Warm Blankie

My 25+1 random Things

2009-02-15T12:39:00.000+08:00

Reposted from my fezbook account. Yes, I succumbed to the peer pressure. I'm a sheep!

1) I try to be a responsible pedestrian and avoid crossing the street when the cars are green-lighting. I know that some drivers look at me funny because there are hardly any cars but I don't make a break for it. I once hit the side of a jeepney with a dentistry textbook because it was blocking my way at the pedestrian lane. I hate it when they do that.

2) I was once a contestant in an interschool spelling bee. I lost with the word caterpillar. I still have trouble with that word's spelling to this day.

3) I love flying kites. Jenova gave me my first kite and now I have at least 5. I'm no expert though, so I'm most successful when there's an obvious breeze.

4) I was a huge fan of Take That...I was even a member of the fan club (along with Jenova). I wanted to marry Gary Barlow.

5) I cannot play volleyball to save my life. In high school, I got hit by a volleyball in the face. My glasses got skewed and left a cut below my eye.

6) As a kid I didn't like brushing my teeth. I was afraid of the dentist. It's strange that I became one. Now, whenever it's my turn to have my teeth cleaned, I still get a nervous feeling.

7) My brother Marlon was a patient in UPCD's pediatric dentistry department. His clinicians were Dr. Salinda and Dr. Sotelo, who became my profs in college. They told me they picked my brother over me to be their patient because I was so "iyakin". The fact that I was being considered to be a patient at UPCD says a lot about my bad teeth back then. (So meron siguro akong pang-pulpectomy, pulpotomy, extraction, filling and space maintainer, harhar).

8) My favorite city is New York. I love watching movies set in New York.

9) I was once given a free hotdog and drink in Gray's Papaya in NY. The server there (who was from Pangasinan) was so happy to see a tourist from the Philippines that he called his boss over and introduced me. Kababayan!

10) I used to get nightmares from watching Magandang Gabi Bayan's Halloween episodes. It was ridiculous, because in my dreams, I would see the badly costumed "dwendes" from the reenactments.

11) I started wearing glasses when I was around 6 or 7 years old. My glasses used to have those string things so it wouldn't fall to the ground when it got knocked off. I got contacts in high school. I finally had my eyes lasik-ed sometime in 2004.

12) As a kid, I used to have trouble swallowing pills and tablets. My mom would dissolve aspirin in warm water or halve the tablets because my gag reflex would act up. One day, I tried swallowing random pills and tablets from the medicine cabinet and discovered I could finally do it. When I ran to my mom to tell her the good news, I got a good spanking in the butt.

13) I totally sucked at playing chinese garter so I was always picked last (you know who you are, bitches! hahahaha!). I tried practicing at home by tying the garter to a window and a fence. In one of my attempts, I fell. On my knees. On the pebbled ground. I ended up with bloodied knees and never played again.

14) I love watching Looney Tunes. My two favorite episodes are: "What's Opera, Doc?" with Elmer Fudd as a viking and Bugs as "Bwunhilda", and the halloween eppy with the Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde Tweety. I have an action figure of that morphed Tweety.

15) My mom said I was never breastfed. Maybe that's why I didn't get the nutrients for good dancing.

16)I am the youngest kid in the family and the only girl. I used to wear my brothers' hand me downs. I remember having a Thunderbirds t-shirt. My brothers included me in their baril-barilan, but I was usually the first casualty and always had to play dead.

17) My cellphone ringtone last week was the original theme to Mazinger-Z. I had to change it because nakakagulat pala.

18) I didn't have a debut when I turned 18. I can't stand attending debuts now.Thank you to those who invited me to theirs, though.

19) I can be a bit bulol trying to speak straight English. My waterloo is accidentally saying "Bif" instead of beef. When I'm tipsy though, I've been known to be more articulate.

20) I can speak enough Mandarin or Fukien to order in a China Mc Donalds or get on a bus. I can say in Chinese that I am happy or angry. But I can't express more complex feelings like bitterness, sarcasm. I cannot read Chinese books or newspapers.

21) I was onced forced to play in an amateur table tennis tournament without knowing how to play. It was so humiliating that I cried. I get annoyed when people assume that I play good table tennis just because I am Chinese.

22) I had a, ehem, tummy malfunction during the day of the UPCAT that I finished the exam ahead of everyone else. Outta my way!

23) I hated physics and chemistry. Woe was me to have had Gen Chem, Organic Chem, and Biochem as required subjects for dentistry. I always had a grade of 4 in these subjects (except for Biochem) and I always had to take removal exams. Diane Wong and I used to run into each other all the time at the Department of Math and Sciences (DPSM ba yun?) trying to fill out removal forms.

24) I have a scar on my right eyebrow from when I was a kid and my dad accidentally hit me with his nunchucks.

25) I used to think my shoulders were my best feature.But now I have flabby arms, so there they go. Oh well!

...and (due to popular demand):

26) I can't bend down and reach my toes! (being P.E. partners with the very bendy Ninna E. was pure torture.)

Char: 6, Mouse: 0

2009-02-11T18:03:00.000+08:00

This is a continuing series on my love affair with the mice at home.

Today, I made progress! I am no longer a passive mouse catcher (read: waiting for mice to get caught in rat paper) but an active one!

Animal lovers should stop reading beyond this point.

Anyway, I was eating breakfast at the dining table when I heard rustling in the kitchen. I went into the kitchen..listened some more... and lo and behold, when I got to the sink, I spied a small mouse inside the our small garbage pail by the sink!

Mouse and me made momentary eye contact, then it jumped out! It ran behind some bottles on the counter top. I stared at the area intently wondering where it was. I knew it was still in the area because I was looking at all the possible escape points and seeing no mouse darting away.

Then, I tried moving some bottles around... then I poked the overturned stainless steel bowl. To my surprise and disgust, the mouse ran out from under the bowl (yes, I asked the maid to clean the bowl already)! I think it got trapped there when it first jumped out from the garbage pail. Anyhow, the mouse sprinted and skidded into.... the sink!

So anyway, our sink was like 6 inches deep and le mouse was jumping up and down. I wasn't about to let this one get away, so I did the only thing I could think of at the moment... I took off one of my slippers. And every time the mouse jumped up I would try to whack it on its head. Years and years of playing whack-a-mole at those amusement centers prepared me for this momentous occasion!

I must've given him about three whacks when I saw that he was jumping at a lower height. I looked down and saw that it was now trying to jump with its front legs. Its waist was now kind of twisted so that its hind legs and tummy were facing up. Great! Maybe I broke its legs, Mafia style!

I then quickly grabbed some rat paper and positioned it face down on top of the mouse. When it jumped again, it promptly got stuck. Then, it was wrapping up and throwing away time. Yay, I'm so happy! :D

Trip to Konbini

2009-01-30T16:01:00.000+08:00

Konbini is a Japanese grocery/restaurant along Connecticut St. in Greenhills. Whenever Oliver and I would go to eat at Angel's Kitchen, it was always already closed (8PM is the closing time).

Anyway, one night, we were early for our reservation at Angel's Kitchen so we went in and I found these goodies:

Chili-flavored snack chip. Package is decorated with seemingly random letters that don't mean anything. HOWEVER... I spy the word "tyrant" on the right side near the chili stem. Some kind of subliminal message in a chip, perhaps? Or are these chips planning to take over and rule the earth as we sleep in our beds?

Among the shelf full of Pockys, I spy the Lotte Topp For Men and the HARD STICK. Wala lang.

What does Crunky mean? Crunchy plus chunky? Crunky sounds like my tummy after I eat something that doesn't agree with it.

And here is my purchase! Yummy crisp choco! Pre-sliced pa!

Can't wait to go to Japan!

Wanted: Free, wide open spaces

2009-01-29T17:46:00.000+08:00

Saan ba pwedeng magpalipad ng saranggola na hindi masisita?

Bawal sa may MOA, bawal din sa Fort (where these pics were taken...bago ako nasita).

Saan pa ba, maliban sa Luneta?

The best airline complaint letter

2009-01-28T18:11:00.000+08:00

A London-based passenger recently wrote a complaint letter to Richard Branson of Virgin Airlines. Among other things, he complained about the food:

"Imagine being a 12-year-old boy Richard,” he wrote. “Now imagine it's Christmas morning and you're sat there with your final present to open. It's a big one, and you know what it is. It's that Goodmans’ stereo you picked out of the catalogue and wrote to Santa about. Only you open the present and it's not in there. It's your hamster, Richard. It's your hamster in the box and it's not breathing. That's how I felt when I peeled back the foil.”

The article had be laughing in my bedroom. Read the whole thing, with pictures, here.

Crouching, hidden lions

2009-01-26T17:26:00.000+08:00

So the whole morning we were waiting for some lion dancers to come and dance inside the clinic. The bigger groups passed us by. They probably sensed we didn't have thousands and thousands inside our angpao.

Did our pikachu angpao envelope give us away? Was it too cute to be taken seriously?

Here's our angpao strung just beneath the aircon unit. About 7 feet high. No takers.. yet.

An hour later, success!...A lion takes the bait and begins to stealthily creep into our reception area...

He sniffs inside the first operatory...

...then near the stairs... ready to pounce!

He licks our counter for luck... but wait. He looks like a midget lion!?

Our brave lion dancer is actually just a kid inside who's just a wee bit taller than reception counter.

So here he is... being hoisted by another kid... they successfully and swiftly obtained the angpao, galing! Everybody was cheering them on. We had some tourists looking din.

And here is Doc Joanna being mauled into the corner. Heeehee!

Isang Kwentong Binondo

2009-01-26T14:20:00.000+08:00

One New Year's Morning:

Contestant #1:

Dragon dancers walk around in circles. Not too much energy.

Their pair of experienced-looking lions though, dance up a storm.

Nope, that's not car exhaust. Those are from the long belts of fireworks. The pair continue dancing up a frenzy. Either that or they're jumping in pain from the exploding firecrackers.

Snap crackle pop! Dance! Dance! Dance! Not bad, contestant #1!

Here comes contestant #2.

A fluffy, bright yellow lion pair comes along and threatens to upstage the group that just danced next door. Note the firecrackers strung from the ceiling. It looks like their first dance today. Malinis pa sila eh.

Their dragon friend looks fierce and newly constructed. Points also for the stylish choreography.

Then the firecrackers explode...

Fluffy lion stops dancing: "Whazzat?!!!"

"Uh... go in? I don't think so..."

"Umm...Is it safe to go in na?"

Coast is clear! Dance! Dance! Wiggle! Wiggle!

"Amateurs!" scoffs Doc Joanna.

Contestant #1 wins!

Here is Doc Joanna (dentist and long time Binondo resident), protecting her hearing.

I'm published! Sort of.

2009-01-22T18:16:00.000+08:00

10/16/08

Hello,

Next spring, we plan to publish a photo book entitled "More Chinglish," by
Oliver Lutz Radtke. We'd like to use a photo or photos that you have
submitted to his Chinglish Web site as part of the book. If you agree to
this, please send a quick response to this message. If you are interested, I
can let you know specifically which photo(s) of yours we have chosen for the
book. I can of course also send you a free copy of the book upon
publication, if you can provide your mailing address and phone number
(required for international mailing).

Thanks!

Jared Smith

10/17/08

Thanks!

Yes, you will be acknowledged in the book.

We’d like to include the following photo:

“Visit is over. If you would like to return, you have to buy tickets again.”

Cheers,

Jared

1/22/09

Hi,

We are now ready to send you a printed copy of this book. Could you please provide a telephone number (required for international mailing)?

Thanks,

Jared

So may napapala pala yung habit ko of taking pictures of weird English signs in China! Nyahaha.

Taken at the exit of the Forbidden City, Beijing.

One year

2009-01-05T06:55:00.000+08:00

He is the Macaroli to my Cheese!

It's been one year of him always mixing the cream and brown sugar into my coffee.

He doesn't flinch now when I spill food all over the table. He just gets a tissue and wipes it all away without saying anything.

He laughs at me whenever he drives and I react (by making short, monosyllablic sounds) to an oncoming vehicle that I think is going to hit us.

He didn't make a big deal out of it when I discovered baliktad yung damit ko when we went to Tiendesitas. (I think it doesn't faze him anymore!).

He loves the only dessert I kind of perfectly make... black chamba! Even though I think it's such a ridiculously easy recipe and nothing worth bragging about.

He loves me, zits, pms and all.

He asked me out again even if I forgot to take off my seatbelt getting out of his car during our first date.

He makes me laugh...hard!

And we turned one year old today!

Lomo Mom

2008-12-14T19:27:00.000+08:00

Presenting my mother. Jackie O inspired top, jade bracelet/ring, coiffed 'do and all. With a Colorsplash camera. O, ha!

Print Gocco'd Holiday Cards

2008-12-14T18:45:00.000+08:00

Been super busy with a lot of stuff but I finally managed to make some holiday cards last Friday night.

Late Friday afternoon, no patient. I was in the clinic trying to make some card designs for me and the boyf's joint Christmas card.

First design: Minimalist snowflake/parol design. Hmm. Okay.

Second design: A pattern of repeating snowflakes with a greeting smack dab in the middle. Nice. But I didn't think it looked anything like "us."

Third and final design: During the last ten minutes of the work day I scoured my collection of downloaded retro wingdings and boink! I finally put together a coffee-inspired design, since we both love to drink cups and cups of the stuff. On the way home, I had the design photocopied. At home, I cut out board paper for the cards and gocco'd to death.

As Mother Ricky Reyes would say, eto na ang ating finished product (Nina, you gets this diba kasi alam mo yung show ni Ricky Reyes diba? Hehehe):

Font is "Font Diner." I like how it already looks both retro and festive. For the image, I think it's "Retrobats." You can downloaded it free online. The first few cards I made is on light blue paper I cut myself. The later prints are on the "tropical green" pre cut and folded blank cards. You can see where the brown starts to fade a bit in the girl's hair. But that's the charm of gocco.

Oliver said he liked it but it reminded him of the signage for Savory Chicken. But oh well! Hee.

Why ballerinas wear tutus

2008-12-02T16:08:00.002+08:00

My nephew Nathan is in town from Sydney. He's five going on six and verrry smart. When I talk to him, it's sometimes a bit like talking to an older person.

