Exes And Former Cars

The car I had before my current one was a ‘99 Toyota RAV4. It was my first SUV-type car and the first car I ever bought 100% using only my hard-earned money. It was also kinda controversial at the time that I bought it. As some of you who were already listening to us circa 1999 would know, this was also the time when we left RX. I don’t remember exactly, but I bought it either right before or right after we left RX, and the rumor was, I got a RAV4 and Delle got a Honda Civic as a “signing bonus” or something like that. Of course it wasn’t true, but we were amazed at how rumors spread like herpes in a roomful of hookers. Even strangers from as far as Albay and Davao were asking us if the rumor was true (among MANY others). But, I digress. Back to the car, I had it for 4 memorable years, during our “showbiz” days, when we used to prance on TV shows like over-aged teen starlet wannabes. So I was rattled to find out it was involved in a car crash. And seeing it all wrecked, was surprisingly unsettling. I realized former cars are very much like exes. You’ve moved on, they’re with someone else, you don’t really think about them anymore, you’re happy with your current, but seeing them not doing well and all beat up…really tugs at your heart.

The car was supposed to look something like this:

Now it looks exactly like this:

I’m glad it’s covered up, because it ain’t a pretty sight. I really hope that it’s still salvageable and nursed back to its former health. It was a good partner in crime and I’d hate for it to end up like scrap metal in some seedy empty lot, peed on by junkyard dogs, eaten away by rust and acid from the canine urine. It’s like seeing a person you used to love, all taong grasa-ed, broke, with lice in their matted hair, crabs in their matted pubes, and eating leftover cat food in flies-infested garbage cans. Oh well, I guess its future depends on its car-ma (karma for cars). A second chance, please. I feel it’s not ready for car heaven yet.

The Amazing Marc and Paula

I’ve been such a big fan of The Amazing Race Asia 2 ever since episode 1 aired! I’ve been very vocal on air about how exciting it is and how I actually like this Asian version much better than the American one. I was never a big fan of the 1st season of TARA, but I was hooked immediately when I caught the 1st episode of the 2nd season. So imagine my delight and how starstruck I was when Marc Nelson and Paula Taylor dropped by RX for a station visit! Everyone is aware of how good-looking Marc is, but what bowled over EVERYONE (ladies included) was just how pretty Paula Taylor is in person! I mean, we know she must be beautiful, since she manages to look great even when they’re harassed and dirty and sweaty. She looked like a princess! Plus, Marc revealed that she has a spread in the latest Maxim magazine with Natasha. And I don’t want to be a showbiz-type rumor monger, but we noticed (It wasn’t just me! Everyone noticed!) just how “sweet” the two were. Maybe they’re just good friends, but they’d really REALLY look good as a couple…if ever. I’ve met Marc before, when we joined the JVC badminton tournament (Don’t ask, I sucked! After 2 consecutive tourneys of constant sucking, they never invited me again!), and he’s one of the genuinely nicest guys I’ve ever met. So I’m really rooting for him and Rovilson, not just because they’re Filipinos, but because they’re really deserving and they’re the good guys. And which makes me extra ticked off at the other Filipino couple who yielded their kababayans during one episode. It just shamefully highlighted the notorious crab mentality we’re unfortunately known for. Even the other teams from other countries couldn’t figure out why they would do something like that to their own countrymen. Oh well, I’m jabbering like a fanboy geek again, so I’ll wrap this up. I’m really glad they dropped by the station and I’ll be rooting for them both! They’re not allowed to say who won (I tried to pry it out of them, but no dice!), but win or lose, I’m a fan!

Here’s our pic with Marc and Paula:

With Jude and Gelli and Ickhoy of Caltex:

Thanks to Gelli Victor for the pics!!!

