Aldorithm

Nothing Lasts Forever

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:12:59 +0800

I haven’t finished watching No Strings Attached yet, but there are quite a few screencappable scenes.

Project: Orinoco

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:00:00 +0800

I’ve written about this before but allow me to once again wax about something I seriously want to venture into.

It’s called Project: Orinoco.

Basically, I want to visit all the places Enya mentioned in her song, Orinoco Flow. I’ve done my (Internet) research and as far as I could dig, no one’s done this before, so that makes it a little more exciting for me.

Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia

There are 20 sites in the song, namely:

Orinoco River, Colombia and Venezuela
Tripoli, Libya
Yellow Sea, between Korea and China
Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
Palau, Micronesia
Avalon, British Isles
Fiji, Fiji islands
Tiree, Scotland
Isles of Ebony, England
Peru
Cebu, Philippines
Babylon, Iraq
Bali, Indonesia
Cali, Colombia
Coral Sea, Australia
Ebudae (Inner Hebrides), Scotland
Khartoum, Sudan
The Sea of Clouds, possibly Mount Huangshan, China
Island of the Moon (Comoros); also an island on Lake Titicaca, Peru & Bolivia
Ross Dependency, a region of Antarctica

So far, I’ve visited only two of them: Bali, Indonesia and Cebu, Philippines. Unfortunately, my hard disk containing photos of my Bali and Cebu trips crashed last year. But that’s not going to be a major hindrance in documenting this project. See, I’m going back to Bali and Cebu this 2012! (And I will make sure to back up my photos, yes.)

In addition, I’m going to visit (hopefully) two more destinations later this year, thanks to Cebu Pacific’s P1 fare seat sale last month. I’ll definitely write about it when it happens. But for now, I need to save up big time then apply for a Visa!

Realistically speaking, I know I won’t be able to experience all 20 places in the song. For one, I’m not too keen on visiting Iraq, for Babylon’s sake. (Plus, my passport is not valid for travel in Iraq!) I’m also not sure about Khartoum, Sudan and Tripoli, Libya. Tripoli, Greece or Tripoli, Lebanon are more viable destinations but the consensus is that Enya’s Tripoli is the Libyan capital. And finally, I know it can be done but I’m not sure I’m venturesome enough to join an antarctica cruise to visit the Ross Dependency. Enya, couldn’t have you picked easier places to visit? You make it sound so easy when you sing about them!

So yes, this is my lifetime project and I’m dead serious about doing it, much to my friends’ and family’s amusement. “You want to go to China to climb Mountain What? Do you even know how to hike?!” Yes, I need to go to the Huangshan Province to climb the Yellow Mountain (for “the deep sea of clouds”). No, I don’t know how to hike but I heard there are cable cars!

You know how we’re all supposed to have a mission in life? Well, I think I may have just stumbled into mine. And that’s to sail away, sail away, sail away.

Favorite Finds: Salad Dressing

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:42:00 +0800

Since November, I’ve been on the search for that elusive bottle of Wish-Bone Light Asian with Sesame and Ginger Vinaigrette. I’ve tried several stores, including Makati Supermarket (where I first found it), but to no luck. I did, however, end up with a salad dressing haul from Rustan’s Fresh last week.

This was not planned. As usual, I was scouring the shelves for that Wish-Bone vinaigrette but I found Newman’s Own Low Fat Asian instead. Like what I wrote in my previous entry, Asian dressing is not that common in supermarkets. I’m happy that the local brand Clara Olé has expanded its range of salad dressings but I’m not too fond of its version of Asian (I love Orange You Glad? though). So yeah, I was stoked to see this supermarket carry not just one but other brands of Asian or Asian-inspired vinaigrette.

Rustan’s Fresh is a great place to find an array of salad dressings. This needs to be said because “creative” salad dressings are not a common sight in other supermarkets (be they big or small). Heck, even the smaller Rustan’s Fresh puts the warehouse that is S&R to shame when it comes to salad dressings. Of course, it might be a better option to make one yourself (because it’s fresher and more natural that way) but my lazy self would rather buy one from a store or an organic market.

You can just imagine my excitement when I saw how well-stocked the salad dressing shelf was at this Rustan’s Fresh branch. It’s no wonder I decided to get more bottles than I actually needed. I’m still without my Wish-Bone Asian but I guess these four dressings will do for now.

I might have tried Newman’s Own before but this was my first bottle of Low Fat Asian. I’ve sampled it already and honestly? There’s not much to write home about. It’s your basic spicy Asian dressing. I would have liked it a bit thicker though. That Wish-Bone Asian vinaigrette has really set the bar high.