The other night, he begged to go to Timezone and I told him I would take him, if he told me five jokes.

Nathan: "Why do ballerinas wear tutus?"

Me: "Why?"

Nathan: "Because one-ones are too small and three-threes are too big!!" (with matching squeal of laughter)

Okay, so he did tell me five jokes and I had to bring him to Timezone.

It was hard running after him. He knows how to swipe the Timezone card by himself. We burned P100 bucks in less than ten minutes. Nathan loves the whack-a-mole, just like his aunt!

After our Timezone thingie, I was looking for some cool-aunt cred.

Me: "Nathan, who's your favorite auntie?"

Him: "Hmmm. What are my options?" (yes, he is five years old).

I had to break the news to him that I was his only aunt on either side of the family. Lucky kid! Hee.

Spotted at the High Street

2008-12-02T15:54:00.000+08:00

Channeling the Sartorialist!

When I was in college, I couldn't wait to get out of my white uniform, because whenever my classmates and I would go to Greenbelt (oo, Greenbelt), mukha kaming nannies or (sexy) nurses.

Times have changed and now the nannies wear scrubs. Yes, scrub suits like we wear in PGH or in the clinic, pero with cutesy designs. Scrubs, with ballerina Crocs. And a Louis Vuitton Speedy!

All I have are the scrubs. Hehehe.

Pecan Pie 2.0 : Less sweeter the second time around.

2008-07-30T17:25:00.000+08:00

This is Pecan Pie #2. For this pie, I decreased the sugar content, which made it less sweet. I also pre-baked the crust, which made it not soggy, unlike the last one. I neglected to add a bit of flour as some of you have suggested, because I forgot that we ran out of the stuff.

And the result....

A MORE UNDERBAKED PECAN PIE!!!!

I think there's seriously something wrong with the oven. I actually decreased the baking temperature just a little but baked the pie longer. I placed the pie in the middle rack of the oven. Result... pecan pie with a soft middle and toasted outer half.

Pecan Pie... no flash.

Pecan Pie... with flash!!!
Surprise!!! Half of the top is toast!

But still...

Boyfriend says it's the BEST pecan pie he's EVER tasted! (yes, he is drugged. haha!) I should probably prevent him from trying a legit pecan pie from a nice bakery. Anyhow, we ate two small slices with vanilla ice cream. It wasn't that bad but I don't think I'll be moving on to baking apple crumbles anytime soon.

Now you guys better keep your thoughts to yourself if I ever serve you pie ala mode.

Solution: smother the pie in ice cream!!!

Feist on Sesame Street

2008-07-17T18:49:00.000+08:00

Adorably singing 1234, of course!

1,2,3,4 chickens just back from the shore!

Martha Stewart Aspirational Attempt Series: Pecan Pie

2008-07-06T14:40:00.000+08:00

Behold the remnants of the pecan pie which I baked yesterday. I "think" there was something wrong with this... Hmm... twinge of denial there. Okay, let me rephrase, I am SURE I botched this pie! Anywayt, let me show you guys the recipe:

Classic Pecan Pie

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 55 to 60 minutes
Chill Time: 2 hours
Yield: 8 servings

1 cup Karo® Light Corn Syrup
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) pecans
1 (9-inch) unbaked or frozen** deep-dish pie crust

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Mix corn syrup, eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla using a spoon. Stir in pecans. Pour filling into pie crust.
Bake on center rack of oven for 55 to 60 minutes. Cool for 2 hours on wire rack before serving.
**To use prepared frozen pie crust: Place cookie sheet in oven and preheat oven as directed. Pour filling into frozen crust and bake on preheated cookie sheet.

RECIPE TIPS: Pie is done when center reaches 200°F. Tap center surface of pie lightly - it should spring back when done. For easy clean up, spray pie pan with cooking spray before placing pie crust in pan. If pie crust is overbrowning, cover edges with foil.

Looks easy right? In fact, the filling is just mixed together and poured into the frozen pie crust in just 5 minutes. After I baked the pie, I just let it cool and went off to work. When I came home and tasted the pie, the filling, especially near the center felt mushy in my mouth. Too soft.

Question #1... and this is directed to anyone who has ever bitten into a pecan pie:
Should the filling be sort of firm? And firm not just because the pie was put into the ref ha. My filling was sort of soft that if you heated a slice, the corn syrup/egg/sugar glue would be slightly molasses-y and the pie slice would kind of droop.

Question #2... directed to anyone who's ever baked:
I found the recipe too sweet and too rich. What should I tweak... the amount of sugar or the amount of corn syrup? BTW, I used brown sugar for this recipe...does it matter if it's brown or regular white sugar?

Question #3...directed to anyone who's had an experience with an electric oven:
Our oven is quite an old electric oven which I use maybe once or twice a year and I notice that the heating light thingies above and below the racks light up and fade every few minutes (though I think the heat is constant inside the oven chamber). Is this characteristic of all electric ovens?

Question #4...free for all question to all smarty-pants bakers...
At 15 minutes into my baking I found out that my crust was turning brown at a fast rate so I had to take out the pie and put foil (as stated in the recipe) on the edges. Also, i opened the oven door quite a few times to test the top surface of the pie for springiness. Did my open and shut tendencies play a part in the eternal damnation of my pecan pie?

Oh well.. mushy or not... once slice is left so I guess it wasn't that bad. All pie-makers, feel free to toss your own goody-two-cents.

Favorite images

2008-06-24T20:54:00.000+08:00

Looking up the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem MA

Sunset inside a souvenir shop, Rockport MA

See you in the Spring, Rockport MA

Oh buoy oh buoy oh buoy! Rockport MA

Little red boat house, Rockport MA

I wanna go back!

Dahil UP Centennial Week...

2008-06-19T06:20:00.000+08:00

Iskos and iskas... pass on!

1. Student number?
95-091_7 (baka may connection pa kayo sa registrar's office at hanapin ang TOR ko!

2. College?
UP College of Dentistry

3. Ano ang course mo?
Dentistry

4. Nag-shift ka ba o na-kickout?
Di maka-shift, ayaw din i-kick out. (or i-suka, ng UPCD)

5. Saan ka kumuha ng UPCAT?
UP College of Law

6. Favorite GE subject?
Hum I and II (oops, that's two).

7. Favorite PE?
Karate.

8. Saan ka nag-aabang ng hot guys sa UP?
Di ako nag-aabang. Ako ang inaabangan. LOL.

9. Favorite prof(s)
Dr. K (cause she might read this. Joke!) , Dr. Rivera (patho), Dr. Cham (loyal to the thesis adviser!)

10. Pinaka-ayaw na GE subject.
Math 11 and all the Chems

11. Kumuha ka ba ng Wed or Sat classes?
Yup!

12. Nakapag-field trip ka ba?
Yes. Somewhere where we visited a Rizal cult.

13. Naging CS ka na ba or US sa UP?
College Scholar for that sem where there was no Math or Chem.

14. Ano ang Org/Frat/Soro mo?
Pre-dent Society

15. Saan ka tumatambay palagi?
Batibot Tree ng old UPCD building, ALL the UP Manila libs except nursing, parking lot ng old UPCD building.

16. Dorm, Boarding house, o Bahay?
Bahay. It's a jeepney ride away. So close they assumed I lived in a dorm.

17. Kung walang UPCAT test at malaya kang nakapili ng kurso mo sa UP, ano yun?
Masscom.

18. Sino ang pinaka-una mong nakilala sa UP?
Faye!

19. First play na napanood mo sa UP?
Cannot remember. I do remember a woman doing a pagan dance in the CAS building wailing "Bathala!!!! Bathala!!!"

20. Name the 5 most conyo orgs in UP.
I think they were non-existent in UP Manila.

21. Name 5 of the coolest orgs/frats/soro in UP.
Mu Sigma Phi...(only because Tammy is there. Hehehe. joke!)

22. May frat/soro bang nag-recruit sa yo?
Walang sumubok. Maybe I was too Chinese. hehehe.

23. Saan ka madalas mag-lunch?
sa D.O.J. canteen, sa Robinsons, sa Course Line Cafe (also mistaken for Chorus Line or Course Outline cafe), Midtown Diner.

24. Masaya ba sa UP?
Yup!!!

25. Nakasama ka na ba sa rally?
Yup...Edsa II. (and almost got a panic attack from claustrophobia)

26. Ilang beses ka bumoto sa Student Council
mga 3 times

27. Name at least 5 leftist groups in UP
Exam ba ito?

28. Pinangarap mo rin bang mag-laude nung freshman ka?
Nope.

29. Kanino ka pinaka-patay na patay sa UP?
Si four 'o-clock boy.

30. Kung di ka sa UP, anong school ka?
DLSU. Hee.

Bridal Shower/Stag Party gift suggestions

2008-06-08T17:35:00.000+08:00

I wish I remembered to give these to Mitz for her shower. Since hers was a travel themed shower, I gave her a trashy novel to read in the plane instead ("One Night of Sin"). Now who else is getting married soon? Choose from either of the following na lang. See all the intentional or unintentional porn available at your local mall!

Sexist or sexy wristpad? Make preventing carpal tunnel syndrome a sensual experience ( it will be if you have no life outside your computer table). LOL. Available in a CD-R King nearest you.

These would make nice party favors. What would Martha Stewart do? Available in Rustans Supermarket...in the Asian snackfood area.

And last but not the least...believe it or not, this is a lunchbox for your banana. What were they high on when they conceptualized this??? Gotta love those wacky Japanese! It's a steal...P55 lang at your local Japan Home P88 store!

Low waist

2008-06-03T19:56:00.000+08:00

I took this photo at the Mc Donalds Crewlympics event 2 weekends ago.

Call me old fashioned, but I do not get this pair of jeans.

Did they run out of denim and just added the extra material to make it more high-waisted? Do you wear two belts with this pair? Where the hell did mommy buy these jeans???

Char: 5, Mouse...0 for now

2008-05-20T21:55:00.000+08:00

Longtime readers of my blog since 2004 have known my running tally of my triumphs over these pesky vermin. I lost count at the Char: 2. However, for the past 6 days, I have caught a total of 3 mice so I will resume my official tally. Never mind that my first two points were in 2004 and I have caught several mice in the past years after that.

For the past few days, my mom and I have noticed an increase in the visibility of these creatures in our house (but hey, don't let that stop you from visiting)...so this means war! I guess I am blessed that we don't have RATS (as far as I know). So, for the meantime, some rat killer and Baygon fly paper will suffice for now.

Anyhow, I am presently awake at 2:00 AM. I was typing a lengthy email in my room at 1 AM when I saw a little midget mouse peek out from around the corner of the foot of my closet. I hurriedly went down to get some fly paper and placed one sheet on that area. I folded one edge so it would lean on the wall of the foot of the closet. A few minutes after I resumed my typing, I saw a tentative furry head peek out from behind the corner and run out...pero lumusot siya sa ilalim nung edge which I had just folded. Grrr. Mautak siya! Away na talaga ito. Nanggigil talaga ako kanina so I took out some tape and folded it at a proper right angle para flush yung paper sa wall and floor.

Ok, so I took a crumble-size piece of chocolate from the bag of chocolates that Oli gave me and placed it on the paper..then nagtype ako ulit...tappity tap-tap. After a few minutes, I spy the mouse again from the other side of the room! Parang nagtinginan pa kami, and miraculously (and stupidly for him/her/it) it hesitated and ran back to the direction of my newly-improved fly paper. It almost missed the sticky part of the paper since it mostlly ran along the edge, pero a bit of its fur got caught anyway, and the more it squrimed and struggled, the more it stuck to the paper.

I was so happy and smug with my triumph over the rodent that I videotaped it on my cellphone for a bit while it was squirming. Afterwards I relished the satisfaction of folding the paper up to smother its pesky squeaks.

Let the annihilation begin!

Inflation

2008-05-08T03:54:00.000+08:00

The nice thing about being in the Binondo clinic is that even though we don't have an internet connection, we do have TV with cable.

To fend off boredom during no-patient time, we usually have it on with the Lifestyle or Food Network, Star World, Etc...or...*drum roll please* the pinoy movie channel (Cinema One yata yon). Nyahahaha!

Yesterday, an 80s movie was on, starring (a virginal-looking) Alma Moreno, Mark Gil (with more hair) and Lloyd Samartino (payat) in a love triangle, filled with gratuitous beach scenes in skimpy shorts. There was a scene there in which Mark Gil takes Alma and Chichay out for dinner. Chichay orders A LOT. The waiter (in a tablecloth-red vest and big black bowtie) brings the bill.... it's Php 350. Mark Gil reaches into his wallet and says... he can't afford to pay! He even offers to write a check (Teka, wala bang credit card nung 80s?). The waiter informs him that they don't accept checks and maghugas na lang siya ng pinggan.

Php 350!!?!

Hungry, cranky dentist.

2008-04-23T18:25:00.001+08:00

This is a review of a restaurant in which I did not have a chance to taste the food!

AG invited me to an impromptu lunch today in Chinatown. Where to, I asked. Golden Fortune Dimsum daw sa may Benavides. I have never eaten there... and now I never will!

When we got there... there were about 3 other occupied tables out of like twelve. A waiter came and handed us one menu. The list of dishes was quite long and appetizing. AG asked for another menu. The waiter said sheepishly..."ahhh sorry sir.. eh isa lang eh..." That alone should have been a warning sign of more annoying things yet to come. Anyhow, AG and I made do with sharing the menu.

I chose a beef tenderloin with pepper sauce rice topping, while AG ordered something else (which I forgot). And off the waiter went. Five minutes later, he came back with two glasses of tea and two pairs of chopsticks. Then he disappeared. AG and I were talking about stuff when we noticed that 15 minutes had already elapsed with no sign of beef tenderloin in pepper sauce. I was getting hungry. And cranky.

I started looking around at the other diners. A party of six people came in and took the table next to us.

I called the attention of one waiter to please check up on our order. No explanation for the delay, no apology. Nada.

After ten minutes, I asked the woman at the cashier's counter (who could be the owner or manager) to please follow up our order. What was taking so long! The restaurant didn't seem busy.

