Nap Time Rocks!

I am thankful for… [LP]

1..

2..

(better viewed in widescreen; click to view larger version)

3..

patawad dahil naipost ko na dati yung last 2 photos. pero yan lang kasi ang feel kong perfect pictures ng gusto kong ipagpasalamat sa taong nagdaan.

salamat, Lord.

–

Eastwood QC / Dimakya Is. Palawan | 2009 | Canon EOS 400D | postprocessed using Photoscape

Where’s the Universe? a panel interview by Mia

in one of our nightly before-bed conversations where i, the toddler-intellect challenged mommy, attempted to defend my thesis on the whereabouts of the universe:

M: where’s the house?
me: in Quezon City.
M: where’s Quezon City?
me: in Manila
M: where’s Manila?
me: in the Philippines
M: where’s the Philippines?
me: in Southeast Asia….

(i know, konti nalang)

M: where’s southeast asia?
me: on earth
M: where’s earth?
me: in the solar system.
M: where’s the solar system?
me: in the universe!
M: where’s the universe?
me: in God’s hands! (thinking that I won…)

M: where’s God’s hands?
me: *patay ulit*

Waterfront beach resort: how not to be a good manager

the customer is always right. well at least you try to placate them or please them if need be. ibang usapan na yun if the customer himself is rude, right?

anyway, I was in charge of looking for a family outing venue for new year’s and one of the resorts I contacted was The Waterfront Beach Resort in Morong, Bataan (what a mistake that was). I was actually satisfied how the first 2 representatives (Claire and Michelle) handled my requests, inquiries and clarifications, compared to the first (rather posh) one I called earlier. it turns out that it’s not always the “posh” ones that are hard to talk to.

I had the resort hold any reservation until I was sure my family would be ok with the quotations (I was comparing 3). I was already inclined to take theirs only because they were the more affordable one but the place, well, not so ok. so to cut the long story short, I reserved another resort for our outing and sent a text to the other 2 saying that I’m cancelling the inquiry and that for future company activities, could they send me a corporate rate?

lo and behold my cellphone rang and this angry old woman was short of screaming at me over the phone. she was clarifying a concern I had earlier but I said I was no longer interested because I already got another resort. then she told me over and over (or was asking, i don’t know because the tone was the same) that I was canceling my “reservation”. she was so rude and hang up on me too. so here’s the rest of the story (click on the photo to view a larger version):

I know I am one tough customer but then again, apathy kills, you know? some may tell me to just let it go. sure, after an apology.

Oh Spinach!

i love you, i love you, i love you!

one of the joys in life is spinach dip. especially when you start from scratch and actually end up getting the taste that you’ve wanted. i’d have to say credits go to Nestle’s recipes online. hehe.

and Mia actually likes it! not to mention my brothers and my cousins (one of which, by the way, had the most brilliant idea to put it as a topping to fresh tacos) too. definitely a must try.

here’s my brother savoring the dip even before we were supposed to be having our traditional Christmas eve dinner.

you can say he doesn’t like it. so here’s how to make it:

• Ingredients:
  • Sour cream (substitute for light)
  • Spinach
  • Chicken broth cubes (optional; i only used half a cube to taste)
  • Medium onion
  • Cottage cheese (optional; i wasn’t able to find one so there was none in my recipe)
• Combine all ingredients in a bowl. CHILL. best served with plain salted (or not) potato chips. trust me on that one =)

our roasted marshmallow-hotdog-lemon basted chicken kabobs were also a hit. though it really ended up almost like normal chicken barbecue with marshmallow and hotdogs, it was the fun of making it that’s worth it.

how was your noche buena and what are your favorite holiday food/recipes?

the year that was

busy, busy, busy. year ends and holidays are always packed with so much things to do.
—
my 2009 wasn’t all that good, nope it wasn’t.

but there are even more things to be thankful for.
—
so many deaths, so little redemption.

may justice be served.