I’ve encountered Annie’s Naturals before but what held me back from buying was the heavy glass bottle and the fact that I was commuting back home. This time, however, I had a ride so I decided to help myself to one bottle. I thought of getting Gingerly because I remembered that Wish-Bone’s Asian dressing specifically mentioned “with ginger” on the label. Thus, Annie’s ginger vinaigrette must come close to it, right? Well, not really. The ginger is definitely present but it’s not the taste I’m looking for. This one is thicker that Newman’s Own but still not as thick as I like my vinaigrette. I tried combining Gingerly with Newman’s Asian and the end-result is better than either of them, but still quite far from Wish-Bone’s Asian.

I haven’t tried Newman’s Own Light Lime yet but I’m restraining myself from opening yet another bottle as I already have a few in the fridge. I have slightly higher expectations of this one than its Asian brother.

And to make things interesting, I also got Biltmore’s Creamy Asiago. I’m excited to try this one as well because: 1) I haven’t had a creamy/cheesy dressing in the longest time, and 2) that bottle would look so good on the dining table.

This day, two years ago. It’s a good thing I backed up...

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:39:27 +0800

This day, two years ago.

It’s a good thing I backed up (most of) my 2010 Project 365 pictures on Facebook. The entire album was in my external hard drive that crashed last year.

Wow, what a thoughtful, creative, and inspiring project! And...

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:18:00 +0800

Wow, what a thoughtful, creative, and inspiring project! And quite timely too!

Dressed to the Nines

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:24:00 +0800

Nothing is more comforting than stumbling upon that one product that just works. That one product you know you’ll stick to forever because it is so good/dependable. Well, a few months ago, I found the perfect salad dressing: Wish-Bone’s Light Asian with Sesame and Ginger Vinaigrette.

Personally, this is quite a find being that salad is my staple food. I’m a lazy pesco-vegetarian. The last thing I want to do when I get home is spend time in the kitchen and prepare myself a decent meal. So more often than not, I would just toss a salad and call it a night. (Contrary to popular belief, well-prepared salads are filling!) The variable ingredient is the dressing, which I think is what makes the salad. Yet for the longest time, I had not found “the one,” that elusive dressing that would complete my salad.

My favorite flavor (by a mile) is Asian but, unfortunately, it is a rarity in our supermarkets. This I find ironic because Asian is a basic dressing and… aren’t we in Asia? If we can stock up on Italian or French, shouldn’t we have Asian too/first?

To be honest, I’m not much of a fan of the usual dressings like Thousand Island, Caesar, and Honey Mustard. I’m lucky if I chance on Kraft’s Catalina dressing or Sun-Dried Tomato vinaigrette but on most days, I make do with Clara Olé’s Orange You Glad or Dizon Farm’s variants. All these dressings are fine companions… but they don’t make the salad, at least for me.

So last October, at Makati Supermarket, Alabang Town Center, I was ecstatic to discover how well-stocked the salad dressing aisle was. And the place carried several variants of Wish-Bone salad dressing! But the icing on the cake was finding a big bottle of Asian, which was reasonably priced at ~P200. If you followed The Apprentice: Martha Stewart (which was a flop, but that’s a different story), you might remember the challenge where the two teams had to make their own limited edition Wish-Bone salad dressing and then sell their stuff at the supermarket. Bethenny, the resident chef of her team, confidently whipped up her own version of Asian. Watching her in her element was amazing! The other team relied on Marcela, who prepared a rosemary and lime dressing. Martha liked both dressings but you could tell she loved Bethenny’s more. In the end, however, it was Marcela’s team that sold more bottles and therefore won the challenge. But I digress. My point is, watching that episode made me crave so bad for those salad dressings and — seven years later — I finally lucked into a bottle of Wish-Bone Asian! I thought to myself: it isn’t Bethenny’s masterpiece, but it will do.

Oh but it definitely did.

Usually, it takes months for me to finish a big bottle of dressing. But this one? I consumed in three weeks. It was THAT good. The vinaigrette was thick (which I prefer to the watery type), golden, and bursting with robust flavors — zesty, tangy, sweet, and spicy. The sesame was nutty, and the ginger, just the right amount of pungent. The bits of onion and garlic added a nice texture. Of course it helped that I had the freshest lettuce from S&R at the time, but even when I switched back to the (not-so-high grade) greens from the local grocery, my salad was still an experience because of this Wish-Bone dressing. It definitely completed it.