After the five minutes. The order of the party of six arrived. No beef tenderloin in pepper sauce for me. That was the last straw. AG and I walked out of Golden Fortune.

A waiter called out "Thank you sir-maam!"

What the---??!!!

When I get angry, I sometimes spew out inappropriate English. By inappropriate, I mean speaking in English at places na hindi bagay mag-English. In this case, a Chinese resto right smack in the ass of Binondo. Before the door closed behind us I managed a "We're not coming back!!!!"

Still hungry, as-in-nandidilim-ang-paningin-sa-gutom-hungry, we went into the first restaurant we saw. In this case, Masuki which was right beside Golden Fortune.

The menu was a simple back-to-back laminated card with big pictures. We ordered chicken-wanton noodles, two siomais and two ice-cold Cokes.

Within five minutes (FIVE MINUTES!!!), the old waiter came back with our order. Rumors of cat meat be damned. We dived in.

Here's some pictures. The food may look spartan, but it is good ol' dependable Masuki, descended from the honorable lineage of Ma Mon Luk. Good comfort food.

(Oh yes, celebrities do drop in. LOL)

Ready for Manhattan!

2008-03-19T15:51:00.000+08:00

It's 7 AM as I type this. I'm in my brother's bedroom somewhere near Queens. Bro is sleeping like a log and mom is sleeping like the chainsaw. Hahaha!

I was relieved to be out of Illinois because I was getting too bored and gaining much weight. Living in the suburbs is not easy if you don't drive. There weren't much buses or taxis. Plus, all my mom wanted to do was shop. I was lucky I kind of forced my uncle and cousin to drive me to downtown Chicago to see some places like Millenium Park and Navy Pier.

Yesterday we flew from Chicago O Hare to NY La Guardia. After checking in ang going through security check, we were informed by the TSA that we were marked for some additional security check. Now I had to groan about this because I was randomly selected for more security check while we were in Nagoya (where they handles all my stuff carefully and with gloves!).

Anyway, this time, the additional check was for both me and my mom so I guess there was nothing random about that.

On the flight, I sat squeezed between a 25-year old geeky guy and a 40-ish looking woman named Laurie, who started crocheting. She and I got to talk about crocheting, which I told her I've always wanted to do but never learned. She ended up teaching me crochet, even letting me do a row on the blanket she was making. The 2-hour flight felt less.

My brother Marlon met us at the airport and of course my mom and I were ecstatic cause we haven't seen him in years. We spent the night going to a Korean style water spa. {"Para marefresh naman kayo."). My mom was freaked out because the dressing area was communal, hahah! Hello pubes! I had to find a secluded spot to dress.

Anyway, today we hit midtown Manhattan. Whee! Camwhoring time! :)

One night in Nagoya

2008-03-13T16:48:00.000+08:00

Flight from Nagoya to Detroit has been delayed. Had to deplane because our plane had one broken thingie and no spare parts could be found for miles. I guess staying in Japan for a night is better than flying with no peace of mind. Instead of leaving 11:30 AM, our flight leaves 8 AM tomorrow morning.

Am typing this entry from a hotel internet kiosk. The keyboard is weird and full of Japanese characters! :-) Went around the airport earlier this evening for dinner (out of $10 food coupons from Northwest). Had a ebi-katsu-burger and UCC Coffee. I asked the chubby cute chef at the counter for some ketchup. He gave me something that looked like mustard as well... but surprise surprise..it was mustard-looking wasabi. Hot!!! HOT!! Also went around and looked at the kawaii Japanese stuff. Pictures soon!

Whee!!!!

2008-03-12T22:51:00.000+08:00

Vacation mode. :D Leaving for the East Coast in a few hours.

Hello Upper East Siders!!! :D Hello gray's Papaya!

Suzhou

2008-02-22T20:04:00.000+08:00

Quaint and yet modern. Suzhou is home to classical gardens which has a place on the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites. At the same time, the city is dynamic and modern. I would've wanted to stay here longer. Oh well.

License plate of Jiangsu province, which includes Suzhou, Nanjing and Wuxi.

Food glorious food! For some reason, I get hungier on road trips. And more so ravenous if the weather is freezing!

Woman selling hot sweet potatoes on the roadside. I don't usually eat sweet potatoes, but when I saw a lot of people buying, well... call me a sheep, but I tried one as well.

Roasting on red hot coal. The skin of the sweet potato sort of caramelizes. I spent a few minutes to warm my freezing hands over the roasting potatoes.

Yum! This is half of it. Somebody ate the other half. It was actually futile to put the sweet potatoes in a plastic bag as the bags actually melt from the heat of it.

Chestnuts for around Php 120 per half kilo. These were the small variety, which is said to be sweeter.

Before roasting, slits are cut into the chestnuts, which make them easier to peel. I wonder why they don't do this back home. Anyway, these were indeed sweet and I ended up buying 2 1/2 kilos, some to eat right on the spot, and some to take home.

From a roadside peanut seller. These were so flavorful. Sweet-salty-ish and totally not greasy at all.

Since it was the week of Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, firecrackers were also being sold on the roadside. The Chinese there like to set off their fireworks at any time of the day, and during any day of the holiday week. It's not like in the Philippines where everyone sets off their haul of fireworks minutes before or during the new year countdown for one collective big bang.

The entrance to Chongyuan temple. The temple actually has a history of over a thousand years, but they renovated it in November 2007. Now it looks like a modern temple. It was so clean that if felt weird to me, having visited countless other old temples.

Chongyuan temple is home to this 33-meter tall Guanyin-ma (Goddess of Mercy) statue. It's the tallest indoor Guanyin-ma in the world.

Suzhou is said to be 42% water. Indeed, you would be driving along the highway and see some sort of river, creek, or canal.

We made a visit to a typical Suzhou garden, the "Ou Yuan" or "couple's garden." The owner of the garden was said to have had the garden so he and his wife could enjoy it together. I thought this was kind of weird when I toured the area and found out that there were parts of the house which were the husband's or wife's side of the house.

After touring the garden, one can go on a short boat ride outside. While steering the boat, the boatperson will usually render a song.

Bye for now!

Wuxi

2008-02-22T19:33:00.000+08:00

Home of the very tasty Wuxi spareribs! Best with beer, of course.

Sunset at Tai Lake. Literally translated as "Grand Lake", it's one of China's largest lakes.

Sanguo Zheng or "Three Kingdoms City" is a movie set converted into a theme park. It's based on the ancient Chinese novel The Romance of The Three Kingdoms. You can ride a replica of an ancient barge, climb up some forts, those kinds of things. Swashbuckling fare!

For an extra Y30 (or Php 180), you get to ride a shuttle which takes you around the park. Beats walking in the freezing cold!

At the arena you can also watch reenactments of famous battles. Yee-ha!

My favorite part was the obstacle course/training grounds. It's very "You killed my mastah!!!" and "You think your kung-fu is better than mine, eh?"

Nanjing

2008-02-14T17:07:00.000+08:00

Here's the owner of the previous mystery meat. ;) The exposed fanny facilitates an easier potty time. :)

We arrived in Nanjing after a snow storm, so the airport was just reopened when we landed at 1:30 AM. Since the hotel guys thought our plane got rerouted to Beijing, nobody fetched us at the airport and we were stuck there till 5 AM.

On to the picture show!

I found the in-flight safety manual China Eastern so retro! This guy looks like he desperately needs to smoke in the plane lavatory. Someone give this guy a patch!

I'll brace myself and save my doll!

Chang Jiang River/ Yangtze River Bridge... a double deck highway and railway bridge which overlooks the Yangtze.

A definite Nanjing site to see is the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall commemorating the "Rape of Nanking" by the Japanese soldiers during the 1930s. On the walls outside are the numbers 300,000 to commemorate the number of people who died. This part of the visit left me feeling sad.

Doing a senti, Korean-telenovelaesque introspective thingie with a prop bike!

Mystery Meat Challenge II

2008-02-12T04:45:00.000+08:00

Ahem, I'm back.

Some pics to whet your appetite. More soon.

"Before we jump into the ocean...Nice ass honey!"

Not much hair pics this time... but this one hopefully does not disappoint!

Weather was FREEZING!

An old man walking in a new Shanghai.

Mystery Meat Challenge: Can anyone guess what this is? ;-)

Who's Ready for Frozen Fried Ramen Hair?

2008-02-04T20:51:00.000+08:00

Yes, another China trip! This time, into freezing weather! I'll be off to Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou and thereabouts for Chinese new year. Or simply, New Year, since I'll be in China anyway and it's redundant that way!

As usual, I'll try my best to get snaps of :

1) Chinglish signs
2) Bad haircuts (this is more challenging if everyone's in winter wear!)
3) Mystery meat, for another Mystery Meat Challenge!

Wahoo! Another vacation!

28 is the new 30

2008-01-31T18:07:00.000+08:00

The setting: Marilyn's wedding reception.

Conversation goes something like this:

Me: Diba four years older lang si Marilyn sa atin? So 32 na siya. (Nagpapakitang-gilas sa math skills ang ating bida).

Arlene: No...34 na siya!

Me (natauhan): Omigod, 30 na pala tayo!

Arlene (laughing): Stuck ka pa rin sa 28! Char, ang cute mo!

Siopao so good

2008-01-25T02:46:00.000+08:00

Trina had a craving for siopao the other day. Actually, siopao sauce to be specific. Shanghai fried siopao from Ongpin was out of the question... as it is without suace. Hence, we dispatched our assistant Ate Gemma to go to either Wai Ying or Ma-suki (of the rumored feline-filling siopao. Rumor lang naman ha, kaya Ma-suki guys, this is not libel!) for some bola-bola siopao. Ate Gemma totally missed Ma-suki... as the place was really nondescript. Thus she came back to us with bola-bola siops from Wai Ying instead.

Drum roll please!

It's a very big siopao. I don't know what Sony Ericssson phone model this is, but that's the comparative size of the siopao. You could put the phone inside as filling. Yes, a ruler would have been better to use but I was too lazy to get it from downstairs.

Behold the bola-bola siopao in its cross-sectional glory!

Good ratio of filling to the bread. I remember the last time I had bola-bola siopao. It was from Ling-nam and it was defintely 3/4ths dough and 1/4th filling. This has a nice balance. Dough is thick enough to hold the filling together... (...but not too much as to make CHAR FEEL CHEATED!!! Bwahahahah!)

Nice clean slice courtesy of Trina. Two people can eat each half for a snack. Or have the siopao to yourself for a filling lunch.

Now this is the part where it gets better. Yes, this is bola-bola siopao, but upon closer inspection, there's also mushroom on the right, chicken (or cat?) below the mushroom. And shrimp to the left of the chicken. It's not clear in the photo but behind the shrimp is a redder part which is asado. We actually thought Ate Gemma bought the wrong kind of siopao ( "Halo-halo siopao ba nabili mo?" ) but she insisted that this was correct. By the way, the bola bola is the top layer of filling. Not pictured but also tasted, salted egg!

And the price...P 50 pesos!!!! Super sulit! This is now my gold standard for all my future siopaos! Burp!

Me: 2. Makati Policeman: 0

2008-01-10T16:56:00.000+08:00

The adventures continue!!!

Ahhh, January 2008!!! Been busy the past couple of weeks, with the Christmas season, Jovy and Andrew's wedding, and the Boracay trip (more on those later). Anway, needless to say, I still had a holiday hangover this morning.

I did my usual morning routine and afterwards, went down to see my dad's Honda in the garage. I usually drive an old gray Corolla to work on Thursdays, but it's parked in another garage around the corner. The red, mud-splattered Honda beckoned to me... "Dwive me!!! Dwive me!!!", and so I did, totally forgetting that it was a number-coded car on Thursdays.

So nooneenooneenoo...drive drive drive I go to Makati. It was a good drive. My ipod mini was on shuffle and it seemed like all the songs it played where just the right level of upbeat. I saw my favorite MPM (Mamang Pulis Makati) who was stationed on Dela Rosa corner Washington, looking as cheerful as ever while directing traffic. He gave me a cheerful little wave after some kargadors in a Coke truck handed him a bottle of Coke (because he is that nice).

But this entry is not about THAT MPM.

I was on Dela Rosa street crossing Pasong Tamo when I saw an MPM at the corner flagging me down. I was honestly puzzled because I saw the traffic light was green and I thought he was flagging me down for running through a red. So I ignored him (yes, blatantly IGNORED him) and drove off on my merry way.

Before reaching Amorsolo, I slowed down to stop at a red light. All of a sudden, the MPM was beside me.. on his motorcycle!!! That was when I suddenly remembered that the car was coded. Anyhow, I played it cool and told him " Doktor po." while smiling. I was reaching over to my bag to get my PRC license just in case, but then MPM saw the Doctor On Call card (courtesy of my doctor brother) on my dashboard.

"Ay, sorry mam! Doktor pala kayo! Di ko po nakita yung sign ninyo. Next time po, pag hinuli ko kayo (nyek) ituro na lang ninyo yung sign, " he said. Then he apologized a bit more and then I went on my merry way again.

I actually don't like having to use the "I'm a doctor" card when I'm apprehended by a pulis, because I hate being flagged down by any pulis! But I'm going to be honest here and say that it helps and I'm not gonna feel guilty about it anymore!!!

Where did the time go?

2007-12-09T13:57:00.000+08:00

Okay, I just checked, 17 days before Christmas! It has finally dawned on me that two months ago, I already planned everything out... Gifts to be brought at this time, cards to be printed out by this date... It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that yep, I didn't get to do everything on time and now I get little stresses knowing that I haven't bought everything I planned to and whatever.

Oh but anyway, Christmas (Chwismas!) is almost here. The morning air is chilly... The bibingka is yummy (try Aldrino's at the 3rd floor of 168 mall)... Can't wait to eat "puta (oops, PG-13 blog!) bumbong with Andrew! Old friends flying over... Ninna, Jovy and Andrew! Whee! I've never technically had a sad Christmas (because two years ago when I found out that the ex had been naughty, it was the 26th already)... but this year's version is a surprisingly happier one. Suffice to say that the surprise is someone I now have coffee with on a regular basis. Funny, I mentioned months ago on my blog that HE has to love coffee, and now here he is, someone I am getting to know more and more each day and he takes his coffee the same way I do. Whee! Chwismas!