—

i’ve made some progress with my hobby. click, portraits, zoom in, manual panoramic shots. photos that make social sense.

now to actually get something out of it. *wink wink*

—

there are people ought to be forgotten.

but there are some worth getting in touch with again. i’m thankful that these things happen within reach of each other.

God sure knows His timing.
—
what are you thankful for this 2009?

World peace, bow [LP]

ang regalo na gusto kong matanggap mula kay God ay simple lang. mas magandang kinabukasan at buhay para kay Mia. as for all the children in the world who cannot have it on their own.

ikaw anong regalo gusto mo matanggap bukas?

happy holidays, everyone!

—

Litratong Pinoy theme this week: Regalo (gift)

EDSA Shangri-la | 121409 | Canon EOS 400d | F1.8 50mm 1/15sec | photo by my Dad | postprocessed by yours truly | creative shot directed by Mia herself =)

Fireflies

my brother and i were LSS-ing on Fireflies by Owl City the other day. we weren’t sure which category to put it under; there’s emo-i’ll-kill-myself-after category, the artsy-fartsy-it’s-actually-cool list, and the i-think-it’s-an-environmental-song-so-let’s-plug-it kind.

(or it’s the it’s-so-pop-my-ears-bleed-for-the-nth-time-it’s-played-on-the-radio list).

hmm. anyway, here’s the music video of that. it’s rather cool because of the old school treatment. but you decide.

Lyrics | Owl City lyrics – Fireflies lyrics

Need for speedtest

this nifty site, Speedtest.net, that tests your internet connection’s download and upload speed amuses me. for an tech-impatient person like me, there’s nothing like an official tech-o-meter that reassures you that downloading Snowpatrol’s new single will only take 1 minute.

that’s SmartBro (prepaid lang nga) for you. just average. hmm.

but i’m surfing just fine, and my restaurant is loading just as fast. =) so i wonder how the other ISPs are doing. what are you using? how’s it faring on speedtest?

A guide to getting lost

when you read a Neil Gaiman novel, or graphic novel, or short story, or whatever, prepare to get lost.

delightfully lost, that is. you can never tell which world you’re going to end up in, once you take that plunge in the first page. and when i was asked by a ‘Gaiman virgin’* if he was any good read, i (refrained from looking taken aback that there was one such literate soul who did not know G) said the very same thing.

when you read Gaiman, there’s no such thing as clearly delineated reality and dreams. everything is surreal. what’s the term? magically real. i’m not sure where i picked up the term, probably during my Pop Lit subject in college or from my Film friends.

anyway. i’ve read American Gods (my initiate’s book, so guess what that did to my Grisham mind), Anansi Boys (a little milder, yes), The Graveyard Book (lovely, if i may borrow an english accent too), Stardust (even more delightful), Good Omens (co-written with Terry Pratchet, another good one), M is for Magic (halfway through), and Death: The High Cost of Living (i’m afraid, i haven’t been immersed in the Sandman series enough).

film adaptations of his novels/graphic novels are also strongly recommended. so far i’ve only been able to watch Stardust, Coraline, Beowulf, and Mirrormask, which are all part of my favorites list.

so if you’re in the process of forgetting the realities of life, like a ‘tiny’ glitch in the workplace or an absolutely insufferable ex, this could be your pill. swallow it whole, and don’t think to much about it.

*noun. one whose world hasn’t been invaded by kindly ghouls and semi-transparent ghosts whose nature it was to take care of a living child, or a giant floating lethargic man, or simply, by gods.

Twinkle twinkle, big tree [LP]

paskong pinoy para sa akin: lights, trees, sparkles, among so many other things. na hindi mawawala sa mga dekorasyon sa bahay. yun nga lang, paunti ng paunti ang naglalagay ng mga ganyan ngayon.

–

natuwa ako sa mga effects ng Photoscape, kaya ayan. =) (post edit: aging effect lang ang naidagdag sa photo na ito).