Unfortunately, it was out of stock at Makati Supermarket the next time I visited so I just settled for the Russian and Robusto Italian flavors. They were good, but still a far cry from my new favorite. I liked the Robusto Italian better than the Russian though.

So for the past months, I’ve been on the lookout for this particular Wish-Bone dressing. I’ve scoured practically every supermarket and deli (here and abroad) but to no avail. Even my mum and sister have kept their eyes peeled open for this specific flavor. They would text me that they spotted Wish-Bone this and Wish-Bone that, but unfortunately no Asian.

So please help me out: where might I find this elusive vinaigrette?

Minor Detail #15

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:25:00 +0800

Common sense is not one of my strongest suits.

I’m a big believer in multiple intelligences and that one intelligence is not necessarily better than the other. While I think I’m slightly gifted in some aspects, I’ve always wondered where the hell I was when The Maker showered common sense and street smarts to the world. It appears I possess neither; and either, I think, would make me an infinitely better individual.

I think it’s easy to rag on people who are slow, dense, or gullible. As my good friend Joan loves to blurt out with unadulterated exasperation, “COMMON SENSE IS NOT SO COMMON!” Though, personally, I think it would make me quite the hypocrite to drop such a statement. After all, who am I to demand of common sense from others when I myself am slightly lacking in that department?

Let’s run down some of my shining moments:

* * *

One of my earliest memories of my common sense deficiency dates back to 1990 or 1991. I was riding a bike with my dad and, apparently, I thought it was the perfect moment to take a nap. Next thing I knew my foot had gotten caught in the bicycle wheel. I don’t remember if we went to a clinic to dress my bleeding ankle but I recall sitting on the pavement, crying over this injury. My dad passed me a bottle of Sprite and said it would numb the pain. I believed him and drank away.

* * *

I learned how to use the stove when I was 8. I had just finished cooking a batch of potato fries when I grabbed the handle of the still heated frying pan — without a potholder. I don’t know but my reflex told me to pass the hot pan to my cousin, who, quite foolishly, accepted it with bare hands too! Almost instantly, he dropped it on the kitchen floor. Looking back at this mishap makes me wonder if this lack of common sense runs in the blood.

* * *

It was my first time ever to tour Perth City on my own. But before proceeding with my sightseeing, I decided to buy my bus return ticket from a vending machine. Wrong move. The machine gave me an automated bus ticket that was going to expire in three hours! But how was I to know? This was supposed to be my day to leisurely explore the city but thanks to this automated ticket purchase, I was forced to cram my itinerary (actually, I didn’t really have one) in three hours. If I had more common sense, I would have first inquired how long before these automated tickets expired. Or better yet, I could have easily bought another ticket later in the day just so I wouldn’t need to rush my city excursion. After all, it isn’t every day that I find myself in Perth. Well, I did make it to my scheduled trip so points for managing my time well. During the ride, however, I realized that I had actually purchased the wrong bus ticket.

* * *

My friends and I had just gone on a boat ride in Sta. Mercedes, Maragondon, Cavite. As we were docking on the shore, all I could think of was the best way to get out of the boat without getting my camera wet. My winning method? Hold up the camera as high as possible then leap into the water. Clearly, I had failed to consider that this would literally make a splash so I ended up soaked from the waist down (and therefore had to borrow a friend’s short shorts). But hey, at least my camera made it out dry.

* * *

My nature-lover friend directed my attention to a tiny bird with a black head and brownish red body. He informed me that this was the Philippine maya, which looked quite different from the ubiquitous brown mayas back at home (we were on trip in Mindanao at the time). After this educational session, I spotted a small black bird walking on the lawn of this house. “What about that bird, what’s it called?” I asked. “That,” my friend replied, “is a chicken.” For the record, I know what a chicken looks like. I just don’t encounter native chickens on a day-to-day basis, sorry.

* * *

(More dim moments in future entries!)

Of course these are not proud moments but what can I do but just laugh them off? Like I said, I’m not particularly gifted with native wit and shrewdness but I would like to think that I do have some redeeming qualities. Maybe a high regard for orderliness? Or a keen ability to recall dates (among others)? Or a strong attention to detail? Or a laser-focus when it comes to creative ventures?

Yes, common sense may not be so common to fools like me, but I’ll be happy to embrace my brand of uncommon sense anytime.

