Toy Story 3

Note: I’m writing this assuming you’ve seen the movie. Do NOT proceed if you haven’t seen it.  Come back and read this when you’ve seen it.

To me at least, the very premise of the plot is subversive.  There is NO WAY there could be a happy ending.  A moving on, yes.  But a happy ending?  Never.  The very essence of the film is the relationship between Andy and the lead toy, Woody.  And the whole point in the closing episode of this trilogy is the “breaking up” of this team.  Woody is the tragic hero in this saga, and it is he who is to lose the most in the equation.  The sacrifice he makes at the end of the movie cements his role as the hero in the story.  And to add to that, Buzz ended up with Jesse.  On paper, it should be Woody and Jesse since they are cowboy-cowgirl, but like I said, the real alpha couple here is Andy and Woody.  They basically followed the Star Wars model, with the initial pairing of Luke and Leia, only for them to be revealed as brother and sister, thereby opening the door for a Han Solo-Leia pairing, leaving Luke to forge on, all on his own, to fly high alone with no one to lean on, just like the recent pop culture epic heroes upon whom it is incumbent that they face the climax of their respective sagas completely and utterly ALONE — just like Frodo, like Harry Potter, and the latest to join their ranks, Woody.

From the very opening scene, the tenor of the film is somber, sobering, and simmering in a sneaky sadness.  True, you’ll be laughing most of the movie, but it never lets you forget that this is the end of the trilogy, and it won’t be a neatly tied happy package at the end of it all.  Andy is off to college, and the toys have been forgotten by the one person who gives their existence purpose.  Tell me, how can that turn out right?  It’s not like a romantic break-up, where the two parties can have a change of heart and run back to each other arms.  Let’s face it, with old toys, unless you’re a vintage collector, most are thrown away, regardless of how rich the memories were.  Just like many things in our lives, there are some things that once you’ve said goodbye to, there is no turning back.  Sentiment aside, life is a series of letting go — letting go of toys, of your childhood, of innocence, of past loves, of family and friends when they or you marry, of your youth, of your health, of loved ones to death, and eventually the final letting go, of your own final breath.  It only sounds morbid, but if you really think about it, that’s life.  We weren’t really meant to stay in the same place, to be the same way, unchanged indefinitely.  We’re supposed to go on a journey, an evolution where entering the new phase means letting go of the old one.

That’s the beauty of the way this third installment tackled the issue of letting go.  It didn’t go the mawkish way by having Andy keeping Woody and the gang.  It didn’t soften the blow by making the toys’ new life much better than what they had with Andy.  It just showed that when one part of your life is over, you simply need to move on, no matter how hard, no matter how much you want to hang on to what you’ve gotten used to.  The seasons give way to each other whether they want to or not.  There’s no arguing with the cycles of life.  So when the toys were left with Bonnie, it wasn’t necessarily better than when they were with Andy, but it wasn’t necessarily worse either.  The same way you can’t really argue which is better, your life as a child, as a teen, as a single adult, as a married person, or as a septuagenarian?  One is neither superior nor inferior to another.  It’s merely the natural progression.

I guess that’s why the movie hit a raw nerve.  You hit a certain age and you suddenly feel the rush of things in your life that are slipping quickly through your fingers; people and things and situations you’ve grown to love and depend on.  And once you start to lose the stuff in your life you love dearly, you start to resent having to let go of them.  The movie is a painful reminder, I guess, that the only control we have in this life, is not over situations, but over how well or how badly we roll with them.

Kahit Ilang Tinik Ay Kaya Kong Tapakan…

Before I post the pictures from our landscape shoot in Bataan, let me just share my seemingly improbable string of accidents, one after another.  After a long drive from Manila to Balanga, Bataan, my Fourground photo buddies just checked in at the hotel then had lunch, then proceeded to the one hour drive to Sisiman Bay in Mariveles, Bataan.  We got lost looking for the elusive lighthouse, the directions to which we had zero information on, other than it was generally situated somewhere in Sisiman Bay.  As we kept driving back and forth, our van had a flat tire.  It didn’t bode well for what was to come.  Finally, after many wrong turns and conflicting directions from different locals, we finally found the lighthouse, hidden well in a small cove, surrounded by rocks of all sizes, from as small as pebbles to as large as boulders the size of a small hut.