The Best And The Rest 4

January 18, 2008 – The Top Ten Song Lyrics You’d Want On Your Tombstone

1. Loi Pogi – “Narito Ako” by Maricris Bermont: “Narito ako na lagi nang nakatingin.”
2. Silver – “Closing Time” by Semisonic: “Every new beginning comes from s0me other beginning’s end.”
3. Kangkong – “Guillotine” by Urbandub: “With your arms wrapped tight around my neck, close my eyes, I sink and grasped for breath.”
4. Acer – “Nobody Loves You” by John Lennon: “Nobody loves you when you’re old and grey. Everybody loves you when you’re six foot in the ground.”
5. Tuna Belly – “Alone Again Naturally” by Gilbert O’ Sullivan: “I truly am indeed, alone again, naturally.”
6. Joeshred – “Spirit Carries On” by Dream Theater: “Move on, be brave, don’t weep at my grave, because I’m no longer here. But please, never let your memory of me disappear.”
7. Frederique/Coolanie/Your Highness – “Dito Ba?” by Kuh Ledesm: “Dito ba? Dito ba? Dito ba? O, dito ba, ang dapat kong kalagyan sa isang sulok kong hiram sa ilalim ng araw?”
8. Gorgeous Bitch – “I Will Be Here” by Steven Curtis Chapman: “I will be here when u feel like being quiet, when you need to speak your mind, I will listen. I will be here.”
9. Mitchikay – “Eye In The Sky” by Alan Parsons Project: “I am the eye in the sky, looking at you.”
10. Tuna Belly/Kate Molds – “Next In Line” by After Image: “For in this cycle that we call life, we are the ones who are next in line.”
11. Nurse JP/Tonks - “Apologize” by OneRepublic: “I said it’s too late to apologize. It’s too late.”
12. Joeshred – “Thriller” by Michael Jackson: “And grizzly ghouls from every tomb, are closing in to seal your doom!”
13. Sadomasochist – “Join Me In Death” by Him: “Won’t you die tonight for love? Baby, join me in death.”
14. Humdinger – “”Baby…Hit Me One More Time” by Britney Spears: “My loneliness is killing me.”
15. Meg Cummings – “Can’t Take That Away From Me” by Mariah Carey: “Certainly the Lord will guide me where I need to go.”
16. Sialen – “What Matters Most” by Kenny Rankin: “It’s not how long we held each other’s hand. What matters is how well we loved each other.” I’m so in love with my honey that I’m so scared that he might leave me. He’s 3 years older than me and at the age of 30, he already has so many illnesses. I’m just very very scared.
17. Howdie – “Two Steps Behind” by Def Leppard: “It only takes a minute of your precious time to turn around and I’ll be two steps behind.”
18. No name – “Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls: “I’d give up forever to touch you.”
19. Jerome – “Because Of You” by Kelly Clarkson: “My heart can’t possibly break when it wasn’t even whole to start with.” (Someone who died of a heart attack)
20. McMaki – “Go On Girl” by Ne-Yo: “Trust me when I say, that I’ll be ok. Go on, girl.”
21. No name – “Leaving On A Jet Plane” by John Denver: “All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go…”
22. Kobe Kong – “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King: “When the night is come and the land is dark, and the moon is the only light you see…darling, stand by me.”
23. Acer – “I’m Only Sleeping” by the Beatles: “Please don’t wake me. No, don’t shake me. Leave me as I am.”
24. Ten-times-karma – “Ready Or Not” by The Fugees: “Ready or not, here I come. You can’t hide.”
25. Shining – “Another Suitcase In Another Hall” by Madonna: “So what happens now? Where am I going to?”
26. Celex – “Get The Party Started” by Pink: “I’m coming up, so you better get the party started!”
27. Adrian – “The Greatest View” by Silverchair: “I’m watching you, watch over me, and I’ve got the greatest view from here.”
28. Obadiah – “Forever” by Vertical Horizon: “I don’t know if you feel me here, but I can tell you one thing is clear, I will feel you!”
29. Celex – “Huwag Kang Matakot” by Eraserheads: “Huwag kang matakot na matulog mag-isa, kasama mo naman ako.”
30. Pam – “Rough Draft” by Yellowcard: “Kill me while I still believe that you were meant for me.”

