Trying out hello.

Cool. It works.

Anyway... this is a candid shot taken of me when I was in Apo Island. T, promise, this is a candid shot. Je took the shot earlier than expected.

 

CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF APL.DE.AP AND BEP!

‘Twas interesting watching Lukso ng Dugo’s story on Allan Pineda yesterday. We were spared the melodrama of his life since Maalaala Mo Kaya already took care of that. The staff surprised Allan when they ‘hid’ his mom and oh-so-many step-siblings (I lost count after 6) in one of the rooms of Westin (where BEP were billeted, I guess).

I got a fuzzy warm feeling when they led Allan to the room. He had this moment of pause with a very pleasant grin on his face until his mom lunged at him with a bear hug. Which he returned with his face buried on her shoulders. They were all laughing in the room as sibling after sibling after sibling gave him a hug.

Really, really feel good.

Until it got better. They showed Allan video clips from his family (of course) and barkada. It was interesting listening to his barkada. Even back then, they had already noticed his passion for dancing and rap. They even interviewed the first girl he courted (who was holding a baby!) when he was a teen-ager, who ended up with his barkada who happened to be their tulay. The girl explained that Allan was torpe so she never got to tell him that she returned his feelings. (But then he might have never left Angeles City!).

Every Filipino should be proud of apl.de.ap for taking pride in his heritage. In every interview he gave, he never failed to reiterate that every person must look back where he came from. That he decided to go to America with his adopted father Atty. Joe so he can help his family (which he continues to do until now).

We should also be appreciative of his bandmates for being so receptive of his own heritage. The boys were wearing Barong Tagalogs in one part of their concert. And they were hugging Allan’s mother when she came up on stage.

Black-Eyed Peas deserves the support they are receiving as they share goodwill messages with their songs. And seeing them ‘up close and personal, you realize they are not just saying things but mean it too.

ALL MY LIFE

Yes, yes. I line up for Filipino movies. I sincerely believe that our own movies should be given the chance to prove themselves. No, I do not think we have reached the caliber of Hollywood and may never learn the subtlety of European movies but I can say we have greatly improved over the years.

All My Life is a typical love story. Nothing that we have not seen before. It is an all-too familiar plot that have been played over by both Hollywood and in our own shores (especially in our own shores).

But the writers have learned how to play around with dialogue more. They have learned to be a bit more creative with twists (operative word being BIT).

It was a relatively good movie. And I would dare say that the best thing about it is Aga Mulach. His character is somewhat a reprise of the one he plays in “Kung Ako na Lang Sana.” But this guy… he just toys with your emotions. One second he is making you laugh, the next second he gets you to tears. Those eyes are just too powerful when in the hands of a good director. Ang galling-galing ni Aga dito. Promise.

STAR CIRCLE QUEST

I used to have a crush on Joross, but I’m starting to crush on Hero. My bet for Grand Questor would be either Roxanne or Hero.

IT’S A GIRL

Not that I didn’t know months ago.

But my sister gave birth to her third daughter and fifth child (prolific, my sister is.). Welcome to the world Wanda Jude.

No nickname yet because my sister are having second thoughts calling her O. Why we even thought of calling her O is a long story which begins with her eldest sister Nonay. Ask me if you are interested. Hehehe!

How I wish she was here in Davao or I was there in Cebu so I can help take care of the baby. I love infants. I love taking care of infants. I like feeding them (from the bottle of course!). I like burping them. I love rocking them to sleep. I like watching them sleep. I like holding their tiny little finger. I like kissing their tiny little feet. I love, love, love babies! So if any of you need a nanny, call me.

CAN’T WAIT, CAN’T WAIT, CAN’T WAIT

Four days till Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban!

Directed by the maker of Y Tu Mama Tambien, Alfonso Cuaron (who somewhat looks like Sirius Black). I am sure there will be no french-kissing cute boys in this movie.

But there will be cute boys in this movie. If I were 13 right now, 18 even… I’d be fainting from the site of Daniel Radcliffe. At 25, I’m just near faint. He is just so boy-next-door cute!

And Rupert Grint does very good comedy. For a 14-year old boy, I respect his talent. He does have the tendency to over-react, but he is 14! And I like his new look in the US premiere of Harry Potter (big mistake, Warner Brothers, pirated copies will be flooding the streets of Manila before the movie).