EDSA Shangri-la Hotel | 121409 | Canon EOS 400D | F2.5 50mm 1/80sec

Control tip #4

commute at least once a week.

take the bus to work and then walk, to be more specific. it’s actually refreshing not to be behind the wheel, being the one weaving through traffic. just close your eyes or stick those headphones in your ear and turn the music up, because there’s always that ‘backseat driver syndrome’ that might suddenly kick in.

walking too will only take a few minutes of morning sun and it won’t hurt much. unless peeling is a more important factor in your life.

(sorry, no contempt there… just sarcasm. :p)

so, walk. i’m beginning to enjoy it actually.

Hindi lang ngayon [LP]

a song comes to mind: “sana ngayong pasko…”

ay may makaing masarap.

may bagong damit at tsinelas.

may pampagamot sa sakit, matutulugang maayos, at makapag-aral. marami sa mga batang lansangan dito sa Maynila, wala na rin halos inaasahan pang magandang kinabukasan.

samantalang ang iba sa atin, napakadaling itake for granted ang mga priveleges ng kahit kakaunting pera. kung itapon ang kinabukasan parang napakadali lang.

ang hiling ko hindi lang ngayong Pasko kundi habang buhay ay sana magamit ko ang mga biyayang bigay ng Diyos para makatulong sa iba. especially to kids who deserve so much more.

hiling ko din na sana kahit papaano ay may mainspire ako sa inyong mga babasa nito, nito, o nito na tumulong din sa mga tulad nila.

—

tema ngayong linggo sa Litratong Pinoy: Hiling (wish)

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTI 400D | 102309 | www.flickr.com/morks/photos

Tags: Litratong Pinoy, street children, Virlanie foundation

Three (a post-Nov20 birthday post)

the (Dairy Queen) birthday cake that was. note to self: never put an ice cream cake in the chiller. unless you fancy eating it right out of the box, dripping.

if you’re a kid, though, that’s more fun.

at least Mia got to blow her candle.

thank you titas and titos who came (and for the gifts!). Play Doh, the holy grail of childhood playstuff — at least in our time — was such a hit with Mia and Clarice. while poor Mr. Potato Head lost a hand.

more than anything, i’m really happy God blessed us another year for Mia.  Christmas naman!

it’s a sign! [lp]

…na gutom ka na. pag lumalabo na ang mata mo dahil sa gutom. at heaven-sent ang sign na to. =)

–

post-edit. na-realize ko lang, na imbis na mag-recycle ng litrato ngayong Huwebes, ay maglagay naman ako ng bago na mas makabuluhan.

para sa marami, sign lang ‘to ng isa sa mga sikat ng fastfood chains sa Pinas. pero para sa ibang bata, parang langit yan na dating tinitingala lang mula sa Binondo plaza. nakakapasok lang tuwing makikiinom or makiki-CR. nung dinala namin sila doon isang Sabado, di mo ma-imagine ang tuwa nila. simpleng burger, fries, spaghetti at sundae lang, akala mo piyesta talaga.

nakakaantig ng damdamin, lalo sa akin na may sariling anak. di ko matiis na ganoon ang buhay nila. ikaw, kung gusto mo tumulong, pwedeng pwede. nandito sila. naisulat ko na rin ang tungkol sa kanila.

—

Litratong Pinoy challenge this week: hudyat (signal, sign). and it’s back! 1 month din nagpahinga itong photo meme, but it’s back, bigger and better. sali na!

rehab tip #3

when you’re driving down a bumper-to-bumper EDSA, and your temper meter just cannot help but go way east of the dial, watch the billboard ads!

and then you forget about the undisciplined bus drivers, the wang-wangs* weaving through the already-impatient traffic thinking it would part like the Red Sea, the motorcycle drivers (no more adjectives needed there), and the other cars as irate as you.

instead, you will spend a wonderful time admiring Dingdong’s tacky billboard ad, all the beauty centers’ secrets to a new you, that bright LED widescreen on Guadalupe and of course, Derek Ramsay’s awesome abs (if that’s not already the cause of traffic).

–

*i forget the colloquial term used for convoys