Monsters In Hong Kong (P. 1)

Sorry for the delay, but I did promise pics from our Hong Kong Trip, so here they are! Obviously I have too many pics to share in just one post, so the whole “Monsters In Hong Kong” series will come in many parts. Special thanks to Raffy B. and Jude Rocha for some of the pics!

Monsters In Hong Kong!!!

We met up at 6am at the airport Friday morning, and turned out everyone was already lined up at the check-in counter. Delle and I were the 2nd to the last to arrive. Hehehe…sorry Gelli, I had to rat you out. After check-in, immigration, luggage, etc., we got into the waiting area and the adventures began. Since we haven’t eaten yet, I got myself a sandwich and coffee at Delifrance. After a few minutes, I started hearing my name announced over the paging system. As I was looking for the area I was supposed to proceed to, our flight started boarding! Between panic attacks and images of me left behind, standing in a puddle of tears, I then realized I was missing my passport, ticket, and boarding pass! I added 2 and 2 together and concluded that I left them at Delifrance when I bought my breakfast. Thanks to the quick-thinking of whoever found it, I was able to retrieve my lost valuables. I almost missed the whiole Hong Kong trip because of my absent-mindedness.

So off we went and boarded our flight to begin our adventures!

It was a quick flight, and shortly after we gobbled up our 2nd breakfast on board the plane, we descended upon the Hong Kong airport. And shortly ensued the monster invasion of Hong Kong!

Most of the on-air staff (together with marketing and management) made it to the trip, with some of the newer ones staying behind to man the ship. Everyone was accounted for. Including the hosts of the HOTTEST shows on Manila’s Hottest, Monster Radio RX 93.1 (Hehehe…shameless plug):

The Morning Rush

The Ride

The Daily Survey

Jumpstart

All Access

and After Hours

That’s just the intro – more pics and stories in Part 2!

My First Roadkill

On the first morning I went to work after we got back from Hong Kong, right as I was about to exit our village, a dark-colored cat (I wasn’t sure since it was still pre-dawn) darted from under a nearby parked car and ran straight between my left front and rear tires. It came out so quickly, I barely saw a blur from my peripheral vision. I didn’t even realize I ran over it until I felt that sickening thud from my left rear tire. It was like I ran over a tiny hump. I still wasn’t sure until I glanced at my rear view mirror and saw the poor animal’s final violent spasms. It was writhing and jerking about like a fish out of water. Then it stopped moving altogether. I swear, it was a horrifying experience. I have 3 cats at home so I winced at the thought that it could have been any of them. I don’t feel guilty-guilty since I couldn’t have stopped on a dime even if I wanted to. It ran so fast and so suddenly that I didn’t even realize what happened until after it happened. But I feel pangs of guilt nevertheless. If you accidentally stepped on someone’s foot, it isn’t your fault, but you feel sorry you stepped on it anyway. The concept of roadkill is like the idea of eating meat. You don’t mind eating pork chop or fried chicken if it’s served to you on a plate, looking every bit of a delicious meal, with steamed rice and sidings and gravy. But if you had to witness the actual animal that you were about to eat, slaughtered in front of your very eyes, complete with knives, and slitting of throats, and piercing squeals of agony, and blood spurting all over the place, and guts spilling from bellies sliced open, and heads decapitated with multiple hacks, and the rusty smell of freshly cut meat soaked in crimson — I don’t think it would be as sumptuous a gastronomic feast as you would prefer it to be. Same thing with roadkill. If you just pass by a disemboweled carcass of an animal run over, many times over by speeding vehicles, you just take a swift glance, maybe to make a quick identification of the flattened fauna, make a disgusted face and say “yuck” (or “ewww” if you’re on the girly side), then drive on, your life no better but no worse, then move on. But it’s quite different when you’re the person behind the wheel of the machine that mangled the poor animal, the experience replete with bones breaking and crunching, and internal organs popping and bursting. I could tell myself, “it wasn’t my fault” till the cows come home, but it wouldn’t lessen the trauma any bit. I know some people might say it’s just a frickin’ stray cat and that I’m being such a drama king about it, but hey, some men weep like willows when their favorite football team loses! Well, I get bothered when animals die (especially if I were the cause of death). We reserve our soft spots for different things. This is mine.