Wanderlusting

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:01:05 +0800

So 2011 was the year the travel bug bit. I revisited this entry I wrote last year and a few things have sprung to mind:

I haven’t written a Minor Details entry in the longest time! Actually, I already have a list; I’ve just been putting off the writing task.
My thoughts haven’t changed: I still want to work for an airline (because I want to go places) and I want travel to be my investment.
I really did go all-out in terms of traveling last year. My passport is no longer pathetic.

I’m a frugal traveler. Or, at least, I scrimp on what I can (e.g., airfare, land transportation, accommodation) and splurge on the finer things in life (e.g., food!!!). For now, my bank account can only afford to take me to nearby destinations (i.e., Asian countries). But reading travel magazines and viewing videos such as the one below only stimulate my yen to travel and explore the world.

Now is that brilliant or is that brilliant? According to the Mashable article that featured the video:

San Francisco-based Kien Lam quit his job, bought a plane ticket to London and then spent 343 days traversing the globe and snapping photos along the way.

Ah, if only quitting your job to tour the world were that easy.

Needless to say, Lam’s time-lapse project is incredibly inspiring. Of course I plan to save up big-time and explore the other continents (with luck, before I hit 30). Like you, I have a growing list of places I want to visit in my lifetime and seeing the breathtaking scenery in this video has only rendered me impatient — I want to go places, and NOW.

But my travel fantasies will have to wait. In the meantime, I am totally ripping off this idea and putting together a collective video of my travels at the end of the year.

Travel Blogging

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:38:44 +0800

I’ve been blogging for almost a decade now and the content has pretty much consisted of the same old, same old: favorite songs, quirky finds, (reality) TV, some (unfinished) ventures, and a lot of narcissistic urges. Lately, I’ve been thinking about refocusing the content of the site so that it wouldn’t just be a hodgepodge of random stuff, even though I like to call the blog, “my beautiful dumpsite.”

For now, I’m considering writing more travel-related entries. After all, I’ve been going on quite a few trips here and there for the past year. I wrote about this before here and here but, come to think of it, I never once posted a proper entry on a particular trip! And that’s a shame because half of my travel photos were wiped out when my hard disk failed me last August. So yeah, I plan to go down the travel blog route and document my local and international trips.

I have a long list of places I want to visit so I’ll probably post one destination per week (Wanderlusting Wednesday, yes?). Then, I guess I should still write about (or photo-blog) the places I visited in 2011, at least those I still have pictures of.

I told my friends that I wouldn’t book another plane ticket until I’m done with my thesis. But I clearly went back on my word, what with all the successive airline seat sales and promos! As of writing, I’ve already completed one trip (in fact, I just came home yesterday), thanks to the long weekend. My plan is to go somewhere every month (doesn’t have to be by plane). I’ve already made travel plans 8/12 months this year and I’m still researching feasible places to visit on my vacant weekends.

Resources permitting, it’s a hobby I’d like to sustain (because, really, traveling is more investment than expenditure). And since I love talking about my (mis)adventures with my friends, colleagues, and students, I thought, why not share my stories here?

Method to Madness

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:02:05 +0800

Lately, it seems that the only way to achieve “equanimity” is by sweeping things under the rug. Because trying to find the correct and seemly solution is so excruciating. This search for the essential and ultimate fix has brought nothing but trouble and grief. It makes you wonder if there really is a true way around this madness, a true way to find a meeting of the minds.

So, in the meantime, sweeping things under the rug is our quick fix. Evasion is our band-aid solution to keep moving because we can’t stand still. The question is, until when?

The Devil on Your Back

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:08:37 +0800

You know how I love Florence Welch (and her machine), so it’s no wonder how hooked I am to Shake It Out, the first single from her new album, Ceremonials. By hooked I mean, playing the song on loop at the office, at home, and while running. It’s one of those songs you need to play with the volume turned all the way up. You either listen to it on blaring speakers (or headphones) or you don’t listen to it at all!

I first heard it on Jam 88.3 late last year. I didn’t even have to bother taking note of the lyrics because this song was unmistakably Florence + The Machine’s! Oh it was love at first tune. Seriously, how could you not be drawn to those pure vocals set against sublime instrumentation?

So yes, I’ve been catching the song on the radio for a few months now but it was only a few days ago that I really listened to it. See, I’ve been sleeping for less than three hours a day (thanks to ze thesis!) so it’s truly been a challenge to drag my sleepy self to the office by 8am. But not last Wednesday, when this song played on Jam 88.3, on my way to work. Talk about the perfect perk-me-up to an otherwise dreary, heavy-eyed morning. If Florence’s powerful “shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out oh whoa” can’t shake out your morning sleepiness, I don’t know what will. Which gives me a wonderful idea: the chorus is the perfect alarm clock tone!

