I Want Some MJs...

I want these superb Marc Jacobs stuff.

Unfortunately, none of these are available in this country. (Hmm, calling on Mr. Anton Huang.)

If you're feeling generous, leave a message so I can tell you where to send the items. Hehe!

Or if you're kind enough to order the stuff for me, let me know how I can send you the payment.

I want these MJs.

Three...

THREE NAMES THAT FRIENDS OR FAMILY CALL YOU:

1. Family: Kuya, Gel, Angelo
2. Close Friends: Anj, Gel, Gelo, Angelo, Angelus, Ge, Tito, Friend
3. Friends: Anj, Gelo

THREE THINGS YOU'VE DONE IN THE LAST 33MINUTES:
1. Retouched and resized photos
2. Transferred photos
3. Emailed an application

THREE PLACES YOU'VE BEEN TO TODAY EXCEPT YOUR HOUSE:
1. Clinic to visit my friend Ynas
2. Family Center for a meat processing seminar
3. 7-11 for Lunch

THREE LAST THINGS YOU BOUGHT FOR YOURSELF:
1. GQ Magazine
2. Mariano Ching prints
3. A vintage backpack

THREE THINGS YOU'RE AFRAID OF:
1. Small, confined spaces
2. Germs
3. Failure

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING:
1. Black jacket of the ex
2. Black belt from the ex
3. Black wristwatch from the ex

THREE IMPORTANT THINGS IN MY LIFE:
1. Family
2. Friends
3. Miuccia Prada

THREE WAYS TO BE HAPPY:
1. Volunteer work
2. Meditation
3. People watching

THREE THINGS YOU JUST CAN'T DO:
1. Clean the toilets
2. Settle for mediocre work
3. Be incompetent

THREE GIFTS YOU WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE:
1. A blank check
2. A Nikon digital SLR
3. A MacBook Pro

THREE OF YOUR FAVOURITE HOBBIES:
1. Blogging
2. Writing
3. People watching

THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING:
1. Corp. Comm. Executive
2. University Teacher
3. Stepford Husband

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO FOR HOLIDAY:

1. Brazil - this country is just teeming with beautiful people (Alessandra, Adriana, Gisele, Raquel, Isabeli...)
2. Cambodia - I've always loved history and ancient civilizations
3. France - I have to see Avenue Montaigne

THREE CARTOON CHARACTERS:
1. Calvin and Hobbes
2. Nemo
3. Mulan

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:
1. Get married
2. Be a volunteer abroad
3. Become a Dad

Friday with Three National Treasures...

Was supposed to post this last Friday.

It's almost midnight, and I'm dead tired. In about three hours, I have to get up again for a photo shoot. Yes, toxic is the right word.

But there are times when I enjoy being toxic. Tonight and tomorrow are two toxic instances, which I have to say are enjoyable for me.

A few hours ago, I was at one of the most exclusive business clubs in the country for the birthday party of one of the greatest Filipina painters this country will ever have. Three friends from work, assistants to the daughter of the celebrant, organized the birthday party.

I volunteered to help out primarily because I am a big fan of the artist and her work. Never mind if the chances of having one of her works is slim, having the chance to have a photo with her on her special day is just as priceless I suppose.

So for the entire evening, I was taking photos of society people and filming the memorable event. (And you thought I was one of the party people. Hehe!) I'm really glad I got to borrow three cameras for the event. I needed that many just to be sure. Otherwise, I would probably have my head chopped off. Haha! (For my next birthday, would someone be kind enough to give me a Sony Cybershot as a birthday present? Pretty please.)

The party was a success. Great food. Great entertainment. And certainly, a lot of great moments. That's all I can say. I don't think I can write that much about the party because it was private, after all. And I don't think I can post any photos except the ones above for the same reason that I can't give more details about the party.

But I guess this I can say and even post a photo with it - I got to have a souvenir photo with National Artists Arturo Luz and Mauro Malang, and that brief encounter with these two great men is just the greatest.

Alright, I should get some sleep now.

Shoot Me...errr...Them

I've barely closed my eyes, when I heard my alarm go off. I was actually jolted awake because I feared that I have overslept. When I looked at my watch, it was only fifteen minutes before four.

Great. I have about 45 minutes to prepare before going to the office. So I took a bath, got into my clothes, and then selected some more clothes, which we may be needed during the shoot, and then headed to the office.