The Best And The Rest 3

January 15, 2008 – The Top Ten Things To Say To A Crazy Person

1. Joltino – “What’s your favorite brand of donuts? Go Nuts?
2. SPY Shadow – “You’re not crazy, you’re just in love!”
3. Kangkong – This incident happened yesterday when me and my brother were walking along EDSA when a taong grasa started walking towards us. My brother told him, “Lumayo ka sa ‘kin, kundi isasaksak ko ‘tong sapatos ko sa puwet mo!”
4. Cheyenne – “Let me guess, dalawa ang Mother in law mo ‘no?”
5. No name – “You’re one french fry short of a happy meal.”
6. Queen bee – “You’re crazy! C-H-I-C-O, CRAZY!”
7. Ubermensch – “Magkapatid ang parents mo, ‘no?”
8. Chloe – “How many times did your yaya drop you?”
9. Jedi Master – True st0ry: My semi-crazy officemate told me, “Ikaw talaga, masyado kang ‘O.S.’ eh!” So I asked what ‘O.S.’ meant. She replied, “Ano, ‘O.S.’ lang ‘di mo pa alam? Eh di obsessive-compulsive!”
10. Vina – A pr0fessor tells a med student during an anatomy practical exam: “Doctor, please stop asking the cadaver what that muscle is called.”
11. Frederique – “Si Crispin inutusan ni Batman bumili na suka. Si Basilio naman, ayun naglalaro ng PS2 kaya ayaw umuwi.”
12. Eylek – “Sa mga ulo ng balita: may apat na sira ulong nakatakas sa mental hospital at sinasabing sila daw po ay mga sikat na singers gaya nila Prince, Madonna, at Cyndi Lauper. At yan po ang kabuuan ng mga balita. Ito po ang inyong lingkod, si Michael Jackson.”
13. Shie – “Sabi ko naman kasi sa ‘yo wag ka nang tumira ng rugby eh. Sa susunod, try mo naman mag-katol!”
14. Tsiken Fit – When a looney officemate starts talking crazy, we tell him, “Alam mo, kung hindi namatay si Bruce Lee, sigurado naging Miss Universe siya.” That usually shuts him up and gets him thinking.
15. No name – 2 crazy people were trying to escape a mental facility. The 1st one jumped from one rooftop to another, but the 2nd one couldn’t. The 1st one said, “Alam ko na, bubuksan ko ‘tong flashlight, tapos tumawid ka dun sa beam of light!” The 2nd one replied, “Anong akala mo sa ‘kin, baliw? Eh kung patayin mo yung flashlight pag nasa gitna na ko?”
16. Grace of Makati – When I was an intern at the psych ward of Veterans years ago, I was really inexperienced. When I interviewed a new patient, he kept looking at my ring and he asked me if he could borrow it. I was alone and didn’t know what to do, so I gave it to him. When the interview was over, he refused to give back the ring, so I told my resident about it. He got it back for me, then he told me, “O, sino ngayon ang mas sira sa inyong dalawa?”
17. YñaKì – “Kaya ka may katok, kasi text ka ng text! Get it, katok and text?”

My New Baby

vs.