I usually don’t listen to a song in its entirety if I haven’t compiled a proper playlist yet (where “proper playlist” = ~50 tracks), but I made a special exception for this song, seeing as how it had jolted my morning. I watched the live performances on YouTube, researched the song background, and read (and re-read) the lyrics. In no time, I arrived at the conclusion that not only was Shake It Out my new Dog Days are Over — it had also become my song of the moment, and quite possibly, my song of the year.

I thought Lungs packed in some great tracks (e.g., You’ve Got the Love, Hurricane Drunk) but I’ve always had a stronger affinity with Dog Days are Over. I consider it “untouchable” as nobody but Florence can do it justice. Interestingly, Florence performed both Dog Days are Over and Shake It Out on Saturday Night Live.

It’s interesting to watch the two performances side by side because they’re both great tracks and Florence can (naturally) sing the living daylights out of both songs. Of course it needs to be mentioned that the massive harp is present in both performances. But I think Shake It Out represents a way forward for her. Without question, she’s always been in a league of her own but there’s a different glint in her eye this time around, as though she were more self-assured and in-control. Then again, the song explores empowerment by confronting your demons so it’s not too surprising that Florence is a little more serious here. She doesn’t need kooky backup singers and a lightbulb in a birdcage for props.

What she does need is a gospel chorus to help exorcise her demons! The theme of the song is nothing original — several artists have offered their own take on dealing with the past and “moving forward.” But trust Florence to add a little darkness to the proceedings by burying “that horse in the ground.” You gotta love how she smiles while she sings it because she “likes to keep her issues drawn.”

And just to remind us that we are mere mortals, I read that Florence wrote this song while she was nursing a hangover. In the meantime, while we try and figure out our way of dealing with our “ghosts,” this song offers the perfect motivational backdrop.

To Leap Without Looking

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 03:14:00 +0800

First off, wasn’t that a delightful episode of Revenge? It’s been a while since Emily Thorne/Amanda Clarke last destroyed a foe, of this magnitude. You knew she was going to exact revenge that way, what with the outward references to lighters, matches, and fire throughout the episode. Tsk tsk, you don’t mess with this girl.

And for our weekly screencaps, I found this dialogue between Jack and (fake) Amanda to be quite relatable:

At this point I paused the video and mused, “my thoughts exactly.” I’ve always wanted to do something drastic with my life, like drop everything at once and venture into the unknown (“leap without looking”). Well, an opportunity has *kind of* presented itself. It’s a long shot, but it’s quite tempting. We only get to be young and stupid once but we’ll see if my rational/logical side prevails.

The Hardest Word

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 22:40:00 +0800

And Revenge is back on air! Oh how I’ve missed you, my dear cunning Emily Thorne.

Oh but Emily Thorne doesn’t apologize!

More Fun in the Philippines?

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 19:56:00 +0800

So yesterday’s hot news was the Department of Tourism’s new tourism slogan, “It’s More Fun in the Philippines.” Within minutes of its official announcement, it had become the #1 worldwide trending topic on Twitter. In fact, it’s still the #1 trending topic in the Philippines, as of writing. Until now, people are talking about it, and for good reason.

General feedback has been mostly positive. From what I’ve read, people like the conversational treatment of the slogan. Personally, I think it’s a tad too long — the shorter a slogan is, the better, for easier reference and recall. BUT it certainly rings true (will get to this later) and unlike our previous slogans, this one is a complete thought — It’s more fun in the Philippines, period. No, it’s not the most original or inventive slogan in the world (in reference to its ripping off a Swiss ad slogan) but, y’know, it doesn’t need to be. What it needs to be is understandable, relatable, and “owned” not only by the Tourism Department but by the country as a whole. On that front, I think this slogan succeeds.

As for the logo, the first thing that struck me was that it was very ABS-CBN, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The text is set in (presumably) Harabara, which I think is the perfect typeface for the slogan. Neutral fonts are too formal and businesslike so they are out of the question. Handwritten fonts might come off as juvenile, if not hipster-y. Ethnic-style fonts, while pretty, are limiting and might pose readability concerns. So I do like Harabara very much because it has the right balance of readability, ease, and versatility. I also like the addition of the banig graphic although I must admit that it took some time before I caught the Philippine map in the pattern. I’m not a fan of how the Philippine map has been deployed in clothing and other merchandise but there’s no denying that it has become an icon of the times. To feature it in the logo’s banig is brilliant.