Emma Watson. Sigh! I never looked that pretty at 14. And will not look like that now or at 40. Such a pretty, pretty young lady!

Anyway… I was reading the Junior Inquirer this morning and reading through the eight-page spread for the Harry Potter hype. I felt like a mother seeing her children grow. Near-tears seeing them all so grown up. And possibly not seeing them in the next Harry Potter movies (if WB can still challenge themselves to make the next books!)

(well I have been near-tears with so many things nowadays… near-tears with Allan Pineda’s pride in the Philippines, near-tears with Boy Abunda’s praises for booted out Star Circle Questor Neri, near-tears from Fantasia winning American Idol. Must be the hormones talking).

I am so darn excited. I love waiting for movies. I am excited to see Cuaron work on a film for young audiences. And maybe the European touch would elevate the movie’s quality a notch. Harry and the rest ARE brits, and the American sensibilities of Columbus just tainted characters some. Just some.

With the trailers I have been seeing, I think Cuaron did a good job with getting the emotions out of Dan Radcliffe. The past two movies he has been too stoic, often overpowered by the facial expressions of Ron. This time around everybody involved with Harry Potter has matured.

HANSON

I liked them then.
I like them now.
Music and looks.
It’s nice to see them all grown up, physically and musically.

Get to know my dogs!

APL

Last night I watch Allan Pineda’s (of the Black-Eyed Peas) life story on Maalaala Mo Kaya. What do you know? We both came from the famed town of Angeles City! Except he was probably in the Mt. Arayat area where the agricultural lands are.

I was bursting with pride after.

He was such a good guy who loved his Filipino family and respected his adopted father. I’m sure the story had several embellishments here and there but still my love for BEP rose a notch higher (which is already up there in the first place).

I like for a fact that he does not deny his heritage and is in fact proud of it. He acknowledged the Philippines when they won something in the MTV Asia Awards. I adore the other BEP members for including the Filipino track in their album.

Jhong Hilario (yes his name has an H. He is after all, Pinoy) of the Streetboys portrayed Allan Pineda in his 20’s. His flips and flops were spectacular! And at least, he tried to put some twang in his English though it came out awkward. Effort commended though since he is not a natural English speaker.

The boy who did the 14-year old Allan acted so well. The boy got me spilling a tear or two (but hey, what’s new).

Being the Pinoys that we are, Allan Pineda will be guesting in Lukso ng Dugo season finale with his mother. I wonder if his father will suddenly come out from nowhere to claim him, something that many Pinoys are wont to do when their children are rich and famous already.

CITY OF BEASTS

Isabel Allende shifts to the genre of young adult books which got me excited. I love YA books. I like the Isabel Allende books I have read (House of Spirits and Infinite Plan)So I thought it would be worth getting City of Beasts, especially at a 20% discount with my Laking National Card.

I finished the last chapter this morning after a vain attempt to keep awake past twelve.

I’m disappointed. And I’m disappointed that I’m disappointed.

The book had a slow start. There were a lot of times I wanted to give up reading on it but I kept thinking of the bucks I spent on the book so I plodded on. With a heavy thud-thud because it was such an effort.

The funny thing was there were things happening in the book. There were hints of evil plot lurking somewhere you can’t place. There were Amazon Indians (I love Indians!). There was a reluctant, young hero. There was an exotic adolescent girl. There were rites of passages. There was indigenous magic. There were the Beasts (who made a decent appearance five chapters before the ending! Hello!!!).

It was all too easy and all too convenient for our young adventurers. I only got fascinated when Allende started describing the lives of the People of the Mist.

I have this uneasy feeling that her interesting ideas were lost in translation.

At least having finished the book means I could start with Clive Barker’s Abarat. Can I just say though that the book is quite heavy I had to leave it at home as it might get in the way of my ska-nking gimmick tonight. Hehehe!

Found a site where I can post pictures with my entries thanks to Kaladkarin.

So welcome to A DASH OF DREAMS. I decided to make this a photoessay blog of sorts. Please do post a comment or two on the tagboard.

I am still keeping this blog though.