Bad trip

2007-11-29T17:50:00.000+08:00

When I saw that armored tank on TV ramming the entrance doors of the Pen lobby down... all I could think of was

Damn, no more ice cream in the lobby for a while.

Hmmm...

2007-11-25T14:44:00.000+08:00

He is now Mr. Once or Twice A Week.

We are going somewhere, I think.

The arrival of the Peppermint Mocha...

2007-11-18T18:23:00.000+08:00

...means Christmas is around the corner. Whee! Happy thoughts, happy thoughts!

The return of the comeback

2007-11-06T19:25:00.000+08:00

Remember Post Breakup Date Boy/ Mr. 3-weeks-3 weeks-5-weeks-6 weeks Etc from February last year?

We've recently begun "hanging out" again for the past few weeks. The main difference between our previous dates and the present is that the frequency is now 2-weeks-1 week-6 days. Hang out #4 will be after another week from the last one.

I'm obviously afraid of calling it dates, given that it all has the elements of one. Chocolates included. I guess I'm just damaged that way. It's all so sudden, and fun, and confusing but I'm just trying to enjoy the ride and see where we'll go, even if it may just end up being nowhere.

Everyday can be Halloween!

2007-10-31T19:08:00.000+08:00

Who needs Halloween when anyday can be an opportunity to dress up in costume?

Dr. Vader will see you now!
PGH E.R. duty all-nighters... how I miss thee!

Remember that extravaganzatious kiddy party I went to?
Don't leave your mascot head unattended because you never know...
a crazy dentist will steal it!

Nothing says "love" better than your wisdom tooth.

2007-10-26T19:06:00.000+08:00

I didn't even know that Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds were an item. Didn't he use to be with Alanis Morisette? Anyway, it was Ryan Reynolds' birthday recently, and according to E! Online:

“She’d just had her wisdom teeth removed, so she had one dipped in gold and strung on a necklace for him.”

How romantic!

Least courteous daw?

2007-10-24T19:39:00.000+08:00

According to a recent Reader's Digest survey, we Pinoys rank as one of the least courteous people in the world daw. Hmmm.

Anyway, I was reading the paper today about this mangbubuko (?)/ Mamang mang bubuko (?)/ Magbubuko (?)/ buko man?...ahhh basta... this man selling buko who was stabbed to death. Probably a turf war kind of thing. But anyway, neighbors reportedly overheard him shouting "Huwag po! Huwag po!" ...nakuha pa niyang mag-"po" while pleading for his life! And what about that classic inday line, pleading "'Wag PO, kuya?"

Not courteous? I think not!

Lemme at the chicken!

2007-10-17T18:01:00.000+08:00

By tomorrow I will be eating authentic chicken inasal. Wheee!

Goodbye for now, teeth, saliva, patients! Hello Bacolod!

Those who want Napoleones better pick me up at the airport on Sunday. Seriously! The rest can go to SM Megamall! Hee!

Relax, see a movie

2007-10-14T17:12:00.000+08:00

Before I turned 8, my family lived in Paco. I was kind of your typical kalsada kid na madungis, where the sidewalk was for playing patintero and piko. One of my earliest memories was of my yayas (don't remember which ones) sneaking me off to watch movies in the nearby theaters.

Yes children, before there was Greenbelt 3 or Glorietta 4, there was your (friendly?) neighborhood theater. To my memory, they were not of the seedy kind where you would not want to be found sitting alone in the dark. However, I'm sure if my parents knew that yaya brought me there to watch "Kambal Tuko" (starring chubby twins Richard and Raymond Guttierez), they would have a fit. For those of you out of the loop, Richard has grown up to be a very, very, fine (ehem) young man, while Raymond is speculated to have grown up as a very fine young wo---. (Okay, I don't want to get sued for libel here).

I also remember watching this movie starring Vilma Santos and Richard Gomez. (Help me out with the title here, umamin na ang mga nakakaalala!) Ate Vi (uyyy..close!) played a maid who worked for Richard's family.. and of course, they (illicitly) get it on. Vilma gets pregnant, the affair is found out and she gets banished somewhere. I was 11 yata that time. Even after we moved to Malate, tinatangay pa rin ako ni yaya! Now that I think about it, I was underage for this movie but I still got in. Everything I needed to know about local cinema, Wengweng, Chikito and all, I blame yaya.

Today I passed by the last of one of those local theaters. The Bellevue (1932) was one of the theaters I did not go to but it was a place I used to see almost everyday. The old one in Angel Linao street (formerly Dart) is either a supermarket now or an ukay-ukay store. The Major Theater on Pedro Gil (formerly Herran) has recently closed down.

Anyway, the Bellevue Theater, just near where The Major used to be, is the last of the old guard movie theaters, with hand painted movie karatulas and marquees. I believe it used to be beautiful during its time. I have no idea what architectural style it is, sort of like an amalgamation of Middle-Eastern and classical. Now run-down, it just plays old double features.

From what I have noticed, the two movies they play at any given showing have to be a combination of one action film (or basta, a Hollywood box office draw) and one trashy film. The trashy films are those which would usually have titles with words or phrases such as "kaning mainit" , "laman", "pinya", or a combination of the sort.

The Bellevue is now where movies go for their huling hirit.

Now showing: "Die Hard 4" and "Sukdulan", starring Katya Santos.

Pick a card, any card!

2007-10-07T19:42:00.000+08:00

Okay, so sometimes, these things happen. You get food stuck in between your teeth and there is no toothpick in sight. Honestly, who hasn't used the edge of a fingernail or a folded up tissue corner? What's a girl to do? Maria Shriver is only human. The thing is, this is something you don't want to do when you're both the First Lady of California and paparazzi fodder. Read the full article (and see more tooth-picking pics!) here.

Eww, pabitins are so old school.

2007-10-06T17:01:00.000+08:00

I just went to a kid's 1st birthday party in Pasig and the whole thing was just so mind-blowing.

The big venue was expertly decorated, balloons everywhere in Care bears theme. Half of the place had adult tables and half had kiddie tables. most of the kids had one yaya each. So imagine the headcount for this party.

To keep the kids entertained (and woe is the bored child), there were arts and crafts booths, carnival type games like shooting ranges or throw-a-hoop-around-the prize, create your own hair accessory station, a beauty parlor station, a glitter tattoo station (plugging lang, visit our website!) among others. If that weren't enough, there were also food booths serving nachos, crepes, ice cream, fries, sno-cones, pizza, chips... These don't even include the food provided by the caterer.

There was a magician who performed, an acrobat, and two people in Care Bears costumes who led the kids through games like Deal or No Deal (grand prize was P5,000 if you got the right suitcase). Some of the prizes for the games included not only toys (in big boxes) but animals like puppy dachshunds (yup, plural) and some other purebreed I couldn't recognize, and rabbits. There was a modified pabitin game wherein a giant balloon was popped and smaller balloons would come tumbling out. If you happened to pick the right balloon, you'd win an ipod. Yes, a freaking ipod! And may I remind you that yes, this is a child's first birthday.

Anyway, went home without a loot bag , but I contented myself with a balloon tiara. Whee!

Celebrity gingivitis

2007-10-03T19:55:00.000+08:00

For the record, I am not a Clay Aiken fan.(Ops, walang hihirit!!!!)

Moving on now... photo courtesy of my favorite guilty pleasure: Go Fug Yourself. Donald Trump hair and double chin aside... take a gander at Clay Aiken's gums. They are dark red and puffy! The triangle of gums in between his teeth are absolutely swollen. I bet if I poked that with my dental probe, it will bleed.

I wonder however if it's because he hasn't had a prophy in a while, which might lead to build up of plaque and tartar (or calculus, in scientific terms) when you don't brush or floss well, thereby causing gingivitis. Or maybe is it because of the shape of his veneers (if they indeed are veneers), that, when made too overcontoured at the sides, causes the gums to get impinged and swollen.

Any which way, he has to see his dentist ASAP.

I realized that I haven't blogged about anything dental in a while. Anyhow, my absolute favorite dental procedure to do is a prophy. It's like washing dishes. Don't tell anyone, but I secretly like doing the dishes.There is something very therapeutic about turning a pile of grimy plates and utensils into a new pile of squeaky clean ones. It's kind of similar to doing the dishes for almost the same reason.

I can be a bit OC when I do a prophy, courtesy of a certain college professor who was totally terrfifying but was really good at checking to see if there were any last traces of tartar left. I would do the prophy, have him check it, believing that I totally got every little tiny bit of tartar. But there he would go, feeling the patient's teeth beneath the gums with an instrument... and Kerplink! A tiny stone of calculus would come out, followed by a glare (and a low grade) from the prof.

A prophy is messy but it doesn't have to be bloody if you brush well and floss, and see your dentist every 6 months. Hint hint. ;)

PLDT MyDsl Sucks part 3

2007-09-27T13:11:00.000+08:00

You know there is no hope for this company if the customer service agent tells you to just e-mail your complaint to their helpdesk email address. What part of WALA NGA KAMING INTERNET CONNECTION don't you understand?

Oh the irony.

That is whyohwhy I am in a net cafe getting my internet fix.

Any glowing recommendations on a different ISP are welcome. Good customer service is a must.

Entourage gown #8

2007-09-26T14:45:00.000+08:00

You know you've been a member of a wedding entourage too many times when the designer and her assistants remember you vividly (with matching anecdotes) way back from a different wedding, of which they made the bride's gown, but not yours.

It's also one time too many when the makeup guy who did your makeup from a different wedding meets you months later and says he's already had 2 boyfriends, where's yours?

It's also been too many times when you start developing a preference for certain entourage tasks. For example, I don't like being a candle or veil sponsor because it's too, ehem, technique sensitive. Being bridesmaid is best. You don't do anything but just stand there. ;)

Anyway, I had a fitting for Jovy's wedding. The gown looks good so far, this may be the best of the lot.(Okay, it's too many times when there is actually "a lot" of dresses). There was no problem with the fit, but it was weird lang when the assistant designer said I needed more boobs. Jessica Rabbit alert!!!

Me and Dad: 1, Makati Tow Truck Crew: 0

2007-09-26T14:25:00.000+08:00

My dad and I had to go to the Makati Sports Club in Salcedo last night and we were looking for a parking space along Leviste. It was 6 PM.

I spied a spot not far from Makati Sports, with a couple of other cars parked along that same side. I checked to see if there were white painted line-bracket-thingies on the ground to indicate parking spaces. There seemed to be some lines... or so I thought.

So dad parked the car and we crossed the street. It was dark already, even with streetlamps turned on. I turned to look at our car when I saw a post with a sign...which looked like a very, gray, faded... (*cue Theme from Jaws) NO PARKING SIGN.

I was going "Pa! No parking!!!" We hurriedly started to cross the street when a freaking tow truck cut us off and stopped near the front end of our car. A man sitting at the back of the truck hopped out, holding a chain-thingie. Dad, bless his, anti-arthritis-medicine-fortified-knees quickly scooted over to the driver's side and started the car. HAH! In your face!!!

A lot of the bystanders had very sympathetic/relieved expressions and one lady even said "Buti na lang bumalik kayo!"

Meanwhile, the tow truck crew moved a few cars away from ours and proceeded to clamp the chains on the next car.

Whew! Close call. The sign was really that faded that a lot of cars parked on that side. As I was waiting for my dad to find another parking spot, I saw another tow truck whizz by, on the prowl.

Driving in Makati is so tension-filled.

Really few men.

2007-09-20T14:57:00.000+08:00

The other day there was this episode of Oprah on the Hallmark Channel. The topic? Single women having trouble meeting decent, available men. It offered a lot of tips on how to meet men, some round table discussions by groups of men and women, even a feature on the top cities in the US to meet men (that would be Salt Lake City, Utah...lowest divorce rate daw).

At the end of the show, Oprah announced to the audience that it wasn't actually hard to meet the right single men. On cue, files of men, aroujnd 30 or 40 in number,all of them single, appeared from backstage, from the balcony. They all went onstage and I half expected Oprah to shout "EVERYONE of you here is going home with one single man!!!" like an episode of Oprah's Favorite Things.

Oh well, I guess even Oprah's philantrophy has its limits.

A few good men.

2007-09-20T14:41:00.000+08:00

Yesterday as I walked to the bus stop to go home, I guess I was in such a hurry to reach the curb that I sort of twisted my ankle. Good thing I didn't fall, but while I was into the "twist" a man coming out of the church with his wife actually gave a little sprint towards me in an attempt to break my potential fall. I thanked them both and continued on my walk (with a now sore ankle).

On reaching the bus stop, it began to drizzle, but it wasn't much of a bother so I didn't open my umbrella. While waiting for the bus, I saw a barong-clad old man with a big umbrella a couple of steps in front of me. He turned around, saw me, looking as if he wanted to tell me something. He turned away briefly, then looked at me again. I wondered if he wanted to ask for directions so I said "Bakit po?"

"Miss," he said, moving his umbrella over my head. "Nauulanan na kasi kayo."

He thought I didn't have an umbrella! :) (And no, he didn't look like a D.O.M.) I told him that I did have one, it's just that it was a slight ambon that I didn't bother using it.

Who said that chivalry in Manila was dead?

Full. Frontal. Puppet. Nudity.

2007-09-19T02:54:00.000+08:00

Now that I've gotten your attention, time to get yourself a ticket and watch Avenue Q! Anyone who's ever been brought up watching Sesame Street will definitely relate. The songs are catchy, the characters are hilarious, especially the Bad Idea bears which are like the Carebears on acid.

Five Night Stands! One night stand!

Me: 1 , Makati Policeman: 0

2007-09-13T18:44:00.000+08:00

Today I drove my usual route to the Makati office... South Super Highway with a left turn to Dela Rosa Street.

As I passed Buendia, turning left to Dela Rosa, the traffic light at SSH-Dela Rosa turned yellow, and I stopped under the flyover (the point just before you cross over towards the railroad tracks).

As I stopped, a Mamang Pulis Makati (MPM) sauntered over outside my window.

MPM: "Miss, red light yon."

Me (in a calm voice): "Yellow pa ang light nung nag-turn ako."

MPM: "Red na nung lumiko kayo."

