What I checked off the 11 things to know at 25(ish)

11 things to know at 25(ish)

Number 1 Check
Number 2 Working on it
Number 3 Found someone to take it slow with so check! Learned this the hard way btw.
Number 4 In the works
Number 5 Not professionally but check
Number 6 Check
Number 7 Will have to return to the faith then
Number 8 Check
Number 9 Check
Number 10 Need to learn how to cook but as for buying check
Number 11 Talk to me in 2012 working on it.

I think this is the kind of article that fits a more church-going person than myself. BUT that doesn't mean it doesn't have any valid points.

I have a lot more to learn and some Chicken Soup for my Soul might just dislodged some laziness. But honestly this made me cringe since I have almost 60k worth of debt (not one person but several total is 54k+) So I am thinking that I need to take another money-earning activity that uses my talents or my skills to the fullest. It's going to take a long time and I honestly lost sleep trying to do the math last night. (we all know how nightmarish math is for me)

But I have to make sacrifices. I have to listen to the snappy remarks my friends told me on the bus. I need to sacrifice what I want to do to provide a better future for myself and my family. Whatever happens in my relationships, I need to be prepared. It would be great if I would grow old with a responsible man like my mom did with my dad. Otherwise, I have to fend for myself and my needs.

I have five years before I am officially out of the calendar. I will make sure that I get the hell out of the rut that I am in and put my act together.

Trust 30 : Courage to Connect by David Spinks

The person I am dying to connect to, have coffee with and learn from is the mature side of me who knows how to balance her life, love, work, and creative endeavours.

I want to get in touch with that version of me because I think I am a long way from that version of me or have lost touch as to how to make sacrifices or never really learned how to.

I know that it's too hypothetical, but I am hoping that in five years, I will be looking at her in the mirror and that she would be smiling at me and saying, "What took you so long?" instead of "You're too late."

Alive-est by Sam Davidson : Anawangin Adventure

I think the boat ride to the large island we were supposed to visit made me feel the most alive. We were in a tiny boat that fit the four of us and a boatman. The water was salty and hitting us in the body and face because the swells were huge from the rainy weather. It didn't rain during that time but the waves were too big for larger boats to take us to the three islands. We ended up just going to one island but every time the boat went up a wave and then landed back down I did a whoop. It was like being in a jungle log jam and space shuttle at the same time.

I think that I definitely need to travel more. I plan to visit there with an waterproof camera so that I can actually take a picture of the rocks. It's very beautiful there. And probably we would go there during the not so rainy season. The place had the calm and the storm in it. I think I really need to get out of the city more. But I have to work harder so that next time I would actually have the money to pay my way.

We were ninja riding the waves since they were too big to swim against or with. We got sand everywhere, we almost drown in the foam, we saw each other go under and sputter. We laughed and we found that despite all the things we had to do come Monday, there were Saturdays to ninjaride or lazysurf in the ocean. 

Motivation gauge : Full

Need more shots like this :

VIRGIN LABFEST 7

I want to watch it or at least buy a book that has the copy of the plays made from last year. Alam ko kasi nagrerelease sila ng copy the year after. Gusto ko ng copy ng play ni Mam Bucoy. Hindi ko kasi napanuod. Mabasa ko na lang sana.
Anyway, eto na Virgin Labfest 7 na. I saw the schedule here.
Manuod kayo kung me time at pera kayo. There is nothing that comes close to a live play, at least in my book. Kung me anda lang ako hinila ko na si Ico manuod nito. T_T, Hay, mahirap ang poor.

ANAWANGIN ADVENTURE (part 1)

WHY I WANT TO QUIT SMOKING

I ran after a bus. I ran so fast that I went past the provincial stop at Magallanes.

I think if I had a camera that was good in my cp I would've recorded the whole thing.

Basically, this is the gist, the trip that we needed to catch was the 3pm bus at Victory Liner Pasay. They all thought I could make it. They thought my work ends at 12. I dunno where they got it might be something I said or didn't say. So there. I left work at 1345. Stupid me bought shorts etc at St. Francis. So I got on the bus late. The bus driver said I would get there after three.

Lesson: When your friends tell you to get on an effin' cab, get on a fracking cab.

Lesson 2: Ride a MIA bus to go to Victory Liner PASAY. It takes 30 mins to get there. 

I had to get out of the bus at Guadalupe. There were no cabs there that would stop. I didn't want to stand in the middle of the highway just to hail one so I got on another bus, the same kinda bus.

They told me to get off at Mantrade and RUN for dear life to get to the other side and wait at the provincial stop. This was the first time in my entire life that I prayed for traffic to be heavy.

I got there and I even tried running after the buses that passed the provincial stop thinking the bus I needed to get on had already passed.

Long story short I answered Fried's call and when he asked me "Naka-yellow ka ba?" (Are you wearing yellow?) I said yes and dropped the call. I got on the bus and rode in front. I was hot, nearly dehydrated and panting when I got there. Fried was upfront and moved to the back. I sat there until San Fernando. TWO HOURS LATER. It was reminiscent of my one inch sitting training crap in ROTC. Still my ass was three times bigger since college so the relatively five inches wide seat with padding felt like an effin inch.

I finally got to the back of the bus and sat with my friends. I know that if they weren't my real friends, they would've killed me already. I think they had every motivation and reason to do so.

It made for MIRACLE NUMBER 1 for our trip to Zambales. There would be setbacks and mishaps but there would be blessings and adventure as well.

Lesson 3: Quit smoking and get back to exercising. That speed and height should not have been so hard had I been well-trained and toned.

Lesson 4: The bus time for the bus we rode at 5:30, 9 something, 12:00 and 3:00pm. The next one is  past 11:00.The buses to Olongapo start at 2am and have a 30-minute interval. 

Lesson 5: Never EVER travel without even a tiny-*ss bottle of water.


Things to buy : A good The North Face Travel backpack. 

Things to do/learn: How to get to Victory Liner Espana.

#Trust 30 : Enthusiasm by Mars Dorian

I think I need to make more time for my writing. Oddly enough although the weather is rainy (hate rainy weather) and I have a lot of students at my day-job today and glitches are everywhere. I think I work up on the right side of the bed today. I think my enthusiasm makes time pass quickly and the quality of my classes are back to my highest level. I just need to watch my time and follow some of the more basic QA points.

