a posthumous entry for SET

for you SET (January 2004 - June 9, 2007),

who had served my needs (and, oftentimes,wants) for more than 3 years…

who had dutifully performed to the best of your abilities…

who had kept my well-guarded secrets…

who had entertained me during those moments that i was bored-to-the-point of insanity, broken to pieces, or simply had nothing to do with my time…

who had been my companion when i felt lonely, abandoned, or at times when i acted as if i were a misanthrope.

well, to you, my beloved SET–Sony Ericsson T610–farewell.

may your mechanical parts rest in peace.

hats off!

*no sparkles

gone for a week

called canyon woods this morning; clarified all concerns.  

and we're all set for a one-week city-escape.

from august 3 to 10, it's all about family. it's all about reconnecting with the people who stood by me even in my darkest hours. it's all about playing with the kids. it's all about subtly telling each other of how much we miss everyone. it's all about forgeting the civilized world for one whole week.

our personal priorities, respective careers, and familial responsibilities have pulled each of us to far-fetched distances.

for seven days, we will try to fill-in the gaps–the missed moments that should've spent together–with our stories, laughters, and love.

i know there are still more than 30 days that separate today and the big day, but i will wait with so much anticipation as we inch closer to august 3.

although i'm not physically preparing for it because of the line-up of events (for digicon wizard) for the months of june and july, i'm conditioning my mind for this week-long vacation. i'll never let this moment to pass without me part of this historical kinda reunion.

but, of course, this event won't be possible if without our real-life fairy god mother, my tita teeng. it's a surprise gift from her. i wish the next time we'll do this kind of a long vacation, you'll be physically present.

thanks tita!

so, there you go. that's if from me for now.

until next time.

*sparkles! 

cherry-picking or simply no topic in mind

it's the latter, hahaha!

nothing sparkling and special happened for the past hours.

well, except for that inspiring story of my best friend and kumare, liz.

no doubt she has gone from being a mere shadow of a marketing manager to becoming a stellar icon of a marketing group. well, liz is liz. there are many things i admire about her and one of those is being that hardworking bee that she is wherever you put her

she is such a machine.

in spite of a seemingly cold exterior, she has a huge heart (uhm yes, bigger than those ***) that knows no time or boundaries (or even personalities) in terms of offering a hand. if you're in a difficult situation, expect liz to be there extricating you from a troubled situation.

she is such a modern hero.

i miss those days when we're inseparable. we would always  wait for each other–during lunch, before/after/in between classes, while writing our notes. those were the days…

certainly, we're playing our own games in totally different fields now.

we had a talk last night. it was much shorter than the ones we had during college. nonetheless, it was still a meaningful talk–just like the old days.

well, i'm hoping that even with our short phone-con (phone conversation), her amazing work ethics was rubbed-off on me.

that's all from me for now.

*sparkles!

living the dream

i'm in front of the e-notebook now.

inside the room.

living one of my dreams…

(more…)

warning: NOT FOR PEOPLE UNDER THE AGE OF 3

may cause unexpected eye popping, stomachache, and may lead to severe brain damage.

so, read at your own risk.

Winners Losers :  From Kris to Ruffa to Gretchen (Desperate Housewives, Philippine Edition)
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The  month  of  June is a good time to review what transpired for the first six  months  of 2007.  For this edition, Conventional Wisdom is focusing on showbiz-related  matters  instead  of the usual politics (which in a way is also show-biz but for ugly people).  Read on.

Kris Aquino.  Loser.  While  she  is  the  innocent  one  in  the whole James-Hope brouhaha, Conventional Wisdom thinks that she could have handled the incident with  more dignity and privacy.  One wonders why this drama queen  wants to inflict  her day-to-day saga with the whole planet.  From exaggerating her "life-threatening" pregnancy, to lambasting her husband in public ("O magsalita ka?  Totoo naming pina-palayas na kita sa bahay a?"), to actually using Ninoy to promote a cake in her latest commercial.  Kris' next endorsement should neither be beer nor pastries but laundry detergent for her unquenchable  desire to always wash her very dirty underwear in public.

James Yap.  Loser.  One word : cad.   As one writer succinctly said : "What do  you  expect  from  a  provincial  boy  who  suddenly  became famous and wealthy?"   The  last  time  we  witnessed  a showbiz cad  was during Gabby Concepcion's time.  James is now second in our list. Conventional Wisdom is giving them maximum of 3 years as a couple.   Kris is starting to look more and more mature and matronic.   James is still young.  Give James sometime,
and after Hope - - Faith and Charity will spring forth. Moral of the story.  Smoking is bad for marriage: Kris had Philip, James had Hope.  Conventional Wisdom can't take any more of this!!!