ANOTHER QUIZ

	Cheer Bear You're the Care Bear cheerleader! Your spunky personality and optimisim lifts everyone's spirit. Though you want everyone to be happy, you stand your ground on issues you feel strongly about and this can bring disunity among your friends. Despite this, you are a true believer in working together.
Take the Which Care Bear Are You? Quiz!

Cheer Bear was my favorite Care before. I still did not have issues with the color pink then. hehehe!

Another shot at attempted thoughts.

You're a Dialogue/Character Writer!


What kind of writer are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

1602

Thanks to Bunny's kind heart, I was able to get hold of 1602 – a Marvel Universe collaboration with Nick Gaiman. Andy Kubert penciled the comic. Kubert is one of my favorite pop comics pencilers along with Whilce Portacio (of course) and Todd McFarlane.

And so 1602 stars the original five X-Men – Jean Grey, Cyclops, Beast, IceMan and Beast, Magneto and his children Wanda and Pietro, Nick Fury, Doctor Strange, Captain America, the Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Peter Parker, Bruce Banner, Thor, the Watchers and Doom.

I thought it interesting how Gaiman would be able to infuse his magic on these characters so I was quite excited to see how the story goes.

Thing is, reading 1602, it didn’t feel much like a Gaiman story. It could have been very well written by Stan Lee or Chris Lee or Marc Silvestri. Maybe because I have read a lot of X-Men before and they have come up with so many crossovers that dealt with different versions of the end of the world and alternate realities. The premise is all-too familiar and all-too-overused to be considered a comic-crossover masterpiece. Even if it is Gaiman who writes the story. Plus the art style is too populist to give me the feel of the usual grit I associate with Gaiman stories.

Gaiman, I think, is more character-oriented than plot-oriented which could have been the constraint for writing a Marvel crossover. The master talent of Gaiman would have been exploited better if they came up with his version of the tension between Eric Lensher (Magneto) and Charles Xavier, dabbling on their friendship in the past and differing ideologies yet mutual respect for each other. (I am not sure if Marvel has done a decent storyline on that after my bro stopped collection, but from the ones that I have read I have not been fully satisfied with how their relationship with each other is being dealt with. Smallville might just be offering a better explanation between Lex and Clark).

So there.

But I was glad to have read 1602 (thanks again, Bunny! You always satisfy my Gaiman cravings!). It made me crave for a Filbar’s branch here. I will gladly spend 100 bucks on a comic book over than a Cosmo magazine (no offense to my girl friends who do… you understand my preferences in life naman di ba?),

Can I just say it felt good reviewing comics again? There are few things I can really talk about with some expertise and Marvel comics is one of them. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of people I can talk to about with the comics I read except my bro.

WHICH BRINGS ME TO MY FRUSTRATION

Damn it! There is a Filbar’s silver anniversary even in Glorietta at the end of the month. Can I just say this is so not fair! Meron na ngang Black Eyed Peas sa Saturday, Tuck and Patti nung nagdaang Linggo… but a Filbar’s event is just too much for me! Gusto ko na umiyaaaaaaak! Hindi tama ito!

Tapos may costume-costume pa! E, isa sa mga pangarap ko sa buhay ay maka-attend ng costume party! Waaaaaah! Imagine being other comic book geeks in one place… mare, pare… heaven yun! Then I’ll come there dressed as Danielle Moonstar before she became an assassin (with a winged helmet, feathers in my hear and my brother as Brightwind, the Winged Horse [joke]). My bro would probably wear his Starship uniform (yes, he has one) and converse in Klingon but not fluently of course. Or if I’m too lazy to make a costume, I’d go as a Dementor or Nazgul.

Waaaaah! I already missed out on the Sci-Fi convention the last time. And I’m going to miss out on this again. Waaaah!

There is something like a toy collectors convention on June 27 in SM Megatrade Hall, too.

But I want to go the Filbar’s event pa din. Hwaaah!
(By the way, JVP is celebrating its silver anniversary din.)

AND SO MY YESTERDAY WENT…

Movie 1: Starsky and Hutch (Cinema 3)
Food: Cheeseburger meal with upsized fries
Review: It was pretty okay. Quite forgettable actually. The comic talents of Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller weren’t utilized well. Zoolander was way better and had more sense.