WE’RE BACK!!! Okay, okay, I promised that I’d post about our Hong Kong trip, but of course you have to give me some time to settle down and gather my pics and stuff. I do have quite a few stories and pictures to match. But I guess the highlight of my trip was my decision to finally purchase my 1st DSLR. I lurve my trusty Olympus C-5060:

It’s the camera that’s responsible for all the pics I’ve posted on the net – especially the holiday pics and the underwater photos – but it’s time for me to graduate to another level. It’ll still be my diving camera, but I’ve decided to finally buy a DSLR and to take up photography lessons. I’ve been thinking of getting a DSLR for more then 5 years now. So I start asking friends and friends of friends, and the eternal question came up – Canon or Nikon? More specifically, the Canon 400D or the Nikon D40X? I swear, it was like opening Pandora’s box! People either get really passionate and vote hotly for their pick, or they start hedging the question altogether and sit on the fence. It’s like Coke or Pepsi, Globe or Smart, Jollibee or McDonald’s, Kapamilya or Kapuso, RX 93.1 or…okay, let’s stop right there, you get the point. Besides, it’s RX…or nothing (hooo, biased!!!). Hey, it’s my blog! Anyway, I hemmed and hawed and vacillated from one choice to the other and back. I heard so many opinions that I totally forgot which virtue and which downfall belongs to which camera. Suffice it to say I made a last minute decision and went entirely on gut feel, bereft of any techno-wisdom. Forget the pros and cons, it was purely a decision hinged solely on feelings. Nothing more than feelings. So without further ado…the winner is:

So now I have a new baby! My next problem is to figure out how to use it. I’ve been a point and shoot guy all this time (oooh…pointing…shooting…). I have no idea what any of those buttons and levers and thingamabobs are for. It’s like I bought a car but I don’t know how to drive. So in case you guys have any suggestions as to where I can take photo lessons, feel free to suggest! And I promise to post my pics as I travel down the path of photographic greatness so you can admire the progressions of my future masterpieces! Okay…hmmm…where’s the shutter on this thing…

Hong Kong Holiday

WE”RE GOING TO HONG KONG!!!

Well, some of you might have heard by now that most of the RX staff will be going to Hong Kong from tomorrow, Friday, until Monday! We’re so excited! We don’t really know what we’re doing there, but we’re stoked that we’re taking a trip as a station. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to post pics from our trip when I get back, complete with anecdotes about the vacation. The newer jocks and Radio One jocks will take care of boardwork until we return. You’re in capable hands. Until then, toodle-oo!

And speaking of holidays, let me share some of my dream vacation spots:

Greece

Seychelles

Maldives

Turkey

But before I visit all these spectacular hot spots, Hong Kong here we come!

The Best And The Rest 2

January 14, 2008 – The Top Ten Answers To The Question, “How Much Do You Love Me?”

1. Caryl – My ninang asked my cousin, ”How much do you love mommy?” My 3 yr. old cousin answered, ”Twenty pesos.” For a 3 yr. old it was probably a pretty huge amount!
2. SPY Shadow – “Aaah, shut up and bend over!”
3. Roncalde – A guy to his girl: “As much as I love math…and u kn0w I looooove math!” (then bats his eyelashes)
4. Your Highness – “Koya, manhed ka!”
5. Mr. Perk – “Pare, probably as much as you love Mare.”
6. Shining – If it were my beloved students asking, I’d tell them: “I love you m0re than I love myself, but a little less than I love my 0wn chldren.”
7. Charlie61 – “I love you php800 per session.”
8. Loi Pogi – “As much as I loved my exes.”
9. Diane – (For guys who are so into their cars) … “I love you more than I love my car.”
10. Gorgeous Bitch - “If I can quantify how much I love you, then I guess it’s not that much, is it?”
11. Eylek – “300 pesos. That’s 1 call a day at 7 pesos and 3 texts at 1 peso each to greet you good morning, happy lunch, and good night, 30 days a month.”
12. No name – “Enough for me to answer each time you ask, until you don’t feel you need to ask anymore.”
13. Bobidaks – “I can’t say, but I’m sure it’s more than yesterday.”
14. Doki – “About 6 inches long early in the morning. But half an inch shorter in the afternoon.”
15. Eidderf – “Kulang pa ba na pinayagan kitang mag mahal ng iba?”
16. Joan – “I l0ve you m0re than you l0ve me and m0re than I l0ve myself.” (I always used to say this to my then boyfriend for 7 years, Paulo. He’s my husband now, we’ve been married for a month)
17. Loi Pogi – “Kahit doblehin m0 pa yang bungangera mong nanay, mamahalin pa rin kita!”
18. Skinny Dipper – Back in High Sch0ol, I had a huge crush on this guy. Once, my friends asked me how much I loved him, and I said, “Kahit mabulag pa siya, maging bungal, maging lumpo, mahal ko pa rin siya.” But now, when I think about it…ewww.
19. Rhachael Leigh – “I won’t just die for you…I will live for you.”
20. SPY Shadow – “The last time you asked me that, pinakasalan kita.”
21. Shoao Ramiscal – “I love you and all of your pink parts.”
22. V54 – “Kailangan pa bang i-memorize yan?”

