Breakfast 3-31-11

Ma: Kakainin niyo ba yun croissant?

Bea: Where?

Ma: There! Sa box ng Breadtalk.

Bea: Puro floss lang yan, no croissant.

Ma: Pinasok ko dyan, para kunwari Breadtalk. Binili ko sa Bretto's.

Bea: Uhhh... okay. (checks the box, sees a non-crusty but perfectly shaped croissants)
        Ma, ayaw ko kainin. It doesn't look good. It's not crusty.

Ma: Oo nga hindi crusty. Hindi talaga sya dapat crusty. Pag crusty ibig sabihin too much butter.

Bea: Ma diba dapat ang croissant crusty? That's the point.

Ma: Well, it's not a real croissant. I'm just trying to trick you and Vic to eat fake croissants. (VILLAINOUS laugh)

Bea: ?!? K.

***I don't know ma. Why. Why???

Dear Bea, haba ng hair mo.

Probably one of the most boring tagalog movies I've seen. But please skip to 2:08




So there I was, 10pm in my office table with still lots of paperwork undone. I was sticky and smelly from a hard day's work and I was crying WITH SOUND and using my shirt to wipe all my uhog and tears.
Feeling  eh, haba ng hair ko.  Kunwari naka relate. ajejeje.

Yucks noh, it felt so awkward even if I was alone.

Never mind the awkward love scene and Bea Alonzo's annoying laugh.
I shall wait for my own John Lloyd to tell me that too-poetic-for-you-to-be-a-real-man line.

"I cannot take away all the pain I've caused you. But if you just let me, I will spend the rest of my life making it up to  you" (sniff and tears)

ayiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. asa ka 'teh? ajejeje.

P.S.
that slapping segment was intense. i wonder if i'll ever get to do that? hmm. oh.the.drama.

While we have macho dancers for 6-year olds

Japanese boy teaches lesson in sacrifice

2011-3-24  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

EDITOR'S note: 

THIS letter, written by Vietnamese immigrant Ha Minh Thanh working in Fukushima as a policeman to a friend in Vietnam, was posted on New America Media on March 19. It is a testimonial to the strength of the Japanese spirit, and an interesting slice of life near the epicenter of Japan's crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. It was translated by NAM editor Andrew Lam, author of "East Eats West: Writing in Two Hemispheres." Shanghai Daily condensed it.

Brother,

How are you and your family? These last few days, everything was in chaos. When I close my eyes, I see dead bodies. When I open my eyes, I also see dead bodies. 

Each one of us must work 20 hours a day, yet I wish there were 48 hours in the day, so that we could continue helping and rescuing folks.

We are without water and electricity, and food rations are near zero. We barely manage to move refugees before there are new orders to move them elsewhere.

I am currently in Fukushima, about 25 kilometers away from the nuclear power plant. I have so much to tell you that if I could write it all down, it would surely turn into a novel about human relationships and behaviors during times of crisis.

People here remain calm - their sense of dignity and proper behavior are very good - so things aren't as bad as they could be. But given another week, I can't guarantee that things won't get to a point where we can no longer provide proper protection and order. 

They are humans after all, and when hunger and thirst override dignity, well, they will do whatever they have to do. The government is trying to provide supplies by air, bringing in food and medicine, but it's like dropping a little salt into the ocean.

Brother, there was a really moving incident. It involves a little Japanese boy who taught an adult like me a lesson on how to behave like a human being.

Last night, I was sent to a little grammar school to help a charity organization distribute food to the refugees. It was a long line that snaked this way and that and I saw a little boy around 9 years old. He was wearing a T-shirt and a pair of shorts.

It was getting very cold and the boy was at the very end of the line. I was worried that by the time his turn came there wouldn't be any food left. So I spoke to him. He said he was at school when the earthquake happened. His father worked nearby and was driving to the school. The boy was on the third floor balcony when he saw the tsunami sweep his father's car away. 

I asked him about his mother. He said his house is right by the beach and that his mother and little sister probably didn't make it. He turned his head and wiped his tears when I asked about his relatives.