Movie 2: Jersey Girl (Cinema 4)
Food: Strawberry Cotton Candy which did not taste anything like strawberry at all, but nonetheless made me a very happy, jumpy girl. Avocado Shake to make sure that I at least had a healthy intake for the day.
Review: I really liked it. My heart was overflowing with joy that this movie was not about Ollie (Ben Affleck) and Maya (Liv Tyler) but rather about Ollie and his daughter and a tinge of his relationship with his father. This is more of a family flick than a love story. Whoop! Whoop! Yeah! I actually found it touching and was trying to hold back my tears at some point. (I have admitted a million times before that I am a crybaby.) I wouldn’t mind going out with a man who has a child if he is as loving as Ollie was in the movie.

Movie 3: Shrek 2 (Cinema 6 – Dolby)
Food: Nada
Review: Shrek 2 had its moments but Shrek 1 was better.

I missed out on Man on Fire and Troy. I am still contemplation on watching Man on Fire tonight. Troy, I am sure, my brother will try to get a copy at home if ever it stops showing this week.

Had fun. I just realized how comforting it is to be in the cinema all day. Nothing much on your mind, other people doing the thinking for you, you just sitting there with life on the outside and on the screen passing you by. Much like being Rip Van Winkle dreaming the whole day.

MY BAND

Not the D12 hit. But Alex Band of The Calling. I am falling in-love with him. Promise. So much that I might actually buy their album. Their latest single (what's the title of that again?) is just too feel good that it makes me... feel good.

A-LEX BAND!
A-LEX BAND!
*screams hysterically with matching tears while running around our garden then drops on the ground from exhaustion*
*repeat exercise until your imagine gets tired*
A-LEX BAND!
A-LEX BAND!

Except I'm still grappling with the idea that I actually intensely adore a blonde guy (yeah, I did like Legolas but let me remind everyone it is because he is an ELF. If he were human, I'd junk him for being prettier than I am. hehehe).

I love Girl, Interrupted.

Which Girl Interrupted character are you? Susanna Kaysen You are the main character, a Girl, Interrupted. You have a borderline personality and were admitted to Claymore after chasing a bottle of aspirin with a bottle of vodka. You ended being up a successful writer after your release, just like Sylvia Plath.

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

HOLIDAY

Davao greeted me as it usually had in the past. Flowers of various hues and shades potted in black garbage bags, lining the Buda road.

And I greeted Davao differently this time. It used to be, "eto na naman ang Davao." This time I sighed, "home, finally."

You could say I have just been gone for two weeks (with a two day return to Davao in between). I have been gone longer. But Davao felt a long time ago, this trip around.

Maybe because I was actually doing something that required more than five hours of my time. I don't know.

But anyway, my boss has declared it a holiday for me (and I hope for her too). Which I shall spend inside the movie house. Probably munching on chips, drinking coke... something. But it will be my day today. I shall do what I want!

Right now, I am dressed like a gypsy. And I like the feel of it especially when the wind billows my skirt.

After I'm done with the internet, I shall be on my way to SM, check the movie schedules, plot out my own, then go to National to buy myself Clive Barker's Abarat (I got 350 bucks worth of National rebate coupons... Laking National has been my most useful membership card thus far. I should get an SM advantage card soon).

Will definitely be watching Jersey Girl and Troy. It's still a toss up between Starsky and Hutch and Shrek 2. Shrek 2 I am sure will still be showing next week. Hopefully, I can make my sked fit four movies. We shall see.

The point is I WILL ENJOY TODAY!

Oh, and happy anniversary to Toni. :)

Quizzes!

stolen from Lost Student.


Mermaid:
Mermaids, similar to Centaurs, have a torso of a
human and the body of a fish. You are curious
yet reserved in your actions. You like to have
fun but never at the expense of others and you
never roughouse. You love water and the
creature in it and feel it is your job to make
sure they stay safe.


What Mythological Creature Are You (Many Results and Beautiful Pics)
brought to you by Quizilla


Your a Guradien Angel! Guardien Angels are also
knows as Warrior Angels, because they are the
army of God. Not always meaning that they are
in war, simply that their job is to protect
unwary humans from dark dragons, or other evil
demons. Warrior Angels are not always friendly
with humans, but they will watch over them all
the time. Humans say that when a miracle
happens, thank your guradien angel.