When I got there, makeup artist and friend Emer and his assistant were already there. In a few minutes, our other companion arrived and then, it was off to Cavite for the photo shoot.

One of our business units sought our assistance with the photo shoot and I was of course, more than happy to help. The photos from the shoot will be sent to the parent company in Japan and will be used for the company's annual report.

By eight in the morning, the shoot has began. We had five layouts in our schedule and so far, everything went as planned. Our biggest concern was the sun because we had three outdoor layouts. I'm glad that the heavens heeded our prayers and let us finished the three layouts before heavy rain poured.

This shoot was one of the least stressful shoots I've had, surprisingly. The whole feel was just relaxed and I didn't worry about so many things. It wasn't because I was tired (thank heavens for Red Bull.). I guess I'm just confident that there's nothing to worry about.

By five, it was a wrap. Everyone was happy so that's all that matters. We were back in Manila by seven.

With only two days to organize the shoot from the talents to the location to the logistics and schedule, I'm quite happy with myself for being able to pull this off. Of course, I am most grateful to several co-workers turned really good friends from the Cavite office who provided all the assistance that I need. Should send them something as a "thank you" gift.

Okay, I'm really tired now. I should head home and get the hours of sleep I was deprived of.

Friday at the Pier...

Friday morning was spent at Pier 2 for the medical mission organized by one of our business units.

We headed to the pier and started attending to people by nine. I was photographer/crowd control/pharmacist/assistant. Hehe!

As expected, almost all those who showed up were mothers with their kids. Some had one kid. Others had five. The whole venue turned into a playground with all the kids present. The beneficiaries were people from the underserved areas just outside the pier office of our business unit.

The activity ended by noontime. More than 100 hundred people were served, and despite the scorching heat, everyone had smiles on their faces. It was just a really good sight to see.

After fixing everything, all the volunteers gathered at the office and enjoyed a superb lunch.

When I found out there will be a medical mission, I was really glad because I miss doing volunteer work. I know I still get to do it, but not as often as I want to. In any case, I was really thankful for the medical mission.

Tagged by Carlo Zaturnnah...

I got this from a friend I really miss - Carlo Zaturnnah.

Here's how it goes:

“Each player of this game starts with 6 weird things about himself or herself. People who get tagged need to write a blog entry of their own as well as state the rule clearly. In the end, you need to tag 6 people as well and list their names. Don’t forget to let them know they’ve been tagged!”

WEIRDNESS NUMBER 1: Every day, the vehicle I take needs to cross a bridge. I'm totally scared that the bridge would collapse while stuck in the middle of traffic. More than drowning, what really concerns me is having to drown and taste really, really, really dirty water. Ack!!!

WEIRDNESS NUMBER 2: When I take the elevator of our eight-storey building, I stand on a corner, face the walll and close my eyes when the elevator's fully packed. The reason: I'm worried the elevator might get stuck. Claustrophobic that I am, it would surely make me panic.

WEIRDNESS NUMBER 3: For every new issue of magazines I love such as VMan, Vogue, and of course, Icon, I need to have a pre-reading ritual. This involves taking a bath and making sure that I'm really fresh, that I have nothing to worry about for the next two hours, and that my bed is neatly arranged.

WEIRDNESS NUMBER 4: I love to put catsup on dishes that don't need catsup - fried fish, pancit bihon, pancit canton, even ramen sometimes.

WEIRDNESS NUMBER 5: I'm willing to do every lowly household chore, but I can never, never, never, never clean the loo. Blame it on the three years of work in a hospital.

WEIRDNESS NUMBER 6: I love smelling the pages of new books. It's intoxicating. Hehe!

Tagging Jason, Noreen, Noel, Wayne, Chari, and Richmond

Be Careful What You Wish For...

I've always enjoyed photo shoots. When I had my first photo shoot with ICON about two years ago, I knew that it was something that I'd enjoy doing.

Being the schedule freak that I am, it took some time for me to get used to how photo shoots go - late models or talents, shoot schedules that aren't followed, among other things.

But I somehow learned how to accept that photo shoots are really like that and there's no need to stress myself over things I have no control of.

When I joined the corporate world, my involvement in photo shoots lessened. Last year, I got to organize two photo shoots for work and I was very happy and proud of the results.

Recently, I was sort of involved in another photo shoot, but I was sort of hoping that there would soon be another photo shoot I can organize for work.