Me (voice rising): "Yellow light yon and kung titicket-an mo ako i-proprotest ko talaga yan bakit ang hilig hilig niyong manghuli na hindi naman dapat hinuhuli nung isang buwan lang may Makati pulis na nanghuli sa akin one way daw pero di naman ako one way hinabol ko pa yung licensya ko sa kanya at binalik din niya dahil yun pala mali siya pasensiya ka na kung cranky ang nagsusungit ako dito ha di ko kasi kayo maintindihan eh ang hilig niyo manghuli dahil ba mag-isa lang ako na babae ???"

Talk about a bitch fit. I realize now that there was no topic sentence so it made no sense. It was all said in one breath and in a gigil na gigil voice. Lahat ng hinanakit ko sa lahat ng Makati policemen na nanghuli sa akin, I let it out on this particular Mamang Pulis.

MPM (backing away half a step): "Osige miss, okay na."

Saturday night with Hans and Franz

2007-09-10T20:21:00.000+08:00

Note: Some names have been changed. hehehe.

I attended a party with Hans and Franz last Saturday night. Hans and Franz are two of my single guy friends in their mid-thirties. The party in Alabang was actually for SINGLE people and we were invited by a couple of our also single friends (yes, humantong na sa ganito, hahaha).

Nope, no prospects of the romantic kind, but there were a lot of networking potentials. There was a surprising number of lawyers there and as we all know, law and medicine go together, harhar. For the most part,it still felt pretty much like high school. There were a lot of friendly people, but there were still those who didn't bother mingling, or worse, formed their own sort of cliche cliques with their own corners.

Aside from meeting and talking to a lot of people, I had the most fun watching Hans and Franz. You see, Hans and Franz are very reserved people, in my book, with Hans as the more shy of the two. Both of them have also had their share of being burned by not-so-good experiences in the romance department. It was very amusing to watch my "kuyas" come out of their shells, especially Hans. I am not sure if it was due to the shots of SoCo and lime but for the first time, I observed a Hans that actually mingled, initiated conversation and made follow-up questions. Sometimes, I would get to talk to some girls and in turn, introduce them to Hans and Franz.

It was a very educational ride home as I sat in the backseat.

Hans and Franz were talking about which girls made a good impression and surprisingly, they weren't the outright pretty ones.

Hans or Franz (?) talking about a pretty girl in a dress, who, after a few minutes of conversation, semi abruptly witched to a different table with younger guys: "Kinakausap ko siya tapos ang iikli ng sagot! Akala mo kung sinong maganda. Suplada pala."

And the girls who they liked? The ones who made pretty good conversation, not necessarily the ones who were obviously pretty. The ones who were friendly went out of their way to talk to them and made sure they were having fun at the party. My kuyas, I am proud to say, go beyond the superficial. Yep, I am mighty proud of my boys. And there is hope yet for the male species.

Why hello, comb.

2007-09-05T18:11:00.000+08:00

Got a haircut last Monday. Nothing drastic. It's shoulder length, still girly, with lots and lots of layers. Most of the waves are gone, so I now have to start combing my hair. I know it sounds iffy but I haven't combed in almost 2 years (combing makes curls frizzy). I'm still getting to know how my haircut works, but so far, I have discovered that it looks more decent with some blow-drying action.

Life is too short to spend a lot of time on blow-drying. Or maybe I'm just lazy.

Come-on ng tindera

2007-09-04T20:18:00.000+08:00

Recently tops on my tindera come-ons list.

A tindera called out to me from a jewelry store I passed by while walking towards Sta. Cruz along Ongpin:

"Miss, ano'ng hanap niyo? Meron kami!"

I just shook my head no. But of course, in my mind, marami sana akong nahirit.

(Meaning of life?)

(A kilo of prime rib? Gutom ako eh. Medium rare ha.)

(Boyfriend ko. Diyan niyo ba tinago?)

Here are the runner ups:

* "Hanap niyo skinny jeans? " - (Taking a look at my own pear-shaped body) Hmmm, hindi ho.
* "T-shirt/skirt/blouse--ditonakayopwedengi-fit..." (said in one breath) - Diba pwede naman dapat talagang sukatin?
* "Miss try niyo libereng facial para sa mga tigyawat ninyo, ang dami o, mawawala yan..." (at one of those portable facial promo booths in the malls) - Try mo kaya ng tadjak?

Moving to the country, gonna eat a lot of peaches.

2007-09-01T17:58:00.000+08:00

Aside from lanzones, dragon fruit, and some plums, a quick survey of Ongpin fruit stands shows an abundance of soft, juicy peaches.

My favorite little sign, nestled among a stack of peaches says:

WAG PISILIN.
SENSITIVE

Bwahahaha!

Another driving adventure

2007-08-31T19:32:00.000+08:00

Oh, glee! Today I managed to piss some driver off by following traffic rules and regulations. By the way, my exclamation of "oh, glee!" is not by any means, sarcastic. My Catholic school upbringing however, does provide me with a bit of guilt and shame from revelling in the experience of consciously pissing someone off.

Anyway, I was on the intersection of Quirino Avenue and Adriatico, patiently waiting for the turn left stoplight to turn green when the driver of the Annoying Big SUV behind me started honking. Presumably, he wanted me to turn already. If you've ever driven to the Harrison Plaza area by the way of Quirino-Adriatico you would know that the light takes forever to turn green. Anyway, it didn't seem like he was in an emergency. If he were, he should have already switched lanes and overtaken me. Plus, he could've switched on his hazard lights, right?

Driver stops honking. Light still red. Moments later, Driver of Big SUV starts honking again.

WTFez??? Eh di lumipad ka! Lech!

Finally, after what seemed like ages, the light turned green. And when I started to turn left to Adriatico, I did it eeeeeveeerrr so slooooooowwwwly.

Driver of Annoying SUV let out a more pissed off version, so it seemed, of honking. If horn blowing had subtitles, his would probably be in expletives. I looked at the rearview to see the SUV close behind, but he was forced to go slow as well. Finally, the SUV let out a huge screech, overtook me, and zoomed fast to the direction of Vito Cruz.

Pagbigyan niyo na ako. I've been Miss Goody Two-Shoes for most of my life.

*Cue B-Movie Villain Laugh*

Feel this ad!

2007-08-30T20:50:00.000+08:00

Let this ad take you back to the 80s! The tsunami hair (in various incarnations)! The Debbie-Gibson-in-Electric-Youth-esque dance steps! The hexagon shaped drum sets! The shoulder-padded jacket-high waisted-bitin jeans combo! Acid wash! Day-glo yellow. 80s overload in one ad. Genius!

Change is good, right? Right?!?

2007-08-30T20:02:00.000+08:00

Tonight after work my dentist/friend Errol and I had an impromptu dinner in Salcedo V. Not knowing where to eat, we decided to try Alexa's Deli along dela Costa. From outside, the place looked intimidating...we were just looking for a quick bite and didn't want to spend much on dinner... or so we thought.

Tio Rolls and I ended up eating pasta (shrimp pesto for me, tuna with sundried tomato for him). At less than P200, not a bad deal since the pricing is similar to Amici'; soup (cream of mushroom...wouldn't recommend this. Tastes like Campbells), and chicken empanada. Looks like we were really hungry. We also ended up sharing a bottle of wine (a 2004 rose) between the two of us, just for kicks. At Alexa's, the house wine cost P150 per glass. With the bottle of rose costing P380....it was a no brainer. After 3 glasses, I was feeling semi- "bangenge", as Rolly would say. I ended up drinking 40% of the bottle while he drank the rest of it.

Alexa's seems okay. Will try their breakfast next month. Some of you may be pleased to know that the place has FAST free wifi.

It's raining out... looks like mahimbing ang tulog ko. ;)

***********************************************

Lately I've been itching for a haircut (Hmm, mukhang nahawa ata ako kay Tet).
It's been six months since I last got my hair permed, and I have been curly-topped for almost the last 2 years.
When I decided to first grow my hair long and had it permed, that moment kind of coincided with the breakup with the ex. At that time in my life, I was majorly hankering for change.And change I did. I finished my hospital stint and went into private practice. I started going out on dates (with various results). With the curly hair, I became more girly-girl without really trying. I discovered I could flip the ends of my hair or tuck one lock behind my ear and get access to parking spaces (not all the time, though, heehee). With long, curly hair came great responsibility...my newfound sex appeal! (Okay okay, that last sentence was a joke.)

Anyway, it sounds a bit trivial and silly. But I have this itch to have my hair cut short. It's been two years and I'm not in the post-break up stage anymore. My hair length is now so long that at it's length I could do a lady Godiva or be a sirena extra in Dyesebel. Should I? If I do will I regret it? Or should I just get a trim, but still get it re-curled. Should I go with the hairstyle that a lot of friends say works for me or should I stray out of my comfort zone and try something new. Sigh. Should not make any rash decisions regarding hair.Look what it did to Keri Russel in Felicity.

You can take the girl out of the playground

2007-08-21T20:28:00.000+08:00

Okay, so Monday afternoon after my merienda with Anami, I brought Maxine to the park right? While I was watching her play, a guy called my name and came up to me. I was surprised to see M, my classmate from grade school.

M said he was at CBTL too, about a few tables away, clicking away on his laptop when he heard someone laugh (that would be me) and thought, "I know that laugh.". Imagine, this is my classmate FROM GRADE SCHOOL. However, when he turned to look at the source of the sound, he was not sure that it was me, with my long and curly hair, LASIK and all (and etcetera). I'm not sure if I mentioned it in this blog that I won "Best Makeover" during my last high school reunion (now I'm sure they meant that as a compliment). Thus, he had to look me up on Friendster to make sure.

When he was convinced it was really me, M decided to run up to me from CBTL to the park to say hi. Now that I think about it, I haven't seen the guy in years and I am remembered for the way I laugh. That's not such a bad thing, right? But anyway, so much for reinvention, haha.

Afternoon in the park with Maxine

2007-08-20T18:59:00.000+08:00

Today I visited my eldest brother and his family at their new place in Makati. It feels weird that they don't live around the corner from our house anymore. Anyway, I just found out that prior to moving in, their new place was used as location set for Aga Mulach's current movie with Angelica Panganiban and Maricel Soriano. Now, I have an excuse to watch the movie! I'll just say that I was just being curious. Mwehehe.

Anyway, we went book shopping (so many books, too little budget!) and grocery-ing at Powerplant, then had lunch at their place. Afterwards, I called up Anami, who just lived around Salcedo for an impromptu meet-up. With my niece Maxine in tow, I went to her place and we had coffee and merienda at the nearby CBTL.

Maxine ate one whole ensaymada all to herself. That's right honey, while your metabolism's still fast!

Later, Anami and I parted ways and I brought Maxine to the park. First, we went up to a barkada of yayas with their purebred doggies. At first, Maxine was afraid to get near. I let a cute beagle lick my arm, and when she realized they weren't so scary, she wasn't hesitant anymore to get near them.

Next, it was off to the slides, swings and the sort-of-jungle gym thingie. My niece almost gave me a heart attack with all the climbing and running that she did. As a child, I never liked those monkey bars, and there was my 3-year old niece, climbing and swinging on them with breakneck speed. She did a lot of running around and there were a lot of times I couldn't keep up. She would go through some tunnels, bridges or slides and I would lose sight of her. I would then semi-frantically go around the slides, ladders, etc to find her. I kept praying that her Crocs were really as non-skid as advertised.

In contrast, the yayas, some parents, and a korean granny just looked cool watching their charges play. The expat mommies and daddies would sometimes look at me funny. They probably thought I looked like a scared and inexperienced (but yummy, haha!) mommy.

Later, it was getting dark and we had to go back. Maxine was pleading for more time to play and I obliged her. But pretty soon, it was really time to go so I took her hand and said we had to go home. My curly-topped niece then cried and refused to go. I had no choice but to carry her out of the park while she bawled in my arms like I killed her beloved pet puppy.

Anyhow, I then had to go listen to a talk that my brother was hosting. After a couple of hours, it was over and I dropped by their pad to check on Maxine. She just changed into her pjs and was getting ready for bed. I asked for a hug and kiss goodnight and she obliged, with a matching "I love you see you soon ingat". That is her current favorite catchphrase, with the last word, courtesy of John Lloyd Cruz's Biogesic commercials. Apparently, she had forgotten she was mad at me.

How I missed my niece. And how different children are from adults. they don't hold grudges, and everything is alright with a kiss and a hug.

Walang pasok

2007-08-15T18:20:00.000+08:00

I love this morning. It reminds me of the time when I used to go to school (hmm, why does it seem like ages ago?), waking up to the sound of rain. The room is not dark, but it's not bright outside either. Then you hear a certain type of rainfall sound which gives you a feeling in your heart that you're not going to school today. That's what I miss about going to school. Adults who have 9-5 jobs have no choice but to go to work, flood and leptospirosis be damned.

On this particular day, I was supposed to go to the Shaw branch of the dental office. Shaw Blvd. was the scene of my first and only flat tire, courtesy of a craggy pothole. The idea of driving through floody Shaw Blvd with all those crazy counterflowing jeeps was depressing. So was driving along Kalentong and having to get stuck at the foot of that bridge-turned-jeepney terminal.

I'm thankful that I didn't have to go through that, because by some grace, I didn't have to go to work today because of rain. =) Whee!

Ratatouille, Finally!

2007-08-11T19:41:00.001+08:00

After two aborted scaredy-cat attempts to watch the movie alone, I finally found a date to watch Ratatouille with. *Drum roll please*... my nephew Nigel! Ta-dahh!!!

Nigel and I also managed to drag my aunt (therefore, his lola-Aunt) to watch the movie, so yay, free popcorn! Ratatouille was great to watch for the beautiful animation alone. I used to be resistant to CGI-animation movies because I thought, what could be more from the heart than hand-drawn cartoons? I was someone who grew up noticing the pencil strokes in Voltes 5, and watching the making of Fantasia or Steamboat Willie on Wonderful World of Disney. The trailer for Polar Express gave me the creeps (Tom Hanks' beady eyes!). Anyway, in Ratatouille the night scenes really looked like night, especially the part where Remy gets out of the sewer and finally sees Paris for the first time. And the food! They looked almost real enough to get "takam" over.

