HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We're going trick-or-treating tomorrow! Golf Mill Mall, here I come. Dami na namang candies neto. Wehehe. Ay diet nga pala ako. Darn. Wish you could see the kids frolicking in the mall wearing these cute costumes. Ooooh I hope I could see LOTR-themed ones.

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Someone should boink me in the head. I forgot my godson's birthday! Baaad Ninang!

Also I've been neglecting my friends!! I haven't sent them a single email or text within the last couple of weeks!! Baaad friend!

"Hi Marco. It's Sara. I thought I'd call to say hi."

There was a sort of choking noise, and I thought, Oh! He's thrown up, and I was about to put the receiver down when Marco said, "Sorry, I got a piece of apple stuck in my throat. How are you?"

I said, blurting, "I'm fine do you want to go for a drink?"

He replied, " Are you talking about me going into the kitchen for a glass of water, or do you meant going out for a drink drink?"

I said I wasn't clear what a drink drink was, but I just thought maybe we might spend a bit of time together if that wasn't too... too...

By then my voice was trailing off, and my resolve was disappearing fast. I thought I might pass out any second.

Then he said, "I was hoping that's what you meant, but I didn't want to make an idiot of myself. When do you want to meet?"

This is an excerpt from The Venetian's Wife by Nick Bantock, author of the best-selling book Griffin and Sabine. The Venetian's Wife has a lot of similarities with Griffin and Sabine: the bridging of time and place, one of the protagonists is contacted by the other, whom she does not know, but who seems to be able to read her mind, and the use of communication tools to tell a story. Anyway I just wanted to tell you that the above excerpt is one of my favorite parts in the book. I just love playing this scene in my mind over and over, silently cheering for Sara to ask Marco out and laughing out loud at their uneasiness with their situation. Somehow I admire Sara for what she did; I don't think I'll be able to do that (asking a guy out), not in a million years.

La lang.

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I have two friends who broke up with their respective gfs. One had a 3-month relationship with his gf; the other 9 years. With this in mind, I just realized that you could never guarantee the outcome of your relationship. What you can do at the moment is to love him/her with all you have because you'll never know when one or both of you falls out of love or when the situation changes and one of you has to let go of the other. Scary noh?

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Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?

Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you?



-- Liz Phair, Why Can't I?

That's my lola up there, the only grandparent I have left. My maternal grandfather and paternal grandparents passed away years ago due to old age. I was never close to any of them and somehow I regret it. I miss them sorely especially my paternal grandfather. Papa (paternal grandfather) was such a tender soul that I became close to him, even though we don't get to talk much (different dialects used). However just being in his presence makes me feel loved and protected. Somehow I miss that feeling.

In regards to my lola (the one in the picture) I never did like her when I was a little kid. She was so stern and strict that I would cry a lot whenever she stayed over to babysit me and my sister. You know how it is with grandparents: do this, don't do that. Disobey and the next thing you know, you're being spanked. God how I hated her then. (Yeah I had my share of spankings back then. Hee hee.) Needless to say, it was a relief when lola migrated to the US. (You might get a bit affronted with this kind of attitude but bear in mind, I was just a kid.) Of course with the next few years or so, I missed her. When I finally saw her last year, my heart broke a little. Ang laki ng tinanda ng lola. Besides her having high blood pressure and osteoporosis, I learned that she's been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease just recently. Sigh. Within the last year, I have seen my lola's progressive decline. I just hope she'll be able to hold on until mom arrives.

What kind of thinker are you?

You are a Intrapersonal Thinker

Intrapersonal thinkers:

• spend a lot of time thinking about and trying to understand themselves



• reflect on their thoughts and moods, and work to improve them
  


• you understand how your behaviour affects your relationships with others

Other intrapersonal thinkers include Sigmund Freud, Gandhi, Grahame Greene.

Careers which suit intrapersonal thinkers include Psychologist, Teacher, Pilot, Child care worker, Explorer, Drama therapist.

Bat your eyes girl, be otherworldly,

Count your blessings, seduce a stranger.

What's so wrong with being happy?

Kudos to those who see through sickness.

When she woke in the morning

She knew that her life had passed her by.

And she called out a warning,

"Don't ever let life pass you by."

I suggest we learn to love ourselves before it's made illegal.

When will we learn? When will we change?

Just in time to see it all fall down.

Those left standing... will make millions...