I think this is the me that I need to be to make my life easier. The motivated, spirited (regardless of the weather), positive me. I need to stop being emphatic. Because I think the work environment that I have drains the enthusiasm from everyone. Honestly. I need a change of pace and work situation. But that would happen once the conditions I set have happened or come to fruition. My friend say I am choosy. But I am just starting to be. Before I took whatever came at me and it didn't work out. Being in my dream job doesn't pay well so like the many others I need to enslave myself and sacrifice to make sure that my future is set in a much better tone.

I love my job now. But I set the date 7 months and 9 nine days more. I am hoping that this sense of inevitability would be like me waiting for the weekend to come. My day job will change in the future. But my career won't be in an office or a shithole. It would be in my head, in front of my laptop (i need to buy him a new charger as soon as I can) and in the novels that I will make and FINISH.

I know I will have two jobs all my life as foretold by some. I don't feel like it makes me perform less in the other when I do focus on the other. I think they balance each other out. The other gives me materials, the other one is the therapy that I need to survive life.

I hope my Enthusiasm bar remains in the green. I really really need to be self-motivated since the people whom I bow down to for peanuts doesn't seem to grasp the concept that enthusiastic employees are happy ones and happy ones work the best in all kinds of situations.

#Trust 30 : You Know by Jen Louden

Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

We live in a society of advice columns, experts and make-over shows. Without even knowing it, you can begin to believe someone knows better than you how to live your life. Someone might know a particular something better – like how to bake a three-layer molten coconut chocolate cake or how to build a website – but nobody else on the planet knows how to live your life better than you. (Although one or two people may think they do.) For today, trying asking yourself often, especially before you make a choice, “What do I know about this?”

+++

That hit me hard. T_T, I am beginning to think that I really need to move on from here to make sure that I get a better chance of helping my parents. At the rate things are going, the schedule is not enough to trump the money issues and the management mishaps. It's just amazing for me that I have stayed this long. 

Time to be an adult. 

I know that my mom is right that I should find an option that gives me a better chance of paying off my debts and saving up for my future. I need to make sure that I become street smart enough for my future. My friends are right that I am underemployed and underpaid. I might as well be underemployed but sufficiently paid. My parents are not getting any younger. I need to go somewhere where I don't have to buy water to make sure I don't go thirsty during my shift. 

My friends think I am in denial. 
I am aware of that. 
But once my condition for leaving Dante's Inferno is complete. I am hoping on the next train to Nirvana.

What do I know?

I know that I am not using up all of my potential and that time is running out for me to do it. I have let my fear get the better of me and that is not a great thing to be.

I know that I have my DARE TO BE GREAT MOMENTS coming and I should not let things like that pass me by.

Not a Drop of Dew in Sight

It is beyond my comprehension how you can think that the conditions underwhich you put us in is fair and adheres to good business management.

When your business is coming out of the mouths of people, you never let them go hungry or thirsty. But clearly you have neither the good sense nor the humanity to do something as providing them a constant supply of water.

Do you know the best way to die in a dessert? Talking.

This is no longer just Dante's inferno. It's become the Sahara at night as well. Cold but not a drop of dew in sight.

Secret Homecoming: the Eyecandy Eyeball Project : The OMG finals

ANY GIVEN SUNDAY

From 4pm to around 8ish, I was pregnant.

No, it was a fake pregnancy and I was fully aware of that.

The reason why was this, despite the facebook updates, which I know is still remiss of me, I forgot to say that the time is important etc and my friends are a little flexible on their ETAs.

Problems:

1. Hot Mamah had an emergency and needed to go to her hometown. She would be leaving from there, going to her apartment and dolling up before meeting us.

2. Isaac was roaming around Greenbelt and he suggested that we should meet in CBTL instead of Banaple when EC and I were already in AYALA triangle.

3. Freid is coming from La Union. He was in Tarlac when I texted him.

*I really should've blogged this when it was still fresh. I don't have the energy to do this blow-by-blow.

Long story short, EC wanted me to feign an emotional breakdown. Since I don't do emotional breakdowns, I smsed my bf that I would fake a pregnancy.

The story is :

I met my boyfriend before I went to meet my friends. I am calm in the outside frantic in the inside. My parents don't know yet. Just my friends would know. In this case, EC, Isaac, Freid and Hot Mamah.

The replies came in variations of "What?" or HUWAAT?!?

It was funny but I was this close *thumb and pointer finger very close to show amount* to blurting out that EC was coming when they wanted to move from the Japanese restaurant and leave CBTL.

I used the "hormones are raging so do what I say" card. I wanted to just colapse and it would not have been for effect.

I quickly smsed EC to come in through the FRONT DOOR. The one near the road. I was on the chair I was sitting on because I changed places with Freid saying I needed to lean against the wall. It was of course to be able to test my "cousin's iPhone" (EC's iPhone) and the way I would pan the video.

EC came from the OTHER DOOR. T_T, It surprised me too. And Isaac's gasp-O-shaped mouth-hands over his mouth-take a step back was classic. Freid said (according to EC) "Hologram ka ba?" (Are you a hologram?)

Then it was Hot Mamah's turn.
She actually cursed when she saw EC. I was too busying taking a video to listen in. EC came from the higher part of the main CBTL area and she sat up and came from behind HM.

*videos would be available when they are uploaded by EC*

I announced that I was not pregnant when they came. I feel like choking when Fried came earlier and asked me with full concern how I was doing. I might not be able to get that kind of reaction when it actually happens. But I am going to make sure that it would be something that would happen when the right time comes and it would be after the ring and significant savings.

MISSION LOG: SUCCESSFUL!

We ate at an Italian restaurant and we talked, barely skimming the surface and with some of us still not sure that they are actually there, talking to EC. The contents of that conversation led to a lot of the old-school laughter that we used to share. And I think, it fed my soul. I was tired and I had to go back to Isaac and HM's house then wait for 3am and went to work without sleeping a wink. But it was all worth it.

I missed being with my friend and being like this. They anchor me and I irritate them because I never shut up.

Just like old times. ^.^

Read the story from the beginning from here 

#Trust 30 : Gwen Bell – 15 Minutes to Live

We are afraid of truth, afraid of fortune, afraid of death, and afraid of each other. Our age yields no great and perfect persons. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I am afraid to love before and I have always wanted to be able to live without it. I am surrounded by it and I want to write all that can be told about love.