Ruffa  Gutierrez   /  Annabelle  Rama :  The mother and daughter (MAD) team strikes  again.  From a filmfest scam that made it to CNN, to Brunie-yuki scandal that merited a senate hearing, and now, the falling out with Ylmaz -  -  which is desperately being peddled out as Philippines vs. Turkey. Oppressor vs. Victim.

Ruffa  Gutierrez:   Loser.   A  desperate act from a has-been, middle-aged B-actress who is  trying to make a come-back by capitalizing on whatever publicity that can be squeezed out from this split.  From caterwauling one minute  "Hindi ko na kaya Kuya Boy!", to coyly  saying the following week "Ligawan  nya (Ylmaz) ulit ako" to having her born again baptism rites captured  on  cam  and  then heading off to Las Vegas the following week to relax and do damage control (about his marriage five years ago in Las Vegas).  Ruffa, you're act is getting stale.   You have become so predictable and boring.

Annabelle  Rama.   Winner.  For always a character that she is.   For being consistent in her act and for being our constant source of amusement. Conventional Wisdom almost fell off its chair when this motor-mouth fish-wife asked  Dolly Ann to return the cosmetics she gave her and then, proceeded on by actually naming two unknown women on national television to pay  their  debts to her since she now has to take care of Ruffa and her grandchildren: "Hoy,  so and so magbayad na kayo ng utang nyo sa akin dahil marami na akong papalamunin ngayon" or something to that effect.  
Panalo talaga si  Bisaya.  I strongly suggest to PGMA that we give this woman a postion in the government  preferably as Head of our National Defense. Asap.

Dolly  Ann  Carvajal.   Winner and Loser.   A lot of people don't like this woman.   For one, she is not pleasing to the eye.  Her gay son looks a lot better than  she.  And  admit it or not,  she became a writer thru her connections  - mom and aunt.  But being objective about the whole thing, Conventional Wisdom thinks that Dolly Ann is on the right this time.  Why can't the mother and daughter (MAD) tandem just answer the questions posed by Dolly Ann?  Why can't Annabelle stick to the issues instead of pointing out something we already know:  how ugly Dolly Ann is. What makes Dolly Ann a loser is her constant use of her departed mom's legacy and memory whenever someone would diss her out. Honey, stop hiding under the skirt of your mom.  You are not a sacred cow.

Pia  Guanio.   Loser.  What a lousy lousy interviewer.  The depth of her talent as a host is as long as her irritating mini skirts.  Do us a favor Pia, ask Bossing to marry you already and then fade into oblivion.

Gretchen  Baretto.   Loser.     One  word  :  Wow.   The affectations of La Greta can only be matched by her delusions of grandeur.   From the looks of it, she is experiencing the early on-set of a mid-life crisis. She has been picking  fights  left  and  right?with  Lani  Mercado, and then with Dawn Zulueta.   From her classic statement about the looks of her own daughter: "Naaawa  nga ako dahil karamihan ng tao ang sabi kay Dominique, kamukha sya  ng tatay nya?".   And now the "friendly  beso-beso" lip-lock with John Estrada.   Please explain to Conventional Wisdom  - - "How can this be a friendly kiss when you and John looked so orgasmic in that shot? Gretchen is a classic example of "langaw na nakatungtong sa kalabaw, pero feeling mataas pa sa kalabaw."   Someone should already tell this woman to seek  professional help.  Sober up and clean your act sister.  You are no Paris Hilton.  More like Plaster of Paris Hilton.

Cesar  Montano,  Richard Gomez, Manny Pacquiao, etc. -  Losers.  No further explanations needed.

Borgy  Manotoc.   Loser.  Please.  Please.  From one scandal to the next.  From one basag-ulo to the next.   We have enough of you and your sap-sap mouth face. Will someone already put this psycho behind bars?

Butch  Francisco  and  Dolly  Ann as writers.  Losers.  Please don't waste precious newspaper space writing about  personal stories that nobody (repeat, nobody!) finds interesting at all.  From your maid's antics to your experience  as a judge of Slimmers World Mr. and Ms. Ek ek, to a current love who inspires you.  Please!  A tree gave up its life to have these newspaper printed.  Have I mentioned that nobody is interested?

Belo's Billboards.  Loser.  Hideous. Plain hideous. Whoever is advising Vicky (I can't call her Doctora Vicky because as Osang said, she was a mere aerobics instructor before) to put out all those monstrosities should be  charged with Human  Rights violations.  From the disturbing Chrismas billboard last December, to Richard Gomez's billboard pre-campaign period, to Ai-ai's scary  shot.  Conventional Wisdom would rather stare at the billboards of  Ellen's Beauty Salon (with Ellen as the model herself) than see these Belo ads.