We were so excited to finally find our shy subject, that we were stomping mindlessly on the rocks to get to the lighthouse.  I was more concerned with getting a firm foothold so I don’t slip or twist my ankles on the uneven orgy of rocks, than I was with looking at what I was stepping on.  No more than a few minutes on the rocks, I take a huge step, my full weight on my descending right foot…and CRUNCH.  It felt like someone punched the sole of my foot.  Then a sharp pain shot straight up from the arch of my foot all the way to my knee and even my thigh.  I lifted my foot and found an acacia thorn tree branch stuck to the bottom of my shoe:

Then I realized that one thorn went straight through my shoe, and impaled the sole of my right foot.  I almost passed out at the realization.  I had no choice but to pull the branch out quickly, and almost instantly I could feel lots of blood gushing inside my shoe.  I didn’t want to look at how bad it was, because I might faint at the sight of all that blood, so I quickly hobbled to the shore and plunged my bleeding foot into the cool sea water.  The moment I dipped my foot in, the water turned red.  It wasn’t as painful as you’d expect, I was more worried at the thought of losing a lot of blood.  But thankfully, the bleeding stopped within 5 minutes.  I was able to shake off the pain, and was even able to finish our shoot unhampered.  Of course thoughts of infection and tetanus would run across my mind every now and then, but the task at hand demanded my full attention.  It wasn’t until after the sun had set, and we were in our van heading back to the hotel, when I realized I was in pain.  The entry point started throbbing and when I went down I had to limp because it was a bit painful to stand on.  I put anti-bacterial ointment, bandaged it, then within hours I was fine.

After dinner, I felt how tired I was.  I took a warm bath, and I felt so weak that I practically collapsed on my folding bed to rest my weary body.  As my head was about to hit the pillow, we suddenly heard a crash, and next thing I knew, the back of my head smashed into the concrete wall behind me, and I had this ringing in my head like someone hit me on the head with a large gong.  Apparently, the legs of one end of my folding bed, folded the other way, making the part where my head was fall straight to the floor.  My buddy Greg was able to catch the actual moment mere seconds after it happened:

I had a huge bukol at the back of my head.  What a day, I was injured from head to foot.  I tweeted about it and people were saying stuff like maybe I upset an elemental to account for my ill luck and that I should “apologize” for whatever unintentional affront I may have caused to them.  It was just weird.

The next day, we went back to the lighthouse for a sunrise shoot, so we woke up at 3:30am, left the hotel at 4:30am, then was at the lighthouse by 5:30am.  We did our shoot until the sun came out, and when the heat was beginning to beat down on us, even at the early hour of about 7:30am, we called it quits.  We sat down under the shade to rest for a bit, then when it was time to go, I stood up, and as I pushed up from a seated position, I felt a sharp jab near my heel, and I saw that another thorn went through my shoe grazing the skin of my heel, thankfully, not enough to draw blood.

I quickly apologized in my head for whatever offense I may have caused, then gingerly tiptoed out of there making sure I watched every single step I made, avoiding the many acacia branches that littered the area.  I’ve been impaled on time too many for one photoshoot.  Thank goodness it was a productive landscape shoot, making all the injuries worth literally, the blood, sweat and tears.  I’ll try to post the photos any time this week.

The Top Ten Signs That You’re Sosyal

This was a hilarious Top Ten mainly because we started saying “sosyal” as “sa-shaaal!”  We felt like kolehiyalas during the entire show.