Retold Asian Myths

I can’t believe I’m actually on Amazon.com!!! I was googling my real name (fine, fine, I’m Frederick Lagbao in real life), and out popped the book that I wrote many, MANY moons ago – Retold Asian Myths – way back in 1997! When my father died in June 1996, my aunt from New York who was in the publishing industry told me that a publishing house was looking for an Asian author to write a book about Asian myths, legends, and folk tales, but retold in his own words. She said many tried to audition for the part, but so far, they haven’t found anyone they fancied. So she asked me to apply, which basically meant writing 20 synopses of 20 stories, and one full story as I would want it to appear in the book. I went to work, researching hundreds of stories from countless books in the Asian Center Library in my alma mater, the University of the Philippines. I don’t know how many hours, days, and weeks I immersed myself in the innumerable tales, swimming in the minute nuances of every story, whittling down hundreds of fascinating yarns to a mere final 20. To my utter amazement, they liked what they read and gave me the go-signal! Draft after draft, we snail mailed back and forth, each time with edits and revisions from both sides. Until one day, I got a letter from Johnny Air Cargo saying I had a package in the Megamall branch. It said it was a book from New York! I rushed to the mall, and claimed my prized possession, and I swear, I was shaking with convulsions of delight as I cried like a baby, looking at the cover of my very own book, the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. When i got home, my mom bawled even louder than me, and hoisted the book up to a photo of my dead father, as if he could look at it from the afterlife through the photograph’s eyes. So you see, it was a pretty special moment for me. So imagine my surprise to see something from my distant past (more than 10 years) suddenly smacking me in the face. I almost forgot just how it felt when it was happening. I’m glad it happened to remind me of one of my true passions.

But back to Amazon, I was so tickled to see my book and my name on the website, and I was bowled over when I saw that there was actually one person who reviewed the book and gave it five stars! So I decided to copy and paste some of the stuff on the actual page. So…ladies and gentlemen…presenting: Retold Asian Myths by Me:

Retold Asian Myths (Retold Myths & Folktales Anthologies) (Library Binding)
by Frederick Y. Lagbao (Author)

---

List Price: $16.95 Price: $16.95 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Availability: In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Only 1 left in stock–order soon (more on the way).

Product Details

• Library Binding: 157 pages
• Publisher: Perfection Learning (August 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0780765753
• ISBN-13: 978-0780765757
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review:

  1 Review 5 star: (1) 4 star: (0) 3 star: (0) 2 star: (0) 1 star: (0) See all customer reviews…

  (1 customer review)

• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,334,669 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Excellent Emphasis on Vocabulary Building & Cultural Context, May 15, 2004

By A Customer

This book is from a series created by Perfection Learning which incorporates vocabulary building and study of historical and cultural context in the reading of the stories. Each story includes a vocabulary preview, list of character descriptions, and a commentary which provides historical and cultural background information. At the front of the book is a map which shows the country of origin of each story. A broad range of Asian countries are represented, including the Philippines, China, Japan, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Laos, Thailand, and China. The stories are organized under the themes of gods and humans, love, friends and neighbors, smart and not-so-smart, and how and why. Compared with many other books of myths, this book does an outstanding job of providing concrete learning goals and presenting the story as a way to gain greater insight into that culture and its ancient beliefs.

OMG. I’m a real writer with rave reviews! Okay fine, review.