The boy was shivering so I took off my police jacket and put it on him. That's when my bag of food ration fell out. I picked it up and gave it to him. "When it comes to your turn, they might run out of food. So here's my portion. I already ate. Why don't you eat it?"

The boy took my food and bowed. I thought he would eat it right away, but he didn't. He took the bag of food, went up to where the line ended and put it where all the food was waiting to be distributed. 

I was shocked. I asked him why he didn't eat it and instead added it to the food pile. He answered: "Because I see a lot more people hungrier than I am. If I put it there, then they will distribute the food equally."

When I heard that I turned away so that people wouldn't see me cry. 

A society that can produce a 9-year-old who understands the concept of sacrifice for the greater good must be a great society, a great people. 

Well, a few lines to send you and your family my warm wishes. The hours of my shift have begun again.

Ha Minh Thanh

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=467066&type=Opinion

Like A Horror Film

We found a very small retreat house near Flor's Garden. All that drama for one night. I had to sleep here, ALONE:

I've never been so glad that I'm always the pinaka maarte that I always bring my own sheets, pillow, and blanket whenever I'm unsure of accommodations. 

Good thing I was too tired to imagine all sorts of Sadakos crawling under my bed. huhu. 

scared.

Not to mention the guard and the lady that looked at us like we were sent by the devil to disturb their "peace". Ugh. 

Flor's Garden

Last Friday, Aids and I went up to Antipolo with the guy who takes care of his farm to attend a seminar about natural farming. The seminar was basically about the idea of WHY natural farming and its basic techniques good for small to medium scale farms. 

It was held in Flor's garden, a small, humble Bohol Bee Farm-like garden in Antipolo. Not so hard to find. We left Manila round 6:30 and arrived at around 7:30 without traffic.

The place was sort of on the side of the hill with a nice view of bamboo forests and mahogany forests and other kinds of forests. :| 

This is their function room.

The walls on the other side of the room (which is behind the camera) were of orchid nets. The wind blew so hard and the air was perfectly cool most of the day.  We could hear the leaves of trees, the wind, water flowing and crickets all over the place. It was hard not to feel sleepy.

Aids and I were talking about how it would be nice to just lie down in the middle of that nowhere and sleep the whole day. We're both fans of the buhay probinsya.

They served this during lunch: 

Reminds me of Bee Farm. This time I'm not scared to eat flowers anymore. But it took me a long time to dig into my salad plate. It was too pretty. The salad dressing was divine. I had harass Tita Flor, the farm owner for the recipe. Will share it here next time. 

The owner of the farm was an advocate of natural farming. The part of the garden that was open to public was sort of an educational one, with demonstrations on natural farming basics. Aids told me that his farm was way better than the garden. I have yet to see his farm to believe it. 

Plant beds with organic soil

Vermiculture: Worm management

This is irrelevant but I'll post it anyway since they're so cute and fluffy: 

Organically raised chicks.

They had a no smell pig. Really. The sign said "NO SMELL PIG" and when you try, there really isn't any smell! How lovely. I wish becky had no smell and no poop. I wish she had a smaller tummy and a smaller appetite.

NO SMELL PIG

The place was perfect for the seminar, really. I learned a lot and I was telling my mom I'd bring her there one of these days. If you're into farming or gardening or any of that sort, it wouldn't really hurt to travel to Flor's to learn a little of this and that.

Reminder/s:

#1 - "He's bad to you eh, that's why nobody likes him." -Adrien U.

#2 -  "He needs to prove a lot of things so he better get started na noh. Time's runnin' out, yes?." -Me

I Don't Get It.

Saw this earlier at Sylvia's while waiting for Leanne's hoard of sisig:

Cool, diba? I love banana flavored stuff. I like banana ice cream from Korea. This made me go bananas (get it? HAHAHA) for a few moments and then I looked closely.

WTF. What's the point of making it look like a banana? I.DO.NOT.GET.IT.

Marketing FAIL. 

Counting Down

Yesterday I went supply shopping with Leanne and our interior designer, Ariel. We were at the carpet store when my credit card failed me. I've exceeded my limit. So sad :( 

Leanne was more than happy to use her card as it would give her more miles. 