Writing books on the way it should have been.

When she woke in the morning

she knew that her life had passed her by.

And she called out a warning,

"Don't ever let life pass you by."

Floating in this cosmic jacuzzi

We are like frogs oblivious to the water starting to boil.

No one flinches, we all float face down.

When she woke in the morning

She knew that her life had passed her by

And she called out a warning,

"Don't ever let life pass you by."

-- Warning, Incubus

Rants and Raves

Rant 1:
Was pissed off awhile ago so I took a walk. Oh well.

Rant 2:
No one's looking for me.

Rant 3:
FCCPT still hasn't received my transcripts!! Aargh! Hassle na naman.

Rant 4:
The weighing scale didn't cooperate! Do you think working out twice a day will make it change its mind??

Rave 1:
My Dad's coming home! Oh happy, happy day!

Rave 2:
Laughing my head off with the book "Confessions of a Shopaholic" by Sophie Kinsella. It's a nice and easy read about Becky Bloomwood and her (mis)adventures with regards to money and shopping. I'm sure you'll warm up to her immediately. We all have a Becky Bloomwood inside of us, wanting to go out and splurge on some new dress or something, which brings me to...

Rave 3:
Bought me some Tolkien goodies. Hehe. And I finally saw the LOTR book and bookends set. Good thing I didn't have enough money or else, I would have bought it already. Come to think of it, I'm now contemplating on buying it. Darn.

Rave 4:
Finally have the guts to post my intention of wanting to be a moderator in peyups. Hee hee hee. Wish me luck.

I'm off to see the doctor tomorrow -- a monthly check-up regarding my condition*. One of the things they do is to check for my weight. Wish me luck. Hopefully the scale would decide to cooperate and give me a more confidence-boosting result. Hehe.

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* It appears that from the previous medical tests I undertook, I tested positive in the TB skin test. Of course, it doesn't mean that I have TB, what with me having my BCG when I was young (this automatically means I would yield a positive result in the TB skin test) and the fact that most of the people coming from third world countries have this latent TB infection (meaning a positive skin reaction; may either develop TB or not) . So there. No TB guys. Just taking precautionary measures.

Organized My Favorites folder earlier. Found some articles and stuff that might be of some interest to you.

This article is a look at some of the jobs that might have no future at all. It stresses out that education is the key for having and staying on the job. I couldn't agree more.

This site offers framed stock certificates that can be given as gifts. A certificate represents ownership of a single share of stock in a real company like Krispy Kreme and Walmart. Cool huh?

An article about the death of Dr. Robert Atkins, creator of the high-protein, low-carbohydrate Atkins Diet. I had no idea that he passed away if not for the article in the Chicago Sun Times (see previous post).

For those of you who use CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) in designing webpages, here's something that might be of interest. It's basically a tutorial that's helpful for users looking for hard to find links on a page.

Read this! Very creepy but very good -- a work by Neil Gaiman.

Saw this article from the Chicago Sun Times:

Now Harvard Study Backs Up Atkins Diet

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The dietary establishment has long argued it's impossible, but a new study offers intriguing evidence for the idea that people on low-carbohydrate diets can actually eat more than folks on standard low-fat plans and still lose weight.

Perhaps nothing is more controversial in the diet world than the low-carb diet long espoused by the late Dr. Robert Atkins.

Now, a small but carefully controlled study offers a strong hint that maybe Atkins was right.

The study, directed by Penelope Greene of the Harvard School of Public Health and presented at a meeting here this week of the American Association for the Study of Obesity, found that people eating an extra 300 calories a day on a very low-carb regimen lost just as much during a 12-week study as those on a standard low-fat diet.

Researchers are still arguing over why, and if, the Atkins diet works. ''A lot of our assumptions about a calorie is a calorie are being challenged,'' said Marlene Schwartz of Yale. ''As scientists, we need to be open-minded.''

Hmmm...

Have you ever felt that your entire life might be just a huge lie? That our thoughts and experiences are just culmination of fallacies we perceive to be true but is nowhere near it? That this world we live in is nothing but a hodge-podge of falsities? Do you ever think that we exist but it's all for nothing? Have you ever been this paranoid? Sheesh.