But to be able to write about it, then it should be defined. For me, do truly define something then I have to eliminate what it is not. I never could understand why it was like that for me.

Lust was something that I mistook for love before. Curiosity was an even closer version of love for me. I thought that the reason why I liked to learn new things about that person and about what we can do together, those wondrous elaborate exercises, I thought that was love. But it wasn't. It was lust and curiosity and in the end, I lost the passion and I got bored. But I didn't leave, I stayed I waited for them to leave.

That is when I learned love is not obsession and it's not contentment. At least not so much the last one and definitely the first once is not healthy. I also learned that love is not patience. It could be complacent however and let years pass pining for the wrong man. Then I learned that fate was real and that signs were bullocks. If you are not fated for a person, you don't need signs to come to you, they would hit you one after the other and you would ignore it all the time. Every single one of them.

I learned that you can't ignore reality and society when you love someone, or think yourself in-love with him or her. You can remove yourself from the group and think that you are no longer bound in the rules that they have set for themselves. But you are always influenced by that, because you are them and they are you. It's almost genetic at times.

I wanted nothing to do with love after I woke up from the illusion. I wanted to write about it someday but not during those days. I didn't want to immortalize my bitterness in poetry once again. I wanted to make people cry because they were touched by a story and not by the pain that I reminded them because of the love poem that I wrote. I got my ego bruised. What did I know about love? All I whined about was that I wasted my time on the wrong men.

Now I wonder if I have learned what love really is. I don't want to compromise who I am, be quieter, nicer and more forgiving. I don't want to give him everything without expecting a lot from him. He thinks that he has been wronged by those who loved him before, he has no idea what I went through to get to this point. He doesn't know what I had to endure to survive it all. He doesn't know because I don't think he understands humor, sarcasm and that not everything is about him. I am afraid he can't handle who I am and I would crush him and not recognize him in the end. I am afraid that the love I have for him is compromising, content and settling for less than what I wanted.

I can't tell him that in my opinion love is brutally honest and unrelentingly sarcastic. At least in my case, that is love.

In the end all that I know about love is that I am yet to understand it.

+prompt from here+

#TRUST30 : Facing (and Fearing) by Dan Andrews

got the inspiration from Steff's blog


1. "What are the costs of inaction?"

I would be stuck in a job that doesn't pay enough for me to pay my bills, debts and save for my future. I would drown in debt.

2. "What kind of person do I want to be?"

I want to be a responsible adult who can handle her money well and support herself and save. I want to be a responsible daughter who can take care of her parents while they are getting closer to retirement.

3. "In the event of failure, could I generate a positive outcome?"

I always get up when I fail at something. I just need to *as per my friends* stop whinning and be a YES (wo)man. I should not just LEARN but ACTUALLY SACRIFICE some things that I thought would be relevant in the real world but is actually just idealism.
I need to SUIT UP.

*too bad I missed it. T_T,
But she got it from here http://ralphwaldoemerson.me/

http://ralphwaldoemerson.me/prompts

http://ralphwaldoemerson.me/laura-kimball

Eiga Sai 2011: The Japanese Film Festival - BANZAI !!!

I really hope I don't have part-time yet. If I do, I hope they give me a 7-11 schedule. I think I would be okay with that. I want to watch the 4PM screenings. See you there, tomodachi!

Screening Schedules taken from clickthecity.com

Eiga Sai FLYER here 

SHANG CINEPLEX CINEMA 4:



JULY 1 (Friday)
Opening Night by Invitation at Cinema 2
Departures (131 mins ) 7:00 PM

JULY 2 (Saturday)
The Chef of South Polar (125 mins) 1:00 PM

Departures (131 mins ) 4:00 PM

The Summit: A Chronicle of Stones (139 mins) 7:00 PM

JULY 3 (Sunday)
Summer Days with Coo (1:38 mins) 1:00 PM

The Summit: A Chronicle of Stones (139 mins) 4:00 PM

The Chef of South Polar (125 mins) 7:00 PM

JULY 4 (Monday)
Yunagi City, Sakura Country (118 mins) 1:00 PM

Villon’s Wife (114 mins) 4:00 PM

Climber’s High (145 mins) 7:00 PM

JULY 5 (Tuesday)
Your Friend (125 mins) 1:00 PM

One Million Yen Girl (121 mins) 4:00 PM

Feel the Wind (133 mins) 7:00 PM

JULY 6 (Wednesday)
One Million Yen Girl (121 mins) 1:00 PM

Climber’s High (145 mins) 4:00 PM

The Summit: A Chronicle of Stones (139 mins) 7:00 PM

JULY 7 (Thursday)
Feel the Wind (133 mins) 1:00 PM
Climber’s High (145 mins) 4:00 PM

Your Friend (125 mins) 7:00 PM

JULY 8 (Friday)
Your Friend (125 mins) 1:00 PM

Yunagi City, Sakura Country (118 mins) 4:00 PM

Departures (131 mins) 7:00 PM

JULY 9 (Saturday)
Departures (131 mins) 1:00 PM

One Million Yen Girl (121 mins) 4:00 PM

Villon’s Wife (114 mins) 7:00 PM

JULY 10 (Sunday)
Summer Days with Coo (1:38 mins) 1:00 PM

Feel the Wind (133 mins) 4:00 PM

The Chef of South Polar (125 mins) 7:00 PM

GAISANO GRAND CITIMALL, DAVAO CITY *Ate Wengaling! malapit ka ba dito?*

JULY 22 (Friday)
Your Friend (125 mins) 4:00 PM
Departures (131 mins ) 6:30 PM

JULY 23 (Saturday)
One Million Yen Girl (121 mins) 11:00 AM
The Chef of South Polar (125 mins) 1:30 PM
The Summit: A Chronicle of Stones (139 mins) 4:00 PM
Climber’s High (145 mins) 7:00 PM

JULY 24 (Sunday)
Yunagi City, Sakura Country (118 mins) 11:00 AM
Summer Days with Coo (1:38 mins) 1:30 PM
Feel the Wind (133 mins) 4:30 PM
Villon’s Wife (114 mins) 7:15 PM