Hungry after the movie, and finding all the restaurants in the mall closed, it was off to the Shawarma Snack Center in Ermita for some takeout shawarma. Burp!

PLDT mydsl SUCKS Part II

2007-08-09T04:00:00.000+08:00

After 7 days of no internet connection, FINALLY!!!-- meron na! -->Unless PLDT screws up again tonight.

If you are looking for any semblance of customer service, not just good customer service, you'll be better off with a different service provider. All the agents I talked to did not even give me a reassuring idea of when service will be back. San ka ba nakarinig ng sasabihin sa iyo na "I-monitor niyo na lang po kung kelan ho magiging normal ang internet connection niyo."? Uh... like monitor it for a week by staring stupidly at the monitor while an alert window goes "limited or NO connection"?

Will demand a bloody rebate.

PLDT MyDsl SUCKS

2007-08-05T12:46:00.000+08:00

Yes, all who google PLDT Mydsl will hopefully be led to this site which proudly proclaims that PLDT MyDsl SUCKS.

We have been without internet connection for the past 5 days ( I am in an internet cafe in Glorietta). I've been calling to complain about 4 times already and still nada. If this does not get resolved soon, somebody's head will get chewed off. Pity that customer service agent. PMS and bad intenet service is not a pretty combination.

Not your kid's loot bag

2007-07-30T20:36:00.000+08:00

I attended a dental convention yesterday wherein all the delegates were given bags/kits with all the sponsors' giveaways inside.

Take a look at the loot:

There's the usual "banig" of Mefenamic Acid, sugar-free gum, toothpaste, mouthwash...

But wait. Upon closer inspection of the pile...

A complete cycle of birth control pills and two condoms???

Yummy

2007-07-30T20:28:00.000+08:00

I love, love, love homemade goodies!

Super sarap! These cookies are very chocolate-y, chunky, and chewy.Would you believe that a guy actually baked this?

Thank you Dr. J for the wonderful Monday morning surprise! (Now if any of you want to order...hehehe).

Because it's a Sunday...

2007-07-29T20:54:00.001+08:00

..oh, the thinks that you can think!

Bo Sanchez on discernment:

"God's will is your deepest desire."

Chasing my driver's license.

2007-07-22T21:24:00.001+08:00

This is one of the reasons why it is very hard to believe in our local police.

En route to dinner at Robert and Jessica's place near Boni Avenue, I decided to attempt to go by way of the Makati-Mandaluyong bridge. With my trusty atlas by my side, I drove from Ayala, then Makati Avenue, then turned right to P. Burgos along with a herd of taxis bearing Caucasian men with Filipina companions.

Still on P. Burgos and about to cross Kalayaan, a yellow-polo-ed Makati policeman on a motorcycle rode past me, and then in front of me, then motioned for me to pull over.

The policeman wnet down from his bike and asked for my license. The "offense?" Wrong way on a one way street. DAW.

So I said, how could that be possible? I was driving in the same direction with loads of other vehicles and I didn't see any sign saying one way.

He said curtly, "Haynako, may tatlong sign doon. Kahit balikan mo pa."

I tried to say that I was terribly unfamiliar with the streets, I honestly didn't see any sign and could he please let me off this once. I also pointed to my white coat (which I bring when I drive alone) and fibbed that I needed to go to a hospital in the Boni avenue area. He said " Doc, exempted lang kayo pag coding."

It didn't look like he was going to let me go. I decided to call his bluff.

"Sige nga, turo mo sa akin kung saan diyan ang sign na one way na mali kong dinaanan."

He didn't say a word. With my license still in his posession, he went back to the motorcycle and sped off. I guess I was meant to follow him so I did. It was a mini-tour around Makati's red light district as he turned this way and that (and I almost hit another car following him!!!), going back to direction of Makati Avenue (the tricky part where there are always policemen waiting to catch unknowing drivers.). He pointed to a street before P. Burgos that said ONE WAY, which was supposedly the street where I erringly drove from, and turned his bike back again to P. Burgos. I sped up until I caught up with him and opened the window of my car.I yelled out "Eh dito ako dumaan kanina eh!!!! "

The policeman accelerated his speed, again going this way and that while I followed, nay, chased him while honking my car horn and my hazard lights turned on... he still had my license!!! Finally, I found myself near the foot of the Makati-Mandaluyong bridge. The policeman parked his bike, went to my window and said, "Hindi pala kayo yon?"

Fuming, I asked for my license back. "Sinayang mo oras ko," I said.

"Sorry po mam. O ayan, hinatid ko na nga kayo sa papuntang Boni eh."

Grrr. Bwisit.

I still love my mother!

2007-07-19T20:22:00.000+08:00

Today, my mother, my own flesh and blood, managed to literally rip off my flesh and draw my own blood.

We were at a party this evening and I was standing behind her while she was sitting. For some reason, she had to adjust her chair...and in a split second, one of the chair's legs was suddenly on one of my toes, with all of her 140lbs+++ weight bearing on it.

It is a great exercise in grace when you want to scream in at a party full of people, but you can't.

I now have one swollen toe and a could-be dying toenail.

***************************************

Later, I was sitting on the sofa at the party when I found myself in a long conversation with a thin, middle-aged man who turned out to be Ramon Orlina, the glass sculptor. I had a good time talking to him especially when he said that what he was doing was not unlike being a dentist: "I also do a lot of cutting, grinding, and polishing...we may even use the same tools!" he said.

The party was in celebration of a new house that my parent's friend had just moved into. The original owners had to leave for Canada. When they sold the house, along with it came first rate artwork in every room of the house. A Bencab here, a Kiukok there. Arturo Luz in the bedroom and a Magsaysay-Ho sketch in the stair landing. If I lived in a house with all that pretty art, i probably would have a hard time leaving it to go to work.

Charlene Simpson

2007-07-18T20:38:00.000+08:00

Does it look like me?

Convert yourself into a Springfield resident at simpsonizeme.com

Two sides of a car ride, actually.

2007-07-17T20:41:00.000+08:00

My favorite scene in Love Actually is part of the storyline about Jamie (Colin Firth, and his Portuguese housekeeper Aurelia. Despite language barriers, the two have somehow fallen in love. Jamie drives Aurelia home everyday and this scene really kills me:

Jamie tells Aurelia: It's my favorite time of day... driving you."
And Aurelia says in Portuguese, "It is the saddest part of my day... leaving you."

Pass the tissue please!

Where's my bloody mojo.

2007-07-14T19:05:00.000+08:00

It used to be that I can perform extractions all day for 8-9 hours (and a 30-minute lunch break squeezed in). Lately, I do one and I'm completely shot for the rest of the day. My lower back hurts. Afterwards, my right arm develops some sort of "tennis elbow, " or should I say, "extraction elbow." I seem to be gradually losing my rabid eagerness for dental carnage.

I have extraction burnout. At the ripe old age of 29.

Where are they now?

2007-07-12T18:48:00.000+08:00

I was talking to my friend N early this week about what happened to me during the weekend. As we were gabbing I told her that I suddenly realized that during the weekend I had some sort or form of interaction with all of three guys I dated post-ex boyfriend.

The Five-Time-Date, also known as 5 weeks -6 weeks-5 weeks: Texted something. What I like about this specimen is how we are still in communication even though that it's obvious that there's nothing romantic going on nor will there be a chance of anything more than friendship. It's rare that blind daters can be platonic friends.

Baggy Pants: Accidentally dialled my cell. Then apologized via text and proceeded to ask me how I was, just a few text exchanges and that's it. The good thing is that his nephew and niece became patients in our Binondo clinic. Kaching-kaching!

Date Man, also known as the 38 Year Old who told me that Yes, He Does Have a Funny Side: I was walking alone in Shangri-la Plaza to meet up with my mom. When I passed by Cibo, I noticed someone who sort of looked like... but wait! It was indeed Date Man... on a date! Date Man saw me, I'm sure he did, then he turned away! Hahaha! Would have been willing to wave hi pa naman. At least Date Man's getting some!

Hee. :D

Carbonara-ahhhh and then some.

2007-07-10T19:32:00.000+08:00

Part of the Quest for Continuing Education of this Budding, Trying-hard Domestic Goddess.

This is my carbonara. To you it may look bland, white and pasty... but buried underneath the antiseptic looking noodles are squares and squares and squares, oh my!-- of bacon!

I cooked dinner for my mom and 3-hiya (3rd kuya) today. They each had two helpings. I guess the pasta was alright! Ma took out a bottle of red table vino. Of course, I am now sloshed as I type this entry.

***********************************

While we were finishing up some paperwork at the dental office after all the patients have left, our TV was tuned into the CinemaOne channel. Dyesebel (the early 90s version) was on. Honestly, I had no hand in choosing the channel. Blame it on Ate Gemma our Binondo assistant, harharhar!

Nadia Montenegro played the contrabida to Alice Dixon's Dyesebel. A thin Nadia Montenegro! I had almost forgotten how slim she was. Now she looks like "Somebody ate Nadia!" or "Nadia ate a whole other person!" Ah well.

Anyhow, cut to the scene where Alice Dixon, ehem, "ruminates" with her co-mermaid played by Chat Silayan. I know now it was Chat Silayan because Ate Gemma corrected me when I said I thought it was Melanie Marquez. During the scene, both mermaids have BANGS. Yes, bangs.

Now my burning question is, who cuts their bangs?

Image from Marsarevalodarna.tripod.com

Tagged by Didi!

2007-07-03T00:04:00.000+08:00

A - Age: 29 years, 3 months and counting for that big 3-0!

B - Band: Listening To Right Now: Snow Patrol and Ivy.

C - Career: Dentist by profession. Gluegun goddess by passion. Will find a way to bridge the two!

D - Drink or Smoke: I drink coffee, any wine that tastes good, really liking San Mig Lite now. I don't smoke but I have a lot of fake pictures of me "smoking." hehehe.

E - Easiest Friends To Talk To: That would be Nina, Engs, Jovy, Bokyang and Jen.

G - Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms: Sour gummy worms!

H - Have a Boyfriend: Not now. Soon! Hahaha.

I - In love: Not now. Soon! Mwehehe.

J - Junk Food You Like: I'm liking Kettle Chips right now! Must limit!

K - Kids: Not now!!! Soon! Boyfriend muna, tapos asawa. :D

L - Longest Ride Ever:
*Literally: Bus ride from New York to North Carolina.
*Figuratively: From Don Bosco, I made a wrong turn and went on the Skyway (hello, Bicutan!) instead of taking the correct route home to Manila. It was nighttime with heavy rains and I was alone on the road. I was so terrified that I had to turn the radio up to distract myself. Worst of all, toll was expensive.

N - Names For Your Future Kids: Wharton Langley Leopold Clinton Humphrey Chua/Go/Tan/Lim the third. NOT!

O - One Wish You Have Now:
* Unselfish wish: World peace, really.
* Selfish version: Thinner thighs.

P - Phobias: Crowds -->stampedes, thunder and lightning storms.

Q - Favorite Quotes:

"And stand together yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.” - Khalil Gibran

"I keed! I keed!" - Triumph the Insult Comic Dog

R - Reasons To Smile:
*My makeup obsessed 3 year old budding ballerina of a niece, Maxine.
*Jovy and Andrew plus Rica and Jon's upcoming weddings. Knowing that that kind of certainty still exists in this world makes me smile.
*Early morning drives with my nephew.
*Just watched Love Actually for the nth time!
*When patients appreciate what I do and they refer their friends and family.
*Daytime driving, alone and singing with my music turned up.
*That macho looking chubby manong outside Makati Med who parked his motorcycle along Dela Rosa. His stereo was on full blast... playing "All This Time" by Tiffany.

S - Sleeping Hours: 1AM to 7:45 AM, unless I am driving my nephew Hans to school, in which case I have to get up at 6 AM.

T - Time You Woke Up: 6 AM today!

U - Unknown Fact About You: I wasn't breastfed at all!

V - Vegetable You Hate: Ampalaya.

W - Worst Habit: Rubbing my eyes when they're itchy. Scratching my legs when I get mozzie bites.

X - X-rays You've Had:
*Chest xrays for every year I was in U.P.
*Spine xrays for my little scoliosis thingie.
*Panoramic xrays for when I had braces.
*Full mouth periapical xrays because it was required for radioodontology class.
*And hundred of xrays I have taken of other people's teeth. If you turn off the lights I'd probably glow in the dark.

Y - Yummy Foods: Soup, airline meals, pasta, pizza, steak and potatoes!

Z - Zodiac Sign: Aries

Instructions: Each player starts with 7 random habits/facts about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

1. I have been hospitalized twice for dengue/H fever and its other variations.

2. I love dark chocolate.

3. I am a stain magnet. That's why I carry Tide-To-Go in my bag.

4. When I rip open a packet of creamer or something, half of the time the contents explode all over the place if I'm not concentrating (yes, concentrating!). Jen calls this my "signature move."

5. I can only drive an automatic.

6. My mom used to be really frustrated with me because at around age 4, I couldn't swallow vitamins in pill or capsule form. One day, I successfully swallowed some random pills (di pa uso childproof containers dati), then when I ran to my mom to tell her my good news, I got spanked! :D

7. I hated brushing my teeth as a child. :D

I am tagging: Arlene, Jeff, Chrissie, Singleguy, Celle, Jaja, Paula (yes, doodles, you!), and Jecto!

Where's my Fish.

2007-06-28T00:24:00.000+08:00

Still up at 12 midnight giving advice to a friend regarding some guy she dated. She is in low spirits because the guy is making himself pretty scarce after their second date. She likes this guy.

However, if the guy doesn't text you anymore, doesn't call you anymore...in short, there is no follow up after the second date, he's not being "torpe."

So I tell her to move on. Stop making excuses for him. He is not too busy to ask you out. A guy who really likes you will do anything that needs to be done, katorpehan be damned. There are plenty of other fish, etcetera, etcetera.

She is worried that she'll never find The One. I tell her not to worry... he will find you.

She thanks me profusely and asks me how I do it, staying upbeat and positive about being single and finding The One soon.

I try to be, but the truth is, half of the time, I am scared as hell.

Somebody has to put on a brave face, though.

