Palawan Teaser

Just got home, in time to unpack and repack, because tomorrow, we’re off on the 2nd leg of our vacation.  So obviously, I can’t do a full post yet.  With tons of photos to go through, all three cameras, and all 4 memory cards, I have my work cut out for me.  But I have time to post just a couple of pics, and no, to the smart alecks out there, this is not an entry to the ugly pics contest, this was taken just yesterday, when we visited the mangroves in Sabang.  I’m holding a woodworm, or tamilok, and no, I didn’t eat it.  I just posed with it because the idea of putting it in my mouth is dizzyingly repulsive to me.  I have a worm phobia, so just being able to hold it is a HUGE step for me.  Delle ate a piece of it though, with vinegar and a bit of salt.  Gross.  So many stories, so many pictures, but it will all have to wait until after we come back from the second leg of our holiday.

Delle and I will go separate ways though, she will go one destination, while I go somewhere else.  Tell you about it when we return.

Palawan Update

Wow, it’s been an amazing vacation so far.  It’s just leg 1 of the holiday so far, but we’ve had a blast.  Visiting the subterranean river national park, a mangrove tour, where Delle ate a wood worm, and an amazing beach.  I actually can’t wait to post my pics.  By tomorrow we’ll be back in Manila, but by Wednesday we’re off again for leg 2 of our vacation.  Talk about de-stressing.  I’ve never been so relaxed in a long time.  If we didn’t have a second stage, I’d be depressed by now because holiday’s over.  Thanks goodness it’s just the first half.  I also have to tell you about Lady Mangrove, no relation to Lady Gaga.  I looove Palawan, it’s really my favorite place in the Philippines.  It doesn’t matter which part, I’ve been amazed with it’s beauty every time.  I caught Delle’s cold though, so I had a sore throat the first day and now I’m coughinjg a bit, but it’s all good, bacause the ocean breeze and the salt water is doing me wonders.  And the sun!  The weather’s been amazing and I’m so nognog already.  Haaay…times like these, I love my life.

Mime Dance Interpretation

This is a pretty old video.  It’s his claim to fame that was so successful, that he even performed this with Natalie Imbruglia onstage.  It’s a mime, a dance, a song.

Torn by Johann Lippowitz

I posted this because one of the more popular local videos floating around Facebook is something similar by a local comedienne.  When I watched this, it instantly reminded me of Johann’s 3-year-old act (possibly older).  I wouldn’t be surprised if the Torn video inspired this.  Around 2 or 3 weeks ago, as I went through the feed on my Facebook, I came across this video at least 3 times, re-posted by different people.  Just thought I’d post both videos.  It’s a gimmick that’s ripe for revisiting.

Tuwing Umuulan At Kapiling Ka by K Brosas

Off To Palawan!

It’s that time of the year again, and we’re off on a week-long vacation!  Woohoo!  Time to get as dark again as I was when we went to Samar earlier this year (just like in this pic).  It’s not just my body that’s revived when I’m in the ocean, it’s also my very soul.  I feel most energized whenever I’m swimming a couple of feet underwater.  I’m so excited I could burst!  Our vacation has 2 parts.  Delle will join us on the first part of our journey, somewhere in Palawan.  This will be our 5th Palawan trip, but Delle’s virgin visit.  So I’m excited for her to see the place.  The various island-resorts in the province are my absolute favorite places in the Philippines.  I promise to take lots of pictures and post some on this blog.

On the second half of our vaction, Delle will go to another resort, and we will go somewhere else.  I’ll post pictures from there as well.  I’ll try to schedule posts on this blog while I’m gone, so the site will be active even if I’m off somewhere sandy, gallivanting in various stages of undress (ok…TMI).

I also plan to tweet as often as signal will allow, so follow me on www.twitter.com/chicogarcia so we can still keep in touch.  I’ll try to give as much kwento as it unfolds.  Hopefully the resort will have internet available.  So, you’ll hear from us again on November 16, Monday (at least on-air).

See you guys!  Promise, we’ll be happier people when you see us next!

The Best And The Rest 193

This always bothered me.  Nobody goes through life thinking that they are the bad guys.  No matter how destructive, no matter how much they hurt you, no matter how much of a villain they play in your life.  To you, they’re like you’re personal Darth Vader.  But to them, they feel like Luke Skywalker.  And let’s face it, maybe WE’RE somebody else’s bad guy.  Even if I may feel disgruntled most of the time, I’m sure I’m the villain in somebody else’s opinion.