Ariel and Leanne before the sneezing fiasco began

I don't think it's the perfect time to buy rugs though. Our house still looks like this:

Ariel and Leanne today discussing... something.

Leanne says that my deadline (2nd week of May) for the house is impossible. I choose to disagree. bleh.

Dining and kitchen area

They started tiling today and wood panel installation is almost done. Kitchen and closets will be installed in 4 weeks. Windows in 2 weeks and the furnitures are more or less decided and ready to be started. April is going to be crazy. I hope stress makes me lose weight. :|

Swimming pool and guest house

I'm really hopeful that this will all be done by May. 7 more weeks. I CAN DO THIS.

Cross your fingers with me!

Ennie Meenie Miney Mo

I have a week to decide whether to get this:

Or this:

Frankly, I'm leaning towards getting the Canon S95 since it's sleeker and easier to manage for camera dumdumbs like me. But Oliver already has this camera and getting the LX5 wouldn't be too bad since none of us have this model yet. Not that we HAVE TO have every new camera that comes out in the market. I'm just thinking that maybe it would be wiser if we had variety rather than duplicates. 

So hmmm... which to buy, which to buy.

The Organic Side of Me

My friend and newest farming buddy Adrien called me this morning to ask me if I wanted to attend a seminar regarding organic farming. I was too busy to ask him about the details so i vaguely gave him a yes and asked him to email me the course outline for the 2-day seminar. After an hour, my very dependable blackberry received an outline on natural farming. Basically, it's all about inputs and techniques on farming for beginners. Includes soil management, seed and seedling treatment, nutritive cycle periods, etc, etc.

Not many would believe that I'm into planting and farming and all about the bukid life. As my brother Oliver would put it, I am a city girl stuck in the province. I don't think it's completely correct, though I should understand the context in which he told me those words. We were out on the farm that day and I wore my new Plueys, carried my cutest umbrella and screamed when i got my flowing skirt caught on dried bush twigs. So yup, he had every right to judge me at that moment.

So anyway, after reading the course outline Aids sent me, I immediately confirmed my slot and told him to reserve another because I planned to invite my cousin to attend with us. I wasn't able to ask him the venue of the seminar until later in the evening. He sent me a text saying it will be held in Flor's Garden Rizal. I googled.  Click to see Flor's Garden

I can't believe it. It looks like my dream farm! A little of this and a little of that. An ornamental garden and a tea garden and a small aviary and an herb garden and a small fish pond and a nursery and free range chickens and pot bellied pigs and a cafe and a large orchard. THIS IS MY GOAL. I've been wanting to visit other farms in Batangas to learn get ideas on farm layouts but I never had a time. So I'm really looking forward for this seminar. Hopefully I learn a lot of new things and get new ideas on how to cultivate my own farm. :)

This, ladies and gentlemen, is Farmville Live.

Project: Prom

So last Thursday, my cousin Yanah asked me to produce all perfect things for Prom with her crush,  j3(2x)bHoI, that will happen in less than 48 hours.
Imagine my panic. 48 hours before Prom in Manila is easy, given that there are a lot of stores to go to and a lot of trusted make up artists to make you up. But when you're in Pampanga, it's a whole lot different. Finding a decent party dress here is a miracle and the make up industry here is composed mainly of...
     ***my mother and brother taught me not say anything if I don't have anything nice to say

I think the fact that she came from a school with a tiny population (READ: entire high school body is less than 50) and that it's the school's first time to throw such thing made her feel all BLAH about it. And the fact that I came from a bigger school that has PROM written all over Junior and Senior year made me want to slap the hell out of her for not preparing 2 months prior to the event. Yup, I'm a freak for an Achi.

The next day she and Raisa came to our house around lunch so I took the rest of the day off and attempted to find her a suitable dress. But as I've said, Pampanga can be a lot of things but definitely not a shopping heaven. Less than 24 hours before j3(2x)bHoI takes her to prom and we still have nothing.

BUT, as I have tweeted that night: "Cousin's prom tomorrow. No dress no shoes no plans nothing! Buti nalang I'm fab enough to save her." 


And I really was fab enough. 