What Kind of ANGEL are you? (For Girls only) This Quiz has amazingly Beautiful Pictures!
brought to you by Quizilla

GIBBERISH

The past few days, I have not the mood to write. It's not because there are too many things on my mind because there are always things on my mind. And blogging actually helps me exorcise my inner demons. It's not there are too many things to do because sometimes it is while doing something that my blogging mind is overly active.

I'd go, "ooh, i can blog about that! I wonder how I should phrase it?" Most of what I go through are deposited in my mind in blog form, though it is only a portion of those that are actually withdrawn and placed here. Just imagine how much I think with the rate I post!

And so, I don't know. I just didn't feel like blogging.

Not until I saw the beach today.

Our training venue has a pool is just in front of the beach. Honestly, I never liked Cagayan de Oro beaches. Maybe the trauma was caused by a past experience of floating stinky objects a few feet from where I was swimming.

In Luzon and Visayas, the typhoons are raging killing at least five people already. From where I am, the sun is sweltering hot and the brightness of day is blinding. I prefer to stay in our venue but I have to run errands so I'm out here in the open.

But when I saw the Cagayan de Oro beach that I never appreciated, it woke me up from my blogging slumber. It was actually inviting. The water sparkling under the agonizing sun, turning ocean blue instead of its usual sandy brown color.

The wind plays with the flags that line the cottages, flipping it this way and that. Trees are rustling ever so slightly if you strained to listen.

It was so inviting. But I'm stuck in front of a lousy lap-top with non-working keys while looking after our 34 Lumad teachers.

I am enjoying the training and learning much myself. But then... well, it would be nice to take a dip. Though I doubt if I will attempt the beach even if there is time. Bring me back to my Samal Island mocha sands!

THE MOVES

I'm excited to watch Dirty Dancing, Havana Nights where Diego Luna of the Y Tu Mama Tambien fame will star. Between him and Gabriel Garcia Bernal, I find Diego Luna more attractive.

And seeing him dance in Dirty Dancing makes me go, "oooh, sexy man!" Men who can dance well are very attractive to me. Except if he is gay, of course. I swoon everytime he gyrates those hips. In my mind, I go, "yeah, babeh. Shake it!"

I have this dislike of pair dancing and prefer to groove it on my own. But if this boy asks me to dance, hell yeah i would! Except I'd probably be blushing the whole time and probably stop in mid-dance from the all-too intimate touch.

So can't wait, can't wait, can't wait. Die-go! Die-go! Die-go! (except he seemed all drugged up in some scenes.) Ah... latin lovers.

*****
ON THE MOVE

I'm off to Cagayan de Oro tomorrow to prepare for our teachers' training. I'm starting to dislike Cagayan de Oro-Davao trips. Maybe because CDO has become too familiar that I feel the trip should be shorter than 6 hours. Sigh. My back already hurts as it is. I feel it is going to get worse.

*****
BILLS

Syet. I suddenly realized I might not have enough money to pay for my phone bills. My finances are so skewed. Not to mention an unexpected 'spending' of amount. Oh well. Can't wait for May to be over.

Yesterday, after voting, my brother and I went to Powerbooks in Greenbelt 4 just to address our book addiction.

My bro found a book, "Called to Excel" (I think) written by a certain Rex Resurreccion. I was amused. That guy had my dad's name! Cool.

Except my dad's brothers and cousins have been at one point in their life called Rex Resurreccion (a shortcut for our super-long name). But definitely, none of his brother's wrote his book.

Wala lang. Ang saya. Sikat tatay ko kahit nasa langit na.

DIRTY FINGER

I feel so authentically Filipino today. Whenever I go out and vote, I feel like I am doing something concrete for my country, that I am speaking my voice. Be it the popular opinion or not (which is always the case, I have never voted for a winning president), I am exercising a right and a privelege.

It was a sigh of relief to know that I still exisit even if I was not able to register again. It was a sigh of relief that work brings me here to Manila to vote. It was a sigh of relief I was able to convince my brother to go with me all the way to Paranaque to vote.

Hopefully, we can keep the elections as clean as possible. And that the true voice of the people be heard.

To all those who participated in the elections, good work.