February 5, 2009 → The Top Ten Signs That You Are The Bad Guy – SC/Jorik

1. No name – Back in collage, whenever I rode the LRT, I used to love farting during rush hour. Everyone’s cursing out loud, but they have no choice but to take it kasi super siksikan.
2. Deric S. – When a car stole my parking spot, I put chewing gum under his car door handle.
3. Ang Manunusok – If you’ve got a bounty on your head, dead or alive.
4. RVincent – In our dorm we had the only water purifier, and no one but us was allowed to get water from it.
5. Leigh – I once prepared fish lumpia spiked with lots of tinik.
6. Edric – One time I was in an elevator and someone shouted, “Wait!”, but I pushed the close button. When I saw him on the same floor, he said, “Next time, don’t do that.” I told him, “No, next time, you run.”
7. Pia – I don’t like my lola’s yaya. I know her favorite show is Wowowee. So I’d turn the TV on, crank up  the volume loud enough for her to hear, then once she comes running, I change the channel.
8. Oceanmist – When I’m driving lalo na sa Quiapo, iniipit ko ang mga tricycle kasi singit ng singit.
9. SC – You’re prince is taken, so you try to snatch the princess role for yourself, when in fact you’re just the nasty witch who’s getting in their way.
10. Astroboy – Back in college, we had a spinster professor who purposely scheduled a major exam on the day of the oblation run, because according to her, “I don’t see the point of watching naked men run.”
11. Frederique – Pag brownout, binabatukan mo yung mga batang makulit na kinaiinisan mo, kasi yun lang ang pagkakataon mo na di ka mahuhuli.
12. Jorik – When my sister beat me in a school singing competition, I wrote on the white board in her room: “Dream Stealer!!!”
13. Pasturyo – I was the 3rd party in a relationship that caused their break-up. But now that my real girlfriend is arriving from abroad, I dumped the girl who dumped her boyfriend for me.
14. Karst – After not seeing each other for months, my friend said, “I missed you so much!” I told her, “Ako hindi.”
15. Toytuner27 – When you spray used motor oil on your neighbor’s laundry when they’re not looking.
16. RC and Cess – Pag may sasakyang pasaway, I overtake them, then babagalan ko yung takbo.
17. Kisses – Nilagyan ko ng sili yung panty ng roomate kong bully.
18. Daboy Wonder – If you’re kissing a girl against her will and she’s fighting back, then you say, “Yan ang gusto ko sa babae…yung lumalaban!”
19. Simang – I work in a call center. By law, we can’t just fire people because of bad grammar. So I call the person myself and give him a really bad time, so we’ll have a basis for termination.
20. Vavavoom – I hate my demonic sister-in-law. So one time I peed in her feminine wash.

iPod Classic 160GB

I have a new gadget!  I’ve always wanted this, actually a 120GB, the biggest memory at the time, to replace my Jurassic iPod Video 30GB.  Since I’m an album kind of guy, the memory just was nowhere near enough to satisfy my music cravings.  So I finally decided to take the leap and finally got the newest version of the 160GB, which supposedly doesn’t have any of the kinks of the first generation of its kind, which notoriously hanged (hung?) because it couldn’t handle all the memory (like some heartbroken people I know).  But this one, supposedly can handle the ginormous 160GB easily, a good quintuple of my current memory, 30GB.  I can’t wait to upload all my CD’s and stuff.  Since I used up the memory of my old iPod, what I ended up doing is, whenever I get a new album, I erase songs first to accommodate the new stuff.  Ha!  Not anymore.  Everyone’s convincing me to get an iPod Touch, but I’m old school.  I’m not so much into watching shows or movies on my iPod, it’s all about the music for me.  And for games, that’s what my DSi is for.  I prefer to compartmentalize.  The more gadgets, the merrier, I say!

I hope I get to put in all the music in time for our upcoming vacation.  I don’t know if I’ll make it, but even if I don’t, when I get back, I’ll be swimming in all the music in my library, soon to be available at the tip of my fingers.  I love technology.  Happy.

The Best And The Rest 192

There seems to be an explosion of “emo-ness” in the air.  Could it be that 2009 is really a difficult year all-around?  Or is there just an over-abundance of drama in our lives?  So it’s perfect to post this popular topic today.  So for those in the mood, swim it it!

