Sunday, July 31, 2016

A normal heart...



"Your heart is okay."

That's one of the main things that stuck with me after seeing the doctor yesterday.

In my mind, my thought was, "So, does that mean I can fall in love again?" Haha!

Of course, the doctor was referring to my heart, the organ, and that it was functioning well physiologically.

When I moved to Singapore, one of the things I still try to do on an annual basis is to go for a health screening. I guess it became a habit since it's something that I did annually when I was still working in the Philippines.

The results of my health screening were good. In addition to the normal heart, the fatty liver is now a normal liver. Haha! Singapore was really good for me, I suppose. I became more active and eating healthier is a lot easy here.

Only the uric acid was the concern. This, I attribute to bad genes. It runs in the family and I've been doing what I can to lower my uric acid but alas, it's still high. I have to try harder I suppose.

The doctor told me to give up Coke and Coke Zero. I guess I can do that, except when I'm having whiskey. The doctor told me to lessen red meat intake. I can do that as well. The doctor suggested going on a low purene and low fat diet. Good luck with that.

Google Low Purene Diet and it'll lead you to depressing pages. Lol!

Oh well, I'm just glad the results are good! Yay!

Friday, July 29, 2016

You don't need to love me...



So I told DC that because of certain circumstances, I can't be Mr. Right, but I'm willing to be his Mr. Right Now.

Somehow there was a part of me that felt relieved when he said that he himself feels that he's not ready to get into anything.

He also said that the way the events unfolded last Wednesday were also a surprise to him.

I'm glad that it looks like he and I are on the same page. Maybe I'll get to see him again...

Thursday, July 28, 2016

About last night...



5:39PM: Me: "Hey, are we on for dinner? Otherwise, I'm heading back. Lol."
5:41PM: DC: "Ah ok can. Let's meet for dinner."
5:42PM: DC: "Is there anything at the lawn cafe? Will be less crowded?"
5:43PM: Me: "Haha. Okay."

Something was up with the heavens yesterday. I went out on a date. Haha.

He messaged me the other day. We chatted for a bit. Yesterday, he messaged again.

We agreed to have dinner. His building was right next to mine. It's the first time I'm meeting someone from this area. It turns out he just started work in the area two weeks ago.

Five minutes to 6PM, I left my office, crossed the street over to his building and headed to the open space in front of his building to wait. Few more minutes passed by, then I saw the familiar face from the app walking towards me with a smile on his face.

I reached out my hand to shake his and said, "Nice to meet you. So shall we walk to the food place?"

One thing to like about the area where I work is it's conducive for after work jogs or walks. Since most of the office people have left for home, we only saw a few people as we made our way to the cafe.

Dinner was pleasant and enjoyable. It felt exactly like how a first date should be. Conversation flowed between us naturally. Effortless. I talked about myself. He talked about himself.

The more I listened to him, the more I learned about our similarities. I told my best friend Tey that it was somewhat weird - he's a morning person, he likes to keep himself busy, he goes to the museum and theatre, he likes nature walks, he likes walking. When he started talking about the hikes and walks that he has done around the island, it didn't sound foreign to me as I was familiar with all the places he talked about. In fact, I've even done some of the routes that he did.

After dinner, there was that usual game of trying to sense whether this evening should continue or to call it a night.

In our case, it was the former.

We walked around one-north area in a leisurely pace. The neighbourhood just gets a different vibe at night. The whole place becomes deserted. Except for a few joggers and the noise from a nearby construction site, it was a nice area for an after dinner walk.

There was a new mini-park close to our office and we decided to check it out. Conveniently, there was a bench in one area. We sat down and got comfortable. At first, there was some space between us. In the next few minutes, it was a game of nonverbals and body language. After some time, the space between us disappeared and we sat next to each other.

For about an hour, we just talked about all sorts of things. He talked about how for his uni immersion, he went to one of the developing countries in rural Africa. To me, that was a sign that this guy was different. Listening to him talk about his two months in Africa with joy and wonder and fondness certainly upped his pogi points.

We looked at the night sky and talked about how we rarely see a sky full of stars nowadays. I talked about my last memory of seeing the pitch dark night blanketed by stars. He talked about his own memory of a similar experience.

It was an evening that could still go on for hours.

But then, I checked the time and it was time to head back. I didn't want to look like a zombie today.

More than that, it wouldn't be smart for me to get deep into this. Not at this moment. The reason is meant for another post.

I just don't think it's wise. And so, despite last night being a good memorable date, I still haven't messaged him this morning. He hasn't messaged as well. Maybe he's waiting? I'm not sure.

In any case, thank you for that nice date. It's something I haven't had in a long time. I wish we met two years ago.