Hats off to the public school teachers who have always been the heroes of the election.

May the candidates accept their fate well. Though my manok is failing miserable. *sigh* Oh well. I knew it was going to happen.

SAN JUAN ULI

The weekend in Batangas was quite a welcome one. I spent most of it sleeping. Which was something I do so desire much. When we got there, I spent the whole morning asleep. Yummy, yummy thing.

San Juan was somewhat like Samal Island, with the same quality of sand. In the afternoon, we took a boat to the coral garden. So they say. Most of the corals I saw were near dead, probably due to the anchors dropping and dragging against it. There were still an abundance of fish though.

With the crazy bravery I am known for, I went off farther than most people. Only because of the good quality snorkel I had (thanks to bro) and the vest from the boat. The adults of the group stayed near the shore needing to tend their little kids. It was the teen-agers who ventured far from the shore. I, the insane daredevil, went off in the deeper portion. The stunt earned me a view of a puffer fish, fingerling schools of all sizes, various common species, the more elusive angel fishes and a sea snake (first time, yippee!). I did get a bit apprehensive after seeing the snake though I have never been easily frightened by reptiles, that one got me worried. Knowing that it was one of the most poisonous of species probably led to the fear. But I know I have heard that their mouths are so small they can only bit in between fingers and toes. And it hardly paid me heed. Still I kept a safe distance.

When we were told to go back, we passed by the real coral garden where, from the boat, you can see patches of purple and red. Giant red starfishes were also abound. I wanted the boat to stop for a while so we can see more but nobody else seemed interested. Bummer.

We got to the shore. Being an insistent fool, I was able to get people to go with me past the mangrove area a kilometer’s walk away. Where we were staying, the beach was all sand. Boring.

It was low tide. But I still snorkeled even if it looked ridiculous. Again, the inanity was rewarded by a lost sea hors. Another first time viewing. I tried to grab it but as all sea creatures it was too quick. I contented myself with grabbing a red starfish to show my eleven year old ward. Well, it made her day.

The next morning, we were to have lunch by the beach. I had no plans of swimming so I brought something to read. Such a wonderful morning it was. I lay down on a bench made from varnished old wood under a shady foliage of this tree, then alternated between sleeping and reading. A friendly wind blew making sleep more delicious and reading more enjoyable. That was my idea of a relaxing day. No one bothering me, just me and my book and the beach.

Great, great morning.

Today… I vote. Located my name on findprecint.com and I am still registered. Yipee! I like exercising my right and duty to vote.

Darn it!

Syet! Black-Eyed Peas will be here in Manila on the 29th. Bad trip! Before that, Tuck and Patti will also be here on May 21-22. Argh.

On the previous post, I forgot to say that I didn't really believe it (especially since there were no news about it anywhere) when I posted about it because I was in a hurry. But thanks to T's FBI skills, she discovered it was an April Fool's Joke. But then, again... if it were true... deadma.

Well, he was bound to come out anyway. Deadma. Crush ko pa rin siya.

And it never got in the way of Ian McKellen's career.

By the way, I forgot to say that I don't really believe it.

here i come manila. *mwah* *mwah* *mwah* miss na kita. magpakahayok tayo. charing!

the dragon ate the moon

at midnight, i could hear the heavy downpour clash against the roof of the room. disappointment knotted my heart for i have been waiting for the eclipse since i found out about it monday night. but being a stubborn optimist, i set the alarm at 3:30.

sleep didn’t come easy as the events of the day fell one on top of the other in my mind. instead of slowing my heart rate, it upped a bit. just like a sudden introduction of caffeine into my system.

then empty darkness.

i wake up. i felt my astral body being hastily jerked back to my physical body. no sound of alarm. checked my phone. 3:23 am, seven minutes earlier than expected. head floating up to god knows where. internal conflict rose. sleep is too damn well delicious and precious. but eclipses happen once in a blue moon (harhar! pun not intended.)

so the call of the outside won. dragged my feet to the other room where i placed my binoculars, then dragged myself some more to the garden. all the while i was saying, please let there be no clouds.

clouds. dang. red. oooh. apocalypse? ooooh. har.

i climbed atop the monkey bars. half the sky was cloudy, the other half was clear. unfortunately it was the moon’s side got covered up.

so i kept my eye on the moon. or what seemed to me like the moon, where the clouds were glowing from it’s light. by sheer force of will or god’s pity, i don’t know… the clouds started drifting away revealing the moon.

yipee!

there it was, already a quarter left. 3:45 am. i never took off my eyes except to get the binoculars. it looks nearer, true. but it was too blurry and i had trouble adjusting the thing so never mind the thing. i stare and stare and stare… am i imagining it getting smaller and smaller? but it was. just a slight sliver of a moon!