June 8, 2009 → The Top Ten Signs That You’re Sosyal – Sent in by: Doraemon

1. Febkinse – My ex once told me: “I have to go na, nagpapasundo si Mom.” I asked where, and she said: “Sa Hong Kong.”
2. Hazelnut – A sosyal classmate rode a jeepney for the first time. She yelled to the driver: “Manong no aircon?!?”
3. Rabidmind – A sosyal classmate told us: “Okay, I’ll my yaya’s P.A. to do it!”
4. Shingshing – I have a classmate who always adds “superrr” to everything. One time I asked her what she got in our exam. She said: “Superrr low! Superrr twelve lang!”
5. Lockon Stratos – Sosyal pulubi: “Pa-beg. I need braces eh.”
6. Mr. Perk – I asked a friend is she wanted turon, she asked: “What’s turon?” When I showed her, she said: “Oh, you mean banana fritters!”
7. Yñaki – If, after performing a certain “job”, she says: “Yahyah, mouthwash!”
8. Racer – When the designer said: “The dress will be expensive ha?” She said: “It better be!”
9. No name – My friend couldn’t decide what to wear. I saw a Lacoste shirt so I pointed to that. She said: “Yawck. Lacoste is for pambahay.”
10. Makati Feast – If your aircon is too cold, so you tell your maid: “Yaya, turn on the heater!”
11. Blair – I once attended a 1st bday party, and instead of cotton candy booths and sorbetes carts, they had Krispy Kreme and Starbucks!
12. Eylek – One time I couldn’t join a gimik because my car was coding. A friend said: “Why? Don’t tell me you only have one car?”
13. RVincent – I have a friend who calls lumpiang toge: “veggie turon” and calls turon: “banana lumpia”.
14. Dru – There’s a club called “30 Rocks”, where the only qualification to be a member is to own at least 30 carats of diamonds.
15. Yanyaneh – We have a friend who claims she “commutes” going home. What she does basically, is to take the MRT until Shangri-la, where her driver is waiting to bring her home.
16. Lady TSR – I had a teammate who brought her yaya to our team-building, para daw may taga-ihaw kami sa resort.
17. No name – A friend who rode the jeep for the first time asked: “Manong how much? 6.50 only? Okay, I’ll make libre everyone na!”
18. LilRedShiningNips – Sosyal: “Miss, is this on sale?” Saleslady: “Yes ma’am!” Sosyal: “Yuck.”
19. Morrigan – I have a friend, and if you call their house, they answer: “Hola?”
20. Blitzen – They’re called “sandflies” in Amanpulo, but called “niknik” in Matabungkay.
21. Ralph Waldo If you tell the magtataho: “Grande, nonfat, no whip please.”
22. Super KS – A classmate screamed because she saw a lizard in the toilet: “Ew, may Lacoste! May Lacoste!”
23. Eylek – Sosyal1: “What’s the diff between penis and kamote?” Sosyal2: “Yuck, I don’t eat kamote!”

Calicoan, Samar (Take 2)

Since we’ve been here before (same time last year to be exact), I really didn’t bring my camera gear anymore because I didn’t really see myself taking pictures this time around.  So I just brought my handy waterproof Canon D10, and my Nikon D90 “just in case”.  True enough, I hardly took pictures, because we were too busy being like kids.  So if you want to see photos of the awesome resort, just search for “Calicoan” on the search bar of my blog, and it’ll show you links to the 3 posts I did same time last year.  It was a very simple, low-stress weekend.  We practically spent 3 days soaking either under the sun or in the salt water pool.

We also spent whatever time we had out of the water, wolfing down platefuls of sinful delights like crispy pata.  We stayed there for 3 days, and for 3 lunches straight, we feasted on one of the best, if not THE best crispy pata we’ve ever tasted.  The balat was thin and crispy to the bite, quickly breaking down into juicy morsels with every nibble.  Of course we always ordered veggies or fish with it to justify the culinary orgy we partook of.  It was food porn, I tell you!

We also tried out surfing, and unexpectedly we found it quite easy to stand.  We all got the hang of it on the second or third try.  Maybe the background we have on wakeboarding made it a little easier to learn.  The waves were small, so our instructors said it was the perfect size for beginners like us.  Surprisingly, the hardest part was not finding our balance, but paddling far to where the waves were breaking.  It’s much harder than you’d expect!  By the time I paddled far enough to catch a wave, I was totally exhausted and out of breath.  I’m just glad I tried it this time around, since we skipped the surfing part the last time we were here.

Like I said, for the most part, we just fooled around like kids.  We’ve never quite behaved like this before, just having fun, not thinking of anything except relaxing and laughing and making fools of ourselves.  To give you an idea, here are some samples of MANY pics we took goofing around:

All in all it was one of the most fun vacations we’ve ever had.  It was inevitable that we’d get the blues coming home, given that it was so much fun, and it was way too short.  As it was, we had to swap with the Playtime Girls to be able to maximize our stay there.  So after 3 wonderful days, we come home recharged, armed with wicked tans and memories to last a lifetime.