Nora Aunor.  Loser.   To  be  a has-been superstar drug dependent in your fifties is bad enough. To be caught doing drugs in another country is worse.  To be found-out to have married another woman many years ago for a US green-card  is worst.  Ate  Guy  is  a classic example of a person blessed with so much talent and opportunity gone to waste.

Regine Velasquez & Ogie Alcasid.  Losers. Regine is what ….. .nearing 40?  As someone said  "from her demeanor to her utterance, Regine is trying very, very, very hard to hold on to youth."  And if I may add, failing miserably.   This home-wrecker who speaks with an American sleng-sleng should act her age.  Seeing her kilig-reaction about the admission of Ogie made me lose my appetite for dinner. Conventional Wisdom is really worried that anytime soon,  Regine's face and body will collapse.  From her hair extension, her fake long eyelashes, her fake nose, her man-made eye slits, her tooth-caps with gums, and her Gluthathioned skin, her fake boobs. Last we heard, her movie with  Piolo  flopped big time.  Nobody wants to see a May/December love story anymore. Or more correctly, a May 1960/ December 2007 love affair story anymore.

Pass  this  on until it reaches the following:  Ylmaz Bektas, Mother-in-law of Gretchen, Hope, Vic Sotto, PGMA,  Michelle Van Something, Letty Magsanoc, and Gov. Vi.

i looove it!

just imagine the kind of personalities proliferating this god-forsaken nation…

can anyone shoot them one by one?

a wedding and two funerals

today, ate sheryl finally tied the knot. an event that almost didn't happen; or so i was told.

thank goodness, i had to stay with the bride (at the intercon) all throughout the preparation stage. the bride as well as her family has been so accomodating to and cooperative with us–the coverage team.

the people, the incidents that made the preparation engaging:

• the perky make-up artist who looked like a gmg co-member–CK Unay (sorry, CK…heheh! you really look like him)
• the seemingly-innocent assistant to the make-up artist who almost poured the whole content of the face powder onto his face
• the gown designer who i thought was the father of the bride; i almost asked him to stand beside the bride for the video shoot.
• the photographer who seemed to have just taken-in his daily requirement of combatrin or antiox. he moved and hopped a lot during the photoshoot. he even had the guts to let the bride had her photoshoot under the scorching heat of the sun.

(disclaimer: months after the event, it's just now that i'm reminiscing everything. the memories of this wedding have already left my mind…)

basta, after the wedding, i attended a wake, nearby.

that's all!

*sparkles!

no wonder why i looove it.

Makes Me Wonder

Maroon 5 

[Verse]
I wake up with blood-shot eyes
Struggled to memorize
The way it felt between your thighs
Pleasure that made you cry
Feels so good to be bad
Not worth the aftermath, after that
After that
Try to get you back

[Bridge]
I still don't have the reason
And you don't have the time
And it really makes me wonder
If I ever gave a f**k about you

[Chorus]
Give me something to believe in
Cause I don't believe in you
Anymore, Anymore
I wonder if it even makes a difference to try
(Yeah)
So this is goodbye

[Verse]
God damn, my spinning head
Decisions that made my bed
Now I must lay in it
And deal with things I left unsaid
I want to dive into you
Forget what you're going through
I get behind, make your move
Forget about the truth

[Bridge]
I still don't have the reason
And you don't have the time
And it really makes me wonder
If I ever gave a f**k about you

[Chorus 1 + 2]
Give me something to believe in
[Makes Me Wonder lyrics on http://www.metrolyrics.com]

Cause I don't believe in you
Anymore, Anymore
I wonder if it even makes a difference,
It even makes a difference to try (yeah)
And you told me how you're feeling
But I don't believe it's true
Anymore, Anymore
I wonder if it even makes a difference to cry
(Oh no)
So this is goodbye

[Breakdown]
I've been here before
One day a week
And it won't hurt anymore
You caught me in a lie
I have no alibi
The words you say don't have a meaning
Cause..

[Bridge]
I still don't have the reason
And you don't have the time
And it really makes me wonder
If I ever gave a f**k about you and I…
and so this is goodbye

[Chorus 1 + 2]
Give me something to believe in
Cause I don't believe in you,
Anymore, Anymore
I wonder if it even makes a difference,
It even makes a difference to try
And you told me how you're feeling
But I don't believe it's true
Anymore Anymore
I wonder if it even makes a difference to cry
(Oh no)
So this is goodbye
So this is goodbye, yeah (x 3)
(Oh no)