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Looking viewing party preps...



And this is how you do a viewing party.... Lol!

JB was kind enough to host a viewing get-together for HBO's Looking the movie. Erm, I think it was more because we volunteered his temp flat although I'm sure he would have volunteered his place, too. Thanks, JB.

It turned out to be a gathering that needed preparation. JB and Ian got themselves busy with arranging the place and figuring out the technical side of how we can watch the movie from the HBO site. They also thought of the chips and drinks. Mon and Richie, on the other hand, thought about whether extra chairs were needed. And naturally, they also thought of the food to be served for the pre-movie and the actual movie. My contribution was dessert (a few tubs of Ben & Jerry's) and crackers for the cheese and cold cuts.

And with all these preps, we are now ready to watch the movie...

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Looking tomorrow night...



Saying goodbye to Patrick, Dom and Agustin tomorrow night.

I wish the series lasted longer.

But as the line in that poster goes, "The end is a new beginning."

Thursday, July 21, 2016

New words...



Whenever possible, and it always is, I try to learn new words.

True, I have enough vocabulary in my word bank but sometimes, I think it's good to continue expanding the pool of words that we know.

And yes, I have been using the English language even before I started going to school. However, there are still times when I have to stop and look for the meaning of a word.

When I read Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch, I found myself putting down the book every now and then because I had to look up the meaning of a word. I am uncertain if the fact that the book was the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2014 had anything to do with the use of certain big words. Haha!

This morning, I encountered a number of new words while reading an article from The New Yorker. The publication is a good source of learning new words and reading good writing.

And today, these are some of the words I encountered that I had to look up:

  • putative
  • upend
  • disavowal
  • tetchy
  • lodestar
  • abject
  • obsequious
  • servile
  • mottle

    I have previously encountered some of the words. Since I hardly use it in daily conversation, I have to remind myself of the meaning.

    PG Boy was quite good with these words. He would sometimes use a word or two and I had to double check the meaning. Hehe!

    Oh well, it's always good to learn new words. If only I can find a way to put these words into daily use...
  • Daily Cut for lunch...



    After having rice for lunch yesterday, I decided I should eat less carbs for the next few days. LOL!

    Tbh, I can actually go for days without rice in my meal.

    I'm okay with just having a wrap or a sandwich or boiled chicken breast for lunch, and yogurt plus fruits for dinner.

    This is actually budget-friendly since I prep my own food. I would do my grocery on a Monday and the food I buy is enough to last me for four days. The fruits I would get from the wet market near my place. There is also a stall that sells bean curd. I would usually buy from the friendly aunty on days that I would buy my fruits.

    Yesterday and today, I spent a lot more for lunch. This was mainly because I worked at the office. I was tempted to go for the salted egg chicken fillet with rice from the usual stall but my spirit triumphed. I decided to go for The Daily Cut. The price for my lunch is three times than what I usually pay for for lunch. However, I just tell myself that I'm eating healthy. Hehe!

    Tomorrow is Friday. I'm quite excited because I can and I will be having rice tomorrow. Rice in my meals usually starts on Friday and last until Sunday.

    I hope the Filipino food stall at the kopitiam near my place will be serving really delicious Filipino food.

    Wednesday, July 20, 2016

    Pinoy fiesta...





    We had a Filipino feast last Saturday. Haha!

    Just look at the photos of what we had...

    Ahh, it was heaven for 5 overseas Filipino workers...

    On my own... not...



    Okay, just a quick post.

    I just got back from Esplanade Theatre. I caught Les Miserables together with fellow museum volunteer Gen.

    Uhm, I wasn't really that decided to catch the musical. I'm not sure why. If it were The Book of Mormon or maybe Miss Saigon, I would have really been eager to see it.

    But then again, I guess this is one of those shows that is sure to be included in any Musicals to Watch Before You Die list. Hehe!

    Sooo, I decided to catch it. I didn't really invite anyone because I bought the cheapest ticket. Haha! Like I said, I wasn't too keen to catch the show. I was set to watch the musical ON MY OWN. Haha! But then, my fellow museum volunteer Gen joined me because she wanted to catch the show a second time. That's how much she loved it. I warned her that I was getting the most affordable ticket and she was okay with it.

    I must say that it was a good production. Before Singapore, I only watched productions in Manila. I loved, loved, loved the shows in Manila because the cast can really sing. But of course, there's also a part of me that wants to see a grand stage design, elaborate costumes, theatres built for musicals. These things, I got to see in Singapore.

    Broadway is still waiting though. I still have 4 more years before my US visa expires. I hope to be able to use that and catch shows in New York!!!!