Haha! Well, be careful what you wish for.

I just found out that I have to organize a photo shoot for this Saturday. The day has ended and several people that I need to coordinate with have surely left the office already.

I ended up writing a long and detailed email to people concerned. I just hope they'd all understand what I'm trying to convey. Hehe!

This is exciting.

Woke Up, Worked a Bit and Spidey

Slept at 3AM. Woke up at 7AM. Slowly, slowly crept out of Norman's apartment. (Later, I find out that he and Grace were both awake. Grrr.) Went home to change my shirt. Left home to go to Times Plaza. Attended the Nihongo Teachers' Forum for documentation. Went back to the office. Met Shy for Spiderman in the evening. James Franco was the perfect ending to this day.

Purpose... So What's Mine?

Hmm, some parts of this song from Avenue Q kinda describe how I feel lately.

Princeton:
Purpose.
It’s that little flame
That lights a fire
Under your ass.
Ha!
Purpose.
It keeps you going strong
Like a car with a full
Tank of gas.

Everyone else has a purpose,
So what’s mine?

I don’t know how I know,
But I’m gonna find my purpose.
I don’t know where I’m gonna look,
But I’m gonna find my purpose.

Gotta find out.
Don’t wanna wait.
Got to make sure that my life will be great.
Gotta find my purpose.
Before it’s too late.

Could be far.
Could be near.
Could take a week
A month
A year
At a job.
Or smoking grass.
Ha!
Maybe at a pottery class.
Could it be?
Yes it could.
Something’s coming.
Something good.

I’m gonna find my purpose.
Yeah.

What will it be? Where will it be?
My purpose in life is a mystery.
Gotta find my purpose.
Gotta find me.

I’m gonna find my purpose.

I gotta find me!

Hey You...

Did you know that...

Madonna's new track, "Hey You", is available as a free download from MSN?

The song was written for the upcoming Live Earth UK concert on July 7.

Download the song.

MSN will donate 25 cents for each of the first 1 million downloads to the Alliance for Climate Protection, in support of Live Earth.

The track, produced by Madonna and Pharrell Williams, is available for free for seven days only.

Click here.

Late Night...

Friday night and very early Saturday were spent with friends from work.

It's been a million years since I had my last night out and I wasn't completely prepared for this one.

Started at eight in the evening and ended at three in the morning.

First stop was Norman's flat in Malate. He prepared some fantastic appetizers - canapes, sandwiches - and alcohol - red wine, vodka, beer. We also ordered Chinese, since we haven't really had dinner.

While we started dinner, some of Norman's other friends arrived. It was a different get-together because none of them were Filipino. I can't remember the last time I was at a party where there were several foreigners too. Anyway, that night felt like an international conference or should I say, international soiree. Hehehe!

Party group included 7 Filipinos, 3 Polish, 1 German, 1 Canadian.

What I enjoy about having foreigner guests is that the chatting hardly stops. There are a lot of topics to talk about, and because we have different backgrounds and cultures, the discussion never stops.

When we've been buzzed (I knew I was), we headed to the Fort where we hung out at Jill's. We were there by midnight, which was good because the party was already really in full swing. Since I haven't gone to a club for quite some time, I really enjoyed dancing to the music. Never mind that it was from the disco era, and the DJ played some songs I didn't know. Hehehe!

Two hours later, I was already feeling sleepy. We decided to call it a night. I forgot my bag at Norman's so we had to go back to his house. While in the cab, Norman asked if we could drop by M Cafe to see the others.

We agreed thinking that we were just going to do a meet and say bye bye thing. Not. I had to order something to wake me up. Unfortunately, I was already really tired and very sleepy. The fact that I had work in a few hours didn't help.

At one point, I was already falling asleep and Sharon and Grace had to wake me up. Hehehe! Talk about a really embarassing moment.

Anyway, I managed to get home and as soon as I saw the bed, I threw myself onto it and dozed.

It was a good night though. I haven't so much fun, since I can't remember. Hehe!

They Should Have Gotten In...

Still tired from the weekend's events, I woke up a bit late last Monday - 9AM.

And as I expected, my folks and my other sibling have already left the house to vote.

When I went downstairs to get ready to go out and vote, I asked my youngest brother where the polling center was. Hehehe! As you can see, I'm not a big fan of politics. My brother told me where to go, and I started to get ready.