(the famed San Juanico bridge linking Leyte and Samar, where Dante Varona notoriously jumped off)

The Top Ten Worst Answers To A Question

I remember when I was a new DJ on radio, I got to interview a now iconic band, but who were, at that time, just newbies.  They were for me the absolute worst interviewees.  I couldn’t get a straight answer from any of them!  Each question I ask, they would deflect with an intentionally stupid answer, obviously not taking it seriously.  I understand that they were doing it to appear cool, but of course they succeeded at my expense.  Unfortunately for me, I played the role of jester to the eventual rock royalty.

June 2, 2009 → The Top Ten Worst Answers To A Question

1. Jorik – (during a beauty contest) Host: “What is the youth’s worst problem?” Contestant: “Drugs.” Host: “What about drugs?” Contestant: “Ang mahal eh!”
2. Paul Ignatius/Myckle Mouse – Q: “Bakit di ka pumasok?” A: “Absent ako eh.”
3. Gracia – One time the doctor asked me: “Bakit walang pasyente?” I answered: “Baka nagkasakit…”
4. Whoabanana – Call center agent: “Sir, is that G as in golf?” Caller: “No, G as in Gebra!”
5. Mjoots – One time I texted someone: “Anong ginagawa mo?” Ang sagot: “Eto, sinasagot text mo.”
6. Whoabanana – One time someone asked me: “What would you do if you had money to burn?” I answered: “I’d burn the money?”
7. Sasha Purse – Q: “Bakit dalawa yang puto mo?” A: “Yung isa, puto copy!”
8. Ajienaissant – I met a friend whose name I forgot. Friend: “Do you remember me?” Me: “Of course!” Friend: “Sige nga, what’s my name?” Me: “Secret…”
9. Jeff M – Q: “What are you doing?” A: “I’m doing my best.”
10. Mjoots – Apo: “Lola, nagmahal na po ba kayo ng lubos?” Lola: “Eh ano naman kung magmahal ang pulbos?”
11. Pinkiepixie – One time I told a friend: “Ang lamig no?” She anwered: “Oo nga, ang tahimik.”
12. Kyogz – Q: “Ano sa palagay mo?” A: “Hindi ako mapalagay.”
13. Babyprincess/Astroboy – Everytime people ask me: “Kumusta lovelife?” I always answer: “Eto, tulad mo, hindi maganda…”
14. Camilla Rosa – I work in HR. One time I asked an applicant: “Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?” She answered: “Siguro ma’am ako ang papalit sa inyo.”
15. Jude Lawyer – During interrogation, I asked the “victim”: “Nung mino-molestiya ka ng nasasakdal, bakit hindi ka sumigaw?” Her answer: “Kasi po naghahalikan kami.”
16. Gracia – At the meat section I asked: “Anong parte nalang ang meron?” The guy answered: “Bipnik.” I asked: “Ano yun?” He answered: “Liig ng baka.”
17. Oscar Dela Hopia – Wife: “Gusto mo bang magpadagdag ako ng boobs?” Husband: “Wag na, okay na sa kin yung dalawa.”
18. Boncedrick – Our prof went to a resort and asked: “What types of rooms do you have?” Staff: “We have hell side and bitch side.” (hillside and beachside)
19. Blitzkrieg – One time at a resto, we asked the waitress: “Meron kayong mamon?” She answered: “May softdrinks kami…”
20. Greg – We asked a waitress: “Anong lasa ng fried chicken niyo?” She answered: “Lasang manok…na pinrito.”
21. French Fry – I once asked a waitress: “Puwede isang chicken satay?” She answered: “Yuck.”
22. Manong Driver – Q: “Kelan ang birthday mo?” A: “Taon-taon.”
23. Joe – At Divisoria, I noticed a lot of bandaritas. So I asked one saleslady: “Miss para saan yung bandaritas?” She answered: “Malapit na kasi eh.” I asked: “Ang alin?” She answered: “Ewan.”
24. Maphaj – I once asked our driver: “Kumakain ka ng crab?” He answered: “Yung luto.”
25. Febkinse – Doc: “Umubo ka.” (umubo ang pasyente) Doc: “Ubo ulit.” (umubo ulit) Doc: “Isa pa.” (Umubo ulit) Patient: “Doc, ano po sakit ko?” Doc: “May ubo ka.”