February 3, 2009 → The Top Ten Heartbreak Quotes – Astroboy, Oscar Dela Hopia, Specialist

1. Rusher Loparigno – “Sometimes the greatest enemy of our present happiness is the past happiness that is too well remembered.”
2. Aurae - “Why ruin the perfectly beautiful petals of a flower when you know from the start…that he loves you not.”
3. Aurae - “We know little about pain and regret — except that it is soluble in alcohol.”
4. Archiemon/Ivan - M. Kathleen Casey: “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”
5. Rhapsody – From the TV show House: “You left her because you want to be miserable. Miserable will not make you special. It will just make you miserable.”
6. Vi – “In love, what matters is not your success, but your significance.”
7. Maomao – Peter Parker: “What’s even more painful than being abandoned, is knowing that you’re not even worth an explanation.”
8. Lea – “I cried today not because I miss you, but because I finally realized I’m going to be alright without you.”
9. RC and Cess – “Break-ups occur when an unstoppable force collides with an immovable object.”
10. Sophie – “I’d rather be healthy alone, than sick with someone else.”
11. Bards – “Sometimes, you just have to put a period on something that has to end, and not settle for a comma.”
12. Benargirl/Candies - “Trying to forget someone you loved is like trying to remember someone you never knew.”
13. Glenskie – “6 billion people in the world, and all you need is one.”
14. Breise/Shall/Natalie – “When you left me, I was the one who loved you more. But between us, you lost more. Because someday, I can find someone I can love the way I loved you. But you will never find another who will love you the way I did.”
15. Charmville - “Love and death are two uninvited guests. Nobody knows when they come, but both do the same work. One takes the heart and the other takes it’s beat.
16. Maalindog na Paruparu – “Should I die of a broken heart, tell him it isn’t because he loved me too little, but because I loved him too much.”
17. Gudeve – “Everyone says love hurts. Love doesn’t hurt. Loneliness hurts, rejection hurts, envy hurts…but not love.”
18. No name – “Hearts are often broken with words left unspoken.”
19. Phipay Phapot – “We don’t eat what we’ve thrown up.”
20. Pulanglangit – “After a break-up, we mourn not for what we’ve lost, but for what’s left of it.”
21. No name – “Love is giving him the power to destroy you, but trusting him not to.”
22. No name – “Nothing in this world is permanent. You just have to love it while you have it.”
23. No name – “They say people come and go, but the truth is, no one really disappears from your life. People never really leave…their roles just change.”
24. No name – “Love can make us inseparable, but it can also reduce us to two people trying to forget each other.”
25. B – “Love is a 4-letter word for: ‘Here’s my heart and soul, please grind them into a hamburger and enjoy!’”
26. Lesh/Temptress26 – “Sometimes you can’t let go of the hurt, because it’s all that’s left of the greatest love story you never thought would end.”
27. Eien17 – “Love is one game you lose, by refusing to play.”
28. Joanna/Astroboy – “Being brokenhearted is like having a broken pair of ribs: on the outside it looks like there’s nothng wrong. But what no one knows is that every single breath hurts.”
29. Bibimpop – “It’s impossible to find someone who won’t make you cry. So instead, look for someone who will be worth the tears.”
30. Ash – “It took years to find you, but only a heartbeat to lose you.”
31. Dementia – “You cannot judge how I choose to fix what you broke.”
32. Eien17 – “The hardest part of saying goodbye, is having to do it all over again every single day.”
33. TReiz – “Someday I will find a person who fits me so well and so completely that I will forget all my previous heartbreaks. But today is not that day.”
34. Buck – “Meant for each other, does not always mean, meant to last.”
35. Ken – Celia Rodriguez: “You don’t move on from the pain. You get used to it.”
36. No name – “The most difficult times are mornings, knowing that the man of your dreams is waking up with the wrong woman.”
37. Yen - “When giving up is less painful than holding on, then it is time to let go.”
38. Archiemon - “You love to hate the one who loves the one you hate to love.”