I was surprised though to see the supposed polling center closed when I got there. There was no sign of an election. There were no scattered sample ballots and campaign materials on the streets. And there certainly were no voters.

And then I remembered that the last time I voted, the polling center was another school. How could I have forgotten?! Hehe! I'm getting old.

Anyway, I went to the school and cast my vote. In less than 30 minutes, I was done. I was supposed to vote for 12 senators, 1 partylist, and the city officials.

Well, I only voted for six senators. I won't name the other three, but the other half are the guys above. They're from the Ang Kapatiran party. Too bad none of them would win. (And they already know this.)

Check out their site to know why these three guys deserve to get a seat in the Senate - www.angkapatiran.org.

Philippine politics is just so saddening.

Getting High with Art and the Kids...

As I've said, Saturday and Sunday were spent at beautiful Caleruega for an art camp.

And as I've also mentioned, the participants were kids from various institutions for street kids. Actually, the kids who joined the camp weren't literally street kids. They came from disadvantaged families though, and are part of the underserved group in this country.

Anyway, the theme of the camp was "Banyuhay ng Sining sa Tag-init." For the Pinoys reading this, do you know what "banyuhay" means? I don't. Well, at least not until I attended the art camp. "Banyuhay," according to Sir Arnold, is short for "bagong anyo ng buhay" (new form of life). Sining is art and Buhay means life.

There were four art activities, which all the kids got to try out - landscape painting, embroidery, ethnic beadworks and mask making.

I joined the ethnic beadworks because I found it the most interesting. Hehe! But when I couldn't follow the steps of the lead teacher, I contented myself watching the kids make bracelets and rings out of the colorful beads. Hehehe!

In the evening, we had a bonfire where the kids and the volunteers played games and bonded together.

The following morning, each institution had a presentation of the things they learned from the art camp. I have to admit that watching these presentations is one of the most fun parts of kids' activities. I'm just amazed at how talented the kids really are, and I can't help but think that these kids would really do well later in life, if only they'd be given the right support and opportunities.

The whole event was really just a good break for me. I was reminded of how much I love volunteer work, and how I wish I'm working for a humanitarian/developmental organization. Hehe! Volunteering is something I would be committed to doing for the rest of my life. And if I have to choose a "drug," it would be doing volunteer work

You should try it one of these days. You'll find out why it makes me (and a million others) high.

Weekend with the Kiddies...

This is where I was over the weekend.

Doing what?

I volunteered to be part of the Art Camp for street kids, organized by the volunteer group of my university.

It was a good break. More photos and more text coming.

CNN Booboo: Bush Resigns

Clearly, even well-established information centers may commit mistakes.

Above is a screen grab from CNN International, which confused Mr. Bush with Mr. Blair.

The said graphic appeared onscreen for only 12 seconds but unfortunately, it was too late to stop people from capturing the mistake. Also, the graphic reportedly appeared just two seconds after Mr. Bush appeared onscreen.

Freudian slip on CNN's part, perhaps?

A Pair of Brazilian Flipflops...

Apparently, a pair of Brazilian flipflops is more valuable than I am. At least, that's how this one person sees things.

Recently, I was supposed to watch the current hot movie for the week with this friend. Actually, this friend is more of like an addiction. I know how things are between us and yet, I still continue to put myself through the pain. Hahaha!

Anyway, we decided to watch on a Saturday night. I was a bit hesistant because this friend had another thing to go to after the movie. The problem was we were watching in faraway Mall of Asia, and the friend's thing is in faraway Bulacan. But the friend was insistent because there was something to be bought at the Mall of Asia, as well.

I should have known that that was the reason why we were watching at faraway Mall of Asia.

Hmm, three hours after I arrived at the mall, there was still no sign of the friend. Then I received an SMS informing me that the friend was already in the area. So I lined up and bought tickets for a 9:20 screening. After I got the tickets, I waited for another 15 minutes for the friend. I already had an idea where to go, so when I got fed up, I headed to where I thought the friend would be.

I was correct.

Walking towards me, I saw the friend. And a carrier bag for those frigging flipflops.

I was just so frustrated and disappointed. How can a pair of flipflops be more important than a human being? How can a friend do such a thing?

To make matters worse, the friend was a bit anxious when I said the screening was at 9:20PM. If we did watch the movie, the friend would get to Bulacan past midnight and it would be pointless.