Videos I Like 11

Alice Tan Ridley

She’s phenomenal! one of the best singers EVER from any singing contest.  And the idea that she’s the mom of Oscar-nominee Gabourey Sidibe boggles the mind!  This blew me away.  Wow, I hope she goes far in this contest.  Plus it’s a big plus that she sang one of my all time favorite songs, “At Last”.

Devin & Glenn (NSFW and Rated R)

As a PSA to overturn California’s Prop 8, actors/writers Justin Long (Drew Barrymore’s boyfriend) and Mike White offers a hilarious argument to allow gay marriage: let gays suffer like the rest of the straights.  Even Eminem, who surprisingly now supports gay marriage offered the same argument: why should straight couple be the only ones to suffer?

Super Mario Paper Stop Motion

This amazing stop motion video was supposedly done by Japanese kids who obviously had lots of spare time and use post-its for this genius animation.  Wow, I can’t believe they put so much effort into this.  Any Mario fan would appreciate this.

Angry Deer Attacks Dog & Cat

I’m going to have nightmares because of this video! I hated the part where the dog’s owner started screaming.  Obviously the deer was just protective of her fawn, but I’m a dog lover, and he was posing no threat to the young herbivore.  My guts were in my mouth watching the poor dog take a beating.

Two-Faced Kitten

This news item has a sad addendum, because Two-Face already died.  I guess animals born with such anatomical defects are not really expected to live long.  They are genetics oddities that nature ensures won’t thrive.

For this next video, humor me on this one.  Please stay until the 2:00 minute mark, because it gets REALLY better…

Praise Song & Dance

The literal choreography is my favorite!  I don’t know, but watching that made me really happy, for some reason.

Television Is A Drug

Sounds familiar?  Thank heavens I’m no longer the couch potato I used to be.  I could stay in front of the TV all day and still want more.  Now if I watch too long, I get a guilty knot at the pit of my stomach, like I wasted half of my life.

Gay-Themed McDonald’s Ad

A surprisingly progressive commercial from a mainstream company like McDonald’s, bereft of the usual gimmicky humor that accompanies gay-themed ads.  It’s unflinching and surprising in the way it tackled a timely issue.

The Top Ten Dumbest Things You Heard Anyone Say In School

Funny, right?  School is the fountain of knowledge from which we drink to quench our parched minds with wisdom from the ages. Not!  Seriously, some of the funniest quotable quotes have been heard in the hallowed halls of the academe.  Deliciously ironic.