Driving Hans

2007-06-26T00:20:00.001+08:00

I usually drive alone to work during my Makati days. However, today I drove my nephew Hans, 9 years old, to school. My brother asked me to drive him before going to work since their car was being repaired and the spare van couldn't be used as well due to number coding.

Anyway, I was thinking this morning that some things were coming into full circle. See, my eldest brother and I have a nine year age gap. When he was in college, he would be the one to drive me and my other siblings to school. I remember that he used to drive really slow and that I would just barely make it when the bell rang. He did this for quite some days within a week. As for me, it was my second time this June to drive Hans to school, all the way in Merville,Paranaque, and for this I had to wake up at the unholy hour of 6 AM (gawd... shades of my PGH days!).

When I think about it, my ahiya had to wake up early almost every day to drive us. (Wahhh, parang I want to give him a call or text right now!). I also remember one time when I was in grade school, I had to be sent home from school due to diarrhea and my brother had to pick me up. When he finally came and I opened the door to car, aba, lokong kuya ito o. Naglatag ba naman ng diyaryo to cover the car seats. It's not like I was going to explode all over the upholstery. Oh well.

Anyway, the first time I drove Hans to school, I was asking him about his classmates. Of course, the tita had to ask: "Hans, do you have a girlfriend?"

Hans: "No."
Me: "Why not?"
Hans: "Because I'm not allowed till I'm 14 or 18."

Bwahahaha!

Anyway, he's at that age now where he likes to go down from the car a bit farther from the entrance. I know not to take it personally, especially when he refuses my offer of helping him with his bags and baon.

(I know not to take it personally, because I know I'm a cool aunt. ;))

Wuyishan

2007-06-03T22:33:00.000+08:00

I now continue my China tales with this sign on our hotel a/c switch in Wuyishan.

Very perky sign! I like how the words are kind of spelled decently, until it gets to the word "disordered" hahaha! "Hope you happy stay with us! Thanks!" would fit nicely on some Japanese sanrio-type product or stationery.Hee!

If you like hiking through forests and climbing mountains, than a trip to Wuyishan is for you.

Whooo! View from semi-top.

Aside from climbing the mountain peaks, popular activities in Wuyishan include bamboo rafting in the Nine Bend River and going through the Thread of Sky.

Didn't get to go all the way up.

Spying on some rafters.

Costume trailer for Jet Li's movie (co-starring Jackie Chan). Jet Li not found!

Bus owned by Jackie Chan's production company. Jackie Chan not found!

Our cute tour guide. Note the upturned collar.

Our boatman.

Our boatman answering a call on his very slim, very new cell.

"Sydney Opera House", our boatman said.

On cliff sides like these, hanging coffins were discovered, very similar to the ones in Sagada.

Entering the Thread of Sky. Not for the claustrophobic! It's a sort of rock formation thingie like a crack in a mountain. At one point, we all had to walk sideways with our clothes getting a bit muddy by the damp walls.

Once you go in, it would be no turning back! (And if anybody farts, I guess all hell will break loose!)My dad, with his pudgy tummy, dared not enter.

We now go to a little tea plantation at the base of Wuyishan where one of the most expensive teas in the world can be found. Da Hong Bao or Big Red Robe tea is a variety of Oolong tea. The tea comes from some three or four surviving bushes on the side of one mountain.

Early morning in the valley! We're off to look at some tea bushes! (Drumming up enthusiasm for an otherwise boring activity, mwehehe).

China girls

You can hike up the steep steps (wide enough for one or two people)... or pay two men RMB$100 (around Php650)to carry you around.

Tea gatherers taking a break

What genuine Da Hong Bao tea leaves supposedly look like. Red around the edges.

Locals hired in some movie (probably Jet Li's) practicing a ceremony to venerate the tea bushes. Yep, much ado about dem tea bushes. Top of the pic, slightly to the right.

Now we move on to the random Wuyishan sights!

The town is still sleepy at 6 AM. Wuyishan is in the far distance.

Oranges in a basket being sold by a vendor on a motorbike. They're kind of a red-orangey variety in these parts.

Like Quiapo! You can walk down the street and have your fortune read.

Snakes are popular in the Fujian region. You can buy them with their life already snuffed out...

..and drink their tonic from a jar with all sorts of herbs.

Apparently, local Manila model Luke Jickain has a thriving ad campaign even in this sleepy town.

Gnaw on a chicken leg any time you feel like it! Vacuum packed and sealed for your protection.

Last but not the least, some fried ramen hair on TV.

Mystery Meat Challenge Winner!

2007-05-26T19:28:00.001+08:00

The contest is officially closed! Congratulations to our very persistent contender, Rain, who posted numerous guesses on Multiply. WAHOOO!

Anyway... the 3rd and 4th pic is of course, shrimp and chicken. Here's the correct answers for pic one and two.

Mystery Meat #1

Yupyup! Good ol' rabbit. Popular guesses were deer, field mice (courtesy of singleguy), goat, etc. Anyway, after our dinner with the wabbit, I found this cute specimen on a sidewalk in Wuyishan.

Mystery Meat #2

Frog! It was hard to guess this one because the frogs in the dish had their skin on (itim pa man din ang kulay). Other guesses were eel and turtle. This picture is from a supermarket in a previous trip to Xiamen. I could just imagine that some of the frisky frogs could jump into the trays of meatballs/fishballs behind them.

Anyway, just to clarify, I didn't attempt to eat the frogs (ewww!). However, rabbit does, in fact, taste like chicken. Hee.

9 Crimes, Damien Rice

2007-05-23T01:51:00.000+08:00

A haunting, beautiful song with a very, very strange video.

I wanna watch!

2007-05-23T00:10:00.000+08:00

I loved the imagery Wong Kar Wai's In The Mood for Love, the seemingly repetitive scenes with the waltzy music, Maggie Cheung's gorgeous costumes and all...

His latest film "My Blueberry Nights" seems to be high on the imagery scale as well. Jude Law-- bless your lying, cheating heart, jerk!-- looks gorgeous in the movie stills. Sigh... he still looks yummy.

Ever changing views -- Part 1: Xiamen

2007-05-20T22:51:00.000+08:00

I think my recent trip was about the fifth time I've been to Xiamen. I remember that more than 10 years ago on my first trip, I was so traumatized by the experience that I never wanted to go back. Fast forward to now and here I am thinking that the city is one of the most charming cities I've ever visited. If I'm not mistaken, it's the cleanest city in China. It is always changing, with a lot of construction and development going on, but it still remains one of the greenest cities.

Let the picture extravaganza begin!

One of the few remaining European-style houses in the city, dwarfed by all those high-rises

An assortment of apetizers. Yum!

You can just tell that it's real shark's fin on top. I felt guilty eating it, but oh well.

Zhongshan Park

An uncommon attraction not too far off from Xiamen City is a trip to the Ten fu Tea Museum. Ten Fu tea company is better known in Taiwan and the USA as the Ten Ren tea company. It has a lot of branches in China. Aside from tea, they have a lot of tea-related products like serving ware, tea flavored plums, cookies, milk green tea powder, etc. Located in Zhangpu, Zhangzhou, it's almost a mini-city in itself. Aside from the museum (or theme park, from the size of it), the complex also has a big school and its own gas station.

Not a little teapot

The place also has its own restaurant. Not only do you drink tea there, but you also *eat* tea. Hands down, this was my favorite meal.

Tea fried rice. Yummy!

Green tea-flavored pastry with yam in the center

Instead of kangkong chips... tea leaves chips!

Personal tea pots with tea-infused ba kut teh soup. Yum!

What would China be without these signs?

Condensed dried tea leaves molded into shapes like these

Afterwards, we went to Xiamen University, Zhangzhou campus. It comprises a large part Xiamen U's 500+ hectares. Like the tea museum I visited earlier, Xiamen U at Zhangzhou is a city in itself. The buildings are huge and well-constructed, with a lot of high-tech facilities.

Park your bikes!

The huge main library. My picture doesn't do it justice.

Fried ramen hair on a student

Emily's hair. She's a student tour guide who showed us around.

Student life

Fried ramen hair on a pingpong player

Olympic size pool

More table tennis at the P.E. building

Xiamen sunset

Xiamen's 648-meter Haicang suspension bridge

Next: Wu Yi Shan (mountain)

Mystery Meat Challenge!

2007-05-20T01:19:00.000+08:00

While I'm still organizing my pics...

Guess the animals which sacrificed their lives for the following dishes! Animals can be quadripeds, swimming animals, or whatever. You can guess more than once. Contest starts now and ends on Sunday, May 27th at 11:59 PM or until someone gets it right. The first person to name the four animals in the correct order wins. The last two animals should be pretty obvious, so that's already a bit of help. :) Local winner will receive a little trinket in the mail (or I could just hand it to you if you're my friend. Mwee!). If the winner happens to be from outside the country... well, you just get bragging rights for your knowlege of cooked exotic/non-exotic fauna.

Mystery meat #1

Mystery meat #2

Mystery meat #3

Mystery meat #4

Good luck, contenders!!!

watcha gonna do when they come for you...

2007-05-14T23:30:00.000+08:00

I'm here in Fuzhou...capital city of China's Fujian province. What a welcome break from all that mountain climbing! We arrived in Fuzhou by a 1-hour domestic flight from Nanchang in Jiangxi province. Fuzhou is a quite a modern city..not as cosmopolitan as Shanghai. Will add more observations after I go around the city tomorrow.

Anyway, after dinner, the rest of the "young" people in our tour group(of about a hundred) decided to go out for some shopping. While walking on the sidewalk on the way to the department store, a small van suddenly screeched to a halt near where we were walking. The van door slid open and two uniformed men (policemen?) quickly jumped out and ran to a thin, geeky looking man crouched by the sidewalk. I don't know if he was tying his shoes or something, but each of the men grabbed his arms and quickly dragged/shoved him into the van. One of the men hit the poor guy on the head while the other one slid the van door closed. There was a bald-shaven goon-looking man on the front passenger seat who was smoking. It was all very Chinese mafia-ish. Weird, but it was over in a minute. Poor geeky guy didn't know what hit him. Who knows where he is right now. Oh well.

Breakfast tomorrow is at 7 AM. I am getting mighty sick of tea eggs and fried you-tiao (fried crullers). At least the food is better now than it was at Wuyishan where it was mountain-(insert name of livestock here) or mountain(insert name of vegetable/edible fungus here).

Home soon. I heard Ruffa Guttierez is getting divorced. Hahaha! Am so jologs!

Wahhhhh! Chinese blogspot!

2007-05-10T20:51:00.000+08:00

Ok, I'm in a hotel room in Wuyishan,somewhere in the Fujian province area, typing on a borrowed laptop! I hope I'll be able to publish this entry as I don't know which buttons to click hahaha! Apparently, for blogspot, everything automatically turns into Chinese characters.

Anyway, this morning, we climbed a mountain. It's called Wuyishan. Gahhh! My legs hurt, but the view was worth it. When we came back down, my dad (who didn't get to climb as far up as I did) said he saw Jet Li. Apparently, Jet Li and Jackie Chan were filming in Wuyishan... a period flick with lots of martial arts. Sayang, would have loved to see Jet Li, I loved his hair in Romeo Must Die, mwehehe. Anyway, jet Li was holed up in a room in the tourist center and wouldn't come out. Oh well.

This afternoon, we went bamboo river rafting along the "Nine Bend River" also in Wuyishan. Pictures to follow.

Anyhow.... the food here sucks!!! Hahahah! The food was great back in Xiamen, but the cuisine here leaves much to bedesired. Everything is in a shade of brown. Take our evening meal for instance... there were "mountain mushrooms", "mountain goat meat" , "mountain chicken" and "mountain deer meat". I went to the convenience store downstairs and found that you can buy a chicken feet in a vacuum sealed pack...for when you know, you just have a craving for a good old shrivelled chicken foot. Nyahaha. Must remember to take a picture tomorrow.

Ok, toodles. Dunno when I'll be back on the net. Vote wisely!

Goodbye, dirty Manila

2007-05-08T00:54:00.000+08:00

Off to my 9 day vacay tomorrow. Will do a bit of mountain climbing so I hope to lose a few pounds. Or maybe just offset the poundage I shall gain from the trip. Btw though, guess who is on the same tour... the parents of Pimp My Son. Yes, the parents who spawned the Buddhist-Canadian Thanksgiving-Celebrating-Weird 32 year-old! Can you say AWKWARD? I guess they were both as surprised to see me as I was. Fortunately, it is relatively a big tour group so I hope to not have to talk to them. Anyhow. looking forward to:

1. Airline meals!
- I have this thing of ordering a different main dish from my companions. Then, I love peeling off the foil on top to see if my beef looks better than their chicken. I love how, in my salad, I have the same number of cherry tomatoes as everyone else on the plane. What I don't like however, when I'm flying on a Chinese plane, is how they show Mr. Bean or those gag shows where people in Europe play pranks on unsuspecting pedestrians. There's bound to be some passenger who laughs too hard from a very far row.

2. Mountains!
- Mountains that inspired poetry are on the itinerary. Oh my hamstrings.

3. Mochi balls and beef jerky in Xiamen! Bicho-bicho and soya milk breakfasts!

4. Bad hair pictures!

5. Weird English signage!

6. Avoiding election day!
- Yes, the country is DIRTY. Would you believe they even pasted posters on the walls of Paco Park? No place is sacred anymore. They even hung some posters on the electrical line in front of our front door and I am forced to see it everyday when I step out of the house. After tomorrow, not anymore! Goodbye sucky TV ads that cost millions from you trapos who supposedly earn P35K a month!

Aghhh. Happy thoughts! Happy thoughts! That's all for now, will be back soon.

Entourage gown #7

2007-05-02T23:24:00.000+08:00

The other day I had a fitting for another wedding entourage outfit.

The damn gown didn't fit. Well, actually, it was zippable. But only if someone helped hold the left and right ends of the zipper together while my ribs were crushed from the corset boning. Also, if I inhaled a deep breath. And did not exhale.

For the first time in my adult life, I actually had a waist to rival Dita Von Teese's. But it came with not breathing.

I quickly asked for the dress to be unzipped.

Fitting lady (FL): "Tumaba ka. Magpapayat ka kaya, may oras pa naman."