So deciding for both of us, I lied to the friend that I can refund the payment for the tickets, that the friend should head to Bulacan already, and that I didn't need a ride home.

The friend wasn't convinced.

But as soon as I said, "Let's just forget about this," I turned around and walked away as fast as I could.

The friend called me, but I didn't bother to look back.

I didn't want the friend to see how down, how disappointed, how frustrated I was.

Why do we put ourselves through situations like this?

Buongiorno Costa Allegra...

A couple of days ago, Costa Allegra had its maiden port call to Manila.

There is something exciting about watching a huge ship arrive at the pier. When another international cruise ship docked in Manila a couple of months ago, I remember my heart beat faster as the ship approached the port. I don't know if it's because it's an international cruise ship, or if it's because it's a different experience.

Anyway, I didn't get to watch Allegra dock. But just the same, my adrenalin started rushing when I saw the familiar Costa logo from afar.

As we approached the ship, I was just amazed once again. Maybe because the fact that it was so clean made it look so big, or because I was just excited seeing all these foreigners disembarking. I felt so proud as a Filipino seeing that there are still people who'd want to visit this country.

Initially, I wasn't sure if I would be able to go onboard. We needed our passport to go onboard, and since I haven't been using mine, I didn't bother to renew it when it expired a year ago. Hahaha! But lucky me, the security guy accepted it and the next thing I know, I was on my way onboard.

Upon entering Allegra, it felt like I was transported to another country. Although there were several Filipino crew, there were also a lot of crew from other countries. Plus, the interiors, the design and the overall feel was unmistakably Italian.

After meeting the Captain, we got a tour of the ship. It was a small cruise ship, because it can only accommodate about 800 passengers. Other Costa ships can carry about 3,000 passengers plus another 1,000 crew. I hope to see one of these giants one day. Hehehe!

Still, Allegra was a beautiful ship. There were about 8 decks, with several restaurants and bars, a pool, a jacuzzi, and a sunbathing area, a gym, a spa, among other facilities.

Each deck was named after the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists - Manet, Rousseau, Degas, Modigliani, Lautrec, Gauguin, and Van Gogh.

One of the areas I admired the most was the main lounge, which was named after the famous island of glassmakers, Murano. The bar/lounge has walls of smoked blue Murano glass and several other Murano pieces.

Afterwards, we had a sumptuous lunch at the Amalfi restaurant and the food served was just yum. Heck, even the bottled water tasted different, and I'm not kidding. Hehe!

Before we knew it, it was almost five in the afternoon. The passengers started arriving from their day tours, and we visitors have to start disembarking, unless we want to go to Malaysia on a whim. Hehehehe!

I stayed at the pier and waited for Costa Allegra's departure. One of the departments prepared a farewell activity for Allegra and I had to stay for that.

Sigh, there is also something about seeing a ship leave. It's like saying goodbye to someone when things are starting to get good.

Oh well, that's how things are I guess. Anyway, Costa Allegra will be back very soon.

Farewell, Ms. Blow...

It's a given fact that the fashion industry is teeming with brilliant minds and creative personalities.

However, there are still a few who may be considered to be truly, truly a fashion icon.

The other day, one of the very rare icons of the fashion world passed away.

Isabella Blow, a one-time assistant to US Vogue editrix Anna Wintour, a Fashion Director at Tatler, and the reason for success of a number of models and designers, died of ovarian cancer.

If you've been reading any of the fashion magazines, you would best know Ms. Blow as the bold woman who is famous for her blood-red lipstick and more importantly, her outlandish hats. There is no photo of her where she isn't wearing one of her extraordinary headpieces.

And as many would know, these fantastic creations are made by Philip Treacy, whose talent was discovered by Ms. Blow herself.

Aside from Mr. Treacy, Ms. Blow is also to be credited for discovering goddesses Sophie Dahl and Stella Tennant, as well as fashion genius Alexander McQueen, whose entire graduation collection at St. Martins, she bought.

There are some rumors about the true cause of death of Ms. Blow. Personally, I don't really care to know how she died. The fact that this one-of-a-kind fashion creature is no longer around is bad news enough.

Ms. Wintour reportedly says of Ms. Blow, "In a world that's largely driven by corporate culture she was a joy to have. She was not too good at getting to the office before 11am, but then she would arrive dressed as a maharaja or an Edith Sitwell figure. I don't think she ever did my expenses but she made life much more interesting."