I presented the logo and slogan to my communication campaigns class yesterday and the students I asked said they appreciated the message and the colorful logo. One student wasn’t sure about the comparative use of “more fun” and preferred a slogan that promoted the country independently of others. Another student opined that “more fun” is relative — what is “more fun” exactly? So I projected onscreen the campaign images from the website:

The commuting and getting upstairs images are kind of witty. I’m not sure about the last one though. The creators might not have anticipated it but these lines automatically launched a meme on Twitter: Complete the statement: __________________________. More fun in the Philippines. I had a riot going through the tweets of my contacts, especially those that poked fun on Filipino idiosyncrasies and local woes like traffic, rallies, and general inefficiencies. But we’re Pinoy — if we can’t fight the system or solve the problem, what can we do but just laugh it off, over a Twitter meme.

But I do think there are honest-to-goodness reasons why it really is more fun in the Philippines. And if you think about it, it’s the simple things (that we take for granted) that make the Philippines something else. Here are some of my picks:

Ice cream. The local market has upped the ante by offering limited edition series and gourmet flavors. Not to mention, froyo and gelato stalls have made a strong presence in our shopping centers. But nothing can ever top our beloved sorbetes. And I’m talking about the kind peddled from street carts, not the glamorized version (“made with coconut milk”) sold in the supermarket. Screw waffle or chocolate-dipped cones, our humble apa (wafer cone) is the perfect complement to a queso-flavored scoop of sorbetes on a hot day. And every day is a hot day over on this side of the planet.
Chocolate. Forget those Belgian truffles, nothing compares with our very own Chocnut, Serg’s, Nips, Flat Tops, Curly Tops, and Goya.
Sunshine Green Peas. This merits its own bullet. Seriously, I can live off of this stuff forever — and I hate green peas.
Pako. The fern, not the metal spike. Of course I love me some arugula and romaine lettuce, but good ol’ pako salad certainly whets the appetite.
Christmas. This needs no explanation.
Churches. There’s a beautiful church (most likely in front of the municipal/city hall) in all corners of the country. Whenever I travel locally I make sure to check out the churches in the area.

And speaking of travel, my 2012 shall continue in the same vein as 2011. Thanks to the recent seat sales of Cebu Pacific, Zest Air, and Air Philippines, I have already made travel plans 8/12 months this year!!! If it’s feasible, I want to go someplace every month. It doesn’t have to be by plane; I just want to see more of the country, or at least Luzon.

The Philippines is rich in beauty, but there is much to be desired in terms of our tourism efforts. So yes, I am delighted with this current tourism campaign and I also admire how proactive our Tourism Secretary is. This campaign is certainly a positive way to kick-start the year.

Let’s go travel the Philippines!

Motivation

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 03:10:00 +0800

Our new dining table is my thesis nook. I’ve taken a monopoly of it since the day it was delivered to our house. I find that I am more productive when I am working downstairs, in this area. And I foresee that this will be the setup until the end of the school year or until I finish my thesis, whichever comes first.

It’s hard to juggle teaching and getting an MS degree. The teaching part, I can handle. It’s the thesis-ing that’s been really agonizing for the past year. I have no idea how I managed to do it with such ease when I was an undergraduate. (Then again, looking back, that wasn’t my best work despite the grade I got.)

I’ve done a few things to motivate myself so I can finally get down to brass tacks and do this… but not to much avail. For instance, I got myself a netbook last April just so I could dedicate one computer to my thesis. But that didn’t work out so well as I found it to be quite a task to type on a small keyboard. The netbook’s proven useful (especially when I travel), just not very much when I’m writing.

But this, I know, is just the right motivation to keep me going… the perfect push so I can finally get my research done on time:

After all, I anticipate many sleepless nights for the remainder of the school year! There is very much to be done. I wouldn’t want to subject myself to bad coffee, would I?

Okay fine, I know we have a coffee maker (which needs replacing anyway), but isn’t the Nescafé Dolce Gusto simply covetable? I was so happy when I found out about this (cheaper) alternative to other personal coffee machines (hello CBTL!) The two models offered in the Philippines are Piccolo (as pictured above) and Circulo. The Circulo model is definitely the more stylish of the two but it’s still priced more than I am willing to shell out for a coffee maker (even if it’s cheaper than CBTL’s beverage system). So I’m considering getting the Piccolo.