AYALA CENTER CINEMA 4, CEBU CITY *TL Sachi! Malapit ka ba dito?*

AUGUST 2 (Tuesday)
The Chef of South Polar (125 mins) 7:00 PM
AUGUST 3 (Wednesday)
Climber’s High (145 mins) 7:00 PM

AUGUST 4 (Thursday)
Yunagi City, Sakura Country (118 mins) 7:00 PM

AUGUST 5 (Friday)
Villon’s Wife (114 mins) 7:00 PM

AUGUST 6 (Saturday)
The Summit: A Chronicle of Stones (139 mins) 1:30 PM
Summer Days with Coo (1:38 mins) 4:30 PM
One Million Yen Girl (121 mins) 7:30 PM

AUGUST 7 (Sunday)
Your Friend (125 mins) 1:30 PM
Summer Days with Coo (1:38 mins) 4:30 PM
Feel the Wind (133 mins) 7:30 PM


UP FILM INSTITUTE, UP-DILIMAN, QUEZON CITY

AUGUST 17 (Wednesday)
Summer Days with Coo (138 mins) 12:30 PM
One Million Yen Girl (121 mins) 3:00 PM
Yunagi City, Sakura Country (118 mins) 5:30 PM
Villon’s Wife (114 mins) 7:30 PM

AUGUST 18 (Thursday)
Your Friend (125 mins) 12:30 PM
Yunagi City, Sakura Country (118 mins) 3:00 PM
Feel the Wind (133 mins) 5:15 PM
Climber’s High (145 mins) 7:30 PM

AUGUST 19 (Friday)
Climber’s High (145 mins) 12:30 PM
The Chef of South Polar (125 mins) 3:00 PM
Villon’s Wife (114 mins) 5:30 PM
The Summit: A Chronicle of Stones (139 mins) 7:30 PM

Summer Days with Coo (138 mins) 12:30 PM
Feel the Wind (133 mins) 3:00 PM
The Summit: A Chronicle of Stones (139 mins) 5:10 PM
The Chef of South Polar (125 mins) 7:30 PM

Contact Details:
For detailed screening schedules and inquiries, please access the Japan Foundation, Manila website: www.jfmo.org.ph or call the JFM telephone numbers (63 2) 811-6155 to 58.

Departures 

The Chronicles of stones of Serenity

The Chef of South Polar
another one for TCoSP

One million yen girl 

Your friend

*can't find the synopsis or poster* *will continue to google it*

Yunagi City, Sakura City
trailer 

Summer Days with Coco

Climber's high 

Feel the Wind

Villon's Wife

Dans les cordes (Inside the ring) - Review (Filipino)

Ang kwento ay masyadong maraming mga twist pero natuwa naman ako sa kanya. Ipinapakita kasi dito na minsan ang sibling rivalry napapasa sa susunod na generation. Ung kasing mommy ni Angie ang asawa pero ung mom ni Sandra, naanakan din ng tatay ni Angie so technically magkapatid din sila. *Kung mali ako ng intindi sorry* Tapos ang personality ng mom ni Sandra ayon sa nanay ni Angie ay parang katulad din ng anak nito. Pailalim kung mang-isa kumbaga.

Kasi nga nun natalo si Angie ay parang nag-iba ang lahat. Naging champion si Sandra sa division nito. Bantam si Angie at Featherweight naman si Sandra. Halata na ang paborito ng tatay niya ay si Sandra. At ipinakita na sa mismong ugali ng tatay niya na dahil sa hindi nito maromansa ang nanay ni Angie *Ikaw ba naman ang mamuhay sa isang bahay kung saan nandun ang anak sa labas ng iyong kapatid at asawa maging karinyosang asawa ka kaya?* ay malaki ang tendency nitong magwalanghiya. Sa pelikulang ito isang "cheerleader" o "round girl" organizer ang siyang kinalantari ni manong. T_T

Maganda ang konsepto kung saan ninais ni Sandra ang lahat kay Angie, ang pagmamahal ng tatay nito, ang kasikatan ng isang champion, at pati na ang labang ninanais niya para makaganti sa bumugbog sa kanya sa division championship.

Aprub sa akin ang paraan ni Angie ng pagsiguro na makakaganti siya sa kanyang ama at kay Sandra. Dinalian niya si Sandra ng ankle para hindi ito makalaban. At nang nasa ring na siya at papanalo na siya laban sa babaeng tumalo sa kanyan, hindi niya tinapos ang laban.

Maangas ang dating ng pelikulang ito sa akin dahil parang isa itong "Hah! In your face, dad!" ng lahat ng mga girls na pinilit na maging isang bagay na hindi naman nagpapasaya sa kanila para lang mahalin sila ng kanilang ama sa paraang nais nila.

Ang pagkawala ni Angie sa ganoong isipin ang natatak sa isip ko.

Daddy's girl ako kaya alam ko ang nararamdaman niya sa simula pati ang iba niyang angst. Pero natuwa ako kasi hindi lang niya sinubukang bawiin ang nawala sa kanya, pinakita pa niya na kaya niyang mabuhay ng wala ang approval ng mga taong nagnira ng kanyang self-esteem.

Astig di ba?

The fact na kickboxing ang sport na ito ay nagpadagdag ng interes ko.

Sawa na kasi ako sa mga puro love stories at weirdo ang pinapalabas na French film sa festivals. Mas maganda na rin ang mga pelikulang mas malapit sa mga totoong sakit ng lipunan o ng mga relasyon na hindi nakabase lang sa romansa.

Mejo me mga parte na ang cinematography ay mejo magulo pero for the most part maayos siya. Hindi naman exceptional ang music na ginamit dito pero merong isang part na nakikinig si Angie para maghanda sa laban niya na ok ang music. Hindi theme music heavy ang pelikula. Sa tingin ko ito ang napansin kong malaking kaibahan ng mga European movies sa mga American movies or Asian movies.

Magaling naman ang mga artista pero me mga pagkakataon ding stiff ang character ni Angie. Pero kung ito ay dahil sa ganun ang characterization niya ng dalagang bida, pwes magaling siya.

+++

Mahirap palang gumawa ng movie review na sa Taglish. Ang sakit sa bangs. Pero sana hindi ko na-spoil ang movie na ito para sa inyo.