Me (gasping for breath as I returned to my original color from smurfette-blue):"Eh kung luwagan niyo kaya 'tong damit???"

FL (tsk-tsking): "Tignan mo o, ang sexy mo na sana. Pag niluwagan natin mawawala yung waistline mo."

After the dress was fully unzipped at the back, the distance from one zipper edge to the other was 3 freakin' inches.

How will I lose 3 inches in 3 weeks??? Ok lang siya???

Another bridesmaid dress...another adventure.

Scarface

2007-04-24T23:15:00.000+08:00

My mom and I were talking about the possibility of her having a li'l something done for the furrows between her eyebrows, and a scar that runs down from the furrow an inch down towards the bridge of her nose. Possibly botox. Possible injectable fillers or scar revision. Then she recounted how one of my older brothers once fell down the stairs in school and how his forehead near his eyebrow needed stitches.

*Ensuing convo translated from Fukien:

"I quickly had him brought to Metro hospital. Dr. (blank)'s technique was very modern at the time, almost no scar left."

I was reading the paper so my head was just half into the conversation. "Well, he (my brother) also cut his forehead running into a clear glass wall in Starbucks," I said.

Then my mother went, "You know, that scar on your eyebrow. You got it because your father was playing with his 'chaku', then--"

"WHAAAAT?" I was paying attention this time. "Chaku??? As in parang kay Bruce Lee???"

"Yes. He was playing with his chaku (nunchucks) and he didn't know you were standing behind him. Of course you wouldn't remember it, you were so young."

I could not believe it. All this time I thought I got my scar from getting hit with some sort of G.I. bar because we used to live on top of our hardware store. Little did I know that I got it because my dad was indulging in his Fist of Fury fantasies ( "Why did you kill my teacha??? Why???" come to mind).

Mom was still not done with her kuwento. "Your dad and that stupid chaku. Now if I were the one who hit you with the chaku, your dad will never let me hear the end of it..."

My algorithm for voting in the May elections.

2007-04-22T01:11:00.000+08:00

* Those with more than one version of their TV ad. -->
* Those whose ads air on TV a lot. Now of course, this is subjective... I said this is systematic, not scientific. (It costs Pichay DAW P16M per week to air his ads??? Imagine if that were true... where did the money come from? And why go into politics!???) -->
* Those who use celebrity endorsers, like duh, Keanna Reeves and Sarah Geronimo! -->
* Those whose campaigns are managed by high-profile spinmeisters such as Boy Abunda.-->
* Those who have badly applied foundation on their TV ads. Yes, pretty boy, this means you. I think you even have lipgloss. -->
* That one who tried to be my "friend" on Friendster! Hahahaha. -->
* Those who are spouses of politicians whose terms have ended (or are ending). Give it up, why don't you?-->
* (That being said...)Those who have sisters, brothers, or sons/daughters who are still in office! -->
* Those who stick their posters on non-designated sites! Mahirap magtanggal ng glued paper sa pebble wash out wall, ha! SUBUKAN NIYO!!! GRRRRR!) -->
* (And of course...)Those who are members of this party that erects those mini-billboards on street corners...turning those corners into blind spots for oncoming traffic! Grrrrr! -->
* Those who nail posters on TREES! -->
* Those with digitally altered pictures on their posters to make it look like that Erap's holding their hands up. I don't care if you're for Erap or not. I just don't like a badly photoshopped job.-->
* Those who cut the budget for education and health! *!&(#*&!*!#%!%

Would have loved to use this algorithm... even if it would seem like there are almost no more names to write on the ballot. Anyhow, it turns out I won't be able to vote because of my impending trip. Feel free to use my voting system if you like! God bless our country!

Hold your horses

2007-04-14T19:05:00.000+08:00

Whoops. Di umabot. Anyway...sa mid-May na ang new fried ramen hair pictures. Na-postpone lang but it's still coming. ;)

Ready for more fried ramen hair?

2007-04-13T21:39:00.000+08:00

Keep your fingers crossed. It's all so sudden, but if all goes well, I'll get to take new pictures next week!

Here are the old ones to tide you over.

life's a beach

2007-04-13T00:04:00.000+08:00

I love going to the beach, except only when it's too rocky or the sand is gray or black! Anyhoo, I spent my Thursday to Saturday in Batangas and it has been one of the most relaxing getaways I've had.

Random stuff:

- I learned how to play poker... but the poker face needs more work.
- Having a cold San Mig Lite while lying on a beach mat on the sand, listening to music... relaxing!
- I rode a jetski for the first time! Whoooo!
- The food prepared by our host's cooks were yummy! Sugpo for breakfast, lobster for dinner... freshly made ginataan or turon with generous inserts of langka. This was lent, right? And the adobo! Ayayayayyyy! I love a good adobo! This is a refried version without toyo, but atsuete instead.
- If you have lived in the city for so long, you tend to forget that constellations exist. It's an absolute bliss to stand in the middle of open space and look up at the night sky with a blanket of stars.

Funny lang... we were using the Magic Sing thingie and we selected the eternal epitome of cheese... "I've Never Been To Me" (insert guffaw here). Of course you all know that song, right? (Don't deny it!!!) Since Cookie and I found the tempo a tad slow, we decided to up it a bit. When we got to the monologue part, we totally forgot that we upped the tempo, so when we tried to do the monologue part, it was so fast it sounded like

"Hey,youknowwhatparadiseis?It's a lie,afantasywecreateaboutpeopleandplacesaswe'dlike themtobe.Butyouknowwhattruthis?It'sthatlittlebabyyou'reholding,
it'sthatmanyoufought withthismorningT.Thesameoneyou're
goingtomakelovewithtonight.That'struth,that'slove." (*Hingal* *Hingal*)

Anyway, it's back to work again this week.

Today, my parents came home from their own vacation. Funny though, before coming home, my dad emailed me for the first time, and an e-card at that!

"Subject: nelson (surname) sends you a greeting card from Lucerne

Dear charlene (surname) n associates,

happy easter n more power to you all"

Heh-heh. Anyway, explain ko lang na this is funny coming from my dad... the one who used to text me before with "What is your estimated time of arrival" or "State your present location."

More power to you all this coming weekend!

A fun wedding, a little accident, an instant coffee date and two many margaritas.

2007-04-04T00:08:00.000+08:00

Saturday was Anami and Macky's fun, broadway-themed wedding. Yep, I am yet another member of the entourage. This time, a candle sponsor! It was my first time for that, because usually I tell my bride-friends that choking by cord is the best alternative to being poked with a pin (as a veil sponsor) or having the place burn down (one never knows with matches). Accident-prone as I am, my friends crossed their fingers as I was called to light the candle. Thankfully, I did not slip or lose my, ehem, poise, or burn the entire church down. Ahhh... but that cultivated poise was short-lived, as I will recount later.

After the beautiful ceremony, we all headed to the 1 Esplanade building near Mall of Asia for the reception. The entire place was decorated to fit the theme, thanks to a production design team. Inside there was a stage, a couple of projector screens, street lamps (shades of Les Miz!), a bar made to look like one would find in Miss Saigon, a coffee station made to look like a set from My Fair Lady. There was also a graffiti wall straight out of West Side Story where one could write messages. Obviously, the couple went with a theme and gamely stuck to it, and walang pwedeng makialam!

An alternative to those pre-nup pics!

It was a blast seeing a lot of my college buddies decked out in formal wear. Aside from having fun taking pictures, we also partook of the open bar. Mojitos, daiquiris, margaritas and more all around! I tried a mojito and two different margaritas, a strawberry one and the regular green one. Lest anyone will comment that I am one semi-closet drunkard, let me just stress that those were very small margarita glasses and that the mojito had too much ice.(Being defensive! Hahaha!)

Macky is definitely one of the more involved grooms, as he created the entire program (with a script!) and had Robert Sena and Isay Alvarez sing broadway tunes, with the Manila Symphony Orchestra playing. The reception ended a bit early...around eightish. Anyway, my college girl friends and I were up on the stage having our pictures taken when one of us suddenly had this grand idea to pose ala "Dreamgirls". In the ehem, excitement, yours truly, for some unknown reason (stupidity is still likely!) had one foot slip into a gap between the stage steps.

Now it can be told... it IS true, that things do feel like it happens in slow motion! Well, that was how it felt like when my right leg slipped and I fell sideways! I don't know how I even managed to almost instantly yank my leg back and upright myself(that was when the slow-mo part went back into feeling like real time). Good thing only around 3 or 4 of my friends saw me! Anyway, YAY DREAMGIRLS!!! --I managed to get back to our cam-whoring while ignoring the pain! Wahoo!

Blasted stage!

My college buds and I took more advantage of the still-open- open bar and I got to try two shots of flaming shooters. I managed, more or less to keep all my drinks in the same liquor family... which can't be said of my other classmates who were drinking different stuff together like San Mig Lite then wine, that sort of thing! Pretty soon, almost all the guests had left except for the college crowd, and we were all sitting together singing songs like "You've Lost That Loving Feeling", "What Might Have Been" and "Cold Summer Nights" (including the rap parts! Harhar!).

This is where the coffee date comes into place. There was a guest at the wedding, whom we shall call The Guy With The Baggy Pants. I met Baggy Pants through the bride, a year ago, when I checked on his teeth. We had begun texting lately because of wedding-related stuff, like I had to tell him to get his invitation at the clinic, etc. Anyway, he was there, and when he left, he texted me that he was sorry that he couldn't say goodbye, seeing as I was busy taking pictures (and falling through the stage). So I was like, oh really, too bad, oh so you already went home, etc. Baggy Pants replied that he in fact, went straight to Mall of Asia, and did I want to go ice-skating?

Before I could process the ice-skating idea (this was after the two shooters) he texted again that he was joking about the ice skating but did I want to grab coffee with him? It took me a whole time to reply because I was asking my friends if I looked fit enough and mentally capacitated to carry on a conversation. After their reassurances, I replied yes.

Anyway, he picked me up after a while and we went to next door MOA for coffee. Baggy Pants is nice, younger than me by a few months, is funny in the mold of so-corny you-had-to-laugh side. He is 5'11", not cute, but not bad to look at either. I found out that he is not comfy in coat and tie outfits, hence, the long-sleeved navy shirt without a tie, and yep, white baggy pants with a bit of pleat action in front. The conversation was enjoyable, with none of the headache I felt with the 38 year-old Date Man, and none of the first-date jitters one would normally have. It was probably the alcohol, maybe? After coffee and desert, he brought me home by midnight.

Okay, some random things...
-I am very attracted to guys who look good in formal wear. His pleated pants and other dress sensibilities remind me of my ex and Jojo Alejar, and that is not good.
-His humor was very simple, but he made me laugh. He would probably get Takeshi's Castle, but I'm not sure about Seinfeld.
-When he brought my coffee to our table he got me milk, white sugar and brown sugar, plus water. Boy scout!
-He did not graduate from a good college... as in my dad (with his MBA) will probably freak.(But that's thinking too far ahead). Baggy Pants works for the family business and practically runs it, and he sounds driven naman. He also mentioned that he regretted being so "bulakbol" in high school and he now wants to study more.

Anyway, I'm not stressing over this. Enjoy-enjoy lang. This morning he came into the clinic with his niece and nephew who needed check ups, so we got to chat a bit. Not sure if there's date number two yet. We'll see.

So there, I have a sore arm, a semi-sprained ankle, a bruise on my calf and on my hip, plus a cut on my my forearm. My co-dentist J says that I am a danger to myself... and another friend saysshe doesn't know anyone else who would come from a wedding and end up with injuries and a date.

Off to the beach in a couple of days. Bruises be damned!

The beautiful wedding pics are here.

"Intsik" is the new "Bumbay"

2007-03-25T00:03:00.000+08:00

Okay, I was walking inside the 168 mall this morning when I passed by this lola-young toddler apo-tandem standing by a stall. The lola was sort of holding her grandchild by the collar of his shirt and said:

"Huwag kang malikot ha! Kung malikot ka ibebenta kita sa intsik! (how un-PC!)" while gesturing to me with her nguso (the typical local mannerism of pursed lips).

Nyahahaha! I remember when I was younger my yaya used to frighten me with the equally racist eighties version which was "Bebenta kita sa bumbay!" Over the years, I've heard this threat being morphed from that to the nineties-early 2000s version which is "Papahuli / Papakuha/ Papakidnap kita sa pulis!"

So apparently, we Chinese are perceived to be so much into trade that we supposedly buy tiny toddlers as well. Magkano pag wholesale?

A good day

2007-03-22T00:42:00.000+08:00

I just turned 29.

What an interesting day! I was greeted by the unlikeliest people: Previous dates, ex-crushes... One of my former PGH co-externs even forwarded to me a message by mistake "Birthday ni Char ngayon greet niyo! Her number is **********!" Arlene called me up! I also received a call from Ninna (one of my future maids of honor!) who's now in Michigan. We sort of had a good cry after not having talked for so long. I also had a good dinner this evening with my college barkada (minus Ninna and Dennis!) and we had a good time reminiscing over college stuff. When I got home... a birthday card from Dennis, all the way from New Jersey, was the icing on the birthday cake.

Things can only get better ;)

Cupcakes by who?

2007-03-20T00:48:00.000+08:00

Why buy overpriced cupcakes when you can make your own. Hehe.

My friend's pink and brown shower craftsy details are in my (heavens to Betsy!) updated craft site.

Mike D. wants to be my friend!

2007-03-13T22:10:00.000+08:00

If his annoying TV commercial interrupting my nightly viewing of Maging Sino Ka Man ain't enough, Mike Defensor (or his reasonable facsimile) is finding more ways to get into my face.
I don't know about you, but his braces aside, there's something in his smile (or leer?)that totally gives me the creeps.

Pardon moi, I don't know how to make a screencap but this email greeted me in my inbox:

From: "Friendster"
Subject: Friendster: New Friend Request from Mike Defensor

Mike Defensor wants to be added to your friends list.

By becoming friends with Mike you will be able to send Mike messages and connect with his friends.

Also, any updates he makes to his profile including photos and blog entries will be included on your Friendster homepage.

Please confirm that you would like to add Mike as a friend.

Hell, no!

See whatshisface here.