June 1, 2009 → The Top Ten Dumbest Things You Heard Anyone Say In School

1. Infrared – Religion teacher: “Let us all close our eyes and sing,’Open Our Eyes Lord’.”
2. Carmine – Teacher: “When the odds are against me…I will against them!”
3. Specialist – Our teacher showed us a picture of a dog then asked: “Class, what breed is this dog? Japanese Speech or Cocker Spaniard?”
4. Mira Nova – Our teacher once said: “Okey sinong mga absent, itaas ang kamay!”
5. Brie – Teacher: “It happened both in the 1st and 2nd World War II.”
6. Pawee – Our teacher once said: “If I catch you cheating, I will give you additional minus!”
7. No name – We asked our teacher who just came from vacation: “Sir, kelan kayo bumalik?” His answer: “Bukas!”
8. Nash – Prof in hydrology: “Malls now are using waterless urine!” (waterless urinals)
9. Abernathy – We asked our music teacher: “Can you differentiate major and minor chords?” She answered: “Yes you can, they’re different.”
10. Oscar Dela Hopia – Teacher: “Get one whole sheet of pad paper.” Classmate: “Ma’am, crosswise or lengthwise?”
11. Cha Park – During an exam our prof said: “Time’s up! Come to me, papers!”
12. Mr Miser – After singing our Alma Mater song, a classmate asked our teacher: “Ma’am sino ba si Alma Mater?” Our teacher answered: “Si ano…si kwan…si Madam Principal.”
13. Girltemperamental – Our math teacher entered the classroom and said: “Get out…get out…”, so we started exiting one by one. Then he said: “Where are you going?” We answered: “Sir, you said get out.” He said angrily: “I wasn’t finished! I was going to say, get out your calculators!”
14. Abernathy – Teacher: “Class, you know jumping jack? You know, you open the box and jack will jump?”
15. Tyron – A classmate asked our teacher: “Ma’am, namamana po ba ang pagka-baog?”
16. Mr. Perk – Teacher: “Spell orange.” Classmate: “Sir, yung color o yung fruit?”
17. Xuxalera – Early Monday, our teacher barged into our classroom: “Sinong naglagay ng munggo sa aquarium? Ayan, puro toge!!!”
18. Jorik – Our English teacher told us: “Today we will only speak English. Maliwanag?”
19. Cherry – A classmate told me: “Ay ang cute ng mga sintas mo, luminou!” I corrected her: “Luminous!” She said: “Ay, oo nga pala, plural…”
20. No name – Our teacher asked us to bring colored puto. So the next day, we all bought from Goldilocks their colored puto. Our teacher was so angry. He yelled: “I said bring colored puto! Colored putograp!”
21. Mickey – Teacher: “Class we have a spelling exam today.” Classmate: “Ma’am, wrong spelling wrong?”
22. Febkinse – Teacher: “Class give me an example of a tag question.” Classmate: “Teacher is beautiful, isn’t she?” Teacher: “VERY GOOD! Okay, sa Tagalog naman.” Classmate: “Si Ma’am maganda, hindi naman diba?”
23. Poohbear – Teacher: “The classroom is so dirty! Get a broom and broom the room!” (kumuha ka ng walis at walisin mo ang silid)
24. No name – Teacher: “What do you call a person who keeps on talking even when people are no longer interested?” Classmate: “A teacher?” Ayun, instant quiz.
25. Sasha Purse – Teacher: “May piraso ako ng baboy, hinati ko sa dalawa. At bawat piraso hinati ulit sa dalawa. At bawat piraso hinati ulit sa dalawa ng 16 pang beses.  Meron akong…” Classmate: “Ma’am giniling!”
26. Antidote – During a cultural program, our teacher gave instructions: “Lahat ng lalaki magbabahag! Kahit anong kulay, basta red!”
27. Kolboy13 – We were grouping ourselves into 6 groups, but group 6 was incomplete. Our teacher with a heavy accent asked: “O, sino pang gustong sumali sa group sex?”
28. Acer’s Wifey – In our marketing class, our teacher gave an example of a product warning: “Cigarette is bad for smoking.”
29. Lockon Stratos – Teacher: “Sinong may alam ng sagot sa equation na ito?” Classmate: “Ma’am kayo!”
30. Febkinse – Teacher: “Class, anong kaibahan ng 69 sa 6.9?” Student: “Ma’am yung 6.9 mas kadiri kasi may period.”

Father’s Day 2010

Today is Father’s Day, but on Tuesday, June 22, will also be my father’s 14th death anniversary.  It’s weird that he died during father’s day season, so as the rest of the world celebrates father’s day, we also commemorate our dad’s death anniversary.  I always liked to believe that he just waited for my birthday before he died.  On the night of my birthday, June 17, 1996, I celebrated  my 29th birthday with a dinner in Tong Yang in Megamall.  My dad hardly ate anything because he was very ill by that time.  Little did we know that that was the last supper we would ever have with him.  The very next day, we brought him to the hospital, and within 4 days, he was gone.  It was a harrowing but quick process, so our broken hearts had to catch up quickly to the rushing events because time won’t slow down for us, no matter how much we were in pain.  The few days I spent with him in the hospital were so traumatic, that I was the only one who no longer cried when he finally died.  Seeing him dying like that was too much for someone who loved him to pieces.  I reached the point where I’d rather lose him forever than to see him suffer like that.  When he breathed his last, I too breathed a sigh of relief and release.  I’d rather remember my daddy at his best, when he was strong and healthy and loving and nurturing.  But until now, memories and images of him gasping for breath, his voice become shrill like a child’s, him calling out to his mom and dad while we were in the ambulance, still haunt me to this very day.  Even now as I recount the events 14 years after, the tremors still tremble mightily in my heart.  I guess we never stop hurting when we lose someone we loved all our lives.  We just get used to it.

