East vs. West

I just came from the company sponsored movie date. It is a 4x a year event where the company asks employees to vote for what movie to watch and then we rent a whole theater just for employees.
As I was excitedly watching the latest blockbuster Vantage Point, I realized that I only see western movies when we have these movie dates.

Check out these numbers:

* In 2007, I watch a grand total of 3 hollywood movies (Music and Lyrics, Spiderman and Rush Hour 3). I missed Enchanted last November because I was in Hongkong on vacation. Oh, make that 4! I forgot Bourne Ultimatum.

* Since 2004, I have seen about 94 japanese dramas, 15 Taiwanese dramas and 15 Korean dramas. That's an average of 31 dramas per year! Which is roughly 2-3 dramas a month!

Note that each drama has about 11 episodes (Taiwan and Korean dramas are about 1 hour each episode) of about 45 minutes each. It loosely translates that i was glued to any of my tri-nation addiction for about 255 hours each year. This does not include the asian movies and tv programs that I also watch.

Wow! Oh my God! Holy Cow! Tsk, tsk! No wonder i am hopelessly not updated..... okay back to my dorama. Hahaha!

Movie links:

Vantage Point - http://www.vantagepoint-movie.com/index.php
Music and Lyrics - http://musicandlyrics.warnerbros.com/
Spiderman 4 - http://spiderman.sonypictures.com/
Rush Hour 3 - http://www.rushhourmovie.com/sitemap.html
Enchanted - http://adisney.go.com/disneyvideos/liveaction/enchanted/
Bourne Ultimatum - http://www.bourne-ultimatum.net/

Only the Yummiest for my Purple Plate...

Sundays are lazy days for me. A day in the week I treasure. Rare days that I sleep in and eat well. Sometimes too well for my own good. Hahaha!

Today was a special one for me. I've been requesting my playmate, a budding chef to make me one of the dishes in this cookbook I bought for him recently. A week ago he said pick one and I'll see if I can do it one of these weekends. I was not expecting anything this weekend because we did not do any grocery shopping.

Well today he woke me up at 11am (didn't I say I like to sleep in? hehe..) and said it's early but time to eat. I grudgingly got up thinking lunch was just one of those yummy but regular stuff we always have. My sleepy eyes opened wide when I saw what was on our purple plate. Of course my one purple world extends to my kitchen!

Beef Stroganoff ala Butch was yummy. The critic in me said the beef was not as tender as I'd like but heck I finished that big plate and even ate some more for merienda (what we Filipinos call our mid-afternoon snack). This is actually the 2nd time he fulfilled a request from me but the surprise of it was what made it extra special.

Blog in Filipino? Opo in Filipino!!

Nakakatuwa. Ganito pala ang pakiramdam ng nagsusulat sa Pilipino para sa lahat ng mga kaibigan na dumadalaw dito sa aking blog. Ang buong pamamaraan ng pag-post dito sa blogger ay may bersiyon na sa Pilipino.

Bigla kong naalala nung hindi naman katagalan kong nakaraan na nagsulat ako ng mga memorandum sa Pilipino. Hindi kasi maintindihan ng mga manggagawa sa pabrikang pinagtatrabahuan ko ang wikang Ingles. Iniisip ko noon kung paano ko gagawin yon. Hindi ako matatas sa wikang Pilipino...sa totoo at tamang paggamit ng Pilipino. Pero sinikap ko. Maski na nagkabalu-baluktot ang aking daliri sa pagta-type at utak sa pag-isip ng tamang salitang gagamitin.

Ngunit huwag mag-alala mga kaibigan. Ngayon lang ito. Hahaha!!! Salamat sa Blogger team at naisipan nilang isama ang Pilipino sa mga wikang pwedeng gamitin. Nakaka-aliw. At maski sa maliit na paraan kailangan natin ito lalong-lalo na sa panahon ngayon. Mabuhay kayo Blogger team!
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My attempt at translating my own writing into English. Here goes:

It's heartwarming. So this is how it felt to write in Filipino for all friends who visit my blog. There is now a Filipino version in posting here at Blogger.com.

I suddenly remembered that in my not so distant past I wrote memos in Filipino. The workers in the factory I was working at did not understand English. At that time, I kept thinking how was I going to do it. I was and still is not fluent in Filipino... the real and right way of writing in Filipino. But I kept at it. Even if my fingers got twisted typing and my tongue as well from thinking about the right words to say.

But don't worry my friends. This is only for today! hahaha! Thanks to the Blogger team for including Filipino in the language list. It's fun. And we need every bit and kind of fun especially in these challenging times. Mabuhay Blogger Team!!

The Technosaurus Stikes Again...

And she's a bit depressed about it... being a technosaurus... that rare specie of human being that has the technical skill of a dinosaur.

I just dont excel in Excel (that's the spreadsheet application of Microsoft). I kept telling everyone at work today that I miss Vincent... that as I wallow in self-pity over the pitiful product of my two days' work I started imagining that if worst comes to shove (or something like that), I would stalk Vincent and kidnap him so he can help me!

Or.... I would scream like a scorned woman at the lobby of the building where he now works (where in fact I was just a scorned boss) --- "why did you leave me?".... Then I woke up from the hilarity of the thought and laughed my brains out. Poor guy has a great career going for him and here I am imagining all sorts of unfortunate incidents to his person.

Naturally I packed up for the day and left for home. Tomorrow is another day...

Past Catching Up with the Present...