+++

Mula dito ang information
Dans les cordes (Inside the ring) (2006)

Director

Magaly Richard-Serrano

Actors

Richard Anconina; Maria De Medeiros; Louise Szpindel; Stéphanie Sokolinski; Bruno Putzulu; Jean- Pierre Kalfon Diouc Koma; Chems Dahmani; Ninon Brétécher



Synopsis

Angie and Sandra are 18 years old. They've been raised as sisters by Joseph, Angie's father and Sandra's uncle. He's also been their trainer, programming them to win the national French boxing championship finals. But Angie loses and Sandra wins… Angie wants a rematch at any cost, but Joseph has decided otherwise.


Film production and distribution

Associate production company: Sunday Morning Productions

Co-production : Rhône-Alpes Cinéma

Film export/Foreign Sales : Pyramide International

French distribution : Pyramide Distribution

Feature film

Genres : Fiction

Subgenres : Drama

Production language : French

Nationality : 100% French (France)

Production year : 2006

French release : 04/04/2007

Runtime : 1h 30mn

Current status : Released

Production formats : 35mm

Screening format : 35mm

Color type : Color

Aspect ratio : 1.85

Sound format : Dolby DTS

25 things I learned from MY father

This Reader's Digest article inspired me to write my own 25 things I learned from my father.

25 things I learned from my TATAY

1. Don't touch the railings and walls that you pass by. If you are careless and reckless, you will end up with more than dirty hands.

2. Good honest and funny men make the best husbands.

3. Put the alcohol in your belly and not in your head.

4. Respect is earned and not easily regained when lost.

5. Criticize people who are older or more powerful away from earshot.

6. Be a good son/daughter and your children would love you.

7. Small things can show love. Bringing slippers to a tired and busy man can warm his heart.

8. You will always be a kid in your father's heart.

9. Father and Son is a great song.

10. They made great music two decades ago and no amount of Lady Gaga and boybands can undo that.

11. Money is not the only condition for happiness. But it wouldn't hurt to mary a hardworking man with a stable job.

12. Not all men are cheaters.

13. Sports is not just for boys.

14. Read when you need to fall asleep easily.

15. Look on both sides before you cross the street.

16. Don't leap before you look.

17. Invest on good pairs of shoes.

18. Go to church and be thankful.

19. Mustaches are not for everybody.

20. A man's dignity is priceless.

21. Stay positive.

22. Eat your vegetables.

23. Laugh often. But don't treat your life as a joke.

24. Cook with love.

25. Break bread and chink glasses often with people who are important to you. No matter how busy you are have one meal with your family preferably dinner.

Be the PINK sheep of your family

I am not gay. Unfortunately. ^.^ I joined UPLB OH and I was one of the TWO straight members when we started out. But although UPLB OH was short-lived, I think it paved way for some people to allow BABAYLAN to infiltrate the ranks of the UPLB community. I have always wondered if there was a chance to have that group in UPLB. Because of all the gays that I know there who are closeted and confused. They need people who can guide them and tell them that being gay isn't something that you can only express through the arts. Although that is a fabulous way to do so.
I hope that someday the gays would have parades that would match the ones that the REDS have in our school. I don't think they would adher to common ways to spread the word and they can make the UP Oblation Run pale in comparison. ^.^ But I also know that they can motivate and encourage their other friends, gay or straight, to be better than who they are and to stop complaining about their non-existent problems.

Why be emo when you can be happy or gay? *yes, pun intended*

To my friends who are OUT and PROUD, kuddos to you.
To those whom I know and love who are still in the closet, don't make me drag you by the hair. ^.^

To young Maximos, it's okay to be confused and to not know what you really want. That is part of being young. Just remember that you are who you are for no other reason but because God has a plan for you. It's up to you if you are going to be obedient or you are going to pretend to be someone you are not.

I don't suggest the later.

To my darling gay friends *too long a list to enumerate and I might mention someone who is still not super OUT*, I love you exactly for who you are and sometimes I wonder why I can't handle straight men then I realize you guys spoiled me rotten.

To my lesbian buddies, never let anyone tell you that you have to love a man to be the best that you can be. Love is love and the person you love is the only one who can tell you when you can stop loving them.

Pink Sheep

Remarks by Ambassador Harry K. Thomas, Jr. at the LGBT Pride Month Reception, June 14, 2011

 

Magandang gabi sa inyong ang lahat!

I am gay.

I am gay.

I am gay.

Three little words. 

Six letters. 

Three syllables.

It is not a phrase that trips the tongue.  It is not a phrase that should take lifetimes to utter.

But my friends, these are some of the hardest words in the English language—in any language—for many of our friends, colleagues, and family members.   

And this should not stand. 

Our loved ones, our friends and our colleagues fear expressing their sexuality, condemned instead to a lifetime of anxiety and repression. 

This should not be.

They are our brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers. Aunts and uncles.  

Sons. 

Daughters.   

These are not nameless, faceless members of a foreign or forgotten race.  They are our families and our friends.  And they are scared to be who they are. 

They fear expressing their sexuality.  They cannot tell their own loved ones who they really are.  And I regret that there are those even in our Embassy community who fear coming out and expressing their true selves.  

Why?  Because instead of expressing our love for all human beings, we choose instead to ostracize and exclude. 

This will not continue. 

Tonight, coming here together in this house for the first time, we are breaking new ground.  It should give us pause to reflect how LGBT persons across the world, in every country, from every culture, are breaking new ground every day, and breaking courageously through the barriers that hold them back.  As Saint Teresa of Avila once said, “To have courage for whatever comes in life -- everything lies in that.” 

Yet even with courage, many of us still struggle to overcome prejudices driven by factors no human can control: the color of our skin, the expression of our gender, and the nature of our sexuality.  While these prejudices are very real to us, many in the world can never understand.   

And the reaction by that world to those struggling with such prejudice is both disappointing and disheartening: “You are imagining things,” they say. “It’s not as bad as you say it is, and if it is, it’s not my fault.” 

That one’s core being can be such an affront to others is one of the greatest tragedies of humankind.

It is a tragedy not only because of the pain and suffering it causes, but because it prevents people from doing, being, and becoming their best.  Sa diskriminasyon, maraming likas na galing at talino ang nasasayang.   

Discrimination based on difference, whether it's age, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion, is wrong.  It deprives society of some of its most creative and productive members; it demoralizes communities.  It shatters families.

