in 1999, it was lauryn hill, and in 2002, it was norah jones. this year might just be john legend's turn.
having said this, here are some of the ones that i want to win or i think will win tomorrow:
• record of the year: we belong together, mariah carey (but i'm really rooting for boulevard of broken dream by greenday)
• album of the year: the emancipation of mimi
• song of the year: ordinary people, john legend
• best new artist: john legend
• female pop vocal performance: since u been gone, kelly clarkson
• pop performance by a duo or group: don't lie, black eyed peas
• pop collaboration: gone going, black eyed peas & jack johnson
• female r&b vocal performance: free yourself, fantasia
• male r&b vocal perforamcne: ordinary people, john legend
• rap solo performance: gold digger, kanye west
• rap performance by a group: don't phunk with my heart, black eyed peas
• rap/sung collaboration: 1 2 step, ciara featuring missy elliot
• female country vocal performance: mississippi girl, faith hill
• country performance by a group: bless the broken road, rascal flatts
• country collaboration: like we never loved at all, faith hill & tim mcgraw
i hope i get a lot of them right. in any case, here are predictions from e!
maxed out
i've been terribly maxed out at work today. was just getting into the groove of a new workweek when my boss called me in. the coo needs help in cleaning up a major ppt. and he wants it done asap.
we were hoping to nail it down by the end of the day, but the original looked like a dog's dinner that i was only halfway done at 6pm. so i ended up canceling my haircut appointment, skipping dinner, and leaving the office at 930pm. geesh!
now on to some random thoughts:
... the stampede at the ultra remained hot news for the third day. this time, it's talk about criminal liabilities, and the government trying to stay away from a potential political controversy
... speaking of controversy, i'm kinda overwhelmed with the violence surrounding the publication of a cartoon depicting the prophet mohammad. it's spreading becoming more violent. people say there's nothing wrong and they're just exercising press freedom. i say, it's plain and simple cultural insensitivity.
... was surprised to read about sheryl crow and lance armstrong splitting. thought of them as a glam hollywood couple that would last. unfortunately they didn't.
... speaking of sheryl crow. loved her grammy nominated song "good is good" (best female pop vocal performance).
... the grammy's are just a few days away and i still can't decide which song i'm going for for song of the year. last year, john mayer's daughter was the clear cut winner for me - and it did win. but this year, i'm torn between john legend's "ordinary people" and rascal flatt's "bless the broken road". although i'm standing by "boulevard of broken dreams" for record of the year. i'll post the rest of my grammy faves tomorrow.
... finally, patay na pala si ernie baron!
stampede
a colleague texted me mid-afternoon yesterday asking if i've heard of the stampede at the ultra. unfortunately, i haven't checked inq7.net the entire day - something that rarely happens. so i was totally clueless.
then while at the gym, i got the dreaded confirmation. something indeed happened. they were running the story on local news.
i was just shocked... then saddened. it pains me that there are people who are so poor and desperate back home that all they can do is count on luck to get them out of poverty, or at the very least, get themselves a decent meal.
sometimes we stereotype the poor as a lazy bunch of people without any goal in life. while some of them are. others are simply victims of a faulty and grossly mismanaged economic and political system.
no matter how sound economic fundamentals are, reality is, life back home is getting harder and harder. sipag and tiyaga - two virtues our elders have always tried to instill in all of us - have become overrated. a better life is nowhere in sight no matter how much sipag and tiyaga you have.
and it sickens me that the government keeps on turning a blind eye to what's really happening. they've been so out of touch with reality that i think all government officials need a wake-up call - electric shock down at their groins!
kung hei fat choi!
happy new year!
it's funny how three years ago, chinese new year was just like any ordinary day for me. you wouldn't hear me greet people "happy new year". or i wouldn't even bother check out any of the festivities.
but this year, things seem different. i asked the cleaning lady to come and clean my place up to get ready for the new year. instead of greeting her a good morning, i greeted her a happy new year.
tonight, gerwin, charlie and i joined the crowds at victoria park for the flower market/lunar new year fair. and just over an hour ago, we greeted each other a happy new year before we parted ways, and i wished the guard downstairs a happy new year as well - in cantonese!
i guess, when in rome do as the romans do. and the longer you live in hk, the more immersed you get into their culture.
oh speaking of tonight, had a wonderful time with gerwin, charlie and their friend ronnie. it was so great that we we didn't realize it was past midnight already. and it was evident that we didn't want it to end. there's this feeling of awkwardness when we had to cut our chat and say our goodbyes.
i so do look forward to getting together again with gerwin, charlie and ronnie soon.
a prosperous year of the dog to all!
sleep
it's past 1130pm and i still feel wide awake. geesh, looks like this will be the 4th straight night i'll be taking in melatonin just to get myself to snoozeville.
sunday morning
i rarely write a post in the morning. but it's been a very lazy sunday morning primarily because of a lack-of-cable-tv dilemma (well, aside from lacking sleep - i think i've been having too much coffee).
this lack of cable tv has actually given me some sort of appreciation of local tv programming.
it's not the best in town - it's still full of slapstick, and too loud and overly dramatic. it's not the most disciplined in town - there's no specific schedule to speak of. but somehow, i did find myself "entertained" with the kababawans i saw on tv.
i must say, pinoy soaps have come a long way. while i used to follow those that are heavily dramatic (mula sa puso and pangako sa yo immediately come to mind), i've grown tired of all the screaming, crying and drama.
but the fantasy series etheria is a break from the usual - and now tiring - love-team-focused plot. the storytelling and the production may need a bit more finetuning, but the premise and concept behind the series is very much commendable.
i also found myself getting hooked on korean dramas. i'm frustrated that i'll miss the remaining episodes of jewel in the palace (or more popularly known as dai cheung gam in hk). and i've been trying to understand the story of green rose and stained glass.
had a laugh while watching nuts entertainment, bubble gang and eat bulaga too. slapsticks aside, some of the skits, jokes and games were indeed cleverly thought of.
maybe i'm just saying this because i'm experiencing philippine tv in small doses over a relatively short time. i don't know. but i also look forward to getting back into my usual tv fare in hk.
first, i have to get rid of the pinoy big brother theme that's been darn ringing in my head since around christmas ...lahat tayo'y mayroong pagkakaiba, sa tingin palang ay makikita na, iba't-ibang kagustuhan, ngunit isang patutunguhan...
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