I phoned my sister(who also panicked when i told her about the situation) and asked her to send me every dress from her closet that had prom-potential. Her closet was the top choice for raid since it has been proven time and again that they fit the same size. The dresses travelled from Manila to Pampanga via older sister MM and viola, we had the perfect pink dress. For her shoes, I had to brave my shoe pyramid to find basic pumps that would fit her well. After all sweat and dirt and dust and shoes falling on our heads, we couldn't find a pair that fit her perfectly. All my shoes were either too big or too small even if we both claim to have the same shoe size. This was the part we decided to go to the mall with her all made up right before dropping her to the venue.


As for the make up, ajejeje. Everyone knows how much of a make up junkie I am. Di nyo lang alam, may talent din ako. ajejeje. 

BTW, my mom saw my work and offered to send me to make up school. YEY! 

6 hands worked on her hair. Mine, Raisa's and MM's. Hanggang make up lang ang skills ko.

We were done with her hair and make up and it was almost time to go. She changed to her short dress and a sight scared me. My gosh, hindi pwede ang unshaved legs sa maiksing palda. Sayang ang long legs. Quickly, Raisa worked on the shaving cream while I took charge of the razor. MM documented then cleaned up after the razor.

No time to change back to pambahay clothes.

We were so efficient, we cleaned up just on time. Here's our finished product: 

That's me at the back still scavenging for an appropriate bag and that's Raisa making sure that her legs are 100% balbon-free.

We didn't  have enough time to run to the mall to find her shoes so I had the brightest idea of putting layers of table napkin under the soles of her feet to make my pumps fit snuggly on her. I'm not so sure though if  my bright idea stayed bright the whole night.

We took her to Prom and j3(2x)bHoI was there waiting for her. He didn't even say hi to us. EEW. So me and Raisa and MM had dinner with our uncle and aunt who also sent their son to the same prom, went on to find gas, experienced a credit card malfunction, and had coffee while waiting for Prom to be over. Can I just say that I love my cousins?

Prom was over at around 11:30pm and I was tasked to bring all three of my prom-going kid cousins home. I knew they wanted to go clubbing or party or whatever it is that 16 year olds do nowadays, but I didn't take them. Because 1. I was liable if one of them gets too drunk. 2. I'm afraid that one of them might vomit inside my car if they get too drunk. And 3. I wasn't dressed. ajeje. So I offered them just one round of drinks at Friday's. They agreed but somehow we ended up buying them frappuccinos and looking at their pictures and listening to how sexy his date was and how jeje her date was and blah and blah and blah.

I took all of them home on the dot. 12:30. My mommy will be proud of me. 

In all fairness, I really had a good time. I remember how big of deal prom was back in high school and I was really happy that Yanah had the time of her life on her first prom experience. She's in her Junior year now and she's still got 1 more prom night to look forward to and hopefully prepare for in advance. 2 years from now she will be cringing at how she got kilig with her totoy for a date asking her to prom and all the boys that lined up to ask her for dance. But what's important now is that she's really happy. I am more than glad to be part of her experience.

I went straight home and saw what was left of the day's girlie bonding time:

I got stressed. But it's ok. :) Some things are worth a dirty vanity table. 

♥♥♥

Soap and Glory

You know how i kePT on buying Benefit cosmetics because of their witty names and cutesy packaging? Took me a while to get over their stuff.

I'm the type na nadadala sa packaging. Sa totoo lang. I have a thing for vintage-y looking items. 

These I got from SG last year:

Aren't they cute? Plus, Balms Away lives up to the "eye makeup break-up" tagline. Really works, if you ask me.

Last week I was at Boots' in Bangkok when I stumbled upon a magical rack. Lo and behold, the cutest stuff I have seen since Benefit's Dr. Feel Good--- Soap and Glory. I've never heard of it before, but their stuff was just too cute to ignore. Here are the items I got from their rack:

 I tried the bubble bath back in the hotel and I swear I've never seen so many bubbles in my whole life. HAHA. I was too excited to take a photo.  The deodorant smells like bubble gum. Expect me to have juicy, bubble gum-flavored kilikili for the next few weeks.

But anyway. There. My Soap and Glory stash.