3:48 am i gasp. a shooting star! or was it peter pan on the way home? but it has been a long time since i saw one. my heart leapt with joy. wooow! and it was a pretty big one too, a long streak in the sky lasting for more than a nanosecond.

patience is a virgin, er… virtue.

3:51 am. just a minute more until the total eclipse. there was barely a moon already but you could still see the light. suddenly the clouds came rolling by again covering my moon up.

but i didn’t feel all together bad about it anymore. at least i was able to witness a bit already. things could have been much worse.

so now my eyes are puffy, i have a slight headache… but i have little traces of joy from being part of this celestial event with a shooting star bonus to match.

*grin*

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NICK JOAQUIN

I could help myself from buying a book when I was in National Bookstore in Gaisano Mall. Well... because I have not seen so many selections in a long time. SM National is a disappointment here. It just frustrates me going around that branch.

Anyway... there were a lot of books that I wanted to get. James Joyce, Nick Horny, Lewis Caroll... so many authors. But they were all too expensive. And I had a feeling they can wait.

I decided to go to the Filipiniana section after I realized I promised myself to buy more Filipino books as support for our culture. The first three on my list were actually Nick Joaquin, F. Sionil Jose and Lualhati Bautista.

I bought Nick Joaquin. Obviously his death prodded me. There I go again, the late fan. Tsk. Tsk. Thanks to Rowie for giving me the wake up call even if she didn't intend to. I bought the book, P165. Much cheaper than Hornby's 595 bucks. It seems a fitting tribute to buy his book on his birthday. Though it was really purely coincidental.

And I have just read one paragraph and am thorougly enjoying myself already.

FRIENDSTER/MYSPACE Blues

More and more people are asking me to be their friend, but then I have no idea who they are. I somewhat feel bad with the idea of rejecting an offer of 'friendship' but then it's strange to have someone on the your list that you hardly know. Sheesh. Life's questions.

TO LIVE IS AN AWFULLY BIG ADVENTURE

Once again my feet drags me to Peter Pan. Or maybe it was my heart. This time I had T and Cheska (my cuz) along.

While I continue to be thrilled and amazed with Peter, there are more things I come to realize about him, more than he being so awfully handsomely cute and Wendy being so awfully beautifully pretty (and very much a future heartbreaker).

I got a comment from my other blog that JM Barrie may have been on an acid trip when he wrote Peter Pan. Honestly, that would have been a more comforting idea compared to the thought that he wrote it while sober. Imagine how much innuendoes he could have placed if he were high. :p

Though Peter Pan has been packaged as a children’s book, there are a lot of things adult about it. In my book’s introduction, the editor notes that Hook and Mr. Darling are always portrayed by the same man (as in the movie and plays). This is because of his problematic relationship with his father. At the same time, in the movie, Captain James Hook after attempting to escape the clutches of the crocodile eventually concedes to his fate of being supper after the children chants, “old, alone and done for.” The idea of which made Hook loses his happy thought. And in truth, it is not a thought that would make anyone jump for joy either.

And there is the thimble… er, the kiss. In the movie, the sign that Aunt Millicent (a new character) for the movie saw that indicated Wendy to be grown up was THE KISS. The kiss to which could only belong to one. Of which Wendy chooses to give to Peter… “This belongs to you and you alone…” Though Wendy chooses to grow up, she leaves behind the coveted kiss to the person who first captures her heart. Don’t we all give our everything to our first love?

Hook seems to me a caricature of a lonely old man, who then tries to destroy Peter Pan who is the epitome of everything that he isn’t – endearing, charming, young… Peter Pan, on the other hand, is not exactly the best example of a good child for he is cocky, arrogant, bohemian and immature. He then is a caricature of that little part of ourselves that runs away from the world… even from mother, even from love. For responsibility is a big thing for people like Peter.