What makes this appliance special is that your coffee is stored in a “smart capsule,” which you pop into the machine. This means, less mess and less clean-up because you no longer have to grind your beans and use coffee filters. Of course, it’s more expensive because you need one capsule per serving. I’ve researched the price to be P400/pack of 16 so that makes it ~P25/cup. I haven’t sampled this yet, but the reviews have been mostly positive. Nescafé claims the resulting drinks are coffee shop-quality because the machine delivers 15 bars of pressure. And the right amount of pressure (for both the espresso and milk) is the secret to producing a fine cup of coffee!

So yes, this pretty thing has been on my mind for quite some time now. The rational me would say that it’s more of a luxury than a necessity. But the realistic me would say that finishing ze thesis is a necessity and that the end justifies the means.

* * *

Images from here and here

My sister wanted to name the fluffy puppy, “Fluffy”...

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 15:09:21 +0800

My sister wanted to name the fluffy puppy, “Fluffy” but seeing as I have an affinity for distinctly Filipino names (and I’m the older sibling), we went with “Pembo” instead.

Sometimes, Pembo thinks he’s a different animal (e.g., cat, kangaroo) or he’s of a different breed (e.g., chow chow).

He also thinks he knows how to howl (like the other dogs in the neighborhood) every time the midnight train whistle blows.

All Over But the Shouting (Part 2/2)

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 23:59:00 +0800

Part 1/2 here

* * *

Where did most of your money go?

TRAVEL
Insurance

What did you get really, really, really excited about?

All my local and international trips
My friends’ birthdays
American Idol Manila Tour

What songs will always remind you of 2011?

Born This Way- Lady Gaga
Edge of Glory- Lady Gaga
Bennie and the Jets- Haley Reinhart
Rolling in the Deep- Adele
Someone Like You- Adele
One and Only- Adele
Super Bass- Nicki Minaj
On the Floor- Jennifer Lopez
Breakfast in Bed- Train
Marathon- Tennis
Bubble Toes- Jack Johnson
Teach Me How to Dougie- California Swag District

Compared with this time last year, are you:

Happier or sadder? – Happier
Thinner or fatter? – About the same
Richer or poorer? – Poorer

What do you wish you’d done more?

Back up my files
Read
Cook
Watch movies
Blog

What do you wish you’d done less of?

Worry (not like this is going to change anytime soon)
Procrastinate
Surf the web aimlessly

How did you spend Christmas?

At home. Nothing really eventful.

How many one-night stands?

None

Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

What was the best book you read?

That’s the thing: I started on a couple of books but I never really finished any of them.

What were your greatest musical discoveries?

Adele
Brooke Fraser
Haley Reinhart

What did you want and get?

Simply being able to travel and see landmarks/icons/stores/streets/monuments/parks/etc. that I’ve always wanted to
A netbook
Stuff from Ikea
The 2012 Starbucks Planner

What was your favorite film of this year?

Black Swan

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Went to Bohol’s famed Chocolate Hills. I turned 26.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Probably an iPhone 4S

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

Part utilitarian, part military

What kept you sane?

Traveling! (I sound like a broken record already.)

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Haley Reinhart

What political issue stirred you the most?

RH Bill-related issues

Who did you miss?

No one comes to mind, really

Who was the best new person you met?

Sorry, not very sociable!

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.

Take chances, live a little, throw caution to the wind (sometimes).

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

I’m taking chances
I wear my heart on my sleeve
I wonder slide slide, under the big sky
Who’s gonna take care of me

Taking Chances- Abra Moore

Thanks to Last.Fm I get to find out my most listened tracks over...

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 23:32:00 +0800

Thanks to Last.Fm I get to find out my most listened tracks over the past 12 months! Of course this is not 100% accurate but it is a reliable, quantitative way of determining the top tracks that kept me company all year. I’m a bit surprised by some of the songs in the list, and some of the songs not in the list. But at least my song of 2011, Taking Chances by Abra Moore, managed to squeak in at #15.

All Over But the Shouting (Part 1/2)

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 23:00:07 +0800

When I was doing my year-ender Q&A for 2010 around this time last year, I was quite lukewarm about the 12 months that had passed. Little did I know that, moments later, I would embark on such a spectacular year. I was telling a friend that no month passed by this 2011 without something eventful (be it good or bad) happening.

I’ve been doing this year-ender Q&A for maybe six years now and no year has been quite like 2011. It is right up there among the best years of my life. So here’s to twelve months of awesome — we end not with a fizzle, but with a bang!