It is not acceptable, and it should not be tolerated.

The ambitious spirit of the Philippines' LGBT community will no doubt carry it over these and other challenges.  Americans know from centuries of experience that the march against discrimination and prejudice is long and difficult, and sometimes it feels never-ending. 

But we also know that every step forward makes life a little better here and now -- and most certainly for future generations who will look back and marvel at the sacrifices and advances you all made, wondering at how you managed to accomplish so much.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am not tonight asking you to leave shouting that you are gay; I am not asking you to endanger yourselves in the face of other peoples’ hatred and blindness.  But I am asking you leave this place on this night with one thought and one goal: to protect and love someone.  Love is what matters; gender is not important. 

In his Gay Pride Month proclamation, President Obama called upon Americans to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate our great diversity.  Those are goals worthy of all people, everywhere, and I hope all of you here tonight will join me in their pursuit.

We are all different, but we must embrace and respect our differences.  We must come together through the very emotion that makes us human: love. 

Bakla ako. 

Tomboy ako. 

Bakla kayo. 

Tomboy kayo. 

Pero lahat tayo ay tao. 

Maraming salamat po.

Secret Homecoming: the Eyecandy Eyeball Project part3

THE QUEEN HAS LANDED

When EC arrived, she texted me "A GODDESS IS BAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!"

I wasn't supposed to meet her at MOA but I figured it would be a great idea to do so. So I told her to sms me when she was there. It was supposed to be the first day since she got back. *technically her second day in the damn country* and she was going get beautified.

I groaned.

I loved salons just as much as I loved lethal injections. Ergo the state of my hair.

My list of favorite places include

1. cemeteries at night
2. hospitals
3. salons
4. dark alleys
5. haunted places

So you know how much I love beauty salons.

When she sent me a message I was confused.

1. She was not at MOA but Market!Market!

2. She was at BenchFixIt. (I won't explain this one I don't like to write nega stuff about places where the people use sharp things as a part of their jobs)

I rode the MRT to the Ayala station.

And as we know the MRT is so spacious at 2:30 that farting would cause an entire line to explode in cuss words. Being a girl didn't help. The number of pregnant women, thunders (oldies) and ladies has increased beyond the control of the much debated RH Bill.

I got on the jeepneys that go to Market!Market! and uneventfully arrived at the mall.

Reina on the other hand has LEFT the salon by the time I got there. Kuddos to the people there, they were attentive enough to remember her name. Must be because she dropped more than 6k on her stay there. I would remember her name too.

The very kind me said "I'm gonna kick her." Why do you ask am I so jolly? It was because Market!Market! was too big to leave a shoe and shopping fiend like her with their red SALE posters abound.

But luckily, I had enough load to text her and I waited for her outside a store named KIKAY. *Yes, I realized the irony of it.*

She hugged me after she ran towards me. I was excited and relieved to see her.

She was worried that people would have the same blank reaction that I had.

I was tired from work and wearing my Mig Ayesa shirt. I gave her the Mig Ayesa shirt that Mig's Lovely Miss L sent for her.

I met her cousin Candy and we went to eat at Kabisera then Cupcake then roamed around only to find out that Serenity was still chairless. We ended up in CBTL and I realized that Candy was a chronic scrapbooker (I love that about her) and a teacher as well.

But trouble loomed. According to Isaac's stalker worthy tweets, he was at Marciano's (I think I got that name wrong but who cares we didn't eat there) and I needed to smoke.

But since Isaac tweets everything and checks in on all of his locations, we were relieved that we didn't bump into him when I bought Peel at the cigarette stand on the third floor of GB3.

We parted ways before they could hit their curfew.

Everything was ready since I had scheduled what time EC and I would meet in Greenbelt that coming Sunday.

I was planning to sleep the entire day on Saturday since I knew in my gut that I would not be able to sleep until Monday afternoon.

How true it was...How so very right I was...

Everything was settled and there wouldn't be a hiccup, right?

Wrong the third time. 

Secret Homecoming: the Eyecandy Eyeball Project part2

So it was settled. I told EC aka Reina that based on the schedule that she gave (9-12) that the gals were okay with having the "meeting" on Independence day. I thought the only thing that I had to worry about was that it was a Sunday and I didn't know where Banaple was.

Yes, I didn't know where the Ayala triangle was and I have been living in Makati for more than a couple of years and several other times in the past. Bite me.

But as per Reina's stalking other things emerged. But more on that later.

THE NUMBER MIX-UP

Okay, so I was the genius who got an FB message from EC saying that she didn't have my Pinas numbers. *We refer to it that way since she has a Saudi number* And it was hours before her flight leaves. T_T, I read it eight hours after she sent it.

I was so calm that I felt like a headless chicken running around a pressure cooker.

I sent emails to people we knew. Facebook was not an option because EC was deactivating hers since her smartphone checks in at foursquare and other apps. (This app and site would prove to be useful to us later).

I had reached my limit when I sent an email to the PINK TARHA website contact email. Thank God for the quick reply. So I got EC's Saudi number. (I would later realize that I had it all along when I punched it in and the number was already registered to her name. Tsss.)

So I had her number.

All systems go, right?

Wrong again.

Secret Homecoming: the Eyecandy Eyeball Project part1

How hard is it to keep a secret?

For me it was harder than keeping a working romantic relationship.

My friends who will play a part in this series of blogs and picblogs have called me candidly as the "Blurter". I can't really blame them.

I remember there was a time when they had kept me off the loop because they didn't want me to tell EC or Reina that I was with my friends plus Isaac, one of our fab friends since freshman year. But while I was on the phone with EC I let it slip that he was there. Granted that I was confused because I don't really keep secrets from my friends and have not been a secretkeeper since I started college. (In high school I kind of became the go-to secret keeper that I think I lost all ability to keep the truth straight. I became a pathological liar during that time and when I realized that it was ruining me, I just gave keeping secrets and turned anyone away who wanted me to keep their secrets for them.) Anyway, long psychoanalysis later, I became a blurter. Which is the exact opposite of who I was back when I was in high school.

To the dismay of my friends, of course.

So when EC told me to keep her real homecoming schedule a secret, I was so glad that I wanted to cut my wrists and water the grass with my blood.