And yes, I still do love Peter Pan inspite of that for he will always be the idea of the eternal child, the symbol of good things past, of adventures lived and unlived. Now, happy thoughts are harder to come by and flying even by way of imagination is more difficult to do.

But as he leaves the Darling residence, he tells us “to live is an awfully big adventure.” And yes it is. So as we grow up with Wendy Moira Angela Darling, we come to realize that Peter Pan has also suffered a loss and still knows have to have an adventure. Thus, so to can we.

LUNAR ECLIPSE

I am pretty much excited for the coming lunar eclipse on the morning of May 5. So let us all pray for good weather and clear skies that time. My fingers are crossed because it has been raining the whole weekend here in Davao. The last time a partial eclipse occured I was in Manila and the view in Sta. Ana was terrible. So this time I hope, I hope, I hope, I get to see it. Anyone who would like to take a look, it will be best to wake up around 3:30 AM since the total eclipse would occur at 3:52 AM.


Those in the States won't be able to witness it but they will get their chance in October where it will be us here in Asia who will just hear about it on CNN.

April 22, Earth Day, marked the monumental release of Kabayan, one of the captive-bred Philippine Eagles by the Philippine Eagle Foundation. There is much excitement with the release because it marks a first in our history. Other countries have gone leaps and bounds with the preservation and "replenishing" (sorry for the lack of better term, my migraine is still there) our endangered species while the Philippines have been way behind. The success of the release of Kabayan would pave the way for more releases in the future. And hopefully spring forth hope for the future of the Philippine Eagle and other endangered species endemic to the Philippines.

And here is latest report on Kabayan:



PHILIPPINE EAGLE FOUNDATION
PRESS RELEASE May 3, 2004

EAGLE RELEASE UPDATE

DAY 10 MAY 2 2004: SURVIVAL INSTINCTS

The captive-bred eagle Kabayan dazzled observers with a display of its
flight skills before taking its first full meal on Sunday, ten days
after its release to the forests of Mt. Apo last Earth Day April 22 2004.

At 2:57 pm of May 2, from an observation post one kilometer away from
the release site, Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF) personnel watched as
the 17-month old eagle soared up and down, then circled the sky for
nearly a minute before disappearing into the trees.

A few minutes later, local guides positioned 500-750 meters away from
the observation post heard animal calls and a commotion a short distance
from where they were hiding. The guides were tasked to monitor three
live guinea pigs placed around the observation post as supplemental
feeding for the eagle Kabayan. To offset probable lack of prey due to
limited visibility resulting from constant rain, the supplemental feeding
program was expanded and distributed around the reserve.

When the guides went to check on the guinea pigs at 3:40 in the
afternoon, they found only two left. Animal entrails and a contour feather
from the eagle were also found.

Sunday’s events marked an important milestone in the Experimental
Release Project, as Kabayan became bolder in exploring his new home and
searching for food. PEF Executive Director Dennis Salvador was glad that
Kabayan “took the food presented in one of the stations as we’ve been
concerned whether the bird had been effectively taking prey. The food
taking is significant in that it helps the bird build strength and gain
confidence in honing its skills.” Salvador was quick to add that the next
important milestone was to see Kabayan take on natural prey items.

In the wild, Philippine Eagles feed on prey items such as flying
lemurs, civets, rodents, snakes and bats, all of which are available in Mt.
Apo.


Tatit Quiblat
Communications Officer

more tidbits

i've been pretty lazy. my head hurts like hell. and being a girl is always shitty around this month. i lost my appetite for dinner because of the black forest parfait i ate. thank god it was shared with a good friend. tired from helping out in the pre-orsem activity for the incoming batch 25 volunteers (25 years na ang jvp!). but ugly day made less worse from wearing an expensive skirt purchase which seemed to me a good buy after getting nice remarks about it including mr. q. my head still hurts. sheeeeeet. cuz messed around with my blog. not bad though. i am partial to small fonts. we can't add background colors though. we both don't know. sensory overload in sm city davao. ang daming tao. but in a way proud of the davaonos because they only fill up the mall when there is a sale.

head hurts.
head hurts.
f**k.
i think it is a migraine.