Ugly Pics (Runners-up)

Are you ready for this?  Are you sure?  Take a deep breath, remember to be kind, think back on the happy times we shared, and here we go…

Anyone know of a rock we can crawl under?  Groan…

Cooking With Friends

My friends and I decided to cook at the condo instead 0f eating out as we usually do.  So Lennie, Fritzie and I decided to cook a dish each.  Greg couldn’t make it, Fritzie doesn’t cook, so Lennie and I were supposed to cook a dish each.  Thank goodness Lennie was a much more experienced cook, and she prepared 2 dishes.  All I could commit to, quite hesitantly, was the soup.

Cooking has always been one of my greatest frustrations.  It used to be photography and cooking, but since I went for photography already, I now have only cooking as the one thing I’d love be good at, but have very little experience with.  I was originally going to cook minestrone, since I’ve cooked it successfully before, but I saw a recipe for tomato and sausage soup last minute.  So I decided to merge the 2 recipes.  It had hungarian sausages, tomatoes, capsicum, celery, and chopped spinach.  I also added dried oregano and rosemary.  I think I rocked it, hahaha!  At least my friends said they liked it, they had 2 servings each.  So for the record, I rocked it.

The first dish Lennie prepared was very simple but so delicious.  Tangigue (we argued the many ways to spell and pronounce the fish) cooked in butter.  It was cooked just right, crispy on the outside but soft and white on the inside.

The second dish Lennie prepared was the star of the show.  It was big-ass prawns (I’m sure there’s a more proper name to it) with cereals and oatmeal.  Dear heavens, it was so good my toes were curling and my eyes rolled to the back of my head.  It was nice and buttery, just the way I like my prawns, and the wonderful interplay of the cereal, the oatmeal, the butter and the prawn flavors.  Matched with Coke Zero and dark chocolate mochi, it was a heavenly dinner.  We should do this more often.

Sigh.  I wish I could be better at cooking, I’d really like to take it seriously, the way I did with photography.  I don’t know, maybe take lessons?  Anything, just to be able to know my way around the kitchen.  I just got home, it’s way past my bedtime, but I just had to blog about it because the food was so good (including my soup…hehehe).

Happy Halloween! (2009)

Wow, what a way to start Halloween 2009!  Last night, we forged ahead with our Halloween party at RX at Guilly’s, Tomas Morato, and it was a BLAST!  One of our best parties in a long time! We feared very few people would come because of the storm signal #3 hovering over our heads courtesy of Typhoon Santi.  But lo and behold, people did fight for their right to partay!  It was crazy!  From the gyrating pole dancers, to Rico Robles locking lips with another guy (it was for charity), the energy of the crowd was simply electric.  By the way, thanks to the Rushers who bid during the auction and for partying like it’s 1999!  You guys rock.  You wouldn’t have known that a storm was raging outside based on the crowd’s reaction.  Eventually we had to leave, to get whatever sleep we could before we troop to RX for our boardwork.  It was raining much harder coming home as it was going to Guilly’s.

By the time I woke up at 5am earlier, the wind was already howling maniacally outside my window and I had to make a last-minute decision to stay or to go.  Delle already texted to say that she won’t go to work because of the strong winds, so I got into my car and drove hesitantly to the station.  Inside our village, the winds were strong, but not end-of-the-world strong, so I wasn’t too scared.  But once I reached Ortigas, it was some SCARY apocalypse sh*t.  I was literally zigzagging, not to avoid branches on the ground, but to avoid branches falling from the trees!  A couple of times some branches fell on my hood as I drove (thankfully not big enough to make dents).

Not having brought any food or drinks, McDo saved my life by delivering breakfast even through the storm.  I wouldn’t have survived without food or coffee.  It was difficult boarding with no sleep, no food, and worrying about how I’ll get home after work.  Thank heavens we have such nice songs on the playlist, which helped me through the 3 hours on board.  So thanks Miley, The Script, Janet, and Tiesto.

Funny though, we only go on board during the last Saturday of each month.  The last time we boarded on a Saturday, was the Saturday Ondoy ravaged the country.  This is the next Saturday, and this time it was Santi.  Thankfully the storm seems to have passed, and I truly hope it’s the last one for the year.  I’m all typhoon-ed out.  But it’s not even lunchtime yet as I write this, so there’s still hope that this year’s Halloween can still be salvaged.  Tonight, we have a Halloween party for the family, so I’ll see the kids all in costumes; actually we’re all required to wear costumes.  I have no idea what I’ll come as.

Anyway, let’s enjoy whatever’s left of Halloween and party on!  Stay safe everyone, and Happy Halloween!