    Anyway, this is it for tonight! I'm sleepy...

    Sunday, July 17, 2016

    See you again, In the Marketplace...



    I said buhbye to the works of my fave female Filipina artist Anita Magsaysay-Ho as the Reframing Modernism exhibit ended.

    This piece, In the Marketplace, was one of her works that I first became familiar with. In 1999, it was put up for auction at Christie's.

    From the estimated price of S$18,000-S$25,000, fierce bidding led to the piece being sold for S$669,000. More than its price tag, the important thing to remember here is that this was a major victory for Filipino artists because it meant the world was taking notice of Filipino artists and their works.

    At that time, the buyer's identity was not revealed. I'm happy to now know that it was a Philippine museum (it means the works stay with the Philippines and the public can see it!) and I'm even happier that I saw the piece in real life!

    I never thought I would, just like I never thought I would one day meet the artist herself!

    Saturday, July 16, 2016

    Buhbye to British Museum artefacts...




    The Treasures of the World from the British Museum ended a few weeks ago.

    I must say that I enjoyed guiding for the exhibit. It was quite a challenge, and it took me some time before I started guiding for the said exhibit. However, I felt I did good as a guide because I was able to do enough research.

    The tours were overall fun for me. I enjoyed guiding large groups. I enjoyed having kids in my tour. Kudos to parents who bring their kids to the museum. Start 'em young. I hope that they will one day become museum volunteers, too.

    Thanks, NMS, for the collaboration with the British Museum!

    I love today #6...



    I love today #6.

    Wednesday, July 13, 2016

    Bingsu bingsu...




    There's a bingsu craze going around town recently, I think.

    JB, Ian, Jon, and I recently went for a bingsu feast at one of the newly-opened Korean restaus at Star Vista.

    Nice. It's perfect for the weather in Singapore. Haha!

    It kinda reminds me of halo halo or ice kacang. Yums!

    Sunday, July 10, 2016

    Double bill of Kill Bill...



    The whole of Saturday night was spent at the cinema.

    Jon invited me to watch Kill Bill vol. 1 & 2 with him at The Projector. Since I had nothing planned for the night, I said yes. Also, I can't remember the last time I did a back-to-back screening of two movies. Haha!

    It was also my first time to watch at The Projector. The cinema has a certain vibe. I never understood what "hipster" means but I found myself using the word when I described the place to Jon. Hahaha!

    13 years after the first installation of the film was released, I can still remember the key scenes of the movie. I guess that's more than good enough proof of how awesome the movie was.

    I had no idea Jon was a huge Tarantino fan. When I showed him my photo with the esteemed director, he flipped out. Well, I sent it to him via Whatsapp so I'm not sure what his reaction was. Haha!

    Anyway, the story behind the photo was I was at the right place at the right time. It was a stormy night in Manila. A film fest was happening at Gateway Cubao and Mr. Tarantino was a guest. I was at the mall waiting for a friend. My friend and I arranged to meet at the Globe Platinum Cinema. Well, while I was waiting for my friend, Mr. Tarantino comes and I just gathered all my courage and approached him for a photo. LOL!

    Glad I did that, and glad to have been able to watch the films again!

    Friday, July 8, 2016

    Dinner at Naughty Nuri's...






    Some of the dishes from one of the welcome dinners for JB... hehe.

    The other Sunday, we had a random dinner with JB. They suggested Naughty Nuri's at Capitol Piazza.

    It was my first time at the place and I have to say, I want to go back. The food was gooood!

    Nice dinner...

    Thursday, July 7, 2016

    Thankful...



    My word for today.

    Seriously, Thursday, you are my favourite day.

    I love today #5...



    I love today #5.

    Tuesday, July 5, 2016

    Beautiful mornings...



    Some photos why I enjoy morning runs. Hehe!

    Seriously, there's something about starting your run before the sun is up and then seeing the skies reveal its colors as the sun rises.

    It's hard not to feel positive about the day that's starting. Hehe!

    No wonder there are sun salutation poses. ;)

    Saturday, July 2, 2016

    Postcards from Japan...



    What a wonderful surprise!

    Well, semi-surprise of sorts. Haha!

    These postcards recently arrived. They were from Jon, and the postcards were sent during his Japan trip.

    I kinda requested him to send me postcards. Haha! It was really kind and thoughtful of him to send me not one but two postcards.

    Thank you, thank you, Astralcowboy!

    Friday, July 1, 2016

    It's July...

    Hello, July.

    New President. New Vice-President. Daenerys is sailing with her armada towards Westeros. Jon Snow is a Targaryen and a Stark.

    Winter has come. What about change? Change is coming? Lol.