But she knew my weaknesses and kept me informed that she was putting a lot on mah shoulders.

This was hard for many reasons:

1. Isaac and Hot Mamah, although they lived together rarely saw each other or talked to one another since they have erratic schedules that never left them a chance to really have time to hang out.

2. Freedrick...well I didn't have his number on my new phone. And he works in the Fort area.

3. Me...I didn't have a lot of time and I was a disorganized crazy person who hates it when people are late.

4. I didn't count on me getting a boyfriend this year. And my boyfriend, although he is a loving sweet guy can't quite understand (in the beginning) the concept regarding adult relationships where people don't need to see each other every week or everyday to have an understanding. I know, I am trying to train him better to be more understanding. And I think...I hope he learns a lot while we are away from each other. (I will be very busy the next few couple of months.)

5. I am penniless. (But we already know why that is.)

+++

So the thing that I need to come up with was a way to SURPRISE Isaac, Freedrick and Hot Mamah in their office buildings. I quickly scratched that plan since it's time-consuming, a logistics nightmare and expensive.

So I told the three that we needed to set up a time in JUNE to meet so that we could prepare for EC's homecoming.

Isaac was supposed to leave the country (he has decided to postpone this to August since EC is staying here until August 3.) and he said that it would be best to have the meeting in June 12 (Independence day!~) at 6pm Banaple Ayala Triangle. Hot Mamah and Freedrick agreed.

Problem solved, right?

Wrong. Oh was I so wrong.

One for the books

I am still not well from the stomach aches that I have been having lately. And I am too sleepy to blog what happened *blow by blow* *pun intended* but I had a fun-filled rollercoaster ride ELBI-like weekend.

Basically the highlists were

1. I met Reina after she had her rebonding at Market!Market!
2. We stalked JI on his foursquare and Twitter so as not to run into him accidentally.
3. I slept almost the entire Saturday.
4. I met up with Reina at GB3 to start the surprise arrival yesterday.
5. I had to fake a pregnancy to get Hot Mamah and Freedrik to get their ass off Binan and Tarlac.
6. Classic reactions on Aisaak and Fried's part when Reina came in CBTL in GB3.
7. Latecomer Hot Mamah's jaw dropped when Reina walked into our group for surprise part two.
8. We ate at an Italian restaurant I had Chicken Marinara and Creme Brule. *I am now suffering the consequences.
9. We went to Bugsy's to drink smoke and get treated to flaming drinks.
10. We all went home at around 1ish and Reina ended up sleeping over Aisaak and Hot Mamah's place.

There are more stories within these stories, some I won't tell. Others I would reiterate as much as I can. With pictures of course. As soon as Reina gets them uploaded.

As for me, my Polaroid picture would last me a lifetime. And I plan to bring it to work everyday.

Rain on your parade

I am expecting a package to arrive. But I didn't get a control number from the person who sent it. And I don't have her number as well. T_T, I got her message that it would be arriving today but I didn't get to give her my cp number. T_T, Which is weird because I should have done that waaaaaaaaaay before. I hope our common friends gets a handle on her mom's number so that I can get her number from her mom. But I just remember now that her mom is not where I think she is either.

*Holy wanker*

Good luck talaga.

picture from internet

No Man

I refused OT today. I was offered to do OT for three hours after work. I said I write after work. Books, not essays as he insinuated. Because if I did I would still be an SEO writer now. And that paid 10k a month when I was still doing it. But my braincells suffered so I have left my balance and I am thinking that I would have to re-apply if I wanted to write for them again.

I want to earn extra money but I want to do it creatively. I want to be able to fulfill my dream. This is still a day job. I want a different career. My friend foretold this a long time ago. She saw in my hands that I would have two jobs or at most two careers. I was baffled before since I am the laziest one in our group. It would be impossible for me to have two jobs at the same time.

But at the things I have been hearing, I don't want to give myself any grief. I was tempted to. But according to people's calculations, things are not going to look better if I said yes.

I would go through the fire instead. This is already Dante's 7 circles. I don't want to circle down closer to the last circle and be one of the ones who can't turn away from the center of this quasi-paradise.

***

On other news, a package is arriving tomorrow. June 9. I hope it will arrive safe and sound.

I need to pick it up this 11th to see if everything is in place.

I just need to get through the scavenger hunt this afternoon and then I would check if I would just finish my novels or go through the fire.

I have a future to prepare for. I am not going to work for peanuts any longer.

Long Weekend in Bullet points

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. After the Padi's point event, which was nice since I felt refreshed when I woke up, my weekend seemed propelling into an whirpool.

I will just erase some of the parts so that I will never remember them again. I am not big on airing out my dirty laundry (hindi daw o) and I would like to just focus on the fact that

1. We managed to watch First Class and it was awesome!

2. I managed to introduce Ico to Ate Joy and Jewe, my college roomies at 4214 Women's Dorm.

3. I was able to go home and get my laundry taken care of.

4. I watched the last few episodes of Playful Kiss again and it inspired me.

5. I was able to make a new story concept MY KIMCHI KIKAY which I plan to finish and submit to COH when it's done.

6. I have written 3414 words for MY KK. ^.^ And some of them were on the bus ride back to Makati yesterday. I almost missed my stop. T_T, Good thing I didn't leave anything on the bus.

Lessons learned:

1. I am always going to be lost.

2. Boyfriend needs to get used to the room's temperature and would go all pouty on me when he is in transition. Do not take this personally.

3. I am still a deep empath. I need to remember that I should surround myself with positive people. So boyfriend needs to put his happy thoughts and direct them to the universe otherwise he is on thin ice. I really don't want a forever with a person who I have to tolerate as an emo or a raincloud.

4. Not saying anything can save a relationship more than confronting every little misunderstanding. At least in my case since I NEVER SHUT UP.

5. Rice crispies are called BUSA in Batangas. ^.^ I had forgotten that and it's great to remember that again.

6. I need to clean my room so that I would be open to writing. T_T *Right this is gonna happen*

Things to do this week:

1. Send paperwork necessary for the "through the fire" gig.

2. Write more chapters for MY KK. *Finish if at all possible.

3. Save moolah for rent and for Banaple date with Trina, Ji and Fried.

4. Find out where Banaple is. ^.^

5. Get the package that is coming on June 11th. Remember to tell friends about it on the 12th.

6. Text bf more positive things. ^.~

GEMINI IN JUNE

Disclaimer: I like reading about this stuff. If you don't believe in it, I don't either. But we can agree to disagree whether or not it's useful. K? K.