So despite that downer of a trip down heartbreak lane, let me wish all dads a Happy Father’s Day!  Please tell your fathers how much you love and appreciate them.  What I would give if I could just tell my dad how much I loved him, how much I STILL love him, one more time.  If only I could tell him how much I miss him, and how much I’d love to run to him when life gets a little too tough for me, so he could cradle his bunso again the way he used to, and instantly make everything alright.  But want it as I might, I can’t.  So for those of you who still can, I wish you the chance, and in some cases the courage, to do what I wish with all my heart I still could.

I really miss you, Daddy.  More than you can ever imagine. Happy Father’s Day.

Nike Vs. Adidas

For most Pinoy sports buffs, it was all about the NBA battle between L.A. and Boston.  But for the rest of the world it’s all about the World Cup.  Football (or soccer to us and the Americans) is the undisputed biggest sport worldwide.  For some strange reason, the appeal is mostly lost on the Americans and it’s cultural mini-me, us Pinoys.  We do have the penchant for following the Americans’ lead more than the Europeans, or any other foreign country for that matter.  Anyway, it’s all about the World Cup as far as the world is concerned, and that fact is not lost on the two sports brand giants: Nike and Adidas.  They too are battling it out with star-studded ads.  One epic and humorous, the other quirky and pop-culturally hip.  Which one do you like better?

Nike’s “Write The Future”

Nike slightly edges out the Adidas ad, because it has set the record for the most views for a viral video in its first week.  It beat the previous record holder, another Nike ad called “Earl and Tiger” featuring golfer Tiger Woods after his heavily publicized return to the sport.  It features soccer royalty Didier Drogba, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Adidas’ “Cantina 2010″

The Adidas ad, although having lesser views, probably has more celeb guest stars and boasts a high hip quotient with the use of Star Wars footage.  Cameos include those of Snoop Dogg, Noel Gallagher, Ciara, David Beckham, Ian Brown, Daft Punk, Jay Baruchel, and DJ Neil Armstrong among others.

Happy Birthday To Me!

That’s Cairo, the furry fruit of my imaginary canine loins.  For lack of biological offspring, my four-footed friends stand-in as my kids.  Well, it’s been another year.  If the past week is any indication of of things to come, then I think I’m in for a great year.  Since our swap with the Playtime girls last Thursday, to our memorable Samar vacation, and potentially a huge blessing coming our way in the near future, the past couple of days have been a whirlwind for me.  Things are on an upturn, and I sure hope it’s my new phase.

I like the impasse I’ve reached with birthdays.  When I was young, I LOVED birthdays.  I lived the 364 other days of the year just eagerly anticipating my big day.  I loved the presents, the attention, the parties, everything happy and joyful that was attached to celebrating birthdays.  In our family, we always started the day with the whole family sneaking in the celebrant’s room at an ungodly hour (around 5am), singing the birthday song softly, until he or she wakes up, to see the entire family singing, bearing gifts, and generally making you feel like the most important and most loved person in the whole wide world.  Somewhere along the way, my relationship with birthdays soured.  When I hit my 30′s I started to dread birthdays.  From thereon I started seeing birthdays as yearly reminders of how I’m a little closer to the grave, and how little I’ve done to make whatever’s left of my days worth the trouble.  Birthday parties gave way to pity parties, and presents, no matter how nice, couldn’t distract my mind from staring into the impending abyss of doom.  I always got depressed leading up to my birthday, and only heave a sigh of relief every June 18, when all vestige of that dreaded day has been swept into the trash bin.

But now, I neither look forward to it, nor do I dread it.  I guess I’ve made my peace with my mortality.  Plus, I’ve never been in a happier place than I am now.  I’m spending my days with the one I love, I have a great job, from which I derive financial and emotional fulfillment, I have supportive family and friends, I have my wonderful hairy kids (my pets), and the more I count my blessings, the longer the list becomes.  So if I die tomorrow (which I pray I don’t), I would die a grateful man.  Life has been good to me, no matter how battered I sometimes feel.  I don’t know if I deserve the life I’ve been given, but I’m sure I’m thankful for it.

Okay…handa…awit…