* * *

What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?

Drive
Park (this calls for a long-overdue entry)
Travel alone
Wade into a pond (of the Leyte Landing Memorial, no less)
Be in two places at once (à la A Walk to Remember haha); there’s this spot on the San Juanico Bridge, that supposedly straddles Leyte and Samar
Finance my travels
Go out on a “date”
Spend my birthday alone and away from home
NOT graduate on time
Book a motel room
Go helmet diving
Go skimboarding
Go zorbing
Make pesto
Handle a large class
Watch a concert
Meet (and shake hands with) my favorite artist
Get my head shaved
Jog around the circumference of Freedom Park + Baker Field (can’t believe only this year)
“Dance” on stage
Enter a casino
Literally RUN to the airport, with minutes to spare before the boarding gates close (I felt like I was in Home Alone)
Watch a train zoom past me, across the national highway

Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Unfortunately, no. I planned to blog more regularly, which I did over the summer but (yet again) found little time to do for the rest of the year. I planned to watch 100 movies; I think I managed only 50. Aside from books/papers for my research, I never really got around to reading for leisure. I did take a picture 364 of the 365 days this year (I missed one day because I was editing theses nonstop) but I documented the year very poorly in my daily planner. Yes, I will resolve to do these things better this 2012.

Did anyone close to you give birth?

Did anyone close to you die?

Thankfully, no. Because, looking back, there were too many deaths this 2011.

What countries did you visit?

Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau

What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

All I want is an MS degree.
Oh, and a powerful point-and-shoot camera.

What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory?

February 1-5
February 14
March 2
April 17-21
April 26
May 11-17
May 28-29
June 3-6
June 10
June 15
July 27-August 1
August 26
September 24
October 27-November 1
November 2-6
November 30
December 9-11
December 17-22

What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Seeing more of the world; traveling alone

What was your biggest failure?

Same with last year: losing slight focus of my school requirements as a graduate student

Did you suffer illness or injury?

Yes, the worst was a throat infection

What was the best thing you bought?

Seriously? My bokoma.

Whose behavior merited celebration?

Same with last year: my three closest friends at work

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Someone I thought was a friend but ended up lying to me several times

To be continued…

Best Served Cold

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:34:00 +0800

Okay, I know I haven’t updated ze blog in the longest time but I plan to take advantage of what’s left of the holidays and post the entries and photos I failed to in the past weeks — no, months. Let’s begin with my new favorite series — Revenge. It is DELICIOUS. What can I say, every episode is served up cold.

I was in the throes of writing a chapter for my thesis when I found out about the show. I only knew it was based on The Count of Monte Cristo, but any story toying with the vengeance theme (think Kill Bill or even Valentine) is my kind of story, so I gave it a go. The initial scenes of a pilot episode are crucial, and I have to say, I was hooked within the first few seconds of Revenge, mainly because of the lead character’s introductory narration:

When I was a little girl my understanding of revenge was as simple as the Sunday school proverbs it hid behind. Neat little morality slogans like, “do unto others” and “two wrongs don’t make a right.” But two wrongs can never make a right because two wrongs can never equal each other. For the truly wronged real satisfaction can only be found in one of two places — absolute forgiveness or mortal vindication.

This is not a story about forgiveness.

Right after she narrates the last line a character gets shot in cold blood. DELICIOUS! Next thing I knew, I’d temporarily set aside the task of thesis-ing and opted to go on a Revenge marathon. I also developed tonsilitis that weekend but that didn’t stop me from catching more episodes.

What I love about this show, aside from the plot, is that it makes no qualms about being a soap or a telenovela, as we like to call it here. There is no cheekiness on display, no subtext that begs to say, “I know this is a cliché but…” The show serves up one cliché after another, and does so unabashedly. We know of all the tropes in soap operas, but the creators don’t seem to care. And yet, the show has remained fun to watch and has even managed to be slightly unpredictable.

Not to mention, Emily Van Camp, who plays the protagonist (or antagonist, depending on how you see her) is perfect for the role. She’s a sweet thing, this girl-next-door. But never trust the blonde with doe eyes because she will slit your throat in your sleep.

I’m stoked (and impatiently waiting) for Episode 11 (Duress), which airs January 7th, practically a month after the last episode. The plot thickens and a recent development has left all of us viewers dying to know what happens next (especially with this one character). Can’t wait for next week!

To end with, here is one of my favorite scenes, an exchange between Emily and her Japanese mentor, Satoshi:

LOVE. HER.