I always find myself reading my horoscope after the month is over. It's like a test whether those "circumstances" really did happen. But when I am not happy with how things are going in my life, I read ahead. It's like a reminder for me not to step on quick sand while walking in the middle of the desert.

+++

A Whole New Story

The transitions that began last month were simply setting the table for the major changes you're facing now. The main player in this story is a Solar Eclipse in Gemini on June 1. This supercharged New Moon shines a laser at the core of your being, challenging you to examine your life's purpose and direction.

Mercury's entry into versatile Gemini on June 2 reveals your range of choices. Intellect alone won't answer your most pressing questions, yet a deeper awareness may begin to emerge when visionary Jupiter starts a one-year visit in your 12th House of Soul Consciousness on June 4.

Seductive Venus dances into flirty Gemini on June 9, and you notice others glancing at you with approval. Yet a Full Moon Eclipse in your 7th House of Relationships on June 15 is likely to bring out true feelings that can alter the nature of a partnership. If pride is wounded, Mercury's move into tender Cancer on June 16 softens words and allows you to be more sensitive.

On June 20, Mars shoots into your sign, urging you to show more initiative, yet you may have doubts when the Sun enters passive Cancer on June 21, marking the Summer Solstice. The Sun's opposition to all-or-nothing Pluto on June 28 continues the relationship theme, requiring you to stand up for your beliefs, no matter what.


Career

June 2011
Are Your Muscles Tired?

You are normally a highly adaptable and flexible person who is especially good at multi-tasking. With a boatload of planets moving through your sign this month you may be called upon to juggle even more balls in the air than usual.

Yet even though the willful Sun can drive you to take up the challenge and mental Mercury in Gemini gives you the intellectual ability, it's wise to be selective about the tasks you're willing to tackle. The reason is Mars, the planet of methods, which is lumbering along in placid Taurus and your 12th House of Secrets until June 20. Sure, there are plenty of attractions for splitting your time and energy in several directions. Loving Venus entering Gemini on June 9 can earn you attention that makes you feel good when you put another item on your To Do list.

But don't let flattery tempt you to take on more than you can or want to handle. Mars is about muscles and yours might be tired; it's also about methods, which work better by simplifying things in the sign of the Bull.

The Full Moon in enthusiastic Sagittarius falls in your 7th House of Others on June 15. You might get so excited about a project that you're ready to jump into it immediately. Be careful about being oversold by someone who sounds good but may not be fully rooted in reality. Opening up to new alliances and ambitious plans is fine as long as you do your homework to ensure that what you're getting into is more than hot air.


Love

Love Chameleon

This is a very exciting and dynamic month where you can find yourself attracting more attention than usual but not always wanting it. June starts with the creative Sun in your sign, which tends to increase confidence and visibility. Chatty Mercury, Gemini's ruling planet, enters the sign of the Twins on June 2. This enhances your already considerable verbal skills, but can add a slight degree of restlessness.

Venus, the planet of love, moves into Gemini on June 9, which is great for feeling and being more attractive. Your ability to alter your appearance or attitude according to the situation makes you especially interesting. But even as you grow more attractive to others and pleased with yourself, you are not an easy person to read. Are you playing with someone's affections or are you serious? It might even be difficult for you to discern the difference. An inclination to flirt indiscriminately could raise false hope among your fans or threaten your current partner. It's great fun to tease, but be aware that this is not a game that's safe to play with everyone.

On June 20 passionate Mars races into your sign, exciting you physically and emboldening you to take action. This is your time to lead in your relationship life and when you're less willing to be a compliant follower. Being more active makes sense as restlessness will drive you to take action just to keep from being bored. However, a dash of discrimination will improve your judgment and help you avoid chasing someone who you really don't want to catch.

Source : http://www.tarot.com/astrology

Premonitions in Book Purchases

When I bought this book I didn't think I would be dating let alone be blogging about a boyfriend who is three years younger than me.

I bought this book initially because I have been looking for a book where the main character was a woman named CARLA. Since one of my super girlfriends is named that, it was my advocacy to find  a book with their name in it. As for the rest, if I have to write it, I will. Their name would find their way into novel or a chic lit or my pen name isn't Pinaywriter.

  

I left my copy in Batangas and I am sure my dad has tried reading it at least once. He's a book fiend too and he has insomnia so he's bound to have stumbled upon it whether he ran out of pocketbooks or not. 

Read the excerpt here and the synopsis/teaser here.

I too wanted something like a "no strings attached" relationship. I am really not ready to disperse my energy on being an adult, writing my novels, editing other people's novels, paying off my debts, hanging out and making new memories with friends, and dating a man-child. 

But life's odd and bitchy like that. Just when you say, "I don't need a boyfriend right now." you get a chance to meet a friend's friend and he falls for you. ^.^

What can we do, our girl parts, they catch stuff all the time. ^.^

Anyway, if you know a Carla who is dating a younger guy and is trying to make something out of a humdrum life, this is the one you should get her for her birthday...or at least read with her when she has the time to. It should prove to be entertaining.

In Search of a Vince I found a Kerfag

I was googling for an e-book version of Vince's life (book 1 of 3) since I have given up hope that I would ever find and OWN a copy of that book. I already bought, read and LOST my copies of the second and third book. But the only person I know who has that book is my friend's roomie Bianca. T_T I am too shy to borrow it for like a day and xerox it and love it and what not.

But while I was looking for it I saw this book.

I went, "I WANT THIS!~" I am a kerfag as well and I also used it to get over my horrible ex who tore my heart into a million pieces and left me to bloat into the 77 kgs self

Imagine being this hot...

To being this NOT so hot

Hmf.

Anyway, Boys over flowers, Coffee Prince, and the numerous other korean dramas, idols and actors saved me from grabbing any guy off the street. *That and the fact that I snarl at them when I see them might be the reason.*

So I really want to read this book.

Although I now have an oppa who loves me whatever shape I may be.

It wouldn't hurt to exercise more, eat less like a Kanin gang member and read this book.

Check out the excerpt here and the synopsis/teaser here.