When Disaster Strikes

I'm home alone. I wanted to cook something -- anything that doesn't come out of a box or a can. Then again, I really don't know how to cook Pinoy specialty foods like adobo or sinigang so I opted for the next possible thing: torta. Not just any kind of torta but a corned beef torta. I figured I could handle this. It's easy as 1-2-3. Open the can. Dice the potatoes. Add egg. Mix. Fry. How hard is that? Little did I know, I'm really a dimwit when it comes to cooking.

You know it's a disaster:

• when you can't open a goddamn can of corned beef: it's either you break the key or you try to open it using a knife with a not-so-sharp edge;


• when you're so desperate to eat because you wasted an hour trying to open that goddamn can with all the methods and tools you can think of;


• when you forgot to check if there are any eggs (which in my case, there are no eggs);


• when you saved the mixture and hid it inside the freezer (behind a package of asparagus and just-heat-in-the-microwave dish) in the hope that you could cook it some other day.

Blast it. I just want a corned beef torta. Is that too much to ask?!

Sawa na ko sa lay-out ko. I think I'm obsessed with change.

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Finally revamped my Gallery page. Updated my photos section and added a video clips section. You might need an account in imagestation to view the pictures. Take a look and tell me what you think.

Thanks to Ricky of Starbuckscoffeeforfree.com for letting me borrow his scripts. Let me know if there are dead links and such. Or if you know javascript.

Guess what?!

The Trilogy Tuesday here in Chicago is SOLD OUT!!! Is that freaking right??? No it is not!! I was online at 12 noon exact, the time they said the tickets will be released. However it wasn't available so I patiently waited for one more hour. At 1 pm, they started accepting orders for tickets. So syempre order na ko. Pagdating sa last step (Purchase in Progress), syempre I was excited since malapit na ma-complete ang order ko. Ang sabi sa screen, "this may take about 5 minutes." Aba naka-isang oras na ko, nde pa rin tapos ang transaction!! All the while, I was chatting with some of the Chicago Fellowship people. It turns out they were also having problems transacting with movietickets.com. Yun pala, nagcrash na yung system ng website na yun. HELLO!!! Don't tell me they didn't prepare for this. It's preposterous for them not to be prepared for what is likely the most highly anticipated film in history. In Chicago alone, there are about 7 million fans who are willing to buy tickets. Multiply that by a dozen times for the number of fans across the US and you get a recipe for a server meltdown. DUH. We, in the CF group, were exchanging emails in the boards to update ourselves regarding the situation. At 4:15:47 PM, tickets were (unbelievably) sold out. As it turns out, NO ONE in the group was able to purchase a single ticket. What a nightmare.

Nde na nga ko makakanood ng ROTK kasama ang Philippine Tolkien Society peeps tapos ngayon nde na rin ako makakanood ng LOTR with the other fans. Bwiset na buhay to.

UPDATE: I called the theater where the event will take place. According to them, since I have a tracking number, I have "successfully" purchased an order. However, another member from the CF group called them and they told him that a tracking number doesn't guarantee you a ticket. What the **** ?! Make up your mind, will you?! Haay. I'm being optimistic about this. I just hope my order went through.

On a happier note, I have some news. We're going to Wisconsin tomorrow!! Pumpkin picking!! I've never been to one so I'm pretty excited about it. I'll post some pictures AND a video clip as soon as I can.

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Goodbye to you

Goodbye to everything that I knew

You were the one I loved

The one thing that I tried to hold on to

-- Goodbye to You, Michelle Branch

HELP!

I'm having second thoughts regarding the Trilogy Tuesday -- the LOTR marathon where fans can watch the extended FOTR and TTT followed by the Dec 17 release of ROTK. I have the extended FOTR DVD and I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy the extended TTT. The question is why not watch the extended editions at home and then just watch ROTK when it's released on Dec 17? As I see it, there are two scenarios that I could be happy either way:

Sleep in as late as possible on the 16th. Go to the Chicago theater at 3pm for FOTR. Then wait for 7 pm for TTT. Finally get to see ROTK at 12am. Stroll around the Chicago area once the movie's done (It's 4am and my aunt and uncle are not yet awake by that time.) Go home about 8am. Spend the whole day recuperating.

-- OR --

Watch extended FOTR once or twice two weeks before RotK comes out. Watch extended TTT once or twice the weekend before RotK comes out. Watch ROTK on Dec 17.

Help naman o.