Recently in town is an artist from my past - Julia Fordham. I was driving to work one day and I saw this huge tarp of Julia and that she was going to play at the Activity Center of Trinoma (http://www.ayalamalls.com.ph/content/trinoma.asp), the mall nearest me. So I bugged girlfriends Ochie and Kathy to go with me and watch what would be the cheapest but awesome concert in my whole life.

Cheap? Because all I had to do was stand somewhere in the Activitiy center and i could watch for free.

Awesome? Oh yes! Julia's voice has not changed. I never really knew her age but when I checked out her website (http://www.juliafordham.com/), I found out that we are just the same age! No wonder I felt like I grew up with her. *alright people of this earth, stop counting years!!*

Listening to my old favorites was so nostalgic for me that I did not mind standing there for an hour and was just swaying to the music....Girlfriend, Happy Together, Invisible Wars and the lovesong of many Love Moves in Mysterious Ways. I was happy to see that Ochie, who was from another generation was appreciating the music.

While I was being transported back in time to the old Folk Arts Theater in the days that Julia was playing to packed concert goers, I realized that I did not have anything of her on CD!!! Playmate Butch confirmed that everything I had of her were in *cough*, *ehemm*, *scratches chin* cassette tape!!!!!

So I rushed to buy her latest CD China Blue so I can load it up in Ipod and enjoy her cool voice perfect for pop jazz. I was a happy kamper when I learned that the cd sold on that day and during the show was signed by Julia!

Here's a cut from the album. It is a remake of an old Michael McDonald song "I Keep Forgettin". What's cool about this song is that Michael sang back-up vocals to this one. Enjoy and download at this site: http://gigidm.multiply.com/music

Chocolates and Valentines

It's probably because of Valentine's Day coming up that my mind is pre-occupied with one thing the past couple of days...chocolates. It is one thing that I really, really love. Too bad I cannot indulge as much now as before since I was diagnosed with diabetes.

But whenever I feel the urge....and my blood sugar seem okay....I am thankful that both Hershey's (http://www.hersheys.com/home.asp) and M&M's (http://www.mms.com/) have their dark variation because the doc said that is what I can eat during those rare times that I can eat them. And yey that they're in purple! :-D

Despite my love for the color of the above, still the yummiest of all that I have ever eaten so far is Royce (http://www.e-royce.com/). I had the pleasure of eating this chocolate through the kindness of my Japanese friends who gave me a box during my last trip to Taipei. The chocolates give a whole new meaning to the phrase "melt in your mouth". And now I'm looking forward to my Tokyo trip so I can indulge once again. My mouth is already watering....

Happy Valentines Day everyone! Love and be loved.

Bikers Would Cringe...

I'm definitely sure of it! When they see this lady riding in tandem wearing a.....PURPLE helmet!!!

Last December, I bought my husband a Suzuki 150cc motorbike. Despite several invitations for me and him to ride on weekends, I told him I'll only ride if and when I already have a purple helmet. He has been so frustrated since coz he couldn't find one. I, of course, naturally thought that no one in their right minds would make a purple helmet that is why I was so brave to make that statement.

Well me and my big mouth... We were off to do our grocery shopping. We had to go to this part of the mall that we hardly ever go to because playmate (aka husband) wanted to look at cellphone batteries. On the way there, both of us were stopped when we spotted this store that sells riding helmets. So I was nonchalantly just looking around when I heard the big question "do you have a purple helmet?" and the sales guy goes "not sure Sir". I let out a relieved sigh.

But then I turned my head to the other side of the aisle that I was blocking and lo and behold, there it is. So I kept quiet and just stood there. Unfortunately for me, the sales guy went past me and said "oh here's one and its the only one in the store"! Drats!!!! Next thing I knew I was carrying a shopping bag.

Needless to say dear old playmate could not wait until we get home. Not what you are thinking people!! :-D But to see me try it on one more time.

So now we have a riding date next weekend. And though I was scared initially about the thought, I am looking forward to it (a bit) and wonder how people would react to the purple 'met. Hehe...

CDs and more cds...

I will probably need a bigger birdcage someday...if I keep buying cds and dvds.

Despite the quickie trip to Taipei last month (time flies when you're drowning in work!), my friends and I stumbled into a store just next block to Ximending Red Square.

Aside from the F4 album that I was specifically there for, I also bought the new version of Zaizai's album because the dvd of the October 2007 mini concert event was released with this album..and I was there! The photo booklet inside this album is what Zaizai was kind enough to stamp during the 20 Jan event. Sono otoko wa honto yasashii desu ne. Sigh...

And of course, it has become a habit (a very expensive one) to buy something of SMAP to add to my collection. This time I got the overseas vcd version of Live Amigos. What I love about this concert is the acoustic segment especially the duet of Kimura Takuya and Katori Shingo "Hito Eki Aruko". That was absolutely fantastic! On hindsight, I also should have gotten the Su Live vcd. Next time, next time!!

And finally, Soler. Ah...Soler. Their X2 album is also on constant play in my Ipod. I just fell in love with their music. And more so because the album has an English and Chinese set. I love the vocal harmony of the twins. I was just wishing to hear them play live when I realized that I did! At the MTV Concert in Taichung last October 2007. I remembered that I was very impressed although I did not catch their group name then. It was only that one time I was channel surfing when I stumbled on them featured on Channel V that I found out about them and a bit more.

So now the question is what's next? Definitely I know that I won't stop. Not yet anyway. :-D I am now itching to start collecting Wax's album (the perils of tri-nation fandom!!!). Well, time to start thinking of getting a bigger birdcage then..hahahaha!