Celebrating a Year Online

Hala I haven't noticed that I've been blogging and that I've been in foreign soil for over a year now. Wow. Tempus fugit. Where did all the days go, I wonder? Anyway just wanted to jot this down -- my list of things that made my stay here worthwhile (consider this too a list of things I should keep in mind whenever I start to think "Why am I here again?!?").

I love fruit juices. I couldn't get enough of them when I was in Pinas. One bottle would cost around P180-200. For a student like me, it was too much especially when I lived in a dorm during my last two years in college. You know why I like fruit juices? Kasi tinatamad akong magbalat ng prutas. Anyway here in the US, there are about 4-5 shelves of fruit juices in supermarkets and stores -- different kinds, different brands, different sizes, different prices. You can choose from orange juice original, orange juice fortified with calcium, orange juice with orange bits, apple cider, apple juice (there's a difference between the two, I just don't know what), grape, white cranberry, original cranberry, prune, and even pomegranate juice. Sometimes a 1-liter bottle is cheaper than a 12 oz. bottle of water.

Ah milk. I like milk. I never developed the hobbit, este habit of drinking coffee in the morning. It's milk for me. With our family history of osteoporosis, every calcium-giving food counts. And of course, fresh milk beats the powdered milk in Pinas. (Tamad kasi akong magtimpla, that's why.)

Well whatever you say, I just love eating those sweets. Of course, it's healthy eating for me from now on. It's just that once in a while (well twice for me) I get these urges to just grab whatever sweet nuthins that are lying around in the house. Willpower just doesn't stand a chance.

And of course, my favorite fruit these past days -- apples. I really can't get enough of them. I make it a point to eat at least 1 or 2 apples per day. Instead of eating sweets, eto na lang. This is like the "banana" of US -- sobrang common eh. So cheap too.

And yes, don't forget my treasures too. I basically categorized them into two: non-Tolkien and Tolkien merchandise. Geeky huh? This is probably one thing that I love best in the US. Tolkien collectibles are everywhere and I can easily access them (provided of course that I have the necessary funds to acquire them). I love ogling those darn collectibles, wanting them so much even though I know most of them are just junk, banking on the movies' popularity. Feeling ko basta may LOTR logo inscribed on the product, bibilhin ko eh, given the chance.

Hmm that's it for now. Will just update this list if anything else comes to mind.

Love sucks

Why do I have to fall in love with you? Why you, of all people? Can I just forget you and leave? But no I can't. I want to be near you, damn you.

Trilogy Tuesday!!

TORn has finally posted the list of theaters around US that will partake in the 'Trilogy Tuesday' celebrations. It's a one day event where fans get to watch the Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition, followed by The Two Towers Extended Edition, followed by the 11pm Dec 16th start of The Return of the King! Gaaak! I'm so excited! Tickets will be available on the 9th of October, just a week from now. Have to tell my aunt about this. Wish me luck. BTW here's the list of the participating theaters, if you're interested.

GAIMAN-IA

Yup that's Neil Gaiman alright. This picture is in the latest Entertainment Weekly with a 2-page article about him. He looks like a cross between Alan Rickman and a James Bond villain cast in a Matrix movie. Hey that's his own words. Check it out on his blog how this happened. But still you've got to agree -- the man looks uberlicious! Even at 42, he still is handsome -- one of the many reasons why he's a favorite. Of course the primary reason is he's so damn good in writing and re-weaving stories that you'll ask for more. A lot of people, during book signings, are willing to wait forever just to have a glimpse (and a signature) of him. When I read his short story "Snow, Glass, Apples" last year, I was transformed into a Gaiman-iac overnight. I even bought his latest work, Endless Nights, which costs more than what I usually spend on books (which is a first for me since I'm considered kuripot).

BTW to Gaiman-atics out there, here's a Gaiman purity test. It turns out I'm 70% pure and 30% corrupt in the Gaiman domain. I don't know what the results mean but heck, I just used it as a checklist.

And right now I'm listening to a Tori Amos song, Horses. Why Tori Amos? Well she's a friend of Neil. And why this particular song? Well at the time when Neil was writing Stardust, he says Tori allowed him to stay at her house to work, on the condition that he write her into the book as a tree, which he did. She mentioned it in one of her songs. And that song is Horses and she sings, "Will you find me if Neil makes me a tree?" Cool noh.

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I am SO geeky at the moment. I can't believe I did what I did earlier -- I examined the ROTK trailer frame by frame. Haha.